GinaLo Talks TV

24. Filmmaker and TV connoisseur. They say we're living in the golden age of television. These are my two cents.

[ginalotalkstv]

Game of Thrones Season 6 Episode 5: "The Door"

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “The Door" do not read past this point. You have been warned. God. I never thought I would ball my eyes out watching Game of Thrones. If Oberyn's death didn't make me cry then surely nothing would. Clearly, I couldn't have been more wrong. I can't even talk about much else from this episode. That's how upset I was last night. The only thing I will mention is that it was pretty cool that we found out the origin of the White Walkers. Crazy that the children of the forest created them out of spite essentially, but interesting none the less. Back to my crying bit. I think I realized what the storyline meant about 15 seconds before it came full circle and I just instantly started balling. Hodor is the sweetest character on the show by far. To watch him, for 6 years, say one word and always wonder the meaning behind it only to find out that it was a sacrifice he made to save Bran and was essentially living the moment of his death over and over to the point that it psychologically and mentally destroyed him. It's just too much for my heart to take. I wanted to know why Hodor said Hodor. I was even excited to find out but once I realized what was happening and what it meant I felt like a terrible person for even wanting to know. I also think that Hodor's death signifies the end of so much in the Game of Thrones world for us as the viewer. We've watched this show weekly for six years and every time we run in to see what shocking thing will happen next, but with the death of Hodor it's becoming apparent that we're getting to the end of the story. Soon it won't matter if Jon and Sansa can kill the Bolton's and take back Winterfell because a huge army of ice zombies is coming to kill them all. Hodor is the first causality of that unfortunate reality. Bran's obviously not going to die now that he's the Three Eyed Raven, but it's kind of hard to see how. He's stuck in the snow (in the middle of nowhere), he can't walk, his only companion is now a young girl. No Hodor. No summer. And there is a giant ice zombie army a stones throw away. If there was ever a shit out of luck situation this would seem to be it. All in all it was a very emotionally moving episode. One I will not soon forget. What are your thoughts on this episode? Did you have as serious a reaction as I did? What are you most looking forward to in the next few episodes?

[camewiththeframe]

Hodor’s sacrifice is a legitimately great moment, a heroic act from the most unlikely of people. But that’s the story of Game of Thrones. It’s not Ned or Robb or Cersei or Tywin or, probably, Euron. It’s Theon and Yara, the loser Greyjoys on a boat, or Sam and Gilly on another boat, and Meera Reed, who no one saw coming but who has now killed a White Walker. It’s Brienne of Tarth, laughed at and mocked and now on a quest to save the North. It’s Daenerys, cast out, hunted, and sold but unburnt, a mother of dragons, a Khaleesi, a queen, a rebel, a liberator. It’s Jon Snow, murdered by his own men only to rise to rally the North behind his sister Sansa, beaten and brutalized and stronger than ever. And, in the end, it’s Hodor. It’s the least of all men becoming the best of them, proving that heroes don’t need great swords with names or direwolves or dragons. All a hero needs is a heart that doesn’t fail. All a hero needs is to hold the door.

Lovely commentary on last nite’s GoT, from Lainey Gossip’s Sarah

http://www.laineygossip.com/Game-of-Thrones-Season-6-Episode-5-recap/43957

(via camewiththeframe)

[thebluths]

Mitch Hurwitz Says ‘Arrested Development’ Season 5 Is ‘Definitely’ Happening (But You’ll Have To Wait)

‘Arrested Development’ creator Mitch Hurwitz offered good news on a fifth season, but it sounds like being patient is part of the package.

