Matt Zimmer (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
matt_zimmer) wrote2014-05-11 02:49 am
matt_zimmer) wrote2014-05-11 02:49 am
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"Samurai Jack: Season 2" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Grimm and Hannibal.
Grimm "The Inheritence"
Oh my God, was Sam Anderson's kid the most annoying character the show has ever given us? His absolute stupidity could have REALLY cost the heroes if Trubel didn't piece together what was going on. I kind of think that's probably why he was created: to give Trubel some credibility with the audience. I think that's kind of manipulative myself, and not an example of good storytelling. You shouldn't build your heroes up by making the people they deal with even stupider than they are. It's a REALLY cheap cliche, and I would have thought Grimm would have been above that.
Did I forget to mention how fantastic the episode was otherwise? Because it really was superb. We just knocked out about a season and a half worth's of mythology in 45 minutes. You kind of hope that ALL of the missing keys will be this easy to find, but you know they won't.
I'm looking forward to (and dreading) next week. ****1/2.
Hannibal "Ko No Mono"
I had a sneaking suspicion that they may have been punking us last week about Freddie Lounds, but even though we found out Will is just setting Hannibal up, I think I was still right to be furious last week. Why? Because it plays either way. And that is just NOT something that should be in the character of Will Graham. I knew it was a 50/50 chance he wasn't a murderer, but those odds were still too dang high. I'm not impressed with the twist, just because if the series was written right, it wouldn't have been plausible. Ick.
Michael Pitt is one of those actors who can make your skin crawl, and in every skeevy role I've seen him in, he does it in an entirely different way. The guy doesn't just play one psychopath with no variations (like Jack Nicholson) but he can do all different kinds of crazy. This flamboyant kind is REALLY unnerving. When I first saw him in this role, I didn't realize it was him. The guy has serious chops.
I thought Roger was joking on American Dad about those little birds you drown in sauce and eat whole under a shroud. It turns out they are actually a thing. People are REALLY weird.
This wasn't exactly a good episode, but it looks to be a set-up for a better one, so I can't blame it for that. ***1/2.
Samurai Jack: Season Two
Samurai Jack is at that point in the series where it is STARTING to go a little downhill, but it is still great about 50 percent of the time. After every episode when this aired I was like "Well, they can't all be winners." But in seasons three and four excellent episodes were very rare indeed. I should have initially been more worried about the quality dip here than I was at the time. But most of the episodes are still really good, even if some of them are starting to become too formula. I would REALLY have loved the series to have had a different premise, or "hook". The idea of Jack searching for a time portal for the entire series, and never reaching his goal got old MUCH faster than I'm betting Genndy Tartakovsky realized it would. Yes, the series looks great, and STILL looks great over a decade later, (which is nearly unheard of in animation) but as the series went on, it got more and more boring. The "hook" no longer fascinated me. The fact that the movie to wrap up Jack's search STILL hasn't happened, really aggravates me.
But these are, on the whole, better than the latter half of the series. Best episodes are Jack Learns To Jump Good (XIVV), Jack And The Scotsman 2 (XVII), and Jack versus Demongo, The Soul Collector (XXIII). Weakest episodes are Jack And The Monks (XX), Jack Is Naked (XXIV), and Jack's Sandals (XXVI). Season Overall: ***1/2.
Episode XIV:
Jack Learns To Jump Good: That was adorable! Those apes and gorillas (and gorilla boy) seem to be some of the only non-robots in the future. According to the prevailing theory that EVERYONE is a robot in the future, (this could be disproven if Genndy ever gets his butt around to the movie) the red gorillas seem to be the first bad guys Jack has fought who haven't exploded. My favorite part was at the beginning: Aku's hilarious game of keepaway from Jack. I was rolling. ****1/2.
Episode XV:
Jack Tales: Whooo-ooo! There was a fairytale quality to each of the stories. The first one has been told many times before, but I liked the twist that both worms were liars. The second story was frightening and all kinds of messed up. My jaw dropped. The third tale was the most predictable, but I still like it. First Tale: ****. Second Tale: ****1/2. Third Tale: ***. Episode Overall: ****.
Episode XVI:
Jack And The Smackback: Never a fan of gladiator or fight club episodes of genre shows, but this is a decent version. The alien character designs are all stupendous, and make Justice League's "War World" look even more pathetic than it already was. Listen to Kevin Michael Richardson's Macho Man Randy Savage inpersonation. It is uncanny, and unlike any voice of Richardson's I've ever heard. You can barely tell it's him. ***.
