Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2015-11-02 06:24 pm
matt_zimmer) wrote2015-11-02 06:24 pm
Doctor Who "Invasion Of The Zygons" Review (Major Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Flash and Arrow, the premiere of Supergirl, and the latest episodes of Gotham, iZombie, Be Cool Scooby Doo!, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, Star Wars Rebels, Once Upon A Time, The Muppets, and The Simpsons. We'll also be playing a bit of catch up part of the latter half of season 3 of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Doctor Who "Invasion Of The Zygons"
I love the idea of Osgood as the embodiment of peace. Her benevolence shines through in everything she does. That is precisely why her death last season rankled me as much as it did. I liked her pointing out that the Doctor doesn't wear question marks anymore. The character became kind of gimmicky by the 1970's and turned into a bit of a cartoon until the TV movie and then the relaunch. I love Twelve claiming he has question mark underwear. It's b.s. but I like to pretend it is true.
That ending right there is exactly why a peace settlement treaty with the Zygons was as ill-advised as it was. As much as I am rooting for Hybrid Osgood's mission to be successful, peace with the Zygons is such a bad idea because it is not a level playing field. It's sort of like the Federation refusing to use cloaking devices on Star Trek, only more detrimental.
I love the clips from The Day Of The Doctor at the beginning. I am glad that the show is no longer afraid to acknowledge the David Tennant era of the show. That was the most infuriating thing about seasons 5-7 and that's not a problem anymore. Good.
I wish the episode were funnier, just because Osgood works better when she is silly and lovable. But I love her refusing to state her species. I think she's human too. Don't ask me why, I just do. I also predict we won't learn next week.
Huge episode. ****1/2.
The Flash "The Fury Of Firestorm"
That was cool.
Loved the shark dude and I especially love the idea of a Harrison Welles from Earth 2 who isn't necessarily Eobard Thawne. Because that means that AGAIN we don't know whether to trust him or not. I can't wait for that.
And Wally's coming! I have to say I adore how protective Iris is being of Joe, especially because the entire situation had been eating him up so much. I think she realized he was hurting more than she was and became the de facto parent in that scenario. Which is really cool.
Legends Of Tomorrow Watch: We have our new Firestorm.
I really enjoyed this. ****.
Arrow "Beyond Redemption"
Worth the wait. Love it.
Over the course of three seasons Oliver Queen has been doing his d*mndest to earn the respect and admiration of Quentin Lance, and make up to him all of the wrongs he's committed against his family. And Quentin has made it a nightmare for him. I don't blame him exactly, but at a certain point towards the end of season three, I kind of wanted Oliver to tell him to go f*** himself. But, as Oliver notes tonight, he can't do that, because Lance is actually right about his superiority. It may be uncool to throw how much better of a person he is than Oliver in Oliver's face all the time, but it doesn't stop it from being true. He's always had the high ground. Even when he was dead-wrong.
And I love that Oliver points all this out and says that Quentin's claims of the high ground are now gone. When Quentin tries to drag Sara into it I was alarmed and amazed that Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs at him that he's always held his daughters over his head. And he doesn't get to do it this time. And I punched the air at Oliver's righteous fury. What is interesting me in this moment is the potential for what happens next. Oliver spent the first three seasons of the show trying to work his way back into Quentin's good graces. Wouldn't it be a hoot if it is now Quentin who has to try to repair things for the rest of the season? Oliver has always tried to be a man to make Quentin proud. Wouldn't it be awesome if now Quentin has to do the exact same thing for Oliver?
I am a bit alarmed that only Felicity is openly supportive of Oliver's run for mayor. It's a great idea, simply because he's the only guy who could survive the job. And I think all of the snark at his expense was misplaced. He needed the support of his friends in that moment and they were looking at him as if he were crazy. If it were a bad idea, it would be one thing, but this is one of the best ideas Oliver has ever had. Which is exactly why Felicity is as awesome as she is.