“It’ll happen. It’ll definitely happen. Not before the election, but it’s definitely going to happen. I say that because the actors want to do it, the studio wants to do it, Netflix wants to do it, I want to do it. It’s just making it happen. There’s no one resisting. There’s a recut, too, of the fourth season, just to make it airable on TV. They’re like the old Arrested Developments. We redid all the narration and reshot a few little things. Now we have 22 episodes, and they’re delightful to watch and they’re much less work than the Netflix series. My hope is we’ll find a place to air those.” - Mitch Hurwitz

[ginalotalkstv]

Bates Motel Season 4 Episode 10: "Norman"

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “Norman" do not read past this point. You have been warned. I know I've been busy and haven't written a review in awhile but holy shit. I have so many things to say about the season finale of Bates Motel. NORMAN KILLED HIS MOTHER. I knew this had to happen eventually but did it have to be so soon? Especially when my Romero / Norma dreams finally came true. Of course it did. How long could she realistically go on denying how fucking bat shit crazy he is? My god though. There wasn't one second of this season finale that didn't creep me out. He's insisting she's not really dead almost the entire episode and tells Dylan he can't talk to him anymore but neglects to mention that their mother is dead. He invites no one to her funeral and then has an altercation with Romero when he shows up. I hope he does prove that Norman did it (he won't, but I can pretend). The creepiest and most f'd up thing of all had to be when he dug up Norma's body at the end of the episode, brought her into the house, GLUED HER FREAKING EYELIDS OPEN and started demanding she look at him. I watch Game of Thrones.. GAME OF THRONES and this was still the most creeped out I've ever been by a TV show. The guy who Caleb screwed over comes to give Norman his condolences and says "you know she's gone, right" and for the first time Norman comprehends the fact that Norma really is dead. When the man leaves Norman goes upstairs finds Norma's gun and is prepared to end his own life. Then he hears the piano playing downstairs. When he goes into the living room his mentally unstable brain has brought Norma back to life. It has been 2 days since I watched this and I still don't know how to feel about it. Of course this was coming and of course it was gonna be this creepy. It's a prequel to psycho, but even knowing that I was not fully prepared for it. I have to say, it kind of scarred me for life! I'll probably spend the next year before season 5 airs being in denial about what's to come. I just hope that Dylan stays far far away. I am very interested to see what the writers are going to do next season. Vera Farmiga will obviously still be in it through Norman's hallucinations but most of the characters involvement in the plot have been cut out. The show already revolved around a small group of characters and one is dead, one is in jail and the other two moved away. I think it will be really interesting to see who else he talks to and what his life is like after this. Anything can happen now! What are your thoughts? Were you as emotionally scarred by this episode as I was? What do you think will come in season 5?

[ginalotalkstv]

House of Cards: Season 4

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched Season 4 do not read past this point. You have been warned. When this season started off I was kind of annoyed. I thought the entire season was going to be Frank vs. Claire, and let's be honest, this show is always better when they're on the same team. Fortunately they were only on opposing sides for the first few episodes. Thank god. This was partially brought on by Lucas Goodwin's attempted assassination of Frank. Instead Meechum dies which I was extremely pissed about. Meechum was the one likable character left in the show. I loved the scene where Frank drew his hand on the wall. So sad. Frank is unconscious after the shooting and ends up needing a liver transplant. Doug basically kills a guy in the process by letting him die so that Frank can be next in line for a new liver. (More on that later) After the transplant Frank slowly starts to recover and is reinstated as the president. I think the episodes where he gets shots and the ones that followed were some of my favorite of the season. I loved seeing him hallucinate about Zoe and Peter and I also loved how many characters from season 1 (both dead and living) were incorporated into the plot line this season. Shortly after their reunion, and Frank's recovery, they decide that Claire should be Frank's running mate inspite of the fact that they're both telling everyone else that it should be Cathy Durant. Unsurprising the two of them are up to some scheming to have Claire's name brought up for VP. Cathy finds out and decides to retaliate by starting her own run for President. Frank Underwood being the badass that he is threatens her without threatening her. He even tells her that "everything they say is true. I killed Zoe Barnes and Peter Russo!" I was freaking the hell out at this point. But even Frank isn't that crazy, he somehow turned it into a scary joke and terrified Cathy in the process into remaining loyal. Doug slowly loses his shit over the fact that he killed someone's husband in order to get Frank his liver transplant. He becomes obsessed and contemplates drinking. He refrains from alcohol but donates $5,000 dollars to the remembrance fund of the man he killed and then starts dating his wife? I could have done without Doug's storyline this season. Most of it was kind of annoying / pointless. Claire uses the death of her mother as a political move and in typical Claire fashion starts hooking up with Tom. Is it me or does he look eerily similar to the photographer guy she was hooking up with in the first season? Girls got a type. That's for sure. The season starts to come to an end when a hostage situation occurs. Frank calls on the help of the republican nominee, Conway, so that if something bad happens both are to blame or he can blame it entirely on Conway. I don't know what it is, but I don't really like his character at all. Frank is so shady but I still root for him more than I should, probably because of my love for Kevin Spacey. Frank ends up convincing the terrorists to let 2 of the 3 hostages go and they are successfully rescued. Bonus points for Frank in the election, but not long before the story of him murdering people and bullying Garrett out of office goes to print. It's at this point that Claire and Frank decide to go totally off the handle. Instead of winning over the American people they're going to get their votes by scaring the ever living shit out of them. They do not negotiate with the terrorists, they do not continue trying to reason with them, instead they let the man die and watch the sinister act with stoicism that borderline freaked me out. I guess season 5 is going to be some totalitarian freaky shit. Should be both interesting and terrifying. All in all I thought this season was much more engaging than last. I think that the writing has gotten a tad sloppy so I'm hoping that they can bring it back to season 1 and 2 quality next year. I think that was their subtle attempt by bringing so many past characters back. Don't get me wrong I'm always going to be excited about a new season of House of Cards, I just hope that next season will completely blow the roof off of anything we've seen before. Underwood 2016! What are your thoughts on this season? What are you most excited for in season 5? What was the best / worst part of this past season for you?

