Here's my guest book for fall, 2007. Feel free to check in, say hi, leave me feedback, tell me what you're liking this fall. I always read every comment posted on my blog.
I have been a fan for a long time of both your writing and wit. Boy can you write your reviews are witty and so intelligent, I love them all. I became a fan reading your review of Alias. That was the show for me to watch love. Once it ended I wasn't interested in anything else, then you started reviewing other shows I like "6 Feet Under." I have seen them all but I enjoyed your particular views on each episodes, then you moved on to Deadzone, I was in heaven, love that show. I have been a Johnny and Sarah shipper from inception. That ship was so obvious. Love the Reverend Purdy, Stillson and the relationship dynamics of Johnny, Walt and Bruce. I love the men relationships TV always show the girlfriend connection but not men unless it has to do with sports. Rambling, Anyway, so I started the rest of your reviews especially Battlestar. See I was a fan of the old Battlestar, granted I was 10 at the time but I enjoyed the show. Like you I was prepared to dislike the show, I didn’t even bother watching the show. But I kept reading all over the internet comments about the show from love to great dislike. Then I read your review and decided this pick up the show. I bought the miniseries a couple of months ago and forgot about it. How dumb of me. I finally saw it last night. Oh boy I was floored this has got to be one of the best sci-fi shows I have ever seen. Thanks to you, I am going out right now and buying the complete sets for season one and two.
Thank you so much for the time and efforts you put in your reviews and articles. It is very much appreciated by this fantasy Sci-Fi fan (Stargate, Blade Runner, Odyssey 5, etc…).
For some reason, this issue was a lot easier to follow than the others. I knew what happened and everything the first time I read it.
That's because this was the first issue scripted by Brian K. Vaughan who is a comic-book pro and knows what he's doing.
I hope they keep doing it this way - Whedon supplying high-level ideas and supervision and Vaughan (or some equally good comic-book writer) creating the actual scripts. However talented Joss Whedon is, comics isn't his area of expertise and it showed in the first five issues. This one was much better.
I discovered your site few weeks ago while I was scouring the Internet for Heroes recaps and I was so pleased to find not only intelligent, well-rounded Heroes recaps, but also recaps of Alias, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural and – Surprise! Surprise! – La Femme Nikita all of the same high quality. I haven’t quite finished reading through everything. It took me a while to decide where to go after finishing Heroes – I was that overwhelmed by goodness. Your recaps of Lost are tempting me to give the 3rd season a second chance. I think your essay on the Season 4 Buffy finale ‘Restless’ is probably the most profound I’ve ever read.
However, I was very disappointed with your reviews of Smallville. While I am certainly not as fond of it as I am of La Femme Nikita or Buffy, it’s still a show I have a soft spot on, having been brought up on the Superman movies and comics. I was disappointed by the stilted way you portrayed the show, more often than not, showing Alfred Gough and Miles Millar's original character Chloe Sullivan in a favorable light and disparaging the established canon characters from the comics and movies.
However, though your ‘Smallville’ section marred an otherwise perfect compilation, I still have a lot of admiration for the dedication and effort you put into your site and I encourage you to continue the good work!
Hi Billie, I know you're probably already watching more than enough TV for your own good (Some must suffer so the rest of us can profit from your great reviews I suppose ;-P ) but i was just wondering if you had ever tried watching Spooks? It's a BBC thing and have no idea if it's big in the US, but it's action packed, and often thought provoking and after watching 'your' shows & reading pretty much everything you've written that's linked on your site(apart from the stuff about DeadZone, but anyway) it seems like it might fit with your other shows (plus only between 6 and 10 eps a series so there's not SO much work! :D)
Thanks so much for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate your opinion of my Smallville reviews, and I admit I find Smallville a bit fluffier than some of my other favorites. I feel compelled to add, though, that I started reviewing with season five, and the earlier reviews were done quickly during the summer hiatus. Not that that's an excuse.
Baz,
I've never seen Spooks/MI-5 but I promise to give it a shot.
BTW, have you heard the rumor Lost may end up at 8pm on Mondays (forgive me, I haven't been keeping up on what was being discussed in your Yahoo group)?
