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Reviews
Death in Paradise: Episode #12.4 (2023)
Good, but not great!
The 12th season of "Death in Paradise" has been really enjoyable so far, particularly liked the story, which took place in a bunker. The fourth episode of this season finally brings Naomi out of the shadows and while I didn't find this episode great, it's still quite good.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of this episode are great as usual. The direction's decent, the music fits the scenery and the main cast is solid. Always have liked Naomi as a character.
. The mystery is a good one with a nice amount of wry humor. The story does take rather sinister turns and the characters are interesting.
But...
. The dialogue is not always spot on, some of it gives off a melodramatic feel. Wasn't so sure about the guest stars either. A couple of them ( particularly Nicola Alexis and Velile Tshabalala) are a bit bland.
Overall, quite good.
7/10
HK.
Death in Paradise: Episode #12.3 (2023)
A good episode!
The 12th season of "Death in Paradise" has been really solid so far. This episode is also a pretty good entry to the series, while not being great.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. The direction's decent, the music fits the scenery and the acting's very good. Tahj Miles is fantastic as Marlon, the character has always been fun. Really like the romance storyline with Neville as well.
. The murder mystery is solid with couple of twists and turns. The character-work is colorful.
But...
. Do agree that the solution is not of the better ones. It feels so simple that one begins to wonder, why someone didn't think about it sooner. The pacing isn't great either, parts of the mystery drag quite a bit.
Overall, a good episode.
7/10
HK.
Death in Paradise: Episode #12.2 (2023)
Pretty good indeed!
The 12th season of "Death in Paradise" has started very well so far. I enjoyed the premiere, even though I thought it wasn't great. This episode is a very good one. It's not fantastic, but is still very enjoyable.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. The direction's fine (even though I wasn't a huge fan of the shot structure at times), the music fits the scenery. The acting's pretty good too. Robert Webb is quite good here.
. The mystery is a compelling one. There are some solid twists here, did like the character work too. The humor is suitably wry, the romance between Neville and Sophie is sweet, also found the subplot about Marlon quite fun. The solution is clever, while not the best.
But...
. Do agree that the story has aspects, which have been done before and those previous times executed them in a better way.
Overall, a very good episode.
8/10
HK.
Death in Paradise: Episode #12.1 (2023)
A fine episode!
"Death in Paradise" is a show I was looking forward to see again. The 12th season did take a while to come to my area. When it's finally here, I can say the the premiere of the season was fine. It's not great, but quite enjoyable indeed.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. The direction's decent ( even though there were too many speed-ups for my taste), the music fits the scenery and the acting's solid. Always have liked the main cast.
. The mystery is interesting for the most part. There are some good twists and the humor's suitably wry. Do like the hint of romance in the air.
But...
. The dialogue isn't always spot on ( some of it feels rather exposition-heavy). I found that Neville being interested in astronomy did not carry the plot along that much. Do agree though, that the story tends to get silly here and there. Wished the solution was a bit more detailed.
Overall, a fine episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Black Sky (2023)
A good episode!
As said before, the 20th season of "NCIS" hasn't been a favorite. The season had very few solid episodes and a lot of average to decent ones. "Black Sky" is good way to end a season, but the story could have been better.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "Black Sky" are great as usual. The episode is very well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's solid. Wilmer Valderrama is very good here.
. The mystery is compelling for the most part. Enjoyed the action scenes and the tension is very well built.
But...
. Not all of the dialogue is good. Some of it comes off exposition-heavy, couple of the jokes feel out of place. For instance: like the scene between Palmer and Casey. Some parts of the story feel rushed, the villain is caught rather quickly. The ending is sudden agreed.
Overall, a solid episode.
7/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Kompromat (2023)
One of the best episodes in a while!
The 20th season of "NCIS" has not been great. Most of the episodes have been fine, but a lot of them have not been very exciting. "Kompromat" is one of the better episodes of this season. It's far from great, but is very enjoyable.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "Kompromat" are great as usual. The episode is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's pretty good. So nice to see Ducky again!
