Video Game Review: Silent Hill 2

Silent Hill 2

PlayStation 2

Silent Hill 2 was the first game I ever played for the PlayStation 2. I waited a year or so to get a PS2, as I usually do whenever a new console comes out. A girlfriend of mine actually got me the system for Christmas, along with Silent Hill 2 and Metal Gear Solid 2. It was a Christmas of video game 2s apparently.

I wasted no time in putting Silent Hill 2 to good use. I had been a major fan of the original game for the PS1. I'd played games like Resident Evil 1 and 2 before, so the idea of a scary game wasn't something new to me. But Silent Hill took things to a different plane. The game was not only scary and suspenseful, but disturbing as well. The deformed babies, the rusty "alternate" worlds, the static from the radio, the demonic enemies with their funny walks, plus the fact that everything was usually so dark or foggy that you could barely see 10 feet in front of you... the whole atmosphere of Silent Hill saturated me with fear. The game just had this uneasy, dreadful feeling associated with it that would settle in whenever I popped it in to play. It was a nightmare inducing game that legitimately scared me out of my mind. It had taken survivor horror to an all new level.

So obviously I was excited for the sequel. Not only was it a follow up to what I considered the scariest game ever made, but it was also my first PS2 title. Silent Hill 1 was great, but I could only imagine what could be done with the game on the new hardware.

I quickly learned that the original was no fluke - Silent Hill was still scary as fuck. Before I had even encountered a monster in the game, I was scared shitless. I remember long nights spent exploring the apartment complex towards the beginning of the game. I was often too scared to play more than an hour or so at a time. And Pyramid Head... don't even get me started on him. 

Eventually I did finish the game, and probably played it a few more times before I retired it from my game rotation. It has sat on the shelf collecting dust for 10 years now. I've played a few Silent Hill games since then. I loved The Room, was so-so about 3. I played one Silent Hill game for the PS3 that was more action based, and I hated it. But ever since I had started doing this blog, I kept thinking to myself - you need to review Silent Hill 2. Play Silent Hill 2. Play it! It's been so long.

The timing needed to be right. I needed to set aside a weekend for myself where I could play it at night with little to no interruptions. And the right time finally came this past weekend. I was cocky and thought to myself that I could beat the whole game in one night, but that didn't happen. Short attention span and all. It actually took me 3 nights to complete - playing about an average of 2 or so hours per night. 

While it definitely was not as scary as it was back in the day when I had played it for the first time, there is no denying that it is still a terrifying game.

For those of you not familiar with Silent Hill 2, I'll recap the story. A man named James has received a letter from his dead wife, beckoning him to return to Silent Hill and find her where she has been waiting for him. Understandably confused, James comes to the city and quickly finds himself caught in its supernatural web.

Everything about the place is just "off." The road has been blocked off, causing him to leave his vehicle at a rest stop and enter on foot. Everything is covered in a dense fog. Growling noises and other sounds emerge from the fog. I played this time around with headphones on, something that I didn't do when I played the game initially. I definitely noticed a lot more audio cues that would have scared me even more if I had been able to pick up on them on my original play through.

James encounters a woman in a graveyard on his way into town, and she says things that don't seem to make a whole lot of sense to him. There are several encounters like this throughout the game. Finally entering the town on foot, James encounters a creature that he is forced to bludgeon to death with a wooden plank. The town is filled with creatures, and the only clue to their existence is a white noise that emanates from a portable radio James finds and begins to carry around with him. You know there is an enemy nearby when the radio starts making noise. This causes a lot of scares in the game when you are walking around dark hallways and corridors, barely able to see what is happening. But then your radio starts pumping in that static sound...

James searches all over town for his wife. At first he thinks that she is waiting for him at the park overlooking the water. But she is not there. He then determines that she is at the hotel where they spent their last trip in Silent Hill, so he embarks to find here there.

Basically, you wander around this small city, looking for clues of where to go next. You fight monsters, you encounter random strangers who seem just as lost as you do, and you get the crap scared out of you. Locales in the game include an abandoned apartment complex, a bowling alley, a historical society, a jail, a hospital, a hotel, and more. 

All of these locales are scary. The lights are off, everything is abandoned, and creatures are waiting around every corner to jump out and make you piss your pants. The apartment complex is a great introduction to the game. You wander up and down the hallways, checking the doors, looking for rooms that are not locked. You encounter so much fucked up shit that really sets you on edge. People who have committed suicide, body parts from dummies strewn all over the place, creatures that move all jerky-like and randomly lash out at you. And there are puzzles. One particular segment that scared me is when you have to reach your hand in this eerie hole in the wall and pull something out. There is this bizarre banging sound going on that you do not know where it is coming from. Flies are swarming you. Tensions are high. I had to take a deep breath before reaching in that hole.

The scares never really let up for the whole game. Everything is so dark, that you can basically only see what the radius of your flashlight allows you to see. You never know what you are going to encounter until sometimes it is too late. Not only is the game scary visually with its monsters and corpses and all that, but it is scary to listen to as well. The music is creepy, the dialogue is unsettling, and that dang white noise from your monster detecting radio always keeps you on edge.

The game isn't actually that challenging, if you can work up the courage to play it. Enemies tend to go down pretty easily. When the game ended I had a major surplus of ammunition left over, so you don't need to be conservative with it. Health items are everywhere as well. And so many of the enemies you can easily elude or run away from. The puzzles are fairly easy as well, although there were some points where it wasn't clear what I was supposed to do or where I was supposed to go next. Thank god for Google.

The game looks good. Playing through it, I was surprised how well it has held up considering it was a first generation PS2 title. If anything the grainy look and feel of the game makes it seem even more authentic and scary. The controls are "tank" controls, which I know a lot of people don't seem to like. But I didn't mind them here, and in fact have never minded them in a game before.

If I had to make a complaint, it would be that the voice acting is cheesy in some parts. The conversations between characters make little to no sense. The whole plot and the resolution of it in general makes no sense. Is James dead? Is this all in his mind? Is it the afterlife? Is he real, but Silent Hill is just a supernatural anomaly? What is with the other people he encounters there? What the frick just happened??

I don't know. If anything I think the whole title is open to interpretation. I love the game, but I wish some of these questions had been answered. I am sure some people out there are fine with this, but I am not okay with David Lynch style things that don't make any sense whatsoever. I want things to be laid out in front of me and clearly explained.

There are several endings to the game, but I only have ever gotten one. I understand that the way you play influences the ending, so I guess I am always playing the same way when I play this. I take my time, I explore everything, I kill everything, save often, and I make sure I am always full on health and stocked up with ammo and other items. Apparently if you play more recklessly you get different endings, but I have yet to see them. 

This is not a lengthy title - it took me around 7 hours to beat on my most current play through. And that is with me falling asleep for over an hour early on in the game. But the game doesn't need to be long to be good. If you like exploring, if you like solving puzzles and killing monsters, you should like this. But you have to like to be scared too. 

Like I said, this wasn't as scary as it was the first time I played it, but it still made me jump out of my skin on more than one occasion. It's not all about the jump scares, the whole atmosphere of the game just permeates this sense of dread. Like you don't ever know what kind of fucked up shit is going to happen to you next. And this is what truly makes the game great.

If I had to make a list of the top ten scariest games I have ever played, this would be close to the top of the list, if not AT the top. I recall the original being pretty scary too, but it has been so long since I have played it. The first Resident Evil scared the bejesus out of me too. So it would definitely be a close race.

One thing that this game has going for it is Pyramid Head. If you are familiar at all with the series or with gaming in general you probably know who this is. A giant, silent, sword wielding stalker that has... a giant red pyramid on his head. His appearance doesn't make a lot of sense, but that is part of what is scary about him. You first encounter him in the abandoned apartment building, having a, err, carnal adventure with one of the mannequin looking enemies. You encounter him sporadically throughout the game, and each time his menacing appearance scares the shit out of you.

My scariest Pyramid Head moment, you aren't even in any danger from him. Shortly after encountering him the first time you come out of an apartment unit only to find him standing there motionless behind iron bars that cut the hallway in half. He doesn't move, he doesn't do anything. He can't even get at you from behind those bars. But just the fact that you come out the door and there he is standing so ominously scared the crap out of me. That was probably one of the biggest "OMG heart attack!" moments of the game for me.

