Sleepy Hollow "Pittura Infamante": Mr and Mrs Crane

For a show that was just so good in the first season to be hanging in the balance in the second is very sad. Sleepy Hollow has been having this problem and I honestly don't know who is at fault here. Is it Fox for expanding and mishandling Sleepy Hollow? The writers for dropping the ball at some point? Or the fans with high expectations for what they want and hate about Sleepy Hollow? We saw recently that Fox admitted that something went wrong with Sleepy Hollow (no really) and have said they plan on changing from procedural, to episodic. So was that the case with Pittura Infamate? Was this the turning point the producers were talking about?

This morning I went on tumblr to see what posts people had on Pittura Infamate, and almost half of them were complaining about Katrina and how she should just die. I do admit that Sleepy Hollow has not given Katrina the best story lines and I personally am not a fans of broken marriages, and love triangles. Drama meant to create a story basically. Now I don't hate Katrina, but I don't care for her either. To me she is just Crane's wife. I think this hatred stems from the fact people want Ichabbie to happen. Well that, and Katrina's character is kinda all over the place right about now. In Pittura Infamate, it seems that writers have decided to put the Crane drama aside and put them on a date together at a historical society dinner. Naturally someone is murdered and the Cranes have to solve it. That made an interesting crime solving duo and something different from the usual Ichabod and Abbie. At least Katrina was not completely useless this week right? And Abbie did save the day in the end.

On the other side of the episode, Frank Irving returns to the station, where Abbie learns that he is now back. Oh let's be honest, the fact that his character was not used well and the fact he wasn't taken out of the credits was a big hint that he was coming back. That and Orlando Jones was still doing interviews on the set for Sleepy Hollow. Not a big shocker Sleepy Hollow wanted it to be. I do respect though that Sleepy Hollow made Abbie be cautious around Irving due to the issue of his soul being owned by Henry (whom I'm pretty sure is pulling strings from somewhere).

So let's get to the important bits of Pittura Infamate that we should really look at. Well first of all, it basically side lined that silly "I wanna save the horseman" storyline. Like that would work. He would probably just end up murdered or a psychopath. So sending Katrina and Ichabod on a case of solving the murdering painting was a nice adventure. I am also glad that Pittura Infamate didn't drag out figuring out who was the murderer, in addition this time not looking to Ichabod's past but rather Katrina's. Although they did seem a bit convenient. I mean, aren't the Cranes the most networked people ever (considering how many famous people they knew). As for Abbie, serious respect for arming herself just in case Irving does turn out to be a monster. She is not letting her friend become a monster and hurting people despite her personal feelings. She is probably right since there is like an 80% chance Irving is going to be doing some bad things soon.

So on a scale from Yay to Ugh, Pittura Infamate was a Meh. To it's credit, it is probably the calm before the storm. I hope. I just really hope Sleepy Hollow get's its shit together for it's final 5 episodes of the season. A this rate, I'm not even considering buying season 2 when it comes out on DVD. There is this interesting article on tv.com on how Fox is killing Sleepy Hollow that does bring up some interesting points. So hopefully Fox learns from it's mistakes and fixes it or you might end up losing the fandom. The same can be said for the chances of renewal which is sad and messes up Sleepy Hollow's seven year plan. Also Sleepy Hollow, please fix Ichabod's hair. The bun is a no no, and his hair down is a treat, not something that should be done all the time. This could be just me though.

What did you think of Pittura Infamate? What do you think can fix Sleepy Hollow's problems? What is your favorite hair style for Ichabod?

Doctor Who "Kill the Moon": I Doctor, You Human

There are some of you who like Kill the Moon, and then theres me who thinks Kill the Moon was a bit too ambitious. But it did have a purpose in the end. We have seen over the years how the Doctor interacts with humans, with him being this all knowledgeable Time Lord. We saw Danny call the Doctor out on this very issue. Which brings us to the question posed at the being of the season if the Doctor is a good man. The whole idea though of destroying the moon or that the moon is something completely else is a bit silly. Or it is to me.When you start watching a tv show, you begin loving a certain aspect of it, and for me it comes and goes. This is probably because I'm not a true Doctor Who fan. I like watching it, but it's not my most favorite show out there. Kill the Moon is not the worst episode I have seen so far though.

