Week Two

The theme of the week is deception, mostly in regards to family, either to them, or about them. While some of these lies are designed to protect the people in the characters' lives, others are done in order to protect their own skins.

The Train Job

_****

Mal and his crew are hired to rob a train of some valuable cargo; meanwhile, River's nightmares regarding her institutionalization cause worry for Simon.

Through Rose Colored HAZMAT Suits

_****

The employees of Veridian Dynamics deal with minor adjustments made to their routines in order to accommodate the presence of Ted's daughter Rose.

Family Matters

_***½

Sam's reliance on forensics clashes once again with Gene, who's working on pure instinct, as the two investigate a murder at the site of Sam's future flat.

Witch

_***

Buffy attempts to maintain a semblance of normalcy in her life by participating in the cheerleading tryouts only to find herself in danger when a student starts practicing black magic in order to take out the squad.

College Bored

_**

Worried that Daria won't get into the school of her choice, Helen takes the family on a college tour, sparking Quinn's interest in "Greek Life."

Moonlighting

_***½

Belle uses an all-nighter as an opportunity for some moonlighting when she's approached by a man that wishes to book her services immediately.

Week One

The themes of the week are introductions, in regards to both the audience and the other characters, and privacy, whether through personal choice or necessary secrets. With a mixture of sex, parties, vampires, time-travel, cryogenics, and gun-fights, there's a lot of ground to cover.

Serenity (Part 2)

_*****

Captain Mal sets down on Whitefall in order to do business with an old contact named Patience. Naturally, when the deal goes awry, the crew of Serenity find themselves running from Patience, the Alliance, and the Reavers all in one go.

Serenity (Part 1)

_*****

The crew of the Firefly-class ship Serenity find themselves in need of supplemental income when an Alliance broadcast sullies their would-be business dealings. They are soon forced to choose between the safety of one of their own and the threat of capture when one of their new passengers is revealed as more than he seems.

Heroes

_*****

Veronica works on a way of convincing Phil not to sue the company for freezing him while Ted must mend a rift between his two scientists to ensure their latest project is finished on time.

Being Dynamic at Veridian Dynamics

_****½

With his company determined to freeze one of it's employees, Ted finds himself trying to justify his company's wishes as Phil refuses to go through with the mission.

Safe House

_****½

When an armed-robbery leaves a woman seriously injured, Sam must ensure that the only eye-witness is kept safe until the culprit is identified and off the streets.

Blowin' in the Wind

 _****½

After a traffic accident, DCI Sam Tyler finds himself demoted, thirty-three years in the past, and on the trail of a pattern of murders he recognizes from the present day. Forced to play along until he can find a way home, Sam helps the department come together to try and find the killer.

The Harvest (Part 2)

_***

Buffy's identity as the slayer becomes known to the Master, an ancient vampire trapped beneath the city. Buffy and her friends must now work together to stop the Master's ascension and save the residents of Sunnydale from death.

Welcome to the Hellmouth (Part 1)

_***

It's her first day at a new school, and Buffy Summers gets her new friends caught up in a world of supernatural dangers. The vampire slayer is forced to come out of retirement and pick up a stake in order to protect Sunnydale from the monsters that go bump in the night. 

The Invitation

_***

As thanks for her help on a project, Daria is invited to a party and finds her reluctance to go waning when she learns that her sister Quinn will also be in attendance.

Esteemers

 _****½

Daria's first day at a new school takes a unexpected turn when she's labelled as having low self-esteem and forced into an after-school workshop on how better to love herself. Determined to make the best of things, Daria takes the course's lessons and uses them to irritate her loved ones.

Invitation Only

_***½

Belle is taken to a prestigious event where she grows evermore distracted by a longtime crush and a desire to abandon her client.

Stockings and Stilettos

 _****

A day in the life of a high-class prostitute involves a great number of rules to separate the fantasy life of Belle de Jour from the real life of Hannah Baxter. While Hannah is free to do as she pleases, under the guise of a legal secretary, Belle is forced to succumb to the whims of her clients and become the woman they need her to be at any given moment.

By Any Other Name

As written by William Shakespeare, a rose by any other name would smell as sweet, so really, what's in a name? Sometimes the creators of a television series opt not to give their episodes unique names, instead letting them be known simply by their episode number. Unfortunately, for this blog...that could get somewhat confusing.

Star Ratings

While the series being watched for this blog were revealed earlier in the week, Sunday has remained something of a mystery. Truth be told, Sunday will currently be reserved for information about the blog and any announcements that need to be made, with the possibility of something else in the future. As for today, I thought it might be interesting to some if I gave a brief explanation as to the star ratings that each review earns and how I manage to come to those conclusions for each story I view.

The Saturday Series

Starhunter, Farscape, Terra Nova, Firefly, and Battlestar Galactica each competed for the right to be watched every Saturday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

The Friday Series

Andy Richter Controls the Universe, the Inbetweeners, Scrubs, Better Off Ted, and the IT Crowd each competed for the right to be watched every Friday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

The Thursday Series

The X-Files, Lost, Veronica Mars, Life on Mars, and Twin Peaks each competed for the right to be watched every Thursday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

The Wednesday Series

Birds of Prey, Xena: Warrior Princess, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, La Femme Nikita, and Alias each competed for the right to be watched every Wednesday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

The Tuesday Series

The Maxx, Gargoyles, Avatar: the Last Airbender, the Spectacular Spider-Man, and Daria each competed for the right to be watched every Tuesday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

The Monday Series

Secret Diary of a Call Girl, the Sopranos, Big Love, Jericho, and Nip/Tuck each competed for the right to be watched every Monday, but only 1 could earn the time slot. And the winner is...

