from Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/moon-knight-episode-1-review/

Moon Knight S1 Ep1:
The Goldfish Problem

By Kirsten Howard

March 30, 2022

Moon Knight is Marvel Studios’ biggest gamble yet on Disney+. Yes, it’s the first one of these pricey series to be led by a character completely new to the MCU, but that character is also a complex and often downright impenetrable one, beloved by his Marvel Comics fans and occasionally mocked by those who consider him to be Marvel’s much less cool version of Batman.

Well, we get precisely zero Batman vibes in this first episode of the new Disney+ show, where we meet the painfully uncool Steven Grant (Oscar Isaac in his element), a timid British museum gift shop employee who thinks he has a sleep disorder. Steven ties himself to his bed every night and seals the door so he can check that he hasn’t been wandering the streets of London during his slumber. He’s still exhausted, though, and regularly gets into hot water at work for being late and having ideas above his station.

Steven is passionate about ancient Egypt, and seems to be by all accounts a lovely man on the verge of starting a romance with a beautiful co-worker who he doesn’t even remember asking out. At one point, Steven voices his concerns aloud: “If I’m going to have a girlfriend at some point, obviously I can’t have ankle restraints on my bed, can I? That’s the definition of a red flag,” which got my first big laugh. If there had been a documentary crew filming me, I would have looked straight to camera.

Of course, it’s not long before Steven finds himself out of bed and into trouble. Having traveled some way while attempting forty winks, he’s suddenly in imminent danger. He appears to have been on a mission to steal a golden scarab from the possession of one Arthur Harrow (Ethan Hawke, clearly having the time of his life), a deadly cult leader who is dishing out mortal punishments on behalf of the Egyptian goddess Ammit. She can apparently tell if your misdeeds outweigh your good ones. And if those misdeeds happen to be part of some muddy future that hasn’t transpired yet? Yeah, she’ll nip those right in the bud.

Harrow is established as our bad guy when he passes judgement on a couple of his followers using a mysterious cane and a tattoo of some scales, and it comes across as quite silly despite Hawke’s enigmatic scenery chewing, even before the disturbing sequence descends into slapstick. In fact, there’s a lot of really cool stuff in this episode that ends up a little smudged by either its underwhelming CG or Isaac’s quirky central performance as the flappable Steven, which is unfortunate.

This is also the point in the episode where things inevitably get confusing, as a panicking Steven flips back and forth between his own identity and that of Marc Spector, a mercenary who seems to be working with the Egyptian moon god Khonshu. Moon Knight fans who were curious about how the MCU would handle Spector’s brutal fighting style will probably be a bit miffed to discover that this first episode mostly uses cuts between these two identities to skip past Marc’s bloodier moments rather than put them on full display, keeping such battles as Disney-friendly as possible.

The back half of the episode concerns itself with helping Steven start to understand that his meagre life has been a sham by way of his reflected interactions with Marc, during which time he is stalked by Khonshu. Not for nothing, I love the way Khonshu has been designed for the series, he really does look perfect! Casting F. Murray Abraham as the voice of the moon god is a masterstroke.

Steven also learns that a woman called Layla (we can probably assume that this is the MCU’s version of Marlene from the comics) has been looking for Marc for a long time, before the villainous Harrow gives Steven a quiet, exposition-y talk on Ammit and how if she was around she would have totally just killed baby Hitler/Pol Pot/whatever, just like the Thanos-strangling Rhodey! Hoo boy.

Eventually we get to see some brief, fully suited-up Moon Knight action when Steven allows the Marc identity to take over his body to school one of Harrow’s conjured jackals, and some museum facilities end up looking pretty much like an average public toilet in the UK. Probably better, if we include UK music festivals.

“The Goldfish Problem” is a pretty solid introduction to the world of Moon Knight, but it does feel like the internet’s daddy has been granted “Johnny Depp in Pirates of the Caribbean”-level performance freedom when it comes to the portrayal of Steven specifically, and your mileage may vary on how well it all works for you. Although Isaac’s British accent is likely a rollercoaster for anyone who lives in the UK – sometimes he sounds bang on the money and others not – hints are dropped that we will get more of American Marc in the next episode.

There are perceivable limits to telling a Moon Knight story, no matter the medium, and there are usually three main options available when approaching one: you can put him in the midst of the Marvel Universe at street level, you can delve into the Egyptian mythology of it all, and you can attempt a study of his mental health journey. It is a brave writer who attempts all three, because that’s a lot of angles to incorporate! Here, the writing team have picked options two and three, but it’s still so much to wrangle, and perhaps juggling it all given the constraints of a six-episode series was challenging. Regardless, it’s hard not to imagine what a more slow-burn version of this series might have offered us over at Netflix.

I will say it is refreshing to watch an ambitious Marvel show that isn’t filled with Easter eggs (for comics fans, there’s a quick glimpse of the name “Duchamp” on Marc’s flip phone) or in-universe call-backs: Moon Knight doesn’t have to concern itself with dropping breadcrumbs, and can just get on with telling its own story from the ground up. The MCU version of Steven Grant is admittedly quite irritating, but at least he’s a very different protagonist for us to root for. I’m interested to find out how much of Steven’s gentle, good heart might be at odds with Marc’s mercenary brutality later on.

Thor #15-18 (2020): Revelations

Odin has returned! But an air of tension now sits upon the throne. Father and son. All-Father and All-Father. Odin and Thor. Is this relationship forever doomed, and what does it mean for the Ten Realms? Determined to be the best leader that he can be, Thor makes the fateful decision to surrender Mjolnir. But what if the hammer isn't ready to give up Thor? As all of Asgard reckons with Odin's return and the aftermath of Donald Blake's brutal attack, its ruler will be rocked by revelations - and face a shocking confrontation with the Avengers! Plus: When the Infinity Stones return, Thor and a surprising guest star must confront a dark, twisted version of the God of Thunder who is determined to become the iron-fisted ruler of all the realms!

Thor (2020) #15

Published:
July 14, 2021Writer:
Donny Cates
Penciler:
Alessandro Vitti, Michele Bandini
Cover Artist:
Olivier Coipel


The wounds of Donald Blake have not yet healed, and new Hel is afoot! With all inhabitants back in Asgard, and Odin’s presence returned after being away so long, an air of tension now sits upon the throne! Father and son. All-Father and All-Father. Odin and Thor. Is this relationship forever doomed, and what does it mean for the Ten Realms? Join the new Thor artist, Alessandro Vitti for the start of a new arc!

Thor (2020) #16

Published:
August 25, 2021Writer:
Donny Cates
Penciler:
Michele Bandini
Cover Artist:
Olivier Coipel


REVELATIONS PART 2 OF 3! Thor has only known two things, being a warrior and weilding a hammer. But he is realizing that in order to be the best ruler of Asgard that he can be, he must give up those two things. Who is Thor without them? And hostilities between Thor and Odin reach a boiling point as Revelations continues to uproot Thor's entire world!

Buy my copy of this book HERE

Thor (2020) #17

Published:
September 29, 2021Writer:
Donny Cates
Penciler:
Michele Bandini
Cover Artist:
Olivier Coipel


THE EPIC FINALE OF “REVELATIONS”! Thor, ruler of Asgard, can now focus on just that - ruling! But with power comes truth, and Thor will learn that being king isn’t so simple. When havoc on Midgard begins, Mjolnir seems to have vanished under the Avengers’ watch. And Thor must learn more than one truth this day. The shocking conclusion of “Revelations” that no one will see coming is here!

Buy my copy of this book HERE

Thor (2020) #18

Published:
October 20, 2021Writer:
Donny Cates
Penciler:
Robert Quinn, Pasqual Ferry
Cover Artist:
Olivier Coipel


MEET ASGARD'S NEW MASTER OF SPIES - THROG! After the events of "Revelations," Thor has a top secret mission that only one trusted ally can carry out: Throg, the Frog of Thunder! Guest artist Pasqual Ferry makes a return trip to Asgard for this unique tale of otherworldly espionage, one that will have a profound impact on the future of the Marvel Universe!

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes (2022)

The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe:
The Unheard Tapes

from Roger Ebert: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-mystery-of-marilyn-monroe-the-unheard-tapes-movie-review-2022

Nick Allen April 27, 2022




Netflix loves a mess. Take two of the company’s hottest offerings right now: season five of “Selling Sunset” and “Conversations with a Killer: The John Wayne Gacy Tapes.” The streaming service by no way invented this type of entertainment, but they have the authorship of a content company that churns out such provocative reflections on reality, week by week. Its latest slop, scraped from the bottom of the barrel and served for an audience of armchair detectives, is Emma Cooper's “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes,” and it's a special kind of gross. It is too touch-and-go, too speculative about her life and mysterious death, to be of any genuine purpose.

