'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 3: 'Ties That Bind'

It appears as though Annie no longer has her ace in the hole.  I mean, of course, Ace Merrill's corpse being buried.  Man, my wordplay is on point with this season.  The fact that it all seems to be centered around holes is a little weird, but whatever.

Anyway,  Annie's encounter with a seemingly revived Ace Merrill has her a little spooked.  To her credit, Annie is aware of her condition; thus takes into account the possibility that it's all in her head.  The first thing she does is try to go back to where she left the body to confirm that it's still there.  Unfortunately, she's unable to, so there was no closure on that front. 

Even with that, though, she later comes to the conclusion that her new batch of medication was altered and that she's suffering from side effects.  It's a logical conclusion to come to, though really it seems like it's more there to give Annie a reason not to take her meds when Joy is brought into the fold and starts to think that her mother is spiraling.  

You can't fault Joy for coming to the conclusion that she does.  The apparent reveal that Ace is alive and well only lends credence to it.  All in all, she acts very intelligently throughout the episode.  She still doesn't have the whole picture, but you can see that she's putting pieces together.

Speaking of Ace's state, he's in surprisingly good condition given what happened to him.  Joy may think that Ace's murder was a hallucination or an outright lie, but this is one instance where we know better.  Besides, it would be a shame to negate that awesome moment.   You'd think that other characters seeing Ace alive would confirm that Annie is right, but given his aforementioned state and the fact that she was the only one who was ever aware of the murder, it still leaves the option for his never being killed in the first place.

The episode manages to have its cake and eat it too.  It's a very well done psychological drama, but it also does a great job of integrating more supernatural elements into the plot.  It's compelling as all get out and it keeps you gripped for pretty much the entire run time.

Lizzy Caplan has been doing a great job as Wilkes, but she really gets a chance to up her game here. The opening sequence where we see her running around from the perspective of a camera right up in her face was a bit gimmicky, but you get what they were trying to go for.  Other than that, though, she's nailing it.  Her psychological issues coming to the forefront allows her to be at her most chilling, but her love for Joy is still apparent and genuine.  That speech she gives to Joy about having done bad things to ensure her happiness was chilling in its own right, but also moving in that she really means it.  

Her escape also gives the character another highlight moment.  It doubles as a nod to Gerald's Game, but even ignoring that, it was jaw droppingly impressive.

Speaking of nods, I'm surprised that the episode didn't do more with the 'Stand by Me' shout-out.  I figured Joy and her friends looking for Ace's dead body would have been a whole sub-plot, but it gets wrapped up surprisingly quick.  The stuff with Annie and Joy was amazing, so I get it, but if you're going to do the homage, why not go all the way through with it?

While Abdi and his sister don't get a whole lot to do, what screen time they have is well used.  Abdi admits that he didn't save Pop for Pop's sake, but because Nadia cares for him and he didn't want to see her hit with another tragic loss.  It was a good moment between the two.  On Nadia's front, she does come to check on Annie after getting a frantic call.  Joy sends her off, but the fact that she went through the trouble to come offer help was still pretty nice.

The episode also ends with one hell of a wham note, as a mysterious figure warns Annie that the story is going to end with her having to kill Joy.  

This episode was really good.  It made all of the elements work in its favor.  The character stuff was very well done, the acting and writing were top notch, it was suspenseful and built up both atmosphere and tension as things progressed.  Really, my only two quibbles are Annie bouncing back and forth between "the drugs are making me see things" and "Ace is really back for the dead and he's coming for us".  You'd think that she'd play up the prior, especially when Joy starts to question Annie's sanity, but she sticks to the latter. I was also disappointed to find out that the cop who approaches Ace wasn't Greg Grunberg.  It really looked like him. 

All in all, though, this raised the bar for the season. There's plenty of momentum to go forward so I'm excited to see where the season goes.  I'd hate to think that the season peaks this early, but this did set a pretty high precedent.  I'll just have to see how things work out.

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

'The Punisher' Episode 13: 'Memento Mori'

 At looong last, we wrap up the first season of this series.  It's had its ups and downs and this episode is, fittingly enough, a mixed bag.

There's a lot of great character moments to be had.  While Frank and Micro don't share too many scenes together, the ones they do make an impact.  The two have clearly become quite tight.  Even though it seems like Micro's story is done and he is free to ride off into the metaphorical sunset happily reunited with his family, I kind of hope they find a way to keep him in the fold for the second season.  The two play very well off each other and it was a consistent highlight throughout the season.

