The Blacklist (Resumes: Feb 1, 2015)
The Blacklist went out first, early in November after just 8 episodes. Compared to the first season, this second one so far placed much more emphasis on the main storyline, making whatever happens seem to have more of a significant impact on the main characters.
The fall finale didn't fall short either. With twists & turns that shock as well. The only setback for me is that there seem to be too much going on in that finale episode than I had expected, leaving little for me to look forward to in future episodes. I'm sure there's more excitement to come, but they didn't leave loose threads enough to get me begging for the series to continue soon.
Conclusion: The series overall improved in plot significance, but the mid-season finale fail to keep me engaged afterwards. I will definitely see the continuation come February, but it will be out of my mind temporarily...
Forever (Resumes: Jan 6, 2015)
Overall as a series, it felt so episodic one after the other. Some episodes hold meaningful significance, especially in relation to the main character's situation. In general, it only feels cool to see the deduction our main character does, and we do care for him. But not with everyone else, and its hard to keep being interested with the episodic crimes.
But I was surprised at how good they managed to get their mid-season finale done. There was enough intensity, as well as twists that kept me at the edge. And the main villain reveal was good. It was a bit predictable in the sense that I knew the actor was a great actor (he should have a big role there). And he kind of fits the bill too, but at least the reveal was strong enough. And now I'm left with enough excitement for the series continuation.
Conclusion: The whole series is just good enough to fill in my spare time, but the mid-season finale did well to get me excited for more to come. I only hope the episodic crimes will get more significant & exciting.
Gotham (Resumes: Jan 6, 2015)
Gotham failed rather terribly in living to expectations, at least of mine. Some characters were interesting, but that's about it. The story felt episodic and felt more like a dark, strained cop-buddy series so far. The major characters in play were less interesting, and most of the villains out so far are poor in character & reveal too. Its even hard to begin to like the main protagonists...all of them.
The mid-season didn't even do enough to justify it as a "finale". The only thing that felt right is how the final moments change the life of the main character. There was no interesting villains, no interesting fights. The Penguin is the only exciting character to watch so far. And my only reason to hold on...is the see more reveals of the Batman villain origins and see if they can improve.
Conclusion: Had I not been a comic book fan, I would have left long ago. My only reason to continue, is to simply see more villains and hope they get it right.
Agents of SHIELD (Resumes: Mar 3, 2015)
This series improved drastically over the first season. The only disappointment is their inability to touch the major characters in the MCU, and so there was little connection to their big screen counterpart. Series 2 started a bit messy the way I see it, but they keep a hold on it, and towards the mid-season finale, the story was set straight, and there was enough curiosity to keep the series going.
The fall finale left a lot hanging, and a lot of loose threads. There will be lots of questions & intrigue among fans, but it was a bit poor & would be confusing for non-initiates. The fall finale also disappoint in the death of some highly rated characters, but the ending left a lot to be intrigued. A pity for non-comic book fans, but others would find the mid-season ends well, and leaves excitement for more to come when the series continues in March.
Conclusion: I probably stand by my earlier opinion. Though the series improved, non-fans would find it confusing & boring, while fans (as am I) would just be intrigued enough to see what is to come after this.
Extra Note:
Agent Carter is coming in for an 8-episode run from January 6th, ending just before Agents of SHIELD is set to continue, so make sure to look out for that...looks super promising!! More than SHIELD, to be honest...
In the meantime, have a happy holidays and Merry Christmas!! :)
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