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matt_zimmerAlso reviews for the season premiere of Star Trek: Discovery, and the latest episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy, and Young Justice: Phantoms, the season premiere of The Flash, and the latest episodes of DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, Batwoman, The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo, and The Blacklist.
Hit-Monkey "Pilot"
That held my interest.
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.
First off, let me state the obvious: M.O.D.O.K. is a complete piece of dreck compared to this. So much so I can't ever picture how The Offenders could have possibly worked as a miniseries. I tolerated M.O.D.O.K. because I assumed that the adult Hulu stuff was all going to be stoner Adult Swim b.s. like it was. My assumption was wrong, as was my tolerance for that truly shady in hindsight series.
I thought Bryce was lovable and jokey, and then it turns out he kills a genuinely good guy, and all of the sudden, he's an utter monster, especially because it doesn't bother him. Let me say I'm going to take what the ghost version of him advises Hit-Monkey with a huge Spam-sized lick of salt.
For all I know this is a medium quality episode, and it gets even better. However, I have only it to judge it by, and as far as Pilots go, it was fantastic. If the series gets even better, I'll be amazed. And if the series gets worse, it will still probably wind up pretty good. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Bright Lights, Big City"
That was crazy.
This reminds me very much of the far-out sci-fi cartoons MTV had in the 1990's, specifically The Head, The Maxx, and Aeon Flux. My impression is that modern audiences are more ready for that kind of bizarre storytelling. All three of those MTV shows I mentioned were technically flops. If Marvel Television hadn't gone under, this could have become a sensation. As it stands, I predict it's gonna get a shocking amount of play for a one-season wonder. There's no way it gets renewed, but I predict every Marvel fan is going to see and love it.
This is so funky and unusual. And it's played straight! How great is that? Hang your head in shame, Patton Oswalt. For real. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Legend Of The Drunken Monkey"
Whenever Bryce says "Trust me," is when he's invariably wrong.
Bryce describing casinos as if the happiest place on Earth had a baby with the saddest sounds about right.
This show is bananas (Groan!). ****.
Hit-Monkey "The Code"
So I guess the Code works for the Monkey, I guess.
I didn't like this episode as much as the previous ones because I didn't like the stuff in the prison. But the ending to the episode was pretty great. ***1/2.
Hit-Monkey "Run Monkey Run"
That Monkey is pretty cool. Bryce being impressed with his moves is the right reaction.
Kingpin is mentioned here.
I like Hit-Monkey threatening the tailor when he tried to remove Bryce's picture.
Another good episode. ****.
Hit-Monkey "The Long Goodbye"
Things are starting to come together.
Learning Bryce has a daughter and that he used to be in love with a man are interesting bits of history to find out about, but they probably won't go anywhere with only four episodes left.
That woman at the end is clearly a psychopath.
This show has yet to deliver a bad episode. ****.
Hit-Monkey "Sayonara Monkey"
Things are getting serious. And the show has never been better.
Lady Bullseye is truly the first foe worthy of Hit-Monkey.
The split with Bryce was a long time coming. I like how the show had Monkey putting together his blame just based on the casual admission that he killed the wrong guy.
Great stuff. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Home Sweet Home"
Two things:
This has the best animation of any Marvel Television cartoon.
This is the only other Marvel Television show I like besides Cloak And Dagger. Fitting that it's the last one.
Finding Bryce's body in the snow was a perfect ending. The owl was the one comical element in the episode at the very beginning, but he takes on a very dark subtext at the end, which is why Monkey pulls a gun on him. If he had shot him, I wouldn't have cried.
The thing with the ape village was so openly tragic I DID almost cry. What a crappy situation. I feel so bad for Hit-Monkey. After the things he's seen and done you really can't go home again. It was very much in the vein of the Planet of the Apes reboot.
A little surprised so much of Bryce's backstory was filled in, and far more of it than I predicted. Was Eli the man he was in love with he never told? He might have been. It speaks well of the show that they set up his daughter and that last episode, and paid them both off now instead of saving it for a future season that will never come.
Probably my favorite episode. *****.
