Friday, September 30, 2022

Blonde

Based on the fictional account of Marilyn Monroe's life by Joyce Carol Oates in the novel of the same name, Blonde makes Marilyn a victim of her own success and underdeveloped inner demons while giving us classic snapshots of her life in standard biopic fashion, although quite stylishly realized by director Andrew Dominik and cinematographer Chayse Irvin. It's a gorgeous film to look at, but to make it through nearly three hours you may be forced to turn off the sound completely. The best way I can describe it is an impeccably produced lush and vibrant music video for one of the least interesting songs you've ever heard... except it goes on for 166 minutes.

The problem with the film isn't star Ana de Armas who is terrific in the role (even with the very odd dubbing in some of her musical numbers). The problem with Blonde is that it has nothing to say, and worse still it implies quite strongly that Marilyn Monroe didn't either.

Thursday, September 29, 2022

The History of She-Ra: Princess of Power

This is SDCC 2022 Best Cosplay Music Video

Fables #155

Fables #155 continues to move the numerous storylines along incrementally without any getting much time. Ambrose is the first to return, easing his parents' concern despite his other siblings still off on their own adventures. We see more than a few clues that the wandering hero Connor has decided to follow is anything but, and Jack continues settling into the odd modern world where Pan has shown up as well.

The Sandman - Dream Vortex

After imprisonment, recovering his lost items, and a standalone episode with Dream (Tom Sturridge) and his sister, the next four episodes of The Sandman center around a young woman named Rose Walker (Vanesu Samunyai) who is a Dream Vortex, a generational power dangerous enough to destroy all of the Dreaming. The episode folds back in the Corinthian (Boyd Holbrook) and ultimately reveals a decades-old plot by Desire (Mason Alexander Park) against her sibling. Rose and Dream's interactions sway from friendly to confrontational leading to Dream helping to save her brother (Eddie Karanja) but also left with a harsh responsibility towards the Dream Vortex.

Wednesday, September 28, 2022

Do Revenge

Camila Mendes stars as a mean girl on scholarship at a private high school fueled by anger over her boyfriend (Austin Abrams) leaking a sex tape to the entire school, for which she, not he, takes all the heat. A chance meeting over the summer with a transferring student (Maya Hawke) whose old bully (Ava Capri) also attends the school leads to the unlikely pair teaming up to take out each other's enemies.

Iron Cat #4

Iron Cat #4 continues the comic's opening arc with the betrayal of Madame Menace now loose and planning to destroy the world and Tamara Blake forced to work with Black Cat and Iron Man to try to fix the mess she caused in her quest for revenge. While giving us the "apparent" death of Blake, there's plenty of misdirection here and it certainly wouldn't surprise me to see her pop back up before the arc concludes.

NCIS: Hawai'i - Blind Curves

The discovery of a Marine staff sergeant's body in a junk yard leads NCIS into an investigation into the world of underground street racing on the island where the Marine spent his spare time. While early evidence points to a jealous ex-boyfriend (Robby Ramos) who runs a chop shop, but Ernie (Jason Antoon) does a little digging leading to the true killer (Tristyn Lau). The B-stories delve into Alex (Kian Talan) hiding a new romance from his mother and a potential hiccup for Lucy (Yasmine Al-Bustami) and Whistler (Tori Anderson) which is mostly the series manufacturing drama where none really exists.

Midnight Suns #1

Kicking off a four-issue mini-series, a group of heroes are brought together to investigate an ominous prophecy involving a student at the Strange Academy. Some are brought by the vision, some are at the school as guest lecturer, others are recruited, and one shows up on their own. By the end of the issue, however, we have a bit of a motley group assembled for what's to come.

