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‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ Episode 2 Review – “The Star-Spangled Man”

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Bucky and Sam get down to business
Bucky and Sam get down to business

Heavy is the head that wears the crown…er…cap? The new boy in red, white, and blue has big shoes to fill, not to mention hoping to get an endorsement from Steve’s “Wingman.”

Who is the new Captain America? Meet John Walker (Wyatt Russell), a man more qualified for the position than initial observation might suggest. Luckily, his interviewer (The Chase’s Sara Haines) is quick to point out his physical prowess and combat experience. My favorite part of this opening scene though is Bucky’s face as he watches this on his floor.

This is the catalyst that allows our show to really get going. Bucky’s outrage over a new Cap leads him to confront Sam about it. Sam explains quite clearly he made his choice and it’s final. His main mission now is to deal with the Flag Smashers. This scene also gives us that fun conversation from the trailers where Sam argues the inconsequential differences between Wizards and Sorcerers. I mean…if it uses magic, it’s a witch, wizard, sorcerer, warlock, what does the name really matter? Hell, didn’t WandaVision make that distinction pointless when it laid out very clearly that Wanda is a witch? I’d be interested to hear Buck’s take on that!

Onto the mission: where Bucky joins despite not being invited. The petty rivalry between these two really makes the show what it is. You have Sam, who has clearly reached out via text message in hopes of forming some connection with Bucky, and then you have Bucky, who is dealing with the loss of his best friend, the conditions of his pardon, and civilian life after being a soldier for ninety years. It’s an interesting dynamic, and it presents a scenario we’ve all experienced just with a unique caveat. Are your friends friends when you’re not around? Can they be? The biggest common thread Bucky and Sam share is Steve, and the fact that all of this occurs not long after he essentially abandons both of them for his own happiness can’t be ignored.

When we lose a loved one, we tend to focus on places, things, or even people, who remind us of that person. Sam’s got his wings, he’s got his friendships with the other Avengers (I admit an assumption here), but what about Bucky? Bucky lost Steve three times. When he was captured by the Nazis when he was blipped away for five years, and when Steve decided to stay in the past. His only connection to this lost person is Sam, but he fights it because he’s from a generation that doesn’t acknowledge deeper emotional cause and effect. The comment he makes about why Sam’s refusal to pick up the shield highlights this perfectly; it’s a breakthrough for him. I’m hoping we see more.

Speaking of seeing more, as these two try and work together to take down the Flag Smashers, new Captain A, joined by his pal Lamar Hoskins (Clé Bennett) aka Battlestar, appear to lend a hand. It is not a welcome assist. I’m curious how future run-ins with Walker and Hoskins will work out. Given where the episode goes later, we can be confident the racial dynamics between these two teams will be a factor. How exactly isn’t clear, but if they simply ignore it that would be both surprising and a wasted opportunity.

On the bright side, Marvel looks to be open to change. See our band of super soldiers, not your average-looking terrorists, instead, we get some nice diversity. Though, the way they’re acting the plot twist of them not actually being the bad guys is a very real possibility. Their leader, Karli Morgenthau (Erin Kellyman), gets a text from someone who accuses her of stealing something from them and vows to kill her because of it. We know, from the trailers, that Helmut Zemo (Daniel Brühl) is going to show up (hell, at the end of the episode we see him)…did he save some of the serum from Captain America: Civil War with the intention to make super soldiers after all? Yes, he killed the Winter Soldiers but that might have been just because they were not his creations. Not figures he could mold or control (assuming each required its own special collection of activation words and he only ever had Bucky’s), maybe he wanted more people like himself – those who had lost loved ones to the collateral damage of superheroes? At any rate, creating super soldiers is tricky business, just ask Isaiah Bradly (Carl Lumbly).

In one of the most powerful scenes in this episode, which comes about halfway through, Isaiah Bradly is introduced as someone Bucky knew from the Korean War, sent on a suicide mission to take out the Winter Soldier – in the comics he has no relation to Bucky and is instead sent on a suicide mission to destroy a Nazi war camp, which he does…in a stolen Captain America uniform; this act of defiance gets him court marshaled and imprisoned when he returns home. This version of Isaiah has some other notable differences from his comic book counterpart: for one thing, he’s sane. Sadly, the comic book hero was given a bootleg super soldier serum which leads to dementia later in life. On a less depressing note, he was well known among the black superhero community, here? Clearly not, as it is Bucky who enlightens Sam to his existence. And Sam’s reaction? Ouch. Follow that up with the police pullover just a few minutes later and it’s a one-two punch of racial red flags.

My only quibble is that Sam gets mad at Bucky for never mentioning Isaiah’s existence to him, or Steve, or anyone, but is this really a surprise? Bucky only just recently got his life back, he was the Winter Soldier up until 2014. He was estranged from Cap until 2016 (more so if you consider he was put under ice until the scientists at Wakanda could fix his programming, which we don’t exactly have a timeline for), and then got Blipped away in 2018. At best, he had 2 years to tell anyone what he knew. The fact is he was trying to move on from his past, live a quiet life in Wakanda until shit hit the fan and he was forced to enter the fray, a detail he mentions in therapy. And, he only brings up Isaiah because of the newly emerged super-soldiers, because, as far as he knows, he and Bradly were the last. Also, also, considering their fairly hostile “friendship” they have how is it a surprise!? It’s obvious Bucky has been avoiding Sam and the only reason they even come together is because of their mutual connection: Steve. How would a conversation like that even start? Not to mention that Bucky felt he was honoring Bradly by allowing him his peace.

After such a powerful scene we get…the couples therapy scene. Not gonna lie, I kind of hate this scene. Don’t get me wrong, I laughed at the awkwardness same as everyone else, but that doesn’t excuse the annoying trope it’s built upon. Bucky and Sam’s uneasy tether is inevitably going to turn into a strong friendship – unless Bucky dies by the end, which would be tragic, but not unthinkable – and the media will almost certainly refer to it as a “bromance”. I hate this term. I hate it because it feels like it’s supposed to be an insult. I hate it because there’s no such term for female friends. You know why? Because the idea of females being friends with each other without an underlying sexual component is normal in our society. Let’s be honest, even if there is a sexual component society welcomes it because that’s “hot”. But the only way to handle a male relationship of the same nature is to make it “cute”. To lessen the bite with an adorable portmanteau like “bromance”, because it’s “gay” for guys to be friends with each other, right? Who knows, maybe I’m wrong…I hope so.

OK, last little bit of soapboxing, and I’m not sure if this is on purpose: the age differences between Steve and the other Avengers is a running gag throughout the MCU, however here (especially this episode) it is used in a unique way. When Bucky explains his reasoning for not divulging the truth of Isaiah, he brings up the use of the phrase “my people”, which Sam is quick to try and comfort him about. Bucky just as quickly corrects him saying Isaiah meant Hydra. Could be I’m reading into things, but I found this a good example of the age divide between these two. Sam is raised in an age where race and racism are very real things, but he comes from a generation that is taught to listen for key phrases and address their utterance, expecting them to come from older people who grew up normalizing them. Bucky isn’t as trigger prone, most likely because of his age. He understands exactly what Isaiah meant in context, instead of taking it as a blanket racist remark.

Overall, what a fantastic episode. All the little jokes work nicely, the food for thought, and anticipating where it will go…

‘The Falcon and the Winter Soldier’ – Episode 1 “New World Order” Review

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Title card for the show

Welcome to a more traditional “Odd Couple” setup.

The pilot for Marvel’s latest mini-series, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, begins with a mission involving a kidnapped soldier. It has everything you expect from an exciting Marvel property: Aerial stunts, daring rescues, and high stakes. It’s a good opening for what is essentially a slow burn episode.

Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) aka The Falcon, leaves his successful mission to fly to Washington to speak at the dedication of a Captain America exhibit at the Smithsonian. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle) asks Sam why he didn’t take up the mantel of Cap, but Sam didn’t feel like it belonged to him. See, to the government, Sam is The Falcon, but to his sister Sarah (Adepero Oduye) and her two sons (played by Chase River McGhee and Aaron Haynes), he’s simply “Uncle Sam”. And he’s dealing with the fallout of being gone for five years during “The Blip”, which left his sister alone to run the family fishing business down in Louisiana.

She’s finally come to terms with the reality that selling the boat and the business is the only way to survive when Sam shows up to give her false hopes. He’s an Avenger what could go wrong? Sadly, he is still a black man going to a bank asking for a loan – surprise, surprise, he is denied. Unfortunately, before he can begin to formulate a plan B, his friend from the opening mission, Joaquin Torres (played by Danny Ramirez) brings to his attention a new and troubling development in Switzerland. A rising threat that Torres brought up earlier (the Flag Smashers) in the episode is making itself more known. Then, of course, is the press conference that introduces a brand new Captain America…uh what?

Meanwhile, after a nightmare introduction (literally), we get to catch up with James “Bucky” Barnes (Sebastian Stan). He’s seeing a shrink, Dr. Raynor (played by Amy Aquino), suffering from PTSD, and trying to make amends. He’s not a fan of therapy but he’s got no choice it’s part of his being pardoned for war crimes deal. Much like a lot of soldiers, Bucky is at a loss for what to do now that he doesn’t have a war to fight.

While the shrink points out his lack of friends and social life, we soon see that James has at least one friend it seems. An old Japanese man named Yori (Ken Takemoto). You are initially led to believe that this is because of Bucky’s age – he is a man out of time, it makes sense he would want to hang out with someone who could relate. Not to mention the only other person with “shared life experience” as Steve had put it, is now an old man and possibly dead (I’ll be honest, they don’t outright say he died, but he also isn’t around…). But, his friendship is another name on his amends list; the old man is the father of one of the people we see The Winter Soldier kill in his most recent flashback.

When Marvel first started introducing shows on Netflix each one appeared to have an overall theme. Jessica Jones was obviously geared towards women who survive sexual assault that eventually ballooned out to include any kind of assault. Luke Cage was dedicated to the black community in relation to gangs, the black power struggle, and corruption. Iron Fist was largely about mental health, to begin with, which evolved to include addiction and family drama. Punisher dealt with PTSD, veterans’ affairs, and somewhat devolved into reckless patriotism. And Daredevil, which started everything off, was about vigilante justice and the balancing act heroes face when putting on a mask. These new offerings could have similar promise since WandaVision at least in part dealt with grief and how that can manifest into wish-fulfillment that can quickly go downhill.

I’m wondering then if The Falcon and the Winter Soldier will be focused on veteran issues. If they do, it should be an interesting take because instead of Frank Castle who channeled his PTSD and rage into a violent retribution, we have Sam who is trying to get back to a semblance of civilian life after being vanished for five years, and James, who is going to therapy even though he doesn’t always act in the best of ways.

Also, why is the running gag for the “man-of-out-time” always pressuring him to date? They did it to Steve and now they’re doing it to Bucky. I mean, Steve you kind of understood because there was always the idea that he was holding out for Peggy, but Bucky didn’t have his own epic love story that we are aware of. Tough break, Bucky, but there’s always Hinge…

Watchmen: Season 1 Episode 7 “An Almost Religious Awe” Review

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Officer Jen and Angela Abar
You've got the makings of a cop, Angela Abar

Well, it only took seven episodes, but we’re finally going to learn the origin of Sister Night!

We open on a documentary about Jon Osterman, better known (after his accident) as Dr. Manhattan. This blue-skinned oft naked god is the only superhero in the Watchmen canon with legit superpowers. He’s the reason America won the Vietnam War, and Nixon was able to abolish term limits. But, he’s just a red herring. See, the documentary is playing on a cardboard cutout of Dr. Manhattan within a video store where a little girl is shopping for a movie to rent.

This is Angela Abar (played as a child by Faithe Herman) and the movie she wants to watch is “Sister Night”, a Blaxploitation film centered on a crime-fighting masked woman dressed as a nun. The man behind the video counter (Damien Dao), speaking Vietnamese since they are in Vietnam, scoffs at her effort. She has tried renting this movie multiple times and he knows how it’s going to end. Only…he doesn’t, and neither do we. Not this time.

The little girl leaves, going to her parents (Marcus and Elise Abar played by Anthony Hill and Devyn A. Tyler respectively) convinced she’ll be successful this time. All around her people gather in the streets – It’s VVN, a celebration of the day Dr. Manhattan defeated the Vietcong and ended the war. There are Dr. Manhattan masks, toys, even a puppet show! Angela runs through it all to reach her parents, presenting the tape. Her father denies the request, yet again, why? Because “people who wear masks are dangerous”. He’s not wrong, but as we’ll soon learn not all dangerous people need masks.

You see, not everyone’s thrilled about the liberation, or the subsequent adoption of Vietnam as the 51st state in America. As Angela runs back to the video store to prove the clerk right, she slowly starts to realize something isn’t right. Visions of the Tulsa Massacre blip in and out; Angela’s past is colliding with her grandfather’s. It ends just as tragically. The little girl watches as a man screams just before an explosion goes off. Her parents are swallowed by the wall of fire.

Not long after, the police come to the orphanage where Angela is now living. They ask her to positively identify the man who killed her parents and her reaction to this situation inspires one of the officers (Jennifer Vo Le) to give her a badge. Angela, much like her grandfather, became a cop to get justice for the two people she could never protect. And, like Will Reeves’ family, hers was destroyed because of a hatred they had nothing to do with.

The last memory we get is of June (played as an older woman by Valeri Ross) arriving at the orphanage to free her granddaughter. June explains that she fell out of touch with her son, Angela’s father, when he joined the army. She had a heart attack which made her write him a letter, which leads to her being informed of his death. It worked out though because June found out about Angela. She flew out to Vietnam to bring her granddaughter home to Tulsa. Tragically, as Angela is being loaded in the taxi, June has a second heart attack and dies on the street.

This is why Angela is so wary of family. Why she’s as dedicated to the law as her grandfather was. In Will’s memories, the constant threads are his mother playing the piano and the Bass Reeves movie she was playing it to. “Trust in the law!” is a powerful ideal for a child to cling to when reality espouses the exact opposite. We all aspire to rise above, to hold onto our childhood ideals when the real world bashes our expectations to the ground time and time again. It’s funny how we repeat the past without realizing it. Angela believes she became an officer of her own accord, but blue was in her blood. As for family, avoiding it becomes the path of least resistance for both of them.

Will doesn’t know how to deal with his loss and rage, he tries to channel it, but eventually, it threatens any progress he might make. He allows his family to abandon him in hopes of a better life for them. Angela avoids her past because trusting family has only lead to loss for her. Her parents killed by forces beyond her control, her grandmother, killed by the same just not as flashy. It also gives a new depth to the scene where she is hugging her grandfather while putting him in her car. Trust is hard to have when you open yourself up only to be stabbed. Without context, it’s no surprise she picked Cal – a man without a history – as her husband, and, in lieu of children who might inherit her “genetic trauma”, she has adopted offspring.

To be honest, the rest of the episode isn’t nearly as compelling as the flashbacks to Angela’s childhood, but here are some of the bullet points:

Bian is not Lady Trieu’s daughter but a clone of her mother. The nightmares she’s been suffering from are the result of her life’s memories being reintroduced to her brain via nightly IV drips of Nostalgia. We learn this because of a conversation Angela has with Lady Trieu, where Angela learns that the Lady has been working with Will Reeves. He’s asked her to help him stop the 7th Kavalry, but there’s more and it’s a doozy. Dr. Manhattan isn’t on Mars, he’s on Earth disguised as a human and the Kavalry intend on destroying him then taking his power.

Agent Laurie Blake’s made progress on her investigation. She sent Dale to Tillman’s house only to find his bunker filled with dead Kavalry members (save for one without a hood). Laurie, in the meantime, goes to Jane Crawford’s to inform her of her husband’s murderer, and to hypothesize about his involvement in Cyclops. Agent Blake puts almost the whole puzzle together, working out that Sen. Keene Jr. orchestrated the “White Night” in order to pass the mask-mandate for police officers. Jane doesn’t deny any of it, which shocks Laurie enough for her to stupidly stay in place when Jane activates the trap door beneath her seat. I mean, seriously, this is one of the more frustrating scenes in the whole series. Laurie has dealt with supervillains before, she should know better!

Adrian’s side story returns. He’s been on trial for a year, accused of trying to escape and crimes against humanity (both on Europa and Earth). He’s found guilty after making no effort to defend himself and being judged by a jury of his “peers” which the judge (aka The Game Warden) reveals to be pigs (during the trial the original jury is made up of Mr. Phillipses and Ms. Crookshankses, along with everyone else in the court).

Lastly, we circle back around to that Dr. Manhattan reveal. Just as our episode opened up on Jon it ends on him too. Angela, learning of the Kavalry’s intentions, rushes home to talk to Cal, because he’s really Dr. Manhattan in disguise. She slams a hammer into his skull and keeps digging until she pulls a small round device from the bloody mess. Then there’s a familiar blue glow.

The title is a line from the Watchmen comic itself, Dr. Manhattan’s response to how the Vietnamese react to him.

One more thing of note: Cal is reading “For Whom the Bell Tolls” by Ernest Hemmingway. Aside from the fact that you could probably start a whole book club based on Cal’s readings throughout the series, this book in particular is an interesting choice. Not only is it a classic piece of literature (as judged by the masses, not me, I hate Hemingway), it is extremely similar to Watchmen in its structure. The book contains completely fictional characters, historical figures who have been fictionalized, and revolves around genuine historical events. Some of the themes are the same too: death, community, and contemplations about racism and fascism. Granted, one could probably argue that all of the books Cal reads are tied to the same themes. Maybe…it’s certainly worth another watch-through, don’t you think?

Speaking of…if this is your first run-through of the series, I’ll ask nothing of you. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the fucked up show. If this is your second or third though, I would ask that you harken back to “She was killed by Space Junk”, and the conversation that happens in the car with Sister Night, Agent Petey, and Agent Blake. This exchange ties to the current episode in three ways: 1. It references Dr. Manhattan, and more specifically, Laurie’s relationship with him in comparison to Angela’s relationship with Calvin. 2. It references Laurie’s hypothesis on why heroes wear masks. And, 3. It references Laurie’s curiosity as to why a nun? Knowing this, when you get done watching episode seven, please go back and watch “…Space Junk” (ep. 3) and see the majesty of what Damon Lindelof can do when he actually has a fucking plan.

In the Season 2 Finale of ‘A Discovery of Witches’ Diana and Matthew Leave the Past

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In the final episode of A Discovery of Witches season 2, Diana and Matthew meet an unexpected visitor as they tie up loose ends in London while a gathering at Sept-Tour ends with dire consequences.

Another Weaver Arrives in 1591 London

Diana continues training with Goody Alsop as she works on mastering the final knots in order to return to the present. She seems to have a bit of trouble with it though as she’s really begun to settle into life during this time. During a session, Goody tells the younger witch that another weaver has arrived (having felt a presence) which surprises Diana having thought they were the only ones left. They are to wait though until the newcomer make themselves known as this arrival is no accident.

As Matthew and Diana are making their way home, she stops by a small alleyway to purchase a new book for Jack. As his wife is browsing, the vampire suddenly notices the smell of coffee in the air prompting Diana to disagree because coffee won’t arrive there for decades. He quickly says time walker and moves to find the individual. Luckily the person was just a few steps away and when Matthew demands to know who he is, the witch recognizes the other man as her father Stephen Proctor. That makes sense that she would get her time walking abilities from a parent.

The three return to the couple’s home where Stephen seems a bit cagey at first to reveal why he’s there. He eventually reveals that he’s there to look for an alchemical book, Ashmole 782. Diana tells her dad that they have it and shows him the manuscript. Unfortunately, she has been unable to read it likely due to the damage from the three ripped pages. She adds that there was a strange image of the tree of life and one of two dragons shedding their blood, with Matthew adding that it was one of the pages sent to his wife in the future. Stephen reveals that had been postmark from Jerusalem and arrived out of the blue, which he assumed were from Jewish witches. Diana wonders if it could have been from Rabbi Loew. The anthropologist comments that he thought he’d be able to study the book but it’s a shame that his daughter is unable to read it. The vampire though explains that the genetic material in the book could hold all sorts of answers and its importance goes beyond research as power creatures are looking for it. Diana tells Stephen that Peter Knox is also one of them and her father answers it’s a good thing he doesn’t know there’s dark magic in it because the other man is apparently obsessed with it.

While Diana returns Ashmole 782 in its hiding place, Stephen lectures Matthew about staying too long in the past. He admonishes them for adopting a child and stealing a book from the Hapsburg emperor. Her father says that they broke the rules of time walking, to observe and not participate. They need to go and leave the book behind as he only intendeds to study it during this time. Diana disagrees that the book must come with them so that they can find the missing pages and for Matthew to analyze its DNA. But Stephen insists that she cannot time travel with a powerful object she doesn’t understand. The two have already messed with history.

Diana takes her father to meet Goody Alsop and on their way to the other witches’ home they chat about knots. Stephen turns out to be completely self-taught and never formally learned. She tells him about the knots she’s working on mastering in order to go home and he asks if he’s scared of it. Diana says no and he laughs that lack of ability will never be her problem but desire maybe. If she completes it that means she’ll have to leave. She nods in acknowledgement before they enter Goody’s house. Unsurprisingly the elder witch is waiting for them. As Diana is practicing the knot, Stephen suggests that she’s trying too hard and Goody agrees with him. As the historian is at last able to complete the ninth knot, Matthew watches them from above and smiles.

The moment is altered though when Stephen comments that some witches would kill for that power. This triggers Diana as she remembers how her parents died. Goody encourages her to speak her truth as it holds no purpose in withholding it. She then bids father and daughter good night so that they can have a private conversation. Diana is in tears, admitting to her dad that she’s terrified of changing anything and yet desperate to change everything. Stephen seems to understand and tells her that nothing can keep him and her mother from their fate. They haven’t seen what’s to come but they know their time with her is short. He encourages her to make peace with it because it’s a part of a whole tapestry, like her child to come. Diana laughs saying that she wanted to tell him, but Stephen admits that Rebecca saw it. He congratulates her and says that a child is a precious gift. He then sadly states that it’s time he took a stroll but that she is everything they’ve ever dreamed for her to become. They tearfully hug before Stephen says that he’ll see her later.

A Gathering at Sept-Tour

Agatha, Nathaniel, Sophie Miriam, and baby Margaret arrive at Sept-Tour to be greeted by Ysabeau and Marthe. Marcus and Phoebe are not far behind with the vampire telling his ladylove that it’s not too late to turn back. But she seems determined to stick around and tells him that their relationship is a privilege.

Over dinner, Marcus asks what the covenant actually stands for today, segregation and discrimination? He implores that they need to evolve if they all want to survive. Phoebe speaks up and thinks that the change has already begun with four species all dining together, which according to Marcus doesn’t happen very often. She’s got some spine to voice her opinion as a newcomer to all of this that the only way forward seems to be together.

Later on, Ysabeau finds her at Philippe’s study where the human is awed by the history of the desk and chair. Phoebe apologizes and at first makes the excuse that she got lost but adds that the vampire has a beautiful home and she’s been dying to snoop around. After a few moments of chit chat, Ysabeau outright confronts Ms. Taylor that her grandson has placed a great deal of trust in her by introducing her to their world. Phoebe answers that she knows and she won’t let him down. When the other woman asks if this must be overwhelming, the auction house staffer contemplates that she’s in an ancient chateau full of vampires, witches, and daemons but it’s human capacity to hate and discriminate that scares her more than any of this. Ysabeau seems satisfied with that response.

Marcus comes upon and the elder female requests for a private moment with her grandson. She tells him that he’s made an excellent choice and he agrees. Ysabeau also adds that he’s right to criticize their society’s conservatism. She then talks about how grief can carve into a person’s heart and sits there for a long time, however when focused can be a powerful motivator and when focused sadness becomes resolve. Pain becomes action.

Peter Knox’s Greed

Meanwhile Knox is still focused on finding the missing pages from Ashmole 782. He believes that Diana’s aunts could have the page bequeathed to the witches. Gerbert offers the information that the two women are being given sanctuary at Sept-Tour. The vampire though taunts the other man that the de Cleremonts won’t give them up easily and it would take a powerful witch to remove them. Knox icily states that he is not Gerbert’s hunting dog.

Mmmmm actions say otherwise as Knox does start plotting how he can get into Sept-Tour. He has a bunch of maps laid out in his office when Satu finally makes an appearance after getting her own training. Her former buddy though isn’t that keen to see her and dismisses her offer to help, saying that this is a spellcaster’s job and doesn’t need her pyrotechnics.

