How I Met Your Mother - A Legen ---wait for it---dary Ending that Pissed Off the World

Its hard to end popular shows to get at least most people to nod and smile that it was a good ending to a series. How I Met Your Mother has ran brilliantly as one of the best stories ever told about a guy that desperately wants to find love. And then whoring his way all over the town to find it.

However many were enraged at the shows finale this past week. I for one, am actually not unhappy. It wasn't a perfect ending and definitely not what I imagined, but it really shows how truly complex and difficult relationships can be and I really enjoyed the somber reality of that message. So you can disagree with me all you want, but the twists and turns of the last episode really had me thinking way after the fact. I admit, the creators didn't set this up well enough to justify how oddball the ending turned out, but it wasn't all bad either. For a happy-go-lucky series, the ending really was about the imperfections of life between a group of friends and that even though bad shit happens, they eventually always find their way back to each other.

The most sickly cute couple on the planet.

Marshall and Lily - They were always the perfect couple and ended in the manner everyone would expect. Marshall keeps moving up in the world and Lily is very supportive of him. They are the example of marital bliss and it would make sense that Lily would be confused how her friends have not always fit in the same picture. However they were the perfect couple archetype that seemed to be the nurture and guidance the group needed. They were the "stability" of the group.

Ted finally meets the mother...after 8 years of searching.

Ted and the Mother - The show has been ELUDING to the fact that the mother actually dies. The episode where he talks to the mother's apartment door wishing he could spend just a little more time with her, was a big hint that their time was short. Ted's story was all about finding the "one" he wanted to spend his life with. So in the end, he finally found her, but also loses her. Its a somber, but realistic ending sometimes to the perfect fairy tale relationship. Ted has always been a tragic, romantic character.

Have you met my gay boyfriend?

 Barney - Barney has always been the joker character. Unstable, chaotic, and eccentric. Barney's character was never meant to settle down and the fact that he ended up divorcing Robin only made sense considering Robin is very career oriented and so is Barney. They were a fun couple, but Barney is considerably immature and foolish. He usually gets what he wants and it makes sense that he would be back on the prowl again. It also made sense that a kick in the nuts, like a baby, would stop him in his tracks. But I see him being a father that might still be irresponsible. His ending was realistic to his personality and what might happen with a player like him.

Canadians...this is how we American's imagine you.

Robin - Robin has always been the stand out character in the mix. Her role has been the seductress/tough girl. She doesn't fit in this group very well [neither does Barney honestly] however the chemistry works. She gives good feminine play off of Lily which would never exist with only the boys around. So she brings a balance even though her character is so odd. However Robin is a career oriented character too. She has always picked career over love and that is why her marriage was crushed. There was also a lot of eluding to her being with Ted in the end. Cold feet at the wedding is really bad. Both Barney and Robin almost had cold feet. It would make sense they would not stay together long.




This is how I saw the show. I watched all 8 seasons at once before the ninth season came out, so I have not been waiting all 9 years. I usually don't follow a series in general. I'll jump in usually in the middle of seasons.

The story was always about Ted wanting Robin. In fact, we can see how much Ted might be secretly comparing ALL the girls he dated as Robin in general. He just got lucky to find a girl that was even more lovely and more perfect than Robin could be at that time. In the final season we see Ted finally move on from Robin and we can tell it killed him that she was marrying Barney instead of him. But like the nice guy that he was, he let it be. But did he ever let her go? Maybe for the time he spent with his wife who made him very happy, but afterward, we can tell this whole story was told in a way where Robin was the center of Ted's problems in life.

What we do know is this:

1. Ted wanted a family and be in fairy tale love. He would never be able to get that through Robin since she was more career minded, had a fear or commitment and couldn't have kids. However Barney was totally happy and accepting of that situation since he never wanted kids and he was commitment phobic himself. So in the beginning Ted and Robin had very different goals and desires. She wanted a less sensitive man, but in the end, Robin was very insecure and needed a man who was strong enough to BE sensitive and accepting of her insecurities. So they were bound to take separate paths for the most part.

That one point when they had potential....