Episode XVII:
Jack And The Scotsman, Part 2: They telegraphed pretty blatantly ahead of time that the Scotsman's wife was going to be ugly and horrible, so I'm betting some critics will call the big "twist" predictable. But do you know what? They REALLY went for it. The Scotsman's Wife is one of the foulest looking and sounding characters ever put to animation. Only John K. has been able to make me feel more revulsion by a simple character design, and I've NEVER seen a Spumco character who actually SOUNDED as horrible as this. She sounded like Tress MacNeille giving birth to Rush Limbaugh. Full grown and with a cigar in his mouth. Jack's solution to simply beat up the guy who threw the rock farther than him shows the elegance of the character. He carefully controlled the situation and made sure the thrower boasted that he weighed 20 stones before clobbering him. I also really liked Jack continuing to eat food and drink during the brawl with the bounty hunters at the beginning. Jack is just plain awesome. *****.
Episode XVIII:
Jack And The Ultra-robots: This was by turns horrific, super scary, and oil-splatteringly violent, with unparalleled mayhem and destruction, including genocide. And it ALMOST works. Except for the goofy Professor Frink-style Scientist. He is tonally all wrong for the episode, and dillutes every single potentially scary thing happening onscreen. He is the Singing Gargoyles in Hunchback. But I don't think the Gargoyles did NEARLY as much damage to Hunchback as the Scientist does to this episode. He makes what should be a terrifying episode lame. It's sort of like if you went to the center of The Matrix to meet Scrappy Doo. No high fives to Genndy for this one. ***.
Episode XIX:
Jack Remembers The Past: Gorgeous vistas and a moving story. But if the series' animation has any fault, it's with the human character designs. The designs of the little girl and the bullies were awful. Still, this was a sweet episode, even if nothing actually happened in it. ***.
Episode XX:
Jack And The Monks: Speaking of nothing happening, this episode is like watching paint dry. It's boring and pointless. I was out of my mind with boredom and the thing is only 22 minutes long. Yawn. 1/2.
Episode XI
Jack And The Farting Dragon: Inventive episode with stunning visuals and unexpectedly funny jokes. I loved the Scissorsmith instructing Jack how to use the bladder as an airline mask, including stewardess inanities. And you have to love any episode with a Dragon's Lair / Space Ace reference. The animation in Jack's "Fantastic Voyage" reminded me greatly of the middle part of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards when Peace and Weehawk were in that psychedelic cave. The dragon's stomach was a lot like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside. And the Scissorsmith gave one of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever heard in a cartoon: "Never sell a wizard an expired fishing license." ****.
Episode XXII:
Jack And The Hunters: I love that the Hunters' designs seemed to be a cross between lions and gorillas, two of the most hunted species on planet Earth. The episode is a first: the villains actually beat Jack! Jack would have been a goner had they not turned out to be such great sports. ***1/2.
Episode XXIII:
Jack versus Demongo, The Soul Collector: Demongo is TOTALLY Him from The Powerpuff Girls. No question about it. I'm inclined to think the space where Jack traveled to free the souls probably wasn't a literal place, but just a representation of what Demongo was doing to them. And I absolutely loved it when Jack tried to shame Demongo. Why? Because Demongo was disinterested in his criticism and complete unapologetic. It was sort of like "Yeah, what I do is cheating. But what are YOU gonna do about it?" That's something Rumpelstiltskin on Once Upon A Time would do. I also loved the last scene of Aku taking about 2 seconds to consider Demongo's pleas for mercy before killing him. It was not only hardcore, it was hilarious. ****1/2.
Episode XXIV:
Jack Is Naked: I never much cared for "Jack In Wonderland". I mean, the old-timey music is nice and all, as was the homage to Atari's Centipede, but this seemed like an unnecessary diversion, even for this show. When Jack was pushed out on stage in that dress, that is what is known as a Quantum Leap moment. "Oh boy!". **1/2.
Episode XXV:
Jack And The Spartans: Some interesting cinematic techniques here. They weren't entirely successful, but I still got what they were going for. One question remains: How did Jack know which side to choose in the battle at the beginning? Had he chosen wrongly it could have been a disaster. The Spartans should consider themselves lucky the Minotaur robots are uglier than they are. ***1/2.
