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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the season finales of Batwoman and Supergirl, the series premiere of Stargirl, and the latest episodes of Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom, The Simpsons, Bob's Burgers, and Family Guy.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Horde Prime"
Scorpia seems to like her new team. Catra really WAS the worst.
I love that Horde Prime is polite and soft-spoken. Makes him scarier, especially when he offers up extinct cuisine from a world he destroyed. "I see everything," always has added layers of spookiness when said by a guy with four creepy uneven eyes.
As usual Catra believes herself in a stronger position than she is actually in. This is the consequence of that.
The Horde clones are very unlike Hordak in that they are fanatics. Is it possible his supposed genetic inferiority is the precise reason Hordak could occasionally seem decent deep down?
Is Shadoweaver still a prisoner? I also would like an answer to that.
Strong opener. ****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Launch"
Do you know the most dangerous thing about Horde Prime? His words are reasonable. He has the gift of being able to make genocide and universal destruction seem rational and common sense. He's what would happen if the creators of South Park actually held any real political power.
I love that he isn't put out by Glimmer's tantrum. A lesser villain would have been. But I get the sneaking and unwelcome suspicion that he never places himself in a situation where another person's behavior actually surprises him. That's probably why he got where he is.
For the record, I'm glad Entrapta IS on our side after all, but the concern that she'd switch sides if she decided Horde Prime had shinier tech is a real one. There were other factors in her turning to the Horde, but that was the main one. Entrapta is cute and all, but she's not just a flake. She's a seemingly amoral flake with situational ethics. I'm glad she's going to make an effort from now on. But if the writers had gone in the opposite direction I would never say they had been writing her out of character.
Micah in the She-Ra drag was dumb.
Horde Prime can see through every Horde clone? Yeah, that's an asset. When the good guys DO win, it won't be because it was easy.
I love that the episode ended on the quiet and solemn moment of Glimmer and Catra offering each other silent comfort and solace back-to-back against the prison shield. This is literally the only children's show I have ever seen that would make that the final scene. And it's mature for it. Harley Quinn is not a mature show because of the f-bombs. This is a mature show because it offers no easy answers about who the good guys and bad guys are. Glimmer and Catra are on opposite sides. And yet the only person they have is each other. It's an interesting dynamic, especially because I always got the sense Glimmer is the Princess Catra hates the most. In her mind she stole Adora from her. And they are each other's only option at this point whether they realize it or not.
Man, I love this show and this episode reminded me of why I love this show. I'm am going to miss it, but part of me is excited and curious how it will end. My only prediction is that it will fabulous. That's never a safe bet for any TV show's last episode, even the great ones, but there is a confidence in the writing of the show that hints that in this rare case, the writers actually what they're doing. We'll see if I'm right in eleven episodes. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Corridors"
A lot of the stuff I said in the last review was basically said on-screen by the characters themselves. I am very good at psychologically deconstructing characters.
Horde Prime was just surprised by Catra. And he did not like it. At all. But when she laughed at him you kind of realize he SHOULD have seen it coming.
Adora tangled up in the wires reminds me that Adora is at her most lovable when she is portrayed as the clumsy goofball. And I love that the show often allows her to be that.
Kid Catra's ears twitching like a cat's when she is scared or sad is a very nice touch.
Speaking of that flashback, her screaming she would never apologize for anything seemed to distill the character's self-destructive behavior over the first four (or three depending on your count) seasons to a tee. It made me roll my eyes to realize that this is a character who has not grown an inch since she was little. But it was a great thing to show because it shows she HAS grown after all, and her apology to Adora at the end lands a thousand times harder after hearing her years ago so-far-kept promise to never apologize for anything. It was a huge moment.
Hordak is in such a bad place there is no question in my mind that he will be redeemed by the series' end. Unfortunately, he's SO bad off, I predict his redemption will have to take the form of self-sacrifice. I do not see the white picket fence and 2.5 kids with Entrapta in his future, do you?
This show just continues to knock my socks off. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Stranded"
Did you notice that it's already episode four and this is the first time She-Ra (briefly) appeared this season?
Bo and Adora were so admirably focused on getting Glimmer back it never occurred to me there would be hurt feelings after they did. And you know what? There should have been! This show knows what it's doing.
Even if I'm personally against Bow forgiving Glimmer right away, her telling him he's allowed to be mad at her for at long as he needs to be, but that she'll never give up on him and always be there, tells me she's worth forgiving eventually. Any person who has done a bad thing and acknowledges they are not automatically entitled to forgiveness is more deserving of it than people who believe it is automatically owed them.
Swiftwind's scene with Scorpia amazes me that Scorpia was ever a villain.
Solid. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Save The Cat"
This is going to be a controversial opinion and but I'm sure it's true: But this show has the best voice acting of any animated series ever. I think BoJack Horseman fans might disagree, but I think that had an easier task. You get people like Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Deidrich Bader, Stephanie Beatriz and Andre Braugher together, you are automatically gonna get great stuff. She-Ra is so amazing because none of the voice actors outside of Amiee Carrero are people I've ever heard of before this show. And they deliver the goods spectacularly every time. If anything tells me about the importance of a voice director it is this show. You do not need to hire expensive celebrities to get great animated performances. You just need to know how to get regular actors to give amazing performances. And that is a gift the show has and why it's amazing acting impresses me far more than BoJack Horseman's. It would actually be weird if BoJack's acting WASN'T great considering the level of talent involved. This show delivering as much pathos as a great live-action series because of the voice performances of actors who work for scale is the much bigger accomplishment.
Wrong Hordak is quite pathetic. I really loved Hordak's reemergence at the end. His love for Entrapta will be a factor going forward.
One of the reasons I love Horde Prime is because I love him despite all of the reprehensible things he's done. I would hate a similar character on another show. Instead his voice and demeanor make me fascinated by this monster instead of repulsed. It's a weird feeling, but I get the sense most successful villains should make a viewer feel that way. The fact that I rarely do shows that most fictional villains are ineffective. It's a short list of villains I think that highly of. Scorpius from Farscape is the major one that springs to mind although Thrawn from Star Wars Rebels was great too. There is something very scary about an unflappable soft-spoken villain, especially one with a British accent, which Prime weirdly has.
That was the greatest and most epic She-Ra entrance of all time. I got chills, man.
That was good television right there. *****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Taking Control"
Wrong Hordak proves Keston Johns is surprisingly good at comedy. Which is great because that is not a skill Hordak's actor ever needed in the seasons before this. The most pleasant of shocks.
I like how Entrapta simply forgave Catra. Here is an opinion: The situation is only a huge mess because both Adora and Catra believe it is. Perhaps Entrapta's simplicity is the best way for everyone to move forward. That goes for Bow and Glimmer too.
I don't know who came up with the idea but it was brilliant. This is a TV-Y7 show. They can only go so far in implying the way Horde Prime violated and broke down Catra through torture. But whichever writer came up with the idea that he cut her hair deserves a pay raise and a promotion, or they would if this weren't the last season. It's a simple and brilliant way to instantly show the audience how much the character was violated without ever having to state a thing explicitly. Catra is known for her wild hair and it is a major part of her fun personality. And Horde Prime took it away from her without her permission. That is genius, gets the point across visually, is properly upsetting, but something a TV-Y7 show can actually do with no problems. There is some very powerful talent in that writers room that they think of things like that to land pathos. Most action cartoons are stuck because they take their cues from live-action television and believe the only way to get a reaction from the audience is to show violence. And since the censors never let them show anything at all, most action cartoons instantly fail. She-Ra finds the pathos and drama through character interaction and psychological writing. And it's as constant a reminder of what he did to her as if he had disfigured her with acid to the face. It's simple. It's brilliant. It gets the point across. And it can be shown to kids. These are gifted and talented writers. This is a very special show that I am going to appreciate while I have what little left of it I do. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Perils Of Peekablue"
I am going to be blunt. I am VERY unhappy with a mind-control element being introduced in the show, at least to this extent. And if you've read my reviews (or my comic book) you'll understand why I despise that specific trope in all circumstances so I won't rehash it here. Me being mad about that probably won't surprise anyone with even a cursory history of reading my reviews.
Here is what WILL surprise you (because it surprises me): I am willing to give the show a little leeway there. I didn't with the surprise betrayal on Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, and I was right to be skeptical there. But this show has reached a level Tangled never did, as promising as that show started off as. It has earned a bit of trust with me. If it did that stuff every episode I wouldn't tolerate it, but as of now, I'm willing to trust the show about this. Believe me. This is unprecedented regarding me and specific tropes that I believe destroy shows. I'll get back to you in a few episodes on whether or not that trust was misplaced. But as of now, the show has the benefit of the doubt from me that I would never give any other show for that same plot turn. It scares me a little how much faith I have in the writers. Because if I am wrong, I will be devastated. Please don't make me wrong, producers. I'm begging you.
For the record, I love She-Ra making peace with Catra in the main title and She-Ra returning to the main cast shot and Catra now with the heroes. I love that very much.
Also great is that Scorpia's undercover name is Linda. One of the few normal names on the show and it's fake.
