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Reviews
The Walking Dead: Still (2014)
Nothing Much Happens Plot-Wise, but the Character Development is More than Enough to Make up for It
Much like the Governor centric episodes during the first half of season four, this is the type of episode you'll either love or hate. For those who've always wanted to spend more time getting to know Daryl and Beth, this will be a much-loved episode. For those wanting the plot to move on already for @#!&'s sake, you'll probably be a tad bit frustrated.
What I loved about this episode is that Beth finally got something to do other than sing and take care of Judith. They delved deep into her character and got us to both know her and care for her. Before this episode, if Beth died I probably would have shrugged and said something along the lines of "Wait, who's she again?" But after this episode, I'd probably say something like "Aw shucks," which means a lot coming from an emotionally distant psychopath like me.
Daryl just continued to be cool, as usual, but we learned quite a lot about him in this episode:
1)While this apocalyptic world is sort of COMPLETELY TERRIBLE for all the other characters, Daryl's actually better off in it than he was before.
2)Daryl is suffering from Survivor's Guilt after the whole prison fiasco.
3)He used to be a borderline-junkie living an all around horrible life, and feels a bit of resentment towards Beth, who grew up in pretty much the exact opposite situation as him.
4)He's a bit of a light-weight. Seriously, only two drinks makes him go off the wall, while Beth drinks who-knows-how-much moonshine and is still fully functioning by the end of the episode.
I'd argue with another IMDb reviewer that this episode wasn't badly paced. It was slow-paced, sure, but the whole episode was building up to the argument outside where Daryl starts tearing up, which I thought was a very well-written and emotional scene. And another idiot complained about them burning down the house, clearly not getting the symbolic meaning behind it.
Also, one of the spoons had "Washington D.C." on it. Could that be a clue concerning Abraham and Eugine's plan to save the world? Nah, probably not.
The Walking Dead: Inmates (2014)
Strong Episode with Minor Flaws
If you were disappointed with the slow-paced, character-focused episode "After," you'll probably enjoy this episode more. If you loved that episode, you'll probably be disappointed with "Inmates."
I loved this episode (though not as much as the one before it): There were plenty of tense moments, the cinematography was excellent as always, and I liked how the writers' chose the best grouping of characters possible. Having Tyreese paired with Carol was a genius move, and putting Lizzie-the-Demon-Child in charge of Judith* made just about every sane member of the audience uneasy. I'm glad they separated Glenn and Maggie, and that they paired Glenn up with Tara, which should be interesting to watch.
I don't think there's a single dull moment in this episode, and with all these different story lines going on, there's a lot to look forward to for the rest of the season.
Now for some minor complaints:
The scene where Maggie was afraid Glenn was one of the Walkers in the bus would have been a lot more suspenseful if Glenn hadn't already been shown in the previews. Way to spoil your own show, AMC.
Carol coming in to save the day was a little too convenient.
Why does every minor character seem to die immediately after being introduced?
Tyreese did NOT pick up Judith when they were running away from what they assumed were walkers, yet suddenly he had the baby in his arms?
Minor issues aside, this was a great episode that could be setting up the best half season yet.
*Oh, and Judith is still alive, which is good because without her, the show would just be too bleak.
Doctor Who: The Name of the Doctor (2013)
Terrific Ending to a Somewhat Average Series
I love Moffat's era in Doctor Who (a lot better than RTD's, although I loved that era as well), but I thought that the 7th series was a bit disappointing. I think all the problems with this series could have been fixed had there been an extra five to ten minutes tacked on to each episode, because there have been many moments in this series where I felt the endings were rushed and sloppy.
This was not the case.
This was the most perfectly paced episode of Doctor Who I've ever seen. So many questions were answered head-on and in a very satisfying way, and the episode will leave you shocked and counting the days until the 50th anniversary special.
Admittedly I was nervous that the name of the Doctor would be revealed. I felt that no matter what it was, it would be disappointing. And if his name was something like "Tom," I would be forced to hunt down Moffat and send him to Trenzalore. Thankfully it's resolved in a satisfying way that makes perfect sense.
Moffat's series finales have often been criticized as being "Too complicated," (which really isn't a valid complaint at all) but that won't be the case with this finale. Everything is explained clearly. The audience won't feel like they're being talked down to, but the ending won't leave anyone scratching their heads.
My only problem with this episode was the Whispermen, who weren't very intimidating monsters.
This episode also had some laugh out loud moments that blended perfectly with the dark atmosphere of the episode.
Oh, and Strax was in this. Strax is cool.