Knox’s plan is to head to the Temple of Diana to harness its power. Upon arrival he notices melted wax on the floor and realizes that someone’s been using it, likely one of Diana’s aunts. He then chants a spell luring Emily from her slumber and back to the temple. It works and he sees Emily summon Rebecca. Emily asks for help on how the book is connected to Diana to help her. The spirit says that there will be plenty of dark times ahead, but the book will change everything and once it’s completed it will reveal itself. Just as Emily asks how they can find the other pages Rebecca warns that she’s in danger and that he wants the page. Emily turns around and sees Knox though she luckily is able to magically transport the sheet from Ashmole 782 away. The spellcaster is pissed and demands that she bring it back. Emily refuses and he tries to invade her mind to get information. Still, she holds out and eventually he ends up killing her.

Back inside the house, Sarah has awoken and has asked for Marcus’s help to find Emily. When they can’t find Em, she realizes that her partner had taken supplies and so must be at the temple. In the living room, Marcus asks his grandmother if she feels that and Ysabeau confirms that there’s another presence of a powerful creature nearby. The grandmaster takes off and tells Nathaniel, Sophie, and the other vampire to protect the baby. He runs into Knox in the woods after the other man fled from the temple. The witch puts a spell on Marcus causing him immense pain but the de Cleremont male says that if Knox kills him, he will start a war he cannot win. Reluctantly, Knox puts the other man to sleep and leaves.

Sadly, Sarah finds Emily at the temple arriving too late. It’s an incredibly sad scene to watch.

Matthew and Diana Leave the Past

After saying goodbye to her father, Diana and Matthew make preparations to leave the past and return to their present. She tells him that now she understands how he must feel when he has to leave a life. The vampire admits its bittersweet but finds it best to focus on the sweet part like reuniting with their families. Matthew ever the worrier says that it’s been hell not knowing what their loved ones have been through or what new challenges they’ll face when they get back. Diana is determined more than ever to find the three missing pages before the Congregation does. The witch though is most concerned about Jack who will be taken cared of by the Earl of Northumberland.

Diana however isn’t satisfied with this and so hatches her own plan. She tells Gallowglass that she is meeting her fellow creatures and that Susannah can bring her home. Whom she meets though is Father Hubbard. He tells her that this is an unusual request, but she cuts to the chase and says that she needs his help to watch over Jack as she and Matthew are leaving London. The vampire though says that the young boy is not his child and so Diana strikes a bargain with him. She asks for him to honor her request by her becoming his child. She is willing to give him one drop of her blood and nothing more to seal their arrangement. Hubbard accepts and he offers her a blade. The weaver doesn’t need it and magically cuts herself, allowing exactly one droplet to fall into his mouth so that his scent is not on her. The elder man then sees scenes from Diana’s life in the present including some of her experiences with Matthew. He then bids her farewell by her real name.

She then heads to Goody’s home where the older witch tells her of a tenth knot of creation that only a weaver who straddles between worlds can accomplish. As the other weaver shows her the moves, the smell crumbles at the end noting how she is unable to complete it. Diana thanks Goody for everything she has done for her and promises never to forget the woman. The historian then gives Susannah the small figuring of the goddess and asks her to take care of it as some day in the future as a descendant will give it back to her.

Meanwhile Hubbard runs into Benjamin Fuchs on the street who demands to know about Matthew’s witch. The priest says that she is one of her flock and he cannot share her information, but Benjamin drops a bombshell to audiences as he tells the other vampire that is no way to speak to his sire. Looks like Hubbard might not have a choice in the matter.

That evening Diana agrees that they should time walk this night back to Sept-Tour. She then entrusts Gallowglass with Ashmole 782 and asks him to return it to John Dee so that it can one day find its way back to her. While they hug goodbye, she also asks him to keep the other Matthew safe so that he can one day find her. Next, it’s Matthew’s turn to thank his nephew and bid him adieu. The hardest task though comes next as the duo must say their farewells to their adopted child. Diana gives Jack a new book to replace the other one and Matthew tells him that he’s proud. Francoise then bids the young boy to come along.

Before they leave, Diana thanks Matthew for sharing this world with her and she’s glad she got to know Matthew Roydon. He chuckles that he’s had so many roles in his life but to be a husband and father again is all that he’s ever wanted.

Special Mentions

  • Domenico gets closer to the serial killer at the auction house but is injured (though not permanently). When he arrives back at his hotel, we see a man who looks alarmingly like Kit Marlowe. Uhhh what the HECK!!
  • The killer’s identity still isn’t revealed as he’s still got a hoodie on even when he was slicing and dicing Domenico.

Final Thoughts

  • Susannah never seemed to warm up to Diana despite Goody having full faith in the other weaver.
  • I enjoyed how the show brought parts of book three into this season as it does skip over for some of the first parts of the Book of Life allowing more exploration for other parts of the novel.
  • This season was just as good as the first one and so beautifully done. There was a lot of character development and it was so finally see Gallowglass and Philippe in the flesh.
  • It was so heartwarming that both Diana and Matthew had a chance to see their respective fathers this season. It was an unexpected gif they received by going back to the past.

A Discovery of Witches streams on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder.

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 7 Review: Get By With A Little Help From Our Space Friend

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Harry looks in at an octopus tank in Resident Alien episode 7
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "The Green Glow" Episode 107 -- Pictured: Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

In this episode of SYFY’s Resident Alien, Harry hits a new low but gets by with a little help from some friends… and an octopus. 

Thus far in Resident Alien, we’ve seen Harry do all it takes to maintain his secret identity including reluctantly agreeing to be the town doctor, befriending both Asta and D’arcy in the process, and agreeing to play along with his marriage to a woman named Isabel. There’s even Harry’s bizarrely cartoonish rivalry with the little boy who can see him named Max, all for what has been a crazy adventure thus far this season. Which finally comes to a head in this episode.

During last week’s events, Doctor Ethan — Harry’s effective replacement revealed in the last episode —  is well-received by everyone in town. Meanwhile, Asta’s ex-husband Jimmy is a suspect in the stolen drug prescription pads from Sam’s office, right when Harry — who is distracted by his new wife that teaches him human… intimacy — keeps drugging that same wife to keep busy while he attempts to find his ship. Leading to an eventual conflict military.

Which is where we pick up from in this episode…

 

Sometimes You Have To Lose Things to Know What You Have

RESIDENT ALIEN — “The Green Glow” Episode 107 — Pictured: (l-r) Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle, Elvy Yost as Isabelle — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

But in a classic case of the old bait and switch, we’re relieved to see that it’s actually Isabel who intercepts Harry — moments before the military tries to snipe him. When Isabel confronts Harry about her knowing about the sleeping pills, along with the odd changes Harry seems to have undergone as a person (mostly that he’s not a person), Isabel chooses to leave for good.

Processing a new-founded feeling of sadness, we see Harry cope by poisoning himself with alcohol and sleeping pills. That’s when his psyche, in the form of a dead human version of the actual Harry, confronts the alien Harry, who admits that his humanity has made him a complete and utter loser.

My Wife Left Me and I lost my Job and My Life is Horrible

RESIDENT ALIEN — “The Green Glow” Episode 107 — Pictured: Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Asta and D’arcy have to find Harry who has been at it playing Galaga since the breakup with Isabel. When they acknowledge that a doctor simply can’t use booze and pills to make himself feel better, D’arcy gets some marijuana (this is Colorado after all) for her, Harry, and Asta. And while it does help elevate Harry away from his depression, it’s also really fun seeing Alien Tudyk talk to an alien Octopus (Nathan Fillion). Revealed to be another alien race that landed here eons ago.

It is at this moment of inspiration Harry refinds his purpose, finding his child rival Max — by infiltrating and peeing in his bed while stoned no less — to help him find his device. Max has an ability to see a uniquely alien green glow (he can see through alien disguises and see alien radiation somehow — we’re just going with it). In turn, Harry agrees to help Max not be sent away by admitting he was wrong to Max’s parents, Ben and Kate Hawthorne. Kate feels awful she almost sent her son away and Ben… lights candles. 

RESIDENT ALIEN — “The Green Glow” Episode 107 — Pictured: (l-r) Judah Prehn as Max Hawthorne, Alien Harry — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Meanwhile, now apparently friends, Max and Harry go out and discover by using a telescope, that Harry’s device is on a glacier which is now severely melting and dangerous to travel towards. Surprisingly, Max asks Harry not to go (because they’re buddies now!) but when the alien chooses to go anyway, Max shares where Harry is going with a curious Asta and D’arcy. When they arrive to find Harry, who finally takes the orb device he’s been looking for, the floor finally cracks sending Asta, D’arcy, and Harry falling into a ravine. 

In Max’s room, it’s revealed that he’d taken a piece of Harry’s spacecraft from his bag when he wasn’t looking during the telescope scene. Max sees the mysterious green hue.

I Can Grow My Mustache as a disguise but then I’d have to get a job as a firefighter or pedophile 

RESIDENT ALIEN — “The Green Glow” Episode 107 — Pictured: Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

In the exploration of Sam’s missing prescription pad drug angle, Asta reveals to SHeriff Mike that it’s her ex-husband Jimmy who swiped the pad. Mike and Liz are on the case, who then find a Janitor who is revealed to be selling drugs to kids.

It’s a big bust for Mike and Liz, but things aren’t exactly right here either. And when Big Mike makes a big deal over Liv’s improper recitation of the Miranda rights, she’s had her last straw. In what’s honestly, a liberating arc to see her be free — Liz angrily quits.

 

The Take

This episode mostly focuses on the military storyline which I didn’t cover that much in detail (Though it’s neat to see Linda Hamilton as the General) along with sets a group of bad guys in the series. Mostly, it was a funny reason to see Harry down and stoned though seems like more of a build-up for next week.

Watchmen: Season 1 Episode 6 “This Extraordinary Being” Review

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Will Reeves on graduation day
Will Reeves proud to graduate

Nostalgia is a hell of a drug.

White America loves nostalgia. It loves to think back on the “good” old times when life was “simpler” and things were “better”…for them. Those are the keywords that get left out when white people talk about nostalgia. Why? Because white people have blinders on when it comes to the past; it’s just a part of white culture. But, the past is not rosy, it’s black and white and brutal all over, and the sixth episode of Watchmen is, to me, one of the most important hours of television ever made.

Angela has ingested a lethal dose of Nostalgia – a drug that is created by harvesting the memories of its users – and what’s worse they were not her pills to take. They belonged to her grandfather, Will Reeves (whose actual name is Will Williams, maybe a little nod to Stan Lee’s naming preference?) who left them behind with the full intent that she would down them. I can’t imagine Will is ignorant about how dangerous this is, but, seeing as how he’s buddy-buddy with Lady Trieu, whose pharmaceutical company created the drug, it’s very possible he’s taking a calculated risk. But, for him, it’s worth it. Remember what he told Angela: “I’m here to show you where you came from”, literally.

Poor Angela, her acceptance of what’s about to happen is part inability to stop it part curiosity, I say this only because she doesn’t sink into her grandfather’s memories right away. Instead, we see Agent Blake talking, explaining that shits about to hit the fan and Angela needs to sign a form to get her stomach pumped or she’ll die. The look on Angela’s face belies a hint of understanding, yet is detached enough to express the memories are coming and there’s nothing she can do to stop it. Before she knows it the little blips of the past she’s been seeing become a whole scene she is now living in.

It’s 1938, Angela is Will Reeves (played by Jovan Adepo in the past) on the day of his graduation as a Cadet in the NYPD. All the other cadets get the honor of the chief (John Newberg) pinning their badges on and shaking their hands, but not Will. He gets passed over by the white chief and is congratulated by a black Lt. named Samuel J. Battle (Philly Plowden) – a real historical figure who was in fact the first black Lt. of the NYPD. Will expresses a reverence for Battle, but is warned to “beware the Cyclops” before getting the same speech as his fellow officers along with his badge.

Later, in a lounge, Will/Angela meets up with June (Danielle Deadwyler), a black reporter (later his wife) who was sent by her editor to cover the graduation ceremony. June is worried about Will becoming a cop, she says he is an angry man, but he shrugs the accusation off. What does he have to be mad about? All he’s ever wanted is to be a cop, it’s his dream come true. Until, while trying to do his job, it becomes a nightmare.

One night, on patrol, Will witnesses a white man named Fred (Glenn Fleshler) setting fire to a Jewish deli. He brings the man into the desk sergeant (Charlie Talbert) for booking, but his arrest is handed off to two other officers. Not long after, he sees Fred once again roaming free. He confronts the desk sergeant, going so far as to ask about Cyclops, but is told to stop asking questions.

The next scene is Will walking, plainclothes when a squad car pulls up. One of the officers (Jordan Salloum) invites him to get a beer. He declines, realizing something is off. We know this because as the car drives away we see the bodies of two black Tulsa victims being dragged behind it. These snippets of the massacre are the only sparks of color in this largely black and white episode. And, besides Will’s mother who plays her piano, they are violent scenes. But the two bodies behind the squad car portend to the true intentions of his fellow officers, who corner Will in an alley and beat him severely. He blacks out.

When he wakes up his wrists are tied, he’s being dragged towards a large tree, and then the hood goes on. The fact that this scene is in first-person is extremely important. We are forced to experience the harrowing retribution of white supremacy on a black man who dared to bring a white man to justice. It’s chilling. If you’re not moved by this scene, by the sounds, the flickering of the lighting as Will chokes near-death, the devastated tears Angela cries when Will is cut down, that’s a problem. Because this is an incredible scene. It is the fear that every black American has when they run into the cops. It is also the catalyst for everything else that happens.

On his way home, still bloody, a noose around his neck, ropes around his wrists, Will hears a woman scream. He puts the hood back on and beats the shit out of the criminals. Thus is born Hooded Justice. June hopes that this “hobby” will allow Will to exorcise his anger (she even gives him the suggestion to paint the area around his eyes “white” so white folk will think he’s one of them), but over time she comes to regret her encouragement. It doesn’t help when Will joins The New Minutemen, at the behest of their creator Captain Metropolis, who personally comes to Will’s house to recruit him. Why? Because Nelson Gardner (Jake McDorman), Metropolis’s secret identity, has figured out that Will Reeves is Hooded Justice. The catch? No one can ever know Will is black, so he can never take off his hood or any part of his costume. But, Gardner assures Will that he’s interested in the Cyclops conspiracy Hooded Justice has mentioned. Only, as June suspected, they don’t care about him just about what he can do for them.

Gardner is a perfect example of an optical ally. He claims to want to help Will, but once he’s given the opportunity to make good on those promises he fails. During a press conference when Hooded Justice attempts to bring up Cyclops, Captain Metropolis cuts him off and talks about his supervillain instead. Later, when Will comes across a warehouse that is creating projectors designed to turn black people against each other using mind-control technology, he calls Gardner to insist he and the other Minutemen come and help. Nelson’s response? Mind-control is less believable than the idea of black people violently assaulting each other just ‘cause. This is the last straw for Will. He finally breaks, killing every single white supremacist he comes across (including Fred!) and disguising his crimes by setting the warehouse on fire.

That night, Will comes home to find his son wearing his costume and donning his makeup, and it disturbs him. He tries frantically to wipe the makeup off his son’s face as the boy cries, which attracts June’s attention. She’s had enough. She leaves him, taking their son with her, back home to Tulsa. Then we cut to Will (played again by Louis Gossett Jr.) in the present day, sitting in his wheelchair awaiting Judd Crawford’s truck. He asks Crawford about the Klan robe, the answer convincing him that the Chief is another racist who deserves to die. Then we see how he strung up the captain of the Tulsa police using a projector light that causes Judd to hang himself – he saved one of those mind-control devices from the warehouse fire (maybe to use as evidence later?). This is a satisfying bit of turnabout.

After this, Angela starts to come back to herself. She wakes up in a bed hooked up to an IV with Lady Trieu nearby. And that completes our hour.

Other things about this episode:

Firstly I will point out that this is the only episode (so far) without an Adrian Veidt side story. I believe this is because the side stories are designed as a break for the audience, they tend to come after a big reveal in the main story, but here we don’t get one. Why? Because, honestly, this storyline can’t have a break. If you understand that one of the biggest themes running through this series is racism, then the episode that boils that theme down to a perfect visual essay giving you a history lesson on why that theme is so very, very important having no breaks makes sense.

Superman tie-in confirmed! Yes! So, when I first watched the pilot I couldn’t help but notice the startling similarity between this child’s story and superman’s. Given that this series isn’t great at subtly, I knew this couldn’t be a coincidence, and it is not. Will comes across a man reading the edition of Action Comics that features the premiere of Superman, and as he explains the alien’s origins, we see glimpses of the opening Tulsa massacre.

Here’s another fun fact: Superman premiered in the ’40s, along with Batman and Wonder Woman, but many people wouldn’t get a black superhero until the 1960’s introduction of Black Panther, however, he’s not actually the first black superhero to get his own comic. A character named Lion Man, created by Orrin Cromwell Evans, featured in the first and only edition of All Negro Comics (1947), a comic book created by black people for black people. Unfortunately, racism did what it does best and Evans was never able to print a second edition. The other black figures in comics during that time were racist stereotypes and it took nearly twenty years for more nuanced characters of color (and women) to appear.

Fred Trump is that you? There’s a number of online publications that suspect “Fred” is really Fred Trump, father of the 45th POTUS. Is it true? The sleuths on Twitter certainly seem to think so, and given the historical clues, it’s not an impossible conclusion to draw. I will say that this trend of Watchmen to include historical events and figures really adds a rich quality to the show. It allows the viewers to find Easter Eggs that actually matter. Did you know Sam Battle was the first black NYPD officer? I do now!

The use of black and white. Normally, I’m not a fan of movies or shows that use this color scheme because I find it pretentious, and that’s because it usually is. But, if its use is purposeful I have no objections. This is a perfect example. Not only does our episode take place largely in the ’40s, before the implementation of color, it’s also about how black and white racism really is. There are only two reasons color comes into play, one I’ve mentioned, but the other is when Angela is pulled back into the present and even then it’s little pops of color that peek through.

This episode proves itself to be a good companion to the book “Me and White Supremacy” by Layla Saad. It outlines the many faces of white supremacy, including optical allyship, white centering, white exceptionalism, and many more. There are examples of the symptoms of supremacy that she mentions peppered throughout the hour, though Nelson embodies lot them himself.

The difference between media and reality is another theme this series explores, and “This Extraordinary Being” does a fine job of illustrating this with its “American Hero Story” opening focusing on the “true” story of Hooded Justice. You may also appreciate another deviation from “American Hero Story” where Hooded Justice intervenes during a grocery store robbery, we get to see the real version here.

Lastly, it’s a small world, huh? I can think of no better explanation for how a 7-year-old Will manages to keep in touch with, and meet up with, the baby (June) who also survived the Tulsa Massacre with him all those years ago. I mean, seriously…for a show about extraordinary things happening, this is hands down one of the more remarkable to me.

Watchmen: Season 1 Episode 5 “Little Fear of Lightning” Review

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Wade Tillman
Wade Tillman

Wade’s never gonna dance again, his guilty feet have got no rhythm, though he wears his reflectatine, he’ll discover he’s been fooled.

The fifth episode of Watchmen focuses on everyone’s favorite Alice in Wonderland reference – Looking Glass aka Wade Tillman. The man who runs the “racist detector” (as Agent Laurie Blake puts it) is, in his day job, a market research consultant. Wade’s got a sixth sense for the truth, which winds up being painfully ironic by the end of this episode.

We start in 1985, it’s November 2nd in Hoboken, NJ, and a bus of Jehovah’s witnesses has just pulled up to save the souls of the damned. One naïve savior is a young Wade, originally from OK, he’s here to spread the good word until a pretty girl (Roxy, played by Julia Vasi) knocks him off course. She leads him into a funhouse room filled with mirrors where he’s confronted by temptations of the flesh. While he’s struggling with new and scary feelings, she reveals her true intentions: to humiliate him. After stripping him naked she runs off with his clothes and leaves him vulnerable and alone, but it gets worse. So much worse. A few second go by when suddenly there’s a commotion, the mirrors around him shatter and Wade grabs his head. He carefully makes his way through the broken glass to the outside, only to discover almost everyone has died, including his tormentor. Sure, he gets his clothes back, but this psychic trauma will haunt him for the next thirty years, at least.

Wade’s painful past results in a lonely and paranoid present, but it’s not because of the squid, at least not entirely. According to creator Damon Lindelof, Wade’s real trauma is sexual. Lindelof, in an interview, revealed that his sexual awakening wasn’t exactly fantastic; it involved a lot of fear and anxiety – which is what we see in Wade’s experience. While some of that can be chalked up to drinking the kool-aid that is organized religion and all of its negative associations with sex, part of that can be attributed to just being human. I read once that Elvis Presley liked under-aged girls because he believed they didn’t have any sexual expectations of him, so he didn’t have to worry about disappointing them. Whether it’s true or not, it does make sense. Lindelof cited movies like Porky’s, which depict budding young men as overtly confident sex seekers who show little concern for their potential prowess or partners. He decided to use Wade to tell a different story, one he related to, where the budding young man is curious about sex, but by no means confident in his interest or abilities. And, I have to say it’s true. I’ve heard enough stories from guys who felt a lot of pressure when it came to sex, to the point where it negatively impacted their first times. Society may well fetishize women at a young age, seeing them through the male-gaze, but men aren’t immune to this either.

I have to give Watchmen credit here for flipping the script – genuinely. As a rule, people say this phrase and I feel like it doesn’t fit most of the time, but here? You have a comic book show that is dealing with male sexual trauma instead of female, and it does not shy away from nudity or complication. Though Wade is saying he doesn’t want to have sex with the girl, she points out that his body says differently. Granted, I would have appreciated full-frontal, but this scene also doesn’t end the way most sexual trauma scenes in comics do. Watchmen (the comic), specifically, has a sexual trauma storyline that eventually results in a consensual sexual liaison (which results in Laurie!), and ultimately leads to an important plot point. It does not fetishize what happens to Laurie’s mother, even though it appears to. Here we have a similar situation: Wade’s sexual trauma is not merely played for laughs or as prelude to a larger comic-book call-back, instead, it informs his very being from that moment onward. And that’s sad, but also in keeping with this show’s theme of pain.

The rest of the episode coasts along showing us Wade’s everyday life: he runs drills nightly, lines his red “Tulsa Tornado” baseball cap in reflectatine (a material designed to ward off psychic blasts, allegedly), sleeps in his Looking Glass mask, attends (or runs) a support meeting for suffers of “Post Traumatic Squid Syndrome”, and spends lonely nights watching TV and eating beans out of a can. There are two deviations to this routine that add to our overall plot. One is when Wade visits his ex-wife Cynthia (Eileen Grubba) at her job, and the other is when he tries to bond with newcomer Renee (Paula Malcomson) after the group meeting.

Cynthia is a scientist at a company that clones pets. Wade’s given her Angela’s bottle of pills to analyze as a favor; she informs him that they are Nostalgia – a drug that contains memories which was banned for causing psychosis. Her advice? Do not ingest (oh, Angela!). The take away from this scene is that not only did Wade’s fear of sexual trauma cost him his marriage, but his ex-wife is perfectly fine with euthanizing a puppy if it isn’t an exact match – I mean, you couldn’t just adopt the dog, Wade? In her defense, it’s a clone, and it presents a fairly classic sci-fi conundrum, even if it’s just as a throw away moment in a scene. But, seriously, it’s clear from their interaction that Wade and his ex still care for each other deeply; I’m curious if his upcoming knowledge means they’ve got a second chance in their future…

Renee, on the other hand, is what happens when talking to an ex makes you horny. You can’t bang your ex without things getting tricky, so you transfer those urges onto the next viable option: a rando. Renee comes to the meeting late, and after a flirtatious post-meeting pregame, they go full-on proxy date with the promise of a one-night stand. Unfortunately, though Renee didn’t lie about being a radiologist, she did lie about her interest in Wade. She’s a honeypot, the same kind he fell for on 11/2, and just like back then she’s lured him into a deadly situation. Wade has found the Kavalry church that Agent Blake was talking about earlier (she’s done shaking down white people; if you find the church from the video, you find the Kavalry), it’s a set. And his “discovery” is a setup. The Kavalry doesn’t want to kill him though, they want to recruit him. Well, Senator Keene Jr. does.

Now, the question becomes: why Wade? The answer, as with most things in this series, is obvious: he’s the only white member of the detective force. Agent Blake is FBI, so, while she’s the right color, she’s the wrong jurisdiction. Sister Night is black, so duh. Red Scare is Russian, so he’s out. Pirate Jenny is Latina (guessing), so also out. Wade on the other hand is perfect: he lives alone, he’s paranoid, he’s fearful of the unknown, he’s from Tulsa, and he’s white.

This is an important episode with regards to the larger story itself. It reveals that Senator Keene Jr. is a member of the Kavalry (kind of), and confirms that Judd Crawford was one too. It’s odd, since the Senator demeans members of his own society, calling them racists. This leads to the question is Sen. Keene Jr. a member of the Seventh Kavalry? Is there another Kavalry that is worse? Is Sen. Keene Jr. secretly a good guy trying to dismantle the racists from within? He does say that he and Crawford were put in place to prevent another White Night. These are fun questions, which only get posed if you pay close attention to what is said and how it is said. The truth is coming up next episode, a nice change of pace given how long we’ve been made to wait for answers through most of this show.