. The mystery is intriguing for the most part. The story is definitely going for the threats of today's climate, but it comes off quite frightening. Tension is quite well build up, am interested, where the story is headed next.
But...
. Some of the dialogue is exposition-heavy and not all of the jokes hit. The laugh about cannolis felt rather bizarre and overdone. Too much of the episode deals with the relationship between Knight and Palmer, which has gotten less and less interesting over the course of this season. Casey is still a bit annoying character for me.
Overall, a fine episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Second Opinion (2023)
An ok episode!
Marco Schnabel, the writer of this episode, has written a number of pretty good episodes. "Second Opinion" is not one of them. It's not bad, but it is not very exciting at the end of the day.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "Second Opinion" are great as usual. The music fits the scenery and the acting's good, particularly from Ryan Masson. Personally did not any problems with the direction.
. The mystery occasionally intrigues. There are moments of tension. Liked the message: one has to be grateful for what he/she has got.
But....
. Not all of the jokes hit. The scene, where Casey drops her phone in a stomach of a body, wasn't funny at all. The rivalry between two medical examiners started promising, but got rather childish at times. The mystery itself feels "been there, done that", there are very few surprises in this story.
Overall, an ok episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: In the Spotlight (2023)
A fine episode!
After being let down by "Stranger in a Strange Land" and "Head Games", I wanted this season to get back on track. It kind of does with "In the Spotlight, which is a rather enjoyable episode. That being said, it's far from great.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "In the Spotlight" are great as usual. The episode is very well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's good, particularly from Kayla Blake.
. The mystery is decent. The action scenes are quite thrilling. Liked that this story was more about Knight.
But...
. The solution feels way too obvious at the end of the day. The murderer is too much of a suspect early on. Also wished that the story would gone more deep into what its like being a celebrity. Too much of the episode is turned into a joke about Wonder Woman.
Overall, a fine episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Head Games (2023)
Very dull!
"Stranger in a Strange Land" wasn't a very good episode, but it was entertaining enough to keep watching. "Head Games" makes a big mistake of being so bland.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "Head Games" are great as usual. The episode is well-directed, the music fits the scenery. The acting's fine.
. There are some decent jokes here and there. The pretitle sequence is suitably grim and did like the theme about life being precious.
But....
. The subplot about Casey wasn't that compelling. Wish the writers would do more with this character, who I have never been interested in. Worst of all is the mystery, which is rather cliched and doesn't have a single surprise. Everything about this episode feels like one has seen similar stories countless times before.
Overall, a very dull episode.
4/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Stranger in a Strange Land (2023)
A mediocre episode!
Chad Gomez Creasey, the writer of this episode, has written three "NCIS" stories so far. I did not enjoy his "Leave No Trace", thought the narrative felt like filler. "Stranger in a Strange Land" isn't very good either. It's not as bad as "Leave No Trace", but doesn't stick the landing.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of this episode are great. "Stranger in a Strange Land" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's decent.
. Do agree that the subject matter of this episode is important and there are couple of fine jokes here. The story isn't boring, which is always a plus. Also liked how Torres' storyline was handled.
But....
. The subplot about Jimmy being protective about his daughter was streched out for way too long and got rather stupid. There are elements of the story that have handled in previous episodes. Do agree too that subtlety would have been a better way to handle the subject matter. Too much of the episode feels to be caught in its political message.
Overall, mediocre
4/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Butterfly Effect (2023)
A flawed case!
Christopher J. Waild, the writer of this episode, has had his fair share of ok and bad episodes. "Butterfly Effect" is not one of Waild's better episodes. It's average at the end of the day.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. "Butterfly Effect" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's fine.
. The mystery is decent. There are some emotional scenes with Knight here and did like the setup to a sequel at the end.
But....
