Once again, the animators taking Every. Single. Live-action. Producer. To. School.
Real blackout darkness without making the show difficult to watch. Every light source and shadow in this episode was premeditated. Even when characters were completely hidden by shadows, I could still see what was going on on a nine-year-old LCD. The entire episode took place on an island experiencing total overcast and yet everything still looked beautiful and colorful.
If a genie suddenly told me I had three wishes, my first wish might actually be that every human values and respects the ability to competently frame and light a scene!
As for the actual story... Asajj Ventress, Kraken Whisperer.
The way Ventress was so casually (re)introduced, and the way she relates to the Batchers was a real left-field play and I really liked it. And they finally said "Midi-chlorians" after being so cheeky for so long with M-count this, M-count that. Just say the word. It's not cursed or anything.
Another thing I really liked is how Crosshair gave Ventress his hand. Good Crosshair, you're LEARNING!
Omega's journey is about to get very heavy, and we are now at the half-way point for the final season. This whole series has been one bar higher than the animated Star Wars that came before, and this season has been so focused and devoid of any distractions. I'm so conflicted that this is the end, but I'm so pleased that this isn't the end for Filoni's animated Star Wars.
(I'm still holding my breath for a complete remaster of the original Clone Wars series using the current version of their animation engine.)
Director Denis Villeneuve has actually managed to maintain the quality of what I consider to be the almost perfect "Dune" (2021) in this sequel. And I don't even want to start ranking both films; they are clearly on par for me and belong together. While the 2021 film has a stronger beginning, the finale of "Part 2" is much more satisfying. Ultimately, a double feature is worthwhile.
Looking at the second part on its own, my only major criticism is that the opening is a little clunky. In fact, it feels a bit like you're entering the middle of a story (which you are). However, it doesn't take long before you're fully immersed in the world again. This is primarily due to Villeneuve's impeccable sense of style. Whether it's the production design, score, visual effects, costumes, or sound, everything fits together perfectly. I would be very surprised if the film didn't play a major role at the Oscars in 2025.
But the acting is also another highlight. Timothée Chalamet shows once again that he is already a master of his craft. And Zendaya and Javier Bardem are also great in extended roles this time. But the MVP for me is actually Austin Butler, whose Feyd-Rautha is incredibly unsettling.
All in all, "Dune: Part Two" is a complete success. Only viewers who were hoping for a definitive conclusion to the story might be a little disappointed. After all, Frank Herbert's story is far from over. But if the film is successful, which it looks like it will be, then we shouldn't have to wait too long for an adaptation of "Dune Messiah."
"Lead them to paradise."
So epic! A proper sequel to the masterpiece that is the first one, Dune: Part Two is everything I wanted and more. The scale and the stakes are much bigger. It really benefits from the world-building and character roots previously established in the first and makes everything bloom. The themes (and at times criticisms) on religion and politics felt so refreshing for a sci-fi movie. It's pretty thought-provoking in that sense. The story had me captivated and invested. It still has it's slow moments but the action sequences are perfectly placed and the payoff in the third act is so worth it.
The biggest praise I could give it is the character arcs and evolution. Paul's evolution here is so fascinating, we basically watch a boy become a man. At the beginning of the movie you fear for his life but by the second half he's the one to fear, emanating confidence. Timothée Chalamet absolutely owned it. Austin Butler is the perfect villain, so unpredictable and violent. I love Jessica's character arc but it felt rushed at times, like she changed too much in between some scenes. The Reverend Mother is so badass, i'm always secretly rooting for her for some reason (the "silence" moment was perfection).
I wasn't expecting the amount of action we got, compared to the first there's a lot. The action and set pieces are so memorable. The worm riding scene was the best moment of the entire movie, I felt so alive with all the special effects and the sound design and the vibrations it's like I was riding it myself. Epic third act battle and hand-to-hand knife scene (although it isn't top tier combat compared to a lot of action movies but the editing and camerawork made it look flawless). They did skip some action in the third act that I wanted to see more of though.
God tier cinematography. I thought there was no way it could look better than the first but they somehow managed to make it look even better in this one. Loved the color grading and the way the sand moves, flawless. The most visually stunning sequence was the black and white one introducing Austin Butler's character. Epic sound design.
I keep trying to pick a favorite between Part One and Part Two and I don't think it's going to happen... they're equal. Overall an excellent sequel. Can't wait to see what's in store for Part Three.
'Blue Beetle' won me over in the end.
I wasn't personally convinced by it for large periods, not that I was finding it anything boring, irritating or anything close to that but I just wasn't really feeling the vibe. However, across the second half of the film I could feel myself gradually becoming more invested in the events onscreen.
Much of the cast match each other in terms of standard, they all try and subsequently produce solid displays. I will say that I really enjoyed George Lopez's performance as Rudy, he brings a lot of life and humour to the film via that role.
Xolo Maridueña is more than decent as the titular character, while Bruna Marquezine makes for a good match alongside Maridueña; even if her character's Kord family portion of the story didn't interest me as much as the Reyes', in that sense the less said about Susan Sarandon the better here - extremely meh, at best.
I very much wouldn't say the filmmakers hit the ball out of the park with this 2023 release, but I can certainly see potential with the character going forward - given they are reportedly planning to continue with him within the DCU. As for this, it's a serviceable superhero watch.
Take a lot of Ironman.. add a dash of spiderman let them rent batmans batcave and throw in a lot of Cookie Cutter scenes from marvel and drown it all in Tequilaand thats "BlueBeetle" .. ok first i dont know why the Movie Art has a 80s feel. when nothing in the movie says 80s accept playing motley crue towards the end. but anyway .. is this a bad movie? no not as bad as people say.. theres a lot of bad unbelivable dialogue and interactions. and honestly Susan Sarandon is wasted in this role. though i have stopped blaming actors and actressess for bad performances on screen. because theres a number of people who just go yup thats what we want. first off Auditions? really this person was the best for the job. then on set the director has final say on the day that yes that performance was what i want.. so yeah. the blame for bad acted movies lay there in my opinion. .. CGI is decent enough. but the beetle "suit" is a bit too ironman .. but on the whole. i cant trash the movie cause it did make me smile and did make me cry (though i do that at the drop of a hat these days) and it entertained me for the time it was on. not the worsed thing i have seen of late.
If not the cure to superhero movie fatigue, Blue Beetle is at least a salve. It doesn’t reinvent or redefine the genre, but finds the easy charm and fun it has that so many other movies these days have forgotten under the weight of movie universes and setting up the next movie. It’s concerned chiefly and only about Blue Beetle, and he immediately wins your heart thanks to a strong performance by Mariduena and a script that understands Jamie’s appeal as much as he does. Earnest and lovable without being boring, Jamie can give in to frustration and anger and hurt but never loses the heart so key to him and always owns up to when he falters. Combine that with one of the most endearing supporting casts in a live action super flick in ages. Lopez is utilized perfectly to his strengths, Escobedo nails the snark but also the aching vulnerability the film slowly reveals, Barrazza steals scene after scene, and Alacazar is the film’s heart. Marquezine has a winning chemistry with Mariduena, and even Guillen takes what could’ve been a forgettable role and makes it compelling with conflict etched on his face and leading into a cathartic resolution.
