‘The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty’ Review: Whack-a-Dirty Mole

October 27, 2017

The week on The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty- “A Million More Reasons” There was a Redemption Challenge and a second Purge. But more importantly, TJ FINALLY gets to reveal his million dollar dirty little secret.

Whack-a-Mole: Challenge Edition

Johnny and Britni arrive at the Redemption house and immediately go to caress Cara Maria’s face.

Well, that was creepy. Most people are surprised to see Johnny, but not Jemmye:

Jemmye: “Ever since he stole that money from Sarah on Rivals III he’s had horrible Challenge luck. This is going to come back to haunt him. He has not won since he stole that money from Sarah, he hasn’t even made a final.”

Please, Jemmye, never change. The house is dumbfounded at the number of champions and vets that are currently in the Redemption House. Johnny is also correct when he says that the Redemption house has more championships than the entire challenge house, but that is part of the game. It’s all good though because the Redemption House is like a mini Oasis where they can relax, drink, and watch some fireworks on the roof of their Cartagena Home. An Oasis that also used to have/may still have fleas, faulty AC, and toilets that didn’t work.

They can’t live in an Oasis forever though because a Redemption Challenge is a-knockin at their door.

I am pretty sure they didn’t name this Redemption Challenge, so I will name it for them “Whack-a-Dirty Mole.” That sounds like a name they would give it.

The game works like this: The Redeemers have to stick their heads through a hole and decipher a code from a wall of numbers hanging some distance away. Once deciphered, they must use that code to open a container with puzzle pieces and solve said puzzle. Doesn’t sound that hard, right? WRONG. While the Redeemers are trying to figure out the lock combination, the house competitors are hitting them over the head with “Whack-Sticks.”

On the girls’ side, Cara Maria is the first to figure out the combination and has a decent lead. Britni is the next to arrive at the puzzle and while Britni puts up a valiant effort Cara Maria solves her first and secures her spot in the house. While Jemmye was the third to get to her puzzle pieces, Veronica and Aneesa still had their heads sticking out of the hole when Cara won.

Thanks to Nelson, there are actually two openings for the boys, meaning that not one, but two guys will make it back into the competition. The two guys to secure these spots are CT and Jordan, meaning that Leroy, Dario, and Bananas will have to be sent home. Not gonna lie, I kept forgetting Dario was in this episode even though he was competing in the challenge. As for Johnny, I have mixed emotions about seeing him leave the competition. On the one hand, Johnny is so cocky that it is nice to see him be put in his place every now and then. On the other hand, he took responsibility for the loss instead of blaming everyone under the sun, and that is also nice to see. Maybe he is maturing? Probably not, but a girl can dream.

Drama-rama

After the redemption challenge, production allowed the cast member to go out and enjoy a nice Italian dinner in Cartagena, Colombia. Interesting cuisine choice, but I’ll let that slide. The table is both physically and emotionally divided by the different cliques. By that I mean Jailah et al are trying to enjoy their night out while Cara Maria and Camila glare at them while whispering to each other about how “they MADE those girls.” Ugh.

Cara decides to make the dinner as awkward as possible by passively aggressively asking Kailah why she is giving off weird vibes. This was hard for me to watch. Awkward situations on TV make me so uncomfortable that I sometimes mute the TV and put on subtitles to get through them. It allows me to know what is being said without having to hear them talk. I utilized that strategy for part of this dinner scene. Cara announces that she wants to have a talk with Kailah later that night and Kailah says she wants to have it tomorrow. They basically go back and forth trying to be the alpha in the situation and both come off sounding petty.

While CT still remains on Cara Maria’s side, he did have this to say about Cara’s behavior:

CT: “There’s a new generation of competitors coming up in these challenges and us vets, we have to change with the times if you want to stay in this game.”

Couldn’t have said it better if I tried. Kailah and Cara end up having their talk that night, and after Cara Maria tells the camera “You don’t want to make me mad.” Why, because you have so much pull in this game? I don’t understand what makes Cara and Camila feel so entitled. Yes, they are good competitors, but truthfully their gameplay isn’t something to be feared. Neither of them has ever played a politically or socially strategic game. They are no Rachel, Veronica, or Wes.

While the Cara and Kailah drama continues at the house, Hunter goes to the doctor. If you remember he hurt his hand against Leroy in the Presidio two weeks ago. The doctors put a cast on him, tell him that continuing to compete with his injury could cause lifelong irreparable damage to his hand, but Hunter is “tough” and won’t quit now. This is a huge issue I have with these shows and framing players as tough and strong for playing through serious injuries. This isn’t just a few scrapes and bruises, Hunter is in a cast and sling. If he competes and something happens to his arm (which is highly likely) it will impact the rest of his life. The money won from continuing to compete most likely wouldn’t even cover the medical costs caused from further injury. I think it is irresponsible for production to allow him to continue to compete.

End. Rant.

The Purge RETURNS (with a million dollars)

Guys, it is time. It is the moment EVERYONE (aka pretty much just TJ) has been waiting for all season! TJ gets to reveal his dirty little million dollar secret to the competitors. THEY ARE ACTUALLY PLAYING FOR THEIR SHARE OF A MILLION DOLLARS. I feel like the player always forget the “your share” part of that sentence every season, because they are not actually winning a million dollars. Anywho, TJ still has another surprise up his sleeve: It is time for The Purge 2.0: “X Marks The Spot.”

The players are allowed to pick their own teammates for this Challenge and the teams shake down like this:

CT and Cara Maria
Jordan and Tori
Derrick and Camila
Jenna and Tony
Hunter and Kailah

X Marks the Spot consists of four stages. The first three are complete in pairs, and the final stage is an individual task.

Stage 1: The competitors must roll a giant wooden crate through a barn or something to get to….
Stage 2: The pairs have to use a single crowbar to open their crates which contain several numbered ropes and run them to…
Stage 3: This is a number/logic puzzle of a sort. The pairs have to arrange their ropes so that the numbers on the rope equals the sum of the two poles that they are attached to. Once they have successfully completed the puzzle, they can dig up a bag containing puzzle pieces for…
Stage 4: A tangram puzzle that the players have to complete as individuals.

The first two girls and guys to finish the challenge are guaranteed a spot in the final.

Stage One goes on without a hitch, but it is Stage Two where teams start to have difficulty. CT/Cara and Jordan/Tori breeze through this stage, but other teams seem to struggle. Camila is just screaming at Derrick that he is doing everything wrong as he tries to pry open the crate (poor Derrick), but eventually, he cracks it and chases after the leaders. Kailah and Hunter are at a disadvantage because of Hunter’s injury and Jenna and Tony are at a disadvantage because they have Tony. (Side Note: This is another reason that Hunter shouldn’t have been allowed to stay in the competition, his injury isn’t fair to his teammate Kailah.)

After the teams finish the #MathIsHard puzzle at Stage Three Jordan and CT dig up their first bag of puzzle pieces and hand the off to their respective girls so they can have a head start on Stage 4. Derrick doesn’t offer this same gift to Camila because he does actually need her help digging. Also, Camila is a shitty teammate so why should he do her any favors.

At Stage Four, CT, Cara Maria, Jordan, and Tori are the first to finish their tangrams and secure their place in the final. Camila, of course, is not happy that she didn’t win and blames it all on Derrick. Derrick, on the other hand, isn’t going to play the “sore loser” card. See, he coaches 3rd and 4th graders, and one of the first things he teaches the kids is how to be a good sport. So Derrick is basically saying Camila is a worse sport than a 3rd grader.

Next week, the six losers will have one more chance to procure the last two final spots. There is no real front-runner for the girls, I can see all three of them putting up a good fight. On the guy’s side, Derrick is the obvious front-runner. He is up against an injured Hunter and Tony.

Other Things:

I really liked how the “X Marks the Spot” challenge was edited. TJ quickly explained that there would be four stages at the start, but didn’t explain what each stage was until the competitors reached it. This was a good way to break up the challenge and also keep the audience engaged throughout. When they explain the rules at the beginning of a multi-stage challenge, I often forget what the players are supposed to be doing when they reach the last stage.
I think we all need more Jemmye in our lives.

Stranger Things Season 2: The Strange-yier Questions We Need Answered

Leo Ng

October 26, 2017

Stranger Things Season 2 is right around the corner and the staff at The Workprint are super excited. Season 1 left viewers with a few major cliffhangers. Fans of the series were left wondering (SPOILERS AHEAD) what became of Eleven after she defeated the Demogorgon and then disappeared without a trace. Also, what’s up with Will and him throwing up the slugs? Does the Upside Down still affect him even though he’s back in the real world? Is Steve really Nancy’s true love?

Gather your Eggos and chocolate pudding as The Workprint staff makes their best predictions about the much-anticipated return of Stranger Things.

Q: Who’s your favorite character out of the main cast (Eleven, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, Will) and why?

Nicole: Dustin, because he’s the peacemaker and keeps the group together.

Alyssa: Mike, because he is level-headed and I think I relate most to him.

Jen: Eleven, because I’m really into strong female characters who like to eat but also Lucas because he seems the most realistic of the kids.

Leo: Eleven, I mean who wouldn’t want superpowers?

Bilal: Does Hopper count? He’s the first cop in a television show to get shit done and follow up using actual logic. If not, my answer is Dustin, because I can’t be annoyed with someone as funny as him. I also want to pinch his cheeks.

Q: Do you think Will got any new powers from the Upside Down? Do you think Will is a monster now?

Nicole: YESSS. He is transitioning into a monster. In fact, Will might be a conduit now for the creatures of the Upside Down to get into the real world.

Jen: Definitely. I like Nicole’s idea that he’s a conduit for the Upside Down, so I have a hope that it’ll come down to destroying his Horcrux-like ability or letting them take over the above world. (I don’t love Will.)

Leo: I think Will has superpowers like Eleven they are still dormant. Eleven was given her powers through experiments based on what the scientists have found in the Upside Down it would make sense that Will has powers.

Bilal: I don’t think Will is transitioning into a monster. He may have contracted an illness or a disease, but turning into a monster seems a bit of a stretch. Powers, I’d say no to as well since Eleven seems to have gained those through experimentation.

Q: Team Jonathan or Team Steve?

Nicole: Team Jonathan. Sorry Steve, but you’re an idiot.

Alyssa: Wait, team Jonathan is a thing? That guy legit stalked and secretly photographed Nancy for weeks! Of course, I am Team Steve.

Jen: STEVE. Y’all be crazy cheering for the creepy dude with the camera who stalked Nancy. Steve may be dumb but he’s proven he has the ability to change and improve and I think that’s important.

Leo: Jonathan all the way! It’s probably because I relate to his plight of never being the popular guy but always getting by somehow.

Bilal: Steve is one of the few characters who went full douche and found a redeemable path back. I like him, but in the end, I just want whoever is best for Nancy.

Q: What would be your weapon of choice to fight the monsters of the Upside Down?

Nicole: The answer is clearly ninja stars. Just kidding, we need lasers.

Jen: Weaponized Eggo waffles.

Leo: Sword/katana. Nothing beats cold hard steel.

Bilal: Grenades. An endless amount of grenades (Grenades totally defeat sword/katanas)

Q: Stranger Things, season 1, has already shown that it is willing to kill off some characters (poor Barb). Who do you think is the next potential candidate to make this list?

Nicole: I think both Steve and Jonathan may potentially be killed this season, but if so it needs to be gruesome and epic.

Alyssa: Jonathan.

Jen: Chief Hopper. Go big or go home

Leo: One of those bully kids. The other one survives and will have PTSD from then on, never bullying again.

Bilal: Mr. Clarke is biting the dust. He’s the new Barb. #JusticeforMrClarke

Q: Where do you think Eleven is and why do you think she is not reaching out to Mike?

Nicole: I think Eleven has mostly been in the Upside Down this season but somehow makes her way back to the real world. I don’t think she’s reached out to Mike because she probably thinks it’s too dangerous. But she might sense Will becoming a monster so she returns to Hawkins to help.

Alyssa: Eleven is off in the woods eating Eggos… duh!

Jen: I also agree with Nicole, but I think because of Eleven’s innate connection to the Upside Down, she’s probably more in a limbo state than Will was during season one. Like Nicole said, I imagine Eleven is steering clear because she doesn’t want to bring harm to her friends

Bilal: I think Nicole covered it pretty straight. She’s in the Upside Down. If she doesn’t reach out to Mike, she can keep him safe.

Leo: I hear ya Bilal, but how is she staying safe? She can’t fight whole hordes by herself.

Bilal: The power of Eggos, Leo. The power of Eggos.

Q: What is this new monster and what do you think its weakness will be?

Nicole: Squid monster, it’s weakness will be Will due to their connection.

Jen: Owlbear. Enraging it will cause it go into berserker mode and it’ll eventually kill itself from exhaustion.

Leo: Tentacle thing. If we stick to D&D names, my guess is Hydra.

Bilal: I’ve only seen the Superbowl Trailer so if its that giant spider looking thing, then its weakness is a giant shoe.

Q: What do you believe the Upside Down is and why does it exist?

Nicole: If one is feeling religious, the Upside Down could be a parallel dimension that most religions associate with Hell. It could exist to serve as a prison for the unholy hordes of evil.

Jen: To take Nicole’s thought a step further, I think the Upside Down is a metaphor for the darkness in our own humanity and how, despite our best efforts, our children become the ones who bear the brunt of our sins as adults.

Leo: It’s an alternate dimension for sure but what’s odd is the beings that live there. It has the same infrastructure as earth which means that we affect it and not the other way around. So maybe it’s just another plane on our universe.

Bilal: Just another universe in the spanning multi-verse. That or an alternate plane of existence, which is sort of the same thing.

Q: Do you think Hopper switches sides? Is he part of the bigger government now?

Nicole: Mmmm Hopper I think will still be on the outside not trusting the government.

Alyssa: No way, Hopper is an upstanding guy, he’d never switch sides.

Jen: I think Hopper rides the line in some misguided attempt to be part of the “greater good” but eventually he’ll realize his idealism is naive and then he’ll expose the government for what they are. Then he’ll die.

Leo: I doubt Hopper switched but he probably learned about some messed up stuff.

Bilal: Hopper will do what’s best for people. He’s one of the rare, smart cops on TV who sees things as they are.

Q: Do you think we will ever meet One to Ten?

Nicole: Yesssss, or at least we’ll eventually get more of a background story on them.

Alyssa: Damn, I hope so! But I wonder if they are even alive? Do we know if they are alive? Maybe earlier numbers were all killed.

Jen: I doubt it. I wouldn’t want to. The excitement from Strangers Things comes from the mystery of not knowing everything. If they reveal too much backstory, the show loses its allure.

Leo: I hope we do, but only lucky number Seven. That way, we can have Seven Eleven.

Bilal: I always imagined they were dead. I’m going to say no, but I totally don’t doubt we’ll see the existence of a Twelve.

Stranger Things Season 2 debuts its full season on Netflix on Friday, October 27.

The Carmilla Movie: Laura’s ‘Five-Year Plan’ Broken Down

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 26, 2017

Last night the year-long anticipated The Carmilla Movie was released and it was amazing. I knew that the movie was going to be good, but I was not prepared to be blown away. The acting, the camera work, the sets, they were all phenomenal. The movie literally took my breath away. Towards the beginning of the movie, the always prepared Laura Hollis wheeled in her “5-Year Plan” board to show her faithful vlog viewers, and as a present to all of you Creampuffs I have carefully examined and documented the entire board. Don’t worry, this article is VERY light on spoilers. (Additional thoughts and comments italicized next to certain items). **After careful examination I have been able to decipher two more plans**

Year 1:

Donate Cookies to Homeless Shelter for Youth
Buffy Marathon (all 7 seasons) with Carmilla <3
Go to Comic Con with Carmilla
Eat a Vegetable (editor’s note: not a vegetable “a day” just a single vegetable for the whole year)
Go to Women’s March
Vacation in Paris with my HOT GIRLFRIEND
Finish Reading Harry Potter Fan Fiction

Year 2:

Road trip to see favorite band LIVE with Carmilla (editor’s note: that band is 100% Tegan and Sarah right?)
Finish DIY Books project
Write an article a day
Knit sweaters for penguins in oil spills

Year 3:

Graduation
Meet Christiane Amanpour
Read all Harry Potter books for the 59th time
First job as a REPORTER
Donate first pay cheque to charity
Dad’s 60th Birthday

Year 4:

Got Junior Editor Position
Save the Bees
Read more QPOC Comics (editor’s note: That one’s on my list too!)
Go to World Pride (with Carmilla)
Track down identity of Stickmilla
Save oppressed neighborhood
Finish knitting project (editor’s note: is this the penguin knitting project?)
Provide weekly “How is Laura” updates for viewers

Year 5:

Win National Magazine award
Knit sweater for every penguin in the world
Rewatch Murphy Brown
200 hours of volunteering at the library
Thwart evil businessman (editor’s note: How will she choose just one?!?!)
Befriend plucky orphan
First longform investigative report
Find more LGBT stories to read

Laura’s Nightmare 5-Year Plan Board

At a certain point in the movie, we get to see what Laura’s 5-Year Plan looks like in her worst nightmare. Here are some of my favorites from the Nightmare 5-Year Plan Board

Carmilla FELL ASLEEP watching Buffy
Favorite cookies no longer being made
Penguins die in oil spill
Favourite Lesbian Character dies

So there you have it. Let’s discuss what your favorite goal on Laura’s board it.

**Update: One of the Production Designers tweeted out a clearer picture of the board

A full look at the good and bad versions of Laura’s 5 year plan! I had so much fun making these with a bunch of little easter eggs. 😈🌈 pic.twitter.com/ythGEzfaIh

— En Tze (@en_tze) October 27, 2017

You can watch The Carmilla Movie by purchasing a bundle starting at $9.99 here and starting on October 27, The Carmilla Movie will be available on Fullscreen the exclusive streaming home of the film.

‘Shannara Chronicles’ Review: Riga Wants To Make The Four Lands Great Again

Nicole C

October 25, 2017

In this week’s episode of The Shannara Chronicles, Allanon is in the clutches of the nefarious General Riga with Wil, Eretria, Mareth, and Jax attempting to rescue him. In Leah, Lyria becomes privy to part of her mother’s plan and we discover just how devious Queen Tamlin is.

Wil and Eretria reunite

We pick up with Eretria finding Wil inside the barn near Shady Vale and Mareth encountering Jax outside. Looks like the ex-rover paid the mercenary with the bag of diamonds she got from Queen Tamlin to help her track the halfling. Wil is relieved to see a familiar face while she tells him that Amberle sent her. In return he catches her up on what’s happened to him and that he needs to save his uncle (who had been taken by dark Bandon). To do that he needs Allanon whom he discovers has been captured by the Crimson and taken to Graymark.

Jax appears to be the only one to know where the Crimson’s stronghold is but he has no desire to take the group there because obviously it’s dangerous and he doesn’t do causes. The trio manages to bait him though, appealing to his pride because obviously he’s not a chicken. Reluctantly Jax caves in and they go off to rescue the druid.