This is the kind of true-crime documentary in which the lead voiceover repeats words, and the editing sometimes recaps everything so you don’t miss anything juicy. In one moment, it practically provides the full plot synopses, recreated here in full, using punctuation from Netflix subtitles:

“Marilyn Monroe’s death was just a huge event, pages and pages and pages. Question marks. Dig, dig, dig. Over two years. Hollywood, Los Angeles, the bugging, the eavesdropping. Had she been murdered? John F. Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, Jimmy Hoffa. Rumor. White House files, FBI files. Honesty. Assembling the facts. And … Marilyn’s death. Focus, focus, focus.”

That garbage bit of slam poetry from investigative author and reporter Anthony Summers comes almost 75 minutes into the movie, presumably to remind desensitized, or honestly, distracted viewers, to all the hot topics at play here. “The Mystery of Marilyn Monroe: The Unheard Tapes” does not even build an emotional journey, with her own life or Summers' investigation; there are no significant emotions for a viewer here except cheap disgust, awe, and pity. This documentary does not feel for Monroe's storied mental anguish beyond the impact she can have when the doc suddenly shows us a picture of her dead, in bed. She’s little more than a golden-haired question mark; a famous corpse.

The narrative within this documentary is more about Summers, to show off the tapes that helped him write his Monroe book Goddess, which was published in 1985 after two years and hundreds of interviews. And in terms as crude as this doc is, it’s more or less about getting him on camera to talk about this before he is unable to do so himself, just as his phone calls in 1982 were trying to grab the full story from the aging likes of directors Billy Wilder, John Huston, close friends of Monroe, and the children and spouse of her last psychiatrist, Ralph Greenson. Summers gets a mix of witness accounts, largely made of first-hand speculation; the documentary collages them, and lets actors lip-synch the calls.

There are few answers here, and it's more about stirring: "The Unheard Tapes" expands on conspiracy theories about Monroe’s relationship with the Kennedy men, and the way she made government agents sweat by being such a leftist. But her stardom and impact is only as important to this documentary as its tragedy, the same with how it touches on more sinister parts of classic Hollywood business—the transaction of sex, with names taken from black books—but can only offer ominous shadows.

For all the time the film spends saying her name, touching upon the different traumatic relationships she had in her life, and briefly showing clips from when she thrived in front of the movie camera, Monroe remains dehumanized. She has been cast here as another disembodied voice that shares close-ups with ominous footage of rolling audio tapes. When watching the rare speaking footage of her, she has so little physical space; the media public did not know or care how to talk to her, they didn’t know what to do with her but ask her about children, or needle her about superficial things. We can see how much talking and thinking about her in this way did not help her, as in footage of her being swarmed outside of a mental hospital.

In 2022, we are generally a bit more receptive to mental health than during Monroe’s time—just look at, of all things, other pieces in the Netflix algorithm, like circus-ready reality show “Love is Blind,” in which characters advocate for therapy in that show’s reunion. But we haven’t gotten much better at perceiving a life story like that of Monroe’s; stuffing it into the true-crime documentary grinder for a passive shock is just as tabloid-esque as when she was still alive, and just as craven.

Return to Space (2022)

Return to Space

from Decider: https://decider.com/2022/04/07/return-to-space-netflix-review/

Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Return to Space’ On Netflix, An Inside Look At Elon Musk’s Efforts to Get Astronauts Back Into Space

By Jade Budowski @jadebudowski Apr 7, 2022 at 4:45pm

Elon Musk has made headlines for just about everything under the sun; from turning out Teslas and hosting Saturday Night Live to giving his babies very unconventional names to endorsing Kanye West for President. Let’s face it: the man has never shied away from the spotlight. His efforts to get astronauts into space with his company SpaceX are chronicled in Return to Space, now streaming on Netflix.

 
RETURN TO SPACE: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?

The Gist: Astronauts have not returned to the International Space Station from American soil in almost 9 years. After the dismantling of the Space Shuttle program (it’s expensive, y’all!), American astronauts have traveled to space alongside the Russians. But that’s all about to change. With the help of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, NASA is preparing to send astronauts back to the ISS from American soil. We begin with the final test for NASA to certify SpaceX for regular crew flights to the ISS, and meet astronauts like Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken and various engineers and NASA officials. Before we get to the good stuff, we take a trip back to how we got here to begin with, back in 2002 when Musk started SpaceX with dreams of creating a reusable rocket.

Over the course of Return to Space‘s two-plus hour runtime, we get a glimpse of the history of space travel, the current state of it all, and begin to understand how NASA became involved with the commercial sector (and why Musk is the one who won the $1.5 billion contract). We see him try and try again to get a rocket into orbit, getting emotional when he learns that his heroes – including Neil Armstrong – are against NASA getting into bed with the private sector. SpaceX and NASA press on, however, running tests working hard to make this dream happen. While they face more than a few obstacles – including thunderstorms (“I, too, am bummed”, Musk says, when they are unable to launch due to the weather) – this relentless group of people will stop at nothing until they make it back beyond the stratosphere.Photo: Netflix

What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: Some other documentaries about space and astronauts include Mission Control: The Unsung Heroes of Apollo, The Mars Generation, and The Wonderful: Stories From The Space Station.

Performance Worth Watching: Astronaut duo Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken are big part of the heart of Return to Space; not only do they have immense respect for one another, but there’s a deep admiration between the two of them, and it’s their connection that makes a lot of the documentary so compelling. Seeing them with their families and learning both their spouses are astronauts as well only raises the stakes. Hurley and Behnken’s deep love and passion for what they do makes watching them embark on this journey all the more powerful. They’re the stuff great doc subjects are made of.

Memorable Dialogue: “I embrace the dawn of commercialization of space,” Hurley says, which sounds like a ringing endorsement for the SpaceX/NASA partnership, but also might not bode so well when Amazon and Richard Branson start sending folks to the moon.

Sex and Skin: None.

Our Take: From Free Solo directing couple Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin comes Return to Space, part moving documentary, part Elon Musk/SpaceX promotional video. If you can put the way the film makes a big effort to humanize Musk and his controversial persona aside (though I’ll admit I was a tad moved by his apparent dedication to these endeavors), it’s a remarkable feat, and the emotional journey at the heart of the film is deeply compelling. Even with its overlong run time (2+ hours is quite a commitment these days), Return to Space still delivers something equal parts moving and fascinating. It’s the kind of film likely to please lovers of space exploration and determined entrepreneurs alike, and an interesting examination of what it means for NASA to have moved into the commercial realm.

By combining archival footage and interviews with its own documenting of the mission and the people involved, Return to Space paints a mesmerizing picture, rich in depth both emotional and historical. Return to Space will certainly rub some the wrong way with its apparent hero worship and lack of exploring what it really means for these tech companies to be fighting to get into space. The significance of NASA making it back into space, however, overshadows this, allowing us to see firsthand how private sector innovation has allowed us to send astronauts back to the stars again.

Our Call: STREAM IT. While a large part of Return to Space plays like a SpaceX promotional video, the meaningful way the film tells the story of a group of hopeful dreamers makes it more than worth your while.

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from PC gamer: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-witcher-episode-8-recap/
The Witcher episode 8 recap: An explosive end to the first season

The Witcher S1 Ep 8: Much More

By Andy Kelly 

published January 06, 2020

The mages prepare for battle with Nilfgaard, and Geralt has an uneasy reunion with someone important to him.

We rejoin Geralt in Cintra, having just run his sword through a prophecy-spouting Nilfgaardian soldier. He realises he's in Ciri's room and looks through her belongings—a storybook, a dress, a set of knucklebones—and we hear an echo of his promise to Calanthe from episode seven: "I will take her, protect her, and bring her back unharmed, I promise you that." Later, outside the city walls, Geralt bumps into a man he mistakes for a graverobber. He's a merchant, Yurga, and he's giving the dead a proper burial, not robbing them.

Geralt says he's going back to Kaer Morhen—an old keep in the mountains of Kaedwen, where he was trained as a witcher long ago. Then something stirs in the earth beneath him. Zombie-like creatures with glowing eyes rise from the dirt and attack the witcher. He loses his sword and pulls one of their tongues out, using it as a makeshift weapon. Jason Bourne would be proud. Geralt manages to defeat the creatures, just, but notices a nasty, festering wound on his leg. "Not a happy ending after all," he grumbles as he slumps to the ground.

So we've reached the end of The Witcher's first season. Last episode, the Monster of the Week format was dropped to focus on the show's larger plot; namely Ciri looking for Geralt and the Nilfgaardian Empire's quest to conquer the Continent. This is a stronger episode, but I still think the show suffers when it dedicates itself entirely to the big picture. The smaller, self-contained stories—especially if they involve Geralt hunting a weird monster—are far more compelling. I can't help but think of later seasons of The X-Files, which became notably less good when the alien invasion stuff took over. Hopefully The Witcher, which has been signed up for a second season, doesn't meet the same fate.

