Me everytime I see Nathaniel Malick on screen: I've had enough of this man
He's so annoying! I hate his smug face. The audacity of thinking that his stolen powers could outmatch Daisy's... When she went feral for a second there (great moment!), the fear in his eyes was so satisfying. Daisy constantly gets nerfed either for story or budgetary reasons, but every once in a while we get a glimpse of how truly powerful she is and it's always epic. Shame May cut it short. I hope our girl finally gets to unleash a bringing-down-buildings level of destruction in the inevitable Quake vs Quake showdown. It really irks me that most of the time she's only allowed to use her powers to push people around. She may not be strong enough to tear the world apart, but I believe she could turn entire city blocks to rubble or demolish small towns without breaking a sweat if the showrunners weren't holding her back.
Daisy and Jiaying had some great scenes together in this one. I don't understand why everyone was going on about keeping her alive to protect Daisy's existence though. When Mack's parents were killed, an alternate timeline was created, but he still got to keep his memories of being raised by them in the original one. By the same logic, Jiaying dying shouldn't affect our Daisy at all, should it? It just means that her alternate timeline counterpart won't be born. But who the hell knows.
John Garrett making an appearance is a fun blast from the past. The fact that they chose Bill Paxton's actual son to portray the younger version of the character is so cool.
Perhaps I'm in the minority, but I haven't really missed Fitz that much this season. But damn if I'm not curious what Jemma's breakdown last episode was all about! I don't think he's dead, but something truly messed up must've happened. Next week we might finally find out what that is.
The penultimate spot on this list goes to...
6x03 "Fear and Loathing on the Planet of Kitson"
Admittedly, this episode is nowhere near as good as some of my other favorites (cough "Self-Control" cough), but it is 42 minutes of pure dumb fun featuring my two favorite gals accidentally dropping alien acid, so what's not to love? Daisy and Jemma are such an underrated duo. Every season they get like an episode or two where their dynamic is center stage, but other than that, they are largely overlooked, which is a shame. Elizabeth and Chloe are obsessed with each other in real life, which translates effortlessly into the chemistry between their characters and makes them so fun to watch. I just know they were dying laughing while filming this episode. It's kind of a guilty pleasure episode of mine and a highlight of an otherwise meh season (along with "Inescapeable").
I'm always excited for episodes that explore the "what if" scenarios. Especially when they're as good as this one.
I loved the opening monologue done Eobard-style and the reality the Legion created. It was fun to see vigilante Felicity for a second there. I also enjoyed the bit about Nyssa living a "miserable, closeted life in Ohio". (By the way, when are we going to see Nyssa again? I still ship her and Sara.) Those little moments really remind you how intertwined the four DC/CW shows are, even more so than crossovers.
Rip spending his time baking cakes was absolutely hilarious. And that tiny little Waverider at the end? Adorable!
Amaya, no! Why did they do that? I know they'll almost certainly bring her back when the Legends undo the Legion's mess, but it still hurt. And damn, Leonard, that pun was really freaking uncalled for. Rude.
I sincerely hope that we'll get to see that zombie speedster thing eat Eobard alive or something. Dude has it coming.
If I'm not mistaken, next week is the season finale. I'm totally pumped. The stakes are higher than ever. The Legends will have to find Rip, get the Waverider back to its original size, go back in time, find the Spear, kick the Legion's asses and restore the reality to what it should be, all in 42 short minutes. I can't wait!
Oh, silly, naive, delusional DeLuca. You really thought you were at Derek's level? HA!
Still all these years later, and I'm as heartbroken about Derek's death as on day one. I even got a bit emotional during the flashbacks to that horrible, horrible episode. I've watched doctor's reactions on YouTube to Grey's pilot episode and I got a pang of sadness every time I heard "It's a beautiful night/day to save lives". I will forever miss him, even with all his faults and crappy things he did.
But the way Meredith went off on the arrogant, negligent idiot who cost Derek his life? So deeply satisfying (I'mma be watching that on repeat). Also, Amelia's admission of wanting to stab a scalpel into his brain? Unethical, but so understandable. I shared her glee during that "[he's dead and] I didn't kill him" bit.
Surprisingly, I don't blame Schimidt for almost costing Mer her license. He didn't rat her out out of malice or ill intent. Unlike Bailey, that petty, resentful, selfish witch. You still suck, Bailey and I don't see myself forgiving your nasty ass anytime soon. And as much as I dislike Schmidt I feel bad for him. Life is gonna suck for him at Grey-Sloan.
Unpopular opinion: I was not a big fan of this episode. It was too obvious for the killers to be the Dimases, yet they ended up spending an entire episode going down that theory again. So, in the end we don't have any new information. We are onto the 9th episode and we still don't have a minor clue who would be the murderer.
The ending saved this episode because of the twist. This sends the investigation into a whole new direction, and I'm hoping for something interesting.
If Jane is dead I won't be mad, she may be right but is still so annoying. I think she's been stabbed but will survive.
Who in the building has connections to the police? How are the police involved?
Why would Theo take Oliver and Mabel to show them the place where they dispose bodies? He could have got his father down to the basement. And how did Theo manage to tie two people up all by himself?
Was that a good “shit, fuck, fuck”? Martin Short deserves to win an Emmy for this show, he provides like 90% of the humor. He was on fire in this episode.