Episode XXVI:
Jack's Sandals: This is one of those episodes that is really monotonous, which is a thing that plagued the latter half of the series, and I am convinced was partially responsible for its demise. Two good things, though. The idea that Jack didn't realize high heels were women's shoes was interesting, especially since he wears a robe. Ironically, they were the only pair of new footware that worked. I'd argue they were even better for his fighting than the sandals. I also like that at this point in the series Jack is getting a little fame and notoriety from the people suffering under Aku. It makes sense he has become Harry Potter. **1/2.
Genndy's Srapbook:
A biography of Genndy Tartakovsky narrated by the late Mako. It is really excellent. Two things that I need to note: does it worry anyone else that Genndy's parents both died relatively young? I'd hate for Genndy to be the next Dwayne McDuffie. Second thing: I have no idea why George Lucas felt the need to remake The Clone Wars. Tartakovsky's version was absolutely perfect. I'm miffed that it isn't cannon but the inferior CGI version is. *****.
The Pitch:
One of the writers pitching Jack And The Scotsman 2 REALLY fast. Hilarious. ****.
DVD Menus: Nothing special. **.
Grimm "The Inheritence"
Oh my God, was Sam Anderson's kid the most annoying character the show has ever given us? His absolute stupidity could have REALLY cost the heroes if Trubel didn't piece together what was going on. I kind of think that's probably why he was created: to give Trubel some credibility with the audience. I think that's kind of manipulative myself, and not an example of good storytelling. You shouldn't build your heroes up by making the people they deal with even stupider than they are. It's a REALLY cheap cliche, and I would have thought Grimm would have been above that.
Did I forget to mention how fantastic the episode was otherwise? Because it really was superb. We just knocked out about a season and a half worth's of mythology in 45 minutes. You kind of hope that ALL of the missing keys will be this easy to find, but you know they won't.
I'm looking forward to (and dreading) next week. ****1/2.
Hannibal "Ko No Mono"
I had a sneaking suspicion that they may have been punking us last week about Freddie Lounds, but even though we found out Will is just setting Hannibal up, I think I was still right to be furious last week. Why? Because it plays either way. And that is just NOT something that should be in the character of Will Graham. I knew it was a 50/50 chance he wasn't a murderer, but those odds were still too dang high. I'm not impressed with the twist, just because if the series was written right, it wouldn't have been plausible. Ick.
Michael Pitt is one of those actors who can make your skin crawl, and in every skeevy role I've seen him in, he does it in an entirely different way. The guy doesn't just play one psychopath with no variations (like Jack Nicholson) but he can do all different kinds of crazy. This flamboyant kind is REALLY unnerving. When I first saw him in this role, I didn't realize it was him. The guy has serious chops.
I thought Roger was joking on American Dad about those little birds you drown in sauce and eat whole under a shroud. It turns out they are actually a thing. People are REALLY weird.
This wasn't exactly a good episode, but it looks to be a set-up for a better one, so I can't blame it for that. ***1/2.
Samurai Jack: Season Two
Samurai Jack is at that point in the series where it is STARTING to go a little downhill, but it is still great about 50 percent of the time. After every episode when this aired I was like "Well, they can't all be winners." But in seasons three and four excellent episodes were very rare indeed. I should have initially been more worried about the quality dip here than I was at the time. But most of the episodes are still really good, even if some of them are starting to become too formula. I would REALLY have loved the series to have had a different premise, or "hook". The idea of Jack searching for a time portal for the entire series, and never reaching his goal got old MUCH faster than I'm betting Genndy Tartakovsky realized it would. Yes, the series looks great, and STILL looks great over a decade later, (which is nearly unheard of in animation) but as the series went on, it got more and more boring. The "hook" no longer fascinated me. The fact that the movie to wrap up Jack's search STILL hasn't happened, really aggravates me.
But these are, on the whole, better than the latter half of the series. Best episodes are Jack Learns To Jump Good (XIVV), Jack And The Scotsman 2 (XVII), and Jack versus Demongo, The Soul Collector (XXIII). Weakest episodes are Jack And The Monks (XX), Jack Is Naked (XXIV), and Jack's Sandals (XXVI). Season Overall: ***1/2.
Episode XIV:
Jack Learns To Jump Good: That was adorable! Those apes and gorillas (and gorilla boy) seem to be some of the only non-robots in the future. According to the prevailing theory that EVERYONE is a robot in the future, (this could be disproven if Genndy ever gets his butt around to the movie) the red gorillas seem to be the first bad guys Jack has fought who haven't exploded. My favorite part was at the beginning: Aku's hilarious game of keepaway from Jack. I was rolling. ****1/2.
