Hate to be cynical but the show has jumped the shark for me. Was expecting some sort of naff Fight Club 'mind fk' rip off last season (& I loved the show then for not doing it...) & they have pulled it out now [rolls eyes]. I wasn't that shocked. Decent episode; just a shame they took this boring route.
^if Tyrell Wellick is another split personality of Elliot then I give up. I thought Tyrell was going to be the Fight Club rip off last season but they never did it. Maybe they're holding that one off for season 3 ¯_(ツ)_/¯
What the hell is going on with this show? This episode started crazier and more out of place than usual. 20 minutes of unnecessary intro, but I guess it's part of the esthetic. You never know what you're going to get. The rest of the episode was okay, with the flashback and Angela's part being a bit exciting. I am losing interest, though. I haven't enjoyed this season as it is, maybe this show is just not for me.
I really liked that intro. Although it wasn't necessary, it was a nice way to explore Elliot's state of mind. And it is another way to interpret his perspective of the world. For Elliot the world must look like a sitcom. On the top-layer it's intact, everyone acts happy and problems doesn't seem to be grave, but it's just an illusion, fake as the greenscreen. Problems and dysfunctional relationships are laughed away, which compares to the real world, where Elliot sees how people always try to overplay their personal and societal problems.
But the producers need to be careful to don't overplay this creative tidbits in future episodes, otherwise it tends to distract from the main plot and becomes just a gimmick. In general it seems to me that Elliot's plot is underdeveloped in this season, in this episode specially. He doesn't need to be the protagonist necessary, i can see him more as a commentator as well, but he was developed as a lead. Now he is more of a supporting character.
The strength of the episode lies with the women, as it was built up in the former episodes. Angela and Darlene have an intriguing dynamic and they focus on hands-on hacking, which made this series unique. It shows also, that, when they focus on just two story arcs instead on for or five like in the last episode, they have time to develop it better and make the whole thing coherent.
I hate dream sequences in shows; as it always shows lack in actual story telling. Was way too long too.
Last season was great and this season it just feels like it's dragging on with this kind of nonsense.
This show is getting way too pretentious. Too much dramatic intense music for too many long boring corridor scenes/shots.
It really is starting to think it's bigger and more serious than it actually is.
Kind of reminds me of how Homeland went; which is a shame. I.e a lot of borderline jumping of the shark moments (this episode and season in general).
This film surprised me in a good way. I had absolutely NO IDEA what to expect from it. I never played the games and the trailer didn't exactly get me excited. But then I saw it and had to say, I really kind of liked it.
Granted, I couldn't understand half of the proper names they were saying (I really missed the subtitles I always use at home), but it was an original plot (to me) that every time I thought it was going to go one way... it didn't. That was refreshing.
The filmmakers have created some cool characters (though many gamers already recognized them) and inhabited a world I found interesting and would like to visit some more (in the movies... not the games).
The closest thing I can compare this to are the "Lord of the Rings" & "Hobbit" trilogies, but that's only because I've seen them most recently. But it's a bit different. The right and wrong are still fairly well-defined in this world of Warcraft (pun intended) but both sides have right & wrong.
I hope people give this movie a chance because it's worth a look. I'd like to see it again to see what I missed the first time through.
So beautiful and amazing. The best Doctor Who episode i ever saw. Such a brilliant actor and such a fantastic episode. I just want to see it again and again
This is a brilliant episode!
Incredible episode! Can't stop thinking about it all.
Clearly one of the best Doctor Who episodes so far!
Capaldi is a great actor and I'll always remember his performance as the Doctor.
It was outstanding.
This episode is simply stupendous.
Space combat in this TV show is different than other sci-fi shows. It's more realistic, and just plain cool. It would be worth watching the show just for that, but the writing is excellent too!
The population differences are interesting: Earthers, Martians, OPA, and Belters (and Ceres inhabitants, if they are different.) I especially like the Martian culture. The humans who come from Mars are vaguely similar to Romulans in Star Trek (TOS); their difficult life on Mars has resulted in a fascist-like dedication to the state and fierce militarism, yet also a noble dedication to their own people. There is also a sort of Cold War type stand-off between Earthers and Martians, with little information flow and a lot of mystery and suspicion. The ending of this episode also brings to mind Romulans. And yet, the Martians are unique and don't seem derivative at all. One nitpick: the red lighting in the Martian helmets is trying too hard to say, "These guys are the Martians!"
