The Vampire Diaries - now we're talking

I am pretty good at saying things are rubbish but I believe I am equally fair when something is good. I was very upset with the last few Vampire Diaries episodes I watched and I have been pretty vocal about it. Now, we have tonight's episode and I need to give credit where credit is due.

Back from a short break, I feel like The Vampire Diaries has (finally) found its footing this season. It might only be for a short while, it might only be for this episode Ian directed, but it was a thrilling 45 minutes. It was fun, it was funny, it was witty. Was it the lack of coven/twin bullshit? The more focused story? Was it the minimal Elena screen time? The lack of teen hero cheesiness? I believe it was all of the above. They re-focused the plot and wrote a brilliant arc for Caroline. To the writers' credit, they have wrote no humanity Caroline perfectly. She's witty and snappy and if Caroline was my favorite character before, she is now ranking up there with the likes of Katherine Pierce and Elijah Mickaelson. Caroline is a character I care about and I am glad we got to see more of her. Also, props to Candice Accola who is extremely believable and on point, making the cutest villain. The end was also excellent and the twist was clever. I am looking forward to seeing where this is going but looking at what they have done in the past, I fear this rocking story won't last for very long. After all, this is a vampire show, it was bloody time they acted like vampires again. Here is hoping.

The Last Man on Earth or the apocalypse on shrooms

We have just about everything on TV nowadays. Vampires, Super Heroes, Cops galore. But these past few years, we have seen an increase in survival and post apocalyptic stories: The Walking Dead, The 100, Revolution, Under The Dome, Falling Skies and I am probably missing 10 others. It was time to create a funny version of this. Not a spoof but a comedic take on what it would mean to survive some sort of apocalypse on Earth. Enters Will Forte, who cheerfully dumps this hilarious piece of television on 20th's desk and Dana and Gary wept with joy. The show is already a critical hit and I don't think I have seen or heard one bad review of The Last Man on Earth. And I can't do it either.
This show is not only funny, it is clever and it is endearing. Three things that make you come back every week to see more.


The first half of the first episode was extremely tough on me as I felt so awkward and sad and anxious looking at an empty Earth and putting myself in Phil's shoes. I liked the character's monologues and random tantrums, and I liked seeing him go about his routine but at one point, I felt depressed and I wanted it to stop, for his sake and mine! Watching him pour cheese in wine or destroy fish tanks with bowling bowls really made feel ill at ease for some reason. Well, in my book, it just means they made the show the right way. I was glad to see the introduction of, Spoiler Alert, a female character who happens to be Kristen Schaal. Dare I say that she is perfect in that role and so annoying in the right ways that it made the show ten times better. Obviously, Will Forte's character has beautifully written monologues and his performance stands on its own but the quality of the writing and the acting can only ever be complete and judged with two ore more people in a scene. It very much felt like real life if you ask me. How good can it be if you do not have people to interact with? The show put the same principle in place and, at the right moment, when Phil and the viewer have had enough, introduced the lovely Carol. From there, I was laughing at just about every line and every looks and every gesture. These two characters are extremely well written and work perfectly together. The highlight for me was definitely Phil giving Carol a tour of his house. From these first episodes, I will add the following in my vocabulary: Masturbatory Magazines and Margarita Pool.