Top 25 TV Shows: Part 5

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed my previous parts, click here for Part 1, here for Part 2, here for Part 3, and here for Part 4.

5: Firefly

Firefly is the definition of shiny (awesome in Firefly lingo). Joss Whedon is the king of making lovable and believable characters, and Firefly is a shining example of his skill in writing an ensemble cast. Almost everything about Firefly is perfect and endlessly quotable. It is one of the few shows that I could re-watch. Unfortunately, (or fortunately for Marvel and The Avengers), Firefly was cancelled after one brilliant season. Despite being cancelled, if you enjoy science fiction or well written characters, Firefly is wholeheartedly recommended to pretty much anyone.

Watch on: Netflix, Amazon Prime

4: Sherlock

With season 4 of Sherlock set to arrive.... whenever Steven Moffat bloody well feels like it, there is no better time than the present to catch up with the modern reimagining of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes. Despite the series' relative brevity, basically ten 90 minute TV movies, BBC's Sherlock is an absolute must watch. Benedict Cumberbatch is a brilliant Holmes and Martin Freeman is, by far, my favorite John Watson put to screen. Equally balancing characterization, humor, and each mystery, Sherlock elevates the TV mystery genre to new heights, and being so short, you have absolutely no reason not to watch this brilliant and witty adventure.

Watch on: Netflix

Seasons: 3

Episodes: 9

Runtime: 90 mins

3: Daredevil

Daredevil introduced viewers to Matthew Murdock, a lawyer trying to help the little people in New York’s Hell’s Kitchen along with his friend Foggy Nelson. And during the nights, Matthew tries to clean of the streets of Hell’s Kitchen as Daredevil. Marvel not only proved that they deliver the best comic book films, but also the best comic book television series. Season 1 of Daredevil established the character and presented a darker, more violent side of the Marvel Universe, without losing the core aspects that make Marvel adaptations truly great. Season 2 raised the stakes, introduced riveting new characters, like The Punisher, and continued the character development of Mat and the supporting cast. In many regards, Daredevil stands right next to the MCU’s best films. Every episode is an experience that has me glued to the screen from beginning to end. It is worth $9.99 Netflix subscription fee just for Daredevil, so do yourself a favor and watch it.
Watch on: Netflix

2: Doctor Who

Deciding what should be number one is SO DIFFICULT! On one hand, Breaking Bad is a complete masterpiece of television with the most consistently high quality writing through 62 episodes. On the other, Doctor Who is a continuously changing adventure with some episodes being absolutely brilliant and inventive, while others fail. While Doctor Who might be my “favorite” television series for fueling my love of science fiction for over half my life, Breaking Bad ultimately takes the top spot due to Doctor Who containing entire seasons that are disappointing, despite my love of the series. 

Doctor Who is certainly weird. It’s cheesy sometimes, especially the early seasons. However, if you give the series a chance, Doctor Who is an incredibly inventive series. The time-and-space-traveling aspect produces so many fun adventures, unique creatures, and episodes that standalone as an engrossing experience. “Blink” is a stunning piece of gothic horror and possibly my favorite episode of any television series. Many other episodes fascinated and intrigued me. Doctor Who is a large part of my love for time-travel, and while a few other works execute time-travel better, Doctor Who’s creativity and sheer fun is among the best. If you are up for something different, give Doctor Who a try.

Watch on: Amazon Prime

1: Breaking Bad

Breaking Bad is the greatest television series of all-time. Sure, this might be the most clichéd top pick, but hear me out. When watching Breaking Bad for the first time over the course of a month late last year, my expectations were somewhat, albeit cautious. How could something that LITERALLY everyone claims to be the “BEST THING EVER” actually be the BEST THING EVER? 

