UBC Comedy Presents Watchr - The Dating App We All Wish Existed

I'll admit that when I initially heard about Watchr - a new dating app that browses singles in your area and matches your compatibility to them based on what television series they want to binge watch - that I immediately wanted to join and find my soulmate (plus someone who won't mind getting caught up on Scandal with me). Unfortunately, Watchr is actuallly a parody made by UCB Comedy that pokes fun at the increasing number of oddly specific dating based apps that are being created to help people find true love. While is it quite funny to laugh at, it's also a surprisingly good idea, that I'm sure, if if existed, would actually be quite successful. Because, really, all anyone really wants from someone they're in a relationship with is that they own all the the Lost DVD's (I know I do).

Looking 2.1 Review: Looking For The Promised Land

It’s important for a series with an ensemble cast to take time every now and then to ensure that its main characters are keeping in touch with each other and haven’t become too separated or marginalised by their own individual storyline. There no better time to do this than in a season premiere, allowing both the characters and the viewers to take stock of what happened last season and where they are now. Looking did this by having Patrick, Dom, and Agustín head to a secluded house in the woods, owned by Dom’s now boyfriend Lynn, and it eventually resulted in a well needed release for all of our characters.

I usually find Patrick to be the most relatable character, early on in ‘Looking For The Promised Land’ he was a downright painful goodie two shoes, wanting to visit a thousand year old trees, quite Walt Whitlam, and play board games all weekend. I actually felt sorry for Agustin, who, while a master of his own misfortune last season, Patrick had slyly planned the weekend for to in attempt to cheer him up. All I can say is that thank god Doris arrived to convince them to attend an almost mythical fairy party that Agustin was brashly invited.

While there Agustin went skinny-dipping with Eddie (the welcome return of Mean Girl’s Daniel Franzese to our screens), the man who invited him, who works for a homeless shelter that supports gay and transgender teens.  It’s hard to say at this point whether this relationship will lead anywhere, but I hope it does. I was half expecting Agustin’s grief over his breakup with Frank to dominate his characters’ storylines early this season – but it might be more interesting to see him exploring a new relationship after have being in one for so long.

At the other end of the spectrum Dom is staying at Lynn’s house and musing over his baby photos, hoping to get more insight into him, but is then going and having ecstasy-fuelled sex with random men. I like Dom, I think he’s a refreshing take on the older characters usually depicted on television, so I like that he doesn’t really have his life together because it is so relatable – but I wasn’t really okay with this. He says he’s in an open relationship with Lynn, which may be the case (although be haven’t seen him and Lynn talk about their relationship so it’s hard to tell), but even if that’s true it’s obvious he wants something serious, but is still messing around with the relationship. Much like Agustin before him, if this keeps being the case I’ll stop enjoying his character. Yes, people make mistakes, but it’s painful to watch people purposefully sabotage themselves without good reason.

For example, Patrick is making mistakes too, but I’m sympathetic towards him because he finds himself in new territory and doesn’t know what to do. His liaison in the woods with Kevin turns out to be one of several, and it must be intoxicating for Patrick to know that someone likes him as much as he has loved in the past, most recently Richie. He seems to want more with Kevin, but also seems to be acknowledging the ridiculousness of the situation – that he’s cheating on someone with his boss, no less.  It’ll be interesting to see how things unfold throughout the season.

Rating: 3/5

The Big Bang Theory 8.12 Review: The Space Probe Disintegration

The longer a series continues the more pressure there is on writers to come up with story ideas that feel natural and relevant to the series and to the characters they’ve created. ‘The Space Probe Disintegration’ did this perfectly, with Penny bemoaning the fact that she and Bernadette always get stuck playing the extended edition of Lord of the Rings Risk instead of them getting to enjoy activities they like to do. The only problem with a series being on as long as The Big Bang Theory and having a storyline like this is that it feels like it should have happened about five years ago, back when Penny and Leonard first started dating. The series has demonstrated time and time again that Penny is much more self-absorbed in terms of her commitment to her and Leonard’s relationship (as well as in general), so it seems quite bizarre that for the entirety of there relationship, on and off, that Penny has just willingly accepted to do whatever Leonard (which often means Sheldon) wants to do for fun.

After adjusting to this idea the episode eventually became much more enjoyable. It didn’t necessarily provide the laughs that I’d want from an episode of the series, but another pro to having such a long running series is that viewers are very much invested in the characters lives. So when Penny realises that Amy does whatever she wants in order to maintain their friendship and Penny proposes that they do what she wants for once, even if it is basket weaving at the craft museum, we go ‘Aww’ and feel all warm inside. The same can be said for Sheldon and Leonard’s discussion of compromise in their relationship as they waited for Penny and Amy as they cloths shopped. I understand it’s not what’s required, or even wanted, from a standard sitcom but I love it when writers aren’t afraid to have their characters get deeply serious with one another. Even if it was just for a second before they had to lighten the mood I enjoyed Leonard being candid with Sheldon for once and explaining to him the hindrance he can be in Leonard’s life, particularly in regards to the development of his relationship with Penny.

I feel that the writers may have been trying to garner a similar emotional response with the B-plot involving Howard’s attempt to stop Raj from worrying about the survival of a space probe he’d launched years earlier. It fell flat, however, the story seemingly materialising out of nowhere – along with Raj’s sudden interest in Hindu religion (which even Howard explicitly noted in the episode). In may have worked had it had more time to develop, but as a subplot it really ended up being pointless.

