'Bates Motel' 1.07 Review "The Man in Number 9"

A&E

It seems that just because the nefarious Deputy Shelby is gone, the horrors for Norma Bates have only just begun. Between living with the aftermath of a murder on her property, the impending possible failure of the grand opening of the Bates Motel, and dealing with her hormonal mentally fragile son’s first crush, blood stains on the stone steps of her house are the least of her worries. Read on to see how first love stings all the more when there’s darkness deep inside of a young boy and why ‘The Man in Number 9” is possibly the creepiest character this show’s had yet.

'Once Upon A Time' 2.20 "The Evil Queen" Review

ABC

It’s clear that the second season of Once Upon A Time is gearing up for its finale, but tonight’s episode ‘The Evil Queen’ only spent a fraction of its time showing how the sides will shake out for the impending war on Storybrooke and magic on Earth in general. This show is still employing some techniques that the writers should know better about using, including an over-reliance on flashbacks that don’t mean anything. Read on for why someone needs to give Regina a hell of a talking to, and why it’s such a frustrating feeling to want to support some characters even when they’re in lame story lines.

'Revenge' Review - "Identity" 219

ABC

This week on Revenge, Nolan gets a big slice of the red sharpie shaped revenge cake.

'Doctor Who' Review - 710 "Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS"

BBC

Hold onto your fezzes, we’re about to take a Journey to the Centre of the TARDIS!

'The Vampire Diaries' Review 4.20 -"The Originals"

CW

Holy Breaking Dawn, Batman!  The Originals backdoor pilot comes with one hell of a supernatural trope that is sure to divide fans.

'Bates Motel' 1.06 "The Truth" Review

A&E

Several truths were uncovered on tonight's episode of Bates Motel. Now that Norma knows the truth about Deputy Zack Shelby, this episode didn’t waste any time at all in letting the consequences unfold. We were also shown all of what happened to Norman’s father, Sam. Both of these events led to an eerie extended look at how Norman’s mental breaks play out and it definitely called back to the source material.

'Hemlock Grove' 1.01 "Jellyfish in the Sky" Review

Netflix

Have you heard of the latest Netflix original series, Hemlock Grove? If so, it’s probably due to the flashy marketing campaign touting all the blood, sex, and general depravity in red-band trailers (as well as the horror pedigree of a certain Eli Roth attached to the title) as well as recent NSFW clips featuring bone-crunching supernatural phenomena in action. Maybe you’ve even read the novel by Brian McGreevy. One thing’s certain however, this is truly Netflix’s way of branching out with the original series because this couldn't possibly be any more different than House of Cards—this series isn’t meant to be serious sophisticated high art though. Part of its charm is its messiness; the sometimes awkward dialog for example is a hallmark of campy horror entertainment and the first episode of Hemlock Grove is far more enjoyable if that part of it is embraced.

Taken on its own, the debut hour of the series is an enigmatic intentional slow-burn that puts into play characters and situations that will hopefully blossom fully during the next twelve episodes. This is truly a perfect show for the all at once release model Netflix is favoring as of late—I do wonder how patient viewers would be with this series if they had to wait for a new installment each week. Certain pacing structures really seem to frustrate some people.

'Once Upon A Time' 2.19 "Lacey" Review

ABC

The last time Once Upon A Time aired, I think it was a month ago or something like that since their scheduling has been awful this year, I had just about fully had it. Officially. From the absurdity of Tamara’s tazer to the god-awful ‘happy ending’ for August that tore Eion Bailey from our screens, this show worked against my nerves with hardly a decent outing since ‘The Miller’s Daughter’.  So when it came to be that ‘Lacey’ was going to feature one of the things I’ve truly come to despise—the Rumbelle forcing—I dreaded the return of OUAT. Now that I’ve seen it, I’m surprised to find that I didn’t actually want to blind myself during like I thought I may want to.

There was a clever deviousness in Regina’s plan to change Belle that redeemed her action from being on the surface, at the emotional level of a slighted teenage girl. At first it seemed that Regina was lashing out at Mr. Gold purely because of the fact that he could hang out with the get-along gang, which includes her adopted son Henry, now that his parentage has been revealed to hold a link to Gold himself.

'Doctor Who' 709 Review - "Hide"

BBC

Get out the salt and call the Winchesters, this week’s episode of Doctor Who, “Hide”, was a very spooky affair.

'The Vampire Diaries' 419 Review ' "Pictures of You"

CW

This week on The Vampire Diaries, we are subjected to our very last school dance: Senior Prom!  

Make it Noah Bennet's Show and Other Advice for the 'Heroes' Revival

NBC

It’s not a secret that we here at Beyond Fandom are hardcore Heroes fans.  We actually met each other because of the show, and we both remain defenders of all four seasons. But it’s been off the air for a while and we both are also in the minority of being fine with how it ended.  So today’s news via TVLine that MSN is looking to revive the franchise was met with mixed emotions.  Especially with talk that they’d be looking for some of the original cast to cameo in the series.  Certainly it would be quite unlikely that many of our favorites would want to step back into the series since some of the stars of the show have moved onto films and other endeavors. Instead of being pessimistic toward this concept, we decided to try and focus on what we would want from this possible reboot of the series.

Bates Motel 105 'Ocean View' Review

A&E

It’s a brave thing for any show, no matter if they’re beginning their freshman season or if they’ve been on the near for nearly ten years, to feel free to let a story play out naturally. So many television series are stuffed with filler episodes and C-minus plots that drag down the main theme. Bates Motel should be lauded that nearly half-way through their first season they haven’t missed a beat in laying out their main storyline as introduced in the pilot of the secret sex slave trafficking ring in White Pine Bay. They’re also not afraid to keep things unpredictable regarding the actions and consequences of our main characters. But what the story was truly about in ‘Ocean View’ was a battle being waged for both Norman’s soul and his future.

Doctor Who 7.08 Review: A classic creature returns in 'Cold War'

BBC

After traveling through time and space last week to another world, this week’s ‘Cold War’ plops Clara and the Doctor in the middle of a Soviet submarine cruising through the North Pole. Tensions are high even before a crew member awakens their frozen find as we see the crew in the midst of a nuclear launch drill during the actual Cold War back in the 1980’s. The TARDIS appears as the submarine crashes seven hundred meters down below the surface, but that’s the least of the crew’s worries as an old-school Doctor Who villain is the focus of this week’s adventure—the Ice Warrior.

'Doctor Who' 707 Review - "The Rings of Akhaten"

BBC

Clara gets her first intergalactic spin in the TARDIS this week on Doctor Who, but not before the Doctor does a little digging in her past.

'Revenge' 218 Review - "Masquerade"

ABC

It’s Halloween in the Hamptons... in March!