'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 11: 'The Creator'

 

In the aftermath of Mariah's retaliatory strike against Bushmaster's family, it is discovered that there was a survivor.  

While there is a window of time where Mariah is unaware, it is short lived as Karen Page gets wind of it and makes it public knowledge.  What's funny is she doesn't even appear in the episode.  On the one hand, the continuity nod is nice, but you really have to wonder what she was thinking.  

Sure enough, Shades is dispatched to tie up that loose end. While the last episode strongly implied Shades being shaken by the attack, this episode makes it quite clear that he was not OK with what happened there.  It's to the point where he can't even bring himself to pull the trigger when he does finally find her and have her dead to rights.

He's one of several characters who point out to Mariah that she is breaking the "rules" of street crime. In addition to the ruthless attack, her newfound desire to start trafficking heroin into Harlem is called out both by another drug dealer and by hallucinations of Mariah's grandmother and granduncle, who like Don Corleone, vehemently opposed drug dealing being a part of their operation.  It's a little jarring, as a couple of episodes ago, she was building a free clinic; now she wants to bring in heroin.  

It's a pretty drastic turnaround, but it does seem like Mariah is losing her marbles.  Even the aforementioned hallucinations make a point to say that she's working through some issues.   

Alfre Woodard continues her performance streak here.  Her scenes make for some of the episode's standout moments.  Her final confrontation with Shades is especially memorable.  Not only is that scene a highlight in and of itself, but it leads to another shocking bit where he willingly turns himself in to police custody if it means helping take Mariah down.  The other underling who walked also goes to Luke with a similar pitch.  It seems like everybody has Mariah in their sights now.

Ironically enough, Bushmaster doesn't.  He is still recovering and when you see him, you can tell that he was in no shape to take on the Heroes for Hire.  It's a close call, but more Nightshade manages to do the trick, though Tilda does tell him that the process damaged his organs and he's living on borrowed time.  

This, coupled with seeing the wreckage at the restaurant is enough to convince him to just walk away.  He does have a solid scene with Luke, where he genuinely thanks Harlem's hero for keeping his aunt safe and the two discuss ideologies. The repeated comparisons between the two were a little on the nose, but Bushmaster does once again state that the two could have been close under different circumstances.  After Jessica Jones and Punisher did the whole hero-villain similarity thing back-to-back, I guess doing it a third time in a row was a bit of a stretch.  

The episode also features some flashbacks that detail Bushmaster's origins.  A lot of it is just showing us things we were told, but it flowed well.  It was interesting seeing the previous Stokes family in action and we do get a brief cameo from Cornell.  It didn't take up the whole episode, but it added a little bit of extra flavor to the proceedings.

  This was a very solid episode.  There were plenty of great character moments and instances of progression.  The status quo was shaken up on several fronts and it does seem like things are reaching the endgame.  I'm guessing the next episode will be the final confrontation with the finale acting as a denouement, but I'll just have to watch and find out.

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'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 14: 'Nip/Stuck'

 

As the show is wont to do, this episode juggles several subplots.  It's a hit or miss approach, but it works here.  While having episodes with a focus on one central plot is nice, I don't think any of the plots here really warrant a full episode.  

The closest would probably be Constantine's plot.  It probably gets the most focus, but I think it had just the right amount of time.  I'm not sure what else you could have done to extend that if the goal was to create a more focused episode.  It does give Constantine a clear arc, as he realizes that he's not quite the bloody bastard he always said he was. 

His identical ancestor on the other hand...not so much.  To be fair, you can't fault him for thinking that John had some nefarious intent.  An identical stranger comes out of nowhere and invites you to combat an evil force, you can see where King Konstantyn might get the wrong idea.  It isn't much of a redeeming factor, given how he operates, but it is something of a bone.

The attempted coup of the time bureau could have had potential to do more, but it is largely relegated to the backburner.  It would have been harder to keep the reveal about the nature of Gary's new demeanor a secret. 

Oddly enough, the reasoning is surprisingly superficial.  Neron having the resources of the bureau at his disposal could have been a serious thing, but it's strongly implied that the maneuver was just a way to keep them from pulling the other Legends from their predicament.

To his credit, though, Neron does a great job of playing the team and getting them to do just what he wants in order to achieve his desired goal.  To wit, he is able to retrieve Tabitha, who is revealed to be the fairy godmother from earlier in the season.  We thought her refusal to help John was due to fear of confronting a much bigger fish, but it turns out that she and Neron are....quite close.

