CJF's Favorite Shows of 2014

Hello, guys, CJF94 here. I hope you guys had a Merry Christmas. Well, it's that time again where I reflect on my favorite things of the year. What better way to start than to talk about my favorite shows that have progressed as time went on. As I mentioned in my last post, I don't watch as much TV as I used to, but with the shows I got into lately, I have a reason to switch to my cable box every now and then. Without further delay, here are my thoughts on these shows so far.

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Doctor Who

(Series 8)

Remember when I predicted that I will like Peter Capaldi as the Doctor? I was right. As soon as he stepped out of the TARDIS, trying to keep himself together after regenerating, he pretty much won me over. I don't where his interpretation of the Doctor will go, but one quote is certain of that: "I've made many mistakes. It's about time I did something about that."

Season 8 is quite a step up from the last season, which I found kind of lackluster. There are some episodes that actually stood out to me, leaving me coming back for another view. "Deep Breath" was a nice start, if not a little too long. Seriously, it was a few minutes longer than "The Day of the Doctor," and that was a special. "Into the Dalek" was another highlight, exploring new things related to the Doctor's greatest foes. The two-part finale, "Dark Water" and "Death in Heaven," was quite thrilling, featuring a pretty shocking twist concerning the identity of this season's antagonist, Missy (played by Michelle Gomez), who makes brief appearances here and there.

However, the biggest highlight of the season is "Listen," which is already considered as quite possibly the best episode. I didn't quite think so at first, but after giving it another look, I can agree. It was a tense episode, and the ending was both a Crowning Moment of Heartwarming and Awesome. Those who watched it will know what I'm talking about.

A big improvement this time is Clara Oswald. I really like her this time around. There is just an overall maturity to the character that really made me warm up to her. Heck, I even cared about her relationship with her new boyfriend, Danny Pink (played by Samuel Anderson), who have some chemistry together.

As well as that, I like the interactions between her and the Doctor. Their friendship seems somewhat strained as it went on, seeing as how Clara has to adjust to him after his regeneration, That's what makes it more interesting, as their friendship is sometimes tested, making us wonder how things will turn out for them.

"Last Christmas," the show's annual Christmas special, was an odd one. It tries too hard to be like Inception with the whole dream concept and makes for a forgettable special. Nick Frost's performance as Santa Claus also feels like a waste. Lastly, the ending felt like a last-minute decision, which is pretty obvious. Originally, Jenna Coleman was planning on leaving the show after this special, but had a change of heart afterwards, leading to rewriting the ending. I suppose the best thing to come out of it was that Clara will remain in the show a little bit more, and after this season, I'm glad. I don't want her to go just yet.

Overall, this was a good season. Not my favorite, but still enjoyable. It has some good storylines, good character development, and a good season finale. I'm looking forward to the direction the show is going. All us pudding-brains will have to wait another year, though.

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The Legend of Korra

(The End)

This hasn't been a good year for Korra. Not because of the show itself; it's still fantastic. It's because of how Nickelodeon has been treating it. With some episodes of Season 3 being leaked, they began broadcasting it on short notice, leading to very little marketing. You know what happened next? Due to declining ratings, it was pulled off the air, and new episodes began to be distributed online and online only (they were later broadcast on TV, though). Without going into a full-on rant, it is sad to see that Nickelodeon's best show to date has been given the poorest treatment.

Back to the show, the final two seasons have been great. Many people say that this was the point where the show became AS good as Avatar: The Last Airbender. I don't know what they're talking about; I've always found it to be on par with the original show from the beginning. And I'm probably one of the few that never found Season 2 to be a bad season at all.

The show has been pretty good with its world-building, but Season 3 took it to a new level by showing us more than just Republic City and the Southern Water Tribe. We got to see a little more of the Earth Kingdom and how it has progressed several years after the original show, which the comics so far have been exploring. Seriously, check out the comics if you are an Avatar fan.

The characters have gotten some great development, especially Korra. She's become more than the adorable, yet impulsive Avatar we first knew her as. She's very caring, and often has to go through some tough decisions. She has also become pretty vulnerable, but manages to fight her way through. Yeah, she's really grown as a character. Other characters that we've come to know and love from the first two seasons also play some parts.

The last two seasons are not without its new cast of characters, such as Suyin Beifong (voiced by Anne Heche), Lin's half-sister and head of the metal city of Zaofu, who proves to one of my favorite characters due to how supportive and loving she is. There's also her daughter, Opal (voiced by Alyson Stoner), who begins a relationship with Bolin, one of the main characters, which comes off as pretty adorable. It's also nice to see their relationship being tested in Season 4.

The Red Lotus in the third season are pretty unique set of adversaries. Their leader, Zaheer (voiced by Henry Rollins), is well-meaning, yet menacing when someone stands in his way, though I found his motivations a little, for a lack of better word, iffy. But all that makes up for the fact that he's an awesome villain overall. I can't say too much about the other members, though. The writers approached them to be more human, but it's never fully realized, though they did leave a little bit of impression in the end.

