Categories
Reviews Science Fiction Television

The Orville: A review at three episodes in

I’m not all that sure how I feel about The Orville, three episodes into its first season. It’s a fun—and funny—show, and I’ve enjoyed the first three episodes quite a lot. I’ve also spent a little too much time wondering at the derivative nature of the show. I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t quite what I got.

Here’s the thing. I adored Galaxy Quest, probably because it managed to skewer Star Trek: The Original Series in a way that felt like love and yet still retain its individuality and bring plenty of original and unique content to the screen. In other words, it had something all its own, outside of the show it was parodying.

The Orville hasn’t done that. There’s nothing really original about The Orville and sometimes the show feels like it actually belongs in the universe it’s trying so hard to spoof. I can’t actually tell, because although it’s funny in places, it doesn’t really feel like parody.

On the other hand, I’m still watching, and I plan to keep watching, because there’s promise there. I like it. But my favorite episodes of Star Trek (any incarnation you want to imagine) have always tended to be the humorous ones, and the same goes for most of my other science fiction favorites like Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis. Humor gets me almost every time.

That’s what The Orville feels like, instead of a straight up parody. It feels like a humorous episode of a Star Trek series that hasn’t yet been added to the universe but is coming soon. In other words, a little too close to the source material to really let me love it.

If you want to watch (and I recommend you do give it a try).

Other: FOX’s website for The Orville. (Might be free viewing available.)

Categories
Television

Eureka! Only One Episode Behind on Grimm

…and I’m saving it for Christmas Eve. I love Christmas themed shows, especially around the holidays.

My favorite Christmas themed series show EVER? Eureka’s special cartoon Christmas episode: Do You See What I See?! If you’ve never watched this episode, you should definitely take the time. It is still my favorite and I have a feeling it will stay my favorite for many years to come.

If you have Prime at Amazon, you can watch it now. If you don’t, both a standard definition and HD version is available for purchase.

Seriously, the episode’s a classic already.

Sheriff Carter (Colin Ferguson) and Allison Blake (Salli Richardson-Whitfield) are secretly planning the perfect holiday surprise for their kids. But a mysterious kaleidoscopic wave of color crashes over Eureka, leaving the entire town and its inhabitants animated. The episode features a stellar line up of guest stars lending their voices to a variety of characters, including Emmy Award-winner Jim Parsons, Edward James Olmos, Chris Parnell and Matt Frewer.

My original review of the episode (from my old eureka fan site)

Do You See What I See? has the entire town of Eureka (with a few exceptions) becoming animated. With the help of a Super Photon Generator and a little something extra, Carter, Allison, & the gang end up living out their own cartoon in one of the most inspired, funny, and memorable Christmas episodes I’ve seen from any television series, ever.

Several different styles of animation made an appearance in the episode (see the images to the right), and although I can tell them apart when I see them, I have no expertise when it comes to animation and cartoons so I don’t know enough to identify the techniques or styles. I do know there was traditional drawn animation and stop-motion clay animation in the episode.

Whoever came up with this idea was truly inspired. Although I do generally enjoy holiday specials from the TV shows I watch, I can’t say that I always rewatch in future years. In this case, I see lots of future repeats for myself and my family.

And some screenshots from the show.

Eureka Cartoon 1 Eureka Cartoon 2 Eureka Cartoon 3 Eureka Cartoon 4 Eureka Cartoon 5

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka Season 1 & 2 DVDs on Sale Super Cheap

You can pick up the set of season 1 and season 2 on the cheap at the moment. Who knows how long the sale will last but as of the time of writing this, you can get them both for just about $15 apiece. That’s much less than the average cost of buying each episode online and it’s a significant discount on the list price of $29.98 for each DVD set.

I’ve already written about each of these Eureka DVD sets, so just click the images to read more.

eureka-season-1-dvd-lg eureka-season-2-dvd-lg

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka Season 1 DVD

With the Eureka Season 1 DVD, we get to ride along as Jack Carter becomes Sheriff of this super secret government sponsored town of geniuses who need someone uniquely able to keep things under control when the scientists can’t.

Eureka Season 1 DVD Box Set Cover

Click the image or the link above to buy Eureka season 2 on DVD.

Eureka Season 1 DVD Box Set

Fans of Eureka will want to start their DVD collection with the Eureka Season 1 box set not only because it’s the beginning of a great series but because it’s the kind of season you’ll want to watch over and over.

