"No Ordinary Brother" is beyond frustrating. The writers go out of their way to maintain a bright, sunny image with a completely predictable plot. First, Jim's brother is terrible, but he's redeemed by the end of the episode. Who didn't see that coming? The writers have to realize that everyone who's watched a couple episodes of the show knows what's coming. The resolution is always easy, and never overly dark. Could Jim's brother have been shot? Yes, and considering his behavior, I wouldn't mind it. But the writers would never do that, because it's out of their parameters of a "safe" show. Sorry, but superheros aren't supposed to be safe.
Another example is the resolution of the cliffhangers. Last week, it was the hand holding which instantly brough Daphne back to normal. This week, it's the deus ex superpower which allows Joshua to change the text in Stephanie's journal. Every continuing character, from the family last week to Joshua, magically isn't a threat anymore and we're back at square one. It's always hard to stop watching a show, but this is the end for me.
Score: 7.5/10
Showing posts with label No Ordinary Family. Show all posts
Showing posts with label No Ordinary Family. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 11 No Ordinary Friends
Why does No Ordinary Family always have to play to the lowest common denominator? I'm all for the fun superhero stuff, but the characters and plot are one-dimensional week in and week out. The crimesolving is one or two steps total, the character problems are resolved easily, and there's nothing to look forward to.
After ridiculously resolving the amnesia problem (seriously, why did writers even add that if nothing would come of it?), Daphne finally does something useful with her powers and probably wins the race for student council president. However, it's done in a cutesy, unrealistic manner and doesn't add much to the episode.
Once again, JJ, supposed boy-genius, acts like an idiot, ignoring all logic to become a "bad boy." The sad thing is, JJ's girlfriend likes it.
The strongest part of the episode comes from the main plot which actually features a legitimate moral quandary (although we know the characters will always do the right thing). Jim and Stephanie get new friends, Dave and Michelle, but it turns out that Michelle is an art thief and they have to turn her in.
I don't even want to get started on Katie, just a bunch of awkwardness before Will/Joshua/Watcher decides to switch sides. Then Katie finds his book. Oh noes!
Score: 8.2/10
After ridiculously resolving the amnesia problem (seriously, why did writers even add that if nothing would come of it?), Daphne finally does something useful with her powers and probably wins the race for student council president. However, it's done in a cutesy, unrealistic manner and doesn't add much to the episode.
Once again, JJ, supposed boy-genius, acts like an idiot, ignoring all logic to become a "bad boy." The sad thing is, JJ's girlfriend likes it.
The strongest part of the episode comes from the main plot which actually features a legitimate moral quandary (although we know the characters will always do the right thing). Jim and Stephanie get new friends, Dave and Michelle, but it turns out that Michelle is an art thief and they have to turn her in.
I don't even want to get started on Katie, just a bunch of awkwardness before Will/Joshua/Watcher decides to switch sides. Then Katie finds his book. Oh noes!
Score: 8.2/10
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 10 No Ordinary Sidekick
I didn't review No Ordinary Family last week, because it bothered me a lot and I didn't want to spend time picking the episode apart and being a grouch. Since this is the midseason finale, I decided to review the episode--regardless of what I felt.
Luckily, "No Ordinary Sidekick" isn't all bad and has a few good things to cling on to. Daphne's mind-wipe was a very cool way to end the episode and the show took a big leap forward by killing off Dr. Childs who wasn't really that useful. George's speech at the end of the episode was a nice way to wrap up the various plots after the sidekicks split.
The bad was again from JJ and the writers' inability to write him as anyone other than a genius-idiot. Remember when JJ set up the fake profile and got Katie to a date and this random guy showed up? Remember that JJ was hiding out and saw what happened? Well, he finally connects the dots after Daphne tells him where Katie met Will. Yeah, he's that dumb, not to mention his idiotic use of powers.
Score: 8.4/10
Luckily, "No Ordinary Sidekick" isn't all bad and has a few good things to cling on to. Daphne's mind-wipe was a very cool way to end the episode and the show took a big leap forward by killing off Dr. Childs who wasn't really that useful. George's speech at the end of the episode was a nice way to wrap up the various plots after the sidekicks split.
The bad was again from JJ and the writers' inability to write him as anyone other than a genius-idiot. Remember when JJ set up the fake profile and got Katie to a date and this random guy showed up? Remember that JJ was hiding out and saw what happened? Well, he finally connects the dots after Daphne tells him where Katie met Will. Yeah, he's that dumb, not to mention his idiotic use of powers.
