I was worried that the lengthy hiatus between episode viewings would be a detriment, fortunately, this episode is largely an easy one to go into, even if you have only a vague memory of what was happening.
Really, the episode centers on morale, or in this case, the complete lack of it after the titans knocked down the second wall. Hope is in scarce supply as the human resistance finds their supplies running low, the casualties stacking up, and shell shock starting to kick in. It gets to the point where some are driven to suicide as they feel there's nothing left.
We also see some of the forces retreating behind the third and final wall. There are characters that still talk as if this is some privilege, but does it really matter? The titans have taken down two walls already, what's a third going to do? For that matter, the innermost city was the safest because it had those two outer walls to act as a buffer. Said buffer no longer exists, so really, the perceived safety at this point is a sheer myth. While it is never directly stated, it's possible that many of the characters know this and that it feeds the sense of hopelessness that permeates this episode.
Yeah, this is something of a down note episode. There are moments of hope, such as when Mikasa rallies the remaining troops in another charge...by insulting them? It starts strong, but things go downhill quick.
The episode is incredibly light on overall plot progression. A lot of it is devoted to more introspective matters. It's all fairly well done, so even if it seems like things aren't moving, the emotional power makes up for it and keeps you engaged in what's happening. Armin is hit with survivor's guilt and even Mikasa's resolve is shown to be a thin cover for her fear and grief.
With the latter, it culminates when Mikasa decides to just throw in the towel let the titans eat her, only to find that she instinctively keeps fighting. Even she notes that she has no idea why she's doing it, as she herself admits that she had given up. You'd think that this would be basic self preservation driving her, but it's somehow tied to Eren, I don't know.
There is one intriguing plot development in the episode's closing scenes, as a new titan emerges. Unlike the others, this one is fixated on brutally killing other titans. It was rather cool to see. Its arrival makes for an effective "big darn hero" moment, keeping the titan off Mikasa long enough for Armin to swoop in and grab her, but also gives both the viewers and the characters a healthy dose of "what the hell?" The fact that said titan seems to employ more sophisticated fighting styles and poses only adds more to the mystery.
The fact that this episode operated on a very broad stroke approach actually worked in my favor. You don't really need a firm grasp of who is who and even if it has been well over a month since you watched the last episode, you can still watch this and still feel the emotional resonance. I don't know if I'd say it's an enjoyable watch, as it was quite bleak, but it does what it does well. As such, you can still mark it as a strong episode.
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Wednesday, November 30, 2016
Tuesday, November 29, 2016
'Luke Cage' episode 9: 'DWYCK'
With a run time of over an hour, this episode had a lot to fill. Fortunately, there was a lot of material to work with as various sub-plots advanced across the board.
Admittedly, the first half is very dialogue heavy, giving off a feeling that nothing is really moving. We do get some introspection on Misty's front, as she sits down with a shrink to discuss her issues. Making her sympathetic after what happened with Claire seems like an uphill battle, but the episode does a good job of making her more complex than you might originally think. This is also helped by the fact that Missick turns in a strong performance, especially in the later scenes as her issues are brought to light.
Speaking of strong performances, Alfre Woodard probably turns in her best yet as Mariah is slowly pulled into her deceased cousin's affairs. She still puts up the front that she doesn't want to be a part of it, but is able to pitch Diamondback on an endeavor that surpasses anything they would have thought of.
I know one of the criticisms of the MCU as a whole is that the shows "don't matter". Even if the movies don't directly acknowledge the events of the shows, it's hard to argue that there aren't ramifications. "Agents of Shield" created a new wave of superpowered inhumans across the globe and Mariah suggests that the Judas bullet can be useful even beyond disposing of Luke Cage, suggesting going as far as to wage a war on all of the superheroes. Whether anything comes of it, I'm not sure, but it could become a problem later on down the line.
I'm actually enjoying Diamondback as a villain. I know reception to him has been mixed, and I was a big fan of Stokes, but Diamondback has a commanding, frightening presence that lends credence to his position as the new big bad. Harvey just owns every scene he's in and the fear that is instilled in those around him is palpable. You can't blame them either, as he shows no qualms about killing people with little to no provocation.
For those craving social commentary, the real standout scene is going to be the one where Luke (while wearing a hoodie) is confronted by two cops. I guess it was inevitable, but isn't the scene a subversion? Note, the cops don't draw their weapons until they confirm that he's a wanted fugitive and a trigger only gets pulled after Luke attacks the cop who was about to cuff him. I suppose you could argue that this is a depiction of how things SHOULD be, as opposed to how they are.
Sadly, this was one of Luke's better moments, as this episode really puts him through the wringer. Where the last episode had him largely shrug off the bullet in his stomach, we start to see him succumbing to the effects to a much greater degree. His wounds are becoming infected and he's starting to cough up blood. Not good.
On the plus side, with the help of Claire and one of the Seagate doctors, he's able to at least start getting medical treatment. The downside is that said treatment involves having a needle shoved down his throat to draw blood and than being dipped in acid. Both scenes are very squirm inducing for obvious reasons.
The doctor says that the intent with the acid bath is to soften his skin (would that be temporary or would it rob him of his powers for good?) so that they can operate, but the way he keeps looking at the ultrasound, it seems like they're trying to dissolve the shrapnel. I suppose it's moot as the endeavor is unsuccessful on every front. It's times like this where an arc reactor would have really come in handy.
Again, we have a cliffhanger, and again it falls flat. True, Luke doesn't get shot with a third Judas bullet, but we are supposed to think that he died. This is, of course, ludicrous as there are still four episodes left and we know he's joining the Defenders. Luke raising his fist (an agreed upon signal for when Claire should pull him out because the pain is too much) before his hand fell limp was pretty funny, though, so points for that.
The episode did have a bit of a slow start, but things definitely picked up as the episode went on. We got new insight on multiple characters and we saw the new villain really step up to the plate and grab the role with both hands.
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Admittedly, the first half is very dialogue heavy, giving off a feeling that nothing is really moving. We do get some introspection on Misty's front, as she sits down with a shrink to discuss her issues. Making her sympathetic after what happened with Claire seems like an uphill battle, but the episode does a good job of making her more complex than you might originally think. This is also helped by the fact that Missick turns in a strong performance, especially in the later scenes as her issues are brought to light.
Speaking of strong performances, Alfre Woodard probably turns in her best yet as Mariah is slowly pulled into her deceased cousin's affairs. She still puts up the front that she doesn't want to be a part of it, but is able to pitch Diamondback on an endeavor that surpasses anything they would have thought of.
I know one of the criticisms of the MCU as a whole is that the shows "don't matter". Even if the movies don't directly acknowledge the events of the shows, it's hard to argue that there aren't ramifications. "Agents of Shield" created a new wave of superpowered inhumans across the globe and Mariah suggests that the Judas bullet can be useful even beyond disposing of Luke Cage, suggesting going as far as to wage a war on all of the superheroes. Whether anything comes of it, I'm not sure, but it could become a problem later on down the line.
I'm actually enjoying Diamondback as a villain. I know reception to him has been mixed, and I was a big fan of Stokes, but Diamondback has a commanding, frightening presence that lends credence to his position as the new big bad. Harvey just owns every scene he's in and the fear that is instilled in those around him is palpable. You can't blame them either, as he shows no qualms about killing people with little to no provocation.
For those craving social commentary, the real standout scene is going to be the one where Luke (while wearing a hoodie) is confronted by two cops. I guess it was inevitable, but isn't the scene a subversion? Note, the cops don't draw their weapons until they confirm that he's a wanted fugitive and a trigger only gets pulled after Luke attacks the cop who was about to cuff him. I suppose you could argue that this is a depiction of how things SHOULD be, as opposed to how they are.
Sadly, this was one of Luke's better moments, as this episode really puts him through the wringer. Where the last episode had him largely shrug off the bullet in his stomach, we start to see him succumbing to the effects to a much greater degree. His wounds are becoming infected and he's starting to cough up blood. Not good.
On the plus side, with the help of Claire and one of the Seagate doctors, he's able to at least start getting medical treatment. The downside is that said treatment involves having a needle shoved down his throat to draw blood and than being dipped in acid. Both scenes are very squirm inducing for obvious reasons.
The doctor says that the intent with the acid bath is to soften his skin (would that be temporary or would it rob him of his powers for good?) so that they can operate, but the way he keeps looking at the ultrasound, it seems like they're trying to dissolve the shrapnel. I suppose it's moot as the endeavor is unsuccessful on every front. It's times like this where an arc reactor would have really come in handy.
Again, we have a cliffhanger, and again it falls flat. True, Luke doesn't get shot with a third Judas bullet, but we are supposed to think that he died. This is, of course, ludicrous as there are still four episodes left and we know he's joining the Defenders. Luke raising his fist (an agreed upon signal for when Claire should pull him out because the pain is too much) before his hand fell limp was pretty funny, though, so points for that.
