"Downton Abbey" Season 2 Review

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Last time I talked about Downton Abbey, it was about Season 1. Now that I viewed Season 2 of the show, I have a lot to say about it. (Warning: Spoiler alerts in this blog post. So skip this post if you haven't seen the show!)

Ready?

In Season 2, it's wartime. We're talking World War I here. Many of the characters play major roles when it comes to the war. The estate has become somewhat of a home for wounded soldiers. Sybil, the youngest daughter, has become a nurse, working around the clock to treat the wounded. Some of the servants, including Thomas and William, enlist as soldiers. Lord Grantham also gets involved. Plus, Matthew enlists. (He makes it out with injuries.)
-When Matthew went missing, I was afraid that he was dead, and that Mary would have no choice but to marry that snobby journalist that she had mistakenly hit on earlier in the series.

As far as love, it's in the air. Mary wants to win Matthew back, because he's engaged to another woman. Drama hits up when Mr. Bates tries to divorce his deranged wife; but he and Anna finally get married.

-Awesome!

William and Daisy (both servants) also hook up, just before William goes off to war. And... did I forget to mention that there's a brief love affair between Lord Grantham and one of the maids?

Now, unlike the first season, death is a recurring element. With war going on, people from Downton are dying, as well as those that are involved in the war. At the season finale, there was an outbreak of the Spanish flu, which claims the life of Matthew's fiance... which allows Mary to be choser to Matthew, since she's still chasing him the whole season.

-Hey. Three's a crowd...

The whole season was like a roller coaster ride. There were great moments, as well as bad ones. I especially didn't like the ending of Season 2, because Mr. Bates is arrested for a crime that he didn't commit! Sure, this season provides hope for this character through a follow-up special, the Christmas special, but still!

-Mr. Bates's arrest was just wrong! His ex-wife committed suicide, so that people can blame him for murdering her! 

Overall, this season was intense, more so than this show's first season. Right now, I'm in the process of viewing Season 3. Hopefully, things will go right in this season.

Whatsoever Critic

Source: Downton Abbey

Courtesy: PBS/Carnival Films

For updates on reviews, the video link is below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1hp3F5Stqg

"Downton Abbey" Season 1 Review

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

Like I said before in this blog, I'm just getting into seeing Downton Abbey.

This past week, I finished watching Season 1 of the series.
So what are my thoughts?

I think the show has potential, in regards to how watchable it is.

Now, I'm going to have some spoilers, so be prepared: if you haven't watched Season 1 yet, then read another blog post or visit my Youtube channel now.

Ready?

Season 1 was more of a introductory season (obviously). Here, we're introduced to so many characters.
-Believe me, there are too many to count.
What I like about the multiple characters is that you get to choose who to love and who to hate.
-Seriously, Hot Topic doesn't sell merchandise of this show yet?

Anyway, the Grantham family is what you would call a typical family. We have Lord Grantham, the head of the household that commands authority but still possesses a heart. We also have Cora, Grantham's wife, who would usually stand by him. We even have the three daughters Mary, Edith, and Sybil.
Mary- She's the oldest daughter. At first, I was questioning her character. It's like she wants to fall in love with cousin Matthew, but she's too busy with her ego. Usually, she's paying the price for her ego.
Edith- I would consider her a minor character. However, the show itself makes her that way. I don't know; I kinda felt sorry for her, because people, including her family, don't seem to pay any attention to her, as far as relationships go.
Sybil- I never thought that the youngest daughter would be more stronger than her other two sisters. She sees herself going far in life; she's part of the feminist movement; and she works hard to reach her goals. I see her as something that this world needs: a hard worker that wants to make a difference in the world.

As far as the servants of Downton Abbey, I was split down the middle.
First, I'll tell you my pros, before I say of my cons.
I am pro:
1. Mr. Bates- He seems like the nicest guy. I understand that he has a somber back-story, but I kept hoping that he and Anna would hook up despite it. I mean, he and Anna are a perfect match. It's like one of those romance stories, where one partner has a tragic back-story and doesn't want to share it until they begin to trust the other partner.
2. Mr. Carson- He's the stern leader that isn't to be made a fool. We'll really need someone like him for this series, because there are some nutcases in the servants department, I can assure you.
3. Mrs. Hughes- She's also a stern leader; and, like Mr. Carson, she doesn't mess around.
4. Anna- Imagine Disney's Cinderella reincarnated into a servant of Downton Abbey. Well, that's this woman. She's kind; she's understanding; and I like how she's in love with Mr. Bates. (Again, they belong together.)
5. Gwen- She's one of the servants of Downton Abbey. She hopes to become a secretary in this season. Throughout this season, she pursues that dream, with the help of Lady Sybil.

Now, as far as cons go, I'm NOT fond of:
1. Thomas- Think of him as either Scar (The Lion King) or Jenner (The Secret of NIMH) in this series. To me, the first impression of this guy was: "He's bad  news." And he proves to be bad news. (Not that there's a problem with him being gay.) I'm talking about him trying to get Mr. Bates into trouble, and him scheming to do more than just be a footman. He seeks power, and isn't afraid to use blackmail against anyone.
2. Mrs. O'Brien- She's Thomas's confidant, of course. I didn't like her either. She too, is known to blackmail and deceive. End of story.