Score: 8.4/10
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 8 No Ordinary Accident
No Ordinary Family is the hardest show for me to watch each week. I find myself cringing, wringing my hands, getting frustrated every couple minutes, whether it's from plot holes or the characters being dumb. I'm scrounging for reasons why I continue to watch the show, and the end of the line might be here.
"No Ordinary Accident" once again tries to do too much, giving every character their own plot, without fully developing any. The writers have no clue what to do with the two kids. To start, they're both complete morons, unable to capitalize on their powers and do something useful. Instead, they get into every cliched situation imaginable. Daphne continues to lie to the idiot from last week before telling him the truth. JJ hacks the school computer to change a grade and gets caught. Come on...
There was some more crimefighting, this time with Jim's powers possibly not working. But obviously the powers work when he's shot, and Katie finds out there's a chemical that inhibits the powers. The best part of the episode is when JJ and Stephanie work together to perform a surgery on the creepy teacher.
No Ordinary Family needs focus. Every episode doesn't have to have every character, and the show has no depth. Would it be too hard to center on a character for an episode?
Score: 7.6/10
"No Ordinary Accident" once again tries to do too much, giving every character their own plot, without fully developing any. The writers have no clue what to do with the two kids. To start, they're both complete morons, unable to capitalize on their powers and do something useful. Instead, they get into every cliched situation imaginable. Daphne continues to lie to the idiot from last week before telling him the truth. JJ hacks the school computer to change a grade and gets caught. Come on...
There was some more crimefighting, this time with Jim's powers possibly not working. But obviously the powers work when he's shot, and Katie finds out there's a chemical that inhibits the powers. The best part of the episode is when JJ and Stephanie work together to perform a surgery on the creepy teacher.
No Ordinary Family needs focus. Every episode doesn't have to have every character, and the show has no depth. Would it be too hard to center on a character for an episode?
Score: 7.6/10
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 7 No Ordinary Mobster
Looking over the scores for No Ordinary Family, I'm really surprised by the oscillation of the numbers, considering that the vast majority of my scores fall into a fairly narrow range.
The main problem is that the writers don't have a clear grasp of what they want. There are two versions of No Ordinary Family. Most commonly, there are the episodes where the family takes precedent over the superpower, and those episodes are highly annoying. On occasion, there are good episodes where the superpowers and mystery are central.
"No Ordinary Mobster," thankfully, is the latter, but still has major problems with the kids. After George's ADA friend, played by the lovely Amy Acker, is shot. Jim has to get involved and is seen by the gangster who's later killed by the Watcher. Stephanie's plot, in particular, was the strong point of the episode, as we see how far her boss's reach is. But at the same time, the Watcher seems to have his own agenda, not telling the CEO about Jim.
And the kids, still mismanaged into groan-inducing tools. JJ making a fake profile for Katie.. why oh why...The Watcher shows up at the date in lieu of JJ's fake guy. How did he know? There better be an explanation next week. Daphne extorts JJ into helping her impress a boy who spurns her in the end. The main problem is that no one plot for the kids is given enough time to grow. Underdeveloped high school drama + superpowers =/= interesting.
Seven episodes into the season and No Ordinary Family has major kinks to work out. However, "No Ordinary Mobster" can count as one of the better episodes, if that means anything to anyone.
Score: 8.6/10
The main problem is that the writers don't have a clear grasp of what they want. There are two versions of No Ordinary Family. Most commonly, there are the episodes where the family takes precedent over the superpower, and those episodes are highly annoying. On occasion, there are good episodes where the superpowers and mystery are central.
"No Ordinary Mobster," thankfully, is the latter, but still has major problems with the kids. After George's ADA friend, played by the lovely Amy Acker, is shot. Jim has to get involved and is seen by the gangster who's later killed by the Watcher. Stephanie's plot, in particular, was the strong point of the episode, as we see how far her boss's reach is. But at the same time, the Watcher seems to have his own agenda, not telling the CEO about Jim.
And the kids, still mismanaged into groan-inducing tools. JJ making a fake profile for Katie.. why oh why...The Watcher shows up at the date in lieu of JJ's fake guy. How did he know? There better be an explanation next week. Daphne extorts JJ into helping her impress a boy who spurns her in the end. The main problem is that no one plot for the kids is given enough time to grow. Underdeveloped high school drama + superpowers =/= interesting.
Seven episodes into the season and No Ordinary Family has major kinks to work out. However, "No Ordinary Mobster" can count as one of the better episodes, if that means anything to anyone.