Season 1 started slow and setup an interesting narrative. Season 2 meandered just a tad in the middle, but still balanced the humor, character development, and plot twists skillfully. Then, Season 3 happened. Each episode left me on the edge-of-my-seat. Plot twists left and right. Would Walter and Jesse get caught? Where could the story go next!? Season 4 capped off Season 3’s exceptional story arc with some of the most exciting twists in television. Season 5 brought things to a riveting conclusion, and while arguably not quite as perfect as the previous two seasons, still surpasses just about any other television series. So yeah, Breaking Bad is the best television series of all-time for so many reasons. Nothing is perfect, especially television series with their wide margin for dips in quality, but Breaking Bad does every single thing right and more than surpassed expectations. Breaking Bad is a once in generation type of experience, and while that sounds like hyperbole, I have yet to see a television that even comes close to its quality. If any television deserves the title of “Best,” Breaking Bad certainly deserves it, so, if you are old enough and can handle mature content, watch Breaking Bad.

Watch on: Netflix

Are any of these your favorites? What do you think of my final list? Please comment below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 TV Shows: Part 4

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed my previous parts, click here for Part 1, here for Part 2, and here for Part 3.

10: Seinfeld

If you haven't lived under a rock your entire life, chances are you have at least heard of Seinfeld, if not seen or heard it referenced at some points. Seinfeld, described as "a show about nothing," obviously did a lot of something to become probably the most popular and well known comedy of all-time, and for good reason, it is absolutely hysterical! The series follows a fictionalized version of Jerry Seinfeld and his friends in New York and all of the insane misadventures that the group gets themselves into. If you somehow have not seen Seinfeld, what the heck are you doing!? Watch it! It's beyond a classic!
Watch on: Hulu

9: Psych

Psych is a crime mystery drama with a heavy dose of comedy blended throughout. Often times, it is funnier than the majority of comedies, yet smarter than the majority of drama crimes. The dynamic duo of Shawn and Gus have so much chemistry and witty banter. Psych is just one of the most entertaining TV series ever for me. In the later seasons, the writing is a bit weaker, but my investment in the great cast of characters made it all worth it. If you want a crime drama with a comedic twist and great characters, give Psych a chance.
Watch on: Netflix

8: Star Wars: The Clone Wars

While the first few episodes did lean towards less mature themes, after the episode "Rookies" The Clone Wars turned out to best thing to happen to the Star Wars franchise in years. It gave fans some of the best Star Wars stories since the Original Trilogy. A few story arcs are absolute masterpieces. As with most of my favorite shows, The Clone Wars was cancelled too soon. Fortunately, however, the final story arcs are on Netflix, even if the series never had a chance to end the right way. Also, it should be noted that my ranking of The Clone Wars is incredibly biased. I will admit that some other shows are probably better, but I have a lot of nostalgia for it almost because of how it positively affected my blog and how it has made a lot of new Star Wars fans during its run. 

Watch on: Netflix

7: Frasier

A spinoff of the popular Cheers TV series, Frasier might the most consistently high quality TV comedy ever made. Every TV series is bound to have moments of weak writing, and yet, despite 11 seasons and 264 episodes, Frasier rarely features a truly weak episode. Not every episode is the funniest thing ever, although many episodes are, even the weaker ones make you laugh several times. Honestly, Frasier is the type of comedy that everyone could at least get something out of and that everyone should watch because it is not especially crude, or at least no more so than Seinfeld. The series follows Frasier Crane, his brother Niles, their father, Martin, and the physiotherapist, Daphne Moon as they go about their everyday life, and even though it is a spinoff, having only seen a handful of Cheers episodes, you can watch Frasier without any prior knowledge.

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

6: Avatar: The Last Airbender / Legend of Korra

After a few years of watching Japanese anime, I never expected an American animated series to ever impress me, to get me involved in the characters and story, and yet, Avatar: The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra did that so well. Following the Avatar, a person born with the ability to wield all four types of Element Bending, The Last Airbender and Legend of Korra tell sprawling fantasy epics. While season one of The Last Airbender is a bit childish, the later seasons develop the characters and really tell a story that is on par with other fantasy epics. Legend of Korra meandered a bit in its seasons, so it ended up being a bit weaker than The Last Airbender, but as an adult, both series truly impressed me. The series hits no matter your age, assuming animation is not a barrier. For me, Avatar: The Last Airbender is the pinnacle of western animation, so give me a chance.
Watch on: Amazon Prime

Are any of these your favorites? What do you think of list? Please comment below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 TV Shows: Part 3

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed my previous parts, click here for Part 1 and here for Part 2.

