The Flash S:01 E:05

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Plastique
Original Airdate: 11-11-14

After having a few episodes featuring the metahuman villain of the week, this one finally brings about its first sympathetic metahuman in Plastique. She has the ability to turn anything that she touches into an explosive, seemingly without being able to control it, though it’s unclear as to exactly how it works, or I just missed the memo. As her clothes don’t explode, neither do the gloves that she wears, but it does work on Barry’s costume. But aside from that, even though she is a sympathetic character, her ability makes it difficult to work with. The scientists at STAR labs can’t cure her, and neither can she really be much help to Barry as a crimefighter who can make bombs. On top of that, she’s being hunted by the army led by the great Clancy Brown who had also worked with Dr. Wells several years ago before Wells left due to ethical disagreements. Or at least that’s what he claims. So with this set up, there’s really only one possible outcome in this type of show and that’s exactly what happens. Plastique dies at the hands of Brown as she goes in for an attempt at revenge at the goading of Wells. There is a bit of a weak point at the end which is supposed to be a moment of tension, but that tension isn’t very effective as there is no doubt that Barry will survive this giant explosion, and I was bothered by the fact that they had essentially a repeated conversation about how fast he would have to run to walk across water. It worked well enough when he questioned whether or not he could run up the side of a building, but it was too much of the same thing and no matter what the answer that was given, it essentially boils down to “really fast”. I like how they are showing off some of his different speed powers besides running really fast, but they aren’t all working as well as they could. There’s the typical secretive love story between Barry and Iris, and while that is all fairly typical, it’s still done well. What is nice is how it is dealt with between Barry and Joe, they have such a great relationship together and my favorite scene was when Barry revealed how he could change his voice and there is such a moment of joy between the two of them. There’s also a nice reveal that Joe has known that Barry has been in love with Iris for years. Even if it is such a cliche plotline of “will they or won’t they”, it’s cliche because it works, and it almost always could go either way.

Gotham S:01 E:08

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: The Mask
Original Airdate: 11-10-14

Here is yet another instance of Gotham’s ability to have great moments and horrible moments within a single episode of television. As far as the good stuff goes, I mostly enjoyed the criminal investigation of the episode involving essentially a more dangerous office Fight Club where potential employees at a prestigious office are forced to fight it out for the position in an abandoned office while the rest of the office workers watch via closed circuit TV. And while I still don’t care one bit about baby Bruce, this episode gave a mighty fine moment to a young Alfred Pennyworth. As Bruce goes back to school, he inevitably gets on the bad side of the school bully and later admits to Alfred that he doesn’t know how to fight. Alfred finds the boy’s home address, give Bruce his father’s watch to use as a brass knuckle and has the greatest line in the episode “He tried to kill you; just you remember that next time you see him, and you remember that I let him try.” As for the bad of this episode, I really disliked Bullock’s “speech” where he rallied all the Gotham police to help look for Gordon as penance for not helping him with Zsasz. It wasn’t inspiring in the least, and even though it worked, it didn’t sound like it should have. There’s also the somewhat furthering of the mob scene with Penguin, Mooney, and Mooney’s Falcone spy. None of it had much weight to it, her spy seems to be getting cold feet while the audience knows that she has likely already been found out, and Penguin is just being Penguin. And once again Cat is forced into the episode right at the end. While I initially liked Cat, she seems to be moving away from what I liked about her. I thought she worked best as a mischievous agent of chaos. She is smooth, she knows what she is doing, and it’s all about her. But she gets caught robbing someplace and just once again asks to see Gordon, I just don’t see the angle.

Gotham S:01 E:07

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Penguin’s Umbrella
Original Airdate: 11-3-14

It turns out my prediction for this week was wrong, instead of going back downhill as it had been going up and down the past few episodes, I was pleased to see another good episode following last week’s good episode. Last week was a bit of a cliffhanger where Gordon was arrested by the MCU for the murder of Oswald Cobblepot when Penguin himself walked through the GCPD doors to vindicate him. So this episode was all about how Gordon deals with being in deep with the wrong people. Everyone is out to get him from Falcone, Mooney, and even his partner. There is a lot of great moments where Gordon finally gets to act like a total badass even when Falcone sends one of his best men Victor Zsasz. Zsasz is a Batman villain I am actually very vaguely familiar with, while he did have a very minor appearance in the Nolan trilogy, I best know him from Kevin Smith’s Cacophony where he plays a minor role in the story. His thing is that he keeps track of the people he’s killed by carving a tally mark into his own skin. In the Batman era, his body is completely covered with them, though here he has only a handful on his arm. But otherwise he didn’t really stand out as being a future Batman villain, instead he was just another mob enforcer with a recognizable name. What I loved about this episode is how it actually started bringing together some of the threads it has been tossing around throughout these early episodes. While I knew Penguin had a larger plan in mind, it was explained quite nicely here. He is a snitch, through and through, and it wasn’t a surprise that he’s playing both sides towards the middle, but it did help explain some of Falcone’s odd actions towards Mooney and her plant in the past couple episodes. But Gotham wouldn’t be Gotham without throwing a couple headscratcher moments like the entire scene with little Bruce. It was such an infuriatingly unnecessary moment in an otherwise great episode that annoyed me to no end, that along with the complete stupidity that Barbara showed when she came back to Gotham to plead with Falcone. She’s presented as a smart and strong woman in this show, it baffled me that she could do something so completely stupid whose only purpose was to back Gordon into a corner. It would have been a better character moment if Falcone used his network or influence to find out where she was rather than this. But again, overall it was a good episode that is taking the show in the right direction.

