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Reviews
RWBY (2012)
Thanks for Everything
Well, it's the big day. Rooster Teeth is closing its doors, and the website that holds the show will be shut down at the time I'm writing this review. So, I figured that now would be a good time to review this show in its entirety, from Volumes 1-9, ranking them from worst to best.
Volume 5 is unfortunately the worst of the bunch, but that doesn't automatically mean it's bad. It is just really slow. Episode 9 essentially has 2/3 of its runtime spent with Cinder making a deal with Raven, which would be fine if there weren't a bunch of other cliffhangers that needed to be resolved first.
And the rest of the volume feels pretty slow until the final few episodes. It made me at points wonder why the volume had 14 episodes as opposed to the 12 episodes that worked fine for the show in the past. Again, it is still an okay volume. The characters are still fine, and things do develop, but it all feels really slow in terms of that.
Volume 1 is next, which is where it all began. And that is very much evident in a lot of factors. One of them being certain episodes being split into two parts, with those parts being less than 10 minutes long. Which is fine when binge-watching, but probably was a little frustrating when you're waiting a week for episodes to come out.
The animation is also pretty rough, but that's to be expected for a show that just began at that point. The character development could've been handled better, with Weiss's character in particular feeling like a switch flips and suddenly she develops. Other than that, the volume does a good job at setting things up for the future, with the fight scenes being really fun to watch!
Volume 4 is next, and it is a slower volume than usual, but that's necessary after what happened in Volume 3. The pacing is slower, but not as slow as Volume 5's pace is. The fights feel a bit off, but other than that, the volume's pretty good.
Volume 2 is next as the animation gets better, and the story starts setting up more intriguing things. The problems come in with the subplots that don't get expanded upon. Weiss's romance with Neptune doesn't get referenced again, and the Junior Detectives thing is only really prominent in the chibi spin-off show. But other than that, it's a good volume of the show that set a lot of groundwork for the future.
Volume 7 is an interesting one. It's in the middle for quite a bit of reasons. On the one hand, it's really interesting to see the team become licensed huntresses and huntsmen. The return of Penny is also very much a welcome one, with her character being really fun to watch throughout her time in the volume. It's also pretty interesting to see the tensions build in Mantle as Ironwood's paranoia increases, which all builds to the excellent "Gravity" episode. It's a pretty well-paced volume that asks difficult questions, and while it may be a little hit-and-miss with the answers, is still entertaining to watch.
Volume 9 is the most recent volume, and it shows in how beautiful it looks with the animation and the backgrounds. This one also focuses on Ruby specifically as her mental health gradually decreases. The Ever After is also a really interesting place for the heroes to be in, being reminiscent of Wonderland. The only real gripe I have is the heroes not really noticing Ruby's distress throughout the volume. And the line "We did all we could," rubbed me the wrong way in that regard. Other than that, it is a really good volume with some heavy emotional moments.
Volume 6 is 3rd on the list because of a lot of things. One is the big revelation of Salem's character and what that means for the heroes. Another is that the animation and fights are back to being really good after Volumes 4-5 had fight scenes that felt a little off. But while the first half of the volume is pretty great, the 2nd half is just good, considering the pacing kinda slows down afterwards. But it still does a good job at setting up the next volume's events.
Volume 8 is 2nd on the ranking because of just how big it got. It's probably hands-down the darkest volume of the show, and that overtly dark tone is what's keeping it at #2. That, and an anticlimactic-feeling battle where Ironwood fights everyone. It lasts for 2 minutes and then we go back to see how that plan formed in the first place.
Other than that, this volume is pretty great! We finally get to see the heroes fighting Salem, showing off her power-set, and it takes a big explosion from Ozpin's staff to hold her off long enough for the heroes to escape. And then there's the emotional moments, specifically Penny's 2nd death, which really hits hard after getting to know her throughout Volumes 7-8. Hell, the finale of the volume is pretty depressing, which is a good lead-in to Volume 9's bits of levity.
And the best volume of them all is Volume 3! Once the volume gets going, it absolutely gets going! The volume is adrenaline-pumping to the very end, being the ultimate pay-off to 2 volumes worth of set-up. We get Pyrrha and Jaune's romance paid off while introducing more elements of the show that'll come back later. And the emotional moments all really hit hard! It is the best volume of this series and I hope another comes along to top it some day.
And as for the show as a whole, it's a pretty good show! Sure, it's not perfect. Some plot points could've been brought up again, like the constant dust stealing Roman was doing, and the character development could've been written better in the beginning. But the characters are good, the action is mostly good, and the story is really interesting. I'm hoping that there will be a Volume 10, and if there is, that the volume is just as good as all the ones that came before it.
Port by the Sea (2024)
Incredibly Underrated Show
The pilot episode was a pretty nice look into what might come next, or at least into what the formula might end up being. 2 characters, Umi and Port, are adventuring from town to town to find moon pieces, in order to potentially fix the moon that shattered due to lore reasons.
In terms of the show, the animation is pretty good, and the characters are pretty nice. I especially like the dynamic between Port and Umi, which is a good sign considering they're the main characters of the show, so it would've been bad if their dynamic didn't work.
The show also has a chill, homey feeling to it that gets you feeling all nice and cozy while also getting invested in whatever story is going on. The humor's also pretty good for the limited amount of time the show has to actually do humorous things.
Then again, humor isn't really at the center of things here, considering everything else that happens. The characters are great, the action's nice, the backgrounds and animation look wonderful, and there's some neat and interesting lore that's being set up here. I can't wait to see what else this show has to offer in the future.
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir: Action (2023)
Take a Shot Every Time They Say the Word, "Plastic"
This is an environmental episode of Miraculous Ladybug. And if you didn't get that now, you definitely will within the first minute of this episode. Because this episode really loves to hammer it down your throat that plastic is bad. And no, the title isn't lying, they do say the word "plastic" a ton in this episode, making up probably a quarter of the dialogue that the characters say.