15: Parks and Recreation

Parks and Recreation is very much a personal pick as it is a favorite of mine. After watching Seinfeld and the old classic comedies, the new brand of comedies like The Office and Arrested Development never seemed to interest me enough to watch. However, after Guardians of the Galaxy, I desperately needed more of the hysterical Chris Pratt, which led me to Parks and Recreation, and thus my doorway to many modern comedies in the Single-Camera style. Parks and Recreation finds the perfect middle ground between character drama and humor, and while Seinfeld or Frasier might be funnier, Parks and Recreation's characters are incredibly likable and quirky.
Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

14: Jessica Jones

Jessica Jones left me feeling conflicted by the end. On one hand, the acting, characterization, writing, and direction are all excellent with one of Marvel’s greatest villains to date. On the other hand, the absurd amount of unnecessary sexual content really detracted and distracted from the experience for me, especially during the first half. Thankfully, the second half of Jessica Jones focused on the plot and characters to great effect. David Tennant is positively smashing as Kilgrave. His humor, motivations, and powers made him an incredibly unique foil to Jessica’s character. Jessica herself, played superbly by Krysten Ritter, focuses on the character’s lack of heroism and the conflict of whether or not to do “the right thing.” All in all, despite my personal issues with the content, Jessica Jones is a strongly written addition to Marvel’s Netflix series of shows, as well as the MCU at large.

Watch on: Netflix

13: Agatha Christie's Poirot

Based on Agatha Christie's long running series of mystery stories, Poirot follows titular Hercule Poirot, a renowned detective. Unfortunately, I have yet to see all 70 episodes of Poirot’s adventures. However, I have seen a large portion of the series, mostly of the final few seasons. Even based on a little more than half of the series, Poirot is one of Britain’s best television series and mystery shows ever produced. “Murder on the Orient Express” is, quite possibly, the greatest piece of television mystery ever created. It explores moral dilemmas and crafts an excellent mystery. Even if you never watch the series, at least do yourself the service of enjoying one of the best mysteries ever told in watching “Murder on the Orient Express.” If I were to have seen the entirety of the series and not just the later seasons, it might have ranked higher on the list.
Watch on: Netflix

12: Agent Carter

ABC’s criminally under-watched Marvel series, Agent Carter, is easily the best show on television that no is watching! Following Peggy Carter, first appearing in Captain America: The First Avenger, Agent Carter shows audiences what happened in-between the events of The First Avenger and Iron Man with cameos from The First Avenger and hints at what would become big players in the future of the MCU. As a period piece, Agent Carter truly showed a different side of the MCU. Even the commentary of a woman’s role in the workplace of the 1940s is effortlessly integrated into the narrative without feeling out-of-place, which is incredibly hard to do. Peggy Carter, played exceptionally by Hayley Atwell, along with a great cast of James D'Arcy as Jarvis and Enver Gjokaj as Daniel Sousa. Agent Carter needs to be watched, so why aren’t you doing that right now!
Watch on: Netflix, ABC

11: The X-Files

Before the many copy-cats like Warehouse 13, Fringe, and Supernatural, The X-Files created the formula for the mystery sci-fi/supernatural genre, and it still stands tall as the highlight of the genre. Even more than two decades since the first season, The X-Files holds up. Mulder and Scully are classic, iconic characters that stand among television’s best. The X-Files often tells intriguing stories about various mysterious happenings with just enough shown to make things interesting yet leaving much to the imagination. Fox’s recent return of the series was mostly good, albeit not as strong as the early seasons. Currently, I have seen the first five seasons and the recent tenth, so the series might rank higher when I finish the series. However, if you are a fan of sci-fi, you own it to yourself to watch this classic.
Watch on: Netflix, Amazon Prime, Fox

Check back soon for more!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Top 25 TV Shows: Part 2

My list of the Top 25 TV Shows of All-Time continues with five more entries! If you missed Part 1, click here.