Sarandon does what’s asked of her, but it’s Trujillo who stands out on the villain side. He and a few twists in the script elevates what could’ve been another evil version of the lead into something a little more. There’s more social commentary and things going on than you’d think, and I even teared up twice. It gets a little bogged down by usual third act hijinks, and I wish there was more bonding between Jamie and Khaji-Da. What’s there is good, but it’s an element of the character I’m fond of that’s a little underserved here. It doesn’t quite rise to greatness, but it’s a great start and knows what it’s doing and how to execute it. I hope they get more gos at this character with this cast and crew.
I think most people have superhero fatigue at the moment however this movie did very well in certain areas. Unlike other recently DC and Marvel movies this movie has a lot of heart all down to the cooky combination of the Reyes family. It can be off the rail at times with some crazy action coming from this family. Xolo Mariduena has a lot of heart as he did in Karate Kid and it really shines through in a Spiderman/Peter Parker style way which does well to make you love the characters.
However while the actor and characters were interesting sadly the main plot and action was the same formulaic combination we've seen again and again. Dude gets powers, dude battles to master them, there's a love interest and dude battles a corporation with big CGI armour battles. It's very Iron Man and the same CGI over the top battles we've seen before....all very bland and generic.
I feel if this came out 10 years ago it would be a hit but sadly while the family/characters were engaging the plot left little to be invested in and had no twists or areas that stood out. The movie was enjoyable as a free streaming movie but there's little here to invest yourself in within this franchise, maybe with some non generic plot it would have been better but sadly that's not the case
DC has already proven in the past with the first "Shazam!" that a superhero movie can work if the focus is not primarily on being a hero but on topics that everyone can understand, such as family. In "Blue Beetle", the theme of family is again clearly the standout. The film has heart, and Xolo Maridueña, known mainly from "Cobra Kai", is an excellent leading man. The rest of the Reyes family also leaves a lasting impression right from the start, especially George Lopez as Uncle Rudy.
The film's effects are also solid. The "Blue Beetle" suit does look more like something from a CW show than a movie production in some scenes, and some borrowings from Iron Man are a bit too obvious. But all in all, it works quite well, and the look of the film is definitely memorable. In the end, however, it didn't convince me completely. The villains (Susan Sarandon and Raoul Max Trujillo) are far too one-dimensional and boring for that. And also, the superhero part of the story is a bit too generic for my taste. I definitely had to roll my eyes a time or two as well. Still, I'd say there have been worse comic-book adaptations this year.
Wow they WENT for it with this finale and I’m so happy they did. The extent of that 4th wall break was not expected but so original and creative that it was so fun. I love how the MCU was able to literally criticize themselves in their own show with Jen talking about marvel finales and then take this finale in a different direction. And the Kevin bit was very clever and funny. This was honestly probably the funniest episode for me as I laughed out loud several times. And I love how the trolls online in real life are literally the villains in the show lmao. The writers knew how a subset of people would hate on the show for stupid reasons so it just used them as it’s villain which is so smart and hilarious but also makes it feel more real and relatable. Also Pug trying to blend in with Intelligencia was really funny and I love his character. And of course that ending scene got me so hype and I can’t wait for WWH. I’ve had my issues with the show but this finale was perfectly in line with the themes and style of the show and elevated the series for me. One of the best MCU Disney+ finales and might be the best.
Ouch, that average rating! I'm not going to lie though, I genuinely had a fun time watching 'Madame Web'... perhaps I should be keeping that fact quiet?
I don't know what to say, I found it to be suitably entertaining. I'm sure there are plot holes aplenty (I noticed a few) and it probably makes zero sense/isn't a good adaptation compared to its source material or whatever but honesty... I don't care, it gave me enough enjoyment that I wasn't questioning anything about what I was watching.
The cast are probably the key factors as to why I did enjoy this. I previously knew of Dakota Johnson but hadn't actually seen her in anything properly, I found her performance to be more than noteworthy and she spearheads the film strongly. The trio of Sydney Sweeney, Isabela Merced and Celeste O'Connor are positives too.
Tahar Rahim's antagonist, meanwhile, is poorly written and portrayed, though I personally thought the actor did a good job. I have no complaints with anyone who appears onscreen to be honest. Away from them, the pacing and score are also standouts.
In my recollection of viewing this, I truthfully haven't got any issues with it. If it wasn't for the slight bad murmurs that I did hear about pre-watch (though not much of it as I avoid as much as I can with movies) and the reaction on sites like this post-watch, I'd not be questioning my thoughts about this whatsoever.
As I always say, to each their own. For me, gimme a sequel (as long as the cast remain, mind). Not even sorry.
I think this episode was one of the better ones even if you take away Daredevil from it, but what Charlie Cox brings with this character honestly just elevates everything he touches. Seeing him back finally got me so hype and I was eating up every single scene with him. I think this was a great first significant appearance for him in the MCU and they did a good job of keeping him the same but adding just a little bit of levity to fit with the tone of the MCU, and I honestly think it worked great for his character in this context. As someone who is in love with the Daredevil Netflix show, I am beyond hyped to have Charlie Cox back and can not wait until we get more of him. Also when the Daredevil theme started playing I lost it. But now putting the Daredevil stuff aside, this episode still manages to be one of the best of the series and watching the ending scene with She-Hulk FINALLY encountering an actual threat and watching her lose her anger was so cathartic. It’s the crisis and challenge her character has so desperately needed. Although she has been on a sound internal character arc in this show it’s great to see her finally face an outward threat and not be on top of things for once. I just wish this would have happened earlier in the season, since now they have to rush the true villain and conflict into one 30 minute episode and it’s going to be seriously underdeveloped, which has been a major issue for a lot of the MCU Disney+ shows. All in all though, the contained story in this episode was one of the best ones of the show and Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock and Daredevil elevated the entire episode.
A solid season finale. Im glad the gang were able to defeat the cow together, even without Murn. And man, ngl I felt that for a second Peacemaker would switch teams and follow Goff in their goal to reshape humanity by any means necessary. Also, I loved the fight choreagraphy this episode, with Loeta, Chris, and Vig killing all the aliens on the field, and mandid Leota pull of some badass stuff with how she handled the Cow using the torpedo helmet. Also we cat forget about Economos, with him going undercover to drop the sonic boom helmet into the barn full of butterflies and the cow. Also it was sweet that Leota and Chris made up again, even tho what she did was really shitty, Leota is a great friend for Chris. And man,im glad Emilia survived, man was I worried seeing her like that on the field and w/a butterfly almost entering her. Also, man Leota is the goat for exposing all the secrets to the public, completelty revealing the truth about this government and her mom to the public. I really hope there isnt a season two, this completetly wrapped up the show in a nice way and I really enyoed this contained story.
