valyinagyerzsi Reviews

Hawkeye (2021)

Great show, only wish it was longer

[9/10 · 3 January 2022]

All in all, I really really enjoyed this show. I never cared much for Hawkeye, in any of the previous movies, so it took me by surprise how much I liked this.

A few highlights: -Hailee Steinfeld as Kate Bishop is perfect. She is funny, and dorky, but still badass.

-Yelena being a part of this, has been the best decision (along with Steinfeld's casting) for this show. It brought in both emotion and humor, and really put the cherry on top. Her emotional scenes with Clint and Kate, and her chemistry with Kate truly made the show for me.

-Florence Pugh deserves a standalone mention. Absolutely amazing. Took a character that I think would have been a bit unlikable in someone else's rendition, and made her an absolutely heartbreaking tragic character that I can't help but root for.

-Kate's and Clint's reluctant buddy cop relationship is great. As I said, I never cared for Clint Barton, but this show made me like him

-The christmas theme during the whole season really pulled both the story, and the atmosphere of the show together really well.

-Pizza Dog is an absolute cutie, also deserves his own mention -I liked the more grounded feel of this show. I like the grandness of Marvel movies, don't get me wrong, but I really like that the TV shows have and utilize the opportunity to get a feel of how all these grand events influence everyday people's lives. (Especially true for Kate, and Yelena's storyline)

Just two contain some criticism in the review as well: -I really feel that this show could and should have been 8-10 episodes long. A few things could have been expanded on a little more. These 6 episodes had like 3 major storylines packed into them, and mostly, they did a great job of pacing them but I think the last two episodes should have both been 2 episodes at least.

-Some of the fight scenes were a bit B rated. Not bad, and compared to other TV shows, obviously great, but Marvel put the standard high and I kind of feel that this did not reach it.

-Can't say I cared much for the after-credits scene. Would have loved some hint at the future of any of the charactrers instead.

All in all, great job. I really hope they will do a season 2 sometime, maybe focusing on developing Kate and Yelena as the new Hawkeye-Black Widow duo, because they are honestly amazing together.

I'd give this 9.5 stars, if I could.

Supergirl: Parasite Lost (2018) Season 4, Episode 5

Betraying 2 great characters

[1/10 · 12 November 2018]

The episode had some enjoyable moments, Brainy is adorable and charming in ways that Mon-el never was and he is a great addition to the cast, and his interaction with Nia was adorable. Nia is also an amazing character and her relationship with Kara is great, and it's lovely to see such mentorship (which again, completely failed with Mon-el in season 2).

Where the episode fails, and has done so all season and last season too, is James, and his relationship with Lena. I Loved James in season 1. While he had absolutely zero chemistry with Kara, he was a very likable character and was a great example of how someone can be a hero, even if it isn't through superpowers and I loved that they chose a MOC to portray him. Then the whole Guardian thing started and man, they missed their mark. James being Guardian could have worked really well, they could have shown what a human who is not a 'super soldier' like Oliver Queen, can do in a universe full of superpowered individuals, but they didn't and then they visibly have no idea what to do with his character so he continues to waste valuable screentime. Before, he refused to give Lena the benefit of the doubt for having a bad family, but now he does to Agent Liberty even though he is a raging xenophobe. Why?? Also, why would Lena want to be with him?? As with most of its romantic relationships, the show fails to show why they are interested in each other (especially with Lena's side) and instead tells it to us through other characters telling a woman she likes a man (they've done the same with Kara and Mon-el). The whole relationship seems to be pulled out of thin air to give the characters something to do that is not organic at all. They have their female characters say feminist lines ('i stand behind no man' 'i am no damsel in distress, i am supergirl, and i will handle it') and then continue to act the opposite, and let the men in their lives pull BS and then just accept it. This is a disgrace. James says Lena is his co-pilot yet fails to respect her, and by the way, how is it that last season he told Lena to step down because she might have, accidentally, did something to shine negative light on CatCo, yet he has no problem doing it when it's him, and just chases his own ego?

I loved James as the character he used to be, but now he is just a waste of time and I roll my eyes everytime he is o screen, and I am sad to say I'd rather have him leave the show than continue to steal screentime from characters who could use it much better. And as for Lena, she does have some good stories, and it saddens me to see her to be forced into such a silly relationship and being reduced from the BAMF feminist powerhouse she is for the sake of giving James something to do, and for the show to wave a big shining NO HOMO sign because fans are shipping her with Kara. I get that they are not going to go there (a shame, if you ask me) but they could just let the characters be themselves instead of dumping them in relationships with random men who are clearly inferior.

And honestly, the show tackling the xenophobia topic in such a tone-deaf way in today's political climate is is incredibly disappointing. They have a black character helping out and trying to patiently show a dangerous xenophobe he is wrong...Agent Liberty is clearly the equivalent of a white supremacist and James is at his back and call? Really?? God, they really need to start to think these things through.