“Reverse helpful” is getting added to my vocab.
I'm actually glad that we're back to one episode a week. It means that I can enjoy the show for a bit longer.
Harold was the most interesting part of the episode. He's really willing to do anything at this point, which is a completely new side of his character.
It's been a week since I had to say goodbye to the love of my life. I miss the real Root like hell, but The Machine with her voice is great. When She said She'd loved Root, I couldn't help but smile. And the way She experiences love is fascinating.
I know a lot of people weren't satisfied with Shaw's reaction to Root's death, but to me, it was all perfectly in character for her. Shaw wouldn't cry, she'd go out there and shoot people, which is exactly what she did in this episode. But it killed me to see her spinning on the roundabout. Why is this show constantly making me suffer?
Since Harold went rogue in the previous episode, they had to give the rest of the team something to do, leaving us with pretty much another case-of-the-week episode. The storyline was interesting, but I'm kind of disappointed, to be honest. I can't explain it. Maybe my standards were impossibly high after last week, or maybe I'd thought that the last three episodes of the series would focus entirely on kicking Samaritan's ass. But overall, it was a great episode, as always, and I'm excited for next week.
After going through all the emotions in my head of shock, anger, depression, and countless others, I think it's time we address just how extraordinary this episode was. The writing, the shooting, the dialog, the emotions, everything about the episode was perfect to the dot. Amy Acker's performance was spectacular and made even better with that beautiful smirk of hers. Finch's monologue seemed to be also directed to the show in some way... Because the show is ending and so is the machine... With all that being said and all the amazing scenes the episode had given us... I am still not over Root's death. I don't condemn it, nor do I think it gave the show more edge or more suspense... Even though I am a huge fan of Root, this is not coming from my biased opinion of her. I truly believe that Root is a major and probably dominant part of the show... And I do realize that the writers wanted her to be more than she is and more than just an asset which is why the machine chose her voice... In a way they wanted Root to live on after death... To give her an opportunity to protect the others through the machine... But I still think they lost half the show by killing off Root. Especially now that there's only 3 episodes left. I just don't see myself watching the show without having Root there...
That feeling when you have to go to school, and you can't watch the episode until you get home in the afternoon... Well, dear teachers, if you really expect me to put Maths or History ahead of one of my favorite shows' final season, you're seriously underestimating my obsession with fictional characters. I swear, tomorrow I'm getting up at 5 AM just to catch the next episode before classes.
The beginning of the episode was amazing. My multilingual baby Shaw in a cowboy hat? This is the stuff that dreams are made of.
Root with a big-ass gun is my new OTP.
ROOT AND SHAW! I'm screeching like a dying pterodactyl right now! Both actresses absolutely nailed that scene. Amy Acker's eyes are just inhumanly expressive. It's hypnotizing to watch. They should have their own award category. I wish that Person of Interest and its exquisite cast got more recognition because they absolutely deserve it. It's sad that even the show's own station doesn't appreciate it.
"The one person I couldn't kill... was you."
Everything hurts, and I'm crying. It's a good pain, though. The kind of pain that makes you feel alive.
The Voice was a compelling villain, and the plot twist was as unexpected as it was incredible.
The shootout at the precinct was an awesome scene.
Elias and Harold had a lot of good scenes too. Elias blowing up The Voice's car was great. I totally thought they'd really let him go, which would have been stupid, but that's how Harold rolls, so I would've understood it. Still, I was pleasantly surprised that they didn't just let the bad guy get away.
Fusco knows! Finally!
The whole team at the end made me cry even harder. Is this show trying to kill me?
4 episodes to go. I can't deal with this.
[8.0/10] I am a sucker for a good zombie tale, so this is catnip for me. What I like about this episode is that it’s framed as the anti-Endgame in some ways. You have Okoye and Ant-Man and Hulk present, but for the most part, it’s a “Save the World” story involving several heroes who weren’t there post-Snap. It made for a different sort of Avengers Team, and it was cool to see.
I also love how straight they played a lot of the traditional zombie movie tropes (with Peter Parker commenting on them as they went), while mixing in the natural superhero exaggerations. Inevitably in zombie tales, you get some member of the group who’s infected but hasn’t succumbed yet. That being Hope, and having her make the sacrifice play by going giant to get our heroes to safety, is a nice way to blend a familiar beat with the larger-than-life world of the MCU.
Likewise, undead stories often involve some character who cannot quite let go of a loved one, even though they’re infected. Having that be Vision and Wanda is not only a cool twist, but it has extra resonance after the events of WandaVision.
Plus, if nothing else, it’s just cool to see zombies using superhero powers. Zombie Cap fighting Bucky on a train and getting sliced through the middle with a shield is badass as hell. Zombie Wanda using her witch powers to feed is scary beyond words. And even zombie Happy wearing a cap arm and saying “Blam!” in both his human and undead form is a laugh. There’s some inherent spark to the gimmick, and this What If? takes full advantage of it. (See also: Ant-Man as a head in a jar moving around via the use of Doctor Strange’s cape.)
