Best and Worst Women of Downton Abbey

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  9 February  2014.
With only three episodes left in Downton Abbey series 4, American audiences are in full period drama mode. Having already listed the best and worst men of the series, it felt only right to also do the same for the ladies of Downton Abbey. Who is the finest and foulest of them all? Warning: spoilers through series 4, episode 6.

So let’s begin with the best of the Abbey

5. Sybil Crawley

Photo: PBS

We all know that she was the best sister. Sybil was unfailingly compassionate to all, confident and beautiful. She stood up for her beliefs and her man, even when her own family was (wrongly) opposed to both. We cheered for her and loved her like she was our own sister and her loss is still deeply felt.

4. Anna Bates

Photo: PBS

Whether it’s her adorable smile or her persistent yet sweet (and successful) pursuit of Bates, everyone has always had a soft spot for Anna. She makes us all feel as though she is our friend, which made her being attacked this season especially heartbreaking. There is no kinder, gentler and more loving soul in all of Downton, and I sincerely hope she gets her much-deserved happy ending.

3. Mary Crawley

Photo: Daily Mail

The eldest Crawley daughter has the kind of sarcastic demeanour that we all secretly admire. Plus, her determination, confidence and passion make her relatable to us 21st century women. While she’s had her momentary lapses, especially when it came to men, Mary has never failed to garner our respect, sympathy and highest regard.

Get Caught Up With The Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. In “Tracks”

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  5 February  2014.

Photo courtesy of ABC

Greetings Agents! Last time we saw our beloved Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., we had learned some shocking and heartbreaking details about Coulson’s death/resurrection. Also, Skye found out she was an 0-8-4 when she was a baby, and Mike Peterson is alive but has been forced into the Clairvoyant’s service via an eye implant. Oh and Ian Quinn is a big baddie funding evil technology. Got all that? Wheels up!

Quinn is moving a VIP (very important package) by train so naturally the team is going undercover to intercept it. This is mostly important because everyone is paired up including Simmons and Coulson. She immediately calls him her dad and it’s adorable. Elsewhere, Ward changes into a conductor’s uniform and May gets in position atop the moving train. Because she’s a badass.

Skye and Fitz sneak into the luggage compartment. Getting ready to be a distraction to Quinn’s Cybertek security team, Simmons launches into her character’s backstory. She goes into hysterics about daddy Coulson being too busy with his work and prostitutes to be there for her and her mum. Stan Lee pops up for a great cameo to chastise Coulson, and following straight behind him are the Cybertek men. Simmons spills her “mom’s” ashes to slow them down, and Coulson takes moment to say, “Prostitutes? Plural?”

The Team Takes A Tumultuous Train Ride On This Week’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Originally published on PopWrapped.  5 February 2014.

Hello Agents! Long time no see. When we left our favorite Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. peeps last we had learned some horrifying and heartbreaking details about Coulson’s death and resurrection. Also, Skye was revealed to be an 0-8-4 when she was a baby and Mike Peterson was kidnapped and given an eye implant to do the Clairvoyant’s bidding. Lastly, Ian Quinn is a big baddie funding evil technology. All set? Wheels up! 

The team is en route to intercept a package Quinn is transporting by train and under guard from private security team, Cybertek. Going undercover to get close to the goods, everyone is paired up, most adorably, Simmons and Coulson. She immediately labels him as her dad and it is perfection. Alone with May, Ward notes that Skye is more focused than before and wonders what changed. He’s concerned something personal might get in the way of her work. “We both know that personal urges can affect tactical decisions,” he says. May agrees, replying, “That’s why I don’t have any.” Heh. 

In their compartment, Skye and Fitz pickpocket the conductor’s keys in order to gain access to the luggage area. Elsewhere, Simmons has created an entire backstory for her character and her absentee father. Just as she goes into hysterics about how daddy Coulson was never there for her mother because he was busy with his work and prostitutes, Stan Lee pops up for a great cameo to chastise Coulson. Following behind Stan and his ladies are the Cybertek men. Simmons spills her “mom’s” ashes all over them to distract them. Coulson takes the opportunity to get in this line: “Prostitutes? Plural?” 

