If one of your first jobs is answering viewer mail for the Turner Broadcasting System in the late 1980s, you’re bound to have more than a few stories to tell. This is even more evident when you meet the future boss which will help you skyrocket to cult-like status among youths ages 18-35 in the early aughts, a post-millennial time when the world needed escapism the most.
As a writer, Matt Maiellaro helped lay the foundation of [adult swim] with scripts for Space Ghost, The Brak Show, and Sealab 2021 along with Dave Willis.
It was this love for the absurd that lead them to the co-creation of Aqua Teen Hunger Force, a deliciously debauched institution for the perpetually young at heart.
Here, I sit down with writers from other outlets and explore, among other things, the Baffler Meal (20 DVD!) Boxed set, where the Teens would fit into the video gaming world, the horror influence of their new movie, and how Aqua Teen will last Forever!
On their amazing boxed set:
Matt: We were just one day talking about it, and I said we’re really doing that? And then we are. At this point, nobody has a DVD player.
Me: I think that’s a bygone thing because Aqua Teen started on DVDs and I think it should stay on DVDs.
Matt: I agree. Gotta stay old school.
On being a Williams Street playa:
Matt: I was here before Adult Swim. I was here writing Space Ghost scripts at the community printer.
On Aqua Teen being reintroduced into the video game realm:
Matt: I am not a gamer. You stumped me on that. I do watch my kids play games, but I don’t know. Maybe we could mix Sea of Thieves with Mortal Kombat? That will be our third movie.
On the creation of the movie:
Matt: With the pandemic, our industry caught on fire, but we didn’t really have to sell it. They wanted to do three movies. Aqua Teen, Metalocalypse, and The Venture Bros.
On the longevity of Aqua Teen:
Matt: I think it could and I think it should. It’s a no-brainer. Same people, same studios.
On the completion of Plantasm:
Matt: I don’t think it was laborious because it was fun, and we did the thing over the phone. We did all of the animatics on Zoom. It took a while and we mixed the whole thing at Skywalker.
Me: Wow! And I think the explosions would sound amazing.
Matt: They ROAR, man.
On the title itself:
Matt: Just the title itself. I’m a big horror buff. So there’s Plantasm from Phantasm, the Thing, and though I don’t know John Carpenter specifically. I know his wife, and they both liked it.
On whose decision it was to put Danzig into an episode:
Matt: We called him up, and he said he’d do it, so we had our artist draw up Danzig. We sent it to him to which he expressed, “I’m way taller than that!” What’s the reference though? There’s no R2-D2 standing next to you! He did a good job though. He’s kind of a jerk, but that’s what kind of what he was in the episode.
On writing for the characters:
Matt: All of them. Like, I’ll write for Carl and he’ll write for me, but altogether, I wouldn’t say I have a favorite to write for.
On the impact of Adult Swim and adult cartoons in general:
Matt: It’s good to see people appreciate what we did there. In a way, I think we set Adult Swim on the map. This thing that nobody wanted us to do, being an uphill battle, it took on a life of its own. Nobody gave us notes. We just did what we thought was funny and because the financial risk was so low.
On its long-lasting and ground-breaking staying power with adults:
Matt: Other networks were trying to do what we were doing, but we were just doing what we wanted to do. We were doing what we’re doing and you can’t stop it.
On how they keep it fresh and innovative:
Matt: A lot of this is from our lives. We’ll hang out and write the script. It takes us about an hour as we’ll talk about shit that happened in our lives, but 70% percent of it is what we’ve been through in our lives. But it’s all personal. You know a Frylock, you know a Shake.
What do you get when you pair an addictive box of fries with an attractive milkshake?
Well, on paper, you get a classic combo. Fries and a shake. It’s the fucking American standard and has been since who knows when?
Onscreen, it’s actually way more delicious than that.
Carey Means who plays the very even-keeled, zen-like Frylock, and Dana Snyder who plays the very fly-off-the-handle like Buddy Rich Master Shake sit down with me and a few other writers to discuss what the characters mean to them, including their process of getting hired for these two dichotomous foodstuffs and how Aqua Teen will indeed never die.
On how they would recast Stan Lee in the MCU:
Dana: I would like that if they put his head on a fucking spider.
Carey: My favorite cameo of his is when he’s in the strip club, introducing the dancers. “Coming up next to the stage is…”
On how they survived for so long:
Dana: Adult Swim paid no attention to us, and we were the cheapest show they made.
Carey: Let’s be real, we had no idea that the show was going to have the legs it had to begin with.
Dana: We just made a second movie! How the hell did that happen?
On the budget for this new movie:
Dana: … It looks the same, but there are characters fully walking and stuff. You know, Carl was ever always sideways? Three quarters? Straight on. Now our shots are doing a full turn an-
Carey: CGI, baby.
Dana: When I heard they’re redoing it, I thought it would be weird, but… it looks better. If you haven’t watched it in seven years, you’ll be wondering what are those fucking… mandala effects. It looks good and it feels better. Like it feels a bit more polished. But maybe they spent twenty-four dollars instead of twelve. They’ll yell at us later about it.
On their favorite episodes:
Carey: I have one in particular. Super Birthday Snake. Trying to put a cigarette in your damn eye. I’m trying to edit myself. I got in trouble earlier for talking about boobs. I can’t talk about boobs anymore.
Dana: But you’re still talking about it!
Dana: I love the Foreigner Belt. I love the Hand Banana…
Dana: Whenever Shake and Meatwad and Carl, because he’s not always there, but when he is, they’re like double idiots, and that’s when I think it’s really good. Remember that one?
Carey: No.
Dana: Well, it’s been a great time…
On particular lines they remember:
Dana: I remember one because it made Dave laugh so hard. Improvised. He’s not stingy, he’s a generous laugher. It was talking about Meatwad, he had a pair of underwear, and Shake said to him “those are racing stripes if you consider diarrhea a sport” and Dave was like laying down for like ten minutes.
Carey: The funniest stuff is when you make Dave laugh. When you can make your bosses laugh, that’s a coup.
On auditioning for the part:
Carey: When I was auditioning for the part of Frylock, I’m reading the script. In the 90s, it was a conference call and they were all cracking up. My agent described it to me. His name was Frylock, Sherlock, get the correlation?
Dana: But also! He always has this little lightning bolt, because it’s a nod to Harry Potter because he’s a warlock. You’ll never see him without it. Sometimes it switches sides.
On Dana Auditioning Drunk:
Dana: Just because I spent four hours at Brews Pub on 34th Street doesn’t mean I was drunk. I’m professional. However, in the morning when Dave asked me to recite it again because he erased it on his phone (he was missing the magic).
Dana: Dave, would you mind if I do the same at 12:30 tonight? My buddy Dave came into town and we recreated the same night. (Dave Willis was on board with him.)
Atlanta -- “Crank Dat Killer“ -- Season 4, Episode 6 (Airs Oct 13) Pictured: Brian Tyree Henry as Alfred “Paper Boi” Miles. CR: Guy D’Alema/FX.
The internet, however, doesn’t forget. What could be considered cute one day could be considered a curse the next.
So when does object permanence shake hands with abject resonance?
Season 4 Episode 6 Recap
We open in on Alfred (Brian Tyree Henry) wanting his high-end cable box to search for a simple thing: ESPN.
Darius (LaKeith Stanfield), cooking, asserts that he needs to cut the cord indefinitely and live off the grid. Earn (Donald Glover) finds it interesting that his cousin wants something ‘live’ for something like the news. It’s nearly laughable.
The guy wants to stay informed. Earn informs him if you want to stay up on who’s died, TMZ is the joint. Who’s canceled? Check Twitter and if you want to know what’s going on in the black community, Lipstick Alley.
They have an ear to the ground that not even CNN can catch up with. The “Crank Dat Killer” for instance, is an in-the-know tale that is now trending.
According to the theory, most black murders within the calendar year have been linked to those who made a ‘Crank Dat’ video on socials.
Earn, initially skeptical of the ‘research’ has been swayed. Soulja Boy is basically a pox on them, and anyone adjacent is as good as a blip on the radar that will soon be no longer blinking.
Earn and Darius poke fun at the situation, but Al is shaken.
Showing them a YouTube video from when he was in high school doing his ‘Jimmy Neutron’ version of the dance with a buddy, his optics now are understandable. It was 2007. If you were hot on the block, it is what you did.
He was merely capturing lightning in a bottle and capitalizing off of the zeitgeist, but both Earn and Darius are seriously concerned. It’s only 25 views, so he’s got a running chance, doesn’t he?
I mean, his friend posted it, not him.
Al’s now an accomplice.
He just wants it scrubbed and though Darius finds perverted poetry in it staying on, Earn knows it’s a bad look.
In the studio, Al is hyped about laying shit down in a record 15 minutes. Earn’s not even paying attention, with him and Darius trying to lock down Nike Miracles, having little to no luck. Resellers got the shit fucked up, much like the comic book game.
Al is fine with Fate as it is, even after being informed some guy named Doug (Wisdom Allah) wants to get on his track.
The grimace on Paper Boi’s face speaks volumes. Al pours his Hennesy on the production board.
Oops. It shorted out.
Money ain’t a thing when your dignity is priceless. Plus Doug’s tracks are trash.
Though once Doug enters the studio, Paper Boi doesn’t even have the spine to say Doug can pound walnuts. He resorts to blaming the ‘faulty’ equipment for not recording. He doesn’t even have the backbone to say that the guy isn’t worth the seconds standing in his presence.
Doug takes it in stride, still enthusiastic like a puppy. Al ‘promises’ a track…tomorrow.
To paraphrase Jay-Z, tomorrow never comes like a Nun.
Fate is a pain in the ass, but it’s always looming over you and sometimes ringsjustice.
It’s neither rhyme nor reason. Itjust is.
Inside his SUV, Al checks his online video and laughs it off. That is, until, he sees the only comment left; a skull and crossbones emoji.
Outside of the mall, a young guy is being dropped off by his girlfriend. She wants him to find a stable career and for them to move out of his parent’s house with their daughter, but he swears he needs that one shot to get in good with a rapper and make a better life for them. One shot. Keep that in mind. One shot can turn lives around…
At the same spot, both Darius and Earn approach a van that harbors Shoe Man. He’s got them joints, but at a price, like a genie.
He’s got their size, which are fucking rare as shit. The shoes themselves can be worth nearly 10k but the rub is no money is needed. Just one kiss betwixt the both of them.
Darius, as we know, is up for anything whereas Earn is reticent. Ultimately, it’s not come down to the kiss. It’s come down to the principle of the matter. Earn thinks for a pair of highly coveted, super rare man-made things he has to kowtow to embarrass himself. A no-go.
It’s only for an audience of one. It’s not, like Al’s predicament, on the internet, for all to see.
This is analog and the best way to get what they want… but what is it they want?
Are materialistic things worth bypassing our constructs, and if so, how far are we willing to go?
This was a brilliant moral quandary in storytelling. How do we value ourselves in clout?
No Nike is worth making yourself feel uncomfortable, but also, if the friendship is there, that’s dollars on StockX.
Minutes are wasted and there are a lot more people that would be willing to go possibly the same route if not beyond. So what’s it going to be? Maybe open the box again like Vincent Vega? Make you rethink your life?
As Al doom scrolls in his lavish domicile, laughing at the current trend of murders on Crank Dat, he hears a rap upstairs. Maybe it’s the dispatcher. Maybe it’s a pigeon. Paper Boi doesn’t want to be the next cooked chicken, so he calls the source.
Soulja Boy is a packing man. I mean, literal packing. This shit is real and if you think it’s a myth, you’d better watch It Follows.
Even if you don’t believe in specters, spooks, and poltergeists, shame is the one ghost you cannot shake.
Once Soulja hangs up, Al is all on his own. It’s all windows. He knows how that works and bounces.
Back in the van, the Shoe Man puts the heat to their feat. He wants them to kiss, but the period within which they should, they have to negotiate.
Shoe Man profits off of 8 minutes, to which they disagree, but are open to haggling.
Getting him down to 2 minutes, even they have to see the proprietor out and discuss what moves forward.
Earn’s deal is that, though he’s willing to do the deed for the footwear, a bigger form is at play. Why must they ‘debase’ themselves for a stupid pair of highly coveted kicks?
Darius sees the optics. Though Earn believes it’s not worth their dignity to be dragged into a weird situation for obtaining a goal, Darius views a goal as a goal. Simple and clean. He’s made his mind up. They’re doing this.
As Shoe Man gets back into the van to do this, Alfred, not a few feet away gets out, proceeding into the mall to throw his scent off to simply get something to eat.
The cashier (Jameshia T. Bankston) knows him from a mile away, but he’s already signed his death warrant before it started.
The kid holding out free samples is hating life and his job, but immediately hands the task over to his friend Chartreuse (Brittany Staten) that works at Sbarro’s once he knows Paper Boi is in the building. This is his big shot.
As Al surreptitiously enjoys a pretzel outside of the mall, keeping his head a swivel, he hears a GPS coming closer. And closer… until a sportscar stops in front of him.
An ominous pink-haired person (Mark Anthony Brooks), comes straight for him, calling him out. Paper Boi books it into the mall. He’s marked and no amount of stores he dips in and out of can provide a clean escape.
This dude is like T-1000 and will not let up. Each and every sound is amplified because of Al’s heightened heckles.
Looking over his shoulder, he finds momentary refuge at a kiosk, selling shitty wares. Man, that takes me back.
Before the vendor could help him with a belt buckle, he sees the gun in the guy’s grip and ducks before he can catch the slug.
What ensues is a run and gun between the shooter and the pistol-packing polity in an open-carry state.
The pow-pows are sound-designed like those of Michael Mann’s Heat with everyone scurrying, but nobody actually taking the hot lead. It is within that vein where violence is treated more like a treatise than a threat, nearly playing out like a video game.
But it’s taking care of something, insofar as to have Al book it, reading the guy’s audition as a roadblock as he shoves him into a glass window, shattering it.
In the van, both Earn and Darius negotiate down to three seconds, lips touching. Little do they know a bonding moment won’t exactly be a lip-lock.
As Shoe Man turns up K-Ci & JoJo, they prepare for an awkward peck. It honestly does last for three seconds.
What the Fates forgot to mention is that the ensuing gunfire between all involved hit Shoe Man in the chest, turning his blank windshield into a Basquiat.
Consider this Darius’ payment for not getting that Rainbow Piano at Teddy Perkins’ place. It was wrested from him, and the Fates came to bestow a reward: free shoes!
Al is still in a tight spot.
That is until he gets a bonus heart in the form of some guy named Doug, who has his back in the clutch.
Al’s now deeper in dept with a shitty track. This was Fate and sometimes, Fate isn’t so happy with those that believe they can skirt by.
At the crib, nobody wants to talk about the day they’ve had. On the bright side, the killer’s been caught. It’s not who you think.
The fact that they don’t want to talk about it as a point of wanting to keep things cool is a problem.
From this trying day, there should be weed-smoking, alcohol drinking, stories shared. Why can’t they just confide in each other like adults? This leads us to our perfect ending.
Earn and Darius hears what saved Alfred’s life… a horrible, truly horrible track with Doug. Ugh.
Even Darius tries to vibe out to it, but he can’t find the rhythm in it. Not even Darius!
Season 4 Episode 6 Takeaway
This episode rocked. It had creepy pasta vibes whilst also saying something about the culture of Haute Couture.
Is my weekly paycheck worth a fucking Balagencia hoodie and if so, will it give me superpowers?
We also have to look at crap-rappers and/or producers. Just because you have studio time doesn’t make you a god. It just makes you a snob until you can prove otherwise.
Sometimes, life has no rhythm and no rhyme. Sometimes, it’s just fucking messy. Question it all you want, but it all boils down to one word.
After a weird departure last week, Lower Decks returned to its usual mix of irreverent parodies, references to legacy Star Trek, and character friendships amid a low-stakes plot. “Crisis Point 2: Paradoxus” opens with the USS Cerritos in the midst of battle with a Romulan ship. Some baddies beam on board to steal a technological wonder, and then the Romulans move in for the kill… only to be thwarted by the heroic crew of the USS Wayfarer, led by Captain Boimler! Or rather, Captain Dagger. Because this is a holodeck simulation and, nominally, a sequel to the Season 1 episode “Crisis Point”.
In the original “Crisis Point,” Mariner took over Boimler’s simulation of the Cerritos crew (which he’d crafted to practice impressing the senior officers) and cast herself as the villain in order to work out some issues with her mom, Captain Freeman. “Crisis Point Part 2” has virtually nothing to do with any of that—a point Mariner brings up.
But this doesn’t bother Boimler, who’s excited to share his action-packed holo-movie with Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford. This time, they’re all playing intrepid Wayfarer bridge crew members out to stop a dastardly plot in the tradition of Star Trek movies everywhere. The stolen tech is a time travel device called the “chrono-gami”, and of course it’s up to the crew to get it back before terrible things happen!
Right before they’re about to dive into the action, Boimler is summoned by Ransom. He returns moments later looking notably disturbed, though he claims the meeting was menial. Mariner seems to notice something is wrong when Boimler fails to engage his character’s love interest, the improbably attractive designer of the chrono-gami who explains, in typical Trek technobabble, that the Romulans can use the device to change history.
The bridge crews of both the Wayfarer (Boimler, Mariner, Tendi, and Rutherford) and the Cerritos (Freeman, Shaxs, Ransom, T’Ana) track the Romulans to a desert planet, populated by computer-generated alien extras spewing mystic nonsense (“The koala has the truth!”). Boimler appears disinterested until a cloaked man claims that “Kityha,” an all-knowing figure who resides on a forbidden moon, can reveal the meaning of life. Much to Mariner’s dismay, he’s drawn into the mystic’s ramblings while the rest of the crew goes off to pursues the Romulans, with Tendi as acting captain. After all, Boimler insists, the holodeck contains an adaptive program, which he believes could reveal answers about the meaning of life.
Tendi leads a thrilling pursuit of the Romulans with some typical sci-fi chase scene stunts but is too late to stop the baddies from opening a portal to the past. So, of course, she leads the team (which now just consists of Rutherford and holo-versions of the Cerritos bridge crew) into the portal as well. The portal leads to a slime-covered world during an “algae crisis,” with a giant sentient octopus at the center of it all. As Tendi explains that the algae could wipe out every living creature, Rutherford takes a giant bite of a sandwich. Turns out, he’d gone out for a snack. Tendi is frustrated that he’s not taking the program seriously.
Mariner tries to convince Boimler to return to the main story, but Boimler asks the mystic how to get to Kityha. The mystic reveals a literal meaning to “back story” by revealing a map on his literal back (of saggy old-man skin). All the while, an odd alien called Knickknack seems to have taken a liking to Boimler and follows him around. Irritated, Mariner storms out of the program.
Later, she has a meeting with Ransom, who is impressed that she’s managed to stay out of trouble. Ransom then asks how Boimler is doing—turns out, Boimler’s transporter clone, William (created following a Season 2 confrontation with the Pakleds), died in a freak accident on board the USS Titan.
Meanwhile, Tendi and Rutherford’s adventures have taken them to an aquarium in late 20th century Sydney, where the Romulans are apparently after one of the sentient octopus’ ancestors—a reference to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home. Some punks try to mess with the crew, which quickly dispatches them. Rutherford is excited to steal the punks’ clothes and play dress up, ignoring Tendi’s urgent requests to go after the Romulans.
Mariner reenters the program to find that Boimler’s story has led him to the brig—he’d tried to lead a crew of mystics in search of Kityha, but they turned against him. Mariner asks why Boimler didn’t tell her about William, and Boimler says he hasn’t processed it yet.. turns out, he’s been distracted by the random and meaningless nature of William’s death.
Knickknack appears to break them out, and the three of them retake the ship Kirk-style (that is, skipping the inspirational speeches and going straight to punching and kicking). After knocking out the mystic, Boimler discovers that folding his skin reveals a different kind of map to Kityha.
