Sheep Talk: The Flash (TV series) season 2, so far

***SPOILERS ALL OVER THIS REVIEW. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK!***

The Flash is an American television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Andrew Kreisberg and Geoff Johns, airing on The CW. It is based on the DC Comics character Barry Allen / Flash, a costumed superhero crime-fighter with the power to move at superhuman speeds. It is a spin-off from Arrow. The series follows Allen, portrayed by Grant Gustin, a crime scene investigator who gains super-human speed, which he uses to fight criminals, including others who have also gained superhuman abilities.

Katie's Speedy Thoughts:

The CW is  doing an awesome job of creating fun action-packed programming for a young and old audience. The Flash is one of those shows. This is a series I can sit down and enjoy with my 9 year old son. With the exception of a little kissy-kissy here and there, it's one show that doesn't try and push the envelope with sex scenes. 

Season 2 of The Flash started out a little meh for me, Barry Allen and gang felt a tad too staged. They joked about every badguy or gal being able to waltz into Star Labs, how they beefed up security. But then what do ya know...EVERY bad person just walked right into the lab. So I'm not sure why they even made a joke about it, since that's just something the writers are ok with doing. Time and again. 

Aside from easy access, the show itself has decided to add a big twist in the form of Earth 2. That's an alternate reality Earth for those less informed about all things realm related. Time travel and portal jumping seem to be the MO but that's fine with me. Long as it's all written in an authentic and believable way, I can deal. Barry and his dad had some funky moments when he finally got set free from jail. That felt a little odd and disjointed, but be that as it may this is still one show that's just plain fun! 

Will Barry fall in love with his new galfriend or is his heart still with Iris? Can they actually defeat Zoom and his band of merry mad men? I haven't a clue. Guess we have to watch and see! 

Sharon's Rapid Review:

Katie pretty much nailed it. This is a fun show to watch with my family...okay, my 14 year old daughter is watching because Barry is cute. I'm loving all the villains. And can't wait for the Legends of Tomorrow spin-off...Captain Cold!

The series can be kind of cheesy at times but the superhero/villain action scenes are fun. I really don't like Barry's new gal friend. She seems like a plot device of some sort and probably will end up dead...like that "other" chick from that "other" show... <G>

Sheep TV Review: The Flash - Season 1

The Flash (2014)
Season 1
The CW Network
Premise
After witnessing his mother's supernatural murder and his father's wrongful conviction for the crime, Barry Allen is taken in by Detective Joe West and his family. Allen becomes a brilliant but socially awkward crime scene investigator for the Central City Police Department. His obsession with his tragic past causes him to become an outcast among his peers; he investigates cold cases, paranormal occurrences, and cutting-edge scientific advancements that may shed light on his mother's murder.

***SPOILERS READ WITH CAUTION***

The Flash is based on a DC Comic character, while I'm not a fan of DC Comics overall, that sure didn't stop me from falling in love with this fresh and fun new show!

Our story revolves around the mid-twenty something crime scene tech Barry Allen and a freak accident that turns him into something really amazing. But really, most freak accidents happen to create amazing heroes, both for the side of good and evil. The nerdy guy has no idea how much his life is about to change, but you get the watch the whole thing from day one!

The CW did a great job of setting this whole world up, plus promos and reaching out to a ripe comic fan base at present. Barry Allen is cleverly introduced on their other show Arrow and the two shows crossover continue throughout season one. So fans of both shows can of course get into all the action.

We now interrupt this post for a shirtless Arrow break. You're welcome.

We soon find out that Barry is not the only person who was affected by a crazy lighting storm/particle mumbo jumbo thingy of sorts. What they end up calling "Metahumans" are others who were also changed in some fashion. At some point I'm sure we will see the full array of folks with powers. Though you do tend to just see a lot more of the bad guys and gals. Hey, with great power and all that….

What keeps me coming back? The amazing writing, awesome special effects and character development on many different levels. You have Barry and his "stuck in the big house" dad, Barry and his adopted Dad, Barry and his kinda adopted sister and their whole dynamic, Barry and the loss of his Mom, Barry and his wise cracking science team buddies and Barry trying to learn how to control all this power he has.

