I was just scrolling down my Instagram’s home page when I saw a promotional photo from C.B. Strike, a show that is based on the Cormoran Strike novels created by Robert Galbraith aka, the one and only, J.K. Rowling. The photo came with a caption that describes how great the first episode was, which made me curious. I looked it up to see if the show was available online and found in its Wikipedia page that it was released on DVD last year. I was surprised because I did not know about that at all. Then, I found that all the seven episodes of the show that have been made are available online, so I started watching. As I said before, C.B. Strike is a show that is based on the Cormoran Strike novels. The novels follow a private investigator named Cormoran Strike as he uncovers the mysteries behind the cases he handles for his clients. If you like Sherlock, or maybe that Japanese animated series called Detective Conan, I think you will like this one too. The first three episodes cover the events from the first book, The Cuckoo’s Calling. The second book entitled The Silkworm is on episodes four and five while the last two episodes adapt the third novel, Career of Evil. Tom Burke plays the titular role while Holliday Grainger plays his new assistant, Robin Ellacott. Despite being released on DVD last year, the show was aired by Cinemax for the first time in the United States earlier this month. I have seen the first three episodes of the show and have not continued. I watched those episodes without subtitles and, oh, it was quite hard to follow the dialogues. I remember that the novel was quite hard to read as well. Thankfully, I have read The Cuckoo’s Calling. I know what happens in it and the show is quite faithful to its source material, so I could understand the whole story. But if English is not your first language or you are not used to listening to British people talking, I think you should watch the show with subtitles. I have not continued watching because I have not read The Silkworm and Career of Evil and I have not found the subtitles for the next episodes. I am afraid that, without any knowledge about the stories and subtitles, I will not be able to follow the next stories. I really hope the subtitles will be available soon so that I can continue watching. I really want to read the next novels too. So, despite the language issue, how are the first three episodes? Oh, I think they are GREAT! When I was a kid, I used to watch and read Detective Conan and got quite obsessed with it. It made me actually consider having a career as a private investigator, you know. After watching or reading Conan, I always imagined myself as a detective. You know, looking around a crime scene to find clues, talking to nervous witnesses and suspects who manipulate the truth, fixing my glasses as theories swim around my brain, revealing who the bad guy is in a dramatic way… It all just seems really cool! C.B. Strike gives me the exact same feeling. In the show, Robin says that her job as a detective’s assistant is a job that she always dreams of and I think she dreams of it in the way that I do. I am currently jobless and, man, this show makes me want to find a job like Robin’s. So I think this show is quite successful in making detective stories cool again. Cormoran Strike is played by Tom Burke in the show. I was quite surprised when I first saw Tom as Cormoran because I always imagined an older man when I was reading Cuckoo. Tom must be in his thirties while I used to imagine a man in his forties. The show quickly turned my mixed feelings into admiration by showing how great the portrayal of the detective is. He has a lot of solo moments where he walks alone on the (fascinating) European streets or sitting alone in his messy office as he is struggling to take off his prosthetic leg or peeing in a used cup. The impressive thing is that I could learn so much about this character from his solo moments. I could see that he is the kind of person who prefers working alone. He does not like to express his feelings to other people, no matter how overwhelming his feelings are. He has his own ways of doing things and will really appreciate it if you do not question them. He cares, even though he does not look like he is capable of doing that, and has been let down by the people he is supposed to trust far too many times. A lot of crime stories have main characters who solve crimes and do not even care if their clients are murderers, but Cormoran, surprisingly and unexpectedly, does have a heart and care about those people he helps. I think that is what makes him different. Not everyone understands people like Cormoran, but his assistant Robin Ellacott surely does. Robin is smart and considerate, and those qualities allow her to do her job very professionally as well as be personally close to Cormoran. She cleans and rearranges Cormoran’s messy office impressively, does thorough researches to help