That about covers how I feel about this game. If you like to be scared when playing a game, you have no excuse for having not played Silent Hill 2. This is an absolute must for all fans of the survivor horror genre. It is iconic, fun, scary as fuck, and has actually aged relatively well. There is a newish HD version out there for the PS3, but I have yet to play it, and I probably never will. It just works so well on the PS2 with the gritty picture quality and the low visibility. I imagine that playing the remastered version would be like watching the Night of the Living Dead in color. It just isn't the same.

Silent Hill 2 is a definite classic, and a candidate for the scariest game I have ever played. A few minor flaws, like the incomprehensible plot resolution, clunky battle system, and its short length keep it from getting an A+. But still, this game is legendary and one that should not ever be forgotten by fans of the genre.

Overall:

A

VHS Tape #3: Rudy Boesch Mix

My journey to document everything I have on my VHS tapes continues. This is the third of many.

(00:00:00)

 

Dave Chappelle Show. In this skit, Dave buys a special camera that allows him to see four things when he takes a picture of someone: someone's true self, someone's inner thoughts, the last person someone slept with, and where they will be in ten years.

 

COPS

- Blonde man on a bike is arrested outside a McDonalds for wreckless behavior on his bike. He has a bunch of credit cards and IDs on him that aren't in his name. In his backpack are bolt cutters and a flashlight. He also has a syringe and some drugs on him. Yeah, he is up to no good.

 

Small clip of Celebrity Poker on Bravo. The Creed singer is playing at the table. Tom Green is the first eliminated. That's all that is recorded.

 

COPS.

- Female gas station attendant is assaulted when someone she previously accused of theft (stealing a 12 pack) comes back and beats on her. The guy is found and arrested.

 

(19:17)

 

Clips of the Crocodile Hunter. The first clip shows two crocs fighting for dominance. You're going to see some really quick thinking in the second clip. The Crocodile Hunter sticks his foot into the mouth of a croc to keep it from locking down on a man's head.

 

COPS

- Crazy drugged up guy stands on the roof of a house and demands a shot of heroin. He is shirtless, has jean shorts on, and wild messed up hair. The police have to go up on a ladder and take him down on a stretcher.

 

*during the commercials for COPS, we cut to a short clip from the movie Harry and the Hendersons followed by an ad for Helios*

 

COPS (cont)

- Cops respond to a domestic violence call. The guy runs and hides in the woods. A K9 unit is called in, and the man is found. His face is blurred out, and he says weird things. "Do you work for them?" When they take him back to the station, he resists further and is taken down by a group of officers.

- 18 year old guy named Chris Jones harasses a woman with a shotgun and takes her car. When the cops find him, he's in his underwear and he then gets arrested.

- A shoplifter comes back to a store after being suspected of shoplifting earlier in the day. When the workers confront him, he attacks them, but gets taken down and held by the employees. The cops then come and arrest him.

- Prostitution stings. Jeff Goodin plays the john. He picks up an old white trash lady and gets her to offer him her services. She is then arrested. The next person caught is a dopey lady with a drug habit.

- A nasty old blonde lady is pulled over in front of a gas station. She has a whole bunch of kids in the car who are not seatbelted in. In her purse is a huge wad of cash, a gun, and a whole shitload of meth.

- An officer pulls over a car that had been stolen. Inside the car are two young black females. They try to run, and one is wrestled down by the cop. The other one gets away. They had stolen the car from a man because he had been trying to have sex with the girls, and they didn't want it.

- The cops are called to a house where a fight has been reported. Two retarded, hick brothers are at the scene and one is all bloody. Apparently they had been beating on one another. Both of the brothers are arrested.

- A car is pulled over with a couple of gangstas in it. The car smells like pot. One of the gangstas tries to run and is taken down to the ground before he can get even a few steps away. He had no chance!

 

(1:13:54)

 

Jerry Springer clip - Old granny steals a young woman's man.

 

COPS.

- The police respond to a domestic violence call. A Hispanic man gets drunk and punches out his own windows. When the cops look in the kitchen, they find a gigantic trashpile mess with bugs flying around. They tell the people living there to clean the kitchen or they will have their kids taken away from them.

- Black prostitute is caught with two men in a cemetery. One of them is really old.

- Woman calls the cops because she was assaulted by a guy and he ripped some of her hair out. They go to his house and he is laying on his couch pretending to be asleep. The cops have to get physical and pull him out of the house to arrest him.

 

Juke Joint Saturday Night infomercial clip

 

Funny Holiday Clip show

- Turkey starts a fire

- Grandma taps in her dentures with a beer bottle

- Old woman has a fat back that looks like boobs when the camera is zoomed in

- Funny cork popping clips

 

Triumph the Insult Comic Dog at the Music Awards. He interviews people on the red carpet and insults them. He humps Justin Timberlake's leg and also calls Simon Cowell an asshole. He insults Eminem and gets pushed away. A fake press conference is held where he claims he got beat up by Eminem.

 

(1:39:47)

 

Jerry Springer clip - Old granny gets naked on the stage and dances

 

AFV. Holiday edition.

- Little girl pees in her favorite underwear and says that she's very mad

- Guy gets knocked out by a giant falling icicle

- Skinny old man poses in his underwear

- Basketball players launch the ball backwards over their head and make it in

- Music montage - funny moments on swings

- Little kid puts a lightning bug in his mouth and it lights up in there

- J A N I C E !!!!!! Fat kid in a roller coaster gets scared and starts falling out of his seat while the lady next to him laughs her ass off. Now this is comedy. "Stop it Janice! Stop it! It hurts, it hurts, this hurts!!!"

- Little kid on a bike crashes through a fence

- Lady plays a practical joke on her husband by putting rubber bands over the water sprayer on the kitchen sink, so it sprays him when he turns on the faucet. She gets him twice!

- Little girl farts in the bathtub

- Music montage (Pink Panther theme song) of people and animals doing funny things stealthily

- The Janice clip wins second place. Her name is Janice Sparks and she is from Georgetown Kentucky. It is a shame she didn't win.

 

Jerry Springer again. This episode focuses around Springer Cam - episodes that are filmed on location outside of the studio

- A mom crashes a trailer park wedding and destroy stuff & yells to try and stop the wedding. There's a food fight too.

- Woman camps outside her boyfriend's house and yells over a megaphone because he won't talk to her. A crowd starts to form. The best person in the crowd is this crazy old man who tries to talk some sense into her and says funny things. "I want a beer now!!"

- Steve saves a woman from an abusive husband with a very hairy back

 

(1:56:44)

 

AFV

- Basketball bounces across two rooftops and goes through the hoop

- Dog hides under the bed and growls to avoid taking a bath

- Seagulls poop on a dude's face and mouth

- Guy in a mullet tries to drive a bike off the back of a truck at the trailer park and crashes, face forward over the handlebars

- .Goofy looking friend gets hit in the face with a flying stick

- Music montage - people falling off horses

- Music montage - funny sledding clips

- 31 Christmas falls in 35 seconds

- Dog twirls around in the yard like a tornado

- Baby pukes in a swimming pool

- Guy screams like a girl on a roller coaster

- Body Waxing vs Cats Falling Into Aquariums

- Man scares his wife with an ugly mask

- Music montage - funny clips of people opening presents. The screaming retard girl is in this one! <3

- "Hard to Handle" music montage of funny karate mishaps

- 34 hits in 31 seconds

- Bunny plays dead and does sit ups

- Fat kid crashes a bike through a fish tank and breaks it all over the place

- Dog climbs a tree with his mouth

- Dog and bird hate each other

- Tiny little dog growls ferociously as it eats

- Little white dog holds his paws up when a guy says "freeze!"

- Music montage - bowling clips

 

(2:12:40)

 

COPS Greatest Moments

- There is a break in at a house located above a barber shop. The intruder is shot and tries to run away. He's a naked black man who is very muscular and clearly on some kind of drugs. It takes a whole squad of cops to wrestle him to the ground. "Put it in the papers!" he yells from the ground as cops are all over him.