Tuesday, September 27, 2022

Andor - Episode 4

Having provided three episodes of set-up and backstory and getting Andor into position at the right time and place, the show moves forward with finally putting the thief to work for the Rebellion. After leaving Ferrix, Luthen Rael (Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd) gives Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) the hard pitch on doing a job for the Rebellion offering big danger and big reward in the theft of the Imperial payroll for an entire sector. Luthen hands over the mercenary to the team leader Vel Sartha (Faye Marsay), who isn't too happy with the sudden addition despite the need for reliable soldiers, on planet Aldani.

Locke & Key - The Maze

In an episode that features a literal maze, Kinsey (Emilia Jones) and Tyler (Connor Jessup) do their best to not let Gabe/Dodge (Griffin Gluck) in on the fact that they've uncovered his secret or that Duncan's (Aaron Ashmore) memory has been restored. Well, batting 500 isn't bad. Holding back until they can formulate a plan, the discovery of the Chain Key pushes Erin (Joy Tanner) into taking a big risk that allows Dodge to claim another victim, pick up another key, and convince the Lockes that they need to set a trap for their enemy.

It's Comicpalooza 2022 Houston Cosplayers Unite Part I

Lucifer - Is This Really How It's Going To End?!

Both Lucifer's (Tom Ellis) attempts to earn the support of his siblings and the murder of the week, and how it relates into Michael's bigger plans, take a backseat to the death of a major character in "Is This Really How It's Going To End?!" Even after Lucifer and Maze (Lesley-Ann Brandt) manage to carve out a bit of retribution, the loss of Dan (Kevin Alejandro) is felt by all. Twisting into the wound is the discovery by Lucifer and Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) that Dan's soul didn't make it to Heaven and that the mercenaries who killed him did so while looking for the final piece of A blade to deliver to Michael. 

Monday, September 26, 2022

Rick and Morty – Night Family

Rick and Morty pulls out a horror episode based on the family's misuse of alien technology in "Night Family" which allows the family's night selves to do work their sleeping selves either don't have time for or feel is beneath them. After things inevitably go wrong, with the interesting twist that it's Summer (Spencer Grammer) who is leading the revolution, the night selves attempt to take over the waking lives of the family as well leading to a crazy episode for control. I'm a little surprised the episode wasn't saved for Halloween, especially with the spooky-style intro and closing of the episode.

Daredevil #3

Still dragging his feet in taking on The Hand, Daredevil gets sidetracked yet again in the latest issue when his recruitment for help leads him to stick his nose into Luke Cage's business as Mayor of New York with the Stromwyn. While Cage doesn't have trouble with dealing with the pair, they do notice Daredevil spying on them. Other than being mystical and dangerous, there's not much to the odd pair worthy of note.

Stargirl - Chapter Three: The Blackmail

The third episode of the Frenemies season finds Sylvester Pemberton (Joel McHale) out of control again jumping to conclusions after discovering that the the Gambler (Eric Goins) was blackmailing the Crocks leading to a very unheroic destruction of a grocery store by Starman. After being talked down by Pat (Luke Wilson) again, a more under control Starman will step into a different kind of trouble the by episode's end. From the grunting we hear, has an undead former foe finally emerged from his slumber?

Batman vs. Robin #1

Magic offers a homecoming of sorts as characters are drawn to the abandoned Wayne Manor, not only Batman but an apparently very much alive Alfred Pennyworth. The setup of the oversized issue pitting an out-of-control Damian against his father (and perhaps also his mother) with the help of mystical benefactors (or puppet-masters?), allows for the return of Alfred who, although it takes much of the issue, Bruce Wayne comes to realize is quite real.

Friday, September 23, 2022

Avatar

James Cameron's Avatar hit theaters a week before Christmas of 2009 and quickly claimed a spot on my list of best films of that year. With the first of its long-overdue sequels finally making its way to theaters this winter, Avatar returns to theaters in hopes of rekindling the magic movie goers discovered more than a dozen years ago. While it wasn't the best film that year, it's one of the most watchable, and I've returned to Avatar multiple times over the years always being entertained.

