[7.0/10] Eight years. Five seasons. Four captains. One ship. One infamous mutineer turned galactic hero. And I still don’t quite know what Star Trek: Discovery means.
That's alright! The show has had multiple showrunners and multiple creative voices at play. The series reset its premise at least once, with the jump to the far future, and arguably multiple times. Characters have come and gone. Ships have been retrofitted and become sentient. Species new and old have phased in and receded.
It’s okay if, after all that, even the overthinking viewer can't boil the robust (if not quite infinite) diversity of Discovery into a single idea or meaning. At the beginning of the show’s final season, Michael Burnham herself wondered what it all means, and I’ll admit, I’m not more equipped to answer that after the end of the show’s five year mission than she was when it started.
What it means, in immediate terms, is that the Progenitor mystery is finished. Michael and Moll’s twin journeys into the portal (alongside some disposable Breen mooks) leads them to a liminal space, fit for slow-motion special effects, gravity-defying fisticuffs, and cheap puzzle-solving.
Much of that feels a little gratuitous. You can practically feel the episode showing off instead of advancing the story. Why Burnham and Moll need to have a Matrix-esque anti-gravity brawl before the mandated alliance and sudden but inevitable betrayal is beyond me. But I like the setting and the slower pace the show adopts at times within it. Despite the questionable “movie every week” promise of the series, this is the rare instance where Discovery genuinely feels cinematic, and the pace and cinematography have a lot to do with that.
One of the big problems with Discovery’s aesthetic overall is that the sterile sheen on everything often gives the show’s backdrops a semi-unreal quality that detracts from the convincingness of the presentation. Thankfully, that totally works in a quasi-magical portal realm created by billion-year-old aliens!
The endless stretch of a fantastical environment, the way it’s punctuated by extravagant quasi-baroque architecture, the hidden path to central setting, the puzzle that leads you to some mystical parental figure spouting purple prose -- they all give “Life, Itself” an unexpected Kingdom Hearts vibe of all things. But for something meant to be elevated above even the everyday wonders the average Starfleet captain experiences, that approach works.
Granted, some of the path toward the Progenitor tech feels rote. All of the cryptic clues and vital totems come down to...arranging a bunch of glass triangles? You can derive some thematic meaning from that (“The in-between times matter as much!”) but it’s an oddly mechanical answer to the latest riddle. Moll giving Michael the ol’ el kabong and getting punished by the alien alarm is a bit too predictable. And the all-knowing ethereal being from beyond, come to dispense the great wisdom, is a big cliche.
But I like where they land. The rap on Michael Burnham in the fandom is that Discovery is too hidebound in its need to make her the greatest and special-est captain to ever captain anything. (Nevermind that the franchise has done the same with Kirk, Archer, and if I’m honest with myself, sometimes even Picard.) Here, though, when the Progenitor representative tells Burnham that she is the only one worthy to wield such incredible technology, Michael demurs.
She acknowledges her own flaws. She points out her own limitations. True to Federation principles, she disclaims the idea that any one person should have this power. And given the freedom to create life, or annihilate it, or use this amazing tool however she might wish, Burnham chooses to destroy it.
There is poetry in that. It’s a strange obverse of Groucho Marx’s famous quip, 'I wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have me as a member.” The trails of clues left by the consortium of scientists was meant to test the mettle and the heart of the person chasing them, ensuring that they had the right disposition and perspective before they were granted access to this awesome power.
I can appreciate the poetic irony that the only soul worthy of wielding that technology is the one who would see its potential for death and destruction and choose to destroy it instead. It’s a conclusion to this story that, if a bit anticlimactic, feels lyrical, philosophical, and most importantly, Trek-y enough for a finale.
Unfortunately, it squeezes out just about everything else. Dr. Culber’s peculiar spiritual connection? Well, he magically knows the frequency for the portal box, and is just content with the unknown now. The end. Stamets’ desire to leave a great scientific legacy? All it takes is a twenty-second speech from Burnham and a quick (albeit admittedly sweet) bit of solace from Adira, and he’s good. As for Adira themself? They get another attaboy and a few hugs, but I guess they mostly completed their arc in the last episode.
What about Rayner? Well, he offers a bold solution to the stand-off with the Breen and remains steady in the face of danger, but doesn’t get to confront his onetime tormentor really, and again, pretty much wrapped up his character journey earlier. Tilly? She comes up with a cool science-y thing, which is on-brand I guess. But her soul-searching over the Academy leads to...a mentorship program? Really? That bog standard thing is her big epiphany? Sure. Why not? Even Moll goes from murderous and duplicitous to being amenable to Michael and cool with Book without much compunction, another major character arc that feels terribly compressed.
Look, it’s admirable that Discovery wants to give all the members of its crew something to do in the finale. But unfortunately it means that almost nobody besides Burnham gets a chance to really put a capstone on their journeys across the course of the series. That may be fine for well-liked but sporadic recurring characters like Admiral Vance, President Rilak, and Commander Nhan,and President T’Rina. (We even get to learn that Kovich is freakin’ Agent Daniels from Star Trek: Enterprise, among others.) But ironically, in an episode about how Burnham has the humility to step aside on the brink of extra-dimensional anointing, her story crowds out everyone else’s.
Thankfully, the exception to the rule is Saru. One of the iconic moments in the lead-up to Discovery’s premiere was his trailer-worthy line that his people were “biologically determined for one purpose and one purpose alone: to sense the coming of death. I sense it coming now.” When the series started, there was a timidity, even a rigidity to Saru. Despite absconding to the stars, he had that fear-based social conditioning within him.
And yet, over the course of the series, he’s arguably changed more than anyone else. He lost his ganglia and lived to tell the tale. He shared the truth of his homeland and rekindled his people’s culture. He’s been through an array of harrowing, potentially lethal events and come out on the other side. He’s even found courage in matters of the heart.
So it is rousing, then, when he stands off with a cruel Breen warlord and doesn’t blink once. Where there was fear, there is now force. Where there was reticence, there is now courage. Where there was timidity, there is now daring. Doug Jones kills it, as usual, and if there’s one thing this finale deserves credit for, it’s showing how far Saru has come: from the anxious officer preaching caution to the confident ambassador making bold bluffs to save his friends on the strength of his mettle alone. He’ll go down as the show’s best character in my book, and I’m glad “Life, Itself” gave him his moment in the spotlight.
The episode at least has a solid structure to keep things manageable. We have Burnham and Moll going through the Door to Darkness on the one hand. We have Rayner and most of the usual Discovery crew working to hold off Moll’s goons from the Progenitor device on the other. We have Saru and Nhan holding off another Breen faction with trademark Federation diplomacy. And we have Book and Dr. Culber sneaking through battle lines in a shuttle to keep the “portal in a can” from drifting into a pair of twin black holes. The balance among and derring-do within each thread is satisfactory at worst.
That last part is a big part of the episode’s mission, not because of the practical mechanics of destruction avoidance that have become old aht for Discovery, but because it’s a sign of Book’s love for Michael. And sure. I buy it. But I don’t feel it.
I don’t mind Book and Burnham together. It’s not a detriment to the show in any sense. But from the second Book popped up in season 3 as an obvious love interest, everything about them has felt pat and inevitable. So while I think they’re perfectly fine and perfectly plausible together, it never felt like the epic, essential love story that the show seemed to want it to be, especially in this finale.
