SURPRISE! This is NOT like the show.
920405
Dont expect it to be like the HBO series, the books and the show are barely related.
1344046
This is really a different concept of the show.  There are some very interesting moments and then there are some great moments.
Read my review of the Perfect Company Cast Recording on [...]
2902952
I was expecting a sci-fi or paranormal program and this came out of left field. The idea of a secret agency chasing aliens is not original but Captain Jack Harkness and his wonderfully flawed cohorts make it a watchable program. Captain Jack is a cross between Kenny in South Park, Mulder in the X-Files and, well, you have to watch it.
1601382
I thought this was just another "Zombie Apocalyse" deal but was SO wrong.
The writing and actins is superb !
The nest part about the show is the moral conundrums the main characters find themselves in.
173688
Buffy season 2 has a very different feel than the first season. While te first season had a loose ark of Buffy vs. The Master, most of the chapters could stand by themselves, requiring no deeper knowledge of the whole Buffy / vampire mythology.
During the 2nd season, the series started to take itself more seriously. The humor is still there, but it's not as light hearted as season one was. Since the first season served as an introduction to the people and themes of the series, the second one starts developing them. The caracters (especially the minor ones) are no longer caricatures (such as "Cordelia the Shallow Cheerleader" or "Jenny the Cool Computer Teacher") but beacome real people. More background is given about Angel's past. Even though there are a few 'unrelated' chapters (such as 'Bad Eggs' or 'Ted'), there were a few prominent plot arcs (such as the Angel / Buffy love story) which were viewed and analyzed through different chapters.
'Taking itself more seriously' also means that the question 'what being a slayer means' is explored in depth. In 'Ted', the question of Buffy harming a non - vampire / demon / monster human comes up. We realize how lucky Buffy is to have her supporting network of friends when we realize that Kendra, the 2nd slayer (who had been activated when Buffy died at the end of season 1) has a completely different (and solitary) life. At the end of the season, Buffy comes to realize how alone she is anyway, does what she has to do, but then leaves it all behind.
And then Angel turns bad (then good again for the last few meanutes of the season). This was not only THE major plot twist of the season, but also gives the 2 main actors a chance to show how good they are. Sarah Michelle Gellar does a great job in portraying Buffys pain and confusion while confronting the 'bad' Angel (or rather 'Angelus', as he is called in his soul - less stage), but also her power and decision during the last 2 chapters of the season, by doing what has to be done - alone. David Boreanaz finally gets a chance to portray something different than a depressed, brooding vampire with a soul ,and seems to enjoy doing it.
And last (but not least) - Spike and Drussila. This is another point where season one had a flat - one - faced evil (The Master) while season 2 has a more complex and deeper pair of vilains to go against Buffy.
4766918
It's become a medicore soap opera with zombies as a backdrop. At least in other zombie-based drama / horror movies the zombies evolve somehow and become a dynamic part of the narrative.  Given the sycophantic praise for this show I don't expect my comments to make much of a dent but wanted to express my disappointment with this show. It's become a carousel of temporary characters many of whom last for one or maybe two episodes while the main characters alternate between pacifism and rage. That's been going on since Season 1 and it's amazing how little the primary characters have evolved. Sure, they have some episodes dedicated to explaining the back story of individuals as a way to take a break from the action but the characters. Yes I understand that it loosely follows the comic book series although watching them repeat the same mistakes is wearing thin as there is no development - just variations on a limited number of themes.
4082658
i could pick this season apart but i'll spare the details and just mention that the show really changed directions at the very end of season 2 and continued with this new theme through season 3. it's almost like you can feel the screen writers wondering how to wow the audience and grab ratings. lot of blood, lot of death, lot of brutal. sadly, there just isn't a realistic feel to it anymore. not that it's by any means a bad show, it's just that characters like nucky thompson, who were loosely based on nucky johnson, now have completely entered the realm of 100% fictional TV.
4655877
Not the TV Show
If you, like me, saw the TV show before you knew there was a book, let me inform you that this is not the same story as the show. The characters are different. Their relationships are different. Even the city is different. That made it more interesting to me, but it took me a while to stop imaging the TV show characters in the book.

The Romance
Oh, come on. You all know its in here. Its basically the entire plot and its why I had issues with this book. I mean, I get that the characters are supernatural. I get that love is a weird thing, but it did not develop appropriately in this book to be realistic. At least, not coming from Elena. As such, the rest of the plot felt illogical and unbelievable. Shame.

The Pacing
I have some serious issues with the pacing of this book because it wasn't smooth, and it didn't make sense. It took forever for anything to actually happen and when it finally did, it was like a jolt. Thered be one quick scene and then nothing again for a few chapters. It was frustrating because I kept hoping it would pick up at some point and it didnt.

Narrator
Holy woah! There were points when the narrator sounded just like Nina Dobrev and my mind would just pause and be like: What?! Because its not her and the characters aren't even the same between the TV show and the book. Still, it was a bit eerie. :p
4808583
I was surprised just how different the comics are to the show. Most know of the big differences but even tiny details go a long way. A real page turner.
3580092
I almost gave up after the first episode.  It was interesting, but slow.  But the pace and intrigue built over time.  It's not going to be a fast-paced show, like True Blood.  There's no humor.  But as time goes on, you're like "hey! That chick was so-and-so, in the coffee shop, two episdoes back, remember?"  Everything is tied together, and it's the kind of show you'll enjoy watching more than once, because you'll pick up stuff you missed.