[timotaychalamet]

“In dreams, I walk with you. In dreams, I talk to you. In dreams, you’re mine, all the time. Forever.”

Blue Velvet (1986) dir. David Lynch

[ginalotalkstv]

11.22.63 Part 5

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “Part 5” do not read past this point. You have been warned. I really enjoyed this past episode. It felt very 11.22.63 to me if that makes any sense. I feel like we're really starting to see the story come together. I actually just rewatched the entire series and had a greater appreciation for the show as a whole by doing so. I think the reason the first episodes seemed so jarring for me was because I only had the books timeline to form my expectations by. Because the shows timeline is a lot different initially it seemed to not fully meet my expectations. However, now that I've seen the story unfold a little more and I went back knowing the order of the information portrayed I had a much greater appreciation of it as a lover of the book. So far I do fully believe that this is a successful adaption but I will save my entire opinion until I've seen the whole series. I forgot how insane Sadie's encounter with Johnny is on the day General Walker is shot. I definitely think that this was the most intense moment of the show far, even more intense than Halloween at the Dunning house. The acting in this episode was fantastic. TR Knight played an excellent man on the verge of a complete psychotic breakdown. Sarah Gadon and James Franco really played the intensity of that situation in a way that was very real. I love that they didn't linger too long on Sadie and Jake not being together. In the book that kind of dragged for me especially because you know that ultimately they can't be together forever because they're from two completely different times. I'm also happy that she knows who Jake really is, because with only 3 episodes left I feel like things are about to get crazy! I love this book and so far I believe the show is doing it justice. Once the entire thing is complete I will let you know my feelings as a whole but I'm really looking forward to these last 3 episodes. Crazy things are coming for those who haven't read the book! What do you think of the adaptation so far? Anything they really missed the mark on for you?

[ginalotalkstv]

Jane The Virgin: Season 1 & 2

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched Season 1 & 2 do not read past this point. You have been warned. I am all caught up on this show. I have been for a little while but I only just got around to watching the most recent episode last night. So many shows, so little time! I love this show. The narrator is hilarious and almost his own character in the show. I love this and feel like I haven't really seen that done before My favorite part is that it's a telenovela constantly making fun of / calling attention to telenovela's! My absolute favorite character is Rogelio. I think he's hilarious but also contains more substance than you originally might think when his character is first introduced. That's why the most recent episode was so upsetting to me because it ended with him almost free but still in the clutches of his stalker! No! Not Rogelio! Oh and how can I forget his amazing alarm clock "It's a beautiful day to wake up and be Rogelio! Rogelio! Rogelio!" The grandmother is also an amazing character. I think partially the characters on this show are so great because of the actors portraying them, but I also think that a huge part of it is how well the show is written. I don't know who I root for Jane to end up with. I go back and forth with both liking and disliking Michael and Rafael. Although, when I started the show I thought in the end she would ultimately end up with Rafael because of the baby. Now that Petra had the twins it seems anything is fair game. All in all I love this show. It's definitely my guilty pleasure show. If you haven't started watching it yet I highly suggest that you do because it's both entertaining, heartfelt and hilarious. What more could you want out of a show? Anybody else love this show as much as I do?