Fear the Walking Dead (2015–2023)

The show used to be good but it has taken a turn to the worse

[5/10 · 8 November 2018]

So, I have been with this show since Episode 1, watching week after week, and while admittedly, it has started slow, it has become a really interesting story with characters who I was really rooting for. When this season started, many people criticised the time jumps but I have to say, I really loved the format. I loved the contrast between the characters then and the characters now, and while I can't stand the character Morgan, the rest of the newcomers were interesting enough (especially Althea) that I liked how they interacted with the original cast. I even liked the way they let Nick go, it was a lovely episode and got me emotionally invested, even though he has been my least favourite character out of the originals. But there were some worrying signs. Maddison's death was, while emotional, felt stupid and only a way to make space for Morgan to take over the show. The new characters, and especially the three that i totally don't care about about keep taking over while Strand and Alicia, who are so much more interesting and original keep being pushed to the back. There was a few episodes (when Alicia is stranded in the house during the storm with Charlie) that were Amazing, but the rest feels shallow because we are supposed to care about the new characters but we don't, least of all Morgan, who has zero character growth and zero Space for character growth. His character went from preaching and saying he wants to be alone, to preaching and not wanting to be alone. There are many characters that this could have been done better with (Alicia!), and his preaching is incredibly tiring and boring. And now, there are news that he is going to be the lead from now on, which is so disrespectful towards the original characters, most of all Madison of course. And even if we ignore the sexism and agism (and we shouldn't) of pushing a middle aged actress to the side to make space for a story about a dude, when stories of such women in a post apocalyptic setting (and anywhere really) are incredibly rare, it should at least be her daughter or friend continuing the story and her legacy, not some random bloke who has been the same character for about 78 seasons on the walking dead and now here too. Alicia and Strand were my favourites from almost the beginning, even before the show did an unnecessary reboot of itself, so I am going to continue watching but if they continue to push the new characters, especially Morgan (or the cowboy dude) instead of them, I think I might have had enough. I understand that the showrunners are insterested in this/these character(s) but if they wanted them to have their own show, they should have created a new show instead of hijacking this one. Please

Supergirl (2015–2021)

Used to be really good but recently disappointing

[3/10 · 1 March 2017]

I really used to like this show. It was never high television, but Kara is a really likable protagonist, the plot was entertaining enough, and so were the supporting characters. Season 1, even if a bit naive and childish, was very entertaining, and a feel-good show, with some very nice, if a bit heavy handed real life parallels.

Season 2 started much the same, although there was some frantic retconning, with getting rid of Cat (a huge loss to the show), and breaking up James and Kara (wasn't a fan of the relationship at all, but their breakup was badly done), but I guess I could have moved on from that, understanding the real life consequences of the show moving from CBS to CW, and from LA to Vancouver. However, it all started to go downhill from there.

Let's start with the good. I guess, to balance the loss of season 1 regulars Cat Grant, Lucy Lane, and Maxwell Lord, we got some new regulars/recurring characters, Maggie Sawyer, Lena Luthor, and Miss Martian/Mgann. All three of these characters have a lot of potential, and as a female martian, female CEO, and female detective, they are really good additions to a supposedly feminist show, especially with Alex's and Maggie's amazingly heartwarming romance...

Let's move onto the bad though: these amazing characters are very much underused. M'gann had about 15 minutes of collective screen time, before she was written off. Lena is in the show every 5 episodes, and goes through the exact same plot for every single one, where people think she is suspicious, Kara believes in her, and then she proves to be good after all, and Maggie doesn't seem to exist outside of her relationship for Alex. The season's main villain (if you can call someone that shows up about 5 times the whole season that), Lillian Luthor, played by amazing Brenda Strong, could have been really really amazing, but because she is not given enough time to be developed, she comes across as 1 dimensional.

And finally, the worst offense of all, Kara's character is completely assassinated. She goes from sometimes shy, and uncertain, but ultimately strong and pure-hearted, three dimensional character, to the doormat of her newly introduced love interest.

Mon-el, is the fourth "regular" character added in the beginning of the season, and I have to say, the reason for 95% of the problems on the show. He is not a good character, he is a cliché white fratboy, with the small twist that he is from another planet, but even if he was, the way the show is pushing him is not only annoying, but downright heartbreaking. His character is entertaining at first, but the joke of how he is not aware of earth customs quickly merge from funny to annoying and cute to toxic. The jokes about using the wrong word to refer to women and eating pancakes by the dozens quickly merges to that he claims his life was much more easy, when he could objectify women and not care about anyone. He continuously disrespects Kara, and goes against his wishes, and yet Kara falls back into his arms every time, and the show portrays this as cute banter. Literally the only way they could make him look good, was to put him opposite a dude who threatened to destroy the city, if Kara didn't marry him, and he came out only looking slightly better.

Even worse than that, he is inserted into every aspect of the show, and every character, not just Kara is dumbed down to make space for him. We miss important details on the Cadmus story-line, between Alex and Kara, between Alex and Maggie, about Jonn in general (or James), to make space for him, and his relationship with Kara, even though he has no purpose on the show, apart from being Kara's love interest. Kara's whole season 2 arc is centered, and on occasional bright spots, only tied, to him, and yet he shows 0 character development, being the same douchebag to Kara, and everyone else every single episode.