My personal favorites of this season include the fantastic pilot episode, which hooked me on Eureka immediately. Many Happy Returns really opened my mind up to the possibilities of Eureka and made it clear Eureka was something different. I enjoyed Alienated and Right as Raynes for the early look into Jo’s life. Finally, Once in a Lifetime brought the season to a dramatic close and is an episode that packs a lot of emotional punch. It’s been nice to see how it has all come together in later seasons after going back to watch this one yet again, now that season 4 has come to a close.

Click here to buy the Eureka Season 1 DVD set

Episodes on the Eureka Season 1 DVD

  1. Pilot
  2. Many Happy Returns
  3. Before I Forget
  4. Alienated
  5. Invincible
  6. Dr. Nobel
  7. Blink
  8. Right As Raynes
  9. Primal
  10. Purple Haze
  11. H.O.U.S.E. Rules
  12. Once In A Lifetime
Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka Season 2 DVD

The Eureka Season 2 DVD is a collection of episodes that are perfect for watching again and again.

Eureka Season 2 DVD box set cover

Click the image or the link above to buy Eureka season 2 on DVD.

Eureka Season 2 DVD Box Set

The thing about the season 2 DVD box set is that you’ll want to watch it all the time. It has a collection of some awesome Eureka episodes, and some of them are my personal all time favorites from Eureka.

Don’t Miss These Episodes from Season 2 of Eureka

Noche de Suenos is fantastic. Despite everything that’s happened with the characters’ lives, romantically speaking, I still laugh at this one with its Fargo/Zorro/Stark/Jo scene. It is spectacular and I know it makes no sense but this still makes me long for romance between two characters who couldn’t be more different–or wrong for each other. The introduction of Zane in E=MC…? is hard to beat, but Maneater just about does it. Unpredictable has one of my favorite scenes of the series, with Carter barely able to stand in gale force winds. You really have to see it at least ten times to enjoy it the most… ;-)

While those are all fun episodes, Phoenix Rising and Try, Try Again sets Henry on a path that scared me, for him. I shouldn’t have worried because in the long run, it all works out for the good of everyone, but his arc is mysterious and dark and adds a lot to season 2.

Click here to buy the Eureka Season 2 DVD set

Episodes on the Eureka Season 2 DVD

  1. Phoenix Rising
  2. Try, Try Again
  3. Unpredictable
  4. Games People Play
  5. Duck, Duck Goose
  6. Noche de Suenos
  7. Family Reunion
  8. E=MC…?
  9. Sight Unseen
  10. God is in the Details
  11. Maneater
  12. All That Glitters
  13. A Night at Global Dynamics
Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka Season 3.0 & 3.5 DVD

I like season 3 of Eureka because it has a lot of great episodes. Fans of the show are going to know that things change pretty dramatically in the first episode of season 4, but if you want those changes to have any kind of impact, you have to have watched season 3 and really understand where the show and characters are at the end of the season. Besides, season 3 is great and it has some really terrific episodes. Just see my list of favorites at the bottom of this page.

Season 3 of Eureka has 2 DVD sets: Eureka Season 3.0 DVD set and Eureka Season 3.5 DVD set. This was the first season Eureka’s DVD sets were split into two parts, probably because season 1 and season 2 had fewer episodes and a lengthy hiatus separated the two halves of season 3.

Eureka Season 3 DVD setEureka Season 3.0 DVD

Click the image or link to see this set at Amazon.

So much happens in this first half of season 3 that it makes it almost impossible to summarize without spoiling something. I can say that characters come and go, and one of them I’ll miss until the bittersweet end of the series.

Eureka Season 3.5 DVD setEureka Season 3.5 DVD

Click the image or link to see this set at Amazon.

In season 3.5, I enjoyed the foray into romance. Characters develop quite a bit and fun, interesting things happen to almost everyone in at least one episode.

Favorites of Eureka Season 3:

I have watched all of these episodes multiple times, for a variety of reasons. Some are just plain fun, while some have heart and simply deserve to be watched more than once.

  • Bad to the Drone
  • I Do Over
  • Show Me the Mummy
  • Welcome Back, Carter
  • Your Face or Mine
  • It’s Not Easy Being Green
  • If You Build It…
  • Ship Happens
  • You Don’t Know Jack

A lot of people complain about DVD sets that have only half a season of episodes on them. Although I would prefer a complete season set myself, I don’t mind these kind of sets. They don’t usually cost any more per episode than series like Chuck, which are quite expensive for the whole season.

