Monday, October 31, 2016

Elementary - Henny Penny the Sky Is Falling


Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) investigate the murder of a mathmatician whose recent published work has thrown an entire industry into a tizzy. Usually using his skills to find sound investments for his firm, the victim (who ends up skewered to a wall) spent weeks on a scientific paper suggesting how the space community searches for and targets asteroids which could be potentially harmful to the Earth is wrong. While it will take nearly a decade to sort out the truth of the man's work (which Holmes and Watson discovers may have ulterior motives) the detectives run in circles seeking someone who would have a legitimate motive for the man's untimely demise.

Serenity: No Power in the 'Verse #1


The new Firefly mini-series takes place a couple of years after the events of Serenity. Malcolm Reynolds and his crew are still flying, although after their network of friends was culled during the events of the film Serenity's crew has been forced to take mostly small-time jobs.

Once Upon a Time - Dark Waters


While the Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) storyline gets pushed to one of the episode's subplots, "Dark Waters" picks up a thread of Hook's (Colin O'Donoghue) past as the pirate confronts the appearance of Captain Nemo (Faran Tahir) and the Nautilus in both the present and in flashbacks. Tying in the theme of the Evil Queen's (Lana Parrilla) attempts to sow dissension among the heroes, the villain reveals Hook's refusal to destroy the shears to Henry. Bringing the kid's resentment to the pirate's growing role in his family, the pair eventually come to an understanding as Henry helps Hook deal with one of his biggest regrets which has coming calling.

Teen Titans #1



The new era of the Teen Titans begins here with Damian celebrating his 13th birthday by celebrating his individual victories over Beast Boy, Starfire, Raven, and Kid Flash (all of whom he's keeping locked up in the Batcave). Gloating over his prisoners, Damian's plan to forge the group into a new team is revealed when the young heroes begin to work together to free themselves.

Sunday, October 30, 2016

No Tomorrow - No Holds Barred


I let out an audible sigh when "No Holds Barred" came to a conclusion. The episode falls into the trap of countless basic romcom cliches as Evie (Tori Anderson) discovers Xavier (Joshua Sasse) is still dating other women and decides to have a few dating adventures of her own. Because her choices do allow her to become a more self-realized person, and force Xavier to acknowledge how much he cares for her, I could forgive the convoluted set-up if the episode didn't end in one of the preeminent romcom cliches of two people who obviously belong together failing to admit their feelings only because the plot needs to be extended another half-hour (or in this case several episodes).

Sunday with Marina

The Good Place - Most Improved Player


After revealing herself as the source of the trouble in The Good Place, Eleanor (Kristen Bell) sits down with Michael (Ted Danson) to discuss her future and her past. Of course things are complicated by the recent murder and reboot of Janet (D'Arcy Carden) whose help in retrieving Eleanor's file leads to a (surprisingly funny) running gag of the computer program constantly confusing any request for that of a cactus. While Eleanor does good on the basic questionnaire (suck it Bachelor viewers!), things get a bit more complicated when Janet finally locates the missing file. Once again, we get highlights of Eleanor's life on Earth, this time in her deposition to Michael as she describes a series of events with her friend Madison (Angela Trimbur), who, through Eleanor's actions became to be known as "The Dress Bitch."

Green Lanterns #9


Teased in the previous issue, Green Lanterns #9 kicks off a new arc centered around the "Phantom Ring" (a power ring anyone can use). Set entirely from the perspective of Frank Lamninski we get a feel for the jealousy and obsession a normal person can be corrupted by in a world full of super-heroes. While not quite on the the same level in terms of storytelling, this issue reminded me of Astro City and its focus of showing a world of heroes through the eyes of others.

Saturday, October 29, 2016

Legends of Tomorrow - Shogun


"Shogun" is more interesting for the potential impact of several plot points than the events themselves as the team's number continues to grow and one character is left at a crossroads in his own super-hero career. With Ray (Brandon Routh) and Nate (Nick Zano) trapped in feudal Japan and the ship in need of immediate repairs (both caused by Nate testing out his new super-powers), Sara (Caity Lotz), Mick (Dominic Purcell), and the stowaway Vixen (Maisie Richardson-Sellers) head after the missing Legends.