Episode XV:
Jack Tales: Whooo-ooo! There was a fairytale quality to each of the stories. The first one has been told many times before, but I liked the twist that both worms were liars. The second story was frightening and all kinds of messed up. My jaw dropped. The third tale was the most predictable, but I still like it. First Tale: ****. Second Tale: ****1/2. Third Tale: ***. Episode Overall: ****.
Episode XVI:
Jack And The Smackback: Never a fan of gladiator or fight club episodes of genre shows, but this is a decent version. The alien character designs are all stupendous, and make Justice League's "War World" look even more pathetic than it already was. Listen to Kevin Michael Richardson's Macho Man Randy Savage inpersonation. It is uncanny, and unlike any voice of Richardson's I've ever heard. You can barely tell it's him. ***.
Episode XVII:
Jack And The Scotsman, Part 2: They telegraphed pretty blatantly ahead of time that the Scotsman's wife was going to be ugly and horrible, so I'm betting some critics will call the big "twist" predictable. But do you know what? They REALLY went for it. The Scotsman's Wife is one of the foulest looking and sounding characters ever put to animation. Only John K. has been able to make me feel more revulsion by a simple character design, and I've NEVER seen a Spumco character who actually SOUNDED as horrible as this. She sounded like Tress MacNeille giving birth to Rush Limbaugh. Full grown and with a cigar in his mouth. Jack's solution to simply beat up the guy who threw the rock farther than him shows the elegance of the character. He carefully controlled the situation and made sure the thrower boasted that he weighed 20 stones before clobbering him. I also really liked Jack continuing to eat food and drink during the brawl with the bounty hunters at the beginning. Jack is just plain awesome. *****.
Episode XVIII:
Jack And The Ultra-robots: This was by turns horrific, super scary, and oil-splatteringly violent, with unparalleled mayhem and destruction, including genocide. And it ALMOST works. Except for the goofy Professor Frink-style Scientist. He is tonally all wrong for the episode, and dillutes every single potentially scary thing happening onscreen. He is the Singing Gargoyles in Hunchback. But I don't think the Gargoyles did NEARLY as much damage to Hunchback as the Scientist does to this episode. He makes what should be a terrifying episode lame. It's sort of like if you went to the center of The Matrix to meet Scrappy Doo. No high fives to Genndy for this one. ***.
Episode XIX:
Jack Remembers The Past: Gorgeous vistas and a moving story. But if the series' animation has any fault, it's with the human character designs. The designs of the little girl and the bullies were awful. Still, this was a sweet episode, even if nothing actually happened in it. ***.
Episode XX:
Jack And The Monks: Speaking of nothing happening, this episode is like watching paint dry. It's boring and pointless. I was out of my mind with boredom and the thing is only 22 minutes long. Yawn. 1/2.
Episode XI
Jack And The Farting Dragon: Inventive episode with stunning visuals and unexpectedly funny jokes. I loved the Scissorsmith instructing Jack how to use the bladder as an airline mask, including stewardess inanities. And you have to love any episode with a Dragon's Lair / Space Ace reference. The animation in Jack's "Fantastic Voyage" reminded me greatly of the middle part of Ralph Bakshi's Wizards when Peace and Weehawk were in that psychedelic cave. The dragon's stomach was a lot like the TARDIS: bigger on the inside. And the Scissorsmith gave one of the greatest pieces of advice I have ever heard in a cartoon: "Never sell a wizard an expired fishing license." ****.
Episode XXII:
Jack And The Hunters: I love that the Hunters' designs seemed to be a cross between lions and gorillas, two of the most hunted species on planet Earth. The episode is a first: the villains actually beat Jack! Jack would have been a goner had they not turned out to be such great sports. ***1/2.
Episode XXIII:
Jack versus Demongo, The Soul Collector: Demongo is TOTALLY Him from The Powerpuff Girls. No question about it. I'm inclined to think the space where Jack traveled to free the souls probably wasn't a literal place, but just a representation of what Demongo was doing to them. And I absolutely loved it when Jack tried to shame Demongo. Why? Because Demongo was disinterested in his criticism and complete unapologetic. It was sort of like "Yeah, what I do is cheating. But what are YOU gonna do about it?" That's something Rumpelstiltskin on Once Upon A Time would do. I also loved the last scene of Aku taking about 2 seconds to consider Demongo's pleas for mercy before killing him. It was not only hardcore, it was hilarious. ****1/2.
