Whovian Sean's World of TV

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 2 Episode One 'Gone But Not Forgotten Bates Motel's first season finale may have been a tad underwhelming, but with its dark conclusion it left the show in an interesting place. Norman (Freddie Highmore) had committed his latest murder, and it was clear the second season was going t o require the young psychopath to start covering his tracks. What's perhaps unnerving about the way this season opener starts, however, is that Norman doesn't appear to remember making the kill. He's devastated at the loss, and committed to finding the killer. It's a compelling way to show just how mentally disturbed this young man already is, years before the events of Psycho . Norman is somebody who clearly needs some very serious help, and it's no surprise that this young man is already seeing a therapist by this point. It's something that makes you question Norman's mother Norma's (Vera Farmiga) decision to let him drive behind the w...

 REVIEW: Big Sky, Season 1 Episode Six 'The Wolves Are Always Out For Blood' After the shock ending to the previous episode, it suddenly seemed a lot less clear what the remaining episodes of this season would be about. The main drive of the season has, after all, been solved. So how exactly do you continue a season when its main story is over? Well, having watched the episode which follows the previous entry, it seems somewhat more obvious what the remaining episodes will entail. The plot looks to be curtailing into a stalking storyline, with truck driver Ronald (Brian Geraghty) keeping tabs on transgender prostitute Jerrie (Jesse James Keitel). I like this angle; it's suitably unnerving seeing this creep hiding in his car and taking pictures of Jerrie during her meeting with Jenny (Katheryn Winnick), or sticking notes on her door claiming that she 'never learns'. My only concern regarding this plot thread is whether it can fill the remaining ten episodes. There...

 REVIEW: Hapless, Series 1 Episode Five 'Feathers And Foreskins' If there is one thing that many comedies have in common, it's that they thrive in exaggeration. Whether it be an everyday occurrence or a special occasion, comedies thrive on being able to exaggerate the situations which occur in their shows. This episode of Hapless is a prime example of that. Paul (Tim Downie) is approached by his friend Simon (Josh Howie), who is seeking help in finding somebody who can circumcise his sister Amanda's (Katie Alexander-Thom) baby. This, apparently, is a Jewish tradition akin to the Christian baptism, and the first person Paul finds offering these services is his dentist Bernie (Dana Haqjoo). The rather odd nature of a dentist offering this kind of profession on the side creates some great humour, as dentists are so synonymous with teeth that they seem the last person you would expect to deal with such a sensitive part of the body. Bernie reveals that his clients pay in ...

REVIEW: Doctor Who, Series 11 Episode One 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth' Continuing my look-back at my views on Doctor Who's eleventh series, here are my thoughts from the time of broadcast on The Woman Who Fell To Earth. Wow, 'The Woman Who Fell To Earth' absolutely blew my mind with how good it was. It was the perfect opener for what looks to be a golden new era for the show. Writing, acting, sound, cinematography...everything was absolutely exquisite. So much of the screenplay in this episode is immensely quotable. 'I'm the Doctor. Sorting out fair play across the universe,", "Swiss army Sonic, with added Sheffield steel", "I was expecting a tentacly  thing,", "Why are you running towards the alien?"...are just a few of the lines in this script that are likely to be repeated by fans for years to come. Writer Chris Chibnall excelled himself here, and showed just why he is the right man for the job. He displays a certain de...

 REVIEW: The Great Escapists, Series 1 Episode Six 'Lift Off' The Great Escapists, has, on a whole been something of a mixed series for me. When it's bad, it's really bad, but when it's good, it's a decent piece of televisual viewing. So I was curious to see where the finale to this series would land for me. The beginning did not look too promising, as we opened to where we last left Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci at the end of the previous instalment. Richard and Tory are caught in the nets that they set up a security system in the very first episode, and have to figure a way out. Their attempts to use gravity in order to free themselves from their predicament is very silly, and it highlights one of the issues with the poor episodes of this series. It doesn't feel truly authentic to the scenarios that people who are actually trapped on a desert island would find themselves in. For a start, I highly doubt any castaways would be able to create such an elabo...

 REVIEW: The Terror, Season 1 Episode Seven 'Horrible From Supper' Seven episodes into this show, and it seems fair to say that this voyage to find the northwest passage is the trip from hell. So far, the crew have been terrorised by a supernatural bear, and have experienced so many deaths within the crew that it's starting to feel less like a dream imbued with a sense of hope and glory, and more like somebody's deepest and darkest nightmare. It doesn't help that the captain Francis Crozier (Jared Harris) is so utterly useless. He's back in charge in this episode, and you have got to feel sorry for the crew. Francis has to be the world's most ineffective ship captain, and it only adds to the sense of dread that has been present throughout this season. When you have somebody like Francis as the captain of a major expedition, it's no surprise that things have been going as wrong as they have. Even less surprising is that Francis's seeming inability t...

