Connect, respect, protect || Flashpoint Review

So I'm doing a Flashpoint review. Because. Flashpoint.

Flashpoint is AMAZING

You: You say that about every single show you review.

Me: I pick fabulous shows, what can I say?

You: ......

Me: ........

You: ........

Me: Suck it. 

What is Flashpoint?

Flashpoint is awesome!

It's also a cop show. 

I really like cop shows.

Summary*:

Team One is part of an elite police force, the Strategic Response Unit. They're SWAT but with training in psychology, so they can negotiate. They come in to bad scenes and clean them up, doesn't matter what kind: Kidnapping, bank robbery, hostage situations... they're there. They're prepared. They're Team One for a reason.

*My summaries suck.

So boom. As per usual, I shall start with the bad. 

*Um. 

*Ah. 

*There's like one kissing scene. (It's fairly uncomfortable.)

*There probably two episodes where the scenes take place in a girl's dressing room, and she's changing. (But it's not like "WOO SHE'S CHANGING, REVEAL ALL!" It was respectfully done, and I didn't find it offensive.)

*That's literally it, in the whole freaking series. 

*It's super clean. 

*Unless you count swearing, and if can't handle a few damns and hells, that's too bad.

And now for the good. There's a lot. Be warned.

Before I get started though, let's introduce characters. (Squeeeee, characters!) 

Sergeant Greg Parker.

Greg is the commander of Team One. He's the main negotiator in the situations they get into, he's the one who usually talks down the Subject. He makes the hard calls, so if it's necessary to take out a threat, he's the one who give the command to use lethal force.

He's the father figure of the team, he's the sweetest. LIKE OH MY GOSH! No matter what happens, no matter what's going on in the situation or the area around him, he always has time to be there and comfort other people.

He has little to no respect for himself. (Yaaaaay, another person who hates himself. I have a thing for broken characters.) 

He just needs a hug. 

LOOK AT HOW SAD HIS EYES ARE

Ed Lane

Eddie is the Team Leader. That means he's in charge of coming up with battle plans and attack options. He's not hugely into negotiating. If there's a bad guy that needs to be taken out, he's usually the sniper that has to do it. He never misses. 

Eddie's character grew a lot over the show. He was put in situations that left him almost vulnerable. He has some serious trauma he needs to deal with. Sometimes he gets his priorities mixed up (between work and family and such.) but all in all, he's the kind of guy you want on your team. You do not want him as an enemy. 

He also just really needs a hug. 

Jules Callaghan

Jules is what I think of when I say someone is a good, strong female character. She's so cute! And so tough, and she's not afraid to take on guys. But she's not stupid about it, she's not obnoxious. She's funny and brave, and all for policing. If Greg isn't negotiating, it's almost always her taking his place. She's the heart of the team.

I love how when she's not in uniform, she always dresses really femininely, "Yeah, I'm actually girl, and I'm not ashamed of it!" It's so good to have characters like her who can be strong and not butch, you know? 

She is the queen of Girl Power. 

She gives out hugs. 

Sam Braddock

Sam is... I dunno, I guess you could say Team Leader 2.0. If Ed isn't taking control, he is. He was a soldier in Afghanistan before coming to SRU, and he has some issues getting used to the whole "We don't attack right off the bat." But he really, really grew on me. He's one of my favorite characters, he's just like... he's really gentle for being a soldier, and I appreciate how the show doesn't portray soldiers in a bad light. (I HATE IT WHEN THEY MAKE THE SOLDIER FEEL GUILTY FOR DEFENDING HIS COUNTRY. You respect them for that, how dare you accuse them of mindlessly killing people. NO.)

I ship him and Jules so hard. 

Not gonna lie though, the first few episodes he was in, I was mostly going, "Wow. He's a little punk. I'm not sure." and there's there's one episode that focuses on him, and I was like, "AAAAAAAAH, HE'S SO SAD." 

He just needs a hug. 

