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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the latest episodes of Marvel's Spider-Man, Titans, DC Super Hero Girls Super Shorts, and Preacher, some episodes of New Looney Tunes, and the latest episodes of Transformers: Cyberverse, and Power Ranger Beast Morphers, the first three episodes of the new LEGO Jurassic World miniseries The Legend Of Isla Nublar, and the latest episode of Final Space.
The Lion Guard "The Harmattan"
I love the new main title. Very exciting.
I am also glad the dry season is over, and we're stepping away from the Outlands. Season two's color palate was too brown and drab. This year is popping in rainbow colors, and the animation is gorgeous to look at.
Steve Blum has a decent singing voice.
I like that Makucha's buddies declined the trip. As far as sidekicks go, they aren't actually stupid.
Ask Sabu from Tarzan if cheetahs are just weaker versions of leopards.
Isn't Makini annoying? I imagine the season would have been a lot easier if she just had the common sense to keep her fool mouth shut.
The season is going on strong. ****.
The Lion Guard "The Accidental Avalanche"
I love Onga's smile.
Bunga laughing at her for being afraid of the monkeys is the biggest reason I despise that little creep. I hate everything about him. Passionately.
You know what? It's okay to be afraid of monkeys throwing snowballs at you. That is a normal reaction. Bunga doesn't get into the fixes he does because he's fearless. It's because he has no common sense and doesn't give a cr*p for the safety and well-being of others. Once in awhile a Disney character will pop up that will grind my gears in an unbelievable way. Before this, it was Mater from Cars. But I hate Bunga exactly as much for the same reasons. He's the producers acting like stupidity is a virtue, and the mark of a truly nice person. Screw that moral. Bunga sucks and stupid people suck too.
Is Kion going to be working at diminished capacity the entire season? I can stand it for an episode or two, but if this is the new normal I won't be pleased. ***.
The Lion Guard "Ghost Of The Mountain"
I liked the song.
Ugh. The Chosen One. As if Bunga isn't already insufferable enough.
Bunga beat the ghost by farting on it? Yeah, this episode gets a super low grade. Just for that on principle. Good song or not. *.
The Lion Guard "Marsh Of Mystery"
Makini is almost as annoying a liability as Bunga. As seen by the end, she's still not quite in his league of uselessness, but it's close.
Those mongooses were cute.
It was fun to learn about echo location too.
A little of Makini goes a long ways. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "Dragon Island"
I love the idea of Komodo Dragons. Because they aren't Dragons, but they ARE, and they actually exist. Very neat (and scary) animal.
The stuff with the dolphin in the ocean was so beautifully animated that it amazes me that you can animate a 2-D project on TV that looks better than a big budget animated film from 1994. Can you imagine how much less cr*p the Aladdin and Little Mermaid TV shows and prequels would have gotten if they had been able to have animation like this? This show is a very big step down in writing and songs. But it looks so great I don't see a ton of people complaining.
That was the parting of the Red Sea. They have official tied The Roar into a Biblical allegory. Which is something that I think is probably good for the show.
I loved this episode. *****.
The Lion Guard "Journey Of Memories"
Nice try, Lion Guard. No way you can convince me a hippo can cross the desert.
Little Makini sure was cute though. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "The Race To Tuliza"
A Latin cheetah? Okay.
I now ship Fuli and Azad. The show always has the best and most expressive animation for the cheetah characters.
I love that the flamingos are spring-break party girls.
Bunga was unusually annoying this episode, even for him.
It was a cute episode though. ****.
The Lion Guard "Mama Binturong"
So apparently Bunga isn't totally useless by the end of the episode. He's still a total jerk for deliberately trying to scare those animals by saying the word Taliza.
I also question why Taliza grows everywhere in every climate the Guard is visiting. That's... unlikely, to put it mildly.
I was mostly annoyed by this. *1/2.
The Lion Guard "Friends To The End"
Even if Bunga WAS right that Kion was turning evil (and he wasn't) does the little cretin have to ENJOY it so much? I hate this character.
Poor Kion. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "The Tree Of Life"
Do you know what Bunga is? A crony. In every sense of the word. He got on the Lion Guard solely because he was a friend of Kion's and not due to any bravery or cunning of his own. He and the bees say he is a freaking liability and has no place on the Guard.
