Clarke pointing a gun, this could be any episode really...
Image c/o imdb.com
It’s been a few weeks, so we’re picking up after Clarke and the Gang return to Sanctum. Best to do a little catching up before breaking down “Blood Giant”…
As per the last episode you’ve got The Shepard and some of his Disciples showing up on Sanctum with Clarke and crew to find the “key”. They happen to “bridge-in” to the throne room where Shady is playing chess with John. Oh, and Emori and the refugees are still hiding out in the reactor after John got kidnapped. Nikki is there too as a prisoner.
That about covers it. Let’s get down to business.
Episode 13: “Blood Giant”
Instead of breaking this episode up into teams on different planets, it gets broken up into teams in different places. Clarke, Bellamy, Conductor, John, Raven, and Bill are one team – they get split up by Bill with Clarke going off alone to get the Flame while John and Raven stick around as insurance. Indra and Shady are another “team” – trapped in the throne room tied to a column being guarded by some Disciples. There are Emori and the refugees – hanging out in the reactor with Nikki along for the ride as a prisoner. Finally, Gabriel teams up with Dr. Jackson at the lab. Why? Because the red sun eclipse is here and all hell’s about to break loose!
Our first and second teams get created fairly quickly. After landing in the throne room, Bill wastes no time showing Shady who’s the boss. Spoiler, it’s the Shepard with his advanced weaponry and invisible guards. Shady tries a last-ditch violent solution (as Grounders do), but it winds up getting him fatally stabbed by yet another invisible guard. With him out of the way, it’s very easy for Bill to subdue the remaining Grounders (including Indra sadly) and take some hostages to ensure Clarke makes good on her deal.
The red sun eclipse kind of works out for Emori. Being trapped in the reactor with Shady forces trying to break in, she does the only “reasonable” thing she can think of – turns off the power so the rabid bugs can get in and maybe take care of her problem for her. Nikki rears her ugly head for a minute to make an empty threat, but the darkness helps the hostages take back control. Meanwhile, outside, Bill’s not getting how much of a problem the red sun is. Bellamy eventually gets through to him, thanks in part to John and Raven’s input, and the four of them (no thanks to Conductor, who wanted to make it a trio) race off to the reactor to stay alive.
Gabriel, who pointed out the red sun issue when he started to hallucinate, is working with Dr. Jackson to make more anti-toxin. Haunted by Josephine Lightbourne (his ex), who basically acts as the devil on his shoulder, Gabriel begins to contemplate taking the Flame for himself when Clarke retrieves it. Luckily, he eventually conquers his crisis of faith, takes the cure, and destroys the only means by which the Flame could have been salvaged.
All of the teams wind up converging in the throne room, where Gabriel presents a machine that could repair the Flame (which, as mentioned, he then destroys). He points a gun at Bill and as all standoffs tend to do, it ends badly. The conductor winds up dead and Bellamy rushes to him. Bill’s face in that moment is clearly disappointed, he was hoping Bellamy was like him – immune to personal love connections (in this case friendship). It’s obvious Bell is upset at his friend’s death.
But all of that pales in comparison to the big surprise ending. Turns out Shady knew about Madi’s journal, he tells Bellamy about it, and Clarke happens to overhear before going through the bridge. She’s genuinely worried if Bill gets the journal he’ll kill Madi to get the info in her head, it’s a very real concern, but the best part – hands down the best part of this whole ordeal is that Clarke kills Bellamy but doesn’t actually get the journal. That’s right! She murders her former friend (and real-life hubby) in a last-ditch effort to save her adopted daughter only to fail. Clarke runs out of bullets, she’s unable to subdue the last two Disciple guards nor is she able to grab the journal before escaping through the bridge. The last image we see is Bellamy bloody on the floor with Clarke’s crying face faded in next to him. My question is: is she crying because she had to kill Bellamy to save Madi, or because she killed Bellamy for nothing.
So juicy! Gotta hand it to this show, they are making this final season of The 100 count!
Other things of note in this episode:
John Murphy’s conversations with Raven are priceless. Absolutely priceless. Give these two a spin-off show now!
Raven gets to face the consequences of her actions when Nikki manages to get the drop on her in the reactor. To my surprise, Nikki does not kill Raven. I get it, the whole living with your guilt is worse than the easy escape of death, but still…Octavia would have killed her.
Why exactly did Shady save Indra? He knew he was going to die, and the invisible guard was about to kill his enemy when he warns her of the impending attack, but the question is: why? Does he respect her in some way? Did he really not think he was going to die? Did he expect that saving Indra would spare him a worse death? That last one seems to be the reasoning except that it doesn’t really pan out – Indra orders Gabriel and Jackson not to treat Shady’s wounds, which means he’ll die slow and painful. Is that really what he wanted?
Where the fuck is Gaia!? This is the second episode to address Indra’s missing daughter without any follow up! I wonder if she’s gonna wind up being some crazy Chekov’s gun…
The next episode preview shows us returning to Earth. Is Gaia there? Is anyone there? I saw Shady, and Octavia, so I’m definitely curious about what’s going down.
After 20 Seasons The Monolithic Reality Show is Finally Cancelled
It was announced that 2021 will be the final season of keep up with the Kardashians. The show has been nothing shy of massive success, blowing up the family’s status symbol as a brand, business venture, fashion statement, and even more importantly and somewhat ridiculous: successful videogame. Surprisingly, no official statement was given as to why the show is ending, only grateful sentiment of the past 14-year journey.
Today Twitter Movies held an exclusive chat with director Denis Villeneuve and the cast of DUNE followed by the premiere of the film’s trailer. It does not disappoint as audiences are given a visually stunning space saga that brings the novel to life.
Villeneuve like Colbert is a long time fan of the Dune series first reading it at fifteen and he finished the whole saga.
The director felt that Chalamet had an old soul and lived many lives which really touched him and at the same time the actor looked so young on camera which was a contrast. This was Paul Atreides.
According to Chalamet he only did two scenes with a green screen and everything else was practical.
One condition Villeneueve had was that he had to shoot in a real desert, his argument being that they didn’t shoot Jaws in a swimming pool.
Rebecca Ferguson gives Villeneuve’s a lot of credit for highlighting Lady Jessica’s actions as creating fractures and disrupting everything in the film.
Oscar Isaac also jokes that no set piece, X-Wing, or Millennium Falcon could compare to the size of Josh Brolin’s head. It really made him feel like he was on an alien planet.
Jason Momoa views Duncan Idaho as a samurai servant of House Atreides.
Javier Bardem explains that Stilgar is really taken in by the message of the messiah, Paul.
Josh Brolin depiction of Gurney is that he’s a musician and has played the baliset since he was seven! His character is the war master but also a parent of sorts to Paul.
Bardem said that the stillsuits they had though were built amazingly well and even had cool air flowing inside, though Isaac and Momoa said they both missed out on that version.
In a battle, Momoa answers that Duncan Idaho would beat Khal Drogo because Idaho has an edge with his swords.
Sharon Duncan-Brewster said that Villeneuve really wanted to focus on the essence of Liet Kynes, as her character in the book is male and was gender-swapped for the film. Kynes connects multiple groups in the story, understands the different worlds of the Fremen and the imperium and is able to navigate through. What’s really important is what Kynes stands for.
Zendaya notes that Chani isn’t quite feeling Paul at the beginning but does see something in him.
Chani and Paul both go through a coming of age story that young people may relate to especially set in a broken world.
Dune is about the capacity for adaptation and with a lot of change coming Villeneuve feels that the film is more relevant than ever.
Alas, All great things must come to an end…. And it’s come to that. The Venture Brothers is Cancelled
This is not exactly a eulogy to the Venture Brothers as much as it is a celebration of what they brought to us. Born of the mind of Tick writer Jackson Publick, Venture Brothers started out as a joint venture. A passion project where Publick recruited his main man, Doc Hammer, a bad-assed painter and, personally, whom I would call a philosopher. Together, this duo had undertaken the responsibilities of adopting a cartoon parody of the Hardy Boys meets Johnny Quest, though all in homage to the Hannah Barbara era of cartoons.
Yet, there was maturation overtime over what writers Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer thought what the state of cartoons should be. With seven seasons created by themselves and a team of talented individuals, The Venture Brothers excelled at generating a giggle, poking fun at a trope, and making us feel things about what it means to awkwardly grow, and more importantly, fail in life. Creating many beautifully flawed characters, throwaways at first, that fans wanted and fleshed them out into ones you wanted onto the screen. From Dr. Girlfriend to Dr. Ex-Girlfriend to … From the Henchmen of 21 and 24….
Because you know you cried when 24 died. You probably also celebrated when Henchman 21 grew some balls, got cut, and basically became the Monarch’s aide de camp. We’ve seen Billy Quizboy (surely a nice reference to the kid in Magnolia) and Pete White (surely a nice reference to Dave Sylvian) and how they’ve grown into a family. Seen how both Brock and his, let’s just say its counterpart, Dr. Hatred (basically their avuncular body-guard) served as a better father to the titular characters than Rusty Venture ever had been.
The brothers have come away with a PTSD that a therapist couldn’t ever grapple with, so they, in essence, soar with it. They ride the wave and feel those unwanted feelings until reality hits them about how they are replaceable. Most budding young men would freak the fuck out, but they are Ventures. They come from SCIENCE. They come from a systemic situation that pits them into weird situations like a masturbation booth, exotic civilizations, and outer space… all without their knowledge or know-how. What’s beautiful about this show is seeing how the brothers learn. How they grow up. How they’re educated out of their silly little sleep beds and by their father, a ‘self-proclaimed genius’ trying to outdo his other brother that he was attached to in the womb. The brothers learn on their adventures. They go through romances, break ups, heartaches, and then remakes.
Meanwhile, their father, Rusty Venture is too busy equally self-loathing as he is loving himself. So much so that he ignores his own family and his own masturbatory feud with the Monarch. A rivalry that’s actually been borne from childhood. Both are petty. Both have guns and shrink rays and any stupid thing you can say. This is where the broth simmers and this is what makes the series great. You see, the Monarch hates Dr. Venture (as most do) because he has the toys. He thinks he’s a playboy but in actuality, Rusty is a failure with his Father’s name. But so is Monarch, because if he and his well-meaning Wife and their only two henchmen were not on his side, Monarch would be nothing as well.
Again I stress this show was nothing shy of amazing. This is a show that honestly put me on to humor. As a TV writer, it’s one of those shows that defies genre that you can put on the lampshade. That puts the jokes front and center where you can’t help but laugh. Their stupid humor is always intelligently writ. Both Doc and Jackson take those beats of what is funny… or just makes them fucking laugh! And it’s brilliant!
This is not the end of them, I guarantee you. The two writers Ventures’ in twain will do better things. Who knows? Wrap it up into a movie? There are so many characters they still would love to write for! Hulu? Grease their palms with silver! Netflix? I’d be so down for that!
The thing is this is a series that talks and handles about PEOPLE, not idiots that have superhuman powers- PEOPLE. It’s about what they go through, the struggles, and how they may or may not come out from it. It’s, dares I say, the nigh-perfect show. So, if you can find it in your heart, write to your ADULTSWIM, write to your comptroller, write to you Senator and bring this show fucking back. It is a salve on our mosquito bite of a nation. It is an ice cube on our hot face. It is the Ben to your Jerry.
The Academy is finally making permanent changes instead of taking reactionary half-measures by announcing a new change in its eligibility standards.
Five years ago, #OscarsSoWhite was trending online so in 2017, the academy nominated a large degree of nominations for black actors in reaction. A move which had taken two years. That same year, #MeToo began to trend as more and more women came out in Hollywood against Harvey Weinstein. The narrative pivoted, now focusing on the plight of women, the wage gap, and unfair salaries. Because this is what Hollywood does: it’s reactionary at the moment for when it matters, but for the most part, doesn’t care about these issues the following year.
Until now.
Because for once, the academy was listening, as representation is now becoming an industry standard. Beginning in 2022, all nominees for best picture will need to meet 2 out of 4 of the new inclusion standards. Meant to help bring in diversity, the sudden change is meant to turn many heads, as studios will begin to implement these changes on an unprecedented scale all for that acclaimed Oscar gold. Yet, the best picture’s requirements have always been subjective choices of late in public opinion, especially in recent years, and most every other category still holds to the Oscars believed standard of best of the industry.
STANDARD A: ON-SCREEN REPRESENTATION, THEMES AND NARRATIVES
To achieve Standard A, the film must meet ONE of the following criteria:
A1. Lead or significant supporting actors
At least one of the lead actors or significant supporting actors is from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group.
• Asian
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Black/African American
• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
• Middle Eastern/North African
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity
A2. General ensemble cast
At least 30% of all actors in secondary and more minor roles are from at least two of the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
A3. Main storyline/subject matter
The main storyline(s), theme or narrative of the film is centered on an underrepresented group(s).
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD B: CREATIVE LEADERSHIP AND PROJECT TEAM
To achieve Standard B, the film must meet ONE of the criteria below:
B1. Creative leadership and department heads
At least two of the following creative leadership positions and department heads—Casting Director, Cinematographer, Composer, Costume Designer, Director, Editor, Hairstylist, Makeup Artist, Producer, Production Designer, Set Decorator, Sound, VFX Supervisor, Writer—are from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
At least one of those positions must belong to the following underrepresented racial or ethnic group:
• Asian
• Hispanic/Latinx
• Black/African American
• Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
• Middle Eastern/North African
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Other underrepresented race or ethnicity
B2. Other key roles
At least six other crew/team and technical positions (excluding Production Assistants) are from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group. These positions include but are not limited to First AD, Gaffer, Script Supervisor, etc.
B3. Overall crew composition
At least 30% of the film’s crew is from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD C: INDUSTRY ACCESS AND OPPORTUNITIES
To achieve Standard C, the film must meet BOTH criteria below:
C1. Paid apprenticeship and internship opportunities
The film’s distribution or financing company has paid apprenticeships or internships that are from the following underrepresented groups and satisfy the criteria below:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
The major studios/distributors are required to have substantive, ongoing paid apprenticeships/internships inclusive of underrepresented groups (must also include racial or ethnic groups) in most of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.
The mini-major or independent studios/distributors must have a minimum of two apprentices/interns from the above underrepresented groups (at least one from an underrepresented racial or ethnic group) in at least one of the following departments: production/development, physical production, post-production, music, VFX, acquisitions, business affairs, distribution, marketing and publicity.
C2. Training opportunities and skills development (crew)
The film’s production, distribution and/or financing company offers training and/or work opportunities for below-the-line skill development to people from the following underrepresented groups:
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
STANDARD D: AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT
To achieve Standard D, the film must meet the criterion below:
D1. Representation in marketing, publicity, and distribution
The studio and/or film company has multiple in-house senior executives from among the following underrepresented groups (must include individuals from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups) on their marketing, publicity, and/or distribution teams.
• Women
• Racial or ethnic group
Asian
Hispanic/Latinx
Black/African American
Indigenous/Native American/Alaskan Native
Middle Eastern/North African
Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
Other underrepresented race or ethnicity
• LGBTQ+
• People with cognitive or physical disabilities, or who are deaf or hard of hearing
All categories other than Best Picture will be held to their current eligibility requirements. Films in the specialty feature categories (Animated Feature Film, Documentary Feature, International Feature Film) submitted for Best Picture/General Entry consideration will be addressed separately.
A first look at the teaser trailer to Denis Villeneuve’s Dune, based on the epic science fiction novel by Frank Herbert.
The teaser trailer to Denis Villeneuve’s DUNE posted today and it’s totally hyping me up for the full trailer that will be released tomorrow. Based on the epic science fiction classic by Frank Herbert, the film tells the story of young Paul Atreides (Timothee Chalamet), the heir to a dukedom whose life is irrevocably altered after his family receives control of the planet Arrakis.
Arrakis is a place of strategic importance in the imperium of Emperor Shaddam Corrino IV as the spice melange can only be harvested there. This substance is highly valued as it makes safe interstellar travel possible and awakens prescience in some humans. Formerly Arrakis was led by the deviously cunning Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgard) of House Harkonnen and rival of Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac).
The teaser trailer opens with a modified version of the Bene Gesserit Litany Against Fear spoken by Paul. The Bene Gesserit is a mysterious sisterhood that wields considerable power and influence in the universe partially through their prescient abilities via the consumption of melange.
“I must not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me. When the fear is gone there will be nothing, only I will remain.”
We then get headshots of Gurney Halleck, Chani, Stilgar, Paul, Duke Leto, Duncan Idaho, and Lady Jessica followed by a quick shot of the planet and a close up on Paul possibly on Arrakis since he seems to be squinting a bit. Watch the teaser now:
Joining Chalamet is an all-star cast including Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Jason Momoa, Oscar Isaac, Rebecca Ferguson, Stellan Skarsgard, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Dave Bautista, Charlotte Rampling, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, and Stephen McKinley-Henderson.
The original Dune series spans six books and the film covers the first half of the first novel as we follow Paul’s journey into a new land and the difficult challenges ahead of him. This latest movie adaptation is still set to be released in the U.S. December 18, 2020. Previously, David Lynch directed a version in 1984 starring Kyle MacLachlan, Sting, Patrick Stewart, and Virginia Madsen. Syfy also produced a mini-series of Dune (2000) and Children of Dune (2003).
Dune is a story where science, politics, ethics, religion and the environment are all intertwined. It is a sweeping saga filled with complex characters, multifaceted narratives, and expansive world building. I for one can’t wait to see the full trailer tomorrow!
Glitch Techs Season Two is available on Netflix. Featuring callbacks to many video games throughout history, here are 10 references to classic games you might’ve missed.
Glitch Tech’s second season finally debuted three weeks ago, delivering the remainder of the long-awaited 20 episodes of what was supposed to be the show’s first season. After delays due to a tumultuous fallout with Nickelodeon, the long-anticipated animated series was finally available online via Netflix in 2020. Created by Eric Robles and Dan Milano, the show follows the adventures of a group of teen Glitch Technicians who battle and recapture digital glitch-monsters. A tribute towards video games and gamer culture, there are many callbacks and references to popular video games throughout history in nearly every episode.
Because it is quite easy to miss. Here is a reference list of 10 of the most notable video game callbacks featured in the series.
10. Guitar Hero
In the pilot episode, “Age of Hinobi,” Miko enthusiastically plays away on a guitar-shaped controller. Revealed to be a rhythm game that showers it’s players with accolades the better they perform, it’s evident that this is a callback to Guitar Hero. The popular music and rhythm game released in 2005.
9. Pac-Man
This Easter egg is featured in the second portion of the two-part pilot (made one episode by Netflix). Chomp Kitty is a cat that can eat pixel pellets and power-ups. An obvious reference about the gobbling classic: Pac Man. The first glitch Five and Miko face-off and capture in the series, Chomp Kitty is one of the show’s most popular recurring glitches.
8. Super Mario Brothers
There are quite a few references to Super Mario Brothers on the show but the most obvious reference is in the first episode of the second season: “The Glitch Modder”. In this part 2 introduction, the audience is soon introduced to Ridley. An eccentric yet gifted character who establishes a bond with Miko. All for a moment that leads to this cutaway gag and hug.
7. Final Fantasy
This reference’s dead giveaway is in its character design as Ally the giant bird is a mix between the ostriches from Joust but more importantly: Final Fantasy Chocobos. First seen in Season 1, Episode 3: “Going, going, gauntlets,” what really sells this as a Final Fantasy callback is in the title menu for Bravestone XII listed above. It looks exactly like the starting menu to the original Final Fantasy games.
6. Mega Man/Jazz Jackrabbit/Sonic/Pokemon
The cold open in Season 1, Episode 8, “Adventures in Pet Training” features this odd little glitch. He is a strange mix of the biggest 90s era videogame characters. An amalgam of the best of the era, Zoom Kazoom has the skin of Mega Man, the rabbit design of Jazz Jackrabbit, speed of Sonic the Hedgehog, and has the inability to say anything beyond its name, just like a Pokemon. A Frankenstein’s monster of 90s nostalgia.
5. Five Nights at Freddy’s
In Season 2, Episode 3, “Ralphie Bear is Back,” we learn that Five is obsessed with the Chuck E. Cheese styled restaurant mascot Ralphie Bear. But when a pizza arcade glitches and robots are brought back to commission, just like in Five Night’s at Freddie’s, things go awfully awry. An episode parodying Five Nights at Freddie’s, when a scared Miko accidentally de-skins one of the robots, you can absolutely see the reference.
4. Dragon Age/Fire Emblem
In Season 2, Episode 2, we see that Ridley really wants to mod her captured Chomp Kitty into an Uber Dragon — which is a high level creature from the game Fire Age 4. An homage to the RPGs Dragon Age and Fire Emblem, we also get to see a knight and mage armored Five and Miko.
3. Castlevania
In Season 1, Episode 5, Five and Miko play the game ‘Castlestein’. Where they scale and explore a two-dimensional castle in search of destroying a vampire glitch and saving their fellow techs. An obvious allusion towards the hit Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. This episode is just like the Five Nights at Freddie’s one in that its an entire episode-long parody.
2. Metal Gear Solid
In the last episode of the first season, Five obsesses with a stealth-based video game based on a character who looks like Solid Snake but with an afro. Reenacting stealth missions in real life, Five even goes so far as to carry around a box to be like his hero. All of course, for a tribute to Solid Snake from the classic videogame series: Metal Gear Solid.
1. Tetris/Candy Crush
Finally, where would a meta-television show about gaming be without a Tetris Reference? In Season 1, Episode 7 we see Miko spend the day with her sister Nica who is then forced to join along on a glitch busting mission. In the process, we meet a glitch based on a mobile game alluding towards Candy Crush. However, what’s also very evident as seen above, are that the block pixels are designed just like Tetris blocks.
Thoughts about the list? Let us know in the comments below and if you want, check out Glitch Techs Season 2 Review.
This Killer Sequel to The Babysitter arrives on September 10 on Netflix
Back in 2017, Netflix released its beloved horror-comedy sequel The Babysitter, a story about a young boy whose babysitter crush, Bee (Samara Weaving), and her select group of high school friends, turn out to be a clique of murderous psychopaths. A fun take on slashers, the movie’s journey follows Cole (Judah Lewis) and his attempts to survive against this gang of teenage cult-worshipers, bypassing one serial-killer driven hijinks after another. Often in a silly fashion. A surprising hit amongst Netflix viewers, The Babysitter developing a cult following.
The star-studded cast of The Babysitter featured actors Samara Weaving, Hana Mae Lee, Bella Thorne, and Robbie Amell — most of whom are returning in this sequel, minus Weaving. This sequel, which takes place three years since the original, now finds Cole in High School. He is haunted by his past but gets by though with the support of his best friend turned love interest, Melanie. Deciding to take escape some of the troubles of high school, the two leave together on a lake getaway vacation in this sequel. They settle together in a cabin in the woods for some making out, and for Cole hopefully something more, right when in typical horror-movie fashion: things go awry. As demons of his past return to haunt Cole – quite literally, in fact, because the same cult who tried to murder his returns from the dead as blood-worshiping demonic cultists. All of whom force Cole to team up with newcomer Phoebe, to help devise a plan to outsmart his killers and survive until sunrise.
It’s reported that McG has returned to direct the film, written by Dan Lagana, Brad Morris, and Jimmy Warden. As for Samara Weaving, though it’s likely she won’t play a significant role, it does seem there will be a cameo.
Start-Up is a K-Drama set to release this October, about a group of young people pursuing their careers in the world of startup companies.
Wanting to tell a story of a fictionalized Korean version of Silicon Valley, Start-Up follows the journeys of several young working adults, each of whom, have their own dreams, passions, and pursuits in the world of start-up companies. Starring Bae Suzy and Nam Joo-Hyuk.
Produced by Studio Dragon, Start-Up is a Korean Drama tale that follows a group of vastly different individuals pursuing their start-up dreams at a company called Sand Box. Their backgrounds are broken down below:
Seo Dal-mi dreams of becoming the next Steve Jobs. An adventurous young woman who’s poor but passionate, she has a bright outlook and tremendous energy having worked a wide range of part-time jobs. She drops out of college in pursuit of $90k to start her own business.
Nam Do-San is the founder of Samsan Tech. A math genius since he was a child, he was once the pride of his family but has recently been put to shame, as his company is not doing well. Dal-Mi accidentally confuses Nam Do-San as her first love, and he plays along with it — hoping that one day their misunderstanding can become real. All while cheering and supporting each other’s growth.
Han Ji-plyeong is a senior investment manager at a venture capital company, nicknamed the “Gordon Ramsay of investments”.
Finally, Won In Jae, is a well-off second-generation CEO. A woman of beauty, education, and money, she struggles to be acknowledged for her skills given her background and inherited place of privilege. Doing what she can to prove everyone wrong about her, including her disapproving father, she leaves her comfy position and throws herself into a startup instead.
Together, Start-Up tells the tale about these characters own pursuits of happiness. Available here on the US this October.
The successful zombie survival game and film franchise Resident Evil comes to Netflix and will tell a brand-new story based on the Wesker children.