Tendi and Rutherford are now at the found founding of the Federation. What does this have to do with any of the octopus stuff? In a nod to over-stuffed plots everywhere, the show doesn’t really say. For some reason, there’s a bomb, which Rutherford casually diffuses while Tendi tries to hold off the bad guys. Holo-T’Ana is killed, which seems to hit Tendi pretty hard considering it’s all a program. Rutherford asks why she’s so upset, and Tendi exclaims that she’s afraid no one would believe in her as a real captain—and reveals she wants to be one someday. Rutherford excitedly says she’d be a great captain. He follows her lead as she finishes the movie by time traveling back to the Romulans’ original attack on the Cerritos but swapping the chrono-gami for the bomb, blowing up the enemy ship and saving the day.
Boimler and Mariner make it to the forbidden moon and find Kityha, a giant rock creature that spews inspirational quotes. Boimler keeps asking it for real answers, hoping the holodeck has somehow programmed some truth into it, growing more and more panicked as it continues to speak nonsense. He then crawls into the creature, where he finds a plaque that shows that “Kityha” is actually short for Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, the site of the Wright Brothers’ first flight… a reveal that makes literally no sense.
Boimler blacks out then comes to at a farm in Idaho, which appears to belong to Kirk. But then, surprise! It’s Sulu tending to the horses. In a delightful cameo, Sulu advises Boimler not to worry so much about the meaning of things, because it will keep him from finding joy.
Boimler comes to in sick bay—turns out, he’d become dehydrated and passed out in the holodeck. But the part with Sulu? Not part of the simulation…
It seems all’s well that ends well as Boimler accepts William’s death and Tendi and Rutherford talk about how much fun they had, and how glad they are that there wasn’t some dark cliffhanger…
… which of course leads to a dark cliffhanger, where William is shown waking up in an unknown part of space and joining Section 31.
In “Crisis Point Part 2: Paradoxus”, Lower Decks shows off what it does best: making fun of sci-fi with referential humor while weaving in profound character-building moments. The sheer volume of jokes, references,
I’ll be honest; I think Disney+’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law series is great. The writers really got the flavor of both The Sensational She-Hulk title as well as some of the later series. I would have been disappointed if she had not broken the fourth wall in the show.
Some viewers don’t get the show… or the character… or the message… or the theme. And that’s okay because to have average viewers you need to recognize the extremes to the mean. The show even recognizes this as they plastered their real tweets from some of them.
Every village has an idiot.
But I’ve enjoyed it because, with each episode, the comic book geek in me squealed like a twelve-year-old girl in a room full of kittens. I have not mainlined so many obscure references and easter eggs since I watched an extended cut of Ready Player One.
Now that the series has wound down, I wanted to push this listicle to bring anyone who isn’t an old-school comic book fanboy up to speed.
I’ll try to list this stuff chronologically, but there’s a lot to unpack and I get impulsive.
So let’s start with…
Titania
If there was any character out there that had a grudge match from day one, it’s Titania (aka Mary “Skeeter” MacPherran). She made her first appearance back in 1984’s Secret Wars #3. When the Beyonder made the Battleworld for many of the Marvel heroes and villains that fought in that twelve-issue series, he pieced together a whole bunch of planet parts like an insane geological jigsaw puzzle.
Part of that planet was a bit of downtown Denver. So, along with all the heroes and villains, some innocent bystanders got caught up in the drama.
One of the villains was Doctor Doom, who lives to tinker with alien technology and was happy to get two human guinea pigs—I mean volunteers—to test out what this weird machine might do when combined with this other weird machine, hooked up the women who would eventually be Titania and Marsha Rosenberg to this tech.
Body by Doom
In a scene that would make Doctor Victor Frankenstein blush, complete with thunder and lightning for atmosphere, Doom throws the switch to let the eldritch exotic energies go amuck.
MacPherran, who was timid, skinny, small, and frail, went through a Steve Rogers into Captain America-like transformation into a six-foot-six powerhouse of a woman with a chip on her shoulder the size of Wisconsin. Now part of Doom’s “team evil”, she was happy to take on any challengers including that of her future lover, the Absorbing Man, Crusher Creel. While Titania proved to be a threat to practically everyone she faced, the two heroes that gave her a royal whompin’ were She-Hulk and Spider-Man. The former challenged her power level and the latter simply beat the living hell out of her as a more experienced fighter.
To this day, Titania has been the She-Hulk’s most persistent and aggressive arch enemy. Often she has fought the jade giantess somehow finding her at a low point and has occasionally gotten the better of her.
Dennis “Buck” Bukowski
You can practically smell the cheap aftershave
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law needed a galactic-size douche. The show brought on board the amply qualified prosecuting attorney, Dennis “Buck” Bukowski. To say that Buck is a douche is like saying the Eiffel Tower is a bit of experimental architecture. Bukowski brings swarm and obnoxiousness to a new form of low-performance art.
He is tasteless, classless, vain, egotistical, misogynistic, cowardly, and somewhat evil. He caused the death of Jennifer Walter’s best friend Jill Stevens while accusing She-Hulk of being responsible for her death.
He is the type of person that always makes people want to shower after meeting him.
Goodman, Lieber, Kurtzberg & Holliway (GLK&H)
GLKH – Goodman, Lee, Kurtzberg, and Holloway
This reference has the virtue of being an easter egg within an easter egg. It’s a real twofer.
The law firm of GLK&H specializes in superhero law. It’s where She-Hulk works and it is one of the most prestigious law firms on the east coast. Along with She-Hulk, other meta-powered beings in the MU, have found employment—such as the Mad Thinker’s Awesome Android (Andy) and the Two-Gun Kid.
Within the series, viewers have met Holden Holliway, who seems to be the active senior partner. However, the hidden joke is that the Goodman, Lieber, and Kurtzberg were named after Martin Goodman (former head editor and chief of Marvel when it was Timely Comics), Stan (Leiber) Lee, and Jack (Kurtzberg) Kirby—the last two were responsible for creating some of the most popular characters in the Marvel Universe. Even their address is “Timely Plaza” after Timely Comics.
The Abomination
Stronger than the Hulk when the Hulk isn’t mad
After watching Shang-Chi, it was nice to see that they gave the Abomination a makeover.
Fans of The Incredible Hulk movie will recognize Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) as the chief antagonist of that movie. His origin in the MCU was a crazy combination of injecting an unstable super soldier formula along with some gamma-irradiated blood cloned from Bruce Banner. Universal Pictures made a giant character who had mutated vertebrae and a really bad attitude.
Disney decided to make a character that looked a lot more like the comic book version.
In the comics, Emil Blonsky was a Russian spy sent to get the gamma secrets from Bruce Banner. When he discovered Banner’s tech, he decided to subject himself to the gamma stimulation device (that Bruce Banner used to use when he could not use his own biological fear and aggression stimulus to make him the Hulk—instead of launching another gamma bomb).
I’m going to stop here for a moment and explain the science of gamma mutation in the Marvel Universe. It affects everyone differently. For Bruce Banner, it made a brilliant rational man with a frail body into a powerhouse with the emotional intelligence level of a five-year-old. For Jennifer Walters, it made her into She-Hulk—who originally had some anger issues and then learned to control them and retain her intelligence. For characters like the Leader, it made him into an inverse Hulk—a superintelligent mind inside a normal human body. And for a character like Doc Samson, it made him powerful with the only side effect of making his hair green.
What does this button do?
For Emil Blonsky, it was a mixed bag of freaky.
While it gave him a reptilian appearance with two toes on each foot, along with a brow and webbed ears. Unlike the MCU version, Blonsky’s change was permanent. He could not change back.
The biggest difference between the Hulk and the Abomination is that he is naturally stronger than the Hulk. Because what good is an antagonist who is weaker than your protagonist? For the Hulk to win a fight with him, the Hulk must be enraged. Remember, “the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets”.
As the Abomination, Blonsky is one of the strongest characters to ever walk the earth.
Wong
More than just a valet
In the MCU, Wong is the current Sorcerer Supreme. The unsaid reason for this was that, unlike Doctor Strange, Wong was not a part of the five-year “blip” and someone had to protect the world from unseen mystical threats.
In the regular Marvel Universe, Wong is Doctor Strange’s valet and sidekick. This is not to say that he is mediocre at the mystic arts. Wong is the latest in a long line of mystic masters. As part of an atonement for his ancestor, Kan, who was a mystic and a healer, every eldest son in his family line have been in service to the mystic that serve the forces of good. It was Wong’s father who served the same way as Doctor Strange’s master, the Ancient One.
He is a master martial artist, as he has studied in Kamar Taj. He is also adept at the dark arts—so much so that he would be a candidate for the next Sorcerer Supreme.
The Wrecker and the Wrecking Crew
The Wrecking Crew – (L to R) Thunderball, Wrecker, Bulldozer, and Piledriver
Once upon a time, the Norse god, Loki, wanted to make some mischief for his brother, Thor. Do you see where this is going?
Dirk Garthwaite (aka the Wrecker) worked for a demolition crew and was quite adept at using a crowbar. This was the perfect job for a man who was violent and unstable. He got to destroy things.
Well, until he was fired for, you know, being violent and unstable.
He began to commit robberies and used to leave a crowbar as his calling card. I can only imagine that he’d be the type of guy who would leave a message that would say, “You’ve been wrecked! HAHAHAHA!”
Well, in a whacky mix-up that could only happen in a sitcom, a de-powered Loki was staying in a hotel room and encountered the Wrecker. The Wrecker decided to try on Loki’s helmet and in a sensational bit of timing the Norn queen, Karnilla, mistook him for Loki and gave him magical powers.
Despite putting a weakened Thor in the ER and getting his butt handed to him by the Asgardian construct Destroyer, he lost his powers. The Wrecker regained his power when he and a bunch of misfit partners held his crowbar, and it got struck by lightning.
Ordinarily, the Wrecker would have enough strength to press forty tons, but now his power was divided with his crew. His partners, now known as Piledriver, Bulldozer, and Thunderball, became the Wrecking Crew and each could press ten tons.
These guys are hero fodder. In the Marvel Universe, they get their butts kicked almost all the time. They are almost the definition of big, dumb, strong idiots.
Mr. Immortal
Dying is easy; comedy is hard
This man just cannot die. And it’s not like he hasn’t tried.
Mr. Immortal made his first appearance as the leader of a group of C-list heroes known as The Great Lakes Avengers. Craig Hollis discovered he was immortal when he attempted suicide and it just didn’t work. Instead of being dead, he recovered instantly with his body completely healed.
Is his really strong? No. Does he fly? Well, not really, unless you count falling to your death from a high building. Do heat beams come from his eyes or can he do anything substantial? Nope.
His powers just keep him from dying. If he gets hurt, he will heal as quickly as a normal person. However, if he dies, he will be completely healed when he comes back to life—which could either be instantly or in ten minutes or so. In addition to this, he does not age.
Outside of that, he’s relatively agile.
Intelligencia
It’s a team of geniuses
Ironically, this is not the first time Marvel has used this name for a character or a group.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law has not revealed who or what the Intelligencia is yet—outside of the fact that it is an underground website with bad things to say about She-Hulk
That said, let me tell you who they may be.
Intelligencia could be the Skrull counterpart to the Kree Supreme Intelligence. In essence, it is a cybernetic being that is made up of the greatest Skrull minds who have ever lived.
That’s probably not who it will be.
It is most likely a group of super-geniuses that have allied themselves with each other. The Intelligencia consists of The Leader (highly probable), Doctor Doom, the Mad Thinker, MODOK, and Egghead.
Here’s what we know. As of Antman and the Wasp, Egghead is dead. MODOK, outside of being a property of the Hulu animated series, has not made an appearance. Doctor Doom has not come into the MCU… yet. I’m sure we’ll see him as part of the Fantastic Four’s plotline. We may meet the Mad Thinker, but he’s also a property of the FF. With that as the case, we will probably see the return/debut of The Leader (aka Dr. Samuel Sterns) who we have not seen since his head started to pulsate in The Incredible Hulk movie.
Man-Bull
Udder nonsense
When you name a character Bill Taurens, there aren’t going to be any real surprises about who or what this character will be.
Here is where we get to the lower rung of the C-list villains and go to the D-list.
Sigh.
Bill Taurens was recruited to “find” test subjects for an experimental serum extracted from bull hormones. After his contact was defeated by Daredevil, the mad scientist decided to use Bill as his next test subject. The serum turned Taurens into a mannish bull person. He became really strong and grew huge horns on his head.
After Daredevil defeated him by throwing him into a wall, he transformed back into a human again.
It was the second injection he got in jail that permanently turned him into a freak. Since then, his condition has just mutated more and more and he has become more bull than man.
And the more bull he became, the more savage he got.
For the most part, Man-Bull has been a goon in most illicit schemes around New York whenever he cannot get a job as a henchman or lacky.
Saracen
He’s really, really, really old
Back when Wesley Snipes was breathing life into the Marvel film franchise in the 90s, Marvel brought a new title to life. It was simply called “Blade”.
If you blinked, you might have missed it.
In any event, they resuscitated the Blade character from “The Tomb of Dracula” series to do battle with the Lord of the Vampires again. This sort of needed to happen because Marvel had written off practically every vampire going through the use of the ritual known as “The Montesi Formula” that was written in the Darkhold book of black magic.
A side note about the Darkhold—it’s a lot more dangerous than they made it out to be in Doctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Those who are not really, really good at magic shouldn’t even touch it without risking their souls or a good case of lycanthropy.
Saracen is a very ancient vampire. Although I would probably question his intelligence regarding his hiding place over the last few hundred years; living under the Vatican may not have been the best place to stay.
He hasn’t been seen around in a while.
El Águila
The Electric Zorro
Some villains are just really likable. El Águila is one of them. How can you not like a character like “The Eagle”? He’s a modern-day Zorro with superpowers.
El Águila (aka Alejandro Montoya) is a Spanish mutant from Madrid. He discovered early that he could generate electricity from his body. When he discovered this, he decided to use his powers and combine them with a metal sword. He is the latest in a long line of his ancestors to take the mantle of “The Eagle”.
As he is not a sanctioned superhero, he is technically a villain.
He spends his time hunting after drug dealers, slumlords, and other evildoers.
As I said, he’s not just an electro-powered mutant, he’s a swordsman—and a damn good one. Normally, he can be found in the company of the Heroes for Hire with Powerman and Iron Fist, as well as the Sons of the Tiger.
Porcupine
When all the heroes and villains in New York City started to gain traction with armor-powered suits, Alexander Gentry decided to put the talents and expertise he gained designing weapons for the U.S. Army to good use. So, after he created a suit that emulated a porcupine, he went one step further and made it shoot quills, too.
As well as other horrible offensive assault substances like flames, gas, and chemical weapons.
It was a great suit for committing crimes.
The only problem was that the Porcupine was a terrible criminal. He wasn’t good at it. How bad was he? He tried to rob a bank and use Hank Pym’s Pym-particle gas to grow into a giant—only he stole the wrong gas and shrunk himself. He stayed tiny until the gas wore off.
While Gentry did make vast improvements to his suit, eventually he discovered that his heart wasn’t in it.
He had a slew of humiliating defeats and eventually, he decided to sell his armor to A.I.M. They didn’t want it. Eventually, he made a truce to go undercover to infiltrate the Serpent Society. During the battle, he tripped and impaled himself on his quills and died.
Ultimately, Gentry’s battle suit fell into the hands of another criminal Roger Gocking.
Daredevil’s Yellow Costume
This was Daredevil’s first costume. That color scheme could make you go blind.
Ever since I heard the rumor that Charlie Cox was going to be on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, I’ve been excited about it. I was even more excited to hear about the yellow costume.
Hardcore Marvel fans remember the yellow costume as his original suit before he donned his red spandex devil suit. This original outfit was worn during Daredevil’s lighter days when he faced off against characters like the Ox, the Eel, Mister Fear, and the Stilt-Man.
These were before the days of Frank Miller’s dark run when he began going after the Kingpin of Crime and had his blood feud against the assassin known as Bullseye.
In Daredevil’s early stories, he was more akin to worrying about his secret identity being blown or whether he might lose a trial as the attorney, Matt Murdock.
Leap Frog
It’s actually “The Fabulous Frogman”
The first thing I thought of when they said Eugene Patilio was Leap Frog was that they got it wrong. Eugene wasn’t Leap Frog; his father was.
Again, it’s all in the suit.
Vincent Patilio was a failed criminal who used a frog suit to commit crimes. The suit allowed the wearer to jump up to sixty feet in the air with the use of electric-powered springs. After a less-than-stellar criminal career, Vincent was caught by Daredevil and sent to jail.
Eugene found the suit and decided to try to atone for his father’s sins and become a vigilante. Changing his handle to “The Fabulous Frogman”. While he has been a somewhat clumsy champion of justice, he did manage to put away the criminal speedster, Speed Demon.
Final Thoughts
In a perfect world, Marvel would introduce characters and canon storylines however they please. If you were old enough to remember the premiere of 2007’s Iron Man with RDJ fifteen years ago as it coincided with The Incredible Hulk in 2008, you are probably old enough to critique this move. At the time, you might have recognized that both Iron Man, the Hulk, and even Captain America were not fan-favorites in the comic book world.
Even if viewers went back a few years to the early 2000s, after Spider-Man starring Tobey Maguire, both The Hulk starring Eric Bana and The Fantastic Four starring Michael Chiklis and Ioan Gruffudd, did not score well at the box office.
Strike one and strike two
Especially The Hulk. Ang Lee and Stan Lee somehow combined their creative powers to come up with gamma-irradiated killer poodles. If you are a viewer who was upset over She-Hulk: Attorney at Law for subpar stories and inferior CGI, go back and watch that turdburger. SH:AaL was like Masterpiece Theatre by comparison.
But I digress.
Much of the reason why and how Marvel did what it did was due to the ownership rights to the characters. Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Nick Fury, and Black Widow were wholly owned by Marvel. The Hulk’s movie rights were the property of Universal Studios. The same can be said for Spider-Man (who is partially owned by Sony), the Fantastic Four, and the X-Men as they were owned by Fox.
So, what happened?
Marvel took what they could work with and made movies with the properties they owned. Iron Man could use characters like the Iron Monger. Cap could fight the Red Skull. Thor could fight Loki. However, when The Avengers came out in 2012, the Hulk didn’t have an archenemy because Marvel Studios did not have the rights to any of his opponents. This was part of the deal that Marvel had with Universal Studios.
No more Hulk solos
The Hulk could be with the Avengers and with other heroes, but neither he nor the Hulk properties could have their own solo movie. In other words, the Hulk would always be a “guest star”.
The point is that “rights ownership” has shaped how and when characters in the MCU evolve. With each acquisition that Disney makes with other studios, the MCU grows a little bit more as well.
It’s something to look forward to. After all, when Disney finally begins working with the rights of The Fantastic Four, truckloads of previously unheard-of villains will make their marks in the MCU. Doctor Doom, Diablo, Dragon Man, Galactus, Blastaar, Annihilus, the Moleman, the Lava Men, the Molecule Man, and scores of other unheard villains will come and threaten the heroes of the MCU.
A truckload of villains
It’s the same thing with the X-Men. Disney can now introduce the merry mutants to the MCU now that it acquired Fox.
And here’s the joke—She-Hulk, a lawyer, broke the fourth wall to talk to the real-world audience. However, it is the real-world legal system that reciprocates this by impacting the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
So if you were hoping to see how the last scene from last week’s She-Hulk: Attorney at Law resolved, you’re sadly going to be disappointed. Instead, the finale titled Whose Show Is This? starts with a retro montage. It shows the origin story of Jennifer Walters but through a lens that harkens back to the original Hulk TV show. Meaning it’s grainy, silly and delightfully ridiculous. They treat it as mostly a dream sequence, though Maslany does stop the old school narrator from starting it back up later on.