Taking the simple story of a a soldier siding with the natives over his own people, a well-trod piece of movie plotting taken to the stars, Avatar provides a singular cinematic experience diving into the alien world of Pandora with a tremendous amount of both heart and movie magic specifically designed for IMAX 3D in a way no film since has been able to replicate. 

Andor - Episode 3

With the first two episodes of the series relying heavily on backstory and set-up, events pick up the third episode of Andor which brings together Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and Rebel Luthen Rael (Stellan SkarsgÃ¥rd) who may be interested in the drive Cassian is selling but is actually far more interested in the thief for a dangerous mission already under way. The pair are interrupted by the arrival of the corporate troops leading to an extended stunt sequence in a factory (which feels very much like a stunt sequence inside a factory laid out for maximum action and chaos once the blaster bolts begin firing back and forth).

Thursday, September 22, 2022

NCIS: Hawai'i - Prisoners' Dilemma

The Second Season of NCIS: Hawai'i kicks of with Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Ernie (Jason Antoon) returning to the islands with Torres (Wilmer Valderrama) and Knight (Katrina Law) in tow looking for Maxwell (Michael Weston) who has arrived in Hawaii before them and, after taking a measure of revenge against Parker (Gary Cole), now turns his attention on another face from the past (John Billingsley) who he believes has wronged him. Much of the episode features a stand-off between Maxwell and Tennant and Torres while the team looks for the bomb he has hidden nearby and tries to identify the target of his immanent attack.

The Sandman - The Sound of Her Wings

After freeing himself and collecting his stolen items, Dream (Tom Sturridge) feels listless which leads to a visit from his sister. "The Sound of Her Wings" introduces Kirby Howell-Baptiste as Death in an episode which is broken into two parts, both involving Dream reconnecting with humanity. Set in the present, the first involves the mopey Dream Lord hanging out with his sister and witnessing her connection to humans dying close-up. The second involves a wager of sorts between the pair and a man (Ferdinand Kingsley) who has lived for centuries without dying who may just be the closest thing Dream has to a friend.

Lucifer - Nothing Lasts Forever

Murder at the aquarium is in the back-burner for an episode of Lucifer attempting to prove he should be his father's successor. "Nothing Last Forever" offers a few surprises including the return of Mum (Tricia Helfer), the revelation that God (Dennis Haysbert) was never losing his powers, a shocking decision of God to leave with his wife without naming a successor, and the machinations of Michael taking shape including gathering support to rule Heaven and get his grubby hands on a particular item to cement his power (a subplot which will take an even darker turn in the next episode).

The Umbrella Academy - Kindest Cut / Marigold

Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila (Ritu Arya) return from the Commission with news of the end of the world. Five goes in search of answers, with only the tattoo of his older self to lean on leading him to an unexpected reunion and a choice to bend to fate's will, whatever may come. Klaus (Robert Sheehan) returns from the dead with the realization that he' died several times before and seeks understanding about his powers from his father which will offer payoffs in the next few episodes.

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Locke & Key - Past is Prologue

"Past Prologue" moves forward on several storylines. Looking for answers, Kinsey (Emilia Jones) enters the mind of Eden (Hallea Jones) and is shocked what she discovers leading the the cliffhanger ending where she comes face-to-face with Gabe/Dodge (Griffin Gluck). Tyler (Connor Jessup) finds the Memory Key allowing him to settle Duncan's (Aaron Ashmore) mind and let all of his memories flow. Nina's (Darby Stanchfield) relationship with Josh (Brendan Hines) advances to the next level, although we still don't know his true intentions towards Key House. And Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) goes to visit an old friend.

NCIS - A Family Matter

Picking from the last season's cliffhanger, NCIS launches its twentieth season with Parker (Gary Cole) on the run and the team working to prove his innocence and untangle a convoluted storyline which will leave the team dumbfounded before the end. The episode marks the first-half a two-part crossover with the visiting Tennant (Vanessa Lachey) and Ernie (Jason Antoon) lending a hand which will be reciprocated in the NCIS: Hawai'i season premiere.