Another enjoyable episode of Peacemaker. Man, August just keeps getting worse and worse, both as a person and father for Chris, only using Chris for his own benefits, making him into this murderer from childhood, and not actually wanting a relationship or showing any ounce of love for his son, it completetly makes sense why Chris is such a broken person. Man, I also feel bad about Chris losing his brother like that, its clearly tramautizing seeing how he died, and now knowing that he may be responsible must be eating him up inside, especially cause it seemed like Chris' brother was the only real family Chris had. Also, man Vigilante, although insane, it a loyal and great friend for Peacemaker, and ngl I wish Chris would star appreciating Peacemaker more, considering how much Vigilante is trying to build a friendship with him, I completetly support Vigilante being pissed at him for seemingly not caring about him being tortured. Also man, even after all the shit Peacemaker's dad had put him through, and the repeated tiimes August had made clear he hates Chris. Also, I loved seeing Vigilante beat up all the gang members in prison after breaking into prison, after beign manipulated by leota, to kill August. And damn, looks like Clemson was a butterfly after all, now im really interetsed aon why he's so steadfast in killing his of people. Also loved the fight between the judo guy and peacemaker, wonder what he wouldve finihsind saying. Also, looks like Chris doesnt trust the crew quite as much as he lets on, pretty smart pretending he killed the butterfly but actually keeping it, especially after what we laerned about clemson.
James Gunn's The Suicide Squad is a sequel of sorts to the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, which was both a box office success and an Academy Award winner, but widely criticized by audiences. However, this new version directed by Gunn is an improvement in every aspect, retaining the energy, color, and music of the original, but with more authenticity and less theatricality. The action sequences are bigger, bloodier, and better choreographed, the characters are more engaging and even the villains are more captivating. Gunn has used a diverse and unique set of characters from the DC universe and they have become the heart of the movie, with standout performances from David Dastmalchian as Polka Dot Man, Daniela Melchior as Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba as Bloodsport, John Cena as Peacemaker, and Margot Robbie returning as Harley Quinn. Even Stallone's King Shark is noteworthy. While the story is a familiar one, the characters, sharp writing, and effective humor make up for it. The Suicide Squad is a good example of a movie that gets the basics right and adds more to it. The movie has some of the best action sequences of the year and also has some surprising emotional moments. It's a highly enjoyable cinematic experience.
The Suicide Squad de James Gunn es una especie de secuela de la película Suicide Squad de 2016, que fue un éxito de taquilla y ganadora del Premio de la Academia, pero muy criticada por el público. Sin embargo, esta nueva versión dirigida por Gunn es una mejora en todos los aspectos, conservando la energía, el color y la música del original, pero con más autenticidad y menos teatralidad. Las secuencias de acción son más grandes, más sangrientas y mejor coreografiadas, los personajes son más atractivos e incluso los villanos son más cautivadores. Gunn ha utilizado un conjunto diverso y único de personajes del universo DC y se han convertido en el corazón de la película, con actuaciones destacadas de David Dastmalchian como Polka Dot Man, Daniela Melchior como Ratcatcher 2, Idris Elba como Bloodsport, John Cena como Peacemaker. , y Margot Robbie regresando como Harley Quinn. Incluso King Shark de Stallone es digno de mención. Si bien la historia es familiar, los personajes, la escritura nítida y el humor efectivo lo compensan. The Suicide Squad es un buen ejemplo de una película que entiende bien los conceptos básicos y le agrega más. La película tiene algunas de las mejores secuencias de acción del año y también tiene algunos momentos emocionales sorprendentes. Es una experiencia cinematográfica muy agradable.
Bloodsport: “Nobody likes a showoff.”
Peacemaker: “Unless what they showing off is dope as fuck.”
James Gunn recently said in an interview that he finds superhero movies “mostly boring” right now. Anything ranging from safe and boring or technically well-made but disposable, at best. Gunn received at bit of heat from fans for those remarks, but in some sense, he’s not wrong. Because sometimes following the same formula will eventually wear fin and more risk taking needs to happen.
And here we have ‘The Suicide Squad’, the soft reboot to the 2016 film, but this time directed by Gunn himself, where he delivers a highly entertaining movie that is bursting with creativity and ultra-violence. James Gunn once again shakes up the superhero formula with a slick style. I’m just glad DC is finally letting directors have a voice and a vision, and I hope it stays like that.
The first 10-15 minutes tells you exactly what the movie is going to be.
I just can't believe we got something like this. It's 2 hours and 12 minutes long, but it's always on the move. It’s bonkers from start till finish, and I enjoyed every minute of it. This is probably one of the best shot movies in the DCU. The soundtrack is great as well and used effectively. The action scenes were insane and made the overall experience one of the most fun I had at the cinema in a long time.
A massive improvement over the 2016 film, AKA ‘the studio cut’, is that the movie doesn’t look ugly and isn’t chopped together by trailer editors. The movie is vibrant in colours that made it look pleasing to the eye. The structure at times is messy, and yet strangely well-paced, as there’s a lot going on.
Did I mention the movie is very gory? It’s cartoonish violence, or what people call "adult superhero movie", so it's not for kiddies or for the faint of heart. You would probably guess that not everybody on the team is going to make it to the end credits, so deaths are to be expected, but how certain characters “bite the dust” are so unexpectedly gruesome and brutal, it took me by surprise each time. The marketing for the movie was right, don’t get too attached. As I said before, James Gunn had complete creative control over the movie, and he doesn’t hold back on what he wrote and show on screen. But then again, it's a movie, it's not real, the actors who die on screen are fine in real life...I think.
All the cast members have equal amount of time to shine, and you like these super villains this time around, as each character had wonderful chemistry with each other. John Cena plays Peacemaker, who can be best described as a “douchebag version of Captain America”. An extreme patriot who will do the most horrific things for liberty. John Cena excels in the deadpan line delivery for comedic effect, but surprisingly enough, worked well in the serious moments. Looking forward to the spin-off show ‘Peacemaker’.
Margot Robbie once again nails the role of the chaotic but gleeful Harley Quinn. While the character isn’t front and centre this time around, more of a side character, but whenever the character is on screen, it’s instantly memorable.
Idris Elba plays Bloodsport, a contract killer who’s doing time in prison after failing to kill Superman with a kryptonite bullet, while also dealing with family issues, especially with his daughter. While the character may sound like Will Smith’s Deadshot from the 2016 film, but trust me, the execution here is much stronger. This is by far Elba’s best work in a while. Charismatic and a strong leading presence.
Polka Dot Man, played by character actor David Dastmalchian, a socially awkward, weird, and lame sounding character that has some serious mummy issues, which has a funny running visual gag throughout. However, because of Gunn’s writing and Dastmalchian's performance, the character is more than a joke, but a unique character to watch.
Ratcatcher 2, played wonderfully by Daniela Melchior, who brought so much warmth and heart to the film. I loved how they tied in her tragic backstory into the finale, as it honestly made me cry. And let’s not forget the king himself, King Shark, voiced by Sylvester Stallone. He stole every scene he’s in, because he’s so adorable and has such kind eyes, but when he’s hungry, he can be a killing machine.
The rest of the supporting cast, even in the smaller roles, still manage to stand out amidst all the chaos. I liked Joel Kinnaman as Rick Flag a lot more this time around, because the actor was given more to work with in terms of good material. Viola Davis is brilliant as the cold and ruthless Amanda Waller. And Peter Capaldi is always a pleasure to see. Also, I like the character of Weasel, who I can describe as a unholy offspring of Shin Godzilla and Rocket Racoon. He may not be beautiful to look at, but he's beautiful to me.
Like ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’, the movie has a lot of heart and I like how they took certain characters, who on page sound stupid and ridiculous but are handled with such love and depth, while also being self-aware of its own characterization.
