Howdy ladies and gents, and welcome to What I’m Currently Watching where I give you a tiny update on what TV-based stuff I’m watching and give mini reviews/impressions on them. This is week 33, and it has been a hella long time since I did one of these reviews, I apologise but hopefully, I’ll be getting back to more of these over the summer. Anyway today I’ll be giving you my late thoughts on Bojack Horseman, Castlevania and iZombie., oh and my more recent thoughts on Game of Thrones which will include spoilers! With that out of the way let’s talk about some TV! 😀
Bojack Horseman (Season 1)
Some of you may be surprised to know that I haven’t seen this show sooner, however, this show was one of those that you look at from a distance and you say “I don’t like the look of this.” For whatever reason, the look of the show didn’t appeal to me and the fact that there was such a level of hype surrounding it made it hard to approach. And so even though I have plenty of TV to start or catch up on, Bojack Horseman I wanted to watch because of the short episode length and easy accessibility because of Netflix. So I finished season 1 days ago and I have to say that I am surprised by how much I liked this show, and while it is no Regular Show or South Park in terms of the way it grabbed my interest, there’s something strangely addictive about the show’s premise and characters especially in the latter half of the season. The show starts out okay with the world, characters and stories that take place in this weird version of reality where humans and anthropomorphic animals coincide together, it is all very strange, loose, kind of funny but not consistently engaging. That being said the absurdity of the story involving the main characters kept me coming back. But once the show made its dramatic turn towards the latter side of the series it hooked me and became a far more engaging show. I love everyone in the cast especially Will Arnett who is just great as Bojack, and I also love Alison Brie and Aaron Paul too.
Castlevania (Season 1)
So around two weeks ago, I watched the new Castlevania show on Netflix and you know what? It’s alright. While I understand some people’s grievances with the show I still enjoyed it for the most part and wanted to see more. The show basically tells the story of the omnipotent Dracula, the questionable Catholic church, the passive Seekers and determined monster slayer Trevor Belmont. It has to be said upfront that fans of the games will get the most of this show, while the show does have a good few unique elements that allow it to be seen by people who have never played the games, there are certain elements borrowed from the games like Castlevania 3 that will enhance your experience if you know the mythology and references. At first, I wasn’t sure I was going to like the show because of the initial focus on Dracula and some of the dialogue, story and character material wasn’t that engaging. However, after a certain incident goes down, things pick up quickly and what follows is a story of mystery, corruption, intrigue and danger. Now I’ve heard complaints put towards the show specifically when it comes to the writing, animation and short length, and those points are all valid. Firstly some of the dialogue just felt awkward or unrealistic, the story’s focus and flow felt off at times and it also felt like certain key details in the story were either touched upon at surface level or were skipped entirely and it could have gone a long way to making the show better. The presentation was a mixed bag. The music for the show was awesome, but the visual side of things was dodgy. Some of the art was very nice, though I would have preferred a different art style as the anime influenced style isn’t handled as well as the Japanese studios. At times the show can look pretty, but other times not so much. The animation can look so choppy and lazy especially during certain talking scenes or in fight scenes which lack charisma, style and fluid motion. And finally the length of the show is very short with each episode ranging from 22-27 minutes and since the show does a lot of setting up and foreshadowing it feels incomplete, like the first chapter in a larger book. In the end, I would say if you’re curious to give the show a watch, it can be fun at times but it may not be what you’re looking for if you want to get into this franchise, play the games instead.