Morbius

Huh. Morbius doesn't even get to be the out of control vampire in his own film. That's certainly a choice. As with Blade: Trinity, Morbius has the distinction of being simultaneously bad across two genres. Jared Leto stars (a phrase one should always be leery of) as Dr. Michael Morbius obsessed with curing his blood disease, and that of his closest friend (Matt Smith), by using vampire bats. As batty, so to speak, as that sounds, Morbius' experiments work and cure him of his debilitating disease but do leave him with a few unexpected side-effects.

Tuesday, September 20, 2022

Andor - Episode 1 / Episode 2

Andor opens on the world of Morlana One (which we're told is part of the Morlana Corporate Zone, whatever that is) five years before the Battle of Yavin. When we first see him, Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) is looking for his sister in a brothel, but the night doesn't go according to plan leading to Andor reaching out on an old friend (Adria Arjona) in order to make himself scarce. Sadly, he may have misjudged just how much her douchebag of a boyfriend dislikes him (although since everyone on the planet who he apparently owes money and favors to seems to dislike him, maybe he didn't notice). Meanwhile, a middle-management corporate security lackey with a stick up his ass (Kyle Soller), despite being told to sweep the entire matter under the rug, begins his own investigation into the night's activities.

Shadow and Bone - The Complete First Season

Shadow and Bone feels every bit the adaptation of a young adult fantasy series.  In this case, not only was the first book of the series adapted but a separate storyline about local thieves was added as well leading to the disconnected storylines early in the eight-part season that didn't quite gel until a few episodes into the season.

Our setting involves a steampunk-ish alien world of divided nation states with a giant shadowy darkness of certain death known as the Fold separating them. In a world were a small population are born with magical powers, long ago one of these characters created the Fold and still hopes to use it as a weapon.

This is C2E2 2022 Best Cosplay Music Video

Rick and Morty - Bethic Twinstinct

"Bethic Twinstinct" is her to remind us that Morty (Justin Roiland) is far from the only perv in his family as the time spent together between Beth (Sarah Chalke) and Space Beth (Chalke) turns initiate, freaking out each member of the family one by one until they all become aware what is happening. The humor of the episode comes from the family's reaction to what they see and here culminating in one hell of an awkward Thanksgiving meal.

Monday, September 19, 2022

Lucifer - A Little Harmless Stalking

A case with two confessions has never been this hard to solve. When both Linda (Rachael Harris) and the biological daughter (Alexandra Grossi) she gave up for adoption confess to a murder, Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Chloe (Lauren German) look for the real killer. "A Little Harmless Stalking" offers the opportunity for Lucifer to be the calming influence while his usually unflappable psychiatrist struggles with the situation she's stumbled into (but will still be rewarded by the end of the episode).

Stargirl - Chapter Two: The Suspects

Although the members of the JSA return to school, the murder of the Gambler (Eric Goins) continues to be on everyone's mind. Yolanda (Yvette Monreal) is quick to blame Cindy Burman (Meg DeLacy) who the group found at the scene (and turns out to be in possession of the dead man's laptop). Equally quick to accuse is Sylvester Pemberton (Joel McHale) who attacks the Shade (Jonathan Cake), twice. Attempting to make amends he pulls Courtney (Brec Bassinger) our of school which doesn't go over well with her parents but does teach her a new trick with the staff.

Moon Knight #15

After the internal meeting of all three of Moon Knight's personalities in the last issue, issue #15 catches up with Marc Spector at his psychiatrist where he explains the new status quo of each version of himself getting time in control and all three using their various skill sets to help Moon Knight's cause and telling his people about his condition. Honestly, it's about the healthiest Moon Knight has looked in some time with Steven Grant hitting the high end and Jake Lockley in the back alleys and dive bars.

