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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Preacher, Marvel's Spider-Man, Big Hero 6: The Series, DuckTales, Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, and Tangled: The Series Short Cuts. Also had a free HBO preview, so I binge-watched the last 9 episodes of Westworld: Season 2.
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), Black Panther (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), 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!, Justice League Action: Battles From Beyond!, 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, Batman Ninja, 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: 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: 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.
12 Monkey "The Beginning"
My only metric for judging the last episode is "Is the ending better than the movie's ending?"
That would be a h*ll to the yes.
I do have a major gripe, but you'll think I'm crazy for it. I think the ending was TOO happy. It was a great happy ending. But if the series had ended upon Cassie remembering those words alone at her and Cole's former house, it would have been a great SAD ending. And I don't think there are many or enough good sad endings. Most series refuse to put in the work to make a satisfying sad ending. The only one I can think of is Lost, and that was polarizing by people who didn't understand that the sadness was earned on every level. You did not need to answer the mysteries to feel moved by the ending of Lost.
Similarly, I did not think Cole and Cassie needed to end up together to feel moved by the end of 12 Monkeys. But I repeat: It was a GREAT happy ending. But the sad ending would have been a better sad ending than the happy one is a happy one. I will fully admit that the happy ending is actually a better ending than the sad one. But there are SO few good, EARNED sad endings in American pop culture that I feel like we missed out on something special, even if the episode would have been slightly less amazing.
And it's not like the ending wouldn't have been super happy and moving for everyone else. Ramse lives and gets his son back. Deacon lives and gets his brother back. And Jones lives and never loses her husband and daughter. Which is the very reason the sadness of Cassie's story would have been earned. I fully approve of sad endings where the hero wins, but wishes they didn't. I think it is criminal we are not given that more often. And the fact that we could have had that and didn't saddens me on some level.
On the other hand, Jones breaking time to save Cole is sort of a mindblowing ending, and as meaningful as the sad ending would have been for me personally, sad and personal is not really this show. It's all about effing things up to the Nth degree, and having everything dialed up to 11. So while I think the sad ending would have been amazing for me, I don't know how feasible it would have been in this crazy of a franchise.
I think my biggest problem with the sad ending is that Cassie did not ultimately deserve it. She almost made the wrong call, and when she declares "Time owes us," that is dangerous thinking, and exactly what warped Olivia. And the episode making her right is appalling on a moral level.
That being said, hearing Cole's various reassuring statements to her make me realize this is one of the most romantic men on television. The specific reason I love that facet to Cole is that Cole is, let's face it, not very intelligent. He's got cunning, and understands the rules of time travel better than most people, but he's kind of dull otherwise. Not to mention completely rough around the edges. Which makes the fact that he is consistently able to say the correct romantic thing in any given moment to keep Cassie going for the upcoming sacrifice that much more impressive. I don't tend to think of poets as stupid. But Cole's stupid, and when he says "It's not much but I can give you now," when he holds out the wedding ring, he's a poet. When he points out that the best part of his and Cassie's relationship is finding each other, and how meaningless eternity would be without that dynamic, he's a poet. And I love that idea, and I not only understand why Cassie gets the strength to do what must happen, but I also understand why she's resisting doing the right thing so much.
How great was that red leaf at the end? Said everything. Without killing off the entire Universe to do it.
The song they chose for Ramse and Cole storming into Titan in the classic car ("The Time Of My Life") was so much fun. It's not a great song, but you kind of feel Ramse's pain about not wanting to die during a sucky country song, and you're all "That'll do." And it's because the "Time Of My Life" song is so underwhelming in most other venues which makes it funny that it's the one decided on. I mean I suppose I would look really bad if somebody played Barry Manilow at my funeral. But Mandy's a great song, am I right? And yeah, if the time song has zero coolness cred, it's still a good song.
And yeah, Ramse had to be there at the end. It would be weird if he wasn't.
Also love Jennifer's "Don't You Forget About Me". Ode to Deacon.
What I loved about Cole, Jennifer and Jones' plan was that they were using Olivia's exact strengths regarding time travel against her. And that's been what's made this season so great. And that's ultimately why Olivia is a weak, unworthy villain who I don't believe actually properly EARNED the Witness mantle. The good guys needed Titan to power up the weapon. So they let Olivia know they actually HAVE the weapon. And instead of being reasonable and taking an army of guys to travel in time and take out the weapon, Olivia brings the thing they actually need to power the weapon right to them. It's actually a show of strength on her end. But if you get a Royal Flush in poker, you COULD go all in immediately. But more than likely, everybody else would fold and you wouldn't be using those cards to their proper advantage. You'd win a tiny pot instead of the riches a hand that lucky should get you. And that's bringing Titan every single place where Olivia sees a potential threat. And the good guys used the fact that she always played the highest hand immediately, and went all in every time someone raised a couple of chips against her. And that one of the cool things about the fact that the heroes understood time travel better than the villains, is that they understand how to play the hands they were dealt better than she did. They punked her because her sociopathy and viciousness became tiresome and predictable. And maybe it always was.
On one level I think Tom Noonan should have been there for the final episode, but the Pallid Man makes me wanna wretch, so good riddance.
