19 reviews
- waitandhope
- Aug 12, 2018
- Permalink
Certainly this series has issues. The acting is patchy, but in some parts truly outstanding. The weekly stories could be a bit repetitive, though several were excellent; unpredictable, imaginative, and gripping. The production values are low, quite budget, and again, at many times this did not detract from the good writing. At times, the dialogue was laugh out loud funny, and at others rather perceptive and insightful.
I certainly got a lot out of watching this. I watched the first season on Amazon, and would like to watch more. It appears not to be available in form anywhere.
It is not 10* as several reviews say, they must be crew as they have made no other reviews.
Give it a go, watch 3/4 episodes and hopefully you will enjoy some pretty good TV.
I certainly got a lot out of watching this. I watched the first season on Amazon, and would like to watch more. It appears not to be available in form anywhere.
It is not 10* as several reviews say, they must be crew as they have made no other reviews.
Give it a go, watch 3/4 episodes and hopefully you will enjoy some pretty good TV.
- stormy_daze
- Dec 26, 2010
- Permalink
I cannot say less, at the beginning I didn't want to watch it, I thought: "another mix of gore and mystery with nothing good to make you think" (something like millennium) But finally I found at least three good reasons because the Collector it's one of the best shows 1- Unpredictable: from the first episode you'll never know when there's a "happy ending", the stories are very dark but there's no use of unnecessary violence, everything has a reason. 2- Deep: "The collector" it's not an "easy to watch show", there's always a message to think, some lesson, reflection about life and the way we live. 3- Epic: "the collector" talks about the inner war, I mean: the battle between light and darkness of every human being, for their own private desires, the price to make the dreams come true specially when we destroy the life of other people. The stories have a lot of symbols, lot of fantasy but the way the producers use it end in a very realistic message.
More reason: the acting it's good, the specially effects, and as I said in the first point: This is the kind of show where the producer don't have fear to make the necessary changes to make the stories better, so it's very unpredictable. It's not the kind of show about mysteries: you know from the beginning the rules of the main story but as the season goes you are gonna find the details, the true reasons a secrets of every character, everything from the autistic boy to the past of Morgan has a reason, and that make this a better far better than many things we usually find in the TV.
More reason: the acting it's good, the specially effects, and as I said in the first point: This is the kind of show where the producer don't have fear to make the necessary changes to make the stories better, so it's very unpredictable. It's not the kind of show about mysteries: you know from the beginning the rules of the main story but as the season goes you are gonna find the details, the true reasons a secrets of every character, everything from the autistic boy to the past of Morgan has a reason, and that make this a better far better than many things we usually find in the TV.
- Freemheart
- Sep 8, 2007
- Permalink
I've watched both seasons of The Collector. I must say that I do like the series.
The only thing I don't like is the constant replaying of the same scenes of his past over and over again. I would say they took about 15 minutes worth of footage and used it to fill in about an hour or two worth of playtime throughout the 2 seasons.
I really like the diversity of characters they bring into each episode, including the ever changing Devil. Some characters you find you want to be saved and others you just wish Morgan would push the button and send them to hell.
I won't say what happened to Jeri Slate, but I definitely didn't expect what did happen to happen. You'll just have to watch to find out. :) Definitely give it a chance, I think most people will enjoy it. It's not quite as fast paced as most American TV shows, which is good and bad, but instead keeps it's own unique pace.
The only thing I don't like is the constant replaying of the same scenes of his past over and over again. I would say they took about 15 minutes worth of footage and used it to fill in about an hour or two worth of playtime throughout the 2 seasons.
I really like the diversity of characters they bring into each episode, including the ever changing Devil. Some characters you find you want to be saved and others you just wish Morgan would push the button and send them to hell.
I won't say what happened to Jeri Slate, but I definitely didn't expect what did happen to happen. You'll just have to watch to find out. :) Definitely give it a chance, I think most people will enjoy it. It's not quite as fast paced as most American TV shows, which is good and bad, but instead keeps it's own unique pace.
The scripts are appalling as are the actors. I guess it's hard to act when you haven't been given anything worth saying.
