Freshman Show Roundup Part 2: 'Go On,' 'The Following,' and 'Nashville'

Like myself, most new shows of the 2012-2013 TV season have finished their freshman year. I decided that in order to save time, I will write brief assessments of all of the new shows that I watched. These include the ones that I highlighted back in September (with the exception of Elementary, whose pilot didn't hook me enough to keep watching) as well as a few that I picked up along the way. To avoid information overload (and also to give my fingers a break), I will do this in two posts, each one briefly summarizing and assessing three shows. I won't include spoilers since my hope is that you might decide to watch one or more of these shows if you haven't seen them.

For Part 2 I will discuss NBC's Go On, FOX's The Following, and ABC's Nashville. You can read Part 1 here.

Go On
Summary: After his wife passes away, cocky radio sportscaster Ryan King (Matthew Perry) is ordered by his boss Steven (John Cho) to attend group therapy sessions. With the help of group leader Lauren (Laura Benanti) and the group's odd members, Ryan tries to cope with his loss as well as become a better person.
Assessment: Although not the funniest sitcom on TV, I really enjoyed Go On. Unfortunately, despite its good ratings early on, NBC canceled it after the 22-episode season ended. However, the show did have some closure in its final episode, which is always nice. While Perry was great in this role, I especially liked all of the supporting characters. Every member of the group was funny in his or her own way, and there was a good variety of personalities. My favorite character was easily the wonderfully odd and creepy Mr. K (Brett Gelman). Cho was underused in the show's early episodes, but in the second half he had a bigger role. The diverse cast is what made this show, but it was probably hurt by its writing, which wasn't always the best it could have been. That being said, had it been given a second season, I think Go On could have become a hit. This one will be missed.
Rating: 4/5

The Following
Summary: Serial killer Joe Carroll (James Purefoy) escapes from prison, and former FBI agent Ryan Hardy (Kevin Bacon) must consult on the case to track him down. The FBI soon learns that Carroll has gathered a cult following during his time in prison.
Assessment: Going in, I expected The Following to be a procedural show with each episode showcasing one of Carroll's followers. I was excited to learn that I was wrong and that it is, in fact, a serialized show. Bacon and Purefoy played off of each other well, and I thought Purefoy, for the most part, was great as the sadistic, manipulative, and brilliant serial killer. At some points he tried to be a bit too poetic, but I was able to overlook that. It seems that the writers tried to develop Bacon's character this season, but I don't think it worked the way they wanted it to. Hopefully they can flesh Ryan out some more in the second season. Also, I enjoyed Shawn Ashmore as young agent Mike Weston. He was given a good storyline in the second half of the season that I'm not convinced we've seen the end of. Finally, I appreciate the decision to keep the season to only 15 episodes instead of the usual 22. In fact, I think the season could have been shortened even more. The shorter season allows for a more fast-paced show (something that I think Revolution needs). Overall, there are definitely some kinks to work out next season, but I will continue watching.
Rating: 4/5

Nashville
Summary: Veteran country singer Rayna James (Connie Britton) and young sensation (think Taylor Swift) Juliette Barnes (Hayden Panettiere) must put aside their differences--or at least pretend to--when they are forced to go on tour together. There are about a million other characters and plots but this is the main one.
Assessment: I'll be honest. I watched this pilot for two reasons: 1) it got amazing reviews, and 2) Hayden Panettiere. It was a good pilot, but I hate strongly dislike country music, so the only reason I continued watching was because my girlfriend wanted to keep watching. However, I will admit that despite the excessive drama, the acting and writing--and, yes, the music, if I must be objective--are pretty good overall. Although the drama was painful to sit through at times, the acting, especially by Panettiere, who excels as the bitchy and arrogant pop star, and Charles Esten, who was a surprise as Rayna's band leader and ex-boyfriend Deacon Claybourne, was enough to get me through it. That said, some of the plots--and maybe even some of the characters--should be cut out for the next season. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't watch next season because it's not my cup of tea, but between my girlfriend and those darn cliffhangers in the finale, I'll most likely be tuning in.
Rating: 3.5/5

So there you have it. Those are the six new shows I watched this season. (I'm also watching Hannibal, but there's still two episodes left, so I will likely review that by itself.) As always, leave your thoughts in the comments. And if there are any other freshman shows you watched that you think I would like, by all means let me know. 

