Oliver and the gang work to end Dahrk's threat to the world and the aftermath leads to some surprising decisions....
While I did enjoy the finale, I felt a bit let down. The year started off so well and I was honestly hoping that the show would regain the glory it had in season 2. Don't get me wrong, I truly think that Damien Dahrk was one of the best villains this show has had, bested only by Deathstroke. But the show seemed to almost run out of gas towards the end of the season and sputtered to a decent, but not great ending, quite unlike the ending to The Flash last night which left us with all sorts of questions. I think what has happened is that the show runners has tried to make Arrow too much like The Flash, which is a mistake because they are fundamentally different shows. It doesn't help that the writing seems to be wildly inconsistent and the characters do odd things (Felicity throwing a temper tantrum over Oliver's son for one). I really hope the show can get back to what made it so great in the first couple of seasons, which was a man and his team trying to protect and save a city in a world that is really grounded in reality. Don't get me wrong, i love it when the Flash or someone else comes to visit, but the shows really do need to keep their unique tones.
All that being said, I did like that Oliver has decided to acknowledge that he does have light and dark impulses within him. He wants to be the person who can save and inspire the city, but he also needs to sometimes do things which are more pragmatic than moral in order to do so. For example, killing Dahrk tonight. Was it moral? No. It was cold blooded murder. However, it was the right thing to do. Trying to contain Dahrk has been shown to be next to impossible, so in order to make sure he couldn't threaten the world again, he needed to be killed. While Oliver may not like it, it is something that he can accept and do as a part of protecting people.
Dahrk underestimated what Oliver would do in order to protect the world and the people he loves. Oliver didn't kill Deathstroke in part because Oliver helped to create him because of what happened to Shado. Also, Oliver knew that ARGUS could contain Deathstroke on Lian Yu. Dahrk, on the other hand, enjoyed being the villain and relished the opportunity to kill and destroy and (as I said above) he couldn't be contained in the same way. The two circumstances called for different tactics and that is what Oliver did. In both instances, he applied the appropriate amount of violence necessary to resolve the situation and made the choice to live with the consequences. That is one of the things that makes Oliver the right person for the job. He avoids killing if he can, but he will kill if the situation calls for it. He may beat himself up a little afterwards, but he doesn't torture himself the way Diggle would.
Now that he's mayor of Star City, his life will be very interesting. I am not sure how he will go out at night as the Green Arrow, or if he will. I imagine that he will find some reason to, but I am curious about the how. I can't imagine that any bodyguards he has will be as easy to shake as Diggle was in the first season. I also hope that he and felicity manage to patch things up, because the two of them are very good for each other. Seeing as she's the only one who stayed with him, I am really hoping that things get back on track.
I do like that this year they had Diggle, Thea, and Lance all leave the city. After everything that happened, the three of them really needed to get out and just clear their heads. Diggle needs to come to terms with his brother's betrayal and the fact that his simplistic view of the world needs to change, Thea really needs to think about whether or not she really wants to stay in her brother's world as Speedy or if she'll just go away and visit periodically. And Lance just needs to leave. While I don't hate the character or anything, he has become increasingly marginalized, so having him disappear and resurface on occasion will be a good thing. He and Donna need to go live a good life together.
I'll be back in a week or two with some thoughts about the seasons of the shows of that Arrowverse and where Id like to see them go. And then on June 20th, The Fosters returns. Until then!
Thursday, May 26, 2016
Wednesday, May 25, 2016
My Review of The Flash 2.23- The Race of His Life
As Barry is reeling from Henry's death, the gang takes matters into their own hands, the identity of the Man in the Iron Mask is revealed (and it's a doozy!), and Zoom reveals his plans. Then Barry does the unthinkable....
Let's start with Barry and his reaction to Henry's death. Unsurprisingly, he becomes unhinged and obsessed with ending Zoom. When Zoom challenged him to that race, I have to admit to mixed feelings about the whole thing. I think Barry was right when he decided to race Zoom and save everyone else, but I could see the gang's point. Barry was not thinking clearly, but he needed time to do that and he wasn't going to get that time. I do think that locking him up was going too far, but I can sympathize with their motives. I knew that their plan to take down Zoom on their own was going to go sideways, but I wasn't expecting Zoom to grab Joe on his way out, so that was an interesting development.
I was so glad that Wally let Barry go. He was right that the gang was making the wrong decision. Leaving Joe to Zoom's tender mercies would have been a horrible idea and Iris would have tortured herself over the decision. Not to mention the fact that they would have totally lost Barry because I don't know if he ever would have forgiven them for that one, and rightfully so. Again, good intentions, but poor execution.
When they revealed that the Man in the Iron Mask was the real Jay Garrick and that he was Henry's doppleganger fro Earth-3, I was floored. I thought for a second that maybe he was Ronnie (hey, hope springs eternal!), but seeing John Wesley Shipp in the Flash outfit again was totally awesome. I watched several of the episodes from the 90's TV series (and I have the DVDs!), so seeing him as the Flash again was a total trip! It sucked that it was super hard on Barry, but it was a really nice bone to throw to people who watched that series.
I wasn't far off about Zoom's plan. He wanted to use the energy generated when he and Barry raced in order to power a machine that would destroy every other universe in the multiverse. As I've been commenting on all season, this was a variation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, right down to Barry (albeit a time remnant) sacrificing himself in order to save the multiverse. That was quite the nice way to wrap up the whole Zoom storyline, which leads us to the ending....
Barry ran back in time and saved his mother from being killed by Eobard Thawne. The ramifications of that are too varied to really list. By saving his mother, Barry completely altered time and created a brand new timeline. Rather than simply changing a relatively small moment like he did once or twice last year, he altered a formative event in this timeline. By saving his mother, he made it so he wouldn't live with the Wests and he will have lost his reason to work as a CSI. He may or may not have stopped Thawne from killing Wells, which would also mean that the Accident would never have happened and he won't become the Flash. Also, since Thawne (as Wells) hired Cisco and Caitlin so that he could create the Accident, they won't be there either. And that is only on The Flash itself.
If you extend the potential ramifications to other shows in this universe, Firestorm will never exist which will affect the team on Legends of Tomorrow and who knows what the effects will be on Arrow. I suspect that the other shows will continue on the current timeline and that only The Flash will switch timelines, but that will mean that the shows won't be able to sync up again until Barry restores the original timeline. There is a story in DC comics called "Flashpoint" which seems to fit in with what they are doing, and that may provide some clues about how Season 3 will go. I plan on writing some more thoughts on all three finales in a week or two after I've had some more time to process and think things through.
Tomorrow is the Arrow finale and then I'm done until The Fosters returns on June 20th. Until tomorrow!
Let's start with Barry and his reaction to Henry's death. Unsurprisingly, he becomes unhinged and obsessed with ending Zoom. When Zoom challenged him to that race, I have to admit to mixed feelings about the whole thing. I think Barry was right when he decided to race Zoom and save everyone else, but I could see the gang's point. Barry was not thinking clearly, but he needed time to do that and he wasn't going to get that time. I do think that locking him up was going too far, but I can sympathize with their motives. I knew that their plan to take down Zoom on their own was going to go sideways, but I wasn't expecting Zoom to grab Joe on his way out, so that was an interesting development.
I was so glad that Wally let Barry go. He was right that the gang was making the wrong decision. Leaving Joe to Zoom's tender mercies would have been a horrible idea and Iris would have tortured herself over the decision. Not to mention the fact that they would have totally lost Barry because I don't know if he ever would have forgiven them for that one, and rightfully so. Again, good intentions, but poor execution.
When they revealed that the Man in the Iron Mask was the real Jay Garrick and that he was Henry's doppleganger fro Earth-3, I was floored. I thought for a second that maybe he was Ronnie (hey, hope springs eternal!), but seeing John Wesley Shipp in the Flash outfit again was totally awesome. I watched several of the episodes from the 90's TV series (and I have the DVDs!), so seeing him as the Flash again was a total trip! It sucked that it was super hard on Barry, but it was a really nice bone to throw to people who watched that series.
I wasn't far off about Zoom's plan. He wanted to use the energy generated when he and Barry raced in order to power a machine that would destroy every other universe in the multiverse. As I've been commenting on all season, this was a variation of Crisis on Infinite Earths, right down to Barry (albeit a time remnant) sacrificing himself in order to save the multiverse. That was quite the nice way to wrap up the whole Zoom storyline, which leads us to the ending....
Barry ran back in time and saved his mother from being killed by Eobard Thawne. The ramifications of that are too varied to really list. By saving his mother, Barry completely altered time and created a brand new timeline. Rather than simply changing a relatively small moment like he did once or twice last year, he altered a formative event in this timeline. By saving his mother, he made it so he wouldn't live with the Wests and he will have lost his reason to work as a CSI. He may or may not have stopped Thawne from killing Wells, which would also mean that the Accident would never have happened and he won't become the Flash. Also, since Thawne (as Wells) hired Cisco and Caitlin so that he could create the Accident, they won't be there either. And that is only on The Flash itself.
If you extend the potential ramifications to other shows in this universe, Firestorm will never exist which will affect the team on Legends of Tomorrow and who knows what the effects will be on Arrow. I suspect that the other shows will continue on the current timeline and that only The Flash will switch timelines, but that will mean that the shows won't be able to sync up again until Barry restores the original timeline. There is a story in DC comics called "Flashpoint" which seems to fit in with what they are doing, and that may provide some clues about how Season 3 will go. I plan on writing some more thoughts on all three finales in a week or two after I've had some more time to process and think things through.
Tomorrow is the Arrow finale and then I'm done until The Fosters returns on June 20th. Until tomorrow!
Tuesday, May 24, 2016
My Review of Blindspot 1.23- Why Await Life's End
Jane struggles to come to terms with what happened; Weller is rocked by a deathbed confession; and Zapata, Patterson, and Reade realize that there is a lot more going on than they thought...
Well, that was one way to end the first season of a show. I want to start with Jane, who had a really rough time. She was absolutely reeling from Oscar killing Mayfair and was trying to figure everything out. Then she finds out that she is not Taylor Shaw, but was planted in the same office as Weller in order to remove Mayfair and make Weller the head of the office so that the group she was a part of could proceed to take down and remake the United States (or at least the government). Add to that the fact that she killed Oscar while the two of them were fighting and you have the recipe for a very lousy day. And then it got worse: Weller arrested her for various unspecified crimes.
Before I look at Weller I want to look at his arresting Jane. From his perspective, it's fairly obvious that he thinks Jane was working with people to ruin his life. The problem is that there is nothing he can prove. He was pissed when he arrested her and that is not a good thing because it totally clouded his judgment. He thinks that she was part of a conspiracy, but he can't prove it. He may even have arrested her for lying to him, but to be a crime the lie has to come in the course of an investigation and has to be knowingly made. While he may think she did both of these, the fact is that he can't prove the second and she never lied about an investigation. All she lied about (inadvertently, I must add) was her identity, which was not (unless my memory is bad) a part of an investigation.
That being said, I do totally get his anger. He thought she was his childhood friend and she lied about memories. Add to that the fact that he just discovered that his father did bury (and maybe kill) Taylor Shaw, and you have a disaster in the making. The only reason I am not unequivocally saying that his father killed Taylor is that we don't know the circumstances or anything, so I will withhold saying anything definitive until we learn something for sure. It is obvious that the relationship between Jane and Weller will never be the same again. I just hope he can learn to trust her, because she never purposefully lied except for some memories, which she thought were true (just out of her memory's reach).
Zapata and Reade finally told Patterson everything they had discovered. I'm glad that the three of them have gotten on the same page. It is totally understandable why they kept things from each other, but we have learned that it was not a good thing for them. I just want to know what Orion is (or was). I think it must have been some government program due to the number of files that Mayfair had on that flash drive. I also hope that they bring Weller in on everything, because Orion appears to be a major key to the conspiracy that Jane is a part of.
