REVOLUTION: take back the power

September, 2012 - present

1 season

20 episodes

I can’t remember why I started watching this series, but I was really hooked on it from the very first episode. Unfortunately, as the series went on I began to feel tired... but well, let’s go step by step.

The series has a very good story. It transports us to a reality where a universal blackout has happened and people have to learn how to live without electricity. The action takes place in the USA, fifteen years after the blackout, when society is reorganized in new nations ruled by militias. No one knows why the blackout happened or how to bring back the power... No one? no, of course, a group of scientists has little devices which are capable of returning the electricity, but militias want them to increase their power, so the devices must be incredibly well protected. 

In order to figure out what happened the series uses flashbacks. Thus, we can see how things were before and just after the blackout. They also show us the characters’ lives before the disastrous event, and how their lives changed after it. And what I liked about this is that the characters are clearly different before and after.

The first season was split into two parts, since they needed to analyze the audiences before filming the whole season. The first ten episodes were simply amazing: excellent plot, good development of the story, intrigue about characters and storyline... and when it finished I was impatiently looking forward to watching the second part. When it finally arrived I was really surprised. What happened? every episode was more boring than the one before because the actions were predictable and nothing happened until the end. At that point, I found myself watching the show just to know how it ended, in case I missed something great.

Regarding the cast, I have to say that I didn’t like the main actors either (except Giancarlo Esposito in the role of Tom Neville). I think they are very limited in their performances, and I would have liked to see more colorful and expressive characters. In addition, I also saw a very tiny evolution in them. It’s true that an evolution before and after the blackout is shown but, in my opinion, they could have had a bigger evolution in the current time too.

The idea of the series is really powerful and it has a brilliant start but the level isn’t maintained which was reflected in its audiences. I know the show has fans who love it, it recently won a Saturn Award as “Best Network TV Series” and it’s currently renewed for a second season, but I didn’t enjoy it and I feel a bit sorry about that. 

I leave some images here and, as always, I encourage you to check it out by yourself and to give your opinion.

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/Vw59xK

PAN AM: let's fly away

September, 2011 - February 2012

1 season

14 episodes

I recently watched this series because it was aired on a local TV. 

Set in 1963, it recreates the relationships between pilots and stewardesses on Pan Am airlines, the big company which revolutionized the international airline industry. But this is only the starting point of a deeper plot, because what the series is really about is an accurate reflection of the 60’s: historical events, political issues, society and their rules and worries. 

What will you see in Pan Am?

• History and politics: the series takes advantage of the airline’s flights to show the political situacion around the world. You’ll see several referrals to presidents and governors and the way politics was affecting international relations.
• Cold War: this is one of the main points of the plot. One of the stewardesses becomes a spy as she can travel around the world without being suspicious. So you’ll be immersed in a world of secrets, intrigue, spies, double agents...
• Art: history and politics aren’t the only reflection of the 60’s, so the show also includes photographers, exhibitions and a little bit of music.
• Fashion: I was amazed about the costumes! Every single character is like a piece of art, seriously! specially the stewardesses with their always-stunning clothes and make-up. It really made me think that people used to be incredibly dressy and stylish at that time.
• Love affairs: of course! love, lack of affection, disappointment, jeaolusy...
• Friendship: I took pleasure in observing how the relation between the characters was built and developed. It was really nice.

The main cast is formed by: Christina Ricci, Margot Robbie, Michael Mosley, Karine Vanasse, Mike Vogel, Kelli Garner and Goran Visnjic. I have to say it was great to see the lovely Christina Ricci in a series’ main role.

Despite starting with big audiences, they decreased fast and the series was cancelled. Its international success and winning a Best Series award didn’t manage to pick it up for a second season either. I think this is an unfortunate ending for a series which deserves a proper one. 

In my opinion, this type of show is the perfect way to do a historical series without being exclusively historical. It’s the perfect way to approach people to that kind of events and to wake up their curiosity about history. Although it wasn’t one of my favourite I enjoyed the time I was watching it, so I encorage you to check it out:

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/T6rhPM

Mistresses

January, 2008 - August, 2010

3 Seasons

16 Episodes

Mistresses is a serial drama which was aired on BBC One a few years ago. It tells us about the relationship between four women in their 30-45 and their love affairs.

