Review by ragreynolds
VIP7Another good episode, but I must admit that I was kinda disappointed by it as a season finale. It ended well, but the episode felt a bit off. It felt as though every single character just had a sudden change of heart, as though we had missed an entire episode of development. Obviously we knew certain characters were headed a certain way, but they just seemed to suddenly jump from say 60% of the way that they progressed through the last 7 episodes, to 100% just in this one. It felt kinda weird how Homelander just suddenly showed up and got Ryan too - it came out of nowhere. It was still a good episode, but I thought it felt a bit rushed.
Also kinda disappointed that we're kinda just back where we started at the beginning of the season, with no real way to take down Homelander. I was expecting Soldier Boy to take Homelander's powers and then we'd get to see a new side to Homelander next season since he'd be weak and dealing with having no powers. Instead, it seems we're going to get a lot of focus on Ryan and Homelander together - which I do like. I had also thought that maybe all of The Boys would end up with powers by the end of the season, but that didn't happen either (not that that's a bad thing).
Anyway, I thought this was a good episode, but an ever so slightly disappointing end to a fantastic season of TV. Can't wait for season 4.
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@ragreynolds I feel like the cliffhanger-ish, "back to nothing" feeling is kind of pattern. They did this too in Season 1 finale.
Review by Andrew Bloom
VIP9[7.4/10] This is definitely one of those Agents of Shield episodes where it feels like we have ten things going on. Nathaniel Mallick is trying to infiltrate the Lighthouse. Coulson, Mack, Yo-Yo, and Gordon are trying to take back Afterlife. Daisy is interfacing with her mom. Simmons is contemplating the possibility that Fitz is gone. And that’s just the big stuff.
But let’s start with the easiest thing to latch onto here -- I love the performance of the actor playing a young John Garrett. I like what the show is going for overall here, combining a previously deceased Mallick son, an unknown Jiaying daughter, a villainous Chronicon, and a young version of season 1’s Big Bad to create a sort of Legion of Doom bad guy team to face our heroes. Giving them all Inhuman powers is the icing on the cake.
But Garrett takes that cake! The young actor does such a great job at bringing Bill Paxton’s mannerisms into play without just making it an impression. It’s a nice way to pay tribute to the dearly departed Paxton, and his cocky, tweaking, even fun-loving nature makes him a great ingredient in the show.
I was less enamored with the Daisy/Jiaying material. I appreciate what the show’s going for here. Daisy facing her mom after all that happened with them, but getting to meet Jiaying before Hydra changed who and what she was, is an emotionally rich area to explore. The writing is just a little overblown, and Sousa oversteps his bounds a bit there, which rubbed me the wrong way.
That said, I like the taunting reveal of their relationship from Mallick, which has intensity from Jiaying realizing she has the chance to make up for her future self’s actions and Daisy going into a fury over Nathaniel threatening to wreck things with her mom. There’s some explosiveness there that you need the prior scene to set up, so I can give it a pass. It also gives Jiaying a measure of redemption, which I like.
This is also an episode filled with shocking deaths. I was definitely not expecting both Jiaying and Kora to be killed here. I assume one or both of them isn’t fully dead, but it’s still pretty nuts, especially as we’ve officially tossed “ripples not waves” out the window.
Speaking of which, I like the twist that Mallick wasn’t after Jiaying this whole time, but rather after Simmons. The reveal that it’s Fitz who’s messed up Mallick’s plans in every timeline is an interesting one, and the prospect of Simmons and Deke trapped on the Zephyr when it’s been hijacked by Mallick and Garrett has plenty of intrigue. (Are we finally going to get Fitz back with three episodes to go in the series?)
Otherwise, there’s a lot of action and teases here. Gordon making the heroic sacrifice is another compelling bit of mini-redemption given where things ended for him. The fight between May and an “I don’t quite have a handle on my powers” Garrett was solid. And again, the standoff between Mallick, Daisy, and her mom had some cool quaker-on-quaker action.
Overall, this one didn’t hit the heights of last week’s episode, and lacks some of the focus and clarity of the show’s best outings, but is nevertheless taking some big swings, which I always admire.
