The Expanse

As someone who is a huge fan of all things science-fiction, I was super excited to start watching The Expanse. It was certainly worth it. The events of this series occurs hundreds of years in the future, wherein the entire Solar System has been colonised by humans. As a result, the three primary divisions are Earth, Mars and the Belt. The show is an adaption of the novels by authors Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck. 

Let me begin by pointing out that it is one of the most visually appealing shows I have watched. From depictions of the planets and spaceships to the stars, it is easy to sense the impact. It plays with one's imagination as to how the world could turn out in the future, along with having themes that are quite reminiscent to the present. There is immediate evidence that the production value is high in terms of design and effect and I can say it has paid off. 

My weakness in any show is a well-written character, and luckily for me, The Expanse has a wide array of good characterisation. They possess a sense of realism that is not easy to find in every fictional character we may come across, and that is also what makes them more relatable. Characters from each of the divisions are adequately used to represent issues that even plague our reality, such as discrimination, corruption, politics and fear of things that the mind does not understand. 

It is quite disconcerting to imagine that even after centuries of evolving, some core problems may never get solved. 

I will admit that much like many other shows, it is difficult to follow in the beginning (maybe the first couple of episodes) due to the slow pace. Additionally, the colloquialism of the Belt division's native language makes certain scenes a little confusing. 

Happy binge-watching! 

Class

If you are a hardcore Whovian, you have most likely either heard of Class or watched the episodes. But for those of you who are not familiar with the series, the basic rundown is it's a Doctor Who spinoff with primary attention on six high school students and their encounters with new alien threats. 

If I had to say how I feel about it in a sentence, I'd say that it is most certainly interesting. While it is related to Doctor Who in terms of the concept, the entire feel of it is completely different and refreshing. Admittedly, it took me a while to get used to the setting of alien attacks without the Doctor's presence. However, by the time the second episode rolled out, I was hooked. 

The series seems to portray not just intriguing character dynamics, but weird and other-worldly features as well, similar to that of its parent show. It is evident that the unique point of Class is the adolescent driven energy, which has a spin of its own in the fact that one of the students in the group is an alien prince. 

While I do watch the show with immense enjoyment, it appears to me that it still needs to find a footing with the audience. The plot for certain episodes was as though it was taken right from a fanfic and just seemed to be all over the place. There is also quite a bit of room for individual character development, which I expect will be smoothened and polished as the show progresses. Class can't be an exact replica of Doctor Who, nor can it stray too much from the source material and therein lies the challenge. 

I may not be completely enamoured by it in the same way that I am taken by the Doctor and his companions' antics, but it is certainly worth giving a shot. As of now, 7 episodes have aired and are available for online viewing. 

Happy binge-watching! 

The Shannara Chronicles

Based on the fantasy series by Terry Brooks, 'The Shannara Chronicles' is a drama television series that premiered on MTV on January 5th, 2016. As of now, there are just five episodes released, with the first season set to have ten episodes in total. It is set around 300 years after the War of the Races; a war that caused all demons to be locked in the Forbidding by an ancient tree, the Ellcrys. But now the Ellcrys is dying, which poses a threat for the Four Lands since the demons could escape and it is up to rest of the creatures (elves, druids, humans) to save the tree. 

Yes, sounds like your basic fantasy formula. But even if the story may not sound all that enticing to you, the show is worth checking out for it's visual effects, sets and costumes. It is evident that MTV has spent more than a considerable budget on the series and overall, it is most certainly a visual treat. Since the plot is just starting to get on track, I do not want to criticise it all that much and the episodes do seem to be getting better. However the situation, it is a storyline that has a lot of potential to become something engaging and exciting. 

Apart from that, if there is one problem that I want to bring to the forefront, it is the performance of the cast. Most particularly, it is Poppy Drayton's (Amberle Elessedil, the Elven Princess) acting that is the main turn-off. It is as though she is not even trying to put on a convincing act for the audience or even if she is, it has so far become a fail. The worse part is that she is the lead for the show, which makes me wonder how could she have been cast for that position. Even the performance of Ivana Baquero (Eretria, a human) is not up to the mark and needs a lot of improving. 

That aside, the notable actors for the show who are doing a good job are Manu Bennett (Allanon, a human and druid), Austin Butler (Wil Ohmsford, half-human/half-elf) and John Rhys-Davies (Eventine Elessedil, Elven King). Hopefully the rest of the cast will get better as the series progresses. 

Whilst it is not one of my absolute favourites, it has most certainly raised my curiosity and made me want to stay till the end of the season. 

Happy binge-watching! 

Rick and Morty

For those people who might have it in their heads that animated series are just for kids and the youngsters, this show is one of the many that will prove you wrong. 'Rick and Morty' may just be on the second season so far, but it has already grown to be one of my favourites. Revolving around the daily adventures of an alcoholic mad scientist Rick and his grandson Morty, the humour element of this series is off the charts. 

The whole concept is not only entertaining, but quite interesting as well since it can be looked at from different angles. On the one hand, what you have here is an ordinary family with regular issues much like the next person on the block, but on the other side, you also get to witness a form of escapism from this so called 'regular' life. I suppose I can't speak for everyone when I say that I dream of a method wherein I can get away from my normal existence and go for a spin in another dimension. Really, their dilemmas are just as messed up as ours, if only to be made quite amusing. 

Whilst the episodes may seem completely crazy at first glance, at a deeper level, you begin to realize just how twisted some things are and that is definitely a uniqueness about the show. The ideas are not only creative but the execution is brilliant too, and the principle of some of those ideas could be effective in real life, if you actually analyse the hidden psychology of the episodes. In a nutshell, the whole series is weird as hell and I think that is exactly why the success rate is going high. 

My only negative point would be that some of the episodes aren't all that humourous as the rest, with only a few scenes being funny. Nonetheless, 'Rick and Morty' has potential to become of the best animated series and I have a feeling it's already getting there. If you want a bit of wackiness on your viewing list, this is the show for you. 

The second season began on July 26, 2015 and on August 2015, it was renewed for a third season. 

Happy binge-watching! 

Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood

This anime is based on the Fullmetal Alchemist manga by Hiromu Arakawa and revolves around two brothers, Edward and Alphonse Elric. Due to their father being a very gifted alchemist, the boys themselves began to show signs of having the same capabilities , at a young age. The main plot is driven by the boys' quest for the famous, Philosopher's Stone, but along the way, they discover a deep government conspiracy aimed at keeping the properties of the Philosopher's Stone, a secret. 

Let me begin by saying that even if you are not a fan of anime, this is one that you should definitely check out. Not only does it have strong, amazing characters but the action sequences are done brilliantly as well. The series also does a good job of portraying moral conflicts of various characters, both the good and the bad, and is very interesting to watch them overcome obstacles. The viewer may find themselves invested in the characters before they even realise it and with each episode, become more curious as to what's going to happen. 

It is a really fun show, but at the same, possess the right amount of suspense and thrill, in terms of the plot and the characters. The series aims for the depth of human emotion and will have the viewer hooked from the start. Even more so was the perfect ending; the finale felt like closure to this 64-episode series and nothing was left unanswered. 

I know I did not mention any negative points, but that is simply I did not find one big enough that was worth mentioning. Of course, each viewer may have thoughts as to what they thought were drawbacks of the show but I can't come up with anything major. 

Happy binge-watching!