So all in all, this show has lost what made it so good in season 1. The feel good, female focused show is gone, and we have 30 minutes of dudebro Mon-el every week, and I am losing my patience with the show. I am giving until the end of the season, but if he is not gone then, I will not be back for season 3.

Supergirl: Mr. & Mrs. Mxyzptlk (2017) Season 2, Episode 13

Getting Tired of This

[1/10 · 21 February 2017]

I have to say, I have been a fan of Supergirl since episode 1. I have stuck by the show when it first struggled to find it's footing, and when it axed the romance built up all through season 1, in the first episode of season 2, seemingly without a reason (the fact that i was not a fan of that romance probably helped, but from a plot point view it was rushed and weird). I have stuck by Cat and half of season 1's cast leaving, and I honestly loved this show, but I think I am close to being done.

Mon-el has been annoying and stupid up until now, and taking up way too much screen time already, but this week he has graduated to downright abusive and toxic. Again and again, week after week they show us that he is not only selfish and spoilt, but he refuses to respect Kara and literally goes against her wishes. An you know what, if he was just a crappy character that would be fine. If he was a crappy character who also takes up a ridiculously huge amount of screen time, it would be less fine, but still probably something I could get over. But now he gets rewarded for it?? Now he is romantic because he throws a jealous fit, goes against Kara's wishes, literally tries to KILL SOMEONE, and Kara just falls into his arms?? Hell no. This relationship is incredibly toxic, and while effed up relationships are very entertaining on TV, only as long as they are portrayed as problematic and abusive, not if they are propped up and sold as the show's main couple. ESPECIALLY not on a show, that seems to pull in a lot of young viewers, who really shouldn't be taught the lesson, that 'No is a Yes, if you are just persistent enough' or that 'Lashing out to your loved ones, disrespecting them, and ignoring their wishes will be forgiven, even more rewarded if you just say 'sowwy''. and ESPECIALLY NOT on a show that makes such a huge fuss about how feminist they supposedly are.

Moreover, if Mon-el even was a good love interest, which he very much isn't, I would not okay with how Kara basically doesn't seem to have any story lines this season that aren't centered around, or at least tied to him. She is the bloody main character, and yet all of her story lines are either chasing him, mentoring him, trying to turn him into a decent person, or being romanced by him. Kara is the only female superhero lead on TV for DC, and one of the only three along with Jessica Jones, and Skye if you count Marvel too (if you really want to force it White Canary counts too but you have to squint quite hard), would it be really hard that she doesn't get pushed aside for a spoilt white space fratboy on her own show??? Especially because apart from being a love interest, or a bar tender, Mon-el doesn't really have a place in the story. We already have enough heroes as it is (and lets not forget he doesn't actually want to be a hero, he just wants to impress Kara).

And all of this, is getting pushed and forced down our throats at the expense of more Danvers sisters relationship, at the expense of getting to know more about Maggie, Lana, or M'gann, the new characters that actually are interesting and have the possibility of being special, instead of the main character of Project X - Daxam edition, or even at the expense of more sanvers development (which btw is constantly rushed at the expense of this forced mess too).

The situation btw was even worsened this episode, because they brought in Mr.Mxyzptlk to contrast Mon-el, but the only thing they managed to show us, is that they are both equally bad and creepy, but at least Mr. Keyboardsmash is a bit less bland.

The episode's only up-points were the Sanvers moments, which were very sweet, and i'd have loved to see more of, if we didn't have to endure 40 minutes of this intergalactic dick measuring contest.

Winn and his girlfriend were cute enough but the rest of the episode was so terrible, that they couldn't make up for it, even hand in hand with sanvers.

So all in all, I am nearing the end of my patience with this. If they do not rectify the Mon-el situation in an episode of two, I am done for good.

One Day at a Time (2017–2020)

Really great show

[10/10 · 13 January 2017]

I think in the last couple of years this was definitely one of the best sitcoms I have watched. The show found a great balance between being funny, and yet tackling serious topics such as PTSD, sexism or coming out, having really great heartfelt moments, while handling the transition between light and somber very smoothly. The actors' portrayal is all amazing, and so are the characters and their arcs, especially the main three women.

All in all, I would definitely recommend this show. While I agree with previous reviewers that the laughtracks are outdated and unnecessary, they are far from being as annoying, as some people make them out to be.

The 100: Thirteen (2016) Season 3, Episode 7

Refuse to watch after this episode

[1/10 · 6 March 2016]

I am honestly and deeply disappointed. I have been a fan of this show since season one, but Commander Lexa has been one of my favourite characters since her first scene, and I won't be watching the show after her death. The show has lost one of it's best characters, and also played into the dead lesbian trope, literally recreating the scene of her death from another TV show (Buffy) from about 10 years ago. The show and the writers deliberately string along the viewers, and put her love scene back to back with her getting shot, which has been incredibly cruel and disgusting. I expected better from the show, and the writers as well.

May we meet again.