Constantine next week. Part of me hopes they wrap up a LITTLE of his show, but the other part knows it's unnecessary. He is the perfect character to "fix" Sara.
Legends Of Tomorrow Watch: Sara is back from the dead and chained up in the basement. Ray Palmer's last audio recording is heard, but we don't quite hear the entire thing. Speculation: the recording is the thing that tells Felicity that he is stuck in subatomic mode and not actually dead.
I was super happy to see Oliver kick Lance's teeth in like that. It was a long time coming and did not disappoint. *****.
Supergirl "Pilot"
It was all right. I wasn't expecting much better than Smallville, just based on the stunt casting, but this got a lot of information across to the viewer in 45 minutes. One of the shortest origin stories I've seen, but I like that we got the cape earlier on than we might have.
Calista Flockhart looks absolutely ghastly. A cross between Skeletor and Joan Rivers. When she called herself hot I shuddered in revulsion.
This looks to be a lot more mythology heavy than Smallville was during it's first season, and I think that will probably help things. Smallville's biggest fault had to do with all of the filler episodes. An actual story arc right off the bat will help.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Gotham "Rise Of The Villains: By Fire"
I have mixed feelings about Christine's death. Because while part of me loves her being heroic, and telling Nygma what a monster he is before he kills her so she dies with him knowing she hated him, I kind of feel like that isn't what really would have happened. Christine is a woman who was living with abuse for a VERY long time. I kind of think somebody in that particular situation would recognize the danger they were in and simply tell Nygma what he wanted to hear in that moment. I would think she would say anything she could to get out of the apartment and then call the police. I don't want to sound like I'm second-guessing a domestic abuse victim, even though I guess I am. It's just that since she HAS been a domestic abuse victim for so long, I think she is probably the kind of person who recognizes the danger signs. So while it is big and tragic that Nygma kills her after she says the worst things she could possibly say to him, I think in real life she would have perceived him as a threat and treated him as one much earlier on. Part of me was cheering her breaking Nygma's heart. But the other part of me wishes she could have outwitted him.
Galavan doing that to a Councilman shows that this show is a cartoon. Galavan should be wanting to protect his secret, not telling it to anybody who could reveal it if they got antsy. And he's been doing it with so many people, it's not like he could now definitively trace it back to anyone.
Butch theories: Is he square? Is he leading Penguin into a trap? I think he's telling the truth, simply because it wasn't a long enough time to break that level of brainwashing. That being said, Gotham is an all-around terrible show, so there is every possibility they will try to make me believe next week that it was. The answer is if Gotham plays fair with the audience, Butch is still Penguin's. If Gotham sucks, he's Galavan's.
Oh, the mallet? Genius. First thing Barb Kean ever did that didn't suck.
I predicted this episode would suck since last week was relatively good, and even if it WASN'T good, at least it didn't suck. It was better than I expected it to ever be. **1/2.
iZombie "Even Cowgirls Get The Black And Blues"
This show continues to raid the Once Upon A Time supporting cast. First Tinker Bell and Frankenstein and now Jiminy Cricket.
Good for Ravi and not taking the bait to high five his new girlfriend. There was no part of that that would have ended well.
One of the kids Major used to try to get off drugs making fun of him for buying from him pretty much summed how far that guy had fallen. I still don't know why Liv forgave him at the end for his earlier behavior. I'm interested to see exactly how clean he comes.
Peyton being cool with Liv made me happy. Bu her striking up a friendship with Blaine alarmed me.
All right. **1/2.
Be Cool, Scooby Doo! "Where There's A Will, There's A Wraith"
You know, for an incarnation of Scooby Doo where Scooby is supposedly less verbose than usual, he did more talking in this episode than I've ever heard him do. He even Narrated the beginning of a story.
Star Wars has got to be the easiest movie to play Charades to. Just do the lightsaber moves and you're there. I imagine Pulp Fiction is similar easy for even slightly savvy people just by doing the Batusi..
