Weekly TV Reviews 5/20 (Spoilers)
May. 20th, 2018 03:09 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
matt_zimmerReviews for the latest episode of DC Super Hero Girls and The Flash, the season finale of Arrow, the latest episode of Krypton, the season finales of Gotham and Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., the latest episode of Legion, the first episode of LEGO Marvel Superheroes: Black Panther: Trouble In Wakanda, the latest episode of DuckTales, the series finale of Once Upon A Time, the latest episode of Colony, and the season finales of The Blacklist and Blindspot.
Upcoming reviews include Twin Peaks: The Return (Blu-Ray), Doctor Who: Series 9, Doctor Who: Series 10, Class: Series 1, The X-Files: Season 10, Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Blu-Ray), Ant-Man (Blu-Ray), Captain America: Civil War (Blu-Ray), Doctor Strange (Blu-Ray), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Blu-Ray), Spider-Man: Homecoming (Blu-Ray), Thor: Ragnorok (Blu-Ray), Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse (Blu-Ray), Logan, Legion: Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2, Zootopia, Moana (Blu-Ray), Tangled: Before Ever After (DVD), DuckTales: Woo-oo (DVD), Inside Out (Blu-Ray), The Good Dinosaur (Blu-Ray), Finding Dory (Blu-Ray), Cars 3 (Blu-Ray), Coco (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 5, Once Upon A Time: Season 6, The BFG, Tomorrowland, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Blu-Ray), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-Ray), Star Wars Rebels: Season 2, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Season 1, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Blu-Ray), Static Shock: Season 4, Justice League Action: Superpowers Unite!, Teen Titans Go!: Get In Pig Out, Teen Titans Go!: Recess Is Over, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain, The LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scooby Doo! & Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, Suicide Squad (Blu-Ray), Wonder Woman (Blu-Ray), Justice League (Blu-Ray), The Flash: Season 2, The Flash: Season 3, Arrow: Season 4, Arrow: Season 5, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 1, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 2, Supergirl: Season 1, Supergirl: Season 2 Vixen: The Movie, Gotham: Season 2, Gotham: Season 3, iZombie: Season 1, iZombie: Season 2, iZombie: Season 3, Lucifer: Season 1, Lucifer: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 5, Be Cool Scooby Doo!: Spooky Kooky Fun!, Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Prod.: Hare-Raising Tales, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies: Extended Edition, The Simpsons: Season 18, Red Dwarf XII, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond The Known Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Earth's Last Stand, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Shredder, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Chapters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half-Shell Heroes: Blast To The Past, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Super Megaforce: The Complete Season, Transformers: Robots In Disguise: Season 1, Heroes Reborn: The Complete Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire, The Legend Of Korra: The Complete Series, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 1 & 2, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 3 and a Half-ish, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Season 5 & Some More Of 4, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, Haven: The Final Season, The Dark Tower, IT, Under The Dome: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 2, Sleepy Hollow: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 4, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 3, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Jurassic World, Back To The Future: The Complete Animated Series, Shaun The Sheep Movie (Blu-Ray), Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, 12 Monkeys: Season 1, 12 Monkeys: Season 2, Grimm: Season 4, Grimm: Season 5, Grimm: Season 6, The Wonder Years: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 5, The Wonder Years: Season 6, The Peanuts Movie, Peanuts By Schulz: Snoopy Tales, Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go!, Peanuts By Schulz: School Days, Bob's Burgers: Season 5, Home Movies: Seasons 1 & 2, Home Movies: Season 3 & 4, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, Community: Season 6, Danger Mouse: The Complete Series, Game Of Thrones: Season 5, and Game of Thrones: Season 6.
DC Super Hero Girls "Nevermore, Part 3"
Two things to note this week:
1. This is easily the worst interpretation of either Raven or Trigon I have ever seen. If Wolfman isn't looking down in utter shame at this, I'd be shocked. Granted, there actually haven't been a TON of different Teen Titans interpretations. But that's the worst. By far. It is embarrassing.
2. I don't know either the name of the girl who voices Supergirl, or why I haven't thought to bring this up before. But she's an outright terrible actress. Just thought I'd mention that.
Awful. *.
The Flash "Think Fast"
Is it just me or is Barry being too cautious this season? They might have had more time to do what they needed to do for that mission if they hadn't been benched for an hour.
Killer Frost existed before the particle accelerator? What's up with that?
Cynthia's stuff with Joe was annoying.
I liked Harry's stuff with Iris though. He's honestly been more helpful in these past two episodes than he's been all season.
Iris is right that optimism is not a weakness, but a strength. Emotions don't make you stupid, they make you smart. And that's ultimately why I think the Flash is gonna win next week.
That therapist gets a lot of work, which amazes me considering all her patients seem to lie to her. She can't actually help anyone if they refuse to reveal what is bothering them.
I love that Caitlin and Cisco always make sure to have a bucket handy when Barry retrieves Diggle. Did Diggle mention he hates Barry?
I think the stuff with Devoe and the classical music at the beginning was supposed to be awesome and hardcore, but I think it was just cynical. And I am on Team Iris as far as the true worth of cynicism goes.
This episode was decent but I'm still predicting the season is going to ultimately be weak. They made so many unforced errors, I don't see next week making up for them. ***1/2.
Arrow "Life Sentence"
Two opinions:
1. That was a great finale, and ultimately a great season.
2. This is almost certainly the LAST great season.
The Quentin and Oliver stuff is the reason I watch the show. Oliver telling him that he wasn't talking about his own father in regards to having a great role model, and Quentin thanking Oliver for everything, was pretty much six seasons in the making. I lived for that moment. Wanted it more than anything, and was granted it. Finally.
But with Paul Blackthorne leaving, and Quentin killed off, the show won't have that anymore. The very best moment of Arrow occurred in Season 3. When Quentin takes a bunch of cops to raid the Arrowcave, and sneers at Oliver "I've got you now, you son of a bitch," that was the entire show for me, summed up in one line. And without that dynamic, I don't see how the show can ever be what it was.
To be absolutely fair, Season Four and five, and even THIS season at the beginning, have already shied away from that dynamic a bit, and put it in the background. And what do seasons 4, 5, and 6.1 have in common? They all sucked. They all were lesser than the seasons that fully explored Oliver and Quentin's drama. And yeah, the show can obviously do without that dynamic. But it's can't do WELL without it.
I love Oliver offering John the second costume. And that was the correct answer all along. And yet, it's STILL not good enough, and John objects to it for precisely the correct reasons. What I love is that despite the fact that it's not good enough, it's the only answer we have left. It will have to freaking do. And I love that in hindsight.
Rene admitting he cares what Oliver thinks about him was not quite as big as any of Oliver's moments with Quentin, but I think it was equally defining between those two specific characters.
Bummed Sara only showed up after the fact. I would have loved Caity Lotz to have gotten a legit goodbye with Paul Blackthorne.
What I love about Oliver's statement to the press is that he says it for many different ears, and knows which specific ears need to hear what. He needs the criminals to know the city is no longer theirs. He needs his friends to know they should keep fighting, no matter what. And he lets the general public know that he owns his choices, which is what I think is going to get him released in season 7.
I think because of Oliver's specific amazing speech here, his approval ratings are going to go through the roof. You thought his incarceration went over poorly with his friends and family? How is the city that he saved from destruction six freaking times and counting going to feel about the gub'mint sticking their grabby hands onto Star City's legendary folk hero? I think Watkins thinks she got a good deal out of that immunity plea. I don't. I think with that specific speech, Oliver is playing the long game, and waiting for public opinion to turn the tide of what is happening to him and his city. And it's possible, that by the beginning of Season 7, Watkins is going to learn there is only ONE Green Arrow, and the city is suffering for him being gone. I don't expect Oliver's guilty plea to be overturned. What I do expect is the city to put him on probation under the understanding the Green Arrow now works for THEM. Suicide Squad anyone?
Isn't that a crazy theory? I am also certain I am right. You think Oliver charging in with the FBI this season was a gamechanger? Picture of all of Season 7 being like that. Because nobody needs masks anymore.
