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The Last of Us: Please Hold to My Hand (2023)
A step in the right direction... but who the heck is Kathleen?
I was pretty happy with how this episode turned out. We're thankfully back to focusing on Joel and Ellie as they continue their journey. We get so much of their chemistry here and it's wonderful. The joke book and the one-to-one scenes from the game are a fantastic touch. All the truck scenes were particularly awesome to see as a fan.
The ambush scene and the following fight were incredibly tense, though I do wish we got the "he ain't even hurt" line. During the shootout, I love that the perspective is kept on Joel, reminiscent of the game enemies being strangers cursing from afar.
A game change I actually believe was pretty awesome was Ellie shooting the boy. Seeing him beg her, trying to find any reason to give them to let him live, was depressingly dark, especially hearing him call out for his mom as he was killed.
We get some more background on Joel and Tommy. Why can't we see THESE flashbacks? Joel meeting Tess, Tommy meeting Marlene, etc. These are flashbacks that feel like they'd matter to show. Either way, I'm glad we're at least given the context verbally.
Also, this is yet another episode with ZERO zombies. Thankfully it's evident that they're building to some soon, but the fact that we've had more episodes without zombies than with is pretty crazy.
The part where this episode gets weird is the inclusion of Kathleen. While it'll be explained more next episode, her story confused me a bit and her portrayal is incredibly annoying. I feel like we're supposed to understand her perspective, but how she treats the doctor and the fact that the bandits who attack Joel are her group makes me instantly have zero compassion for her.
For our first notable show-original character, I'm already not a fan. Still, the main plot is so good that the episode is still maybe the best since the pilot. I'm so happy we're finally getting to analyze Joel and Ellie's relationship and I'm really excited to see Henry and Sam next episode.
The Last of Us: Long, Long Time (2023)
An episode that feels both blindly praised and blindly hated. It's okay, but it hurts the show's overall story..
This is quite the odd episode, it's as long as the pilot, but doesn't even focus on Joel and Ellie. Instead, we get the story of Bill and Frank, the latter of which is only talked about in the game.
From the get-go, this is a bit of a red flag. Expanding on backstories is exactly what I want, but the focus of an episode should ALWAYS be on Joel and Ellie. It is their story and we only have so many episodes. The beginning and end do feature the duo and it gives a look at their growing dynamic. It's sadly not much, only being around 20 minutes, but it's something.
We sadly don't get an outbreak flashback here like we did the previous episodes, but Joel confirming how the cordyceps spread makes up for it.
Looking at the main plot of the episode, it isn't too bad, especially when viewed separately from the overarching story. Bill is an incredibly likable character who was well-casted. Seeing this prepper fortify his own city was pretty awesome, but Joel dealing with the traps in the game was way cooler than the little we see of them here.
Frank, on the other hand, just came off as kinda creepy and manipulative early on. His character is also SUCH a deviation from the game's version that it's jarring.
Ultimately, what I don't get is how the same people who praised the pilot for being extremely game accurate are now praising this episode for being very different. The same people who would normally hate TWD's side character-focused episodes are also praising this episode. At least in those episodes the characters focused on stay around and affect the grand story.
I feel like having Bill not even meet Ellie is such a deviation from the game and kinda makes his inclusion in the show feel pointless. His death was sweet, but he definitely shouldn't have died. While the Joel and Ellie parts of the episode are too short, the Bill and Frank section is WAY too long. It's about 45 minutes dedicated to two dead characters.
The story works, but I find it questionable why these side characters get a full backstory while Tess's was cut and we don't seem to be getting a Joel and Tommy backstory.
Finally, the ending with Joel and Ellie coming across an abandoned town with no traps and only a note is ultimately way less impactful in my opinion.
My final gripe is the utter lack of zombies. It's another double-standard case. If TWD, which is also about humans, didn't feature zombies in its episodes people would trash it. I don't need constant zombies, but the action feels so minimal.
Overall, this episode is by no means awful, it's just not what I was asking for. It is pretty slow and feels like an unnecessary deviation from the game that I feel like hurts the overall pace of Joel and Ellie's development and the show itself.
Avatar: The Way of Water (2022)
The most beautiful looking movie I've ever seen that improves upon the original but still has a very flawed plot.
While I saw it as a child and rewatched it before seeing this film, I never cared much for the original Avatar. It was fine and impressive at the time, but it feels like watching a video game with a green screen nowadays. With that in mind, I wasn't expecting much from the long-awaited sequel. However, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it despite its very evident flaws and oddities.
With technology having vastly improved, this franchise once again holds the title of having the most impressive visuals in cinema. Its hyper-realistic characters and scenery legitimately made me forget I was watching CGI motion capture rather than the actual actors.
Ultimately, this movie recycles a lot from the original. Put simply, it's once again an exploration of a unique area of Pandora with a unique animal that the Na'vi are connected to.
I did find the water tribe and the sea to be infinitely cooler to explore than the forest in the first movie. The relationship between the Metkayina clan and the Tulkum is very beautifully examined. Everything during this large chunk of the movie is so distinctively fascinating. I expected the movie to drag, but I didn't even check the time until the third act when it became more focused on action rather than world-building.
To my surprise, seeing the film in IMAX 3D also made it vastly more immersive. This helped make scenes like Lo'ak being alone in foreign waters frightening.
Another part of the movie that is blatantly rehashed from the first is the antagonists. Quaritch and his group being reanimated in clone avatar bodies feels so random. It's definitely one of the weirdest aspects of the movie. Equally as outlandish and out of nowhere is Grace's daughter Kiri, whose entire existence and seizure plot is left with nothing but unanswered questions. I'm convinced there must've been some deal to bring back all the stars from the first film that resulted in Quaritch and Grace returning.
Spider's yet another inclusion that comes out of nowhere, but I do enjoy the character. He's a cool fish-out-of-water type, but him saving Quaritch was really annoying. The fact that he has now had two death scenes and is probably returning is dumb and repetitive.
The recycled Quaritch drama inadvertently caused the aforementioned final act of the film to be a bit boring despite its high-budget action. We've seen this all before, but it's still cooler because of the inclusion of the Tulkun in the battles and the family aspect raises the stakes.
The whalers do introduce a plot hole with when Amrita would've been discovered and brought back to earth, and it just seems weird they replaced the now unmentioned unobtanium. Between the plot holes and unanswered questions, it's clear this movie focused more on spectacle and reintroducing Pandora for the upcoming sequels.
Frankly, I think James Cameron's confidence in making this a franchise resulted in a thin plot for this as a stand-alone movie, even though it still improves upon the first in every way. Despite how slapped together the script is, I can't stress enough how much I enjoyed the beautiful first two hours. The story is secondary to the amazing world James keeps expanding and the movie still has beautiful themes.
It's a classic case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." I can't recommend the film enough just for the pure beauty of it, but I have little confidence this will continue to work with the upcoming sequels set to release 2 years apart rather than 13.
The Last of Us: Infected (2023)
A great lore-building flashback plus terrifying Clickers!!!
I love how this episode continues with the outbreak flashbacks. Showing how the spread started in Indonesia is fascinating worldbuilding and the entire opening is very eerie.