There’s even plenty of fun Spider-Man business in this. His orientation video is a ton of fun on its own and feels very on-brand. There’s ballast in his explanation that he’s able to keep his chin up and “keep smiling” through all of this since he “has practice” when it comes to loss. And I even like how this one reverses the dynamic from Endgame, where it’s Peter lamenting that he doomed “Mr. Stark” and the rest of the Avengers because he wasn’t there to save them after he turned down membership in Homecoming, the negative image of Tony blaming himself for Peter’s death by dragging him into the Avengers.
All in all, this one makes great use of its central conceit with inventive set pieces and some cool remixes of both zombie movies and MCU escapades.
Okay, this was actually... pretty good? My expectations for this show have been so low for such a long time, but this episode, as well as the previous one, pleasantly surprised me. Maybe there is hope for Arrow after all.
I don't really care about the new team, at least not yet, and I would sell my soul to get Laurel back, but Ragman was very cool. The Bratva flashbacks are a lot better than last season's crap, and Diggle's storyline is interesting too. The fight scenes were pretty great.
The scene in which Thea offers Quentin a job was heartfelt and emotional.
I don't hate Felicity as a character, and I don't really dislike Olicity either. The only thing I truly despise is the unnecessary drama that the writers kept throwing their way in seasons 3 and 4 instead of focusing on the actual superhero stuff. Seeing Felicity's new boyfriend - who is just painfully bland, by the way - made me want to roll my eyes. You can just feel Oliver's manpain and all the angst that we'll have to suffer through when he finds out about Detective Boring Dude. I mean, you can say what you want about Olicity, but the truth is, if they had just gotten married last season, we would've been spared a lot of nonsensical bullshit and maybe season 4 would've been more bearable. Let's hope the showrunners don't lose their way again and stop turning this show into some crappy rom-com. I really want this season to be good.
So... let's just assume Hunt's gone... the character wasn't going anywhere, or in other words he's come full circle: starting off with flashbacks to his wartimes and and leaving guilt-ridden and with flashbacks. What's suicidal Megan going to do now?
I like Hayes - I'd have liked to see him with Meredith, I just hope he knows about her being involved with what's his name in Minneapolis (see, really bad at names).
Pleeeease, resolve that ridiculous Link-Amelia-Jo-researcher mess. I really like Link, I also like the Amelia-researcher (sorry, still didn't catch the name yet) dynamics... but Jo, all of a sudden discovering her being in love with Link, just ruins this plotthread.
New Bailey-groupie... hm... him learning how his attendings do things? Okay...
Now, the Webber-method... who didn't see this coming? Residents who think themselves so mega-capable killing someone? There's a reason why it's called supervision and "attending". Remember that episode in season 6 when Teddy sat reading a newspaper during a surgery where Cristina almost messed up? She didn't interfere, she didn't even really pay attention - but she was there, as support and essentially to jump in when things get messy. And remember that episode where Meredith and Lexie mess up that brain aneurysm-surgery because (in this case) Lexie thought she could do it herself? Yes, sometimes people mess up. But these residents need supervision. And did you notice that none of those "new" residents were so far in any way portrayed as geniuses like Meredith and Cristina (and even the others of the original 5) were? Would you actually like to have one of them operate on you without supervision (especially given the situation in-series with them not having had any surgical experience for a year)?
Wow, great show. It really tore me up at the end.
I kept wanting Finch to let Root help. Then I was hoping TM would break her out somehow. I really like the part where Root tells Finch that TM does not talk to him because it's respecting his wishes (the relationship he wants to have). TM is using him the way Finch is "programmed" to be used. TM has become more flexible than Finch.
It was always obvious that Reese had great respect for Carter but these romantic feelings seem pushed on us to quickly. They were just trying to up the emotional damage to were going to do. Besides we all know he likes Zoe.
Fusco come through again. He was not trained like Reese or Shaw to take torture, hell he wasn't even trained as much Carter. He sat there and took it and did not break until they were about to kill his kid. Then the tough, tubby guy broke his own thumb and choked the bitch out. I did wonder at the end why we didn't see splints on his fingers when he was in the car with Shaw.
Other than killing that dirty cop off screen Shaw didn't do much but she did have a few nice chats with Fusco.
I had not seen any promos for this episode and did not know someone was going to die. It all makes sense now though. Why Carter has had so much screen time. How they brought the father into play for the kid. The sudden romantic feelings. It all came crashing in on me when she told Finch she knew about TM. I knew Capt. Dick was still out there and just thought "They're going to kill her". It was still a rough watch. They killed the black person, again.
The ringing phone. It was annoying but I thought it was annoying in the right way. Reese was shot. Carter was dying. Finch was trying to cross the street and the phone kept ringing. The numbers keep coming. That's what I thought for the first few seconds. Then I wondered if TM had done it to save Finch "daddy" or if it was calling with Carter's number.
Finally, as the street gangs were chasing our friends, on the subway and through the streets, the phrase "Warriors, come out and play" kept running through my head.
The hospital storyline was thrilling, but it got overshadowed by Shaw's escape. That was a wild ride.
I legitimately laughed when Shaw shot Lambert. He really had it coming. Confronting Shaw without a bulletproof vest or backup was one of the stupidest things I've ever seen on this show. Maybe even the stupidest since the list of dumb stuff on Person of Interest isn't very long. It's one of the best TV shows I've ever had the pleasure of watching, after all.