Netflix has confirmed a live-action series based on the acclaimed video game franchise Resident Evil. The series will feature eight one-hour episodes and will be showrun by producer and graphic novelist Andrew Dabb (Supernatural), with Walking Dead veteran director Bronwen Hughes directing the first two episodes.
Resident Evil will be a loose adaptation based on the acclaimed Capcom videogames. The story will adapt a new storyline set across two separate timelines and will focus on the coming-of-age story of two fourteen-year-old sisters, Jade and Billie Wesker. The daughters of series villain Albert Wesker. New to Raccoon City, the Wesker girls soon discover odd research and dark secrets about their father and family. Secrets that can potentially destroy the world…
Because it apparently already did. Revealed to be a second timeline featured in the series, the second story revealed for Resident Evil will be a survival tale set over a decade into the future. Where a thirty-year-old Jade Wesker tries to survive a post-apocalypse as one of the last of the fifteen million remaining humans left on earth. Needing to trek over a wasteland littered with six billion T-Virus monstrosities, Jade is haunted by the past and the secrets about her family.
Andrew Dabb had this to say about the series:
“Resident Evil is my favorite game of all time. I’m incredibly excited to tell a new chapter in this amazing story and bring the first ever Resident Evil series to Netflix members around the world. For every type of Resident Evil fan, including those joining us for the first time, the series will be complete with a lot of old friends, and some things (bloodthirsty, insane things) people have never seen before.”
The Netflix series will be released on October 9, with the new trailer and full details of the story available right here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cxeiY2W03Mc
The Haunting of Hill House was a Netflix series that surprisingly took the internet by storm. A haunting tale that felt genuinely scary with roots grounded in psychological trauma and realism. What worked for Hill House was how anchored the sins of its characters past were tied to its story. That rather than ghosts, it was our sins that haunted us.
The sequel to The Haunting at Hill House, aptly called The Haunting of Bly Manor, is of a similar vein in terms of story. The anthology sequel to the beloved ‘Haunting’ series created by director Mike Flanagan (Doctor Sleep), the show is continuing to tell its heart retching tale of drama, tragedy, and loss though from a new perspective.
Bly Manor will be an adaption of the Henry James’ novel The Turn of The Screw. Set in an Essex country house in 1980s England, the story follows the Wingrave family, as family figurehead Henry Wingrave (Henry Thomas) hires a young American nanny (Victoria Pedretti) for his niece and nephew after the tragic death of the family’s original au pair.
Yet, when their new governess, Dani arrives, it’s soon noted that all is not as it seems. As Haunting secrets of the spirits of the past desperately seek to be discovered. Yet, not everyone on the manor can see these ghosts of the past. And what we get are instead, echoes of haunted hallways, creepy attics, and still-life terrors, reminding audiences that while the home is where the heart is, sometimes, it’s also chill to the core.
Wanting to go in a different direction after having tied up the Hill House storyline, the Bly Manor will take a similar anthology approach to American Horror Story by utilizing much of the same cast but set to new characters. With Victoria Pedretti, Henry Thomas, Oliver Jackson-Cohen, Kate Siegel, and Catherine Parker, all returning in significant roles.
Alas, all things must come to a mid-season end. All the details along with spoilers inside for Wynonna Earp’s “Holy War: Part 2”
In our earlier Wynonna Earp Season 4 reviews, I covered how the series focused more on the series’ divinity; establishing the history behind Wyatt Earp and Peacemaker, along with the explorations of Eden and Eve. Yet, by the second episode this season, the show went into an entirely different direction. Reneging in on the talk of paradise and focusing instead, on the return to Purgatory. A long 18 months into the future.
It was in this middle batch of the season where several revelations in the series took place. Mostly, on how demons, and the old Earp family revivals, the Clantons, now controlled a majority of the town of Purgatory. All while utilizing their old family ancestors, The Reapers, as weapons. We also are reminded about how Wyatt Earp and Doc’s lives were a little less chivalrous than remembered, as Black Badge keeps the surrounding area locked-and-quarantined, taking the brilliant Jeremy in the process. Who now leads the local division.
All of this setup and more was meant to lead towards the final showdown between Clanton and Earp this season. How it went down was a different story, and wow, was it a doozy to behold.
Mid-Season Finale
The last few episodes on Wynonna Earp Season 4 have focused on the responsibilities of being an heir. Revealing how each generation of Earps responded differently to the curse. More importantly, we sort of summarize how the Clanton family was screwed over at the O.K. Corral. Their vengeance and trade with Nicole, a vengeance wanted to be acted out upon Doc Holliday — whom Margot reveals that they hated. Yet ironically, it was only when Doc Holiday reconciled for peace with the Sheriff –a Clanton too — that sensibility is restored. The families together calling for peace.
The biggest shocker of the mid-season finale is Wynonna killing both the Clanton heir and town Sheriff despite the brokered peace established by Doc. This ruins Holliday’s attempts at making amends. Wynonna justifies her actions by reiterating how she’s tired of always being the one who’s sacrificing; effectively, ending the Clantons in cold blood, but also, ruining any budding affections Doc had for her this season. Her actions leave them on opposite ends in terms of their romance this year.
But Wynonna is not the only Earp to go all out because Waverly uses her powers to murder Margot Clanton. Yes, she may have saved Nicole Haught, but at what cost to her soul? More importantly, just how powerful and dangerous is Waverly?
WayHaught
Nicole is not the same person she was 18 months ago. No, in the 18 months since the Earps returned from the Garden of Eden, Nicole’s given us a lot of signs about feeling guilty.
It’s revealed how Nicole made a deal with Clantons to try and save Waverly’s soul, but more importantly, was Hexed by the rival family. Having sacrificed so much to keep the homestead safe, it’s nice to see both Ned and Jeremy trying to work their magic to save Nicole. And in typical series fashion, making it fun along the process.
Killing Nicole and then attempting to put her into a frog to revive her, really is just a silly concept that can only work on this series; especially when it goes full-on glittering-ghost. The turns take us to ghost Nicole addressing both Waverly and Reaper Billy, just in time for Waverly to save the day and slay Margot with her mysterious powers. The WayHaught proposal finally goes underway with a yes and a yay.
This is why I state again in the header of this article: R.I.P. WayHaught…
Because here comes ‘Haught’n’Haught!’ or as I like to call it: ‘2Haught!’
Rosita’s Back
A pleasant surprise on the quest to find Peacemaker, Rosita makes a surprise return to the series, resolving any longstanding questions that might’ve lingered about her character. Last we saw Rosita, she attempted to steal away Wynonna and Doc’s baby. It’s revealed how Creepy Phil rounded up a posse to kill Rosita. How she ended up living on a tiny rock quarry that revenants seemed averse towards, where if she had stepped off, she’d likely die given how the Earp curse was over.
Yet not all is well as Wynonna trades Rosita to the Evil Nuns in order to regain Peacemaker. And though the girls fight over their past histories, they inevitably make-up as Wynonna finds her ‘sexy old friend’: peacemaker to make the kill shot on the head nun. Afterward, Rosita chooses to stay with other victims of Wyatt Earp. She also reveals the potential buyer of Wynonna and Doc’s baby whom she was planning on selling to: The Clanton matriarch of the family, Margot Jean Clanton. This, of course, further fuel’s Wynonna’s wrath against the Clanton and eventual murder of Sheriff Clanton.
Final Thoughts
Wynonna Earp‘s fourth season has kind of gone a little bit everywhere. Yet, it pretty much works and maintains its high level of puns and fun. Rachel seems like a neat addition to the team who brings in a youthful vibe. Nicole gets some very serious airtime and stories this season. We’ve also been getting tons of WayHaught, now Haught-Haught.
The only thing missing is a Jeremy backstory. But hey, there’s still plenty of room in the second part of the fourth season.
On August 28, 2020, actor Chadwick Boseman, famous for playing Black Panther, Jackie Robinson, and James Brown, has passed away after a four-year battle with colon cancer.
It took a while to write this, mainly because I was speechless when I heard the news. Honestly, I still am to an extent. It’s really unbelievable, but the world lost a great actor, who put on tremendous performance after performance and was a class-act. Sadly, Chadwick Boseman passed Friday night at the age of 43, after a four year battle with Stage III colon cancer.
43. No matter how you look at that number, it never stops being unsettling. I’m 30, and I know I’m lucky to have people in my life that are double my age, double Chadwick’s age. Losing a person is never easy, but losing someone so young makes it so much worse.
Then, there is the cancer part. I think, as a society, we typically equate cancer with people on the backend of their lives. We have procedures and tests that are meant to screen and prevent cancer from growing into something that is unmanageable or deadly. But here we are, finding out that Chadwick had been battling colon cancer for the last four years. Colon cancer can be a difficult cancer to deal with. Cancer.net, a site that utilizes patient-approved data received from the American Society of Clinical Oncology, does a good job of outlining the statistical survival rates. The gist of it is this: the sooner you find, the easier it is to treat within a five year period (ranging from 63 – 90%). Otherwise, it can spread, and the survival rate can drastically lower to 14%. This type of cancer is personal to me because my father fought and lost a five-year battle with colon cancer.
I won’t go on too much about my father, because that’s not the point of this article, but I want to talk about it for a frame of reference. My dad was diagnosed at the age of 68, with Stage IV colon cancer that has spread to his liver. Stage IV is the most severe stage, and, over five years, I watched him fight on a daily basis. The chemo alone was a challenge, disrupting his daily routine and limiting his daily activities. The side effects ranged from the constant fatigue to the intense vomiting or worse, and they were present from year one and only got worse towards the end of year five. My father changed, and cancer did that to him. Yet, my dad got it at age 68 and passed at 73. He had lived a long life before, and even during it. Chadwick wasn’t so lucky.
Boseman was diagnosed in 2016, at the age of 39. I was still a thought when my father was 39. Chadwick was becoming a bonafide movie star, on an exponential pace. In 2016, he starred in Captain America: Civil War. I remember sitting in the theaters and watching him on-screen in amazement, as he was arguably one of the best parts of the movie. While I, and the rest of the world, were getting to know Boseman through the lens of an on-screen superhero, Chadwick was being a true superhero.
According to a statement released by his family, Boseman spent the rest of his life pursuing his career while fighting the illness. From the Chicago Sun Times:
“A true fighter, Chadwick persevered through it all, and brought you many of the films you have come to love so much,” his family said in the statement. “From ‘Marshall’ to ‘Da 5 Bloods,’ [the upcoming] August Wilson’s ‘Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom’ and several more — all were filmed during and between countless surgeries and chemotherapy. It was the honor of his career to bring King T’Challa to life in ‘Black Panther.’ ”
That is wild to think about. Working on a set of a major production is not an easy task. Shooting can require long days of work, resulting in double digit hours per day. Not to mention, film productions are typically ran like sprints: several weeks in a row in order to complete the film in a timely manner. Between Marshall and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, there was at least seven different productions he worked on. Mind-blowing doesn’t even begin to describe that factoid. I’ve seen chemo first-hand. I’ve seen friends with autoimmune diseases get surgery after surgery. The fact that Chadwick was going through all this and still working as an actor? Shit, this man really was a superhero.
This is a time for mourning, but I am writing this because I want to shine a light on how exceptional this man was. He was a HBCU graduate, studied at Oxford, wrote an award-winning play, built a career on portraying era-defining individuals, served as an inspiration for many, was a loving husband, son, and family member. In a world desperate for more unique voices and bright lights, we all suffer from a new-found silence in these dark times.
Here’s to you, Chadwick Boseman. I hope your limited time on this earth will inspire a new generation of artists and individuals to find the strength within themselves to pursue their dreams, live their lives to their fullest, and be the superheroes of their own stories.
Below I put the video of his commencement speech at his alma mater, Howard University, in 2018, two years into his battle with cancer. It nears 40 minutes, but it gives you a glimpse into the warmth Chadwick radiates.
A complete loss of subjective self-identity. Well, that sounds like a bushel of fucking sunshine, doesn’t it? Sonically, it’s “Mr. Sun (Miss Da Sun)” by Greetea Peng. The thing is you’re doing fine, right? That’s when you pipe in Tierra Whack’s “Pretty Ugly” until you’re left off imagining Daft Punk’s “Something About Us” and you realize the soundtrack to your life is more of something songs cannot sing a paeon unto. Though, if vengeance had a theme song, I would think this diamond needle on the mindfuckery finale of I May Destroy You (HBO) titled “Ego Death” would play just fine, Hi-Fidelity.
We open up just where we left off: outside of the Ego Death Bar. This is where Arabella’s (Michaela Coel) mind puzzle is taking shape. She stares through to her goal, not at it.
In the women’s bathroom, Bella’s shocked and shook. Terry (Weruche Opia) is standing by on their next move. Escaping into the next stall, her girl Bells is already two steps ahead, instructing Terry to put on a disguise. Now, T’s already thinking her girl is bonkers for surveilling the bar for so long, but Arabella knows that a criminal always returns to the scene of the crime. Her take on recidivism is a big risk, but Terry is down for the alliance as it is “spicy, blud.” They’re one out though. If Arabella’s the hook and Terry’s the line, who is the Sink Him?
Theo (Harriet Webb) makes the trio and now they wait for the rat to chase the cheese. In a white bob wig and a vinyl ensemble that would have Grace Jones envious, Bella sidles up to the bar and to David (Lewis Reeves). Terry wants to help and Theo knows exactly where thee actress can play her part.
At the bar, Arabella meets her assailant in the flesh and they lock eyes for the first time since that January 22nd night a year prior. He introduces himself as ‘Patrick’ and orders her a Gin and Tonic. As Terry is grinding up on his mate Tariq (Chin Nyenwe), David turns to slip something in Arabella’s drink. This is Theo’s time to shine.
As ‘Patrick’ blathers on about nothing of consequence to Arabella as she takes a few sips before tossing the drink, Theo snatches his drug and decamps to the Gentlemans’ room. Searching the stalls, she finds one, extracts a syringe, and takes this game to a whole new level, sucking his drug into it and not a moment too soon. Why? A ‘groggy’ Arabella enters with David. He kicks open each stall to make sure no one is present, but the present has yet to be delivered.
As if acting out a play, Arabella goes limp on the toilet, only to have him pick her up, slam her against the stall, cracking the glass, slipping off her knickers and putting them in his pocket as a keepsake. He proceeds to place her back on the toilet, facing him, and just as he’s about to undo his zipper, she tells him that a criminal always returns to the scene of their crime and asking him if the true criminal is he or she. Theo proceeds to stab him in the foot with his own medicine. She forces a kiss on him and though he begs for an exit, she holds the door shut until she lets him escape. Only now have they been formally introduced.
A scared and drugged David stumbles through the club and onto the street as Tariq follows him. The trio yuck it up in the stall, but that immediately turns to worry, as if he’s had too much, he’s a goner and if he’s had too little, he can go to the cops. Either way, Arabella’s drawers are filed in his jacket.
On the street, Tariq follows a very drugged and emasculated David. Tariq is worried, but David shoos him off. However, Three the Hard Way is on his fucking tail. All the way. Until he… fucking… drops. Even though Bella takes the evidence, she wants to see his dick. Terry thinks she’s out of her gourd, but she pulls it out and holds it. He wakes up and what proceeds is Arabella’s darkest desire. As Theo strangles him, Bells punches the fuck out of him until he chokes on his own blood (and the lack of oxygen.) PHEW! What. A. Rush!
Arabella takes the corpse with her on the train home and proceeds to put him under her bed. It may be a monster under her bed, but the hunt was good and well earned. She proceeds to write and post the last notes of her story on the wall, but she realizes they are stained with blood and her area rug ain’t getting any fucking cleaner.
The next morning, as Ben (Stephen Wight) tends to his trees, Bella stares off into the void. Upon being asked what is on the menu for the night, she asserts she’ll be at the old haunt that haunts her, haunting it. She opens the invite to him to watch and wait, but he declines, as he’s been doing. This time, it’s different, however.
Has this all been a fantasy? A proposed resolution to Arabella’s book? No, this can’t be it. It just can’t be.
That night at the bar, Bella notices Tariq and David palling it up. Heading into the Ladies’ room this time with T, Bella is about to buzz the fuzz. Terry puts her bestie in a stall and has her think this over. The police need evidence which Arabella cannot materialize… but what best friend doesn’t have an extra pin in their purse, an extra match for that cigarette, an extra plan for that man? The alliance in this scenario is still “spicy, blud.”
This situation calls for a bit of the ole’ charlie… and a good bit of it. It also helps that the Prodigy’s “Firestarter” flares up just as Bella’s nostrils do with a line… or several.
Arabella goes to David and is all in his face. She’s slightly worse than a club kid but more annoying for good reason. He actually takes notice. The hook is on the fish. Terry is grinding up on Tariq, the line is set.
While David orders two drinks for him and Arabella, spiking one, Arabella is in control. She bugs him high on cocaine and she is truly a fire starter (Drew Barrymore, eat your heart out.) While Terry grinds up on Tariq, Bella puts the moves on David and not in a sexy way. She has her swerve on and David takes her to the bathroom as T stops the dance and gets on her cellular.
In the bathroom, the same scenario is played out until Bells is splayed out and calls him by his name. Not ‘Patrick’ but rather David and knowing that he spiked her Gin. This scares him but arouses interest in him, as he gets violent with his prey. He tests her. Does she want something stronger? Does she cry? These are all the things he wants as he smashes her head against the glass, causing a crack as he pins her down.
Arabella’s eyes don’t waver. They don’t flinch. He spouts out some bullshite about how there are bigger problems in the world and an itty-bitty-wape isn’t her concerned as she’s one of the privileged. I believe the term he uses is “dumb, little whore.” She doesn’t flinch. She doesn’t waver. Staring a demon in the face is easier when you’ve already flagellated yourself for it. He means nothing to her. She’s bulletproof. Threats run off of her like raindrops.
This takes an interesting turn, as David now projects his violence and vitriol. He addresses ‘David’ (Arabella) as worthless and stupid and even swears to kill anybody that leaks that information out, even as he has her pinned. Though suddenly, he falls into her, sobbing. Though the police at Terry’s instance go into the bathroom, nobody is found.
Instead, David is in Arabella’s room. With Arabella. On her bed. Why would she let a rapist into her sanctum? Well, for very good reason. Everybody has a story.
It turns out David’s been in the clink for rape and every type you can think of. Rape is compulsory for him and Bella is basically taming a dragon. He feels that even being on her bed with her isn’t right. Arabella is titanium now and he’s scared because she isn’t. She wrested his power. Even when the cops knock on her door, she gives him a warm embrace before she breaks down… and breaks out her pad as she writes the final notes to post on her wall on how to finish her book.
CUT TO:
Next morning.
Arabella is staring into the vacuity of space and listens to the one bird chirp as Ben tends to his garden. As per usual in this time-loop, he complains about it. He asks what’s on the menu for the night and Bella is still scouting out the Ego Death Bar, putting out a standing invitation to him, to which he declines. This has been done time and again.
That night, as Arabella stares through the depths of Hell through one plate of glass, she heads into the bathroom with Terry. Only this time, Terry admits that her time in Italy with her two ‘suitors’ was a goddamned setup. This is Terry accepting her fate due to decisions made.
Arabella kicks open each stall and sees something different. And what’s behind stall number one? She envisions the rape victim from episode two. Another? The teenage versions of her, Terry and Theo being giddy about fucking over a rapist. This leads her into walking hand in hand with Terry into the Ego Death Bar again. Except it’s vacant. It’s the day, not night.
The roles are changed and Arabella is now plying David with a good time as Tariq is dancing for Terry.
In that same stall, which is now kind of patched up due to the broken glass, Arabella makes out with David… and they proceed into her bedroom.
What follows next isn’t a fallowed type of sex, but rather something different. They are a homunculus. They fall together in ecstasy as their times cum.
This prompts the next morning when Arabella is once again hearing the loud chirp of Ben’s hated bird. Bella looks at David with sleepy eyes and isn’t afraid of waking up next to him. He’s now a proper gentleman and when she asks his naked ass to leave, he does. As does his bloody corpse underneath her bed, carrying her abortion bag as well.
Arabella proceeds to write and post the last few notes on her wall before going off to the sweetest scene of the crime again… Ben. When he again complains about the bird she can only muster the patented “Hmm.”
What’s on the menu tonight?
Bella is on her bed with a parcel, but she’s afraid to open it. T jumps on it and does the honors of peeling back the packaging. Bella instructs her to flip to the dedication page.
Your Birth Is My Birth
Your Death Is My Death
This Is Dedicated To
Terry, My Best Friend
EPILOGUE:
In the comfort of their own space, Terry, Arabella, Kai (Tyler Luke Cunningham), Theo, Kwame (Paapa Essidue) and Ben peep Terry’s new on-screen acting job for a mobile commercial and cheer her on. All is right with the world. Speaking of which…
Arabella is later speaking at a book store, which Sion (Ellie James) is moderating. It’s independently published and it’s called January 22nd, with which Arabella starts with a sigh… the same sigh of contentment she had on that beach in Italy.
We Take a look at the best and worst of Season 5. Especially, that mid-season’s righteous cliffhanger
Since its first season, Lucifer has always been a series about desire. What innate drives a person secretly holds within themselves, and what it would be like to utter these truths aloud. Set in the city of Angels, Lucifer is an odd mix of one-part angels and demons, the other part, procedural cop drama.
The Devil — played by a charming Tom Ellis doing his best impersonation of David Bowie — is in this show, an irresistible tempter whose nature is to reveal human desire. An angel whose debonair is stressed through his audacious conviction, self-confidence, and poise. This is why Season 5 of Lucifer begins in a somewhat tragic arc: seeing the devil reign on his throne alone in his own self-isolated hell. The King of Charisma, now squandered in loneliness.
Whereas Season 4 of the series was a step-up in terms of raising higher-stakes and breaking the rules primetime never allowed them to make — which Netflix was more than happy to oblige — this season took a step back towards their early season’s formula. The show moving to a more case-of-the-week appeal again with lower stakes and surprisingly, a lot less controversy. The demonic showcasing and sexuality are dumbed down compared to last season. Which isn’t terrible per se, it’s just odd given the premise and what last season was pivoting towards a more uncensored Lucifer seeking to break new grounds.
Still, there is a lot of promise for more in part two.
Warning: Spoilers from here on out for Lucifer Season 5
This Season is About How We See Ourselves
This season begins with Lucifer, wanting an escape from his hell but not realizing, how much of it is self-imposed. He’s observing the torture of an old friend, Lee Garner. A man whom Lucifer left his money and gold. Inevitably, like much of the series episodes prior, Lucifer tries to project his personal issues upon Lee and of course his ‘case of the week’; giving Lee a reprieve from torture in order to solve his murder. He investigates how Lee’s wealthy yacht and champagne living lifestyle was cut to an end. Though it’s mostly a convenient measure for Lucifer to look at himself and harshly judge how he’s dealing with his own personal issues.
Mazikeen (Leslie-Ann Brandt), meanwhile, is disheartened by Eve’s sudden departure from last season. Attempting to fill her void she voluntarily begins working crime scenes in Lucifer’s steed. She is also drinking heavily with Chloe, who is obviously still reeling from the loss of Lucifer in her life; both women, reject the advances of all men that approach them.
Now, the other women in the series aren’t faring too well either. Ella Lopez (Aimee Garcia) is emotionally hurt how Lucifer ghosted her: him choosing to head to Florida to help with the family business (is this a Godfather reference?). She’s also trying her best to defy what she sees as fate, trying best to leave the criminal life of her family behind her; yet still coincidentally and repeatedly, keeps falling for and hooking up with all the bad boys. Something we see explored in part one.
Elsewhere, Lucifer’s therapist and Amenadiel’s baby mama, Dr. Linda, is going full helicopter mothering out of fear that her baby, Charlie, is going to be special. Because it’s hard to be a parent, especially if your child is a celestial being. Linda goes all out taking special classes, STEM classes, and art appreciation — just the full-works for a newborn, all in a classic case of helicopter mothering. Which is odd because it’s something which Linda should realize is happening given her psychological background.
Though at least her journey is somewhat relatable, Amenadiel (D.B. Woodside) is trying to go the opposite direction. Instead of raising Charlie to be the best to keep him safe, he’s trying to make the world safe for Charlie. Taking down drug dealers and really going out of his way to, in his own strange way, smite the evils away from the world for his son.
The only person who’s seemingly together is Dan (Kevin Alejandro), who’s gone full self-help after losing Charlotte. He’s helpful to all of his friends… At least, early on.
Guilt Is Its Own Punishment
In the early episodes, the focus lies on the guilt of Lucifer. He feels awful about how he left things on Earth, and more than anything else has spent several millennia now (time moves slower in hell) thinking about his beloved detective, Chloe Decker (Lauren German).
And though Hell is its own self-punishment, not all is well back on Earth. It doesn’t take long for trouble to brew on Earth. Because the early hook into this season is that there’s a Lucifer doppelganger, as Michael comes into play, and a mistaken case of identity soon ensues focusing on ruining Lucifer’s former life in LA.