As for what’s actually happening in the episode? Well, you know how Jennifer Walters used to do her cute breaking the 4th wall thing? Let’s just say Whose Show Is This? totally smashes the 4th wall asunder. It starts with Jennifer in a Damage Control cell for freaking out after being baited successfully by Intelligencia. Her life is in a downward spiral once more. She has to put on a power inhibitor permanently, loses her job and moves back in with her parents.
Nikki isn’t ready to leave Jen hanging, though she’s more than happy to keep her own job. In her free time she gets free dinner from Jen’s oversharing parents (she even gets a flirty college video of Jennifer dancing horribly with dreads like from Orphan Black) and also finds a way to unmask Intelligencia. She goes on their message boards once more and posts the video, getting invited to a big party. Only one problem – they expect her to be a dude, so Nikki begs Pug to go in her place.
Meanwhile let’s just say Jen isn’t ready to be living with her parents again. Sure, they’re darling and annoying, but she was just getting used to being a superpowered lawyer. She figures only Emil would understand where she’s coming from, and he did say that she could drop by whenever. So Jen heads over in the middle of the night, only to be greeted by none other than the Wrecker. He seems to truly be using his time at the Abomination’s retreat to better himself, and has grown fond of a chicken blood dosed tee that Saracen serves. When Jen asks to see Emil himself, he mentions he’s hosting a private party in the lodge.
Oh and about that private party? It’s an Intelligencia meeting. And yes, they’re all as douchey and horrible as you’d imagine. The best part is watching how bad Pug is at fitting in, and getting instructions from Nikki via earbud. It’s quickly revealed that Todd is none other than HulkKing himself, meaning he’s responsible for all the bad things that have recently happened to Jen.
She walks in, only to find Abomination fully transformed being a paid host for the losers. Then Todd uses the blood Josh stole from Jen to transform into the most dude bro-looking Hulk you’ve ever seen. The original Hulk smashes in, as does Titania, and suddenly Jennifer calls time out. She breaks through a panel on the Disney+ screen and jumps back down through another one to get to the lot at Marvel studios. And then things get really weird.
Jennifer as She-Hulk barges into the writers room for her show, and demands answers. Mainly why her show is getting such a formulaic and stupid ending. The writers say that it’s all according to K.E.V.I.N.’s will (the acronym will make sense momentarily) and that they’d die to protect him. Jen brushes off the threat, and meanders over to the office for the head honcho. Where she has to sign a NDA from Disney before the secretary triggers an alarm. Cue several guards trying in vain to stop her, as she effortlessly makes her way through the door, only to come face to face with the robotic K.E.V.I.N. AKA Knowledge Enhanced Visual Interconnectivity Nexus. Nothing to do with the last name Feige, I’m sure.
The robot explains that its computational skills deliver perfect stories every time, so what if they’re a bit formulaic? Jennifer counters that her show is a legal drama, and so it doesn’t make sense to end in a giant fist fight. Furthermore, she would like for her powers not to be the villain, and could K.E.V.I.N. also throw in more sexy time with Matt Murdock, and how about those X-Men? It’s clear at this point Maslany is just having fun, and I’m pleased with her banter and the fact Disney even allowed this sort of crazy in the first place.
K.E.V.I.N. rewinds the clock, alters the settings, and throws Jennifer back into her show, warning her to never return to his office. Then Jennifer manages to get Todd arrested for his harassment and hacking her electronics, much to the chagrin of a Titania that was hoping to videotape her ripping him to pieces. Plus Emil goes back to jail for ignoring his inhibitors, but he does so willingly. Cue a big family dinner, Matt Murdock as Jen’s date, and Bruce suddenly returning with his son in tow, named Skaar. And yes, I am angry we didn’t get to see a World War Hulk before that last bit happened, but that’s not what matters.
What matters is that She-Hulk: Attorney at Law delivered a successfully entertaining and constantly surprising comedy. Sure, its focus on sexism may have been a bit too one note for my tastes, and I may have preferred shows like Ms. Marvel. But that doesn’t detract from the clever writing on display, peppered with some truly fantastic cameos. I’m not sure if this is the end of the series, but I hope it’s not the last we see of Tatiana Maslany as She-Hulk. It wasn’t perfect, but it took risks and told a fun story. Sometimes that’s all we can ask for.
Oh yea, and this happens. Can we hope for The Adventures of Wongers and Emil to be a thing?
Years ago, back during Fox’s Animation Domination heyday of The Simpsons, Family Guy, and King of The Hill, Justin Roiland almost had his own series on Fox. It was calledThe Paloni Family Comedy Show, which was in essence, a variety series of animated shorts that were as equally funny as they were unafraid to ‘go there’. Not unlike, those hit interdimensional cable episodes on Rick and Morty. Though the series didn’t take off on Fox, like a zombie back from the dead, it’s apparently getting another life as The Paloni Show! Halloween Special! an unofficial sequel on Hulu, airing on October 17th.
The special focuses on the Paloni family who’s going to host a Halloween special of shorts by up-and-coming animators. We got to sit with voice actor Zach Hadel and executive producer Ben Bayouth about the new series, what was funny about it, and a semi-serious conversation about the expectations of balancing horror and comedy.
This interview has been edited for clarity
So how excited are you about The Paloni Show?
Ben: “Oh, extremely excited. This is kind of a one off really cool project we’ve been working on for over a year. For it to be culminating to a point where it’s coinciding with not only Comic Con, but Halloween?
There’s a lot of fun buzz around it so I’m excited about that.”
Now, while this is a Halloween special, is there a possibility that we get another holiday special?
Zach: “The sky is the limit! We keep saying… Arbor day special! Write it down. Pencil it in. We plant trees. Feature a whole lot of tree comedy. There’s a lot of jokes you can do!”
Ben: “Tree related… Any holiday!
There’s even room for us to think about the Paloni’s hosting their own show that’s not holiday-specific. It’s like a modern day adult, KaBlam! There’s a lot of potential for the future and we’re just eager to see how audiences are receptive of the show.”
Totally. Now, on a somber note. Is this in fact, the final acting gig of Gilbert Godfrey?
Ben: “I don’t know if it is actually the final one but i do know we recorded him two weeks before he passed. It’s possible he had other things going on. We were deeply saddened to hear that he passed and Brian Wysol, who created the short that Gilbert is in, is a huge fan as are all of us. It was really heartbreaking but we felt very honored to have worked with him so close before his passing.”
What’s your relationship with horror and how do you think animated shorts express that differently?
Ben: “Well it’s a completely different world. With animation, you can do some bending in horror that you just can’t with live action. We’ve had some of our creators who really push it to its limit like Jaime Rodriguez. His short that is one of my favorites just because of the impressive visual artistry that he’s baked into it.
Also, with the Paloni’s framing the special, there’s many wonderful references on Justin’s favorite halloween movies that we tied in. All fun to play with in an animated space.”
Zach: “I think if you do something with live-action you have to build props and animatronics. Get actors. Have costumes. With animation, the sky is the limit. You can do whatever you want. That’s freeing when you’re writing as there are no obstacles like budget or laying things down. You can do a lot more. You can go ridiculous with it.
Ben: Also, the animated medium allows the tone of the content to excuse a lot. Shit you could not get away with in live action.”
Now, each animated short in The Paloni Show! features a different style. What was the curation process like?
Ben: “We really tried not to meddle. On the outset, we reached out to creators we were fans of or just, people we’d always wanted to work with. We paired up with animation studios to figure out what their voice on paper would feel like on animation.
On that note, anything that looks similar to the main animated storyline of the Paloni’s is a coincidence. We knew that when we approached Lee Hardcastle, that he was going to make a claymation animated short. It was really just a grab bag in letting things organically flow and not really meddling with the creator’s vision.”
What do you think was the most exciting part of the process so far in the series?
Ben: “Aside from just being around all the different creative people? Recording with Zach and Justin.”
Zach: “It was a lot of fun. Obviously, we used a script, but a lot of it was just improvising. There were times where I would stutter or mess up or screw up, and I tried to stop myself, but Justin would say, ‘Leave that in. Don’t stop yourself. Keep moving’.
Which is a hard instinct to follow because when you fuck something up your instinct is to start over. If you hear any stuttering in the actual scripts, that’s not me trying to be funny, that’s a screwup that was left in. It’s funny in animation because that gets animated after its recorded… So it’s interesting to see people animate that.”
Ben: “Being on the other side of the booth with them and Pamela Adlon interacting together was a treat. We do the scripted stuff first, then everyone had fun. So many moments of magic and the difficult part by far was in finding what to cut out.
A scene that was on one page on paper became five so fast.”
There’s one particular short that’s live-action. Who wrote that one and what was it like to work in that space?
Ben: “I’m very close with that short. There are these two very talented girls, Sydney Heller and Olivia DeLorentis, who are in it. Early on, Justin wanted to pair them up with me because I have a background in undoing live action puppets. So i kind of jumped in and directed with them. We had a lot of fun workshopping that dynamic which just happened to workout that way. That was a fun shoot.”
To Zach, I’m familiar with psychicpebbles. You have so many subscribers. What’s it like being given a platform to reach more people with Hulu and The Paloni Special?”
Zach: “It’s great. I’m definitely from the weird unconventional world of making your own stuff and throwing it out there, with people reacting how they want to react. It’s a different process, but I mean, that’s the fun of the recording stuff and bringing that chaotic energy. Justin definitely likes that school of thought coming from channel 101. Sure, there’s more structure to it for the series, but i liked it.”
Ben: “Well there was also moments in post-production, hanging in Justin’s house, where he was like, ‘Yo Zach, check out what we have. Wanna do any redlines, draw over stuff, or plug-up the animation?’
Thankfully, Zach is not just a voice actor. He’s got so many other talents when it comes to making animation come to life that helped us in that respect too.”
What are some holiday specials that inspired you as a kid that you may have thought about in the making of this?
Ben: “The Garfield Halloween special. Kind of the old school ghoul callback but fun.”
Zach: “I love weird animated Halloween specials. The Spongebob one. The South Park one. Treehouse of Horror. I was born in 1993, so by the time I was 15, I kind of missed Simpsons mania. But the Treehouse of Horrors were so culturally impactful, so much so, that I’ve actually seen all of them despite having seen none of The Simpsons. Also, any TV comedy and horror, especially animated, I really love. That’s why it’s so great to work on something like this.”
Ben: “It’s also similar to doing anthology stuff like Amazing Stories [To Tell In The Dark]. A lot of them are really scary, and like, weird. I grew up on that as well. I see a lot of that happening when it comes to the tone of these shorts, which is coincidental, but I was happy to see it.”
What’s strengths come from doing an anthology compared to drawing it out?
Ben: “Well that’s one of the things from Justin’s original concept. You’ve got characters who are not just hosting a variety show but who also get drawn into their own story at the same time. Which I think is unique to this own show.
There’s a big strength to it. That when a sketch ends, you come back in and we’re in the middle of a chase sequence. There’s a lot of energy there that allows pacing to keep up.”
Zach: “I agree with that. Also, I love horror anthology. One of my favorite shows is the Twilight Zone or Tales from The Crypt. Anthology is not done a lot anymore because people need to come back to the same characters every week, but anthologies also, give you a totally blank slate to do whatever you want to throw characters out there. Kill them off. Do whatever you want. Condense something to a 2-5 minute short and sky’s the limit.
You can’t kill off George Costanza in Seinfeld or the show would be screwed. But you can kill off George Costanza in something like this.
… Let me say, we don’t actually kill George Costanza. I’m just saying the analogy is if you wanted to, you could in this!”
How do find that nice balance between comedy and horror?
Ben: “With the writing of The Paloni stuff, a lot of the horror is pulling from existing movies. The horrific elements are easy because we comment on Halloween, take some horrific elements from there, and then put some comedic elements in. In fact, some of the sketches are just funny and not really horrific. And some are not super halloween involved and is up to the creators with how they did it.”
Zach: “I honestly love horror and comedy because I feel like if you make your characters in the world funny, you almost relate to them more. I love all sorts of horror but in a pure slasher where it’s just a bunch of teens are making out, that’s good, but if you make them likable and funny, I don’t want to see them die. That really helps it. You’re almost begging them to survive which increases the stakes.
If you do make it funny you kind of naturally lifts the horror up in a way.”
How do you get away with making fun of Hulu so much?
Ben: “Find the line. Push the envelop as far as it can go and see when people start telling you not to do stuff.”
Zach: “Which did happen. There were more Hulu references in there, like 100 times, before we pulled back quite a bit.”
Ben: “And a big part of it was the improvisation because it was very funny in the room.”
Zach: “It became a thing where there was a little bit in script. But then we just kept saying Hulu. No one ever came in to our recording and said, ‘Don’t say it!’.”
Ben: It was funny, but then we just got tired… until it started getting funny again! We kept mentioning it quite a bit until we found the line.”
Pokemon Detective Pikachu is one of my all-time favorite movies of recent memory. So getting to meet Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit, admittedly, was a screenwriting dream of mine come true. Hearing the partners talk about their process, along with seeing just what went into the writing Koala Man, has me convinced that it’s likely the series will be a decent hit. Especially, given all the news of its extended voice acting crew.
For those not in the know, Koala Man is the story of a middle-aged dad that’s a stickler for the rules. When evil forces seek out to harm the small town of Dapto, Australia, it’s up to Koala Man who takes a stand! Often, by dragging his family along for the adventure.
As a special treat for NYCC, we got to talk with screenwriters and EPs of Koala Man, Dan Hernandez and Benji Samit in this interview.
A Koala, a Wolverine, and a Pikachu walk into a writer’s room…
How did you get involved with the project?
Benji: “So we have an overall deal with 20th Animation. They were looking for things to do and they found Michael, and his Koala Man shorts that he had made in Australia. They just loved the character and they thought that it would fit with us. So, they sent us the scripts, we loved it, and we met with Michael and clicked instantly. Within 5 minutes of the meeting we decided we were all doing this show together and helped him develop his character.”
Dan: “Michael is an amazing creator. Smiling Friends and Yolo:Crystal Fantasy are awesomely hilarious shows. The challenge of this is not losing that sensibility of the Adult Swim style, when you extend it out to double its length. I think that was something that we were able to help with having done many shows and crafted seasons. The three of us were able to take what was amazing about what Michael does and apply it to a streaming 22 minute show. Finding that balance was a challenge, but ultimately, we were really pleased with how it turned out.”
What kind of superhero tropes did you want to bring to your show?
Dan: “All of them, quite frankly. Each of them, as you will see, is pretty directly analogous to a trope or genre that excites us. You have your Mad Max, They Live/Body Snatchers, time travel, and all kinds of insanity.
One of the goals for us was to explore all of those tropes. The superhero has become such a part of the pop culture lexicon, but for me, growing up, it was not that. It was really digging into the comics and studying them obsessively. I can’t ride a bike but I can tell you about the first 10 issues of X-Men, straight.
It was so important to get to the root because anything presented super seriously, when you deconstruct it, is quite funny. Batman running off at the end of Dark Knight with the ‘hero we need’ speech. Or, I think of Gravity, as she’s howling around the Earth in a vacuum. It’s hilarious when you think about it, but contextually, quite serious.
We try to decouple it from the seriousness. We always play the threat serious as much as possible and pack all the episodes with tropes they’re familiar with that fans will recognize.”
Was there ever a fear that this show was becoming too Australian?
Benji: “A little bit but we wanted it to feel authentic, for Australians, and have it not be just a show to entertain Americans. Several of our writers are Australian. They brought an authenticity to it. As a group, so often, specificity is universal in itself, where it’s like, people really do appreciate seeing the peculiarities of other cultures. The differences help bring us together.”
Dan: “It was a discussion. Ultimately, we decided that what sets us apart was that it’s Australian. It was one of the things when breaking story, that we were able to avoid a little bit of ‘The Simpsons did it‘ tropes because these Australian setups.”
Benji: “There’ve been thousands of American based adult animation episodes over the years where, it’s just like, we’ve seen this plot again-and-again. We’re in the writers room talking about tall poppy syndrome. And we’ve never seen that before. It’s just so many things the Australian writers bring up that’s a classic episode that no one’s ever made that makes the show feel fresher.”
We’re in a renaissance with superhero films and adult animation. What do you personally think audiences will resonate with most?
Dan: “I think it’s a deeply positive show. Koala Man loves his town, wife, and family. He doesn’t always do things in the right way. It’s not even clear he’s even good at being a super hero. But his heart is always in the right place. He always has an optimism that even surprised us when writing it.”
Benji: “There’s so much media these days with so much cynicism and this show isn’t that at all. it sort of developed that way and the heart of this character is just so pure, and so when we leaned into it, it just made the show better. We’ve embraced it.”
Dan: “I think by the end of the day, people will be surprised that the stakes of the show combined with what’s happening makes it feel like a good superhero movie. There is a great superhero story being told. And while you can watch any of the episodes individually and enjoy it, elements of single episodes contribute to the finale of the show.
There is a reward in watching the show and being like: Oh, they set something in motion in episode one that didn’t pay dividends until the end. It’s a light serialization. I think it’s a rewarding watch where by the end, I get very emotional watching it because the stakes become very high and invested in the emotional journey of these characters. That what sets it apart. Suddenly, you find yourself caring in a way you didn’t expect.”
Who’s more adorable Koala Man or Detective Pikachu?
Dan: “Oh, it’s hard to beat detective, Pikachu. In a purely adorable way…”
Benji: “Though Koala Man is pretty cuddly too. Fuzzy in the right places.”
Dan: “He is but Pikachu is such an iconic cute design so I have to give it the nod.”
How do you build a supporting cast that’s interesting but doesn’t overshadow your main character?
Benji: “That’s when we all look to the Simpsons as a guiding light. One of the first things we asked is how do we create Australian Springfield? Let’s populate this town with fun characters we’d like to see pop up.”
Dan: “I think that one of the fun thing about The Simpsons, and especially South Park I find is, is that you can start to anticipate how different denizens are going to react to the situation. You know Randy is going to overreact on South Park, and sort of, stand-in for the American man. I think that there’s a certain joy to that. That as the audience, the second we cut-to Randy, we know he’s going to take it too far.
Or on The Simpsons, you know, Springfield is going to turn into a mob at some point. They’re going to be an angry mob and Reverend Lovejoy and his wife are gonna scream about the children and the ethics of the town. Barney is not gonna know what’s going on. There’s a familiarity with the side characters of this world that weirdly makes it feel more realistic, I think. It feels like a lived-in place.
In fact, Michael is actually from Dapto. I think it’s applying his lived experience that makes the show kind of set in a surreal version of ‘Australia’. Like in Twin Peaks, you recognize it as American topics. These are Australian issues and types, but we can recognize, some grain of truth to them. Even if the stakes become surreal and supernatural.”
When working in adult animation, how often do you fear repeating The Simpsons?
Dan: “You know, I just look at classic shows as tools in the utility belt. As you become a showrunner, you can become better at identifying what is necessary for the story. Like, what we need is a scene to invoke the same feeling as Wayne and Garth on the roof of their car. I don’t mean we need to copy it, exactly, we just need to evoke that same feeling as those guys who want what they have. It’s out there, but they can’t get it.
I feel like The Simpsons is similar in that way where it’s like, we need a scene, reminiscent of Homer and Mr. Burns getting caught in the cabin. The madness and the suspicion and we’re gonna do it our own way. It’s a shorthand of things that we know work. Once you have a vocabulary of those types of things, they’re almost modular in a way that you can slot them in and say, what you really need is something that has the same impact as that moment. Figure out how to do it your own way. I see it as a helper in some ways.
On the other hand… you’ll sometimes find yourself going the other way. Like, oh no! Rick and Morty did that last week!
It can be a double-edged sword.
In general, I think if you use it as a guiding light it actually is helpful.”
Wander the aisles of Artist Alley long enough and some of the images start to blur together. But one table that always stands out is that of Hammond Liang, also known as Hammling, a popular artist known for his vibrant, Asian-style illustrations.