Root only had a handful of scenes in this episode, which was kind of a disappointment after the previous one. On the other hand, we got Root in glasses and a lab coat, so I won't complain. Can Amy Acker please stop doing that thing with her face? You know, the thing where she's so goddamn stunning and perfect? I can't handle it.
It seems that I've developed trust issues, and even though I'm 99.9% sure that this time Shaw really got away from Samaritan, a part of me is still afraid that there'll be some cruel plot twist. I can't wait for next week. Hopefully we'll finally get a Shaw/Root reunion. It's about damn time.
Do you guys realize that there are only 5 episodes left? How am I supposed to live after this show ends?
[7.1/10] This one just tries to do too much. It’s a little bit of Iron Man, a little bit of Black Panther, a little bit of Age of Ultron, a little bit of Iron Man 2. It’s just an awkward fit trying to cram all of that into a single episode. There’s a good unifying idea here -- basically “What if Killmonger won?” or, more poetically, “What if the master’s tools will dismantle the master’s house?” But I wish the episode had used IM1 as a jumping off point, and gone in a more broadly different direction than just smushing Killmonger into that movie and then weaving him through bits and pieces of stories we’ve already seen.
This is also an episode where the show’s stilted character designs really stood out. The action looked good when you had Killmonger and the Wakandans racing through the capital on their rhino steeds to destroy the Stark mechas. But a lot of this episode was just people hanging around and talking to one another, which makes the lack of expressiveness of the characters’ faces especially noticeable. To the same end, as great as Michael B. Jordan is, he’s not a voice actor, and it shows here, with some flat line reads that sap the energy of some important scenes. (And while Mick Wingert continues to do great work as RDJ’s voice acting replacement, the actress who does Pepper sounds way off.)
(That said, between Michael B. Jordan quoting Friday Night Lights in Space Jam: A New Legacy, and quoting The Wire here, I appreciate him paying homage to his television roots!)
There’s some good individual parts here, though. I particularly like T’Challa’s speech at the end about Killmonger’s reckoning coming in this life or the next, and the common ground/differences conversation between Erik and Tony Stark is a strong moment as well. But the catch is that with all of Killmonger’s conspiring, you get to a convoluted level of everyone needing to die or be a sucker for his grand scheme to work. Like a lot else in this episode, it’s just too much.
I do appreciate the boldness of mixing together these two characters who never interacted in the main timeline but, given Tony’s arms sales background and Killmonger’s military history, have reason to cross paths. This episode’s throwing a lot at the wall, and not everything sticks, but what does is pretty good.
Wow. There's a lot to unpack here. What a penultimate episode! Season 3 renewal announcement, come through!
First off...
• LOL at whoever wanted to use their super soldier (Raelle) for a recruitment tour... our very own witch Captain America, love it :joy:
• Goosebumps at the mycelium origin story scene! Way to turn things around, and I think anyone still questioning Alder's intentions especially after the doubts planted by this season would be swayed back into her corner after that (very Season 1 finale feels, actually, so I guess she will always be a complex character); Raelle, of all people, sympathized with her!
• Morrigan's whisper, holy sh---!!!
• And the Rite of Proxy scene. God damn, that was intense!
• No offense to Victor Webster (guy who plays the VP), but I have seen him on a couple of other shows as the bad guy or an unlikeable one, or so I can't help but think that his character here is shady lmao (he has been to me since day 1 lolol). The way he's been all season about his daughter being a witch is sketchy to me. "He's actually a pretty good guy" my ass — if you have to say that about a character, it's almost guaranteed to backfire eventually lol. If the guy that stays behind turns out to be a means to distract or keep tabs from within the Fort, I wouldn't be surprised.
I've seen some reactions where people are genuinely worried that Alder is getting killed off in the next episode but I really don't think so, because if they stick with the decision made here (Petra replacing Alder), I think it would definitely be interesting to see Alder as a "regular" witch/soldier who isn't the Army General (and if there's one thing I've gleaned from Eliot's interviews, this seems right up his alley (hopefully).
In Petra and Alder's words, Alder has lived as the General for so long she's forgotten how to deal with consequences like a human and has made some... questionable decisions to protect the witches (and to some extent, her position). After her dismissal, she would be watching the new General eventually make similar big decisions, and possibly similar mistakes, like she did, but this time as a spectator... either making her introspective and see what she could do differently, or just smug and satisfied like "I told you it wasn't easy" (I wouldn't mind her being petty like that, I probably would be too lol).
I don't doubt that she would eventually try to scramble back into the seat of power (and that she might succeed at one point), but this should be a good arc for her... if she survives. This whole comment would be for naught if she ends up actually dying like people think and I'm a fool lol.
[9.6/10] Look, if you’re going to name an episode “Korra Alone,” you’re instantly giving yourself some pretty big shoes to fill. “Zuko Alone” was one of AtLA’s best episodes, and trying to measure up to it is a tall order. But damn if “TLoK* doesn’t match its predecessor in delivering an affecting, at times harrowing story of one character’s personal journey from trauma to something on the way to healing.
I cannot say enough about how much I like the choice to take Korra this direction, to have her feeling despondent and anxious and beaten down by her encounter with Zaheer. The three-year time jump still has an element of cheapness to it, but “Korra Alone” overcomes that by meaningfully filling in the gaps. The added temporal scope of the story leaves time for Korra to drift apart from her friends, to experience small successes and wounding setbacks on her current path. There’s a believableness to this story, a commitment to the difficulty of recovery, that can only work when told on such a scale.
