Review: Daredevil 1.11 - The Path of the Righteous

It’s been 11 episodes, and there have been a few lives taken in the Kingpin’s consolidation of power over Hell’s Kitchen. But this is the first time that one of the good guys has had the power in their hands to take a life--and taken it. (No, I’m not counting Stick as one of the good guys. If there’s ever been someone who is chaotic neutral to a tee, it’s that old fucker). Superheroes make a lot of bluster about not killing. Some people find it old-fashioned (“Why doesn’t Batman just kill the Joker?” says everyone), and it drives a lot of people towards “edgier” characters like the Punisher or Deadpool. Daredevil is traditionally pretty firmly in the “no killing” camp, with the exception of the several times he’s tried to kill Bullseye. Apparently, in the MCU, Daredevil is anti-killing, but Karen Page isn’t. Karen Page is a woman with secrets, and apparently those secrets can be lethal.

This episode starts and ends with big bangs: Fisk and crew crash a hospital to get some emergency care for Vanessa, and of course, Karen takes a life. In between, the thematic arc of the episode (and arguably, the series) begins to come to a head. Hell’s Kitchen is full of people like Matt and Fisk with the devil in them, and some of them strive to do the right thing in the face of that wickedness, while others strive to serve their own needs. When it boils down to it, we all agree that it’s probably not right that Matt dresses up in a costume to try to kill a man to protect the city, but Fisk’s people make it pretty clear that they are only in it for the paycheck, even if Fisk himself is on some kind of crazy fascist “I will fix this city if I have to ruin the city to do it” track.

This is one of several of the moments in the last half of the series that really cement Matt’s desire to become something bigger. When the series started, he was one man in a mask trying to help tourists who were getting mugged, or women in danger. Now, as the threat is getting bigger, so is Matt, going so far as to ask Melvin Potter to make him “a symbol.” There are a few more nails in this coffin coming down in the next couple episodes, but the acceptance of the need to put on a costume and become something more than just a man in order to serve the city is a step from vigilante to hero. It’s also a pretty direct Dark Knight trajectory that continues through the back half of the season, but one other way that Daredevil outshines Dark Knight is the arcs of its supporting cast. Ben and Karen have some really good moments in this episode, hell, even Foggy and his lawyer with a heart of fool’s gold ex-girlfriend have some charming interactions.

As per usual, the end of this episode of Daredevil left me reeling. For as much as this show sometimes sinks into standard crime drama, there are some technical achievements on the storytelling side and the actual filming side that make it shine. That final scene with Karen and Wesley goes on for roughly six minutes, and where the nu-famous fight scene from “Cut Man” is a six-minute release valve, this one is a slowly inflating balloon, waiting to pop. It’s the fact that Wesley can respond to “Is that supposed to scare me?” with “No... but this is” while pulling out a gun and it doesn’t play for laughs; it’s the fact that the whole conversation is allowed to play out without cutting away or characters defusing the situation. Daredevil knows when to punch some guys for a long time, and when to just let their characters cut each other with their words.

And back I go into the next episode. I’ll see you tomorrow, gang.

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Score: 5/5

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Daredevil 1.11 - "The Path of the Righteous" Director: Nick Gomez Writers: Steven S. DeKnight & Douglas Petrie Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

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Stray Observations: 

• Sad Matt Murdock with a balloon is my new favorite reaction picture.
• There is mention of the Japanese getting a whole city block--Coming Soon: Shadowland?
• “Martyrs, saints and saviors all end up the same way: bloody and alone.” Damn, Claire.
• I don’t think I know how confession works. I thought, if someone came into confession and said “I’m going to kill this person,” the priest had to run that up the chain to the cops, as it were. Matt is always coming into church and being like, “Hey, I tried to kill Fisk again yesterday. Didn’t take, but I’m gonna try again. Us Murdock boys, we always get back up.” And the priest’s reaction is usually something glib about lattes.
• More sage Ben Urich adages: “We all do what we can... Sometimes, it’s enough.”

Review: The Flash 1.19 - Who Is Harrison Wells?

It’s a big TV day here on the site! I’m trying to start positive because man oh man… this fucking episode. I will say that I popped a little for the ending, but overall it did so many stupid things that I could barely make it through. I decided after watching this episode that if the finale didn’t wow me and win me over in a big way that I wouldn’t be back for the next season. The villain of the episode is Everyman. He’s a shapeshifter and so that’s… that’s about all you need to know. Just kidding. He’s framing people for crimes as he commits them in their skin. Eddie falls victim to this as Everyman aka Hannibal Bates aka seriously we took Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates and created a character? (I don’t know if that really happened, but come on… it probably did) Any way, Eddie is framed for murder and of course bringing in a shapeshifter to prove it isn’t quite where the city and police are at just yet. The conclusion of this is lame as shit and defies logic and police procedure which happens twice in this episode.

Meanwhile Hannibal finds Barry… easily by the way and takes his place for a bit. No real reason is given. Barry obviously can’t get him any money and Hannibal doesn’t get the powers to go along with it so… why did he do this? Oh yeah so they could have Barry/Hannibal kiss Caitlin and stoke those flames of desire in her once again. Remember that? Remember for like two episodes they made her interested in Barry only to bring back her fiancé and completely forget about it. I was happy about that because there really was fuck all of a reason to make Caitlin fall for Barry other than to copy the terrible storylines from the Arrow. Well it looks like they really want to copy that storyline so it’s back. It’s also sadly some of Danielle Panabaker’s best acting on the series, but I’ll never forget the whole “you can peek” business so whatever.

Cisco and Joe head to another Arrow crossover as they go to Starling City and find Harrison Wells body. Yeah fuck Starling City, you couldn’t find a body in a three-inch grave for the last twenty years? Also rubber much? This entire storyline was stupid and served the Arrow more than it did the Flash as Cisco makes the “Canary Cry” for Black Canary and then she takes a picture with him in costume, but if you ever pay attention to Cisco’s shirts (which I fucking do) then you’ll know that it was from the Atom crossover episode meaning they were all on set that day and no one thought to change his fucking shirt for the picture.

This part bothered me because they remove the body with fucking Capt. Lance right there and then take the body back to Central City… um what? Is that a thing that police just allow? Oh you clearly found a murdered person go ahead and take it to another fucking city and I won’t tell anyone or do anything about it… #policeworkwat. Also, Reverse Flash knows that Joe was in Starling City even though it was never told to him and Joe doesn’t think to call him out on that bullshit. If I’m the villain and I discovered that the detective that was previously looking into me went to my former city the first thing I would do would be to zip over there and check on that fucking body! Of course if I was a villain with super speed (even spotty super speed) I would move the fucking body!

It’s really like fake Wells is just dying to be discovered which makes zero sense to his character and the story and is more in line with what the TV audience wants. Well it sucks so thanks for that CW diehards.

I’m going to talk about the ending so if you haven’t watched the episode here’s your Spoiler Alert!

Barry, Cisco and Caitlin discover fake Wells’ secret room. Which was cool for half a minute because why the fuck would you enter the room without having a plan? Fake Wells is still apparently a genius so to think he wouldn’t have security or at the very least a GoPro hanging out in one of those bubbles is just stupid. Clearly everything changes after this and its go time, but this execution was sloppy and just to entice the audience rather than be handled in a way that was smart and made our characters look like the geniuses that they pretend to be.