- Lady gets tackled by the police and stabs herself with a knife

- Man in a leotard has his wallet stolen. Classic moment in COPS history

- One legged police officer pulls over a guy on a bicycle for not having lights on at night. The guy throws a crackpipe and tries to run, but the officer chases him down. The officer gets extremely winded, but he gets him! The guy being arrested accuses the officer of racism.

- Police chase a guy with a mullet through a yard. He gets pulled back as he tries to jump a fence and is tackled to the ground.

- Mexican guy with a knife stands off with the police on a highway. When they swarm him, he tries to stab a cop and is shot.

 

Short clip of Jerri Manthey from Survivor on the Surreal Life

 

(2:42:37)

 

COPS.

- Police pull over a car where people are smoking crack inside. One of the people is a transvestite. She tries to swallow the drugs and the cops take her down to the ground. Her wig falls off and she shrieks "I don't have nothing!" It's funny.

- Police respond to a call about a house on fire. The officer breaks out the windows to try and get the people out of the house. Only to realize that the house that's on fire is the next house over.

 

AFV

- Slow motion clip of a guy getting scared by a Halloween prank.

- Slo-mo clip of a woman almost getting trampled by a horse and run over by its carriage

- Cute/Sweet/Adorable meter. There is a gross clip in there with a kid eating hot dogs out of a fat man's belly button. Another gross one with a baby puking at the end.

- Funny pet infomercial

- Montage of people with funny laughs

- Montage of funny boating mishaps

- Montage of Halloween scares. This must be the Halloween episode, huh?

 

Jerry Springer. More of the little people episode from a while back. People in the audience pick on a midget that's dressed like a genie. How can they be so cruel?

 

(3:01:48)

 

AFV

- Funny clips played in reverse

- Babies Peeing vs Snapping Alligators

- Buttocks jiggles to music

- Video of a guy looking into the camera who can't figure out how to use it

- Weightlifting mishaps

- Kid pulls the chair out from behind an old lady

- Little kid picks nose while reciting the alphabet

- Little boy makes gross face after eating olive

- Musical montage of people stuck in compromising positions

- Man scares off birds at the park and gets hit with a bag by an old woman

- Dirtbike drives itself

- AFV classic clip of a man in an upside-down suit

- Another AFV classic of a bunch of people comparing big bellies. A pregnant woman wins.

 

Simon Cowell on Conan O'Brien. His interview with Conan is judged by a panel including Triumph the Insult Comic Dog. Triumph insults Simon immensely, and Simon has no comeback.

 

Man Vs Beast. A show on Fox where man and beast face off in head to head competition.

- Champion eater Kobayashi and a bear engage in a hot dog eating contest. The bear wins.

- Sumo wrestler and an orangutan engage in a tug of war. The ape wins.

 

JKX

- The Dante episode. A man is Xed at a job interview. He is told that the man who does the hiring (Dante) has a lot of weird quirks and that he must follow these bizarre rules when talking to him.

 

Man Vs Beast

- A group of midgets try to pull a jet. They face off with an elephant in a race. It cuts off right before the race. I know the race is shown somewhere on a later tape. EDIT: It's on Matteo Tape (8)

 

AFV

- Cat meows and sounds like a person saying "I don't want it."

- Bratty girl eats candy despite being told not to

- Shaving cream gag

- Kid farts in front of the camera on Christmas

- Little dog screams while taking a bath and sounds like a child

- Tiger shoots pee through a fence right at the camera

- Drunken raccoon wobbles through the wilderness

- Cats on a fence fight

- Music montage of funny boating mishaps

- Dizzy Bats vs Dogs Swinging on Ropes

- Gator pees on a woman

- Cat wiggles its tongue at the camera

- Pastor drops a communion wafer down a woman's cleavage and tries to grab it out

- Kid touches a dog's butt

- Clips where the host's head is pasted on a bunch of accidents. One of them is a mullet tennis player.

- Music montage - "The Odd Couple". Funny clips of cats and dogs interacting.

- People Falling Down Stairs vs Hairpieces

- 32 table falls in 38 seconds

- "Get Physical" music montage of funny exercising clips

- Cat sleeps with its tongue very far out

- Baby kitty sleeps sprawled upside down on a man's chest

- Grandpas Gone Wild / Grandmas Gone Giddy

- Fat guy runs around in a diaper in front of his family

- Clip montage of little kids falling

 

(3:45:57)

 

Cops. Shots Fired episode.

- Man in a wheelchair fires a gun in a park and is gunned down and killed by the cops

 

Mad TV.

- Michael Jackson movie spoof "Honey I Touched the Kids."

- Stewart at the Chinese restaurant

- "I'm Sorry Mama" Eminem music video spoof featuring George W Bush

- "Lady Marmalade" spoof with the Mad TV chicks

- "World's Greatest" R-Kelly music video spoof

 

(4:02:31)

 

Jerry Springer. Old man dying of cancer confesses to his granddaughter that he's in the KKK and he hates her because she's dating a black guy. He also calls Jerry a Jew bastard.

 

Jamie Kennedy clip on Oprah. Jamie plays a guy in a bubble suit who goes to work out with a personal trainer.

 

A few clips of bad singers from American Idol season 2

 

(4:11:10)

 

Clip of Little John getting robbed at the gas station again. Apparently I have this on two separate tapes. Sweet!

 

Clip of the "hotter girls" showering on Survivor Amazon

 

More bad singers on American Idol. Apparently this part of the tape is very very random.

 

Back to Survivor Amazon. This is the tribal council where Daniel Lue gets voted off. He says he gets along with Matt the most because he speaks Mandarin, and that he feels outcasted because he's Asian.

 

Are You Hot. This is a show where people come out on stage one by one. The audience decides if they are hot or not. The people deemed hot come back later and get individually critiqued by the judges. Since there are so many contestants, I will only post the highlights.

- Gay Nick Brown

- Spicy Latina

- Hippy black guy and hippy blonde chick

 

JKX.

- Jamie plays a waiter at a restaurant and tricks a woman dining there. He speaks in a heavy Cajun accent that she can't understand. It makes her ordering very difficult to do. She asks for a manager and gets a flood of people who don't speak English. She gets mad after a while and wants to leave.

 

(4:22:22)

 

Back to Are You Hot?

- Gay Nick Brown is judged

- The hippy black dude is judged and they rip on him

 

Judge Judy clip. OMG I love this clip - it's hilarious. It is the episode where a guy gets into an argument with the judge and storms out in anger. The guy is such a dope and looks drunk or stoned or something. It's just funny the way it happens.

 

AFV

- Nerdy guy gets scared by a clown creeping up behind him

- Funny cat and dog clips

- Hidden camera catches people stepping on an upside down floormat in a hallway

- Piano falls off the back of a truck

- Little boy gets upset because he got a girls toy for Christmas

- Cat lays on vibrating ball

- Dogs attack furry slippers at Christmas. This clip goes on to win later.

- Teacher falls for the "water bucket above the door" gag

- Fat guy fooled by fake lottery ticket. He gets so excited when he thinks he won!

- Clip montage of people freaking out on roller coasters. Janice is briefly shown here!

- Dogs Playing the Piano vs Kids With Buckets on Their Heads

- Cute/Sweet/Adorable meter. A clip of a fat guy in a tub is deemed Vomitous. There's also a clip of a guy shooting milk out of his nose.

- Little girls scream "Uh-Huh" and "Nuh-uh" back at one another repeatedly

- Music montage - "Shout"

- Go ostrich, go ostrich, go ostrich!

- Fish jumps out of the water and hits a man on a boat

- Guy in a Michael Myers mask scares his friend

- Little boy poops in his pants

- Funny trampoline clip montage

- Cat gets flung off the butt of a horse. Clip is shown in slo-mo.

- Guy with a mullet at a warehouse crashes a power worker and is thrown to the ground. Strong man wants mommy!

- Girls fall off the top of a bunk bed

- 29 lens whacks in 33 seconds

- "Happy Together" music montage

 

(4:46:00)

 

COPS.

