S01.E10: The October Faction

[AnimeMania]

Gate Night goes sideways, unlikely alliances form, and the twins must join forces when Presido cracks down -- and the entire town faces obliteration.

[AnimeMania]

Finally finished this, I didn't like it. All the characters were unlikeable. If I had to relate to somebody it would be Viv, her friend, and Viv's mother. Everybody else seemed horrid. The brother Geoff's character has to be brutally honest (due to the type of monster he is) and everything coming out of his mouth made me hate him. The only time he seemed like a descent human being was when he apologized to the teacher for telling everybody his wife banged the Coach. The father was OK until he cheated on his wife.

The Good: The video quality was very good, the views of the cities were amazing. The sets and locations were outstanding and there was no need to hide the monsters in shadows.

The fight scenes with the monsters were boring. At no point did I think these were bad-ass monster hunters. I am not sure why there had monsters in the show if they were going to spend the majority of the episodes covering typical high school shenanigans with just the smallest amount of supernatural hijinks sprinkled in.

It made no sense that a janitor would let a student have access to their own private room because the student can get them food from the school cafeteria. A janitor should be able to get as much food as they want, anytime they want from the school cafeteria. Then Viv gets in trouble for being in that room and they didn't even bother to show us that happening (I thought I might have fallen asleep and missed something).

Not having younger characters play the older characters was a mistake. Fred's father looked like he was about dead from when Fred was a young kid, all the way to the end. Fred and Deloris didn't look the same age. I thought Fred hated his father since the time he left the house and married Deloris, but he is hanging out with his mother and father long after that. Did they ever have a real falling out? I thought the kids hadn't ever met their grandparents from all the mean things they were saying during the car ride to the house, but they used to babysit them.

Don't make all the characters in the TV show so horrible that when the bad guys threaten to blow up the town at the end, I am saying "Good! They deserve it!".

What would have made me like the show? I think they had too much plot, they rushed so far so fast I never got to know or like any of the characters. I think they went through about 3 seasons worth of plot. I would have been happy with the parents doing bad-ass monster hunting, while their kids were starting to realize that they are not like the other kids, while at the same time starting to realize that their parents are not like normal parents. My favorite scene was Viv during the seance because that was the type of stuff I thought the show was going to be like. Spooky, creepy, scary stuff. The only other scene that came close was Deloris and Fred's first monster kill.

[Hythlodaeus]

On 1/24/2020 at 11:54 PM, AnimeMania said:

Finally finished this, I didn't like it. All the characters were unlikeable. If I had to relate to somebody it would be Viv, her friend, and Viv's mother. Everybody else seemed horrid. The brother Geoff's character has to be brutally honest (due to the type of monster he is) and everything coming out of his mouth made me hate him. The only time he seemed like a descent human being was when he apologized to the teacher for telling everybody his wife banged the Coach. The father was OK until he cheated on his wife.

The Good: The video quality was very good, the views of the cities were amazing. The sets and locations were outstanding and there was no need to hide the monsters in shadows.

The fight scenes with the monsters were boring. At no point did I think these were bad-ass monster hunters. I am not sure why there had monsters in the show if they were going to spend the majority of the episodes covering typical high school shenanigans with just the smallest amount of supernatural hijinks sprinkled in.

It made no sense that a janitor would let a student have access to their own private room because the student can get them food from the school cafeteria. A janitor should be able to get as much food as they want, anytime they want from the school cafeteria. Then Viv gets in trouble for being in that room and they didn't even bother to show us that happening (I thought I might have fallen asleep and missed something).

Not having younger characters play the older characters was a mistake. Fred's father looked like he was about dead from when Fred was a young kid, all the way to the end. Fred and Deloris didn't look the same age. I thought Fred hated his father since the time he left the house and married Deloris, but he is hanging out with his mother and father long after that. Did they ever have a real falling out? I thought the kids hadn't ever met their grandparents from all the mean things they were saying during the car ride to the house, but they used to babysit them.

