Ryan McGee
Monday Morning Critic: The Best of 2014, Honorable Mentions
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: Not every show can make my year-end best of list, but certain actors, episodes, and other achievements still need to be recognized.
‘The Flash’ Review: “Power Outage”
All shows need to figure out ways to stretch a season-long production budget, especially those with moderate to heavy special effects. So it’s not a huge surprise to get an episode of ‘The Flash’ like “Power Outage,” which functioned as something akin to a double bottle episode. Crafting a sequence like last week’s SUPERSONIC PUNCH costs a pretty penny, and sometimes that means cutting corners in other episodes. So this week’s episode turned off the superpowers for the most part, turned the lights down low, and also turned off most of my interest in the process.
Monday Morning Critic: What ‘Mockingjay’ Has To Do With the Future of Television
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: what the cinematic version of ‘The Hunger Games’ has to do with the future of television.
‘Flash’ Review: “The Flash is Born”
It’s never good to try to predict things when it comes to serialized television shows. And it’s an especially bad idea when those predictions involve something as slippery as time travel. But that’s where we are a scant six episodes into ‘The Flash,’ as tonight’s epilogue all but confirms what most of us have been thinking all along. This show is many things, but “subtle” isn’t exactly one of those.
Monday Morning Critic: Unsung Heroes of the Fall 2014 TV Season
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: looking ahead to year-end lists, and some unsung heroes of the Fall 2014 TV season.
‘The Flash’ Review: “Plastique”
We’re in that phase of ‘The Flash’ in which what’s new has worn off and the season’s true narrative hasn’t yet arrived. As such, we’re in a holding pattern, in which the same basic moves are repeated until the audience learns what’s what in the world of Central City. As mentioned in the last recap, this is all perfectly fine, and even though "Plastique" was a step down from "Going Rogue," it still has some core things that suggest long-term health for the show.
Monday Morning Critic: How ‘Scandal’ Got Its Groove Back
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: how ‘Scandal’ got its operatic groove back.
Monday Morning Critic: ‘The 100′ and What The CW is Doing Right
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: what The CW’s dramas are getting right that those on other major networks are mostly getting wrong.
‘The Flash’ Review: ‘Going Rogue’
Back when 'Angel' first premiered on The WB, it would more than occasionally feature episodes with characters from the mothership show 'Buffy The Vampire Slayer.' Buffy, Oz, Willow, and others would pop by for both ratings as well as some sweet inter-show continuity. And when you have the entire DC Universe to play with, it makes sense for The CW to bring the worlds of 'Arrow' and 'The Flash' together from time to time. Sure, these are two different worlds, but one that shares the same sky, and luckily for us, the same Felicity Smoak.
Monday Morning Critic: Why ‘Last Week Tonight’ is One of the Best Shows on TV
Welcome back to another installment of the Monday Morning Critic. In this space each week, I’ll be looking at the week that was in addition to the week ahead in television. The format will shift each week, as the world of TV will dictate the form and content of each piece.
In this week’s installment: a look at two current HBO shows and some Halloween-themed TV recommendations.