We find Ciri alone in the countryside again. I really hope she gets more to do next season than just running through barren, wintry landscapes. The boys who attacked her in the previous episode, her former friends, are dead—twisted, broken, and bloody. One of them is impaled gruesomely on a tree. Seems our princess unleashed another blast of magical energy; confirmed by a neat bird's eye shot where we can see visual evidence of the shockwave. The kindly woman whose horse Ciri stole last episode finds her and carries her to safety.

A rowboat moves through foggy water, loaded with the rebel mages from Aretuza—including Yennefer, Vilgefortz, Tissaia, and Triss. They're travelling to an old Elven keep in Sodden: a place of great strategic importance. Nilfgaard has no choice but to move through the keep to continue its conquest of the Continent. Tissaia tells Yennefer that Temeria and Kaedwen are joining the fight, and that they will have to fortify the keep until the armies arrive in two days.

Vilgefortz asks Yennefer why she came, but she doesn't seem to have an answer—at least not one she's willing to share. Then we're treated to an aerial shot of the keep: a crumbling castle perched on the edge of a deep, rocky canyon. The keep guards the narrowest parts of the Yaruga River; the only thing standing between Nilfgaard and the North. In the castle the mages find tired-looking refugees, brutally driven from their homes by Nilfgaard. As the Empire's soldiers march, the mages and refugees prepare for battle: lining up bows, fletching arrows, and filling little glass bottles with explosive, magic-infused blue rocks.

It's the night before the battle and Yennefer is wandering the battlements as the others drink and make merry below. We even see the normally stoic, unamused Tissaia laughing and smiling. Yennefer finds a refugee woman making arrows, who talks about all the terrible things the Nilfgaardians have done to her—just to make doubly sure we know they're the bad guys. Later, Tissaia and Yennefer have a heart to heart. Yen says she's ready to die. She has no legacy to leave behind, no family. Tissaia disagrees: "You have so much left to give."

Yen says she's ready to die. She has no legacy to leave behind, no family. Tissaia disagrees: "You have so much left to give."

Now we join the Nilfgaardians, camped near the keep. A field marshal tells Cahir that 50,000 troops are on their way from the freshly-razed city of Cintra, and that scouts have spotted the rebel mages fortifying the castle. Cahir and Nilfgaard's resident mage Fringilla (a fellow student of Yen's at Aretuza, you may remember) decide to test the mages' defences. Fringilla orders some of her mage underlings to conjure up massive, raging fireballs—killing them in the process—which a Nilfgaardian catapult then hurls towards the keep. Yennefer wakes up just as one is about to land and magically tosses it to safety.

We also see Fringilla with a small, black box. She hands it to another sorcerer and says: "Draw the mages out." The next morning we learn that 22 of the rebel mages have abandoned the keep, fearful of those fireballs. Then a thick wall of fog—created by a Nilfgaardian mage—creeps across the forest, in the direction of the castle. Tissaia tells Yennefer to climb a nearby tower and watch over the battle, but tells her to reserve her chaos—recalling a similar instruction she gave her in Aretuza, back when she was a trainee. The battle, it seems, is about to begin. How are a handful of mages gonna defeat 50,000 soldiers?

In a forest nearby, a near-death Geralt is in the back of a cart being driven by Yurga the merchant. He's paler than usual and having visions of his past. He sees himself as a boy with a bucket on his head and a wooden sword, fighting an imaginary monster. "We must live and let live." his mother says, her face obscured. It's their code. Then Geralt sees a tiny golden dragon—it's Borch from episode six—which appears to be a hallucination rather than a childhood memory.

Later, we see more flashbacks to Geralt's childhood. His mother, her face still unseen, magics up an apple for him to eat—confirming that she's a sorceress. He also mutters the name Vesemir, an important character who will almost certainly appear in season two. Geralt eventually snaps out of his daze, drinks a potion, and pours some of it over his wound to stop the infection. For the record, I know the boy in those flashbacks is baby Geralt because the subtitles label him as such.

Geralt's origins have been something of a mystery for most of the season. Hell, they haven't even really said what a witcher is yet—which must be confusing for people unfamiliar with the lore. This series isn't particularly good at explaining things, which makes a background with the books or videogames a big help. Anecdotally, I know someone whose first experience with the world of The Witcher was this show, and they found it difficult to get their head around it all.

Anyway, back to the keep. We're treated to a lengthy battle scene here, which is the highlight of the episode in terms of pure spectacle. Triss poisons a bunch of Nilfgaardian soldiers by conjuring up poison mushrooms; Sabrina tosses those explosive bottles into the forest and archers shoot them, creating a fiery mortar strike; Coral levels a whole squad of soldiers with a telekinetic blast; and Vilgefortz fights Cahir with magical swords. It's fun seeing the mages in action. But despite their efforts, the Nilfgaardian attack is overwhelming, and the soldiers draw closer to the keep—then Fringilla joins the fray.

She destroys the keep's gate with magic and the fog sweeps in. The mage generating the fog collapses, dead, and drops the black box Fringilla gave him earlier. It cracks open and a writhing mass of disgusting black worms emerges, slithering into the keep. Seems these slippery things are capable of mind control: they possess some refugee kids, who cause a massive, devastating explosion by sabotaging the mages' stockpile of bottle grenades. Yennefer limps away from the destroyed tower, when Fringilla tries to get her to switch sides. She says there are no limits in Nilfgaard, only power and potential; that she might be able to find a cure for her infertility. "That could be your legacy."

Geralt wakes up and his wounds are being treated by a druid named Vissena: his mother. She says he was saved by his pulse being four times slower than a normal man—a result of his witcher mutations. When Geralt realises who she is, he's furious. He demands to know if, when she gave him away as a child, she was aware that only three out of ten boys survive the witcher trials. She says he should stop asking questions, because the answers will only hurt them both. He has to move on and find what he let go of—he has to find Ciri.

Back on the battlefield, Yennefer finds a severely weakened Tissaia. She tells her old student that it's her turn to save these people; save the Continent. "Forget the bottle," she says. "Let your chaos explode." And Yennefer does just that, unleashing a massive blast of fire magic. The flames sweep over the forest, obliterating the Nilfgaardian army. Cahir watches from afar, then we see King Foltest arrive with the Temerian army behind him. The tables have turned, it seems.

Ciri is with the woman from earlier, sleeping in her house. The sounds of battle rage in the distance, but she reassures her that the Nilfgaardians have no reason to come here. The next morning, Ciri escapes into the nearby forest—because she just can't keep away from those damn forests—just as a cart pulls up to the house. It's Geralt and Yurga, who we discover is the woman's husband. Bad timing! But it's fine; the woman tells Yurga that Ciri ran into the forest. Then Geralt hears Renfri's voice, a flashback to episode one: "The girl in the woods will be with you always," the voice echoes. "She is your destiny."

Geralt walks into the forest and, at long last, finds Ciri. They embrace and I must admit, I felt a little emotional here. "People linked with destiny will always find each other." And so the season ends, with Ciri and the witcher finally meeting, and the Nilfgaardians getting a taste of Yennefer's true power. The quality dipped a little towards the end, but overall I thoroughly enjoyed The Witcher's Netflix debut. Cavill is consistently excellent, the monsters (when they show up) are enjoyably grotesque, and I liked spending time in that world. I just hope we see more of Geralt's monster-hunting day job in season two, and more horror like we saw in episode three—which remains the highlight of the series. Thanks for reading, and I'll see you next season.

Extra swigs

• Geralt mentions Vesemir, who fans of The Witcher games will know well. Some fans are already speculating about who should play him, with Mark Hamill at the top of many lists. I can definitely see it.

• When Yennefer magics up feathers for the refugee lady's arrows, she says "It's magic. It's not real." Later, when he's in a daze, Geralt hears Borch say the same thing. What's the connection?


• Geralt's mother, Vissena, is a sorceress. But aren't sorceresses supposed to be infertile? I'm sure there's some explanation for this buried deep in the books, but it struck me as something of a mystery.


• In episode two, we saw a plant shrivel as a feather floated: the balance of chaos. The Nilfgaardian mages dying horribly as they conjured up those fireballs is an extreme reflection of this lesson.

Outlander S6 Ep 4: Hour of the Wolf

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from Decider: https://ew.com/tv/recaps/outlander-season-6-episode-4/

By Lincee Ray

March 28, 2022 at 01:28 AM EDT


As Young Ian (John Bell) and Uncle Jamie (Sam Heughan) prepare to make their way to the Cherokees with a loaded wagon of twenty muskets, flashbacks reveal the moment when Ian was first adopted into the Mohawk family. We see women scalping his head into the traditional hairstyle and the chief renaming him "Wolf's Brother." Finally, we get some answers to Ian's past.

Back in the current timeline, everyone continues to feel tense regarding this deal with the Cherokee. Especially when Brianna (Sophie Skelton) mentions that it doesn't matter how many weapons the Cherokee receive, because it won't be enough in the end. Explaining the Trail Tears to her father barely registers. Jamie can't imagine the government displacing that many Indians so white people can settle on their land.

