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Reviews
House of the Dragon: A Son for a Son (2024)
Great Start for Season 2 but Pushing the Gratuitous Ceiling Too High
House of the Dragon is back, and the first episode of season 2 had a wonderful pace and execution to set up the season ahead. The only blight - the final moments where we witness heinous and jolting acts given how invested and immersed most fans are in the fantasy world of GRRM.
We start the season in the north with Warden of the North, Lord Cregan Stark, showing Jacaerys Velaryon, the firstborn of Rhaenyra, the Wall and pledging his support for the Blacks with 2,000 "graybeards" (GoT speak for old men). We are then caught up to the aftermath of Lucerys's murder at the hands (jaws) of Vhagar in the camp of the Blacks. Daemon is ravenous for blood and wants to take King's Landing at the earliest, while Rhaenyra is searching for her lost son, rather unbelieving and perhaps hopeful to find him alive instead (of course, we all saw Luke's murder and know better).
In Rhaenyra's absence, Rhaenys, the queen that never was, cautions against a prompt attack on King's Landing and pointedly refuses Daemon's "order" to go after Vhagar with her dragon and his.
Back in King's Landing, Aegon the "magnanimous" is pompously atop the throne, and the council of schemers (aka the Greens, but forgive me, I am biased - avenge Luke!) is in session to fend off the challenge from Rhaenyra following her son's murder and lack of response to the terms sent forth by Alicent.
There is tension in the council as Aemond interrupts with updates on war plans, invited to the table by his king brother. Accusatory glances and words fly from Otto to Alicent for not attacking the Blacks by surprise and from Alicent to Aemond for the murder of Lucerys Velaryon. Of course, Aemond did not mean to kill Luke! Right?! He was not in control of his dragon, which makes no difference whatsoever. He keeps that a secret, not wanting to appear weak and perhaps to avoid admitting that the spark of a terrifying, dragon vs. Dragon, Targaryen against Targaryen war was instigated by a mere but highly consequential blunder.
Speaking of that blunder, Rhaenyra finds Luke's remains and confirms his death. She makes her way back to Dragonstone, and SHE WANTS AEMOND - obviously DEAD, although that part is not spoken haha. Also, Rhaenyra and Jacaerys have an emotional reunion as he returns from his mission recruiting men and houses for her cause.
And then, hooded Daemon enters the scene to plan vengeance on the Hightowers - a "son for a son," as he calls it. (Daemon is unfamiliar with "an eye for an eye blinds the world," or fittingly, welcomes such a consequence ?!). He hires two cutthroat thugs - one a member of his formerly golden army/gold cloaks and one a "rat" who is ironically a hunter of rats. The two enter the Red Keep and commit one of the most gruesome scenes in my TV/movie watching history - the cold-blooded murder of a child in his sleep-bed. Despite the act happening off-screen, HoTD producers decided to treat us with harrowing sounds that were just as gruesome. For the life of me, I can't understand why cutthroats only paid in gold for their acts with no filial vengeance in their heart can do such a thing.
War is brewing, and it is hard to believe it can get worse than the murder of two children, but it will. The Targaryen house is divided and set on each other's throats. Viserys's dream is on a fiery collapse, and we will bear witness this season.
I rate this an 8 for the strong setup, with a deduction for the final scene. I strongly considered rating the episode much lower, but hearing that the books had it worse changed my mind.
An aside - (The scenes with Alicent and the hypocritical Ser Criston brought much levity in this grim episode if you know what I mean).
Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga (2024)
An Engrossing World of Terror and Destruction
As a fan of the 2015 sensation Mad Max Fury Road, I thoroughly enjoyed this prequel movie on Charlize Theron's character - Furiosa.
Start to finish, we were treated to some stunning action sequences and near scarring moments of terror and torture; the latter only bearable as they were true to the nature of the world of Mad Max - a lost world, one of immense human suffering , one of scarcity, one lacking empathy and where survival derives not from hope but from an animalistic drive to avoid pain, starvation, and death.
The movie is intentionally frenetic and yet scene to scene, the flow was impeccable. Immersive start to finish, the 2+ hrs flew of Furiosa flew by in my viewing. It is among those films that enthrall us with their world building - those that come close to replicating the experience of reading a novel where our imagination vividly depicts well-written prose and we are lost in a fictional world. From time to time, on-screen adaptations and productions come close to such an engrossing experience and in Furiosa, the acting, cinematography and writing combine to create that believable world.
George Miller's imagination came to life in the big screen for Mad Max Fury Road and it is reborn again for Furiosa. I hope the movie recuperates its cost and we get to experience more stories in the world of Mad Max.