Can I just say the ID no longer being secret is probably a good thing, for good or ill? It's not like Oliver's friends and families weren't already being targeted by the bad guys. They already knew it was him. Oliver's protestation a few episodes ago that admitting he's the Arrow means that he is throwing away any potential happy future he would have had after he was done being the Hood rings false to me. What Oliver failed to realize at the time is that he already did that the second he put on the Hood. Him and Felicity jetting off in a Corvette together is a great way to end a random season. But it was never going to be how his life ended or turned out. And maybe if Oliver understood that this season, Diaz would have been caught quicker, and Quentin would still be alive.
Speaking of still being alive, I'm shocked Anatoly survived the season. But because Diaz did too, I suspect Anatoly won't survive the next. He would have otherwise, but I expect Diaz to keep that promise to kill him. I just think it's probably gonna be a shock death for the audience, and we aren't going to have to witness the days of torture Diaz is threatening here.
I loved the episode, and even if I didn't love the first half of the season, I loved the second. As far as I'm concerned Kirk Acevedo redeemed it. He took an absolutely nothing villain like Ricardo Diaz, and actually made me believe at various points that this numbnuts actually had a shot. Which is crazy. Which is how crazy good an actor Acevedo is, and always has been. Great finale. *****.
Krypton "Hope"
First impression of Brainiac in the flesh: He is great. He is scary. And just the right amount of goofy-looking. Next week is gonna rock.
I predicted Jayna would die upon accepting the challenge from Drew, and then the show does the unexpected thing and has her win it, only to be shot by Lyta. And I adore the fact that Drew does NOT love Lyta for it. But making decisions on behalf of family is something both Jayna and Lyta actually have in common. It's a pity this virtue seems to have skipped the generation that actually needed it.
Seg as the father: What do I think? What, does that make Zod Superman's uncle once removed or something? I'm not sure about what the genealogy term is for that, but I think it's a swell idea myself. It's not like Zod wasn't already Superman's most personal enemy. Now it's personal in a way even he and Zod never suspected until now. He's family. And now if Superman meets him again, they are both going to have to live with that idea.
I was very gratified to see Daran mewling and suffering all throughout the episode. Do you know who Daran is? Zapp Brannigan. He's THAT specific d-bag. Expects to be treated with love and respect, treats everyone like cr*p, and betrays everyone who ever trusted him, and becomes a whimpering baby when the people he's tormented learn the truth, and are in a position to enact justice against him. Zapp's fate was always unfair because he always got away with it. When happened to Daran is what would have happened to Zapp had Leela been allowed five minutes alone with him tied to a chair. As every blow landed on Daran I half-pretended he was Zapp. On behalf of the Philip J. Frys everywhere.
I was especially disgusted when he's pathetically begging the guard with money for his family. And the guards all, "Well, my family died of a plague that you were responsible for hoarding the treatments for." And the lesson here is that if you screw over every single person on the planet, it is unreasonable to expect any help coming from any of them, when you actually need it.
Love Jax-Ur being sure to remind Seg which side killed his grandfather.
Is Van-El actually alive? Don't know. Also am unsure of who the gentlemen who saved Jayna was. I suspect it's her brother she left for dead after he betrayed her. I'm betting he feels bad and is looking for redemption. And if Jayna is very smart, she'll exact a VERY steep price to give it. That's what I would do in her place for this d-bag.
Here's an opinion. The Doomsday Guardians' plot to wheel Doomsday into Kandor, and when Brainiac rips Kandor from Krypton they can battle to the death elsewhere, is actually a REALLY good one. It's better than Seg's plan at any rate. By far. And as far as I'm concerned, it's still on the table. It wasn't actually stopped. To be continued. Seg is operating under the assumption that they need to save Kandor to prevent Krypton from exploding. But not only would he be destroying Superman's future for it, but I doubt the people on Krypton today would agree with his reasoning. I get the global warming alarms being currently blared on Earth. But if they were signaling a travesty happening 2 centuries later, part of me would be all "That's a 200 years from now problem". The only reason we react to global warming is because it WILL effect us and our children very soon. Krypton's destruction 200 years from now is hardly something I'd think most people would think of as a factor in this situation. In fact, I think the idea that Seg was outraged by the idea and held it against Adam Strange is quite unusual, and probably only happened because Seg's entire family are scientists. The everyday, rank-and-file Rankless? I bet they would rather let their great-grandkids deal with it.
This show is so great. It could easily go downhill in season 2, as there is a possible chance the premise cannot be sustained for seasons on end. But I do predict next week's finale is gonna rock and that this season will be thought of as a hit. *****.
Gotham "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land"
GRRR.
Frustrating. The best thing was Lee telling Riddler that him thinking killing Jim would free her is actually insulting. She is a grown-@$$ woman with her own agency. Ed suspects later she said that to save Jim's life, but I think the Lee and Jim love affair is more active in Ed and Jim's imaginations than in real life. She was nice to Jim when she thought she was going to leave. But she probably still thinks he's a turd. Because he is.
The show was sick for having Lee and Ed kiss after stabbing each other. This show traffics in depravity. I remember very clearly watching Ren and Stimpy back in the day, and thinking whoever made that show probably had a ton of psychological problems. That is me and the entirety of Gotham. The difference for me is that Ren and Stimpy was entertaining, and a great show during its original run. Gotham has always been a piece of cr*p. But scenes like that show it is actually WRITTEN by pieces of cr*p.
Another clear sign of this is the idea that Barbara thinks MEN are the cause of all of Gotham's ills, and proceeds to kill all of them present. That is the mark of a very regressive writer, and somebody with cr*p political opinions. That is the writer of the episode suggesting the feminist movement is unreasonable, unjust, and a threat to our very way of life. I don't know if that's what the writer intended, but a bunch of psych profiles could be written about the sociopaths who produce this show, and fear of strong women would definitely count as one of their hang-ups.
I am upset at how Butch ended. But not TOO upset. The ending hinted things aren't actually over. He'll probably go back to being Grundy, which sucks, and means Drew Powell will again be underutilized next season. But what I liked is that it said Penguin never forgave Tabitha, even for a second. And he shouldn't have. Ever. And television tends to have series regulars who are villains forgive each other for all sorts of unlikely reasons, simply so as not to blow up the premise of the entire show. But Tabitha killed Penguin's mother in front of him. The only person he ever loved. For fun. She thought it was funny. How dare she think Penguin should actually look past that? It would actually be weird if he did. So yeah, I'm going to say my frustration over Penguin's maddening alliances with this awful woman turned out to be groundless. Which is one of my few complaints about the show that actually IS groundless. I'll take it. Even if I'll miss Butch. She had that coming. And always did.
The episode wants me to hate the Major for trying to arrest Jim, and I'll concede the second time was out of line. But what amazes me is that the show actually wants me to think that about the first time too. Jim actually laid hands on the Major in a threatening manner. He SHOULD be arrested for that. It's weird that he is always grab@$$ with various authority figures, and is never freaking called on it. Him assaulting a superior officer is something that SHOULD get him arrested. Partly why I think the writers of this show are so bad at their jobs, is that they don't have any idea of what actual cop rules and etiquette are. They don't even bother to research THAT much. Even the dirtiest of cops don't do that to a superior officer for any reason. Especially not in front of a crowded precinct. I have Asperger's, and even I know people should never randomly lay their hands on other people, especially people they just met. Jim is a terrible person. It's consistent with his abusive personality. But why don't the writers actually see it as abusive? Why do they not even seem to think there is something actually WRONG with Jim? I personally think Jerome and Jeremiah have nothing on craziness compared to Jim Gordon. What makes Gordon worse in my mind is that everyone agrees Jerome and Jeremiah are nuts. Everyone treats Jim like The Last Honest Cop, and gives him positive reinforcement every single time he goes out of his way to prove he is anything but. It's the fact that the writers are trying to convince me an abusive lout like Jim Gordon is a hero, which is one of the reasons I think there is something psychologically wrong with the writers.
