'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 10: 'The Getaway'

The team travels to 1973 to try and figure out why Nixon is, all of a sudden, telling the truth.  This aspect of the plot becomes tertiary at best, as Hank's desire to stop the Legends from figuring out his plan becomes more of the focus.

On paper, this episode had potential.  You've got the team road tripping in an RV, you've got a mystical bug that forces people to tell the truth, you've got police chases.  The results, alas, aren't what they could have been.  It's not a bad episode, but it doesn't leave an impression the way other episodes have.

Part of this could be because the episode is much more grounded.  There's no big action sequences, nor is there the zaniness that previous episodes have delivered.  There's still good stuff to be seen, though. The truth bug, while a plot device, does bring a decent amount of comedy, character development, and even a dash of squick for good measure.  Sara and John have a nice scene where John gives a fake pep talk that somehow manages to still work.  Nate and Hank have some great moments as well.  

Alas, there's also quite a bit of filler.  It negatively affects the episode's pacing.

While Nixon takes a backseat to everything else, he was still a detriment.  A part of it is due to the actor never really selling us on the idea that he's actually the former President.  The jokes at his expense were also largely obvious and have been done to death.  Really, the only joke that landed on that one was John's "dick in a box" line.  His final speech about how he had become inspired to be a better person and leader was a nice moment that was amusingly subverted when the team had to "undo" it to preserve the status quo.  Other than that, though it was a bit of a dud humor wise.

As far as the over-arching plot, this episode does move the needle a bit.  Hank is dead, killed by Neron after trying to back out of the arrangement.  Nate also mistakenly believes that Nora is responsible, as she had broken out to try and help.  

The big reveal about Mona is also followed up on. To her credit, she does repeatedly try to tell Sara what her deal is, but keeps getting brushed off.  It comes to a head when she transforms again and Sara has to talk her down.

You can see what the episode was trying to do, and Lotz does what she can to bring the scene some emotional weight, but it's undercut by the creature makeup effects which are..not good.  It's odd as the show can, and has, done better, but this time around, it ended up taking me out of the scene.  The fact that she's supposed to be bawling in grief really didn't help matters.

Overall, the episode passes the time well enough.  It does have its strengths, but it doesn't pop as well as some of the show's earlier episodes had.  We'll see where things go, though.  As I noted, it does plant some seeds for things down the line, so it'll be interesting to see how it plays out.

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Moro Vs. Cooler: Who Should be the Villain in the Next 'Dragon Ball Super' Movie?

 You've probably heard that there is another 'Dragon Ball Super' movie in the works, set to come out some time next year.  Being a fan of the franchise, I am naturally excited and intrigued. There hasn't been any official word on what the plot would be, or who the heroes will confront, but there are two major contenders for the role of film antagonist, at least based on what musings I've come across.

The first is Moro, the ram-like sorcerer who acted as the main foe in the first major post-Tournament of Power arc in the manga.  I don't read the manga, but I it's been well received.  Moro himself is a distinct villain who operates differently from most dragon ball villains.  The arc also gives Vegeta quite a lot of development and even gives the human Z-fighters a chance to shine in the final battle.  

Whether it's in film or a relaunched series, I am looking forward to seeing this arc get brought to the animated medium.  

While this is a convenient way to go, as the story's already been written, there are some among the fandom who would rather the arc wait for a full series.  It is a big arc and a movie might not do it justice.

On the other hand, remember how 'Super' started.  We had the two "canon" Dragon Ball Z movies (Battle of Gods and Resurrection F), then when the Super started, it kicked off by retelling and embellishing on those two plot points. It's possible that viewers can have their cake and eat it too.  The movie gives us a glimpse of what the arc would look like, then when (or if) the show returns we can see the more elaborate and fully fleshed out take on the story line (as well as Broly's).

Speaking of Broly, that brings us to the other lead suspect: Frieza's brother, Cooler.  I'm not entirely sold on this idea, to be honest.

For one thing, you just did Broly, so going back to the old movie well for another villain seems kind of...lazy.

On top of that, if they wanted to canonize Cooler, they had a perfect opportunity in the flashbacks of the Broly movie.  It wouldn't have taken much, either a quick cameo or even just a line alluding to his existence would have been enough. That way, if he did appear, it would have been more organic.  

Now that I think about it, they could have thrown in a Turles appearance too, really brought the movie rogues into the main storyline (Garlic Jr. is already canon, remember.)

Another option would be just to wait a bit.  Bringing Cooler in might go over better if there is some space between him and Broly.  It would be interesting to see more of the movie villains become part of the main story, but doing them all in rapid succession takes away some of the appeal.  

Seeing Janemba or Hildegarn get brought in later on down the line would be cool, but I wouldn't want to see them right after Broly and Cooler.  Mix it up a bit.

So, my vote goes to Moro, but I know that Cooler has his fans.  Of course, the movie could throw a curve ball and do something completely different.  If Moro is too big for a movie, just do something smaller scale that gives the team something to do and possibly give the (maybe) returning anime some story fodder going forward. 

As of now, it's too soon to tell, and it's all just speculation.  In either case, I am looking forward to seeing 'Dragon Ball Super' make its return.  It has been far too long since we got our fix in.

'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 6: 'The Mother'

 

While the plot of this episode is centered in the present, it pretty much acts as a sequel to the events featured in the one that preceded it.  

After Joy's phone call, Rita has a pretty easy time tracking down her long lost daughter. It does take a bit of reluctant assistance from Chance, but Rita is eventually able to reunite and tell Joy about what really happened all those years ago.  Suffice it to say, it's a curve ball that leaves the young girl reeling.

Nadia herself is reeling from her own revelations.  Learning about Pop was bad enough, but following that with learning that  her brother also knew the truth does little to help the matter.  She's left confiding in someone who technically isn't even there anymore.  It does put a dark twist on the scene.  Not much is really done with it, but I noticed it.  

The reunion between Ace and Annie also seemed like a missed opportunity.  After all this time, you'd think that there would be more tension, but she gets even more drunk, then he take her home and puts her to bed...that's it.    

While we're on the subject, we are given some illumination about what Ace is doing.  It turns out that the resurrected townspeople are reincarnation vessels for the town's early settlers.  Ace himself is referred to as "Pere Augustin" at one point.  We also learn that certain medications hinder the transfer process.

This aspect of the plot is put on the back burner, but there is enough to keep the viewer satisfied.  It's also nice to see all the plot lines converging.  Nadia is (sort of) brought into the fold when a young woman (briefly) escapes the clutches of the cult and makes it to her hospital.  Annie is unknowingly brought in when Ace/Pere decides that she is to be the vessel of a woman named Amity.  

Not surprisingly, the Wilkes family drama brings the best material for the episode.  All of the characters are put through an emotional wringer and you can empathize with all of them and see where they're coming from.  We also get another impassioned plea and declaration of devotion from Annie to Joy.  You'd think that it would be old hat by now, but Caplan is just so damn good at it that it works every. freaking. time.  

Overall, this was a solid episode.  It wasn't quite as impressive as some of the other outings, but there was a lot to like.  The plot advanced on several fronts and the cast all turned in strong performances.  It's weird to think that there's only four episodes left.  It seems like there's still a lot of plot to cover, so we'll see how things play out.

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