Don't make all the characters in the TV show so horrible that when the bad guys threaten to blow up the town at the end, I am saying "Good! They deserve it!".

What would have made me like the show? I think they had too much plot, they rushed so far so fast I never got to know or like any of the characters. I think they went through about 3 seasons worth of plot. I would have been happy with the parents doing bad-ass monster hunting, while their kids were starting to realize that they are not like the other kids, while at the same time starting to realize that their parents are not like normal parents. My favorite scene was Viv during the seance because that was the type of stuff I thought the show was going to be like. Spooky, creepy, scary stuff. The only other scene that came close was Deloris and Fred's first monster kill.

Agreed on all counts - I was looking this up because I'm in episode 3 and wondering if I should bother - loved the first episode but when Fred cheated on D and there seemed to be no reason at all I figured there will be shallow character development - also typical cowardly sleezy men with the women being the real heroes - I love strong female characters as long as they don't create the anti-male stereotype to create that instead of good writing.

[Hythlodaeus]

On 1/24/2020 at 11:54 PM, AnimeMania said:

Finally finished this, I didn't like it. All the characters were unlikeable. If I had to relate to somebody it would be Viv, her friend, and Viv's mother. Everybody else seemed horrid. The brother Geoff's character has to be brutally honest (due to the type of monster he is) and everything coming out of his mouth made me hate him. The only time he seemed like a descent human being was when he apologized to the teacher for telling everybody his wife banged the Coach. The father was OK until he cheated on his wife.

The Good: The video quality was very good, the views of the cities were amazing. The sets and locations were outstanding and there was no need to hide the monsters in shadows.

The fight scenes with the monsters were boring. At no point did I think these were bad-ass monster hunters. I am not sure why there had monsters in the show if they were going to spend the majority of the episodes covering typical high school shenanigans with just the smallest amount of supernatural hijinks sprinkled in.

It made no sense that a janitor would let a student have access to their own private room because the student can get them food from the school cafeteria. A janitor should be able to get as much food as they want, anytime they want from the school cafeteria. Then Viv gets in trouble for being in that room and they didn't even bother to show us that happening (I thought I might have fallen asleep and missed something).

Not having younger characters play the older characters was a mistake. Fred's father looked like he was about dead from when Fred was a young kid, all the way to the end. Fred and Deloris didn't look the same age. I thought Fred hated his father since the time he left the house and married Deloris, but he is hanging out with his mother and father long after that. Did they ever have a real falling out? I thought the kids hadn't ever met their grandparents from all the mean things they were saying during the car ride to the house, but they used to babysit them.

Don't make all the characters in the TV show so horrible that when the bad guys threaten to blow up the town at the end, I am saying "Good! They deserve it!".

What would have made me like the show? I think they had too much plot, they rushed so far so fast I never got to know or like any of the characters. I think they went through about 3 seasons worth of plot. I would have been happy with the parents doing bad-ass monster hunting, while their kids were starting to realize that they are not like the other kids, while at the same time starting to realize that their parents are not like normal parents. My favorite scene was Viv during the seance because that was the type of stuff I thought the show was going to be like. Spooky, creepy, scary stuff. The only other scene that came close was Deloris and Fred's first monster kill.

On 1/24/2020 at 11:54 PM, AnimeMania said:

Finally finished this, I didn't like it. All the characters were unlikeable. If I had to relate to somebody it would be Viv, her friend, and Viv's mother. Everybody else seemed horrid. The brother Geoff's character has to be brutally honest (due to the type of monster he is) and everything coming out of his mouth made me hate him. The only time he seemed like a descent human being was when he apologized to the teacher for telling everybody his wife banged the Coach. The father was OK until he cheated on his wife.

The Good: The video quality was very good, the views of the cities were amazing. The sets and locations were outstanding and there was no need to hide the monsters in shadows.

The fight scenes with the monsters were boring. At no point did I think these were bad-ass monster hunters. I am not sure why there had monsters in the show if they were going to spend the majority of the episodes covering typical high school shenanigans with just the smallest amount of supernatural hijinks sprinkled in.