There’s two elements I particularly appreciate in Korra’s story here. The first is that she clearly has PTSD. The images of Zaheer flashing in her mind, causing her sleepless nights, making her flinch and falter in fights, nagging in the back of her mind, represent the trauma that she’s suffered that she cannot simply shake off. The Avatar-verse series are kid-focused adventure shows, and so they justifiably elide the fact that its main characters are something akin to child soldiers, having to face life and death at a still tender age. But “Korra Alone” shows the weight of these events, the impact they would have on even the strongest and boldest figure in the show, allowing TLoK to find new avenues in which to explore its main character.
Then there’s the guilt and worthlessness Korra feels at not being able to do everything she once could. One of the most immense and interesting moments in the show was when Korra believed she’d lost her bending abilities thanks to Oman, and wondered in despair what her identity would be, who she was, without that. “Korra Alone” makes good on that idea (semi-conveniently wiped away through connecting with past Avatars) and explores it fully.
A Korra without the ability to bend and fight and lead is a young woman who is utterly lost. We see that as she literally wanders the world, truding through gorgeous landscapes of rocky cliffs, frozen tundras, and dusty deserts. She’s trying to figure herself out again, trying to find the thing that’s missing.
That’s represented by the ghostly image of the chained, avatar state version of Korra that haunts her throughout her travels. While the show may literalize that specter, I like what it represents -- that sense of guilt, that sense of fear, that sense of brokenness Korra feels after her ordeal. It’s a nice way to externally dramatize an internal emotion, and imbue it with the spiritual hues of the Avatar-verse.
One of the strongest causes of that guilt is Korra’s sense that she’s failing in her duties as The Avatar, a sense that wounds her almost as much as the Red Lotus Venom did. The Air Nomads are off protecting the innocent; Asami is rebuilding Republic City; Mako is breaking up local crime rings, and even Bolin is taming the countryside with Kuvira (and writing amusing Civil War-style letters in the process), all while Korra is stuck in bed. It’s natural that she’d drift apart from Team Avatar. Their very existence is a reminder of both all that she can’t do and all that she feels she should be doing.
So faced with the fact that she is The Avatar, and yet no longer feels like The Avatar, she changes her look, to throw off the shackles of the image of a woman expected to be ready to save the world at a moment’s notice. In another moment that harkens back to Zuko’s recovery, she slices off the tresses of her hair next to a river, another symbol of change and transition. It’s a means of casting off the expectations that come when people see Avatar Korra, and avoiding the aside glances from inquisitive shopkeeps.
In that, she tries to run away from her problems, to leave the people who are trying to help her, to go on a journey of self-discovery. That leads her through mountains and deserts and oceans and even the spirit realm, where a horde of adorable spirit creatures try to help her despite her protestations to be left alone.
That’s one of the most striking things about this superlative effort is how help is what Korra really needs. One of the interesting changes the show has stuck with is how Vaatu and Unalaq severed Korra’s connections with the past Avatars, a lifeline that often helped Aang through his own difficulties. But in lieu of that, Korra has to seek guidance the old fashioned way -- from the prior generation, the one that experienced the same struggles as the last Avatar.
Last season, that came in the form of Zuko’s quick but helpful counsel, but here it’s a more involved healing process with Katara. That connection to the past, and the homespun wisdom from Katara, creates an affecting series of scenes of Korra learning to walk again, taking the first important step in moving past what she’s been through. Katara’s strong presence alone helps give Korra’s struggle a sense of place, putting it in the context of Aang’s own burdens and bumpy parts in the road.
But that alone is not enough. Korra still finds herself close but not fully back to what she used to be, haunted by that ghastly doppelganger, literally fighting herself, the manifestation of her fears and traumas, in a fighting pit and the spirit wilds. It’s there that she finds Toph (and I have to admit, I cheered out loud once when she showed up and again, even louder, when she called Korra “twinkle toes”) another person with the connection to the past that can help Korra make sense of her future.
The healing process, coping with PTSD, coming to terms with new limitations, is an incredibly difficult thing. “Korra Alone” doesn’t shy away from that, showing the title character suffering, straining, and striving in wide-ranging ways to find peace after her fight with Zaheer. The way it embraces the hard contours of that process, the ebb and flow of overconfidence and the feeling of insurmountable defeat, make this one of the Avatar-verse’s finest hours.
So I watched the new Netflix documentary American Murder: Family Next Door. Halfway of watching it, just wanted to shut it down because I could not bear watching the kids being murdered by their own dad whom they considered as hero. My God. From the start, I knew Chris, the father, is the primary suspect because if Shannan has been abducted along with her kids, some suspect would already have been negotiating for ransom in exchange for their lives.
It was only 10 minutes before the documentary has to end that he started to admit of killing his wife. He denied that he killed his children, that it was Shannan who both killed them. Well, dead man tells no tale as they said. How could Shannan do it, it doesn't make any sense. First, she was not an abusive wife and as a mother of two kids. Second, she loved her family so much. Chris would have called 911 immediately for fucking sake but instead he strangled her to death and his kids were even watching on what happened to their mom. He imediately drove and dug a grave for her wife's body in the vicinity of an oil field while he also disposed his children in an oil drum, treated it as garbage bin for her children's bodies.