Still, it’s a different type of hook that feels more akin to the show’s early seasons. Most of the early season conflict stems internally from guilt about what each character is going through. Where it somewhat lacks, is that it’s not all-that-driven externally.
Whereas last year’s storylines tied together, these episodes still feel compelling, yet also, disconnected as the stakes are often let go early-and-often. The dramatic tension wrapping up nicely almost every episode in a nice little package. Case solved. Live moves on. With the only real thread tying these episodes together being inner character guilt and insecurities that need addressing and resolution. Given the weight of last year’s finale, it’s an odd choice of storytelling. Especially, because much of what was working for Netflix’s new version of Lucifer seems to go astray. The season-long story arc feeling oddly separate from what’s happening.
Probably my biggest qualms this season of a missed opportunity is that we learn Hell is not what it seems and is mostly: a self-imposed guilt trip. A topic which I wish they’d stayed on before seemingly abandoning it behind by midseason. I also think that the demons of returning should logically be brought back given our angels’ time away from hell, yet the storyline almost ignores that entire imposing plot point established last season.
Likewise, from what I’ve read, fans seem to be divided over the Michael storyline this season.
Witness, Me Michael
Michael, meanwhile, serves as the villain for season 5. Based on the greatest of the Archangels, Michael looks physically in appearance just like his twin brother lucifer; yet, is in almost every way: Lucifer’s personality counterpart. Also, conveniently played by Tom Ellis.
Whereas Lucifer is poised and confident, Michael is slouched shouldered and insecure. He brings out the worst in people’s fears, while Lucifer brings out their deepest desires. Where Lucifer charms others with the truth and gets people to share their wants, desires, and even dreams — Michael mostly seeks out other’s greatest fears, sowing doubt into their head by using lies and insecurities.
He is also the most powerful figure in Heaven outside of God himself, though has always felt in the shadow of his own brother, Lucifer. Michael also has an American accent — a creepy feature that Tom Ellis — intentionally or not — brings out to contrast with his beloved devilish counterpart. A gesture which, in all honesty surprisingly works, as we’re so used to Tom Ellis’ British charm.
Sometimes It’s Best Not to Try so Hard
The best parts of Season 5 are during its high-concept middle episodes. This may seem like filler in comparison to last year’s story, though is still very funny, and arguably the best parts of the fifth season.
Some highlights about the middle batch of episodes are that we get a lot of meta-jokes that see Lucifer as a show, somewhat poke fun at itself. There’s an entire episode featuring Lucifer and Decker on the backlot of their own show, though in this case, it’s to solve a murder on the set of “Diablo”. Which is coincidental, a TV show inspired by Lucifer’s life (at least, that’s how he pitched it to the showrunner) featuring embellished and oftentimes outright silly, versions of the Lucifer crew as different actors. There’s also a lot of self-reflection in that episode as our main cast watches fictionalized versions of their lives based around Diablo (Aka Lucifer) — bringing out some of their flaws, but also, funny interpretations of how they themselves. With Maze’s character being a strong and powerfully large Black Man, and Decker’s being… a stripper-turned detective. All for as equally hilarious as it is sexy: meta-comedy and premises.
We also get a detective Ammenadele episode where we see him and Chloe try their best at emulating her partnership with Lucifer — much to the Devil’s disgust — all based around a murder at a Nunnery. Where for some hilarious reason, the Nuns can’t seem to keep their longing affections off the Angel. To top it all off, we get a sweet story time episode where Lucifer shares with Trixie (Chloe’s daughter) a noir-themed detective episode about how he came about to own the ring of Lillith. Along with a DJ clubbing episode that really builds sexual tensions between Chloe and Lucifer.
All of this makes for some interesting midseason filler, though somewhat lacks the drive and direction of seasons previous. There’s also this odd convenience introduced: that God doesn’t think anyone needs to watch hell. A notion that irks me as it invalidates almost all of the “Lucifer, go home!” tension the series has built over five seasons.
The most encouraging thing by mid-season though is seeing the ensemble receive more airtime and story arcs of their own (even if it often meanders). However, it seems most of this season was really meant to focus on one thing: Chloe and Lucifer and their new relationship.
Love is in the Air
When it comes to Decker and Lucifer, it’s encouraging that the showrunners finally decided to pull the trigger this season. The only issue is how it’s dragged out in the first initial episodes.
There’s a lot of playful teasing and a lot of implied, “I love yous” which aren’t actually stated but expressed in-action. Also, between the copious amount of times we’ve seen the two put themselves on the line for each other, it’s odd how dragged out their love story is this season given that the trust-building has already been laid out for years. However, it is satisfying to see the overthinking and longing double-takes of the will-they or won’t-they romance finally payoff in typical Lucifer style.
Sex… Yes, I’m talking about sex, babies.
It finally happens, much to the chagrin of most of the cast of characters (particularly, Ella). Yet, instead of exploring this new phase of the relationship, Lucifer and Decker immediately go askew into pivoting right back into the issues that made it so difficult for them to get together in the first place: insecurities, trust, and feelings of helplessness in the face on one another.
Decker, with her inability to fully trust Lucifer, which is caused by a sense of inferiority and fear over her agency in God’s grand scheme, and of course Lucifer, whom with his strange power fluctuations and constant reassessment of his narcissism: lacks a degree of human understanding. As the season drags on the two constantly dance with the same fear. A mysterious anxiety about how loving someone means being vulnerable with them. Which is basically the foundation of dating someone?
It eventually leads to a funny plot point where Lucifer’s powers are temporarily exchanged to Decker, while he tries taking on her superpower (her detective skills). The conclusion is that basically, somehow, loving Chloe makes Lucifer vulnerable. A sweet sentiment… had it not been dragged out for hours.
See, the biggest problem with the romance is it’s not that romantic of a story? There isn’t too much of a payoff for either characters thus far, which is something the season is definitely playing with in terms of sowing doubts of their love. In the process, we also lose a lot of the Michael plotline which is heavily sidelined to stroke the fears that maybe, much of what we seen is Michael sowing doubt. Though it’s difficult to tell because it’s underdeveloped.
Love is Death
Speaking of which, the final episodes of part one of Season 5 felt incredibly rushed. As a serial killer is tracked down, and a major reveal happens regarding Ella. What’s annoying, is that you can see the trope coming from miles away — as it’s not all that cleverly executed. Making it a bit contrived. The suspects have conveniently been there the whole time for the past few episodes. And the conflicts developed for Ella as a character, make it so that everything falls into place in an overly straightforward way. Without too many spoilers I’ll just openly say: it’s somewhat lazy hackneyed writing. With a conclusion that none of it matters in relation to our main story anyway.
Instead, the story suddenly pivots back to the family. Particularly, Michael’s grand plan: that Angels self-actualize, Decker and Lucy are on rocks, and never saying, “I love you,” means the end of the world (not literally). A notion which is odd because Lucifer and Decker just started being official, so I’m not sure why the story stresses the importance of, “I love you”?
In the process of trying to build this paper-thin conflict, we also see Dan slip into evil and see the story sort of steer Maze in convenient directions meant for conflict to antagonize Lucifer. Inevitably seeing her side with evil because she learns that all along she just wanted a soul since nobody seems to love her? It’s a little too convenient and feels incredibly contrived.
However, that said: it leads to one of the coolest fight scenes of the series by far. As Lucifer fights Maze, while Amenadiel fights Michael.
It’s Okay So Far
I’m not too big of a fan of the villains in this first half of the season. Michael is honestly rather boring compared to Lucifer, and his intentions are brattier than they are menacing. Which is disappointing, because the setup was intriguing yet abandoned far too early, in seeing how a doppelganger could ruin Lucifer’s life.
Probably the most interesting thing about the cliffhanger is of course: That God finally shows up in the series. And I can’t tell what’s better: that he’s black or that he’s the spokesperson for All-State car insurance.
I'm just a girl standing before a boy asking him to not believe in a cult.
image c/o imdb.com
Tonight’s episode of The 100 is brought to you by Let’s Make a Deal!
Our focus oscillates between Bardo and Sanctum – a return to form. The stories are evenly split and, if I’m being honest, not that thrilling. Yes, there’s murder and survival and deals with the devils, but overall this feels like an in-between episode. As in…here’s what happens most of the time when something huge isn’t going down.
Sanctum’s story starts us off with Shady making good on his promise to kill anyone who doesn’t kneel. Unfortunately, the Children of Gabriel are stubborn and every last one of them gets the gas (figuratively of course, realistically they get riddled with bullets), including leader Nelson who has to listen to his followers die before Shady gives him the death he requests. Bye Nelson! But, Indra happens to notice one of the bodies isn’t quite dead yet. He wisely plays dead and is rescued by our once Grounder leader, and brought to Murphy and Emori. They did kneel, for survival’s sake, and took up residence in the tool shop.
This isn’t an idle choice, Murphy and Emori stashed everyone they could save from Shady in the reactor room. It isn’t a bad plan but it gets tested quickly when Nikki shows up – having followed Indra – she is easily handled though, however Shady’s second in command, Knight, had Nikki followed (someone studied the importance of redundancy!), and now the psychotic commander knows something is up.
Luckily, Murphy played chess with Shady once so he’s confident he can deal with the upset, and he does…kind of. When Shady threatens to kill John unless he opens the reactor door, Emori announces if anything happens to her beloved she’ll blow the reactor. Shady tries to call her bluff, but Murphy reminds him that if they come out of the reactor room they are dead which means they have nothing to lose, they’re dead either way at least one of them kills the tyrant (in chess this is called a stalemate).
The Sanctum storyline has an interesting ending which I will get to after covering what happens on Bardo…
Bellamy proves he isn’t a total convert when he reveals to Bill he wants to save his friends. Bill isn’t a monster, he’s willing to spare them if Bell can get the Flame back, and if it can be repaired…and if the key is on it (that’s a lot of ifs!). But, his friends don’t want to hear it. They are devastated that the man they know has been sucked into this cult, with Echo making a plea for him to be reasonable, and Clarke telling him to “go float yourself” – basically the “go fuck yourself” of The 100.
Their resistance serves them about as well as it served Nelson, with Clarke and Raven getting mind-capped in an effort to force information about the Flame’s whereabouts from them. No idea what happens to Raven, but Clarke fights the process hard enough to endanger her life, at which point she makes a deal. Release her friends from prison and she’ll lead Bill to the Flame’s location.
Naturally, Bill’s less than trusting of the girl who already lied to him about the Flame once. He releases her friends but not to Sanctum – instead to parts unknown, only to be safely returned once Clarke actually makes good on her bargain. He even has the sense to leave Raven out as she knows how the stone works and would have clued in the others to the twist. Clever boy.
Speaking of twists…the ending of this episode results in both stories converging! It’s a pretty exciting conclusion to what is a pretty standard outing. But, I do need to explain some things I didn’t cover: Before Shady goes to the tool shop his minions bring him some gifts. A Bone Throne – which, I’m not gonna lie looks cool, but has to be uncomfortable, the Anomaly Stone, and the info about Nikki being followed. The reason I bring this up is because when Bill, Clark, some Bardo Disciples, Raven and Gabriel jump to Sanctum they wind up in Shady’s throne room – surprised AF.
It’s a truly amazing ending, honestly. I saw it building up but I still loved it. Now, some questions that need to be addressed: What is Nikki gonna do once she breaks free of her bonds (they didn’t kill her, obviously, but John did fuck with her mind a little by asking her what would Hatch do)? Where is Gaia? She stayed behind to warn her mom about Clarke and gang going into the Stone when she was attacked but Shady later reveals he doesn’t know where she is, so…what happened? Will Bill and Shady have a genuine throwdown? OR, will Bill put his Sith mind-tricks to work and convert Shady to his side? Wouldn’t that be interesting? I doubt it since that would be a bloodless coupe and this is The 100. Hey, maybe the war with Shady is the last war Bill’s been itching for! Oh…so many possibilities!
Also…quickly because I forgot to point it out – Jordan and Hope meet and they have a surprising amount in common. Given Jordan’s ability to emotionally connect with just about anyone, I’m gonna go ahead and speculate he might grow into the new leader of Bardo. Will Hope be at his side? Could be. She’s very vulnerable right now, it wouldn’t take much to sway her, but Jordan just isn’t that kind of guy. And that’s exactly why he might succeed – also why he should!
Alas, the Old Ones have returned and it’s not in a B class horror film! Sundown – the pilot for Lovecraft Country is finally available on HBO, and holy baby Cthulhus it is amazing!
Developed by Misha Green, Lovecraft Country is a horror fantasy-themed period piece based on the Matt Ruff’s novel of the same name, and it is a must-watch for anyone who is a fan of speculative fiction.
Lovecraft Country, produced by Jordan Peele and J.J. Abrams, brings a new and refreshing interpretation to the works of HP Lovecraft, as well as his legendary Cthulhu Mythos that is urgently needed.
It is important to keep in mind that genres like horror, fantasy, and science fiction are more than just the tropes that they create, as they are essentially commentaries and reflections on the ugly truths of our society.
Lovecraft Country does this brilliantly. It confronts the United States’ racist past, while also addressing Lovecraft’s racism and xenophobia ideas outright, all through exposition, script dialogue, and interactions with peripheral characters – all while providing a story that is downright scary.
It is important to critically analyze the problematic pieces and artistic figures, and to see characters within the story do that consistently is fantastic to see on screen. Misha Green and the showrunners weave these discussions naturally throughout the script, as it is tied to the external and internal problems the protagonists face in the show.
Overall, Lovecraft Country succeeds in many regards. Both the story and the script are wildly entertaining, containing mystery, noir, and Lovecraftian stylistic elements within it. The dialogue is also impressive as it is reflective of 1950’s Midwest (Chicago) and East Coast (Massachusetts).
The acting in the show is brilliant. Lovecraft Country boasts a talented cast. Jonathan Majors takes the lead as Atticus, with Courtney B. Vance as his uncle, George Freeman, and Jurnee Smollett as Letitia Lewis in the roles of his adventurous companions. The chemistry between them is incredible, whether they are geeking over their shared love for speculative fiction or fighting for their lives from both alien and human monsters.
Also, it’s filmed beautifully. As a period-piece, Lovecraft County is visually stunning. The scenes of the environment, building settings, clothing, and cars are beautiful. The production does a great job of recreating and dragging the viewers into the environment.
There are many reasons to watch this show, especially if you’re into horror and other types of speculative fiction. However, in this article, I’ll highlight three aspects of the show that really drew me in, guaranteeing that I’ll be watching (and writing about this) till the end.
Communication in Relationships is an endearing theme throughout the pilot
In this multi-faceted pilot, one of the themes that stuck out to me the most is that of communication. Atticus, the hero of this Lovecraftian nightmare, is on a search to find his missing father, who he lost contact with before signing up for the Korean War. A lapse in their relationship occurred due to his father, Montrose, not expressing his feelings towards his son and writing him throughout his term at the war.
Another interesting example is the character of George Freeman. In this pilot, George is in a great relationship with his wife, Hippolyta (played by Aunjanue Ellis), and is encouraging of his daughter’s literary aspirations. Even though Atticus is in good standing with his uncle in the pilot, it is hinted at that it wasn’t the same during Atticus’ youth.
Letitia Lewis also has an estranged relationship with both her sister and brother, as well as her late mother.
Regardless of the characters’ individual backgrounds in Lovecraft Country, it is certain that they will face dreadful situations and that communicating and trusting each other will be an in important part of overcoming those struggles.
They preserve moments in history that many history books forget
As a writer with an archaeology and history background, this is something that I greatly appreciate with speculative fiction. A lot of historical information and events constantly get downplayed and whitewashed) in the United States, which is why it is important and meaningful to see that preserved and discussed within works of art – especially speculative fiction.
There are two main instances this occurs in with the Lovecraft Country pilot. The first is when we as the viewers are introduced to George Freeman, who is an author of several green books. A green book was an annual travel guide published by Victor Hugo Green in 1936 to inform African American citizens about safe areas in the United States when traveling.
The second instance is with Sundown laws for cities or counties, which is the eponymous title of the pilot. A truly horrific and shameful part of US history, a sundown town was when a municipality would ban African American and other minority groups – such as Jewish and Chinese people – during the evening time in the towns. When caught past the designated time, these people would either be violently attacked or forced into labor by White supremacists (Note: this kept going on until the 1960s in both the Northern and Southern parts of the United States).
Both the green book and the sundown towns are prominent in the story of Lovecraft Country, with the latter serving as one of the tensest moments in a third act that I’ve seen on television in a while.
The horror is on point!
This is extremely important for me as a fan of the genre in different mediums, as excessive attempts for scares and shock can really dull the moment. The key is finding out the right amount of horrific moments that both deliver on the feeling and serve the story at the same time.
I think finding that balance is rare in most horror films and shows these days because we as a society crave horrific or shocking moments as a form of thrill-seeking. Whether its simple gossip, the news, or amazing horror stories, we humans tend to be wired with this fascination for the unknown or dreadful.
With Lovecraft Country, however, the actors and showrunners do a great job of building suspense, keeping the viewer’s attention, while also exposing them to realistic and fantastical horror that one can find in both our modern-day society and of course Lovecraft Country.
Sundown, the first episode of Lovecraft Country, is an exciting and terrifying story that promises more mystery, dread and The Unknown to those whole keep watching.
Check out my recap on what happened with episode 1 of Lovecraft Country entitled “Sundown.”
Episode 1 opens up with an incredible dream sequence featuring our protagonist, Atticus Finch, in his military fatigues during the Korean War. Black soldiers are fighting and getting shot at by the enemy. Three jets fly by and bomb the area. Atticus jumps out of the trench when it becomes colorized. Images of the American dream appear on the screen immediately followed by images of flying saucers, HG Wells’ fighting machines, and Cthulhu monsters appear wreaking havoc in the area. Then a bikini-clad red woman descends from the flying saucer and proceeds to hug Atticus. She whispers a foreign language in his ear and Cthulhu rises up from behind them to attack them when he suddenly split in half by what appears to be Jackie Robinson. The monster comes back to get them when…
Atticus wakes up from a nightmare on a bus. An older African American lady tells him that they are crossing over a bridge that is probably named after a white slave owner. He laughs and flips off “You’re leaving Kentucky” sign while saying fuck Jim crow. The bus he’s on then breaks down. He sits outside reading while a bunch of White folk are smoking and waiting for the bus to be fixed. A red truck comes up to pick up the people, with a hesitant look on Atticus’ face. He helps the elderly with her luggage. The lady and Atticus are then seen walking with their luggage along the road, as they were abandoned by everyone else. She asks him what book he’s reading to which he responds A Princess of Mars. He discusses the John Carter story, mentioning that the protagonist is an ex-confederate soldier, who becomes a Martian warlord. Appalled that John Carter is the hero of the story, the lady points that he’s got to take the ex away from Confederate as he’s just a simply a Confederate soldier. Atticus points out that characters in stories aren’t perfect and that the reader as to try and cherish them, looking over their flaws. The lady retorts that the flaws are still there, to which Atticus agrees with but then states that he likes pulp stories to both of their contentment. Atticus mentions that he likes heroes in the pulp stories, as young African American men don’t have the chance to be heroes. The lady points out unless you join the army. Here, we find out that Atticus enlisted for the war and that the reason he did so was not to go on an adventure but to get away from his father, Montrose. Montrose is now the reason why Atticus’ coming back home, as this father has gone missing.
Back in Chicago, George and Hippolyta Freeman morning bed discussion. We discover that George is going away, to which Hippolyta says she wants to join him on his trip. She brings up that she’s written the best reviews for the Greenbook, and that she wants to take her own notes rather than look at George’s notes. George exclaims it’s dangerous which gets Hippolyta out of bed. George protests as she says that she needs to work on her party for later in the afternoon. George says he doesn’t remember when he made love to his wife in the light and that he wants to see her, leading them to make love. Their daughter, Diana, is awake in the living room sketching when she hears them go at it and is grossed out. She then goes to the kitchen and rolls up her window shade to find Atticus in the window. Diana screams in shock and then gives Atticus a big hug. George and Hippolyta rush out thinking there was an emergency, but get happy to see that Atticus has returned.
Atticus visits his Uncle George’s shop. Atticus finds a copy of HP Lovecraft’s work, and he and George discuss Lovecraft’s racism. Atticus recounts how his father made him memorize every word of Lovecraft’s racist poem when he found out Atticus read it. George tells Atticus that his dad’s been missing for three weeks. Atticus brings up a letter written by his father and sent to him that talked about his mother and their home town. George is worried as he is told by Atticus that his father discovered where his mother’s hometown was and invited him to join him there. George asks him why Montrose is still fixated with ancestry. Atticus reveals strange details Montrose wrote in the letter, specifically asking Atticus to join him in Arkham MA, Lovecraft Country, to receive his secret legacy. George asks in disbelief if that’s the home of the Reanimator Dr. Herbert West. George continues by saying that Lovecraft based is not a real place as it’s based on Salem MA. Atticus questions his uncle. George examines the letter under the light and discovers that it’s actually Ardham MA with a D, not Arkham with a K, to Atticus’ disappointment. George begins researching Ardham to find any clues that can help them.
Atticus walks out to find children playing in the water of a leaking hydrant, while a cop is working on trying to stop the water from flowing. He walks past an army recruitment posts table and stares down the soldier registering young men. Atticus then enters Denmark Vesey’s Bar and is told by a patron that they are closing early for the block party. Atticus ignores him and walks past the patron, who then stands up and repeats himself. The patron, named Tree, then recognizes Atticus. Atticus asks to speak to the owner Sammy and is told he’s outside, back of the bar. Atticus goes out the backdoor to find Sammy getting serviced by another man. Sammy tells him that he saw his father a couple of weeks back with a white man, which he speculates may be a lawyer. Sammy also mentions that Tree saw Montrose get into a silver Ford Sedan with the white person and drive off.
When then see a block party that’s opened up with a concert of Ruby Baptiste (played by Wunmi Mosaku) singing the Tall Skinny Papa (a reference to Sister Rosetta Tharpe), with the audience dancing. Enter Leticia Lewis – Ruby’s half-sister, who photographs the performance. Ruby asks for requests and banters with the audience until Leticia requests a song. The audience recognizes Letitia and encourages her to go on stage and sing with Ruby. Ruby mentions that they haven’t sung together since their church days when they were young. They begin to sing “Whole Lotta Shaking.” Atticus shows up at the party but then goes into the store. Atticus comes out with a wrench and then undoes the fire hydrant spraying everyone with water and dances in it. The girls finish the song and talk with each other. Ruby points out that Leticia is broke and that she’s only back cause she’s in need of money. Ruby tells her that she’s not going to give her concert tip money, although she sang with. Leticia says that she only needs a place to say. Letitia then notices Atticus, shocked at how much he’s grown since he used to be a scrawny kid. Ruby agrees to let her stay for two nights only, to which Letitia futilely argues, as she needs more time to find a job in a white neighborhood.
Atticus returns home to find his uncle George up, who is suffering from a knee injury he received a while ago. George mentions it’s a blessing he’s able to get help for it. He then mentions to Atticus that he can’t imagine bringing his aunt Hippolyta to the road, revealing that he was attacked by white people outside of the town of Anna, explaining his knee getting shattered. Atticus reminds George whey he publishes the Greenbook, in order to keep their people safe from violence. Atticus sees a map that Diana colored in, and asked about Ardham again. George responds that he was only able to find it in the census once in Devon County, MA. George asks Atticus if he’s going after him to which Atticus responds he needs their family car, nicknamed Woody. George agrees on the condition that he join Atticus on his search for Montrose. Atticus points to the map of Devon county to which George looks at to find a drawing of the Grim reaper that his daughter drew on it.
Atticus is walking outdoors at night near a train railway and climbs up into an apartment building. He enters his father’s apartment, which is filled with a lot of books. He plays puts on a record, playing some music. Atticus then picks up a copy of the Count of Monte Cristo, where he finds a photo of his parents and himself when they were younger. The apartment shakes as a train goes by. He goes through the rest of the house, the bedroom specifically, and finds a gun that his dad has hidden in the closet. He picks up the phone and calls a directory, giving providing the operator with a South Korean number. A lady answers and Atticus stays silent, painfully grimacing. He tries to speak but cannot. The lady on the phone identifies him immediately and points out that he went back home, ominously stating that he shouldn’t have done that. Atticus hangs up the number in a hurry.
The next morning, Atticus arrives at this Aunt and Uncle’s place, where he meets Letitia, who is packing up luggage into Woody’s trunk. We find out that Letitia was a part of Atticus’ high school Sci-Fi club. They embrace, haven’t seen each other in a while. George and Hippolyta come out asking if they are ready to go. Atticus asks if Letitia is coming along, with George saying for only a part of the way. They do a travel checklist with Diana. George asks for her travel comic book, called “Orithyia Blue” – a title she changed from Panther Man on her mom’s suggestion. Hippolyta and Diana then say goodbye to their Dad, Atticus, and Letitia, wishing them safe travels.
