iCarly: iThrow A Flawless Murder Mystery Party

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, takes over party planning for Freddie’s birthday after everything Pearl, played by Mia Serafino, has planned goes wrong. This leads to issues within Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, and Pearl’s relationship.

Since the first season it has been obvious that the show was setting Freddie and Carly up and I for the most part have been onboard with it. I don’t like the fact they have dragged it out this long, with the characters only really talking about it in the final moments of this season finale, with the will they won’t they decision happening in the first episode of the next season if it gets renewed. I would have preferred to see them get together in the final frame of this season and then have next season be primarily focused on them as a couple, but no they just had to end with a cliff-hanger.

I thought the emotional stakes of the episode felt right, the scenes wherein Pearl is realising that her and Freddie aren’t a good fit are tough to watch and do feel sad. Though the show wants you to care about the possible Carly Freddie relationship, it also wants to give Freddie and Pearl and earnest send off.

The side plot about Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, and Harper, played by Laci Mosely, both trying to leave the party to meet their blind dates, with it actually turning out they were going to meet each other, was fun if very obvious.

Perhaps this show is gearing up to do a Friends and have most of its main characters in relationships with one another.

Overall, a good end to the season that leaves us wanting more.

Pros.

Will they won’t they Freddie and Carly

The drama

The jokes

Spencer and Harper’s B plot does provide some much needed comedic relief at times

Cons.

The cliff-hanger

It was very obvious Spencer and Harper were each other’s dates

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iCarly: iHit Something

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

After getting pranked Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, joins influencer fight club.

I thought for the most part this episode was incredibly by the numbers. The premise of Carly joining a fight club feels like it was just shouted out when the writers were listing various different whacky situations they could put her in, furthermore this is reflected in the episode by the fact it is barely developed in anyway. Moreover, the justification for why Carly is angry, she was pranked, makes her look petty and the events of the episode feel like an overreaction.

The B plot about Millicent, played by Jaidyn Triplett, having a crush on a boy and then Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, and Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, worrying that he is just using her for school work feels very been there done that and for the most part there is nothing new added to this incredibly formulaic idea here. The best part of this side plot is a joke made right at the end of the episode that actually made me laugh out loud which was nice respite from the tedium that was the rest of the episode.

Overall, fairly meh.

Pros.

One funny joke

It is watchable

The fight club is an interesting idea sadly though they do nothing with it

Cons.

It is too safe

It is very been there done that

It isn’t funny for the most part

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iCarly: i’M a USA Bae

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, is turned into a doll.

I actually found this to be a fun episode, it made me laugh a lot and I thought the idea of the sexy doll and the lets call it the medieval peasant doll worked well and I liked the message at the end that people are complicated and can’t be easily defined. When the episode first started I thought it was going to be a long drawn out lecture on left wing American feminist ideas, but it didn’t go that way as this show could not handle a topic like that with any proper reverence or nuance.

Moreover, I enjoyed the Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, b-plot wherein he worries that his relationship is in trouble so employs the help of a monkey to try and save it. Yes, the idea is gimmicky and there is no real need for the monkey at all but it al ends up with a sweet ending and that is enough for me.

A downside of this episode is that it brings back Josh Peck’s manager character really just to use him to set up the plot, and to remind us that he and Cosgrove used to star in another show together. I hope that if the show continues to use him it finds a more organic way to include him as currently it feels incredibly shoehorned.

Overall, a fun episode that is a markable high point for this season.

Pros.

The dolls and the franken-doll at the end

The Freddie b-plot

The ending and the moral of it

It is funny

Cons.

Peck feels forced in.

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iCarly: iDragged Him

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A bunch of pointless hijinks stuffed into an episode so that the season is long enough to meet requirements.

My, my in my last review I talked about how that episode felt like filler, well believe me I knew nothing then. This episode was a slog to get through and was the very definition of filler in almost every way. There is a flaccid a story about Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, and Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, going on a reality tv competition together only for Spencer to suddenly become competitive and a jerk. Again this season seems intent on ruining Spencer as a character, before this episode these uber competitive tendencies had never come up so why did they now all of a sudden? Simply put because the episode needed some mindless drama.

The b plots don’t fare much better, on the one hand you have Harper, played by Laci Mosley, styling some drag queens for some reason. I did enjoy the absurdity of the Reece Witherspoon theme and how they each wanted to be Reece from different films, however, the novelty quickly wore off. On the other hand there is a Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, and Millicent, played by Jaidyn Triplett, story about a model UN meeting. I think this was the best of the numerous vying plots in this episode as it had a nice message of being yourself and not changing for other people.

Honestly, even with a few redeemable features this episode is not one that you will want to finish.

Overall, if the episode number is too many for the producers and creatives of the show to handle they should cut the seasons down and produce less filler garbage like this.

Pros.

It is not offensively bad

The model UN sub plot has a nice message

Cons.

