Sometimes you can pinpoint the moment a television show has finally sunk its claws into you and hooked you completely. You feel it in your gut and your brain, as the butterflies begin to gather within, and they leave you anxious to know what will happen next and they help keep your mind focused on the story at hand as every single second unfolds on the screen; and for me, that magical moment when True Detective truly grabbed hold of me arrived with episode three.

"The Locked Room" turned out to be an absolute tour de force of an episode. One that continued to push boundaries when it came to philosophical concepts and our characters for that matter. Since we truly got some incredible insight on what kind of man Hart truly is. But the most important part of this particular episode, is the fact that at long last the case finally saw a big break and the steady details that poured out of that were utterly fascinating. But before we get too deep into that, let's talk about the boundaries the show pushed this go round, because I never quite expected to see the story attack religion head on.  

It seemed logical that religion was going to play a part in this episode regardless since the discovery at the church led Hart and Cohle to the preacher that used to use the place to spread the word of God. But what came before they interviewed Pastor Theriot, where Hart and Cohle debated the finer points of religion left me a little surprised. It's simply an extremely rare thing to see a television show pick apart the concepts and meaning of religion as a whole, and I applaud the show for taking that risk because I'm fairly certain a few folks took issue with this, but hey...sometimes the mark of a good story is that it stirs up conversations and challenges us, so while this moment in time may not have had major bearing on the case as a whole, I applaud it for staying true to its characters and letting Cohle say his piece.

But if anything, seeing more of Cohle's nihilistic side was nothing more than a bookend to the Rust centric episode "Seeing Things" and it's clear these two episodes were designed to truly give us in depth insight into both men since we learned that Martin Hart is an incredibly angry man trying to live a calm life. The finest example of this came from the incident at the bar with his side gal where he felt the need to maintain power over her and it's obvious now that Martin is an old school stereotypical male. One that believes a man's place is to exert his will over a woman and that certain principles come before all things and that may get him into some serious trouble at some point.

The centerpiece of this episode however, was the giant break in the case that I mentioned and the fact that Rust uncovered another murder similar to Dora's buried amongst a mountain of files. It's a discovery that I'm certain would have never come about if not for Cohle and his obsessive nature and it gave them a name and a suspect to finally chase down; Reggie Ledoux. Yet while this was thrilling to say the least and finally a direction for the case to go in, I can't help but get the bad feeling that there's still more lurking here. If there was already one more murder with the mark of the spiral, how many more are out there, and why do I get the feeling that the school that they visited has more significance than it seemed to have in that brief moment? Time will tell I imagine, but in the meantime, the hunt for Reggie is on. Until next time.

After a stellar and engrossing series premiere to True Detective, I have to admit that I was a touch worried that the second episode would drop off in quality a little bit. After all, this is the first season of a brand new show and that tends to offer up an uneven first year of storytelling.

But my fears and concerns were nothing more than a giant waste of time, because "Seeing Things" continued to focus on everything that made the premiere so great. It was still dark and dreary, in fact one could say episode two went to some uglier places if that's at all possible, and the characters remained rich and vibrant, and we actually managed to learn more about them as the hour went along. What surprised me most however, was the fact that this particular episode managed to pull off something incredible...it lived up to the show's namesake by giving us an in depth look into the life of a detective. 

The detective's life and career on screen has always been romanticized and embellished, and while we know that it isn't at all Murtaugh and Riggs blowing bad guys away left and right, we rarely get that inside look into exactly how tedious their jobs can be. These are men and women who spend their days collecting facts and piecing together the final moments of a person's life. We have come to expect shows about detectives to be filled with something more exciting than the mountain of interviews they conduct to put the case together, but this episode decided to go outside the norm since we were witness to Hart and Cohle, beating the streets to figure everything and anything out they could about what happened to poor Dora and well...the show actually made it compelling. After all, we are as much in the dark as they are, and every step they took toward finding information about her killer left me on the edge of my seat. 

But in between all of that, our characters shined once again and this episode truly took a focus on Cohle, giving us insight into what molded him into the cynical man we are presented with and well, his backstory was absolutely tragic yet fascinating. Truly the man has been through hell when it comes to his career in law enforcement. But despite learning about all the tragedies he has experienced, and learning about all the dark places he has been in his life, you're left wanting to know more about him. Specifically, if his career was this awful, and this trying...why did he stick with it for so long? I feel as though we are just scratching the surface with Cohle and I'm dying to know more. 

