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Smallville: Aqua (2005)
Aquaman to Clark Kent: "Stay Super, Bruh"
This is so 2000s, it rocks in every conceivable way. In the classic "no tights, no flights" Smallville way, Arthur Curry has gotten his own 2000s cool dude™ makeover--but in spite of this, it's still a pretty bang on representation of a teenage Aquaman. Replete with his values and poweres. Plus, the antagonism between him and Lex is a perfect little hint at future Justice League conflict.
Despite this being Aquaman's episode, the standout performance comes from Michael Rosenbaum. Looking back, this is markedly one of the first true "Lex Luthor" episodes, one where he's not a victim, nor is his decision-making a side effect of Clark's lack of honesty. It also is one of the few ones where the writers give Clark a justifiable avenue to distrust Lex in the future. Great monologues all around.
Titans: Prodigal (2021)
Better turn
Okay this one was way better than the previous episode! There was purpose, character building. It made more sense.
The cinematography in Dick's Lazarus pit vision was top tier. The pearls, the crowbar. Was that shot on 35mm? If not, the filter (maybe black pro mist?) and grade choices were gorgeous. Kudos as always to the cam and lighting team. The scene about John Grayson hit. Also, the hinting at A CERTAIN SOMEONE'S CHILD WAS GREAT. FINALLY.
Loved the bittersweet/slight redemption for Jason. After virtually ruining his version of red hood in this season, the "You'll never be a Titan again" line slapped, and was a worthy course correct to his antihero character.
Likewise, good turns for Kom, Starfire and Oracle.
Connor's arc is questionable which is annoying because he's usually the strongest/clearest character in the show. Anyway, characters felt more in character this go around.
Titans: The Call Is Coming from Inside the House (2021)
Send the writers to a writing class????
I can't believe I watch this series so religiously, everything apart from the cinematography, costumes and acting is just bad. Literally cannot fathom having TOP TIER DC characters like Red Hood, Nightwing, Raven, Starfire, Superboy and Beast Boy and just wasting them with the most stupid plot lines and writing imaginable.
Where is the character building. The excitement. The sense that the characters have INDIVIDUAL wants and needs and will go above and beyond to get it.
Where is the amping tension.
Why is there so much wasted time with pointless dialogue.
If they didn't have these characters, this show would not have been greenlit, because without the names and BEAUTIFUL camera work, this show is about nothing.
Smallville: Spell (2004)
Superman on Brand
This has always been a fave/memorable episode, probably because it's so on brand for a Superman vs magic storyline. Fun, whacky, goes hard in places (Lex and the piano? Ow). Also, a couple of absolute banger/memorable moments, like Lana's reaction to Lois's non-virgin hair "Oh no, that won't do at all :/" lmao
If you find the idea of Lana Lang being the descendant of a witch or Lois getting possessed as 'silly', hate to break it to you but that was the whole brand of superboy comics' storylines, there was always something whack going on in Smallville. The storyline's integration with the kryptonian 'stones' storyline is also a clever tie in to Superman. Straight fire here, wish they'd done magical stories like this sooner. Also, love the girls getting to act as different characters for a bit. Hell yeah.
Titans: Blackfire (2021)
Blackfire stands out!
The actress playing Blackfire has so much gravitas, love her contributions to the show! She really balances out Starfire as a character, can't wait to see where their story goes next.
Bonuses:
+ The Gar and Kory scenes were perfect in terms of balancing humour with exciting/creative ways to move the plot along. Loved the "smash cut to" moments.
+ Joshua Orpin!!! His portrayal as Conner is one of the best things in this show
+ Red Hood/Nightwing fight was good.
+ Ending continues the excellent pace/continuous stakes of this season so far
Some negatives:
- DG would never do (that) to (redacted), even if it was trying to kill him-- Bruce would also never have made a situation or trial with that kind of outcome considered as a success--if this was comic book batman, the objectively would've been to survive and see how he could safely contain a (redacted).