But you wanna know what's funnier about this episode? This episode got the 1 1/2 minute-long epic trailer treatment. I'm not even joking. And while I feel that it deserves some promotion as the message does need to be heard by more people, I really don't feel like it deserves the same trailer music as the Season 5 Finale of the show.
There's also the fact that they felt that this was the episode where we get to see Ladybug and Cat Noir's transformation sequences again after a full season without them. And while it's nice to see, it feels a little weird that this is the episode that brings them back instead of something like the season finale.
Once we get to the hero action, things start to get better. Although, there's a few weird lines after the transformation sequences where they say "The villain's headed towards the famous designer, Gabriel Agreste, and his son, Adrien," as if we don't know who these characters are after watching the show for 5 seasons. "But wait," you might say, "This episode is a one-off episode to be shown at schools, separately from the show, so maybe the audience won't know the full scope of the characters." And you'd be right if there wasn't already a scene earlier in the episode where Adrien confronts his father about the plastic, establishing their connection that way, so the line just feels like forced exposition.
Aside from that, the actual villain fight is pretty good, which is a consistent factor from the show, anyway. This episode is fine in terms of its message, but it does hammer that message down your throat right from the get-go. So if you want to watch this, prepare to hear the word, "Plastic" more times in the span of 22 minutes than you've probably heard in your whole life.
Hazbin Hotel: Scrambled Eggs (2024)
Fighting for Attention
While this episode is good, it definitely feels like the 2 storylines are fighting each other for screentime. Alastor's meeting with the Overlords seems more important, and thus takes up more screentime. But, in doing so, it sacrifices the Hotel's storyline in favor of this. In essence, the activity at the hotel becomes a subplot, in a show called "Hazbin Hotel."
And the evidence of that is felt as the storyline feels rushed. Especially in terms of how Vaggie's trust exercises helped the gang bond. We get to see the aftermath, but we don't get to see the actual activity itself, instead focusing more on the meetings aftermath in the song called "Whatever it Takes." And this song also seems to have Carmilla and Vaggie fighting for focus in this duet. A duet that sounds great, but highlights this episode's problem.
I'm not saying we only need to focus on the hotel at all times. I'm just saying the storylines need to feel more balanced so that none of it feels rushed. But because the storyline leans so heavily on Alastor's side of things, the Hotel's storyline feels rushed.
But that's not to say the episode's bad. The animation's still good, the humor's good, the characters are great, and I do like that we get more insight into how Hell works, with the big meeting on what to do about. We also get insight into Velvet's character through the song, "Respectless," which is a bop, despite coming out of nowhere. We'll see where this will go from here, as this is interesting.
Hazbin Hotel: The Show Must Go On (2024)
That's a Wrap!
There is so much that's good about this finale, my God! The characters all get moments to shine, especially Sir Pentious. I love how he acts as a war general here, taking on a bit of a leading role. And his death was really shocking in just how quick, yet impactful it was.
But I'm getting ahead of myself. The pre-war moments are great, especially "More Than Anything's" reprise, a perfect moment between Charlie and Vaggue, especially after everything that's happened.
And the animation during the fight is awesome. Sure, there were some times where it felt like things were moving around too quickly, but other than that, the fight was awesome, especially when Charlie powers up and Lucifer gets involved. Let's not forget Vaggie Vs Lute, which is a good fight in of itself and a nice pay-off to Vaggie's backstory and is also animated well.
Adam as a villain here is great. He's got a lot of power to go with his crass, making for a formidable threat. And his final moments are just... pitiful, as he tries to keep his clearly damaged ego afloat. It's also funny how Niffty, the character who got the least amount of development here, was the one to kill him, calling back to the beginning of the episode. It's a nice moment.
And then finally, the finale song, which is a very fun reprise of "Happy Day in Hell," a perfect way to bookend Hazbin Hotel's first season. And the cherry on top is finding out where Lillith has been all this time, getting me excited for Season 2!
The only real complaint I have is that the Vees don't really do much here, meaning you could cut them out and miss nothing. At least, that would be the case if them seeing Alastor running wasn't portrayed as a plot point. Even with that, you could cut their peanut gallery commentary out and miss nothing.
Overall, though, this was a fantastic way to end a pretty great season! Here's to Season 2, and the beginnings of a potential Indie Animation Renaissance!
Doctor Who: Turn Left (2008)
Dark, Depressing, and Chilling
This probably has to be the most depressing Doctor Who episode I've seen so far, and for good reason. Honestly, it's insane just how grim this episode can get.
But that grimness makes sense in this What If, where Donna turns right instead of left, thus never meeting The Doctor in "The Runaway Bride." This leads to The Doctor dying during that episode's events with no one telling him to stop. And since he isn't there to stop the events of the episodes in between that one and this one, that means the rest of the world has to deal with them without him.
Like I said, this episode can get pretty grim at times, with the Titanic incident being shown on the TV cutting off as "emergency" is said on the news. There's also the heavy-hitting gut-punch of a scene that is the Labor Camps scene. It is a darkly brilliant scene that has a lot of elements to it that make it work. From the dawning horror of what the labor camps truly mean to Wilfred's three gut-punching lines to Donna's confusion at what's happening. It's just so grim and bleak, especially the aftermath of Sylvia just staring into space, despondent.
There's hopeful moments throughout the episode that just get squashed out, like America sending 50 billion quid in financial aid only for the Adipose to kill 60 million of them, or the singing shanties of the Colasanto family only for them to get deported to those labor camps in the scene I mentioned earlier. All the way up to the final straw of the stars going out, taking away Wilfred's stargazing hobby. It's like this new universe actively hates the very concept of hope and aims to squash it at every opportunity it comes up.
But then hope returns in full force as Donna goes with Rose, who was pulled into this new parallel world, in order to travel back in time to that junction and fix things. I love the music that plays during the scene that builds up to her ending up back there. It's called "A Dazzling End" and sounds like the embodiment of hope, which was truly needed at that point in time. Afterwards, this leads to a scene of Donna trying to run back to that junction, which is made more tense by what you've seen during the last 30 minutes.