Score: 8.6/10
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 6 No Ordinary Visitors
If the last episode, "No Ordinary Quake," is considered a step forward, with everyone finally coming clean, "No Ordinary Visitors" is two steps back. It went back to that agonizing format where the characters have to hide their powers from family members, this time Stephanie's parents. It might have been better with her parents were somewhat likable, but they're pests right from the start, intruding into their lives and being rude to Jim.
The crime-solving element was shoved off to the side to make room for the parents. This time Jim saves Daphne's friend (soon to be boyfriend?) from robbers who went back to kill him. Again, Jim has a sketch without verification, drawing suspicion but no serious inquiry.
Daphne's powers have expanded to included the ability to see other's memories from touch. Maybe her powers will become as broken as JJ's. Certainly Daphne has touched others without it happening, so it seems like her powers are still growing. Does this mean the rest of the family could gain another facet to their powers? Alas, no one cares.
Given the sagging ratings, I'm guessing there are a fair amount of people who aren't happy about the show. My biggest problem is the writers' intentions. They want to make a fun, breezy show about a family with superpowers, but more often than not, it becomes hammy, saccharine and almost a chore to watch.
Score: 8.0/10
The crime-solving element was shoved off to the side to make room for the parents. This time Jim saves Daphne's friend (soon to be boyfriend?) from robbers who went back to kill him. Again, Jim has a sketch without verification, drawing suspicion but no serious inquiry.
Daphne's powers have expanded to included the ability to see other's memories from touch. Maybe her powers will become as broken as JJ's. Certainly Daphne has touched others without it happening, so it seems like her powers are still growing. Does this mean the rest of the family could gain another facet to their powers? Alas, no one cares.
Given the sagging ratings, I'm guessing there are a fair amount of people who aren't happy about the show. My biggest problem is the writers' intentions. They want to make a fun, breezy show about a family with superpowers, but more often than not, it becomes hammy, saccharine and almost a chore to watch.
Score: 8.0/10
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 5 No Ordinary Quake
If next week's episode has some of that Incredibles crime-fighting family stuff, we can look at "No Ordinary Quake" as the episode when No Ordinary Family went from lame family dramedy to an awesome family action dramedy.
The pacing is fast and gives Jim and Stephanie plenty to do--and they finally work together for a change! We see another person who has powers, a woman who's been developed (?) to have cool sonic boom powers. Jim finally tells Stephanie that others have powers and JJ finally tells the truth. At least we can move on from the useless lies now.
"No Ordinary Quake" was the strongest episode so far with everything going on with Jim and Stephanie and JJ finally revealing his powers, but there's still endless pieces to pick apart.
Daphne's powers seem terrible in comparison to JJ's. While JJ can do the craziest math, calculating length, weight, density, and 50 other variables with the naked eye, all Daphne can do is hear a sentence of unspecific information.
Another thing I learned from No Ordinary Family: Pee is in DNA! JJ didn't notice anything funny about it so it must be real!
Score: 8.8/10
The pacing is fast and gives Jim and Stephanie plenty to do--and they finally work together for a change! We see another person who has powers, a woman who's been developed (?) to have cool sonic boom powers. Jim finally tells Stephanie that others have powers and JJ finally tells the truth. At least we can move on from the useless lies now.
"No Ordinary Quake" was the strongest episode so far with everything going on with Jim and Stephanie and JJ finally revealing his powers, but there's still endless pieces to pick apart.
Daphne's powers seem terrible in comparison to JJ's. While JJ can do the craziest math, calculating length, weight, density, and 50 other variables with the naked eye, all Daphne can do is hear a sentence of unspecific information.
Another thing I learned from No Ordinary Family: Pee is in DNA! JJ didn't notice anything funny about it so it must be real!
Score: 8.8/10
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 4 No Ordinary Vigilante
"No Ordinary Vigilante" is probably the end of the road for me, or at least the last episode I'm going to review. I want to find out what's going on with the plant, but everything else is an endless stream of tired cliches that leave me eyes rolling and rolling.
Worst of all is JJ. His insistence on keeping his powers secret is about as painful as watching The Big C and the football storyline is ridiculous beyond belief. We're supposed to believe that football takes absolutely zero physical ability and zero training to be good at. A genius such as JJ can come in and be the best quarterback in the world. Okay, so maybe that's just suspension of belief, but it makes build up before JJ throws the ball a hokey exercise in the whole "let's show him calculating" thing while building up false hope that a more realistic outcome--JJ failing miserably--would actually happen.