And finally I want to talk about how this episode, this series, and specifically this ending is better than the movie. And the fact that it's better makes me regret they pulled back on the sad ending at all. Because that was a PROPER sad ending. It would have done everything the movie tried to do, except it wouldn't have SUCKED and made you feel like you wasted two hours. An ending with a predestination paradox of the hero having to sacrifice himself? They actually explored that and did that without killing off the entire friggin' human race. That should NOT be too much to ask for in my sci-fi. Don't you think? I mean really. I used to really like the movie, but now I'm borderline disgusted with it. Man, if they HAD gone with the sad ending here, it would have been a REAL thumb in the face to the movie for actually doing it properly. The happy ending seems like the bigger "Screw You!" on the surface, because it is so unlike the established canon, but another reason I would have preferred the sad ending would be that it would be this show beating the movie at its own game, and showing how to do it right. There will be movie purists who are upset with the happy ending, because it is not in the spirit of the movie. But I think they should consider themselves lucky it is happy. Now they can dismiss it. If they had ended the episode seven minutes earlier, that would be this show demolishing the movie on every level. So, maybe it IS best for all involved to have a happy ending.
That's the downside to the show. It makes a cool movie seem inadequate. And what bums me out is that the movie was made in the era before the big sci-fi / superhero / fantasy explosion of the last ten years or so. If it were made today nobody would think much of it. Maybe it always WAS inadequate, and we just did not have the point of reference to understand that. And now we do, and this show is putting it into such sharp focus, that I'm thinking this show IS actually damaging to the legacy of the movie. Just not in the way the Gilliam purists would think.
That was a h*ll of a finale to a h*ll of a series. After Haven went off the air a couple of years ago, 12 Monkeys pretty much immediately took its place as my current favorite sci-fi show on the air. The bummer about 12 Monkeys ending is that I don't think there's a current sci-fi show I watch up to it or Haven's standards. There will be someday, I'm sure, but I am well aware that this show ending is an actual loss to genre. I'm sad about that, but I loved the 47 episodes we got out of it anyways. Wonderful last episode. *****.
P.S. I have heard this series finale being described elsewhere as the best series finale since Breaking Bad. I still haven't seen Breaking Bad yet, but they are right about how amazing the finale and the series is. You must check it out if you haven't (even though I've probably just spoiled the whole d*mn thing).
Preacher "Gonna Hurt"
Here's an opinion: Cassidy is NOT Jessie's best friend. Because if that were true, and Cassidy says he refuses to leave without Tulip, were I Jessie, and were Cassidy my best friend, I'd just let him take Tulip. If Jessie truly understands what fresh Hell Cassidy is in for, if he IS his best friend, he's worth losing a girl over in this specific horrific scenario. Since Jessie doesn't think he is, they aren't actually best friends.
I love the idea that God looks exactly like fake God. When he says it's his design, I'm like "Aha! That is so stupid and so clever at the same."
When God tells Tulip she messes everything up, by the end of the episode I realized he wasn't jiving.
I like that they cut to the main titles right before Tulip could say "@$$". What I like about that is that the show has dropped f-bombs before, and they said the full saying later, but the teaser transition to the theme song lands harder and funnier if the swear is actually interrupted. Good job.
I disliked the past two weeks but this was fine. ***1/2.
Marvel's Spider-Man "School Of Hard Knocks"
How bad is Spider-Man? Ms. Marvel thinks he's the goofy, annoying hero.
The characters in this episode were so stupid. Grady didn't know the Avengers were prisoners the entire time? Somebody that stupid does not belong in a school for geniuses. Which shows the problems with superhero cartoons and kids shows. They make the characters dumber than any real-world person would be in that exact situation. There are hicks out there that would fall for AIM's jive. But none of them would be budding scientists.
Hulk and Black Widow's designs on this show are fugly.
Liked Ms. Marvel, didn't like much else. **1/2.
Big Hero 6: The Series "The Impatient Patient"
That was excellent. Those last two minutes were especially fabulous.
I love that new Big Bad, whoever he is. I love the way he hissed "F-f-f-finish this!" I love the fact that he planned all along for the chip to go back to Krei. He wanted to infect the chip with spyware and take the info. The chip itself was irrelevant.
Hiro making fun of the Mad Jacks for all being named Jack is a bit rich considering nobody on Big Hero 6 has codenames.
The Big Bad knowing the ID's is going to cause a lot more trouble than Krei knowing them.
I love Jack calling his team discreet as they were chest bumping.
Another great episode. *****.
DuckTales "From The Confidential Casefiles Of Agent 22!"
Okay, that was a little bit awesome. And a little bit Bonkers.
Speaking of The Disney Afternoon, this episode was overstuffed with Easter Eggs from the cartoons and the comics. Let's see what I caught this week.
1. SHUSH and FOWL from Darkwing Duck. FOWL is the Fiendish Organization Of World Larceny instead of DuckTales Double-O Duck's Foreign Organization Of World Larceny, and in the past at least, was appropriately headed by Ludwig Von Drake instead of J Gander Hooter. Good thing too. I could never stand J Gander. I hope he stays far away from this franchise.