When Velma states that the group shouldn't pin their rescue hopes on her as she is the smallest, least athletic member of the group, I realized she was right. Shaggy is actually stronger than her. The real person who should be afraid on their mysteries is Velma. Instead they expect her to hold them together. That's not fair.
Pretty good. ***.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "4,722 Hours"
I was super disappointed. Even though we knew the ending I didn't expect this to be as cliched and predictable as it was. About the best I can say for it is that Fitz is every bit as awesome of a friend at the end as he should be. Otherwise, I wish we had gotten a different episode. *.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors "Contest Of Champions, Part Four"
Wow, when did the Collector turn into such a major league wuss? After last week's gamechanger, I gotta say I'm disappointed. While it was good to see May and Peter comparing notes we didn't get any fall-out from Flash finding out, which was the bigger deal in my mind. A disappointment. **1/2.
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy "Undercover Angle"
Passable, but this show hasn't wowed me yet. ***1/2.
Star Wars Rebels "Always Two There Are"
I was mostly bored with this but it was cool that the writers gave Zeb the win for once. They keep trying to build him up as this total bad@$$ and then have him get punked in his every appearance. This helped gain him credibility. ***.
Once Upon A Time "Dreamcatcher"
Emma is the worst mother ever. Well, maybe next to Cora. But we see that she pretty much did the next worst thing.
Gonna call b.s. on something. What happened to Daniel doesn't qualify as heartbreak enough but a kid being dumped in a diner does? C'mon, now.
Merida and Gold are getting good. Can't wait for next week.
If Emma REALLY wanted to do what's best she'd reveal that Arthur is evil. That would solve a lot of problems.
It was a bit hard for me to tell what was a flashback and what was the present. Granny's diner was screwing everything up.
Love Merlin being young and black. When he points out the borderline racism to David's surprise, David confirms he simply meant young. It was the first time race was ever brought up on the show and it was interesting.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Once Upon A Time "The Bear And The Bow"
That was perfect.
I love, love, LOVE that Rumple's price was Merida's heart. Because that was selfless. And something a hero would. Maybe Regina isn't Emma's biggest threat. Maybe it's Rumple.
I love blank slate Rumple. Because there is a desperation to the character there never has been before. When Rumple was exiled to New York he was plenty pathetic. But he still had a purpose. He was still the Dark One and had a plan to get everything back. Gold now is hanging on by a thread and has almost nothing to live for. Even Belle might not be enough. It's very interesting where the character is winding up.
I love Belle being disgusted with everyone for giving up on Rumple so easily. I mean, yeah, he HAS had a ton of chances, but he was still the Dark One. You'd figure they'd give him one now that he wasn't. I still have a hard time believing he'd be able to pull Excalibur from the stone though.
Rumple claiming he hobbled himself solely due to cowardice is interesting, but I'm not sure I fully believe it. I believe HE believes it, but he just spent the entire episode underestimating himself so he isn't a good judge of character about something like that.
The actress they got for Merida was intense. Perfect casting. Probably the scariest Disney Princess ever.
I'm glad Arthur was found out. Because there was no reason any of them should have trusted him in the first place. Henry should have been the first option. Who is Nimawa? I do not recognize the name and apparently neither does anyone else.
I love Emma tempting Zelina with a cheeseburger and onion rings. Because Emma has been in prison and knows exactly what luxuries somebody in that situation craves. Very canny.
Still, bummed that Fergus is dead in this continuity. I'll never get over that.
That was amazeballs. *****.
The Muppets "Walk The Swine"
Wow, 22 minutes of nothing but jerkish Muppets. If that's what this show is, I'm not on-board.
The show is asking me to think Fozzie is a clueless oaf for doing those sweating jokes about his girlfriend. Instead, I think he's an ahole.