Who is Shepherd? I was under the impression (from Oscar) that Jane was in charge of the group he was in, but that is obviously untrue, unless Shepherd is some sort of identity hidden within Jane (which is doubtful). Sophia could be Shepherd, but I think it's someone else, maybe even someone we've already met. Only time will tell.
Until next season!
Well, that was one way to end the first season of a show. I want to start with Jane, who had a really rough time. She was absolutely reeling from Oscar killing Mayfair and was trying to figure everything out. Then she finds out that she is not Taylor Shaw, but was planted in the same office as Weller in order to remove Mayfair and make Weller the head of the office so that the group she was a part of could proceed to take down and remake the United States (or at least the government). Add to that the fact that she killed Oscar while the two of them were fighting and you have the recipe for a very lousy day. And then it got worse: Weller arrested her for various unspecified crimes.
Before I look at Weller I want to look at his arresting Jane. From his perspective, it's fairly obvious that he thinks Jane was working with people to ruin his life. The problem is that there is nothing he can prove. He was pissed when he arrested her and that is not a good thing because it totally clouded his judgment. He thinks that she was part of a conspiracy, but he can't prove it. He may even have arrested her for lying to him, but to be a crime the lie has to come in the course of an investigation and has to be knowingly made. While he may think she did both of these, the fact is that he can't prove the second and she never lied about an investigation. All she lied about (inadvertently, I must add) was her identity, which was not (unless my memory is bad) a part of an investigation.
That being said, I do totally get his anger. He thought she was his childhood friend and she lied about memories. Add to that the fact that he just discovered that his father did bury (and maybe kill) Taylor Shaw, and you have a disaster in the making. The only reason I am not unequivocally saying that his father killed Taylor is that we don't know the circumstances or anything, so I will withhold saying anything definitive until we learn something for sure. It is obvious that the relationship between Jane and Weller will never be the same again. I just hope he can learn to trust her, because she never purposefully lied except for some memories, which she thought were true (just out of her memory's reach).
Zapata and Reade finally told Patterson everything they had discovered. I'm glad that the three of them have gotten on the same page. It is totally understandable why they kept things from each other, but we have learned that it was not a good thing for them. I just want to know what Orion is (or was). I think it must have been some government program due to the number of files that Mayfair had on that flash drive. I also hope that they bring Weller in on everything, because Orion appears to be a major key to the conspiracy that Jane is a part of.
Who is Shepherd? I was under the impression (from Oscar) that Jane was in charge of the group he was in, but that is obviously untrue, unless Shepherd is some sort of identity hidden within Jane (which is doubtful). Sophia could be Shepherd, but I think it's someone else, maybe even someone we've already met. Only time will tell.
Until next season!
Saturday, May 21, 2016
My Review of The Originals 3.22- The Bloody Crown
Marcel returns with vengeance on his mind and Klaus makes a bold move to save his family....
The first thing that has to be said about tonight's episode is that it was rather quiet for a season finale. After the last few weeks of mayhem and death, this weeks episode seemed less about wrapping up this season and more about setting up the next. Not that there weren't effects from this season, but the effects seemed to be getting ready for what is to come.
That being said, I really did like the episode. It was nice to take a break and reflect on everything that has happened. Cami is dead, Davina is dead, the witches have been cut off from the Ancestors, and Marcel is a super-vampire. The Originals are all out of commission for one reason or another and Hayley is left to protect them and find a cure. I will want to look at next season, but I want to talk a little about the episode itself.
It's hard to be upset at Marcel, because he was correct in most of what he said. The Mikaelsons do protect each other before they protect anyone else. Klaus has done a lot of awful things during his time on earth. And people definitely have a right to be pissed off at them. Where I disagree with him is the way he handled everything. The "trial" was nothing more than a show meant to give everyone a chance to yell at Klaus and for Klaus to be defiant one last time. Not that it could have been handled any differently (let's be honest), but it wasn't a trial, so let's just call it what it was: a show.
Klaus' and Rebekah's speeches were both wonderful. I honestly thought Rebekah was betraying Klaus, and to be honest I'm not sure there was much acting on her part. He has been awful to his family in the name of protecting them so she simply told the truth. And Klaus was as Klausian as ever. Defiant, self-righteous, and arrogant as hell, that is our Klaus. He may have become something of a better person thanks to Cami, but he sure knows how to put on a show.
The prophecy was fulfilled. Klaus was taken down by family (Marcel), Elijah by a friend (Marcel), and Kol by a foe (Marcel). The twist is that, as I just showed, the same person was all three. Nicely played.
Freya's plan to link the entire family to Klaus so that they would be protected from death was really smart. Since Klaus didn't die, Kol, Elijah, and Freya will have at least something of a chance to survive. And that is where my thoughts for next season begin.
We know that The Vampire Diaries is three years ahead of The Originals and that Klaus hasn't been seen in New Orleans during that time. I am willing to bet that the show will pick up about three years in the future (to catch up with TVD) with Hayley looking for; or maybe actually finding; a cure for the three siblings. They will then have to get back into New Orleans and freee Klaus from his prison that Marcel put him in. Doing this will allow them to cast a new actress for Hope and maybe have her do more. I am wondering if she somehow holds the key to a cure. Not that she is the cure directly, but maybe she may have something to do with one.
The Originals comes back at mid-season, so I'll see y'all then!
The first thing that has to be said about tonight's episode is that it was rather quiet for a season finale. After the last few weeks of mayhem and death, this weeks episode seemed less about wrapping up this season and more about setting up the next. Not that there weren't effects from this season, but the effects seemed to be getting ready for what is to come.
That being said, I really did like the episode. It was nice to take a break and reflect on everything that has happened. Cami is dead, Davina is dead, the witches have been cut off from the Ancestors, and Marcel is a super-vampire. The Originals are all out of commission for one reason or another and Hayley is left to protect them and find a cure. I will want to look at next season, but I want to talk a little about the episode itself.
It's hard to be upset at Marcel, because he was correct in most of what he said. The Mikaelsons do protect each other before they protect anyone else. Klaus has done a lot of awful things during his time on earth. And people definitely have a right to be pissed off at them. Where I disagree with him is the way he handled everything. The "trial" was nothing more than a show meant to give everyone a chance to yell at Klaus and for Klaus to be defiant one last time. Not that it could have been handled any differently (let's be honest), but it wasn't a trial, so let's just call it what it was: a show.
Klaus' and Rebekah's speeches were both wonderful. I honestly thought Rebekah was betraying Klaus, and to be honest I'm not sure there was much acting on her part. He has been awful to his family in the name of protecting them so she simply told the truth. And Klaus was as Klausian as ever. Defiant, self-righteous, and arrogant as hell, that is our Klaus. He may have become something of a better person thanks to Cami, but he sure knows how to put on a show.
The prophecy was fulfilled. Klaus was taken down by family (Marcel), Elijah by a friend (Marcel), and Kol by a foe (Marcel). The twist is that, as I just showed, the same person was all three. Nicely played.
Freya's plan to link the entire family to Klaus so that they would be protected from death was really smart. Since Klaus didn't die, Kol, Elijah, and Freya will have at least something of a chance to survive. And that is where my thoughts for next season begin.
We know that The Vampire Diaries is three years ahead of The Originals and that Klaus hasn't been seen in New Orleans during that time. I am willing to bet that the show will pick up about three years in the future (to catch up with TVD) with Hayley looking for; or maybe actually finding; a cure for the three siblings. They will then have to get back into New Orleans and freee Klaus from his prison that Marcel put him in. Doing this will allow them to cast a new actress for Hope and maybe have her do more. I am wondering if she somehow holds the key to a cure. Not that she is the cure directly, but maybe she may have something to do with one.
The Originals comes back at mid-season, so I'll see y'all then!
Thursday, May 19, 2016
My Review of Arrow 4.22- Lost in the Flood
Oliver and Diggle go on a mission to rescue Thea while Felicity, Noah, and Curtis work together to stop Dahrk and Donna gets a bit of a shock.
Ruve Adams is dead. That was a little unexpected, but it is obviously a major deal to Dahrk, who no longer seems to care whether or not anyone survives in the world. With the destruction of his town underground and the death of his wife, he seems to have gone mad and wants to take the whole world out. Put that together with the power he has at his disposal and next week is going to be very interesting. I really want to know how the gang is going to stop him, seeing how the arrows and bullets Oliver and Diggle fired at him were turned to dust without his even trying. Not good, not good at all.
Watching Donna and Noah snipe at each other was fun, if a bit uncomfortable. I was really surprised to hear that Donna has been lying to Felicity when she said that Noah left them. Turns out Donna took Felicity away from Noah. I suspect that is why Donna didn't remain super upset at Felicity for hiding the fact that she worked with the Green Arrow. It's hard to be mad at someone for lying when you have been lying to them for most of their life. Donna is very perceptive, so I wonder how long it will take her to realize that Oliver is the Green Arrow.
I really enjoyed watching Curtis with Noah and Felicity. While he is no where near their level when it comes to hacking or anything, he was enough to tip the balance in their little hack off with Cooper. I wish I could say that I was surprised that he got the upper hand, but I wasn't. It's not that he's better than them, rather it is that he had the easier job. Felicity and Noah were trying to hack into and disable an extremely advanced device and Copper was just trying to block them and get into their system, which he did. I do wonder if anything would have been different if Felicity knew that Cooper was on the other end of the computer. I suspect that she would have tried harder to protect her system if she had known. Then again, given how hard their job was, it is entirely possible that she and Noah couldn't have done anything about it. Curtis' plan to overload Rubicon with access requests and to use the power surges Cooper sent to them against him was smart.
Poor Oliver had a rough time with Thea tonight. She was given the pill by Malcolm and he ended up having to fight her. Fortunately, he was able to get through to her and she overcame the pill. I was surprised to learn that most people in the city were not there because of the pill Dahrk gives out, rather they chose to be there. I was not expecting that one. I wonder if that is an indication that the pill has a limited supply or if Dahrk will only use the pill in certain circumstances. Or maybe it's both.
So we have a grieving and possibly insane Dahrk who is very powerful because of the death from the missile, the collapse of the Glades, and the destruction of the underground city. He's holding Felicity, Curtis, and Donna hostage while Oliver, Thea, and Diggle are on their way back to the loft with Dahrk's daughter. This is going to be an insane showdown next week.
Until then!
Ruve Adams is dead. That was a little unexpected, but it is obviously a major deal to Dahrk, who no longer seems to care whether or not anyone survives in the world. With the destruction of his town underground and the death of his wife, he seems to have gone mad and wants to take the whole world out. Put that together with the power he has at his disposal and next week is going to be very interesting. I really want to know how the gang is going to stop him, seeing how the arrows and bullets Oliver and Diggle fired at him were turned to dust without his even trying. Not good, not good at all.
Watching Donna and Noah snipe at each other was fun, if a bit uncomfortable. I was really surprised to hear that Donna has been lying to Felicity when she said that Noah left them. Turns out Donna took Felicity away from Noah. I suspect that is why Donna didn't remain super upset at Felicity for hiding the fact that she worked with the Green Arrow. It's hard to be mad at someone for lying when you have been lying to them for most of their life. Donna is very perceptive, so I wonder how long it will take her to realize that Oliver is the Green Arrow.
I really enjoyed watching Curtis with Noah and Felicity. While he is no where near their level when it comes to hacking or anything, he was enough to tip the balance in their little hack off with Cooper. I wish I could say that I was surprised that he got the upper hand, but I wasn't. It's not that he's better than them, rather it is that he had the easier job. Felicity and Noah were trying to hack into and disable an extremely advanced device and Copper was just trying to block them and get into their system, which he did. I do wonder if anything would have been different if Felicity knew that Cooper was on the other end of the computer. I suspect that she would have tried harder to protect her system if she had known. Then again, given how hard their job was, it is entirely possible that she and Noah couldn't have done anything about it. Curtis' plan to overload Rubicon with access requests and to use the power surges Cooper sent to them against him was smart.