Cut to a montage of Atticus, George, and Letitia are driving out in the Midwest while listening to James Baldwin’s historic speech of 1965. This montage shows a racist white gas attendant doing a monkey dance in front of Atticus, who was eating a banana while filling up Woody’s tank. Atticus goes to confront him but then is stopped by Letitia. Atticus throws the banana peel at the white guy, who’s still dancing. All the other white people at the gas station laughing, while Atticus, George, and Letitia drive off. Another part of the montage is of them shopping together. Atticus buys a white flower for Letitia from an African American mother who has a newborn. Then we seem them resting on the side of the road. Atticus is washing, while Letitia is messing with her camera and George is studying a map. George tells them that he got a tip to visit Livy’s diner in Simmonsville, which he wants to check out. Atticus points out that Dee’s drawings show a bunch of trolls where it is located on the map. They agree to go, and Letitia points out that they did not ask her opinion, stating that she wants to choose the radio station.
Atticus, George, and Letitia arrive at Simmonsville. Letitia turns up the music while they are driving upsetting George. Atticus sees a dog at a fire station and has a slowdown moment. George mentions that they are looking for a red brick building located on the far side of the town. Once they arrive, they notice that the name as changed from Livy’s to Simmonsville, which Atticus points out. George says not to judge a book by its cover. Atticus responds that books don’t refuse you service. They walk into the diner asking for service, with a shocked and silent response from a white patron and the white waiter. They wait awkwardly for a few moments and George says that they’ll seat themselves down. The white patron leaves when George asks for the menu. The waiter, still shocked, brings them the menus. They ask for coffee, to which the white waiter leaves awkwardly. Atticus and Letitia want to leave for Marvin’s house, which is a couple of hours away but George states that they have a right to be there since they are citizens and that Atticus is a veteran. George iterates that their money is good to spend as much as anyone else. Letitia goes to the ladies’ room and then hears the waiter calling someone on the phone as she’s walking by. The waiter is saying that there are three black people in the restaurant that just sat themselves down, reassuring the person on the phone that he didn’t service them due to what happened to Ms. Livy beforehand. Meanwhile, Atticus gets a bad feeling as he notices burn marks behind the white paint on the walls. He asks his uncle why the White House is white, to which George responds that it was painted on to cover the burn marks from when it was torched in the War of 1812. Atticus reveals burns mark on the floor when Letitia suddenly runs out of the store while yelling at them to get out. Atticus and George follow suit as an alarm is blaring in the background. They hop into Woody, turn it on, and start driving away. A cop car and a civilian car pull up and start shooting at them while driving. The back of the glass breaks. Atticus pulls out his gun and shoots back at the car, leading to an intense car chase. AS they are driving, Atticus and Letitia notice a silver sports car get driving parallel to them on a different road that is eventually going to merge. Atticus speeds up and beats the silver car, making it get it in between them and the shooters. The car then stops and crashes the shooters’ car, killing the shooters. The driver steps out of the silver car and is revealed to be a young blonde white woman.
The three escape and drive all the way to Marvin Baptiste’s house, who is Letitia’s brother (played by Demetrius Grosse). They recount the incident over dinner, saying it was like a scene out of a Bradbury novel, giving credit to Letitia for saving them. They then talk about Devon County. Marvin mentions the county seat, Bideford, was named after a village in England that had one of the last witch burnings, where they hung a “witch” for “fornicating with the devil that appeared to her as a Negro man.” Marvin continues to mention that Bideford MA was founded by witch hunters and that do not like outsiders. Marvin mentions that there are a lot of missing persons and violence that occur around that town in MA named after Bideford, mainly due to Sheriff Eustice Hunt, an ex-marine and law official who has an NAACP complaint against him. Atticus asks about Ardham, to which Marvin replies that the town was settled around the same time, but they don’t know by whom. Marvin mentions that he called the county of records to see if he could get a copy of the property deeds but that no one answered. Marvin continues to show them on a map that the town is probably in a specific area that is listed as forests, in the middle of nowhere. George asks Atticus what he wants to do. Atticus replies that they should go to the registry to figure out the property lines and determine what the route is to Ardham.
George opens up Diana’s comic while talking on the phone to her as she’s explaining the story. He then talks to his wife, Hippolyta, who says that it’s a clear night and that she was going to go on the roof to try and see Cassiopeia. George then asks her if she would like to join him on the next guide trip, to which Hippolyta happily accepts. They say good night to each other, and George gets back to his daughter’s comic book. He discovers that she drew a Greenbook ad on the last page of her comic. George then pulls out a picture of a young woman from his wallet.
Atticus is reading outside, while Leti is tidying up the living room and arguing with Marvin over her bad spending and missing their mother’s funeral. George and Atticus talk outside, with George commenting on how the argument isn’t good. Atticus responds saying that he’s heard and been in worse. Atticus then brings up to George that a reporter stopped by when he was at his dad’s apartment before asking him on what it’s like “to be a Negro soldier.” He mentions that Montrose lost his temper when he found out, saying that it was bad enough to throw away his life for a country that hates him and that he’ll be inspiring others to join. George mentions that just because Montrose didn’t agree with Atticus’ choice to join the army doesn’t mean he didn’t care about Atticus. Atticus responds by saying that Montrose never wrote him, and cries. George mentioned that Montrose would come every night for dinner during Atticus’ first year in Korea. George says that Montrose wouldn’t leave until he got news from George about how Atticus was doing and that it annoyed Hippolyta. Atticus says it’s because he’s hard-headed, but George responds saying that it was because when Montrose would always get the brunt of beatings when they were younger since he was smaller. George expresses regret in not defending Montrose more in their youth. Atticus mentions that he was small when he was younger and that George didn’t defend him either. Marvin and Letitia’s argument gets louder, interrupting them, with Marvin hurting Letitia. George stops Atticus from going to them saying that they can’t get involved because it’s family business. Atticus walks away as it starts storming. The next morning, they get up to head out of Marvin’s house. Letitia gets into Woody in silence.
Finally in Devon County, the three are driving around on the highway. George says that they are lost as they’ve driven past this spot at least ten times, looking for a road to Ardham. They argue, resulting in Atticus demanding to stop the car so he can take a look. They pull over. Atticus gets out slamming the door and curses. Letitia gets out to help him look for a road. She reminds him of what Marvin said in that they shouldn’t stay out on there after dark. They here a scuffling in the woods, in which Atticus jokes that it’s a Shoggoth, a massive blob of a monster with hundreds of eyes from Lovecraft mythos. As he explains to her what it is, a police vehicle pulls up behind George who is still inside Woody. The cop orders George to get out of the vehicle, and for Atticus and Letitia to walk behind the car. The cop questions what they are doing here, to which George responds politely that they are passing by. The cop asks them if they know what a Sundown town is. The cop mentions that it’s a Sundown county and says that if he caught them pissing in the woods past sundown that it would be his sworn duty to hang them all. Atticus says it’s not sundown yet. The cop says they have seven minutes to leave, to which Atticus says that they will leave in six. The cop says that’s impossible to go South out of the county in that time, and Atticus says they’ll drive North, to which the cop agrees. Atticus then asks if he can make a u-turn. The cop says that it’s normally a violation and that if he asks really nicely that he might let it slip for them. Atticus asks please, to which the cop says that he can do better. The cop demands that Atticus say, “pretty please, will you let this smart n***** make a U-Turn here?” Letitia gets scared. Atticus says it without hesitation. The cop says alright, responding that he will let them go just this one time since Atticus asked so nicely. They then drive away trying to make it without speeding, so they won’t get pulled over again. The cop starts chasing them to the county line. The cop speeds up, driving his bumper into Woody’s trunk as they are driving. Atticus tells Letitia to get the gun. They are getting nervous and are about to make the county line within 10 seconds to spare. They celebrate as they make it in time only to find a cop car blockade with cops pointing shotguns at them.
They are then taken into the woods by the cops, including the initial cop who stopped them initially, indicating a setup. The cops bring Atticus, George, and Letitia into the forest and bring them to their knees, with the shotguns pointed at them. Here, we find out that the cop who pulled them over initially is Sheriff Hunt, whom Marvin mentioned. The sheriff talks about burglaries that happened in Bideford, indicating that he might think it’s them. Atticus calls out to Sheriff Hunt by name and is asked by the cops how he knows the Sheriff’s name, as they threaten to shot him. Then a rustling noise in the woods interrupts them forcing the cops to pull their guns up and away from Atticus, George, and Leticia. A shoggoth monster then comes out and eats one of the cops, leaving his bloodied arm behind. Atticus yells run, and Letitia and George get up and leave with Atticus. George gets knocked down by the cops as they are all fleeing. The monster chases them and takes out another, leaving only Sheriff Hunt and a cop. Letitia and Atticus find an abandoned cabin and go into it. Atticus notices George is missing and wants to go after him, but Letitia pulls Atticus into the cabin. George stays on the ground listening to all the mayhem. He grabs the flashlight from the cop’s former arm.
The sheriff and cop want Atticus and Letitia to open the cabin door, which they keep closed. One of the cops pulls out a gun to shoot the door down. They open the door and get inside, pointing their guns at Atticus and Letitia. Hunt is bleeding profusely from an injury caused by the monster. In the meantime, George is wandering through the forest wit the flashlight and is being stalked by one of the monsters, revealed to be a Lovecraftian shoggoth. Atticus wants to leave to find George but the cops pull their guns on him. Atticus tells Hunt not to shoot him as the noise will bring the monsters to them. One of the cops then notices George approaching the house. They open the door for George, with Atticus grabbing him from outside. The monsters begin attacking the house, and Atticus demands weapons from the cops, over which they argue whether monsters are real or not. George quotes Bram Stroker’s Dracula about the light, stating that while he was walking over to the cabin, they ignored him due to the flashlight. George mentions they should get to the police cars and Woody so they can use the headlights as well as other light-producing objects they have. Atticus volunteers to go to the car but Sheriff Hunt stops him saying that he’s too smart and will probably leave them behind. He then orders Letitia to go instead. Atticus and Hunt argue until Letitia agrees to go, reminding Atticus that she was a star track runner in high school. Leti runs out and gets chased by the monsters as she’s running. Hunt is getting more upset and coughing due to his severe arm wound. The sheriff then starts snarling and turns into a shoggoth monster, with George pointing out that’s what happens when you get bit by a vampire. Meanwhile, Letitia makes it to the car and turns it on. As Hunt is turning, Atticus and George urge the other cop to shoot Hunt to save their lives. Outside, a shoggoth approaches Letitia from the front of the car, but she flips the headlights on, instantly hurting the shoggoth and forcing it to escape by digging into the ground. Another shoggoth then comes up and attacks Woody, jumping and latching on the front window and hood of the car.
Back in the cabin, Hunt is turned and bites the other cop-killing him. Letitia reaches back of the car and grabs her camera, photographing the monster on the front hood, with the flashlight knocking it out. Letitia then drives, running over the monster, towards the cabin. Hunt is in full monster form and about to attach Atticus and George. Atticus grabs the shotgun, shoots Hunt once when Letitia drives through the cabin running over Hunt. Hunt gets up and escapes. George is lost in the mix. Atticus finds him hurt in the other room. Atticus drags an injured George to the car, while Letitia throws flares at other shoggoths. Atticus then helps her fend off a bunch of shoggoths with the flares until they are surrounded by a lot more. A loud whistle then rings through the air, scaring them all away.
Atticus, George, and Letitia are walking on a road during sun-up towards a bridge they drove through earlier, arriving at Ardham. The area is very green, and a large castle-like structure with a dome stands in the background. They walk towards the mansion and find the silver car from earlier that destroyed the shooters earlier that were chasing them. A blonde white man opens the door and says that they have been expecting Atticus, welcoming him home, to a surprised look on their faces. The episode ends with the song Sinner man by Nina Simone.
Why Glitch Techs is The Greatest Homage to Gaming Culture Ever Created But Will Need Your Help to Survive. A Spoiler-Free Review.
I don’t speak in hyperbole that often unless it’s warranted, and in Glitch Techs case, I firmly believe in it. A show about a group of teens turned gamer-ghostbusters, Glitch Techs checks off on the list just about everything that makes a hit animated TV series. I even go so far in the podcast above to compare it to both Adventure Time and Steven Universe.
The problem with Glitch Techs is that it’s just not getting any sort of support from the media. It’s only hope seems to be here on Netflix, but it needs to start trending ASAP yet is still getting little promotion, and is soon to be overshadowed by tomorrow’s debut of Lucifer. A show which I’ll be covering too for The Workprint, but still want to stress that if possible: WATCH GLITCH TECHS.
Now, I’ve already gone into my history as to why I like the show. Mostly, that it plays off an idea about video gaming that I always wanted to create as a writer; yet, to add to this newfound love of this series, I also want to stress that the art is superb, it’s gaming culture well-researched, and it’s characters are simply delightful, with a fond and loving endearment towards video gaming.
I’ll even go so far as to say: it’s the most enthusiastically authentic love letter to gaming that I’ve ever seen.
But to even get here Glitch Techs has gone through years of developmental hell: supposed to be released in 2018, delayed until 2019, and then finally released in 2020. The series stalled to halt in production throughout the years and much of its staff was laid off. The show only finished 20 (episode 1 was technically 2 episodes) of the 30 episodes that were set to air on Nickelodeon before the entire project transitioned to Netflix. And even then, it’s the only season was broken into part 1 and 2 installments.
Where it stands now and its future is left up to YOU the audience which is why I hope you watch. I also think it’s a shame because I firmly believe the show could have been a hit had it gotten the attention it deserves. You can also tell the amount of research and development that went into this series, and as a longtime gamer myself, there’s a lot of love.
So here’s my best attempt at convincing you to watch it and spread the word. Without further ado, this review will take a fine-look into Season 2.
OMMORPG!
One of the things I love about this show is the show’s gaming lexicon. Because a lot of the L33T speech and gamer terminologies is authentically real. When you combine it with the seriously astounding art quality, you do feel like you’re in an RPG built for-and-about: gamers.
The textures are smooth, the color vibrant, and meta-breaking points and in-game/in-show dialogue bubbles take a very Scott Pilgrim vs. The World approach. There’s also an astounding amount of actions that homage both western and eastern styles in harmony, with transitions that’ll shock and awe, in a friendly: PG13 approach.
It’s just high-quality production work all-around. Which is surprising, because when you enmesh this artwork design together with the chiptune themed soundtrack and sound quirks – and yes, nods to retro gaming (be prepared to embrace all the bleep bloops) – you’ll realize like I have: that no one’s ever done it like this before. Which is fantastic.
For those who tuned into last season, you’re in for a treat because a lot of the characters will not only have expanded roles, but will also have a few updated wardrobes, characteristics, features, and designs in both their styles (like how they pose and hold themselves) and in their gameplay (aka, their fight scenes are cool). You’ll even get some really fun moments seeing Phil, the overweight Glitch Tech Boss and sorta dad of the group, in a combat suit.
As a special gem for Season Two, I’m going to say to be sure to check out episode 6, the clip show episode, which was a masterful work in editing. It was likely my favorite episode of the season in that it shows the best of the series’ art while also taking a great look at all of the show’s characters. There is also a surprising amount of heart in that episode with a riveting speech by Hi-5 which I think is emblematic of the themes that the show is trying to create.
I’ll also just toss in a few other eye-candy marvels and funny moments of kudos I’ll let the reader discover for themselves if they choose to watch: A Tech Spec Terminator parody, Cat-Glitches in a sea of kitten collectibles, Ping Pong, A Giant Godzilla tribute Kaiju battle, DDR, and of course: an homage to Five Nights at Freddie’s.
Building Up That XP
One of the coolest things about reviewing this show is that I learned how a lot of the material hinted at and seen throughout the series is tied together again with the pilot, suggesting that there’s more connection than initially realized. That said, the writing feels like it’s building up to something bigger but it doesn’t fully get there by season’s end. It just hints that something’s afoot.
The episodes themselves feel like stand-alone adventures without full arcs or rising conflict. Which may initially seem shy of a hook to the series, unless you watch between-the-lines. The beauty about Season 2 (or really, Part two of Season One) is that almost everyone gets a type of backstory and has their character develop in interesting ways that don’t necessarily agree. There are cracks in the organization and bigger themes that see hints of development at Hinobi Tech. The problem: is that the series needs a renewal to payoff all these developed beats. Which is all the more reason we need to petition for a Season 3.
In season two, we are introduced to a new character named Riley, an outcast and a modder (Like a real-life modder, someone who reprograms and adjusts with the specs of Hinobi Tech, like capturing and messing with the code of glitches) who befriends the socially awkward Miko in a storyline about friendship. Riley also plays a large part of the opening and middle points of the season and looks to be a returning character whose unique abilities will play a large role in the series.
Atop of this, we get expanded storylines of returning favorite characters. There’s a lot of Mitch development in the series regarding his role as the top player, why it matters, and his history as an elite gamer. All for a surprisingly compelling take on the series’ bully and why it matters to him to be the best. We even have some stories featuring Phil and BITT.
As for our dynamic duo, Hi-5 delves into a bit of his surprisingly haunted past with his relationship with his father and Miko breaks down her complicated relationship histories with games herself. Mostly, in how she used them as an outlet for what’s revealed to be a lonely childhood. We also get more reminders that Miko is special in this series: the show reminding us about her immunity to memory wipes and her outstanding skills as a gamer.
We also get a surprising amount of backstories to the other techs and even learn about the Dabney town Glitch Techs. As Nix, Simi, Zahra, Haneesh, and Bergy all hold expanded roles and unique character traits, places of work, and even budding crushes (you’ll never guess who likes Hi-5!). All for a fun Glitch Tech family!
As mentioned, there’s also something bigger afoot at Hinobi Tech which the last few episodes seem to hint at, and if you’re reading this, I suggest you take note about. As a fan, I think the organization is more than what it seems as a MIB/Ghostbusters/Pokemon/Ready Player One Parody, as awesome as it sounds, can only go so far without some sort of greater scheme intention. My fan theory: is that Glich Techs will be going full-blown Digimon at some point (meaning the sprites/pixels/glitches will start becoming fully feeling and incredibly real people).
Again, it’s definitely a show worth rewatching a second time because the seeds of the story are there.
Holy Mother of MOBA, I haven’t even Talked About The Best Part Yet!
The Gaming! My God, it’s excellent. It’s the whole reason I’m writing about Glitch Techs!
There are references to MOBAs, MMOs, Shooters, RPGs, Platforms, Arcade Beat-Em-Ups, and basically everything you’d want in a video game reference. I stressed it in my feature earlier this week and I’ll stress it again: this show authentically cares about gaming. With kudos to showrunner Dan Milano for the extensive research and love of the games that I grew up with as well.
In Season Two, expect DDR, Five Nights at Freddies (much like Season One’s Castlevania themed episode), Pong, Pokemon, Dragon Age, Super Mario, Rampage, and Final Fantasy (just learned that Bravestone was just a Final Fantasy parody) references. And those are just the early episodes, there’s definitely more.
It’s What I love. It’s Who I Am
That’s the quote by Mitch Williams at the end of the pilot episode and I think it sums up this series rather nicely. See it’s all about gaming. If you love games watch this series. Tell it to a friend. Watch it twice. Heck, even more.
To be honest, I’ve been dying to write an Augmented Reality story that was a love letter to the gaming industry. But I’m too late. Because Glitch Techs is totally that story and more. It’s got heart. It’s got characters. And most importantly: It actually cares about video games.
Reinvention. It’s not a word to be feared. From da Vinci to Bowie, some of the world’s best and brightest minds have seen it whether through whim or through necessity to embrace it. It’s not a death knell but rather the bugle playing Reveille. In this penultimate episode of I May Destroy You (HBO) titled “Would You Like to Know the Sex?”, we’ll explore how our favorite trio wake the fuck up from their slumber with a new take on a new day.
We open up with a POW! of energy. This reserve we haven’t seen in a minute with the likes of Arabella (Michaela Coel) and Terry (Weruche Opia) sweatin’ it up in double-time to Kwame’s (Paapa Essiedu) rigorous aerobics class. On their break, Bella reads, Kwarms notices that Tyrone’s wants to go kayaking, and Terry hyperventilates. It turns out that she’s got the job. Terry’s got the job! Now comes the cool-down…
As Bella’s on the toilet, head buried in The Sundial, Kwame spills to Terry and Ben (Stephen Wright) his plight- he fears he’s becoming ‘nice’ and that Tyrone’s rubbing off on him and not in the carnal way he’s used to. Kwame feels that this man is the right person for him, but that he’s not in the right headspace to be the right person for him- yet. Ben in his simple yet flawless wisdom simply tells Kwame to take the steps in becoming that right person.
Emerging refreshed from literature, she gushes to them about the author, Della Croy-Dickie (no doubt a play on de la Croix meaning “of the cross” and the inelegant pronunciation of it.) Arabella feels a kinship with this author and simply must meet her since they are both published under Henny House. She’d rather not go the Susy Henny route, as no draft’s been materialized, so Ben and Terry help her film a video to be posted to social media. T’s not feeling the first demure take, so they reshoot it with more panache: on the toilet! Bella propositions, woman-to-woman if they can grab a coffee and elucidate on being under commission in the patriarchal system. Once sent, however, the plan backfires. Della’s seen the video but blocks Arabella in the process. Fuck. What’s a girl to do?
In her office, Susy Henny (Franc Ashman) shows Arabella her collection of plants. This is especially off-centering to Bella as Susy strokes her “centering” plant after admitting that she’s not had a break as a publisher in eight years. She asks Arabella if she’s been growing because it’s essential- that we’re all descendants of the trees. Arabella retorts that it’s because of the melanin. Susy doesn’t follow leading Bella to sheepishly explain that because trees’ bark is brown, their skin is brown before awkwardly chalking it up to a “silly race joke.”
Not one to be trifled with, Susy asks Bella if she believes in multiple races as a rational taxonomy. This is a lead-in question as Susy knows Arabella doesn’t know the answer as she through a condescending chuckle and smile flat out inquires about the draft she’s due. What stage is it in, what the word count is. Bella admits the reason for her being there is asking to me Della Croy-Dickie and feeling it beneficial to her creative process. After telling Arabella no and dismissing her, Susy gets on the horn.
Sitting across from her agents Julian (Adam James) and Francine (Natalie Walter), Arabella’s day is about to get worse. It turns out that Henny House is withdrawing Arabella’s commission because “their desired outcome may not be achieved.” This leaves Arabella, Julian, and Francine in a bind, as they have to repay all that money. This leaves both of them with no choice but to drop Arabella as a client.
Elsewhere, Kwame sits down with Nilufer (Pearl Chanda). He orders the tofu “just to try it out” which isn’t winning any brownie points with her. Diving right in, Kwame explains his intentions, his knowing it not feeling right and regret going through with it anyway, as they may have been friends in a different situation. This is simply not enough for Nilufer, as she calls him a predator and cancels her order before “canceling him” and storming out. Kwame looks oddly relieved.
Outside of the Ego Death Bar, T comforts a teary-eyed Bella. She also flirts with their waiter, Kai (Tyler Luke Cunningham), giving him her number. Reaching her nadir, Bella’s in more debt than she’s ever been in her life and has no idea how she’s going to pay the commission back but there is a light at the end of this tunnel- it turns out Della’s seen Bella’s post and would like to meet up when she’s free i.e. now. As Kai’s now off of work, Terry goes after him while Arabella’s day might have a turnaround.
At the restaurant with Terry, Kai is complimented by their waitron Milanka (Yaz Zadeh) about his appearance on “The Flip Side”. This prompts Terry to switch her meal to what he’s having and asking him what the exchange was all about. Offering to order her another drink, perspicacious Terry knows secrets will be divulged and excuses herself to the toilet.
At the Ego Death Bar, Arabella waits on her company when Zain (Karan Gill) comes into the frame. Surprised, Bella makes some paltry talk until he goes away- but he doesn’t. Remember that light at the end of the tunnel? Sometimes it’s the train chugging right for you.
It turns out that because Susy still wanted to publish him, even after the summit, she did it under a pseudonym, even choosing the name himself. His agents dropped him, so the only people in the know are Susy, his mum, and now, Bella. She uses a few moments to compose herself and lets him come closer. She informs him that he doesn’t scare her, that he’s present, not under her bed. She informs him that she’s gone underneath, into the darkness, and now that darkness is in her, staring back at him. With that, she commands Zain to sit down. Zain presents her with a few printouts of plot diagrams for creative non-fiction. He’s in the Queen’s court now.
After finding out through a video that Kai is a trans-musician, she continues back to the table. Offering to pay the bill, thinking she’ll leave, Terry wants to stay and find more about the person in front of her. All is lain with amazing brevity at Terry’s feet, from the dreams of being a guitarist to art school to being up above a man and down below a woman. This doesn’t scare Terry and as her meal arrives, she enjoys it with her date.
Zain shows Arabella how the setup works. The regularity of the world before an event disrupts it with the conflict, be it person or thing. Zain asserts that any major conflict ensures the story moves on, raising the stakes before the final piece in the puzzle, a resolution is found. It can be found through multiple narratives or circular structures. Armed with this knowledge, Arabella unflinchingly invites Zain to her flat.