- DG is also so callous with his identity, god damn the whole GCPD is going to be able to guess who he is.
The Leftovers (2014)
One of the best tv series ever made
I've tried to describe this series to so many people and failed--best I can say is, this series is thematically comprehensive, beautiful and complete. All three seasons are about life, opportunity, and absence, woven together through a fantasy-realism type premise that asks, "what if 2% of the population vanished, and the remaining 98% was left to grapple with 'why'?" Extraordinarily unique and moving.
Superman & Lois: A Brief Reminiscence In-Between Cataclysmic Events (2021)
Like watching a C movie
I can see why people were excited over this episode. The origin story stuff was cute, and there were twists which always seem to get everyone excited. But. I put it to you, that this was objectively, bad--or, only good in the sense that when you watch a B/C movie, you might think, "oh that wasn't so bad".
Don't get me wrong, elements here were good. Cinematography? Mostly great. They're rocking the hell out of that DXL2 camera, and the anamorphic lenses? Also not cheap, looks nice. But ultimately, the writing is plain bad in the sense that, if this was a comic book, no one would be reading it. Because from previous episodes, giving Superman a discount brother in *deep sigh* Morgan Edge, is terribly stupid.
Also: Steel, Eradicator, and a son of Superman? Just clicked that they're doing Reign of the Supermen. Only, everyone's just a discounted version (excluding perhaps, Steel, who has piqued my interest a little--but even then, fridging Lois for his origin? So lame). Removing/doing dirty to Conner Kent like that is such a shame. Titans isn't without its faults, but at least they're doing that character justice.
Superman & Lois: Holding the Wrench (2021)
comme ci comme ca
Like 50% of this episode was great Action Comics/Superfam content, and the rest was dead weight. I'm not going to outright say that it wouldn't be possible to make me care about something small like a Smallville talent show but the writing for it here was literally unoriginal af 😭
Superman & Lois: Man of Steel (2021)
David Ramsey coming through!!
Gotta be the best instalment so far. I don't know if it was in the writing or more from directorial tips/smoothing over, but the acting in this ep was way better than the last couple of eps, as was the dialogue. From a plot perspective too, this was fun. Excited that they're expanding the number of Superman characters in this show.
Superman & Lois: Broken Trust (2021)
Getting there
Some interesting developments this ep. Lois & Clark's relationship continues to be cute af, and moments between Jordan and Clark was long overdue. However,
The day the show stops sacrificing character for plot will be as equally glorious as it is unlikely. The writing and characters are fine from a certain point of view--that point of view being if these were original characters without 80+ years of history and legacy. But these are, and it's embarrassing that they create weird lapses in writing arguably some of the most easily recognisable characters in fiction, just for a plot™ moment.
Case in point:
Lois Lane is convinced by Lex Luthor to break in somewhere using less than legal means of entry. They have to wear a disguise, and she complains.
-looks into camera-
Lois Lane's entire character is that she's a cutthroat, investigative journalist who is supposed to have built her career off of breaking into sites to gather the truth. Smallville got this, dceu got this, virtually every superman adaptation has gotten this. The fact that in this ep she's being coaxed into breaking in somewhere by Lex Luthor instead of just doing it herself, is laughable. But then, the swing back to Lois railing on Lex at the end is more indicative of her actual character, so it's like, you've almost got it! Just be consistent.
Side thoughts: this world without the presence of rest of the justice league just doesn't feel like true Superman or DC. I've lost track of which world this is set in because I've given up on most cw shows but hng. Titans does such a good of integrating all the dc characters, this should aim for the same vibe as that. As soon as they were like "this guy's speed rivals (Superman's)", it was glaringly like, "Okay, then where's the Flash?"