Are Your Spidey Senses Tingling? Amazing Spider-Man 2 Adds BJ Novak as Another Villain

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  4 February  2014.

B.J. Novak’s role in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 has finally been revealed thanks to an offhand tweet from director Marc Webb. Novak is Alistair Smythe, owner of the deadly Spider-Slayers.

For those of you who do not have an encyclopedic knowledge of Spider-Man canon or, more importantly (and sadly), Spider-Man: The Animated Series, Alistair inherited his robots and hatred for the Webslinger from his father, Spencer. The Spider-Slayers are made specifically to hunt, capture and kill Spider-Man, solidifying Smythe’s villain role.

But with three baddies (Electro, Rhino and Green Goblin) already in the film, how much with Smythe figure in? A viral Daily Bugle article that mentions Smythe’s invention seems to hint that Alistair will be more central to The Amazing Spider-Man 2 than we thought.

The number of villains in the sequel is reaching extravagant terms but this may all be set up for the rumored Sinister Six film that is coming. Adding fuel to this fire are the appearances of Doc Octopus’ arms and Vulture’s wings in the film’s first trailer.

Coming back to Smythe though, Novak looks like a great choice to play the young corporate evildoer. If the film series decides to follow Smythe’s transformation into the Ultimate Spider-Slayer (where he encases himself in armor), that could pit the supervillain directly against our hero in future installments. The third and fourth films already have release dates in 2016 and 2018, respectively.

First up though is The Amazing Spider-Man 2, which hits theaters May 2, 2014.

London Calling, Jack is Back in 24: Live Another Day Superbowl Advert

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  3 February  2014.

Better by far than most of the commercials during the Super Bowl was the trailer for 24: Live Another Day. The limited run series revives TV’s greatest counterterrorism agent, Jack Bauer (Kiefer Sutherland), as well as his go-to partner and tech support, Chloe O’Brien (Mary Lynn Rajskub).

The 12 episode series puts Bauer in London four years after 24’s series finale wherein he, once again, had to go on the run. In a show of incredibly clever marketing, Fox aired four 15-second clips for the series throughout the Super Bowl. These clips gave away nothing, not even hinting at the link to 24, aside from the distinctive clock ticking heard briefly at each clip’s end. This amped up audiences and kept them glued to the screen when the trailer itself was finally revealed.

The trailer is impressively riveting in its 34 seconds. Starting with shots of a London street, the action slowly reveals itself as gunshots and explosions rain. The quiet music culminates as we get our first glimpse of Bauer carrying a very Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Chloe and a gun (of course). As Bauer starts to fire at an unseen enemy, 24 fans everywhere knew without a doubt that Jack was back.

Set to air on Fox on May 14, 24: Live Another Day began shooting, er, filming in London last week. The series also stars Benjamin Bratt, Yvonne Strahovski, Tate Donovan, and Stephen Fry.

For Your Consideration: The Five Best and Worst Men of Downton Abbey

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  1 February  2014.

For those of us in the States, Downton Abbey is rocketing toward the end of Series 4 with more drama and intrigue than ever. Mary’s list of suitors continues to shuffle about while the other men of Downton deal with lady’s maids who seduce them and having to converse with internationally renowned singers. The world of Downton Abbey is certainly filled with all types of characters and some of the most dapper men on TV these days. But who are the best and worst men of the show? Read below to find out. (Spoilers through episode 5 of series 4)

BEST

5. Lord Grantham

The patriarch and protector of Downton has a tough job. He has opinionated daughters, a strong-willed mother, and an outspoken wife. Throughout the series he’s had to deal with tragically losing his heir (twice) and his daughter as well as a whole heap of drama. While he’s made some boneheaded decisions, he has never not loved his family (both upstairs and down), often surprising them with the depth of his affection. Prime examples include his heartwarming response to learning about Mary’s tryst with Mr. Pamuk and hiring and continually supporting his valet, the crippled Mr. Bates. This leads nicely to…

4. Mr. Bates

I struggled with this one but ultimately couldn’t bear not to include him. The valet stole our hearts with his gentle demeanor and somehow became one of the most desirable men on the show thanks to his sweet relationship with Anna. He has protected those upstairs and down from the machinations of people like Thomas and has come through prison and life as a cripple with his capacity for love and empathy intact. He even helps save Thomas, the guy who has routinely tried to ruin Bates’ life. That alone earns him a spot on this list.

