2021 In Review: 10 Good Things That I Saw On Television

Posted on January 31, 2022 by Lisa Marie Bowman

I probably watched too much television in 2021. Oh well, such is life! Here are a few things that I enjoyed:

The third and fourth seasons of Cobra Kai

Who would have guessed that The Karate Kid would eventually inspire one of the best shows on television? The show’s mix of comedy and drama is nearly perfect and, for that matter, so are the performances of William Zabka, Ralph Macchio, Martin Kove, and Thomas Ian Griffith.

2. WandaVision

The Marvel television series have been pretty hit-and-miss for me but WandaVision was definitely a hit.

3. The Oscars

The Steven Soderbergh-produced ceremony was such a train wreck that it became oddly fascinating to watch. To be honest, the entire ceremony felt like a wonderful example of hubris. The ceremony was obviously designed to show the way to the future and, instead, it just made us long for the past. In many ways, it was the perfect symbol for America in 2021.

4 & 5. Allo Allo and Yes, Minister

Discovering these classic British sitcoms on PBS was definitely one of the highlights of the year for me!

6. America’s Most Wanted

It didn’t last very long but the America’s Most Wanted revival featured some really cool CGI.

7. Gangs of London

This British crime show was complex but always compelling.

8. The Ultimate Surfer

This silly reality show featured a lot of good-looking people getting wet. What more can you ask for?

9. The final season of The Walking Dead got off to a good start.

Everything has to end sometimes.

10. Dexter: New Blood

Dexter is back! But for how long?

Lisa Marie’s 2021 In Review:

Hey! Here’s Yet Another Trailer for WandaVision!

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Hey! Did you know that WandaVision is going to be streaming in another five days!?

Well, if you didn’t, you obviously haven’t been spending much time on YouTube or Twitter and I guess you haven’t been reading this site much either so shame on you. It seems like, every day, there’s another trailer, preview, or teaser for WandaVision. The trailers mix black-and-white sitcom-style laugh tracked scenes with color scenes that seem like they’re from a 70s soap opera. My assumption is that the show features Wanda creating an alternate universe where she and Vision can attempt to live happily, one that I’m going to guess she created out of her knowledge of old television shows. That’s a nice thought and, of course, an alternate universe means that Marvel will have an easy way to correct past mistakes.

“Robert Downey, Jr. wants to come back to the MCU? Go snatch Tony Stark out of an alternate universe!”

“Everyone finally realized that it was freaking stupid to kill off the Black Widow and that the MCU is better with Scarlett Johansson than without her? QUICKLY! TO THE ALTERNATE UNIVERSE!”

As I said, I think it’s a good idea and, the next time I find myself in my office, watching the retro TV stations, I will be sure to think about how I can use each episode of Ghost Whisperer to create a new universe. And, as snarky as I am about the constant trailers, I am actually looking forward to WandaVision. Even though I think the MCU reached it’s logical end with Avengers: Endgame, I’m still looking forward to seeing if Marvel can keep their winning streak alive. Thanks to the pandemic, it’s been a while since we had a new MCU production and I’m a bit curious to see whether or not that absence is going to help or hinder the franchise.

Add to that, I like Elizabeth Olsen. I like Paul Bettany. I’ll watch them in almost anything. Elizabeth Olsen deserves better than to just be the romantic interest in a Godzilla film. Paul Bettany deserves better than to just be everyone’s eccentric British friend (or the European villain in the latest action movie). As played by Bettany and Olsen, Vision and Wanda were two of the more interesting characters to be found in the MCU. Both the actors and the characters deserve a chance in the spotlight and I’m happy to see them getting one.

Here’s the latest trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cm_6rvtRMPQ

Finally, all of twitter was abuzz (bleh! Did I really write that?), with the news that some people were allowed to watch the first three episodes of WandaVision. Their reactions were so incredibly positive that it would be good to remember that early reactions are always overly positive to almost every new TV show and movie. I mean, if your entire career is dependent upon keeping Disney happy and maintaining your access to “company insiders,” it’s only common sense to have a positive reaction to the latest Disney product. Always take these things with a grain of salt, I’m saying.

That said, I really hope WandaVision is good. We’ll all find out in five days!

Here’s The Latest Trailer for WandaVision!

Posted on January 1, 2021 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Well, it’s a new day and I guess that means that it’s time for another enigmatic trailer for WandaVision. It’s been interesting to note that, even with all the trailers that Disney Plus has released for this show, it’s still hard to get a definite feel for just what exactly WandaVision is going to be. That’s not a bad thing, of course. The enigmatic is intriguing.

Judging from the trailers that have been released so far, this is either going to be brilliant or a disaster. I don’t really see much room in between those two extremes. I am going to guess that Wanda and Vision are living in some sort of alternate reality, one that Wanda constructed from a lifetime of watching old TV shows. That’s my guess, anyways. I’ve come across a few people online who have a much darker interpretation — i.e., Wanda is actually in some sort of coma and the entire show is her dying fantasy of having a perfect life with Vision. I mean, seriously — that would be like a Marvel show from the darkest timeline. I would have to put a blue streak in my hair if that happened! (“Life got dark!” to quote Britta Perry.)

Anyway, this latest trailer continues to mix comedy with darkness. I’ll definitely give this show a try, if just because I love both Paul Bettany and Elizabeth Olsen and I don’t feel that either one of them has really gotten all of the opportunities that they deserve. Disney Plus, obviously, is hoping that they’ll have another Mandalorian-style hit with this one and it is interesting to consider that, with the pandemic and all, this will be the first new MCU release in a year. To a certain extent, the reception of this show will answer the question of whether or not the MCU can continue to thrive after the apocalyptic conclusion of Avengers: Endgame. The show will be available on Disney Plus on January 15th so we should have our answers in just another two weeks!

Here’s the latest trailer:

Here’s The New WandaVision Teaser!

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

Today, Marvel Studios decided to say “Merry Christmas” by releasing a new teaser for WandaVision!

And here it is!

WandaVision will premiere on Disney+ on January 15th! Personally, I’m looking forward to it but then again, I look forward to anything that features Paul Bettany. Plus, Wanda was the Avenger to whom I most related. Let’s just hope things work out for the best for those two. They deserve a little happiness!

The Universe Is Expanding: Here’s The Super Bowl Disney+ MCU Trailer!

Posted on February 2, 2020 by Lisa Marie Bowman

The universe is expanding!

Out of the three shows that are featured in the teaser below, it’s the one with Wanda and Vision that most interests me. I can’t wait to see what happens with those two characters. And, of course, there’s no way I couldn’t smile a little when Loki popped up. His death in Infinity War depressed me almost as much as Black Widow’s death in Endgame.