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@andrewbloom I thought Kora was just iced by Coulson, not killed?
Erm.. okay I'm so confused
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@jgierer12 i got that after watching this episode, but is so messy that they dont show time passing or clarify that exists others timeline going, you can only find out on this episode
Shout by Timekeeper
No matter how cheesy this show gets, people keep coming back for more. And it keeps getting renewed. Something for everyone.
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@timekeeperseven Yet you’ll be back to give it bad reviews next season lol.
Review by dewdropvelvet
I read the first two books but not the third. I think watching this show may be better if you don't know how things pan out. Normally an episode where people don't have their powers would bother me, and if they didn't know who they were it would bother me even more, but this was done very well, with plenty of traction on all fronts. Plus their chosen identities were fascinating.
I like Marina's makeup. Purple lipstick, flashy eyeshadow, dangling hexagon earrings. All a good look on her.
Fog is trying to redeem himself and is letting Julia be part of magic. That scene with her in his office was touching. I like Dean Fog.
The only thing I wish I knew is the books description of the animals current plaything scenes with Quentin. Maybe I'll read those. In the past, the show has found ways to stay true to the multi-layered lathered-up descriptions in the books.
Loved how the horned God talked to Margot, calling her the "little boy high king."
May have graded a bit high on this one, but I missed the show.
Also: Dear person who went thru the first five eps here and gave them fake synopses: Alice and Quentin confront a dog? Dean Fog gets a new suit? Margot eats a muffin from Josh? I think you can do better. I did like Julia drinks schnapps, tho.
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@dewdropvelvet Just want to say the episode synopses are pretty much what NBC (NBC is a parent of Syfy) is releasing on their press site. They're being weirdly vague and nondescript with their synopses this season. I can't wait until Quentin meets a snake.
Shout by Kenneth Sundby
VIP4I think if I tried pointing out all the illogical parts of this episode I'd run out of space, but let's just go with the dumbest part: Why on earth did they bother with bringing Dixon and O'Donnell on the chopper just to dump them? Obviously it was just an excuse to open the doors so Reacher could crawl in, but so far this season the writers don't seem to bother asking themselves "what is the goal of the character here"
And why was Reacher in charge of what happened with the money? A bit weird, as he's not their boss but whatever
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You clearly weren't paying attention... 'The Terminator' told you why, and why they dug the bullet out of the leg... It's good to keep up.
Shout by Jim222001
VIP6Going to be too much Mona and Gary again. And now there’s some random new guy that doesn’t seem to have any powers. Might as well just make a Mick spin-off. He owns every scene he is in. Constantine as well.
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@jim222001 The new guy, I assume you mean Behrad? He has powers, he has the Air token because he lived in this timeline so the token never goes to Zari but stays with him. Nora was explained in the episode, she is being a fairy godmother to various children across the world, but I hope we'll see her join the legends soon.
Shout by MIKAfan33
VIPThe earth bending in particular looks incredible! Can't wait to see the earth kingdom parts.
Am I the only one that really liked the episode? Sure some things were rushed or off but they also had great scenes/elements from the anime! I like how they also try to make it their own. I do wonder how people like it who don't know the original (feel free to comment to let me know :wink:)
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I haven‘t seen the original series or movie, and I found this first episode incredible. The story is fresh to me, the visuals are amazing, it’s easy to connect with the characters. Definitely thumbs up, hope it will continue that way.
That was a satisfying ending!
They better bring this guy back for a third season
He finally got a new toothbrushloading replies
Season 3 is already filming. All good.
Raise your hand if you replayed the "I was wrong" dance.
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@itsmepreethi and despite having already watched half of it in the sneak peek multiple times, I still replayed Crowley's reaction to Nina's reveal of Aziraphale's "naked man friend"
I was hoping we keep Vesco.. I likes their interaction, though the extra dramatic farewell was strange - don't recall Res being so in love with Vesco before.
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You're right but you know sometimes a loss reminds you of your humanity. Liz needed to die for us to see Red a bit unhinged and he's still going through it... So I'm guessing even the hidden emotions that red hides gotta surface..
