Category Archives: Reviews

Angel: Expecting

I feel like this was the first episode of Angel that was actually trying to address a real life situation in the same way that the parent series did.  I think the idea it was going for is a good … Continue reading

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Columbo: Murder: A Self Portrait

Columbo still has a dog called Dog. Either he’s getting new dogs and keeping up the Dog naming tradition, or Dog is breaking all records for the longevity of a basset hound. We begin this week with Columbo taking Dog … Continue reading

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: A New Man

Sometimes the old narrative tricks are the best, and the dramatic irony is strong in A New Man. It powers the episode along, keeping us on the edge of our seats throughout. We know that Giles is the demon. Buffy … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Jungle

Rod Serling often had good ideas that didn’t quite make the point.  I often feel like we’re watching stories with a punchline but not always a message, like the meaning gets lost trying to setup the zinger.  It’s a shame … Continue reading

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Love, Death and Robots: Snow in the Desert

Similar to last episode, I wanted to stay in this world a bit longer.  It’s a fascinating one filled with strange people.  At first glance, we see a man wandering the desert, but as soon as he gets into town, … Continue reading

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The Avengers: Too Many Christmas Trees

One thing that has impressed me hugely with this fourth season of The Avengers is the way the opening sequences to each episode draw you into the story and make you want to keep watching. This is one of the … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Journey to Oasis

So you remember that episode of the space-show where Mark Lenard played an alien diplomat who helps avert a war? He had a thing for an earth woman too…  Journey to something or other… what was it?  There’s also blue … Continue reading

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Angel: Somnambulist

It’s always fascinating to me when art parallels real life.  I watched this episode the very day I had a conversation with a friend about how people change.  It’s an important aspect of life in fact.  We can hold onto … Continue reading

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Columbo: Grand Deceptions

We begin with a slow panning shot across model soldiers on a battlefield, and it’s a great way to start an episode of Columbo. Anyone who has seen the 1970s episodes will also have high hopes, because we know the … Continue reading

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Doomed

The memory cheats. I remembered Season Four of Buffy as being far weaker than the seasons that surround it. So far, that’s not the case. It might be that the closing few episodes created that impression; we will see. But … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: Still Valley

I remember hating history class as a kid in grade school.  “Mom, why do we have to learn history?  It’s already happened!”  I was a futurist.  There was an announcement when I was a young man, maybe around 18, that … Continue reading

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Love, Death and Robots: Pop Squad

Having now seen 20 episodes of this series, I feel like I know more or less what to expect.  And then this episode happens and it surprises me.  It surprises me because every other story felt self-contained.  Yes, they are … Continue reading

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The Avengers: Two’s a Crowd

Last week, writer Philip Levene gave us killer plants. This week he mines another old favourite trope by introducing a double for Steed. It’s a tricky story to get right, and many attempts over the years at a doppelgänger story … Continue reading

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Buck Rogers: Time of the Hawk

Season two starts with new opening credits – thankfully same intro and song, but different cast – and another real feather in the cap, so to speak: no preview sequence showing what’s coming.  Unfortunately, the episode is a little laughable … Continue reading

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Angel: Parting Gifts

I’ve been trying to figure out what bugs me with this show.  I like it a lot actually and find myself looking forward to it immensely, but there is something that bugs me and it finally hit me.  It’s like … Continue reading

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Columbo: Sex and the Married Detective

Name two things that don’t fit naturally together. You might say wellington boots and sunglasses, trampolines and caviar, hospitals and popcorn, bicycles and leathers, libraries and raves, pineapple and pizza, swimming pools and face paint, or even tubas and detectives. … Continue reading

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Hush

For many Buffy fans this is the best episode of the lot, and for once I am in complete agreement with popular opinion. I could name a few other episodes that give Hush a run for its money (I won’t, … Continue reading

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The Twilight Zone: The Midnight Sun

The Midnight Sun takes a long time to open; about 6 minutes before we have any real information at all.  All we know is that Norma (the lovely Lois Nettleton) lives alone, paints and it’s blisteringly hot out.  I recognized … Continue reading

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Love, Death and Robots: Ice

Season 1 was a real surprise to me, telling stories with a deeper meaning, that I’ve come to expect the same from season 2.  Now, that’s not to say that some of those stories in the first season weren’t just … Continue reading

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The Avengers: Man-Eater of Surrey Green

We continue to veer back and forth between crime dramas and science-fiction, and Man-Eater of Surrey Green is very clearly in the latter category. There are not even any human villains that are not victims of possession themselves; no criminals, … Continue reading

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