Welcome

Welcome to my ever-evolving blog. It started out as a blog on Beachbody workouts and products, mainly when I was a Beachbody coach. I no longer coach, not because I don't believe in Beachbody's programs (I subscribe to Beachbody on Demand and use their workouts every day), I am just not a salesperson and hated that aspect of it. I am more than willing to answer questions about my experiences with their products and the various workouts, and I feel freer to do so without the appearance of giving a biased review of something.

I have also started adding reviews for various things I have purchased like movies, books, CDs, and other products. This was brought about by a fight with Amazon in which all of my reviews were removed over a completely bullshit allegation that I posted a review that violated their terms of service. After going back and forth with the morons in the community-reviews department (even after they admitted that my posts did not violate their guidelines) they restored my account (which took them six months to do), but I have been posting my reviews on my blog to have them preserved in case something like that happens again. And here, I will post uncensored reviews so I will swear from time to time and post reviews that may be longer than Amazon's character limit. Everything I post here on any topic or product is my personal opinion, and I take no compensation for any product reviews I post. I am a member of Amazon's vine program and because I get those products for free, I keep those reviews on Amazon only, but everything I have purchased with my own money, whether from Amazon or some other store/website/outlet, I will post here.  

I also plan to do some longer blog posts on various topics, such as how to learn physics, how to get through calculus, and longer reviews of workout programs as I do them. Basically, whatever strikes me as interesting at the time.  As you can see if you navigate around the blog, I had many years in between postings. During that time I was going back to school to get an engineering degree, and learning material that I avoided my first time through college was a different experience and one that gave me a lot of insight into how to do well in those classes, which I will try to impart here for those who are looking to get a science or engineering degree. 

Monday, August 29, 2022

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Hawaii Five-0: Season 3

 


+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season two, but no major season three giveaways+++

Season three picks up right after the events of the season two finale. We find out the fates of Kono and Malia who were kidnapped by the dirty cop Frank Delano. We also get the reveal of Steve's mother, Doris (played by Christine Lahti), after the big reveal that she was alive, and find out that she faked her death for a reason that reverberates throughout the season. From there, the show reverts to its story of the week format with the serial arcs being intertwined throughout the season. Of course, the relationship between Steve and Doris is a huge part of the story as their reunion does not go swimmingly. There are two big throwbacks to the original series this season. One is a remake of the episode Hookman, which was directed by and guest-starred Peter Weller (of Robocop fame) that uses some of the same shooting locations that were used in the episode of the original series. And, Ed Asner's character from the original series was brought back in a case that involved art theft. Michelle Borth was promoted to a series regular this season, and Terry O'Quinn made several appearances as Joe White. There were also several notable guest stars this season including Carlos Bernard (from 24), George Takei (from the original Star Trek), Terrence Howard, Jimmy Buffett, and Rumor Willis playing a love interest for Max. The series ends on a couple of different cliffhangers, one involving Steve and one involving Kono and Adam.

For those who get the Blu-Ray set, there are a lot of extras including deleted scenes, a feature on the Hookman episode, an audio commentary on Hookman, and a commentary track on Pa'Ani. Then there are two season-three specific making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes that each run 20+ minutes, a script-to-screen supplement that looks at the process of making an episode, a feature on the worldwide fan base of the show, and a nine-minute gag reel.

Overall, the season is very good. While the storyline with Steve and Doris is the focus of the season, this season gives Kono a significant storyline, and Grace Park does a great job. As does Ian Anthony Dale who has a large part in that story arc despite still being a recurring character. There are also a couple of episodes that incorporate Danny's daughter, Grace (Teilor Grubbs) into the storylines now that she is getting older, which also gives Danny more to do than just be Steve's bickering sidekick. The show is still action-heavy, but blends in drama, humor, and suspense and has a huge family theme. It is well-written and very well acted. So, if you liked the first couple of seasons, this is definitely worth the pickup.

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