I mean busting in on this room is some real Scooby Doo shit and that’s what continues to annoy me about this show. The characters are supposed to be smart, but they’re all fucking idiots. Four “geniuses” on this show and they’re all fucking stupid. No one thinks before they act. No one thinks period really unless it has something to do with what someone else is packing in their pants i.e. dicks and vaginas.

That’s why I don’t think I can continue watching The Flash anymore. I care about good stories. I care about science (even bullshit TV science) at least playing a role in the story rather than being an off mention of “hey we solved the problem with science off camera.” I care about Barry growing as a person and a hero and that’s not something he’s doing. He’s a vengeful child with super speed that knows how to make his day job easier. It’s absolutely clear to me that all this show and the CW care about is making love stories that happen to have super heroes in them and by doing that it washes away anything else that could have been good about it.

Then next time you watch Flash just think about how much focus is put on “dicks and vaginas” rather than the character development, the plot development or just having a competent story.

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Score: 1/5

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Flash 1.19 – “Who Is Harrison Wells?” The Flash airs Tuesdays 8/7 C

Review: Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 1.18 - The Frenemy of My Enemy

I was really backlogged on TV and Agents of SHIELD has been fairly low on my list of things to catch up on. But I'm glad I gave it a break, as it's nice to watch it in big chunks. Now successfully caught up I can tell you that this episode was a lot of fun. I knew I was going to enjoy it when Coulson calls Ward on his 'girlfriends' phone and calls him sweetie. There was a lot to like in this episode. I like Coulson being on the run and proving that he's a good guy when the rest of SHIELD is trying to catch him. It's a nice little shift in the slightly monotonous show. It also allows for some great misunderstandings.

The return of Ward, I know he's been hanging around in the background but this is the first episode he's had a lot to do. It allowed for a lot of cross purposes and miscommunication. I loved his interaction with Fitz.

Daddy's Day Out. Skye takes her Super-Psycho-Daddy out and plans to leave him at the behest of her mother (who she seems to of taken to her very quickly). This was the first time I actually liked Cal, who up to this point has been a bit weird.

Mike Peterson as Deathlok. It's nice to see him back even if his acting was slightly more robotic than feels necessary. I'm not 100% sold on the Inhumans in the show just yet. But I did enjoy the line 'oh yeah and I'm the hulk'.

It's a shame they didn't string out the whole Coulson looks to be working with Ward and therefore Hydra. That and the long daddy day out scenes were the only weak points for me. All in all it was well executed and kept me entertained.

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Score: 4/5

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Marvel's Agents of SHIELD 1.18 - "The Frenemy of My Enemy" New episodes of Marvel’s Agents of Shield – Tuesdays 9/8C

Review: Daredevil 1.10 - Nelson v. Murdock

Foggy has finally discovered Matt’s secret, and he doesn’t exactly take it well. Over the course of the episode we flip between the fallout, with Foggy trying to reconcile this news with the Matt he knows and loves, and flashbacks to their first meeting, their time in school, their first internship, working together with their desks crammed into a closet. There was a lot I loved about this episode. We calmed the action down a bit, as Matt is temporarily out of commission, barely able to sit up on his own, and focused more on the emotional and on relationships. We get a clear picture of Matt and Foggy’s relationship and how it’s developed over the years. From day one they clicked, took to each other instantly, and it makes their scenes in the present all the more tragic.

The present-day scenes between Matt and Foggy were incredibly raw; Foggy wears his heartbreak and betrayal openly, and Matt is clearly torn between trying to convince his best friend that he’s doing good, and feeling guilty. We’re at a point where Matt is having a hard time separating himself and his own actions from those of Fisk and the people he is working against. Matt wants to believe that he’s the good guy, but when his own best friend responds like a kicked puppy, it’s difficult for him to stand by his actions.

I appreciated this episode for the way it handled the revelation and the fallout. Matt and Foggy’s relationship hasn’t been explored or explained much before this episode. We’ve already seen that Foggy treats Matt like a person rather than just awkwardly stepping around the blind guy, and in this episode we see that that’s been the case from day one. It’s because they hit it off from the start and had each other’s backs for so long that Foggy feels so betrayed. I thought Cox and Henson both handled the drama well, but it was particularly great to see from Henson, since he’s been the comic relief up until now.

Foggy and Matt take up most of the episode, but there are a couple of other important plot points. Ben’s ready to put the investigation behind him in favor of steady income, but crafty Karen takes him to visit Fisk’s mother. And then there’s Fisk’s charity event, where several of the attendees are poisoned, including Vanessa.

The timing for these two events is perfect; Fisk is starting to look a bit too comfortable, and he needed something to shake him up. Not only will this rattle him, but it works in favor of his public image. Poor Fisk, ruthlessly attacked when he only wants to help the city. This will be a rallying point for his supporters. And speaking of supporters, Wesley looks pretty suspicious.

This episode was a nice change of pace; we slow down a bit and zero in on a central relationship, while the side stories in this one will push the overall plot forward. We saw another side of Foggy, and a vulnerability in Matt. Foggy’s been a constant in his life for a long time now, and for them to break up, as it were, could really shake Matt. I love seeing Karen doing her own thing and leading her own investigation, putting pieces together that no one else has. And now Fisk has been targeted on a more personal level, so we’re likely to see him fall apart soon.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.10 - “Nelson v. Murdock” Director: Farren Blackburn Writer: Luke Kalteux Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Arrow 3.20 - The Fallen

Oliver Queen is finally stepping up to become the Demon’s Head. Thea is on the brink of death, but she can be saved if Oliver agrees to be the next Ra’s. It’s a good trade, Oliver thinks, so he takes the barely-alive Thea along with Merlyn, Felicity, and Diggle, to the League of Assassins. First order of business is to bring Thea back via the Lazarus Pit. Malcolm warns Oliver against this; the Pit changes you, and the Thea they bring back won’t be the one they lost, he says. But Thea alive is worth the risk to Ollie, so in a creepy candlelit ritual, Thea is brought back to life.

She pops out of the Pit like something feral, but the next time she regains consciousness she’s disoriented, thinking Moira’s still alive but Ollie isn’t. She sounds she’s reverted to being a little girl again, and it’s heartbreaking, especially seeing Oliver helplessly looking on. I know a lot of you really dislike Thea, and I get it, but I’m holding out hope that she’ll become interesting. If the Pit really does change her, I might get the Thea I was hoping for back when she went off with Merlyn. Thea has so much potential to be a solid character, and she just consistently isn’t. If even the Pit won’t do it, then maybe- maybe- I’ll give up on her.

The next order of business is Felicity and Oliver getting it on. It’s both a “finally” and a “don’t go,” as they both know they’ll have to say goodbye soon. Felicity orchestrates an escape attempt- drugging Ollie since he won’t go willingly- but it doesn’t work. In the end, Team Arrow-minus the Arrow- leave and Oliver begins the transformation process. The first step, apparently, is branding. The second is posing.

They certainly managed to pack a lot of melodrama into one episode. There were some moments that should have been wonderfully dramatic but felt forced or awkward. But overall I felt this episode did a decent job wrapping up one chapter to begin another.

I’m so curious as to how this’ll turn out. I doubt Team Arrow is going to give up so easily, but Oliver seems determined to follow through, and there’s really no way they can fight the League. Assuming Laurel is still training with Nyssa, she has a bit of an in, but not even Nyssa has sway here. So I just have no idea where this is going to go, and that unpredictability is exciting. I’d love to see Oliver actually step up as Ra’s, and since we’ve come this far, it’d be pretty disappointing to get him out of that too soon.

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Score: 3/5

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Arrow 3.20 - "The Fallen" Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.