I also hate the fact that Max Charles doesn't sing his own songs. I know every actor can't sing, but Disney needs to start casting actors who can sing in the first place. This only seems to effect "Classic" projects like "Aladdin" and "The Lion King." The casts of Frozen and Tangled sing their own songs.
It was interesting to see another group of Lions from a new perspective.
I liked some stuff and disliked some stuff. ***1/2.
The Lion Guard "The River Of Patience"
So that nice. I love the cliffhanger with Mama Binturong. Mama's taking over.
I also love that they added the Tree of Life to the main title.
I like the idea that Ono's eyesight will be easier to heal than Kion's scar. Because it suggests that both things can legitimately be healed. The Tree of Life is NOT just a flimflam.
I loved that episode. ****1/2.
The Lion Guard "Little Old Ginterbong"
Binga? Kill me now.
In all seriousness, that was a pretty great episode otherwise. Mama's Binturong's plan was actually decent, and I love Ono figuring it out.
Very cool episode. ****.
The Lion Guard "Poa The Destroyer"
Bunga is a menace. There is no tense misunderstanding he won't make a million times worse.
I hate episodes like this and the penguin was annoying. That's another thing. I'm supposed to believe penguins and polar bears are within walking distance of Africa? I'm starting to think world of The Lion King isn't actually set on Earth, but in an alternate Universe where animals rule the world, and there are no humans. Doesn't explain Timon singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", or knowing about Christmas, but we are meeting entirely too many different kinds of animals this year.
That bugged me. **.
The Lion Guard "Long Live The Queen"
Do you know what that episode was? It was nice. I cannot underselling how good it is to see a bit of current television that is actually nice. I'm grateful.
And yes, the parental discretion warning at the beginning was probably necessary, and it was also appreciated.
Those little tiger cubs are so cute.
Wonderful episode. *****.
The Lion Guard "The Lake Of Reflection"
I really liked that one too.
The little Lion Guard was so cute. I wanted plushies. I never would have pegged Ono for the youngest. I always thought he was the one adult on the guard. I missed that by a lot.
That was a super good episode. ****1/2.
The Lion Guard "Truimph Of The Roar"
The Valley of None Of Your Business and the Field of Be Quiet sound like nice places.
Well, now we know where the end theme tune came from.
The Roar has superpowers! I'm not sure how I feel about that. This has never been the most grounded franchise, but perhaps that goes a little too far in the out-there direction. Undecided.
Good episode though. ****.
The Lion Guard "Journey To The Pridelands"
Syncing up the show to Simba's Pride! Nice!
I love that Janja being a good guy is still a work in progress. But he quickly realizes there are fringe benefits.
It really feels like the show is ending, doesn't it? Good stuff. ****.
The Lion Guard "Return To The Pridelands"
That was great. It syncs up everything, and makes the show fit with Simba's Pride, and even manages to make Kion a King besides, without retconning anything. What a satisfying finale to not only this show, but The Lion King franchise. I don't see the need for another show or movie set in this continuity. This pretty much did and said it all. And I liked and appreciated it for that.
I like the nuzzle between Kion and Jasiri which acknowledges that even if the ship could never happen, it at least exists. That's kind of cool.
Very nice to get back Ernie Sabella on last time. Jason Marsden is a less impressive get, but he's definitely one of the franchise's few older school voices.
I'm not going to say I will miss the show, or that it was amazing, or anything like that. What I will say is the last episode left me satisfied, and as if I didn't waste my time, which I often felt like I was doing due to Bunga (almost exclusively). That's good enough for me. This was a solid series finale. Who knew The Lion King would ever make a passable preschool show? Now we know better. *****.
Marvel's Spider-Man "My Own Worst Enemy"
That was amazing.
I truly believe Scott Menville was miscast as Doc Ock, but if it only leads to Robbie Daymond's dead-on impersonation and no other good besides it, it was worth it.
Otto's reaction to Peter behind the mask was exactly as infuriated as I could have hoped.
I love watching him navigate the powers. Learning the Spider-Sense exists, and that he can run out of webs was fun.
I also liked him nitpicking Uncle Ben's "formula" by disgustedly pointing out that in physics, G stands for gravity, not great. Do you know why I loved that? Because I didn't actually know that. The writer of the episode is smarter than I am. That's an awesome feeling, and as far as Marvel cartoons go, a pretty unusual feeling too.