Kill the Moon started off with Clara making an SOS call to the moon since the Doctor had left them to make a big decision. Back in time, Clara is yelling at the Doctor for calling the girl he brought last episode onto the Tardis and telling her she is not special. Clara tries to get the Doctor to tell the girl is special but he elects to bring her to the moon instead. There they find a bunch of astronauts trying to blow up the moon since it's about to burst and cause damage to the earth below. Visiting a space station and jumping down something later, the Doctor informs the group that the moon is actually an egg about to hatch. So they have to decide one life for many others, and the Doctor decides that he can't be the one to make this decision. He leaves that decision in the hands of humans.

Kill the Moon did a great job to developing the characters. This season we really have been seeing Clara grow in her place and in a way outshines the Doctor. In a way, she has been carrying the season itself with her interaction with this new Doctor. She has always known the Doctor to be this savior of sorts, but seeing a side of him that places himself above humans is something she didn't expect. In a way this side of the Doctor has never been said out loud but given hints about. The Doctor has always made comments about "humans" and such. Moffat wasn't kidding when he said this Doctor was going to be darker, and Capaldi is doing a fine job of bringing this Doctor out. It was about time though that Clara called the Doctor out on his crap. To see the Doctor as the flawed hero he always was.

Now I didn't enjoy Kill the Moon as much as Doctor Who would have wanted me to. Even from the promo I was worried about what kind of episode Kill the Moon would be. Wasn't terrible, but isn't the best either. I just couldn't get on board the whole the moon is actually a giant egg thing. I mean no egg is that round, even an alien one. They didn't even explain what kind of egg it was and what was inside it. It had just so happened that it created an gravity pull that the moon does? That was a bit too weird for me. And in the end everything is solved. As for you Doctor, not cool bailing out like that. In addition what did the Doctor do when he took off? Think about it. Where did he go?

Anyways Kill the Moon did set up a change for next week's episode. Kill the Moon did help the arc though of Clara and the Doctor and their relationship post regeneration. Not to mention the question posed at the beginning of the season of if the Doctor is a good man. This new Doctor really brings this into question. Other Doctors before were fun and energetic. Since Capaldi is an older fellow, he brings a darkness (and eyebrows) to the character. For next week, it looks like the Doctor is traveling alone again, and maybe he will discover something about himself.

Did you like Kill the Moon? Do you think Clara was right to call the Doctor out?

Sleepy Hollow "The Kindred": Fight Fire With Undead

With the gang reunited, it is only natural they go after Katrina since her capture as of season 1's finale. The Kindred has our heroes plan out how to pull off rescuing Katrina from the clutches of Team Horsemen. I love that Sleepy Hollow knows it's self and it's characters. That these characters are flawed but have strengths as well. In addition to not overcrowding it's central plot with characters by just keeping it simple with Abbie and Ichabod. When The Kindred start I had no doubt in my mind that Katrina would not be joining Team Witness just yet. Sleepy Hollow paints her in the light of the information bearer. It was nice to see Captain Irving this week who is not fairing well in prison. In addition of the new police chief should cause some problems and some insight on Abbie's past. The Kindred certainly kept the ball rolling for season 2 of Sleepy Hollow.

The Kindred starts with Ichabod having a nightmare about the horseman/former friend doing a ritual with Katrina and ending with her beheading. He awakening and Abbie and he discuss what they have found with their research on where the possible hideout for the horseman is holding Katrina. Abbie leaves Ichabod to continue looking things up while she meets with the new sheriff. Captain Reyes lays down the lay on these "gang wars" (if only) and basically tells Abbie she has a no shit policy. Ichabod meets her outside with a location he believes to be the one and they check to see if he's right. True enough, they find the horseman and Katrina. So they begin to hatch a plan instead of jumping in without anything to help them. They stumble across a book that tells them of a way to rival the power of the horseman of death by raising a Kindred. Their plan soon hits a snag when Jenny is arrested, and their odds of surviving are lowered.

The Kindred kept the main arc going as the second season zips off to a good start. By the end of The Kindred, all our characters are in various different roles in the upcoming battles to come. In the end though, it is all about the two witnesses kicking ass and taking names. As for the other characters such as Jenny, Irving, and Katrina, they have small roles to play in the future that doesn't seem forced like some shows do to make you know the characters more. Jenny is like the support, or rather back up when Abbie or Ichabod need her. Irving was their go to man on how to get things done in Sleepy Hollow. Katina is the informant to keep everyone updated on what the big bad is planning this season. Then there is the Kindred which they just raised. Is it friend or foe? I think it will protect them, but might not have judgement on what is right and wrong. Although it was pretty awesome. I like that also Abbie and Ichabod acknowledged their faults and knew they had to do something about it.