Review: Daredevil 1.9 – Speak of the Devil

If there’s one thing you can do that will absolutely annoying me it’s begin in the third act. It’s a common device in comic books in which the first three pages are actually the beginning of the third act and then the rest of the comic is spent getting to that same point in time. Once you’re there the story usually skips head to some kind of cliffhanger/reveal for the final page. It’s so common that if you read comics you’re probably already thinking about something you read this week that started that exact way. TV shows do it all the time. In fact How To Get Away With Murder started damn near every episode that way and lost me as a viewer by the winter break. It’s not clever, it’s not interesting, and it’s a cheat. The reason it’s a cheat, is because the ending is more interesting than anything leading up to it, so it cuts in front of everything else to distract you. To make you wonder, “How will they get there?”

But it works. In fact people kind of love it. Writers are encourage to do use the device because “how else can you get the reader to come back each week/month?” My answer to that is good writing. If your story was good then we wouldn’t need the ending propping it up. If your story was good we would just be invested and willing to stick it through to the end even if we didn’t see exactly what it was building towards… though if it was good we would see it and not feel forced to wait it out.

As a former reader of the Daredevil comic book I had a slight pop for this episode as we learn that Nobu is a member of the Hand. For Daredevil comic readers this inclusion in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is a pretty big deal as the Hand have had many storylines and dozens of important roles in the comic universe. It also introduces them to DD’s storyline which again adds a ton of potential for series going forward. The problem is… we see Nobu in his Hand gear in the very beginning. If you didn’t recognize that it was supposed to be him then I’m not sure what show you’ve been watching, but yes the Japanese guy turned out to be a ninja… spoiler? No.

The actual beginning of the episode has Matt talking to his Priest again and honestly the conversation was good even if it didn’t actually do anything for Matt’s character. I know you’re thinking, “But Dustin it shows his internal struggle and he’s able to reveal a face that he can’t at the office, the face of a man that’s truly burdened by his cities problems.” Yeah maybe, but if there’s one thing I haven’t felt from Charlie Cox’s acting, it’s his love of the city. I believe the Kingpin’s love, I really do. But Daredevil… he really just seems like a guy stumbling in the dark sometimes (pun intended).

Finally the different investigations (other than Matt’s personal one) come together as Ben arrives at Nelson and Murdock and the four of them have a chat and what not. It’s only good because we see how Matt is still playing both sides and that’s actually believable. After that Nobu arrives at the docks with Fisk and Wesley and is pissed. This time he’s pissed about the delay in getting his city block, you may know this block as Ms. Cardenas’ neck of the woods which sets off a pretty obvious turn of events. Wilson promises that he’ll double his efforts in clearing out Nobu’s block as long as he helps with his Masked Man problem. I guess we know where the leads.

There is one decent scene in which Matt as Matt meets both Vanessa and Fisk, but because it’s a one-sided conflict at the moment. Fisk is just being… well public figure Fisk. This did actually show Matt’s boiling hatred for the man, which was decent… I just wish I believed he loved the city to go along with this.

The fighting at this point in the series becomes pretty typical. There’s nothing as inventive as the second episode hallway scene and since most of the fight is cut up between the episode and then fast forwarded at the end… it just ends up looking and feeling like a well-choreographed fight scene in which the hero needs to be humbled. The saving grace is the first encounter of Fisk and the Masked Man, but ultimately it leads to one of the worst things about this season which is the ending of this episode and the entire next episode.

There’s a lot of SSDD going on in this episode. Karen and Ben are doing the same shit, Foggy is doing the same shit (i.e. helping Karen because she’s attractive and he thinks he’s in love), Matt’s doing a ton of the same shit and the Kingpin and his crime partners are still doing the same shit as the first episode. The criminals talk about their vague plans to rebuild Hell’s Kitchen and the good guys talk about how they need to bust Fisk somehow, some way. The only thing that was interesting was the introducing of the Hand and our “first time meetings” that took place, but there was no confidence in the episode so they lead with their big dog and frankly… it didn’t have enough bite. But hey… when it’s written by two comic book writers what do you expect? After all… that’s how they do it in comics.

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Score: 2/5

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Daredevil 1.9 – “Speak of the Devil” Director: Nelson McCormick Writer: Christos N. Gage & Ruth Fletcher Gage Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Daredevil 1.8 – Shadows in the Glass

The eighth episode of Marvel and Netflix’s Daredevil series is probably the best episode. In fact it feels very much like the end of the first half of the season. Whereas “Stick” was an origin story of Matt’s skills and established what shaped him to be the man he is, “Shadows in the Glass” is Wilson Fisk’s origin. Also several characters get haircuts in the next episode so that too makes it feel like a break has occurred in the filming just after this. There is one inherent problem with this episode, it comes too late into the season, but at the same time it hits at the perfect time. You see this is the episode that explains why Vincent D’Onofrio has been acting the way he has. Because up until this episode the way he’s been playing Wilson Fisk aka The Kingpin, has been annoying. Lacking confidence, stammering with his speech, lashing out like a child when embarrassed. Nothing that particularly builds any confidence in the character somehow being a Kingpin of crime. If you think about it seriously, other than his brute strength, how the hell did this portrayal of the Kingpin actually rise to power? Well we still don’t have that particular answer, but at least we see why the Kingpin acts the way he does.

This episode also has one of the best openings as they didn’t rely on starting in the middle of some action like the second episode, or flashing back and forth in the time line like the next episode. Instead it starts with the Kingpin (my preferred name to call him by the way) waking up from a bad dream. From there he begins his morning routine and you can tell that it’s a routine. Nothing changes about it as he makes the same breakfast and goes through his closet to get dressed. Ultimately he selects the same suit, the same shirt, the same everything every morning. He even has a huge selection of cuff-links to pick from, but of course selects the ones that were his fathers. At first this scene is pretty boring like any routine, but then the Kingpin turns around and looks at himself in a full-sized mirror and instead of seeing a well-dressed adult… he sees himself as a young boy covered in blood.

After that we check in with Matt and the gang who spill the beans about Foggy and Karen looking into the same angle that Matt has been. Obviously this puts Matt in a difficult position as he knows the answers to the questions they’re asking, but can’t say anything. He demands that they stop playing cowboy and pursue everything legally and through the course of the law which is okay. Frankly I liked this because it showed that Matt still wants to do things the legal and proper way, but then it assures that he will be doing even more as the “Masked Man” when the sun goes down.

Eventually we get to the point of a flashback that dives into the Kingpins past as we meet his father and mother. Bill Fisk played by Domenick Lombardozzi is one of the best additions to the series. His portrayal of the character was believable and brought life into this flashback much like Scott Glenn’s performance as Stick did for the previous episode.

Frankly that’s all I really want to say about this episode. It was light on action, but thick on content which the show was desperately needing. It all comes to a close in a way that made the Kingpin a believable crime lord something that has really only been shown and not felt up until this episode.