It made no sense that a janitor would let a student have access to their own private room because the student can get them food from the school cafeteria. A janitor should be able to get as much food as they want, anytime they want from the school cafeteria. Then Viv gets in trouble for being in that room and they didn't even bother to show us that happening (I thought I might have fallen asleep and missed something).

Not having younger characters play the older characters was a mistake. Fred's father looked like he was about dead from when Fred was a young kid, all the way to the end. Fred and Deloris didn't look the same age. I thought Fred hated his father since the time he left the house and married Deloris, but he is hanging out with his mother and father long after that. Did they ever have a real falling out? I thought the kids hadn't ever met their grandparents from all the mean things they were saying during the car ride to the house, but they used to babysit them.

Don't make all the characters in the TV show so horrible that when the bad guys threaten to blow up the town at the end, I am saying "Good! They deserve it!".

What would have made me like the show? I think they had too much plot, they rushed so far so fast I never got to know or like any of the characters. I think they went through about 3 seasons worth of plot. I would have been happy with the parents doing bad-ass monster hunting, while their kids were starting to realize that they are not like the other kids, while at the same time starting to realize that their parents are not like normal parents. My favorite scene was Viv during the seance because that was the type of stuff I thought the show was going to be like. Spooky, creepy, scary stuff. The only other scene that came close was Deloris and Fred's first monster kill.

Agreed on all counts - I was looking this up because I'm in episode 3 and wondering if I should bother - loved the first episode but when Fred cheated on D and there seemed to be no reason at all I figured there will be shallow character development - also typical cowardly sleezy men with the women being the real heroes - I love strong female characters as long as they don't create the anti-male stereotype to create that instead of good writing.

[ShellsandCheese]

On 1/24/2020 at 10:54 PM, AnimeMania said:

Fred and Deloris didn't look the same age.

Interestingly enough, the actors who play Fred and Deloris are actually the same age - almost exactly the same age. Tamara Taylor (Deloris) is just one month older than J. C. MacKenzie (Fred). 

I enjoyed the show and I think I'm in the minority but it was the kids (all of them) who drove me nuts. They were such walking and talking cliches. 

[Straycat80]

I didn’t think this was so bad but I wouldn’t watch a second season. And it reminded me of Grim.  The casting was odd, the teens all looked like they were in their mid to late twenties. Fred looked older than his mother. 
I liked the first few episodes but it went downhill fast after it was revealed that Fred was banging Hannah. And then it moved so fast and everything was rushed, especially in the last episode. I wish they had explained some things. Of course I might have missed it but I never understood why Sam was being held hostage by the Presidio and what was the story with the mute guy with the flashlight in his eye. 

[peachmangosteen]

21 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

The casting was odd, the teens all looked like they were in their mid to late twenties. 

I normally don't have a big issue with the fact that 20-somethings get cast as teens but for some reason Viv and, especially, Phillip's casting in this drove me nuts. Phillip looks like he could easily be 40 years old for fuck's sake! The rest of them didn't bother me though.

Quote

Fred looked older than his mother. 

The Fred actor looks older than he is and his wife and mother look younger than they are. I thought the guy playing Fred was David Lynch lol.

Quote

I liked the first few episodes but it went downhill fast after it was revealed that Fred was banging Hannah. And then it moved so fast and everything was rushed, especially in the last episode.

Same. I really enjoyed the first half but it went downhill fast and then the finale was so rushed and honestly made very little sense to me. And yea, I hated that Fred was cheating. It made no sense.

Quote

Of course I might have missed it but I never understood why Sam was being held hostage by the Presidio and what was the story with the mute guy with the flashlight in his eye. 

I think they were holding Sam because somehow they had an idea about 'mute guy with flashlight' (I'm rolling over this!) but they wanted Sam to tell them what was up with him. I think. Maybe. And apparently mute guy with flashlight was some serial killer that Sam put the dead son's (Seth?) soul into.

