Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2021-04-17 05:57 am
matt_zimmer) wrote2021-04-17 05:57 am
"Infinity Train: Book Four" Reviews (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of The Falcon And The Winter Soldier, The Flash, Supergirl, Muppet Babies, and The Blacklist.
Infinity Train "The Twin Tapes"
The show always has intriguing season openers and that was no exception. ****.
Infinity Train "The Iceberg Car"
I looked up in the credits who did the voice of Kez and it's some woman I never heard of with the weird name of Minty Lewis. This show has the neatest voices. It's always been the best thing about it.
That was pretty cool. ****.
Infinity Train "The Old West Car"
I love Kate Mulgrew as the Cat. It's a shame this is her only appearance this season.
Kez is making herself quite a few enemies.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Infinity Train "The Pig Baby Car"
Min-Gi is kind of clueless.
The Pig Baby is outright revolting. The grodiest character the show has done so far.
No man tells Lorraine what to do. Good one.
America: Great music, lousy post-war cooking. Yup.
I was a little skeeved out by that to be honest. **1/2.
Infinity Train "The Astro Queue Car"
That weird baby robot Conductor! Yikes!
Kez is a woman of many sensations. I like that she seems to be attracted to Ryan and that Min-Gi has weirdly complicated feelings towards her too. Her "Listen, Min. Min. Min. Listen," bit was priceless.
I think the premise was suitably creepy, but unlike the Pig Baby stuff, not in a revolting way, so I was scared of it rather than squicked out by it. ***1/2.
Infinity Train "The Party Car"
I like that Min-Gi gives Kez a place on his shoulder to hang by the end.
It was very cool that the characters talked about how few Western Asian rocks stars there are. In most kids cartoons, the races of the minority characters are largely ignored or not commented on. For Min-Gi, it's part of the chip on his shoulder. I like that very much.
You'd almost consider the Conductor's resolution at the beginning as anticlimactic, but the scariest thing about the Conductor to ME is that you never know what it is about to do. Helpfulness is exactly as on-brand for that specific character as terror.
Good episode. ****.
Infinity Train "The Art Gallery Car"
Very good drama. Very good stakes. Very good voice performances.
The hand monster is the most terrifying monster the show has done since the robot baby conductor. Like Doctor Who before it, Infinity Train is a kids show not afraid to scare its intended younger audience. And it's made all the richer for it.
I like that Ryan's final door disappeared for him for seriously considering the temptation to leave. And the fact that he DID consider it, meant Min saying he left him is not an overreaction or a misunderstanding. That's what actually happened. If it wasn't a betrayal in deed, it was definitely one in heart. And as far as the empathy train goes, that's the only kind that matters.
Kez just screams sometimes. And her kisses ARE actually warm. Which is why we love Kez.
I also like that Kez is good at recognizing and talking about good art.
It's interesting that the characters are from Canada, especially since they are Asian. For some reason it makes them feel even more diverse than if they were Asian-American.
We're getting to the good stuff. This show tends to deliver. ****1/2.
Infinity Train "The Mega Maze Car"
Gruesome seeming ends for the villains (although the finale bought them back). The Pig basically turned into one of the Graboids from Tremors at the end of that.
The ending was a very confusing and dire place to leave things off. Glad I'm binging the show. I would be dying if CN was airing that on a weekly (or even nightly) basis. ****.
Infinity Train "The Castle Car"
Big character drama here. It's interesting. It's the second to last episode and the numbers haven't gone down at all. Something is very wrong. It's not like Ryan and Min aren't learning.
I like that the mute astronaut bouncer is a single parent with 14 kids. What a random bit of character info to give that specific baddie.
The show did something extremely interesting and admirable. Kez is the "Whatever" female character on the show, much like April from Parks And Recreation. And the show has been having fun with her apathy and lack of responsibility all season. But this episode is essentially holding April Ludlow to account. It's suggesting her personality isn't funny, it's hurtful and harms people. And Kez is so used to messing up she can't even recognize the fact that she did Jeremy a solid. She has no context for what a good and bad deed is which is a failing. If she were human, she'd be given a number on the train for sure. A high one.
And I like the show holding the comical rude character responsible for the things she's been irresponsible about this entire time. It's psychologically deconstructing a character no other show would ever bother to overthink or worry about. It's not only somewhat refreshing, it's an interesting story choice in its own right. ****1/2.
Infinity Train "The Train To Nowhere"
That was a solid season ender, but it's clear it was NOT intended to be the series finale. We never got an answer as to what happened to the Conductor in the last episode, and that strikes me as something that was going to be explored further in a later season.
Ryan ringing the bell is interesting, but call me crazy, but I felt there was a slightly romantic, or even sexual, subtext behind it. It is treated as very intimate, which is fascinating to me.
