Posted by Cory Barker on April 30, 2011 · 1 Comment
I haven’t been able to write about Fringe since “Stowaway” and most of the second half of the season, I’ve been spotty with my reviews. It’s a scheduling issue, and I apologize. And frankly, I don’t actually have a lot of time to write this review of last night’s penultimate episode, “The Last Sam Weiss,” … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, Fringe · Tagged with Anna Torv, Astrid Farnsworth, Cory Barker, Doomsday machine, Dystopian futures, FOX, Fringe, Jasika Nicole, John Noble, Joshua Jackson, Kevin Corrigan, Lance Reddick, Olivia Dunham, Peter Bishop, Phillip Broyles, Reviews, Sam Weiss, Walter Bishop, Walternate
Posted by Cory Barker on April 30, 2011 · 1 Comment
A few weeks ago, I expressed some concern that Smallville would be spending too much time bringing back familiar faces and that decision would ultimately impact Clark’s last few steps of development. Thankfully though, every episode in this final run has included a major guest star — Jonathan, Booster Gold and now Zod — and … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, SMALLVILLE · Tagged with 300, Callum Blue, Clark Kent, Cory Barker, Darksied, Erica Durance, Gladiator, Green Arrow, Justin Hartley, Lois Lane, Oliver Queen, Phantom Zone, Reviews, Slade Wilson, Smallville, Superman, Tess Mercer, The CW, Tom Welling, Zod
Posted by Cory Barker on April 30, 2011 · Leave a Comment
Again, this is the review from the DirecTV run. And because of my packed schedule back then, it’s also the last one for a few weeks. I might find time to write new reviews for the next few episodes, but probably not. Sometimes, amid the top-notch acting, rock-solid writing and professional direction, we forget that … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, Friday Night Lights · Tagged with Aimee Teegarden, Becky Sproles, Billy Riggins, Brad Leland, Buddy Garrity, Coach Eric Taylor, Connie Britton, Cory Barker, Derek Phillips, DirecTV, East Dillon Lions, Friday Night Lights, Friday Night Lights Season 5, Jess Merriweather, Julie Taylor, Jurnee Smollett, Kyle Chandler, Luke Cafferty, Madison Burge, Matt Lauria, Matt Saracen, Michael B. Jordan, Reviews, Tami Taylor, Vince Howard
Posted by Cory Barker on April 29, 2011 · 3 Comments
With only five more weeks of Smallville, there are mixed emotions in the TVS headquarters. To work out those conflicting feelings, I’ll be writing a pre-episode piece every week from here on out until the final episode on May 13. You can the first two pieces here and here if you missed them. As we get … Read more
Filed under Columns, Featured, SMALLVILLE · Tagged with Allison Mack, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Cassidy Freeman, Chloe Sullivan, Clark Kent, Columns, Cory Barker, Deadwood, Erica Durance, Felicity, Justin Hartley, Kristin Kreuk, Lana Lang, Lex Luthor, Lois Lane, Michael Rosenbaum, Oliver Queen, Roswell, Smallville, Superman, Supernatural, Tess Mercer, The CW, The Green Arrow, The Wire, Tom Welling, TV canon, WB
Posted by Cory Barker on April 29, 2011 · 1 Comment
In light of last week’s very funny episode of Community, there’s been some discussion about the series’ desire to tell us about the emotional connectedness between these people instead of showing it. That’s a criticism I can totally see and if there’s one thing I would knock about this season it would be that sometimes … Read more
Filed under Community, Episode Reviews, Featured · Tagged with Abed Nadir, Alison Brie, Andre Bennett, Annie Edison, Ben Chang, Britta Perry, Chevy Chase, Community, Cory Barker, Danny Pudi, Dean Pelton, Donald Glover, Gillian Jacobs, Ian Duncan, Jeff Winger, Jim Rash, Joel McHale, John Oliver, Ken Jeong, NBC, Pierce Hawthorne, Reviews, Shirley Bennett, Troy Barnes, Yvette Nicole Brown
Posted by Cory Barker on April 29, 2011 · Leave a Comment