And it was beyond off-putting hearing Miss Piggy talk about Hepatitus. Shouldn't she be more concerned with genital warts? Rimshot!
Good things? Bobo has an associate's degree so he uses a towel. I also like Kermit pointing out they could have built another 2 houses for as much as that ridiculous musical number cost.
I was fed up by the end of this. *.
The Simpsons "Treehouse Of Horror XXVI"
Opening: John K again! Loved it. ****1/2.
Wanted: Dead, Then Alive: Sideshow Bob in the Halloween show! Loved his rakish reactions to Bart's death farts. Gross. And Milhouse has American Girl wallpaper? Weirdo. Good. ***1/2.
Homerzilla: Weak, but before it switches to color it is not without its charms. I love that the fat fish look like Comic Book Guy, and I like the shout-out to Bambi Vs. Godzilla in Frink's death, and the Mr. Sparkle billboard. But this was the worst of the segments. **.
Telepaths Of Glory: I loved the warm and fuzzy and ending. And the return of "Everything's coming up Milhouse." Literally. ***.
Scary Names: Dan 9 From Outer Space-neta was the best one in awhile. ****.
Episode Overall: ***.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Turtles In Time"
While the fanservice-happy fanboy in me was disappointed Renet wasn't as busty, bubbly, or brainless as I was hoping, at least they did something cool in shipping her with Michaelangelo. And unlike Donnie and April and Leo and Karai, it does not seem to be one-sided. Renet seems into Mikey and they could totally hook up in the future.
The show is always better when it does the comic book inspired stories, rather than rebooting the 80's toon villains. This was a good episode. ****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Tale Of The Yokai"
Awesome episode. We got the full story and the time travel was even a predestination paradox which always makes me happy. It's not even the Turtles' episode, and except for them pulling Yoshi out of the rubble at the end (and their meeting with Tang Shen) they mostly sit back and observe. And that's cool. If they got more involved in the original of Yoshi and Saki, it wouldn't be playing fair with the canon. But I can accept things like this and am even grateful we actually got to see them.
One drawback is we didn't get to see Lord Simultaneous hilariously underwhelming true form. Maybe save that for season four.
Fabulous episode. ****1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Attack Of The Mega Shredder!"
This had a LOT going on. Perhaps too much. I think they should probably save the villain overloads for finales and mid-season two-parters. Oh well. ***.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Creeping Doom"
Giving Mikey a photographic memory is genius. Not only does it explain why Mikey is occasionally more competent than he should be, but it will probably solve a ton of problems for the Turtles down the line. And I don't think it contradicts anything. It fits. Which is the most important thing when doing something like that. Good job, writers. ****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Fourfold Trap"
I kind of feel the show is spinning its wheels and jerking us around with Karai. It shouldn't still be this much of an issue. I mean, they got Kirby back already and this should be resolved sooner rather than later too.
Loved Rocksteady loving the name Dump Of Doom. Mikey proves if you do what you love, success will follow.
I was a little tired by the end of this. **1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Dinosaur Seen In Sewers!"
The good:
Another comic book story, this time, the first appearance of a Triceraton which means we're getting Fugitoid at some point. Is Usagi Yojimbo far behind?
The Turtles hating the rip-off resolution to the cartoon they had been following. I especially love when Leo chides Mikey for still talking about the cartoon in such a serious situation, Mikey states he confirmed that that was the end of the franchise on a fansite, and Leo is actually a bit outraged. "Wait, there wasn't even a movie?" Honestly, after seeing that ending, I think Mikey totally has his priorities straight and if Leo were a little more honest with himself he'd admit that.
The bad:
I wish this version of Zog had been like the 2003 version. That version stayed loopy and sympathetic during his entire appearance in a two-parter (complete with deranged voice-over narration at the beginning of part 2) and wound up dying to save the Turtles' lives. Now, if they had done THAT he never would have signaled the Triceratons at the end, setting up a Turtles In Space arc, but I always thought Zog worked better as a forgotten casualty AFTER the invasion rather than the catalyst for the invasion itself. I liked the character better when he lovable and tragic at the same time.
