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CW |
Friday, December 14, 2012
'The Vampire Diaries' S4: There's work to be done here.
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
'American Horror Story' 209 'The Coat Hanger' Review
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FX |
Labels:
AHSFX,
American Horror Story,
American Horror Story:Asylum,
Dylan McDermott,
Evan Peters,
FX,
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Jessica Lange,
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Review,
Sarah Paulson,
TV,
Zachary Quinto
Wednesday, December 5, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' 208 Review 'Where's your Christmas spirit, Sister?'
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FX |
At first I wasn’t really sure how I felt about this episode
as it was ongoing. I was fully on-board with the idea of an American Horror Story holiday episode after last season's finale ended with a final shot of the Harmons--dead and ghostly in the house that killed them-- trimming the tree together. But this was the very definition of a filler episode. First of all, visually this episode was a huge let down. There had to have
been any number of cinematic tricks that could have been busted out for this
type of holiday-tinged affair but there wasn’t anything but some cheesy jump-cuts
and jump-scares to be found. I expected better after we’ve had some truly
spectacular camerawork this year. It wasn’t my favorite of the season, but there were
ultimately a few good moments of character development and forward plot motion in it. Jude and Lana both got the chance to show us just
how hard they’re willing to fight, and we were treated to a full episode of the
devil in Sister Mary Eunice running the place with perverse glee as the
Christmas holiday nears. I wish they would have shown us more of the grotesque objects on that tree...but hit the jump to see how the naughty and nice of Briarcliff Manor fared in 'Unholy Night'.
Sunday, December 2, 2012
'Once Upon A Time' 209 Review 'Set Sail for Storybrooke'
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ABC |
Revenge 209 Review - Revelations
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' 207 Review 'The Angel of Death Comes to Visit'
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FX |
Never trust a drunk. That’s something Sister Jude says to our very special guest star, returning S1 cast member Frances Conroy as the Angel of Death, this week on American Horror Story: Asylum and drunk is how you feel during this episode in terms of your own sense of not knowing what the hell is going to happen next.
What we really should come away thinking after tonight’s events are that, much in the same way this was so in season one with the murder house, you can leave Briarcliff but you can never really be free of it. The entire hour played out like a hazy collection of vignettes with little to hold them together except for the "Dark Cousin" of the episode’s title and an overall season theme that’s really starting to make itself known.
Labels:
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American Horror Story,
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Evan Peters,
Frances,
Frances Conroy,
FX,
Jessica Lange,
Lizzie Brochere,
Reviews,
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Zachary Quinto
Monday, November 26, 2012
"Revenge" 208 Review - 'Lineage'
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ABC |
Sunday, November 25, 2012
'Once Upon A Time' 208 Review 'Sleeping Curses For All!'
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ABC |
Well that certainly made up for the ill-advised Red-centric episode two weeks ago didn’t it? We had a reunion, we had betrayal, and we had Aurora is actually going to get to do something that doesn't involve nearly getting killed all the time. Two of those things are related, but let me begin this review by talking up the awesomely badass duo of Cora and Killian.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' 206 Review "The Origins of Monstrosity"
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FX |
It was a back-story bonanza tonight on American Horror Story: Asylum as we peeled back the skin on several characters’ motivations including Bloody Face himself, Dr. Oliver Thredson. ‘The Origins of Monstrosity’ gave us some quality time with some of the darker characters on the series this year, and each was given a chance to try to defend to themselves (and thereby the audience as well) why they are the way they are. Basically, the entire episode boiled down to a study of psychopathy and it brought up the old nature vs. nurture debate.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
'The Vampire Diaries' 406 Review - "We All Go a Little Mad Sometimes"
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' 205 Review 'Oliver Thredson shows Lana his hobby'
“God always answers our prayers, Judy it’s just rarely the answer we’re looking for.”