It's frustrating that the series was so short--it was just getting going when the season ended.  But worth it.  If I hadn't bought the whole season (and do that...so much cheaper) I would have given up after episode 1.  Glad I didn't.

The little kid is super creepy--great acting.  Simon looks like Peter Brady.  LOL...then he has nude scenes, and it's like watching Peter Brady have sex.  Weird!  There are a lot of sex scenes (some, like the "psychic" sex scenes, were just...weird, awkward, and fake).  I won't give anything away, but I was thinking...in this situation because of what's going on around them...how are these men "keeping it up" while they have sex with her???  So yeah, if you don't like nude scenes, skip it, or look away, because there's one or more with each episode.  But they're brief...they're not going for shock value, like with True Blood.

Oh, and it's France, so there are a lot of minors smoking and drinking in bars.  As an American, it's really confusing trying to figure out how old the younger characters are, until you remember how young kids can drink there.  So I think Camille is around 14 or 15, and her sister Lena is 18 or 19.  But she seems to be in high school.

All in all, it's good tv.  Not light entertainment, but interesting intriguing, and you something to be watched when you're not totally brain dead.  It's not scary, or nightmare-giving (to me), like Walking Dead can be, and it's not action-packed, or fast-paced.  The overall vibe is basically "creepy."
1390165
I think the worst thing about this show is or was the title - absolutely terrible! The casting and story lines had a lot of potential; I don't think this was any worse than other similar shows geared primarily at women. I definitely enjoyed watching it but, of course, was left disappointed and frustrated because the story ended abruptly when the show was canceled. Due for a revival IMO.
4021966
Great show BUT the soundtrack is very different than the DVD set and the original that aired on Showtime. WHY?? I never realized how much music can lend itself to a feeling in a movie. The soundtrack on Amazon Prime... is horrible. If you are watching this for the first time.. BUY the DVD set because YES it is that much of a difference. This is why I did not give it 5 stars.
830778
This show is getting really slow and boring. It's becoming less of a story about survival and more about (poorly written) interpersonal stories.
The comics are SO much better and continue evolving the story at a good pace. There were numerous episodes this season that made me groan because of how slow and tedious they were. I hope next season picks up.
1568055
This show was nothing like I expected.  I've never disliked a central character like I did with this one.  It's scandelous, weird, dark, funny and tragic time and time again.  I binge watched this over a couple weeks which i later regretted because at the finish of the last episode I felt emotionally exhausted, people literally die every episode.  It's brilliance is in the embracing of the joys, craziness and tragedies of real life.
670178
I wanted to like it, I really did. I am a huge fan of the show and I am only giving this season 4 stars, rather than 3, because I love all of the other seasons of this show. Season 1 is very different than the following seasons and the characters are not quite so developed. The show comes into its own after Season 1.
366695
Because of awards the show has garnered [Golden Globes], "The Shield" has become a pretty non-mainstream TV show on cable. That's great and I truly applaud the show for its daring risks and good storylines and great characters, but this book isn't what I expected.
I'm a huge Shield fan [ [...] ] and I was hoping for an exclusive look at how the show is produced, how scripts are written, characters played out, behind-the-scene interviews and more from this "Fully Authorized - Fully Loaded" book. Instead it's only "Fully Authorized" and Half-Loaded...
Coming from FX, I expected something more original and atypical. While there are alot of pictures, they are all black and white and printed on newspaper/recycled-like paper, ie texture isn't great nor white. The book is basically an episode guide with summaries of what happened in each episode, what each character's profile is, and that's it.
You do NOT get any insight on the cast or crew, you do not go behind-the-scenes, you do not have anything new that you do not already know if you have seen the show on TV. If that's what a guide is, then this really does not present anything worth having unless you just like to look at some images from each episode and of the cast that you haven't seen before.
Overall, this book is not helpful unless you have missed several episodes of the show and do not have the DVDs. This is a basic fan-book that gives you "notes" that any basic fan could write up.
Skip this and instead, spend your money on something more worthwhile - the DVDs and other Shield-related merchandise. Check out: theshieldfans.com for more items.
4153904
This show is exilent, don't get me wrong, but I really felt that a warning needs to go out to people that don't know much about anime.. -This is absolutly NOT the show that you've heard so much about-.. If your looking at this and thinking "Oh, I've heard of this, maybe I should check it out!" your probably thinking of: (Oh My Goddess (Vol. 1) (1997)).... -This is a Telivision show that was based on those OVA's-..

*Slight spoiler warning*

Actually, honestly, I very dissapointed in it, being a big fan of the original, as they have very little in common. The characters and locations are nearly identical, the story even starts out about the same, but they take drastic terns from each other a few episodes in.... Where in the original, hopfully not to spoil to much, The main characters are -forced- to sepperate, being the main story line. It creates an intence tragity/romance setting.... In this one a few episodes in, insted, a demon is released that wants to take revenge on the goddesses, as the main story line. It creates a very childish Adventure/drama enviroment.... And also, as the show progresses, nearly no romantic progress is made... Honestly, it's hardly even the same show, it's hardly belivable that they gave it the same name... The characters are the same, and the show is entertaining in it's own rite.. But it's NOT the romance/comady that I fell in love with 10 years ago....

Sorry if this sounded like a rant, I just wanted to clear up missconseption -Aurael