Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Lucifer - A Good Day to Die


With Chloe (Lauren German) slowly dying in a hospital bed, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) organizes the troops for a desperate plan. Choosing to kill himself, temporarily, Lucifer returns to Hell in search of the college professor (Tim DeKay) who alone knows the formula to the designer poison antidote. With many of Lucifer's plans, things don't got quite a smoothly as he hoped. The show certainly pulls out all the stops to deliver a strong mid-season finale.

Supergirl - We Can Be Heroes


Although the latest episode of Supergirl involves the return of Livewire (Brit Morgan), including Kara (Melissa Benoist) freaking out about her arch-nemesis' return (did I miss something, when did Livewire graduate from recurring villain to nemesis?), the central theme of the story deals more about the show's heroes than its villains. This includes Supergirl's disapproval of discovering the truth about Guardian, the mixed success of Mon-El's (Chris Wood) first field experience, and J'onn (David Harewood) choosing to forgive and help M'gann (Sharon Leal) through traumatic episode.

Elementary - Over a Barrel


It's rare to see Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) beaten, even if only for an instant. Opening with a montage of a frustrated father's (Isiah Whitlock Jr.) previous attempts to illicit the assistance of Holmes and Watson (Lucy Liu) into an attack that led to his son's eventual death, the episode begins in earnest with the man taking a diner full of hostages and giving the detective 16 hours to solve the case. Or else. With Joan as one of the hostages, it falls on Detective Bell (Jon Michael Hill) to work alongside Holmes and help him piece together events from five years ago before time runs out.

Monday, January 30, 2017

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Wide Window


The turbulent lives of the Baudelaire children get no easier when Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and baby Sunny meet their new guardian Aunt Josephine (Alfre Woodard) who proves to be far-less fearless than her reputation. As with the previous episode, the conflict stems from the arrival of Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) in another ridiculous disguise that somehow only the Baudelaires are able to see through. This time the villain arrives as a ship captain attempting to woo their guardian to get control of the children and their fortune.

Teen Titans #4


Unable to properly prepare or hide his new team from the Demon's Fist, Damian decides to turn himself over to Ra's al Ghul to fight for the lives of his new friends. This means trial by combat with cousin Mara. Although he wins the fight, Damian's unwillingness to kill his cousin costs him dearly as he is jailed by the League awaiting his former family to make an example of him.

Emerald City - Everybody Lies


The final scene of "Everybody Lies" is the most interesting of the entire episode as Dorothy's (Adria Arjona) journey to find the Wizard (Vincent D'Onofrio) comes to an end. Before we get there, however, there's trouble for Dorothy and her new friends. Delivered into the clutches of West (Ana Ularu), Dorothy is caged and tortured by the witch who, despite her ability to read memories, is completely incapable of seeing the truth of Dorothy's journey and the events concerning the witch's death. Eventually helped by Tip (Jordan Loughran), Dorothy manages to escape and walk right into the Wizard's private chambers carrying a loaded gun without a single guard offering even the most token effort of resistance.

Friday, January 27, 2017

Legends of Tomorrow - Raiders of the Lost Art


"Raiders of the Lost Art" brings the Legends to 1967 in search of their lost captain. However, they aren't the only ones looking for Rip Hunter (Arthur Darvill). The villainous team of Malcom Merlyn (John Barrowman), Damien Darkh (Neal McDonough), and the Reverse-Flash (Matt Letscher) are also on the look-out for Hunter believing he can lead them to the scattered pieces of the Spear of Destiny which the "Legion of Doom" can use to manipulate reality itself. Unfortunately for all involved the Rip Hunter found in 1967 isn't the captain of the Waverider. Instead he's a promising film student and classmate of George Lucas (Matt Angel) working on a student film about time traveling heroes cobbled together from hazy memories he doesn't believe are real.

Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #1


Collecting the first two issues of the digital-first series, Batman '66 Meets Wonder Woman '77 #1 brings together Adam West's Batman with Lynda Carter's Wonder Woman in this first issue of the series which gives us a cameo by Catwoman and flashbacks to a Wayne Manor gala event complete with Thomas and Martha Wayne, Ra's al Ghul, a young Talia and Bruce, the League of Shadows, Nazis, and Wonder Woman. As you might expect, the evening made quite an impression on young Bruce Wayne.

Thursday, January 26, 2017

Arrow - Who Are You?


Arrow wastes no time in explaining the cliffhanger where Ollie (Stephen Amell) ran into Laurel (Katie Cassidy) in the Arrow Cave at the end of the last episode. First explaining she was brought back to life through the time traveling adventures of her sister, Laurel's true story is revealed to be something far different. Turns out she's not this Laurel at all. She's actually Earth-2's Black Siren recruited by Prometheus (who sounds more and more like Michael Dorn every week) to further frustrate Oliver.

The Flash - Borrowing Problems from the Future


There's a good episode at the heart of "Borrowing Problems from the Future," it's just unfortunate we have to wade through 20 minutes of Barry (Grant Gustin) being a complete dick to get to it. Troubled by seeing Iris (Candice Patton) killed by Savitar in the near-future, Barry struggles with how to try and prevent the events from coming to pass. His aggression gets taken out on Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) who is finally allowed to strut his stuff as Kid Flash. Once all cards are on the table, "Borrowing Problems from the Future" can begin actually deal with (and attempt to change) the future while teasing us what else may be in store for the show during the second-half of this season.

Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Beyond - Fancy Meeting You Here


"Fancy Meeting You Here" offers likely the final appearance of Emilija Baranac as Holden's (Burkely Duffield) new crush Jaime as a double date with Luke (Jonathan Whitesell) and his girlfriend (Jacky Lai) ends in another of coma boy's freak-out sessions. While one door opens, a car accident following his meltdown jump-starts his memory and pushes Holden back into the arms of Willa (Dilan Gwyn), although still unaware of her true motivations. His desire to not return to the Realm and rash decision to end the episode is likely going to have consequences for both of them next week.

Lucifer - Love Handles


Now that Chloe (Lauren German) appears to be all-in and ready to start a relationship, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) is confounded the detective's change of heart and begins to pull back leading to some awkward moments between the pair. With things not progressing quickly enough, Mum (Tricia Helfer) decides to break the news to her son about the detective's divine birth. It's an odd choice, as Lucifer and Chloe seem to be back on track until the intervention with Mum and a conflicted Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt). Now the question becomes where do the potential lovebirds go from here? Of course, they do have a far more pressing problem to deal with first.

A Series of Unfortunate Events - The Reptile Room


The third and fourth episodes of A Series of Unfortunate Events relocate the Baudelaire children to the home of an eccentric, but mostly harmless, uncle. A renown herpetologist, Dr. "Monty" Montgomery (Aasif Mandvi) proves to be a far more fitting guardian for Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and baby Sunny than Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris) ever could be. Unfortuantely for everyone involved, Olaf shows up on Monty's doorstep disguised as his new assistant. Knowing the man can't be trusted, but believing it's safer to keep the villain where he can be watched, Monty allows Olaf to stay. This, of course, turns out to be a deadly mistake.

Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Supergirl - Supergirl Lives


Supergirl returns with a very Stargate-ish episode. While looking into the story of a missing teenager, Kara (Melissa Benoist) discovers aliens sending captive humans across the universe through a dimensional door. Following them through with Mon-El (Chris Wood) appears to be the smart move, but when the heroes arrive on a planet with a red sun things get a bit more complicated. Directed by Kevin Smith, "Supergirl Lives" is a fun episode with some additional challenges for a hero (and a cool new invention in the sunlight grenade), even if Alex's (Chyler Leigh) spazzy attitude swings are a bit strange (though to be fair, that's likely more due to the writing and the limited time on-screen to deal with the rubber band of emotions than Smith's direction).