Let's talk about the cancelation a bit. A lot of fans believe it was unjust, and there have been a lot of theories and excuses making the rounds. One of them is a lack of proper promotion from either HBO Max or Cartoon Network. The revelations about why O.K. K.O was canceled also raise the possibility of corporate politics. The producers also said CN might have passed because the next season (which would have been a movie) didn't have a kid-level entry point. All of these things may be true. But I don't think it was the real reason the show was canceled. I think that was down to Season 3.
That season was amazing. Powerful, punch-in-the-gut, and surprisingly gruesome. And I can't imagine many kids dug it. I think its sensibility was far too mature and psychologically complex for little kids to enjoy. And you can argue that HBO Max is wrong, and kids can handle it, but does kiddie TV history bear that out? Think about it. We love to brag about how high-quality Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles were. We say, you give a kid a quality show that treats them like an adult, they'll watch it. But think about it. WERE Batman TAS or Gargoyles actually popular with kids? Were either of those shows the sensations that Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, or Pokemon were? You can say that Gargoyles is proof that kids can recognize and respect quality. If that were actually true, it would be an evergreen franchise. Scooby Doo, High School Musical, Transformers, it doesn't matter. The truly popular stuff? The stuff that starts fads and sells a tons of toys and merch? It's almost always all garbage. Kids have terrible taste and they always have. It is unfair to hand kids a show this psychologically beautiful and complex and expect them to watch and enjoy it, especially considering what a bummer last season was. It's a great show for an adult like me. But Cartoon Network didn't greenlight it on my behalf,. I am not the person Cartoon Network or its advertisers wanted to reach. The show got a little more freedom in that regard once it went to streaming, but Season 3 pushed things TOO far. Creative freedom is nice, but I think the producers took TOO much advantage of it last year. I think the real reason the show was canceled is that kids didn't watch it. And even if it got amazing numbers on streaming, maybe HBO Max wasn't satisfied that they were mostly from adults. Truthfully that doesn't make TOO much sense to me, because there are no ads on HBO Max that advertisers need a kid's eyeballs for, but I think network execs have a specific mindset about that sort of thing that even a format change is difficult for them to overcome: "If kids don't like a kids show, it should be canceled." I don't agree, but I don't blame the network for feeling that way, even if streaming has made that kind of thinking outmoded. But I get the logic of it.
The truth is I think the show got canceled because it was TOO good and high-quality for kids. You can call me a jerk for taking shots at the intelligence of modern kids, but this effected my generation as well. I am in no way superior to the kids today who obsess over Jojo Siwa. I loved my share of embarrassing things back in the day. But the fact that this show is well-written, performed, and ambiguous meant it was operating on a very real clock. As brief as the seasons have been, I consider the fact that we got four of them an outright miracle. I'm not going to curse HBO Max for unfairly canceling the show. I'm going to thank them and CN for sticking with it for four great seasons, due solely to the adult fans. That's more that we can ever have hoped or that we even deserved. Do I wish we had gotten the movie and a satisfying wrap-up for the characters like Grace from last season? Yes. Am I utterly grateful for watching a show that intelligent and moving for 40 episodes? Also yes.
Goodbye Infinity Train. It's been quite a ride. ****1/2.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier "Truth"
A lot of quiet stuff in the second half of the episode.
I like what they are exploring with Sam and Isaiah. I don't agree with Isaiah that a black man can never be Captain America but I understand why he thinks it.
I'm tickled to see Bucky flirting with Sarah. Sam doesn't like it much.
Walker is totally unstable. I found his punishment being so lenient quite unjust compared to what Isiah went though. Not happy about that.
I WAS extremely happy with Bucky's last scene with Zemo before the Wakandans take him. It was a thing of beauty and I loved every second of it. Is it possible that in the future Zemo can be redeemed? I think so. What's interesting and unusual about the MCU version is that he doesn't doublecross Sam or Bucky when it comes down to it. Yeah, he was starting trouble with the little kids in the last episode, but that was him covering his bases. I like that for this version of Zemo his ideals match his rhetoric. He's not jiving about hating the Super Soldier program. It IS the thing that drives him.
More fuel to the idea that Sharon is the Power Broker. The internet won't be happy. I am though. I think it's a neat idea.
Solid episode. ****.
The Flash "Growing Pains"
I am not happy. Don't get me wrong, that was pretty good, but I am very frustrated because I predict I am going to hate next week. It's a courtroom episode, and I have yet to see a single Berlanti show ever do a SINGLE courtroom episode that didn't infuriate me because it was badly written, stupid, and done by lazy writers who do no research. I am very frustrated knowing how much I am going to hate next week.
To be blunt, I don't object to the idea of Frost turning herself in and paying for her crimes. That is a good sign of character progression.