Shout by عٮـٮـدالرحمں |
f***ers turned an awesome superhero into a boring drama show. goddamnit, man.
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@darkkingpegasus To be fair, it was always a soap opera, just like Arrow, because this is what the CW does best. They did it with Supernatural too with the boys talking about their feelings at the end of many episodes, that is what makes the show so different from the comics, it doesn't just contain action but drama also, which I enjoy.
The one thing that I really hated about Season 6 and Season 7 is that the villains were really pathetic and it seemed like Barry was getting weaker instead of stronger. What I love about Season 8 is that they are finally showing that Barry has leveled up, and they are finally introducing more interesting villains.
The only criticism that I have is that I wish they didn't use bad CGI just to introduce very tall alien characters when they don't have the budget to make good CGI. Also, when Barry runs, we shouldn't be seeing his bad CGI face, and if they can't show Grant's face, then they should just hide it, because the bad CGI breaks immersion, but that problem has been around since the very beginning of the show and they have somewhat learned from it by showing it less and less.
They tricked me really in believing there's no Iris in this Episode again, BUT...
...what the actual f***?!
So, Nora can spend a whole season in the past without changing anything, but Barry will not even travel to the future to see if she's well, because of Flashpoint? How does that make any sense? That Flashpoint argument is nonsense. He wouldn't change the past by doing so. He would only change the present and it's future outcome which he is already doing by trying to prevent the "Godspeed Civil War". At least he tries timetravel after a talk about family with Diggle and fails by doing so, because of a Godspeed barrier. At the end Nora shows up and all concerns Barry had are unfounded. It's great that we literally dealt with something over a period of two full episodes that didn't need to be worried.
And why is Diggle still Spartan after he found something that glows green? Was that scene from the last Arrow episode, which indicated that he's becoming Green Lantern and was shown again in this episode, just a lie? And how did non-superpowered Spartan defeat a Godspeed clone? I have so many questions, but not in a good way.
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@disgustedguy Diggle isn't green lantern yet because he's been putting off wearing the ring. It's why he was having such bad headaches. A few weeks ago he was in Gotham on Batwoman to get checked up because he didn't know what was causing them. He's also going to be in Supergirl and Superman & Lois. Basically doing a tour of the current arrowverse on his way to becoming Green Lantern. He also managed to beat the Godspeed clone by shooting him with speed sapping nanites in the same way Oliver did to Thawn in season 1
But yeah, Barry refusing to go to the future because of flashpoint makes no sense. He can't make another flashpoint by changing something in the future. To his present it hasn't happened yet. In the same vein, why doesn't he care about Nora coming back from the future when he's become to anti-time travel because of the consequences?
And if he couldn't make it to 2047 because of the Godspeed blockade, how is Nora just able to travel back in time?
Shout by Peter Hopkins
Interesting twist, or further back story to the iconic character…..was great bringing Kal-El’s mothers consciousness into the mix, added more unexpected history.
Only have one question, did I miss them say a short distance shockwave? as Morgan Edge’s assistant, Leslie Larr, seemed to be unaffected
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@petetorrev well, only the people who's consciousness changed recently by the machine are reverted back. So that could mean two things, 1) it's too long ago for her or 2) she's Kryptonion. I didn't pay attention for the second one, so don't know.
Ugh, I wanna like this show so bad, but again these stories are all so god damn dull. So, the uncle killed his brother, because he was trying to escape ... the uncle's mind control plan ... and then kept his niece hostage to collect more of the debris ... all so he could fulfill his Grand Master Plan of ... killing a bunch of random Army generals ... That's why he destroyed his family ? it's all just so shallow.
On top of that there's just a million questions left unanswered, and not in a good way, where it's up to the audience to decide ... Nope just: "Wait, what, I'm lost. Why did that just happen ?".