[ginalotalkstv]

Shameless Season 6 Episode 9: "A Yurt of One's Own"

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “A Yurt of Own's Own” do not read past this point. You have been warned. So far this season I would say the most entertaining storylines are Carl's and Frank / Queenie's. I love that Carl is becoming a man and realizing that being a good and hardworking guy is more attractive than his pretend ghetto stuff. It's a lovely character arc for him that I'm really enjoying getting to watch. Frank is the most Shameless creature on planet earth. Everything he does is both ridiculous and hilarious. While Sherilyn Fenn's portrayal of Queenie makes me so happy. She really is a great addition to the show. One I'm hoping returns for next season, perhaps with a return from Sammi herself. Fiona's storyline is starting to annoy me. I'm glad she's getting divorced because that's long overdue but her relationship with Sean has outlived its usefulness for the show and her character. Also, the fact that he asked her to marry him in the divorce office was just... I don't even have words. I hated it. Bring back Jimmy Steve. At least they had amazing chemistry. Debbie is just about ready to pop. I'm thinking next week is the time to meet the newest addition to the Gallagher clan. Should be interesting to see how that goes down. From the previews it looks like she has the baby at home, not the commune. Lip's storyline has turned to sorority girls and drinking too much. Ian attends a party with Lip and gets a call from Mandy. Talk about blast from the past. Turns out she's an escort now and she accidentally killed one of her clients and calls Ian to deal with the aftermath. Ultimately she tells the cops the truth and all is fine. There is a sweet moment shared between Ian and Mandy which is nice to see. Reminiscent of early seasons of Shameless. Kev accidentally informs an immigration officer that Svetlana is here without a visa. Since Kev is already married V offers to marry Svetlana in order to keep her in the country. After all gay marriage is legal in Illinois! But Kev gets jealous and said neither of them is marrying anyone else. I wonder how they'll make it work to keep Svetlana here. Kev and V are usually pretty crafty so I have faith in them. I think I'm most excited to see where Carl's story and character arc is headed. So far it's been the most impressive one to me this season. Liam has been pretty lacking in recent episodes. Would definitely love to see more of him. That kid is adorable. What are your thoughts on this season so far?

[ginalotalkstv]

The Bachelor: Season 20 Episode 11

So as predicted from episode 1 Ben picked Lauren B. Not surprised in the least bit I do kind of think he made a mistake. The way he described his feelings for each woman made it seem like JoJo was a better long term fit for him. Maybe one day he'll realize he screwed up. Oh well. The whole after the final rose felt like a bunch of nonsense to me. I think even though I knew Ben would pick Lauren I don't like them as much as I like Shawn and Kaitlyn for one another. Again, oh well. Also as predicted JoJo is the new Bachelorette! This I am so happy about because I feel like she has a great personality to carry the show. When I heard the rumors that Caila would be the new Bachelorette I knew there was no way from a casting perspective that they would ever build a show around her. She has no personality and comes off as not being genuine. That's my opinion anyway and apparently a lot of other people agree with me too. Looking forward to watching JoJo's show and seeing the guys they pick for her. Not to sound sappy, but I hope she finds a good one. She seems to genuinely deserve happiness. Thoughts about JoJo as Bachelorette or Ben's final rose?