The episode did have a bit of a slow start, but things definitely picked up as the episode went on. We got new insight on multiple characters and we saw the new villain really step up to the plate and grab the role with both hands.
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Monday, November 28, 2016
'Dragon Ball Super' episode 68: 'Come Forth, Shenron! Whose Wish Will be Granted?'
With most dragon ball storylines, it wraps up with the crew gathering the dragon balls to use wishes as a way to undo the damage done by the latest big bad and restore the lives of those lost. As this latest arc largely took place in an alternate future, they don't really have that problem. As a result, the wishes used here can be used in a more indulgent fashion.
As it turns out, everybody has a wish that they want granted. Goku wants to finally revive King Kai, Bulma wants material for the time machine that she's building, Roshi wants women, Goten and Trunks want to make a wish because they have never had the opportunity, 18 wants to get a gift for Krillin, and Pilaf wants to take over the world.
Going in, I thought that Shenron's ability to grant multiple wishes would mitigate the conflict somewhat. As you can see, though, the wish list goes beyond what Shenron can do. It's even worse as he can only grant two wishes given the fact that he was summoned back during Beerus' initial attack.
As you can imagine, this leads to quite a bit of bickering as everybody makes the case for their respective wish. We also get a nice running gag as Pilaf's repeated attempts to hijack a wish are met with a new party charging in to get their wish granted and knocking him around.
Credit to Shenron, he's not normally that patient, but he puts up with it for quite a while. Granted, near the end, he sticks around due to fear of Beerus, but it's still surprising.
While the episode's humor works well, the real highlights are the more heartwarming bits. When Gohan arrives, he asks that Shenron cure Pan of a fever that doctors and medicine have been unable to treat. For one thing, Gohan politely asking the others if he can have his wish granted is in stark contrast to most of the other characters who expect to have their wish granted just because they showed up. On top of that, it's Pan. Even when the cast are in the height of their squabbles, they all put aside their differences to let the kid get the necessary magical treatment. Pan's reaction to being back in peak condition only makes the scene that much more fun to watch.
Does the zenkai boost work with diseases? I'm guessing not, though you could argue that the body still recovers. If it does apply, it's a good way to get the ball rolling for her becoming super saiyan when she gets older.
You could also see Bulma's speech to 18 about how she and Marron are all Krillin wants as rather sweet, but I was thinking that Bulma was playing her to remove a potential competing wish. From what we see, there's nothing to suggest this and it seems that Bulma was on the level (even 18 acknowledges that it's what Krillin would say,) but I figured that was going to be the route they were going to take. Considering 18's wish was more altruistic and posed less of a risk, it really wouldn't have surprised me if Bulma felt she had to resort to such a tactic to "win".
Speaking of, it was odd how dismissive most were of Goku's desired wish. I'd think reviving a divine being takes precedence over another pair of women's underpants, but these characters don't seem to think so. It's even more jarring as Goku was the one who went through the trouble of gathering the dragon balls and summoning Shenron in the first place. Expecting him to move to the back of the line is obnoxious, though no one thinks to acknowledge it as such.
At least Bulma can make the case that her radar is what allowed him to be summoned. She also does a pretty good job stepping up to the plate and "granting" the wishes of others. She uses her wealth and connections to call up some escorts for Roshi, pays 18 to swat Oolong away, and points out that the kids don't know what they're going to wish for. It just goes to show you that even if you can't summon a magical, wish granting dragon, you can do just about the same thing with enormous sums of money...wait.
This was a simple episode, but it was just the breather that viewers need after the fairly intense confrontation with a deranged, omnicidal god.
The next episode looks like it's going to take a similar tone, though it's hyping of the return of Arale is undercut by the fact that I don't know who that is. I'm sure the episode will give some explanation, much like it did with Jaco, but we'll see how that plays out when we get to it.
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As it turns out, everybody has a wish that they want granted. Goku wants to finally revive King Kai, Bulma wants material for the time machine that she's building, Roshi wants women, Goten and Trunks want to make a wish because they have never had the opportunity, 18 wants to get a gift for Krillin, and Pilaf wants to take over the world.
Going in, I thought that Shenron's ability to grant multiple wishes would mitigate the conflict somewhat. As you can see, though, the wish list goes beyond what Shenron can do. It's even worse as he can only grant two wishes given the fact that he was summoned back during Beerus' initial attack.
As you can imagine, this leads to quite a bit of bickering as everybody makes the case for their respective wish. We also get a nice running gag as Pilaf's repeated attempts to hijack a wish are met with a new party charging in to get their wish granted and knocking him around.
Credit to Shenron, he's not normally that patient, but he puts up with it for quite a while. Granted, near the end, he sticks around due to fear of Beerus, but it's still surprising.
While the episode's humor works well, the real highlights are the more heartwarming bits. When Gohan arrives, he asks that Shenron cure Pan of a fever that doctors and medicine have been unable to treat. For one thing, Gohan politely asking the others if he can have his wish granted is in stark contrast to most of the other characters who expect to have their wish granted just because they showed up. On top of that, it's Pan. Even when the cast are in the height of their squabbles, they all put aside their differences to let the kid get the necessary magical treatment. Pan's reaction to being back in peak condition only makes the scene that much more fun to watch.
Does the zenkai boost work with diseases? I'm guessing not, though you could argue that the body still recovers. If it does apply, it's a good way to get the ball rolling for her becoming super saiyan when she gets older.
You could also see Bulma's speech to 18 about how she and Marron are all Krillin wants as rather sweet, but I was thinking that Bulma was playing her to remove a potential competing wish. From what we see, there's nothing to suggest this and it seems that Bulma was on the level (even 18 acknowledges that it's what Krillin would say,) but I figured that was going to be the route they were going to take. Considering 18's wish was more altruistic and posed less of a risk, it really wouldn't have surprised me if Bulma felt she had to resort to such a tactic to "win".
Speaking of, it was odd how dismissive most were of Goku's desired wish. I'd think reviving a divine being takes precedence over another pair of women's underpants, but these characters don't seem to think so. It's even more jarring as Goku was the one who went through the trouble of gathering the dragon balls and summoning Shenron in the first place. Expecting him to move to the back of the line is obnoxious, though no one thinks to acknowledge it as such.
At least Bulma can make the case that her radar is what allowed him to be summoned. She also does a pretty good job stepping up to the plate and "granting" the wishes of others. She uses her wealth and connections to call up some escorts for Roshi, pays 18 to swat Oolong away, and points out that the kids don't know what they're going to wish for. It just goes to show you that even if you can't summon a magical, wish granting dragon, you can do just about the same thing with enormous sums of money...wait.
This was a simple episode, but it was just the breather that viewers need after the fairly intense confrontation with a deranged, omnicidal god.
The next episode looks like it's going to take a similar tone, though it's hyping of the return of Arale is undercut by the fact that I don't know who that is. I'm sure the episode will give some explanation, much like it did with Jaco, but we'll see how that plays out when we get to it.
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Friday, November 25, 2016
'Shutter Island' movie review
You can read my review of the film here.
Pros
- Strong cast
- Intriguing premise
Cons
- Script really telegraphs a major aspect of the twist. Even though there's more to it, it takes you out of the movie and gives the viewer the impression that their time is being wasted.
Overall
Decent movie that's worth a rental.
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Pros
- Strong cast
- Intriguing premise
Cons
- Script really telegraphs a major aspect of the twist. Even though there's more to it, it takes you out of the movie and gives the viewer the impression that their time is being wasted.
Overall
Decent movie that's worth a rental.
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Tuesday, November 22, 2016
'Luke Cage' episode 8: 'Blowin Up the Spot'
Exit Stokes, enter the reign of Diamondback. Yes, the bigger threat alluded to back in the beginning of the season finally enters the fray. Alas, it isn't the guard from Seagate, though he is someone from Luke's past.
As it is, the results on Diamondback are mixed. He lacks the charm and the nuance of Stokes, but he does appear to have a deeper enmity for our hero. Stokes never really viewed Luke as more than a nuisance that needed to be dealt with. Diamondback is dead set on killing Luke no matter what it takes, spending most of the episode hunting him down in such a fashion that you almost get a Kraven-esque vibe.
Sadly, because this is the first time we've seen him, the hatred does fall flat, though Erik LaRay Harvey does as good a job as one can expect in selling it. I'm guessing it will be elaborated on later, but we only get vague mention of why Diamondback hates Luke the way he does. On Luke's side, he seems more regretful, offering sincere apologies for what went down before. It should make for some interesting character fodder down the line.
Considering Luke was shot in the stomach by an alien bullet, he fares pretty well here. Again, medical care is next to impossible given his...condition? You'd think that just going in and taking the bullet out would be easy, but as it explodes, all that's left is shrapnel that is being pushed deeper into Luke's vital organs by his own body's special ability. Making his greatest strength into his greatest weakness was a clever move on the writer's part, kudos for that. The open wound also gives Diamondback a nice, weak spot to repeatedly attack when he and Luke do get into physical confrontations, making for a fairly level playing field.