Rating Furiosa a strong 9 out of 10.
Outer Range (2022)
Promising Sci-Fi Neo-Western
Outer Range is a story about family and land in the fictional town of Wabang, Wyoming where we are invited into the house of the Abbott family and their ranch with one twist - a mysterious, otherworldly hole on their ranch's western range. The premise is simple but there is a richness that pervades the ensuing exploration of this mystery mainly due to the family dynamics that power the storytelling - the Abbott family, with the patriarchal Royal Abbott, the emotive and powerful Cecilia Abbott, and their two sons, Rhett and Perry. As any family, they have their secrets, struggles, pain, and moments of joy (which I wish was more highlighted in the trailer as the show's marketing put Josh Brolin front and center and not much of the other cast). A family tragedy starts the story and the repercussions lead to unexpected twists and turns including time-travel.
Besides the main storyline, Outer Range explores many themes and one that I found interesting was the religious exposition - mainly how each family member is losing faith as they face emotional and financial tribulations. Christianity and the struggle of hope and disbelief, faith and doubt, joy & sadness are issues that the elder Abbotts in particular struggle with - two examples being the scenes where Cecilia realizes Amy is missing and cries "Amy is Gone" before abruptly switching to and bawling repeatedly"God is gone!" and where Royal Abbott leads a family prayer with a rather benign start that takes a turn into an expression of rage and anger. The acting from Josh Brolin (Royal Abbott) and Lili Tylor (Cecilia Tylor) in these scenes was stellar (the show overall had a great cast).
A few things that did not work for me were the storyline of Autumn and the Tillerson sons - two seasons on, there is much that is cloudy with their infatuation to Autumn. It is not explained well except for the visions that the brothers share of Autumn when they are high on matter from the hole.
The time travel is intriguing and the "rules" are still not clear as Perry kills a version of himself and Autumn is on the same timeline and space as Amy throughout the show. If one springs to the future, there is no conflict with a future self but when one travels to the past, what happens to alternate versions of oneself? Are alternate timelines/universes what is being suggested here? We will know more if the show is renewed for a third season.
Finally, the Native American themes of the show add much to the narrative around land, ownership, family and community. The
casting here was also commendable.
Rating for first and second seasons 8/10.
Sherlock: His Last Vow (2014)
Nearly flawless
What an episode
This is one of the episodes of Sherlock I go back to from time to time and there is one reason -Charles Augustus Magnussen. One of the better villains of the series and incredibly acted by Lars Mikkelson, Magnussen is a menacing presence and a force to be reckoned with (quite literally, as only blatant murder stopped him in the end). The way he played with John, flicking his face as he threatened his wife and the famously short-tempered John silently taking those flickers - oh my my - what a villain indeed.
The story with Mary was just as gripping and her reveal to be a master assassin was executed near perfectly. Our main characters upped their game for the tense interactions that accompanied that slow and meticulous reveal. No scene was wasted; so much story, clever misdirections, brilliant cuts - a wavy but smooth ride start to finish.
When TV is made this way, when the writing is so crisp, the acting on point, the directing and cinematography captivating, I am just left thankful for the brilliance of the human, storytelling mind and the art we produce together.
Thank you to all involved in making this episode that is aging like fine wine as I finish my watch May 17th of 2024.
Invincible: I Thought You Were Stronger (2024)
Great Overall but Disappointing at Times
To start with what worked in this episode, Invincible reckoning with his first kill, Angstrom Levy, was very well done. The writing & voice acting from Steven Yeun and Sterling K Brown were impeccable. The dazed & enraged Angstrom was a formidable enemy to drive Mark over the edge and the scenes where he terrorized Debbie & Oliver were visceral & frightening. We have seen Mark, time and time again, get physically overpowered but here, he responded with the sheer violence and power that he had in him - the power he inherited from Nolan- to punch Angstrom to death as he threatened his family. Later on this episode, what he fears the most since Nolan's rampage last season - ending up like him - drives his decision to quit college and work on controlling his powers. This was another piece of great writing - Mark's first kill is not glossed over as it could have been. It is a monumental shift on his character - a decision that could open the floodgates for Mark to go down the dark road Nolan went through or to keep it at bay with all his might. Hence, the decision Mark made to quit college near the end of episode shows he is trying to stay on the latter path and not lose his way. It is true to the Mark we know & love.