3. Mr. Carson

Carson is like an amusingly stuffy grandfather. He puts on an air of propriety and duty yet underneath it all, he’s got a big heart. He may be a tough on his staff but when someone threatens them, he jumps into protective mode without missing a beat. The constancy of his loyalty and love for the Crawleys, and especially Lady Mary, has even pushed him to set aside his well established boundaries. He became the best voice of reason in bringing Mary out of the depths of grief caused by Matthew’s death, effectively helping to save the estate as well.

2. William Mason

I can already hear the protests about the sympathy vote and I don’t care. William was good and noble to the very last. He steadfastly loved Daisy, wanting her to be taken care of even when he had died. In marrying her, he also helped ensure that his father would not be alone either. Plus he saved Matthew’s life in the war, an act for which everyone in the fandom was very grateful because…

1. Matthew Crawley

There’s really no other option here. Matthew was sweet, handsome, kind and generous. He may have started out a bit self-righteous and reverted back during the whole Lavina debacle but on the whole he was perfect. In addition to saving Downton from ruin and serving heroically in the war, he also tamed Mary’s prickly heart and brought out the best in her, a feat arguably more difficult than any of his other achievements.

Honorable mentions: Dr. Clarkson and Tom Branson

Clarkson is intelligent, sympathetic and humble. He is unfailingly sweet to Isobel (just get together already!) and never passes up an opportunity to help those in need. Plus if he’d been allowed, he probably could have saved Sybil’s life.

Branson’s helped bring Downton and the Crawleys back from the brink of bankruptcy and eternal snobbery, and he is utterly adorable with little Sybbie. However, he also slept with Edna (albeit after she got him drunk) and once abandoned his pregnant wife to go on the run after some political protesting went wrong.



WORST

5. Sir Anthony Strallan

He may not measure up to the rest of the men on this list but Sir Anthony does deserve to be here. Not only did he twice spurn the already unlucky-in-love Edith, but the second time he did it by abandoning her on their wedding day. He may have been significantly older and therefore presumably wiser than Edith but his refusal to fight for their relationship in the face of critics (cough Robert cough) made him wholly unworthy of her. Still, no girl deserves to be jilted at the altar.

4. Richard Carlisle

Temperamental and power hungry, Carlisle sees everyone as a means to an end. He uses Mary’s secret about Mr. Pamuk to force her into an engagement and only helps others when it exponentially benefits him. Sure you can argue that Mary treated him poorly but the guy still lived and breathed blackmail. He preyed on the vulnerable in order to get ahead and was so dreadful, even Carson’s love for Mary could not persuade the butler to move to the couple’s planned estate and work for Carlisle.

3. Lord Grantham

For all of you who railed when you saw his name on the “Best” list, here’s your justice. Despite having many good qualities, Robert also nearly has an affair with a maid, almost lost the estate several times, is persistently snobbish and superior, and regularly too afraid of change to make the right decision. He was also likely, though not purposefully, a major cause of Sybil’s death. If it weren’t for people like Cora, the Dowager Countess, Matthew and Mary, Downton and the family would be in ruin because of Robert. It’s his ability to be such a good man one minute and disappointingly idiotic the next that gives him places on both lists.

2. Thomas Barrow

It is not just Thomas’ general nastiness but rather his absolute refusal to ever change his ways that makes him so awful. He has lied, cheated, stolen and even let himself get shot in the hand to get what he wanted. He is so reviled that when he was nearly cast out from Downton for mistakenly making a move on Jimmy, no one truly came to his aid except for Mr. Bates. Thomas’ response? To go back to being as spiteful as ever, including causing trouble for the Bateses. The resident prince of smirks nearly made the top spot if not for…

1. Mr. Green

This should go without saying. The valet to Lord Gillingham attacked and raped Anna downstairs while the rest of the household was enjoying a concert upstairs. Prior to that, he deliberately bated her into spending time with him, later using those instances as justification for his attack against her. He caused the eternally sweet Anna to feel “dirty” and viewers to feel consumed with rage and sadness. While some will argue that his lack of screen time disqualifies him from consideration, the severity of his actions make him an exception and earn him the number one slot on the “Worst” list.