Friday, October 28, 2016

Inferno

With each successive entry, the film series based on the Robert Langdon novels of Dan Brown becomes less and less watchable. At this rate the fourth movie may actually make audience bleed out of their eyes. Opening with an incomprehensible first 10 minutes filled with hellish images floating through an injured Langdon's (Tom Hanks) mind, the film attempts to up the ante by forcing the professor not only to solve riddles and clues to find the truth but this time to do so with amnesia. Along for the ride is his latest attractive European brunette co-star, this time a genius doctor (Felicity Jones) with a love of puzzles (of course) who helps Langdon escape a hospital in Florence when the men who kidnapped him attempt to reacquire the college professor to find a deadly virus.

Rather than unraveling the mysteries of the Holy Grail or delving into a Papal conspiracy, this time Langdon is set after a man-made plague known as Inferno. Created by a billionaire (Ben Foster) obsessed with purging the world of its excess populace, the madman of course left near-indecipherable clues that would make it nearly impossible to see his plan carried out.

Thursday, October 27, 2016

Arrow - Penance


Against the wishes of Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and his new team, Oliver (Stephen Amell) decides to help Lyla (Audrey Marie Anderson) break Diggle (David Ramsey) out of a military prison. This means Green Arrow is nowhere to be found when Tobias Church (Chad L. Coleman) makes his latest move and attacks the police impound to steal a cash of weapons. The rest of the team does what it can to save as many lives as possible, but even with the return of Ragman (Joe Dinicol) things don't turn out well for our heroes (especially the one member who gets left behind).

NYCC COSPLAY SPOTLIGHT PART 1 - New York Comic Con 2016

Infamous Iron Man #1


The Infamous Iron Man #1 isn't the first time someone else has stepped into the armor in place of Tony Stark. It is, however, the first time Doctor Doom has done so. Set after the events of Marvel's ongoing Civil War II storyline, a need arises for someone new to step into Iron Man's shoes. That man, it appears, is former super-villain Victor von Doom. With Marvel's big event still ongoing the reason for Doom stepping in is still a bit murky, but one thing is for sure - no one is going to look at Iron Man the same way after this.

Sexiest Female Moments In Classic Film (1962-1992)

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

The Flash - The New Rogues


"The New Rogues" introduces another classic Flash (Grant Gustin) villain in the Mirror Master (Grey Damon). Offering us flashbacks to Mirror Master's origins, in which the thug is trapped within a mirror during the accelerator explosion, the episode allows for the limited return of Leonard Snart (Wentworth Miller). Although I prefer the classic take on the character, which we do get reference to in Harry (Tom Cavanagh) mentioning the Mirror Master of his Earth, it's good to see another classic Flash villain introduced on the show.

It

Adaptions of Stephen King's work to film and television have been mixed over the years. One of the most successful was 1990's two-part mini-series adaptation of IT. Constrained a bit by it's TV cast and limited special effects budget, It works in large part thanks to the creepiness of it's source material and the casting of Tim Curry as Pennywise the Clown (an evil entity which torments and lures children to their deaths in Derry, Maine.

Taking place both in flashbacks to 1960 and in the present 30 years later, the story follows the return of the Derry "Losers Club" (Richard Thomas, John Ritter, Annette O'Toole, Harry Anderson, Dennis Christopher, Tim Reid, and Richard Masur) home to finish the creature they hoped they had killed three decades before as children.

Lucifer - The Weaponizer


Lucifer's Second Season takes a dark turn with the arrival of Lucifer's brother Uriel (Michael Imperioli). Given his power to see and change patterns to fit his desired outcome, the angel arranges for Chloe's (Lauren German) car crash to get his brother's attention. Uriel's powers are actually quite fascinating, and I'm curious to see what else God's other children might be able to do. Giving Lucifer an ultimatum of 24 hours, Lucifer must either turn over his Mum (Tricia Helfer) to his brother or watch Chloe die. As usual, Lucifer finds a third option out of his problem, but the choices he makes at the end of the episode are likely to haunt the character for some time to come.

Mockingbird #8


If the last issue was a bit of a mess Mockingbird ends its eight-issue run on a high note. With the Phantom Rider exposed the final issue of the series is devoted to tying up all the loose ends (while still having the same kind of zany fun we've become accustomed to). Writer Chelsea Cain takes some pleasure in playing with the Rider's unusual power set such as his ghost horse and his ability to summon the dead to do his bidding. In this instance, however, neither works out exactly as the Phantom Rider planned.