2. Barney and Robin were a train wreck as a couple. Even though they fit in certain aspects, they don't fit in all of them. Mainly because they are too similar is what makes them impossible to be committed to each other. The commitment-phobe, player, playful frat boy with the commitment-phobe, secretly sensitive, daddy issues, fun girl tend to cancel each other out in the overall mix.

The first time they were together, Barney ate himself to death and Robin was constantly miserable. The second time, Robin was at the height of her career and Barney was trying to be supportive, but it was more the Robin show and Barney was the tag along in her life. Their chemistry was really about the sex and the fact that both of them are "Dudes" in a way. Hanging with Robin for Barney was like making love to one of his best bros, but Barney doesn't even know HOW to be there for Robin if she really needed it. And Robin doesn't know how to tell people she needs it. Ted is the only one sensitive enough to notice when Robin is scared besides Lily. If you think about it, Robin rarely has broken down in front of Barney. She has gotten angry, but never has shown much fear or sadness. However virtually everyone else has seen her like that. What does that tell you about Robin? It tells you she never truly trusted Barney to be there for her, so he didn't get a chance to prove he is capable. Not even before the big wedding day does she tell him she is a bit afraid. It gets resolved outside of Barney's knowledge.

Most people will need some one that can be there for them and even though Barney is a good guy, he is still immature irregardless of how much he changed over the course of the series. In this case, Robin needed a solid person in her pocket and she also clearly needed to slow the hell down if she wanted a relationship. Personally I always thought she was running from being in love. Barney was the closest she ever had gotten to being in love, but in the end she still didn't put love first. That was a fatal mistake.  I really don't think either of these two even bothered to try to work it out. They could have, but I imagine that wasn't their style to sit down with a marriage counselor.

Robin is sad she let the genie of the wine bottle escape...

3. Robin leaves the gang. Some people were upset at how Robin ditched the gang for a while, however I understand Robin's point of view. It was impossible for Robin to keep a relationship with Lily without seeing Ted and Barney.

It would have been hard to bite on Lily's time while supporting Marshall in a stressful job, having three children and then what little time she had to spend with the gang, carve that time out for Robin too. I know Lily would have gladly done it if it meant keeping Robin in the group, but I can see Robin as hating to be a burden on anyone with her problems. Even if they promised that the divorce wouldn't change the dynamics of the group, it always does in the end. People have to pick sides and nobody wanted sides to be picked.

On top of that, everyone was clearly happy and she was alone and miserable. That's pretty hard to be on the outside looking in. Its not that Robin necessarily pushed Barney away on purpose, its just that she knew if he didn't want to be with her anymore, why force the issue? The last thing I would like to point out is nobody really showed the SUPPORT Robin desperately needed after divorcing Barney. Ted was occupied with Tracy, Lily had Marshall that needed her more, Barney quickly moved on, and all Robin had was her career and her dogs [which I had no idea where they came from, guess she got a new pack because she was lonely]. Robin and Barney's divorce was quickly steam rolled by Lily's announcement of her third pregnancy. So its no wonder Robin feels she has to suck it up even if she needed support. Barney was a different animal, he handles his pain through sex. It was natural for Barney to revert to make himself feel better.

So for those that were angry she ditched Lily, I think it was a mistake on her part, but that was classic Robin. She was handling it the only way she could, which was by herself because she yet again had a difficult time trying to ask for help. Robin needed that time to reevaluate her life and where she was going. This was good time for Robin to eventually return after she had mourned for her losses and pick back up again. She could not do that if the wounds continued to be ripped open by seeing everyone in a state of bliss, but her.

Horns are sexy, must steal her a horn.

4. Robin and Ted Strike Back. This story was always about Ted and in the end he DID get what he wanted. Which was the family and love he always desired. He spent wonderful years with a woman he adored and I don't think any of that time was wasted. It truly speaks to the fact that life is precious and you never know what will happen tomorrow so you must always hold onto and cherish today. Most of us would be so lucky to have a love so special such as Ted and Tracy at least ONCE in our lives.

It was beautiful for the time he spent and I'm sure if Ted could have more time he would steal it just like he stole the french blue horn. I don't see his relationship with Tracy as a lost, it showed him true love does exist and to continue loving deeply. His relationship with Tracy only brought back the romantic that died after so many years chasing Robin. While Robin has had enough time to forgive her failed marriage and return back into the fold. Robin now has what she wanted, a good career as a hard hitting reporter and at the same time, she is finally open to accept a sensitive, loving guy like Ted. I was personally thrilled Ted gave it one last chance.