SPIKE SCARLATTI

Spike is the bomb expert, and he's the computer guy. So he hacks and diffuses bombs and it's very attractive. Hands down, he's my favorite. In the words of Eddie, "He's not a geek. He's a geek with combat skills. That's why the ladies love him." 

SPIKE IS ITALIAN, in case you couldn't tell from the name Michelangelo Scarlatti. 

He's just awesome and funny. He's the one who always has a snappy comeback, he's so geeky, it's fabulous. 

He loses people and he's sad. But he never gives up, and he's smart. (Isn't it funny how when you really like people, you can give a good summary of their character, but the minute you go from really liking them to REALLY LOVING them, the summary of the character turns into: "he's brave and sweet and cute and funny and I love him, you should love him. Aaslkdfjlsdkf!!!") 

By the end of the show. He also needs a hug. 

Kevin Wordsworth

Wordy is the Entry Expert, he's usually the one at the front when Team One takes on a building. He's the voice of reason when emotions are running wild and stress is taking over. He's always calm, he's always sweet. 

He's the cutest daddy I've ever seen. Oh. My. Gosh. With his little girls... Oh. Cute. 

He's a good balance for Eddie, he makes Ed  calm down when Ed is all testosteronal. (If hormonal is a thing, testosteronal is too.) He's just nice. 

Everyone on this team needs a hug. 

Lewis Young

Lew is hard to pin down, because he's not a huge character. He's Spike's right-hand man, and he's good at hacking, and defusing bombs, but he's also not too shabby when it comes to hands on police work. He's a jack of all trades. He's fabulous. 

But you don't really notice him until one episode when you suddenly go, "LEWIS IS SO BRAVE I LOVE HIM. OH MY GOSH!!!"

There. Those are the main characters. I'm not going to go into the side ones because that takes forever. BUT THE SIDE CHARACTERS ARE ALSO BRILLIANT! I mean... Donna! Dean! (yes there's a Dean in this show. Bonus!) Just watch it for the rest of them. :) 

So now for the part where I actually tell you what's good about Flashpoint.

1.) It's a cop show. I've mentioned like a bajillion times that I love cop shows. The problem is real. But it's not your typical, solve-the-crime cop show. This one, is more "Let's help the people." sort of thing.

SRU is basically a SWAT team, except, including tactical skills and general kick-butt awesomeness that is SWAT, the SRU also trains in psychology, so they can negotiate and talk down people before they do anything drastic. I like that about the show: that they're very interested in saving people's lives, and making things work before they have to take a shot. (Please note that I am in no way talking down SWAT. I think SWAT is the bomb diggety, and any one who says other wise is clearly not American.)

The SRU motto is "Connect, respect, protect."
And their battle cry is, "Let's keep the peace.' I LOVE THAT. It's literally the coolest thing of ever!

The SRU, and anybody on the team is an elite group of cops. They come in when the situation is almost out of control, and more often than not, they can contain it.

But let's face it, it's realistic: people die, Team One can't win them all. (And I'm serious, people die, no one is safe, you spend the intenser episodes going, "If you kill that character, I will take out the planet.")

SO yes, it's a cool take on a cop show. 

2.) Flashpoint is so freaking clean! It's the cleanest new show I've ever seen, besides Doctor Who. It has married people, and dating people, but it doesn't take it to the bedroom. Ever. And I love that. Call me what you will, I don't believe you need to show me that stuff, okay? It's. Nasty.

3.) One word: Team. I don't know what it is about teams and family stories, but they make my cold heart sing Hallelujah. Every single one of my favorite fandoms features either a family or a team or both. (SPN: family, Leverage: team, Grimm: a bit of both, Doctor Who: both, The Librarians: team, Psych: family + team, Crossing Lines: Team. Avengers: Team. SEE THE PATTERN?)

Team One is the main SRU unit. They get first pick on the hot calls of pain and sorrow. (I think there were what, eight other teams?) Team One is the best of the best.

But because of how closely they work together, and the long hours they put in, and the stressfulness of their job, they're also a family. They depend on each other, they trust each other with their lives. (Literally.) They work together, they love each other, they'd do anything for each other. It's epic.