That's right, none of this stops Luke from getting into a rather prolonged fist fight with his new nemesis. It made for some cool, very well choreographed sequences, but considering the guy could barely stand up at points, you might find it hard to believe. I suppose you could view it as either a testament to his determination to set things right or a display of the true power of adrenaline, I don't know.
Misty starts off the episode on a strong note, but somehow she veers off the path into a rather bizarre mentality.
When the episode opens, she's investigating the death of Cornell. Despite Mariah's and Shades' efforts, she's still skeptical of the story they cook up that it was Luke who dealt out that particular punishment. I was mentally giving her credit for seeing right through it and finding multiple holes in their narrative (as any cop/detective worth their salt should,) but later on, she's hellbent on bringing him in; even when she finds out that he has a legitimate alibi (having a gunshot wound to the stomach.)
Maybe she just wanted to get it on record so that they could play it by the book, but she never thinks to say this.
It gets to the point where she tries to strangle Claire during an interrogation because Claire won't fill her in on who "Carl"* is. Even "bad cops" aren't supposed to take it that far. A part of me wanted to see Claire fight back, but she was smart enough to know that would just get her arrested for assaulting a cop. At least Misty's superior comes in, chides Misty, and offers Claire the chance to press charges.
Where the last episode's cliffhanger worked really well, this one doesn't quite hit the same heights. It largely suffers from being the exact same cliffhanger. I'm not joking. Luke gets shot with another Judas bullet and gets knocked into the back of a garbage truck. The only thing that's really changed is that Claire is no longer there to administer what aid she can.
Even the wham line about Diamondback being Luke's brother falls somewhat flat. That sort of twist has been done...like, a lot. On top of that, much like Diamondback's enmity, this is an element that falls flat due to the fact that we pretty much just met the guy.
This episode did a good job of turning the page as we move from the conflict with Stokes to the one with Diamondback. There were some kinks in structuring the story this way, but hopefully, those will work themselves out as more details come to light.
*For those curious, no, none of the cops refer to him as "Coral", though now that I think about it; that is totally a thing that should happen.
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As it is, the results on Diamondback are mixed. He lacks the charm and the nuance of Stokes, but he does appear to have a deeper enmity for our hero. Stokes never really viewed Luke as more than a nuisance that needed to be dealt with. Diamondback is dead set on killing Luke no matter what it takes, spending most of the episode hunting him down in such a fashion that you almost get a Kraven-esque vibe.
Sadly, because this is the first time we've seen him, the hatred does fall flat, though Erik LaRay Harvey does as good a job as one can expect in selling it. I'm guessing it will be elaborated on later, but we only get vague mention of why Diamondback hates Luke the way he does. On Luke's side, he seems more regretful, offering sincere apologies for what went down before. It should make for some interesting character fodder down the line.
Considering Luke was shot in the stomach by an alien bullet, he fares pretty well here. Again, medical care is next to impossible given his...condition? You'd think that just going in and taking the bullet out would be easy, but as it explodes, all that's left is shrapnel that is being pushed deeper into Luke's vital organs by his own body's special ability. Making his greatest strength into his greatest weakness was a clever move on the writer's part, kudos for that. The open wound also gives Diamondback a nice, weak spot to repeatedly attack when he and Luke do get into physical confrontations, making for a fairly level playing field.
That's right, none of this stops Luke from getting into a rather prolonged fist fight with his new nemesis. It made for some cool, very well choreographed sequences, but considering the guy could barely stand up at points, you might find it hard to believe. I suppose you could view it as either a testament to his determination to set things right or a display of the true power of adrenaline, I don't know.
Misty starts off the episode on a strong note, but somehow she veers off the path into a rather bizarre mentality.
When the episode opens, she's investigating the death of Cornell. Despite Mariah's and Shades' efforts, she's still skeptical of the story they cook up that it was Luke who dealt out that particular punishment. I was mentally giving her credit for seeing right through it and finding multiple holes in their narrative (as any cop/detective worth their salt should,) but later on, she's hellbent on bringing him in; even when she finds out that he has a legitimate alibi (having a gunshot wound to the stomach.)
Maybe she just wanted to get it on record so that they could play it by the book, but she never thinks to say this.
It gets to the point where she tries to strangle Claire during an interrogation because Claire won't fill her in on who "Carl"* is. Even "bad cops" aren't supposed to take it that far. A part of me wanted to see Claire fight back, but she was smart enough to know that would just get her arrested for assaulting a cop. At least Misty's superior comes in, chides Misty, and offers Claire the chance to press charges.
Where the last episode's cliffhanger worked really well, this one doesn't quite hit the same heights. It largely suffers from being the exact same cliffhanger. I'm not joking. Luke gets shot with another Judas bullet and gets knocked into the back of a garbage truck. The only thing that's really changed is that Claire is no longer there to administer what aid she can.
Even the wham line about Diamondback being Luke's brother falls somewhat flat. That sort of twist has been done...like, a lot. On top of that, much like Diamondback's enmity, this is an element that falls flat due to the fact that we pretty much just met the guy.
This episode did a good job of turning the page as we move from the conflict with Stokes to the one with Diamondback. There were some kinks in structuring the story this way, but hopefully, those will work themselves out as more details come to light.
*For those curious, no, none of the cops refer to him as "Coral", though now that I think about it; that is totally a thing that should happen.
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Monday, November 21, 2016
'Dragon Ball Super' episode 67: 'With New HOPE!! In Our Hearts! Farewell, Trunks'
Zamasu has been neutronized, hooray! Now it's time for a light breather episode completely free of tension and full of levity, right?
No. Just like Gozer, Zamasu's total protonic reversal doesn't quite stick and the breath of relief is short lived. As was the case with the Sumerian destructor god, the sky soon turns black and the heroes are taunted by a voice from the sky. It's mostly mad cackling, but it certainly gets the job done.
The image of multiple demonic Zamasu faces filling the sky certainly rank among the show's most nightmarish images. It only gets worse when he starts raining down death on what little is left of humanity.
The whole scenario seems utterly hopeless. Not only is the mass death an emotional gut punch in and of itself (a scene made all the more heart wrenching by Mai's response.) but it prevents Trunks from using the spirit sword again. Meanwhile, Goku and Vegeta expended all their energy with the final kamehameha during the Vegito fight, leaving them unable to go into super saiyan blue.
God bless em, the three do try to fight back, launching a galick gun, kamehameha, and a final flash that combine into one large attack, but it does nothing to the incorporeal entity.
While Goku is out of senzu beans, he does have the button to summon Zen'o. That's right, it's deus ex machina time! I joke, but I really can't fault them for it. They are literally out of options and have no other way out. Calling him in like this also avoids the "why didn't Zen'o do anything productive when so much was at stake?" question I brought up before.
It isn't like it's just Future Trunks' timeline at stake. We see Zamasu's malevolence start to spread back into the past (though alas, all the present day characters do is gawk.) It likely would have eventually infected and destroyed every timeline in every universe if it wasn't put in check.
Seeing as he is the most powerful being who rules over all of existence, you'd think that there would be only one Zen'o that is omnipresent and omniscient. That doesn't turn out to be the case. Instead, Goku summons the Zen'o from this time period specifically. That means that he has no idea who Goku is, though he doesn't seem too fazed by the bear hug that the saiyan gives him upon his arrival.
To his credit, Zen'o is willing to deal with Zamasu, but he does so by destroying the entire timeline. I'm not sure whether this was an instance of overkill (with Zen'o deeming a universe where Zamasu exists to be undeserving) or a legitimate countermeasure. It is explicitly stated that Zamasu is becoming the universe itself, so maybe it was the only way to deal with him once and for all. Still, I don't think that's what Goku had in mind.
Fortunately, the two kais are able to teleport away while the others escape using the time machine. Why the kais didn't take everybody with them when they teleported is beyond me, but it's moot. I'm also surprised that there was no repercussion to Vegeta and Goku hanging on the outside of the time machine while it ventured back.
It's here where the characters are finally able to legitimately celebrate the defeat of the evil foe and the saving of existence.
You'd think it would lead to mood whiplash, but it works rather well. Having the celebration in the brigher, more colorful present day also seems more fitting and adds to the sense of optimism.
Still, there are some loose ends that need tying up, thus Goku and Trunks return to the future to find nothing but future Zen'o. You'd think that Zen'o would have just gone back to whatever realm he was in prior, but he seems confused as to what he's supposed to do. Fortunately, Goku brings him back to the present and introduces future Zen'o to present day Zen'o so that they can become friends, fulfilling Goku's promise.
You have to hand it to the guy, that was pretty clever thinking on Goku's part. I'm not sure what the ramifications are to having two omni-kings, but at least the two get along swimmingly. Even another angel, who is revealed to be Whis' father, admits that it was smart. Whis gives credit where it's due and acknowledges that it was entirely Goku's idea.
