One of my favorite TV shows that is surprisingly not very popular among my circle of friends is this British American show called "Strike Back". I really love the show for its action, simple plotlines and secrecy. Season 1 had just 6 episodes, with the main character being former British SAS commando John Porter (Richard Armitage) who joined "Section 20", an elite covert British military intelligence and counter-terrorism unit.
Season 2 onwards had 10 episodes each, and we were introduced to two new main characters as Section 20 agents - Sgt. Michael Stonebridge (Philip Winchester), former Royal Marine and SBS commando, and Sgt. Damien Scott (Sullivan Stapleton) a disgraced U.S Army Delta Force operative and former CIA contract killer.
And that's what I really love about Philip Winchester and Sullivan Stapleton. They seem to have the perfect combination together, with an on-off chemistry and relationship. Both are badass hardcore action junkies, but at the same time they have very contrasting behavior and identity - Philip's character is a stickler for rules who does everything by the book, whereas Sullivan's character is more of a carefree rebellious womanizer who gets to sleep with half the female casts of the show :D
But as all good things must come to an end, Strike Back aired their season finale as the final episode of Season 5 came out on June earlier this year.
To me, that felt like the end of "24" all over again, when Jack Bauer appeared for the last time on TV.
So you should imagine how much I rejoiced when I found out two new TV shows called "Blindspot" and "The Player" were coming out, both starring Sullivan Stapleton and Philip Winchester respectively. I mean, they weren't going to be together, but it was nice to see my favorite TV action stars again.
But then, maybe I counted my chickens too early. After having watched a couple of episodes of both shows, I must honestly admit I am disappointed. And I'm probably not the only Stapleton-Winchester fan who felt this way because Strike Back is still at 8.3 on IMDB, whereas Blindspot and The Player have both fallen down to 7.8 and 7.3 since airing (they both started with a rating above 8.0)
[Warning - may contain Spoilers]
I really love the beginning of the pilot episode of Blindspot. It was intriguing and made me sit on the edge of my bed. My first thought after watching the first few minutes was definitely the 1996 action flick "The Long Kiss Goodnight" starring Geena Davis and Samuel L. Jackson. It was one of the few good movies I saw in our School's auditorium during Wednesday "movie night" screening for hostellers. Also, Blindspot appealed to me instantly because, God I love tattoos! :D
But sadly, episode 2 onwards, one can't help but think Blindspot is just a mediocre attempt at copying "Prison Break" and "The Blacklist". To pull that off, you really need a Wentworth Miller or a James Spader, otherwise it's just not going to work. The plotlines too started becoming weaker and weaker, not to mention many of the clichéd and lame dialogues that really made me cringe.
Nothing great in the cast as well. And comon, why do the producers or scriptwriters have to glorify the main casts so much, making them larger than life at any incident? It was kinda realistic watching Sullivan in "Strike Back" being the lonesome gun-slinging action hero attacking drug cartels and terrorists on his own because he's a covert agent slash commando and that's what he's supposed to do. But now that he's playing the role of an FBI agent, it becomes so ridiculous watching him being the only hero who can defuse a bomb or catch terrorists or save the city from a rogue drone attack or an incurable disease. Comon where are all the other freaking FBI agents or even normal cops for that matter? Or how about that lame reason why Assistant Director Bethany Mayfair decided to break all protocol and send out Jane Doe with the team for the first time - because she spoke Chinese? Urrmmm... nobody else in the FBI or the whole of Manhattan spoke Chinese? :D So many loopholes everywhere...
This morning, I watched the latest episode of Blindspot (episode 5) and seeing the FBI and CIA agents aiming their guns at each other all because they wanted to be the first at questioning a suspect, I just cracked up. That was the freaking limit. I don't think I'll be watching the next episodes in a hurry anymore. Maybe if I'm truly bored one day, I'll go through the remaining episodes in one shot...
The same review goes for "The Player". So many comments to make on it, urrrghh... Having Wesley Snipes in it didn't seem to be any consolation at all. I guess I'll just leave it at that as well. After all, these two shows can still do well even if many people hate them. I for one could NOT believe "Scorpion" and "CSI: Cyber" managed to run for a second season!!! Those two shows in my opinion were two of the lamest new TV shows aired last year and I was pretty sure they wouldn't make it to a second season. But they did. Dayyymmm!
But hey, this year has not been disastrous so far. I managed to get my hands on the leaked pilot episode of "Lucifer", and I LOVED IT. Only sad news is, it's going to start airing only from 2016.
If you really want to watch a kickass new show this year, then I recommend "Narcos". This is one of the best TV shows I have seen recently, based on the life and criminal exploits of Pablo Escobar. And I recommend you watch this entire show (10 episodes) in one shot. Damn it's an awesome freaking show!
So I guess that's it for now. Will try to review "Minority Report", "Limitless" and "Quantico" in my next blog update. Until then, cheers...
