Teen Titans Go! "The Teen Titans Go Easter Holiday Classic" Review (Spoilers)

[matt_zimmer]

Also reviews for the special DC Super Hero Girls "Super Hero High", the latest episodes of The Flash, Arrow, Supergirl, Gotham, Lucifer, iZombie, Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. The Sinister 6, Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution, Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy, Star Wars Rebels, Once Upon A Time, The Lion Guard, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Power Rangers: Dino Super Charge, the special Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade, and the latest episodes of Grimm, Sleepy Hollow, American Dad, You Me And The Apocalypse, Bates Motel, and Blindspot.



Teen Titans Go! "The Teen Titans Go Easter Holiday Classic"

That Easter Bunny is grotesque. Like something out of Pink Flamingoes. Santa is similarly creepy. It's the lips. Ick.

Starfire is the best Bad Cop ever. It is fun to roleplay!

Raven might collect little birds but she'll NEVER collect dog poops.

Do you know what I liked? When Robin, Beast Boy, and Cyborg fell in love with each other, nobody treated the gay subtext as weird or wrong. Nobody stuck out their tongue, or were grossed out later. I've never seen that happen in a kids cartoon before. Heck, I've never seen that happen on a TV show or movie period. Usually a fuss is made. The fact that one wasn't is refreshing.

But that's the only real thing I liked. But it was a very good thing. ***.

DC Super Hero Girls "Super Hero High"

This was cute and even tied into Apokalips. The show is still kind of lame, but having an actual adventure is better than the sitcom web shorts. Plus, Supergirl and Batgirl are long overdue.

Also kind of refreshing that Grodd has indeed reformed, and they're sticking with that idea. With so many villains portrayed as heroes on this show, I'm betting that a couple of them will turn bad, but Grodd being a good guy was still a pleasant surprise. And Barda is SO going to reform. I know it. ****.




The Flash "Trajectory"

Love it. My question is why the team isn't wondering if Zoom is Earth 1 Jay. Because he almost certainly has to be. We saw him bring back Jay's body, and express surprise at that, and he wouldn't have done that if they were the EXACT same person. I think Team Flash is jumping the gun.

I think Jesse is right to be worried about her father going overboard protecting her. He immediately gave Trajectory the formula, no questions asked, when she threatened Jesse. Jesse's perspective is "That ain't right." The power of that stuff, and the amount of people who could get hurt are bigger than Jesse. Welles' answer that he would do anything to protect his daughter is a normal one. And also the wrong one. To be fair to Welles, Jesse is NOT aware that he risked her life for the greater good of stopping Zoom, when he confessed to Barry that he killed the Turtle. That shows that even though she is right to be appalled by his actions, even he understands that a line exists somewhere.

Beyonce is a Senator on Earth 2. Funny.

As for Iris's boss, he is a cr*p journalist. Heroes need to be held accountable for their actions? That sounds swell, except Flash is innocent of these particular crimes. That type of yellow journalism is something you'd find either The Daily Bugle or Fox News. Iris giving him another chance at the end makes me think MUCH less of her.

I laughed at the idea that Caitlin was being very "Law & Order" in front of Jesse L. Martin. That had to be deliberate. Funny.

Fantastic episode. ****1/2.

Arrow "Broken Hearts"

I was very unhappy by the end of this. If Oliver hadn't given that magnificent speech, and they let us stew in Felicity being mad at Oliver for a couple more episodes without it, I would have lived with it. But after that? No.

One of the most refreshing things about Felicity Smoak is that the writers refused to write her out of character simply to help a plot point. In season 2, when Moira loathsomely smirks that Felicity will never tell Oliver Malcolm is Thea's father because he'll hate her for it, EVERY other show (and I mean every) would have had Felicity stew with that secret, and be found out later with devastating consequences. But, no, Arrow knew that would be out of character, and as juicy a storytelling opportunity as Felicity lying to Oliver over something huge would be, the series took the very brave and unusual tack that she would never do that. And the scene where she tells Oliver the truth while being so genuine about what it means for the future of their friendship made for a riveting scene, and probably put the nail in the coffin with Oliver's good relationship with his mother. It was amazing television.

