offdutee Reviews

The Blacklist: Raymond Reddington (No. 00): Good Night (2023) Season 10, Episode 22

Are we sure we saw what we think we saw?

[9/10 · 19 July 2023]

I've read a few of the reviews for the show and this episode. Many of them complain about the final scene. I discounted what they said because it was in perfect keeping with the show's premise. The show and Reddington always left the viewer with questions. Who is/was Elizabeth Keen? Who/was/is Raymond Reddington? Why did Reddington turn himself in?

Each episode made the viewer question what they saw. Was it "real" or was it misdirection? The finale was no different. Yes, the season laid the groundwork for Reddington preparing for his own death, but was it real death or was it the death of who he was so that he could move on to the next stage in his life?

Dembe's hospital bed narrative of how Reddington lived his life was the perfect lead-in to the final scene where Reddington is killed off-screen by a bull and found by Ressler. Fade to black. But, in keeping with the show's penchant for misdirection, I would comment that we never see Reddington up close after he is killed. Was that really Reddington? He's used decoys before. If it was him, then he did indeed die in peace and ready to move on to the next adventure, his journey complete.

I gave this a 9 only because I would have liked to find out what happened to the rest of the team. Not fully, but a little glimpse into their futures. That said, there are so many possibilities for fan-fiction for this beloved show. To the entire cast and crew, you will be missed. Thank you for all you've given us.

The Babysitter: Killer Queen (2020)

For all of you that weren't paying attention

[8/10 · 6 October 2022]

Ok, I've read many of the reviews for this film and have come to the conclusion that a lot of the viewers weren't paying attention to the film.

This is a film that wasn't taking itself seriously, so the viewer shouldn't either. If you were expecting high drama, then move on. If you were expecting a couple of hours of dumb fun watching over-the-top bloody gore and teens coming of age, then enjoy.

We do finally find out what set things in motion for the first movie, which was a good reveal for returning viewers. What we did not know till the end of the film was that Cole's love for Bee was the catalyst for her coming back to save him and Phoebe, who Bee saved by becoming a demon, long before the events of the first movie.

So, the timeline: Bee crashes her car and becomes a demon to save Phoebe. She then recruits her minions for the first movie and targets Cole to get all their dreams to come true because of their "deal with the devil". Cole wins the day and tells Bee that he loves her. This has an effect on Bee, and she sets out to make things right. Enter the second film. Bee sets up all the dominoes to so that Cole wins the day again and all the demons and teenagers (is there a difference between the two?) are sent to hell. Cole is saved and he gets the girl as the hero should.

Hopefully that clears things up for the people that didn't catch the order of the events of both movies.

Now, the acting was great by any standards. Cudos to the returning cast and to Jenna Ortega as the new girl. As someone said, the cast looked like they were having fun which made the film enjoyably for the viewers. The locations were excellent. The plot was absurd, but it worked, building from the first film, and making it a great sequel. The final twist could be seen coming from a galaxy far, far away, but it worked too.

I can't wait for the third installment. How can I say that there will be a third film? You might ask. Well maybe I'm reading into the ending of the film, but here are my thoughts.

1. Phoebe to Bee: You were my guardian angel.

2. Bee to Cole: You changed me on that night.

3. Bee to Cole: I have one more thing to take care of. This being letting Cole's father see that Cole was never lying about what happened in the first film. Essentially saving Cole a second time.

4. We never actually see Bee drink the blood from the goblet. She just put the rim up to her lips as far as the viewer can tell.

5. Given that Jimmy and Deigo were vaporized for just thinking about betraying the deal, how could Bee get away with ruining the entire plan?

6. And wasn't the timing perfect for Dad to show up and see Bee disappear in a puff of black smoke, which was oddly different from the way that the other demons died.

Will there be a third film? The outlook is good as far as I am concerned.

This film is a solid 8. Enjoy.

4400 (2021–2022)

A Remake That Makes No Sense

[1/10 · 21 November 2021]

From the first preview this show brow beats the viewer with the idea that the people that have returned are/were marginalized or unwanted. Let's go down the list though. A doctor from 1940's. A lawyer from the early 2000's. A reverend from the 1990's (guess). A teenager from the 1970's. Well-dressed people from other eras. The main characters seem to all be from America, (where are the Chinese, Japanese, Serbians, Pakistanis, Jewish, or anyone else from what the previews claim is from around the world?) And if you want marginalized, walk down skid row in a large city and take a close look at the homeless. Didn't see any homeless in the group.

At best the characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. The self-centered party-girl who only wants her phone. The doctor who automatically thinks that a woman can only be a secretary. A rabblerousing minister who is eying every woman in the room.

Massive plot holes.

None of the returnees believe it is 2021, but they don't question that the other returnees are from vastly different eras.