In addition to drawing much-coveted images of Azula from Avatar: the Last Airbender, Denji from Chainsaw Man, and other characters from fandom, Liang is the co-creator, with writer David Chun, of the indie fantasy comic Monkey and Peach. Which was inspired by the Japanese folktale of the Peach Boy, also known as Momotarou.
Artist Hammond Liang, also known as Hammling, and writer David Chun in Artist Alley
“We did a spin on it based on what would happen if he’d created his own kingdom and his [descendants] afterwards,” explained Chun. “[We had] a lot of fun dealing with Japanese folklore and their monsters and their overall culture, and we wanted to use our personal history as being Asian Americans to make a fun, modern story set in a fictional past.”
In Monkey and Peach, a mysterious boy with a horn washes up on the shore of the kingdom created to protect people from supernatural threats. Years later, he must face what he is when fate brings the future leader of the kingdom to his doorsteps. Together, they go on a journey to find their place in the world.
Asked about he went about bringing this vision to life, Liang jokingly said, “I make pictures! I make pretty art!” Liang works closely with Chun to bring the story to life and takes inspiration from films, TV, and games. In addition, Liang practices traditional Chinese lion dancing and incorporates some of that background and movement into his art.
“I use inspiration from [shows] like Avatar: The Last Airbender, from martial arts, and then lion dancing, and I put that influence into Monkey and Peach, which has a very East Asian background,” he explained.
Liang and Chun are currently focusing on Japanese folklore. A lot of their creatures are based on yōkai, but they’re hoping to expand into Chinese and Korean folklore in the future. Both Liang and Chun are self-taught, with Monkey and Peach being Chun’s debut as an author. The two have been friends since college and started working on the comic about three years ago, along with their project manager/finance manager/graphic designer, David Bettencourt (aka Azroix), who they met through a mutual friend.
“The collaborative aspect, is what makes doing comics a lot of fun,” said Chun.
The process was not without its hurdles, though. Initially, Chun’s lack of detail frustrated Liang, and the two have had their creative clashes. Ultimately, the partnership thrives through a fluid back-and-forth where both creators have a chance to imbue the story with their unique visions. Chun starts each issue with a synopsis, which he later expands into a more in-depth summary and finally a full script. With each step, he discusses the story with Liang and Bettencourt to see what would make it feel smoother or more fun overall.
“It’s been a great creative process, I’ve learned a lot from [Liang], I’ve grown as both a person and a writer,” said Chun. “It’s just about learning and trying to do better every day.”
The team is currently working on Issues #3 and #4 of Monkey and Peach, which will launch on Kickstarter later this year. (At this point in the interview, Liang popped in to say, “I just make pretty pictures!”)
While Monkey and Peach is meant to be a finite tale, the creators aren’t yet certain which issue it will end on (they have planned out up to Issue #8).
Welcome to the Supernatural spinoff – following two failed backdoor pilots, this series isn’t a horizontal move through the franchise, instead, it’s a lateral one. While many might have thought a future tale would have been cool, executive producers Jensen Ackles and his wife Danneel Ackles decided to explore the past. This is strange given the tale of John and Mary Winchester’s romance had already been explored in the “mothership” (as Jensen lovingly refers to Supernatural) series. But, this is Supernatural, and any seemingly non-canonical issues can be explained away with the use of angels and memory wipes.
Let’s run down some of the canon fodder that will need to be cleaned up:
First off, while we never see how John and Mary meet in their premiere episode “In the Beginning”, we do learn that John has no idea Mary is a hunter. And, although he finds this out through the episode a death and a revival result in a memory wipe for both him and Mary.
John is a returned Vietnam vet who runs a garage with his friend. In this pilot, the garage is owned by his mother Millie (Bianca Kajlich), who took up the duty after her son illegally joined the war two years prior.
Mary Winchester, while resurrected and later a member of the British Men of Letters, never actually believed the secret society was real. She was always taught it was a myth. The Winchesters’ Mary, however, discovers the Men of Letters thanks to John
John, for that matter, also never learns of the Men of Letters – while in this pilot episode he receives a letter from his father with the symbol of the Men, an explanation (of sorts), and a key to their bunker.
Outside of this, the episode is a decent pilot. It introduces us to our main romantic leads: John Winchester (Drake Rodger) and Mary Campbell (Meg Donnelly), along with two other series regulars. Latika Desai (Nida Khurshid) and Carlos Cervantez (Jojo Fleites) are welcome changes to the casting of the previous series.
I watched Supernatural for the entirety of its fifteen-season run and for the most part the cast was largely white, mostly straight, and mostly male. The Winchesters is already proving itself a progressive show by simply having two female regulars right from the get-go! JoJo’s character Carlos has been described as sexually-fluid, and both Jojo and Nida are people of color. To be fair, this does seem to be standard operating procedure when it comes to prequels – you’ll notice die-hard Star Wars fans being angered by the sudden inclusion of BIOPICs in their new shows and movies. I don’t think Supernatural fans will feel quite as slighted since the old series did have instances of inclusion throughout its run: see Charlie Bradbury the openly gay hacker girl, Kevin Tran an Asian prophet of the lord, and a variety of black and Hispanic hunters/witches who all (generally) helped the boys out – sorry Sterling K. Brown but you’re the exception, not the rule! But this is by far a step up as these characters are clearly series regulars and not just one-off, special guest appearances, or occasionally reoccurring players.
In terms of story the pilot does a good job of setting up our potential season arch – finding Samuel Campbell, and possibly a longer series arch – the Akrida, a brand-new baddie never before seen in the franchise. Though that depends heavily on if the show is picked up for a second season. And, while it plays around with the core lore, The Winchesters pilot doesn’t do so in a disrespectful way. Maybe John and Mary learn about the Men of Letters way earlier than they ever do in Supernatural, and maybe John discovers hunting a lot sooner than following the death of his beloved wife in 1983, but I’m willing to see where this goes.
Overall, I give this pilot a B+. Is it the best pilot I’ve ever seen? Decidedly not, but it isn’t the worst, and though it’s deviating from the source material story-wise, it’s also deviating in a way that really matters: casting! I’m instantly happy to see two women as regulars, with Ada Monroe (Demetria McKinney) as a possible reoccurring character of color in a franchise that, again, was heavily (as Rick Sanchez put it) “missing the mark on diversity”.
LA BREA -- “The Great Escape” Episode 203 -- Pictured: Villager -- (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
One of the things that I most enjoyed about the first season of La Brea was how you never knew what to expect. There was a ton of drama, and the ongoing mysteries kept me invested. While I’ve absolutely enjoyed season 2 so far, I can honestly say that The Great Escape is the episode that most reminded me of season 1’s energy. And that’s a very good thing.
While it’s clear Eve and Levi are a couple again, it couldn’t have happened at a worse time. Gavin quickly finds Eve in the prison camp, and she’s totally shocked to find him there. He explains that he recognizes the rock that’s being mined as a fuel source. Then he shares Silas’ map and suggests they use it to escape, but Eve and Levi think it’s too dangerous. They just don’t trust Silas (for good reason), and so they want to instead work with Virgil and a dozen other prisoners to try and overpower the Exiles when they change the guard. Though both are happy to see Gavin, they conveniently leave out the detail that they’re back in a relationship again.
LA BREA — “The Great Escape” Episode 203 — Pictured: Villagers — (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
Meanwhile, Scott is being extra weird in The Great Escape. He’s spinning a peculiar story about supposedly losing Aldridge in a herd of mastodons, where she just disappeared. He doesn’t mention a word about the Tower, and people start wondering if he’s telling them everything. But then everyone at the Clearing forgets about him when Paara’s people arrive, demanding Silas. Paara figures out quickly that he’s gone, and orders her people to take their food back from the lazy Sky People. Ty tries to convince her otherwise, but it’s clear their relationship is at a breaking point, and that he can’t buy any more time.
Sam and Ty start pointing fingers at each other, worried that they’ll all starve without the food. Then Lucas suggests an alternate course of action—steal the food back! After all, they know about the secret entrance to the village, so why not do what they need to survive? The biggest surprise is that the perennial pothead, Scott, votes in favor of the plan, but the majority vote against angering their powerful and well-armed neighbors.
LA BREA — “The Great Escape” Episode 203 — Pictured: Lily Santiago as Veronica — (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
Veronica and Lucas appear to have a relationship brewing. She thanks him for saving her, and empathizes over the loss of his mother, Marybeth. Then Scott pushes his way in, suggesting they steal the food anyhow, vote or no vote. Both are shocked by this plan of action, but they eventually agree it’s the only way they can make sure the Clearing lives to fight another day. So they all decide to pull off a heist in 10,000 BC.
Back at the Exile’s prison camp, they start a high-octane escape attempt. Using shovels and minecarts, they tackle the guards. The portcullis starts coming down, and Gavin holds it open, telling Levi to get out. He refuses at first but eventually rushes through to freedom with Eve. Then Gavin goes full action hero and rushes the falling gate, managing to barely slip through. The group grabs some makeshift weapons and things look good, until Exiles on horseback meet them, and force everyone to lose their weapons and get on their knees. It looks like everyone will be punished, so Gavin plays the martyr and says that it was all his idea. Besides, if they punish everyone, they’ll lose their workers. So he’ll take the hit and thus save his wife and friend. The Exiles gladly cart him off to get beaten.
As for the heist, it goes about as smoothly as can be expected. Scott immediately sprains his ankle and agrees to stay put while Lucas and Veronica do the hard work. Then when they’re out of sight, he slinks off, muttering directions to himself. It’s clear he was faking his injury and is up to no good. Then Lucas spots the man who killed his mother in the village and wants to kill him for it. Veronica cautions him that revenge won’t help him and that she knows about living with guilt. But he still seems ready to murder the man.
Scott finds a hut and starts rummaging through it. He eventually finds a book, and hidden inside is a metal keycard with the word Lazarus printed on it. Then Lucas finds the man but discovers he has his own wife and child. Furious though Lucas is, he refrains from inflicting harm on another child and manages to steal some food with Veronica’s help.
LA BREA — “The Great Escape” Episode 203 — Pictured: (l-r) Natalie Zea as Eve, Eoin Macken as Gavin — (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
Gavin is tossed in a cell by the man I believe is the leader of the Exiles, or at least the one running the camp, Taamet. He mutters something to himself in Tonga, and Gavin says he grew up with Tonga people, that they’re kindhearted and good. Much as he tries to ingratiate himself to the Exile, Taamet wants nothing to do with him, and promises he’ll never see his family again.
Just when all hope seems lost, Levi overhears the guards talking about delivering the ore to the Tower, and finds an opportunity to escape. He knocks out a guard when the way out is unprotected and hurries Levi and Eve to use Silas’ map to get out. Gavin is badly hurt, but he knows this is their last chance, so they make their way out. Though they’re blocked by Taamet, he’s no match for all of them, and they escape. It’s clear Gavin wants to reconnect with Eve and start over. It’s also clear he suspects Levi and Eve are a thing again, and he may not trust his best friend. As for Eve, she just remarks her husband seems different like he used to be before his alcoholism.
Lucas’ group delivers the food to the Clearing, much to the relief of most of the survivors. Sam and Ty warn that they’ll pay a price for their actions, but Lucas says that’s a tomorrow problem. His proud veneer aside, he’s grown a lot in this episode, and I never thought I’d like the hotheaded drug dealer. Not only did he connect emotionally with Veronica, but he’s taking action as a leader for the whole group instead of just being self-centered.
LA BREA — “The Great Escape” Episode 203 — Pictured: Jon Seda as Dr. Sam — (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
It all ends with some subterfuge and an emotional moment. It’s revealed that Scott stole the keycard for Aldridge, and he meets up with her in the woods. He’s not happy about lying to his friends about what happened, and how their first attempt to break into the Tower failed miserably. Aldridge says that the card will help them get in and that then they can rescue Josh and Riley. They just needed the keycard from Silas’ hut. Now Scott just needs to wait for Gavin.
And as Gavin’s group makes their way back to the Clearing, he tells Eve that Izzy is with him. She runs the rest of the way to the camp and has a big, tear-filled hug with her daughter.
LA BREA — “The Great Escape” Episode 203 — Pictured: (l-r) Rohan Mirchandaney as Scott — (Photo by: Sarah Enticknap/NBC)
A really outstanding episode of La Brea season 2. Here’s hoping they keep the momentum going in the upcoming episodes, and manage to clarify some of the big mysteries that still persist in this fascinating time-traveling drama.
The Men of Letters is a secret hunter society that exists within the lore of Supernatural mostly thanks to episode 12 of season 8 “As Time Goes By”. Because the show was running low on idea fuel they decided wouldn’t it be cool if Sam and Dean had a bunker to stay in instead of an endless rotation of hotel rooms? Hence the introduction of the Men of Letters and, to give it more legitimacy within the series, the revelation that Sam and Dean are actually legacies!
Turns out John’s father, Henry, was due to become a member (his father was also a member). Unfortunately, on the eve of his initiation, a Knight of Hell named Abaddon crashed the party and basically murdered everyone. Henry was presumed dead, but in reality, he used magic to transport himself to the year 2013 to protect the Key to the bunker of the Men of Letters from falling into the wrong hands.
Long story short, history is preserved thanks to Dean Winchester and Abaddon is defeated (kind of). Sadly, Henry dies which works out since there goes the temptation to return to his timeline and fuck up the future.
While that covers their canonical existence, you might be interested to know a little more about the society. Here are a few key points:
The Men of Letters see Hunters as barbaric: Because all secret societies are generally seen as snobby and elitist, is it any surprise that the Men fit this description to a tee? We discover this tidbit when Henry is horrified to discover his grandsons are, ug, hunters. He then sets the boys straight about their true legacy and what they really are. Fun Fact – Dorothy Gale of Kansas (in the Supernatural universe she’s L. Frank Baum’s daughter) calls them glorified librarians!
There is a London division: Revealed in episode 23 of season 11 “Alpha & Omega” Sam and Dean learn the hard way that the Men of Letters extend beyond America. This is probably a good thing since the American chapter is destroyed in 1958 and doesn’t get revived until 2013. However, they are very different clubs. Where the American Men of Letters was like an uppity collection of intellectuals more interested in studying the supernatural than banishing it, the British Men of Letters is a no-nonsense collective that likes to kill first and ask questions never. So ruthlessly efficient are they that there hasn’t been a monster-related casualty on their watch since 1964! Fun Fact – the resurrected Mary Winchester joins their rank for a while and even forms something of a “friendship” with one of the members before everything goes, as they like to say, tits up.
The Men’s Bunker holds a bevy of supernatural knowledge: This is the main reason that Henry risks a time-travel spell to escape from Abaddon in his series debut. It fails in terms of getting him away from the Knight of Hell, but it is successful in safeguarding the key which he inevitably passes down to his grandsons. Why is it so important to guard this key? It’s essentially a skeleton key that can open, not only the main bunker, but any and all Men of Letter chapter houses. Fun fact – I’m pretty sure the bunker serves as a replacement for John’s diary, which was Sam and Dean’s main source of monster info next to other hunters.
They’re not technically sexist: The Men did have some female members. Delphine Seydoux, a spy during World War II, the initiate Josie Sands, who voluntarily allowed herself to be possessed by Abaddon in an effort to save Henry Winchester, the aforementioned Dorothy Baum, deaf hunter Eileen Leahy (she’s a legacy as was her mom, Maura), Ophelia Avila, who along with her family is charged with guarding a trapped god, until Sam and Dean help them out, and most recently Charlie Bradbury (we don’t get to see this but it’s largely assumed she’s a member) who dies helping the Winchesters but has her alternate self appear later in the series. Fun Fact – though it doesn’t look like there is a separate secret society, female members of the Men of Letters do often get referred to as Women of Letters.
Lastly, like all great secret clubs, the Men of Letters have a symbol that members can use to identify other members or friendly places. Theirs is the Aquarian Star which is linked to Atlantis, and the great magician Aleister Crowley. In real life, Crowley was an occult guy who founded his own religion that used the Unicursal Hexagram (aka the Aquarian Star) as its symbol. Fun Fact – Crowley is the name of the King of Hell in Supernatural, who dies in service to the Winchesters, later his mother Rowena takes the mantle becoming the Queen of Hell.
How will the Men of Letters factor into The Winchesters? Guess you’ll just have to watch the pilot and find out!
For New York Comic-Con 2022, The Workprint was able to sit down with Solar opposites showrunner, Mike McMahan and producer, Danielle Uhlarik. We talked about lawsuits regarding the series and what ridiculous extraterrestrial things to expect this year in this interview filled with more legal problems than I ever knew possible on Hulu.
Image Credit: SYFY
How do you guys get away with making fun of Hulu so much?
Mike: “We stole it from the Simpsons. When The Simpsons makes fun of Fox, it’s saying we’re a partnership. We’re an identity. I think us making fun of Hulu is the only time anybody’s ever really talked about Hulu. They just loves the attention. There’s not bad press.
So if we have an alien being like, “Fuck, I hate Hulu,” there’s a guy at Hulu going, ‘Did you hear that? SOMETHING JUST SAID HULU ON TELEVISION!’
They know it’s coming from a place of love. Hulu is why we’re able to make a crazy show like Solar Opposites. So, when we’re making fun of Hulu that’s like us saying it exists in the world of this show and it’s a weird parasitic/symbiotic relationship. We wanted to amp up what The Simpsons had done for Fox to a much more ludicrous degree.”
Danielle: “And there’s no way we could do it if they weren’t such amazing partners. They’re such fans of the show. They should probably say no more to us.”
The Halloween Special. A hit for you guys after the first couple of days… and The Great Pumpkin?
Mike: “We fucked him up.”
Danielle: “He can grow back. He’s a pumpkin! He can come back greater!”
Mike: “More like an okay pumpkin now. Not so great anymore.”
When the character starts saying the phrase ‘The Great Pumpkin’ did you really have to look into that (legally)?
Mike: “I don’t know. I hope not <laughs>”
Danielle: “We’ll find out after this interview!”
Mike: “If we’re saying something funny usually we can get away with it. Sometimes we’ll get a call from Disney IP being like, ‘What is this?’ and we’re like: ‘Ah, you got us on that one! We’re just being idiots’.
All of our holiday specials are commenting on holiday specials, right? There’s only a couple big Halloween Holidays specials that we’ve seen a billion times and its mostly the great pumpkin. So, having the great pumpkin come into it, and subverting what makes it special and riding its corpse around to get out of the situation they were in is classical Solar Opposites heartfelt Holiday stuff.”
Danielle: “And we did get to call Disney standards and practices in the episode.
Mike: “We did. We’ve had a lot of calls with Disney S&P, in fact, we had to go to a whole new Disney legal group called Legacy because we were making fun of so much Disney IP that we had to go to their new lawyers that only protect the IP and they loooooovvveee us. I wear my son’s Mickey Mouse hat on the zoom calls. They’ve gotten over it but Josh Bycel, my co-showrunner, is always like, ‘You’re going to wear the hat, right?’ whenever we have that type of controversial type of conversation.”
In Season 3, there’s a bit with the T-Rex where it kills a number of different families. Where did that bit start? It’s wild.
Mike: “I love dinosaurs. I have 2 kids and they talk about dinosaurs at all times. There’s a 99 ships episode where there’s a countdown of all the other ships that we talk about from the home planet in every opening. It was like, let’s break the format of the show, and see how all of those aliens died and it turns out… 50 of them died from dinosaurs in space.
There’s something absurd about it. How dinosaurs feel sci-fi even though they feel terrestrial. They feel very silly even though they’re scary. There’s something in it where the aliens in it call how hackney it is. T-Rexes can swap this fine line between hackney or awesome. I wanted to do that comedy thing where 1-hackney, 2-not hackney, all the way up to 50 etc.”
One of the strengths of the show is that the characters are cognizant they are in a show and they comment on that but it never becomes overtly Meta-text. How do you walk that line?