4.) The plots are tight, even the ones that weave throughout the entire series. There were maybe two or three weak episodes in the entire five seasons, that's not shabby, ya feel me? From what I can see, they do well on police procedure as well, and that's refreshing. (I mean, I could be wrong, seeing as they're in Canada, but it looks good, so yeah.)

When people mess up, there are consequences.

Taking a life is a serious thing, and it's not taken lightly, it's a big deal, I like that. So when there are situations that Team One can't win, and they have to take the kill shot, it's not like, "Oh well, collateral damage." There's an investigation to make sure lethal force wasn't used unnecessarily, and it's intense.

5.) CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT. Yeah, I know, what can I say, characters drive a story for me. I don't like the character-- even if the plot is fabulous-- I don't like the show. SO. Characters and their development = huge thing. Make me love them or go away.

This show rocks on character development, all the characters make me die. (Inwardly. My heart goes pitterpat in sympathy and sadness.)

It's a good sized team.

But every single person gets a few episodes that focus on them, and you care about people. And when I say you care about them, I mean, you cry and scream and desperately want them to have a little good luck, oh my gosh.)

6.) It has a good view on families and having kids. It shows that family is important and you need to work for it, and you can't take it for granted.

DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW NICE IT IS TO HAVE PEOPLE ACTUALLY WANT A FAMILY AND BABIES?

There are members of the team that are fathers, and I love how they are with their kids. It's cute.

7.) Guns. Just.... guns.

8.) Can I recommend this show? ABSOLUTELY. No questions asked, it's epic, and it gave me hope for humanity. It's proof that good people still exist, and that is so nice to know.

By the time it's done you are so emotionally invested in the characters you're riveted during the finale. Ooooh the finale.... that was... just.... *dies*

So yes, it's super good, it's super clean, and I'd give it a high recommendation. I will say it's not very kid friendly, just because of the type of show it is. They're real life situations, and it can be hard to watch sometimes. It's intense.

But it has Spike.

And Greg says things like:

It's on netflix.

As your soon to be Supreme Overlord of All (I'm booting Cait out of her throne) I command you to watch it.

Cheers!

“Fate is a very weighty word to throw around before breakfast.”

UPDATE: After reading The Raven King, I take back everything I have said about these books. I disapprove of how she ended it. I kind of hate the series, and no, I no longer recommend them because I was horrifically disappointed in the last book. 

So I figured... I ought to review Raven Boys.

Because Raven Boys is not a series I would typically read, and, while it makes me very happy, (who am I kidding, it stresses me out and makes me aggressively worry about *cough* certain characters.) it definitely has some stuff I feel like I should warn people about.

What Is Raven Boys?

(Because I'm rubbish at summaries, especially book summaries, I'm going to steal part of the one from the author's website.)

"There are only two reason a non-seer would see a spirit on St. Mark's Eve," Neeve said."Either you're his true love. . . . or you killed him."

For as long as she can remember, Blue Sargent has been told by her psychic family that she will kill her true love. She never thought this would be a problem. But when she-- a non psychic, sees the ghost of a young man who will be dead within a year, her unfortunate predicament becomes suddenly very real.

To make matters worse, she quickly realizes that the ghost she saw belongs to Richard Gansey, a young man attending The Aglionby Academy. (an elite, rich person school, with a raven for its crest, where spoiled, wealthy boys go to be educated before they set out to ruin the world.)

Blue does not like Raven Boys.

But Gansey and his friends are different from the rest. They're searching for the sleeping Welsh king, Glendower, because, legend has it, whoever finds Owen Glendower and wakes him, will be granted a favor. Blue is pulled into their friendship, and things start to get complicated: she doesn't want Gansey to be her true love, and she does not want to kill him. 

Just when it looks like stuff might be going well for Blue and her Raven Boys, it comes to light that there are others seeking Glendower, for reasons sinister, and disturbing.