You can literally watch this as a standalone movie and you won’t be lost or confused, as you don’t need to watch 22 other movies to understand it. This is by far the strongest entry in this jumbled mess of a cinematic universe.
Overall rating: Nom-nom!
Another great episode... seemed like it only ran for 15min.
Loved the fake out of the silencer... classic! People who haven't got firearms knowledge would get sucked in to that, just like in reality those unknowledgeable in firearms think that AR-15's sold in the US are military grade 'Auto Rifles', they are not... they only have similar cosmetic styling as an auto firearm.
Similarly why did Russo do what he did? In situations like that there would be an unknown time frame when he and the girl would be flanked. If there was only one or two shooters you could stay in the one place. I'm not sure if he is, or is not,... we shall see.
And why did Reacher stand in the middle calling out the boss? Because he'd already got rid of the shooters and now he was calling out the desk bound dumbass boss who is Not a shooter. And he had some idea where he was.
If you have situational awareness and some understanding of tactical, it would all make sense. Some may nit-pik otherwise but Reacher is a show that shows off the expertise in the writing of the show and that's why it's such a great show, and Season 3 is already in pre-production.
[7.6/10] A lot to like in this one. Kamala getting a new lease on life after receiving her powers is a cool thing. Her newly confident strut through the halls of high school, cute romance with new kid Kamran, and chance to use her powers for good on purpose instead of by accident make this a nice coming out part for Kamala as a hero and more self-actualized young individual.
I’m also a fan of the hints that there’s a familial angle to her powers that the bangle unlocks, rather than creates. The hints that Kamala’s grandmother was similarly powered, via old family legends, the potential ways in which that hurt or caused problems for her great grandmother, and the shame and dismissal Kamala’s mom feels about the whole thing makes for a strong intergenerational angle to the mystery of Kamala’s abilities.
It’s also nice to see Nakia fleshed out a bit more. Her running for the board of her Mosque to try to rectify some of the seixsm there is a nice engine for the subplot and character beat to help give her more shading. Her writerly but effective speech about being too white for some and too ethnic for others, while ultimately just wanting to be herself, is all kinds of endearing. And the shenanigans with her and Kamala identifying the various power groups and their community with a plan to win them over to their side is fun.
I enjoyed Kamala’s flirtation with Kamran. Obviously, there’s some extra intrigue by the end here with the reveal that Kamran knows she’s “Night Light” and his mom seems to have insights into her powers. But it’s also just plain adorable seeing her sing and daydream and gush over the fact that the cute boy likes her. There’s a poetic irony to the fact that Kamala is bucking up against the expectations of her culture and community a bit, but finds herself drawn to somebody else who is of it and understands it, making it easier for her to connect, much to the chagrin of poor Bruno.
The closing adventure is a nice beat to end on. What I appreciate about this show is, in large part, it could work without the superhero stuff. There’s a lot to enjoy about simply seeing how a young Pakistani-American girl navigates her family and the different communities she’s a part of. But it does the superhero stuff well. The montage where Kamala trains to figure out her powers shows how tender footed yet determined she is about all this. And a poor kid dangling from a high windowsill is a good first rescue for her, showing how she can help, but also how these visions or bits of cosmic interference pose risks when he’s in the middle of her masked adventuring. There’s a lot to unpack there.
Last but not least, I’m also intrigued at the hints we get for what the government agents are doing in pursuing Kamala as an enhanced individual. Roping Zoe into it makes for a nice way to have the thing Kamala’s jealous of turn into a liability, and the racial profiling that takes place (and the male agent’s reaction to it) adds subtext to the pursuit.
Overall, another strong outing for the show, that still has a clear voice and plenty of flavor and texture that makes it enjoyable and unique on a scene-to-scene basis.
[7.1/10] Pick an ending, am I right? First it’s having to remove the soul stone from Mega-Ultron. Then it’s removing all the stones. Then it’s getting them in the infinity smasher. Then it’s using Hawkeye’s Zola arrow on Ultron. Then it’s Zola and Killmonger having an uber showdown. Then it’s Cosmic Dr. Strange trapping them in a pocket universe. Then it’s The Watcher having planned it all this way from the beginning.
It’s a little exhausting, making it feel like we didn’t really build to any of this, but rather, it just happened by fiat. The best you can say is that The Watcher picked these folks knowing the progression and so saw the parts they would play, but it’s not especially clear how and why this was the necessary path or that these were the necessary people to walk it.
(As an aside, why Gamora? I know there was one episode of What If? that didn’t get made because of COVID and other timing constraints. Was it hers?)
Still, some of the interactions are fun. Thor-as-Sterling-Archer is still a hoot, and his happy-go-lucky dopeyness around the other “Guardians of the Multiverse” made me laugh. I also loved the bond between Captain Carter and Black Widow. Captain America: The Winter Soldier is one of the MCU’s better films, and I wouldn’t want to trade it, but this finale definitely made me want to see more adventures of Peggy and Natasha as a team.
And there’s some solid emotional stuff here. Cosmic Strange getting a little redemption after his early mishap is a nice beat. The stinger with Captain Carter getting to see her lost love again much as Steve did is a nice touch too. And I like Black Widow returning to the Avengers-less timeline from episode 3, finding a new home and place to belong, with that being the abiding moral of the series. The overall themes and character beats work well.
It’s just the big climactic battle -- which in fairness, is most of the episode -- that falls flat for me. There’s some cool visual moments, mostly in the way of Cosmic Dr. Strange channeling the dark forces with some multicolored splendor and turns into a tentacle monster. For the most part, though, it’s just a bunch of undifferentiated fireworks and fisticuffs without even the imaginative fun of The Watcher and Ultron’s smash-tour through the multiverse. It wasn’t bad by any means, but nothing we haven’t seen before, without any new twists or wrinkles to set it apart despite the advantages of working in an animated medium.
Overall, I still enjoyed What If? quite a bit as an entertaining lark. The anthology format is a good one for a comic book universe, and several of the remixes were inventive and clever. It’s just the attempt to put them all together, and leave several of the stories unfinished so that they could be concluded in the grand finale, that I’d count as a misfire.
Continuing to confirm my theory that everything involving Wakanda is leagues above everything else in the MCU, this is a big improvement over last week's disappointing outing, even if the show continues having problems pacing itself. This is a big concept to do in 30 minutes - one that involves literally removing one of the MCU's biggest characters from the equation entirely - and while it does a great job in setting the stage, once the stage is set, it just... stops. This is a shame too cause the concepts explored here are really cool and fascinating, and like some prior episodes clearly needed more time to breathe.
Still, the good stuff is damn good here. Killmonger is one of the MCU's best villains and here we get another glimpse into just how good his planning, manipulation, and intelligence is. And just like in Black Panther, you can't help but root for him despite his obvious lust for power here, even if it's with extremely noble intentions. I do wish we got a more interesting, longer conversation between him and Rhodey about their differences in ideology, but the short runtime is once again to blame there. Still though, enjoyed this quite a bit.
That was an interesting episode for sure.
First things first, what the hell happened to the animation? After stepping up the game last episode, this one took a serious nosedive in quality up the point where some movements and facial expressions just look motionless and ugly. Disney has a huge budget for this show, make use of it.
Again, many former (and current) MCU actors return to voice their characters, with notable exceptions of Robert Downey Jr, Scarlett Johansson, Liv Tyler and Brie Larson.