Constantine S:01 E:02

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: The Darkness Beneath
Original Airdate: 10-31-14

After getting interested in this show through the pilot which introduced us to a female lead that has gone away, this episode almost feels like a secondary pilot as it introduces the actual female lead through the rest of the season with Zed. Honestly, even though I only got the chance to see each character through one episode. An episode where they were both introductions where they each have a mystical power that can help Constantine with his investigations, and he can help them control and/or understand their powers. I have to say that I like Zed much better than Liv. Even though Liv gained some confidence by the end of her episode, Zed starts off the episode with much more confidence and charisma than Liv ever did. Even though Zed doesn’t fully understand her powers or have full control over them, she isn’t a complete novice when it comes to what Constantine is doing and already feels like she is helping him rather than slowing him down. As for the episode itself, it’s hard to tell if it was actually trying to go for a real scare or not, as the actual horror portion of the show did feel a little weak. But I also didn’t think that hindered the show too much because the overall tone feels like it’s more of an action show than a horror show. Or technically, it feels a bit more like a supernatural procedural where Constantine is solving the mystery of the supernatural element in a way that Gotham feels like it should be doing. While the solution to the mystery was a little bit unfulfilling, especially as Constantine’s deduction was all pulled from clues near the beginning of the episode though he didn’t play his cards until the very end. But he did have a great moment as he turned the woman’s own dark magic against her in an ending reminiscent of a Tales From the Crypt episode. I’m honestly a little tired of the talk of the coming darkness already, but I suppose it’s one of those necessary story elements to help explain the premise of the entire show. It’s still fun, and I am glad that they went with Zed over Liv.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S:02 E:06

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: A Fractured House
Original Airdate: 10-28-14

Honestly, this episode felt like a giant excuse to show how much of a badass Ward can still be even though he has more or less gone rogue and escaped from S.H.I.E.L.D. custody. But as much as some people like Ward, he just seems way too good at everything he does. There’s still a question of his overall motive, but I’m glad that they don’t seem to be going for the full redemption storyline that I suspected at the end of the first season. Even though he is working for the good of S.H.I.E.L.D. at the moment, the way he is going about it is way too reckless and violent for him to continue to be a valued asset for the team. The only positive outcome I can see at this point for his character is that he might become someone like the Punisher when he was part of the Avengers where he is called in to do the jobs that no one else is able to do, the ones where they need to do the jobs that require the elimination of the target. The other aspect of the episode finally answers the question of the mysterious alien writing that has been plaguing Coulson and a few other members. While I’m glad that this issue has finally been resolved, I didn’t quite like how everything was wrapped up in a neat little package. And now it is all ok. The solution that the map was three dimensional was the one aspect that I liked about it, but time will tell if this new-ish alien city aspect of the story pans out in a good way or a bad way.

The Flash S:01 E:04

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Going Rogue
Original Airdate: 10-28-14

Appropriately enough, this episode is titles Going Rogue, though it doesn’t seem like it’s specifically about any one person going through a betrayal. Instead, the title is a combination of a couple things. One is the fact that this episode really begins to create the Flash’s rogue’s gallery with the introduction of Captain Cold through this episode and also the hint of Heatwave at the pre-credits scene instead of yet another Wells moment. It also applies to the fact that the weapon that Captain Cold gets a hold of is one that was created by Star Labs, specifically Cisco who created the weapon before Barry became a trusted member of the team to specifically combat him in the event that he himself went rogue. We also get a brief glimpse of Wells’ darker side as he chastises Cisco for creating the gun in the first place. There’s also the subplot and Arrow tie-in with Felicity coming to visit Barry where she is a possible love interest though they both understand that Barry has a thing for Iris and Felicity has a thing for Oliver. Overall, it’s a decent episode though it feels more like filler than anything else. Wentworth Miller was decent as Captain Cold, and the scenes with Felicity and Barry were great, especially the moment when she is supposed to cover for him and notes how she is talking to the air.