So, The Kindred, what is not so good? Once again, the Kindred, is it good or bad? Or another way of handing the horseman back his head. At least on the bright side he wouldn't need a enspelled magic necklace to get his face back. Speaking of magic, the internet has kindly pointed out that Katrina is not using any of this magic we have been hearing about. Unless the super necklace is not letting her. The random flashback weren't cool either. They just seemed really pointless. Flashbacks are meant for things that happened in past seasons or episodes like happened like 5-6 weeks ago.

I really like that Sleepy Hollow is keeping the pace 2 episodes in. The Kindred basically answered any questions lingering from the series premiere. Captain Irving made his appearance and has been basically given not an easy path. Although what happened to him in The Kindred reminds me of that scene in Supernatural when Dean didn't tell Kevin that there was an angel inside Sam. Then Kevin blindly trusted "Sam", and something bad happened. This is very similar to Irving's situation. This week's Ichabod verses modern day is the very obvious Ichabod verses the bank. You know he does make a good point despite all his fancy words and confusion. Oh Ichabod how I have missed you during the hiatus. See you sleepy heads later.

What did you think of The Kindred? Do you think the Kindred will return?

Doctor Who "The Caretaker": Boys Will Be Boys

It's always funny to see the Doctor trying to blend in with humans. The Caretaker brought the Doctor to the school Clara was teaching at to investigate a strange alien reading around the area. In addition to bringing Danny Pink into the world of the Doctor. It was bound to happen at some point right that Danny are going to get in on the Clara's adventures. She has been trying to keep things separate from each other and it all just kinda collides together. It makes me think of the Ponds and how they got into this. Although I don't think Moffat will use the same plot point again. Anyways, Danny has been like a side story so far, like an add on for Clara to develop her story. The Caretaker was at least an enjoyable episode.

The Caretaker begins with a montage of a bunch of adventures of Clara and the Doctor getting into trouble all over the universe. In addition to this, Clara is attempting to date Danny, basically exhausting herself. So when Clara comes to the Doctor asking about the next adventure, and he tells her that she needs to sit this one out. She wonders why and the Doctor explains that he is going deep undercover. So Clara heads to work thinking it will be an ordinary day and tells Danny, she is his for the day. Then she discovers the Doctor working at her school as the temporary caretaker. Clara confronts the Doctor and asks him if it's safe and he basically says it's a work in progress. Now Clara has to manage the two before the school gets destroyed, or was it the planet?

I did enjoy The Caretaker as an episode of Doctor Who. It is amusing to see that the Doctor thinks changing his coat is going deep cover haha. Unless he thought that no one would notice a caretaker, but then the Doctor could never be discrete. In addition to not understanding humans. It was funny when the Doctor kept assuming that Danny was a PE teacher due to his military background, in addition to assuming the bow tie guy was Clara's boyfriend. Regrets Doctor? As for Danny, he is not taking any of the Doctor's shit and basically calls him out for it. Would love to see Danny travel with the Doctor sometime soon and stand up for Clara. As for Clara, she is desperately trying to stop the Doctor from causing problems and helping him at the same time. Loved the moments when people kept stopping her from getting to the Doctor and she basically agreed to everything. Let's not forget the crack about the eyebrows. I think it's the next bow tie, the joke that will describe this Doctor. The Caretaker more importantly was an episode to shake up the dynamic of the Doctor, Clara pairing. The Doctor has to deal with Clara having another man in her life, and Danny dealing with the life his girlfriend leads.

Now The Caretaker I felt was a bit jumbled. Not that it was a mess, but rather the pacing felt uneven. But this could just be me. I mean compared to the last few episodes, it moved a little slower. In addition the alien of the week was dissipated quite easily despite Danny messing up the Doctor's plan once. That jump Danny did was cheesy as hell. Also confused how easy the Doctor gave in to telling people about the tardis. Now Pink and some random school girl know about it. Thats about it that I can think of at the moment.

Overall I did enjoy The Caretaker and I'm going to mark this down in the successful episode category for this season. My favorite line of the night has to go to Danny with "he's your space daddy." That was possibly the best line of the season. Well one of them at least. That invisible watch was pretty cool too. As for next week's episode, it doesn't look good. There is like this gut feeling I get from the trailer that causes me to worry. Hopefully it will be decent. Doctor Who still has some good stories to tell right?

What did you think of The Caretaker? What do you think of Danny Pink?