Justice League of America: Vixen Rebirth #1


DC Comics' Rebirth storyline continues with Justice League of America: Vixen Rebirth #1 which reintroduces readers to fashion model turned super-hero Vixen. Like other animal-powered DC heroes (Animal Man, B'wana Beast), Vixen has been largely a supporting player in the DCU since her introduction back in 1981. The Rebirth origins stay pretty faithful giving us a look back to Mari's childhood and how the Tantu Totem (the magic necklace which gives her the powers and strengths of various animals when called upon) came into her possession.

The Librarians and the Wrath of Chaos


The Third Season finale wraps up both of the ongoing storylines involving Apep's attempts to unleash pure evil into the world and D.O.S.A.'s interference with the Librarians' work. Beginning with betrayal, Eve (Rebecca Romijn) allows the goverment to pillage the Library and kidnap Jenkins (John Larroquette) while sending Stone (Christian Kane), Ezekiel (John Kim), and Cassandra (Lindy Booth) on a wild goose chase to keep them out of harm's way. Meanwhile, Flynn (Noah Wyle) remains in the Library salvaging what artifacts he can while preparing to sacrifice himself to stop Apep once and for all.

Monday, January 23, 2017

Emerald City - Science and Magic


The fourth episode of Emerald City reveals the identity of a the Tin Man to be Jack (Gerran Howell), who turns out to be less a dead boy then a living cyborg thanks to the intervention of a scientist (Gina McKee) and the interest of the mysterious Lady Ev (Stefanie Martini). In plot threads that mostly flounder, Tip (Jordan Loughran) is given the opportunity to join either Glinda (Joely Richardson) or West (Ana Ularu), but neither makes a very convincing case for their side, and the Wizard (Vincent D'Onofrio) investigates the use of forbidden magic.

Red Sonja #0


Dynamite Entertainment's new series gets a preview with this twenty-five-cent issue featuring Red Sonja hired by the citizens of Meru to put down a demon. After taking down the creature she also has a short run-in with Kulan Gath before things get weird. Awaking in caves, Sonja begins her journey to the service only to discover she's not in Kansas, or Meru, anymore.

Star Wars Rebels - Trial of the Darksaber


Over the course of three seasons Star Wars Rebels hasn't given us too many episodes that highlight the team's weapon specialist. Sure, we've been given glimpses into her past by the appearance of her former bounty-hunter partner, and heard mentions of her clan, but for the most part Sabine's (Tiya Sircar) past has remained undeveloped. The recovery of the Darksaber begins to rectify this as Sabine is challenged to take control of the legendary weapon and use it to unify the remnants of Madalore once more.

Sunday, January 22, 2017

Sherlock - The Final Problem


There's no crime for Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Dr. Watson (Martin Freeman) to solve in the Fourth Series finale. Instead the detective, his trusted partner, and brother Mycroft (Mark Gatiss) are pitted against the Holmes boys' sister Eurus (Sian Brooke) who has managed to take control of her isolated prison and turn it into a house of riddles for her brothers. The episode also offers a return (of sorts) of Jim Moriarty (Andrew Scott). It's interesting television to be sure, but its also noticeably the furthest the show has strayed from Sir Arthur Conan Doyles' original stories and characters.

Saturday, January 21, 2017

The Good Place - Michael's Gambit


This changes everything. If you haven't been keeping up with The Good Place, stop reading and catch-up because there is a major spoiler ahead for this First Season finale that turns the entire show on its head and (literally) resets everything. What a forking twist! Returning from the Middle Place with Jason (Manny Jacinto) and Janet (D'Arcy Carden), Eleanor (Kristen Bell) faces judgement at the hands of Shawn (Marc Evan Jackson) who decrees that two people must leave the Good Place and he'll leave it up to Eleanor, Jason, Tahani (Jameela Jamil), and Chidi (William Jackson Harper) to decide who stays and who goes.