I won’t deny the aesthetic power of the two of them reuniting at Saru’s wedding (which looks incredible, by the way), all gussied up. I’m not made of stone. You put two attractive people gazing deeply into one another’s eyes on a luminous beach with the music swelling, and you can get something in the moment. But they mostly spout the usual romantic cliches, made all the more stilted with oddly artless dialogue, before the romantic rekindling that was never really in doubt takes place.
Which means our epilogue, showing their shared future in the world’s coziest cabin, is pleasant but not quite moving. It’s nice that Burnham gets a little peace, that she and Book have a son on the cusp of his first Starfleet command, that she gets one last dance with Discovery. But that's about where it tops out. “Nice.” Not the touching goodbye to a long run the episode seems all but desperate to convey. We even get an impressionistic sequence on the bridge that feels more like the cast bidding farewell to one another in costume than the characters saying their goodbyes.
You can appreciate the attempts here. From another explosion-filled conclusion to a Tree of Life-esque sequence of creation to an artsy, golden-hued effort to gin up the emotion from putting a capstone on five seasons’ worth of adventures. There are some big swings here, which I admire, and you cannot fault the show for a lack of effort in this finale.
But in the final tally, it still leaves me a bit cold, and I’m still not quite sure what it all means. In the Progenitor’s big sermon, she suggests a positively existentialist reading on that question on a cosmic scale. We supply our own meaning, whether it be through exploration or scientific advancement or familial bonds. Discovery makes a few vague suggestions as to the possible takeaways, but affirms that the franchise’s values of infinite diversity in infinite combinations applies just as well to one of the essential questions of life. There are a multitude of meanings and possibilities out there, in the wide scope of people out in the world (or the galaxy), and in what drives us within our hearts and souls. I can appreciate that answer.
But the closest thing the show offers to an explicit answer comes from Bunrham herself, naturally, and the episode’s title. The meaning of life is “Life, Itself”, with the idea that our experiences can't be reduced beyond that, necessarily. The purpose is simply to be, to form bonds, to have those experiences, and share them with others. It’s a bit of a tautology, and more than a little trite, but there’s something to the idea that the meaning of life is to live.
That meaning extends to Discovery itself. I can't tell you what the show means, or how it coalesces into a greater whole, because quite frankly, I’m not sure that it does.. Instead, it simply is. These adventures happened: some good, some bad, some rousing, some dull, some memorable, some easily forgotten.
It’s a fool’s errand to predict a show’s legacy. From aspiring franchise flagship, to fandom punching bag, to something that was simply there, Discovery’s risen and fallen in esteem over the course of its run. It could earn a critical reevaluation down the line or sink down into the dregs like some of its predecessors. But through it all Star Trek: Discovery was there. It delivered five seasons’ worth of adventures, expanded the canon, and took the franchise further into the future than it had ever been before. Its whole may not amount to more than the sum of its parts, but those parts, those individual adventures and stories, will remain. I’m not sure that Discovery has a deeper meaning than that, or if it needs one.
Well that was a fun season finale. D'Arcy has the most standout moment in my opinion. When she finds out Harry is an Alien and this is the big lie that Asta has been keeping from her. She actually acknowledges that this is a big lie and it's very realistic for Asta to lie to her about it. It was extremely satisfying to see this for once even if her completely ignoring the "dinosaur", to assure her friend she gets it is hilariously unrealistic and I mean hilariously as a matter of literal not scale. It got a solid chuckle from me out loud.
There was a lot of revelations for this season finale. Which started from a pretty noteworthy premise of The Greys giving Harry a way off planet leading to Harry needing to decide what to do. The episode is arc'd perfectly ending in a lot of things that we've been hinting at coming to a head and a few things we weren't thinking about to surprise you. The only part of the episode I didn't like was the "Documentary" within the show. A bunch of people talking about being taken or seeing Aliens that connected by to Patience in the end but as a whole I don't think was worth the time.
Can't wait till next season.
Barbenheimer: Part 1 of 2
This is the kind of film I really don’t want to criticize, because we don’t get nearly enough other stuff like it. However, mr. Nolan has been in need of an intervention for a while now, and unfortunately all of the issues that have been plaguing his films since The Dark Knight Rises show up to some degree here. Visually it might just be his best film, and there’s some tremendous acting in here, particularly by Murphy and RDJ. However, it makes the common biopic mistake of treating its subject matter like a Wikipedia entry, thereby not focussing enough on character and perspective. As a whole, the film feels more like a long extended montage, I don’t think there are many scenes that go on for longer than 60 seconds. There’s a strong ‘and then this happened, and then this happened’ feel to it, which definitely keeps up the pace, but it refuses to stop and let an emotion or idea simmer for a while. There are moments where you get a look into Oppenheimer’s mind, but because the film wants to cover too much ground, it’s (like everything else) reduced to quick snippets. It’s the kind of approach that’d work for a 6 hour long miniseries where you can spend more time with the characters, not for a 3 hour film. I can already tell that I won’t retain much from this, in fact a lot of it is starting to blur together in my mind. There are also issues with some of the dialogue and exposition, such as moments where characters who are experts in their field talk in a way that feels dumbed down for the audience, or just straight up inauthentic. Einstein is given a couple of cheesy lines, college professors and students interact in a way that would never happen, Oppenheimer gives a lecture in what’s (according to the movie) supposed to be Dutch when it’s really German; you have to be way more careful with that when you’re making a serious drama. Finally, there are once again major issues with the sound mixing. I actually really loved the score, but occasionally it’s blaring at such a volume where it drowns out important dialogue in the mix. I’m lucky enough to have subtitles, but Nolan desperately needs to get his ears checked, or maybe he should’ve asked some advice from Benny Safdie since he’s pretty great with experimental sound mixing. My overall feelings are almost identical to the ones I had regarding Tenet; Nolan needs to rethink his approach to writing, editing and mixing. This film as a whole doesn’t work, but there are still more than a few admirable qualities to it.
Edit: I rewatched this at home to see whether my feeling would change. I still stand by what I wrote in July, though the sound mix seems to have been improved for the home media release. It sounds more balanced and I didn’t miss one line of dialogue this time around. I’m slightly raising my score because of that, but besides that I still think it’s unfocused, overedited, awkwardly staged and scripted etc.
5.5/10
That scene with the mages all bound and then Tissaia freeing them was utterly awful. One of the worst fight/battle sequences this show has done. Episode 5 had built up some great momentum leading into this episode, but the opening sequences utterly botched the landing and killed the momentum episode 5 had built.
The fight between the mages and the Scoia'tael was pretty bad too.
Geralt killed Rience? What the actual fuck. This ruins what is arguably Ciri's most badass moment in the entire series from the final book. Great job, Netflix! The setup of the moment where Geralt killed him was awful too. The action is honestly so bad, and the writing is so chaotic and weak. Total botched landing of any setup from the first 5 episodes of the season.
Ciri telling Yen to go to Tissaia is an awful writing choice. This is not a conversation Ciri would be having with Yennefer. They are literally like weird sisters in this show, yet they are still trying to push Yen as a mother figure. "I love you, my daughter." Like what? There is no way that anyone watching this show can actually see this version of Yennefer as a mother to Ciri. Their dynamic is all wrong.