The core of this episode is also terrifying. As someone who never really gets scared during zombie shows, the Clickers are adapted perfectly and are genuine nightmare-fuel. The fight scene with them also felt very much like the game, particularly with our characters having limited ammo and mostly resorting to running away and sneaking around them. It's very intense!
However, there is also starting to feel like a running theme of the action happening off-screen. The Clickers make up for it, but when Joel and co. Arrive at the drop-off the Fireflies are already dead, similar to what happened to Robert in episode 1.
When it comes to the character work, I'm starting to warm up to Bella's portrayal of Ellie. Joel and Tess have a good dynamic with her here. It makes up for the slower pace of a lot of this episode. Joel and Ellie's hostility towards each other is handled well. I like that Joel still has barriers he's put up around her.
The use of the volume to showcase the CGI backdrops is done pretty well. In a lot of scenes, you can't tell where the practical set ends. There are some beautiful shots as they are traveling.
The set design of the hotel and museum is also impressively well-done and I enjoyed the neat little references like Joel boosting Tess up.
Anna Torv does a kick-ass job as Tess. Her final scenes are heartbreaking once you know she's been bit. You can feel her sorrow as well as her terror at her demise.
The idea of the tendrils is such a big change from the game, but I think this adaptation is equally as cool. Seeing the infected roll around on the ground connected to the cordyceps beneath is downright disturbing. Tess' final tendril kiss is super weird, but it's creative and makes for a very memorable death that caps off the episode.
So far, the show is 2 for 2. The episode is mostly sold by the flashbacks and Clickers, but I'm excited to see Joel and Ellie grow.
The Last of Us: When You're Lost in the Darkness (2023)
A surprisingly faithful and thoughtful pilot to an adaptation of one of the greatest games ever made.
This is a show I have been very cautiously anticipating for YEARS. I have been extremely hyped ever since the original movie announcement for an eventual live-action adaptation of one of my favorite games ever. It's still a little too early to tell how the entire show will turn out, but after endless dreading, I can safely say this pilot was surprisingly great!
It was a little long, but the length is needed to be able to tell all of the game's story in 9 episodes. The length also enables the addition of a bunch of extra material not in the game.
The first 15 minutes of the show is all original material and it includes fantastic additional lore/character depth. Opening the show with the 1968 flashback discussing what the zombie virus is and how it works was an amazingly terrifying and ominous way to start the show.
The rest of the pre-apocalypse stuff in 2003 was nice for adding more to Joel and Sarah's relationship before s*** hits the fan. It reminded me a lot of Fear The Walking Dead Season 1 with the eerie anticipation for what's to come.
Despite not understanding the reasoning for changing her look from the game, Sarah's actress does a fantastic job. Her and Joel's love for each other is very believable. This is thanks in part to scenes like the game's opening and Sarah's death being adapted one-to-one. As a fan, seeing these faithful scenes were awesome. I also loved how they paid homage to the truck scene being shot just like it is in the game.
Sarah's death hit me really hard despite knowing it was coming! Superb acting!
The time skip is just as disorienting as it always was in the game, but I'm very pleased with how much more Boston, FEDRA, and the Fireflies are explored. The world feels SO much more lived in.
Along with expanding the world, there are some cool little changes I think work in favor of the writing such as Tess and Joel trying to get a car battery instead of guns. I especially love that, in this continuity, Joel is actively trying to find Tommy rather than having not seen him in years. I also thought it was neat that Tess and Joel's relationship is official.
I've yet to be sold on Bella as Ellie, but her line delivery during this episode was good. One thing I found odd was Joel beating a soldier he knew to death solely out of care for Ellie. It felt more like he gradually got to a point where he cared that much about her in the game, so I just hope they don't rush their relationship at all going forward.
On another note, the early zombies genuinely feel terrifying in this show. Everything from the tendrils coming out of their mouths to the way they move and how they turn is next-level disturbing, even to a long-time zombie fan.
Every use of special effects feels very real and makes for stunning visuals that wouldn't be possible without the insanely high budget. Shots like the plane crashing were insanely cool.
The use of the music from the games is also an amazing touch. Definitely another sign that they are taking this seriously and are determined to adapt everything correctly.
Overall, this is a shockingly perfect start to this show! I hope they keep sticking close to the source material for the rest of the season.
The Walking Dead: Rest in Peace (2022)
This series finale did the impossible on multiple levels! There's a little something to make every long-time fan happy.
This is it. After 12 years, 11 seasons, 177 episodes, and so many different story arcs and characters, we've finally reached the final episode of The Walking Dead.
It begins with an amazing orchestral opening and incredibly high stakes. From the start this is one of the most exciting episodes of the entire show, opening with Judith fighting for her life and some brutal deaths.
Seeing Magna's group react to Luke's death is perhaps the best acting we've seen from any of them. It makes the death incredibly impactful despite how little we've seen of him recently.
The mission to save the infants is terrifyingly nerve-wracking with great action throughout, especially in Rosita's scenes. Meanwhile, Cailey Fleming gives a moving performance. Judith's fear of dying was so sad and it was very satisfying to have her finally reveal why Michonne left.
Still, one of my few complaints is how we didn't get much of a reaction from Daryl to this news, and no reaction from the others. I feel like an additional scene of Daryl getting more emotional about this discovery would've easily fixed this issue.
We get some tight pacing throughout this episode. Every minute feels important. It did feel like the Pamela confrontation concluded a bit suddenly. Daryl reiterating what he told Rick about not being "the walking dead" was great. However, I still wish Judith or Ezekiel gave a bigger speech akin to Rick's in the comics. Either way, the Commonwealth arc concluded well and the destruction of the estates was both a visual spectacle and symbolic of the elimination of how the Milton's ran things.
Despite the amount they've deviated from the comics due to Rick and Carl's absence, they do a wonderful job connecting earlier seasons with a plethora of nods/callbacks. There're parallels to Season 1 with the variant walkers, Daryl protecting Judith in the hospital, and Rick looking for his family.
While it's impossible to have this final focus on everyone, we also get some great full-circle moments for certain characters, including Gabriel opening the gates for the people of the Commonwealth, Ezekiel leading once again, and everything involving Rick.
Maggie and Negan's final conversation in this episode is heart-wrenching. I loved Negan's apology and how perfect but in character Maggie's acceptance of him was. A perfect and realistic way to end that arc. I hope Dead City doesn't ruin the character development.
I never thought I'd have much of a reaction to Rosita's death but it's handled so gracefully. Having her get bit and reveal it later allowed for some downright beautiful scenes between her, Eugene, and the others. They're simply the best scenes with her in the entire show and make for a fantastic sendoff. I've watched the moments between Eugene and her countless times, and they hit so hard every rewatch.
The group's dinner was a heartwarming touch. Like the conclusion of the Telltale game series, it's delightful to see a happy ending for these characters who've come so far. A deserved ending after the long journey this show has been. This plus the final time skip gave me the closure I needed for these characters (other than Daryl and the Grimes family of course). If it wasn't for their spin-offs on the way to continue their stories, I don't think I'd be as pleased.
The score of this episode is utterly fantastic. You can't help but consciously notice it while watching. The music during Rosita's final scenes, Pamela finding Lance's walker, Daryl riding away, etc. Bear McCreary's on his A-game here. The licensed song choices for the dinner and the estates' destruction also escalate their respective scenes.