The cheesecake stuff with Mark the bartender was truly cringe-inducing. It's the kind of skeevy thing Riverdale would do. It's super creepy. At various point CW shows seem to all believe they are pornography deep down and feed into it. And television is all the worse for it.
The mystery made little sense (what kind of fugitive from the law takes a job bartending at a criminal bar?) and I was especially annoyed Frost stopped Chillblaine by impaling him in the stomach. Because nobody, not even Barry, correctly points out she could have killed him and then WOULD have been guilty of murder.
Poor Barry. I could have told Iris last week that inviting Nora to stay was a mistake, but it's to Barry's credit he instead tells her she was right. I don't agree, but I love that Barry is willing to support Iris despite the fact that she made a unilateral decision he obviously didn't like or want. He's on her side no matter what, which is good.
Do I even need to watch next week, I wonder? Maybe next week's grade of "0" should simply go without saying and I'm spare myself some suffering. Nah, I'm a glutton for punishment. Bring on the terrible episode. I can take it. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Phantom Menaces"
Normally, when I see something that bad I feel the need to destroy it. THAT? For some reason I really want to mock it instead. It's so incompetently put together I feel sorry for the cast.
Not too sorry though. See the truth is as overwrought and sappy as the drama was, if the cast were stronger that wouldn't matter. They'd deliver the goods, crummy writing or not. The fact that Chyler Leigh is completely unconvincing in both her wailing in despair AND her declaration of love makes both of those things unintentionally funny. And I suspect that Jesse Rath and Katie McGrath will put their performances this episode on a potential Emmy reel. Let me assure them that would be an utter mistake. "I want to kill him!" is some of the very worst acting I have ever seen in this specific franchise. I almost laughed (which would have been REALLY bad for my karma.) I cringed instead. Good for me. I'll be able to sleep tonight.
Seriously, Lex sets fire to a children's hospital. Does this show even concern itself with how stupid that is? Is he going to tie a damsel to the railroad tracks in the next episode? Again, I don't want to destroy that mess. I want to make fun of it. "Won't somebody think of the children?!" It was Lex. Even when it was the Bears, I knew it was Lex.
And let me see if I got this straight. The D.A. was "fired" for botching Lex's trial. So he was replaced with a guy who conspires with Lex's crimes instead? Do I have that right? And who exactly fired the D.A. anyways? It's an elected position. The main boss that guy answers to is the voters. Or did the show not actually know that? Are they sincerely that dumb? Apparently.
Here is what bothers me. Arrow had its share of terrible and stupid episodes too. It did. I can admit it. But it upped its game for the last season and at least more or less went out respectably. Which was a pretty neat trick considering Emily Bett Rickards had left. But Supergirl's last season? I sincerely think this is the worst the show has ever been. And partly that's due to leaning so heavily into Jon Cryer as the worst villain performance in the entire Arrowverse (MAYBE Sendhil Ramamurthy as Bloodsport on The Flash was SLIGHTLY worse. MAYBE. But if so, only SLIGHTLY). Really, I have a more favorable memory of Arrow than it probably deserves because the last season was fine. That is not an unreasonable ask for a series that has lasted six seasons like this one has. They should be trying HARDER to make good episodes and stories, not phoning it in. And as much smack as I'm talking about the cast, this is not entirely their fault. A good producer and showrunner should know what their cast is capable of. A showrunner who truly cared about Rath and McGrath's careers would have nixed that scene or at least completely reworked it upon the realization they did not have the chops to make that torpid dialogue believable. Instead the showrunner lets them embarrass themselves in front of all of us. I think pretty badly about Rath and McGrath after that. But the truth is I wouldn't even NEED to think that badly of them if the producers exerted some freaking quality control in the last season ever. That is literally the least you can ask of the show. And it's failing the fans, and now the cast, on every level.
Just so we're clear, David Harewood's performance wasn't great either. It just wasn't an actual embarrassment like Leigh, Rath, and McGrath, but that's not any level of acceptable acting. He sucked too, just not as much in comparison to those three hot messes.
Isn't it swell that the 5th Dimensional Imp was able to get her powers back through the power of believing in herself? See, she had the power inside herself the entire time! Like the idea of Lex burning down a children's hospital, I'm wondering if the writers actually hear how they sound when they write cr*p like that.
If I had seen that episode last season, I would have given it an easy "0" without hesitation. The problem is last week was so awful that the fact that this wasn't quite THAT bad means I have to grade it slightly higher for contrast. I will give that a single star. Trust me when I say it is far more than it deserves. I have gotten away from grading my television on a curve, but apparently when every week sucks I have to make some adjustments whether I want to or not. Can't be helped. *.
Muppet Babies "Backyard Safari / The Invisible Frog"
Backyard Safari:
Wait, Fozzie says he knows all about animals. Isn't Fozzie an animal? I'm so confused. Probably not the question the show wants to be raising.