Hit-Monkey "The End: Part One"
Did not see the Uncle being the Big Bad coming, but it makes total sense when his opponent puts it like that. I am very glad his niece and the lady cop didn't let them in on their Hit-Monkey cabal.
Speaking of which, that slow-mo power walk was super badass.
We saw Silver Samurai cameo earlier in the season but he makes a full-on appearance here. The X-Men are truly back at Marvel.
This show is so great. *****.
Hit-Monkey "The End: Part Two"
It's interesting. The last episode of the series is the only one I don't like. I hated Akiko's ending, and the rest of the episode felt incredibly unfinished and unsatisfying too. I'm not saying a potential season 2 couldn't have redeemed things. But I think it's probably for the best that they ended it here. Akiko becoming the new Lady Bullseye strikes me as a shark jump moment, and I'd rather the series end when I only disliked one episode instead of me being invariably frustrated week after week.
Not impressed. I expected and wanted more. **1/2.
Star Trek: Discovery "Kobayashi Maru"
I didn't like it much. Mostly because I can't stand the Federation President. I would very much liked to have heard Burnham tell her to stay in her lane. She was acting very unprofessional in front of Burnham's crew.
She seems to have some Bajoran in her bloodline as well as Cardassian, which is interesting. She was showing her Cardassian side all throughout the episode.
And the ending was too tragic. It actually annoyed me.
It's interesting that in the hundreds of years since Discovery vanished, the Kelpians have made peace with their tormenters on Canamar. That's one of the cool things about the flashforward.
This episode was sort of working on my nerves by the end. I should by all rights LIKE the episode in which Starfleet Academy is relaunched. But I don't. **1/2.
Star Trek: Prodigy "Terror Firma"
It was good.
I think the idea of a proto star warp drive can go interesting places.
One quibble: I not only think it's a stretch to believe the Klingons ever made it to the Delta Quandrant. But there is no way the characters should know who they are.
Other than that nitpick it was solid. ****.
Young Justice: Phantoms "The Lady, Or The Tigress?"
I was strongly disliking that all throughout the episode, but once we got to the tag I threw up my hands and said that was just awful.
I have made known before how annoyed I am with Greg Weisman's work where he references other plays and stories. Often like here, the story is relayed verbatim by a pretentious monologue by a main character. I find it insufferable. I find it annoying nobody else finds it as insufferable as I do, so these shows keep going back to it. It's a cheap way for the show to present itself as literate without actually having to write good stories themselves. I'm supposed to find the well-known story being inserted profound on its own. It's not. It's lazy. It's hackneyed. And it's beyond overdone. I've had it.
The other thing I hate did not surprise me, but it's good to get confirmation. As heard on Batman: The Audio Adventures, I think Brent Spiner is one of the very best actors to EVER play the Joker, live-action or voice. He is phenomenal in that project. And I recall a few years ago he got nothing but crap for his Joker turn on Young Justice. But I believed after hearing that radio show, the failure of that character must have been down to crappy writing, not Spiner. Well, here is another helping of the Joker on Young Justice, and he is just as terrible and ill-suited to the premise as he was the first time (even if his design isn't as ugly). Brent Spiner can play a great Joker if you write him a great Joker. If you write him a crappy one like the Young Justice writers do, he's gonna suck up the joint. And it's weird to expect different.
Last season really concerned me. This season is just making me question Weisman's entire fitness as a storyteller. It is just terrible. And the worst thing for me is the sneaking suspicion I'm alone in thinking this. For many people that Lady and the Tiger thing would have them eating out of the show's palm. I have different standards from other fans, and I never feel lonelier than when I realize I'm the only person I know who outright hates Young Justice. And I think that adjective is correct at this point. I've just about given up. The show is awful, and because nobody else thinks so, there will be no impetus for it to get better. If my hatred of what I just saw were more common, course-correction is something I could look forward to. While nobody thinks that's the steaming pile of pretentious dribble it was, there is no shot it could ever improve.
I'm getting angry at this point. *.