I know this would make your Mondays super packed, but I'd kill for an 8pm time slot. The 10pm slot just killed the ratings last year.
I've been a fan of your work since the early days of the Buffy reviews - I love your passion for good tv. I was so chuffed to see you writing Highlander reviews :-) as I've been a fan for years. I noticed in your last review, Til Death, you queried Methos' boast of crossing the Atlantic in a rowboad twice with a bunch of Irish monks in 765. But maybe it wasn't a lie: there's a legend in Ireland of St. Brendan crossing the Atlantic in the 6th century in a currach, a light wood-framed boat covered in stretched cowhide. In the 1970s, a man named Tim Severin successfully crossed the Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland in a currach, proving that it was possible for St. Brendan to have done it also!
So maybe the lovely Methos wasn't exaggerating this time. :-D
Between you and Omar G (of the hilarious TWOP recaps), you've made me start watching and ENJOYING Smallville, which I used to hate. And I always scooted straight over here after watching a Veronica Mars to see if you'd pointed out anything I'd missed. And now I have Heroes as well, although we won't get season two on this side of the Atlantic for another while.
Thanks for all the excellent writing over the past several years. Looking forward to reading you long into the future!
I like that you review in a way that makes it seem like everything is real and not just a 'fake tv show'. You're emotionally invested in the shows, characters and relationships. I think that makes your reviews stand out and enables me to relate to your reviews, because you're a fan and not just a reviewer. You're not nearly as critical as some reviews and always tend to find the enjoyable parts of the show, like a true fan and that just makes your reviews so enjoyable to read. Clearly, fans make the best reviewers. I found your site once trying to get reviews of LFN and VM and since we seemed on the same page I decided to check out what else you were reviewing and went with BSG, which I now, thanks to you, completely adore even though I'm not really a sci-fi fan at all. So, thanks for that! Reading your reviews is like gossiping about the episodes afterwards with a friend sharing shock, enjoyment and frustration (since I don't have fellow friends who like my same shows - your reviews are as near as it!) I really hope you'll start reviewing Bionic Woman if it survives... Anyway thanks for sharing your reviews!
Your site is one of my favorites. I recently got into Moonlight. But do the similarities between it and Angel ever bother you? Because it kind of bothered me. Vampire detective in LA, many years ago he killed his vampire lover, now his lover is back from the dead as a human. Can those similarities really just be coincidence?
The first episode I saw was last weeks, and at the end of the episode I realized I liked the Morgan/Carolin plot they were setting up. But then I realized I'd already seen it somewhere else, and I think I liked it better the first time I saw it.
Yes, they lifted it from season two of "Angel." Coraleen even has a tattoo where Angel had one. And the window-breaking scene was lifted directly from "Body Heat." Ah, well. I know they're doing it, but I still like the show. At least they're lifting from the best.
Just wanna say...love your site...discovered it when one of your veronica mars summaries was posted on one of my yahoo groups about a year and a half ago...would come to the site weekly when you did vm reviews...loved em! I agree that Moonlight is one of the best new shows of the season...I admit I watch for Jason Dohring and all the Angel comparisons that were being made before it started...just read some of your Heroes and Supernatural reviews and LOVED em! Keep up the awesome work!
I agree! I was looking forward to reading your thoughts on Angel Season 6 - so far it is amazing! I adore Lynch's other Spike comics as well (Asylum & Shadow Puppets).