Belters are tall and thin. In this episode or the previous one, we learned that Belter prostitutes are very striking in lingerie. Belters are even more culturally different from Earthers than Martians are, in that Belters have their own language, which apparently includes body motions.
The Earthers we've seen have mostly been corrupt upper class and bureaucrats. They enjoy fine wine, while giving lip service to plans of recycling that they'll probably never actually implement.
Oh, and then there are the Mormons. LOL. They count as their own faction. And they have a Plan.
Ok, this show just went from "pretty cool" to "amazing". I enjoyed this show, but I just fell in love with this show.
Until the script loses its cojones and the third act turns it into just another revenge thriller, this is a tense, visually stunning, action flick that also has something serious to say about the ambiguity and futility of the War on Drugs.
River's speech about the doctor was amazing!!! i watched it 3 times and its just magnificent!
Finally we know where the screwdriver comes from!
Obviously left it open for a reboot in the future, much like 24. The next trend for tv at the moment are these reboot mini series of 'old' shows...
"Carrie tries to stop a terrorist attack." well that's a shocker...
I think Clara had an awesome departure from the show. Her death being a fixed point in time that can't be reversed but she can avoid her death how longer she likes by traveling with Me in her Clara Who adventures.
Things I didn't like about the season finale is the underwhelming return of Gallifrey and a lackluster conclusion on The Hybrid. I only rated this episode a 9 because this season finale got the emotional beats right.
Frustrating episode in general. Bloody Clara back just ruined it for me. Ruined its for me for the extent of why return to Gallifrey...what was the point? The story told was a stupid waist of bloody having the Doctor return to Gallifrey. Too many tacky & we guessed/already knew this stuff. Imagine Face the Raven was season finale & therefore Heaven Sent was the Christmas episode - they could have started the next season on Gallifrey. Although I'd hate the long wait, it would have been better than what we got. There is a lot more I could say but it would just frustrate me more 'Damn you Steven Moffat!' haha.
The only thing I hated to like is that's pretty clear some kiddo is going to screw things up next episode...
The rest of it, I'd say: painfully obvious. Just the good ol' cliff-hanger without many surprises.
This was the best acting in a while by Capaldi! A masterpiece. I bow to Moffat. Still sad about how Clara died. But this makes up for it. A big SQUEE at the end so I don't give any spoilers away. And be careful what Capaldi says, don't take it literally (or Not).
Those stupid people with their stupid actions. They should be dead. I am so furious!
Oh yet another boring, dull TWD episode. We are getting used to it by now. So to resume, nothing new, at least nothing we didnt know would happen like 3 EP ago. This show is in an insane down spiral that really need to be broken, or it will hard to rate it for more than one star in like 3 EP. I hope they end it all together at the end of this season anyway because the repetition (and stupid predictability) just show how much they don't have any more ideas to make it somewhat enjoyable.
Oh yet another boring, dull TWD episode. We are getting used to it by now. So to resume, nothing new, at least nothing we didnt know would happen like 3 EP ago. This show is in an insane down spiral that really need to be broken, or it will hard to rate it for more than one star in like 3 EP. I hope they end it all together at the end of this season anyway because the repetition (and stupid predictability) just show how much they don't have any more ideas to make it somewhat enjoyable.
Aside from the (expected?) surprise in the beginning, there is nothing much going on in this episode. Alexandrians still adapting to the new situation, zombies still wailing on the wall, Ron still hating on Carl, and Father Gabriel still showing up as additional filler. IMO there are too many characters depicted that it feels a bit disjointed and lacking further progress. Something happens in the end, but that's it--cliffhanger again. It's really unfortunate as I thought we've got past the filler episode last week.
I still wonder why the heck don't they stab the zombies on the gate one by one like they did in prison back then?
The usual boring episode this show is known for i.e 5mins at the start to draw you in and then a mind numbingly dull drag until the last 5 mins. I can't stand Rick anymore...
I don't care about the battle for Rick's soul. I just don't anymore. Rick's been good. He's been bad. He's been crazy. He's been sane. He's been all too trusting and all too vicious. Sure, in better hands, there would still be places to take the character, but right now it seems like The Walking Dead has exhausted the possibilities with Rick.
So what we have is a slight rehash of the Ricktatorship that began at the end of Season 2 of the show. Rick trusts his people, and dismisses the Alexandrians. In case you miss the subtlety of that, the episode hammers it home with Mischonne questioning Rick making plans without the help of the folks outside their group and Rick brushes her off, while making it explicit later in the episode when he tells Tara not to risk her life for one of "them."
