Final Con(sense)us

It's hard to believe that after this week's post, I will have completed 15 different summaries of the many shows one could find on Netflix. More than that, it's unbelieveable how much Netflix I watch as I can honestly say that while I've completed 15 series, that it not my final count. That's a lot of hours spent in bed with a screen and I'm thinking I should just apply for Netflix's editorial analysis team so I could at least get paid.

While a lot of my previous post are heavy in the genre of drama, there is one sci-fi series that I have come to know and love. The show is called sense 8 which is really just a play on words to descibe a group of people known as sensates. These individuals are special as they have the ability to connect to other sensates both emotionally and mentally. This means that even when they are carrying out their daily lives and activities in one place, they could also be somewhere across the world with whomever they are connecting to at the time. The best way to explain this would be similiar to that of an out of body experince. While they might be physically present in one place, their mind and soul might be elsewhere, yet somehow they also have some physicality in this other place.

The shows opens by showing the life of a women named Angelica who is going though a hard time and faces a tragedy. The series reveals that she is the birth mother to the sensates and for their whole lives, her children have these memories of her with no explanation as to who she is and why they experience these vision-like depictions of her. Now that the sensates are adults, one in particular named Will is starting to piece together an explanation for what is going on.

As a police officer, Will treats the tragedy of Angelica as a crime to be solved. As he continues to investigate her tragedy, he learns more and more about who she is, who he is, and what it means to be a sensate. Overtime, his knowledge is spread to the other sensates that he is connected to and all eight of them start to realize what it means to be a senate.

While a good portion of the plot is seeing these sensate further develop their ability so that they can better connect to one an other and be there for each other, the biggest problem here is an organization known as the biological protaction organization (BPO). This organization's main leader is referred to as Whisper as he is silent in his approaches and able to sneak around  to hunt down any and every sensate for his personal study and research. He is very good at what he does and is ultimately the reason Angelica faced the trouble that she did. Even though she worked very closely with Whispers, it was clear that she too would be just another victim of his study.

The show is incredibly interesting and fun to watch. There is so much character development to be seen. Yet the best part, is the general concept. The idea that there could be a subset of humans with this hidden power is captivating. It's a two season series so if you start now, you could most likely be done by the time the semester ends. It'll make a good filler for all that finals free time.

If you're still not convinced, enjoy this clip of the opening scene that had me hooked.

Finding Bomber Internally

If you love drama, action, and romance, I've got your next Netflix binge. Considering that I am a political science major, I love anything related to law and criminal justice. This explains why so many of the shows I've previously covered contain these themes like Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, and The Confession Tapes. If you too enjoy shows and genres as these, you should watch the show Quantico.

Quantico is the headquarters for FBI training. In this show, we first meet Alex Parrish, a young woman and trainee who meets Ryan Booth on her flight to Quantico. Just after their travel time together, they have sex and Alex walks away as the mysterious girl who has Ryan all figured out. Even though she thought she would never see this man again, she was mistaken.

As Alex arrives at Quantico for the start of her training, she notices Ryan and there begins their journey together. During her time at Quantico, she also becomes friends with trainees Shelby White, a set of twins Raina and Nimah, Simon, and Caleb. It is the weeks of challenges, moments spent freely from training, and formation of bonds that brings all these individuals together as great friends.

At Quantico, they are pushed emotionally, physically, and mentally. The challenges they are given aren't always the most clear cut tasks. The training always seems to push the trainees to their limit and force them to come out on top. The competition, testing, and prying is what makes for much of the action. Trainees are pinned against each other to make enemies and when it's all said and done, they have to find a way to maintain that civility and friendship.

The romance comes in as the trainees grow closer and closer in their experiences together. There are sparks between Alex and Ryan, Shelby and Caleb, and Raina and Simon. However, if you make it to season two, these relationship become much more complicated, making even more drama.

What I love most about this show is its ability to have you completely drawn in. You never know what to expect and when you start to make generalizations and conclusions, a lot of the time, the plot gets flipped on its head. There's so much drama and action that it's really difficult to find yourself bored.