The confrontation that ensues when Billy brings Curtis into the fold is also a major highlight.  As is the case with Frank, the dialogue between the two shows that Russo still holds their "band of brothers" bond in high regard.  Despite holding the man at gunpoint, Russo acknowledges that he really has no quarrel with Curtis and is quite reasonable given the circumstances.

It's a shame we didn't get to see more of these three together.  It would have had to be through flashbacks for narrative purposes, but it still would have been great to see more of it.  Speaking of more flashbacks, this episode gives us one that shows that Billy was something of an honorary uncle to the Castle kids and was a close friend to the whole family.  It's a great scene, but there should have been more of that throughout the season.  I think it would have given even more weight to the conflict between the two.

I'm not sure what was making Russo so unhinged.  He never went full Rawlins, but it was clear that his mind was getting away from him.  The shot to his cheek seems a little flimsy as far as motivation goes.  There is the fact that Curtis knew that Frank was still alive.  On the one hand, Billy does say that another brother betrayed him, but the way the line was delivered it seemed more comedic than anything else. It does give Russo some wiggle room to be more overtly villainous as the episode reaches its final stages, but it was strange.

Also strange was the opening sequences.  Billy goes on a killing spree to escape the cops.  It's done somewhat well, especially considering Billy is so nonchalant about headshotting multiple cops.  The slow motion walk away as he blows up the building behind him was a bit much, though. 

Frank's medical treatment was also a bit of a stretch.  After the severe wounds that he suffered, Madani's parents are able to bring him back with surprisingly little trouble.  I remind you, they're not at a hospital at this point, but Madani's house.  They just happened to have what they needed.  I'm not sure how else you could have done it, but that seemed ridiculous to me.

As for the long awaited showdown between Russo and Castle, it's pretty well done.  The carousel thing seems out of place at first, more like a Joker thing, but given Frank's history it makes sense.  Billy isn't going for "carnivals are creepy", but dredging up painful memories for Frank to throw him off his game.  Seems to work pretty well too from what we see. 

The confrontation itself is also pretty intense.  The gunfight didn't impress too much,though Russo does avert Stormtrooper marksmanship by actually hitting Frank a couple of times.  Frank launching mortar shells to draw out his enemy was also a small highlight.  The subsequent look on Billy's face as he hears them launch is pretty priceless.

Where the climax really kicks into high gear is when the two ditch the guns and put up their dukes.  It's a well choreographed fight and Billy holds his own very well.  It makes for a brutal and exciting final fight.  Honestly, you could have taken the teen hostages out of the equation and it still would have had plenty of tension to spare.  

It would have been a shame to kill off Russo just when he found his grove as an adversary. Thankfully, the episode splits the difference and leaves him in a coma.  This way the writers can decide that his story is  done if they want to do something else next season, or they can bring him back to keep the rivalry alive.

The episode ends with Frank going to a support group meeting and revealing that he's scared of the prospect of not having a war to fight.

It's funny, I thought that was going to be the driving force of this season's arc.  It seemed like Frank had gotten his vengeance and we were going to see him find a new reason to keep fighting.  Instead, the plot kind of backpedaled and brought back the conspiracy so that Frank could remain focused on avenging his family.  It was one of the weaker aspects of the season as a whole.

In some ways, I get why the line is a wham moment.  Frank is the type who needs a target.  I'm sure a lot of vets have a similar mindset when coming back. The problem is that this is the MCU; there's plenty of things to fight.  Even if there are no more ninjas, Hydra has a knack for popping up and I'm pretty sure Thanos is on the horizon; to say nothing of that whole "Endgame" war for Earth.  There are a whole lot of aliens coming so I'm sure Frank'll be just fine.  Even if he stayed street level, it isn't like there's any shortage of criminals.  Of course, with the CIA agreeing to let him go back to his old alias, donning the vigilante attire might not be the best move; we'll have to see how the second season plays this. 

Before that, though, we have a few other seasons to watch.  Up next, I believe, is the second season of Luke Cage; I'm looking forward to getting into that.  There's still quite a bit of Netflix MCU to cover, and it should have been covered already, but progress on getting caught up is being made.  This is one to check off the list.

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to become an E-Poll member

'Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 6: 'Tender is the Nate'

 The Legends travel to 1920's Paris to confront a Minotaur, which has been lurking in the catacombs under the city.  It seems like pretty standard "Legends" fare, except that Nate's dad decides to tag along to see where those hard earned tax payer dollars are going.

