Me channeling Elsa at the whole Luther and Sloane thing: "You can't marry a man you just met!"
Honestly though, someone calling out Viktor's part in both apocalypses was overdue. I get that a lot of outside forces were responsible (and in a way, his family and their constant dismissal is a factor), but it's his powers (and ultimately decisions) that lead to the world-ending stuff. The confrontation with Alison was painful to watch though (although tbf I did think she forgave Viktor pretty quickly for... slashing her throat back in S1). Five did it well.
There's way too much happening.
Aaaand they actually went to the Allison-Luther(-Sloane) storyline I'd been dreading. I was pretty pleased that it looked like it wasn't gonna happen, spoke too soon I guess. "You're blowing me off for some knockoff you've known for five minutes?" is definitely worse than how I imagined it would be addressed, if at all. I guess it's just part of showing her spiral, but still. Uck.
"Oh girl, we don't ask those questions." - Basically the tagline when watching this show. (Usually don't mind. I've embraced this part of LoT. I just really did not enjoy this episode at all.)
Second group was so good! And Viv's Dolly lip sync was perf!
Are we keeping both Zaris??! :heart_eyes::fingers_crossed:
... there was an imposter among them.
This episode (especially the forcefield scene) was so silly I love it lmao
Based on comments here, it seems like new Zari wasn't very popular during airing, but I am quite enjoying her (and how well Tala is playing her, I've kind of forgotten how old Zari was if not for the occasional flashbacks), but the idea of getting, and even just seeing, old Zari back has me so excited.
Also definitely pleasantly surprised that I liked Behrad so much (surprised because I thought I wouldn't considering he "replaced" Zari but it feels so well done that I didn't mind), in a way I sadly didn't like Charlie as much as I wanted to last season (it felt like she was just there most of the time; I loved Maisie as Amaya and was excited to get her back, and with her getting to use her Brit accent, but she just wasn't explored enough to get too attached to her - guess they were saving the character building for this season).
So, obviously, I GASPED the minute B looked at the blade, knowing how that would end. JFC. Also, loved Charlie cutting off her sister's hand lmao
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:
Re: boomerang trick arrow: "You'd have to dodge." Oh, Kate.
Why can't I take happy Vera Farmiga seriously?
Nat is such a crucial part of Clint and the show despite everything. And I am all for it. The talk about Clint's "best shot"/the one he didn't take had me tearing up. It also took me a while to realize that that pause Clint had when reaching down for Kate was a call out to their Endgame scene, but when I did, god damn it.
Yelena's BW moves, oh yeah! Wish it didn't end there. I wanted her to beat their asses lol. I do like that Yelena zipped Kate up before dropping her off the side of the building (that was homicidally sweet of her) because she was there just for Clint.
I'd really like for Clint to at least know of Yelena, like when she finally tells him why she's after him, that she's doing it for her sister, he'll know and just go "Yelena?" or something. She's supposed to be one of the most important people to Nat, next to her found fam Avengers, and since Clint's her bff and she knew about his family, it would make sense that he would know about hers. Since there was never really any allusion to Yelena before the BW movie, I feel like we need this for some continuity.
Ooh, is Jan the killer?
This was so good! My family and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Definitely great that this was our first cinema experience after 2 years of this pandemic!
I actively avoided reading reviews about this before we got the chance to see it, especially the massively negative ones, but everything to avoid my own opinions from being influenced. Being a Marvel fan, I wasn't quite ready to witness the supposed, potential downfall of the MCU, not in my lifetime, so I wanted to be the judge for myself. Turns out, there really was no cause for concern.
I WAS expecting it to drag given the runtime, number of characters, and the damn review tidbits I did see, but it absolutely did not (for me). I barely even noticed time pass. (Although sure, there was that one, very long info-dump scene, but I didn't really think there was any good way to provide that crucial information.)
I loved all the characters. They were all humanized somewhat despite their Eternals status. I looked forward to seeing where they all ended up on Earth and was not disappointed (though I'm guessing there was more to Makkari's story, maybe..?). I SO enjoyed all the myth counterpart story jokes too (the one who flew too close to the sun was freakin' bittersweet).
And I actually, truly liked the moral struggle they had. If there had been none, if they'd gone the typical superhero movie route of everyone being onboard and saviors of humanity mindset, then I would have been disappointed. But this is realistic (as much as possible in a superhero flick). Because even I questioned their decision (though knowing Marvel, I'm almost sure this won't be the last we've of the giant ice baby, or there's maybe a secret within the secret, so I don't feel too bad about it just yet). It's also pretty effed up to think that maybe Thanos really was trying to save the world in (more ways than the one he shared) when he Blipped them population. Had he known all along!?
I loved how Dane was pretty much just a cameo here lol. But that's a good thing — they planted the seed for his character without taking away focus from The Eternals themselves.
