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[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.

[9.1/10] Jean Smart is a revelation. Her Laurie Blake has a Dr. House-like aura, far from the semi-naive young woman following in her mother’s footsteps, she is the uber-competent, seen-it-all, as cynical as she is capable representative of the old guard. “She Was Killed by Space Junk” puts a lot on Laurie’s shoulders, and a lot on Smart’s shoulders, and the result is Watchmen’s best episode yet.

What makes the character's entrance work is that she is both a bridge to the original Watchmen story in the most direct way yet, but also someone who can offer a different perspective on the main story of this new series. So far, despite our sojourns to visit Veidt and the occasional flashback to Germany, this series has treated Tulsa as the whole world, with all of the events, political intrigue, unrest, and character having their lives orbit this one community and its larger tensions.

Bringing in Laurie Blake, the daughter of the original Silk Spectre and The Comedian and the head of the FBI’s anti-vigilante task force, as the feds’ representative to investigate Sheriff Crawford’s death, helps pull back our perspective a bit.

We see someone who treats Keane Jr. (who, I’m a little ashamed to admit, I just now realized is likely the son of the author of the original anti-superhero act) with contempt for his ambition and politicking rather than admiration and respect. We see someone who cuts through the protective veneer that the Tulsa police force has erected around itself, quickly getting secret identities, “racist detectors”, and closed ranks local communities in and intuitive, almost causal way. And we see someone who casts explicit doubt on masked cops being any different than the masks vigilantes she’s developed a sincere contempt for over the years.

So much of Watchmen’s early going has been steeped in Angela’s perspective on this community, on the threat the police are responding to, and on its major players. By filtering this now-familiar world through Laurie’s perspective, someone who comes with the authority of being an original Watchmen lead character out-of-universe and her family history in it, it gives the whole situation a different spin. Like the feds descending on a town with very specific power balances and investigating a ground-shaking murder in Twin Peaks, Laurie and her junior associate arriving in Tulsa gives us one more reason to question the rightness of what’s going here, on either side of the thin blue line.

In a much more direct sense, we’re left to wonder what’s going on either side of Adiran Veidt’s property. To be frank, “She Was Killed by Space Junk” more or less stops dead in the middle to check in with him. We see our most tactile outing with “the smartest man in the world” yet, watching as he draws up blueprints, sews and severs, and eventually creates a suit for one of his automatons to “explore the great beyond.’ That is, until, the experiment fails and his efforts to rectify it leave him running afoul of “The Game Warden.”

That leads me to my (admittedly somewhat out there theory): What if Ozymandias is on Mars? What if Veidt’s “captivity” as described in the letter, is him being transported somewhere by Dr. Manhattan, the erstwhile game warden, so as not to be subject to any threats or investigations on Earth. And now, Veidt is trying to test the limits of his gilded cage and see if he can make it out of his enclosure. There’s a bizarre, separateness to every part of Veidt’s story so far, something that seems itching for a big reveal to let everything fall into place, and that’s the best stab I can make at it so far.

But apart from my grand theorizing, Veidt’s interlude still seems like a detour from the major story of the episode in the from of Laurie arriving in Tulsa, sizing up Angela, and proving herself a formidable presence in the town and in the series. Part of how the show establishes that is with some of its best action sequences and most taught moments of tension.

That comes in the early scene, where Laurie smokes out a Batman-esque masked adventurer by tipping him off to a bank robbery, having her team be the bank robbers, and then springing the trap on him. It’s a great way to establish Laurie’s take-no-crap bona fides, her ability to get into the heads of the vigilantes, and her brutal sense of justice with her willingness to shoot the target in the back (with the implication that she didn’t necessarily know his body armor would stop the bullet).

And you see it at Sheriff Crawford’s funeral, where a member of the Seventh Kavalry (explicitly made a Klan equivalent in the text), tries to hold Senator Keane Jr. hostage with a suicide vest he claims is connected to his heart. Laurie doesn't hesitate, just grabs the ankle-holstered gun she snuck in and pops the guy in the head, with the bullet inches away from the senator. Turns out the hostage-taker was telling the truth, and Angela has to drag his corpse into the grave and push Crawford’s coffin on top of it to stifle the explosion. It’s a hell of a set piece, showing the two women’s capabilities when they work together, even if their exchange later in the episode shows them at odd.

But it also shows Laurie in line with someone unexpected -- her father. The woman we meet decades after the events of the original comic has taken her father’s surname, and with it, his worldview. Like her dad, she now works for the government, calling masked adventurers “jokes” and does the bidding of the FBI. Like her dad, she thinks all of the noble-minded vigilanteism is bullshit. And like her dad, she’s seen too much, done too much, lost too much, that to be anything but caustic would be too painful.

That’s why the piece de resistance of “She Was Killed by Space Junk” is the frame element of the episode, where Laurie tells a joke (well, technically two jokes) to Dr. Manhattan through a box that’s theoretically sending the message to him on Mars. It sums up her nihilism, where no matter whether you’ve done good, done bad, or don’t recognize the distinction, everyone’s going to hell anyway, so you may as well act accordingly.

Her tears on the phone, her final laugh at the absurdity of the car that falls out of the sky, signify the ascendance of someone who still remembers falling in love with Jon Osterman, who still laments that Dan Dreiberg is (apparently) in jail, and who has assumed the mantle of The Comedian, in deed if not in name. The original Watchmen was about the toll that a life of masked adventuring would actually take on the heroes we so admired in the comics pages. “She Was Killed by Space Junk”, then, is about the toll the events of Watchmen would take on the people who lived through it. Through the character of Laurie, and Smart’s tremendous performance, we see The Comedian’s legacy rearing its ugly head, long after the man himself, and the events his death spurred, have been laid to rest.

I was unprepared. Even with all the praise it's been getting I was completely unprepared for the excellence that is Watchmen from the very first episode. Lately I've been watching Andromeda season 2 which is cheesy scifi that doesn't pretend to be anything else. I've been toggling between Evil and Prodigal Son neither of which in the maybe 13 episodes I've seen of them total can match what Watchmen has done in one episode.

