Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Ep 65: Paranormal TV June 22-27, 2011

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MP3 File


Having some tech issues this week so FYI the audio can be a little clippy at times (especially during the beginning of the Teen Wolf discussion) but does even out. Please be patient & thank you for your understanding!

This week Suzie and Shannon chat the latest episode of Teen Wolf, discuss many possibiities of the Alpha as well as chat recent-to-Canadian TV episode of Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files season 2. We also chat a bit about Outcast Ep 2, Fan and Convention culture and continue with Shannon's roundhouse of ramblings on the last few episodes of Fringe S1.

As always, we talk about the shows in depth and all show discussions will be spoiler filled, so please watch them first and then listen! We'll be back next week to talk about more Teen Wolf and Fact of Faked Season 2.

Subscribe to Hexed via or iTunes.

Time Coding:
0:00 - 1:20 Intro
1:20 - 15:20 News
15:20 - 49:20 Teen Wolf S1 Ep 5 - The Tell
49:20 - 1:09:30 Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files: S2 Ep 4 - Playground Poltergeist/Alien Intruder
1:09:30 - 1:20:20 Fandom/Convention Tangent
1:20:20 - 1:31:00 More Fringe Thoughts from Shannon at the end of S1
1:31:00 - 1:35:10 Outro

Show Notes
Teen Wolf Poll Results: Are You Watching?
55% - Yes! Love it!
25% - Yes! Sticking with it so far.
11% - No
3% - Tie: Tried it, but not sticking to it and No, Waiting to hear reviews
0% - No, Not available to me

Thanks for voting! Check out the current poll of who *you* think the Alpha is.

Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural,
All Supernatural TV. All the Time.

Hexedpodcast.blogspot.com

Teen Wolf: Season 1 Episode 5

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Time for another episode run down for Teen Wolf, and yes it will include spoilers (see big SPOILER warning below!!) for the particular episode, but only the episode noted in the post title as I don't watch trailers, teasers or read spoiler articles. It may also include predictions for future episodes, but all the views are entirely from the perspective of watching the actual episode. Okay, let's get started!

SPOILERS and DETAILS for TEEN WOLF, SEASON 1, EPISODE 5 BELOW

Teen Wolf Season 1

Episode 5: The Tell

Focus:
Scott & Allison skip school (and work... and parent-teacher night...) to celebrate her 17th birthday. Something attacks video store, freaking out Jackson inside the store and Lydia outside the car (inferred it's the alpha) and Kate is supermean to Derek.

Title Reference:
The tell is a reference of a physical reaction that indicates someone is lying. In the show, Scott says Allison's tell is raising her left eyebrow, plus we see Derek using the ability to hone in on heartbeats to know if someone is lying.

Character Development:
  • Creepy new teacher added to the mix, told Jackson he could take any time he needed off
  • Kate hangs around with 2 hunters, they look new to me but are not referred to byany names
  • Lots of reveals on all the characters during the parent/teacher meetings (see reveals)
Relationships:
  • Scott & Allison seem to be full-on relationship mode
Reveals:
  • Jackson is adopted and considered by teacher as unusually driver & over achiever verging on obsessive
  • Lydia parents think she's troublesome, but teacher says she's hugely talented academically & leaderhship wise
  • Stiles name isn't Stiles but something apparently hard to pronounce and is super smart but undirected, it's also inferred that his mother is dead
  • Scott's teacher says he needs a male authority figure
  • Kate says (and apparently not lying) they didn't kill Laura, Derek's sister - this is a bit of a fake reveal as I don't think anyone ever thought they did but rather that the alpha did.
General Comments:
  • Overall I thought this was a pretty good episode and it was nice to see pretty much the whole cast here including all the highschoolers, Derek, all the parents/family, teachers and the vet.
  • Seems odd that it's inferred that the students are suppose to be at the parent/teacher meetings - yet none of them are shown *in* the meetings.
  • I really enjoyed the character insight via the parent/teacher meeting in this episode, especially with Jackson & Lydia.
  • I also *loved* the film references and the films that were shown in the background - great added bonus stuff for genre fans.
  • Scott felt super-whiny when talking with Derek
  • Kate is mean, mean mean to Derek!
  • Why was Lydia drugged up? That seemed odd to me even if she was scared by the alpha
  • I loved the Lydia/Stiles scenes although I thought it was weird her Mom would just let him in (does he know where all the girls live?) and also thought it was weird he stole her phone.
  • I'm oddly starting to have empathy for Jackson.
Lore:
  • Alpha caught on Lydia's cellphone (and deleted by Stiles)
  • Alpha caught on across the street survillence camera shows it on 4 legs then bipedal
Potential lore-ish stuff that isn't yet confirmed, explained or clear yet:
  • Derek infers that killing isn't the norm for werewolves
  • Derek says that 'you do as pack' (more lack-of-control indicator)
  • Who is the Alpha kind of turned into *is there* an Alpha, due to the mountain lion fiasco
  • That being said there certainly seems to from this ep have inklings that the new teacher or the vet could be the alpha, or the vet
Arc:
  • Kate & her hunter boys now think Derek is useless and chased him out of house and home
  • The Alpha notes Jackson mark from Derek & leaves him alone
  • Kate wants to hunt (or kill?) the alpha
  • Allison receives a necklace for 17th bday, I have a feeling that might lead to her becoming a hunter now or soon
Predictions:
  • I think the vet knows about, or even could be, the alpha and likely was the one that set the mountain lion out to be caught to support his hypothesis of it being a mountain lion
  • There was a moment that looked like Kate & Derek have common enemy of the alpha and could work together, but then she dismissed his worth when found out he didn't know
Questions:
  • Who put the balloons in Allison's locker for her birthday?
  • Who released the mountain lion?
  • Did the mountain lion attack anyone?
Quotes:
  • I am NOT watching The Notebook again - Jackson to Lydia
  • We are predators, we don't have to be killers - Derek
  • I soccer-Mom'd you - Allison to Scott
  • You named your kid Stiles Stalinski?