20: The IT Crowd

A British comedy about the IT (Information Technologies) department at Reynholm Industries, a fictional corporation in London, The IT Crowd is one of the pure funniest TV shows ever made. With a zany style all its own, The IT Crowd is a unique comedy to be sure. Instead of going the route of quantity over quality, like many US sitcoms, The IT Crowd only features 24 episodes over 4 seasons. Each episode is a setup to several big jokes with the punchline at the end, with many smaller hilarious jokes intertwined. Describing how the series' humor works is difficult, but if you are up for some wacky and occasionally surreal comedy that defies conventions, watch The IT Crowd. 

Warning: The IT Crowd is intended for mature audiences. There are occasional uses of strong profanity, as well as potentially offensive humor (but what comedy doesn't have that?).

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

19: The Office

Of all the many comedies that I have seen, no other comedy features characters with the level of development that The Office displays. Yes, The Office is hysterical, especially seasons 2-7, and it is full of jokes and quotes that left me in stitches. However, what sets it apart is how you care about the characters as they live their lives and the drama that follows, along with the great comedy. Unfortunately, after Steve Carell left, the series' writing took a massive drop in quality to the point where it was not even funny during the middle portion of the final season. Despite that, The Office is one of my favorite comedies with some of my favorite characters in television.
Watch on: Netflix, Hulu

18: The Flash

While Arrow started CW’s DC-verse, The Flash launched it into the mainstream with, arguably, DC’s best live-action hero. The Flash’s first season took some cues from the MCU and actually made a DC series with fun, humor, likable characters, and heroism. Grant Gustin portrays a brilliant Barry Allen, aka The Flash with humor and likeability not found in other DC works. Season 1 really embracing on the full-on comic book-y fun not found in many TV superhero shows. Unfortunately, Season 2 is struggling a bit more with the writing, especially compared to Marvel’s massive improvements in all of its TV shows. However, The Flash still delivers superhero fun each week with DC’s best on-screen hero to date.

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu, CW

17: The Walking Dead

Despite my initial hesitation about watching the series, The Walking Dead turned out to be a very entertaining television series. At one point, The Walking Dead ranked much higher on my list. Unfortunately, in spite of the likable characters, the series’ writing has been up and down throughout the five seasons. Sometimes, it is thrilling and terrifying in the way a zombie series should be, while other times it can be really dumb. With that said, The Walking Dead is a special series and there is nothing else like it.

Watch on: Netflix, AMC

16: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. started a bit rough. The first half of the first season really lost many viewers, which is unfortunate. As the series continues in the aftermath of The Winter Soldier, it departs from the more lighthearted exploits of the early episodes. In seasons two and three, the series continues to improve with stronger characterization and some truly great usage of Marvel properties on television. In fact, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is easily one of, if not, the best show on network TV. Unfortunately, no one is watching it and judges the series based on that first weak season.

Watch on: Netflix, Hulu, ABC

Are any of these your favorites? Please comment below and let me know!

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Night of the Living Dead Review

Night of the Living Dead, George A. Romero's original zombie film that created the mold that almost every subsequent zombie story would follow for years to come. 

Before Night of the Living Dead, the zombie genre usually referred to mindless slaves under a spell of some kind (usually Voodoo), yet it is George A. Romero's classic suspense horror film that created the foundation on which the modern zombie genre is based on. As a fan of the Walking Dead and a few other zombie franchises, I wanted to see where the craze started, but does it live up to its undead legacy?

Directed by: George A. Romero
Genre: Zombie, Horror, Suspense,
Release Date: October 1, 1968
Running Time: 95 minutes
MMPA rating: N/A (PG-13)

The Good: Revolutionary concept, Duane Jones as Ben is excellent, Shockingly dark for the era,

The Bad: Atrocious acting, Lacks suspense, Weak characters (outside of Ben),

Plot: 7.2/10- Conceptually Night of the Living Dead is groundbreaking and revolutionary in almost every way. In execution however, the film suffers from its extremely low budget and B-movie aspects. On the positives, the way zombies in the film are portrayed (although the movie never refers to them as "zombies,” but rather ghouls) is almost exactly how they are today. Once you die, you come back within a few minutes to feast upon the flesh of the living, unless the brain is destroyed. Unfortunately, the thrills do not hold up today at all. While other classic horrors films such as Psycho and Alien are just as thrilling today as they were years ago, Night of the Living Dead rarely borders on suspenseful.