This episode also fills in some information on Adrian Veidt. Wade is shown a video where Veidt congratulates President Robert Redford on his successful political run (bragging that he predicted the win, as the video is recorded from 1985). In it, Veidt confesses, proudly, that 11/2 was his doing, an act designed to prevent the impending apocalypse. He also has plans to deal with climate change, poverty, and hunger, but Wade’s less interested in those things. It’s in this moment the truth hits: He’s based his whole life on a lie. Allowed fear to rule him for thirty years, allowed it to cost him everything. Ouch. Not to mention, once he makes it home, his troubles aren’t over – a van filled with armed Kavalry members comes a calling.

Other things in this episode:

Careless Whisper is Wade’s theme song, and you’ll notice that for most of the episode it is either the original version or an instrumental version. The only time we hear a cover is after Wade’s world has been blown to pieces. I think this is a beautiful metaphor for Wade’s emotional state. Here’s a man who is haunted by his mistakes, his perceived self-betrayal and weakness, themes in the song, but when he learns the truth the song doesn’t change exactly. His feelings are the same but different…like a cover.

Adrian is trapped on Europa. That’s really all you get from the little Veidt side-story, that, and he’s in trouble with the Game Warden for trying to escape (by spelling “Save me d” in bodies on the moon for a passing satellite to see).

The episode’s title is from a line in the novel “Twenty-thousand Leagues Under the Sea.” by Jules Verne, and it refers directly to Adrian’s justification for his action. “If there were no thunder, man would have little fear of lightning”. He mentions in his video the need to keep the fear in order to keep the peace – hence the psychic blast and the random raining of squids. The problem with this logic is that man got used to thunder; he harnessed the power of lightning – meaning, fear isn’t a good way to keep people in line. Eventually, people challenge what they fear, maybe not all of them, but there’s always that one defiant soul willing to take the chance.

Lastly, Wade’s betrayal of Angela sucks. I get that he’s put in an impossible situation, but given my earlier discourse on the fact that black people have a hard time knowing who to trust in a white world, this is especially disheartening. And you can see how hurt Wade is to do it, a man for whom trust is the ultimate currency.

‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2 Episode 9 Review: You Don’t Mess with Corra

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This week’s episode of A Discovery of Witches is filled with a lot of action and drama as Diana and Matthew contend with the fallout from their trip to Bohemia.

Here are the must-know moments:

Diana is Pregnant

Upon returning to London, Diana (Teresa Palmer) is still trying to read the damaged Ashmole 782. She hides the book beneath a loose floorboard in her bedroom and goes downstairs to see Matthew (Matthew Goode). Her husband is quite pensive as he must face the wrath of Queen Elizabeth (Barbara Marten) having failed to bring back Edward Kelly. She wants to go with him, but he insists in going alone as having her there would only make matters worse with a monarch whom clearly doesn’t like her. Diana relents though she thinks he is being overprotective. Matthew wants her to learn her magic quickly so that they can return to the present because they do not belong here.

He accompanies her to Goody Alsop’s (Sheila Hancock) where we discover that the elder weaver is not doing so well. Susannah tells the couple that a lot has happened since they left. Agnes Sampson was tortured and Scotland is a hotbed for witch persecution and its spreading south. Goody tells Diana that they are the last of the weavers now. Matthew volunteers to do what he can to quell the anxiety in their area, which surprises the elder witch. She says that his countenance has changed and the dark cloud above him has lifted somewhat. Goody then notices though that there’s something else that’s different and she puts her hands in front of Diana and scans down, stopping at her midsection. It’s the historian who then realizes that she’s pregnant. But how can this be?? Vampires should not be able to have children, hence they sire other vampires. The plot thickens!!

The two chat by the fire about their new situation with Matthew clearly freaking out at the impossibility of it while Diana is basking in her mom-to-be glow. As a trained medical professional and man of science, this goes against thousands of years of biology and so he’s understandably concerned at how dangerous this could be for his wife. The witch in the meantime asks about Jack and Matthew says that he’ll make sure their adopted child is well taken cared off. As much as he wants them to return to the present, Diana still needs to master the other magical knots. He reiterates that he will meet with the queen alone and buy her the time she needs. They then share a tender moment.

We Meet Corra at Last

Susannah goes to fetch the other witches so that Diana and continue her training. As the historian begins her training once more, she is able to tie the magical knots all the way up to number 7 when her familiar bursts forth from her chest. The other women look on in wonder at the firedrake who calls herself Corra. Firedrakes are a subspecies of dragons with an affinity for both fire and water elements. Goody tells Diana that Corra will come to her when the familiar is needed.

Disappointing Queen Elizabeth 

Matthew meets with Queen Elizabeth with a very righteous Lord Burghley. The monarch is super pissed that he left Kelly behind all for some book. Apparently an ambassador from Bohemia has also arrived and revealed that Matthew stole a book from Emperor Rudolf instead of bringing back Kelly. She instructs Burghley to search for the tome at Matthew’s home while he remains at court. Should he try to flee she will have him hunted down. The queen is especially agitated at this time because she has a horrible toothache.

Later on, he consults with the Earl of Northumberland who is worried about the vampire’s situation. He suggests bringing in Mary Sidney to soothe the queen’s ear, but Matthew says he’s going to try telling her majesty the truth. So Matthew goes to her and offers a drop of his blood to ease her pain. As she accepts it, there’s a euphoric look on her face and in the aftermath tells him that his blood could make her immortal. The vampire says that would break the line of succession. Putting a creature on the throne would lead to chaos though Elizabeth is convinced her death would achieve the same outcome. This is something apparently Matthew had previously told her father. He adds that she should not to be concerned about a Spanish invasion or the witches, revealing that he has seen what’s to come. Diana is a time spinner and they arrived here from centuries into the future. Matthew assures her that 500 years forward every man, woman, and child will know her name Queen Elizabeth I, gloriana, the greatest monarch in English history. With this knowledge she forgives him.

Meanwhile though Lord Burghley has ransacked Matthew and Diana’s home, confiscating every book in the house including Ashmole 782 that he discovered beneath the loose floorboard. While Pierre and Francoise try to protest, they are told to stand down under the order of the queen. Before leaving the area they are stopped by Gallowglass for a moment but is given a sign by Pierre to let the men go. Luckily though, Jack’s street skills came in handy as he took Ashmole 782 back from Lord Burghley’s chest without anyone noticing. When the spymaster returns to his queen on his successful mission the royal doesn’t care anymore because she’s forgiven Matthew. 

Diana Has a Khaleesi Moment

As Diana is heading back home, she is stopped by Kit (Tom Hughes) who tells her that Matthew has been taken by the queen’s guards. Earlier, he finds the vampire who was on his way to court to ask if he’s finally gotten rid of the witch. Matthew of course angrily tells the daemon that as long as he and Diana are alive, they will never be parted. So Kit is looking pretty sketch right now as he urges the weaver to get on a boat to an unknown destination. Diana is hesitant naturally but decides to follow him worried about her husband’s safety.

She is taken to a cave of sorts where Louisa is waiting. Kit thinks they are going to get Diana on a larger ship to exile her while the vampire laughs saying they are going to kill the witch naturally. Diana is chained up with Louisa (Elaine Cassidy) taking a pistol out intending to shoot her when Matthew’s sister hands it over to the daemon. The historian tries pleads for them not to do this when she starts reciting one of Kit’s famous poems, From Hero to Leander.

It lies not in our power to love or hate,

For will in us is overruled by fate.

When two are stripped, long ere the course begin,

We wish that one should lose, the other win;

And one especially do we affect

Of two gold ingots, like in each respect:

The reason no man knows; let it suffice

What we behold is censured by our eyes.

Where both deliberate, the love is slight:

Who ever loved, that loved not at first sight?

This catches him off guard as he’s never spoken the words to anyone. Diana offers to tell him his future and he says please. Suddenly Louisa knocks Kit out cold and says he is weak, but she isn’t. However, she isn’t a very good shot apparently because she misses. Kit comes too and tells the vampire not to kill Diana and luckily the witch calls on Corra for help. The firedrake emerges just as Louisa takes the shot right in the middle of Diana’s chest. The magical being seems to protect her and stops the duo from leaving. The historian then tells them that they have no future because soon they will die and their deaths will not be gentle. She casts a ring of fire around them when Matthew arrives with Gallowglass (Steven Cree) and Father Hubbard (Paul Rhys).

The priests asks her not to kill them as they are tortured souls and living is punishment enough. Diana extinguishes the fire and Matthew tells Gallowglass and Father Hubbard to take Kit and Louisa to Bedlam. Kit is still calling out to his vampire love as he is being dragged away.

Matthew and Diana Take Their Relationship to the Next Level

Later on, Diana demands that Gallowglass take her to Bedlam or she’ll find it by herself. Reluctantly he does and they find Matthew there with the blood rage on full display. He looks about ready to kill his sister who taunts him to do the deed. But Diana is able to bring him back from the brink as he drops Louisa to the floor. She then holds his hand and they leave this awful place. Important to note too that Kit and Louisa are housed in a room full of other people, isn’t that awfully public to be acting all vampire like?

Back at the house, they pause for a moment to see a sleeping Jack and once they are in the privacy of their room, Matthew admits that every day of his life is a battle with himself for control. He has a need to possess her in ways that no warm blood could possibly fathom. The blood rage can be all consuming and all he’s wanted to his cleanse himself of it. Instead of being freaked out though, Diana offers herself to him without reservation. He says that drinking from the heart vein of a mate will be so that nothing is hidden and all that is left is complete belonging and honesty. She bids him to drink then though Matthew says that he’ll know her secrets, but she won’t know his. Diana has a solution in the witch’s kiss which allows her to see inside his soul. She asks him to drink from her first and after she kisses his forehead. A magical current then connects his mind to her heart. When he asks what she found Diana responds, “You.”

Final Thoughts

  • Diana’s Khaleesi moment was pretty spectacular to watch. It really made me miss Drogon.
  • When Queen Elizabeth called Matthew, “Matt” and he in turn called her “Bess,” it really showed how much the royal cared for him. She’s likely known him since she was very young.
  • Poor Kit, he just couldn’t stand Matthew being happy with someone else. Though at least at the end he wasn’t a killer though he made poor choices in attaching himself to Louisa.
  • So happy we finally got to see Corra!

A Discovery of Witches streams on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder.

WandaVision Episode 9: So It Stands To Reason We Will Say Hello Again

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Vision and Wanda look off at the undone hex in WandaVision episode 9
Paul Bettany as Vision and Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios' WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

WandaVision’s season finale is a surprising action-packed adventure of closure.

We’ve finally come to the end of the WandaVision finale and wow was it a doozy. We laughed, we cried, and more importantly, we got confused by all the unanswered magic in the air that left us questioning if Doctor Strange’s Multiverse Of Madness is really all about M.O.M., the devil, and a certain Agatha Harkness

But what’s special about this series finale (yes, that’s the actual name of the episode) is that Wanda really solidifies her character arc in this story. She’s a woman who has suffered a great loss and crafted something Pleasantville-like out of it, whose super-powered sorceress origins, are only coming to fruition now.

Wanda needs to learn how to control her magic. Her destiny lies as the Scarlet Witch. She’s even got herself an archnemesis here now. And though Agatha Harkness is no Baron Mordo, Loki, or even Red Skull, she is, for the most part, Wanda’s match when it comes to magic. It’s that age-old battle conflict of experience over raw talent. Though in this case, Agatha was less of the series villain as much as she was an opportunist looking to prey off an out-of-control super-sorceress in mourning.

The series concludes with some closure and explanations leaving all of its main cast with a good deal of agency. As heroes triumph with tiny little payoffs and well intentions are turned on its head. On the negative side, the series does overall play it safe. And while the tragic emotional beats do get met in this one (Wanda might be the character I sympathize with the most now, sorry Post-Endgame Thor), fans are ultimately a little upset that the series ended in traditional Marvel fashion.

We breakdown everything in our recap and final podcast below.

The End Is Nigh

Kathryn Hahn as Agatha Harkness in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Suzanne Tenner. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

We pick up where we left off from last week in the finale, where Agatha holds Wanda’s children hostage forcing the Scarlet Witch into battle to steal her lifeforce. But when the original Vision (now reprogrammed by S.W.O.R.D. as a weapon) arrives along with Wanda’s Vision, a final throwdown occurs where Wanda and Vision battle Agatha and (white) Vision.

Elsewhere, director Tyler Heyward and Jimmy Woo are conflicted. As Jimmy cleverly lockpicks his escape, it’s up to him to call for help.  While that happens, the series sees a final showdown between Wanda and Agatha — where the old witch confirms Wanda is the Scarlet Witch. A naturally gifted chosen one whose power surpasses that of the sorcerer supreme. Someone whose destiny is to destroy the world, at least, according to the prophecies in the Darkhold

Wanda horrifically learns that all of the denizens of Westview were held under her spell under powerful mind control. Wanda is forced to make a choice to save the people of Westview by opening the hex or save her family (as the geographical Hex is the only thing keeping them alive).  

Sword breaches the town once the wall is opened and together they begin their assault just as Wanda puts the Hex back up to save her family. Agatha takes the opportunity to drain some of Wanda’s life energy. When Sword arrives, the boys battle the soldiers while Agatha and Wanda duel, and Vision talks to his original self.

 

The Final Showdown

Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff and Paul Bettany as Vision in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Soon in, Quicksilver prevents Monica from interfering though she ultimately is able to break him from Agatha’s spell by snapping his necklace and thus setting herself free. She  also then learns that his real name is Ralph Bohner (Ralph is the name Agatha kept calling her husband). 

Back in the heart of Westview, Vision encounters Vision and philosophizes him to death. Yes, by arguing about the ship of Theseus, both conclude that neither is the true ship (the original Vision). Thus finding peace as Vision’s memories are restored. The white/albino original Vision chooses to leave with his newfound knowledge and uncertain sense of purpose. While this is happening D’arcy makes a final ploy to crash her car into Heyward’s taking him out of play.

Getting the jump on Agatha, Wanda enters her mind and brings her back to old memories to try and torture Agatha’s mind. She stresses the dIfference between her and Agatha is Wanda didn’t do any of this intentionally — emphasizing a cruel maliciousness in Agatha’s heart. Yet, when the resurrected coven witches go on the attack they don’t chase after Agatha and instead target Wanda. Chanting that she’s the Scarlet Witch. 

Agatha tells Wanda that Power isn’t her problem it’s knowledge. She promises she’ll fix Wanda’s original spell and will give them all peace. In their final showdown, Wanda offers her power willing and attacks relentlessly. Agatha absorbing parts of Wanda’s powers causing the walls to slightly break around them. 

But where Agatha missed out, was that Wanda was intentionally distracting her. Because while the surrounding Hex walls were coming down, Wanda was able to place runes all around them — thus blocking Agatha from her own magic using the same track she had on Wanda in the last episode. Agatha’s powers are absorbed by Wanda and the true Scarlett Witch outfit is revealed. 

 

The Aftermath

As punishment, Wanda forever casts Agatha into the role of the nosy neighbor in town never able to remember her true purpose as punishment. Agatha warns Wanda that she has no idea what she’s unleashed (possibly hinting at Mephisto). 

In the final moments of the show, Wanda takes her kids and thanks them for choosing her to be their mom. Slowly, her hex rescinds and the world is slowly reverted back. 

In a final tearful goodbye, Vision asks Wanda what his purpose was and what he was to her. She shares that he was the piece of the mind stone that lived inside of her. A manifestation of her sadness and her hope, but mostly, her love of Vision. As the wave engulfs the home everything is undone, including both the boys and Vision.

As Agatha seeks to leave town, we see the townsfolk surround and hate Wanda for trapping them in there. She apologizes then takes leave, but before she can Monica emphasizes with her. Wanda says sorry for all the pain she caused she wants to seek to understand her abilities. She bids her new friend farewell.

Picking up the pieces of clean-up the town, Jimmy Woo leads the team as the Sword agents working for Heyward are captured. Monica is then called into a private theatre to speak to a special director, revealed to be a Kree. She comments on knowing that she’s been grounded for this time and then is told ‘he’d’ like to meet with you. Heavily implying Nick Fury given that he’s the only Sword/Shield affiliated agent we know of in space. 

STINGER: Wanda, alone in woods in a single cabin, reads the Darkhold and studies spells. She hears a scream in the distance of her boys crying for help.

 

It’s Over

Intentional or not, WandaVision was the most popular TV series in the world with Disney+ scoring back-to-back hits in both The Mandalorian and then WandaVision. The series has been nothing but excellent with fans excitedly guessing every meaning and easter egg behind every episode like it was Lost circa 2007.

Though many outlets are somewhat upset over how the series may have not stuck the landing (I thought it was fine), I do firmly believe that WandaVision did something different from your traditional Marvel movie. It had heart. It pivoted towards loss. It made Wanda, and really Wanda’s grief, the real villain of the series. Something that could only be defeated by conquering what it was that made her sad.

There’s something powerful about that message. Especially in today’s world. Which is why I think WandaVision will always be known as the time Marvel decided to do something I think most superhero franchises struggle to address:

The Battle Within.

 

Levi Fiehler on Mayor Ben Hawthorne on SYFY’s ‘Resident Alien’

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Levi Fiehler mayor ben hawthorne

Actor Levi Fiehler lets us get to know Mayor Hawthorne a little better, revealing just why Ben goes to therapy with Harry of all people, along with his character’s obsession with candles.

Resident Alien thus far has been nothing but a delight to cover. A unique storyline about a stranded alien whose goal is to understand humanity before ultimately destroying it, the series sits on a 93% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Much of the series’ appeal comes from its stellar performance from its lead, Alan Tudyk, whose journey as an Alien among us learning the ins-and-outs of humanity, often allows for a look at our world from the outside. 

Thankfully, this approach works so well in this series thanks to such stellar performances from its quirky supporting cast. Including actor Levi Fiehler, who stars as Mayor Ben Hawthorne in the series. A young, naive, but ultimately caring person, Mayor Hawthorne is someone who aspires to leave a legacy in Patience. A man who dedicates his life to his hometown and family, though for some reason, also has a strange love of candles? 

We spoke with Fiehler about his role in the series. Exactly why it was that Ben was so obsessed with candlemaking, but also, asked why it is Ben kept going to see Harry for therapy. An alien who has very little understanding of human behavior.

“Yeah, the candlemaking! You know, Ben is very high-strung, very anxious, kind of a nerve flapping in the wind. And candlemaking that’s his therapeutic hobby that centers him. Brings him his zen. His happy place is just dippin’ those wicks!”

It’s a funny yet odd quick that we see throughout the series. As Ben’s odd affinity for candles comes up quite a bit. Though to be fair, Fiehler does a great job of selling the passion with genuine enthusiasm. As to why Ben goes to therapy:

“I think the going to Harry for therapy, especially after knowing him for less than 24 hours and he just starts spilling all the beans to Harry, I think it’s just a case of like: ‘Oh, you have a degree on your wall? You must know what you’re doing! Or you’re a doctor — I don’t even think he sees a degree — You’re a doctor! You must be qualified to be a therapist. Here are all my problems.’”

actor levi fiehler

A silly but understandable predicament given that the story is set in small-town Colorado. Still, the compulsion for Ben definitely stems from a few personal insecurities. Especially considering his inferiority complex to his wife or the fact that his son is a disturbingly screaming boy who cried, alien. Fiehler continues to talk about why:

“I think Ben is just so desperate for help. An outlet to pour his grievances and emotions and what’s plaguing him. I think he’s drowning and reaching for the life ring that he thinks is Harry and then obviously, we the audience know, it’s not the case. It’s the complete opposite. He’s sitting there judging him!”

Resident Alien is easily one of the best shows on television right now. If you’d like to see more, you can watch it on Syfy Network every Wednesday at 10 pm EST.  

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 6 Review: “Sexy Beast”

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Ben, Harry, and Ethan talk shop in episode 6 sexy beast of resident alien
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Sexy Beast" Episode 106 -- Pictured: (l-r) Levi Fiehler as Mayor Ben Hawthorne, Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle, Michael Cassidy as Dr. Ethan Stone -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 6 Review: “Sexy Beast”

In ‘Sexy Beast’, the sixth episode of Resident Alien, Harry learns about both human intimacy and human insecurity.

Getting intimate with someone is both a fun and beautiful experience. It’s a getting to know and take in the other in a strange oneness, like a harmonic ensemble or dancing. This subconscious togetherness that you and that other are vibing and understand each other. But when you’re an extraterrestrial alien pretending to be the husband of stolen human identity that was your first murder victim? Well, that’s an entirely different story. One that I’m not sure this episode fully pulls off.

 

This female human creature was suffocating me with her sexual organs.

Immediately into this episode, we see Harry in a committed relationship with his wife Isabel (Elvy). One that he’s accidentally stumbled into. To complicate matters, Harry mostly just wants to reassemble his ship and destroy the earth, but now has to deal with his live-in wife that always seems to be at home. Naturally, Harry does what first comes to mind: finding ways to knock out his wife, sometimes with alcohol sometimes with pills. Complicating matters even further, Harry soon loses his job at the doctor’s office as Mayor Hawthorne has finally found a replacement doctor. Thus forcing Harry to be home with Isabel even more. 

Things finally come to a head at the bar when Harry and Isabel encounter D’arcy, who reluctantly addresses the two in person. D’arcy is upset how Harry never mentioned he was married. When he goes back home with his wife, Isabel shares that she wants to sell the cabin and go back to New York together. Harry just wants to have sex and goes over the awkward intricacies of the deed from his awkward point of view —  at least, until he knocks her out again to find his ship along with his device’s missing pieces. 

Though funny at first, there is something incredibly cringe-worthy about consistently knocking out your own wife using drugs and alcohol again-and-again after sleeping with her. Yes, Harry is actually an Alien, and yes this is the person Harry is married to, but the alien is also engaging consistently in a sexual partnership with somebody else’s wife entirely here which I think is a problematic issue. If Wonder Woman 1984 could be criticized heavily for Steve Trevor utilizing a surrogate’s body to copulate with his Amazon warrior partner, I think this is probably touching that same borderline of taboo.

His Smile Makes Me Want to love him and strangle him

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Sexy Beast” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Levi Fiehler as Mayor Ben Hawthorne, Michael Cassidy as Dr. Ethan Stone — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Harry struggles with the town’s reveal of the new doctor, Ethan Stone. A handsome young physician who worked at Doctor’s without borders. In every way, Ethan proves himself to be both a better doctor and human being than Harry — which irritates him. That evening, Ethan even sleeps with D’arcy, and even nicely makes her breakfast the morning after, which both confuses and disgusts her very much. 

 

Bad cop and Badder cop

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Sexy Beast” Episode 106 — Pictured: (l-r) Corey Reynolds as Sherriff Mike Thompson, Elizabeth Bowen as Deputy Liv — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Meanwhile, Big Mike figures out how the prescription pad was stolen and begins working with Asta. It’s a story arc that leads to a funny good and bad cop routine down at the high school. One that ultimately fails. Thankfully, Liv is around to interrogate those at the school and figure it out. Together, they deduce there has to be a connection with Jay, Asta’s daughter. 

For the first time since working together, Mike gives Deputy Liv kudos for doing a good job. I’ll also quickly mention how great the writing is in bringing this episode together, as there is a sweet bowling alley scene with Liv, Asta, and D’arcy’s storylines all converging as one. One where Asta encounters her ex-husband who has picked up a high school teenage girl Beck, that Jimmy is seemingly dating.

 

The Take

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Sexy Beast” Episode 106 — Pictured: Linda Hamilton as General McCallister — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

While this episode moves a lot of plots forward, there is also a lot that gets sidetracked. Mainly, in guest star Linda Hamilton who is revealed to be a general in the forces looking for Harry. We learn about their backstory, and in doing so, how they track down Harry’s ship. The episode ends with Harry is finally confronted by the humans looking for him.

I really was not a fan of Harry in this episode but think that the rest of the supporting cast, including Mike and Liv, really pulled it through. I  think that the only thing that really was accomplished was the alien discovery scenes by the Government with Linda Hamilton’s guest cameo. It’s good that the villains have finally closed in and that the truth is on the border of being revealed. 

Watchmen: Episode 4 Season 1 “If You Don’t Like My Story, Write Your Own” Review

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Sister Night and her family tree
Sister Night checks out her family tree

What is a legacy, really? Can we escape the missteps of our forebearers? Do we have a choice or are we doomed by genetics?

Warning: Spoilers!