Like: Why was the debris only attracted to the girl ? Why not just scrape the bottom of the lake ? Why did it not affect her ? Why did the one brother try to run away with the debris, and how did the other one find him, then control him to commit suicide from so far away ? Is this debris supposed to have unlimited range ? What made people remember what they had been controller about ? I'll admit I might have missed this part, but what exactly was the issue with the debris ? Did it "spoil" after being used, or did he just need more to be more powerful ? edit: I just remembered this one, but ... didn't the niece just straight up murder her uncle then ? She couldn't, you know, force him to surrender ? No, no. Better to force him to slam his head against a shard of metal
Also, I feel like one of the biggest missed opportunities are the lack of reoccurring powers: every episode we're introduced to a new piece of Debris, and 45 minutes later the thing is whisked away and shelved, never to be seen again. Could the agents not be using all this fancy new tech to become more bad-ass super-agents ?
This whole show has just become:
"Hi, I'm Bryan ..." gives a broody look, off into the distance
"I'm Finola ..." poses with piercing eyes, and pursed lips
"and we're ... the Metal Detectorists !"
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@alexnader you raise a lot of valid questions but I am enjoying the show regardless.
Re: the shallowness of the stories, I suppose to some extent what you've got going on with the debris-of-the-week stories is the investigation of the exposure of random individuals to bits of debris and how it effects or corrupts them. This obviously makes their stories more small scale because it's happened due to (bad) luck rather than some proverbial master plan. The deeper story is obviously the two competing intelligence agencies and Finola's back-from-the-dead father.
I definitely agree about the lack of recurring powers. These pieces ought to be used in subsequent episodes otherwise it makes each piece of debris discovered kind of irrelevant, reducing it to mere alien junk.
Well, I was just wondering if the real Bloodwork would make an appearance! Too bad it was just for like a couple of minutes, I guess CGI is expensive. Is the Bloodwork storyline done? What about Ramsey? And what about Nash Wells? Did he think that The Monitor saved him from the blood-zombies when it was actually Team Flash? Huh. At least Crisis On Infinite Earths is finally here!!!!
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@chuchitzu I think the storyline with Ramsay is done for now, I mean, he is alive and being held at Argus now so he can always break out and come back at some point but they did say that his illness was developing very fast.
Nash thinks that the Monitor saved him, yeah... and it will probably lead to him becoming Pariah during the Crisis.
How come Crowley was able to get out of the tape in the voicemail recorder, but Hastur wasn't?
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@misnomer He made the call and hung up before Hastur was able to get out. That's what sent him to the tape. At least that's what I get.
I have a bad feeling about Jennifer. She doesn't seem genuine. Either she's working for someone else or she's working for Raymond. I don't believe she's simply someone who wants to know the truth.
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@legendaryfang56 I don't like her much either.. and I wasnt happy with how Liz was being. After all red's done, she's being ungrateful. How much clearer can he be that he has secrets he needs to keep? She should have told him about the DNA thing when he asked her what secrets she was keeping. She can't play on his level. Or maybe she can, but it's just not worth this "price" that's gonna hurt them both.
This too early to have a filler episode. Waste of an hour. Watch the first 5 mins and last 5 mins. Rest has zero value to story progression.
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How sad to have such a limited view of what this show can be
I could have skipped this episode and missed nothing.
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@martlet the show, not inly in the text but also in interviews with the show-runners, is about love and the things we do for love (good and terrible) and to protect the ones we love.
Bill is a paralel to joel and frank to ellie. Opening up the others hearts and letting love in. On closed off by his own closeted homophobia and paranoia and the other from trauma and loss of his child. Both pragmatic and overly serious not letting others in (joel didn’t even let tess in for all the years they where together)
The episode shows also how post apocalypse we don’t have to sacrifice our humanity. To do more that just surviving but to actually live and care for the things around us. And for art, and beauty.
The letter at the end really activate joel in the quest to protect ellie. He has failed to protect his daughter and as reminded, tess. It tells him that life with purpose is possible and it’s mostly someone else. And that they, both, would do anything to protect the ones they care about… and i pity the fool who stand on their way (foreshadowing what joel is going to do in the end)
There are many more reasons why this episode matters in the context of the show but a not unimportant one is that it was beautiful and a good story and telling it was something they wanted to do and was worth it… maybe not to you but for many others, apparently.