 WhoPotterVian TV: 27/03/2021 It's weird to think that we've once again reached the end of another week here at Whovian TV, but time is moving fast. The upcoming week also sees the start of a new month, and with a new month typically comes a whole new batch of shows. So let's take a look at the next seven days in the world of television... Saturday 27th March: 18:20 - Catchpoint (BBC1) 19:00 - Ant and Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway (ITV) 20:30 - Beat The Chasers Celebrity Special (ITV) 21:30 - Saturday Night Takeaway: Extra Helping (ITV Hub) 21:40 - The Gadget Show (My5) 22:40 - The Terror, Series 1 Episode Seven 'Horrible From Supper' (BBC iPlayer) Sunday 28th March: 19:00 - Chris Packham's Animal Einsteins (BBC iPlayer) 20:00 - FILM: Christopher Robin (Disney Plus) Monday 29th March: 19:30 - Coronation Street (ITV) 20:30 - Coronation Street (ITV) 21:00 - Hapless, Series 1 Episode Five (My5) 21:30 - Whose Line Is It Anyway? USA (UKTV Play) Tuesday 30th March...

 REVIEW: The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, Season 1 Episode Two 'The Star-Spangled Man' The end of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier's previous episode gave off some serious bad vibes. There was a new Captain America in John Walker (Wyatt Russell), and he did not look like a trustworthy fellow at all. Something seemed majorly off about this guy with his cheesy wink. Which is why what we are shown of John Walker here is so surprising. John, you see, actually seems like a nice man. He's nervous about stepping into Steve Rodgers' big shoes, shows a deep understanding of what he means to people, and seems like he is genuinely trying to help. He provides Sam Wilson/The Falcon (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes/The Winter Soldier (Sebastian Stan) a great deal of assistance during the big truck fight, for instance. There's still something a little eery however about how closely he is trying to align himself with Captain America. In this episode, John Walker even has h...

 REVIEW: The Great Escapists, Series 1 Episode Five 'War Games' As soon as this episode began, it became clear that this instalment would see a return to its more infantile roots. It's a shame, because when this series focuses on the areas that Richard Hammond and Tory Belleci are good at - presenting, and construction - it is actually an enjoyable watch. But when it veers the other way, and commits to the spoof material, it totally falls apart. The beginning sees Richard and Tory at loggerheads. The pair have literally waged war on each other, and are firing various explosives across enemy lines. This seems to be the extent of the 'joke' on display, which as with other gags in this spoof style, seems to be totally missing the punchline. What's supposed to be funny about any of this? It gets worse, however, as we progress into the episode. For Tory proceeds to start chucking cushions at Richard Hammond, upset that he used the rockets he intended for flares on...

 REVIEW: Bates Motel, Season 1 Episode Ten 'Midnight' From the events of the previous episode, it seemed we were being teased a showdown of epic proportions between Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) and Jake Abernathy (Jere Burns) for the show's very first season finale. Jake had taken Norma by gunpoint, requesting a large sum of money, and so it appeared that these two very disturbing individuals would cross paths once more. What we got, however, was a very different result from what I had anticipated. You see, instead of Norma directly facing off against Jake, it's sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell) who sees him off. This can't help but feel a little underwhelming, as it removes Norma of all agency and denies us of the climatic battle we all wanted to see. It's a bit like if the Daleks, for example, made yet another return to Doctor Who , but instead of the Doctor disposing of them she instead hides behind a bush whilst her companion Yaz sends them to kingdom co...

 REVIEW: The Terror, Season 1 Episode Six 'A Mercy' Stupid decisions, it seems, are a common theme across the horror genre. At some point in any horror narrative, you are bound to find a character makes a choice that seems particularly foolish. It's an unwritten rule of the genre, and as a result appears to be totally unavoidable. This is certainly the case for The Terror's sixth episode, 'A Mercy', which sees James Fitzjames (Tobias Menzies) - now in full control after captain Francis Crozier (Jared Harris) stepped down in the previous episode - decide to hold a carnival for the crew of both ships. He does this, despite being informed that they are low on supplies, and despite the fact that there's a killer supernatural bear on the loose. This show really is very good at showing just how badly managed this whole expedition is. The resulting carnival does look very impressive. I dread to think just how much money was pumped into creating this set on the art...