Eggs have a weighted significance in this mysterious little series of Lindelof’s. But, to be fair, eggs have a weighted significance in our mysterious little world too. Eggs symbolize, above all else, fertility. Life. But, eggs can embody hope, the fragility of survival, and, of course, sustenance. Orange you glad I didn’t mention the word egg again? Yolk aside, I mention the white (or brown) ovals because they begin an episode that is heavily focused on the concept of legacies. Yes, Watchmen once again proves it cannot be subtle, not even when it tries.

Meet the Clarks, they run an egg farm business that is failing. Lucky for them, Lady Trieu (Hong Chau) – currently the world’s only trillionaire – has shown up on their doorstep in the middle of the night with an unbeatable offer (egg pun? You betcha!). She can give them a legacy, immortality, all for the cost of their house and land. At first they balk – who wouldn’t? But, once she makes it clear she’s serious, they easily give in. I feel like there’s a side moral about the ease with which the wealthy take what they want from the poor, but I’m gonna go ahead and give the Clarks their win. 5 million and a baby? Not too shabby. Don’t worry, I can come back to the moral a little later. For now, let’s move on.

Eggs connect us from Lady Trieu to Angela, who’s returned to her bakery to wash away any traces of the man she’s only recently discovered is her grandfather. You may recall Will made himself eggs. She’s broken down his wheelchair, mopped up, and is about to burn the letter when she gets a call from the cultural center. The letter somewhat survives! And Angela gears up to break into the cultural center and learn more about this blast from her past.

Most people might take the sudden appearance of a long lost relative in a positive way. Angela’s a complicated history with family, for one thing, and this relative just happened to kill a dear friend of hers (allegedly). So, when she gets the new view of her family tree she’s none too pleased. In awe? Definitely. The look on her face telegraphs her mixed feelings. Here’s where I think the series branches off from the normal definition of legacy (another pun!? Yes. All the puns!). Which makes sense because this is Watchmen, and nothing this series does is normal. So, what other kind of legacy is there? How about emotional? Psychological? Institutional…This is, after all, a show about racism – and superheroes and how masks change people, but largely racism. The legacy, for many black Americans in this country, is pain, and Angela’s a perfect example of this.

Angela comes from a long line of pain. Her great grandparents died in the tragic Tulsa massacre; their only child survived but not without cost. We’ll see Will’s journey soon enough, but what we do know is that Angela’s parents died when she was little (the specifics are coming, just you wait). Hell, even Angela’s partner and his wife are killed on the White Night, making her children – specifically Topher – haunted by loss. Is death Angela’s legacy? Is pain? We don’t know what the future holds (well, I do at least in terms of this show, but overall for the character I’m in the same boat as you!), but as Angela is exploring her past a little thermodynamic miracle brings her back to the present.

In case you’ve been a little lost with the timeline, this episode provides a clue in. While in the cultural center (which she broke into as Sister Night), Angela hears a car alarm go off. She runs outside and sees Agent Laurie Blake at the scene of the commotion. The source of that commotion? Angela’s missing car. You may remember it from the second episode when it was whisked away by a UFO. The next time we see it is the previous episode when it falls from the sky nearly killing Agent Blake. That was the night of the Captain’s funeral, after Blake vaguely threatened Angela. We’re starting, essentially, where we last left off.

The next day, after breakfast with her family – where Cal tries to explain Atheism to their kids – Angela goes to see Wade Tillman aka Looking Glass. He is holed up in a fallout shelter in his yard, and is obsessed with the random rain of squids. Sure, he’s weird, but all things considered, who isn’t? Despite their brief conversation in episode two, they now come off as friendly with each other. I mean, friendly enough that Angela trusts him to hide Judd’s Klan robe and gives him the bottle of pills she took from her car (knowing Laurie would probably comb through it). Wade’s suspicious, but agrees to help; even offers his own explanation for Judd’s robe – maybe it’s a family heirloom? Honestly, I had the same thought…

What happens next is probably one of the weirdest scenes in the whole series, which is saying something. It’s mostly unusual because it is a one-time circumstance. Whereas many of the things that happen in this series are thematic, and appear repeatedly, this one is…different. As Sister Night is disposing of her grandfather’s disassembled wheelchair she notices someone out of the corner of her eye. She turns and sees a man dressed head to toe in silver spandex standing across the road. Did he see her get rid of the bag? Does he know what she’s done? Only one way to find out! Sister Night gives chase, but this quick silver has a trick up his sleeve, er, belt. Meet “Lube-Man”, dubbed so by Red Scare. A nobody, one-off character, that eventually is hinted at as being Agent Dale Petey. Despite this being his only appearance, Lube-Man became a fan-favorite. Why? I honestly have no fucking idea. I wasn’t a huge fan of how this moment happens and is never reference again, kind of reminds me of the whole Jim Beaver thing, but fans are weird.

I will say that since we were speaking about legacies, and it does have to do with history, it’s not such a stretch to think that the superhero history buff might one-day take a more hands on approach to his subject matter? I mean, he got to sleep with the second Silk Spectre, while wearing a mask! Bit of a gateway if you ask me…

Back to the plot at hand. Laurie has made herself at home in Judd’s office, which displeases Angela, but it gets better. Laurie’s not letting Angela’s returned car go, in fact, her, Angela, and Petey are off on a field trip to Lady Trieu’s. Why? Because the tech-trillionaire has the only aircrafts capable of lifting a car, flying it somewhere, then dropping it back while looking like a UFO.

The ride in the car is one of my favorite scenes in this series. Firstly, let’s consider the blocking. Angela and Laurie are upfront. Laurie is driving while Angela rides shotgun, and Petey is relegated to the backseat. Even better is the conversation. Angela’s inquiry as to why Laurie gives a fuck about her missing car results in an exchange which will mean a lot more the second view around. There’s also the connection to our theme – Laurie says that people who wear masks are driven by trauma. This proves to be true for both of the ladies in this car, not to mention the masked heroes we’ll be seeing later on. I suppose it also gives Petey some depth, what trauma is driving him to wear a mask? Lastly, there’s the reveal of Laurie’s past to Angela. Now, normally, since Petey is the resident historian and the only white male within miles of this scene, he would be the one who takes control of this part of the conversation, but, here, he’s made to wait for permission to do so. Laurie controls his contribution to her story. Overall, just an amazing scene.

At Lady Trieu’s, Angela and Laurie are invited to talk to the boss in her vivarium, but Petey is not. Once again, we have a novel situation: a straight, white male has been denied access to a key scene in a story where he would normally be leading the investigation. Mind you, he should be in attendance. Petey is an FBI Agent, he has the credentials that put him above Angela, yet, Trieu only invites the ladies. Yes, I’m going to savor this.

The only point of this interaction is to show us that Lady T is tied to Angela’s grandfather. Well, the only obvious point. The thing you’ll notice second time around is that Lady T never lies in this scene. She chooses her words very carefully. There’s also another hint to our timeline, but I’ll come back to that.

The closure to this episode throws a few things at you quickly. We’ve got Angela and Cal’s conversation regarding what he told Agent Blake (nothing, duh!). We’ve got Bian (Jolie Hoang-Rappaport), Lady T’s “daughter”, who wakes up from a vivid nightmare only to be largely dismissed by her mother. And, then there’s the reveal that Lady T is hosting Will Reeves, who gives us a time table for when things will come to a head: 3 days.

Other things in this episode:

Adrian Veidt’s chronicle continues. We now know he’s trapped somewhere, and he’s trying to escape. He also didn’t clone Ms. Crookshanks (Sara Vickers) or Mr. Phillips (Tom Mison, whom I haven’t seen since Sleepy Hallow), rather, he harvests them as babies from a lake and grows them into adulthood using a machine. Our biggest revelation is that when the dead servants are catapulted into the sky they disappear, meaning that they must pass through an invisible barrier. But then, where is Adrian? Considering the transition from his scenes back to the main plot is the moon, and this show IS NOT SUBTLE, the moon seems like a safe bet.

Lady T’s introduction should have involved more. We learn absolutely nothing about her, save that she’s crazy rich, bought out Veidt’s company when he was pronounced dead, and has made some weird pact with Will Reeves. And trust me, as the series continues, we won’t uncover too much else. It’s frustrating to me. This is a good series in many ways with regards to how it treats women and people of color, but it has noticeable blind spots. The lack of depth in Lady T, and even Laurie, is disappointing.

Finally, our title. In the scene where Angela talks to Cal about his conversation with Agent Blake, Angela tries to pick a fight by spoiling the ending of the book Cal is reading. Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe contains the line that is the title of this episode. It makes sense, as a big plot point of the book is Okonkwo doing his best to write his own story, separate from the one his father wrote in terms of legacy. Spoiler, it does not end well for him. Is that a portent to how things will end for Angela? Is she the one who is trying to rewrite her own story? Or…is this title referencing someone else? I’ve got my guesses, and I’ll discuss them once we’ve come to the end of this tale.

WandaVision Episode 8: So It Wasn’t Agatha all along?

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wandavision episode 7

WandaVision’s Episode 8 is the long-awaited backstory episode. A case study on grief from the lives of Agatha Harkness and Wanda Maximoff. 

I am a fan of good tragedies in stories. The narratives about characters that experience great loss, how they cope, and how they continue onward. Truth be told, I’m very familiar with loss. I’ve experienced more death and illness and suicidality than most people, and through therapy and great support, I’ve found something that helps me continue… 

Story. Stories like the ones we finally get to understand in this episode of the series. Themes of how to overcome loss, aspirations for control over grief, and more importantly — a message on how to move forward with life. In episode 8 of WandaVision, we see both Agatha Harkness’s tragic backstory, along with Wanda Maximoff’s. That it wasn’t Mephisto or some manipulative powers that be, but rather, that it was Wanda. Her loss and suffering and a desire to craft something more. A coping mechanism built out of pain and desire for connection. 

It’s something Marvel has always done a great job of addressing: characters that just want to feel like they have a place in the world. Here’s this week’s breakdown. 

 

What’s Happening In WandaVision: A Recap

The episode begins with Agatha undergoing her own witch trial. Where a long time ago, Agatha deceived her own coven and stole their forbidden magic, only to be punished by her own coven of witches and mother. Unforgiven and not given a chance to prove that she could be good, Agatha is attacked ber her own people. But when the spell cast by the coven backfires, Agatha absorbed the life forces of those witches who’d attacked her. Her mother being Agatha’s last victim, who adamantly still tried to kill her own daughter down to her dying breath. 

In the present, Wanda confronts Agatha and tries to probe her mind, only to soon realize, she’d never been actually able to in reality. Agatha shows Wanda that only a witch who placed runes in an enclosure can cast magic and more importantly, that she knows much about magic and had been playing Wanda this whole time. All while waiting for Wanda to reveal her true self. Agatha wants to know Wanda’s secret: how was she able to conjure all of these high-powered spells? Together they go through a magically manifested door down memory lane. 

In Wanda’s childhood, we see her family in Sokovia. A day when her dad brought home DVDs he sold at bootleg. We learn Wanda and Pietro grew up around tv sitcoms, and just when things seemed fine, a bomb detonated and killed Wanda’s parents. A stark industry missile next to tv, it’s obvious Wanda’s trauma is associated with TV sitcoms as a coping mechanism. Unrealizing at the time, she was using a probability hex to keep her and Pietro safe. 

Years later, she and her brother joined hydra. During an experiment, Wanda touched the mind stone and the infinity stone affected Wanda’s mind. Showing her a vision of the scarlet witch. An event that amplified her powers. Still following her along the journey Agatha pushed Wanda to go forward. Where she remembered a fond memory with her late husband — a reminder that in Vision’s kindness, she found someone willing to be by her side.

Parents dead, brother dead, and now Vision dead, Wanda approached Sword to request for his body. Learning that no matter what she’d done, nothing would allow them to let him go. Defeated, Wanda goes back to her car only to find a note from Vision along with a deed: a plot of land for a house for her and Vision. In her great grief, Wanda reformatted the world in her vision. Which is all that Agatha needed to see. 

Soon after, Agatha holds Wanda’s children hostage. She reveals to Wanda that she’s done nothing but use chaos magic, revealing that Wanda is in fact, The Scarlet Witch. Oh, and in the stringer, the real Vision is resurrected by S.W.O.R.D. and director Hayword who’s proven to be a rather awful person. 

 

What This All Means

What all of this means we won’t know for certain. Though it makes for a great cliffhanger for the season finale next week. It also confirms that everything we’ve seen is magic, and so will absolutely tie into Doctor Strange’s next movie (given that he’s all about magic).

There are a lot of powers revealed in this episode, all explaining Wanda’s origins and capabilities. More importantly, we get to understand Wanda’s loss a lot better, somewhat confirming a lot of the suspicions we had about how this all came to be (wish-fulfillment) while also giving us the heavy emotional payoffs the series deserves.

 

‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2 Episode 8 Review: Marcus Chooses a Path

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On A Discovery of Witches this week, Marcus learns that with great power comes great responsibility as the grandmaster of the Knights of Lazarus. He must decide what is important to him and decide quickly as nefarious forces conspire to take down his family and those he cares about.

Here are the key moments from this episode:

Diana Tries to Read a Damaged Ashmole 782

After their escapade in Bohemia, Matthew (Matthew Goode) and Diana (Teresa Palmer) as well as Pierre, Francoise, and Jack have all returned to London. Diana’s been trying to read a damaged Ashmole 782 but it’s been resisting her. Matthew seems troubled that his wife has spent so much time glued to the book and suggests that she should go eat the meal that Francoise prepared. The witch at first seems reluctant to but gives in and heads downstairs.

Later she falls asleep with the book and dreams of the tree of life freezing and dying as she sees screaming souls within. She wakes up in a start and when Matthew asks her if everything is alright, she answers no it isn’t.

Gerbert and Knox: Scheming Bros

Knox (Owen Teale) returns to Venice from his trip to Rudolf’s country palace and reveals to his vampire ally that he’s discovered a letter written by Edward Kelly that he had ripped three pages from the Book of Life when he possessed it in 1591. In addition, the daemon had given a page to a member of their three species. Gerbert (Trevor Eve) thinks that the de Cleremonts have one of them while Knox is investigating the whereabouts of another. The witch also claims that he was unable to call the book because it was incomplete with the vampire scoffing that Diana Bishop managed it. Knox then throws out that maybe she already had a page and if they could find one it might help them call it from the Bodleian.

Emily Keeps Trying to Summon Rebecca

Meanwhile in Sept-Tours, Emily Mathers (Valerie Pettiford) continues to remain wholly preoccupied with trying to use the page from the Ashmole 782 to summon Rebecca (Sophia Myles). She’s convinced that her long dead friend can help them understand how Diana is tied to the book. We get a tight shot of the page and it’s the same illustration that came to life when Diana opened the tome in 1591. We see the tree of life and the alchemical wedding.

She tries once more to call on Rebecca’s spirit and manages to do so again briefly but the ghost is unable to say anything important before vanishing. Unfortunately, Sarah (Alex Kingston) also finds her there and is livid that she’s been practicing higher magic. As the two begin arguing, Em says that the other woman doesn’t understand that Rebecca is trying to tell her something. Sarah takes the page away to keep it safe. But Emily says that maybe her ladylove can help her next time because there is a sacred site, a temple outside the chateau and that she could feel its power. Sarah gets even angrier asking why isn’t Em listening to her when the other witch counters by asking doesn’t she want to help Diana. Sarah then calms down a little and explains not at the risk of losing her because anything could come through. She thinks Em is being used and is being shown what she wants to see.

Upset, Emily goes outside to get some air. Ysabeau (Lindsay Duncan) follows and offers the witch some wine and the advice to never sleep on an argument. Eventually Sarah comes outside and the two make up. She even offers to help with the summoning, not wanting her beloved to do this alone. The following night the two women sneak out of Sept-Tour and head to the temple dedicated to Diana. This is the same spot where Philippe asked for the goddess to bless Diana and Matthew’s marriage. As Emily calls on Rebecca’s spirit once more, this time Sarah is overcome by seeing her sister calling out to her. She is unable to help herself and moves forward, disrupting the spell.

The Many Facets of Marcus Whitmore

This episode in focused on Marcus (Edward Bluemel) in many ways as he begins to grapple with trying to win Phoebe (Adelle Leonce) back and his responsibilities as grandmaster of the Knights of Lazarus. When we first met the vampire doctor, he seemed young and more carefree in comparison to Matthew and Miriam (Aiysha Hart). But by the end of the season one his father had named him as the new grandmaster, a responsibility he did not want. In the second season thus far we’ve only seen him begin to understand that the organization needed to do something different to be able to protect those who couldn’t protect themselves in the present. After Ysabeau revealed that the origins of the knights were to protect her as a carrier of blood rage, Marcus is understandably super upset because it was kept from him. He had believed that he was irresponsible as a sire in New Orleans which is why Matthew had killed so many of his children.

As Marcus is getting ready to leave his home in Oxford, Miriam arrives and tells him that Philippe had wanted to eliminate blood rage to prevent humans from discovering their existence and to safeguard Ysabeau. He is still angry that she didn’t tell him as a friend, but she counters that she isn’t family and didn’t have a right to reveal it. This was clearly a de Cleremont family affair. When he asks why he wasn’t killed as well Miriam says that because Matthew defied Philippe’s orders. Marcus though at this point feels betrayed and is done with his family and the knights. It’s made him realize what’s important to him: his friends, his work, his human life. He looks at the scarf that Phoebe left on the table and Miriam says that whomever that belongs to is not worth it and that he can’t deny what he is.

He heads to the auction house and Phoebe comes out irritated that he is there. Marcus returns her scarf and tells her that he is telling the truth. Just as she begins to dismiss him, he gives her a medallion to look at and explains that it is the property of the Knights of Lazarus. It’s an organization that dates back to the 12th century and he is the grandmaster. Phoebe thinks he’s lying again and claims that she’s Princess Leia then. He tells her to research it and to run tests on the piece, all she’ll find are questions and when she’s ready for answers she knows where he’ll be.

As she is leaving work, Phoebe can’t seem to help herself and gives the medallion to a colleague to examine. She then heads downstairs to their vault where Domenico appears. The vampire questions her about the miniatures and at first she thinks he’s a police officer. But soon Phoebe realizes that isn’t the case when she asks about their missing security guard. Domenico (Gregg Chillin) looks like he’s about to get violent when Phoebe’s colleague appears excited about what he’s discovered about the medallion and asks where she got it. She tells him it’s from a new client when the vampire notices the object and asks the same question. Phoebe then wisely says that Marcus gave it to her and that he is grandmaster of the Knights of Lazarus. This makes Domenico back off and he bids her a good evening.

The following day she goes to Marcus and asks him pretty much everything. He reveals to her that the couple in the miniatures are his father Matthew and a witch named Diana Bishop. The vampire tells her that he was born in 1757, though he was sired in 1781. He had been a surgeon’s assistant in the Continental Army dying of fever and Matthew came offering him a means to survive so he took it. They spend the whole day together talking and in amorous activities. He reveals that he does enjoy being a vampire but sometimes it gets lonely. When Phoebe brings up that his human family are long since dead, Marcus says that’s true but he has a vampire family now and human friends. Phoebe is special though and is the only human who knows what he is. He takes her hand and puts it to his chest, to show her that his heart does beat only much slower. They then move on to other topics like feeding and Marcus explains that they try not to drink human blood anymore but he does feed via the blood bags as a doctor who has access to such things. But he drinks it in a mug, he’s not a heathen!

At a local pub, he explains that she’s probably worked with creatures before maybe even loved one of them. There used to be a lot more but their numbers are dwindling and they don’t know why. Some vampires can’t sire, witches are losing their powers, and some daemons are driven to madness. Marcus comments though that there was a time when the creature population intermingled with the humans all the time but the latter got afraid and prejudice just got worse and worse. Phoebe then asks who the oldest vampire he ever met was and he easily answers his grandfather Philippe.

Later after a session of lovemaking, she has him pick up ice cream for her while she timed how fast he could do it. After more chatting, Phoebe asks more about the Knights of Lazarus and mentions how some guy came around asking about the robbery. He confirms that was Domenico. It’s at this time that he tells her that he’s going to give up the grandmaster position because vampire culture has become so archaic and they’re all stuck in the past, he knows what’s important to him – friends and work. Phoebe disagrees though that he can’t turn his back on his kind. She says that he could have any life he wanted but he chose to become a doctor because he wants to help people and as someone born during revolutionary times if he doesn’t like creature politics then he should do something to change it. Phoebe urges him to use the knights to help everyone for future generations. No pressure.

A Baby is Born

Sophie (Aisling Loftus) tells Nathaniel (Daniel Ezra) and Marcus back at the house in Oxford that the baby is coming and they head to the hospital for the impending birth. She then gives birth to a baby girl with Marcus arriving soon after. When Miriam comes to check to see that everything is alright, grandmother Agatha Wilson (Tanya Moodie) is there already as well. The female vampire asks what the newborn’s name is and Nathaniel answers Margaret. It seems that Miriam is not a fan though. Just then she gives Marcus a look and she tells the daemons that the baby’s blood is singing, confirming that Margaret is a witch.

The grandmaster says that the Congregation can’t get their hands on the baby and so once the doctor gives them the all clear the family should stay in Sept-Tour for awhile. They can decide what to do long term once the dust settles down. Nathaniel and Sophie look at each other briefly with him saying if the baby will be safer there, then of course.

Unfortunately after Marcus heads to Venice to visit Baldwin and he refuses to relinquish his leadership over the Knights of Lazarus, his uncle decides to rat him out to Gerbert. He had just revealed that two daemons gave birth to a witch and that child needed to be protected. Baldwin of course is appalled because the knights were created to protect de Cleremont interests, specifically to protect Ysabeau’s secret. Marcus informs him that he already knows about blood rage and that he’s carrier. Baldwin goes so far to say that Philippe should have had all of Ysabeau’s line killed. Marcus then slaps back that now he understands why his grandfather was always so disappointed in his son. When Gerbert comes to Baldwin after Marcus leaves, the other vampire makes some massive threats and demands to know everything. With a cold calculated look, the head of the de Cleremont family reveals that his nephew is protecting a witch baby born of two daemons.

Of course Gerbert tells Knox who then heads to the hospital in Oxford. He knocks out the parents with a spell and evaluates Margaret when Agatha walks into the room. Knox tells her that the baby will be raised by her kind and that she should make the most of the time left she has with her granddaughter. Agatha says if that if he comes near her grandchild again she will kill him with her bare hands but this doesn’t phase him. He exits the room leaving her emotionally shaken. Likely because Agatha is a fellow Congregation member herself that he didn’t just take the baby with him right then and there.

Final Thoughts

  • Knox and Gerbert sometimes remind me of two old busybody gossips who are annoyed the young folk are usurping their power.
  • I have really enjoyed the character development with Marcus this season. It seems that Phoebe is acting as his conscience, just when he was ready to give up and relinquish responsibility.
  • Trystan Gravelle’s ability to bring Baldwin’s arrogance to life is so much fun to watch.
  • Seeing Ysabeau warm up to Emily and Sarah has also been great to see unfold after Diana discovers her hatred for witches in 1590.
  • Everyone in the series continues to be impeccably dressed and I find myself constantly admiring how sharp everyone looks.
  • My one criticism: the lack of Gallowglass.

A Discovery of Witches streams on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder.

Alan Tudyk on Harry’s Surprise Marriage And Shooting His First Sex Scene on ‘Resident Alien’

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alan tudyk is doctor harry Vanderspeigle in episode 5 of resident alien
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Love Language" Episode 105 -- Pictured: Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

The leading actor of Resident Alien talks about the series’ biggest twist with Harry’s marriage to Isabel.

Five weeks into Resident Alien and critics agree that the SYFY series is a hit. A show about a stranded space alien trying to keep his identity hidden — while simultaneously trying to accomplish his mission to end humanity — it’s refreshing to see actor Alan Tudyk take the lead in a role he was destined to play. 

Thus far, it’s in Harry’s struggles to be human and odd attempts at fitting in that compel audiences to tune in week-to-week. Yet, it’s often the show’s writing and engaging cliffhangers that make Resident Alien work. Especially, regarding last week’s where we learn that despite his growing relationship with Darcy the human Doctor Harry Vandershpiegel is in fact, married. 

In a final conversation with The Workprint, Tudyk shares his enthusiasm about the secret reveal that was set up in the last episode: his Character’s revelation that he’s married.

“Oh, it’s fantastic. I love that he’s just such fun — I think it’s in episode 3 where Isabel shows up and he’s like… ‘How did you get in my house?’ and she’s like, ‘I have a key. I’m your wife!’ You see that whole idea of, what? There’s no pictures of her anywhere! He didn’t have anything to go on. So of course, this was a possibility. One he didn’t see it coming.” 