Mike: “We never explicitly say this but we dabble in Alf situations. We’re trying to write a comedy that never has rules that make it less funny than it could be, but keep enough rules so it doesn’t feel like you’re watching a jumble. Occasionally, when you least expect it, we like to break the wall but not so much where it feels hackneyed.”
Danielle: “I feel like our north star is, if it’s funny, let’s find a way to put it in the show even if it doesn’t makes sense or break a rule. If we keep laughing about it in the rule let’s figure it out.”
Was there ever a moment in the series where you absolutely knew… we’ve gone too far.
Mike & Danielle: “YEAH!”
<laughs>
Mike: “Usually, if there’s a moment where it’s, ‘WOW, how were they able to do that?’ that’s because there was something twelve-times worse then that there that’s even more fucked-up.
There was one T-Shirt, we can’t tell you what it is, but it resulted in lawyers from Disney calling me saying that people in another country were going to use my e-mails in Discovery for a lawsuit they were in, because the t-shirt was so fucked up that it accidentally was similar to a different trial Disney was being sued for regarding that funny T-shirt.
Though I can’t tell you what it is, I think about it all the time. Anyway, when they called me and I told them we could just use a different stupid T-shirt and was claiming, how I didn’t know the Disney IP they were talking about. I kept changing different ones like: Peter Pansexual and stuff like that. You never want someone at Disney to look at the big red button that cancels that show, and be like, it’s time to press that button.”
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison -- (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
In the new Quantum Leap‘s first gender-bending episode, “A Decent Proposal,” Dr. Ben Song leaps into the body of a young bounty hunter named Eva, who’s out at a club in 1980s LA. She soon encounters her partner, Jake, and together they take down their latest quarry. And then things get complicated when Jake proposes.
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
But Addison has no time for any romantic shenanigans. Ziggy is certain that Ben’s purpose is to help one Tammy Jean, who in the original timeline fails to show up to traffic court and vanishes after. She’s awfully adamant that Eva’s personal life is irrelevant, even though Jake is by Eva / Ben’s side the whole time they’re looking for Tammy Jean. And Ben is awfully adamant that it does matter, sometimes to the detriment of the mission he’s supposed to be on.
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
While Addison has been doing her best this whole time to keep things “just business” as Ben’s hologram and not remind him that she’s his fiancée, Ben has been getting flashbacks to tender moments with an unseen woman… a woman he misses despite not knowing who she is. Which brings us back to: Why did Ben leave her in the first place?
Meanwhile, in 2022, the team is still working on figuring out what made Ben go rogue in the first place, and discovering the answer will require them to divulge more than they may be willing to.
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
While the show’s fourth episode spends less time in the present than previous ones, the focus on 2022 feels greater. In fact, the actual “episode”—the storyline where Eva must make sure Tammy Jean shows up to traffic court—serves almost as a backdrop to the larger plot arcs at play. The real stakes are emotional and philosophical rather than physical… despite Addison repeatedly reminding Ben that unless he fulfills the mission of finding Tammy Jean, he won’t leap, the tension derives from Ben, as Eva, working with Jake while trying to figure out their relationship. Meanwhile, the ongoing dramatic irony of the audience knowing that Addison is Ben’s fiancée while Ben himself doesn’t continues to grow.
Though Ben is the central figure of the show, Sam Beckett’s presence has loomed since the pilot. The very first thing the show did was remind audiences that Sam was the first to leap and that he never returned, all but ensuring that he would remain at the forefront of audiences’ minds. The episodes since have hinted at connections to the original, but this week’s makes those connections even clearer. Sam is the ghost in every room the characters enter, absent and present at once.
At times it felt like “A Decent Proposal” focused too much on the future—both 2022 and the connections to the 1989 Quantum Leap—at the expense of the past. The actual “leap” seemed almost inconsequential. Still, it was fun to see the colors and sounds of the ’80s.
Raymond Lee as Dr. Ben Song, Caitlin Bassett as Addison — (Photo by: Ron Batzdorff/NBC)
As for the part where a cis-man leaps into the body of a cis-woman? Apart from the opening scene where Ben deals with a creep at the club and marvels at Eva’s handbag, and Addison throws in a few snarky comments, it’s not really a thing. Eva’s gender doesn’t really play much into the story; one could easily imagine her and Jake’s roles reversing. Which was a relief. Ultimately, Eva is another person Ben leaped into in order to rewrite history for the better, and that’s what really matters.
All in all, “A Decent Proposal” was another solid episode, and fans of the original Quantum Leap truly need not worry about whether the new one will address its predecessor.
If this interview were to set the bar for any sorts of expectations regarding the comedy in Koala Man than we’re all seriously in luck. Michael Cusack, series creator who is playing both the titular role, along with the character’s shrimpy 13 year old son, Liam, may just be one of the most politely hilarious interviewees I’ve ever had the pleasure of speaking with. Likewise, comedian Demi Lardner, is a hilarious up-and-comer who can be as equally sardonic in tone as she is driven – which befits her character, Alison (Liam’s older sister in the show who’ll go to any zany means to be the most popular influencer at school).
So I, along with some fellow journalists at New York Comic Con 2022, got to sit down with both Michael and Demi for an interview organized by Hulu about the upcoming series created by Australians, for Australians, featuring the Hughiest Jackman of Australians: Hugh ‘The Wolverine’ Jackman. We talk about all this and more in rather silly details below.
Fair Note: this interview was edited for clarity… minus the jokes and the Australian accents
Alright, first, where did this all begin for you?
Michael: “Well, it started a few years ago as just an idea. I think Marvel was huge at the time but i was never really a superhero person.
So, I was just wondering what an Australian would be like? I don’t know if there are any, and if there were, they’d be pretty obscure. I thought they would have no superpowers. Just be some middle-aged dad from some small town in Australia…
There’s just something so comely about that? So, I did some drawings and a short animated cartoon which slowly developed into what it is now. The full TV show.”
Alright, so where did the middle aged man concept come from?
Michael: “It’s a little bit of my dad, his friends, and just blokey guys in Australia. Boomers complaining about everything in Australia, such as people littering or how you can’t drive a V8 after 2 am. It’s like an archetype of that person. If they could clean up this town, how would one of them to take it into their own hands and put on a mask and go out and try to solve crime?
In this specific show, it’s all petty crime that could get into some surreal monsters. Along with everything else that’s unexpected…”
Could you get into some of the monsters you’re talking about, particularly because it’s about Australia, a region known for some of its deadliest creatures?
Michael: “We’ve got a tall poppy monster, which is like, based on a thing called tall poppy syndrome in Australia which is essentially if you get too successful, other Australians will cut you down like what they did to tall poppies.
Demi: “You’re not allowed to be proud of anything you do because if you do, you get absolutely wrecked!”
Michael: “Exactly! I think we’ve both experienced that. It’s why America is different because they celebrate confidence and striving, which is the opposite in Australia. Which has its pros and cons.”
Demi: “It (tall poppy syndrome) can make you humble, i guess? But i let go of that. I’m very talented! <laughs> ”
Michael: “But going back to the monsters, there’s like a monster that embodies that in a literal creature, tall poppy.”
Demi: “That’s deep.”
Michael: “I’m so smart! I’m so philosophical!”
Demi: “He doesn’t deal in metaphors. He’s like… nah, it’s just a tall poppy.”
Michael: “<laughs> It’s a tall poppy and he fights the Koala Man. It’s sccaaarrry!”
Demi: “It’s nas-ty. We don’t like it!”
Michael: “But yeah, there’s also a bunch of other creatures and human villains that either have actual superpowers or none. So it’s a bit all over the place.”
What aspects of him protecting his community did you bring to the show?
Michael: “It’s based in a suburb i grew up next to called Dapto. It’s got familiar land marks and the vibe of the town, but nothing too literal. It’s based on it only lightly.”
You’ve got a great cast. How did you land Hugh?
Michael: “It’s unexpected. Hugh Jackman saw the shorts I did years ago, and apparently, his kids liked it…
I don’t actually know if he liked it himself, but his kids sure did.
I hoped he liked it too. He was amazing in the recordings. He wanted me to do the voices and he mimicked it. It was nuts. Basically giving line readings to Hugh Jackman, but he was fun to work with.”
Demi: “How did you get me on the show?”
Michael: “I think we just had a zoom? I think I just asked you!”
Demi: “Yeah… Alright!”
Michael: “We begged Demi! We begged her! First there was so many nos… and then… finally… yeah. Okay, yeah, all the cast has been fantastic. I ‘ve run out of things to say <laugh>”
Is Hugh showing up as a surprise guest today?
Michael: “I would hope so. Maybe he’s dressed as like a Spider-man down there somewhere?”
Demi: “Just the most extremely jacked Spider-Man you’ve ever seen!”
Michael: “He’s actually, like, webbing around down there everywhere! Nah, I think he’s busy with his Broadway shows so he’s probably got other commitments but he’s here in spirit.”
Demi: “I’M GONNA WRESTLE HIM ONE DAY! THIS IS HOW I’M GONNA WRESTLE HIM!”
Michael: “Yeah. I’ve already asked. I’ve asked to duel him!”
Demi: “Okay, yeah, great!”
Michael: “He hasn’t said anything, yet…”
Demi: “Let’s kill, Hugh Jackman!”
<everyone laughs>
Michael: “That’s for being on this stupid show!”
Who do you think this show is for demographic-wise?
Michael: “I would hope everyone! For anyone who likes animated comedy, I suppose? I think it’s pretty accessible… but I’ve been a pretty bad judge about that.”
Demi: “It’s for 32 year old women only.”
Michael: “For hairdressers in middle Australia. That’s it. No one else.”
Demi: “And train conductors. And that’s it.”
Michael: “No one else can watch it actually. No one’s allowed.”
Demi: “You try and it’s just a black screen. A screaming void low to high.”
What can you tell us about Koala Man’s family?
Michael: “Demi plays Allison, who’s the daughter of Koala Man. I play Liam, who’s the son. The mother is Sarah Snook. It’s great. The whole thing is that its a pretty normal suburban Australian family to contrast with him being a superhero. The mom hopes its a midlife crisis that will pass and is putting up with it and the tension in the family.”
Question for Demi. You’re an absurdist comedian. Your character is obsessed with being a social media influencer. Would kind of other shenanigans can we expect to see this season?
Demi: “What kinda stuff am I allowed to say? <laughs> I haven’t even watched the show yet.
Michael: “She wasn’t allowed. She was in a cage this whole time.”
Demi: “They just let me out! May I go back to my box?”
<everyone laughs>
Demi: “No, I know. There’s this one bit where something pretty intense happens where my character is crying in this scene. I said, okay, gImmie a minute, and turned around, and then came back with tears down my cheeks…
‘I’M READY!’ I cried and they were like, ‘UHHHH… PRESS RECORD!’”
Michael: “It’s a really good scene. You did well with that. I wouldn’t be able to do that.”
Demi: “I didn’t know I could do that.
Also, maybe this was a prank on me, but they made me make dingo sounds for half an hour which ruined my voice. I’m just dingo’ing literally for 20 minutes <Demi makes freakishly accurate snarl and growling noises>Wrecked my throat for the next two days.”
Michael: “It was worth it! …Maybe.”
Are they gonna credit you as Dingo as well?
Demi: “They better. Dingo-Demi. Need that on the IMDB.”
Author Randee Dawn and cake artist Mark Lie with a custom cake featuring Dawn's book Tune in Tomorrow
Wandering the show floor at New York Comic Con, you’ll see a lot of crossovers and mash-ups, some that seem natural, and others playfully absurd. And then there are the pairings that make absolutely perfect sense, such as tea and books.
Author Randee Dawn teamed up with Tea & Absinthe, a popular tea company known for themed and fandom-related products, to create a special tea related to her recently released contemporary fantasy novel, Tune in Tomorrow (published by Solaris Books, an imprint of Rebellion Developments, in August 2022). Dawn, who signed books at the Tea & Absinthe booth on Friday and Saturday, drew upon her background as an entertainment journalist—her knowledge of “the backstage stuff and the shenanigans and how the sausage gets made”—to create her fictional world.
Author and tea aficionado Randee Dawn teamed up with Tea & Absinthe at New York Comic Con
The novel features a reality show called Tune in Tomorrow run by and made for mythical creatures that star humans.
“Mythical creatures are not going to want to watch Game of Thrones—they’re going to want to see the things that we find very mundane,” Dawn explained. “They’re not going to care about dragons, they care about… Writing checks! Or embezzlement! Or adultery!… And that’s what took me over to writing about reality shows and soap operas.”
Where does the tea come in? The human actors on Tune in Tomorrow are all given a brownie—a type of helper faerie that, according to fae lore, lives in the home, a concept Dawn transferred to the dressing room. These brownies act essentially as interns and have to do anything the actors ask… including turning into tea if the human fancies a cup. And the tea tastes different depending on which brownie de-constitutes.
“But the good news is that they do reconstitute… and it’s good not to ask too many questions about how that happens,” Dawn said jokingly.
As a big tea drinker herself and a longtime fan of Tea & Absinthe, Dawn reached out about a partnership, never imagining that she would end up at NYCC. “I’ve never been to Comic Con, so this is totally amazing!” she said.
Customers who bought the book received a few sachets of limited edition brownie tea, custom-made to complement the novel. “This tastes more like actual brownies than whatever you might think a helper brownie would taste like,” Dawn, who was involved in designing the tea, explained. The company sent her samples of various types of tea, and she chose the one that tasted closest to chocolate. “It’s not hot chocolate you’re drinking, but you definitely get a strong chocolate taste to it. I really love the taste myself.”
Dawn’s unique book display was originally a custom cake stand left over from her book launch party at Chicon8. The specially designed cake, created by Mark Lie, resembled the book cover on an old-fashioned TV screen.
While Tune in Tomorrow is a standalone book, Dawn has ideas for a potential sequel set in the same universe. She is also working on a separate novel project.
As an entertainment journalist, Dawn has had a chance to see how film and TV work behind the scenes. While knowing too much can spoil her own enjoyment—“Sometimes, I wish I could Eternal Sunshine myself,” she joked—she loves the experience of interviewing interesting people, including Neil Gaiman, Tom Sturridge, and Ke Huy Quan.
“I get to indulge a lot of my geeky interests when I’m doing my job,” she said. “People always say, ‘write what you know,’ and this is what I know, and here it is in the book!”
In Tune in Tomorrow, small-town girl Starr Weatherby is offered a big role in a reality show performed for the entertainment of the Fae. As Starr becomes a fan favorite, she learns about the show’s dark underbelly—and the mysterious disappearance of her predecessor. Though determined to keep her dream job, her actions threaten to bring down the entire show.
In addition, Dawn runs the Rooftop Readings events at Ample Hills Creamery in Gowanus, Brooklyn, where once a month, 3-4 authors read from their novels, and audiences listen while enjoying an ice cream (included in the price of the ticket).
To learn more about Randee Dawn and Tune in Tomorrow, visit her website at https://randeedawn.com/.
At NYCC, fans got check out The Women of Marvel panel. Not only did it reveal several upcoming titles and the latest season of the Women of Marvel podcast, but it also featured women-led comics. Angélique Roché was joined by Digital Media Executive Director Ellie Pyle, Senior Editor Lauren Bisom, co-host Judy Stephens and writers Eve L. Ewing, Stephanie Phillips and Erica Schultz.
These leading ladies discussed the theme for the Women of Marvel podcast, which returns on November 3rd. The theme this time will be The Super Power of Mentorship. But maybe you’re more interested in reading comics yourself? If so, please check out more details below.
Here’s some of the biggest announcements to come from The Women of Marvel panel:
The Women of Marvel anthology returns in March 2023 with the Women of Marvel #1 (2023) one-shot.
Rogue & Gambit #1, a limited series written by Stephanie Phillips, art by Carlos Gomez, on sale March 2023.
X-23: Deadly Regenesis #1, a 5-issue limited series written by Erica Schultz, art by Edgar Salazar, on sale March 2023.
Betsy Braddock: Captain Britain #1 written by Tini Howard, penciled by Vasco Georgiev, and cover by Erica D’Urso, on sale February 2023.
Marvel Unlimited’s Infinity Comics including:
X-Men Unlimited #56, by writer and artist Jason Loo, available October 10.
Marvel’s Voices: Nova #20 written by Terry Blas, art by Bruno Oliveira, available October 12.
Love Unlimited: Wolverine #19 written by Sean Kelley McKeever, art by Diógenes Neves, available October 13.
Avengers Unlimited #15, written by Jim Zub, art by Enid Balam, available October 11.
Marvel Unlimited’s T.E.S.T. Kitchen #3 returns tomorrow with an all-new issue by Michelin Star Chef Paul Eschbach. And just in time for Halloween, Marvel Unlimited will release a T.E.S.T. Kitchen Halloween Special on October 31.
Welcome back to Westeros! This week is full of schemes, plotting, and more cousin marriage than you can shake a stick at, so let’s dive right in.
It’s been six years since the funeral of Laena, and Corlys Valeryan is having a rough go of it. He’s been fighting the Triarchy (sigh) and pirates in the Narrow Sea all that time. Now, the poor devil has had his throat slashed by a corsair and then dropped in the sea, and now he’s got blood fever and may not survive. This has naturally led to questions about his successor. On the one hand, it’s all been settled. Laenor’s second son, Lucerys, will inherit the Driftwood Throne. Corlys’ brother, Vaemond, has some opinions about that. Luke knows nothing about commanding a fleet of ships and besides, they need someone with pure, Valeryan blood. Y’know, pure. Not like those pups from House Strong.
Yes, the persistent rumors about Rhaenyra’s kids, uh, persist. And for good reason. Jace and Luke’s wavy brown hair really sticks out amongst all the Targaryen blondes in court. Jace can cram all the high Valeryan he wants, nothing’s going to make those whispers stop. Especially when Queen Alicent and Otto the Hand have a concerted interest in keeping them going.
Rharenys tells Vaemond that challenging a settled succession could be seen as treason, but Vaemond reminds her: the king isn’t sitting on the throne. Viserys is (still) near death, and Alicent has been essentially ruling in his stead, with some helpful advice from Otto. Alicent certainly believes that the Rhaenyra’s kids are illegitimate, and Otto wants to make sure that Corlys’ fleet stays aligned with the crown, so Vaemond makes a challenge. He is going to head to King’s Landing to make his claim.
Upon hearing this, Rhaenyra and her family head to court as well to defend their inheritance, and it doesn’t look great for her. Leaving for Dragonstone has let the Hightowers have free reign to spread rumors and poison opinion against her. Rhaenys still believes her and Daemon to be responsible for the death of her son, Laenor, and she cannot wait to see Rhaenyra taken down a peg. Not even a swell offer of marriage can mollify her. Rhaenyra proposes that her kids will marry Laena’s kids, their cousins, and all rule together. No dice, Rhaenys wants to see her twist.
Meanwhile, Alicent is having her own problems with her kids. Spoiled ass Aegon has a delightful habit of raping his serving girls, and Alicent has to go console and pay off his latest victim, Dyana. Oh, and give her that Plan B tea. At least I think it’s the Plan B tea. Later, one of the other servants asks where Dyana is and Alicent hugs her and starts crying. (Remember, in GoT, Robert Baratheon had bastards scattered all along the Street of Silk, which led to Cersei taking rather dramatic measures to make sure no one challenged Joffery’s claim on the throne.)
Aegon has been betrothed to his sister, Haelena, because sure, why not? I assume because Aegon the Conqueror married his sisters, this will make the people associate Aegon the Rapist Twat with him. Aegon’s not thrilled, since Haelena is either touched with madness or the gift of prophecy, or both. I swear, the Targaryen family tree is a trunk with zero branches.