Poor Oliver had a rough time with Thea tonight. She was given the pill by Malcolm and he ended up having to fight her. Fortunately, he was able to get through to her and she overcame the pill. I was surprised to learn that most people in the city were not there because of the pill Dahrk gives out, rather they chose to be there. I was not expecting that one. I wonder if that is an indication that the pill has a limited supply or if Dahrk will only use the pill in certain circumstances. Or maybe it's both.
So we have a grieving and possibly insane Dahrk who is very powerful because of the death from the missile, the collapse of the Glades, and the destruction of the underground city. He's holding Felicity, Curtis, and Donna hostage while Oliver, Thea, and Diggle are on their way back to the loft with Dahrk's daughter. This is going to be an insane showdown next week.
Until then!
Wednesday, May 18, 2016
My Review of The Flash 2.22- Invincible
Barry takes on the Metapocalypse including a familiar face, Joe worries about Wally, Caitlin has PTSD, everyone wonders about Barry, and we say goodbye to someone in Barry's life....
Damn. Henry died. I was afraid of something like this after the comeback he had last week. After Barry defeated his metahuman army, Zoom took Henry and killed him by punching right through his chest. If Barry didn't already hate Zoom enough, this totally sealed the deal in that respect. I knew something was going to happen when they seemed to drive Zoom off and there were still 10 minutes left in the show. I was afraid for Henry, but I was hoping that I was wrong. Oh, and as a result of Barry rushing off after Zoom when he took Henry from Joe's house, Wally now knows that Barry is the Flash. That should produce an interesting conversation or two.
Barry's overwhelming fatalistic optimism in the episode did get a bit grating after a while, but it was sort of fun. He has had such trouble with Zoom all year that it was nice to see him finally get to a place where he could do something. It was really amusing to watch everyone try and figure out how to deal with his new attitude. I think that Iris handled it the best. She made sure that she didn't do anything to burst Barry's bubble while simultaneously making sure that he kept in mind the fact that he could still be hurt by Zoom,. I just don't think that she envisioned the hurt happening the way it did.
And man, I think Barry has gotten faster. He took out all of those metahumans at the beginning very quickly. I can only assume that his decision to free himself when he was in the Speed Force last week somehow increased his connection to it. I know we saw him getting stronger and faster last week, but he really showed it this week. Unfortunately, he met Laurel's doppleganger and she was not someone that you trifle with. Given the fact that Zoom brought over metahumans, I can only assume that she actually has abilities and doesn't use tech the way Laurel did. I loved her swagger and attitude. The way the Black Siren carried herself totally set her apart from Laurel, as did the costume. It's easy to see why Zoom thinks so highly of her. She is deadly and very powerful.
Poor Caitlin was released by Zoom, but she did not emerge from her time with him unscathed. She was seeing him all over the place and just generally having a bad time. I did enjoy seeing her as Killer Frost and Cisco as Reverb. That made for a very interesting scene. Can't say that I'm surprised that the Black Siren saw right through them. While they did a credible job passing as their dopplegangers, the Black Siren had to know that Zoom had taken care of both of them. And when Cisco managed to whip out that power of his, I was impressed. He lacks control over his abilities, which is something he needs to change soon. Hopefully he'll get them under control next season.
Poor Joe now has three kids to worry about being involved in everything. Barry is the Flash, Iris helps out, and Wally was striking out on his own. While I get why he wanted to prove that the Flash didn't make a mistake, this probably wasn't the right time to go out on his own. Granted, he was quite helpful when the Black Siren was attacking the Flash with her Cry, but taking on a bunch of metahumans all on his lonesome was not terribly smart. Brave, but not smart. Hopefully the talk he had with Barry will give both him and Joe some needed perspective on everything. I don't see Wally backing away now, but I hope he is more careful about things and works with the group rather than on his own.
Once again, Cisco and Harry seem to be sharing a brain, which is really amusing to watch. One o them starts on an idea and the other picks up the thread and they finish the thought together. Throw Jessie into the mix and you have a trio who are probably the smartest and most tech savvy group around. Using Barry's speed to create anecho chamber to disable the Earth-2 metas was a brilliant idea.
It was nice to see Amanda Pays and John Wesley Shipp finally get a scene together considering the fact that they were both in the last live incarnation of the Flash in the 90s. The two of them seemed to be having fun and it made for quite the cute moment.
Then there is Cisco's vibes throughout the episode. He keeps seeing dead birds on the ground and at the end of the episode he sees Earth-2 being torn apart. Is this Zoom's ultimate plan? We've seen bits and pieces of the storyline of the Crisis on Infinite Earths this season, so I wonder if mayer Zoom is trying to merge the different earths together so he can rule them all. If he tries, maybe the vibrational differences will make the different earths rip each other apart.
Until next week!
Damn. Henry died. I was afraid of something like this after the comeback he had last week. After Barry defeated his metahuman army, Zoom took Henry and killed him by punching right through his chest. If Barry didn't already hate Zoom enough, this totally sealed the deal in that respect. I knew something was going to happen when they seemed to drive Zoom off and there were still 10 minutes left in the show. I was afraid for Henry, but I was hoping that I was wrong. Oh, and as a result of Barry rushing off after Zoom when he took Henry from Joe's house, Wally now knows that Barry is the Flash. That should produce an interesting conversation or two.
Barry's overwhelming fatalistic optimism in the episode did get a bit grating after a while, but it was sort of fun. He has had such trouble with Zoom all year that it was nice to see him finally get to a place where he could do something. It was really amusing to watch everyone try and figure out how to deal with his new attitude. I think that Iris handled it the best. She made sure that she didn't do anything to burst Barry's bubble while simultaneously making sure that he kept in mind the fact that he could still be hurt by Zoom,. I just don't think that she envisioned the hurt happening the way it did.
And man, I think Barry has gotten faster. He took out all of those metahumans at the beginning very quickly. I can only assume that his decision to free himself when he was in the Speed Force last week somehow increased his connection to it. I know we saw him getting stronger and faster last week, but he really showed it this week. Unfortunately, he met Laurel's doppleganger and she was not someone that you trifle with. Given the fact that Zoom brought over metahumans, I can only assume that she actually has abilities and doesn't use tech the way Laurel did. I loved her swagger and attitude. The way the Black Siren carried herself totally set her apart from Laurel, as did the costume. It's easy to see why Zoom thinks so highly of her. She is deadly and very powerful.
Poor Caitlin was released by Zoom, but she did not emerge from her time with him unscathed. She was seeing him all over the place and just generally having a bad time. I did enjoy seeing her as Killer Frost and Cisco as Reverb. That made for a very interesting scene. Can't say that I'm surprised that the Black Siren saw right through them. While they did a credible job passing as their dopplegangers, the Black Siren had to know that Zoom had taken care of both of them. And when Cisco managed to whip out that power of his, I was impressed. He lacks control over his abilities, which is something he needs to change soon. Hopefully he'll get them under control next season.
Poor Joe now has three kids to worry about being involved in everything. Barry is the Flash, Iris helps out, and Wally was striking out on his own. While I get why he wanted to prove that the Flash didn't make a mistake, this probably wasn't the right time to go out on his own. Granted, he was quite helpful when the Black Siren was attacking the Flash with her Cry, but taking on a bunch of metahumans all on his lonesome was not terribly smart. Brave, but not smart. Hopefully the talk he had with Barry will give both him and Joe some needed perspective on everything. I don't see Wally backing away now, but I hope he is more careful about things and works with the group rather than on his own.
Once again, Cisco and Harry seem to be sharing a brain, which is really amusing to watch. One o them starts on an idea and the other picks up the thread and they finish the thought together. Throw Jessie into the mix and you have a trio who are probably the smartest and most tech savvy group around. Using Barry's speed to create anecho chamber to disable the Earth-2 metas was a brilliant idea.
It was nice to see Amanda Pays and John Wesley Shipp finally get a scene together considering the fact that they were both in the last live incarnation of the Flash in the 90s. The two of them seemed to be having fun and it made for quite the cute moment.
Then there is Cisco's vibes throughout the episode. He keeps seeing dead birds on the ground and at the end of the episode he sees Earth-2 being torn apart. Is this Zoom's ultimate plan? We've seen bits and pieces of the storyline of the Crisis on Infinite Earths this season, so I wonder if mayer Zoom is trying to merge the different earths together so he can rule them all. If he tries, maybe the vibrational differences will make the different earths rip each other apart.
Until next week!
Tuesday, May 17, 2016
My Review of Blindspot 1.22- If Love a Rebel, Death Will Render
Mayfair is out and a new head for the New York office is appointed, Weller and Jane both find out some disturbing news, and tragedy strikes...
Wow, I can't believe that they killed Mayfair. After everything she's done and how close she got to the truth, she was killed by Oscar after she threatened Jane. I wonder how she would have felt Sophia was directly involved in everything that happened to her. Turns out that when Sophia was ready to kill herself, Jane and Oscar found her and Jane convinced her to work with them to take Mayfair down. That was just cold. I know that Mayfair is not the best person in the world, but she deserved better than what she got. I think now is the time when Jane has to choose whether she will follow Oscar and the plan or if she will side with Weller and the FBI.
The only problem with the latter course is that she is no longer a consultant with the FBI. The director has decided to close down and archive the files related to Jane and to revoke her access to the FBI. That is not what Jane needs right now. If she is going to go back to the FBI, she will either have to convince the upper echelon of the FBI to let her come back and work with them. If she confesses all, she will probably lose Weller, at least for a while. But I don't think she can put off choosing any longer. Oscar has gone so far that there is no way she can not choose. This should be interesting.
And Weller's dad confessed; on his deathbed; to killing Taylor Shaw. The question is if he was lucid and in his right mind at the time or if he was just going back to something before Jane came back, If Jane isn't Taylor, then there is going to have to be a whole lot of explaining. The only way I can see her not being Taylor is if Oscar (or somebody else) swapped out her DNA for Taylor's or if someone bribed the scientists testing the material. One alternative is that Taylor was either a twin or Weller's dad killed someone he thought was Taylor but actually wasn't her. I so can't wait to get this explanation, hopefully next week.
I am glad that Reade and Zapata finally came clean to each other about everything that has happened to them. Zapata finally seems to have realized that something was rotten in what happened. Just wish she had recognized it sooner.
I have to wonder if everything that is going on is truly because of some group wanting to out government secrets and punish people who did corrupt things or if maybe, just maybe, there is actually government involvement in all of this. Between Sophia, the prosecutor, the FBI director shutting down Jane's files, and everything else, it seems to me that there is something more to this than just a groups looking to out government officials as corrupt or something. If this is something bigger, than everyone in the group is in some serious trouble. If there is no government involvement, than there has to be someone with major cash backing them up.
Next week, the season finale. Until then!
Wow, I can't believe that they killed Mayfair. After everything she's done and how close she got to the truth, she was killed by Oscar after she threatened Jane. I wonder how she would have felt Sophia was directly involved in everything that happened to her. Turns out that when Sophia was ready to kill herself, Jane and Oscar found her and Jane convinced her to work with them to take Mayfair down. That was just cold. I know that Mayfair is not the best person in the world, but she deserved better than what she got. I think now is the time when Jane has to choose whether she will follow Oscar and the plan or if she will side with Weller and the FBI.
The only problem with the latter course is that she is no longer a consultant with the FBI. The director has decided to close down and archive the files related to Jane and to revoke her access to the FBI. That is not what Jane needs right now. If she is going to go back to the FBI, she will either have to convince the upper echelon of the FBI to let her come back and work with them. If she confesses all, she will probably lose Weller, at least for a while. But I don't think she can put off choosing any longer. Oscar has gone so far that there is no way she can not choose. This should be interesting.