The race is on, characters develop, and WOW, I AM REALLY WORRIED ABOUT GANSEY.

 source

THINGS I LOVED

So, Maggie Stiefvater is a really awesome author. She writes so freaking well! And after reading Scorpio Races, I was on a Maggie kick, and wanted to devour something else of hers, which is why I borrowed Raven Boys from Kat.

Raven Boys is really nothing like Scorpio Races, even though it's just as good.

I LOVE THE CHARACTERS

Even the ones who drive me crazy.

She doesn't have a single flat character in her books. They're all interesting and have these hidden characteristics, and layers that make you go, "Whooaaahhh,"

I JUST REALLY LIKE REAL CHARACTERS, OKAY?!

Blue is actually a likeable female book lead. (I have a problem, where I tend to find females in books so incredibly annoying.) Blue is awesome though. She's short (yay, I love short people! I'm short! Short people will rule the world one day.), she's spunky, and eccentric. She has her faults but she's not obnoxious. She's a little spitfire, is what she is, I like like her.

Gansey is so nice. He is such a good friend, and he tries hard to be normal. He doesn't treat people differently because they have less money than he does, he's just a good sort, all round.
People Are Not Nice To Gansey And It Bothers Me.
He's obsessed with finding Glendower, but it's not really selfish, it's more like he needs to find it because it's important to him. He's smart, and honest, and does his best to look out for everyone he cares about. HE JUST WANTS TO HELP, OKAY??

Ronan is a brat, I won't lie. But I love him and I can't help it because he's had a hard life, and he's damaged, and I like damaged characters. He's a fighter, and a hothead, and he has a problem with making bad decisions. If it wasn't for Gansey, he probably would have dropped out of Aglionby and run off to be a street fighter by now.
But for all that, he's incredibly loyal, when he's loyal. He's fiercely protective of his friends, especially Gansey. (They are like brothers and I am infatuated with their friendship.) He has a soft spot for animals, and I think with the right people around him, he could grow up to be a really good guy.

Adam frustrates me because I loved him in book one, and he went downhill in book two. I want to like him more, but he's got this persecution complex. (Which makes sense, considering his family life.) He's a scholarship student at Aglionby, but he resents wealth of any kind. He won't accept any financial help from his friends because he doesn't want them to own him. He's NOT NICE to Gansey, and he has plans for Glendower that worry me a little. I wish he would be kinder again, because he makes me sad how dark he's getting.

Noah is hard to talk about because he's not a loud character. He's quiet and sort of fades into the background when you're not looking. He is a sweetie and a gentle kind of person, and he adds a sense of calm to the group. He's also really sad.
I want to hug him, because he's sad.

Besides the main characters, you also have Blue's mother who is so odd, but I really like her anyway.

The Gray Man, that I was unsure about and won't say anything else concerning him, so I shan't give any spoilers. (I won't even say if I like him or not, because that's kind of a spoiler in itself.)

Blue's weird, psychic aunts who do things like Aerial Silk in their living room, and threaten hit men.

Gansey's sister who I vary between liking and finding her annoying.

Ronan's brothers who I can't decide if I like or not.

Adam's messed up parents.

Noah's past.

It's all very intriguing, and I am quite absurdly fond of everyone in a general book hug of love.

THE PLOT

It thrills and freaks me out a little, and that's okay. It's clever, and has all these intertwining threads, which make this particular reader go "whaaaaaaat?!" in true minion fashion. (A have a theory about Gansey, and how it's going to end, and it worries me. I worry. I am worried.)

THE WAY THE PSYCHICS ARE HANDLED

I don't really like psychics. I mean, I guess it's possible for people to have a higher sense of the supernatural, but seriously, let's not get carried away. I like the way Maggie Stiefvater explains the psychics, and doesn't make them witchy or satanic. (unless they're evil, but that's okay, because witchy and satanic are evil.)

ALL THE RELATIONSHIPS ARE FABULOUS 

Whether it's between Blue and the boys, between just the boys, between Blue and her mother, or between Gansey and Blue, the relationships feel real and not forced. They grow well, they're not like, "and all of the sudden I love you."