The way they set up Ciri vs Cahir was bad too. It felt way too forced. Geralt would literally never let Ciri put herself in danger fighting Cahir alone like that. And what the hell? He just runs off to go fight the Scoia'tael after everything that happened in this episode up until that point? The writing here is next-level dumb. I'm 30 minutes in as I write this, and this honestly might be the worst episode the show has done so far.
Dear Netflix, I will never forgive you for giving us such a lacklustre Geralt vs Vilgefortz fight. It wasn't bad like the rest of the action in this episode, but it could have been so much more.
This episode aggravated me to no end. Easily one of the worst the show has put out.
Yen and Ciri's dynamic seemed a bit better in this episode.
I liked seeing Dijkstra and Philippa plotting.
Tissaia telling Yen she finally "became a mother" felt very forced. Yen hasn't earned that yet, though she should have.
Emhyr was a bit better this episode, but still way off what he should be. It's absolute insanity that Cahir is talking about "protecting" his secret. Emhyr literally revealed to an entire room of people/soldiers that Ciri was his daughter last season. Now they're actually acting as though it's a secret? There is literally a guard in the room with Cahir and Emhyr while they openly talk about it again in this episode. What the hell are these writers thinking?
Was very happy to see the 'basilisk' scene from the books appearing here, even if it wasn't executed super well. The scenes here definitely suffered from Ciri's actor being too old for the role, which is unfortunate. However, I did think Tissaia was perfect with Ciri! Sadly, it amplified just how off Yen and Ciri's relationship/dynamic has been. Ciri trying to lecture Yen is just so wrong to who these characters are supposed to be.
The end scene with the hunt chasing Ciri and Geralt coming to the rescue was pretty badly done. Didn't look pretty at all. Made no sense he just dispersed them with a couple of weak signs.
This episode had a lot of problems, but I think it was the best of the season so far.
This wasn't quite the beginning I waited for a whole year. It had way to much action for action's sake. Oh, and way too short for a season premiere.
Started good though. I thought at first this would be some kind of flashback to when Din got his helmet. The monster fight did absolutely nothing other then sugar coat CGI. But we find out what will be the quest for this season: Redemption.
The Navarro part was OKish. I had kind of feared one of the pirates would turn out to be Hondo. Like I expected they explain Cara away with one sentence. Shame that she's no longer there as she really was a great character with potential. Great idea bringin back IG88. We'll see how this plays out.
The space battle was again just showcasing CGI, which does look great, but really did nothing then add action. I kind of fear those pirates will be along for the ride this year.
Din's meeting with Bo Katan was interesting and I hope we see a lot of her this year.
The ONE thing that had my blood pumping were the creatures that Grogu saw in Hyperspace. Those were purgill, no ? Now that's an interesting thing to show us.
Still, the pieces are in place and I'm exited for the story to unfold.
[9.5/10] They got me. They really did. I believed that Saul would do it, that he would find a way to lie, cheat, and steal out of suffering any real consequences for all the pain and losses he is responsible for. I believed that he would trade in Kim's freedom and chance to make a clean break after baring her soul in exchange for a damn pint of ice cream. I have long clocked Better Call Saul as a tragedy, about a man who could have been good, and yet, through both circumstance and choice, lists inexorably toward becoming a terrible, arguably evil person. I thought this would be the final thud of his descent, selling out the one person on this Earth who loved him to feather his own nest.
Maybe Walt was right when he said that Jimmy was "always like this." Maybe Chuck was right that there something inherently corrupt and untrustworthy in the heart of his little brother. This post-Breaking Bad epilogue has been an object lesson in the depths to which Gene Takovic will stoop in order to feed his addiction and get what he wants. There would be no greater affirmation of the completeness of his craven selfishness and cruelty than throwing Kim under the bus to save himself.
Only, in the end, that's the feint, that's the trick, that's the con, on the feds and the audience. When Saul hears that Kim took his words to heart and turned herself in, facing the punishments that come with it, he can't sit idly by and profit from his own lies and bullshit. He doesn't want to sell her out; he wants to fall on the sword in front of her, make sure she knows that he knows what he did wrong.Despite his earlier protestations that his only regret was not making more money or avoiding knee damage, he wants to confess in a court of law that he regrets the choices that led him here and the pain he caused, and most of all he regrets that they led to losing her.
In that final act of showmanship and grace, he lives up to the advice Chuck gives him in the flashback scene here, that if he doesn't like the road that his bad choices have led him, there's no shame in taking a different path. Much as Walt did, at the end of the line, Saul admits his genuine motives, he accepts responsibility for his choices after years of blame and evasion. Most of all, he takes his name back, a conscious return to being the person that Kim once knew, in form and substance. It is late, very late, when it happens, but after so much, Jimmy uses his incredible skills to accept his consequences, rather than sidestep them, and he finds the better path that Kim always believed he could walk, one that she motivates him to tread.
It is a wonderful finale to this all-time great show. I had long believed that this series was a tragedy. It had to be, given where Jimmy started and where the audience knew Saul ended. But as it was always so good at doing, Better Call Saul surprised me, with a measured bit of earned redemption for its protagonist, and moving suggestion that with someone we care for and who cares of us, even the worst of us can become someone and something better. In its final episode, the series offered one more transformation -- from a tale of tragedy, to a story of hope.
(On a personal note, I just want to say thank you to everyone who read and commented on my reviews here over the years. There is truly no show that's been as rewarding for me to write about than Better Call Saul, and so much of that owes to the community of people who offered me the time and consideration to share my thoughts, offered their kind words, and helped me look at the series in new ways with their thoughtful comments. I don't know what the future holds, but I am so grateful to have been so fortunate as to share this time and these words with you.)
EDIT: One last time, here is my usual, extended review of the finale in case anyone's interested -- https://thespool.net/reviews/better-call-saul-series-finale-recap-saul-gone/
I feel like a miserable person because everyone seems to enjoy this episode but me. And when I think about how the Original Trilogy, The Mandalorian and The Clone are probably my top 3 of the Star Wars shows and movies I should normally love this, right?
Of course I was excited when all these iconic characters showed up but maybe it's because of how many of them were introduced in just a single episode, but it felt a little cheap. Not to mention, I think this show is extremely predictable; for example the Cad Bane scene went just as I thought it would, him shooting the other guy while only wounding Vanth. And it's not just the scenes that are predicable - the dialogue in this whole show feels cliche and uninspring.
I'm always here for more Luke and the cgi for him is very impressing, though I'm a bit disappointed that he is so harsh with the attachment rule, I don't think it fits his character very well considering his arc and own attachements in the OT. But this may as well be a test he puts Grogu through so we shall see.
And even though I adore Ahsoka, I'm also personally not the biggest fan of Rosario Dawson's potrayal of Ahsoka, not sure why. On a sidenote, I know they can't really make her lekkus longer in live action because of the stuntwork but I wish they could at least somehow make her "horns" (montrals, right?) bigger. It just doesn't look good the way it is now.
But hey I'm nitpicking now, my biggest problem with this show is the dialogue and overall writing; With the exception of the 5th episode (I loved that one) I just don't think it's very good. And of course the lack of Boba Fett in his own show is jarring but then again whenever the focus is on him it's not very interesting either. The story is lacking and it's a shame.
There were a few things that seemed iffy:
The fact that Marissa and Hanna immediately trusted Terri.