I have faith in this show. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Shot In The Dark"
I love Shadoweaver offering the handshake to Castaspella to promise to take her down if she takes the magic for herself. That is a great, adult bargain. I loved it.
Castaspella is a dumb name though.
The thing Catra hates most is being appreciated by other people. That will make her stint with the heroes much harder than her time with the Horde. She responds negatively to anyone who show her the slightest bit of affection (as Scorpia can attest). This will be new and scary.
Another good episode. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "An Ill Wind"
What I love about Wrong Hordak is how much he enjoys doing things he wasn't previously allowed to do. Hordak himself was allowed to do anything he wanted. But he never chose to do anything nice or fun which is why he was a stick in the mud. Wrong Hordak learning the joys of winking and subterfuge is quite endearing.
Mushroom people? Too goofy. Even for me.
I am rooting for both Wrong Hordak and Hordak. It strikes me that Hordak in particular will wind up crucial to the heroes winning if only because he is so close to Horde Prime. It's weird that Prime cannot see there is something wrong with him even though he has access to a Hivemind. I don't for one second consider it a plot oversight. The show is more careful than that. Instead it makes me wonder how the Hivemind actually works and what possible weaknesses it could possess.
Horde Prime is losing his cool. Which definitely says things are not going according to plan. If nothing else does it's the fact that Horde Prime now regularly raises his voice and throws stuff in anger.
The Princesses getting used to Catra is going to be fun to watch. And vice-versa. Frosta seems particularly unforgiving and I love her for it.
This show continues to be good episode after episode. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Return To The Fright Zone"
I love that Netossa takes down Catra with a spray water bottle at the beginning. That sounds about right.
Still not loving the mind control but I like the idea that Perfuma is adjusting Catra to the idea that opening your heart is a strength and not a weakness. And the reason Perfuma is on message here is because she is insightful enough to throw how sucky Catra used to treat Scorpia in her face. So you know she has credibility on the subject.
The surprise reappearance of Shadoweaver at the end was great. Love that character and love her voice.
Getting good. ****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Failsafe"
I don't much like Shadoweaver, but I have to say, it's not fair that she is given the level of grief she is. She has been helping the good guys since season 3 and she's gotten nothing but scorn for it. Why is Catra instantly forgiven? I have to say, as bad as Shadoweaver was when Adora and Catra were kids, Catra herself did far worse as an adult. It bugs me that we are supposed to root for Catra's reformation while believing Shadoweaver's isn't genuine. I don't think that should be true.
So I'm apparently feeling out the ships as the series winds up. I believe there will be a few romantic kisses in the final episode. It's a kids show, so kisses are always reserved for series finales. It's obvious Entrapta and Hordak are a ship as are Glimmer and Bow. I'm thinking Scorpia might be paired up with Perfuma. And what's strangest to me considering their arc, I think Adora and Catra will kiss in the series finale. That sounds like a crazy prediction but I've always felt that Catra was so angry at Adora's betrayal because she was secretly in love with her, and Adora's reactions to her in the past few episodes make it seem like it is now mutual on her end. This could wind up a crazy prediction in two episodes. But I'm not changing this part of this review because I want you all to see how I did with my guesses. A more likely scenario if I'm wrong is that it will be made ambiguous and not fully said either way. But I am pretty positive that Adora and Catra will not wind up in a ship with a person other than each other. That's my guess. We'll see how I did.
Entrapta's scene with Hordak tells me I was right that a big sacrifice is coming from him. I both dread it and can't wait for his actual redemption.
Big stuff happening this episode. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Heart, Part 1"
Boom. Oh, we are in for a finale.
Turns out I was right about the Adora / Catra ship. Still pretty gutsy.
Mara telling She-Ra that she is more than what she can do for other people is an adult moral. Usually kids are given the untrue moral that heroes must sacrifice their happiness and desires to be heroes. That doesn't strike me as a thing that remotely needs to be true, so it's weird how universal the idea is for superheroes. You get the occasional hero with a spouse like Spider-Man or the Flash, but mostly the lesson comic books teach us is that being a hero actually sucks, which is why so few people do it. You know what? I'm pretty sure most firefighters on 9/11, and most nurses during Covid-19 have families at home. And it doesn't stop them from being heroes. "What do you want?" is a moral for an adult in a children's show, while all other superhero projects geared towards adults are offering us the simplistic child's moral. Which is why I love this show.
If the finale isn't amazing, I'll be very surprised. *****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Heart, Part 2"
The show did it to me again.
And let me say how rare what it did to me is. If you read my season two review you have noted I had an unusual reaction to the sad ending. I started laughing uncontrollably. Not derisively. Not at all. No, I laughed because I was hurting and I was enjoying the way I was feeling hurt. It was a GOOD hurt. It felt cathartic and absolute 100 percent right for me and the show. I was like, "This is SO perfect!" For a REALLY great sad ending I'll bawl like a baby. But for a magnificent scene like Catra and Adora revealing their love for each other, I am going to actually enjoy it. It hurts SO good.
And I have to say that is a very unique gift that almost no current television writer can do. Joss Whedon has done it two or three times in the Buffyverse, but never since then. Star Trek got there in The Inner Light and The Visitor, but it is SO freaking rare to feel good when a sad thing is occurring because it's the right thing.
Another amazing thing I loved about the finale is how right my theories turned out to be about everything. Catra and Adora DID kiss. The mind control DIDN'T ruin anything. Hordak DID make a big sacrifice. Adora and Catra WERE being unfair to Shadoweaver. I don't know how well somebody reading this will get what I'm saying, but it gives a viewer a very personal connection to a television show to actually understand it. I don't feel ripped off or believe it to have been predictable. There is not only something satisfying about seeing a show play out the exact way it should, but I feel like I get the show in a way I do few others. As a rule my batting average for correct theories is better than almost anyone I know. My real blind spot, and where I always get tripped up, is by predicting what SHOULD happen in a good story, and always expecting the writers to do the right thing and then deliver the proper moment. And I often get stuff wrong simply because I have better ideas than the shows I watch. But if a show is great I can often predict how it will go. And I never once resent a single great show for proving to me how great it is. It's weird that certain people who correctly guess theories disdain those TV shows for being predictable. That's not always a bad thing, and I will say it again that there is something to be said for watching a TV show go down the exact way it is supposed to.
I made one huge erroneous guess this season, but I'm not embarrassed by it. Because the reason I was wrong is that I was operating under the assumption that the finale of the show might be great, but it still had certain expectations and rules to follow. That's why I predicted Hordak would be redeemed, but I mistakenly thought the show was pedestrian enough to have to make the price of that be a self-sacrifice. Instead, the series gives him the happy ending with Entrapta along with the hilarious quip by Mermista "So I guess we're okay with this now?" Yes we are! The show fooled me because it wound up being a better show than I assumed it would ever be allowed to be by the network or the toy company. And the one thing I got wrong is the thing I'm glad I got wrong.
To speak more specifically about the mind control, it didn't wind up helping anything. It never does. But it also didn't hurt anything, which is almost never true.
I found Shadoweaver's mortal sacrifice extremely profound because it clarified everything about the character. Her refusing to go back and take the magic herself and saving Adora says that her desire to help the heroes once she flipped was actually genuine THE ENTIRE TIME, and all of the good guys were beating her down for trying to help for no good reason. What I especially love about getting confirmation of this is that it speaks even higher of Shadoweaver that she never stopped helping anyways, even if every hand of friendship she offered was slapped away. And again, I predicted this, but I was a little less sure about that one thing. I'm glad I was right.
So here is my new opinion. She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power is the third best animated TV show of all time. Justice League Unlimited is and probably always will be number one, but this show's quality was a little more steady than JLU's. JLU delivered very few duds, but a mediocre episode or two DOES exist. But JLU had bigger highs. The second greatest animated series of all time is The Simpsons, which would be number one forever and always if it had been canceled after its eighth season. Even though both shows' sensibilities are different (The Simpsons is a comedy and She-Ra is a drama) I don't feel She-Ra ever QUITE hit the high points the best Simpsons ever did. But unlike The Simpsons, She-Ra's quality was consistent the entire way through. So even if She-Ra is number three it's BARELY number 3. I feel it's almost as good as The Simpsons. Almost.
But yeah, the series finale lived up to the hype, and it's refreshing to see a show tell its entire story correctly, hitting all of the right notes, in the given 52 episodes. There is something irresistible about a show that exits the stage gracefully while it is still amazing, instead of waiting for the quality to dip and everyone to be sick of it. This series started great, stayed great, and went out at the top of its game. I couldn't ask for more. Great series. Great finale. Great everything. *****.
Batwoman "O, Mouse!"
I don't understand why Kate wants to be closer to Jacob. I think deep down, the guy's a monster. I also appreciated Mary "Yeah, no-ing" her idea that she understood Jacob better than she did. Those arrests are Mary proving that idea is bogus with receipts.
I like Alice saying she was "taking the note" regarding supplying a face for Hush. What a cool way to put that. I love how people on TV talk nowadays.