Keeping an eye on:
  • Jackson and Lydia - very odd that Lydia wasn't at school and hopped up on meds. And also odd to see Jackson has obsession with achievement that looks like it drives him to anger.

Left off at:
A creature scares folk on parent teacher night and is shot by Allison's Dad. Turns out, it's a mountian lion.

Plus - looks like next week will be the full moon

Feel free to contribute your predictions too, as long as they are from the perspective of just seeing this episode. Suzie & I will chat about this episode on an upcoming podcast of Hexed. Say tuned!

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Ep 64: Paranormal TV June 15-20, 2011

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This week Suzie and Shannon aren't super thrilled with the latest episode of Teen Wolf, but also chat recent-to-Canadian TV episode of Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files season 2. Although we had no news we do have tangents ahoy as we respond to listener feedback on Game of Thrones, Doctor Who Season Finale plus chat Ep 1 of Outcasts and touch again on Super 8. Upon request we have Shannon's roundhouse of ramblings thoughts on Fringe after watching the majority of S1 for the first time as she decides to watch the show over the summer - we hope you enjoy it but please no specific feedback as this is first time watch! If that isn't enough we have a huge tangent on gender balance in genre.

As always, we talk about the shows in depth and all discussions this week (save Game of Thrones & Super 8) and spoiler filled, so please watch them first and then listen! We'll be back next week to talk about more Teen Wolf and Fact of Faked Season 2.

Time Coding:
0:00 - 2:00 - Intro
2:00 - 7:15 - Game of Thrones (no spoilers)
7:15 - 17:15 - Doctor Who (spoilers)
17:15 - 29:10 - Outcasts Ep 1 (spoilers)
29:15 - 38:00 - Super 8 (no spoilers)
38:00 - 1:04:25 - Teen Wolf S1 Ep 4: Magic Bullet (spoilers)
1:04:25 - 1:21:00 - Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files: S2 Ep 3 - Raining UFOs/Ectoplasmic Pic (Spoilers)
1:21:00 - 1:41:00 - Shannon's Fringe Theories (most of S1)
1:41:00 - 2:01:20 - Tangent on writing, gender stuff, dealing with feedback and random TV chatter
2:01:20 - 2:02:20 - Outro

Show Notes

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Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural
All Supernatural TV. All the Time.

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Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Teen Wolf: Season 1 Episode 4

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Time for another episode run down for Teen Wolf, and yes it will include spoilers (see big SPOILER warning below!!) for the particular episode, but only the episode noted in the post title as I don't watch trailers, teasers or read spoiler articles. It may also include predictions for future episodes, but all the views are entirely from the perspective of watching the actual episode. Okay, let's get started!

SPOILERS and DETAILS for TEEN WOLF, SEASON 1, EPISODE 4 BELOW

Teen Wolf Season 1

Episode 4: Magic Bullet

Focus:
  • Derek gets shot by and asks for Scott help to find out why it's special and preventing him from hurting.
Title Reference:
  • Derek is shot by a 'magic bullet' that includes Nordic Blue Monkshood (sp?)
Characters Development:
  • New character: Kate! A hunter, Allison's aunt, appears not to play by the hunter rules
  • New character: Peter Hill - Derek's Uncle who survived the fire, was (?) a werewolf & now is in a home