If Felicity Smoak were being written in character, by the end of this episode, she would have forgiven Oliver. Felicity is kind. Felicity is understanding. Felicity knows the kinds of stress Oliver is under and sympathizes with him. But the writers needed to string us along some more, so they decided it was easier just to change everything that made Felicity, Felicity for the episode. And considering that the whole selling point of the character for me is that they refused to sell out her integrity for forced drama, it means they really damaged the show in just a single episode. Maybe she'll forgive him next week. Maybe Mom will help with that. But the fact that she didn't THIS week means the writers are doing wrong by her for the first time ever.

This episode points out that the idea of the Suicide Squad is actually a really bad one. What happens when a criminal works off their debt, and they happen to be a serial killer? Frankly, I'm amazed at the idea that Waller actually frees these people instead of sticking them in a hole. It is pretty much the dumbest idea ever.

How does Cupid not know Arrow and Green Arrow are the same person? I mean, I know she's dumb, but is she seriously THAT dumb? And she supposedly loved the guy. Jebus.

The episode did have something good going for it: Quentin on the stand being so bluntly honest about how badly he screwed up. While I think there is plenty more evidence against Darhk than the judge claims, she was absolutely right that it was the most damning. And I have to say that this was the first episode that made me realize Laurel is a REALLY great lawyer. Usually she's a hot mess, but when she drives the questioning to get to the point where Quentin looks right at her and says "He threatened to kill you", her facial reactions, the way she got Quentin to that moment, everything, was played brilliantly by her to convince the judge Darhk was a monster. If that had been a jury trial they would have returned a guilty verdict inside of 20 minutes. It was a VERY powerful moment.

But seriously, this was an otherwise terrible episode. *.

Supergirl "Manhunter"

My favorite moment: J'onn is all like "So, you're gonna dissect me, huh?" And Harper give flowery speech about defending America and humanity. And J'onn then says "So, you're gonna dissect me, huh?" I love that moment because that's exactly how horrible what was happening was, and J'onn and Carol pretty much were throwing back in Harper's face that he tried to make it about Patriotism. There are many lines that many people will cross in the name of Patriotism. Dissecting people should not be one of them.

So Siobhan is Silver Banshee. Honestly, I'm glad she's a villain, and I don't have to pretend I care about her. As awful as Kara was, her getting Kara 2 fired was the one horrible thing she did last week that was actually jusitified.

Jeremiah is alive? Good. That means more Dean Cain.

I'm a little alarmed Lucy Lane went along with things as far as she did. Personally, after her being the one to finger Carol as lying, were I Kara, I might not have trusted her with her secret for any reason. But her back was against the wall, so I understand why she did. I'm glad it worked out. But it just as easily might not have.

Looking forward to the Flash next week. ****.

Gotham "Wrath Of The Villains: Mad Grey Dawn"

Why did I feel when Penguin's family was raising the glasses at the end, that some horrible boom was lowering?

I kind of feel like that by flashing forward to the verdict, Gotham was skipping some potentially interesting episodes. It's not like the show doesn't need the filler. If we ARE gonna see Bruce become Batman at age 25, it's gonna have to run for about 15 seasons.

I have no idea why I'm supposed to be rooting for Jim to get out of that fix. He IS a murderer. He's just in prison for the wrong one. Works for me. I kind of share Barnes' disgust with him. He trusted him, and he asks for his rep like a punk. I REALLY dislike this version of Jim Gordon. And he dumps Lee after all that. What a scumbag.

This is what happens when Riddler runs amok, and Batman isn't there to stop him. Or is he? Bruce saying "This isn't right," hints to me that he may be the one to fix it.

The only good thing about the episode was learning that Bruce felt pretty Zen when getting beaten up. This hints at something that MUST be true, but that Batman as we know him would NEVER admit to anyone: He uses the rush of putting himself in danger to forget about his problems and work out his issues without going crazy. I think that idea IS true of Batman, and considering this is one of the worst incarnations of Batman I've ever seen, I'm pretty surprised this is the one to first bring that idea up. Crime-fighting is therapy for Batman. People can snarkily tell Batman he's as crazy as his rogues, and needs therapy himself, but the truth is crime-fighting is the way he works stuff out. And I think's that interesting.

One thing I loved: All is forgiven with Penguin with Butch. That feels right. All three of those people lost something in that war, and continuing it while Penguin is so obviously broken is wrong. I like that Butch has a conscience about something like that.

Outside of Butch, and SOMETIMES Bruce, this show sucks. **1/2.