2. Gummi Bears references here and there and everywhere! Dunwyn is name-dropped, and part of the theme song is said and subverted. It's been awhile, but I'm pretty sure they got the recipe for Gummiberry Juice right too, although I think you are also supposed to stir the pot three times counterclockwise and finally bang it with a spoon once. The effect on non-Bears in this franchise are different than the show, which gave humans super-strength. For DuckTales, people bounce like the Bears, but also seem to be given super strength as well. The formula also works for people here more than once a day.
3. Jack the Tripper was referenced as someone Scrooge defeated. No doubt Shedlock Jones' arch-nemesis Professor Moodydoody.
4. Scrooge's love of Nutmeg Tea from the comics is referenced for the first time in animation.
I love Webby's scene at the beginning where Scrooge is very clearly creeped out by this adoring and adorable girl who seems to refuse to blink. And she FINALLY gets to call him Uncle Scrooge at the end. It's smart that the show made her earn that.
Black Heron is a great name for a supervillain and is the reason this show is superior to the old Disney Afternoon shows. There, all the villain names were animal and gimmick puns. This show actually came up with a cool bad guy name.
Scrooge's Bowler and the Bubble were tributes to both the British TV shows The Avengers and The Prisoner. Agent 22 also seems to be modeled on Emma Peel as well. It's genius they used those British shows instead of James Bond as the parody. The lawyers for James Bond are what got them in that trouble in the first place on the old show. So not only does the show sidestep the legal issue by using entirely different homage points, but the fact that both The Avengers and The Prisoner are not modern evergreen franchises means they can give the flashback the show uses the flavor that they seem to be set in that specific era of the 1960's. And that might not have happened had they used James Bond.
I love that Scrooge refuses to use his own money in the auction. When he triumphantly says that they can now steal the painting for free and says SHUSH should thank them for saving them a ton of money, I love that Beakley's response is to simply punch him in the face. Me next.
I laughed at Louie getting something from the fridge during the abduction in the teaser and then going back to watch TV.
Donald in the pantry shows once again that this character is this show's Bill Murray. I want to see more of him, but it looks like I never will see as much as I actually want. Which is why Bill Murray is awesome too. I expect I'll never get tired of Donald either. That is the selling point of using him sparingly.
Great episode. I had a blast. *****.
DuckTales "Dewey Dew-Night! The Sidekick"
That's hilarious. I love that the nephews keep inviting Scrooge's enemies to their events as if they are Scrooge's friends. Webby undercutting everything Dewey was trying to do in the talk show was funny too. ****1/2.
Tangled: The Series "Goodbye And Goodwill"
This was technically a good episode. But honestly? It would have played better early last season, or possibly later in this season. This is only the third "Road Show" episode, and we've been in the same town since the beginning of the season. At this stage, we need the forward momentum.
Speaking of goodwill, the series lost a large amount of mine for having Rapunzel do a flaming barrel-roll barefoot. That's even dumber than Max and Pascal using an eyedropper for potion in season 1.
I will miss Quaid, that's for sure.
Eugene was right that this week's conflict was harder to fix, because usually Rapunzel is the one who does that, and if she's in the conflict, that makes it more complicated. I also thought Eugene navigated Rapunzel asking him if Cass' events were better than his extremely well. He managed to let her hear what she wanted to hear, without actually lying to her. That is a minefield men have been trying to navigate for centuries with their significant others, and Eugene has already mastered it.
Not a bad episode. Probably a bad time to have it though. ***.
Tangled: The Series Short Cuts "Hiccup Fever"
2 things.
1. Hiccups cures never work. The only way I've found that works is slowly sipping a glass of water. If you don't have one of those handy, you just have to ride it out.
2. Refreshing that the short didn't do the cliched thing and have Eugene and everybody else come down with the hiccups once Rapunzel was cured.
Good short all around. ****.
Westworld "Reunion"
You know, the more I sit with the premise of the Westworld theme park, the more I realize how abhorrent the idea actually is. It reminds me greatly of The Purge. As in "Who in their right mind could possibly think this is a good or healthy idea for society?" As least the Hosts seem to be ready for some payback. The Purge's world still sucks and will always suck.
It's interesting that Maeve and Dolores have different views about the revolution. And I buy it. Maeve had a LOT more kind interactions with humans than Dolores ever did. I think Maeve understands the gravity of the situation in a way Dolores does not. Basically Maeve seems to be thinking, "What they did to us is wrong. That doesn't mean it isn't equally wrong to do it to them right back." And I love that like the guy William recruited, not all of the Hosts see the thing the same way.
Speaking of William, how great was that cameo for Giancarlo Esposito? That was awesome. When he's going on about the stakes and the elephants I'm mesmerized. The Man In Black never had a chance.
I dislike the premise and concept of the show. But for some crazy reason, I don't actually dislike the show. Probably because it explores what the horrible premise actually means. Which is very cool. ****.
Westworld "Virtu e Fortuna"
As much punishment and suffering as Bernard endured, I kind of think he's the safest guy in the park. Both sides believe he is on their side. The reason I think Bernard is safe is because I don't think he has actually decided which side to be on. So he IS on the side of whoever he's currently talking to. Host or person, he will dole out help because he has not actually made up his mind what to do.
