’Supergirl’: ‘Survivors’ Review

Supergirl  was heavy on the alien presence last week, with the reveal that Lynda Carter’s President character is not what she seems while we as well as J’onn J’onzz witnessed the debut of Sharon Leal’s M’gann M’orzz a.k.a. Miss Martian in the new season.

This episode focuses heavily on the two Martians getting to know each other and forming a bond. But it’s a bigger challenge than J’onn was prepared for at first. In this week’s episode, Kara must deal with the villainous Roulette (guest-star Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’s Dichen Lachman) who is running an underground alien fight club that a surprising face was taking part of.

Meanwhile in her Danvers life, Kara must deal with Snapper’s latest tough love lessons on another day at CatCo. While that’s all going on, Mon-El tries to adapt to Earth step by step as he gets to know what people do for fun and more in the “Earth 1-0-1” manual. After her stellar introduction last week, the episode features Alex and Maggie fleshing out their relationship.

With so much happening in this episode, there’s a lot that we want to break down and discuss. So let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Supergirl Season 2 episode: “Survivors”

#5: Mon-El Tries To Adapt To Earth

#4: Roulette & Her Alien Fight Club

#3: Kara’s Day At CatCo

#2: Alex & Maggie Grow Closer

#1: Miss Martian & Martian Manhunter Bond

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’Gotham’: ‘Red Queen’ Review

Gotham has taken James Gordon down a dark path in the past two seasons, but this week the character made a huge 180 as he begins to snap out of his darkness. However, the episode starts out somewhat sad for him as Valerie, who got injured last week, decides to break up with the former detective.

The Mad Hatter takes his sister’s body and drains all of her blood that has its dangerous effects, but mixes it with another drug that affects you psychological. Gordon gets hit by the dust as it takes him down on a big hallucinating trip that helps our hero make a big decision.

As the show revealed Penguin’s sexuality and his big love for Nygma last week, Oswald tries to finally confess to Nygma, but discovers that he has fallen in love with a new woman, Isabella, who still looks a lot like Ms. Kringle. Refusing to accept someone taking Nygma from him, Penguin tries to sabotage the new relationship.

While they have been MIA for a few weeks, the Court of Owls re-appears as we get one answer while also raising new questions for the Gotham audience. “Red Queen” was one packed episode for several characters and there’s a lot we want to breakdown. So hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Gotham Season 3 episode: “Red Queen”

#5: A Quick, But Rough Breakup

#4: Penguin’s Jealousy

#3: Gordon’s Hallucination Trip

#2: Selina & Bruce

#1: Gordon Makes His Big Decision

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‘Westworld’ 1.05 “Contrapasso” Review: War, A Game With Real Stakes & Real Violence

 

Westworld wrapped up the first half of its debut season with the thrilling “Contrapasso,” a long-awaited meeting, big steps forward for the literal (the Maze) and figurative (who is the mole behind-the-scenes?) narratives driving the story, and a promise of “war” to come.

Click Next to scroll through the gallery or click which part of the review you’d like to start with below.

• How Ford is like the Joker
• Dolores, William & Logan arrive in Pariah
• War, what is it good for?
• The Man in Black meets his equal
• Background players take the foreground

Catch up on the latest Westworld theories with our compendium and check out our previous episode reviews at the links below. Stay tuned for the trailer and synopsis for next week’s episode “The Adversary,” plus tomorrow morning when we’ll have a full breakdown of the first half of Wesworld‘s epic first season.

1. “The Original” 
2. “Chestnut”
3. “The Stray”
4. “Dissonance Theory”

 

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‘Once Upon A Time’ 6.06 “Dark Waters” Review: The Nautilus

Good evening Oncers! Shall we recap episode 6? The adventure continues with Aladdin and Jasmine and we get a glimpse into Hook’s past with a mysterious character, Captain Nemo.

“Dark Waters” – Emma tries to convince Aladdin to work with Jasmine to help Agrabah, while Regina teams up with Snow and David to free Archie from Zelena. The Evil Queen sows suspicion between Henry and Hook, even as Mr. Gold reminds her of his most important lesson. Meanwhile, in the past, Hook finds himself kidnapped by the mysterious Captain Nemo and held captive inside his legendary submarine, the Nautilus, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network. (ABC/Jack Rowand)

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Click through the links below for our RECAP.

Saving Agrabah
The Time of The Dark Curse
Henry, Hook & the Nautilus
Storybrooke Hospital
Who has the sheers?

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‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ 2.03 ‘Shogun’ Review: A New Legend Rises

Legends of Tomorrow gave birth to another legend this week as Nate Haywood discovers that the serum that he got injected with last week, has given abilities within him which the team now has to help him get control of. But during the training, they accidentally open the Waverider which pulls Ray and Nate out into the time stream as they land in Feudal Japan.

But that’s not the only problem they have on their hands this week as Vixen gets on the Waverider and tries to take the legends out as she believes that Mick was responsible for Hourman’s death last week. While Ray gets taken by samurai warriors who also steal his Atom suit, Nate is found by a woman named Masako Yamashiro who is about to get married off to the Shogun in one day. Back on the ship, Stein and Jax finds an important message from a familiar hero, but 40 years older.

As the legends goes up against the samurai warriors as well as one that is fully suited up with the Atom armor, Nate finally gets in control of his powers. With everything that happened in tonight’s episode, we have a lot to discuss. So hit the next button below and let’s breakdown the top moments and highlights from the Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 episode: “Shogun”

#5: Legends Vs Samurais

#4: Ray’s Inner Struggle

#3: Vixen Joins The Legends

#2: A Message From The Future

#1: A New Legend Rises

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’Arrow’ 5.04 ‘Penance’ Review: Operation Save Diggle

In the past few weeks of Arrow, the Green Arrow has been occupied assembling and training his new team. This week it was all about saving a member of his former team as Oliver and Lyla head out to break John Diggle out of military prison.

After revealing to Rory last week that she was partly responsible for the destruction of Havenrock, he decides to depart the team. But with the team members finding out that Oliver is going to break Diggle out of prison, a conflict occurs between the newbies and their green leader. In the flashbacks this week, Oliver gets his next test by Anatoly and the Bratva, which will take Oliver a step closer to finding Kovar. He gets himself arrested by Russian police and ends up in the same cell as one of Kovar’s lackeys to try and get information out of him.