So, since I'm still new to this series, I will hold off on the nitpicking. In fact, in the future, after viewing the whole series, I will do something like a Top 10 list for the episode I liked and the ones I questioned a lot.

Overall, Season 1 was okay. I mean, I understand that this season was just trying to pave way for more drama. In fact, in the season finale, the episode ends with Lord Grantham receiving a letter saying that the country is at war. (Again, spoilers if you haven't seen the show.)

So, next time I talk about Downton Abbey, I will be giving my consensus on Season 2, which I'm almost done viewing.

Whatsoever Critic
Source: Downton Abbey

Courtesy: PBS/Carnival Films

Editorial: What is "Five Nights at Freddy's" Trying to Satirize?

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

I betcha almost everyone is familiar with the game Five Nights at Freddy's.

-Too bad it's not Freddy Krueger. (That would've been something!)

I was first exposed to this horror game through Youtube. I learned that the idea of this game is to try and survive all five nights at Freddy's. 

-Self-explanatory, right?

Well, that's obviously easier said than done. The catch is that you have to look out for animatronics that come to life to try and kill you.

And we have the jump-scares, creepy lighting, and... FRIGGIN' MIND GAMES... to make the ideal horror game. Now, the majority of gamers that I've seen play this game on Youtube only made it to the 2nd night, with the exception of one Youtuber that so happened to make it passed all five nights... AND EVEN WENT ON TO THE SIXTH NIGHT?!

-Really? There's a sixth night? Well, your character in the game seems too tempted by a bigger paycheck to refuse... (The game doesn't even pay your character much anyways!!!)

So, why am I thinking that this game is satirizing something?

I don't know: I just have a theory that this game is trying to make Chuck E. Cheese's look bad. I mean, think about it!

The game has animatronics trying to kill your character...

Chuck E. Cheese's has had animatronics in their pizza theaters (Chuck E. Cheese's was the first to come up with performing animatronics in a kid-friendly environment). So, to see killer animatronics trying to get your character in that game... well, that would be a bad influence for kids that have been to Chuck E. Cheese's, and kids who have never heard of Chuck E. Cheese and unfortunately might be exposed to this horror game.

From what I've learned, Chuck E. Cheese has been around since the late 1970s.

Chuck E. Cheese's is supposed to be a fun place for kids and adults like. I grew up with Chuck E. Cheese. It was a great place when I was a kid. And then to see Five Nights at Freddy's try to cash in on this theme by turning it into a horror game, wouldn't that hurt kids in the long-run?

Fortunately, there's a remedy for this issue. There's a certain age-limit that a person has to be when playing Five Nights at Freddy's (which people tend to disregard nowadays). For example, when I first bought this game in the App Store, it had a rating of "12+." That should've been a warning sign that you have to be very mature to play the game. Plus, upon opening the app, it has this warning bumper that lets you know that the game has flashing lights, loud noises, and jump-scares.
-So you can't really blame the game for scaring the heck out of you.
My recommendation is that little kids (toddlers, in particular) are to not be exposed to this game.
-I have a 4-year-old nephew, and I wouldn't be showing this game to him; otherwise, he'll be afraid to visit Chuck E. Cheese's. (He hasn't gone to Chuck E. Cheese's yet in his life, so I don't want to ruin that for him.)
Also, if your kids have any questions about the game and Chuck E. Cheese, just be creative. Tell them that there's nothing to worry about, and that it's okay to have fears, because that's what's part of being human.

So, is Five Nights at Freddy's trying to satirize Chuck E. Cheese? Well, not really. Maybe this game wanted to be original and creative, as far as gameplay. Maybe this game was based on a "what if..." We've seen so many other "what if's" in movies and games before, but this one in particular is unique, because it sets itself apart from what people already know.

Whatsoever Critic
Sources:
Five Nights at Freddy's
Chuck E. Cheese's

Courtesy: Desura/Steam; and CEC Entertainment

New To A Show: "Downton Abbey"

Hi, I'm the Whatsoever Critic. I review just about anything.

I know that in my previous blogs, I said I would try to look into some of the new shows on ABC. But seeing that I have a busy school schedule, and seeing that I wasn't at all interested in Manhattan Love Story as I thought I would be...

-Just like Walking Dead. I'm sorry, but those shows were out of my league. I mean, I didn't even make it passed Season Two on Walking Dead...

However, there was one show that got my attention. This show has four seasons out on DVD, and I want to catch up to get to the fifth season.

-The word is that the fifth season has already started. I have to hurry!!!

I was walking down the aisles of my school library in the audiovisuals section, when I found the Downton Abbey series. All four seasons were sitting together on the shelf. I heard about the PBS series, but never got the chance to watch it on TV. So I decided to grab Season One off the shelf and check it out from the library. So far, I got to Disc 2 of Season One.

-There are three discs in the Season One DVD, containing seven parts total.

So far...

This show was great.

I mean it, too. The acting, the scenary, the writing... It's like reading a great book!

But be warned that it contains sexuality, and it's a drama. But those are okay, because they work to the show's advantage. I can see why this show was nominated and received many awards over the years.

Again, I'm still on Season One of Downton Abbey. The fifth season is already airing on PBS. So... I really have to hurry.

Whatsoever Critic

Source: Downton Abbey

Courtesy: PBS/Carnival Films