. The jokes usually miss the mark. The subplot about eagle eggs wasn't funny and felt rather bizarre. The dialogue doesn't always grip, some of it is mediocre. Do agree that the case has elements, which have been handled better in previous episodes.
Overall, a flawed episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Unusual Suspects (2023)
A low-energy episode!
Katherine Beattie, the writer of this episode, has written mainly average to fine episodes. The only exception being "The Brat Pack", which wasn't very good at all. "Unusual Suspects" is an ok episode, it's not bad, but not very memorable.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Unusual suspects" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery. The acting's fine. Out of the guest stars Jean St. James fares best.
. The mystery is fine at times. The victim is found dead in a bizarre circumstance, also liked the theme of caring about the elderlies.
But...
. Not all of the dialogue is good, some jokes miss the mark. Do agree with a previous reviewer, who has said that some elements of the story feel straight in the face. The story isn't very exciting at the end of the day and the solution needed more explaining.
Overall, an ok episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Old Wounds (2023)
A decent episode!
Brian Dietzen and Scott Williams have written two episodes together. "The Helpers" was a mixed bag, "Old Wounds" is a fine episode at best. It's not bad, but doesn't agreed excite.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Old Wounds" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's solid. Gary Cole is pretty good as Parker once again.
. The mystery is enjoyable for the most part. It's nice to learn more about Parker. There are some good jokes and there too.
But...
. Parts of the story feel done in previous episodes. For instance: an investigator wanting to get the bad guy at all costs. "Requiem" from the 5th season handled that storyline a lot better. I wanted to be a lot more emotionally invested in the case, the ending with the letter left me a bit cold. The subplot about Jimmy trying to find an assistent wasn't all that interesting and felt like a way to find something to do for Jimmy.
Overall, a decent episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Evil Eye (2023)
A mixed bag
This episode was written by Kimberly-Rose Wolter and Brendan Fehily, both are writers, who have done their fair share of good and bad episodes. "Evil Eye" is a mixed bag for me. Some reviewers on IMDB have compared this episode to "Criminal Minds". I can definitely see that comparision, but personally appreciated that "NCIS" is trying something new.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of "Evil Eye" are great as usual. The episode is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's decent. Andrew Elvis Miller is fine as the villain, Tania Raymonde is compelling in her role.
. The mystery presents real dread at times. Liked the idea of a serial killer, who does the deed with a guillotine. There are some fine jokes here and there.
But...
. The story could have benefited from more tension. Do agree that the villain does get cartoonish after a while and the writing could have gone a lot more detail on the motive for the murders. The dialogue is not always good, some of it feels too theatrical.
Overall, a mixed bag.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Big Rig (2023)
One of the lesser episodes of this season
Marco Schnabel, the writer of this episode, has written a number of solid episodes. "Big Rig" is unfortunately not one of them. It's not an awful episode, but falls short at the end of the day.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. The direction's decent, the music fits the scenery and the acting's fine. Personally did not have any problems with Wilmer Valderrama.
. It was nice to learn more about Sawyer, a character I have never been a fan of, and did like the theme of an undercover job can sometimes ruin lives. The ending scene with the whole team was heartwarming agreed.
But...
. The dialogue is not always spot on, there are very few good jokes here. Sawyer continues to be a boring character for me. Worst of all is the mystery, which never really gets going and feels bland. The culprit was extremly easy to figure out.
Overall, a mediocre episode.
4/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Bridges (2023)
A bit forgettable!
Chad Gomez Creasey, the writer of this episode, has only written two "NCIS" episodes so far. I didn't like "Leave No Trace" that much, because the story felt like filler. "Bridges" is a better episode. It's not great, but miles better than some of the lesser episodes of this season.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. "Bridges" is well-directed (personally didn't have any problem with the camera angles) and the music fits the scenery. The acting's good. Do agree that Gary Cole has set in pretty well in "NCIS", Cole is very good here.