The Flash "Armageddon, Part 1"
To be freaking blunt, there was a LOT in the episode I outright hated (mostly the workplace stuff and the stuff dealing with the characters' relationships). I have been railing against these things on this show for years so that perhaps would not surprise you.
The thing is, I freaking loved the ending. I don't ultimately care about those petty gripes. Despero was unexpected, and even more unexpected is the fact that he appears to be a hero. It was outright great.
Also I loved the moment of Brandon Routh loosening the tie and shirt before changing into costume. I am not made of stone.
Call me a sell-out if you must. But superheroics like that are why I watch the show. Frankly, human drama IS more important on a weekly basis. But for this week? I was satisfied by that. ****.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Deus Ex Latrina"
That was really, REALLY good. Surprisingly so, in fact.
I would totally take up Amy Louise Pemberton on an invitation for sexual intercourse. Her and Gary are sort of a no-brainer 'ship. Both are only part human, and outside of the rest of the crew, and also both are virgins (or were). What I love is that the scene was kind of a cliche. I knew the sex was coming just based on the context of the way they were talking about new human experiences. Cliches are fine by me if they work.
Bishop's stuff was a surprise because I liked it. I can't stand the character, but I liked playing catch-up at how and why the Legends had been bedeviled all season. I especially like the idea that the Bishop that did all those horrible things has been replaced by a robot who will do all those horrible things in his stead. The real Bishop? His destiny is unwritten. He could possibly be headed towards an actual redemption arc. He could actually become a Legend at some point! Very interesting.
I loved the show giving Time Master Gideon the HAL moment from 2001 with Ava. The show knows exactly what things to reference and spoof.
I'm not sold on Gwyn yet, and it looks like the show might be writing off Nate (which I don't like). But the episode itself was solid all the way through. ****1/2.
Batwoman "How Does Your Garden Grow?"
Didn't like it one bit. I don't like what happened to Mary.
But I think the real reason my opinion turned South were the secrets the characters were keeping. They were BAD Secrets, which is a hallmark of bad writing. In what way were they bad? There was no reason Ryan could not further clarify what was up with Jada and her sociopathic brother. She didn't, not because the secret needed to be kept. But because the show was being badly written. Bad Secrets are a hallmark of genre television, and superhero stuff in particular. But I never excuse them, and penalize any given project any time they appear.
It's almost not worth getting into every single other reason the episode annoyed me (Sophie and Montoya? Ugh). I'll just simply say it was all annoying and leave it at that. *1/2.
The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo "Aidy Bryant / Hello Sunday"
Okay, Cookie Niece was pretty much the most adorable thing ever. The way she eats cookies is hilarious.
True story: I have never heard of a stuffed animal being referred to as a "lovey" before. Trust me, for ME, this specific gap in my knowledge seems huge. It's a great word that I'm totally using now.
Another boy contestant. But Adam's mom can't imitate a tuba for poo.
I think Big Bird's new voice is terrible, and I'll never get used to it. The irony is Oscar's new voice sounds absolutely fine. It's weird how things like that work. It's not like Carol Spinney made Oscar or Big Bird sound remotely like each other so it's also perhaps not a big surprise.
Funniest bit was Cookie Monster wailing to Rosita that he didn't deserve a cookie and then immediately pivoting to asking her what kind she had. That's totally Cookie Monster.
For the record, the challenge was incomplete. That was not an actual win. It's interesting the guest was a helper rather than a competitor this time.
Hate to say it, but Hello Sunday struck me as incredibly creepy. They give me the willies.
It was cute. Lovey! I'm stealing that! ****.
The Blacklist "Benjamin T. Okara"
I thought Park and her husband learning they lost the baby before they even knew they had it was cruel in the worst way this show tends to be cruel. Not on-board with that.
Speaking of which, the people at the lab can detect testicular cancer or pregnancy from a urine sample but can't determine to the gender of the giver? Not buying it. But perhaps I should have complained about that bit last week.
Never seen Red so mad at Dembe. But I'm glad he didn't make him go through with it.
The ending confused me.
I like Red's new female bodyguard. It's so much fun watching her and Red get the upper hand against criminals inferior to himself. It's ruining his business though. But oh, yeah, he's the Skinner. Almost forgot about that bit.
