Surprisingly DC Television Seems To Be Doing Women Justice

So I watch comic book movies and television because watching movies and television is like second nature to me and comic book adaptations seem to be all there is right now. We have the powerhouse that is Marvel that takes over your local Vues, Odeons and Cineworlds for what feels like all year. The films are filled with so much testosterone that I wouldn't be surprised if I discovered I had another leg when leaving the cinema. Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) is the only significant female character in the universe that doesn't serve as a love interest, and she could easily head up her own solo movie but that is not likely to happen anytime soon. Or ever. Maria Hill (Cobie Smulders) should be just as important in the franchise because she is essentially Nick Fury's second in command yet we rarely see her in the two films she has been featured in, if you blink you really do miss her. It pains me because Joss Whedon is heading it up the universe in name but sometimes it doesn't really feel like it, I'd expect a few more kick ass women from him. Who knows, maybe the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen) might change matters in The Age Of Ultron but I think it takes more than a couple of scenes in one movie.

We also have Marvels Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. but I gave up on that after a couple of episodes, one of the main reasons being the female lead was so damn annoying. Yes, it may have changed a lot since episode two and I would like to try it out again at some point but it will probably be in the distant future. Marvels women may be sucking but a lot of the DC television adaptations seem to be doing them a lot more justice. Let's forget about Constantine because I've already aired my views on their women and I don't really want to get into that again because it will only annoy me even further. Other than Constantine we currently have Arrow, The Flash and Gotham currently on air which all feature and array of women that make me proud of my gender.

My Watch List: Case Histories

Ever since my hard drive broke down a couple of weeks ago I've been attempting to get through as much of my watch list as I can because I fear one day I'll lose it without backing it up. I got through Prey in one night and fell in love so I decided to give Case Histories its chance to enthral me. Case Histories is a detective drama starring Jason Isaacs as Jackson Brodie and aired 2 series from 2011-2013 which were based on the novels written by Kate Atkinson. I haven't found any evidence of it coming back for a 3rd series so I'll have to judge it as a complete piece of work which is unfortunate because the show feels incomplete.

The first series features 3 two-part episodes and because Brodie is a cracking detective he manages to work multiple investigations at the same time. The second series changes the format and goes the Sherlock and Wallander route with 3 feature length episodes. Case Histories is the typical standard detective show apart form the fact that Jackson Brodie is a former police officer so he isn't bound by the forces' rules when trying to solve a case. He is able to gather information through means that the police wouldn't partake in, but also gets some help from them through the character of DI Louise Munroe (Amanda Abbington). He is empathetic towards a families plight when they have a member missing or murdered so he frequently takes up cold cases that the police won't touch because they would be unable to solve it. In true super detective form he manages to get answers for all of his clients, even if he doesn't report the outcome to the police. Brodie seems to be more about giving closure to people rather than getting justice for them which is probably why he left the police, he doesn't see things in black and white, he sees them in shades of grey and does what he feels is best, not what he is contracted to do.

Peaky Blinders Series 2 Is Over, What Did You Think?

*Spoilers from series 2 below*

It feels like just a week ago when I did my write up of the Peaky Blinders series 2 premiere but now it's all over again for another year. To be honest it'll probably be longer than a year. The months leading up to the premiere we were given teasers to whet our appetites and when the show came back it did so with a bang, but did it manage to hold it together over the following episodes? Well, yes and no. The show was really ambitious this year and all the story lines would have been brilliant if they were isolated. If. Unfortunately for us and Peaky Blinders they only have 6 episodes to tell their story and they tried to cram so much in it it was hard to keep up and they didn't really get to explore them thoroughly either.

We did get to see more of the rivalry between Campbell and Tommy, but Tommy felt more neutered at times because he was being used by Campbell and the Irish/UK government (if I'm being honest I still don't know whats up with this) and he didn't have a choice in the matter. It seemed like he had given up and was doing what he was told, with minimal resistance. In the last episode we see him getting his affairs in order and embracing his fate although Grace, the love of his life, has arrived and informed him that she wants to be with him. Him not even attempting to fight at the end made him seem weak and it's not the Tommy that I like. I like the calculating Tommy that always finds a way out of everything.

Watching Constantine Makes Me Hate The Word "Bloody"

I don't quite understand why Americans think that every other word out of a Brit's mouth is "bloody". While watching the first two episodes of NBC's Constantine I felt like I had heard the word about a thousand times and my godness it made me hate it. Yes we do use the word "bloody" but it's not the only word in our vocabulary, I mean the English language came from England so I think it goes without saying that there are other words! I'd rather say "fucking" than "bloody" any day of the week and because of Constantine I probably won't be saying "bloody" for a while so I apologise in advance to everyone in my life for my cursing so much but you should really blame NBC, not me. Of course there is more to Constantine than the titular character saying "bloody", the show is based on DC's 'Hellblazer' comic book and don't worry I'm not going to pretend I know anything about it because I think real comic book fans will see through that instantly. In all honesty all I know about the comic book is that a Constantine movie that came out many moons ago starring Keanu Reeves but I don't actually remember all that much about it and I've been informed that I should keep it that way.