Final Decisions

Deciding which programs to watch and review is a somewhat trying task, as a number of different factors have to be taken into account. There are, however, three main issues that will ultimately decide this reviewer's fate.

Reviews in Review

The shows that will be watched for this blog are to be revealed during the week, one each day, and the proper reviews will begin the week after. As for today, I thought it might be of interest to some to see how I structure my reviews, in part so my readers have a better understanding of what I've put together, but also for the chance that someone might have any suggestions to improve on what I'm doing.

Battlestar Galactica

_*****

As the Battlestar Galactica is being decommissioned to be turned into a museum, the colonies come under Cylon attack. Commander Adama and his crew find themselves once more at war with an enemy that disappeared over forty years ago.

Firefly

_*****

The crew of the Firefly-class ship Serenity find themselves in need of supplemental income when an Alliance broadcast sullies their would-be business dealings. They are soon forced to choose between the safety of one of their own and the threat of capture when one of their new passengers is revealed as more than he seems.

Terra Nova

_***

Things are bleak in the distant future, with strict regulations regarding population growth, an amount of pollution so excessive the moon hasn't shone for decades, and a severe lack of fresh fruits and vegetables. Fortunately for the Shannon family, they have been recruited for the upstart community of Terra Nova, 85 million years in the past.

Farscape

_***½

American astronaut John Crichton finds himself stranded across the universe when a shuttle experiment goes awry. Trapped aboard a ship of escaped prisoners, Crichton must navigate a hostel universe in order to find his way back home.

Starhunter

 _¯

Galactic bounty hunter Dante Montana finds himself on the trail of an unstable geneticist who has discovered the secret to the divinity cluster, an alien gene that could allow superhuman capabilities.

The IT Crowd

_***½

When her job interview gets away from her, Jen finds herself sent to the basement as the new head of the IT department. Now she must manage to convince both her bosses and her subordinates that she's not computer illiterate, but can't even manage to find a place to plug in her phone.

Better Off Ted

_****½

With his company determined to freeze one of it's employees, Ted finds himself trying to justify his company's wishes as Phil refuses to go through with the mission.

Scrubs

_***

Fresh out of medical school, John Dorian tries to navigate his way through a series of personal traumas, medical crises, and a variety of tasks no one had prepared him for.

The Inbetweeners

_****

After transferring from a private school Will tries to navigate his first day at a state school with one simple mission: make friends. Unfortunately for him his outspoken indignance does not endear him to a large number of people.

Andy Richter Controls the Universe

_**

When Andy learns that he will be forced to share his office with the new employee, Byron, Andy does everything in his power to get Byron fired.

Twin Peaks

_****

Laura Palmer is found on the shore line. She's dead. Wrapped in plastic. The small town of Twin Peaks is shaken as news spreads amongst the locals, but the killer's identity isn't the only mystery this town has to offer.

Life on Mars

 _****½

After a traffic accident, DCI Sam Tyler finds himself demoted, thirty-three years in the past, and on the trail of a pattern of murders he recognizes from the present day. Forced to play along until he can find a way home, Sam helps the department come together to try and find the killer.

Veronica Mars

_****½

Working for her private eye father, Veronica Mars grows ever-more determined to solve the mystery of who murdered her best friend Lilly and absolve the accused of the crime she knows he didn't commit.

Lost

_****

A plane crash strands a group of strangers on an uninhabited island, forcing them to come together in order to survive, but the dangers of the island threaten to cut short whatever remaining time these people may have.

The X-Files

_***½

A young FBI agent is paired with a supposed conspiracy theorist and finds herself drawn into the fantastical investigations of paranormal activity for which her new partner is known to obsess over.

Alias

 _****

When Sydney Bristow's boyfriend proposes, he unwittingly instigates a sudden series of events that puts both of their lives in jeopardy. Sydney then goes off the grid to complete an unauthorized mission in order to secure her own safety.

La Femme Nikita

_***½

In a case of mistaken-identity, homeless drug-addict Nikita finds herself taken into police custody, and in order to get her life back she is forced to undergo severe training at the hands of a covert special agency.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

_***

It's her first day at a new school, and Buffy Summers gets her new friends caught up in a world of supernatural dangers. The vampire slayer is forced to come out of retirement and pick up a stake in order to protect Sunnydale from the monsters that go bump in the night. 

Xena: Warrior Princess

_*½

Former warlord Xena renounces her past in an effort to repent for her sins, but the bravery of a young peasant girl makes her realize how much good she can do to become the hero she should always have been.

Birds of Prey

_*

Dinah Lance arrives in New Gotham in search of answers to the questions she doesn't yet know to ask. Through fortunate timing, and considerable luck, she finds her way to the watchtower and to the answers she desperately needs.