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, March 25, 2024

Blu-Ray/TV Series Review: Homeland: Season 1

 


The twelve-episode first season of Homeland aired on Showtime in the fall and winter of 2011. The series stars Claire Daines, Damien Lewis, Mandy Patinkin, Morena Baccarin, and David Harewood. The story centers around two definitely "broken" people: one, a Marine named Nicholas Brody (played by Lewis) who is rescued and returns home a hero after being held captive by terrorists for 8 years, and the other is a mentally unstable CIA analyst named Carrie Matthison (played by Daines) who is convinced that he has been turned and is now working for those same terrorists.

The story has a lot of twists and turns, and at least for the first half, the season it takes you on a is he or isn't he ride. You do find the answer before the end of the season, but there is still a lot of suspense in the final few episodes and the season ends on a cliffhanger. I will not go into any more detail than that, so as not to spoil those who have not seen it yet. I think many shows where there is such a focus on a central mystery like that (see Twin Peaks) really fizzle once you know the answer. At least in this season that did not happen. I have not seen the second season yet, so I am not sure if that is still the case.

The best part of the series is the great ensemble cast. Damien Lewis and Claire Danes are definitely the focus of the series, but everyone from Mandy Patinkin, and Morena Baccarin, to David Harewood do a great job in their roles. Fans of the series Due South will also recognize David Marciano, who is an ex-CIA officer that helps Danes' character run surveillance. The show is very fast-paced and packs a lot into the 12 episodes. I think this works a lot better as a cable series with a shorter season than it would be on broadcast TV where they would have to stretch everything out into 22+ episodes.

The blu-ray set is a three-disc set. The extras include a commentary track on the pilot episode, deleted scenes, a "making of" feature with the writers and showrunners, then some character features, and a prologue to season two. Outside of the commentary track, the extras total about 40 minutes. So, while you do not get hours of content, what is included is good. And, you can play the episodes in a play all mode that allows you to pick up where you leave off.  

I bought this series, having never seen one episode, just on its reputation. I am very glad I did. It is well-written and very well-acted and is absolutely worth the time to watch. 

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