· Jack Shephard - Specialist Doctor in Spinal Injuries – Met Desmond before the crash - Jack’s Father -Christian Shephard also Doctor · Claire Littleton - Pregnant before the crash – Mystic man told her to raise the child - Claire’s Father -Christian Shephard making Jack stepbrother · John Locke - Needed a wheelchair before the crash - John’s Father - Anthony Cooper – Con Man who conned Sawyer’s parents · Sawyer – James Ford - Con man looking for revenge - Met Christian Shephard before the Island Crash · Kate Austen - Fugative-was on the plane with a Marshal who died – Killed her step-dad · Charlie Pace - Was in a band and used drugs · Hurley – Hugo Reyes - Won the Lottery by playing the numbers which were mentioned in the hospital & are on the Hatch door & computer · Libby - Was in the same hospital as Hurley before the Island – Met Desmond before the crash & gave him a boat · Jin – Soo Kwon - Korean – worked for his wife’s father as a hitman – Could not have children before the crash but now can · Sun Paik - Korean – Could not get pregnant but since the crash on the Island she is pregnant with Jin’s Baby · Sayid Jarrah - Was in the Iraqi army & tortured people – Good with Electronics · Michael Dawson - Was taken by the Others trying to find his son Walt who was also taken by the Others · Walt - Has some kind of special powers – comic book pics becoming reality of the Island (Polar Bears-Plane-Birds dying etc etc. · Ethan - One of the Others – Works for Dharma Initiative – Took Claire when she was pregnant – Met Juliet before the Island · Danielle Rousseau - Has been on the Island for 16years & her daughter Alex was taken by the Others – All her crew are dead · Alex Rousseau - Danielle is her mother and her father is Ben (others) · Desmond - Crashed (Boat race-) on the Island and has been in the Hatch for 3 years – Can see glimpses of the future · Kelvin Inman - Worked for C.I.A - Met Sayid before the Island then joined the Dharma Initiative - Was in the Hatch with Desmond · Mr. Eko - Found his brother Yemi who was murdered by drug dealers who crashed on the Island in a small plane · Ana – Lucia Cortez - Met Christian Shephard and was his bodyguard · Juliet - Fertility doctor – Met Richard (gave her the job) and Ethan before the Island · Benjamin Linus - aka Henry Gale – Leader of the Others & works for Dharma Initiative – been on the Island some 30 years · Richard - Was on the Island when Ben was little – Mete Juliet before the Island & offered her the job on the Island · Shannon Rutherford - Father was very rich – Step-sister of Boone · Boone Carlisle - Shannon’s step-brother · Rose - Doctors only gave her a year to live as she had some sort of Cancer before the crash on the Island but now it has gone · Bernard - Rose’s husband · Penny - Met Desmond before the Island & Is still looking for him
Billie, I LOVE your reviews and trust your opinion a lot! You have some good taste and it's nice to be able to get your take on some of my favs. While the shows are on hiatus with the writer's strike, you should give Jericho a try. It's not Lost or Battlestar but it's not half bad either.
Okay, let me guess your next show. It's either Dexter (perhaps not genre enough, but damn well plotted and featured Michael C. Hall and Julie Benz) or Wonderfalls (Tim Minear and Bryan Fuller's failed series about a retail worker who had the universe guide her in the form of animal themed objects). Am I right? Am I, huh?
Greetings from France billie. Your site made me discover many shows that i didn't even know, or remembered; because of you i fell in love with Buffy, Angel, Six feet under (by the way please i really advise you to continue this serie, one of the best) and many more.. It is really one of my favorite websites. Keep up the great work.
Obviously, MBenzN and Cymrean were right -- it's Dexter. I don't really choose the shows I love. They choose me. When I got into Dexter, I just felt compelled to write about it.
Hello, Gendarmerie-Nationale: I will definitely get back to Six Feet Under. For some reason, Six Feet Under keeps turning into my rainy day project. Every time I stop working on it, I feel like I'm insulting an old friend. But I will eventually finish it, I promise.
Hi Billie, I'm so happy that have started reviewing Dexter. Been a fan since episode 1 and think that it one of the best shows on TV (one of the others being Veronica Mars, I'm still upset that the CW has cancelled the show) Keep up the good work, I love reading your reviews!
We love comments! We moderate because of spam and trolls, but don't let that stop you! It’s never too late to comment on an old show, but please don’t spoil future episodes for newbies.