. The mystery does occasionally intrigue (the spy angle was compelling enough), there are some emotional scenes here and there.
But...
. Do agree too: the relationship between Palmer and Knight isn't that interesting at the end of the day. Feel like they have spent too much time talking about it. The dialogue is not always spot on, some of the humor does not land. Parts of the story feel like they have been done in other "NCIS" episodes. The ending got a bit disjointed for me.
Overall, an ok episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Los Angeles: A Long Time Coming (2023)
Weakest of the crossover
As said before, I have never been a huge of these crossovers "NCIS" has done since the 12th season. I just don't like when one story is cut into parts and you can only grasp the full story if you watch a series that has little to do with "NCIS" you love. That being said that crossover wasn't bad. "A Long Time Coming" is the weakest of the trilogy though.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "A Long Time Coming" is very well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the cast is solid. Maya Stojan is compelling as the villain, I also quite liked Caleb Castille.
. The story is occasionally intriguing. The action scenes in particular are pretty exciting. Some of the banter between different teams is fun.
But...
. Not all of the dialogue is great, some of the jokes are really awkward. The story is the weakest of the trilogy- the mystery drags quite a bit at times and takes a lot of time to get people from different teams to work with each other. Too much of the story feels like filler.
Overall, an average episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Hawai'i: Deep Fake (2023)
A good episode!
As said before, I have never been a huge fan of these crossovers "NCIS" has done since the 12th season. I feel it's quite forced to watch three different shows to follow one storyline. The actors are having fun with these crossovers, but at times I feel the audience should have as much fun watching them. "Deep Fake" though is a solid episode.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Deep Fake" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's good. Chris O´Donnell is pretty good, so is Vanessa Lachey and Jason Antoon. Tori Anderson and Noah Mills haven't grown on me yet.
. The mystery is intriguing for the most part. The jokes usually land and the action is exciting. The CIA being involved in a murder is a compelling plotline.
But...
. Do agree that the narrative gets a bit messy here and it's not always easy to keep track of the plot. The ending felt like the writers were streching the story out a bit.
Overall, a good one.
7/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Too Many Cooks (2023)
Has its moments
Never been a huge fan of these crossovers "NCIS" has been doing since the 12th season. In my opinion, it feels quite forced to cut one story into parts and having to watch multiple series to see how the narrative plays out. "Too Many Cooks" has its moments though. It's not great, but a decent enough episode.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Too Many Cooks" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery. The acting's solid for the most part. Noah Mills hasn't grown on me, but it was nice to see Chris O'Donnell and Vanessa Lachey.
. The story is compelling at times. Liked the theme of how much we actually know the people we care about. The story does set up a promising villain and appreciated the effort of tying in the "NCIS" universe. The banter between different teams is occasionally fun.
But...
. Having different "NCIS" teams to work on a single case wasn't used to its full potential. Wished for more banter and less building up to a crossover. Not all of the dialogue is spot on and the story does take quite a bit of time for the teams to work as one. The mystery drags too.
Overall, a fine episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Higher Education (2022)
Quite fun
There have been some bad episodes in the 20th season of "NCIS" - "Leave No Trace" felt like filler, "The Good Fighter" got very stupid. "Higher Education" though is one of the better episodes of this season. It's not great, but is quite fun at the end of the day.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. "Higher Education" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's fine for the most part. It is so nice to see Margo Harshman as Delilia. She's a delight and has very good chemistry with Sean Murray. I really buy Delilia and McGee as a couple.
. The mystery, which is pretty complex agreed, is interesting. There are some good jokes here and there. Really enjoyed they brought back the idea of "Thom E. Gemcity".
But...
. Not all of the dialogue is good, some it feels rather awkward, especially at the beginning. Do agree too that parts of the mystery drag a bit and feel done in previous episodes. The solution was pretty predictable too.
Overall, a fine episode.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Turkey Trot (2022)
Quite good!