From the onset of this second season, everyone was placed into certain roles that fit into the dramatic archetypes we’ve all come to expect. There’s a mad scientist doctor, there’s a wrongly accused killer, there’s a sexy French free spirit—it’s all right there but five episodes in it’s clear that expectations are one thing and results are something entirely different altogether. This show loves to take what you think you’re sure of and drop it through a trapdoor into harsh reality.
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FX |
From the onset of this second season, everyone was placed into certain roles that fit into the dramatic archetypes we’ve all come to expect. There’s a mad scientist doctor, there’s a wrongly accused killer, there’s a sexy French free spirit—it’s all right there but five episodes in it’s clear that expectations are one thing and results are something entirely different altogether. This show loves to take what you think you’re sure of and drop it through a trapdoor into harsh reality.
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Revenge 207 Review - "Penance"
'Once Upon A Time' 207 "Child of the Moon" Review
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ABC |
Thursday, November 8, 2012
'The Vampire Diaries' 405 Review: "The Killer" brings out the lamepire in Elena
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CW |
'American Horror Story: Asylum' : Making the case for our Bloody Face
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FX |
Tuesday, November 6, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' Poster Easter Eggs Uncovered
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FX |
One of the most exciting parts of the American Horror Story: Asylum promo campaign was this poster from FX featuring the cast in character for their roles in season two. It was filled with what we assumed to be various hints and clues as to what the new season would contain. Now that we're three episodes in to the season it's become apparent that some of these images truly hold a second meaning.
Check out what we found by taking a second closer look at the poster including some confirmation on character arcs as well as a Bloody Face identity theory.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
'Revenge' 206 Review - The threads of Emily's "Illusion" start to fray
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ABC |
'Once Upon A Time' 206 Review: 'Emma Swan's Portland Hipster Origin Story'
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ABC |
Thursday, November 1, 2012
'The Vampire Diaries' 404 Review - Klaus proposes (a deal) to Stefan
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
'American Horror Story' 203 Review: A "Nor'easter" makes Briarcliff the Devil's playground
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FX |
First and foremost, bless me Ryan Murphy for I have sinned against thee.
Monday, October 29, 2012
'Revenge' 205 Review - "Forgiveness"
Sunday, October 28, 2012
'Once Upon A Time' 205 Review: Dr Whale Revealed
In case the completely different title card wasn't enough of a clue, ‘The Doctor’ doubles as the Halloween episode for Once
Upon A Time. It also finally gave up the answer to one of the most
pervasive questions in OUAT’s mythology thus far: who the hell is
Dr. Whale? In doing so, it showed that there’s often far more interesting
stories in the flashbacks of other lands, both fairy tale and something else
entirely, than there is in the present-day.
Friday, October 26, 2012
The Vampire Diaries 4.03 - "The Rager" Review
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CW |
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Elementary 1.03 - "The Rat Race" Review
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CBS |
Wednesday, October 24, 2012
'American Horror Story: Asylum' 2.02 Review- Tricks and Treats at Briarcliff Manor
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FX |
Labels:
AHSFX,
American Horror Story,
American Horror Story:Asylum,
Evan Peters,
FX,
James Cromwell,
Jessica Lange,
Joseph Fiennes,
Lily Rabe,
Reviews,
Sarah Paulson,
TV,
Zachary Quinto
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Maroon 5 Song Lyrics That Predict Adam Levine's 'American Horror Story' Fate
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FX |
If you caught the season premiere of American Horror Story:Asylum this past Wednesday then you already know that Adam Levine's character Leo suffered a bloody fate. After watching the scenes with the Lovers play out, it's a little difficult to hear a Maroon 5 song without thinking about that grisly image. After a conversation on Twitter brought up how funny it is to hear 'Harder to Breathe' right now in the wake of the events on Asylum ("is there anyone out there cuz it's getting harder and harder to breathe"), we thought there's probably other Maroon 5 lyrics you can pluck right out of their poppy context and view them in a manner that's far more sinister. Here we have five Maroon 5 songs with lyrics that can now have double meaning thanks to the delightfully warped minds of Ryan Murphy and the writers of American Horror Story:Asylum.
