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. 

Friday, December 16, 2022

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Blindspot: Season 2

 


+++Warning, this contains spoilers from season 1, but no major season 2 spoilers+++

The 22-episode second season of Blindspot aired during the 2016/2017 TV season. The second season picks up three months after the events of the season 1 finale in which Weller discovered that his father did indeed kill the real Taylor Shaw and that Jane had been faking Taylor's memory (unbeknownst to her) and the death of Mayfair. Jane has been in CIA custody since being arrested and ends up breaking out. She convinces Weller and the team to use her as a triple agent against the terrorist organization Sandstorm, to which she is somehow tied. From there, the show mostly follows the format of season one, with some case or mission of the week that is usually tied into the larger story arc of Jane's identity and Sandstorm's plans (which are revealed throughout the season). In addition to the returning main cast, this season includes Archie Panjabi (from The Good Wife), the great character actress Michelle Hurd, and Luke Mitchell. Ennis Esmer returns for a few episodes as Rich Dotcom to "help" and/or make life miserable for the team and steals every scene he is in. The season ends on a partial cliffhanger that includes a two-year time jump. 

The Blu-Ray set is a four-disc set. The A/V quality is outstanding again. While the show does not have a ton of computer-generated effects, what it does have looks seamless, and there are some very good location shots of New York that look wonderful in HD. The extras include deleted scenes, a gag reel, a portion of the 2016 Comic-Con panel, and a handful of making-of and behind-the-scenes featurettes. All totaled, the bonus features end up at a little under an hour, give or take. They are not extensive, but what is included is good if you like watching the bonus content.

The season is very good. While most of the character development is centered on the new characters, there is some for the established characters. Patterson (Ashley Johnson) is a bit more involved in the action this season and is not always stuck in the lab, and the characters of Rede and Zapata are fleshed out a bit more. Jamie Alexander and Sullivan Stapleton are great as the leads, and the show does a good job of throwing wrenches in the way of their relationship. This is definitely not a show that you can just jump into in season two without seeing season one because even though it is partly a procedural show, the episodes are not totally self-contained and often contribute to the larger serial arcs. But if you liked season one, this is definitely worth watching.

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