In contrast to the decadent and spoiled Aegon, Aemond has grown up to be a tall, cold, pillar of Valyrian steel with long blonde hair and a boss eye patch. It’s hard to believe this is the same little boy his brother teased by putting wings on a pig. It’s even harder to believe that he’s only aged six years since last we saw him because now he looks like he’s 28. (Not since the movie version of Dear Evan Hansen had someone looked so conspicuously older) He spends his days in training and the way he smiles when he sees his nephews Jace and Luke makes you think he hasn’t gotten over them cutting his eye out.
Rhaenyra and Daemon go to see Viserys, and he is not doing well. He’s barely coherent, kept in a fog by the Milk of the Poppy the maesters give him for the pain. He is gaunt and sickly and wizened, but still hanging in there. It’s been almost 20 years since Otto said he would die soon, and he’s still here.
The next day, it’s time for the hearing in court, and things seem pretty stacked against Luke and Rhaenyra. Otto, manspreading on the Iron Throne, wants Vaemond in charge of the navies for practical reasons, and also because rumors of illegitimacy will strengthen Aegon’s claim on the throne. Alicent is the acting queen and is still mad at Luke for the whole eye thing, and Vaemond makes a strong case. Rhaenyra starts to make the case for Lucerys when she is interrupted by a late arrival. King Viserys, sporting a sweet, golden Phantom of the Opera mask, has dragged himself out of his deathbed to once again defend his daughter’s honor.
Viserys didn’t take his medicines this morning because since the whole family is together for the first time in years, he wants to have a big family dinner and he needs a clear head. And he also needs to hobble across the castle and onto the throne to prove he’s still in charge. This week’s episode is 1hr10m, and it feels like that extra ten minutes was entirely due to Viserys walking across the great hall. It’s excruciating to watch. Viserys is hunched over, in obvious pain, refusing help from anyone, until his crown falls off. He then lets his brother, Daemon, help him the rest of the way.
Viserys gets to the throne and addresses the hall. I’m confused. Why are we holding a council to discuss a settled succession? Corlys left Driftmark to my grandson, Lucerys, and that’s that. Like any good sailor, Rhaenys senses that the winds have shifted dramatically. She says, yup! Uh-huh! That’s exactly what Corlys wanted. Oh and Rhaenyra generously offered to have our kids get betrothed to each other and I accept! You don’t get to a ripe, old age in Westeros by being a dummy, and Rhaenys is no dummy.
Vaemond, however… His plans have been upended by Viserys’ arrival and now has no fucks left to give. Egged on by Daemon, he eschews court etiquette slightly by going completely berserk and calling Rhaenyra a whore with bastard children. Viserys is infuriated and says he’ll have his tongue for that. He pulls out his dagger and starts to rise, but Daemon does his big brother a solid and lops the top of Vaemond’s head clean off. (You know in South Park how they animate Terence & Phillip? Yeah, like that) And kudos to the prosthetic makeup department. The body of Vaemond, with the tongue lolling out of the throat hole, is both disgusting and hilarious.
At the big family dinner that night, Viserys is done walking for the day. He lets himself get wheeled into the head of the table. He’s the happiest he’s been in years, with his whole family back together. And just like your granddad at Thanksgiving, he can’t stop telling the same stories. The throne cannot stand if the House of the Dragon is divided! Let’s all be a big happy family because I won’t be here much longer. He takes off his mask to reveal his ravaged face with a sunken, missing eye. (And once again, great work by the makeup department. Viserys looks both weak and terrifying.)
This is followed by a series of toasts that all start out very pleasant and then get progressively more passive-aggressive and barbed. Rhaenyra toasts Alicent, praising her for being so loyal and devoted to Viserys. Alicent praises Rhaenyra’s skills as a mother. Aegon acts like a twat by hitting on Baela in front of her newly betrothed Jace, saying if you want a real man just give him a call. Jace toasts Aemond and Aegon, recalling the fond memories of their youth. This is just a master class in petty family dynamics. Nothing being said is outwardly objectionable (except for Aegon, because he’s a snot) but there is just so much hidden meaning and barbs just beneath the surface. If my family was like that, I would have Thanksgiving dinner by myself at Boston Market. (Happy Canadian Thanksgiving, by the way!)
Viserys is tired and goes to bed. And that’s when the niceties stop. Aemond toasts his nephew-cousins, Luke, Jace, and Joffery. They are so brave, loyal, and…Strong. This enrages Jace. Aemond plays dumb. What? Aren’t you proud you’re so Strong? This starts a fight. Aegon slams Luke into the table, Jace takes a swing at Aemond and gets shoved over. Daemon steps in to break it up, glowering at Aemond. (And boy, do those two look alike. Almost enough to start some rumors at court.) I bet that’s not the last time those two will face off.
Alicent goes to check on Viserys and give him his milk of the poppy. He starts to babble about the dream of Aegon. This is the speech he gave to Rhaenyra way back in episode one, all about Aegon the Conqueror’s dream of the endless winter and the end of men, you know, the whole Song of Ice and Fire deal. Of course, Alicent has never heard this before, so of course, she takes it to mean the dream of Aegon refers to her son, and that the dream is to be king. (Dunno, I think Aegon’s dreams are more about fucking all the servant girls and cousins he can.) This is not going to go well. As she leaves the king’s bedchamber, Viserys draws his last few breaths, and dies. It’s ironic. A few episodes ago he was complaining that he had fought no great battles, and now his death is sure to spark a civil war. All he wanted was for his family to get along! Was that so much to ask?
Apparently.
This was a table-setting episode, but quite entertaining. The plotting and scheming get spurred on by family resentments. Unlike past episodes following a time jump, none of the character turns come out of left field. It’s all based on suspicions and grievances and it’s going to build to big-time dragon fights. (Not gonna lie, I’m very excited to see some dragon fights)
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Who’s the worst? Another crowded field, but let’s give props to the new generation of shitheels and give it to Aegon. You got a lot of potential, kid!
Line of the Week: Daemon (after decapitating Vaemond): He can keep his tongue.
There are very few sequels that live up to – or surpass – their predecessors. Godfather Part II. Aliens. Terminator 2. Toy Story 2.
And now we can add Hocus Pocus 2 to the list.
I’m being slightly facetious here. He compared Hocus Pocus to the Godfather?!?! Bring on the hate clicks!!! (Hey, editors! Make sure you put that in the SEO field!)
I should clarify by saying that I was never much of a fan of the original Hocus Pocus, so it’s not like there was a high bar to clear. It’s like saying that a Five Guys burger is better than a McDouble, not that a Five Guys burger is better than a steak from Peter Luger.
Despite starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker as the witchy Sanderson Sisters, all actresses I like a lot, I could never get into the first movie. The tone whipsawed around too much for my liking. Were the witches supposed to be evil or campy? It depended on the scene. There was a weird obsession with teen virginity, like an American Pie level obsession, that did not fit into a G rated Disney film. (“A virgin has to light the black flame candle? That’s you, dude! You’re so lame! Haw haw haw!”) And the plot, where the Sandersons had to murder all the children in town to brew their potion, seemed a little heavy for a Disney comedy. (Yes, I know. Disney murders parents gleefully in every animated film, but mass murder of grade schoolers is a little different.)
This time around, the film knows exactly the tone it’s going for. Camp, with some mild spookiness thrown in. And it nails it.
This time, the Sandersons are unwittingly brought back by a pair of teen girls. Becca (Whitney Peak) has her sixteenth birthday, and she and her bestie Izzy (Belissa Escobedo) are doing their annual birthday ritual in the woods outside of Salem. Gilbert (Sam Richardson), the friendly owner of the local magic shop, gives them a candle to light. He doesn’t tell them that it’s the magical black flame candle that will bring the witches back. So when Becca lights the candle in the woods on Halloween during a full moon, the witches reappear. And then sing!
Thankfully, the whole “only a virgin can light the candle” business is barely acknowledged. (A sixteen year old in a Disney movie? OF COURSE she is, why would you think otherwise, you weirdo?) All the better to get into the hijinx quicker. And the spell they want to cast no longer needs the souls of children. No, just the blood of an enemy, and conveniently the town mayor (Tony Hale) is a descendant of the Reverend who exiled the Sandersons 300+ years ago.
It’s all played much more light and campy this time around, and all for the better. More jokes land here. There’s a running gag about a Roomba that pays off in a big way. Plus several jokes made me laugh out loud, like a bit where Winnifred tells her sisters to spread out and Sarah spreads her arms and legs until she slowly slumps to the floor.
Everyone involved seems to be having a great time. The songs are fun, the new characters are engaging, it’s snappy and well paced. Plus Hannah Waddingham shows up to play the Mother Witch, and how can you say no to that?
Is this destined to be a Halloween classic? Well, I would never have predicted that the first one would have a devoted cult following, so I couldn’t begin to guess. But will you have a fun time watching this with a big bowl of fun-sized candy bars and a mug of hot chocolate? Absolutely.
At NYCC 2022 Marvel comics made a slew of announcements about what’s coming next for the Next Big Thing panel this year. The panel revealed a couple of long awaited titles such as the upcoming Red Goblin series by Alex Paknadel and Stormbreaker artist Jan Bazalduaslated in February 2023, along with the highly-anticipated Summer of Symbiotes, which will feature spinoffs of the current Venom, Carnage, and Red Goblin stories.
We also got a surprisingly high boost of expectations regarding a newly promoted, yet completely mysterious title called Hallows’ Eve. Created by Erica Schultz and Michael Dowling, this new property stars a brand new character, set to debut very soon and who is directly tied to the current Dark Web run of comics.
The comics slate scheduled ends with the Fall of X for what appears to be a very tragic story for the X-Men. It begins, however, this year with Sins of Sinister coming this January, which will then split into three X-Men series: Storm and The Brotherhood of Mutants, Nightcrawlers, and Immoral X-Men.
Visionary writer Jason Aaron brings his nearly five year run on Avengers to an incredible end. Joined by artists Bryan Hitch, Javier Garrón, and Aaron Kuder, Aaron will tie together his work on Avengers, Avengers Forever, and the Avengers of 1,000,000 in a multiverse-spanning saga that sees the Avengers go to war against an unprecedented army of villains and prove why they’re the Mightiest Heroes of All Earths!
DARK WEB
The two spurned clones of the Marvel Universe, Madelyne Pryor and Ben Reilly, team up as Goblin Queen and Chasm to unleash their revenge in this Spider-Man and X-Men crossover that pays off decades of comic book storytelling! The dramatic event will fan the flames of the classic Inferno crossover and impact Spider-Man, the X-Men, Venom, Ms. Marvel, and more in a series of tie-in issues and limited series.
SINS OF SINISTER
Mister Sinister’s devious machinations yield the darkest Marvel Comics future to date in this universe-melting X-Men event. Immortal X-Men, X-Men Red, and Legion of X will be transformed into Immoral X-Men, Storm & the Brotherhood of Mutants, and Nightcrawlers as this overarching saga that propels further and further into an unforgiving universe where all things are Sinister!
CAPTAIN AMERICA: COLD WAR
Currently sharing the mantle of Captain America, Steve Rogers and Sam Wilson’s current adventures collide in this crossover between Captain America: Sentinel of Liberty and Captain America: Symbol of Truth. A pivotal chapter in the 80-year history of Captain America, this espionage-fueled action thriller will be a culmination of various plot threads in this acclaimed new era including the rise of the Outer Circle, Nomad’s return, the brewing conflict with Wakanda and White Wolf, and Bucky’s new persona and mission…
SUMMER OF SYMBIOTES
Sun’s out, tongue’s out! Spinning out of titles like Venom, Carnage, and Red Goblin comes a slew of new symbiotic stories. Get ready for the return of old faces, the debut of new symbiote heroes, and exciting shifts for iconic symbiote stars. It’s a season of symbiote insanity!
FALL OF X
The X-Men hoped Krakoa would last forever. Time to find out if they were right.
Sins of Sinister
After months of teases, SINS OF SINISTER, an all-new X-Men epic, was just announced at the Marvel Comics: Next Big Thing Panel at New York Comic Con! The crossover will begin in January’s SINS OF SINISTER #1, a giant-sized one-shot by the visionary Immortal X-Men creative team, writer Kieron Gillen and artist Lucas Werneck. After that, witness the current Krakoan era crumble and enter a new Marvel Comics age brought about by Sinister’s corrupt machinations!
Immortal X-Men, X-Men Red, and Legion of X will be washed away, transformed into three limited series: IMMORAL X-MEN, STORM & THE BROTHERHOOD OF MUTANTS, and NIGHTCRAWLERS! Series writers Kieron Gillen, Al Ewing, and Si Spurrier will pen their respective new titles, joined by artists Paco Medina, Patch Zircher, and Alessandro Vitti. Tackling three separate time periods, each superstar artist will draw an issue of all three titles as consecutive issues propel the Marvel Universe further and further into a dark future, dramatically escalating the stakes with each startling time jump. 10 Years… 100 Years… 1000 Years… The Powers of Essex will seek to stretch beyond the limits of time and space! All three writers will continue their current story plans after the X-Universe shattering finale one-shot, SINS OF SINISTER: DOMINION #1!
This universe-melting X-event will introduce a horrifying timeline that makes the Age of Apocalypse look like the X-Men Swimsuit Special as Mister Sinister’s repulsive plans come to fruition. Currently playing a dangerous game with the very timestream of the Marvel Universe in the pages of Immortal X-Men, Sinister’s uncontrollable lust for domination will finally be satisfied but at what cost? It’s the end of the world as we know it, but at least Sinister feels fine. For now. Can that last? Especially when we discover that he really is his own worst enemy…
Infamous for his long-term meticulous manipulating, Mister Sinister’s scheming will yield unpredictable results in an overarching saga that pays off plot threads that have been haunting fans since Jonathan Hickman’s House of X and Powers of X! Sinister has been planning all this since the beginning…and is going to have to see through to the bitter end.
In STORM & THE BROTHERHOOD OF MUTANTS, face the wrath of Arakko! Mars has been destroyed – and now Storm wants revenge! To get it, the New Brotherhood of Arakko will battle their way through hell to seek the greatest secret of the Sinister Age…but are they fighting to save the world — or end it? And who is the new mutant hero called IRONFIRE?
Deadly powerful mutant chimeras are spliced and diced in NIGHTCRAWLERS! Mister Sinister unleashes his private army of assassins: THE LEGION OF THE NIGHT. Meet WAGNERINE, commanding this killer-crew of brainwashed hybrids, each one a genetic mix of Nightcrawler and one other of marvel’s most murderous mutants! Mysterious forces seek to break Sinister’s control over these fatal fanatics – to turn them AGAINST HIM. But who are they? And what are their true motives…? Enter MOTHER RIGHTEOUS… and a meeting of the most powerful players in the Universe…
The leaders of mutantkind have gone bad in IMMORAL X-MEN! They said the mutants were humanity’s future. In 10 years’ time, they’re proven right. The X-Men are sworn to crush a world that adores and respects them…but Emma can take a few minutes out to crush Mister Sinister first. The Quiet Council have been at eachother’s throats since Krakoa was founded. Sinister may think he’s finally come out on top but he’ll wish he was more careful about what he wished for as his maneuvering backfires and a vicious conflict erupts with galactic-sized repercussions! Plus, the long-awaited return of a fan-favorite character from the early days of the Krakoa era—RASPUTIN!
“Sinister’s lurked around, being sinister for all the Krakoan Age. Eventually, he was going to make a play. This is it, and it’s bigger than you can imagine, stretching across 1000 years of nightmares,” Gillen explained. “Dystopic future stories are an X-Men classic. We wanted to find a new way to approach that, and give something we haven’t seen before. I think we’ve pulled it off. Sinister gets exactly what he wants, and it’s hell for everyone. Including Sinister.”
Mister Sinister’s crimes have been wicked beyond imagining and now, the entire Marvel Universe will pay! Check out the covers of all the debut issues by X-Men extraordinaire Leinil Francis Yu, a complete event checklist, and descend into the SINS OF SINISTER this January!
Finally, the panel ended with a chilling Guardian’s of The Galaxy teaser image which you can see above. The details are hushed as of now but it’s definitely something to check out!
The Next Generation cast reunites to talk about the third and final season of Star Trek: Picard
Cast members and creators for Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Picard hinted at character growth against a backdrop of action
Audience members in the packed auditorium for the Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con got three panels for the price of one. Cast members and creators behind three Paramount+ shows, Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Prodigy, and Star Trek: Picard, came on stage for thirty-minute panels to talk about their characters and the upcoming seasons (or, in the case of Prodigy, second half of a season) for their shows.
Constrained by studio rules and non-disclosure agreements, which were often joked about by the cast members of all three shows, the panelists were not able to reveal much. But that didn’t seem to matter to the rapt audience, most of whom, judging by the amount of cheers the Picard cast got, were Next Generation-era fans just happy to be in the same room as the actors who played their heroes.
Star Trek: Discovery
Sonequa Martin-Green beams in from the Discovery set to join the Star Trek: Discovery panel
The current era of Star Trek kicked off with Discovery in 2017, and so it was fitting that the Discovery panel went first. Executive Producers Alex Kurtzman and Rod Roddenberry and actors Wilson Cruz (Hugh Culber) and Anthony Rapp (Paul Stamets) took to the stage while Sonequa Martin-Green (Michael Burnham) joined virtually (she’d been filming the upcoming season of Discovery until that morning and couldn’t fly to New York in time).
Cruz talked about how tonally, Discovery has shifted from season to season, and that the fifth season would carry on in that tradition, sending the crew on an adventure in which they must use their strengths to solve a mystery while discovering themselves.
Discovery has always placed great emphasis on its characters, and Martin-Green spoke of how the upcoming season would focus on who the characters are, and, more importantly, who they are together, in a more profound way than before. As for her character’s romance with Cleveland “Book” Booker?
“Oh, my,” she said. “It’s complicated!”
Martin-Green mentioned that Captain Burnham will deal with a conflict between duty and romance, a plot element that should be familiar to those who’ve watched the previous season.
Rapp talked about how Stamets will try to figure out a new path for scientific exploration, as science is his reason for being, and he’s always looking for his next passion.
Kurtzman spoke of how the most exciting thing about the show is getting to evolve the character of Captain Burnham over the course of the show.
When the time came for questions, one fan asked whether, because of Rapp’s background in musical theater and Star Trek’s long history of genre-bending, we might get a musical episode someday. All the creators could say to that was that nothing is impossible…
Star Trek: Prodigy
The Star Trek: Prodigy panelists tease the upcoming episodes
One of the newest entries into the Star Trek universe is the animated Prodigy, which follows a scrappy band of alien kids who discover a powerful Starfleet vessel and use it to escape their oppressive world. Voice actors Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway), Brett Gray (Dal R’El), and Jameela Jamil (Asencia) joined Kurtzman and Roddenberry, as well as Executive Producers Dan Hageman, Kevin Hagemen, and Ben Hibon.
Mulgrew spoke of how Star Trek has created a cross-generational conversation that we haven’t seen before, as children watch Prodigy, and their parents grew up on Voyager, and grandparents on the original series. As the first Star Trek show specifically for children, Prodigy is taking fandom someplace new and “very bloody exciting.” She also said that it’s been “thrilling to play” Janeway’s various incarnations, from the original captain to the holographic version introduced in the first half of Prodigy.
Gray, whose character, Dal, has no memory of his parents and is of an unknown species, hinted that while some new information would be revealed in the upcoming episodes, it will bring more questions than answers and is really only the beginning (he also said it was “epic”).
Jamil said that she was “over the moon” to have joined the Star Trek universe, and that the experience was the most fun she’d had.
“We made this with love,” she said, referring to the show.
Mulgrew also spoke about how it never ceases to amaze her how thrilling and satisfying it is to have new audiences discover Janeway. Asked how voicing the character differed from playing the live action version, she used the word “liberating” to describe the experience, as he could do things with her voice that she wouldn’t have been able to in person.
She also mentioned that Admiral Edward Jellico, previously Captain Jellico on Star Trek: The Next Generation, would be returning as a foil for Janeway.