The replacements did a solid job, especially since their parts where not that big, with the unfortunate exception of Lake Bell, who tried her best impression of Johansson but made Natasha come off as robotic and emotionless (didn’t Laura Bailey, who can do no wrong voice her in Ultimate Spider-Man? How about that instead?)
The concept was interesting. What if the Avengers where killed off one by one before even coming together? What other options would Fury have?
The snippets of the OG Avengers were something to say the least. Most of their deaths felt (unintentionally?) funny and the episode didn’t really seem to know what tone to aim for. Or maybe by focusing mostly on Nick Fury they took the more emotional element out of purpose. Who knows? I believe that could have been made clearer.
Loki is the best part of this episode, because he is Loki and always the best part in anything he shows up in. It was fantastic seeing him as a respected leader among Asgardians, leading his people, fighting our main villain and wrecking absolute havoc on Earth in the most dramatic way possible to avenge his brother. He is Loki, of course he goes over the top.
I admit, despite Loki being awesome and the concept being interesting, I almost rated this episode down, if it weren’t for the twist villain in the end.
I should have seen this coming and it makes so much sense in retrospective, but in the moment it caught me off guard. Tragic and well-executed, it actually deserved more attention.
In other news, it was nice seeing Betty Ross again and since she plays such a huge part in Bruce‘s life, I‘m still puzzled Marvel never brought her back before (either with Liv Tyler or another recast).
Some funny tidbits are actually delivered by Coulson and his man crush on Thor and his overall gorgeousness. And his password.
It’s a solid episode. Definitely better than the mostly dull first one, but not nearly as great as the second one.
"He's dead." — Black Widow
Natasha just killed Tony Stark
Fury: "They look like they're from Earth?"
Coulson: "Maybe Middle-earth?"
Loki: "We are not allies."
Fury: "Then let me help you."Uh... Fury... that's how this works
Coulson: [Sighs] "Hashtag-Steve-Steve-Steve-I-heart-Steve-0-7-0-4."
Same.
Fury: "I'm not the only Avenger left."
Ouch, that hurt
Best one yet? Best one yet.
This one is the most interesting by far. Like, while Captain Carter hits the same beats as TFA and T'Challa's is original, I like this one because of its scale. It meets all the Avengers and kills them all! Like, that's an insane number of changes compared to the "sacred timeline". Anyway, this show is getting better with each episode.
7/10
This episode wasn't as good as
the second episode but this was
definitely better than the first episode.
This one was so
Interesting and well thoughtout
especially using the first two
Phase 1 movies as a base to launch this
Alternate reality story off of.
Hank really?.....hank, well that
was an anticlimax,
I was hoping for something
much much more,
What makes me laugh is the Marvel
Fandom came out with this idea
way back in 2019 with
"Avengers EndGame" we we're all
Saying including myself why
Scott (Ant-Man) didn't do this
to "Thanos" go up his ass,or Mouth or
In his ear/nose and take him out
from the inside.
So personally I felt like I'd already seen
this story from all the long talks about
this concept back in the day with the
Marvel Fandom, (come on writers
you've got to give us better than
something we've already
dreamed of).
I get why the reason Thor died with a single arrow is because at that time he was on earth and not worthy he was made mortal,
just good old fashion flesh and blood just like in the movie Thor 1 so this was very believable
that he was taken out with a single arrow to the heart. That being said this wasn't that bad of an episode till the end but it certainly was better than episode 1 but nowhere in the league of episode 2 which is the best so far.
This finale episode is a mildly amusing Star-Wars'ed homage to The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, even down to the plot, although in this case I see Thrawn as "The Lion" (a more devilish one this time instead of CS Lewis' god-like one), "The Jedi" (and Huyang) being all the kids heroically running around trying to save the galaxy, obviously Morgan Elsbeth was "The Witch", and finally "The Wardrobe" was the conduit back into the 'real world / known galaxy'. There were various other parallels in concept as well.
It also had a very "The Empire Strikes Back" vibe, in that the the 'rebels' have effectively lost the battle (but not the war) with Thrawn and his Empirical ambitions, and have been left very much on the back foot, unable to prevent another all-out war. Again, it would seem that "the only hope" lies with one young Jedi Knight (Ezra, aka D'Artagnan) and a hugely compromised, and still woefully complacent, New Republic, who will effectively be the new Rebel Alliance. The differences this time round will be that there will be (if The Three Musketeers make it home in time) four highly skilled (sort of) Jedi Knights and (hopefully) a fully reunited Mandalorian army to back them up. There may still be other former Jedi Knights who will come out of hiding to aid the fight, if necessary, perhaps even Luke Skywalker. This is all conjecture at this point of course, as this finale has left all of these balls very high in the air, along with whatever nefarious plans that Baylan Skoll and Shin Hati are separately plotting in the unsuspecting galaxy in which they find themselves.
Overall, I felt that this finale was pretty good, apart from the plethora of unanswered questions that have been present through much of this first season, and there were some shockingly low-quality scenes. Thrawn knew that the platoon of troopers were basically just lambs to the slaughter that wouldn't slow Ashoka and crew down for long. That's fairly standard Star Wars stuff, but how in the name of Luke Skywalker did three lightsabre-wielding, Force-strong Knights manage to kill the entire platoon without having dismembered/beheaded a single one, especially given that such battles have previously resulted in an entire stack of severed hands/arms/heads? This seemed like a convenient plot contrivance so that it didn't lessen the impact of them all rising from the floor to fight again. The undead troopers initially seemed like a good idea, but was sadly a very wasted opportunity. The Night Sisters could surely have infused a generous dose of anger, speed and relentlessness into them, but all they really seemed to be were just standard troopers brought back to life, exactly as they were (apart from the green glow) as nothing more than another pointless delaying tactic. If they had been more zombie-like - in a fast, nasty, formidable way like in 28 Days Later, not the stereotypical 1960's style slow, lumbering, stupid zombies like in The Walking Dead - they would at least have appeared to be more scary, and a genuine threat to the Knights. Another thing that seemed too convenient was Sabine's swift enhancement of her Force manipulation abilities. Perhaps the genuine threats to life (her own and then Ezra's) helped her to focus her mind to be able to make the leap from not even being able to pull a coffee cup towards her, to being able to Force-push Ezra, mid-Force-leap, into the Star Destroyer. Convenient, but at least credible, unlike the whole trooper thing.
Thrawn was very good in this, masterfully maintaining his cool, calm and patient exterior whilst clearly seething at the predictable incompetence of his forces - especially the Night Sisters - in their efforts to stop Ashoka, Sabine and Ezra from getting close to him, and accepting minor tactical losses in the pursuit of his primary goal . I'd forgotten until he spoke directly to her that he and Ashoka had never actually faced off against one another. His likening of her to Anakin - her Master - was both complimentary and insightful. What would it take/how easy would it be for her to fall to The Dark Side, just like Anakin did? That maybe throws another ball into the air - will this somehow happen or not? Probably just an attempt at a bit of psychological manipulation, but it throws the possibility out there.
This whole season appears to have been about very complex plot and character building in preparation for either a second season or a whopper of a film. This is fine by me, but please don't keep us all waiting for too long...