With that matter taken care of, there's just the question of what to do with Future Trunks and Future Mai. I'd think that just having them live in the present and start a new life together would be plenty, but it is decided that they have to go back to the future....Well, a different future.
In keeping with one of the running themes of this arc, the timey-wimey ball comes into play, and Whis explains that they can go to a time before Zamasu began his campaign and warn future Beerus about it. It wouldn't be the exact future that Trunks and Mai lived in, but it would be a new, brighter future for the two of them. The only downside seems to be that there will be two Trunks' and two Mais. I'm calling it now, the second future Trunks will have the original purple hair and that's going to be how we tell them apart.
If they're going to do that, though, why not go one better and go back to before the androids? They could save the future's Goku from his heart virus as they did for the present one and the other Z-fighters (not to mention countless other lives) would be saved to boot.
You could also argue (as the characters themselves do) that this wouldn't solve anything, as even killing Zamasu before he became immortal didn't seem to work. Whis just shrugs it off and says that they have a way of imprisoning him that surpasses even the urn of the mufuba.
When Goku rightly calls them out on not bringing this up earlier, Beerus chides them for being too reliant on the gods. I'm not sure how true that is, and to be fair, this crew has been reliant on Goku for decades. He's tried to pass the burden to others, first Gohan, and then Goten and Trunks; but he can't seem to shake it.
As the title suggests, it is here where we say goodbye to Future Trunks. It is a heartwarming and poignant scene, especially when Gohan arrives to see his friend off. On the plus side, Future Trunks does depart with the words "until we meet again" leaving the door open for another possible appearance sometime down the line, though hopefully under better circumstances.
I have mixed feelings on this episode. There's a lot to like here, no doubt. As mentioned, there's a lot of creepy imagery and a foreboding sense of hopelessness in the early parts. The lighter moments also work well and make for a nice happy ending. I did get a kick out of the Trunks/Mai shipping as kid Trunks starts crushing on Future Mai (just as Mai did for Future Trunks.) The idea that the two kids could get together is even brought up, though Mai seems...reluctant?
I said before that the last episode was as satisfying a conclusion as one could hope for in regards to this storyline. I stand by that, and alas, this episode undercuts that to a certain extent. I thought having Future Trunks, as well as the support of humanity being what took Zamasu down had a lot more kick than just having Zen'o be the one to do it. The follow up is logical, given that there was still an immortal half of the god that needed to be dealt with, but while it's a good ending, it wasn't the great ending that we had before.
While this episode's preview gave off the impression that it would be lighter, the next episode seems like it will follow through on being the needed breather. I'm assuming the super dragon balls are back in working order now, though that has yet to be determined. Maybe that's one of the wishes that will be used next episode when the standard dragon balls are collected, but we'll have to wait to see and find out.
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No. Just like Gozer, Zamasu's total protonic reversal doesn't quite stick and the breath of relief is short lived. As was the case with the Sumerian destructor god, the sky soon turns black and the heroes are taunted by a voice from the sky. It's mostly mad cackling, but it certainly gets the job done.
The image of multiple demonic Zamasu faces filling the sky certainly rank among the show's most nightmarish images. It only gets worse when he starts raining down death on what little is left of humanity.
The whole scenario seems utterly hopeless. Not only is the mass death an emotional gut punch in and of itself (a scene made all the more heart wrenching by Mai's response.) but it prevents Trunks from using the spirit sword again. Meanwhile, Goku and Vegeta expended all their energy with the final kamehameha during the Vegito fight, leaving them unable to go into super saiyan blue.
God bless em, the three do try to fight back, launching a galick gun, kamehameha, and a final flash that combine into one large attack, but it does nothing to the incorporeal entity.
While Goku is out of senzu beans, he does have the button to summon Zen'o. That's right, it's deus ex machina time! I joke, but I really can't fault them for it. They are literally out of options and have no other way out. Calling him in like this also avoids the "why didn't Zen'o do anything productive when so much was at stake?" question I brought up before.
It isn't like it's just Future Trunks' timeline at stake. We see Zamasu's malevolence start to spread back into the past (though alas, all the present day characters do is gawk.) It likely would have eventually infected and destroyed every timeline in every universe if it wasn't put in check.
Seeing as he is the most powerful being who rules over all of existence, you'd think that there would be only one Zen'o that is omnipresent and omniscient. That doesn't turn out to be the case. Instead, Goku summons the Zen'o from this time period specifically. That means that he has no idea who Goku is, though he doesn't seem too fazed by the bear hug that the saiyan gives him upon his arrival.
To his credit, Zen'o is willing to deal with Zamasu, but he does so by destroying the entire timeline. I'm not sure whether this was an instance of overkill (with Zen'o deeming a universe where Zamasu exists to be undeserving) or a legitimate countermeasure. It is explicitly stated that Zamasu is becoming the universe itself, so maybe it was the only way to deal with him once and for all. Still, I don't think that's what Goku had in mind.
Fortunately, the two kais are able to teleport away while the others escape using the time machine. Why the kais didn't take everybody with them when they teleported is beyond me, but it's moot. I'm also surprised that there was no repercussion to Vegeta and Goku hanging on the outside of the time machine while it ventured back.
It's here where the characters are finally able to legitimately celebrate the defeat of the evil foe and the saving of existence.
You'd think it would lead to mood whiplash, but it works rather well. Having the celebration in the brigher, more colorful present day also seems more fitting and adds to the sense of optimism.
Still, there are some loose ends that need tying up, thus Goku and Trunks return to the future to find nothing but future Zen'o. You'd think that Zen'o would have just gone back to whatever realm he was in prior, but he seems confused as to what he's supposed to do. Fortunately, Goku brings him back to the present and introduces future Zen'o to present day Zen'o so that they can become friends, fulfilling Goku's promise.
You have to hand it to the guy, that was pretty clever thinking on Goku's part. I'm not sure what the ramifications are to having two omni-kings, but at least the two get along swimmingly. Even another angel, who is revealed to be Whis' father, admits that it was smart. Whis gives credit where it's due and acknowledges that it was entirely Goku's idea.
With that matter taken care of, there's just the question of what to do with Future Trunks and Future Mai. I'd think that just having them live in the present and start a new life together would be plenty, but it is decided that they have to go back to the future....Well, a different future.
In keeping with one of the running themes of this arc, the timey-wimey ball comes into play, and Whis explains that they can go to a time before Zamasu began his campaign and warn future Beerus about it. It wouldn't be the exact future that Trunks and Mai lived in, but it would be a new, brighter future for the two of them. The only downside seems to be that there will be two Trunks' and two Mais. I'm calling it now, the second future Trunks will have the original purple hair and that's going to be how we tell them apart.
If they're going to do that, though, why not go one better and go back to before the androids? They could save the future's Goku from his heart virus as they did for the present one and the other Z-fighters (not to mention countless other lives) would be saved to boot.
When Goku rightly calls them out on not bringing this up earlier, Beerus chides them for being too reliant on the gods. I'm not sure how true that is, and to be fair, this crew has been reliant on Goku for decades. He's tried to pass the burden to others, first Gohan, and then Goten and Trunks; but he can't seem to shake it.
As the title suggests, it is here where we say goodbye to Future Trunks. It is a heartwarming and poignant scene, especially when Gohan arrives to see his friend off. On the plus side, Future Trunks does depart with the words "until we meet again" leaving the door open for another possible appearance sometime down the line, though hopefully under better circumstances.
I have mixed feelings on this episode. There's a lot to like here, no doubt. As mentioned, there's a lot of creepy imagery and a foreboding sense of hopelessness in the early parts. The lighter moments also work well and make for a nice happy ending. I did get a kick out of the Trunks/Mai shipping as kid Trunks starts crushing on Future Mai (just as Mai did for Future Trunks.) The idea that the two kids could get together is even brought up, though Mai seems...reluctant?
I said before that the last episode was as satisfying a conclusion as one could hope for in regards to this storyline. I stand by that, and alas, this episode undercuts that to a certain extent. I thought having Future Trunks, as well as the support of humanity being what took Zamasu down had a lot more kick than just having Zen'o be the one to do it. The follow up is logical, given that there was still an immortal half of the god that needed to be dealt with, but while it's a good ending, it wasn't the great ending that we had before.
While this episode's preview gave off the impression that it would be lighter, the next episode seems like it will follow through on being the needed breather. I'm assuming the super dragon balls are back in working order now, though that has yet to be determined. Maybe that's one of the wishes that will be used next episode when the standard dragon balls are collected, but we'll have to wait to see and find out.
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Friday, November 18, 2016
'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2, Episode 6: 'Outlaw Country'
A time quake brings the team back to the old west. Not surprisingly, this makes for something of a sequel episode to "The Magnificent Eight". Jonah Hex even makes a return appearance.
This episode handled him a lot better, to be honest. Last time, it seemed like he was just along for the ride and gave some exposition. Here, he plays a more active role and the script gives him more to do while also fleshing out his character to a much greater extent.