And as the characters of Prodigy venture closer to Federation space, they may encounter “legendary” characters…
Star Trek: Picard
The cast and creators of Star Trek: Picard
Last but certainly not least was the panel that, by the sound of the applause, most of the audience had truly been waiting for: the one and only Picard. The third and final season will see the return of the entire Next Generation cast – Patrick Stewart (Jean-Luc Picard), Jonathan Frakes (William Riker), LeVar Burton (Geordi La Forge), Gates McFaddon (Beverly Crusher), Marina Sirtis (Deanna Troi), Michael Dorn (Worf), and Brent Spiner (Lore… more on that in a moment). They were joined by Kurtzman, Roddenberry, and Executive Producer Terry Matalas.
Following the trailer, which shows the return of Data’s villainous brother/doppelganger Lore, Spiner said that “Lore is back in a complicated way.”
The trailer also revealed the return of the holo-villain Moriarty (played by Daniel Davis). Asked about that, Stewart said that Moriarty being back is “entertaining and threatening”, and hinted that while it’s hard to isolate guest actors and characters across such a long-running series, there was something special about Moriarty in particular.
A third antagonist shown in the trailer is Vadic (played by Amanda Plummer), who was teased as a classic Trek villain.
Dorn spoke of how Worf is on a journey, and has always been on a journey (in the trailer, Worf says that he is now a pacifist – an interesting twist for a Klingon). He also hinted that while the producers included some of his ideas about the character, they also convinced him to change a lot. And so while audiences will recognize a lot of Worf, there will also be much they don’t recognize, which he loves as an actor.
Sirtis was particularly coy when asked about her character, saying only that her storyline is wrapped up in what they weren’t allowed to speak about. She did, however, mention that there would be interesting and different material surrounding Riker and Troi.
Frakes hinted at a potential conflict between Picard and Riker, mentioning that Riker was always supportive of Picard, yet Gene Roddenberry, who famously hated conflict between the Next Generation characters, would have had a “difference of opinion” regarding Riker and Picard’s relationship. Reading between the lines, it sounded like we may be in for a clash of command styles / philosophies in the third season.
Burton joked that the third season righted what was wrong about his character, which was that La Forge was never in a healthy relationship in The Next Generation (or the subsequent films). In season three, Burton will be happily married with two daughters who have followed in the family tradition… one of whom is played by Burton’s own daughter (Mica Burton).
McFaddon said that Crusher has been off on an interstellar Doctors Without Borders type of mission, and that she’s being hunted… and that was all she could say. She also mentioned that she loves everything that her character will get to do in the upcoming season.
Most fans will be familiar with the story of how Stewart only agreed to return to Star Trek if something new would be done with his character, and it seems the same will be true for the entire Next Generation cast. Asked whether his expectations had been met, Stewart said that they had been “fulfilled way beyond anything I could have imagined.” His hope had been to create something original and was initially uneasy about a reunion, but he came around to the idea of bringing everyone back… and maybe bringing everyone together.
Kurtzman mentioned that in a way, the next season would be the last Next Generation movie, told over ten episodes.
Asked whether the show would involve passing the baton to the next generation, Matalas shouted, “Definitely!”
The first night of New York Comic Con 2022 kicked off in a major way at the Main Stage of the Jacob Javits Center with the premiere of Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm before a festival crowd. The reason this was so very special to Creators Matt Maiellaro and Dave Willis is that this marks 15 years since the release of their first film Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters to a packed theatre. Alas, there is no theatrical release in the cards for this wild animated ride.
Five Spoiler-Free takeaways from this soon-to-be-preserved by the National Film Registry masterpiece
The Aqua Teens have gone through several iterations when it comes to theme songs. From Schoolly D to the power duo of Thunder Cat/Flying Lotus and everything in between, the squad is on the cutting edge of new and what’s fresh. This time, Run the Jewels is bringing the damn legitimate fiyah!
3. The visuals are gorgeous.
Fifteen years is a lot of time passed. Hell, it’s practically one year short of being able to legally pilot a motor vehicle. With this viewing experience, you will experience sexy CGI effects, sweeping 360 delights, and lush environs. They say fuck going home and instead go bigger.
4. The film takes on more of a satirical bend.
Mixing surrealist shenanigans with black humor is what Aqua Teen does best. It’s a lane they stay in because they can drive the metaphorical car like they fucking stole it. While there are several antagonist angles to fulfill our holding out for the heroes, some are ostensibly biting points through a fine and delicate ballet of absurdity and pedal to the metal carnage, whilst getting its audience to take a moment for reflection.
5. The plot employs something never been done in movies that I dare say is a game changer.
Unfortunately, for the prevention of leaked footage, cameras and phones were not allowed out whatsoever, so the treat was not unleashed on a live audience, as this would have been the creator’s only chance to see it in action.
The measures taken went as far as to loom the threat of “special night-vision goggled security” during the viewing, which to me, is nothing short of on-brand.
All I can divulge is that it looks innovative and may change the way the art of cinema is viewed forevermore. Move the shit over, 3-D, there’s a new sheriff in town.
Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm will be solely released on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and digital on November 8th from Williams Street and Adult Swim, distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
On Saturday the 8th from 1 – 9PM and Sunday the 9th from 1 – 6 Sandman fans can experience The Sandman Dream Portal as an immersive experience. It will be open to the public for the weekend and takes place at the MediaPro Manhattan Studio.
Included in this article are several images from the opening of the event, where Sandman scribe Neil Gaiman and Mason Alexander Park (AKA Desire) were in attendance. While I doubt they’ll be around with the NYCC hordes, the event looks really cool. Plus fans will listen to the voice of Gaiman himself welcome them to the experience!
Like anything from the universe Gaiman created, it’s full of mischief, mystery and beautiful and horrible artistry. Be sure and check out the rest of the images below (courtesy of Monica Schipper and Getty Images). And if you’re at NYCC, you might want to check out The Sandman Dream Portal immersive experience! Or for the rest of us, you can listen to Act III on Audible.
American Born Chinese panel at NYCC 2022 featuring actors Ben Wang and Daniel Wu, executive producers Kelvin Yu and Destin Daniel Cretton, and graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang, moderated by Juju Chang
Many who grew up in Chinese American communities will be familiar with the term “ABC,” or “American Born Chinese,” referring to the American-ized children of Chinese immigrants. I would know; I’m one myself. To grow up as an ABC is to exist in a strange, liminal ether between identities—never American enough, never Chinese enough, always striving to define oneself, sometimes trying to cast off one in a vain attempt to embody the other wholly.
It’s in this space that Gene Luen Yang’s graphic novel American Born Chinese (2006) was born, and from the panel discussion, it seems the upcoming Disney+ adaptation, coming in 2023, will not shy away from those themes. American Born Chinese is an action-comedy that follows Chinese American teen Jin Wang (Ben Wang) as he navigates high school and unwittingly finds himself entangled in a battle of Chinese mythological gods, including Sun Wukong / the Monkey King (Daniel Wu).
Speaking of the inspiration behind the graphic novel, Yang said, “I would do these stories with Asian American characters in them, but their cultural heritage never played an important part in the story. So that’s what [American Born Chinese] is. I wanted to center the Asian American experience. And from there to now, having it as a show on Disney Plus, is just absolutely mind-blowing.”
Asked what drew him to the project, executive producer Kelvin Yu (known for his work on Bob’s Burgers and Central Park) emphasized the importance of the source material. “American Born Chinese is a pretty seminal, important work of literature to comic book fans, to readers in general,” he said. “There comes a time when TV and film is ready to make the thing. And sometimes they try too early, and sometimes it doesn’t quite work out. This felt like audiences were ready, VFX was ready, stunt choreography is ready, and then we happened to meet a guy named [Destin Daniel Cretton] who’s pretty good with a camera,” he joked. “But the original story behind it… [is] a kid who’s trying to figure out his identity, and through service of that we were able to use incredible kung fu, some movie stars; But the heart of it, and the family story, is what makes it something worth spending all your time on.”
Executive producer Destin Daniel Cretton (known for directing Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings) was drawn to the project by the authenticity of the script. “I was so drawn to this character, I was so drawn to the world because it was written so beautifully, funny, but also with an authenticity that I knew we had to capture,” he said. “It’s hard to find out what is authentic and how to capture it, frankly, on film or TV, but to me the main way of doing that is by making sure that your teams, each head of every department finds that to be the core thing that they place their importance on… Every department head had a personal experience to what they were creating, so as you watch the show, whether you are familiar with the culture or not, if you look into those details, you’ll either be seeing things that speak truth to you because of your own experience or you’ll be learning things through all of those details that people have put in.”
Historically, there has been a dearth of Asian representation in American film and TV (and entertainment / culture in general)—a problem highlighted in recent years by campaigns such as #WhiteWashedOut in 2016. Following the successes of films like Crazy Rich Asians (2018) and the To All the Boys trilogy on Netflix, as well as continued efforts by Asian creators and activists, studios are (finally) making and releasing more Asian stories. Yet despite recent triumphs (such as 2021’s Shang-Chi and 2022’s Turning Red), it still feels like new territory, a decent meal after a lifetime of starvation.
Chinese American actor Daniel Wu, who plays Sun Wukong / the Monkey King, built his career in Hong Kong because of the dearth of opportunities in Hollywood. When he came across the American Born Chinese graphic novel because his nephew read it in school, he was amazed to find, for the first time, something that spoke to the Asian American experience.“When I was approached to play Monkey King in this series, I was like, I want to do this because I want to do this for [the next] generation, I want to do it for my daughter, I want them to be able to see our story on screen,” he said. “For me, growing up, I didn’t see that. I grew up in the ’70s and ’80s, and there was nothing like that on screen for me, except for maybe Long Duk Dong from Sixteen Candles, and that wasn’t representing us. And so to be part of this really beautiful family, making this really beautiful story that’s for and by us, but also for and by Americans in general, I just really wanted to be a part of it.”
For Taiwanese American actor Ben Wang, who grew up as one of the few Asian kids in a small Minnesota town, playing the show’s main character—a teen struggling with his identity and culture—wasn’t much of a stretch. “I remember getting the first side for the audition and going ‘I never read anything like this before,’” he said. “I remember the first day we were shooting… [Gene Luen Yang] asking me, ‘As an actor, did you have to take a long time to prepare for this role?’ And I was like, ‘No.’ This is a lot of me… It’s the first time for me, doing this as an actor, that I was able to draw from myself, which is interesting, right, because I trained to be an actor and part of that is learning to embody truth that aren’t familiar to you… I’d done so much of that that for the first time I was looking at this thing that was like ‘oh, I can sort of put myself into this,’ and that’s kind of scary too because it’s the first time that’s ever happened, but I’m so grateful.”
While much of the discussion, moderated by ABC News anchor Juju Chang, focused on matters of Asian representation, the panelists also reminded the audience that American Born Chinese is an entertaining action-comedy, a show that explores intimate character and family themes against a backdrop of martial arts and magic.
So many exciting things are happening across Crunchyroll’s streaming, eCommerce, and Crunchyroll Games. Let’s get going.
New Series
Revenger (Nitroplus)
Coming Soon
Synopsis: The grand samurai clan Satsuma deals with an onslaught of assassinations. Now, Usui Yuen, master assassin, investigates this matter along with Kurima Raiza, survivor of one of these attacks. They realize that the true reason for these murders is more than just stolen resources. Will they be able to exact revenge as they get closer to the truth?
Territories: Worldwide ex. Asia
The Iceblade Sorcerer Shall Rule the World (Cloud Hearts)
Coming January 2023
Synopsis: Ray White has inherited the title of Iceblade Sorcerer—the world’s most powerful sorcerer. Yet he struggles handling this massive power, having vanished with a deeply scared psyche from the battlefield, right after fighting in the Far East War. Three years later he has enrolled at the Arnold Academy of Magic—attended by elite sorcerers from all around the world. Ray’s status as “Ordinary”—the first of his kind to attend—earns him glares and contempt from the other students. Still Ray has priceless friends at the school to help him navigate this hectic, hard life. Watch how it all unfolds.
Territories: Worldwide ex. Asia
By the Grace of the Gods Season 2 (Maho Film)
Coming January 2023
Synopsis: Oh no, poor Ryoma Takebayashi! After only 39 years into a life riddled with bad luck, he passes away while asleep! Thankfully three divine beings show him kindness by allowing him to reincarnate as a little boy in a magical new world. Now he gets to research and take care of slimes. Yet after nurturing an injured wanderer, he decides to travel with his new friends and utilize his power to aid others.
There is an upcoming Limited Edition Blu-ray + DVD for That Time I Got Reincarnated as a Slime Season 2 Part 2. This amazing bundle will feature a 120-Page Art Book, special Enamel Pin and more.
New York Comic Con Fans and those at home can use code CRNEW at checkout to get 15% off their first purchase. Don’t miss out.
Crunchyroll Games going PLUS ULTRA
The Crunchyroll game, My Hero Academia: The Strongest Hero is going PLUS ULTRA alongside the debut of the anime’s sixth season! You can collect in every week in October new Villains, beginning with Shigaraki.
Don’t forget, players can log in daily for exclusive rewards and/or see the special bundle in the shop just for this event!
Players can use the code “NYCCTSH2022” until October 9 to unlock prizes to help jumpstart their adventure!
You’ll all be happy to hear that FOX Entertainment has renewed Krapopolis for a second season. What’s that? You’ve never heard of Krapopolis? Well that tracks, since season 1 isn’t actually premiering until 2023. But the good news is, the animated show has a good chance of being something worthwhile. Thanks in large part to it being developed as a collaboration between FOX’s wholly owned Bento Box Entertainment and none other than Dan Harmon.
If the “opolis” didn’t clue you in, Krapopolis is about a dysfunctional family of humans, gods and monsters in ancient Greece. It also has some real quality voice talent joining the cast, including Richard Ayoade (The IT Crowd), Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows), Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso) and many more talented actors. For a clearer idea what that entails, here’s a blurb that explains it pretty well –
Krapopolis is an outgrowth of Harmon’s direct animation deal with FOX Entertainment. In the series, Ayoade voices “Tyrannis,” the mortal son of a goddess. He’s the benevolent King of Krapopolis trying to make do in a city that lives up to its name. Waddingham plays “Deliria,” Tyrannis’ mother, goddess of self-destruction and questionable choices. Within her extended Olympian family – forged in patricide and infidelity – she’s known as the trashy one. Berry is “Shlub,” Tyrannis’ father, a mantitaur (half centaur [horse + human], half manticore [lion + human + scorpion]). He is oversexed and underemployed, claims to be an artist and has literally never paid for anything, in any sense of that word, for his entire life. Murphy voices “Stupendous,” Tyrannis’ half-sister, daughter of Deliria and a cyclops. Trussell plays “Hippocampus,” Tyrannis’ half-brother, offspring of Shlub and a mermaid, and, obviously, a hot mess, biologically speaking.
If that doesn’t sound wild enough, here’s a last bit of information. FOX’s Web3 media and Blockchain Creative Labs launched the Krakopolis website. Not only does it feature details about the new show, but it also serves as a dedicated marketplace that sells digital goods and NFTs. And it’s also the first animated series to be curated on a blockchain, so that’s something.
My own snark aside, Krapopolis really looks like it could be something special. Be sure and check it out on FOX in 2023. And stay tuned to The Workprint for our ongoing coverage of NYCC!
If you’re looking for a cool new comic to buy over at New York Comic Con, we’ve got one of the most representational titles of recent memory. A La Brava is the first-ever fully Latina women-created comic in the industry, having gained national attention on Eye Witness News and the L.A. times for its diversity. This superhero series is noted both in featuring, and being created, by an all Latina team.
“We’ve seen those stories. We’ve never seen the female story. We’ve never seen the Latina story. We haven’t seen our version of it.” – said creator Kayden Phoenix in an interview with the L.A. Times.
The comic is meant to stand as a modern voice to empower marginalized Latine individuals led by an entirely Latina artist team. They’ve got GLAAD and Eisner-nominated illustrator, Eva Cabrera (SANTA, LOQUITA) and along with newcomer Amanda Julina Gonzalez (JALISCO, RUCA).
We got to sit down with Phoenix at NYCC 2022 for a chat about the comic series, transcribed below and edited for clarity.
Thanks so much for doing this, Kayden! First, can you tell us what ‘A La Brava’ is for anyone unfamiliar with it?
Kayden: Sure! A La Brava is the first Latina superhero team in comic book history! It starts off with 5 different superhero origin stories, each featuring a different character arc, who then come together as a team called A La Brava.
It started out as a dream in 2019. I’m an independent screenwriter, and just, I wanted to see a Latina superhero team featured on the big screen. We really don’t have one still, at least not one that has an origin story by herself type of deal. So I wrote the original screenplay and shot a short film as a sizzle. But every single person asked me for a comic book, which I didn’t have.
Eventually, I finally got smart about it and did a graphic novel about my superhero and made it into all 5 of the superheroes. I did it because I wanted the representation, of course, and I still want to see a Latina superhero on the big screen. Whether it’s mine or not is irrelevant, I just wanted to see one.
A comic book historian even told me we just happened to be the first Latina team which we didn’t set out to do in the first place, but is really cool.
That’s really awesome. Can you tell us a bit about your development team and what it’s been like?
Kayden: I got really lucky. My artists are so amazing because the first thing that stands out when you look at A La Brava is either: ‘Oh, she’s really pretty’ or ‘You really like the colors’, but either way, that’s my pencilist. That’s my colorist. All Latina artists through and through with pencilings, colors, and letters.
It’s just fantastic how I got to work with really amazing talent that collaborates really well. We understand, obviously, what’s going on really well. Like if I say femicide, I don’t have to explain it, they know the importance behind it and the importance behind it and why it’s important for females in general.
What do you think was the most challenging thing about getting diverse comics’ voices out there?
Kayden: I guess the challenging thing was natural life. I started in September 2019 just before the pandemic and was taking network meetings and got invited to WonderCon and SDCC through Instagram, but then the pandemic happened.
It was a big pause and I had no influx of money at all but had to keep creating my books and paying my artists. That was a big challenge we had to go over.
I can imagine how hard it was for everyone but such a unique story came out of it! Speaking of which, can you tell us about the characters in ‘A La Brava’ and why people should check it out?
Kayden: So they’re all different heritages which is important because the Latina diaspora is different for each culture. The first is Jalisco, my dancer from Mexico, who dances in Mexican traditional dance, but also has blades that come out of her dress! She takes on femicide.
The rest of the characters are all American Latinas.
The next one is Santa, my border town girl of Texas. She lives in a made-up town called Wexo and takes on a corrupt politician called Ice who’s running for mayor. Her power is divine strength and deja vu.
Then, there’s Loquita, a Puerto Rican Cuban from Miami. She’s my supernatural teen detective who can see demons, ghosts, goblins, and ghouls. If she touches your shoulder, she can share her gift of supernatural sight as well.
Ruca, my east LA Chicana, which is where I’m from. She has instant karma meaning say you accidentally shoulder her, she’d accidentally shoulders back. Whether its good or bad she can throw back whatever you give her.
Bandita, a Dominican gunslinger from New York. She has a bullet bounce and can ricochet bullets off walls and she infiltrates a broadway theatre group and takes them down.
Finally, do you have any advice for someone starting their own comic?
Kayden: Two things. First, find your tribe. There’ll always be people around you that believe in and support you and believe in the overall mission of what’s behind it.
The second is to keep going. Always keep going no matter what. Pandemic and financial things are always a big part of the struggle for anybody but you will find a way to persevere and go through it.
A La Brava is published by Phoenix Studios. You can get a copy on LatinaSuperheroes.com, which you can also follow on Instagram.
BRING IT ON: CHEER OR DIE -- Pictured: (l-r) Tiera Skovbye as Mckayla Miller, Erika Prevost as Tori, Kerri Medders as Abby -- (Photo by: David Bukach/SYFY)
Another sequel to the Bring It On franchise, Cheer or Die is a story whose themes are, quite literally, about the promise of its premise: master your cheerleading or get brutally murdered. Without giving away spoilers, this movie could be best described as like salt in your coffee, a surprisingly bittersweet blend of genres that seems naturally rife for conflict.