However what people failed to notice was....Lily never gave Marshall the money back. In the final episode, Marshall begrudgingly gives Lily the money since he lost the bet on Ted and Robin getting together permanently. In a sense, the final scene was open ended. It doesn't mean they lived happily ever after, it means that Ted never let his love truly die for Robin. Robin was the woman he always wanted since the beginning and perhaps Robin is finally open enough to accept Ted as the man who always knew her better than she knew herself. Or maybe not. We will never know for sure. Robin is a fickle character. Perhaps they tried it out again and broke up for the 23rd time. It happens.

When is this story going to end? I already hit puberty

5. The kids were RIGHT all along. This WAS a story about how Ted was always in love with Robin. Even though the writers screwed with our heads in the beginning, think of ALL the episodes where Ted and Robin went back and forth together. And the bet that Lily and Marshall made where it became a running gag the entire 9 seasons of will they or wont they?

They were not the perfect couple like Ted was with Tracy, but they had good chemistry and Ted was the guy Robin always needed. She needed that sensitive guy to reassure her and that he loved her no matter what. The type of guy who knew in an instant that something was wrong and wouldn't let it go until it was fixed. She needed a guy who was experienced in handling problems appropriately. But Robin was always too stubborn and prideful to really be open to Ted and I really don't think she had more than friendship feelings for him. I believe Robin admires Ted's optimism when it came to love and that is really the attraction there. If Ted and Barney combined, that would be the right amount of everything for Robin in a sense. Both characters had traits she liked.

As for Barney, he was never portrayed as a sensitive guy to women, but a guy with a good heart that had a strange way of expressing his love. He even tells Robin he likes the fact that she is so independent. Meaning he doesn't have to be there for her as much because Barney has a hard time being the empathetic guy. But at least he became an honest guy, which was a signal that Barney really was giving this marriage stuff a try.

I really think the ending was more realistic to real life. Sometimes things don't work out and sometimes friends drift away. Sometimes you lose and sometimes you win. The point of the story was that they were ALWAYS friends and always came back together no matter how far apart they drifted. Including Robin. Even though she abandoned Lily for a while, Lily still forgave her. In the end, it was definitely bitter sweet, but I found it much more complex and interesting than an everyone lived happily ever after sort of deal. I see too much of that these days and it was a refreshing surprise to see such a complicated finale.

Things I wished they changed in the Ending:

1. I was SO waiting for the ultimate voice over wrap up of, "And that kids, is how I met your mother" but it never came. Ive been waiting 9 seasons to hear that....that was kind of a let down.

2. The kids blue eyes REALLY bother the shit out of me. Why do they have blue eyes? Both Smoshby and Tracy have brown eyes. What the heck, casters.

Hes crying because she threw up on his suit...

3. Barney's transformation from player to father figure is really abrupt. I really didn't care for the "all of a sudden I'm going to be a loving person" BS they tried to play off. What would have made more sense is Barney learned a few things from his marriage with Robin, changed at least some what and then transformed a bit more when his child came about. Although the way he acted about "number 31" really gave me the impression he was just going to send a check once a month or forge documents that the baby isn't his and be rid of the situation. I like the fact that he had a baby girl. He wouldn't have changed much if it was a baby boy, but because it was a girl, that forced him to look at women in a different light. Like..those women some day could be MY daughter and I would never want her to go out with a creep like me.

4. I was really disappointed the writers never showed how Barney felt after his divorce. They made it look like he sprung back pretty quickly, but I can't seem to shake how devastating something like that is to a guy who never wants marriage. To marry and it not work out to the only woman that he felt was good enough to be his wife. I wished they had a few moments where we saw Barney alone and realizing he does miss her, but never contacts her to tell her so.

Both of them discovered they liked banana yellow.

5. Flipping forward and backwards. There was way too much back and forth between the past and present. To the point I started caring less and less about the first meet between Ted and his wife. I also wish we got to spend much more time with the wife.