When they arrive at the Cherokee settlement, there's unexpected trouble in the form of three Mohawk men who have come to trade. Ian recognizes one and is visibly pained. Jamie sequesters his nephew in a teepee and listens intently as Ian spills his guts.

Outlander storytellers paint a vivid picture, visually and audibly, of a young white man who fell in love with a beautiful Cherokee girl. Suddenly Ian's Mohawk life makes sense. He called her Emily and was utterly surprised when his new best friend, Kaheroton, explained that the carved wooden wolf Emily had given Ian was a symbol that she had chosen him to be her mate.

We see Ian grown as a man, a Mohawk, and eventually a husband each day. When Emily becomes pregnant, Ian dotes on her with every ounce of love he possesses. Sadly, Emily loses the baby and the experience guts Ian. But that doesn't stop him from showering Emily with even more devotion. When Emily loses a second child, things change.

Since he isn't full-blood Mohawk, Ian is told that his spirit is "doing battle" with Emily's spirit. As a result, a child will never take root in her womb. The elderly woman demands that Ian leave at once, and Ian marches off to the camp, knowing that this woman doesn't think he is good enough for Emily.

He finds Kaheroton inside his teepee with Emily. She seems remorseful, but sticks to what her tradition preaches. Ian must go. This is when we learn that Kaheroton is one of the Mohawk who have come to trade. Of all the Indian camps in all the colonial worlds, Kaheroton chooses to exchange goods at this one on this specific day. Ugh.

Ian wonders if he should have fought for Emily. Is he weak? Would it have been wrong to take her back?

Jamie is wonderful with Ian. I've always loved their bond and the way Ian looks up to Jamie for advice on love and what it means to be a good man. Jamie tells Ian to stay put, while he puts in a bit off face time at the party.

Jamie meets another Indian Agent by the name Scotchee. This guy is a tool, and after a few shots of Jamie's good whiskey, he lets it slip that he just purchased some land from Indians in Tennessee. Jamie reminds Scotchee that the treaty doesn't go that far west, but Scotchee is quick to inform Jamie that it doesn't technically matter if the Indians are the ones who want to sell. PS: This will inevitably happen, so Jamie better get on board. The word "inevitably" causes Jamie to pause.


Meanwhile, Ian approaches one of the Mohawk who traveled with Kaheroton. He learns that Emily has given him a son and they are very happy. Ian storms over to Kaheroton and picks a fight. Jamie and Scotchee separate the young men, but for some reason (hint: alcohol), Scotchee taunts Kaheroton and even kicks him after knocking him to the ground.

Remember when I said Scotchee was a tool? He's also a moron.

Kaheroton's honor has been insulted and now they must fight to the death. Scotchee is cool with this plan, as long as they use pistols. Ian looks mortified. He may be the cause of his beloved Emily losing her husband and baby's father in one act of bitterness.

Uncle and nephew once again bond over the things they have in common. Jamie tells Ian that he had a daughter who he never had the chance to hold. Perhaps his baby girl Faith can find Ian's baby girl Isabel in heaven so neither are wandering around alone. Gah! I'm done.

Ian later hands Kaheroton Jamie's pistol, claiming he deserves a fighting chance. In return, Kaheroton hands Ian a bracelet symbolizing his "first joining" with Emily and asks that Ian care for his family should he not make it through this ridiculous dual.

Awesome. Now Ian has to decide if he wants Kaheroton to die or live. And he doesn't have Rollo there to comfort him in this time of immense stress!

Jamie is equally stressed. He goes out on a very thin limb, assuming that the Cherokee chief will have no qualms about the information he's about to receive. Jamie tells the chief that his wife and daughter "see dreams," and a man by the name of Winfield Scott will take the Cherokee from their land, and many will die in the process.

To the chief's defense, he isn't that fazed by Jamie's revelation. He's more concerned as why Jamie would warn them? What's the benefit?

It's because Jamie is a good man and wants everyone to be safe. At the end of the day, he doesn't care if the Cherokee fight for King George or the enemy. He just wants the Cherokee to fight for themselves. Then he heads outside to oversee the pending dual that could change Ian's life forever.


Of course the drunk Scotchee guy cheats, by turning to shoot at Kaheroton early. Luckily Ian is there to toss a weapon, which lands on Scotchee's pistol, causing the shot to miss Kaheroton. Jamie gives Kaheroton the authority to shoot Scotchee at will, but he doesn't take it. Scotchee is a coward and should live with that shame forever.

Ian gives the bracelet back to his former friend and boldly states, "God chose you to be with her." At this point, Ian has learned to be both Mohawk and Scottish. Jamie applauds Ian's decision. As someone who goes by the names Alexander Malcom, Jamie MacTavish, and Bear Killer, Red Jamie encourages Young Ian to be whomever he wants to be.

For Claire (Caitriona Balfe), that person is someone who dabbles in ether testing on willing subjects at Fraser's Ridge. Both Lizzie and Josiah inhale the ether as Malva (Jessica Reynolds) and Claire take notes. It seems all is well, but I'm still convinced something strange is going on with Malva. She's a little too interested in Claire's note journal and the power of putting people to sleep.

My suspicions are confirmed when we see Malva peeking through the stable door as Claire "welcomes Jamie home" from his trip to see the Cherokee, just like the last time he returned. They get horizontal and Malva watches the entire thing. Could this mean she's no more than a stalker of Claire? Or is she learning the ways of a married couple so she can practice on Ian later? Regardless of your opinion, Malva is up to no good. And I think she's going to be our next villain.

Detective Comics #1001-1005:
The Arkham Knight

DETECTIVE COMICS #1001

Art by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Cover by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by:David Finch
Written by:Peter J. Tomasi

After 1,000 issues, you’d think Batman could finally have a break…but no: as a new era dawns, he’s facing the most dangerous threat of his career! The Arkham Knight has arrived in Gotham City with an entire round table of deadly allies, and their first encounter will leave Batman shaken to his core!

DETECTIVE COMICS #1002

Art by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Cover by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by:Mark Brooks
Written by:Peter J. Tomasi


Batman’s first battle with the Arkham Knight was as brutal as they come…but things are about to get worse, as one of his most important allies jumps into the fray, and ends up in far over their head!

DETECTIVE COMICS #1003

Art by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Cover by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by:Mark Brooks
Written by:Peter J. Tomasi

Damian was so certain he could succeed against the Arkham Knight where his
father failed—and not only was he wrong, but as it turns out, the Knight has a
surprising plan for the son of Batman!

DETECTIVE COMICS #1004

Art by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker, Bradley Walker
Cover by:Andrew Hennessy, Bradley WalkerAndrew Hennessy, Bradley Walker
Variant cover by:Mark BrooksMark Brooks
Written by:Peter J. TomasiPeter J. Tomasi

The face behind the mask is revealed! Who’s taken up the mantle of the Arkham Knight? What’s their endgame? And what’s the shocking secret that Batman never knew about a part of his life he’d taken for granted?

DETECTIVE COMICS #1005

Art by:
Written by:Peter J. Tomasi


The finale of the Arkham Knight saga arrives as the Knight’s surprising cult within Arkham Asylum unleashes its full power! Will Batman be swept under by the madness? Who is the Knight, to have inspired so much loyalty? And is there any way of stopping them that won’t just cause their legend to grow?

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

Black Sails S3 Ep 7

from Den of Geek: https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/black-sails-xxv-review/

By TS Rhodes

March 7, 2016

I can’t believe I just sat thought a show that’s supposed to be about pirates, and yet it was nothing but 57 minutes of talking heads. Max talks to Anne. Flint talks to the Maroon Queen. Rogers talks to Rackham. Eleanor talks to Max. Billy Bones talks to Flint, then Silver talks to a whole bunch of people. There is a fight that lasts less than 20 seconds, and then we cut back to Silver talking again.

The most exciting thing in this episode is what doesn’t happen. Max doesn’t betray anyone. Jack Rackham doesn’t get tortured. Woods Rogers doesn’t turn Eleanor’s down offer of sex. Anne Bonny doesn’t get in an epic fight with six soldiers.

They better have something really good coming up.

But this is the best pirate entertainment that we’ve ever had on TV, so we’d better look at the bright side. As with many of the episodes, it’s pretty. Black Sails always has great sets. While we’re listening to the characters blather on, we can watch the candles glow, or admire the imagination that put a whole tree inside a building, or feel by proxy the hot Caribbean sun on our faces.

I love looking at the clothes. Flint’s current coat is much more appropriate that his former black leather number. The bodice of Max’s red dress gives the appearance of opening to reveal a military jacket beneath. And Roger’s shirt is dirty white and made in the real 18th century style hints that his goals may be tarnishing. But when the most enticing thing on the screen is a close-up of the stitching on somebody’s shirt, a show is facing a real problem.