It took nearly 30 years for John Kricfalusi to be outed as a sociopathic scumbag. If it takes either Cannon or Heller that long, I'll be shocked. Gotham is simply put, a terrible TV show made by terrible human beings. *.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The End"
I liked the last fifteen minutes, but the rest of the episode was a chore and no fun at all. I also didn't understand several of the themes or story choices they made.
How did they break the loop? What was the specific thing they did differently? Without clearly spelling that out, the series is basically gutting the entire tension of the season. The future cannot be changed. Wait, never mind. Randomly it CAN. Never mind all of that stuff we repeatedly worried the audience with. We don't even think it's even worth explaining the unexplainable happy ending.
Yeah, you can make guesses. Like Fitz dying broke the loop, or saving Mack and Polly did. Or maybe Coulson himself broke the loop by not taking the serum and giving it to Daisy. But with a season very heavy on such a specific sci-fi plot point, they needed to have the characters spend a scene figuring out what "went right", and why as Robin notes "Things are different". Because we don't know why that is.
Also, I'm calling b.s. on the Coda. If the episode had ended with them saving the world, I would have accepted the idea of them ignoring Infinity War entirely. It might simply have not happened in the timeline yet. But by suggesting they are taking at least a week to wrap up and pack, and the planet doesn't seem to be in danger anymore, that's b.s.. Thanos was even mentioned a couple of episodes ago. This is probably the first example of this show not knowing what Marvel Studios' left-hand was doing. And it's the fact that it didn't know which is why an ending that is supposed to end a chapter in the series' life feels instead like it's skipping one.
I totally forgot there is a Fitz in space. If I actually believed the writers were making this season up as they went along, (and the fact that the happy ending makes no sense suggests they might be) I now second-guess that opinion. They specifically chose to bring Fitz into the future the way they did. They specifically made Fitz' potential death a visible symptom of the loop being broken. If the writers truly had no game plan and had the heroes win "Just because", Fitz would have gone with them into the future in the exact same way. But the fact that there is now a second Fitz in space to save shows that as badly put together as the resolution is, it was at least planned that way. Which is something.
I'm glad they won. But I'm frustrated the series didn't even seem to know about the twist in Infinity War, and that the happy ending makes no sense, and the series didn't even try to have it make sense. ***1/2.
Legion "Chapter 15"
That was confusing. There were things I liked but I ultimately didn't get what was happening or what the episode was trying to say.
Interesting that The Narrator uses comic books and Seduction Of The Innocent to describe mass delusions and witch hunts.
I love Syd telling Lennie she was the loud music police play during hostage situations to confuse the hostage taker. And then Lennie tells her she's right and that she can tell they are going to be best friends.
Farouk tells David that deep down, he wanted Amy dead. I think that's probably true. And that's why David is so angry. She'd probably still be alive, and Farouk would have chosen another victim, had he not thought that. Farouk probably thought he was doing him a favor.
My favorite scene was at the end with the red room and the giant monster and David very politely telling it this was a really bad time and asking if it could just go away. And right before he kills it, he points out he DID offer to let it go. That was very funny.
I love the "Ostensibly On Legion" thing. Noah Hawley used to have similar "Previously on" riffs in the Fargo recaps. "Erstwhile" was my favorite. Which they also used on this show last week.
I don't like what happened to Ptonomy. I hope that's not actually the end of him. Lennie shows that it doesn't have to be, but I didn't like what happened.
I didn't much care for this episode, simply because I couldn't tell what was going on. ***.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Black Panther: Trouble In Wakanda "Something Strange"
That was freaking awesome. Best Marvel Lego cartoon I have ever seen. I loved the "Duck!" moment and Killmonger threatening that he had a really big lunch. This was terrific. *****.
DuckTales "The Missing Links Of Moorshire!"
Truthfully, not the greatest episode ever, but it had a ton of great jokes. Like an unusual amount. And this show usually has LOTS of great jokes.
About half of the great jokes involved the kelpies. From them being described as "murder ponies" and talking animals wearing clothes being Webby Heaven, they stole the show. Totally.
Louie was great. Always stickin' out his hand to Glomgold to get paid. Louie is probably my least favorite of the nephews on this show, but there is no denying his apathy often leads to funny jokes.
Speaking of which, the episode described golf in a way I have never heard it described before. And once it was described this way, I'm wondering why people play this game at all. Essentially in golf, you are trying to lose with the lowest score possible, while making the game go quicker so it ends faster. And when you hear it like that, it's no fun at all. And I love that this show does jokes like that, that make me question a known sport or scenario in an entirely different way, simply because it's from the perspective of a modern kid. And I love that about this show.
What happened to all of the other people who became statues earlier? Shouldn't they have come back to life too? Hmm.
"If you pull a club out of a Scotsman's hand, you'd better be prepared to knock him out with it." Great line and delivery by David Tennant there.
Everybody turning to stone at the end reminded me of everybody turning to gold at the end of The Golden Goose.
Funny episode. ****.
Once Upon A Time "Leaving Storybrooke"
Okay, I'm not going to say that was a great series finale. But it was a proper one. It was worthy of a show that was on the air for seven seasons. And what's especially impressive to me is that the producers crafted it at the last minute. The show did not go out on its terms in the exact way the creators wanted. They wanted more seasons, but ABC canceled the show. And somehow they made the last two episodes of the season wrap up nearly everything that mattered, even if that wasn't their intention at the time.
To be 100% honest, I think my biggest problem with the finale was seeing Snow and David again. I realized upon hearing their portentous speeches that I did not miss them at all. Honestly, I've detested both characters with a passion since season 3, but I never actually suspected they were the reason the show was sucking in the last few seasons, and with them gone, things would improve. I might be wrong about that. But the truth is them being there made me enjoy this episode less than the other episodes of the season, whether it was worthy finale or not. I rolled my eyes a ton during this episode, and almost all of those treacly moments involved Snow and David.
I would have liked Robin, Alice, and Nook at the big ceremony at the end. Maybe they didn't want to confuse things with two Hooks present, but two Hooks IS confusing either way, so they might as well have embraced it. Rogers and his family deserved to be there.
Speaking of which, there is no explanation what happened to the second Regina, and THIRD Henry that grew up to be the one who went to Hyperion Heights. How can they not be a part of this? And if they aren't, wouldn't that change their entire fate if they knew about the time skip ahead of time? Have they already been summoned to the Enchanted Forest with early Nook and Rumple? If so, that's more time travel and more headaches. I thought the time travel gimmick was quite clever a couple of weeks ago, because it explained why nobody was looking for Regina and Henry. But I thought that under the assumption that the writers had carefully done the math, and knew which characters were going to be where at the various points. And if it DOESN'T hold together under scrutiny, it's no longer a great twist but a random one. Early Regina and Early Henry being completely dropped from the story after having been revealed to have gone to Henry's graduation ceremony is extremely unsatisfying to me. How much about this did they wind up learning? And why didn't the Hyperion Heights versions know this? Sigh.
The scene at the beginning of Grumpy and Granny attacking Alice and Robin was another reminder of why I didn't miss Storybrooke at all. That place was so stupid. It was still funny though.
I always knew that the series would end with a hero moment by Rumple, but I'm a little disappointed Henry had nothing to do with it. Even Wish Henry ultimately was not a part of his downfall, as teased last week. I personally am glad Rumple went out the hero, and on his own terms to save the day. But I had been hoping when they brought up the prophecy last week that maybe it would turn out that Henry was the Guardian. And I'm glad Rumple earned Heaven with Belle after all. But the fact that he did with the Guardian thing being an utter non-factor made me feel like we were wasting a great deal of the season's time.
Still, it's possible the prophecy was merely referring to Wish Henry making Our Rumple mortal. But if that's the case, the Seer is a misleading liar.
I love the little wrap-up for Maleficent and Lily. I love that Zorro is Lily's father. It would actually be weird if the father WASN'T somebody crazy.
The one update I was upset we didn't get was a happy ending for Will Scarlet and the Red Queen from Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. That being said, I wasn't honestly expecting it. The show dropped that ball in the seasons it was sucking, and I can't expect a 45 minute episode to clean up the entire canon's previous messes.