If you go the digital route and buy the episodes online from somewhere like Amazon you are going to pay less than the combo of the season 3.0 and 3.5 DVD sets. But what’s the fun in that when you’ll miss out on the extras?

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka Season 4.0 & 4.5 DVD

The Eureka Season 4.0 DVD contains approximately half of the episodes that make up Eureka’s season 4. The Eureka Season 4.5 DVD contains the remaining half of the episodes.

Eureka Season 4.0 DVD cover

Eureka Season 4.0 DVD Box Set

The lastest Christmas episode (Do You See What I See?) is not on the 4.5 DVD set but O’ Little Town is, along with the Warehouse 13 episode Don’t Hate the Player featuring a heavy dose of Fargo.

What made season 4 special was the sudden changes that occurred with the end of the first episode of the season. After an event that changed the timeline, Eureka’s history was just different enough to be interesting but not so much as to fundamentally change the show I already loved.

Fans of the series certainly won’t want to skip either half of season 4. The fourth season was drawn out over a two year period so it’s easy to be confused about what’s in season 4 and what’s not. Between both DVD sets, you’ll have all the season 4 episodes (except Do You See What I See?, see below), plus extra features, and an episode of Warehouse 13.

Eureka Season 4.5 DVD set

Eureka Season 4.5 DVD Box Set

The Eureka TV series is certainly a TV series that’s fun and memorable enough to own on DVD. Episodes are enjoyable even the third and fourth times around, and the characters are smart and interesting, and stay true to form in season 4 despite everything.

There’s been enough character development over the course of the show to make the season 4 changes important and significant to me. The sudden shift in the lives of Eureka’s residents, such as Jo, Allison, Fargo and Henry, bring season 4 to life.

If you haven’t seen Eureka’s season 4, don’t miss it. Buy the complete season 4 DVD set: Eureka 4.0 and Eureka 4.5. Click on the images above, or follow the links to buy Eureka at Amazon or read more reviews 0f Eureka’s season 4 DVD sets.

Favorites of Eureka Season 4:

Episodes not to be missed!

  • A New World
  • All the Rage
  • Up In the Air
  • Omega Girls
  • Of Mites and Men (The Eureka Season 4.5 DVD has an extended version of this episode!)
  • Clash of the Titans
  • One Giant Leap
  • Do You See What I See? (NOT on the Season 4 DVDs, probably to appear on the Season 5 DVD)
Categories
Television

Chuck

Chuck is comedy science fiction crime show. Chuck burst onto the scene, with its catchy theme music and fun characters. Although there are no space battles or aliens, there’s still a major science fiction element in Chuck’s ability to retain and access all the secrets of the government’s Intersect computer within his brain.

Chuck Season 1 DVD coverChuck Season 2 DVD coverChuck Season 3 DVD coverChuck Season 4 DVD Box Set Cover

Season 1 DVD | Season 2 DVD | Season 3 DVD | Season 4 DVD | Season 5 DVD

Chuck Season 1 Blu-ray coverChuck Season 2 Blu-ray coverChuck Season 3 Blu-ray coverChuck Season 4 Blu-ray cover

Season 1 Blu-ray | Season 2 Blu-ray | Season 3 Blu-ray | Season 4 Blu-ray | Season 5 Blu-ray

The Show

Image of Chuck Bartowski and Sarah Walker

Chuck Bartowski is the Nerd Herd supervisor at a Buy More electronics store. His old college roommate sends him an email that’s subliminally encoded with government secrets, and Chuck ends up with the entire database of the government’s top-secret Intersect computer downloaded into his brain. CIA agent Sarah Walker and NSA agent John Casey have to keep Chuck out of trouble while they use him and his “flashes” to fight crime.