Characterization: 3.5/10- The main character, Ben, is notable for being one of the first black main characters in a major motion picture, and he is easily the best aspect of the film. He is smart, calm, and has common sense in terms of dealing with the "ghouls," whereas the other characters are often dumb and selfish. The female lead, Barbra, is completely helpless, catatonic, and incredibly annoying. Sure, she does have a reason for freaking out, but does she have to be so annoying? The other characters are thinly defined and dumb for the majority of the film.

Direction: 6.5/10- For the time, the zombie killing action was new, so I will give it a few points for that.

Acting: 2.1/10- Outside of Duane Jones' performance as Ben, which is rather good, the rest of the cast is horrid! Granted, this is a B-movie, but does the acting have to be this unbearable!? Almost every single actor's delivery is either over-the-top or monotone and dull.

Special effects: 7.8/10- For such a low budget, the zombie makeup and fleshing eating gore still holds fairly well today. It is certainly dated, but in the black and white, it looks alright.

Soundtrack: 2.3/10- Literally taken from another B-movie, The Hideous Sun Demon, the score is about as generic and typical of the B-movie horror genre as it gets.

Humor: N/A- Despite some acting that is so bad it makes you laugh, there is not any humor.

Entertainment Value: 6.2/10- In spite the horrible acting, seeing where the zombie genre and its tropes began kept me intrigued for the majority of the film.

Overall: 6.1/10- Despite virtually inventing a genre, George A. Romero's Night of the Living Dead is not a classic that stands the test of time, unless of course, you love corny B-movies. With that said, Night of the Living Dead does feature several strong elements amidst a bevy of horrible acting and cheesy dialogue.

Closing comments: Fans of the zombie genre should watch Night of the Living Dead solely for the sake of viewing the original film that started it all. Others however, you should probably give this a pass in favor of superior zombie media like The Walking Dead or Romero's sequels.

Recommended for: Zombie fans, Classic movie fans, B-movie fans,

Click here to check out more of my movie reviews.

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Fear the Walking Dead Premieres Tonight

Fear the Walking Dead premieres tonight! Fear the Walking Dead is a spinoff of the popular Walking Dead TV series Kim Dickens, Cliff Curtis, and Frank Dillane set in Los Angeles. The author of the comic, Robert Kirkman, is also one of the writers for the new series. With the new zombie series airing, tomorrow I will be reviewing the original zombie movie that started it all, Night of the Living Dead!

I am extremely skeptical about whether or not Fear the Walking Dead will be able to capture what made the original great, at least during those few really good seasons. Of course, whether it is awful or not, I will watch it since I am a fan. With that said, the original Walking Dead has been very inconsistent since Season 3, and it makes me wonder if Fear will be more like the first season, which was great, or like the current series, which, while very good, can lose focus on its main goal at times.If there is enough interest, I might review the first episode. Are you going to watch the series? What do you expect from it? Please comment below, and check tomorrow for my review of Night of the Living Dead.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Most Popular TV Show Voted by You

Two weeks ago, I asked you what your favorite TV shows of the season were and here are the results! Now, drumroll please! And the winner is Game of Thrones! Followed by The Walking Dead. 

My rankings are based on votes from the blog post and various social media posts where I asked the same question. Of course, this voting is not perfect due to the sample size and that the audience consists of geeks and critics, but it is interesting to see what people are watching and which shows are their favorites. The Walking Dead is still near the top, which should not be surprising due to its high ratings. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D surprised me by how high it is in popularity since it ties with The Flash. Sherlock did receive 5 votes, but it does not count since it aired at the beginning of last year.