I adore the reformed Storybrooke. It was SUCH a great visual to see every land in one place. I have always loved this show's cheesy, unrealistic effects, and as far as I'm concerned, anybody who mocks the show for them can eat a sack a crap. And it's stuff at the end which is why I love them. Yeah, they look CGI and fake. But they wouldn't be able to do something that visually awesome if they were actually great and high-budget. They couldn't afford it. I think people who talk down this show's low-budget effects have no magic in their hearts, which means the show isn't even meant for them. It's because the show is TV affordable which is why they can do the magical things they do. People demanding realism in genre is how we wound up with the hot mess of the DC Extended Universe. And that has never been this show. It has embraced the cheese, and the unrealistic costumes and effects, and make-up. And that was one of the things I loved best about it.
I will not miss this show. Simply because I am grateful it went out on a great year. Even if the finale wasn't outright great, the season was. And the series deserved to end while it was great and did. I am satisfied with what I just saw, and how those 7 seasons ended up. Very much so. ****.
Transformers: Power Of The Primes "Without Warning"
Not sure why I'm supposed to care about Megatronus's past love life.
Megatron is sure the strong, silent type, isn't he? Love that dude. ***1/2.
Colony "Sierra Maestra"
MacGregor worries me. That is NOT the proper reaction for learning what he just learned. Snyder believes the guy to be a fascist, and Will knows that Snyder has survived this long by correctly reading people. And that's right. Snyder does not have any other marketable skills. But MacGregor's furious reaction upon learning that the Raps might have come as allies, and simply went about it the wrong way, suggests he believes this idea could upend his power in the camp. I found it ominous that the camp was described as "political" last week. And I think the idea that maybe things are not clear-cut would raise questions from people MacGregor needs compliant and under his heel.
If the Raps DO want to be allies, this might explain why Will has survived drones twice. Maybe they recognize him as necessary, and always have.
Those people dying because they didn't listen to Broussard kind of devastated me. The dude stayed an extra 30 seconds to get meds for his wife, and he just watched his wife explode before being killed too. Broussard was right that those people were not equipped for that particular mission. But that fact doesn't upset me any less.
We suspected the Raps were entirely robots before this week, and this was confirmation of that theory. On the bad side, the idea that the "Rap defector" was simply a POW, and the defector notion was put in place as human propaganda, makes me think much less of Earth's chances not only against the Raps, but whatever the Raps are warning are coming.
Really great episode that worried and devastated me at various points. This has become the most accidentally relevant show on television. I mean, The Handmaid's Tale is very specific in what buttons it is pushing. The Red Hats on Colony simply suggest Carlton Cuse has VERY fortunate timing. ****.
The Blaclist "Sutton Ross"
That was good.
First off, I'm not surprised Tom is alive. I'm annoyed that the show thinks I should be. But they already pulled that trick with Liz two seasons ago. They have already let me know they ARE that shameless and terrible of storytellers. So I'm less pleasantly shocked, and more disappointed that that twist is this show not even passing my lowest of expectations.
The whole "He's not Red Reddington" thing is more of a surprise. Those bones belonging to the real Red was legit guess by some people, and I would have accepted it. Except it turns out the real Red IS Liz's father after all, and the Red we know killed him. I do not accept that idea at face value. The fact that Our Red did that, whoever he may be, did it to protect Liz. Her father, if that's who the real Red actually was, was a mortal threat to her, and that's why he killed him. But he still doesn't want her to know for obvious reasons.
It's the fact that Dembe has suggested Red tell her the truth several times which leads me to believe that this is not the whole story. I doubt even Dembe would recommend that if it were. On some very real level Dembe believes that if Liz learned the truth, she'd forgive Our Red. And as seen in the episode, Red does not contain Dembe's level of faith. Also as seen in the episode, Dembe is usually right, and has a better track record of that kind of thing than his boss.
I love that Red's a John Waters' nerd. Honestly, Waters' films are headaches, and bad taste, and just plain hard to watch. But Waters himself has the coolest persona and demeanor of a director possible. He is just so subversive and lovable in real life that I can love him while thinking most of his films are majorly gross. There is a reason The Simpsons essentially had him play himself in Season 8. He is just that great of character. If that guy didn't exist, someone would have to make him up.
I love Red's randomly loud torturer. Red has the most colorful people working for him.
I appreciated Navabi waking up because this was a dark episode, and that was this show reminding me to appreciate the small moments. Sure, Tom's life is in imminent danger if anyone learns he's alive, and Liz's faith in the man she believed to be her father is destroyed. But just take the small victories wherever you can get them.
This would be a five star episode if the show didn't bring back Tom and act like it was the most genius twist ever, instead of the lamest and most clichéd. I'm knocking a star off for the show acting like a five year old smearing cr*p on the wall, and beaming at us, because he thinks we should be proud of him for it. ****.
Blindspot "In Memory"
Mostly annoyed by that. I thought the cliffhanger sucked and the idea of Zapata as some sort of Ultimate Evil is ludicrous. But it did raise some interesting questions for me.
To start off with, Remy seems a bit alarmed she is missing time. Is that her in shock from waking up? Because it seems to me, that this should have been the plan all along. Have Jane nice and well trusted within the FBI, and then have that persona entirely replaced by Remy's herself. If that was not deliberate on Remy's end, the show is underthinking what a great twist it could be. But her showing concern over the lost time suggests the writers might play it up as an unfortunate accident. Which is stupid.
The second thing is wondering about what Blake's relationship is to Zapata. Are they secret lovers? How long has she known the truth? It's hinted a long while. Why didn't she tell her father? It amazes me that it looks like Crawford actually loved and cared for Roman more than Blake did. In the end, Crawford was honest and unapologetic. Which tells me he actually loved Tom. He would be begging for his life if he didn't. I don't actually think Crawford is actually the type of person who never runs or gets scared. Nobody is. But I think he was willing to make the sacrifices he did simply because he loved Tom. I'm betting he would be appalled if he had known what Blake would have wound up doing to him.
I hate how the show handled Roman's death. They tried to have Jane comfort him and them both apologize with each other to redeem the character a bit before he dies. But in Jane's very next scene she acts like him dying is no great loss, and I'm thinking her being forgiving of Roman was a lie. And if it was, I think less of Jane for either lying to her brother simply because she'd never have to confront him again, or lying to Weller about how much she actually loved him. She's a liar either way. I have always hated the character specifically, and her becoming Remy did not anger me as much as it would have if a sleeper agent had actually woken up in a character I actually liked. If Patterson or Rich turned evil I'd lose it.
Speaking of Patterson and Rich, their Who's On First routine with What Three Words was great. I laughed at Rich pouring Edgar a stiff drink before revealing how much he paid for the book. Rich's actor better be a regular cast member next season.
Who was Roman talking to on the phone at the end? I didn't get that bit. It's not Zapata, because she's Team Blake. That suggests an unknown third Big Bad in Season 4 besides Remy and Zapata.
The problem with the Remy twist is that it should have been the only twist. Learning about those boxes, and planning to go for a race around the world for them, makes the ending unnecessarily complicated. Even more-so when you teased that Weller might be dying. There is such a thing as piling on the dire situations too much. And I got the feeling that the Remy twist is such a big, important deal, it should not be sharing space with either of those other two cliffhangers. I think they should have used the Remy twist and the other two in different finale cliffhangers.
This show is nothing special and neither was the season finale. ***.