I like that Animal calls Sweetums the "Monster Neighbor".
I also like that the tiger tells him bye.
Rozzie is so cute simply because a real little kid voices her.
Cute. ***.
The Invisible Frog:
The Invisible Song was good but the episode was entirely predictable on every level. Even for this show. The last episode followed a formula too but Sweetums was still a nice surprise. This episode just didn't bother attempting anything new with the premise.
For the record, invisibility is the worse superpower you could ever get, for many of the reasons the episode states. But if I were cursed with it, I'd be less concerned about not being able to play basketball, and more with getting accidentally hit by a truck. Which would surely happen on Day One of me having it.
Not feeling it, although the song was catchy. **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
The Blacklist "Rakitin"
It was a good episode. I very much enjoyed how much Red enjoyed how uncomfortable he was making Park. He truly seemed to be having a good time shoving how into debt to him she was down her throat. And yeah, Park sucks.
I think if Red IS M-13, I don't think he's working for the Russians, or least not as an asset for them. More for story reasons than pure logic. The evidence against him is damning. It's just I don't see the logic of caring about Cooper and the team enough to risk or allow Rakitin getting captured if he's working for the Russians. When he told Cooper and his boss that they were safer at the end of the day because they didn't hear what Rakitin had to say, I believed him. If Red was working for the Russians, he never would have ALLOWED himself to get attached to Harold and the CIA. That would be super dumb. That was a choice he made, that he wouldn't have been stupid enough to make if he was actually using them to commit treason. It goes against the logic of every spy and secret agent.
The other reason I don't think Red is working for the Russians or the bad guys is because that would make Liz right about something. Which she has never been in the history of the show. Her entire shtick is that she's wrong about everything. I don't see the purpose of vindicating a character that stupid and awful for something this big. If Liz IS actually right after all of her childish snits and deplorable behavior that will be the show rewarding her for sucking so much. Maybe that is what the show is actually building towards. But part of me, in the back of my head, doesn't think the show is THAT bad. And I think the show is plenty bad. I just haven't quite gotten so that I can write it off completely. If this were Riverdale or Titans I'd believe the worst. But unlike those two trainwrecks, The Blacklist DOES have some redeeming qualities. I have given this season nothing but grief for creating one of the worst fictional characters on television, but I'm not ready to completely dismiss the show and believe the arc of the show is that this show's Karen is secretly insightful. I'm not there yet. There is something else going on. I'm sure of it.
But even if there is, I tend to agree with critics of the show who say things have gotten too crazy and complicated. The show keeps wanting to throw wrenches into the works of Red and Liz's relationship, and once they said he's an imposter, it's clear the show was just making up random reasons for Liz not to trust him. And yeah, I AM tired of that, and despite this season being horrible, the one good thing about it is that Liz is far less present. That's helped less than it should have, but it's still helped quite a bit. That character is poison.
Here is the bad news. Let's assume that Red is NOT the monster Liz says he is and Cooper is believing him to be. Can the show ever possibly make it seem slightly reasonable why Red hasn't told his friends the entire truth about his plans if they AREN'T evil? I get the logic of keeping Harold out, but this has gotten so dangerous and out of hand, if Red isn't a traitor, it makes him foolish to keep this much to himself. And this is the show's doing and the problem of the show trying to top itself in Red doing shady unexplained things. Dembe always encourages Red to talk to Cooper and Liz. The fact that Dembe thinks that idea is feasible means I'll probably think Red is dumb once I learn what the no-doubt underwhelming master plan actually is. And this is entirely on the show. This is a problem of their own making that they did not need to create for the show to function.
I like Red asserting his dominance over his Russian friend at the end, and his friend accepting it. They both made mistakes and went too far, and the mistakes of this episode were Red's friend's, and he took his lumps for them like a man. "You hit me!" is a good moment because it tells us a little bit more about what kind of friendship these two actually have.
It was a good episode, but the secrets and subterfuge are a clear demonstration that this isn't actually a good series, or one that is willing to play fair with the viewer. The show has gotten too complicated and ridiculous and even a good episode like this cannot fix that fact. ****.
The Blacklist "Anne"
Liz literally ruins everything.
I was on the fence about the episode. It was nice, which I hated because I knew the bottom was gonna drop out. But when Red and Anne parted on nice terms the episode won me back a little. Until that ending. I am beyond fed up with the show at this point. Liz is why we can't have nice things. If Liz thinks killing an innocent woman like Anne is equivalent to Red killing a murderer like Katerina Rostova, well, let's just say that delusion doesn't surprise me. Worst character currently on television. *
I'm frustrated. **1/2.
*It's possible Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale is still worse. I wouldn't know because she was so bad I swore off that show. But Liz is the worst character on a show I currently watch.