So I can't compare it to the comic books and I really don't think I should attempt to because I'd embarrass myself, but I can judge it as a piece of television and I suppose I can compare it to Supernatural. If you've seen any of my posts on here you'll know that I'm quite the Supernatural fan and I have attempted to find shows similar to it over the years just to have the Supernatural rush more than once a week. I wanted something that was original, would truly engage me and have me dwelling on an episode over the course of a week (the dwelling usually lasts more than a week). I wanted another show that would make me both laugh and cry probably multiple times within an episode. I wanted a show that would make me genuinely love the characters as Supernatural did. I know that you probably think I'm a bit pathetic right about now but I don't care, Supernatural has had my attention for a decade and no socialising with the outside world can beat that.

What Is Intruders About?

I'm still not sure, I've watched the first episode and I don't think that I understand fully whats going on. It's a real shame because when I watched the trailer I was instantly captivated, it didn't give a way too but thats the point of the trailer, it's supposed to tease you. I can't be the only one that fell in love with it can I? Sure I didn't know exactly what was going on other than the fact that in the world of the Intruders some people don't die, but I knew that John Simm and John Frain were in it and it was brought to us by one of the minds behind The X Files. That's more than enough to get me interested in a show that is about to premiere, so of course I set aside an hour to watch it. Now I'm not quite sure whether that was time well spent or not.

I like it when a television show makes me think, I don't think audiences should be spoon fed whats happening in the show. That being said the first episode of ANY show should be laying the groundwork for the events to come, the audience is supposed to be introduced to the characters and the main storyline. Thats the way that a show captures the audiences attention and gets them to return week after week. Intruders seems to be a lot more complicated that your average shows so it really needed to get the first episode just right, but it didn't. Like I said I'm still not quite sure about what's going on in the show.

The Affair: A Family And Romantic Drama That's Actually Quite Interesting

You see me bitch and moan about family and romantic drama a lot, probably in every post but I don't completely hate it. I only hate it when it's cheesy, repetitive and contains hammy acting which a lot of is does, but when it's done well it's pretty swell (I'm trying to make using this word a thing, just go with it) to watch. The Affair from Showtime is one of those dramas that is swell to watch and insanely addictive, because even though the show is called The Affair theres a hell of a lot more to it.

The Affair centres on an affair (obviously) between Alison Lockhart (Ruth Wilson) and Noah Solloway (Dominic West). Both parties in the affair have a happy facade on for the outside world but on the inside they are quite frustrated with their lives and struggling to move on. Alison is married to Cole Lockhart (Joshua Jackson), together they had a son that passed away some time before the events of the series and they are both attempting to get their marriage back to the way it was but without success. Cole seems to have successfully moved on from the tragedy and is unable to understand why Alison hasn't which leads to some friction between the two, that probably aids in her choice to embark on an affair. Noah is the complete opposite to Alison in many ways, he has a loving wife and four healthy children. He also has a stable job and has had some limited success as an author in the past although he is having trouble writing a follow up. Unfortunately for him he is living under the shadow of his father in law who has had numerous best sellers and is constantly giving him unsolicited advice. Being trapped in a house with him for the summer is probably one of the reasons he turns to Alison, to lash out at the family that makes him feel inferior. 

So How Is The Flash Going?

The Flash's pilot leaked many moons ago and of course I jumped on it and fell in love, but I was in a television drought then so it may have been my mind playing tricks on me. We're four episodes into The Flash now and how is it going? I can honestly say I stand by pretty much all of my initial observations. Looking back I still feel that the pilot was brilliant and the fact that was The CW's most watched premiere EVER certainly supports it. The show has only gone from strength to strength since then rather than regress which I felt that Arrow slightly did after its first episode.

One of the main things I loved when watching the pilot all those months ago was the casting, and watching the show continue, seeing the actors interact with one another and their character backgrounds unfolding just proves that I'm right constantly. I'm not trying to sound big headed but it's true. At least in The Flash's case anyway. I was probably wrong about everything else. Anyway, we're only four episodes in even with a big cast we've still managed to get to know most of the characters fairly well. Barry is still getting used to being a hero whilst learning his capabilities can be limited at times and that he's not invincible, especially when he comes across Leonard Snart/Captain Cold. It's refreshing that the only person that he really has to keep his secret from is Iris, it's not like Smallville where Clark is attempting to hide it from everyone and it gets absolutely ridiculous and you realise that the people that live in Smallville are complete idiots.