Season One Discussion

[Alex Matthews]

Discuss the first season of new Crime/Mystery Drama, "Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit"

[Alex Matthews]

The SERIES PREMIERE of "Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit" is NOW LIVE!!! Let the discussions commence!!

[Jack Malone]

"Formation" Review

I was actually quite amazed at the series premiere for this show because not only was it well written with appropriate jargon, and tone and flow to suit the kind of series and genre of series you're tackling, but the characters were really interesting too (which is a bonus for shows which really require such large chunks of exposition). Basically the premise seems to be that the city of Metropolis is a far darker place (possibly as a result of Lex Luthor's return and the lack of the city's former saviour, Superman), and so there is this "S.C.U" put in place to deal with the "out of ordinary", led by Maggie, who is quite a headstrong, determined female lead character that I think holds her own to the other Smallville-based series on theVPN (she could definitely teach Chloe and Lana a thing or too). So the entire premise is something that is really interesting to me. From there, lets talk about the first episode and its story- 

I liked the self-contained story used to launch the series, and I think its interesting that you decided to use a character from Smallville in its earlier years to play such an important role in this first episode back. It kind of solidified the fact that this does take place in the same universe, and hopefully readers who are fans of Smallville can really appreciate your knowledge of even the smallest details that fuels continuity-driven people like myself. And by "self contained", I understand that this does start the beginning of what appears to be a "starlight" arc in which the drug will continue to surface, and based on that cliffhanger, will lead us into an Intergang storyline, so I'm not discrediting the set up here, but I am giving you props in wrapping up the "major players" of this episode, which primarily was Eric. That was a smart move to make because it kind of says "yes, he was the one causing all these problems, but its a much bigger picture that's being dealt with here" which I really appreciated. You didn't have the big BIG bads being introduced, and getting away with it is what I guess I'm trying to say here.

Through all of that we were able to see the process of investigation, which introduced all the major supporting characters of the show. Out of them all, I have to say that Wally was my favourite. I feel like he brings that level of humor and personality that kind of makes you forget that you're reading a whole bunch of exposition because this episode really did involve quite a lot of that technical jargon, and filling people in on the case, and updating the case, and Wally was just a breath of fresh air within that which I really enjoyed.

I like that you kept the struggle of Dan's situation in his character and continuity of his character because what happened would very much still plague him, I guess, in the eyes of other officers. So that was really appreciated, and it gave his character a little more credibility and edge that makes him worthy of being a main character as opposed to just any other random officer Maggie could have taken under her wing. Speaking of which, I love their interactions, and their entire partnership just clicked- it really works for those two. 

My only issues with the episode came from the repetitive nature of introducing new characters and having to fill them in on the same information we, as an audience, have already been told. It definitely made it drag in some places. But that's kind of crying over spilled beans I think because it looked like it was just a method of introducing the next supporting character, as opposed to something we'll be getting every week where Wally is filled in, and then Faulkner is filled in on the exact same thing with just a little more information. At least I hope not. Other than that, the action can get quite bulky and maybe some extra time in refining it could make for an easier read. I've always been told that 3 lines of action are good, and it always reads much better, than reading 4-6 lines of action squashed together. So that's just my critique on the issues I had. But they're easy fix, so it didn't bother me too much. 

Overall, it was a pretty fantastic start to a series, and as you know I love the whole concept of it. Can't wait for next week! 9/10

[Alex Matthews]

THANK YOU Jack, for the kind words and constructive critique

Mar 5, 2014 1:18:33 GMT -6 Jack Malone said:

I was actually quite amazed at the series premiere for this show because not only was it well written with appropriate jargon, and tone and flow to suit the kind of series and genre of series you're tackling, but the characters were really interesting too (which is a bonus for shows which really require such large chunks of exposition). Basically the premise seems to be that the city of Metropolis is a far darker place (possibly as a result of Lex Luthor's return and the lack of the city's former saviour, Superman), and so there is this "S.C.U" put in place to deal with the "out of ordinary", led by Maggie, who is quite a headstrong, determined female lead character that I think holds her own to the other Smallville-based series on theVPN (she could definitely teach Chloe and Lana a thing or too). So the entire premise is something that is really interesting to me. From there, lets talk about the first episode and its story-

It's actually surprising to me as well how Maggie's dialogue and character flows out of me when I'm writing, especially considering how little screen time she really did have. But she and Wally are definitely my favourite characters to write!

I liked the self-contained story used to launch the series, and I think its interesting that you decided to use a character from Smallville in its earlier years to play such an important role in this first episode back. It kind of solidified the fact that this does take place in the same universe, and hopefully readers who are fans of Smallville can really appreciate your knowledge of even the smallest details that fuels continuity-driven people like myself. And by "self contained", I understand that this does start the beginning of what appears to be a "starlight" arc in which the drug will continue to surface, and based on that cliffhanger, will lead us into an Intergang storyline, so I'm not discrediting the set up here, but I am giving you props in wrapping up the "major players" of this episode, which primarily was Eric. That was a smart move to make because it kind of says "yes, he was the one causing all these problems, but its a much bigger picture that's being dealt with here" which I really appreciated. You didn't have the big BIG bads being introduced, and getting away with it is what I guess I'm trying to say here.