General Riga is impervious to magic himself

Meanwhile inside Graymark, Allanon is being tortured into revealing the location of the Druid’s Codex, a book that contains all their magical knowledge. He doesn’t reveal anything of course and tries to convince the elven general that the real enemy is the Warlock Lord who will be returning to their world soon. The conversation between the two is quite interesting because we get a better understanding of Riga’s point of view. The elf respects magic, however believes that it cannot be controlled. He also appears to be collecting all sorts of magical items but is he really going to be throwing those away? They are currently locked inside his chambers. The general tells Allanon that he plans to rid the Four Lands of all magic and it will be men like him that will stop the Warlock Lord. We even get a backstory that Riga’s mother was attacked when he was still in her womb and he became infected as a result. Interestingly enough it was this infection that allowed him to be impervious to magic. He was also a sickly child who managed to overcome his weaknesses and rise in the elven army. This shows us an individual who has worked hard for everything he has and did not get handouts in life. While he knows Allanon won’t talk, he is also confident that Wil will eventually come to rescue the druid and then he’ll torture the half-elf as another means of persuasion.

Queen Tamlin does intend to take Arborlon

Meanwhile back at Leah, Lyria confronts her mother about her marriage to Ander and demands to know what’s really going on. Queen Tamlin acquiesces and tells her daughter that the elves are on the brink of civil war and that Lyria then will ask her husband to seek aid from her mother once they are back at Arborlon. Once the army of Leah crushes the uprising she will then request that a permanent garrison be set up in the city to keep the peace, thus allowing her mother to take the territory without any resistance. How fiendishly clever! The queen is essentially playing both elven sides. Later on she tells Edain in private that she needs to meet with General Riga stat. If all goes according her plans, she comes out on top with all the elves losing.

Edain tells Ander Catania went home, the elf king accepts Tamlin’s proposal

Edain you lying killer! Naturally King Ander has noticed that his lady love is missing, but his second-in-command says that the handmaiden returned to Arborlon because she was having a hard time with his impending marriage. He claimed that Catania didn’t want to be there as a reminder to their king. Ander then tells Queen Tamlin that he accepts her proposal and will marry Lyria to form a true alliance.

Rescuing Allanon doesn’t go according to plan

The group’s initial plan was to have Jax take Wil into Graymark his prisoner in order to collect the bounty on the half-elf’s head. Once he is put inside a cell, Wil uses a lock pick to get out of his chains and then a small mixture Eretria gave him earlier to blow the lock from his door. He manages to locate Allanon and starts to free him much to the druid’s surprise. The elder man tells Wil that he shouldn’t have come, to which he remarks that he is doing this to save Uncle Flick. The tension is still very much there as he isn’t ready to forgive Allanon for Amberle’s new life as the Ellcrys. Riga and his minions enter the prison cell suddenly and both are shackled up again. The elven general then sticks a long tube down Wil’s neck and begins to drain him of blood hoping to loosen Allanon’s lips. Mr. Ohmsford still pissed off says that Riga can kill him but the druid won’t say anything because he doesn’t care about anyone. Ouch. The general switches tactic and tries to convince Wil to tell him where the codex is to get back at Allanon but he’d rather just die.

The women save the day naturally

Outside, Mareth and Eretria attack two Crimson guards who are standing in front of a small sewage tunnel that leads into their stronghold. They are saved by Jax who stabs one of the elves with his axe. They are surprised to see him there since the planned seemed to be that he would be inside with Wil. Earlier, he had wanted General Riga to pay more for the elfstones but was convinced otherwise. We learned that Jax had once been the only survivor of a demon attack and that he is still suffering from PTSD. Annoyed that he was bullied by the Crimson, he is in on helping rescue Allanon. The trio make their way inside where Mareth suddenly claims that she can feel the druid’s magic. She leads them to Riga’s room which is empty and naturally the other two are confused. But she tells them to just hold up and let her concentrate on where the magic is coming from. Voila, Allanon’s staff breaks out of the locker and comes into her hand. The druid himself senses something but doesn’t know what it is.

Just as Riga has his man drain Wil of all of his blood, Mareth breaks the door down with magic! She then uses the staff to push Riga’s minion against the wall and then cleverly flings a bowl of fire at the general because he isn’t impervious to that. Soon after Eretria and Jax follow inside to free Allanon and Wil. The druid needless to say is super confused because how can someone else be using his beloved staff? That shouldn’t be possible! Oh dude, when you find out why your life will be irrevocably altered. I can’t wait for that.

Mareth then uses her own magic to make a fake Riga, ordering his men to look for the escaped prisoners in the tunnels. Some minions stay behind though and they are attacked by the gang. Still there are more Crimson coming and so Allanon uses the staff to try and open the gates. Mareth creates a wall of fire to hold back the elves and hopefully buy them some time. Luckily, they all manage to make to just make it through the gate relatively unscathed.

Final Thoughts

The highlight of this episode for me was learning more on the backstories of General Riga and Jax. As new villainous elements on the show this season it was great to see that they are complex characters shaped by certain experiences into the individuals that they are now. Also it seems like Queen Tamlin actually has Jax tagging along in order to watch Eretria and what’s going on with their group and then report back to her majesty. Mareth definitely got a sense of that as she caught the mercenary eavesdropping on Wil and the ex-rover.

Speaking of which, Wil and Eretria’s reunion was a little awkward at first but perhaps she will be able to help him move on from Amberle and stop using the elfstones to see his memory of the elven princess. She noticed that it was affecting him and while he initially brushed her off, he eventually admitted it. The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem right? But they can stay in platonic territory for now, I am on the Lyria/Eretria ship. Is Wil suffering from some kind of magic poisoning? Well for now they left the elfstones at Graymark so he can’t use those for awhile but the season 2 promo trailer did show us that he will find the Sword of Shannara at some point.

The sword it is a magical weapon forged by the smith Uprox Screl and infused with magic by the druid Bremen (Allanon’s mentor). It was then given to Wil’s ancestor the elven king Jerle Shannara to use against the Warlock Lord in the Second War of the Races. However it seems that he wasn’t able to wield the sword fully and Brona (aka the Warlock Lord) was able to escape. The blade was then slid into a block and taken to Paranor. Later on Wil’s father Shea used it to finally defeat the evil druid. Looking forward to seeing it in action this season!

The Shannara Chronicles airs Wednesday at 10/9 Central on SpikeTV.

Miley Cyrus’s “Feminist” Song Selection on ‘The Voice’ is Questionable

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 24, 2017

This season on The Voice Miley Cyrus was the first coach in the show’s history to enter the Battle Rounds with an all-female team. Some have argued whether this will help or hurt Miley in the long run, but Miley is all about that GiRL PoWeR.

Last week, as Miley introduced us to her first Battle Round pairing, she provided some insight into her song selection this season:

Miley “I chose ‘American Woman’ for Mariah and Shilo because I think it made sense for what I’m doing with my all female team. Choosing songs that have strong female character and celebrating feminism.”

That makes sense, why wouldn’t she want to celebrate her strong female artists by having them perform songs about or by strong women. Well, the main issue is that this sentiment is juxtaposed with The Guess Who’s “American Woman” whose lyrics include:

American woman, get away from me
American woman, mama, let me be
Don’t come a-hangin’ round my door
I don’t wanna see your face no more
I got more important things to do
Than spend my time growin’ old with you

Don’t get me wrong, the Battle was amazing, and I loved every second of it, but you can understand how that may not be the most empowering song for women everywhere. The song was written by the Canadian band The Guess Who after they toured the States in the late 1960’s. Many have called the song chauvinistic, but the band disagrees with this assessment. In 2013, band member and lyricist of the song, Burton Cumming, clarified the song’s intentions in an interview with the Toronto Star:

Cummings: “What was on my mind was that girls in the States seemed to get older quicker than our girls and that made them, well, dangerous. When I said ‘American woman, stay away from me,’ I really meant ‘Canadian woman, I prefer you.’”

Guys, he isn’t being sexist, he is just trying to say that mature women are dangerous. He prefers the docile females that only Canada can produce. He doesn’t hate American women, he just doesn’t want to see their faces or waste his time growing old with them.

Some of Miley’s other song choices do embrace a message of strong women, such as “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper, “I am Woman” by Helen Reddy, and “W.O.M.A.N.” by Etta James. But she also throws in “You’re a Big Girl Now” by Bob Dylan which is about, well I’m not really sure what the main message is, but it hardly has strong female character. In truth, when Miley said that she was going to pick songs celebrating feminism, what she really meant was that she will pick songs that have the word “girl” or “woman” in the title.

Keep rocking that feminism, Miley!

‘The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty’ Review: The Real World Cartagena

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 20, 2017

This week on The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty: two new arrivals shake up the peaceful Redemption House dynamic and an EPIC elimination challenge takes place. The Challenge has been on a roll lately bringing back to back drama filled and action-filled episodes. Well, for the most part at least.

Pretty Little Backstabbers

The main challenge in “Pretty Little Backstabbers” is called Backstabbers (so original guys). The players have to walk to the end of a plank 600 feet in the sky. The first one to the end of the plank gets to send one competitor to fall to their death. JK, no one dies in this episode. If your X gets slapped, you hang 600 feet above ground for a little bit until producers pull you back up. The other downside of having your X hit is that you are at risk of being sent straight to the Redemption House by the guy and girl who had the fastest times. I truly think that I spent more time trying to describe the challenge to you guys than the amount of time the challenge took to complete. Essentially, this challenge was lame.

I understand that this challenge had some exciting aspects (walking a plank 600 feet in the air is *literally* no walk in the park), but for the most part, it was pretty lame. It took 5-6 seconds for the players to walk to the end of the plank, and there were only four heats, making the duration of the ACTUAL challenge about 30 seconds max. Somehow this 30 second of challenge footage was stretched into 10 minutes of screentime.

Jenna and Hunter have the fastest time and they choose Jordan and Veronica to go straight to the Redemption House. It is now time for Jenna and Hunter to decide who to send into The Presidio. Before the decision, Camila goes to plead her case to Jenna. By plead her case, I mean she asks Jenna, with tear-filled eyes, where did it all go wrong? What she ever did to lose Jenna’s trust?! Hmm, I don’t know, maybe it was that racist attack of Leroy, on top of being all around crazy.

Camila’s plea falls up deaf ears because she gets sent into the Presidio alongside Derrick. While D takes his fate in stride, Camila acts like Camila and blames….. Tori? Wait, what? Even TJ seemed to think that attack came out of nowhere and simply asks “What did Tori do?” This, my friends, is where shit gets crazy and bizarre really quickly. Here is Camila’s logic, Jailah (yes she actually used the term Jailah) was loyal to Camila before Tori came into the mix, therefore everything is Tori’s fault. Everyone starts fighting with each other and TJ has to be the grown-up in the situation and remind everyone to speak “One at a time.”

Tori tries to explain herself, while also stating the obvious: Camila is a horrible person. Every time she tries to speak though, Camila interrupts her.

Tori: “It’s very hard to talk when Camila won’t stop talking…”

As Tori is saying this, Camila interrupts her. More than anything, I want to know what is going on in TJ’s head throughout this whole thing. TJ Lavin, if you are reading this (which you probably are not) hit me up for an interview!

Even after The Presidio votes were cast, and TJ had left the house, the Camilinator continues to rampage and berate Tori, the person who DIDN’T send her into elimination. In order to keep herself out of trouble, Tori locks herself in the closet to ensure she doesn’t punch Camila and get her ass sent home.

The Presidio

With the numbers dwindling there are only two guys, and three girls left for the doublecross. Luck wasn’t on the side of either Johnny or Britni this week and they both sent into the elimination challenge. Yes, that means we will have Banana’s and Derrick SHOWDOWN!

The name of the game for this elimination is “The Reel World.” Okay, Challenge, I’ll give you credit, that title was pretty witty. The goal of the challenge is to get a 50-pound bell attached to a rope to cross your finish line. To do this the players must wind up the rope’s slack by spinning a giant spool wheel. When the competitor falls off the spool they must run back to the front and start again.

The girls’ heat was pretty uneventful. Britni has a pretty pathetic showing and Camila easily secures the win. Let’s be honest, the girls heat was just an opening act. We are all really here to watch Derrick and Johnny go at it.

Johnny’s strategy is to try to stay on top of the spool as long as possible to reduce the number of times he has to run back to the front. This game plan gives him an early lead, but you should never count out D the Diesel. As the challenge starts to wear Johnny down, Derrick takes the opportunity to take back the lead, and win the elimination. HELL YES! Derrick took out Johnny. But there are no hard feelings, and the two have a sweaty and exhausted embrace once the challenge was done.

The Redemption House

Jemmye is the queen of The Redemption house. Full stop. I know that I raved about how entertaining Marie was during her stay there, but she doesn’t hold a candle to Jem.

It is no longer The Redemption House, it is now The Real World: Cartegena featuring:

Leroy: Everyone’s favorite roommate (besides Jemmye of course)
CT: Is always a little stinky.
Cara Maria: The one who hates all the other roommates
Anessa: is best friends with everyone
Dario: The one who got no camera time

Jemmye: People would forget that Dario was on the season.

The dynamic of RW: Cartagena is disrupted when the two new housemates, Veronica and Jordan, arrive. Apparently, Cara has some major beef with Jordan this season that I seemed to have missed. Jordan doesn’t help the matter when he tells Cara Maria that no one wants to run a final with her.

Jordan: “Thinking about running a final with Cara Maria absolutely makes my skin crawl.”

Either I am having deja vu, or I have heard that exact same line from Jordan before. Oh wait, that’s because The Challenge took the SAME EXACT sound byte Jordan used last week, and literally just replaced ‘Camila’ with ‘Cara Maria.’ The horrible editing of this season just baffles me. Do they think we are stupid and wouldn’t realize that recycled that quote from the episode that aired JUST SEVEN DAYS PRIOR? Things like this get me so mad.

Cara Maria is incredibly offended by Jordan’s statements, because as Jemmye astutely points out:

Jemmye: “This was the icing on the cake. Jordan has insulted Cara on the highest level possible. The Challenge, this is her livelihood and Jordan basically told her ‘You’re not good at it, I’d rather run with people who have no experience.”

Jemmye needs her own talk show. But no one is really buying what Jordan is saying, even CT thinks he is full of shit, so I’m not sure what Jordan is playing at here. If all he wanted to do was get under Cara Maria’s skin, he succeeded at that and in retaliation, Cara decides to throw Jordan’s bags into the pool.

Little did Cara know that the Under Armour bags that production provided for them float. This has got to be the all time, most epic, prank fail in Challenge history.

Other Things

In Backstabbers, each person had three X’s in front of them, meaning that one of those X’s correspond to the plank they were on as well. Do you think it was possible for them to accidentally drop themselves? If they did would they have been disqualified? I really wish someone (preferably Tony) had accidentally dropped himself.
Johnny Bananas is, undoubtedly, the ultimate Challenge champ, but I think people forget that he doesn’t do many elimination challenges. I don’t think people are really scared to go against Johnny, they are more scared of what happens if he comes back to the house, because he has a very strong social game. Derrick, on the other hand, is an elimination challenge vet. I mean he won 4 out of 5 gauntlets in The Gauntlet II.
I’m pretty sure Aneesa said “When they start chaffing and stop being thin” which is amazing.

‘Shannara Chronicles’ Review: Danger Lurks Everywhere

Nicole C

October 18, 2017

This week on the Shannara Chronicles, things get a lot worse for Wil, Allanon, and Eretria as they encounter danger from multiple fronts with the Mord Wraiths, the Crimson, mercenaries, and Queen Tamlin up to no good. Season two thus far is proving to be full of intrigue, action, and secrets.

We’re also getting an increased dystopian and post-apocalyptic feel to the show, which is completely appropriate given that the Shannara books (though in the high fantasy genre) is set during the distant future after civilization on Earth was destroyed due to a chemical and nuclear holocaust. I’m also thoroughly enjoying Wil’s new haircut, Eretria’s new love interest, dark Bandon’s scruffy new look, Ander’s struggle to be a responsible king, and General Riga’s captivating mismatched eyes.

Here are the unforgettable moments from season 2 episode 2: Wraith

Wil gets to know Allanon’s daughter Mareth

While running from the Mord Wraiths who is seeking Wil for Bandon, the two halflings jump of a cliff next to a waterfall and swim into a hidden underground cave. They are actually close to Shady Vale where Wil is hoping to find his Uncle Flick alive. Mareth reveals that she’s Allanon’s daughter through Pyria Elessedil, the sister of King Eventine and cousin to current King Ander (making her Amberle’s first cousin once removed). She’s looking for her father because he’s the last druid and the only one who can teach her to control her burgeoning powers. Interestingly enough Wil comments that Allanon had to learn to how to use magic and wasn’t born with it. Once the coast is clear the two make their way to Shady Vale and luckily find Flick still breathing.

Bandon and the Crimson both want Wil

Meanwhile we know from the season 2 premiere that both dark Bandon and General Riga of the Crimson want Wil but for two very different reasons. Both send their minions to find Mr. Ohmsford though it is the Mord Wraiths who locate the Elfstone user first because you know, magic. The Crimson however are resourceful elves themselves and hear that he has been at Storlock with the Gnome healers. One of Wil’s teachers is being tortured by Riga’s men when suddenly Bandon appears and kills them. He then uses his mind reading abilities to extract the knowledge he seek, discovering Uncle Flick’s location in Shady Vale. Surprisingly though he lets the Gnome live, saying that his quarrel isn’t with them.

Lyria forgets to tell Eretria she’s a princess

Poor Eretria, people keep lying to her! When we last left the two women, they had been captured by rovers on their way to Arborlon. While strung up, the two are surprisingly saved by a vicious man who kills their captors without mercy or hesitation. He then explains that he’s sure they could have taken care of the problem themselves but didn’t want to risk damaging the merchandise. Before Eretria can do anything she is knocked out by Garet Jax the mercenary who is there to retrieve Lyria, the daughter of Queen Tamlin of Leah. The princess it seems ran away from home and mom hired Jax to fetch her.

King Ander arrives in Leah with Allanon

After his battle at Skull Mountain, Allanon meets with King Ander secretly and tells him of the growing danger with Bandon trying to resurrect the Warlock Lord. His former pupil has the Warlock Sowrd and the heart of his evil master, but still requires the skull to perform the dastardly deed. Thankfully Allanon has hidden it away for safety. The druid advises Ander to seek aid from Queen Tamlin to battle both the Crimson and Bandon. The elven king agrees and travels with his entourage to Leah to meet with the human ruler. While there, a grand feast is held in their honor and Tamlin tells Ander that she wants a true alliance between them, aka she wants him to marry Lyria so that her daughter will be queen of Arborlon.