In typical The Big Bang Theory style though, the progression of Leonard and Penny’s relationship, as well as Sheldon’s own personal growth, had a well-earned development at the end of the episode. Sheldon compromised to Leonard moving out of the apartment and staying at Penny’s one night a week – with Sheldon joining him and sleeping on the couch. Things may be changing at a snail’s pace, but The Big Bang Theory is a good sitcom that will be on for at least several more years to come, so it can afford to take its time.

Rating: 2.5/5

Gotham Season 1.11 Review: Rogues' Gallery

With Jim Gordon’s demotion and re-assignment to head of the newly re-opened Arkham Asylum at the end of Gotham’s mid-season finale ‘Lovecraft’ I revelled in the series taking such a drastic change so early on in its run. Gotham has yet to reach its potential as a series, with its overdramatic characters and dialogue and inability to settle on a tone – problems which were still present in ‘Rogue’s Gallery’. Gordon’s shift from the police prescient to Arkham Asylum however offers the series an easy opportunity to explore its greatest asset in its mythology first hand, assumedly (and I’m not sure of this as I’m not a Batman aficionado) from a new perspective.

With the change ‘Rogue’s Gallery’ was almost like a pilot for however long this new part of Gotham’s story will run, with the introduction of many new characters including patients and colleagues alike. But as is the nature of a series now based in a home for the criminally insane, particularly when someone is experimenting with electroshock therapy, characters end up dead and by the end of the episode Jim’s new boss Director Jerry Lang, and patient-turned administrator Dorothy Duncan were dead, along with two other patients.

The case of the week wasn’t particularly compelling despite the twist that could be seen coming in Dorothy’s involvement in everything, as well as the late bait and switch with another patient Jack Gruber. Gruber, underused as he was, was the best part of the episode, though, actor Christopher Heyerdahl channelling his best Hannibal Lecter for the part. I particularly enjoyed that the episode ended with an Arkham Asylum riot (although it probably was too soon to be using what could be such a great plotline) and Gruber’s subsequent escape. It was a dark and foreboding ending to the episode’s events, a tone which I hope the series tries to continue. Morena Baccarin also joined the cast as Dr. Leslie Thompkins who at this stage only provides the role of damsel in distress/ potential love interest, which is bland and uninteresting.

Despite Gotham’s shift to the Asylum, the series’ inability to juggle multiple storylines successfully, particularly in tone and pace, was evident in ‘Rogue’s Gallery’. Gotham’s crime war is a very intriguing concept, but thus far the series, much like the character Fish Mooney herself, seems to be biding it’s time to give audiences something good. This episode saw Mooney use her right hand man Butch to try and convince another crime boss to join her in rebelling against Falcone, predictably resulting in his death. Elsewhere Salvatore Maroni taught Penguin a lesson when he tried to raise taxes on some fisherman; Selina Kyle took ill Ivy to recover at Jim’s apartment; and Montoya attempted to remove herself from her toxic relationship with Barbara., resulting in a call home to Jim and an unfortunate conversation with Ivy. The ridiculous of the last scene basically sums up the problem with Gotham’s subplots – they lack cohesion and importance. Perhaps with more time to develop they could mean something, but they come across as attempts to fit in every character for the sake of it, and even worse than that, filler to spread out the main plot of the episode.

Rating: 2.5/5

Revenge 4.11 Review: Epitaph

It’s always difficult to decipher where a series will head after losing a prominent character. The transition was made a little less difficult for Revenge in ‘Epitaph’ though since Daniel, while remaining present in the series, had long since lost his importance in the story. Unfortunately this meant, at least for me, that Daniel’s death didn’t hold as much significance as it probably should have. Emily’s flashbacks to being in bed with him, Victoria imagining doing his tie,, Margaux dropping her phone at hearing the news, and even Jack’s ‘I can’t believe it’ all felt extremely cliché and melodramatic. I understand that melodrama is what Revenge excels at, but if Daniel’s death did anything for the series it increased the tension in a storyline that was already entertaining.

It seemed odd that the series had so quickly introduced and then disposed of FBI agent Kate Taylor (aka the elusive Malcolm Black’s daughter) in the mid-season finale, ‘Atonement’, but both her and Daniel’s deaths forced Revenge’s characters into immediate damage-control which made ‘Epitaph’ a thrilling watch. Emily was forced to concoct an elaborate lie that implicated herself in Daniel’s death, Jack had to back her up to ensure that Emily, the crime scene and Kate’s disappearance were believable, David had to dispose of Kate’s body, Victoria had to play along and betray the memory of her late son, and Nolan did his usual thing – sent Kate’s phone to Miami so that Malcolm would follow it there and meet his unfortunate end at the hands of some drug lords David contacted about his whereabouts. This was all a very entertaining continuation of the Malcolm Black storyline, and while I was concerned that Revenge had pre-emptively exaggerated his character, arriving in the Hamptons and immediately killing the police chief indicates he’ll be a formidable adversary for Emily for the rest of the season.

Although ‘Epitaph’ did tend to lose its momentum when focusing on the loss of Daniel it didn’t entirely fail at honouring his character. The scene in which Emily had to explain why Daniel didn’t have any defensive wounds to officer Hunter and she responded by saying that she understood why Daniel was angry at her – because of the horrible things she had done to him – indicated some remorse on Emily’s part. It’s a rare side we see of Emily, and she may have very well being lying (as usual), but after all, an epitaph aims to honour someone, and I like to think it was the writers way of saying thank you to a character that had served the series well while he could.

Quote of the episode:

Lousie: ‘Did you hear? About Daniel Grayson?’

Nolan: ‘I did. I’m sorry, I know you two were… colleagues?’

Rating: 3.5/5