It's been so long since I laid the groundwork for what was originally planned as a prose story, but Eric was always in it from the very beginning, because I wanted to show that those people Clark encountered through the years don't just disappear into the woodwork, they are still around, and causing problems. It wasn't until the 3rd or 4th draft that I really sat back and decided to humanise Eric a bit more, hence why it is revealed him and Tina are old friend, I wanted him to be more a victim of circumstance, then a 'bad guy'.

Through all of that we were able to see the process of investigation, which introduced all the major supporting characters of the show. Out of them all, I have to say that Wally was my favourite. I feel like he brings that level of humor and personality that kind of makes you forget that you're reading a whole bunch of exposition because this episode really did involve quite a lot of that technical jargon, and filling people in on the case, and updating the case, and Wally was just a breath of fresh air within that which I really enjoyed.

Like I said, Wally is one of my favourite characters to write, and he is definitely of the vein of "Abby Sciuto" from NCIS, or early "Greg Sanders" from his labtech days in CSI - you NEED some kind of comedic element in a show that is going to be primarily dealing with death and murder, without it being something that pulls you away from the episode itself. Wally's journey has taken a few twists and turns in development, so I really hope you like where he is going in the first half of the season.

I like that you kept the struggle of Dan's situation in his character and continuity of his character because what happened would very much still plague him, I guess, in the eyes of other officers. So that was really appreciated, and it gave his character a little more credibility and edge that makes him worthy of being a main character as opposed to just any other random officer Maggie could have taken under her wing. Speaking of which, I love their interactions, and their entire partnership just clicked- it reallyworks for those two.

It was always important to me NOT to gloss over Danny's past - anyone who watches any kind of cop shows knows they close ranks on anyone who is considered a 'traitor' to their brotherhood, so I wanted to include that with Danny - he may have done the 'right' thing back in "Bulletproof", but the fact that he turned on his own, is still something many others won't forgive. In the comics and other adaptions, both Danny and Maggie are staple elements of the SCU's roster, but Danny is always portrayed as older then Maggie, so since "Smallville" reversed that paradigm, it felt organic to have Maggie be the mentor this time.

My only issues with the episode came from the repetitive nature of introducing new characters and having to fill them in on the same information we, as an audience, have already been told. It definitely made it drag in some places. But that's kind of crying over spilled beans I think because it looked like it was just a method of introducing the next supporting character, as opposed to something we'll be getting every week where Wally is filled in, and then Faulkner is filled in on the exact same thing with just a little more information. At least I hope not. Other than that, the action can get quite bulky and maybe some extra time in refining it could make for an easier read. I've always been told that 3 lines of action are good, and it always reads much better, than reading 4-6 lines of action squashed together. So that's just my critique on the issues I had. But they're easy fix, so it didn't bother me too much.

Hopefully, now with everyone introduced, that 'repetition' is something that will not occur again, but I will keep an eye out for it, same with the action - you're not the first person to mention that about it being too bulky, so it's a work in progress

Overall, it was a pretty fantastic start to a series, and as you know I love the whole concept of it. Can't wait for next week! 9/10

That means a hell of a lot, Jack, you've set up a brilliant universe to write in, and I really hope you DO enjoy next week's episode, it's one that me and Chris talked a lot about

[Brady Brown]

REVIEW: 1.01 "Formation"

I was always interested to see how this show would work out, simply because of the procedural nature. A cop show set in the Smallville universe? Doesn't sound like the most common thing. Luckily, it seemed to work out, and I, for the most part, enjoyed what I read. For me, there was just enough forensic jargon to make the show feel authentic; though, I think the police side of things could have been buffed up a little more, but I feel like that'll change in time.

The characters were a strong aspect of the script. Maggie was probably my favorite, probably because we followed her around the entire time. I really enjoyed her mentoring relationship with Danny. Beth and Wally were good too, but Kitty hasn't really made an impact on me. She wasn't around that much. The characters introduced at the end of the episode, especially Whisper, really have me curious to see how the "starlight" and "Intergang" storylines are going to come about.

I liked how Superman was referenced and how kryptonite played such a large role in the episode. The whole "starlight" arc is definitely something I'm intrigued to read about. I think that's where the script really kicked in for me. Before that it was all just small things happening to set up for the climax of the episode, and there was nothing wrong with that, but the kryptonite-infused cocaine was where I was really eager to know what happened next. From there, the script seemed to keep up the pace, and the resolution was satisfactory for a pilot episode.

However, I did have some issues: there was too much capitalization and too much description. Always try to cut down as much as you can to keep the script flowing. Also, try to shorten sentences down because, to me, they run a bit too long. I agree with Jack about the introduction of the characters - it got too repetitive, especially when you would outright describe the relationship they had with one another, rather than letting the reader figure it out for themselves; always try to show and not tell. A piece or two of dialogue could have told us that they were friends rather than just spelling it out. Also, you seemed to do the same thing when you were describing a scene (ex. "it's been a busy night," "it's been a long night for her").