But the episode was still pretty good. ***1/2.
Doctor Who "Invasion Of The Zygons"
I love the idea of Osgood as the embodiment of peace. Her benevolence shines through in everything she does. That is precisely why her death last season rankled me as much as it did. I liked her pointing out that the Doctor doesn't wear question marks anymore. The character became kind of gimmicky by the 1970's and turned into a bit of a cartoon until the TV movie and then the relaunch. I love Twelve claiming he has question mark underwear. It's b.s. but I like to pretend it is true.
That ending right there is exactly why a peace settlement treaty with the Zygons was as ill-advised as it was. As much as I am rooting for Hybrid Osgood's mission to be successful, peace with the Zygons is such a bad idea because it is not a level playing field. It's sort of like the Federation refusing to use cloaking devices on Star Trek, only more detrimental.
I love the clips from The Day Of The Doctor at the beginning. I am glad that the show is no longer afraid to acknowledge the David Tennant era of the show. That was the most infuriating thing about seasons 5-7 and that's not a problem anymore. Good.
I wish the episode were funnier, just because Osgood works better when she is silly and lovable. But I love her refusing to state her species. I think she's human too. Don't ask me why, I just do. I also predict we won't learn next week.
Huge episode. ****1/2.
The Flash "The Fury Of Firestorm"
That was cool.
Loved the shark dude and I especially love the idea of a Harrison Welles from Earth 2 who isn't necessarily Eobard Thawne. Because that means that AGAIN we don't know whether to trust him or not. I can't wait for that.
And Wally's coming! I have to say I adore how protective Iris is being of Joe, especially because the entire situation had been eating him up so much. I think she realized he was hurting more than she was and became the de facto parent in that scenario. Which is really cool.
Legends Of Tomorrow Watch: We have our new Firestorm.
I really enjoyed this. ****.
Arrow "Beyond Redemption"
Worth the wait. Love it.
Over the course of three seasons Oliver Queen has been doing his d*mndest to earn the respect and admiration of Quentin Lance, and make up to him all of the wrongs he's committed against his family. And Quentin has made it a nightmare for him. I don't blame him exactly, but at a certain point towards the end of season three, I kind of wanted Oliver to tell him to go f*** himself. But, as Oliver notes tonight, he can't do that, because Lance is actually right about his superiority. It may be uncool to throw how much better of a person he is than Oliver in Oliver's face all the time, but it doesn't stop it from being true. He's always had the high ground. Even when he was dead-wrong.
And I love that Oliver points all this out and says that Quentin's claims of the high ground are now gone. When Quentin tries to drag Sara into it I was alarmed and amazed that Oliver screamed at the top of his lungs at him that he's always held his daughters over his head. And he doesn't get to do it this time. And I punched the air at Oliver's righteous fury. What is interesting me in this moment is the potential for what happens next. Oliver spent the first three seasons of the show trying to work his way back into Quentin's good graces. Wouldn't it be a hoot if it is now Quentin who has to try to repair things for the rest of the season? Oliver has always tried to be a man to make Quentin proud. Wouldn't it be awesome if now Quentin has to do the exact same thing for Oliver?
I am a bit alarmed that only Felicity is openly supportive of Oliver's run for mayor. It's a great idea, simply because he's the only guy who could survive the job. And I think all of the snark at his expense was misplaced. He needed the support of his friends in that moment and they were looking at him as if he were crazy. If it were a bad idea, it would be one thing, but this is one of the best ideas Oliver has ever had. Which is exactly why Felicity is as awesome as she is.
Constantine next week. Part of me hopes they wrap up a LITTLE of his show, but the other part knows it's unnecessary. He is the perfect character to "fix" Sara.