Freshman Show Roundup Part 1: 'Revolution,' 'Arrow,' and 'Last Resort'

Like myself, most new shows of the 2012-2013 TV season have finished their freshman year. I decided that in order to save time, I will write brief assessments of all of the new shows that I watched. These include the ones that I highlighted back in September (with the exception of Elementary, whose pilot didn't hook me enough to keep watching) as well as a few that I picked up along the way. To avoid information overload (and also to give my fingers a break), I will do this in two posts, each one briefly summarizing and assessing three shows. I won't include spoilers since my hope is that you might decide to watch one or more of these shows if you haven't seen them.

For my first post I will discuss NBC's Revolution, The CW's Arrow, and ABC's Last Resort.

Revolution
Brief Summary: Fifteen years after a mysterious blackout rid the world of electricity, Charlie Matheson (Tracy Spiridakos) must rescue her brother Danny (Graham Rogers) from the militia of the Monroe Republic, one of the republics that arose to replace the United States government. Along the way, Charlie learns about her family's involvement in the blackout.
Assessment: Revolution began as one of my favorite new shows, but in the middle of the first half of the season it lost some steam. Not much happened as Charlie, Miles (Billy Burke), and the rest of their gang made their way to Philadelphia to rescue Danny. The show picked up again for the midseason finale (you can read my review for that episode here), but then the second half was the same as the first. It started out strong, was a little slow in the middle, then picked up toward the end. For the most part, I really enjoyed the last few episodes, especially the season finale. The end of the finale made me very excited for the next season. It seems like they're going in a completely different direction for the second season, which I think is a smart move.
Overall Rating for the Season: 3.5/5

Arrow
Summary: (Based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow) After being stranded on an island for five years, wealthy playboy Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) returns to Starling City to right the wrongs of his father as a masked vigilante. Flashbacks reveal what happened to Oliver during his time on the island.
Assessment: As a fan of DC Comics, I was very excited for Arrow, and it did not disappoint. In fact, it quickly became my favorite new fall show. The acting and writing were both very good, and the action sequences were excellent. What made the show even better for me was the inclusion of several minor DC characters and subtle references to the comics. The island flashbacks started out somewhat weak, but they became much better once Slade Wilson (Manu Bennett) was introduced. I would recommend this show not only to fans of DC Comics but also to people who like exciting, action-packed TV shows. Because the show is on The CW, there is of course a love triangle subplot, but that is overshadowed by the rest of the show.
Rating: 5/5

Last Resort
Summary: After U.S. Navy Captain Marcus Chaplin (Andre Braugher) refuses an order to fire a nuclear missile from his submarine, he is attacked by another US sub. He and his crew, including his second-in-command Sam Kendal (Scott Speedman), take refuge on a small island.
Assessment: Power struggles and government conspiracies abound in this short-lived ABC drama. Last Resort was canceled about halfway through its 13-episode run, but fortunately that gave the writers time to craft an ending that gave some closure to those who stuck with the show. I was one of those people. I don't think it was good enough to deserve a second season, but I enjoyed the show while it lasted. Braugher and Speedman were both great in the lead roles, but there were too many minor characters to keep track of. The conspiracy plot was intriguing but also somewhat confusing. Overall, I liked the show, but I'm not sad to see it go.
Rating: 2.5/5

That's it for part one. Stay tuned for part two, where I will discuss Go On, The Following, and Nashville.