Overall, I did enjoy the pilot. It had a nice atmosphere to it, and now that the characters are introduced, I feel like episodes from now on are going to flow a lot better. Again, my advice would be to slim back caps and description, and try to show and not tell. Anyway, job well done!

[Jamison]

REVIEW | 1x01 "Formation"

So, I know this is coming late, but better late than never. That's always been my motto! But okay, Metropolis: Special Crimes Unit. Series Premiere. And it was a really solid one. The story flowed extremely well, the atmosphere you set up was accurate and very believable. I can tell you've got a real passion for this genre, and you've done a lot of research to make this feel like a true detective procedural. From the police/scientific jargon you were able to put down, to all the little details sprinkled throughout the script. I think that's the thing I was most impressed with when reading the script. 

I really like the story you decided to start us off with. It's simple enough for us to follow, but the situations were complex enough, with just the right amount of severity and danger bearing down on them to keep us invested and wanting to see what happens next. I'm actually glad it seems as thought he 'starlight' arc will be sticking around little while longer. Given that ending. I found it interesting to see what lengths its user would go to to get their fix. Also, the drug, if stabilized, could be the cause of some major damage in Metropolis, I reckon.

One of the major aspects of the premiere that made it work so well were the characters and their interactions with one another. Detective Maggie Sawyer was probably my favorite from this episode. She's just so head-strong and determined. She has all the qualities of a great leader, and you showed that very well.

I also like that you were able to show that she's still a person, with all the desires and vulnerabilities that go along with it. Most notably in the scene near the beginning with her and Toby Raines. Also, the dynamic between Maggie and Danny was pretty telling as well. We got to see a softer side of her character in their private conversations, and I liked to see that two-dimensionality come out so soon in the series.

In a lot of procedural genre shows, plot tends to come first, while characters kind of take the back seat. And sometimes, when we finally get some insight into a character, it goes away and very comes up again. From what we've seen so far, I don't think this will be the case for this show.

I'm also pretty invested in Wally West. I know he served in the pilot mostly for comic relief, but it felt really honest. He didn't seem as though he was just present to deliver punchline after punchline or to make us laugh, but instead, those aspects were just a part of his character. He wasn't a caricature in any sense of the word, and I'm really impressed by that. I feel like there's more to his arc that will come into play later. His back and forth dialogue with everyone was just amazing. He's his own full character, unlike any other you have in the script so far, and I really appreciate your characterization skills. Everyone has a distinct voice; even the more minor characters.

Months ago, on my very first read of this pilot, I didn't really get too attached to Danny. I don't know why, but re-reading it now, I'm singing a very different tune. With characters with such strong, visible personalities like Maggie, Wally and even Kitty, it might have been a bit distracting to focus on Danny with the same amount of interest. But I feel like I understand his character a bit more now. And the relationship he's forming with Maggie really helped me with that. I think they were my favorite character dynamic of the pilot. They worked so well together, and there's a really balance between the two.

The only technical thing I'll mention, because both Jack and Brady said something about the character introductions, is the lack of white space in your descriptions. Jack mentioned it as well, but it's true. 6-7 straight lines of action can tire a reader and take their mind away from the script, which is the last thing you want. I personally try to stay in the 3-4 range, with five as a maximum. Anything bigger, and it's too bulky. So, that would be the only critique I have when it comes to the formatting. 

Overall, this was a very successful pilot episode. A solid start to what I can already tell will be a pretty worthwhile series. A job well done! Now, off to episode two!

[Matthew James]

REVIEW | "Ricochet"

So I really enjoyed Ricochet I thought it was pretty well done,  it featured the return of one of my favorite characters Lex Luthor, in a lot of ways it was fun to see him because you get to write him pretty much however you want, he lost his memory at the end of Smallville but you did write him the way I could see him being played out. I loved the plot twist with the villain but I feel like you sort of gave it away before the episode even started. That didn't really bother me though -- on that note, I think the only real difficulty I had with the episode and the other's was I feel like it suffers from having far to large of a guest cast. I'm someone who loves to visualize the "actors" in the role, so I like to know who plays who and I constantly had to jump back to starring page in order to figure out who was playing whom. 

Besides that everything was pretty good, I loved Lex, I love the way despite that we're in episode three now and I all ready started four so I know the story for that. I love the way Danny's past which is a large part of the hook for the show continues to come back and haunt him. I think he has to be my favorite character besides Toby I enjoyed her from the first moment we saw her. I'm also a huge Moby fan? Is that what were going to call it, lol. I'm not sure yet it does sound better than Taggie. lmao. 

[Darrin McCann]

REVIEW | M:SCU 101 'Formation'

I'm going to start off with saying this is my first review in a very long time so please bear with me. It maybe like riding a bike or it maybe a lot worse. HAHA!