*NSFW and Spoiler Alert warnings apply*
Sunday, October 21, 2012
'Revenge' Review 2.04 - "Intuition"
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ABC |
'Once Upon A Time' 2.04 Review 'Introducing Hook'
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ABC |
Friday, October 19, 2012
Vampire Diaries 4.02 Review - "Memorial"
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CW |
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Elementary 1.3 Review - "Child Predator"
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CBS |
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
'American Horror Story' 2.01 Review- Sinners, Saints, and Bloody Face
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FX |
Asylum opens
in Massachusetts in the year 1964, and we are thrust into a landscape where the
characters don’t only need to stay away from a single house in order to stay
safe and sane when the entire world is against certain types of characters.
Monday, October 15, 2012
'Revenge' 2.03 Review - Confidence
This Sunday’s episode of Revenge was all about ‘Confidence’. It made me question if we should be confident in one character’s weird storyline, another’s pending romance, and the possible real paternity of yet one more character.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
'Once Upon A Time' 2.03 "Lady of the Lake" Recap
Tonight’s episode of Once Upon A Time dealt with a family that’s been torn apart across two vastly different lands trying to get back to each other and keep themselves safe from the dangers of both lands while doing so. We were given the chance to see far more of what’s left of the Enchanted Kingdom, there was a touching reunion between one of our favorite OUAT characters and their dearest loved one, and there were also ogres which are apparently far more deadly than giants even though they’re blind as can be and hunt only by sound so maybe a certain character shouldn’t be playing around with her gun in this far-off place. For the sake of narrative clarity, each part of this recap will separately deal with the three places our story currently takes place: Enchanted Kingdom past, Storybrooke present, and Enchanted Kingdom present.
Friday, October 12, 2012
'The Vampire Diaries' 4.01 Review
For four years now The
Vampire Diaries was the standard for teenage demographic-skewing supernatural entertainment on
television. People compared the series to True
Blood along the way and though in some ways this was an apt comparison—hey
they both have vampires in them—it felt like something unique. It suffered from
the presumption of many that it would be Twilight for television—the marketing
did nothing to assuage those fears as the focus was on the sad pretty girl who
would find herself torn between the love of two pin-up worthy vampire brothers.
But something happened somewhere in the first ten episodes of season one—The Vampire Diaries became one of the
most engaging dramatic thrill-rides you could find anywhere in genre
television. It was easy to defend to the haters who thought that it was simply
a televised rip-off of the Twilight novels
because it was filled with rich characters, surprising storyline shifts, and a
growing mythology that wove those characters into the history of the town of Mystic
Falls, Virginia.
Somewhere in the last season however, the wheels began to
fall off of the storytelling, many of the characters became one-note versions
of their former selves, and hardly anything that would be built up story-wise
had a single real consequence attached to it. There are a number of factors
that could be blamed for this decline, but the issue here is here we are in
season four with a brand new chance to redeem the less than stellar season
three…did they do it?
Wednesday, October 10, 2012
'Arrow' Premiere Review
In the CW’s latest offering, Arrow, Stephen Amell takes on the titular role of the vigilante hero from the DC comics universe. The creators of Arrow have decided to go with more of a Christopher Nolan way of handling a superhero story and make theirs a world free from superpowers in order to tell the tale of presumed dead wealthy playboy Oliver Queen. As he makes his return to his home town of Starling City in order to defend its citizens from corruption and greed as well as find personal redemption as his alter ego Green Arrow.
Labels:
Arrow,
CW,
DC comics,
Katie Cassidy,
Review,
Stephen Amell,
TV
Monday, October 8, 2012
'Revenge' 2.02 Resurrection Review
On this week’s Revenge we once again see that you can’t keep Emily Thorne down, even if absolutely nothing is going according to plan.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
'Once Upon A Time' 2.02 We Are Both Review
Following the spectacle of the season premiere with its twist endings, new (old) lands, and family reunions long in the making this week’s Once Upon A Time episode ‘We Are Both’ settled in to deal with a town whose people are in many ways as broken as the curse that once held them from their former lives. It focused mainly on Regina and Charming as each dealt with a bit of an identity crisis now that the curse has been broken.