I've read that this takes place after the events of the comics and although I have read the comics, I'm not comics-nerd enough to have memorized enough to be able to really confirm that in this single episode. I'm sure there are all sorts of Easter eggs that I'm missing. What I do see is an alternate history that does the same world building that Watchmen did. For all the talk about the Black Wall street scene it didn't feel as big as I expected it to be which is fine because it does give me an anchor point historically.

The jump to the present is when things really start to kick off though. The police wear masks. Some of these are uniform and some of them are customized giving some of them the appearance of being superheroes. But there's not a lot said about them. Squid rain from the sky regularly which was the 2nd strongest hint I saw linking the timeline to the narrative of the Moore books. The other of course being a multipart documentary the final part of which is about to air in the timeline of the show.

Regina King ... wow. I liked Regina King. I've liked her since 227. I've loved her in other roles Boyz in the Hood, Miss Congeniality 2, Jerry Maguire and plenty of other roles. All over the place in terms of character and she's a delight in all of them. Andrew Howard as Red Scare was equally surprising. I recognize him as the Russian gangster from the many roles in which he plays a Russian gangster including Limitless. Louis Gossett Jr is barely recognizable but I'm glad to see him. Don Johnson was pretty solid as the police chief. There's a great scene in The Legend of Korra where Korra is falling from an airship and rather than find a way to land safely Lin Beifong grabs her and uses her momentum to launch Korra back into the fight. It's a small scene that show Korra can be trusted and is valuable in a fight. There's also a scene where Angela has to go meet someone dangerous and she gives a gun to her husband to shoot anyone who isn't her and he accept it and her leaving alone without challenge and it's also an interesting scene that shows Angela is not to be played with.

The action is actually relatively light in this episode but you don't miss it because the narrative is so compelling. Just trying to figure out what's going on and how we got here is enough to ride for at least 3 episodes but I doubt Watchmen will keep us waiting this long.

There were two factors that made me question the necessity of "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes" beforehand: Firstly, it's a prequel, and secondly, it's also an origin story for a villain. These are both things that often make the plot more predictable than it should be because you know exactly where the journey is going. Even though this is also true in this Hunger Games prequel, I nevertheless quite enjoyed the movie overall. Panem is an interesting world. Because the action here takes place shortly after the war, you learn many reasons for the state of the world 64 years later. The eponymous "Hunger Games" are also very different from what we've seen before. Here they are much more scaled-back, grittier, and somehow also more brutal.

The casting of the main characters is also very successful. Tom Blyth is quite convincing as the future dictator Coriolanus Snow; above all, he manages to let the cool, calculating, and dangerous nature of his character shine through from the very beginning. Particularly strong, however, is Rachel Zegler as Lucy Gray Baird. Recently, there has been some very strange online hate against Zegler, but personally, I've found her good in everything I've seen her in. In "The Ballad of Songbirds & Snakes", it's not just her acting talent that's required, but above all her enormous vocal skills, and she masters the task effortlessly. Of the rest of the cast, I would also single out Viola Davis, who, as Head Gamemaker, puts her stamp on every scene she's in.

Now, this all sounds pretty positive, but unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the last third of the movie as much. While the first third manages to introduce the characters very efficiently and the actual "Hunger Games" take place in the second third, the movie loses all momentum in the final act. Naturally, the characters had to be positioned so that they fit into the previously known story, which brings us back to the disadvantages of a prequel. Overall, however, I stick to my recommendation for the movie, even if the ending is perhaps a bit disappointing.

Trauma and abuse brought forth into physical form. Marc Spector isn't so much broken as he is simply been through hell and back, and Steven Grant is his coping mechanism, his way of allowing himself some peace in a world that seems to hate him. Asylum seeks to understand, not to fix; Marc's problems aren't gone by the end of the episode, simply that he has come to terms with his reality and has begun his search for "balance" in a way.

Moon Knight is strong in the same way that WandaVision was in that it takes these grand superhero operatics and seeks to use that as a tool to explore various ideas and the human condition, and while WandaVision is firmly cemented in grief, this show is more concerned with the complicated origins of mental illness. This is probably the darkest the mainline MCU has gotten (this isn't counting the Netflix shows of course) and while there was a fear that it wouldn't work with the rest of the universe it not only fits right in but also manages to carve out it's own identity - it still feels like it's own thing which is an impressive feat considering how entrenched much of the MCU is together. Easily my favourite episode of the show thus far.

Easily my favourite episode so far of the bunch, continuing the show's trek of slowly becoming quite possibly my favourite of the Disney+ shows - that is if it can keep this momentum going into the final act of the show. But as it stands, this is a great piece of supernatural goodness that's very much up my alley in terms of what I wanted to see from the show from the beginning. It's delightfully spooky and the vibes of Tomb Raider are all over this thing in a good way. And the chemistry of Oscar Isaac and May Calamawy really takes off in this episode as well, making a bizarre yet compelling love triangle actually work in the long run.

But it's the last 10 minutes where Moon Knight finally reveals it's trump card, and suddenly the entire series is flipped on it's head in a damn good way. Answers are likely coming sooner or later, but as somebody who intimately familiar with the Jeff Lemire run from 2016 I can safely say that the show is heading into really dark, uncharted territory if they manage to pull this off. The cinematography change here too, from the shakier, grittier parts of the "real world" to the more clean and sophisticated style of the new one really puts into perspective how things have changed for Marc and Steven, and the final reveal is both wonderfully odd and genuinely hilarious. Fantastic stuff!

[7.7/10] Hell of an ending, huh? While I don’t buy that Marc and/or Steven is actually in a mental institution, I appreciate the show going all “Normal Again” with this. It’s a mindscrew of a finish, one that keeps the audience off-balance in wondering whether everything that's happened so far is just in Marc’s head or if he’s somewhere in his own subconscious, or the Egyptian realm of the dead, puzzling this out.

I like the chance to speculate and wonder, but I also just appreciate the mood of the thing. There’s that Keyser Soze-esque realization as Marc looks around the room, wondering if all that he’s experienced is the product of an (incredibly faithful low-budget production) of an adventuring archeologist movie, his fellow inmates, and the Egyptian-themed decor on the walls. Moon Knight has already been something of a reflection of a (highly Holywood-ized vision of) multiple personality syndrome. Making that possibility more literal is a treat in the door it opens up.