Is the idea that Kryptonite is indestructible and impenetrable exclusive to the Arrowverse? I've never heard of it before.
Mary's plan to surrender herself at the Batsignal took guts.
I don't remember who Commissioner Loeb is, but if he hated Batman, it must have been because he was bad guy. I think the same of Jacob and Batwoman.
This was a pivotal episode for Mouse in my mind. Either Alice killed him by the end of it or she didn't. If she didn't it means she probably never would. But I felt that this was the least safe he has ever been with her. And she killed him. Which is why she sucks and why I think she's crazy for ever expecting Kate or Jacob to forgive someone like her. She loves Mouse. That's what she does to people she loves. Who would ever want to forgive a person who does that to people they love?
Jacob shooting at and trying to kill Batwoman says that he isn't a good guy who is misguided like Quentin Lance. He's an actual bad guy. I hope he has to answer for it and that the series doesn't expect to someday redeem him. There are some things I will never forgive and that's one of them. And him searching for a weapon to kill Batwoman at the end? She's been convicted of nothing. I'm pretty sure that is what is known as premeditated murder.
For the record, now I see where Alice gets it.
The reasons how and why Kate is hurt at the end are the precise reason he sucks. He's basically calling her as bad as Beth by doing that. God, the guy is such a creep.
Best surprise casting of Bruce Wayne ever. The producers must have gotten on their hands and knees to DC to even be allowed to do THAT much. I'm still a bit shocked. Great ending.
That was not actually supposed to be the finale, but the Bruce thing made it feel like one anyways. Weird, but fortunate coincidence. ****.
Supergirl "Immortal Kombat"
Lex's gifts as a criminal mastermind are completely overstated. He still NEEDS Brainy. Why would he tell him he plans to let his friends die? How stupid is he? It's why I hate this Lex. He'd rather be cruel than smart. It also makes him insufferable.
Case in point. If he hadn't humiliated Tess and threatened to kill her mother she never would have turned on him. She would have been loyal to the end, and never given the heroes that crucial bit of information. The only thing Lex's cruelty accomplished was making sure his most loyal assistant would betray him. And that's why I hate this Lex so much. If he were actually better at this I probably wouldn't.
Lex does one of those cliched and annoyed "I planned for everything" bogus Xanatos brags that that character always did after getting spanked. Really Lex? Then why are you so surprised and upset Brainy didn't let his friends die? I think the biggest reason I hate the concept of the Xanatos Gambit, is that 9 times out of 10, it's pure false bravado. Xanatos repeatedly claiming victory after clearly getting repeatedly beaten isn't the sign of a clever villain. I certainly don't think Pee-Wee Herman is a criminal mastermind for falling off his bike and saying "I meant to do that." It's true Lex now has the shrunken Elementals. But don't tell me he planned for that or that it was his preferred outcome. This version of Lex is unbelievably pathetic.
I'm currently watching Horde Prime's genius psychological manipulations on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and he puts Lex to shame as far as smart and effective villain goes. She-Ra IS an unusually smart show but it's bad if a kids cartoon is running rings around you are far as complex villains go. It's embarrassing.
I can't believe the producers think heavy eyeshadow is enough of a mask for Alex. I hate superhero shows.
I'm glad Kara brought up the Deathly Hallows parallels herself. I was gonna say.
I suppose I am very happy about Kara reading Lena the riot act, but frankly, it was too late for me. I wanted her to say these things all season long instead of constantly apologizing to and for her. And she doesn't actually want to go on the rant even now, except Lena is starting to turn everything about herself per usual and that will get her friends killed so she has to make the "Why you suck" speech curt and on-point. But I do like that she seemed annoyed to be forced to have to stop everything and give it on Lena's timetable. I liked that very much. Lena is a freaking chore of a person.
I don't agree with Kara forgiving her at the end. But after she stands in front of her and tells Shadow she'll have to go through her to get to Supergirl I can acknowledge Kara doing that isn't actually unreasonable. It may be just a start, but it was a significant start. I would not might seeing Lena outright redeemed on this show. It would be pleasantly unexpected. I will always hate the character but I would dig the idea of the show pulling back from turning her into Kara's archenemy. I don't think the show has been better for that this season at all, so perhaps the show pulled back because they realized it wasn't working. You give a villain a lousy motivation to be a villain, surprise, the audience doesn't like them. They must have seen how badly Lena came across for her whining and issued a course correction to play up Lex instead. It's probably for the best, and I hope it's the end of that nonsense. The franchise made unexpected heroes out of Toyman and Killer Frost. I would not object to them offering a benevolent version of Lena Luthor too.
I did not like the idea that Supergirl seemingly got through to everyone in the simulation. In reality, she'd convince 60% tops. About 40% of the population of Earth is irrational and unwilling to listen to reason. Despite last season being a parable against Trump, this plot turn tells me the writers have learned nothing about people in the last three years.
Out of the Arrowverse shows, this felt the least like a finale, mostly because Brainiac 5's fate was so up in the air. Life and death cliffhangers are common among many shows, but not Arrowverse shows. The cliffhangers there (outside of the Prometheus season of Arrow) are done to set up the next season rather then leave us on the hook. Plus, if a finale had done that, they would have made the stopping point for his story more pointed and memorable. I feel very aware that he would have been rescued at the beginning of the next episode had it existed.
That was all right, but I think Lex Luthor is the single worst villain in the entire Arrowverse. They seem to have him do things to show how evil he is and how impressed I should be by that. Instead, I think he's a stupid goon who couldn't pour p*ss out of a boot with instructions written on the heel. I really hope when the show comes back after the virus and Melissa Benoist's pregnancy, that Lex is gone. He makes the show worse. He's crazily somehow even more detestable than Captain Liberty. But although Captain Liberty was an equally vile person, he was a better character because he was effective, as unbelievable as some of his lucky breaks were. Lex just makes everything worse for showing up. Jon Cryer is the single worst Lex Luthor in live-action or animation. Kevin Smith must be smoking serious chronic to think otherwise.
Hopefully next season will be better. ***1/2.
Stargirl "Pilot"
53 minutes later and that's already better than any other thing that's premiered on DC Universe.
I DO have reservations. Of course I do. I do not trust Geoff Johns as a storyteller, even if this is his personal passion project. I have been burned too many times. Also this Mike kid is probably the most obnoxious child actor I have seen in decades. Kids this awful used to be a staple on 80's sitcoms, but since then TV has taken great care to hire kids who can either act or be cute and likable. This kid is an absolute repulsive dud. The best thing the show could do is either recast the character, or simply kill him off in the first 30 seconds of the second episode. The show will automatically be better off.
I also didn't like the teenage soap opera stuff. Why? Because it wasn't credible. Yes, this show's version of teen soap is actually too stupid to be believed. I mean Courtney's actress is ridiculously attractive. If she hadn't landed this show, a future career as a supermodel in five years would not be out of the question. And yet a cute white girl this hot is instantly ostracized when she gets to a new school? It is a fact that attractive people are treated better than unattractive ones. For someone THAT attractive to walk off the street, everyone in the school would be lining up to get her number as either a friend or a date. If they wanted to make Courtney a misfit outcast they miscast her. What bothers me is that she is great in the role otherwise. So it seems to me the logical thing to do would have been to get rid of the teen outcast thing once she was cast. But television does not seem to operate under that sort of logic.
While we are on the subject of attractive people, every single person at that losers table was also far too attractive to be there.
I'm getting my gripes out of the way early because I am about to be very complimentary and I don't want my few resentments to get in the way of my positive review. I love that we got the superheroes and and cheesy Cosplay costumes right off the bat, and we didn't have to wait an hour for it like every other superhero pilot. I love that Solomon Grundy is SO legit, they spent actually CGI money on him. I loved the expression on the picture of Courtney's face when it is suggested she try out for cheerleading. Another reason I would have preferred the loser angle dropped. This kid is so great I don't actually want anyone else. And I love Courtney's mom throwing in Courtney's face that her dad was a dirtbag and that the only man who was ever there for them was Pat.
What do I think of Pat? I think Pat is a refreshing character because he's fundamentally decent and not damaged at all. He wants to do the right thing which makes me root for him winning over Courtney. I don't usually feel that way about other fictional stepdads. Of course in other projects, the stepdads are the actual source of the conflict, but that's again why I find Pat so refreshing.
I'll tell you the scene that totally won me over. When Joel McHale tells Luke Wilson that the Cosmic Staff must go on to a worthy and decent person... but not you, Pat. Seriously, Pat. I mean it. Not you. What I liked about that moment is it the kind of memorable quip you'd see in a superhero feature film. And we got it in the first episode of a superhero TV show instead. And I recognize that moment for the crowd pleaser it would have been in a packed theater. It would probably take the audience a good 30 seconds to settle down afterwards because it's so funny.
I don't trust Geoff Johns. But that first episode was pretty great. I cannot predict what the quality of the rest of the series will be (Mike being a main character says the show will never be perfect) but it got off to a rousing start and made the right impression on a streaming service filled with nothing but series that leave a bad one. I liked this week, all right? That should be enough. It is for me. ****1/2.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom "Amazing Friends"
For a Venom season, that had very little to do with Venom.