First off, your dialogue is amazing. You're able to give a unique voice to each character and it really helps me picture them. Wally West is by far my favorite. I can totally see Fran Krantz playing the role of the wacky, singing scientist. HAHA! From what I have read, he could easily take the top spot of my favorite character, and it's not just because the Flash is one of my favorite DC heroes either.

I love how this series is set up like a CSI/ Criminal Minds type show where you have all this technical information and investigation going on while still maintaining character development.

I loved Maggie's line to Danny: 'Bad Cop'? Hell, I was just being myself. This line made me laugh. There was quite a few lines like this throughout that were very entertaining.

You have a great set of characters and a great concept. I wasn't really sure what to expect when I started reading. I guess I was expecting something other than what you gave but that's the best part. It was funny and interesting. You were able to create a Comic Book CSI and I for one loved it. I loved the set up for the next episode or episodes to follow with the introduction of Whisper A'Daire and the Intergang. I now have to download the other episodes to get caught up for the finale. Well done!

[Alex Matthews]

Thanks very much for the review, Darrin! Hope you'll enjoy and review the rest of the released eps!

[Brady Brown]

So, I was reading the second episode and I while I really enjoy the concept and the mystery of the Starlight story interwoven into it, I found that there was so much description that it was hindering me from the overall experience. There was one paragraph that was 10 lines long - entirely too much. Keep it to the bare minimum; only write it if it's important to the scene. That, and the capitalization was another huge issue. Only capitalize significant things. Facial expressions don't need to be in uppercase, neither do basic actions. It's just something that is really bothersome while I was reading.

I just wanted to let you know for future episodes you write, because if it's a recurring thing it might turn people off. Anyways, I hope to finish episode 2 soon!

[Alex Matthews]

Brady, I've learnt a lot from you, Chris and Jack, and hopefully the latter-half of the season, those little things gets better

I do notice know that when I'm writing description, I'm splitting it up more so it's not so bulky, and trying not to capitalize - usually now if I am, its because I want your attention to be drawn to that specific thing.

I hope you really like the story the episodes have to tell, even if my presentation of the earlier ones needed a little finesse

[Brady Brown]

REVIEW: 1.02 "Foundations"

So sorry this has taken so long to be posted. It completely slipped my mind to finish this episode when I started it. Anyway, onto the review:

I thought this episode had a nice focus on Todd and his relationship with Maggie, even though it was strained throughout a majority of the episode. Having two sides of the argument shown in such a tight nit relationship was something really refreshing to see, as well as having Maggie be wrong about the "suicide". Despite it starting off well, I think it went on for a little too long, and both Todd and Maggie started acting a little immature when she called him into his office like a principle and student.

I really liked the focus on Angela and the ISIS Foundation. It was a really clever way to bring that organization back into the universe and have it be headed by a completely new character who had a pretty strong introduction. And while I liked Rachel, I thought her entire involvement of the episode could have been strengthened by having an earlier introduction, because we only get one scene with her before she's ultimately attacked by King, thus exploiting her powers to us for the first time. It just seemed rush.

The other thing I enjoyed was the dual story format. We saw the case with Maggie and then we saw the one with Danny, which kept the seasonal arc going, while the former was more of a contained, episodic one. It was pretty clever to have Willie end up being Roy, but like with Rachel, his introduction and involvement of the episode could have been a lot stronger, because when we got the scene with him, Danny, and Chase, there was no real emotional connection because he was simply known as "Hoodie" for a majority of his time.

A thing that bugged me though was the laid backness of the MSCU in this episode. I don't think it was like that in the premiere, but Maggie quickly believing Angela because Todd told her to, and all of Willie's charges being dropped at the drop of a hat felt really unrealistic to me. That, and the quick shift Maggie took from suicide to murder. A lot of these things could have been developed a lot more with some more convincing dialogue and introductions.

Lastly, I want to talk about the cameo of Lana Lang. It was fun to see a Smallville vet in one of its sister shows, especially in the location of something that was such a huge part of her character. I do wish the scene would have served more of a purpose than Angela to just spew pure exposition to her, and us, though. But all cameos like that are pretty fun and exciting, so it didn't bother me too much.

The ending was really interesting, with Whisper and Sebastian. It has me intrigued to see the payoff for those stories. But yeah, I enjoyed this episode. I hope to read more soon!

[Alex Matthews]

OH MY!! A review?! From BRADY?!?!

Jul 9, 2015 13:38:08 GMT -6 Brady Brown said:

REVIEW: 1.02 "Foundations"

So sorry this has taken so long to be posted. It completely slipped my mind to finish this episode when I started it. Anyway, onto the review:

I thought this episode had a nice focus on Todd and his relationship with Maggie, even though it was strained throughout a majority of the episode. Having two sides of the argument shown in such a tight nit relationship was something really refreshing to see, as well as having Maggie be wrong about the "suicide". Despite it starting off well, I think it went on for a little too long, and both Todd and Maggie started acting a little immature when she called him into his office like a principle and student.