The real show stealer here, though, is Nate. As this is his first venture into the old west, he naturally spends a lot of the episode geeking out and invoking western movie tropes. He gets a lot of the best lines and starts to form a closer bond to Ray, which I'm surprised took this long given that both are idealistic dorks. I do find his lamenting his role as research guy to be a bit odd, given that that is what he offered to bring to the table when he first joined the team. I get the logic, given his sheltered upbringing and the possibility to go out and be a hero, but it still comes off as odd
Also odd is the direction the episode went with Mick. Seeing him get along swimmingly with Turnbull was a great bit, but the idea that he is still the crazed pyro that he was when he first started seems like a step backward.
Speaking of Turnbull, he made for a decent villain. A lot of credit goes to Fahey, who gives the character enough energy and charm to make up for his thin motivations. The dwarf star bullets were also a nice way to level the playing field and make him a credible threat to the team, while also giving Ray what he needs to put the A.T.O.M Mk II suit together.
I was surprised that Barry's message still wasn't revealed. It's mentioned, but with the mention of an oncoming war, I figured it was setting up the crossover. Considering that the crossover is coming next, it's continued secrecy is surprising. Then again, it's possible that my original theory was correct and it deals with Eobard. You'd think that if it were Eobard, that Stein would have said something given that he helped take down Reverse Flash before. Or maybe the message gets brought up in the crossover itself, we'll have to see. The episode's end does make for a nice lead in, though, as Sara reveals that their friends in 2016 need their help.
There are areas where this episode certainly improved on what we saw in "The Magnificent Eight". It still has the fun, as almost every character gets in a solid highlight or one-liner. I don't know if it quite hits the same heights (which is odd, given the aforementioned improvements) but it is certainly a worthy follow up.
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This episode handled him a lot better, to be honest. Last time, it seemed like he was just along for the ride and gave some exposition. Here, he plays a more active role and the script gives him more to do while also fleshing out his character to a much greater extent.
The real show stealer here, though, is Nate. As this is his first venture into the old west, he naturally spends a lot of the episode geeking out and invoking western movie tropes. He gets a lot of the best lines and starts to form a closer bond to Ray, which I'm surprised took this long given that both are idealistic dorks. I do find his lamenting his role as research guy to be a bit odd, given that that is what he offered to bring to the table when he first joined the team. I get the logic, given his sheltered upbringing and the possibility to go out and be a hero, but it still comes off as odd
Also odd is the direction the episode went with Mick. Seeing him get along swimmingly with Turnbull was a great bit, but the idea that he is still the crazed pyro that he was when he first started seems like a step backward.
Speaking of Turnbull, he made for a decent villain. A lot of credit goes to Fahey, who gives the character enough energy and charm to make up for his thin motivations. The dwarf star bullets were also a nice way to level the playing field and make him a credible threat to the team, while also giving Ray what he needs to put the A.T.O.M Mk II suit together.
I was surprised that Barry's message still wasn't revealed. It's mentioned, but with the mention of an oncoming war, I figured it was setting up the crossover. Considering that the crossover is coming next, it's continued secrecy is surprising. Then again, it's possible that my original theory was correct and it deals with Eobard. You'd think that if it were Eobard, that Stein would have said something given that he helped take down Reverse Flash before. Or maybe the message gets brought up in the crossover itself, we'll have to see. The episode's end does make for a nice lead in, though, as Sara reveals that their friends in 2016 need their help.
There are areas where this episode certainly improved on what we saw in "The Magnificent Eight". It still has the fun, as almost every character gets in a solid highlight or one-liner. I don't know if it quite hits the same heights (which is odd, given the aforementioned improvements) but it is certainly a worthy follow up.
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Monday, November 14, 2016
'Dragon Ball Super' episode 66: 'The Climactic Battle! The Miraculous Power of a Relentless Warrior!'
While the last episode ended with a blinding flash of light from Goku's and Zamasu's beam attacks, this episode backtracks a little so that we can see the battle of wills. It's fair as, not only is it exciting to watch, but it is a staple of the franchise.
Sure enough, Goku does win with a little help from the kaio-ken (Zamasu's reaction isn't quite "kaio-what?" but it was close enough that I still found it amusing,) but it doesn't put the mad god down for good.
Make no mistake, Zamasu is straight up psychotic by this point. While both the original Zamasu and Black thrived on being creepy in a calm and soft spoken way, this new being is beyond rabid. Even his motive rants are much more manic and he's quicker to fly into blind rages. Between this and the deformity that comes as a result of the new form's inability to heal as well as we originally thought, it really shows that he is a legitimate monster. Considering Zamasu started off as a prodigy who wanted to stop violence, it was quite a fall.
The reveal that half of Zamasu's body is immortal and the other isn't was an odd development. I did kind of wonder if they would cancel each other out, but it seemed like the new form took the best of both. The heroes needed something at this point, so I can understand why the writers threw that vulnerability in there.
Mortal or not, this form is still insanely powerful, so much so that the combined might of Goku and Vegeta aren't up to the task, thus the supreme kai suggests using his potarra earrings to fuse.
The preview kind of spoiled this, but I figured that the two saiyans would perform the fusion dance, as the fusion that came from the earrings was said to be permanent. To address that, there's a bit of a retcon. We were led to believe that it was being in Majin Buu that broke the two apart when they fused before. However, Supreme Kai explains that with mortals, the fusion only lasts an hour. It kind of makes sense, if you think about it. I mean, Gotenks didn't break up in that fashion when he was absorbed.
While it would have been cool to see Gogeta become canon, we do get the return of Vegito; not to mention the fact that the heroes also have the benefit of a longer fusion time to better their chances of victory. This was a being who was already absurdly powerful, but add the fact that both saiyans are now god-tier in their base form and the fact that he can go super saiyan blue and you don't even want to think about what sort of power level they've hit at this point.
Credit to Zamasu, he puts up a hell of a fight. You get the best of both worlds, as he doesn't go out like a complete punk, but you still get the satisfaction of seeing Vegito smack him around quite a bit while Zamasu tries to boast about how superior he is.
For those who still hold a grudge against the series for the animation seen in episode 5, this episode should more than make up for it. Special credit goes to the editors too. The episode was full of multiple rapid cuts, but it never got hard to follow and made the fight much more exciting and engaging. Whoever they are, they deserve a raise because they hit it out of the park here.
Oddly, Vegito is not the one to put Zamasu down. Admittedly, Vegito kind of threw the fight against Super Buu in order to rescue those absorbed, but it's fascinating to think that this insanely powerful being is, for all intents and purposes, still winless. Still, seeing him perform the "final kamehameha" was a treat.
No, the honor of stopping this apocalyptic threat goes to Future Trunks. I actually liked the plot going this way. This saga has really played him up as the champion for this timeline, so having him step up and abolish the threat helps carry that to its logical conclusion. Having the humans of the Earth all give him their energy may feel repetitive, as it's been done before, but given how heavily humanity played a role here, I think it makes perfect sense and makes Zamasu's ultimate defeat that much more resonant and satisfying. Having somebody else put down the big bad also helps address the criticism that this is the "Goku and Vegeta" show.
Endings are tricky, especially when everything that came before it was so enjoyable. So often, you see people try to write off bad resolutions by pointing out that the journey is more important. Thankfully, this didn't do that. This followed through and delivered as satisfying an ending as you could hope for.
Next episode, not surprisingly, is going to be a breather, as the storyline reaches its denouement. After all this, I think the characters, and maybe even the viewers, could use it. Apparently, the omni-king is going to show up, likely to help bring about the second tournament he talked about. I'm not going to lie, a part of me wants to see somebody chew him out for not doing anything while an omnicidal kai waged war on mortals and gods alike. The fact that he only shows up just as the ultimate villain is defeated makes it that much more galling. Given how the omni-king has been characterized thus far, it's not the best idea and would most certainly end badly, but it would still be nice to see.
Long story short, loved the episode, loved this storyline.
Sure enough, Goku does win with a little help from the kaio-ken (Zamasu's reaction isn't quite "kaio-what?" but it was close enough that I still found it amusing,) but it doesn't put the mad god down for good.
Make no mistake, Zamasu is straight up psychotic by this point. While both the original Zamasu and Black thrived on being creepy in a calm and soft spoken way, this new being is beyond rabid. Even his motive rants are much more manic and he's quicker to fly into blind rages. Between this and the deformity that comes as a result of the new form's inability to heal as well as we originally thought, it really shows that he is a legitimate monster. Considering Zamasu started off as a prodigy who wanted to stop violence, it was quite a fall.
The reveal that half of Zamasu's body is immortal and the other isn't was an odd development. I did kind of wonder if they would cancel each other out, but it seemed like the new form took the best of both. The heroes needed something at this point, so I can understand why the writers threw that vulnerability in there.
Mortal or not, this form is still insanely powerful, so much so that the combined might of Goku and Vegeta aren't up to the task, thus the supreme kai suggests using his potarra earrings to fuse.