Either way, this was another impressive episode, and while the case hasn't exactly blown wide open yet with any major clues outside of the lovely image they found in the burned out church, I love that the stage is slowly being set for the rest of the season. Clearly the pressure these two men are facing to find the killer is going to play a huge part in how this story unfolds since we already know in present day there are new twists to this case and new victims popping up, but what I'm most curious about; is what exactly drives these two men apart and what kind of fallout is going to occur if we discover they make the wrong collar? Well, no time like the present to have those questions answered, time to return to HBO GO and find out what happens next. Until next time.

Sometimes you're simply late to the party, whether you like it or not and that's exactly what happened to me when it comes to the first season of True Detective. I heard great things about it, was told on several occasions that I need to check it out as soon as possible, but I simply never got around to it, at least not until season two. That was of course a season that the fans more or less turned their backs upon, so much in fact that HBO is discussing the possibility of shelving this show indefinitely or cancelling it, so I thought it was high time to revisit this fascinating look into modern crime, by finally settling in to watch season one, right from the beginning.

"The Long Bright Dark" certainly had a familiar feel to it from the get go with its own enchanted and haunted credits sequence, but really that's where the comparison and familiarity to the second season ends. Because it doesn't take long for us to realize that we have traveled into an ugly world, a modern nihilistic dystopia where the beauty of the Bayous of Louisiana merely serve as a facade. Because behind those beautiful sunsets and gorgeous swamps are flawed individuals; raw and ready to do bad things on instinct alone. It's a primal world, one rarely seen in detective serials and one that instantly draws you in. 

It's the characters that sell this world and its design and the vibrancy of each and every one of them allows the uninitiated to understand exactly what drew so many people in to watch this series. There's not a moment wasted by anyone on screen and every single person in this world fascinates you to no end, especially our pair of detectives, Hart and Cohle. These two men are deeply flawed, deeply disturbed on some level or another. But despite all of their flaws, at their core, these are truly good men who try to do good things. Whether or not they always succeed at that, is another blog for another time, but the bottom line is that there is something relatable in both of them on a fundamental level that makes them the only likable characters in a  disturbed world. 

Which brings us to the most chilling moments of the show, which of course come from the grand case presented before us when the men discover the mutilated and desecrated body of Dora Lange, and this is the centerpiece of this episode because this murder takes some bold risks for a detective story. For starters it presents us with a cold and calculated human sacrifice, something that has been done in crime stories before, but never like this. In other similar tales, the story often finds a way to divert from the sacrifice with alternate motives, but not here. Dora was given up to Heaven knows what and the show never shies away from that, and the lack of respect for her body and her death somehow burns an image in your mind long after the show has ended. 

But the other great risk that the show takes when it comes to the case...is that the case fades into the background from time to time to focus on our detectives and let us get to know them and that's a hell of a risk that manages to pay off. Part of you is wondering when we will get on with it and get to the case at hand and those thoughts simply melt away as you find yourself entranced by the struggles of the two men trying to find the answers. Either way, I'm hooked. This was a wonderful beginning to the show, one that sets the stage in subtle fashion and does just enough to jar you and disturb you and it really is a wonderful piece of television. So it's high time then that I excuse myself because there are seven more episodes to go, and I have to know how this unique story ends. Until next time.

Despite the incredible progress that television has made over the years when it comes to diversity and showcasing slices of American life that it has stayed away from for many years, there is still more work to be done. CBS for example was recently cited as not being diverse enough for its upcoming fall season and for the most part, the networks still make an effort to stay away from more taboo topics, one of which just so happens to be mental illness.

But despite these challenges, television continues to evolve and continues to grow. New shows are finding ways to bring taboo topics right to the surface and into our homes in new and incredible ways and as Netflix and Amazon continue to expand their original programming lines, those barriers continue to fall. Case in point, Netflix's recent sitcom offering starring indie comic Maria Bamford; Lady Dynamite. This wonderful comedy series takes us into Maria's life as she works to get her career back on track after spending an extended amount of time back home in Minnesota to receive outpatient treatment in a mental health facility as part of her ongoing battle with BiPolar Disorder and well, calling this series wonderful isn't doing it justice...it's downright brilliant. 