In Leah things get even more complicated

Most of the juicy action all happens in the golden city of Leah this week folks. Eretria follows Jax to the palace bordello and makes him tell her where Lyria is. He laughs and says that he has a soft spot for hopeless romantics and reveals that her ladylove is the princess. Yikes! Eretria finds Lyria and confronts her about it with the other woman explaining that she hates it here and that her mother only wants to use her. Guards then burst into the room and the former rover is taken to the queen. Eretria tells Lyria that if she really cares about her then she should tell King Ander that she’s here. Upon meeting Queen Tamlin, the older woman regretfully explains how her daughter changes lovers as she does outfits and has run away from the palace multiple times. Eretria is just another unfortunate play thing to the princess. The queen then offers her a bag full to diamonds to leave and forget Lyria or otherwise she’ll be killed.

Meanwhile King Ander and Catania have grown very quite intimate. She tells him that she knows Queen Tamlin wants him to marry Lyria in order to unite their two kingdoms and she urges him to do it to save the elves. Noble Ander doesn’t want to be in a loveless marriage and recognizes that he’s in a tough spot after telling the queen that he wants to have better relations with the humans and recognizes that challenges they faced during his father’s reign. Their moment is interrupted though by Lyria’s arrival informing them of Eretria’s current situation. Thankfully, Ander quickly goes to locate the former rover and proclaims that she’s under his protection.

Eretria learns of Amberle’s fate

This whole time Eretria hadn’t known what happened to elven princess Amberle (now Ambertree the Ellcrys) and when she meets with Allanon, Ander, and Catanaia they fill her in. She tells them that Amberle appeared to her in a vision warning that Wil was in grave danger and that’s why she came back. The druid says that he hoped to spare Wil from more conflict, but if the Ellcrys sent a message then they need to find the halfling fast because he’s the only one who can stop the Warlock Lord. Allanon, Eretria, and Catania prepare to leave for Shady Vale.

In which more crap happens in Leah

Eretria and Lyria have a tense parting as the princess tries to convince the ex-rover that her feelings are genuine. However when Eretria asks her to leave with their party, Lyria says she can’t because her mother would have them hunted and killed. I definitely have no doubts that Queen Tamlin is capable of that. I feel terrible for Eretria though because she can’t seem to catch a break. She was broken hearted before because she felt that Wil’s heart belonged to Amberle and now Lyria is too afraid of her mother to fight for their relationship. She leaves saying that there’s nothing left for her there. Ouch.

Allanon in the meantime comes face to face with General Riga of the Crimson in the stables. The general has an enchanted brass knuckle weapon that protects him from magic. Well that’s super convenient. So when the druid tries a blast from his staff, nothing happens to the elf. Riga then throws a face punch and knocks Allanon out cold. To make matters worse he then puts a magic suppressing collar on the unconscious man before taking him back to their headquarters. Well this can’t be good. Eretria and Catania witness all of this and Eretria tells the former handmaiden to warn King Ander while she goes to find Wil. She now realizes how much danger he’s in from both the Crimson and Bandon’s forces.

Catania goes to Ander’s room only to find Edain in there who asks her what’s wrong. He says that Ander is with Queen Tamlin and she explains that Allanon was taken by General Riga. She knows that there’s a mole in the castle because the Crimson was waiting for the druid in the stables, meaning someone let them in. Edain tries to calm her down, saying that she did the right thing and then stabs her in the gut. Well now looks like he’s a double agent and is actually working for Riga. It seems unlikely that Catania survives this and what a shame. I was looking forward to getting some kind of reunion between her and Bandon. But I suppose this now totally frees up Ander to marry Lyria?

Bandon doesn’t kill Wil

So Bandon and the Mord Wraiths track Wil down at his uncle’s house. Mareth tries to buy them some time by using her magic to conjure up clones of herself while the two Ohmsford men hide inside an abandoned barn. Wil uses the Elfstones to hold one of the Mord Wraiths back but Bandon appears. He’s able to redirect the magic back to the halfing using the Warlock Sword. He then tells Wil that he likes him because he was the only one who showed him kindness and that they should become bffs. Bandon explains that he’s doing this for magic wielders and that the Warlock Lord would help them reach their fullest potential. Wil refuses though and so the dark elf uses his mind reading abilities to penetrate Wil’s mind (but he doesn’t have that info because it was his father Shea who defeated the Warlock Lord with Allanon). Unable to bear his nephew’s torture, Flick speaks up and tells Bandon that he knows where the skull is because he was there with Shea and the druid. The elder Ohmsford reveals that it’s locked inside an enchanted chest in Paranor. The villain smirks and tells Wil that a Shannara and a druid can unlock it and so if he wants his Uncle Flick to live he has three days to find Allanon and to retrieve the skull. Flick then vanishes with Bandon and the Mord Wraith, leaving halfling alone.

Final Thoughts

Wasn’t expecting Edain to be secretly working with General Riga but makes sense given how unstable life is for the elves right now. But damn stabbing Catania was cold.
Since Queen Tamlin hates the elves, what does she really have planned by having Lyria marry Ander? Does she plan to use their wedding as a way to invade Arborlon?
What’s General Riga’s end game? So he rids the world of magic and then what?
Oh Bandon, me thinks you are being used by the Warlock Lord. I hope your smart enough to know that you need some kind of backup plan once you revive him. He’ll probably suck your magic or something like that.
Will Bandon care that Catania was stabbed by Edain?
Wil seems to endlessly find himself tied to Allanon and the Elessidils.
We need more Ambertree flashes!
Also Wil needs some basic fighting skills, stat.

The Shannara Chronicles airs Wednesday at 10/9 Central on SpikeTV.

‘The Shannara Chronicles’ Season 2 Brings LGBTQ Characters, Intense Training, and Unexpected Connections

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 18, 2017

The Shannara Chronicles cast and crew weren’t lying when they said this season would be darker and more action-packed. Those weren’t all stunt doubles on screen in the season 2 premiere, the actors themselves had to go through quite a bit of training to get ready for those scenes. While at NYCC, the actors opened up about shooting in New Zealand, training for their action scenes, and more.

The Physical Training was Intense

For Austin Butler, being able to participate in more action scenes this season was a dream come true:

Butler: “Being in the backyard swinging swords and jumping over trees and stuff, that was what I did as a kid. So to get paid to do that was a dream.”

This crew’s training consisted of a month straight of daily workouts which included everything from boxing, horseback riding, boot camp style workouts, and weapons training, which was Ivana Baquero’s (Eretria) favorite part. While Eretria will still be throwing those daggers this season, she will also acquire new weapons to play with.

Baquero: “I got to learn with a real weapon and I had to learn how to throw real knives. It just felt so empowering, I mean I learned how to sword fight too, it was really cool.”

Vanessa Morgan (Lyria) did not expect the training to be so intense as this was her first role that would require such physical training. On top of a month of intense training, the actors were given their fight choreography a week in advance to practice and rehearse:

Morgan: “My reactions are real because you don’t want to mess up and get hit. We had a month training just to get comfortable but they would give you your choreography a week before the scene you would go in every day just to get it right. Cause you can mess up, and obviously the swords are gonna be fake but it still hurts, they do cut”

While Morgan said she is not sure if she would like to do such physical roles in future projects, she did enjoy learning how to work with a sword. One of the scenes she is the proudest of, and made her feel badass, is this clip from the trailer.

She was very proud of catching the sword in the sequence and is excited for fans to see why that fight is happening. Even with all of the hard work though, the cast did get a chance to go out and enjoy New Zealand.

Morgan: “Obviously the work load’s a lot, but on weekends we would go have fun. You don’t have the distractions of your LA friends, you really just have each other so we were doing a lot of bonding on the weekends, had some good times, went out dancing.”

On Creating a Post-Apocalyptic, Fantastical, San Francisco

This season Shannara sets will really bring the fact that this is a post-apocalyptic fantasy world into the forefront. This was apparent in the first episode with Eretria’s fight with the trolls taking place on the remnants Golden Gate Bridge.

This is something about the books that really intrigued show creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar.

Gough: “It’s something that’s very distinct about the book, to see an elf juxtaposed to the landscape of San Francisco is very dynamic.”

After watching the first act of The Shannara Chronicles premiere, Butler was still in awe of how expertly the show melds CGI with the New Zealand backdrop to create this post-apocalyptic world, and how seeing the final product helps with his performance.

Butler: “I remember filming a scene in a parking lot behind a giant green screen and now we’re seeing the Golden Gate Bridge. It looks incredible. But I remember what it was like filming that. It’s such a good lesson, every time I see it, to immerse yourself like a child when you’re on set because that amount of imagination is necessary because sometimes it can be hard to really imagine what’s happening.”

All Aboard the Lyria/Eretria Ship (Does this Ship have a name yet?)

Morgan is no stranger to playing queer characters. On Finding Carter her character Bird had a short-lived fling with a cutie named Madison, and she also played a lesbian character Destiny in the movie Pimp. Wait guys, there’s still more. Lyria is not even the only bisexual character Morgan is playing this fall! Her character Toni, who is bisexual, will be introduced in the third episode of Riverdale this season!

Morgan: “I’m so happy that I’m getting to represent this on TV when it’s so important in 2017 to show that you can love somebody for their personality, you can fall in love with their soul and not what’s written down as their gender.”

Baquero said that the responses she has felt from the LGBTQ community regarding Eretria and Lyria has been largely positive, but she is aware of the “Bury Your Gays” trope that many fans fear.

Baquero: “I know a lot of people are wondering what’s going to happen there. Are they going to kill of Lyria because they always seem to do that. We put in a lot of love into it. We really hope people enjoy it. It’s treated in such a natural way that I think, and I hope, that people really enjoy it and have fun with it.

Manu Bennett’s Personal Connection to Bandon

While traveling to the south of Ireland, Bennett learned that he has a much more personal connection to Bandon than he ever knew. While on this holiday he came across the Castle of Bernard in the town of Bandon. After sending a picture of the castle to Terry Brooks, the author of the Shannara books, Bennett came across another discovery.

Bennett: “I found out that one of my ancestors was one of the first Earls of Bandon. I followed my family tree back there and there were some very strange coincidences that tie into that.”

The Shannara Chronicles air Wednesday at 10:00 on SpikeTV.

‘Supergirl’ – “Triggers”: How In the World Does Lena Not Know?

Jen Stayrook

October 17, 2017

This week on Supergirl: Children make bad decisions, Sanvers has a sleepover, Lena yells and everyone is turned on.

With an improvement in cinematography and dialogue, the third season of Supergirl isn’t bad. It isn’t as happy or as exciting as the first two seasons, but it’s a different Kara so with her comes a different tone. I’m okay with that. I’m accepting of the heartbroken Kara who just wants to be Supergirl. What I’m not okay with are the small moments in “Triggers” that promise dark times ahead for beloved characters.

Face Your Fears

In the second episode of season three, Supergirl, still grappling with the emotions of losing her wet blanket boyfriend, squares off against Psi, a metahuman who somehow manages to have stronger psychic abilities than the green Martian, J’onn. Look, I’m all for having challenging villains for Supergirl to battle, but poor J’onn can’t seem to catch a break. I know that if they gave him his full abilities from the comics, Supergirl would be obsolete, but it breaks my heart to see Space Dad lose so often. Necessary, I’m sure, but sad.

Psi uses her psychic powers to instill fear into her victims. How she acquired such a cool power, we don’t know, but she uses them for the most evil crime in the book: robbing banks, because money is awesome. Instead of sticking to her Midwest robbing spree where there aren’t superheroes to stop her in her plight for more moolah, Psi heads to National City, the home of Supergirl and sometimes the visiting Superman. I’m just saying, she may be played by the gorgeous Yael Grobglas, but she’s not the sharpest tool in the shed. After trying the same failed tactic three times, and succumbing to her worst fears, Winn gives Supergirl a gadget that theoretically would put a stop to the psychic abilities. But in the end, it isn’t the gadget that saves her from Psi, it’s a pep talk from Alex who tells her Mon-El is definitely, totally still alive. Mind over matter. Face your fears. All that jazz.

Sanvers Interrupted

With all the nonsense in the off-season and the talk of Floriana Lima leaving Supergirl, the Sanvers breakup isn’t a case of if but when. Even though we FINALLY got a cute morning sequence between the engaged pair, their demise is written on the wall.

Last week they argued about Alex’s father not being at the wedding and Kara’s inability to come taste appetizers. This week they bickered over having a DJ or a band. Weddings are stressful. They test a couple, that’s for certain, and these are common arguments for a betrothed pair, but knowing that they won’t last as a couple, it comes across as insulting. To make matters worse, “Triggers” ends on a sour note for Sanvers. Alex, after having a sweet moment with the preteen Ruby, mentions that she wants kids with Maggie. Maggie, despite pushing hard for a huge wedding, doesn’t want the usual domestic life, and is completely against having children. If the Supergirl writers send them down the same path as Calzona from Grey’s Anatomy, we riot at dawn.

Sanvers may be doomed, but Supergirl needs to learn from their relationship mistakes. They spent an entire season building up Kara and James, only to destroy it in a matter of minutes to make room for Mon-El. Sanvers had a great beginning, a positive relationship for the LGBT community, and now I’m afraid it’ll be dragged through the CW mud. Floriana Lima’s departure should signal to them that it’s not okay to treat Maggie and James like relationship candy. They are characters who deserve full arcs in their own right.

For now, I’ll savor my sweet moments between the two, every glance and soft touch, but the fear is there and I dread the day it rears its head.

Children Are the Future

Despite the changes from her comic book counterpart, Reign has been one of the most anticipated arrivals for Supergirl season three. Instead of showing up as the dreaded Worldkiller, she’s a single mother who doesn’t know her own strength. In the premiere, she saved her daughter Ruby from a fallen cell phone tower. In “Triggers”, her daughter has decided that her mother being a superhero is way more important than holding down a paying job or staying in school. Now, I have a son who is an only child and for a significant portion of his life, we’ve had to make do just the two of us. Children get lonely. They love their parents and goodness, sometimes they just feed off attention.

I understand Ruby’s loneliness when it comes to learning her mother is starting a new job. HOW-TO-THE-EVER, she is, what, twelve? Oh hell no child, you don’t get to go punching other kids because you miss your mom or you think she’s a hero and somehow you acting out is going to change that. There are better ways of getting your mom’s attention than running into the street with a wrecking ball doing its business. Tell her you’ve started watching the old seasons of American Idol. Tell her you think the world is flat. Tell her you’re straight. Don’t text mom “come save me” after you ran away to get some pizza after your mom ALREADY HAD PIZZA DELIVERED. Who gave you money? Your allowance is suspended, you ridiculous child. Sure, mom will hug you after Supergirl saves both y’all from your dumb mistake, but you better believe I’d be putting your behind on lockdown after those shenanigans.

Man, the CW doesn’t know how to write children and it really riles me up.

Odette, you’re doing great sweetie. You go and run L Corp like a boss, baby girl.

Lena Bought Her Girlfriend a Company

After Morgan Edge (really, with these names, y’all) nearly stole CatCo from under James’ feet, Lena saved her girlfriend’s day by buying the company and convincing her to go back to work. Don’t think it slipped by me that LENA “QUEEN OF ALL THINGS” is the reason Supergirl gave Kara Danvers another go. I’m holding steadfast to every single Supercorp moment and you can try to sway my opinion otherwise, but I have years of delusion at my disposal, so I assure you, you’ll lose.

Lena shows up for her first day at work and James is immediately miffed by her presence. Did he not think his new boss would want to step in and check in on the place? I know Lena acted like it was a gift to Kara, but she’s still a businesswoman. She’s not about to adopt all these new babies and not make sure they’re well taken care of, James. Kara gives Lena a gift, A DANVERS FAMILY TRADITION, and I’m just saying that she didn’t give James a planner when he first started working at CatCo so y’all better watch out. The two girls giggle and flirt and in my mind, they kiss a little, but Kara’s stupid phone rings and she goes off to be Supergirl.

Can we have a little interlude about how ridiculous it is that Lena doesn’t know Kara is Supergirl? Last week, Kara left Lena’s office and literally ten seconds later, Supergirl showed up. Lena is the smartest person on the show. It’s downright INSULTING that the show is playing coy about Supergirl’s identity. Instead of addressing the elephant in the room, Kara continues to dodge Lena’s request for legitimate work all day, so of course Lena has to get stern with her new employee. Girlfriend won’t treat her as such, so she’s going to put down her strong, independent foot and let Kara know she means business.

In the end, they make up, without kissing, sadly, but after Kara’s panic attack in the elevator (with her shirt open and everything–rookie mistake!), I have to wonder how long the show plans to pretend like Lena Luthor isn’t observant about Kara Danvers.

Random Thoughts

There were so many great Danvers sister moments in “Triggers.” If there’s one positive change to come from the off-season, it’s that it seems like the writers listened to fans about how important their dynamic is to the show. Without the Danvers sisters and their bond, there is no Supergirl. Without Alex, there is no Kara. We need them.

Psi, despite being played by the wonderful Yael Grobglas, was a pretty vanilla villain. I appreciate that she got Kara to open up about her feelings toward losing Mon-El but ultimately, her story and Reign’s beginning as Sam were a bit on the slow side. I hope Psi makes an appearance later in the season. Also Livewire.

I love when TV shows mix up pairings. Maggie coming to Kara’s aid at the beginning was sweet, but more importantly we got another intimidating but kind of cute moment between Winn and Alex.

That stare turns me into a puddle of goo.

M’GANN IS BACK.

Supergirl airs Mondays on the CW at 8pm EST.

‘The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty” Review: “Feel the Burn”

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 15, 2017

This week’s episode of The Challenge XXX was hands down the most entertaining episode of the past two seasons. It felt like old school Challenge which makes sense because the OG’s took control of the game.

Just as a refresher, last week the house decided that Veronica had to “prove herself” which apparently is a thing only female champs have to do. I can’t remember a time anyone has asked a three-time MALE champ to prove himself, but you know. Veronica has to go up against her dear friend Aneesa in the Presidio, and Veronica swiftly destroys her in the elimination. Later in the episode, Veronica leads her team to victory in the Team Challenge. Now she and the rest of her teammates (Tony, Kailah, Jordan, and Britni) have to choose one male and one female to be automatically sent to the Redemption house.

Who They Gonna Choose?!

And that is where this episode begins. My predictions for who should be sent in was Johnny for the guys, and either Cara Maria or Camila for the girls. To me, this was the perfect way to get Johnny out of the fucking house and make him FIGHT for his way back in. One fell swoop and he’s outta there. The two that ended up being sent to the Redemption House were CT and Cara Maria. I am not mad about these decisions. It was smart to get rid of Cara and CT because they are two of the strongest players. On the other hand, I really wanted someone to put Johnny in his place, and Camila is just toxic so I wanted her gone.