Honorable mention: Kemal Pamuk

It felt unfair to list him in the top five because, well, he dies right after he’s introduced. But he’s worth a mention because in the brief span we knew him he seduced Mary and blackmailed Thomas (which might actually work in his favor, come to think of it). In his death, Mr. Pamuk was a frequent obstacle between the union of Matthew and Mary before she finally came clean and Matthew, charmingly, didn’t forgive her (he said there was nothing to forgive). If the Turkish diplomat had just kept his fly zipped much of the drama of the following seasons could have been avoided, and we might have gotten much more time with a happily together Matthew and Mary.

Do you agree with my list? Who do you think are the best and worst men of Downton Abbey?

Why You Should Catch up on Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

Originally published on For Your Excitement.  1 February  2014.

It has been a bumpy trip down the rabbit hole for Once Upon a Time in Wonderland. The spinoff to Once Upon a Time has received mixed reviews from critics and viewers and the ratings have been slowly declining. But that’s no reason count the fantasy/romance/adventure series out. After all, Veronica Mars only pulled 2.5 million viewers its first season and it has a highly anticipated feature film coming out next month.

The basic premise of the ABC show is this: Alice travels back to Wonderland to search for her lost love, genie Cyrus. The Knave of Hearts and the White Rabbit help her against the land’s many creatures and villains, including Jafar and the Red Queen. Just like on Once proper, we get flashbacks and bits of backstory as we progress as well as ties to classic fairytales and the writings of Lewis Carroll. Seems interesting enough right?

Whether you are already a Oncer, a Wonderer, or are uninitiated in either world, Wonderland is worth your time. Here are five reasons why:

1. It Gets Better

This is important to clarify right off the bat. I know some of you watched the pilot episode and were underwhelmed at best. It’s true that Wonderland’s first outing does not grab you the way its parent show did. At first glance Wonderland is clunky and exasperating but let’s recall that many of us initially felt this way about little shows like The Office. Keep with Wonderland through the slow moments and you’ll be rewarded with stellar episodes like “Forget Me Not” (Ep. 3) and “Bad Blood” (Ep. 7).

2. The Knave of Hearts

Arguably the most entertaining character on the show, the Knave aka Will provides most of Wonderland’s humor and action. As Alice’s partner and guide in searching for Cyrus, he routinely saves the day and the episode with his cleverness and charm. Michael Socha, with his delightfully thick accent, plays Will as a fighter, lover, smartass and all around adorable rogue. As we slowly learn Will’s backstory, I found I only loved him and his puppy dog eyes even more.

3. The Red Queen

It would have been easy for Wonderland’s creative team to just make their own Evil Queen aka Regina. Instead they opted for a character who you think is a mindless pawn but slowly unfolds to reveal an emotional depth and intelligence that downright surprised me. Thanks in large part to Emma Rigby’s controlled, simmering performance, by the midseason finale it was the Red Queen’s story I most looked forward to (sorry Alice).

4. The Laughs

I love a show that makes me laugh even if it’s unintentional. Sure there are funny moments when Will cracks a joke or the Red Queen delivers a snappy insult. But there are also moments like Jafar (Naveen Andrews) surfing away on his magic carpet like he’s catching a gnarly wave. Whether I am supposed to be as amused by this show as I am, I’m not sure. I do know that I thoroughly enjoy snickering and giggling through each episode and that’s enough for me.

5. The Excellent Midseason Finale

If you’re going to convince skeptics to stick with your show when it returns three months later you need a fantastic midseason finale. Wonderland delivers in spades, tying up some loose ends and providing us with the hint of fantastical new adventures ahead. For a show that often felt artificial in its sentimentality and poignancy, I was unexpectedly moved during the finale. I credit this mostly to a knockout performance by Emma Rigby (see above). While you could watch “Home” without seeing any other episodes and you would probably get along just fine, you’d be missing out on the true emotional punch it delivers.

So do yourself a favor and binge watch all eight of Wonderland’s episodes before the show returns on March 6th. Then tune in here for weekly recaps by yours truly.