- The police catch two teenagers getting busy in the back of a truck with a black prostitute.

- Drug stings. Undercover officer buys drugs off random guys on the street and they get busted.

- HUFFERS~! Classic COPS moment, here. Two brothers who huff paint are stoned out of their minds and living in an alley behind a grocery store. They are really messed up and can barely understand the cop. It's silly.

- Cops arrest a crazy woman who is watching over a group of kids. When they come in, she is naked in the bedroom. When she comes out, she speaks nonsense and gets tackled to the ground. They call someone else in to take care of the kids.

- Prostitution stings. Blonde undercover hooker helps catch several johns. One of the cops who runs out to arrest people is wearing a Bert Emanuel jersey. One john is a cab driver. "What I do?"

 

(5:19:18)

 

Are You Hot?

- Scrawny surfer boy with long hair is critiqued

 

JKX.

- Jamie plays a dentist and X's an old black woman who is getting a check up

 

Hot or Not?

- Muscular black guy with dreads. Where are the chicks?

 

JKX.

- Jamie plays an exterminator who is training and X-ing a new employee on the job. The trainee is offput by Jamie's bizarre tactics, and then scared by a giant fake rat that comes crashing through the wall.

- Jamie plays a valet parker and X's a woman whose car he parks. He knocks out the window and claims it was because the keys were locked in the car and he has to get them out. She is irate.

 

(5:33:04)

 

AFV

- Funny cat clips

- Fountain sprays water behind an old lady and it looks like it is coming out of her ears

- Downhill Skiing vs Turtles Through Doorways. The distended abdomen clip is in this section.

- Guy laying in the sand gets his junk latched onto by a crab

- "Hot in Here" music montage

 

COPS.

- Thug tries to run from the police and is maced in the face. His face gets all shiny and ugly looking. The cops were originally called because he stole his brother's cell phone.

- Police are called to a store where a GIANT fat black man was caught shoplifting. He is being held in the back room and his gut and side are all hanging out. When he stands up and is being led out, his pants start falling down. Hilarious.

- Cops are called to a house where a young white couple in tie dye is fighting. She complains that he threw a cheeseburger at her. The cops resolve the fight and let him go.

- Redneck in a Florida Marlins baseball cap is pulled over. He gives the cop a sob story and lies about not having any drugs. When the police threaten to use a drug sniffing dog, he admits there is a blunt roach in the ashtray. He tries to give another sob story about his horrible life.

- Cops pull over a stolen vehicle. In the car are two females - a ghetto white trash chick who looks like a drug addict and a large dyke-ish black woman. They claimed they legally bought the car from a friend named New York Dave. Regardless, they are caught with a stolen vehicle.

- John Bunnell serves a warrant at a suspected drug house. They find a bunch of pot growing in the basement, along with a shitload of guns in boxes. The cops clean everything out, including the car, and leave a sarcastic voice message on the answering machine of the house.

 

*the tape starts to get fuzzy here because it's almost over*

 

COPS (cont)

- Man hides under a car and crawls out like an alligator. This is the beginning of the clip, the rest is not seen on the other tape. I left it on here because the tape was about to end anyway.

 

 

END OF TAPE

Video Game Review: Heavy Fire: Afghanistan

Heavy Fire: Afghanistan

Playstation 3

In March, the Playstation Network was having a sale. There were a number of games that were being sold for one dollar. That's right, just a single buck for a whole game. I perused the titles, made a few purchases, and then went upon my business.

Heavy Fire: Afghanistan was one of the games on sale for a dollar. Did I buy it? Nope. In fact I don't think I even noticed it. I am not a big fan of games of this genre so I likely just skipped right on past it while looking for other, more recognizable titles. If I didn't come across some random post on psnprofiles.com about games with easy platinum trophies, I would likely have never even been aware of this game's existence.

I'm a big time trophy hunter, so when I read about the game, and saw that it was currently on sale for only a dollar, I made up my mind to go back and get it. A game with a 3 to 5 hour platinum that was only a buck? Heck yeah. Nevermind that I am not big into war games or anything having to do with the Middle East. At the time I was in a platinum funk and wanted something easy to complete.

So I got it.

A few months passed before I actually played the game though. I don't know what took me so long. I had other things to do. Plus the game didn't really look all too interesting. But the other day I finally got around to it.

It's really not that bad a game actually. If you have ever played any light gun style games lke Virtua Cop or Time Crisis, you should enjoy this. I have only played Time Crisis once or twice in the arcade (and never on a home console) but from what I gather, this comparison is the most accurate.

This is basically a track based shooter set in Afghanistan. You move the cursor around on the screen, picking off bad guys. There is a reload button for when you run out of ammo (of course). There is also a cover mode, which is where the Time Crisis comparisons come into play. If you notice a number of enemies on the screen and you know you won't be able to take them all out in one swoop, you can take cover. You pop in and out of cover to take shots at your enemies and retreat to avoid return fire.

It is a simple enough concept, and it is definitely one the game needed. I feel without it, this title would have been seriously lacking. There are a few other variables added to the game to make things a little more interesting. There are grenades, you ride in vehicles, and also there is the occasional quick time event where you have to jerk your controller in the direction an arrow on the screen is pointing. I found this to be quite glitchy though. There were many times in the game where I would jerk my controller exactly as I was supposed to but I would fail the event inexplicably. You don't need to pass these QTEs to advance the game, they are only for added bonuses. So I didn't get too pissed.

I guess another minor complaint would be that sometimes enemies can be a little hard to see. You have to clear the screen of enemies before you can move on. And there were times when I was standing there for literally a minute looking for enemies and I could not see them for the life of me. Only to finally find them way in the distance occasionally popping their head up from behind a box. Other times, they will be covered by glare from the sun and get cheap shots in on you when you can't see anything. That is very irritating. But still, this game is so easy I was able to get over it pretty quickly.

There really is not a whole lot to say about the game. Mainly you just blast enemies, duck under cover, and pop up and blast some more. The graphics are decent but nothing to write home about. There is a lot to shoot and blow up, and the environments tend to be pretty interactive. Even when there were no enemies on the screen, I like just blasting away at stuff to see it destroyed. I had fun.

And that is really what games are meant to be is fun, right? And I definitely had a good time. The game is pretty short (12 stages that are about ten to fifteen minutes or so in length) but there is replay value with an additional difficulty level, plus all the unlockables and trophies.

Is it a world beating game? Nah. Is it an instant classic? Heck no. Now that I am done with it I probably will never go back and play it again. But did I have a good time? I did. It was definitely worth the one dollar. I had fun and that is all that matters. And now I have a shiny new platinum to my name. This is actually my 15th plat, so yay me! I'm such a nerd - you don't need to remind me.

This is a fun waste of a few hours. I didn't think I would like this game at all, but I did. If you enjoy light gun shooters and would like an quick, easy, and destuctively fun game to add to your library, you can do much worse than this. It is no longer a dollar, so I can't recommend buying it at full price (whatever that might be). But getting it for just a dollar was a real steal for me, I think. I had fun!

Overall:

B-

My Netflix rotation: a weekend in review #3

Well, I had said that I would once again do another blog about my Netflix rotation once I was able to finish with five shows. That time has come. I am now completely finished with Revolution, House of Cards, Cosmos, Star Trek: The Original Series, and Street Food Around the World.

House of Cards will return next year at some pount, but I am pretty sure the rest of the shows are out of the rotation for good. To fill in the empty spaces in the rotation, I have decided to cheat a little. I have a couple shows that have been saved on my computer for a while now, and I have decided to start watching through them. Though technically they aren't on Netlfix, they are a part of my show rotation and deserve to be recognized as such. These shows are: Survivor Samoa, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Hannibal.

To replace Street Food Around the World, I have turned to season 2 of the Diners, Drive Ins and Dives collection, which conveniently has just been added to Netflix. Usually I like to have an educational show, or something about the universe in my rotation. While I am finished with Cosmos, I haven't added a new educational show to replace it. I have enough stuff in my rotation as is. I also added Chuck back into the rotation. I had taken a break from it between seasons 2 and 3. Now the break is over and it is time to get back to it.