The male viewers, and many of the female ones, will no doubt notice that Eleanor Guthrie looks quite fetching wearing only a pair of eighteenth century stockings. (And OK, I’m a super-geek and I was really pleased that she was wearing time-appropriate underwear.) But I think we’re all disappointed that we got a fade out of what comes next.

Instead we get talking.

And what are they talking about? Flint’s laying forth the same plan he had last week, and getting the same opposition from the same woman. Neither Rogers not Rackham has changed position, and they explain this again. We are clubbed over the head with the fact that there’s going to be an outbreak of sickness among Roger’s men. Anne Bonny says, “What the fuck?” Charles Vane says he wants to attack someone and steal something.

Yawn.

This could have gone so much better. Seeing sickness, instead of being told about it might have offered some urgency. A little scramble over Anne’s treasure might have given us a little movement to look at. Vane might have been given something to actually do. Or he might have taken his shirt off. Silver might have at least walked into more than one bar.

One of the things this episode suffers from – that pirate stories always struggle with – is that “the people” – the townspeople, the crew, the merchant sailors, whatever group of people we’re dealing with, are treated like a monolith. “Everybody” does the same thing, agrees with each other, and feels the same emotions.

We could have had some comedy if we had seen the antics of a pirate who has received a pardon and doesn’t “get” the fact that he’s supposed to stop stealing shit. The whores could be complaining that since there’s no more plunder coming in, no one is spending any money. We could doubt for one minute that Rogers and Eleanor are going to do the deed. Or, you know, there might be a little excitement, since she’s got a lot more experience than he’s used to.

Instead, every single person does exactly what we expect. It’s so bad that Anne does at the end of the episode precisely what Max predicted she would do at the beginning. This does not make good drama, people.

The whole point of pirates is the value of the individual over the traditions of society. But we don’t see that. Flint, Silver, Bones, Rackham and Bonny are all on exactly the same page, agreeing with each other wholeheartedly. They have no inner conflict about fighting to get their island back, no disagreement about how to accomplish it.

It’s boring!

I suppose this is the price of a TV show that has a really kick-ass storm near the beginning of the season. But I’m worried about the characters. Definitely – nobody made their Fitbit goal this week.

The Hunger Games (2012)

from Roger Ebert.com: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/the-hunger-games-2012


Roger Ebert March 20, 2012

Like many science-fiction stories, “The Hunger Games” portrays a future that we're invited to read as a parable for the present. After the existing nations of North America are destroyed by catastrophe, a civilization named Panem rises from the ruins. It's ruled by a vast, wealthy Capitol inspired by the covers of countless sci-fi magazines and surrounded by 12 “districts” that are powerless satellites.

As the story opens, the annual ritual of the Hunger Games is beginning; each district must supply a “tribute” of a young woman and man, and these 24 finalists must fight to the death in a forested “arena” where hidden cameras capture every move.

This results in a television production that apparently holds the nation spellbound and keeps the citizens content. Mrs. Link, my high school Latin teacher, will be proud that I recall one of her daily phrases, “panem et circenses,” which summarized the Roman formula for creating a docile population: Give them bread and circuses. A vision of present-day America is summoned up, its citizenry glutted with fast food and distracted by reality TV. How is the population expected to accept the violent sacrifice of 24 young lives a year? How many have died in our recent wars?

The story centers on the two tributes from the dirt-poor District 12: Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson). The 16-year-old girl hunts deer with bow and arrow to feed her family; he may be hunkier but seems no match in survival skills. They're both clean-cut, All-Panem types, and although one or both are eventually required to be dead, romance is a possibility.

In contrast with these healthy young people, the ruling class in the Capitol are effete decadents. Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks), bedecked in gaudy costumery and laden with garish cosmetics, emcees the annual drawing for tributes, and the nation gets to know the finalists on a talk show hosted by Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci), who suggests what Donald Trump might do with his hair if he had enough of it.

The executive in charge is the gamemaker, Seneca (Wes Bentley), who has a beard so bizarrely designed that Satan would be envious. At the top of the society is the president (Donald Sutherland), a sagacious graybeard who harbors deep thoughts. In interviews, Sutherland has equated the younger generation with leftists and Occupiers. The old folks in the Capitol are no doubt a right-wing oligarchy. My conservative friends, however, equate the young with the Tea Party and the old with decadent Elitists. “The Hunger Games,” like many parables, will show you exactly what you seek in it.

The scenes set in the Capitol and dealing with its peculiar characters have a completely different tone than the scenes of conflict in the Arena. The ruling class is painted in broad satire and bright colors. Katniss and the other tributes are seen in earth-toned realism; this character could be another manifestation, indeed, of Jennifer Lawrence's Oscar-nominated character Ree in “Winter's Bone.” The plot even explains why she's adept at bow and arrow.

One thing I missed, however, was more self-awareness on the part of the tributes. As their names are being drawn from a fish bowl (!) at the Reaping, the reactions of the chosen seem rather subdued, considering the odds are 23-to-1 that they'll end up dead. Katniss volunteers to take the place of her 12-year-old kid sister, Prim (Willow Shields), but no one explicitly discusses the fairness of deadly combat between girl children and 18-year-old men. Apparently the jaded TV audiences of Panem have developed an appetite for barbarity. Nor do Katniss and Peeta reveal much thoughtfulness about their own peculiar position.

“The Hunger Games” is an effective entertainment, and Jennifer Lawrence is strong and convincing in the central role. But the film leapfrogs obvious questions in its path, and avoids the opportunities sci-fi provides for social criticism; compare its world with the dystopias in “Gattaca” or “The Truman Show.” Director Gary Ross and his writers (including the series' author, Suzanne Collins) obviously think their audience wants to see lots of hunting-and-survival scenes, and has no interest in people talking about how a cruel class system is using them. Well, maybe they're right. But I found the movie too long and deliberate as it negotiated the outskirts of its moral issues.

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from decider: https://decider.com/2021/07/08/evil-season-2-episode-3-recap/

Evil S2 Ep 3: F is for Fire

By Abby Monteil @abbyemonteil Jul 8, 2021 at 10:00am

When we speak about evil, we traditionally do so in absolutes. Perhaps it’s a testament to the many ways in which secularized American culture has been influenced by Christian morality, which tends to filter things through a black-and-white binary of intrinsically good and inherently sinful. While Evil Season 2, Episode 3 leans harder into the show’s demon-of-the-week structure than the previous two did, it further expands on the show’s religious mythology as Ben and Kristen continue to enter the fold.

We pick things up with David and Sister Andrea, who are poring over the Vatican sigil map together. He still believes the 60 demonic houses listed correspond to 60 children that RSM Fertility corrupted before birth, but the clinic has conveniently wiped its records clean. David is also unable to translate a handful of houses, which aren’t in Greek or Latin. Andrea is able to translate one, which features a name: Mathilda.

That conveniently happens to be the name of the nine-year-old girl the Evil trio have been tasked with investigating this week. She’s been living with foster parents Brian (Ben Rappaport) and Jane (Zuleikha Robinson) Castle ever since biological mother set her room on fire the year before, but this arsonist tendency seems to be genetic — Ever since Mathilda moved in with the Castles, there have been three fires. Mathilda insists to Kristen that the culprit isn’t her, but a man who’s followed her throughout childhood — one with no eyes and a head of flames, who begins the fires whenever she angers him. Nanny cam footage of Mathilda screaming from her bed as a fire mysteriously erupts in her doorway proves that even if she’s repeating her mother or started that first fire herself, something else is clearly going on here.

Kristen and David draw blanks on what the fire-headed demon could be, but Ben comes to realize it’s not a demon at all — it’s a jinn, a supernatural being of Islamic origin. More specifically, it’s an ifrit, a spirit that can use a spell known as hellfire. Ben’s mother used to terrify him and his sister with tales of the ifrit, and as it turns out, a jinn exorcism isn’t nearly as cut-and-dry as a Catholic one. Jins can be both good and bad, while good jinns can do bad things and bad jinns can do good things. He may be an atheist, but when it comes to organized religion, at least the faith of his childhood leaves room for moral gray areas.

The case also allows Ben to play a larger role in the show’s core mythology beyond that of the non-Christian skeptic, especially as he begins to bristle against the “religious nationalism” of Christian beliefs taking precedence in both team investigations and everyday life. “[Your friends] don’t care about what you believe,” Ben’s she-demon croons later that night. “They think your religion is a joke.” But when Mathilda’s eyes roll back and a jinn seemingly begins speaking through her in Arabic, it’s an overdue moment of satisfaction for Ben, even if he only culturally associates with his religion.