The short time skip was a great way to conclude the episode. Having a huge time skip like the comics would've left too many unanswered questions and would force Judith to be recast. Instead, we get a little view of each character's happier life in the foreseeable future, while also leaving room for a chance to see them again.
And best of all, we get a sweet goodbye between Daryl and Carol. They may have never become a couple, but hearing Daryl say "I love you" carried so much weight.
Finally, those final minutes with Rick and Michonne were way more of an appearance from them than I could've asked for. Of course, it would've been nice to have had a more conclusive ending with Rick having never left the show, but this was the best we were going to get at this point.
Seeing Rick on screen again was unbelievable. From his first words, his presence is felt powerfully, and his monologue was impactful and a great way to honor all that died (and survived) of the show's found family. I loved the little view into his and Michonne's lives. Seeing Rick struggle, hearing their thoughts, and witnessing those absolutely amazing final shots of them as new world-building is hinted at is so exciting. My jaw was left dropped the entire time.
I'm very thankful that the finale found a way of not feeling entirely like spin-off bait while still hyping up fans for the franchise's future.
Tail-ending these final scenes with a montage of the cast from over the years returning to record "We're the ones who live" engulfed me with a wave of emotions. It was such a little thing that added so much.
And as Judith says that line one final time, while viewing the gorgeous landscape the group earned, representing the bright future ahead, the show comes to a close... and I'm not only happy, but I'm convinced that no show will ever be as special to me.
I'm floored by how well they were able to wrap everything up, seemingly doing the impossible after the pacing of the rest of the season. There are characters aside from those already getting spin-offs who I feel have/had more story to tell, but I'm immensely happy with this ending regardless.
While I still hope parts of the comic's ending are implemented into the future of AMC's TWD Universe, this is absolutely a better ending overall.
This is the best episode of Season 1, one of the best episodes of the entire show and franchise, and one of the best series finales to a long-running show that I have ever seen.
Rest in Peace The Walking Dead; that was quite the swan song.
The Batman (2022)
I'm not even a DC fan and I admit this movie is amazing.
I have seen this movie three times and it continued to impress me more with each rewatch. It has one of the best openings of a movie I've ever seen. I love how Bruce is characterized by his monologue at the beginning and end of the film. It is a great way of introducing this new Batman and this new Gotham at the same time.
Robert Pattinson was surprisingly perfect casting for a younger Bruce. Seeing his journey over the course of the film going from a seeker of vengeance to a true hero is inspirational. I love how "Something in the Way" ties into his character arc.
The Riddler being our first villain for this new universe was a great choice. Not only does it set itself apart from the common use of the Joker, but his frighteningly twisted riddles/clues add a lot of intrigue that forms the mystery/detective focus.
I also like how, while trying to deal with the Riddler, Bruce learns more about his family through Falcone. I also think Falcone's connection to Catwoman was surprising and makes her a pretty interesting factor in the plot.
Like the Riddler, I need to shout out the Penguin. This portrayal of the character was perfect and the makeup was unbelievably impressive. Kudos to Colin Farrel for being willing to take on such a famous role while being completely unrecognizable.
Still, my biggest nitpick with the movie was how quick and forced Catwoman's relationship with Batman felt. Definitely a romance unneeded for a movie that had plenty of plot points to handle already.
The cinematography feels one of a kind and very aesthetic with an impressive use of its red/orange-tinted color pallet and visceral shots. Along with the incredible score featuring heavy, uneasy tracks, this insane production value presents Gotham's dark, dreadful, and gloomy atmosphere in a way that breathes so much life into this fictional city.
The fight scenes are so raw with their visceral hand-to-hand combat and fantastic choreography. Batman is showcased to be a tank and it's just so satisfying to watch his unstoppable rampage.
While all of what is going on is really fun, I do admit the movie is incredibly long. Clocking in at three hours, the first 20 minutes are definitely the best part of the film with its captivating monologues and fights. Meanwhile, the middle part of the movie is slower and the enjoyment level depends on how much you like detective stories. The movie gets a bit slow for me, but it's arguably well-written and very quotable. The film doesn't overstay its welcome in the way some recent superhero outings like Wakanda Forever and Eternals did, but it is still a bit much for some moviegoers to get through in one sitting.
And on one final note, the Batmobile is incredibly cool and made for an entertaining chase scene. Admittedly, I'm not the most versed in the Batman franchise and especially DC as a whole, but this film stands out so much from regular run-of-the-mill superhero movies that it really doesn't matter how much you know the source material.
This is a level of cinema past just being a fun movie that this genre rarely achieves and it can't get enough credit.
Star Wars: Tales of the Jedi (2022)
THIS is what we need more of from the Star Wars universe! Nostalgic and beautifully written.
Just like with Tales of the Walking Dead, I found the concept of stand-alone stores in a universe I love to be a great idea. There are literally endless stories to explore with the Jedi and I feel like the hour and a half of content we get here barely scratched the surface. The biggest shame with his show is how short these episodes are. I think they did a great job making these runtimes work, but most of them could've been fleshed out more, especially those adapting existing movies.
I'm happy they decided to focus on only two characters and actually gave them multiple episodes each. While the stories are all contained, following the same protagonists creates some connective tissue that enables the season to flow well.
I still hope we get more episodes focused on other Jedi, such as Plo Koon, Kit Fisto, etc., but for this season I'm happy that characters such as Qui-Gon and Yaddle were at least utilized well in the existing stories.
When it comes to the actual content of the individual episodes, Dooku steals the show. 1x02 is probably my favorite episode. I like how it takes place early on in the timeline and showcases a dreary and depressing world. It's the perfect setting to delve into Dooku in his prime and be shown the corrupt side of the Republic.
All three of his episodes show how he was pushed to the dark side to get the results he found just. It's the perfect villain backstory that humanizes him and allows the audience to understand why he became a Sith. I ultimately feel sorry for him, as he was deceived by Sideous just as Maul and Anakin were. Dooku was never one of my favorite Siths, but this show has completely changed how I view his character. He has quickly become one of my favorite antagonists, improving his role in the prequels tenfold for me.
1x04 in specific is another contender for my favorite episode. I love how they decided to have one of these stories concurrent with The Phantom Menace. It's fascinating to see what was happening behind the scenes, including interesting and melancholy moments such as Qui-Gon and Dooku's last conversation, Dooku reminiscing at the tree, and Yaddle fighting Dooku.
The Ahsoka episodes are not on the same level of quality, but as a long-time fan of hers, I still enjoyed them. 1x01 is definitely the weakest episode and the most unnecessary to be told. I believe it does show some of Filoni's bias toward his character. A Plo Koon and young Ahsoka episode would've been a better choice.
However, episodes 5 and 6 are great. Her training connecting to her survival of Order 66 was a tear-jerking moment. Anakin being the reason for her survival while also being why the Republic fell is such powerful writing. Episode 6 has its moments from seeing Padmé's funeral again to the ruthlessness of the awesomely-designed Inquisitor. Though it's definitely the most divisive due to how it contradicts the acclaimed Ahsoka novel and doesn't have the time to flesh out the big moments or fully utilize the Inquisitor.
With Dooku, they contradict the Jedi Lost novel as well, and despite having not read the books I find it disappointing that they are not canon. Still, these are important stories and I think it's important they were adapted to screens.