Debbie respecting and supporting his decision was moving and she might be the best character on the show for me after Nolan and Mark. She is such a powerful lover, protector, and warrior and having her beside him, despite losing Amber, will keep Mark emotionally grounded as he deals with the threats looming on Earth from the Viltrumites & other foes. (What a catch from Debbie this episode haha)
Allan & Nolan's scenes were a highlight and I am eager to see how they will break out from jail. The "I think I miss my wife" line from Nolan was quite funny and makes me intrigued as to how Debbie will react if/when she sees him again. Mark's rage/love hug towards Nolan was such a powerful moment and would love to have another version of that with Nolan & Debbie.
What makes this episode of Invincible weaker are the plot holes studded along the storyline ...and some "walk backs". The part of the episode where Mark is rescued by a future version of the Guardians team was quite confusing. The multiverse plot is already a hard pill to swallow and parallel timelines where back and forth time travel is possible unnecessarily complicates the plot and weakens the agency and consequences of the decisions made by our characters. (Another minor issue here - future Eve fixes all parts of Mark including his cloth except for his swollen eye; this was a non-sensical way to keep the scars that Mark had from his fight with Angstrom and hard to comprehend. Perhaps the writers knew how the time travel altered consequences for our characters and wanted Mark to keep the scar - the sole memento of the Angstrom battle. This was a forced intervention and introduces yet another inconsistency.)
The fact that DupliKate is alive was disappointing to say the least. Of course I am happy for the Immortal who is happy to see Kate is not gone from this world. But after her emotional passing and funeral, to have her back so soon felt rushed and diminished the impact of the two episodes that came before the finale.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the second season of Invincible including this finale. As I mentioned in my past previews, I firmly believe Invincible will not reach the heights of season one the rest of its runtime. But I hope to see season 3 improve on season 2. Huge kudos to all involved in making the show and the admins of the Twitter/X page of Invincible who gave me some hearty laughs these past few weeks. You rock!
My rating is 9/10 for this episode and 9 for the second season overall.
Invincible: I'm Not Going Anywhere (2024)
Appreciating the Heights of Season 1
As a non-comic book reader, I wonder if the magic of the first season of Invincible can ever be replicated. It was a most powerful exploration of the modern family dynamic - Debbie, Nolan and Mark - and the big secret that Nolan was hiding from the family. The slow lead-up towards the reveal made the show special and the last two episodes among the most iconic in TV culture of the recent past.
That's where my gripe with this episode starts - despite the emotional investment in the Amber/Mark relationship (over the last two episodes and this season overall), I was not nearly as invested as I was for the relationship Mark had with Nolan (or Debbie for that matter). In fact, the way Amber reconciled with Mark after his harrowing and unbelievably traumatizing fight with his father in the first season was so off putting that I never shipped Mark & Amber. (Apparently, this was unintentional in the writers' vision for her character - she was not conceived to be as tone-deaf as fans saw her to be on that scene.)
Granted, season 2 gives her character more time - we get to know abt how she views her relationship to Invincible and how she truly cares about him. She is a more likable and three-dimensional - we get bits and pieces of her worldly struggles as a college student trying to balance things as Mark is doing, and failing at it similarly. The relationship is well explored in the previous episode and I was impressed.
However, far too much screen time is dedicated to the inevitable Mark-Amber breakup this episode and the writing felt uncharacteristically weak. Amber's monologue near the end was where that came to the fore and combined with some puzzling animation choices, it might be the weakest scene of the season for me. (Zooming in on Amber's mouth - perhaps in a call back to the self-effacing jokes on animation being hard near the beginning of the episode - was tonally inappropriate for a scene that should evoke the sadness of a breakup.)
Moving on, the best part of the episode was imposing and terrifying introduction to the Viltrumite Annisa. The scene where she had her hand on the neck of Amber, as Mark & Amber were blissfully ready to have a meal, is where the slow pace of the episode pays off. The subsequent fight scenes between Invincible & Annisa and Allen & Annisa were wonderfully choreographed/animated to show the awesome power of a single Viltumite and our resurrected Unopan who can now stand toe-to-toe with one.
The episode ends with the villain established in episode 1 of season 2, Angstrom Levy, holding Debbie and Oliver hostage. It is difficult to feel the emotional stakes of the coming fight between Levy and Invincible given how little we have seen of Levy, but I want to be optimistic. I can't imagine it nearing the heights of the Nolan Vs Mark showdown for season 1 - but can anything in subsequent seasons come close to that? I highly doubt it. I still hope to enjoy future seasons of Invincible as a ground breaking show in animation and comic book storytelling even if I am no longer as moved as I was during season 1.
Rating this an 8 out of 10 for the better parts.