Veronica and her band of misfits still need to pick one guy and one girl to send into the Presidio. Veronica and I are on the same page, play the long game and use the Redemption House to your advantage. If Camila goes into the Presidio and loses, then she and Cara Maria will have to duke it out in the Redemption House. Kailah doesn’t like this plan because then her dear Jenna may have to go against Camila and possibly lose. She wants Jemmye to go in and so do the boys. This is understandable, Jemmye is the weakest female player. But that doesn’t make Britni and Veronica’s decision to send in a good friend any easier. Isn’t this a sentiment that Kailah should empathize with since her voting method is literally about wanting to keep her best friend around? It seems a bit hypocritical to me.

When it comes to the boys, everyone has someone they are either gunning for or want to protect. Kailah and Jordan are gunning for Hunter while Hunter is the only name that Britni will never say. Veronica’s main concern is protecting Derrick while apparently, Derrick is on Tony’s hit list because they didn’t talk last week? Veronica is playing chess while these youngins are playing checkers though because she is two steps ahead of everyone else. She is afraid if they vote in Hunter, Leroy and Johnny with both say Derrick’s name if they pull in the doublecross. But no one wants to listen to Veronica and Britni leaving them feeling powerless and small.

THIS IS WHERE SHIT GOES DOWN

This elimination voting has got to be in my top five favorites of all time. (Other included when Abram asked to be sent home on The Island and people still voted for Johnny because they hated them so much, and when Kelly Anne was voted to go against Evelyn on Ruins).

The girls’ vote goes without a hitch, and Jemmye even admits “Yeah, I screwed you all over, I’m not surprised to be going in.” But all hell breaks loose when it comes time to vote for the guys. Jordan goes first and votes for Hunter. No big surprise there. Next is Britni. Young, sweet, naive Britni assumes everyone is going to say Hunter, so instead of saying her best buds name, she casts a “burn vote” for Leroy. TJ’s response was classic and awesome as he informs Britni that it is not really a burn vote if you are the second person voting, and three people have yet to vote. After Tony votes Derrick and Kailah votes Hunter, the tally is this: 2 votes Hunter, 1 Vote Derrick and Leroy. All the power is now in Veronica’s hands, and she is ready to use that power to its fullest.

Veronica: “What if I just throw a curveball now and say Leroy?”

Woah. Well, damn, now that ties the score up with Leroy and Hunter with two votes apiece. TJ gives with winners one last chance to vote, but if it ends in a tie again, the winner circle will have to go into the doublecross. After this new ultimatum, Tony changes his vote, and Leroy is voted into the Presidio. Well, THAT was a turn of events that no one could have seen coming going into this episode. It was, quite frankly, genius.

Veronica: “These people that I’m sitting next to all silenced me. Made sure that I didn’t have a voice in today’s nomination, so I’m gonna show them that I can still have a voice today. I’m gonna decide who’s going into the elimination.”

I know that Leroy is pissed with a capital P, and that people thought what Veronica did was fucked up, but she wasn’t in an alliance with Leroy. It isn’t like she broke a pact with him, or screwed him over, they just didn’t have each other’s backs, and even Leroy acknowledges that. I also think that Leroy should understand that he is the company he keeps, and that company is Bananas. So, while Leroy is a completely stand up guy, he is in an alliance with Johnny, so if someone wants to fuck with Johnny’s game, Leroy isn’t safe.

Next comes my favorite part of the episode by far, and that is Jemmye.

Jemmye: “I enjoyed this way more than I thought I was going to today. I just think that Veronica and Britni wanted to vote one way and they couldn’t get Tony or Jordan to agree so Veronica took their power for the guy vote.”

I know that I don’t personally know Jemmye, but I still feel like this quote completely embodies who she is as a person. First, she loves gossip and watching drama unfold, so watching that elimination for her was just gold. Second, she is really observant and genuine. She watched that entire debacle unfold and knew EXACTLY why Veronica was doing what she was doing.

Presidio

In the Presidio, Derrick pulls the double cross for the guys and sends in Hunter. Again, I understand why Derrick went this route, but I wanted Hunter to pick it SO badly so he could send Johnny into the elimination. For the girls, Jenna pulls the doublecross and says Camila’s name, which means everyone should put their raincoats on because a Camila shit storm is about to rain down. She starts hooting and hollering and says “fuck you” to Jenna a bunch of times before getting suited up for the elimination.

Kailah: “Camila is the worst sport I’ve ever met in my entire life.”

The name of the game is Body Check. The two players are placed at bell posts on opposite sides of a wall. These walls contain two corridors covered in paper. The players must smash into each other through the paper corridors round the opposite bell post and run into a second door opening to their bell. Best out of three wins.

The boys are up first, and while each heat was close, Hunter wins both rounds by only .01 seconds, sending Leroy to the Redemption house. The winner of the girls’ side was not really a surprise, with Camila coming out victorious. Also not a surprise, Camila throwing her helmet to the ground after the win and screaming “fuck you” a few more time to Jenna.

But seriously, how good was that episode guys. It was so good they only spent like 3 minutes total on the Redemption House

‘Shannara Chronicles’ Season 2: More Action, More Epic, More Twists

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 11, 2017

We got the chance to sit down with the cast and creators of The Shannara Chronicles at NYCC 2017 to discuss what can be expected from the upcoming season, airing tonight Wednesday, October 11 on Spike. One common theme ran throughout the interviews: This season is going to be a lot darker.

According to creators Alfred Gough and Miles Millar this season of The Shannara Chronicles will bring a lot of new characters, be more epic, and have more action, more twists, and more diversity.” The pair looked back at the first season of the show to see what worked and what didn’t to play to their strengths in creating the sophomore season. And this is where the season 2 begins:

“We start a year later. The elves have been decimated. They are reaching out to the Kingdom of Leah which is a human kingdom run by Queen Tamlin. Leah is kind of the weapons makers of the Four Lands and Queen Tamlin has a lot of competing agendas as well. We’re going to meet General Riga, the head of the Crimson, who’s a former elven general who fought in the War of the Forbidding. Now that magic’s back everyone’s freaked out by it and the elves are in disarray. He’s using this hatred of magic to start a civil war against King Ander.”

In addition to General Riga, many other characters from the books will appear this season including a much younger version of Garret Jax (from The Wishsong of Shannara) who works as a bounty hunter for Queen Tamlin. Mareth (from First Kings of Shannara) will also be introduced when she comes looking for Wil accompanied by “secrets. Lots of secrets.”

Another new addition to the cast is Eretria’s new love interest, Lyria (Vanessa Morgan). Lyria is a princess who moves away from home to escape the strict control she feels under her mother, the Queen. Lyria is a new character to the Shannara universe, as she does not appear in the books, and you should expect to see her kick some ass.

The Loss of Amberle

The creators also discussed the decision to kill off Amberle and why they decided to take that risk.

“There’s not many first season shows that kill off their main character, so that was a challenge. And we wanted to be true to that. We didn’t want to be like, ‘Oh, and Amberle’s back.’ That felt like it would be an insult to the books and to the fans. We embraced it, but it was certainly a risk and a choice, but I think it turned out to be the right choice.”

It also provided them with the opportunity to explore a sense of loss with Wil and allowed them to get deeper and darker into Wil’s character. Austin Butler had some thoughts on his character’s bereavement as well. With a year passing since last season, Wil’s grief will still be prominent.

“He’s tried to get over it but when we meet him he’s really trying to kind of go back to what he started in season 1 which was to become a healer but his head’s not in it and he’s really just dealing with the demons from his past basically.“

Allanon

Manu Bennett also discussed what is in store for Allanon this season, although he was vocally frustrated with having to hold back details of the upcoming season as to not spoil us/get himself in trouble.

“There’s some really critical relationships that are going to change the dynamic this season. This season definitely creates a big new spin on Allanon’s responsibility of the group in particular because of one character which I can’t really extrapolate on other than to say that it becomes a much more personal journey for Allanon just because of the ramifications of one particular relationship which I can’t say anything about. Yeah, god, that’s so dumb isn’t it. “

Don’t worry though, that didn’t stop Bennett from discussing his feelings about Bandon and Allanon.

“I think one of the really appealing things about the Bandon storyline this year is that as much as Bandon has been crafted into the potential “bad guy”… when you can bring humanity to the character, when you can justify why someone does something then I can’t see how you can even actually categorize them as a “bad guy.” It’s just perspective. Bandon was this young boy that was tortured as a child and locked away because he had a gift and that gift was brought to him like it was a curse, so everything that he’s doing he’s really trying to empower himself. He’s trying to find his identity. He’s trying to stand on his own feet and not be told by people what to do.”

This season Allanon finds Bandon about to make a very, very big mistake. While Bennet could not elaborate on what that mistake was he assured us that Allanon is trying to prevent Bandon from making said mistake. Bennett, Gough, and Millar worked hard on how Allanon would approach Bandon this season but a very big twist comes up during the season that may impact that relationship. What is that twist? Bennett obviously couldn’t say, but did reveal that even HE was surprised by the twist:

“None of us had any idea about this game changer. It really does throw the fox among the hens.”

The widespread persecution of magic this season will place Allanon in a lot of danger and he finds himself one of the main targets of the Crimson. Bennett’s comparison of the persecution of magic in the Four Lands to that of Jewish Pogroms demonstrates the darkness that will persist through the season:

“Allanon’s the last of the druids. You know it’s kind of like the Jewish Pogroms. They’re going around and just slaughtering door to door, taking people out who know how to do magic and nailing them to trees and crucifying them. We stood by magic in the first season… At the end of the day it was the thing that kind of bound everyone together and they united with that as their center. This season it’s kind of like the thing that’s gonna tear them apart most.”

Shannara Chronicles Season 2 premieres Wednesday, October 11 at 10pm EST. You can watch the trailer below

Bandai is Bringing Back the Tamagotchi for its 20th Anniversary

Bilal Mian

October 10, 2017

Remember the Tamagotchi?

The popular digital pet that took the 90s by storm making a return for its 20th anniversary.

To memorialize the event, Bandai America releasing a smaller version of the device in limited quantities on November 5, 2017.

Like the original, the mini Tamagotchi will include six different shell designs from the initial Japanese launch and each one will include six characters. To pay homage to fans, the mini Tamagotchi will also feature the iconic packaging design of the original device.

“For many Generation X kids, the Tamagotchi device can be considered America’s first and favorite digital pet,” said Tara Badie, marketing director for Bandai America, in a statement. “The enduring power of Tamagotchi is its clear expression that nurturing and love never goes out of style. It’s such an honor to bring back one of the most beloved toys in a way that captures the magic and joy of a generation while embracing the sensibilities of new generations.”

Since its initial debut, Tamagotchis have sold more than 82 million units worldwide.

Customers looking to get their hands on a mini Tamagotchi can pre-order their device starting today at various retailers. The mini Tamagotchi devices will be sold individually for $14.99.

‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’ Trailer Unleashes the Force

Bilal Mian

October 9, 2017

The second Star Wars: The Last Jedi trailer has finally arrived.

Premiering during ESPN’s Monday Night Football, the new trailer contains the first look at Episode 8 since the original trailer debuted back in April during Star Wars Celebration.

Official Synopsis:

Star Wars: The Last Jedi, the Skywalker saga continues as the heroes of The Force Awakens join the galactic legends in an epic adventure that unlocks age-old mysteries of the Force and shocking revelations of the past.

The film stars Mark Hamill, Carrie Fisher, Adam Driver, Daisy Ridley, John Boyega, Oscar Isaac, Lupita Nyong’o, Andy Serkis, Domhnall Gleeson, Anthony Daniels, Gwendoline Christie, Kelly Marie Tran, Laura Dern and Benicio Del Toro.

Star Wars: The Last Jedi is written and directed by Rian Johnson and produced by Kathleen Kennedy and Ram Bergman. J.J. Abrams, Tom Karnowski and Jason McGatlin are the executive producers.

NYCC 2017: Lore TV Brings Real Life Horror To The Small Screen

Nicole C

October 9, 2017

Amazon’s upcoming show Lore was at New York Comic-Con this year and we discovered numerous skin crawling tales to look forward to as the award-winning podcast comes to life in this new mixed medium series. Lore combines animation, live-action sequences, archival images and footage, and narration to tell the origin stories of numerous myths, folklores, and legends from around the world.

The original Lore podcast was created by writer Aaron Mahnke who explained the idea for the series came while he had been doing research for a book. We chatted with Mahnke at NYCC where he talked about his love for tales of the unusual and the macabre that brush up against history. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction and Lore captures that. Mahnke also spoke about how he was working on three books that expands the narrative even more. The first one titled Monstrous Creatures is out on October 10.

Watch our full interview:

We were also able to speak with actors Robert Patrick (Scorpion, Terminator 2, The X-Files), Kristin Bauer van Straten (Once Upon a Time, True Blood), and Holland Roden (Teen Wolf) on their experience working on an innovative show like Lore. All three were attracted to the project because of their interest in playing a character from a different era. Roden is also a big documentary and history buff and was excited to have this be her first job post-Teen Wolf. She was thrilled to take on the role of a fiercely independent woman during a time when females were still expected to be subservient to their husbands and to men in general. Bauer van Straten was drawn to her character’s protective instincts, while Patrick was initially sold because Gale Anne Hurd was attached to it and he just new it was going to be good.

Watch our full interviews with Patrick, Bauer van Straten, and Roden:

Lastly we also chatted with Executive Producers Brett-Patrick Jenkins (Face/Off) and Gale Anne Hurd (The Walking Dead, Fear The Walking Dead) on how they got involved with the project. Jenkins had been a huge fan of the podcast and contacted Mahnke through Twitter. Meanwhile, Hurd spoke about her passion for history and horror and how Lore combined these two elements together. She also loved being able to examine the origin stories for our supernatural tales and see how they are rooted in real life events.

See our full interview with Hurd:

Lore also had an interactive experience for fans at New York Comic-Con this year. A museum was set up where attendees would visit three rooms that corresponded to one creepy tale from the upcoming series. Each room also had an actor that would interact with audiences and walk them through the scene they were witnessing. My favorite was Robert the Doll of course, the spooky real world counterpart to Chucky.

Source/courtesy: NVE The Experience Agency.

For more on the Museum of Lore check out this video:

https://youtu.be/pBQK-pfD5Wg

Lore premieres on Amazon Prime Video October 13, 2017. Having previewed the first three episodes, the series will certainly be setting the mood for Halloween this year. It’s done a fantastic job in bringing the mysterious and at times terrifying events from history to life on the small screen. It’s October and it’s time to get scared folks.

NYCC 2017: Interview with Carmilla’s Natasha Negovanlis

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 9, 2017

The Workprint sat down with the wonderful Natasha Negovanlis to discuss The Carmilla Movie, the Creampuff fandom, and the importance of portraying positive queer characters. You can watch the video of the interview below:

You guys have built up a really big LGBT fanbase, do you feel that there’s a lot of pressure for you particularly, now that Carmilla is done, to be representative in the roles that you choose going forward?

Natasha Negovanlis: I enjoy the opportunities that I have to provide positive on-screen representation for the queer community because I’m a member of the queer community so I love that. People do often ask me “Do you ever get worried about being typecast as a queer person?” I think every queer character that I played have all been so vastly different and I don’t think straight actors are like “oh I’m worried about being typecast as straight.” Queer people are all very different and they all have very different interests. So, I’m always like “No.” Maybe if I was constantly playing a broody vampire foorrreeever. I mean, I love Carmilla and I would be happy to play her forever but if I went to my next project and it was the same kind of thing, maybe that would get tiresome. But I never get tired of playing queer, and I hope that I get to continue providing positive queer representation and I’m lucky that I’ve had those opportunities. But, I also hope that I get to play characters that have a positive effect on people or touch people and move people in any capacity. Because I think there are straight characters that queer people identify with as well. I want to tell stories, and I want to tell stories that resonate with folks as I shift to roles behind the camera as well. When I get to create my own content I certainly feel a responsibility to provide positive queer onscreen representation. That’s something that I’m working on and do currently. I just wrapped a movie yesterday in Chicago and I play a queer character.

You guys have a really active and loyal fandom. Are you getting the same kind of interaction now versus when the series was still going and there was new content for the fans to talk about?

Yeah, it’s only grown and grown, and its only become even more positive so I’m super lucky. It’s really important to me, when I have time, that I give time back to fans as well. We wouldn’t have been able to make this series last for long and then we wouldn’t have been able to make the film, which was really partially funded by fans, if it weren’t for them so I definitely say that it’s only blossomed. I’m excited to see where it goes and how the fandom grows after the film. Hopefully, even new people join in the Creampuff family.

What initially drew you to this project and did you know anything about the original novella before joining?

I didn’t know about the original novella when I first saw the breakdown for the series, but then I obviously researched it and thought it was very interesting. I’ve always been a huge fan of vampires. I’ve always wanted to play a queer character. I got to kill two birds with one stone. I think what really drew me to this particular project is one, I was familiar with some of Smokebomb’s work and I knew that their shows always did very well. This surpassed my wildest dreams, I had no idea that Carmilla was going to do quite as well as it did. But that was a nice draw because I knew it would be in good hands. And then also that so many women were on board. It was produced and written by women. That was such a selling point and I was like “Yeah, I want to be part of this project.”

But even just the initial description of Carmilla and the breakdown, I wish I could remember. It was actually quite long and you usually don’t see breakdowns that long. It was like a paragraph and it instantly drew me to her. I said “I have to audition for this character. I just absolutely have to.” it’s so rare that I feel that way because I think it’s getting better but so often you see breakdowns for female characters and it’s like “fun-loving and pretty” and the fact that you know this had so much weight and Jordan [Hall] did such a beautiful description of her character. It was like “able to turn on the charm at the drop of a hat” and “Languid sarcastic but also capable of profound loneliness” and all of these beautiful descriptors. I was just like “oh my gosh, that’s me. I want to do this.”

What do you think of the current state of queer representation in media in general and how Carmilla fits into that?

I think that there’s still a lot of work to do but I do think that it’s getting better. I think that it’s really important to have shows that are strictly for a queer audience. However, I’m really interested in shows that appeal to a mainstream audience that just have really cool chill queer characters. I think that’s where it needs to go as well. I think we need to see queer male characters that aren’t the token fashion lover, or very flighty and fun loving and the lead girl’s gay best friend. We need to see lesbians that aren’t evil, or don’t die, or aren’t home wreckers. We do have a long way to go. I think that it’s important to have some particular episodes that address their sexuality, but we need to move past that. Coming out stories are very important, and they were important to tell at a time when people were trying to illustrate the struggles that queer folk have had. The struggles are still there, but can we just integrate it into regular media so that maybe straight folks who love a show and fall in love with a character are like “oh cool they’re gay and its No. Big. Deal.” That would be great. That would be a dream. Or pan or bi characters. I would actually love to see a bi or pansexual character, selfishly as someone who identifies as fluid, that isn’t a promiscuous homewrecker, or doesn’t leave a woman for a man. Or someone who’s a person.

If there was one message that you would like your fans to take away from Carmilla, what would that be?