That plot twist with Ajak and Ikaris, I totally did not see that coming. I was expecting what occured to be with the former, so yeah. WHOA.
And Angelina Jolie? Totally fangirled over her. It's been a while since I'd seen her onscreen, and I totally wasn't expecting much, but despite the fact that they nerfed her for a huge chunk of the main action to give the bad guys a shot (lol), the action we did get and the emotions she brought.. She is just:ok_hand:
This movie's humor felt probably very natural to me in a way it hasn't for recent MCU movies.
Karun's inclusion was hilarious! I loved Makkari's speed vfx, and I momentarily forgot Kingo's power before their first fight after the reunion, but damn that was cool. Sprite's storytelling scene was nice, too, and shows just how the stories of the gods and goddesses would have been passed down because of that. And Thena and Gilgamesh........ * tears *
Note: this is probably like an 8/10 for me, but I'm giving it a 9 because I just need to balance out all these hate ratings. -__-
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).
Just knew that it was gonna get goooood the minute Clint pulled off his flip and shoot (when he shot at Kate's binds). And I loved that shot of Kate shooting the first trick arrow with the camera right in front of her. That was probably my favorite, but I loved the rest of that chase scene. All the trick arrows were so fun! ... it reminded me of how not fun Arrow became when this was the kind of buffoonery I wanted from that show. * nervous laughter * And that Pym trick, daaang! Plus the dongle arrow! ;)
And Clint and Kate finally communicating.... just not going very well at the moment. :laughing: I did like seeing a glimpse of Kate realizing how she kind of messed up Clint's Christmas plans. But alas, thus is the life of a superhero. One optimistic Kate doesn't quite get yet.
Kate's line about her father... when someone says a certain character's "all about helping people", it makes me think the exact opposite. Maybe whoever his father was in business with (Uncle?), her mom took over it, thus today's dilemma.
LOL at the classic Hawkeye suit nod. And Pizza Dog! :heart:
And I guess I take back my comment from the previous episode. I guess we're getting introduced to a lighter, somewhat still new to the scene, Tracksuit Mafia-leading Maya, not ninja Echo whose dad got murdered then got raised by Fisk (Uncle!! hand cameo) when she was a kid, given how she almost throttled Kate here (Star-Lord flashbacks), and I'm okay with that. Realized we don't really need all our badass heroines to be sulky, be level-headed, or have unlimited resources lol. Also remembering that this is supposed to be fun and lighthearted (I honestly forgot, the wait for this was long). And since they're planning a spin-off for her already, it makes sense to not introduce her as a fully-developed character immediately.
The young Mabel was spot on as a young Selena! Dang.
I like the characterizations for our weird trio of sleuths. Can't say I like or are attached to any of them particularly strongly at this point, but yeah, they're interesting enough and have this rapport when they're together that make them fun to watch.
Glad we're seeing Mabel and Tim's backstory now, I was scared we were going to have to wait a while.
And WHOA, that ending. (Are they not worried about stealing all of Tim's stuff from his apartment though and leaving tracks in the blood, or is it because the cops are done with the scene?)
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!!
Okay, this is better. Kate's fangirling is hilarious, and there were a lot of pretty good one-liners.
And I'll kick myself later if I'm wrong, but they're making Swordsman/the fiancé so sketchy, so naturally, I'm convinced he's not a bad guy and maybe also fancies himself a vigilante.
Was it just me and Echo's intro was really anticlimactic. They should have shown her in action, if we had to wait until Episode 3, that would've been fine by me. Or you know, I have no idea what I'm talking about. I just think she would have been so good in Netflix's Daredevil.
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.
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
I feel like they could have done so much more with Jason's scene. It was okay, just maybe a notch higher on the creepy, thriller scale would have been nice since it was supposed to be a haunting and grotesque scene. I wanted to want to look away, but I didn't get that. Also, the music during the first Titans fight scene was so weird. It could have been a good scene (my god, those bone cracking sounds would have been so satisfying without that tune) but it looked... jokey. Definitely not Titans vibe.
I do like the build up of Dick investigating what Robin was up to. And hello, Barbara and Tim (and the other Robin nods, dang)! Here's to hoping we get some young Barb as Batgirl flashbacks.
Wonder what's happening to Kori; where's Dove, and when are we getting Rachel back? Hopefully we're back to the whole Titans crew in the next episode.
I reallyyy wanna like this season. Season 1 was okay, and Season 2 was really good! ... so I definitely came into this season with at least some expectations.
Wow, that was an amazing start. The art style is stunning (I keep pausing to appreciate it), the lore setup is great, the characters intriguing, and the end is definitely gripping enough to make you want to keep tuning in. I constantly asked my brother about some small details, curious if these were established in the game since I'm not much of a MOBA player.
Also, the opening sequence is SICK!