Possible national security threats housed in an hotel that cannot be secured. Uh no. A warehouse converted for quarantining people who may have just been returned from aliens or at the least from enemies of the state. More likely a black site or Guantanamo Bay would be used. They would be poked and prodded until it could be confirmed that they were not carrying disease or anything that could harm the rest of the populace.

The guards, not police or military, mostly white, who treat the returnees poorly or are actively abusive.

The people in charge of questioning the returnees are a corrections officer and a social worker. Again, these would be military or someone from an alphabet agency or agencies, never local law enforcement or a civilian.

The checklist has been checked again.

Ultimately, this is just another show that proves two things. One: that the television industry has no one left who has an imagination to create something original. Two: that the same industry higher-ups refuse to go against the current political trends and just follows the same plots/checklists as everyone else.

Personally, I am getting bored with watching the same thing over and over again and from seeing television shows and movies "reimagined" into something that the original never was and where the only connection is the title.

I gave this a one even though I enjoyed the original show that this one stole the name from. Will I watch it again? Probably not.

Leverage: Redemption (2021– )

Continuing to grind bad guys to dust! The boys and girls are back in town!

[10/10 · 9 July 2021]

To start off, I loathe commercials. I have been taping my shows since the late 80's just so I don't have to watch them. That said, is says something about this show that I have to suffer through the hated, detestable, irksome, mind-numbing, low-brow, irrelevant (you get the idea) commercials to watch each episode on IMDBTV. The original cast members bring their A-game to the new show. The characters have grown up (Parker) and grown apart as they expanded Leverage International. When they come together on the anniversary of Nate's death, they find that you can go back as you move forward when they help Harry, who is seeking redemption. The addition of Noah Wyle and Aleyse Shannon brings a freshness back to the team that was present in the first season of Leverage. While unbelievably, the veteran members are actually acting like the grown-ups. Go figure. Thanks for bringing the team back together.

Motherland: Fort Salem (2020–2022)

I Just Love Alternate History

[9/10 · 8 July 2021]

At first glance, someone could accuse this show of being man-hating or having a political agenda. But, for those of us that actually think about things, we realize that everything in the show is consistent. The Salem witch trials stopped by a witch who then offers her services to the government to protect the country. What happens then? This show tries to answer that question. I have only two complaints about the show. One, an explanation as to why there are only women fighting when there are male witches. Is it numbers, differing abilities, more vocal range for the "workings", is it who is more powerful??? We do know that men have powers so I would like to see that question answered. The second part is not a complaint as such. The first season was a little rocky (the only reason it gets a 9) as the writers and actors found their footing. The second season so far has more depth and as the characters have been rounded out, the viewer can relate better to the characters. The cast does a wonderful job in growing the relationships between the characters. For me, this show ranks up with writers like Kim Harrison, Laurell K. Hamilton, Harry Turtledove and Marvel Comics: What If? (massive plug for my favorite authors) who make alternate history enjoyable.

Superman & Lois (2021–2024)

Smallville meets the Super-Sons comic books

[8/10 · 8 July 2021]

Have enjoyed this show for the most part. Only two things have brought it down in my opinion. First, the new suit. Sorry folks, but Tyler Hoechlin is not that big. The padding is obvious and makes his head look small compared to the rest of his body ala Beetlejuice ending. The suit from Supergirl was so much better, bring it back. The second issue I have with the show is the turn of events with Morgan Edge. The CW has been reusing plots from other shows WAY too much. I refer you to Lois and Clark S4E1&2, Smallville S5E1, S6E1, and most of Season 9, Supergirl S2E21&22, Superman II (1980), and Man of Steel (2013). If you've watched all of those episodes/movies, you don't need to watch current Superman and Lois. Now, on to the good stuff. Bringing in the twins was a great idea for a show. The family dynamics/problems feel real to the viewers because they are problems that the viewers can relate to; sibling rivalry, favorite son, feeling left out. Elizabeth Tulloch does well as a stressed wife/mother of a super-family. Again, something the viewers can relate to. Tyler Hoechlin continues to impress with his portrayal. As Clark he is all sweetness. As Superman, you see how he holds himself in check when people anger him. And yes, you can see the anger in his character, which makes him very understandable. So, the show gets an 8 due to the writers being lazy and having their heads up their proverbial backsides again.

Debris (2021)

Off to a good beginning. Please do the smart thing and keep it around.