Speaking of which, there’s an odd sort of catharsis to Marc opening up a sarcophagus, finding Steven inside, and then hugging his doppelganger. The prospect of another personality lurking there in another fancy coffin is intriguing. And a talking hippo-like god adds to the trippy vibe of this whole thing.

Honestly, the production design and aesthetic may be my favorite part of this series. Moreso than a lot of MCU productions, there’s some truly imaginative cinematography (see: Marc’s fade into nothingness that transitions from a close-up to a flashlight in the movie), really cool lighting (candle flickers and the griminess of the tomb contrasted with the bright light of the mental hospital), and creative framings (the way the tomb ghoul lurks at the edges of the frame before it’s revealed). This feels like a 1990s blockbuster in many ways, and a little more diversity and attention to detail in the visual presentation befits that.

Likewise, I enjoyed when this turned into an out-and-out horror movie. Steven and Layla having to evade the tomb ghoul was downright terrifying. The way it moved, clicked, grasped from the shadows added a pure sense of terror to the proceedings. As weak as I’ve found a lot of the action thus far, “The Tomb” did suspense and horror very well, with the sequence of the ghoul attacking Layla above the chasm being particularly frightening.

I’ll confess that I’m less invested in the character drama here. Harrow’s tempter routine is still good, but when he does it every episode, it starts to get a little tiresome. The reveal that Marc was involved in the murder of Layla’s father is a bit contrived, even if you can write it off as the reason that he and Layla met, not a random coincidence. The acting is uniformly good here. Oscar Isaac does an amazing job all around. May Calamawy drives home the emotion of her affection, fear, and fury. And Ethan Hawke is just as good as a condescending psychiatrist as he is as a Big Bad. But as cute as the courtship between Steven and Layla is, the other personal issues spilling out aren’t quite as compelling.

Still, this is basically a dark-tinged Indiana Jones adventure or riff on The Mummy, and on that measure, it works. Some of the logistics are a little silly, like the eye maze. On the whole, though, the metes and bounds of the quest are well-defined, and we understand what Layla and Steven are looking for, why it matters, and what an ostensible nobody like Steven has to contribute to the effort.

Some of the individual scenes do drag. Every once in a while the sort of genericness of the adventure story takes over. But fun bits like Steven having to reach into the mummified mouth of ALexander the Great(!) to retrieve Ahmet’s vessel, or cute banter between him and Layla, or the head-trip that is the way this one closes up elevates this one and makes it feel distinctive within the MCU framework.

Unsure if this is my favourite episode (Episode 2 is hard to beat) but I love me some good treasure hunting. Marvel has pitched Moon Knight multiple times as Indiana Jones meets superheroes meets psychological thriller and this episode makes good on that promise while also keeping it's story focused on the internal struggles of Marc and Steven. In a nice change of pace, Marc is at the center of most of this and while Steven is still the heart of the series you get a lot of great character stuff for Marc here, particularly in regards to his relationship with Layla.

Egyptian mythology in general has always been some of my cup of tea so seeing the show dive headfirst into it as much as it can is pretty great, particularly in the council scene which is just great stuff. The ending with Khonshu and the stars is one of the most visually stunning sequences on the show so far and while the implications of it have yet to be fully revealed, it does set the stage for some fun tomb raiding - which, might I add, is the reason why I was so excited for this show to begin with. Fantastic stuff once again!

The most anticipated show in the SWU is finally there. Of course, every new show is the most anticipated but Ahsoka still is something special. There will be lovers and haters of that I'm sure. Right now I take the middle ground.
I like the look and the fact that it is basically the continuation of Rebels which I absolutely love. Therefore I'm thrilled to see all the characters in live action finally. The beginning with the crawl text gave me a bit of goosebumps I have to admit. I think the story has potential and I place my faith once again in Filoni to make this right. After all Ahsoka is his baby.
Of course we get a lot of character introduction in the pilot and I'm already regretting not having watched Rebels again as I'm sure I missed some easter eggs along the way.
From a neutral standpoint I'd say this was a "7" all day long. It had it's moments and it's flaws especially towards the end it became very predictable. And once more someone will survive a lightsaber stab. But because of the aforementioned connection to Rebels (you can call it fan-service if you like) I decided to go with "8".

[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.

Still absolutely in love with this one. Marvel Studios' overall output on Disney+ so far as been exceptional but Moon Knight so far is up there with Loki as some of their best work. Most of this is due to how creative it's camerawork is and how it tries to find the duality in nearly every shot. Steven's, and by extension Marc's, own struggles with DID throughout these two episodes is one of a battle of control while also a need to understand; everybody believes him to be broken and battered but he isn't, this is just who he, or they, are.

Plus it's just a damn good time. Even at it's worst Marvel is one of the better blockbuster studios right now which has been made abundantly clear, and beyond the great character work and stellar cinematography there is also a really great balance of tone here. It's just silly enough to recognize that Moon Knight is, on the record, a somewhat goofy idea premise for a character while also genuinely looking at him and taking him seriously. It's a great mix of the more modern, psychological takes of the character but also embracing the goofiness of the 80s in full force.

I'm really looking forward to this show as someone whose going into this completely blind. The first episode was really interesting, with our main character, Steven Grant, being this British merchandise seller at an Ancient Egypt Museum, who has these huge gaps of memory loss throughout his daily life, and whose not really respected by anybody.

I liked how they showed how Steven's struggling with feeling like he's completely skipped huge gaps of time, with him constantly questioning where he is, what he did, and what he's said, and with Steven even wearing an ankle bracelet attached to his bed to stop himself from "sleepwalking"

I also cant wait to learn more about this Marc persona trapped inside Steven Grant, it seems like he's another person living inside Steven, with his disembodied voice warning Steven not to dig deeper into Marc and telling Steven what to do, and with Marc staring back at Steven in the mirror telling Steven to give up control. It seems like this Marc dude is a mercenary character, and he's been the one taking control of Steven while he's dormant, and has now stole this ancient Egyptian scarab from the Kummit deity. And, from Steven's breif call with Layla, it seems Marc has been doing his mercenary stuff for months within Steven's body.