That's in large part thanks to the fact that the series is absolutely hilarious. The series is loaded with subtle gags or hearty laughs and it helps that some big time names pop up in this show left and right. The third episode features a cameo from Academy Award Winner Mira Sorvino and comedy legend Patton Oswalt finds a way to sneak into the series as well. But let's be honest, the star of the show is what matters here and Maria shines through and through when it comes to every episode. This is in fact a "best of" reel for Maria as she demonstrates just how talented a comedian she truly is and she does such an incredible job generating the laughs that you may find yourself pausing the show on several occasions to get all of the giggles out of your system.

But all of the comedy aside, a lot of credit needs to be given to the show for removing the stigma of mental illness and presenting it in a frank and honest manner. Maria is never a "crazy person", she's a human being going through a struggle and at no point does anyone ostracize her for her illness, she is accepted, she is loved and her friends and family support her and only want to see her get better. It's a wonderful and heartwarming touch to the show and it doesn't end there. This is a show that also provides us with an in depth look at her recovery, taking us inside her treatment as she works to get her life back on track and that too is some groundbreaking stuff.

Yet, while one might think that the segments surrounding Maria's recovery in Minnesota would be the dryer and more dramatic parts of the show to counterbalance the comedy, that's simply not the case. There are laughs to be found in those segments as well and that's what makes this series so absolutely incredible. Maria finds a way to find humor in everything that has come along in her life; and it's stunning to know this story is semi-autobiographical and that she has managed to overcome so much. That makes this series an inspiration, and one that you need to add to your Netflix queue as soon as possible. 

Episode 2:
So, the first episode does its damndest to introduce us to The Warner Brothers, The Warner Sister, and a few of the supporting cast members. Where can we possibly go from there? In what would become the show’s rich tradition of throwing a monkey wrench into your expectations, we get a song about geography.

Yakko’s World
I’m understandably cranky about having to summarize this. Not just because it’s just a list of every nation of the world, circa 1993, to the tune of a Mexican hat dance, but…C’mon. You know this one! Everyone knows this one! It’s practically what the whole series is known for! Go to a panel featuring voice actor Rob Paulsen, he’ll do it on demand! As for behind the scenes stuff, this is the song that cemented comedy writer Randy Rogel’s status as a songwriter for kid’s cartoons, so there’s that. Which is nice. Moving on.

Cookies for Einstein
This sets up another standard formula for a Warners cartoon: the one where they go to the home of a famous or historical figure, and pester them, inevitably helping them create the one thing they were most known for. Overall, it is silly and funny enough, but this sets up another unspoken rule for our three eager young cartoon cadets: the smarter or more benevolent a person is, the harder it is for the Warners to actually mess with them. Einstein is understandably frustrated, because he can’t figure out the theory of relativity. The Warners have the ulterior motive of trying to sell scout cookies, but that sub-plot does nothing for this cartoon. In the end, Wakko misspells “ACME” as “E=MC2,” and Einstein is willing to share with them the Nobel Prize.

Win Big
Finally, we get to discuss Pinky and the Brain! Okay, interesting story: Pinky and the Brain are both based on former animators of Tiny Toon Adventures, Tom Minton and Eddie Fitzgerald. Tom was an incredibly stoic, serious and technically minded individual, while Eddie Fitzgerald was silly, nerdy, and weird, and actually had a tendency to shout “Narf!” “Poit!” and “Egad!” Despite their differences, they were always a team, and went from working on Ralph Bakshi’s “Mighty Mouse,” to “Tiny Toons,” before jumping ship to work with John Kricfalusi on “Ren and Stimpy.” That didn’t stop an animator from drawing them as a pair of mice, and in lieu of the ambition of being great cartoonists they decided to make them try take over the world.

So, in this short, The Brain wants to create a “super-kinetic infindibulator,” a device which magnetically glues people to the ground by their pocket change. (That’s not how magnets work, Brain.) As is common in many of his plots, he lacks the money to do so. Now for all of The Brain’s genius, he seems to be a pretty poor planner. You’d think over time he’d make a checklist: step 1, earn money, step 2, take over the world.

The Brain is naturally annoyed by Pinky’s obsession with the TV, represented by his viewing of Honeymooners re-runs and the game show Gyp-Parody. The Brain has the idea of building a human-sized robotic suit, entering the game show, and winning the cash to fund his plan, but the final question has to do with Ralph Kramden, Pinky’s current obsession, so he loses it all.

The outcome of this plot doesn’t really make any sense: Pinky told him the answer, so why can’t Brain, in his infinite wisdom remember something Pinky told him a day or even an hour ago? To further confuse the issue, The Brain correctly answers a question about Regis Philbin.