As Terry at the restaurant informs Kai that she’s not a prude and them having a laugh over her threesome, Bella at her flat hands over scraps of writing and ideas over to Zain, taping them to her wall, coming up with a plotline. This is the way it was initially intended to be.
Explaining how both Luigi and Giovanni were two strangers into her and she could’ve gotten anything she wanted, Kai regrets to inform Terry that it was most likely premeditated, giving Terry pause. It was so long ago, but in her date’s understanding words, “it still burns like yesterday”. Laughing it off, she knows it’s the truth.
As Arabella looks in awe at a wall and some festooned with notes, she thanks Zain. He thought it was about consent, as did she. He doesn’t get it, but she does. Before leaving and disposing of her two black trash bags at her behest, she thanks “Della”.
Staring at the wall, mouth agape, there’s a spark in Bella’s eyes. In her head, she’s noticing the concatenation of events leading her up to this moment. Arabella rearranges, edits, tears up, rewrites, and places her entire story together with tape- all day and into the night. By the end of this deluge of creativity and inspiration, she’s left on the floor sleeping in the fetal position with her ENTIRE room covered in notes.
As a new day dawns, Arabella is bright-eyed and bushy-tailed. She greets Ben and gives him a standing invitation to join her at her new old haunt. He declines as he tends to his plants and videos about loneliness in the UK.
That night, at an art gallery with Tyrone (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr), Kwame seems at ease. Content. Not even a text from Nilufer calling him a “fucking pig” can spoil this evening. When asking Tyrone, “Where were we?” and Tyrone simply responding “Here,” not even apprehension could stop him from leaning in closer.
At Ego Death Bar, T meets up with Bella as Kai goes inside. Things seemed to have gone swimmingly for them. That’s when Bells sees a man. As “Siren’s Song” by Ionian Singers begins to play, time itself comes to a crawl and things become lucid. The vision at the ATM machine? She was met by a homeless person wanting shelter for the night, as she can only say “I need to get to work.”
Arabella now looks into the bar and sees that same guy commiserating with a blonde-haired bloke with a pink shirt. She vividly remembers the game of “eyes, eyes, eyes, eyes” as she can clearly see his exact face staring back at her… and now he’s at the bar.
From a third-eye view, she can see him picking her up from the entrance, putting her in a cab with his mate. She can see them riding with her, she glossy-eyed. She can see the new bar, the paying off of the doorman.
She now in POV can see the bar as she passes through, the stairs as it leads down to the ironically named “Gents” loo. She can see the open stall as she falls and cracks her noggin on the toilet paper dispenser (hence the head wound). Then she can see nothing for a moment only to wake and see a piss covered floor. She can see the window as she’s turned around. She can see David thrusting and looking down at her. She can see him now in the bar. She can see justice. She can see prey.
Though you’ve likely never heard of it, Glitch Techs is a rave New Show in 2020 that deserves attention.
When I was a psychology student at University, I was curious about the topic of human emotion. How emotional anchoring connected with human memories. Themes beset on significant events in our lives that would inevitably come to define who we are as people.
When I left psychology to pursue screenwriting, I had always intended on creating a screenplay about what I knew about emotions. Believed that there was a poignant take on the science of feelings with a story desperately waiting to be told. And I was correct.
It just wasn’t written by me.
You see, years ago, I had watched a movie about anthropomorphized human emotions. Filled with an A-list cast, it was a beautiful story about growing up, saying goodbye, and emotionally processing. A tale about friendship, affections, and how to process our feelings. With the biggest takeaway – a lesson which I learned in my college years – being how a moment immortalized in our memories could be anchored as both happy and sad.
This film, of course, was called ‘Inside Out’
Now I’ve watched and written a lot of work now in my 30s. I’ve seen the templates of just about everything that can be told in stories, television, movies, and most recently: video games. Which is why Glitch Techs surprised the bejesus out of me. It’s a show that I wish was around when I was 14. Because just as ‘Inside Out’ was what I studied at University, Glitch Techs is what I lived through video games for just about my entire life.
What’s fun about the show is that it takes this idea I had been playing around with ever since reading ‘Ready Player One’. Which is this:
What if there was a show made about videogames that actually featured real gaming gameplay? What if we turned it into a real-life augmented reality? It’s the idea of actually living out our nostalgia. Physically playing the best in Shooters, Beat-Em-Ups, RTS, Mobas, and all the nuanced video game genre styles of gameplay that have now faded in pop culture conversation.
This was the original idea I had partially been working on for the past three years. It is also… a series that I was too slow to act upon because it already exists.
Enter Glitch Techs
Glitch Techs is an animated TV series created by Nickelodeon and Netflix. A fast-paced children’s series reminiscent of Saturday morning cartoons and 2000s era of video gaming. Most importantly: it’s PG friendly, diverse, and representational. All elements that introduce the games from the years of older millennials into generation Z.
The story follows the adventures of High Five and Miko (pronounced, Me-Co), two hardcore gaming teens who secretly work as glitch tech technicians. High-tech warriors that spend their time capturing video game monsters that have escaped into the real world using augmented reality.
High Five is a socially anxious Hispanic boy who loves video games. A straight-laced but awkward teen down to take on a call to adventure. This, of course, can only be done with the help of Miko, a gamer-girl who does more than hold her own being not only Five’s equal partner but also, an elite gamer in her own respects.
The show sees episode-by-episode tales of their adventures stopping bugged out glitches from destroying the world. It’s also nostalgic and fun, a Family-Friendly comedy.
Now, I’ll be honest: a lot of what works about Glitch Techs can be seen in the book (and later movie) Ready Player One. This show is more-or-less a childhood friendly version of that, minus the post-apocalypse. For a Nickelodeon series, this works, as I don’t think I remember anything of this caliber level of entertainment from the Network since Avatar The Last Airbender. And while there isn’t as poignant a theme (at least as of yet), the series’ world-building is astonishing. True to its fans and very well-researched about gaming.
Though the plot was cookie-cutter, my biggest issue was Ready Player One forgot what it was about almost immediately. The MMORPG aspects were imperative to World of Warcraft styled gaming of that time. And though the movie tried, it overall failed to capture gaming culture by obsessing, instead, over virtual reality and any creative license they could throw-in as an easter egg. The movie was more pop culture phenom than actual attribute style to video gaming. Upsetting because even its homage to classic arcades fell to the wayside.
I stress this because Glitch Tech is 100% the opposite. It doesn’t care if you remember the references, it just throws these characters into these familiar situations and easter eggs. It lets you play these old games without the audience even realizing it, having it feature as an organic conflict within the story.
And sure, we won’t hit the same life lessons as a Steven Universe per se. Though, we will get awesome cameos by Felicia Day and Ashley Burch (who voices and writes for the series). And if you love videogames, I’m sure you’ll know who those two ladies are (Spoilers. They’ve revolutionized video game pop culture, respectively).
What’s great about Glitch Techs is that it actually builds both storylines and comedy based on actual video games and the art of playing them. Players are catching pokemon. Battling monsters. Firing Metroid and mega-man like beams and weaponry, and holding a fort down like in overwatch. Like Castlevania? That’s there. It’s all just a part of the glitch busting world featuring kids who love the games just because they like playing them.
I know this because I played these games. And no, I don’t just notice their skins for marketability’s sake like in Ready Player One. Glitch Techs actually goes the extra mile.
It plays the game. Which is really cool. Season one of Glitch Techs is available online.
Bellamy sees the light, but is it real?
image c/o imdb.com
The rule on TV is if you don’t see a body, don’t believe the person is dead. Thanks to The 100 for proving me right!
“Etherea” keeps everyone’s hopes alive that Bellamy isn’t finished in this series. As expected, the explosion that was supposed to have killed Octavia’s big brother failed thanks to the portal nearby that was opened. Levitt discovers Bellamy and a Disciple got sent off to yet another planet.
Since his story has been neglected this entire time, the whole episode is dedicated to catching us up – similar to Octavia and Diyoza’s planet purgatory time. Unlike his sister, Bellamy has to share his castaway journey with an enemy, helping the poor guy to heal in order for them both to survive. You know what’s fun about bunking with a religious zealot? Nothing. Granted, it makes for some fun philosophical debate: the self-centralized belief vs the community-centralized belief. Neither side is willing to give. So…maybe less debate. More of a never-ending sales pitch. Poor Bellamy.
The two inevitably come to a head on the common-sense of not traveling through horrendous weather, with Bellamy adopting the stupid attitude of “if I just keep going I can walk my way through it”, while the Disciple (called Conductor, and played by Jonathan Scarfe) – despite all his zealotry – realizes “wait out the bad weather, then walk”. On the bright side, Bellamy’s kindness in saving his life gets repaid when the religious man goes back out into the storm to rescue our hero from freezing to death.
This turns out to be serendipitous as the previously spoken of “cave of ascent” might be real, and it might be the second cave they take shelter in. Behold a genuine miracle: an unexplained light source in the cave in the form of three human-looking bodies. Conductor thinks, see? Proof! Bellamy is less convinced. It does give our believer new purpose, but when Bellamy realizes their Shepard is a cult leader from history he instantly feels better about the very clear moment of doubt he had when seeing those glowing figures. The Disciple isn’t convinced and doubles down on selling to Bellamy the virtues of his belief.
He makes some solid points with respect to the way human love for each other can become corrupted by its intensity, but the message is also paired with religious fervor, which makes it a hard sell. Bellamy is driven to get back to his sister and his friends, while Conductor believes he has a higher purpose and it helps him deal with the setbacks.
Eventually, Bellamy gives in to conversion – resulting in a full-on religious hallucination. Atheists would argue that our hero’s physical and mental malaise contribute to his mind’s willingness to embrace any kind of sanctuary (who wouldn’t want to see a vision of their dead loved one? Hi Aurora Blake – played by Monique Ganderton). Is religion just a result of extreme duress? Do our minds have no choice but to succumb to irrational rationalization when faced with dire outcomes?
It’s a good question, a really good question, but instead of embracing the ambiguity of it, this episode chooses to have the storm that’s been trapping our travelers in the cave break – giving Conductor the obvious edge in his argument. But, in fairness, shit like this does occur in real-life – people turn to religion in times of great stress and when that stress just happens to relieve after engaging in a religious ritual we can’t help but connect the two. Be wise and remember that correlation is not causation. It could be that Bellamy and Conductor managed to wait out the storm till it broke and that had absolutely nothing to do with the Shepard. It could also be that the bug Bellamy ate right before he prayed was venomous and caused his hallucination. Oooo…questions! See why I love this show???
As all media portrayals of opposites attract (non-romantic) there comes a moment when the bond is tested. Granted, there are a few in this one, but the biggest is when Bellamy refuses to let Conductor die after a misstep on the mountain. The Disciple explains that he wrote the codes to use the stone in his bible (for lack of a better term) and snuck it onto Bellamy’s person – he can use the codes himself, he doesn’t need Conductor now. Naturally, Bellamy isn’t one to fuck over someone he’s worked so hard to keep alive, and who has returned the favor – ironically, this is against the Disciple’s beliefs but he’s willing to be a blasphemer to live. They triumph and find the stone, only there’s one last hurdle to overcome: the leap of faith.
Every episode about religious debate has one of these. Sometimes they are metaphorical, but if the show has a sci-fi or fantasy bend that leap is usually very literal. Ours is no different. Though I will say this is less a leap of faith and more a leap of logic – the bridge is entered by going into it. If it flies past you but is still visible, then obviously the only way to use it is to jump off the cliff to enter it. Still, the message is clear.
The outcome is also crystal: Bellamy is a convert. We see this first by the way he drops to his knees and refers to Bill Cadogan as his Shepard, but also when he rats out his friends after Clarke confides in him she doesn’t have the flame. Ouch.
Overall I enjoyed this episode. As a fan of television that makes you think, “Etherea” fits the bill nicely. Granted, it wasn’t reinventing the wheel – we’ve heard this philosophical debate far too many times in too many shows, but there’s a reason: it’s an eternally unanswerable question. The quickness of conversion in this episode is something to be considered – really, Bellamy, it just took one vision to change you? Though, it isn’t as if he didn’t resist at all. So what changed his mind, or…is his mind changed? I am worried, especially given the previews for the next episode, that Bellamy’s faith isn’t like Echo’s.
We do have another factor to contend with: Levitt. See, our episode opens with Levitt making the discovery that Bellamy is alive. Now, does Levitt tell Bill? Does anything the Disciples find while memory mining someone go up on a collective cloud server for Bill to see? It has to be concluded that the reason Bill was present when Bellamy and Conductor returned was because he knew they hadn’t died – the main mystery is how did he know? Also, when did he find out? Because, if Bill knew while Bellamy and Conductor were on the planet taking their pilgrimage, did he cause the glowing anomaly in the cave? Did he somehow hijack Bellamy’s mind to implant the vision that ultimately converts our hero? What level of manipulation, if any, was involved???
A thank you to everyone at DC Universe who was let go during WarnerMedia’s recent layoffs.
When the global coronavirus pandemic had just started there was still so much uncertainty in the air. Everyone was told to stay in their homes. The month of March was effectively shut down. On a personal level, I struggled. I had lost many friends at about that time both due to the virus and because of it. An unstable mix of people sick, dying, or simply: just didn’t really believe in what was happening. For all of March, I hadn’t been able to write a word amidst the panic out of a general sense of fear that the world was ending.
Then April came. Cases were on the rise and so widespread that even I got myself tested. And though I was physically healthy, mentally… I was not okay. I needed something to keep my mind occupied. And so, in typical workaholic fashion, I wanted to try and cover something new for The Workprint. Looking for something new at the time, I had seen an ad for a show I had stopped watching just months ago. Something funny, familiar, and personally, as I had considered it at the time: an outright gem that was not gaining the traction it deserved. Basically, what I considered for the site: the perfect subject to write about. A bit later, I sent out an e-mail out to DC Universe.
A request to possibly cover Harley Quinn…
Now I’d heard about the Harley Quinn series at last year’s New York Comic-Con. I had already covered DC Universe’s material in the past, both with Swamp Thing and Young Justice Outsiders. I found the platform enjoyable, though something I just didn’t want to extraneously afford with everything happening. Which is why I very much appreciated the screeners.
I spent my mornings working out at my newly constructed at-home gym while watching episodes of the first season. Half of which I’d already seen but wanted to go through the enjoyment of re-watching anyway. Harley Quinn reviews were the first real routine during the pandemic that brought my life some semblance of normalcy. It was also perfect to watch in that it was lighthearted, romantic, and yet… crazy. A story about a woman trying to redefine herself after leaving her toxic relationships behind her.
Harley made me laugh. It made me cry. It made me learn the value of seeing the special within ourselves, not unlike Harley’s relationship with Ivy. More than anything else the series made me value the people who loved us for who we are, and better yet: could be. I spent hours recording podcasts with Rob, taking notes, and watching episodes. Harley Quinn got me by the worst of the pandemic at the time when nothing else could.
When I had learned Stargirl was coming out, I decided to cover that too while hopefully keeping up the site’s other reviews.
I pivoted and wrote about Stargirl and left Bassam to finish the rest of Harley. All while Rob began podcasting with Norton.
Sure enough, I started liking Stargirl too. After Harley finished, Bassam also started covering Doom Patrol. And The Workprint was covering just about everything DC Universe had to offer. I was grateful. And I found a little bit of a home on this application in the midst of a deadly pandemic.
I know it is not the application itself, but really, the people behind it. They are whom I’m really addressing in this letter. All of you helped me get through a tough time by giving us comics, content, and shows that kept me sane enough to get by. Stuff to write about that kept me busy that I genuinely ended up enjoying. You gave us stories on what was promised to be a unified DC Universe created very much for the DC fan.
I appreciated it… and I’m a Marvel fan! That is how good I found DC Universe to be!
So, thank you for that. Because that’s what good stories do. They teach us lessons about empathy and caring for our fellow human beings. They help us emotionally deal with and cope with life from the safety of a distance. At least six feet or more I’d hope.
The work you guys did was awesome. The shows were genuinely good and deserved more traction than they had gotten. DC Universe gave me stories that I fell in love with. Characters, just outside the mainstream who were just slightly different. And though the shows will still live on within their different platforms now, suffice to say, it will feel a little different not being on DC Universe. Though we’ll try anyway.
From the bottom of our hearts: thank you, DC Universe.
With the COVID-19 global pandemic raging on, New York Comic Con joins the ever-growing list of fan conventions that have canceled their physical, in-person event. ReedPop, the world’s leading producer of pop culture events, has announced that the annual event, which takes place at the Javitts Center in New York City, is officially partnering with YouTube for an all-digital event that “will bring the excitement, community, and incredible content expected from NYCC directly to fans around the world.”
“We are thoroughly disappointed that we can’t gather together, in-person for the New York Comic Con we love to build and our fans love to revel in. We look forward to this weekend all year long, just like you, and with this being our 15th edition, we were particularly excited. I will miss walking up and down artist alley and seeing friends that I’ve made since we were in the basement at the Javits Center,” said Lance Fensterman, President of ReedPop in a press release. “While this year will definitely be a different experience, we are going to look to bring the best and most engaging event to our fans, exhibitors, and studios through our partnership with YouTube.”
Dubbed the “New York Comic Con Metaverse,” the event will run from October 8-11. Panels will exclusively be live-streamed from the New York Comic ConYouTube channel and will feature leading entertainment brands. Confirmed panels include American Gods from Starz, Star TrekUniverse from CBS All Access, a showcase of television animation from DreamWorks Animation, and programming from Hulu & FX.
Fans will also be able to participate in talent Q&As during panels, have opportunities to get up-close and personal with meet & greets, personalized autographs, videos, and professional workshops. ReedPop will also be creating a virtual marketplace for fans to explore where exhibitors and creators will share their newest items.
There’s a bromide- “Blood is thicker than water.” Its sentiment, although sweet, isn’t always met with open arms. There exists another quote. “You can choose your friends but you sho’ can’t choose your family.” That was Harper Lee, and with that, I welcome you to the tenth episode of I May Destroy You (HBO) entitled “The Cause the Cure.”
We start in on a young Arabella (Brielle Atuwo) coloring with her pencils as a young Nicholas (Oluwadamilola Enamejewa) sleeps off to the side. A doorbell rings and their father enters. Arabella is happy to go to McDonald’s as he promised but instead, he brought it to her. Their mother, a younger Grace (Jenny Wambaa) tells her daughter not to eat so fast, but Bella shovels it in as if her life depended on it. She knew he’d come, she just knew it! Like the great tasting but artificial food she’s plowing in, it inevitably comes out regurgitated, leaving a bad taste.
Back in the present, as Terry’s (Weruche Opia) running lines with Ben (Stephen Wright), Arabella (Michaela Coel) gets a call from her father, Kojo. She is ecstatic to hear from him, even looking at Simon’s jacket from that night. This gives her a flashback to Simon giving it to her because she was cold. The more important thing at the moment is she wants to make certain that he’s going to show up for Grace’s birthday to which he confirms for 5 p.m.
While Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) is exercising across town, Arabella and Ben are being entertained by Terry’s audition lines. They believe she’s got this and the only thing she isn’t able to do is to cry on cue. Bella informs Terry about it being her mother’s birthday. Surprised, T video calls her and they collectively wish her a Happy one. Terry is impressed that Bella would have a quaint family get together, as T hated when her father showed up to Christmas dinner, merely “taking up space.”
In the back of the bus, Kwame hits up on Grindr, not one, not two, but rather three different hookups sitting up front. He gets with all three separately, but he’s ostensibly not happy. The drug has worn thin.
At the homestead, Arabella asserts that according to her therapist Carrie’s orders, she shouldn’t be writing… though she needs a draft in order to pay the bills. Oh, yeah, and Ben has to cover for the month’s rent. Terry thinks it disconcerting that her version of a hiatus is stalking the scene of the crime. Though Ben is Switzerland in this situation, Terry is truly concerned.
At the audition, ‘visibly nervous’ is painted all over T’s face. She’s comforted by Bella with the zen-like affirmation of, “You’re amazing,” before being called in.
Back in the park, Arabella meets with Simon (Aml Ameen) to return his jacket. As it turns out, Simon no longer works at his job (as several people are looking for him) and that because his girlfriend of eight years, Kat kicked him to the curb, he now lives with his mum. She stares at him for a moment and has a flashback with Simon as the one raping her. Walk with me, talk with me.
Offering one of his J’s to her, Arabella apologizes for even having the notion of him doing something nefarious. Simon’s not angry at her though. He feels responsible for leaving her there, however, according to him, he’s one “L” less to Terry’s two. This goes back to episode 7, when Terry told Simon to stay away. Turns out, Terry left Arabella in Simon’s care and alsotold him to lie about walking her home the next day. If the Atomic bomb didn’t hit ears the seventh episode, this series had a second one, and storage was getting expensive.
Revelation in brain, Arabella later helps her bro Nick (Tobi King Bakare) and her mum Grace (Michelle Greenidge) in cooking a sumptuous feast. She ignores a call from Terry in favor of spending some time with her brother. It turns out Nick and his girlfriend Sunmi had parted ways, and just as they could get further, the doorbell rings. She jumps at it, calling ‘Dad!’ before realizing it’s someone else. Lenora (Dada Ashi) – excuse Auntie L. Clearly, Arabella has no clue who the fuck this person is. Nick calls out to their mother that is Auntie L and what ensues is something like a black-tie or black dress that never goes out of style: awkward silence.
Grace makes an entrance, donning a gorgeous dress and equally beautiful hair. They both greet each other in Twi, an Akan dialect of Ghana, though their pleasantries are short-lived as Lenora makes a haste exit at Grace’s prompt. Nick rags on Arabella for not knowing Twi, as she was on her Gameboy when they were kids. She likens her brain to Diet Cola: always light. He remembers it a different way.
We rewind the Blu-Ray back to when it was VHS. Arabella’s on her handheld Nintendo, and Nicholas is chomping on something because he’s hungry. The doorbell rings and as Arabella shouts “Dad!” but is met with a young Lenora (Adwoa Akoto). Auntie L, dressed in her finery. She and Grace parlay in Twi because her daughter’s been waiting on Kojo for lunch at McDonald’s, though it’s currently 10 p.m. Nicholas is simply sitting inquisitive, studying what they are saying. (On a side note, I’ve noticed that is half the time he’s presently promised for Grace’s birthday.)
At present at their dinner table with everything laid out, Arabella and her brother with their mother sit and wait in silence. Like the Great Pumpkin, Bella thinks that her apparition will show up, and though like old times Nick sneaks something to stave off hunger, the doorbell rings, leaving Arabella to dart to the door with the fervor only matched by a Chuck Jones cartoon. Their mum tells Nick to fetch the plates, including the blue plate he likes. I feel there’s something more to this statement that I just can’t put my finger on just yet.
As “Truth” by Kamasi Washington adorns their stereo, Kojo asks his son about the state of things and though he’s going to Uni and holding a job, his dad doesn’t seem exactly satisfied, as both Bella and he had moved out by the age of 17. He claims to have had a house by 26, not muscles. Though this gives Nick a little bit of grief, dinner is served, as are stories.
Like the one where his house that Arabella spent so much time at (because he was there) was robbed, his ‘Burnt Clementine Toyota’ was stolen (which Arabella thought was a Mercedes)… we can see where Bella gets her storytelling ability from. However, because he blamed her for sneaking in as a teen, a whole new world at that table was opened up to Arabella as she abruptly retreats to her old room.
We rewind the Blu-Ray back to when it was DVD. A teenage Arabella (Danielle Vitalis) and teenage Terry (Lauren-joy Williams) passes after school a bunch of guys, Kevin being one of them. Terry guides her through it but also tells her to come correct with her ‘garm-game’ if she wants a shot at Kevin, so she naturally sneaks into Kojo’s house, but Terry wants her to ‘Double Tap’. The thing is, doing so, she comes face to face with a young Lenora at the steps. Continuing on and noticing a pair of silk panties on the radiator, Arabella makes an exit without changing only gesturally telling ‘Auntie L’ to keep it on the mum. Mum. That’s a funny word considering all this shit. Bella doesn’t tell T.
Hot off the presses from that buried memory, mum comes into the room, ink still fresh on Arabella. She reveals that she knew that Lenora was Kojo’s playmate- but it’s no matter because it’s her birthday, she’s single and she looks good and all she cares about is her children. In the warm embrace of her mother, Arabella reveals what happened that January night.
That night, on the bus Kwame hits up someone with the handle ‘Sum_Fun’ thinking it’s a slam dunk. At Tyrone’s (Gershwyn Eustache Jnr) pad, the A-1 course is on the menu: not a lascivious slab of beef, but a well-crafted meal… literally. Not the drinking of kisses, but the drinking of Mojitos… literally. No sex involved.
Kwame thinks this is a ruse just to get him into bed, but when Tyrone refuses, Kwame freaks out due to his fear of intimacy. He threatens to leave but ultimately admits to just wanting a fucking hug. This is one of the most tender scenes and I think something well deserved for our ‘bwoy.’