The scenery is cheap and frankly unbelievable. It's done to a budget suitable for a cheap children's show about ducks.
Frankly how anyone could vote this as 10 amazes me. It's plastic drivel for those of limited demands.
I think it was good that these actors had work but it's a shame that the director and scriptwriters didn't attend.
I would suggest that you don't waste your time. Don't look for any depth as there isn't any.
The scenery is cheap and frankly unbelievable. It's done to a budget suitable for a cheap children's show about ducks.
Frankly how anyone could vote this as 10 amazes me. It's plastic drivel for those of limited demands.
I think it was good that these actors had work but it's a shame that the director and scriptwriters didn't attend.
I would suggest that you don't waste your time. Don't look for any depth as there isn't any.
- jonnithomas
- Oct 27, 2015
- Permalink
I'm glad to see such an exciting, innovative and yet accessible television series produced here in Canada. The character of Morgan Pym, the slow revelation of his past, the evolution of the mysteries that exist in his present (especially with the boy Gabe) are all deliciously well wrought. The guest stars are varied and fascinating, allowing each episode to have a fresh and intriguing spin, while the long term story arcs keep the viewer coming back week after week. I like the mix of drama and occasional dark comedy, and the cynical humor of the devil, which remains consistent whether he appears in the form of a skateboarding kid or a ventriloquist's dummy. A show made in Canada, but not strictly specialized to appeal to only Canadian tastes, the themes and stories are universal. This one's for keeps.
- MagnumOpie
- Mar 13, 2005
- Permalink
Wow! The first time I saw it was last year and I thought it was intense. I have been following as regularly as I can and I thought it was incredible as time went on. The way the devil has a different face is really good and the way it goes back in Morgan's life is helpful to new watchers who may be confused as to why he's not dying. There are some really good morals in it too. Morgan meets people who think that hey're helpless and tries as best as he can to help them find their redemption. Most of the time he does help them in the end but the devil is very tricky and usually turns up to throw a wrench in Morgan's plans. This is an amazing show all in all and the characters are great!
I really like this TV show. When compared to most of the refuse that populates TV land these days, this show is refreshing, fun, poignant and very engaging. I cannot wait until the new season starts. I like the premise of the show, the cast, the plot/storyline and the production. I hope this show has a good run. What I find interesting, is that the actors that impersonate the devil are dead on...and very well chosen for that part. You never really know what the devil will look like in any episode. For those that think that this is just a campy and light show, pay more attention to the content. It deals with very heady topics like addiction, prostitution, violence, greed etc. and all other kinds of vices, to which people succumb and become such enticing prey for the devil. Chris Kramer's character, Morgan Pym, symbolizes the eternal desire of man for understanding and boundless love as well as a never ending search for redemption. All I can say is that The Collector is excellent. A viewing pleasure...more please!
When I first saw the trailers for this series I was concerned that it was going to be incredibly clichéd, but I'm impressed so far by the way that it keeps you guessing - you can't work out how an episode is going to end just by watching the first 10 minutes, and it doesn't always automatically have happy endings.
The only complaint I would have is that the acting standards are a little variable. The regular cast are great (and Chris Kramer is incredibly good looking), but some of the weekly guests have been over-the-top.
We're way behind on this - only halfway through Season 1. I came in to check if this went on to further seasons. Glad to see that it did.
The only complaint I would have is that the acting standards are a little variable. The regular cast are great (and Chris Kramer is incredibly good looking), but some of the weekly guests have been over-the-top.
We're way behind on this - only halfway through Season 1. I came in to check if this went on to further seasons. Glad to see that it did.
There is so much crap on TV, too many reality shows, bad sitcom shows.
But this show is like no other, it stands out with it's interesting story about a collector of the devil who tries to save the souls of the people who made deal with the devil.
The collector in this show is limited to one city, he can't tell anyone about what he do or else that person will go to hell if he know about it.
Also every person who made a deal with the devil can't tell anyone about his deal or he will go to hell with the person he told about the deal.
I still don't fully understand but apparently that kid Gabe knows about the collector and he can see the devil and has something to do with the redemption of the collector himself.