What I love most about Otto being effected by Uncle Ben is that he pretty much stops resisting, and accepts what is happening. That suggests a rationality to the character that an actual scientist would really have. He tries to factor the newfound conscience into his plan instead (although without much success).
And it's interesting the police and bystanders believe Spider-Man is more driven and dedicated than ever before. Because he might actually be.
The thing I appreciated most was that all of Peter's flashbacks were done through the perspective of Peter's eyes. Most cartoons can't be bothered to so stuff like that with memories, but the show reboarded the stuff we had already seen in a difficult camera viewpoint to make the situation more realistic. It was appreciated by me.
This was my favorite episode so far. Superior Spider-Man indeed. *****.
Titans "Rose"
That was surprisingly decent. I had a feeling this season would settle down a bit. As long as Geoff Johns and Akiva Goldsman aren't actually writing it, things can be passable.
That's not to say I didn't have problems with it. A Dove this violent is ignoring the selling point of the character of Dove. Also the idea of Jason using the Batcomputer to download porn isn't funny. It's crass, it's gross, and it's beneath the dignity of the Batman mythos. Just because you have the freedom to suggest Robin used the Batcomputer to download porn, doesn't mean you have to use it.
I like Rose a lot. Do you know what I want for her? For her to say just once "Titans, GO!!!... Away." Doom Patrol gave Cyborg his "Booyahs", so this is not an unreasonable ask on my end.
What is that alien journal Bruce is looking through at the end? Bruce's overall chill demeanor is the thing that makes me resent the sociopath Dick was last season. As this episode admirably showed, he never needed to be that and the show is better when he isn't. It's actually WATCHABLE when he isn't.
Keep Johns and Goldsman away and the show should be fine. ***1/2.
DC Super Hero Girls Super Shorts "Photo Oops"
I love that at the beginning Lois wants Jimmy to take pictures of superheroes, but that's literally ALL he's given her and she just doesn't know it.
I also love that it's the Starro pic that Jimmy gets right.
This was a cool episode. Go Silent Jimmy! ****1/2.
DC Super Hero Girls "Get To Know Steve Trevor"
I love that Babs is underwhelmed by Steve. I also like him being described as Diana's Kryptonite. ****.
Preacher "Fear Of The Lord"
Herr Starr's origin was ridiculous.
As for the rest of the teaser, I hope Starr feels deep shame and embarrassment over ordering Featherstone's death. If she HADN'T escaped, he'd literally be cooked. I hope he appreciates her more after this.
I'm less concerned with breakdancing Jesus than with the fact that Adolf Hitler actually knows the correct 80's rap music to play.
The Saint talking so much is how you know it's not real. I'm curious if the backstory is true though.
Starr is a dummy. He didn't think the remove the nipple clamps before freaking hanging himself? Jeez, this guy is so stupid.
The God on this show is outright evil. Jesse supposedly sinned through intention? That's the biggest thing that bugs me about Christianity. You can't control thoughts and desires, so the Church automatically has sinners who need salvation through it, whether they lead virtuous lives or not. The coveting Commandments strike me as a scam to keep the people who DON'T actually go around sinning left and right in line. And it's exactly as unfair and stupid as portrayed here.
That episode angered me by the end. But I think that was its intention, so I'm not taking off points for that. ****.
New Looney Tunes "Ear! We! Go! / Hare Band"
Ear! We! Go!:
That was cute. The ears were funny and the tail popping off was a funny ending. ***1/2.
Hare Band:
I freaking love Squeaks. ****.
Episode Overall: ****.
New Looney Tunes "Bugs In The Petting Zoo / Hawaiian Ice"
Petting Zoo:
Elmer Fudd!
Bugs Bunny Shawshanked the petting zoo!
So funny! ****.
Hawaiian Ice:
Winter is coming! Heh.
The Winter Stag is there because he had a coupon.
Pretty good. ***.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Quiet The Undertaking / Bugs Bunny?"
Quiet The Undertaking:
I like the song in the music montage. ***.
Bugs Bunny?:
Super funny. I did not know real rabbit sleep with their eyes open. That's just plain weird.
I love how excited Bugs was to meet other rabbits. I bet that security system doesn't seem like a silly idea in hindsight, does it? ****1/2.
Episode Overall: ****.
New Looney Tunes "Wet Feet / There's A Soccer Born Every Minute"
Wet Feet:
I love Bigfoot. He's so cute, especially when he call Bugs "Lady". What a great new character. Bugs being so patient with him endears me to Bugs too. And Bugs is not exactly an endearing character if you look at his actions objectively. *****.