Superman & Lois: The Best of Smallville (2021)
Bad drama's getting to me
There is some okay Superman/Lois content here, but this would be so much better if it weren't for the cringey teen drama moments & flat dialogue. It does such a disservice to all the other elements of the filmmaking that's excelling. The big sin of this show was splitting Jon Kent into two characters and destroying comic book Superboy, the least they could do was not make the substitute kids completely unrecognisable as characters. I'm still watching but :/
Curb Your Enthusiasm: The Bi-Sexual (2011)
Writing in Bad Taste
Love this series, but the attitudes towards being bisexual in this episode are grossly out of date and offensive, as was the whole scene where two men argue that women aren't as good at pleasing each other compared to men pleasing women because they don't have it- and then this is seemingly reaffirmed by events later in the episode.
For the record, Curb, like It's Always Sunny, usually dances around a lot of political subjects without necessarily advocating for one point of view - characters do and say offensive things all the time in these series, but it's always with a tongue in cheek attitude, winking at the audience. This wasn't that.
When They See Us: Part One (2019)
Upsetting to watch
This was so well directed, written and acted that it made me feel physically sick watching it. Such an upsetting experience, but it needed to be made, especially during this time.
Chilling Adventures of Sabrina (2018)
A Watered-down Version of a Stellar Horror Comic
IMDb crashed and deleted my long review, so :'''))) I'm going to keep this short:
I understand why fans of "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" are rating this series so highly, because they think it's a fresh and exciting take, however, this is a poor adaptation of the actual comic this is based on, a horror comic titled "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina. Moving past the fresh and exciting ideas of the comic, it's not a compelling representation of them.
- This series waters down SO much. In the original comic, there was a heavy emphasis on Sabrina's aunts being cannibals, graphic scenes of Hell and Satanic rituals, nudity and gore were EVERYWHERE. It immediately set a legitimate horror tone for the comic, whereas you never get the feeling in this tv show like something bad might happen to the characters. It feels too "nice" and like an obvious tv production, like Riverdale. There's not the same standard of narrative tension.
-They also jumble up the story wildly (and remove some of the best aspects) from the comic - I assume to stretch it out so they can add them in later. And while you can argue that this is an adaptation and it doesn't need to be the same, the point is that it's not better - in fact, it's less interesting. For an example - this isn't even a spoiler because its not in the show - in the comic, Harvey follows Sabrina to her dark baptism and get murdered/eaten by witches (and then brought back to life through necromancy). But the point of him being there was incredibly important to **certain** decisions for Sabrina, and it's exciting (hello!! murdering the love interest and then necromancy? awesome). But they just cut it out. And the resulting scene is just, less important for her as a character, and its duller
-There are storylines inserted (mainly high school drama ones) that add nothing to the show other than confusing its tone.
-Netflix shows should have the luxury of "showing" not "telling" and allowing for a more cinematic experience. I couldn't count the number of times that people's backstories and personalities were just explained through dialogue instead of showing us.
- There's a couple of problems with continuity, jarring edits and an overuse of short focal length and blur in the cinematography. To me, this plays like something which should have been picked up on in the edit, and been fixed during reshoots (which is a professional standard) but it wasn't.
Overall, there are positives about this series (set design is good, it is also atmospheric in places, and I don't mind the actors), but when you really look at this series, it plays like Riverdale, which is ""okay"" if they're pandering to a younger audience, but this series could have been something GREAT in the vein of more serious adaptations like the Haunting of Hill House. I highly recommend that if you're unsure about what I'm talking about, read the comic series "Chilling Adventures of Sabrina", because it's definitely more arresting than this.
Teen Wolf: Said the Spider to the Fly (2017)
Okayish, but then it went NUCLEAR in a GOOD WAY
As a fan of the show in the old days, I've been a pretty dissatisfied with the quality dip in the show over the last couple of years. While this episode was pretty all over the place in terms of quality, it ended with a stellar finish that gives me hope for the rest of the season.