[ginalotalkstv]

Bates Motel Season 4 Episode 2: "Goodnight, Mother"

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “Goodnight, Mother" do not read past this point. You have been warned. Mother of god, Norman has totally lost it. It's hard to even say how much worse he can get because he is so batshit crazy right now. This is what I've been waiting for with this show but seriously, damn. I personally hope they don't keep him locked up too long because I want to see him go full crazy. He legitimately scared me at the end of this episode when he was arguing with Norma while holding a gun. Props to Freddie Highmore though. He is a fantastic actor and that is beyond apparent in this episode. I feel bad for Sherrif Romero. I can't help it. I just like him and even though he didn't want to marry Norma at first (really.. Can you blame him?) I can tell he really cares for her which is why he put the money up for Norman to go to the mental health place and also why he said he'd marry Norma. I don't even like Norma so I'm not sure why I root for them. I enjoy Vera Farmiga's portrayal of her but don't care much for the character. This is the most sympathy I have felt for her so far. I think for a minute she actually feared for her life in this episode. Dylan and Emma's storyline is so far relatively boring. She survived her surgery and it looks like she's going to make a full recovery! That is, unless Norman gets to her first. Really looking forward to where this season / storyline is headed. How psycho is Norman going to get? Will he stay locked up for awhile? Here's hoping he doesn't! What are your thoughts on this season so far?

[ginalotalkstv]

House of Cards Season 4 So Far

This season is just one giant throwback to every character who hasn't been in the show since season 1. That's all. Will report back when I finish the entire season.

[ngalitzine]

The things I tell you will not be wrong.

[ginalotalkstv]

Season 6 Episode 8:"Be a Good Boy. Come for Grandma"

WARNING: CONTAINS SPOILERS. If you have not watched “Be a Good Boy. Come for Grandma” do not read past this point. You have been warned. Leave it to Queenie to keep the Gallagher clan highly functioning. God I hope this means Sherilyn will be in next season too. She's much more helpful and functional than Monica and the kids all really seem to benefit from having her around. Minus Fiona. Debbie's new guy who was really just into pregnant girls creeped me out, probably because there are people out there who have a pregnancy fetish. I'm glad Carl got himself out of the drug world and as a hilarious additive Frank took his place. What won't Frank do is the real question? I'm kind of over Fiona and Sean. I think I have been for awhile. I understand why he was upset about his kid finding a gun but I feel like they've both known they're not really right for each other for awhile so it's annoying to me that it's still happening. The scene with Lip and Queenie was extremely awkward but sort of hilarious at the same time. And now Lip is cured of Helene! Another victory for Queenie. This season has been semi slow moving in terms of major plot lines but I'm still enjoying it. Looking forward to more of miss Queenie and the Gallagher kids. Still keeping my fingers forever crossed that Jimmy Steve will come back for real. A girl can hope. What are your thoughts?

[ginalotalkstv]

11.22.63: Part 3

I have no idea what it was specifically but this episode seemed the most truthful to the book to me. It felt more like the book come to like than the two previous episodes. Perhaps it was the dance scene with Sadie and the fact that we're getting to the real meat of the plot. I'm still not trying to form too much of an opinion until I've seen the entire thing. I'm doing my best to stay objective! But it's hard. Especially when you love a book as much as I love this one. I know some people were bothered by the location change during last weeks episode and the fact that Bevie from the Levie and Ritchie from the ditchie were removed from the story but I also understand from a show running perspective why it makes sense to make those changes. Certain things are easier to explain with words than with images. Jake does a ton of (semi unnecessary) driving in the book. So I get why they would want to cut that down as much as possible. Really looking forward to seeing these last 5 episodes unfold! How do you feel about the adaptation so far? Fan of the book or not!

[ginalotalkstv]

The Bachelor: Season 20 Episode 9

As predicted, pretty much since week 1, the final two are Lauren and JoJo. Not surprised at all. JoJo would be great bachelorette material if she doesn't win in two weeks. I'm more torn about who I think will get the final rose now then I was originally. I thought it was Lauren from the start but now that he said goodbye to someone and then realized that he wanted to be with her I'm thinking that might be JoJo. Unless ABC is just trying to trick us which could always be the case. If JoJo does win I have no idea who they would make the Bachelorette. I feel like they don't have many likable personalities that could carry an entire show. Should be interesting. I'm beyond excited for the shit show that "Women Tell All" is gonna be. Who's ready?!

[seattlish]