The first episode of Girl Meets World is available to watch!!

Those looking forward to the new Boy Meets World sequel series, (the aptly titled) Girl Meets World can relax and rejoice for a bit. The first episode is now available to watch on the Disney Channel streaming site (the also aptly titled) Watch Disney Channel for verified users. I've just watched it, and I must say that those who may have been nervous that the quality might have gone down because of it being a Disney Channel show can breathe a sigh of relief. The first episode does not disappoint. It has all of the qualities that I loved in Boy Meets World and more. It harkens back to the original while still doing its own thing. The episode is a little bit Topanga-light but I suspect that this is just the case for this episode in particular and that the rest of the series will have much more of her. (I can only guess what the shot of her dressed up as her 11-year-old self in the opening credits is about!) So what are you waiting for? Go watch it!!

http://watchdisneychannel.go.com/

iTunes will also have a free download of the episode on June 13. The episode's actual television premiere is on June 27th at 9:45/8:45c following the Disney Channel Original Movie Zapped. Following that, the show's debut in its regular time slot will be Friday, July 11 at 8:30.

NBC's Believe and Crisis are pulled

Surprising to no one (and yet still quite sad), Believe and Crisis were just pulled from the NBC schedule during the final weeks of May Sweeps. Both shows had been struggling with ratings since their premieres, and it is likely that following being pulled they will be cancelled. It is unknown at this time whether NBC will air their remaining episodes at a later date.
 

And so the game changes…

WARNING: THE FOLLOWING POST CONTAINS MAJOR SPOILERS FOR BOTH CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE WINTER SOLDIER AND MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP WITH BOTH OF THESE, I WOULD SUGGEST READING SOMETHING ELSE, PERHAPS ‘THE LITTLEST ELF’.

What happens now??? That is the question fans were left wondering this weekend after seeing the new Captain America movie. What does this mean?? I’m referring of course to the big twist of the movie that S.H.I.E.L.D. had secretly been infiltrated by HYDRA from its inception. Of course this is certain to affect the Marvel Cinematic Universe as a whole, but my biggest question was, what does this do to the television show that has “S.H.I.E.L.D.” right in the title?

Well that was certainly answered in a big way in the most recent episode. Up until now the show has mainly been about introducing us to the team and letting us get to know them, with the recurring arc of “The Clairvoyant” repeatedly messing things up for them. The episodes were good, but they were mostly just wacky adventures with some fun characters. Until now.

The episode began innocently enough, with Agent Garrett’s plane being attacked by S.H.I.E.L.D. drones (which given the events of The Winter Soldier, was only to be expected). And because Agent Hand at S.H.I.E.L.D. spoke last week of wanting to kill our heroes, we are to assume she’s either “The Clairvoyant” herself or is working for him/her. (It’s a natural conclusion to come to, as evidenced by Coulson, but personally, I didn’t buy it. Later when it was revealed that she was one of the good guys, I wasn’t too surprised. But I digress.)

One of the things that this episode did really well was that it made us question whom we could really trust, if anyone. All of the moments with Agent Triplett and Simmons were great and really made me think he was going to kill her. Hand certainly played up the possibility that she had turned to HYDRA. However, of all the people I didn’t trust, there was no reason for me to fear Agent Garrett. I really liked Garrett. He was fun and amusing. But of course that is an effective bit of misdirection because as we learned, he is “The Clairvoyant.” I should have seen it coming, and yet I didn’t. Still bigger surprises were to come.

Following the team splitting up to rescue Simmons and figure out just what the hell was going on, Ward and Skye had a “talk”. I’m sure this will be one of those moments that is loved by Ward/Skye shippers and bashed by everyone else, but given the way they had been dancing around one another the whole season, I can’t really say it’s a shock. Personally I’m gonna hold off judgment on that until we see where the rest of this season is going.

Which brings me to the biggest twist of the episode. Garrett was in custody of Hand, Ward, and a few other agents being transported to the Fridge on a plane. Mid-flight however, Agent Hand offers Ward a chance to kill the real “Clairvoyant” to make up for his mistake last week. So Ward stands up, raises his gun, and kills the other agents followed by Hand.