I think that when you’re honest with yourself and you’re honest about who you are that is when you can really grow and really flourish. That’s something I’ve learned playing Carmilla, even when I auditioned for Carmilla, and I hope that the success of Carmilla is reflective of that because it was very honest. It had a queer producer, we created it for a queer audience, it wasn’t subtext. We were all very open about ourselves. I think that even as actors everyone’s been very genuine. I hope that people take that away from Carmilla as a whole, and as a fandom, and as a brand. In terms of the actual storyline, the message is that it is okay to ask for help and it’s okay to lean on other people and to do things together. I think that’s something that Laura and Carmilla really learn from each other. They both were really stubborn for a long time and thought they could do everything on their own but they were way stronger together. Even with their friends, we see this in the film with the whole Scooby gang, it’s like they are so much stronger together. All of their differences, and the diversity within their friend group, make them a stronger team. I hope that people see that.

Do you have a favorite fan encounter or experience?

It’s so difficult for me to just choose one because I am so incredibly lucky that my fan experiences are so positive. It’s like 99.9% unbelievably positive. One of my favorites though, and actually it’s a little bit weird. One of our fans who was quite known in the Creampuff community passed away in December and she was here at NYCC last year. She was dressed as me, and she gave me like a little fang pin. I still have some of her fan art. She was just such a vibrant young woman. I really hope we dedicate the film to her, I don’t know how to make that happen, but I think that would be cool. But it’s been really cool to see how people have become friends through the fandom, and how they really support each other even through difficult times like that. New friendships have blossomed, I love seeing it online where people are creating this amazing community. People are just so kind to each other and it will be people who are all the way in Australia being friends with people in Norway and it’s just so amazing that it’s created a brighter space in this world.

I know you can’t tell us too much, but do you have a favorite scene in the movie that you are excited about the fans seeing?

I love all of my scenes where I get to have intimate moments with Elise because I really love working with her and I love our chemistry. I think that I do some of my best work with her. Also, I loved working with Dom, we had really good chemistry and a great connection. The scene I was most nervous about, I was also weirdly excited about at the same time but I won’t say more about it until the movie comes out.

Do you think we’ll see you on Wynonna Earp maybe? A crossover?

Um, that would be amazing. I’d love to just be on it, no crossover action. Just being on it would be great, let’s just put that into the ether.

The Carmilla Movie will be released October 27, 2017. Click here to see the official trailer.

NYCC 2017: ‘Shadowhunters’ Season 3 – Spookier, More Mysterious and Frightening

Nicole C

October 8, 2017

JIM HALTERMAN (MODERATOR), DARREN SWIMMER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), TODD SLAVKIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), MATT HASTINGS (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), ISAIAH MUSTAFA, KATHERINE MCNAMARA, ALISHA WAINWRIGHT, MATTHEW DADDARIO — NY COMIC-CON 2017 -SHADOWHUNTERS - Freeform’s genre programming was out in full force at this year’s New York Comic Con on Saturday, October 7th with executive producers and cast from the hit series “Shadowhunters,” “Beyond,” and new original series “Siren.” (Freeform/Lou Rocco) JIM HALTERMAN (MODERATOR), DARREN SWIMMER (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), TODD SLAVKIN (EXECUTIVE PRODUCER), MATT HASTINGS, EXECUTIVE PRODUCER, ISAIAH MUSTAFA, KATHERINE MCNAMARA, ALISHA WAINWRIGHT, MATTHEW DADDARIO

The cast and executive producers of Freeform’s Shadowhunters descended upon New York Comic-Con this year bringing in a teaser trailer for the third season that is currently filming in Toronto, as well as the news of Anna Hopkins (Arrow) and Javier Munoz (Hamilton) joining the show as guest stars. They also revealed the season 3 premiere date, which will be April 3, 2018.

When we spoke to Katherine McNamara (Clary Fairchild) and Matthew Daddario (Alec Lightwood) they teased that we could expect lots of conflicts, secrets, laughs, cooking, dreaminess, sexiness, death, dates, action, and horror. They said that there were going to be legitimate thriller and suspense elements brought into the show and that McNamara was especially excited about it, mentioning tons of blood will be present.

We asked Daddario about whether his parabatai relationship with Jace would change this season and he answered that he didn’t quite know but that Alec’s focus was currently on other things. However, McNamara pointed out that their bond didn’t break, it changes though because Jace himself has changed. Still, both Clary and Alec are trying to help him in their own ways.

Watch our full interview with the duo below:

Meanwhile Executive Producers Todd Slavkin, Darren Swimmer, and Matt Hastings spoke on Lilith as the new main villain. We caught a glimpse of her during the season 2 finale when Sebastian (Will Tudor) used his last ounce of strength to open a portal to Edom where numerous winged demons emerged and ultimately formed Lilith (Anna Hopkins). Despite being the main adversary for the Shadowhunters, she is a mother enacting her vengeance upon those who harmed her child. Book fans know that Sebastian/Jonathan’s demon blood had come from Lilith and so she viewed him as a son while he saw her more as his true mother rather than Jocelyn (Maxim Roy).

In addition, we will be seeing a lot more of Idris this season early on with the Clave recognizing the death of Valentine Morgenstern (Alan Van Sprang). We’ll be seeing the Cemetery of the Disgraced as well as the hallowed halls of the Gard where Consul Penhallow and Inquisitor Imogen Herondale reside.

The trio also discussed how Maia and Simon’s relationship will cause some issues within Downworld as generally each group socialized amongst their own kind. Also, we’ll be seeing more of Sebastian! Thank goodness.

Watch the full interview below:

Lastly, we also chatted with Alisha Wainright (Maia Roberts) and Isaiah Mustafa (Luke Garroway), who talked about Ollie’s persistence being a challenging situation for Luke and Maia’s backstory being explored a little more so that we discover her character’s origins. We also asked Wainright about Maia’s relationship with Simon (Alberto Rosende) and she acknowledged that Sizzy fans were ready for the vampire and Miss Lightwood to be together yesterday, but that she saw their connection as a necessary journey for the two characters to be ready for future love interests. She recognizes that Simon has a lot to learn about love to become a better man.

Character development is also very important this upcoming season as Mustafa mentions that they are only in the fifth episode of the so far and he’s already wondering where Luke is heading as the craziness in the shadow world continues to intensify.

Watch our full interview now:

During the panel we also learned some interesting details on what we can look forward to next year:

Alec has an interesting journey ahead navigating through Clave politics.
There will be serious consequences for Jace coming back to life.
Clary made a difficult choice in the heat of the moment by saving Jace instead of her mom or asking for world peace. In the second season she had lost her mother, father, and brother and she just could not lose Jace as well.
Cleophas (Luke’s sister) will be back in season 3!
The Book of the White was saved by Alec folks, rest easy.
They will be doing a different spin on Jordan Kyle on the show.
Javier Munoz’s character will be a charming and powerful warlock adversary to Magnus.
We will be getting Sizzy scenes ladies and gents.
Izzy will also be the NY Institute’s new weapons master, previously that was held by Hodge Starkweather.
Matthew is very concerned about Alec because the poor guy is super stressed out.
Maia and Clary will be working together in season 3.
Season 3 picks up shortly after the end of season 2.
We’ll get 10 more episodes for summer 2018.

Take a look at the teaser trailer released during the panel:

We’ve got six months to go but until then we’ll be counting on the cast and crew to keep posting behind the scenes sneak peeks!

Shadowhunters will return on Freeform April 3, 2018.

Five Things We Learned from the NYCC 2017 Screening of Marvel’s ‘Runaways’

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 7, 2017

Last night, Runaways had an exclusive screening of the series pilot at NYCC 2017. I think it’s safe to say that I have never been more excited for an upcoming new series than I am for Marvel’s Runaways. While I am fairly new to comic books, Runaways is by far my favorite comic book series. On top of that, creators Josh Schwartz (The OC, Chuck) and Stephanie Savage (Gossip Girl) are at the helm of the series. But, like with most adaptations, tweaks must be made to make a story work from one medium to another. Here are a few changes that hardcore Runaway fans should expect in the upcoming series:

You will see the Runaways in high school. While this may sound antithetical to the series title, the series does show the main characters in their natural teen habitat, High School. The question of how LONG they stay in school has yet to be answered, but for at least one episode, lockers and homework will be thrown into the teen angst mix.
Instead of Molly being the young naive member with protective parents, she will be Gertrude’s adoptive sister. After Molly’s parents passed away in a house fire, Gertrude’s parents adopt her. Not only does this mean that there is one less parental unit in The Pride, but it also presents a potential storyline of Molly searching for her parents after learning she is a mutant.
Speaking of siblings, Nico is not an only child.
Karolina’s parents are not actors in the TV adaptation of Runaways, instead they are leaders of a cult like religion that praises Gibborim
The series will invest time and plot into the stories of The Pride, looking into the parent’s point of view. While the pilot focuses on the Runaways story of how they reconnect to learn the truth about their parents, the second episode retells that same day from the parent’s point of view.

While there are some changes, many of your favorite things will stay the same. Alex is still the leader of the gang, Karolina still gets all sparkly without her bracelet, and Old Lace will still be around.

Marvel’s Runaways airs on Hulu on November 21!

NYCC 2017: The Carmilla Movie interview with Elise Bauman

Alyssa Berkowitz

October 6, 2017

We got the chance to sit down with Elise Bauman, the star of the web series Carmilla, and upcoming feature film The Carmilla Movie, to discuss character growth, Harry Potter references and the show’s impact in the LGBTQ community. You can watch the video of the interview below.

What do you think of the growth of Laura from Season 1 to season 3? How do you feel about how the character evolved?

Elise: Yeah, the evolution of Laura Hollis. When we first meet her she’s very bright eyed and bushy tailed, and has a very naïve view of the world. In order to get her to the point that we saw her at the end of Season 3 and the film, in order to get a character out of nativity, you kind of have to throw them under the bus a little bit, and make them go through situations where they accept that not only is the world not the picturesque view that she thought it was, but also herself does not match that view. What we saw in season 2 was her labeling that as bad. I think what we saw was her beating herself up about that instead of accepting it as human and accepting that once I know these things then I actually have a choice of whether I want to continue behaving that way or if I want to move into a different behavior. I think that’s what we get to see in the film. We get to see her a little more grown up, and still running into the same problems a lot of the time, but maybe dealing with them in a more mature and conscious way.

What’s your favorite or most memorable scene from the first episode to now?

The first thing that came to my mind was the fight choreography in season 3, we also got to do a bit in the movie. I would like to do that a lot more, that was really fun. It really is such a cliché thing to say but it is difficult to pick a moment because we had so many special moments throughout the years and it really has felt like the growth of a family and you know its kind of like asking someone to say “What was your favorite Christmas?” They were all wonderful! All the scenes where we get to be together as a big cast, those were fewer and far between to be able to be with everyone on screen at the same time, but those scenes are amazing. And then also scenes that are more intimate with Natasha where there’s no camera on us, or no vlog camera on us, we get to really see the characters as how they are private. I love those scenes as well. So, all of it.

You had had such short amount of time to film the series, looking back at the first three season, is there anything you would have liked to have redo?

All of it in some ways. But then in the same way I think it was such a gift of learning how to let my work go. Learning that what went out, went out. There was no editing, or very, very minimal editing. We didn’t get to splice shots together and splice coverage together. So really, what was shot was out there. Similarly to Laura, learning to let go of perfectionist was really important. I don’t think I would really redo anything because I think everything that went out was really meant to be and really led up to the next thing.

Do you have a favorite pop culture, or Harry Potter reference, from the series?

I also love Harry Potter, I will be honest, there were a lot of pop culture reference that went way over my head. Things that I have never watched before or never read. But there was this glass that Laura makes when she’s stressed out in Season 3. So she’s crafting and she makes the heinous Hermione cup, and she’s like “What would Hermione do?” and she looks at it and it’s just the most ridiculous thing ever. Little things like that were really fun.

Was there a different approach to shooting the film versus a web series? What was the biggest change for you guys in the filming structure.

Just being able to see the characters outside of the public’s eye. A lot of the stuff that we captured Season 1 to Season 3 was really in front of a camera that we knew as characters was going to a broader audience so there was always an element of holding ourselves back from how we would really be in private. I think we get to see these characters a little more relaxed, a little more themselves which was great. In terms of technically how it felt to film it, it was awesome to be able to have coverage to be able to take a bit more time, although we still shot the feature in 14 days which for a feature film is pittance, a very small amount. To live in the world a little bit more too all these great costumes that our amazing costume director had it was a wonderful, wonderful experience.

So Dominque Provost-Chalkley (from Wynonna Earp) was in the film, what was it like to have cross fandom within the LGBT community?

Dom just fit in like an old shoe. She really did come in and just seamlessly fit into our world and really was there to serve our story and to tell this story from what she was able to offer and she plays something very different than what she does on Wynonna Earp and it was great to see her fit into that. I think we have a lot of similarities, and a lot of similarities between our characters on Carmilla and Wynonna and seeing her live outside of that was so fantastic. But we talked a lot about the importance and responsibility of the shows we’re a part of and connected on that level and I don’t think it’s something that either of us take lightly. You can tell that the fandom and the importance that her show brings to people really means a lot to her. So, it was great to have that same energy brought into our set.

What do you think about how the LGBTQ fandom has embraced the show, and did you expect that outpouring of love that fans have shown for the show especially when TV and series are struggling to find their place within that world.

None of us were really expecting it to have the success that it did when we were filming it three years ago in a tiny little house with one bathroom. I don’t think anyone expected us to be at New York City Comic Con right now. But I think it sheds such a light on the misrepresentation of queer characters in media. The fact that people were so starved for accurate and positive representations really speaks volumes to where we were at even three years ago. I think media has moved forward and we are taking the right steps but there’s still so much further to go and I’m really thankful that I was able to be a part of a show that had such a positive impact on people’s lives and that started to shape peoples perspective of what is marketable too. That was a big big lie that studio heads were saying for such a long time that this wasn’t marketable. That this won’t make money. I think that’s bullshit and I’m hoping that our film starts reaching a broader audience now and that people are able to see it who maybe have never seen a love story between two women on screen and go “oh, this is just a love story”, or “this is just a mystery thriller vampire rom-com” and not separate the two.

The Carmilla Movie will be released October 27, 2017. Click here to see the official trailer.

First Look: John Krasinski in Amazon’s ‘Jack Ryan’

Nicole C

October 3, 2017

Today we have our first look at John Krasinki’s portrayal of Jack Ryan, the CIA analyst created by Tom Clancy in his series of novels that have also been adapted into a slew of films. Krasinki is the latest to play the character and for the first time in the the small screen.

Amazon will debut Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Prime Video sometime in 2018.

From the press release:

The one-hour, eight-episode dramatic series follows an up-and-coming CIA analyst thrust into a dangerous field assignment for the first time. The series follows Ryan as he uncovers a pattern in terrorist communication that launches him into the center of a dangerous gambit with a new breed of terrorism that threatens destruction on a global scale. Amazon will debut Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, from Paramount Television and Skydance Television,in 2018 on Prime Video. The series also stars Wendell Pierce (Ray Donovan, The Wire) and Abbie Cornish(Limitless). It is executive produced by Carlton Cuse (Lost, Bates Motel) who also serves as the showrunner, Krasinski, Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes, and Graham Roland (Almost Human), who wrote the pilot based on a story he and Cuse developed.

Executive producing Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan with Bay at Platinum Dunes are Brad Fuller, and Andrew Form(Transformers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), as well as Skydance’s David Ellison and Dana Goldberg (Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Star Trek Beyond), and Marcy Ross (Grace and Frankie, Altered Carbon), along withMace Neufeld (Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger, The Sum of All Fears and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit) and co-executive producer Lindsey Springer.

Other actors that have portrayed the character include Alec Baldwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck, and Chris Pine. After Krasinki’s previous role though as a former Navy Seal in the film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi I think he’s going to do a fine job.

The cast and producers of series will also be on hand at New York Comic Con this coming Saturday October 7, where a teaser trailer will be released.

Fortnite Adds New PvE Mode With “Horde Bash Update”

Bilal Mian

October 3, 2017

Epic’s Fortnite will receive its next big update mode with the “Horde Bash Update” releasing on Playstation 4, Xbox One, PC and Mac on October 5.

The new update will deliver an all-new “Challenge the Horde” gameplay mode, a new in-game event, new heroes, weapons, and more.

Challenge The Horde Mode

It all starts in a staging area. You’ll have unlimited time, but limited resources to build a portable horde fort. Once you’ve designed the perfect fort, exit the staging area and party with up to three friends. Your forts will be ready for action when your team hits the ground. As you survive, you’ll receive more resources and more rewards to Challenge The Horde.

Scavenger Event

With the new update comes a new event llama. The Scavenger Llamas holds four new Heroes, nine weapons, two new Defenders. Earn the Scavenger currency by completing quests and playing the new Challenge The Horde mode. The Scavenger weapon set is delicate, but they’re all cheap to craft.

New Heroes

Introducing Scavenger Heroes with new, never-before-seen perks.

Raider Soldier – Loves the shotgun and close encounters.

Ammo Harvest Outlander – If you need ammo, this is your Hero.

Trap Specialist Constructor – Get a damage boost & durability boost.

Energy Thief Ninja – Generates and leeches energy from melee combat.

‘South Park’ Review: “Holiday Special”

Leo Ng

September 30, 2017

South Park‘s third episode of season 21, “Holiday Special”, has just aired and it was phenomenal. This episode pulls no punches, targeting so many hilarious issues in today’s world. Maybe Matt and Trey are returning to the form that we know and love.

The first episode of the season, “White People Renovating Houses,” dealt with a bunch of housekeeping left over from season 20. It needed to tie up loose ends and provide a way for Cartman to return to the hate-able demon child that we know and love. The second episode, “Put it Down,” set the tone away from serialization but still showed how hilarious Matt and Trey can be with current day topics. It allowed us to see a glimmer of genius that only South Park can deliver.

“Holiday Special” starts with the boys rioting in school because Columbus Day was no longer going to be observed. They will not be able to get a day off because of this. Who led this fateful charge to get Columbus Day banned? None other than the fateful Randy Marsh. Randy influences another resident, Goldman, on the school calendar committee to remove Columbus Day as a holiday. Randy continues to rampage, calling people who live in Columbus, Ohio racist and demanding they rename their city. Randy even goes so far as to travel to New York City to defecate on the statue of Columbus in Columbus Circle, claiming that New York City is racist.

Kyle does some research and finds some crazy posts on social media though. There are pictures on Instagram showing Randy dressed up as Christopher Columbus in the past. Stan confronts Randy about this and Randy says that it was in the past. He cannot be held accountable.

This is where the genius of Matt and Trey come in. A commercial for DNA and me, a parody of all the DNA testing available today, appears in front of Randy. The test just needs a swab of the user’s cheek to find out what their ancestry is. The reason why this test is so popular is that white people can now claim to be part minority. They can feel victimized like everyone else now.

