Episode Title: This is Your Sword
Original Airdate:05-06-15
While Season 3 has been a mixed bag since Oliver’s death, I was a huge fan of this week’s show, which finally paid off some lingering storylines and sets up a dramatic season finale. Continue reading Arrow: S:03, E:22
Episode Title: Dead Air
Original Airdate: 5-5-15
Before I get too far into this week’s episode I do have some good news. If you haven’t already heard on Twitter or via other entertainment news outlets, iZombie has officially been picked up for a second season on the CW. But back to this week’s episode that involves a lot of sex and pop culture references, even though I don’t watch it I quite liked the Game of Thrones reference and loved the Fight Club one. There is a lot of forward momentum for several of the characters in the show as relationships change and get intermingled, all while having Liv on the brains of a radio sex therapist.
Continue reading iZombie S:01 E:08
Episode Title: All Happy Families Are Alike
Original Airdate: 5-4-15
We finally made it to the end of the first season of Gotham, and boy has it been a doozy. For all of its flaws and questionable choices, it is always entertaining and this week is no different. We have the return of Fish Mooney, the creation and practically the resolution of a city wide gang war which makes the city turn into Gotham: Beyond Thunderdome for some reason. There is plenty here to talk about, and not all of it is good. There were a few surprises including one death that I don’t think anyone anticipated, and another death that we all knew was coming, but enough hemming and hawing, it’s time to get right down to it.
Continue reading Gotham S:01 E:22
Episode title: Splicers
Original air date: September 18, 1999
After the surprise success of the first season, it was unsurprising that the showrunners would be given twice the episode allotment for the second season which runs for a whopping 27 episodes compared to the paltry 13 of the first season.
This debut episode starts by introducing a new element to the “Batman Beyond” world as here we get our first introduction to splicers, who are average citizens who choose to splice their DNA with animal DNA in the name of fashion and to give them certain characteristics such as leopard spots or cat eyes. Of course like any fashion style there are those who choose to take it further than most with the results seeing them turning themselves into humanoid versions of their chosen animals. Bruce meanwhile is suspicious of this new trend and more so of the shady Dr. Abel Cuvier who runs the Chimera Institute which is spearheading this latest trend.
For those up to speed on their Batman history will understand Bruce’s reason to be suspicious at the mention of gene splicing having had his own brush with these kinds of experiments with the “Man-Bat” in the episode “On Leather Wings” back in the original animated series. Of course like all of Bruce’s suspicions it soon turns out that things aren’t quite what they seem at the Chimera Institute with Curvier looking to take out D.A Sam Young who is trying to outlaw the practice of splicing believing that causes an increase in aggressive behaviour. True it would have been great to have Bruce we wrong with his hunches, but when you look at how obvious a villain Curvier is, especially with his Vincent Price styling even someone who isn’t a master detective would assume something was up with him.
The splicers make for a great foe to open the season with, especially when they come with so much unlimited potential, with this episode seeing Terry battling foes that have combined themselves with the DNA of a ram, cobra and tiger respectively, with the ram splicer “Ramrod” being voiced by Ice T in what I would like to say is one of his more random roles but it really isn’t. Even Terry isn’t free of being spliced himself as he finds himself being turned literally into a Batman. The centrepiece of these splicing antics however comes at the finale with Curvier turning himself into an actual chimera before soon warping into something a lot more twisted and which left me wondering where he line is actually drawn when it comes to censoring children’s cartoons as the final form Curvier takes was a lot more shocking than I would have expected to have seen on a mainstream show and more the sort of thing you’d expect from 90’s anime.
It would seem in the time which has passed between seasons that Bruce has come to trust in Terry’s abilities as the Batman a lot more, even going as far as stating that the splicer situation is one that they would need to clean up, seemingly indicating that Bruce has now settled in his position as advisor. Equally the episode see’s the first appearance of “Max” a fellow student at Terry’s school who is worth keeping an eye on, especially as she soon becomes another important character in the Batman universe as will become clearer later in the season. Sadly this episode marks the last appearance of the splicers, even though their presence is still felt throughout the show as they turn up in supporting roles, it would sadly not be in a central role but they make for a great season opener.
Next Episode: Earth Mover
Episode Title: Al Sah-Him
Original Airdate: 4-29-15
Season 3 has had a number of rough patches — Roy’s abrupt departure, the back and forth with Team Arrow missing Oliver, the nothing happening Hong Kong flashbacks — but this week felt like a much-needed step in the right direction as we head to the final two episodes. And with so much happening tonight, it almost seemed like these events in both current and flashback time could have used more episodes to develop.
The big development was Oliver has been fully ingrained as a League of Assassin thanks to a strict brainwashing regiment. Oliver has no remorse and little concern for his old way of life so when Ra’s tests him and Oliver sees a vision of Diggle, Oliver kills him without hesitation. It was presumably a LOA member that got on Ra’s bad side, but you know it’s effective brainwashing when Oliver is killing again.
Ra’s sends Oliver to bring back Nyssa so he can eliminate the only rival to his claim as heir to the demon so Team Arrow has to defend their unlikely ally from their former leader. It’s a nice shake-up and I wish there was more time to explore this subplot as Oliver shows no sign of his former self even going so far as to kidnap Lyla to force Nyssa to turn herself in.
I loved how the show worked in Laurel’s Canary Cry. It makes perfect sense and works in the context of the show. Roy’s absence was especially felt this time to the point I wished his exit was saved for the season finale after Team Arrow dealt with Dark Arrow. Fortunately Thea is ready to lend a hand, or arrow to help her friends and send her brother and his new henchmen back to Ra’s with Nyssa in tow. Thankfully Felicity didn’t keep Thea in the dark any longer about Roy still being alive.
