Agent Carter!

After not writing posts for a few months, I've gone a little crazy in making up for it today.  I meant to write about how much I was enjoying Agent Carter when it was on in February, but I was filling all my free time with movies from TCM.  But Agent Carter is on my mind now because it got renewed for a second season last week!  And I am so happy because I adored this show.  It was a great little 6 episode story that was fun, fast, and fabulous.  It was really good to see a female action protagonist and Haley Atwell is just so fun to watch.  A lot of the fight scenes reminded me of Alias and there is nothing wrong with that!.  Haley Atwell had great chemistry with all the other actors and she always looked like she was enjoying herself in the role.  She was my favorite part in the first Captain America movie so it was nice to see some of the gaps in her story-lined filled.  Although, I loved the show, I hope they stick to the 6 episode order.  That seemed like a good amount of time to tell an interesting story without padding it out to filled 13 or 22 episodes (writing a show that is not really a procedure and relies quite a bit of show mythology can be difficult and not everyone can pull it off easily or consistently).  I would rather have 2 or 3 short but consistently good seasons with these characters that 4 or 5 longer and uneven seasons.  But I'm hopeful and glad that ABC renewed Agent Carter!

Go Flash Go!

One new TV show this year that I have be super loving has been The Flash on the CW.  For me, comic book adaptations are sort of a mixed bag.  I don't really enjoy the super dark ones (i.e. Batman Begins) but I really like the ones with the lighter touch (like last year's Guardians of the Galaxy which was one of my favorite movies).  I have tried watching the show that The Flash was spun-off from, Arrow with mixed success.  I got about half-way through the first season and then I stopped watching it, I may have another run at it this summer.  So I wasn't sure I was going to like The Flash.  However, I wanted to try it out mostly because my beloved Jesse L. Martin is in it (and I've liked some of the stuff from the executive producer Greg Berlanti).  I was pleasantly surprised with the pilot which seemed to have a light touch but was still able to have some really emotional (and earned moments).  It is one of the few shows that I watched in real-time (meaning day of airing, not on Hulu) because the first season throughout has been really solid. The writers did a great job of pushing the various story lines forward without letting any story spin its wheels for too long or not getting attention (left dangling).  The casting is really solid, no one it really out of their element talent-wise (the lead, Grant Gustin is really great, and his dad is played by the actor what was The Flash in the earlier TV adaptation in the 90s, so that is fun)  And the first season finale was really good (again there were some great emotional moments that felt earned and realistic).  I am still loving Jesse L. Martin in it and they upped the ante in back half of the show by adding Victor Garber (never a bad idea to add Jack Bristow!).  The other thing the show has done in their favor (in my opinion), is really good use of CGI effects.  In general, it never seems like they are trying to do too much with the CGI that makes it crazy unbelieveable/fakey looking.  So good on you The Flash, can't wait to see you next season (maybe I'll catch some summer reruns).

The perfect show that I didn't know would be perfect

I've been really busy at work and therefore really tired and stressed.  And somehow, Netflix is magic (or at least we have fantastic synergy) and the disc I got on Friday was the Best of Match Game.  Which was a perfect way to unwind.  Whoever picked the episodes for Best of Match Game clearly watched the show consistently and all the ones (so far) feature my two favorite panelist Brett Somers and Charles Nelson Reilly. The lightness of the episodes was a perfect way to unwind after a long week and I loved it. And it is no surprise that I am going to get another disc this weekend.