While humour was done well in the show, the beats and fight scenes were very recycled and have been played out before. Lydia's banshee scene was lazily done. Also I think I speak for everyone when I say enough with the BHHS corridor fight scenes with Hell Hounds. Enough. Please. I also felt that the episode didn't sell us the new hunter character well enough for what is I guess supposed to be a turning point for her character.
Also there's still a lighting issue with the show, and I really can't tell why. Earlier seasons were able to evoke a better "horror/comedy" mood when they had better lighting, so I'm not sure why the show runners have continued to let it get to bad. I'm sure people will say it represents the show getting darker in terms of themes, but I think that's a poor excuse for poor quality work.
In short:
-Where is the lighting at?
-Not the most compelling script
-Drama/fights that we've all seen before
-New characters are lazily introduced
-Lydia's banshee revelation scene was pretty bad
+The show does humour well
+ THAT ENDING!
I'd say that the majority of the episode was a solid 6/10, but the ending lifted it up. 7/10
The Flash: Duet (2017)
Don't Let the IMDb Score Stop You From Having Fun
It's really quite simple: if you like musicals, you will have a blast with this episode. If you don't like musicals, you'll probably hate it. Most of the people who disliked this episode has skewed the ratings down really low because they just don't like musicals. Don't worry, if you don't mind musicals then you'll probably love it!
+ Barry and Kara have so much chemistry, it's nuts
+ Martian Manhunter / Kid Flash / Vibe team up with AWESOME visual effects and choreography
+ it was an inventive episode that took a break from formulaic episode writing
+ The songs were hell fun (Highlights, "Super friend" and "Runnin' Home to You")
-Some of the lip-syncing was a little iffy but it's forgivable
+/- depending on if you like musicals
Overall rating: 9.4/10
Iron Fist: Shadow Hawk Takes Flight (2017)
Much better than the previous episode
Though this episode still suffers from a few of the last episode's biggest flaws - that being too slow of a pace and some script issues - this episode is comparatively leaps and bounds above it's predecessor.
John Dahl's second crack at directing an Iron Fist episode creates a much more coherent arc for the audience to focus on through a greater attention to camera framing and with a much greater focus on visuals to tell the story - which is what we want to see in a visual medium! However the episode ultimately suffers from the little progress that was made in episode one and the flashbacks which seem to be going nowhere. Also, it was strongly hinted to in the pilot episode that the Meachums suspect that Danny is who he says he is, but the same story arc and conclusions drawn by the Meachums is repeated in the second episode too, and why? It was quite a waste of time, really. Had a few tweaks been made to the script, episode one could have been cut out entirely and been replaced with episode two's arc, and having the pilot episode end with Danny breaking out for the mental hospital would have made for a much stronger start my opinion.
Elements of mystery surrounding Harold Meachum are also introduced and his character is established a little more. Unfortunately, he's virtually the only one. At this point in the series, Danny is a cliché and a half - all we know about him is that he is "haunted" by the crash, and that he used to be a whinny kid. For nearly two hours of episodes, that is not nearly enough for a protagonist, and it makes it hard to sympathize with him.
In summary:
+directed much better than the pilot episode - more cohesive
+iron fist scene
-pacing issues - too much pontificating for a small payoff
-where are the flashbacks going?? Also, they're not that well done, visually speaking.
-we know virtually nothing about Danny's character
-acting is still a little "eh"
7.8/10
Iron Fist: Snow Gives Way (2017)
Uninspired, poor script
I've seen a lot of people complaining about Iron Fist for casting a white guy in the lead, so putting ALL THAT ASIDE, here are all the technical reasons why Iron Fist was bad.