While Oliver is gone on his mission, Tobias Church is going after SCPD’s Anti-Crime Unit and with the Green Arrow MIA from Star City, it was up to the newbies. With Rory and Felicity coming to an understanding, he returns to the team and helps the rest of the team out with stopping Church. But unfortunately, one member is left behind and now being held captive by Church.

Given how packed “Penance” was, we have a lot to breakdown so hit the next button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Arrow Season 5 episode: “Penance”

#5: Oliver’s Next Test In Russian Flashbacks

#4: Felicity & Rory’s Heart-To-Heart

#3: The Newbies Vs Tobias Church

#2: Oliver & Lyla Breaks Diggle Out Of Jail

#1: A Hero Left Behind 

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’Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 4.05 ‘Lockup’ Review: Healing Wounds

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. continued their new mysterious adventures as Ghost Rider and S.H.I.E.L.D. proceed with their team-up to find the Darkhold which we learn a lot about while also giving the audience tons of new questions to deal with. While Daisy has returned to the organization and is helping them with their Ghost problem, Daisy’s struggle over Lincoln’s death causes her to try and work alone without anyone dying on her hands.

Coulson also tries to get a good read on May’s being after she came back from a temporary death and with May being May, it’s a mission of its own. After Simmons learned about the secret that was A.I.D.A., she had to deal with her mandatory lie detector test which got to some quite interesting results at the end of the episode. During a live broadcasting between ABC News, S.H.I.E.L.D. and Ellen Nadeer, Director Mace gets real with the world.

But the show wouldn’t be what it is without a huge plot twist as the post-credit scene of tonight’s episode left the viewers with new questions. With all of that said, hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of tonight’s biggest highlights and important moments in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 episode: “Lockup”

#5: Simmons’ Lie Detector Test

#4: Ghost Rider Deals With His Past

#3: Daisy Struggles With Team-Work

#2: Director Mace Gets Real With Inhuman Haters

#1: That Major Post-Credit Scene

The post ’Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 4.05 ‘Lockup’ Review: Healing Wounds appeared first on Heroic Hollywood.

’The Flash’ 3.04 ‘The New Rogues’ Review: New Foes & Allies

The Flash is known for its big Rogues Gallery and this week we got introduced to not one, but two new Rogue members as DC Comics’ Mirror Master and The Top made their debuts on the CW series.

The episode goes back to the night the particular accelerator exploded as we learn the background of Sam Scudder and Rosa Dillion as they used to work with Leonard Snart a.k.a. Captain Cold. With Sam being stuck inside a mirror for three years, when he gets out and discovers he has powers, he starts hunting for Snart, while reuniting with Rosa, who also has abilities.

Barry and Iris try to enjoy their new romantic relationship, but with Barry still living under Joe’s roof, it’s bound to get interrupted. Barry tries to talk with Joe about making it less awkward for him to see them kiss, but it gets more awkward than he expected. Wally and Jesse also deal with their romantic feelings for one another, but with Harry set to go back home to Earth-2, it gets complicated.

A lot went down in tonight’s episode that we want to breakdown, so hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through important moments and highlights of The Flash season three episode: “The New Rogues”

#5: Mirror Master & The Top Debuts

#4: Fishing For A New Harrison Wells

#3: Speedsters Vs Rogues

#2: All The Romance

#1: Caitlin’s Powers Begin To Take Over

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‘Doctor Strange’ Review: The MCU Enters New, Exciting Dimensions

Doctor Strange is set to transport Marvel fans into a broader and more visually arresting world than ever. Here’s our (Spoiler-free!) review. 

When Guardians of The Galaxy came along in 2014, some pundits thought it was a step too far for the ever-growing Marvel Cinematic Universe to make the trek into space opera (they were obviously wrong). Ant-Man was released a year later after a well-publicized, yet amicable, break-up between director Edgar Wright and Marvel/Disney’s creative counsel, and critics assumed that the tiny hero would be Marvel’s first mistake (which it wasn’t).

Now, after 14 financially successful and mostly well-received films, comes Doctor Strange—the latest in the evolving and shifting mosaic of superhero genres that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe. And what it offers is simple, amounting to the idea that yes, magic exists and is quite prominent in the continuity of the Marvel movies.

Should the realm of the mystical and magical in mainstream entertainment be left solely to those troublesome upstarts at Hogwarts? Hell no.

Doctor Strange is a phenomenal achievement, combining the tried and tested Marvel formula even your grandma probably finds endearing at this point with incredible visuals that bring Steve Ditko’s psychedelic imagery to life. Without a doubt, this film will be the frontrunner for VFX Oscar attention come awards season, and the post-production wizardry is only made better by how well they pulled the rest of the film off.

Marvel Comics became a runaway success in the 1960s because it introduced their take on the flawed hero. That is, three-dimensional characters who make mistakes just like the rest of us and spend the remainder of their lives trying to right the very wrongs they were complicit in. Stephen Strange is no different. He’s a gifted, yet tremendously arrogant neurosurgeon who begrudges the notion of saving one life when his research could save thousands, which is a pivot into utilitarianism we’re not really used to seeing much of in any superhero movie, let alone Marvel’s.

In lesser hands (excuse the pun), Strange could have been a loathsome lead, but like Robert Downey Jr.’s dramatic upswing as Tony Stark, Benedict Cumberbatch injects the would-be Sorcerer Supreme with a snarky charisma and charm that makes the iconic character all his own. Fans of Sherlock will no doubt unleash a chorus of “I told you so’s” after checking this one out, but Cumberbatch really does impress with his ability to play a lead that almost makes Stark seem less interesting. It’s no mistake that their origins and characteristics are very similar, thematically, and there’s little doubt Marvel is banking on Cumberbatch becoming their “it” actor after Downey Jr. eventually moves on or is replaced.

With pride comes the fall, and after Strange finds his hands shredded in a brutal, well-shot car accident, he exhausts all western medicine options to heal himself. He ultimately embarks on a quest that leads him to the Far East, where he falls under the tutelage of the mystic arts.