Now many people argue that the shows first batch of episodes weren’t exciting enough or that they were too standalone. But I say those episodes were necessary. Without that introduction to who these characters are, there is no way this twist would have had the same effect. What does this mean for the rest of the team? Is Ward part of HYDRA? There is some speculation that he’s taking matters into his own hands and being a “Fixer”. On the one hand, that would be a good way to take Garrett down by gaining his trust. Plus upon second viewing I noticed that before Ward got on the plane, he and Coulson exchanged a look. Perhaps this was silent communication between the two. On the other hand I’m not sure it’s entirely plausible. Would he really kill Hand in order to do that? Then again, maybe she isn’t really dead. Marvel certainly plays up the dead characters not really being dead thing, so that’s a possibility. But I don’t know, she certainly looked pretty dead to me. Even if this was Ward following an order from Coulson, there is no way that Coulson would be ok with him killing Hand. Whatever the case may be, this is sure to have very big fallout for the rest of the team.

Fans of Marvel, will certainly be glad for the coming episodes inclusion of Director Fury and Agent Maria Hill. It will be the first time we’ve seen them since the fallout of “The Winter Soldier”, so that should be interesting, and I know I will look forward to watching the rest of this season play out. As for what will happen, I can only guess, but it is certain to be exciting.

Confessions of a newly indoctrinated Marshmallow

I know, I know… this is a tv blog and here it is the first real post and its partially about a movie.  Irony. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Let’s backtrack.

For those who are not in the know, Veronica Mars fans refer to themselves as Marshmallows. For a great deal of time from when the show premiered to when it was abruptly cancelled (and even beyond this) I kept hearing, “It’s a really great show, you’ll really love it, etc.”  I wasn’t too sure about it. A teenage detective? Really? Sounds a bit silly. (Heck it’s in the first few lines of the movie.) But I always told myself I’d get around to watching it… eventually. Even if I thought it sounded silly. Oh, how wrong I was.

Jump forward a bit. Not only was it announced that the movie was being made, but that a record-breaking kickstarter account supported by the fans of the show would be financing it. I am a huge supporter of fandom and the things it can accomplish, so I suddenly thought to myself, “Maybe I really should check it out.” That was the beginning of the end of my non-Marshmallow-dom. I can honestly say that I have never fallen harder or faster into a fandom than I did with this.

I became a rabid LoVe shipper, and looked forward to watching every episode. I’m pretty sure I watched the entire show in the span of a couple weeks. Which leads me to the movie.

The movie left me feeling extremely happy and pleased as a new Marshmallow. It had that perfect balance of humor and suspense, which make a really satisfying story. There were a number of references and inside jokes from the show that new viewers might not recognize, but I know I certainly did. It was almost as though the cast and crew were winking at me, which I must say, is a wonderful experience.

To be completely truthful the only negative thing I found with the movie was that it was so well done that it left me wanting more. To embrace the addict metaphor used in the film, it gave me a fix, but now I’m left wondering where I am to get the next.

Perhaps it’s the newly published book (meant to start a series), which picks up where the film leaves off and returns creator Rob Thomas to his former novel writing days. It even boasts an audio book version that is to be narrated by Kristen Bell herself. If all of this isn’t devotion to the fandom, then I don’t know what is.

While it still remains to be seen as to whether or not there will be a sequel for our favorite titular sleuth, one thing remains certain to me. Whatever form the future of this fandom takes (more novels, more movies, etc.) I will be there waiting, passionate as ever. What can I say? I'm a Marshmallow.

It begins.

HELLO! Welcome! Bienvenue! Wilkommen! Come on in!

Thanks for joining us! Or me! (There isn’t more than one of me… I swear.) I’m guessing if you don’t already know me, you probably have some questions. For instance, “Who is this weirdo?”

Who am I? Honestly I’m just some guy. I don’t claim to be a genius or a visionary. I’m just a guy with an overactive imagination and an obsession with television.  Many people think that television is just a thing to lose ourselves in when we don’t want to deal with our lives. A place to zone out and not have to think about anything. But that’s not me. Television that is done well could and should make us think more. Complex storylines, moral issues, dramatic twists of plot. Who are we as a civilization? What motivates us? Because really, the characters of the shows we love and connect with the most are extensions of us. So in a way, in spending time with them (albeit through a television screen), we are in essence getting to know ourselves further. I even had one friend go so far as to say, “Everything I know about morality and how to treat others, I learned from television,” and that is something that I very passionately agree with. It teaches us by showing us life.  That life is often fantastical and heightened certainly, but it is life nevertheless.

That’s what I want this blog to be about. Sharing with others my thoughts on television both current and occasionally less recent classic programming. I view television as something special, and I can only hope that in reading this you come to agree with me (if you don’t already :D).