“I did the fighting, Snow did the talking.”
That’s a quote from Charming/David when he explains to Red/Ruby his frustration with trying to lead the town now that things have changed so dramatically for everyone.
Thursday, October 4, 2012
Elementary 1.02 “While You Were Sleeping” Review
Elementary returned for it’s second episode and we get the chance to see if it can stay on par to the pilot. We also get quite a bit of insight into what Holmes and Watson’s relationship is going to be like this season.
Monday, October 1, 2012
Revolution 1.03 Review: 'The Power of Pellegrino'
All it really takes for a show on the edge of being something truly worth tuning in for every week is that one great episode. Did Revolution achieve that? Not quite yet, but they did make a lot of progress from the first two episodes in ‘No Quarter’ that gives me just a little bit more hope in spending my Monday nights in the blackout future.
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The Militia hauls in Miles Matheson (Billy Burke). |
Once Upon A Time: 2.01 Review 'Magic is back, but at what price?'
We all know magic is back in the real world of Storybrooke, Maine because that’s been the key to the Once Upon A Time season 2 promotion efforts. All the posters and teasers have told us that magic is back, but what was less certain was the price that must be paid for this to have happened. There are rules to how magic can be used in the real world and that’s not the only trick up the creators’ sleeves as the season premiere, 'Broken' shows us what exists beyond the city limits of Storybrooke.
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Greetings from Storybrooke where the curse has been broken but what now? |
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Revenge Season 2 Premiere Review - Destiny
After a long hot summer of missing my favorite sudsy drama, Revenge finally returned to my TV screen and it hardly disappointed.
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Doctor Who "The Angels Take Manhattan" Review
Amy Pond and Rory Williams, ever since they were first introduced with the Doctor’s newest incarnation it’s been hard to imagine one without the other. And as we’ve arrived at the end of their run the question that’s lingering is would they be separated in the end?
Fringe 501 Review: Can we fight this future?
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Freedom Fighters Etta Bishop (Georgina Haig), Astrid Farnsworth (Jasika Nicole), and Peter Bishop (Joshua Jackson) |
Last season, Fringe took us into a future that was bleak, dystopian, and surprisingly controlled by the Observers. Longtime fans of the show know the Observers quite well but they were always less menacing overlords than they were cryptic well, observers, of the human condition. Things had dramatically changed by the year 2036 where least season’s nineteenth episode, ‘Letters in Transit’, introduced us to a young member of the FBI called Etta who first rescued Walter Bishop after he’d ambered himself years ago back when the Observers arrived. Together they also found and freed Astrid and Peter—Etta’s long-lost father, at the expense of Etta’s own partner Simon (Lost alum Henry Ian Cusick). Olivia was nowhere to be found then, but that was just our first glimpse into this brave new world—now in the fifth season we’re living through it .
In last
night’s episode, ‘Transilience Thought Unifier Model-11’, the beginning of the
end of Fringe played out entirely in
2036 where the producers have said we will remain through the season as the
final thirteen episodes fit together in one perfectly serialized arc.
Thursday, September 27, 2012
Elementary Pilot Review
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Revolution 1.02 'Chained Heat' Recap

These recaps will be leaning quite heavily on the snarkier side of things so be forewarned. If you eye-rolled often Monday night this one's for you. For a proper review of the series so far check back with us next week as we see what kind of overall impression the first trio of episodes have made. Remember this is mostly all in good fun. We’ll probably root the ‘bad guys’ in the Monroe Republic on a lot as well. It’s more fun to watch that way. This is a full recap so there are spoilers.