There's A Soccer Born Every Minute:
Laughed at the idea that Bugs now has a GPS. Still doesn't help.
I love the designs of all of the humans. I especially liked Bugs making friends at the end with the head of the other team, and them both realizing their only obstacle to successful was the cranky red team coach. Nice moral there. ****.
Episode Overall: ****1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Pork Lift / Thes In The City"
Pork Life:
Wow, that is a TERRIBLE design for Porky Pig.
You don't want to know the answer to that question.
Bubble wrap is exactly that much fun.
I love the animation for all of the stuff falling out of Bugs' box.
Funny, but Porky is ugly. ***1/2.
Thes In The City:
Not great, but not terrible either. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
New Looney Tunes "Elmer's Fuddge / Angelo The Mighty Flea"
Elmer's Fuddge:
Foghorn Leghorn!
I loved Bugs calling Elmer Egghead.
Funny ending too. ****.
Angelo The Mighty Flea:
A disgusting flea with a handlebar mustache? Okay. ***.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Gorky Pork / Hard Hat Hare"
Gorky Pork:
The key to Porky's happiness is a bucket of hogslop? Dream big, Porky.
The thing that triggers the David Caruso / CSI: Miami / Who end of teaser scream is standing on Bugs' foot. Or just if the pun is really awful.
Funny. ****.
Hard Hat Hare:
I don't like this version of Yosemite Sam. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
New Looney Tunes "Porky's Duck-livery Service / The Wabbit Who Would Be King"
The return of the actual LOONY Daffy Duck. Accept no substitutes.
Great short. *****.
The Wabbit Who Would Be King:
Dems the Legends. The short actually sucked. *1/2.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
Transformers: Cyberverse "Bad Moon Rising"
Wow, unlike other the cartoons, Megatron is VERY unforgiving of Starscream.
Just the punishing pounding he took reminds me that this show would NEVER be able to get away with that level of violence if it weren't robots.
"We're done here." I got chills at that.
The thing I didn't like is that there is no logic to the idea that Starscream can take over the Decepticons by killing Megatron. There has got to be some sort of chain of command there, right? But I loved everything else.
Great episode. ****1/2.
Power Rangers Beast Morphers "Silver Sacrifice"
"Nothing is more powerful than family". If you are a Power Rangers adult fan, and wonder why other adult genre fans make fun of you, that's why.
Also, the overlaughing hysterically at the end over the hand gag is another reason no-one takes this franchise seriously.
I can't believe the bad guys handed Betty and Ben back before they actually got away with Steel. Those are some trusting villains.
Ben's father seems to be wearing a ton of latex make-up on his face. It might have been easier and cheaper to just cast a fat guy.
This show is no good for me. *.
LEGO Jurassic World "The Secret Exhibit: Part 1"
The little Raptors are so cute, but the kid in the Gyrosphere was super annoying.
It's also noticeable that they didn't put up the money to use the licensed John Williams music cues. ***.
LEGO Jurassic World "The Secret Exhibit: Part 2"
It's always a Nedry.
Can't believe that doofus Simon just says his passwords out loud to anyone who'll listen. What a dummy.
Speaking of Simon, the more I see him, the less I like the idea of him. What is the actual difference between him and the controversial Simpsons character Apu? They both speak with overexaggerated Indian accents solely to get a laugh. Why am I supposed to object to Apu but not Simon?
This was all right when Simon wasn't on-screen. Unfortunately, he was on-screen a LOT. **1/2.
LEGO Jurassic World: Legend Of Isla Nublar "Mission Critical!"
I think the Neidermeyer stuff is going to wear real thin as the series goes on.
I didn't find too much else to object to though. I also didn't find too much to recommend. **1/2.
Final Space "The Descent Into Darkness"
The stuff with Tribor's scarf was funny but I really cannot stand Gary's mother. She sucks.
I doubt Bolo is evil. That would make her right about something which strikes me as very unlikely.
Any time there is a nice of dramatic moment the show thinks it's a good idea for Kevin to ruin it. Frankly, that's a terrible mindset. It's okay to actually let the drama land. I don't demand a joke to end every line. And the fact that this show has Kevin stomp on so many nice moments is what I think its biggest weakness. It needs to trust the audience more.