But the jinn warns that it needs to enter someone else to truly leave Mathilda, and of course, her eyes flash red as she zeroes in on Kristen. Sleep demons are something of the past for her, and she begins to see the ifrit trailing her: First on the way back from her jinn conversation, and again when she’s inspired to put on her best minidress and head to the local bar to flirt with some hapless guy over drinks. Watching Katja Herber relish such scenes with wicked glee as we ponder whether Kristen is truly possessed or just leaning into her darker impulses is already a season highlight, but when she whispers “Next time, stay” after dodging a hookup offer, it’s impossible to tell whether those words were uttered by a demon, Kristen herself, or something else entirely.

While Leland hangs over the episode offscreen, Cheryl’s attempts to win back her daughter also serve as a reminder of the moral grayness that runs through the Bouchard women themselves. In hopes of reconnecting with Kristen, she secretly begins seeing her therapist under false pretenses, and convinces Lexis to fake sick so Kristen is forced to hear her out. In an eerie twist of fate, the potentially possessed Lexis has the same toy tea set as Mathilda, but her penchant for misbehavior could just as easily be coming from inside her own home.

It’s too soon to tell how Lexis will turn out, but the fight to save Mathilda’s soul results in quite a faith face-off. Even though they agreed that she seemed to be haunted by a jinn, practicing Catholic Brian decides to request a priest for an exorcism. Unbeknownst to him, his wife Jane (a practicing Muslim) has called a sikh to perform an exorcism of his own. The priest insists he can’t work within the realm of “mythology,” but as the sikh points out, “You’re the one who will try to perform an exorcism not by invoking the name of Allah, but a man: Jesus.”

For all their attempts to one-up each other, the creature finally seems to leave Mathilda after making one last ominous decree to Kristen: “Father from below will embrace you in his hellfire.” That night, after taking anti-hallucination medication, Kristen’s attempt at going out is foiled after another vision of the ifrit leaves her in tears. But even after two exorcisms, the episode ends as Mathilda makes a garbage can catch fire that very same night, watching in fascination. Whatever is going on in the Evil universe, the kids are not all right.

Iron Man #6-10 (2020) :
Books of Korvac II - Overclock

If he takes off his armor, Iron Man will die! After receiving a near-fatal injury from Korvac, Tony Stark lands in emergency triage with his life on the line. With Hellcat on the psychological ropes and Tony's other allies recuperating from their own near-death experiences, can Iron Man muster the mettle he needs to chase Korvac back into space and stop the mad demigod's quest for ultimate power? War Machine just might be the friend Tony needs! Prepare to go interstellar as an unlikely band of heroes pursues its enemy to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, where near-certain death awaits at Korvac's hands. And as Moondragon reaches across the universe to help Hellcat reclaim her once-powerful mental abilities, Patsy Walker will have to face her demons - including the literal Son of Satan himself!

Iron Man (2020) #6

Published:
February 17, 2021
Writer:
Christopher Cantwell
Penciler:
C Cafu


BOOKS OF KORVAC: BOOK TWO BEGINS! After receiving a near-fatal injury from Korvac, Iron Man lands in emergency triage with his life on the line. Halcyon and Misty Knight work quickly to lock Tony in his armor and stanch his injuries…but now he can't take it off or else he'll die. With pieces of metal literally holding his body together, Tony regroups with his allies, all while trying not to give into his rage over being bested by Korvac. With Hellcat on the psychological ropes and his other hero compatriots recuperating from their own near-death experiences, can Tony muster what he needs in order to chase Korvac out into space and stop the mad demigod's quest for ultimate power? Perhaps War Machine is just the friend Tony could use in this moment…but James Rhodes might only be there to bench a manic and battered Tony from action so that he doesn't get killed. Still, as always, Tony has never been good at taking no for an answer…

Iron Man (2020) #7

Published:
March 17, 2021
Writer:
Christopher Cantwell
Penciler:
C Cafu


Iron Man and his small band of allies go interstellar as they pursue Korvac to the farthest reaches of the galaxy, even as the villainous android intellect tries to telepathically lure Hellcat and Tony toward his bizarre utopian visions. But after an unexpected left turn leaves Iron Man on a remote and uncharted planet, Korvac might take the opportunity to blow Shellhead's vulnerable friends out of the stars once and for all.

Iron Man (2020) #8

Published:
April 14, 2021
Writer:
Christopher Cantwell
Penciler:
Angel Unzueta


Tony Stark has vanished in the middle of outer space, and his friends are moments away from death at Korvac's hands. It's up to a shell-shocked Hellcat to dig deep into her mind with the help of old friend and psychic mentor Moondragon, who reaches across the universe to help Patsy reclaim the once-powerful mental abilities she left behind. But to reignite those powers, Hellcat is going to have to face some pretty frightening demons in her past…one of them literally the Son of Satan himself.

Buy my copy of this book HERE

Iron Man (2020) #9

Published:
June 09, 2021
Writer:
Christopher Cantwell
Penciler:
C Cafu


THE ORIGIN OF KORVAC! After discovering the strange new sensation of self-doubt, Korvac and his crew take a detour in deep space to search for an unlikely ally. But conversion can often be difficult, and soon Korvac is left wondering if he'll ever have any followers born from faith rather than fear.

Iron Man (2020) #10

Published:
July 14, 2021
Writer:
Christopher Cantwell
Penciler:
C Cafu


Tony has been suddenly and bizarrely marooned on an unknown remote planet, and his abandonment doesn’t seem to be Korvac’s doing at all. While his friends continue to pursue Korvac and his allies across the galaxy in a race to Galactus’ worldship, Taa II, Tony must now figure out where he is and if the locals are friendly or dangerous, especially since this small colony of fellow space drifters is run by a powerful old foe who might have reformed his ways. But at least for a moment, Tony has a chance to rest and to not only take stock of where he is, but also figure out how he got here in the first place and who he wants to be moving forward.

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

from Vulture: https://www.vulture.com/article/euphoria-season-two-episode-5-recap-stand-still-like-the-hummingbird.html

Euphoria S2 Ep 5:
Stand Still Like A Hummingbird

By Iana Murray


This season has been a divisive slow burn of mounting pressure, but Euphoria finally produces its diamond in “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird,” a raw and sobering 24-hour escapade anchored by an extraordinary performance by Zendaya. I think the notion of an entirely Rue-centric episode will be frustrating to those who have been eagerly waiting for something (God, anything, please) to happen to Fez, Kat, and every other underdeveloped storyline this season — but this was the departure Euphoria needed. It’s the kind of intimacy and genuine commitment to character-building that I’ve been looking forward to since the special episodes.

To that end, no, Rue didn’t actually die despite all the theories. But she’s not in the clear, either. Rue’s relapse is no longer a secret, and Rue’s mother has flushed away her supply of drugs, kickstarting a tirade that illuminates the true depths of Rue’s manipulation. In an astounding ten minutes, Rue prods at the sorest spots to find the whereabouts of the suitcase. It’s not just her words that cut with a refined sharpness; it’s her physicality, too. The way she doesn’t just kick Gia’s bedroom door down but throws her entire body into it like she’s a featherweight rag doll. But what makes Zendaya’s performance so compelling is that it’s not all bravado, but the little details in her expressions indicate how much of Rue’s humanity has dissipated. Note the corner of her lip twitching after her mother tells Rue that she’s not a good person. She stops just short of laughter before allowing a patronizing smirk to slip through. “What do you want me to do?” she screams so loudly that her voice goes hoarse. Her mother and Gia can only cower in fear.

The silence is even louder once the realization hits that Jules and Elliot have not only heard everything but betrayed her. Rue turns her anger on Jules, laying a torrent of vicious insults that not only erupt from the heat of the moment but the resentment she’s kept dormant since the train station. (“You fucking left me at my fucking lowest, and a real fucking friend, someone who fucking loves you, wouldn’t do some shit like that.”) Jules has rarely been so meek, and Hunter Schafer is particularly heartbreaking in communicating how powerless she feels against Rue. All Jules can muster is an “I love you,” but it’s here she learns her love for Rue is nowhere near as important as that suitcase. Rue has lost $10,000 worth of drugs, but more crucially, she’s lost Jules.

The remainder of “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” doesn’t achieve the same heights as its first 15 minutes, but it’s a serviceable restaging of Good Time in suburbia. (In that I’m watching it through my hands while everything that could possibly go wrong does.) When it dawns on Rue that she’s being taken to rehab, she breaks down and jumps out of the car into direct traffic. Labrinth’s propulsive minimalist score blasts as she sprints away, waking up in an alley later that night.

The dominoes finally begin to fall for Cassie’s storyline. Rue makes a break for the Howard household, where she exposes Nate and Cassie’s relationship. Cassie is defensive, Maddy is outraged, and Kat is … there. Rue’s mother and Gia drop by to collect her, but Maddy’s fury proves as the perfect distraction for her to quietly leave with some stolen jewelry. Fez’s place is another failed stop on the tour. She swiftly gets kicked out for trying to take his grandmother’s medication.

