Gotham Episode 3 "The Balloonman" Review

by Snow Drift

  On this episode, directed by Dermott Downs and written by John Stephens, a mysterious killer nicknamed “Balloonman” (Dan Bakkedahl) is strapping Gotham’s corrupt public figures to weather balloons and sending them to the sky to die. Detectives James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) are on the case, but Bullock is no longer as safe from suspicion of being corrupt as he though.

  I’m honestly a bit conflicted about this episode. On one hand, I found it a bit jarring that the method of the murders by the Balloonman clashed with the atmosphere of the rest of the series. However, when I thought about it, I realized that the murderer and his method worked to portray the state of desperation of the citizens of Gotham. A regular adult man, who had nothing remarkable to his name, decides to take it upon himself to save Gotham with his only talent: balloons. This episode showed that a citizen of Gotham had finally had enough. Nevertheless, I still would have liked it if the episode had handled the portrayal and direction of the murders to better match the dark and gritty atmosphere of the series. 

  Among the subplots, the one matching Renee Montoya (Victoria Cartagena) and Barbara Kean (Erin Richards) is an interesting one, for it brings out to the forefront the romantic relationship between these two women and who they were before the start of the series. It also portrays the powerful force of doubt that prevails throughout the innocent of Gotham. Those that are not corrupt doubt the system, forcing them to live on the edge.

  Meanwhile, Oswald Cobblepot’s (Robin Lord Taylor) indiscriminate murders throughout Gotham and his visible presence makes it a bit unbelievable that very few people know that he is still alive. I’m surprised that only one person has discovered him and that there hasn’t been any talk of the random murders in and around Gotham. However, I am still glad that his false murder is still a topic that connects Gordon, Montoya, Crispus Allen (Andrew Stewart-Jones), Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) and the rest of the criminal underworld to each other and further expands on their conflicts.

  In addition, Alfred Pennyworth’s (Sean Pertwee) portrayal in this episode was, in my opinion, better than the last. His extreme discipline upon Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) worried me, yet in this episode he is shown trying to make Bruce happy in his own way, which is a bit more consistent with the essence of his comic book counterpart. 

  All the while, I do like how Bruce, even though he outwardly seems to be in the process of moving on from his parents’ murder by having a bit more fun, while still holding unto his anger and fear. He lashes out at times and seems to be taking every event that happens in Gotham personal. 

  McKenzie’s and Logue’s acting was more convincing than before, which may be based on the fact that they’re getting used to their characters or the script itself. The villains acting was relatively well, but it could have been better. The rest of the cast was consistent with the last two episodes, although I have to say that I love Pinkett Smith, for she portrays a character that feigns a relative goodness, yet makes it known to everyone around her that she is not one to mess with. 

  The episode in its entirety could have been better directed to portray the sense of terror from being forcefully lifted to the sky. However, I liked the elements that were implemented into the series and the fact that events that have happened in previous episodes are affecting the future.

Gotham Episode 2 "Selina Kyle" Review

by Snow Drift

  On this episode, Patti (Lili Taylor) and Doug (Frank Whaley), a strange duo, of snatchers, work together to capture homeless children from the streets of Gotham to take them to their boss, the mysterious Dollmaker. When given this case, Detectives James Gordon (Ben McKenzie) and Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) have to work together to save these children, if with several problems along the way.

  Plot-wise, the episode began to gather momentum as the snatchers captured the children and were eventually discovered by Gordon and Bullock. However, the episode ended anti-climatically. Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova), or Cat, simply slipped away from their clutches and was saved by a deux ex machina-like arrival of Gordon. There was no tension if Gordon would have arrived on time to save the children; he was just suddenly there, right on time, with no explanation as to how he got inside a building that had armed guards around. The viewer is told to believe that the police were just that good in the nick of time. 

  Besides that, I liked the rest of the subplots. The power struggle between Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith), Carmine Falcone (John Doman) and even Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor), with his viciousness and cruelty, makes for an interesting dynamic and view of the criminal underworld. The corruption and lack of care from the mayor and most of the police department in regards to the well-being of the homeless and delinquent children help to readily show an environment of hopelessness and selfishness, all of which help portray Gotham as having a darkness that goes beyond mere physical violence and murder. 