I enjoyed the "fight scenes" of today's episode, I love the sounds effects when Marc took over Steven's body during the car chase and initial fight between Marc and the cult of Kummit. Although, I would like to actually see the fights between Marc and those cult members. I'm also looking forward to seeing more of the cult leader character, whose seemingly a messenger for Kummit, the god who judges people as good or evil, and enacts justice accordingly.

I'm also curious about who that scarecrow deity thing was that was ominously following Steven, and what its relationship is to him, or possibly Marc. Also, I really enjoyed the reveal of Moon Knight at the end, with Steven actually talking with Marc through the mirror and then giving up his body to Marc, with Marc then brutally killing the dog-like creature chasing them who was sent by the cult leader.

It's becoming a broken record to say that "Marvel makes damn great stuff" but Moon Knight is yet another strong entry in their catalogue if this first episode is anything to go by. And unlike the prior shows, it presents a new interesting challenge for the MCU in it's relatively standalone status. This is the first of their shows to be about a wholly new character unconnected to any prior entry even tangentially, and because of that there is a chance for them to do something really different and new here. Of course, they are more then up to the challenge as Moon Knight's pilot is downright excellent in setting up the world view of our lead character. Most of this is due to Oscar Isaac's wonderful performance as he balances the camp, somewhat over the top aspects of the premise with the more serious and genuine portrayal of DID with ease.

But the real treat comes in how it's presented on screen. Mirrors and reflections are everywhere, and the fractured mental state of our hero is clearly the main focus here over big action sequences. In fact, while there are action scenes here, they are brief and quick, and cut out with very little time to process what the hell just happened. The brutality is mostly implied here compared to out right shown (do not expect Marvel Netflix levels of violence here, those hoping for that will be disappointed) but it still manages to be on the much darker end of the MCU as it should be. Pretty much excellent across the board and a fantastic start.

Solid pilot. I figured we'd be in for something grimmer and more brutal, something more akin to the Defenders line, but was pleasantly surprised by how they balanced that out with both the humor and tenderness of their character study of Steven, his insecurities and befuddlements, his exhaustion and frustrations. Isaac creates such an instantly distinct persona, then he's plopped right into the middle of action that he's suddenly blacking out for parts of, blipping in right after having apparently caused some acts of violence in his defense. The use of the blips for mystery, shock, humor is nicely coordinated, even if the big setpiece is build around what looks like the exact same town from WinterFalcon. I almost wish they'd pushed this a little further, with more of a frenetic energy than such a clean style, but the tension breaks of the cupcake and the wipers over a broken windshield are great. Ethan Hawke is a hell of a villain, and I'm curious to see where they go with the quiet charisma of his cult, especially after that unforgettably ooky opening sequence and the foley team committing to those quiet crunches every time he's on screen. I'm curious to find out where the jackal mummy came from, and to learn about his additional personalities and sassy F Murray Abraham. We cut out at just the right spot, and I'm jazzed for episode 2.

This was a very good finale from start to finish (Andrew Bloom's review details this admirably), although I (like many people reviewing on here) was surprised about the lack of cliff-hanger, or direct avenue to a new season, but I actually think that finishing the way it did was the right thing to do, and brings to an end everything that "The Mandalorian" as a show was all about. Grogu is safe, Djarin has been instrumental in bringing about the saviour and reunification of the Mandalorian people, and Moff Gideon has finally been destroyed. All wrapped up, that is, except for two core questions that have underpinned the show since S1E1 - where is Grogu's home planet, and what are his species even called? I am disappointed that the answers remain just as much of mystery now as they were then, and it is the answering of these questions that would be the only reason, in my opinion, to ever do another season of The Mandalorian. I have heard that Thrawn may feature as the primary antagonist in the upcoming "Ahsoka" live-action show that is being released in August 2023, (but I can't find any official confirmation of that yet) as he has been mentioned numerous times by the Imps under Moff Gideon. The Mandalorians could easily (and probably will) feature to some extent in this new show, and maybe even Boba Fett, or some of the protagonists from Rebels and Bad Batch, as Thrawn will definitely be a tough nut to crack. look forward tentatively to Ahsoka, and hope it is is worth the wait...

Soundly the best episode of the season, and one of the best of the series.

This is what this season has been building to, and it's satisfying seeing threads finally connecting in a way that doesn't feel contrived. IG-12 (I'm calling it Grogu-1, and you can't stop me) finally coming back around, Moff Gideon finally emerging from the shadows, the Beskar Troopers and Gideon revealing himself to be Mandalorian after all. And setting up the future of this series and other series. The father (?) of General Hux being part of the secret cabal of remanent Imperials, mentioning Grand Admiral Thrawn still being unaccounted for but promised to return, locating the Great Forge and finding a secret Imperial base right next to it. And this is just part 1 of 2 for the season finale. Please let the last episode also be 50 minutes long.

How I LOVED the opening sequence. Pretty much Rick Deckard roaming the streets of Los Angeles sniffing out a lead. I enjoy all the love Coruscant is getting now. It should have factored into the Sequels because it is such a rich storytelling landscape. In this season alone we've gotten to see Prequel-era Coruscant and Sequel-era Coruscant. And again in animated form in The Bad Batch. I'll take it all.

There is so much to this episode, but the only other thing I can think about right now is Paz Vizsla. What a fucking tank. I knew the moment Bo cut the hole in the blast door that he wasn't going to make it because it would have been hard for him to even fit through it. How badass you have to be to have an energy staff through your gut and still be trying to choke out someone wearing full armor with your bare hands. We lost a real one. His son Ragnar is the last remaining Vizsla that we know about.

Complain all you want, getting a fun, action-filled adventure of good versus evil with plenty of nods to the fans and unexpected cameos is Star Wars at its finest.

The Mandalorian started with episodic adventures that was tied together by a “main quest” .
Just like rebels, clone wars and resistance, the star wars shows like to present the universe details in small incapsulated adventures and they hit you with a epsiode of epic proportions that pay’s off.

Episodes like the one where Din’s Ship fellon Ice and Grogu started eatting spider eggs, where semmed like a creature of the week episode was in fact, the espiode where we met the new rebuplic pilot who reached for he mandalorians this season.

