My top 5 TV shows this week of August 15

This week I didn't think I watched enough television to come up with a top 5 list, but looking back over the week, I suppose I did.

First, I'll list off the shows I don't include in my top 5. True Blood's episode was probably my favorite of the season, but I still think it was barely mediocre and confusing – I don't get why Bill would skip taking the cure, but whatever, I'm not that invested this season. Next would be The Strain – which basically had everyone understanding they were dealing with 'vampires', but really was not too interesting. Finally, Under the Dome was pretty standard. It got a bit interesting with the tunnel under the school, but I seem to just be watching this show because I record it – I've lost a lot of interest.

On to my top 5.

5. Manhattan this week was good enough to make my top 5, but it was not my favorite episode. The concept remains promising and something I am interested in, it is the 'conflict' that I have issues with. It really seems like this episode tried to highlight the scientists vs. military issues that I really start to call into question. Yes, I get the fact that the MP killed Sid but no one seems to think the fact that Sid had a gun should be a consideration. The show seems to be portraying the scientists who are engrossed in one of the most significant pieces of science ever as a bunch of school children who, for some reason, don't seem to realize there is a world war going on where millions of people are dying. Now, I don't know the specifics of the people involved, but I do question the revisionist history lesson. Why do they have to take a great concept and throw an agenda on it? We'll see if this stays in my top 5.

4. The pilot of Outlander was interesting. The first half was a pretty boring set up for the show. The first scene was horrible and I stopped watching because I happened to be eating dinner at the time. I liked the cinematography and the descriptions of the history once they got to the highlands, but you could tell the show is trying to compete with Game of Thrones when a quarter of the episode is simple sex. While I get the concept that the only thing the Randalls have since the separation during the war is sex, but it was too much – let's have a show and not a porno. I certainly hope the rest of the season is more like the second half of the show where things actually happened. Maybe it was just Ronald D. Moore playing with the fact he was on premium cable and could show sex, that he felt he had to show it a lot. I don't know, but let's see more Druids, history, and a strong female lead that doesn't have to jump into the sack to get what she wants.

Hmm…so far 2 shows into my top 5 and I am mostly complaining – I did like these episodes though.

3. This week I am still trying to catch up on Defiance, and watched the Season 2, 7th episode – If You Could See Her Through My Eyes. This episode was pretty good and dove deeper into the plot lines that have been running through this season. Deidre is really messing with Alak and Christie and I see nothing good coming of it, though I don't think Christie's fooling around in the Janos club is going to lead to anything positive either – Viceroy Mercado is just too creepy. And speaking of weird, who would have thought Rafe and Datak would be so buddy-buddy? I am really getting a vibe like G'Kar and Londo from Babylon 5 with this relationship, and I like it. The last piece of the continuing puzzle this week is Irisa and her powers. Now that Nolan is aware of what's been going on, maybe we can get somewhere figuring out what is up – the flashbacks and Mordecai definitely point to something interesting.

2. The Leftovers is just good. It is just confusing, but good. I don't have a clue what is happening, but I speculate and that drives me to rewatch the episode a few times. The fact that Wayne has multiple pregnant women running around was a revelation, but I am not sure what it means. And the mirror happenings with Kevin and his son could mean something, but my brain hasn't figured it out yet. And why does Kevin keep waking up in different places…what IS he doing when 'sleeping'? This is definitely a successor to Lost in that it raises so many questions, I just hope they can all be answered at some point.

1. The Last Ship stemmed more like a movie this week than just another TV show. The continuation of the previous episode started with the Captain captive on the Russian ship. Of course there was going to be a mission to get him back, but this was basically a 24 type mission. This is what Summer TV should have more of in my view. Let's have some more action and less contemplative shows as the temperature rises. In any case, excluding the cartoonish Russian Admiral, the show was my favorite of the week. There were some parts that made you think – the revelation that Dr. Sorensen was basically patient zero and the implications that the Russians may have known that definitely added to the season's story arc. But I think perhaps it was the filming of the shipboard combat that hooked me – it seemed like they were filming a Call of Duty or Battlefield game.

So far, I think this has been a pretty good summer for TV, I just hope these shows know how to draw a season to a close properly resolving enough questions but leaving some for next year.

This is post 17 in my Blaugust Challenge.

#Blaugust #TV #Defiance #LastShip #Leftovers #TrueBlood #Outlander #Manhattan #TheStrain #UnderTheDome