So my rotation is totally set. 19 shows, the way I like it to be. Why 19? I don't know. Ka? I used to not keep track, but when I did my first blog entry I noticed that it was 19 shows, so I am going to try my best to keep it at that number. I look to finish up a couple more shows by next month when Agents of Shield season 2 comes to Netflix. PLUS - Orange is the New Black season 3. I literally can not wait.

I am also going to write my thoughts on each series a whole right before I watch an episode, and then my thoughts on the episode afterwards. There are other small changes I have made to this as well. Hopefully this will make the blog a better read.

Without further ado, let's get started.

Season 3

Episode 10

"731"

We are going to start with the X-Files. This is a show that I usually watch towards the end of my rotation because I dread watching it so much. But I have a three day weekend ahead of me, so I am in no hurry. Let's get rid of it right off the bat.

I have been watching the X-Files for over 3 years now. I started from the beginning and I am only up to season 3, episode 10. This is a very slow rate. Compare it to Breaking Bad which I started about a month ago. I'm already halfway through the third season of that show. Why is it taking me so long to watch X-Files?

I'm just really not liking it that much. A lot of the episodes are slow and boring. Some don't have resolutions. The alien conspiracy theories are too abundant and hard to keep track of. Stop paying attention for a minute during some of these episodes and the show can get away from you. That's my problem. Short attention span + being bored = me not paying attention at all and losing track of what is going on.

But I am going to try my hardest now to pay close attention.

*watches episode*

OK, I have now watched the episode. I will say that I enjoyed this show a lot more than I usually do. I made sure to pay close attention, even though I did nod off towards the end. Me falling asleep while watching something is not indicative of whether or not I like it though. That's just something I do.

This was actually the second part of a 2 part episode. While I don't recall much of what happened in the first episode since it has been so long since I have seen it, I tried to not let that effect my viewing. Mulder jumps on to a train in the beginning of the episode. Why is he jumping on to a train again? Nevermind, I told myself, just go with it.

It was a solid episode. Both Mulder and Scully's investigations lead to the same place. To a man who has been experimenting on lepers. Mulder thinks alien crap is possibly involved. Scully doesn't. Part of the episode plays out on the train, with Mulder discovering a dead scientist and uncovering a test lab on the train. The lab contains one of the lepers (aliens?) and also a man claiming to be an NSA agent who tries to kill Mulder.

Scully in her search to discover who is behind the chip in her neck uncovers a leper colony. The lepers tell her that they have been getting killed off. A man had been experimenting on them prior to when the massacres began. We find out it is the same scientist that Mulder was going after (who is now dead).

The drama shifts to the train. There is a bomb on the train. Tensions are high between Mulder and the man who tried to kill him. I think we find out that the scientist was planning to give his research to another country, so the NSA guy was on the train to stop him. The train car is abandoned. The bomb goes off. We never find out if the test subjects are aliens or lepers. Both Mulder and Scully make strong arguments.

At the end we see the cigarette smoking man with a Japanese fellow who was somehow tied to the dead scientist. Cigarette man usually has something to do with aliens. Is that our answer? We shall see.

I did like the episode, as I said. All I have to do when watching in the future is pay attention and to not let myself get distracted by dumb shit like Candy Crush. I think all the people out there who like the X-Files are on to something and that I have been an idiot all along for not giving the show the attention it deserves. Granted, some episodes are bad. But this gives me hope that things will pick up soon and I will get sucked in like everyone else. I am very excited for the new episodes coming out soon, but I won't watch them until I finish all... uh, 9 past seasons first. And the movies. So it will be awhile. But I am glad they are bringing it back to TV after all these years.

Season 6

Episode 8

"Too Hot to Handle"

Now we watch the old Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon from the late 80s/early 90s. I grew up on this show. I loved it so much. I watched it every day. I rewatched episodes on VHS. I had the toys, the games. Everything. I was obsessed with the Ninja Turtles.

How do I like it now? Hmmm.... I should just leave it at that. But that wouldn't make for a good blog update so I will continue. I still like the movies and the games. But the cartoon hasn't aged well. The story line is not that interesting. A lot of the characters and scenarios are outlandish and just flat out stupid. The Channel 6 News people irritate me. The jokes are horrible, and the show just is not funny at all.

I should have let things be and not rewatched this. I feel as if my experience of watching it as a kid has been tarnished because it is so awful. Plus I am a completionist and once I start watching something I have to see it out to the end now matter how bad it is. So I am stuck watching a cartoon I don't even like anymore. Why do I do this to myself?

I downloaded this over 5 years ago when I was working the graveyard shift at a gas station. I often brought my computer and binge watched stuff I was interested in. I thought hey why not the Turtles, so I downloaded it. I thought it was bad from the get go, and I shortly thereafter left the job and stopped watching stuff on my computer. So despite having it on my computer for over 5 years, I still have many many episodes to go.

I guess it is a good thing I am adding this to my rotation for the blog. Maybe this can finally get me to power through it.

*watches episode*

It wasn't as horrendous as I had feared. This is one of those rare episodes with no Shredder or Krang. I like that. I was starting to get tired of them. And the stories on their episodes tend to be the dumbest.

This episode introduced Vernon's nephew, who is in town for a worldwide science fair. His invention pulls the Earth closer to the sun, thus dangerously heating up the planet. The invention is hijacked by the evil Dr Sofo, who attempts to use the object to destroy the Earth. But you guessed it, the Turtles save the day.

It was decently good time. I fell asleep again, but not because I didn't like the show. If I was a kid I am sure I would have loved it. Vernon's nephew was bratty but added some fun to the episode. I have to just look at the show objectively. Sure my tastes are a lot more refined now, but if I watch it for what it is, I should come away from it not hating it completely.

Season 2

Episode 2

"Unexpected Eats"

The second season of this show came up on Netflix at just the right time. My wife and I like to watch food or travel shows while we eat dinner, and we had literally just finished Street Food Around The World when this came on to Netflix. For whatever reason they took season 1 down, but that's okay because we have already seen it.

This episode had Guy visiting 3 restaurants. In the first segment, Guy ate ghost pepper seasoned chicken wings at a restaurant in Minnesota. They were so hot, it made him drink ranch dressing right from a bowl. He got it all over his face. I can't imagine wanting to eat something so hot that causes you physical pain to eat. No thanks.

The second restaurant was Guy's own restaurant. We know him as this rich food genius with multiple restaurants around the country, but this was his very first. He focuses on grilled onion tortilla things and also on little tacos that are like a fusion of Asian food and Mexican. One customer describes it like sushi on a taco. Sounds good to me! He also chats it up with his parents here.

The final restaurant is a hot dog place that serves supposedly the best chicken and dumplings. They also have lots of interesting looking jumbo hot dogs on the menu.

This is always a good, quick show to watch. I love food, especially unique over the top food. I would eat nearly everything they show on here. Well, not the ghost pepper wings. But it is fun to see all the nifty items on menus around the USA. I can never go wrong with Diners Drive Ins and Dives.

Season 2

Episode 9

"What's My Line?: Part 1"

I mentioned this in my last blog update, but Buffy is one of those shows that everyone loves and says that I absolutely have to watch. I gave it a shot since I tend to like Joss Whedon stuff, but the show still hasn't sunk its hooks into me yet.

Some of the special effects and makeup jobs look awful and corny. There are some solid stand alone episodes, but the story arc to me hasn't been that interesting yet. Supposedly the show gets off to a rough start but gets better as it goes along. Hopefully it gets better soon because at the rate I am watching this, it will take me 10 years to finish the show.

*watches episode*

I guess it is a good thing that I am watching all the shows I don't regularly like at the beginning of my rotation. Usually I save them for later and by the time I get around to them I am tired of sitting around watching stuff all day and I lose interest.

I enjoyed the episode. Buffy and her friends take a test that indicates what their future careers should be. While in the meantime, Spike continues to look for a cure for Drusilla. He sends away for 3 bounty hunters to come and kill Buffy because she keeps getting in his way. One of the bounty hunters is killed, but the second one locks up Angel and comes after Buffy. The third one has Zander and Willow in his sights. At the end of the episode, the second bounty hunter tells Buffy that she too is a slayer. The episode then dramatically ends.