Upcoming reviews include Twin Peaks: The Return (Blu-Ray), Doctor Who: Series 9, Doctor Who: Series 10, Class: Series 1, The X-Files: Season 10, Avengers: Age Of Ultron (Blu-Ray), Ant-Man (Blu-Ray), Captain America: Civil War (Blu-Ray), Doctor Strange (Blu-Ray), Guardians Of The Galaxy Vol. 2 (Blu-Ray), Spider-Man: Homecoming (Blu-Ray), Thor: Ragnorok (Blu-Ray), Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.: Season 2, Marvel's Agent Carter: Season 1, The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (Blu-Ray), X-Men: Days Of Future Past: The Rogue Cut, Deadpool, X-Men: Apocalypse (Blu-Ray), Logan, Legion: Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 1, The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Season 2, Zootopia, Moana (Blu-Ray), Tangled: Before Ever After (DVD), DuckTales: Woo-oo (DVD), Inside Out (Blu-Ray), The Good Dinosaur (Blu-Ray), Finding Dory (Blu-Ray), Cars 3 (Blu-Ray), Coco (Blu-Ray), Once Upon A Time: Season 5, Once Upon A Time: Season 6, The BFG, Tomorrowland, Star Wars: The Force Awakens (Blu-Ray), Star Wars: The Last Jedi (Blu-Ray), Star Wars Rebels: Season 2, Lego Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures: Season 1, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them (Blu-Ray), Static Shock: Season 4, Justice League Action: Superpowers Unite!, Teen Titans Go!: Get In Pig Out, Teen Titans Go!: Recess Is Over, DC Super Hero Girls: Intergalactic Games, LEGO DC Super Hero Girls: Brain Drain, The LEGO Batman Movie, LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: The Flash, Batman Vs. Two-Face, Scooby Doo! & Batman: The Brave And The Bold, Batman: Gotham By Gaslight, Suicide Squad: Hell To Pay, Suicide Squad (Blu-Ray), Wonder Woman (Blu-Ray), Justice League (Blu-Ray), The Flash: Season 2, The Flash: Season 3, Arrow: Season 4, Arrow: Season 5, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 1, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow: Season 2, Supergirl: Season 1, Supergirl: Season 2 Vixen: The Movie, Gotham: Season 2, Gotham: Season 3, iZombie: Season 1, iZombie: Season 2, iZombie: Season 3, Lucifer: Season 1, Lucifer: Season 2, Samurai Jack: Season 5, Be Cool Scooby Doo!: Spooky Kooky Fun!, Wabbit: A Looney Tunes Prod.: Hare-Raising Tales, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug: Extended Edition, The Hobbit: The Battle Of The Five Armies: Extended Edition, The Simpsons: Season 18, Red Dwarf XII, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Beyond The Known Universe, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Earth's Last Stand, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Super Shredder, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Wanted: Bebop & Rocksteady, Tales Of The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Final Chapters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Half-Shell Heroes: Blast To The Past, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out Of The Shadows, Power Rangers (2017), Power Rangers: Zeo: Volume 2, Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, Power Rangers Turbo: Volume 1, Power Rangers: Turbo: Volume 2, Power Rangers In Space Volume 1, Power Rangers In Space: Volume 2, Power Rangers Samurai: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Megaforce: The Complete Season, Power Rangers: Super Megaforce: The Complete Season, Transformers: Robots In Disguise: Season 1, Heroes Reborn: The Complete Series, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 1: Water, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 2: Earth, Avatar: The Last Airbender: Book 3: Fire, The Legend Of Korra: The Complete Series, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 1 & 2, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Seasons 3 and a Half-ish, The Ren And Stimpy Show: Season 5 & Some More Of 4, Haven: Season 5 - Vol. 1, Haven: The Final Season, The Dark Tower, IT, Under The Dome: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 2, Sleepy Hollow: Season 3, Sleepy Hollow: Season 4, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 2, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 3, Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Season 4, Airplane! / Airplane II: The Sequel: Double Feature, The Jurassic Park Trilogy, Jurassic World, Back To The Future: The Complete Animated Series, Shaun The Sheep Movie (Blu-Ray), Shaun The Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, 12 Monkeys: Season 1, 12 Monkeys: Season 2, Grimm: Season 4, Grimm: Season 5, Grimm: Season 6, The Wonder Years: Season 4, The Wonder Years: Season 5, The Wonder Years: Season 6, The Peanuts Movie, Peanuts By Schulz: Snoopy Tales, Peanuts By Schulz: Go Team Go!, Peanuts By Schulz: School Days, Bob's Burgers: Season 5, Home Movies: Seasons 1 & 2, Home Movies: Season 3 & 4, Ghostbusters: Answer The Call, Community: Season 6, Danger Mouse: The Complete Series, Game Of Thrones: Season 5, and Game of Thrones: Season 6.
DC Super Hero Girls "Nevermore, Part 3"
Two things to note this week:
1. This is easily the worst interpretation of either Raven or Trigon I have ever seen. If Wolfman isn't looking down in utter shame at this, I'd be shocked. Granted, there actually haven't been a TON of different Teen Titans interpretations. But that's the worst. By far. It is embarrassing.
2. I don't know either the name of the girl who voices Supergirl, or why I haven't thought to bring this up before. But she's an outright terrible actress. Just thought I'd mention that.
Awful. *.
The Flash "Think Fast"
Is it just me or is Barry being too cautious this season? They might have had more time to do what they needed to do for that mission if they hadn't been benched for an hour.
Killer Frost existed before the particle accelerator? What's up with that?
Cynthia's stuff with Joe was annoying.
I liked Harry's stuff with Iris though. He's honestly been more helpful in these past two episodes than he's been all season.
Iris is right that optimism is not a weakness, but a strength. Emotions don't make you stupid, they make you smart. And that's ultimately why I think the Flash is gonna win next week.
That therapist gets a lot of work, which amazes me considering all her patients seem to lie to her. She can't actually help anyone if they refuse to reveal what is bothering them.
I love that Caitlin and Cisco always make sure to have a bucket handy when Barry retrieves Diggle. Did Diggle mention he hates Barry?
I think the stuff with Devoe and the classical music at the beginning was supposed to be awesome and hardcore, but I think it was just cynical. And I am on Team Iris as far as the true worth of cynicism goes.
This episode was decent but I'm still predicting the season is going to ultimately be weak. They made so many unforced errors, I don't see next week making up for them. ***1/2.
Arrow "Life Sentence"
Two opinions:
1. That was a great finale, and ultimately a great season.
2. This is almost certainly the LAST great season.
The Quentin and Oliver stuff is the reason I watch the show. Oliver telling him that he wasn't talking about his own father in regards to having a great role model, and Quentin thanking Oliver for everything, was pretty much six seasons in the making. I lived for that moment. Wanted it more than anything, and was granted it. Finally.
But with Paul Blackthorne leaving, and Quentin killed off, the show won't have that anymore. The very best moment of Arrow occurred in Season 3. When Quentin takes a bunch of cops to raid the Arrowcave, and sneers at Oliver "I've got you now, you son of a bitch," that was the entire show for me, summed up in one line. And without that dynamic, I don't see how the show can ever be what it was.
To be absolutely fair, Season Four and five, and even THIS season at the beginning, have already shied away from that dynamic a bit, and put it in the background. And what do seasons 4, 5, and 6.1 have in common? They all sucked. They all were lesser than the seasons that fully explored Oliver and Quentin's drama. And yeah, the show can obviously do without that dynamic. But it's can't do WELL without it.
I love Oliver offering John the second costume. And that was the correct answer all along. And yet, it's STILL not good enough, and John objects to it for precisely the correct reasons. What I love is that despite the fact that it's not good enough, it's the only answer we have left. It will have to freaking do. And I love that in hindsight.
Rene admitting he cares what Oliver thinks about him was not quite as big as any of Oliver's moments with Quentin, but I think it was equally defining between those two specific characters.
Bummed Sara only showed up after the fact. I would have loved Caity Lotz to have gotten a legit goodbye with Paul Blackthorne.
What I love about Oliver's statement to the press is that he says it for many different ears, and knows which specific ears need to hear what. He needs the criminals to know the city is no longer theirs. He needs his friends to know they should keep fighting, no matter what. And he lets the general public know that he owns his choices, which is what I think is going to get him released in season 7.
I think because of Oliver's specific amazing speech here, his approval ratings are going to go through the roof. You thought his incarceration went over poorly with his friends and family? How is the city that he saved from destruction six freaking times and counting going to feel about the gub'mint sticking their grabby hands onto Star City's legendary folk hero? I think Watkins thinks she got a good deal out of that immunity plea. I don't. I think with that specific speech, Oliver is playing the long game, and waiting for public opinion to turn the tide of what is happening to him and his city. And it's possible, that by the beginning of Season 7, Watkins is going to learn there is only ONE Green Arrow, and the city is suffering for him being gone. I don't expect Oliver's guilty plea to be overturned. What I do expect is the city to put him on probation under the understanding the Green Arrow now works for THEM. Suicide Squad anyone?