Indeed, from almost every media outlet’s reception, no one saw this twist coming. Weeks ago we spoke with Tudyk about the intricacies of his process of creating the character but back then, we didn’t expect how deep Harry’s relationships would be explored regarding his humanity in relation to others. It’s a deeper foray into the understandings of the intimacies of being human for Harry. A challenge the alien is utterly unprepared for as we learn:

“It’s really fun to play because of the level of intimacy those two characters have been husband and wife. it’s a problem for Harry. He’s just immediately exposed and has a whole other side of human interaction that he has to become familiar with very fast.”

The storyline pays off thanks to some brilliant writing but also, Tudyk’s finesse at making intimacy feel strange.  He also shares with us that despite his longstanding career in film and television, this was Alan’s first time filming a sex scene on camera.  

“This was my first sex scene ever on camera. And it’s appropriate that my orgasm involved me slightly crossing one eye and sounding like a dying dolphin.”  

Resident Alien is on Syfy Network every Wednesday at 10 pm EST. We’ve got reviews of each episode this season, along with a few more interviews with the cast.

 

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 5 Review: “Love Language”

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asta scorns at harry in resident alien episode 5 love language
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Love Language" Episode 105 -- Pictured: (l-r) Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees, Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

A person from Harry’s past returns in his life in this week’s Resident Alien Review

It’s hard to compare anything to last week’s pretty amazing cliffhangers, but we’ll try anyway. In the last episode, we’ve officially learned that Jay is Asta’s daughter, the same one she gave up for adoption at age 16. What this means for their relationship remains unclear, but it is a major development to Asta’s professional and family life from here onward.

Meanwhile, Harry is still keeping his dead human body hidden away in the freezer. He had also sloppily kissed D’arcy for the first time. But all is not well during a break-in at home, and before the kids, Max and Sahar, can take evidence from the basement, they electrocute themselves while touching Harry’s alien device. Upset at this betrayal, before Harry can drag them away in some duffel bags… his Wife — yes, wife — arrives in town.

Yep.

Picking up from there, this episode starts off very different from the other episodes of Resident Alien, in that we finally get to see Harry’s backstory. The genuine human Harry — and not our resident Alien Tudyk. We see how Doctor Vandershpiegel first met his wife, Isabel, who is an attractive artist based in NYC that he’d met at an auction. Their opening intro details how the two met and fell in love; a tone that’s contrasted by their present-day divorce, which Isabel reveals to Harry, unrealizing her real Harry was already murdered. 

Love is in The Air?

Isabelle in Resident Alien Episode 5
RESIDENT ALIEN — “Love Language” Episode 105 — Pictured: Elvy Yost as Isabelle — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

So unsurprisingly, this episode is all about love. With Harry getting to know human love, he addresses his soon-to-be ex-wife, Isabel (Elvy), and, though it’s a rather love/hate relationship, it’s rather obvious Harry loves her company. Loves how she confuses every fiber of his being and loves how her embrace feels like warm ham. If only it weren’t for her snoring. It’s a funny arc, in that Isabel hates how Harry’s different and how he could abandon his life and home in NYC to be a small-town doctor. And though it’s overall a reluctantly cute story as Harry wants nothing to do with this stranger, it ultimately tenses when she finds Sahar’s Sari and accuses Harry of finding another woman. Coincidentally, D’arcy happens to break up with him mere moments before all these crazy reveals. Which poetically cultivates in a triangle, after she and Isabel drink together at her bar, unrealizing how they’re both complaining about the same guy. 

What I love about this is how much it plays to Harry’s reluctant growth. Because just when he thinks it’s over with D’arcy and Isabel is leaving him so he can peacefully find his device and destroy the earth… Isabel makes them dinner. Out of the meat Harry locks in the freezer, which coincidentally, is hiding human Harry’s body. And in a moment of tension, we’re reminded why we love our spouses. As Harry’s wife, Isabel promises to be there for him no matter what. Again, rejecting this total stranger, we are reminded of another reason why we love our spouses, as despite his rejections she sings to him, “Nature Boy,” which weirdly touches his spirit. In a sort of fashion that can only be explained as a slip of being ultimately sentimentally human. 

And sex. They have sex. How does that interspecies copulation work? I’m not entirely certain, though it is stressed Harry is human on a molecular level, albeit it’s never really explained. Harry seems to enjoy the contentment and, in the end, is able to find some sleep. Finding himself sort of secretly loving the idea of having a romantic partner, though he’s still conflicted as to why.

 

“I Am Feeling Attacked. I Am… Snowflaking.”

Max and Sahar speak with Harry in Resident Alien Episode 5
RESIDENT ALIEN — “Love Language” Episode 105 — Pictured: (l-r) Judah Prehn as Max Hawthorne, Alien Harry — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

As for the children, Harry is mad at Max because he lied to him. Feeling slightly emotionally hurt as Max, with Sahar’s help, was simply trying to steal his keys over dinner. Though the conflict is ultimately resolved after Harry politely brings the children home safely (for someone who wants to kill them he seems to secretly actually care for their well-being) he denies every bit about the alien technology. But the little girl, Sahar, remembers riding bikes but not waking up in the cabin just now how that night resolved (by knocking themselves out via electroshock). Unwilling to let the kids foil him any longer, Harry sells the idea that Max has terrorphobia to his mother and offers that the boy go to a special school for kids with special needs like Max, down in Georgia. A sad betrayal that oddly makes sense.

Though, ultimately, the arc comes to head at a diner, where, after some very disgusting yet funny moments between Harry and the kids, they finally decide on a truce together. And, in doing so, slightly become friends, or so we believe. Because the truth is, whether it’s real or not, Harry is starting to hate how he’s feeling inside. And these kids, and his odd sympathies towards his enemies, are making him strangely vulnerable. 

 

Mike Wants To Make Dad Proud

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Love Language” Episode 105 — Pictured: Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Beyond this, we get more decent side character development as Jay and Asta’s storyline comes to a head. Ultimately, we also learn how humans lie to protect one another from each other, leading Asta to deduce who’s really to blame regarding those prescription drug pads. She talks with Jay about their daughter.

Also in a surprise move, we meet sheriff Mike’s father, who seems slightly disappointed in his son. In return, Mike tries to solve the town murder yet, all the while, ignores Liv’s clues and sleuthing, particularly in her belief that the severed foot found in the lake is related. When she discovers Sam was indeed murdered with botulism poison (to the hopes of Sam’s ex-wife Abigail who would’ve gotten nothing if his death were a suicide), it brings a new life to Mike that he hopes will make his dad proud.

 

The Take

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Love Language” Episode 105 — Pictured: Kaylayla Raine as Jay — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Even though it wasn’t fully addressed, I think the Jay and Asta storyline will have major implications later on in this season. There’s a tension here that affects Asta’s family life that I do believe will pour into the series, as Asta (and in turn D’arcy) are sort of Harry’s anchor to his humanity.

This episode was interesting mostly in the sense that we do get some romantic backstory. I also really liked how they hid all signs of Isabel up until this episode, as her reveal and later history make for a compelling character analysis of the person Harry’s human counterpart used to be. Isabel is a woman in love with her husband, who is, in turn, a different man/alien. And yes, it’s creepy. It’s confusingly inhuman.

Which is sort of what this series is about.

Triumvirate of Trouble: ‘A Band Called Death’ Review

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“What do you think a trip is?”…. “The ultimate trip is death.” -David Hackney III

If you ask some, the inception of what we uniformly know as Punk was formed in 1974 at 430 King’s Road in London, England. However, that would send more seasoned music historians into histrionics, asserting that it unequivocally took the stage at 315 Bowery, New York, New York circa 1974. Still, tall tales would send those who drudge deeper into a tailspin- as they know the true primordial ooze from whence this chaotically beautiful and mellifluous movement came from was the 42nd Parallel, which Earth at this latitude is fittingly ROUGHLY the speed of sound.

Come Hilly or High Street, it was Detroit that claimed a band that was never noticed but came out just as august with undiluted anger about changing as did any of their more soon well-known constituents. No, I’m not talking about the MC5 or Iggy Pop. Welcome to not only black excellence but also something that is more punk than being famous, recording in fancy studios, and being what anybody isn’t expecting- the abdication of anything people want you to be. This is not only sticking to your guns but also clicking them, being mind-blowingly cooler when your body of work is exhumed from the grave and the realization that you were fucking amazing is the only sound heard. Welcome to the living history of A Band Called Death (Drafthouse Films).

Directed by documentarians Mark Christopher Covino and Jeff Howlett, the film begins with the brothers Hackney, both Dannis (third born/drums) and Bobby Sr., (youngest/singer/bassist), respectively. It’s present time and they are already talking to a friend about how loud and rambunctious their band was and if their brother David Hackney III (second born/lyricist/guitarist) was still with them, he’d be in guffaws right there with them. There were recordings that simply were languishing within the dank storages of an attic. These people not only need to hear their stories but need to hear them.

Thankfully, Brian was able to have the masters turned back to the group (which in this music industry is really a Sisyphean task.)

With such freedom, they printed up a limited 500 45’s of ‘Politicians In My Eyes’ b/w ‘Keep On Knockin’.
They had a few radio stations to spin them infrequently because their name was fucking DEATH… which threw them into DEBT.

For a few weeks, a distant relative named Donald Knight invited them up to Vermont for a few weeks to clear their heads and get things right. New town, new band, right?

Apparently, they had other things to say.. especially because in gothic letters it read Death with a black triangle. Now, this wasn’t a gang, as cops assumed, but rather a band. David wouldn’t change the name. That’s when Dannis and Bobby left, tired of it all.

However, David couldn’t stop and wouldn’t stop. He created another band with his brothers under the banner of the Fourth Movement, inspired by spiritualism, and spin it on its head.

The music was praised, but the lyrics were not. Critics hated the turn and thought they should pack it in. Dave thought so as well and move back to Detroit, but his brothers thought otherwise. He did anyway.

Heidi Simpson, her widow of David knew him during that period of being unemployed but playing music constantly. He wasn’t a 9-5’r and certainly wanted his music to be heard, even if was out to the stars… so both brothers created their own version of Death… without a guitar player… their brother.

With the waning hopes that their brother would come back, the band Lamb’s Bread had risen. This was a simple negation of the guitar, only leaving the bass and drums (the rhythm section) and they went to reggae.

All brothers were raised in Motor City, the four brothers (eldest/non-musician) by their loving mother and father. As preacher’s sons, they religiously abided by the Bible and more than the ministry, their patriarch instilled into them to back up your brothers.

This actually still holds to me, as my brother is the only familial connection I have and though I may be myopic in times, I concur. It’s what my grandmother instilled in me and my mother still does. Sometimes, all you have is family, nothing more, but nothing less.

Like all brothers, there would be one that stood out. Not for anything else but rather they were ‘interesting’. In this case, it was David. He was innovative, whether to play pranks or to find out he might have wanted something else.

In David’s case, it might be to go on audio with a telephone and hack it to scare people. This movie doesn’t shy away from it and uses audio. It’s in my estimation, quite brilliant for the time. This is fucking around with people and their sense of norm and this is what punk is based on. Upend what you think is normal by bringing it into the normal, but I digress.

Now we speak to Detroit, Motown, a bustling sound. Something that is nice and melodious… and though the Brothers’ musical sounds were very pretty, once David heard what he wanted to do, he learned that shit! Go to the music shop, buy instruments, and belt out to the records you rocked out to.. but what then?

Apparently, girls knocking on their door inspired them to write one of the coolest songs, “Keep On Knockin'” which is still one of my favorites of this time in terms of rock or punk.. and let’s just say, they turned the block on its heels.

I mean Death’s “Rock And Roll Victim” with drums could rival Husker Du’s ‘Land Speed Record’ for fast drumming… years ahead of its time! Nobody had done anything like that before! Though thy neighbor didn’t enjoy the ruckus, maybe you’re listening too low.

Now we go into the depressing but uplifting point.

Their father had died as a result of a drunken-driving incident (sadly not on his end, as he was en route to save someone). This affected David, their lyricist greatly, but not as an act of obligation but as an act of purpose.

Every punk band needs a drive, or else, where’s the hi-octane in that fucking engine?

This was not communicated more, than in a picture he’d taken in the clouds, forming a triangulation and god looking over them. This now formulated the band named Death. It wasn’t black metal or anything, but rather an existential view of death through David’s oculars.

What is death? Why are we scared of it so much? Can the grief be overcome?

He figured, the Grim Reaper sows for us all, so why be afraid about it? To me, that’s pretty fucking punk. Hence, the name Death was born.

It isn’t that the name was held in high regard off the bat. He had a little blowback from his brothers, but as their patriarch had instilled into them to have each others’ back, they so did. This was around the spring of 1974, so technically, they’d been making ‘rock’ (punk) music before then.

Now how to shop around Death? It might be something you funnel through your friends, but to sell your act to strangers, professionals? First you need a studio and in that (through a literal dart through the Yellow Pages) they found one- in Groovesville Productions.

In there, they found Don Davis, the CEO of said company, but more importantly Brian Spears, who was the producer. Now, Brian was blown away by the frenetic energy of the group, as it was nothing they’d ever heard of, being used to that Motown Sound (which Detroit was famously known for). No. This was different… and they ended up signing with the company, which ran the famous United Sounds Systems Recording Studios.

There, they got to be freer than their only room in a house they shared, which was less room than a garage band. It in this space, they let their freak flag fly and aimed straight for the fences with double-stacked Marshalls, which they didn’t have before. If you don’t know what they are, reach out to your local rock friend.

The thing is, though Brian was impressed with the mixes, Don Davis said no way, no how unless they changed the name. This lead to a plethora of rejections by UK labels, once so forward, they wrote “I’m sorry I couldn’t be more helpful, but I don’t think it would be worthwhile going anywhere else, so I am returning the tape and lyrics to you.”

OUCH.

Scrapes are only blood drawn we can cry about for a second and laugh at for longer, right?

Not so true. The legendary Clive Davis took a liking to the band, but with only one stipulation… change the fucking name of the band.

That was a no-go for David, as this was his project, these were his lyrics, and he ultimately turned down a 20k deal, though his brothers said it would be worth changing over (which would now, counting for inflation would be nearly akin to 100k.) Again, this is when music contracts were a little dicey, so I don’t even know.

Never willing to settle on his own principles, he wanted integrity before money! In David’s words, “If they give them the title to our band, we might as well give them everything else.”

Though the other brothers would’ve changed the name, David was steadfast. This resulted in David getting the masters of their recordings, as they were now released from their contract (in other words, fired).

That is actually a rarified instance.

They pressed 500 45’s, but they couldn’t get them to spin that shit enough because of the name of the band. Death.

In arrears, the band how to divest their instruments in order to make a payment on their dues… but it just so happened Donald Knight, a distant relative offered them a retreat to get their minds clear. So there they went.

In their new environs, separate from the pile on’s, but only peace, they made their house, nay home.

The only thing is that David wanted to introduce a whole new culture to a whole new sound. That didn’t work for a few reasons.

For one, David put up DIY posters with Death with a black triangle on every pole. The townspeople, including the cops, thought that he was starting a gang, though, when accused of such, he was just trying to promote a band… and in defiance of the town, he wouldn’t change the name.

After that debacle, Bobby and Dannis said enough was enough and left the project they helped create.

Little did they know that David had something up his sleeve, called the Fourth Movement, which was a proto-Christian rock/punk band. Does that even exist? Oh wait, MXPX, hold my water and turning it into wine.

The music rags weren’t so favorable on it. They loved the music, just not the lyrics. As an atheist and former Catholic, it can sometimes be a bit corny. I mean you’re quoting a book of fiction. I mean, imagine if someone did a whole album on Finnegan’s Wake. First off, it would be prog-rock, and second off it would make you hate the book as well (unless you were quite drunk).

David balled up this hatred of critics (which you should never read, myself included) and go back to Detroit with his brothers… but Bobby had a wife and a little boy and settled down. Bobby was resistant.

Now Heidi Simpson, who was David’s widow moved from Vermont to Detroit in ’82, but her husband at the time wasn’t working. He was staring at the stars and creating songs. Now, a writer like Dostoyevsky said, and paraphrasing that romanticism is faith in progress. This isn’t that, though as all our hearts may sing. Realism takes place.

Bobby and Dannis created Rock. Fire. Funk. Express. This fits within the sound of a writer, because what is your voice? You have much creative shit in your head, how are you going to find a path?

With the absence of David, Lamb’s Bread gave birth and heated up to reggae and a decent enough following. They put to death, Death.

David possibly didn’t take the lack of his vision but the success of theirs to heart. To sell your soul for not rock and roll.

We now cut to Bobby Hackney Jr., who only knew his father as a reggae musician, and his uncle Dannis taught him to play the drums. As their mother had done. Made music available. But went Bobby, putting his sons, Julian and Urian into other instruments…. until Julian saw him at stage 5 drunk, which is nothing to laugh at.

David filmed his last thing at his brother’s wedding and at that point, he knew he was going to die.

His own son knew what he wanted to do, but couldn’t get out fully what he wanted to. That is what killed him.

As a quick aside, some of these songs play seriously are badass. The drums are quick, the guitar and lyrics and voice with the bass are top-shelf. They are true punk before it was “punk.”

The fact that a vinyl pressing/person was to get in touch with another is epic, but the only thing that trounces the cosmic feat is…

…I don’t want to spoil the ending. It is gorgeous and raucous, poignant and everything that holds a note and quickly fades away in a blast… as all good art should exist.

As a Liner Note: The movie starts out with Henry Rollins, Kid Rock, Alice Cooper, Questlove, Elijah Wood, and Vernon Reid with their plaudits of the band, but I would have loved to have seen more of their interviews on the subject at hand because this band is not on my Top 10… it is on my top 5.

Five ▲ all around.

‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2 Episode 7 Review: Book Hunting in Bohemia

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In this week’s A Discovery of Witches, Diana and Matthew arrive in Bohemia where they embark on a dangerous game to find Ashmole 782.

Here are the key moments from season 2 episode 7:

Arrival in Bohemia

Upon arriving in Bohemia, Matthew (Matthew Goode) and Diana (Teresa Palmer) are escorted by Emperor Rudolf II’s (Mike Jibson) men after Matthew claims that he is more than an English diplomat and seeks an audience with the emperor. The couple are granted a very brief audience with the monarch who clearly does not like Queen Elizabeth’s spy and tells him as much. The geneticist states that they are here to speak with her majesty’s servant Edward Kelly to which Rudolf claims that Kelly is in Prague. Matthew won’t relent and counters that he’s heard Kelly travels with the emperor’s court. The emperor then asks if the other man is questioning him and states that he knows Matthew is a vampire.

Rudolf reminds him that he is allowed on Bohemian soil by his grace when Diana interjects, apologizing on behalf of Matthew who is only pressing her case. She has been hoping to be granted a discourse with Kelly on alchemical texts. This rouses the interest of the emperor who inquires if she has an interest in alchemy to which she responds that it’s been her life’s work. He then asks if he might know her name and she answers Diana. As the shorter man kisses the witch’s hand, Matthew introduces her as his wife. Rudolf scoffs that if Elizabeth’s shadow had taken a wife his spies would have informed him. The vampire suggests that he hirer more thorough ones and the monarch only addresses Diana and bids her to enjoy her time in Bohemia and that perhaps she can teach her husband better manners befitting his court.

An Unexpected Guest

As the two take their leave of the emperor, they are met outside the castle by Gallowglass (Steven Cree) whom they haven’t seen since landing at Mont Saint-Michel. He and Pierre have secured lodging for them but they’ve received an unexpected guest. When they arrive at their home in Bohemia, Diana and Matthew are greeted by Jack (Joshua Blue Pickering) who has arrived there with Francoise. Matthew is super upset because it’s incredibly dangerous for a young child to be there, but the housekeeper felt that she had no choice because Jack was trying to come on his own and he was suffering from terrible night terrors. Diana is thrilled to see her adopted child but is also keenly aware of the perils all around them in Bohemia.

Rudolf Takes Great Interest in Diana

Later that evening, Matthew, Diana, and Gallowglass discuss whether or not Kelly is in the area or not. The Scotsman says that no one has spoken to or heard from the daemon but Matthew says that he doubts Rudolf would leave behind the man who could give him eternal life. Diana asks about the book, but her husband is confident that as long as they find Kelly, he will lead them to Ashmole 782. She comments that Rudolf won’t be willing to relinquish the book since he believes it can give him the fabled Philosopher’s Stone. Suddenly there is a knock at the door and Gallowglass goes to see who it is. The man outside has a gift for the goddess and it turns out that the emperor has given Diana an automaton of her namesake, the goddess of the hunt.

Matthew is on edge as they are preparing for bed with Rudolf setting his sights on his wife. The historian though wants to use this to their advantage and says that the gift is a sign that the emperor wants her to return to the castle. She can bring him back Dee’s book and convince him that it’s something of value. Matthew wants is convinced that they need to focus on Kelly but Diana interjects that they don’t even know if the man is here. He needs to at least let her try her way and she’ll take Gallowglass with her.

The following morning Diana and her nephew return to the castle to offer a gift of thanks but there is an extremely long line of people doing the same, hoping to gain an audience with the emperor. After some time, Gallowglass temporarily leaves her, saying that he’s going to speed things up a bit. As she waits, a vampire introduces himself to her as Benjamin Fuchs, likely having recognized Philippe’s blood vow. He is working as a collector for the emperor and when she asks if he’s a friend of the de Cleremonts, he says that he’s beneath their notice. Benjamin was sadly cast out of his own clan. Though their exchange was brief, Diana should definitely be on guard with this one.

When it seems like the other guests are dismissed for the day, Gallowglass returns and motions for her to come up the stairs. He’s convinced someone that Diana is in possession of painting that the emperor wants but when they are in front of the monarch, the witch confesses that her companion fibbed. She presents Rudolf with Dee’s book but he’s already seen it and it doesn’t hold the answers he seeks. He is dismissive but Diana counters that nothing is useless if one has an inquiring mind. Rudolf seems to relent and asks his guard to send for the rabbi. He then asks her if she is interested in the rare and uncanny arts. The emperor takes her to his collection room and soon they are joined by Judah Loew. The monarch has invited the holy man to his court to translate some works for him. Diana offers him flattery, saying that he has so many objects in his possession that she’d never dreamed off that she expects him to have acquired the philosopher’s stone. Rudolf answers that unfortunately it hasn’t been discovered yet how to create one.

Matthew Sees Edward Kelly

Matthew thinks that Kelly (Tom Mothersdale) must have a laboratory set up somewhere in the area and along with Pierre checks out the local apothecary to see if they can glean more information. They happen to chance upon the proprietor leaving the shop for the day and the vampire comments how it’s strange to be closing so early. Pierre cleverly mentions that his master is the imperial alchemist to which the proprietor says no he’s not. This tells Matthew that this man has actually met Kelly. The man then rudely says that his clientele is exclusive and they should go to the market if they wish to browse.

Once the proprietor leaves, Matthew easily breaks into his shop and is able to get information that the man seems to have an awful lot of appointments with a man named Tolbert at very odd hours that only started about a week ago. Luckily, Tolbert has a meeting scheduled in the books tonight so they’ll soon find out who he really is.

That evening, it does turn out to be Edward Kelly escorted by two soldiers heading to the apothecary. Matthew gives him the queen’s greeting and the daemon asks what the other man wants. The vampire says just to talk and says that he can tell the guards to stand down. Kelly confirms he is a prisoner by explaining that his two companions don’t answer to him. Matthew says he knows that the daemon stole the book from Dee when Kelly angrily argues that the tome is his because it speaks to him. The soldiers drag him away as he begins to scream, “It begins with absence and desire. It begins with blood and fear. It begins with a discovery of witches.”

Diana Convinces Rudolf To Show Her Ashmole 782

Diana and Matthew visit Rabbi Loew and the holy man seems to know that they are creatures. He jokes that a Jew, a witch, and a vampire meeting in secret would send Christian tongues wagging. The rabbi tells them that the emperor is convinced that his people hold secret magic. She then asks if Rudolf has asked him to translate a specific book. He looks over at Matthew and can instantly tell that her husband thinks this is a dangerous question to ask. The rabbi offers the vampire some advice that he should find wholeness in a marriage, not a prison. Matthew takes the rare position of being quite frank by telling Loew that they are seeking a very specific book. The other man says that he knew he was not the person to read it as soon as he saw it.

Once they return to their lodgings, Jack hands Mistress Royden a missive and it turns out to be a summons to attend a pheasant hunt. Francoise ushers the young boy out with Pierre joining them leaving Gallowglass with Matthew and Diana. The couple enters into an argument where Diana is convinced that Kelly will not give them the book so they must go through Rudolf. She wants the emperor to let Loew read Ashmole 782 but Matthew counters that the rabbi will be imprisoned when he is unable to or worse. She then states that she can read and just needs to convince Rudolf to let her. Matthew then reiterates that Rudolf will not let the book go and will keep Diana with him as his new curiosity. She in turn slaps back that her husband just doesn’t like how the emperor is with her and he needs to trust her. The geneticist retorts that this isn’t about trust but then she snaps that he should then let her try. Gallowglass interjects then and says that he has an alternate plan. They should go to the hunt while he breaks into Rudolf’s collection to steal the book. Without it, the monarch will have no use for Kelly.