This leads to that alternate universe Donna sacrificing herself in order to fix things, leading to the end of the episode. An episode that manages to be pretty grim. I'm impressed with just how dark this episode gets, especially without a main monster to defeat. Sure, the Time Beetle counts as a monster of the week, but that just shows you that alternate, grim reality. And it is so well-executed, especially the feelings of relief at the end once you do see The Doctor again.
What If...?: What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster? (2023)
Filling in the Blanks
Gamora's story before Season 1's finale was one that wasn't told yet. But it is one that's also told through Tony Stark's adventures in Sakaar. And it is a story that's told wonderfully.
I really love the chaos of the final chariot race. There are a lot of creative moments within. Something I've also noticed this season being good at is the escalation of action, with action scenes noticeably getting more intense and chaotic as time goes on. This makes the episode all the more fun because of that, really adding to the investment.
In terms of the characters, Tony's written pretty well here. There's a realistic portrayal of his character here in terms of how he'd act after the events of Avengers (2012). He also gets a lot of moments to shine here, like his interactions with Gamora and his new suit that turns into a chariot, which is pretty cool.
I also really love the Grandmaster, who Jeff Goldblum seems to be having a ball playing here. He's just as silly here as he was in Thor Ragnarok, and is just as enjoyable to watch here. There is a lot of really good humor in this episode, half of which is given to us by the Grandmaster.
If I did have a complaint, though, I feel that the ending with Thanos was pretty rushed and anticlimactic. I get that the episode was already over by that point, but his defeat still feels a bit too fast.
Other than that, though, this is a pretty great episode. It's got some great humor, the action and racing is pretty entertaining and fun, and the characters are written pretty well here.
What If...?: What If... Strange Supreme Intervened? (2023)
Visual Spectacle with Video Game Feel
This episode feels a lot like a video game in certain aspects. That especially becomes obvious in between Peggy breaking out the Universe Killers and the final fight against Strange Supreme. The characters they encounter in the hall, from Hela to Surtur to Zombie Wanda could be viewed as boss fights in order to get to the final boss (Strange Supreme).
"But wait!" you might say," What about Killmonger? They encounter him in the hallway, too." Well, Killmonger might as well be one of those video game chests that has equipment in it, since he's defeated in less than a minute. He only exists in order to give Peggy the Infinity Armor and stones in order for her and Kahhori to stand a fighting chance against Strange.
Speaking of that fight, it is awesome! I love how creative it gets with all the magic. It also keeps building and building in intensity as well, truly making for a wonderfully climactic showdown! The action's great, it's visually stunning, and the animation is wonderful!
In terms of characters, it makes sense why Strange would try to bring Christine back again. Like Kahhori says, he's been in solitude for too long, and having a bunch of uncontrolled demons that represents your grief wouldn't really help your sanity, so it makes sense why he'd do this. I like how the mislead was done throughout the beginning of this episode, too.
This episode is pretty great! If I had to pick which finale I prefer, though, I'd say narratively, Season 1's was better. But in terms of pure visual spectacle and adrenaline-pumping action, Season 2's finale wins out on that regard. So, I guess overall, I like both if them equally. They both have their merits and shortcomings, but both generally make for a great time when watching.
As for which Season I prefer as a whole, I really like this season better than the first. This season truly gave us some What Ifs with much more unexpected twists and turns than Season 1 had. This season also had more consistently good episodes and intriguing concepts than Season 1 did. The only thing I'd say it did better was the pacing, as this season's episodes tend to go faster and are shorter than Season 1's episodes, so there's more areas of rushed pacing to be had here.
Overall, like I said, I really enjoyed this episode and this season. I can't wait for what Season 3 brings to the table.
What If...?: What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World? (2023)
Starting From Scratch
As the title says, this episode ends up creating characters and its story from scratch, with 0 pre-established characters involved. This makes for a pretty unique episode in that regard, as well as having characters based on a real tribe of people called the Mohawk Nation, who apparently helped with this episode.
In terms of all that, I like how this episode is completely separate from the MCU because of that. I really like the sibling dynamic between Kahhori and Wátha, which was given enough time to make you care about it, as well as Kahhori's motivation to get out of the Sky World.
Speaking of the Sky World, it is a gorgeous place. I like the society that's built there as well as the fruit-hunting game they play. It also helps explain how Kahhori's power grows here, considering the Sky World was made from Tesseract energy.
In terms of the action, I really like it in this episode, with some truly gorgeous shots involved during it, especially when Tesseract Energy is involved, as well as in the Sky World.
All in all, this is a pretty good episode, with some wonderful action, characters, and a great story built from scratch to top it off. I can't wait to see what comes next, especially with the ending of this episode and the previous one.
What If...?: What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas? (2023)
Holly Jolly Christmas Chaos
When I initially heard of an episode called "Happy Hogan Saves Christmas," I was a little worried. Worried that it wouldn't be interesting, or that it'd be like Episode 7 where there's too much hit-and-miss humor crammed into the story. And then I watched it, and I found I was wrong on both accounts.
And no, I'm not saying the story takes itself too seriously. It doesn't, and it's all the better for it. I love how it just keeps escalating in this fun intensity as it goes on. It starts off with Justin Hammer breaking into Avengers Tower looking for Hulk Blood before that blood gets transferred into Happy, leading to him becoming a Hulk.
And then everything after that just ends up having this chaotic energy to it. We got a scene where Happy Hulk ends up wailing on a bunch of Iron Legion robots in a hallway, and it is insane just how intense and gorey it gets with the robots. The momentum then keeps going as he fights Hammer in a Hulkbuster suit, making for a pretty good climax.
Honestly, this episode's a whole lot of fun from start to finish. I like the heist style the first half goes for, and Sam Rockwell sounds like he's having the time of his life playing Justin Hammer. As for the humor, it's good, but half of it involves references to Christmas movies while another 25% of it involves Justin Hammer's holiday wordplay. The rest of the 25% is everything else. And even with half the humor being reference humor, it's not like the story's bogged down by it.