On one end, you’ve got the mysterious slasher, dressed in bloodstained costume and seeking its next victim. On the opposite, you’ve got a squad of cheerleaders, often the victims of said slasher-killers, trying their best to prepare for the next big competition in a way that Bring It On can only deliver. Toss in a school that’s playing footloose over the squad (they banned stunts practice in school due to a ‘deathly cheerleading accident’ years ago) and Bring It On: Cheer Or Die is a film about overcoming the… deathly odds.
It’s a wacky premise but one that fits a teenage Halloween theme. Given SYFY’s success withSlumber Party Massacre, of whom we interviewed director Danishka Esterhazy last year, the network has proven its ability to reinvent itself. And Bring It On: Cheer or Die has recruited some great talent.
The movie is co-written by on-the-rise writer Dana Schwartz, known for her NYT Bestseller, Anatomy: A Love Story, and for being staffed on Disney’s currently popular TV series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. It’s also directed by Karen Lam, a proven story editor that’s worked on SYFY’s Van Helsing and Ghost Wars, and stars Kerri Medders, known for her starring TV roles on CBS’s Seal Team and ABC’s Promised Land. We sat with actress Kerri Medders and director Karen Lam to talk about the film, cheerleading, direction, and more.
Note, this interview is shortened for clarity.
BRING IT ON: CHEER OR DIE — Pictured: (l-r) Kerri Medders as Abby, Sierra Holder as Jackie — (Photo by: David Bukach/SYFY)
One of the first things that stands out are the amount of cheerleading “accidents” featured in the film. Were there any actual ankles hurt in production and can you share what your experience was like regarding choreography?
Kerri: “Well, let’s start with… I had no cheer experience prior to the making this film. I remember thinking <cringes on camera> Cheer? But… I don’t exercise.
Then I spoke with Tony Gonzalez, who choreographed all our cheers, saying how I don’t know if I can this but I’ll do the best I can do! He replied, very confidently, ‘Well… in three weeks. You’re gonna be a cheerleader!’ So I replied, also very confidently:
Alright let’s go! Haha!
We did 7 to 5 rehearsals for three weeks learning all of these cheers. We wanted people to look at this and be like: Yeah, they’re cheerleaders! I remember one of the lifts I was doing where I forgot to suck in my core while being elevated and I took a tumble and fell on my wrists. That was an accident that could have been more extreme but I was okay! I respect cheerleaders so much more now because it’s such a strenuous thing.”
Karen: “They’re so coordinated and I am so not coordinated. I spent a lot of time at the front watching them, and with my director brain, I also thought to myself:
Yeah, I got this too!
So I remember going back to the condo at the end of one of the cheer camps. I crank on the music and I’m like… ‘I got this’! Then, I start doing one of the routines myself and quickly realized: no, no, I don’t got this! I went into this plank but then quickly stayed down. Whatever they got… thank god for them. It’s so much harder than it even looks.”
Kerri, What preparation did you do for this role and did you have to learn any of the stunts yourself?
Kerri: “Yes! I had to learn cheerleading, because as I said, I had no experience, so I got the form down in three weeks. I do love how patient the trainers were with me and made sure I felt comfortable. The stunts I was so adamant about doing on my own because I like to immerse myself, but I did have stunt coordinators. They made sure I was harnessed on everything to climb and do all that.
I do have to say, incorporating cheerleading, at one point in time there’s an arrow flying in the movie and I’m supposed to do a backflip to dodge it. I was like, guys, at the end of the three weeks, I don’t know if I can backflip by now. But I can do a mean cartwheel?
… So that’s why the cartwheel is there!”
<Laughs> That’s awesome. Alright, so Abby is definitely the focal heroine of this story. What do you think was the most challenging thing about playing her?
Kerri: “I think it was all about finding the arc. I think in the beginning she’s eager and loves her team, but she’s very comfortable with being the co-captain. I think she’s kind of underestimated that she could be a captain and I think it was finding the balance of how, in the middle of the film, we’re kind of transforming her to becoming more confident.
Yeah, i can protect you, I got this!
I think that was the challenging part in finding the balance between awkward and being someone not very seen into being a leader. Where everyone is following her and seeing her take action.”
BRING IT ON: CHEER OR DIE — Pictured: Kerri Medders as Abby — (Photo by: Allen Fraser/SYFY)
The final girl trope is the label saved for the most hardcore survivor. What do you think you, as Abby, uniquely bring to the trope: aka what makes you badass?
Kerri: “I was gonna say I bring a lot of myself into it <laughs>. I think that’s pretty cool, she just really wanted to protect her whole team and I think it really showcases how determined she is to make it out alive. It brings out the cheer and team player effort of the Bring It On films but also the final girl aspect.”
Karen, Bring It On has been such a longstanding series with numerous sequels. Can you get into whose idea it was in adapting the series for a PG-13 slasher flick?
Karen: “I think Glenn Ross came up with this. It was an idea that they had and the team had been basically been adapting and developing it as an idea for two years before it came across my desk. Of all things, they approached a horror director, not a cheer director. They wanted it to be fun horror as a nod to both.
I knew that all my research wasn’t going to be in horror films. So I had to watch a lot of cheer. I had to watch all the Bring It On films, I watched Cheer on Netflix, Athlete A on Netflix, and a lot of YouTube channels that basically had a lot of behind-the-scenes in the lives of Cheerleaders. I even went on cheerleader Pinterest boards!”
Finally, what was more challenging to direct? The actors, the cheer choreography, or the horror movie elements of the movie?
Karen: “The Cheer. Doing those big choreographies’ sequences was nothing I’ve ever done. Once we got to the gym and doing the horror elements that’s something I’m comfortable with, but the hardest day for me was the opening football sequence.
I don’t know football along with not knowing cheer. So we had a football game, with 300 extras sitting in the stadium. Our full ensemble cast, plus we also had the competing cheer team. That’s the biggest set I’ve ever been on, I think we had three cameras. it was the biggest crew and the biggest ensemble cast I’ve ever had to deal with as well. That was something we tried rehearsing again and again but you kind of don’t know until you get there on the day.
That was by far… harder than killing anyone.”
Bring It On: Cheer or Die airs Saturday, October 8th on SYFY
During New York Comic Con 2022, The Workprint attended a press conference for Velma, an adult-animated series headed to HBO Max chronicling the origin story of Velma Dinkley, the unsung and underappreciated brains of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Inc. gang.
Headed into the presser there was one big piece of news rocking the Scooby-Doo franchise. Velma Dinkley is a lesbian.
Earlier this week clips from the newest movie in the franchise, Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo!, show a meeting between Velma and costume designer Coco Diablo which leaves Velma blushing. It’s clear as day that Velma is crushing hard on Coco.
Velma’s reveal is not a surprise to many as the character has been hailed as a gay icon for young women. It wasn’t until Trick or Treat Scooby-Doo! that Velma being a lesbian received an on-screen confirmation.
During the press conference, it didn’t take long until the question of how the new series would address Velma’s sexual orientation was raised to showrunner Charlie Grandy and the voice of Velma herself, Mindy Kaling.
“Yes, we’re very aware of the story,” said Charlie Grandy. “I think it’s great that you can tell these stories about Velma that have been talked about forever, but now you can address them in all the different iterations of Velma. We don’t want to give away any spoilers about that episode.”
“Her self-discovery is a really big part of this series,” Kaling added. “One of the biggest appeals for Charlie and I about doing this was when we started working on the show and Charlie started writing the first script it was like… that’s a big part of it. We didn’t want to ignore it. It’s what’s interesting to people. She’s an icon for young gay women and I think that’s really interesting to us. Her figuring it out is a big part of the show and why it is really fun to do.”
“ATLANTA” -- "Work Ethic!" -- Season 4, Episode 5 (Airs Oct 6) Pictured (L-R): Austin Elle Fisher as Lottie, Zazie Beetz as Van. CR: Guy D'Alema/FX
Dreams are funny. They can turn on a dime into nightmares, but they’re still yours to own.
They can surprise you when least expected, perhaps even presenting a side you didn’t even know you had… or perhaps knew all along, but refused to check at the front gate.
Season 4 Episode 5 Recap
We open with Van (Zazie Beetz) driving with Lottie up to Chocolate Studios.
Before security, both her purse and Lottie’s backpack are checked for firearms. I’m sure they’ve had incidents…
Both she and Lottie (Austin Elle Fisher) join Chocolateland (a studio for the culture and by the culture). The tour guide informs everyone that Kirkwood’s old film stages and studios are now used as his personal office. No one gets in… or out.
Entering the main lobby, Van proceeds to sign in for filming and awaits hair and makeup.
Lottie’s hungry, but sadly, food will have to wait. Ring familiar? After minorly dodging a dodgy drug dealing dad, Van is called.
They pass a few of Chocolateland’s movie posters ranging from Tyler Perry-esque to Jordan Peele-esque. This is a factory, not an art house.
In hair and makeup, Phaedra (Madeleine Wood) seems impressed with Lottie’s behavior. It’s both their first time on a set.
Phaedra asks Van if she’s a Chocolate fan. She admits to not having watched his work in a while and admits to the gig just being a quick avenue for decent pay that supports the black arts. Her friend convinced her to do something for herself and audition. Phaedra is all the same. Damn day-players.
With that bonding moment before the handyman on set, Shamik (Xaveria Baird) arrives. Vanessa ain’t too slow in introducing herself by the name proper along with a smile.
Opening up with an establishing shot of a traditional white suburban house to audience applause, fading to the interior, both Van and Woman 1 (Candy McLellan) attempt to convince Woman 2 (Brenda Howard) to leave her husband.
Woman 2, clearly taking the Tammy Wynette approach to things, is confronted by her hubby (Joseph Benjamin) heated that she has friends over.
Before the scene can breathe, an ominous, disembodied voice is heard over a loudspeaker, putting an abrupt hold on filming.
He instructs the actor playing hubby to grab the actress playing Sondra by the shoulders and tells PA Mikey (Ja’Ness Tate) to muss up the actress’s hair.
The scene continues, with the guy demanding Van and her co-star leave before a very confident voice off-screen tells him to shut up. This is Lottie.
Mortified, Van explains to her that it’s all quiet on set when filming. The speaker, however, requests to see her.
Lottie inquires into where he is to which he responds ‘everywhere, like God.’ He’s Mr. Chocolate. Doesn’t it feel right?
He inquires why she told the ‘mean man’ to be quiet, to which Lottie responds that he was in fact being mean and with that, he’s made up his mind. He wants her in the scene and on the staircase with the only proviso that she repeats the line exactly the way she said it.
Though Van makes it a point that her daughter doesn’t act, he counteracts that everyone does.
When Lottie’s big line comes up, the entire production cracks a giggle and a smile. Mr. Chocolate is thoroughly impressed, though his monotone demeanor sounds a bit like if Werner Herzog combined with the late, great Alan Rickman, so who knows if he was happy with it?
Mr. Chocolate calls cut to move it in the can and move on to the next scene.
Lottie wasn’t in previous scenes, and though Mr. Chocolate assures her that they’ll fix it in-post, the Post Department had been begging them to fix all roadblocks in pre-production.
Mr. Chocolate will need Lottie in the next scene, which will require a little more time, including a wardrobe fitting. Van doesn’t seem the happiest.
Lottie is smitten with dressing up. She asks the wardrobe lady, Marcie (Nicole Samuel Washington) if she could wear it, to which she is met with an ‘up to you, Mother-Darlin’’ as Mr. Chocolate says whatever she wants to wear is fine.
Van confides in Marcie that she’s kind of nervous for her daughter, but is assured that because she seems excited, will adapt just fine. Van’s just worried that Lottie doesn’t understand the bigger picture of what she’s about to participate in and how it can be a siren call.
Marcie’s the second behind-the-scenes to ask about the movies she’s seen. Van can only conjure up a movie where a woman marries an angel titled “Do Not Be Afraid”. Van’s not a Christian. She’s spiritual, which seems the most even-keeled, prompting Marcie to reflect with a verse: “Whoever doesn’t receive the Kingdom of God like a child won’t enter it.” Think about that.
Radiant, Lottie shows mom her new digs. Van tells her that if she feels uncomfortable for any reason to give her the thumbs down signal and that they’re ghosts, zero fucks given, and have her solidify that promise with their own personal handshake.
In the rewrite, Lottie is playing Van’s former scene friend’s daughter. Lottie’s the one to say she doesn’t like the way her husband treats her. A new actress, Lottie’s on-screen friend, tells her that her momma’s crazy. Lottie gets a nice little comeback before cracking up one of the production hands.
Mr. Chocolate is pleased. Van checks on Lottie, who is all smiles and thumbs up!
The other stage mom (Jacinte Blankenship) tells Van they need to stick together. She believes that Mr. Chocolate loves Lottie so much, maybe her own daughter can go on this showbiz journey with her i.e. swimming in her slipstream. All about the money. Ring familiar?
Van writes off the day as just a little adventure, but the mother thinks Lottie’s not only a knack for the stage but also a love for it. Van thinks her daughter should take the show instead, and though she agrees, she knows she’s not the right ‘type’, hence wanting an alliance.
Before Van could even think to get out of the situation, Lottie’s already been moved to the next scene. She’s in 14 more.
Van, becoming uneasy, requests to see Mr. Chocolate himself, to which she is denied. Van at least wants to get to the Tommy Lister Memorial Stage, where Lottie will be filming and Shamik’s more than eager to escort.
She’s from here, the ATL. He’s from New Orleans. She denies being an actress. He thinks they are naturals, which elicits a smile.
He got into maintenance due to being incarcerated when he was younger, but Mr. Chocolate’s program helped him gain employment. Van doesn’t mind the flirtation.
Before he departs, he leaves her with his card before smoothly slinking away. Methinks new opportunities present themselves for both mother and daughter today.
With an establishing shot of a plantation with the sound of cannon fire in the distance, we fade into a weeping Lincoln with a slave simply calling him a “white piece of shit”, telling him she hopes he gets shot in the theatre.
Mr. Chocolate deems ‘Cut’ and a set flip, though it was blocking, not filming. He’ll have them fix it in Post.
Van asks the director about the whereabouts of her daughter. She’s been moved to the John Witherspoon stage. The director claims that she’s directing two pilots and starring in another, so only Mr. Chocolate truly knows what’s going on at any moment.
Van deploys the word ‘unacceptable’ just as Earn did when offered bottled water in his holding room, waiting for D’Angelo. Just like him, Van demands answers. The director sees that the red light on the speaker is off, so this “tiny” window of time allows her to comply.
Van accuses Kirkwood of kidnapping. This will just be a blip once Lottie wins a BET award. Van bristles because Lottie’s scene partner is resigned to eating a literal crack sandwich. They both laugh making His Highness out to be some rebel auteur. So much fun!
Everybody under his employ seems to eat his shit up for breakfast, lunch, and dinner as if they were brainwashed.
Van questions herself, knowing that she wouldn’t even let Lottie watch the crap produced on the very same lot she’s on. She knows the output is pure brain-rot, but I guess look at the myriad NAACP and BET awards he’s won.
He’s done a lot for the community. Ring familiar?
Seeing an enraptured production staff, Van can only see her daughter through the monitors, viewing her ‘mother’ eating a crack sandwich.
Cut.
This is what it’s come down to.
Before Van can get to Lottie, she’s out of sight.
Mr. Chocolate has big plans for Lottie. This place is seeming more and more like a Boxed-In-Building than a sand fort.
Even Security cannot help Van out, as he’s also an intern. Oh, great. Free labor. Ring familiar?
Van’s now alone and confused, perhaps even scared; things that she fears her daughter is feeling at this very moment.
Staring up at the speaker, the red light off, she demands the box on the carpeted wall return to her that which she came with. It simply responds “No.”
Van ain’t having that, and immediately busts through the Exit. Red sign, carpeted walls, tight spot? Did the first episode foreshadow the rest of the season?
Random as the universe is, when you create one, the power is in your hands. Just ask Mr. Chocolate.
That is until someone decides to wrestle the universe and its chaos.
Storming the lot with a fire in her eyes and Little Simz’ “Point and Kill” as her bugle call, Van is loaded for bear.
Marcie tries to get her attention. Not today. She’s a lioness after her cub.
She gets up to the office, sentineled by two armed guards.
Demanding entry, insisting he has her daughter, Van breaks down. The tank has fallen before it even-
Wait. Marcie offers a calming word along with a true bullet in one of their feet.
She ain’t playing and yep, and yes, their guns are fugazi. Let’s see if this Wizard is as well.
After a hallway and climb, Van opens the door to a discordant piano is heard. Could it fucking be the rainbow one?
Inside is a goddamn mess with seemingly endless rolls of paper scattered about with the pecking of a typewriter pealing.
Continuing further in, she sees someone in a robe pounding away at the piano.
His playing stops, as does the typing. This is Mr. Chocolate (Donald Glover), just writing on his “Key-ano”, which turns words into notes. It’s the sound of the universe. Messy, ugly, unfunny, and sad. Steve Jobs crafted up the contraption for him, so par for the course.
Van just wants her daughter back.
He points her out on screen, on the Mario Van Peebles Stage. Van goes to exit, but he promises Lottie will have already moved on to the next scene and the next stage. He just doesn’t know where that next stage is.
Admitting to not understanding the ‘whole operation’ i.e. universe with its wants and needs, and not being able to control it, Chocolateland is a child out of his control. That hits very hard as a screenwriter when it comes to actual studios.
Ironically, he spouts for a line of dialogue that isn’t germane to the subject matter of the scene, willing it anyway. Fucking charlatan.
She threatens to call the police, but he claims to own them.
Cornering her, he claims Lottie as his before she slings hot grits to the face.
Screaming in agony before claiming to be fine, impervious to them, composes. Is it an allusion to Al Green?
She sees the forest for the trees. The dude’s a con-man, making unrelatable pablum for monetary gain and fame, but before she twists the knife, Mikey and Lottie enter.
Running back footage of her day, he with insouciance recreates a narrative out of spying. A single mother (Van) who could barely afford to feed her child (Lottie), a hip best friend (Phaedra), an incarcerated light-skinned love interest (Shamik), and a Christian, pistol-packing grandmother (Marcie).
With this knowledge, he claims her as one of his own.
Van admits to being a living cliche, but also rebuttals by telling him he’s no artist.
Viewing himself as higher, and much like his chum, Mr. Jobs, he fancies himself a philanthropist and wants to offer Lottie 6 seasons of a series that would set her into her 20s. Ring familiar?
Vanessa wants none of that, much to her daughter’s protestations.
She digs her foot and is met with the type of pushback you would get from a little girl who’s tasted fame.
To be fair, that’s all Mr. Chocolate is- a crack sandwich. Feels good at the moment, but is ultimately toxic.
After a heart-to-heart at home, Van realizes that her dreams are just a bubble to be popped as well. All Shamik wanted was a quick hookup.
Season 4 Episode 5 Takeaway
The Herzog reference with a God of Wrath thing I didn’t miss.
This had a very big Teddy Perkins vibe, with Donald Glover playing the enigmatic Kirkwood. The dude sure knows how to direct the hell out of himself.
Like Earn, Vanessa is driven. This is a stand-alone episode of hers and I adore it.
We all want to be liked, applauded, and praised for a good job, but at what cost?
This is the middle of the final season. Wisdom is gained, whereas worries are for those that haven’t been achieved.
This is also reprobation of Shonda Rhymes and Tyler Perry. In employing POC, they kowtow to the lowest common denominator all the while masquerading as inspirational success stories.
Is it a zero-sum game with others trying to elevate black excellence? Or is it just digging the hole deeper?
Aqua Teen Forever: Plantasm will be solely released on Blu-ray, 4K Ultra HD, and digital on November 8th from Williams Street and Adult Swim, distributed by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment.