The continued ruining of Spencer

The aimless feel of the episode

It drags on

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iCarly: iCupid

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Feeling as though she has held back Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, from finding love Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, decides to try and set him up.

I will give this episode praise for calling out several things that needed to be. Firstly it points out how weirdly close Spencer and Carly are and then secondly it has Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, standing up to the women in his life and stop being a doormat who is easily pushed around by other people.

Within the a plot I liked that Spencer and Carly’s relationship was front and centre and that they developed it in a meaningful way, with Carly saying that Spencer was like a father to her. Rachel Bloom as Mckenna the matchmaker was okay, but bordered on the side of annoying, also I thought some of the ideas put forward by her character in the episode as to what constitutes a red flag were problematic and sent a bad message. Labelling being short as a red flag seems inherently discriminatory and is clearly example of heightism.

Within the b plot Freddie had to stand up to his mother, played by Mary Scheer, and his adoptive daughter, played by Jaidyn Triplett, and tell them they don’t get a say in his dating life. I found this to be a very cathartic character moment for Freddie as for a while he has done whatever those around him tell him to do and it is nice to see him asserting himself.

Overall, some good character, only made slightly worse by an annoying matchmaker and some questionable morals.

Pros.

Good character work

Carly acknowledging Spencer as a stand-in father

Freddie finally standing up for himself

Cons.

The heightism

Bloom’s whole character

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iCarly: iHire A New Assistant

2.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly’s grandfather, played by Greg Mullavey, shows up for a visit and becomes Carly’s new assistant.

I think a lot of this new season of iCarly has the same issue, either a really good a story and a terrible b plot or a terrible a story and a good b plot, this episode was no different.

I disliked almost everything about the Grandad Shay character, I thought he was annoying and used to make the same lame predictable jokes you would expect from an old meets young storyline. Moreover, through this introduction Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, becomes even worse as a character- this season really hasn’t been kind. Throughout the a story of this episode Spencer debases himself to try and get his grandfather’s love and then begrudgingly gets it at the end, this could have worked on some level, however, the ending of the episode doesn’t feel earned and instead feels written for convenience.

The saving grace of this episode comes from the Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, and Harper, played by Laci Mosley, side story wherein it seems like Freddie and Harper might be soulmates based on their birth charts. I thought this b plot was genuinely quite funny and the characters worked well within it, I thought that Freddie and Harper made for a good pairing and I would like to see more of them having their own adventures in the coming episodes.

Overall, the b plot manages to stop the episode from being bad and does provide some shielding, however, the whole Grandad Shay narrative was trite and I hope the show does not bring him back again.

Pros.

Freddie and Harper

A few good jokes

Cons.

Grandad Shay

The old man jokes were super obvious and lame

They made Spencer even worse

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The Fairly Oddparents Fairly Odder: Yikes On Multiple Levels

0.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Due to Paramount + lacking content the higher ups forced through a hybrid live action version of The Fairly OddParents, and rather unsurprisingly it crashed and burnt horribly.

On multiple levels this show is a mess, so much so that I can’t see how those making it didn’t foresee how it was going to turn out, in my mind since the ideas inception it was clear this was destined for the scrap head. I understand that Butch Hartman has become somewhat of an internet bogeyman and so needs to cling to this franchise to keep the lights on, but come on Butch you’re driving your cash cow over a cliff and to certain death.

I think the biggest issue with this show is that the hybrid approach doesn’t work, in my mind The Fairly OddParents is and always should be an animated show, the previous jumps to live action with the deviant staring films didn’t work so they really should have realised that this was not the way forward. It is not just that the hybrid approach doesn’t work, but whenever there is an animated character on screen the show seems to come apart at the seams and become a hodgepodge of issues.

Moreover, the idea to create a new lead is a bold idea, it doesn’t pay off at all and it ends up feeling like it was only done for the sake of appealing to a younger audience, whilst still being in some way tied into the older show. However, the real issue with this series is the fact that damn near every character is awful, either as a person or as an inferior carbon copy of the original series, some of the characters bare the same name as those from the original series but in no way hold a candle to them. In addition the way young characters are written in this show in terms of dialogue screams to me of a group of aging executives trying to remember buzz words they have heard from their grandkids and force them in. In reality I don’t think anyone ever talks like how they do on this show.

Pros.

Sometimes it is unintentionally funny

Cons.

The characters suck

The animation seems like it was done on the cheap

The hybrid approach doesn’t work

The decision to create a new lead has no effect and changes very little for the better

It defiles the reputation of the brand at every turn

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iCarly: i’M Wild And Crazy

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Carly, played by Miranda Cosgrove, realises she is the boring one of the friend group and so asks Harper, played by Laci Mosley, to take her on a wild night out.

This was a nice episode for the most part. I enjoyed seeing more of Harper and Carly’s friendship on screen and have them both get some much needed character development. I thought it was nice to see the series reference back to Harper’s breakup and her processing period rather than just move immediately past it and act like it never happened. I thought both Cosgrove and Mosley were on top form here as well.