Like I said, the episode's a lot of fun. It's got great action, great escalation of fun intensity, as well as just being energetic in general. It's a great episode to watch as a break from all the serious episodes that might be coming up next, succeeding where S1E7 kinda failed, in my opinion.
What If...?: What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps? (2023)
Dark Start to 2nd Season
Well, it's the start of Season 2, and let me tell you, it got pretty dark. This was definitely a case of "Earn Your Happy Ending," considering what Nebula goes through in this episode. Speaking of which, I really like her character in this episode. It's Interesting how she adapts to new situations. I also like how she pulls off another triple-cross, the 2nd one in the show. That seems to be a character trait of hers within this show, though that could be coincidence.
I also like the twist with the Nova Corps being corrupt, or at the very least, desperate enough to open the shield that they'd turn to Ronan's side. Speaking of Ronan, he ends up betraying Thanos earlier, defeating him. Seriously, he seems to be getting the short end of the stick almost as much as Tony Stark does in this series. Makes me wonder what's gonna happen with him later on in this season.
As for Ronan, he just sits up above the shields as this looming presence and threat, not even saying a word. I think this is fine, as it keeps the episode grounded to Xandar and the Nova Corps.
Like I said, this episode gets pretty dark, which isn't really surprising for "What If." What is surprising, however, is how horrifying the sequence is with Nebula getting electrocuted. Like, one of the shots shows her skull and it is unnerving, but very effective.
I also really like the parallels with the "Take my hand" thing at the beginning and end, with Nova Prime offering it at the beginning, while Nebula offers it at the end. The difference being that at the end, when Prime is so deep in her mindset and greed, that she doesn't take the hand, she ends up dying for it, while Nebula after taking the hand, ended up in a much better place.
Other than that, the action's pretty good, the pacing surprisingly doesn't feel rushed despite how short this episode is, and I like the odd team-up with Howard the Duck, Groot, and Korg at the end. This episode was a pretty good start to the season, and I'm hoping it can keep that up going forward.
The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder: The End of Innocence (2023)
Good Message, Poor Execution
I have heard things about this episode whenever this show gets talked about. I thought, "Well, it can't be that bad, right?" I. Was. Dead wrong.
This episode is awful right down to the inciting incident. Noah, the celebrity that everyone has a crush on, asks Zoey out to a dance. Sounds fine, right? Nope, because the ever trustworthy word-of-mouth from Maya's cousin says he only likes white girls. And the friend group never once thinks to fact-check this information at all.
In fact, they do something even stupider, which is shunning Zoey from the princess dress-up thing that's happening. They do this without consulting her, or explaining the situation to her. A situation which Zoey both doesn't have knowledge about, and even if she did, she wouldn't be able to control it anyway. But speaking of Noah, another gripe I have with this episode is that after he asks out Zoey, he never shows up again. Not even when he inevitably reveals the truth, but we'll get to that.
For now, we have the friend group being incredibly toxic towards Zoey when she does show up to that princess dress-up thing. And it is infuriating. But there is an exception to this in the form of Penny. She's the only one who tries to fix this, and is also the only one to properly see just how messed up all of this is. She even says it herself after the princess party devolves into a toxic argument between "friends."
And I put "friends" in quotes because real friends don't shun people because of a situation that may or may not be happening, where even if it was happening, it'd be out of anyone's control. And everything that comes out of Dijonay and LaCienega's mouths during that party are infuriating, especially when Zoey makes legitimate points. But don't worry, because Dijonay says, "You just don't get it" to Zoey.
And that's the only thing that's right about this. Because I don't get it. I don't get why any so-called friends would shun another friend because of a situation out of their control. I don't get why both Penny and Zoey don't get the hell away from those "friends" and get with the guys who didn't really care about the situation anyway. This entire episode made me despise both Dijonay and LaCienega, especially when the latter says "Has any other boy ever asked you out to a dance?"
The worst part? The friends are proven right as Noah does only date white girls. This is told to us by Zoey as she apologizes to her so-called friends at the dance. Weird that Noah didn't say that or even show up again when Zoey dumped him. But even without that, why would anyone ever go back to this friend group again after the BS that happened at the princess party? Because from this episode, they were very quick to just turn on her for no real reason, so I don't really see that friend group as stable anymore.
All except for Penny. I really like how she tries to fix the situation, acknowledges just how messed up it is, and doesn't want to be mean even though the whole thing ended badly. Speaking of the positives, I also like the subplot with Suga Mama and her friend, Celia. Because at least those two aren't toxic, and the situation is resolved in a healthy way. But like I said, that's a subplot. Meaning the main plot is full of toxicity, hypocrisy, and anger-inducing dialogue.
And it sucks because the message about skin color not mattering is a good one, with Penny's conversation with Suga Mama being pretty heartwarming. But that message is muddled behind all that anger-inducing stuff I mentioned before. From the way the friend group treats Zoey throughout the episode to the fact that they don't apologize until their point is validated. Because during that conversation at the dance, she has to apologize first before they apologize. Even though Zoey had absolutely nothing to apologize for in the first place.
This entire episode is infuriating and awful. A very good message was incredibly botched in execution. And this episode has tainted my view of this friend group, with the only logical step being for Zoey and Penny to leave.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law (2022)
It's a Big Mess
So now that I've watched all the episodes of She-Hulk, what do I think of the show? Well, let's get the positives out of the way first.
I liked the acting in this show. It was great, and the actors were doing good with what they were given. Some of the humor is good, like the shapeshifter in episode 2, or when Emil Blonsky is on-screen. Speaking of him, he's a really good character. I like how they did him until the end. I was happy whenever he was on-screen because I like his chill attitude and how he wants to help people, which would explain what happens in episode 9, but I'll get to that when I get to that. Episode 1 was actually fine for the most part along with episode 8. I really liked how they did Daredevil in this show. I was worried that they were gonna mess him up, but they didn't. I like how Wong is in this show. Basically, any previously established Marvel character is good. Some of the action is good. And that's about it. Now let's get to the many negatives of this show.
