The Originals (TV Series): Review

Family is Power

DeviantArt Cred: crystalpearl66

A family of power-hungry thousand-year-old vampires, seek to take back the city that they built and dominate all those who have done them wrong.

Quote: I'll tell you what I know about death, Camille. Death dances silently in everyone's shadow, and she doesn't give a damn. So why give a damn about her?

Seriously, the English make everything sound so elegant. Don't they?

Whether it’s Elijah’s maddening quest to find redemption for his brother, Rebekah’s over rebellion against her brother or Klaus’s quest for kingship. I am thoroughly hooked on this show. It has everything I want: family, power, love, death, war, vampires that are almost unstoppable.

Above are the truly memorable stars of the show that have made it into legend. From left: Elijah, Klaus, Hayley & Marcel.

In this world, the First Vampires were called the Original Family. They are the strongest and are highly resistance to conventional vampire killing items.

Klaus Mikaelson is a thousand-year-old vampire/werewolf hybrid that is as powerful as he is cunning. His diabolical plans have been known to have many layers and crescendos. Many in the literary world have fawned over the creation of such a villain. To hate him but yet somehow relate to him sees a true genius in the author L. J Smith’s works. He would have never been given his own TV Show otherwise. When last have you seen the villain of a show get his own TV Series? I’m dying to know. His tortured Love story with Camile has been going on almost as long as Haley & Elijah. She really is a great character, though, very emotionally grounded & serves as a great turning point for Klaus.  #Klamile

Elijah Mikaelson is the third oldest Original sibling with a penchant for the sophisticated, Major props to Daniel Gillies for making this character awesome. Tailored expensive suits, ripping out hearts without so much as a smear of blood on them. Now that’s power. I love it! He’s one of the coolest characters I’ve ever seen. His love story with Haley only adds to his addictive storyline, making you root for them for over 3 seasons now. When will they get a chance? Or is it better that they don’t? 

DeviantArt Cred: crashspyro98

The amount of fan-fiction I can write on this show is endless.

What I enjoy the most are the challenges that're thrown at the family. Seeing as they are some of the most powerful beings on the earth. The show makes them face almost impossible odds that only as a family can they endure and overcome. It makes for entertaining viewing.

My best bro digs True Blood more, only because the vampires there are more vicious, powerful and have way more sex. Yes, True Blood was a great show but the originals are more grounded and seem more realistic.

In truth, we have to thank author Stephanie Meyer as without her Twilight series, vampires would have not been so popular, especially with teenagers. True blood, The Vampires diaries and subsequently The Originals would have never aired. She did start it all. Although on that same thought, Blade and the Underworld series should be thanked too as they kept the vampire genre going. Plus the vampire/werewolf hybrid from Underworld was significantly more badass than Klaus in his hybrid form. Don’t get me wrong Klaus is a great power-hungry, neck-biting Mofo* but you can’t beat the Michael vs. Victor fight.

The Originals is a great show, with powerful characters, intricate plots and demanding emotions. Prepare to be hooked.

Personal rating: 10/10

In the days to come, I will add more reviews of my favorite TV shows and Movies. 

Let me know your thoughts about the show. All views are welcome.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook/Tumblr. Thank you!

~Be Kind To One Another.~ Ellen Degeneres

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Special Mention

Here's some Amazing .Gifs made by KittyGifs:

The Mikaelson Family

Haley & Elijah

Klaus Mikaelson

The Flash (TV Series): Review

"My name is Barry Allen, and I am the Fastest man alive."

The fastest man alive isn’t a just comic book anymore.   

Barry Allen wakes up 9 months after he was struck by lightning and discovers that the bolt gave him the power of super-speed. With his new team and powers, Barry becomes "The Flash" and fights crime in Central City. 

Barry Allen: What is happening? What is going on? 

Cisco Ramon: You were struck by lightning, dude. 

Barry Allen: What? Lightning gave me abs?

A well-adapted version of a fan-favorite comic book series, the Flash has well-rounded characters, unique plots, and twists with the right amount of spectacular superhero vs. super villain showdowns.

Although during certain fights you can clearly see, that the Flash is pure CGI, the rest of the show makes up for this. Grant Gustin as the Flash, heavily carried the show in the first season, with Cisco Ramon a close second. But since then, more characters have started to show some promise. Doctor Harrison Wells in this second season is way more entertaining and provides a much-needed depth to the character.

I was pleasantly surprised when Grant Gustin sang on the show, though too short a scene, it was still pretty cool. Only through minimal investigation (Google) did I find out that the he acted in the TV Series, Glee. More of that singing, I say. I enjoy how Barry has to use this one power of Super Speed in different ways in order to take on the baddies. To say that they have practically thought of every which way to use the speed force is an understatement. Who knew having a hero with one power would be so popular and yet there you have it.

What is it with the super powered always falling madly in love with the human women? Seriously, it’s got to stop. What do they even do for them I wonder? I was almost bouncing with joy in the new animated Justice League films because Superman wasn’t all into Lois Lane for a change. More on that in my next post.

The show was well received by critics. The Website, Rotten Tomatoes reported a 96% approval rating with an average rating of 7.4/10 based on 55 reviews. I agree.