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law - Episode 5

We don't get any super-heroing here, and although Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) goes back to court it's as a defendant rather than a lawyer. Our lead is incredibly passive throughout the episode except for one brainstorm where she comes up with a plan that utterly embarrassing herself in court (which, to be honest, isn't really all that embarrassing) to win the case and control of the name She-Hulk from Titania (Jameela Jamil). The only other subplot are generic jokes of men being stupid and She-Hulk being dragged to get a new wardrobe she doesn't really want which doesn't even pay-off on-screen in the episode other than a tease for the eventual introduction of another character.

Friday, September 16, 2022

Pinocchio

Beloved by fans and critics alike, although 1940's Pinocchio may feel a be dated in spots there is nothing about the film that calls for a new version of the story (let alone three in one year - including one with Pauly Shore?!). However, Disney (in all its wisdom) has chosen Pinocchio for the latest "live-action" adaption of one of their classic animated films (featuring multiple CGI characters, of course). The results are a longer running time, an unnecessary backstory for Geppetto (Tom Hanks) that never leads anywhere, and far less magic.

The only reason to see the new version is for Pinocchio (Benjamin Evan Ainsworth) himself. Wonderfully created in CGI, this version does feel like a living puppet made of wood that looks amazing. It's too bad we don't care about what happens to him. At all.

Thursday, September 15, 2022

Little Demon - Possession Obsession

Using what her father (Danny DeVito) taught her, Chrissy (Lucy DeVito) starts to employ possession, at first for the thrill but later in an attempt to help people. The episode fits into the theme of Chrissy learning about abilities she'll then struggle with in her everyday life. Her efforts are stymied both by the town's growing unrest at all the unexplained behavior and losing her own body temporarily to her father's rival. "Possession Obsession" offers lots of body swapping and eventually a bloody public spectacle (raising the question whether or not the whole town realizes the antichrist is living amongst them).

The Sandman - 24/7

"24/7" sticks primarily with John (David Thewlis) for the majority of the episode as he takes the reacquired ruby for a test drive playing with the lives of those in a small dinner including a waitress (Emma Duncan), a scared girlfriend (Daisy Head), a power couple (Lourdes Faberes and James Udom), a young man (Laurie Davidson) on his way to an interview, and the fry cook (Steven Brand). Stripping away lies and forcing each character into giving into their baser desires. I have to imagine that if anyone tried to create a Spectre series, it might look something a little like this (with a bit more wrath thrown in).

The New Champion of SHAZAM! #2

It's been a rough couple of days for Mary. Here foster parents have disappeared and she's left her dream college to return home to foster siblings who seem mostly ambivalent about her return. She's also got that magic bunny popping in from time to time whose suggestions on she can hear. Enrolling in the nearby community college, Mary hopes to discover what happened to her parents and others who have disappeared.

Wednesday, September 14, 2022

The Umbrella Academy - Kugelblitz

In the fallout from the confrontation with the Sparrows, Luther (Tom Hopper) attempts to win trust back from Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez) as the two come up with a plan to broker piece between the two families. The arrival of Harlan Cooper (Callum Keith Rennie) leads to several questions from Viktor (Elliot Page) who by the end will make a shocking discovery concerning the death of the Umbrella Academy's mothers and the Grandfather Paradox that is slowly destroying the universe. Viktor isn't the only one to make a shocking discovery as Five (Aidan Gallagher) and Lila (Ritu Arya) discover the man behind the crumbling Temps Commission who warns the pair not to try and save the world.

007 #2

Beginning with a funeral followed by a wake of fellow 00 members of MI6, 007 #2 continues to flesh out who the recently deceased 003 Gwendolyn Gann was. The early sequences offer more flashes of the agent's past before Bond has a conversation with M about what 003 was working on for M16 investigating a private organization recruiting top-level intelligence assets from around the world working for an agency without any allegiances drawn on a map.