The preview kind of spoiled this, but I figured that the two saiyans would perform the fusion dance, as the fusion that came from the earrings was said to be permanent. To address that, there's a bit of a retcon. We were led to believe that it was being in Majin Buu that broke the two apart when they fused before. However, Supreme Kai explains that with mortals, the fusion only lasts an hour. It kind of makes sense, if you think about it. I mean, Gotenks didn't break up in that fashion when he was absorbed.
While it would have been cool to see Gogeta become canon, we do get the return of Vegito; not to mention the fact that the heroes also have the benefit of a longer fusion time to better their chances of victory. This was a being who was already absurdly powerful, but add the fact that both saiyans are now god-tier in their base form and the fact that he can go super saiyan blue and you don't even want to think about what sort of power level they've hit at this point.
Credit to Zamasu, he puts up a hell of a fight. You get the best of both worlds, as he doesn't go out like a complete punk, but you still get the satisfaction of seeing Vegito smack him around quite a bit while Zamasu tries to boast about how superior he is.
For those who still hold a grudge against the series for the animation seen in episode 5, this episode should more than make up for it. Special credit goes to the editors too. The episode was full of multiple rapid cuts, but it never got hard to follow and made the fight much more exciting and engaging. Whoever they are, they deserve a raise because they hit it out of the park here.
Oddly, Vegito is not the one to put Zamasu down. Admittedly, Vegito kind of threw the fight against Super Buu in order to rescue those absorbed, but it's fascinating to think that this insanely powerful being is, for all intents and purposes, still winless. Still, seeing him perform the "final kamehameha" was a treat.
No, the honor of stopping this apocalyptic threat goes to Future Trunks. I actually liked the plot going this way. This saga has really played him up as the champion for this timeline, so having him step up and abolish the threat helps carry that to its logical conclusion. Having the humans of the Earth all give him their energy may feel repetitive, as it's been done before, but given how heavily humanity played a role here, I think it makes perfect sense and makes Zamasu's ultimate defeat that much more resonant and satisfying. Having somebody else put down the big bad also helps address the criticism that this is the "Goku and Vegeta" show.
Endings are tricky, especially when everything that came before it was so enjoyable. So often, you see people try to write off bad resolutions by pointing out that the journey is more important. Thankfully, this didn't do that. This followed through and delivered as satisfying an ending as you could hope for.
Next episode, not surprisingly, is going to be a breather, as the storyline reaches its denouement. After all this, I think the characters, and maybe even the viewers, could use it. Apparently, the omni-king is going to show up, likely to help bring about the second tournament he talked about. I'm not going to lie, a part of me wants to see somebody chew him out for not doing anything while an omnicidal kai waged war on mortals and gods alike. The fact that he only shows up just as the ultimate villain is defeated makes it that much more galling. Given how the omni-king has been characterized thus far, it's not the best idea and would most certainly end badly, but it would still be nice to see.
Long story short, loved the episode, loved this storyline.
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Friday, November 11, 2016
'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2, Episode 5: 'Compromised'
After some one and done stories, the ongoing story arc resumes as Damien Darhk rears his head in the 80's. It leads to a lot of fun nods to the time period. Heck, the episode opens with a homage to Miami Vice.
While the Reagan administration is used as a backdrop for the plot, the episode manages to avoid getting too soap boxy. There is, however, quite a lot of debating going on, which I suppose is fitting.
Jackson, for example, wants to step up their game and change history as opposed to just maintaining it. You can understand his point, and the intention is certainly noble, but that sort of rhetoric has also made way for many a super villain. At the same time, Stein's assertion that they need to worry about the butterfly effect also comes off as hollow considering how many times the team has cut loose over the course of the series.
Sadly, it isn't given much focus as the episode has many other aspects to explore. It was kind of disappointing to see Amaya regress to the colder, more detached persona, as she chides the team for their chumminess. It's consistent with the JSA as seen here, but it's a far cry from the comic team, that took the Titan approach and viewed it as more of a family than a team. Again, she warms up at the end, but it seems like a journey that was already taken.
Even the concept of the JSA being a legacy is tossed aside, as we see that the team disbanded soon after the war. To be fair, I'm OK with this development. If it were suddenly revealed that the team was still active, it would have pushed suspension of disbelief too far. It's said that the team operated under deep cover, but it still would have been a hard pill to swallow that there was a team of superheroes this whole time, even before Oliver and Barry rose to influence.
On the plus side, we get to see Lance Henrikson as an older Obsidian. It would have been nice for him to get more screen time, but he manages to do a lot with what he has.
The episode picks up a few dangling plot threads, such as Sara's desire for revenge for Laurel. It makes sense and, once again, her desire gets the team in trouble. Luckily, she is aware enough to acknowledge the mistake and try to avoid it, albeit temporarily.
Stein once again running into himself didn't work as well. It didn't really do anything that wasn't already done when they had met previously. Honestly, it would have been nice to see that time focused elsewhere.
Mick actually got to shine this week. Normally, he's just comic relief and he's great at it, but Purcell got to show some actual depth as we see that Mick is still mourning the loss of his old partner. It's one of the more memorable parts of the episode, in all honesty.
It was also interesting to see how this episode still managed to tie in the events from last season of Arrow despite technically taking place before it. Sure, Damien is unaware, but Thawne makes a reference to the ark and how that plays out and Sara goes into much greater detail as a way to break him.
It almost worked, except now Damien wants to change things, leading to him forming a more official alliance with Thawne. If the intent is to "fix" the events from Arrow's fourth season, this could be the means Sara needs (or the writers need) to bring her sister back.
I do find it a bit strange that immortal characters are repeatedly given access to time travel. First Vandal, now Damien. It seems redundant, as Darhk can play the long game, but going back is certainly an asset. Watching McDonough play off himself would be interesting to see, I'm not going to lie.
We're still not sure what Thawne's end game is. Darhk is a bit clearer, he's begun his quest to collect potentially powerful artifacts, presumably to combat the metas who now plague him. This lends credence to the self fulfilling prophecy I mentioned before.
The episode was a fun watch, but I don't know if it will go down as one of the season's highlights. Things moved forward on several fronts, but there weren't as many stand out moments as other episodes had delivered.
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While the Reagan administration is used as a backdrop for the plot, the episode manages to avoid getting too soap boxy. There is, however, quite a lot of debating going on, which I suppose is fitting.
Jackson, for example, wants to step up their game and change history as opposed to just maintaining it. You can understand his point, and the intention is certainly noble, but that sort of rhetoric has also made way for many a super villain. At the same time, Stein's assertion that they need to worry about the butterfly effect also comes off as hollow considering how many times the team has cut loose over the course of the series.
Sadly, it isn't given much focus as the episode has many other aspects to explore. It was kind of disappointing to see Amaya regress to the colder, more detached persona, as she chides the team for their chumminess. It's consistent with the JSA as seen here, but it's a far cry from the comic team, that took the Titan approach and viewed it as more of a family than a team. Again, she warms up at the end, but it seems like a journey that was already taken.
Even the concept of the JSA being a legacy is tossed aside, as we see that the team disbanded soon after the war. To be fair, I'm OK with this development. If it were suddenly revealed that the team was still active, it would have pushed suspension of disbelief too far. It's said that the team operated under deep cover, but it still would have been a hard pill to swallow that there was a team of superheroes this whole time, even before Oliver and Barry rose to influence.
On the plus side, we get to see Lance Henrikson as an older Obsidian. It would have been nice for him to get more screen time, but he manages to do a lot with what he has.
The episode picks up a few dangling plot threads, such as Sara's desire for revenge for Laurel. It makes sense and, once again, her desire gets the team in trouble. Luckily, she is aware enough to acknowledge the mistake and try to avoid it, albeit temporarily.
Stein once again running into himself didn't work as well. It didn't really do anything that wasn't already done when they had met previously. Honestly, it would have been nice to see that time focused elsewhere.
Mick actually got to shine this week. Normally, he's just comic relief and he's great at it, but Purcell got to show some actual depth as we see that Mick is still mourning the loss of his old partner. It's one of the more memorable parts of the episode, in all honesty.
It was also interesting to see how this episode still managed to tie in the events from last season of Arrow despite technically taking place before it. Sure, Damien is unaware, but Thawne makes a reference to the ark and how that plays out and Sara goes into much greater detail as a way to break him.
It almost worked, except now Damien wants to change things, leading to him forming a more official alliance with Thawne. If the intent is to "fix" the events from Arrow's fourth season, this could be the means Sara needs (or the writers need) to bring her sister back.
I do find it a bit strange that immortal characters are repeatedly given access to time travel. First Vandal, now Damien. It seems redundant, as Darhk can play the long game, but going back is certainly an asset. Watching McDonough play off himself would be interesting to see, I'm not going to lie.