Friday, January 20, 2017

20th Century Women

I was a big enough fan of writer/director Mike Mills' 2011 film Beginners to include it on my best of the year list. In his first film since Beginners, Mills reuses themes of nostalgia and the awkwardness of life along with some of the same structure (including inter-cut stills and narration to frame a time and place), but although 20th Century Women features a strong cast it lacks the intimacy and magic of his previous movie.

Set during the 1970s, the film focuses on single mother Dorothea (Annette Bening), her teenage son Jaime (Lucas Jade Zumann), and the other women in their lives, Jaime's longtime best-friend Julie (Elle Fanning) and Dorothea's friend and tenant Abbie (Greta Gerwig), who Dorothea enlists to help raise her son to grow into a proper man.

The strength of the script is the film's characters and their interactions (even if Mills struggles a bit a making some of these women, based on the real women who raised him, a bit too cute and quirky for their own good). A notable weakness is the size of the cast leading to a less focused film that while enjoyable isn't necessarily all that memorable.

Thursday, January 19, 2017

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Patriot


An assassination attempt on Director Mace (Jason O'Mara) leads to the Director, Coulson (Clark Gregg), and Mack (Henry Simmons) being cut-off by the rest of the team and hunted by former Hydra agents. The return of (a well-funded but even less impressive version of) Hydra feels like a bit of a step back for the show. However, the episodes does include one important twist which will shake up the S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy and return Coulson to his rightful spot in calling the shots. As for Mace, even if his abilities were cooked-up in a lab, the man knows how to frame and sell a story. It doesn't look like the public face of S.H.I.E.L.D. is going anywhere anytime soon.

Angel Season Eleven #1


Although I've kept up with Buffy the Vampire Slayer in comics I can't say the same for its spin-off (which probably has something to do with most of its best characters getting killed off). Picking up an Angel comic for the first time in a couple of years I was met by a pleasant surprise. My favorite Angel/Buffy supporting character is back. Okay, you've got my attention.

Epic Huge LEGO Death Star from Star Wars

Wednesday, January 18, 2017

Lucifer - Stewardess Interruptus


After Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Detective Decker's (Lauren German) first attempt to share a moment is interrupted by one of the Devil's fuckbuddies, a stewardess (Jennifer Cheon) who later turns up dead, Chloe begins to quickly reconsider falling for Lucifer. When not one but two murders turn out to be both former lovers, and leads to the discovery of Lucifer's extremely stalkerish #1 fan (Diana Bang), things get even icy between the pair which culminates in a police interrogation of all of Lucifer's recent affairs. The show brilliantly turns the scene from he litany of lovely ladies praising Lucifer's skill in the sack (as Lucifer proudly prances about) to cutting out his legs from underneath him when admitting their was no emotional connection at all.

Red Hood and the Outlaws #6


The series' opening arc "Dark Trinity" comes to a close as Red Hood and Artemis work together to stop Black Mask and break his control over Bizarro. This new Rebirth version of Jason Todd continues to walk the edge of the anti-hero line without falling any further. By the end of the issue, even Batman is impressed with what he accomplished (even if it does take a major Bat-villain off the board for the foreseeable future). Jason keeps his work to the Dark Knight, although he has to rely on the questionable logic of Batman Begins to do so where choosing inaction apparently isn't a choice.

Jessica Jones #4


Relying a common comic book device, Jessica Jones #4 offers a twist to Jessica Jones' downward spiral (and explains why the circumstances which caused it haven't been discussed until now). It seems that Jessica didn't actually have some kind of breakdown, freak-out, or blow-up. Instead she's spent the past few months undercover for Carol Danvers in hopes of uncovering a secret network of people who hate super-heroes to an extreme degree.

Emerald City - Mistress - New Mistress


Three episodes in I can already see a problem with Emerald City and how each story is constructed. In The Wizard of Oz, Dorothy is the stand-in for the audience. As she is introduced to the bizarre new world so are we. We never learn information or specifics about Oz which Dorothy herself isn't subject to. The construction of Emerald City, which feels much more like a book with different chapters from different characters' point-of-view, proves problematic as it chooses instead for a rotating narrative as we see the world from the perspectives of Dorothy, but also the Wizard, the witches, and Tip. While this might help balance the screentime for the series' cast, it creates a less cohesive narrative structure.