Personally this was has been the highest point of the season. As you’ve seen on the site there’s a variety of opinions about the show and thankfully I’m not reviewing them all because I would not have scored the series as high up until this point… as you’ll see on my review for the next episode. But this episode continues to stand out as a successful blending of the comic and TV medium.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.8 – “Shadows in the Glass” Director: Stephen Surjik Writer: Steven S. DeKnight Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Starz Brings "Ash vs Evil Dead" To Life

The STARZ Original series “Ash vs Evil Dead” began production this month in New Zealand on the 10-episode first season of the half-hour series executive produced by Sam Raimi, Rob Tapert, Bruce Campbell, the original filmmakers of the franchise, and Craig DiGregorio who will serve as executive producer and showrunner.  “Ash vs Evil Dead” is the long-awaited follow-up to the classic horror film franchise The Evil Dead and is set to premiere on STARZ in fall 2015. Campbell will be reprising his role as Ash, the stock boy, aging lothario and chainsaw-handed monster hunter who has spent the last 30 years avoiding responsibility, maturity and the terrors of the Evil Dead.  When a Deadite plague threatens to destroy all of mankind, Ash is finally forced to face his demons –personal and literal.  Destiny, it turns out, has no plans to release the unlikely hero from its “Evil” grip.

The cast is led by Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) in the role of Ash Williams, Lucy Lawless (“Salem,” “Spartacus”) as Ruby a mysterious figure who believes Ash is the cause of the Evil outbreaks, Ray Santiago (“Touch,” Meet the Fockers)as Pablo Simon Bolivar, an idealistic immigrant who becomes Ash’s loyal sidekick, Dana DeLorenzo (A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas) as Kelly Maxwell, a moody wild child trying to outrun her past and Jill Marie Jones (“Sleepy Hollow”) as Amanda Fisher, a disgraced Michigan State Trooper set to find our anti-hero Ash and prove his responsibility in the grisly murder of her partner.

Raimi is directing the first episode of “Ash vs Evil Dead” that he wrote with Ivan Raimi (Darkman, Army of Darkness, Drag Me to Hell), Craig DiGregorio (“Workaholics,” “Chuck”) and Tom Spezialy (“Chuck,” “Reaper,” “Desperate Housewives”). Raimi will also serve as executive producer, with Rob Tapert (Evil Dead, “Spartacus,” Xena: Warrior Princess”) and Bruce Campbell (Evil Dead, “Burn Notice”) along with Craig DiGregorio (“Workaholics,” “Chuck”) who will serve as executive producer/showrunner. Ivan Raimi will co-executive produce and Aaron Lam (“Spartacus”) and Chloe Smith (“Spartacus”) will serve as producers. Starz Brings "Ash vs Evil Dead" To Life

Review: iZombie 1.6 - Virtual Reality Bites

I truly look forward to this show every Tuesday. The show is nothing what I expected, and I think a lot of new comic fans would agree. To put it in one sentence, I expected was some typical over sexualized zombie to fight with her friends and fall in love with total losers while failing at life, but what I got was an average girl who was at the wrong place and now has to deal with seclusion while solving crimes and turning not to hurt the people she loves. Liv may be one of the most relatable characters on TV right now...well besides for the obvious reasons. I just love her strong female character role. And she doesn’t necessarily have to be strong at all times in order to prove that she is awesome. She has her vulnerable moments. Plus not to mention that they show her eating junk food and being a real woman. Thank god for cheese puffs! The handling of her as a female protagonist is exactly what we need on television. This episode opened a lot of doors for Liv. In particular, her love life. I am jumping around the show a lot right now, but let’s focus on Lowell for a moment. The two get to chill with each other, and it is was adorable. Not only can they relate on a eating brains level, but they also talk about their struggles relating to the switch. Then when the night closes, Lowell makes his move, but Liv still clearly tied to Major rejects the kiss. So sad.

But now we jump into the case, Clive finds a famous internet hacker dead in his basement. Liv picks up two traits of his which is online gaming and this dizziness. The dizziness comes on in social situations, hence why this dude was never seen outside of his house. So now it is time to figure out who killed this recluse. Liv eats his brains, which is disturbing to say the least. I always get a little queasy at these moments, but this man’s brain was nasty!

We jump around a lot in this episode, which again I think is an advantage about the storyline. Major is having problems finding Jerome still and decides to search tons of YouTube videos that were taken at the skatepark. Obviously this all relates back Blaine and dictatorship. We don’t learn anything new about Blaine, but Liv and Ravi soon will. As far as an antagonist goes, I think Blaine is a great start. Although his character is a tad predictable, how Liv will deal with it is not. Plus with Major being tied up in it, there may have to be some explaining or hard core lying going on. So having big questions about the turnout, makes Blaine this great rival and really creates this good zombie vs bad zombie plotline.

By far the best part of this episode was Liv’s gaming skills. This show makes me laugh. Like hardcore laugh and I find myself quoting the show, which is tough to get me to do. And when she picks up these WOW abilities while guzzling down pop and making cheese stains on her sweatpants, well it made my night as I’m sure it did with everyone.

Although I like to give away some information of the episode, and I don’t want to give away everything. The episode was great through and through. Liv and Ravi were hilarious, Blaine was even creepier than last episode, and Lowell may have gotten his kiss in the end.

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Score: 4/5

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iZombie 1.6 - Virtual Reality Bites Air Date: 4/12/15 Watch iZombie on CW, Tuesday 9/8 C

Review: Batman vs. Robin

Okay, I admit it.  I am a sucker for these DC direct to digital and disc releases of their comics universe.  Even the bad ones, I like to watch, if for anything, just for the sheer enjoyment of the medium. I have felt that the animation is always good regardless of plot. In that way, if I have a story that is way subpar, at least I have something pretty to look at. When the opportunity to check out a new Batman, you just know that I am all over it.  But this isn’t your everyday average Batman fare.  This is a continuation of sorts from the previous year and the Son of Batman release that focused on Bruce Wayne and Talia al Ghul’s child Damian.  Now we move forward and find a young Damian wearing the mantel of Robin and working with Batman in tackling crime in Gotham City.

But there is a problem however. Damian and Bruce/Batman are at odds on what to do when taking out baddies as Damian is not too keen on Bruce’s philosophy of not killing. Damian does not seem to have the temperament or the patience to fight crime in such a way and he seems to be searching for something more meaningful to his way of thinking.

Enter the Court of Owls, Gotham’s ancient society of power brokers who have dictated the comings and goings for a long time.  In Damian, they see an opportunity and an opening to crack their bat problem and perhaps but an end to it once and for all. Through the assassin Talon, a sort of surrogate father comes to Damian luring him to the ways of the Court and betrayal to the values of Bruce.

From there, action ensues and we get a fatherly mental tug of war that concludes with an all-out smash mouth battle royale, even bringing in Alfred to the scrap.  It is pretty intense and quite fun to watch.  Especially since the last DC offering of the Justice League and even the preceding Son of Batman release left much to be desired. No, in Batman vs Robin I got mostly what I like…A decent plot with impressive animation. And I found this to be a pretty solid release worthy of a view.

Based on a hybrid of stories provided by Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder, Batman vs Robin touches on many of those areas that are appreciated in any Batman title.  Responsible use of power even when the adversary does not adhere to the same philosophy.  Also at play is a father/son relationship that is made complicated due to the parentage involved and those two very distinctly different philosophies of “to kill or not to kill”.

Screenwriter J.M. DeMatteis does a good job in mixing in Morrison and Snyder’s inspiration in molding a pretty entertaining watch.  It was well paced, didn’t feel clunky or smothered in crummy dialogue, and played in a believable way, minus the fact that there is no way that Damian Wayne is ten years old (nah man, no way).  But hey, the story is good enough that I can let that go.

Regarding direction, Jay Olivia does fine and blends in this beautiful and dark animation quite nicely thank you very much.  I have very little bad to say here and think maybe this is a good sign for some improved releases in the coming months.