He-Man and the Masters of the Universe - Orko the Great

The reimagined He-Man and the Masters of the Universe introduces Ork-O (Tom Kenny) as a magician whose consciousness Duncan (Antony Del Rio) puts into a robot causing all kinds of trouble for the kingdom. The set-up allows for the idea of this Orko perhaps being a good wizard, just not in his new form where his magic turns out to be unpredictable. With a stolen hat and scarf, it also doesn't take much for the flying robot to begin to look more and more like the Orko we know. The search for the chaotic robot who heads to the palace after causing trouble inside Castle Grayskull, also provides a reason for Adam (Yuri Lowenthal) to visit the palace and discover his father mourns his loss. It also lets the king know that his brother (but not yet his son) is still alive.

Tuesday, September 13, 2022

Echoes - Home

Michelle Monaghan stars as a woman who returns home for the first time in years when her twin sister goes missing. Gena is confused by the sudden distance between them, the circumstances of her twin's disappearance, secrets her father (Michael O'Neill) and brother-in-law (Matt Bomer) are keeping from her, and odd clues left around the house and property supposedly by Leni. The first episode sets up a mystery to be solved complete with secrets and half-heard conversations raising questions what has been happening on the farm in the time leading up to the Leni's disappearance. 

The Ninjettes #1

In a reality where the government tests for sociopaths as children and puts them to work as killers comes The Ninjettes #1. Um, okay? The comic opens with a group of young women dumped in an abandoned building in the middle of nowhere and told by a kid's video mascot that only three of them have positions waiting for them. Let the carnage begin.

Rick and Morty - Rick: A Mort Well Lived

WTF, Summer (Spencer Grammer)? You've never seen Die Hard? Who hasn't seen Die Hard? For the second episode of the season, Rick and Morty gets meta as we're thrown into the middle of an adventure where Morty's (Justin Roiland) consciousness has been split across millions of NPCs in a video game when the arcade is attacked. Rick (Roiland) jumps into the game in an attempt to round up the Mortys and talk some sense into them (which turns out to be harder than he expected) leaving Summer to take out the terrorists who have captured the mostly empty arcade by doing a "Die Hard" on them.

Cowboy Bebop - The Complete Series

Adapted from the popular anime of the same name, the Netflix live-action version of Cowboy Bebop only lasted a single season before coming to an abrupt end on a cliffhanger introducing the last of the animated series' major characters. This version of Cowboy Bebop gets off to a strong start with the introduction of our space bounty hunters Spike Spiegel (John Cho) and Jet Black (Mustafa Shakir), chasing down bounties across the universe and often getting in over their heads, and the introduction of rival bounty hunter Faye Valentine (Daniella Pineda) who will eventually become part of the team.

Although the show earned mixed reactions from both fans and critics, the three leads make the most of the opportunity. The style of the show is also impressive, although I can see how the mix of high quality CGI and sometimes much cheaper effects (which I found charming) could at times be jarring to the viewer. The show took some liberties with the timeline of the show, cherry picking episodes and lengthening the stories from their shorter original runtimes. As someone coming in without much experience with the original series, I enjoyed myself through the majority of the episodes, even if I felt some of the quality dropped when it became a bit too lost in the rabbit hole of our characters' backstories.

Monday, September 12, 2022

Locke & Key - Forget Me Not

With his memories returned, but still too old to remember magic, Duncan (Aaron Ashmore) is haunted by flashes of past memories he can't understand or put into proper context. While the Locke children search for an answer, at the rate Duncan is deteriorating will they be in time? Also tied to the Head Key, Kinsey (Emilia Jones) reabsorbs her fear which may be what she needs to question just what is going on with Gabe/Dodge (Griffin Gluck), and  Jamie (Liyou Abere) uses the key to go into her own mind and find a clue to the Memory Key.