Tuesday, January 17, 2017

Timeless - The World's Columbian Exposition


While I enjoyed some of the groundwork laid in the first couple episodes of Timeless, the show didn't grab me enough to keep my interest week to week. Checking back in after a few episodes, I discover Lucy (Abigail Spencer) is the prisoner of Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic) who has abducted the historian to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair in hopes of forcing Lucy to help him kill three important members of the secret organization known as Rittenhouse: Thomas Edison (Link Baker), Henry Ford, and J.P. Morgan (Marcus Hondro). To keep Wyatt (Matt Lanter) and Rufus (Malcolm Barrett) out their hair, Flynn's men lead the other time travelers into the World's Fair Hotel, better known as the Murder Castle and home to notorious serial killer H.H. Holmes (Joel Johnstone).

The Librarians - And the Fatal Separation


Heading into next week's season (possibly series?) finale, The Librarians continues to weave in pieces from the original Librarian movies. For this week that means both the return of Charlene (Jane Curtin) and Flynn (Noah Wyle) and company heading to Shangri-La (last seen in the The Librarian: Quest for the Spear). There's actually quite a bit happening in this episode including Eve (Rebecca Romijn) learning that her old mentor is running D.O.S.A. - and wants Eve to switch sides, Stone (Christian Kane) getting some weapons training to help make sense of why he's had an increasingly strong Elliot Spencer vibe the last-half of this season, Cassandra (Lindy Booth) getting used to her new gift, and the show saying goodbye to one of the franchise's oldest characters (and foreshadowing the departure of another).

Elementary - Crowned Clown, Downtown Brown


The murder of a clown in the woods leads Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) to discover an attempt to poison the New York aquifer with a weaponized virus. Tracing the pathogen back to a virologist who has fled the country, it takes longer for Holmes and Watson (Lucy Liu) to discover the true motive for the crime - old fashioned greed.

Monday, January 16, 2017

Star Wars Rebels - Warhead


The Empire's search for Rebel bases heats up with the arrival of a new Imperial Infiltrator Droid on several worlds including Atollon. Finding the damaged droid after its run-in with Krykna Spiders, Zeb (Steve Blum) brings it back with him to Chopper Base unaware just what it is. Initially confused, when the droid's programming eventually kicks in it falls to Zeb, Chopper, and AP-5 (Stephen Stanton) to stop the droid before it gives away their location to the Empire.

Hal Jordan and The Green Lantern Corps #12


"Bottled Light" comes to a close with Hal Jordan (yah!) and Kyle Rayner (ugh!) showing up in time to help the freed Green Lantern Corps and Sinestro Corps fight their jailers Larfleeze and Brainiac. The arc finale has plenty of action as well as some shock for Guy Gardner and the gang at the arrival of their old friends.

A Series of Unfortunate Events - A Bad Beginning


Based on the series of children's books of the same name, Netflix's new series centers around the misfortunes of the Baudelaire children whose parents apparently die in the fire that destroys their home. The first two episodes of the series adapt the first novel in which Violet (Malina Weissman), Klaus (Louis Hynes), and baby Sunny are sent to live Count Olaf (Neil Patrick Harris), an actor of questionable repute who uses chicanery to become the guardian of the children in hopes of getting his hands on the Baudelaire fortune. The dire nature of the children's circumstances is balanced by the humor of Harris as the over-the-top villain and the narration of Patrick Warburton detailing past accounts as Lemony Snicket.