When she texted Hanna about Sandy; and how she's back to her tricks in the premiere.
Warning Hanna that Pioneer knows about her and Marissa in the second episode.
When asked by Hanna for Sandy's location at the end of the third episode, she told Hanna.
Then again, as far as the latter is concerned, Marissa knew her name; she said it in the car with her. As much as I seem to jump to the assumption of plot convenience, they may have met in the second season. But I don't remember at all.
No matter how you spin it, Hanna and Marissa, trusting Terri immediately: was stretching it a little too much. At the very least, there should have been some hesitancy involved.
The Chairman, going out in the field himself. Of course, we all know why, writing-wise. But that was still iffy.
Terri, being the one to bring the message to Ethan. For all Marissa knew, Terri could've been playing her. That was a dumb move, but we know the reasoning behind it, writing-wise. Still iffy.
Sandy's death.
I don't get why the writers had her killed. It's like they hinted at this rivalry between her and Hanna at the start of the season, making you think that they'll face off and it'll end in her death. That happened two times, yet she survived the first one, making you think she'll end up dying in the next one. Which she did, but Hanna didn't do it.
There was the slow build of Sandy's mental and emotional state from killing Anne, reaching the point of hallucinating her. The writers made a point of showing all of that, yet it's like none of it mattered. If it did, Sandy wouldn't have raised her gun.
So, either my theory is correct: that Sandy wanted to die so she wouldn't have to live with the haunting guilt of killing Anne and her unborn child, or the writers killed her for no reason, besides maybe wanting all three "bad guys" (her, The Chairman, and Brianna) to be dead.
And lastly, the reason for Marissa's death. It seems like the best writing for how Marissa will get shot that the writers came up with was for her to be dumb and try picking up the radio. I guess shooting The Chairman first and then picking up the radio was too much to ask: huh, Marissa? Embarrassing.
But, as expected: this series finale was bittersweet. For me, there were two or three reasons for that:
Marissa's death. I'm not sure if it was predictable for other people. But I was expecting it to happen. There were feelings of death flags for her throughout the season. And the title of this final episode also gave off the impression that she'll die, or someone will.
The ending. Yeah, it was a "happy ending," so to speak. Hanna, Abbas, and Nadiya were all fine. None of them died. But the fact that Hanna left by herself, and wasn't able to be together with Abbas, at least for a certain amount of time, was bittersweet.
And the third reason wasn't as prominent as the first two, but I'll include it anyway: Sandy's death. Most people probably ended up hating her in this season if they didn't already and likely glad that she "got her comeuppance."
I thought she was more likable in the second season. And I thought Jules was a little dislikable. In my review of this season's premiere, I entertained the possibility that those roles will switch in this final season because I thought Jules was more likable, while Sandy was a little dislikable.
And it did, somewhat, so I can understand why people may have begun hating Sandy and wanting her to die. But while I didn't like her in this season as much as I did in the second season, and she got on my nerves a little bit, her death was bittersweet.
I find it interesting how this series finale, as the season finale of the second season, was the most decent episode of the entire season. In this case, I think it's even better because this is the series finale and not the season finale.
Even though there were things that I thought were a little iffy or was disappointed by, this series finale was a decent end to the show. As much as I thought this show was underwhelming and not as good as it could've been, as well as being sarcastic about certain things that were convenient or ridiculous, I'll miss this show. It was entertaining enough.
Well its done... it turned out the best way it could with the time we had.... It was not a train wreck, but it was certainly rushed. The writing never waivered and that made it much more palatable. The characters were strong till the end as well. It was emotional and charming as always. Overall it didn't ruin the series, and I'm overall happy with it.
--BUT--
My main issue is the narrative feels SEVERELY incomplete, and I'm beginning to wonder if that was done on purpose.
I might just be an optimist as much as Holden here, but it truly does not feel like its done. ESPICALLY with the protomolecule ship coming thru the ring at the VERY END. IDK they'd include that if there was not something up their sleeve. I really hope and pray there is more story to be told from the roci and this amazing universe.
The one thing I am disappointed in is Marco. His end was just so unsatisfying and overall he was severely underwritten and ended up being one of the most underwhelming villains ever. He had no characterization and they never really fleshed him out, nor really did anything with his and Phillips relationship. Their whole arc was just a nothingburger and that is really a shame
If this is truly the end though, I thank everyone in this show involved for the joy its brought me. It was truly something special we had here and I am so happy I got to experience it.
Till next time folks.
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.
11 minutes in and I already know this is garbage. There's nothing, absolutely nothing good about this.
The characters appearing in this first episode are so utterly random, like that girl wearing all colors.
I mean, can you be anymore annoying before your first line of text? Most if not all characters are unlikable.
But I blame their random traits mostly, like a medieval kind of way of talking (Osborn), that young girl stuck in a young womans body wearing all colors, weird facial marks and a trump-esqe skin color that are supposed to give that one an alien feel but looks like a bad case of acne. Dialogues are cringy and delivered by soulless people.
The main actress, Priscilla Quintana, can't act the slightest, making her character unbelievable from the start.
There's this unwritten rule for me to give a new show a few episodes, usually around 3. But then there are these rare shows not bringing anything to the table, being nothing more than a waste of time. This show is one of the latter.
If that is one of those "promising" new shows on The CW no wonder they renewed 13 - or was it 14 - shows they currently have?
Quick pass on this one.
Oh come one, they completely ruined it ! The entire point of the iconic yellow bag is that they, the fucking "cleaners", are the ones who came fully prepped with a bunch of weird torture shit, which the yellow bag represents. Instead they have them get all that right off a shelf, spare of the moment ... okay, lame.
They also switched the roles around, or more so are just mashing both "cleaners" together. Whereas there's supposed to be a brawn and brain split going on: Arby is the mindless killer, while the other is the smart one giving orders, taking charge, and going the extra special "torture" mile . Here they're just one and the same, why even have two of them in that case ?
Plus they just dropped all sense of dread and creepiness, the whole slow inevitable buildup is what makes each death so much more impactful, here they basically barge in, lunge at people, and kill them way before they even know what hit them = no emotional impact. They're going through bodies like tic-tacs . A perfect example of this is the infamous eye torture scene. In the UK version he tells him he actually enjoys, and specialize in, hurting people eyes, then tells him he will use each substance, almost sounding like he'll use them regardless of if Wilson give up any info. Here in the US, the soft spoken killer just talks to him like everything is going to be all right, and he'll have a bunch of chances, and he really doesn't want to do this, almost like his hand is being forced ... both scenes are complete opposites in terms of dread and anxiety inducing horror.
It's almost fascinating to see how a few tweaks of the exact same scene can make or break it. Too bad here it didn't "make" it.
Yep, this episode was incredible. Best episode of the season by far. Loved almost every minute in it. Firstly, Becca is one of my favourite characters show, she is just incredible and this episode further propelled that. Erica Cerra is absolutely incredible as Becca and as A.L.L.I.E, she steals the show whenever she is on screen, she stole the show in 3x7(Thirteen) and she stole the show in 3x16 (Preserve instantiation part 2). Becca, Bill and Callie really made this backdoor pilot incredible. I was not too sure about Callie at first, but she is starting to grow on me and may be a great protagonist and I knew she was going to be the first Heir to Becca Pramheda, the second commander. I loved the Easter eggs we got around the show, The Trikru shirt that Callie's friend was wearing, the from the ashes poster, which is a common phrase used, the Your fight is over phrase, very very interesting stuff. I am also very interested by what Becca saw and why she needed to destroy the anomaly stone. Very curious. As mentioned very great episode, I wonder how long Bill was telling the story cause Octavia and echo look very brainwashed. Also, I want to know what happened to the Eligius mission to Bardo, did they settle on earth, did they join the mountain men, maybe I missed something, but I am curious.