Gonna have to disagree with you a little there, mate. Having the two of them at odds was important for me to show that although Todd works in the environment, he's not immune to the idea that people he knows should be treated differently within the confines of the law. But given that their disagreement over Angela being bought in for questioning only lasts one scene, I don't see how it could be seen as going on 'too long'. Maggie calls Todd into her office for a completely different reason unrelated to Angela - it was regarding his coming into work after his friend and patient had died. She called him into the office not to punish him, but to remove him from the prying eyes of the other bull-pen denizens after his little blow-up - she maintained the pretence of being the 'angry boss' for everyone else who saw it, but when they're alone, she softens and gives him some latitude.

I really liked the focus on Angela and the ISIS Foundation. It was a really clever way to bring that organization back into the universe and have it be headed by a completely new character who had a pretty strong introduction. And while I liked Rachel, I thought her entire involvement of the episode could have been strengthened by having an earlier introduction, because we only get one scene with her before she's ultimately attacked by King, thus exploiting her powers to us for the first time. It just seemed rush.

Reintroducing the Isis Foundation was always something I wanted this series to do, back in it's original universe/prose days. I was thankful enough to start this series as "Trinity" came to an end, which allowed me, after discussion with Chris, to work in the idea of Angela Roth being in charge, and therefore introduce Rachel as well. But I do agree that Rachel's presence could have been beefed up and appeared earlier - at the time of planning/outlining, I wanted to focus more on Angela and re-establishing the Foundation then on Rachel herself.

The other thing I enjoyed was the dual story format. We saw the case with Maggie and then we saw the one with Danny, which kept the seasonal arc going, while the former was more of a contained, episodic one. It was pretty clever to have Willie end up being Roy, but like with Rachel, his introduction and involvement of the episode could have been a lot stronger, because when we got the scene with him, Danny, and Chase, there was no real emotional connection because he was simply known as "Hoodie" for a majority of his time.

This was something I felt that I myself as a writer needed to work on, and this story was the perfect chance to see if I could do it. As I was outlining the episode originally, I realised I didn't have Danny doing much, so having him work on the 'starlight' case, a storyline a lot of people had responded to in the pilot, seemed to make sense. Originally, Danny was supposed to be a junior partner to Maggie, but I quickly realised that as the head of the SCU, Maggie wouldn't necessarily go out into the field that much - that lead to the inclusion of the Ten Clouds character, an actual comic book character. He was enough of a blank canvas character to allow me to make him the grizzled veteran who had knowledge of the narcotics underworld of Metropolis, and who would serve that role of mentor and partner for Danny.
As for the introduction to Roy, before I decided to make him a recurring character, this was supposed to be more of a tip-of-the-hat introduction to him, since "Smallville" had gone straight to the Mia Dearden character (and "Arrow" had only just been announced), which was why the real name wasn't revealed until the end. I tried to use Danny's belief in the guy, and worry for him, as a way of getting the reader to connect with him, but looking back in hindsight, yeah, he could have featured in a few extra scenes to help readers connect with him directly.

A thing that bugged me though was the laid backness of the MSCU in this episode. I don't think it was like that in the premiere, but Maggie quickly believing Angela because Todd told her to, and all of Willie's charges being dropped at the drop of a hat felt really unrealistic to me. That, and the quick shift Maggie took from suicide to murder. A lot of these things could have been developed a lot more with some more convincing dialogue and introductions.

You know how in some procedural shows, the characters loose out to the plot, while in others, the plot looses out to the character moments? This was purely a case of that, I'm afraid, and it's totally down to me still sinking my teeth into both the genre and the characters. It wasn't so much Maggie didn't have doubts, but she's known Todd for a long time, and trusts his opinions on people, but she also had to balance that with the evidence. I did try to show that Maggie still had doubts as to whether the deaths were murders, so apologies if that didn't come across clear, but if I learnt anything from watching shows like "Castle", it's that the police must examine each and every lead they come across, and the figures Kitty brought them were one such lead.
As for the charges being dropped, I tried to set that up from the first meeting at the D.A.'s office - mentioning that Willie's record was minor offences, that Danny was prepared to vouch for him, and that in the end, he was in the wrong place at the wrong time, all went to the deal that was made.

Lastly, I want to talk about the cameo of Lana Lang. It was fun to see a Smallville vet in one of its sister shows, especially in the location of something that was such a huge part of her character. I do wish the scene would have served more of a purpose than Angela to just spew pure exposition to her, and us, though. But all cameos like that are pretty fun and exciting, so it didn't bother me too much.

It was a lot of fun to plan/outline a scene with Lana, but when it came to writing her, all I could think was "am I doing her justice?!" Originally, the idea behind the cameo was two-fold - a) to show that Angela knew all about Lana's own activities, b) that Lana was still involved with the Foundation, and c) to lead back into the "Trinity" reboot. It was first scripted that they would decide there and then that she would be going to Odyssey, but when it became clear "Trinity" was going to be a while coming back (before eventually being cancelled), we vagued it up.[/quote]

The ending was really interesting, with Whisper and Sebastian. It has me intrigued to see the payoff for those stories.