In the time between episode 7 and episode 8 I learned a few things. I learned that there were only eight episodes, instead of nine. I also learned that this wasn't the end of the story. There's a full-blown movie planned involving Thrawn, and the Ahsoka series might also get a second season. So my mind immediately jumped to "what if Thrawn wins?"
That was the missing piece of the puzzle. How could they possibly wrap everything up in a satisfying way if there's only one episode left? They weren't planning to. They weren't setting everything up for the finale, they were setting everything up for the next part of the larger story.
This would have been a disappointing finale. Instead it was a great cliffhanger (apologies to Ezra).
Absolutely no time was wasted in this episode, but nothing was rushed either. Right down to Lars taking three-second breaths between sentences. Every story beat got to take its time while still going from one, click, to, click, another without a pause or slump anywhere in the episode.
I was so happy to watch Ezra build a new lightsaber. And one that pays homage to his late Master. I was listening to someone theorize that Ezra was secretly possessed by an evil that also wanted to leave the planet, or that his dark side inclinations seen in Rebels would resurface, but no. The blue blade of justice it is. Seeing Ezra, Sabine, and Ahsoka all lined up with their sabers out felt a bit like a return to form for Star Wars as a franchise. Ahsoka duel-weilding, Sabine switching between saber and blasters, and Ezra assisting with Force pulls and pushes made them an excellent team. I just hope we get to see them fighting together again.
"Jedi. Together. Strong."
Because once they get separated, everything starts to fall apart. Ahsoka was able to beat Morgan through sheer (little f) force of will. By the time Sabine and Ezra take out those... WTF are those things?? The Night Troopers were apparently still alive, until the Nightsisters revived them, but the Deathtroopers were... dead already. After they kill the DoubleDeathTroopers:tm: the only way to follow Thrawn is for them to split up as well. Leaving Sabine and Ahsoka trapped on Peridea, while Ezra returned to the known galaxy for a super brief, bittersweet reunion with Hera and Chopper. Thrawn has returned. I hope Mon Mothma took Hera seriously when she said to prepare for the worst.
The fight with Morgan was excellent. She was genuinely dangerous even before her baptism by dark magic and evil sword (ACTUAL SWORDPLAY IN STAR WARS!!). I REALLY hope Ahsoka keeps that Dathomirian blade to make up for losing one of her beautiful, white lightsabers. Alternatively, the fight with all the Night Troopers, especially after they got reincarnated, was Rebels-style comical. Both very different fights, both very enjoyable. Both emblematic of Star Wars.
I really respect how capable Thrawn is. He was always very smart about things, but this time we actually get to see those smarts pay off. 'The chances of the Jedi stopping us now are almost impossible... we should prepare for a ground assault immediately.' Yep. And you were still a hair away from losing everything despite that preparedness. Good thing Thrawn is so smart, because his troopers are so fucking stupid. Staring at things for several seconds before firing like it's the first time they've ever seen a starship or a Jedi. Okay, maybe that one is actually true. But still! I'm glad Enoch is still around, because I want to see more of him... and I want to see him fight. It should have been Enoch instead those Deathtroopers against Sabine and Ezra. But have the fight end in a stalemate so we could have at least gotten a taste of what's to come.
All in all, this was not the episode I thought it would be and I'm glad it wasn't. Because there is so much more to do with this storyline. We didn't see Baylan or Shin until the very end. Neither of them said a word, but their current positions are very clear. Shin rallied the renegades in the wastelands behind her and her good boy, and Baylan found male statues on the Nightsister planet that point to a beacon on a far-off mountaintop. It's a shame about Ray Stevenson, but I really hope they recast Baylan anyways - the clues surrounding his solo journey suggest a story that Filoni has been building up for decades. I needs it!
Ahsoka brought back the mysticism of Star Wars that the franchise has been sorely missing for some time now. The original hook that drew people to Star Wars in the first place, that made it famous in the first place. The light versus the dark - the importance of the Force (to all beings). And using all the lore that has been built up since then to express it. Here's to much, MUCH more of this kind of storytelling in Star Wars.
May the Force be with you, Ray.
Getting Part Three vibes again. A sense of "That's it?" when the episode closes coupled with the realization that pieces have been moved into position and the plot has been set up for some bigger thing that's about to happen.
I was confused and then delighted by Ezra's whole attitude. He's doing a kind of "Jesus in the wilderness" thing and seems to have a very different connection to the Force than he did when we last saw him. The way he moved when he fought looked like something was moving him. Lightsabers? Ain't nobody got time for that.
As short as this episode was, we got see a lot of different class pair-ups at the end. Baylan vs Ahsoka was power vs power; This time their dual ended in a stalemate. Sabine vs Shin was cunning vs fury; This time Shin didn't underestimate Sabine, but Sabine still held her ground. Ezra vs Shin was wisdom vs fury; The first time Ezra had to fight in a long time, and it showed. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is bruised and spongy." And Ahsoka vs Shin was balance vs fury; The thing that shook Shin the most was that Ahsoka wasn't angry at her. Shin comes from a time after the fall of the Jedi Order and I don't think she's ever had to face someone properly trained in the Jedi arts before.
The time spent with everyone else was pithy and just served to put them in their place for the finale. The scene on Coruscant was almost useless (of course Hera would be excused and protected for abusing her powers as a General), but Filoni does know how to force a grin out of me with a very unexpected C-3PO cameo. Apparently 3PO was having a spinal malfunction that day. I did appreciate the Gideon past-tense name drop which cements exactly when Ahsoka takes place against the third season of The Mandalorian (release order = chronological order).
Again, solid content, but nothing special... not yet at least. There's no question that Filoni is just putting runners on the bases to tee things up for a grand slam (baseball metaphor). It's what he always does. By now, even the lay viewer should understand that. Maybe it won't be exactly what I personally dream it could be, but good money says it'll be worthwhile. If you're still not sold on this series, or harboring discontent just because Disney's name is attached to Star Wars now, take advice from the wise, old star whales and fuck off to somewhere else.
[7.7/10] I was so pleasantly surprised by this! I didn’t really know what to expect, with this being Marvel Studios’ first foray into animation and the high concept premise of the show. But I really enjoyed what we got.
For a while, I expected that this was really just going to be the plot of Captain America: The First Avenger except with Peggy slotted in rather than Steve. And that would still have been perfectly fun! Watching this show hit the same beats of that film, except with small but significant difference thanks to Captain Carter being in the role rather than Steve Rogers would have been worthwhile on its own.
For one thing, I like how this episode, as Agent Carter did, focuses on how even with her accomplsuhments, Peggy faces discrimination because of her gender. Of all the people for the MCU to bring back, it’s funny that it’s Bradley Whitford’s returning from the all-but forgotten Agent Carter one-shot. But he makes sense as someone who always thought too little of Peggy, stepping into a leadership role after Col. Phillips is shot, and creating an internal impediment.
To the same end, I like how the episode flips the dynamic with Peggy and Steve, but tshowing how they still understood one another and would bond with one another, even if their situations were changed. The two still falling in love, only to have Peggy making the heroic civilization-saving sacrifice play instead, is still heart-rending, and a nice sign that even as major things change, some things stay the same.