All because of a rich fucking mistress, he wanted a fresh life and just murdered his family altogether. He could have settled for divorce instead. But he chose to reveal his true color, his sociopathic life. Criminal like him is a waste of American's taxes.
WARNING: DON'T LET YOUR KIDS WATCH THIS
My God, what an episode!!! I enjoyed every minute of it. It was absolutely fantastic. Man, I missed this show and once again, I'm getting too hooked. "You mean actual gates, like big and pearly? Are we talking clouds, harps, all dudes in white robes?" And my Dad is Morgan Freeman?", rotflmao. I laughed so hard. This show is just the best. Now seriously, I love the mythology and folklore, heaven and hell and all of that (I might also be a wee bit obsessive and by a "wee bit" I mean completely) but I'm dying to get to know if we see how Heaven looks like.
The episode was a rollercoaster of emotions (pun intended). From happiness to sadness in the click of a button. I couldn't relate more to those conversations about feelings and how to control them. Lucifer bringing Trixie to that murderous school was one of the things that cheered up my day "Trixie Morningstar", lol. I couldn't laugh harder. And the whole stroll they took on the tour while she was holding his hand and Lucifer just tried to get rid of her like she was infectious or something was absolutely hilarious. "Sorry do we have to touch? Don't you have a leash or something for when we go out?" I really love Lucifer dealing with kids. And Trixie shows promise in the undercover world. And Lucifer referring to Trixie as the deceptive little parasite was just over the top. And don't get me started on Lucifer reading a book entitled "Your feelings & You". My goodness, that was just golden. I swear I can't stop laughing now.
Damn this show just gets more complicated with each episode.
Chrisjen finally learns the truth behind Johnson abandoning earth military and joining OPA, turns out Earth is run by bullies who want control of all, willing to sacrifice anyone for their ends. She might be part of the UN Council, but she won't let anyone die if it can be avoided.
Holden, Miller and Johnson are all working toward the same goal: figure out what the ProtoMolecule is and how to stop it, but each has a different idea to get there. Miller buldowses anything in his way, using his detective skills to deceive, getting the info he needs and putting the pieces of the puzzle together; Johnson is a miliatry guy, he's all about strategy and using whatever is presented infront of him to keep moving foward, while Holden is the leader with the vision of a better tomorrow, trying to play by rules that he only follows: honor and truth.
The alien life form is growing and transforming, but into what?
Meanwhile the Martians are in a hold pattern, do they move against Earth and start a war or can they put their restlessness behind them and focus on home?
Objectively quite a good episode, but there is something so tired about the whole season.
I remember how badly I wanted Jimbo to win Canada S1, and now that she is finally getting her flowers on Drag Race, it just... rings hollow. You see it all coming from a mile away with the way they try to edit in drama of "oh no, can Jimbo pull off Joan Rivers?" and "will she ever win a lip-sync, against Silky Balls-to-the-Wall Ganache no less??". Of course she will; she's done both Joan and the baloney ghost character before to great success, and she gets the wins not only because of her wit and talent but because she's banking on stuff that has worked for her in the past.
I'm not hating on Jimbo, I'm hating on production for being so in-your-face with the editing this season. Season 15 was also set up for Sasha Colby to win, but at least they did a good job of giving her worthy competition. Here it's just the Jimbo Show and the rest of the cast is mere window dressing. I'm bored honestly.
Also I'm tired of Ru and the judges making fun of Jessica for her accent. Her roast was funny as hell, Jessica ftw
Who would’ve thought Greys would stay on air long enough to get good again lol
Kidding. Well, half kidding.
This was a good episode of tv. Not one of the best Grey’s Anatomy episodes ever(when Greys is good, it’s damn near perfect and while this was good tv, it doesn’t touch any of the top Grey’s episodes). I’ve seen a lot of comments/reviews saying this feels like the ‘old greys’ and while I don’t fully agree, I do think that this was one of the better season premieres GA has had in years.
I’ve drifted in and out of seasons(and episodes)and this was the first time in years I thought this show had something fresh and interesting to say.
I still think ending the show about a decade ago and starting fresh with a spin-off would’ve made more sense(and if anything these new interns proved that the greys-formula works, as long as the script and actors are strong)but I like this new direction they’ve taken and I think they can pull together something great, if they let the newbies shine and don’t rely too much on nostalgia to hold up the show. I mean, there’ll be some nostalgia because such are the times we live in, but I hope old glory doesn’t drown out new potential. In terms of standouts, the actress who plays Simone Griffith was fantastic, and I can’t wait to find out more about her.
3.9/5
This season (S5P1) is a really mixed bag, as is the rest of the show, I suppose. After a great S1, an ok S2, a horrible S3 and a phenomenal S4 (thanks to Netflix), it feels like in S5P1 the writers were a bit out of ideas, so they rummaged in the soap opera toolkit. Seriously, an evil twin??? After four seasons of established canon and lore, they introduce a never-before mentioned evil twin out of nowhere? My disbelief was beyond words. Aside from that, the season had a few other low points that had me pretty bored, such as the 1920s episode - one entire filler episode just to establish 2 minutes of character development, didn't feel worth it at all.