Things kick off with a flashback to a week after the big blackout where we see Rachel with young Charlie as they prepare to leave the city.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
FBF Takes On: Doctor Who 'Power of Three'
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The Doctor (Matt Smith) and Amy (Karen Gillan) ponder the mystery of the cubes. |
This week's Doctor Who made such an impression on us both that we felt the need to share our separate thoughts for 'Power of Three'. Check our reviews out and tell us what you thought about the episode, series 7 as a whole so far, or what you think might be the ending for the Amy and Rory in next week's episode.
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Doctor Who 7.03 "A Town Called Mercy' Review
“We all carry our prisons with us.”
When the series 7 trailer was released, one of the standout portions of it involved the Doctor and his companions Amy and Rory winding up in the American Old West. A locale that the Doctor hasn’t been to in quite some time and since this show is Doctor Who after all, it was a version of the West with a cyborg Gunslinger roaming about as the clear threat. But the real conflict wasn’t quite so cut and dry in this episode, ‘A Town Called Mercy’ and though it wasn’t one of the more thrilling entries in the recent Doctor Who canon, what it did give us was something that there should be much more of in Steven Moffat-run Doctor Who: one pissed-off war veteran.
*Spoilers exist beyond the limits of Mercy. Tread with caution*
Monday, September 10, 2012
FBF's 2012 Fall TV Picks, Skips, and Burning Questions
Summer's pretty much over and that means a return to better clothing and so many of our favorite shows. We here at FromBeyondFandom are eagerly awaiting the fall 2012 TV season's beginning and in the spirit of our excitement we've put together our own personal lists of the things we're looking forward to the most from new shows and returning faves. Check it out, and let us know what things you're most looking forward to and dreading about the new season.
Saturday, September 8, 2012
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Doctor Who - Asylum of the Daleks Review
Thursday, August 30, 2012
FBF Analysis: American Horror Story's S2 Cast Promo
The excitement for the second season of FX's American Horror Story is building by the day now that we're being given a series of tantalizing teaser videos. This morning, EW.com released a pair of new promo videos for the series. The first was a highly atmospheric take featuring a haunting rendition of 'Que Sera, Sera' while almost all the new characters (featuring some returning actors from last season mixed in with the new additions) eerily rest in hospital beds.
The second clip had the same song but a different verse visually as we were given a glimpse into the personalities and situations of the various characters at Briarcliff Asylum. After a couple (dozen) viewings of this clip we at FBF have a few observations and notes about what we've seen so far.
*Character descriptions and details about S2 story-lines sourced Here and Here*
If you notice anything we missed, then by all means let us know in the comment below.
When the clip begins all the key players are frozen on the stage and the action doesn't really begin until we see Leo (Adam Levine) lift his camera and snap a photo--starting the rest of the action and plunging us into Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's sepia-toned nightmare.
The second clip had the same song but a different verse visually as we were given a glimpse into the personalities and situations of the various characters at Briarcliff Asylum. After a couple (dozen) viewings of this clip we at FBF have a few observations and notes about what we've seen so far.
*Character descriptions and details about S2 story-lines sourced Here and Here*
If you notice anything we missed, then by all means let us know in the comment below.
When the clip begins all the key players are frozen on the stage and the action doesn't really begin until we see Leo (Adam Levine) lift his camera and snap a photo--starting the rest of the action and plunging us into Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk's sepia-toned nightmare.
Monday, June 4, 2012
Teen Wolf 2.02 'Shape Shifted' Recap
By the very nature of the word 'recap' there are spoilers throughout.
Teen Wolf’s second episode wastes no time diving into the home life of new character Isaac. As if the mystery black eye wasn’t enough of a hint to what that’s like, we were given the full-on movie of the week treatment as Isaac’s father became increasingly angry when demanding to know all of his son’s current grades. When they were not up to his standards things got really theatrical really fast as his father smashed up dishes for Isaac to clean up, alongside threats of ‘taking this downstairs’.
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