If you’re just interested in well choreographed and edited action sequences: see it. Also, kudos to convicingly pulling off the Will Smith clone (minus his final scene), something which must’ve been extremely hard to do given that he’s constantly moving around during the action sequences. However, the story of this film feels very paint-by-numbers and uses way too much exposition on top of that. The set-up takes a lot from The Bourne Identity, minus the memory loss. That’s not inherently a bad thing, but this has none of the interesting characterization, pace or grit from a Bourne film on top of that. Stylistically, there’s a glossiness and fakeness to it all. Everything is overlit, it ocassonially looks like characters are standing in front of green screen (which I’m pretty sure they aren’t), and there’s a fluidity to the movement during the action scenes which makes it look like animation. I don’t know how much of that is a result of the special cameras they used, and how much comes from bad CGI/cinematography/lighting, but I do know that not all of the innovation here is also an improvement.
4/10
Ps:
If you’re someone who loves motion smoothing and oversaturated colours on your tv system—> watch it in HFR
If you have taste —> don’t watch it in HFR.
When you have a political system and society built on the absolute control of information, and the projection of being all powerful and always infallible, then, when something disastrous happens, the first inclination is denial, then a cover-up, and finally finger pointing, deflection and blame storming with the various people having any sort of authority or power trying to save their own asses. The fact that the party bosses and ministers were "Apparatchik's", the Soviet equivalent of bureaucratic hacks, who had been gifted their appointments with minimal or even no knowledge of the actual workings of the bureaucracies they oversaw, poured gasoline and threw a match on an already untenable situation. It's easy to strut around in a cheap suit and impress the peasantry, especially when you can have anyone who calls you out on your BS sent to the Gulag's or even worse. It gets a bit trickier when peoples hands and faces start melting off, and they're detecting abnormally high radiation 1000 miles away.
I feel worse for the civvies, whose naive faith and trust caused them to believe the lies and half truth's they were being fed, and kept them from not only questioning the official story, but, willingly living and working in such close proximity to a disaster waiting to happen, and, thinking it was a privilege to do so. They had no idea of the dangers lurking near them, and, like Lyudmilla, who even when warned not to get too close or stay too long, hugs, caresses, and even places her irradiated husbands hand on her growing womb, thinking he just has some severe burns, because no one has the courage to speak the truth, even at the cost of thousands of lives.
Granted, it really didn't matter after the fact, because the battle now was to keep from decimating the ENTIRE Soviet Union and most of eastern Europe, so, what's 10 or 20 thousand dead if it means saving the country? So, if the neighborhood cheap suit pulls your name from a hat at the point of an AK-47, you tend to cooperate and not ask too many questions. Unless you're a coal miner extra enough to work butt nekkid in a radioactive hole with no hope of survival, and no thanks or glory. I tip my hat to them. Hero's all, even if Moscow never acknowledged them.
Pros
+Fight scenes were pretty intense and not as hammy as they have been in other episodes with The Others and Wights
+Melisandre returning was good
+Dragon fighting was great and properly brutal
+The Night's King's assassination was pretty great, I liked how they led us on twice with Dany trying to kill him with dragonfire and Jon trying to duel him fairly and both failing before Arya got him
+Theon's redemption was godly and I can already tell people are going to be overlooking it in favor of other scenes unfortunately
+Beric Dondarrion getting brutally stabbed in the hallway was pure cinema, great cinematography
+Brienne and Jaime's unbeatable tag team fighting was great
+Acting was noticeably solid this episode, even actors I don't exactly like did well here, the writing being more competent than most episodes definitely helped
Neutral
* the Dothraki getting all hyped only to do literally fucking nothing was actually hilarious
*Lyanna Mormont bit was the only really cheesy part but it was kind of fun
*Arya chase bit was a lot longer than it needed to be
*Sam just lying down on a pile of bodies doing nothing for the last half of the battle was kind of hilarious too
*Crypt parts broke up the action a bit and served their purpose but also didn't bring that much to the table
Cons
-There were a number of scenes that tried to create tension by prolonging whatever action was happening (like the absurdly long wait at the start, or when Melisandre set the fire to the moat, etc.) and I don't feel like most of it was necessary or added anything but time to the scene
-Not enough important people died for a show that made it's name for not giving plot armor to main characters, there were a few too many scenes where one should've died and was saved at the last second by another character that had no business being at that part of the battlefield (I'm looking at you Jorah! fucking teleporting outside of the castle to save Dany. I'm onto your sorcery)
-Too Dark, hahaha I know dumb complaint but it was noticeably annoying at points
-Didn't really explain why Bran just decided to control the ravens for a bit (I'm also secretly disappointed he didn't steal the Night's King's dragon)
-No giant ice spiders
-Tactics made no sense as usual but magic zombie fighting wouldn't anyway so that's not completely unforgivable.
yeah I know I put a lot of critical points here but the critical parts were all minor to me and the good parts wayyyyy outweigh them. It was a great episode, it sets up an interesting ending to the series. Never thought Cersei would actually be the big baddie at the very end when they could have the Night's King but I'm not against it either. Can't wait to see Jaime stab her and pull out a flaming sword :smirk:. also the Cleganebowl/Trial of the Seven/whatever shit they set up for the final encounter will be wonderful
Three words: I. LOVED. IT.
Listen, I'm a simple bitch, okay? Let's establish that right out of the gate. I can make fun of tropes all day long (especially the romantic ones) but in the end, I will eat that shit right up and walk out of the theater with the biggest grin on my face. Arthur and Mera accidentally hold hands and suddenly I turn into your 80-year-old grandma Gladys clutching her pearls and going "oh my". Jason Momoa and Amber Heard are DCEU's new dynamite duo (as much as I love Gal Gadot and Chris Pine, they've been knocked off the top spot for me). Their chemistry makes my skin tingle. Was the romance cliche? Hell yeah it was! And I adored every second of it!
Of course some stuff besides the romance also happens (but who cares about that? Not Gladys, that's for sure). The main plotline of finding the Trident does feel kinda like a treasure hunt with Arthur and Mera hopping from place to place, but because their chemistry and dynamic is just THAT good, it's all very fun and watchable. The villain is... well, he certainly is, eh? Actually there's two of them, but neither really made me feel anything. Still better than Steppenwolf, I guess? Although that's not saying much. The jokes hit more often than they miss and the movie did get a few good laughs out of me. But the more serious moments hit home for me as well, whether it's Arthur's reunion with his mother or his admission that he knows he doesn't deserve the Trident but it's his only hope of saving the people he loves. The tone feels pretty consistent and the transitions between the dramatic and comedic moments don't seem as jarring as in some other DCEU installments. The fight scenes are awesome. Especially the one in Sicily really made me feel pumped.