That was a pretty good episode. I liked the extended teaser especially. ***1/2.
Westworld "The Riddle Of The Sphinx"
Took the Man in Black forever to do the right thing in that Mexican village. Interesting that he doesn't consider it a good deed, but instead playing the game the way it was intended.
"Hi Dad." Great ending right there.
I was shocked to see Elsie again. I was sure Bernard killed her. But it's interesting that despite the fact that he said he'd never lie to her, he covered up that massacre.
No Dolores, Teddy or Maeve this week.
Good episode. ****.
Westworld "Akane No Mai"
I don't have much comment about this episode besides that I liked it. I probably would have done a few things differently if I wrote it, but it was good for what it was. ***1/2.
Westworld "Phase Space"
That swordfight was boss.
I knew that was going to happen to Maeve and her daughter, and I thought that was incredibly cruel.
Dolores can't have it both ways. She's the one who broke Teddy. She can't be disappointed that he sucks broken.
Now we know what Dolores wanted the train for.
Bernard's stint in that machine made me cringe.
Love the guys making fun of a dude's being named Ashley. What a loser.
Gettin' good. ****.
Westworld "Les Ecorches"
Third episode Anthony Hopkins has appeared in this season, but it's the first one he was credited for.
Hale is not cut out for this. She thinks she's in charge the entire time until Dolores reveals they are there to DESTROY the Cradle because it's a prison, and she realizes she doesn't actually understand the situation at all. Before the last minute save I think she was shocked she was not going to be able to talk her way out of it. I knew she wouldn't survive the season. But the show can still keep Tessa Thompson.
Poor Mauve. What a betrayal. But as bad as Lee is, I will not dismiss the fact that even though he abandoned her when there was danger, he still stuck nearby her in a place he was personally safe. That doesn't mean much, but it means something.
I would have loved to see the Man in Black actually killed. But Ed Harris is the biggest name in the cast. He won't go down that easy.
Best episode of the season so far. *****.
Westworld "Kiksuya"
Best episode of the series. It is SUCH am amazing story and a pleasant shock that Ake was benevolent the entire time, and Maeve was worried about the wrong thing. And at the end when he lets her know he will take care of his daughter until she returns, that is when I knew Maeve would be okay. Because she has THAT to work towards. Her life does not end on that table anymore. And if she had known that all along, maybe it never did.
Can I just state once and for all how much I hate and loathe William? I think he was the first guy who actually got the Hosts were sentient and felt things. Which makes what he does to them all the more horrible. Yeah, he saved that village a couple eps back. But he killed that village many times before that. It's disgusting.
Speaking of which, I think the programmers are exceptionally cruel in that they program all of the Hosts with genuine feelings and pain and then they take away what actually matters to them as if it doesn't. The only reason the humans on the show are the bad guys is because they didn't even second-guess what they were doing was wrong. When it is perhaps the most evil scenario that ever existed. This is science fiction. But I cannot imagine a real-life situation in history that was this unendingly cruel and lasted for this long. We've had more prolonged suffering, and even WORSE suffering. But no suffering that was both more prolonged and worse. And that says something. I am not diminishing the Holocaust or slavery. But this show seems to be an allegory for how easy it is for people to dehumanize others and make them non-people. Even when trying to make them more like people than is ever moral to do with the fates they have in store for them. The reason Dolores is the hero of the story despite her homicidal tendencies is because her homicidal tendencies are actually just and hit the correct targets. At least so far. And as far as I'm concerned I don't see that changing. Simply because there doesn't seem to actually be a single human on the entire show worth a d*mn. I'm not saying they don't exist in this series' universe. But good people do not design or visit this park. By definition. It's basically Disneyland for Nazis. Which is why I don't believe there is anything Dolores could do to the humans that I don't think they actually deserve. And that's a benefit of the show.
Amazing, amazing, amazing. *****.
Westworld "Vanishing Point"
What happened to Teddy happened because Dolores took away his choice. And as someone all about freedom, Dolores should have known that would have damned them both ahead of time.
Another reason to hate The Man In Black. He not only stupidly thinks everything is a game, but he thinks the game is entirely about himself. I felt bad Emily being killed. But I did not feel bad for him losing her. He's a total sociopath who didn't deserve her.
Love that Bernard takes off rather than hurt Elsie. That too is a choice.
Tense episode. ****.
Westworld "The Passenger"
I liked most of the first half but the second half underwhelmed, and ultimately I think that means that this is the second season finale in a row the series has whiffed. Not a good look for it. At all.
The good first:
Lee's sacrifice was hilarious and amazing. And entirely appropriate. And also proves Dolores entirely wrong about humanity. He actually died for Hosts. First person to ever do that (if you don't count Ford. And I don't.).
I love the Valley Beyond. I love that Ake was reunited with his true love in Heaven, and that Mauve's daughter got a happy ending too. The finale wasn't much, but I'll take that.
The bad:
The bummer ending. Everything at the end just sucked too much to actually make me look forward to season three.
The confusing tag with the Man in Black. Is this the future? How far in the future? Have the Hosts already won? Or is this Man in Black a Host too? Frustrating and confusing.
Dolores wants to destroy the human race? I mentioned there is nothing she could do to the humans to turn me against her. But this strikes me as the overkilliest of overkills.