Okay Billie,
ReplyDeleteI have been a fan for a long time of both your writing and wit. Boy can you write your reviews are witty and so intelligent, I love them all. I became a fan reading your review of Alias. That was the show for me to watch love. Once it ended I wasn't interested in anything else, then you started reviewing other shows I like "6 Feet Under." I have seen them all but I enjoyed your particular views on each episodes, then you moved on to Deadzone, I was in heaven, love that show. I have been a Johnny and Sarah shipper from inception. That ship was so obvious. Love the Reverend Purdy, Stillson and the relationship dynamics of Johnny, Walt and Bruce. I love the men relationships TV always show the girlfriend connection but not men unless it has to do with sports. Rambling, Anyway, so I started the rest of your reviews especially Battlestar. See I was a fan of the old Battlestar, granted I was 10 at the time but I enjoyed the show. Like you I was prepared to dislike the show, I didn’t even bother watching the show. But I kept reading all over the internet comments about the show from love to great dislike. Then I read your review and decided this pick up the show. I bought the miniseries a couple of months ago and forgot about it. How dumb of me. I finally saw it last night. Oh boy I was floored this has got to be one of the best sci-fi shows I have ever seen. Thanks to you, I am going out right now and buying the complete sets for season one and two.
Thank you so much for the time and efforts you put in your reviews and articles. It is very much appreciated by this fantasy Sci-Fi fan (Stargate, Blade Runner, Odyssey 5, etc…).
Cinnabana
Cinnabana,
ReplyDeleteWhat a lovely post. I just wanted to say thank you for all the good words.
Re: Buffy 8.6 No Future for You, Part I
ReplyDeleteFor some reason, this issue was a lot easier to follow than the others. I knew what happened and everything the first time I read it.
That's because this was the first issue scripted by Brian K. Vaughan who is a comic-book pro and knows what he's doing.
I hope they keep doing it this way - Whedon supplying high-level ideas and supervision and Vaughan (or some equally good comic-book writer) creating the actual scripts. However talented Joss Whedon is, comics isn't his area of expertise and it showed in the first five issues. This one was much better.
I discovered your site few weeks ago while I was scouring the Internet for Heroes recaps and I was so pleased to find not only intelligent, well-rounded Heroes recaps, but also recaps of Alias, Buffy, Angel, Supernatural and – Surprise! Surprise! – La Femme Nikita all of the same high quality. I haven’t quite finished reading through everything. It took me a while to decide where to go after finishing Heroes – I was that overwhelmed by goodness. Your recaps of Lost are tempting me to give the 3rd season a second chance. I think your essay on the Season 4 Buffy finale ‘Restless’ is probably the most profound I’ve ever read.
ReplyDeleteHowever, I was very disappointed with your reviews of Smallville. While I am certainly not as fond of it as I am of La Femme Nikita or Buffy, it’s still a show I have a soft spot on, having been brought up on the Superman movies and comics. I was disappointed by the stilted way you portrayed the show, more often than not, showing Alfred Gough and Miles Millar's original character Chloe Sullivan in a favorable light and disparaging the established canon characters from the comics and movies.
However, though your ‘Smallville’ section marred an otherwise perfect compilation, I still have a lot of admiration for the dedication and effort you put into your site and I encourage you to continue the good work!
Hi Billie,
ReplyDeleteI know you're probably already watching more than enough TV for your own good (Some must suffer so the rest of us can profit from your great reviews I suppose ;-P ) but i was just wondering if you had ever tried watching Spooks? It's a BBC thing and have no idea if it's big in the US, but it's action packed, and often thought provoking and after watching 'your' shows & reading pretty much everything you've written that's linked on your site(apart from the stuff about DeadZone, but anyway) it seems like it might fit with your other shows (plus only between 6 and 10 eps a series so there's not SO much work! :D)
(Oh, apparently it's called MI-5 in the US)
anyway,
peace and pies,
Baz
Moonspinner,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your thoughtful comments. I appreciate your opinion of my Smallville reviews, and I admit I find Smallville a bit fluffier than some of my other favorites. I feel compelled to add, though, that I started reviewing with season five, and the earlier reviews were done quickly during the summer hiatus. Not that that's an excuse.
Baz,
I've never seen Spooks/MI-5 but I promise to give it a shot.
And thanks for the info, Lummox. I did like the last one the best.
ReplyDeleteOh, yay! I never realized you had a blog before.
ReplyDeleteBTW, have you heard the rumor Lost may end up at 8pm on Mondays (forgive me, I haven't been keeping up on what was being discussed in your Yahoo group)?
I know this would make your Mondays super packed, but I'd kill for an 8pm time slot. The 10pm slot just killed the ratings last year.
Love your reviews. Can't wait for the new season.