We're still not sure what Thawne's end game is. Darhk is a bit clearer, he's begun his quest to collect potentially powerful artifacts, presumably to combat the metas who now plague him. This lends credence to the self fulfilling prophecy I mentioned before.
The episode was a fun watch, but I don't know if it will go down as one of the season's highlights. Things moved forward on several fronts, but there weren't as many stand out moments as other episodes had delivered.
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Monday, November 7, 2016
'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 2, Episode 4: 'Abominations'
The team travels to 1863 to respond to a distress signal from a time pirate. It seems simple enough, but things get more complicated when the team discovers zombies. Zombies tend to complicate things.
It makes for a fun episode, as we see that Stein suffers from a severe phobia regarding flesh eating corpses. Said fear only gets worse when Mick is infected and it is up to he and Ray to cure him. Garber is given some solid comedic material, but the scenes also offer some solid horror aspects. Many of the scenes take place in dimly lit hallways, the pair are confined to the ship until a cure can be administered, and when Zombie-Mick does appear, his eyes get an eerie glow. It worked really well, especially given the fact that it aired right around Halloween.
As the episode takes place during the Civil War, it should come as no surprise that, much like 'Night of the Hawk', it tackles the issue of racism. Where that episode was eye-roll inducing and annoying, this one is incredibly effective, becoming moving and powerful as a result. The episode is much better written and, as such, the obstacles feel a lot more natural as opposed to having the characters do something simply because the plot needs them to in order to start preaching.
It did give Jax a bit of an internal struggle, as he initially put more focus on preserving the timeline as opposed to helping people in the short term. It seems like Rip had a bigger impact on him than he thought. It does differ from the venture into future Star City, as that was only a possible timeline, where as Jax's situation requires him to protect an already established timeline. Still, at face value, he isn't entirely wrong, butterfly effect and all that. Still, given what the team's done at this point, the timeline's all kinds of wonky anyway. The dilemma also gives Amaya a chance to show her heroic spirit and bring Jax into the "save people now" mentality.
Last season, I used to chide episodes where everybody split off into various subplots, but this episode (as well as a couple before it) have done a much better job of justifying the splits and giving them the room they need to function.
It actually built up tension here as many heroes were put at a disadvantage. While it would have been cool to see the whole team take on a massive zombie horde, I get why they decided to go this route.
At the very least, we see Sara and Nate having to contend with said horde, as it attempts to overrun Ulysses S. Grant's camp. You'd think that Nate's ability would give them a distinct advantage, but it never really comes up until the final gambit.
I do wish Grant got more to do. As he's unfamiliar with zombies, he's fairly limited in his ability to contribute to the problem at hand. However, his final scene manages to do quite a lot for him, as we see him offering food, shelter, and aid to newly liberated slaves and follow that by having a heart to heart with Sara about how to handle the burden of commanding people who are putting their own lives at risk. I just wish the episode gave him more moments like that throughout the episode as opposed to just giving him a really good send off.
Alas, there isn't much in the way of ongoing arc material. There's a brief scene where we hear a part (though still not all) of future Barry's warning. I was convinced that it had to do with Reverse Flash, but given his line about a war coming, this could be building up to the big three and a half part crossover concerning the Dominators, maybe even tieing into what Alchemy is doing over on "The Flash".
There is follow up about Ray concerning his lack of suit. While he was able to contribute by playing medic here, Mick helps Ray deal with the existential crisis by offering him Snart's gun. I'm kind of surprised that there was no talk of a new suit. I do wonder how long "Ray as new Captain Cold" is going to last, but given how chummy he and Mick are now, it seems like it could be interesting to see.
This episode covered the emotional gamut, providing dark, real world horror, over the top zombie horror, comedy, and several heart warming moments. You'd think that it would lead to mood whiplash or inconsistency, but it actually made for a very well balanced episode. It never gets so dark that it becomes grim, but the comedy doesn't undermine the serious nature of what's on display either.
All in all, it made for an entertaining one and done. All of the characters got a chance to shine in some capacity and it allowed for some nice character development along the way.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
It makes for a fun episode, as we see that Stein suffers from a severe phobia regarding flesh eating corpses. Said fear only gets worse when Mick is infected and it is up to he and Ray to cure him. Garber is given some solid comedic material, but the scenes also offer some solid horror aspects. Many of the scenes take place in dimly lit hallways, the pair are confined to the ship until a cure can be administered, and when Zombie-Mick does appear, his eyes get an eerie glow. It worked really well, especially given the fact that it aired right around Halloween.
As the episode takes place during the Civil War, it should come as no surprise that, much like 'Night of the Hawk', it tackles the issue of racism. Where that episode was eye-roll inducing and annoying, this one is incredibly effective, becoming moving and powerful as a result. The episode is much better written and, as such, the obstacles feel a lot more natural as opposed to having the characters do something simply because the plot needs them to in order to start preaching.
It did give Jax a bit of an internal struggle, as he initially put more focus on preserving the timeline as opposed to helping people in the short term. It seems like Rip had a bigger impact on him than he thought. It does differ from the venture into future Star City, as that was only a possible timeline, where as Jax's situation requires him to protect an already established timeline. Still, at face value, he isn't entirely wrong, butterfly effect and all that. Still, given what the team's done at this point, the timeline's all kinds of wonky anyway. The dilemma also gives Amaya a chance to show her heroic spirit and bring Jax into the "save people now" mentality.
Last season, I used to chide episodes where everybody split off into various subplots, but this episode (as well as a couple before it) have done a much better job of justifying the splits and giving them the room they need to function.
It actually built up tension here as many heroes were put at a disadvantage. While it would have been cool to see the whole team take on a massive zombie horde, I get why they decided to go this route.
At the very least, we see Sara and Nate having to contend with said horde, as it attempts to overrun Ulysses S. Grant's camp. You'd think that Nate's ability would give them a distinct advantage, but it never really comes up until the final gambit.
I do wish Grant got more to do. As he's unfamiliar with zombies, he's fairly limited in his ability to contribute to the problem at hand. However, his final scene manages to do quite a lot for him, as we see him offering food, shelter, and aid to newly liberated slaves and follow that by having a heart to heart with Sara about how to handle the burden of commanding people who are putting their own lives at risk. I just wish the episode gave him more moments like that throughout the episode as opposed to just giving him a really good send off.
Alas, there isn't much in the way of ongoing arc material. There's a brief scene where we hear a part (though still not all) of future Barry's warning. I was convinced that it had to do with Reverse Flash, but given his line about a war coming, this could be building up to the big three and a half part crossover concerning the Dominators, maybe even tieing into what Alchemy is doing over on "The Flash".
There is follow up about Ray concerning his lack of suit. While he was able to contribute by playing medic here, Mick helps Ray deal with the existential crisis by offering him Snart's gun. I'm kind of surprised that there was no talk of a new suit. I do wonder how long "Ray as new Captain Cold" is going to last, but given how chummy he and Mick are now, it seems like it could be interesting to see.
This episode covered the emotional gamut, providing dark, real world horror, over the top zombie horror, comedy, and several heart warming moments. You'd think that it would lead to mood whiplash or inconsistency, but it actually made for a very well balanced episode. It never gets so dark that it becomes grim, but the comedy doesn't undermine the serious nature of what's on display either.
All in all, it made for an entertaining one and done. All of the characters got a chance to shine in some capacity and it allowed for some nice character development along the way.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
'Dragon Ball Super' episode 65: 'Final Judgment!? The Supreme God's Ultimate Power'
Now invincible and capable of infinitely increasing his power, the newly fused Zamasu is more than a little drunk on this new form. Odd as it may sound, the kai develops one of the most extreme god complexes you're likely to see.
The episode really plays up his god form too, with all sorts of religious imagery and rhetoric. Zamasu spends a lot of the episode hovering in the air with his arms out in a Christ pose, his attacks all have Biblical-style names now, and he even gives himself a halo, not to mention all the references to being light or bringing light. It really gave the episode a bona fide apocalyptic feel.
In the face of this, the resilience of the human/mortal spirit really comes to the forefront. The more obvious instance is the saiyan's refusal to surrender, but even the human survivors get some highlights. They don't contribute to the fight in the same way they had before, but when they see someone get blasted to death when they're trying to escape the tunnels and have to send somebody out to do recon to make sure it's OK, every single person offers to go themselves. It's slightly undercut (though still funny) when they all immediately agree to let Yajirobe go when he offers, but it was still a really nice moment.
The saiyans themselves also get some great highlights as they wage battle against a foe that even Gowasu and Supreme Kai note is absurdly powerful.
We get not one, but two "beams o'war" as Zamasu attempts to finally destroy the world in one foul swoop. Trunks puts up a valiant effort on his own, which is impressive considering Zamasu overpowered both Goku and Vegeta in Blue form with ease, but with Vegeta's aid, the two are able to repel the attack.
I was expecting Goku to join in too, but just seeing the father and son blasting alongside each other was still pretty epic. Vegeta jumping in front of Trunks to take a hit was also an incredibly effective moment, both awesome and heartwarming in its own right.