Plus, evil master minds out to plot their badness and time travel/alternate reality maneuvering. It's all done with flare and written in a way that any one can understand what's going on. It's not simple minded but direct. You don't need to know the comics at all, I don't know the comics! But I know that I love this new show.

The only character that ends up bugging me is a big ape called Grodd. He also walks around saying "I am Grodd!". WHICH is really close to my boy Groot from Guardians of the Galaxy and his whole "I am Groot." routine. So…yeah was not a big fan of the monkey business banana hater. Thankfully, it's not much you see of him.

If you're looking for a new show to watch, I recommend this one for pretty much all ages. With the exception of one steamy/sexy episode my 8 year old was able to watch this whole season with me.

KD

Sharon's take: Katie pretty much summed it all up and I agree. Our family watches the show together too. I think my 14 year old daughter has a little Barry crush <G>. The cool thing, there's going to be a spin-off of The Flash and Arrow called Legends of Tomorrow that will feature the Atom (hey, Ray! ) Martin Stein, Captain Cold and Heatwave, Firestorm, and the new super heroes Hawkgirl and White Canary, taking on Vandal Savage.

Sheep Review: (ARC) Poison Princess by Kresley Cole

Poison Princess, by author Kersley Cole, is the debut novel in her YA series Arcana Chronicles. I am not a Young Adult book fan, frequently finding the teenage angst too much for me. While Cole's new series is "technically" classified as Young Adult, people better get ready because this one's going to knock your socks off! I loved every single word from beginning to end!

Plot:

She could save the world—or destroy it.

Sixteen year old Evangeline “Evie” Greene leads a charmed life, until she begins experiencing horrifying hallucinations. When an apocalyptic event decimates her Louisiana hometown, Evie realizes her hallucinations were actually visions of the future—and they’re still happening. Fighting for her life and desperate for answers, she must turn to her wrong-side-of-the-bayou classmate: Jack Deveaux.

But she can’t do either alone.

With his mile-long rap sheet, wicked grin, and bad attitude, Jack is like no boy Evie has ever known. Even though he once scorned her and everything she represented, he agrees to protect Evie on her quest. She knows she can’t totally depend on Jack. If he ever cast that wicked grin her way, could she possibly resist him?

Who can Evie trust?

As Jack and Evie race to find the source of her visions, they meet others who have gotten the same call. An ancient prophesy is being played out, and Evie is not the only one with special powers. A group of twenty-two teens has been chosen to reenact the ultimate battle between good and evil. But it’s not always clear who is on which side….

Things start out in present day when The Flash, or apocalypse, has gone down and a young gal is looking for a safe place to get warm and hopefully a little food for her starving belly. Little does she know she just stepped into a madman's house, total creeper status! You get a clear picture from page one what this woman is about to face and immediately you're sucked in to the plot. Poison Princess then jumps back a few months taking the reader step by step into this dark and twisted world. How far will humanity go into the dark side? What would YOU be willing to do? Questions no one ever wants to answer.

Evie's a young woman with some nasty visions going on in her head so extreme she has no one to share the images with. Cole clearly has a plan with character direction and while it may be frustrating as the reader to just hurry up and get there she knows how this is all going to unfold, and man does she take her time with the build! Tarot Magic and evil forces are out to kill Evie, so she's got to rely on the few friends left in the world and her own wit to get her through it.

Jack steps into the scene as a hot-headed Cajun backwoods dude who's got a major chip on his shoulder. With a past like his you can understand where he's coming from, and empathize, but at times he comes across as such a jerk! The miscommunications between Jack and Evie were killing me! Ugh, I wanted to shake him! It's all for good reason though, and really I don't want to give away more then I already have. Jack and Evie literally ignite the pages of this book! I never felt like I was reading a fictional story about made up characters; these guys and gals come across as authentic and genuine, to the point where Poison Princess reads more like a personal diary of a real life event. Doused with nail biting action, adventure, and epic snarky one liners!

This story is truly one not to be missed. I don't care how old you are or what genre you typically read. Everything you could ask for and more is all here for the taking!

Getting 4 and 1/2 Sheep

KD