Isn't that a crazy theory? I am also certain I am right. You think Oliver charging in with the FBI this season was a gamechanger? Picture of all of Season 7 being like that. Because nobody needs masks anymore.
Can I just say the ID no longer being secret is probably a good thing, for good or ill? It's not like Oliver's friends and families weren't already being targeted by the bad guys. They already knew it was him. Oliver's protestation a few episodes ago that admitting he's the Arrow means that he is throwing away any potential happy future he would have had after he was done being the Hood rings false to me. What Oliver failed to realize at the time is that he already did that the second he put on the Hood. Him and Felicity jetting off in a Corvette together is a great way to end a random season. But it was never going to be how his life ended or turned out. And maybe if Oliver understood that this season, Diaz would have been caught quicker, and Quentin would still be alive.
Speaking of still being alive, I'm shocked Anatoly survived the season. But because Diaz did too, I suspect Anatoly won't survive the next. He would have otherwise, but I expect Diaz to keep that promise to kill him. I just think it's probably gonna be a shock death for the audience, and we aren't going to have to witness the days of torture Diaz is threatening here.
I loved the episode, and even if I didn't love the first half of the season, I loved the second. As far as I'm concerned Kirk Acevedo redeemed it. He took an absolutely nothing villain like Ricardo Diaz, and actually made me believe at various points that this numbnuts actually had a shot. Which is crazy. Which is how crazy good an actor Acevedo is, and always has been. Great finale. *****.
Krypton "Hope"
First impression of Brainiac in the flesh: He is great. He is scary. And just the right amount of goofy-looking. Next week is gonna rock.
I predicted Jayna would die upon accepting the challenge from Drew, and then the show does the unexpected thing and has her win it, only to be shot by Lyta. And I adore the fact that Drew does NOT love Lyta for it. But making decisions on behalf of family is something both Jayna and Lyta actually have in common. It's a pity this virtue seems to have skipped the generation that actually needed it.
Seg as the father: What do I think? What, does that make Zod Superman's uncle once removed or something? I'm not sure about what the genealogy term is for that, but I think it's a swell idea myself. It's not like Zod wasn't already Superman's most personal enemy. Now it's personal in a way even he and Zod never suspected until now. He's family. And now if Superman meets him again, they are both going to have to live with that idea.
I was very gratified to see Daran mewling and suffering all throughout the episode. Do you know who Daran is? Zapp Brannigan. He's THAT specific d-bag. Expects to be treated with love and respect, treats everyone like cr*p, and betrays everyone who ever trusted him, and becomes a whimpering baby when the people he's tormented learn the truth, and are in a position to enact justice against him. Zapp's fate was always unfair because he always got away with it. When happened to Daran is what would have happened to Zapp had Leela been allowed five minutes alone with him tied to a chair. As every blow landed on Daran I half-pretended he was Zapp. On behalf of the Philip J. Frys everywhere.
I was especially disgusted when he's pathetically begging the guard with money for his family. And the guards all, "Well, my family died of a plague that you were responsible for hoarding the treatments for." And the lesson here is that if you screw over every single person on the planet, it is unreasonable to expect any help coming from any of them, when you actually need it.
Love Jax-Ur being sure to remind Seg which side killed his grandfather.
Is Van-El actually alive? Don't know. Also am unsure of who the gentlemen who saved Jayna was. I suspect it's her brother she left for dead after he betrayed her. I'm betting he feels bad and is looking for redemption. And if Jayna is very smart, she'll exact a VERY steep price to give it. That's what I would do in her place for this d-bag.
Here's an opinion. The Doomsday Guardians' plot to wheel Doomsday into Kandor, and when Brainiac rips Kandor from Krypton they can battle to the death elsewhere, is actually a REALLY good one. It's better than Seg's plan at any rate. By far. And as far as I'm concerned, it's still on the table. It wasn't actually stopped. To be continued. Seg is operating under the assumption that they need to save Kandor to prevent Krypton from exploding. But not only would he be destroying Superman's future for it, but I doubt the people on Krypton today would agree with his reasoning. I get the global warming alarms being currently blared on Earth. But if they were signaling a travesty happening 2 centuries later, part of me would be all "That's a 200 years from now problem". The only reason we react to global warming is because it WILL effect us and our children very soon. Krypton's destruction 200 years from now is hardly something I'd think most people would think of as a factor in this situation. In fact, I think the idea that Seg was outraged by the idea and held it against Adam Strange is quite unusual, and probably only happened because Seg's entire family are scientists. The everyday, rank-and-file Rankless? I bet they would rather let their great-grandkids deal with it.
This show is so great. It could easily go downhill in season 2, as there is a possible chance the premise cannot be sustained for seasons on end. But I do predict next week's finale is gonna rock and that this season will be thought of as a hit. *****.
Gotham "A Dark Knight: No Man's Land"
GRRR.
Frustrating. The best thing was Lee telling Riddler that him thinking killing Jim would free her is actually insulting. She is a grown-@$$ woman with her own agency. Ed suspects later she said that to save Jim's life, but I think the Lee and Jim love affair is more active in Ed and Jim's imaginations than in real life. She was nice to Jim when she thought she was going to leave. But she probably still thinks he's a turd. Because he is.
The show was sick for having Lee and Ed kiss after stabbing each other. This show traffics in depravity. I remember very clearly watching Ren and Stimpy back in the day, and thinking whoever made that show probably had a ton of psychological problems. That is me and the entirety of Gotham. The difference for me is that Ren and Stimpy was entertaining, and a great show during its original run. Gotham has always been a piece of cr*p. But scenes like that show it is actually WRITTEN by pieces of cr*p.
Another clear sign of this is the idea that Barbara thinks MEN are the cause of all of Gotham's ills, and proceeds to kill all of them present. That is the mark of a very regressive writer, and somebody with cr*p political opinions. That is the writer of the episode suggesting the feminist movement is unreasonable, unjust, and a threat to our very way of life. I don't know if that's what the writer intended, but a bunch of psych profiles could be written about the sociopaths who produce this show, and fear of strong women would definitely count as one of their hang-ups.
I am upset at how Butch ended. But not TOO upset. The ending hinted things aren't actually over. He'll probably go back to being Grundy, which sucks, and means Drew Powell will again be underutilized next season. But what I liked is that it said Penguin never forgave Tabitha, even for a second. And he shouldn't have. Ever. And television tends to have series regulars who are villains forgive each other for all sorts of unlikely reasons, simply so as not to blow up the premise of the entire show. But Tabitha killed Penguin's mother in front of him. The only person he ever loved. For fun. She thought it was funny. How dare she think Penguin should actually look past that? It would actually be weird if he did. So yeah, I'm going to say my frustration over Penguin's maddening alliances with this awful woman turned out to be groundless. Which is one of my few complaints about the show that actually IS groundless. I'll take it. Even if I'll miss Butch. She had that coming. And always did.
The episode wants me to hate the Major for trying to arrest Jim, and I'll concede the second time was out of line. But what amazes me is that the show actually wants me to think that about the first time too. Jim actually laid hands on the Major in a threatening manner. He SHOULD be arrested for that. It's weird that he is always grab@$$ with various authority figures, and is never freaking called on it. Him assaulting a superior officer is something that SHOULD get him arrested. Partly why I think the writers of this show are so bad at their jobs, is that they don't have any idea of what actual cop rules and etiquette are. They don't even bother to research THAT much. Even the dirtiest of cops don't do that to a superior officer for any reason. Especially not in front of a crowded precinct. I have Asperger's, and even I know people should never randomly lay their hands on other people, especially people they just met. Jim is a terrible person. It's consistent with his abusive personality. But why don't the writers actually see it as abusive? Why do they not even seem to think there is something actually WRONG with Jim? I personally think Jerome and Jeremiah have nothing on craziness compared to Jim Gordon. What makes Gordon worse in my mind is that everyone agrees Jerome and Jeremiah are nuts. Everyone treats Jim like The Last Honest Cop, and gives him positive reinforcement every single time he goes out of his way to prove he is anything but. It's the fact that the writers are trying to convince me an abusive lout like Jim Gordon is a hero, which is one of the reasons I think there is something psychologically wrong with the writers.