Season 4's Kuvira (voiced by Zelda Williams) is also a great antagonist for similar reasons. While well-meaning, she makes some rather questionable decisions. The whole season even tackles the similarities between her and Korra, and how they both want to make things right for the world. She still can't top Amon from season 1 as the best villain in the show, though.

The Legend of Korra also does its job by taking some risks, pushing the boundaries on what the creators can put in a kids' show. Season 3 is quite possibly the darkest the series has been, that it makes me wonder why it wasn't pushed to a TV-PG rating. And then there's the ending of Season 4. There's one aspect that pretty much made shippers explode (in a good way). If you watched it, you'll know what I'm talking about.

Like Avatar: The Last Airbender, the show manages to end on a satisfying note, with an epic and emotionally-driven climax that pays off enormously well. My only gripe with the last two seasons is that I wish they were a few episodes longer. I felt some characters were not as fleshed out, but for what we've got, it's satisfactory. I guess this is farewell to the Avatar series.

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Gravity Falls

(VHDVRQ 2 EHJLQV)*

This show just got a whole lot more interesting. Nine episodes in, and I haven't lost interest. If this is the first time you're reading some of my blogs, read my last post on my favorite shows of 2013 to know what it's about.

Season 2 so far has some great episodes, once again making the character interactions more fun, have the overall mystery aspect taken advantage of, and exploring more with its supernatural and paranormal themes. Let's not forget its hilarious comedy and well-timed jokes.

"Into the Bunker" has us wanting to know more about who the author of the journals is as well as exploring Dipper's crush on Wendy in a believable way. "Soos and the Real Girl" has Soos confronting a Japanese dating simulator that comes to life and stalks him, which is disturbing yet entertaining to watch. "Society of the Blind Eye," without giving anything away, is a great Wham Episode that keeps the audience wanting more. I've barely scratched the surface, but that's only because the season's only halfway there.

Not to mention, this show is seriously getting stuff past the censors. I mean, the season begins with a zombie attack, only to be followed up with a frightening shape-shifter in the next episode. And then there's jokes like "Dude, you're laying on my bra," or "Grandpa is not in heaven" or Grunkle Stan saying he has a certain "gesture" to show someone after getting his hands back. Seriously, what the H? It's yet another kids' show that's pushing the boundaries on what they can get away with.

I wish I could say more, but I'll talk about it again next year after the season ends. I'm curious to see what the show has to offer next. After all, "anthyding can hadplen."

*Go three letters back.

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My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

(Season 4 ends)

Wow, four seasons and the show is still going strong. This is quite possible my favorite season, though I'm still debating between this and the second. Part of what made it so great was that it tried out new things, and they really payed off at the end, featuring some of the best episodes the show has to offer.

The one I have to mention first is "Pinkie Pride" which features "Weird Al" Yankovic as a guest-star. It may seem like some sort of ratings trap, and if it is, then it's a good one at that. It's also fair to say that this episode got me into his music. Took me long enough.

It acknowledges that he's a music artist and uses that to its advantage by giving the episode musical numbers, as well as the animators having fun with them. I mean, look at this:

And while we're on topic, certain episodes really test each of the Elements of Harmony of our main characters. And you know what that means: Rarity finally shows her generosity in "Rarity Takes Manehattan," and it plays a big part, which is so refreshing. The last time she has show her generosity goes back to Season 1, Episode 2, which is a pretty big gap.

Other episodes to name include "Flight to the Finish," which tackles disabilities in a mature manner; "Maud Pie" for its well-timed dry humor coming from the titular character; "Equestria Games" for giving Spike some in-depth character development, with a conflict I can sort of relate to; and the season finale "Twilight's Kingdom" for actually tackling Twilight Sparkle's role as princess and giving us a Dragon Ball Z-esque battle. I kid you not.

One of the big criticisms throughout the season is Pinkie Pie's flanderization. In certain episodes, her hyperactivity and quirkiness have become really overstated, like ringing the school bell in "Castle-Mania" or getting distracted by a balloon in "Three's a Crowd." I can understand where they are coming from, but what bothered me the most was her character derailment in "Filli Vanilli." She flat out makes Fluttershy even more nervous about performing, which is really out of character. So yeah, Pinkie Pie was not as well-written this time around and I hope the writers fix that in Season 5.

What also followed up from Season 4 was Rainbow Rocks, the sequel to Equestria Girls, where Twilight once again travels to the human world. I'll go more in-depth about it next year, but all I can say is that it is a step forward from its underwhelming predecessor.

I have no idea how Season 5 is going to top all that, but we'll have to wait and see once it comes out in the spring.
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And those are my favorite shows of 2014. I'm sorry to disappoint you guys, but I missed out on Over the Garden Wall. I will get around to it... one of these days. Anyways, I need more shows to watch. Any recommendations? I'm already considering Game of Thrones.

Stay tuned for my last post of the year with my Top 14 Films of 2014. And to apologize in advance, there's no favorite games list this year.

Discuss here.