Lucifer "A Priest Walks Into A Bar"

A series first occurs in episode 9: A scene in which The Million Moms SHOULD legitimately be outraged about. Stripper nuns are pretty much the first outright offensive thing this show has done. And considering how mild that is, and how it was freaking Episode 9 before it happened, Million Moms needs to chill.

Satan playing a piano duet with a priest: I don't know if that's subtext, allegory, or irony, but some statement is being made there. And the fact that he KNEW he was the Devil and still sought out his help? Interesting. He theorizes as he dies that God didn't put Lucifer in his path, but that he was put in Lucifer's. That theory holds up to scrutiny. Becaue Lucifer's biggest gripe with God is that He didn't have faith in him. Maybe He did. Maybe all of this stuff IS preordained, and God's plan IS a good one. Maybe Lucifer is ultimately destined for greater things. Just because you can't figure out God's divine will, doesn't He mean doesn't have it in the first place.

Look at the priest. Lucifer is outraged by his death, and that now he'll spend eternity in someplace "boring". But since Heaven exists on this show, the priest dying for the kid means he's actually getting reunited with his daughter for his sacrifice. Lucifer thinks that was an example of God punishing the faithful. I'm wondering if it was more of an example of Him rewarding one.

Interesting that Malcolm was shot by Danny to protect Chloe. Malcolm saw her, was raising his gun, and Danny saved her life. This is good. Because it means even IF Danny is the dirty cop Chloe is seeking out, I will be able to forgive him. If they don't plan on killing him off in the season finale, having him shoot Malcolm be because he saved Chloe's life means he is still salvageable as a character.

Interesting Malcolm spent 30 seconds in hell, and now owes Amenadiel. If I were Malcolm, I'd be questioning whether Amenadiel even has the power to truly keep him out of hell. He doesn't expect to live forever, right? He's gonna die sometime, and I don't think Amenadiel has the clout to determine which afterlife he goes to. As scary as Amenadiel's threats must have seemed to him, if I were in his position I might have wanted some long-term assurances. Because living for another 30 or 40 years doesn't actually solve the problem. And I don't think Malcolm is the type of person who is into redemption and salvation. He must believe Amenadiel can truly protect him, which is stupid. He should be thinking of the long term consequences of this stuff. Because if Hell is anything, it's long-term.

I wish the show would do more episodes like this, instead of just a regular crime a week. The concept begs Big Themes to be explored and the procedural aspect means they usually aren't. This was a good week. ****1/2.

iZombie "He Blinded Me With Science"

I keep forgetting how amazing this show has gotten, so after the hiatus I am still shocked this episode was as terrific as it was. I have a terrible memory.

Vaughn, man. Terrible father, terrible person. The worst thing is that entire mess was his fault because he didn't take the situation seriously. He thinks he's untouchable and that everyone else has to pay the price for his God Complex. So far he's been right, but I think this episode showed that that might not be the case for much longer.

Major bagging Drake also reminds me how much of this show is driven by pure coincidence. And yet, I never feel ripped off, or that the show is playing unfair with the viewer. It makes sense that would happen, and that it would happen at an inconvenient time. When people are "murdered" (or as Major says "Disappeared") it isn't done on anybody else's clock but the murderer's. Liv may be desperate for answers, but the universe doesn't necessarily think she is going to get them then.

Rose McIver cleans up good. I'm never seen her either out of her hideous zombie make-up, or a horrendous Tinker Bell costume. She's very pretty normally.

I think the only thing I had a problem with is that nobody raised an eyebrow at Blaine bloody and naked on the train at the beginning. Our world is cynical, but not THAT cynical. The police would have been called, and the series is kidding itself if it thinks differently.

Still, David Anders was even more hilarious than usual, if that's even possible. Does being a zombie give him super strengthed snark? Because him telling Ravi he let out his pants in the crotch had me rolling.

Great episode, great show. *****.




Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "Parting Shot"

Was Bobbi's cheeseburger line at the beginning supposed to be funny? Because it wasn't. That isn't actually a joke, Mutant Enemy. The Jossverse seems to have gotten REALLY lazy with the quips. Lance's mushroom lie was slightly more amusing, but only slightly. I was still feeling offended that I was supposed to laugh at the cheeseburger bit.