As a final comment, I have to point out the cinematography, as some of it is really impressive. I've always been indifferent to the SW animated art style, but as technology has improved, the backdrops have become more and more beautiful. Along with the great score, the visuals are able to evoke so much emotion.
In conclusion, this is exactly the direction I want from Star Wars. These stories feel so grounded in George Lucas's world. This show doesn't just nostalgia pander for the sake of a quick cash-grab in the way a lot of The Book of Boba Fett and Obi-Wan Kenobi did. Rather, it legitimately enhances the existing prequel-era content.
This show NEEDS a Season 2, and a "Tales of the Sith" show should be green-lit as well.
While the brilliance of Andor will attract new audiences, continuing to flesh out the existing world and characters with shows such as this one is a fantastic idea that will keep long-time fans happy.
Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (2022)
A movie that had no reason to be as AMAZING as it is.
This review is more than anything a PSA to get people to watch this movie. I decided to go see this purely because I heard good things, considering I wasn't the biggest fan of the original as a kid despite loving Shrek. However, not only was this one of if not my favorite theater experiences of the last year, it was so good I already want to see it again.
This film is very separate despite being considered a sequel. It stands on its own as one of the most clever and creative animated films of the last few years. Puss is a great protagonist. The lessons he learns throughout the movie are predictable and easy to grasp for kids while also being portrayed in such heartwarming, complex, and interesting ways that make the moments entertaining for an older audience as well. There are also plenty of subtle dark jokes and other crazy moments that adults will love.
However, it's not just Puss, this entire cast is amazing. This franchise is great at thinking of new fairy tale characters to add to every film, and the ones chosen here are some of the best. Their classic stories are implemented in a way that makes this plot surprisingly unique and well put together. Kitty Softpaws was a welcome return from the first film and the antagonists are all amazing.
I loved the family dynamic of Goldilocks and the bears! Their flashback scene really got me to care for their relationship. Jack Horner was a great vehicle to push the heroes forward and his back and forth with Jiminy Cricket was hysterical. Death was also a great looming threat, being a literal representation of Puss' fears.
I also have to specifically shout out Perro. Harvey Guillen does a fantastic job at bringing to life a cute, comedic relief character that is not annoying. His comedic timing is always on point and occasional dark humor that is blended with his adorably oblivious personality worked very well.
I would love to see him continue to appear in future Shrek and Puss movies. The movie does not overstay its welcome at all. It's relatively short but incredibly well-paced. At a glance, it may seem overstuffed, but the rapid-fire action format of its very intentional and there's still room left for good character moments.
The action is fantastic, being very reminiscent of Spider-Verse in all the right ways. Some of the fight scenes feel pulled out of a Shonen anime. They're all fun and visually impressive.
While not relying on them at all, this movie is also filled with great cameos and nods that will make any Shrek fan happy. I can safely say if this new animation style and writing have some influence on Shrek 5, it could become the best Shrek movie.
Simply put, this movie is incredibly fun. It is a project where you can feel the passion put into it by the writers, animators, and voice actors. This is truly Dreamworks' answer to Into the Spider-Verse. It is a needed unique twist on an existing big franchise and I don't think I could've been more pleasantly surprised by it. Go watch this movie!
The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special (2022)
Not needed and not very funny but with some sweet moments.
There's not much to say about this inconsequential Hallmark-styled special. It works as an appetizer for Guardians Vol. 3. It's a fun little adventure but a bit too cheesy and tropey for my tastes.
Considering it's a James Gunn project, I was certainly expecting it to be a lot funnier than it was. Some moments put a big smile on my face and it's certainly funnier than She-Hulk, just not great.
I feel that focusing on Drax and Mantis was a bit overwhelming considering they're two comedic relief supporting characters as the leads. Their journey to find Kevin Bacon wasn't too funny but didn't take up much time. Capturing Kevin is definitely the most fun part of the entire special but I feel like one's familiarity with him and his projects will affect the enjoyability.
The ending is really predictable, but there are some really cute and heartwarming moments that are also improved by the music. This is still definitely Gunn's weakest Marvel project which was realistically always going to be the case. The special is not something I feel like I ever need to watch again. It's an unneeded epilogue to Phase 4 that at least some people will really enjoy.
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
A very bold but fairly underwhelming, slow, and bloated Marvel project.
I never thought the original Black Panther was anywhere near being the best solo Marvel movie, but I did enjoy it and T'Challa's character throughout his appearances. With that being said, when Chadwick Boseman sadly passed, I accepted that this franchise was doomed. I always believed that recasting T'Challa was the only way to go. It would've been incredibly hard to find a good replacement, but the character is very important to the Marvel universe. It is also simply too soon to pass the mantle of Black Panther on. When they confirmed he wouldn't be recast, I felt like it was a big mistake narratively.
Now does Wakanda Forever handle the death of T'Challa/Boseman well? Absolutely! Being able to respect the legacy of the actor while also metatextually connecting the event to an in-universe tragedy is definitely one of the movie's standout features. Regardless, I feel like the movie is a little too reliant on the audience being impacted by Boseman's passing.
Don't get me wrong, the fully silent opening gave me chills. They incorporated the death beautifully and honorably, but the result is what feels like two movies in one. You can clearly tell the original script was written before Chadwick's death. I really respect Coogler's decision to not recast, but I still wish T'Challa and Namor got to cross paths.
My issues spring not from the T'Challa-related parts of the film, but from how the rest feels lacking without his presence. I don't think Shuri works as the protagonist. She was a fun (yet underdeveloped) carefree tech nerd in the original movie and here she takes a 180 to being reserved and bitter. The changes to her character were perhaps necessary for this story, but it doesn't make them good changes for her. Some don't match her at all and her vengeful arc is just T'Challa's from Civil War with a less fitting character. She never struck me as someone who would willingly become the Black Panther and there isn't much impact when she does anyway.
Ramonda is a pleasant surprise in this movie. Her monologues are insane. Angela Bassett deserves all the credit she's been receiving. However, Okoye is the only character I felt really connected to and she is stupidly sidelined a third into the movie. She would've enhanced the film a lot if given more screen time. So would've M'Baku, who is completely wasted. Between them and W'Kabi, who is fully absent, we have three characters connected to T'Challa and it isn't explored how his death affected any of them personally. This is one of many missed opportunities that came with trying to focus the movie on both Talokan and T'Challa's death.
Some of the action scenes are awesome and some drag. As to be expected from Danai Gurira, Okoye's fight scenes are the tensest we've gotten from Marvel all year.
Namor himself is a pretty good villain. In a similar fashion to Killmonger, his actor sells the character for me despite his viewpoints being completely ridiculous. They somehow managed to adapt his crazy mutant powers to live-action in a cool way. Changing his kingdom from Atlantis to Talokan ended up being a really cool idea, even though the place and its people needed more elaboration. There are many more cool concepts they could've explored with the Aztec roots. Hopefully they are saving more about the civilization, the people's powers, and their technology for a Namor project.
Ironheart is an even more underdeveloped part of the movie, undoubtedly to save content for her upcoming show. Her character is just as dumb and not relatable as I expected her to be and her suit looks awful. A Black Panther movie didn't feel like the right place to introduce an Iron Man ripoff.