I had a good time. The episode flew by and didn't seem like a 45 minute long show at all. Things proceeded quickly, the story was interesting. Even the banter between characters seemed a lot more natural than usual. For once when this show ended, I actually wanted to keep going and see that happened next. Maybe if I finish this blog entry with time in the weekend to spare, I will go back and watch the second part and tell you how I liked it.

This show needs more episodes like this. Hopefully this episode was an indication of things to come. People have to like this show for a reason right? I have faith it will get better.

Season 19

Episode 8

"All Hell Breaks Loose"

Everyone who knows me should know that I am a big Survivor buff. I have seen every episode of every season, and some seasons I have watched multiple times. I used to record the show and save it on VHS, but I stopped doing that several years ago. With everything being so easy to find online, I didn't see the point.

Over the years I slowly have been watching every season, starting with Borneo, from start to finish. I have worked my way all the way up to season 19 (Samoa). A lot of these "newer" seasons I have only seen once, so it is almost like watching this for the first time again. So many contestants from this season I don't remember. All I remember is the outcome, Natalie winning and my favorite Russell coming up short. I definitely don't remember Foa Foa losing so many challenges. This is the merge episode, so I am curious to see how they go from being outnumbered 8 to 4 to having so many people make it to the end.

*watches episode*

This has been a really good season so far. I have liked Samoa despite the lopsided nature of immunity challenge wins. There are a lot of great characters, plus obvious cracks in the Galu alliance. Russell and Shambo are my favorites. They really define the season for me.

The episode starts with Shambo expressing her dislike for Laura, and the 2 of them getting into a fight. The teams merge. Russell shows a bunch of people his idol as use for leverage to get him further in the game. But Laura isn't impressed, so he begins to target her. It looked like the vote was starting to come together when Laura won immunity and all hell broke loose.

Many different names fly around. Mainly Monica, Jaison, and Erik. But ultimately everyone votes for Erik after he vocally targeted Monica in an attempt to break up the Galu female alliance. Russell wastes his idol, but better safe than sorry. And if I remember correctly he finds the next one anyway.

Good episode. It was very hectic and all over the place. As a fan I like it when things turn hectic and lots of last minute scrambling goes down. I like to see how people react to all the pressure. The more unpredictable a season, the better. I knew Erik didn't last long so I wasn't surprised he was the first person to go at the merge. Galu made a bad mistake letting Foa Foa stay intact. They must not have seen Tocantins when another outnumbered team hit the merge and somehow destroyed the other team.

Survivor is always a good fall back show for me, when I want to watch something and I know I am going to always be entertained. Even after 30 seasons now I still am not sick of it yet.

Season 3

Episode 6

"Sunset"

Speaking of shows I can always fall back on and know I am going to enjoy, here is Breaking Bad. I started rewatching this a month ago, and I am making good progress. My progress has tapered off a bit though in the last week and a half. I think season 3 is the weakest season in the 5 year run of the show. Still, I can already tell you that I will enjoy the episode. Unless it is the fly episode, Breaking Bad is remarkably consistent and amazing from beginning to end. I bet you I am not wrong. I will like this episode.

*watches episode*

Yup. This was a good one. Hank tracks Jesse to his RV which is being held in the junk yard with all the broken down cars. Walt is there looking to dispose of the RV when Jesse shows up. Hank is on the outside of the RV, banging on the side of it and looking to break in. If he gets in and sees Walt, the game is over.

I knew that Walt would get out of it okay, but I remember the first time I watched this episode I thought it was very intense. Which it is.

I think I am able to put a finger down on what I don't like about this season. It's those 2 twins who don't say anything. They finally talked this episode, which was nice to see. But they are by far probably the worst thing about the entire series of Breaking Bad. On this episode, Gus is able to deflect them off of the "kill Walt" train and onto the "kill Hank" one. Since, you know, Hank was the one to actually kill Tuco.

Walt and Jesse call Saul, and he is able to lure Hank away from the RV by having his secretary pretend to be a nurse. She tells Hank that his wife has been in a serious car wreck. Hank leaves, and this allows Jesse and Walt to move the RV to where it can be safely destroyed. Crisis averted.

This series rarely fails to disappoint. Every episode brings something new to the table. The drama level and the tension of the series is palpable. I am glad I have decided to rewatch the show, because even knowing what is going to happen, I am still able to recognize just how well done the show is.

Season 7

Episode 4

"Sweet Dee Gets Audited"

I can't believe I am all the way up to season 7 of this show. This show is usually pretty fun and fast paced. Not all the episodes are funny. Some are just downright stupid. But for the most part I like it. Whenever I want to pop in something that is quick and easy to watch, this is always a solid option. Sometimes you need to lower your IQ every once in a while to achieve Netflix rotation balance.

*watches episode*

This episode is pretty much what you'd expect from It's Always Sunny. Dee gets audited by the IRS because she is claiming her baby (which she surrogated for someone else) as a dependent and is bringing in extra money.

Meanwhile the group is irritated by Frank making all the decisions and decides to start voting on things. They agree to help Dee make it look like she has a baby since they don't want the bar being investigated for tax purposes. When that fails, they stage a funeral for the baby.

The guys bicker, and the whole fake funeral sham is exposed when the coffin is knocked over and a dead dog spills out.

Low class humor, bickering among the characters, off the wall schemes.... what you see is what you get from this show. It is crass and politically incorrect, and it doesn't pretend not to be. This show is nothing earth shattering but it is fun for an occasional watch. It is a good way to make the time fly by.

Season 2

Episode 22

"Long Distance Call"

On we go to the Twilight Zone. I have already spoken my piece about this show in my last few blog entries. It is very hit or miss with me. But the hits tend to be really good. And there are so many iconic episodes. I will definitely keep watching, even if I have to suffer through some poor ones every once in a while.

*watches episode*

This was a fairly unmemorable episode. It wasn't awful or anything, it was just very middle of the road. The story starts out with an old woman who loves to coddle her grandson. Knowing she is going to die soon, she gives him a toy telephone for his birthday and tells him that she can stay in contact with the boy through the phone after she is gone.

She dies, of course. The boy is able to keep talking to her through the telephone, but she keeps telling him to do dangerous things like play in traffic and jump off a balcony. Presumably so she can be with the little boy in death and continue to coddle him. When the boy is seriously injured after jumping from the balcony, the father picks up the phone and makes an impoverished plea to his mother to return the boy to him so he can experience all the joys of life that he has yet to experience.

The boy then makes a miraculous recovery and the episode ends. It was a fairly entertaining story but nothing that really is going to stick with me for a while. I fell asleep in the middle of it and had to watch the rest the next morning when I got up. That's basically all I have to say about this episode. Time to move on.

Season 2

Episode 20

"Game Over"

Of all the cartoon shows in my rotation, this is probably the one I enjoy the most. It is funnier than the Clone Wars. It never takes itself too seriously, yet it is not stupid like the old TMNT cartoon. And I like all the crossovers with other Marvel franchises that happen frequently on this show.

I can already see based on the description on Netflix that Captain America and Wolverine guest star on this episode. I am very excited for that. Let's hope it is as good as I am hoping.

*watches episode*

It was good. It wasn't epic or anything but it wasn't a failure of an episode either. On this episode, there is a villain named Arcade on the loose who is a master of manipulating electronic equipment. SHIELD dispatches Captain America and Wolverine to go take care of him, but Spider-Man tags along despite being ordered not to. The three heroes are sucked into a video game-like series of battles and fights until they finish the game and make it to Arcade and defeat him.

I get the feeling I would not have liked this episode as much if it wasn't for Wolverine and Captain America. They both gave life to the episode and it was nice to see how in character they were. Captain America always does what is right. Wolverine is there with his anger and sarcastic comments. Having followed Marvel superheroes my whole life, Wolverine is one of my favorite characters so it was cool to see him on the screen for the episode. And in his classic outfit. This is the Wolverine I know, not the one from the movies.