It was a bit unfair that the show was called "How I met your mother" and we spend 8 seasons waiting for this woman to show up and then we get maybe 45 minutes worth of cut scenes and a "hey guess what, shes dead too." Not like I didn't know she was dead...speculation has been swirling around for a while on the internet. That was fine. I just expected to see MORE of her and not less. But yet again...this story never was about the mother as the children expertly pointed out. This was about Robin.

Overall I am sure this finale will be debated for a long time to come. The creators have already stated there is an alternative ending to season 9 which I bet would be more in line with how viewers imagined the ending was going to be. I see it as the perfect way to sell DVDs after they took a risk and failed, but who knows how many sales they are going to get after this. People will probably just boycott and torrent the alternative ending instead.

What did you think of the series finale? Did you hate it as much as everyone else? What was your take on Barney, Robin and Ted's situation?

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Sherlock - The Magnetic Sleuth Rocks Modern Day England

Mark my words, you will enjoy the tantalizing works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock Holmes in modern day England. Starring an eccentric Benedict Cumberbatch and solid Martin Freeman. This series is for the sleuth in all of us, calling out our inner detective to solve every mystery as Sherlock does. And then laughing like we knew the answer all along [we didn't].

The best part? He doesn't even say Elementary, my Dear Watson. Thank God. A breath of fresh air and as strange as you want it, you got it. Benedict entertains as the great Sherlock Holmes, making him so enjoyable, I hardly miss *shock* Dr. House. All the great witty bantering, eccentric behavior, cutting tongue, and driving intellect has been brandished into a shining penny due to this man's talents.

The best part of the series...drunk games!

Martin Freeman is an excellent Watson, playing an ex-military doctor that needed a kick in the pants to restart his boring civilian life. However, he finds all the adventure he could ever stomach and more when he meets Holmes. They are really made for each other as they balance each other's attributes.Watson is even tempered when Sherlock is out of control, warm when Sherlock is cold, and accepting like no other friend could be to a man so out of place in this world. Watson is the rock while Sherlock is the kite.

The Good:

Acting:

All by myself...don't wanna be..oh wait, he does.

There is a magnetic quality thrown into Sherlock Holmes by the great Benedict Cumberbatch. He isn't just the superior analytical detective we all know and love. He is an arrogant one with a flavor of strange that makes him lovable, if not wacky. Superb chops are on display here and I feel at the core these characters suit them well. Playing off of each other with a warm friendship that I feel is evident even off screen.

The rest of the cast is very well conceived, bringing to life an array of colorful characters from Ms. Hudson, a sweet old woman who assured her drug dealer husband's death to the ever psychotic Moriarty who makes even the worst of us go, "what the shit is his problem?"

Effects:

The greatest effects are the ones where we get to be inside of Sherlock's mind. The texting is quite conveniently laid out too. I like the format of it being written on the wall instead of us peaking at the phone itself. Everyone gets it and its an easier, less intrusive way to keep us in the loop. We also have everything from symbols to running through mind palaces or flipping through information like an internet search. It really connects well with today's viewers in understanding his mind by illustrating it like a fast processing computer.

The Plots:

This sums up most of the series...

The plots are interesting. They are based on the original novels by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but you have to wonder if each one is by the book or some are made up? There are only 4 novels, but there are 56 short stories that exist in the Sherlock Holmes universe. I have not read even close to all of them so its hard to tell if some are loosely based off of some short stories, while other episodes are made up.

As for the set up, as much as I like old England, new England is just as cool and more technology savvy. I think this modern day setting makes it easier for us to relate to Sherlock and his adventures while giving the writers an expansion of ideas to play off of compared to being limited to the technology and possible crime plots of old England. Besides that....its very overdone.

So some plots are great and some plots are not. However that is not why I watch this series. What is really important is watching Sherlock and Watson solve the case and get into trouble. In essence, this is a similar formula to House MD. Everyone knows House is going to solve the case. Nobody cares about the ending.

Everyone just wants to watch House be a total douche to everyone while he does it. Since Gregory House is based off of Sherlock Holmes, I can start to see why I really don't like the endings, nor the reveal of bad guy intent [as I mention later in this review]. Some of the reasoning is boring or not interesting enough. However watching Sherlock solve the case is, as well as who he manipulates or screws over to do it.  Its these interesting interactions he has with the world that make

Well that answers that question...

the series the most fun to watch. Everything else is just bonus.