What is perhaps the biggest negative is how it can't even finish its own overarching story. And speaking of the overarching story, it sucks overall. In fact, they don't even reference it for 2 whole episodes after the needle thing was brought up in episode 3. The concept itself isn't bad, but I think it would be done better within a different show. But it's referenced so little that you kind of forget about it until the end. In fact in some episodes, that's the only time it's brought up, like episodes 6, 7, and 8. And then the way it ends is bad, too. Oh, sorry, I mean the way it doesn't end, per say, but just comes to a screeching halt, as the action just stops to make way for the biggest 4th wall break in Marvel history.
Speaking of which, Jen breaks the 4th wall sometimes in the show. The show actually did a great job of not letting that get in the way of the story. That is, until episode 9 where the chaos abruptly stops and is replaced with She-Hulk wandering into Marvel Studios and confronting an AI Robot thing. It's not what I expected or wanted to see in the first place. And then after that, the story just abruptly ends. Nothing is resolved in a way that makes sense or is paced well at all. At the very least, shows like Ms. Marvel, as okay as that was, could actually finish its story in a way that made sense. This show can't even be bothered to do something as simple as finish up a story.
The action sometimes just doesn't happen in episodes like episode 2. And when action does happen, don't worry because this show knows how to make action scenes that are less than a minute long. Hell, most of the action scenes are less than 5 minutes long! The only action scenes that are longer are the ones in episode 1 and 8, which speaking of which...
Episodes 1 and 8 are great. I got invested in their respective stories and was excited by the action. Too bad you have to slog through 6 episodes of boredom to get there. Because that's another problem with this show. You can't get invested into the story because the story is kind of boring. And that's partially the fault of the trailers. Yeah, this show commits acts of false advertising, so there's that. Do you like to watch lawyer talk with bad humor squeezed in between? Well, get comfortable because that's what 2/3 of the show is all about!
Finally, there's the message that's hammered down your throat and another big problem with the show. The constantness of "Man bad." That's fine, I like the message of how sexism is a big thing in the world. What I don't like is how they mess up good characters to deliver that message. There's a guy named Josh who seems nice and treats Jen with respect. I thought that that was their way of saying "Some men are bad, but some are also good." But nope, gotta mess that up by saying that he's involved with the whole Hulk Needle thing at the end of episode 7.
And then there's also Abomination. He's pretty chill and a very good character. I got invested in his journey, I liked seeing him have a retreat and actually change other people. So what did they do? Make him be a guest star in the whole operation and have him be supportive of them! Oh, and he also keeps breaking parole because gotta make him as bad as possible at the very end. I see this as him not being on any side, because he does save Jen afterwards. I see him as neutral and just wanting to help people, whether they're good or bad. Maybe that's me just using wishful thinking because they ruined a perfectly good character for shock value, or maybe that's how the creators wanted you to see it. Either way, that's how I see it.
Now here's another problem with the show. It keeps the interesting stuff from you until the end, and then makes you wait even longer for more info. Remember the Daredevil helmet in episode 5? He doesn't show up until episode 8. Meanwhile, along the way, the Hulk Needle story continues at the very end of episodes 6 and 7. It's like putting a dollar on a fishing pole and then jerking it away from you when you go to grab it. And judging by the way this show is, episode 8 gives you the dollar while episode 9 takes that dollar and rips it apart in front of your face. Because episode 9 gives you interesting stuff before abruptly stopping and taking it away.
Point being, this show is a big mess. It doesn't know what it wants to be and can't take its story seriously enough to give it a proper conclusion, so why should I bother to do the same? The CGI looks bad, especially with She-Hulk. Sometimes, things move too unnaturally for me to believe it looks real. None of the characters really develop. There are so many other things wrong with this show that if I went over, this review would be a mile long. And along with that, there's wasted talent here. Amie Dolherty does a great job with the music, the actors give it their all despite everything, but it isn't enough. The show still sucks, and I really hope things get better. Black Panther 2 looks promising, so I'll wait for that and see if things get better.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Whose Show Is This? (2022)
What the--?
I'll give it this. This is definitely the most unique MCU Series finale. But it's more unique in a "What the hell is happening" way instead of a "that's cool" way.
So let's just address the big elephant in the room: the big 4th wall break. But before that, we have to talk about the mess from before. It starts off fine, continuing from the last episode. We find out more about the whole needle debacle, but it's weird.
Let's go through everything that happened: Apparently, HulkKing is just some random guy who we didn't even reference prior, and then he injects the serum into himself and becomes another Hulk. This is an example of a twist villain that just doesn't work. No one saw it coming, but we didn't see him prior to this episode. Then Titania and Hulk just randomly show up, it's the chaos we wanted and then... it just stops.
And this is where we finally end up at the show's biggest problem. It would rather tell a joke than progress the story. Because that's all this big 4th wall break sequence is. A big joke that just interrupts the story and takes you out of it. I was actually okay with the occasional 4th wall break here and there, but when it interrupts and then erases the big story we wanted from the show, then it becomes a problem. Because if the show can't take itself seriously, the why should we?
Another show also couldn't finish its big battle as well, which is Moon Knight. But that served the purpose of hinting at the 3rd personality that's within Marc. All She-Hulk does is take us away from something we want to see and gives us confusion. It doesn't further the story. In fact, it actually deletes a plotline within the show. After that segment, everything is suddenly resolved. Because apparently, finishing a story is too much to ask of this show.
I forgot to mention, Abomination is in on the whole thing as well. Yeah, isn't it great? Because of course we have to make another man bad on this show! He's one of the few genuinely good characters on this show, so of course we gotta mess him up somehow!