The 20th season of "NCIS" has not been the greatest. Some episodes of this season have really missed the mark. "Turkey Trot" is one of the better entries in this season for me.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great as usual. "Turkey Trot" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's pretty good. Katrina Law gives her best perfomance as Jessica Knight, David Blue is quite intimidating as the villain.
. The story, which is mostly compelling, gets surprisingly deep and presents a beautiful message about caring for one's family. Liked to learn more about Knight too.
But....
. The mystery is quite predictable at times. It wasn't so hard to figure out Robin's new boyfriend is the culprit. Still am not a huge fan of Casey and not all of the jokes hit.
Overall, a solid episode.
7/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Love Lost (2022)
An okay episode!
The 20th season of "NCIS" has not been the greatest so far. "Love Lost" is an average episode, it's not awful, but nothing to write home about.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Love Lost" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's solid.
. Even though I've seen stories like it, the mystery does occasionally intrigue and there are fine jokes here and there.
But....
. After a promising setup, the case takes a rather predictable turn with a way too obvious identity of a killer (Victor). The story could have agreed benefited from better twists and a tighter pacing. The mystery did drag quite a bit at times. The dialogue is not great either.
Overall, an average episode.
5/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: The Good Fighter (2022)
Rather bad
Kimberly- Rose Wolter, the writer of this episode, has written three stories in "NCIS" so far. "Collective Memory" had a fun idea and a decent execution, "The Brat Pack" was not very good though. It felt like the story didn't have much to offer, other than a solid message about being a parent. "The Good Fighter" is unfortunately even worse.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "The Good Fighter" is well-directed, the music fits the scenery. The acting's fine. Diona Reasonover gives probably her best performance as Casey.
. There are occasional laughs and the first 10-15 minutes of the case are promising. Liked that the story focused on Casey.
But...
. After a promising setup the story feels padded and unfocused. Some parts of it get really stupid. Too much time is dedicated to stuff that has little to do with the mystery. The case, which has a pretty predictable outcome, gets a bit confusing at times, because of a lot of information is delivered in a quick succession. Worst of all, is the dialogue. It is agreed quite jarring at times.
Overall, not good.
3/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Guardian (2022)
A fine episode!
"A Family Matter" was an underwhelming premiere and "Leave No Trace" pretty uninspired. "Guardian" is a fine episode, that being said: it's definitely the best of the 20th season so far.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Guardian" is very well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's good. I really liked this episode focused on Vance and we got a solid performance by Rocky Carroll.
. The mystery is interesting for the most part. There are relatable themes ( like protecting the people you love and loneliness) touched upon and the action does excite. Liked to see McGee in the director's chair too.
But....
. Not all jokes hit. Frankly am getting quite annoyed by the characters mentioning the relationship between Palmer and Knight every single episode. Vance is out of character at times, it takes quite a bit of time for him to realise his life is in danger. Do agree too that the mystery has predictable parts. The twist with the mole was rather obvious.
Overall, a mixed bag.
6/10
HK.
NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service: Leave No Trace (2022)
Uninspired
The 20th season of "NCIS" hasn't been great so far. Still, there was some fun in the first three episodes. "Leave no Trace" is unfortunately not a good entry to the series. It's not terrible, but feels pretty bland at the end of the day.
Let's start with the good.
. The production values of the episode are great. "Leave No Trace" is very well-directed, the music fits the scenery and the acting's decent.
. The mystery occasionally presents fine ideas ( liked the plotline of a serial killer in a national park), it's nice to learn more about Jessica Knight and the pretitle sequence had creepiness to it.
But...
. The mystery, which doesn't have many surprises and gets silly at times, feels padded and the story does spend too much time of talking about the relationship between Knight and Palmer. The dialogue isn't something to write about with parts of it feeling melodramatic. There aren't a lot of solid jokes either.
Overall, an uninspired episode.
4/10
HK.