Don't call Ash Ashy. Good to know.
Ava and Hue getting closer.
A good week, I think. ***1/2.
The Lion Guard "The Harmattan"
I love the new main title. Very exciting.
I am also glad the dry season is over, and we're stepping away from the Outlands. Season two's color palate was too brown and drab. This year is popping in rainbow colors, and the animation is gorgeous to look at.
Steve Blum has a decent singing voice.
I like that Makucha's buddies declined the trip. As far as sidekicks go, they aren't actually stupid.
Ask Sabu from Tarzan if cheetahs are just weaker versions of leopards.
Isn't Makini annoying? I imagine the season would have been a lot easier if she just had the common sense to keep her fool mouth shut.
The season is going on strong. ****.
The Lion Guard "The Accidental Avalanche"
I love Onga's smile.
Bunga laughing at her for being afraid of the monkeys is the biggest reason I despise that little creep. I hate everything about him. Passionately.
You know what? It's okay to be afraid of monkeys throwing snowballs at you. That is a normal reaction. Bunga doesn't get into the fixes he does because he's fearless. It's because he has no common sense and doesn't give a cr*p for the safety and well-being of others. Once in awhile a Disney character will pop up that will grind my gears in an unbelievable way. Before this, it was Mater from Cars. But I hate Bunga exactly as much for the same reasons. He's the producers acting like stupidity is a virtue, and the mark of a truly nice person. Screw that moral. Bunga sucks and stupid people suck too.
Is Kion going to be working at diminished capacity the entire season? I can stand it for an episode or two, but if this is the new normal I won't be pleased. ***.
The Lion Guard "Ghost Of The Mountain"
I liked the song.
Ugh. The Chosen One. As if Bunga isn't already insufferable enough.
Bunga beat the ghost by farting on it? Yeah, this episode gets a super low grade. Just for that on principle. Good song or not. *.
The Lion Guard "Marsh Of Mystery"
Makini is almost as annoying a liability as Bunga. As seen by the end, she's still not quite in his league of uselessness, but it's close.
Those mongooses were cute.
It was fun to learn about echo location too.
A little of Makini goes a long ways. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "Dragon Island"
I love the idea of Komodo Dragons. Because they aren't Dragons, but they ARE, and they actually exist. Very neat (and scary) animal.
The stuff with the dolphin in the ocean was so beautifully animated that it amazes me that you can animate a 2-D project on TV that looks better than a big budget animated film from 1994. Can you imagine how much less cr*p the Aladdin and Little Mermaid TV shows and prequels would have gotten if they had been able to have animation like this? This show is a very big step down in writing and songs. But it looks so great I don't see a ton of people complaining.
That was the parting of the Red Sea. They have official tied The Roar into a Biblical allegory. Which is something that I think is probably good for the show.
I loved this episode. *****.
The Lion Guard "Journey Of Memories"
Nice try, Lion Guard. No way you can convince me a hippo can cross the desert.
Little Makini sure was cute though. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "The Race To Tuliza"
A Latin cheetah? Okay.
I now ship Fuli and Azad. The show always has the best and most expressive animation for the cheetah characters.
I love that the flamingos are spring-break party girls.
Bunga was unusually annoying this episode, even for him.
It was a cute episode though. ****.
The Lion Guard "Mama Binturong"
So apparently Bunga isn't totally useless by the end of the episode. He's still a total jerk for deliberately trying to scare those animals by saying the word Taliza.
I also question why Taliza grows everywhere in every climate the Guard is visiting. That's... unlikely, to put it mildly.
I was mostly annoyed by this. *1/2.
The Lion Guard "Friends To The End"
Even if Bunga WAS right that Kion was turning evil (and he wasn't) does the little cretin have to ENJOY it so much? I hate this character.
Poor Kion. **1/2.
The Lion Guard "The Tree Of Life"
Do you know what Bunga is? A crony. In every sense of the word. He got on the Lion Guard solely because he was a friend of Kion's and not due to any bravery or cunning of his own. He and the bees say he is a freaking liability and has no place on the Guard.
I also hate the fact that Max Charles doesn't sing his own songs. I know every actor can't sing, but Disney needs to start casting actors who can sing in the first place. This only seems to effect "Classic" projects like "Aladdin" and "The Lion King." The casts of Frozen and Tangled sing their own songs.
It was interesting to see another group of Lions from a new perspective.