And Weller's dad confessed; on his deathbed; to killing Taylor Shaw. The question is if he was lucid and in his right mind at the time or if he was just going back to something before Jane came back, If Jane isn't Taylor, then there is going to have to be a whole lot of explaining. The only way I can see her not being Taylor is if Oscar (or somebody else) swapped out her DNA for Taylor's or if someone bribed the scientists testing the material. One alternative is that Taylor was either a twin or Weller's dad killed someone he thought was Taylor but actually wasn't her. I so can't wait to get this explanation, hopefully next week.
I am glad that Reade and Zapata finally came clean to each other about everything that has happened to them. Zapata finally seems to have realized that something was rotten in what happened. Just wish she had recognized it sooner.
I have to wonder if everything that is going on is truly because of some group wanting to out government secrets and punish people who did corrupt things or if maybe, just maybe, there is actually government involvement in all of this. Between Sophia, the prosecutor, the FBI director shutting down Jane's files, and everything else, it seems to me that there is something more to this than just a groups looking to out government officials as corrupt or something. If this is something bigger, than everyone in the group is in some serious trouble. If there is no government involvement, than there has to be someone with major cash backing them up.
Next week, the season finale. Until then!
Saturday, May 14, 2016
My Review of The Originals 3.21- Give 'Em Hell Kid
As people mourn the recently deceased, Marcel sets a plan of revenge in motion that Freya and Elijah rush to stop as Kol and Vincent confront the Ancestors.
I have to wonder if Klaus ever had a chance of stopping Marcel. Given the fact that Marcel had already taken the serum when Vincent gave it to him, I would say probably not. It did seem like Klaus had Marcel almost talked down before Elijah arrived. The problem is that Marcel used Elijah's arrival as a chance to seriously up the confrontation which led Klaus to become seriously defensive and threatening. I think the biggest problem here is that almost everyone was right here.
Marcel was right that the Mikaelsons always put their family first. While Marcel is family to Klaus, he is not to either Freya or Elijah, which is why they were so willing to risk Davina in order to save their family. Remember, Klaus didn't want to risk Davina. It wasn't that he had any love for her (because he clearly didn't!), but he knew that his brother (Kol) and his pseudo-son (Marcel) both loved her and that sacrificing her would alienate them. And boy, was he right.
Elijah was right when he feared that Marcel would become the monster the vision showed. What he didn't realize was that in rushing to stop the prophecy (by killing Marcel), he was actually bringing it to fruition. That is what we call a self-fulfilling prophecy. Had elijah not seen the vision of Marcel as a monster, he would never have rushed to the bridge and Marcel wouldn't have died, so he would never become the monster that the Mikaelson's will fear. Sorta makes your head hurt if you think about it.
As for Kol and Vincent, I was happy to see them finally cut the Ancestors off from the real world. My only question is how this will affect the New Orleans witches. If my memory is correct, the power of the witches comes from the Ancestors, so with the Ancestors cut off, the witches might lose their power. And that would leave the city to the tender mercies of the vampires and the wolves. That could potentially be very bad, particularly with a super-powered and very pissed off Marcel in power. While I don't think he would terrorize the city, he would rule it with an iron fist, much like he did in the first season. This will not be pretty.
It was also nice to see Davina one last time and to see her be able to sacrifice herself in order to cut off the Ancestors. She has suffered tremendously at their hands, so I appreciated the fact that she was able to get her revenge on them for that. It was also cool to see her have a chance to say goodbye to Kol, because he really needed that moment. I just wish she could have said goodbye to Marcel and Josh too. Sadly, they weren't there, so she couldn't.
Next week is the season finale and it looks like a doozy. From the previews, it looks like Marcel will have Klaus on trial and Rebekah will come back. I wonder if this trial is the reason why Klaus wasn't in New Orleans when Caroline showed up. Does Marcel give him the choice to leave or be killed?
Until next week!
I have to wonder if Klaus ever had a chance of stopping Marcel. Given the fact that Marcel had already taken the serum when Vincent gave it to him, I would say probably not. It did seem like Klaus had Marcel almost talked down before Elijah arrived. The problem is that Marcel used Elijah's arrival as a chance to seriously up the confrontation which led Klaus to become seriously defensive and threatening. I think the biggest problem here is that almost everyone was right here.
Marcel was right that the Mikaelsons always put their family first. While Marcel is family to Klaus, he is not to either Freya or Elijah, which is why they were so willing to risk Davina in order to save their family. Remember, Klaus didn't want to risk Davina. It wasn't that he had any love for her (because he clearly didn't!), but he knew that his brother (Kol) and his pseudo-son (Marcel) both loved her and that sacrificing her would alienate them. And boy, was he right.
Elijah was right when he feared that Marcel would become the monster the vision showed. What he didn't realize was that in rushing to stop the prophecy (by killing Marcel), he was actually bringing it to fruition. That is what we call a self-fulfilling prophecy. Had elijah not seen the vision of Marcel as a monster, he would never have rushed to the bridge and Marcel wouldn't have died, so he would never become the monster that the Mikaelson's will fear. Sorta makes your head hurt if you think about it.
As for Kol and Vincent, I was happy to see them finally cut the Ancestors off from the real world. My only question is how this will affect the New Orleans witches. If my memory is correct, the power of the witches comes from the Ancestors, so with the Ancestors cut off, the witches might lose their power. And that would leave the city to the tender mercies of the vampires and the wolves. That could potentially be very bad, particularly with a super-powered and very pissed off Marcel in power. While I don't think he would terrorize the city, he would rule it with an iron fist, much like he did in the first season. This will not be pretty.
It was also nice to see Davina one last time and to see her be able to sacrifice herself in order to cut off the Ancestors. She has suffered tremendously at their hands, so I appreciated the fact that she was able to get her revenge on them for that. It was also cool to see her have a chance to say goodbye to Kol, because he really needed that moment. I just wish she could have said goodbye to Marcel and Josh too. Sadly, they weren't there, so she couldn't.
Next week is the season finale and it looks like a doozy. From the previews, it looks like Marcel will have Klaus on trial and Rebekah will come back. I wonder if this trial is the reason why Klaus wasn't in New Orleans when Caroline showed up. Does Marcel give him the choice to leave or be killed?
Until next week!
My Review of The Vampire Diaries 7.22- Gods & Monsters
The gang rushes to the Armory trying to save Bonnie and themselves, Damon comes up with a plan that they reluctantly follow, Matt and Alaric have epiphanies, and then there was that ending...
Once again, Damon came up with the best plan that they could come up with in a bad situation. after failing to blow a hole in the side of the Armory, Damon came up with the idea of having Caroline and Alaric's kids siphon the magic off. I totally get why Caroline didn't like the idea, but Valerie was not available and Bonnie is no longer a witch, so there wasn't exactly much of a choice other than have Enzo, Bonnie, and Damon run for the rest of their lives.
I have to disagree with Stefan to a degree. He was right when he said Damon was afraid of what he might do without Elena. Actually, if I recall correctly, Damon actually said as much. Where Stefan was wrong was when he said that Damon did not do what he did out of love. While fear was his dominating motivator (see all the mistakes he was making early on), I honestly think that he saw what he was doing as an act of love. He was protecting the group from more of his mistakes that he would make when he would do things impulsively. Was it perfectly selfless? No, but (to be honest), I do not think there is such a thing as a perfectly selfless act. Every act or choice that someone makes is made because it will benefit them somehow. Even if it harms them in some way, no one does anything that will not benefit them at all, even if the benefit is entirely emotional or psychological. Even Damon's sacrifice of going into the vault was meant to prove that he had grown and that he did care about others. Honestly, if I were him, I would be sick and tired of having to constantly prove myself to people. As I've been harping on for weeks now, Damon is not the best guy in the world, but he has changed a lot since the pilot and I really wish that people would see that.
Also, as I said last week, Stefan made the right choice when he took Caroline. And there is a world of difference between taking Caroline out of harm's way last week and using her and Alaric's kids this week. Using her kids to siphon off the magic could have harmed them somehow and would also bring them into the world Caroline and Alaric have been trying to protect them from. Taking Caroline away last week was protecting her from serious harm (or death) when she didn't seem likely to try and get away herself. That said, I also get why she was mad about the whole thing.
I will admit that I was hoping that Bonnie was going to kill Enzo, if only because I can't stand him. I would have felt bad for her, but I would not have missed him. To be totally honest, as I was watching that scene, I was writing his goodbye in my head. Sadly, it was premature. Oh well.
I loved the fact that they actually got Nina to come back and record her voice for that little bit of time. I thought it was a really nice touch and really generous of her to do.
As for that ending, I have mixed feelings. It's almost like they were writing Matt and Alaric out, but I thought I had heard that they are coming back next year. Honestly, as much as I love Zach and Matt, I almost wish they would be written out because Zach has not had a good storyline in years (since the first season or two) and Matt has barely been in this year. I am assuming that next season will start with Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan trying to find and stop Damon and Enzo. I also hope they answer just what was in the vault.
I will say that the ending was very underwhelming. There was no real cliffhanger like they've had in the past. It wasn't awful, but not great either.
Until next season!
Once again, Damon came up with the best plan that they could come up with in a bad situation. after failing to blow a hole in the side of the Armory, Damon came up with the idea of having Caroline and Alaric's kids siphon the magic off. I totally get why Caroline didn't like the idea, but Valerie was not available and Bonnie is no longer a witch, so there wasn't exactly much of a choice other than have Enzo, Bonnie, and Damon run for the rest of their lives.
I have to disagree with Stefan to a degree. He was right when he said Damon was afraid of what he might do without Elena. Actually, if I recall correctly, Damon actually said as much. Where Stefan was wrong was when he said that Damon did not do what he did out of love. While fear was his dominating motivator (see all the mistakes he was making early on), I honestly think that he saw what he was doing as an act of love. He was protecting the group from more of his mistakes that he would make when he would do things impulsively. Was it perfectly selfless? No, but (to be honest), I do not think there is such a thing as a perfectly selfless act. Every act or choice that someone makes is made because it will benefit them somehow. Even if it harms them in some way, no one does anything that will not benefit them at all, even if the benefit is entirely emotional or psychological. Even Damon's sacrifice of going into the vault was meant to prove that he had grown and that he did care about others. Honestly, if I were him, I would be sick and tired of having to constantly prove myself to people. As I've been harping on for weeks now, Damon is not the best guy in the world, but he has changed a lot since the pilot and I really wish that people would see that.
Also, as I said last week, Stefan made the right choice when he took Caroline. And there is a world of difference between taking Caroline out of harm's way last week and using her and Alaric's kids this week. Using her kids to siphon off the magic could have harmed them somehow and would also bring them into the world Caroline and Alaric have been trying to protect them from. Taking Caroline away last week was protecting her from serious harm (or death) when she didn't seem likely to try and get away herself. That said, I also get why she was mad about the whole thing.
I will admit that I was hoping that Bonnie was going to kill Enzo, if only because I can't stand him. I would have felt bad for her, but I would not have missed him. To be totally honest, as I was watching that scene, I was writing his goodbye in my head. Sadly, it was premature. Oh well.
I loved the fact that they actually got Nina to come back and record her voice for that little bit of time. I thought it was a really nice touch and really generous of her to do.
As for that ending, I have mixed feelings. It's almost like they were writing Matt and Alaric out, but I thought I had heard that they are coming back next year. Honestly, as much as I love Zach and Matt, I almost wish they would be written out because Zach has not had a good storyline in years (since the first season or two) and Matt has barely been in this year. I am assuming that next season will start with Bonnie, Caroline, and Stefan trying to find and stop Damon and Enzo. I also hope they answer just what was in the vault.
I will say that the ending was very underwhelming. There was no real cliffhanger like they've had in the past. It wasn't awful, but not great either.
Until next season!
Thursday, May 12, 2016
My Review of Arrow 4.21- Monument Point
Oliver and the gang rush to stop Dahrk's plan with some unexpected help, Felicity gets some unwelcome news, and Thea deals with another unexpected guest....