Annoying week. **1/2.
Hit-Monkey "Pilot"
That held my interest.
I don't know what I expected, but it wasn't that.
First off, let me state the obvious: M.O.D.O.K. is a complete piece of dreck compared to this. So much so I can't ever picture how The Offenders could have possibly worked as a miniseries. I tolerated M.O.D.O.K. because I assumed that the adult Hulu stuff was all going to be stoner Adult Swim b.s. like it was. My assumption was wrong, as was my tolerance for that truly shady in hindsight series.
I thought Bryce was lovable and jokey, and then it turns out he kills a genuinely good guy, and all of the sudden, he's an utter monster, especially because it doesn't bother him. Let me say I'm going to take what the ghost version of him advises Hit-Monkey with a huge Spam-sized lick of salt.
For all I know this is a medium quality episode, and it gets even better. However, I have only it to judge it by, and as far as Pilots go, it was fantastic. If the series gets even better, I'll be amazed. And if the series gets worse, it will still probably wind up pretty good. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Bright Lights, Big City"
That was crazy.
This reminds me very much of the far-out sci-fi cartoons MTV had in the 1990's, specifically The Head, The Maxx, and Aeon Flux. My impression is that modern audiences are more ready for that kind of bizarre storytelling. All three of those MTV shows I mentioned were technically flops. If Marvel Television hadn't gone under, this could have become a sensation. As it stands, I predict it's gonna get a shocking amount of play for a one-season wonder. There's no way it gets renewed, but I predict every Marvel fan is going to see and love it.
This is so funky and unusual. And it's played straight! How great is that? Hang your head in shame, Patton Oswalt. For real. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Legend Of The Drunken Monkey"
Whenever Bryce says "Trust me," is when he's invariably wrong.
Bryce describing casinos as if the happiest place on Earth had a baby with the saddest sounds about right.
This show is bananas (Groan!). ****.
Hit-Monkey "The Code"
So I guess the Code works for the Monkey, I guess.
I didn't like this episode as much as the previous ones because I didn't like the stuff in the prison. But the ending to the episode was pretty great. ***1/2.
Hit-Monkey "Run Monkey Run"
That Monkey is pretty cool. Bryce being impressed with his moves is the right reaction.
Kingpin is mentioned here.
I like Hit-Monkey threatening the tailor when he tried to remove Bryce's picture.
Another good episode. ****.
Hit-Monkey "The Long Goodbye"
Things are starting to come together.
Learning Bryce has a daughter and that he used to be in love with a man are interesting bits of history to find out about, but they probably won't go anywhere with only four episodes left.
That woman at the end is clearly a psychopath.
This show has yet to deliver a bad episode. ****.
Hit-Monkey "Sayonara Monkey"
Things are getting serious. And the show has never been better.
Lady Bullseye is truly the first foe worthy of Hit-Monkey.
The split with Bryce was a long time coming. I like how the show had Monkey putting together his blame just based on the casual admission that he killed the wrong guy.
Great stuff. *****.
Hit-Monkey "Home Sweet Home"
Two things:
This has the best animation of any Marvel Television cartoon.
This is the only other Marvel Television show I like besides Cloak And Dagger. Fitting that it's the last one.
Finding Bryce's body in the snow was a perfect ending. The owl was the one comical element in the episode at the very beginning, but he takes on a very dark subtext at the end, which is why Monkey pulls a gun on him. If he had shot him, I wouldn't have cried.
The thing with the ape village was so openly tragic I DID almost cry. What a crappy situation. I feel so bad for Hit-Monkey. After the things he's seen and done you really can't go home again. It was very much in the vein of the Planet of the Apes reboot.
A little surprised so much of Bryce's backstory was filled in, and far more of it than I predicted. Was Eli the man he was in love with he never told? He might have been. It speaks well of the show that they set up his daughter and that last episode, and paid them both off now instead of saving it for a future season that will never come.
Probably my favorite episode. *****.