Below are the full results, so please let me know if you are surprised by the votes or did you expect Game of Thrones to be at the top? 

• Game of Thrones - 8
• The Walking Dead - 7
• Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D - 5
• The Flash - 5
• Agent Carter - 4
• Daredevil - 3
• Arrow - 3
• Penny Dreadful - 3
• House of Cards - 3
• Modern Family - 3
• Hannibal - 3
• True Detective - 2
• Elementary - 2
• Doctor Who - 2 
• Better Call Saul - 2
• Gotham - 2
• Forever - 2
• The Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt - 2
• Person of Interest - 2

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Overkill's Walking Dead Reveal Trailer

Overkill's Walking Dead video game, which has one of the most screwed up video game trailers in a long time. Seriously, watch it! It is incredibly dark. On the plus side, maybe we will finally get a great Walking Dead video game where you shoot Walkers in first-person. Of course, topping Telltale Games' engrossing saga in terms of story is nearly impossible, but a Walking Dead game with great combat would be great! If you missed it, please click here to read my Guardians of the Galaxy review, and please comment below with what you think of this reveal trailer.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Turn Season Premiere Review

Turn a revolutionary war series based the real story of America's first spy ring, and it comes from AMC, the channel that has brought us classics such as The Walking Dead, Mad Men, and Breaking Bad.

Historical fiction television series such as Turn are among my favorite genres of TV, and my first impression of Turn is that it is going to be a great series with this first episode delivering on what you would expect.
Jamie Bell (King Kong, Adventures of Tintin) stars in the series and having movie quality acting is more than welcome. His performance is one of the strongest aspects of the pilot. He plays real life Revolutionary spy Abe Woodhull, and this first episode basically sets up what will happen for the duration of the series as Abe is recruited into Colonial ranks as an undercover agent.
As much as I like the historical fiction genre, movies are rarely given enough time to tell the story properly; however, a television offers ample time, which is why I have high hopes for Turn's future quality.

Plot: 8.4/10- As stated above, Turn's plot follows Abe Woodhull, and this pilot does a adequate job of setting up for the remainder of the series. The characters are introduced, and by the end of the first episode, we basically know all of the character's motivations. Some reviews have described the pacing of the first episode as slow, yet my brother and I never once thought of it as slow. From about 15 minutes into the story, I was hooked. However, when it comes to historical series or TV in general, I tend to be a little more patience than most. Considering that this pilot ran 63 minutes in length, opposed to the typical 45 minutes, it allowed for more story progression and development.

Acting: 9.2/10- Turn has an overall very strong cast with a few movie actors including Jamie Bell, Kevin McNally (Gibbs in Pirates of the Caribbean), Burn Gorman (The Dark Knight Rises, Pacific Rim), as well as some newcomers. All in all, the acting is top notch.

Production Value: 9.5/10- I love high quality historical sets and costumes, and not surprisingly, Turn does not disappoint. In many respects it reminded me of the often underrated John Adams HBO series in terms of quality. While not mind blowing or epic by any means, it looks just as you would imagine the era would look. It is dirty and grimy, not like the usual glossy look of network TVs; it is AMC, why would anyone expect anything less?

Overall: 8.3/10- While not groundbreaking, Turn is a very strong pilot that makes me interested to see more, and with the absence of my favorite series, Turn will likely be an adequate replacement until October.

Have you seen the series? Are you interested in seeing it? Please comment below and let me know.

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The Walking Dead Season 4 Finale Review

Season four of The Walking Dead has come to a close, does it live up to the hype?

*Massive Spoilers for the finale below*

After six episodes that are almost entirely setup and one episode that might the best the series has produced to date, we have "A," the season finale that finally reveals what's up with Terminus.