As obnoxious as the Totally Awesome Hulk is, he's nowhere near as annoying and reprehensible as the Amadeus Cho from Ultimate Spider-Man. Just so you know, Cho. Actual smart people don't go around telling people how smart they are. Either that is a character failing or a writing one. I hope it's the former.
So who are the six people on Earth smarter than him?
I love Spidey asking if he could put down that he makes funny quips and Iron Heart tells him he shouldn't lie on his resume. Aww!
Do you know what I love about May's reaction to Peter offering to show his baby pictures to MJ to distract from Groot? She calls it weird. Seriously. Peter's often unhinged behavior is usually taken in stride by the people who love him, but I glad somebody told him, "Dude, that's weird. You're weird." He needed to hear that from a friend.
Iron Heart immediately narcing Groot to the authorities makes me distrust and dislike her right off the bat. I'm wondering why the writers wanted me to do that.
I love that when Groot plays charades, it's all about the three words.
Will Friedle is back. Kevin Michael Richardson being recast stung though.
You go find Doctor Weirdo. Strange. What'd I say? Good line reading there. The recent Marvel shows are not known for funny or well-timed quips. This episode got off a couple of funny zingers.
All right but nothing to write home about. ***.
The Simpsons "The Way Of The Dog"
We have a lot to talk about this week.
I liked it a great deal. But I'll stop short of calling it great because of a few structural flaws. I feel like the episode would have been better if it had been 15 minutes long instead of 22. And I also feel the ending could have been stronger. Is Santa's Little Helper's mother a new permanent pet for the Simpsons? Doubtful. But even if she was, I would have responded more to the ending if he had run to where she had been buried. Not a happy ending. But I don't think you can give one to the origin story of a racing hound to begin with.
I liked the clips from the first episode and the return of the skeezy guy from the Pilot. Great memories. I also want to compliment the show on something it hasn't done in awhile. But for me, the defining things about the first two seasons of the show were the fact that it used odd camera angles and perspectives you not only never saw in a cartoon, but in live-action either. And the fact that Santa's Little Helper's animal movements were so realistic. No other animated project came close to the reality of how dogs act and move than Santa's Little Helper's earliest episodes. In the meantime, the show's animation has stepped up in other ways. But it's been awhile since the show has done creative stuff from the dog's perspective. And that was one of the most memorable things about the early episodes for me so I appreciated seeing that even more than the clips from the pilot.
I mentioned the episode felt too long. The dog psychiatrist's thing on the phone with her on again off again lover was brilliantly funny and brilliantly acted by Cate Blanchett and Michael York. And yet when the episode went back to it near the end, it was much less funny, and hurt my reception of the first scene too. If the episode were 15 minutes instead of 22 they probably wouldn't have felt the need to go back to it at all, and then the gag and the episode would have been stronger. It's weird this is a problem for this episode because The Simpsons is famous for being the show that wastes the first act and turns each episode into something entirely different for the last two acts. By instantly jumping into the Santa's Little Helper drama, the show had to pad itself out more than it usually does.
I love that Homer gets the family a first aid kit for Christmas. But hey, it turned out they needed it.
I love that upon Santa's Little Helper biting Marge Homer calls him a crap dog. And I love that he gives him a slobbering kiss goodbye. I don't care what any other fan says. I love modern Homer to death.
It's interesting that the psychologist points out that to people that is just a lamppost. But to a dog, it's everyone who has been near it. That was a great and astute thing for a character to say. It's very unusual they handed it to a guest character instead of Lisa.
My parents never sucked this much, but I feel bad for kids whose parents made them string popcorn on Christmas tree. It's not like popcorn is even a particularly tasty snack. But it's got to be soul crushing for a kid to have that specific chore. It's not even like the decoration looks good. It's just annoying and pointless.
The dog owner says the family not renaming the dog was lazy. I'll go one further. The producers keeping that name in the second season when the dog was finally referred by it again was ill-advised. It's a pain to constantly write and say a name that long and inconvenient. I hope the writers are kicking themselves 30 years later for making the gag with Homer calling the dog "Bad Santa's Little Helper" funny for ten seconds, while making the show worse for the rest of its existence. He isn't even allowed a shorter and more convenient nickname. That joke in this episode seemed almost a mea culpa about that.
It strikes me as strange the bad things some TV shows do at the beginning of their runs and then they are stuck with them forever. And most of those bad things are done in the name of cheap jokes. I think every single animated comedy needs to think long and hard about the types of jokes they tell in their pilots and early episodes. Otherwise you end up with Steve Smith's repulsive friends or John Redcorn and Nancy Gribble for the rest of the show's run. I think the worst thing animated comedies suffer from is not being careful in their early seasons. And they can wind up damaging the show permanently if they don't think through a cheap joke.
I think most shows, both live-action and animated, are under the mistaken impression that pilots and early episodes are when everything goes, and the show should be allowed to discover what it's actually about. I strongly disagree. I think early episodes need to play it ESPECIALLY safe, because the entire rest of the show is built on their groundwork. The future success of the show depends on their stability. I believe that it's only when a show is established and you yourself know what it's actually about which is when it's okay to experiment and try new things. And yeah, they needed to think up a better name for the dog. Even Snowball II is a better pet name. And Snowball II is atrocious.
I liked a great deal of the episode, particularly the pleasant early season vibes the animal centered perspectives brought. But it was too long and the ending was too pat. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Prank You For Being A Friend"
Bob being trapped upside on a stretch machine while Jimmy Pesto with a hernia can't stop laughing at him is what is known as a negative feedback loop.
Have I commented on this show's ukulele sound cue in any of my previous reviews? Because for some reason, whenever it ends a scene it makes the comic timing absolutely awkward and perfect. Is this season 9 or 10? I feel like I should have complimented that before now. Long before.
When Louise asks Mr. Frond if he's saying that he believes he taught her, in that very moment, I wholeheartedly believed Kristen Schaal must loathe David Herman deep down. With every fiber of her being. The line reading was so disdainful I cannot ever picture someone being able to use that tone with a person they didn't secretly hate. Either Kristen Schaal is a surprisingly convincing actress, or David Herman is a terrible human being. Part of me doesn't want to know the answer. Partly because I don't want to know Herman is a creep, and partly because knowing how Schaal actually pulled that off would totally ruin the mystique, y'know? I like sausages. But I don't like seeing them made. Just sayin'.
Linda and Teddy seem to think it's a little weird and pathetic Bob waits until Jimmy is asleep to play with their toys. It is a momentous occasion for the show because both of them are right. Linda is occasionally right. Teddy, almost never. But both right at the same time? That's unprecedented. But seriously. Bob's a loser. Even compared to the guy who clearly has no friends.
I don't know if an actor can use a single line reading to send to the Emmys for consideration, but if that was possible, if I were Kristen Schaal, I'd submit that one line. And if I were in charge of the Emmys, I'd totally give her one for it. ***1/2.
Family Guy "Movin' In (Principle Shepherd's Song)"
The show seems to be taking the stance that people upset over fat-shaming are making a federal case out of something that is no big deal, which is a typical Fuzzy Door reaction to pushback against cruelty and bullying. And yet when the show points out that that is the current thing that gets people fired and kicked out of school, while school shootings are simply considered the price of doing business, whether I agree with the show about fat-shaming being no big deal or not, I think the show still probably has its priorities straight.
The joke about Joe and Chris faking being sexy Facebook friends was tiresome and completely laugh free. I'm not saying it's as unfunny as Sneakers O'Toole. But that was the unfunny and badly timed thing it most reminded me of.
Brian and Stewie's thing was okay, but I feel like it ended poorly. Brian is NOT a clever enough person to come up with doing a swishy baby book in revenge. He's simply not that good of a writer or that strategic of a thinker. The problem with making Brian so dumb in the later seasons is that any cunning behavior the character could possibly show is suddenly suspect. I didn't buy that moment because Brian is so dumb.
Principle Shepherd rubs Chris's shoulders so that if anyone asks he can say he does it to everyone. I've probably mentioned this before, but the Sethverse shows have an eerie knack to channel things that only an utter sociopath or sexual deviant would say, that would never occur to me or a halfway decent person. The fact that that sounds half credible which is why the writers are almost certainly terrible people. I could never have come up with that admittedly funny joke in my wildest dreams. And I'm actually proud of that fact.
Stewie's birthday gift to Brian will be the ability to appreciate other people being happy. I love the Bugs Bunny at the opera thing too.
The one step away thing being out of earshot is a great slam at all television. Except Family Guy does it too. Constantly in fact. They are in no position to throw that particular stone.
I continue to love Stewie's antagonistic baby neighbor played by Chris Parnell. I want to see more of him.
That wasn't a bad week for Fox cartoons, but it wasn't great either. Ultimately, I'll give it to The Simpsons, as flawed as the episode probably was. ***.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Horde Prime"
Scorpia seems to like her new team. Catra really WAS the worst.