It's an unorthodox, but still interesting alliance.  What their plans are now remains to be seen, though Gary still seems to be with them.  Sure, his demonic nipple is removed, but it seems like he's still on board with team Neron given how things wrapped up.  

The third and final sub-plot centers on the remaining Legends trapping themselves under ice after a botched attempt to take out Neron with the ship's weapons.  Sara does start to pick up on the idea that something is amiss with their situation, but the impulsive Mick gives the order to fire; and thus, the team is trapped under hundreds of feet of ice with no apparent means of escape.

It's uneventful, but it does provide a healthy dose of character development to make up for it.  Sara and Mick have a falling out that seems out of left field at first, but actually does make sense.  Both are right in their criticisms of the other.  The writers never directly depicted it before, but it does seem like these issues have been lurking under the surface for some time.

It does lead to some introspection, as well as reminiscing.  It is weird to think that Mick and Sara are the last of the original legends.  Similar thing happened on "Grey's Anatomy".  It's a weird trend in longer running shows.  

The events do reinforce the bond between the characters (both the pair and the team as a whole) and affirms their status as a family. 

Overall, this was a pretty well-balanced episode.  It had some humor, but it didn't go over the top.  There were stakes, as well as character and plot progression, and it did set things up as we move closer to the end of the season.  

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'Luke Cage' Season 2, Episode 10: 'The Main Ingredient'

 

The long-awaited reunion between Luke and Danny Rand finally arrives.  The defender of K'un L'un pops in to offer Luke some backup in regard to Bushmaster. 

Oddly enough, Bushmaster doesn't appear at all in this episode.  It's explained in universe as him laying low and recovering from the events of the previous episode.  Still, seeing a 2 on 1 fight where Luke and Danny take him on would have been cool to see.  I guess that's why they had Luke win the last round, to cement that a "team up" wasn't really necessary.    

Instead, Danny offers more in the way of mental and spiritual guidance.  Given his background, it's not that out of place.  It is a little odd, as Luke has mended fences with his dad, so you'd think that he'd already be on the way to a calmer and more assured mindset.  

In any event, it does give the two a chance to shine, as the bond between them remains as strong as it did when they met up back in 'The Defenders'.  They do get a somewhat perfunctory team up fight against some generic mooks when they raid Bushmaster's Nightshade garden.  Even though they never confront him directly, they did deliver a blow of sorts by taking away his source of strength.  Of course, we also know that the plant has severe detrimental side effects, so in a way, they're also doing Bushmaster a favor.

Where Bushmaster remains absent, Mariah steps up in spades.  We see her get her fortune back, but that's only the first step as she delivers a blow of her own to the rival criminal.  It gets to the point where even her underlings are having second thoughts.  One straight up walks off and quits and even Shades gives a horrified look as Mariah unleashes her fury.  Considering he's the one who talked her into embracing the gangster lifestyle, that's quite telling.  He probably should have kept his mouth shut and just let her start her new life as a philanthropist, but hindsight is 20/20.  

Alfre Woodard delivers performance wise.  This season has really given her plenty more to work with and she's been knocking it out of the park.  

Sadly, Misty doesn't get as good a deal.  She's left pursuing Nandi for her snitching.  You'd think that this would allow Misty to use her detective skills, but Nandi basically left a trail of large, easily seen breadcrumbs to follow.  It's almost like she wanted to get caught.

Even the interrogation of Nandi by Misty isn't as good as others the show has presented.  The two apparently go way back, but that relationship wasn't really fleshed out enough for the scene to land the way the writers might have hoped.  Credit where it's due, though, Nandi does get to call out Misty for the immunity deal she had cooked up.  It gave Nandi a little more validity and nuance than the typical dirty snitch cop usually gets.

All in all, this was a solid episode.  A little oddly placed, but it managed to work out pretty well.  It brought Mariah's villainy to the forefront, gave Luke some character development and saw a nice little mini-superhero team up.  It's an hour pretty well spent in my opinion.

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'Legend: A Dragon Ball Tale' Review

 A couple of days ago, an alternate universe Dragon Ball fan-film called "Legend" hit the internet.  It's not normally the sort of thing that I follow but it has gotten quite a bit of buzz.  Between that and seeing some clips of it, I felt compelled to check it out myself.  