I liked some stuff and disliked some stuff. ***1/2.
The Lion Guard "The River Of Patience"
So that nice. I love the cliffhanger with Mama Binturong. Mama's taking over.
I also love that they added the Tree of Life to the main title.
I like the idea that Ono's eyesight will be easier to heal than Kion's scar. Because it suggests that both things can legitimately be healed. The Tree of Life is NOT just a flimflam.
I loved that episode. ****1/2.
The Lion Guard "Little Old Ginterbong"
Binga? Kill me now.
In all seriousness, that was a pretty great episode otherwise. Mama's Binturong's plan was actually decent, and I love Ono figuring it out.
Very cool episode. ****.
The Lion Guard "Poa The Destroyer"
Bunga is a menace. There is no tense misunderstanding he won't make a million times worse.
I hate episodes like this and the penguin was annoying. That's another thing. I'm supposed to believe penguins and polar bears are within walking distance of Africa? I'm starting to think world of The Lion King isn't actually set on Earth, but in an alternate Universe where animals rule the world, and there are no humans. Doesn't explain Timon singing "The Lion Sleeps Tonight", or knowing about Christmas, but we are meeting entirely too many different kinds of animals this year.
That bugged me. **.
The Lion Guard "Long Live The Queen"
Do you know what that episode was? It was nice. I cannot underselling how good it is to see a bit of current television that is actually nice. I'm grateful.
And yes, the parental discretion warning at the beginning was probably necessary, and it was also appreciated.
Those little tiger cubs are so cute.
Wonderful episode. *****.
The Lion Guard "The Lake Of Reflection"
I really liked that one too.
The little Lion Guard was so cute. I wanted plushies. I never would have pegged Ono for the youngest. I always thought he was the one adult on the guard. I missed that by a lot.
That was a super good episode. ****1/2.
The Lion Guard "Truimph Of The Roar"
The Valley of None Of Your Business and the Field of Be Quiet sound like nice places.
Well, now we know where the end theme tune came from.
The Roar has superpowers! I'm not sure how I feel about that. This has never been the most grounded franchise, but perhaps that goes a little too far in the out-there direction. Undecided.
Good episode though. ****.
The Lion Guard "Journey To The Pridelands"
Syncing up the show to Simba's Pride! Nice!
I love that Janja being a good guy is still a work in progress. But he quickly realizes there are fringe benefits.
It really feels like the show is ending, doesn't it? Good stuff. ****.
The Lion Guard "Return To The Pridelands"
That was great. It syncs up everything, and makes the show fit with Simba's Pride, and even manages to make Kion a King besides, without retconning anything. What a satisfying finale to not only this show, but The Lion King franchise. I don't see the need for another show or movie set in this continuity. This pretty much did and said it all. And I liked and appreciated it for that.
I like the nuzzle between Kion and Jasiri which acknowledges that even if the ship could never happen, it at least exists. That's kind of cool.
Very nice to get back Ernie Sabella on last time. Jason Marsden is a less impressive get, but he's definitely one of the franchise's few older school voices.
I'm not going to say I will miss the show, or that it was amazing, or anything like that. What I will say is the last episode left me satisfied, and as if I didn't waste my time, which I often felt like I was doing due to Bunga (almost exclusively). That's good enough for me. This was a solid series finale. Who knew The Lion King would ever make a passable preschool show? Now we know better. *****.
Marvel's Spider-Man "My Own Worst Enemy"
That was amazing.
I truly believe Scott Menville was miscast as Doc Ock, but if it only leads to Robbie Daymond's dead-on impersonation and no other good besides it, it was worth it.
Otto's reaction to Peter behind the mask was exactly as infuriated as I could have hoped.
I love watching him navigate the powers. Learning the Spider-Sense exists, and that he can run out of webs was fun.
I also liked him nitpicking Uncle Ben's "formula" by disgustedly pointing out that in physics, G stands for gravity, not great. Do you know why I loved that? Because I didn't actually know that. The writer of the episode is smarter than I am. That's an awesome feeling, and as far as Marvel cartoons go, a pretty unusual feeling too.
What I love most about Otto being effected by Uncle Ben is that he pretty much stops resisting, and accepts what is happening. That suggests a rationality to the character that an actual scientist would really have. He tries to factor the newfound conscience into his plan instead (although without much success).
And it's interesting the police and bystanders believe Spider-Man is more driven and dedicated than ever before. Because he might actually be.