Sunday, January 15, 2017

Sherlock - The Lying Detective


There are times Steven Moffat can be too clever for his own good. That said, he can also give us near perfect moments at the same time. A step-up from "The Six Thatchers," but built entirely on the rift between Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) and Watson (Martin Freeman) caused from the fallout of the previous episode, Sherlock delves into a part of the detective Elementary has spent far longer mining - his addictive personality. The episode has two main points. The first is to introduce a popular celebrity who enjoys murdering in his spare time. The second is to bring the detective and doctor back together again.

The OA - Paradise


You know you're in trouble with a show when the big dramatic reveal built up over half a season elicits laughter rather than appreciation, surprise, or even anticipated acknowledgment. The end of "Paradise" didn't just make me laugh. It made me laugh out loud. Hard. And continuously. Seriously, WTF? I know there are still three episodes left to this season, but now understanding just what direction the show is heading I'll be taking the off-ramp now.

Saturday, January 14, 2017

It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia - The Gang Goes to a Water Park


Things don't go according to plan for anyone when the gang decides to hit the local water park. Charlie (Charlie Day) and Frank (Danny DeVito) make out fairly well by jumping the line of every ride by pretending Frank has AIDS (but not the gay kind - as Frank is quick to point out), but it doesn't end well for Frank as his attempt to go down the not-yet-opened giant slide ends in pain (for him) and terror (for everyone else). The day is even more brutal for Dee (Kaitlin Olson) and Mac (Rob McElhenney) whose attempt to fit into a kid's ride gets them stuck in a pipe for most of the day.

Saturday with Shay

Emerald City - The Beast Forever / Prison of the Abject


NBC's darker retelling of The Wizard of Oz opens as you would expect with Dorothy Gale (Adria Arjona) of Kansas being transported by a tornado to a strange land. Here's where things start to differ. Although magic exists in this version of Oz it has been outlawed by the Wizard of Oz (Vincent D'Onofrio). Witches still exist, including the one Dorothy crashes into (with her car rather than house). And although it takes Dorothy two tries, she does kill the Witch of the East (Florence Kasumba) and take her ruby... gloves? into her possession.

Friday, January 13, 2017

Elle

Isabelle Huppert is marvelous as the sixty-something head of a successful video game company who is raped in her apartment by a stranger in a ski mask. Refusing to tell the police, Michèle instead continues on as if nothing happened even as she begins to suspect that one of her resentful employees may be her attacker. Filled with mostly depressed and confused characters, somehow the film is never as bleak as its subject matter might lead you to believe.

Despite being raped in the movie's opening scene, Michèle is anything but a victim; she's smart, successful, and in complete control of both her company and libido. Elle isn't a revenge fantasy or a drama focused on our protagonist coming to terms with the attack. Director Paul Verhoeven, no stranger to erotic or psychological thrillers, has something much different in mind in screenwriter David Birke's adaptation of Philippe Djian's novel. And Michèle is no angel, sleeping with the husband (Christian Berkel) of her best friend (Anne Consigny), and lusting after her neighbor (Laurent Lafitte) despite their age difference and his wife (Virginie Efira).

Thursday, January 12, 2017

Blindspot - Droll Autumn, Unmutual Lord


Everyone attempts to get back to normal as both Reade (Rob Brown) and Patterson (Ashley Johnson) return to work. Normal isn't really an option, however, when the CIA agent who tortured Jane (Jaimie Alexander) shows up with a terrorist (Mark Ivanir) who has key information about an imminent attack in New York. Hoping to get his son a life-saving heart transplant, the terrorist agrees to trade that information to the CIA, but when things go badly on the operating table it falls to the FBI to pick up the pieces and find the terrorist cell before their attack.

Batman #14


DC Comics notorious New 52 issue Catwoman #1 offered up one of the dumbest issues in the comic company's history with Batman and Catwoman hate-fucking on a rooftop. Although Batman #14 ends in a similar manner, writer Tom King at least attempts to make the act have meaning this time around. He's only partially successful.