Relationships:
  • Lots of time with the Argent family in this episode. We find out Allison's Dad's first name is Chris, Allison's Aunt Kate is introduced (she's Chris's sister) and we see Allison's Mom for the first time.
  • Derek does have family that survived the fire - Uncle Peter
Reveals:
  • Werewolves shot with Nordic Blue Monkshood bullets can't regenerate
  • Female Hunters - yay! (Kate)
  • Derek has a tattoo (yay, tattoos!) three curlycue like things that meet together and for a triangle shape
  • There is some kind of code of the hunters, that they only hunt adults and 1 other thing (grr, I missed the other thing!)
General Comments:
  • Totally didn't dig any of the romance and heat stuff in the ep. I thought it was odd Allison would take dating advice from Lydia and the big save of non-reveal of Scott taking something from Aunt Kate's room because Allison stole a condom was just weird.
  • Pacing left a lot to be desired as all the time Stiles and Derek were together didn't seem to match up the epic time of studying and dinnering Scott & Allison had at the Argents, also didn't love the whole interrogation of Scott at dinner.
  • The grilling of the putting a rabid dog down for different reasons was a little too clear on showing peoples philosophies
  • I thought some of the Stiles & Derek stuff was really funny, but also thought Stiles if he's actually really scared of Derek he wouldn't be as lippy.
  • I was very surprized that Scott was hesitant to help Derek
  • I liked that they introduced a strong female character with Kate, will be curious to see where they go with her.
Lore:
  • Being shot with Nordic Blue Monkshood stops werewolf regeneration
  • Burning Nordic Blue Monkshood and applying to the wound counteracts the effect
  • Scott's able to now control transformation a bit as he 'grew' his fingers to get to the out of reach bullet.
Potential lore-ish stuff that isn't yet confirmed, explained or clear yet:
  • Nordic Blue Monkshood could kill a werewolf in 48 hours
  • But... cutting of a limb might stop that (ew!)
  • Derek says that the Alpha can call other werewolves at which point they have to either kill with the alpha or be killed
Arc:
  • Evidence points to the burning of Derek's house was not in line with the hunter code.
  • Looks like Chris doesn't know that Scott was who he shot in Ep 1
  • Looks like Allison doesn't know that her family are hunters, even though she's good at archery and they have tons of guns
  • Looks like the life of a hunter isn't a choice but you have to do it because Kate inferred that Allison would be a part of it.
Predictions:
  • The obvious prediction would be Kate is responsible for Derek's family house being burned down, and therefore there would be revenge by Derek (when) he finds out.
Questions:
  • Jackson gets scratched by Derek - could that lead to anything?
  • Did the Alpha attack Kate?
  • Why did Kate shoot Derek & not the Alpha?
  • Why didn't Scott tell Derek he overheard that the bullet meant he had 48hrs left?
  • Why did they hold on the crossing the threshold of Scott entering the Argent house?
  • Did Derek know that Stiles knew about this whole werewolf thing? How come there wasn't a 'you aren't suppose to tell' moment?
  • If there are hunter rules, who enforces them?
Keeping an eye on:
  • Allison - she seemed a bit out of character her, not sure this whole 'not dating til college' (?) thing and taking advice from Lydia.
  • Will something happen to Jackson?
Great Quotes:
  • "You eat meat?" - Mr. Argent to Scott
  • "This house is the freaking Walmart of guns" - Scott
  • "Derek. Derek who still scares me" - Stiles
Left off at:
  • Derek is healed from the bullet, his family appeared to be unjustedly attacked and inference that Kate doesn't want to follow the hunter code.

Feel free to contribute your predictions too, as long as they are from the perspective of just seeing this episode. Suzie & I will chat about this episode on an upcoming podcast of Hexed. Say tuned!

Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Ep 63: Paranormal TV June 8-13, 2011

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This week Suzie and Shannon chat 2 episodes of Teen Wolf, and recent-to-Canadian TV episode of Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files season 2. We also chat about Haven Season 1 on DVD and tangent on some recent films as well. As always, we talk about the shows in depth so please watch them first and then listen! We'll be back next week to talk about more Teen Wolf and Fact of Faked Season 2.

Time Code
0:00 - 0:30: Intro
0:30 - 22:30: News
22:30 - 54:40: Teen Wolf S1 Ep 2 & 3 - Second Chance at First Line & Pack Mentality
54:40 - 1:10:00: Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files: S2 Ep 2 - Fire in the Sky/Thermal Theater Ghost
1:10:00 - 1:14:00: Poll Results
1:14:00 - 1:15:13: Outro

Subscribe to Hexed via or iTunes.

Current Poll results on If You Are Watching Teen Wolf (there is still time to vote!)
40% - Yes! Love it!
30% - No
20% - Yes! Sticking with it so far.
10% - No, Waiting to hear reviews
0% - Tried it, but not sticking to it
0% - No, Not available to me

Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural
All Supernatural TV. All the Time.

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Teen Wolf: Season 1, Episode 3

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Time for another episode run down for Teen Wolf, and yes it will include spoilers (see big SPOILER warning below!!) for the particular episode, but only the episode noted in the post title as I don't watch trailers, teasers or read spoiler articles. It may also include predictions for future episodes, but all the views are entirely from the perspective of watching the actual episode. Okay, let's get started!

SPOILERS and DETAILS for TEEN WOLF, SEASON 1, EPISODE 3 BELOW
Teen Wolf Season 1 Episode #3: Pack Mentality

Focus:
  • On the full moon Scott has a dream that he attacks Allison in a bus, and turns out a man was attacked in a bus. Scott goes to Derek for help in figuring out what what happened.

Title Reference:
  • Confirmation on pack-ness, including alpha & beta werewolves

Characters Development:
  • Intro and demise of Mr. Myers, bus driver who gets attacked and succumbs to his injuries
  • Allison is pretty flippy-like and she (says) it's from gymnastics
  • Confirmation that Derek is a werewolf, as he wolfs out

Relationships:
  • Extremely awkward (and funny) lunch scene meshing all the characters together, and adding the previously referred to Danny
  • Very odd bowling double date with Allison & Scott and Lydia & Jackson
  • Scott goes to Derek for help, he concedes at the price of getting something from Scott later

Reveals:
  • Derek says he didn't bite Scott, the Alpha wolf did
General Comments:
  • If Scott didn't attack Mr. Myers - why was he even at the bus?
  • Did Lydia seriously size up and make eyes at Mr. Argent? Seriously? Isn't that age-inappropriate?
  • Bad Scott crushing lockers at school in front of people.
  • This episode needed more Stiles!
  • It's kind of hilarious that there is a curfew and no one pays attention - that's almost like taking a page from the Vampire Diaries.
  • Scott's Mom almost attacking Stiles was pretty funny.
  • I'm wondering if someone other than Derek buried Laura, if it was some kind of spell or ward - especially as Scott had a reaction to the wolfsbane and Stiles (I think) was the one that pulled up the rope - maybe Derek couldn't do that are somehow it brought him back to this area. Could also foreshadow Stiles in being helper-guy for stuff if there are more things that werewolves can't do, like familiars are with vampires.
Lore:
  • 'Sensory memory' - Scott pulls into the memory bus fight (or dream?) from going into the bus and being open to his senses (go Derek for sharing techniques!)