Also, Ross's entire storyline felt weird and unneeded. It's only included to add awkward colonizer jokes and set up future MCU films. If he and Ironheart were removed, there would definitely be enough room to have included more from the aforementioned underutilized characters.
By the latter half of this movie, the pacing really starts to drag. I've complained recently about Marvel movies like Multiverse of Madness and Love and Thunder being way too short, but this film had no reason to be 2 hours and 40 minutes and feel like it's over 3 hours. There's so much downtime between the action that when the final battle starts, the movie has already overstayed its welcome.
The things I'm disappointed they didn't include or flesh out have no excuse to not be here or be better implemented considering how aggressively long and slow the film is.
So this definitely isn't a bad movie per se, but it's not fantastic either. It's very bold but very flawed with iffy decisions on what to prioritize and how to structure this challenging project. I was pretty disappointed when I first saw it, but there's some great stuff sprinkled throughout. The lack of T'Challa, awkward pacing, and wasted opportunities easily made it worse than the first movie to me.
The Walking Dead: Family (2022)
Flawed like the rest of the Season, but such an epic and emotional segway to the finale.
We have finally arrived at the penultimate episode of The Walking Dead and it's truly great. It's been hard to believe that the show is ending and up to this point, it hasn't felt conclusive. While even after watching this it still feels like there should be more than one episode left, it certainly feels more final than it has been.
The opening is simply fantastic. Seeing everyone grab their signature weapons and leave Rick's gun for Judith gave me shivers. It built up so much excitement for the battle and Rick's eventual return. Judith talking about the future somewhat comes off as a little direct, but it's excusable and admirable coming from a kid her age. However, also considering her age, it was a bit stupid to bring her into battle.
Ezekiel's entire conversation with Negan was enough to nearly bring me to tears while reflecting on such an amazing character he has been over the years. Bringing back the "and yet I smile" saying continues to choke me up upon rewatch. I thought Ezekiel would've been a perfect big death for the previous episode, and while I still stand by that, I am really pleased with every extra minute we've gotten with his character. Honestly, killing him off would be cruel at this point.
The rising action is a lot of fun to watch. The variant walkers add so much excitement by being an unexpected factor for all parties. Them climbing and surprising people is genuinely terrifying and just wacky fun to watch. Seeing the group react to them was awesome, especially with the perfectly timed first F-bomb from Negan.
The show is still suffering a bit from jumping around so much between characters and skipping things between episodes. For example, the kids aside from Coco are just found off-screen. Aaron's group suddenly being at Commonwealth after still being near Oceanside last episode is also very jarring. Seeing them get separated in the horde was actually very stressful and I was convinced we were about to witness Elijah's death. So while the fakeout of Lydia being the one bit was a good shock moment, I really hope she survives. She's definitely a character I think has plenty more stories left to tell as she continues to grow up.
Regardless, Aaron and Jerry trying to save her was extremely stressful. It was such a raw scene with real emotion. Unlike with Negan last episode, I genuinely feared for her life the entire time and am continuing to do so as we enter the finale. These are the high-stakes scenes we definitely need at this point.
Seeing the Commonwealth walls, the entire city from afar, and just general wide shots of the horde make this episode feel more epic. The music enhances the episode too, but I just had to point out how cringy the huge beat drop was while Mercer and Princess are talking. Not really a complaint, just something I felt was worth mentioning.
The second half of this episode may be one of the most fun action sequences in the entire show. On top of the already mentioned discovery of the variants, the shootout at the train station was scary. Judith getting shot was another striking "wtf moment". While it's nearly a guarantee she won't die, she was the most fitting character for this moment. It connects back to the 11C intros and shows this found family trying to protect her like they have done many times before dating all the way back to when she was born in Season 3.
Seeing everyone fighting as one unit all focused on saving this kid: the connecting piece left to the Grimes family legacy, the heart of the show, and the future... it's such a deep-hitting and beautiful moment. Daryl carrying her parallels Rick carrying Carl in Season 2. These subtle nods make the entire show feel more connected without necessarily being nostalgia-pandering.
Daryl's desperation to save her as if she was his own child is heartbreaking. Ending on this moment was such a fantastic way to conclude the episode. While there are still some general critiques, this was a nearly perfect setup for hyping the final episode.
Andor: Announcement (2022)
A downtime episode that is still incredibly interesting the entire way through!
After the breathtaking spectacle that was episode 6, we absolutely needed some room to breathe. Thankfully, that's exactly what we get here. We see the perspectives of both the imperials and rebels in the aftermath of the garrison attack. It's fascinating to see that the empire's ruthless response is exactly what Luthen wants. It brings up an interesting question of how far is too far for the rebel cause considering how many people are suffering for Luthen's plan. We further see this necessary evil of the rebel revolution with Kleya's order to kill Andor.
Mon Mothma's fear over the robbery is so genuine and the high-class party she holds makes for really interesting dialogue. Her actress is handling the role splendidly.
Cassian's short-lived reunion with his family was a great melancholy moment. Maarva's reasoning for staying behind is hard to understand, but her faith in the rebellion is admirable and the true love shown between her and Cassian is beautiful.
Maarva mentioning Cassian's sister honestly caught me off guard. The show sidelined that plot for so long that I honestly forgot it was a factor. I'm a bit confused about where this storyline is going.
Seeing Cassian sentenced at the end is ridiculous, but intentionally so. I like how rather than being actually caught, he is arrested for literally nothing to showcase how over-reactive the empire has become.
With a focus on plot development and political conversations, this may not be the most exciting episode, but the show's writing is so immaculate and the characters have been so fleshed out that there isn't a second of dialogue that bores me at all.
The Walking Dead: Faith (2022)
The show feels constrained by budget and time, and yet this episode is pretty great.
I enjoyed this episode, but I have mixed feelings about it just because of how close we are to the series finale. It feels like they are trying to wrap up everything quickly and that AMC is cutting corners to make this possible. A big example of this is the Oceanside plot. It is finally revealed to us what happened there... kinda.
Luke and Jules are shoehorned back into the show which feels odd since they've been absent since 10x16. And we don't see Oceanside itself at all. Rachel's name is mentioned but we really have no idea if anyone survived. There's this cheap feeling to Luke verbally explaining what would've been a big event to see. It's simply aggravating and makes it seems like they're trying to save on budget.
At the very least, Aaron's group dealing with the variant stuff is just wild. Watching a Walker pick up a knife is genuinely terrifying.
Another gripe I have is, yet again, Maggie. I already complained about her moping last episode, but her crying over Hershel while they are hiding from soldiers in the other room is absolutely ridiculous.
We still get some great scenes in this episode with good dialogue. The rest of the court scene is done well. Yumiko interrogating Pamela was well written and Eugene's final speech was emotional with great callbacks that I believe further redeemed him for his actions in past seasons. If there's any character I think has been fully explored and has been given a proper conclusion to their story as the show is ending, it's definitely Eugene.
I felt that up to this point Mercer's arc was being dragged out a little, but now I feel like it was worth it. His line as he saved Eugene made for an incredibly epic cliffhanger.
Negan also has some iconic moments in this episode. If it wasn't for his spinoff, I could've seen him having an amazing death here. I loved the irony behind the Commonwealth general's belief that Negan wasn't a real leader, and despite Negan's redemption arc I was genuinely convinced that he sold Ezekiel out after their argument.