The OA - Champion / Away


The third and fourth episodes of The OA deal predominantly with Prarie's (Brit Marling) incarceration in Hap's (Jason Isaacs) basement and the prisoners various plans for escape. After foiled attempts at poisoning her abductor and running away, Prarie's chances drastically increase when another near death experience from a blow to the head sends her back to the other reality and then returns her to the world with her sense of sight restored. Strangely, Prairie doesn't use this advantage to escape, but instead to convince the other guinea pigs to willingly become part of Hap's experiment in hopes they may touch what she found on the other side.

Wednesday, January 11, 2017

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - Broken Promises


Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. puts its Ghost Rider storyline behind as it moves forward with S.H.I.E.L.D. dealing with an out-of-control Aida (Mallory Jansen) who has replaced May (Ming-Na Wen) with an android, attacked and murdered agents, and invaded S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters to get its hands on the Darkhold. Things don't go exactly as planned for the android, who faces Mack (Henry Simmons) and all his anti-robot wisdom (from years of sci-fi movies), but the episode's closing scenes show this storyline is far from over (and the android isn't the one behind the search for the Darkhold).

Green Arrow #14


In a packed football stadium and framed for the murder of the star quarterback during the middle of the game, Green Arrow #14 reveals the identity of the latest villain to torture Green Arrow to be the Dark Archer Malcolm Merlyn. The pair's fight around the packed stadium may clear the Emerald Archer's name for now, but with Merlyn still at large there's likely to be plenty of more carnage to come.

Top 10 Best It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia Episodes

Nova #2


Sam Alexander meets Richard Rider. Nova #2 brings the youngest Nova into contact with the recently resurrected one as the pair meet while fighting off an alien of unknown origin (who apparently isn't so much defeated as forgotten about). After a short stopover at Sam's place, the pair head out for a little space action which leads them Knowhere and an encounter with an old friend.

Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Beyond - Ties that Bind


After an intriguing set-up, Beyond takes a bit of a step back in an episode which continues to tease larger ramifications but spends most of its time on typical family dysfunction. After learning that his family isn't as perfect as they've struggled to make it seem, Holden (Burkely Duffield) finally becomes convinced to allow Willa (Dilan Gwyn) to help restore his memory of his time in the Realm and, she hopes, learn to harness and control his dangerous and unpredictable abilities. There's also a bit of foreshadowing that although Willa cares for Holden, and will do her best to protect him, her motives are more complicated than she's willing to let on (and isn't above putting him in danger to get what she needs).

Sherlock - The Six Thatchers


The Fourth Series of Sherlock kicks off with an episode that spends equal times dealing with the possibly return of Moriarty (Andrew Scott) from beyond the grave, setting up a larger story of the season, and focusing on Sherlock (Benedict Cumberbatch) getting back to business by solving a multitude of cases while keeping an eye of for one that might offer more of a challenge and lead back to his nemesis. The case settled on involves the strange destruction of several busts of Margaret Thatcher, without an apparent reason. However, Holmes does find a reason buried deep within one of those busts and a motive he traces back to Mary Watson (Amanda Abbington) and her past.

Monday, January 9, 2017

The Librarians and the Eternal Question


"And the Eternal Question" is one of the few episodes of the show to directly reference the specifics of one of The Librarian movies. A case of spontaneous combustion leads Stone (Christian Kane), Ezekiel (John Kim), and Cassandra (Lindy Booth) to a holistic retreat run by vampires who have found the one place on Earth they can live outdoors during the daytime. While it may be the weakest of the three made-for-TV movies, The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice did offer an unusual love interest for Flynn (Noah Wyle) in the undead, but ravishing, Simone (Stana Katic). Flynn's previous relationships haven't been discussed until now, and I still wonder just what happened to both Emily (Gabrielle Anwar) and Nicole (Sonya Walger).

The Wicked + The Divine #25


The infighting within the Pantheon is still going strong in The Wicked + The Divine #25 as Laura and Urdr confront Woden about his complicity in Ananke's crackpot murder schemes to keep "the Great Darkness" at bay and control the cadre of selfish and self-serving gods with short lifespans.