Hit-Monkey "The End: Part One"
Did not see the Uncle being the Big Bad coming, but it makes total sense when his opponent puts it like that. I am very glad his niece and the lady cop didn't let them in on their Hit-Monkey cabal.
Speaking of which, that slow-mo power walk was super badass.
We saw Silver Samurai cameo earlier in the season but he makes a full-on appearance here. The X-Men are truly back at Marvel.
This show is so great. *****.
Hit-Monkey "The End: Part Two"
It's interesting. The last episode of the series is the only one I don't like. I hated Akiko's ending, and the rest of the episode felt incredibly unfinished and unsatisfying too. I'm not saying a potential season 2 couldn't have redeemed things. But I think it's probably for the best that they ended it here. Akiko becoming the new Lady Bullseye strikes me as a shark jump moment, and I'd rather the series end when I only disliked one episode instead of me being invariably frustrated week after week.
Not impressed. I expected and wanted more. **1/2.
Star Trek: Discovery "Kobayashi Maru"
I didn't like it much. Mostly because I can't stand the Federation President. I would very much liked to have heard Burnham tell her to stay in her lane. She was acting very unprofessional in front of Burnham's crew.
She seems to have some Bajoran in her bloodline as well as Cardassian, which is interesting. She was showing her Cardassian side all throughout the episode.
And the ending was too tragic. It actually annoyed me.
It's interesting that in the hundreds of years since Discovery vanished, the Kelpians have made peace with their tormenters on Canamar. That's one of the cool things about the flashforward.
This episode was sort of working on my nerves by the end. I should by all rights LIKE the episode in which Starfleet Academy is relaunched. But I don't. **1/2.
Star Trek: Prodigy "Terror Firma"
It was good.
I think the idea of a proto star warp drive can go interesting places.
One quibble: I not only think it's a stretch to believe the Klingons ever made it to the Delta Quandrant. But there is no way the characters should know who they are.
Other than that nitpick it was solid. ****.
Young Justice: Phantoms "The Lady, Or The Tigress?"
I was strongly disliking that all throughout the episode, but once we got to the tag I threw up my hands and said that was just awful.
I have made known before how annoyed I am with Greg Weisman's work where he references other plays and stories. Often like here, the story is relayed verbatim by a pretentious monologue by a main character. I find it insufferable. I find it annoying nobody else finds it as insufferable as I do, so these shows keep going back to it. It's a cheap way for the show to present itself as literate without actually having to write good stories themselves. I'm supposed to find the well-known story being inserted profound on its own. It's not. It's lazy. It's hackneyed. And it's beyond overdone. I've had it.
The other thing I hate did not surprise me, but it's good to get confirmation. As heard on Batman: The Audio Adventures, I think Brent Spiner is one of the very best actors to EVER play the Joker, live-action or voice. He is phenomenal in that project. And I recall a few years ago he got nothing but crap for his Joker turn on Young Justice. But I believed after hearing that radio show, the failure of that character must have been down to crappy writing, not Spiner. Well, here is another helping of the Joker on Young Justice, and he is just as terrible and ill-suited to the premise as he was the first time (even if his design isn't as ugly). Brent Spiner can play a great Joker if you write him a great Joker. If you write him a crappy one like the Young Justice writers do, he's gonna suck up the joint. And it's weird to expect different.
Last season really concerned me. This season is just making me question Weisman's entire fitness as a storyteller. It is just terrible. And the worst thing for me is the sneaking suspicion I'm alone in thinking this. For many people that Lady and the Tiger thing would have them eating out of the show's palm. I have different standards from other fans, and I never feel lonelier than when I realize I'm the only person I know who outright hates Young Justice. And I think that adjective is correct at this point. I've just about given up. The show is awful, and because nobody else thinks so, there will be no impetus for it to get better. If my hatred of what I just saw were more common, course-correction is something I could look forward to. While nobody thinks that's the steaming pile of pretentious dribble it was, there is no shot it could ever improve.
I'm getting angry at this point. *.
The Flash "Armageddon, Part 1"
To be freaking blunt, there was a LOT in the episode I outright hated (mostly the workplace stuff and the stuff dealing with the characters' relationships). I have been railing against these things on this show for years so that perhaps would not surprise you.