At the very best, the script is a 4/10. It's full of bad dialogue, bad exposition, tonal inconsistencies and a tonne of soap opera moments which all fall flat. None of the characters in Iron Fist feel like real people, especially Danny, which is a huge disappointment. But I can almost forgive a lot of that because in the hands of the right director and actors, it can turn out alright. At the very best, it can be pure popcorn entertainment. As is turns out though, the acting was terrible and the direction likewise. I really wanted to be able to defend Finn Jones for all the heat he's copping in the media right now, but I just can't. I don't usually like to single people out because it feels rude to say, but he just doesn't bring any finesse to the role and he's not a very good actor. The supporting actors aren't great either. In fact, they're pretty bad, especially the actor playing Ward. I thought most of the female actors were okay, but then again they didn't have a lot of scenes so who knows.
I've been trying to piece together what was going on in John Dahl's mind because the episode he did for Jessica Jones ,"AKA Sin Bin", was great, but for his pilot episode of Iron Fist he dropped the ball. I have a theory too that maybe John Dahl and the rest of the cast were expecting the show to be edited together with a much faster pace which would account for the unnecessarily drawn out takes and mismatched "comedic" scenes and dialogue, but then again the shot set up is too poor to purely blame the editing department for not being able to efficiently move the story forward.
And now: the action sequences. The reason why the now famed "Netflix-Marvel" fight scenes have worked so well, especially in Daredevil's case, is because they were all used sparingly, with proper motivation to propel the story in a meaningful way and to establish the characters further. The action sequence between Danny and the security guard henchman was cheap, and that's the only way to put it. It was almost as if the person writing the script said to themselves "Oh yeah, gotta throw in the token action sequence".
I was really disappointed in this one. If you're craving a Marvel action show, stick to Daredevil, Jessica Jones and Luke Cage. Or if you're in the mood a billionaire playboy coming back with a vengeance, go watch Batman Begins or Arrow because they did it a lot better.
In summary:
-Bad script (characters, dialogue, exposition, pacing, tone, it was soapy)
-Poor directing that didn't build suspense or establish a world for the characters
-Horrible acting all around
-Token action sequences were meaningless
-Lacks originality, and the concept has been done a lot better by other shows/movies.
3/10
The Flash: Monster (2016)
One for the Writers
This episode took a step back from some of the Dr Alchemy drama and focused on creating character development through the use of a clever motif, creating a fun yet layered experience.
After delivering a stellar episode, and in my opinion one of the best the show has a written in 'The Runaway Dinosaur', writer Zack Stentz continues to prove he's the strongest asset of the Flash's writers room. After reading a couple of the other reviews on this board, I'm quite surprised by the lack of appreciation for episodes such as this, especially given how much it reminds me of an actual comic book story. So I guess I'm going to label this as one for the fans who appreciate episodes with motifs and strong characters.
The episode's motif of 'monsters' cleverly creates an interplay between Caitlin's growing fear of becoming a monster and her mother's literal ice-queen characterisation through the metaphor of a literal Godzilla-style monster plaguing Central city. The introduction of Caitlin's mother, a scientist played by Susan Walters, sheds insight into the Killer Frost origin story in a meaningful and psychologically appealing way, as well as creating empathy towards Caitlin after what one could consider a dry run of sidelining the character as a love interest with minimal depth outside her job at STAR labs. I've always thought that Danielle Panabaker had it within her to pull off the whole 'decent into darkness' thing, and I'm glad that the showrunners are finally giving her the opportunity to shine with it. Similarly, I really like the direction the writers are taking towards Iris West this season too, expanding her character's personality and giving her a more active role on the show. I also hope we get to see more of the 'intrepid reporter' Iris West in the future, and, you know, maybe if we bribe someone high up there at Warner Bros we'll see an Iris West / Lois Lane team up.
