Glee, “On My Way” (Television)

Maybe it would be in Glee‘s best interest to rename its show from Glee to Bleak. If any casual viewer had tuned in expecting the same, usual happy-go-lucky teenagers and peppy Sue Sylvester wise cracks, they may have gotten more than they bargained for.

Peeling back to be serious, Glee‘s winter finale, ambiguously titled “On My Way,” took the hard road in portraying gay teen bullying and teen suicide. This story belonged to David Karofsky (Max Adler), whose heartless outing at his new school by his fellow jocks, juxtaposed by Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup,” covered by Blaine Anderson (Darren Criss), was nothing short of heartbreaking.… Read More

The Walking Dead, “Nebraska” (Television)

I have a lot of feelings when it comes to The Walking Dead. And, if you’ll recall, a lot of them are far from positive. I can’t help it – the first season of the show spoiled me by being practically flawless. Add in a slow run of shows in season two, and I couldn’t help but feel that it was somewhat lacking – until the midseries finale.

Well, I’m happy to report that The Walking Dead and I are once again on speaking terms. I got my fair share of everything this time around – gore, blood, startling zombie jump moments, and some good ol’ fashioned gunfire.… Read More

Chuck, “Chuck Versus the Zoom” (Television)

To call the opening of Chuck‘s fifth and final season a hot mess would be a bit harsh. After all, “Chuck Versus the Zoom” has plenty going for it in the humor and action department, and in more ways than one, the series shows signs of returning to its core values. And let’s face it, it felt great to see the gang back together for one last romp at the Burbank Buy More. Even so, “Zoom” is far from a total knock out.

The central plot itself is fairly predictable and nothing we haven’t seen before. There’s your typical hotshot baddie, four hundred pound WWF reject, and mustache-twirling power-hungry maniac, who we first saw in the season four finale, “Chuck Versus the Cliffhanger.” Recently booted from the CIA, the team of misfit spies – Chuck, Sarah, Morgan, Casey, and Chuck’s sister, Ellie, who mostly acts as an extra brain – have gone freelance, forming Carmichael Industries.… Read More

Bedlam, “Cohabitants” (Television)

What do you get when you cross Melrose Place with Ghost Adventures? Meet Bedlam, a goofy, spooky, sexy new supernatural drama on BBC America, starring four young flat mates and an old mental asylum.

SPOILER ALERT: If you don’t want to be spoiled, stop reading here!

Rule number one of most ghost stories: young people are stupid. And the case is no different for Kate (Charlotte Salt), Ryan (Will Young), and Molly (Ashley Madekwe). They’re hot, they’re naive, they’re sensitive, and they see no problem in living in an ultra swank, ultra gentrified asylum.… Read More

Doctor Who, “Let’s Kill Hitler” (Television)

Let’s get real here. For the most part, Doctor Who is, at best, a bit hit and miss. In my write-up of the last mid-series, I was more than a little weary of the cliffhanger we’d been left on, as well as the series as a whole.

This time around, Doctor Who had a lot riding on its shoulders, and even in the case of “Let’s Kill Hitler” (a very misleading title, don’t expect to see Inglourious Basterds), not everything thrown at it seemed to stick. But on the whole, the mid-series opener is a fun, imaginative romp back into the world of Doctor Who, with enough scares and silliness to keep the show afloat.… Read More