It turns out that, along with the Bureau now being government funded, so too are the endeavors of the titular team.  On the one hand, he does raise some good points, on the other, it was established that Gideon made the food and costumes, so why would taxes be needed for that?   Of course, one could also make the point that the federal government never takes this much of an interest in fiscal accountability.  Monsters, clones, and time travel are one thing, but let's keep it realistic, am I right?  Besides, the numbers Hank cites are "small" enough where I could see many arguing that cutting it wouldn't make a difference, so we should just increase it.  

It's a pretense to get Nate and his dad on the ship and the payoff is worth it.  Not only is it nice to have Nate back as part of the crew, but seeing said crew try to keep his dad happy does make for some pretty funny bits throughout the episode.

You can understand why Hank would be skeptical of the "put the beast to sleep with lute music" plan.  Given common sense and what they had seen of the creature previously, his skepticism was justified.  I'm a bit surprised that nobody invoked the "bard" concept.  I mean, there are a few mentions of D&D, it seems like it would have fit in quite naturally.  

Still, props to him for nailing it in the end.  Even Constantine and Sara are flabbergasted at the Heywood patriarch's musical skills.  I imagine many a viewer was as well, I know I was.  

The episode also features a sub-plot where Ava, Nora, and Mona get stuck in a cell together.  It's a simple premise, but it worked really well.  The three characters play well off each other and the bond formed seems genuine.  It's really quite cute. The fact that all three have a sort of arc of their own is also impressive.

Mona could have fallen in to the "trying too hard" trap.  I know that Gary can sometimes be grating, but the episode managed to still make her work, especially playing off the other two.  You can see how she is able to soften the other two up, even if she does seem way too eager at points.  Not sure if the three will be spending more time together on a regular basis, but it was still a strong aspect of the episode.

This was a fun one and done episode.  There was just enough humor, the Minotaur proved to be a formidable adversary, and several characters got moments to shine and grow.  I'm surprised there was no mention of "Project Hades", but that could come up later.  The season seems to be going pretty well so far, hopefully the momentum can continue.

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to join our patreon

'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 2: 'New Jerusalem'

 When last we met, Annie Wilkes had gone to a very dark place and was falling fast.  I mean that literally, as she was falling into a hole.  Considering the height of the fall, she's actually in pretty good shape.  Even a second fall after a failed attempt to climb out doesn't seem to do too much.  She has a slight limp, but is still able to jog with little trouble.  Then again, Wilkes was incredibly resilient in the original novel, so that could be a bit of subtly consistent writing.

It turns out that Ace isn't the only corpse down there.  This convinces Annie to change her mind about staying, though Joy is reluctant to leave this time around.  On the one hand, yes she's made friends, but she did see Ace making molotov cocktails, you'd think that she'd be able to figure out why Annie suddenly wants to book it.  

Speaking of Ace, the family doesn't take his disappearance too kindly.  Despite the fact that he hasn't been gone that long, Pop uses every resource he has (which is surprisingly considerable) to try to figure out what happened.

This prompts flashbacks that show us how Pop came to adopt the two into his own family.  It does allow Pop to show a softer side, but we also see that the family tension predates the mall shenanigans. We also see that the adoption may not have been as altruistic as many would be lead to believe.  

This aspect of the plot remains a bit cumbersome, but this does flesh out the characters to give them a bit more depth.

Even with this, though, Annie remains the main draw.  Caplan continues to shine and her devotion to her daughter remains a highlight.  Even with the rising tension between the two, especially as Joy starts to put pieces together, the bond is a very strong one.

Abdi gets a decent showing too, especially when Pop abducts him after Annie leads him to believe that it was Abdi, and not her, who killed him.  It was pretty convenient that Annie had a second prime suspect to disperse suspicion.  At first, I thought that she was going to come clean and argue self defense when Pop confronted her, but she used what she had to present a credible alternate take on events.  

I did find it odd that Abdi decided to goad his adopted father during the interrogation.  He didn't do it. You'd think a straight forward acknowledgement of that would have been more effective than trying to provoke Pop to violence.  He doesn't even try, it was very bizarre.  It would be one thing if Pop just ignored it, but there's no attempt to be upfront about how things played out.

The episode ends on one doozy of a cliffhanger, as Annie turns around to find none other than Ace Merrill standing outside her car.

This episode fleshed out the season on both a character and setting front.  It also opened up new plot lines so that things can move forward.  The first episode was pretty self-contained, which was nice, but I think this gives the viewer more reason to keep watching.  It'll be interesting to see how things play out.