The Hong Kong flashbacks finally got some payoff. Oliver, Maseo and Tatsu stop Shrieve’s men from spreading the Alpha/Omega bioweapon, but not before Maseo and Tatsu’s son, Akio, starts showing signs that he’s been infected.
Back to the present day, Ra’s reveals he doesn’t want Oliver to kill Nyssa. Removing a vial from her sword base, Ra’s instead wants Oliver to marry her — oh and use the recovered Alpha/Omega drive on Starling City. Will Oliver regain his sense before or after consummating the marriage and creating a little Damian Queen?
I’m digging the new status quo even if Team Arrow isn’t and I’m fascinated in seeing what goes down in these final two episodes. Should be a lot of fun!
Episode Title: The Trap
Original Airdate: 4-28-15
We finally get our full villain reveal at the end of this episode to head into the last two episodes of the season along with plenty of other reveals for all sorts of cast members. This episode had a strong build up to the climax along with plenty of great character moments and humor along the way. This show just keeps getting better and better all the time and it’s one reason why Wednesday is my favorite day of the week for television (being a day behind to watch streaming). After proving time and time again that Iris is the worst reporter ever, she finally starts to make a little bit of headway towards not being completely oblivious to everything around her, and Dr. Wells finally gets to the chance to go full villain, and explain why he always seems to pop up at the right (or wrong) moments.
Continue reading The Flash S:01 E:20
Episode Title: Maternity Liv
Original Airdate: 4-28-15
One of the things that I like the best about this show is how it can allow itself to be subtle and move its overarching storyline along at a leisurely pace without making it seem like its dragging its heels. There are some great moments of world building in this episode, the only downside was that the humor for much of the primary story of the week felt a little flat with me, especially one of the personality traits of the brain. But that was a small downside to an otherwise great episode that continues to intrigue me with its ability to not only weave these characters and how they are interconnected with each other, but also how it doesn’t coddle the audience with reminders of what all of this means at every corner. There’s plenty of information there for those who have been watching the show from the beginning, and for those that haven’t they will seem to be just unimportant details that don’t really impact the main plot one way or the other.
Continue reading iZombie S:01 E:07
Episode Title: The Anvil or the Hammer
Original Airdate: 4-27-15
As Gotham gets closer to the season finale it gets busy ramping everyone up to the extreme as some characters move ever closer to the ones that we’re very familiar with in the Batman mythos, while others stray even farther away from the characters that we know and love (or love to hate). And another episode without hide nor hair of Fish Mooney. Not that that’s a bad thing, though I have a sneaking suspicion that she will end up coming back near the very end of the season. And through her actions she will end this gang war that’s started in full force after the events of this episode. We also get to finish up the saga of the Ogre which had a promising start, but a rather odd finish.
Continue reading Gotham S:01 E:21
So after thirteen action packed episodes we’ve come to the end of the first season of “Batman Beyond” and with season 2 promising to see the return of certain major villains, splicers and even further development from the jokerz, let finding out how the devious Paxton Powers will play into events in Neo-Gotham. Still for the concept of a futuristic Batman, an idea which could have easily have been written off as a gimmick, the show really has carved out for itself with this first season a place in the DC Animated universe, while its ongoing comic series has ensured that the character has continued to remain very much part of the DC Universe.
Continue reading Batman Beyond Season:01
Episode Title:The Fallen
Original Airdate: 4-22-15
There was a lot of good moments in this episode that on their own would have resulted in an obvious home-run, but too many decisions from earlier this season watered down what was poised to be one of the season’s most dramatic outings.
The main problem was yet again Oliver was saying goodbye to Felicity and Diggle. This season alone I can think of at least three other instances where Oliver has bid an emotional farewell to an ally and eventually it leads to diminishing dramatic returns when everything reverts to normal an episode or two later.
This time should be more impactful as since the midseason finale, Oliver has resisted the lure of Ra’s al Ghul to become his heir only to be forced to accept the position in order to save Thea. There’s no turning back and everyone knows it, but a lot of the emotional sting was absent as we’ve been here too often this season.
Still, the actors delivered some of their best of the season with Amell conveying Oliver’s shock at seeing a bloody Thea, Emily Bett Rickards giving Felicity some fire as she confronts both Malcolm and Ra’s, the overall quiet composure David Ramsey provides as Diggle and Matt Nable shining in easily his best performance.
The Hong Kong flashback was more action-packed despite a lack of anything happening until Oliver fights one of Shrieve’s soldiers and the vial containing the Alpha/Omega compound shatters leading to….? Stay tuned.
Thea coming back from being brain dead courtesy of The Lazarus Pit was fine, but hopefully there will be more repercussions for her dip in Ra’s “magic hot tub.” Felicity drugging Oliver after they made sweet Cinemax-worthy love (poor Ray) was funny as she reasoned there had to be some secret catacombs they could escape without Ra’s knowing. But in the end, Oliver is a man of his word even when dealing with The Demon’s Head and he agreed to become Ra’s heir.
The final scene of Ra’s branding Oliver with an arrow mark was tremendous as was the closing moments of Oliver Queen being figuratively buried and replaced by Ah Sah-Him, Heir to the Demon.
This wasn’t the sharpest outing, but next week teases some fascinating possibilities for a very fun episode.
Channel: Superhero 