And like all Sherlock versions, we anchor ourselves to Watson, since he is the "dummy" that asks the questions we all want to know. Although he is far from stupid and that is why Sherlock enjoys his company so much. If it were up to Sherlock, we would never get an explanation and the story would just be awful. John tends to humanize Sherlock in a way Sherlock can not, which creates an excellent balance of dynamics that keeps the story flowing.


The Bad:


The series however has some issues. For one, its only 3 episodes long per season. Granted each episode is like a movie, 1.5 hours long...it never feels long enough. We also have the problem of the season that shows up whenever it feels like. We all know Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman are both busy men, but its painfully unfair for seasons to come and go with years in-between. Dreadful even. Who can stand waiting? Why does the series producers choose to do this to their audience? Is it really worth the wait or does it always leave a bad taste with the cliff hangers for years to come? How does one build a fan base based on inconsistency? Who knows, but this series certainly has done it.

Villains:

As I stated earlier, "Was I impressed with the villains?" I don't know about that. This is the single biggest complaint I have of the series. The villains don't strike me as some one I want to hate, but more a get under your skin type of irritation, which makes it hard to get into them.

And apparently he plays the pringles guy on the side too.

The nonsensical chaos of Moriarty bugs me as even the most crazy of bad guys make sense in some manner. I was very upset that the writers chose to kill off Moriarty in the least gratifying way. It was injustice as far as story telling goes. The hero never gets to defeat the bad guy, the bad guy defeats himself to pigeon hole Sherlock.

And what about the last bad guy in season 3? Magnussen [does that sound like cold medication to you? Or maybe the name we would give to snot]? He is the worst of them all. His biggest weapon is knowledge, similar to Sherlock Holmes, but used in a way to black mail people. I was personally glad Sherlock shot him right in the head, but I was more hoping Watson would have due to the face flicking. Like I said...Villains...very irritating lot and I'm not sure if they handle them the way I expect. So at least its a surprise each time.

Blood, Boobs, Blocked?

Evil Sherlock on the Horizon?

This series really should be put on HBO. Maybe I am just a little too use to a new breed of violent television, but the whole show seems rather soft in its display of violence and everything else. Granted, I really don't like seeing sex scenes, so I'm OK with never seeing that. However the little blood there is seems odd to me.

Maybe you can argue its not that type of show, but there is a pristine innocence I find off putting. I am glad Sherlock went dark and killed some one. I hope he becomes darker as the series progresses. It would be interesting. Especially if 'you know who' is still in the picture.

Think of it this way...the whole Batman concept. "Either you die a hero or live long enough to see yourself become the villain." Not that I want him to be a villain per say, but changed in a way that pushes his character forward into the shadows. I want him a bit unhinged for a while....since the last guy actually outsmarted him. I can see that as a jumping point to explore a new depth of Sherlock that we haven't gotten a chance to see yet.


The Ugly: [And the biggest gripes go to....]

Lets pull out the laundry list of undead mofos...

WHY DOES NOBODY EVER DIE IN THIS SERIES?! Christ.

Season 3 - Last Episode - A lot of WTFs and a mess of a story. I was not happy with how they worked the episode in general. It was more sloppy and random than past episodes. Especially after coming off a good high with the first two, this was the messiest I had seen in a while.

Way too many things going on at once and the whole mind palace sequence with Sherlock's dying scene was just too over the top. The episode felt rushed and packed with too much NEW information that didn't need to be there. Either way, I am still looking forward to the next season. TRY AGAIN, WRITERS! I know you can do it!

What do you think of the TV series, Sherlock? Tell me in the comments below!

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DnD Rating: 9/1O

Dracula - The American Hippy Bloodsucker that Brings London to its Knees [ SUPER SPOILERS]

So this past weekend, I was hunting for a new show to get hooked on while waiting for The Walking Dead, Once Upon a Time, and Game of Thrones to come back. Even though I have How I Met Your Mother, their short episodes are not cutting it with my addiction for story and therefore I've been throwing quite the temperamental fit lately due to withdrawal.