At the hunt, things go terribly wrong when Rudolf continually tries to undermine Matthew. The vampire is given the smallest falcon to work with but the animal ends up killing the emperor’s prized bird and they are dismissed angrily. Back in their temporary home, Gallowglass returns without the book but shows them a desiccated hand of a witch. He’s also seen vampire teeth and the brain of a poor daemon. Matthew then decides that was the last straw and they need to leave tonight. Diana still wants the book but her husband has had enough of it. Sensing a marital argument about to start, Gallowglass makes a quick departure.

Matthew explodes as the blood rage threatens to engulf him having been so newly mated. Having Rudolf’s scent on his wife is maddening and he angrily tells her that this is why he lied because of this fervent need to possess her once they have consummated their relationship. When he tries to leave Diana casts a fire spell and calms herself and him down, saying that he is not defined by the worst things he’s done and that he is her husband. Matthew is visibly struggling to keep himself in check as she tells him that he is brilliant, kind, gentle and stronger than this. After a few more moments he comes back to himself and the two make up.

After some time, Gallowglass returns and brings them another summon from Rudolf that they’ve been invited to a viewing that evening. Diana states that they have to go and Matthew seems to agree. However, he tells Gallowglass to have Pierre bring Francoise, Jack, and horses for all of them as they’ll likely need to make a quick exit that evening.

Later at the party, the ruler seems to apologize to Diana and he shows her a serpent goblet he is drinking out of, signifying that one should be careful of deceivers. She then takes the opportunity to ask him if there are things in his collection he keeps from the public. When he wonders if there’s anything in particular she wishes to see, Diana answers that she’s heard he has a very specific book that contains the secrets to life itself. But he goes on to say that his trust and generosity have been abused lately and Rudolf makes an example of Rabbi Loew whom he has put in shackles after declaring the elder man a fraud. The rabbi doesn’t argue and agrees with the emperor and is then taken away by guards. The ruler then turns to Diana seething and demanding why he would ever show his book to a spy and charlatan. Pissed, the witch shows him exactly what she can do and brings the small serpent adorning his goblet to life. This of course gives Matthew conniptions as she just displayed magic in public. She coldly tells Rudolf that she is no charlatan and this seems to do the trick.

Rudolf takes her, Matthew, and Gallowglass to his office and through a secret passageway through his bookcase. The trio are led to a large prison where Kelly is being held, Ashmole 782 with him. The situation begins to get chaotic as Diana tries to get the book from the daemon who manages to rip a few pages out. The Book of Life reacts to Diana and its pages come to life before the witch and everyone else to see. Rudolf tells Matthew that he can have Kelly because he has found something far better. Soldiers then come and all hell breaks loose as Matthew and Gallowglass fight them off, Diana grabs the book from Kelly and the three get the hell out of dodge.

They rendezvous with Pierre (Francoise and Jack riding ahead already) and all get on their horses to depart Bohemia.

Back in the underground prison, Kelly is still shackled moaning about Ashmole 782 when a mysterious vampire kills the guard monitoring him. It turns out to be Benjamin and he is very interested in the daemon’s book.

Knox Visits Bohemia

In the present, Peter Knox has made his way to Rudolf’s castle proceeds to tell Gerbert that Kelly had left the three pages he ripped from Ashmole 782 to someone from their three species.

Final Thoughts

  • How amazing is Mike Jibson as Emperor Rudolf II? The answer is incredibly. He had a very commanding presence and had such great chemistry with Teresa Palmer that each scene with the two actors was riveting.
  • When we see the pages from the Book of Life come to life towards the end of the episode, we see what seems of be the tree of life, the alchemical wedding, and two dragons (or firedrake!) entwined with each other. Could this be our first look at a certain firedrake? Hmmmm…
  • The significance of the alchemical wedding should be explained further into the series, not sure if they will do so before the end of season 2 or if they will wait until season 3 to do that. It does though involve Matthew and Diana.
  • Diana’s command of her magic seemed to be a lot improved this episode since first arriving in the past. She was able to summon fire, bring a serpent to life, command the winds, and take the Book of Life out of Kelly’s hands. Previously she seemed to be acting more on instinct but now it is purposeful.
  • At las we have more Gallowglass!

A Discovery of Witches steams on AMC+, Sundance Now, and Shudder.

Wandavision Episode 7: Tell Your Sister… 

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Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios' WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo by Chuck Zlotnick. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

In WandaVision Episode 7 Monica gets bold, Wanda loses her grip of her ‘Modern Family’, and the Vision makes a friend. Also, it’s likely every commercial in the series is actually an Infinity Stone. Here’s why.

Holy Guacamole is how I’m going to begin this week’s review/recap because what a doozy this episode was in setting up for the final two episodes of this season. In this crazy new WandaVision episode, so many new answers come to light. And so, as a wise Sith Lord Once said, “You Were Right”. Which is exactly the sentiment we have in this episode. 

Christian talks with his old bandmates about the latest happenings in WandaVision.

Vision Has A New Ally 

Paul Bettany as Vision in Marvel Studios’ WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

Let’s start off by talking about Vision and his new buddy Darcy. Now absorbed into Wanda’s extended Hex region turned carnival. Vision wakes Darcy’s mind — as she’d become a part of the clown crew — and asks her what life is like on the outside. More importantly, Vision desperately seeks to know: just what in the world is going on?

Darcy obliges and explains to Vision every event we know about currently in the MCU, including his own death (twice), and even episodes of WandaVision which Darcy has been following. Vision realizes learns from her that he can’t leave the hex without dying. Though it doesn’t matter, as he’s stopped all time by hex reality itself, which is seemingly controlled by Wanda. As such, Vision goes off to find his wife.

 

Monica Plots A Return 

Meanwhile, S.W.O.R.D. plans to launch into the hex, sending Monica on a mission directly inside. And though this astronaut level mission sees her ultimately rejected, being the gung ho Monica Rambeau, she decides to go in anyway. Health and molecular structure be damned. And survives. Monica is changed and a molecular level. She sees reality differently now but has no time to embrace her new abilities as she must save Wanda from whatever’s happening. 

We also learn that Hayward was trying to bring Vision back online! Proving that he was most likely a bad person as he attempted to resurrect Vision and possibly make him into a weapon under codename cataract. Though Monica shares her findings with Wanda, it doesn’t seem to strike a chord. But it is really sweet that she embraced her own pain, as Monica’s empathy with Wanda’s loss of vision she connects and relates to with Wanda, via her own feelings about her mom. But before we can get sentimental, Agnes tries to separate them. 

Underrated, we see in the stinger — yes stinger, as we’re now in 2008 MCU early days era — that Monica refuses to leave town. While investigating, she finds an underground basement of creepy goodies along with good old Pietro Quicksilver. Although, it isn’t him and Wanda and just about everyone knows it!

 

The Infinity Stone Commercial Theory Is True

On a side note, the commercial in this episode about the Nexus anti-depressants seems to confirm last week’s theory. A direct reference to the reality stone, it seems that the commercials being infinity stones might actually be true. I talk about it more in the podcast, though for a quick summary as to why I think this is legit. Here are the videos, the theory, and even the quotes that prove that this one’s probably right.

 

MIND STONE

The Toaster’s dot/design is based on Vision. A creation of the ‘Starks’. Atop of this that glowing dot? Vision’s forehead and the mind stone. 

 

TIME STONE

 “He’ll Make Time For You”

Strucker Watch? Self-explanatory but it’s the time stone.

 

SPACE STONE

“Escape to a world of your own, when you want to get away but don’t want to go anywhere.” 

The space stone. If that’s not proof enough look at the soap’s design: It’s the Tesseract/Space Stone.

 

POWER STONE

This one’s a bit of a stretch I’ll admit, as Lagos was definitely a traumatic event for Wanda. One where her inability to fully control her power leads to an explosion that kills tons of people. Though it’s not her fault as much as it was a bad circumstance. 

It might also not be as we have two more episodes to go.

 

SOUL STONE

https://youtu.be/bIoyzAfhcGk

“A long time ago I also sought the stone. But it cast me out. Banished me here.”

So that quote is actually from infinity war and it references the Red Skull. The one person who wanted the soul stone but was unable to attain it and was then stranded on Voromir. Kind of like a little boy stranded on this desert island. With the red shirt. Who turns into a skull and bones. 

Sure, maybe it’s not Red Skull and the soul stone. But then again, look at how that Shark dives back into the water… Then think about all those people who dove at Voromir to attain the soul stone. Like Gammora and Natasha.

 

REALITY STONE

“An antidepressant that works to anchor you back to reality or the reality of your choice.”

See that line alone pretty much sold it for me that these commercials are the infinity stones. 

 

Wanda Has problems

“I don’t know what happening what’s wrong and why I can’t fix it”

 

As to the main plot, the episode opens with a 2000’s era modern family style of comedy. We get an introduction song based on The Office, as Wanda regrets accidentally expanding the borders of her Hex over Westview. 

It’s interesting seeing how we see Wanda address the camera directly as we get to know her inner world. Unlike cutaway gags, the jokes in WandaVision always accentuate the story, and in this week, it shows. She’s losing control. The milk is wrong as is the furniture. The boys play videogames on different consoles and bits and pieces interchange throughout the years and evolve. 

More than anything though is the major revelation which brings it together: Agnes/Agatha Harkness is finally revealed and apparently, it’s been her all along. Combine that with the stinger, and all these strange men with devil haircuts I guess I’d never really noticed until now (or that the show takes place in NJ, home of the Jersey Devil) I sort of have a theory that everyone was right about the Mephisto story.

 

The Take

Two more to go! The series really delivered on everything they built up with an excellent red herring and a shocking revelation. I think the series does a really solid job with the build-up, though I am curious to see what Wanda was in control of versus Agatha, as I have a feeling something bigger is at play here.

Even though all signs point to Mephisto and Magic, I don’t think Marvel is going in that direction. Why? Well, simply because the MCU doesn’t do the conventional routes we expect. We didn’t go in that direction for the Mandarin in Iron Man 3 and we didn’t go in that direction with Killmonger in Black Panther. 

Hela/Death in Thor: Ragnarok? Maleketh the accursed? Baron Zemo? Mordo? The list goes on but with the exception of Ultron and perhaps Loki (whom we love for being himself), honestly, which villain in the MCU actually resembled their comic counterpart? Because almost all of them had a distinct twist and my money is that Agatha (and perhaps Mephisto) will do the same.

Unless of course, the real villain of the series is Wanda. We’ll find out in the final two episodes.

 

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 4 Review: “Bird’s of A Feather”

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Max and Sahar in Resident Alien Episode 4
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Birds of a Feather" Episode 104 -- Pictured: (l-r) Judah Prehn as Max Hawthorne, Gracelyn Awad Rinke, as Sahar -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 4 Review: The Family That Belongs Together…

In this week’s Resident Alien, Harry learns lessons about family and belonging, from Asta. 

No video interviews for this week but we do have a doozy of one for next. But before I begin our breakdown of Resident Alien Episode 4, let me stress that if there’s one episode of that show to showcase to your friends to pitch this series, then I highly suggest it be this one. Yes, it is that good and is arguably the best episode amongst the first half of the season. Though before we delve right into it, let’s recap (spoilers abound). 

Previously on Resident Alien, we found out a mysterious duo is looking to hide the alien conspiracy from getting out in the public eye. As someone is looking for Harry and trying to keep it a secret. Meanwhile, Max Hawthorne (Judah Prehn) is no longer alone in his quest of proving Harry is an alien, as his newfound friend at school Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke) also believes in him. 

On a big cliffhanger last week, Jay (Kaylayla Raine) seems like she is selling drugs, and for some reason, is triggering Asta’s memories about giving her child away with Sam years ago. Also, Harry is hiding a dead body of himself in the freezer… 

Alright, let’s recap this one.

My Dinner With Alien

For episodes now we’ve seen harry become more-and-more human. It’s obvious how he’s struggling with his emotions, even dreaming about Thanos’ing all life after finally starting to fit in as an alien-human — in what’s revealed to be his first-ever dream. 

This kickoff an episode focused on family, their traditions, and more importantly, their sense of togetherness. As Harry finds it strange how desperately humans seek to eat together rather than alone. Finding the practice less efficient and unnecessarily complicated. 

So when Harry’s invited to Mayor Ben’s house for dinner — in a ploy to get Max and Harry to finally come to terms with each other — Harry asks Asta to join. Busy with her own obligations to her father, Dan Twelvetrees (Gary Farmer), a more than enthused, D’arcy invites herself in Asta’s stead. Leading us to a second date between Harry and D’arcy.

The result is a, “Guess who’s coming to dinner?”  scenario that is one of the funniest comedic moments in the series to date. On the surface level, it’s a gathering of antagonizing people we’ve come to know, but on a deeper level, it’s Max’s attempt to sabotage Harry while Harry feels like he’s finally fitting in with the humans.

To add to the hilarious tension, we learn D’arcy and Mayor Ben were apparently very close in childhood. Perhaps, in fact, too close, much to the jealousy of his wife Kate — as it’s slowly revealed via a drunk D’arcy how she was Ben’s first… practically, everything. The dinner is all-around chaotic and by its end, despite all their antagonizing conflicts against one another, and not one but three total admitted times where Harry has confessed to trying to murder Max, the two seemingly make peace… or so Harry thinks.

There’s a basic human need to feel like you belong…  

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Birds of a Feather” Episode 104 — Pictured: (l-r) Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees, Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle, Edna Alice Manitowabi as Grandma Ruth — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

In this week’s B-Story, Asta addresses Jay about Sam’s missing prescription pad and her suspicions that Jay’s been possibly dealing drugs. Harry coldly agrees and deduces that it absolutely was her, causing Asta and Jay to part on bad terms. When Harry joins Asta to meet her tribe and threaten her grandma, we get to see some really nice Native American representation. As Asta’s family is huge and it’s all very loving, funny, and sort of uplifting. That is, until Harry sort of reveals a truth Asta really didn’t want to share: that it’s obvious how Jay is her daughter. 

This explains the flashback in the last episode and raises the stakes of that relationship on the show by quite a bit. I mentioned in episodes earlier that there’s some surprisingly good character development for Asta and it very much showcases here. As it was a difficult decision for Asta to give up her daughter at a young age and the series tackles the topics of adapted and adopted families with an unprecedented finess that most series shy away from. I also really like how Asta’s own history of being adopted affected her own ideas of parenting, as though she felt guilty towards Dan, he absolutely gives her support here. 

After a few funny rounds of Harry playing basketball rather terribly, we also get a nice moment between Asta and Harry. One where he reveals some big character moments about how his wife died, and so he took on a mission to Earth but now just misses home. Sadness is an alien feeling to Harry — who is himself an alien — but it’s something that’s strangely relatable. A loneliness felt when you’re missing your family that the show addresses rather well in this episode.

You shouldn’t trust your balls, they’re nuts!

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Birds of a Feather” Episode 104 — Pictured: Alice Wetterlund as D’Arcy Bloom — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

But, back to the comedy and some of our other beloved side stories. I can’t stress enough that this one is filled with brilliant Alien Tudyk Harry jokes. Ones filled with strange alien mannerisms, tongue-in-cheek cringe moments, and a decent amount of inhuman philosophy.

One of my favorite lines in this one is Harry’s limited knowledge about New York; describing the city as being filled with Law and Order all while women have Sex in The City. And, if you catch the moment, there’s even a Penile Rigamortis joke thrown in there a la Family Guy, right after D’arcy and Harry lick face. I’m still bawling with laughter over that moment days later while writing this review.

I will also admit that at this point, I’m 100% sold on D’arcy as she’s easily my favorite character after Harry from this episode onward. Not because she’s the crazy fun-loving party girl with something snarky to say, but because she’s somehow pulling all of that off while making us laugh and learn a bit about the world and people around her. A really good supporting character for this series.

 

You don’t use your arms to signal, a truck’ll rip em right off. True story. 

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Birds of a Feather” Episode 104 — Pictured: (l-r) Elizabeth Bowen as Deputy Liv, Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

And while we’re at it, I’d be remiss to not shout out some Sheriff Mike love as he’s gotten crazier and crazier and the season progresses. Whether it’s cluelessly buying hot wheels or teaching kids the importance of hand signals, Mike is certifiably strange in this series, but it oddly works for such a small-town lifestyle in Colorado. We also learn just how awesome Deputy Liv is and get slightly frustrated about her desire to be acknowledged. She’s a great cop who puts clues together well, and in many ways, seems like she should be the actual sheriff in town. Her exchange with D’arcy in this episode is easily one of the series’ best sidebars, as we learn a lot about her and D’arcy in mere minus, their motivations, and their histories.

The Take

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Birds of a Feather” Episode 104 — Pictured: Alien Harry — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

This episode ends on a very cool conflict where we see the mysterious duo eliminate anything that gets in the way of the mission. We also see the fruits of Max and Sahar’s actions, which inevitably frustrates Harry’s situation tremendously. More importantly, the ending is easily the series best ‘oh my God’ moment. As that cliffhanger really capitalizes on that, ‘Guess Who’s coming to Dinner?” theme. 

Overall, this was hands down my favorite episode of the series. Filled with laugh-out-loud moments, personal conflict, and wonderful moments of wonderful character development. If you can, stop what you’re doing right now, and tell your friends to watch this episode. Just don’t spoil the ending.

Watchmen: Season 1 Episode 3: “She was killed by Space Junk” Review

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Jean Smart in front of a phone booth
Laurie Blake's making one hell of a long distance call

Have time for a really long, not all that funny joke? Welcome to being alive!

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

Meet FBI Agent Laurie Blake (Jean Smart), she’s a no-nonsense kick-ass lady who does her job with an ironic sense of humor. That shouldn’t really surprise anyone as her father was The Comedian, Edward Blake. For those who haven’t read the comic, episode three of our remix is helped by a history lesson.

Here’s a quick rundown:

Sally Juspeczyk (pronounced “Juice-Pez-Ick”), aka Sally Jupiter, was the original Silk Spectre. She trained her daughter, Laurie, to follow in her footsteps. Laurie Jupiter became the second Silk Spectre, a member of the Crimebusters – the vigilante group that succeeded the Minutemen (who are the focus of “American Hero Story”). She falls in love with Dr. Manhattan, they have a very public affair which the US Government encourages because they think it will keep him happy, and when she leaves him, and he leaves the Earth, Uncle Sam kicks her to the curb. But, she bounces back, shacking up (both figuratively and literally) with the second Nite Owl, Dan Dreiberg. At the end of the comic they change their names, fight crime, and keep the dream alive until they’re both arrested in `93.

We meet Laurie as a fully grown adult. She’s shed her Silk Spectre identity to the point where she now uses her father’s last name instead of her mother’s. Though, to be fair, she did fight crime for a stint as The Comedienne. Still, not all of her past is buried in fact it’s because of this past that she joins our story at all.

See, Agent Blake is a member of the FBI’s Anti-vigilante Task Force, and she’s good at it. Following her arrest in ’93, she managed to secure a job – thanks to some hardcore intel – and has embraced her new role with a dark enthusiasm. We get a little peek of this when we see her run a sting operation to capture the vigilante Mr. Shadow (Lee Tergesen). She walks into a bank, begins a robbery, draws out her target, and then shoots him several times in the back as he’s trying to escape. Her colleagues are shocked, one of them asks how she knew his armor would protect him – she doesn’t answer. Did she know? Did she not know and took the chance? Did she not know and not care? It’s definitely something The Comedian would have done. Although, I think he would have enjoyed it more. That seems to be the biggest difference between Laurie and her father, she may scoff and have sarcastic retorts, but she doesn’t look amused by anything she’s doing. She looks at best bored and at worst, depressed. But, angry above all else. Angry to the point that she won’t shout or cry, just wear a stony “fuck-off” face so she can brood in peace.

Following her successful capture of Mr. Shadow, Agent Blake gets a visit from Senator Joe Keene Jr. (played by James Wolk), son of John Keene Sr. who created the Keene Act which outlawed non-government sanctioned vigilantism, he wants her to go to Tulsa and investigate Judd Crawford’s murder. Why? Joe’s thinking maybe their DOPA trial isn’t going so well – no, the D doesn’t stand for drug. DOPA is what Keene Jr. named his initiative where all police offers wear masks following the White Night massacre – the Defense of Police Act – which Laurie rightfully laughs at the naming of. He speculates that since the Kavalry didn’t outright claim the murder it probably isn’t them, and instead it might be local vigilantes who don’t appreciate masked cops. She’s all ready to turn him down when he makes the ultimate offer. Keene’s running for President, if he wins he can grant Dan a pardon (poor Nite Owl is trapped in federal prison, probably since ’93). Seeing as how Laurie has a pet owl (talk about your funny names…), it’s easy for Joe make the connection, and our girl relents. She’ll go to Tulsa, but she won’t be taking an entire team with her. Just one “fan” named Agent Dale Petey (Dustin Ingram).

After speaking with Jane Crawford (Frances Fisher), Agents Blake and Petey stakeout the police department – it’s in a warehouse, naturally. Blake has Petey stay in the car while she goes in to talk to the local detectives. She meets Pirate Jenny (Jessica Camacho) and Red Scare (Andrew Howard) outside, notice she doesn’t say their real names, she does however have a little fun at the expense of one of the potential white supremacists they are bringing in for questioning.

Once inside, Laurie’s face seems to be disturbed by the police harassment that is on display, but to be honest that’s just Laurie’s face. She pretty much looks at everything with this tired, frustrated yet defeated expression. She finds her target: Wade Tillman (Tim Blake Nelson) aka Looking Glass, who she only calls by his real name once they are alone in “The Pod”. I’ve observed that, despite Laurie’s apparent hatred for masked “heroes” she does seem to respect the concept of a secret identity to a point. Never once, in this entire episode, does she address any of the detectives by their real names while in a public place, it’s only when they are alone, or she’s in the presence of another officer (for example, while talking to LG she mentions Sister Night’s alter ego Angela Abar). Oh, she may come off like she doesn’t give a fuck, but she very clearly gives at least one fuck. Actually, more than one…

Our episode starts with a phone call. Yes, we’re doing a bit of a rewind, but believe me, it won’t be too convoluted. Essentially, we see a woman in a blue phone booth calling Mars to leave a message for Dr. Manhattan. Throughout the first let’s say fifteen to twenty minutes of the episode we quickly come to recognize that the woman is Laurie Blake. She’s called Jon to tell him a joke – seemingly two, but it’s really just one – and the joke (not funny at all mind you) references their shared past. It’s about three heroes who wind up in front of God for judgement: the first is Nite Owl, the second is Ozymandias, and the last is Dr. Manhattan. Spoiler, they all go to Hell. This revelation lines up perfectly with Blake and Petey arriving at the cemetery for Judd Crawford’s funeral because the name of the cemetery is Tartarus Acres. Fucking really!? Really!? For those of you confused here’s the link: Tartarus is Hell in Greek mythology. Sure, Plato’s Gorgias says it’s the place souls go for judgement, but it’s also where punishments are divined. I.E. Blake’s joke “ends” with all the heroes in Hell while our former Police Chief himself is being interned there. Man…I have said this show isn’t subtle, but damn.

It’s here that Laurie meets Angela. These are the two most central women in this story, which is a shame. Though, I guess the remix does do the original one better by adding a second significant lady to the roster as opposed to just the one (who Moore admits he added because he felt he “had” to – blech). But, as with most media tales that somehow make room for an additional female character, the two of them do not get along. Granted, this does feel like a more natural rejection given Laurie’s prickly personality, and the standing tension that is always shown between the feds and local authorities. Still, to have these two awesome ladies in the same series and force them to be at odds is kind of sad. Ah well…

The funeral doesn’t go as planned (or maybe it does? Actually, even then, it doesn’t), a suicide bomber crashes the party. While Joe is playing hero, Laurie doesn’t play at all and shoots the man – what? She was pretty sure he was bluffing. Turns out, nope! Luckily, Angela thinks quickly, drags the dead man time-bomb into Judd’s casket, closes the lid, and pushes it into the open grave. She singlehandedly saves everyone. Such a cool character. Naturally, Laurie setting off the bomb doesn’t help her relationship with Angela, not that it matters, Laurie sticks her foot further in her mouth when she finally scores some alone time with Det. Abar.

Laurie tells Angela she found Judd’s secret compartment (guess there are some advantages to having grown up around vigilantes, eh?). She wants to know what was inside, and makes it clear she knows Angela knows. She also reveals that she found wheelchair tracks at the crime scene. She’s testing Angela, seeing if she can break her, but unlike all the men she’s able to make squirm, Angela isn’t easily scared. It’s a fantastic meeting of the minds.