It’s here that the film really steps its game up, when we meet The Ancient One (played by Tilda Swinton) and Baron Mordo (Chiwetel Ejiofor). The assembled talent here is astonishing, as both Swinton and Ejiofor give the film their full effort, with Swinton in particular opening the film up with an epic action set piece that perfectly establishes her as a new MCU badass, complete with a fresh twist on the lore of this fan favorite character.

Leading up to the release, Kevin Feige and Scott Derickson promised imagery unlike anything ever seen before, and though the initial trailers set this up as an architectural nightmare akin to Inception, it’s hard to really grasp the final experience of Doctor Strange before seeing it for yourself. It’s even difficult to describe anything without being misleading, but the point is that the technical feats are truly masterful. Imagine a kaleidoscope crossed with MC Escher and a dose of psychotropics…and you’re probably halfway there.

Strangely, this is also one of the funnier entries in the MCU. The reshoots with Dan Harmon (Community) apparently paid off, as there’s a slew of great quips, visual gags, and longer form jokes, all without feeling like territory that would undermine the serious aspects of the film. This is probably the most “laugh out loud” Marvel movie since Guardians of the Galaxy.

With the usual Marvel successes come the same frailties, and this is certainly the case when it comes to the villain, Kaecilius, played by Mads Mikkelsen. He’s quite underdeveloped, which is a shame as there are hints that his turn to the side of villainy was motivated by a dark tragedy that’s never properly explored. A bright side to his inclusion, though, is that it effectively sets up some intriguing development for Mordo over the next few Strange films.

Also lost in the shuffle is Rachel McAdams, who does a solid job with the very little she’s given as Christine Palmer. She has great chemistry with Cumberbatch, to be fair, but the character is quickly relegated to the fringes of the main story once the action gets going.

This amounts to a Hero’s Journey movie with little meat left for anything else audiences might want to grasp onto, such as memorable romantic interests and villains. This is a typical MCU problem that deserves some criticism for showing no signs of progress. And despite a tight script with great pacing, the ending feels a bit abrupt, as well.

Still, Scott Derickson and his team have created a visual masterpiece with a side order of heart. Doctor Strange is an excellent, even essential entry for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, providing a slew of new worlds and storytelling opportunities for longtime fans, while also providing a possible successor to the Phase 1 mainstays, like Iron Man.

Check it out, and be sure to stick around for the post-credits teaser (as if you weren’t going to, already).

Rating: 8.5/10

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’Supergirl’ 2.03 ‘Welcome To Earth’ Review: Pride & Prejudice

Supergirl has already gotten off to a strong start and this week’s episode kept up with what these two past weeks have setup. The episode picks up right where we left off as Kara deals with the mysterious alien who eventually reveals himself as Mon-El. He tries to figure out how to get back to his home that he doesn’t know the status of.

Kara is assigned to greet Madame President, played by the legend that is Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman) who the Girl of Steel can’t stop fangirling about. Meanwhile, Alex is introduced to a new figure in her live as well as she butt heads with Science Police officer Maggie Sawyer as they deal with the mysterious alien attacks against the president.

While Kara deals with having Mon-El in her life, Alex with Maggie, J’onn receives quite the surprise at the end of the hour as a familiar DC face makes their debut. This was an incredibly packed episode and there is a lot we want and need to breakdown. So let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Supergirl Season 2 episode: “Welcome To Earth”

#5: Maggie Sawyer’s Dynamic With Alex

#4: Kara & Mon-El Bonds

#3: Madame President & Her Secret

#2: Snapper Carr Vs Jimmy Olsen

#1: Martian Manhunter Gets A Surprise

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’Gotham’ 3.06 ‘Follow The White Rabbit’ Review

Gotham’s introduction of DC Comics’ Mad Hatter has been a crazy and wild ride so far, especially as Tetch has made Gordon as his nemesis for the death of his sister Alice a few weeks ago. This week’s episode “Follow the White Rabbit” was no exception as Tetch had a vicious plan in motion against Gordon as the torture continues from Gotham City’s newest mastermind.

After getting a hypnotized newlywed couple killed as Gordon had to choose to save the hypnotized child, Tetch kidnaps both Valerie Vale and Leslie Thompkins. But it gets worse as Tetch reveals that Gordon can only save one of the women as he has to choose. While Gordon is going through hell, Penguin seems to be getting closer to tell Nygma something deep and important. However Nygma gets distracted when someone quite familiar pops up back in his life. In addition, Barnes starts to go through more changes.

This week’s episode was one of the new season’s most intense episodes so far and there is a lot that we want to discuss. So hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Gotham Season 3 episode: “Follow The White Rabbit”

#5: Barnes Starts Losing It

#4: Mad Hatter Vs Gordon

#3: Is Bullock Feeling Left Out?

#2: Nygma Meets A Familiar Face

#1: Is Someone Coming Out Of the Closet?

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‘Westworld’ 1.04 “Dissonance Theory” Review: A Pyrotechnic Event With A Delayed Fuse

Westworld is already a dense show, and “Dissonance Theory” is no exception, but at its core it is a modern-day tragedy, i.e. things are going to go oh-so very wrong, the audience knows, even some of the characters know it and the thrill is the slow crank to the top of the tower before the inevitable drop into the abyss.

The various plots of the show all bubbled up in this hour, making it feel more consequential than last week’s more meandering third hour. The Man in Black progressed further into his quest for the mythical maze, with more talk of Ford’s deceased business partner Arnold. That storyline bled into Dolores’ continued awakening with William and Logan, whom we learned a lot more about in the context of more awesome video game references. Plus, the writers tee-balled another monologue for Hopkins to deliciously tear into, with the corporate stand-in Cullen taking the abuse this time.

Click Next to scroll through the gallery, or click which part of the review you’d like to read. You can read my previous episode reviews at these links: EP 1, EP 2, Ep 3

• Bureaucracy can’t stop robot rebellion
• The Man in Black knows everything and doesn’t
• Dolores in Westworld
• William & Logan’s Excellent Adventures 2
• Maeve and Hector share a cut scene

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‘Once Upon A Time’ 6.05 “Street Rats” Review: The Diamond in the Rough

Welcome back Oncers! This episode had a lot to live up to. It was very heavily promoted and teased throughout the break. Let’s see how it turned out, shall we? Click through for our recap of Once Upon A Time Episode 5: “Street Rats”.