It took nearly 30 years for John Kricfalusi to be outed as a sociopathic scumbag. If it takes either Cannon or Heller that long, I'll be shocked. Gotham is simply put, a terrible TV show made by terrible human beings. *.
Marvel's Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. "The End"
I liked the last fifteen minutes, but the rest of the episode was a chore and no fun at all. I also didn't understand several of the themes or story choices they made.
How did they break the loop? What was the specific thing they did differently? Without clearly spelling that out, the series is basically gutting the entire tension of the season. The future cannot be changed. Wait, never mind. Randomly it CAN. Never mind all of that stuff we repeatedly worried the audience with. We don't even think it's even worth explaining the unexplainable happy ending.
Yeah, you can make guesses. Like Fitz dying broke the loop, or saving Mack and Polly did. Or maybe Coulson himself broke the loop by not taking the serum and giving it to Daisy. But with a season very heavy on such a specific sci-fi plot point, they needed to have the characters spend a scene figuring out what "went right", and why as Robin notes "Things are different". Because we don't know why that is.
Also, I'm calling b.s. on the Coda. If the episode had ended with them saving the world, I would have accepted the idea of them ignoring Infinity War entirely. It might simply have not happened in the timeline yet. But by suggesting they are taking at least a week to wrap up and pack, and the planet doesn't seem to be in danger anymore, that's b.s.. Thanos was even mentioned a couple of episodes ago. This is probably the first example of this show not knowing what Marvel Studios' left-hand was doing. And it's the fact that it didn't know which is why an ending that is supposed to end a chapter in the series' life feels instead like it's skipping one.
I totally forgot there is a Fitz in space. If I actually believed the writers were making this season up as they went along, (and the fact that the happy ending makes no sense suggests they might be) I now second-guess that opinion. They specifically chose to bring Fitz into the future the way they did. They specifically made Fitz' potential death a visible symptom of the loop being broken. If the writers truly had no game plan and had the heroes win "Just because", Fitz would have gone with them into the future in the exact same way. But the fact that there is now a second Fitz in space to save shows that as badly put together as the resolution is, it was at least planned that way. Which is something.
I'm glad they won. But I'm frustrated the series didn't even seem to know about the twist in Infinity War, and that the happy ending makes no sense, and the series didn't even try to have it make sense. ***1/2.
Legion "Chapter 15"
That was confusing. There were things I liked but I ultimately didn't get what was happening or what the episode was trying to say.
Interesting that The Narrator uses comic books and Seduction Of The Innocent to describe mass delusions and witch hunts.
I love Syd telling Lennie she was the loud music police play during hostage situations to confuse the hostage taker. And then Lennie tells her she's right and that she can tell they are going to be best friends.
Farouk tells David that deep down, he wanted Amy dead. I think that's probably true. And that's why David is so angry. She'd probably still be alive, and Farouk would have chosen another victim, had he not thought that. Farouk probably thought he was doing him a favor.
My favorite scene was at the end with the red room and the giant monster and David very politely telling it this was a really bad time and asking if it could just go away. And right before he kills it, he points out he DID offer to let it go. That was very funny.
I love the "Ostensibly On Legion" thing. Noah Hawley used to have similar "Previously on" riffs in the Fargo recaps. "Erstwhile" was my favorite. Which they also used on this show last week.
I don't like what happened to Ptonomy. I hope that's not actually the end of him. Lennie shows that it doesn't have to be, but I didn't like what happened.
I didn't much care for this episode, simply because I couldn't tell what was going on. ***.
LEGO Marvel Super Heroes: Black Panther: Trouble In Wakanda "Something Strange"
That was freaking awesome. Best Marvel Lego cartoon I have ever seen. I loved the "Duck!" moment and Killmonger threatening that he had a really big lunch. This was terrific. *****.
DuckTales "The Missing Links Of Moorshire!"
Truthfully, not the greatest episode ever, but it had a ton of great jokes. Like an unusual amount. And this show usually has LOTS of great jokes.
About half of the great jokes involved the kelpies. From them being described as "murder ponies" and talking animals wearing clothes being Webby Heaven, they stole the show. Totally.
Louie was great. Always stickin' out his hand to Glomgold to get paid. Louie is probably my least favorite of the nephews on this show, but there is no denying his apathy often leads to funny jokes.
Speaking of which, the episode described golf in a way I have never heard it described before. And once it was described this way, I'm wondering why people play this game at all. Essentially in golf, you are trying to lose with the lowest score possible, while making the game go quicker so it ends faster. And when you hear it like that, it's no fun at all. And I love that this show does jokes like that, that make me question a known sport or scenario in an entirely different way, simply because it's from the perspective of a modern kid. And I love that about this show.
What happened to all of the other people who became statues earlier? Shouldn't they have come back to life too? Hmm.
"If you pull a club out of a Scotsman's hand, you'd better be prepared to knock him out with it." Great line and delivery by David Tennant there.
Everybody turning to stone at the end reminded me of everybody turning to gold at the end of The Golden Goose.
Funny episode. ****.
Once Upon A Time "Leaving Storybrooke"
Okay, I'm not going to say that was a great series finale. But it was a proper one. It was worthy of a show that was on the air for seven seasons. And what's especially impressive to me is that the producers crafted it at the last minute. The show did not go out on its terms in the exact way the creators wanted. They wanted more seasons, but ABC canceled the show. And somehow they made the last two episodes of the season wrap up nearly everything that mattered, even if that wasn't their intention at the time.
To be 100% honest, I think my biggest problem with the finale was seeing Snow and David again. I realized upon hearing their portentous speeches that I did not miss them at all. Honestly, I've detested both characters with a passion since season 3, but I never actually suspected they were the reason the show was sucking in the last few seasons, and with them gone, things would improve. I might be wrong about that. But the truth is them being there made me enjoy this episode less than the other episodes of the season, whether it was worthy finale or not. I rolled my eyes a ton during this episode, and almost all of those treacly moments involved Snow and David.
I would have liked Robin, Alice, and Nook at the big ceremony at the end. Maybe they didn't want to confuse things with two Hooks present, but two Hooks IS confusing either way, so they might as well have embraced it. Rogers and his family deserved to be there.
Speaking of which, there is no explanation what happened to the second Regina, and THIRD Henry that grew up to be the one who went to Hyperion Heights. How can they not be a part of this? And if they aren't, wouldn't that change their entire fate if they knew about the time skip ahead of time? Have they already been summoned to the Enchanted Forest with early Nook and Rumple? If so, that's more time travel and more headaches. I thought the time travel gimmick was quite clever a couple of weeks ago, because it explained why nobody was looking for Regina and Henry. But I thought that under the assumption that the writers had carefully done the math, and knew which characters were going to be where at the various points. And if it DOESN'T hold together under scrutiny, it's no longer a great twist but a random one. Early Regina and Early Henry being completely dropped from the story after having been revealed to have gone to Henry's graduation ceremony is extremely unsatisfying to me. How much about this did they wind up learning? And why didn't the Hyperion Heights versions know this? Sigh.
The scene at the beginning of Grumpy and Granny attacking Alice and Robin was another reminder of why I didn't miss Storybrooke at all. That place was so stupid. It was still funny though.
I always knew that the series would end with a hero moment by Rumple, but I'm a little disappointed Henry had nothing to do with it. Even Wish Henry ultimately was not a part of his downfall, as teased last week. I personally am glad Rumple went out the hero, and on his own terms to save the day. But I had been hoping when they brought up the prophecy last week that maybe it would turn out that Henry was the Guardian. And I'm glad Rumple earned Heaven with Belle after all. But the fact that he did with the Guardian thing being an utter non-factor made me feel like we were wasting a great deal of the season's time.