Well, sacrifice tens of thousands or sacrifice millions? Your move Felicity. That was a choice that had to suck. She had to choose if she would save a city with millions of people or a small town with tens of thousands. While she did the right thing in saving the most people, it is still a pyrrhic victory at best. Not only did many, many people die, but Dahrk got to use all of that death to give himself quite the power boost. That is going to weigh on her for some time. At least she and her father managed to stave off nuclear armageddon and save most of the world. We can be thankful for small favors.
It was nice to see her work with her dad for a change. Putting the two of them together to stop Rubicon was a really, really smart move. While Felicity couldn't have done it on her own, putting her together with her dad; who is at least as good as she is; meant that she had a shot. And that little talk Noah had with Oliver definitely shook Oliver up.
I was so happy to see Oliver say to Diggle what I've said before. If someone is telling you from experience that something is a bad idea, the listen to them. Diggle lying to Lyla about what happened to Andy is not remotely comparable to Oliver lying to Felicity about his son. What Diggle did was much worse. Oliver was forced into a choice between seeing his son and telling Felicity the truth whereas Diggle chose to lie to Lyla to spare himself from what she might think. So, yeah, the two are very, *VERY* different.
Speaking of Lying, there is also Lance and what he was told to sign about Laurel. Apparently, he was told that if he signed an affidavit saying that he knew nothing about Laurel being the Black Canary, he could get his job back after his confession about working for Dahrk. If that's all the confession said, I can see him signing it because it wouldn't be anything bad about Laurel. If the affidavit condemned Laurel (which it may very well have), then he did the right thing by not signing it.
I think my issue with both Lance and Diggle is that not all lies at the same. A lie said to spare someone else is vastly different from a lie to spare yourself embarrassment. Everyone on this show seems to think that one lie is just as bad as another. But intent matters. Oliver, as I've said before, lied about his son because he was forced to in order to be able to see him again. If Lance had signed that affidavit and it merely said that he didn't know who Laurel was, it would not have been a bad lie because it wouldn't have hurt her and would have saved him. On the other hand, if it had condemned her, then it would have hurt her legacy tremendously. And Diggle, as I said, was only lying to spare himself from what Lyla might say. Totally selfish reason to lie there.
Watching Thea take on Anarky was sort of fun. When he figured out who she was, he seemed genuinely surprised. And when Alex saw her fighting him, he was definitely surprised. I'd say that I will miss Alex, but I really won't. He was an interesting, but hardly compelling character.
Then there is Malcolm, who once again manages to convince himself that what he is doing is for Thea's own good. The thing is, I am sure that he actually believes what he is saying. The problem is that he can't keep justifying all the evil things he does as good things done for her good, but I am sure he'll keep trying.
Felicity has lost Palmer Tech. I wonder how they'll feel when they realize that she was ignoring them in order to help save the world....
I loved Lyla's line about how the president was hesitant to rely on a criminal and two men in Halloween costumes to save the world. Oliver's reply ("They're not Halloween costumes!) was even funnier.
Until next week!
Well, sacrifice tens of thousands or sacrifice millions? Your move Felicity. That was a choice that had to suck. She had to choose if she would save a city with millions of people or a small town with tens of thousands. While she did the right thing in saving the most people, it is still a pyrrhic victory at best. Not only did many, many people die, but Dahrk got to use all of that death to give himself quite the power boost. That is going to weigh on her for some time. At least she and her father managed to stave off nuclear armageddon and save most of the world. We can be thankful for small favors.
It was nice to see her work with her dad for a change. Putting the two of them together to stop Rubicon was a really, really smart move. While Felicity couldn't have done it on her own, putting her together with her dad; who is at least as good as she is; meant that she had a shot. And that little talk Noah had with Oliver definitely shook Oliver up.
I was so happy to see Oliver say to Diggle what I've said before. If someone is telling you from experience that something is a bad idea, the listen to them. Diggle lying to Lyla about what happened to Andy is not remotely comparable to Oliver lying to Felicity about his son. What Diggle did was much worse. Oliver was forced into a choice between seeing his son and telling Felicity the truth whereas Diggle chose to lie to Lyla to spare himself from what she might think. So, yeah, the two are very, *VERY* different.
Speaking of Lying, there is also Lance and what he was told to sign about Laurel. Apparently, he was told that if he signed an affidavit saying that he knew nothing about Laurel being the Black Canary, he could get his job back after his confession about working for Dahrk. If that's all the confession said, I can see him signing it because it wouldn't be anything bad about Laurel. If the affidavit condemned Laurel (which it may very well have), then he did the right thing by not signing it.
I think my issue with both Lance and Diggle is that not all lies at the same. A lie said to spare someone else is vastly different from a lie to spare yourself embarrassment. Everyone on this show seems to think that one lie is just as bad as another. But intent matters. Oliver, as I've said before, lied about his son because he was forced to in order to be able to see him again. If Lance had signed that affidavit and it merely said that he didn't know who Laurel was, it would not have been a bad lie because it wouldn't have hurt her and would have saved him. On the other hand, if it had condemned her, then it would have hurt her legacy tremendously. And Diggle, as I said, was only lying to spare himself from what Lyla might say. Totally selfish reason to lie there.
Watching Thea take on Anarky was sort of fun. When he figured out who she was, he seemed genuinely surprised. And when Alex saw her fighting him, he was definitely surprised. I'd say that I will miss Alex, but I really won't. He was an interesting, but hardly compelling character.
Then there is Malcolm, who once again manages to convince himself that what he is doing is for Thea's own good. The thing is, I am sure that he actually believes what he is saying. The problem is that he can't keep justifying all the evil things he does as good things done for her good, but I am sure he'll keep trying.
Felicity has lost Palmer Tech. I wonder how they'll feel when they realize that she was ignoring them in order to help save the world....
I loved Lyla's line about how the president was hesitant to rely on a criminal and two men in Halloween costumes to save the world. Oliver's reply ("They're not Halloween costumes!) was even funnier.
Until next week!
Wednesday, May 11, 2016
My Review of The Flash 2.21- The Runaway Dinosaur
Barry comes to grips with the past while the rest of the gang has an issue or two to deal with in the present...
Seeing the Speed Force manifest itself as people from Barry's life was quite interesting and raises an intriguing question. The manifestation of Joe said that the Speed Force had been there since before the Big Bang and would be there after the universe ended. That seems to imply that there is an awareness of some sort involved in the Speed Force. Whatever the awareness is, it was able to show itself as Joe, Iris, Henry, and Nora and used plural pronouns, seeming to indicate that there are actually multiple awarenesses in the Speed Force. Well either that or the whole thing was actually a manifestation of Barry' subconscious mind trying to get him to come to grips with allowing his mother to die last year. The show really didn't indicate one way or the other explicitly, but I am inclined to go with the former rather than the latter.
Whatever was going on, Barry needed to resolve his issues with abandoning his mother to the Reverse Flash before he could get his speed back. That makes me think that he never actually lost his access to the Speed Force. Rather, he gave speed to Zoom and then mentally walled himself off from the Speed Force because he was feeling guilty. Resolving that particular issue removed the walls and allowed him to use the Speed Force again. I know, this is all highly speculative, but the show was short on actual answers, so speculation is all I have.
Once he got his speed back, he seemed to be a little stronger than before. From using his speed and the energy from it to charge the electromagnets so he could take out Girder to using his electricity to revive Jessie, it seems that Barry has greater access than he had before. Maybe that is what "Nora" meant when she told him that he would have freedom. In the comics, Barry Allen is the fastest speedster and becomes the Speed Force, so this particular storyline seems to fall right in line with that idea. All in all, a very cool idea.
Watching Harry and Cisco work together and even speak some of the same lines at the same time was just really, really fun. The two of them are really starting to sync up, which is funny and a little freaky. Harry was so shaken by everything that happened last week that he seemed to be doubting himself until he was reminded by Joe that he was the only one who could save Barry. Between losing Barry and having Jessie in a coma, Harry was having a tough time.
Henry is back, which will be a good thing for Barry. His leaving was really tough on Barry, so his coming back will help Barry continue to accept his choice not to save his mother. My only concern is that on many shows, that sort of declaration is a prelude to being killed, which would not be cool. I also enjoyed that he agreed to let Iris go with Cisco to get Barry and did not insist on doing it himself. I can only imagine that he picked up on the not-so-subtle feelings that the two of them have for each other.
So is Wally a speedster? I assume he'll become one at some point and it's possible that he is one now, but the fact that he didn't get the coffee cup would seem to indicate that he is not one yet. I wonder if he may need a "jumpstart" from Barry. Jessie was in a coma and the spark of electricity from Barry woke her up, so I think she may be a speedster now. What if Wally needs the same thing? If Barry jolts him with electricity, it may awaken the access to the Speed Force within. Again, this is all speculation, so take it for what it's worth.
Zoom having that army of Earth-2 metahumans cannot be a good thing. Having one or two other speedsters around will definitely be a help to Barry when he heads to take on the army Zoom brought. It would help even more if Cisco could access more powers the way his doppleganger did on Earth-2.
Until next week!
Seeing the Speed Force manifest itself as people from Barry's life was quite interesting and raises an intriguing question. The manifestation of Joe said that the Speed Force had been there since before the Big Bang and would be there after the universe ended. That seems to imply that there is an awareness of some sort involved in the Speed Force. Whatever the awareness is, it was able to show itself as Joe, Iris, Henry, and Nora and used plural pronouns, seeming to indicate that there are actually multiple awarenesses in the Speed Force. Well either that or the whole thing was actually a manifestation of Barry' subconscious mind trying to get him to come to grips with allowing his mother to die last year. The show really didn't indicate one way or the other explicitly, but I am inclined to go with the former rather than the latter.
Whatever was going on, Barry needed to resolve his issues with abandoning his mother to the Reverse Flash before he could get his speed back. That makes me think that he never actually lost his access to the Speed Force. Rather, he gave speed to Zoom and then mentally walled himself off from the Speed Force because he was feeling guilty. Resolving that particular issue removed the walls and allowed him to use the Speed Force again. I know, this is all highly speculative, but the show was short on actual answers, so speculation is all I have.
Once he got his speed back, he seemed to be a little stronger than before. From using his speed and the energy from it to charge the electromagnets so he could take out Girder to using his electricity to revive Jessie, it seems that Barry has greater access than he had before. Maybe that is what "Nora" meant when she told him that he would have freedom. In the comics, Barry Allen is the fastest speedster and becomes the Speed Force, so this particular storyline seems to fall right in line with that idea. All in all, a very cool idea.
Watching Harry and Cisco work together and even speak some of the same lines at the same time was just really, really fun. The two of them are really starting to sync up, which is funny and a little freaky. Harry was so shaken by everything that happened last week that he seemed to be doubting himself until he was reminded by Joe that he was the only one who could save Barry. Between losing Barry and having Jessie in a coma, Harry was having a tough time.
Henry is back, which will be a good thing for Barry. His leaving was really tough on Barry, so his coming back will help Barry continue to accept his choice not to save his mother. My only concern is that on many shows, that sort of declaration is a prelude to being killed, which would not be cool. I also enjoyed that he agreed to let Iris go with Cisco to get Barry and did not insist on doing it himself. I can only imagine that he picked up on the not-so-subtle feelings that the two of them have for each other.
So is Wally a speedster? I assume he'll become one at some point and it's possible that he is one now, but the fact that he didn't get the coffee cup would seem to indicate that he is not one yet. I wonder if he may need a "jumpstart" from Barry. Jessie was in a coma and the spark of electricity from Barry woke her up, so I think she may be a speedster now. What if Wally needs the same thing? If Barry jolts him with electricity, it may awaken the access to the Speed Force within. Again, this is all speculation, so take it for what it's worth.
Zoom having that army of Earth-2 metahumans cannot be a good thing. Having one or two other speedsters around will definitely be a help to Barry when he heads to take on the army Zoom brought. It would help even more if Cisco could access more powers the way his doppleganger did on Earth-2.
Until next week!