Crosses are so retro Dr. Van Helsing...

Enter Dracula, a new series from NBC that came out this past year. I had seen the advertisements at Comic Con and had quickly forgotten about it afterward since I don't have cable. However I was lucky enough to find all ten episodes on Hulu. Mind you, it is RARE to find an entire season free on Hulu, so this one has to suck. The advertisers are probably dieing for fans. Maybe. At least those were my initial thoughts.

Although I discovered its not as bad as one might think. If you are a Dracula fanatic, you would be highly disappointed in this series. It is not only just another retelling, but it strays far off the beaten path. The only resemblance is simply the names, the vampire and the Order of the Dragon. But if you are more the adventurous type [or you are simply just an average vampire fan], its actually quite fun to watch.

Johnathan Rhys Meyers stars as Dracula/Alexander Grayson [Joy!]. We all know about his fabulous acting as King Henry VIII in the Tudors. Johnathan has a flair for the dramatic and he does a fine job as the mysterious, sophisticated Grayson. Alongside him is his tall and dominating servant, Renfield who is considerably well spoken and educated for the times. As well as Abraham Van Helsing, a sworn enemy in many adaptions, now his ally if not for the short term.

The moment Harker realizes he is not getting married...

But there is more, a hungry journalist, Johnathan Harker who is trying trying to claw his way up the ladder [and we all know him as the protagonist of Bram Stoker's novel]. He is paired with Miss Mina Murry who is trying to become a female doctor. By her side is her friend Lucy, a seemingly over-involved friend who we later find out is in love with Mina and tries to get closer to her.

There are many other characters, mainly those who run the Order of the Dragon that Dracula is trying to destroy. The most important would be the huntsman [I have no idea why they don't call her huntress] Lady Jayne who is sworn to hunt and destroy any vampires that stalk the streets of London. She plays a dangerous game when she acquaints herself with Mr. Grayson without really knowing who he really is. It takes a while before she figures out Mr. Grayson's identity, but we never truly know until the end.

Acting/Character Dynamics:

Sing it!:  People let me tell you bout my best friend...

Superb on most fronts. I would say that Johnathan Rhys Meyers is significantly more interesting to watch than anyone on screen. The cast is quite good and entertaining to say the least.

I really enjoyed the dynamic between Dracula and Rensfield since they are more than just Master and Servant. You can see that they are friends and quite good friends at that. Rensfield is the type of friend that would take Dracula's secret to the grave. His friendship is absolute and Dracula therefore tolerates Rensfield's slights without a single retaliation and is even considerably gentle when he had to put him back in his place the one time he overstepped his boundaries.

What is more interesting is Van Helsing's relationship in all of this. A professor of medicine, a rogue anti-hero and a bitter soul. This is the man who is responsible for the return of the mighty vampire lord if only for his own purposes. Van Helsing though is not really a likable character, usually cold and aloof. He is not beyond torture, murder or black mail. An odd touch to such a man.

Two gentleman, no cup

The rest of the characters I feel is fodder unfortunately. Pawns in a much larger scale game, a deadly game these men play. Mina is simply clueless to the insanity, Lucy is stuck in her own little world, Johnathan Harker is a tool that ends up getting used in the end, and the huntress, she seems very distracted with her man eating love affairs and political dabblings. Only a few times does she go out and hunt vampires and yet her fighting scenes seem so rushed to be anything significant.

Story Flow/Writing:

I would have to say the story is paced very well until the last two episodes. It seems the writers were in a hurry to end the season and it was disappointing how many characters were murdered all at once. It feels like they might have found out around episode 8 that they were losing their jobs, so decided to burn the whole thing to the ground. I'm fairly disappointed in that since I had hope for a second season up until then.

What I did like about the series was that Dracula had so many amazing lines that really struck me deeply. The writers really had great wit among their team and I loved how truthful they were. Tons of quotable lines is still not a substitute for such a rushed ending [probably assuming they will not have another season].


What didn't strike my fancy:

1. The Opening Sequence - 

Adore the visuals, but the intro music is lacking to say the least. Im not sure if that is typical, but I am fond of good openings. Maybe its just me...but there aren't many that strike me that well. I think the only ones Ive liked lately were Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead.