So is this setting up Marvel's Most Wanted? Or perhaps Marvel's Least Wanted Spin-off Ever? To be blunt, the cast of Agents of SHIELD had gotten TOO large. Even if Marvel's Most Wanted ends up sucking, or even not happening at all, this show will be all the better with two cast members gone.

"I want a cheeseburger" is not a joke, Marvel. **1/2.




Ultimate Spider-Man Vs. The Sinister 6 "Double Agent Venom"

I am a little bit shocked both Spidey and Scarlet Spider are so dumb that they objected to Flash going back for the Venom Symbiote. Frankly, that should have been task one, WAY before the escape attempt. It's not just that "You don't leave a man behind", it's that you don't leave Doc Ock and Kraven with a weapon that unstoppable. Flash as Agent Venom was never a great idea, but it's a heckuva lot better to have a hero in charge of that alien, than a villain. He's arguably Spidey's most powerful Big Bad. Even if the reasons Flash wanted to go back were selfish, they were also right.

I am also a little bit placated that Rhino is practically being blackmailed into working for the bad guys, and really regrets his betrayal. And that there are certain lines that he will not cross regarding his former friends. That's interesting, which is what I feared Rhino would stop being after last week.

Pretty good episode. ***1/2.

Marvel's Avengers: Ultron Revolution "The Ultimates"

Sometimes I wonder if the writers of this show actually hear themselves. All of these corny platitudes about teamwork and humanity never giving up are straight out of Power Rangers. They shouldn't be escaping the mouth of Tony Freaking Stark. Jebus. 1/2.

Marvel's Guardians Of The Galaxy "Accidents Will Happen"

This show is such a freaking mess. Quill having an alien sister (that he initially macked on no less!) is an irresistible premise, and the episode just makes the entire enterprise ludicrous. Starlord in the movie was kind of a goofball, but he knew when to take things seriously. He wouldn't be causing offensive diplomatic incidents with his every utterance. He's a survivor. And you don't survive so long without learning how to smooth-talk and be diplomatic.

Also, this is yet another kids show that refuses to use the word "Slavery" and instead calls them servants. That is so cowardly. There is nothing wrong being a servant. They get paid. Which is the opposite of what this episode said was happening. I cannot believe I live in an era of such political divisiveness that "Slavery is bad" is considered a potentially controversial statement. Remember DuckTales' "Duckworth's Revolt"? I thought they were being ham-fisted back in the day, and that "slavery is wrong" would probably have been a better message for kids in the 1880's rather than the 1980's, but modern conservatives have taught me one thing: NOTHING is settled anymore. NOTHING. We actually have pundits bemoaning the movie 12 Years A Slave for its lack of "Balance". For real. I cannot believe this show is SO gutless that it refuses to call slavery what it is for risk of offending conservative parents. We are officially down the rabbit hole, folks. 0.




Star Wars Rebels "The Mystery Of Chopper Base"

At this point I think it is a little weird that the show refuses to show Kanan and Hera kissing. They're almost certainly together, and while it's kind of refreshing for a genre show not to focus on the 'shipping, that doesn't mean it isn't there. If Kanan and Hera ARE together (as has been implied more than once) there is nothing wrong with a kiss goodbye.

Good to see whoever voiced AP-5 getting a paycheck though. Love that dude.

So-so episode. ***.




Once Upon A Time "Devil's Due"

This pretty much changes everything I thought I knew about Rumpelstiltskin. I knew he was a bad guy, and has recently done things that he cannot come back from. But I didn't think he was ALWAYS a bad guy, and became a bad guy due to forces beyond his control. I was pretty much as outraged as he was that Milah abandoned her family for a dashing pirate. But after seeing that? Milah was right to leave when she did. Him making that bargain without consulting her pretty much meant she could never have sex with him again, and she knew there was no future in a relationship like that. And considering how he damned her to keep his cover, she was right to be afraid of him. He not only is a terrible person, but he's always been one.

The dead children were chilling. The entire implication is frightening.

I'm calling b.s. on the Second Child bargain. It seems to me that those should only be valid for one particular couple. Cora hinted hers with Rumpel a couple of seasons ago meant the same thing. I don't see why Belle's kid is a legit part of his bargain. Are there any lawyers in hell?

This show is trying my last nerve. But Greg Germann makes up for a lot. **1/2. \




The Lion Guard "The Call Of The Drongo"

I liked that Tamah was involved in defeating the hyenas. It felt right because he started the mess. I like that he isn't a bad guy deep down.