Tuesday, May 10, 2016
My Review of Blindspot 1.21- Of Whose Uneasy Route
Hackers attack the office, forcing people to deal with their simmering issues and Jane finds out why Oscar has been having her do random tasks....
I don't know whether or not to feel sorry for Oscar. He has tricked Jane into framing Mayfair for murder and she knows it. And boy, is she not happy about it. If she takes it into her head to get revenge on him, I am not sure if there is a hole deep enough for him to crawl into in order to hide from her. Her problem is that while she can clear Mayfair, doing so would irreparably damage her relationship with Weller and the rest of the team. So will she reveal what she has done and hope that saving Mayfair will buy her good will or will she strike out on her own in order to free Mayfair? I guess we'll see.
This conspiracy against Mayfair is very, very intricate. It involves Oscar and Sophia at least. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it involves the Weitz as well. My only question is if either Carter or Alexandra were involved. We know that Carter was trying to take Mayfair down and Alexandra somehow had the money that Mayfair had given Sophia. It's possible that one (or both) of them was involved and was killed in order to frame Mayfair or it is possible that the money ended up in Alexandra's place as a part of the frame job. In all honesty, either one is equally possible. The other question is why take down Mayfair? This would seem to be a part of the reason why Jane was given the tattoos and sent to the FBI in the first place, so it's been a long time coming. Whatever is going on, the team has to move fast if they want to save Mayfair.
While the hacker story took most of the hour, it did seem more like a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself. Mayfair and Zapata finally had a discussion about Zapata's reservations about Mayfair and the secrets she has. Mayfair was obviously hurt and upset about what Zapata was saying. I would almost wonder if Zapata was somehow planted on the team because she seems to be the focus of most people looking to take Mayfair down from the inside. Carter blackmailed her into helping him and Weitz has manipulated her to the point that she seems to lack trust in Mayfair. Zapata really needs to decide what she is going to do with herself. While she might be able to stay on the team, I wonder if she'll be able to remain working with everyone after what she said to Mayfair.
Sarah is leaving just as Reade seemed to be ready to open up to her and try and get her back. Sucks to be him. Can't say I blame her for leaving. An event like she experienced would be an eye opener for most people, but I'd imagine it would be particularly hard on a single parent. So she is going to move to be closer to her ex so her son will have a relationship with him. Can we just say "Ow!" Sucks for you dude.
Weller and Jane continued to flirt and joke their way through everything. It did seem like the two of them were going to open up to each other, but they never did. I am waiting for their secrets to come back and seriously bite both of them on the keisters. If the two of them have a blowout, it could be truly epic.
Until next week!
I don't know whether or not to feel sorry for Oscar. He has tricked Jane into framing Mayfair for murder and she knows it. And boy, is she not happy about it. If she takes it into her head to get revenge on him, I am not sure if there is a hole deep enough for him to crawl into in order to hide from her. Her problem is that while she can clear Mayfair, doing so would irreparably damage her relationship with Weller and the rest of the team. So will she reveal what she has done and hope that saving Mayfair will buy her good will or will she strike out on her own in order to free Mayfair? I guess we'll see.
This conspiracy against Mayfair is very, very intricate. It involves Oscar and Sophia at least. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that it involves the Weitz as well. My only question is if either Carter or Alexandra were involved. We know that Carter was trying to take Mayfair down and Alexandra somehow had the money that Mayfair had given Sophia. It's possible that one (or both) of them was involved and was killed in order to frame Mayfair or it is possible that the money ended up in Alexandra's place as a part of the frame job. In all honesty, either one is equally possible. The other question is why take down Mayfair? This would seem to be a part of the reason why Jane was given the tattoos and sent to the FBI in the first place, so it's been a long time coming. Whatever is going on, the team has to move fast if they want to save Mayfair.
While the hacker story took most of the hour, it did seem more like a means to an end rather than an end in and of itself. Mayfair and Zapata finally had a discussion about Zapata's reservations about Mayfair and the secrets she has. Mayfair was obviously hurt and upset about what Zapata was saying. I would almost wonder if Zapata was somehow planted on the team because she seems to be the focus of most people looking to take Mayfair down from the inside. Carter blackmailed her into helping him and Weitz has manipulated her to the point that she seems to lack trust in Mayfair. Zapata really needs to decide what she is going to do with herself. While she might be able to stay on the team, I wonder if she'll be able to remain working with everyone after what she said to Mayfair.
Sarah is leaving just as Reade seemed to be ready to open up to her and try and get her back. Sucks to be him. Can't say I blame her for leaving. An event like she experienced would be an eye opener for most people, but I'd imagine it would be particularly hard on a single parent. So she is going to move to be closer to her ex so her son will have a relationship with him. Can we just say "Ow!" Sucks for you dude.
Weller and Jane continued to flirt and joke their way through everything. It did seem like the two of them were going to open up to each other, but they never did. I am waiting for their secrets to come back and seriously bite both of them on the keisters. If the two of them have a blowout, it could be truly epic.
Until next week!
Saturday, May 7, 2016
My Review of The Originals 3.20- Where Nothing Stays Buried
Freya shows how valuable she can really be as Klaus prepares for a final showdown with Lucien and Kol, Marcel, and Vincent rush to bring Davina back from the dead....
As Freya said tonight, "eleventh hour magic is my specialty". Tonight she did three rather powerful spells and pulled them all off. First, she channeled Elijah in order to bring Davina's soul into a circle of protection so the Ancestors couldn't hurt her. Then she broke the circle in order to use Davina as a conduit to use the Ancestors' magic against Lucien. And finally, she used that power to turn Lucien back into a normal vampire so Klaus could kill him. While I understand the reason she and Elijah decided to take the risk with Davina, I can't say that I entirely approve. All season long, the theme for the Mikaelsons has been family before all else and Freya in particular has embodied that commitment. She was lost to her family for so long that she will do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Sacrificing Davina's soul was a bad idea and not just because it probably destroyed her.
As Klaus noted, sacrificing Davina meant hurting Kol and alienating Marcel, who Klaus sees as a son and a part of the family. Unfortunately for Marcel, Freya does not view him the same way. And it is also obvious that as long as Kol remains alive, she will do what she needs to do even if it ends up hurting him. What Klaus didn't think of is that destroying Davina also alienated Vincent, who was the one witch on their side against the Ancestors. So not only did Freya make a moral blunder, she also made a tactical one. We do have to not that she was placed in an almost impossible situation. If she had not sacrificed Davina, she would have lost Klaus to Lucien, so her choices were both very, very bad. I don't think there really was a right choice here, just two awful ones.
With Davina gone and Vincent and Marcel with the super vampire serum, I am officially worried for the Mikaelsons now. While I don't see Vincent and Marcel teaming up with the Ancestors, I would not be at all surprised to see them work together to end the Mikaelsons grip on New Orleans. I wonder if this is the reason why Klaus was not in New Orleans to help Caroline when she came there in the flashforwards on The Vampire Diaries. If Marcel did become the super vampire, then he could very easily have driven the Mikaelsons out of New Orleans which would account for his lengthy absence.
I also have to wonder about the effect that the loss of Davina will have on Kol. He has managed to hold things together for her sake, but with her gone, he obviously doesn't feel that restraint anymore. Will he turn on his family because Elijah and Freya sacrificed Davina? Or will he simply disappear and get away from the entire mess? I don't expect that he will forgive anyone anytime soon, so I won't really entertain that possibility. I also don't think he'll team up with Marcel and Vincent because I don't think they would take him. So I am thinking that he will leave the area.
We still have a couple more episodes before the season ends, but here is how I am expecting everything to go. Marcel and Vincent will drive the Mikaelsons out of New Orleans and we will have a time jump in the finale to synch the timelines for this show and The Vampire Diaries. How the prophecy will shake out is the part I am unsure of. Rebekah fell to family and Finn was felled by a foe (if he is a part of the prophecy), so all that is left is for someone to fall at the hands of a friend. Given how quickly this family is going through those, I am not sure who is left.
Until next week!
As Freya said tonight, "eleventh hour magic is my specialty". Tonight she did three rather powerful spells and pulled them all off. First, she channeled Elijah in order to bring Davina's soul into a circle of protection so the Ancestors couldn't hurt her. Then she broke the circle in order to use Davina as a conduit to use the Ancestors' magic against Lucien. And finally, she used that power to turn Lucien back into a normal vampire so Klaus could kill him. While I understand the reason she and Elijah decided to take the risk with Davina, I can't say that I entirely approve. All season long, the theme for the Mikaelsons has been family before all else and Freya in particular has embodied that commitment. She was lost to her family for so long that she will do whatever it takes to keep her family safe. Sacrificing Davina's soul was a bad idea and not just because it probably destroyed her.
As Klaus noted, sacrificing Davina meant hurting Kol and alienating Marcel, who Klaus sees as a son and a part of the family. Unfortunately for Marcel, Freya does not view him the same way. And it is also obvious that as long as Kol remains alive, she will do what she needs to do even if it ends up hurting him. What Klaus didn't think of is that destroying Davina also alienated Vincent, who was the one witch on their side against the Ancestors. So not only did Freya make a moral blunder, she also made a tactical one. We do have to not that she was placed in an almost impossible situation. If she had not sacrificed Davina, she would have lost Klaus to Lucien, so her choices were both very, very bad. I don't think there really was a right choice here, just two awful ones.
With Davina gone and Vincent and Marcel with the super vampire serum, I am officially worried for the Mikaelsons now. While I don't see Vincent and Marcel teaming up with the Ancestors, I would not be at all surprised to see them work together to end the Mikaelsons grip on New Orleans. I wonder if this is the reason why Klaus was not in New Orleans to help Caroline when she came there in the flashforwards on The Vampire Diaries. If Marcel did become the super vampire, then he could very easily have driven the Mikaelsons out of New Orleans which would account for his lengthy absence.
I also have to wonder about the effect that the loss of Davina will have on Kol. He has managed to hold things together for her sake, but with her gone, he obviously doesn't feel that restraint anymore. Will he turn on his family because Elijah and Freya sacrificed Davina? Or will he simply disappear and get away from the entire mess? I don't expect that he will forgive anyone anytime soon, so I won't really entertain that possibility. I also don't think he'll team up with Marcel and Vincent because I don't think they would take him. So I am thinking that he will leave the area.
We still have a couple more episodes before the season ends, but here is how I am expecting everything to go. Marcel and Vincent will drive the Mikaelsons out of New Orleans and we will have a time jump in the finale to synch the timelines for this show and The Vampire Diaries. How the prophecy will shake out is the part I am unsure of. Rebekah fell to family and Finn was felled by a foe (if he is a part of the prophecy), so all that is left is for someone to fall at the hands of a friend. Given how quickly this family is going through those, I am not sure who is left.
Until next week!
My Review of The Vampire Diaries 7.21- Requiem for a Dream
The gang tries to figure out how to help Bonnie overcome Rayna's curse leading Stefan to take strong action to save a friend and Damon to a desperate gamble...
You know, just once I wish people would lay off Damon and realize that while his actions may not be the most normal actions, there are many times where they are the right actions, particularly when it comes to people he cares about. Just because he endorses a certain course of action doesn't mean that the action is entirely wrong. Take Stefan and Caroline tonight. Caroline was marked by Bonnie and would have been a target when Bonnie woke up. Was kidnapping her a wonderful idea? No, but it was still the right move. Given the choice between saving her life or leaving her around for Bonnie to destroy, there was really only one option. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I think that sometime drastic actions are, in fact, the right actions, particularly in a particularly bad situation. Am I advocating kidnapping on a regular basis? No, but the circumstances here are hardly normal.
Let's face it, Damon is a very pragmatic guy who doesn't worry about breaking the conventional rules of morality if the need arises. He will figure out what the best course of action is and take (sometimes) shockingly direct action to make sure that that is the course that is followed. Is he a hero? I guess that depends on your definition of hero. If you mean, does he do the morally correct thing, the answer is no. But what he does do is make the best out of bad situations. Sometimes the decisions have horrible consequences, but sometimes the actions help save the day. So yes, I would deem him a hero. He's just a hero who exists in the morally gray area.