I love that Horde Prime is polite and soft-spoken. Makes him scarier, especially when he offers up extinct cuisine from a world he destroyed. "I see everything," always has added layers of spookiness when said by a guy with four creepy uneven eyes.
As usual Catra believes herself in a stronger position than she is actually in. This is the consequence of that.
The Horde clones are very unlike Hordak in that they are fanatics. Is it possible his supposed genetic inferiority is the precise reason Hordak could occasionally seem decent deep down?
Is Shadoweaver still a prisoner? I also would like an answer to that.
Strong opener. ****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Launch"
Do you know the most dangerous thing about Horde Prime? His words are reasonable. He has the gift of being able to make genocide and universal destruction seem rational and common sense. He's what would happen if the creators of South Park actually held any real political power.
I love that he isn't put out by Glimmer's tantrum. A lesser villain would have been. But I get the sneaking and unwelcome suspicion that he never places himself in a situation where another person's behavior actually surprises him. That's probably why he got where he is.
For the record, I'm glad Entrapta IS on our side after all, but the concern that she'd switch sides if she decided Horde Prime had shinier tech is a real one. There were other factors in her turning to the Horde, but that was the main one. Entrapta is cute and all, but she's not just a flake. She's a seemingly amoral flake with situational ethics. I'm glad she's going to make an effort from now on. But if the writers had gone in the opposite direction I would never say they had been writing her out of character.
Micah in the She-Ra drag was dumb.
Horde Prime can see through every Horde clone? Yeah, that's an asset. When the good guys DO win, it won't be because it was easy.
I love that the episode ended on the quiet and solemn moment of Glimmer and Catra offering each other silent comfort and solace back-to-back against the prison shield. This is literally the only children's show I have ever seen that would make that the final scene. And it's mature for it. Harley Quinn is not a mature show because of the f-bombs. This is a mature show because it offers no easy answers about who the good guys and bad guys are. Glimmer and Catra are on opposite sides. And yet the only person they have is each other. It's an interesting dynamic, especially because I always got the sense Glimmer is the Princess Catra hates the most. In her mind she stole Adora from her. And they are each other's only option at this point whether they realize it or not.
Man, I love this show and this episode reminded me of why I love this show. I'm am going to miss it, but part of me is excited and curious how it will end. My only prediction is that it will fabulous. That's never a safe bet for any TV show's last episode, even the great ones, but there is a confidence in the writing of the show that hints that in this rare case, the writers actually what they're doing. We'll see if I'm right in eleven episodes. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Corridors"
A lot of the stuff I said in the last review was basically said on-screen by the characters themselves. I am very good at psychologically deconstructing characters.
Horde Prime was just surprised by Catra. And he did not like it. At all. But when she laughed at him you kind of realize he SHOULD have seen it coming.
Adora tangled up in the wires reminds me that Adora is at her most lovable when she is portrayed as the clumsy goofball. And I love that the show often allows her to be that.
Kid Catra's ears twitching like a cat's when she is scared or sad is a very nice touch.
Speaking of that flashback, her screaming she would never apologize for anything seemed to distill the character's self-destructive behavior over the first four (or three depending on your count) seasons to a tee. It made me roll my eyes to realize that this is a character who has not grown an inch since she was little. But it was a great thing to show because it shows she HAS grown after all, and her apology to Adora at the end lands a thousand times harder after hearing her years ago so-far-kept promise to never apologize for anything. It was a huge moment.
Hordak is in such a bad place there is no question in my mind that he will be redeemed by the series' end. Unfortunately, he's SO bad off, I predict his redemption will have to take the form of self-sacrifice. I do not see the white picket fence and 2.5 kids with Entrapta in his future, do you?
This show just continues to knock my socks off. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Stranded"
Did you notice that it's already episode four and this is the first time She-Ra (briefly) appeared this season?
Bo and Adora were so admirably focused on getting Glimmer back it never occurred to me there would be hurt feelings after they did. And you know what? There should have been! This show knows what it's doing.
Even if I'm personally against Bow forgiving Glimmer right away, her telling him he's allowed to be mad at her for at long as he needs to be, but that she'll never give up on him and always be there, tells me she's worth forgiving eventually. Any person who has done a bad thing and acknowledges they are not automatically entitled to forgiveness is more deserving of it than people who believe it is automatically owed them.
Swiftwind's scene with Scorpia amazes me that Scorpia was ever a villain.
Solid. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Save The Cat"
This is going to be a controversial opinion and but I'm sure it's true: But this show has the best voice acting of any animated series ever. I think BoJack Horseman fans might disagree, but I think that had an easier task. You get people like Will Arnett, Amy Sedaris, Deidrich Bader, Stephanie Beatriz and Andre Braugher together, you are automatically gonna get great stuff. She-Ra is so amazing because none of the voice actors outside of Amiee Carrero are people I've ever heard of before this show. And they deliver the goods spectacularly every time. If anything tells me about the importance of a voice director it is this show. You do not need to hire expensive celebrities to get great animated performances. You just need to know how to get regular actors to give amazing performances. And that is a gift the show has and why it's amazing acting impresses me far more than BoJack Horseman's. It would actually be weird if BoJack's acting WASN'T great considering the level of talent involved. This show delivering as much pathos as a great live-action series because of the voice performances of actors who work for scale is the much bigger accomplishment.
Wrong Hordak is quite pathetic. I really loved Hordak's reemergence at the end. His love for Entrapta will be a factor going forward.
One of the reasons I love Horde Prime is because I love him despite all of the reprehensible things he's done. I would hate a similar character on another show. Instead his voice and demeanor make me fascinated by this monster instead of repulsed. It's a weird feeling, but I get the sense most successful villains should make a viewer feel that way. The fact that I rarely do shows that most fictional villains are ineffective. It's a short list of villains I think that highly of. Scorpius from Farscape is the major one that springs to mind although Thrawn from Star Wars Rebels was great too. There is something very scary about an unflappable soft-spoken villain, especially one with a British accent, which Prime weirdly has.
That was the greatest and most epic She-Ra entrance of all time. I got chills, man.
That was good television right there. *****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Taking Control"
Wrong Hordak proves Keston Johns is surprisingly good at comedy. Which is great because that is not a skill Hordak's actor ever needed in the seasons before this. The most pleasant of shocks.
I like how Entrapta simply forgave Catra. Here is an opinion: The situation is only a huge mess because both Adora and Catra believe it is. Perhaps Entrapta's simplicity is the best way for everyone to move forward. That goes for Bow and Glimmer too.
I don't know who came up with the idea but it was brilliant. This is a TV-Y7 show. They can only go so far in implying the way Horde Prime violated and broke down Catra through torture. But whichever writer came up with the idea that he cut her hair deserves a pay raise and a promotion, or they would if this weren't the last season. It's a simple and brilliant way to instantly show the audience how much the character was violated without ever having to state a thing explicitly. Catra is known for her wild hair and it is a major part of her fun personality. And Horde Prime took it away from her without her permission. That is genius, gets the point across visually, is properly upsetting, but something a TV-Y7 show can actually do with no problems. There is some very powerful talent in that writers room that they think of things like that to land pathos. Most action cartoons are stuck because they take their cues from live-action television and believe the only way to get a reaction from the audience is to show violence. And since the censors never let them show anything at all, most action cartoons instantly fail. She-Ra finds the pathos and drama through character interaction and psychological writing. And it's as constant a reminder of what he did to her as if he had disfigured her with acid to the face. It's simple. It's brilliant. It gets the point across. And it can be shown to kids. These are gifted and talented writers. This is a very special show that I am going to appreciate while I have what little left of it I do. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Perils Of Peekablue"
I am going to be blunt. I am VERY unhappy with a mind-control element being introduced in the show, at least to this extent. And if you've read my reviews (or my comic book) you'll understand why I despise that specific trope in all circumstances so I won't rehash it here. Me being mad about that probably won't surprise anyone with even a cursory history of reading my reviews.
Here is what WILL surprise you (because it surprises me): I am willing to give the show a little leeway there. I didn't with the surprise betrayal on Rapunzel's Tangled Adventure, and I was right to be skeptical there. But this show has reached a level Tangled never did, as promising as that show started off as. It has earned a bit of trust with me. If it did that stuff every episode I wouldn't tolerate it, but as of now, I'm willing to trust the show about this. Believe me. This is unprecedented regarding me and specific tropes that I believe destroy shows. I'll get back to you in a few episodes on whether or not that trust was misplaced. But as of now, the show has the benefit of the doubt from me that I would never give any other show for that same plot turn. It scares me a little how much faith I have in the writers. Because if I am wrong, I will be devastated. Please don't make me wrong, producers. I'm begging you.
For the record, I love She-Ra making peace with Catra in the main title and She-Ra returning to the main cast shot and Catra now with the heroes. I love that very much.
Also great is that Scorpia's undercover name is Linda. One of the few normal names on the show and it's fake.