But something that has been getting on my nerves with all the DC releases lately have been the voices.  I don’t really know why, but I just do not like Jason O’Mara’s voice as Batman which he has been doing quite a bit lately.  There is something off about it that doesn’t necessarily ruin the experience for me, but doesn’t really inspire me either.  Other voices here are more ok, but not spectacular either with Jeremy Sisto playing a good role in Talon that acts well off of Stewart Allan’s cocky punk kid voice. It works ok, but feels lost a little bit in O’ Mara’s monotone.  Maybe I am spoiled a little.  I don’t know, but I just don’t dig on O’Mara’s take on of the Dark Knight.

All in all though Batman vs. Robin which isn’t the best title around, does meet a good bit of my entertainment requirements and it is worth checking out for sure.  In spite of the voice issues, I found this title to be strong and well done with spectacular animation action worthy of the mantel of the Bat.

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Score: 3/5

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Batman vs. Robin Director: Jay Olivia Writer: J.M. DeMatteis (based off the writings of Grant Morrison and Scott Snyder) Distributor:  Warner Home Video Rating: PG13 (for violence and action throughout) Release Date: 4/14/15 Format: DVD/Blu Ray/Digital

Like podcasts? Check out this one all about Batman vs. Robin!

Review: Gotham 1.20 – Under The Knife

Did I actually enjoy an episode of Gotham? I think I did, the show is still jerky and confuses the DC/Batman mythology, but this episode had some really enjoyable set pieces. The show still had its concurrent story-lines (minus Fish Mooney) but this time they flowed together well. Usually the show feels like each storyline is written separately, filmed separately and then edited together by a third party. This week was a continuation of last week’s storyline, with Milo Ventimiglia as the Ogre. This is a better format for the show, frankly they should have had longer running stories instead of the villain of the week format. It allows you to actually become invested and wonder what’s going to happen next, there's no suspense when you know it will wrap up at the end of the episode (don't get me started on the lack of suspense involving any character we know grows into an established Batman icon #PrequelProblems).

Gordon is still tracking down the Ogre, a man who has gotten away with murder, he does this by killing the investigating police mans loved ones. Gordon gets worried about Dr Thompkins when he finds out about this and rushes over to find her perfectly okay (If The Rock is franchise-viagra then Morena Baccarin in a bathtub should be episode-saver). This is a great bit of misdirection as the Ogre is under the impression that Barbara Kean is still Gordon's one and only.

The nice thing about this episode is that the main storyline is exactly that, the main storyline. The side story-lines are shorter and because of that they say what they need to say quickly and then cut. That forces a few odd scenes like Batman and Catwoman discussing her decision to murder KHSDKGHSDHSK last week, in a crowded ballroom. What I learned from this is that Batman is growing his 'I don't kill' philosophy but he hasn't learned tact yet.

The other short asides were Penguin and Nigma. Again both of these work because they were shorter, punchier and had genuine stakes (though even when the Penguin’s stories are longer it's pretty great because of Robin's performance). Nigma is still hopelessly infatuated with Miss Kringle, who is dating a cop that is abusing her. Nigma is furious about this and when confronting the not-so-gentleman doesn't work, he stabs the crap out of him in an open road and thus we get our first look at the future Riddler. There weren't too many scenes leading up to this and so the escalation to a stabbing took me off guard.

The Penguin is planning to take out Maroni, but Maroni knows he's up to something and decides to mess with him. He does this by becoming very friendly with Penguin’s mother, of whom the Penguin is very close to. Maroni drops the bomb by telling Penguin’s mother that he's not exactly the angel she imagines, which forces a talk that alters their relationship (because Penguin still wants to pretend he is just a night-club owner). Which again led to a brutal scene of the Penguin killing a random person, it was weird and quirky but felt in place.

The best part is that the case still hasn't been wrapped up and the end was left in a really cool, slightly ambiguous manner.

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Score: 4/5

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Gotham 1.20 – Under The Knife Watch Gotham Monday's on Fox.

Review: Gotham 1.19 - Beasts of Prey

Well Gotham came back with a bit of a whimper. It took me a while to get round to watching it (sorry). Here is a run down of some of the story-lines involved. Gordon

Gordon is tracking down a weirdo that is capturing and killing women. It's pretty creepy the more we see of this guy who forces women to be his idea of a perfect girlfriend (wife? Mother?).  They eventually find out that he is a serial killer nicknamed the Ogre.

There's a pretty on the nose scene where a girl comes up to 'the Ogre' and calls him moderately attractive. I guess the writers see this as clever foreshadowing, but it just seems to devalue the payoff.

Extra points for the super gravelly voice this episode. I wonder how many cough sweets McKenzie has on set. It seems like talking that way would tear your throat up.

Bruce Wayne

Bruce is tracking down Reggie, who is sleeping in a building with a bunch of homeless people. He gives a lot of information because he's worried about losing his bottle of medicine. Seems like he should of negotiated for better pay from his last job. Selina Kyle pushes him out of a window because Batman can't kill.

Fish

Fish is still trying to escape the Doll Maker. She gets caught trying to escape then goes back with a plan to take a boat that can only take six people. When confronted about taking a helicopter she asks if anyone can fly, "No? that's why", because she knows everyone so well.

One thing that was really nice was that she finally calls him "Doll Maker" instead of DolMacker (that's how it sounds to me when they say it).

The Misdirection is very easy to spot. Very strange that she would leave the Doll Maker alive.

Penguin

The penguin is off trying to be a mob boss.  He is trying to obtain a bar. Which he does by ordering the owners daughter's husbands fingers cut off, which was pretty cool. He wants the bar because he's going to kill Maroni there.

I really liked the Ogre stuff, Milo Ventimiglia is really good at putting out that creepy vibe.

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Score: 3/5

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Gotham 1.9 - Beasts of Prey Watch Gotham Monday's on Fox.

Poster Time: Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice and Pizza

Seriously tired of that Blue/Orange that Hollywood loves to do and the Marvel "Here they are standing" or the Marvel "Here's a close up on them as an individual." These seem like propaganda and I dig that since it goes with the theme of the flick. Which if I'm honest... I'll probably hate the movie as much as I did Man of Steel, but at least it has me interested.

Review: Daredevil 1.7 - Stick

“Stick” is a tough episode for me for a couple reasons. On the one hand, Stick is a character that I have never gotten; from Man Without Fear through to his and the Hand’s involvement in Brubaker’s run, he’s never clicked for me. On the other hand, this episode seems destined to be the breather between two larger halves of the season, especially being as it is the exact midpoint. Luckily, it’s the tough episodes of Daredevil that are the most rewarding. The episode starts out by introducing Stick in a particularly brutal, ninjatastic fashion, but the scene quickly shifts back to the home turf of Hell’s Kitchen, the busiest neighborhood in New York. Matt uses the information he managed to earn from Vladimir last episode to track down Fisk’s money man: Leland Owlsley. Owlsley, who is consistently the most rational person on the show, has a quick meeting with Nobu before being accosted by Matt. The coming of Stick is a distraction, and Owlsley manages to get away. Stick tells Matt he is back for part of the war he’s always talking about, to take out a Japanese weapon called the Black Sky. Matt agrees to help him, if Stick promises not to kill anyone. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Stick can’t keep that promise, even when Matt finds out who Black Sky truly is. Matt kicks Stick out of his city, and Stick tells a mysterious man (credited as “Stone”) that he doesn’t know if Matt will truly be ready for the coming war.