Invincible: It's Not That Simple (2024)
Consequences Explored Unlike Many Comic Book Adaptations
Invincible is a standout comic book show for a reason - while keeping all the physics bending fantasy and other worldly creatures of a comic book, it feels grounded in our human reality - here on Earth. So many scenes this episode are based on feelings of conflict, trauma, disappointment, and regrets that humans will experience in their lifetime.
In this episode, Mark's journey continues as he balances his responsibility as a superhero, evermore needed by the world, with life in college, relationships with Amber and Debby, and his newfound brother - Oliver. After "dealing" with the Sequid threat, Mark and the Guardians crew on the Mars mission find the wreckage from the Lizard League's attack. Rex miraculously made it out alive along with Shrink Rae leaving the team to deal with DupliKate's shocking departure. (At least they did not get to see how she died haha.) But the team is rightfully distraught, none more so than the Immortal, who I thought had a short-time fling with Kate, delivering her eulogy and describing her as "a kindred soul." No thread is left unexplored in Invincible and the Immortal's unusually unmoored and emotional state following Kate's death erupts in an altercation with our friendly alien - Allen - near the episode's end.
Allen - incredibly voiced and brought to life by Seth Rogen and among the wholesome characters of the show - is back on earth on a mission to bring Mark to Talescria - home base to the Coalition of Planets in resisting the Viltrumites. Mark, understandably, rejects this proposal and instead shares with Allen what could be the Kryptonite in defeating the Viltrum empire - Nolan's "fictional" books of his adventures in the galaxy and the threats he knew abt and faced. The threat of the Viltrum empire looms large and after no updates during last week's episodes, Nolan's whereabouts are revealed. Nolan's arc remains the moat of Invincible and I am looking forward to what the show has in store for his incredible character - if not on earth where he - ahem- destroyed a train full of people with his kid - somewhere far far away.
Episode 6 ends with two tantalizing threats/treats - Angstrom Levy is looking fly (except for the dread-like deformity of the shape of his head) and he is back on the home reality of our show's Invincible - wonder what he discovered in hid journey across the parallel universes.
The Sequids are now the Sequid - singular. One made it back to earth inside the host astronaut and is back in control. Can it duplicate and enslave more of humanity? We'll find out soon!
Episode 7 - please be here sooner!
Invincible: This Must Come as a Shock (2024)
Invincible is back!
*some spoilers ahead
Invincible season 2 part 2 starts with an engrossing scene where Mark is absorbing all the destruction from his and Omni man's fight with the Viltrumites (the scale of the destruction is immense but the human in me is not as traumatized as I was in the final parts of season 1 haha). He is helped up by two of the alien species and meets with Nolan's alien wife and his half-alien brother - the arc of Nolan's journey in rescuing her and becoming part of her civilization was something I thought did not work perfectly early this season, but I am getting more and more convinced as the episode develops her character through her conversation with Mark. She is noticeably older and worried about dying soon as her species' life span is significantly shorter ( < 1 yr) and leaving her son who ages considerably slower. (Somehow, this evoked the feeling of helplessness with the human condition that I sometimes feel as we have no control over our lifespan, habits, desires and passions beyond what is encoded in our genes - for her species, she is in a situation where she is facing inevitable death and decay and unable to provide for her son).
The 180 change in how Nolan saw human and alien species when he was demolishing entire cities to how he came to value the lives of a species with an even smaller lifespan than humans is further explored in this conversation with a standout line from Mark. After some prodding from the alien empress, Mark agrees to take his brother with him to earth.
After Invincible recuperates, his initial reluctance to go back to earth was unclear to me - but he does make the journey back on a repaired ship and not much has changed.
Amber seems to have made new friends and Debby is still wounded from the emotional gash after Nolan's betrayal. The way Mark introduced his brother to Debby and all the subsequent scenes after were impeccable. The writing in this show makes each scene hold so much meaning and force that it is hard to describe in a review. (There is a subtle call back to Debby smashing the bits out of a cabinet door and glasses in a fit of rage and signs of a growing alcohol dependence to process further trauma - much is left to the viewer's interpretation as it should be).
The scenes with the Guardians are the least engaging aspect of Invincible but still hold much emotional away
After Duplicate's line abt how she connects to the Immortal due to the sheer number of death and suffering that she goes through in one of the previous episodes, we have an incredibly sad payoff this episode
The fight scenes are as gory as they can be, but the danger to our heroes feels as genuine as it did on the first season
The story line with the Martian and the Sequid gets a much needed clarification in this episode and the cliffhanger at the end of the episode is just what we needed after a long hiatus haha
All in all, another solid Invincible episode where the writing drives so much creativity in the animation and voice acting
Rating this a strong 8.5 out of 10!