Potential lore-ish stuff that isn't yet confirmed, explained or clear:
  • Looks like Derek couldn't disobey and/or calmed down Mr. Argent
  • Looks like Derek made the dog in the cop car go crazy
  • Possible collective memory - Scott when 'remembering' bus attack sometimes it doesn't seem to be from his perspective
  • From the vet - wolves can access long term memory if triggered by primal instincts (oh man, I'm not sure I can go there...)
Arc:
  • Laura Hale returned to look for the Alpha (why?)
  • Derek was looking for the Alpha (why?)

Predictions:
  • During the ep. I thought maybe Derek has to 'make' new werewolves for the hunters to hunt, although by the end of the ep that seems unlikely
  • Mr. Argent could be the Alpha (support: Derek calming down at the gas station, Allison's flexibility and also lack of anyone else that it seems like it could be / against: would make Derek wrong about calling them hunters, which doesn't seem likely).
  • Maybe Allison is the Alpha werewolf and she attacked Mr. Myers!
Questions:
  • Did Scott freak out when Stiles' dad came to the animal clinic?
  • Was someone watching Allison when she got home?
  • Who killed Mr. Myers?
  • Who killed Laura? (carry-over)
  • Who it the Alpha?
  • Is a cougar a mountain lion? :)
  • Do all cops have dogs?
Keeping an eye on:
  • Lydia playing stupid - not sure why she'd do this.
  • What will Derek ask as a future favour for Scott for his help?
  • How come Taylor is so mean and doesn't have any good guy friends? That seems weird.
Great Quotes:
  • How do you cheat at bowling? Scott to Taylor
  • Well, that's enough parenting for me for one night - Scott's Mom
Left off at:
  • Derek/Scott smackdown!
  • Plus reveal by Derek that Scott was bitten by an Alpha (support of a third werewolf: eyes in the forest while they were in the house)
Feel free to contribute your predictions too, as long as they are from the perspective of just seeing this episode. Suzie & I will chat about this episode on an upcoming podcast of Hexed. Say tuned!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review)

DVD review of Haven The Complete First Season, supernatural drama TV series based on the Stephen King novella The Colorado Kid

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Image: Courtesy of eOne Films.

Haven, Season One (13 Episodes)
Directors: Adam Kane, Rachel Talalay, Tim Sotham, Keith Samples, TW Peacocke, Ken Griotti, Rob Lieberman, Rick Rosenthal, Lee Rose, Mike Rohl, Fred Gerber
Cast: Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour, Nicholas Campbell, Richard Donat, John Dunsworth, Mary-Colin Chisholm, Michelle Monteith, Anne Caillon, Maurice Dean Wint, Stephen McHattie
Canada, 2010

Shannon here. I'm cross-posting my review of Haven The Complete First Season (DVD Review). You can see my original post over at Movie Moxie.

Reason to Review: Haven was easily my favourite TV show of Summer 2010. I loved the supernatural tone & charismatic characters, plus it successfully plotted out a long arc mystery as well as episode-by-episode intrigue. Suzie & I chatted about the show episode by episode here at Hexed: Sisterhood of the Supernatural last summer and now I can't wait for Season 2!

Based on "The Colorado Kid" novella by Stephen King, Haven follows FBI Agent Audrey Parker (Emily Rose) who follow a routine case which takes her to Haven, Maine, a place where nothing feels routine. Haven is a small town where we see people afflicted by what they call "The Troubles", which are supernatural-toned powers or phenomena which are often unwanted or denied and defy explanation. The Troubles intrigue Audrey, who tries to unveil the mysteries along with the help (or hindrance) from the locals including cops Nathan (Lucas Byrant) and Chief Wournos (Nicholas Campbell) and importer/smuggler Duke Crocker (Eric Balfour of Skyline, Dinoshark). Looking past the everyday, Audrey also sees a possible personal connection to the sleepy town of Haven.

There are so many things to love about Haven. I love that although so much is shrouded with mystery, it's actually rather sweet. Audrey approaches the problems, or rather The Troubles, with the perspective of trying to not only solve the case but help the person involved. And it's not an either/or but rather a both - she cares and she's wants to solve the case. I love how the show often is very grey, not only visually as it's shot in beautiful Nova Scotia, but also in terms of the history of the characters and the action to deal with the troubles. When you see a show that has cops and a smuggler as the main characters, it feels like it will be black and white in terms of right and wrong, but it isn't. It's grey, misty and moody all the way but maintains a beautiful human spirit and accepting nature, even if there is no understanding. That is so rare, as and it's one of the many reasons I love the show.