Cheers,
Jay
Hi Billie
ReplyDeleteI've been a fan of your work since the early days of the Buffy reviews - I love your passion for good tv. I was so chuffed to see you writing Highlander reviews :-) as I've been a fan for years. I noticed in your last review, Til Death, you queried Methos' boast of crossing the Atlantic in a rowboad twice with a bunch of Irish monks in 765. But maybe it wasn't a lie: there's a legend in Ireland of St. Brendan crossing the Atlantic in the 6th century in a currach, a light wood-framed boat covered in stretched cowhide. In the 1970s, a man named Tim Severin successfully crossed the Atlantic from Ireland to Newfoundland in a currach, proving that it was possible for St. Brendan to have done it also!
So maybe the lovely Methos wasn't exaggerating this time. :-D
Between you and Omar G (of the hilarious TWOP recaps), you've made me start watching and ENJOYING Smallville, which I used to hate. And I always scooted straight over here after watching a Veronica Mars to see if you'd pointed out anything I'd missed. And now I have Heroes as well, although we won't get season two on this side of the Atlantic for another while.
Thanks for all the excellent writing over the past several years. Looking forward to reading you long into the future!
I like that you review in a way that makes it seem like everything is real and not just a 'fake tv show'. You're emotionally invested in the shows, characters and relationships. I think that makes your reviews stand out and enables me to relate to your reviews, because you're a fan and not just a reviewer. You're not nearly as critical as some reviews and always tend to find the enjoyable parts of the show, like a true fan and that just makes your reviews so enjoyable to read. Clearly, fans make the best reviewers.
ReplyDeleteI found your site once trying to get reviews of LFN and VM and since we seemed on the same page I decided to check out what else you were reviewing and went with BSG, which I now, thanks to you, completely adore even though I'm not really a sci-fi fan at all. So, thanks for that! Reading your reviews is like gossiping about the episodes afterwards with a friend sharing shock, enjoyment and frustration (since I don't have fellow friends who like my same shows - your reviews are as near as it!)
I really hope you'll start reviewing Bionic Woman if it survives...
Anyway thanks for sharing your reviews!
Hey Billie,
ReplyDeleteYour site is one of my favorites. I recently got into Moonlight. But do the similarities between it and Angel ever bother you? Because it kind of bothered me. Vampire detective in LA, many years ago he killed his vampire lover, now his lover is back from the dead as a human. Can those similarities really just be coincidence?
The first episode I saw was last weeks, and at the end of the episode I realized I liked the Morgan/Carolin plot they were setting up. But then I realized I'd already seen it somewhere else, and I think I liked it better the first time I saw it.
Yes, they lifted it from season two of "Angel." Coraleen even has a tattoo where Angel had one. And the window-breaking scene was lifted directly from "Body Heat." Ah, well. I know they're doing it, but I still like the show. At least they're lifting from the best.
ReplyDeleteHey Billie!
ReplyDeleteJust wanna say...love your site...discovered it when one of your veronica mars summaries was posted on one of my yahoo groups about a year and a half ago...would come to the site weekly when you did vm reviews...loved em! I agree that Moonlight is one of the best new shows of the season...I admit I watch for Jason Dohring and all the Angel comparisons that were being made before it started...just read some of your Heroes and Supernatural reviews and LOVED em! Keep up the awesome work!
Heather
You're not reviewing Angel season 6? Darn. I though it started out much better than Buffy Season 8.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I was looking forward to reading your thoughts on Angel Season 6 - so far it is amazing! I adore Lynch's other Spike comics as well (Asylum & Shadow Puppets).