The show is not confined to one set and in every episode you see a new place and new guest stars.
Highly recommended.
But this show is like no other, it stands out with it's interesting story about a collector of the devil who tries to save the souls of the people who made deal with the devil.
The collector in this show is limited to one city, he can't tell anyone about what he do or else that person will go to hell if he know about it.
Also every person who made a deal with the devil can't tell anyone about his deal or he will go to hell with the person he told about the deal.
I still don't fully understand but apparently that kid Gabe knows about the collector and he can see the devil and has something to do with the redemption of the collector himself.
The show is not confined to one set and in every episode you see a new place and new guest stars.
Highly recommended.
In Argentina we have seen many Americans shows, but really lately the Canadians don't have nothing that envy to the Americans. Example this is The Collector, for many years we don't see a show like this, so amazing, so entertainer, please we don't let us shutout the collector. We need him, we need Morgan Pym.
The performances are really good, the scrip is fantastic, the performance of Chris Kramer is wonderful, we can't imagine someone else.
The boy, Aidan, the autistic boy, his job is extraordinary.
Maya is just who Morgan needs.
The performances are really good, the scrip is fantastic, the performance of Chris Kramer is wonderful, we can't imagine someone else.
The boy, Aidan, the autistic boy, his job is extraordinary.
Maya is just who Morgan needs.
- aliciagayol
- Aug 16, 2006
- Permalink
The Collector is a great TV series. Well, for me in my own opinion.
I liked the TV series though it has a slow pace and has nowhere to go. I guess they did it on purpose. But the thing is if there are more to the series they should have at least prepared a script for a whole season at a fast pace because most of the 1st season of many TV series has this one just to introduce the main story of the series.
Another thing is I hate the flashbacks which is played all over again and again and again. I know they do this specially when the main character always tells something about his past but they don't really have to do the flashbacks a simple short conversation of the main character about his past would do.
And oh by the way I said it was kinda slow because most of it are repetitive which has really got nowhere to go. And now i'm repetitively saying this over again...(lol) The good news is that the ending isn't that predictable because you wouldn't know if his clients are redeemed or not and there are some twists about this boy Gabe... and it will uncover a little more as the episodes progresses.
I would recommend for you to watch it and you'll be in for a great surprise, then judge it for yourself. You'll never regret it though.
I liked the TV series though it has a slow pace and has nowhere to go. I guess they did it on purpose. But the thing is if there are more to the series they should have at least prepared a script for a whole season at a fast pace because most of the 1st season of many TV series has this one just to introduce the main story of the series.
Another thing is I hate the flashbacks which is played all over again and again and again. I know they do this specially when the main character always tells something about his past but they don't really have to do the flashbacks a simple short conversation of the main character about his past would do.
And oh by the way I said it was kinda slow because most of it are repetitive which has really got nowhere to go. And now i'm repetitively saying this over again...(lol) The good news is that the ending isn't that predictable because you wouldn't know if his clients are redeemed or not and there are some twists about this boy Gabe... and it will uncover a little more as the episodes progresses.
I would recommend for you to watch it and you'll be in for a great surprise, then judge it for yourself. You'll never regret it though.
I found the Canadian show this year, and i really loved the first time i saw it, first i thought it was a movie, but it isn't. It was actually one of the most dark shows and it's almost in the same level of Spawn. The character of Morgan Pym, it's one of my favorite characters ever, close to solid snake, because he's tough but out of clichés, the guy also have feelings inside, which is actually good. Chris Kramer put the skills on this, he's a great actor.
The other characters have deep questions like: i need a life, how can be good for something. The guest stars are wonderful, with a lot of conflicts and problems. The themes are excellent very dark, themes like: alcohol, murder, incest, mental illness, money, and on and on. You can see there is some silent hill elements on this series, silent hill the game of course, not the movie.
In some way this series is put solid snake on silent hill town and some Spawn spots, brilliant combination.
Finally there is an evil agent in all this, very interesting, and with different faces all the time. The main theme is excellent: "you are good but you are working with the evil". The twist of the stories are very well done, you really can open your mouth really wide when you see the ending of the episode.