Episode XXIV:
Jack Is Naked: I never much cared for "Jack In Wonderland". I mean, the old-timey music is nice and all, as was the homage to Atari's Centipede, but this seemed like an unnecessary diversion, even for this show. When Jack was pushed out on stage in that dress, that is what is known as a Quantum Leap moment. "Oh boy!". **1/2.
Episode XXV:
Jack And The Spartans: Some interesting cinematic techniques here. They weren't entirely successful, but I still got what they were going for. One question remains: How did Jack know which side to choose in the battle at the beginning? Had he chosen wrongly it could have been a disaster. The Spartans should consider themselves lucky the Minotaur robots are uglier than they are. ***1/2.
Episode XXVI:
Jack's Sandals: This is one of those episodes that is really monotonous, which is a thing that plagued the latter half of the series, and I am convinced was partially responsible for its demise. Two good things, though. The idea that Jack didn't realize high heels were women's shoes was interesting, especially since he wears a robe. Ironically, they were the only pair of new footware that worked. I'd argue they were even better for his fighting than the sandals. I also like that at this point in the series Jack is getting a little fame and notoriety from the people suffering under Aku. It makes sense he has become Harry Potter. **1/2.
Genndy's Srapbook:
A biography of Genndy Tartakovsky narrated by the late Mako. It is really excellent. Two things that I need to note: does it worry anyone else that Genndy's parents both died relatively young? I'd hate for Genndy to be the next Dwayne McDuffie. Second thing: I have no idea why George Lucas felt the need to remake The Clone Wars. Tartakovsky's version was absolutely perfect. I'm miffed that it isn't cannon but the inferior CGI version is. *****.
The Pitch:
One of the writers pitching Jack And The Scotsman 2 REALLY fast. Hilarious. ****.
DVD Menus: Nothing special. **.
no subject
Samurai Jack: Season Two - Sometimes I wonder if the status quo aspect of the series was what made it free enough to do some amazing, crazy episodes yet also had the unfortunate side effect of some pointless ones (too formula, as you said). I have a lot of love and respect for Samurai Jack, but I'd talk about it a lot more if it ever wraps up with a movie.
Episode XIV: Great episode, despite the non-ending.
Episode XV: I actually really like this one.
Episode XVI: To be fair, it's possible the "War World" aliens may've been just adaptations of much older (and lazier and sillier) DC alien races. Also, that one old alien lady that does the Superman chant is hilarious.
Episode XVII: She sounded like Tress MacNeille giving birth to Rush Limbaugh - Oh ew, ew, EW!!!
Episode XIX: It really looked gorgeous and reminds you of the terror Aku ended up causing.
Episode XXII: I loved the designs, and I really didn't expect the ending.
Episode XXIII: Spot on, yeah, Demongo is Him.
Episode XXV: Ha, I never thought of that about sides. I like this episode, and despite how much of a frightening psycho he is, I like that it gives tribute to Frank Miller, who not only did 300 but also Ronin, the inspiration of Samurai Jack.
Episode XXVI: Yeah, Jack's reputation is slowly growing, and it's cool.
Genndy's Srapbook: I hate to ask, but the Genndy and Dwayne McDuffie comparison...where is this coming from? Also, the answer to why George Lucas does ANYTHING is "money". So it's probably cheaper to remake Clone Wars and ultimately more profitable.
no subject
Samurai Jack: Season 2: I agree with this too. It was sort of freeing but it became formula too. The awesome visuals couldn't quite hide how empty the series wound up being.
Episode XVI: I am fair to War World simply by the fact that I haven't thrown out the disc it came on. That's enough.
Episode XVII: Thank you! Bows.
Episode XXIII: Demongo is better though. He doesn't really seem to give off the vaguely transphobic vibe Him does. It doesn't seem like a negative statement on sexuality is being made with Demongo. Rumpelstiltskin is the same way.
Episode XXV: Could you have imagined the disaster if the Spartans were the bad guys? He REALLY jumped in without thinking there.
Genndy's Scrapbok: Genndy's parents both died young an Genndy is overweight and middle-aged. This is the exact situation Dwayne McDuffie was in before he died.
no subject
Genndy's Scrapbok: Oh wow, I didn't know that. Thanks for the info.
no subject
Genndy's Scrapbook: It's kind of scary, actually.