Let me reiterate my fandom war cry: I love friendships, and brother stories. (I like the occasional romance, if it's handled well.) I love family stories, and conversion stories, and mysteries, and Raven Boys has ALL OF THEM. It's a friggen miracle.

I ship Gansey and Blue. So hard. But I don't want to ship them, because if Blue kisses her true love she'll kill him! *sobs* I don't want my ship to be sunk with a kiss, okay? It will be sad and I am really, really worried about Gansey's fate, OKAY?

MAGGIE STIEFVATER'S WRITING STYLE MAKES ME REALLY HAPPY 

It's not typical young adult style. It doesn't patronize or talk down to the reader, it's beautiful without being flowery. Her descriptions are some of the best I've ever read, and yeah. I am a fan.

She sucks you in and you read voraciously and aggressively turn pages.


So okay, there we go. Stuff I liked.

THINGS I DIDN'T LIKE. 

So, they're teenage boys. Teenage boys curse. A lot. And I'm not talking mild words damn and hell.... (though they're included) I'm talking F Bombs and every variation of the S word, and all manner of bad words in between.

I have this talent where I just breeze over them and forget about them. Until I recommend it to someone and I'm like, oh yeah. Um. Awkward.

I know people swear, and swearing doesn't really bother me personally. I don't, but if you swear, I'm not going to shun you. But I wish there was less of it in this book, because there are a lot of F Bombs.

There was a really weird, kind of dark and uncomfortable scene involving pills and boys getting high. It was handled well, but yeah. It was creepy. I read it sort of squinty eyed and felt somewhat disturbed.

There was an awkward scene with kissing. It never got dirty, and I never felt like it went too far, but neither had kissed before and they were figuring it out, and it was awkward.

AWKWARD.

SO BASICALLY

Yes, I do adore this series. Yes, I do absolutely recommend it. But I'd say wait until you're at least sixteen.

If it were a movie I'd rate it PG-13 for swearing alone.

And if you don't like kind of dark fairytales, don't try it. (Well it's not dark. It's.... it's dim.... yeah, okay, it's a little dark.)

My sister preordered Blue Lily, Lily Blue, which is book three in the series, and if I'm really nice, she might let me read it when she's done.

I WOULD LOVE THIS.

Did I mention I have a theory about Gansey and I hope I'm wrong?

I hate waiting to read books.

It is stressful.

Go find the books. Read them. And let me know what you think.

Cheers!

 (PS, real quick. Do you guys like my reviews or are they annoying, and you wish I would stop?)

We’re supposed to pull out his eye with a spoon?

Let's talk Grimm!

Just.... Grimm.

It is fabulous. It has become one of my top favorite TV shows. It's up there with Doctor Who, and Psych, and Leverage, and Crossing Lines and Supernatural. LIKE SERIOUSLY! It makes me flail in fangirlish glee. 

Fangirlish glee is a thing, okay, people?!

Summary

Nick Burkhardt is a police detective in Portland, who thinks he's seen it all. Until the day that he starts seeing regular people transforming into monsters. Come to find out he's a descendent of the Brothers Grimm, and has inherited their ability to see mythical creatures, and he has a responsibility to keep the balance between mankind and the mythological. With the help of an unexpected werewolf ally, he discovers that there's a lot more going on in Portland than he originally thought.

Ehehe.

So, like always, we have the bad.

1.) There first season was the cleanest, I think there were two awkward episodes.
2.) The second and third had several intense kissing scenes (people are very in love.) And then there's this girl who is pregnant in season three, who has a fetish for finding a full length mirror and examining her stomach in nothing but her underclothes.
3.) Some sweary words.
4.) People live together and they're not married, but it's not in your face, and it's handled really well.
5.) Adalind is SO ANNOYING.

And then we have the good!

I'm going to start this with kind of an explanation of the show.