Stefan, on the other hand, has been the more typical type of hero who tends to do what is morally right regardless, although he has been more willing as time goes on to compromise this in order to protect the people he loves. In other word, he is becoming more like Damon and Damon is becoming more like him. And I think this is good for the both of them because it is evening out their extremes. At the end of Season 3, Stefan saved Matt instead of Elena and then lost her to Damon. When he left Caroline 3 years ago, he lost her because he was doing the right thing. This time he was unwilling to lose her again in the name of doing the right thing. Also, if he had not kidnapped her, it is entirely possible that she could have died and her kids would be left without a mother. So ultimately, I think he made the right choice out of a set of very bad ones.
And the gang is going to be in for a major fight next week if they want to save Bonnie. She is tapped into "The Everlasting" which is trapped in the Armory. Anyone want to bet that "The Everlasting" is the thing in the vault that turns people's humanity off? That is so not going to be a good thing. My question is how they will manage to take down the barrier spell Bonnie placed. They will need a mighty powerful witch to take it down. Unless, of course, the barrier will allow things in but not out. If that is the case, the gang can go into the Armory to find it, but will need a witch to leave. I'm just not sure how they'll manage it.
Next week, the season finale. Until then!
You know, just once I wish people would lay off Damon and realize that while his actions may not be the most normal actions, there are many times where they are the right actions, particularly when it comes to people he cares about. Just because he endorses a certain course of action doesn't mean that the action is entirely wrong. Take Stefan and Caroline tonight. Caroline was marked by Bonnie and would have been a target when Bonnie woke up. Was kidnapping her a wonderful idea? No, but it was still the right move. Given the choice between saving her life or leaving her around for Bonnie to destroy, there was really only one option. Maybe that makes me a bad person, but I think that sometime drastic actions are, in fact, the right actions, particularly in a particularly bad situation. Am I advocating kidnapping on a regular basis? No, but the circumstances here are hardly normal.
Let's face it, Damon is a very pragmatic guy who doesn't worry about breaking the conventional rules of morality if the need arises. He will figure out what the best course of action is and take (sometimes) shockingly direct action to make sure that that is the course that is followed. Is he a hero? I guess that depends on your definition of hero. If you mean, does he do the morally correct thing, the answer is no. But what he does do is make the best out of bad situations. Sometimes the decisions have horrible consequences, but sometimes the actions help save the day. So yes, I would deem him a hero. He's just a hero who exists in the morally gray area.
Stefan, on the other hand, has been the more typical type of hero who tends to do what is morally right regardless, although he has been more willing as time goes on to compromise this in order to protect the people he loves. In other word, he is becoming more like Damon and Damon is becoming more like him. And I think this is good for the both of them because it is evening out their extremes. At the end of Season 3, Stefan saved Matt instead of Elena and then lost her to Damon. When he left Caroline 3 years ago, he lost her because he was doing the right thing. This time he was unwilling to lose her again in the name of doing the right thing. Also, if he had not kidnapped her, it is entirely possible that she could have died and her kids would be left without a mother. So ultimately, I think he made the right choice out of a set of very bad ones.
And the gang is going to be in for a major fight next week if they want to save Bonnie. She is tapped into "The Everlasting" which is trapped in the Armory. Anyone want to bet that "The Everlasting" is the thing in the vault that turns people's humanity off? That is so not going to be a good thing. My question is how they will manage to take down the barrier spell Bonnie placed. They will need a mighty powerful witch to take it down. Unless, of course, the barrier will allow things in but not out. If that is the case, the gang can go into the Armory to find it, but will need a witch to leave. I'm just not sure how they'll manage it.
Next week, the season finale. Until then!
Thursday, May 5, 2016
My Review of Arrow 4.20- Genesis
We find out some new info about magic and Dahrk's ultimate plan, Diggle confronts Andy, and Thea goes on a little vacay with Alex...
I loved the revelation about magic tonight. According to an immortal shaman who was training Oliver to resist Dahrk's magic, magic is merely the manipulation of primordial energies. Assuming that the primordial energies follow basic physical laws, we can postulate quite about some things.
First off, the Lazarus Pit is magic, which means that it harnesses primordial energy to revive a person, which would explain why it changes a person. If I am right, the energy it harnesses is the energy of death, which is the same energy Dahrk harnesses to use his abilities. That means that as someone uses the Pit, they would be enhancing the darker forces within them, which would enhance their darker impulses, hence the bloodlust was have seen in Sara and Thea. That could also explain some of what happens to R'as Al Ghul. He used the Pit to keep himself young, meaning that he was continually feeding his darker impulses. This would also explain why Dahrk couldn't use his abilities on Thea. Dahrk seems to feed on life energy which would not be as prominent in someone, like Thea, who was revived by the Pit. All in all, it does make a great deal of sense. That also makes magic a natural phenomenon that would work according to the known laws of the universe.
This idea is bolstered by the idea of ley lines of energy that Vixen mentioned when she was on the show. Dahrk put his totem, which serves as a focus for his magic, where there were powerful ley lines. Since any form of energy will tend to collect and then move from one place to another, it follows that these lines of energy would tend to be more dense in certain areas, like rivers near a lake or other body of water. And that would explain why Dahrk came to Star City. It is one such focus of energies, which is probably why the nexus Esrin mentioned is there. Dahrk needs the energy to keep himself powered up. I also assume that he can kill people at a distance by manipulating the connected energies in the earth.
As for Dahrk's plan, he wants to use a device he stole from ARGUS (Rubicon) to launch nuclear missiles, wiping the earth clean of humans and then starting over with whoever he chooses to put in the caves beneath the city we saw earlier this year. Rubicon was originally intended to stop the launch of nuclear missiles, but it can be reprogrammed to do the opposite. Apparently he thought that R'as and the League were thinking too small, so instead of wiping out one city, he wants to wipe out the world.
And apparently one person who will be saved is Thea, who has been taken down to the caves by Alex, presumably at Malcolm's behest. One thing I do not understand is why Dahrk feels the need to take over Star City. After all, it's not like Star City has the key to the nuclear missiles. The only explanation I can think of is that he needed to control the city to build his dome beneath the city, but I think we are still missing something here.
Oliver showed that he can resist Dahrk's magic, but his resistance takes on a different from than Thea's. While the energy from the Pit causes Dahrk's powers to backfire on himself, Oliver's use of light energy allows him to actually repel Dahrk, which would be why they flew apart. When two opposing forces meet, either one will be overwhelmed or they will repel each other. Oliver just needs to continue to be able to tap into the lighter parts of himself in order to confront Dahrk. I just wonder how much more power Dahrk can bring to focus on Oliver and if Oliver can continue to resist.
Diggle killed Andy. Can't say I am saddened about this. Well, I do feel for Diggle who is wracked with guilt about killing his brother, even if it was necessary. Andy and Dahrk were not going to let up on Diggle and Lyla until they managed to destroy them. Killing Andy was the only way to ensure that Lyla and Sara would remain safe. Sucks for Diggle, but sometimes you have to do things that suck.
Until next week!
I loved the revelation about magic tonight. According to an immortal shaman who was training Oliver to resist Dahrk's magic, magic is merely the manipulation of primordial energies. Assuming that the primordial energies follow basic physical laws, we can postulate quite about some things.
First off, the Lazarus Pit is magic, which means that it harnesses primordial energy to revive a person, which would explain why it changes a person. If I am right, the energy it harnesses is the energy of death, which is the same energy Dahrk harnesses to use his abilities. That means that as someone uses the Pit, they would be enhancing the darker forces within them, which would enhance their darker impulses, hence the bloodlust was have seen in Sara and Thea. That could also explain some of what happens to R'as Al Ghul. He used the Pit to keep himself young, meaning that he was continually feeding his darker impulses. This would also explain why Dahrk couldn't use his abilities on Thea. Dahrk seems to feed on life energy which would not be as prominent in someone, like Thea, who was revived by the Pit. All in all, it does make a great deal of sense. That also makes magic a natural phenomenon that would work according to the known laws of the universe.
This idea is bolstered by the idea of ley lines of energy that Vixen mentioned when she was on the show. Dahrk put his totem, which serves as a focus for his magic, where there were powerful ley lines. Since any form of energy will tend to collect and then move from one place to another, it follows that these lines of energy would tend to be more dense in certain areas, like rivers near a lake or other body of water. And that would explain why Dahrk came to Star City. It is one such focus of energies, which is probably why the nexus Esrin mentioned is there. Dahrk needs the energy to keep himself powered up. I also assume that he can kill people at a distance by manipulating the connected energies in the earth.
As for Dahrk's plan, he wants to use a device he stole from ARGUS (Rubicon) to launch nuclear missiles, wiping the earth clean of humans and then starting over with whoever he chooses to put in the caves beneath the city we saw earlier this year. Rubicon was originally intended to stop the launch of nuclear missiles, but it can be reprogrammed to do the opposite. Apparently he thought that R'as and the League were thinking too small, so instead of wiping out one city, he wants to wipe out the world.
And apparently one person who will be saved is Thea, who has been taken down to the caves by Alex, presumably at Malcolm's behest. One thing I do not understand is why Dahrk feels the need to take over Star City. After all, it's not like Star City has the key to the nuclear missiles. The only explanation I can think of is that he needed to control the city to build his dome beneath the city, but I think we are still missing something here.
Oliver showed that he can resist Dahrk's magic, but his resistance takes on a different from than Thea's. While the energy from the Pit causes Dahrk's powers to backfire on himself, Oliver's use of light energy allows him to actually repel Dahrk, which would be why they flew apart. When two opposing forces meet, either one will be overwhelmed or they will repel each other. Oliver just needs to continue to be able to tap into the lighter parts of himself in order to confront Dahrk. I just wonder how much more power Dahrk can bring to focus on Oliver and if Oliver can continue to resist.
Diggle killed Andy. Can't say I am saddened about this. Well, I do feel for Diggle who is wracked with guilt about killing his brother, even if it was necessary. Andy and Dahrk were not going to let up on Diggle and Lyla until they managed to destroy them. Killing Andy was the only way to ensure that Lyla and Sara would remain safe. Sucks for Diggle, but sometimes you have to do things that suck.
Until next week!
Wednesday, May 4, 2016
My Review of The Flash 2.20- Rupture
Barry is face with a critical decision that all three of his father figures weigh in on, Iris drops a bomb on Barry, Zoom decimates the police force, and we met a new metahuman (or three)....
All I have to say is that it took Barry long enough to decide to get his powers back. I understand his hesitancy given the unknowns involved, the plan was the best possible plan they had out of a series of bad ones. Giving his speed to Zoom to save Wally was a good and heroic thing. By now though, it's obvious that Barry needs it back to fight Zoom again. When faced with a choice between a definite bad choice (allowing Zoom to rampage through the city) or a potentially bad choice (Barry may die or there may be meta-humans created), the choice with the least known risk for disaster should always be chosen. I know it was Barry's choice, but I think he initially made the wrong one. Could bad things have happened if Barry had tried to get his speed back earlier? Sure. But he knew that bad things *WOULD* happen if Zoom was not challenged. I'm not saying it was an easy choice, but it was an obvious one, IMNSHO.
All that being said, I have to talk about people online tonight who complained that the last couple of episodes have lacked drama because it was obvious that Barry will get his powers back sometime before the end of the season. While it is true that it is obvious that he would get his powers back, what makes the journey interesting is the journey itself, not the end point. What has been interesting is seeing how Barry reacts to things now that he has lost his abilities. He still wants to help people out and realizes that he can't do what he needs to do for himself without his powers. As he said, his powers make him the best version of himself. Does that mean that he is somehow bad without them? No, but he burns with a desire to help people and to make their lives better, which is something he can't do without his powers. Or more precisely, he can't make the same difference he made before. That desire is an innate part of who he is as a person. Being the Flash makes him the best version of himself because he can help as many people as possible. Then there's also the fact that without the Flash, Zoom will take over and the metahumans will terrorize the world. Barry's journey since losing his powers have helped him to realize why he wants to have his powers and to reaffirm for himself that he is doing the right thing.