with their cases and analyzes clues with some serious investigating skills. Besides that, she knows when to be involved with Cormoran’s private life and when to just let things be. She knows what she wants in her life and dares to take risks even though it is not easy for her. Most importantly, she is not lower than Cormoran. She is a partner for him whose work, ideas and efforts are just as important as his. Oh, did I mention that she is gorgeous? Robin is just amazing. We need more people like Robin in our lives. The show is set in England, specifically in the city of London, if I am not mistaken. So, we get to see the characters walk around the streets that are full of beautiful European style buildings in their coats. I really like those sequences. There is something really soothing about that. The music that is played in the background is very enjoyable as well. It really helps create an atmosphere that is calming and mysterious at the same time. I need to find the soundtrack album. So, I think C.B. Strike is a really great series. Fans of J.K. Rowling and detective stories must not miss this one. I really hope you all would start watching the series too because I think it needs more recognition. Check out the trailer below if you are still not convinced!
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Three years ago, I saw the trailer of a film entitled The Maze Runner for the first time and fell in love with its leading actor, Dylan O'Brien, instantly. After that, I got into my crazy fangirl mode (haha) and checked his IMDB page. There, I found that he was a series regular in a TV show called Teen Wolf and decided to watch it. So, yes, I started watching Teen Wolf purely because Dylan O'Brien is in it. However, after a few episodes, I realized that Dylan is not the only great thing that the show has to offer; he is just one of many. Teen Wolf has teenage characters that are surprisingly strong, especially in its first few seasons. It was surprising because I thought the show was going to be similar to Twilight, which was super popular when the show first premiered. You know, a lame romance that is mixed with lame fantasy elements (Sorry Twihards). However, the original group of main characters from the first season, which includes Tyler Posey's Scott McCall, Dylan O'Brien's Stiles Stilinski, Crystal Reed's Allison Argent, Tyler Hoechlin's Derek Hale, Holland Roden's Lydia Martin and Colton Haynes's Jackson Whittemore, really surprised me with the depth that each of them has. Their characters showed how people deal with lust, power, anger, love, relationships and many more issues. I remember how I finished every episode and always thought, "Wow, that was a really powerful one!" Unfortunately, the young and talented stars of Teen Wolf started leaving the show after its successful second season. I could understand why they all did it, though. They are all young and talented so it's completely normal if they want to try other projects and boost their careers. It all started when Colton left after the end of season 2, just when his character finally became a werewolf. People were shocked by Allison's death at the end of season 3, which turned out to be written that way by the creator, Jeff Davis, due to Crystal's decision to leave the show. Tyler Hoechlin followed Colton to The CW by leaving Teen Wolf and joining Supergirl after the fourth season. The peak is probably when the show started its sixth season without having Dylan, who plays everyone's favorite character, full time. To fill the blanks that those actors left behind, they've created a bunch of new characters that are great, but, sadly, they will never be able to replace the original pack. It's like the show has completely lost its main appeal now. The stories that are presented in the seasons after the very successful third season (you know, the one with Nogitsune) also keep on going downhill. What makes me dissapointed is that the stories are not even about wolves anymore. Scenes where Scott goes on his wolf mode become very rare. I just wish they would explore more about the wolves instead of the other supernatural creatures. I mean, this show is called Teen Wolf, not Supernatural. They should have just left the supernatural creatures for the Winchesters hahaha. So, as much as I love the show, I think ending the show after the sixth season is the right decision. The series finale of Teen Wolf is going to air in a few hours. To celebrate the end of our beloved TV show, I'm going to take a look back at all the seasons of the show. If you have never watched the show, I hope you can use this post to help you decide whether you want to watch it or not. But if you are already a fan like me, I hope this can help you remember how much you love this show forever. SEASON 1 Story: Scott McCall, an unpopular high school boy from Beacon Hills, gets his life completely changed after a bite from a werewolf turns him