Randy hosts a party where this DNA test will take place. He tries to sabotage the test by making out with a Native American man prior to the test. Unfortunately, this plan backfires when the Native American man develops feelings for Randy and wants a relationship. Randy does not want this and rejects him over and over again. During one of these instances though, he is caught kicking the Native American dressed as Christopher Columbus.

Meanwhile, DNA and Me return to Randy’s house to get a second sample. They want a second sample because they found a weird anomaly in the first sample. A hilarious bit ensues with Randy going to extreme measures to make sure that he has Native American DNA in this sample.

Randy is unsuccessful though. During his result reveal, he finds out that he is a part Neanderthal, which was eradicated by European white people. After learning this, Randy returns home to find Goldman waiting there. Goldman wants to confront Randy about his Columbus obsession, but Randy gets ahead of the situation by punching Goldman. Randy accuses Goldman of oppressing him. In the end, the pointless holiday, Columbus Day, returns. It comes back with a new meaning and mission: where everyone rips on each other and tears each other down.

So far, Season 21 of South Park is definitely an improvement compared to Season 20. While I am thoroughly enjoying this season, I am still left pondering what will become of the open plotlines from Season 20: memba berries, president garrison, cailtyn jenner, etc. Regardless it’s great to see an amazing episode of South Park with so many amazing jokes that left the audience in stitches.

‘The Good Place’ Review: Oh THIS is The Bad Place

Alyssa Berkowitz

September 30, 2017

This week on The Good Place Michael puts the Core Four through approximately 800 different The Good Place attempts, each one of them ending in epic failure.

There is so much to discuss in “Dance Dance Resolution” that is hard to know where to start! At first I wanted to refer to this as a Groundhogs Day type episode, but since Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani are unaware of the loop they are being forced to relive, this is less of a Groundhogs Day situation, and more like the “If-Then-Else” and “6741” episodes of Person of Interest. The four humans are not changed by each failed attempt. Instead, the external factors change in each attempt in the hopes of the optimal result. Michael tries assigning Eleanor different soul mates to see if that will change the outcome, with Attempt #218 pairing Tahani and Eleanor together.

Hold up, the writers are going to dangle a potential Tahani/Eleanor pairing right in front of us and not show us any footage?!?! I expect there to be at least 50 different fanfics depicting the events of Attempt #218 by the end of next week!

Each attempt fails when one of the Core Four (usually Eleanor) realizes that they are in The Bad Place.

Eleanor: “Oh THIS is The Bad Place.”

Sometimes Eleanor realizes that they are in The Bad Place while watching the Core Four argue with each one another, other times it is when her supposed “Soul Mate” forces her to sit through a three hour Spoken Word Jazz Opera.

One time, Jason is the one to realize they are in The Bad Place due to the lack of a premium NFL package. More than anything, this episode made me wonder why Michael’s plan kept failing. Is it because of human intuition. That humans will recognize when they are being tortured, and therefore the framework would never work? Was it because he didn’t pick the right four humans for the experiment? Or, was it because Eleanor, Chidi, Jason, and Tahani were meant to be together in the afterlife, and this was their fate?

Not only does his boss still think that Attempt #2 is running smoothly, Michael’s entire cast is beginning to rebel. They can’t keep straight what their roles are from week to week, and they want to go back to good ol’ fashion torturing. As a result, they have all band together to present Michael with a list of demands. Who, may you ask, is the leader of this uprising? Well, that is Vicky (aka Real Eleanor) of course. While Michael has failed over and over again recreating The Good Place model, Vicky has been sitting back and documenting all of Michael’s missteps. Vicky now offers Michael a proposition: she will get the crew back on board with The Good Place model and ensure the higher-ups don’t learn about Michael’s failure and in return, Vicky will run the next attempt.

While Michael and Vicky are in negotiations, Eleanor and Chidi take a stroll through the neighborhood and are surprised to find it utterly deserted. When Eleanor and Chidi investigate the unexpected smell of cigar smoke (which for me would be the ultimate giveaway that I was in The Bad Place) they discover the cast out of character, out of costume, and realize they are in The Bad Place. They call for Janet, hop on a train to The Medium Place and discover they have been there 15 times before. After the “big reveal” last season I wasn’t sure if Mindy St. Claire and The Medium Place were real, or just part of Michael’s grand scheme, so I was happy this was addressed early in the second season. I still have many questions about the train and its existence, but I will wait to see if they are answered throughout the season.

When they arrive at Mindy’s house, she brings them up to speed regarding the previous 14 times Eleanor has visited and all of their prior failed plans. None of that matters though. The ONLY thing that matters is that she shows Eleanor a tape of Eleanor telling Chidi she loves him, while in bed, and Chidi saying to right back!

ELEANOR TOLD CHIDI SHE LOVED HIM! CHIDI TOLD ELEANOR HE LOVED HER! CHIDI AND ELEANOR HAD SEX! Granted, Eleanor has no recollection of this happening, but Mindy assures her that they have slept together 8 different days but 20 different sessions.

With all this information, Eleanor decides to go back to The Good Place and confront Michael, but Michael has some plans of his own. He has decided to beat Vicky at her own game, by teaming up with The Core four. Will they accept his proposition? Well, you will just have to tune in next week and find out.

One thing that kept nagging at me during the episode was how Tahani found her way into the Core Four in each attempt. The path to how Chidi, Eleanor, and Jason team up is fairly intuitive. Jason reaches out to Eleanor because he realizes that she too does not belong in The Good Place. Eleanor reaches out to Chidi via Janet to learn how to be a better person Hand brings Jason along with her to the lessons. Tahani’s link to the other three humans is not clear though. As Michael stated last week, Tahani is supposed to think she belongs in The Good Place. If that is so, why is she at one of Chidi’s ethic lessons in Attempt #11? How does she get pulled into Jason, Eleanor, and Chidi’s drama in each attempt?

Other Things

Jason was once in a dance group called “Dance Dance Resolution: We resolve to dance”
Here is a collage of the different restuarant’s pun names from the different Good Place Attempts

‘The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty’ Review: Another Buck Bites the Dust

Alyssa Berkowitz

September 28, 2017

This week on the Challenge XXX: The remaining Young Bucks really can’t handle their alcohol.

‘The Heart is a Lonely Hunter’ begins with the most joyful and magical image ever: Leroy spinning in circles on a Pink Flamingo in the pool.

I could have watched Leroy on the floaty all day, but instead, they cut to the kitchen where Camila asks some of the girls if they find Johnny hot. All of them respond with a resounding “NOO,” claiming that Banana’s personality cancels out any feelings of attraction they may have for him and Camila is all like “yeah, of course, me too pshhh.” Look at Camila trying to act like she and Johnny didn’t hook up the entire season of Exes I.

Now onto the challenge… jk. After that pointless kitchen conversation, it is time to watch the cast mates call home. Dario calls his boo Ashley K from RW: San Diego (2011), Derrick calls his son, and Hunter calls his girlfriend only to get dumped. See, she is stressed out with him being gone, so she doesn’t want to date him anymore. Hunter is devastated, but he isn’t a quitter, so instead of going home to fight for his girl, he stays to fight for $350,000 ($1Mil). Knowing literally nothing about Hunter’s relationship, here is my take on this situation: if the person your partner is like “so I can’t handle you being gone, so this is over” it’s probably not a relationship worth going home to fight for? This girl didn’t even seem to want to talk things out, or anything. I’m still single though, so what do I know?

Saved By The Bell

This week’s challenge is “Saved by The Bell” (sans Zack Morris). The game is played in two heats, with two teams of four in each heat. Since there are 18 players, the two kids not picked are sent directly to the double cross. Aneesa and Hunter are two of the captains, and they each get to pick a second captain of the same gender. Hunter obviously sticks with his Buck, choosing Nelson, but Veronica is blindsided when Aneesa picks Britni over her. She assumes, correctly, that no one will pick her. On the guys side, Dario is the last man standing, probably because most people forgot Dario was even there.

The goal of “Saved by The Bell” is to get as many of your players to climb across five bell shaped objects hanging 30 feets above the water, as fast as you can to get to the other side. The two teams start on opposite sides, and at a certain point, they will have to cross paths and share the same bell. The team that wins will be in the Winner’s circle, and everyone else goes straight to the Double Cross.

The heats are as follows:

Heat #1: Team Hunter (Hunter, Kailah, Camila, CT) vs. Team Brit Brit (Britni, Tori, Tony, Jordan)
Heat # 2: Team Aneesa (Aneesa, Johnny, Jenna, Derrick) vs. Team Nelson (Leroy, Nelson, Cara Maria, Jemmye)

The second heat is much more entertaining. First you have Leroy who is deathly afraid of heights, and can barely swim. While watching the first heat, he uses Aneesa’s shoulder for comfort, and asks himself why in god’s name he keeps putting himself in these situations. With the determination to not have his ass fall 30 ft into the water, Leroy hustles his butt across the bells and is the only person on his team to complete the challenge. The second reason that this heat was amazing was because JOHNNY FALLS making him the first member of his team to GET DQ’d.

It was glorious watching him awkwardly tumble through the air and hit the harsh, cold, and wet water. After Aneesa also falls, Derrick and Jenna show what true teamwork is and make their way to the opposite platform together. Not only was Jenna the only girl to complete this challenge, but she was also one of only 6 players in total to get across, so big props to Jenna!

While both Team Hunter and Team Aneesa had two players complete “Saved by the Bell” CT and Hunter had the faster time, giving Team Hunter the win. During the post-challenge group interviews, though, a miracle occurred. A once in a lifetime event, as surprising and mystical as a unicorn spotting: Johnny Banana’s apologized to his team for falling and costing them the win.

Cue the Drunken Shit Show

Another day, another challenge, another drunken fiasco. The first drunken blowup of the night is between Hunter and Kailah. Earlier in the episode, we learn that Kailah hates Hunter’s voice, and Hunter hates Kailah for not sleeping with him last season. In Hunter’s eyes, Kailah is the literal devil (aka Aneesa?). After Hunter gets a few drinks down, he decides to approach Kailah, tell her how he has “beat her man twice” and how Kailah is mad because Cory “chose Camila” over her. Umm, what? First, isn’t Cory one of Hunter’s closest friends in the house, why is he shit talking him right now? Second, as Kailah astutely points out, Cory is not “her man.” Thirdly, Cory didn’t choose Camila over Kailah. Kailah got sent home and since Cory is can’t go a day without banging a girl, he started sleeping with Camila. So, in a sense, Camila was really Cory’s sloppy seconds.

When everyone arrives at the house, it is Nelson’s turn for a drunken scene, making the Young Bucks 2 for 2 on this week’s Drunken Outburst tally. Nelson is incoherently ranting to Hunter about how he wants to go against all the vets in the elimination. Or something like that, I watched this scene multiple times and still couldn’t figure out what he was saying. Derrick and I were on the same page, because after listening from outside, he finally asks Nelson “Dude, what are you talking about.” This prompts Nelson to pump his chest, push and then finally punch Derrick. Aneesa, Camila, and Jemmye are able to separate the pair and Jemmye brings Nelson back in the closet. Once inside he tells everyone to check the cameras to prove that Derrick started the fight, to which Jemmye reflected the feelings of the entire audience. In the end, Nelson was sent home packing.

I have grown to like Nelson this season, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the the same hothead he always was. This is a man who threw a temper tantrum and broke furniture during Invasion when Sylvia didn’t want to hook up with him. I think he is a good guy but he is immature and can’t handle his emotions. Does that excuse his behaviour or his actions, absolutely not. But it’s not like he stood there for hours yelling hateful, disgusting, and racist insults like some other cast members. I am sorry if you are tired of me bringing up Camila’s attack on Leroy again, but it’s not something I can just let go. I understand the rules say no physical altercations in the house and that Nelson’s single swing sealed his fate, but is what Nelson did worse than what Camila did? Did Nelson’s behavior create a more unsafe environment than Camila’s. I think it is important to think back to Simone. Simone wasn’t sent home because she scratched Shane in self-defense, she was sent home because she waved a broken glass bottle around in a threatening manner. Wasn’t that what Camila did when she was threatening to throw the dumbbells she was waving around? I will never understand productions handling of Camila’s racist outburst.

Elimination Deliberations

With Nelson gone, Jordan and Dario are the only two names on the chopping block on the guy’s side. For the girls, Jemmye, Veronica, Aneesa, and Britni all had their names tossed around. We will have to wait until next week to see who is sent in to the Presidio.

Other Things

Watching Derrick and CT bond over trying to set good examples for their sons was heartwarming. It is nice to see some accountability among the cast members regarding their behavior on the show. So often the cast will excuse a jerk move or backstabbing as just part of the game. That is a little harder when you have to explain your actions to your kid who will be watching at home.
I mentioned this on Reddit, but I would be remiss not to point out that the name of this week’s challenge was “Saved by the Bell,” and The 90’s House premiered immediately after the episode. Was it a coincidence? Was it fate? Or was it just smart marketing? I guess we will never know.
While Tony apologizes to his team for his dismal performance during the “Saved by the Bell,” Tori inexplicably starts caressing his nipple to comfort him.

‘Outlander’ – “All Debts Paid”: Prison Comes In Many Forms

Jen Stayrook

September 26, 2017

This week on Outlander: MURTAGH YOU BEAUTIFUL BEARDED MAN, Jamie meets an Older Lord John, Claire and Frank continue to have marriage issues.

It’s been a long road to Claire and Jamie finding one another again, but boy does Outlander make it feel worth the climb. In “All Debts Paid”, Jamie spends years imprisoned at Ardsmuir while Claire spends years in a loveless marriage to Frank. Both have their hardships and it’s clear through it all that even without saying the other’s name, they’re constantly thinking on the love they lost. But it’s also an episode where Jamie and Claire lose the debts they once owed to others. Jamie no longer owes Lord John his life and Claire is no longer to Frank.

Jamie: Back in Prison

Years after surrendering himself to the Redcoats at Lallybroch, Jamie is in Ardsmuir Prison and he’s become a bit of a political figure. The guards are scared of him and the inmates respect him as a Chief. Because of this, the Governor of Ardsmuir dines with Jamie every week to address prisoners’ complaints. Presumably to keep them from completely overrunning the castle ruins.

Lord John Grey appears, but he’s no longer a boy being used to give up precious information regarding the Redcoats battle tactics. Lord Melton, John’s older brother, spared Jamie’s life, and John is aware of the power a man like Red Jamie wields. But in some ways, Lord John is still a young man looking for glory in the British army. He hears a tale from Duncan Kerr about French gold sent over from King Louis and knows he’ll be a made man if he hands it over to the crown. He tries to employ Jamie to give up the information from Duncan, but Jamie, still very much in love with Claire, hears the rumor about a “White Witch” and he has to know for sure.

Sam Heughan has been phenomenal at portraying the small moments with Jamie. Alone with Murtagh, you can feel his pain when he mentions the “lass who was a healer.” Even Murtagh isn’t blind to Jamie’s pain, but he goes along with it, not saying Claire’s name. In fact, Jamie never says Claire’s name aloud. It’s a thing he does to try to push her from his mind, but it fails once he hears about the “White Witch,” and hope of her living on the island spurns him into action.

Of course, Jamie doesn’t find Claire, and instead of escaping the prison for good, he returns to Lord John, heart deflated, ready to surrender himself to the end. Jamie has been ready to die since the end of Culloden, but for whatever reason, honor debts refuse to let that happen. Jamie pleads for death in the only way he knows how, but using Lord John’s own words against him, but Lord John has become smitten with Jamie and his honor, so he refuses. Jamie is forced to face life without Claire. Again.

Jamie finds a kindred soul in Lord John. They continue their weekly dinners, bonding over their pasts and a love of chess. Jamie doesn’t mince words with Lord John and it endears the Governor to him more. Only when Lord John tries to offer comfort to Jamie does the relationship become uncomfortable, nearly hostile. Lord John touches Jamie’s hand and leaves it there, a gentle caressing touch of sympathy. But to Jamie, it’s a manipulative act, reminiscent of Black Jack Randall, and his demeanor turns. It’s a credit to Heughan’s acting ability that he takes his time with Jamie’s moments. He allows the character to display his internal dialogue without words. Slowly, Jamie’s face transitions from happiness to confusion to anger. He doesn’t lash out at Lord John, but he does make his feelings known through gritted teeth. He understands that good emotional acting doesn’t have to be loud and harsh, but it’s more effective to let the quieter words simmer.

In the end, Jamie tells Lord John about his relationship with Claire, how he had used her to get information from John as a young man, and it strengthens their bond. It’s clear that Lord John, a gay man in the 18th century, has feelings for Jamie. It’s what leads him to take Jamie to Helwater instead of shipping him to the colonies with the other prisoners (and Murtagh!). Jamie seems grateful for Lord John’s kindness but I can’t help but wonder if he isn’t still trying to find ways back to Claire.

Claire: Marriage Isn’t For Everyone

While Claire isn’t dealing with the physical torture that Jamie faces on a daily basis, she’s living in her own kind of a prison, one where she’s married to a man she no longer loves, trying to forget that the real father of her child is dead in the 18th century. Because Frank is acutely aware of Claire’s ever-present feelings toward Jamie, he suggests they have an open marriage, one where he can get the love and affection he needs without being reminded that his wife doesn’t love him.

It’s broken situation for both parents. They stay married only for the sake of Brianna, but all the while they emotional torment the other. Frank reminds Claire at every turn that she’s to blame for the situation and Claire never gives Frank a chance to help her heal. They’re both bitter and the one who really suffers is Brianna, being raised in a family where her affection becomes currency. Frank buys her love with cars and then reminds his daughter that her mother works all the time.

I wish we could have seen more tender moments between Bree and Claire when they were younger. It’s obvious that Claire puts her work first, using it as an escape from her current situation, but it’s also hard to believe that she would outright ignore Jamie’s child, too. Frank loves Bree, that much is clear when he refuses to divorce Claire for fear of losing his daughter, too. But he’s also manipulative and spiteful where his daughter is concerned, to a point where it makes him wholly unlikable.

Claire’s predicament in 1960’s America is one that rings true for mothers even now in the modern era: how do you balance work and family without sacrificing either? Frank never worries about being seen as an unfit father if he works all the time, but it’s a balance Claire is forced to strike so that she isn’t seen as a poor mother. Like many other Outlander episodes, “All Debts Paid” does a good job of touching on these issues that still plague modern women by using Claire’s perspective as a familiar lens. Her romantic distance forces Frank to seek affection elsewhere. Her work ethic damages their family life. Her feminist need to break ground in new areas is unsightly to Frank’s male coworkers. They’re moments that won’t gain as much traction as Jamie’s action-packed past, but they’re no less important.

After a particularly brutal fight following Bree’s high school graduation, Frank asks for a divorce and tells Claire that he, his fiance Sandy, and Bree, will be moving to Oxford. Frank then asks:

Frank: “You couldn’t look at Brianna without thinking of him. Could you? Without that constant reminder. Him. Might you have forgotten him, with time?”
Claire: “That amount of time doesn’t exist.”