  In a way, this episode felt more like a prelude to another than anything else. The importance of the snatchers was based more on giving information on a potentially new future villain and Selina Kyle’s presence in this episode seemed more to be about showing her skills, ruthlessness, cunning, and significance as to the identification of the Wayne’s killer than anything else. However, Kyle’s actions do help to establish the kind of person she is and how that might develop in future episodes.

  Bruce Wayne’s (David Mazouz) character development seems fascinating, for he, although already succumbing to the determination, and possible obsession, of his future self, still acts like the child he is. He does not know much of how the world works, nor how he must move on from the tragedy. He wishes for an answer and a way to help the innocent, but is still too young to understand how to reach the conclusions to those. 

  Alfred Pennyworth’s (Sean Pertwee) attitude on this episode was disconcerting, to be honest. His way of treating Bruce is a bit too harsh for his character, even at this stage of his life. One thing is being disciplinarian and attempting to stop Bruce from going too far with his antics, but it is entirely another to be constantly harsh to him at nearly every moment. However, he does show compassion towards him, but it would be nicer for the sake of his character for his attitude to be a bit more humbling.

In terms of acting, I’m still not entirely convinced by McKenzie’s and Logue’s; its seems as if Logue is trying to be as outwardly corrupt in attitude as possible to the point of it being a bit exaggerated, while McKenzie just seems to still need to get into his character. The acting of the snatchers, although successfully unnerving at times, felt a bit forced during others, as if the actors were trying a bit too hard to sound and look creepy. The rest were relatively good for the portrayal of their respective characters, Bicondova especially portraying her character as young but used to the horrors of Gotham, to an extent.  

Overall, the episode was decent, although it could have had a better-handled ending. The possible mafia war and the existence of Dollmaker do help establish the possibility of much more to come throughout the series.

TV Series Review: Community

by Rogue

The Basics:

Community is not your typical geeky sitcom. It’s a show by the great Dan Harmon (cocreator

of the Adult Swim animated television series Rick and Morty) and it stars an

ensemble cast. The premise of the show is a group of seven different personalities form

a study group for a Spanish class (taught by a Chinese professor) in Greendale

Community College. The comedy of the show is fresh and original and literally

indescribable. It’s aired on NBC for five seasons, while the sixth will air on Yahoo!

Screen.

The Cast and Characters:

1. Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) - a con artist at heart, he got caught at his law firm lying

about having a bachelor’s degree and enrolls at Greendale Community College for a

“quickie” degree.

2. Britta Perry (Gillian Jacobs) - a high school drop out, former anarchist and social

activist.

3. Abed Nadir (Danny Pudi) - a Palestinian-Polish film student suspected of having

Asperger’s syndrome but has an encyclopedic knowledge of TV shows and movies.

4. Shirley Bennett - a recently divorced single mother and vocal Christian.

5. Annie Edison (Allison Brie) - the youngest, people pleasing and over achieving

student who lost her scholarship to a prestigious university when she became

addicted to Adderall.

6. Troy Barnes (Donald Glover a.k.a. Childish Gambino) - a former high school star

quarterback who lost his scholarship due to injury, he instantly bonds with Abed and

embraces his geeky, goofy side

7. Pierce Hawthorne (Chevy Chase) - an old, racist and sexist millionaire who enrolls at

Greendale out of boredom

8. Ben Chang (Ken Jeong) - the slightly deranged Chinese Spanish teacher. Together

they study for Ben Chang’s ridiculous Spanish class and have to put up with the

antics of the exuberant and lively Dean Craig Pelton.

9. Craig Pelton (Jim Rash) - the exuberant and lively Dean who desperately wants

Greendale to be taken as a university, instead of a community college.

My Top 5 Episodes:

1. “Modern Warfare” (S01E23) - after the Dean announces the prize for the winner of

the school paintball game, it breaks out into an out all war. The episode heavily

references and parodies action movies and post apocalyptic films such as Die Hard,

Terminator, Rambo etc.

2. “Abed’s Uncontrollable Christmas” (S02E11) - a freaking STOP MOTION Christmasthemed

episode. STOP MOTION ANIMATION!

3. “Advanced Dungeons & Dragons” (S02E14) - the study group notice a fellow student

nicknamed “Fat Neil” is lonely and suicidal so they play a game of Advanced

Dungeons and Dragons with him, but Pierce feels left out and does his best to ruin

the game.

4. “Digital Estate Planning” (S03E20) - Pierce’s father has died but in order to claim his

inheritance he and the study group have to play an 8 bit console game reminiscent of

Nintendo and Sega systems, with a bit of Minecraft thrown into the mix.