"A" opens with a flashback where we get to see Hershel again, as well as the inception of Farmer Rick. In a season finale where we really need to get the plot moving, the flashbacks almost started to annoy me because I wanted plot progression and these kept getting in the way of the suspense. However, those flashbacks were there to show how Rick changed from Farmer Rick to Bada** Killer Rick. Even though some of those added scenes were good, I felt like there were a few too many of them because, as one IGN critic basically said, the writers spelled it out a little to clearly for the audience that Rick has changed. Showing that he has changed is great for giving us a confirmed identity of the character and his attitude, but a few less scenes in the past could have given us the same effect while still moving the plot forward, at least for those that are avid fans of the series and not the casual viewer. Despite my compliant, this flashback thing was not a huge issue in the end, just a little unnecessary.

Getting back to the present with Rick, Michonne, and Carl, we finally get the long awaited confrontation between Joe's group and Rick and company, and it was probably the most satisfying part of the entire episode. That scene was intense! I was on the edge of my seat waiting for Daryl to show up or for Rick and others to do something. Since I figured all three of the characters are virtually untouchable in terms of being killed, I did not expect anyone to die, but it was suspenseful nonetheless. Then Daryl showed up and instantly did the noble thing and try to sacrifice himself to save the others. Some people on the internet suggested that Daryl might make a tough decision when they finally met up, I knew the writers would keep Daryl as the noble bada** redneck. What surprised me the most is when Rick goes all Walker over Joe and bits a chunk out of his neck and kills him! Jacob and I were in complete "What the Heck!" shock when that happened! Michonne and Daryl taking out the rest of Joe's guys with Rick ripping apart the guy that messed, was very well done. After the fight, there was a great moment between Rick and Daryl with Rick basically saying "You're my brother" to Daryl. I really liked that part. Daryl had so many fantastic moments during the episode in general that I was impressed. Also, on a side note, that scene is said to be heavily inspired by a very similar scene from the comics.

Brothers to the end

Moving on to Terminus, Rick and other not going through the front door of Terminus was a smart move for both the character and the writers to take since Rick is not going to be dumb and trusting anymore. He protects his family and friends first and foremost; no more Farmer Rick. Rick attacking the Terminus guy so soon was not exactly the smartest thing since they were not exactly in the most strategic position. But the action was nonetheless very well done and had some great wide angle shots.

The theorists were correct, the people of Terminus are cannibals! Or at least that is what is being heavily implied with the human carcasses in that pen. If I and others had not basically figured out that they were cannibals, it would have been even more shocking, but it was still a big surprise, especially how it was portrayed. My guess is that the meat on the grill wasn't one of your typical verity of meat if you know what I mean. The entire place is majorly creepy, and the cult like symbols on the walls made it even more eerie. 

After being chased towards the train car, with an A on it, hence the title of the episode, Rick and company finally met up with Glenn, Maggie, and the others with one very cool scene of the group walking forward from the dark, which actually gave me chills. Rick gives an epic speech that ended somewhat oddly. Once he said "They're gonna feel pretty stupid when they find out..." I thought he was actually going to mention something important that the Terminus did not know like a secret escape or that a large herd of Walkers were on the way, but alas, the season ends with him declaring "They're screwing with the wrong people." Not a bad way to end it, but a little disappointing and uneventful. Also, on a general note, the episode had excellent direction, truly top notch stuff.

Now for my thoughts of the episode as a finale. It was great, easily the second best episode of this half season behind the instant classic "The Grove," and a lot better than Season 3's finale, but still not everything that I wanted to see. After so much setup, I expected something big that would give resolution to the Terminus thing as well as all of the characters. Unfortunately, we still do not know anything about Beth or what is happening to Carol and company. My guess is that next season Carol and Tyreese will be the ones to help break the gang out of Terminus. If you thought you might have heard them in the containers as Rick and others were running through Terminus, some fans went back and analyzed the audio and virtually confirmed that those voices were not theirs. My other guess is that Carol and Tyreese are behind the rest of the groups since they took a few days to "Look at the flowers," if you know what I mean. Among the general expected parts, there was one thing that surprised me more than anything else: the lack of a main character dying! In fact, only Joe's group, one Terminus guy, and that one guy that Carl saw get eaten were the only casualties of the episode. After being on the edge-of-my-seat waiting for someone to die, no one died. However, I am actually happy that no one died (unless it was Tara) because I really like these characters. My theory is that Bob, Sasha, or Glenn/Maggie are the next to die since all of those characters were built up even this past season. As a finale, "A" was very strong. Despite the lack of true resolution, the ending of the episode had me more excited and pumped to see what was coming next than ever before. 