'The Office' Series Finale Review: A Perfect Goodbye

After nine seasons, NBC aired the series finale of The Office last night. What started off as a great show became somewhat mediocre in its second half. I still enjoyed it, but it wasn't as must-see as it was in its earlier seasons. Exit Steve Carell in season 7, and people wondered whether the show could survive. Carell was surely missed, but I think the show did well without him. He was just one actor in a very large, very solid cast, and that cast helped keep the show alive. Season 8 was definitely not the best of the series, but it could have been a lot worse. I know that a lot of people hated the odd, creepy Robert California (James Spader), but I, for one, thought Spader was a good addition to the cast for one season. Then, after season 8 ended, NBC and the showrunners agreed that season 9 would be the final season. I was excited because it's always nice for showrunners to go into a season knowing it will be the last so that they can end the series properly. Season 9 started off ok (it didn't feel very different from season 8), but by the second half, the writers kicked it into full gear and ended the series perfectly.

In the second half of this season, we were introduced to one of the members of the documentary crew, that is, the people behind the cameras that have been following these people around for 9 years. This was the first acknowledgement in a while of this show actually being a PBS documentary. Then the promos for the documentary aired and we realized that we're approaching the end. Throughout the series, we often forgot that these people were the subject of a documentary, so bringing that to the foreground in the final episodes brought the show full-circle. It was a very fitting way to end the series.

This episode takes place one year after the airing of the documentary as a sort of "Where are they now?" episode. It centered around two major events: a Q&A panel for the characters (i.e. the subjects of the documentary) and Dwight and Angela's wedding, with the wedding getting the primary focus. The wedding, although a little cliché, is a perfect way to bring back old characters, including, of course, our favorite Regional Manager--Michael Scott (Carell).

Carell's appearance, though not very surprising, was beautifully handled. Jim, Dwight's best man, had been pulling a series of "gutenpranks" (good pranks) to surprise Dwight. These included making excuses to PBS so that the Q&A panel fell on the same weekend as the wedding (so people like Andy and Darryl would be there), giving Dwight the chance to fire a bazooka as part of his bachelor party, giving him the opportunity to reconcile with Kevin (whom Dwight had fired), and making up a phony tradition that meant Michael would have to replace Jim as best man. This last gutenprank led to one of the best lines of the episode when Dwight sees Michael:

Dwight: I can't believe you came.
Michael: That's what she said.

This moment, Michael's final "That's what she said," was beautiful and completely captured the character of Michael Scott. What made this cameo great was that it was just that: a cameo. Carell had only a couple of lines, so he didn't steal the episode away from everyone else. But we did find out that Michael finally got the family he always wanted, which was a heartwarming revelation.

The other characters all got closure as well. Oscar is running for senate; Erin found her biological parents; Andy got a job at Cornell; Stanley is retired; Creed got arrested for a long list of things I can't even begin to recount (but not before singing an original song about friendship); and Jim and Pam, who had had marital struggles this season, sold their house and are moving to Austin where Jim will work for the company he helped start earlier this season. All of this closure is exactly what you want to see in a series finale, especially one for a show with a large cast of characters that you've grown to love.

The last ten minutes of the episode almost had me tearing up. Everyone got their last word in their final testimonials. And it all ended with Pam's perfect closing line about choosing Dunder Mifflin for a documentary: "There's a lot of beauty in ordinary things. Isn't that kinda the point?"

Although it was not a perfect series, I am very glad to have stuck with The Office through all of its ups and downs. It is and probably always will be one of my favorite sitcoms, and the finale, by highlighting all of the characters, reminded me why that is. The Office will be missed, but I can't imagine a better way to say goodbye.

'How I Met Your Mother' Finale Reaction: Buckle Up

Like my last HIMYM post, I'm not going to write a formal review because my feelings about last night's finale are mixed, and I don't really how to put them into words. Also, I want to address next season, which requires a lot of speculation. So excuse the randomness of this post because I'm going to rant.

There was a major reveal at the end of this episode, so if you haven't seen it, stop reading immediately.