Chuck Episodes

Chuck Season 1 Episode List

  1. Chuck Pilot
  2. Chuck Versus the Helicopter
  3. Chuck Versus the Tango
  4. Chuck Versus the Wookiee
  5. Chuck Versus the Sizzling Shrimp
  6. Chuck Versus the Sandworm
  7. Chuck Versus the Alma Mater
  8. Chuck Versus the Truth
  9. Chuck Versus the Imported Hard Salami
  10. Chuck Versus the Nemesis
  11. Chuck Versus the Crown Vic
  12. Chuck Versus the Undercover Lover
  13. Chuck Versus the Marlin

Chuck Season 2 Episode List

  1. Chuck Versus the First Date
  2. Chuck Versus the Seduction
  3. Chuck Versus the Break-Up
  4. Chuck Versus the Cougars
  5. Chuck Versus Tom Sawyer
  6. Chuck Versus the Ex
  7. Chuck Versus the Fat Lady
  8. Chuck Versus Gravitron
  9. Chuck Versus the Sensai
  10. Chuck Versus the DeLorean
  11. Chuck Versus Santa Claus
  12. Chuck Versus the Third Dimension
  13. Chuck Versus the Suburbs
  14. Chuck Versus the Best Friend
  15. Chuck Versus the Beefcake
  16. Chuck Versus the Lethal Weapon
  17. Chuck Versus the Predator
  18. Chuck Versus the Broken Heart
  19. Chuck Versus the Dream Job
  20. Chuck Versus the First Kill
  21. Chuck Versus the Colonel
  22. Chuck Versus the Ring

Chuck Season 3 Episode List

  1. Chuck Versus the Pink Slip
  2. Chuck Versus the Three Words
  3. Chuck Versus Angel de la Muerte
  4. Chuck Versus Operation Awesome
  5. Chuck Versus First Class
  6. Chuck Versus the Nacho Sampler
  7. Chuck Versus the Mask
  8. Chuck Versus the Fake Name
  9. Chuck Versus the Beard
  10. Chuck Versus the Tic Tac
  11. Chuck Versus the Final Exam
  12. Chuck Versus the American Hero
  13. Chuck Versus the Other Guy
  14. Chuck Versus the Honeymooners
  15. Chuck Versus the Role Models
  16. Chuck Versus the Tooth
  17. Chuck Versus the Living Dead
  18. Chuck Versus the Subway
  19. Chuck Versus the Ring, Part II

Chuck Season 4 Episode List

  1. Chuck Versus the Anniversary
  2. Chuck Versus the Suitcase
  3. Chuck Versus the Cubic Z
  4. Chuck Versus the Coup d’Etat
  5. Chuck Versus the Couch Lock
  6. Chuck Versus the Aisle of Terror
  7. Chuck Versus the First Fight
  8. Chuck Versus the Fear of Death
  9. Chuck Versus Phase Three
  10. Chuck Versus the Leftovers
  11. Chuck Versus the Balcony
  12. Chuck Versus the Gobbler
  13. Chuck Versus the Push Mix
  14. Chuck Versus the Seduction Impossible
  15. Chuck Versus the Cat Squad
  16. Chuck Versus the Masquerade
  17. Chuck Versus the First Bank of Evil
  18. Chuck Versus the A-Team
  19. Chuck Versus the Muuurder
  20. Chuck Versus the Family Volkoff
  21. Chuck Versus the Wedding Planner
  22. Chuck Versus Agent X
  23. Chuck Versus The Last Details
  24. Chuck Versus The Cliffhanger

Chuck Season 5 Episode List

Currently airing new episodes!

Categories
Science Fiction Television

Eureka

Eureka is certainly one of the best science fiction television shows still airing new episodes but its future was cut short several months ago when it was announced that the upcoming season 5 would be its last. Although there was an announcement only a day before that indicated there would be a short season 6 for Eureka, that news was rescinded quickly and the announcement was made about the cancellation of the series after season 5.

The good news is that Eureka’s season 5 was given an additional episode in which to tie up the series, but the bad news is that it probably won’t be nearly the send-off the series deserves.

You can find plenty of information here about Eureka, but for more, you should visit my site made especially for Eureka fans.

More Eureka

Categories
News Science Fiction Television

Chuck Returns for Season 5 in October

Chuck returns October 21 for season 5, Friday, 7 PM Central / 8 PM Eastern.

You can watch the last episodes of season 4 again to prepare the return of Chuck in October. Some episodes are available on the NBC website, while all episodes are available on Amazon if you need to catch up on more than just a few missed episodes or you don’t want to be bothered by ad interruptions. You could certainly wait for the Chuck season 4 DVD set to watch, which will be available on October 11. That’s more than a week to catch up on episodes before the new season starts on the 21st.

If you need another way to show your love for the show, here’s a really nice Nerd Herd t-shirt that’ll let you wear your fannish feelings right on your chest!

Chuck Nerd Herd T-Shirt
Chuck Nerd Herd T-Shirt