Goku gets his own when Zamasu just tries it again. Considering he's doing on his own what it took two incredibly powerful warriors to do, it really shows what Goku can do.
The climactic blast off also makes for the episode cliffhanger, as the episode pulls a "Lost" and ends with a bright flash of white light. If you didn't watch the preview for the next episode, it was rather effective, but if you did, it loses some of its luster.
Again, we're given a highly enjoyable episode. It seems like they're pulling out all the stops. You wouldn't think it possible by this point, but it really does feel like the stakes have never been higher. It seems like we're reaching the end of the saga, but what an ending it's turning out to be. I kind of feel bad for whatever arc has to follow this, but for now, we can just look forward to the next episode to see the cataclysmic battle between good and evil, gods and mortals continue.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
The episode really plays up his god form too, with all sorts of religious imagery and rhetoric. Zamasu spends a lot of the episode hovering in the air with his arms out in a Christ pose, his attacks all have Biblical-style names now, and he even gives himself a halo, not to mention all the references to being light or bringing light. It really gave the episode a bona fide apocalyptic feel.
In the face of this, the resilience of the human/mortal spirit really comes to the forefront. The more obvious instance is the saiyan's refusal to surrender, but even the human survivors get some highlights. They don't contribute to the fight in the same way they had before, but when they see someone get blasted to death when they're trying to escape the tunnels and have to send somebody out to do recon to make sure it's OK, every single person offers to go themselves. It's slightly undercut (though still funny) when they all immediately agree to let Yajirobe go when he offers, but it was still a really nice moment.
The saiyans themselves also get some great highlights as they wage battle against a foe that even Gowasu and Supreme Kai note is absurdly powerful.
We get not one, but two "beams o'war" as Zamasu attempts to finally destroy the world in one foul swoop. Trunks puts up a valiant effort on his own, which is impressive considering Zamasu overpowered both Goku and Vegeta in Blue form with ease, but with Vegeta's aid, the two are able to repel the attack.
I was expecting Goku to join in too, but just seeing the father and son blasting alongside each other was still pretty epic. Vegeta jumping in front of Trunks to take a hit was also an incredibly effective moment, both awesome and heartwarming in its own right.
Goku gets his own when Zamasu just tries it again. Considering he's doing on his own what it took two incredibly powerful warriors to do, it really shows what Goku can do.
The climactic blast off also makes for the episode cliffhanger, as the episode pulls a "Lost" and ends with a bright flash of white light. If you didn't watch the preview for the next episode, it was rather effective, but if you did, it loses some of its luster.
Again, we're given a highly enjoyable episode. It seems like they're pulling out all the stops. You wouldn't think it possible by this point, but it really does feel like the stakes have never been higher. It seems like we're reaching the end of the saga, but what an ending it's turning out to be. I kind of feel bad for whatever arc has to follow this, but for now, we can just look forward to the next episode to see the cataclysmic battle between good and evil, gods and mortals continue.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
Thursday, November 3, 2016
'Luke Cage' episode 7: 'Manifest'
The open and shut case regarding Stokes is closed, though not in the way you'd think. I know, having the rich, well connected villain dodge the charges is a common plot device, but this still felt abrupt; especially after the last episode made it look like the legal system had the organization dead to rights on multiple crimes. It does feel like the "status quo is god" trope is kicking in hard.
On the plus side, having Stokes out gives Mahershala Ali a chance to have some fun. He really does steal the show here. I think the major highlight is his little palaver with Luke. True, he can't physically harm his nemesis, but he does have leverage, which he dangles over Luke's head to get him to stay out of it.
It allows him to get his confident swagger back, but also put on a faux affable front. On top of that, he gets some legitimately funny one liners in there. You'd think making the villain a wise cracker would undercut the menace, but it worked well here.
The episode also gives us a glimpse into his upbringing. Not surprisingly, the contrast between the past and present personas of Cornell is striking to say the least. Suffice it to say, the influence of "Mama Mabel" was quite strong.
Even though she didn't have a ton of screen time, she still made a lasting impression. Just the sight of her nonchalantly chopping off some kid's finger really tells you all you need to know. A part of me wishes the show could find a way to make her the main antagonist because...damn.
I'm not sure I buy the idea that Cornell never wanted the "gangster" life. We see that he was a musical prodigy and it does give him some depth, but it isn't like he "had" to do this. He could have gone straight and just run the club as a legitimate enterprise. If anything, he basked in the role of bad guy.
It probably wouldn't be that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but the episode makes it a big deal when, all of a sudden, there's resentment between Cornell and Mariah regarding her ability to escape the life of crime. It escalates quickly and makes for a decent "wham moment" but it really does come out of left field.
Luke isn't left completely in the dust, as he too has an arc of sorts. True, it's yet another iteration of him deciding whether or not he wants to be a hero, but it works better than you'd think. It could have easily come off as redundant wheel spinning, but the episode does a solid job of explaining why. Between the speed in which Stokes was back on the streets and the threat of going back to prison, you can understand why Luke would want to retreat into obscurity.
Thankfully, Claire is there to keep the heroic fire burning. It was nice to see some nods to Daredevil. More specifically, I did like Claire's allusion to knowing a lawyer friend. Matt is traditionally the go-to lawyer for superheroes, so it's nice to see that come into play here. I doubt he'll actually appear, but we are seeing some groundwork for the Defenders being laid.
Where the last episode's ending didn't really do much to leave you hanging, this one manages to pick pu the slack. After seeing Luke's skin deflect all manner of ammunitions and weapons, he is finally struck with a Judas bullet, which succeeds in wounding him. On the plus side, Claire is right there, but things aren't looking good.
Speaking of, I did find it a bit odd that Diamondback was hesitant to sell Stokes the Judas bullet because of Stokes' conflict with Cage, but dealing with Cage was the main reason he wanted the bullet in the first place. It's a bit of circular irony that was, sadly, never brought up.
All in all, this episode was a mixed bag. There were notable highlights, to be sure, but there were areas where it didn't work as well as it could have for me. At the very least, it does change up the status quo significantly by the episode's end as we move into the second half of the season.
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On the plus side, having Stokes out gives Mahershala Ali a chance to have some fun. He really does steal the show here. I think the major highlight is his little palaver with Luke. True, he can't physically harm his nemesis, but he does have leverage, which he dangles over Luke's head to get him to stay out of it.
It allows him to get his confident swagger back, but also put on a faux affable front. On top of that, he gets some legitimately funny one liners in there. You'd think making the villain a wise cracker would undercut the menace, but it worked well here.
The episode also gives us a glimpse into his upbringing. Not surprisingly, the contrast between the past and present personas of Cornell is striking to say the least. Suffice it to say, the influence of "Mama Mabel" was quite strong.
Even though she didn't have a ton of screen time, she still made a lasting impression. Just the sight of her nonchalantly chopping off some kid's finger really tells you all you need to know. A part of me wishes the show could find a way to make her the main antagonist because...damn.
I'm not sure I buy the idea that Cornell never wanted the "gangster" life. We see that he was a musical prodigy and it does give him some depth, but it isn't like he "had" to do this. He could have gone straight and just run the club as a legitimate enterprise. If anything, he basked in the role of bad guy.
It probably wouldn't be that big a deal in the grand scheme of things, but the episode makes it a big deal when, all of a sudden, there's resentment between Cornell and Mariah regarding her ability to escape the life of crime. It escalates quickly and makes for a decent "wham moment" but it really does come out of left field.
Luke isn't left completely in the dust, as he too has an arc of sorts. True, it's yet another iteration of him deciding whether or not he wants to be a hero, but it works better than you'd think. It could have easily come off as redundant wheel spinning, but the episode does a solid job of explaining why. Between the speed in which Stokes was back on the streets and the threat of going back to prison, you can understand why Luke would want to retreat into obscurity.
Thankfully, Claire is there to keep the heroic fire burning. It was nice to see some nods to Daredevil. More specifically, I did like Claire's allusion to knowing a lawyer friend. Matt is traditionally the go-to lawyer for superheroes, so it's nice to see that come into play here. I doubt he'll actually appear, but we are seeing some groundwork for the Defenders being laid.
Where the last episode's ending didn't really do much to leave you hanging, this one manages to pick pu the slack. After seeing Luke's skin deflect all manner of ammunitions and weapons, he is finally struck with a Judas bullet, which succeeds in wounding him. On the plus side, Claire is right there, but things aren't looking good.
Speaking of, I did find it a bit odd that Diamondback was hesitant to sell Stokes the Judas bullet because of Stokes' conflict with Cage, but dealing with Cage was the main reason he wanted the bullet in the first place. It's a bit of circular irony that was, sadly, never brought up.
All in all, this episode was a mixed bag. There were notable highlights, to be sure, but there were areas where it didn't work as well as it could have for me. At the very least, it does change up the status quo significantly by the episode's end as we move into the second half of the season.
Click here to join our Patreon campaign
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