A whole saga and it turns out, the key to intergalactic peace is a rager. Just do it on some deserted planet and y'all are good to go lololol
This episode was pretty funny as a whole, but dang, Darcy hit different. :joy:
Also loved Jotunn!Loki's appearance! (Guess this is where Loki/Sylvie's big change start to come into play, where this Loki will finally not have a miserable end.
When Thor made his "smile a little" comment, I went OOF and got excited because we know just how much Carol loves that.
Jane's character was very... OOC though? It felt like she was dumbed down for the story. Pretty sure they could have approached this some other way.
All in all a pretty fun episode. One of the better ones after the (imo) not so good past 2 episodes.
I was also spoiled by early leaks of the season's episode plots on Reddit, so I was surprised that we got an early glimpse of Ultron/Vision here.
I've found that the only way I can enjoy Lucifer's continued arrogance and selfishness (which honestly I know has been ongoing since Season 1 but has seemed much worse in recent seasons, or is it just that 5+ seasons of it is too much?) is to just accept it as Lucifer's norm — that he's never going to change and was the main reason he was so entertaining in the first season or two — and laugh at it. Otherwise... it just gets really annoying.
His scene in Linda's office highlighted this and this might have been the first time in a while I actually laughed at something Lucifer said. My god, he never listens, so I was honestly surprised when he caught on that Carol was talking about Ella.
And yass, Bob and Katya! LOL I enjoyed Bob and Luci's performance more than last season's musical episode. Katya should have danced!! (I've been watching too many interrogation psychoanalysis videos on YT though because my first thought when Bob when on his monologue was 'he'd look so guilty if this was really life' LOL.)
They were all so good this episode. :( Would have been sad to see anyone go.
Also, wth was that lip sync song choice? Kameron vs Ra'Jah was wasted on Boom Clap.
... well, fudge, I knew something like that would happen. Poor Raelle... again... :(
I thought this was fun in a way this show hasn’t been for me in a looong time.
(I also thought it was going swimmingly well until they brought Owen back, and at almost the last minute too like a surprise. Was I supossed to be pleased?)
This show came out of nowhere and I am loving every second of it.
That Twinner alliance is Rolaskatox all over again :(
That was a cute, fun, easy watch, and the characters, though seemingly plain and slightly bland on the surface, will, I think, as they put it, peel back their characters like onions.
That last scene!!
I was so excited for this, with Hawkeye and YJ with Kate being my entry into the modern Marvel comics a couple of years ago, I've literally been waiting for a good Hawkeye entry since.
This was an okay episode, but it felt a bit thrown together. (Also lot of the dialogue looks so obviously dubbed even in the next episode; I know all shows do ADR, but I also know that it shouldn't be so obvious... right?)
I don't think we needed to actually see Kate's hero origin story, especially since it's a toned down version of what was in the comics, so I wouldn't have minded just being thrown in the deep end with Kate already the Hawkeye-idolizing, rich heiress young adult. The moment she saw Clint during the Battle of NY was cheesy (for me, I know some people thought it was... nice?) + her telling her mom she needed a bow and arrow was weird (okay, the latter was a bit cute lol). But I like that the time skip and Kate's training was shown in art form through the title sequence. It looked a lot like Matt Fraction's Hawkeye, that's probably what has given me my most 'fangirl moment' for the show so far.
I knew this coming in, but I love them finally making Clint's hearing disability MCU canon.
My rating for this went up a bit when Kate going directly back to her place while in the freaking Ronin suit bit her in the ass in the next episode and that the freaking tracking app on her phone was because of her job because I just thought that was so stupid lol, so I guess yay for some realism where Kate's a slightly clueless girl who doesn't know how to lose a tail and the people after her aren't entirely stupid.
They're also quite obviously setting some stuff up (with the Armand dude's argument with her mom and the sketchy, sword-loving fiancé... though I'm also pretty suspicious of the mom), so I'm looking forward to the payoffs.
REESE IN GOD MODE!
The Machine is a literal Deus Ex Machina and I'm not even complaining. Holy wow, POI never disappoints with its season finales.