My favorite scene was by far Mera really experiencing the life on land for the first time. Her wide-eyed wonder (no pun intended, I guess) not only reminded me of Diana arriving in London, but it also had something wonderfully Little Mermaid-like (and not just because of the hair) about it. It was soft. It was pure. It made me feel warm inside. Mera eating the roses and Arthur immediately doing the same? Nobody's ever gonna ride for me this hard. Those are the kind of scenes that ground these huge superhero movies, that make them feel relatable to me and allow me to take a breath and really connect with the characters. And when 20 minutes later Mera goes full Bad Bitch In Charge on those soldiers and kills them with deadly wine spikes? Oh, I just about lost my mind. I want her to murder me. But aside from that entire sequence, there were plenty of other moments that really got my attention: little Arthur at the aquarium, Arthur and Mera's escape from Atlantis (such a fun chase!), our favorite power couple emerging from the ocean looking like they're on Baywatch (it was great, don't @ me), every time Mera used her powers (the glowing eyes!), the list goes on.
The visuals are absolutely stunning. Gone are the dreary grays of some lesser DCEU movies. Instead we get beautiful colors (Atlantis is beyond gorgeous), some great shots (Arthur and Mera swimming with the flare while surrounded by thousands of Trench people is breathtaking) and of course incredible CGI. It's a very aesthetically pleasing movie. And the music! I loved the music. This is one of the soundtracks I'm definitely gonna need to listen to at some point. And it takes some big balls to put a cover of Toto's Africa in your movie. I appreciate that. Some people are definitely gonna cringe when they hear it, but I had the biggest grin on my face.
Overall, this was a very enjoyable ride. It's quite long, but it didn't drag. I was invested in Arthur's journey. I thought the casting was perfect (and gosh darn do Jason Momoa and Amber Heard look good together! That has to be one of the most visually stunning pairings to have ever graced the big screen). And I just... felt super happy afterwards. I still can't stop smiling. It's a good movie not just by DCEU standards, but in general. I'd love to see it again and I'll definitely try to do so over the holidays. I honestly didn't expect to like it as much as I did. What a great surprise.
And here I thought the last episode was terrific. This was a near-flawless ribbon on the top of so many different arcs. And it's only the season's midway point.
Cotyar goes down a hero by destroying an infected Agatha King (taking "that asshole" Nguyen with him), Errinwright gets double-teamed by Sorrento and Anna and finally locked away, Mao is captured by Jim and forcibly knelt before Avasarala, Prax finally finds his daughter Mei, safe and sound, and Bobbie confronts a hybrid and finally gets over her PTSD of being defeated by one on Ganymede. Even Jim and Naomi made up and got back together after a risky tip of their hand to Fred Johnson paid off. And then a fucking jellyfish swam out of Venus' atmosphere... It's almost too much to process right away.
So much got packed into this hour yet it all flowed perfectly from one plot line to the other, interweaving where it made sense, and pushing the whole narrative forward in a believable way. This is how you make hard scifi.
The SyFy Channel is positively stupid for giving up on this exceptional piece of television. They really should be forced to change their network's name on account of it deliberately creating confusion for viewers.
[7.5/10] Donald Glover could power SNL on charm and weirdness alone, and at times, he did. Let’s go a little nuts and cover the sketches in order of best to worst.
I loved the “Barbie’s Instagram” sketch. It had the right blend of weirdness and little character moments, between Glover’s vaguely existential Mattel captioner, to the other two candidates being dolts, to Kenan’s huffy exhaustion at the whole deal. I was also a big fan of the (now-recurring) bit where Melissa Villasenor doesn't get pillow talk, and takes it increasingly absurd directions. It has the rapid-fire goofiness that I like in a sketch.
That sense of goofiness and specificity of performance really carried the day in this episode. Glover paid homage to cheesy/creepy 80s/90s music videos with his “Raz P. Berry” sketch, that just found more and more weird but amusing left turns to take, each funnier than the last. By comparison, the Jurassic Park Lawsuit sketch was pretty conventional, but got a lot of juice from all the little character touches Glover imbued into the lawyer badly defending the case, from his grand proclamations of a mistrial to even the way he could pour a glass of water.
The “Friendos” pre-taped video felt like a reference to something I didn’t really get in my general lameness, but I did get a kick out of melding the flash of rap videos with the mundanity and playing-against-type qualities of therapy, particularly with the hype man getting his chance to lament his position in the group.
Weekend Update had a solid outing. The one-liners were pretty good, and once again, Che in particular had some cutting and unique takes on the news of the week, particularly his darkly comic commentary on whether there’s a different FBI for black people. Pete Davidson had a nice outing riffing on Jost & Che hosting the emmys and his jealousy over it, though Leslie Jones’s corresponding bit on her prior bad boyfriends was DOA.
The sketch about the dearth of black people in the Star Wars universe was a good observation to build a sketch around, but turning it into a poorly-attended convention did little to really fuel the sketch, and it ended up feeling like an excuse to trot out Glover-as-Lando. Similarly, Glover’s monologue was fine when he was just doing one-liners and projecting that charm, but when it turned into a riff on his multi-talentedness, the joke ran out of gas quickly.
The rest of the sketches were mild-to-meh. The “A Kanye Place” pre-taped bit melded two popular things in the public consciousness, but didn’t turn it into much of a take. The “Prison Help Desk” bit was like the Star Wars sketch in that it had a solid joke as a premise but just ran it into the ground. And the cold open had juice from the onslaught of cameos, but had to coast on that rather than any actual solid jabs or insights, and had to contend with Stormy Daniels being not quite ready for prime time.
Overall, it’s nice to see Glover back in the sketch comedy world after his Derrick Comedy days, with a lot of the sketches having Glover’s unique flavor of humor in them.
-- DISCLAIMER: THIS BELOW IS ENTIRELY MY PERSONAL OPINION, YOU MIGHT NOT AGREE WITH IT --
So "The Defenders" is out, or how I like to call them "Heroes for Hire" (Whatever happened to that anyways?)
The Defenders, is the endpoint of each and every single one of the stories we've seen so far in the Netflix MCU.
It puts closure on all of the characters, not indefinite, but closure of what we've seen of them so far.
Because of this, I was not going in with high expectations, and thankfully in doing so, I didn't leave entirely disappointed.
Here's the catch tho,
I believe we can all agree that - this - is Marvel trying a more "serious", a more "adult" way for their MCU.
We can all agree that we cannot expect a Netflix series on Daredevil, JJ or even the others to be action-packed, mindless punching, d!ck hard-straightfoward-nofucksgiven-whatdoesthepoliceevendoanyways as much as we're accustomed to see on the big screen with The Avengers or Guardians of the Galaxy.
But let me tell you this:
There is a point - in time - where a man (or a woman) has this "we're the police let us do our job" - "you gonna end up in jail" - "You shouldn't do this, that" kind of bullshit talk so far up his butt, that it is impossible not to hate it.
The extent of milking out minutes and minutes, adding absolutely nothing valuable to the story is REALLY starting to annoy me very much. It was very light in Daredevil, it started showing in Jessica Jones and from Luke Cage it really went downhill. There's a whole new way of talking around, and around, and around pointlessly in these last shows that is really tiresome.
I'm talking about the side characters pointing out the same things, over and over and over and over, one time after one time after one time after one time.