However, the b-plot about Freddie, played by Nathan Kress, and Spencer, played by Jerry Trainor, coming to blows over there business partnership was not only dull but it also brought out the worst in Spencer as a character. I have written before in other reviews about how I dislike that the show treats Spencer as a constant get out of jail free card, with his undetermined wealth allowing him to do practically anything, it feels like lazy writing and it is on perfect display in this episode. The conflict between Spencer and Freddie comes about as Spencer buys them an old smoothie bar as an office location for their business and then slowly loses interest in their start-up and instead wants to restore the old smoothie bar. Within this conflict not only do we get yet another lazy set up paid for by Spencer’s magical wealth, but also Spencer being his most childish and ridiculous. These last few episodes have really gone out of their way to show that as an adult Spencer is a failure, he can barely function in the adult world and just throws money at things to make them go away, and though I never thought he was the most efficient character ever, I did think he was more competent than this. It is sad to see the character reduced so much.

Overall, a better episode than the last but the show needs to decide what it want to do with Spencer as a character.

Pros.

Carly and Harper’s friendship explored in more depth

Cosgrove

Mosley

The references to Harper’s break-up and the character growth

Cons.

Spencer is being reduced to a poor cliché

The b-plot serves no purpose

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Broad City: The Best Show YOU Haven’t Seen

Broad City is a sitcom created by and starring Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer. The plot follows the two as they live and love in New York city. The series is supposed to be somewhat autobiographical, based on the two’s real-life friendship and their years trying to make it in the big city. It ran for 5 series from 2014-2019.

The reason why I like this series so much is because it is the closest thing to real life, I have seen on television possibly ever. The way the two go about life, is very close to how I go about my own life. The series deals with some really quite heavy themes, such as depression and self esteem issues, which I applaud it for; much like something like Atlanta, this show also manages to handle these darker themes in comedic way, whilst also treating them with respect.

I think another reason why this show is so important is because it features two strong self-motivated female leads, who are both in charge of their own destiny and live they way they want to live. I think this show is great as there are few other shows like it on TV and when you watch it you will see what I mean.

Both of the leads are hilarious, Glazer and Jacobsen both make me laugh at least a few times every episode, another reason this show is so good and so special is because there is very few bad episodes; most of the episodes are good and some of them are great.

The wider supporting cast which has changed over the series is also fantastic. Hannibal Buress as IIana’s on again off again boyfriend Lincoln is a very welcome presence on-screen, he has some of the best jokes on the show and his relationship with IIana is sweet and wholesome; it is one that you root for over the course of the show as you want the two of them to end up together.

Overall, this was one of the best shows on TV and one that will sorely be missed. You should definitely check it out if you haven’t already seen it.

Pros.

Both of the leads are hilarious.

It is empowering.

Hannibal Burgess is hilarious.

There are no bad episodes.

Cons.

Okay there are one or two bad episodes, but more slow than bad.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Big Bang Theory: Life After The Singularity

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom created by Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady. The plot follows a group of nerdy scientists as they have quirky adventures and misadventures and attempt to find love. The show ran for 12 series with the final series ending last year.

Carrying on from my post about Friends the other day I want to now look at some of that show’s successors one of which is The Big Bang Theory. Whether you love it or, you hate it this show has been around for a long time, longer even than Friends, and it has had an impact on pop culture, even inspiring a spin-off show in Young Sheldon.

I am of the mindset that this show never dipped in quality over it’s run, episodes from season 11 made me laugh just as much as episodes from season 1 or 2, but comedy is subjective. I think the ending of this show, Sheldon (Jim Parsons), winning the Nobel prize and thanking his friends and his wife is the perfect way to end it, the final scene of the show brought more than a few tears to my eyes.

Though some say that the comedy of the show shifted from laughing with the nerds to at them, I don’t agree. I think the characters were done justice to until the end, I think this show as well as some of it’s contemporaries helped in bringing nerd culture to the mainstream; it made being a nerd cool.

I liked how each character was developed over the course of the show and became more rounded, even background characters like Stuart (Kevin Sussman), had arcs and changed; we saw these characters grow as we ourselves did as well. The ending of the show gave all of these characters a sense of closure, except for Raj (Kunal Nayyar), who was left up in the air after his unsuccessful quest for love; I hope we don’t get a Joey esque spin-off for him, and this closure was just what we needed to move past this show.

Overall, I think The Big Bang Theory was less impactful than Friends, but that is not to say it wasn’t influential in its own way, it was. The Big Bang Theory reached out to all the geeks and nerds (myself included) out there who wanted to see a show they could relate to, where the characters aren’t going to parties every night and sleeping with different people near constantly and to them this show was a rallying cry, it made being a nerd cool; something that seemed like an impossibility.

Written by Luke