The cast is fantastic, and they really bring the world of Haven to life. Emily Rose is brilliant as Audrey who plays the logic card with heart at each step and it's so exciting to see a strong, smart female protagonist in the lead of the series. Eric Balfour is great as the charismatic smuggler Duke and Lucas Byrant really won me over as the cop-who-can't-feel (literally) Nathan. We also have Nicholas Campbell who is great as no nonsense stick in the mud Chief Wournos, who has the knowing-but-distant thing down and is highly quotable to boot! And that's just the main cast. We are also treated to an array of locals including kind hearted medical examiner Eleanor Carr (played by Mary-Colin Chisholm) and the hilarious Haven Herald newspaper brothers Vince & Dave Teagues (played by Richard Donat and John Dunsworth), along with occasional appearances from Audrey's FBI boss Agent Howard (Maurice Dean Wint).

Watching Haven does require a few leaps of faith along the way as the stories can seem far-out, but it's worth it to go along for the ride. Each episode has it's own mystery along with at least a crumb more into arc mythology leading us deeper in to the mysteries of Haven. I love how the show plays both the long arc game and episodic mystery, which gives the viewer curious and wanting more, without feeling like the characters are in imminent peril until the next time we see them. It's a slow burn style is a great parallel to the idea of a small town not taking in newcomers right away, just as the audience watches Audrey try to unravel the mysteries into Haven.

DVD Extras
I had a blast watching the extras on the DVD set, they are a lot of fun and include lots of behind the scenes footage, interviews and 12 commentaries. Great quality, highly enjoyable and one of my favourite things: not much repeat content over the different extras. Yay! Here are the details.

3 Making of Featurettes:
  • Welcome to Haven (18 minutes) behind the scenes footage, show clips, interviews with co-executive producer Adam Fratto on how he came to the novella The Colorado Kid, interviews with executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, executive producers Shawn Piller, Lloyd Segan, supervising producer Stefani Deoul, director of photography Eric Cayla, production designer Jennifer Stewart, actors Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour and Nicholas Campbell on the script, Haven's surrounding mythology, the challenge of the developing into a TV series and production partners, casting, characters, possible locations, the beauty & challenges of the location including Lunenberg, creating Haven including the interiors and working in the Stephen King world.
  • VFX of Haven (5 minutes) behind the scenes, show footage and interviews with interviews with executive producer Shawn Piller, visual efects supervisor STARGATE STUDIOS Kris Wood, director of photography Eric Cayla and actor Emily Rosediscussing the use of effects, choice of what kind of effect to use, how they blend them into the real world and lots of show footage of transitions of how the effects pre and post from aerials, day to night, lights - I was so impressed by this and how many of them are really enhancing the environment that I had no idea were actual effects.
  • Mythology of Haven (6 minutes) interviews with co-executive producer Adam Fratto, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, producerLloyd Segan, production designer Jennifer Stewart, actors Eric Balfour, Emily Rose and Nicolas Campbell, on how the series is about secrets and the creation of an entire world and the layers and the importance to have the episodes self contained aas well as having a huge amount of mythology, that intentional seeds that are planted along the way, and the actors discuss the experience of shooting when they don't know where their characters or the stories are going, plus the fun of the homages to Stephen King in the episodes and touch on the amount of mythology that has the potential to play out.
6 Behind-the-Scenes Video Blogs
  • What is Haven to You? (4 minutes) show clips plus interview responses from actors Emily Rose, Lucas Bryant, Eric Balfour on what the show means to them and working on a Stephen King project, their characters and working together.
  • Let the Good Times Roll... (4 minutes) pretty funny behind the scenes with Emily Rose on location with in Chester, Nova Scotia during the filming with a particular look the effects and jokes surrounding the props for.
  • Episode 2, Location, Location, Location (2 minutes) on location with Emily Rose at Peggy's Cove (so beautiful! and windy), on the water with Emily Rose & Eric Balfour.
  • Emily Rose Q&A (3 minutes) from the SyFy office answering questions on how she is like her character Audrey, the mysteries of her character, possible romance, her favourite episode, what her supernatural power would be.
  • Stephen King References in Spiral (3 minutes) selections of the episode Spiral with pop ups explaining Stephen King references.
  • Sci Fi Wire Interview with Emily Rose (2 minutes) includes her take on her character, connecting to her character, her response to reading the novella it's based on.

Commentaries (12 Episode Commentaries)
Huge amount of commentaries included for one season and Episode 1 even has 2 different commentaries! All in all, all but three episodes (7, 9 & 10) have a commentary and some even have two (Episodes 1 & 5) which is amazing for a TV on DVD set. Really impressive. I did really enjoy the especially on episode 1 and 5, they have a great, relaxed and fun feel to them with lots of jokes and really shows a sweet camaraderie between everyone. I would recommend watching the entire season and then checking out the commentaries as they will mention now and again references from future episodes and reveals in Season 1 and there even feels like a few quiet hints beyond that as well. There are lots of notations to the series arc & mythology, working on location, how certain scenes and effects were created, the audition process, and stories from the cast & crew working together. The commentaries feel like they are being recorded as the season progresses, as along the way they aren't sure if the show will get picked up for Season 2 (which is has and will start airing in mid-July 2011) until late in the commentaries. Here's a detail of the commentaries:
  • Episode 1 Has 2 Commentaries: Commentary 1 is with Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producers Lloyd Segan & Shawn Piller, co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and actors Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose and Commentary 2 Director Commentary with episode director Adam Kane.
  • Episode 2 Commentary with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst.
  • Episode 3 Commentary with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and co-executive producer Jose Molina.
  • Episode 4 Commentary with co-creater, executive producer and writer Sam Ernst & co-executive producer Jose Molina.
  • Episode 5 Has 2 Commentaries: Commentary 1 is a Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producers Lloyd Segan & Shawn Piller, co-creater, executive producer & writer Sam Ernst and actors Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose and Commentary 2 is with co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst.
  • Episode 6 Commentary with co-creater, executive producer & writer Jim Dunn
  • Episode 8 Commentary co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst
  • Episode 11 Commentary with executive producer Shawn Piller, co-creater, executive producer & writer Sam Ernst and actors Eric Balfour, Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose
  • Episode 12 Commentary with consulting producer/writer Charles Ardai and publisher of crime novels including The Colorado Kid
  • Episode 13 Commentary Cast and Producer Commentary with executive producer Shawn Piller, co-creaters, executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst and actors Lucas Bryant & Emily Rose
Plus:
  • Cast Interviews with actors Emily Rose (2 minutes), Lucas Bryant (2 minutes) and Eric Balfour (2 minutes) on describing the show, the town of Haven, their characters & their characters relationship to Haven and preparation and challenges of their roles.
  • Seasons Two Writers' Room Sneak Peak (4 minutes) interview and discussions with executive producers & writers Jim Dunn & Sam Ernst, head writer/show runner Matt McGuinness and discussions in writers' room (I didn't watch this, I want to be surprized!).
  • Season One Trailer