Julian Albert and Barry's arc this episode supplied depth to Gustin's Flash as much as Tom Felton's character, developing Barry's heroic qualities alongside Julian's. Considering the large possibility that Julian Albert (or at least his doppelganger) is Doctor Alchemy, I'm glad the writers aren't going to take the 'easy way out' by making Julian a clear cut bad guy on both earths. Additionally, I think the most effective thing about this episode was the fact that the writers didn't just bullsh*t some drama for this episode by pulling it out of a hat - Julian's bitterness towards metahumans raised both a valid point and a relatable point about jealousy, disillusionment in the human race and the feeling of being unable to doing anything about it. What makes episode like this in a superhero TV series so effective is that even though the audience can never understand what it feels like to be in that kind of world, they relate to the character's struggles because they reflect their own issues. The Flash season three has a handle on that concept, and I hate to jinx it so early into the season, but something tells me this is going to be the best season of the Flash yet.
As for any negative aspects of this episode, the only real drag came from the unexpected individual who had been operating the Central city monster (because I feel like a teenager wouldn't have access to the technology to do that). But with that being said, I still really like the overall message associated with the kid's monster and as cheesy as this sounds, I thought that Joe's talk with him at the end sent a good message to kids watching the show. It was inspiring and cute.
All up, this was another great Zack Stentz episode. In my opinion, the guy's a legend and I hope he stays writing for the show.
+ Monster motif
+ Caitlin and her mum / leading up to Killer Frost
+ Barry and Julian friendship
+ 'HR Wells'. I see what you did there. Bhahah.
+ great writing all around
-'villain' reveal came out of nowhere
8.2/10
Supergirl: Survivors (2016)
Continues to be a great improvement over last season
Episode four of Supergirl season two continues to entertain and hint at a great season to come. The episode introduced fan favourites Roulette and Miss Martian while simultaneously furthering character arcs with fun scenes.
While Roulette's debut on Supergirl was rather procedural, the writer's managed to created a confident portrayal of the character with some good dialogue and a promise of a future conflict between Kara and her. As for M'gann, maybe its the young justice fan in me, but I'm not really loving her grittier portrayal, but even in spite of that, the writers have done a good job of keeping me invested. Her interactions with J'onn compliment each other's characters rather well by enriching their believability as the last survivors of Mars, and it was nice to learn more about Martian culture.
The standouts for this episode were primarily from the fun character moments between Mon-El, Winn and Kara. Chris Wood's portrayal of the Daxamite continues to leave me entertained and intrigued about this season's direction, and the writers are doing a great job of making me care about the character. I'd also like to say hats off to the writers and new staff for vastly improving upon last season's tedious drama. Not only is it fun to watch these kind of fun scenes like Winn and Mon-El hitting up the National City bars, but they in turn favour the show when more serious subjects are introduced because the audience cares about the characters.
All up:
+ Miss Martian / Martian Manhunter
+ Mon-El
+ Journalist Kara and Snapper Carr
+ Maggie Sawyer and Alex are growing on me ;)
-Still unsure of Lena Luthor's position in the show
-M'gann's characterization may disappoint Young Justice fans
-Could have had a stronger introduction to Roulette
It was still a really enjoyable episode: 8.2/10
Legends of Tomorrow: Shogun (2016)
A Nice Episode
Legends of Tomorrow's third episode created a good balance between a character arc and a fun historical showdown between the legends and the shogun.
The live action debut of Citizen Steel was a good character piece for Nate Haywood, developing his personality and his warmth. I say warmth because I'm holding out on the hope that the writers explore the comic story where Nate literally becomes living steel and loses his ability to feel touch, which could then plausibly be extended into a Dr Manhattan-style/emotional vacancy arc, which I think would be really great. Regardless, his heroism in trying to save the village was nice to see.
However for me, the most enjoyable aspect of tonight's episode was Brandon Routh's performance. I've always liked the actor but I've felt that he's been very underused, especially for someone with his acting calibre. Ray's arc this episode mixed a good amount of action sequences with serious scenes, and his decision to sacrifice the suit was a nice show of his character's selflessness. Sometimes with all the blind drama that superhero shows try to pull off, they miss out on creating the heroic aspect of the superhero, but this episode was a nice reminder of that idealism which pulled us all into the concept to begin with.