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

Supergirl - Welcome to Earth


"Welcome to Earth" introduces several new recurring characters to the show while Supergirl moves on without Cat Grant. For Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Superman's black friend James "Don't Call Me Jimmy" Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) that means work struggles. For Supergirl and the DEO that means trouble with an alien attack on the President's (Lynda Carter) life and the awoken Mon-El (Chris Wood), a Daxamite who both Kara and the DEO mistook for both an assassin and a Kryptonian. We are also introduced to street cop Maggie Sawyer (Floriana Lima), the true alien attacker Darla (Kaylee Sapieha) and Sharon Leal as Miss Martian.

Star Trek: Boldly Go #1


Set after the events of Star Trek Beyond, the new IDW comic series picks up with the crew of the U.S.S. Enterprise dispersed across the galaxy in new assignments. The first issue of the new series jumps around to allow us to check in on each member of the bridge crew (and their engineer, of course).

Elementary - Render, and then Seize Her


There are two cases in the latest episode of Elementary to monopolize the time of Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu). The first involves a murder at a nudist camp which is somehow related to a week-old kidnapping case. And the second involves Holmes being hired by Gregson's (Aidan Quinn) girlfriend (Virginia Madsen) to look into chicanery at her doctor's office. While the first proves to be the more difficult of the two cases to solve, it's the second that allows Holmes to insinuate himself into the personal life of his Captain with unexpected results.

Constantine - The Complete Series

Although Arrow, The Flash, and Supergirl (along with the less-successful Legends of Tomorrow) have all found solid footholds on The CW, not all of DC's recent television shows have fourished. Constantine only lasted one-half of one season. Centered around dickish demon hunter John Constantine (Matt Ryan), the show had mixed results diving into the magic and occult of the DCU. Along with old (Charles Halford) and new (Angélica Celaya) friends, Constatine would fight to push back the darkness until the show's cancellation (although since he has turned up on Arrow during it's heavily magic-centered Fourth Season). Collected on DVD and Blu-ray, the show is a mixed bag (more comparable to Legends of Tomorrow than The CW's other super-hero shows) which dips DC's television universe into magic and the occult, but leaves quite a lot of story untold.

Monday, October 24, 2016

Once Upon a Time - Street Rats


Once the Oracle turns up dead Jasmine (Karen David) is forced to reveal herself to Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and her family beginning a search for Aladdin (Deniz Akdeniz) and revealing the secret Emma has been keeping concerning her visions of the future. While the heroes of Storybrooke search for the lost Savior in the present the episode offers us flashbacks to Aladdin's first meeting with Jasmine, their journey to the Cave of Wonders, and Aladdin's first step on the road to becoming the Savior of Agrabah. Although Aladdin is eventually found, his method for avoiding the fate of all Saviors isn't one Emma wants any part of if it would lead to Storybrooke facing the same fate of Aladdin and Jasmine's home.

The Shadow: The Death of Margo Lane #5


The five-issue mini-series comes to a conclusion with a twist that isn't going to be that big of a surprise to readers. Finally face-to-face with Zhu Khanum, the daughter of Shiwan Khan, the Shadow's attempt at vengeance for Margo Lane's death is stalled when the daughter of the Shadow's greatest enemy reveals Margo is alive. Brainwashed as Zhu Khanum's loyal soldier, Margo attacks The Shadow with ferocity.

Star Wars Rebels - The Last Battle


Mainly fan service to those who miss Star Wars: The Clone Wars, the latest episode of Star Wars Rebels takes Ezra (Taylor Gray), Kanan (Freddie Prinze Jr.), Rex (Dee Bradley Baker), Zeb (Steve Blum), and Chopper to Agamar in search of some old Clone War weapons the Rebellion hopes to use against the Empire. What they find, however, is an entire compliment of Battle Droids led by a Super Tactical Droid who refuses to admit that the war ever ended.

Batman #9


Tied to the series' initial arc, the first issue of "I Am Suicide" follows Batman to Arkham Asylum to put together a team of villains who he has put away over the years. The goal is to find Bane and get a hold of Psycho-Pirate who is the only one capable of reversing the damage he has done to Gotham Girl's fragile mind.

Friday, October 21, 2016

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire


"Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire" begins to weave the separate storylines of the show's Fourth Season together. Daisy (Chloe Bennet) reaches out to Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge) for help finding the leak in S.H.I.E.L.D. which is supplying the Watchdogs the locations of Inhumans. Unwilling to let her injured former teammate follow the lead on her own, Simmons joins Daisy to warn an Inhuman in a move that backfires and almost gets both women killed. Coulson (Clark Gregg) and Mack (Henry Simmons) finally meet Robbie (Gabriel Luna) who agrees to help S.H.I.E.L.D. after learning his family's history is tied to the ghosts now loose in the world (of course it is, because in Marvel's TV super-hero shows apparently everything has to be three-degrees of Kevin Bacon or less).