Haven The Complete First Season is available on DVD and Blu-Ray as of June 14, 2011.

Shannon's Overall View:
I loved it
I can't wait to watch it again, and for Season 2 to start
I highly recommend it to fans of supernatural and/or mysteries stories as well as drama fans

© Shannon Ridler, 2011

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Lucas Bryant and Emily Rose in HAVEN.

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Eric Balfour in HAVEN.

Sunday, June 12, 2011

Teen Wolf: Season 1, Episode 2

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Shannon here. Finally saw Episode 2 of Teen Wolf and I'm going to keep this episode run dwn idea going. It won't be as detailed as Episode 1 as not as much happened but sill will include spoilers (see big SPOILER warning below!!) for the episode, and predictions for future episodes. All the views are entirely from the perspective of watching the actual episode. Okay, let's see what stirs up!

SPOILERS and DETAILS for TEEN WOLF, SEASON 1, EPISODE 2 BELOW

Teen Wolf Season 1

Episode 2: Second Chance at First Line

Focus:
Lacrosse practice makes Scott start to turn and both Stiles & Derek try to convince him not to play at the first game of the season, plus continuing to unveil the mystery of the body found in episode one.

Title Reference:
Kind of self-explanatory title of "Second Chance at First Line", but technically doens't make sense as Scott actually *made* first line in Ep 1, so why does he need a second chance?

Characters Development:
  • Laura Hale, is the body that was found
  • Derek gets arrested, but also released as the body could have been killed by an animal
  • Jackson tells the team not to pass to Scott during the lacrosse game
Relationships:
  • Derek has a sister: Laura
  • Scott & Allison (first) kiss
  • Stiles tries to pick up Lydia, but she ignored him
Reveals:
  • The body found was Laura Hale, Derek's Sister.
  • It really sets into Scott that Allison's Dad is a hunter
General Comments:
  • Very surprized they treaded similar ground to episode one with the lacrosse and Scott is/isn't on the team-ness. Not surprized at Jackson trying to turn the team against Scott, thought.
  • Isn't digging up something else's property like... illegal (bad Scott & Stiles)?
  • Scott goes against Stiles & Derek's insistence not to play in the game, lots of potential for conflict there.
  • "Jane Doe - Partial" = gross!
  • Derek doesn't seem the stupid type to me, so I'm really surprized that the body was on his property.
  • If lacrosse is that big of a deal (everyone on the show was there), the stands should be fuller
  • Scott sneaks into the morgue a little too easily
  • I hope they don't institute a curfew, they just get broken
  • I was very impressed that they indicate someone on the team is gay, and that it wasn't a big deal.
  • Not as strong as episode 1, but still had some great moments and awesome awkwardness. Stiles is still my fave character
Lore:
  • Scott reacts badly after being near the wolfsbane for a while
  • We see a red 'wolf vision' kind of thing, but it doesn't always seem to be Scott's perspective.
  • Looks like women can be werewolves too (YAY!)
  • Scott can hone in his selectively good hearing.
Potential lore-ish stuff that isn't yet confirmed, explained or clear yet:
  • Seems like if you bury a werewolf with a circles buried of rope that ends in wolfsbane they stay in wolf form
Arc:
  • Not much action here, although the it looks like Laura was a werewolf and killed which could be the reason for Derek's return. Also shows that the previous notation that Derek's family were all killed in a fire was incorrect, so I'm thinking there there could be more Hales around.