The Sebastian scene came to me as I was finishing off the episode, it wasn't in the original outline, but I realised it would be a perfect opportunity to establish the presence of our version of the Cult of Blood, and the fact they're monitoring the Roths, as well as the influence they have. As for Whisper, she's working a long game that will come clearer in the 2nd season - for the majority of this season, she's operating out of sight with occasional appearances.

But yeah, I enjoyed this episode. I hope to read more soon!

Always happy to hear your thoughts, Brady!

[Brady Brown]

REVIEW: 1.03 "Ricochet"

This episode was really mixed for me. I think this episode would have worked a lot better if there was more of a focus on the main cast members, but instead it was too busy focusing on something that doesn't really relate or apply to this series, and I was left at the end of this episode really confused as to why any of it was important. I don't understand why Lex and Tess especially were such a huge part of this episode; though, I guess I can see more of the former because of his "intentions" revealed at the end of the episode, but I'll touch on that later.

One of the things I did like was the partnership between Maggie and Danny. The line where she said she hasn't really had a time to catch up on him was something that added a nice layer to their relationship. It was also cool that when she rescued him they were right back where we saw them in the pilot as having a connection built on mutual respect, trust, and admiration. They probably have the relationship I like the most, but there haven't been any others we've had a lot of focus on yet.

The episode started off really weird with Lex naming the orphanage after Tess. That was just a really strange, unnecessary callback to Smallville that didn't really serve any importance to the episode. I get that it was meant to be somewhat of a foreshadowing moment to the rest of it, but that also fell really flat and didn't leave a very good impact on me. I like this series better when it doesn't really rely on Smallville aspects to move the plot along - in this case, Lex and Tess.

As far as the villain, I thought it was a nice twist having him not the actual Captain Boomerang. But his reasoning or how he know Tess didn't commit suicide wasn't developed well. The "I know she never would" excuse can only go so far before it becomes redundant because for all we know they haven't seen each other in years. There was no mention, no hints, no nothing. It just fell flat.

I thought having Danny get captured was a nice part of the episode. I always like a good kidnapping story, especially if someone from the main cast is involved, but he managed to free his bonds way too quickly. Like, I don't get why Owen would leave a sharp boomerang right above someone he just tied up. And then after that we get a reveal that I am actually very against, and I may be somewhat bias because Tess is one of my all time favorite characters, but setting that aside I think story wise is was a very poor choice.

I think connecting a throwaway villain to a character from its sister show that really doesn't have anything to do with MSCU didn't really make any sense. It felt like a "how can I connect this to Smallville" type of idea that was really underdeveloped and lacking. It kind of diminishes Tess' character that we saw for three seasons on Smallville and gives her a lot of unnecessary backstory which was apparently full of abuse and hurt, and that's something I don't appreciate. The same exact thing could have been accomplished by using an original character who was killed because of something Lex did in his past, but instead we get a very haphazard reveal that sounds like it's not going to serve any purpose in the series except for being a "surprise" to remind the audience that this is set in the Smallville universe.

Another thing that was weird was Mercy healing dramatically. Like, I know why you did it and I now what purpose it's going to serve, but to have absolutely no one question how someone is walking after being stabbed by 4 razor sharp boomerangs after a simple excuse of "body suit" didn't work well.

But yeah, not really a fan of this episode. I think stripping the unnecessary Smallville connections would be a huge benefit. Hopefully I enjoy the next episode more.

[Darrin McCann]

REVIEW | M:SCU 102 'Foundations'

I'm going to write this review and read at the same time, only because I find I have a hard time remembering thoughts at the end of episodes.

I love how we're getting a glimpse of Maggie's private life outside the Force. The scene is brief but gives ample information of what her life is like outside of work which is pretty much all work. Her job is her life and her relationships outside the job are taking a toll. Although, Toby seems really supportive, I can't help but feel like eventually there's going to be resentment especially if everything he does has him going that extra mile, like this lavish dinner.

I love the separation of stories within the episode. It really keeps the episode at a nice pace. It's good to see that the investigative aspect of the show, which I fell in love with, didn't falter in anyway because there was two stories being told. There's a couple SPAG errors but nothing big that it takes me out of the story.

Being able to see Rachel Roth and Roy Harper all in one episode. You can't see it, but I'm giddy. I'm interested to find out if they'll stick around at all or if this was just a one-off episode to show that they exist in this Verse. With the conversation between Lana and Angela and then Sebastian and the Guard, I'm hopeful that at least one out of two will be sticking around and I can't friggin' wait!

All in all, I enjoyed the episode. I liked that the readers got a glimpse of all the things going on behind the scenes that our main characters don't know about. It really builds that 'oh crap' intensity of knowing what is ahead of our heroes. Great job!

[Alex Matthews]

REVIEW | M:SCU 102 'Foundations'

I'm going to write this review and read at the same time, only because I find I have a hard time remembering thoughts at the end of episodes.

I'm the same!!

