Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.: The New Deal (7x01)

I hate to say it, but a lot of this stuff is just not that interesting to me. There are hints of the show that I once looked forward to eagerly, but for the most part I'm feeling a little bit... tired.

Cons:

So, there's a scale when it comes to characters coming back from the dead on TV shows. It can be done right, like in the case of Buffy, or can can be done lazily, as in the case with any character on The Vampire Diaries, or it can be done in a way that seems lazy but becomes the fabric of the show and part of the larger point, like, arguably, in Supernatural. Coulson's resurrection... I'm sorry, but I'm putting it firmly on the "lazy" side of things. His death at the end of Season Five was one of the most beautiful main character deaths I can remember seeing on a show. It was appropriate within the tone and the narrative, it had a good buildup, there was a sense of inevitability and yet up until the very end, you were watching still hoping for a miracle that would save the day after all.

And then he was back as a villain for a season, and now he's just... back. Okay, sure, he's an LMD, and I'm sure they'll do some exploring with that. But Clark Gregg just... being here, being all Coulson-ish, kind of erases the impact of that beautiful death two seasons back, doesn't it? The show isn't really getting a chance to explore a new dynamic, because the gang's all here.

Outlander: Never My Love (5x12)

I... Have... Issues.

Cons:

I don't want to blame the show-runners too much for the story-line with Claire, as it is lifted straight from the books. But do you know what occurred to me as I was watching this? The rape was actually completely unnecessary to the story. Like - seriously. Change nothing else. Show Claire being beaten and bloody and tied up, and it's awful and it's hard to watch and the performance is raw and honest and all that jazz.

But why rape? Why rape again? We've already had a story-line about Jamie being raped, and a story-line about Brianna being raped. At some point it's just torture porn. And the fact that she is sexually assaulted makes Jamie and the other men's journey feel like this really gross macho revenge fantasy. Again, I know this is all lifted straight from the books. And let me tell ya - it's one of my least favorite things in the books, too.

Westworld: Crisis Theory (3x08)

This season of Westworld was not very good. After watching this finale, I'm left with a rather empty feeling.

Cons:

So, all along, Dolores was trying to save humanity, because humans taught her the good and beautiful things about the world, not just the dark, broken ones. She wanted to give Caleb, and other humans, the gift of free will, breaking them free of the super computer or whatever. This theme of free will is so basic and so cheesy that even Supernatural does it better. I felt like rolling my eyes during Dolores and Maeve's final conversation.

I just... don't care about these characters and their relationship. There's a moment when Bernard and Stubbs are having something of a heart-to-heart, and I actually think both actors are doing a good job of imbuing the relationship with a lot of meaning and grudging affection. But the story itself has not earned this. We haven't seen them together as friends, we haven't been given a chance to really sink in to their dynamic.

Outlander: Journeycake (5x11)

I... have some problems, y'all.

Cons:

I'm not even going to sit here and talk about all the things that are different between the book and the show, because I actually think plenty of the changes were for the good, here. But one thing I will say is that Roger, Brianna, and Jemmy leaving to go back through the stones felt incredibly unmotivated. I know they talked about it earlier in the season, and agreed that they would go through if it turned out Jemmy was able. But in the book, Brianna's daughter is sick and will die without a surgery that can only be performed in the future. They all have to go. Here, the reason is a lot more nebulous, and I kept thinking - what's your actual hurry? What is your reasoning for leaving now? The war coming? Yeah, I mean I get that, but still. Bonnet is dead, there's no immediate, personal threat... it just felt like they decided to leave because the narrative needed them to decide that.

The way the story is changing, I'm starting to wonder if season six might be the final season of Outlander. They're taking some big shortcuts, changing some big elements, and it feels like they're wrapping things up instead of expanding for future developments. I'm... oddly okay with that, but it does make certain existing moments in the story feel underrepresented.