[9/10 · 10 March 2021]

The mark of a good story is to drop you into the story and give you the background slowly throughout the book/series, whatever. The story should draw you in and keep doling out details as time progresses. This is what this show has done. The characters have been working together to gather and investigate the debris of an alien ship. That is where the viewer is dropped into the mix. The characters don't know where it came from or why the debris is landing on earth. Was the ship on its way here or was it complete coincidence? The agents working the case are real people. They have real pain that they are dealing with. For one, the loss of a father. For the other, an unknown, currently, pain involving a woman in a picture that he will not talk about. These agents are not Mary Sues who have all the answers, nor should they be. They are searching for answers. Like Threshold, the characters seem to be working from a worst case scenario playbook. But, how do you prepare, not for aliens, though that may be coming, but for materials that violate all known laws of science as we know them? Why or how is the debris interacting/affecting humans? The characters are on the journey of discovery and are taking us with them. The only problem I foresee with this show is that it is too intellectual for the majority of viewers that would rather be entertained than have to actually think about something to understand the story. If history shows us anything it is that shows of this caliber, that have intellectual component, have a short shelf life on network television. Threshold...one season. Fringe...5 seasons. Firefly...one season. Shows that require no thought at all last forever, ad nauseum. Survivor...41 seasons. Dancing with the Stars...29 seasons. Americas got Talent...15 seasons. You get the point. So, I am hoping for the best and that this show will be around for a while, but with most viewers lacking the capacity to appreciate it, I fear that this will be another short-lived show. Please keep a show that does not target the lowest common denominator.

Batwoman (2019–2022)

This rating is based upon Season 2

[1/10 · 21 February 2021]

I waited for the first couple of episodes to write this so that I could give the season a shot with the changing of the guard. Season 1 was the freshman season for Batwoman. As such, I expected some growing pains for the show. Ruby Rose did well and Kate Kane had a good dynamic with her co-stars. Rachel Skarsten did a wonderful job and stole every scene she was in. The rest of the cast did well for the most part. Was hoping that Season 2 would get better with better writing. Season 2 was also the freshman season for this show due to the loss of Ruby Rose. Bringing in a new actress as a new character was the wrong way to go. And, bringing in Javicia Leslie was a huge error in casting. I've never seen anything with Javicia Leslie in it, so I'm not sure if she is a better actress than she seems from this show. If she is a better actress, she needs to bring that to the table because her version of Batwoman has no presence at all. Leslie's portrayal of Batwoman, from the start, is that of a pre-teen who just got a new toy. She has all the emotional maturity of a 12 year old. Of course, this can in part be lain at the feet of the writers in such scenes as when Batwoman gets into an argument with Luke because he won't tell her what to say to a bad guy who insulted her. Just like two kids fighting over the ice cream. It would have been better had the showrunners recast the character of Kate Kane. It wouldn't have been ideal, but it would have been better than what is being televised now. There would not be the gaping plot holes that have been made in trying to force a new Batwoman onto viewers. An example was when Luke said that they were letting Ryan be Batwoman because she fit the suit. Go back to S1E1 and apparently that was not a problem when Kate said that they needed to make it fit a woman, since the suit was in fact made for a man who is over 6'0" tall. They could do it then, they could do it now. Lastly, the recent episodes are just re-written ideas for Batwoman from Arrow. An island, trained assassins, a cure everything flower, etc. The writers, with the new storyline, have left the door open for the return of Kate Kane, whether that will be Ruby Rose or another actress is yet to be revealed. I hope that they do bring her back as Leslie cannot fill the shoes left by Ruby Rose. But, it may be too late for anything to save this show. I say this as a longstanding viewer of the CW DC superhero shows, good luck, and probably, good-bye.

Walker (2021– )

Wanted better for this show

[3/10 · 25 January 2021]

One dimensional characters, check. Tired and overdone plot, check. Boring and trite dialogue, check. It's as if someone made a list of what current shows are successful, checked boxes and said this is a good idea for a show. As with many remakes, the writers took too many major liberties with the plot and characters in order to check boxes and fit it into the format that is allegedly working for other shows. What they've achieved is a cookie-cutter show that bears no resemblance to the great 1990's show starring Chuck Norris. The show has some great/solid actors but the writers cut them off at the knees by giving them very little to work with. If large number of great chef's all have only ground chuck, salt, and pepper to work with, there is only so many variations on a theme that they can cook no matter how good they are. That is what has happened for these actors. This show has a been there, done that feel to it that will kill the show if they don't get some better writing soon. I may watch future episodes if there is nothing better to watch, but I won't make a Thursday night habit of it.

Coward of the County (1981 TV Movie)

A hidden gem

[8/10 · 3 August 2020]

It's been many years since I've seen this movie but it stays with me to this day. While Kenny Rogers is not an actor, he put feeling into this movie from his song of the same name. Both the song and the movie gave me hope at a time in my life when it was sorely needed. This if for no other reason prompts my rating of the movie. I would recommend this movie for anyone who believes, or needs to believe, that we are the best of ourselves when that person is needed most.