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to join our Patreon

The Punisher episode 12: 'Home'

Thus, we come to the penultimate episode of the show's first season.  I figured we'd get the big showdown and the last episode would be sort of a denouement.  Instead, we get a starter showdown, but all is not wrapped up quite yet.

While the show has benefited from a strong cast from the get go, they really shine here.  The Lieberman family reunion is amusingly awkward, but still fairly powerful in its own right.  The fact that they have to watch Micro "die" again a few minutes later certainly doesn't help matters.  Everything works out for them pretty well, all things considered, but there are probably going to be some awkward nights at the dinner table going forward.

As a result, however, Frank ends up getting captured by Billy and Rawlins. Even though, Frank spends most of the episode tied to a chair, he still gets some standout scenes.  His conversation with Russo when he first wakes up is one of the episode's major highlights.  It's clear that Bill still has some degree of loyalty to Frank, and while he won't hesitate to do what needs to be done, his talk about regretting the way things turned out seemed legit.  Conversely, the history only acts as fuel for Frank's hatred.  

Rawlins is also in rare form, as the sight of Frank up close seems to have driven him completely insane.  The actor is hamming it up something fierce, but it is still chilling.    The drastic turn contributes to it, but even putting that aside, it's still pretty creepy.

Rawlins' raving loon does contrast nicely with Russo's more no nonsense approach to the matter.  The disparity becomes clear when the two have achieved their goal.  Russo wants to end Frank quick and be done with it, but Rawlins is enjoying the torture session too much and insists that it continue unabated.  The two were never really simpatico, but seeing the two diverge the way they did was interesting to watch.

While the episode is more dialogue driven, it does give you some Frank Castle bad-assery, as he dispatches Rawlins in a particularly gruesome display.  Considering that Frank has done quite a bit up to this point, it says something that this still manages to leave an impression.  It's glorious, but also horrifying.  It's a good thing Micro's kids didn't see that, they'd never want to get within 10 yards of him again. 

It's been a long road, but we're finally coming to the end of the season.  While the final confrontation with Russo looms, a part of me hopes he lives to fight another day.  It seems like the conflict between the two is finding its groove and I want to see more of it.  We'll see how things will play out, though.  

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to join our Patreon campaign

''Legends of Tomorrow' Season 4, Episode 5: 'Tagumo Attacks!!'

 This episode tries to manage three different sub-plots.  It's not an easy task, but this one manages to do it fairly adequately.

Naturally, one of them follows Ray, as he attempts to recruit Nora Darhk to save Constantine. For a girl who was trying to remain hidden, she was surprisingly easy to find. It was nice seeing Sara use her dad as a frame of reference to add a piece to the puzzle, but it still seemed surprisingly quick.

Nora is initially willing to cooperate, but wavers a bit due to not wanting to succumb to the influence of dark magic again.  It's an understandable and even admirable motivation for the character.    Just as she was found rather quickly, she was convinced to change her mind rather quickly, but the episode has time limits and there are other plots to cover.  I was surprised that Nora didn't make some pun surrounding her last name when Ray asked why "dark magic" had to be what was necessary to save John.

Seeing her willingly turn herself in was appropriately sad, but still a great moment for her.  On the one hand, it seemed like the time bureau was really overdoing it, but at the same time, you have to be watchful for the old "I surrender, suckers' trap.  It would be something that her father would do.

Overall, this plot line worked, but was hampered by time constraints. Like I said, parts of it feel abrupt, but overall, the good stuff  was more than enough to make up for it.

There's a sub-plot with the Time Bureau that somehow becomes two sub-plots.  You have Nate and Ava attending a Heywood family thanksgiving, but you also have Gary trying to woo the delivery girl (something he's surprisingly good at) and then deal with a breakout of mythical monsters.

Nate's dad gets some highlight moments.  Him not hesitating to invite Ava to dinner was nice (as was the whole family welcoming her with open arms) and he also shows "papa wolf" tendencies when he is finally informed of what's going on and wants to do whatever it takes to make sure his son is safe.  It allows the two to develop a better understanding of each other and grow closer as a result.

I was a little underwhelmed by the "awkward nightmare" that the family gathering was supposed to be.  I didn't see anything that really felt hellish. Rowdy kids and having to wait for the turkey to cook seem like small potatoes all things considered.  Nate comparing the monsters' behavior to his family's was pretty funny, though, I'll give it that.  So was the air rifle bit.

How was there no mention of football games?  The Heywood guys seem like the type who would make that a priority, but there wasn't even a hint of a desire to sit down and watch.  It was a bit peculiar.