Infinity Train "The Twin Tapes"
The show always has intriguing season openers and that was no exception. ****.
Infinity Train "The Iceberg Car"
I looked up in the credits who did the voice of Kez and it's some woman I never heard of with the weird name of Minty Lewis. This show has the neatest voices. It's always been the best thing about it.
That was pretty cool. ****.
Infinity Train "The Old West Car"
I love Kate Mulgrew as the Cat. It's a shame this is her only appearance this season.
Kez is making herself quite a few enemies.
Pretty good. ***1/2.
Infinity Train "The Pig Baby Car"
Min-Gi is kind of clueless.
The Pig Baby is outright revolting. The grodiest character the show has done so far.
No man tells Lorraine what to do. Good one.
America: Great music, lousy post-war cooking. Yup.
I was a little skeeved out by that to be honest. **1/2.
Infinity Train "The Astro Queue Car"
That weird baby robot Conductor! Yikes!
Kez is a woman of many sensations. I like that she seems to be attracted to Ryan and that Min-Gi has weirdly complicated feelings towards her too. Her "Listen, Min. Min. Min. Listen," bit was priceless.
I think the premise was suitably creepy, but unlike the Pig Baby stuff, not in a revolting way, so I was scared of it rather than squicked out by it. ***1/2.
Infinity Train "The Party Car"
I like that Min-Gi gives Kez a place on his shoulder to hang by the end.
It was very cool that the characters talked about how few Western Asian rocks stars there are. In most kids cartoons, the races of the minority characters are largely ignored or not commented on. For Min-Gi, it's part of the chip on his shoulder. I like that very much.
You'd almost consider the Conductor's resolution at the beginning as anticlimactic, but the scariest thing about the Conductor to ME is that you never know what it is about to do. Helpfulness is exactly as on-brand for that specific character as terror.
Good episode. ****.
Infinity Train "The Art Gallery Car"
Very good drama. Very good stakes. Very good voice performances.
The hand monster is the most terrifying monster the show has done since the robot baby conductor. Like Doctor Who before it, Infinity Train is a kids show not afraid to scare its intended younger audience. And it's made all the richer for it.
I like that Ryan's final door disappeared for him for seriously considering the temptation to leave. And the fact that he DID consider it, meant Min saying he left him is not an overreaction or a misunderstanding. That's what actually happened. If it wasn't a betrayal in deed, it was definitely one in heart. And as far as the empathy train goes, that's the only kind that matters.
Kez just screams sometimes. And her kisses ARE actually warm. Which is why we love Kez.
I also like that Kez is good at recognizing and talking about good art.
It's interesting that the characters are from Canada, especially since they are Asian. For some reason it makes them feel even more diverse than if they were Asian-American.
We're getting to the good stuff. This show tends to deliver. ****1/2.
Infinity Train "The Mega Maze Car"
Gruesome seeming ends for the villains (although the finale bought them back). The Pig basically turned into one of the Graboids from Tremors at the end of that.
The ending was a very confusing and dire place to leave things off. Glad I'm binging the show. I would be dying if CN was airing that on a weekly (or even nightly) basis. ****.
Infinity Train "The Castle Car"
Big character drama here. It's interesting. It's the second to last episode and the numbers haven't gone down at all. Something is very wrong. It's not like Ryan and Min aren't learning.
I like that the mute astronaut bouncer is a single parent with 14 kids. What a random bit of character info to give that specific baddie.
The show did something extremely interesting and admirable. Kez is the "Whatever" female character on the show, much like April from Parks And Recreation. And the show has been having fun with her apathy and lack of responsibility all season. But this episode is essentially holding April Ludlow to account. It's suggesting her personality isn't funny, it's hurtful and harms people. And Kez is so used to messing up she can't even recognize the fact that she did Jeremy a solid. She has no context for what a good and bad deed is which is a failing. If she were human, she'd be given a number on the train for sure. A high one.
And I like the show holding the comical rude character responsible for the things she's been irresponsible about this entire time. It's psychologically deconstructing a character no other show would ever bother to overthink or worry about. It's not only somewhat refreshing, it's an interesting story choice in its own right. ****1/2.
Infinity Train "The Train To Nowhere"
That was a solid season ender, but it's clear it was NOT intended to be the series finale. We never got an answer as to what happened to the Conductor in the last episode, and that strikes me as something that was going to be explored further in a later season.
Ryan ringing the bell is interesting, but call me crazy, but I felt there was a slightly romantic, or even sexual, subtext behind it. It is treated as very intimate, which is fascinating to me.