Wheel of Morality
Moral #2: If at first you don’t succeed. Blame it on your parents.

Adult jokes and Neat Moments:  
-The pocket Fisherman…comes with potty. (He may be small but he eats.)
-Pinky: Oh wait, what if they take off their pants? The Brain: Then we shall have to take over the world QUICKLY!
-A roundabout question in the Gyp-Parody section: Kings named Moshuhu for $300. He ruled Lestho in 1863. Who is King Moshushu the first?

You guys know how I do this thing where I binge watch children's shows in one sitting? It happened again. Miraculous Ladybug is a French cartoon that has been dubbed into English and was playing on Nickelodeon. I of course watched it elsewhere in the span of two whole days. The first season is a whole 26 episodes long, and it did get renewed for a second season.

The story revolves around two high school kids. Marinette is the main protagonist, who along with her Miraculous Tiki, transforms into the Ladybug, a crime fighting hero that helps keep Paris safe from harm. Her counter part is Cat (Chat) Noir, also known as Adrian. Marinette is painfully crushing on Adrian, who in turn is in love with Ladybug. The two don't know their hero counterparts identity, and for good reason. They have to keep it secret, even from each other.

The baddie is Hawk Moth, an evil doer who wants Cat Noir and Ladybug's miraculous tikis. Why? From what I've gathered, Ladybug is light and life, while Cat Noir is death and destruction. Owning both miraculous items could prove to be beneficial, for Evil reasons. The whole show consists of our bad guy sending evil butterflies to turn good people evil in their weak moments. Ladybug and Cat Noir fight them, then save them, yay! That's literally the whole plot of the show.

I really enjoyed watching it because it is such a fun show. Each episode is pretty similar in its structure, but you also have Marinette and Adrian stumbling through normal problems in their every day lives. Crushes, mistakes, friendships, it's an interesting show with a good natured attitude. The characters are endearing and more importantly, the animation is pretty wicked. I've never watched a cartoon that wasn't American or Japanese in origin, and Miraculous Ladybug holds up along side them!

Once Upon a Time has been breaking my heart this entire season. From the second they killed Hook, I knew I was in for a trip down a dark hole. Hook's death ended up being noble, but the lovable pirate was such an important part of our lives by that point, the loss of Hook was hard, but going back for him was harder.

Eventually we get to get our Hook back, and thankfully things turn out happy. Or do they? It turns out that Regina might actually be cursed. Her love life seems to always be in turmoil. The loss of Robin was felt across the kingdom and fans everywhere. It was probably the hardest character death to watch in a long time. The fall out of it all was worse. Regina's face, the crushing realization that Robin was gone for good, it was heartbreaking and it got me to thinking...what other shows out there take the time to rip our hearts out and leave us utterly traumatized? Turns out there are quite a few...

The Doctor has seen many a thing and the death of many, and while Clara is still fresh in our hearts, Amy and Rory will forever weigh heavy. The three of them had become such good friends that knowing their ending and fate was worse than the reality of losing them. But before Rory and Amy, there was Torchwood. That show was far darker and slowly, one by one, our characters were picked off. Owen was the first to die, but thankfully he kinda got brought back. The sad part was he still died. Around the same exact time, Tosh was shot and left to bleed out and die. The only solace we got was that Tosh and Owen got to die together on the phone. That heartbreaking moment wouldn't be the only one. Shortly after Ianto would die in Jack's arms. While we saw it coming, that didn't make it any better.

You'd think with a show called The Walking Dead, we'd be used to characters dropping left and right. Actually, no. There were only two character deaths we cheered for, Andrea and Lori...maybe Shane. Still, the expansive cast has been dwindling since day one. Dale was the first heartbreaking moment. His death still has me in tears. Hershel will forever be a bright mark on our memories, his death still rocks fans to this day. Beth was so unexpected I still can't believe it. And oddly enough the loss of Denise stabbed deeper than we thought it would.

Supernatural tore us up with the loss of so many. Ellen, Jo, Rufus, Bobby...Gabriel, and the countless times Cas, Sam, and/or Dean have passed on. It's hard to really sit down and pick a death that stands out above the rest since each and every one of them tore at our feels. But if there was a recent one worth picking out, it would have to be when Charlie said her goodbye. She was a true fan favorite and while her death was heroic in so many ways, it was devastating to know she was gone for good. I feel like watching this and Walking Dead have us fans almost begging for broken hearts. But while the characters have passed on, the actors and their Twitter accounts still live on, so we can still stalk them violently. Which, I guess is a bonus?