I love how we're getting a glimpse of Maggie's private life outside the Force. The scene is brief but gives ample information of what her life is like outside of work which is pretty much all work. Her job is her life and her relationships outside the job are taking a toll. Although, Toby seems really supportive, I can't help but feel like eventually there's going to be resentment especially if everything he does has him going that extra mile, like this lavish dinner.

It was always very important for me to show the lives of the characters, as the show went on. I was afraid that using the procedural element wouldn't always allow me to develop the characters out of work lives, but having written most of the season now, I was glad to find it wasn't so. I want my characters to have healthy, proper relationships outside of work, while showing that being in 'the job' can have certain effects - thankfully they've landed in relationships with people who are more then understanding!

[SIDE NOTE: Um, you do realise Toby is a WOMAN, right? ]

I love the separation of stories within the episode. It really keeps the episode at a nice pace. It's good to see that the investigative aspect of the show, which I fell in love with, didn't falter in anyway because there was two stories being told. There's a couple SPAG errors but nothing big that it takes me out of the story.

This was an experiment for me, doing the two A and B plots, to see if it could work within the time frame, and I was happy I pulled it off. Admittedly, quite a few of the later episodes, although they might split the characters up, they tend to focus on ONE storyline, depending on the episode. Only a few others follow the two-plot points, simply because those stories also focus on the overall arcs of the series. I'm really glad to hear you enjoy the investigative element - I try to work hard to keep it scientifically grounded, but also maintaining the usual pseudo-science of comics, and the 'faster-then-real-life' element of the current run of procedurals.

Being able to see Rachel Roth and Roy Harper all in one episode. You can't see it, but I'm giddy. I'm interested to find out if they'll stick around at all or if this was just a one-off episode to show that they exist in this Verse. With the conversation between Lana and Angela and then Sebastian and the Guard, I'm hopeful that at least one out of two will be sticking around and I can't friggin' wait!

Oh, Rachel and Roy definitely have their own arcs, Roy's will feature more prominently during Season 2, once this season's finale sets him on that path. Rachel's arc is explored more in 1x10 - "Resurrection", which also explores more the idea of magick and how the S.C.U. will deal with those such cases.

All in all, I enjoyed the episode. I liked that the readers got a glimpse of all the things going on behind the scenes that our main characters don't know about. It really builds that 'oh crap' intensity of knowing what is ahead of our heroes. Great job!

Spending time with Whisper is always fun, and we'll see more of her and her machinations later on in the season, don't worry!

Thanks for the review, Darrin McCann!!

[Alex Matthews]

Aug 3, 2015 16:33:54 GMT -6 Brady Brown said:

REVIEW: 1.03 "Ricochet"

This episode was really mixed for me. I think this episode would have worked a lot better if there was more of a focus on the main cast members, but instead it was too busy focusing on something that doesn't really relate or apply to this series, and I was left at the end of this episode really confused as to why any of it was important. I don't understand why Lex and Tess especially were such a huge part of this episode; though, I guess I can see more of the former because of his "intentions" revealed at the end of the episode, but I'll touch on that later.

The reason that Lex (and later Tess) were such big parts of the episode were because I wanted them to be - this was always an episode written around an appearance of Michael Rosenbaum as Lex Luthor. I also wanted to show the fact that Lex has become something of a major philanthropist in the city, as he works to clean up both his image and that of LexCorp. In my opinion, you can't have a series set in Metropolis without comin across LexCorp and Lex himself at some point, he's too much a big part of the city, thanks to the foundations set by Lionel and LuthorCorp.

One of the things I did like was the partnership between Maggie and Danny. The line where she said she hasn't really had a time to catch up on him was something that added a nice layer to their relationship. It was also cool that when she rescued him they were right back where we saw them in the pilot as having a connection built on mutual respect, trust, and admiration. They probably have the relationship I like the most, but there haven't been any others we've had a lot of focus on yet.

Maggie and Danny's relationship was always supposed to be an integral part of the show, which I like to focus on as much as possible when I can, since after the pilot, I realised they COULDN'T work together as much, given that she now has increased responsibilities at the office, and he got a new partner.

The episode started off really weird with Lex naming the orphanage after Tess. That was just a really strange, unnecessary callback to Smallville that didn't really serve any importance to the episode. I get that it was meant to be somewhat of a foreshadowing moment to the rest of it, but that also fell really flat and didn't leave a very good impact on me. I like this series better when it doesn't really rely on Smallville aspects to move the plot along - in this case, Lex and Tess.

Again, this was all part of setting up 'Lex the philanthropist', 'Lex the man who cares', while also reflecting on how certain areas of Metropolis we've seen before have changed or started to. I won't mention the fact that it also allows Lex access to all the orphanage's old files. The Smallville (and occasional Watchtower) links are few and far between, and either happen because of a necessary link is needed, or as a tip-of-the-hat.

As far as the villain, I thought it was a nice twist having him not the actual Captain Boomerang. But his reasoning or how he know Tess didn't commit suicide wasn't developed well. The "I know she never would" excuse can only go so far before it becomes redundant because for all we know they haven't seen each other in years. There was no mention, no hints, no nothing. It just fell flat.