Bella’s back outside of the Ego Death Bar meeting Terry. Ordering from Kai (Tyler Luke Cunningham) whom T thinks is suave, two red wines, Bella tells her that she’s met with Simon. The ensuing silence speaks volumes and they nearly speak at the same time before Arabella tells her misty-eyed sis “You’re amazing.” They tearfully repeat their mantra: “Your birth is my birth, Your death is my death.” Only now, it’s taken on a new meaning. They are thicker than thieves, despite all of the deceit. Her greatest role thus far is the one of keeping the truth from her friend. This means they are thicker than blood. Her fam is her friend.
Going back earlier, Arabella and mum go back to the table. Bella tells Nick everything’s okay but to her father when questioned, she remains mum. As she plates her father’s further dinner and hugs him. This makes Nick smile but Arabella and her mother know certain secrets as she chews on food while “About Her” by Phazz takes us out to the credits and three stories of three women of three deceptions.
The Justice Society of America in Stargirl Episode 13 “Stars & S.T.R.I.P.E. Part Two” Credit: CW.
In dark uncertain times, Stargirl provides a shining light of hope in its season finale.
If you’ve read my early reviews of Stargirl, you’d know that I didn’t really care about the show at first. I had covered these episodes of Stargirl mostly because it was made available to me all season long, and to be honest, I wasn’t too excited to begin with, nor am I really this audience’s demographic.
Then about midseason, something changed in the story that Stargirl was telling. Something that made it become something else entirely. It started to show some serious heart. It started to surprise, and over time, even started to win me over. This season finale is no exception to this change in tone. It’s outright fantastic, with just the right amount of surprises in store to leave you guessing. With twists and turns that you’ll never expect could happen.
Now, let me start by arguing that probably the biggest issue I’ve had with the show is that oftentimes it’s a little too convenient. It’s trope-dependent in that it recycles a lot of plot twists you’ve seen in other superhero adaptions; some of which I had detailed in the last episode. Where I got it wrong in my initial assessment and dislike of the series is that its sort of the appeal of Stargirl. Because it’s all about playing with familiarity.
You see, this show is pretty much the Apple Pie when it comes to superheroes: it’s warm, familiar, and reliable. A go-to dessert that doesn’t try anything too fancy; with a homely approach to the genre that’s comforting. Especially, given how macabre the world has become. It doesn’t have the eccentricities of Doom Patrol. Nor does it have the vulgarities of Harley Quinn or even the social justice themes of Watchmen. What Stargirl provides is a lesson on reliability, teaching its viewers that a family might not necessarily be the ones you are born with, but rather, the people that are there for you when you need it most.
Which is why it was so unbearably touching that Courtney, in this season finale, had finally called Pat, the man who has reliably been there for her time-and-time again; along with indoctrinated her and set her on the path to superhero stardom:
Dad.
She calls Pat dad, effectively letting go of her season-long quest to be “Starman’s Daughter” and realizing… that maybe Pat’s not so bad after all.
Review (Spoilers-Inside)
Minutes away from mind control and the deaths of 25 million people, Courtney and the JSA face off against Icicle and the ISA in Stargirl’s season finale. It’s a crazy battle filled with the show’s best-choreographed fight sequences to date. An impressive feature given how unbelievably spectacular the acrobatics, staff-fighting, and combat has been showcased in this show. Just look at the mid-season battle:
Atop of this, we see payoffs of season-long story arcs come to fruition. But what I really like, and am genuinely surprised over, is that, unlike other teenage dramas that resolve things over dialogue or some hokey dramatic love-twist where the wrongdoers realize the errors of their ways, Stargirl doesn’t let up in the action. We get emotional and dramatic payoffs using straight-up superhero rules: using violence as a plot device.
I say this because the biggest takeaways of this finale are that Yolanda straight-up kills Brainwave. And sure, Brainwave tried to manipulate Wildcat, pretending to be Henry, and trying to play off Yolanda’s ambivalent feelings for her now-deceased ex-boyfriend — but what’s genuinely surprising, is that a majority of the audience expected this to be real. That Henry was conveniently alive because this is a teen drama. Nobody (at least major characters) is supposed to die…
But we’re wrong. Not only were wrong that Henry wasn’t alive, but we then see a hero kill a villain. It’s a shocking conclusion that’ll have consequences in the future for sure, though Yolanda’s also hinted at killing Henry in the past. Something which I think no one took seriously up until now.
Atop of this, Rick is on the verge of killing Grundy and avenging his parents but spares him out of compassion. Shiv, on the other hand, kills Doctor Ito for locking her in a cage. Both are conclusions most of us have come to expect in fulfilling their journeys, though personally, I highly doubt Doctor Ito is dead, as he’s a mad scientist that likely knows ways to prolong/rejuvenate his life given how the mad scientist trope goes.
The saddest loss is Beth’s, with the death of Chuck/Doctor Midnight (but it’s an AI so I doubt that’s permanent as well). The funniest death, which I appreciated, and thought was fitting in the warmhearted approach to Stargirl: was Mike killing Icicle after he’d revealed his nefarious plot (which again, wasn’t too bad. Again, just a bit contrived).
Final Thoughts
When I started this, it was because we had something available to write about, so I watched the screeners and covered what I could. I didn’t expect to love Stargirl, but I do now. It reminds me of the first time I watched Spider-Man. The good old days of the early 2000s when Superheroes as giant blockbusters of storytelling, were new.
Stargirl is a timely surprise. A light of hope in a world that feels long gone now. A world where goodness triumphs. Villainy is vanquished. And preserving human life matters, no matter the cost.
A world that I think we’ve gotten so far away from today…
The following is the final Scene-by-scene for Umbrella Academy Season 2. Photo Credits: Netflix
Here are our final scene-by-scene recaps of Umbrella Academy Season 2 Episodes 8-10
The following are our final recaps on Umbrella Academy Season 2; the Netflix superhero drama created by Steve Blackman. Based on comics by Gabriel Ba and ‘My Chemical Romance’ Frontman: Gerard Way. These are the most detailed recaps you will find available on the internet. The purpose of which, is mostly, to answer any questions you may have about the show in elaborate detail. This final recap will focus on episodes 8 through 10. Above, is our summary podcast if you don’t feel like reading. Below, are our other coverages of each episode.
We open on a large, multi-story city building, where Vanya (Ellen Page) sits in a dark interrogation room. A man arrives and reveals himself as special agent Willy Gibbs (Morgan Kelly). He shares that both Sissy and Harlan Cooper have been released, and then proceeds to interrogate Vanya. Believing her amnesia to be suspicious, as well as her Russian name. While interrogating, Gibbs slips into speaking Russian, which Vanya is able to both follow and reply due to her childhood training. This raises concern. Gibbs then reveals that he’s FBI. One who sees Vanya as a communist threat to the country. Threatened, Vanya’s eyes grow pale as she summons her power. Before she can attack, a nurse in a white coat (Julia Chantrey) wraps a rag over Vanya’s nose and mouth causing her to go limp. Now unconscious, the FBI proceed to turn off a nearby tape recorder.
In the alley behind Morty’s, Klaus (Robert Sheehan) is still recovering from Ben’s possession, as Five (Aidan Gallagher) flips out in anger over the failure of the Umbrella Academy to meet at the rendezvous time. Luther tries to calm Five down and so tells Klaus to check on Allison — who uncharacteristically, didn’t make it. Klaus agrees, but before heading off, faces Ben (Justin H. Min) and tells him that he revokes his possession privileges. Ben professes he regrets nothing (as he’d thoroughly enjoyed himself with Jill in the last episode).
Inside Morty’s and Elliot’s building apartment, Luther speaks with Five, who says that he openly regrets that it has come down to this. Confused, Luther follows him uncertain what that means.
Back at Allison’s, Ray (Yusuf Gatewood) freaks out to an oddly composed Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) as there’s still a white man dead on his couch (the tall Swede). Suddenly, Klaus arrives, and Allison shows her brother the dead Swede. Klaus immediately understands. He asks if they’re burnin’ or burying (the body)?
At his stolen cat-lady home, The Leader of the Swedes stares hatefully at his own hand, unable to forget the memory of murdering his own brother. He holds a hatchet up to his wrist and prepares to strike, but one of his cats knocks the message canister from earlier into the garbage can. He notices something strange about it and holds the container under a lamp. Using the hatchet, he scrapes some of the paint off revealing the inscription: Rocco & Family plumbing. He smells it and recognizes the stench of lavender, remembering that same smell from the woman from the sauna: The Handler.
At The Handler’s office, Lila (Ritu Arya) tries convincing her mother to hire Diego (David Castañeda), who sits next to her. The Handler (Kate Walsh) disagrees with her choice, especially considering that he’s Five’s brother.
“Sweetheart, your vagina needs glasses. He is not worth it.” – The Handler
Lila reveals defends her choice, wanting fresh blood loyal to them as not many at the commission likes The Handler right now. Lila claims Diego will be loyal, and more than anything: her responsibility, which The Handler accepts so long as Lila agrees to kill Diego if he ever slips. The women happily nod in agreement. Diego is bewildered about what just happened.
Meanwhile, Grace (Jordan Claire Robbins) inspects some of Reginald’s notes, including files on Castro, Kennedy, and Dealey Plaza in a hidden room. Reginald (Colm Feore) finds Grace and asks what she’s doing in here. She reveals how she was following a lead and that Diego told her that he was intending to harm the president; Grace reveals that she wants to share a life with Reginald but needs to know he is a good man. Though he can’t explain all the details about what’s about to happen with Kennedy, Reginald assures her that he is and requests that Grace needs to trust him. That all will make sense in time. Grace rejects this and then leaves.
Luther (Tom Hopper) wakes up to find Five chugging a jug of water, stressing the need to stay hydrated. Five puts baby powder on his armpits. He reveals to Luther that he has no choice: he must go and find his former self — a physically older Five — who arrived in Dallas 15 minutes ago; a Five sent on a mission to make sure the President was assassinated.
More importantly, this Five has a briefcase that can bring them home. But there are two significant problems. First and foremost, Five is a really good assassin. Second, is that being this close to yourself intime can cause: Paradox psychosis, a debilitating disease that progresses in 7 Stages. As a result, Five asks Luther to join him and be his spotter.
The Seven Stages of Paradox Psychosis. Umbrella Academy S2 E8: ‘The Seven Stages’. Credit: Netflix.
At Sissy’s ranch, Carl (Stephen Bogaert) gets off the phone with his brother, who thinks that Vanya was a KGB agent. Carl claims Vanya was trained to prey on their family’s weaknesses. Skeptical, Sissy (Marin Ireland) doesn’t know why Russian agent would be in farm. Carl believes Sissy should speak with reverend Moore, likely someone to address with about her homosexuality; Carl also believes Harlan (Justin Paul Kelly) needs a family, not a nanny. Back in interrogation, Vanya is strapped to a chair with electrical cables attached to her head. Her feet are dipped in a tray of water. Agent Gibbs shocks her. She convulses. Afterwards, the nearby nurse drops LSD into Vanya’s eye, causing her pupil to instantly dilate. From Vanya’s POV the numbers on the overhead clock distort. She sees feels the wetness at her feet turn into a tray of moving eyeballs. Gibbs asks Vanya again, who she is. The Butthole’s Surfers: ‘Pepper’ plays in the backdrop, as the psychedelic song melds with Vanya’s melting point of view. The clock looks now like a big blinking eyeball. Vanya splashes her feet in the water… it takes her somewhere far away:
In the recesses of her mind, Vanya descends a wet staircase. She reaches the bottom of the steps. Emerges in her academy uniform. She enters what’s revealed to be the dim-lit dining room of the Academy, where Sir Reginald Hargreeves sits at the head of the long table along with Vanya’s adult siblings — also dressed in academy uniform. Vanya sits along the opposite end of Reginald. Suddenly, the siblings eerily stare at Vanya, just as Gibbs asks in the interrogation room:
“Who are you really? Where did you come from?”
Elsewhere, at an Irish pub, Five and Luther peer around the corner and find an older looking Five sitting at the bar alone. Luther asks if they can grab the briefcase and run, but Five reasons that aganets are trained to protect them with his lives. Plus, it endangers everyone just being in the same room. He then shares that if (old) Five doesn’t go back to 2019, everything unravels, and Five ceases to exist. The best chance is to talk and reason with (old) him. There’s just one problem:
“I know myself better than I know… Myself.” – Five
“You just itched your neck! That’s stage two of paradox psychosis!” – Luther
“No, I didn’t! I didn’t itch my neck.” – Five
“Denial is stage one!” – Luther
Luther suggests that maybe he should go first, instead of Five running into his own tiny doppelganger. Fidgeting anxiously, Five reluctantly agrees. Luther approaches old five, who calls him big man, and then tells him that he’s number one. Five (old) grabs his briefcase so secure it. Luther wants to introduce him to someone, then iterates several times to (old) five: don’t freak out. Luther steps back to reveal Five. (Old) Five’s jaw drops.
Meanwhile, Lila and Diego walk around the commission hallways, as Diego is upset, being about being held hostage against his will as he’s running out of time. Especially, as the world is about to end. Lila tells him they have all the time in the world. She reveals to him the mission of the commission: to maintain the one true and correct timeline.
“Oh, you still mad about that, ya big baby?” – Lila
“No, I love being drugged, kidnapped and threatened with murder.” – Diego
She then takes him to a classroom for orientation and then kisses him goodbye. Diego sits in a filled classroom as an instructor (Janet Monid) plays an orientation video. A cartoon briefcase, called Mr. Briefcase, not unlike the Mr. DNA in Jurassic Park. Mr. Briefcase appears onscreen to detail what they do here. Diego doesn’t care but takes take heed to the learn about the infinite switchboard where they monitor the entire timeline. The instructor falls asleep and Diego slips out.
Five-meets-Five. Umbrella Academy S2 E8: ‘The Seven Stages’. Credit: Netflix.
In an Irish pub, Luther sits with both Fives, both younger and older. Five tells himself (physically older one) he’s about to break the orders of the commission but botches the jump causing him to regress into his youthful body. Five, wants him (older) to jump with the correct calculation so that he remains a full-grown man. In exchange, he and Luther will take the briefcase (older) Five won’t need. Paradox resolved and timeline restored. Finding it quite a bit to take in, (old) five says he needs to piss, heads to the bathroom, and takes the briefcase along with him. Now alone together, Luther thinks it went well. Five doesn’t as he doesn’t trust… himself.
At the commission, Diego walks down a hallway in the upper floor. He finds the infinite switchboard, number: 2589. He goes inside and finds cables, switches, and screens built into the wall. He flips knobs and plugs in different switches, soon electrifying himself. Suddenly, Herb (Ken Hall) taps Diego’s shoulder and so Diego pulls a knife on him. Herb then says it’s an honor to see number 2, as he’s a legend. Diego likes this. He asks if Herb has used the switchboard, who confirms that he’s certified to use the “I.S.B.”. Diego asks him to look up November 22, 1963 assassination of JFK. Herb claims it’s violation of company protocol 67D, especially now considering that there’s been a coup’ de dat. Confused, Diego asks if that’s some sort of Cadillac? Herb clarifies that The Handler has gotten out of hand in taking over the commission. That she’ll kill both of them if they found them here. Still, Herb agrees to help Diego. He fiddles with screens and dials until the screen comes into resolution.
“Hell, yeah. I made that machine (The Infinite Switchboard) my bitch!” Umbrella Academy S2 E8: ‘The Seven Stages’. Credit: Netflix.
They see Dallas November 22, 1963. At the moment of what’s supposed to be the gunshot that kills Kennedy, an explosion occurs in the adjacent FBI building. It’s blamed on Russia and so the US responds by nuking Cuba. Moscow then destroys Alaska. All-out nuclear war occurs. Realizing it all begins here, Diego asks Herb for a better angle on the building. They then see Vanya rising from the air of the FBI ruins. Diego flashbacks to season one: Vanya is the bomb. She will always be the bomb. Diego needs to go back to Dallas now. Herb says that they need: La Résistance!
Herb takes Diego to an assembly, where we see Dot (Patrice Goodman) and a handful of other staffers stand and greet them. Dot says: Don’t mess with case management! At that moment, light from a window falls onto a briefcase sitting on a table.
At the pub bathroom, Five washes his hands and looks in the mirror. (Old) Five pulls out the prosthetic eye. Luther finds him looking at it and tells him: it’s a waste of time. That he isn’t sure why his dead self was holding onto it in the first apocalypse. Luther then reveals that it’s Vanya who destroyed the world. Not the person that eyeball belonged to. He tells his brother that Vanya’s more powerful than all of them put together. Mad about how they treated her as kids, she destroyed the moon and ended the world. (Old) Five says this is perfect knowing exactly what already happens:
“Forget about the little jerkoffs plan it’s way too complicated. A much better plan is for us to travel to 2019. All we have to do is make nice with Vanya, stop her from destroying the world. Easy-peasy.” – (Old) Five
“But what about Five. I mean you. I mean… young, you.” – Luther
“That’s not me that’s a prepubescent photocopy that got botched in the time jump. Besides it’s too late for him anyway.” – (Old) Five
“Too late?” – Luther
“Paradox psychosis? Best thing we can do is put him out of his misery.” – (Old) Five.
“What?! You’re saying kill him?” – Luther
“You’re thinking of this all wrong we’re not killing anybody. Look at me. I’m Five and I will still be alive. All we will be doing is getting rid of a mutant doppelganger. Amputating a vestigial nipple!” – (Old) Five.
Luther is baffled. They leave the bathroom and then rejoin Five. (Old) Five wants to get going as there’s less than an hour until the assassination. Together, both Fives begin farting relentlessly (Stage 4 of Paradox Psychosis).
Inside the FBI building, Vanya is asked who her handler is. We see inside her mind, where Reginald asks if she’s prepared. Her siblings defend her saying she’s not ready. Their father says Vanya deliberately chooses not to remember. Suddenly, waiters come and serve them as their mother (with a half-robot face) serves them: brains. Hargreeves asks Vanya if something’s wrong? The family enjoys the brains. Vanya hesitantly picks up her fork and knife, then cuts a tiny piece off the edge of her brain. The family watches her eat it. She puts a piece in her mouth and gags, as memories come flood back and Vanya sees herself as a baby in Russia. Back in reality, lights flicker. Gibbs wants to stop it and so raises the dial to lethal levels and begins electroshocking Vanya. She writhes in the chair. Back at home, Harlan mysteriously has a similar reaction. He and Vanya apparently psychically bonded.
At the Chestnut house, Allison ties a rope around the rug carrying the dead assassin. As Ben asks Klaus what it was like when he possessed him:
“It’s like having sex with a lesser-Baldwin. You can hear him clattering around in there, but do you really care?” – Klaus
Klaus asks Ben what it was like driving him:
“It was like having no skin but still wanting to touch everything.” – Ben
Allison and Ray struggle to carry the body. They drop it when a flash of light appears and Diego arrives with Herb, briefcase in hand. Allison reprimands Diego. Herb declares: Numbers 2, 3, 4, almost an Umbrella straight flush over here! Diego meets Ray, Klaus meets Herb (who reveals the commission maintains the time-space-continuum), and Diego reveals he knows what causes doomsday: Vanya. Diego tells them they need to stop her explosion in the FBI building, as it leads to an attack on Russia and nuclear war. Ray freaks out over everything. Herb says that he can help by having the rug shampooed and the body removed. Allison tells Ray she loves him and wishes they had time for a nervous breakdown. But she has to go. Ray kisses her goodbye then watches her and the family go, as Herb wears an awkward expression. The siblings leave to stop Vanya.
At that moment, Lila returns to the classroom and finds Diego missing. She hurries out. At the FBI building, Vanya continues to be interrogated. In her mind. She speaks with her father:
“I know you don’t want it but you can’t pretend it doesn’t exist.” – Reginald
“I’m not pretending.” – Vanya
“Of course you are. You choose to live in a fantasy. A land of make-believe where you don’t have to face up to who you really are. Rather than face the complexities of your own existence, you choose to hide inside someone else’s. A silly life. On a silly farm. That’s not meant for you…” – Reginald
At that moment, the siblings get to the FBI building. In her mind, Vanya takes a bite of the brain and her memories return. She remembers killing Leonard. Killing Pogo. Causing the apocalypse. Elsewhere, Harlan mirrors Vanya’s convulsions. In the interrogation room, energy pulses around Vanya. The FBI raises the dial to lethal shocks and try to kill her. She then remembers… everything.
In the hall outside the interrogation room, the elevator door opens, as the siblings find dead FBI agents everywhere. Many, still stuck to the walls. The siblings struggle against energy waves of Vanya’s power. They hide behind a desk. Confused, Klaus asks who are they saving Vanya from, since the FBI seems to be dead? Diego doesn’t have an answer.
In the interrogation room, Agent Gibb’s body sticks to a ceiling, his eyes hollowed and bloody. The dead nurse lies dead on the floor adjacent. Vanya’s eyes open revealing glowing irises. Elsewhere, Harlan’s eyes do the same.
The Handler assembles an army. Umbrella Academy S2 E9: ‘743’.
On the 5th floor hallway of the FBI building, Klaus, Diego, and Allison cower behind a desk, as ripples of Vanya’s uncontrollable power pulse from the interrogation room. The siblings debate on how to reach her without dying. Klaus says that he’s not a hero, he’s sexy trash at best, and that he can’t be much of help. Diego calls him pussy. The brothers argue. Allison takes her cue. She crawls towards Vanya’s room, blood now leaking out of her nose. Suddenly, Vanya’s memories flash as she remembers herself causing the apocalypse, causing increased intensity of her energy waves. Though Allison struggles to keep going, she’s eventually thrown back and knocked out. Diego sees this and says that he’s going. Klaus then shares with his brother, final words. Something important:
“You look like Antonio Banderas with the long hair. I just thought you should know.” – Klaus
“Thanks man.” – Diego
With these final words, Diego stabs his knives into the floor and uses them to scale forward. Vanya’s power hits him like an incessant gale. He sees a fire hose and realizing he’s not going to make it, pulls a reel which unlocks the hose as a rope. Diego then falls and is knocked out, landing next to Allison. Klaus steels himself. It’s his turn to play the hero:
“Okay, Klaus. You can do this. You fought in Vietnam. You survived a family of seven. And you once… wore a sarong… to a fraternity party and got a shitload of numbers!”
Klaus uses the hose to pull himself down the hallway. Vanya’s power continues to surge. Klaus bleeds from the ears and nose until he finally reaches the end of the hall. He launches himself onto the interrogation room door. Suddenly, the door to the room flings open, throwing Klaus across the room next to his siblings. Semi-conscious, Klaus sees Ben standing over them, who gazes at Klaus. And then Vanya. Ben slowly walks down the hall without resistance (He’s a ghost after all) as he sees Vanya in the room strapped to a chair. He approaches his sister.
Elsewhere, Luther walks with (Older) Five, who tells him to get the proper math for him as he does his duties on the grassy knoll. Luther wishes there was another way. He sees (Younger) Five as just a little guy. (Older) Five then states:
“Everyone looks like a little guy to you. You look like King Kong and the Hitler Youth had a baby.”
Seconds later, (Young) Five tells Luther that (Old) Five is going to kill him, isn’t he? Luther struggles to maintain the lie. Five calls Luther a worse liar than he is a spotter. Luther genuinely asks Five, what good is a spotter if he won’t listen? In denial, (Young) Five proclaims that all he’s suffering from is bracing clarity and Luther’s murderous intentions. Luther clarifies, (Old) Five doesn’t want to kill him, just kill a version of him, to which Five defends he is that version of him! Five reprimands his brother:
“Yet again, you are experiencing daddy issues, this time with your own brother, which honestly is making you a bit crazy. But remember this: I’m 14 days older than him! I have seniority here! So, it is me you should be listening to, Luther. I’m the Daddy Here!”
It’s obvious to Luther Five is not of sound mind, to which Five replies that if he’s unwell: so is Five (older). They set up in a parking lot behind the grassy knoll. Both Five’s continue to fart repeatedly, showing significant signs of stage 4. Luther grows concerned.
At the Commission, The Handler gets a dress tailored, with AJ (Robert Atkin Downes) still in his fishbowl. Lila enters and greets her mother, just as The Handler summons Herb, who shares that Diego commandeered the infinite switchboard, hijacked a briefcase, and left The Commission. The Handler tells Lila to handle it. Lila realizes that Diego was only allowed to stay because The Handler thought he’d leave. She wants Lila to kill him and prove her loyalty.
While this is happening, AJ writes a message using pebbles saying: 743, which Herb can read before being ushered out by The Handler. Lila argues with her mother that she wants to keep Diego alive. The Handler grasps Lila’s face and tells her that she’s about to be the most powerful woman of all-time. That Lila will be her right hand, but only if she can trust her. Lila assures that says she can. Soon after, Herb looks for and finds file 743.
In the FBI building, Ben approaches Vanya, whose eyes continue to glow, along with Harlan’s. Ben reaches for Vanya’s hand and then merges his spirit with her body.