"We are the police we can help you"
"Let us help you, you can't do it alone"
"You're gonna get in trouble"
"You're gonna go to jail"
Listen, screenwriters: shut the fuck up! They gonna do whatever the fuck they want anyways. We know it, you know it. And it showed.
I believe we can all agree (or at least try to) that Marvel won't ever (hopefully not) come up with something so profound, so intense, so serious (Maybe like we've partially witnessed with Logan) because they are too focussed on cliches, too focussed on this bullshit way of having to show how rebelious their characters are, and never focussed on the actual emotions and portraying them or conveying them to the people. I don't necessarily believe they should, that they are trying to do this, but at least... cut the bullshit a little, huh?
And I'm not adding more to that statement.
Alright, since that's out of my system, let's talk everything else.
The baseline of the show and the story aren't that bad. I like that finally we get to see the Hand entirely, for what they are and who they are without the mist of bullshit that we ingested the past shows. The action "side" of "things" isn't quite as horrible as we witnessed in Iron Fist, so that's a huge pro.
The fighting coreographies weren't really that stale, let's be honest: who doesn't enjoy watching JJ or Luke simply lifting goons, or watching Daredevil jump around and that fucking metal batoon hit sound, ohhh so good...
But then... here comes THE LIVING WEAPON. HURRAAAY!
No. Definitely no hurrays for him.
Let me tell you this, chaps, and I won't put spoiler marks on this part because there's nothing new to this:
Danny Rand - did not - evolve from his standalone show, his character depth and importance is just words in the wind, his appeal is just as strong as watching a golden retriever with his face out the car window and his dribble splattered all over.
He's A FUCKING NOOB, and yes, I did scream that out loud, a few times. (Same goes for his girlfriend).
Someone needs to explain to me why Danny got a scar on his chest tattoo in the first episode and then it disappears for the rest of the season.
Plus, someone needs to explain to me if elektra can punch JJ and Luke so hard that it makes them shake a little bit, why doesn't she destroy Daredevil or Iron Fist with the same punch? How can they sustain a damage that can make Luke Cage feel pain?
And that's really most of what's wrong with this show.
Believe me tho, once you see it, you'll understand why I can get so upset.
What more could be said?
Music was good, I enojyed the few pieces, they were well placed.
The colors are always fucking cold and stale, the light almost always dark.
Sigourney Weaver is a great actress portraying a terrible, empty character, but ehhh, whatever.
It is definitely worth watching if you liked Daredevil and Jessica Jones. I could bare Luke Cage more here, he was kind of different, in a good way.
You know what's missing from this show?
A FUCKING GOOD ASS VILLAIN. BRING ME FUCKING KINGPIN.
Jesus christ I fucking hate Danny Rand and his stupid fisting duracell fetish.
in short the pacing of each episode and the season as a whole is all wrong.
wasting too much time to getting to the point, next to no fight scenes comparing to other shows like this in the season.
all fights and action filled scenes are over all too quickly.
a character and actor that was lovable in Jessica Jones is now in need of a bitch slap most of the season.
its sad really, you have a powerful character that can slap everyone out in this show. yet he uses most of his time (the little we see of him sometimes) feeling sad for those around him and himself instead of take action.
while the comic characters history has alot to do with the subject of race and color.
bringing all of this into a series in a ham-fisted way isnt the way to go.
most of the time me and my friend was watching this we where wanting more action, more of the main character and more of a villan that we care about.
when i can say with good heart that daredevil and any comic show out now beats this by miles and miles.
when the pacing is so off that you think you are watching a double episode but its really just a 40min one then its something wrong.
when you feel like this episode takes forever to be done then its something wrong.
i watch all the comic shows out and i love them all (except this and agents of shield)
its sad really, as i LOVED his character in Jessica Jones.
Alexander Calvert is doing such a good job at being creepy. That smirk he gave to the sheriff was creepy as hell. I love it. The nature vs nurture debate will always be on the table but I'm pretty sure Jack is a blank state. Neither inherently good nor evil. It all depends on who's influencing you. Truth is he's Lucifer's kid and as such, has evil genes, but with a good role model, he'll be good.
"My father is Castiel". I certainly expected it but hot damn, the way he said it melted my heart. I'm absolutely in love with the fact that Jack's idea of a father is Cas. Kelly was such a nobel character and their bonding in the episode "The Future" was the key.
Is it just me or is Alexander Calvert like the perfect actor for Jack? He can actually be pretty creepy but at the same time tender, lovely and so awkward. Are we entirely sure he's not Cas' son? He had that exact same squinty and confused look Cas has.
"I like nougat", lol. Damn it Jack! I love you already. I love that Jack, a Nephilim, the son of Lucifer, one of the most powerful beings there could ever be uses his powers to steal candy. Btw, when he said "I'm hungry" I thought the writers were going to go full on Amara there. Luckily, they didn't.
That lady sheriff was absolutely awesome. Is she going to be the new Jody once she moves on to Wayward Sisters? I wouldn't mind that tbh. We keep on with the female sheriff supernatural tradition.
That drunk angel, though. She kinda confused me. I thought she got possessed after the boys left but her constant hatred on Becky made me doubt. The actress was on point and the character was so charismatic. It's a pity she's gone but she played her purpose and she was sassy as hell. Btw angels do seem to be badass again, in a demon way. She planted the seed on Dean's mind that Jack can do anything, including bring Cas back.
Welp, like Tryion said, We're fucked. Living vs. The Dead. Season 8 A fight that only comes once.
The dragon pit scene was awesome. Getting so many characters all in one place at the same time was great to see. So many quick “oh, hey you’re still alive” moments. One of the best was Brienne and the Hound. Speaking of the Hound, we did not get the Cleganebowl we have been wanting for so long but at least he was able to tell his brother off. Maybe next season…
Cersei, as the hound would say, is a real cunt. She truly is the biggest villain this show has seen. She is lying to everyone about sending her armies north and bringing in more mercenaries to help fight while Dany is a little occupied. She not only threatened to kill not one of her brothers but both of them is the same episode. Jamie is finally getting smart and getting away from her, even if he is leaving to go fight an army of undead. I honestly think she might stick around to the end and keep the iron throne. She has no problem doing whatever it takes. She has a kid on the way and that is all she is worried about now (I still don’t think she will have the child because of the prophecy said she would only have three). Oh and the shot of snow falling on King's Landing was a beautiful reminder that winter is here.
The winterfell storyline finally did something amazing. Sansa’s “trial” of Littlefinger was a long time coming and with Bran there was no denying. I’m so glad Arya got to kill him with his own dagger. The sisters finally started acting like family.
Nice to see Theon having another chance at redemption. He had a nice moment with Jon about their dad, well technically Ned was neither of their father. I hope he gets to save Yara next season. I wonder where she is if Euron is going to Essos or could she already be dead?
The show finally says what all the fans have know for years, Jon is a true Targaryen and the rightful heir to the Iron Throne. And they say it just as the two have sex for the first time, nothing new for this show. I’m sure this won’t be a problem. Dany will be cool with it, right? I mean the old Targaryens were into incest too. Maybe not we'll just have to wait and find out.
That last scene really was a little frightening, to see something that has been keeping the white walkers out for 8000 years to just go down like that. Now that the Night King has a dragon they are really going to cause some havoc. RIP Tormund and Beric? I don't think there were able to get off the wall in time but were they on the part still standing?