If you want horror, action and dark places, The collector, it's your best choice.
The other characters have deep questions like: i need a life, how can be good for something. The guest stars are wonderful, with a lot of conflicts and problems. The themes are excellent very dark, themes like: alcohol, murder, incest, mental illness, money, and on and on. You can see there is some silent hill elements on this series, silent hill the game of course, not the movie.
In some way this series is put solid snake on silent hill town and some Spawn spots, brilliant combination.
Finally there is an evil agent in all this, very interesting, and with different faces all the time. The main theme is excellent: "you are good but you are working with the evil". The twist of the stories are very well done, you really can open your mouth really wide when you see the ending of the episode.
If you want horror, action and dark places, The collector, it's your best choice.
- videotvguy
- Jun 25, 2006
- Permalink
This a rare kind of show, because most genre TV tends not to stray too far from the action-adventure template that usually makes it lucrative, and it shows because it got canceled after three seasons and way too soon in my opinion because this is an excellent supernatural drama, emphasis on "drama".
The premise goes thusly: In the 13th century, at the onset of the Black Plague, a young monk named Morgan Pym (Chris Kramer) is tricked by the Devil into selling his soul to him, in exchange for not going to hell after the 10 year contract has expired, Morgan is tasked with collecting the souls of other people who dealt with the Devil after their 10 years of enjoying the outcome of the deal are up, and is effectively immortal.
However, at the beginning of the new millennium, after meeting with a junkie named Maya (Carly Pope/Sonya Salomaa) and nursing her back to health, he rediscovers his desire to help people and manages to persuade the Devil to allow him a 48 hour window to help find redemption for the people who dealt before their time is up and their souls are sent to hell.
Unfortunately not only is the Devil constantly throwing curveballs in Morgan's direction to distract him and impede his progress in saving souls, but intrepid journalist Jeri Slate (Ellen Dubin) begins to suspect Morgan of being trouble due to him being in the vicinity of several high-profile deaths (from his job as a collector) and serves as a constant annoyance and an impediment to his progress, all the while her autistic son Gabriel (Aidan Drummond) has an unexplained connection to the Devil, Morgan and the people he's trying to save.
If the show seems very formulaic to you, Morgan has 48 hours to save someone before they go to hell, many episodes do something to shake up the formula, the most common method being Morgan failing to save the person from going to hell, as such the show never loses its tension due to a 100% success rating on the part of the main character. Also the running B plot of Maya trying to stay sober and the C plot of Jeri trying to figure out who Morgan is while struggling to care for Gabriel, may seem out of place in a show like this but are always amazingly written and performed by the cast and never feel like they don't belong given the dramatic and mature nature of the series.
And speaking of which, this is not an action series like Buffy or Angel or Supernatural, there are no monsters of the week and Morgan rarely fights something and every time he does we know he won't die since so long as he continues to be a collector (even if he's actively sabotaging his job), he's completely immortal and heals almost immediately from any wound. This is a drama, and the climax usually involves people talking rather than people fighting (even though sometimes fighting happens anyway). If this sounds boring to you then I don't recommend but if you would like your genre TV with more drama and less action then the Collector is the show for you. Just keep in mind that it was canceled before all of its story arcs were resolved so you won't be (crushingly) disappointed once its over and it's really the only thing stopping me from giving it a 10.
The show is only available in its entirety on Amazon Prime, as the third season never got a proper home video release, so if you don't have an Amazon Prime subscription yet, this show (and The Man in the High Castle as well) makes it worth it on its own.
9/10 (Excellent)
The premise goes thusly: In the 13th century, at the onset of the Black Plague, a young monk named Morgan Pym (Chris Kramer) is tricked by the Devil into selling his soul to him, in exchange for not going to hell after the 10 year contract has expired, Morgan is tasked with collecting the souls of other people who dealt with the Devil after their 10 years of enjoying the outcome of the deal are up, and is effectively immortal.
However, at the beginning of the new millennium, after meeting with a junkie named Maya (Carly Pope/Sonya Salomaa) and nursing her back to health, he rediscovers his desire to help people and manages to persuade the Devil to allow him a 48 hour window to help find redemption for the people who dealt before their time is up and their souls are sent to hell.
