Well, Happy New Year, everybody! So, first post of 2015, ten days in. Nothing unusual here. Hope everyone had a nice holiday season. Haven't seen much of note of late. Winter doldrums, you can call them. No new series unless they are mid-season premieres, and typically, it's rare to stuff something in mid-season and have it be any good.
Marvel's Agent Carter is no exception. I'm not really sure why people would think focusing on a tale about a superhero, without featuring the actual superhero, is a good idea. I mean, at that point, it's just a glorified extra, right? I mean, you think, sure, where would Batman be without Commissioner Gordon? Or Superman without Lois Lane? Or Lex Luthor without Miss Tessmacher? Exactly. They'd be fine. And let's face it, Commissioner Gordon, Lois lane and Miss Tessmacher are all pretty normal, boring people, when you get right down to it.
Well, marvel's Agent Carter, is about Captain America's girlfriend. If you've seen the recent movie, Agent Carter was a pretty extra they tossed into Captain America's recent origin story remake to add a love interest. I mean, I'm sure, like most guys, Captain America, aka Steve Rogers, had a love interest. But this is the first time I've heard Agent Carter being introduced. Honestly, I get the whole "strong heroine" type thing, I really do. I love strong heroines, myself. But let's face it, guys. You're taking an extra you threw in for color, to make Captain America's story more interesting (because Cap is, well, let's face it, pretty blah as a character), and trying to make a series out of her. I mean, that's not even like taking Robin away from Batman and giving him his own series, no. What you're doing, is taking one of Bruce Wayne's ex-girlfriends, who he doesn't even see anymore, and making her into some sort of secret super-agent. And she never was. But, let's sum up, and you can make your own decision.
Agent Carter, in the Captain America movie, was essentially a female field agent, basically a liaison officer, between the army, and stark enterprises. Needless to say, she falls in love with captain america, and then captain america is lost at sea for 70 years at the end of WW2. So, of course, Agent Carter actually dies of old age before Cap wakes up in the 21st century. So, she's not only an extra, but a made-up love interest that dies before Captain America's story really takes off.
Now, in the series, what she is, is a post-war agent who is basically thought of as a secretary by her male co-workers. So she moonlights for tony stark's dad, howard stark, as a sort of double agent, as he tries to clear his good name. So, she's a traitorous double-agent working for a greedy rich guy. Sheesh. Almost sounds like a villain, now.
So, let me see here. The setting, post-ww2 americana, with period-style costumes and cars. Nah, not working for me. Female heroine, good looking, kicks ass. Meh, okay. Looks like a typical 1950's era secretary while doing it? Bleh. No style. Villains? Do't know yet. Weapons dealers, perhaps? Someone who has stolen Stark industries technology. Possibly Hydra? Who knows at this point? Two episodes in and so far it's just not working for me. If it doesn't interfere with any other shows, I'll keep watching it, let you know if it gets better.
Netflix has some shows being taken off instant streaming. One is Wallander, which IS actually pretty good. Kenneth Branagh plays a detective in Sweden, I think. Luckily, none of the show is actually in swedish, otherwise, I'd be lost. But, they have some decent cast members. David Warner plays Wallander's dad, a local painter of some notoriety who is struggling with dementia. Wallander himself has so many issues that one would wonder how he manages to wake up every morning, and solve these horrific murders in his otherwise quiet region. But he does. Also, the guy who plays Loki in the avengers movies plays a fellow officer.
The writing and dialogue seem pretty good. Wallander is an effective policeman, but his life is pretty miserable most of the rest of the time. I find it funny that the man has yet to sleep in a bed. Chairs, couches, desks, once he slept in his car. No beds. Not a ton of action. More of a thriller, suspenseful, murder mystery type thing, with a bleak outlook and background to it. Sort of like Tom Selleck's Stone Cold series, is the closest thing I can think of here in the states.
I am surprised how much Kenneth branagh has aged last time I saw him. Can't quite recall what movie it was in, but he's barely recognizable as the same guy. Or, I may be thinking of someone else. It's possible. I mix up the Hemsworth brothers all the time. David Warner, who I first saw in Nightwing back in the mid-70's, has aged incredibly well. Yes, he looks older than he did in the 70's, and he should. That was 40 years ago. Frankly, I'm surprised he's still alive and acting, but he is good at his craft. Plays a dementia/alzheimers patient with great skill. Either that, or he really has dementia.
Agent Carter is on um, ABC, I think? One of the main channels. Wallander is on Netflix, but they take it off streaming on February 1st. If you want to watch it, there's currently 9 episodes, each an hour and a half long, so, like movie-length episodes. I like Wallander more than Agent Carter, so far, except, well, Agent Carter is a damn sight better looking.
That's all for tonight. It's late. When I have something good to review, you guys will be the first to know.
No comments:
Post a Comment