The VO that was used at the beginning of the episode to deliver Blake’s “joke” returns because the joke isn’t over. Neither is the episode. It ends with the reveal that Laurie’s got a blue dildo (fun fact: it was designed for her by Dan out of jealousy). A lot of people speculate that her being in the phone booth and having the dildo means she’s hung up on Manhattan, but I think she’s hung up on Dan. After all, Dan made the dildo for her and she doesn’t use it – well, not here at least – plus, she’s got the owl. A living creature she has to make an effort to care for.

Anyway, our episode concludes with Laurie leaving the phone booth after finishing her joke – there was a little girl who threw a brick at the very beginning of it and the brick finally comes down and kills God – this coincides with a car falling out of the sky and nearly killing her. Hello, episode title tie-in! Was it Manhattan? Did he hear her joke and that’s his reply? I know the answer, but you need to stay tuned.

Other things in this episode:

I made a note of the fact that this is the episode in which the side story’s protagonist is revealed to be Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons). Why? Because, this is the episode where the Watchmen comic really collides heavily with our remix, which is thanks to the introduction of Laurie Blake. Laurie’s entrance not only references Nite Owl, and Dr. Manhattan, but Ozymandias. Now, we know we won’t be seeing Nite Owl, Dr. Manhattan is on Mars – allegedly – but Adrian has been hiding in plain sight this whole time!

Adrian’s storyline is simple and breaks up the tension after the failed suicide bombing. Basically, he’s trying to build some kind of suit, maybe a space suit or a diving suit, it’s not clear just yet. We also learn he’s a prisoner to someone named The Game Warden, though, his adversary is also his servant? You’ll see…eventually.

One last observation: While Laurie’s episode features her VO and she heads up the investigation what do we actually learn about her? For those who check out the companion website: Peteypedia, you learn a lot about her, but for those who don’t…maybe not so much. This would be the one episode where understanding a character’s history really helps with her depth, because the episode doesn’t give it to you. Unlike Angela, who we will slowly learn more and more about over the course of the series, Laurie simply is the way she is. I read recently that creator Damon Lindelof originally intended the show to be ten episodes but felt that after the sixth episode there wasn’t enough story for four more. I would argue focusing some attention on Blake’s background might have been…wise. Get it?

‘WandaVision’ Episode 6 Review: Wanda In The Middle

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Elizabeth Olsen as Wanda Maximoff in Marvel Studios' WANDAVISION exclusively on Disney+. Photo courtesy of Marvel Studios. ©Marvel Studios 2021. All Rights Reserved.

In the latest WandaVision, we go full 90s with uncle Quicksilver. Meanwhile, Vision goes on a mission. 

Last week’s WandaVision ended on a stunning revelation where many of the show’s big truths were finally revealed. An epic cliffhanger that forever changed the Marvel franchise finally happened and Quicksilver is alive and well again. Just not the one that we were expecting, as 

Evan Peters from the X-Men franchise is here and has seemingly replaced Aaron Taylor-Johnson. 

For a full recap, we bring along special guests Mary Fan and Victor Catano to talk shop about this week’s episode.

In episode six of WandaVision, we pick-up where we left off with a 1990s Malcolm in The Middle homage following the now pre-teen Thomas and William Maximoff; the boys spending the day with reincarnated uncle Pietro, aka Quicksilver. Though things don’t go exactly as planned, as S.W.O.R.D. has an agenda of its own and Vision goes on a secret mission to discover what’s really happening here in Wanda’s reality.

 

The 90s

Immediately, this episode starts off embracing the comedic styles of the 90s with direct-to-camera monologues like in Malcolm in the Middle, atop of the signature cutaway flashback gags. 

During this sitcom, Quicksilver comes into town unexpectedly, ready to cause chaos in town with the children, though it’s nothing more than some simple silly stringing and candy stealing. But in a moment of revelatory silences, Pietro remembers tiny glimpses of his past, like how he was shot and killed, yet ended up coming here to Wanda’s reality because it’s what she wanted. What’s odder, is that he doesn’t challenge her methods. Like how she must’ve kept the extra kids in town hidden somewhere or the fact that there’s something incredibly wrong with keeping everyone entrapped here. 

It’s not a good sign that both Pietro and Vision are dead when she comes to her cathartic realizations and worse, is that Wanda doesn’t know how all of this happened just that she felt endless nothingness and suddenly, the town came to be. 

 

Vision Explores The Limit To Wanda’s Control

Meanwhile, Vision realizes several nuances wrong within this bubble reality. Like how there are no clothes in his closet except the ‘Mexican Wrestling’ costume that Wanda wants him to put on, or that the people around him around the borders don’t seem to fully be people. At least, not free-willed ones full of agency.

We learn Ellis avenue seems to be the border of the town, as it’s not only where neighbors can’t cross without forgetting and turning around, but it’s also the edge of Wanda’s hex(agon) reality. One that she warns her boys to never cross. The Hexagon is the limit to Wanda’s control. The further people go out towards the borders, the more people like Agnes forget and are stuck just inside. When Vision does so: he immediately disintegrates into a hollow shell again. 

To add to the chaos, it seems like bloodwork from S.W.O.R.D. shows that Monica Rambeau had changed on a molecular level, possibly giving her abilities and introducing her to power. Given Hayward’s fear and obsessive control of the border shows that S.W.O.R.D. is hiding something big inside, we just don’t know what.

 

The Infinity Stone Theory

The popular theory of the week is in regards to the commercials featured in WandaVision. An Easter Egg brought to me by my guest of two weeks ago, Christopher Peruzzi, as apparently, the commercials might have connections to the infinity stones.

Brought up to my attention, the theory is that somehow the stones are connected in each commercial. How the Toaster is Vision’s mind stone, the Strucker Watch is time, The Hydra Soak is shaped like the Tesseract, the Paper Towels emulate the Aether, and that the death of that child in the commercial this week, is referencing Red Skull and the necessary sacrifice made to grab the stone.

 

The Toaster is: The Mind Stone

Strucker Watch: The Time Stone

Hydra Soak: The Space Stone 

Lagos paper towel commercial: Reality Stone 

Yo-Magic Yogurt: Soul Stone

It’s a bit of a stretch but who knows. Just about anything is possible in this show as many media outlets have guessed and it’s about as legitimate as the possibility of John Kracinski possibly entering into the series as Mr. Fantastic in what could be an Office Parody for next week.

But again it’s all theories.

 

The Take

An enjoyable episode as more pieces are put together but this episode but it doesn’t do much to elaborate the plot outside of what we already know. Meanwhile, D’arcy was sucked in so there’s a high chance she’s going to be a character in this next episode. We’ll find out next week! 

 

 

 

Judas and the Black Messiah Review: An Important Movie about an Important Man

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Fred Hampton leading a small group of Black Panthers with Bill O'Neal in the backgroudn.
Photo Credit: Glen Wilson, Warner Bros.

A biopic years in the making, this tale of Bill O’Neal and his hand in the fall of Black Panther chairman, Fred Hampton, knocks it out of the park and deserves your attention. [SPOILER-Free]

The following review is Spoiler-Free!

In what is the highest rated film so far of the Warner Bros-HBO Max deal, Judas and the Black Messiah has landed in the heart of what has become the most important month for the United States. Black History Month works hard to inform the majority of Americans to understand just how impactful, essential, and fundamental Black people and Black culture are to modern day society. 

The Plot

Judas and the Black Messiah tells the story of Bill O’Neal (Lakeith Stanfield), a repeat criminal that is caught trying to steal a car by using a fake FBI badge. In his dealings with local law enforcement, he is given the option to either serve a seven-year sentence in jail or work as an FBI informant to investigate and take down Fred Hampton (Daniel Kaluuya), the rising chairman of the Black Panther Party Illinois chapter. O’Neal chooses to aid the authorities and joins the Black Panthers, where he witnesses the work of Hampton as a community leader and revolutionary.

The Cast

This is one of the strongest overall casts I can remember in recent years. Stanfield put in the performance of his career, leading the movie as “Wild Bill” O’Neal. Watching him work through the emotional layering of his journey kept me on edge as the film progressed. The star, though, is undeniably Kaluuya as the charismatic Fred Hampton, which is evident of his Golden Globe nomination and eventual Oscars nomination. Every time he came on screen, he immediately grabbed my attention and the attention of everyone in the movie. Kaluuya really nailed the perfect balance of cool, calm, and collected with a commanding presence that you can’t take your eyes off of. Whether it was delivering a speech in front of hundreds or teaching a class in front of dozens, you understood the impact of Hampton.

The rest of the cast is made up by some amazing actors that come from a wide variety of projects and fame. Dominique Fishback delivered a moving performance as Deborah Johnson, poet and Hampton’s girlfriend. The rest of the Panthers featured some great performances, including Ashton Sanders as Jimmy Palmer, Darrell Britt-Gibson as Bobby Rush, and Algee Smith as Jake Winters. The main standouts from the sign of the government were Jesse Plemons as Roy Mitchell, the FBI handler for Bill O’Neal, and Martin Sheen as the slimy J. Edgar Hoover. 

The Vision

Judas and the Black Messiah is a testament to the vision of Shaka King, Will Berson, Kenny Lucas, and Keith Lucas (also known as the Lucas Brothers). Also directed by King, the movie delivers a story that highlights the strength of community, the importance of the individual, and touches upon systemic issues that are still present today. The story uses large organizing scenes and intense standoff and action sequences that are balanced by small intimate moments and characters feeling stuck and isolated. 

Being a period piece taking place in 1968-9, the film excels with on-point set design, costuming, and hair and make-up. An element that I think viewers take for granted now, it is refreshing when a film takes the time to get the small details, down to the pack of cigarettes Hampton smoked. This, accompanied by the beautifully orchestrated score, the scene is set.   

The Takeaway

Judas and the Black Messiah is an important film that is continuing and strengthening the trend of highlighting and educating spots of American history that have been downplayed due to the prominence of Black individuals and community. The movie hits on so many levels, balancing thematic elements of unity (regardless of race), self-preservation, and understanding that the greater good is stronger than the individual. The cast and crew all put in solid performances that should be appreciated and praised. It’s only a matter of time that this movie is selected for preservation in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.

Final Thoughts

Must-see. It will be difficult to find a movie that is better this year. Look for this movie to have a strong presence at the Academy Awards.

Judas and the Black Messiah can be found on HBO Max or in select theaters.

Sara Tomko and Alice Wetterlund discuss just how much Asta and D’arcy mean to each other on SYFY’s new series Resident Alien 

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resident alien

Where most first seasons slowly figure themselves out the gate, Resident Alien has somewhat benefited. An extended two-plus year delay in production due to scheduling conflicts and the pandemic allowed much of the cast and crew ample time to get to know each other. Which is why, the quality is pretty all-around excellent for the first season of a series, and I can unabashedly say, that the supporting ladies of Resident Alien are pretty damn awesome.

Adapted from the Dark Horse comic co-created by Peter Hogan and Steve Parkhouse, Resident Alien sees Sara Tomko play Asta Twelvetrees. A partially Native American nurse that works, and in many ways runs, Harry’s clinic. Asta is sort of the grounded heart of the series and is the closest thing Harry has to a friend, challenged only for Harry’s interests by Asta’s best friend, D’arcy, played by Alice Wetterlund. A loveable and chaotic bartender who just so happens to be an ex-Olympic level skier. If Asta is the heart, D’arcy is the show’s spirit in that she’s the funny, free-willed, and free-spirited life of the party; who often, lets us get to understand many of our characters better. Especially both Asta and Harry.

In episode three, we not only see D’arcy and Asta’s friendship really flourish, but also, learn that each woman left home at different periods of their life to chase their dreams, only to return. We asked both Sara and Alice about their characters about this along with their friendship.

“For my part, D’arcy would not be alive without Asta, and maybe vice versa. That’s the friendship,” said Wetterlund in regards to her character, D’arcy. 

Touched by the sentiment, Tomko added, “I think the only reason I (Asta) felt comfortable to come back home is that D’arcy was there. Aside from Sam Hodges who was like a father to me, Darcy is all I feel like I have left. So when harry enters into the scene, it’s a new character that both Asta and Darcy are super intrigued by for different reasons, but I feel like there becomes this ability and hope for Asta to feel like maybe she can belong somewhere with a group of people even though she has this incredible Native community helping her feel like she belongs. Darcy reminds her — Hey I’m here for you. I’m always gonna be here for you. You’re not alone — you see it happen for both Darcy and Asta, they both have these moments of insecurities where they don’t believe in themselves and they needed each other.”

At this point, Wetterlund chimes in sharing how uniquely close it was for her to see a friendship like that between two female characters:

“I always wanted to be on a show like this that had like that kind of female friendship. Honestly, Grey’s Anatomy comes to mind, and the characters of Christine and Meredith and how they are each other’s person, and it really that way with Darcy and Asta. It’s like they are — through thick and thin — each other’s main person that they can go back to. So in a lot of ways, for me as an actor, the show is that relationship. Asta is the center of D’arcy’s world.”

At this point, I commended the pair on their onscreen chemistry. As for the seven episodes, I’ve watched, I’ll admit: Asta and D’arcy are pretty fun together. Tomko then shared how their friendship went beyond just the series:

“Alice does exactly for me in my life what Darcy does for Asta. She is a calming presence. She always makes me laugh, and she reminds me of my strength, and I think that it’s been really rewarding to work with her. I’m just so grateful to the show for, if nothing else, this incredible new friendship that will be with me forever.”

Now in tears (including maybe myself) Wetterlund joked, “Well the feeling is not mutual, so, I don’t have anything in my eye.”

Resident Alien airs on SYFY on Wednesdays at 10 pm EST. We’ve got more reviews of each episode along with a couple more interviews this season.

 

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 3 Review: Close Encounters of The Tired Kind

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resident alien secrets
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Secrets" Episode 103 -- Pictured: (l-r) Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle, Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Suffering from insomnia, Harry struggles to keep his secret hidden from Sheriff Mike. We talk with Corey Reynolds about what it’s like playing the eccentric Sheriff all in our weekly Resident Alien review.

Resident Alien Season One:

“Pilot”

“Homesick”

“Secrets”

Thus far in Resident Alien, we’ve gotten to see Harry try his best to fit into the routines of everyday humanity; but in “Secrets”the third episode of SYFY’s new series — we see Harry grown weary of just keeping up the status quo. He struggles to keep his many tracks well hidden: impersonating a doctor, finding his spaceship, and finding the real Harry’s body before the police can.

Spoilers ahead.   

Harry Is Tired Of Carrying His Secrets

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Secrets” Episode 103 — Pictured: Alien Harry — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

One of the biggest early reveals in Secrets was how Harry wasn’t as much of a cold-hearted killer; he just talks a big game. The open scene details that Harry didn’t know how his actions would kill his human counterpart, claiming that he was an alien acting in self-defense. The ice cracking and Harry’s fall was a complete accident. 

Still, Harry has to find human Harry’s body in the lake before the police do — a taxing mission as he’s also still searching the mountains for his wrecked ship. Unable to cope with all the stress, Harry is not sleeping well. Confused with this human necessity, he spends his sleepless nights researching what a human circumcision is, which oddly becomes very helpful not only in Harry’s fake-doctoring but also in keeping his cover. Penile foreskin apparently works well in forging DNA tests.

To make matters worse, Max is still proclaiming to anyone who’ll listen about Harry’s true alien nature, which makes Max’s mother, Kate Hawthorne (Meredith Garretson) concerned. When she visits Harry at his home to address the issue, Harry’s solution is to convince the family to move, in the hopes of shooing the boy away, which fails given their jobs and the fact that Ben’s the mayor. If you like to see an adult alien curse at a little boy, who in turn mocks him for being dumb for not understanding humanity, this episode is a full-on delight. And though Max has gone borderline crazy tinfoil hat in school, he does gain an ally in Sahar (Gracelyn Awad Rinke) in his fight against Harry.

We Have Ourselves A Serial Killer!

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Secrets” Episode 103 — Pictured: Corey Reynolds as Sheriff Mike Thompson — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

For the first time in the series, Harry is genuinely panicked, as the police in town find a severed foot that Harry knows belongs to his human counterpart. If they match the body, Harry’s secret might actually be revealed. The second murder found in town (after Doctor Sam), it falls upon Sheriff Mike to investigate, who is… let’s just say, not exactly the ideal man for the task. In an interview with the Workprint, we asked Corey Reynolds a bit about Sheriff and Mike and his many quirks and eccentricities:

“Well, I think he has a fascination with being called Big Black for starters. He likes to consider himself a music aficionado when it comes to his beatboxing skills. I think he sees himself as a crack investigator who just hasn’t had the opportunity to shine to the degree that he would like to, and I also see his aggressive nature as a kind of a cover for his deep, deep, deep, insecurities.”

Speaking of insecurities, we then followed up with a question as to why does Sheriff Mike treats deputy Liv so poorly? The poor sidekick often seems like the more brilliant and level-headed of the two.

“Um, I think he likes her a lot. And liking someone to him is a sign of weakness. So anytime he feels himself get soft and mushy he tries to get himself hard and crunchy again.”

Indeed, Mike is an odd yet awfully boisterous character, as equally sexist as he is sensitive. Horrible, yet also, kind of awesome, especially the more we get to know about him throughout the series. Sheriff Mike relishes in the idea of having a serial killer in town as the suspect will likely still be here (which is honestly, not a good thing? But that’s Mike for you). Thankfully, due to incompetence, or perhaps just an odd obsession over buffalo meat, Mike gives Harry the clear — in a close call that sees Harry store dead human Harry in the basement freezer.

 

It’s The Asta and D’arcy Party!

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Secrets” Episode 103 — Pictured: Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

If I haven’t stressed enough, I think Asta and D’arcy are really great supporting character in the series. Both have got somewhat of a sad backstory, though one where they’ve taken control of their own agency. Honestly, it’s a lot of fun seeing D’arcy and Asta on screen. Especially in this episode, when the two accidentally crash a high school party. It’s evident D’arcy and any character, makes for some very funny hijinks in Resident Alien

Asta, meanwhile, gets down to some business of her own and discovers that Sam’s prescription pad was lying about in this party. Unfortunately realizing that someone — likely a person with access to high schoolers no less — is dealing drugs using the deceased Sam’s prescription pad. Coincidentally, Asta also finds Jay, who also just so happens to volunteer at the medical clinic. Though suspicious undertones lie in the air, what’s crazier is that when Asta drops Jay off, the show reveals a flashback with Asta and Sam that changes things forever. 

The Take

This episode ends on a great cliffhanger, as many of the episodes have from the first seven that I’ve watched. What’s nice is that there are some genuine motivations here that are forcing Harry to act, as it’s evident now how he’s an alien under fire. A creature on the edge of being discovered at any moment, if not by his cohorts, Sheriff Mike, or even Max, then perhaps something even more, as a new mysterious duo are on Harry’s tail.

We’ll have to tune in next week to find out more.

 

 

 

 

Watchmen: Season 1 Episode 2: “Marshall Feats of Comanche Horsemanship” Review

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Regina King in shock
Angela finds one hell of a skeleton

Who are you? Do the people we love really know us? Do we really know the people we love?

Warning: Spoilers ahead!

This is a main theme in the series, but in this episode the question plays a key role. See, Angela’s friend/father figure Judd Crawford has been murdered, and that’s sad, but there’s more to him than she knew. How does she find this out? Weirdly through a stranger. An old man who claims to have strung her captain up. Angela can’t trust a murderer, right?

Well, let’s take a minute to consider who is trustworthy in this world of ours, because as a black person in America, Angela needs to be very careful about whom she trusts. We get a real-life example of how tricky this can be at the top of our hour when we learn that the Germans dropped leaflets entreating African-American troops to abandon their posts and defect to the enemy side during the First World War. Why? Consider how you’re treated in your home country, the flyer argues, you’re not fighting for real freedom, are you? It’s a decent point, honestly. I mean, here’s the “enemy” speaking directly to a group of people who are being marginalized in their home country.

We see one of the soldiers reading this paper only to find out that he’s actually the father of the 7 year old boy from the pilot. And that this piece of paper is the same one on which he scribbles “Watch over this boy” when sending his son away. So where did the poor boy wind up? Ultimately, at the bakery/batcave of Angela Abar being grilled by her badass alter-ego Sister Night.

Now, despite the fact that Angela doesn’t fully trust this man, she did remove him from the crime scene and opted to interview him on her own, instead of bringing him in as is protocol. Why does she do this? At first blush you can guess that emotions take over and she brings him to her private quarters in order to get the truth and dispense her own form of justice without interference. However, given the man’s age, it’s a safe bet that Angela does the math – here is a black man (his age won’t matter in the eyes of her colleagues) sitting under the body of their dead superior claiming to have killed him – this man would be dead on arrival. I believe Angela recognizes the danger he is in and decides, since she is (from what I’ve seen the series) the only black detective, to take him on herself.

And, considering the actions of her colleagues following their discovery of the captain’s body, she’s not wrong. Red Scare nearly beats a photographer to death, Looking Glass indicates she’s a person of interest simply because she was the last to see Crawford alive, and the whole damn force goes to Nixonville without much convincing necessary to round up and attack the poor white denizens. Hell, even Angela briefly loses herself to her grief before getting a grip and fleeing the scene. But, doing the right thing comes with its own set of complications.

Angela, being a detective, doesn’t just take Will (said old man) at his word; she’s smart enough to get a DNA sample from him. This allows the audience a deeper understanding of the “Redfordations” that were mentioned in the pilot. Welcome to the Greenwood Center for Cultural Heritage dedicated to informing people of the tragic Tulsa Massacre of 1921 (which opened our series, and introduced us to a 7 year old Will). Within its walls is a series of kiosks that allow visitors to submit a DNA sample to find out if they are a descendant of someone who suffered from racial violence the day Black Wall Street died. If they are, that makes them eligible for reparations. My guess is this is thanks to current Treasury Secretary Henry Louis Gates Jr. (in our world he’s a well-respected Harvard professor and black activist/historian) who serves as your digital guide at the center kiosks. Angela’s move allows her to identify Will though it comes with a surprise: he’s her biological grandfather!

Mind you, this revelation follows another, more unpleasant surprise – Angela finds a Klu Klux Klan robe hidden in Judd’s closet. What was she doing snooping through her dead friend’s things? Will told her that the captain has skeletons in his closet, which, funnily enough Angela takes literally and winds up discovering the aforementioned robe. At first she accuses Will of planting it there, after all it was super easy to find (not true considering she had to use high-tech x-ray specs), but also because she can’t fathom her friend having something so racist in his possession. However, she found the object upstairs, which Will points out would be something of a trick for him to plant, but she throws back at him his confession to hanging a man despite his wheelchair, it’s a pretty funny moment honestly. Still, the development finally pushes her to arrest this stranger.

Now, here’s an interesting scene. Earlier in the episode, after Angela stops Red Scare from killing the “moth” (a news photographer who flies in drone-like wearing a contraption that makes them look like…well…moths), they cut the captain down. It is as Angela is holding her dead friend’s body that we flash back to the White Night.

It’s Christmas Eve, almost midnight, and Angela is dancing with her husband Calvin as he tries to convince her that he’s allowed to open his gift early. Their loving banter is cut short when Angela realizes that someone has broken into their home. She acts quickly, managing to kill the intruder only to be surprised by a gunshot to the chest from a second assailant. As she stares down the barrel of a gun the screen goes black, and when we open our eyes again who do we see but Judd Crawford sitting in a chair next to us. We are Angela; she’s in a hospital bed. Judd informs her that a coordinated attack of 40 officers’ homes has resulted in mass casualties, including her partner and his wife. He explains that the news is calling the event the “White Night”, and that due to fear the rest of the force has quit. Angela says fuck that to which Judd agrees.

We can see the pain on Angela’s face, even through her Sister Night mask, as she holds Judd’s body for the last time. Cut to Angela cradling her grandfather as she tries to put him in the passenger seat of her car and that same pain can be seen only there’s no mask to hide it and it is conflicted. We won’t understand the depth of her expression until this story is finished being told, but believe me when I say it is an amazing an nuanced performance that Regina King gives us here, and it is good reason to rewatch this series at least one more time once you’ve finished.

Overall this is a fine episode. And yes, there’s another chapter in the side-story that is our mysterious old man living in the country side mansion. His identity isn’t much of a mystery though, any Watchmen fan can easily guess who this is, and this chapter definitely moves the needle closer to an inevitable conclusion. See, he’s finished his play at last and it’s about Dr. Manhattan – specifically, his origin. The players are his loyal servants, except we’ve only seen two so far and one is sacrificed for the sake of our man’s art. Yet, the presumed dead servant is seemingly revived but this time in blue body paint and a mask to play the good doctor. Was it some miraculous feat of technology? Nope! Turns out the two servants we first see are just a series of clones. That’s technology, right? Ehhh, stay with me and you’ll see that answer gets tricky. At any rate, our older gentleman makes for a cruel god. But why? And who is he? And who are they? Patience, I promise it’ll be worth the wait.