I never understood why the show was October Faction. I think the description says the people Fred/Delores worked for are called October Faction but they're called Presidio so I'm confused.

[non sequitur]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:28 PM, peachmangosteen said:

I hated that Fred was cheating. It made no sense.

This made zero sense and didn't fit the character or story at all. And nothing about it was explained.

The reveal about host bodies was so stupid.  Most of the 'teens' were extremely annoying and everything we have seen a thousand times before.

Moshe was more interesting than Fred towards the end.

[Chaos Theory]

This had potential but it was too rushed to get to the hey our kids are monsters reveal and even that was rushed over.

if anything this was just too....rushed.  A lot of good story ideas that could have taken two three episodes to develop rushed over to the next story.  

plus the humans are the real monsters trope (ick stop making me use the word “trope” shows) is boring.  
 

I didn’t mind Fred cheating of Deloris because I thought it made sense for the plot. He was a weary tired weak man.   The show made a point several times saying that no one thought either Fred or Deloris were built for the world they lived in.   They might have been right about Fred.   It also explains why he might look older then his wife and even his mother. Deloris on the other hand excelled at it.?   
 

I will say it again I liked the deputy lady and I wish one of the stories that went on longer was her investigation into The Allen family.  That could have been an interesting way to show how deep and dirty a dive the two of them did into darkness.   
 

I don’t have much to say about the kids.  I mostly stopped paying attention to them around episode 5.  Except that Being angry at your parents for lying is one thing.  Actively searching out a monster that has been stalking you and on your property and then hiding it is a whole other level of stupid annoying teenage behavior l.  

Edited February 7, 2020 by Chaos Theory

[treasaigh]

So I binged this over the weekend.  It wasn't good.  It wasn't bad.  It was... okay.  Just okay.

Generally I'm a forgiving viewer.  I'll let a lot of stuff slide.  So I didn't mind too much the fast pace.

I do think they did a disservice by not making it clear if Fred and Deloris should have had any suspicion that the Presidio was "evil".   Every time we saw Fred and Deloris fighting "monsters" they had killed someone or they were trying to kill someone.  I totally agree with the killing in the supermarket.  That guy had killed and hung up a guy on a meat hook.

At the end it was clear they were at the massacre and while they tried to help, it's not enough.  They knew they were sent in to kill children.  For two people (or maybe just Deloris) who wanted children that seems like the point where they should have taken the babies and ran.  Not run all over the world killing monsters. 

Either that or they should have shown us why after that they stayed because it in some way protected the children.

I actually like Deloris except that she seems to blindly kill. 

The kids didn't bother me too much.  I liked Viv more than Geoff.  Geoff got on my nerves at times. 

The kumbaya family at the end was a little bit too much too soon for me.  Then again they are all killers so maybe they all see a little bit of themselves in each other?  Who knows.  Maybe making Fred and Deloris relive all the deaths was supposed to be a bigger influence on their decision making that it seemed?

I'm going to guess that Fred's cheating will be a factor in season 2.  Otherwise there is absolutely no reason for it to be included here.  It meant nothing to the plot, and not enough to Fred's character.  I'm expecting a woman scorned plot for season 2.  If it happens.  There's no buzz here so I'm not optimistic about it's chances.

The "twist" of the humans are the monsters and that Alice was their mother was so obvious I fast forwarded through most of that episode.  Annoyed.

I want to know how the grandmother is okay with warlocks as grandkids.  Presidio
knows the kids are warlocks.  So obviously the grandparents, or at least Maggie does.  Am I supposed to assume that just because she saw them as they were growing up, she's going to let them slide?

I hate that they brought back the brother and now he's supposed to be a good guy.  He's NOT a good guy.  There better be something in season 2 to fix that.  Maybe he's been in hell this whole time and has truly repented for his crimes.  Something.