But I also liked the places where this episode goes off the reservation! Howard Stark building a proto-Iron Man suit for Steve Rogers called “The Hydra Stomper”? Yes please! Captain Carter saving Bucky, thereby avoiding the Winter Soldier situation (at least with him)? Hell yes. Her finding the tesseract and bringing it back to the good guys on an early mission? Awesome!
The further along the plot of First Avenger that this episode gets, the more it diverges and makes its own rules and own story, and I really appreciated that. Her team’s attack on Red Skull’s stronghold made for a rolokcing conclusion. I don’t know who Red Skull’s “champion” was. (Hive? A Chithuri?) But watching Peggy fight a giant squid monster while the Howling Commandos rescue Steve made for a killer conclusion.
I was especially impressed by the fight sequences here. I have to admit that I had some reticence about the cell-shaded graphics. In truth, the vocal tracks didn’t always sink perfectly. But the action was surprisingly fluid and well-staged. The show uses the freedom of animation to add greater flow to Captain Carter’s badassery, and some of the combat has a more impressionsitic style that makes it top tier MCU fisticuffs. Even the use of lighting and color in these fights stand out. Going into What If...? my biggest concern was the visuals, but they came through like gangbusters.
Overall, this was an exciting start to this new show and raised my expectations for What If...? to be more than a shiny lark, and instead be a meaningful exploration of what these changes in the path might look like.
Enjoyed this!
2023's 'Wonka' is very good! It's an original story based upon the Roald Dahl novel, so it isn't an adaptation as such like the 1971 and 2005 flicks. With that I didn't find it quite as interesting as what's portrayed in the aforementioned films, but I do appreciate (and prefer, tbh) that they went a different way with it here. And it comes out nicely.
Timothée Chalamet gives a strong performance in the lead role. Those behind Chalamet are entertaining, from Calah Lane to Keegan-Michael Key to the trio of Paterson Joseph, Matt Lucas and Mathew Baynton - the latter three's dance number for the Chief of Police near the beginning is amusing. The musical elements in general are solid.
Tom Davis and Olivia Colman are fun too. All characters played by those mentioned above after Lane could've easily have been extremely cringey, but thankfully I didn't find that to be the case for any of them at all - very well written, shown and cast in that regard.
Someone I have yet to mention is a certain someone as Lofty, an Oompa-Loompa. Hugh Grant is excellent as the orange-skinned, green-haired fellow, even if they did use Grant's best bits in the trailers; which I usually avoid due to those sort of (albeit minor) spoilers, but evidently failed to do so here.
All in all, I'd say this is a success. Credit to them for delivering, especially as I was kinda nonplussed by the already noted trailers (Grant aside).
Not gonna lie. Last week’s episode ending left a very weird taste in my mouth. I really thought this show, which up until now was pretty fucking good, was about to shot itself in the foot, not with a simple hand gun but with a .50 caliber (just so you understand the damage).
However, this episode turned out to be an incredible achievement for the cinematic industry. It is astonishing that the writers were able to pull this off and that the director who was able to bring it to life.
Every character got the depth they needed for an epic conclusion and the not linear storytelling fit so well with the cinematography of the show but the clear winners of the episode were Jon and the Causal Loop (which I’m a big fan of in fiction).
Jon is supposed to be this ultimate god who lives throughout the entirety of the universe and that just happens to have lost the touch with human emotions. Yet, he seemed so easy to empathize with. Not relatable, that definitely not but I really did empathize with is non-existential crisis and the lengths he went to be someone again. To matter again even if that means dying stop existing.
The way this episode changed Jon and Angela was already more than enough to satisfy me. However, I honestly didn’t saw that the Casual Loop coming.
This kind of loop is (probably) the most famous in fiction but also the harder to pull off in order to leave a long last impression in the viewer. Why it works here is the because 1) the episode is told in a non-linear way, creating a sense of disorder and order in your brain and 2) because Jon just keeps mention the future, present and past as one single point (including the “tunnel”). If he never used is powers (or at least not to the necessary extent) the reveal that a Causal Loop exists would’ve crumbled right when it was created.
Thanks to the way this episode was structure everything I saw hit me in the perfect tone and the Angela-Grandad Causal Loop is like my 2nd favorite now. I don’t know, I also love the one from Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (which is 3rd; the 1st one is unbeatable btw).
The only things I didn’t like: Jon’s blue CGI (kind of :/) and probably the acknowledgment of the Causal Loop so suddenly but either way, that was nothing compared to the great things it did.
[8.5/10] The original Watchmen comic was originally supposed to be mainly plot-focused, and only six issues long. But then when the order was extended to twelve, Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons decided to fill that extra space with deeper dives into the characters, explorations of their backstories and motivations that would add dimension to the world and the ultimate conflict, without requiring the creators to pad out the plot with needless filler. And while it’s a decision born of format in some ways, it also made that graphic novel what it is -- a piece that doesn't just race headlong into its breathless mystery plot, but which crafted some of pop culture’s most rich and enduring figures.
So it’s nice to see HBO’s Watchmen following that same tack to some degree. “Little Fear of Lightning” does have its major revelations -- like the fact that, somewhat predictably, Senator Keane is involved with the Seventh Kavalry (and apparently so was Sheriff Crawford). It has big time plot developments, like Looking Glass effectively turning in Angela to the feds. And it adds some major pieces to the lore, like the fact that the U.S. government knew that the squid was a hoax and perpetuated the myth for the good social and political effects it had. There’s far more foundation-shaking events in this episode thanin the previous one.
Still, it is, first and foremost, a character story, one that digs into Looking Glass in an incisive, and ultimately heartbreaking way. In the prior episode, Laurie gave her assessment of vigilantes as people who decide to embark upon this way of life as a response to trauma, with their personas reflecting that trauma in some way. From that seed, “Little Fear” proves her right, at least for Looking Glass, whose choice of mask, and efforts as a policeman, are a direct reflection of his foundational trauma, one that just so happens to be “11/2” a.k.a. the giant squid attack on New York.
(As an aside, I love the detail that for however much this version of history differs from our own thanks to Dr. Manhattan and so on, Steven Spielberg is still an Oscar-winning director, who still made a famous prestige picture in the 1990s that still features a little girl in a red coat. Apparently some parts of our cultural past are just immutable.)
It’s noteworthy that Looking Glass is basically the Rorschach of this series, and yet it in an inverse way to the Moore/Gibbons original. He is morally exacting (although, ironically, against the very people inspired by Rorschach). He is lonely and essentially friendless. He is driven by a defining, awakening experience. He has a distinctive, inscrutable mask. And his childhood warped him a little bit, albeit on the side of having been overly repressed rather than exposed to a “den of sin” like Rorschach was. If the thematic ties weren’t enough, “Little Fear” shows Wade eating cold beans for good measure.
The ultimate irony of the episode, then, is that the thing that rattles the foundations of Wade’s world is the thing that Rorschach ended up working so hard to figure out and expose. After a lifetime of a near-crippling phobia due to the squid attack, after a career of priding himself on being able to discern truth from falsehood, he learns that the event that has effectively defined his life is a hoax, one hidden by the government and the people you work for. It’s a truth championed by the people Looking Glass has been hunting and written off as a conspiracy theory by the people nominally on his side.