Season 3

Episode 2

"Boy Parts"

If you read my last blog entry, you will notice that I haven't watched a single episode of season 3 since I started off with episode 1 about a month ago. I know that this show is likely better when you watch it quickly. Back then, I was busy trying to finish up House of Cards and Revolution, and whatever else I was watching. I wanted to be able to wait until I could watch this series without having other shows on the mind. And it looks like that time is finally coming. I actually had to rewatch the first episode again because I couldn't remember much of what happened during it.

But I enjoyed it a lot and I am ready to get the ball rolling on American Horror Story Coven.

*watches episode*

This was another really good episode. This show's stock in my rotation has definitely risen a lot after today. It seems like they have corrected a lot of the things that I didn't like about past seasons of American Horror Story. Everything is more cohesive, the parts seem to fit together more easily. I am very interested with all the multiple story lines, and want to know what is going to happen next.

I like how with the "immortal" characters, the show can flash back and forth between 180 years ago and today. The whole LaLaurie/Angela Basset (I forget her character's name) feud is awesome. Then there is what is her names story with trying to get pregnant. And Zoe's story with bringing the dead frat boy back to life. There is a lot going on here, and none of it is uninteresting.

Not only is the show really good but there is also a lot of good blood and death and violence which AHS is known for. This is definitely, to me at least, the finest season of the show yet. I have heard that it was good from a lot of different sources, and it turns out they are right.

Season 1

Episode 10

"Nelson v. Murdock"

Despite not knowing much about the actual Daredevil character, I have thoroughly enjoyed the show so far. It is very dark and edgy, a lot of gore and blood. It is completely unlike anything I have seen from Marvel yet. The story line has been less about super powers, and more reality based. I mean I guess Matt's hearing is still a super power. But it seems more like Batman than Thor or Captain America or anything we have seen in the Marvel-verse to date.

With only 13 episodes in the first season, I don't have much more of this left. But I really like it and can't wait to see where they go with this show. And I eagerly anticipate Matt's transformation from the man in the black mask to Daredevil. But apparently that doesn't happen till the end of the season. In the last episode I watched, Foggy finally discovered that Matt was the man in the mask. What happens next should be pretty interesting.

*watches episode*

Hmm, this episode wasn't as good as I am used to from this show. It wasn't bad by any means, but it had the feel of a show that was setting things up for the future as opposed to keeping us on the edge of our seat right now.

So, Foggy discovers who Matt is, but he doesn't call the police. He is angry at his friend for keeping secrets from him, and questions whether or not he is even really blind. Matt had to explain to Foggy that he has super hearing that at times can be just as good as, if not even better than actual sight. Like, for example, he can tell if someone is lying or not by the sound of his heartbeat. This we already knew, but it comes as a revelation to Foggy. A series of flashbacks to the early days of their friendship shows us how they became so close. It also shows us instances of Matt using his power of super hearing when the 2 were together, and Foggy being completely oblivious to the fact.

That's the main story of the episode. We see more of Fisk and his underworld dealings. We see Ben struggling to find out what to do with his dying wife (which I didn't even know he was dealing with until this episode). Again, this episode seemed more like it was setting up future events. Not a whole lot interesting happens here until the end, when people start dropping dead (?) at a dinner party Fisk is attending. His woman drops to the ground and foams at the mouth. Whether or not she is actually dead remains to be seen.

But it wouldn't shock me if she was. The whole series so far I have been waiting for something to happen to her. Something that would push Fisk closer to losing whatever semblance of humanity he still possessed. I think this will put him over the edge, and we are going to suddenly see him become a lot more ruthless and scary than he already was.

Three episodes left, and then the long wait until season 2 comes out begins.

Season 1

Episode 2

"Amuse-Bouche"

This is another one of my "cheating" shows. This isn't on Netflix, which surprises me a little bit. It seems like a show that would pop up on streaming, but so far it has not. I have heard the ratings aren't good, so it would seem natural they would put it on Netflix to get more people into it who weren't already. Oh well.

I'm a huge Silence of the Lambs fan. I have read all the books, seen all the movies. When I heard this was coming out my interest was immediately piqued. I don't watch a lot of live TV, so I was kind of hoping it would come to Netflix. When it became clear it wasn't, I took it into my owns hands to get a copy of this show for myself. I am a little late, but I am glad I'm finally getting to check it out.

*watches episode*

This was a pretty good episode. I have heard that there are a lot of creative murders in this series. We are off to a good start. In this episode, an evil pharmacist kills people by putting them into diabetic comas and then burying them in the dirt so their bodies grow mushrooms.

Sounds weird, but it was fun. The episode also focuses more on the psyche of Will Graham, and how investigating all these murders is taking its toll on him. Hannibal Lector becomes his psychiatrist at the urging of Jack Crawford.

The biggest surprise to me was Freddy Lounds being a woman. This is about as far from Philip Seymour Hoffman as you can get. Her story line was interesting, and it is becoming clear to see that she is going to be a major pest for the duration of the series.

I am not exactly jumping out of my seat over Hannibal yet. But it has started strong. And I have heard great things about it. I have faith it is only going to get better as it goes along.

Season 2

Episode 18

"Moving Day"

I feel obligated to say this every time I write an entry in this blog, but I will reiterate. I don't like sitcoms very much. I do like to have one in my rotation though as a change of pace. I settled on How I Met Your Mother because I heard it was smart as well as funny. I haven't watched an episode since I did my last blog entry. I am not really that invested in the show. If they took it down off Netflix tomorrow, I wouldn't care and it would basically be out of my head forever.

But that isn't to say I don't like the show. I could just take it or leave it. It is good for a sitcom, but this type of show isn't my favorite. Unless it is Family Matters, I think I look down upon anything with a laugh track.

*watches episode*

It was a good episode. Like I say I do like the show, sitcoms just aren't my favorite thing. In this episode, Ted and Robin are moving in together, despite Barney's protestations. Marshall and Lily find that they don't like living alone when Ted is gone. He did all the grocery shopping and a lot of work around the house. Barney hijacks Ted's moving van and forces him to go out to a night on the town with him. He tries to convince Ted not to move in with Robin. Eventually Ted and Robin do decide not to move in together after having a few disagreements. In the end, and all is well in the HIMYM universe.

There wasn't anything too special about the episode. If you like the show, you'll like this episode. The show is pretty consistent in quality. It will never be a go-to show in my rotation, but it is an occasionally fun change of pace. With this being 9 seasons, I have a feeling it is going to take me a looooong time to finish this.

Season 1

Episode 18

"Somebody's Watching"

I like this show but this is another one of those series that will never be a go-to rotation show for me. It is good for an occasional watch, but aside from a few random episodes, it has yet to really blow me away. I think my problem with the show is that there isn't really an overall story arc the show is following. Everything so far has been self contained in each episode. I like cliffhangers or things that are going to make me want to continue on and binge watch some more episodes. Breaking Bad is a good example of a show like that. I don't think the killer of the week format of the show will change as the series progresses, but hopefully they do find better ways to hook me and make me want to keep watching in the future.

*watches episode*

As a standalone episode this was pretty good. There was still no real hook to make me want to binge watch or anything. But I liked it.

A stalker in Hollywood is killing people who are associated with this young blonde actress. The team just so happens to be in town to teach people about profiling when they are drawn into the case. Many clues and leads are followed and eventually they discover that it is actually a woman doing the killing. She had a thing with the actress a few years back and had been obsessively following her ever since. Reid is the hero of the episode. He protects the starlet. He kisses her in the pool. And then he saves her from the stalker at the end.

It was good to have a Reid-centric episode. So far a lot of characters on the show haven't had much depth, but this was a good depth building episode for Reid. This episode didn't do much to improve Criminal Minds' stock in my rotation, but it did reaffirm for me that this is always a steady, solid show that I know what I am going to get from it when I turn it on.

Season 3

Episode 3

"Supply Lines"

If this had been on when I was a kid, I am sure I would have absolutely loved it. As it stands, it is a little too "kiddish" for me. I do like the show more than the prequel movies, but this is only something I watch every once in a while. I have to be in a certain mood to watch it. It's a shame too because I love Star Wars. I wish this show would appeal more to me.