This episode showed the places of galaxy where the independence brought by the fall of the empire made the planet prosper, and how some outer rim planets are closer to mid rim lifestyle that to Jakku or Tatooine. We got a droid bar, and is nice since we saw some instances of “we don’t serve their kind here” ad now we can see that they had places for them.

We were able to see that not all people mistrusted Dooku and how they believed that the Emperor betrayed him and his goals when he took the galaxy. We got also to see the mandalorian lore expand as they show how they are strict to their rules and protocols.

In top of all that, we were able the see the bond that is the main core of this season : Bo and Din. They respect the ways of one another and also grew very fond for each other, making Bo defend Din and Din defend Bo right to have the saber.

the technicality of the saber. I know that some were expecting a duel between Bo and Din, but what a cliche seen so many times, and we knew that she had to win since din does no wish to rule the Mandalorians and if Din wins would deminsh Bo’s quest, so I think the technicality was nice way to link the episode where she rescues him with the rest of the story.

Very nice episodes with a lot of information to uncover. Noticed how they lived in Dome cities just like old Mandalore from Clone Wars era?

At first I was frustrated by this episode because it felt like another side quest without a true direction, but by the end I realized that this episode laid a lot of groundwork in the background for where I expect the rest of the season to go, especially with Bo-Katan. She proved herself to the mandalorian covert this episode, and likely gained a lot of trust within the group. Some of her lines near the end of the episode hint at some interesting places they might take her character this season and I'm excited to see what happens. Mando and Grogu also seemed to prove themselves a bit so it was a good character episode for them as well. The extended flashback of order 66 with Grogu was really exciting and every time we learn more about his past it just makes him feel like a more fleshed out character rather than just a cute little puppet which is exciting. And the direction this episode was no less than fantastic, Carl Weathers' handling of the action scenes was truly great and everything looked really good. And of course it was really nice to see Ahmed Best return to Star Wars knowing his history with the franchise and this felt like a mini redemption for him. So overall, still not an absolute knockout as the balance between the two stories here felt messily thrown together, but I think this subtly did a lot to set up the rest of the season and was an important character episode while also packed full of exciting action.

This was a good focused episode and comes through with the promise to make this a Mandaloran heavy season. This episode sucked all that is great about Star Wars. It had a DEEP callbacks to the prequels while still staying relevant to the current storyline. But still found a way to please the fans by making the much maligned Jar Jar Binks actor play a Jedi Master who saved Grogu and he was badass. I think thats what some of the best episodes of the show has. Smart callbacks to the past but still an interesting story that stands on its own. I am really loving the Bo-Katan storyline. They introduced her last season and jaded, cynical and angry wanbee ruler who only had eyes on the Dark Saber and ruling her house. When Din took it instead she lost her followers and her way. Now this season she is starting to believe in the Way of the Mandalore and seems to have found a home who people she considered out of touch zealots not too long ago and to their credit they have accepted her. I will be interesting to see how her character grows or if she has some plan to take control? I know there is an Imperial Warlord after her and that dumb mercenary seaweed head from the first episode. I bet we see one of them next episode.

A slow start to the season, but they are mainly scene-setting for the rest of the season in this episode. The bit where Grogu saw the purgill during hyperspace was interesting; could his maybe link in slightly with Star Wars Rebels, in that we may discover what became of Ezra Bridger? The pirate captain looked shoddy, as do a few of the alien races in SW, almost like something out of a low-budget Dr Who episode. The pirates have just been thrown in because all of Mando's meaningful adversaries are now banther fodder, as of the end of BOBF

I do think some of the people reviewing these episodes are being overly judgemental and cynical, at times. I agree with some of their points, but this episode is just guiding us in softly to the rest of the season which (I hope) will be more engaging. This is, as with all the Mandalorian episodes, very finely presented, but it must be hard to develop occasional / lesser character depth in 30-minute chunks (once you cut out the recap. intro and credits). I'd be interested to know how the "critics" on here would (constructively) have done things differently, if they'd had the run of the show production?

This wasn't quite the beginning I waited for a whole year. It had way to much action for action's sake. Oh, and way too short for a season premiere.

Started good though. I thought at first this would be some kind of flashback to when Din got his helmet. The monster fight did absolutely nothing other then sugar coat CGI. But we find out what will be the quest for this season: Redemption.

The Navarro part was OKish. I had kind of feared one of the pirates would turn out to be Hondo. Like I expected they explain Cara away with one sentence. Shame that she's no longer there as she really was a great character with potential. Great idea bringin back IG88. We'll see how this plays out.

The space battle was again just showcasing CGI, which does look great, but really did nothing then add action. I kind of fear those pirates will be along for the ride this year.

Din's meeting with Bo Katan was interesting and I hope we see a lot of her this year.

The ONE thing that had my blood pumping were the creatures that Grogu saw in Hyperspace. Those were purgill, no ? Now that's an interesting thing to show us.

Still, the pieces are in place and I'm exited for the story to unfold.

(1,106-word review) A prominent theme here was that of introspection, which was conveyed/reiterated – or iterated in the sense of also "telling" and informing us of it, in addition to it being there to notice and connect the dots if you pay attention enough to dig a little deep into your imagination and come up with various observations – by Father Delgado's class lecture about heroes, the arcs they follow, and the negative pivotal moment towards its end that knocks them down – an event of loss: losing everything, then regressing to "Step 1," a place at the beginning of their journey, or even further back, and ending up worse for wear and worse off than at the start of their arc. The lesson is the potential of the hero rising back up against all odds and overcoming the constrictions within one's self, now armed with more pronounced strength of will and character, immense and powerful, than they managed to achieve in the "first round," following the personal battle against the enemy of obstacles, trails, and tribulations.

As usual for this show, there was more seasoning of a symbolic and parallelistic nature to an element of the storytelling. I noticed first Father Delgado's lecture in connection with that; it was easily distinguishable. Most notably, however, Tyrone's shot-in-the-dark assumption about him, boiling down to asserting that he has no one and that he became a man of God within the sacred confines of what that entails, all from a desired place of avoidance – wanting to avoid and prevent feeling anything, highlighted a possible parallel due to cutting to a different scene – one that happened to be Tandy and Liam in the church.