The insane plot developments and shocking twists come so often on The Vampire Diaries that the series has almost lulled me into a nice, cozy sleep in a way. I don’t always know what the twists are going to be, but I always know that they’re coming. Or at least I thought I did. Tonight’s episode, “The … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, The Vampire Diaries · Tagged with Alaric Saltzman, Bonnie Bennett, Candice Accola, Caroline Forbes, Cory Barker, Damon Salvatore, Daniel Gillies, Elena Gilbert, Elijah, Ian Somerhalder, Jenna Sommers, Jeremy Gilbert, Jules, Katerina Graham, Katherine Pierce, Klaus, Matt Davis, Matt Donovan, Michael Trevino, Michaela McManus, Nina Dobrev, Paul Wesley, Reviews, Sara Canning, Stefan Salvatore, The CW, The Vampire Diaries, Tyler Lockwood, Zach Roering
Posted by Cory Barker on April 28, 2011 · 1 Comment
Producing 22 episodes of comedy isn’t easy. Every season, it is probable that two or three episodes won’t be completely awesome, even for the best series. These episodes don’t necessarily have to be terrible, but they’re just at a slightly lower quality than the rest. Last night’s episode of Cougar Town, “You’re Gonna Get It,” … Read more
Filed under Cougar Town, Episode Reviews, Featured · Tagged with ABC, Andy Gomez, Bobby Cobb, Brian Van Holt, Busy Phillips, Christa Miller, Cory Barker, Cougar Town, Courteney Cox, Dan Byrd, Ellie Torres, Grayson Ellis, Ian Gomez, Josh Hopkins, Jules Cobb, Laurie Keller, Reviews, Travis Cobb
Posted by Cory Barker on April 27, 2011 · Leave a Comment
When it was announced a month or so ago, I just assumed a 90-minute episode of Glee would be one of the worst things ever. Some of the episodes from this season have felt extremely long within the 42 minute structure, so I couldn’t even really imagine having to deal with another 20 minutes. Ultimately, … Read more
Filed under Episode Reviews, Featured, Glee · Tagged with Amber Riley, Artie Abrams, Blaine Anderson, Born This Way, Brittany Pearce, Burt Hummel, Chord Overstreet, Chris Colfer, Cory Barker, Cory Monteith, Darren Criss, Dianna Agron, Emma Pillsbury, Finn Hudson, FOX, Glee, Harry Shum Jr., Heather Morris, Jane Lynch, Jayma Mays, Jenna Ushkowitz, Karofsky, Kevin McHale, Kurt Hummel, Lady Gaga, Lauren Zizes, Lea Michele, Matthew Morrison, Mercedes Jones, Mike Chang, Mike O'Malley, Naya Rivera, Noah Puckerman, Quinn Fabray, Rachel Berry, Reviews, Sam Evans, Santana Lopez, Sue Sylvester, Tina Cohen-Chang, Will Schuester
Posted by Cory Barker on April 27, 2011 · 2 Comments
Test Pilot #14: Playmakers Debut date: August 26, 2003 Series legacy: Controversial, “gritty” series that was unceremoniously canceled by ESPN — with help from the NFL After a short hiatus, Test Pilot is back! Time for more historical pilot analysis – I know, contain your excitement. In case you have forgotten or are new to … Read more
Filed under Featured, Playmakers, Test Pilot · Tagged with 30 For 30, Christopher Wiehl, Cory Barker, Cougars, ESPN, Features, Friday Night Lights, Jason Matthew Smith, LeBron James, Marcello Thedford, Michael Vick, NBC, NFL, O.J. Simpson, Omar Gooding, One Tree Hill, PEDs, Peyton Manning, Playmakers, Russell Hornsby, Sammy Sosa, Sports TV, Test Pilot, The White Shadow, Tiger Woods, Tony Denison, Travis Vogan
Posted by Cory Barker on April 26, 2011 · 2 Comments
This is the working draft of my presentation at this year’s PCA/ACA 2011 conference on Supernatural fans. A few notes: If you recall, I asked for responses from fans, critics, whomever related to Supernatural and its fandom sometime in March. Of course, I quickly realized that adding in a lot of quotes and context from … Read more
Filed under Academic Work, Featured, SUPERNATURAL · Tagged with Academic Work, Anti-fan fans, Dean Winchester, Eric Kripke, Fandom, Fans, Jared Padalecki, Jensen Ackles, PCA 2011, Sam Winchester, Sera Gamble, Supernatural, The CW