Legends Of Tomorrow Watch: Sara is back from the dead and chained up in the basement. Ray Palmer's last audio recording is heard, but we don't quite hear the entire thing. Speculation: the recording is the thing that tells Felicity that he is stuck in subatomic mode and not actually dead.
I was super happy to see Oliver kick Lance's teeth in like that. It was a long time coming and did not disappoint. *****.
Supergirl "Pilot"
It was all right. I wasn't expecting much better than Smallville, just based on the stunt casting, but this got a lot of information across to the viewer in 45 minutes. One of the shortest origin stories I've seen, but I like that we got the cape earlier on than we might have.
Calista Flockhart looks absolutely ghastly. A cross between Skeletor and Joan Rivers. When she called herself hot I shuddered in revulsion.
This looks to be a lot more mythology heavy than Smallville was during it's first season, and I think that will probably help things. Smallville's biggest fault had to do with all of the filler episodes. An actual story arc right off the bat will help.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Gotham "Rise Of The Villains: By Fire"
I have mixed feelings about Christine's death. Because while part of me loves her being heroic, and telling Nygma what a monster he is before he kills her so she dies with him knowing she hated him, I kind of feel like that isn't what really would have happened. Christine is a woman who was living with abuse for a VERY long time. I kind of think somebody in that particular situation would recognize the danger they were in and simply tell Nygma what he wanted to hear in that moment. I would think she would say anything she could to get out of the apartment and then call the police. I don't want to sound like I'm second-guessing a domestic abuse victim, even though I guess I am. It's just that since she HAS been a domestic abuse victim for so long, I think she is probably the kind of person who recognizes the danger signs. So while it is big and tragic that Nygma kills her after she says the worst things she could possibly say to him, I think in real life she would have perceived him as a threat and treated him as one much earlier on. Part of me was cheering her breaking Nygma's heart. But the other part of me wishes she could have outwitted him.
Galavan doing that to a Councilman shows that this show is a cartoon. Galavan should be wanting to protect his secret, not telling it to anybody who could reveal it if they got antsy. And he's been doing it with so many people, it's not like he could now definitively trace it back to anyone.
Butch theories: Is he square? Is he leading Penguin into a trap? I think he's telling the truth, simply because it wasn't a long enough time to break that level of brainwashing. That being said, Gotham is an all-around terrible show, so there is every possibility they will try to make me believe next week that it was. The answer is if Gotham plays fair with the audience, Butch is still Penguin's. If Gotham sucks, he's Galavan's.
Oh, the mallet? Genius. First thing Barb Kean ever did that didn't suck.
I predicted this episode would suck since last week was relatively good, and even if it WASN'T good, at least it didn't suck. It was better than I expected it to ever be. **1/2.
iZombie "Even Cowgirls Get The Black And Blues"
This show continues to raid the Once Upon A Time supporting cast. First Tinker Bell and Frankenstein and now Jiminy Cricket.
Good for Ravi and not taking the bait to high five his new girlfriend. There was no part of that that would have ended well.
One of the kids Major used to try to get off drugs making fun of him for buying from him pretty much summed how far that guy had fallen. I still don't know why Liv forgave him at the end for his earlier behavior. I'm interested to see exactly how clean he comes.
Peyton being cool with Liv made me happy. Bu her striking up a friendship with Blaine alarmed me.
All right. **1/2.
Be Cool, Scooby Doo! "Where There's A Will, There's A Wraith"
You know, for an incarnation of Scooby Doo where Scooby is supposedly less verbose than usual, he did more talking in this episode than I've ever heard him do. He even Narrated the beginning of a story.
Star Wars has got to be the easiest movie to play Charades to. Just do the lightsaber moves and you're there. I imagine Pulp Fiction is similar easy for even slightly savvy people just by doing the Batusi..
When Velma states that the group shouldn't pin their rescue hopes on her as she is the smallest, least athletic member of the group, I realized she was right. Shaggy is actually stronger than her. The real person who should be afraid on their mysteries is Velma. Instead they expect her to hold them together. That's not fair.