I both liked and disliked this episode. I liked it because it had a good mix of comedy and drama, which is something that HIMYM does well most of the time. I loved Barney and Robin's interactions with the other couple. I also liked the more dramatic scenes between Lily and Ted, even though I'm sick of Ted pining over Robin. What I didn't like was that nothing was really resolved. I know that finales are supposed to end with cliffhangers, which this episode did, but they also should resolve the main plots of the season. It did resolve Barney and Robin's hesitance to get married, but Lily and Marshall's move to Italy was further complicated rather than resolved, and Ted's moving to Chicago came out of nowhere. In that sense, this episode felt more like a "part 1" of a finale than a finale.

That is, except for the last shot. Showing The Mother's face was a curveball I was not expecting and was a perfect way to end a finale. However, I don't know if it was the right choice given the nature of this show. For those of you who don't know, next season will be the last, so Ted has to meet The Mother next season. What worries me is when he'll meet her. Future Ted said that he meets her at the wedding, which will probably happen early next season. So if he meets her then, what will the rest of the season be about? I always thought that Ted would meet The Mother in the series finale, you know, since the title is How I Met Your Mother. I wonder if Ted will only briefly meet her at the wedding and the rest of the season will lead up to them starting to date. Or the entire season could be them dating, but  then what would be the endgame? A logical ending to that season would be Ted proposing, but to me, that would be too soon. But then again, that's something Ted would do. Anyway, I hope it's the former because I don't think I would like an entire season of them dating, leading up to a proposal. I would rather them start dating in the finale than get engaged or married. Whatever happens, I'm cautiously excited for next season. Final seasons are always a big deal, and I always look forward to them, even though it means the show is ending.

Last night's episode reminded me that we're so close. So buckle up because next season is going to be an interesting ride.

As always, feel free to leave your thoughts in the comments.

'Psych' Review: 100 Episodes Later

On Wednesday, Psych aired its 100th episode, a big milestone for any TV series. This special episode is an homage to the 1985 film Clue. For those who haven't seen the movie, it is based on the classic board game of the same name. The episode, titled "100 Clues", featured guest stars Christopher Lloyd, Martin Mull, and Lesley Ann Warren, all of whom starred in Clue. Naturally, the episode was riddled with subtle references to the film, including a title sequence similar to the closing credits of the film. It was a great episode, but that may be only because I am a fan of Clue and appreciated all of the references.

The episode's plot was almost identical to that of Clue: Somebody is murdered at a house party in a mysterious mansion, and Shawn (James Roday) must figure out whodunnit. As an episode of Psych, it was nothing special. The twists were predictable, and the non-Clue-related jokes were funny but not funnier than anything we're used to. What made this episode great was that it was Clue-themed. I found the movie on Netflix and watched it Wednesday morning, and I'm very glad I did. I hadn't seen it since sixth grade, so I probably wouldn't have caught most of the episode's references if I didn't watch it on Wednesday. Referencing 80s pop culture is what Psych does best, so designing a whole episode around a specific piece of that pop culture is always a welcome choice. The references were both clever and funny, making it a great episode, despite the predictable plot.

What is most interesting about "100 Clues" is that the ending was chosen by live votes from the viewers. This is not a new idea, but it is a first for Psych. It is a reference to Clue, which has multiple endings. I'm not usually a fan of live voting during shows, but in this case it worked. The way the episode was written allowed for multiple endings, so I look forward to seeing the other possible endings.

My biggest complaint is that Tim Curry, who plays the butler in Clue, wasn't able to make an appearance. He is the best thing about the movie, and he would have been a welcome addition to this episode. However, he did appear in the season 2 episode "American Duos," so he would have had to play the same character, which might have been odd. That being said, Curry's presence was felt whenever Roday impersonated him (for example, running through the house to explain how the killer pulled off the murders or saying "no" in Curry's accent).

Overall, I thought this episode was on par with "Dual Spires," Psych's homage to the TV show Twin Peaks, which is one of the best episodes of the series so far. Like "Dual Spires," "100 Clues" may not be appreciated by people who are unfamiliar with the source material. However, hopefully it will bring more attention to Clue. It's a wonderfully ridiculous movie, so if you haven't seen it, I highly recommend watching it and then re-watching this episode of Psych.