I absolutely LOVE how this show handles episodes that follow and focus on characters outside the main group. This was so good.
The transition from the 2 messed up simulations to the last one with the kiss and meta lines was so unexpected, I have no words to describe how perfect and funny that was (except I died).
This episode's flashbacks and its culmination are probably one of my favorites of the show.
Great return! Loved seeing the glimpses of their new lives, and Reese now a legit cop? This is gonna be a sight to see. And no joke, but I'm looking forward to him actually working side-by-side with Fusco. Him getting Carter's desk... damn, can't believe Carter just died a few episodes ago (for binge-watcher me), it feels like it's been forever after everything they've been through at this point.
Poor Shaw and her mismatched job, but looks like she'll fit right in with her new one (which I still don't quite know what it'll be, but I'm guessing this will play a role for the Machine's plans later on?).
Also, can't help but see the irony in Reese (and Carter previously) working with Elias now, realizing he's the "necessary/better evil"... after working so hard to send him to jail in Season 1 and seeing his absence land them several of their numbers. I know he kind of seemed like he liked Carter and even got revenge for her death, or maybe that was just him making 100% sure that HR has no more chance to return. I wonder if working with him will at one point in the series blow up in Reese and the team's faces.
Side-note: cute that they were upgraded from the burner flip phones to iPhones. XD
Shaw's book club scene was the best scene of this episode LMAO
I actually thought Finch would be the type to prefer to stay in the relative safety of being just behind his screens, so I was surprised when he was so willing to go out and get his hands dirty in Season 1 (at least after the first few episodes where he did kind of question his usefulness on the field), but mostly just because he seemed to be sort of anti-social. But the development of him being scared to step out after his trauma with Root does make more sense story-wise. I'm glad Reese didn't push, and that little reference to Finch giving him purpose was such a nice moment.
And at least Finch has goodboi Bear now. Ack, adding Bear was a great move, I love him.
Holy wow, that was intense. Reese getting cornered by HR and the FBI, Finch pulling through at the VERY last minute (cut it real close there, but of course, what would this be without the thrill), AND Alicia snooping around. SO good. Also very glad that Carter and Fusco now finally know about each other.
Always a pleasure to see Clarke Griffin's mom back as the sultry fixer Zoe Morgan.
I'm jealous of everyone who got to watch this and the reveal at the end without knowing (what I have sadly known long before starting this) that the POI is Root and that she would eventually become part of the team. Because daaamn, Amy Acker did such a switch there, very convincing as the good doctor and then did the psycho hacker well lmao (come to think of it, it is very Claire/Whiskey too; I kept wondering why this particular actress x character combination felt kind of familiar).
Also... The Machine is sort of sentient? I know about AI, but that's a whole 'nother level.
Agh I feel bad for Fusco every time Reese points out that he picked him because he was dirty when he's obviously trying to change (and stuck with HR because of him).
I was hoping this episode, after showing more flashbacks to Reese's past, would have him realize in present day his hypocrisy of keeping Carter and Fusco in the dark about their ops when that was the very thing he went through with the CIA. I mean I get not telling them about The Machine just yet, but he at least needs to tell them about each other.
I know it's probably gonna come eventually (at least, I hope), and I wanna know when he starts treating Fusco like an actual partner instead of as a lapdog, and with Carter and Fusco together, but (for once) I'm to scared to search for it because I know I'll get spoiled by page 1 of Google.
High Finch, good cop Fusco, and Carter still struggling with what to do with Reese made this episode pretty good. Otherwise, this episode's case of the week was just a bit predictable.
Genuinely thought there was going to be some payoff in the end, like Beard deciding he needs to speak up more when Ted goes on one of his "it'll be alright" rantings, but then the ending came and went. I guess not everything needs some big payoff and maybe this was just to show us the everyday goings on in Coach Beard's mind? And it was so long. This is the amount of time I would have wanted spent on the other storylines. This just felt like a trippy, stoner episode except he was mostly sober.