Imagine what it would be like to have all of those pillars of your beliefs, your fears, your life, come crumbling down? Tim Blake Nelson absolutely sells the glass-shattering shock of that moment, of Wade’s sad, resigned little life, or his warm chances for human connection turned into a trap. For one episode, Lindelof and company focus on two questions: what is the effect a trauma like the squid attack would have on a person, and what would it do to their psyche to learn it was all a lie? By centering that story on one man, focusing on his personal struggles and bewilderment when the rug is pulled out from under him, Watchmen delivers arguably its most impactful and introspective episode yet.
It’s especially engaging to see the subtle ways that one seminal event directed the rest of Wade’s life. The cold open at a New Jersey carnival initially grabs you with the peculiarity of what’s going on. There’s a subtle ominousness to it (though that may just be leftover vibes from Us). And then it compounds a moment of humiliation and self-hatred with a moment of unimaginable tragedy. The big scream is a little much, but it’s easy to understand how a moment like this would burrow within Wade and effect everything else he does.
The episode plays that thought out nicely. The event itself causes him to live in isolation and run thousands of “drills” in the event of another extra-dimensional attack. Him being saved by the hall of mirrors at the carnival leads not only to his distinctive mask, but to a “reflectine”-lined baseball cap to keep psychic waves away. And the regrettable instance of his first romantic encounter being one where the girl was just toying with him to leave him embarrassed and humiliated is implied to have ruined his ability to trust another person in relationships. The episode underlines this all a little hard, but it’s strong writing that lets us come to understand Wade better.
So when he’s tricked by one more woman who uses affection as a lure for a different agenda (Deadwood’s Paula Malcomson!), when he realizes that the squid that he’s been living in fear of for four decades was a fabrication, when he sees once more that the people he’s been working for are working with the enemy, he rightfully doesn't know which way is up anymore.
“Little Fear” builds to his decision to turn in Angela, but it’s less focused on that than in the epiphany and internal sense of turmoil and lostness that would let such a steadfast person be able to make that decision in the first place. By putting the plot mostly on pause for an episode, and channeling the story through Looking Glass, Watchmen manages to advance both character and story more effectively than it could any other way.
(As an aside, I didn’t have a good space there to talk about Veidt’s latest escapade, but I’m intrigued by him both figuring his way out of his gilded cage, if only for a moment, making a plea for help, and truly and firmly running afoul of “The Game Warden” whose god has left him. I assume Veidt is on a planet full of life that Dr. Manhattan created? Who knows! And who knows who might be coming to save him!)
[7.5/10] It’s frickin’ Anakin! Look, I fully admit that, as a teaser at least, this is total empty fanservice. It’s the kind of thing I tend to rail against. But I’d be lying if I said I didn’t gasp a little when I realized that Ahsoka had washed up in the World Between Worlds. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a touch giddy to hear Anakin call his former apprentice “Snips.” I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t joyful to see AAhsoska turn around, say “Master?” and see none other than Sky Guy standing before her.
Is it completely and utterly cheap? My god yes. But it also totally worked on me, so I’m loath to complain.
Oh yeah, and there’s a bunch of other major happenings too. Our good guy force-users go toe-to-toe with the bad guy force-users. Huyang gets into some fisticuffs of his own. Ahsoka sort of dies. (Presumably she’s just out temporarily and will pop back to life once she goes on a spirit quest with Anakin). Sabine switches sides (again, at least temporarily/a little). Hera and Phoenix Squadron come to help. Morgan Elsbeth and her allies (seemingly) successfully launch themselves into the Unknown Regions. For folks who’ve been complaining about pace, some big deal shit goes down here.
But here’s my favorite part of it all -- a philosophical disagreement between Ahsoka and Sabine. If it comes to it, Ahsoka wants to destroy the map. Better to prevent Thrawn from returning and reigniting the war. But Sabine is unwilling to give up their only chance to potentially save Ezra, even if it means potentially allowing a villain to come back. Not to put too fine a point on it, but it’s a debate between fighting what we hate and saving what we love.
You can see both sides of it. For Ahsoka, who saw the fall of the Republic and the rise of the Empire, the commitment to stopping a formidable opponent like Thrawn from restarting it all is unquestioned. For Sabine, whose only family is Ezra, the possibility of stranding him and both being alone forever is unthinkable. There’s no easy answers, and how each feels is based on who they are, which makes the disagreement between them feel legitimate.
What’s more, we find out that Sabine’s family on Mandalore, whom we met back in Rebels, perished sometime between then and now. It’s easy to guess that they were obliterated in Moff Gideon’s assault. But regardless of the exact details, Baylan perceives that, at a minimum,, Sabine feels that it happened because Ahsoka didn’t trust her. The show has hinted at what caused a falling out between them, but this is the first time we’ve come to understand the root of why.
Not for nothing, I liked Baylan a lot here. His intentions are still rather cryptic, something that frustrated me about the antagonist in the Obi-Wan show. But he’s a legitimate foe for Ahsoka, one who paints her with the same brush as her former master, has lost his faith in the Jedi, and who seems to genuinely believe that unleashing the evil of Thrawn will somehow be for the greater good. Maybe it’s the writing. Maybe it’s just Ray Stevenson’s presence. But whatever the reason, he’s one of the cooler bad guys we’ve had in a while.
These are also some top notch lightsaber fights here. The weakest of them is Sabine vs. Shin, but even there, you have some intrigue that comes from the “Mandalorian tactics vs. Jedi tactics” showdown. Something about the unsteadiness but indefatigable quality of Sabine in the fight against a superior foe made me think of the ending to The Force Awakens.
But both of Ahsoka’s fights are pretty darn cool. I love the Raiders of the Lost Ark quality of Ahsoka’s fight with Marrok, where he goes wild with his Inquisitor blade, only to get sliced by Ahsoka with a single slash. Plus what the hell is he! The mist escaping from his suit with an odd shriek just raises more questions!
The piece de resistance, though, is the fight between Ahsoka and Baylan. There’s a level of control, a steady mastery between them that’s evident which makes their skirmish aces. It’s not the frantic slinging of blades, but rather a more controlled duel, that steadily devolves into wilder tactics as the stalemate becomes shaky, and the goal to retrieve the map becomes more important. The intervention of both these masters’ apprentices hits the right notes, and provides an excuse for why Ahsoka is bested.
The most fascinating part may be the way Baylan talks down Sabine from destroying the map. There is a very Palpatine quality to his temptation of Lady Wren, right down to a meaningful utterance of “Do it.” like Palpy, he plays on the emotional wants of his quarry, manipulating her based on her attachment to Ezra in a way that gives the bad guys the key to achieving their goal, so long as she can come along for the ride and perhaps save her dear friend in the process. Much of the show to date has been a battle for Sabine’s soul in one form or another, and seeing this latest shift marks a major, probably regrettable, but certainly understandable turning point for her.
Otherwise, it’s nice to see Ahsoka pulling the trigger on some big things after three episodes of setup. The confrontation between Hera (in the Ghost, no less!) and Phoenix Squadron versus Morgan’s massive hyperspace launcher comes with cool visuals, and young Jacen giving us the closest thing we get to an “I have a bad feeling about this.” Major shit goes down, and it’s easy to salivate over what comes next.
First and foremost though, it means a reunion, however temporary, between Ahsoka and Anakin, presumably with advice on training a recalcitrant apprentice, an earned return to the world of the living, and stars willing, some measure of peace and certainty in where to go next.