Arrow - A Matter of Trust


DC's current crop of shows has done a decent job (for the most part) in adapting comic characters to the small screen. With "A Matter of Trust" the show's writers have more mixed success in their attempt to create one of their own. WWE Superstar Cody Rhodes guest-stars as street-level drug dealer Derek Sampson who is given powers after Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez) drops him into a vat of strange chemicals (which include a drug named after Rhodes' wrestling alter-ego). Further straining the trust Oliver (Stephen Amell) has in his team, he has no choice but to eventually take them out in the field and prevent the new threat from duplicating the experiment and creating an army of criminals who can't feel pain.

Jack Reacher: Never Go Back

Tom Cruise seems to have found himself a new action franchise. These movies may not be in league with Mission: Impossible films, but for trashy B-movie action flicks you could do worse than Jack Reacher and it's sequel. Returning as former Military Police Officer turned hermit Jack Reacher, Cruise is pulled back to Washington when his phone-friend Major Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders) gets herself arrested.

After breaking Major Turner out of prison, Reacher and his new partner search for answers as to who really killed the soldiers under her command and the reason why someone is going to such trouble to hide the truth. Along the way they will also pick-up a teenage girl (Danika Yarosh) who is targeted by the shadowy private military organization (is there any other type?) responsible for framing Turner. Without giving away the reasons for her involvement in the adventure, the subplot does offer a stronger emotional tie to Reacher's mission the second time around.

Thursday, October 20, 2016

The Flash - Magenta


"Magenta" introduces a new meta-human altered by Doctor Alchemy when a schizophrenic girl with an abusive Foster Care family begins lashing out at those who have hurt her. Calling herself Magenta (Joey King), the young woman uses her powers to manipulate metal of any size to put her Foster Care father in the hospital. Not even aware of what her other personality is doing when she is blacked out, eventually it will take the Flash (Grant Gustin) to talk her through her pain and understand just what she is doing before she hurts hundreds of more people to get her vengeance.

Darth Vader #25


The final issue of Marvel's Darth Vader series wraps up both ongoing storylines. First, the Dark Lord of the Sith confronts Cylo-V once more. This time, however, Darth Vader makes certain the cybernetic expert won't be able to escape by moving his consciousness to another cloned host body. Once victorious, Vader returns to the Emperor and receives a surprise.

No Tomorrow - No Doubt


Evie's (Tori Anderson) 31st birthday brings the moment she has been dreading as her two worlds collide when her friends and family meet Xavier (Joshua Sasse) for the first time at her surprise birthday party. At first a huge hit with everyone for arranging one hell of an amazing birthday surprise, the night ends on a sour note when Evie's friends and family finally learn about his belief that an asteroid will strike the Earth and kill everyone on the planet in less than a year. Evie's stress is compounded by seeing her loving, if a bit mad, boyfriend get arrested while attempting (not for the first time) to get a reputable scientist to look over his work.

Wednesday, October 19, 2016

Lucifer - Lady Parts


The murder of two young women at an underground sex party leads to both a boys and girl's night out as Chloe (Lauren German), Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt), Ella (Aimee Garcia), and Linda (Rachael Harris) attempt to retrace the dead women's steps which led to them getting poisoned and Lucifer (Tom Ellis), Detective Douche (Kevin Alejandro), and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) all hit-up the secret sex club looking for a killer. Although it means that Lucifer and Chloe spend a little more time apart than usual, the concept of the episode does allow for Chloe to finally let her guard down and blow off some steam (and possibly find a new roommate).

Supergirl #2


Split between Suprgirl's battle with Cyborg-Superman and her discovery the creature was telling her the truth about his origins, Supergirl #2 continues building out Kara Danvers' new alter-ego by introducing her to Cat Grant for the first time. It's a bit strange that just as the Supergirl television series is having Cat leave Kara the new comic series should begin building that relationship. However, if the pair work half as good together on the printed page as they have done on Supergirl then it's worth the time spent here to begin building that relationship.

The Big Bang Theory - The Hot Tub Contamination


Disagreements arising from Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Amy's (Mayim Bialik) attempts to live together provide the show a chance to offer some interesting pairings in "The Hot Tub Contamination." While the episode derives its title from the (less interesting) B-story involving Howard (Simon Helberg) and Bernadette's (Melissa Rauch) discovery of what happens in their home when some of their friends think they aren't around, more interesting is the pairing of Penny (Kaley Cuoco) and Sheldon, which delivers the truth behind Sheldon's committal to always knock three times, and the far-less developed camaraderie between Leonard and Amy who do some bonding of their own over the whackadoodle they both know and love.