Predictions:
  • During the episode I thought the girl could have been Derek's girlfriend / mate (but obvioulsy ...that didn't happen)
  • The two halves of Laura reform and come alive! (farfetched... I know)
  • Jackson finds out too much and Derek tries to kill him!
Questions:
  • Who killed Laura Hale?
  • Why the heck was 1/2 of Laura buried at the Hale house?
  • Still haven't seen Derek wolf-out
  • Doesn't Derek get cold in that half-dilapidated house?
  • How big is this town? It seems big enough that people act like they don't know each other but small enough that there is almost no security on things (morgue, for example) something feels off there.
  • We still don't know who bit Scott
  • If they knew that the death could have been from an animal, why did they arrest Derek in the first place?
Keeping an eye on:
  • Stiles' Dad & Allison's Dad - look to similar, especially when Stiles' Dad isn't in cop-gear.
  • The girls on the show (Allison & Lydia) need interests outside of guys & lacrosse. Jobs... hobbies... be good at something, have a rivalry.. anything please!
  • Jackson figuring things out - I hate to say it, but I think that would be pretty cool. He might try and get himself turned!
Great Quotes:
  • I can handle weird - Allison to Scott
  • I don't date losers - Lydia (Oh, Lydia....)
  • He's a good looking guy. But I like girls. - Scott (aw!)
Left off at:
  • Stiles reveals the body was Laura Hale, Derek's sister
  • Jackson notices the ripping through of Scott's lacrosse's glove
  • Derek sees that Jackson notices the glove
Feel free to contribute your predictions too, as long as they are from the perspective of just seeing this episode. Suzie & I will chat about this episode on an upcoming podcast of Hexed. Say tuned!

Thursday, June 9, 2011

Teen Wolf: Season 1, Episode 1

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Shannon here. I thought I'd try something new here at Hexed, an actual episode by episode run down of thoughts and ideas for a show we are following. I always take notes for the shows Suzie & I discuss on the podcast, from things like lore notations to character introductions, from favourite quotes to predictions. I was thinking about it and realized, why not share them? Since I like to start things from the beginning, Teen Wolf gets to be the honourary test case for sharing the fun!

It will include spoilers (see big SPOILER warning below!!) for the particular episode, but only the episode noted in the post title as I don't watch trailer or read spoiler articles. It will also include predictions for future episodes, but all the views are entirely from the perspective of watching the actual episode. Okay, let's get started!

SPOILERS and DETAILS for TEEN WOLF, SEASON 1, EPISODE 1 BELOW

Teen Wolf Season 1

Episode 1: Pilot / Wolf Moon

Focus:
Scott, a benchwarming asthmatic lacrosse player in high school is bitten by a wolf and starts to experience heightened senses & strength. Also serves as an introduction to the location of Beacon Hills, California and Scott's life including his best friend Stiles, the start of school, lacrosse tryouts, a new-girl-in-town Allison and popular kids including fellow lacrosse player Jackson & girlfriend Lydia.

Title Reference:
I've seen this episodes noted as both Pilot (self-explanatory) and Wolf Moon (also rather self-explanatory given wolf in the episode and it taking place in and around the full moon).

Characters (in order of appearance):
  • Scott McColl - protagonist, initially a severe asthmatic, lacrosse player (historic benchwarmer), works at Animal Clinic, bitten by a wolf or more likely a werewolf
  • Stiles- Scott's best friend, son of a cop, lacrosse player (historic benchwarmer), potential researcher type
  • Stiles' Dad - cop
  • Jackson - jock dude (lacrosse player) that is mean to Scott
  • Lydia Martin - pretty girl that ignores Stiles
  • Allison Argent - new girl in town
  • Coach
  • Derek Hale - per Stiles: he's a few years older and his family burned to death in a fire 10 years ago
  • 3 Hunters, and the main one is Allison's Dad

Didn't survive the episode: 1 unidentified woman in the woods

Images of the main players for the visual folks:

Scott and his best friend Stiles
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Conflict fellas: Derek (likely a werewolf) and alpha hunter duke/Allison's Dad
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The Humans/High Schoolers/Unawares (as far as we know!): Allison, Jackson & Lydia
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Relationships:
  • Scott & Stiles are best friends
  • Jackson & Lydia are a couple
  • Scott asks Allison out and takes her to the party (but takes off on her and later apologizes)
  • Derek says that he & Scott are now brothers
General Comments:
  • Interesting to see the focus of a dis-empowered teen guy who gets strong - I'm curious to where they will go with that and what the audience reaction will be.
  • Scott's character is totally sweet (the workingn at the Animal Clinic really set that in stone).
  • I really like Scott & Stiles friendship, although I did goof on first watch though as I thought the first time we see Jackson (super-jock) that he was Scott's friend Stiles and whats confused hy he was so mean to him. I also was convinced Jackson's name was Kyle. Although, Jackson in lacrosse helmet looks a lot like Stiles. Very strange - especially because I should remember the actor from last years summer show The Gates! If that happened to anyone else, easy difference is Jackson has longer hair!
  • I liked the humour and Stiles is easily my favourite character so far - love the awkwardness and also th willing to go lengths for his friendship with Scott.
  • Little on the fence with the effects, some of them looked great (glowing eyes, hands & ears growing), some not so much (deer stampede, furry face, 3D-ish inhaler and lacrosse ball).
  • I thought the first episode was a lot of fun, has some great awkward humour interesting characters and fun nods like Kafka's Metamorphosis.
  • Definitely going to keep watching and will be curious to see where they go with it.
Lore:
  • Scott bitten on abdomen by a wolf (we saw the bite), or more likely a werewolf
  • The wolf bite heals fast
  • Scott has enhanced hearing and sense of smell post wolf-bite
  • Whistle throws Scott off
  • Scott has awesome reflexes post-bite, and refers it to like having all the time in the world to react
  • Cats freak out around Scott
  • Scott's eyes glow when he tries to calm the hurt dog down
  • Scott's asthma doesn't act up post-bite
  • Dog barks at Derek
  • Dancing with Allison triggers change in Scott
  • Thought of Allison in danger triggers change in Scott
Potential lore-ish stuff that isn't yet confirmed, explained or clear yet
  • Scott was not bitten on the full moon
  • Scott doesn't appear to be stronger though, he drags big food bag (could be force of habit)
  • Scott goes to sleep and wakes up in woods, when wakes up
  • Stiles does lots of research on werewolf stuff included: wolf howls to signal it's location, bloodlust can be charged by anything that angers him or raises his pulse (both of these trigger a change)
Keeping an eye on:
  • Lydia - she was too nice too soon to Allison and so shouldn't be making eyes at Scott when she's clearly with Jackson. Will this be a love triangle? Can't have teen supernatural/horror/romance show without one!
  • Allison - didn't love that she 'freaked out like a girly girl', she seems a little tougher than that, and huge irony that she cares about hurting the random dog when her father is a hunters.
  • Derek throws the hunters around and helps Scott while in human form
  • Derek never says he bit Scott
Arc:
  • So far not much here, don't even know if there will be one. A theme of underdog getting power has lots of potential for both misuse and good use. I see the potential for Jackson and Scott to be rivals and obviously a Scott/Derek mentorship, possibly strained. The hunter vs hunted will be interesting see see how it plays out.
Predictions:
  • I see a potential love triangle with Scott, possibly with Allison/Lydia - will the popular girl be interested in the *best* lacrosse player?
  • Looks like we are dealing with a change-at-will as oppose to change-by-full-moon as Scott's was bitten before the full moon.
  • Theme of control or the repercussions of losing control are quite likely if they continue on the route of charged by anything that angers or raises his pulse.
Questions:
  • Are we dealing with werewolves, shapeshifters, or something else? (I'll just use werewolves til we know)
  • How many werewolves are there?
  • Did Derek bite Scott, and if so why?
  • Why was the girl killed and not bitten and who killed her?
  • Can girls be werewolves?
  • Is Derek a werewolf? We didn't see him change. If he is, is he the last of his pack?
  • Why did the dog at the party bark at Derek?
  • Did Derek's family really die in a fire?
  • Why is Derek back?
  • Who were the other 2 hunters?
  • Does Allison know about werewolves and that her father hunts them?
  • Did Stiles really wearing a suit to the party? :)
Great Quotes:
  • I'm a nerd by association. I've been Scarlet-nerded. - Stiles to Scott
  • I can't sit out again, my who life is sitting on the sidelines. This season I make first line. - Scott to Stiles.
  • I freaked out like a girly girl - Allison
  • Is it really so bad Scott? That you can see better, hear more clearly, move faster than human could ever hope? You've been given something that most peple would kill for - Derek
  • Hey, we'll get through this. C'mon if I have to I'll chain you up on full moon nights and feed you mice. I had a boa once, I could do it. - Stiles to Scott
Left off at:
  • "To Be Continued" cliffhanger after the reveal that Allison's Dad is the lead hunter who shot Scott with a crossbow (and Scott actually waving...).
Feel free to contribute your predictions too, as long as they are from the perspective from watching only this first episode. You can also listen to Suzie & I chat all about this episode of Teen Wolf on Ep 62 of Hexed here. Thanks!

Wednesday, June 8, 2011

Ep 62: Paranormal TV May 30 - June 6, 2011

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We are back! On this weeks podcast Suzie and Shannon are back from our 1 week hiatus to chat about the first episode of the new MTV show Teen Wolf, and recent-to-Canadian TV shows including the epic final 2 episodes of Being Human (UK) Season 3 and first episode of Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files season 2. We also chat poll results and are very, very curious to hear what the 41% of 'other paranormal tv folks are watching (please tell us! please!) as well as chat some recent news and tangent on exciting things like genre culture knitting and Star Trek food possibilities. Yep. We are crazy. As always, we talk about the shows in depth so please watch them first and then listen!

We'll be back next week to talk about Ep 2 & 3 of Teen Wolf (check local listings - this one seems to be a big all over the place in terms of when it's on) and more Fact of Faked Season 2.

Subscribe to Hexed via or iTunes.

Chatter Breakdown:
0:00 - 5:45: Intro
5:45 - 20:30: News
20:30 - 45:30: Teen Wolf S1 Ep 1 - Pilot/Wolf Moon
45:30 - 55:20: Being Human UK S3 Ep 7 - Though the Heavens Fall
55:20 - 1:22:10: Being Human UK S3 Ep 8 (finale) - The Wolf-Shaped Bullet
1:22:10 - 1:42:30: Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files: S2 Ep 1 The Real Battle of LA/Queen Mary Menace
1:42:30 - 1:52:00: Poll Results
1:52:00 - 1:53:57: Outro

Show Notes
Poll Results:

What Shows Are You Watching This Summer?
75% - True Blood
66% - Haven
41% - Other Paranormal TV
25% - Teen Wolf

And we'd love to know what that 41% to *other* paranormal TV you are watching!!!

What Shows Did You Watch This Year?
91% - Vampire Diaries
83% - Supernatural
75% - Being Human (UK)
58% - Being Human (N.American)
41% - Lost Girl
16% - Paranormal State
16% - Fact or Faked: Parnormal Files

What Show Did You Enjoy the Most This Year?
40% - Vampire Diaries
30% - Supernatural
20% - Fact or Faked: Paranormal Files
10% - Other *

* Shannon's guessing this went to Fringe!