The thing is, I freaking loved the ending. I don't ultimately care about those petty gripes. Despero was unexpected, and even more unexpected is the fact that he appears to be a hero. It was outright great.
Also I loved the moment of Brandon Routh loosening the tie and shirt before changing into costume. I am not made of stone.
Call me a sell-out if you must. But superheroics like that are why I watch the show. Frankly, human drama IS more important on a weekly basis. But for this week? I was satisfied by that. ****.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Deus Ex Latrina"
That was really, REALLY good. Surprisingly so, in fact.
I would totally take up Amy Louise Pemberton on an invitation for sexual intercourse. Her and Gary are sort of a no-brainer 'ship. Both are only part human, and outside of the rest of the crew, and also both are virgins (or were). What I love is that the scene was kind of a cliche. I knew the sex was coming just based on the context of the way they were talking about new human experiences. Cliches are fine by me if they work.
Bishop's stuff was a surprise because I liked it. I can't stand the character, but I liked playing catch-up at how and why the Legends had been bedeviled all season. I especially like the idea that the Bishop that did all those horrible things has been replaced by a robot who will do all those horrible things in his stead. The real Bishop? His destiny is unwritten. He could possibly be headed towards an actual redemption arc. He could actually become a Legend at some point! Very interesting.
I loved the show giving Time Master Gideon the HAL moment from 2001 with Ava. The show knows exactly what things to reference and spoof.
I'm not sold on Gwyn yet, and it looks like the show might be writing off Nate (which I don't like). But the episode itself was solid all the way through. ****1/2.
Batwoman "How Does Your Garden Grow?"
Didn't like it one bit. I don't like what happened to Mary.
But I think the real reason my opinion turned South were the secrets the characters were keeping. They were BAD Secrets, which is a hallmark of bad writing. In what way were they bad? There was no reason Ryan could not further clarify what was up with Jada and her sociopathic brother. She didn't, not because the secret needed to be kept. But because the show was being badly written. Bad Secrets are a hallmark of genre television, and superhero stuff in particular. But I never excuse them, and penalize any given project any time they appear.
It's almost not worth getting into every single other reason the episode annoyed me (Sophie and Montoya? Ugh). I'll just simply say it was all annoying and leave it at that. *1/2.
The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo "Aidy Bryant / Hello Sunday"
Okay, Cookie Niece was pretty much the most adorable thing ever. The way she eats cookies is hilarious.
True story: I have never heard of a stuffed animal being referred to as a "lovey" before. Trust me, for ME, this specific gap in my knowledge seems huge. It's a great word that I'm totally using now.
Another boy contestant. But Adam's mom can't imitate a tuba for poo.
I think Big Bird's new voice is terrible, and I'll never get used to it. The irony is Oscar's new voice sounds absolutely fine. It's weird how things like that work. It's not like Carol Spinney made Oscar or Big Bird sound remotely like each other so it's also perhaps not a big surprise.
Funniest bit was Cookie Monster wailing to Rosita that he didn't deserve a cookie and then immediately pivoting to asking her what kind she had. That's totally Cookie Monster.
For the record, the challenge was incomplete. That was not an actual win. It's interesting the guest was a helper rather than a competitor this time.
Hate to say it, but Hello Sunday struck me as incredibly creepy. They give me the willies.
It was cute. Lovey! I'm stealing that! ****.
The Blacklist "Benjamin T. Okara"
I thought Park and her husband learning they lost the baby before they even knew they had it was cruel in the worst way this show tends to be cruel. Not on-board with that.
Speaking of which, the people at the lab can detect testicular cancer or pregnancy from a urine sample but can't determine to the gender of the giver? Not buying it. But perhaps I should have complained about that bit last week.
Never seen Red so mad at Dembe. But I'm glad he didn't make him go through with it.
The ending confused me.
I like Red's new female bodyguard. It's so much fun watching her and Red get the upper hand against criminals inferior to himself. It's ruining his business though. But oh, yeah, he's the Skinner. Almost forgot about that bit.
Annoying week. **1/2.