I one thing I did like, though, is the family dynamic still at the heart of annoying plots. The final talk between Jim and the vigilante brings things into focus, both for the viewers and Jim. Instead of chasing criminals, Jim should be with his family, and that's exactly where he is in the end.
Score: 7.1/10
Worst of all is JJ. His insistence on keeping his powers secret is about as painful as watching The Big C and the football storyline is ridiculous beyond belief. We're supposed to believe that football takes absolutely zero physical ability and zero training to be good at. A genius such as JJ can come in and be the best quarterback in the world. Okay, so maybe that's just suspension of belief, but it makes build up before JJ throws the ball a hokey exercise in the whole "let's show him calculating" thing while building up false hope that a more realistic outcome--JJ failing miserably--would actually happen.
I one thing I did like, though, is the family dynamic still at the heart of annoying plots. The final talk between Jim and the vigilante brings things into focus, both for the viewers and Jim. Instead of chasing criminals, Jim should be with his family, and that's exactly where he is in the end.
Score: 7.1/10
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 3 No Ordinary Ring
The first two episodes of No Ordinary Family have been nothing short of disappointments. "No Ordinary Ring" is definitely a step in the right direction, and I'm encouraged by several parts of the episode. Jim and Stephanie actively using their powers to accomplish something works much better than one telling the other not to do anything, and adds a considerable amount of action.
On the other hand, however, the kids are near useless. Falling in line with countless other shows, No Ordinary Family makes teenagers annoying, insecure, and generally unlikable. Daphne and JJ once again were given trite plots dealing with teen life in the context of their new powers, and their stories are wrapped up without anything significant happening.
Score: 8.3/10
On the other hand, however, the kids are near useless. Falling in line with countless other shows, No Ordinary Family makes teenagers annoying, insecure, and generally unlikable. Daphne and JJ once again were given trite plots dealing with teen life in the context of their new powers, and their stories are wrapped up without anything significant happening.
Score: 8.3/10
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 2 No Ordinary Marriage
I want to like No Ordinary Family, but I can't help myself from rolling my eyes every few minutes. It's painfully obvious what happens subsequently: the sample ends up in Arizona, Stephanie runs there; Jim tries to block a car, fails initially, but succeeds when it really counts; Daphne thinks Stephanie is talking, but they're communicating telepathically; Jim throws the ball superfast to dunk the guy in the tank. It's like everything is set up so the audience sees it coming and thinks, "That's so cute!" Well, it isn't.
Score: 7.4/10
Score: 7.4/10
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Review - No Ordinary Family Season 1 Episode 1
Let's see exactly how ordinary this family is: Super-strength? Check. Super-speed? Check. Super-intelligence? Check. Hearing others' thoughts? Check. Overly elaborate demonstrations to show the extent of powers? Check. Marriage problems? Check. General family problems? Check. Boy problems? Check. Ethnic sidekick? Check. Evil corporatist? Check.
There's nothing remotely new or refreshing about No Ordinary Family, but the superheroes concept has too much potential to let up after one episode. The one thing I'm interested in--how Michael Chiklis deals with an uncooperative criminal.
Score: 8.1/10
There's nothing remotely new or refreshing about No Ordinary Family, but the superheroes concept has too much potential to let up after one episode. The one thing I'm interested in--how Michael Chiklis deals with an uncooperative criminal.
Score: 8.1/10
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Preview of Week 9/26/10 - 10/2/10
Dexter - Showtime, Sunday, September 26, 9:00pm ET
Ever since the third season, I've been pretty bored with Dexter. Dexter is a fascinating character, but the rest of the characters, with Deb as a small exception, are poorly developed and get a fair amount of screen time. And even the twists within each episode don't do much for me. Still, the huge twist at the end of the fourth season and a change in showrunner might just be enough to lure to back.
Boardwalk Empire - HBO, Sunday, September 26, 9:00pm ET
Boardwalk Empire opened huge for HBO and was quickly renewed by a second season, so hold on--the ride is just beginning.
No Ordinary Family - ABC, Tuesday, September 28, 8:00pm ET
It's cool seeing Michael Chiklis as a good guy, but the superpowers and family drama are ordinary. Seriously, marital problems, guy problems, super strength, super speed, hearing thoughts, and super intelligence aren't supposed to be ordinary? Come on!
Stargate Universe - Syfy, Tuesday, September 28, 9:00pm ET
The show I love to hate is back. Watching SGU is very frustrating. If you look at the scores I gave the show last season (and my scale has since changed to make all scores slightly lower), they weren't all bad. In fact, there were only a couple bad, bad episodes. The good stuff in each episode is overshadowed by some of the dumbest things I've ever seen.