“Street Rats” – In a flashback to Agrabah, Princess Jasmine recruits Aladdin to help her recover a secret weapon capable of breaking Jafar’s hold on the Sultan and saving the city from ruin. Their quest takes them to the Cave of Wonders where Aladdin’s fate is revealed. In Storybrooke, the Evil Queen tricks Hook and the Charmings and forces Emma to reveal her secret in an effort to divide the family. While the Evil Queen pampers Zelena, elsewhere in town, Regina and our heroes scramble to learn what became of Aladdin, on “Once Upon a Time,” SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23 (8:00-9:00 p.m. EDT), on the ABC Television Network.

“Once Upon a Time” stars Ginnifer Goodwin as Snow White/Mary Margaret, Jennifer Morrison as Emma Swan, Lana Parrilla as the Evil Queen/Regina, Josh Dallas as Prince Charming/David, Emilie de Ravin as Belle, Colin O’Donoghue as Hook, Jared S. Gilmore as Henry Mills, Rebecca Mader as the Wicked Witch/Zelena and Robert Carlyle as Rumplestiltskin/Mr. Gold.

Click through the links below for our RECAP.

Agrabah

The Cave of Wonders

Sister, Sister

Where’s Aladdin?

Family First

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‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’ A Stiff, Unoriginal Sequel [Review]

In Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, retired military police commander, Jack Reacher (Tom Cruise) has a stretch of bad luck. He is once again framed for murder and trying to help someone beat a bum wrap just like the first movie. He’s an American nomad who loves trouble, and wherever he is, expect action and danger. The film is an ode to old action films of the 90’s where you get action that is sometimes over the top. This film takes itself way too seriously and doesn’t have that sense of fun and surprise as the first film. Are the books just as rigid as this movie? I hope not.

Image via Paramount Pictures

The film is based on the Lee Child series of books, but the only different between the first and the second film is that it runs with the idea of attaching our main hero with a pseudo family. This ‘family’ consist Reacher’s replacement at the 110th military police division, Army major, Susan Turner (Cobie Smulders), and a teenage girl named Samantha Dayton (Danika Yarosh), who may or may not be Jack’s daughter. Reacher is good at getting in and out of trouble, but he’s good at doing it alone. It’s a lot easier to get things done when you only have to worry about yourself. But now he is responsible for two people. Maybe this was done to show more of his nurturing traits, but this plot device tries to force the film to go farther than the story and its hero are designed to go.

Image via Paramount Pictures

The film starts off with Reacher touching down in Washington D.C. to meet with Major Turner. It is then he discovers she has been arrested and charged with espionage. He doesn’t believe she is guilty so he takes it upon himself to get to the bottom of why she is arrested. While out gathering information, he finds he has also been charged with the murder of Major Turner’s lawyer. When he is sent to the same prison as the major, he discovers there are external forces out to kill them both. The duo breaks out of jail and now they are on the run. However, there is a slight hindrance in the mix–Samantha. So not only are they all on the run, Jack now has to mull over whether or not he’s been a deadbeat father. All in a days work for Jack.

The three of them have poor people skills and have no idea how to operate this make-believe family unit. Ironically, this makes for some humorous moments between them. They fail to realize they are all more alike than they are different, but no one wants to admit it. There is also a scene or two where Susan addresses gender equality with Jack–who has no idea how to address the subject except to only apologize–but the forced acting doesn’t make any of it believable. These two themes could have really taken the film to a new level, but writer Marshall Herskovitz has no idea how to make it work in this already clunky action flick. Cruise is trying hard to look intimidating with his deep, squinty stare, boyish good looks, and blue collar fashion, but he’s never been able to pull that off quite well. Cobie Smolders is good, unfortunately, the writing doesn’t give her character any depth to balance out Cruise’s cold and stiff performance. She’s the female version of Jack Reacher and just as cold and stiff as he is. Boring.

Image via Paramount Pictures

Director Edward Zwick couldn’t fit all the puzzle pieces together to make the film exciting. To his credit, the action scenes are filmed very well. You see every bone cracking punch, and bone breaking kick delivered. It just lacks the heart or sense of urgency of the first Jack Reacher where he is really fighting for survival. In Never Go Back, he seems bored and is now looking for–and creating–massive amounts of drama by getting into fights because he has nothing better to do. Instead of cramming fight scenes one after the other, someone should have thought out the plot a bit more.

In trying to invoke the look and feel of the action cinema of yesteryear, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back could have been so much better if it just created something fresher. It almost feels like deja vu where movie audiences are seeing Tom Cruise in similar movies with similar roles–just with different titles and different directors. Jack Reacher, Mission Impossible, Edge of Tomorrow, are beginning to blend into one another. I understand Tom Cruise is great at action and does his own stunts, but the novelty is starting to wear thin, and the films are becoming less exciting. Time to switch it up Tom!

Rating: 5.5/10

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Star Wars Rebels Recap: ‘The Last Battle’

Back at the end of the first season of Star Wars Rebels, I was anxious about the amount of connective tissue the show would end up sharing with Lucasfilm Animation’s previous project: The Clone Wars. Beyond my own personal grievances with the series, it would have done an enormous to Rebels and its cast of characters to suddenly morph the show into The Clone Wars Episode II. And with characters like Ahsoka Tano, Captain Rex, and Hondo Ohnaka all featuring prominently in the trailer for Season Two, that was a very real fear.

But, of course, those fears wound up being unwarranted. The six-and-a-half seasons of The Clone Wars provided some interesting context for these conflicts, but never became a prerequisite text for Rebels. At their best, these links between the two shows added interesting layers of depth for our core cast of characters to mine and at their worst they were little more than disposable fan service that didn’t dramatically impact the Lothal rebels in any meaningful way.

This week’s episode is thick with fan service (so much so that the standard credits cue is subbed out in favor of The Clone Wars theme), but this time that fan service doesn’t feel quite so disposable. What we have instead is an episode focussed primarily on examining a single member of our main cast – the kind of episode we’ve seen a dozen or so times for characters like Sabine, Ezra, and Zeb – the only difference is that this time the character being explored was literally (in and out of universe) created for The Clone Wars.