I don't necessarily have a preferred season, but I will say that season two was so good! Season one was developed well and was really entertaining while season two was so awesome that I could not stop watching. In season two, all the trainees have graduated and started their own lives as agents. The season opens with a scene of a bombing in which Alex is at the center of it all (typical). As this bombing is covered in media, they report it is the result of a terrorist which starts the hunt for the bomber.

Throughout the season, Alex does her best to get the light of herself as she is named the terrorist for being at the forefront of the bombing and eventually works to not only clear her name but solve the crime.

If this seems interesting to you, I would definitely recommend for you to get started. If you're still not convinced or want to know a little more, enjoy this clip that takes you behind the scenes!

A Doctor's Drama

Thank you Shonda Rhimes for yet another TV series for me to obsess over. In my pervious posts, I've talked about two of her other popular shows, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder, both involving powerful female leads who are attorneys.

Now, if you're not an attorney and pursuing law school, what are doing? That rights taking the opposite route of  pursuing medical school and being a doctor. One of Shonda's most popular show Grey's Anatomy, is all about this pursuit. A group of students start their lives as interns at Seattle Grace hospital never realizing just how much all their lives would change from this one place.

We know Shondra loves a strong female character and despite the fact that this show is full of bold, bright women, this role is best fit to Meredith Grey. After all, the show is named after her. Meredith Grey has big shoes to fill as she pursues her career as a surgeon following the legacy of her mother Ellis Grey. During her time, Ellis did innovative research and studies that would allow her to win the prestigious Harper Avery award. Even though Ellis was very accomplished, this came at the cost of her relationship with her daughter. Meredith loved her mother and was clearly inspired as she followed in her footsteps, but there is a lot of hurt from her childhood memories and her mother's later battle with Alzheimers.

Even though there is lots of pain and misery in Meredith's life, there is also lots of greatness and joy. It is at Seattle Grace that Meredith meets her best friends Izzy Stevens, Alex Karev, George O'Malley, Christina Yang and the love of her life Derek Shepherd. Meredith and all her friends are in the same boat as fresh interns and together get through the journey of becoming surgeons.

In this friend group, there's obviously drama, love triangles, good times and bad times. Sadly, the end looks nothing like the beginning. When I say that Meredith is the strong female lead, the keyword is strong. Throughout the show, Meredith faces so much tragedy, it's hard to believe that she is able to pick herself back up and keep going.

I will admit, given that there are 14 seasons, it can be a very difficult show to power through. However, for me, it has always been worth it. There are so many action packed episodes that will leave you on the edge of your seat fully engaged and unable to stop yourself from watching the next part. There are episodes that will have you crying into your ice cream hysterically. Like any other show, there are episodes that you just have to get through to get to the really good part.

If you haven't seen this show yet and decide to start, you are in for a journey. I hope it will be one that you will enjoy as much as I have.

After 14 seasons, it was very difficult for me not to spoil a thing or find videos that also did not, so enjoy this video of the actors on the show struggling to get through the medical terms that get tossed around in the show.

Comic Comes To Life

Unless you were a young boy with a nerdy dad or uncle, there's a very slim chance that you grew up reading comics. I for one will admit that I never read a comic unless it was one of those cheesy ones out of the newspaper (do those even count?). We've seen comics come to life with movies like all the marvel or DC inspired films like Avengers, The Hulk, or Batman. However, what would a comic look like if it took the form of a television show? Thanks to the CW network, one of the latest versions of this being done is the production of the show Riverdale based on the Archie comics.

Now, I have no clue what the Archie comics are. I could not tell you what it's about and whether or not the show does a sufficient job of portraying this comic, but I will say that the first season of this show is great! If you're curious about this comic and it's background, the video below touches on it better than I could.