*watches episode*

5 hours later, I have finally finished a 20 minute long episode. I kept falling asleep over and over again and had to keep replaying the episode. The episode itself was okay, but wow it couldn't keep me awake. Most of the main characters are AWOL here. The episode focuses on Bail Organa and Jar Jar Binks, who are acting as representatives for the Republic. They need help from the Toydarians to get supplies to Ryloth, who are under siege by the Separatists. The Trade Federation tries to keep the Toydarians from helping, but they sneak the ships through behind their backs.

Meanwhile on Ryloth, the Jedi and some of the troops fighting the Separatists die, but not before the supplies make it through to the people. I am a little disoriented from falling asleep for so long, but I think that is the gist of it.

It wasn't your typical episode in the sense that this one didn't have a whole lot of action. Mainly it was just Organa and Jar Jar talking to people. I do like how the hero Jedi and clones died at the end though. Usually on this show, the Jedi and the clone army win every battle without taking any hits, and it was interesting to see a few of them going down in the name of protecting innocent people. It almost brought a tear to my eye.

Season 3

Episode 1

"Chuck Versus the Pink Slip"

This is the first episode of Chuck that I have watched in a while. Season 2 ended and sometimes I like to take a break from a show between seasons. Now it is back in the rotation and its time to get the ball rolling again. I don't really remember what happened at the end of last season (didn't he get the Intersect removed?) so I am interested to see the direction the show is going to take in season 3.

*watches episode*

Apparently he didn't have the Intersect removed. Now Chuck can instantly download new abilities that he didn't previously know, like how to fight and how to play music and all that fun stuff. So it is the complete opposite of having it removed. What was I doing during the season 2 finale to have forgotten such an important detail? lol. I probably fell asleep.

So much has changed on the show. Chuck has shipped off to learn how to become a proper spy. However, he washes out and is forced to come back to live with his sister. Sarah has left him, and he has lost his job at the Buy More. He grows a beard and sits around eating cheese puffs all day before he is drawn back into the spy gig. He proves his worth and takes out an assassin, but not before the assassin kills Buster from Arrested Development. Is he really dead? How shocking.

So now things are kind of back where they were before. Chuck's at Buy More. He is working with Casey and Sarah again. And they are back on the case. But now he has new found abilities. Oooh. I liked the episode. I needed a little break from Chuck because it was getting a little stale in my mind. But now that I'm back watching a new season with new changes, I think I'm going to find the show a lot easier to watch.

Season 2

Episode 9

"Thanksgiving"

My cat was laying on me so I didn't write a "before" segment before watching the episode for this show. I just went ahead and watched it. I can't really say much about Amazing Stories that I haven't already. It's an anthology. Kind of like a bunch of little mini Spielberg movies from the 80's. Some episodes are pretty good. Some are crap.

This episode was decent. A girl and her mean step dad live alone out in the country. I guess we are to assume the mother is dead. They are out of water, so they go down in the well to dig deeper when they discover some weird kind of entities living in the well that give them riches. While the stepdad goes off to find a way to explore down there and take advantage of them, the daughter feeds the entities chicken and ham, and is given more riches in return.

The stepdad returns, and is once again a jerk to the girl. He goes down in the hole and disappears. The entities send up a note saying "thanks for the turkey" along with a mannequin stuffed with riches. So they ate the stepdad and rewarded her because they thought she was feeding them again. Ha!

I fell asleep twice during this episode so if I missed anything, sue me. But this was one of the good Amazing Stories episodes. The stepdad is a real jerk and I was hoping he would get what was coming to him. And that he did.

Season 4

Episode 4

"Planet of the Ood"

My opinion on Doctor Who varies from episode to episode. I don't think it is anywhere near as good as people make it out to be. Perhaps because I love more serious kinds of shows like Breaking Bad and Game of Thrones. The whole Doctor Who thing is just a little goofy for me. I actually prefer its spin-off Torchwood, and it isn't even close.

But as silly as the show is, it is capable of pumping out some good episodes. The last one I watched was stupid in my opinion, so I put the show to the side and haven't watched an episode for a few weeks. Maybe this will be a good one? But its about the Ood, who I don't really like. So my hopes are not high.

*watches episode*

So this was a lot better than I thought it would be. I thought perhaps it would be one of those silly episodes that I dislike because of the Ood, but it was fun. I liked it.

The Doctor and Donna visit an icy planet and discover that this is where the Ood come from. Humanity has set up a colony here and is processing them and shipping them out across the galaxy as slaves. The Ood seem content in their part, but after doing some digging the Doctor discovers that they simply are incapable of fighting back. And they are indeed being forced into servitude against their will.

So he frees them by releasing a giant brain from behind a force field. This allows them to begin thinking for themselves again, and to be released from their captivity. The Doctor and Donna then get out of dodge, their mission complete.

I definitely can see why some people are so gung ho about the show. I guess I just have to be in the right mood to watch it. Sometimes I can feel it, sometimes I don't. This was a good one though. It is still not a top tier rotation show, but maybe after I finish up a few other series first it will work its way up.

Season 1

Episode 9

"Full Hearts"

I had taken a long break from the show for several months, but now it is back in my rotation and I am liking it. On the surface it doesn't seem like something I'd enjoy much. I like football but I am not big on football centered fiction, whether it be in movies or TV shows. Weird, I know. Plus there is the whole high school / soap opera type thing going on in the background.

But it is good. It is a character based show, and the more I watch the more I want to see what is going to happen with some of these people. The show is heartfelt, and that is what I like so much about it. I'm not quite to the level yet where I am totally invested 100% but I am getting there. Hopefully this episode can keep it going.

*watches episode*

Another solid episode. Saracen continues to court the coach's daughter, and they go on their first date. Which is interrupted when there is a problem with his loony grandmother. But the coach's daughter (why can't I remember her name?) is kind of charmed by how he handles the situation. We learn a lot more about Smash when the Panthers come to his hometown to take on an opposing team. They are famous for their defense, and no one expects them to win the game. Here we learn about Smash's family, and how his dad died when he was younger and his mom moved the family away to get out of the ghetto.

Also, Lyla and Tim's affair is now public news. Both of them take major crap for it. Tim's car is smashed with baseball bats, and Lyla is heckled while cheer leading. Its nice to see them take crap for it because it was a dick move on their behalves. But still they are human and make mistakes, and they both feel bad about it. So it sucks to see them being belittled and kicked when they are down when they are clearly already feeling terrible about it. And the problem isn't likely to go away either.

The Panthers win the football game by the skin of their teeth, and celebrate off the field. But while everyone is riding an emotional high over the win, not everyone is happy with what is going on in their lives. It was a good episode, and it left me wanting to watch another one right away. That is always a good sign. I am starting to get to that level of 100% investment. This show's stock has risen greatly in my mind. It went from a series that I went on a long hiatus from because I was losing interest in it, to a show that is one of the few in my rotation that makes me want to binge watch more episodes.

That's it! It is Saturday morning right now and I have already gone through 1 episode of all 19 of my shows. It usually takes me the whole weekend to do this. I guess I really do have no life. Since I had a little time to spare, I did go watch the second part of that Buffy episode, and I liked it. So Buffy's stock in my rotation continues to rise.

Since I have a little extra time I guess I will rank my 19 shows on a scale of how quickly I think I am going to go ahead and watch more episodes.

1. Breaking Bad
2. American Horror Story
3. Daredevil
4. Survivor
5. Diners Drive Ins and Dives
6. Friday Night Lights
7. Buffy
8. Hannibal
9. Chuck
10. Spider Man
11. It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia
12. Doctor Who
13. Criminal Minds
14. The Clone Wars
15. Amazing Stories
16. How I Met Your Mother
17. The X-Files
18. The Twilight Zone
19. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles


I will update this blog again at some point next month. Probably when Orange is the New Black comes out. By that time I will likely be finished with Daredevil and Survivor, and probably close to the end of American Horror Story and Breaking Bad. I like my rotation to look a little different each time I do one of these blog entries.

That's about it. I can't believe I finished this in such a short amount of time. I really need to get a life. See you next month!