The real highlights of this episode for me are twofold: we get to see some of the ninja mysticism that’s been part-and-parcel with Daredevil since the Miller/Janson days during a break in the very grounded, gritty realism stuff; and we get to see young Matt’s training, explaining how he went from a kid who had seen a handful of boxing matches to a grown man who can do kickflips and all kinds of crazy shit. I, personally, think that the kid playing Matt does a stellar job, especially for a young actor. He never veers into the saccharine of most child-actors, and he manages to look convincing while doing kung fu. Luckily, even if he weren’t great, he and Charlie Cox get to play off Scott Glenn, who is amazingly cast. I’m not familiar with the guy’s work before this, but he’s just the right combination of grizzled old man and restrained nobility that it fits Stick to a tee (as far as loving Scott Glenn in the episode--don’t hate the player, hate the character, as they say).

“Stick” also does right by the show in that it doesn’t let itself just be a filler episode. Sure, it’s the only episode where Stick or anything really resembling the Chaste show up (I would say the Hand entirely, but I think later episodes would prove me wrong...), but it starts to build the moral question posed by Vladimir in the previous episode. Vladimir insists that when Matt started down this path, he got in the cage with animals--and animals don’t stop fighting until one of them is dead. Will Matt have what it takes to really bring down Wilson Fisk? Will he be able to kill him? Should he? Matt lives in a world of greys and uncertainties, and Stick, for the raging asshole that he is, lives in a world of stark black and white. Things are wrong, things are right, who gives a shit, you do what needs to be done.

This episode puts Matt on the path he walks for the rest of the season, hell on his left, heaven on his right, and the devil in front of him. There’s no right way to go, there’s no right thing to do, there’s only the morality one blind Catholic man with super senses can land on to save the city without losing himself.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.7 - "Stick" Director: Brad Turner Writer: Douglas Petrie Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Show By Rock! 1.2 & 1.3

I didn’t think I’d be back with another review for Show By Rock! The first episode wasn’t the greatest thing in the world and the three styles of animation was very off-putting. Yet here I am talking about episodes 2 and 3 (I kind of dragged my feet on episode 2). The thing that gets me is that the main animation is really good and the character designs are fantastic. Some of my concerns about the first episode were addressed and others were only kind of brought up and ignored. For instance the Manager (he’s the little egg guy) was toned down a lot in both episodes. It makes his jokes actually hit with the super detailed animation they love to use on him. They also toned down the CG super cute style which was the best thing they could have done.

Things not really addressed… Cyan. The Strawberry Heart guitar gives her some insight saying that she’ll be called upon to save the planet and she comments saying she hopes to get it done before Golden Week. Not, where is my family, just before Golden Week. Obviously that’s not the point of the story, but it’s still strange to see it completely ignored.

The second episode introduces label mates Shingan Crimsonz which is the boy band. They’re all basically the same character and each is more over the top than the last. The story largely focuses on them as they get a gig to open for the other band introduced in the first episode. On the Plasmagica side the girls begin to bond when Cyan sings a song in the bathtub.

With the third episode the girl’s band is challenged to a “Battle of the Bands” which pits them against a middle school band on a rival label. Plasmagica is faced with their biggest problem, they’re technically sound, but they don’t have charisma. Cyan fixes this somewhat when she tweaks a song at the last-minute, but only when Retoree says she’s giving up and going home. The episode focused a lot on Retoree who joined the band to make friends which make her and Cyan kindred spirits. Ultimately the girls lose the battle, but they’re spirits are renewed and every one of course is paying closer attention to Cyan whether she knows it or not.

There’s still technically three animation styles which is annoying and not my thing, but I guess a lot of people like it that way. There’s the main animation which is great looking (see pictures), there’s the CG super cute animation and then the 2-D super cute animation that’s used for the audience while the bands are in CG super cute mode. It makes for a rough transition back and forth. It’s a shame because the normal animation is really good. In fact some of the best of the season, but I guess this way gives them less to animate overall.

The story is predictable, but I like the humor and the main animation enough that I’ll keep watching it. Hell the toned down Egg manager is enough of a reason to keep watching at this point. I doubt I’m ever really going to fall for the story, but as long as it continues to be simple and amusing I’ll give it a view. Who knows if I’ll continue reviewing it though.

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Score: 3/5

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Show By Rock! Episode 2: “With Our Crimson Gaze… etc” Episode 3: “Yes! Idol Declaration” Official Website show by rock! 1.2 & 1.3

Review: Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches 1.1 & 1.2

I didn’t have a chance to review the first episode of Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches last week, which is a shame because it’s easily one of my favorites of the season already. I love the simplicity of the story and the fact that it’s funny without trying hard. The first episode introduces us to the bad boy of the school Yamada, he’s got a mean look and blue hair and walks as if his nuts are constantly being pinched or an example for people who don’t get that, as if he just got done riding a horse. He has no friends and basically everyone fears him. His teacher tells him to be more like the class “ace” Shiraishi which annoys him. So much so that he races her up the stairs and as he looks back at her with arrogance he slips and falls into her causing them both to fall down the stairs.

Yamada wakes up in the Nurse’s office only now he’s in Shiraishi’s body and he’s very confused, but then being a man he takes advantage of the situation and checks out Shiraishi’s goods. I have to admit that this was so dumb, but funny. He doesn’t do anything inappropriate, he just looks which is what any guy would do. Now stuck as Shiraishi he attempts to act like her which is really terrible. He finds his body which of course has Shiraishi inside and drags her out of class. She/he tells him/her that she can’t miss any more class and that he’ll/she’ll have to wait until after school. Since he doesn’t know what’s going on Yamada agrees. He soon discovers that Shiraishi may be the ace of the class, but she’s not very well liked by the other girls.

Eventually they solve the problem, but not until they throw each other down the stairs several times. It’s as simple as a kiss. Apparently they kissed on the way down the first time and so they give it a shot and sure enough… it works and they’re both back in their bodies. Unfortunately there were seen by Student Council Vice-President Miyamura.

For some reason Shiraishi agrees to switch bodies with Yamada again to help him on a test and Miyamura finds Yamada in her body and tricks him. The jig is up, but Miyamura just wants in on the weirdness and to reopen the Supernatural Studies Club. Hijinks ensue and eventually Miyamura kisses Yamada after Shiraishi refuses to kiss anyone else for practical reasons and it’s discovered that Yamada can switch bodies with anyone he kisses.

Episode 2 introduces a new character who wants to be a part of the club. Her name is Ito and she actually believes in the supernatural or at least comes off that way when she brings in a bunch of fake shit to convince them. They can’t deny her application so she begins bossing Yamada around to clean the clubroom up. Eventually Yamada and Shiraishi are caught kissing to switch for a test and Ito is heartbroken by the club being “fake.”

She spreads rumors around the school about the two kissing and forces Yamada’s hand. He invites her to the clubroom and kisses her and then punches her/him in the stomach and goes around to do damage control. He quickly discovers that no one believed her because she’s a known liar.

The problem is when he goes to get his body back, she’s gone. The club tracks her down via her phone and Yamada learns that the fake crap she bought was from other students that were exploiting her desire to be popular. Basically to show she wasn’t a liar. Yamada in Ito’s body beats the shit out of the guys (because he’s a bad ass in whatever body he’s in) and they explain to Ito and have her join the club.

The episode ends with them all switching bodies and Ito going ga-ga over the boys kissing, even if they’re in different bodies at the time.

The show makes me laugh. It’s not so perverted or full of fan service that it’s unbearable and the fact that it has something for male and female audiences makes it well-balanced. The other humor comes from Yamada when he switches bodies with the women. The over the top hip swaying that he does is just ridiculous, but it makes me laugh each time. It’s honestly very realistic and probably exactly what a guy would do if his mind was switched into a woman’s body. That and the fact that he walks the same way as a woman was just hilarious.