I have faith in this show. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Shot In The Dark"
I love Shadoweaver offering the handshake to Castaspella to promise to take her down if she takes the magic for herself. That is a great, adult bargain. I loved it.
Castaspella is a dumb name though.
The thing Catra hates most is being appreciated by other people. That will make her stint with the heroes much harder than her time with the Horde. She responds negatively to anyone who show her the slightest bit of affection (as Scorpia can attest). This will be new and scary.
Another good episode. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "An Ill Wind"
What I love about Wrong Hordak is how much he enjoys doing things he wasn't previously allowed to do. Hordak himself was allowed to do anything he wanted. But he never chose to do anything nice or fun which is why he was a stick in the mud. Wrong Hordak learning the joys of winking and subterfuge is quite endearing.
Mushroom people? Too goofy. Even for me.
I am rooting for both Wrong Hordak and Hordak. It strikes me that Hordak in particular will wind up crucial to the heroes winning if only because he is so close to Horde Prime. It's weird that Prime cannot see there is something wrong with him even though he has access to a Hivemind. I don't for one second consider it a plot oversight. The show is more careful than that. Instead it makes me wonder how the Hivemind actually works and what possible weaknesses it could possess.
Horde Prime is losing his cool. Which definitely says things are not going according to plan. If nothing else does it's the fact that Horde Prime now regularly raises his voice and throws stuff in anger.
The Princesses getting used to Catra is going to be fun to watch. And vice-versa. Frosta seems particularly unforgiving and I love her for it.
This show continues to be good episode after episode. ***1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Return To The Fright Zone"
I love that Netossa takes down Catra with a spray water bottle at the beginning. That sounds about right.
Still not loving the mind control but I like the idea that Perfuma is adjusting Catra to the idea that opening your heart is a strength and not a weakness. And the reason Perfuma is on message here is because she is insightful enough to throw how sucky Catra used to treat Scorpia in her face. So you know she has credibility on the subject.
The surprise reappearance of Shadoweaver at the end was great. Love that character and love her voice.
Getting good. ****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Failsafe"
I don't much like Shadoweaver, but I have to say, it's not fair that she is given the level of grief she is. She has been helping the good guys since season 3 and she's gotten nothing but scorn for it. Why is Catra instantly forgiven? I have to say, as bad as Shadoweaver was when Adora and Catra were kids, Catra herself did far worse as an adult. It bugs me that we are supposed to root for Catra's reformation while believing Shadoweaver's isn't genuine. I don't think that should be true.
So I'm apparently feeling out the ships as the series winds up. I believe there will be a few romantic kisses in the final episode. It's a kids show, so kisses are always reserved for series finales. It's obvious Entrapta and Hordak are a ship as are Glimmer and Bow. I'm thinking Scorpia might be paired up with Perfuma. And what's strangest to me considering their arc, I think Adora and Catra will kiss in the series finale. That sounds like a crazy prediction but I've always felt that Catra was so angry at Adora's betrayal because she was secretly in love with her, and Adora's reactions to her in the past few episodes make it seem like it is now mutual on her end. This could wind up a crazy prediction in two episodes. But I'm not changing this part of this review because I want you all to see how I did with my guesses. A more likely scenario if I'm wrong is that it will be made ambiguous and not fully said either way. But I am pretty positive that Adora and Catra will not wind up in a ship with a person other than each other. That's my guess. We'll see how I did.
Entrapta's scene with Hordak tells me I was right that a big sacrifice is coming from him. I both dread it and can't wait for his actual redemption.
Big stuff happening this episode. ****1/2.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Heart, Part 1"
Boom. Oh, we are in for a finale.
Turns out I was right about the Adora / Catra ship. Still pretty gutsy.
Mara telling She-Ra that she is more than what she can do for other people is an adult moral. Usually kids are given the untrue moral that heroes must sacrifice their happiness and desires to be heroes. That doesn't strike me as a thing that remotely needs to be true, so it's weird how universal the idea is for superheroes. You get the occasional hero with a spouse like Spider-Man or the Flash, but mostly the lesson comic books teach us is that being a hero actually sucks, which is why so few people do it. You know what? I'm pretty sure most firefighters on 9/11, and most nurses during Covid-19 have families at home. And it doesn't stop them from being heroes. "What do you want?" is a moral for an adult in a children's show, while all other superhero projects geared towards adults are offering us the simplistic child's moral. Which is why I love this show.
If the finale isn't amazing, I'll be very surprised. *****.
She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power "Heart, Part 2"
The show did it to me again.
And let me say how rare what it did to me is. If you read my season two review you have noted I had an unusual reaction to the sad ending. I started laughing uncontrollably. Not derisively. Not at all. No, I laughed because I was hurting and I was enjoying the way I was feeling hurt. It was a GOOD hurt. It felt cathartic and absolute 100 percent right for me and the show. I was like, "This is SO perfect!" For a REALLY great sad ending I'll bawl like a baby. But for a magnificent scene like Catra and Adora revealing their love for each other, I am going to actually enjoy it. It hurts SO good.
And I have to say that is a very unique gift that almost no current television writer can do. Joss Whedon has done it two or three times in the Buffyverse, but never since then. Star Trek got there in The Inner Light and The Visitor, but it is SO freaking rare to feel good when a sad thing is occurring because it's the right thing.
Another amazing thing I loved about the finale is how right my theories turned out to be about everything. Catra and Adora DID kiss. The mind control DIDN'T ruin anything. Hordak DID make a big sacrifice. Adora and Catra WERE being unfair to Shadoweaver. I don't know how well somebody reading this will get what I'm saying, but it gives a viewer a very personal connection to a television show to actually understand it. I don't feel ripped off or believe it to have been predictable. There is not only something satisfying about seeing a show play out the exact way it should, but I feel like I get the show in a way I do few others. As a rule my batting average for correct theories is better than almost anyone I know. My real blind spot, and where I always get tripped up, is by predicting what SHOULD happen in a good story, and always expecting the writers to do the right thing and then deliver the proper moment. And I often get stuff wrong simply because I have better ideas than the shows I watch. But if a show is great I can often predict how it will go. And I never once resent a single great show for proving to me how great it is. It's weird that certain people who correctly guess theories disdain those TV shows for being predictable. That's not always a bad thing, and I will say it again that there is something to be said for watching a TV show go down the exact way it is supposed to.
I made one huge erroneous guess this season, but I'm not embarrassed by it. Because the reason I was wrong is that I was operating under the assumption that the finale of the show might be great, but it still had certain expectations and rules to follow. That's why I predicted Hordak would be redeemed, but I mistakenly thought the show was pedestrian enough to have to make the price of that be a self-sacrifice. Instead, the series gives him the happy ending with Entrapta along with the hilarious quip by Mermista "So I guess we're okay with this now?" Yes we are! The show fooled me because it wound up being a better show than I assumed it would ever be allowed to be by the network or the toy company. And the one thing I got wrong is the thing I'm glad I got wrong.
To speak more specifically about the mind control, it didn't wind up helping anything. It never does. But it also didn't hurt anything, which is almost never true.
I found Shadoweaver's mortal sacrifice extremely profound because it clarified everything about the character. Her refusing to go back and take the magic herself and saving Adora says that her desire to help the heroes once she flipped was actually genuine THE ENTIRE TIME, and all of the good guys were beating her down for trying to help for no good reason. What I especially love about getting confirmation of this is that it speaks even higher of Shadoweaver that she never stopped helping anyways, even if every hand of friendship she offered was slapped away. And again, I predicted this, but I was a little less sure about that one thing. I'm glad I was right.
So here is my new opinion. She-Ra And The Princesses Of Power is the third best animated TV show of all time. Justice League Unlimited is and probably always will be number one, but this show's quality was a little more steady than JLU's. JLU delivered very few duds, but a mediocre episode or two DOES exist. But JLU had bigger highs. The second greatest animated series of all time is The Simpsons, which would be number one forever and always if it had been canceled after its eighth season. Even though both shows' sensibilities are different (The Simpsons is a comedy and She-Ra is a drama) I don't feel She-Ra ever QUITE hit the high points the best Simpsons ever did. But unlike The Simpsons, She-Ra's quality was consistent the entire way through. So even if She-Ra is number three it's BARELY number 3. I feel it's almost as good as The Simpsons. Almost.
But yeah, the series finale lived up to the hype, and it's refreshing to see a show tell its entire story correctly, hitting all of the right notes, in the given 52 episodes. There is something irresistible about a show that exits the stage gracefully while it is still amazing, instead of waiting for the quality to dip and everyone to be sick of it. This series started great, stayed great, and went out at the top of its game. I couldn't ask for more. Great series. Great finale. Great everything. *****.
Batwoman "O, Mouse!"
I don't understand why Kate wants to be closer to Jacob. I think deep down, the guy's a monster. I also appreciated Mary "Yeah, no-ing" her idea that she understood Jacob better than she did. Those arrests are Mary proving that idea is bogus with receipts.
I like Alice saying she was "taking the note" regarding supplying a face for Hush. What a cool way to put that. I love how people on TV talk nowadays.