I’d never been interested in that kind of series before but I have to own up that I got hook on it. I started watching it because I knew Anna Torv had a little role in the first season, and I ended up watching the whole series.

So, why might you like Mistresses?

• It’s about friendship. The four main characters, four women, have a strong relationship and, despite their busy life, they’re always available to hang out with each other at least once a week (the girls’ night) and whenever someone needs the others. For me, that was a lovely thing to see because sometimes, in real life, everyday issues make you loose contact with friends.
  
• The four characters are completely different, they show different personal situations in life, so everyone who watches the series can find someone they identify with. There’s an event organizer, a little bit posh and promiscuous who hesitates about whether she’s homosexual, bisexual or heterosexual. A widow with two little girls who is trying to move on five years after her husband’s death. A very successful lawyer who desires to get pregnant. And a doctor who has a romance with one of her patients.
  
• The series develops the more intense human emotions throughout the characters’ love affairs: love, jealousy, temptation, desire, guilt, insecurity, anger, disappointment, hope... Impossible not to empathise!
  
• The storyline is very complicated, love affairs are really deep and messy. You may not believe it but the worse things go, the worse they will go, even when you don’t expect it.
  
• The main cast is formed by: Sarah Parish (as Katie Roden), Sharon Small (as Trudi Malloy), Shelley Conn (as Jessica Fraser) and Orla Brady (as Siobhan Dhillon). And I found that all of them played their characters brilliantly!

I very much enjoyed the show. The characters are so lovely that I missed them when I finished watching. The series is really well conducted and I didn’t get tired of so much affair. So, are you curious? I leave here a couple of scenes:

 

Follow these links if you can't watch the videos correctly: http://bit.ly/1bIEAx9 - http://bit.ly/13vyx7g

Breaking Bad: let's cook some meth!

January, 2008 -  September, 2013

5 Seasons

62 episodes

After a little break I’m back to talk about Breaking Bad.

Some friends recommended to me watching this TV Series, but I wasn’t attracted to what they told me about it. Anyway, I decided to start watching the first episodes and give it a chance. And what happened was that I was absolutely hooked on it from minute one until the last episode.

Try to imagine the common boring guy (Walter White) with a difficult personal life, who needs two boring jobs to survive and feels undervalued because he could have been a very successful chemist. Tired of his life, after being diagnosed with lung cancer, he decides to get into drug’s world secretly, trying to do some easy money in order to afford the cost of his treatment and leave some money to his family in case he dies. Can you imagine what happens when you have no idea of where are you getting into? Lots of troubles! Specially if you have a brother in law who works for the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration).

The series is always playing with the unexpected and psychological stress. From the beginning you are getting involved in countless difficult situations that just go from bad to worse even when you think that it’s enough. There’re no great action scenes, but I didn’t miss them. The series recreates all the difficult situations realistically and show them slowly, which makes you get really nervous and bite your nails! And of course, as every good series, you’ll find humor between the drama. 

When I’m watching a TV series I love to look back and see how the characters have changed, how their relationships were and how they are now. And I got what I wanted in this show: a crafted and deep evolution of the characters which, in some cases, is incredible. And of course the characters are played by a brilliant cast. Aaron Paul (as Jesse Pinkman) was my favorite, but I also have to emphasize the performances of Bryan Cranston (as Walter White), Anna Gunn (as Skyler White), Giancarlo Esposito (as Gustavo Fring) and Jonathan Banks (as Mike Ehrmantraut). Some of them have been awarded on several occasions.

I don’t want to finish without talking about how good the photography work is in this show. There’re awesome panoramic landscapes, beautiful locations and amazing frames and timelapses. This makes me think that it’s worth watching the series just to enjoy that.

The series has 5 seasons but it hasn’t finished yet. The series finale will be aired next august (2013)! I’m looking forward to watching what they have done for the finale, I’m sure it will be surprisingly amazing!

Follow this link if you can't watch the video correctly: http://bit.ly/10thkhW