At first, I couldn't quite put into words how I felt about this episode (but as you can see, once I started, I couldn't stop).
Though it had less action than previous episodes, it was gripping, though it didn't have a sense of foreboding because a) the big bad would expectedly not win, and b) I felt like the fear of possible defeat was stronger in the penultimate episode.
Yet this was so emotional. John, of all people, brought me close to tears. I kind of knew that he was talking to the Machine too at the Reserve, but his final conversation with Finch was heartbreaking. He was so ready to lay down his life for the man who'd given him a purpose.
Root truly did become the Machine's conduit, in a way. It felt for so long, because we weren't really hearing the Machine, like she just worshipped it like a god, but hearing the Machine's POV now, it almost seemed like they had an almost symbiotic experience and learned from and with each other, and the 'love' was mutual. Their scenes actually felt like Harold was talking to both of them.
I don't quite know if the 'meaning of life' lesson that the Machine got was a bit predictable or if it's just I'd seen it quoted before somewhere (now that I think about it maybe it felt familiar because it was a callback to Root's dying speeches to Shaw and Finch), but I do appreciate it because in the end, I feel like Finch still didn't truly believe or trust in his creation until they had that talk. I was even kind of hoping for Finch to call the Machine his child or something, but I guess that would have been kind of sudden for him still despite recent events, so in the end, the affirmation Finch gave her ("Yes, we did") was still pretty satisfying.
Other standouts: that shot of Root and John on the rooftop got to me, too. Damn. And Shaw's farewell to Root/the Machine and her avenging Root (I am officially obsessed with Sarah Shahi). Poor Fusco but glad he made it 'til the end. And Bear!
My god I wish this show hadn't gotten cancelled and given a shorter final season. I read that the showrunners wouldn't have rushed this otherwise. Though I was getting sick of Samaritan amassing so much power, just getting more powerful every day, I am curious how they could have handled it better if they had more episodes.
-If they could have even explored a post-Samaritan POI.
-With the constant implications that the Machine was no match for Samaritan and the frequent back and forth between Root and Finch about making the Machine an open system and arming her, I wonder if this was something they were planning on tackling further someday and..
-- if this would have paved the way for the Machine to be able to defeat Samaritan without the ICE-9,
-- and if they would someday have struggled with the Machine turning into a Samaritan-like ASI if they did as Root wanted (and thus if an extended POI would have ultimately ended with no ASI/the Machine's destruction like I'd initially thought, or wouldthe Machine really have proven to be a good/better ASI)...
So many possibilities.
This was a ride. I'm 5 years late but I'm SO glad I gave this show a go, I definitely did not know what I was missing. I'm not sure how to move on from this now!
This was so good.
But I am CRYING. "I chose a voice." Holy --
Every glimpse of Shaw in her torture bed breaks my heart. It was so frustrating to see Greer trying to turn her and for him to even bring her face-to-face (sort of) with Samaritan. Ugh, they just need to bring her back to the team dammit.
But Shaw + Greer's and Fusco's scenes aside, the rest of this episode was so funny?? That sad face Root gave the camera when Finch basically outright refused to take her to the wedding was hilarious to me. I couldn't stop laughing (as with most of her scenes this episode) lol, and Finch singing while Reese and Root kicked ass behind the scenes! Also loved the conversation between Finch and Root during the dance. They've come such a long way from rival hackers to captor-captive. XD
I also kinda liked this week's case because I thought there were so many potential perpetrators, but I did suspect the sister (and the photograph, so I suppose that doesn't say much lol) during the barn scene.
And Root riding in on a horse. Daaaamn, girl.
And oh no, Fusco!!
I'm pretty curious about the research. Up until Finch questioned it, I immediately assumed what Root did — that Samaritan wanted the research so that it could control the world's food supply, or at least control when it'll end world hunger, but the way it was presented made it seem like that wasn't its reason for it. I wonder if we'll actually find that out given that there's only a few episodes left this season (I am trying so hard not to just Google it right now).
And wow, did not expect Elias to still be alive. Dude's a cockroach, you just can't kill him (don't misunderstand, I love him and I'm glad).
I love how this case clearly affected Reese, the emotions on his face we so rarely see were intense this episode.
It's such a shame though; I feel like making Reese break up with Iris just because of his past is such a big step back, a huge undoing of everything he tried to learn and embrace these past few seasons (even though I didn't have much love for the pairing to begin with, but this was probably the only episode where I appreciated them). I mean, the whole point of his cabin trip episode with Carter's ghost was to get him to accept that he could have a normal life and he shouldn't let his past affect him, and that was completely ignored with this episode. If the reasoning had been because of how dangerous his current side-job is, it would still be so cliché, but I'd get that because it would also be true. It's kind of (?) obvious that they're setting him up for his big, sad ending.
I knew from the cold open and the music at the beginning that we were in for a ride. Holy sh—
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.