So why would I watch a season 2 if it came out?  I've watched stupider stuff.  I think there is the possibility of a fun family demon bad guy hunters show here.  I actually like Deloris if I forget that she participated in the killing of families, which must have included children, and didn't go on the run after that.  I like that they didn't drag the reveal about the affair out and make it some huge secret.  Fred clearly chooses his family, which includes Deloris.  So he's totally coming back.  As a "monster" if I had to guess.  I don't hate the kids which is a surprise for me.  I usually hate the kids.  I don't love them, but now that, hopefully, the angst is over they can focus on being awesome warlocks.

[phoenics]

I'd watch another season.  Agreed on Fred looking way too old - they went from a totally HOT young Fred to present day Fred who looks like he could be his wife's much older father.  Just bad casting.

I liked other aspects though - but how fast the kids turned on their parents was weird.  Also - is Fred dead?  I honestly wouldn't mind if he was - current Fred seemed such a far cry from young Fred - that Fred I could never see cheating on his wife.  

Speaking of which - that made ZERO sense.  First of all - what the hell?  Two gorgeous women fawning over HIM?!  Um, no!  If anything, Delores should've had men falling at her feet - sista still looks like she's in her 30s while Fred looks like he's pushing 65 or 70.  So all he really had going for me as a viewer was his devotion to his wife and family and maybe a weird, quirky dorkiness.  But they made him cheat - wtf?

I didn't mind the kids at all and enjoyed them after a point.  The son I actually liked the most - he was refreshing.  It was Viv who kinda annoyed me a bit with her panicking at all the wrong moments - get it together Viv!

I binged this all in a day so maybe that didn't give me enough time to dwell on stuff much.  I'd watch another season.

[chelsie]

The thing that bothered me other than the poor pacing was the twins lack of reaction. I mean you get told you’re warlocks and your parents aren’t your biological parents and you act like everything is normal and have no emotional conflict? Lol.

i didn’t really bat an eyelash at the casting age.. or question whether they could be in high school. 

[ChelleGame]

On 2/4/2020 at 4:28 PM, peachmangosteen said:

Phillip looks like he could easily be 40 years old for fuck's sake! The rest of them didn't bother me though.

That threw me out every time he appeared on screen. My husband walked in on the kiss between Philip and the twin and was horrified that a teacher was kissing a student in front of the whole school. I had to explain.

[DigitalCount]

Well, I liked it a lot, more at the end than the beginning. I do think there were a lot of things that got glossed over, such as the fact that Alice is nuts every time we see her--she makes nice mouth noises about how she just wants peace and she only wanted to hurt Fred and Dee, but she kills humans and monsters alike in a seemingly wanton fashion. And it's not like the show doesn't know this; they had her slip in how she was with a group of monsters for a while, and then even they thought she was a nutjob. She was imprisoned in some sort of green hellscape, what's that about?

I appreciated the interracial relationships on this show, though I get that both of them were largely plot driven. But they didn't have to be and yet they were anyway, so props for that. What I didn't appreciate was a Caucasian man cheating on his African American wife with a Caucasian woman, seemingly for nothing as far as plot or character. It didn't cause Dee to falter in relying on him so that it was, for example, his fault that the kids were in danger from Presidio or being taken by Alice. It was just a thing to do so that Hannah would have a reason to go equally nuts (for Fred btw, which, I mean, he's not a bad looking guy, but honestly? Nah).

I do feel like they burned through a lot of stuff while also not going as far as they should have with what they did have. Did Edith need to die and Maggie take over already? No. That's, like, a series finale development. Was it weird that Fred didn't show back up to save Geoff and Viv despite much being made of it? Yes, I think so. I guess they want to do something slower with that process. It was just odd. Also odd: Seth being Deadshot. Basically a nonstarter this season.

Anyway I'm rambling now, so I'll just end by saying I'm looking forward to S2, but less so than I was at, say, episode 6 or 7.

[Quark]

This show started off well, but went off the rails. 

Overall, I'm not very impressed, but it helps that I love Tamara Taylor. She has so much charisma.