The season definitely starts on a low and continues to lower itself into an abyss for a while until finally picking up again. The last two episodes finally got interesting, even though quite predictable again. Altogether, I am still very unhappy with S5P1 though, as it has a complete and utter disregard for the established lore of the show, and seems to change the rules of the universe with every breath. I hope there will be some better explanation for all of this other than "God's will" in S5P2.
And that ending scene was just painful. So it's not anger that makes the blade flame but pain. Man, that was hard. That's evil. That has to be God's contingency plan. He doesn't think Lucifer would be strong enough to revisit all the pain he suffered when he was cast out of Heaven. I can't wait to see how it all evolves. But that ending scene teared me. Poor Lucifer. Reliving all the pain you've suffered again is just too painful and Amenadiel is a true brother. He saw his pain and wanted to help him whereas his mom just acted as if nothing happened. And what's wrong with her? That sudden rush had to mean something. Before the episode aired I thought her sudden willingness to open the Gates of Heaven had to do with God being on Earth. However,after that final scene in the elevator I get to think her vessel is not strong enough to contain her and that, in the long run if she doesn't open the Gates of Heaven, she'll be cast back to Hell again. It's like a countdown. Authentic beginning I didn't like her but after a few episodes I genuinely thought she cared about her sons but now, she's just ruthless. She doesn't look after them or care for them, she just uses them for her own means.
And my prayers have been heard. I missed Maze last episode but she was just on fire in this one. She pretending to be Chloe's wife was just hilarious and don't get me started when she just knocked out the killer when she was talking about feelings. That's just not her thing. She was golden today, as she always is. "I can't deal with human emotions on an empty stomach" for to be my new fave quote.
This show is so funny and heartbreaking that I just can't stop watching it. And next episode we finally get to see God. I'm ridiculously anxious to see Timothy Omudson playing Him!
Best episode so far in the second season! Honestly having read the original books, I still think the TV version is way better than the books. Overall my problem with the source material is that most of the main characters are somehow bland, though they improve a bit along the way.
The first season was basically held together by Miller alone, but the thing is that most of the Rocinante's crew can't really manage to keep the show engaging to me. That is why in my opinion The Expanse works at best, like in this episode, when manages to keep a collective narrative, balancing all characters point of view. They should use episode with this storytelling structure as blueprint reference for all the season.
Beside that...Bobbie character is spot on, much more intense and vivid than the books. Hats off to Frankie Adams.
And Cortazar...I was kind of puzzled when he was introduced since I couldn't really get his effective purpose to the story...well basically turned out being what Reinfield character was to Dracula in Bram Stoker book. He remind me so much Reinfield that feels like lifted from the book and shot in the space. Beside the vampire here is the Protomolecule... ;)
After 2010's M. Night Shyamalan debacle attempt at a live action ATLA movie, I don't blame fans of the original cartoon series for being skeptical of any further attempts to bring such a cherished series to live action life. I too hoped for the best, but, was prepared for the worst, however, in the end, found myself pleasantly surprised at how the producers were able to walk that razor line of producing a compelling story, while essentially having to provide "fan service" for each episode of the entire season, lest they face the wrath of those who will probably never accept anything less than a revival of the original cartoon albeit with some new storylines. This while also introducing those who weren't around in 2010, or, had never seen the original animated version.
While not perfect, Netflix has indeed done a yeoman's job of bringing the animated cast to life, with IMO the only glaring exception being the casting of Elizabeth Wu as Princess Azula, admittedly, because every time the camera zoomed in on her face, my mind immediately conjured up the image of a slightly Asian Maisie Williams channeling Asildr from Doctor Who, or perhaps Arya Stark from GOT, rather than a ruthless conniving psychopath looking for confirmation that Daddy loves her the best.
The main cast however is very much on point as their cartoon counterparts, with Gordon Cormier giving us a very believable and likable Aang, Kiawentio as Katara, and Ian Ousley (with his fabulous jawline) as the Avatarian three musketeers, as well as Dallas Liu and Paul Sun-Hyung as the sometimes conflicted duo seeking to restore their honor and show Daniel Dae Kim's "Fire Lord Ozai" that they are worthy to be in his presence, and perhaps have their own keys to the men's room.
Yes, as aptly pointed out by @zombiebxxk, some of the "spirit world" sequences were a bit off, and, could have been done differently, as, I agree they could have lightened the mood in places as the cartoons did by adding some scenes of Aang goofing off and just being a kid, rather than "the chosen one" with the weight of the world on his every decision. But then, we would probably have had to have a 10 episode first season rather than the eight we got. Not knowing how it would be received may have caused them to not push it, and that resulted in some storyline compression, which, for those who have followed along from the beginning, or even seen the entire series SEVERAL times wasn't really an issue, as, we were able to fill things in from memory. Yet, there were several happifying callbacks, which while not essential to the story flow, nonetheless brought a smile to my face. (cabbages anyone?)
All in all, for me, the series was a worthy complement to the Avatar The Last Airbender's lineage, and, I look forward to continuing the journey next season, as well as the next upcoming animated series, set to be released in 2025, which will be set 100 years after "The Legend of Korra and will apparently focus on an earthbending avatar. Other planned animated offshoots include an adult Aang and Co. film, a movie about Zuko, and two other unnamed shows. Sadly, the original series creators, Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko, who signed on to be executive producers and showrunners for this live-action series, left the project in 2020 citing creative differences with Netflix. Konietzko added that a “negative and un-supporting” environment contributed to their departure. Maybe if the fans throw their weight behind this version and support it, it will give Netflix and the OG creators the impetus to bury the hatchet, and give us more seasons of bending, whichever of the elements they choose to focus on.