Let's talk about the cancelation a bit. A lot of fans believe it was unjust, and there have been a lot of theories and excuses making the rounds. One of them is a lack of proper promotion from either HBO Max or Cartoon Network. The revelations about why O.K. K.O was canceled also raise the possibility of corporate politics. The producers also said CN might have passed because the next season (which would have been a movie) didn't have a kid-level entry point. All of these things may be true. But I don't think it was the real reason the show was canceled. I think that was down to Season 3.
That season was amazing. Powerful, punch-in-the-gut, and surprisingly gruesome. And I can't imagine many kids dug it. I think its sensibility was far too mature and psychologically complex for little kids to enjoy. And you can argue that HBO Max is wrong, and kids can handle it, but does kiddie TV history bear that out? Think about it. We love to brag about how high-quality Batman: The Animated Series and Gargoyles were. We say, you give a kid a quality show that treats them like an adult, they'll watch it. But think about it. WERE Batman TAS or Gargoyles actually popular with kids? Were either of those shows the sensations that Power Rangers, Ninja Turtles, or Pokemon were? You can say that Gargoyles is proof that kids can recognize and respect quality. If that were actually true, it would be an evergreen franchise. Scooby Doo, High School Musical, Transformers, it doesn't matter. The truly popular stuff? The stuff that starts fads and sells a tons of toys and merch? It's almost always all garbage. Kids have terrible taste and they always have. It is unfair to hand kids a show this psychologically beautiful and complex and expect them to watch and enjoy it, especially considering what a bummer last season was. It's a great show for an adult like me. But Cartoon Network didn't greenlight it on my behalf,. I am not the person Cartoon Network or its advertisers wanted to reach. The show got a little more freedom in that regard once it went to streaming, but Season 3 pushed things TOO far. Creative freedom is nice, but I think the producers took TOO much advantage of it last year. I think the real reason the show was canceled is that kids didn't watch it. And even if it got amazing numbers on streaming, maybe HBO Max wasn't satisfied that they were mostly from adults. Truthfully that doesn't make TOO much sense to me, because there are no ads on HBO Max that advertisers need a kid's eyeballs for, but I think network execs have a specific mindset about that sort of thing that even a format change is difficult for them to overcome: "If kids don't like a kids show, it should be canceled." I don't agree, but I don't blame the network for feeling that way, even if streaming has made that kind of thinking outmoded. But I get the logic of it.
The truth is I think the show got canceled because it was TOO good and high-quality for kids. You can call me a jerk for taking shots at the intelligence of modern kids, but this effected my generation as well. I am in no way superior to the kids today who obsess over Jojo Siwa. I loved my share of embarrassing things back in the day. But the fact that this show is well-written, performed, and ambiguous meant it was operating on a very real clock. As brief as the seasons have been, I consider the fact that we got four of them an outright miracle. I'm not going to curse HBO Max for unfairly canceling the show. I'm going to thank them and CN for sticking with it for four great seasons, due solely to the adult fans. That's more that we can ever have hoped or that we even deserved. Do I wish we had gotten the movie and a satisfying wrap-up for the characters like Grace from last season? Yes. Am I utterly grateful for watching a show that intelligent and moving for 40 episodes? Also yes.
Goodbye Infinity Train. It's been quite a ride. ****1/2.
The Falcon And The Winter Soldier "Truth"
A lot of quiet stuff in the second half of the episode.
I like what they are exploring with Sam and Isaiah. I don't agree with Isaiah that a black man can never be Captain America but I understand why he thinks it.
I'm tickled to see Bucky flirting with Sarah. Sam doesn't like it much.
Walker is totally unstable. I found his punishment being so lenient quite unjust compared to what Isiah went though. Not happy about that.
I WAS extremely happy with Bucky's last scene with Zemo before the Wakandans take him. It was a thing of beauty and I loved every second of it. Is it possible that in the future Zemo can be redeemed? I think so. What's interesting and unusual about the MCU version is that he doesn't doublecross Sam or Bucky when it comes down to it. Yeah, he was starting trouble with the little kids in the last episode, but that was him covering his bases. I like that for this version of Zemo his ideals match his rhetoric. He's not jiving about hating the Super Soldier program. It IS the thing that drives him.
More fuel to the idea that Sharon is the Power Broker. The internet won't be happy. I am though. I think it's a neat idea.
Solid episode. ****.
The Flash "Growing Pains"
I am not happy. Don't get me wrong, that was pretty good, but I am very frustrated because I predict I am going to hate next week. It's a courtroom episode, and I have yet to see a single Berlanti show ever do a SINGLE courtroom episode that didn't infuriate me because it was badly written, stupid, and done by lazy writers who do no research. I am very frustrated knowing how much I am going to hate next week.
To be blunt, I don't object to the idea of Frost turning herself in and paying for her crimes. That is a good sign of character progression.
The cheesecake stuff with Mark the bartender was truly cringe-inducing. It's the kind of skeevy thing Riverdale would do. It's super creepy. At various point CW shows seem to all believe they are pornography deep down and feed into it. And television is all the worse for it.