Growing desperate for cash, Rue breaks into a couple’s house. Dare I say, it’s the peak Safdie brothers moment of the episode in just finding levity in the most anxiety-ridden situation. As “Fever” by Sharon Cash plays, she steals more jewelry and finds a thick envelope of cash in a safe — all while the family dog watches on and couldn’t care less. Naturally, the owners come home early, and though there’s mention of a gun, Rue makes another clumsy escape.

For an episode that puts Rue through the wringer, I can’t say I vibed with the jarring tonal shift that comes with the police chase. It downplays the seriousness of what’s happening: a child driven away from home into the dark night is pursued by authorities. I think we’re well past the point of depicting cops as incompetent oafs, but here we have officers scrambling over fences and falling on cacti. The standoff at a busy road ostensibly begins as a moment of actual danger, but it’s executed so clumsily that it feels like Rue is one step away from shouting “oopsie daisy!” I get that it’s not in the spirit of Euphoria to be devoid of levity, but it’s the one major misfire in an otherwise outstanding episode.

Running out of options, Rue lands on dealer Laurie’s doorstep with some more stolen jewelry and cash to make up for the suitcase. But with withdrawal kicking in, she’s running on empty and slumps on the kitchen table. I can’t recall an actor’s deadpan ever being used as effectively as Martha Kelly’s Laurie. Her intonation belies her concern, but there’s also an ominous level to her despondency where she can easily coax Rue into taking morphine intravenously. “Are you sure this is safe?” Rue asks with a terrified quiver in her voice. “I’ve just never done this before.” Zendaya’s delivery infantilizes her character to a profoundly disturbing effect.

If only Sam Levinson could linger on this moment for a little longer. As Rue lies in the bathtub, it cuts to her memories of an innocent childhood spent with her father and the eulogy she gives at his funeral. Angelica Jade Bastién’s recap of Jules’s special episode makes a very salient point about one of Euphoria’s worst tendencies: cutting away to some dynamic sequence rather than remaining in the present. I understand that the intention behind Rue hallucinating images of her father is to hammer in that her grief fuels her addiction. But these flashbacks have become such a crux as a way of heightening the emotion of the scene, when Rue soaking in the awful night that has led up to this could’ve been enough.

The next morning, Rue clambers out of her lowest point in a tense getaway from Laurie’s padlocked apartment. With nowhere else to go, all that’s left to do is walk back home where her mother has been patiently waiting. “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” takes a startlingly new approach to unravel the true destructive force of Rue’s secrecy and manipulation. Perhaps the final episodes of the season will pick up the rubble. In the end, it’s just a relief to see Euphoria still has its moments of greatness.

Another Round

• “Stand Still Like the Hummingbird” also brings a tidy but unsatisfying resolution to Elliot’s arc (for now). His parting words (“I liked Rue the way she was”) bring some clarity into where he stands in all of this and why he chose to stay with Rue after their dramatic first meeting. It wasn’t out of a genuine concern for her wellbeing, but that she was simply fun to be around. He was attracted to, or intrigued by, the girl who laughed off her cardiac arrest. It was only when it stopped being enjoyable that he decided to step in. But I’m still at a loss for what he actually brought to this season. This is where the show could have benefited from an Elliot cold open because there’s little to him except his purpose as the wrench in the sinkable ship that is “Rules.”

• Elliot has been divisive, but I have to say Dominic Fike has been a really fun addition to the cast. For a show so entrenched in the fears and worries of teenagers, it’s just nice sometimes to see a guy who’s completely unbothered. As with Angus Cloud, the show has a real knack for casting first-time actors who fit in seamlessly.

• In the car ride to rehab, Rue morbidly details how she wants to die. “I have this image in my head of me just, you know, laying in the sand and letting the waves just take me out to sea,” she says. I wonder if this is an intentional parallel to the shot of Jules lying on the beach in “Fuck Anyone Who’s Not a Sea Blob.” To Jules, the sea is an uplifting embodiment of strength, but for Rue, it’s destruction.

• I haven’t really had the time to discuss the meme pipeline this show has somehow become, but I can see Alexa Demie’s “uh, NO” getting the viral TikTok sound treatment.

• In the words of Angus Cloud, the world is craving for more Fexi content.

• The big theory is that Rue will die, and I can’t help but feel like it’s not that ludicrous. Fans picked up on Rue playing the dead characters in the lovers montage last episode, and this week, she faced at least three life-threatening situations. The signs seem to be pointing to something …

Daredevil (2019) #26-32: Doing Time

A new Daredevil rises to protect Hell's Kitchen! Matt Murdock is in jail - but while he's serving his time in his masked guise, his home is left without a guardian devil. That is, until Elektra Natchios takes it upon herself to protect Murdock's neighborhood - and his legacy! But the new Daredevil has her work cut out for her: Wilson Fisk remains seated as New York's mayor with Typhoid Mary, the Owl, Hammerhead and other lethal villains at his beck and call - and that's before Knull, the terrifying King in Black, plunges the world into darkness! Elektra may be in over her head for the first time in her life - while Matt must find the strength to continue the fight as all hell breaks loose in prison!

Daredevil (2019) #26

Published:
January 27, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Marco Checchetto, Mike Hawthorne
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


A DEVIL CONSUMED! Matt faces a darkness unlike any before. Meanwhile, ELEKTRA may be in over her head for the first time in her life. DAREDEVIL must find the strength to continue the fight as all hell breaks loose.

Daredevil (2019) #27

Published:
February 10, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Marco Checchetto, Mike Hawthorne
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


ENSNARED IN THE WEB! As New York begins to crack under the weight of Knull's symbiotic assault, Matt Murdock has a crisis of faith in the most electrifying issue of Chip Zdarsky and Marco Checchetto's groundbreaking DAREDEVIL run yet. BUT THIS TIME, they're joined by none other than MIKE HAWTHORNE, spearheading a brutal story that pits Daredevil against the god-king of the symbiotes himself - KNULL!

Daredevil (2019) #28

Published:
March 10, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Marco Checchetto
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


A NEW DAREDEVIL RISES TO PROTECT HELL'S KITCHEN! Matt Murdock is a killer - but while he's serving his time as the masked vigilante called Daredevil, Hell's Kitchen has suddenly been left without a guardian devil. Or it was, until ELEKTRA NATCHIOS took it upon herself to protect Murdock's neighborhood and his legacy as the NEW DAREDEVIL! But she's already got her work cut out for her: WILSON FISK remains seated as New York's mayor, with TYPHOID MARY, THE OWL, HAMMERHEAD and other lethal - and FAMILIAR - foes at his beck and call...

Daredevil (2019) #29

Published:
April 14, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Marco Checchetto
Cover Artist:
Dustin Weaver, Marco Checchetto


THE TRUTH IS FINALLY OUT: ELEKTRA IS DAREDEVIL! Having taken up the cowl and the club in Matt Murdock's absence, Elektra, the deadliest assassin in the Marvel Universe, has a long road ahead as she works to protect the legacy of The Man Without Fear! OLD FOES! NEW FACES! LOST LOVES! After the past six months, just imagine what secrets superstar creators Chip Zdarsky & Marcho Checchetto have up their sleeves!

By my copy of this book HERE

Daredevil (2019) #30

Published:
May 19, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Mike Hawthorne, Marco Checchetto
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


""DOING TIME"" CONTINUES! As Elektra gets her bearings in Hell's Kitchen, Matt Murdock finds an unlikely ally in prison. Meanwhile, Wilson Fisk gets the phone call you've been waiting for.

Daredevil (2019) #31

Published:
June 30, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Mike Hawthorne
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


THE DAREDEVIL ISSUE YOU CANNOT MISS! Chip Zdarsky, Marco Checchetto and all their collaborators have redefined the life of the Man Without Fear. IN THIS ISSUE, they do it all over again and, what's more, they go a step further and UP THE ANTE! WILSON FISK's gambit from the past few months risks upending his life and tenure as mayor! Meanwhile, MATT MURDOCK has to fend off a prison full of inmates who all want DAREDEVIL dead…and the inmates aren't the only ones! This, as Elektra fends for herself as a DAREDEVIL all her own, fighting to protect Hell's Kitchen…and leaving herself vulnerable in the process!

Daredevil (2019) #32

Published:
July 28, 2021
Writer:
Chip Zdarsky
Penciler:
Mike Hawthorne
Cover Artist:
Marco Checchetto


“LOCKDOWN” STARTS HERE! The Angel of Death has come to Hell’s Kitchen and New York City. A series of grisly murders tests Elektra’s mettle and commitment to her role as the new DAREDEVIL, as the city spirals in a state of near panic. Meanwhile, Matt Murdock faces tests and challenges of his own, as the inmates he’s serving time alongside aren’t the ones in the prison targeting him…

What did you miss? For a review of the last episode, click HERE

Dexter S2 Ep 3: An Inconvenient Lie

from the Dexter Wiki:https://dexter.fandom.com/wiki/Episode_203:_An_Inconvenient_Lie

At a Narcotics Anonymous meeting, Caroline shares her story with the group. A bored Dexter Morgan sits in the back and wonders how long it's been since he last sharpened his knives. Dexter inspects the doughnuts in the back of the room while a beautiful woman, Lila Tournay checks him out. Dexter leaves.

