Geekery | Amy C. Shaw

Fave 5: Sherlock Episodes

July 14, 2017 • 4 Comments

My husband and I have spent the past couple of months watching every episode of Sherlock for the first time ever and we greatly enjoyed it! Now we’re hoping for and waiting for Series 5 just like every Sherlockian out there!

And even though I didn’t include an episode from season 1, I really did enjoy it too. Episode 3, The Great Game, would be my number six pick. In order of airing…

(Mild spoilers below)

1. The Reichenbach Fall (Season (Season 2, Episode 3)

The standoff between Sherlock Holmes and Jim Moriarty comes to a head, and Sherlock is faced with a choice to let Moriarty go or to save those he loves. Or is there a third option? Aside from it just being a great episode, it’s also nice to see Sherlock’s more caring side.

2. The Empty Hearse (Season 3, Episode 1)

Two years after his supposed death, Sherlock returns for a new investigation, and Watson is less than pleased for being kept in the dark. I enjoyed Watson’s reaction to Sherlock in this one, as well as their moment in the train at the end. It was also fun to see a variety of theories as to how Sherlock may have faked his death scattered through the episode (I have to imagine some of these came from fans).

3. The Sign of Three (Season 3, Episode 2)

John and Mary are getting married, and as best man, Sherlock takes his duty to give a speech very seriously. In possibly the worst and most long-winded best man speech in the history of weddings, however, Sherlock, of course, manages to solve another mystery. This was another one where I really enjoyed seeing Sherlock outside of his usual element.

4. The Abominable Bride (Season 4, Episode 0)

Most of this episode takes place in the past, as Sherlock imagines himself solving a case in the vein of the original Sherlock Holmes we know. Such a fun tribute, while still managing to move the present-day story forward.

5. The Lying Detective (Season 4, Episode 2)

Season 4 overall is both really good and really messed-up. In this particular episode, Sherlock is determined to uncover the truth of business mogul Culverton Smith. The case in itself is really interesting, but then at the end of the episode a total bombshell is dropped that changes what Sherlock thought he knew about his family.

Overall, I loved so much about this show, particularly the intricate plots filled with surprising twists that left me aching for more episode after episode. And it’s really hard to go wrong with Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman side by side. They truly nail the characters. If you haven’t seen Sherlock yet and have any interest in the original Sherlock Holmes, or just love great storytelling, I’d highly recommend it!

Have you been Sherlocked? Which episodes are your favorite?

Movie Review: Spider-Man: Homecoming

July 11, 2017 • 6 Comments

It’s been a while since I’ve really posted a review, especially a movie review, and I felt like sharing my thoughts on the MCU’s latest offering: Spider-man: Homecoming.

Spider-man: Homecoming is probably not going to be lauded by most as the best Marvel has to offer, but I think it’s safe to say most will consider it the best of Spider-man. Tom Holland nails his role as a nerdy and quirky Peter Parker, who is a total Hufflepuff by day, and Spider-man-with-training-wheels-but-doesn’t-know-it by night. Even if you feel burned-out on Spider-man after so many reboots, if you had any love for the character in Civil War I’d definitely recommend checking out Homecoming.

A few of my favorite things about the movie:

Peter’s such a good guy. He hasn’t been jaded and I love his pure enthusiasm. His main desire seems to be to do the right thing.
Peter’s not a perfect Spider-man. He really has to work to develop his abilities.
High school awkwardness. So much on-point high school awkwardness and I loved it.
Captain America PSAs. Enough said. 🙂
Peter’s friend Ned. Ned feels like such a real high school student, rather than a glamorized version of one, and I really appreciated that. Plus he is a good friend to Peter.
Peter makes a choice that gives him a nice little arc. I don’t want to spoil anything, but Peter shows some maturity towards the end of the movie that I thought was a nice touch.

Also, not necessarily a favorite thing about the movie, but something I did appreciate, is that there isn’t really a romance. Peter does pine after a girl, but they never kiss or go on a real date, and at the end he doesn’t “get” her. It was refreshing and felt more realistic!

But it wasn’t perfect…

The villain. I appreciated a certain aspect that I won’t spoil, but overall he was really pretty boring. Villains that aren’t named Loki really are Marvel’s Achilles heel.
Really… that’s the main thing.

Right now I feel Marvel is trying to walk the tightrope between taking itself too seriously and being too light with their movies since Civil War. While I really liked the turn of Winter Soldier, Age of Ultron fell a little flat, and Civil War never completely worked for me, so I’m enjoying the levity. Right now, I’m enjoying the high-quality popcorn entertainment Marvel provides, but I am curious to see how this might ultimately tie together for a deeper storyline.

Have you seen the latest Spider-Man? What are your thoughts?