However, I loved the twist of his accepting to be executed. Seeing him be placed on his knees is so symbolic of the Savior lineup. It's truly his character coming full circle. Unlike when he killed Alpha, Negan's actions here are not for his own personal gain.
He has made a deserving spot for himself with the group in the most selfless way possible, and while it was a bit cheesy feeling to see everyone defend him, it was a powerful moment. This is particularly because of the great last-second parallel arc they formed between Ezekiel and Negan. Negan sacrificing himself and Ezekiel standing up for him was an amazing way for them to make amends.
I do feel like the season could've used an impactful death here, but the individual episode turned out good either way.
Andor: The Eye (2022)
An absolutely breathtaking Star Wars episode.
We finally have our huge Aldhani heist episode and it's just as fantastic as its build-up made audiences expect it to be.
They continue to expand on the personalities of the rebel group right up until the action starts. I like how Tamaryn is a former stormtrooper. This was my favorite thing about Finn's character, so it's nice to see the idea used again.
The music builds up the anxiety of this plan so well. The heist is executed brilliantly, from the stress of Nemik being placed at gunpoint to the rush to move the payroll, the fight before liftoff, and the anticipation of the Eye by the natives.
The Eye itself is downright one of the most beautiful visual pieces in Star Wars history. The escape scene is amazing and makes the episode feel like it has a movie-level budget. Easily one of the coolest Star Wars moments ever.
Finally, they didn't hold back on the level of sacrifice the rebels faced for this insane plan. The deaths are super sad, though they're exactly what I predicted.
Skeen turning on them was such a depressing moment. It made perfect sense but completely caught me off guard because of how he gained Cassian's respect last episode.
Still, despite the melancholiness, ending with Luthen's pure joy was a nice reminder that this was a win for the rebellion.
Really, this was perfect Star Wars. There's not much more to be said.
The Walking Dead: Outpost 22 (2022)
The weakest episode of 11C so far. Mostly setup, but still decent.
I definitely found this to be the weakest installment of 11C so far. A lot of this comes from how we're back in the woods rather than at the most interesting Commonwealth. I honestly feel like the Reapers in 11A created a better sense of dread about being left alone in the wild anyway.
I wouldn't say what we're given here is filler, but some of it kinda feels like it is. The action is cool enough and the plot progresses, but the pacing is not quick enough for the amount of time there is left.
At the same time, I feel like we've missed much that's going on in between scenes. Scenes like Rosita's with Gabriel seem pointless, and that scene in specific is just weird after it was confirmed in an interview they broke up off-screen.
I also don't understand what they're doing with Maggie. She hasn't had much to do since 11x17 and she spends most of this episode crying. She's clearly traumatized by the idea of losing Hershel, but I found her reluctance to kill a child walker to be a bit silly for her character. Maybe whatever experiences caused this PTSD can be explored later in Dead City.
One of the better scenes was the soldier interrogation. I like how Daryl's fear for the other's safety pushed him to desperate measures, and how Gabriel's words of what fear can make someone do applied to both the soldier and Daryl. Gabriel praying with the soldier in his final moments was incredibly tragic.
Then there's the train, which was a cool set-piece to finally have on the show but nothing more than that. A bonus nonetheless that can ultimately make traveling between Alexandria and Commonwealth easier and more realistic going forward.
The big takeaway from this section of the episode was definitely the concept of Designation Two. While I don't really believe we'll see anything CRM-related at this point, I hope this location they're teasing turns out to be important.
The part of the episode I found most interesting was the slave camp. Seeing the dark, hidden part of the Commonwealth's infrastructure is crazy. The way the Alexandrians are treated is perfectly dehumanizing.
Having Ezekiel and Negan paired as prisoners was a smart move. It's interesting to see these two former leaders fall to such a low position, and it allows them to interact for the first time in what feels like forever. All the emotional baggage Ezekiel still bears from All Out War makes their scenes powerful. Seeing them agree to work together for the greater good is really satisfying too.
Finally, the big reveal at the end of Alexandria becoming a slave camp outpost for its former occupants was pretty chilling, even as someone who knew about this twist.
Overall, this is not a bad episode by any means. Some questionable moments but also some great ones. I think it showcases some of Season 11's underlying issues, but it's still decent.
Andor: The Axe Forgets (2022)
The Perfect Calm Before the Storm.
This episode is a perfect calm before the storm. We watch as Cassian gets implemented into the rebel group, and everyone in the group is characterized so well.
Nemik is a stand-out character. Despite his young age, his firm belief that the empire has brainwashed and oppressed everyone shows his knowledge and awareness of his surroundings. He's extremely admirable, though I have a strong feeling he will die in the next episode.
I like how Gorn is an imperial who learned to respect the people of Aldhani, as well as how snarky and mysterious Skeen is. His background is really dark and tragic.
The only character I think isn't characterized super well is Cinta. Her performance comes off a bit lifeless, but I'm sure there will be an opportunity for that to change as the series goes on.
I like how Cassian struggles to trust this group and the group struggles to trust him. It makes Cassian the perfect vessel for the audience to be introduced to this hodge-podge of a group. The hostility between them comes off naturally and showcases the stress they're all under.
We also catch up more with Syril here, who seems to be starting his own personal rebellion out of anger over his defeat on Ferrix. It's nice to see the parallels between both him and Cassian adapting to new environments.
Once again, this is a great episode. No surprise at this point!
Andor: Aldhani (2022)
Slowing down for more amazing world-building, writing, and new characters!
After the gigantic battle of episode 3, we slow down here to introduce new locations and characters as Cassian starts his rebel journey. Saying that this episode is slow is not at all a critique though. It grants some time for great world-building and interesting inner-Empire politics and drama.
I enjoyed the ISB's metaphor that rebellions are a virus that needs to be contained. I was also beyond happy to see the return of Coruscant here! It's so interesting to see this capital planet become more gloomy after the empire took over.
Seeing Luthen's double life was very fascinating. Stellan is simply doing a phenomenal job playing the character and it's really cool seeing him and Mon Mothma secretly plan as they live their two-faced lives.
We oddly continue to follow Syril's character after he loses his job. There is clearly a deeper character arc they're delving into with him that I want to see. I like that he is still being focused on despite the plot currently moving on without him.
Dropping Cassian in the middle of a large-scale suicide mission is an awesome idea. While Cassian despises the empire, he has yet to be convinced a rebellion is the answer. I'm excited to see him have to put his life on the line regardless and eventually change his views.
Every member of the heist group has their own quirks and personality traits that are instantly evident. I felt familiar with each of them very quickly. I'm expecting many of them won't make it out alive, so I'm dreading the bloodshed to come.
This episode achieved its purpose of making me anticipate the future of the show. Can't wait for more!
Tales of the Walking Dead: La Doña (2022)
Not perfect and an odd finale, but cool for what it is.
I must admit this was a very weird episode to choose as the season finale. It starts in the middle of the ongoing story of this couple's survival to create a haunted house story.
The setup and premise are that of your typical horror movie. Our protagonists go to a rumored-to-be supernatural location only to think that they are safe and be ultimately proven wrong. It's extremely tropey, but is taken seriously and honestly done well for what they were going for.