Do you know what I have noticed about this series? Animation techniques have gotten so sophisticated, that there is no difference in animation quality between this and the original movie. The last Disney show based on a movie I watched was The Legend Of Tarzan, and despite the fact that its animation was heads and shoulders above The Little Mermaid TAS, Aladdin TAS, and Hercules TAS, (the color shading looked great) it was still a major step down from Tarzan. But animation has gotten so fluid, and CGI has helped so much, that there is no difference between this and Disney at its Silver Age peak.

We'll talk later about the fact that this series is cheaping out on hiring the original voices later (what do Matthew Broderick or Nathan Lane have going on that is so important?) but the animation in this show is about the same level as a feature from the early to mid-nineties. ***.




Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles "The Cosmic Ocean"

The aliens were forgettable, Lord Dregg is strictly Turtles D-list, and even if the transforming robot shark guy is still kinda cool, he's also not really a proper Turtleverse character.

Still, David Tennant is always welcome as the Fugitoid. But this season's a bust. **.




Transformers: Robots In Disguise "Brainpower"

This episode recalls a couple of earlier Transformers incarnations. The first is the fact that the show referenced the episode of Transformers Prime where Bulkhead downloaded an incredible amount of information. I kind of would have liked an update on Bulkhead to be honest, or even to have his name mentioned, but this is one of the few times this show has explicitly mentioned something that happened on Transformers Prime.

The second thing is that the original series did a "Flowers For Algernon" Grimlock episode in the third, future-set season. I wouldn't want to see the episode again because my hindsight with that show always seems terrible when I actually watch it now, but I remembered liking the episode because like "Algernon", the ending is kind of tragic even if nothing has really changed. DuckTales did one of those too, but the difference there is that smart Bubba Duck was even more insufferable than the dumb one (which is saying something) which made him losing the intelligence a happy ending.

Here, Grimlock losing the intelligence isn't regrettable, but simply a fair trade to keep surviving and stay on the team. I was a little bit disgusted with the idea of Strongarm hinting that she and the other Autobots make fun of Grimlock behind his back. I don't care how simple-minded Grimlock is, he isn't so dumb that he can't read sneers and the fact that his "friends" look down on him. It makes him doing something so ill-advised make sense. Strongarm seriously sucks. For real.

I didn't exactly like this, but it wasn't terrible, which is more than I can say for the rest of this season. ***.




Power Rangers: Dino Super Charge "Riches And Rags"

I loved the ending to this. Once Ivan revealed he placed a gold bar in the bank before, I knew 800 years of banking interest would be the answer. Although how he deposited money in an American bank over 500 years before America existed is probably something best not thought about. Also, the interest on a gold bar for 800 years would be a LOT more than $2 Million. A LOT more. Still, it was super cool to get Prince Philip at the end to verify it. Also a good idea to leave Ivan and the old guy fighting over who gets the money unresolved. That way they don't actually have to say Ivan has to give up his fortune, but he has a ready made excuse for why he might not be using it in future episodes.

I do have to say Ivan was very unlikable at the beginning of the episode. He's a knight, right? That means he should appreciate the fact that old things have value. It doesn't make sense that he doesn't get why everyone else is upset.

Still, this episode was better than average. ***1/2.




Ice Age: The Great Egg-Scapade

Wait, why is this rated TV-PG for language? Because they said the word "butt"? Have I mentioned before how utterly useless TV and Movie Parental Ratings are?

I have the same problem with this as I do The Flintstones and their many inane and poorly conceived Christmas specials. It's Prehistoric. There is no Christ, therefore no Christmas or Easter. Sometimes a dinosaur / caveman franchise will be clever enough to merely celebrate the Solstice instead of Christmas, and if we're REALLY lucky we'll get a funny substitution (See Dinosaur's "Refrigerator Day"). But if you are actually going to do a prehistoric franchise, stick to your guns. That creates story limitations for sure, but if you decide on that particular premise you shouldn't want to violate it. That is simply bad writing. *.




Grimm "Lycanthropia"

I knew it was the mother. Grimm is REALLY bad at twist endings. I mean REALLY bad. More-so than ANY genre show should be. They didn't even give us a third suspect or scenario. And simply locking Doyle up and watching him turn into a Lycanthrope would not have been a compelling ending. It HAD to be the mother. And I hate that I knew that already.