iZombie (Season 1)
Okay here we are again haha, for those unaware I started reviewing iZombie back in 2015, I really liked it, but I, unfortunately, fell off at the start of season 2 and have been meaning to rewatch it for while especially after I noticed online how much of a following the show’s gotten since 3 started. So the show follows a girl who gets into a zombie and needs to eat brains in order to keep her intelligence/human side intact, however, a side effect is that she can see the memories of the people she eats and so with that information she helps the Seattle police department solve murder cases. The show’s a police procedural drama mixed in with horror, humour and That’s So Raven and a bit of Castle. It is an odd mix when you say it out loud but it works. The show takes a unique approach to zombies not only in the way in which they are created but also how they act and affect the plot and human characters too. Like a lot of police shows, each episode has a case of the week, however, there is an overarching storyline that is always relevant. Tonally the show can be lighthearted, witty and funny with good writing and good pop culture references, but the show can also be dark, dramatic and emotional when tackling issues with relationships between friends and family, love, secrets and lies and the morals and ethics surrounding life and death. The core elements that I enjoy so much is the humour, action and characters, and the main cast is great with my favourites being Malcolm Goodwin’s no nonsense/cool Clive Babineaux, the ever funny and quirky Rahul Kohli as Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti, David Anders’ mysterious, cool and dangerous as Blaine and of course Rose McIver as Olivia “Liv” Moore who is so beautiful, fun, likeable and because of the different brains it allows McIver to act in a variety of ways.
iZombie (Season 2) Episodes 1-4
So far I’m really enjoying the second season of this show, I’m only 4 episodes in but I’m really liking it so far. The show feels consistent with whats come before and picks up where last season left off when it comes to the fallout and changes to the status quo for the key characters in this show. And though there’s been a bit of a time jump it still feels like the events of season 1’s finale are felt and dealt with in this season. Plus the show shakes some things up by placing the recurring cast in new situations which challenges and affects them greatly, but there are also new characters who have roles of varying significance but they certainly leave an impact.
Game of Thrones (Season 7) “Stormborn”
After a pretty cool set episode last week, “Strormborn” kept the good stuff coming with cool character moments, intriguing conversations and some solid action towards the end. Firstly I liked seeing Daenerys and her allies together discussing what to do with Cersei and King’s Landing, I like how they all had their own ways attacking the place, but it was ultimately Tyrion’s strategic plan of placing the armies in different locations that got them on board. I’m curious after Daenerys’ conversation with Olenna Tyrell whether she will betray Tyrion or dismiss his advice in the future. I was also fearful for Varys, Daenerys wasn’t keen on the idea of him serving him considering that he’s switched alliances so many times in the past, but he did give a good argument as to why he should be kept around, and considering how smart, knowledgeable and loyal he has been, I think he’d be a solid ally to have at this point in the game. I’m just going to briefly touch on the Jorah and Sam stuff, firstly poor Jorah, I don’t like the idea of him turning into a monster, but alas that’s the hand fate has dealt him for the time being. And secondly while I’m glad Sam’s here to attempt to get rid of the greyscale, just seeing the removal of it was horrible, so filth and unsettling to watch. 😦 I’m also curious to see how things will turn out for Jon Snow with him accepting the invitation to meet Daenerys at Dragonstone, I really hope it’s not a trap because I don’t want all the allied houses at Winterfell to be right. While I understand Sansa and everyone else’s point of view, risks need to be taken at this point regardless of the end result.
It was also great to see Arya again after her moment of sheer badassery last week, here we got to see her reunite with Hot Pie for the first time in a while and it was a nice catch up, seeing her face when he told her about Jon’s current status as King of the North made me happy but sad at the same time. I guess she’s changed her mission to take out Cersei for the time being, I just hope she doesn’t get killed. Oh and that moment with her direwolf, heartbreaking yo. And for those who said last week’s episode was boring with no action well here’s the good stuff that you love. Euron comes out of nowhere with the Iron Fleet and attacks Yara, Theon, Ellaria and the Sand Snakes, that was crazy. The battle was intense there was a lot of blood and stabbing and carnage and it looked beautiful with the lighting and colours standing out well. As for Theon deciding to jump ship (literally), it left me wondering one of a few options: 1) He’s a coward. 2) The dude’s seen the horror’s of battle and it’s mentally too much for him to take. Or 3) He’s bailing because he’ll come back to save his sister later. I’m sure most will assume the reason is number 1 but I’d like to think it’s more along the lines of number 2.
Well, that’s what I’ve been watching. So have you seen or plan to watch any of these shows? If you have any thoughts be sure to drop a comment below and let me know what TV shows you’re currently watching too. Until next time, laters! 😀
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