The mystery made little sense (what kind of fugitive from the law takes a job bartending at a criminal bar?) and I was especially annoyed Frost stopped Chillblaine by impaling him in the stomach. Because nobody, not even Barry, correctly points out she could have killed him and then WOULD have been guilty of murder.
Poor Barry. I could have told Iris last week that inviting Nora to stay was a mistake, but it's to Barry's credit he instead tells her she was right. I don't agree, but I love that Barry is willing to support Iris despite the fact that she made a unilateral decision he obviously didn't like or want. He's on her side no matter what, which is good.
Do I even need to watch next week, I wonder? Maybe next week's grade of "0" should simply go without saying and I'm spare myself some suffering. Nah, I'm a glutton for punishment. Bring on the terrible episode. I can take it. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Phantom Menaces"
Normally, when I see something that bad I feel the need to destroy it. THAT? For some reason I really want to mock it instead. It's so incompetently put together I feel sorry for the cast.
Not too sorry though. See the truth is as overwrought and sappy as the drama was, if the cast were stronger that wouldn't matter. They'd deliver the goods, crummy writing or not. The fact that Chyler Leigh is completely unconvincing in both her wailing in despair AND her declaration of love makes both of those things unintentionally funny. And I suspect that Jesse Rath and Katie McGrath will put their performances this episode on a potential Emmy reel. Let me assure them that would be an utter mistake. "I want to kill him!" is some of the very worst acting I have ever seen in this specific franchise. I almost laughed (which would have been REALLY bad for my karma.) I cringed instead. Good for me. I'll be able to sleep tonight.
Seriously, Lex sets fire to a children's hospital. Does this show even concern itself with how stupid that is? Is he going to tie a damsel to the railroad tracks in the next episode? Again, I don't want to destroy that mess. I want to make fun of it. "Won't somebody think of the children?!" It was Lex. Even when it was the Bears, I knew it was Lex.
And let me see if I got this straight. The D.A. was "fired" for botching Lex's trial. So he was replaced with a guy who conspires with Lex's crimes instead? Do I have that right? And who exactly fired the D.A. anyways? It's an elected position. The main boss that guy answers to is the voters. Or did the show not actually know that? Are they sincerely that dumb? Apparently.
Here is what bothers me. Arrow had its share of terrible and stupid episodes too. It did. I can admit it. But it upped its game for the last season and at least more or less went out respectably. Which was a pretty neat trick considering Emily Bett Rickards had left. But Supergirl's last season? I sincerely think this is the worst the show has ever been. And partly that's due to leaning so heavily into Jon Cryer as the worst villain performance in the entire Arrowverse (MAYBE Sendhil Ramamurthy as Bloodsport on The Flash was SLIGHTLY worse. MAYBE. But if so, only SLIGHTLY). Really, I have a more favorable memory of Arrow than it probably deserves because the last season was fine. That is not an unreasonable ask for a series that has lasted six seasons like this one has. They should be trying HARDER to make good episodes and stories, not phoning it in. And as much smack as I'm talking about the cast, this is not entirely their fault. A good producer and showrunner should know what their cast is capable of. A showrunner who truly cared about Rath and McGrath's careers would have nixed that scene or at least completely reworked it upon the realization they did not have the chops to make that torpid dialogue believable. Instead the showrunner lets them embarrass themselves in front of all of us. I think pretty badly about Rath and McGrath after that. But the truth is I wouldn't even NEED to think that badly of them if the producers exerted some freaking quality control in the last season ever. That is literally the least you can ask of the show. And it's failing the fans, and now the cast, on every level.
Just so we're clear, David Harewood's performance wasn't great either. It just wasn't an actual embarrassment like Leigh, Rath, and McGrath, but that's not any level of acceptable acting. He sucked too, just not as much in comparison to those three hot messes.
Isn't it swell that the 5th Dimensional Imp was able to get her powers back through the power of believing in herself? See, she had the power inside herself the entire time! Like the idea of Lex burning down a children's hospital, I'm wondering if the writers actually hear how they sound when they write cr*p like that.
If I had seen that episode last season, I would have given it an easy "0" without hesitation. The problem is last week was so awful that the fact that this wasn't quite THAT bad means I have to grade it slightly higher for contrast. I will give that a single star. Trust me when I say it is far more than it deserves. I have gotten away from grading my television on a curve, but apparently when every week sucks I have to make some adjustments whether I want to or not. Can't be helped. *.
Muppet Babies "Backyard Safari / The Invisible Frog"
Backyard Safari:
Wait, Fozzie says he knows all about animals. Isn't Fozzie an animal? I'm so confused. Probably not the question the show wants to be raising.