Overall: 9.3/10- Despite some flaws, "A" was a strong finale that makes me all the more excited to see what is in store for Rick and the gang next!

My review for the entire season 4 will come at some point within the next two months, so until next season, remember...

Sorry, I had to do it.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

Walking Dead Finale Tonight!

Despite its ups and downs, The Walking Dead is still a great, yet inconsistent, series and I am sad to see the season end. I almost feel as though it has just started, but watching and reviewing The Walking Dead these past eight weeks has been a lot of fun, and I will definitely continue to review the series it returns in October. Plus, we will be getting a Walking Dead spin-off series in 2015. My guess is that it is going to have something to do with Washington DC, either that or a different group entirely disconnected from the events of this series. 

The second half of season four has had its moments of frustration, especially due to the slow pace the characters are moving the plot along. However, it has brought back some of the survival aspects to the series, as well as focusing more on my favorite characters Daryl, Glenn, and Maggie. Now that I am watching the series on a weekly basis, I can see why so many viewers were frustrated with season two and the farm.

As for the finale itself, I am excited, yet worried that either one of my favorite characters are going to die or the finale is going to be a disappointment. 

My review for season four as a whole will be coming at some point in the near future, as well as my review for the finale a week from today. 

Are you excited for the finale? Please comment below.

Yeah, I have a twisted sense of humor

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.

The Walking Dead: Us Review

After one of the best episodes of the entire series last week and that this is the second to last episode of the season, there was a lot riding on it. 

*Massive Spoilers are Ahead*

Unfortunately, "Us" was not fantastic, but it was another standard episode that ended on a high note. 

Glenn's determination to find Maggie was great. Most everything about his character was done very well. Eugene, Rostia, and Abraham all had good scenes. Eugene, aka Doctor Mullet, was very cool in the episode and he is actually turning out to be a much better character than I had expected. I am still not entirely sure if he is telling the truth or not about knowing the secret about the beginning of the infection. Tara continues to be the worst part of the series for me, but it is best not to say anything more about that.

Daryl's part with Joe's gang was cool. The concept of "claiming" things and the laws of the their ways was interesting. Seeing that dirt bag try and frame Daryl and then get what's coming to him was great! Even though Daryl has grown as a character, I was glad he decided not to cover the body of that guy. My brother and I were actually saying "Don't do it Daryl. He does deserve it." The brutal system of honor-among-thieves was a great contrast to the other group. Also, the "There's nothing sadder than an outdoor cat that think's he's an indoor cat." allegory was clever. 

Seeing Rick, Michonne, and Carol was good and it setup for the reveal that Joe's group is following them. The Michonne and Carol duo is a lot of fun, especially with the candy bar. Obviously, Daryl is going to either convince them not to kill Rick and others, or Daryl is going to kill Joe's group. My question though is: what happened to Beth!? I sure hope they tell us something in the finale next week.

Now for the first big part of the episode: Maggie and Glenn's reunion! Thankfully they did not die before seeing each other again, and since they are two of my favorite characters, I really hope not neither of them dies in tomorrow's episode. Their reunion after shooting up all of the Walkers was a great cheer moment in the episode; however, the burning of Maggie's picture was a little on the sappy side.

As for the other big reveal: We finally got to see Terminus! After an entire half season we finally get to see Terminus! I do not know about you, but flowers and that women gave off some majorly creepy vibes. The entire place looked eerie and like it is too good to be true. People are theorizing that Terminus is a trap and that they might be cannibals, which is not a bad theory, although I am kind of hoping that is not the case. 

Overall: 8.2/10- While not even close to the mind blowing amazing episode last week, "Us" finally got most of the group to Terminus. Tomorrow's finale better be freaking amazing, because we have waited long enough.

If you want to contact us or have any questions please send an e-mail to johnstarslayer@gmail.com.