The bigger question is if this was a good idea to begin with. Horror-based storytelling fits TWDU but introducing a supernatural element such as a cursed house questions the realism of the universe. Still, I personally found it to be harmless in the grand scheme of things. Spirits can't necessarily be dunked in our world anyway. Also, the creepy visuals can be interpreted as Idalia and Eric slowly losing their minds. Either way, this is definitely going to be seen as too out there for some fans, and I understand the controversy.
I personally feel the narrative they told using this premise was an interesting, contained story worth telling. I really liked Idalia as a protagonist. She regrets and is guilt-ridden over the actions they have taken to survive.
On the other hand, Eric is much more your typical horror movie goof that thinks nothing is wrong. Still, I like how he complements Idalia's character. You can tell he truly loves her and can understand his want to stay in such a nice place considering the hardships of the outside world. I also like how his own guilt grows over time.
Seeing these troubled individuals be torn apart and turned against each other by this house and their own greed is a cool idea. The aforementioned interpretation that their own madness and guilt led to them killing each other rather than the house doing so makes it a much cooler ending in my opinion.
So the story works, but was the horror itself good? I'd say it was! I found the scares to be pretty good. TWD isn't necessarily known for being scary, but other than the feral episode from TWD S11, this may be the freakiest the universe has gotten. Imagery like the little crucifix figurines crawling around was genuinely very disturbing. You can tell the screenwriters, director, and set designer were passionate about this project.
So while this isn't for everyone, I found it to be a fun time. It's contained enough to be viewed as either canon or non-canon, and if you keep an open mind or just appreciate horror then it's pretty enjoyable.
Black Adam (2022)
Far from perfect, but surprisingly fun for a DCEU movie.
As someone who lacks knowledge of DC characters and has not seen the majority of the DCEU, I was pleasantly surprised with this most recent entry into the franchise.
I was worried from the start because I normally struggle to see anyone The Rock plays as more than just The Rock, but Dwayne surprisingly does a pretty remarkable job here at separating his personality from the character.
Giving the character a solo movie turned out not to be a bad idea. There's enough here to justify the film's creation, and they successfully characterize him as a misunderstood anti-hero. I think it works pretty well.
It's also just fun seeing someone so incredibly overpowered barrel through opponents. This level of strength can result in feeling there is a lack of stakes, but that's where the rest of the super-powered cast comes in.
The Justice Society was the highlight of the movie for me personally. Between them and Black Adam, this movie may have had the best fight scenes in any comic book movie this year. The visuals of Doctor Fate and Cyclone are amazing and Hawkman and Doctor Fate going toe-to-toe with Black Adam was pure comic book-style bliss. At times the fights did go on long and it created the feeling that the movie is mostly just one long battle. Still, it was enjoyable the entire time.
Doctor Fate was easily my favorite. The performance and lore behind the character left so much to be explored that I would've killed for him to get a solo movie first, and I'm kind of disappointed with how he was ultimately treated in the film. The decisions they made with him near the end baffled me.
Sabbac was fairly forgettable, but I believe it was somewhat intentional so as to keep the antagonistic focus on whether or not Black Adam would redeem himself. Either way, the villain did what the plot needed of him.
While the action was great and the overall story works, there are definitely some iffy parts to its structure, pacing, and writing. The background of the Justice Society and Black Adam's powers are just glossed over in favor of longer fights.
Then there's my biggest nitpick: the dialogue. It's intentional with Black Adam, but many lines came off as stiff and straightforward. This was an issue with multiple characters, but the biggest culprits without a doubt were Adrianna and Amon. Amon in specific was very annoying at times, and a large number of his lines sounded like they were dubbed over with ADR.
However, that's about where my complaints end. The movie is ultimately pretty solid for what it is. It definitely has fewer core issues than Multiverse of Madness and Love and Thunder. Is it as impactful as The Batman? No, but it's still plenty fun and easily recommendable even to non/casual DC fans.
The Walking Dead: What's Been Lost (2022)
An amazing and tightly-written episode, just with questionable effects on the remainder of the season.
I love how tense this episode is. The shocking opening of Ezekiel getting kidnapped is a great jump-start of an opening. There's constant stress over the safety of those who avoided capture, and it makes you question how they could possibly save everyone. The premise allows for a much smaller cast and a resulting tighter plot for the episode, with the A and B plots being directly related this time around.
While admittedly, some of the cast is severely lacking screen time, I found the decision to only focus on Daryl, Carol, Yumiko, and the villains to be a good one.
It does feel a bit out of place how much we get of Yumiko here despite her being a supporting character, but I really love her story. It also makes sense that she is so important considering she has taken Michonne's comic storyline. I never cared too much about her before, but the Commonwealth arc has made me really like her. I wish some of the other supporting characters got as much love, but there is only so much screen time left to work with.
As you'd expect with TWD, they really don't hold back with the brutality in 11C. Daryl murdering the assassins was sick, and finding Lance in his cell covered in the blood and guts of his own man whom he fed to Walker Sebastian was a spine-tingling scene. The visuals of the gore when Sebastian is put down are on another level!
The longer 11C goes on, the more I fall in love with the antagonists. Lance, especially in the aforementioned jail scene, is so disturbingly ripped of his sanity. His acting is incredibly remarkable. You can tell what he is feeling from his eyes alone.
Meanwhile, Pamela's eerie and extremely confident threats are frightening. Her incredible amount of leverage on our group is really stressful. She was one step ahead of Yumiko the entire time, which made it really satisfying when she is finally outsmarted at the end. Very cleverly written speech scene!
Lastly, Carol killing Lance was insane. It's great to see her off a main villain before the end of the show. I found it very dumb of Lance to try and shoot Daryl and her, but it's not necessarily out of character for him to make that rash a decision in such a scenario. Either way, it's a bit sad to see such a slimy, smart villain be killed so foolishly.
We are now in an unexpected position where Pamela is our only villain left. I'm really starting to question if we will get some major deaths before the show ends. Lance went down as one of the best villains anyway, but he definitely should've killed someone off before we lost him.
So while this was another solid episode that was easy to get fully invested in, I'm once again scratching my head on how they successfully move forward from here.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law: Whose Show Is This? (2022)
A kinda funny, but INCREDIBLY lazy conclusion to the season.
This finale does a great job simply ignoring any attempt to wrap up the show's plot! I will admit, some of it was really funny. Most notably, the parody of the 70s Hulk show may be the funniest and coolest bit in the entire series.
Other than that, the finale didn't do it for me. After the end of 1x08, I was expecting them to dive deeper into the idea of She-Hulk having a rageful side, but instead she just takes a plea deal and is sad for 10 minutes. I'm glad to see there were some legitimate repercussions from her freak-out, but the fourth wall break just eliminated all stakes.
The Intelligencia group meeting is nothing more than on-the-nose and over-exaggerated commentary on anyone who dislikes the MCU's newer characters. No large group of real people legitimately talk the way these people do, and I find it insulting that, of course, every member is male. Honestly, some of the Intelligencia commentary, such as not liking Lady Thor, just sounds like general and fair opinions.
The reveal that Todd is HulkKing was extremely disappointing. It's laughable that this buffoon is the main villain, and unbelievable that someone like him could find a way to get She-Hulk's blood synthesized.
