SAO II

Sword Art Online II. I have previously rated SAO the first part, and now its time for the second. While this is technically season 2, I more consider it to be season 3 and 4. This is because the original was basically 2 separate stories, and this is similar in that same regard. SAO II came out with another 25 episodes in 2014. Each of these episodes being just like the first in that they were 24 minutes or so long.

The first part takes place in a new, mostly American VRMMORPG called Gun Gale Online (GGO). Unlike Sword Art and Alfheim, GGO has no magic, and for the most part the weapons you get are guns. This makes deaths much quicker and adds a certain element of dueling that can end in an instant. But someone going by the name Death Gun is somehow shooting people in the video game and they are dying in real life. So our hero Kirito joins the game to investigate the scenario. He makes a new friend/rival Sinon. We end up learning about her past and seeing Kirito's and his fellow ex-SAO members continue to live in the real world as well as in the virtual ones.

The second part at first is a side adventure within Norse Mythology and the idea of a video game having no true limitations on what could occur. After this adventure we see the life of Asuna and just how hard a life of riches can be. The responsibilities and stresses that can come with it. But mostly it is the meeting of a guild of players known as the Sleeping Knights. This small group wishes for her help to immortalize the impressive deed of defeating a floor boss with only their small numbers. They fight together and things about the people and the group are realized that bring into question the real world and some of the potential that virtual realities can truly have for people. Especially for people who may have certain disabilities or disadvantages in the physical world.

This second series is fascinating and quite well done. I think I still prefer the first part of the original, but in the end this second bit lived up to the path laid down by the original, and as I said it was more thought provoking. SAO II gets a 10 out of 11.

The IT Crowd

This wonderful British comes with 4 seasons with a total of 25 (+1special) episodes. These 25 minute show came out between 2006 and 2013.

Smarties cereal, (holding a gun in your hand)I wonder if its loaded (puts in mouth)(click click click) guess not, nude grandmother calenders, cakes filled with poo and knives in London, and so much more. This comedy takes place in the basement of a large corporate building. The IT department. These nerds are completely misunderstood and subsequently unappreciated. After all we don't care about the people who work our computers as long as they work.

And of course there are generally only 2 problems with computers. Either it needs to be turned off and on again, or its not plugged in. So much so that these pretty much become the catchphrase of the show and I believe that every single episode has someone say "Have you tried turning it on and off again?" at least once.

And of course then there is Jen, the woman who accidentally gets hired to the department when she knows nothing about computers. She becomes their relationship manager and plenty of jokes about the stupidity and genius of each other ensues.

Now some warning to those who are not familiar with British humor, and British television. It is very different from American TV. First off they can curse. There are a few episodes where they say Fuck. Also bathroom humor is completely allowed. Few times will you see American TV make jokes about poo (Scrubs excluded). They also prefer to make fun of the French instead of Indians (from India) like America does in the case of telephone tech support and whatnot. And lastly British humor utilizes quick and sudden things like a main character suddenly jumping out a 40 story window.

I really like this show, it is great if you need a quick or good laugh. The first season is personally the best, but that doesn't mean in any sense that the others are bad, its just the first is the best. The show gets an 10.5 out of 11.

666 Park Avenue

This series was unfortunately like so many others, canceled after only its first season in 2012-2013. As such, there are only 13 episodes. Each of these episodes is about 42 minutes long.

This show is mostly about 2 things. That is 2 things after the fact that the incredible Terry O'Quinn is on it. The first thing is the idea of high society meeting the dark arts and magic. The second is, what would you do if you could have exactly what you want? The show takes place in the apartment building called "The Drake," located on 999 Park Avenue. The two main characters become the managers of The Drake. They work with the other tenants and the owners to restore the beauty of this old building as they learn more and more of its secrets.Oh and I almost forgot to mention, Whoopi Goldberg. She's only in one episode, but she is incredible in that episode.

But here is the most interesting thing. People occasionally say "I would do/give anything to do/get ______." But what if the price was something you never would have expected to pay. Like cheating on your wife to write a hit broadway show. Or seducing a married man to regain the use of your legs. Or even your morals to be the most read reporter in the New York's most prestigious newspaper. Or more. Anything is a wide range of things, and maybe what we wanted isn't what we really expected.

Oh and a demon may be running everything. But then again maybe he is something else.

I loved the show, but like I mentioned. It was cancelled early, but it does have a bit of an ending. Just not the best of ones. The show gets a score of 9 out of 11.

Psych

121 episodes of Pineapples between 2006 and 2014. With musical episodes, unearthed dinosaurs, lots of childhood flashbacks, and as I said pineapples.

Shawn grew up with a heavily strict father who forced him to become an extremely observant individual. This leads him to lying to the police for 8 years about being a Psychic and having special powers that allow him to help the police solve case after case. All while he attempts to get the girl and while messing around with his best friend Gus' life. Gus of course allows all of this to happen, even while he "tries" to get out of it.

Shenanigans ensue in every episode, breaking into houses, breaking into museums, working a hundred different jobs, stealing police files, jumping from cars after being kidnapped, and so much more. Shawn comes up with endless ways to mess with Lassie and well pretty much everyone around him. Luckily everyone comes out all right in the end even though many of them end up in horrible situations because of his shenanigans. Of course some of the situations weren't completely his fault, like the serial killer Yang's obsession with Shawn.

This show is fantastic. Some ridiculous scenarios, but always with the same amount of hilarity and excitement. The show earns an 11 out of 11.

Battlestar Galactica

2004-2009 takes up a new look at the world originally created back in the 1970's. Mankind versus the machines that we created. This continuance of the story had 74 episode each being about 42 minutes long.

This series is far darker than the 1970's version, and is more intense. Combining all kinds of ideas and relationships together to show to what depths mankind is capable of. Showing us what could happen if we lose what "humanity" we have, as well as what we could achieve if we strive for a goal.

The series starts with a massive Cylon invasion that almost entirely wipes out the human race leaving only a few thousand survivors. They flee in hopes of finding the fabled "Earth" from their religious texts. But everyone has their secrets and burdens to bear, and on a relatively small ship, none of their secrets will remain that way for long. But here is the biggest twist, the robot-like Cylons have been developing a new race of Cylons. Humonoid Cylons that are almost indistinguishable from normal humans, even on the inside. These new Cylons are how the humans were defeated, and anyone in the fleet could be one, or as we find out later 12 are, or at least there are 12 Cylon/human models.

The series goes over multiple current events like the argument over abortion, or how we should treat our enemies, and even racial tensions. The one that I was most impressed with was the idea of allotted places in life. Someone who is born to a poor family is likely to remain relatively poor their entire life. The children of farmers are likely to be farmers themselves and so on.

The ending even leads to ideas of the origin of mankind as a whole which was rather interesting. For the most part I really liked the show, but I did have one rather major problem with the show and that was the whole Starbuck thing within the last season, but I don't want to give any spoilers away so I will just leave it at that.

The show gets a 9 out of 11. While I liked the idea of how they ended the series, I thought they could have led up to it better.