The framework for this story is familiar. The rebels are on a mission to retrieve supplies from a seemingly abandoned asteroid/space station/military base, but upon arrival they find the asteroid/space station/military base is not quite as abandoned as they had expected. The specifics this time are that the rebels are raiding the wreckage of an old Separatist supply ship on the planet Agamar in search of explosives, but they soon find that the ship’s complement of battle droids somehow avoided the universal shutdown order sent at the end of the Clone Wars. It turns out that Kalani, the tactical droid running this ship refused to accept defeat and ignored the shutdown order. Now that a pair of Jedi and a clone commander just so happen to show up, Kalani sees it as a chance to achieve some sort of victory – to end the Clone Wars on his terms, even if only by simulation. To that end, he offers the rebels a challenge: Kalani will hold Zeb hostage (as the Lasat were not fighters in the Clone Wars) while the two Jedi ‘generals’ and their clone commander attempt to fight through Kalani’s forces to rescue their friend.

While the scenario may be silly, it quickly becomes clear that Rex takes it very seriously. Even though Rex stumbled into this, this idea of a real end to the war he was bred to fight consumes him. I’ve talked before about the way one of The Clone Wars biggest successes was the characterizations of the clones themselves. By giving these machines of war personality, individuality, a soul, it presented some intriguing questions – not the least of which is what happens to a man whose entire reason for existence is war once that war has ended?

For most clones, the answer involved a control chip that forced them to participate in the dissolution of the Republic in favor of a Galactic Empire, but Rex managed to maintain his own agency. He was not loyal to the Empire, but there was no longer a Republic for him to defend.  Joining up with the rebel cause in fighting the Empire provided him with some sense of purpose, but it still didn’t satisfy his ultimate goal, his entire reason for being. Much like Kalani, the idea of being able to end the war on his own terms is too much for him to pass up.

Because, you see, even though the Clone Wars stopped it never really ended. The whole thing was a ruse – a smokescreen that disguised Palpatine’s efforts to establish himself as the ruler of the entire galaxy. Once that end was met, the Clone War just sort of quietly went away. The Jedi were eliminated, the clones replaced by stormtroopers, and the separatist army deactivated.

There’s an interesting meta-narrative wrinkle here in that, much like the military campaign it’s based on The Clone Wars itself never actually concluded, but rather stopped due to behind the scenes machinations and a change of regime. The team behind The Clone Wars transitioned to working on Rebels and ended up creating, frankly, a much better show, but it was clear that both the creators of the show and the fans were still seeking some sense of closure for this six-and-a-half year affair. Darth Maul got a comic book, Ventriss got a novel, the end (with caveats) of Ahsoka’s story played out over the previous season of Rebels. But more so than all of that, this episode seems to exist to definitively put a bow on the whole Clone Wars affair by having a story that is about ending the Clone Wars.

To that end, the rebels meet Kalani’s challenge, defeat their opposition, and confront him in the command center, but Kalani argues that their victory was invalid, that his droids have deteriorated over time and that, had they been operating at peak efficiency, the victory would have been his. This debate is cut short, however, when Imperial forces arrive on the planet and begin laying siege to the base. After a quick the-enemy-of-my-enemy-is-my-friend pep talk from Ezra, Kalani agrees to assist the rebels in escaping the planet, concluding that by setting both sides up to fail in a phony war, the Empire is as much an enemy to the Separatist cause as the Republic ever was.

With the political machinations laid bare, Ezra is able to essentially broker a truce between these two factions who have been at war – officially and unofficially – for the better part of two decades. As they escape the planet, Kalani deems the odds of a successful rebellion against the Empire too low to be worth aligning himself with their cause, but acknowledges that this, at least, is a satisfactory conclusion to a decades’ old conflict. Rex echoes that sentiment, thanking Ezra for helping him find some sense of closure.

And as the episode ends with the main theme from The Clone Wars, hopefully fans will have some sense of closure as well. While the legacy of The Clone Wars will more than certainly continue to play out in comics and novels and video games and what-have-you, this seems to close the book on Rebels being a vehicle through which to tie up its predecessor’s loose ends. I mean, we’ve still got Maul and all his silliness to sort through this season, but I’m optimistic that whatever his function is here, it’s not just a rehash of the same scenarios we’ve already seen play out in The Clone Wars. If nothing else, this episode at least frees up Rex to find a new purpose as a core member of the Rebels cast rather than being a perpetual guest star ported over from a different show. There can be value found in looking at the past, but for now, I’m looking forward to see whatever Rebels has up its sleeve that’s entirely new.

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First Wave Of ‘Doctor Strange’ Reviews Hit

The Marvel Cinematic Universe seems to be an unstoppable force in the film industry, but is their latest film as great as the rest? Short answer, yes. The Benedict Cumberbatch-starring, Doctor Strange, will officially hit cinemas in the US on November 4, while the film drops internationally on October 27. Ahead of this, the review embargo has finally been lifted and we now know what the major outlets are saying about  Marvel’s latest flick.

While Rotten Tomatoes is not the most reliable of cinema scores, the film currently holds 100% with 5 reviews, as I said, not extremely reliable. The early reviews call Cumberbatch a star, as well as continuously praise the film’s special effects and psychedelic-tones. However, one of the major problems evident in these early reviews comes back to the infamous “Marvel formula,” in which a film set within the MCU will feature a bland villain, as well as a wasted supporting cast. Apparently, Doctor Strange ticks those boxes. Interestingly, the film has been compared to Marvel Studios’ freshman film, Iron Man.

You can read some excerpts below:

The Playlist’s Gregory Ellwood:

Like most Marvel movies, “Doctor Strange” would be pure escapist fare except for two important elements: the film’s often stunning depiction of the multiverse and a cast that simply insist their characters are grounded even with all the fantastical drama surrounding them (something audiences have not seen since the first “Iron Man” or portions of “The Avengers”).

[B-]

The Wrap’s Alfonso Duralde:

The performances are consistently engaging: Cumberbatch remains charming and quippy whether he’s full of himself or learning to let go and to face his fear, Swinton puts her otherworldly qualities to great use, and Rachel McAdams (as Strange’s former and maybe future girlfriend) provides a much-needed degree of groundedness to the bizarre goings-on. Mikkelsen is sadly underutilized, but his conflicts with Strange allow TV fans a long-awaited Hannibal vs. Sherlock match-up.