The plot is quite thin, even by Dragon Ball standards.  Broly attacks the martial arts tournament where Chi-Chi and Goku are facing off, with the prior quite intent on reminding the latter of his promise to marry her.  Why Broly is attacking isn't established.   

It seems to take place around late Dragon Ball/Early Z, but Goku and Vegeta already seem to know each other and the super saiyan transformation is within their capabilities. It's an interesting hodge-podge.  It's kind of a shame that the film doesn't have more time to establish the world, but it does give you bits and pieces here and there.

Speaking of Vegeta, he also shows up.  His reason for coming to Earth is later established, but for the most part it is to give Goku some back up in the fight.  The timing is incredibly coincidental if you think about it, but as you're watching, you can roll with it.

The fight itself is jaw dropping.  It's fast-paced and the animation is spectacular.  It's very fluid and makes the punches and ki blasts more impressive.  The fight also manages to make itself feel distinct.  Fights in Dragon Ball (and even action sequences in movies in general) have started to fall into certain routines and this manages to avert that trap. 

The film also delivers a new transformation for Goku.  After so many new forms in recent Dragon Ball history, that might make you roll your eyes, but this one is completely distinct and even comes with its own unique fighting style that is true both to Saiyans and even Goku's original character inspiration. 

A small, but noteworthy moment, is Vegeta's reaction to said transformation.  Rather than be shocked or appalled, Vegeta actually gives a proud smirk.  It was only a second, but it managed to say a lot about this new dynamic. 

The movie does end with a sequel hook, as Vegeta tells Goku that he needs to learn to master that form in order to prepare for war.  I'm guessing this is teasing Frieza, but that's just a guess on my part.  We do see that this Saiyan race was never subjugated, so this could be the beginning of Frieza's attempt to rise to power.  It could be something else too, maybe the Tuffles?  I guess we'll have to wait and see. 

This film took four years to make, so we might be waiting a while, but the wait will be worth it if this was any indicator. 

The movie is only 11 minutes long, so it's a quick watch. It's definitely worth doing so if you're a Dragon Ball fan.  If you're unfamiliar with the source material, you're going to be completely lost.  On the other hand, the animation and the fight are still worth checking out. So even a non-fan might still be able to appreciate what went into this.

As a fan, I enjoyed it quite a bit and I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next.  Given how big the video has gotten, I think it's safe to say that they'll do more, but that's just speculation on my part.  I certainly hope we see more.

You can check out the video here.  

'Beavis and Butt-Head Do The Universe' Movie Review

 

This is what we needed; a little levity to break up all the "grimdark" that is permeating society.  Is it intellectual?  Of course not, it's Beavis and Butt-head, but it can still be quite uplifting.

I only saw the trailer for this a month ago.  Having grown up watching the show, I was quite pleased to see it making a return.  Admittedly, revivals might not necessarily work, but this did, quite well in fact. The fact that this is something of a backdoor (heh) pilot just made the news that much better. 

The jokes and humor (lowbrow as they are) all worked. The resulting misunderstandings and disconnected conversations add another layer to what would have been very one-dimensional jokes.  Oddly enough, you have to give credit to the writers.  Certain things had to be phrased a certain way for it to work, and they managed to do it.  Heh, do it.

While the advertisements play up the "go to space" angle, that's really only more of a prologue.  It's funny, and the subsequent time travel is kind of a factor throughout the movie, but really the two don't care so much about any of that and are only looking to score.  There's some "fish out of water" elements, but really, the two settle into the new time period surprisingly well.  Even the looming threat to the universe is comically shoved to the background because the boys are dead set on hooking up with a girl.  

While Beavis and Butt-head aren't the most layered characters, the movie actually does play with the idea of character development.  Beavis starts to open up to what he perceives to be a love interest and build a genuine bond.  At the very least, it gives him a channel to open up and feel heard.  It was surprisingly heartwarming.

Of course, the movie subverts it just as much.  The movie does toy with the idea of the two learning more about their parents, but it's comically negated in each instance.  The viewers themselves do get a few tidbits of information, though, so there is at least some progress from a meta-perspective.

While the movie does only have a ninety-minute run time, it does feel like there's some pacing issues.  Considering the two are wandering around a lot, which isn't unusual for them, it does feel a little aimless at times.  The humor helps carry it through, but it still felt like there was a good amount of padding.

All in all, though, I had a lot of fun with this.  I'm looking forward to the relaunch.  If you're looking for some good, dumb comedy, this will deliver that in spades.

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