5. “G.I. Jeff” (S05E11) - A FULL animated episode stylized after the 1980’s show G.I.

Joe.

Other Fun Bits:

These are just MY top 5 episodes, but there’s TONS more. Zombie themed episodes, an Apollo 13 episode, a glee parody episode, conspiracy theory episode, a Law & Order episode, hidden jokes and easter eggs everywhere. This show is genius and EVERYBODY needs to go check it out now!

TV Series Review: True Detective

By.DigitaLoz

What do you get when you mix a tremendous cast, a chilling story filled with death, cults to weird gods, an incredibly grim atmosphere, and HBO? You get something really awesome. True Detective is that and more. This is one of those shows that can be used to make the argument that television is no longer what it was. Television has moved towards a serial nature and this show proves exactly why.

Two state detectives, “Rust” Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and “Marty” Hart (Woody Harrelson) try solving a series of murders and disappearances in Louisiana during the span of roughly 17 years. A murder by itself is not enough to keep people interested in the show. What makes this show captivating is the dialogue between the two lead characters. When you look at them, they couldn’t be more opposite from each other. This fact makes their conversations and philosophizing compelling. The story by itself is enough, but it’s the moments between these characters that make it interesting. 

Now, I would like to make a disclaimer before I continue. This is not an action show. While it has some action scenes, this is drama through and through. It's equally about the journey that Rust and Marty go through (with each other and by themselves) as it is about solving the riddle laid before them.

The creator and writer of the show, Nic Pizzolatto, is relatively unknown in terms of television and film, having only written a couple episodes of the show The Killing before. He has written a couple of books and was born and raised in Louisiana, which is the main reason why the show works so well. Louisiana is the third, most important character, a lot like the gritty streets of New York or Chicago or the rainy back streets of London. The director, Cary Joji Fukunaga, whom I've never heard of or seen his work, has intrigued me enough to find out more about him. His work here is fantastic and along with cinematographer Adam Arkapaw, make the series alive.

The music is great, with a phenomenal mix of classic rock, blues, southern music, and even some hip hop thrown in for good measure. They did a great job in picking a fantastically creepy song for their intro, “Far From Every Road” by The Handsome Family. This song evokes an eeriness similar to what the show strives for essentially. 

Anyone interested in great storytelling, fantastic acting, and doesn’t mind a slow burn, as it were, should be able to enjoy this show. Sure, the fact that it only has 8 episodes might make the end seem a bit rushed, but when looking at the whole package, no one should miss this show.

Netflix Addiction: Dirty Jobs

by Temper

   It’s a dirty job, but someone's got to do it. For eight seasons the Discovery Channel brought us the real life misadventures of host Mike Rowe, as he and his crew shed a light on the thousands of dirty jobs in the U.S. Jobs like Alpaca farmer, large animal veterinarian, marble maker, and many more.

    The show isn't just showcasing the job, it gets a lot of its charm and character from the people Rowe interacts with. Through Rowe's attempts at performing the job he is presenting and generally slowing down the process due to his inexperience, the program showcases the skills developed after years of performing these dirty jobs. Rowe is constantly impressed and taken aback by the speed, precision and efficiency with which many of these people carry out their jobs. The host is constantly reminding the viewer that even though the show is called Dirty Jobs and many of the jobs can boil down to just menial labor, the people performing them deserve no less respect than your average lawyer, doctor, or similar professional because without those people "civilized life wouldn't be possible for the rest of us." 

    Secondary to the people whose jobs Rowe and his crew are visiting, Dirty Jobs shines a light on the set up and general process that the Dirty Jobs team goes through. Crawling into tight holes with big cameras and putting themselves in the way of dangerous equipment and animals all to show us how Rowe and those he visits perform the jobs.  Through the series you get to know the crew and Rowe for being just a silly group of people willing to film the harshest, dirtiest, darkest, grimiest jobs for your entertainment, and a bit of education on the side.

  Dirty Jobs however does suffer from the missing episode ailment, where many of the televised episodes are not on Netflix (as far as I can remember) for some reason or another. Fortunately the episodes that are on Netflix are some of the more memorable ones from Dirty Jobs. Sadly Discovery did not renew Dirty Jobs after its eighth season. So next time you want to complain about your job, why not queue up an episode? And be glad you don't have to inspect the hundred year old San Francisco sewer system.