1.) It's based off Grimm's Fairytales, so it's darkish.
2.) Almost every episode is a twisted fairytale, based off a quote from the books. Like so:

3.) The monsters aren't referred to as monsters, they're called Wesen. (pronounced vessen, because German.)
4.) Calling Wesen regular names is too mainstream, so everything is German. Wooo! So say... you have a werewolf. It's not a werewolf, it's a Blutbod. Or a witch? Not a witch. Hexenbiest. It's complicated sometimes. Like what the freak is a Königschlange?

Oh, it's that.

5.) Wesen and Grimms are mortal enemies. So... yeah. 
6.) And most importantly, Wesen look just like humans, unless they want you to see them. A Grimm is someone who has the ability to see through their human disguise.

Okay, so why should you watch it?

1.) Nick Freaking Burkhardt.

Nick is such a good guy! He's brave, and sweet, and old fashioned, and clever. He's funny. He's a detective. He's loyal. He's just an all-round good sort of person, the kind you'd want to be friends with. He's nice, and I find it very tragic that all the bad people are out to get him.

And to top it all off, he is quite easy to look at, and he's really athletic, so his fight scenes are just.... so beautiful.

The sad thing was, I went into this show prepared for an attractive male, and I told myself I wouldn't become obsessed.

Le Me: "I will not become infatuated, I will not become infatuated, I will not become infatuated."
*Nick shows up in all his Nickish awesomeness.*
Le me: "I'm am so infatuated, I am so infatuated, I am so infatuated, I am so infatuated."

I think I'm just really shallow.

Or it could be that I just really like his character and his looks are just a bonus? (haaaa, stop laughing at me.) His character is really good though. I promise.

2.) Monroe. Because Monroe is awesome, and hilarious. I just like him a lot.

Monroe is a reformed Blutbad, who somewhat reluctantly joins forces with Nick and they become best buds and I LOVE best bud stories.

But seriously though. Monroe is so odd, and he's a really good friend.

3.) I actually liked all the side characters. (You know... except the ones you're supposed to hate, and man, I hate those characters.)

It's rare that I find a show that I like all the side characters. Usually there's at least one that drives me up a wall and over the side, but this one, I like all of them. Even the girls. Please note: MORE THAN ONE GIRL. And I like them all.

Captain Sean Renard I didn't want to like, and then I wasn't sure if I ought to, and I've just come to the conclusion that I LIKE WHO I WANT. He's really super awesome.

Nick's partner Hank grew on me a lot. He's also cool and funny, and he and Nick have a good friendship based on mutual trust and appreciation.

Juliette is Nick's girlfriend, and she is so cute. Just SO FREAKING CUTE. And she's not obnoxious, and I love that.

And Wu is hilarious. I like Wu.

Rosalee I wasn't sure about because she was odd and talked funny. (Okay, so yeah. I'm shallow and make snap judgements.) But she's awfully sweet and she knows everything about Wesen. Almost.)

4.) The friendships. Anyone who's read my blog knows that I am a fan of friendships. I adore them. And this has several.

5.) Cute romances. It takes something special for me to go, "Ooh yeah, I SHIP IT!" But this show has two couples that make me do that. They're not forced, they're just sweet. And when I say sweet, I mean like I-smack-my-sister-because-of-the-adorableness sweet.

I MEAN, DANCING!!! I LOVE DANCING.

AND THEY'RE COOKING. WAAAAAA!

6.) It's funny.

7.) It has really cool fight scenes with ninja kicks and general epicness.

8.) IT HAS THE COOL TRAILER WITH BOOKS AND WEAPONS AND POISONS AND SECRETS. 

9.) It apologizes for it's cliffhangers. It almost makes cliffhangers funny.

 

10.) It has everything that I like about Supernatural, minus all the religious problems. So, no warped version of God, no terrible angels. (No Cas. YAY!) Just good storytelling, fantastic characters, and good VS evil.

So yes, this is a show I recommend wholeheartedly, (though, maybe not for kids under 14.) It's just scary enough that it makes me nervous sometimes, it's fun, it's mostly clean, it has Nick......

YOU SHOULD ALL WATCH GRIMM.

Good bye.