Gotham S:01 E:06

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Spirit of the Goat
Original Airdate: 10-27-14

I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it again, but Gotham is very uneven from episode to episode. Some episodes have a lot of over the top acting, are more on the campy side of things. And somehow the show manages to skirt the edge of gritty and campy which is a hard thing to do. At first, I thought that it was the mob politics that I liked seeing and wanted to see more, but when I got it in spades during last week’s episode, it was a big mess. What I realized with this episode is that what I like about this show is when they allow Gordon and Bullock to do actual detective work. When this show actually becomes more like one of those more typical police procedurals, only with hints of Batman in the background. And I feel like this episode hit that tone better than any before it. It also helped that it had the same visual feel of Arkham during several moments including a great shot of Penguin in the bathtub. I think what really helped win this episode over for me was the fact that it was written by Ben Edlund whose work I’ve enjoyed from his time on the Tick up through Angel and Supernatural. There was the right amount of humor that wasn’t too campy, even if there was a callback to the ’66 Batman when Bullock exclaims “Holy Ghost on a bicycle!” It was also a great subtle touch to have The Goat’s mask have a bit of the Batman ears to it. This is the kind of subtlety that I liked seeing. There were still some weak points in the episode, I wasn’t fond of Nygma’s scenes, nor the odd throwaway scene of Catwoman stealing something that I’m sure will be important a few episodes down the line from little Bruce. But aside from those moments, this was another strong episode. Unfortunately, based on the track record, I’m fully expecting next week to be another poor episode. Time will tell.

Constantine S:01 E:01

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Non Est Asylum
Original Airdate: 10-24-2014

The last comic book show of the fall season is upon us and it’s definitely not the Supernatural ripoff that some people think it might be, it’s also not a spin-off of the Keanu Reeves movie from a few years back though it shares the same name. Instead, it’s something inbetween the two. It’s based off the John Constantine Hellblazer comics from DC’s Vertigo line and from what I understand this plays it much closer to the source material than the Keanu movie ever did. But at the same time, since I am familiar with that movie, I do see a few similarities for the uninitiated. For the most part I thought it was pretty good, and it got kicked up a notch during the climax.
Continue reading Constantine S:01 E:01

The Flash S:01 E:03

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Things You Can’t Outrun
Original Airdate: 10-21-14

This episode gets into a lot of the Star Labs team’s backstories, specifically the day of the reactor explosion. Something that I realized I didn’t talk about in last week’s episode was the final scenes with Dr. Wells. The first one shows that he has knowledge and is quite possibly from the future though his motives are ambiguous, the second one shows without a doubt that he has a much darker side, and here it shows that he actually orchestrated the particle accelerator explosion in order to create the Flash. I’m very curious to know what part he will actually play as the show goes forward, though I’m not curious enough to look through analysis from people more knowledgeable about the comics that may already have some theories that hold weight. Aside from that point, there is a lot of forward momentum with all of the characters. The freak of the week was fairly mediocre, but he wasn’t a very large part of the episode to tell the truth. We get a lot of moments where the characters have to face their truths. Iris faces the truth of her relationship with her dad’s partner and finally comes clean with her dad, who of course already knew. Caitlin Snow faces the truth of her fiance’s death during the particle accelerator explosion where she originally blamed herself as he wouldn’t have been there if she wasn’t there, but in the end he died a hero. And though the show doesn’t support this theory, since there are many meta-humans who were thought to be dead, there’s always a chance that he will show up later in the show as a meta-human himself. And Joe faces the truth of his old friend Henry Allan who he thought had killed his wife all these years and now realizes that he made a horrible mistake and essentially asks forgiveness. This is the kind of thing that makes a great series and why I have high hopes for this show, it takes something like a superhero and it makes it relate-able on a more human level as a metaphor. It reminds me of Buffy on its best days, it has already made some great relationships between the characters, and it shows much more subtlety than Gotham. It’s quickly becoming my favorite show of the season.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S:02 E:05

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Hen in the Wolfhouse
Original Airdate: 10-21-14

An episode full of intrigue and misdirections as the different elements start coming together in interesting ways. While I’m a little bit disappointed that Simmons’ stint as a Hydra double agent has ended, it certainly ended with a bang. And the very short lived Wonder Woman is the one who gets to save her. Adrianne Palicki was a nice addition to the team, though it’s really starting to feel like the team is getting a little bit too big and spread out. The only member of the team that has gone was Ward and even he’s not completely out of the picture, and now there are three new agents added to the team, and there’s even a slight chance that Rayna might end up playing ball as well. At least the show has held up the fact that it’s nearly the only superhero show out there that has so many strong female characters and it has a good chance to add two more to the team in the near future. I will say that I enjoyed the extra surprise that she was the ex that Agent Hunter has been talking about. And finally I have to mention Skye’s father. He’s a bit of a wildcard at the moment, he’s possibly part or all alien, he’s a bit of a psycho, and at the end of the episode he decides to work with Hydra in order to kill Director Coulson. That is really the one aspect of this season that I’m not entirely sold on yet. The way Hydra is playing out has been interesting, including the double agents and the technology, but I’m not entirely buying this father who just wants his daughter back. Only now he doesn’t really want her back because she thinks he’s a monster? Maybe? Aside from that, it’s still a fine episode and Skye has really come a long way from who she was at the beginning of the first season. I’m also glad that the pulse meter was only there for that one episode. Anyway, I’m looking forward to where this season ends up.