The Daily Beast‘s Jen Yamato:

If assholes like Stephen Strange can learn that serving the greater good is the ultimate best use of his talents, we might dare to hope the jerkwads of the real world can get a little bit more enlightened when asked to contemplate life, death, and their place in the universe—even if they have to be tricked into it by buying a ticket to the latest superhero movie with the promise of a psychedelic trip through the Marvel universe.

Uproxx’s Mike Ryan:

I enjoyed Doctor Strange a lot more than I thought I would. Not that I didn’t think director Scott Derrickson (Sinister) could produce a good Doctor Strangemovie, but more because introducing a new superher seems like such a thankless task nowadays. Moviegoers don’t love origin stories anymore, but Strange’s world is so strange bizarre, there’s really no way to just have this guy show up with his interdimensional thought-beam weapons, and sling rings, and magic cloak (which, here, has a personality of its own) and not offer some sort of two-hour explanation. This movie is your two-hour explanation. And Derrickson and crew offer enough dazzling visual eye candy that it almosthides what we are actually watching. Again, it’s almost a thankless task these days but Doctor Strange finds a way to make even the mundane seem unique.

Screencrush’s Matt Singer:

This is really the only way Doctor Strange deviates from the established Marvel formula: Typically Marvel movies have terrific characters and so-so visuals and action. Strange is the opposite; it’s glorious to look at (and the rare blockbuster where the 3D genuinely adds something to the experience) but the people are kind of dull. It’s to Derrickson’s credit that he managed to conjure up images to match his protagonist’s adventurous spirit. But you can see right through his characters, even when their souls aren’t floating outside of their bodies.

Variety’s Peter Debruge:

Such scenes may be good for spectacle, but Doctor Strange’s most fascinating battle is within himself, as he fights first to regain the use of his hands and later to overcome everything he has learned — not only about the laws of physics, but also the social conditioning that taught this workaholic that his self-worth was tied to a job he can no longer perform. The character is literally fighting for his life in this film, and Cumberbatch captures both his humbling and the subsequent recovery of confidence. Here is a man who cockily swore off being an emergency room surgeon because he wasn’t interested in saving one life at a time, only to be rendered useless by his injuries. So, while we might yawn at yet another threat to all mankind, “Doctor Strange” has been presented in such a way that this higher calling restores his ability to help the world entire. We understand that this calling matters to him, even if his motives remain a mystery.

IGN’s Eric Goldman:

14 movies into the MCU — and with many other comic book movies constantly opening these days — Doctor Strange’s basic origin story structure is a bit overly familiar, including a lot of the strengths (the charismatic lead; the exciting and fun moments where he discovers new abilities) and weaknesses (a villain that feels underwritten) we’ve come to expect. But the other realms and accompanying visuals it brings into the MCU are fascinating and thrilling, with a lot of potential for the future. Now that his origin story is out of the way, I look forward to seeing what’s next for the good Doctor.

[7.7/10]

The Hollywood Reporter‘s Todd McCarthy:

A ’60s cult figure stuck on the periphery of the Marvel Comics universe for 50 years finally spins into orbit to command the world’s attention in Doctor Strange, an engaging, smartly cast and sporadically eye-popping addition to the studio’s bulging portfolio. Determined, among other things, to top Christopher Nolan at his own game when it comes to folding, bending and upending famous cityscapes to eye-popping effect, this action movie ostensibly rooted in the mind-expanding tenets of Eastern mysticism is different enough to establish a solid niche alongside the blockbuster combine’s established money machines.

So, what do you guys make of all these reviews? The film does sound quite good, and I am fond of the comments regarding the movie’s style and tone. However, I am a little worried by the repeated mentions of Iron Man.

Doctor Strange hits theatres on November 4.

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‘Legends Of Tomorrow’ 2.02 ‘The Justice Society Of America’ Review

Legends of Tomorrow ended on quite the cliffhanger last week as the legends ran into DC Comics’ iconic team, the Justice Society of America, which is where this week’s episode picked right up at. Just like the majority of superheroes in the media, the two groups came to clash at first. Soon enough, the two groups try to figure out why Hourman warned the legends in 2016, but somehow the Hourman from 1942 hasn’t gotten to that point yet.

With Rip Hunter currently missing after last week’s episode, the team needs a new leader, especially as they get slightly jealous of how the JSA operates and gets along. Professor Stein takes on that role because he simply thinks he was capable of it. However as the legends try to stop a bunch of Nazis (and eventually a mutated giant), Stein finds himself struggling with his new role. But that’s not the only trouble that we see in this episode concludes with a huge twist.

With everything that happened in tonight’s episode, we have a lot to discuss. So hit the next button below and let’s breakdown the top moments and highlights from the Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 episode: “The Justice Society Of America”

#5: Nate & Commander Steel’s Dynamic

#4: The Justice Society Vs Legends

#3: Sara [Finally] Becomes The New Leader

#2: Superheroes Vs Nazis

#1: The Shocking Ending

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’Arrow’ 5.03 ‘A Matter Of Trust’ Review: Building Team Trust

Arrow assembled a new team last week with Wild Dog, Evelyn Sharp, Ragman and this week’s episode focused heavily on building trust. While Prometheus stayed off the grid tonight, Oliver had his hands busy with a new threat, as we get introduced to Derrick Sampson, played by wrestling star Cody Rhodes (formerly known as Stardust, which the drug in this episode was a nod to), who accidentally become a super-human.

While Team Arrow 2.0 is busy with their tasks, Thea sadly gets into a messy situation of her own. Thea’s decision to make Quentin the new Deputy Mayor gets leaked onto the news by anchor Susan Williams (guest star Carly Pope). Diggle, who is locked up in military prison, meets a very familiar face who ends up being his cellmate while he also deals with his inner demons from having killed his little brother last season. Because of that, he asks Lyla to stop trying to get him out as he wants to pay for his action.