Sara's transition to team leader was a good call on behalf of the writers, and I find that I'm enjoying her strategic and no nonsense take on the position to be far more enjoyable that Rip as captain of the waverider. Speaking of the wave rider though, I'm still hoping that the art and vfx department (as well as the writers) can improve upon the current designs and approaches towards the time travel elements because the "green mystical time travel-y vortex" isn't really selling it for me.
But all up:
+ Seven Samurai style episode with a good evocation of setting
+ Ray and Citizen Steel story line
+ Action Sequences
+ Barry Allen mystery
+ Sara is a great leader
+ Mick's a goof and I like it
Cons:
-- Sci-fi aspects (CGI and writing approaches) are still a little iffy
8.4/10
Arrow: Penance (2016)
What was the point of this episode?
Arrow's fourth episode this season was spawned from last weeks 'cliffhanger' where Lyla asked Oliver to break John out of prison, but I have a few gripes with this episode. Disregarding the fact that the series has already done prison break episodes a few times before (Roy's escape from Starling City and the time Laurel was rescued by Oliver), this episode contributes nothing new to the show and revolts back to the same aimless, clichéd writing that littered the last two seasons of the show.
For a starters, Arrow so easily throws around terms like "John's in prison" or "Everyone in Havenbrook was killed!", but the thing is: I don't care. As heartless as it sounds, the writers need to make the audience care about characters if they want 'drama' to come off as more than, well, drama. After a whole season of John complaining about his brother, I don't need another episode of Diggle crying about it, because people don't do that in real life, they do that on soap operas. If Arrow wants me to care about these scenarios, show me the red fire engine that John and Andy fought over when they were younger, tell me who Andy said he wanted to become on career day in elementary school . Give me an episode on how Ragman's father inherited the rags as a wide eyed young boy, then juxtapose it with him as a father, fear in his eyes, trying to save his sons life.
On another note, I'm also still waiting for Curtis to become a hero. I had the same issue with Laurel when she first transitioned into the Black Canary (although I liked her a lot more later on), and that is, these versions of the characters written by the writers are not 'vigilante' material. The word 'ex-olympian' keeps getting thrown around Curtis a lot but he's not characterized as a fighter or as someone bold enough to become a costumed vigilante which makes him come across as silly next to streetwise kids like Wild Dog and Artemis.
This episode's story arc of a prison break also leaves me perplexed with wondering what story the writers are trying to tell. Oliver may be a vigilante, but he's also the Mayor of Star City. It's unethical to jump the gun to breaking someone out of prison without first exhausting every measure available in the legal system. Oliver can't inspire the people of Star City to have hope in their officials if Oliver can't have faith himself. This extends into another problem with the series: What is the point of Oliver Queen? In the comics, the Green Arrow was a symbol of progressivism and hope for those who had been exploited by the rich and powerful. This Oliver Queen? He abandoned his crusade against the wealthy long ago, and its clear that the series has a focus on Oliver trying to beat up "the bad guys" rather than him trying to actually help the people by inspiring to be better.
All up:
+ (Some) exciting breakout scenes
+ Kord Industries shout out
- Illogical decisions
- Poor Writing
- Drama
- Bland direction and editing in action sequences
6.4/10
Supergirl: Welcome to Earth (2016)
Season Two Still Proves Strong
In many ways, the third episode of the CW's Supergirl was a definitive answer to the question, "How well would the show hold up without Superman?" And the answer is: really well, actually.
This episode introduced the Daxamite Mon-El, who seems to be a great addition to the cast. Chris Wood's chemistry with Melissa is a welcome presence, and he and the writers did a good job of making you care about the character (something that had been needed following the host of aliens that featured in season one that I really did not care for). Similarly, I'll say once again that Snapper Carr's addition to the show balances out Kara's optimism really well and makes for interesting discourse and food for thought in watching their interactions. The episode also ended on an exciting note with the introduction of a famed character (who I won't spoil in case rumours of her appearance haven't reached you yet).