Stargirl - Chapter One: The Murder

Stargirl returns with a new season entitled "Frenemies" as old villains look for second chances in Blue Valley including the Gambler (Eric Goins) who returns in search of his daughter only to uncover something dark under the surface of what has become a quiet town. The character's death at the end of the episode gives us the episode's title as well as sets up a mystery to be solved. It looks like Courtney's (Brec Bassinger) willingness to offer everyone a second chance, over the grumblings of her own team and doubts of Sylvester Pemberton (Joel McHale), will be put to the test.

Once and Future #29

The penultimate issue of Once and Future offers a pair of great moments heading into the series' conclusion, and that doesn't include Rose surviving the blow from the Green Knight. The first is the tease of what is to come that offers just enough foreshadowing to provide a "holy shit!" kind of realization about the moment which will follow. 

Lucifer - Daniel Espinoza: Naked and Afraid

Starting with a trip to Mexico to extradite a prisoner back to Los Angeles is the start of a very bad day for Dan (Kevin Alejandro) as an old friend (Wilmer Calderon) gets him into trouble and then blackmails him into a series of bad moves including smuggling and murder. Dan's day goes off the rails fairly quickly, and you'll probably guess what is going on long before the final reveal, but there's still fun to be had in the Douche-centric episode that also plays on larger events including the character's state of mind after recent events and Lucifer (Tom Ellis) looking for a little payback which has the unintended consequence of helping Dan find some clarity.

Friday, September 9, 2022

RRR

RRR is a revelation. The Telugu-action/drama is insane in all the best ways. Writer/director S.S. Rajamouli offers a fictional account on two historical figures (N.T. Rama Rao Jr. and Ram Charan) each fighting against the early Twentieth Century British imperialist control of India in their own way.

For more than three hours, Rajamouli weaves an engaging tale offering deep emotional moments such as the young girl kidnapped from her village by the British Raj (Ray Stevenson), a bromance for the ages between our two leads, dark turns and revelations, Bollywood dance numbers, racism, and some of the most amazing action ever imagined for film.

Thursday, September 8, 2022

The Witcher - A Grain of Truth

As the world continues to spin after the battle, the finally united Witcher (Gudmundur Thorvaldsson) and Ciri (Freya Allan) travel towards his home in search of respite and a safe place for the Witcher's charge. What they find is a massacred town and his old friend Nivellen (Kristofer Hivju) transformed by a curse the truth of which becomes a bit complicated for both Geralt and Ciri after meeting the monster responsible (Agnes Born). The episode works in introducing Ciri to Geralt's world and way of thinking while also showcasing just how unprepared the Witcher is for his new responsibilities.

Red Sonja #12

The origin tale of Sitha, and her time with Red Sonja, comes to an end with Red Sonja #12 which starts with Sonja on the hunt for the stolen child and her confrontation with the Daughters of Fire who plan to rip the power of Xamul from the child and claim it as their own. The issue works as both a rescue and one final partnership between the pair as Sitha helps Sonja defeat the High Priestess once she gains Xamul's power.

NCIS: Hawai'i - The Complete First Season

In a show that feels two-parts NCIS and one-part Hawaii Five-0, the latest NCIS spin-off heads to Hawaii to fill the spot created by the end of the Hawaii Five-0's ten-year run. The show struggled at times balancing various relationships while offering a strong story of the week and could use a little more of the early zaniness of the Five-0 reboot.

The Sandman - A Hope in Hell

"A Hope in Hell" offers two stories of dark travels. Dream's search for his missing helm takes him to Hell and an confrontation with Lucifer (Gwendoline Christie). While I think it would have been interesting to bring in Tom Ellis and Lesley-Ann Brandt to reprise the roles they've made famous on Lucifer, and give them a chance to play the characters in Hell (something we haven't seen from Netflix's other show), ultimately I think recasting the roles was the right choice especially once we get into the battle of wills between the Lord of Dreams and the Lord of Hell. Defiant, and triumphant, Dream leaves Hell with his helm and go after his ruby.