The three pub blokes' parts were pretty fun lol
Before anything, guys, I know petitions to save shows are sometimes long shots, but it's worth a try: https://www.change.org/p/freeform-save-motherland-fort-salem. There's so much they could do with motherf*ing Witch Soldiers! This definitely deserves more seasons (and a better network than unfreeform).
So many thoughts about this episode! Some highlights:
• I loved the Doctor dude telling Batan that she was responsible for helping turn the public opinion against witches because, regardless of their intentions and the message they really wanted to convey, their means was horrible. It's not up for debate. And she needs to acknowledge that. Especially because I think I'm going to enjoy her character a lot more than I was expecting.
• Sometimes when I start to see Petra show some vulnerability and actual care for her daughter, there's always just something... lacking, and she quickly turns to caring more about her potential. Sure hope this changes in the future because damn it, Abigail just needs to be loved, come on.
• "The union of Earth and Sky must be prevented at all costs." Hmm, this season highlighted Raelle's power a lot with the mycelium (with some hints of what Abs could be capable of on her own), but looks like with this little comment, Abi's power season is coming!
• Oh god, Penelope... that was too bad, I definitely joined a bit of the hype train and thought she would play a bigger role as a potentially strong "lost lineage" witch in later seasons. ... But ugh, yeah, I just knew that the VP was sketchy. The thought of anyone willing to kill their own child for a fucked up mindset becoming President? Uh-uh. shivers
• "You two can move the earth, right?" - UNDERSTATEMENT OF THE YEAR
• The rescue scene, yasss! Tarim, Spree, Unit power! And wow I love that Raelle immediately got "shit's about to rain down and through your windows babe" from the S on her hand? LOL
• I was honestly scared for this finale, what with the title ominously being a Part 1 (and the idea that the season would end in a cliffhanger, with Part 2 months away), and with the horrifying ending to the penultimate episode (I honestly thought the Fort battle was gonna be much longer), but how it turned out is pretty exciting! Oh, the fun road trip potential for this ragtag group of fugitives, it almost sounds like the beginnings of a joke: 3 War College cadets, 2 members of the Spree, and a Dodger (?) walk into a Camarilla cell...
• The rest of my review and ramblings for this episode, because this got way too long and if anyone cares, are here: https://addictedtothese.wordpress.com/2021/08/27/motherland-fort-salem-revolution-part-1-s2s-bewitching-finale/
Side note that I would love perhaps a book spin-off series, I've wanted it ever since and even more when I saw Eliot's interview about his original plan for the series being books. I would prefer that these characters be continued on the show and maybe a different set of characters (maybe even from a different time period) be explored in a potential book series, so I hope to god that this gets renewed beyond Season 3... and soon, because if they finish drafting Season 3 without a confirmed Season 4, they might end up rushing through Eliot's vision for the rest of the show. :(
Definitely thought Scarlet had this in the bag.
And LOL at the 2 bottom queens trying to blow a kiss at Lemon as she walked off the stage after what went down in Untucked and Lemon (whether intentional or not) ignoring them lmao. Also, it was definitely time for the eliminated queen to go home.
The judges are making this pretty hard to watch tbh. (The preview for the next episode is scaring me already...)
I expected so much better from Brooke because I'm biased and loved her in her season, but sometimes her critiques just sound like snide comments she might say during confessionals as a contestant. Yikes.
Meanwhile, JBC... sometimes, he interacts with the queens and I think, okay, he's being nice and giving constructive criticism, maybe — then nope, he turns around and says something mean. His delivery and his judgmental face as he says it make it so much worse; it's like he's trying so hard to be the bitchier version of Simon Cowell, Idek. Hope the production team, if they were the ones who coached him through his behavior, would learn from this.
And well, the irony of the lip-sync song and their comments. Damn. Would have loved for Ilona to have mooned them during the song to prove a point lol
First few seasons were great.
Pretty good, really.. just some cheesy lines and angsty moments here and there that ruin it for me at times.. and sometimes, the acting.. :P
Tatum progressively getting more into it the more Leighton made fun of her was so funny. (And holy crap, how is the twincest phase thing freakishly accurate yet it's the first time I've heard of it lmao; p.s. I looked it up and it's not the actual term thank god, but still lol)
And oh, Bela... Bela, Bela, Bela...