Given how packed “A Matter Of Trust” was, we have a lot to breakdown so hit the next button below and let’s go through some of the highlights and important moments of the Arrow Season 5 episode: “A Matter Of Trust”

#5: Felicity’s Havenrock Situation Addressed

#4: Diggle’s Arc & The Return Of [SPOILER]

#3: DC Comics’ Adrian Chase Debuts

#2: Green Arrow & Team Vs Derrick Sampson

#1: Thea Runs Into Trouble

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’Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ 4.04 ” Let Me Stand Next to Your Fire” Review

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has re-entered a welcomed chapter for the show as S.H.I.E.LD. have now gone back to be in the public and no longer has to stay in the shadows. Last week’s episode featured the organization putting themselves out in the public again as Director Mace decided to pull that trigger. After three episodes, it was finally time for the rest of S.H.I.E.L.D. to meet Daisy’s new friend, Robbie Reyes a.k.a. Ghost Rider, as they seek his help in solving their Ghost problem.

Meanwhile, Simmons is surprised to run into Daisy and while reluctant, helps her to try and stop the Watchdogs. When they go get help from a familiar Inhuman, James a.k.a. Hellfire, who was Hive’d in Season 3, they get treated to one hell of a surprise. While all our agents are busy on the field, the episode follows up with a newly restored May who finds out what Radcliffe and Simmons had to do in order to save her last week. But she also discovers Radcliffe’s secret about his new friend A.I.D.A.

With all of that said, hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through some of tonight’s biggest highlights and important moments in the Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Season 4 episode: “Let Me Stand Next To Your Fire”

#5: S.H.I.E.L.D. Being Back In The Light

#4: The Adventures Of Daisy & Simmons

#3: Ghost Rider & S.H.I.E.L.D. Teams-Up

#2: The Darkhold Mystery

#1: Daisy & S.H.I.E.L.D. Reunited

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’The Flash’ 3.03 ”Magenta” Review: Jesse Quick Rises

The Flash continues their third season and this week was a huge one with the debut of one powerful meta-human, Magenta (guest star Joey King) and the return of the Earth-2 Wells, Harry and Jesse who comes to Earth-1 for a very specific reason. Jesse has developed super-speed and now Harry needs Barry’s assistance in helping her. While some of Team Flash is excited for Jesse and her newfound abilities, Wally is sadly disappointed that he didn’t get super-speed through the same accident that he and Jesse went through in Season 2.

We get introduced to Frankie Kane who has been given her abilities from Doctor Alchemy and it gets worse as we discover that Magenta is actually a separate personality of Frankie’s that takes over. While everything is going on, Barry is desperately trying to have his first date with Iris, but when you are a superhero, there are a lot of rain checks involved. A lot went down in “Magenta” that we want to breakdown, so hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through important moments and highlights of The Flash season three episode: “Magenta”

#5: Return of Harry Wells & Jesse Quick

#4: Debut Of Magenta

#3: Iris & Barry’s First “Date”

#2: Wally’s Need For Speed

#1: Alchemy’s Mystery Continues

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’Supergirl’ 2.02 ”The Last Children Of Krypton” Review: Kara & Superman’s Team-Up Continues

Supergirl

After a stellar premiere last week, Supergirl’s second episode of the new season with guest-star Superman, continued to great adventure of the two Super-Cousins as they faced off with a completely different John Corben who has now become the Kryptonite cyborg Metallo. However with a Kryptonite cyborg running around, this makes the tension between Superman and J’onn J’onnz even worse.

Meanwhile over at Cat Co, we see that Cat Grant is getting ready to take a leave of absence and the introduction to Ian Gomez’s Snapper Carr who doesn’t go easy on Kara, one bit. With Snapper’s harshness and the entrance of Project Cadmus, swearing to target aliens and threats, Kara starts to wonder if maybe she should move to Metropolis with her cousin.

Alex also comes face to face with the people responsible for her father’s disappearance as Brenda Strong’s “The Doctor” confronts her. While he sleeps through most of the episode, we also finally get a little action with Christopher Wood’s character. With such a packed hour, there is a lot we have to breakdown for tonight’s episode. So let’s go through the top 6 highlights and important moments of the Supergirl Season 2 episode: “The Last Children Of Krypton”

#5: Kara’s New Job & Boss, Snapper Carr

#4: Martian Manhunter & Superman’s Conflict

#3: Cat Grant’s Emotional Send-Off

#2: The Cadmus Doctor & Metallo

#1: Conclusion To Super Team-Up

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’Gotham’ 3.05 ”Anything For You” Review: Butch Declares War On Penguin

Gotham put Oswald Cobblepot a.k.a. the Penguin into a new role last week as he won the election and became the new mayor of Gotham City. This week’s episode followed up with those events as we see the Penguin as Gotham’s mayor and because it’s the city it is, it wasn’t easy at all. The Red Hood gang mysteriously shows up again and starts attacking the new mayor, but little does Oswald know that it’s all orchestrated by Butch as he is trying to make himself look good for Penguin as he is being replaced by Nygma.

Bruce and Gordon re-connect as he seeks help in finding Ivy who has now made her way back into Gotham City after having been aged up and she even bumps into Selina who has no idea that Ivy is all grown up. Captain Barnes also starts to feel the effects of the blood that he absorbed last week which might be an indicator of bad things to come. This week’s episode was incredibly packed and there is a lot that we want to discuss so hit the NEXT button below and let’s go through the top 5 highlights and important moments of the Gotham Season 3 episode: “Anything For You”

#5: Captain’s New (Possible) Powers

#4: Nygma’s Re-Entrance To GCPD

#3: Butch Declares War

#2: Bruce Gets Real With Selina

#1: Penguin & Nygma Grow Closer

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Star Wars Rebels Recap: ‘The Antilles Extraction’ & ‘Hera’s Heroes’

This review contains spoilers.

One of the most exciting things about Star Wars Rebels has been its setting. Not only is the period of time directly preceding the original film rife with storytelling potential, but the way Rebels has gone about exploring this period has been fascinating. Each season of the show has covered roughly one year in the life of our characters, meaning that the show is essentially playing out in real time. Where the timeline of The Clone Wars was expanded to the point that six-and-a-half seasons of television still didn’t make it all the way through three years of story, Rebels’ focus makes it feel much more immediate. We’re hurtling rapidly toward the end of the five year window in which Rebels has to tell its story, which means there’s a clear, definitive end point in our future.