I’m not too jazzed that so many people know this guy’s secret but I am open minded about it, maybe it is time for a change. Often when things like this happen the shows barely address it. The TV Series Chuck is a prime example, do you know the number of times Chuck should have gotten shot or worse? It’s insane. It makes the whole government assassin genre look like nerd play. Don’t get me wrong I loved the show, yet it annoyed me at how trivial they make lethal matters. It’s the same with the Flash. Hello? Someone get kidnapped already or at least show that keeping the Flash’s secret is a tough thing to do.

I love Cisco’s portrayal in this series. He’s such a fan boy when it comes to the villains and the heroes. It’s no wonder why he’s so popular. Plus if you read the comic books, you’d realize he’s one of the most powerful characters there is, in the Flash-verse. Can’t wait for him to truly discover that on the show!

Bring on the popcorn and get ready for a comic book fantasy world come to life. It’s no Superman or Spiderman but it is its own! The Flash, oh yeah.

DeviantArt Cred: marconelor

Personal rating: 7/10

In the days to come, I will add more reviews of my favorite TV shows and Movies. 

Let me know your thoughts about the show. All views are welcome.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook/Tumblr. Thank you!

~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres

Empire (TV Series): Review

Music. Family. Power. The battle begins.

"If music be the food of Love, play on!"~~Shakespeare..........Lionel Richie verse to end it......"Play oooon, Play on, Play on."......

A drug dealer turned hip-hop mogul must choose between his three sons who are battling for control over his multi-million dollar company while his ex-wife schemes to get what's hers.

#Teamcookie all the way baby!!!

Before I get into everything else. Thank you Lee Daniels & Danny Strong for creating the character Cookie Lyon! She is just unbelievable. Major props and bows to Taraji P. Henson for pulling it off. She is a total badass, both complicated and complex. Stopping at nothing to get what she wants and wrecking ‘havoc’ along the way. It’s mad fun watching her antics. Her cadence is pure awesome. Yeah we have seen black woman portrayed like this on a smaller scale but Cookie Lyon takes it to a whole other level. She’s feisty, street-smart, passionate, vindictive, powerful, devious and most of all insanely protective of her family. I especially enjoy the character’s utmost defense of her gay son, Jamal and her unbreakable belief in his talent. She is without a doubt in my mind, the insurmountable, unstoppable, immovable heart of the show.

Follow her here.

So first things first, is this the same premise as the Shakespearean, King Lear? Yes.

But that’s where Cookie comes in to up-heave the whole dynamic, which is what hooked me to the show. Empire is the unlikeliest broadcast television success story in recent memory.

Lucious Lyon – Fiercely attached to his Empire and all he has built. Valuing many times above his own family’s wellbeing.  Not noticing how much his oldest son has sacrificed for him, unsupporting of his second oldest’s lifestyle choice and overly spoiling his youngest. Yes he most certainly is that hate to love kinda guy. With so many irredeemable qualities it has me flabbergasted that comes out on top. His cunning nature probably lends to this. Lucious will most assuredly draw you in, especially with that almost ‘Grinchian” smile of his.

Jamal Lyon – What a character! He invokes such emotion with his music, building you up, letting you down and then taking you over that crescendo. It’s beauty! His songs are epic. It’s like Michael Jackson, Usher and Justin Timberlake combined their DNA to form him. The way he struggles against his father’s negative view of him. He just gets better with each song and episode. I love how grounded his character is, not letting his talent go to his head. Facing off against animosity with a firm grip on his beliefs. Jussie Smollet the actor who plays Jamal, is insanely talented. His song, Good Enough has so many feels! Follow him here.

Hakeem Lyon – yo! This dude be tripping. He is way too spoiled and easily manipulated. The only worthwhile songs he’s done is the ones with Jamal. Although there was this one rap battle…..but I’ll let you watch for yourself. Was definitely the only time I ever respected him. Other than that, booo. More Jamal.

It seems like its Jamal & Cookie vs Hakeem & Lucious. With Andre (the oldest) left on the sidelines because he doesn’t have any singing talent. Careful people, ignoring Andre could be the worst mistake you’ve made.

My mom is obsessed with this show and upon her constant insistence that I watch it, being the rebel that I am, I ignored her. Until one night, I was utterly bored and insomniac. The first season was the TV’s On Demand listings. So I put on the first episode and to my surprise, I reluctantly admitted that the Lyon empire drew me in. Cookie most of all. She reminded me of all the great things about my mom. Her tenuous belief in her son’s potential, her effortless selflessness in the face of her son’s needs. I just had to watch more and I did….by the morning I had already finished season 1. So of course by the time I woke up again, season 2 had already been downloaded. What an epic show.

Personal rating: 8/10

In the days to come I will add more reviews of my favorite TV shows and Movies. 

Let me know your thoughts about the show. All views are welcome.

If you enjoyed this post, I’d be honored if you’d help it spread by emailing it to a friend, or sharing it on Twitter or Facebook/Tumblr. Thank you!

Found this Epic artwork on Black Art in America.

~Be Kind to One Another~ Ellen Degeneres