Back at the Ranch, a pale-eyed Harlan stares blankly up in the air. He says: “Vanya,” before passing out. Carl barges into his room and blames Vanya about what’s happening. He threatens to take Harlan away, but Sissy says he doesn’t belong in one of those places. Carl puts Harlan in the backseat of his car anyway. Sissy grabs a gun.
“You aren’t gonna take my son from me. They’ll never give him back” – Sissy
“Well, maybe you don’t deserve him anymore.” – Harlan
“Maybe you should watch how you talk to me for once.” – Sissy
Back at the commission, Lila finds Herb in the hallway and threatens him. She tells him to say where Diego went, or she’ll staple his coat onto his nose and let him die on his own farts. Herb reveals he helped Diego escape. He then asks if she’s really going to kill him. Which Lila replies:
“Of Course Not. I love him…” – Lila
“Oh, that’s…” – Herb
“Say a word and I’ll crush you!” – Lila
Herb reveals that he must share something with Lila. He gives her the page from the 743 file and Lila’s utterly shocked. She tearfully looks at the document, hand over her mouth.
At the fence overlooking Dealey plaza, (Old) Five puts together his sniper rifle. (Young) Five sees the briefcase and wants to grab it. (Young) Five blinks to (Old) Five, who teleports behind him with his rifle aimed at the boy, but Luther snatches it. He wants the two Fives to calm down. Suddenly, (Young) Five kicks Luther in the balls with (Old) Five’s permission. Afterward, the two Five’s spar, as Billy Idol’s Dancing With Myself plays in the background — the two Fives, quite literally, battling against themselves — as they punch and kick one another while blinking in-and-out.
In the FBI building, Ben descends the steps in Vanya’s vision. He enters a pitch-dark room where he finds Vanya’s white violin on the table. He peers into its acoustic holes and finds… Vanya. He is lying on the floor in the fetal position with her back against some columns. Ben calls to her and she raises her head crying that she remembers everything. Ben drops his gaze. He comforts his sister and tells her it’s not too late. Vanya feels guilt over the people she killed. Ben scoots closer, then gently takes her hand, and comforts her. He reasons that just because their father couldn’t control her anger doesn’t mean she can’t. That she’s not a monster. Just his sister. And right now, their siblings are risking everything out there trying to save her. Ben reminds Vanya that she’s not alone at the table anymore. This calms her down. Ben smiles at her, but then, starts to dissipate. He shares to Vanya that he can’t go back with her and she realizes that she is hurting him. Ben tells her it’s okay. He died 17 years ago. The rest has all been gravy, and at least this time he can say goodbye…
“One last Hug…” Umbrella Academy S2 E9: ‘743’.
“Can I ask you a weird favor?” – Ben
“Anything.” – Vanya
“Can you hug me as I go? It’s been a long time since…” – Ben
Vanya immediately gives Ben a big hug. Finally, he asks Vanya to tell Klaus something for him, then disintegrates and disappears. At that moment, Vanya opens her eyes…
In the ranch, Harlan also opens his eyes. Sissy holds a gun up to Carl. He says they were fine until the Russian she-devil showed up. Carl asks if Sissy loves Vanya. Sissy replies that she does and that Carl should just let them go. They argue. Harlan gets out of the car. Carl forces the kid to make a choice and Harlan chooses his mom. Carl then grabs the gun from Sissy’s hands and it accidentally hits Harlan, but the bullet ricochets off a shield Harlan constructed using Vanya’s power. It hits Carl in the chest. He falls onto the dirt, dead.
At The Handler’s office, Lila holds up a piece of paper to her mother: the document to kill order 743. We see a quick flashback of The Handler, who had stamped the kill order using AJ’s signature. The Handler grabs a letter opener knife for protection. Lila reveals that she knows who killed her parents. We see a flashback, revealing (Old) Five pulling the trigger. Back in the present, Lila reveals that AJ Carmichael gave the order (unrealizing that her mother forged the order). The Handler drops the knife. AJ the Goldfish, droops in his fishbowl, defeated. Lila blames Five for making her an orphan.
Moving into the corner, The Handler reminds Lila that she’s her family. She then suggests that maybe this was what Diego was looking for: burying the evidence so that Lila didn’t find out. Lila believes Diego’s too stupid to do this, but The Handler spins it saying that Five has been puppet master the entire time. She suggests that it’s time they solved this problem. Lila agrees, kisses her mother on the cheek, and then leaves. The Handler whirls around to face AJ. Knowing he revealed the truth about 743 somehow, she eats him.
“The Thing about fish AJ? They’re no match for a shark” – The Handler. Umbrella Academy S2 E9: ‘743’.
Back at the fence behind Dealey plaza, the Five’s lunge at each other knocking each other down. Luther grabs the sniper rifle, aims it, and says that he’s the one in charge now. Both Fives tell Luther to shoot the other one. Forced to choose, Luther aims the rifle at (Young) Five, and then turns at the last second and knocks out (Old) Five with the rifle butt. Happy his brother is on his side, (Young) Five opens the portal to the umbrella academy back in 2019.
At that moment, Vanya wakes up in the interrogation room. She looks at the bodies of Gibbs and the dead nurse. Freeing herself, she finds her siblings all knocked out at the end of the hall. They wake and the siblings reconnect, all having saved the world!
Immediately, Diego notices Kennedy is still minutes away from arriving. He opens window blinds and sees the crowd at Dealey plaza. Diego confirms doomsday is over, Vanya is okay, and so he leaves to try and save JFK. At that moment, a man with a black umbrella heads steps out to head to the grassy knoll.
On the parking lot behind it, (Young) Five has the portal opened into the past. (Old) Five comes to and sees the briefcase, but Luther points the gun at him to stop him. The Fives make a deal with each other and (Old) Five is given the proper time travel formula so that he won’t turn young again when he goes back into the past. Before (Old) Five enters the portal to 2019, Klaus from the other side of the portal tosses the fire extinguisher. It clonks Luther on the head. Now distracted, both Fives try and grab the briefcase as the portal begins to shrivel. Luther kicks (Old) Five as the portal closes but in the process, the briefcase gets cut in half by the closing portal. Five gets mad at Luther. Luther tells him a thank you for preserving his existence would be nice.
Meanwhile, President Kennedy’s car turns as the family sees Hargreeves on the grassy knoll. Diego sprints across the street and tackles his father, revealing it to be: Hargreeve’s driver. Shots are fired and Kennedy is assassinated. The driver gives Diego a message written on his father’s legal pad:
‘Told You So.”
Later, at the tiki-lounge, a small TV shows news coverage of the assassination footage. The Majestic 12 celebrate. Hargreeves arrives, upset, as he stated JFK was not supposed to be touched. The Majestic 12 apparently lied to him stating that Kennedy ruffled too many feathers. They then shared that everyone wins: The 12 get Hargreeve’s rocket technology to arrive on the moon, and Hargreeves’ interests on the dark side of the moon won’t be affected. Hargreeves then tells the men that he won’t see them ever again. However, one of the 12 threatens that Hargreeves will see them again and that he’ll keep sharing his fancy technology or else they’ll tell the world who he really is. Irked by this, Hargreeves comes down and removes his coat. He reaches behind his head and takes off his human face revealing alien anatomy underneath. He rushes over to the men as we hear screaming and gunshots, with Hargreeves killing everyone in his revealed to be alien form.
At the switchboard room, The Handler is called by an operator, as a red-light flashes. She asks if he’s shown anyone else and he conforms no. She then stabs the operator in the chest. The Handler declares an order: all personal are to be recalled. War is declared.
In the monitor of the switchboard room, we see Sissy’s ranch house.
In the barn… a bright blue light shines through gaps in the roof.
The Handler assembles all the agents across time. Every. Single. One. Umbrella Academy S2 E10: ‘The End of Something’.
We open on a lightly snowy aerial view of the Umbrella Academy courtyard, 2006. The family gathers around a coffin, revealed to be: Ben. Moments later, Pogo opens the floor to Reginald Hargreeves to speak for Ben’s eulogy:
“The world is full of injustice. Good people die along with the bad. This cosmic equation will never change unless evil itself is wiped from existence. Thankfully, there are powerful forces pushing back against the wicked and iniquitous. Individuals who have the strength to pull together against insurmountable odds to face adversity with unblinking courage and not to hesitate to sacrifice themselves for another… Unfortunately, none of you are such people. Despite years of training and weeks of preparation, you allowed number 6 to die on this mission.”
“It wasn’t our fault! – Allison”
“Excuses? I will not hear them. The Umbrella Academy has failed one of their own. The consequences of which are dire. Hold onto these feeling children. Let it fester in your hearts so there is never a next time…”
Klaus stays behind while everyone else mopes. He then conjures his power to summon Ben, who tells Klaus that he’s got to go, as he was being called into the light. Klaus calls his brother: Benerino. He tells him 1000 percent that the light isn’t going away, so he can stay. He then asks Ben if he wants to see him piss in their father’s gas tank. The brothers happily go off to do so.
Now in Elliot’s apartment, Klaus lies in bed, alone, while the other siblings watch the news on TV. They’re incriminated to be responsible for the JFK assassination along with Lee Harvey Oswald. The detailed news report includes Vanya (wanted for deaths in the FBI building at Dealey plaza), Diego (A Cuban exile and Holbrook Sanitarium escapee), Luther (Known as ‘King Kong’ in the fighting pits: a boxer with mafia ties), Allison Chestnut (a radical responsible for recent race riots at Stadtler’s), and Klaus (known cult leader and tax evader). The news report also holds a picture of an unidentified boy (Five): whom they believe is being held, hostage.
Now the most wanted family in the world, the gang also acknowledges that the commission will hunt them down wherever they go. Diego reveals that he knows all about them, as he joined them when they headhunted him for a job. Five grows slightly jealous. Diego iterates that he’s the one who figured out Vanya caused the apocalypse. He also used the infinite switchboard, calling it his ‘bitch’. Finally, Diego rubs it into Five’s face: that he stopped doomsday. While the family argues again, Vanya sees Harlan and remembers giving him part of her power.
While still trying to figure out a plan, Vanya tells the family she’s going to Sissy’s farm to find Harlan. That she might’ve caused him harm, explaining that when she saved his life, she made the two oddly connected. More importantly, Vanya asks the family for help. She’s scared and doesn’t want to face this alone. Diego says sorry, as they have other priorities. Five agrees — as he wants to make a stand here and now. With none of the family’s support, Vanya leaves.
Vanya enters Elliot’s car. Suddenly, Klaus jumps in. He asks about Ben and Vanya explains that their ghost brother traded his life for hers, saving the world in the process. Klaus smiles at this. He wants to know if Ben said anything. She shares that it was Ben who was scared to go into the light. That Klaus wasn’t guilty of making Ben stay. This makes him relieved. Vanya then says that Klaus should get out but Klaus refuses. He won’t let his sister face the unknown alone. Suddenly, Diego and Allison join, just as Five takes shotgun telling Klaus that the children ride in the back. Klaus moves to the backseat. Suddenly, Luther enters the back of the car. His large stature weighing it down.
“Anyone makes a fat joke and I’m outta here.” – Luther
Vanya smiles. The family, finally united on the same front, drives out in Elliot’s car — the vehicle tailpipe scraping along the pavement due to the weight. As the car turns a corner, we then see the Leader of the Swedes. He follows the family in his dairy truck.
Later, we see the family approach Sissy’s ranch and pull up to the barn where it is now oddly snowing. Sissy comes out with a rifle. Vanya asks what’s wrong. Sissy says Carl is dead, as Harlan tossed him the same way Vanya did to those policemen. Vanya introduces Sissy to the family and shares that she got her memories back and that the news has it all wrong: they’re not bad people. More than anything else, she tells Sissy that they’re there to help Harlan.
Sissy takes the siblings inside the barn, where Harlan levitates in the air with his powers swirling. Vanya jumps inside the power circle. Suddenly, a flash of blue light catches Klaus’s attention. He looks outside where he sees Lila and The Handler at a faraway distance. Five says he wants to see what they want, and Diego goes with him. Shortly after, Luther, Allison, and Klaus head outside and look onward at their brothers from a good distance.
Outside, The Handler tells the brothers that she’s going to take out the criminals responsible for taking out the Board of Commission. Five deduces that it was part of their deal, as The Handler set him up to fail. Diego is surprised Five killed the Board, as everyone at the commission is pissed. Lila says that’s not the only person Five killed. Tired of talking, The Handler says they’re all going to die but Diego says how as it’s a 7-on-2 battle. The Handler snaps her fingers and every single Commission Agent she recalled in the last episode, is now summoned, as the family stands in a field full of thousands of agents now on the field. The Handler looks at Five and Diego. The Handler drops a red scarf as the army charges. The Umbrella Academy runs.
In the barn, Vanya calms Harlan down. Suddenly, the two are interrupted by a barrage of bullets from the field agents outside. Harlan and Vanya’s powers surge and push each other apart. Harlan falls down a hay chute. Vanya tells Sissy to go after her son as she seeks to end this once and for all.
Outside, Luther, Allison, and Klaus take cover behind farm equipment. Five and Diego run towards the house, as Five teleports the two away and they take cover behind a tractor. Five then realizes he’s out of fuel — unable to teleport. Diego tells Five to run as he covers him, stopping a barrage of bullets with his hands and slowing them down to a stop (revealing Diego’s power is total control of projectiles). Diego redirects the bullets to an oil drum, which explodes. Five gets inside of the house and kneels under the table as more bullets hit the building. At that moment, Luther puts his arms around Allison and Klaus. Diego huddles behind the tractor wheel. Diego hopelessly looks on at Luther, who’s also pinned. Sissy watches from the Barn…
Luther holds Allison and Klaus before the end. Umbrella Academy S2 E10 ‘The End of Something’
Suddenly, Vanya rises high into the air from the barn. She sees her siblings pinned down with the commission army advancing from all directions. Vanya’s power glows a bright blue from her chest as the siblings and Sissy duck for cover. Vanya then sends a huge wave of power over the field in all directions. It hits every single commission agent, and sends them flying, leaving their bodies scattered. Seemingly victorious, an ominous glowing sphere sits in the middle of the field.
Everyone else looks up. Allison asks if it’s over. Diego looks out with a triumphant smile, until the family all take a closer look at the sphere, revealing: Lila and The Handler. Luther asks how it is that they are doing that. The handler tells Lila that it’s her turn.
Suddenly, Lila rises into the air also pale with bright blue light. She emits her own huge energy wave, sending everyone in the family, flying. Vanya slams into the Barn. Luther falls through the ranch house roof. Allison lands in a haycart. Klaus barely misses falling to his death, just as two ghosts catch randomly him. Diego falls behind the tractor which flips and pins his leg.
Back on the field, The Handler happily congratulates her daughter and tells her to let her know when she’s killed them all. Lila obliges.
Inside the house, Luther worries that he’s swallowed his tongue. Five calls him an idiot and helps him up. The brothers believe Lila must’ve redirected Vanya’s energy wave when suddenly, the fireplace falls. Five pushes Luther out of the way, burying Five in bricks. Suddenly, Lila teleports in. When Luther asks who she is, she admits that she’s someone who wants to kill his brother. Luther is… understanding, as Diego is a lot to handle. Lila corrects him in that she means Five. Regardless: Luther says they’re family. He punches her but she catches the blow, surprising him.
Outside the house, Allison sees Luther being thrown through a wall and out into the field. Lila grins at Allison, as the women face each other. They politely meet. Then Allison punches Lila. Lila kicks Allison in return. The women trade blows, which eventually leads to Allison grabbing Lila in a hold. She begins her rumor ability but Lila to redirects it back:
“I hear a rumor…” – Allison
“You stopped breathing.” – Lila
Afterward, Allison begins to choke. Luther rushes over to Allison, trying to tell her to fight it. At that moment, Five emerges from the rubble. He teleports to Allison and the two battle. Meanwhile, Allison stops breathing and Luther gives her mouth-to-mouth. He says sorry he had to do the thing to save her, and she kisses his cheek. The two hear Diego in the distance and rush over to him.
Inside the house, Lila and Five exchange blows. Five asks how she’s doing this, and she reveals anything they can do she can do better.
Downstairs, Sissy asks for Vanya but finds The Handler. She knocks Sissy out and approaches Harlan, who sits in a corner, power swirling around him yet again. The boy entices The Handler.
Outside, Vanya comes to just as Luther, Allison, and Klaus arrive. They find Diego and raise the tractor. Diego high fives Luther: the rival brothers now allies calling themselves: Team Zero. The family soon deduces, she Lila has many powers. Vanya states the obvious that none of her siblings have realized: that if Lila can do what they can do, she might as well just be one of them. Vanya then reasons that there must be more of them out there than just the seven. Diego interrupts them, just to clarify (after having dated/slept with Lila):
“But… she’s not our biological sister… right?!” – Diego
Back in the house, Lila knocks down Five (with a Skillet) and then steps on his throat. Five throws Lila off and declares that he wants to finish this thing, but Lila doesn’t want it to be quick as she wants him to suffer for what he did.
Lila reveals that Five murdered her parents, Ronnie and Anita Gill. Five remembers the flower merchants, but stressed, that it was never personal — always just a job. Besides, Five stresses that it was The Handler who gave him the kill order. Lila doesn’t believe him at first, but Five points out how strange it was that The Handler came to a job. Especially, as she was an executive. Five suddenly realizes why: The Handler was there to take Lila.
Just then, Diego arrives with the other siblings. He reasons that Lila is one of them. The Handler took her just like Reginald took them. He even suggests that October 1st, 1989 must be her birthday. The family tries to calmly approach Lila but she yells at them to stay back. Lila reprimands Diego, saying that she trusted him, got him a job, and even introduced her to her mother. But he ran off on her anyway. Diego reasons with Lila that she knew that he had to go off and save the world first. He then tells Lila that her mother is using her. Lila denies this, saying that her mother loves her.
Luther interjects by saying love shouldn’t have to hurt this much. Lila gags in disgust. Luther tried. Five says now is the time to kill Lila. Diego stops him and tries reasoning with Lila:
“Hey, Lila. Truth? She’s dangerous. And you’re scared of what she’ll do with all that power. That’s why you dragged me to the commission. Because I know what it’s like to love dangerous people. Difference is… they love me back.” – Diego
“Shut up.” – Lila
“The only thing she loves is power. Now, the minute she can’t use you, she will turn on you, and deep down, I know you know that.” – Diego
“You don’t know me Diego.” – Lila
“Don’t I? I know that we can be your family… if you just let us.” – Diego
The family agrees. Lila gazes hopefully at Diego, but suddenly, is interrupted by a barrage of bullets. The Handler murders the Umbrella Academy with a machine gun. Lila looks at her mother as The Handler surveys the bodies. Lila crawls over to Diego. The Handler strides over to her daughter, unsympathetically. Lila asks if it’s true what Five said. The Handler tells her daughter that they can be a happy family again. Lila rises to her feet and looks at the bodies of the Umbrella Academy. She holds a knife in her hand. Lila says that they (The Siblings) are her real family. Lila walks up to The Handler and asks if she even loves her. Silence. Lila raises the knife, just as The Handler kills her.
Nearby, a dying Five gasps. Happy to see him alive, The Handler walks over to finish him and aims the gun at his face. At that moment, from behind, the Swedish assassin finds and kills her getting his revenge for sending his brothers and him on a fake quest that led to their deaths. He walks over to her dead body and then sees Five. The Swede then holds a gun up to Five’s face. Five flashes back to several life moments. He remembers what Hargreeves said regarding time travel:
“Start small. Seconds, not decades.” – Hargreeves
Five rewinds time, as events slowly turn backward. Five runs towards the barn door. As the Handler enters the barn, five ambushes her and takes away her gun. Lila asks The Handler if what Five said was true. Suddenly, the Swede appears in the doorway and shoots The Handler. Lila runs over to the briefcase, as Luther chases after her, but Diego stops him. Seeing Diego save her, Lila uses the briefcase and disappears in a flash of blue light.
Afterward, Five and the Swede face-off, guns aimed at each other. Five drops his gun and asks for ‘Enough’. The Swede concedes. They go their separate ways. Luther asks Diego why he stopped him, and Diego admits: because he loves her. He then finds his beaded bracelet which Lila had carried since the beginning.
Back beneath the barn, Harlan’s powers swirl uncontrollably. Vanya approaches Harlan and takes her power back, as an energy surge happens. Confused, Harlan looks normal again. Sissy rushes over to hold her son. Vanya looks at her family. They smile and she smiles back.
Later, Herb and Dot appear in the field amongst the sea of dead agent bodies. Herb and Diego then share a special nerdy handshake. Herb asks if The Handler is really dead this time, and Five and Diego agree that she is. Herb then says that they need a new board of directors, as Herb is made acting chairperson. Finally, Five asks for a favor: a briefcase. Herb obliges and tells them to take a pick, looking at all the dead field agents.
Inside the ranch house, Vanya tells Sissy that they have to get Harlan packed. Sissy sadly tells Vanya, that they can’t go. Vanya doesn’t understand. Sissy states that saw Vanya float. That though she isn’t scared of her, she’s certainly scared for her. Sissy asks Vanya if they could truly have a normal life, one where no one would come after them for being with her:
“Vanya, I would do anything for you. To protect you. But Harlan has been through enough, I can’t… I can’t put that child in anymore danger. I can’t.” – Sissy
Both women in tears, they understand one another. Sissy thanks Vanya for helping her find hope again. Vanya asks her where she’ll go. Sissy states that she has a friend in California. Vanya tells her to go and live a beautiful and wonderful life. Sissy replies that if Vanya could ever find a safe way back to her, take it. They kiss one last time.
In the Chestnut house, Ray finds the book he gave Allison: From Earth to The Moon. In it, he sees a piece of paper, pulls it out, and reads a farewell letter from Allison.
At sunset, Vanya and Diego sit on the ranch house porch. She rests her head on her brother’s shoulder. In the living room inside, Klaus kisses Dave’s dog tags.
Elsewhere, Dave stands at a marine enlistment bus.
On a rural road, the ‘Destiny’s Children’ bus opens to find the last surviving Swede walking aimless and alone. They invite him to join and he gets on the bus.
Now driving, Sissy looks back at Harlan. Harlan’s toy sparrow levitates in his palm. The boy eerily carries a dark look in his face.
At the ranch house, the siblings stand in the front yard with a commission briefcase. Klaus tells them to wait, then grabs a nearby cowboy hat. The siblings form a ring around the Briefcase as Five activates it. They time travel and reappear in the Academy Foyer. Luther asks what day it is, and Five finds a paper: April 2nd, 2019. The group has passed the date of Armageddon. Now celebrating as a family, the siblings go through the arched entryway for a celebratory drink.
Suddenly, Diego finds a portrait of teenage Ben. He wonders why it’s there. They are greeted by Hargreeves, who stands up from a chair by the mantlepiece. He’s been waiting for their return. The family is confused and ask how he’s alive? Hargreeves is also confused as to why he shouldn’t be? Accepting this new reality, Luther declares that he is just happy that the family is ‘Home’. Reginald corrects them: this isn’t their home. Confused, Allison asks is this not The Umbrella Academy? Hargreeves corrects them: it’s The Sparrow Academy.
Suddenly, five silhouetted figures stand on the mezzanine above them. A sixth person strides into the living room, revealed to be Ben in an emo haircut and thin stubble goatee.
The family gathers together in the present. Umbrella Academy S2 E10 ‘The End of Something
Final Thoughts
This season was better in every single way. With a more focused story and even greater character development. An all-around great job that I think deserves to be ranked up there with some of the best Superhero made shows on TV.
I said it before and stand by it: I believe Umbrella Academy Season 2 will be the best superhero adaption of 2020.
Costumes may hide a lot of things outside an ugly day. When you don’t have a mask on.. ya still do. This is the review of I May Destroy You.
They say something truly magical happens during Halloween. No, not the apotropaic kind. It’s a transformative kind of magic. Whether you’re a shy kid feeling like a certified bad-ass in your superhero(ine) digs or you’re a gregarious adult feeling certifiable in your bloodied horror-themed costume, something takes hold. Whether you’d like to admit it to yourself or not, somewhere deep down, a little part of you is that which you wear. We all embrace a side we don’t normally share with the public on any other day than Samhain. This magic is presented in the ninth episode of I May Destroy You (HBO) titled “Social Media Is a Great Way to Connect” but be warned- it’s a dark kind of magic.
We open up on Arabella (Michaela Coel) sitting on her bed as her mind flashes back to that one vivid memory of her rape. The faces of the suspect however change, as she’s trying to piece together a singular one from the amalgam. Her roomie Ben (Stephen Wright) pops his head in and asks if she’s alright and after she claims to be, he wishes her a Happy Halloween. This prompts Bella to hashtag the video she’s about to post “#IHSWG.” What does it stand for? The rant she recorded earlier says it all- ‘I Hate Straight White Guys.’ This immediately gets a positive response to a misty-eyed Bella. One such comment mentions doxxing, while giving out an address, which prompts Arabella to search up the term itself. “Hmm.”
