October TV Update

DOCTOR WHO- THE POWER OF THE DOCTOR:  This was a delightful celebration of the classic series with a shocking number of cameos.  This felt as special to me as the 50^th Anniversary Special nine years ago and the best thing the show has done since then.  While the plot definitely raced through a lot of concepts at a frantic pace, like the Flux mini-series before it, I thought it was a great story for her to go out on out with another solid Master story.  Getting to see Ace and the Eighth Doctor and Tegan and the Fifth Doctor resolve their story arcs was a particularly magical addition I never expected to see.I’m very sad to see Jodi leave after only 2.5 seasons.  Her first season was not great, but the other seasons had wonderful stories and she was always spectacular.  That being said, I am insanely excited for the return of Russell T Davies as show runner and David Tennant as a fill-in Doctor for three specials.  This is most I’ve been excited about Doctor Who since the 50^th Anniversary!STAR WARS ANDOR:  This is an expertly crafted series that is absolutely succeeding at its intention.  Some of the episodes are a little too slow to my liking, but the show looks and feels gritty and real in a way that Star Wars TV has never felt before.  Seeing the birth of the Rebellion and life under the Empire is always a fascinating concept.  The action episodes, when they happen, are thrilling and iconic.  I’m particularly enjoying the character of Luthen and getting a substantial look at Mon Mothma’s life.LORD OF THE RINGS:  I had extremely high expectations for this series.  While the series did not move as swiftly or bombastically as I wanted it to, it was still an excellent look at one of the great untold tales of LOTR.  I wanted something with more action and humor, particularly big movie-style battles since this is the most expensive series ever made, and that didn’t quite happen.  But seeing Numenor and Moria at the height of their power was absolutely magic and the mysteries of Sauron and the Stranger definitely kept me hooked throughout.  This was a lot of set up, but next season should be amazing!HOUSE OF THE DRAGON:  Another series that ran a lot slower than I had hoped and felt like mostly setup for a more interesting story to happen in the next year.  I was frustrated by the lack of action and plot development; hell, even by the end of the season, the actual fighting hadn’t even started yet!  But it was an interesting cast of characters, even if I could not tell any of the children apart for the life of me.  The constant time jumps were also disorienting.SHE-HULK:  This was just pure joy.  I loved the hell out of this show.  So funny!  So fun!  I don’t think there was a single stinker in the bunch.  My number one complaint; this should have been a 22 episode season and not just 9.  I do think the final episode made a fatal flaw of overdoing the fourth wall breaking to the point of ruining the reality of the series and its position within the MCU, but oh well.  I cannot wait for more Shulkie!WEREWOLF BY NIGHT:  Another incredibly fun MCU entry that leaves me wanting more.  I loved the retro black and white horror vibe.  Jack and Elsa and Man-Thing were just instantly great characters I can’t wait to see again.  I hope Marvel makes specials like these all the time.I still need to get Paramount to dive into LOWER DECKS S3 which I am sure to adore.   I’m also very excited for the return of THE DRAGON PRINCE today.

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