ReplyDeleteLost Cast:
ReplyDelete· Jack Shephard - Specialist Doctor in Spinal Injuries – Met Desmond before the crash - Jack’s Father -Christian Shephard also Doctor
· Claire Littleton - Pregnant before the crash – Mystic man told her to raise the child - Claire’s Father -Christian Shephard making Jack stepbrother
· John Locke - Needed a wheelchair before the crash - John’s Father - Anthony Cooper – Con Man who conned Sawyer’s parents
· Sawyer – James Ford - Con man looking for revenge - Met Christian Shephard before the Island Crash
· Kate Austen - Fugative-was on the plane with a Marshal who died – Killed her step-dad
· Charlie Pace - Was in a band and used drugs
· Hurley – Hugo Reyes - Won the Lottery by playing the numbers which were mentioned in the hospital & are on the Hatch door & computer
· Libby - Was in the same hospital as Hurley before the Island – Met Desmond before the crash & gave him a boat
· Jin – Soo Kwon - Korean – worked for his wife’s father as a hitman – Could not have children before the crash but now can
· Sun Paik - Korean – Could not get pregnant but since the crash on the Island she is pregnant with Jin’s Baby
· Sayid Jarrah - Was in the Iraqi army & tortured people – Good with Electronics
· Michael Dawson - Was taken by the Others trying to find his son Walt who was also taken by the Others
· Walt - Has some kind of special powers – comic book pics becoming reality of the Island (Polar Bears-Plane-Birds dying etc etc.
· Ethan - One of the Others – Works for Dharma Initiative – Took Claire when she was pregnant – Met Juliet before the Island
· Danielle Rousseau - Has been on the Island for 16years & her daughter Alex was taken by the Others – All her crew are dead
· Alex Rousseau - Danielle is her mother and her father is Ben (others)
· Desmond - Crashed (Boat race-) on the Island and has been in the Hatch for 3 years – Can see glimpses of the future
· Kelvin Inman - Worked for C.I.A - Met Sayid before the Island then joined the Dharma Initiative - Was in the Hatch with Desmond
· Mr. Eko - Found his brother Yemi who was murdered by drug dealers who crashed on the Island in a small plane
· Ana – Lucia Cortez - Met Christian Shephard and was his bodyguard
· Juliet - Fertility doctor – Met Richard (gave her the job) and Ethan before the Island
· Benjamin Linus - aka Henry Gale – Leader of the Others & works for Dharma Initiative – been on the Island some 30 years
· Richard - Was on the Island when Ben was little – Mete Juliet before the Island & offered her the job on the Island
· Shannon Rutherford - Father was very rich – Step-sister of Boone
· Boone Carlisle - Shannon’s step-brother
· Rose - Doctors only gave her a year to live as she had some sort of Cancer before the crash on the Island but now it has gone
· Bernard - Rose’s husband
· Penny - Met Desmond before the Island & Is still looking for him
Billie,
ReplyDeleteI LOVE your reviews and trust your opinion a lot! You have some good taste and it's nice to be able to get your take on some of my favs.
While the shows are on hiatus with the writer's strike, you should give Jericho a try. It's not Lost or Battlestar but it's not half bad either.
Okay, let me guess your next show. It's either Dexter (perhaps not genre enough, but damn well plotted and featured Michael C. Hall and Julie Benz) or Wonderfalls (Tim Minear and Bryan Fuller's failed series about a retail worker who had the universe guide her in the form of animal themed objects). Am I right? Am I, huh?
ReplyDeleteDamn i'm too late to guess what your new reviewed show will be.
ReplyDeleteI was going to say it will be Dexter but MBenzN beat me to it.
But Wonderfalls is also a great idea.
So to be original i'll suggest Dead Like Me. (also Bryan Fuller) :)
Greetings from France billie.
ReplyDeleteYour site made me discover many shows that i didn't even know, or remembered; because of you i fell in love with Buffy, Angel, Six feet under (by the way please i really advise you to continue this serie, one of the best) and many more..
It is really one of my favorite websites.
Keep up the great work.
Obviously, MBenzN and Cymrean were right -- it's Dexter. I don't really choose the shows I love. They choose me. When I got into Dexter, I just felt compelled to write about it.
ReplyDeleteHello, Gendarmerie-Nationale: I will definitely get back to Six Feet Under. For some reason, Six Feet Under keeps turning into my rainy day project. Every time I stop working on it, I feel like I'm insulting an old friend. But I will eventually finish it, I promise.
Hi Billie,
ReplyDeleteI'm so happy that have started reviewing Dexter. Been a fan since episode 1 and think that it one of the best shows on TV (one of the others being Veronica Mars, I'm still upset that the CW has cancelled the show)
Keep up the good work, I love reading your reviews!