Now I didn’t read the manga and I don’t plan on reading it so I can’t tell you where the “Seven Witches” part of the story comes into play. Are they really witches or is it something else? We’ve technically been introduced to two of them, but nothing else has been said to imply witches in the story. Frankly I don’t care to know and would rather the show explain it to me. So please don’t spoil it with a comment.

The animation is solid. The character designs are all pretty typical manga/anime style, but it works for the story. Main characters have crazy hair color and spikes for days, but (and this will sound weird) they’re all very cute. Even when Yamada is being a bad-ass he’s cute. It’s a cute show that isn’t trying to be too serious even when it’s having serious moments. It’s a very successful supernatural romantic comedy.

There’s something about this show already that has me hooked more than any other. I mean I bumped it up my review list because I wanted to talk about it. Is it the break out hit? Maybe just for me, but as long as the series continues this quality of story and animation it definitely has me as a viewer.

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Score: 4/5

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Yamada-kun and the Seven Witches yamada-kun and the seven witches 1.1 & 1.2 Episode 1: Turnover Episode 2: Tricot Official Website

Review: The Flash 1.18 – All Star Team Up

I’m filling in on The Flash for a bit and man oh man did I pick the wrong time to start reviewing this series. If you’ve listened to the CBMFP then you know that I’m kind of a fan of The Flash or at least I was. Something that I’ve agreed with Aaron about on his reviews is the fact that this show has changed in tone since the winter finale. Before there would be this apparent CW formula, but it was constantly broken up by these “Flash” moments. Things like figuring out the actual math of what Barry needed to do in order to run up a wall or stop a tornado. Now granted Barry for some reason never understood the math even though his character should, but now it’s replaced by him asking, “How fast” and the answer always being “faster than you’ve ever gone before.” There used to be Flash moments, but now there’s just CW moments.

“All Star Team Up” is without a doubt one of the worst episodes of the season. The title is stupid and how they came to the conclusion that The Atom was an “All Star” is just beyond me. It’s something that works on the cover of a comic book from the 60s not a TV show in 2015.

The premise is that Barry has been avoiding Star Labs because he’s an asshat that can’t hide his emotions around Reverse Flash. The Bug-Eyed Bandit is the villain and it’s a woman instead of a man which no one gives a shit about because a shitty character is a shitty character. She was canned from her job for weaponizing her robotic bees which she’s now using to kill other people that ratted on her. No one cares because it’s dumb and it’s very secondary to the rest of the story.

The Atom and Felicity arrive in town; Felicity just walks in the front doors of Star Labs which I guess is just left unlocked all the time or something. They make a terrible Superman joke to remind us that Brandon Routh once played Superman in a movie and now plays the D-list character The Atom instead. If this scene isn’t frustrating enough, Felicity has apparently already told her new BF that Barry is the Flash which makes the amount of people that know Barry’s identity around eight or nine people and we’re just in the first season. Also why she feels that’s her secret to tell is beyond me, but it wasn’t as bad as the two other times in the episode that people called The Flash, Barry while in costume in front of random crooks and villains. I mean why are they even trying to protect Iris at this point?

Speaking of Iris she’s pressing Eddie for “what’s wrong with him” which is that he knows the fucking Flashes identity and she doesn’t. Of course the mother fucker is sweating bullets because he knows that she’d leave him if she knew and then what purpose would he serve on the show? None.

I wonder if the writers are trying to make her character unlikable because I don’t know anyone that watches the show that can stand her. My wife can’t stand her. Her friend that watches the show with us, she can’t stand her either. Every time I bring up The Flash everyone’s first thought is how terrible Iris’ character is. She’s unlikable and by the end of the episode you’ll want them to kill her off, but much like Laurel on Arrow we’re stuck with her for life. That’s another character that started off very meh but was quickly made to be the most unlikable character on the show running three seasons now. I don’t hate Iris, I just hate everything they’ve done with her because none of it makes sense. None of it feels real. She’s not a character she’s a hammer. Whenever you need to beat some shit out of Barry you send in Iris and she does the job. When Caitlin is a better character you have a problem.

There is sadly one more thing left to discuss about this episode. Cisco has a flashback/day dream of the erased timeline in which he was killed by Reverse Flash.

I’ll say that again.

He’s having flashbacks/day dreams of when he was killed in an erased timeline… Now I hated this. It could be because they re-used the footage from that terrible episode or it could just be the fact that HOW IS THAT EVEN FUCKING POSSIBLE! It’s not. I don’t know what they were going for, but don’t be fucking lazy and shoot some new footage or here’s a thought save one angle for just this situation. It was a nightmare and they went to it two or three times and it was just ugh. It serves to make this show more unbelievable and so I’m not sure why they did it.

Overall this show is becoming a mess. They’re going for quick payoffs for storylines that had legs and it’s just sad. The season finale is looking to be a hot pile based on what they’re threading and what’s getting really out is the character interactions. No one feels genuine anymore and sure that was one of the story elements here, trust, but even then it’s hard to watch all of these characters bumble over each other. The Flash is quickly becoming the show I don’t want to watch, what a shame because they were winning me over despite the terrible casting of Barry Allen.

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Score: 1/5

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The Flash 1.18 – All Star Team Up The Flash airs Tuesdays 8/7 C

Review: Daredevil 1.6 - Condemned

So I’m going to preface my review with this trivia nugget: Daredevil is the comic book that made me want to write comics for a living, so, to paraphrase Daniel Plainview, when I say I’m a Daredevil guy, you’ll know that I’m telling the truth. I’m gonna try and shut that off as much as possible during these reviews, but if you see some foam on your computer screen, that’s just me and my unbridled excitement. Episode 6 is what I’m going to casually call the mid-season finale. In a regular, broadcast television medium, this episode would be the one right before the winter break. There’s a shift in the direction of the character’s mission, where what was a fairly random search becomes a laser focus, there are some excellent fights, and public opinion of the Masked Man starts to turn.

After the last episode’s events, Daredevil has to beat up some cops (who, in fairness, are in Fisk’s pocket), and hightailed it to an abandoned warehouse with Vladimir, who is probably going to bleed out at any second. While they hole up, take a hostage, and try to wait out the police presence that gathers outside, Ben Urich does his reporterly duties and tries to get the story out of this mess. Simultaneously, Karen and Foggy get Mrs. Cardenas to the hospital, where Foggy discovers that the sharp pain in his side is not a stitch from being out-of-shape, but rather from shrapnel that is in his person.

The main thing that makes me say this episode would be the mid-season finale is the context of having seen the next episode, so I’m not sure how well that holds up, but this definitely feels like a confluence of plot threads, even down to the fact that the nurse who admits Mrs. Cardenas at the hospital is Claire. The first five episodes spend a lot of time building the web around Daredevil of Foggy, Karen, Ben, Fisk, the Cabal, and six ties them all into a neat little knot around Matt.

Having said all that, this is one of my least favorite episodes of the season, even on a second watch. Let it be known, there are great moments. There’s the first conversation between Matt and Fisk, there’s a sniper shootout to turn the public 100% against Matt. The downsides are attendant to the upsides, though; the conversation with Fisk goes on forever, and has more of that “we’re not so different, you and I,” schtick, and the sniper beat is played somewhat ambiguously, so that you’re not sure who the target is for a little bit.