That assertion, and its plausible, perfect correlation with her mindset, has two evident purposes/interpretations – (1.) for us to add an extra layer to our understanding and assessment of her character, and (2.) that Tyrone made it with her in mind and not directed solely at Delgado. The second interpretation could indicate that he cares so much about her to the point where her struggles and the things she's dealing with are contributing to his side of internal conflict, further perpetuated by the supernatural connection with her through their respective powers, even though he adamantly brought up his aversion to being inside her head: involved in her problems – as if he's trying to convince himself of the opposite and convince himself that he doesn't care to that level, refusing to acknowledge that it concerns him in both meanings of the word.

The main focus was showcasing the fallout of the "conclusions" of each story arc towards the end of the previous episode, the emotional/mental turmoil circling inside Tyrone and Tandy, and the ways they are coping – the "regression" of our two "heroes" through attempting to make that a reality, only there's no such thing. Human change and evolution are unceasing, for better or worse; it's permanent and flowing. You can't go back to prior versions of yourself or turn back time itself to cheat the system of life and change. You can try to accomplish that, though it'll be through the means of concocting and self-inflicting the illusion that reliving who you were in the past and doing the same things will somehow undo all the events and experiences that contributed to who you are currently and shaped the person you are in reality. It's a self-made trap, and the way out – the way to move forward instead of doing anything in your power to remain stuck is through the realization of that truth, the subsequent acceptance of it, and turning your experiences into something positive and uplifting, especially concerning "lifting" yourself back up.

It was rough seeing Tyrone in this angry-at-the-world – but general possession of anger – state of mind. However, Tandy's side of that stood out slightly more, as it was, for the most part, incredibly frustrating – seeing her in that state of mind, particularly her method of attempting to move forward. It was most frustrating. Her actions, given their relation to what she has and her capabilities for a way to cope, are understandable – if she never got powers, she would've gone about it the same way she's familiar with going about life; she also did that in this instance of displaying the type of person she's been hiding behind and masquerading as to a degree most of her life.

Stealing hopes, especially Mina's and the half-successful attempt to steal Liam's hopes, no matter the "logic" behind it, is a step into dangerous waters because it's one of those things where a character crosses a certain threshold into potentially being seen and digested differently by a significant portion of the viewers, possibly even permanently: not necessarily to the extent of irredeemable but certainly a stretched out period of intimately disliking the character in question, not to mention it's a somewhat irritating thing to watch. There's no justification. At least she's self-aware, expressing it about 30 minutes in, followed by the eventual semi-redemption moment with her decision to go and apologize to Liam – at least that aspect wasn't drawn out.

As the penultimate episode, it didn't have as much plot progression as you'd expect; the content was still engaging and exciting. But there was the scene at the beginning of Chantelle finding her way to the Roxxon pipe, the scene with Mina witnessing the ancient energy bursting out of the other pipe, infecting those two guys – the same thing that happened on the oil rig, and I vaguely remember that spreads from person to person throughout New Orleans in the finale, post-apocalyptic-esque – topped with the challenging situations Tyrone and Tandy found themselves in during the last few minutes. Those situations, notably his situation, and that ending set up quite the season finale of a cascade of events and progression; a lot of effort here went into laying the groundwork for it.

From another perspective, there didn't necessarily need to be, even though the next one is the finale. This show has felt primarily focused on the characters – being character-driven rather than story-driven, not to mention the story arcs seem "straightforward." They're not intricately written and deeply layered to where it's necessary to put them front-and-center for 99.9% of the season with most of the screen time to avoid having no choice but rushing to the finish line. There has been a slight feeling of a sudden awareness on the part of the writers that the end of the season is right around the corner regarding the previous two or so, particularly this one; they've felt "different," but not in a negative, "Oh, this is detrimentally rushed" way.

(1,369-word review) The most prominent theme here seemed to boil down to the act of building: Tandy began to warm up to Greg and had genuine interactions with him (= building a relationship), and Tyrone's father received slight development beyond being a necessary but background character, which manifested through their father-son dynamic (= building further layers to a relationship) while all of the scenes with Tandy and Tyrone of their meaningful, impactful conversation – in more ways than one – was split up and inserted amid everything that was happening in present time (= building a firmer connection through emotional, personal and power-related relatability, on top of the mutual vulnerability of being honest, open, and outspoken), and the ending signified the built-up confidence on his part to ask for Det. O'Reilly in the police station compared to getting cold feet the first time with his initial course of action, in addition to the build-up of her will to live, her hope, and the additional strengthening and solidification of the reconstruction and rebuilding she only began undergoing earlier in the episode regarding facing her fears instead of running away/setting her sights on the Roxxon Corporation, topped with the control building of her powers.

Speaking of which – and this can't be ignored, let alone understated – that first proper interaction/conversation between Tandy and Tyrone was fantastic; it was unquestionably one of the top highlights. They're able to talk openly and honestly with each other about their respective experiences concerning their powers – which their actual first interaction activated in the premiere, though it, and the ones since that one barely had any substance and depth; certainly not to this degree – and the things weighing on them that they've kept internalized and buried. Both of them needed someone like that, as they didn't consider anyone in their lives, from Tyrone's parents and Tandy's mother to Evita and Liam, as appropriate people to share such intimate and personal information with.

Furthermore, the structural placement of those scenes into the episode, mixed in with everything else/every other scene within present-day events, was great, especially how there is a semi-puzzle for us due to the apparent non-linear storytelling. For us to follow along properly, we must determine the chronological order of what's happening in real-time as it all progresses and more pieces are presented; however, you still have to assign them to their rightful place in your head – getting all that straight while having enough brain power left also to be paying attention enough for the total absorption of the story. The non-chronological structure seems to be another favorite storytelling technique of those behind that facet of this show besides their other favorite – visual storytelling.

The climax with that blow-up of emotions and the demolishment of the initial, persistent amicable mood and tone between the two characters was also fantastic but super unfortunate because it sucks seeing them hurl such harsh words at one another – being at odds and pushing each other away like that, especially after seeing how wonderful they are together in all of those previous scenes beforehand, showcased so well, and delivered extra effectively due to Olivia Holt and Aubrey Joseph's chemistry; acting-wise, she gave a superb performance, particularly at the end, and he did a pretty good job himself. You're already on board with that relationship, whether platonically or romantically, and you want them on good terms ASAP.