What I found really interesting about the ending is that in the miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen ends up running so fast that he becomes one with the Speed Force. I am almost wondering if that is the sort of story they are going for with Barry dissolving tonight. We know that the Speed Force exists, but the form int he tv show seems to be different than the comics. If you saw the previews for next week, Barry is trapped in some alternate dimension or something and he is trying to get back. What if what has happened is that the experiment to give him his speed back forced Barry into some alternate level of reality (the Speed Force) and he has to come to some sort of understanding of his own power in order to be able to beat Zoom? It's a bit of an old trope, but it would be interesting to see.
The thing I was really excited to see was when Wally and Jesse get hit by the wave of energy that resulted when Barry dissolved. In the comics, Wally West becomes the Flash and Jesse Quick (a nickname for Jesse in the show from Harry) is also a speedster. If Wally and Jesse become speedsters, it is entirely possible that they could help Barry fight Zoom. Having all three of them together might give the gang enough of an edge to defeat Zoom. Obviously Jesse and Wally would be new to the whole speedster thing, but we know Wally likes to help people and Jesse seems to want to help people as well. She's smart enough to learn quickly and Wally loves to drive fast, so he might be able to adapt quickly enough. Just an interesting thought.
As for the debate between the father figures, I thought the whole thing was fairly interesting and predictable (for the most part). Harry and Henry predictably took opposite sides int he debate with Harry vigorously pushing Barry to get his speed back and Henry wanting Barry to be safe. Somewhat surprisingly, Joe more or less stayed out of the debate. I expected him to reluctantly weigh in on the side of Barry getting his power back to fight Zoom. I do respect that he didn't want to pressure Barry either way, but I was still surprised.
It's nice to see Iris finally admit to Barry that she does have feelings for him. I have to wonder if that explains his decision to forego trying to get his speed back until after Zoom massacred the police officers. After all, now that he has a chance with her, he may have been less willing to risk himself because he didn't want to lose her. I'm not saying it was the only reason, but it was definitely a possible one.
It was nice to see Cisco try and rebond with his brother especially after the shock of having his brother's doppleganger be a metahuman working for Zoom. That whole storyline was such a side issue that there isn't really a whole lot to say. It mainly seemed to be there to have Cisco confess that he is a metahuman and to show that there are more metahumans than the gang knows about. A lot more.
Caitlin was smart and cool under pressure. Warning the police was a good thing, but it had some unfortunate side effects because Zoom was able to figure out what she did, which (as I predicted) negated andy hold she may have over him/
And then there was the interesting tidbit that Garrick was the maiden name of Henry's mother. Hope they don't just drop that because that could be interesting to explore.
Until next week!
All I have to say is that it took Barry long enough to decide to get his powers back. I understand his hesitancy given the unknowns involved, the plan was the best possible plan they had out of a series of bad ones. Giving his speed to Zoom to save Wally was a good and heroic thing. By now though, it's obvious that Barry needs it back to fight Zoom again. When faced with a choice between a definite bad choice (allowing Zoom to rampage through the city) or a potentially bad choice (Barry may die or there may be meta-humans created), the choice with the least known risk for disaster should always be chosen. I know it was Barry's choice, but I think he initially made the wrong one. Could bad things have happened if Barry had tried to get his speed back earlier? Sure. But he knew that bad things *WOULD* happen if Zoom was not challenged. I'm not saying it was an easy choice, but it was an obvious one, IMNSHO.
All that being said, I have to talk about people online tonight who complained that the last couple of episodes have lacked drama because it was obvious that Barry will get his powers back sometime before the end of the season. While it is true that it is obvious that he would get his powers back, what makes the journey interesting is the journey itself, not the end point. What has been interesting is seeing how Barry reacts to things now that he has lost his abilities. He still wants to help people out and realizes that he can't do what he needs to do for himself without his powers. As he said, his powers make him the best version of himself. Does that mean that he is somehow bad without them? No, but he burns with a desire to help people and to make their lives better, which is something he can't do without his powers. Or more precisely, he can't make the same difference he made before. That desire is an innate part of who he is as a person. Being the Flash makes him the best version of himself because he can help as many people as possible. Then there's also the fact that without the Flash, Zoom will take over and the metahumans will terrorize the world. Barry's journey since losing his powers have helped him to realize why he wants to have his powers and to reaffirm for himself that he is doing the right thing.
What I found really interesting about the ending is that in the miniseries Crisis on Infinite Earths, Barry Allen ends up running so fast that he becomes one with the Speed Force. I am almost wondering if that is the sort of story they are going for with Barry dissolving tonight. We know that the Speed Force exists, but the form int he tv show seems to be different than the comics. If you saw the previews for next week, Barry is trapped in some alternate dimension or something and he is trying to get back. What if what has happened is that the experiment to give him his speed back forced Barry into some alternate level of reality (the Speed Force) and he has to come to some sort of understanding of his own power in order to be able to beat Zoom? It's a bit of an old trope, but it would be interesting to see.
The thing I was really excited to see was when Wally and Jesse get hit by the wave of energy that resulted when Barry dissolved. In the comics, Wally West becomes the Flash and Jesse Quick (a nickname for Jesse in the show from Harry) is also a speedster. If Wally and Jesse become speedsters, it is entirely possible that they could help Barry fight Zoom. Having all three of them together might give the gang enough of an edge to defeat Zoom. Obviously Jesse and Wally would be new to the whole speedster thing, but we know Wally likes to help people and Jesse seems to want to help people as well. She's smart enough to learn quickly and Wally loves to drive fast, so he might be able to adapt quickly enough. Just an interesting thought.
As for the debate between the father figures, I thought the whole thing was fairly interesting and predictable (for the most part). Harry and Henry predictably took opposite sides int he debate with Harry vigorously pushing Barry to get his speed back and Henry wanting Barry to be safe. Somewhat surprisingly, Joe more or less stayed out of the debate. I expected him to reluctantly weigh in on the side of Barry getting his power back to fight Zoom. I do respect that he didn't want to pressure Barry either way, but I was still surprised.
It's nice to see Iris finally admit to Barry that she does have feelings for him. I have to wonder if that explains his decision to forego trying to get his speed back until after Zoom massacred the police officers. After all, now that he has a chance with her, he may have been less willing to risk himself because he didn't want to lose her. I'm not saying it was the only reason, but it was definitely a possible one.
It was nice to see Cisco try and rebond with his brother especially after the shock of having his brother's doppleganger be a metahuman working for Zoom. That whole storyline was such a side issue that there isn't really a whole lot to say. It mainly seemed to be there to have Cisco confess that he is a metahuman and to show that there are more metahumans than the gang knows about. A lot more.
Caitlin was smart and cool under pressure. Warning the police was a good thing, but it had some unfortunate side effects because Zoom was able to figure out what she did, which (as I predicted) negated andy hold she may have over him/
And then there was the interesting tidbit that Garrick was the maiden name of Henry's mother. Hope they don't just drop that because that could be interesting to explore.
Until next week!
Tuesday, May 3, 2016
My Review of Blindspot 1.20- Swift Hardhearted Stone
The team protects a little girl, but not from the people they expect to be protecting her from as Patterson and Mayfair seem to be moving and Zapata confronts Reade....
I am really curious about what exactly was on that flash drive that Jane downloaded onto the computer. I don't know if we can really trust Oscar enough yet to take what he says at face value. I doubt it is anything which will permanently harm anyone, but I am willing to bet that it has something to do with Mayfair and Carter. Maybe it's some documents about Operation Daylight or something even worse.
Seeing Jane connect with the young girl was really cute. The girl was completely fascinated with Jane's tattoos and the fact that Jane herself draws pictures. As for who was chasing the girl, the idea that the family was after her because they thought she could reveal information about a terrorist plot was a good one, considering what they knew. Unfortunately, what they knew was given to them by Franklin, who was the one who was actually after the girl. No wonder he initially didn't want the team to protect her. I will admit that when the team left for Borden's cabin and the men after them received the phone call, I was wondering if maybe the girl was pretending to be autistic or something and had somehow let them know what was going on. So yeah, I was really off about that.
Watching Patterson and Borden pseudo-flirt was also really cute. It's nice to see her start to move on from David. And she can totally be a badass when the need calls for it. We don't get to see that side of her very often because she's always in the computer lab or figuring out puzzles, so seeing her take on the guys Franklin sent was really cool. Blowing up the cabin was a tad extreme, but it really got the job done. Ain't no body gonna survive that particular gambit. I will say that when she and Borden figured out that something was wrong, I half expected them to start Home Alone-ing the cabin with some nifty traps or something. Obviously it wouldn't be super involved given the time constraints they were under, but I was hoping for some nifty stuff like that. But missing that to see Patterson play a badass? I'll accept that!
Zapata has taken her doubts about Mayfair and shown them to Reade. She lied about no one planting bugs in her ear, but you can't expect her to reveal everything, particularly when she realizes that Reade isn't telling her everything. Granted, his reasons for withholding information is a really good one, but she doesn't know what's going on. Given everything that's happened to people who are investigating Carter, I hope someone warns Zapata to back off, if only for her own good.
I feel so bad for Mayfair. She finally found a good woman and then the woman is killed by someone who warns her to back off investigating Carter's disappearance. That is so going to add to Zapata's conviction that something is up with Mayfair. Here's hopin Mayfair and/or Reade can convince Zapata to back off before she does some serious damage.
Until next week!
I am really curious about what exactly was on that flash drive that Jane downloaded onto the computer. I don't know if we can really trust Oscar enough yet to take what he says at face value. I doubt it is anything which will permanently harm anyone, but I am willing to bet that it has something to do with Mayfair and Carter. Maybe it's some documents about Operation Daylight or something even worse.
Seeing Jane connect with the young girl was really cute. The girl was completely fascinated with Jane's tattoos and the fact that Jane herself draws pictures. As for who was chasing the girl, the idea that the family was after her because they thought she could reveal information about a terrorist plot was a good one, considering what they knew. Unfortunately, what they knew was given to them by Franklin, who was the one who was actually after the girl. No wonder he initially didn't want the team to protect her. I will admit that when the team left for Borden's cabin and the men after them received the phone call, I was wondering if maybe the girl was pretending to be autistic or something and had somehow let them know what was going on. So yeah, I was really off about that.
Watching Patterson and Borden pseudo-flirt was also really cute. It's nice to see her start to move on from David. And she can totally be a badass when the need calls for it. We don't get to see that side of her very often because she's always in the computer lab or figuring out puzzles, so seeing her take on the guys Franklin sent was really cool. Blowing up the cabin was a tad extreme, but it really got the job done. Ain't no body gonna survive that particular gambit. I will say that when she and Borden figured out that something was wrong, I half expected them to start Home Alone-ing the cabin with some nifty traps or something. Obviously it wouldn't be super involved given the time constraints they were under, but I was hoping for some nifty stuff like that. But missing that to see Patterson play a badass? I'll accept that!
Zapata has taken her doubts about Mayfair and shown them to Reade. She lied about no one planting bugs in her ear, but you can't expect her to reveal everything, particularly when she realizes that Reade isn't telling her everything. Granted, his reasons for withholding information is a really good one, but she doesn't know what's going on. Given everything that's happened to people who are investigating Carter, I hope someone warns Zapata to back off, if only for her own good.
I feel so bad for Mayfair. She finally found a good woman and then the woman is killed by someone who warns her to back off investigating Carter's disappearance. That is so going to add to Zapata's conviction that something is up with Mayfair. Here's hopin Mayfair and/or Reade can convince Zapata to back off before she does some serious damage.
Until next week!
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