The Good Wife - CBS, Tuesday, September 28, 10:00pm ET
Last season's best new drama is back. Continuing from last season's cliffhanger, Alicia will decide between Will and Peter (although I'm guessing the matter will be unresolved).
Law & Order: Los Angeles - NBC, Wednesday, September 29, 10:00pm ET
Prepare for the onslaught of murdered starlets.
Human Target - Fox, Friday, October 1, 8:00pm ET
Human Target started with a mountain of promise and the ratings were pretty good with a few AI lead ins. But then each episode was pretty much the same, a slight variation of a theme, and the ratings dropped, including my opinion of the show. Hopefully, things will be fine this season.
Ever since the third season, I've been pretty bored with Dexter. Dexter is a fascinating character, but the rest of the characters, with Deb as a small exception, are poorly developed and get a fair amount of screen time. And even the twists within each episode don't do much for me. Still, the huge twist at the end of the fourth season and a change in showrunner might just be enough to lure to back.
Boardwalk Empire - HBO, Sunday, September 26, 9:00pm ET
Boardwalk Empire opened huge for HBO and was quickly renewed by a second season, so hold on--the ride is just beginning.
No Ordinary Family - ABC, Tuesday, September 28, 8:00pm ET
It's cool seeing Michael Chiklis as a good guy, but the superpowers and family drama are ordinary. Seriously, marital problems, guy problems, super strength, super speed, hearing thoughts, and super intelligence aren't supposed to be ordinary? Come on!
Stargate Universe - Syfy, Tuesday, September 28, 9:00pm ET
The show I love to hate is back. Watching SGU is very frustrating. If you look at the scores I gave the show last season (and my scale has since changed to make all scores slightly lower), they weren't all bad. In fact, there were only a couple bad, bad episodes. The good stuff in each episode is overshadowed by some of the dumbest things I've ever seen.
The Good Wife - CBS, Tuesday, September 28, 10:00pm ET
Last season's best new drama is back. Continuing from last season's cliffhanger, Alicia will decide between Will and Peter (although I'm guessing the matter will be unresolved).
Law & Order: Los Angeles - NBC, Wednesday, September 29, 10:00pm ET
Prepare for the onslaught of murdered starlets.
Human Target - Fox, Friday, October 1, 8:00pm ET
Human Target started with a mountain of promise and the ratings were pretty good with a few AI lead ins. But then each episode was pretty much the same, a slight variation of a theme, and the ratings dropped, including my opinion of the show. Hopefully, things will be fine this season.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Thoughts on Comic-Con + reviews of No Ordinary Family and Nikita
I live in San Diego, so I can buy a one-day pass and not feel bad about wasting my time (as opposed to people who come from far away). Anyway, I was planning on watching The Event premiere after the Chuck panel, but I got in line waaaaay too late... so I missed both. Still, things turned out all right as the Family Guy panel after Chuck was pretty awesome and I got to see a clip of the third Star Wars parody and Seth MacFarlane perform the down syndrome song.
I saw a bunch of stuff and I'll upload pictures, but more importantly, I saw the pilots of No Ordinary Family and Nikita.
Without giving away too much, No Ordinary Family is as ordinary as it gets: Generic powers, generic family, generic jokes. But hey, I got a free shirt.
On the other hand, Nikita was truly awesome. Despite missing the first couple minutes, which I presume was Nikita in a bikini (really disappointed in missing that), I had a blast the entire time. High octane action scenes, fast pacing, and jaw-dropping cinematography really blew my mind, far outstripping my expectations. The plot, too, was impressive, allowing for free range of creativity.
My feet hurt and I'm tired, so that's all I have for now, but if I have more, I'll post a later day.
I saw a bunch of stuff and I'll upload pictures, but more importantly, I saw the pilots of No Ordinary Family and Nikita.
Without giving away too much, No Ordinary Family is as ordinary as it gets: Generic powers, generic family, generic jokes. But hey, I got a free shirt.
On the other hand, Nikita was truly awesome. Despite missing the first couple minutes, which I presume was Nikita in a bikini (really disappointed in missing that), I had a blast the entire time. High octane action scenes, fast pacing, and jaw-dropping cinematography really blew my mind, far outstripping my expectations. The plot, too, was impressive, allowing for free range of creativity.
My feet hurt and I'm tired, so that's all I have for now, but if I have more, I'll post a later day.