Despite enjoying most of this episode, I do have a few things to point out and or criticize.

For one thing, there’s Jim Beaver’s appearance. He is, I’m assuming, the biological grandfather to Angela and Calvin’s children. This might cause some confusion, so I’ll clarify. The night Angela’s partner and his wife were killed their three children survived. Angela adopted those kids (which explains why they are white, while she and Calvin are black), and the man now on her doorstep is their biological grandfather. He also makes mention of her “Redfordations” in a scornful way before claiming he has a legal right to see those kids. His love must not be that binding though, as Angela cuts him a check to leave and he takes it. Does this mean he is too poor and can’t afford rejecting her money, or, that he’s only interested in money and we can assume he’s extorted her this way before? It’s a good question that is never answered and never brought up again. Granted, the timeline for this series isn’t very long, but still…

There’s also the “American Hero Story” show within a show. This was advertised in the pilot, but this episode is the first time we get to see some of the actual show. What’s interesting is that this scene is used to bridge many of our main players. Angela (who should definitely not be letting her children watch this), Looking Glass, and the Kavalry are all tuning in. You’ll find out soon enough that this selection of viewers is well thought out. The Kavalry clearly have a tie to the Watchmen of the original comic, given their Rorschach masks, Angela and Calvin have a unique relationship we won’t discover until later, and of course Looking Glass, whose personal experience will be explored very soon.

What’s with the floating building blocks Topher has? I could barely get a view of the box and it seems like they are magnetic in some way? I know they are branded with Dr. Manhattan in mind, that much I got from the box, but still…how are you just gonna throw a floating building in a kid’s room and say absolutely NOTHING ABOUT IT!?

Finally, the title of this episode is a take on an 1834 oil painting created by a man who was intrigued by Native American culture. We see this painting in Judd’s house as Angela is leaving after she’s found his Klan robe, and it transitions us to the Old man in the countryside side-story, but why exactly is it significant enough to be used as the title? Is the old man supposed to be represented here? Is Judd? The painting is of Comanche warriors who learn a riding maneuver that allows them to hide behind their horse while still being able to attack their enemies. The old man makes sense because his servants would be the horse he hides behind, and uses, but Judd isn’t a bad fit either. He used his badge to hide behind, while possibly still hurting those he’s been sword to protect. There are even better cases to be made here, but I’ll wait until the end to run them down. For now, and in the scope of what we know up till now, this episode title doesn’t make too much sense.

Again, this is a show that benefits highly from rewatching it. Sure, you’ll enjoy the initial viewing, but man…a rewatch really opens your eyes to the majesty that the writers, directors, and showrunner all created in just nine episodes.

‘WandaVision’ Episode 5 Review: Wait, They Recasted Whom?

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wandavision episode 5

In the latest WandaVision, everything finally comes to a head as all the answers we’re looking for are had. We break it down and more including that major game-changing ending

This post is late, I’m well aware. I wasn’t one hundred percent certain if I was going to still do it, as unfortunately due to some behind-the-scenes technical issues, the podcast is temporarily shut down. Two episodes, including one on this and the podcast about Watchmen, remain in limbo. Though we will upload them ASAP once things are fixed.

EDIT: Here’s this week’s podcast

That said, a lot did happen this week but I’m sure most people already figured it out. WandaVision is a series that breaks that traditional heroes journey formula, which is odd for a Disney+ launching title, but fun none the less. The big event in episode 5 was the revelation that many of the conflicts within the series revolve around Wanda, who is seemingly pulling everyone’s strings. It is oddly reminiscent of Ultron and reminds us of her reality-bending abilities. Something which was confirmed with the Kevlar vest turned dress of Monica Rambeau.

The biggest reveal, which everyone was talking about, was the bringing back of Pietro, aka Quicksilver. Wanda’s brother who’d allegedly died in Avengers: Civil War. The major catch, however, was that Quicksilver was in fact THE OTHER SPEEDSTER. The Quicksilver from the Fox X-Men Franchise effectively combining the two universes together.

MCU and X-Men Universes (XMU) Collide?

Well, as we learned from this episode, Wanda can’t exactly revive someone fully intact. Not unless she has their body, like in the case of Vision, and even then, it’s more Pet Cemetary than it is Jesus Christ (Meaning that it’s often a botched resurrection). 

Sort of taking the house of M storyline and flipping it on its head by saying ‘YES MORE MUTANTS’ we get QuickSilver from the XMU. A major reveal with even bigger implications for the franchise moving forward. With confirmed appearances of Ryan Reynold’s Deadpool in the MCU, there was always going to be some sort of Universal cross-over event going forward but we hadn’t known exactly how. Well, until now. However, X-men are not the only Fox related properties entering the fold.

We Might Have Hinted At The Fantastic 4

During the episode, Monica suggests that she knows of an aerospace engineer suited for the challenge of infiltrating this hexagonal universe that Wanda has created. Carol Danvers is a test pilot, so that throws her immediately out, but there is, however, one person who perfectly fits the bill: Mr. Fantastic. Already, the leader of the Fantastic Four knows plenty about radiation, much like the ones surrounding this tiny Wanda controlled universe, but also is arguably one of the smartest men in the Marvel Universe. The archrival of Doctor Doom, who is already confirmed to be featured in Black Panther 2. Add on top of this, Monica’s close history with the Four (who even motivate her to become the next Captain Marvel), and what you have here is a likely introduction.

We’ll know more Friday to be sure.

 

‘A Discovery of Witches’ Season 2 Episode 5 Review: Vampire Fathers are Blunt and Nosey

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In this week’s episode of A Discovery of Witches, Matthew and Diana make it to France, but face new challenges as Philippe tests the strength of their relationship.

WARNING SPOILERS AHEAD!!

Here are the key moments of season 2 episode 5:

The Journey to Sept Tour

Gallowglass (Steven Cree) only accompanies them as far as the shore of Mont Saint Michel as he still refuses to enter France after his father Hugh was killed on French soil. He tells Diana (Teresa Palmer) not to loose Matthew (Matthew Goode) or herself before departing. He is heading to Bohemia ahead of them and will meet them there after their stop at Sept Tour. In advanced though Philippe (James Purefoy) had sent a retinue of guards that Matthew indicates isn’t merely there to protect them, it appears to also be a show of strength.

The journey is a difficult one especially for the historian whom at first has to ride side saddle because of her garment. It is often cold, rainy and sleep isn’t comfortable. Diana even passes out and falls from her horse from exhaustion. As they draw closer, Pierre, who had traveled with the couple from London advises Mistress Royden to be the light for Matthew as they head to his ancestral home. The other vampire then leaves Bohemia as well to find lodging for them on the next leg of their journey.

There is also a moment for Diana and Matthew to consummate their relationship on their way to Sept Tour but he tells her not yet but in time. She is clearly confused but doesn’t question him. The following day Diana wakes up to discover that somehow Matthew has found her some leather pants and now she can ride normally. Hooray!

Meeting Philippe de Cleremont

Before arriving at Sept Tour, Diana tells Matthew that she knows this will be like opening an old wound for him as he hasn’t seen his father in years. She hopes though that he might be able to gain some closure at last but acknowledges that the reality of getting more time with a dead loved one is a complicated one. Matthew is clearly very unsure of how things will go during their time in France. He doesn’t fully trust his father and probably himself at the moment.

When they finally meet Philippe in his study, a very determined Diana actually reveals to the other vampire that they are from the future and in the past to find her a teacher as a weaver. The elder man seems completely unsurprised by her classification, explaining that he’s lived a very long life and has seen things she’s never seen. Diana though retorts back she’s seen a lot of things that don’t exist yet. Matthew is clearly not happy that his lady love outright said that they are from a different time. Things take an interesting turn though when Philippe says that his unsure of his son’s affection towards the witch because he can tell they have not consummated their relationship. Apparently, they have two very distinct smells and if Matthew really loved her wouldn’t he have fully mated? Diana is super pissed upon this revelation despite the geneticist pleading with his father not to doubt his feelings towards her. Philippe instructs that they will be sleeping in separate rooms with Diana storming off in anger. Matthew follows her and tries to explain that it’s complicated and that he didn’t lie to her but she knew there was something holding him back. The witch also retorts that Philippe didn’t think this was a complicated matter and in frustration Matthew lashes back that maybe she should sleep with his father instead. Diana slaps him and uses her magic to forcibly remove him from her room.

Outside, the vampire is clearly trying to suppress his blood rage that is just simmering under the surface. He returns to Philippe’s study to confront his father, but the elder man says that it was necessary because it wouldn’t take that long for the witch to discover his lie. Matthew angrily claims that he has never lied to her however Philippe points out the sin in his omission. The younger male says that is between him and Diana with his father adding if only that were true. The head of the de Cleremont family pivots suddenly and asks when his last feeding was. Matthew is confused and is summarily dismissed like a child, told to feed in the morning. Philippe clearly feels that the other vampire is hangry and will feel better after getting some nourishment.

The following day, Diana wakes up super grumpy as an attendant helps her get dressed. Matthew has gone out to hunt and she meets Philippe in the dining room. She’s still pretty ticked off but as a gesture of goodwill he gives her the keys to the house as she’s the highest-ranking lady with Ysabeau not in residence. As she asks where the library is located we see how Philippe is not fond of books. He leads her to the room though and says that she can take anything she likes.

Later on, a witch from Lyon arrives asking to speak to the head of the de Cleremonts on a matter of urgency. The vampire comments that the other man is lucky that his wife currently is away or his reception would be quite different. Eventually the two men head to Diana’s room where she seems to sense that something is wrong. The male witch is aggressive in saying that he is here to help her and recognizes her power, even going as far as to tell Diana that he’s going to steal her memories despite her cries of protest and anguish. Matthew returning from his hunt hears her distress and runs to help but Philippe stops him. Instead, she summons his dagger and then uses it to stab the witch cold heartedly, killing him. She said no. After her experience with Satu, Diana is never going to let anyone violate her again.

Another de Cleremont Arrives in London

Matthew’s sister Louisa (Elaine Cassidy) arrives in London as Kit (Tom Hughes) is drinking his melancholy away after his fight with his bff and secret love. She’s drinking from a human in broad daylight and doesn’t seem to care one bit who sees her. The daemon comes upon her and the two catch up as Louisa was there from Venice to see her brother though he’s been summoned back to France.

Louisa is a fiendishly fun character. She is clearly very dangerous, headstrong, impatient, and mischievous. She briefly kisses Kit and discovers that the man is in love with Matthew though he of course refuses to openly admit to it. Instead, he fills her in on how her brother is in love with a witch. The two drink loads more and decide to target practice by shooting glass bottles but cause a disturbance. A local man tells them to go away and calls Louisa a whore. Big mistake because she has no qualms in killing him instantly. She seems to bring out Kit’s darker impulses as he agrees that she’s infinitely more fun than her brother.

Final Thoughts

  • Matthew is so vulnerable in this episode in a way that we’ve never seen him before as he begs Philippe not to question his feelings towards Diana. There’s nothing like a parent to easily take a person back to a previous incarnation of one’s self. This Matthew seems so much younger and less self-assured, almost like a teen in the presence of an authority figure.
  • The final scene where Diana is being accosted by another witch was difficult to watch because of all the anguish she was enduring. But she’s definitely learned to defend herself by any means necessary and no longer has any problem with killing someone who means to do her harm.
  • James Purefoy was thrilling to watch as Philippe. He has a such a commanding presence and embodied authority. It was not difficult to imagine and that he and Matthew really did have a father-son relationship, which is major kudos to the two actors. Also, I kind of wish that we could see him and Lindsay Duncan in a scene together.
  • So many emotions in this episode and it may be my favorite of the season so far. I appreciate being able to see Matthew and Diana fighting because it brings a sense of humanity to their characters and shows audiences that they are not perfect.
  • My only criticism of this episode, not enough Gallowglass clearly.

‘Resident Alien’ Episode 2 Review: “It Feels Like The First Time?”

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resident alien
RESIDENT ALIEN -- "Homesick" Episode 102 -- Pictured: Alien Harry -- (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Spoiler-Alert! In the latest Resident Alien, Harry processes new human emotions for the first time, attends his first date, and tries to vanquish his nemesis. We break it down in our Resident Alien review featuring interviews with Alan Tudyk and Alice Wetterlund.

What makes the premise of Resident Alien work really well is that it plays off the classic fish-out-of-water trope. As Harry (Alan Tudyk) learns the subtleties about being human. In Resident Alien episode two, Harry deep dives into his understanding of humanity while filling in as the town doctor. A task which he’s not well suited for (being an alien and all). 

It is in these unhinged Alien Tudyk montages, where Harry unabashedly learns more about human anatomy, human rituals, and human emotions, that makes for some of the best comedic moments in the series. More than anything else, we get to see Harry grow as he begins to process his newfound human feelings more.  

Harry Versus Max

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Homesick” Episode 102 — Pictured: Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

Almost immediately into the episode, “Homesick” focuses on the series’ antagonistic relationship between Max and Harry. The resilient Max is determined to share to the world Harry’s secret as an alien, a truth no one in town believes only because Max is a child. In this episode, Harry tries his best to tie loose ends, all for a very silly cartoonish type of approach that the series has a fun time exploring. We asked Tudyk a bit more about Harry and Max’s rivalry in the series:

“Yeah! He’s a great nemesis to have. Then as the season goes on, like how some nemesis, sort of progress, they could become friends,” Tudyk explains before jokingly digressing, “Like Magneto and Doctor X. Doctor X, Is that right? That doesn’t sound right. Professor X! Please don’t share that. I’m pretty sure he does have his doctorate but uh, let’s not split hairs, if he doesn’t, than he’s being lazy and needs to get his doctorate!” 

The actor concludes, “In that same way, their rivalry has its own kind of friendship.”

Indeed, seeing Harry, an adult alien super-genius, be repeatedly foiled by a child actually reminds me of early-season Family Guy. Where baby Stewie sought to kill his mother, Lois, in frequent attempts on her life that hilariously fail. Given longtime Family Guy veteran Chris Sheridan as the showrunner, I think Resident Alien emulates a lot of early Family Guy’s situations, though mostly with Harry in the Stewie role as he oddly tries to understand regular people he deems inferior to himself.  

Harry Goes On A Bowling Date

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Homesick” Episode 102 — Pictured: Alan Tudyk as Harry Vanderspeigle — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

In the process of getting to understand his new human emotions, Harry lands himself a date with D’arcy, the bartender who was romantically interested in Harry in the pilot. Bonding over hotdogs and Harry being a potential serial killer (jokingly… we hope), we asked Alice Wetterlund why D’arcy was just so interested in Harry, and if perhaps, she could just find a nice guy (I’ll admit this last portion was more for me as I might have developed my first fictional TV crush).

“Um, she doesn’t want a good guy that’s the thing. People like D’arcy are complicated, fun, sort of life of the party characters. They don’t want to just settle for the good guy,’ Alice explains while subtly also breaking this writer’s heart, “She’s got to be intrigued and she needs somebody to keep her on her toes. That’s the only thing she’s interested in. Bad boys, weird boys, or the broken guy, and when Harry comes along, maybe on the spectrum, but super talented and knowledgable but also just a huge asshole at the same it’s like: DREAMBOAT.”  

There you have it. If you’re an asshole bad boy broken guy, that is the secret to winning D’arcy’s affections (so there’s still hope for me yet!). Anyway, after some ball tossing, Harry and D’arcy share a moment over hot dogs, as D’arcy reveals herself to be an Olympic level skier who’d got caught in an accident and was forced to retire. Despite the moment of emotional intimacy, Harry takes away only one thing: that accidents can happen to humans, and so, is inspired with a new method on how to kill Max.

Lessons On Caring By Asta Twelvetrees

RESIDENT ALIEN — “Homesick” Episode 102 — Pictured: Sara Tomko as Asta Twelvetrees — (Photo by: James Dittinger/SYFY)

In “Homesick,” we get some insight into Asta’s world as we meet her stepdad, Dan, a Native American who almost immediately takes a disliking to Harry (because Harry has no aura). Dan helps Asta get through a tough time by helping her with some of their tribes’ rituals of mourning and loss. With Asta really missing Sam, a confidant and father figure, her sadness is something Harry takes notice of, as he bluntly reminds her that there was nothing she could’ve done, even if she had been there when he died. 

It’s a sweet scene that sees Harry empathize with Asta, making him all the more conflicted. He begins to realize humans are all connected, by such a complicated yet wonderful range of feelings, and worries about the human emotions growing within him. Harry misses home. Even worse, he’s suddenly starting to care about people. 

Final Thoughts

For all the fun explorations about being human in this one, there’s a very negative human emotion that lingers with Harry. An emptiness that Harry confuses as hunger which doesn’t seem to go away. Though pretty great at reading human emotions, his inability to process his own complicates things, as his people normally don’t have “feelings.” What he actually longs for is companionship. And it’s a really heartfelt arc that we’re going to explore this season that feels so incredibly human. 

The Watchmen Podcast: Episode One – Show and Tell

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Join Norton, Christian, and me as we deep dive into what will be a weekly series of reviews for HBO’s Watchmen, which is prescient as ever in the year 2021

Colors

They define us, whether you’re seeing with your two eyes. McDonald’s has two. Red and Yellow. We’re a slave to colors.

Yet colors compose all spectrum of the rainbow. These days, we only see blue or black.

Back in the day, they only saw black and white. On their tv screens and in life. There is one difference though. It wasn’t ONLY black and white.

There were shades of gray and in those states, we shall proceed with the first episode of Watchmen (HBO) titled “It’s Summer and We’re Running Out of Ice” because we can rewind and go back to the first two colors. Yellow with just a hint of blood.

The location

Tulsa, Oklahoma

The Players

Angela Abar/Sister Night (Regina King)… two names of royalty. Wears a nun’s habit and a balaclava. Detective for the police force of Tulsa. But is she?

Judd Crawford (Don Johnson)… the chief of the Tulsa police force… But is he?

Wade Tillman (Tim Blake Nelson)…. a detective on the Tulsa police force. Wears a reflective mask.

Cal Abar (Yahya Abdul-Mateen II)… Angela’s husband but. But is he?

Red Scare (Andrew Howard)… thick Russian accent, this presence. But is he?

Panda (Jacob Ming-Trent)… his partner in crime. But is he?

Will Reeves (Louis Gosset Jr.)…. Angela’s great grandfather, but we don’t know that yet. The original superhero. But is he?

Adrian Veidt (Jeremy Irons)… who else? Ozymandias!Ozy the best! But is he?

Laurie Black (Jean Smart)… second Silk Spectre, FBI agent, and commander of the Anti-Vigilante Task Force. Good intentions. But does she?

Lady Trieu (Hong Chau)… owner of Trieu Industries, which bought out Veidt Enterprises on the news of Adrian’s death and heiress to his throne via artificial insemination. Wants her birthright and is entitled to it. But is she?

The plot

We open in a black and white silent film. It’s a western but silence speaks louder than words. In it, the Sheriff is the bad guy, whose stolen cattle. Who better to speak truth to power than wresting it from the laws of governance? Who does that? Bass Reeves, motherfucker! The black Marshal of Oklahoma.

Trust in the law. That’s the ending statement of it. Then shit goes down.

Tusla, 1921. A town is torn asunder by the KKK. From violence sows peace. Like burning down a forest just to let the flora flourish anew. Except, in this case, it doesn’t. It simply begets more violence… and the fire is sometimes, just a fire. Destructive- that’s all.

A young and very traumatized Will Reeves inherits a new baby to look after once all the world around him has burned. This is

CUT TO:

Present-day. We have a white dude shaken, being pulled over by a black cop. Though it would appear cops have the upper hand in this scenario, this one didn’t. He caught a Calvary constituent, but even his ‘brothers in arms’ couldn’t or wouldn’t save him. Who is watching whom?

We then go to to the musical of Oklahoma! Where the cast is all black. Both Judd and his wife are taking in the sights as if the black cast is providing their entertainment… but Judd’s good time is cut short when news of a boy in blue’s life is cut down.

He meets Wade at the hospital to survey the body of their brethren at semi-respiration. This isn’t for long though as they have to inform in the following scene his next of kin.

He didn’t die though. They are moving him to their special medical bay once out of surgery. Plus, they are going to change his narrative on how he was injured.

The series also opens up with cracking a few eggs, starting with five. Eggs will come onto this plane later.

We see in her son’s classroom that she was born in Nam and that her son has a protective nature over the mother. Doesn’t matter though because what comes reigning down? Squids. You heard me right, squids.

They drive home and we finally catch a glimpse of her hubby, Jon, I mean Calvin. We also see that her job’s communique operates through a pager, which is smart.

The hour is nigh, and as we see Angela go to her assignment, we hear that the Minutemen will be premiering.

She’s going into her own bakery. Milk & Hanoi. She’s only interrupted by an older, wheelchair-bound gentleman that… but no time for that.

Batman has his cave, Sister Night has her joint. She suits up and shit is about to go down.

She was called to action because one of the Rorshach peeps put out a message to the world. A change going to come, come hell or high water and if you don’t like it, you can kick rocks. Compliments of the Seventh Calvary.

Tick-tock.

Article 4 is hereby off the table. The stabilizing of guns for the public’s safety from the police is no longer an issue and once there’s red spilled in the blue, they just see… well red.

We now go into the pod, which is a great version of an interrogation room. It can give the Voight-Kampff test a run for its money.

This leads us to the cattle ranch. By the way, good lead up score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross.

As they descend on the homestead, we see that the resistance is removing batteries from watches.

They are packing heat and who takes the brunt of it? The livestock. Matter of fact, in O! Brother, Where Art Thou? When Babyface Nelson escapes from his heist, he uses his Thompson to shoot anything in his way, including the cows. Tim Blake Nelson’s character, says, ‘Aww, not the livestock, George.’

As the homestead gets lit the fuck up by Rorshach’s team with a Gatling gun, a few derring-do’s pilot a goddamned plane only to see Sister Night running point on their with the coverage of Red Scare.

After a scruff with one of the unfortunate souls that managed to ‘escape’, Sister Night runs house… But does she? The scrapper was merely a pawn in the bigger scheme of things, as evidenced by his swallowing a cyanide pill just before she could cull information from hit.

Snitches don’t get stitches. They just get pine boxes.

Yet, just before Red Scare and Sister Night can deduce the trace of their dearly departed, the plane has taken flight. Sometimes gravity is a little bigger than your situation.

That’s when you call the Owlship. How did these guys procure such a majestic piece of technology? We’ll save that for later. Either way, it fulfills the job it was meant to do. This comes at a price, however, as it blew its proverbial ‘load’ and crapped out.

Angela need not worry though, as Judd and Pirate Jenny come out, no worse for wear. And they laugh.

You can only laugh to the heavens until the heavens will reign down on you. We cut to Ozymandias, on his steed. Where is he? In his palatial estate with not one but TWO servants.

But wait! It’s his anniversary. But of what? His sycophants are simply reciting words of a birthday song. They know not what they do and, god, fucking forgive them.

I beg your pardon, however, as our man Adrian refuses a horseshoe to cut his illustrious cake and merely takes a peck at it. I guess rich comes at a cost.

He’s gifted something. A stopwatch. Tick-tock.

The watch is still ticking at Angela’s home, as Judd and his wife break bread with her three of her kids, and her husband, Calvin… of course under the auspices of cocaine. Allegedly.

The avuncular boss rubs the wrong way though with Calvin. This comes down to musical Oklahoma! And how.

He sings a song from it upon their inciting, but something feels off. It doesn’t help that the tick of the clock is more of a metronome. Tick-tock.

Angela realizes that their enemies are excising the batteries of watches, possibly to create something more sinister but Judd pays it no mind. There is an heir or uneasiness as we go into the preview of what Judd is playing later at home for American Hero Story.

His wife seems the wiser. Maybe she’s in on the grift! Charlie’s woken up though and in full regalia, Judd goes to pay a visit.

Though the road paved with good intentions is always pebbled with harm… or maybe the best intentions in the world.

As Angela and Cal are getting on, dressed in their birthday suits, duty calls. Isn’t that always the way?

A simple phone call is all Angela becomes Sister and with one of the coolest moves ever, she extracts a shottie from her bed and a pistol from her fireplace. This could be a mere scare… or this could be war.

With a kiss to her beloved, she’s gone. This isn’t just a kiss. This is a possible death knell. She already knows she’s in the mire and whomever she loves is in the crossfire, whether they are willing participants or not. Her handling of this situation hangs in the balance all of them.

What hangs in a balance? Judd. A white man is lynched and a black man seems responsible for the actions taken.

I think the prescience of this show is outstanding. Who watches the Watchmen? I mean who polices anything these days? The actors are great, as is the writing and direction. It only gets heavier from here, so stay tuned!