The 100

This is what you get when the CW tackles the science fiction sub-genre of a post apocalyptic future. The premise is Earth has been destroyed by a nuclear event, rendering it largely uninhabitable.  A group of survivors took refuge on  a bunch of orbiting space stations, which then banded together to form The Ark.  Three generations later, with supplies growing low, Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington) decides to send 100 young adults currently imprisoned for various infractions to the ground.  Quite good thus far, this show is very much in the same vein as Battlestar Galactica, complete with the 12 colonies in space, but in a way the Earth itself is the enemy instead of the Cylons. The comparison is apropos, as there are two Battlestar alums on the show – Alessandro Juliani (Lt. Felix Gaeta) and Kate Vernon (Ellen Tigh). We’ve also got Henri Ian Cusick (Desmond from Lost) as a complicated and somewhat nefarious character and one of my personal favorite underrated actresses, Paige Turco, whom I absolutely love in Person of Interest. But so far, the driving force of the story is with the 100 young adults who were sent down to Earth to see if it was survivable. Their story is a bit like Lord of the Flies, as heroes and villains emerge, the inevitable power struggles ensue and the 100 learn there is more to existence than just surviving. The narrative explores the structure of civilization, the ethics of people put under pressure and the human will to live, along with the CW’s patented young adult drama/romance. The 100 discover they are not alone on Earth’s surface, there are “Grounders”, or those who have survived the apocalypse somehow and now live in a primitive tribal-type society. Their fearsome leader is played by Dichen Lachman (Sierra from Dollhouse), and her exotic looks (plus a wicked cool makeup job) actually make her more than a little scary. I’m greatly enjoying the character development of Clarke, Bellamy, Finn, Octavia, Jasper and Monty, as well as some other well-drawn personalities. Dark, creative, dramatic and compelling, I will be very interested to see where this show goes, but it will be tough to fail, stacked as it is with so much talent. [Addendum: Season 1 was only an appetizer to Season 2’s main course – this has developed into a rich and highly complex show and has been renewed for a third season.] – BETHANY

For any and all information on this outrageously complicated and densely populated show, visit IMDB.com

The Ark, made up of 12 separate space station that joined together.  Convenient, that is.  Oh, sorry, wrong Sci-Fi reference.

The 100 have a pow-wow, or possibly a riot.  Hard to tell with this group.

The famous shot of the two-headed deer, courtesy of lots of radiation.

Finn (Thomas McDonell) and Clarke (Eliza Taylor).

Wells Jaha (Eli Goree), son of the Chancellor.

Octavia (Marie Avgeropoulos) and Bellamy (Bob Morley) having a sibling disagreement.

Finn, Clarke, Monty (Christopher Larkin) and Jasper (Devon Bostick).  The Earth is full of surprises.

                                                                     Highly unpleasant character Murphy (Richard Harmon).

                                                                 Hot native, Lincoln (Ricky Whittle).

Anya, leader of the Grounders (Dichen Lachman).

         Key players on the Ark: Marcus Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) Dr. Abby Griffin (Paige Turco) and Chancellor Jaha (Isaiah Washington).

Battlestar Galactica alum Alessandro Juliani playing Sinclair.

                                                                                  Another Battlestar alum Kate Vernon playing Diana Sydney).

                             Raven (Lindsey Morgan).

 

 

Photos courtesy of Alloy Entertainment, CBS Television Studios, Warner Bros. Television and The CW (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

Marvel’s Agent Carter

Post World War II was a rough time for women in professions. After Rosie the Riveter called them to work in the factories, they were now expected to go meekly back to more appropriate occupations, such as telephone operators and secretaries. Agent Peggy Carter doesn’t have a meek bone in her body. While every inch a lady, she can dish out cutting remarks and set-downs with the best of them, mostly directed at badly behaving chauvinist colleagues, not to mention being able to disable a whole platoon all by herself. This is the story of what happens to Peggy after the events in Captain America: The First Avenger. Amid a sea of black suits and fedoras, Agent Carter stands out in an impeccable blue suit and a smart red hat. She works for the S.S.R., a forerunner of the C.I.A., but when Howard Stark gets himself into a spot of trouble, he begs her to clear his name, that is if she can leave such pressing matters as taking lunch orders and answering phones. Assisting her in her clandestine investigation is Stark’s butler, Edwin Jarvis. Played by James D’Arcy (a Benedict Cumberbatch lookalike), he’s very proper and seemingly naïve, but also alarmingly jaded. He bumbles through the charged world of espionage and while a bit of a pansy, is a very good sort. It’s Agent Carter who’s doing all the heroics, while Jarvis is more concerned about the laundry and what he’s baking for tea. The role reversals are quite amusing to a modern audience. I’m especially pleased to see Enver Gjokaj (Victor from Dollhouse) playing a fellow agent of Peggy’s and the only one who treats her with a modicum of respect. This isn’t the greatest TV show ever but it is a lot of fun. There are quite a lot of shocking twists I did not see coming and I enjoyed seeing Bridget Regan once again play a very unexpected character. I hope this show gets a chance to grow beyond its first season, as Agent Carter is fascinating and the harbingers of the Cold War are beyond intriguing. – BETHANY