Is the idea that Kryptonite is indestructible and impenetrable exclusive to the Arrowverse? I've never heard of it before.
Mary's plan to surrender herself at the Batsignal took guts.
I don't remember who Commissioner Loeb is, but if he hated Batman, it must have been because he was bad guy. I think the same of Jacob and Batwoman.
This was a pivotal episode for Mouse in my mind. Either Alice killed him by the end of it or she didn't. If she didn't it means she probably never would. But I felt that this was the least safe he has ever been with her. And she killed him. Which is why she sucks and why I think she's crazy for ever expecting Kate or Jacob to forgive someone like her. She loves Mouse. That's what she does to people she loves. Who would ever want to forgive a person who does that to people they love?
Jacob shooting at and trying to kill Batwoman says that he isn't a good guy who is misguided like Quentin Lance. He's an actual bad guy. I hope he has to answer for it and that the series doesn't expect to someday redeem him. There are some things I will never forgive and that's one of them. And him searching for a weapon to kill Batwoman at the end? She's been convicted of nothing. I'm pretty sure that is what is known as premeditated murder.
For the record, now I see where Alice gets it.
The reasons how and why Kate is hurt at the end are the precise reason he sucks. He's basically calling her as bad as Beth by doing that. God, the guy is such a creep.
Best surprise casting of Bruce Wayne ever. The producers must have gotten on their hands and knees to DC to even be allowed to do THAT much. I'm still a bit shocked. Great ending.
That was not actually supposed to be the finale, but the Bruce thing made it feel like one anyways. Weird, but fortunate coincidence. ****.
Supergirl "Immortal Kombat"
Lex's gifts as a criminal mastermind are completely overstated. He still NEEDS Brainy. Why would he tell him he plans to let his friends die? How stupid is he? It's why I hate this Lex. He'd rather be cruel than smart. It also makes him insufferable.
Case in point. If he hadn't humiliated Tess and threatened to kill her mother she never would have turned on him. She would have been loyal to the end, and never given the heroes that crucial bit of information. The only thing Lex's cruelty accomplished was making sure his most loyal assistant would betray him. And that's why I hate this Lex so much. If he were actually better at this I probably wouldn't.
Lex does one of those cliched and annoyed "I planned for everything" bogus Xanatos brags that that character always did after getting spanked. Really Lex? Then why are you so surprised and upset Brainy didn't let his friends die? I think the biggest reason I hate the concept of the Xanatos Gambit, is that 9 times out of 10, it's pure false bravado. Xanatos repeatedly claiming victory after clearly getting repeatedly beaten isn't the sign of a clever villain. I certainly don't think Pee-Wee Herman is a criminal mastermind for falling off his bike and saying "I meant to do that." It's true Lex now has the shrunken Elementals. But don't tell me he planned for that or that it was his preferred outcome. This version of Lex is unbelievably pathetic.
I'm currently watching Horde Prime's genius psychological manipulations on She-Ra and the Princesses of Power and he puts Lex to shame as far as smart and effective villain goes. She-Ra IS an unusually smart show but it's bad if a kids cartoon is running rings around you are far as complex villains go. It's embarrassing.
I can't believe the producers think heavy eyeshadow is enough of a mask for Alex. I hate superhero shows.
I'm glad Kara brought up the Deathly Hallows parallels herself. I was gonna say.
I suppose I am very happy about Kara reading Lena the riot act, but frankly, it was too late for me. I wanted her to say these things all season long instead of constantly apologizing to and for her. And she doesn't actually want to go on the rant even now, except Lena is starting to turn everything about herself per usual and that will get her friends killed so she has to make the "Why you suck" speech curt and on-point. But I do like that she seemed annoyed to be forced to have to stop everything and give it on Lena's timetable. I liked that very much. Lena is a freaking chore of a person.
I don't agree with Kara forgiving her at the end. But after she stands in front of her and tells Shadow she'll have to go through her to get to Supergirl I can acknowledge Kara doing that isn't actually unreasonable. It may be just a start, but it was a significant start. I would not might seeing Lena outright redeemed on this show. It would be pleasantly unexpected. I will always hate the character but I would dig the idea of the show pulling back from turning her into Kara's archenemy. I don't think the show has been better for that this season at all, so perhaps the show pulled back because they realized it wasn't working. You give a villain a lousy motivation to be a villain, surprise, the audience doesn't like them. They must have seen how badly Lena came across for her whining and issued a course correction to play up Lex instead. It's probably for the best, and I hope it's the end of that nonsense. The franchise made unexpected heroes out of Toyman and Killer Frost. I would not object to them offering a benevolent version of Lena Luthor too.
I did not like the idea that Supergirl seemingly got through to everyone in the simulation. In reality, she'd convince 60% tops. About 40% of the population of Earth is irrational and unwilling to listen to reason. Despite last season being a parable against Trump, this plot turn tells me the writers have learned nothing about people in the last three years.
Out of the Arrowverse shows, this felt the least like a finale, mostly because Brainiac 5's fate was so up in the air. Life and death cliffhangers are common among many shows, but not Arrowverse shows. The cliffhangers there (outside of the Prometheus season of Arrow) are done to set up the next season rather then leave us on the hook. Plus, if a finale had done that, they would have made the stopping point for his story more pointed and memorable. I feel very aware that he would have been rescued at the beginning of the next episode had it existed.
That was all right, but I think Lex Luthor is the single worst villain in the entire Arrowverse. They seem to have him do things to show how evil he is and how impressed I should be by that. Instead, I think he's a stupid goon who couldn't pour p*ss out of a boot with instructions written on the heel. I really hope when the show comes back after the virus and Melissa Benoist's pregnancy, that Lex is gone. He makes the show worse. He's crazily somehow even more detestable than Captain Liberty. But although Captain Liberty was an equally vile person, he was a better character because he was effective, as unbelievable as some of his lucky breaks were. Lex just makes everything worse for showing up. Jon Cryer is the single worst Lex Luthor in live-action or animation. Kevin Smith must be smoking serious chronic to think otherwise.
Hopefully next season will be better. ***1/2.
Stargirl "Pilot"
53 minutes later and that's already better than any other thing that's premiered on DC Universe.
I DO have reservations. Of course I do. I do not trust Geoff Johns as a storyteller, even if this is his personal passion project. I have been burned too many times. Also this Mike kid is probably the most obnoxious child actor I have seen in decades. Kids this awful used to be a staple on 80's sitcoms, but since then TV has taken great care to hire kids who can either act or be cute and likable. This kid is an absolute repulsive dud. The best thing the show could do is either recast the character, or simply kill him off in the first 30 seconds of the second episode. The show will automatically be better off.
I also didn't like the teenage soap opera stuff. Why? Because it wasn't credible. Yes, this show's version of teen soap is actually too stupid to be believed. I mean Courtney's actress is ridiculously attractive. If she hadn't landed this show, a future career as a supermodel in five years would not be out of the question. And yet a cute white girl this hot is instantly ostracized when she gets to a new school? It is a fact that attractive people are treated better than unattractive ones. For someone THAT attractive to walk off the street, everyone in the school would be lining up to get her number as either a friend or a date. If they wanted to make Courtney a misfit outcast they miscast her. What bothers me is that she is great in the role otherwise. So it seems to me the logical thing to do would have been to get rid of the teen outcast thing once she was cast. But television does not seem to operate under that sort of logic.
While we are on the subject of attractive people, every single person at that losers table was also far too attractive to be there.
I'm getting my gripes out of the way early because I am about to be very complimentary and I don't want my few resentments to get in the way of my positive review. I love that we got the superheroes and and cheesy Cosplay costumes right off the bat, and we didn't have to wait an hour for it like every other superhero pilot. I love that Solomon Grundy is SO legit, they spent actually CGI money on him. I loved the expression on the picture of Courtney's face when it is suggested she try out for cheerleading. Another reason I would have preferred the loser angle dropped. This kid is so great I don't actually want anyone else. And I love Courtney's mom throwing in Courtney's face that her dad was a dirtbag and that the only man who was ever there for them was Pat.
What do I think of Pat? I think Pat is a refreshing character because he's fundamentally decent and not damaged at all. He wants to do the right thing which makes me root for him winning over Courtney. I don't usually feel that way about other fictional stepdads. Of course in other projects, the stepdads are the actual source of the conflict, but that's again why I find Pat so refreshing.
I'll tell you the scene that totally won me over. When Joel McHale tells Luke Wilson that the Cosmic Staff must go on to a worthy and decent person... but not you, Pat. Seriously, Pat. I mean it. Not you. What I liked about that moment is it the kind of memorable quip you'd see in a superhero feature film. And we got it in the first episode of a superhero TV show instead. And I recognize that moment for the crowd pleaser it would have been in a packed theater. It would probably take the audience a good 30 seconds to settle down afterwards because it's so funny.
I don't trust Geoff Johns. But that first episode was pretty great. I cannot predict what the quality of the rest of the series will be (Mike being a main character says the show will never be perfect) but it got off to a rousing start and made the right impression on a streaming service filled with nothing but series that leave a bad one. I liked this week, all right? That should be enough. It is for me. ****1/2.