On top of that, it was well-written enough to make you torn on who to root for the most; more importantly, the writing delivers and showcases both perspectives/realities naturally, not to mention the hasty (as this can be achieved but with a calmer and more empathetic mindset) lack of understanding the other's genuine struggles due to who they are.

Tyrone, a black man in a country filled with one-too-many people who aren't fond of that, sometimes to a violent degree, mainly in a subtle, condescending, and disrespectful manner, particularly in the south; Tandy, a woman in a world that, while it has improved quite a bit since the semi-far past concerning women and the general view on women, it's almost like it hasn't improved because of the ridiculous, prevalent, and persisting sexism (especially in the healthcare apparatus – how, even now, there are frequent instances of doctors and people in other fields within the healthcare world (mostly men but even other women) who don't take a woman's concerns seriously), being seen as lesser or not as human beings, the belittlement and temporary but permanently desired extermination of their rights/seeing their rights as a joke and something to use as a means to control women, the terrible pandemic of sexual harassment directed at them throughout their lives, and sometimes daily, in addition to the sexual assault many have experienced and endured, topped with the pathetic scarcity of proper, long-term justice – then there is the patronizing/trivializing/minimizing/dismissing/vilifying, and so on.

It goes on as far as the list of things is concerned but also the occurrence of those things themselves. My point is that they both have broader battles in the grand scheme of things and the grand scheme of life – instead of being on one person's side, both sides are valid, minus the extreme things said. But hopefully, their separation and the current inharmonious state of their relationship will subside and dissipate quickly.

Unlike how, in the second episode, Tyrone's story arc was more engaging and compelling than Tandy's story arc, it was the opposite here. I wasn't as engaged in whatever that whole thing with Otis and the other guys was about, besides being a vehicle for conveying the lesson about control – an additional theme, only to a lesser extent, aiding the most prominent one that I mentioned in the beginning – through the, in all honesty, intriguing but most certainly terribly tedious and maybe even slowly dying art/craft and concept of beadwork/its creation process. A semi-apparent correlation would be its potential relation to the culture of New Orleans, but that wouldn't hold/instill a deeper meaning and connection for me because of my lack of understanding and knowledge of its real-life history. It was alright, though I'm uncertain how to feel about it right now, especially if it's not over and continues further.

An equally significant takeaway was the cloak reveal, which I liked – specifically, it was the sentimental value and significance attached to it, and there may have been more than in the comics. I never read them; therefore, I could be wrong, but there may not have been any substantial layers like that, both the origin and the sentimental value, or at least anything similar to how the show's writers went about those aspects. My sole critique is its look. While a bit of an eye-catching nature seems to envelop it, necessary components seem to be lacking. It should look more imposing and be a primary precipitant that produces a powerfully commanding presence unto Tyrone. But his darkness itself probably accomplishes that.

But the most significant, front-and-center takeaway was Greg's death. It was as tragic and saddening as it was when I watched this roughly two months after it aired in June 2018. I vaguely remember it being my only takeaway; more specifically, I remember it being super effective, possibly to a greater degree now due to me being older and adequately understanding its complete effect – from him and Melissa and how their final interaction was, to her changing her mind and realizing her mistake right afterward, with the maximum tragic thing being that it was too late and his last memory of them before dying was likely the break-up; he died with that on his mind, and it wasn't even 100% literal. It was all so tragic – though, in the midst of that, I especially liked the perfect symbolism and symmetry of Tandy witnessing his death, then switching the scene back to her and Tyrone's conversation at a point where a few seconds into it, he mentions survivor's guilt, followed by the final line of that section of their conversation/those scenes said by her – wishing she was the one who died. And that's when they chose to switch back to present-day Tandy, who's undoubtedly feeling that all over again.

I don't like dream sequences at all. Like any tool, I guess they're neutral, and dependent on the hands that wield them, but I can honestly count the number of dream (or vision) sequences I've seen that have felt narratively and/or artistically engaging on two hands. Which makes it even more impressive that this teen super hero show just did an episode that was at least 50% dream sequence and managed to knock it out of the park to a degree that's honestly a bit scary.

I'd enjoyed the parts of the previous episodes where we got a taste of Tyrone and Tandy's empathy powers, and in hindsight, I really appreciate the way those glimpses built towards what this episode did. The creative team manages to lend a weight of emotion and purpose to these abstract happenings that made them feel both moving, scary and consequential. I think the most important part is, that even if these powers are rooted in trauma, the prevailing mood in the dream sequence is one of empathy, sympathy and connection. Tandy and Tyrone recognise each other's pain, they recognise the pain and joy in the people they're channeling, and the show manages to make that connection feel comforting and uplifting for me as a viewer, even if I'm intermittently (and deliberately) unsettled by the imagery and trauma involved.

I'm honestly a bit flabbergasted at how well the show does these things, and I'm really happy it exists.

Side note: Still a bit on the fence when it comes to Olivia Holt; the directors/producers don't quite seem to have cracked how to get the same level of performances out of her compared to those of the rest of the ensemble. It's not like she's bad or anything, it's just that the level of the rest of the cast have been such that her perfectly competent-but-nothing-more performance sticks out a bit.

i don't know what the critics were smoking when they reviewed this, but it's important to always watch a movie yourself and give it the benefit of the doubt before forming your own opinion. admittedly i,m a much bigger Marvel fan than a DC one, but i'm also a comic book fan in general, so i was always going to watch this. i,m happy to say that Suicide Squad has redeemed the disaster that was Batman v Superman and if Wonder Woman and Justice League can keep the ball rolling after this, then the DCCU is looking good.

the movie is fast paced, never stops moving, and the humour and darkness are balanced just right, with neither one being overdone. Margot Robbie as Harley Quinn definitely steals the show as far as i'm concerned, and Will Smith does a good job as Deadshot, despite the fact i never agreed with his casting in the first place. despite what many people thought, Joker is not the main threat in this movie and his role is kept to a minimum, but Jared Leto does make an excellent Joker.

don't make the same mistake i did and leave as soon as the credits start to roll, because you will miss the mid credits scene if you do, and i,m saying no more than that on that subject. this movie gets a solid 10 from me, with Captain America Civil War being the only other movie so far to be ranked that high

If you ever needed a lesson in not listening to reviewers and making your own mind up about a movie, this is it. The Suicide Squad is brought to life by David Ayer in this summer blockbuster. It is 2+ hours of hard hitting FUN, with incredible portrayals of comic book favourites. Will Smith IS Deadshot, Margot Robbie IS Harley Quinn, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje IS Killer Croc, Jai Courtney IS Captain Boomerang... and The Joker??? I WANTED MORE!!! Well the biggest compliment I can pay to Jared Leto is that I didn't think about Heath Ledger once, it was a completely different yet interesting portrayal.