I like that Animal calls Sweetums the "Monster Neighbor".
I also like that the tiger tells him bye.
Rozzie is so cute simply because a real little kid voices her.
Cute. ***.
The Invisible Frog:
The Invisible Song was good but the episode was entirely predictable on every level. Even for this show. The last episode followed a formula too but Sweetums was still a nice surprise. This episode just didn't bother attempting anything new with the premise.
For the record, invisibility is the worse superpower you could ever get, for many of the reasons the episode states. But if I were cursed with it, I'd be less concerned about not being able to play basketball, and more with getting accidentally hit by a truck. Which would surely happen on Day One of me having it.
Not feeling it, although the song was catchy. **.
Episode Overall: **1/2.
The Blacklist "Rakitin"
It was a good episode. I very much enjoyed how much Red enjoyed how uncomfortable he was making Park. He truly seemed to be having a good time shoving how into debt to him she was down her throat. And yeah, Park sucks.
I think if Red IS M-13, I don't think he's working for the Russians, or least not as an asset for them. More for story reasons than pure logic. The evidence against him is damning. It's just I don't see the logic of caring about Cooper and the team enough to risk or allow Rakitin getting captured if he's working for the Russians. When he told Cooper and his boss that they were safer at the end of the day because they didn't hear what Rakitin had to say, I believed him. If Red was working for the Russians, he never would have ALLOWED himself to get attached to Harold and the CIA. That would be super dumb. That was a choice he made, that he wouldn't have been stupid enough to make if he was actually using them to commit treason. It goes against the logic of every spy and secret agent.
The other reason I don't think Red is working for the Russians or the bad guys is because that would make Liz right about something. Which she has never been in the history of the show. Her entire shtick is that she's wrong about everything. I don't see the purpose of vindicating a character that stupid and awful for something this big. If Liz IS actually right after all of her childish snits and deplorable behavior that will be the show rewarding her for sucking so much. Maybe that is what the show is actually building towards. But part of me, in the back of my head, doesn't think the show is THAT bad. And I think the show is plenty bad. I just haven't quite gotten so that I can write it off completely. If this were Riverdale or Titans I'd believe the worst. But unlike those two trainwrecks, The Blacklist DOES have some redeeming qualities. I have given this season nothing but grief for creating one of the worst fictional characters on television, but I'm not ready to completely dismiss the show and believe the arc of the show is that this show's Karen is secretly insightful. I'm not there yet. There is something else going on. I'm sure of it.
But even if there is, I tend to agree with critics of the show who say things have gotten too crazy and complicated. The show keeps wanting to throw wrenches into the works of Red and Liz's relationship, and once they said he's an imposter, it's clear the show was just making up random reasons for Liz not to trust him. And yeah, I AM tired of that, and despite this season being horrible, the one good thing about it is that Liz is far less present. That's helped less than it should have, but it's still helped quite a bit. That character is poison.
Here is the bad news. Let's assume that Red is NOT the monster Liz says he is and Cooper is believing him to be. Can the show ever possibly make it seem slightly reasonable why Red hasn't told his friends the entire truth about his plans if they AREN'T evil? I get the logic of keeping Harold out, but this has gotten so dangerous and out of hand, if Red isn't a traitor, it makes him foolish to keep this much to himself. And this is the show's doing and the problem of the show trying to top itself in Red doing shady unexplained things. Dembe always encourages Red to talk to Cooper and Liz. The fact that Dembe thinks that idea is feasible means I'll probably think Red is dumb once I learn what the no-doubt underwhelming master plan actually is. And this is entirely on the show. This is a problem of their own making that they did not need to create for the show to function.
I like Red asserting his dominance over his Russian friend at the end, and his friend accepting it. They both made mistakes and went too far, and the mistakes of this episode were Red's friend's, and he took his lumps for them like a man. "You hit me!" is a good moment because it tells us a little bit more about what kind of friendship these two actually have.
It was a good episode, but the secrets and subterfuge are a clear demonstration that this isn't actually a good series, or one that is willing to play fair with the viewer. The show has gotten too complicated and ridiculous and even a good episode like this cannot fix that fact. ****.
The Blacklist "Anne"
Liz literally ruins everything.
I was on the fence about the episode. It was nice, which I hated because I knew the bottom was gonna drop out. But when Red and Anne parted on nice terms the episode won me back a little. Until that ending. I am beyond fed up with the show at this point. Liz is why we can't have nice things. If Liz thinks killing an innocent woman like Anne is equivalent to Red killing a murderer like Katerina Rostova, well, let's just say that delusion doesn't surprise me. Worst character currently on television. *
I'm frustrated. **1/2.
*It's possible Cheryl Blossom from Riverdale is still worse. I wouldn't know because she was so bad I swore off that show. But Liz is the worst character on a show I currently watch.