Tuesday, October 18, 2016

Supergirl - The Last Children of Krypton


Superman's (Tyler Hoechlin) time in National City comes to a close as he and Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) team-up to fight Metallo (Frederick Schmidt) and Cadmus (which apparently isn't so much a secret government organization but a group of mad scientists and very public terrorists). While enjoying her time with Clark saving the day, Kara struggles with her work life as her first day as a reporter doesn't go as planned. News that Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) is taking a leave of absence doesn't help matters any. However, when push comes to shove, Supergirl finds she has plenty of family sticking around starting with her sister Alex (Chyler Leigh) - who is given the opportunity to kick her share of ass in this episode.

Best of Cosplay from New York Comic Con 2016

Elementary - Worth Several Cities


Made an offer he can't refuse from a local gangster (Castle's Jon Huertas), Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) is hired to find the person responsible for killing three members of his crew and the dock worker who (before someone put a bullet in his head) got the gang's merchandise through customs. What he will discover will lead the detective and Watson (LucyLiu) on a chase of one of the most sought-after missing relics in history which both individuals and countries will spend millions to obtain.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #3


With both Artemis and the Superman clone now prisoners of Black Mask, the Red Hood struggles with how to proceed. Watching the deformed creature go through a similar process of rebirth as he himself survived at the hands of the Lazarus Pit, Jason can't help but feel some empathy for Bizarro.

Son of Zorn - The Weekend Warrior


"The Weekend Warrior" scares me a bit as it seems network television may be too constraining for Son of Zorn to reach it's potential. In its short time on the air the show's best moments have been when they have embraced the absurd and violent tendencies of Zorn (voiced by Jason Sudeikis). The latest episode teases such mayhem with Zorn spending time one-on-one with his son (Johnny Pemberton), but in reality not very much happens (even when Alan steals Zorn's plasma gun to impress the cool kids at school). While there's still fun to be had, I want to show to embrace it's fun-loving, yet murderous, barbarian a little more fully than happens in this episode.

Monday, October 17, 2016

Preacher - The Complete First Season

Adapted from the comic book series of the same name by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon, the First Season of AMC's Preacher acts as a prequel of sorts to the story of small town Texas preacher Jesse Custer (Dominic Cooper) and his struggles after being granted a mysterious force known as Genesis.

Filled with killer angels, odd locals, vampires, crazy ex-girlfriends, and even crazier slaughterhouse owners, the First Season of Preacher proves to be a bizarre, but entertaining, ride. Highlights include an insane motel battle between Jesse, the angels, and a near-unstoppable seraphim, Jesse being tempted by revenge, the introduction of Jackie Earle Haley, the exploration of Jesse's childhood, and Jesse's stand-off with Odin's men.

Once Upon a Time - Strange Case


Snow White (Ginnifer Goodwin) and Henry (Jared Gilmore) return to school as Once Upon a Time concludes the Dr. Jekyll (Hank Harris) and Mr. Hyde (Sam Witwer) storyline and teases the start of Aladdin by introducing Galavant's Karen David as Snow's new teaching assistant (who just so happens to also be Disney Princess). I'm not surprised by how Hyde and Jekyll exit the show, although it happens much quicker than I expected. As for Jasmine, we don't see any flashbacks to her previous life, but from her conversations with Snow it appears she didn't leave Agrabah under the best circumstances.

Daredevil #12


Daredevil #12 continues the "Dark Art" story arc bringing the Man Without Fear face-to-face with the artistic serial killer whose name writer Charles Soule can't decide on. Known as either Vincent van Gore or the Muse, the killer escapes Daredevil with a little sleight-of-hand forcing the hero to go searching for help to catch the killer.

Star Wars Rebels - Hera's Heroes


"Hera's Heroes" returns the crew of the Ghost to Hera's (Vanessa Marshall) home planet of Ryloth where the local Rebels have seen their fortunes worsen since a new Imperial commander has arrived. The episode is notable for both introducing Scout Troopers to the series, and playing on the long-running gag of Ezra (Taylor Gray) still collecting Imperial helmets, and for offering the first interaction between one of our heroes and Grand Admiral Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) when Hera and Ezra are captured while attempting to retrieve a sacred artifact from her home.