Most of my impression was negative although there were admittedly bright spots. **1/2.
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), Black Panther (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), 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!, Justice League Action: Battles From Beyond!, 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, Batman Ninja, 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: 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: 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.
12 Monkey "The Beginning"
My only metric for judging the last episode is "Is the ending better than the movie's ending?"
That would be a h*ll to the yes.
I do have a major gripe, but you'll think I'm crazy for it. I think the ending was TOO happy. It was a great happy ending. But if the series had ended upon Cassie remembering those words alone at her and Cole's former house, it would have been a great SAD ending. And I don't think there are many or enough good sad endings. Most series refuse to put in the work to make a satisfying sad ending. The only one I can think of is Lost, and that was polarizing by people who didn't understand that the sadness was earned on every level. You did not need to answer the mysteries to feel moved by the ending of Lost.
Similarly, I did not think Cole and Cassie needed to end up together to feel moved by the end of 12 Monkeys. But I repeat: It was a GREAT happy ending. But the sad ending would have been a better sad ending than the happy one is a happy one. I will fully admit that the happy ending is actually a better ending than the sad one. But there are SO few good, EARNED sad endings in American pop culture that I feel like we missed out on something special, even if the episode would have been slightly less amazing.
And it's not like the ending wouldn't have been super happy and moving for everyone else. Ramse lives and gets his son back. Deacon lives and gets his brother back. And Jones lives and never loses her husband and daughter. Which is the very reason the sadness of Cassie's story would have been earned. I fully approve of sad endings where the hero wins, but wishes they didn't. I think it is criminal we are not given that more often. And the fact that we could have had that and didn't saddens me on some level.
On the other hand, Jones breaking time to save Cole is sort of a mindblowing ending, and as meaningful as the sad ending would have been for me personally, sad and personal is not really this show. It's all about effing things up to the Nth degree, and having everything dialed up to 11. So while I think the sad ending would have been amazing for me, I don't know how feasible it would have been in this crazy of a franchise.
I think my biggest problem with the sad ending is that Cassie did not ultimately deserve it. She almost made the wrong call, and when she declares "Time owes us," that is dangerous thinking, and exactly what warped Olivia. And the episode making her right is appalling on a moral level.
That being said, hearing Cole's various reassuring statements to her make me realize this is one of the most romantic men on television. The specific reason I love that facet to Cole is that Cole is, let's face it, not very intelligent. He's got cunning, and understands the rules of time travel better than most people, but he's kind of dull otherwise. Not to mention completely rough around the edges. Which makes the fact that he is consistently able to say the correct romantic thing in any given moment to keep Cassie going for the upcoming sacrifice that much more impressive. I don't tend to think of poets as stupid. But Cole's stupid, and when he says "It's not much but I can give you now," when he holds out the wedding ring, he's a poet. When he points out that the best part of his and Cassie's relationship is finding each other, and how meaningless eternity would be without that dynamic, he's a poet. And I love that idea, and I not only understand why Cassie gets the strength to do what must happen, but I also understand why she's resisting doing the right thing so much.
How great was that red leaf at the end? Said everything. Without killing off the entire Universe to do it.
The song they chose for Ramse and Cole storming into Titan in the classic car ("The Time Of My Life") was so much fun. It's not a great song, but you kind of feel Ramse's pain about not wanting to die during a sucky country song, and you're all "That'll do." And it's because the "Time Of My Life" song is so underwhelming in most other venues which makes it funny that it's the one decided on. I mean I suppose I would look really bad if somebody played Barry Manilow at my funeral. But Mandy's a great song, am I right? And yeah, if the time song has zero coolness cred, it's still a good song.
And yeah, Ramse had to be there at the end. It would be weird if he wasn't.
Also love Jennifer's "Don't You Forget About Me". Ode to Deacon.
What I loved about Cole, Jennifer and Jones' plan was that they were using Olivia's exact strengths regarding time travel against her. And that's been what's made this season so great. And that's ultimately why Olivia is a weak, unworthy villain who I don't believe actually properly EARNED the Witness mantle. The good guys needed Titan to power up the weapon. So they let Olivia know they actually HAVE the weapon. And instead of being reasonable and taking an army of guys to travel in time and take out the weapon, Olivia brings the thing they actually need to power the weapon right to them. It's actually a show of strength on her end. But if you get a Royal Flush in poker, you COULD go all in immediately. But more than likely, everybody else would fold and you wouldn't be using those cards to their proper advantage. You'd win a tiny pot instead of the riches a hand that lucky should get you. And that's bringing Titan every single place where Olivia sees a potential threat. And the good guys used the fact that she always played the highest hand immediately, and went all in every time someone raised a couple of chips against her. And that one of the cool things about the fact that the heroes understood time travel better than the villains, is that they understand how to play the hands they were dealt better than she did. They punked her because her sociopathy and viciousness became tiresome and predictable. And maybe it always was.
On one level I think Tom Noonan should have been there for the final episode, but the Pallid Man makes me wanna wretch, so good riddance.