Marvel's Spider-Man: Maximum Venom "Amazing Friends"
For a Venom season, that had very little to do with Venom.
As obnoxious as the Totally Awesome Hulk is, he's nowhere near as annoying and reprehensible as the Amadeus Cho from Ultimate Spider-Man. Just so you know, Cho. Actual smart people don't go around telling people how smart they are. Either that is a character failing or a writing one. I hope it's the former.
So who are the six people on Earth smarter than him?
I love Spidey asking if he could put down that he makes funny quips and Iron Heart tells him he shouldn't lie on his resume. Aww!
Do you know what I love about May's reaction to Peter offering to show his baby pictures to MJ to distract from Groot? She calls it weird. Seriously. Peter's often unhinged behavior is usually taken in stride by the people who love him, but I glad somebody told him, "Dude, that's weird. You're weird." He needed to hear that from a friend.
Iron Heart immediately narcing Groot to the authorities makes me distrust and dislike her right off the bat. I'm wondering why the writers wanted me to do that.
I love that when Groot plays charades, it's all about the three words.
Will Friedle is back. Kevin Michael Richardson being recast stung though.
You go find Doctor Weirdo. Strange. What'd I say? Good line reading there. The recent Marvel shows are not known for funny or well-timed quips. This episode got off a couple of funny zingers.
All right but nothing to write home about. ***.
The Simpsons "The Way Of The Dog"
We have a lot to talk about this week.
I liked it a great deal. But I'll stop short of calling it great because of a few structural flaws. I feel like the episode would have been better if it had been 15 minutes long instead of 22. And I also feel the ending could have been stronger. Is Santa's Little Helper's mother a new permanent pet for the Simpsons? Doubtful. But even if she was, I would have responded more to the ending if he had run to where she had been buried. Not a happy ending. But I don't think you can give one to the origin story of a racing hound to begin with.
I liked the clips from the first episode and the return of the skeezy guy from the Pilot. Great memories. I also want to compliment the show on something it hasn't done in awhile. But for me, the defining things about the first two seasons of the show were the fact that it used odd camera angles and perspectives you not only never saw in a cartoon, but in live-action either. And the fact that Santa's Little Helper's animal movements were so realistic. No other animated project came close to the reality of how dogs act and move than Santa's Little Helper's earliest episodes. In the meantime, the show's animation has stepped up in other ways. But it's been awhile since the show has done creative stuff from the dog's perspective. And that was one of the most memorable things about the early episodes for me so I appreciated seeing that even more than the clips from the pilot.
I mentioned the episode felt too long. The dog psychiatrist's thing on the phone with her on again off again lover was brilliantly funny and brilliantly acted by Cate Blanchett and Michael York. And yet when the episode went back to it near the end, it was much less funny, and hurt my reception of the first scene too. If the episode were 15 minutes instead of 22 they probably wouldn't have felt the need to go back to it at all, and then the gag and the episode would have been stronger. It's weird this is a problem for this episode because The Simpsons is famous for being the show that wastes the first act and turns each episode into something entirely different for the last two acts. By instantly jumping into the Santa's Little Helper drama, the show had to pad itself out more than it usually does.
I love that Homer gets the family a first aid kit for Christmas. But hey, it turned out they needed it.
I love that upon Santa's Little Helper biting Marge Homer calls him a crap dog. And I love that he gives him a slobbering kiss goodbye. I don't care what any other fan says. I love modern Homer to death.
It's interesting that the psychologist points out that to people that is just a lamppost. But to a dog, it's everyone who has been near it. That was a great and astute thing for a character to say. It's very unusual they handed it to a guest character instead of Lisa.
My parents never sucked this much, but I feel bad for kids whose parents made them string popcorn on Christmas tree. It's not like popcorn is even a particularly tasty snack. But it's got to be soul crushing for a kid to have that specific chore. It's not even like the decoration looks good. It's just annoying and pointless.
The dog owner says the family not renaming the dog was lazy. I'll go one further. The producers keeping that name in the second season when the dog was finally referred by it again was ill-advised. It's a pain to constantly write and say a name that long and inconvenient. I hope the writers are kicking themselves 30 years later for making the gag with Homer calling the dog "Bad Santa's Little Helper" funny for ten seconds, while making the show worse for the rest of its existence. He isn't even allowed a shorter and more convenient nickname. That joke in this episode seemed almost a mea culpa about that.
It strikes me as strange the bad things some TV shows do at the beginning of their runs and then they are stuck with them forever. And most of those bad things are done in the name of cheap jokes. I think every single animated comedy needs to think long and hard about the types of jokes they tell in their pilots and early episodes. Otherwise you end up with Steve Smith's repulsive friends or John Redcorn and Nancy Gribble for the rest of the show's run. I think the worst thing animated comedies suffer from is not being careful in their early seasons. And they can wind up damaging the show permanently if they don't think through a cheap joke.
I think most shows, both live-action and animated, are under the mistaken impression that pilots and early episodes are when everything goes, and the show should be allowed to discover what it's actually about. I strongly disagree. I think early episodes need to play it ESPECIALLY safe, because the entire rest of the show is built on their groundwork. The future success of the show depends on their stability. I believe that it's only when a show is established and you yourself know what it's actually about which is when it's okay to experiment and try new things. And yeah, they needed to think up a better name for the dog. Even Snowball II is a better pet name. And Snowball II is atrocious.
I liked a great deal of the episode, particularly the pleasant early season vibes the animal centered perspectives brought. But it was too long and the ending was too pat. ****.
Bob's Burgers "Prank You For Being A Friend"
Bob being trapped upside on a stretch machine while Jimmy Pesto with a hernia can't stop laughing at him is what is known as a negative feedback loop.
Have I commented on this show's ukulele sound cue in any of my previous reviews? Because for some reason, whenever it ends a scene it makes the comic timing absolutely awkward and perfect. Is this season 9 or 10? I feel like I should have complimented that before now. Long before.
When Louise asks Mr. Frond if he's saying that he believes he taught her, in that very moment, I wholeheartedly believed Kristen Schaal must loathe David Herman deep down. With every fiber of her being. The line reading was so disdainful I cannot ever picture someone being able to use that tone with a person they didn't secretly hate. Either Kristen Schaal is a surprisingly convincing actress, or David Herman is a terrible human being. Part of me doesn't want to know the answer. Partly because I don't want to know Herman is a creep, and partly because knowing how Schaal actually pulled that off would totally ruin the mystique, y'know? I like sausages. But I don't like seeing them made. Just sayin'.
Linda and Teddy seem to think it's a little weird and pathetic Bob waits until Jimmy is asleep to play with their toys. It is a momentous occasion for the show because both of them are right. Linda is occasionally right. Teddy, almost never. But both right at the same time? That's unprecedented. But seriously. Bob's a loser. Even compared to the guy who clearly has no friends.
I don't know if an actor can use a single line reading to send to the Emmys for consideration, but if that was possible, if I were Kristen Schaal, I'd submit that one line. And if I were in charge of the Emmys, I'd totally give her one for it. ***1/2.
Family Guy "Movin' In (Principle Shepherd's Song)"
The show seems to be taking the stance that people upset over fat-shaming are making a federal case out of something that is no big deal, which is a typical Fuzzy Door reaction to pushback against cruelty and bullying. And yet when the show points out that that is the current thing that gets people fired and kicked out of school, while school shootings are simply considered the price of doing business, whether I agree with the show about fat-shaming being no big deal or not, I think the show still probably has its priorities straight.
The joke about Joe and Chris faking being sexy Facebook friends was tiresome and completely laugh free. I'm not saying it's as unfunny as Sneakers O'Toole. But that was the unfunny and badly timed thing it most reminded me of.
Brian and Stewie's thing was okay, but I feel like it ended poorly. Brian is NOT a clever enough person to come up with doing a swishy baby book in revenge. He's simply not that good of a writer or that strategic of a thinker. The problem with making Brian so dumb in the later seasons is that any cunning behavior the character could possibly show is suddenly suspect. I didn't buy that moment because Brian is so dumb.
Principle Shepherd rubs Chris's shoulders so that if anyone asks he can say he does it to everyone. I've probably mentioned this before, but the Sethverse shows have an eerie knack to channel things that only an utter sociopath or sexual deviant would say, that would never occur to me or a halfway decent person. The fact that that sounds half credible which is why the writers are almost certainly terrible people. I could never have come up with that admittedly funny joke in my wildest dreams. And I'm actually proud of that fact.
Stewie's birthday gift to Brian will be the ability to appreciate other people being happy. I love the Bugs Bunny at the opera thing too.
The one step away thing being out of earshot is a great slam at all television. Except Family Guy does it too. Constantly in fact. They are in no position to throw that particular stone.
I continue to love Stewie's antagonistic baby neighbor played by Chris Parnell. I want to see more of him.
That wasn't a bad week for Fox cartoons, but it wasn't great either. Ultimately, I'll give it to The Simpsons, as flawed as the episode probably was. ***.