For the most part, the comic book/super hero domination we have come to know and love on both the big and small screen has been reserved for only the biggest of titles. It's one iconic character after another, true to their beliefs in making the world a better place and they're always ready to sacrifice everything to ensure that mankind is as safe as can be.

But the comic world features plenty of other colorful characters out there and some of the heroes that grace the pages of other books aren't as perfect as Superman. They are flawed individuals that can be selfish at times and their actions don't always inspire you to go out and do good because their idea of justice isn't locking a bad guy up behind bars, it's beating the tar out of them just for the fun of it and after all these years of shiny costumes and capes, AMC decided it was high time to unveil a different kind of hero with their adaptation of the long running and popular comic; Preacher.

This particular tale introduces us to Jesse Custer. He's a simple man spreading the word of God in the small town of Annville, Texas; but there is nothing simple about Jesse. He's a man with a past who has returned home to fulfill a promise and he appears to be anything but holy. He drinks, he smokes. He loves to swear and if he has to do horrible things to a man during a fight, he most certainly will. He's the last man that deserves to be wearing the white collar and even he knows it. But when a strange entity from beyond discovers Jesse and enters his body, his outlook on faith and religion begin to change and well, let's just get it out there now...this is going to be one awesome series to watch.

For starters this is a show that is refreshingly different than anything else out there on television and that's largely in part thanks to how the show is designed. This is a series that manages to establish a wild and crazy world in one single episode and it does it in incredible fashion. At no point do you ever raise an eyebrow or wonder why the world that Jesse inhabits is so incredibly weird simply because of the fact that the characters accept it as well. This is their world and their lives and it just so happens that strange things transpire in this place on a consistent basis and they go about their business regardless of how wacky their day turns out to be.
 
But to pull off something like that, a show needs strong characters and Preacher is filled to the brim with them. Every single person that popped up in the Pilot, no matter how big or how small their role chewed up every second of their respective screen time thanks to how fascinating they each turned out to be. But truly the centerpiece of this show character wise is Jesse and despite the fact that you see all of his ugly flaws on display, you know there is real good in his heart and you're rooting for him the entire time to finally find his way. Either way, this is a fascinating series to say the least, one that draws you in quickly and it's going to be interesting to see where this story goes now that Jesse has found his purpose in life, and how his new gift from beyond will guide him in his journey. Until next time.

​​Back in 2011 there was a remake of a show I watched with my dad as a kid. If you remember the Original Thundercats, you're awesome. The remake of it ended up being one of the coolest things I have ever seen. And I stand by that to this day. Unfortunately we would never get a second season because the whole show's production rested on toy sales instead of viewer numbers. But the fact remains, I've watched the remake of this show so many times since it went off the air. I got to thinking, how many other shows do we need to remake?

The remake of Sailor Moon is currently on its third season, and it is utterly fantastic. This show continues to astonish me again every time I watch it. But there are certainly a few more anime shows that could use an update and Robotech is the first anime that comes to mind for another anime remake. This show had so many episodes and story arcs and it was so awesome. I never got to see the whole thing, due to being a kid and back then it only existed on TV. But the invention of the Internet and the wonder of DVD helped me find the rest of it, as I got older. A revamp of that show could be fun! Not to mention it could totally drag in a whole new audience.

In high school there was this anime that I watched called Rayearth. A group of us would literally trade the DVDs around until we had watched the whole thing. It was about these regular teens from different schools who got pulled down into another realm where they became knights and had to save the day. It was cute and actually had a pretty good plot and what if it was remade in 2016/17? This dated show surely could use a facelift! It's one that's earned its right to be remade! I could just imagine how it would look with an updated design and feel. It was similar to Sailor Moon, just with bigger eyes. Because that's possible.

Danny Phantom is not quite old enough for a reboot per se, but imagine, for a moment, a continuation of the show. Danny could be now in college, still fighting ghosts. With updated animation, and a fresh story, it could really work. Unlike Young Justice, which I feel rushed their second season. Young Justice was amazing in the first season, and still is good to re-watch. However, a five year time jump to the second season? No. Not acceptable. If they can show us Wally's final moments, they can show us Jason Todd's. Even if they're not going to fill in that gap maybe it's time to give us a fresh season and reinvent the story there and when you think about it, a third season is long over due, and I think we deserve that much at least.