It wasn't really supposed to be a fully developed reasoning - it was a brother's adamant belief. He worshipped Tess, and just could not wrap his head around the idea she would kill herself. Okay, I admit, perhaps the idea of two people having the same name meant they're related is a bit contrived, but after studying up on Owen Mercer, I liked the idea of incorporating both him and the original Captain Boomerang, after his 'blink and you'll miss it' reference in Smallville Season 9's "Warrior".

I thought having Danny get captured was a nice part of the episode. I always like a good kidnapping story, especially if someone from the main cast is involved, but he managed to free his bonds way too quickly. Like, I don't get why Owen would leave a sharp boomerang right above someone he just tied up. And then after that we get a reveal that I am actually very against, and I may be somewhat bias because Tess is one of my all time favorite characters, but setting that aside I think story wise is was a very poor choice.

I think connecting a throwaway villain to a character from its sister show that really doesn't have anything to do with MSCU didn't really make any sense. It felt like a "how can I connect this to Smallville" type of idea that was really underdeveloped and lacking. It kind of diminishes Tess' character that we saw for three seasons on Smallville and gives her a lot of unnecessary backstory which was apparently full of abuse and hurt, and that's something I don't appreciate. The same exact thing could have been accomplished by using an original character who was killed because of something Lex did in his past, but instead we get a very haphazard reveal that sounds like it's not going to serve any purpose in the series except for being a "surprise" to remind the audience that this is set in the Smallville universe.

Danny's kidnapping was so both the audience and a character could see just how unstable Owen was becoming, while also allowing Danny to figure out aspects of what Owen's target was.

As fo the abuse angle, that wasn't anything I came up with, that came from Smallville itself - Tess said so herself when she was talking to Clark back in Season 8's "Turbulance". I merely expanded on it just a bit, and showed that Tess herself wasn't the only one to suffer at the hands of her adopted father.
While "M:SCU" won't always refer back to it's origins, I do feel sometimes that having a stoy which helps remind the audience of the bigger universe it comes from can help expand on the show's own mythos as it takes on it's own direction in that universe. I don't see how using Lex and Tess is any different then using Eric Marsh in the premiere.

Another thing that was weird was Mercy healing dramatically. Like, I know why you did it and I now what purpose it's going to serve, but to have absolutely no one question how someone is walking after being stabbed by 4 razor sharp boomerangs after a simple excuse of "body suit" didn't work well.

The excuse wasn't meant to work well, it was meant to raise some suspicions, but what can they do? They can't investigate someone for healing too quickly, and the fact that Lex allowed Mecy to show up shows just how low of an opinion he really has of them, how little a threat they are to him and whatever grand plan he truly has.

But yeah, not really a fan of this episode. I think stripping the unnecessary Smallville connections would be a huge benefit. Hopefully I enjoy the next episode more.

Fingers crossed! While it DOES tie back to Smallville, it's part of Danny's backstory, and again focuses on his relationship with Maggie.

[Brady Brown]

Aug 10, 2015 3:58:44 GMT -6 Alex Matthews said:

In my opinion, you can't have a series set in Metropolis without comin across LexCorp and Lex himself at some point, he's too much a big part of the city, thanks to the foundations set by Lionel and LuthorCorp.

I don't know. If you can get away without showing Superman in a Metropolis-related show, then I think it'd be fine to not have to use Lex Luthor. Though, my problem didn't really lie with Lex and his appearance.

The Smallville (and occasional Watchtower) links are few and far between, and either happen because of a necessary link is needed, or as a tip-of-the-hat.

I think we just wildly differ on the opinion of having "tip of the hats" if they don't advance the plot or serve any specific purpose.

As fo the abuse angle, that wasn't anything I came up with, that came from Smallville itself - Tess said so herself when she was talking to Clark back in Season 8's "Turbulance". I merely expanded on it just a bit, and showed that Tess herself wasn't the only one to suffer at the hands of her adopted father.

My apologizes, because I didn't clarify myself well enough. What I meant was that I didn't like how she suffered all of this abuse for a character we've never met and will probably never meet again.

While "M:SCU" won't always refer back to it's origins, I do feel sometimes that having a stoy which helps remind the audience of the bigger universe it comes from can help expand on the show's own mythos as it takes on it's own direction in that universe. I don't see how using Lex and Tess is any different then using Eric Marsh in the premiere.

I don't think that's really a fair comparison, considering Eric Marsh was on 1 episode and Lex and Tess were in multiple seasons as main stars.

The excuse wasn't meant to work well, it was meant to raise some suspicions, but what can they do? They can't investigate someone for healing too quickly, and the fact that Lex allowed Mecy to show up shows just how low of an opinion he really has of them, how little a threat they are to him and whatever grand plan he truly has.

My point was that absolutely no one questioned it. They all brushed it off. I didn't expect a full fledged investigation, but I at least expected some type of questioning from the parts of a police squad.

Hopefully that cleared some things up!