This All Stars rule thing definitely needs some revision, or at least casting does. There are those seasons where you go, "It's anyone's game at this point, any of them could be Top 3/4," and it'll hurt to see the eliminated queen go but it's alright in the long run. This season is the exact opposite with the clear Top 2 gone.
It's especially sad to me that these particular set of queens are the ones that chose to "play" when they're the ones not actually competing for prize money lol, whereas we've seen other US All Stars queens choose 'fairly' despite this lowering their chances at the prize.
Also, 2 consecutive episodes now that the queens' choices have legitimately surprised me. From Janey and Jimbo's conversation, I thought for sure she would have picked Jimbo. Meanwhile, I didn't think Pangina would pick Jimbo last ep, and same with this one, I was literally rooting for Blu because the way she spoke to the girls made me actually think she was gonna save Pangina.
Side-note: Blu definitely killed it in the episode though. Snatch Game, the runway, and Pangina fans XD
After watching the first movie, I genuinely thought I'd rewatched this trilogy to truly understand it too late (I watched it as a child but always felt like it was a movie for adults with its serious tone, so I was never quite attached to it). The first movie showed me the reason why LotR was so often the point of comparison whenever a new high fantasy series came out. But 2 decades later, having seen so many films and shows somewhat inspired by LotR's ambitiousness, I was honestly... a bit whelmed.
But this movie... damn.
Given more time to get to know them somewhat, the characters have become a bit more likeable (though I understand that it would have been hard to form an attachment to them with just the first movie, which had a lot of introduction to do). I also really liked the way this film handled the split narratives without taking away anything.
Probably what I loved most about this was the introduction to more of this world's lore. Now I'm tempted to rewatch the first movie with this newfound appreciation for it (I most likely will after the third movie). It makes me wish I still had the time and patience to read books because I'd love to read the series just to delve deeper into this rich universe. Might be time to finally dust off that old copy of The Hobbit lying around here somewhere…
Also, for a long time, (I avoided spoilers and they weren't really abundant) I genuinely thought this was about Frodo gaining control over the ring. I now realize that it's really just about this high fantasy world, an impending war against 1 dude (who's really just empowered by evil Dumbledore at this point), and a host of races selfishly trying to gain control of The Ring. Well. It's mostly just been Men at this point, go figure.
And what an edge-of-the-seat battle! I went from being so sure that the Ents would show up to turn the tide, but then they didn't and I thought the battle really was unwinnable massacre, then the elves arrived and provided some hope (even for viewers like me who hadn't read the books, I assume), but then they were still massacred, and at that point, I figured it truly was done, with such heavy losses made more tragic by the scenes leading up to it. And then... sunrise! Damn, a rollercoaster.
Also… poor Gollum?
YES, definitely my top three! :hearts:
I don't think I fully appreciated the first time around just how well this show managed to (eventually) integrate Root into the team and how they were able to redeem and develop her character convincingly; I was too busy just enjoying her popping up whenever she did. From psycho kidnapper to core part of the group. * cries *
But dang, if they'd gotten the chip then... would've saved them a whole lot of trouble (and us 2 seasons of Samaritan lol).
Damn, did not actually expect the whole gang to end up at Gotham, but this is loads better than keeping the whole team apart.
I am loving Gar and Conner. And oh god Dick, did you date all your crime-fighting partners (Barb, Dove, Kory)? lol
Agree with the other comments, Red Hood's story is going too fast. If there was meant to be months, or even weeks, between this episode and the opening of the previous one, it's definitely not obvious and makes it a bit hard to suspend belief that Jason went from reckless Robin to chess master/crafty tactician RH. I know comic book RH was possibly at this level, but (unfortunately) I definitely didn't get that vibe from Titans' Jason.
Also is it just me but something's a bit sad about this season's fight scenes? I can almost always tell Dove's punches are fake as hell. The fight music, too, and the quips (was Hank always so corny, during and outside of fight scenes?). It's like they got instructions to try to lighten the show's mood. Feels kind of forced.
Side-note: Hank looked ridiculous in his uniform lmao