But then, beneath all that, the Fisk/Matt discussion does hit on a lot of thematically relevant points for the rest of the season. For as much as they’re both damaged children grown into adult bodies, they are two sides of the same coin. Matt is going to save this city one person, one case, one building at a time; Fisk is going to destroy it, block by block, and rebuild it, for the beautiful people.

This is pretty typical of an episode of Daredevil. I start out liking it, I find things that I don’t like, and then I talk myself into ways that they make the whole show work. And for the record, I think it’s fair to review these episodes because they’re divided up that way on Netflix, but I think we all know this show is intended to be one 13-hour movie, so this feels sort of like reviewing each chapter of a book independently of the others. There may be good ones, and there may be bad ones, but they’re all building towards one end goal.

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Score: 4/5

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Daredevil 1.6 - Condemned Director: Guy Ferland Writer: Joe Pokaski & Marco Ramirez Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Daredevil 1.5 - World on Fire

Okay, so, disclaimer time. I know most of you marathoned Daredevil immediately and have likely finished the season. I’m taking my time. I haven’t watched past this episode. It’ll definitely make it easier for me to focus my review on this specific episode and not let my thoughts on the entire season take over. But that also means it’s likely I’ll talk about something that gets answered or dealt with later on. So pretend you weren’t floored by that finale (or underwhelmed, or mildly satisfied) and put your episode five hat back on. In case you don’t remember where we are, Fisk has just convinced Vladimir that Matt killed- brutally beheaded- his brother. Vlad is too angry to really think straight, so he accepts this without question. My man Wesley is there to help reinforce the idea that Fisk and Anatoly were on good terms, therefore Fisk and Vlad should be buddies as well. It is Definitely not a set-up, Vlad. No worries.

Meanwhile Nelson and Murdock take on a new client; Mrs. Cardenas and her entire building are being forced out by their shitty landlord. The case sends Foggy and Karen off to talk with the landlord’s lawyers, among them a pretty cliche ex-girlfriend of Foggy’s. This chick is one hell of a caricature; I think I strained my eyes from rolling ‘em so hard. But this case does give us more of Foggy and Karen, who are both pretty darling individually and especially together. Is this a date? I don’t know, let me feel your face. Weirdos.

So while Foggy and Karen are off being cute, Matt heads to the precinct and ends up just in time to hear a couple of dirty cops silence a Russian who’d given up Fisk. From there it’s all vigilante mode. I definitely want to see more of Matt trying to balance his lawyering and his vigilante lifestyle. The juggling act is only going to work for so long, and I’m ready to see it go south. Also, I want to see more lawyering in general. That courtroom scene in episode three was a nice balance to all the punching and dark alleys. Both are fun, but balance is key.

Fisk and Vanessa have themselves a second date that turns out to be a wild time. Vanessa brings a gun, for one thing; she’s not sure she trusts Fisk or if she even wants to be there. She’s undeniably attracted and drawn to him, but her instincts are screaming at her to run. There’s a point during the date where we have to wonder whether Fisk has been set up, but it’s all good. It’s Fisk who’s the criminal mastermind, after all, and he and Vanessa end their date with a gorgeous fire show, sirens and all.

It’s really hard not to just flat rave about Vincent D’Onofrio for this entire review. He has really stolen the show for me. That brutal beheading was unforgettable, but he managed to be far more terrifying in his quiet moments. You’re never quite sure where he stands, whether he’s going to end you there or make you suffer or offer you more wine. I feared for Vanessa’s safety, I feared for the waiter’s safety, I feared for my safety. In my last review I talked about how D’Onofrio plays that emotional vulnerability well, but when he comes to his next move, he’s a bit tougher to read, and you’re left on edge.

There’s a lot to this show that I want to see get fleshed out a bit. Matt juggling work and play- work and work?- Claire, just, in general. Both Foggy and Karen. I’m excited to see more of Fisk and of his relationship with Vanessa. There’s just so much to this show, and I want more of everything. I’m getting greedy, maybe, but it’s so great so far. You know you’re doing a decent job when my main complaint is, “more please.”

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Score: 3/5

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Daredevil 1.5 – World on Fire Director: Farren Blackburn Writer: Luke Kalteux Distributor: Netflix, ABC Films, Marvel Studios Runtime: 60 Minutes Exclusively on Netflix

Review: Arrow 3.19 - Broken Arrow

Wowza what an episode. Where do I start with this one? This episode was incredibly Roy-centric, which I loved since Roy happens to be one of my DC faves (sorry, Ollie). Roy’s definitely been taking a back seat lately so it was nice to see him get so much action in this one. Of course, that came at a price, and we had to say goodbye to him in the end. I’m personally bummed, but at least he’s still alive, right?

So when we left last episode, Roy had just turned himself over as the Arrow. I expressed doubts as to whether this would actually play out, but it worked. It helped that Roy one-upped Oliver’s own confession by turning himself over in the actual Arrow garb. Remember that for next time, Ollie.

Ray also gets some action in this episode. He’s pretty terrible at it, but he’ll get there, and it’s endearing, at least. There’s a metahuman in Starling and it’s down to Ray to deal with the guy, since Arrow’s supposed to be out of commission. Ray’s bright personality brings a nice balance to the general seriousness of Team Arrow, but I still feel that love triangle at play. It’s being dragged out so much that it’s beyond stale.

In jail, Roy gets attacked twice. First in an ambush that he fights off with only minor damage. I really enjoyed that quick fight scene- weaponless and handcuffed, Roy still manages to take out three big dudes. The second time, it’s a quick and simple stabbing, and he collapses immediately. In the next scene, Ollie finds Lance talking to a teary Thea; Roy’s been killed, and it’s all Oliver’s fault. Yikes. Oliver is allowed some time to be angsty before Felicity and Diggle reveal that Roy’s death was actually faked, though the stabbing was very much real- ouch.

“You need to learn to let people help you,” is the mantra of the episode, but Oliver’s never been good at that, and I doubt he will be after what Roy just went through and what later happens to Thea. And of course, let’s not forget Sara. That self-sacrifice Roy displayed in this episode was absolutely learned from his mentor. It’d be great to see Oliver let people in more and allow himself to lean on others, but as long as people get hurt for it, that won’t happen.

So the episode wraps up with Roy, who’s supposed to be dead, forced to leave town and start a new life elsewhere. Again, I’m sad to see him go, but at least there’s some space to bring him back. Cut to Thea drinking her sorrows away when she’s interrupted and rudely stabbed by Ra’s. It’s to motivate your brother, Thea. Take one for the team.

I loved seeing Thea try to fight Ra’s mostly because I love watching Thea fight. She’s great at it- except against Ra’s, of course- and I wish we’d seen more of it. What was the point of running off to train with Malcolm only to just occasionally see her show off her moves? Thea and Roy both fall under the “under-utilized characters” category; they had the potential to be much more dynamic, Thea especially.

So at this point I think it’s safe to say that Ollie will take the place of the Demon’s Head. I mean, he’s running out of options here. Whether it will stick is another matter. We’ve got four episodes left of the season, so really anything can happen.

Overall, I loved this episode, largely because of the focus on Roy, but also because Oliver was forced to step back for a bit and let the others take over. It was a nice change of pace, and I’m going to treasure it since Oliver’s undoubtedly going to be large and in charge from here on out. I love Ollie, don’t get me wrong, but I do enjoy when they put the ‘team’ in Team Arrow.

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Score: 4/5

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Arrow 3.19 - Broken Arrow Watch Arrow on the CW, Wednesdays at 8/7c.