Unfortunately not only is the Devil constantly throwing curveballs in Morgan's direction to distract him and impede his progress in saving souls, but intrepid journalist Jeri Slate (Ellen Dubin) begins to suspect Morgan of being trouble due to him being in the vicinity of several high-profile deaths (from his job as a collector) and serves as a constant annoyance and an impediment to his progress, all the while her autistic son Gabriel (Aidan Drummond) has an unexplained connection to the Devil, Morgan and the people he's trying to save.
If the show seems very formulaic to you, Morgan has 48 hours to save someone before they go to hell, many episodes do something to shake up the formula, the most common method being Morgan failing to save the person from going to hell, as such the show never loses its tension due to a 100% success rating on the part of the main character. Also the running B plot of Maya trying to stay sober and the C plot of Jeri trying to figure out who Morgan is while struggling to care for Gabriel, may seem out of place in a show like this but are always amazingly written and performed by the cast and never feel like they don't belong given the dramatic and mature nature of the series.
And speaking of which, this is not an action series like Buffy or Angel or Supernatural, there are no monsters of the week and Morgan rarely fights something and every time he does we know he won't die since so long as he continues to be a collector (even if he's actively sabotaging his job), he's completely immortal and heals almost immediately from any wound. This is a drama, and the climax usually involves people talking rather than people fighting (even though sometimes fighting happens anyway). If this sounds boring to you then I don't recommend but if you would like your genre TV with more drama and less action then the Collector is the show for you. Just keep in mind that it was canceled before all of its story arcs were resolved so you won't be (crushingly) disappointed once its over and it's really the only thing stopping me from giving it a 10.
The show is only available in its entirety on Amazon Prime, as the third season never got a proper home video release, so if you don't have an Amazon Prime subscription yet, this show (and The Man in the High Castle as well) makes it worth it on its own.
9/10 (Excellent)
- maertyonboard
- Mar 17, 2016
- Permalink
The only bad thing I can find to say about this show is the way it was cut after only 3 seasons and now seems to be totally unavailable on either DVD or Blu-ray unless you are prepared to buy a set in poor quality DVD-R format, which is a real shame as I for one would immediately buy a Blu-ray series of this if it were done properly.
The premise is well covered in these reviews already, so I will not add to the clutter except to point out the absurdity of it not being legally available to buy and forcing people to buy from, shall we say, "unofficial" sources?
Highly recommended if you can find it.
The premise is well covered in these reviews already, so I will not add to the clutter except to point out the absurdity of it not being legally available to buy and forcing people to buy from, shall we say, "unofficial" sources?
Highly recommended if you can find it.
- neilwilkes-46501
- Apr 11, 2020
- Permalink
I really have become a "Collector groupie". I love the show and can't wait to see the next episode. I will watch reruns consistently. I did not get to see the beginning though, but have found out some of the details through the back flashes.I have only found the show this year and wish I had seen it in the beginning.Please someone help this confused viewer!! I am having a problem though! I know that Gabe fits into the picture, but HOW!I guess I am not the sharpest tack in the box, but I just can't get it!! I think that we as Canadians can sure be proud of some of shows put out.I hope someone out there can clear up Gabe's role in the show and hope that the series continues for a long time. Thanks everyone for your time. Sign me as confused!
- jeremyscottdunne
- Sep 20, 2024
- Permalink
Okay, I admit, I only saw one episode of this so I'm not exactly an expert but in my opinion this show is a mess. The story behind it is interesting, more or less original and has a lot of potential for a fresh looking, dark and good TV series. It has room for complex characters, and a brooding-like struggle for the main character Morgan. But in The Collector all this potential is wasted on a sloppy script, bad acting, and a generally poor look. The characters, as well as the main one are pretty much flat and the episode itself very predictable. Maybe I just saw a bad episode, but I have a feeling that I can watch the rest of them and not have a pleasant surprise to see I'm wrong. Which is too bad, because it could've been a good show.
- TooCynicalToSpeak
- Nov 26, 2004
- Permalink