Wu as a Werewolf: This is where the Healing Stick will come in. Frankly, I'm amazed nobody brought it up tonight as a cure for Lycnanthropy. It was the first thing I thought of. And if I were this group of characters I'd be itching to try the thing out. The fact that they have had it buried for two episodes, and haven't been conducting personal experiments, or even expressed curiosity about it, shows another way Grimm's writers are bad at their jobs. They don't want the viewer to know anything about the Stick, so that means the characters have to be devoid of human curiosity. Which is stupid beyond belief.

A human being, a normal human being, would spend DAYS cutting themselves and watching the stick heal the wounds. The idea is fascinating, and I imagine being repeatedly healed would never get old. I imagine it also probably feels pretty good too. The writers do NOT know how real people behave. They only have the characters behave in the way that is in the best interest to keep up viewership. But frankly, I'd LOVE watch a few episodes of the characters potentially stabbing and shooting each other just to test the Stick's limits. Or trying to catch a cold and seeing if it will cure it. Or killing a mouse and seeing if it can actually bring it back to life. The writers think that revealing too much about the Stick will make us lose interest in it. It's the Stick itself that is interesting, not the mystery behind it. I'd love to see the characters having some fun and winning bar bets with it.

I hope Sean is confronted next week. I know he won't ultimately take the offer to run for Mayor, but it would be kind of nice if he were pushed into making that decision now instead of hedging his bets for another few weeks. It would also help Team Grimm in their fight against Black Claw, and potentially give them a mole inside the organization. This whole thing was the one interesting thing about the episode.

I want a scene between Adalind and Meisner. Soon.

This show can't stop itself from sucking. *.




Sleepy Hollow "Dawn's Early Light"

I loved all of the ideas the episode explored, but I especially dug Ezra Miller. We're going to start with him first.

I found something out about Ezra. He left because his wife kept secrets. And considering what those secrets were, there is every possibility that he was terrified of her, and actually had a good reason for leaving. That does not excuse him cutting out Abbie and Jenny from his life, but perhaps there was a legit reason he bugged out in the first place. When Jenny asks him why he's thanking her, he says "For opening the door." I love that. That's deep and meaningful, and kind of tells me this is a guy worth giving a second chance to, even if he HADN'T remembered the correct taffies (which he did). I like him.

Danny finding out: See, I was already under the impression he knew some stuff. Guess not. I like the idea that he goes to Sophie for solace about this, but she's almost as in the dark as he is. It's a very interesting moment that Sophie knows this stuff is bigger than them and life-changing, but doesn't know enough about it to say why and how. I'll say this for Danny: seeing a monster who was bullet-proof and could conjure fire out of his hands was a pretty lousy demon to get his feet wet with. I almost wish Crane WAS a ghost so that wasn't the first weird thing he was forced to see.

I loved the National Treasure stuff with the flag. It was stripes because they're musical bars and they played The Star-Spangled Banner. Well-researched nonsense. I also love Crane claiming that Alexander Hamilton was the last guy there should be a musical about because he had a terrible voice, and that's why he was always handing out pamphlets. Part of me thinks that idea is bogus, but there is every chance the producers researched that and were correcting the record yet again. The best part of this show is that you can never really tell the true stuff from the B.S.

But the thing I liked best about the episode is that it was Crane and Abbie. Which is how it should be. Every week. No exceptions. More, please. ****.




American Dad! "Anchorfran"

They broke up Greg and Terry and we didn't even get to see it? What is the show thinking?

Okay, Roger falling in love with a photo of a child in a boardgame shows the show HAS run out of ideas. And yet it IS bonkers enough to be interesting. Still, this is pushing it. The dark ending made things stop being funny, although I did laugh at the fact that the kid had white hair.

Loved the Applebee's billboard.

That's So Raven will end badly.

Laughed at the guy who couldn't read running into a room labeled "Danger: Snakes".

This show is going off the rails. **.




You, Me And The Apocalypse "Calm Before The Storm"

Ariel's the Narrator. Gotta be.

Once Arnie shot the President of the United States, I was like "This show gets the stakes for this." This show understands what would happen if there WERE a bunch of people in charge of saving the future of humanity. The President was dead weight. He was treating the serious idea of preserving the human race as if it were a harem. In real life he'd never make it to the bunker. Not under those circumstances. Not if he was as terrible at his job as he was. Of course, if the President didn't suck at his job, he wouldn't put himself in the bunker in the first place (much less leave the first lady behind). Project Savior dodged a bullet.