The main plot sees the rest of the team travel to 1950's Japan, where a mysterious giant creature is wreaking havoc.

Having the team go full force against a kaiju would have been really cool, but alas the show's budget doesn't really allow it and the team isn't really equipped for those types of battles anymore.  Even when Sara and Charlie face off against the monster, it seems a bit clunky.  The special effects and wire work weren't the best, but you could also see that as intentional, given the whole 1950's B-movie thing.

On the plus side, there are some great character bits.  The filmmaker with whom the team aligns gets a great speech talking about the aftermath of Hiroshima.  Yes, much like Godzilla, the monster here is tied to that event. The episode does something a bit different though, and in some ways, it works better.  It brings the horror down to a more individual level, but also shows the power of art.

Speaking of, Mick manages to save the day.  It turns out that the pen is mightier than the flame thrower, as he too brings a character to life to save the day.  It was a twist that, odd as it is, makes sense in context and was foreshadowed with the earlier revelation that Mick is an aspiring novelist.  While his creation is cool, seeing a Beebo vs Tagumo fight would have been interesting.  Maybe they're saving that for "Tagumo Returns!"

On other fronts, Charlie is slowly getting acclimated to being part of the team.  She's less useful here, but she does step up when it counts and does provide some contrast. Her line about humans using a magic book as a weapon really doesn't make any sense in context, given that that isn't what was happening, but it does foreshadow the closing wham line where Nate's dad reveals that, because the monsters can be controlled "Project Hades" is a go.

I'm guessing this is a DCAU Cadmus type deal, where the monsters are going to be used to protect the country from other monsters and/or threats.  I mean, the Arrowverse is a pretty weird place at this point so it's understandable that unconventional resources might be considered. That's just a guess on my part, though, we'll have to see how things play out.

This episode wasn't quite up to par with others this season, but it does provide some solid character development and does move the plot forward on a few fronts. The fact that it had so many things to cover kind of worked against it, but all things considered, it did pretty well.

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to join our Patreon campaign

'Castle Rock' Season 2, Episode 1: 'Let the River Run'

 Thanks to some new tech, I can finally use my Hulu account again.  As such, I can dive back into "Castle Rock".  While it has been some time since I watched season one, the fact that this is an anthology series means that we're given a new arc with a new cast of characters.

One of the main characters is none other than Annie Wilkes.  Lizzy Caplan plays a younger version of the character here and she does a very good job of it.  There are shades of Kathy Bates' iconic take, but she is also able to put her own mark on it.  This is helped by the writing, which gives her a more layered and sympathetic motivation.

She's still a dangerous psychotic, and while she is a fugitive, she keeps a low profile and manages to keep her issues at bay by pilfering anti-psychotics from various hospitals where she works as a temp nurse.

Her main reason for doing this is her daughter, Joy.  It turns out that Annie is a quite good, albeit unconventional, mother.  She has her daughter's best interests at heart and genuinely does everything she can to give the girl a good life.

As a result, they are the best part of the episode.  Seeing secluded Joy find a group of friends was nice to see. Annie herself also gets some of the episode's highlights.  The scene when she comes clean after getting caught stealing meds was really quite heartwarming.  Credit where it's due, though, the doctor empathizing with her and agreeing to work with her to get her the medicine she needs helped seal the deal.  

Annie gets another highlight when she is confronted by Ace Merrill (yeah, this season seems to have much stronger ties to the King-verse than the first season.)  I don't want to spoil it, but it's freaking awesome. 

The whole mall/Merrill family rivalry wasn't the most compelling stuff, but it does play a pretty important role in the plot.   

The episode is also more grounded than the first season. There isn't that foreboding atmosphere and the episode is very light on supernatural elements.  There's talk of witches and satanists being a part of the town's history (this season appears to take place in Salem's Lot as opposed to Castle Rock itself) but that seems more like background information.  While we're on the topic, it is a little peculiar that the show relocated, but it is an iconic King town and it still has the dark and troubled past, so it's not that much of a deviation.  This also puts some distance between the two story arcs so that you're not constantly wondering where various season 1 characters are.

Seeing as the episode needs to set up the key players, the lack of horror elements makes sense. In Annie's and Joy's cases, it worked to the episode's favor.  

This was a solid opening. The cast is strong and it was well paced.  It does seem like a lot was wrapped up.  On the one hand, that's a good thing, but at the same time, I'm not sure where the plot can go. I guess I'll just have to watch and find out.

Click here to become an E-Poll member

Click here to become a Swagbucks member

Click here to join our Patreon campaign