Pretty good. ***.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "4,722 Hours"
I was super disappointed. Even though we knew the ending I didn't expect this to be as cliched and predictable as it was. About the best I can say for it is that Fitz is every bit as awesome of a friend at the end as he should be. Otherwise, I wish we had gotten a different episode. *.
Ultimate Spider-Man: Web-Warriors "Contest Of Champions, Part Four"
Wow, when did the Collector turn into such a major league wuss? After last week's gamechanger, I gotta say I'm disappointed. While it was good to see May and Peter comparing notes we didn't get any fall-out from Flash finding out, which was the bigger deal in my mind. A disappointment. **1/2.
Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy "Undercover Angle"
Passable, but this show hasn't wowed me yet. ***1/2.
Star Wars Rebels "Always Two There Are"
I was mostly bored with this but it was cool that the writers gave Zeb the win for once. They keep trying to build him up as this total bad@$$ and then have him get punked in his every appearance. This helped gain him credibility. ***.
Once Upon A Time "Dreamcatcher"
Emma is the worst mother ever. Well, maybe next to Cora. But we see that she pretty much did the next worst thing.
Gonna call b.s. on something. What happened to Daniel doesn't qualify as heartbreak enough but a kid being dumped in a diner does? C'mon, now.
Merida and Gold are getting good. Can't wait for next week.
If Emma REALLY wanted to do what's best she'd reveal that Arthur is evil. That would solve a lot of problems.
It was a bit hard for me to tell what was a flashback and what was the present. Granny's diner was screwing everything up.
Love Merlin being young and black. When he points out the borderline racism to David's surprise, David confirms he simply meant young. It was the first time race was ever brought up on the show and it was interesting.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Once Upon A Time "The Bear And The Bow"
That was perfect.
I love, love, LOVE that Rumple's price was Merida's heart. Because that was selfless. And something a hero would. Maybe Regina isn't Emma's biggest threat. Maybe it's Rumple.
I love blank slate Rumple. Because there is a desperation to the character there never has been before. When Rumple was exiled to New York he was plenty pathetic. But he still had a purpose. He was still the Dark One and had a plan to get everything back. Gold now is hanging on by a thread and has almost nothing to live for. Even Belle might not be enough. It's very interesting where the character is winding up.
I love Belle being disgusted with everyone for giving up on Rumple so easily. I mean, yeah, he HAS had a ton of chances, but he was still the Dark One. You'd figure they'd give him one now that he wasn't. I still have a hard time believing he'd be able to pull Excalibur from the stone though.
Rumple claiming he hobbled himself solely due to cowardice is interesting, but I'm not sure I fully believe it. I believe HE believes it, but he just spent the entire episode underestimating himself so he isn't a good judge of character about something like that.
The actress they got for Merida was intense. Perfect casting. Probably the scariest Disney Princess ever.
I'm glad Arthur was found out. Because there was no reason any of them should have trusted him in the first place. Henry should have been the first option. Who is Nimawa? I do not recognize the name and apparently neither does anyone else.
I love Emma tempting Zelina with a cheeseburger and onion rings. Because Emma has been in prison and knows exactly what luxuries somebody in that situation craves. Very canny.
Still, bummed that Fergus is dead in this continuity. I'll never get over that.
That was amazeballs. *****.
The Muppets "Walk The Swine"
Wow, 22 minutes of nothing but jerkish Muppets. If that's what this show is, I'm not on-board.
The show is asking me to think Fozzie is a clueless oaf for doing those sweating jokes about his girlfriend. Instead, I think he's an ahole.
And it was beyond off-putting hearing Miss Piggy talk about Hepatitus. Shouldn't she be more concerned with genital warts? Rimshot!
Good things? Bobo has an associate's degree so he uses a towel. I also like Kermit pointing out they could have built another 2 houses for as much as that ridiculous musical number cost.