Howart Stark (Dominic Cooper), Agent Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) and Edwin Jarvis (James D’Arcy)

Daniel Sousa (Enver Gjokaj) and Jack Thompson (Chad Michael Murray)

Agent Carter or Veronica Lake?  Peggy goes undercover as a femme fatale

 

Photos courtesy of ABC Studios, Marvel Television and F&B Fazekas & Butters (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

The first thing you should know about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that it is a TV show tie-in for the Marvel comics massive movie anthology. It runs in tandem with the Iron Man, Hulk, Captain America, Thor and Avengers movies, which means if you haven’t seen any of those, this will likely make little sense to you. However, it is important to note that while this show is set in a comic book universe, the main characters are not superheroes. They don’t have superpowers, but rather hard won skills in computer hacking, hand to hand combat, science, robotics and medicine. But because of the comic book underpinning, the writers are free to be creative with, say, the laws of physics and play fast and loose with credulity in favor of telling a good story. I personally don’t mind this, but if having an inflatable raft successfully plug a hole in the side of a jet flying at altitude would ruin your enjoyment, look elsewhere for entertainment. Agent Coulson is brought back from the dead (no, not as a zombie…) to command this elite team that works behind the scenes, keeping Earth safe from threats, both alien and native alike. The stories are very funny, inventive and endlessly entertaining, with extremely well-written characters and excellent dialogue. My personal favorite is Agent May, beautifully underplayed by Ming-Na Wen, a brilliant pilot and stoic tactician who can also kick some major, er, behind. She’s a woman of few words, preferring to let her fists or preferably bullets do the talking for her. My one complaint with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is that if you don’t go to see the new movies in theaters, you are automatically behind as those events are woven into the narrative of the show. A rip-roaring thrill ride, full of some truly magnificent lines, super baddies and complex relationships, which thankfully has been renewed for season 3. – BETHANY

For more detailed cast and show information, visit: The Internet Movie Database

Agents Grant Ward, Melinda May, Phil Coulson, Skye and FitzSimmons

                 S.H.I.E.L.D. bus and other assorted aircraft

Coulson’s car, Lola.  I wonder what the insurance rates are on something like this?

 

Fitz, Coulson and May – this reminds me of Tahiti – it’s a magical place.

Skye (Chloe Bennet), Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge), Leo Fitz (Iain De Castecker, Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg), Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen) and Grant Ward (Brett Dalton).

 

Photos Courtesy of ABC Studios, Marvel Television and Mutant Enemy Productions

The Blacklist

James Spader is the undisputed star of this awesome show, playing Raymond Reddington, a permanent resident of the FBI’s most wanted list. For reasons of his own, he voluntarily surrenders and starts working with the FBI, and one agent in particular, to take down members of the world’s criminal underbelly that Reddington himself considers the scum of the earth. He plays his anti-hero role perfectly, with dry acerbic panache, underpinned by a deep well of genuine ‘something’. What it is, we’ll have to wait and see, but there is obviously something important at his core driving him. This is definitely a thriller, but there is plenty of emotion, humor and finely edged wit to lighten the tension. Nobody can sneer quite like James Spader, although I read once that many people would pay good money to see a sneering contest between Spader and Kevin Spacey.

Reddington’s complicated relationship with his FBI go-to agent, Elizabeth Keen (Megan Boone), is marvelous, as are his interactions with other FBI suits as well as associates and/or friends who aren’t precisely in strictly legal lines of work. There is a definite long story arc at play here, although each episode generally deals with another name on the List. If you watch out of order, I’d say you will miss about 50% of what’s really going on. Thoroughly entertaining to watch the FBI work with the devil they know to take down the truly evil, plus simultaneous other plots and subplots, this show is definitely worth watching. – BETHANY

Visit IMDB for more information:  the Internet Movie Database

The image gallery has been carefully selected so as to give away no spoilers.

Raymond Reddington and Elizabeth Keen (James Spader and Megan Boone).

Assistant Director of the FBI Harold Cooper (Harry Lennix).  You might recognize him from Dollhouse.

                        Agent Donald Ressler (Diego Klattenhoff).  He’s a great character and gets quite a few good lines.

FBI team at work – second from left, Samar Navabi (Mozhan Marnò) and Aram Mojtabai (Amir Arison).

Agent Keen and Reddington under cover.

Tom Keen: Mild mannered school teacher or something else entirely?  Ryan Eggold

Alan Fitch (Alan Alda).

Reddington is just too cool and never misses an opportunity to lounge.

Reddington’s ever-present shadow/chauffeur Dembe (Hisham Tawfiq).

 

 

 

Photos courtesy of Davis Entertainment, Universal Television, Sony Pictures Television and NBC (unless otherwise credited in clickable form)

	Bonus:  Check out Megan Boone (right) in Welcome to the Jungle.