Just to set the scene of this show (especially if you didn't wish to watch the video), Riverdale is pretty much suburbia to lots of different families. The place is one of those small towns where everyone knows everyone and word gets around pretty fast. The new girl on the block is Veronica Lodge and with her arrival comes the start to a love triangle between her, Betty Cooper, and Archie Andrews. However, the more important thing here is the mysterious drowning of Jason Blossom, brother to the uptight and sassy Cheryl Blossom.

Much of the plot of season one is the uncovering of the death of Jason Blossom and there's so many different ideas being thrown out, and of course no one wants to rule out his "dear" sister. Or was it FP Jones (Jughead's dad)? How about criminal dad Hiram Lodge? Maybe it's Fred Andrews. Regardless of all the possibilities that get tossed around, Betty Cooper, the Nancy Drew of the show as she's a writer for her school newspaper has to find out. This is where she meets Jughead Jones, another passionate writer for the newspaper. Together they work to try to unveil all the truths and secrets of Jason's death.

Beyond the big mystery, there much drama happening with this love triangle. Archie is the all American boy; you know the football captain, that's also a sweetheart and can even play the guitar because he's so much more than a jock. How could anyone not like this kid? Even though Betty is coming close to admitting her crush, between her mother and Veronica, winning this boy seems impossible.

To add to the drama, everyone has secrets and it won't be long before they come to the surface. What's going on with the Blossom family? What kind of a man is Hiram Lodge and what is it that Hermione is protecting? What ever happened between FP and Fred Andrews? If you want to know any of this, you better start watching!

Power Beyond the President

To be a person whose aura commands respect and order is a skill that not everyone can have. It takes a strong individual to achieve such a thing and it seems that most of the people who do, are men. This may not be the case for you, but there is a huge difference when dad comes home rather than mom. There's this acceptance that dad had been working and dealing with being able to provide, so when he walks though that door, all shenanigans cease, we enter into our best behavior, and be good children. With mom, we know we can have all the fun we want and be a little crazy as long as we follow the rules. To be a woman who could command such order and respect is commendable and requires a level of power.

Olivia Pope is a the kind of woman that knows how to get people to do as she pleases and respect her without really having to be all that assertive. In some ways, Olivia is a force to not be reckoned with. But how did this come to be?

Olivia is the daughter to a mother and father who were well accomplished in their works. One was a part of a secret task force within the government and the other an infamous assassin. Both her parents recognized the importance of power; it is how we get people to do what we want. Sometimes this means forcing their hand or not even having to try because you're just that good.  With such accomplished parents who understood this principle, how could their child not be destined for greatness.

Now that you get a sense of who Olivia is, can you guess what she does for a living? If it wasn't all that obvious, Olivia is an attorney. Her firm has a great reputation and along with her three associates they are able to tackle almost any case it seems. Being a former White House employee, Olivia almost always has access to the big guns. An associate and former government spy Huck is able crack the codes and do the messy work. Abby is well equipped with a arsenal of knowledge in law. Harrison is just skillful; he knows how to manipulate and extort information.

The show in which these character take place is called Scandal. It's another ABC Shonda Rhimes creation and it is just as masterful as her other shows. The title is too accurate and appropriate. The show is full of scandals and the biggest of them all being exposed within the White House and involving big players, even the president. The show is full of drama so you'll seldom be bored. Trust me, there is a lot of come of power dynamics between big players in government, powerful individuals like Olivia Pope, and some of the extremist action in the show. You won't wanna miss out on Olivia's journey from campaign manager, to White House employee, to attorney, to powerful mistress, and campaign manager yet again. However, I will admit that some of the plot in which I cannot disclose is drawn out and overdone. Otherwise, it's a great show for you next binge!

Here is a parody video, but to really make the connection to the show, you better start watching!

For Lovers of the Law

As a society, overtime, how we view crime has changed in so many ways. If you don't believe me, check out this graphic.

                                                       Image Provided by Richard Felson

As you can see, crimes related to sex were such a big deal when people actually valued marriage. However, we all know that the sexual revolution changed our values about sex and suddenly premarital sex was not seen as harshly. Now, we constantly see instances of premarital sex and if you're the 40 year old virgin, what a shame! Even adultery is an act that we see too much of. If anything hasn't really changed, it's our views of murder.