On the other hand, the episode had some issues, mainly being a 'villain of the week' style character, but people forget that in the Flash and Arrow's early days and still even today, a villain of the week is pretty common place. The only other issue is that I'm not really sure what Lena Luthor, billionaire philanthropist, is doing talking to a member of the press to openly, but its not a biggie.
All up:
+ Mon-El
+ THAT CHARACTER!!
+ Lynda Carter + Maggie Sawyer
-'Villain of the week'
8.5/10
Arrow: A Matter of Trust (2016)
Good Episode, but Room for Improvement
"A Matter of Trust" was by no means a bad episode, in fact there were several things that I really liked about, these predominately being the return of a familiar face and the intertextuality of Cody Rhodes appearing as a dealer of "stardust". However, some of Arrow's tropes that have been grinding my gears as of late need to be addressed.
Arrow has always had a problem with the notion of "show, don't tell" which is a fundamental element of any visual medium. Too often does the series rely on clichéd bouts of oversharing between characters which has ultimately resulted in a weak protagonist and weaker supporting characters. Thankfully, Oliver this season has seen a degree more of pluck, however episodes like this reduce Oliver's character development back to square one. It seems that an overarching theme within the show has been about Oliver's trust issues, however instead of allowing the character to progress, the writers seem adamant to repeat a weekly cycle of 1) Oliver is wrong about something, 2) Felicity tells Oliver he's wrong, 3) ___ event occurs, 4) Oliver realizes he's wrong and tells the audience about it. After seasons this cycle has gotten repetitive and predictable, and it would be nice to see the character every once in a while make a resolution and stick with it, or figure out something on his own for once. Instead of always telling the audience whats going on, the writers and directors need to have faith in the audience's ability to perceive an action or situation and figure out its meaning. Another aspect of "show, don't tell" applies to the supporting characters and their credibility as actual people. For example, we're repeatedly told that Curtis Holt was an ex-Olympian who we now have to accept as transitioning to a vigilante along with the team, however through his portrayal as a clumsy IT guy, its difficult for the audience to understand his capability to even be a vigilante or why he would even be driven to take up the mantle of a hero in the first place.
Secondly, I'm getting really tired of characters (and the writers) making poor, illogical decisions. Without spoiling anything, Diggle makes a completely clichéd and illogical decision during this episode, which was hard as an audience member to buy. Also, after the writers have portrayed Quentin Lance as a hypocritical alcoholic with a tendency to majorly screw up, it makes zero sense for him to be promoted into the mayors office. Frankly, I wouldn't trust Oliver to look after my city after making that call.
All up:
+ Cody Rhodes / Stardust appearance (though he was underused)
+ Return of a familiar face
+ Development between Wild Dog and Ollie
- Thea's arc / Quentin's promotion
- Felicity + Havenbrook drama
- Diggle's decision
7.8/10
The Flash: Paradox (2016)
Barry's Wake Up Call
A problem that was beginning to emerge on The Flash was that the show rarely felt like it had consequences because of Barry's ability to change the time line. This episode did an amazing job of clearing that up.
This was a really strong episode for season three on a few different fronts: it introduced new villains and conflicts, as well as giving Barry some much overdue character development. By far the best addition to season three as of yet has been Tom Felton as Julian Albert who sets a much needed serious tone for the show and has great chemistry (ha ha) with Barry. Barry and Cisco's arc this episode was also really surprisingly heart-wrenching due to an unexpected decision the writers made which I hope they are bold enough to stick with. In terms of directing, I think the director did a really great job of avoid clichés. The only problem I had with this episode is that I think they tried to resolve some of the issues between the characters a bit too soon.
+ Barry's character development
+ Julian Albert
+ Doctor Alchemy
+ Cisco and Barry tension
+ Promising Caitlin Snow story line
9.3/10