And finally I want to talk about how this episode, this series, and specifically this ending is better than the movie. And the fact that it's better makes me regret they pulled back on the sad ending at all. Because that was a PROPER sad ending. It would have done everything the movie tried to do, except it wouldn't have SUCKED and made you feel like you wasted two hours. An ending with a predestination paradox of the hero having to sacrifice himself? They actually explored that and did that without killing off the entire friggin' human race. That should NOT be too much to ask for in my sci-fi. Don't you think? I mean really. I used to really like the movie, but now I'm borderline disgusted with it. Man, if they HAD gone with the sad ending here, it would have been a REAL thumb in the face to the movie for actually doing it properly. The happy ending seems like the bigger "Screw You!" on the surface, because it is so unlike the established canon, but another reason I would have preferred the sad ending would be that it would be this show beating the movie at its own game, and showing how to do it right. There will be movie purists who are upset with the happy ending, because it is not in the spirit of the movie. But I think they should consider themselves lucky it is happy. Now they can dismiss it. If they had ended the episode seven minutes earlier, that would be this show demolishing the movie on every level. So, maybe it IS best for all involved to have a happy ending.
That's the downside to the show. It makes a cool movie seem inadequate. And what bums me out is that the movie was made in the era before the big sci-fi / superhero / fantasy explosion of the last ten years or so. If it were made today nobody would think much of it. Maybe it always WAS inadequate, and we just did not have the point of reference to understand that. And now we do, and this show is putting it into such sharp focus, that I'm thinking this show IS actually damaging to the legacy of the movie. Just not in the way the Gilliam purists would think.
That was a h*ll of a finale to a h*ll of a series. After Haven went off the air a couple of years ago, 12 Monkeys pretty much immediately took its place as my current favorite sci-fi show on the air. The bummer about 12 Monkeys ending is that I don't think there's a current sci-fi show I watch up to it or Haven's standards. There will be someday, I'm sure, but I am well aware that this show ending is an actual loss to genre. I'm sad about that, but I loved the 47 episodes we got out of it anyways. Wonderful last episode. *****.
P.S. I have heard this series finale being described elsewhere as the best series finale since Breaking Bad. I still haven't seen Breaking Bad yet, but they are right about how amazing the finale and the series is. You must check it out if you haven't (even though I've probably just spoiled the whole d*mn thing).
Preacher "Gonna Hurt"
Here's an opinion: Cassidy is NOT Jessie's best friend. Because if that were true, and Cassidy says he refuses to leave without Tulip, were I Jessie, and were Cassidy my best friend, I'd just let him take Tulip. If Jessie truly understands what fresh Hell Cassidy is in for, if he IS his best friend, he's worth losing a girl over in this specific horrific scenario. Since Jessie doesn't think he is, they aren't actually best friends.
I love the idea that God looks exactly like fake God. When he says it's his design, I'm like "Aha! That is so stupid and so clever at the same."
When God tells Tulip she messes everything up, by the end of the episode I realized he wasn't jiving.
I like that they cut to the main titles right before Tulip could say "@$$". What I like about that is that the show has dropped f-bombs before, and they said the full saying later, but the teaser transition to the theme song lands harder and funnier if the swear is actually interrupted. Good job.
I disliked the past two weeks but this was fine. ***1/2.
Marvel's Spider-Man "School Of Hard Knocks"
How bad is Spider-Man? Ms. Marvel thinks he's the goofy, annoying hero.
The characters in this episode were so stupid. Grady didn't know the Avengers were prisoners the entire time? Somebody that stupid does not belong in a school for geniuses. Which shows the problems with superhero cartoons and kids shows. They make the characters dumber than any real-world person would be in that exact situation. There are hicks out there that would fall for AIM's jive. But none of them would be budding scientists.
Hulk and Black Widow's designs on this show are fugly.
Liked Ms. Marvel, didn't like much else. **1/2.
Big Hero 6: The Series "The Impatient Patient"
That was excellent. Those last two minutes were especially fabulous.
I love that new Big Bad, whoever he is. I love the way he hissed "F-f-f-finish this!" I love the fact that he planned all along for the chip to go back to Krei. He wanted to infect the chip with spyware and take the info. The chip itself was irrelevant.
Hiro making fun of the Mad Jacks for all being named Jack is a bit rich considering nobody on Big Hero 6 has codenames.
The Big Bad knowing the ID's is going to cause a lot more trouble than Krei knowing them.
I love Jack calling his team discreet as they were chest bumping.
Another great episode. *****.
DuckTales "From The Confidential Casefiles Of Agent 22!"
Okay, that was a little bit awesome. And a little bit Bonkers.
Speaking of The Disney Afternoon, this episode was overstuffed with Easter Eggs from the cartoons and the comics. Let's see what I caught this week.
1. SHUSH and FOWL from Darkwing Duck. FOWL is the Fiendish Organization Of World Larceny instead of DuckTales Double-O Duck's Foreign Organization Of World Larceny, and in the past at least, was appropriately headed by Ludwig Von Drake instead of J Gander Hooter. Good thing too. I could never stand J Gander. I hope he stays far away from this franchise.