Great season, moved a little too fast and missed some of the slower character moments from old season. They definitely had some of the largest battle scenes TV has ever seen and I’m sure we are not done yet. Let the wait for season 8 begin…
I'm gonna have to go against the grain here and say this was a poor episode for Game of Thrones standards and not even in my opinion on how the story line will play but the actual episode in it of it's self and in comparison to the rest of the series
The whole season like many have pointed out has been way to hectic without getting any real satisfaction or grasp of the scenes because they're so rushed to advance the plot, as Sansa said this episode Jon has be gone for weeks yet the pacing is so off that nothing can be placed or timed easily and there's just numerous major jumps that seem right to.
So many decisions that just seem absurd and are just for convenience so the guys make it out (the whole expedition/plan was a farce anyways regardless and made up on the spot without any consideration or thought into Cersei's response to it but even ignoring that), that 1st ambush on the tiny group and being able to take down a Walker with such ease so simply to leave one undead remaining (WHY DID ONE REMAIN?!?) for them to bring home was too outlandish and unbelievable. Then only for them to have Gendry be the only one to return(?) to send a raven in time and have Dany save the day all in ONE EPISODE as they sit in a LOTR circle of undead and obviously evacuate unscathed. With the exception of Night King hitting the flying moving dragon at a further distance than the obvious one sitting stationary with the gang!?! Damn, took me way out of the whole episode, no immersion and I thought it was mess compared to say the pit scenes with the dragons or even any other really. Granted this is unprecedentedly more epic and huge in stature but I don't think they did it justice whatsoever
I get the direction they've decided to take the show and I can't blame them, what with not having the books to lean on but I can't help but think how if they (final books) were out by now this whole expedition would've been a whole season with a lot more too it than feeling nothing as I watch a beautiful scene as a dragon comes crashing down black hawk style, and finally what an injustice Benjen going out was... Just sums my critique of convenience and lack of depth especially with the fact that he could have made it out together on that horse but he gets the standard cliched heroic deus ex machina death to "slow down" the dead which is a dumb excuse to sacrifice himself
I want to like this movie so bad. I mean, the premise is fantastic, and I think it really nail on the satirical end for the allienation generated by a hip CEO, the need for "sharing" and "being social", the end of privacy and the use of personal/private data to benefit a company. They also set The Circle as this creepy company that swears it does it all to make the world a better place, but it's obviously shady and dangerous.
The problem is the way it's written. It's terrible. It feels so shallow, like it's a great story and we only get to see a portion of it. Emma Watson's acting was on point, but the character had her doing this crazy eyes. She goes from mildly concerned to lunatic about the company's visions in apparently no-time, like she was brainwashed or something, and then she becomes a robot. John Boyega's characted could have been soooo much more explored, as well as the tech, the implications of the tech, the world's views on The Circle's plans... It just has so many holes. We don't even get to see what Bailey and Stenton had on them, and what the company became. The end of this movie was one of the most unfulfilling I have ever seen. But then again, the idea is so good. Somebody redo this, please!
So, I got this book for my birthday called "The Circle". The Story sounded interesting but to be honest I struggled through every page and tossed it away about half way through because I couldn´t stand that stupid, naive, onedimensional and brainwashed character of Mae that sucked up every bit of that corporate crap she´s been served without even as much as a little doubt. (it´s much worse in the book). I mean how stupid can one be ? OK, I´ll take that back I know such people myself.
Anyway, now they made it into a movie and I thought "well, at least I could see how it ends". The plot is still interesting and it is something we all should think about because it is already beginning to happen. Like in real life we are sold BS about the benefits and while at least here they are showing some of the dark sides they make nothing out of it in the end. Yes the villains are exposed but instead of The Circle being shut down the writer/author sells us the same BS again that everything is fine. We will reform The Circle and make it a benefical for society. Like someone mentioned before: If the leaders are watched too why complain ?
So the biggest flaws of the story are rooted in the book. You needn´t bother watching it really. The cast is wasted on this. And the author of the book wasted an opportunity to write something great out of a good initial idea. Instead of criticism he said "don´t worry there are supposed to be bumps in the road but everything will be fine in the end". And that´s when you start to worry.
Danys back! That last scene was amazing. It was a long time coming and it was worth it, now lets see what she does next.
The scene between Cersei and Jamie with Euron was great. I wonder what the gift could be? Maybe he is bringing Robert's last bastard, Gendry? Jamie's look on his face when Euron said you should try killing you brother made me laugh. It’s like it just crossed his mind that she is actually capable of doing that.
Arya is not content with just killing Walder Frey, she had to kill them all. I realized about halfway through that scene and it was awesome to see her be a badass. The North Remembers! Oh and there is Ed Sheeran I wonder if we will see him again?
I loved that The Hound basically made fun of Thoros for having a man bun. Its crazy to see the way he has changed as a person and burying the people he left for dead a few seasons ago.
Sansa questioning Jon in front of everyone makes me think she wants to be in charge. I wonder if Littlefinger is rubbing off on her? Jon is concerned with the North but I think Sansa has more knowledge of everyone else and she is going to be important going forward.
I can’t get enough of Tormund hitting on Brienne. "You're a lucky man."
Sam's poop/soup montage was disgusting. He might be the most important part of this epsiode though. Finding the Dragon glass "mountain" might give the living folk an actual chance. Jon will probably be going to Dragonstone next week and we will finally get Jon and Daenerys face to face. And we get a glimpse at poor Jorah which seems the grey scale has gone into full effect.
Great episode to kick off the new season. We don't have a full 10 episodes so hopefully some big things happen next week.
The concept of the show kind of perfectly represents the show itself. You go out with a bunch of old friends thinking it's going to be a great time, and in the end, things don't turn out the way you were expecting and everybody just kind of ends up disappointed.
I went into this expecting a laugh out loud comedy with a great cast, and there was some of that, but by the end it became more drama, and nothing really ended in a satisfying way either.
I do think the cast was good, and there are some good funny moments, and well done serious moments, but I think overall the show has a weird balance, and doesn't really pay off in a way that leaves any of the characters or audience satisfied. But then again, that's very similar to the night out with old friends from college the show describes, so maybe it achieved exactly what it wanted to achieve.
On one hand I do kind of hope there's another season, only because there's so much left unresolved in the end, but you're never going to get a resolution that satisfies everybody, so I'm not sure if the show should have one either. It's just a strange show. It definitely kept me interested enough to binge it though, so I'll give it that.
I have actually watched the whole season 5 already and I can tell you there's gonna be a lot of crazy stuff happening in this season and the crazy events that occur really are not up to the task, and you will be left with a huge cliffhanger in the last episode of the season lets just say the cliffhanger is due to "Piscatella" don't want to spoil it too much. I'm gonna say this tho about the whole season and this is why I will rate the whole season with my rarely seen 5 hearts rating, but the season improved itself after each episode if not for a few very boring unnecessary episodes that were in there some call them "fillers" it could have been an 8 or higher if not for that fact.
The whole season kinda felt boring there were not many appearances of "Piper" which I believe most people that watch this show watch it because of the character "Piper Chapman", yeah sure she does appear in every episode but like 1 or 2 times there are exceptions to some episodes but I really didn't expect for this show to turn into one of those shows where every character gets their own in-depth story, all in all season 5 could have been hell of a lot better and more fun in my opinion.