The thing I appreciated most was that all of Peter's flashbacks were done through the perspective of Peter's eyes. Most cartoons can't be bothered to so stuff like that with memories, but the show reboarded the stuff we had already seen in a difficult camera viewpoint to make the situation more realistic. It was appreciated by me.
This was my favorite episode so far. Superior Spider-Man indeed. *****.
Titans "Rose"
That was surprisingly decent. I had a feeling this season would settle down a bit. As long as Geoff Johns and Akiva Goldsman aren't actually writing it, things can be passable.
That's not to say I didn't have problems with it. A Dove this violent is ignoring the selling point of the character of Dove. Also the idea of Jason using the Batcomputer to download porn isn't funny. It's crass, it's gross, and it's beneath the dignity of the Batman mythos. Just because you have the freedom to suggest Robin used the Batcomputer to download porn, doesn't mean you have to use it.
I like Rose a lot. Do you know what I want for her? For her to say just once "Titans, GO!!!... Away." Doom Patrol gave Cyborg his "Booyahs", so this is not an unreasonable ask on my end.
What is that alien journal Bruce is looking through at the end? Bruce's overall chill demeanor is the thing that makes me resent the sociopath Dick was last season. As this episode admirably showed, he never needed to be that and the show is better when he isn't. It's actually WATCHABLE when he isn't.
Keep Johns and Goldsman away and the show should be fine. ***1/2.
DC Super Hero Girls Super Shorts "Photo Oops"
I love that at the beginning Lois wants Jimmy to take pictures of superheroes, but that's literally ALL he's given her and she just doesn't know it.
I also love that it's the Starro pic that Jimmy gets right.
This was a cool episode. Go Silent Jimmy! ****1/2.
DC Super Hero Girls "Get To Know Steve Trevor"
I love that Babs is underwhelmed by Steve. I also like him being described as Diana's Kryptonite. ****.
Preacher "Fear Of The Lord"
Herr Starr's origin was ridiculous.
As for the rest of the teaser, I hope Starr feels deep shame and embarrassment over ordering Featherstone's death. If she HADN'T escaped, he'd literally be cooked. I hope he appreciates her more after this.
I'm less concerned with breakdancing Jesus than with the fact that Adolf Hitler actually knows the correct 80's rap music to play.
The Saint talking so much is how you know it's not real. I'm curious if the backstory is true though.
Starr is a dummy. He didn't think the remove the nipple clamps before freaking hanging himself? Jeez, this guy is so stupid.
The God on this show is outright evil. Jesse supposedly sinned through intention? That's the biggest thing that bugs me about Christianity. You can't control thoughts and desires, so the Church automatically has sinners who need salvation through it, whether they lead virtuous lives or not. The coveting Commandments strike me as a scam to keep the people who DON'T actually go around sinning left and right in line. And it's exactly as unfair and stupid as portrayed here.
That episode angered me by the end. But I think that was its intention, so I'm not taking off points for that. ****.
New Looney Tunes "Ear! We! Go! / Hare Band"
Ear! We! Go!:
That was cute. The ears were funny and the tail popping off was a funny ending. ***1/2.
Hare Band:
I freaking love Squeaks. ****.
Episode Overall: ****.
New Looney Tunes "Bugs In The Petting Zoo / Hawaiian Ice"
Petting Zoo:
Elmer Fudd!
Bugs Bunny Shawshanked the petting zoo!
So funny! ****.
Hawaiian Ice:
Winter is coming! Heh.
The Winter Stag is there because he had a coupon.
Pretty good. ***.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Quiet The Undertaking / Bugs Bunny?"
Quiet The Undertaking:
I like the song in the music montage. ***.
Bugs Bunny?:
Super funny. I did not know real rabbit sleep with their eyes open. That's just plain weird.
I love how excited Bugs was to meet other rabbits. I bet that security system doesn't seem like a silly idea in hindsight, does it? ****1/2.
Episode Overall: ****.
New Looney Tunes "Wet Feet / There's A Soccer Born Every Minute"
Wet Feet:
I love Bigfoot. He's so cute, especially when he call Bugs "Lady". What a great new character. Bugs being so patient with him endears me to Bugs too. And Bugs is not exactly an endearing character if you look at his actions objectively. *****.
There's A Soccer Born Every Minute:
Laughed at the idea that Bugs now has a GPS. Still doesn't help.