My Top 10 Episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation

May 26, 2017 • 3 Comments

Not too long ago, my husband and I were talking about startrek.com’s poll results of fans’ favorite top 10 episodes of all of Star Trek. I disagreed with some of the episodes and definitely the order, so my husband suggested I create a top 10 list favorite of each series, and then at the end of our current rewatch do my own top 10 of all the series. Last month I shared my top 10 favorite episodes of the original series, and today I wanted to share my top 10 episodes of TNG. In descending order…

10. Data’s Day

A day in the life of Data proves to be anything but typical in this episode. It also features one of my favorite poems of all time, “Ode to Spot.” 😉

9. Disaster

When members of the Enterprise crew are isolated to different sections of the ship thanks to a disaster, they have to work in atypical pairs/groupings to find their way back to each other. (And now I have a great idea for an Escape Room style game…)

8. Lower Decks

This episodes provides a glimpse into the lives of some of the younger, less experienced officers aboard the Enterprise

7. Parallels

One of the best uses of an alternate timeline I’ve ever seen, in which Worf has to set things back to how he remembers them to be.

6. The Measure of a Man

An episode which explores just what it is to be human.

5. The Drumhead

When Picard is put on trial for some of his actions, he has to defend himself against someone who seems determined to see him fail.

4. The Inner Light

An alien probe affects Picard as he lives out another life as another man.

3. Yesterday’s Enterprise

Another great use of an alternate timeline in which the Federation is in the middle of a brutal war.

2. Best of Both Worlds

The Enterprise encounters the Borg and Picard gets assimilated. Whaaaaat.

1. Chain of Command

A Cardassian is determined to get answers out of Picard that he doesn’t have in this compelling look into the psychology of torture.

Which episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation are your favorite?

My Top 5 Episodes of Voyager Season Four

March 27, 2017 • 3 Comments

As my husband and I are going through our second full watch of Star Trek as a couple, I thought it would be fun to report on the highlights along the way. So I decided to copy the same format as Charlene. See her favorite episodes of Voyager Season Four.

Season four, when Kes has departed and Seven comes on board. This is also the season of what I have long proclaimed to be the best episodes of Voyager, but stay tuned to see how my feelings have changed a little. Also, while the show is probably stronger this season than in the previous, thanks to DS9 really getting good I started losing interest and found less episodes from this season of Voyager standing out in my mind.

I will give an honorable mention to the episode “One,” for some nice Seven development. On with the top 5…

5. Nemesis

I’m not super crazy about everything in this episode, mostly how the dialect of the people carries over in a different way than it normally would with the universal translator, BUT the ending of the episode is one of those whoa moments, especially since I had completely forgotten the ending of this one. While many of the episodes from season four blur together in my mind, this one does stand out.

4. Waking Moments

I’m kind of a sucker for episodes involving dreams, and in this episode an alien species poses a great threat to Voyager through their nightmares.

3. Living Witness

This is definitely a very thought-provoking episode that makes you think of how we view history with our preconceived biases.

2. Year of Hell Parts One and Two

These used to be among my favorite episodes of all of Voyager, but aren’t even my favorite of the season this go-around. I think most of the tension was gone for me during this rewatch, and I didn’t remember the villain being the way he was, and I found him underwhelming this go-around. I think I was a little more engaged in part one, but by part two I was kind of over it. Of course, it probably didn’t help that there were several days between my viewing of part one and part two. Also, I think one of my favorite things about this episode this time was the friendship between Tuvok and Seven, which sadly we don’t get to see portrayed in quite the same light again.

1. The Killing Game Parts One and Two

Like how I’m a sucker for dream episodes, I’m also a sucker for anything where we see our crew (in any Trek series) in another time period. In this two-parter, most of the crew is forced into a WWII themed holosuite program by an alien species who thrives on hunting their enemies.

What are your favorite episodes of Voyager season four?

My Top 5 Episodes of DS9 Season Six

March 22, 2017 • 4 Comments

I seriously can’t believe that my last Star Trek recap post was in October! Timeless, Agents of SHIELD, Designated Survivor, and basketball season seriously slowed my Trek viewing down! Also, stay tuned for my Voyager season four recap coming soon!

So things are getting really real in Season 6 of DS9, but there are still some dud episodes (most notably Profit and Lace… YIKES). But I feel pretty strongly that my top two episodes for this season though are among the best of the series, arguably of the entire franchise. So stinkin’ good. On with my top five…

5. Inquisition

I think I mostly like this episode because it sets up the future of Sloan-Bashir and Section 31, including an episode next season I really love, Extreme Measures. Every time I see William Sadler, I think of his role of Sloan first.

4. You Are Cordially Invited…

Before she can marry Worf, Jadzia has to prove herself worthy to become a member of the House of Martok. But the real gem of this episode is Bashir and O’Brien suffering through Worf’s “bachelor party.” My favorite thing is when Bashir has a “vision” that he’s going to kill Worf.

3. His Way

Odo and Kira… blah, blah, blah… That’s fine, but for me this episode is about Vic Fontaine! I love the introduction of James Darren’s character and look forward to more Vic moments in season 7!

2. Far Beyond the Stars

This episode has a little bit of everything… It’s fun to see our usual characters playing different roles. It speaks on the power of storytelling. And it has a powerful message about racism.

1. In the Pale Moonlight

This commentary on morality in war and those gray places we can find ourselves in make this one of the most compelling episodes of Star Trek ever.

What are your favorite episodes of Deep Space Nine, season 6?

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