Saturday, October 15, 2016

Legends of Tomorrow - Out of Time


With Vandal Savage defeated and the Time Masters destroyed the Legends have assumed the responsibility of policing the timestream. Opening with time detective Nate Heywood (Nick Zano) reaching out to Mayor Oliver Queen (Stephen Amell) for help to find the missing Legends who disappeared in 1942 by preventing a nuclear attack on New York, the episode is presented mostly in flashbacks as Mick (Dominic Purcell) recounts what exactly went wrong leaving the Waverider crashed at the bottom of the ocean (where Heywood and Ollie find it) and its team scattered randomly across time.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Arrow - The Recruits


Both the main story and the flashbacks to Oliver's (Stephen Amell) time in Russia center around training this week. Using the methods he learned from the Bratva, Green Arrow attempts to train Curtis (Echo Kellum), Wild Dog (Rick Gonzalez), and Evelyn Sharp (Madison McLaughlin). However, his tough love method doesn't earn him any friends. Meanwhile Ollie's day job isn't without troubles as a full-day free clinic runs trouble first from funding issues and latter by the appearance of Ragman (Joe Dinicol) who shows up to take vengeance.

Angels & Demons

Based on the novel by Dan Brown, the sequel to The Da Vinci Code code takes Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) to Vatican City where a secret conspiracy threatens the future of Catholicism. Once again teaming him up with another European brunette (Ayelet Zurer), Langdon will race to solve clues, outrun killers and mad men, and expose the truth before it's too late.

The sequel has many of the same faults as the first film as many of Brown's twist and reveals (some of which may have worked on the printed page) come of as ridiculous when seen on film. Angels & Demons also lacks the allure of the Grail quest from the first film replacing it with the far-less enthralling layers of papal conspiracy (doesn't that sound exciting). Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård also star.

Luke Cage - Who's Gonna Take the Weight


Spurred on by the murder of Pop (Frankie Faison), begins targeting the stash houses of Cottonmouth (Mahershala Ali) and forces the gangster to pull back all his ill-gotten gains into a single location which, while heavily fortified, can't keep out a man with unbreakable skin and super-strength. The episode offers another hallway sequence, made famous in the First Season of Daredevil and less and less impressive with each rip-off, as Luke breaks through every level of protection the fortress has in order to allow the police to confiscate nearly all of Cottonmouth's wealth. This of course means reprisal from his enemy who escalate the situation and allow for the part of the origins of Luke Cage to be revealed in the next episode.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Uprising


"Uprising" continues the season's trend to split the team, and focus, of the episode in several directions. This means the storyline with the biggest stakes (the life and death of a core character) is shuffled off to a subplot. Let's be serious, at no point since her ghostly infection did Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., even for a moment, make me believe they were willing to let May (Ming-Na Wen) die. And, because of the strong foreshadowing, the episode tips its hand far too much in just how Holden Radcliffe (John Hannah) will save her as the blackouts effecting the rest of the country finally find their way to his lab.

Green Lanterns #8


Losing a renegade Guardian of the Universe on Halloween night he has in his possession a power ring anyone is capable enough to command isn't the best way to start the holiday for Jessica Cruz and Simon Baz. And if that wasn't enough, Earth's two rookie Green Lanterns aren't the only ones on the lookout for Guardian Rami and the Phantom Ring.

Scorpion - It Isn't the Fall That Kills You


When Walter (Elyes Gabel) gets trapped on a malfunctioning rocket and shot into low orbit it falls on the other Scorpion members to bring him home. Even after reestablishing contact with their boss, the assignment is further complicated by Walter's limited oxygen supply and the fact that he has already begun to hallucinate. With Paige (Katharine McPhee) saying whatever is necessary to keep him focused, the other geniuses are forced to work without the help of their best resource.

Wednesday, October 12, 2016

The Flash - Paradox


After altering time to save his parents and then attempting to reset things back to normal, Barry (Grant Gustin) finds home isn't the place her remembered. Joe (Jesse L. Martin) and Iris (Candice Patton) are estranged, Barry still hasn't made a romantic move on Iris, Cisco's (CarlosValdes) brother is dead, and Barry has to deal with another Central City employee (Tom Felton) in his lab. Even a heart-to-heart with Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) doesn't calm the Flash's nerves or give him any insight on how to set things right. And his attempt to gather Joe, Iris, Cisco, Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale), and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) for a dinner party to work through their mutual problems doesn't go exactly as planned.