This finale sucks so much. It messes up some good characters, and can't even be bothered to tie up loose ends. Hell, it can't even be bothered to coherently finish its story. At least Ms. Marvel, as okay as it was, could finish it's story. I'm so glad this show is finally over, but why did it have to end like this?
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Just Jen (2022)
This is Just a Mess
So we're pulling the old "dollar on a fishing pole" trick, huh? I didn't think things could get much worse, but they somehow did. We've got a wedding with Jen's jerk of a cousin, who doesn't want Jen to Hulk out. Apparently, Jen doesn't like this, but it's never explained why that is. I don't like watching the cousin boss Jen around. This would be fine if she got a comeuppance, but it's nowhere to be found. Instead, we get more Titania, which is annoying and leads to a quick fight scene at the end. Apparently, in the fight, a She Hulk sucker punch to the face doesn't really do much to her teeth, but slipping and falling on the floor causes them to get loose. Yeah, that doesn't add up. Other than that, the wedding is boring except for a nice guy who shows up to the wedding and befriends Jen. Their interactions are nice and I hope this gets expanded upon next episode.
Meanwhile, back at the "Nobody Cares" Law Firm, something that no one cares about is happening! As if this wedding wasn't boring enough, let's talk about how this immortal person keeps divorcing his wives by killing himself over and over again. This goes nowhere and could probably be cut with you missing nothing. This all leads to him having to pay his ex-wives some compensation money. Truly, this is the most important thing to be focusing on right now. So we got both a wedding that nobody cares about and a divorce case that nobody cares about. Clearly, this is what the fans wanted to see the entire time.
Other than that mess, the humor's gotten worse. There's an obnoxious DJ who has an airhorn and talks like someone who's trying to be hip with the kids, but failing miserably. The 4th wall breaks feel more like taunts now, and none of the characters are interesting. At the very least, we get a peak at a lab where a new needle is being constructed. And that's where I think I've found a new problem with this show.
It is bad, very bad, but the worst thing about it is how it tricks you into staying. This is especially prominent in episode 5, which ends with a new Daredevil helmet. Of course, this would get people excited for this episode. And then it came out, and, well, you can see the results for yourself. But now we finally get a follow-up to episode 3's events at the very end. And that's the problem. You have to go through so much dreck just to find something interesting that has a low chance of getting expanded upon in the next episode. It's like an addiction that you can't please. I don't want to watch this anymore, but as long as it has that little spark of hope that a part of me know will never get bigger, then we'll unfortunately bite. I can't wait for this mess of a show to end and be a lesson in what not to do for an MCU series.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans (2022)
Nothing Exciting... Yet
The writers really just said, "You know what people really think about when watching the MCU? Lawsuits about copyright infringement." and thought that was good enough.
Nothing even happened except for a short 5-second long Daredevil Helmet cameo that I'm sure will net the show more "Twitter Armor" as they so graciously put it. The whole Titania thing is something I don't care about at all. At the very least, the way they win this pointless case is good. Using She-Hulk's previous dates was clever at the very least.
But seriously, what else can I say that hasn't already been said in my previous reviews? The pacing is weird, nothing exciting happens, the humor is just as weird as the first 4 episodes. At this point, I'm scared that they're gonna find some way to screw up Daredevil's return to the MCU with more poor pacing and maybe turning him into a petty brat just like every other man in this show.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Is This Not Real Magic? (2022)
4th Time's Not The Charm
Remember how in my last review I said that this would be the big game changer episode? Well, She-Hulk managed to prove me wrong by having nothing that big happen. Apparently, Titania's getting a bigger role here, but that's about it in terms of new developments. And the dissappointments don't stop there! But first, the positives.
I liked the ending action scene with the monsters. I like the acting and music in the episode. I like Madisynn. I wish I was her when watching this show. And that's it. Gonna be a fun one now that we got all the positives out of the way.
So you remember all those fun lines from the trailers about how we're on the edge of a precipice and we answer to a higher power? Both lines reference a case against some magic poser that's talking about how he doesn't know what he's doing. Oh, did you think that that line meant something more? Nope! Not with She-Hulk!
The CGI still looks bad, and somehow even more fake in this episode with the egg hatching and the demons. It feels like characters like Wong are out of character just to tell a joke, and it's infuriating! I don't see Wong being this petty over a spoiled episode of a TV Show he likes. We didn't get a follow-up to the attack in episode 3, so we'll have to wait for episode 5 or something.
Honestly, this show is garbage. It doesn't know what it wants to be at all and it replaces any serious character development moments with jokes. It keeps using cameos as "Twitter Armor" to quote the show itself, and the trailers are false advertising. I can't wait for this show to finally end so we can get to stuff like Black Panther 2. I feel like 2023 is gonna be a lot better for Marvel than this year was.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: The People vs. Emil Blonsky (2022)
What even?
Well, there are some improvements being made, but as a whole, it still feels the same. Let's get through those very few positives!
I liked the acting, music, and half the humor. It felt like the actors were having fun in their roles, especially the shape-shifter. I liked the jokes with her. The pacing is a little bit better now as well, so that's a plus. The final fight scene intrigues me. I wonder who those guys' boss is. Guessing we'll find out more in a week. The Emil Blonsky thing was well-done. I especially liked Wong's cameo. But I'm afraid this is where we transition into the negatives.
The B Story feels so pointless and it feels like it's only there so that the writers can tell shape-shifting jokes and so that they could get Megan Thee Stallion involved to say "We got this famous celebrity in our show! Please pay attention to us!" Speaking of which, it feels like the cameos are going on better adventures than the protagonist of the show is. I wanna see more of Bruce's adventures in space or what Wong is doing, but then I realize that this isn't their show. And of course, we have the worst and most pointless post credits scene of all time as of writing. Seriously, it adds nothing as far as I can tell except for some totally not cringey twerking.
With every episode, I hope that things get better. Episode 3 delivers a little on that front, but it isn't enough. Next episode is the 4th one, which is the usual big game changing episode for every Marvel show. After that, I'll decide if this show is truly worth watching.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Superhuman Law (2022)
Why was this series 9 episodes?