I love the designs of all of the humans. I especially liked Bugs making friends at the end with the head of the other team, and them both realizing their only obstacle to successful was the cranky red team coach. Nice moral there. ****.
Episode Overall: ****1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Pork Lift / Thes In The City"
Pork Life:
Wow, that is a TERRIBLE design for Porky Pig.
You don't want to know the answer to that question.
Bubble wrap is exactly that much fun.
I love the animation for all of the stuff falling out of Bugs' box.
Funny, but Porky is ugly. ***1/2.
Thes In The City:
Not great, but not terrible either. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
New Looney Tunes "Elmer's Fuddge / Angelo The Mighty Flea"
Elmer's Fuddge:
Foghorn Leghorn!
I loved Bugs calling Elmer Egghead.
Funny ending too. ****.
Angelo The Mighty Flea:
A disgusting flea with a handlebar mustache? Okay. ***.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
New Looney Tunes "Gorky Pork / Hard Hat Hare"
Gorky Pork:
The key to Porky's happiness is a bucket of hogslop? Dream big, Porky.
The thing that triggers the David Caruso / CSI: Miami / Who end of teaser scream is standing on Bugs' foot. Or just if the pun is really awful.
Funny. ****.
Hard Hat Hare:
I don't like this version of Yosemite Sam. **1/2.
Episode Overall: ***.
New Looney Tunes "Porky's Duck-livery Service / The Wabbit Who Would Be King"
The return of the actual LOONY Daffy Duck. Accept no substitutes.
Great short. *****.
The Wabbit Who Would Be King:
Dems the Legends. The short actually sucked. *1/2.
Episode Overall: ***1/2.
Transformers: Cyberverse "Bad Moon Rising"
Wow, unlike other the cartoons, Megatron is VERY unforgiving of Starscream.
Just the punishing pounding he took reminds me that this show would NEVER be able to get away with that level of violence if it weren't robots.
"We're done here." I got chills at that.
The thing I didn't like is that there is no logic to the idea that Starscream can take over the Decepticons by killing Megatron. There has got to be some sort of chain of command there, right? But I loved everything else.
Great episode. ****1/2.
Power Rangers Beast Morphers "Silver Sacrifice"
"Nothing is more powerful than family". If you are a Power Rangers adult fan, and wonder why other adult genre fans make fun of you, that's why.
Also, the overlaughing hysterically at the end over the hand gag is another reason no-one takes this franchise seriously.
I can't believe the bad guys handed Betty and Ben back before they actually got away with Steel. Those are some trusting villains.
Ben's father seems to be wearing a ton of latex make-up on his face. It might have been easier and cheaper to just cast a fat guy.
This show is no good for me. *.
LEGO Jurassic World "The Secret Exhibit: Part 1"
The little Raptors are so cute, but the kid in the Gyrosphere was super annoying.
It's also noticeable that they didn't put up the money to use the licensed John Williams music cues. ***.
LEGO Jurassic World "The Secret Exhibit: Part 2"
It's always a Nedry.
Can't believe that doofus Simon just says his passwords out loud to anyone who'll listen. What a dummy.
Speaking of Simon, the more I see him, the less I like the idea of him. What is the actual difference between him and the controversial Simpsons character Apu? They both speak with overexaggerated Indian accents solely to get a laugh. Why am I supposed to object to Apu but not Simon?
This was all right when Simon wasn't on-screen. Unfortunately, he was on-screen a LOT. **1/2.
LEGO Jurassic World: Legend Of Isla Nublar "Mission Critical!"
I think the Neidermeyer stuff is going to wear real thin as the series goes on.
I didn't find too much else to object to though. I also didn't find too much to recommend. **1/2.
Final Space "The Descent Into Darkness"
The stuff with Tribor's scarf was funny but I really cannot stand Gary's mother. She sucks.
I doubt Bolo is evil. That would make her right about something which strikes me as very unlikely.
Any time there is a nice of dramatic moment the show thinks it's a good idea for Kevin to ruin it. Frankly, that's a terrible mindset. It's okay to actually let the drama land. I don't demand a joke to end every line. And the fact that this show has Kevin stomp on so many nice moments is what I think its biggest weakness. It needs to trust the audience more.
Don't call Ash Ashy. Good to know.
Ava and Hue getting closer.
A good week, I think. ***1/2.
