Pretty Freekin Scary- Season 1

7/10

In this Disney Channel show, middle schooler Frankie Ripp (played by Eliana Sua who was Hobbs' daughter in Hobbs & Shaw) dies before she's supposed to. The Grim Reaper or GR (Murdoch Mysteries' Siobhan Murphy) sends her back with two Underworld employees, the ever cheerful Pretty (Kyan Samuels) and the dour Scary (Leah Mei Gold). (Are they dead or were they never human to begin with? No idea. The writers don't seem to worry so neither should you.)

So, this sort of your traditional Disney Channel live-action show. The jokes and story aren't high art, but they're suitable for a kids' s program and are good goofy fun. I kind of like the sheer suspension-of-disbelief everyone has with Frankie suddenly popping back up from the dead with two new "foreign exchange students." (That's, right she doesn't immediately come back the moment she died. I'm pretty sure it was implied she was buried and everybody is way too chill with it. The government isn't looking into it or anything.)

By "sort of your traditional Disney Channel live-action show," Pretty Freekin Scary should be given credit for being well-planned out. This has a full storyline going behind GR's motivations for sending Pretty and Scary. Sure, there are other Disney shows with ongoing stories, particularly the superhero ones, but most of those are told in bits and often don't last the whole season. Here, everything is heading towards a clear purpose.

Best part of this is Sua; her Frankie is just so darn congenial. There is also a main antagonist to this show, and I've got to say, the actor is having a blast with the roll.

Gold and Samuels, especially the latter, do a fine job but admittedly it feels like Frankie isn't given enough time with them to bond. The writers like to pair her up with her goth friend Nyx (Emma Shannon). The duo's personalities are also one-note in the first half, but they become more engaging as the show goes on.

Going back to Nyx, she's likable enough, but there is a problem with her existence, having a quasi-anti-societal goth and Scary, who's not a people person, and both of whom have dry wit feels a little redundant. (Although, the writers do push Nyx more toward being a traditional friend as the show goes on.) In all honesty, I thought the recurring character of Layla Mueller (Adora Sheikh), Frankie's former best friend interacted better with her than Nyx. Unfortunately, the writers soon get bored with her and she disappears. (In fairness, maybe they realized the large cast of kids was too much.)

Also not loving GR. Murphy is fine in the role but her hiding info. for no rational reason other than to drag out the mystery is frustrating. The fact that's she bossing Frankie around all the time does not make one adhere to her.

Recommended. Wouldn't say it's one of THE best live-action kids shows ever made, but it's definitely watchable. Kids should like the cast who are all game.

Secrets of Sulphur Springs- Season 1

 

8/10

In Secrets of Sulphur Springs, Griffin Campbell (played by Preston Campbell) moves into an abandoned hotel where a girl went missing decades ago. There, Griffin and his new friend Harper Dunn (Kyliegh Curran; yes that's how her first name is supposed to be spelled) discover a big secret which causes them to investigate the disappearance. 

This isn't my age demographic, but the commercials made me curious. It had a sort of uncanny feel to it that Watcher in the Woods had. Turns out the show isn't that spooky. The commercials and parts of Sulphur Springs try to imply things get eerie, but they really don't. Goosebumps or Are You Afraid of the Dark this isn't. But that's alright, this is a mystery-heavy paranormal kids show and you just don't see those that much. So, yeah if you were found of WitW, then you may like this. 

The story is pretty simple overall, but the show does a surprisingly good job of pacing things. That being said, Griffin's two younger siblings and their subplot of investigating the hotel's haunting feels just like filler and don't add much. (On the other hand, Harper's brother Topher (Bryant Tardy) is one of the better parts of the show and is a sibling that works. He provides decent semi-comic relief and never overstays his welcome.)

What's refreshing is that the main characters make smart decisions. This involves a gimmick, which I won't spoil, that's been done a lot, and it's nice to see the writers say "yeah, we've all been here before and we're not gonna waste your time with the characters wrapping their heads around it."  

There is also a stern, overbearing father character in this who is painfully one-note, but he's not in this that much.

The child acting in this is pretty good all around. Campbell and Curran do their roles well, I wish them the best in their future careers.

Overall, I recommend this show for your kids. It's just well done.