So episode 1 had poor pacing because of the short length. So how do the people making the show fix that? By making this episode even shorter than the 1st one and having almost nothing happen in it! But let's get the positives out of the way first.
The humor is still pretty good. I especially like Hulk's line of "I'm a different person literally." And She-Hulk's CGI doesn't look as uncanny as it did before. I liked the scene with Jennifer and Abomination. It felt like a real conversation and it was great. I like She-Hulk's parents in this, especially the father. He seems really kind and wants what's best for Jennifer. And that's it in terms of the positives. Yeah, there wasn't a whole lot of positives here this time. Now onto the negatives!
So like I said at the beginning, the writers "solved" the pacing problems of the first episode by making this episode 22 minutes long! Honestly, it feels like Episodes 1 and 2 should've been combined into 1 big episode. I wouldn't mind sacrificing the post credits scene in this episode where we see She-Hulk help around the house, since it adds nothing except for "ha ha funny humor." If things felt like they were going too fast before, then it definitely will feel that way now! We've gotta speed through Jennifer losing and then regaining her job as a lawyer before talking with Abomination in a jail cell. And just when she's about to take the case, news comes out that Abomination escaped anyway, making the entire thing feel pointless. At least we get to see Bruce go on an adventure in his rocket ship that sounds better than what's happening here that we probably won't see until later. And despite me saying that She-Hulk's CGI looks better, it still doesn't look good. In fact, this CGI feels like a step down from what we usually see in Marvel. From uncanny She-Hulk walking weirdly up the steps in the post credits scene to the room Hulk's in moving weirdly with the ship rotating to an obvious re-use of a clip from Shang Chi in the final news segment of the episode. I wanna know what the budget of this show was to cause everything to look cheaper than usual.
Honestly, this episode isn't bad, but it isn't good either. Just another controversial episode on top of this controversial show. I really hope things get better for this show, but that hope is starting to dwindle as time goes on.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: A Normal Amount of Rage (2022)
1st Episode Provides Weird First Impressions
This episode sure is... something. Let's get the good out of the way first.
The acting is pretty good. Tatiana Maslany makes for a good Jennnifer Walters, and it's nice to see Mark Ruffalo return as Hulk. The explanation for how Jennifer became She-Hulk is pretty good and makes sense. The humor is pretty good for the most part (we'll get to that later), and the locations are great. I like the private island that She-Hulk trains on. Titania so far seems like a good friend to She-Hulk. I like the whole accident scene as a whole. I think it was done well and also hints at what she deals with in life, and I also like the fight scene between the two Hulks. I also really like how Jennifer struggles to accept the fact that she's a superhero now because she's always been accustomed to being a lawyer. It's believable and relatable if you went through some big life-changing thing. And I really love the post-credits scene. And that's about it for the positives.
Onto the negatives. Starting with the biggest issue first, the pacing feels rushed. The episode is only 30 minutes long when it should've been longer. Then we probably would've gotten a more natural training sequence instead of just a montage of She-Hulk out-performing regular Hulk. But we'll get to the montage soon enough. For now, we've gotta rush through the story and make everything feel like it should've been longer. This is where Ms. Marvel and this show are polar opposites. In Ms. Marvel, it felt like things were going too slowly with not enough stakes until the end. Here, it feels like everything's on fast forward, including the character development. And this is where the montage comes in.
I'm fine with seeing She-Hulk perform better than regular Hulk, but it doesn't feel earned. She just immediately performs better than the guy who's been doing this for 15 years now. And sure, that does lead into the Hulk fight we see later on, but these moments don't feel earned because there's no real character struggle. And that's a problem that could be solved if the episode was just a little bit longer. Another problem that could be solved is the fight scene at the end. It feels too short and could be solved if, surprise surprise, the episode was a little bit longer. We didn't even get to see the super-powered person actually use her powers. Just one punch and then episode's over! I know, there's the possibility of us seeing that person again and then we can find out what her powers are, but for now, I'm left feeling weird.
Overall, an okay episode that could've been improved by better pacing. Also, reviewing an entire show based off of one episode is probably not the best idea.
Moon Knight: The Goldfish Problem (2022)
Kinda Trippy, But Extremely Interesting
I really love this episode a lot. It does a great job at introducing you to the main character, Steven Grant, who is really likable. He's quirky and really innocent and funny, so you relate to him when he goes through struggles like trying to get a date with someone.
The mystery is kept up really well here, with the jumps forward in time being handled great. The music stuttering and the screen blacking out while Steven's eyes roll up is a great way to indicate that something's wrong. And since everything's in Steven's point of view, you get to be confused with him when these weird things happen.
The music is also really great, too. I had never heard Hesham Nazih's music before, but now that I have, I can say that it's really good. I hope that Nazih gets to do the music for more of these movies and shows in the future.
I also like the design of the Moon Knight costume. It looks so badass and great!
Overall, the episode was really good and definitely worth a watch.
Hawkeye: Hide and Seek (2021)
LARPing for Secrets
So the duo is together for the first time, and it's tense. Let's have a dog here with them! It does nothing but provide us with a sense of continuity, but at least it's cute. It kinda felt like a bit of padding with the dog, but that's a minor complaint.
Like I said, the relationship between Clint and Kate is tense, considering he's pissed at Kate for unintentionally keeping him away from his family by donning the Ronin suit for a bit. They hang out together in Kate's place for a bit, which slows the episode's pace down. Then after a little bit, the house is burning down, which leads to a tense action scene before they escape.
More on Kate's home life is developed here, as suspicion is raised on Jack, the guy Kate's mom, Eleanor, is getting remarried to. The atmosphere is tense when we're in her household with Jack, and I love it. I'm left wondering what might happen because of it.
And while things develop with Kate's homelife, Clint still has some cleaning up to do, which involves going to a LARPing place in New York to retrieve the Ronin suit form a guy. This is my favorite part of the episode. It portrays LARPers in this really nice light, and the guy who has the suit has a good motivation. He just wanted to look cool and fit in. And all of that makes for a really funny, but cool, scene.