I was fed up by the end of this. *.
The Simpsons "Treehouse Of Horror XXVI"
Opening: John K again! Loved it. ****1/2.
Wanted: Dead, Then Alive: Sideshow Bob in the Halloween show! Loved his rakish reactions to Bart's death farts. Gross. And Milhouse has American Girl wallpaper? Weirdo. Good. ***1/2.
Homerzilla: Weak, but before it switches to color it is not without its charms. I love that the fat fish look like Comic Book Guy, and I like the shout-out to Bambi Vs. Godzilla in Frink's death, and the Mr. Sparkle billboard. But this was the worst of the segments. **.
Telepaths Of Glory: I loved the warm and fuzzy and ending. And the return of "Everything's coming up Milhouse." Literally. ***.
Scary Names: Dan 9 From Outer Space-neta was the best one in awhile. ****.
Episode Overall: ***.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Turtles In Time"
While the fanservice-happy fanboy in me was disappointed Renet wasn't as busty, bubbly, or brainless as I was hoping, at least they did something cool in shipping her with Michaelangelo. And unlike Donnie and April and Leo and Karai, it does not seem to be one-sided. Renet seems into Mikey and they could totally hook up in the future.
The show is always better when it does the comic book inspired stories, rather than rebooting the 80's toon villains. This was a good episode. ****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Tale Of The Yokai"
Awesome episode. We got the full story and the time travel was even a predestination paradox which always makes me happy. It's not even the Turtles' episode, and except for them pulling Yoshi out of the rubble at the end (and their meeting with Tang Shen) they mostly sit back and observe. And that's cool. If they got more involved in the original of Yoshi and Saki, it wouldn't be playing fair with the canon. But I can accept things like this and am even grateful we actually got to see them.
One drawback is we didn't get to see Lord Simultaneous hilariously underwhelming true form. Maybe save that for season four.
Fabulous episode. ****1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Attack Of The Mega Shredder!"
This had a LOT going on. Perhaps too much. I think they should probably save the villain overloads for finales and mid-season two-parters. Oh well. ***.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Creeping Doom"
Giving Mikey a photographic memory is genius. Not only does it explain why Mikey is occasionally more competent than he should be, but it will probably solve a ton of problems for the Turtles down the line. And I don't think it contradicts anything. It fits. Which is the most important thing when doing something like that. Good job, writers. ****.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Fourfold Trap"
I kind of feel the show is spinning its wheels and jerking us around with Karai. It shouldn't still be this much of an issue. I mean, they got Kirby back already and this should be resolved sooner rather than later too.
Loved Rocksteady loving the name Dump Of Doom. Mikey proves if you do what you love, success will follow.
I was a little tired by the end of this. **1/2.
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "Dinosaur Seen In Sewers!"
The good:
Another comic book story, this time, the first appearance of a Triceraton which means we're getting Fugitoid at some point. Is Usagi Yojimbo far behind?
The Turtles hating the rip-off resolution to the cartoon they had been following. I especially love when Leo chides Mikey for still talking about the cartoon in such a serious situation, Mikey states he confirmed that that was the end of the franchise on a fansite, and Leo is actually a bit outraged. "Wait, there wasn't even a movie?" Honestly, after seeing that ending, I think Mikey totally has his priorities straight and if Leo were a little more honest with himself he'd admit that.
The bad:
I wish this version of Zog had been like the 2003 version. That version stayed loopy and sympathetic during his entire appearance in a two-parter (complete with deranged voice-over narration at the beginning of part 2) and wound up dying to save the Turtles' lives. Now, if they had done THAT he never would have signaled the Triceratons at the end, setting up a Turtles In Space arc, but I always thought Zog worked better as a forgotten casualty AFTER the invasion rather than the catalyst for the invasion itself. I liked the character better when he lovable and tragic at the same time.
But the episode was still pretty good. ***1/2.