At the Doctor’s (Jonathan Slinger) office by Terry’s (Weruche Opia) side, Arabella gets the all-clear for her CT scan. Now, instead of taking this with poise, she summarily takes a video proving to her haters that there’s nothing wrong with her brain, so there’s nothing with her fighting with her rapist. I mean, she did make her profession from Twitter. T can only roll her eyes, though she does take a moment out to plug herself on camera before Bella wishes her fans a Happy Halloween. He doesn’t seem amused.
Poppa-Doc insists Arabella monitors her high blood pressure, as a person of ‘Afro-Caribbean’ lineage is at a higher risk for kidney disease. Bella takes immediate umbrage with his “racial ignorance” correcting him as she’s African and to be more mindful next time, lest he appear an embarrassment to his profession. This leaves the doctor gobsmacked. She rails into him further before leaving.
As she’s outside filming Facebooking live, Terry asks the doctor why her blood pressure is so high. He doesn’t know, but he doesn’t like that she’s vaping. Terry comes to her friend’s defense and tells the doctor since the rape and her high demand position as a poster girl for social justice can cause stress, so lay off and let the girl fucking relieve that stress with vaping. She dropped the mic on that one.
As Terry shops for costumes, Bella checks her fans’ affirming comments while Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) checks out a video of a potential hook-up in action. Hey, ya gotta preview the course before ya taste it, right? Terry emerges, claiming all they had were loads of wings, fangs, and a singular halo. She wants first dibs, but they let her have the halo since she set up the entire self-care day. Next on the docket? Paint and Wine…
En route to, Bella is stopped by Rumi (Fela Lufadeju), a fan on the street, thanking her for the content. As a black man who survived abuse as a child at the hands of a straight white man, it was hard for him to come out. Kwame seems uncomfortable with the conversation and eventually leaves. Mocking their conversation to Terry, he is rebuked as he may need Bella someday. This is going to be a relaxing, care-free day, I can nigh guarantee it!
At Paint and Wine, Arabella is looking spiffy in her black demon horns, wings, and dress painting her pumpkin painting prompt. With a brush in one and phone in the other, she snaps a picture but an angelic Terry snaps at her for using her phone. Putting it away, Bella extracts her vape. She’s scolded by the moderator. This surprises T but not a Beatle-haired, white-suited Kwame. So back to her phone Bella goes, promising Terry not to post just yet as she proceeds to make a video promoting the paint and wine ‘movement’ (which it is not.)
Terry brings up Nilufer to Kwame, admitting that she hates it when white girls disappoint her. Though Arabella comforts him, her demeanor changes when Kwame reveals that he revealed that he was gay only after they fucked. According to her, it’s hypocritical for being offended by the F-word yet fine rolling over being racially stereotyped because he got laid. Bella is done with this and leaves.
Terry tries to reason with her, asserting that Kwame feels bad about it, but that falls on deaf ears. According to Arabella, a man under false pretense following a woman home and bedding her as she’s vulnerable is wrong. Bella goes even harder, calling him a victim blamer when he asserts that she initiated it. Ye ought not to cast the first stone, as Terry brings up Arabella locking Kwame in a room with Jamal.
Arabella doesn’t see the big deal, but Terry maintains it wasn’t right because it was dangerous for him. Already on a hot streak, Bella has the temerity to tell her bestie to shut her gob and fuck off, as Kwame can speak for himself. Going to Kwarms, already uncomfortable and hurt, she asks him, throughout the support she’s given him if she did anything to him that day. With tears in his eyes that can’t look Bella straight in the face, he claims he can’t remember. Going even deeper, she says that if he paints himself to look like a victim and that’s not exactly the case, she has to question his person, that’s unbecoming. With that and a “fuck this shit,” Bella rolls out.
The streets of London find Arabella vaping up a storm until she isn’t able to get any pulls from it. Thinking she’s out power, she heads over to a congregation outside of a bar and asks to borrow someone’s wire so she can’t hook her cell up to her vape. With both addictions in both hands, she’s as in heaven as a demon could be.
After Arabella asks someone to snap a few pics as she vamps for the camera (for social media fodder), a patron compliments her on the horns, and she unleashes some heat on the fella about how white men must feel so special having opinions.
Continuing down the street, she videos herself speaking on crash test dummies not having feminine features, the size of smartphones being based on the size of men’s hands. It’s an all-around screed. If anger-fueled fame is her drug, then her commenters are the suppliers. Comments, Likes, and Loves litter your TV screen. Now, this scene starts beautifully shot from a head-on view, so it reminds me of a Spike Jonze music video… and it doesn’t stop.
Like any good drug worth its high, overdosing may be a side-effect. The comments, now both negative and positive lead Arabella to ask for Zain’s home address. The comments keep on flooding and time begins to slow down and Bella goods woozier, as does the music until it STOPS.
At the home of her therapist, Carrie (Andi Osho), she speaks about Kwame and how it would wreck her if she knew that her good friend turned out to be that which she stood against. Showing her Facebook to Carrie, she feels merited in the work she’s done to call out that which isn’t. The problem is her need for social media is the problem. She doesn’t need it in the vital sense, but it doesn’t look like she wants to give it up at the moment. She’s informed that the business model for these networks is simple: it promotes speaking at the risk of listening. Carrie suggests she simply takes a break if she cannot quit cold turkey. Bella informs Carrie that her case is closed, unresolved and though she has the evidence, she hasn’t opened the bags. They lay dormant under her bed.
Her therapist shows Bella a little diagram, writing A for Arabella, drawing a line underneath, and putting an X underneath the line. The A represents Bella. The X represents all that contradicts or threatens her perceived reality. These include guilt, self-blame, uncertainty. These things are important to process and understand for her because if she cannot do that, it isn’t possible to truly know herself. With that, under the X, Arabella simply writes the A, puts the X on top of the A, and strikes a line through it.
At home, she takes the leap and deletes all of her social media accounts. She dives even further and extracts everything from under her bed. Ben pops his head in to make sure she’s alright. She fixates on one particular bag and extracts its contents. It’s a sonogram and wonders for a moment how many weeks she was in. Ten- that she was so young, she just did it and forgot about it. Ben asks her if she had any regrets to which she claims no regrets.
She flashes to her younger self, repeating the very same lines she’d lain into Kwame earlier: “If you felt good, I’d be even more horrified.” “When you paint things to make you look like you’re the victim and I find out that isn’t the case, really makes me question who you are.” “Just look in the mirror, do you know what I mean? It’s really uncomfortable and unnerving for everyone.”
With a knock, Bella’s come back to the present and not only apologizes to her girl T, but also Kwarms, who dips out for a rendevous with his All Hallows booty call.
Arabella decides to open all of the evidence and lay it on her bed. So where does that leave her and Terry for the rest of the night? Well, Bells has an idea. A walk. A nice. Long. Walk. Where to? The Ego Death Bar. The place where it all happened. As both she and Terry take a seat outside, she pulls from her vape. It works! She then continues to pry inside from the outside, eyes darting. She’s the hunter. She’s going hunting.
Jordan isn't buying what Bill's selling
image c/o imdb.com
We’ve got some good news and some bad news, which sounds about right for The 100.
Shady didn’t kill Madie, which is good, but he did get her to kneel, which is bad. Clarke believes her friends have been brainwashed, which is bad, but Echo revealed she’s planning on killing everyone, which is good…though, she also said if her people don’t evacuate, that’s their problem!
Tonight’s episode is a doozy so let’s get a move on. As has been the trend this final season, we’ve got two main focal locations: Sanctum and Bardo.
We begin in Bardo (where most of our story takes place) with our friendly cult leader left alone with Clarke and the gang. They realize that their friends haven’t turned (as Bill believes) since they never corrected the outdated information that Clarke has the flame (she did, for one day, but that’s it). The audience learns their friends are still friends when Echo kills the Disciple set to take Hope to Penance and reveals she’s got a plan to murder everyone.
Meanwhile, Bill waxes poetic about his insane plans and how the stone factors in. He reveals there were logs left behind by the previous civilization and it’s why he wants what’s in Clarke’s head – to get the code to unlock the stone. There are some interesting philosophies going on about war, Niylah (Jessica Harmon) makes a good point – “Every war seems like the last one until the next”. Bill leaves his captors alone with the text while he goes to get lunch, Gabriel follows, but Niylah and Jordan stay behind.
Clarke and the gang finally reunite with Octavia and Diyoza (who also haven’t drunk the kool-aide) and meet Hope. It’s a short introduction as Hope informs them they all need to get the fuck off Bardo within 45 mins or…else. Octavia figures out that Echo is getting revenge for Bellamy and, when it is revealed Levitt was involved, she leads the others to find him and get more answers. Hope can’t stop them so she joins them, but Diyoza is disappointed at her daughter’s blind lust for vengeance.
Gabriel sits down with cult daddy Bill (“we weren’t a cult” said the man who believed all people are gods) for a lavish-looking meal (upscale fancy mind you, gorgeous food but tiny portions). It always amuses me how desperate evil leaders are to find kindred spirits while at the same time espousing themselves to be above everyone – uh…how exactly does that work? The self-fulfilling prophecy of being the lone savior, right? No one can ever understand you, because you’re special but that also, conveniently, makes you lonely – ie vulnerable. Anyway, Gabriel and Bill’s conversation is pretty telling. Like all rich people, Bill is more interested in getting answers to what’s next than actually helping people now. It ends in Gabriel losing his leverage and his gun, not surprising.
Levitt is alive! Not great, but breathing. He clues in the gang on Echo’s plan, which Clarke worries is a suicidal one until Raven clarifies that it doesn’t have to be. Echo’s means would allow her a window of escape. Levitt thinks to join the others in stopping Echo, but Octavia re-gags him, apologizing, and they all vamoose (we all knew Lincoln was a soul-mate, sorry boy toy!).
Back at the stone, Jordan is looking over the text and thinks Bill decoded it wrong. Maybe it’s like Korean (apparently Monty taught his son the family language, how sweet!). Jordan is convinced the message isn’t about war or violence, instead is it referencing a test? A test for all mankind??? Gabriel wants to keep the info under wraps – he’s not a fan of Bill being the representative for all mankind if it is a test (good call, Gabe).
Speaking of tests, Echo has the weapon and the water, and it turns out a little hesitation which allows Clarke and the gang to show up and try to talk her out of it. Echo isn’t deluded about her motives though, she knows it’s vengeance. But, where Clarke can’t reach her, Raven stands a chance. This is where that five years in space makes a big difference because even though we never really get to see any kind of relationship form between Raven and Echo one does exist, and it allows Raven to appeal to Echo on a deeper level. It also happens to work! Unfortunately, Anders and reinforcements show up, and Hope’s black and white ideals of right and wrong cost her dearly.
Sanctum’s story is pretty simple. Shady is intent on taking the throne back. He wants his rightful place as Commander to be recognized and respected, and this forces Indra into single combat with him. It sucks because while Indra is certainly a formidable opponent she ultimately loses to Shady, though he does lose an eye in the process thanks to Madi (she intervenes to stop him from killing Indra). He gives the former leader of Wonkru a choice – kneel and he’ll spare Madi, or don’t and he’ll kill both of them. Indra, of course, kneels.
Murphy, having played chess with the Dark Commander, knows he won’t let the faithful life. And in fact, once Shady takes the reins he’s ordering lots of killings (naturally Madi is on the list because we all know bad guy 101 is never keep your word). It’s helpful that Madi escapes when she has the chance, and Murphy and Emori usher the survivors of the massacre away to safety. Though, now that Shady is in charge how long can they stay safe?
This is a fantastic episode filled not so much with unpredictable twists and turns but a lot of heart and promise. It also provides a very cool cultural clash.
Consider that the Disciples have this society-first mentality they’ve adopted, an extreme version of the values many Eastern Asian cultures had for years. The way that Asian names are structured reflects this – your individual name comes after your family name, signifying that the whole is greater than the one. And yet, when Bill decodes the text his mindset is American. He doesn’t see the characters as Jordan does. It is possible he can’t even fathom the option. When he’s talking to Gabriel much of what he says revolves around how important he is. Yes, he’s doing this “for all mankind” but he cryogenically froze himself so he could be there to witness the end. In other words, he values himself above all else.
Another fun aspect of tonight’s show was the fight between Shady and Indra. I loved the camera angles used – as if the audience were in the crowd trying to get around people to see the fight. Shady’s extensions were cute too. I do wish the fight had been closer; I imagined Indra would be a better warrior, but all in all a great scene. I also wonder: why the prevalence of cycloptic villains? Is it just because of The Odyssey?
Finally, spoiler, there’s Diyoza’s demise. It is an unavoidable observation to make that Octavia is Hope’s future. Hope is 25, she’s driven by pain and loss, and so assured of her assumptions of what is right and what is wrong – who is good and who is bad. That was Octavia at the beginning of The 100. We can’t fairly compare Hope to Diyoza because we don’t know Diyoza’s history enough, but we know Octavia’s. We know Octavia has loved and lost and allowed her pride to destroy not only herself but those around her. Hope’s belief that Echo was right, that all the people on Bardo should die, leads her to make a grave mistake. It costs her one of the things she had been working so hard to gain, and I hope (pun inevitable) she learns from this. Granted, when you’re young it takes a long time to look back and realize your faults. How will Hope react? BTW, Diyoza dying couldn’t be helped – she was a war criminal! She did horrible things, like it or not she had to die. Penance isn’t just a planet people.
Lots of questions being raised…lots of answers due…oh, I need to see how this plays out! Also, also, I was right! Bellamy is alive, and we get to see what he’s been dealing with in the next episode. You know I’ll be watching!
Photo Credit: 2020 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved.
Before confronting Candlemaker, the Doom Patrol must confront their own imaginary demons. We also learn of Miranda’s tragic days as primary, as Dorothy must make a choice.
In the season finale of Doom Patrol Season 2, we see Miranda’s origin story as one of Kay’s leading personalities, including her involvement with a special love interest, John. But love isn’t free and comes at a cost in this one. In an affair closely tied with Jane’s origin story. All for what’s arguably the most compelling yet heart-wrenching tale about Miranda and Jane, with a shocking ending you’ll never see coming.
Meanwhile, Cliff Steele wants to be there for the wedding of his daughter, Clara; but just as he finds the proper T-shirt to wear, The Doom Patrol are called to battle Candlemaker. Cliff intends to be the father (and grandfather) he was not during Clara’s life, and though he mostly forever remains the same (he is a robot after all), we can see his desperate desire to change.
Finally, the gang finds Willoughby (this universe’s version of John Constantine) in a battle of heart and imagination, as each Doom Patrol member must face off against their inner demons, both their imaginary ones, but also, their personal ones: all for the battle to save Dorothy. Who herself, has to make a hard decision that will impact the state of the world…
Reflection (Spoilers)
Even though I love Doom Patrol, I’ve also been placed in this strange position, having to review it, while simultaneously reviewing Umbrella Academy — a comic which ironically, was greatly inspired by Doom Patrol. In a cycle about stories based on dysfunctional superheroes.
That said, I have to stress that there are a lot of great things about this ending, plus a lot of heartwarming and relatable moments of character. Which is honestly why I think the audiences tune in. Here’s me running through a few.
Like Vic, I also love the Cure’s Pictures of You when I go through a breakup. I think everyone who’s ever been through heartbreak before has embraced that gothic tragic phase, and given how difficult of a choice it must’ve been for Vic: choosing love or duty, it’s never an easy call to make. That age-old dilemma of following your heart versus follow your head. All culminating in his battle against Doctor Cowboy — a duel against Vic’s imaginary surrogate dad (who looks just like Silas mind you) — though is revealed to be just an imaginary parental figurehead of affirmation. A pathetic attempt at validating Vic’s many wrong decisions, which really pours salt onto Vic’s open-hearted wound.
Meanwhile, we see Rita continue her arc of dealing with the sins of her mom embraced in her imaginary friend battle against Mademoiselle Roxy, a beautiful face collage whose eyes were taken off a photograph of Rita’s mother. It should be said, that it can’t be easy seeing your mother’s eyes and carrying that burden of toxicity of a carried trauma of #MeToo, and for what it’s worth, I felt like Rita’s story wrapped up better in the past few episodes than having it brought back again here — though I understand the need: as Candlemaker is making them deal with their parental issues.
Finally, we have Cliff who battles… a Jason Mewes-speaking Jesus Christ. Why? Because it’s hilarious, as Jesus calls Cliff a Judas and uses Kung-Fu to beat up robot man.
What I like here is something that Doom Patrol excels in: using humor to pad the blow and deliver a more dramatic beat, as it’s revealed his time with imaginary Jesus at camp, and later, complete abandonment of Christ, was tied to his own father’s empty promises made to him when he was six. Cliff’s father hadn’t changed. He remained a piece of shit. Just as Cliff fears he won’t be able to change either. On the positive side: he does get a hug from Jesus culminating in what we thought was the Doom Patrol overcoming their parental issues…
Except, it didn’t matter. Everyone loses, dies, or is converted into wax.
That said, the crazier arc is still of course, the Miranda sex party story. Where we learn of her relationship with her boyfriend John, who sought to have open love sex with strangers. In a free-love approach that feels honestly forced. We see Miranda going along with it for the sake of love, but soon to hate it because it’s an orgy she’d never asked for, and so she of course loses control.
Worst, is that the sex with a stranger is a reenactment of the rape Kay had experienced from her father, utterly shattering the many personalities and essentially breaking the biggest rule: never hurt the girl. It’s a tremendously dramatic arc that culminates with the death of Miranda/birth of Jane, in a powerful story that really adds layers to Kay and her personalities; particularly, with what they had to overcome.
Though the biggest surprise of which came from after these reveals: Miranda is dead and always has been since just after this flashback. The Miranda we see in the show? An imposter… but who is she?
Finally, we see Dorothy embrace her destiny and take on Candlemaker alone, much to the grievance of Niles. Even though we’ve built-up a lot to get here, I personally, felt like it needed that 10th episode to really see the season off. Though there’s more than enough here to warrant a third or even fourth Season of Doom patrol if enough fans petition (please do).
Overall, a fantastic finale that wraps things nicely, though can only feel satisfactory if we get more episodes. Because there’s too much left open-ended, though now that the show is on HBO GO, maybe they’ll approach things differently.
“In too deep.” It’s a common phrase that can cross a few lines in terms of meaning. It can mean you’re emotionally invested too much. It can mean you’re dangerously in too much, like going undercover. These are gradients and there are things that welcome you to the eighth episode of I May Destroy You (HBO) titled “Line Spectrum Border”.
Theo’s (Harriet Webb) support group has ostensibly grown and we open up with a member Loretta (Shalisha James-Davis) saying how it’s hard to stop an unwanted advance when it starts small and that when she told “Bob” to stop, he looked at her like she were crazy and that he would stop conversation with her altogether because it was the “safer” option. Arabella (Michaela Coel) agrees that “Bob” most likely does think she’s crazy because he’s toeing a line in which there’s no clear delineation of what’s appropriate and what’s not. Since the line is a grey area with no clarity, Bella proposes women knowing the detail of the line, where there is no clarity because only then you can do the same and truly show them what’s the true meaning of ‘unacceptable.’ This speech was more real than real and one of Arabella’s finest moments in the show thus far. Let’s hope this strength in her upholds.
Later on in the park, Kwame (Paapa Essiedu) is relaying to Terry (Weruche Opia) and Arabella that sexuality is a spectrum. He thinks it’s easier for both girls because they are straight, but as Bella phrases it, “I’m not straight. I just love dick.” Kwame thinks because he has a cudgel and because it’s not safe for him to be with a guy right now, perhaps he should try out the spectrum and try a ‘female,’ which the girls rag on. However, upon receiving a video call from Nilufer (Pearl Chanda) and successfully not only flirting but setting up a date, his mates are dying. Then suddenly Arabella gets a call.
At the police station, both Bella and T notice both Officers Funmi (Sarah Niles) and Beth (Mariah Gale) are pregnant. It’s been nine months since Arabella walked into the station. They rundown what had so far with one exception. The suspect in remand on something similar did not match the DNA on Arabella’s flannel. This rends the investigation no longer active. Arabella has no words.
As they wait for any evidence, Terry simply wants to get her girl in a good place. She wants to take her anywhere to get her mind off of it all. Bella’s no funds, but Terry’s got her back. She just wants her best friend to feel good. Pacing about, Arabella wants to get out as well, but Terry’s not going to like her request… which is a plane ticket to Italy. Terry feels that though his dick game might be on point, going back to a controlling and hypocritical ex is NOT the best medicine. Sometimes, people can win out with semantics…
Kwame finally meets Nilufer at a restaurant later that night. Both seem nervous, as it’s her first meeting him face to face and for him not knowing if something might surprise him with where the night takes them. Commenting on how her hair looks, she summarily puts on a cap because she’s embarrassed about it, but soon thereafter takes it off. She’s comfortable with him.
Touching down in Italy donning her pink wig and flannel, she grabs a taxi.
As Kwame walks Nilufer back to her home, she inquires to his preference of girls. Black? White? Greek? She asks because she CLEARLY has a preference for black guys and gets all giggly when even mentioning it.
With the taxi meter ascending, Arabella’s getting nervous asking for the driver to stop until he finally does, as she only could afford so much. She heads over to one place, but even with buzzing at his gate to let her in, there’s no answer. Since her international data has gone out, she relies on sneaking in through an old lady that lives in the complex, going as far as to use the spare key she knows the location of to see herself into his apartment. This is uncomfortable to watch.
Back in Nilufer’s flat, on her bed, Kwame seems nervous. It’s no matter, as Nilufer takes the situation into her own hands, so to speak.
At the apartment, a VERY and understandably SHOCKED Biago (Marouane Zotti) finds Arabella. She begins to play “Something About Us” by Daft Punk on her phone, no doubt to try and recapture a moment. This continues to be uncomfortable to watch, but honestly, I totally feel Arabella at that moment.
Things only escalate for Nilufer and Kwame as they’re having doggy style sex… only she ends up on her stomach with him right behind her. Her instructing him to go harder only brings back flashes to the assault, but he painfully obliges until they both achieve. As Nilufer gets a drink for them, Kwame can only sit back with a look of shock painted across his visage.
Back in Italy, Biago’s freaking the fuck out. Arabella wanted to apologize for everything, including for in her own words “making” him go to the police station for a DNA test. She even ordered from his favorite pizzeria. She fears that he may hate her and though he claims he could never hate her, tears are brought to his eyes and they don’t seem like the happy type. Arabella claims to have stopped partying, drinking, and smoking and just wants that intimacy. This is something that Biago clearly didn’t want even since the first episode when she wanted a definition to them and he couldn’t even give her that. But hey, pizza’s here!
Biago notices that she is a little strapped for cash, so she takes his money assuming it’s for the Za. He asks how many days she’ll be staying with him and she replies with however many he wants her for. What comes next is one of the more uncomfortable and heart-wrenching scenes of this episode. Thinking all is right with the world, she’s locked out of his apartment, pizza in hand. She tries to bargain with him in order to find a way inside, to hash things out but is met with radio silence. Even when telling her she left her passport in there, he simply slips it under the door with nary a peep.
I wouldn’t say Arabella gets mad as much as I would say she gets nuclear and knowing myself, were I in her shoes, I would have done the same thing. She calls him every name in the book, riling up his neighbors and nearly kicks his door down. That is until he opens it, brandishing a pistol. She books it scared. Granted, he’s a drug dealer and a pistol seems like a ubiquitous tool of the trade, but there’s a lot to unpack here.
It was an understandable shock to Biago’s system for Bella to show up out of the blue after ending things badly, trying to recapture a love that may have been a summer fling. He may have been deeply concerned for her well being. He might have even been scared when he thought she would simply go away quietly. HOWEVER, he could have deescalated the situation by letting her in and talking things over. What he did was callous and foolhardy. Threatening her with a pistol took it to a level it didn’t need to go either. Also, when he claims he could never hate her, did he ever claim to love her in the first place? Pizza for thought.
As Nulifer lights up a doob, she relays to him the story behind her first tattoo, a commemoration of her father’s death and her manipulation of her mother to get it. She does claim to may have a sociopathic mind lie dormant, but Kwame thinks she’s cool anyway. This where I figured things would go downhill.
As they begin to rap to a song on the radio, in the N-word’s stead, she uses her term ‘nijja’ which Kwame thinks is silly. She, however, has no problem using the term ‘faggot’ and laughs at Kwame calling it the F-word. She also points out to not having much sympathy with “appropriators of female identity.” This gives Kwame serious pause and tells Nilufer that he’s gay. Upon insistence that he isn’t, he explains the purpose of the whole thing. He wanted to experiment with the spectrum.
She gets pissed that he’s a ‘virgin’ and mocks him when he gets upset leaving, calling him a “fucking dick.” She was a textbook homophobe and hypocrite. Either way, cast out into the rain, Kwame is hit up by a potential hookup and goes for what he’s only known.
Back in Italy, Bella breaks into the beachside place that she and Biago ended episode three on. It’s not sunrise though, it’s night. She’s shivering and alone. She eventually falls asleep and wakes up groggily in the morning staring vacantly into the azure waves. She then proceeds to, fully clothed, walk all the way into the ocean, attempting to drown herself before coming up for air just before the credits roll.