And of course he gets pushback from Mischonne, from Morgan, from Tara, in addition to little reminders from Deanna and the guy who helps him put up the brace that even if the Alexandrians are still a bit green and naive, they're hopeful, helpful, and willing to learn. The obvious trajectory is that at some point, like the literal walls around their compound, the walls Rick has erected around himself and his ground will come tumbling down, and he will accept that the locals are worthy of his trust and acceptance. But I just can't be bothered to care about it. We've seen him do this dance a dozen times over the course of six seasons, and there's just not enough shades to Rick or Andrew Lincoln's performance to make this go-around stand out.
And hey, Glenn is alive! And just in time to have a tedious discussion about what they're living for with Enid! His survival is a complete and total cheat, that doesn't match up with anything we know about the zombie hordes in this behave. But you know what? It doesn't really bother me. This show has always been remarkably inconsistent with how the walkers function, and has used more than a few narrative loopholes to handwave the survival of important characters. At this point in the series, you're either on board with it or you're not. I'd be lying if I said I liked that tack, but that's what the show is, and I've come to accept it.
What I struggle with more are the endless, repetitive, never-ending conversations between characters about what use there is living in this shattered civilization. Sure, Enid's feelings are completely justified and motivated by what she's been through, but just like Rick, we've seen distraught and fatalistic characters so many times that just having those same sentiments come from a young girl without anything to distinguish them doesn't render them new or different. It just makes them a dull rehash with a new, preteen coat of paint.
Thankfully there's Lennie James as Morgan to raise the quality of the episode with the quality of his acting alone. Morgan joins other characters like Mischonne and Carol as being able to convey a conflicted and compelling inner life even when the characters aren't vocalizing their thoughts, or worse yet, are having to spit out the show's frequently clunky dialogue. Lennie James portrays Morgan's inner turmoil so convincingly--a man caught between the philosophy that saved him from madness and the necessities of the moment--that it elevates any episode he's in.
By the same token, Carol has less to do, but her brief conversation with Jesse's son Sam was also quietly revealing of Carol's own concerns about whether she's turned into a monster, whether she's hewed too far toward hardness she embraced after the deaths of her husband and daughter, of what she believes is required to survive in the new world. It's a character beat the show touched on in "JSS", and Melissa McBride does a great job at selling both Carol's steely determination and her silent self-questioning.
Then there's Ron, who has been very blatantly set up by the show to be seeking revenge against Rick and Carl, and the show all but attaches a flashing neon sign to that effect in this episode. I don't particularly care for Ron. The kid has Dawson's Creek-level acting skills and his storyline is a little too written-on-the-screen for my tastes.
But it does have one interesting angle to it. The Grimes boys almost have it coming. I'm not saying they deserve to be shot or killed or anything, but Carl acts like a superior prick during the shooting lesson, whether he means to or not, and Jesse was right when she told Rick that it's overstepping his bounds to take a paternal role with Ron after he killed Ron's father, whether or not Rick means well or Ron's dad deserved it. If there's one interesting new place the show could take with Rick, it would be to make him an out-and-out villain, but this is, sadly, the closest we're likely to get.
The episode touches on other stories here and there. Rosita goes drill sergeant on Eugene at the Alexandria machete class in a scene that was fairly cliche but at least dovetailed with the episode's theme of why we live and why we fight. Father Gabriel's cold war with Rick continues, and is sure to come to some kind of head--perhaps as the focal point of RIck's inevitable turn to learning to trust others (including the Alexandrians) again--but for now just sits in the background. Denise is growing in confidence in her medical practice, and the feint toward her helping Morgan with her skills as a therapist has promise. And Maggie stands vigil for Glenn, just in time for the lead into the next episode.
But this is a scattershot episode of The Walking Dead. It's squarely average for what this show is in its sixth season. There's still a bit of the bad, a bit of the good, and a lot of the middling and repetitive. It's a slower, workmanlike episode, with the only major fireworks being Spencer's little jaunt. It didn't give us much insight into the character, but instead circled around the theme of finding a reason to live and finding the people to do it with. Unfortunately, those are themes the show has hit more than a few times over the years, and it doesn't have much more to say at this point.
Enid is so annoying she could be a Fear the Walking Dead character.
Our prayers have been listened to. Behold, brothers, this Show might have a future after all. Fuck you very much Clara, thank you for nothing.