At girlfriend Rita Bennett's house, Dexter unpacks Chinese takeout while Rita asks about his NA meeting. Rita asks Dexter if he got his newcomer's chip. Dexter is evasive. Upset, Rita tells him that if he doesn't work the program, she won't stick with him. Dexter, genuinely concerned, promises to go back to NA the next day. Rita forgives him.

At the station the next morning, Dexter has a run-in with Sgt. James Doakes who chides him about running a yellow light the night before. Doakes warns Dexter that he'll see him later that night.

Angel Batista, Vince Masuka, and Lt. Maria LaGuerta are overwhelmed by people trying to get information about missing loved ones. Angel blames the commotion on Lt. Esmee Pascal who was on the TV news. The team watches Esmee on a newscast as she fumbles through an interview with a reporter (Jay Jackson) about the eighteen faceless victims of the Bay Harbor Butcher. Masuka comments on how Pascal is off her game. Dexter, surveying the crowd of people in the station, muses to himself that their loved ones are likely not among his chosen victims.

Cpt Thomas Matthews gives the team a pep talk. Frank Lundy's task force is announced: Batista, Masuka, and Debra Morgan are chosen. Dexter notes with private satisfaction that the task force won't find any trace evidence. Harry's Code will protect him.

Special Agent Frank Lundy addresses the team. The first task is to ID the bodies - IDs will lead to a pattern, which will lead to the killer.

Dexter, at a new car lot, looks at an SUV. He intends to lay low, but to continue to do research on his next victim, a car salesman named Roger Hicks who is linked to two killings. Hicks approaches Dexter. Dexter eyes Hicks' coffee cup, hoping to get DNA evidence against him. Hicks takes off his coat and places it inside the SUV as he explains the car's features to Dexter. Dexter eyes the coffee cup again. Hicks, seeing a janitor pass by, tosses out his coffee cup.

Dexter is clearly disappointed. Hicks explains the stow 'n go feature of the SUV, telling Dexter that the storage room is ample enough for a deer carcass, and that the tinted windows come in handy. Knowing that Hicks is his killer, Dexter steals Hicks' comb from his coat pocket.

Back at the station, Dexter drives up in his new SUV, and wonders what's happening to him. Maria drives up, notes the SUV, and asks Dexter if he's getting married.

Dexter checks Hicks' hair from the stolen comb under a microscope, only to discover that it is synthetic. Masuka, lead forensic expert on the task force, tells Dexter that he managed to get him temporarily assigned to help him.

An uncomfortable Deb interviews a grieving widow. The woman produces a toothbrush of the missing person, hoping that the DNA will match one of the Bay Harbor Butcher's victims. Deb talks to Lundy and asks to be taken off the task force. Lundy tells her to continue the interviews. Deb leaves, dejected.


An excited Masuka tells Dexter about the field morgue and the gelatinous residue on some of the bodies. Dexter privately laments that the bodies were never meant to be reassembled.

Later that night, Dexter returns to NA. Lila is there, and checks him out. Dexter requests a newcomer's chip and is invited to share. As Dexter stands at the podium, searching for words, Lila asks him his name. Dexter says his name is Bob and recites a seemingly well-rehearsed spiel of drug use. Later, Lila invites "Bob" to join her for coffee at the diner next door. Lila tells Dexter that she knows he's lying, and says that he gave a good performance. As they talk, Dexter finds himself drawn into Lila's description of his "dark passenger" of addiction. Unnerved, Dexter leaves, worried that she knows his secret, and thinks that the program is too risky for him right now.

Dexter brings the newcomer's chip to Rita, and explains to her that the meetings aren't good for him. Rita tells Dexter that she prays he will change his mind, and sends him home. Dexter wonders what happened.

Dexter and Deb spend the rest of the evening eating junk food and watching TV.

The next day, Dexter returns to the car lot, telling Hicks that he's interested in the extended warranty and roof racks. He tells the busy Hicks that he'll wait for him in his office. At Hicks' desk, Dexter collects DNA evidence from the trash can. He's interrupted by a woman dropping off a thank-you note for Hicks. She tells Dexter that she didn't have good credit and couldn't buy a car, but that Hicks was kind enough to send her across the street to another lot. Alarmed, Dexter realizes that she matches the profile of Hicks' victims, and that she is likely his next target. He worries that he can't do anything - he's stopped by Harry's Code.

At the station, Esmee attempts to get a credit card check on her fiance. Maria reminds her of pending work. Esmee tries to focus, but her fiance shows up. Esmee rushes Maria out of her office. Esmee and her fiance argue.

Dexter matches Hicks' DNA to that of the murdered women. He wonders if his conscience is waking up, telling him to act, even though doing so would put him in danger of discovery.

Dexter calls Rita about pizza night. Rita tells Dexter that she and the kids will eat in, and that she won't see him until he gets his act together. Dexter wonders if he's been dumped.

A frazzled Deb listens to a grieving mother. Unable to help her, Deb runs off in tears. She goes to see Lundy and asks what's taking so long for her to get off the task force. Lundy wonders why she wants off. Deb tells him that she's the last one who should be on the task force because of what she went through with The Ice Truck Killer. Lundy explains that he wanted her because of her first-hand look into the mind of a serial killer, and suggests that she could be in the position to catch someone even worse that the Ice Truck Killer. Deb goes back to the interviews.

Masuka grumbles about his case load, and asks Dexter to drop off dental X-rays at the field morgue.

Captain Matthews asks Maria for the dirt on Esmee Pascal and her "erratic behavior," and tells Maria that if Esmee is out, Maria would take her place. An shrewd Maria tells Matthews that "erratic behavior" is code for "non-male" and refuses to dignify rumors with commentary. Maria walks away.

Outside, Dexter finds that Doakes is waiting for him. Doakes tells Dexter that he'll see him for pizza night. Dexter asks Doakes why he keeps following him. Doakes tells him that he knows his suspicious behavior is somehow connected to The Ice Truck Killer, and will prove it. Dexter takes the X-rays to the field morgue.

In the field morgue, Dexter surveys his work. Lundy surprises him. Dexter introduces himself, but Lundy already knows who he is. Lundy wonders why the victims were chosen, and suspects that "a twisted set of principles" were involved. Dexter says that there is never a justification for killing. Lundy corrects him, saying that saving an innocent life is one justification.

Dexter feels that he must kill Hicks. While Doakes is distracted, Dexter sticks a knife in Doakes' car tire.

Dexter startles Hicks at the car lot and strangles him with piano wire. Hicks wakes up to find himself in the home of one of his victims. Dexter begins his death ritual. Hicks tells Dexter that he has the wrong guy, and offers him any car in the lot, no charge. Dexter marvels at how easily Hicks is able to lie. Hicks gives Dexter some insight about himself and Rita. Dexter finds himself opening up about Rita, and how she began mostly as a cover, but then found that she somehow became part of his life. Hicks tells Dexter that "she's not worth it" and that he's "better off without that cunt", which causes Dexter to kill him on impulse, which is quite rare for Dexter and convinces him that he truly does care about Rita and her children.

Later that evening, Dexter goes back to NA. Using his real first name, he shares with the group, saying that there is something dark within him, and when the "Dark Passenger" is driving, he feels alive. He tells the group that nothing else could love him, and wonders if that's just something that the dark passenger tells him. He admits that he feels connected to someone, and wonders what it means, and that he is scared by that feeling. Lila and the group applaud. Dexter takes his seat. The group stands for the serenity prayer. As Dexter stands, he sees someone watching him. It's Doakes, who approaches him. Doakes says that Dexter's strange behavior all makes sense now, and that lots of cops turn to drugs and alcohol. Doakes tells Dexter to stay clean and out of his way, and they won't have a problem any longer. Dexter is amazed. Doakes mentions that Dexter owes him a new tire and leaves.

At the station, Deb interviews an Anxious Man about the man's missing father. The Anxious Man tells Deb that he simply wants to make sure that his father is rotting in hell so that his family will be safe. Deb recalls a previous interview and finds Lundy. Two of the missing persons have prison records. Lundy and Deb think it may be a pattern. Lundy tells Deb to run the victims' DNA against the criminal database.

A happy Dexter wakes up Rita. He tells Rita that she was right, the 12-step program is great. Dexter thanks Rita and she forgives him.

The next day, Dexter and Rita drive the new SUV to Dexter's NA meeting. As Rita drops him off, Dexter points out his new NA sponsor - the beautiful Lila. Dexter runs to greet the waiting Lila while a worried Rita watches.