It’s a heartbreaking moment for Frank, knowing that he could never compete with a ghost. But even more than what’s unsaid between them is how Frank often reminds Claire of Black Jack Randall. Because Frank never allowed Claire to talk about her time in the past, he never got the chance to understand what she went through and why she flinches at his touch. Instead, he thinks that she only fell in love with another man and then got pregnant. I wonder how different their marriage might of been had Frank tried to talk as openly with her as he did the night they honeymooned in Scotland all those years ago.

In the end, Frank is killed in a car crash, which leads Claire and Brianna back to Scotland. It’s a sad moment, to be sure, thinking of what might have been for the two, but it’s also a moment that feels too easy. Claire would have stayed loyal to Frank for the rest of her days, tethered to him because he honor somehow demanded it. I have no doubt that she would have never chosen to leave him and that thought breaks my heart for her.

Random Thoughts

MURTAGH LIVES! Oh thank goodness he didn’t die on the battlefield. I am so glad that Outlander decided to keep Murtagh around and even if he is sent to the colonies, I can’t wait for him to be reunited with the whole Fraser family.

I’m going to miss Tobias Menzies as Frank/Black Jack. It’s not easy playing one character well, especially all of the nuances that go into them, but he played both very well. And he slipped into the Black Jack tendencies so easily as Frank that it was a joy to watch.

The Lord John Grey casting is PERFECT. I love everything Berry brings to the table. We haven’t lost him just yet, as he’ll be in next week’s episode as well.

I wish we could have seen more of Claire’s doctor background, as well as her friendship with Joe Abernathy. Maybe that will come with time since the focus was mostly on Frank before he died, but I’d like to see more of her life without Jamie that isn’t just about Frank.

Caitriona Balfe has no chill, even when it comes to calling out Starz. I love her.

Outlander airs Sundays in Starz at 8pm EST.

‘A Discovery of Witches’ Filming Underway

Nicole C

September 25, 2017

Filming is currently underway in Cardiff, Wales for A Discovery of Witches, the television adaptation to the first novel of the All Souls Trilogy by author Deborah Harkness. The series is being helmed by Julie Gardner (who had worked with Russell T. Davies to revive Doctor Who) and Jane Tranter with their company Bad Wolf Productions. It will air on Sky1 and streamed through NOW TV in the UK and Ireland. Harkness serves as Executive Producer and will also pen several episodes. Juan Carlos Medina will be directing and Kate Brooke serving as showrunner.

Starring Teresa Palmer (Hacksaw Ridge) and Matthew Goode (The Good Wife), ADOW follows the story of alchemical historian and witch Diana Bishop (Palmer) who had been running away from her magical heritage ever since the death of her parents when she was a young child. However she unexpectedly comes across an enchanted manuscript at the Bodleian Library and begins to garner the attention of fellow witches, daemons, and vampires alike. Diana finds an unlikely protector in vampire and biochemist Matthew Clairmont (Goode).

Many key roles have been casted and we’ve got an amazingly talented group:

Welcome @SophiaMyles to the @ADiscoveryOfWTV family in the role of Rebecca Bishop. Spectacular casting! pic.twitter.com/rM5YqU2nC6

— Deborah Harkness (@DebHarkness) September 22, 2017

The actors and crew have also been active on social media and we’ve gotten some great behind the scenes sneak peeks:

First Day at School #adiscoveryofwitches @teresapalmer @adiscoveryofwitchestv #dianaandgillian4ever

A post shared by Louise Brealey (@mslouisebrealey) on Sep 24, 2017 at 7:48am PDT

Watch out, vampires about. #matthewgoode #adiscoveryofwitches

A post shared by Louise Brealey (@mslouisebrealey) on Sep 25, 2017 at 12:22pm PDT

It is even more beautiful in real life. #BodleianLibrary #AdiscoveryofWitches

A post shared by Teresa Palmer (@teresapalmer) on Sep 24, 2017 at 5:21am PDT

We’re off to see the wizard! (Actually make that a tall dark vampire…) #Adiscoveryofwitches

A post shared by Teresa Palmer (@teresapalmer) on Sep 14, 2017 at 1:42pm PDT

Getting to know each other! #Diana #Breakingmedowntogetmecomfy #Adiscoveryofwitches

A post shared by Teresa Palmer (@teresapalmer) on Sep 10, 2017 at 12:12pm PDT

We also have fans posting shots of the cast and crew on location:

When they’re filming at the #bodleianlibrary and Matthew Goode joins your tour between takes 😝 (Like, for real, this actually happened)

A post shared by Robyn Dueck (@robynchelseadueck) on Sep 24, 2017 at 11:32am PDT

Mais uma foto das gravações! #ADiscoveryOfWitches

(Via ig: eagdamasceno) pic.twitter.com/2ZLIsSbdUC

— Teresa Palmer Brasil (@TeresaPBR) September 25, 2017

Mais fotos de Teresa ontem nas gravações de #ADiscoveryOfWitches em Oxford! 💗

(Via ig: allsoulstrilogytr) pic.twitter.com/ajA3HrxeKn

— Teresa Palmer Brasil (@TeresaPBR) September 25, 2017

Shot of exact gallery where Diana pulled Notes and Queries from shelves…#RealTimeReadingADOW #ADiscoveryOfWitches https://t.co/77AJBRvd99 pic.twitter.com/A3ae73ABie

— Daemons Domain (@DaemonsDomain) September 21, 2017

And here’s a little something from Palmer’s Instagram stories with Louise Brealey!

Teresa postou esse insta storie junto com Louise Brealey no set de #ADiscoveryOfWitches 💗 pic.twitter.com/OcyQOwoMWE

— Teresa Palmer Brasil (@TeresaPBR) September 24, 2017

Lastly, the All Souls convention just happened this past weekend in New Orleans and the stars of the show recorded a little message for fans:

While we don’t know when the series will actually be airing quite yet and no US broadcasters have been announced, it’s been so much fun seeing the book come to life through these behind the scenes teases. I for one will be checking my feeds daily to get through the long wait!

Harkness is also working on a new novel in the All Souls universe this time focusing on Matthew’s vampire son Marcus Whitmore, played on the show by newcomer Edward Bluemel (The Halcyon). According to the author the book could be out sometime in 2018.

Till then I’ll be anticipating the casting announcement for Sarah Bishop (Diana’s aunt), Emily Mathers (Sarah’s partner), and Ysabeau de Cleremont (Matthew’s mother). Oh and I’ll be dreamcasting Gallowglass because he’s the best.

Fox Sets Date for Live Musical Performance of ‘Rent’

Alyssa Berkowitz

September 25, 2017

When I was nine years old, my parents brought me to see Rent on Broadway. Even though I didn’t understand half of the things going on (I remember asking my older sister what “smack” was) I was entranced. I listened to the soundtrack on full blast in my room, trying as hard as I could to turn the volume down during the swear words (this was a difficult task during “The Tango Maureen.”) As I grew older, I have had the privilege of seeing Rent several more times, and after each viewing, I still notice new things and develop a greater understanding of the show.

Today Fox announced that Rent will be their next live musical airing on January 27, 2019 (no, 2019 is not a typo).

Rent is Jonathan Larson’s retelling of La Boheme if La Boheme was set in The East Village in the early 90s. The show is about a group of friends trying to navigate living with HIV, struggling to with addiction, and trying to scrounge up enough money to keep a food in their stomach. The play was truly groundbreaking as it dealt with issues of sexuality, gentrification, HIV, addiction and more with an incredibly diverse cast. That said, Fox adapting Rent into a live TV musical makes me nervous.

This is not the first time that Rent has been adapted to screen. In 2005, Rent was made into a feature film, directed by Chis Colombus and featuring most of the original Broadway cast. While there was much hype surrounding the film, the film failed to deliver (at least for me). The movie tried to be progressive by injecting in a lesbian wedding between Maureen and Joanne that was just out of place. More importantly, the song “Contact” which is the climax of Angel’s storyline was nixed, probably due to the provocative nature of the song. These edits distracted from the heart of the play, which is the power of human connection.

The main question I have for Fox’s version of Rent is how will they deal with the “adult content” of the play? Will they change and replace every curse word in the script? Will they edit out the sexual innuendos in “La Vie Boheme”? Will they be brave enough to keep “Contact” in the show even though it is the most sexually charged song?

I don’t want to make assumptions about what the production will, or will not, include, but I hope that the Fox live musical will not be sanitized to the point that the Jonathan Larson’s message is lost.

‘The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty’ Review: I Really Dislike Eating Challenges

Alyssa Berkowitz

September 22, 2017

This week on The Challenge XXX: Dirty Thirty: The Redemption House must eat their way back into Challenge House, and all racial aspects of Camila’s tirade are erased.

Welcome boys and girls to yet another filler episode of The Challenge XXX. The breakdown of this episode is 50% gross eating challenge, 25% Tony being drunk and/or a dumbass, 25% of Nicole and Jemmye being awesome. So, essentially I only found a quarter of the episode entertaining.

Redemption House

Hunter and Nicole arrive at the Redemption house to a very warm welcome by the Three Amigos. Hunter is reunited with his one true love, Cory, and Nicole is ready to spill some tea and inform Aneesa that the girls in the house have declared her the devil.

Tori (in a flashback): “Do you think Aneesa is literally the spawn of the devil?”

Ugh, Tori, this pettiness isn’t a good look on you. Also, I literally don’t get all of the hate for Aneesa. Not liking her or finding her annoying is one thing, but calling her the literal devil seems a little harsh.

The Redemption House kids normal scheduled activities of Carriage Rides, and learning water bottle flipping techniques are cut short by a surprise appearance by Mr. TJ Lavin, who informs Redemption House it is time to be redeemed. First, though, TJ needs to know the person in the house each redeemer is gunning for. Cory and Hunter are gunning for Johnny and Jordan, respectively.

The girls are unanimous in who in the house they want to destroy: Camila. (Cara Maria is also on Marie’s list). Aneesa picks Camila because “She can’t be trusted” and she’s “shady”. Marie’s choice is influenced by the fact that Camila helped orchestrate her being sent in. Nicole says it best though:

Nicole: “I don’t think she deserves to be here. Camila’s a bitch. She started some shit with Leroy. Camila, I think you are a bad person. I think you even hate your own self. You need to take a break and figure out your issues and probably never come back.”

To celebrate, Marie pops open a bottle of champagne, and the cork hits Nicole straight in the face.

Redemption Challenge

In order to secure themselves a spot back in the Challenge House, they will have to compete in an incredibly disgusting eating challenge. I didn’t catch the name of this week’s challenge, and I have no interest of rewatching it to find it out.

Here’s how it works. There are five different Colombian Delicacies that the redeemers must eat: Giant Water Rat, Cockscomb Skweres, Slimy Pork Nose, Chicken Intestine Smoothie, and Hard Boiled Cow’s Eyes. After they finish a dish they have to run up a giant ant hill, jump into a mud pit, retrieve a totumo, and run back down the hill. If there is a gem inside your totumo you get to skip the dish of your choosing and run back up the hill. If it is an everyday rock, you are SOL. Repeat the previous steps and the first one to finish all of their dishes wins.

Does anyone actually enjoy watching these food challenges? I am asking in all seriousness, and if you do I would love for you to comment and explain why. To me, it has no appeal. I do not enjoy watching people throw up. Those slo-mo upchuck shots have zero appeal to me, especially when I have to watch them basically swallow the vomit and shove more food down their throats. For me, the most disturbing part of this challenge were those huge ass cow eyeballs. I am gagging just thinking about them right now. I would like to think that, unlike Marie, I would at least try to do this challenge, but I doubt I would get very far.

This challenge came down to luck, and who picked the totumos with the gem inside. While Hunter was ahead of Cory for the entirety of the challenge, it was his procurement of the gem that secured his win. On the girls’ side, Aneesa and Nicole were side-by-side the entire time. (Marie, on the other hand, was off to the side bribing the pair to let her win and offering some stray dogs her food.) Nicole fought hard on this challenge. She forced herself to down disgusting food that has been sitting god knows how long outside in the hot Colombian sun. She pushed through tears and even removed her fake eyelashes in an attempt to come out with the win. Luck though was on Aneesa’s side, and she grabbed the totumo with the gem inside on her last run up the ant hill, guaranteeing her the win.

The Challenge House

I hope you weren’t expecting there to be any follow-up this episode regarding Camila’s racial attack on Leroy, because you will not be getting one. Production somehow edited the episode to erase all racial aspects of Camila’s tirade, starting with the “Previously On” package. They presented Camila’s attack on Leroy as just another Camilinator emergence, instead of showing it for the disgusting racist hate speech that it was. The racial aspect of Camila’s attack is also erased from CT’s explanation for making Leroy’s birthday cake when he says “After all that happened with Camila, he deserves a good birthday.”

But, let’s focus on the positive: it is Leroy’s birthday and his buddy CT is making him a cake. Has CT ever baked before? Probably not because this is how he softens butter. While the cake was made out of love, from the heart, it was also apparently straight up just butter. There was so much heart in the cake that it made Leroy, the birthday boy, sick for the rest of the night.

Now that MTV showed people being nice to Leroy, they can get back to the storyline they want you to care about: Tony. That was the drama MTV wanted to capitalize on from Camila’s drunken antics, but unfortunately, her racism distracted from that narrative. Finally, we can get back to Tony’s baby mama drama.

The producers try to get Tony to open up about his drunken kiss with Camila, and his betrayal of his girlfriend, Alyssa. He shuts down, saying that he doesn’t want a stupid thing that he did while on The Challenge to impact his real-life family. But the producer advises Tony to prepare himself for the footage to be aired. Because it will be aired, because you did it on film, while taping a reality TV show.

Tony doesn’t even have to wait to go home to deal with his indiscretions because rumors of the Tony/Camila hookup were running rampant all over Twitter during production. I want so badly to know who snitched on them while the show was still taping. Alyssa asks Tony point blank if these rumors were true, or held any ounce of truth, and Tony says no. He condemns these false accusations and sings his song of innocence because Tony would never do anything to jeopardize his family. He straight up just lied to his girlfriend on national TV, AFTER making out with another woman on national TV. As if denying the accusations would somehow erase the footage. When production presses him on why he lied to Alyssa, he says that he didn’t want to give MTV/B&M any more footage to capitalize on his mistake.

Tony’s logic makes no sense here. Not wanting to air your dirty laundry on TV is understandable, and I would understand if Tony initially waited until he got home to tell Alyssa what happened. But the news did get out, and Tony straight up lied to his girlfriend about something that will air on national TV. You already betrayed her trust by kissing another woman, now to top that off you lie to her about it? Ugh.

Also, I guess I should mention that Johnny glued feathers onto Tony’s face after he drunkenly passed out one night (a la Derrick in The Ruins). Tony got mad, threw a fit, threatened Johnny, and just as quickly as it started, Tony forgives Johnny, and the lover’s quarrel is resolved.

Other Things

Production sweeping Camila’s racist remarks under the rug is infuriating, and also disheartening. I know that this is because initially, MTV and B&M weren’t even planning on airing the racist part of Camila’s rant. They only chose to do so at the last minute after they saw the casts outrage of not airing the footage. That means that all of the following episodes are edited assuming we are unaware of the racial aspects of Camila’s attack. I just don’t understand production’s handling of this incident at all.
I can’t get over Jemmye and her dream. According to her and Britni, she actually did have that dream the night before. I am not a huge believer in dreams as premonitions, but from a practical standpoint, it isn’t that weird for her to have this dream. The cast probably discussed whether or not there was still a redemption house and the people that got sent home. So the fact that Aneesa coming back to the house in a dream doesn’t seem that weird. It is just funny that it happened literally the night before Aneesa actually came back into the house. (Also the fact that Jemmye asked her friend about Beyonce and Ciara’s pregnancy was amazing).

‘Teen Wolf’ Review – “Broken Glass”: How Dead Are We?

Kaylen Hagadorn

September 22, 2017

Teen Wolf’s second episode of the week, “Broken Glass,” takes us to Brazil, teaches us how to fight without using our eyes, and reunites one of Beacon Hills’ most dynamic duos. I am 100% on board with everything that happened in “Broken Glass” and I can’t wait to see what goes down in the finale.

Argents vs. Hales: a tale as old as time

“Broken Glass” opens in Brazil. Teen Wolf seems content not to explain how Chris made it out of the McCall house, or why he isn’t sitting by Melissa’s bedside. Instead, Chris is bribing people in Brazil for information. He hears the story of a mass murder, blamed on a man with glowing blue eyes, and Chris immediately knows he’s found the surly former alpha werewolf he was looking for. Obviously, I knew Derek was coming back this season, but I still squealed when he popped up on my tv screen.

Chris tracks Derek through Brazil and their ultimate confrontation was something straight out of my dreams. After an exchange where Derek tells him “you could have called,” and Chris says “you don’t have a phone,” Derek takes Chris into his top-secret compound to find a special strain of wolfsbane. Before they can walk out, the FBI shows up! Rather than apprehend “mass murderer” Derek Hale, they’re all shot by one of their colleagues. Except it isn’t one of their colleagues, IT’S EVERYBODY’S FAVORITE WEREJAGUAR, KATE ARGENT! I could listen to Jill Wagner read the back of a cereal box and be into it, so when she says “you always gotta ruin a good time” to Chris, I’m ecstatic. Derek and Chris try to convince Kate that helping Gerard is going against her best interests, being that she’s a supernatural creature herself. Kate tells them that she’s just in it for the revenge: The wolfsbane is going in a bullet, and that bullet is meant for Scott McCall.

Monroe is rallying the troops, but Nolan is having a change of heart

Ethan is still being held captive by Monroe. She’s electrocuting him in front of seemingly the entire town to teach them about werewolves. Monroe works the crowd into a frenzy when she stabs Ethan in the stomach and yells that it’s the supernatural’s time to be afraid. Ethan keeps asking the same question I’m asking: “where’s Jackson?” and Nolan is starting to look like he regrets joining up with Monroe.

The next thing we know, Nolan is walking into Beacon Hills High School with everyone staring at him like he’s a monster. Liam dramatically steps out of the shadows and says “doesn’t feel good does it?” It turns out Nolan texted Liam asking him to meet because he wants to help. He tells Liam that he has something to show him at the hospital and although he is skeptical, Liam agrees to go along.

When they get to the hospital Nolan tells Liam that everyone present is part of Monroe’s army. Liam isn’t impressed, saying he already knows that everyone in town hates them. Nolan then takes him to the ICU where they see 3 patients who are being pumped full of wolfsbane. While Liam calls Mason and Corey to come help him, Nolan tries to sneak out of the hospital without being seen. Unfortunately, Gabe catches him leaving the hospital and says they always knew he would turn on them. He starts attacking Nolan and for the first time, I actually feel bad for this kid. When Corey and Mason get to the hospital, Monroe’s army closes in.