If I were to ask any of you what is the worst crime a person can commit, a decent majority of people would say murder (feel free to comment and attest to this or not). As humans, we cannot ration the ability to take life away from another person. It's such a cynical, dark, and heinous crime.

Although some of us could never commit murder (or so we think), we rather fantasize about it. I'm not talking about planning our very own murder or dreaming about it, but filling our lives with shows, movies, stories, and conspiracies that often cover the topic of murder. This concept is just intriguing to us.

As a college student, I love being able to take classes that interest me (who doesn't) and as a political science major, I'm also taking classes like criminology and criminal justice. If you can relate, imagine that after signing up for one of these classes, you walk in for the first day of class and see six dreadful words on the chalk board. It reads, "how to get away with murder". How would you feel? The concept of learning ways to execute murder with no punishment seems insane. However, this is exactly what takes place in the show.

Annalise Keating is a well established lawyer and professor who is good at her job. She has made name for herself by being one of the most successful, brutal and, fierce attorneys. Her classroom truly is a space that tests your ability to be a attorney. By the end of the week, she will choose a student to represent her and the firm in a suit as well as four other to be hired on.

A group of five students make a lot of headway in her class, so they are primarily being chosen as her representatives. As they are given the chance to learn by such a talented individual as well as put her lessons into practice, they grow. But could these students really being learning how to get away with murder?

Rather than get into the details about the show and give up some of the suspense, I'll leave it to you. If you love a good drama with plenty of surprises, twists, and cliffhangers, this is the show to watch. It was practically addicting to me and will most likely be the case for you if you have a great interest in the topic or even just interest in law.

This trailer does a great job of giving the details I simply cannot provide. Enjoy!

Above Average Boy

Cargo pants? Check. 100% cotton collared shirt? Check. White socks with new balance sneakers? Check. There it is; the typical boy. Sam may look like the average Joe but there is so much more to him than that.

In fact, he's a lot more atypical than the average high school boy. Instead of an obsession with sports or video games, Sam loves penguins, He spends his time reading and learning more and more about them as well as their habitat any chance he can. Sam also has yet to have his first kiss, first love, and has no clue how he would even go about it. Another reason why Sam is so different, many of his reactions and responses are inappropriate. Like the time he yelled twat in the high school hallway or the time he finally got that kiss and punched the girl. With all this, people just can't seem to get over how weird kid is.

Sam may be different and have some of the most unusual responses but it's not because he's a freak; Sam is autistic. Many of these meltdowns and responses are completely out of his control and due to his condition. The whole show is centered around Sam's experiences with autism and most especially as his families pushes him to pursue a life just as any other person would.

This is why Sam is on the hunt for a girlfriend. The only way he knows is cheesy online pickup lines, intense planning, all the tips he can get from his dad, and the advice of his therapist. Sam asks his therapist some of the most specific question and what she has yet to understand is this is because Sam has a huge crush on her. However, getting past the boyfriend and taking this relationship from professional to romantic isn't going to be that simple.

Sam thinks he has to get a practice girlfriend so he can learn what love is supposed to be like and apply that to his chances with his therapist.

While Sam is going through all these changes, so is everyone else. His sister is starting and exploring a love of her own all while she dedicates herself to protecting Sam and excelling in track. The father is finally making progress in his relationship with Sam where he can finally spend quality time with him, understand him, and bond in a way they could not before. Sam's mother is also going a huge change and sadly this one is not as positive. She meets a man who intrigues her and entices her enough to where she is constantly tempted, distracted, and forgetful of her family. All of these dynamics make for most of the drama in this series and shape Sam as well.

This show is not only entertaining but I think it's great because it really does it's best to portray what autism could be like and especially for someone in high school where social standards are so prevalent. Sam is a very humorous, kind, and smart person and his character is great to watch.

Enjoy the show and this clip!