2. Gummi Bears references here and there and everywhere! Dunwyn is name-dropped, and part of the theme song is said and subverted. It's been awhile, but I'm pretty sure they got the recipe for Gummiberry Juice right too, although I think you are also supposed to stir the pot three times counterclockwise and finally bang it with a spoon once. The effect on non-Bears in this franchise are different than the show, which gave humans super-strength. For DuckTales, people bounce like the Bears, but also seem to be given super strength as well. The formula also works for people here more than once a day.
3. Jack the Tripper was referenced as someone Scrooge defeated. No doubt Shedlock Jones' arch-nemesis Professor Moodydoody.
4. Scrooge's love of Nutmeg Tea from the comics is referenced for the first time in animation.
I love Webby's scene at the beginning where Scrooge is very clearly creeped out by this adoring and adorable girl who seems to refuse to blink. And she FINALLY gets to call him Uncle Scrooge at the end. It's smart that the show made her earn that.
Black Heron is a great name for a supervillain and is the reason this show is superior to the old Disney Afternoon shows. There, all the villain names were animal and gimmick puns. This show actually came up with a cool bad guy name.
Scrooge's Bowler and the Bubble were tributes to both the British TV shows The Avengers and The Prisoner. Agent 22 also seems to be modeled on Emma Peel as well. It's genius they used those British shows instead of James Bond as the parody. The lawyers for James Bond are what got them in that trouble in the first place on the old show. So not only does the show sidestep the legal issue by using entirely different homage points, but the fact that both The Avengers and The Prisoner are not modern evergreen franchises means they can give the flashback the show uses the flavor that they seem to be set in that specific era of the 1960's. And that might not have happened had they used James Bond.
I love that Scrooge refuses to use his own money in the auction. When he triumphantly says that they can now steal the painting for free and says SHUSH should thank them for saving them a ton of money, I love that Beakley's response is to simply punch him in the face. Me next.
I laughed at Louie getting something from the fridge during the abduction in the teaser and then going back to watch TV.
Donald in the pantry shows once again that this character is this show's Bill Murray. I want to see more of him, but it looks like I never will see as much as I actually want. Which is why Bill Murray is awesome too. I expect I'll never get tired of Donald either. That is the selling point of using him sparingly.
Great episode. I had a blast. *****.
DuckTales "Dewey Dew-Night! The Sidekick"
That's hilarious. I love that the nephews keep inviting Scrooge's enemies to their events as if they are Scrooge's friends. Webby undercutting everything Dewey was trying to do in the talk show was funny too. ****1/2.
Tangled: The Series "Goodbye And Goodwill"
This was technically a good episode. But honestly? It would have played better early last season, or possibly later in this season. This is only the third "Road Show" episode, and we've been in the same town since the beginning of the season. At this stage, we need the forward momentum.
Speaking of goodwill, the series lost a large amount of mine for having Rapunzel do a flaming barrel-roll barefoot. That's even dumber than Max and Pascal using an eyedropper for potion in season 1.
I will miss Quaid, that's for sure.
Eugene was right that this week's conflict was harder to fix, because usually Rapunzel is the one who does that, and if she's in the conflict, that makes it more complicated. I also thought Eugene navigated Rapunzel asking him if Cass' events were better than his extremely well. He managed to let her hear what she wanted to hear, without actually lying to her. That is a minefield men have been trying to navigate for centuries with their significant others, and Eugene has already mastered it.
Not a bad episode. Probably a bad time to have it though. ***.
Tangled: The Series Short Cuts "Hiccup Fever"
2 things.
1. Hiccups cures never work. The only way I've found that works is slowly sipping a glass of water. If you don't have one of those handy, you just have to ride it out.
2. Refreshing that the short didn't do the cliched thing and have Eugene and everybody else come down with the hiccups once Rapunzel was cured.
Good short all around. ****.
Westworld "Reunion"
You know, the more I sit with the premise of the Westworld theme park, the more I realize how abhorrent the idea actually is. It reminds me greatly of The Purge. As in "Who in their right mind could possibly think this is a good or healthy idea for society?" As least the Hosts seem to be ready for some payback. The Purge's world still sucks and will always suck.
It's interesting that Maeve and Dolores have different views about the revolution. And I buy it. Maeve had a LOT more kind interactions with humans than Dolores ever did. I think Maeve understands the gravity of the situation in a way Dolores does not. Basically Maeve seems to be thinking, "What they did to us is wrong. That doesn't mean it isn't equally wrong to do it to them right back." And I love that like the guy William recruited, not all of the Hosts see the thing the same way.
Speaking of William, how great was that cameo for Giancarlo Esposito? That was awesome. When he's going on about the stakes and the elephants I'm mesmerized. The Man In Black never had a chance.
I dislike the premise and concept of the show. But for some crazy reason, I don't actually dislike the show. Probably because it explores what the horrible premise actually means. Which is very cool. ****.
Westworld "Virtu e Fortuna"
As much punishment and suffering as Bernard endured, I kind of think he's the safest guy in the park. Both sides believe he is on their side. The reason I think Bernard is safe is because I don't think he has actually decided which side to be on. So he IS on the side of whoever he's currently talking to. Host or person, he will dole out help because he has not actually made up his mind what to do.
That was a pretty good episode. I liked the extended teaser especially. ***1/2.