Deucalion’s school for teens who can’t fight good and who wanna learn to do other stuff good too

Scott and Malia have a midnight rendezvous with Deucalion at the loading dock to learn about fighting without using their eyes. Although he’s skeptical of their ability to learn what they need in such a short amount of time, Deucalion says he’s going to teach them about echolocation, thermoception, equilibrioception, and proprioception. I’ll just take Deucalion’s word for it that these are real things. We’re then treated to a montage of Deucalion teaching Scott and Malia about various fighting techniques while simultaneously reminding them if this were a real fight, they’d be dead.

In which Lydia and Peter meet up, and I cry

Lydia wakes up from a dream whispering “where’s Jackson?” so naturally she shows up at Scott’s house in the middle of the night to tell him about it. When she gets there, she’s surprised by Peter Hale. They have a hilariously awkward conversation about why Lydia is looking for Scott and why Peter is looking for Malia. I love this dynamic even if Peter is a total psychopath who ruined Lydia’s life multiple times over. Lydia tells Peter that she saw him turning to stone. In fact, she saw everyone, even Derek and Ethan turned to stone. We then see a montage of Team Wolf turned to stone and I’m unable to stop myself from crying.

While Lydia and Peter figure this out, Scott manages to start fighting with his eyes closed. Just as Deucalion says “you might just survive this,” Lydia and Peter show up and tell them “none of us are gonna survive this.” Just like that, hunters come out of nowhere and kill Deucalion. “Broken Glass” ends with every character surrounded by part of Monroe’s army.

I can’t believe that next week is the last episode of Teen Wolf. While the show has had its problems along the way, so much of Teen Wolf has been wonderful, and I’m really going to miss it.

Final Thoughts:

It was hard for me to even write about the parts of “Broken Glass” that took place in Brazil because I was basically screaming every time Chris, Derek, or KATE(!!!!) were on screen.
When Chris Argent said “I believe in Derek Hale” I honestly thought I was going to die. He’s always been one of the best Argents, and I never get tired of seeing Chris side with the supernatural if he believes they’re genuinely doing good.
Chris: “Trust me, he drove.” Cut to: Derek finding a black Camaro and speeding off into the daylight.
We get a mention of Melissa in this episode, but we don’t see her. MORE MELISSA PONZIO PLEASE!
Seeing Jill Wagner’s name show up in the credits ruined the Kate Argent surprise for me, but I still screamed with excitement.
Listen, I know Kate Argent is trash. She’s a murderer, she sexually assaulted young Derek, she’s obsessed with Gerard, but GODDAMN Jill Wagner is hot. I have a serious Jill Wagner situation.
Parrish is still loyal to the sheriff and continues reporting to him on what’s going on at the station. Sheriff Stilinski says “remember, they know what you are” and I think my heart breaks.
I loved Peter asking Lydia “do you ever see anything remotely optimistic?”

‘The Good Place’ Review: “Everything is Great!” Indeed

Alyssa Berkowitz

September 20, 2017

The Good Place
Season 2 Episode 1 & 2: “Everything is Great!”
Original Air Date: September 20, 2017

The Good Place starts off its sophomore season strong as it weaves the storylines of the four humans and Michael together. The decision to tell the story from each character’s point of view indicates that The Good Place has shifted to an ensemble show.

The Good Place – Take 2

After his first failed attempt, it is time for Michael to “Take Two” on his innovative torture design. This is Michael’s last chance to make his brainchild work, and if it fails a second time, he will be forced into early retirement, which does not involve playing golf in Florida for the rest of your life.

Michael gathers together his staff/actors/demons (I am not sure how to refer to these guys) to inform them of the changes in this second attempt. Using the valuable knowledge from Version 1, he expects this second try to exceed all expectations. While Michael’s end goal is still to have these four humans torture each other until the end of eternity, they are going to start it off slowly by focusing on each person’s individual torture and assign each human a new soul mate. Michael’s insistence on making The Good Place work introduces a philosophical theme of physical vs. psychosocial torture. Its mere creation suggests the Michael believes putting humans in situations that cause emotional distress is a more powerful form of torture than, say, throwing someone into a vat of acid. To me, that proves that Michael really doesn’t understand humans at all.

Eleanor

Eleanor is alone in her clown filled living room staring at the mysterious “Find Chidi” note that Janet handed her. She doesn’t know what a Chidi is, but she recognizes the handwriting as her own. With her newly assigned soulmate at the gym, Eleanor decides to take a stroll around town and investigate this mystery for herself.

She journeys outside to the sunny Good Place and asks the first couple she sees if there is a phonebook in this place (presumably so she can look up Chidi) but quickly learns that there are no phones in The Good Place. Michael quickly intercepts Eleanor and informs her that as the “Number One Point Getter” she will have to give a speech at tonight’s welcome party.

Eleanor: “How can I say no. Can I say no? It doesn’t feel like I can say no. But if I can, Michael, I’m saying no.”

Michael hopes that the anxiety of being singled out as “Best Person” in addition to being forced to publicly speak will create great material for the following day’s chaos sequence.

Eleanor senses that something is off when she arrives at the party. Red Flag #1: When she tries to talk to her soulmate, he rips off his shirt and runs to the gym again…in the middle of a party. Red Flag # 2: literally everyone she interacts with tries to shove drinks down her throat.

Eleanor turns down the drink offers because she learned the hard way that alcohol and speeches don’t mix well. Here is yet another example of Michael underestimating humans, and their ability to learn and change. As Eleanor’s insecurities about being a fraud continue to build, she almost gives into the temptation of liquid courage but stops herself when she hears someone say “Chidi” in the distance.

Chidi

Michael informs Chidi that there was a malfunction in the algorithm, and he has been assigned two soulmates. Chidi must now decide which of these two women will be his soulmate (aka Chidi’s hell). One of the women, Angelique, is Chidi’s ideal mate: she is worldly and travels, she is soft spoken and kind, and the title of her philosophical dissertation was longer than this review. The other woman, Pevita, is well, basic AF.

Just as Chidi begins to announce his decision to everyone, Michael runs in to announce that the Soulmate Algorithm has been fixed and that Pevita is Chidi’s true soulmate. The only problem is that everyone heard Chidi say he chose Angelique, making this whole situation 100 times more awkward.

This seemed like the least thought out scenerio of the bunch. Chidi chose Angelique, and even questioned the algorithm for placing him with Pevita, indicating that he was confident in his decision. What Michael should have done was make both of them perfect for him in different ways, making the decision impossible. Then, once he made the choice, make Chidi think he did not choose correctly.

Tahani

Since all of the human’s memories have been reset, we are back to “Day One” self-absorbed Tahani. Don’t get me wrong, I love Tahani, but I love her after she realized she was incredibly stuck up and gained some self-awareness. Truthfully, Tahani’s pompousness should have made all of us realize they were in the bad place just in the pilot alone. In this version of The Good Place Michael has decided to take everything that Tahani values, and shattered it to pieces. That big house she thinks she deserves, those beautiful clothes, the adoration she expects, all gone. Instead, she is paired with a very very short humanitarian soulmate who only wears cargo pants and the pair live in a one-room bungalow in the woods. To add salt to the wound, Michael taps into Tahani’s biggest insecurity, the success of her sister, by hanging a huge poster of the said prodigal sister in the house.

Tahani struggles to balance her disappointment and disgust with her afterlife accommodations with keeping up her outward “Perfect Person” persona that she has carefully curated. This is the first time that she has been confronted with the contradictions that exist in her notion of being a selfless person. So, when her soulmate suggests that they not “dress up” for the party, she reluctantly agrees to attend in cargo pants.

Tahani: “I’m not used to dressing like a plumberesse”

Tahani’s frustration with The Good Place becomes too much for her to handle and she starts to down the four shots of tequila that Eleanor previously abandoned.

Jason

Jason is still Jianyu, the silent monk, in this reboot, but this time he is without his private Bud Hole. Jason now lives in a Yogurt (Yurt for short) with his soulmate, another silent monk. His soulmate never leaves his side. They eat together, make stone art together, and bike together.

This becomes too much for Jason to handle so Jason disassembles his soulmate’s bike, hands Eleanor the bike gear, and bikes away on his lonesome. His grand plan doesn’t work though because when he arrives back at his yogurt, his soulmate is there waiting for him.

The Party

It is at the party that the humans’ storylines really begin to collide. After Eleanor hears Chidi’s name she pulls him off to the side to discuss the note. While Chidi feels sympathetic towards Eleanor, he can’t help her while also dealing with his own problems. This is very un-Chidi like. For a man who analyzes the ethical repercussions of everything, he gave very little thought to the idea of helping Eleanor. With Chidi gone, it is now time for Eleanor’s speech. She looks down at the metal gear and prays that its magical powers can get her out of this. And get her out of the speech, it does. Just as Eleanor begins her speech, she is abruptly interrupted.

Eleanor: “The dictionary defines “best” as…”
Tahani: “Oh, god. BORING.”

And with that, a drunk Tahani takes the stage and airs all of her grievances with The Good Place. Eleanor attempts to calm Tahani down, but instead of calming down, Tahani falls backward while stealing Eleanor’s sash and starts a fire. With all of the commotion, Jason is able to slip out of the party without his soulmate noticing, and Chidi pulls Eleanor aside to discuss the note further.

Michael

After Tahani’s fiasco, Michael calls a meeting among his star actors to try and regroup. It is then that he learns 1) all of the humans are missing and 2) Eleanor’s soulmate has used the “I’m going to the gym” excuse 9 times in less than 24 hours.

He finally finds Chidi and Eleanor together at Eleanor’s house trying to understand the meaning of the note and their connection. Next, Tahani comes to apologize to Eleanor, and return the sash, followed by Janet and Jason, and each human’s respective soul mate. Then, in less than a day, Eleanor realizes they are actually in The Bad Place. No version of heaven would include Jason, or pair up Tahani with a man that short.

Even though Michael has failed yet again, he when Eleanor tells him about the note she wrote to herself. That was how Eleanor figured out she was in The Bad Place so quickly. This is something that he can ensure doesn’t happen in the next reboot. The reboot that he was forbidden to do. The reboot that he is about to lie to his boss about. The reboot that he is going to do anyway without permission.

And next up: The Good Place, Take 3.

Other Things

I absolutely love Vicki (aka The Real Eleanor/ Denise) in this episode. See, she took this job because playing Real Eleanor was her chance to shine and show her acting chops. She got to break Chidi’s heart, she was a main character and involved in the action. Now she is just Denise, the owner of the pizza place Hawaii-5 Dough, and that is not going to cut it. She tries to insert herself into the narrative every chance she gets, and creates a backstory of her getting a limp while working as a trapeze artist in an illegal circus in Bangladesh.
I don’t really understand why after this speech, Janet brought Jason to Eleanor’s:

Janet: “What you’re saying is there are certain aspects of your existence here in The Good Place that are confusing for you and your searching for someplace to go where you feel less lonely. I know somewhere you can go.”

Why did she think that Eleanor’s house would give Jason answers? Does Janet know they are human?

‘Teen Wolf’ Review – “Genotype”: When 2 Become 1

Kaylen Hagadorn

September 19, 2017

This week on Teen Wolf, “Genotype” has the pack doing everything they can to keep the Anuk-Ite from merging its two halves. Teen Wolf is gearing up for the series finale and aired two episodes on Sunday, so be on the lookout for the “Broken Glass” review coming later this week.

Mason, Liam, Scott, and Theo listen to a voicemail from the phone they stole last week from one of the dead bodies in the woods. The teens decide to split up, sending Mason and Theo after Aaron, and Scott and Liam after the mysterious werewolf on the phone.

This is a dynamic I never knew I needed!

Theo and Mason head down into the series of never-ending tunnels under Beacon Hills to search for Aaron. Mason explains that he wants to search the tunnels because they’ve all been too afraid to go back into them, and we know the Anuk-Ite creates fear. Mason freaks out when Theo says he wants to be part of Scott’s pack. He says that the pack is about trust and that even if everyone else forgets what Theo has done, he won’t. They’re both shaking when Theo suddenly wolfs out. Instead of attacking Mason, Theo shoves him out of the way of Aaron’s attack. When Theo tries to take Mason’s pain away, Mason says “you can’t take pain if you don’t care.” Ouch.

Wolf dad and son bonding time

Liam and Scott are getting nowhere with tracking down the mysterious voice from the message. They decide to just call the number back, and Beacon Hill High School answers. Liam listens to the voicemail again and realizes that it’s his Biology teacher Mrs. Finch.

Scott makes Liam go to Biology class where Liam tries multiple things to out Mrs. Finch as a werewolf. None of them are successful, and when he sprinkles Wolfsbane on the chalkboard, Mrs. Finch realizes what he’s up to. What follows is a hilarious exchange where Liam accuses Mrs. Finch of being a werewolf, and she accuses him of being on drugs. Liam is explaining that a werewolf is “a person that turns into a wolf on the full moon,” when Scott bursts into the classroom and plays the voicemail for her.

This funny moment turns sad immediately as we realize that the phone belonged to Mrs. Finch’s daughter, and Scott has to tell her that her entire family is dead. Mrs. Finch won’t accept that her daughter is dead, and has been replaced by the Anuk-Ite. Scott and Liam ask her to text her daughter to lure the Anuk-Ite to the school, but she can’t do it. Showing off his budding alpha skills, Liam offers to do it for her. When he asks for her daughter’s name, Mrs. Finch reveals that it’s Quinn, the werewolf who was attacked by a sheriff’s deputy in the beginning of the season. To be honest, I never would have remembered this but Teen Wolf showed her in the “previously on Teen Wolf” section at the beginning of the episode.

When Quinn shows up, Mrs. Finch blows Wolfsbane at Scott and Liam to paralyze them, hoping to save her daughter. She was wrong though, it’s not Quinn. It’s the Anuk-Ite, and it attacks Mrs. Finch, slicing her throat. As Scott rushes to Mrs. Finch’s side, Quinn is suddenly overcome with wounds because apparently when Aaron is being hurt by Theo, she gets hurt as well. She takes off, and Liam follows.

Hellhounds and hospital shenanigans

Lydia and Malia spend most of the episode in the hospital messing around with the maybe not-so-dead hellhound. I wasn’t sure about Malia when she was first introduced to Teen Wolf, but I am such a fan now. Watching her forcing Lydia to touch the hellhound in various places was hilarious. As was the smile on her face when she offers to knock Lydia unconscious! Lydia says she’d prefer to be rendered unconscious without pain, and instructs Malia to obstruct her airflow, which almost immediately works.

Lydia’s unconscious mind connects with the hellhound in some freaky Eichen House nightmare, and when she wakes up she says that he’s definitely not dead and that she knows how to save him. Malia and Lydia sneak them into an MRI and we find out that Lydia’s plan is to use the MRI machine to magnetically pull the bullet out of the hellhound’s skull. Gross. Before they can start, they realize the bullet is coated in silver which won’t react to the magnet. Lydia explains for those of us at home without science backgrounds that even if they pull the bullet out, the hellhound will die of silver poisoning. After a lengthy discussion, they decide to do it, saying that the hellhound would likely do anything in order to stop the Anuk-Ite.

When the hellhound comes to, it’s already obvious he’s dying. He tells them that they can’t kill the Anuk-Ite, they can only trap it. He tells them that it’s essential to keep the two halves from merging, but if they do, make sure not to look at it because the Anuk-Ite can kill with just a look. He dies, and I can’t help but feel that this is a trauma Lydia and Malia might not get over.

The Anuk-Ite rises! I don’t even care because SHOWER SEX.

Liam follows Quinn to the library where Aaron has come to find her. Aaron and Quinn start making out and lots of horrible spiders travel back and forth between their mouths. I’m assuming this is what it means to merge the two halves. The two quickly go from making out to fighting, and Aaron snaps Quinn’s neck. He’s surrounded by a purple fog and transforms into the Anuk-Ite’s true form. Just as Liam is about to look right at him, Lydia bursts into the library and pulls him away. As Team Wolf wonders how they can fight something they can’t look at, they realize they need Deucalion.

Back at the McCall household, Malia is cleaning Mrs. Finch’s blood off of Scott. She tells him to just get in the shower, and then they’re both stripping for each other. I love Malia, I love Scott, I love the two of them. They have some steamy shower sex and I am left wondering if Melissa is still in the hospital.

Speaking of the hospital, the Anuk-Ite shows up and is killing everyone. It goes to the morgue to see the hellhound, but the hellhound is dead. All of a sudden, Gerard steps out of the shadows, careful not to make eye contact. He offers the Anuk-Ite help getting its freedom and says that he’ll weaken Scott McCall. Gerard says “every legend has a bit of truth to it. The legend is you need silver to kill a werewolf. The truth is, you need an Argent.” MY HEART.

Final Thoughts:

Did I miss something happening to Corey? Where has he been?
Speaking of missing people, where are the parents of Beacon Hills? Is Melissa healing okay? What happened to Chris Argent after the shootout in Scott’s house?
I love that both Stiles and Mason have arrived at the conclusion that baseball bats are the weapon of choice for humans
All this Mrs. Finch stuff made me think about Jennifer Blake. I really loved her before we found out she was the Darach and ruined everyone’s life.
Mrs. Finch is an Alpha. Seriously, how are there so many werewolves in Beacon Hills all of a sudden, and why couldn’t Scott tell?
For a second I thought the Anuk-Ite’s final form was going to be a spider and let me tell you, I was PISSED.

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Whack-a-Mole: Challenge Edition

Drama-rama

The Purge RETURNS (with a million dollars)

Other Things:

Year 1:

Year 2:

Year 3:

Year 4:

Year 5:

Laura’s Nightmare 5-Year Plan Board

Pretty Little Backstabbers

The Presidio

The Redemption House

Other Things

Wil gets to know Allanon’s daughter Mareth

Bandon and the Crimson both want Wil

Lyria forgets to tell Eretria she’s a princess

King Ander arrives in Leah with Allanon

In Leah things get even more complicated

Eretria learns of Amberle’s fate

In which more crap happens in Leah

Bandon doesn’t kill Wil

Final Thoughts

The Physical Training was Intense

On Creating a Post-Apocalyptic, Fantastical, San Francisco

All Aboard the Lyria/Eretria Ship (Does this Ship have a name yet?)

Manu Bennett’s Personal Connection to Bandon

Face Your Fears

Sanvers Interrupted

Children Are the Future

Lena Bought Her Girlfriend a Company

Random Thoughts

Who They Gonna Choose?!

THIS IS WHERE SHIT GOES DOWN

Presidio

The Loss of Amberle

Allanon

Other Things

Saved By The Bell

Cue the Drunken Shit Show

Elimination Deliberations

Other Things

Jamie: Back in Prison

Claire: Marriage Isn’t For Everyone

Random Thoughts

Redemption House

Redemption Challenge

The Challenge House

Other Things

The Good Place – Take 2

Eleanor

Chidi

Tahani

Jason

The Party

Michael

Other Things