What I've Watched | Orphan Black, Defenders, and InuYasha

There are a lot of good shows to binge-watch (or regularly watch if you prefer!) and most of them came recommended to me. So now I'm going to recommend them to you.

Orphan Black

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I've mentioned my love of Orphan Black on the blog before but I'll say it again, this is a must-watch show. Their fifth and final season just aired and it was absolutely incredible. Tatiana Maslany has like magical acting powers because despite being a long-time fan who's seen her play anywhere between 4-6 different characters for years, it still blows me away. I've always considered the first two seasons their strongest while the third and fourth went off on a bit of a tangent (but still had OMG episodes). I felt like the fifth season went back to their roots and focused on what was truly the heart of the series: family. It's about these separate clones who become sisters. It's about the relationships between mother and daughter. It's about meeting people who become like family to you. Of course there's still the science, scheming and drama of it all and the show did a great job of tying up loose ends. But it was smart to go back to the beginning. Plus their actual series finale? Perfect. For anyone who loves TV, that final episode is almost always so divisive or worse, underwhelming. But Orphan Black got it just right. (Seriously, binge this series now!)

Defenders

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I had been so excited for the Defenders! So much so that I even made myself watch the entire monstrosity that was Iron Fist because I thought I needed to know his backstory before the Defenders came out (word to the wise–you don't actually have to watch it). And I was not disappointed! That's not to say that show wasn't without its faults. To name a couple: the big question mark that is the Black Sky and the ending. But overall, it delivered. I was extremely entertained, invested in the heroes and preferred the pacing with the shorter season. Jessica Jones was, unsurprisingly, my favorite of the bunch. She brought so much sass to every scene. Luke Cage fit in well, as did Daredevil (except Murdock's continuous brooding has been getting on my nerves since season 2). Then there's the Iron First aka the weakest link. He's considerably less annoying when surrounded by the others though. Probably because they're always giving him a hard time (which in turn made me laugh). But it was super interesting to see the juxtaposition between the gritty reality of Jessica, Luke and Daredevil's world and the mystical nature of Danny's. It made for a compelling dynamic and I enjoyed seeing other friendships form too (Jessica/Murdock and Luke/Danny). Also, it has to be said that Claire continued to kick ass, as did Colleen Wing. I'm looking forward to season 2! (I assume they'll have one.)

InuYasha

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Ever since re-watching Fushigi Yuugi a couple years ago, I've been wanting to watch another anime with the same feel. I heard InuYasha was similar and meant to check it out sooner but anime's are an investment! I watch the sub-titled versions so I have to really pay attention. About two weeks ago, I decided to give it a try and now I'm well into season 3, with no intention to stop anytime soon. It's super funny, but with a lot of heart (episode 48 you guys!) and I love all the characters. It's about a girl named Kagome who discovers that she can travel back and forth between present time and the feudal era through a well at her family's shrine. It's in the past that she meets Inuyasha, a half-demon dog and someone who will become a huge part of her life. When she's attacked by a monster whose after the magical Shikon Jewel inside of her, she accidentally shatters it into many pieces that then get scattered across the land. She teams up with Inuyasha, as well as other characters who get introduced along the way, to gather all the pieces and prevent it from landing in the wrong hands. It's seven seasons in total plus four movies so I still have a bit of time before I finish but I definitely plan to.

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Have you watched any of these shows?