Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. S:02 E:08

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: The Things We Bury
Original Airdate: 11-18-14

This was a great episode, especially for anyone who thought that they might still be angling towards some sort of redemption for Ward’s character. No, he is fully within the realm of a villain, and a very interesting villain at that. He’s good at what he does, he has intimate knowledge of S.H.I.E.L.D. and its operations, and there’s honestly no telling what his real motivation or goal is. There’s been some speculation that he might end up becoming Taskmaster who was featured in the recent direct to video Marvel animation Iron Man and Captain America: Heroes United, speculation that Brett Dalton himself appreciated but did not confirm or deny. At the end of season one I was a bit worried at what he would become here in season two, but I must say that I do like the direction they are going, especially after his full turn here. There’s still an element where he is working both sides, but I’m pretty sure that whatever his goal is, it’s entirely for his own purposes and not to specifically align himself with either Hydra or S.H.I.E.L.D. On the other side of things, Skye’s father gets a bit more screentime and allows himself to become quite the person of interest as well. There’s also plenty of flashbacks that shed light into Whitehall’s background and how he has remained youthful for all these years. We also get a brief cameo from another Whedon alum who I recognized as Sierra from Dollhouse who plays what appears to be Skye’s mother in a great reveal at the end of the episode. It’s such a simple moment, but it informs so much more about what angle her father is playing and what is actually so special about her. It’s really a standout episode in an already stellar season, I can’t wait to see where everything goes from here.

The Flash S:01 E:06

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: The Flash is Born
Original Airdate: 11-18-14

I hate to say it, because out of all of the new shows, the Flash has been my favorite. But this week’s episode has been one of the most cliched and cheesy episodes of the show so far. It felt way too much like one of the poor episodes of Smallville’s first season where it focuses too much around the freak of the week who has a connection to Barry and Iris. He was the high school bully and he has grown up to be a metahuman bully with a crush on Barry’s girl who isn’t really Barry’s girl. I mean, just replace Iris with Lana and Barry with Clark and I doubt it would be too hard to find an episode that mirrors this pretty closely. But I will say that there are still a few standout moments here aside from the villain of the week plot that I could care less about. I loved the b-plot where Joe was subtly questioning Dr. Wells about Nora Allen’s death and the Reverse Flash, as I know almost anyone who knows anything about the Flash already suspects that he is the one responsible. I may have said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but I love Joe as a character and an actor. It raises more questions about Dr. Wells’ character as we as an audience already knows that he has information from the future, though Joe has been put off of the scent for the moment, and the end was such a great moment where he gets to see the Reverse Flash for himself who takes all of his notes and threatens Iris’s picture with a knife through her picture’s heart just like what happened to Nora. I also can’t deny that the sonic boom punch was awesome, especially when punctuated by Cisco’s enthusiasm. Too bad the rest of the episode couldn’t live up to that excitement.

Gotham S:01 E:09

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: Harvey Dent
Original Airdate: 11-17-14

Gotham already feels like the Two Face of Batman TV shows, it has the good side and the bad side and it’s a flip of the coin as to which one it’s going to be from one moment to the next. And just when you thought they weren’t going to shoehorn in any more Batman foreshadowing. Oh wait, who am I kidding, they can’t go two episodes without another moment of Batman foreshadowing. This time around Two Face gets his time in the sun, or at least half of his face in the sun and the other half in shadow. It’s at least ten to fifteen years B.B. (Before Batman) and Harvey Dent is already making a name for himself on his way to being Gotham’s White Knight. He’s trusted by the MCU and so by extension Gordon gives him his trust, but there’s already the seeds of doubt where he already has his two sided coin, and we get to see him flip out on the heretofore unknown mob guy to really hit home the fact that he has a darker side and will definitely become Two Face at a later point in time. That moment was like most of these moments in Gotham, totally overblown and hamfisted. The parts of the episode that I did like were surprisingly the scenes with baby Bruce and Cat. I did actually like this more playful and subtle foreshadowing of the Bat and the Cat romance. It allowed Bruce to actually be a kid for a moment and I liked seeing that. It also gave him those nice little moments of realization about how his training in such a sterile environment won’t really help him out if he ever gets into the nitty gritty of Gotham’s underworld proper. There was also some more development on the Penguin plot, but I didn’t really feel one way or the other about it, it was more of Penguin being Gotham’s Penguin which I’m still not fully on board with, but I am starting to appreciate how he is making the Penguin his own thing that is different from anything else out there right now, but also weird, offputting, creepy, and still menacing in his own way. And the final scene where we find out that Barbara has gone back to Montoya was just a complete eye roll moment for me. It didn’t feel like it was representing a truly bisexual character, it felt like it was tossing out a lesbian scene for the shock and ratings factor. Yet another mixed bag from Gotham.