Still, it's possible the prophecy was merely referring to Wish Henry making Our Rumple mortal. But if that's the case, the Seer is a misleading liar.
I love the little wrap-up for Maleficent and Lily. I love that Zorro is Lily's father. It would actually be weird if the father WASN'T somebody crazy.
The one update I was upset we didn't get was a happy ending for Will Scarlet and the Red Queen from Once Upon A Time In Wonderland. That being said, I wasn't honestly expecting it. The show dropped that ball in the seasons it was sucking, and I can't expect a 45 minute episode to clean up the entire canon's previous messes.
I adore the reformed Storybrooke. It was SUCH a great visual to see every land in one place. I have always loved this show's cheesy, unrealistic effects, and as far as I'm concerned, anybody who mocks the show for them can eat a sack a crap. And it's stuff at the end which is why I love them. Yeah, they look CGI and fake. But they wouldn't be able to do something that visually awesome if they were actually great and high-budget. They couldn't afford it. I think people who talk down this show's low-budget effects have no magic in their hearts, which means the show isn't even meant for them. It's because the show is TV affordable which is why they can do the magical things they do. People demanding realism in genre is how we wound up with the hot mess of the DC Extended Universe. And that has never been this show. It has embraced the cheese, and the unrealistic costumes and effects, and make-up. And that was one of the things I loved best about it.
I will not miss this show. Simply because I am grateful it went out on a great year. Even if the finale wasn't outright great, the season was. And the series deserved to end while it was great and did. I am satisfied with what I just saw, and how those 7 seasons ended up. Very much so. ****.
Transformers: Power Of The Primes "Without Warning"
Not sure why I'm supposed to care about Megatronus's past love life.
Megatron is sure the strong, silent type, isn't he? Love that dude. ***1/2.
Colony "Sierra Maestra"
MacGregor worries me. That is NOT the proper reaction for learning what he just learned. Snyder believes the guy to be a fascist, and Will knows that Snyder has survived this long by correctly reading people. And that's right. Snyder does not have any other marketable skills. But MacGregor's furious reaction upon learning that the Raps might have come as allies, and simply went about it the wrong way, suggests he believes this idea could upend his power in the camp. I found it ominous that the camp was described as "political" last week. And I think the idea that maybe things are not clear-cut would raise questions from people MacGregor needs compliant and under his heel.
If the Raps DO want to be allies, this might explain why Will has survived drones twice. Maybe they recognize him as necessary, and always have.
Those people dying because they didn't listen to Broussard kind of devastated me. The dude stayed an extra 30 seconds to get meds for his wife, and he just watched his wife explode before being killed too. Broussard was right that those people were not equipped for that particular mission. But that fact doesn't upset me any less.
We suspected the Raps were entirely robots before this week, and this was confirmation of that theory. On the bad side, the idea that the "Rap defector" was simply a POW, and the defector notion was put in place as human propaganda, makes me think much less of Earth's chances not only against the Raps, but whatever the Raps are warning are coming.
Really great episode that worried and devastated me at various points. This has become the most accidentally relevant show on television. I mean, The Handmaid's Tale is very specific in what buttons it is pushing. The Red Hats on Colony simply suggest Carlton Cuse has VERY fortunate timing. ****.
The Blaclist "Sutton Ross"
That was good.
First off, I'm not surprised Tom is alive. I'm annoyed that the show thinks I should be. But they already pulled that trick with Liz two seasons ago. They have already let me know they ARE that shameless and terrible of storytellers. So I'm less pleasantly shocked, and more disappointed that that twist is this show not even passing my lowest of expectations.
The whole "He's not Red Reddington" thing is more of a surprise. Those bones belonging to the real Red was legit guess by some people, and I would have accepted it. Except it turns out the real Red IS Liz's father after all, and the Red we know killed him. I do not accept that idea at face value. The fact that Our Red did that, whoever he may be, did it to protect Liz. Her father, if that's who the real Red actually was, was a mortal threat to her, and that's why he killed him. But he still doesn't want her to know for obvious reasons.
It's the fact that Dembe has suggested Red tell her the truth several times which leads me to believe that this is not the whole story. I doubt even Dembe would recommend that if it were. On some very real level Dembe believes that if Liz learned the truth, she'd forgive Our Red. And as seen in the episode, Red does not contain Dembe's level of faith. Also as seen in the episode, Dembe is usually right, and has a better track record of that kind of thing than his boss.
I love that Red's a John Waters' nerd. Honestly, Waters' films are headaches, and bad taste, and just plain hard to watch. But Waters himself has the coolest persona and demeanor of a director possible. He is just so subversive and lovable in real life that I can love him while thinking most of his films are majorly gross. There is a reason The Simpsons essentially had him play himself in Season 8. He is just that great of character. If that guy didn't exist, someone would have to make him up.
I love Red's randomly loud torturer. Red has the most colorful people working for him.
I appreciated Navabi waking up because this was a dark episode, and that was this show reminding me to appreciate the small moments. Sure, Tom's life is in imminent danger if anyone learns he's alive, and Liz's faith in the man she believed to be her father is destroyed. But just take the small victories wherever you can get them.
This would be a five star episode if the show didn't bring back Tom and act like it was the most genius twist ever, instead of the lamest and most clichéd. I'm knocking a star off for the show acting like a five year old smearing cr*p on the wall, and beaming at us, because he thinks we should be proud of him for it. ****.
Blindspot "In Memory"
Mostly annoyed by that. I thought the cliffhanger sucked and the idea of Zapata as some sort of Ultimate Evil is ludicrous. But it did raise some interesting questions for me.
To start off with, Remy seems a bit alarmed she is missing time. Is that her in shock from waking up? Because it seems to me, that this should have been the plan all along. Have Jane nice and well trusted within the FBI, and then have that persona entirely replaced by Remy's herself. If that was not deliberate on Remy's end, the show is underthinking what a great twist it could be. But her showing concern over the lost time suggests the writers might play it up as an unfortunate accident. Which is stupid.
The second thing is wondering about what Blake's relationship is to Zapata. Are they secret lovers? How long has she known the truth? It's hinted a long while. Why didn't she tell her father? It amazes me that it looks like Crawford actually loved and cared for Roman more than Blake did. In the end, Crawford was honest and unapologetic. Which tells me he actually loved Tom. He would be begging for his life if he didn't. I don't actually think Crawford is actually the type of person who never runs or gets scared. Nobody is. But I think he was willing to make the sacrifices he did simply because he loved Tom. I'm betting he would be appalled if he had known what Blake would have wound up doing to him.
I hate how the show handled Roman's death. They tried to have Jane comfort him and them both apologize with each other to redeem the character a bit before he dies. But in Jane's very next scene she acts like him dying is no great loss, and I'm thinking her being forgiving of Roman was a lie. And if it was, I think less of Jane for either lying to her brother simply because she'd never have to confront him again, or lying to Weller about how much she actually loved him. She's a liar either way. I have always hated the character specifically, and her becoming Remy did not anger me as much as it would have if a sleeper agent had actually woken up in a character I actually liked. If Patterson or Rich turned evil I'd lose it.
Speaking of Patterson and Rich, their Who's On First routine with What Three Words was great. I laughed at Rich pouring Edgar a stiff drink before revealing how much he paid for the book. Rich's actor better be a regular cast member next season.
Who was Roman talking to on the phone at the end? I didn't get that bit. It's not Zapata, because she's Team Blake. That suggests an unknown third Big Bad in Season 4 besides Remy and Zapata.
The problem with the Remy twist is that it should have been the only twist. Learning about those boxes, and planning to go for a race around the world for them, makes the ending unnecessarily complicated. Even more-so when you teased that Weller might be dying. There is such a thing as piling on the dire situations too much. And I got the feeling that the Remy twist is such a big, important deal, it should not be sharing space with either of those other two cliffhangers. I think they should have used the Remy twist and the other two in different finale cliffhangers.
This show is nothing special and neither was the season finale. ***.