Westworld "The Riddle Of The Sphinx"
Took the Man in Black forever to do the right thing in that Mexican village. Interesting that he doesn't consider it a good deed, but instead playing the game the way it was intended.
"Hi Dad." Great ending right there.
I was shocked to see Elsie again. I was sure Bernard killed her. But it's interesting that despite the fact that he said he'd never lie to her, he covered up that massacre.
No Dolores, Teddy or Maeve this week.
Good episode. ****.
Westworld "Akane No Mai"
I don't have much comment about this episode besides that I liked it. I probably would have done a few things differently if I wrote it, but it was good for what it was. ***1/2.
Westworld "Phase Space"
That swordfight was boss.
I knew that was going to happen to Maeve and her daughter, and I thought that was incredibly cruel.
Dolores can't have it both ways. She's the one who broke Teddy. She can't be disappointed that he sucks broken.
Now we know what Dolores wanted the train for.
Bernard's stint in that machine made me cringe.
Love the guys making fun of a dude's being named Ashley. What a loser.
Gettin' good. ****.
Westworld "Les Ecorches"
Third episode Anthony Hopkins has appeared in this season, but it's the first one he was credited for.
Hale is not cut out for this. She thinks she's in charge the entire time until Dolores reveals they are there to DESTROY the Cradle because it's a prison, and she realizes she doesn't actually understand the situation at all. Before the last minute save I think she was shocked she was not going to be able to talk her way out of it. I knew she wouldn't survive the season. But the show can still keep Tessa Thompson.
Poor Mauve. What a betrayal. But as bad as Lee is, I will not dismiss the fact that even though he abandoned her when there was danger, he still stuck nearby her in a place he was personally safe. That doesn't mean much, but it means something.
I would have loved to see the Man in Black actually killed. But Ed Harris is the biggest name in the cast. He won't go down that easy.
Best episode of the season so far. *****.
Westworld "Kiksuya"
Best episode of the series. It is SUCH am amazing story and a pleasant shock that Ake was benevolent the entire time, and Maeve was worried about the wrong thing. And at the end when he lets her know he will take care of his daughter until she returns, that is when I knew Maeve would be okay. Because she has THAT to work towards. Her life does not end on that table anymore. And if she had known that all along, maybe it never did.
Can I just state once and for all how much I hate and loathe William? I think he was the first guy who actually got the Hosts were sentient and felt things. Which makes what he does to them all the more horrible. Yeah, he saved that village a couple eps back. But he killed that village many times before that. It's disgusting.
Speaking of which, I think the programmers are exceptionally cruel in that they program all of the Hosts with genuine feelings and pain and then they take away what actually matters to them as if it doesn't. The only reason the humans on the show are the bad guys is because they didn't even second-guess what they were doing was wrong. When it is perhaps the most evil scenario that ever existed. This is science fiction. But I cannot imagine a real-life situation in history that was this unendingly cruel and lasted for this long. We've had more prolonged suffering, and even WORSE suffering. But no suffering that was both more prolonged and worse. And that says something. I am not diminishing the Holocaust or slavery. But this show seems to be an allegory for how easy it is for people to dehumanize others and make them non-people. Even when trying to make them more like people than is ever moral to do with the fates they have in store for them. The reason Dolores is the hero of the story despite her homicidal tendencies is because her homicidal tendencies are actually just and hit the correct targets. At least so far. And as far as I'm concerned I don't see that changing. Simply because there doesn't seem to actually be a single human on the entire show worth a d*mn. I'm not saying they don't exist in this series' universe. But good people do not design or visit this park. By definition. It's basically Disneyland for Nazis. Which is why I don't believe there is anything Dolores could do to the humans that I don't think they actually deserve. And that's a benefit of the show.
Amazing, amazing, amazing. *****.
Westworld "Vanishing Point"
What happened to Teddy happened because Dolores took away his choice. And as someone all about freedom, Dolores should have known that would have damned them both ahead of time.
Another reason to hate The Man In Black. He not only stupidly thinks everything is a game, but he thinks the game is entirely about himself. I felt bad Emily being killed. But I did not feel bad for him losing her. He's a total sociopath who didn't deserve her.
Love that Bernard takes off rather than hurt Elsie. That too is a choice.
Tense episode. ****.
Westworld "The Passenger"
I liked most of the first half but the second half underwhelmed, and ultimately I think that means that this is the second season finale in a row the series has whiffed. Not a good look for it. At all.
The good first:
Lee's sacrifice was hilarious and amazing. And entirely appropriate. And also proves Dolores entirely wrong about humanity. He actually died for Hosts. First person to ever do that (if you don't count Ford. And I don't.).
I love the Valley Beyond. I love that Ake was reunited with his true love in Heaven, and that Mauve's daughter got a happy ending too. The finale wasn't much, but I'll take that.
The bad:
The bummer ending. Everything at the end just sucked too much to actually make me look forward to season three.
The confusing tag with the Man in Black. Is this the future? How far in the future? Have the Hosts already won? Or is this Man in Black a Host too? Frustrating and confusing.
Dolores wants to destroy the human race? I mentioned there is nothing she could do to the humans to turn me against her. But this strikes me as the overkilliest of overkills.
Most of my impression was negative although there were admittedly bright spots. **1/2.