LUCY. You got a lot of esplaining to do!

2.  Harker's sudden evil - 

I understand they were building this for a while, but it still seemed rushed. Why would he just do all of this out of spite? The enemy of my enemy is my friend? I mean he could do a lot more than what he did and still had been a free agent. Hes kind of a terrible character in my eyes.

3. Lucy's Turning - 

I'm not even sure why Dracula turned Lucy. Regardless of his haphazard reason...it seemed a pointless type of revenge. And you just left a cliffhanger thread for a series that might be cancelled. CURSE YOU NBC!

4. America - 

I am super confused how Dracula got to America only to return to London. So he gets resurrected to help Van Helsing...but when in God's name did he find time to board a train in America to buy up the property of some rich yahoo only to meet Rensfield? It makes no sense how or why he would go there in the first place. In the beginning Rensfield coaches him stating "You are an American Industrialist" as if this was the first time he ever heard it. Trying to cover his accent maybe a good start...but bloody hell...England English must have a LOT more words to remove or alter than just "schedule."

Free cars and sex for everyone! I got that vampire money.

5. Gold - 

Dracula is like Tony Stark rich, but we never really were explaiend where the money came from. Its hinted he some how made his wealth in America, but we still don't understand why he was there in the first place. The problem is, he's a little too wealthy. Tossing money left and right as if he shat this stuff out every morning. How can a man be that damn wealthy? Please tell me!

6. Mina/Ilona - 

Mina spends most of her time denying whatever affection she has for Dracula, but in the end tells him she dreams about this dead version of herself all the time. If she knew this, why didn't we spend more time on her understanding who Ilona was instead of sitting around studying medicine, arguing with Harker or partying with Lucy? So many missed opportunities to develop that dream Ilona and get to know her for more of a person...instead of a screaming, burning woman.

7. The vampire chick - 

How in the world did Dracula get the vampire chick out of the Huntsman's dungeon without her noticing? It seems she strolls down there every now and then to check up on the crazy monster just for amusements sake. Was the sex really that good?

WHY DIDN'T THIS HAPPEN?!

8. Turning the Huntsman - 

Dracula's most powerful enemy could have easily been turned to serve him and yet he honorably killed her instead. Confusing and also disappointing considering how powerful and useful she would have been.

9. Confusing powers - 

So Dracula's blood can turn anyone into a vampire, yet he bites Lucy and she is now a vampire. Please brush me up on my vampire knowledge...but I feel some how that is wrong. Also he can sense seers watching him but doesn't sense the last seer watching him? And now hes like a dog and can pick up on any scent to track some one down? What can't Dracula do? And if he could easily do that...why didn't he just track the Order wait until they had a meeting, lock the doors from the outside and BURN them alive inside? Why go through so much of the Order's political BS if Drac and friends were going to kill them all at some point?

Worst weapon ever, you morpheus wannabe!

1O. The special weapon that....didn't do a thing? -

The Huntsman was given an ancient weapon from the seer and....we still have no idea what it does because she stabbed him with it and he was totally unaffected. Its strange that her toys don't work on him, but Van Helsing's toys do. What makes Van Helsing's weapons better than hers? Also WHAT in God's name does the Blood of Christ thing do for the seer? That bleeding trick is creepy. 

11. The Wire Switch Deception - 

During the big demonstration, Kalwoski, the chief engineer noticed the press that Harker let in messing with the panel. They chalked it up to them bending over to fixing their camera. My question is, why didn't Kalwoski wait until they left to recheck the panel they were near? I would have if I was that suspicious to take action and demand to know what they were doing.

Also when Harker found out they were going to blow up the whole place, why didn't he wait for Mina to arrive at the demonstration so he could grab her? Why rush all the way to the hospital when he already knew she would be there because she TOLD HIM earlier. He had ample amount of time to stop the whole thing from blowing and yet he wasted it rushing to a place he knew she wouldn't be at.

The future! IT MUST DIE.

12. Time Period Accuracy - 

I feel like the shows producers REALLY took liberties in this world and made an underline steam punk feel. That's fine if you establish that in the beginning, but it was seriously trying hard to disguise that fact. So now I'm left wondering throughout most of the episodes which devices actually existed during 1896 England. And I am PRETTY sure rave lights was not one of them.