I also find it really dumb how Emil now just acts and talks the same way as normal in Abomination form. It's ridiculously silly.
To be fair, another gag I thought was great was Jen's awareness of how awful the finale is. The concept of the audience being so turned off that they back out to the Disney+ menu is hilarious, but maybe too relatable. Either way, the bit overstayed its welcome. Having her go to the real world could be funny, but it just undermines the realism of the entire MCU and wasn't even comedic.
The writers' room scene felt like an acknowledgement that they could not figure out how to write a Marvel comedy, so instead of genuinely attempting to fix their show, they just joke about the issues with MCU projects, kissing up to Keving Fiege, smashing Matt Murdock, and the expensiveness of visual effects.
While they are all cringy, the last of these felt very uncalled for considering the recent reports of how bad Marvel Studios overworks special effects teams.
Also, this isn't too important, but I guess our final fight of the show is just She-Hulk beating up on innocent real-world security guards?
Ultimately, K. E. V. I. N. Got one thing right. The ending was "obliterated", with the cherry on top being the seeming confirmation of a Season 2....... yayyy...... (sigh)..
Oh, and the reveal of Skaar felt out of place and his design is awful. I genuinely thought it was photoshopped.
The idea of a peaceful ending could've worked, but not when you're constantly building up to what was legitimately rewritten to be nothing. It's pretty sad how lazy this was.
The Walking Dead: Variant (2022)
Progressing the plot with some great dialogue and an exciting reveal of variants!
This episode focuses a lot on Eugene but manages to not become a bottle episode. The plot moves forward with multiple arcs. While it's just focused on the group laying low while Pamela tries to contain things, the character writing is just fantastic.
I enjoy Eugene's final arc about his love for Max a lot more after this episode. They've implemented it into the main plot in a way that allows us to see him reflect on all of his actions throughout the series. It's great seeing him step up for himself. I love his conversation with Rosita, and the bravery he showcases when turning himself in. Plus, it gives us the absolutely hilarious and sweet scene of Eugene standing up to Daryl.
Having this drama over Eugene also instigated some great conversations between Princess, Max, and Mercer. Princess in specific gets some great additional dialogue to her already heartbreaking backstory. I love how they've succeeded in characterizing her.
It's compelling how Mercer's orders conflict with the morals of the two most important people in his life, even though he's following them to save their lives.
I was taken aback by how great Pamela is here. The reasoning behind killing Sebastian off early is starting to click for me. It gives us much more of an arc for Pamela that showcases a stone-cold side to her. This makes her immensely more intimidating as a final villain than her initial persona did.
The sexual tension between Lance and her is an odd addition to the story, but it explains why Lance is such a suck-up to her.
As for the variant walkers, it seems like a very sudden and random addition for viewers who do not keep up with the spin-offs, but it's much less of a focus than I thought it would be, and honestly, I prefer it that way. An entire episode on the discovery of variants would be really distracting from the main plot. Introducing them feels more like a back-door pilot for the Daryl spin-off than anything. I think how this is handled works. It's a good explanation for how certain walkers acted back in Season 1, such as Morgan's wife and the teddy bear girl.
I also love the decision to have Aaron find the variants. His belief that the Whisperers would return makes the reveal that they are fighting real walkers even more shocking.
It was odd to me that Jerry didn't die here. They've made it seem like he's a goner so many times already anyway. I think losing Elijah or him would've been a fitting way to better showcase the threat of variants. To be fair though, Ezekiel should witness Jerry's death. And now that he has survived this episode, I'm convinced the show will end with "King jerry" and we will lose Ezekiel instead.
Side note: I still do not care at all for Elijah and Lydia's relationship.
But all in all, another awesome episode. So much is covered and it's all really entertaining and impactful. I really think, so far, they are ending this show with some carefully constructed, high-quality episodes.
Werewolf by Night (2022)
A chilling surprise from Marvel Studios. We need more of this side of the MCU
With Marvel's extremely spotty track record lately, I was expecting this odd take on the classic horror movie genre to be super watered down and cheesy. I came out of this completely surprised.
For a first special, this did a fantastic job raising interest in the monster side of the MCU. The epic narration and interesting backstory of the Bloodstone and monster hunters makes me want more details about their history.
The entire special feels unlike anything else in the MCU. Other than a couple of bits, the usual Marvel comedy is barely present. Instead, we focus on the ominous vibe complete with the fitting black-and-white style.
Jumping right into the plot the way the runtime requires limits exposition and thus introduces a sense of mystery. The competition aspect of the story is really fun, and I was very shocked to see the hunters killing each other. This is the first time we've seen Marvel Studios have gore equivalent to what was in the Defenders Saga, and it's super exciting to see they aren't afraid to go in this direction.
It ups the stakes tenfold and allows for some crazy awesome kills. Moon Knight would've massively benefited from scenes like these. This is the level of gruesomeness characters like him and the Punisher need going forward.
Jack's actor gives a very compelling performance. It makes me want to learn how he became a werewolf and see more of what his life with Man-Thing is like. While not the focus of the story, Man-Thing gets both insanely cool and very cute scenes. They found a way to make him both terrifying and adorable at the same time. I love how these characters were handled, I do hope we see some evil monsters in the future.
For being the title character, they do drag out Jack's transformation into a werewolf. It doesn't happen till about the final 10 minutes, but the anticipation is paid off amazingly. The transformation is chilling, and the fight scene is 100% my favorite one we've gotten in a long time. Having him appear more humanoid than your typical werewolf allows for much more emotion to be present in the role despite the lack of dialogue.
After watching this, I'm excited for the MCU again. I'm so happy this ended up being a true horror flick with its own unique spin instead of a generic Disney-Marvel outing!
The Walking Dead: A New Deal (2022)
Some much-needed time to breathe with a shocking ending
This episode keeps the quality of 11C going. We start with a totally bad*** scene from Daryl that is easily one of my favorite moments from him this season. After that though, Carol's very clever deal seems to solve our group's issue. While it's weird at first after the high tension of 11x17, I think this was a good point in the story to catch up with the group.
I love what we get from Pamela here. They continue to add depth to her character, making her a more reasonable but equally frightening villain compared to Lance.
The conversations between Judith and Daryl are really endearing. Judith has such a big heart, but Daryl isn't used to the burden of taking care of a kid and is trying to do the best he can for everyone. He never was much of a leader or father figure, so I'm happy they're playing into that rather than acting like he's something he's not.
One storyline that I don't think makes any sense or there's any room for this late into the show is Lydia and Elijah's romance. Elijah seemed to have much better chemistry with Kelly anyway. I'm also still not a fan of the Negan/Annie romance. I can't bring myself to care about a relationship built off-screen. Rather than focusing on these arcs, I'd rather Lydia get more screen time with Negan since she is seemingly not on his spin-off.
Of course, the nice downtime is a moment of false security. The ending of this episode was such a huge surprise. I love how Lance is still making plays from a cell, and I was genuinely convinced for a second that Eugene was getting Rick's comic death.
I'm mixed about how I feel about Sebastian dying this early, but it was a chilling scene. I just hope they don't write themselves into a corner with this big of a change from the source material, and that the final episodes have a different lingering threat present such as the CRM. Only time will tell, but man I'm excited.