This too early to have a filler episode. Waste of an hour. Watch the first 5 mins and last 5 mins. Rest has zero value to story progression.
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Clearly you did not, at all, understand the meaning of this episode and how it clearly ties into Joel and Ellie’s journey
I don't understand why they have to put a black person as a leader or a wife for somebody everytime.
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@nicol1212 only a racist would be bothered by that. Don't bother to deny it.
I could have skipped this episode and missed nothing.
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@martlet would have missed a great episode of TV that speaks to the themes of the show if not advancing the plot.
Did they really need to bring Karen back? she was completely unnecessary in this episode
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@abstractlegend And I disagree, she always jumps in when the heroes need legal help.
And she got her and Madani to see the morgue because she has history with creepy ed, Madani wouldn't have gotten in otherwise. This to get to know it was a setup which lead to Frank knowing he is not the same and doesn't deserves punishment himself. Also leading to him leaving from the hospital early.(He wanted to die from the syringe because he though he deserved it and wouldn't have left if he didn't knew this). From which point Karen isn't needed anymore as he's out of the legal reach she has. + she set off the fire alarms to let the others go undetected.
I finally figured out the writing style of the show. Lots of good stuff at start of an episode. Big action scene at end of episode. And middle filled with useless & boring stuff.
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@d0ndada middle is boring? Was some great character building in this one!
Was quite nice and felt in the best moments like good old Star Wars.
But!
I can understand why they wanted to have a strong women cast, but why need all men be so stupid? Ezra is being hit, when the battle began. So the women need to fix it! Those decisions are destroying the show a bit for me.loading replies
They're not? Ezra did nothing stupid and Thrawn is the most intelligent character in the series. I feel like you're searching for problems that simply aren't there
In the previous episode, I suspected Cate being an accomplice, but the plot hole in this episode was that when everyone woke up wiped, she didn't have bloodshot eyes... Omitting that, feels like dishonest storytelling.
Also, why does Andre's voice change so much when he's using his power? Is that how he activates it? Or is that just his "angry" voice?
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@erebos she probably wiped their memory and then sent them to sleep, her eyes would've gone back to normal after a while
This too early to have a filler episode. Waste of an hour. Watch the first 5 mins and last 5 mins. Rest has zero value to story progression.
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@whos_ur_buddha It was a good build up to Joel and Ellie showing up, and Bill got way more attention than he did in the game and I'm all for it, his story was great.
- Did I accidentally put on Beauty and the Beast?
- I recognised Kristofer Hivju by his voice, but his face looks completely different without a beard and I would not have recognised him without his voice.
- Please give the hair and makeup department more money. I am begging.
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@amberrav Are you saying the boar man looked bad? Because I think he looked incredible!
Review by Andrew Bloom
VIP9[7.5/10] Ahsoka feels right. The vistas of Lothal feel of a piece with their animated rendition. The characters seem like themselves despite shifts in the performer and the medium. Their relationships feel genuine even though much has changed in the five years since we’ve seen them together.
Maybe that shouldn’t be a big surprise with Dave Filoni, impresario of the animated corner of Star Wars, both writing and directing “Master and Apprentice”, the series premiere. He is the title character’s co-creator and caretaker. He is the creator of Star Wars: Rebels, the show that Ahsoka is most clearly indebted to. And he is, for many, the keeper of the flame when it comes to the Galaxy Far Far Away.
But it was my biggest fear for this show. More than the plot, more than the lore, more than the latest chapter in the life of my favorite character in all of Star Wars, my concern was that translating all these characters, and their little corner of the universe, to live action and a different cast and a different era of the franchise would make everything feel wrong. Instead, we’re right at home. The rest is gravy.
And the gravy is good. Because these are not the colorful, if intense, adventures of the Ghost crew fans saw before. This is, or should be, a period of triumph for the onetime Rebels. They won! The Empire is torn asunder! Lothal is led with grace and a touch of wry sarcasm by Governor Azadi, with none other than Clancy Brown reprising the role! Huyang the lightsaber-crafting droid is still around and has most of his original parts!