13. Too Progressive? - 

As much as I loved the progressiveness of the characters, I felt it was too modern 21st century to really justify why there wasn't more racism/sexism within the story plot. I mean, Rensfield IS the only black guy in London, England it seems. And he runs free like a commoner which I am unsure how progressive England was at the time, but I figured he would look out of place and get more dirty looks than he had. Also women in this time period. Sure they did have "some" sexism, but not nearly enough. A woman like Lucy would have been married off a long time ago instead of playing around with boys [or girls, tee hee!]. Mina would have been disrespected constantly in her testosterone filled class of future doctors. Heck, Harker would have never dropped his pride so easily to accept Mina. But strangely, even though this has bugged me, it didn't really deter me from enjoying the show.

Can we at least get more vampire porn?

Final Thoughts: So if you are looking for an interesting show and are bored on a Friday, I would say give Dracula a try. All ten episodes are free on Hulu. However, don't take this too seriously, or your brain can hurt quite a bit. Even though it has its flaws, I really found myself drawn in by the characters. Or at the very least, Dracula. Johnathan Rhys Meyer is a fabulous actor and I hope he gets treatment in time to make a second season. Come on John...get it together. For the fans!

What did you think of the new NBC show, Dracula? Reply in the comments below!


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DnD Rating: 7/1O

Breaking Bad's Epic Ending

 
Breaking Bad has been a favorite of mine for a while. The first time I saw it I was hooked. I binged watched it until the end of the fourth season right before the fifth one started. And this past Sunday night, it all came to an end.

 Let me first say how brilliant the writing is with this show. Everything is solid and even at its worse, its amazing how the writers create the characters get away schemes. The fact that they use science to get out of their situations makes Walt's skills the most unique criminal skills in the history of story telling. Who the hell uses chemistry and guns to kick ass? Walt does. Because Walt is a bad ass character. This is what makes this show fascinating and fun to watch. It gives nerds a place in the universe even on the scale of evil to be cool. The meek becomes the strong...and then the tyrannical. As Walt says "I'm not in danger, I AM the danger." A lot of the lines that Walt states is chillingly awesome.

At first when you see him he is plain and pathetic man beaten down by life. Then he grows to be a brilliant criminal that even at his worse, had the best intentions for his family. The conflict of evil vs good weighs heavily in this series and even the worst Walt does, you still end up relating to him. You can't help it. Walt is an evil character that is hard not to love and feel sorry for. Hes had a shitty life and the blue meth he created was his magnum opus. You kind of understand what he did because most of us would feel the same if we got the same raw deals he got.

Back to the subject of endings. Endings are difficult for most people to do properly. There are several series I can name off the top of my head that pissed me off. You want an ending to do justice to the show, but at the same time you want it to be a thrilling ride all the way to the last second. Walt's ending was satisfying. I told everyone I wouldn't be happy if Walt died. What I feared most was the writers would go cheap and have him shot by some one close. Making for a rather somber, crappy ending to such a brilliant character. I won't tell you what happened, but lets say Walt did redeem himself a little in this last episode. All of the pain he caused, he knew was there. And it ended with him going out like a bad ass.

The writers did a good job at tying up loose ends and giving us hope for some of the characters in the future. Most of all, we see how far the relationship of Walter White and Jesse Pinkman is tested all the way til the bitter end. Its amazing, but I will miss their messed up partnership between Master and Apprentice.

The most painful scene to watch was between him and his wife with their last goodbyes. I never liked his wife. In the beginning she was controlling and cold to him, but as the series went on, you could tell this woman loved him. She grew on me in the last season. Even through the worst of it, she still gave him a last chance to say goodbye to his little girl. Such a sad scene, because of all the implications that went into that final talk.

Breaking Bad, you continued to surprise me on what's around the corner every step of the way. I couldn't have been more wrong in my predictions, but I loved every second of it. It was a brilliantly thought out show with interesting characters and one hell of a ride all the way through.

My hats off to the best writing in television. I can't wait to see what you guys come up with next!


                 Next up...BETTER CALL SAUL!