Then after that, it's time for Hawkeye to make ends meet as he goes to a mafia place to get his just desserts so that he can move on with his life. But Kate, being the superfan she is, goes to save him, which ends up with her being captured and unintentionally making things worse again. And then we get to the ending. We see this mysterious woman while this ominous music plays. It really makes this person feel intimidating as she waves away one of the henchmen.
All in all, this is a great episode. While it has a few problems, they're really minor ones that don't hinder my enjoyment at all.
Hawkeye: Never Meet Your Heroes (2021)
Nice Start
This was a nice start to Hawkeye. I liked the way it showed us how the big climactic fight from Avengers would look if it was from a bystander's point of view, and it also helps us show who Kate Bishop is and why she's a big fan of Hawkeye.
And speaking of Hawkeye, he's still Hawkeye. When he's not hanging out with his family, he's broody and sounding hoarse and all that.
Now, Kate Bishop is my favorite character in the entire show. She's relatable, adorable, and just really great.
Back to the episode, the pacing is kinda slow at first, but it picks up at the end when the auction happens. And Kate, letting curiosity get the best of her, dons the Ronin suit and gets caught up in big things. But she saves a dog, which is something.
I don't know, the pace is slow in the middle, but the action makes up for it. It's a good episode for introducing us to the characters of this show.
What If...?: What If... Ultron Won? (2021)
Watcher Does More Than Watch
Well, this episode was fun to watch. The Watcher shines now more than ever here as one of the most epic fights in the show happens. The animation is stellar here, and it really shines throughout the entire episode. And even though this episode is the shortest one in the whole season, it's paced really well! Even if you took out the part where Watcher fights Ultron, the story has a really good pace.
The acting is stellar, with Lake Bell returning to prove just how good she is at playing Natasha Romanoff again. And Ross Marquand does a great job at making Ultron sound menacing as well. Jeffrey Wright excels here as the Watcher as well, putting a lot of emotion into the performance.
And our expectations are subverted here just as much as before. Like, during the fight, we get to look at a universe where Steve Rogers becomes president of the United States! We thought it, but we didn't think we'd get to see it! And I hope we see more of that universe in Season 2!
So overall, this episode is amazing, and it really hyped me up for the finale of the season.
What If...? (2021)
An Unpredictable Series
So now that I've watched the entire season, what do I think of the show as a whole? Well, I think we should go over the good and the bad in this show first.
The Good: The animation is great, with everything flowing so smoothly and looking fantastic! The 3D models look good for the most part, but where the animation really shines is in the 2D aspects of it. See, explosions and dust and all that are animated in 2D, while the characters and objects are animated in 3D. This combination of 3D character movement and 2D effects is amazing, and it all works together so well!
Then there's the music! It's really great and really memorable! The Watcher's theme alone is a great listen. The composers did a really good job throughout the entire series, and it really adds a lot to the series.
The concept is great, and the ideas the show dives into are great! Like, "What If The Avengers Were Targeted By An Assassin," or "What If Ultron Won," and much more! And the execution is good, too! I really like some of these stories and ideas the creators came up with, and I can't wait to see what else they came up with.
The characters are, for the most part, great! I like what the directors have done with them, and the original voice actors did an amazing job voicing their characters again. And Jeffrey Wright makes for a really great Watcher, capturing the omniscience of the character.
But what about the characters who didn't have their original actors return to voice their characters in the series? Well, the replacements for them do a great job voicing the characters. Lake Bell does such a great job voicing Natasha Romanoff that I actually think she voices the character better than Scarlett Johansson does. And Hunter Thames does a great job imitating how Tom Holland voiced Spiderman. And with Ross Marquand voicing Ultron this time, he really sounds intimidating and menacing. So all in all, the actors did a great job.
And the pacing is great for the most part despite the fact that the episodes are 25-30 minutes long if you don't count the intro and end credits. Along with the good pacing, there's the unpredictability of it all! You don't know what to expect, and then, you probably didn't expect some of the things that happened in this show. Like Thanos being beaten by T'Challa in Episode 2 by making a good point to him! Seriously, I did not see that coming, and I loved it!
Now for the bad parts. First, the pacing. In Episode 1, the pacing felt like it was on fast forward as they tried to squeeze a movie into a 30 minute episode. But I feel like that's the only time where the pace felt rushed.
Some of the episodes weren't that good, just okay. 2 of them come to mind here. Episodes 1 and 7. My problem with Episode 1 was that the concept was good, but the episode just felt like a gender swapped, rushed version of the first Captain America movie with a few things tweaked here and there. It didn't really dive too deep into the concept it was given. With Episode 7, the problem was that there were way, WAY too many jokes in the episode to the point where there's not a minute that goes by without someone doing a funny thing. But I go into more detail in my reviews of the 2 episodes themselves.
And speaking of Episode 7, the character of Party Thor became a problem later on. You see, it felt like that whenever he talked, it was to tell a joke 90% of the time, meaning you can't take him seriously a lot of the time.
So what do I think of the show overall? It's great! I really like it, and I can't wait for Season 2!
Now onto a little tangent. I've been reading some of the reviews, and people were complaining about the fact that there wasn't a story arc. And some of the reviews of the show were made after episode 1, and weren't changed at all.
For the story arc thing, not every MCU show needs to have a story arc! This show was doing perfectly fine without one in my opinion! I mean, we did get one and it was good, but the point of the show was to explore the infinite possibilities of the Multiverse, meaning a story arc wasn't even needed! It was good without one, and while it's still good with one, the point still stands that the show doesn't need to have an overarching story.
And with the ratings thing, I like to look at the whole picture before reviewing it. If you look at a quarter of the painting, you should probably wait until you see the whole thing instead of reviewing the whole picture based on seeing a fraction of it at first.
Tangent over. Hope you enjoyed reading all of that, and I can't wait for what comes next.