Nonetheless, our heroes are hung up on old battles and older wounds. Ahsoka Tano is on a quest to track down Grand Admiral Thrawn, who hunted the Spectres in Rebels. Sabine Wren can’t bask in the afterglow of victory as a hero when she’s still mourning Ezra Bridger. And the two warriors have some lingering bad blood with one another after an attempt to become master and apprentice, true to the title, went wrong somewhere along the way.
With that, the first installment of Ahsoka is a surprisingly moody and meditative affair, one that works well for Star Wars. Sure, there's still a couple of crackerjack lightsaber fights to keep the casual fans engaged. But much of this one is focused on familiar characters reflecting on what’s been lost, what’s been broken, and what’s hard to fix. The end of Rebels was triumphant, but came with costs. To linger on those costs, and the new damage that's accumulated in their wake, is a bold choice from Filoni and company.
So is the decision to focus on Sabine here. Don’t get me wrong, Ahsoka has the chance to shine in the first installment of the show that bears her name. Her steady reclamation of a map to Thrawn, badass hack-and-slash on some interfering bounty droids, and freighted reunions with Hera and her former protege all vindicate why fans have latched onto the character. For her part, Rosario Dawson has settled into the role, bringing a certain solemnity that befits a more wizened and confident master, but also that subtle twinkle that Ashley Eckstei brings to the role.
And yet, the first outing for Ahsoka spends more time with Sabine’s perspective. It establishes her as a badass who’d rather rock her speeder with anti-authoritarian style than be honored for her heroics. It shows her grieving a lost comrade whose sacrifice still haunts her. It teases out an emotional distance and rebelliousness between her and her former mentor. And it closes with her using her artist’s eye to solve the puzzle du jour, and defend herself against a fearsome new enemy.
This is her hour, and while Sabine is older, more introverted, all the more wounded than the Mandalorian tagger fans met almost a decade ago, this opening salvo for the series is better for it.
My only qualms are with the threat du jour. Yet another Jedi not only survived the initial Jedi Purge, but has made it to the post-Return of the Jedi era without arousing the suspicions of Palpatine, Vader, Yoda, or Obi-Wan. Ray Stevenson brings a steady and quietly menacing air to Baylan Skoll, the former Jedi turned apparent mercenary, but there's enough rogue force-wielders running around already, thank you very much.
His apprentice holds her own against New Republic forces and Ahsoka’s own former apprentice, but is shrouded in mystery. She goes unidentified, which, in Star Wars land, means she’s secretly someone important (a version of Mara Jade from the “Legends” continuity?) or related to someone important (the child of, oh, let’s say Ventress). And I’m tired of such mystery boxes.
Throw in the fact that Morgan Elsbet, Ahsoka’s source and prisoner, turns out to be a Nightsister, and you have worrying signs that the series’ antagonists will be rehashing old material rather than moving the ball forward. The obvious “We just killed a major character! No for real you guys!” fakeout cliffhanger ending doesn’t inspire much confidence on that front either.
Nonetheless, what kept me invested in Rebels, and frankly all of Star Wars, despite plenty of questionable narrative choices, is the characters. The prospect of Ahsoka trying to train a non force-sensitive Mandalorian in the ways of the Jedi, or at least her brand of them, is a bold and fascinating choice.
But even more fascinating is two people who once believed in one another, having fallen apart, drifting back together over the chance to save someone they both care about. “Master and Apprentice” embraces, rather than shying away from, the sort of lived-in relationships that made the prior series so impactful in the past, and the broken bonds that make these reunions feel fragile, painful, and more than a little bitter in the present.
I am here for Hera the general trying to patch things up between old friends. I am here for Sabine holding onto her rebellious streak but carrying scars from what went wrong, in the Battle of Lothal and in her attempts to learn the ways of the Jedi. And I am here for Ahsoka, once the apprentice without a master, now the master without an apprentice, here to snuff out the embers of the last war and reclaim what was lost within it.
They all feel right. The rest can figure itself out.
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@rivvvers So you didn't bother to read my write-up, but you did take time to comment on it? If you'd like to understand why I gave the score I did, might I recommend reading my review?