For me, this was the weakest Legacies episode so far out of the bunch. I mean, of course I enjoy Hope, Landon, Alaric, and Reluctant Alpha, but I also enjoy having the gemini twins around to brighten the mood. As much as I love this stoic crew, I'm already tired of watching sullen Hope and "Im Trying Soooooo Hard/Im soo nice/Im gonna let you lie & not be afraid of losing you" Landon try to navigate being a couple. (Maybe I should've been less wordy and called him "considerate" but there was more baggage than just "considerate." Does Landon have to epistolize every insecurity? Ramble on and on about how great it is that he's okay with Hope putting up some walls? And she like melted, as if he had recited RIlke to her, which, for the record, he did not.) Meanwhile, the chemistry odometer started pointing to Raf instead.
Anyway, there was also more they could have done with the dreams that they didn't.
The best part was following the Triad agent. He had the Damon smirk, kindof, but not the Damon charm, so I'll call him Watered-Down-Damon-Dude for now. Watered-Down-Damon-Dude approached an older couple, pretending to work for the state in foster care. The couple repeated over and over that "So and so was adopted by a nice family in Virginia" no matter what he threatened. (only a few felonies, but they looked pretty scared.) This 2 minute section was so exciting, in comparison to the rest of the episode anyway, that I practically squealed. Yay! Some plot movement.
(I'm also happy to relay that this and Charmed have been renewed.)
Never go for the kill when you can go for the pain. That's a lesson one notable baddie on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, a forebear to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., delivered in a particularly harrowing episode. Apparently it's one that HiveWard, and the show's writers, took to heart. Malick spends the whole episode worrying that HiveWard is going to kill him, that he's stringing him along and propping him up in front of the rest of his Hydra buddies so that he can revel in his demise, only for the show to swerve us at the last minute.
It deserves credit for that. Too often, this show falls into predictable tropes and patterns, to where it's easy to call out plot point in advance. Here, the show seemed to be headed for an obvious end-point -- HiveWard carries the memories of Malick's brother, and takes his revenge by killing the man who brought him back to Earth. But HiveWard doesn't let him off that easy. Instead, he makes him suffer.
I appreciate the backstory to give Malick's relationship with HiveWard some depth. As usual, the acting was pretty middling, and the flashbacks were especially ham-fisted (though it was nice that they brought back Whitehall and differentiated the various factions within Hydra a bit) but the concept of HiveWard carrying a bit of the memories, a bit of the personalities of every one of his hosts is an intriguing science fiction twist to the whole collective consciousness angle. Many things about the back half of Season 3 have been a little lackluster, but HiveWard hasn't been one of them.
The whole attack with Giyera and bringing the ship down into a Hydra facility was kind of dull. The empty room fight scene between him and May had some pretty cool moments, but otherwise I'm kind of tired of his schtick. On the other hand, Daisy and Lincoln's run-in with the sarcastic Inhuman out in the desert was a hoot. Can we get more of him on the show? Maybe to replace Lincoln? It's always so striking when AoS brings in someone with real personality and character like Hunter and Mack because they immediately stand out amid the otherwise same-y vibe for the series. His anger, nonchalance, and mistrust for Lincoln were all endearing qualities in an agitator of a character, and hopefully it leads to more of him. I'm envisioning him as a Doc-like acolyte of either HiveWard or Lash for the inevitable confrontation.
It does feel like we're building toward that confrontation. James gives us a little more backstory on HiveWard, on the Kree, and how all of this got started. The show has been dabbling in a number of ideas of fate and destiny this half-season, from the prophetic visions last week's Inhuman gave to Daisy and to Malick, to the ideas Lincoln presents about every Inhuman being created for a reason. Hopefully the writers behind the show are actually going somewhere worthwhile with all of this, because while it's nice to get more background to heighten the stakes, it can feel like all for naught if the payoff isn't at least solid.
All-in-all, this was a decently good episode, with enough interesting ideas floating around to make up for the usual missteps and wobbliness of the execution. The Secret Warriors tease feels a little silly, but that's the campy tone of the show, so we'll see where it goes.
The Watcher: "Thor and Loki, a brotherhood so strong and pivotal, it would change the fate of a universe."
The Watcher: "Thor grew into a very different prince."
Thor: "You know, we lost Fandral for three days. Found him in a barn, curled up next to a baby goat. It was classic. Isn't that right, Fandral?"
Fandral: "I named him Gary!"
Thor: "Yeah, you did!"
Jane: "You killed a planet."
Maria: "Maria Hill, Acting Director of S.H.I.E.L.D."
Captain Marvel: "Lure him to Siberia and then go kaboom on his ass."
Coulson: "What about Captain Marvel?"
Maria: "She'll be fine."
Captain Marvel: "Start in the corners, clean your way outward."
Thor: "Corners, corners. But it's a sphere."
This was the cutest episode by far. This version of Thor is such a goofball just like Taika's Thor and I love it. Just a fun episode.
7/10
