private investigators

(S01E11) "I love you, too." Beth to Josh

I wish I could say this was a heart-breaking episode, but it wasn't. In fact, I'm torn because some parts of it were truly excellent, and others were pretty predictable. Let's unpack it a bit, though, and see if we can uncover whether it was a good episode or not. And by suggesting that we critique it, that is with the caveat that I am a big fan of the show-- but everything that is good should be able to stand up to a little scrutiny, yes?

Visually, the episode was stunning, starting with the opening shots of Mick working out, shirtless, in his apartment. I am pretty sure the voice over was talking about how vampires spend a lot of time alone at night while the rest of the world sleeps, but I was pretty much paying attention to Mick doing push-ups.

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(S01E09) "I've never been almost killed before."-- Morgan

Now that Beth has discovered some of the secrets to her past, she is hellbent on discovering all of it. There were some definite inconsistencies, though, in what she said about it this week compared to last week. Last week, she said that she had always felt safe, and she knew it was because Mick had been watching over her. We even saw that in the scenes from last week.

This week, she tells a different story: She says she needs to find out the truth about her past in order to feel safe, and she doesn't know whether she will ever feel safe again. So, did she just start feeling unsafe when she started putting together the pieces? Mick is still her guardian angel, right? So, why won't she feel safe again?
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Out of the all the newer shows on Adult Swim, you don't hear too much about Stroker and Hoop. I chose to ignore it myself until a friend of mine mentioned it was one of his favorites, so I've been setting the ol' Tivo and playing catch up. Think of the show as an homage to CHiPs, Starsky and Hutch, and other 70s crime TV, but with the added bonus that this is a cartoon, for adults, that can get away with things a live-action show could never dream of. Stroker and Hoop are private investigators with a talking car (C.A.R.R.) who may or may not solve your case and also may or may not leave a trail of blood and carnage when they do. In the episode titled "Ninja Worrier aka Chopping Spree" Hoop, once afraid to even shoot a suspect, goes on a rampage killing ninjas. As it turns out, none of the people he kills are actually ninjas, they're just regular people. If raunchy humor and people burning alive inside conventional ovens is your cup of tea, by all means check it out.