into the mythical creature. With the help of his best friend, Stiles, and an older, more experienced wolf, Derek, Scott tries to deal with all the problems that the bite brings, such as the mysterious Alpha who gives him the bite and a family of werewolf hunters, which includes his girlfriend Allison, that wants him dead. Thoughts: The first season is one of my favorite ones. The premise is quite simple, but it's a classic werewolf story that really matches the title and my expectations for a werewolf story. As I said before, I love the original characters from the first season. I think it's cool how they all represent all the aspects in life here. For example, Scott's story shows how difficult it is to deal with anger. Jackson lets us see how crazy people can get when they're blinded by greed. Peter, the Alpha, shows how power can turn you into a monster. And there's just so much more. The great chemistry among the cast members, especially Sciles (Scott and Stiles) and Scallison (Scott and Allison) are also one of the most admirable things about the first season. SEASON 2 Story: As Scott gets used to his werewolf powers, new threats arrive in Beacon Hills. Gerard, Allison's grandfather, comes to Beacon Hills with his ambition to eradicate all werewolves without caring about their innocence, which violates the Argents's family code. New Alpha Derek, who gains the status after killing Peter, gets consumed by his new powers and starts recruiting new members for his pack (aka biting teenagers with his poisonous fangs). Jackson, who finally got what he wanted at the end of season 1 (the bite), and Lydia, who got bitten by Peter at the same time, start showing strange symptoms but don't turn into werewolves. The two's mysterious situation make Scott, Stiles and Allison think that one of them is the Kanima, another mysterious, beastly creature that has come and terrorized their small town. So many new threats, huh? Thoughts: This season is probably my most favorite season. The Kanima mystery is really fun to watch, though quite similar to the Who-is-the-Alpha mystery in the previous season. I also like how they explore the Alpha-Beta relationship between Scott and Derek, which is something that I've never seen in other werewolf movies. Scallison's love story is also one of my favorite things in this season. The way they show how Allison's loss and anger affect herself and her relationship with Scott is just great. Her arc makes her a great character, not just Scott's love interest, which I always find admirable. SEASON 3A Story: Mysterious deaths keep happening in Beacon Hills, which turn out to be the works of a supernatural creature called Darach. Meanwhile, Scott starts showing the signs of a True Alpha, a rare kind of Alpha that gains the status not by killing another Alpha but by showing greatness in his character. This situation lures another threat to the small town, which comes in a form of an alpha pack, a group of powerful Alphas led by a blind yet extremely lethal werewolf called Deucalion. This season, Derek loses his Alpha status after being forced to use his powers to save his sister Cora while Lydia finally discovers what she is: an banshee. Thoughts: I think this season is a really great werewolf tale. I enjoy learning more about the rules in the werewolf world, such as the True Alpha legend and the colors of werewolves' eyes. This season is quite violent for me, though. I find it hard to watch the fight scenes sometimes because they're quite rough. SEASON 3B Story: Season 3B is Stiles's season haha. After Scott, Stiles and Allison messed around with the Nemeton (some kind of beacon that attracts supernatural creatures) in order to save their parents from Darach in season 3A, the gang must face a new enemy that rises from the Nemeton. The threat is called the Nogitsune, a dark spirit known in the Japanese culture. The Nogitsune has a connection with Kira, a new girl at school who becomes friends with Scott, who is revealed to be supernatural creature as well. The Nogitsune later possesses Stiles and turns him into the show's greatest villain. Another iconic villain from this season is The Oni, who shockingly kills Allison at the end of the season. Thoughts: This season is one of the best seasons of Teen Wolf. It once again uses the Who-is-the-villain formula but the show creators manage to turn our world upside down when they reveal that the answer is Stiles. Dylan wastes no time to show off his awesome acting skills and amazes us all with his performance as the dark, ruthless Nogitsune aka Void Stiles. Oh don't forget Allison's death. It's probably the most shocking and the saddest death scene that has ever occured in the show. SEASON 4 Story: Scott and his friends are threatened when a mysterious figure called The Benefactor publishes a list of all the supernatural beings in Beacon Hills and offers money to anyone who is able to kill those on the list. To make