Arnie is actually scary. While what he's saying about Pompeii and volcanoes erupting is ultimately funny because of the sexual subtext of him being gay, he's still fwickin' terrifying.

And the fact that the Church declared a false Christ adds fuel to my feelings that they murdered Jude to keep that secret. What is interesting is that I don't expect the show to make that explicit by the series finale. I think that's a piece the writers expect the audience to put together on their own.

Luanne's redemption ultimately being that she SHOULD have been filled with hate, but simply hated the wrong people is good and bad. It's sort of a moment of growth for a White Supremacist to have a deathbed conversion on racism like that. But ultimately, even if the idea that she should hate men instead is funny, Luanne still chooses hate in the end. That is a very nuanced moral to me, and hints that even if the character admits she has been wrong about everything in her life, she hasn't actually changed. That's provocative which is something, I never expected Luanne to be in the first episode.

And they were right to free her. She ultimate was very handy with a gun and covered their flank. Maybe they wouldn't have actually blown their cover otherwise. But if they had, they wouldn't have gotten out of there without Luanne.

We've now established that the bunker is NOT Project Savior, and has nothing to do with it. That makes me feel better about the guest list.

Dave and Paula "getting married" was so great, because that is what would happen if we all had 24 hours to live. We'd marry the wrong people just so we could go out with someone. And Dave and Pauline are insightful enough to know that that is what is happening. And they don't care! And they shouldn't. There is nothing wrong with that idea under those circumstances.

I have to say I am VERY uneasy about next week's finale. If Ariel IS the Narrator, how can they possibly end the show in a way that satisfies me? Every episode of this show has been a gift. I sincerely hope episode 10 isn't where it falls apart. And it might if Ariel is the Narrator. If he is, it better be a DANG good episode to make up for it. Who is the woman in the box in the bunker? Luanne or Layla? I hope it's Luanne. Just because I don't want Ariel to wind up with Layla. Next week is going to slay me either way. ****1/2.




Bates Motel "'Til Death Do You Part"

Norman accusing Norma of that stuff is great, because I'm betting he'll be believed, and that will be great drama as Norma's life is turned upside-down. Because they couldn't possibly guess it was Norman, right? The whole point of the show is he gets away with it until "Psycho".

Dylan's pot neighbor still freaks me out.

I think Dylan is wrong about Romero. I think Romero's intentions towards Norma ARE that honorable, which blows my mind. If he wasn't serious, he wouldn't have turned down Jamie Ray Newman. Because no non-serious man would do that.

I love that their first real kiss is on their wedding day. I find it incredible at how good Alex is at the niceties of married life. He knows how to make Norma feel comfortable and put her at ease. He is also very good at doing damage control for her with other people (like when she stupidly asked the reverend to hurry up the wedding). He's GOOD for Norma, which is why this won't work.

Seeing Norman at that facility makes me realize one messed up thing: Norman strongly resists anything that would be remotely good for him. How else to explain his extreme reaction to yoga? That is not normal. I love his psychiatrist who goes from bemused to sympathetic, and never once loses his professionalism. He's cool. As is the kid who tried to start up a conversation with Norman at dinner.

This was a good episode. ****.




Blindspot "Rules In Defiance"

I am not really going to review this episode, other than to say it was powerful. I kind of feel like nitpicking things and talking about 'ships, makes the episode sound like less than it is: a focus on the idea of human trafficking.

There are environmentalists who screech at the top of their lungs, that we have no time left on climate change, and if something isn't done SOON, the entire human race will be extinct. Every time I read a story on human trafficking, I'm sort of okay with that idea. Maybe we as a species don't deserve to survive.

Any TV show or movie putting a face on this horrific crime gets a stamp of approval from me. The Blacklist has also done it more than once, but never exactly from the victim's point of view. That is why this episode killed me. *****.

Comments

[stinkingbishop.livejournal.com]

Ice Age: Given that Christ was incarnated in Narnia as Aslan, isn't it possible that he was incarnated as a mammoth or something for the prehistoric talking animals? Perhaps they went extinct because of the Rapture.

[mattzimmer.livejournal.com]

You should write for Blue Sky! Fabulous answer!