In this fun action flick, the bad guys are sent to take down a greater evil. Critics of the big bad in this movie seem to have completely missed the point. The big bad in this movie is merely a plot device, to help us get to see our protagonists form as a team. If anything the real villain of the piece is the one who forms this team of misfits. Amanda Waller is portrayed DIABOLICALLY by the incredible Viola Davis and the part where she turns on and guns down her own employees is SHOCKING . Complaining about the villain in a movie where the protagonists are bad guys is akin to complaining about the villain in Deadpool... THAT'S NOT THE POINT OF THE MOVIE!

This movie leaves you with a thirst for more of these characters, and some shots such as when Will Smith is stood on top of a car and gunning down henchman after henchman after henchman look like they have just been ripped out of a comic book and put on screen by the wonderfully talented David Ayer.

If you are a comic book fan, or a DC movies fan, heck even if you are just an average movie watcher... watch this movie! It is SO MUCH FUN!!!

UPDATE: Just seen the Extended Edition and I really enjoyed the new scenes. This extended version doesn't change the nature of the movie in the way the Ultimate Cut did for BvS but I found it let's the movie breathe a little and solves some of the editing problems people complained about. I still love the theatrical release but my recommendation is to watch the extended version of this movie!

Ok, so it basically continued as I expected. No one really died and nothing is set into stone. I obviously couldn't predict the story at all but I expected that everyone would be still there in some form and that the "end" of their world was just the begining of something new (and bigger!).

That nested TV documentary show about reality was kinda cool. And definitely true. I don't see how we'd ever be able to understand our reality completely. Sure, we can observe it and create models to even predict it but just because they're usually right doesn't mean they have to be. There could be no sunrise tomorrow, there could be two suns tomorrow, etc. It wouldn't make sense to us because it's impossible according to our physical models but that doesn't mean it cannot happen. It might be possible for someone to arbitrarily alter out reality in any moment. And if someone created us it would even apply to them. You simply cannot know for sure how you came to be.
"We'll never know the shape of reality."
So I really agree with Luther: "Wow, makes you feel tiny huh."
I don't like to think about it too much as it kinda makes everything meaningless. We don't even know if free will exists, etc. At least we can still have fun regardless :) And at least I also think that we could ever know for sure if free will doesn't exist so it will remain a mystery forever.
Anyway, I often wish the world would still be a bit simpler :D E.g., Klaus has it so chill - he's simply wondering "Why would you put pinaple on a pizza?" xD
Luther and Klaus were quite nice together :)

Five is still smart and doesn't trust Reginald and Allison.

Klaus is back :D

So Luther was at the moon to protect Reginald's wife?

Nice for the team that they're back together - although not all of them yet.
However, it looks like they're in for quite a surprise! xD

I can't fully put into words how much I love this show. This season was stellar. Start to finish. You can fight me on this but I won't budge.
I binged the season so I couldn't really put a review up per episode - in other words, I was lazy and needed to continue watching - so let's dive into the season here.
First off; the transition from Vanya to Viktor was so well written, so beautifully executed it left me bawling multiple times. It felt incredibly natural and fitting in the story. We got to know Vanya as a woman who never belonged or fitted in until she met Sissy and it all came together. I like how the other characters reacted to it. Not over the top. Very in line with the characters and how they all previously interacted with him.
2; The relationship between Diego and Lila was such a highlight this season. I remember last season I had mixed feelings about her but this season I fell in love with her and the relationship she has with Diego.
3; The Sparrows are incredible and I truly hope we get them back next season. I need to know what Christopher is and how Alfonso became so... well... ugly. I want to know more about Fei and if she was born without eyes or lost them somewhere and how.
4; How did Luther go from 'meh' to 'please no don't kill Luther!'. Sloane is good for him. Those two are adorable.
5; Klaus. That's all. Klaus. He is magic.
6; [spoiler] Will we get 2 Ben's next season? Diving into the post credit scene here but we saw Sparrow Ben come back with the Umbrella's through the Hotel Obsidiaan/Oblivion elevator but we definitely saw a different Ben - our Ben I guess - on the train.
7; Allison does not deserve her happy ending. Again, fight me on this but she was so crap this season. She assaulted Luther, killed Harlan - who was just precious in my opinion - and the way she put the blame on Viktor was unfair. Also how is Ray there?

This season was fun, mysterious and emotional. It's vibing on a whole other level and I'm all for it. The weirdness, the way it makes me feel like it's okay to be different... it's very personal for me. Here's hoping to season 4.

Ah, there's the Reginald that we know :D

Fuck Allison, I didn't buy into her apology. I was relieved when they showed her face during the hug - at least that was honest.

Reginald mentioning other worlds was quite interesting. Five should've asked more questions (e.g., who Reginald really is and how he can travel worlds). And didn't reginald knew about the Umbrellas when they arrived? So the question is also which connection he has to the Reginald of their timeline (or if he's even the same).

I enjoyed Allison's breakdown! It really made me smile tbh. I don't think I could hate a person that much IRL but in her case I can (since her suffering isn't real - it's just acting, after all (and of course I don't hate the actress)).

Reginald is indeed capable of murder. I would've never seen that coming! Begging Luther to forgive him and then murdering during the hug is really quite something!

I wonder what Reginald promised Allison. I guess getting her family back? If her daughter ever knew what her mother did...

"We had a good run old girl." <3

Reginald to Klaus: "You're just more trouble than you're worth."
Poor Klaus... He became so trusting and always means well.