things worse, Kate Argent, Allison's aunt who was presumably murdered at the end of season 1, rises from the dead as a werejaguar and has another evil plan. Scott's pack has a bunch of new members this season, which include a werecoyote named Malia (who happens to be Peter's daughter) and a younger student from Beacon Hills High who accidentally gets bitten by Scott named Liam. Thoughts: So, this is where it all starts going downhill. The premise of this season is actually quite interesting. In fact, the first few episodes are really satisfying. However, it seems to me like they just don't know how to end the mystery. The revelation of The Benefactor's identity and the reasons behind her actions are just confusing. Things get even stranger when they kind of end The Benefactor story, which has been built up throughout the whole season, on episode 11 and suddenly starts a whole new stroyline that centers on Kate and Peter on the next episode, which is the finale. Weird, huh? SEASON 5 Story: Season 5 is actually divided into two parts, but, unlike season 3, both parts are in the same story arc. This time Scott and his gang must face The Dread Doctors, a group of mysterious doctors that use science to create their own monsters with supernatural abilities. In 5B, it is revealed that The Dread Doctors have been trying to resurrect The Beast of Gevaudan, a monstrous creature with a connection to the Argent family. This season also marks the first appearance of Theo, a wolf with no pack who has an evil plan for Scott's pack. He manages to gain Scott's trust with his tricks, but not Stiles's. This creates a rift between Scott and Stiles. Thoughts: To be honest, I don't remember much about this season, and that's probably the problem. The story is kind of forgettable for me. I was really excited when they announced that Crystal was coming to back to play a different role in a flashback about the Argents's history, but her performance turned out to be quite disappointing for me. The Beast's story is actually quite intriguing, but the CGI Beast will make you cringe because it's just so bad. And oh, I hate Theo with all my heart. I was hoping this season would be the only season he's in but it turns out that it's not. However, Dylan's performance once again stands out this season due to more explorations on his past and the rift between him and Scott. SEASON 6A Story: Supernatural creatures called the Ghost Riders come to Beacon Hills and kidnap the citizens of the small town, including Stiles. The interesting part is that those who have been taken by the Riders will be erased from everyone's memories. So it will be as if those people never exist. Being the most sensitive in the pack, Lydia senses the danger and struggles to convince her friends that they need to find a piece that missing in their lives: Stiles. Season 6A explores the characters' relationships with Stiles and how much he means to them. Thoughts: Another season of Stiles, huh? I don't mind because Stiles is one of my favorite characters. However, I don't really like how they make this season all about Stiles and Lydia. I think it should have been more about Scott and Stiles. I know Stiles and Lydia love each other deeply and have a great chemistry, but Scott is Stiles's best friend, his brother from another mother, for an awfully long time. Their friendship the greatest relationship in this show. I think the one who has the strongest connection with Stiles and is able to call him out from the Wild Hunt should be Scott, not Lydia. Sorry, Stydia shippers. SEASON 6B Story: Fear clouds the minds of the people of Beacon Hills as a dangerous creature comes out of the Wild Hunt with Stiles. The creature is called the Anuk-ite, a creature that spreads unbearable fear and, when it's in its perfect form, can kill with a single look. The fear makes everyone freak out and target the ones that they fear: Scott and his supernatural friends. Led by Gerard and his fierce apprentice, the people of Beacon Hills work together to destroy all supernatural beings in the world with no exception. This season is the final season of Teen Wolf and features many characters from the past seasons such as Derek, Jackson, Ethan, Kate, Gerard, Deucalion, Peter and Stiles himself, who hasn't been involved in the storyline and only appears in the first and last episode of 6B. The series finale will be available on Monday morning in my country. Thoughts: The story has been pretty interesting but I'm quite disappointed because it's not about werewolves. I mean, this is the final season of the show, so I thought they would go back and honor the original story of Teen Wolf. However, it's great that they manage to bring back some old faces to this final season. I just wish they could be more involved in the storyline instead of just making cameo performances.
So how do you think Teen Wolf will end? I hope it will end with a great episode. Goodbye, Teen Wolf! |