That also means that, with each subsequent season, the world of the show has to move closer to the world we know from the 1977 film. It’s almost surprising that now, less than three years out from Leia giving the Death Star plans to Artoo for safe keeping, the growing rebel movement still hasn’t coalesced into the Rebel Alliance. Even so, more and more pieces keep falling into place. We’ve seen Bail Organa and Princess Leia. The rebels have gotten their hands on B-wings, Y-wings, and even an Imperial carrier. In this season’s premier we even got a shout out to General Dodonna and saw how the Ghost crew indirectly aided in the assault on the Death Star. This time around we have two more faces to join those ranks, one familiar and one, er– maybe not so much.

As the rebel organization grows in strength, so too has the Imperial opposition. Commander Sato’s Phoenix squadron has been hemorrhaging pilots, and after a particularly devastating botched supply run, they’re in desperate need of some new blood. Luckily Fulcrum (which, it turns out, is a code name for all of the rebel movement’s deep cover agents, not just Ahsoka) has received some intel that a number of pilots in one of the Empire’s top training facilities are seeking to desert the Empire and join up with the rebel cause. But, of course, they can’t just waltz out of an Imperial training facility any old time they please; they need someone to infiltrate the Imperial academy to help them make their escape. Someone like Sabine.

The basic idea of this episode is a lot like the early Season One episode “Breaking Ranks.” One of our heroes goes undercover in an Imperial training academy, they find cadets who have become disillusioned with the Empire, and then help spirit them away to freedom. The difference is that this time the inner workings of the Empire are noticeably uglier. Way back in Season One, a minor complaint of mine was that the Empire seemed a little bit goofy and inept. These are our metaphorical stand-in for Nazis, but the training of future Stormtroopers ended up being nothing more than a benign obstacle course. Here, though, we get a better idea of the way the Empire attempts to condition its soldiers to follow any order, however inhumane. That ship carrying cargo and innocent civilians is just pawn for the rebel cause. If you hesitate, if you show mercy for even a second, the rebels will exploit that weakness and kill you.

At the time, I saw the more cartoonish, silly version of the Empire as a failing of the show, but in retrospect it makes a certain amount of sense as the starting point for this story. As the rebel forces grow in strength, the Empire has to follow suit. It has to get meaner, get nastier, and use more and more insidious methods to try to maintain the status quo. Hell, we’re seeing this is the real world. Even as we see more strides made for equality, as more people recognize the institutional injustice that is at the very heart of our society, we’re also seeing a troubling return of fascism and extreme nationalism as people desperately try to preserve their idealistic view of the way things were.

Sabine even comments on the way things have gotten worse. You’ll recall that Sabine was once an Imperial cadet as well before deserting to become a bounty hunter then, eventually, a member of the Ghost crew, but whatever grievances she had with the Empire at the time, they were clearly less extreme than being ordered to fire on civilians in a training simulation. But Sabine’s not the only one getting cold feet when it comes to these orders, and she soon finds company in the group of would-be deserters Fulcrum informed them of. Among this group is Wedge Antilles, everyone’s second favorite X-wing pilot, and Derek “Hobbie” Klivian, the guy who gives Leia lip about her plan to evacuate Echo Base in Empire Strikes Back. Together, they begin forming a plan to escape, but the rebels aren’t the only ones who know about these potential deserters.

News that a few cadets may be considering turning traitor has made its way to Governor Pryce and Agent Kallus, and the two pay a visit to Skystrike Academy with the intent to reveal these malcontents. Pryce orders a training exercise involving students taking TIE fighters into orbit, which would give Sabine the perfect opportunity to signal the Ghost crew and make their getaway. Of course, that’s what Pryce is counting on. As soon as Kanan and Ezra emerge from Hyperspace, Sabine and the other turncoats find their TIEs disabled while the rebel ship is met with a barrage of fire. With no way to rescue them, Kanan and Ezra are forced to retreat and the deserters are left at the mercy of Governor Pryce.

Pryce means to interrogate them to identify not only which of them is the rebel insurgent, but also to get information about the larger rebel organization. Sabine outs herself to protect Wedge and Hobbie, and the two immediately start working through a plan to return the favor. Turns out they needn’t have worried about it because in the time it takes them to formulate any sort of plan, Sabine has already sucker punched Governor Pryce and made her way to rescue the boys from their cell. Pryce is thwarted, Wedge and Hobbie are rescued, Sabine gets to be a badass, and everyone’s happy, but there’s no time to celebrate yet. First, the trio has to make their escape from Skystrike Academy.

They attempt to do so this time by stealing one of the Empire’s TIE bombers. The good news is that the heavily armored bombers can take more hits than your average TIE, the bad news is that the extra protection comes with reduced speed. As the Imperial forces gain ground on them it appears as if their second getaway attempt might end just as badly as the first, but just in the nick of time Kanan and Ezra arrive to ferry them away to safety.

While all’s well that ends well, there’s a crucial wrinkle in that story that needs to be mentioned. Namely that Agent Kallus of all people helps the would-be rebels escape. As the trio is fleeing the brig, before they hijack the bomber, they find themselves cornered by Kallus, but instead of detaining them (or worse), Kallus opens the way ahead and tells them which hangar will have the weakest defenses. To justify his actions he says only that this makes him and Garazeb Orrelios even. This is a payoff to the journey we saw this character take back in “The Honorable Ones,” where Zeb ends up saving Kallus’ life when the two of them are left stranded on a desolate moon. In that story we saw a softening of Kallus, and got to peek behind the armor to see a man with deep reservations about the cause he’s fighting for. While Kallus indicates that things are now ‘square’ (and certainly he’d like to think so) I hope this isn’t the end of this particular thread. Just as Sabine and Wedge and Hobbie have seen the Empire transform into something more evil than they could have imagined, I’m interested in seeing Kallus continue wrestling with his demons – struggling to find balance between his sense of honor and his sense of morality.

The fact that Kallus has been our only constant antagonist in this series has proven to be interesting. Where once he was the lone hard ass in a group of somewhat bumbling Imperial bureaucrats, now he seems downright tame compared to the company he keeps. Company that now includes a certain Grand Admiral.

Review continues on the next page.

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