The Walking Dead S:05 E:06

Posted on by mrsthuro

Episode: Consumed
Original Airdate: 11-16-14

Pieces are finally starting to fall into place. Two weeks ago during “Slabtown,” I was a bit agitated when the episode ended without much resolution to Beth’s situation at the hospital. When Carol came rolling in on the gurney, I hoped the next time we visited Grady Memorial, it would just be Carol playing possum to gain access to help Beth escape, with the assistance of Daryl, naturally. Now after seeing “Consumed” and a preview for tomorrow’s episode, it’s clear that the inhabitants of the hospital are going to play a bigger villainous role with the entire group through the mid-season finale. As for the episode itself, I was very excited for quiet character building time with two of the show’s biggest badasses. Since Season 2, Carol and Daryl have been thrown together as an obvious couple, but we really haven’t actually seen them together that much over the last three seasons. And now we have had an entire episode to get to know them better as individuals and a couple, which was gratifying, even if the coupling was a bit scant. I really dug the motif of fire and smoke throughout the episode, as they are two things tied to both Daryl and Carol’s surroundings as they have grown throughout the series. As for the newer character of Noah, I was initially disappointed that he was quite antagonistic toward the two in their first meeting, and his only reasoning was in needing weapons. But I know it had to be moment of character building for Daryl to not let Noah die in the end when the tables were turned. Then to end with the shocking moment of Carol being hit by a car sent my anxiety through the roof, especially watching Daryl endure her being taken away by the people of the hospital, and he being unable to help. On the Walker side of things, I really appreciated the living dead in the sleeping bags and tents who had clearly set up a camp on the bridge between two buildings in downtown Atlanta, all seemingly turned at the same time. I have to wonder what their story was. The downside of the episode for me was the van falling off the overpass, and its two inhabitants surviving. The show is far from realistic of course, but that moment was pushing it for me. However, with the rest of the episode being so well grounded, I can forgive them that misstep. With three relatively quieter, character building episodes in a row, here’s hoping that we get a little more action in the final two before the winter break.

Constantine S:01 E:04

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: A Feast of Friends
Original Airdate: 11-14-14

This is another episode that treads on some pretty dark elements though it still never feels like horror. The show revisits one of the important aspects of the Pilot episode that has only vaguely been brought up since: when the failed exorcism of a young girl named Astra caused her to be drug into hell. This time one of his friends from back then comes back around. He was, and still is a drug addict that has yet to hit rock bottom, but still wants a chance at redemption. A chance that Constantine isn’t quite ready to give him. It’s also through his friend’s actions that released a powerful hunger demon out into the wild. The concept of the hunger demon is somewhat interesting where it takes the form of a swarm of beetles which enters a person and causes them to gorge on any food that they can find until they die and it moves onto the next host. There’s an interesting aspect where the real world views it as being an exotic and deadly disease and tries to quarantine the areas where the demon attacks have taken place. But the greatest aspect of the episode really shows what steps Constantine is willing to take in order to do what is necessary to hold back the spawns of hell from causing disaster in the world. Ultimately, the demon can only be taken care of by essentially giving it a human sacrifice, trapping it in a human host where its only recourse is to devour the human and eventually devour itself. It ends up being the ultimate form of atonement by his friend, but it’s also a moment of darkness for Constantine as he essentially manipulates his friend into the situation, though it is his friend who ultimately makes the final decision to sacrifice himself. It’s a great bit of depth and darkness that we don’t often get to see in the types of television shows that I’m used to seeing while still keeping Constantine a likable character. Reaslly one of the better episodes so far, if only because of the ending. Until next time, this has been Bubbawheat for Flights, Tights, and Movie Nights.

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.

The Walking Dead S:05 E:05

Posted on by mrsthuro

Episode: Self Help
Original Airdate: 11-9-14

I really hadn’t been that invested in Abraham, Rosita and Eugene since their introduction at the end of Season 4’s “Inmates,” when rescuing Glenn and Tara. They seemed to be good people with the unwavering determination to get Eugene to DC because he claimed he could end the plague of the undead. Despite his lack of an explanation, I went with it, assuming it would never come to fruition, and back stories were never a concern. But when Abraham insisted on setting out for DC again and taking Maggie and Glenn with him, I was a bit angry that the show was once again breaking up the core group, after having just reunited everyone post-Terminus. However, “Self Help” atoned for the group’s split by finally giving Abraham real development, through flashbacks of losing his family because of his own actions, as well as, exposing Eugene as a liar. I never really expected him to be able to save the world, but when he finally breaks down and admits that it had all been a hoax, just so he could have people protecting him against the Walkers at any cost, my heart broke for everyone involved. The anger and fear was terrifying, but not nearly as much as the feeling of “now what” that they all felt when their mission was no longer. Though I thought the trip to DC was doomed from the beginning, that didn’t keep “Self Help” from resonating any less, and (hopefully) cementing Abraham as a definite addition to the main group, though what he does from here is anyone’s guess. Also, Walkers’ rotting bodies torn apart by a fire hose is a total win.

Constantine S:01 E:03

Posted on by Bubbawheat

Episode: The Devil’s Vinyl
Original Airdate: 11-7-14

This episode is very much a stand alone story that really plays up the horror elements of the show. There’s an acetate that was recorded back in the 30s or 40s by a blues artist who had sold his soul to the devil. And the devil came to collect during the session resulting in the voice of the deceiver being burned into the disc. And I should probably clarify as very few people are likely to even know what an acetate is aside from being a certain chemical. In this instance, it’s a specific type of album used to record music sessions that aren’t specifically made for mass production as it can actually be played immediately after recording on it. And as it has the recording of the devil himself on it, it also has the evil power within it that tends to make people desperately want to listen to it and play it so other people can listen to it. This episode is also notable for introducing Poppa Midnight who also made an appearance in Constantine. There he was mostly helpful, but slightly annoyed at Constantine’s antics, here he is only slightly agreeable, but mostly antagonistic. Especially when he thinks that Constantine is after the same thing he is, so much so that he basically strings him up and leaves him to die in a rather tortuous way. It also has a lot more of Zed becoming part of the team and I’m very quickly beginning to like her as a character almost more than Constantine himself. Even though there is quite a bit of blood in this episode, there still isn’t much of what I would call scares, it continues to have a feeling of a macabre murder mystery combined with the occult and some dark humor. I’m still on board though as they mesh quite well, though I’d be happy if they did have a much more scare oriented episode.

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.