"LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash" Review (Spoilers)
Also reviews for the latest episodes of Teen Titans Go!, Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, DC's Legends Of Tomorrow, Gotham, and Lucifer.
Teen Titans Go! "Booby Trap House"
I like that the Titans keep singing the sing-along even when the car is crashing down the mountain.
I think the best thing this series ever did for the franchise was give Starfire and Cyborg a very personal and personally goofy relationship where they are nonstop rascals. I can't get enough of it. The ideas of what they thought of as adult were funny enough. But those still live-action photos of them had me absolutely rolling.
A good one. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Fish Water"
Bad episode title. They should have called it "The Ghost Fishperer".
Every time Starfire drinks that fish water I remind myself that Robin wants to kiss that. It would almost serve him right.
And yes, carnies suck.
The toast thing was random but funny.
Above average. ****.
Supergirl "Survivors"
Didn't like this. Do you know what would have been cool? If Supergirl had admitted to Mon-El the reason she realizes her parents weren't perfect is because she now realizes they were racists d*cks who instilled cr*p values about Daxams into her. The moral was right there for the taking, and the series refuses to explore that idea because it might make Kryptonians look bad. But in my mind, they ALREADY look bad for it.
Good they are getting the White Martian reveal out of the way immediately.
First live action version of Draaga? I think so. I like that they didn't go all out with him, and make him a CGI creature. Sometimes, I think franchises like MCU's Hulk overthinks things a bit. A guy in an alien costume is not measurably worse than an entire CGI creation. Except that it's cheaper and you can actually do more with them.
I seriously loathe Roulette. I am not somebody who actually likes sympathetic villains, but she's a character like Harry Potter's Dolores Umbridge. She's SO loathsome that she actually ruins the project whenever she is on-screen. I don't need to like my villains. But I also dislike being repelled by them.
Kara using Supergirl as a source for her reporting is both genius and really stupid. Genius because it's actually a legit idea. Stupid because if somebody does even the SLIGHTEST bit of digging, they'll realize the truth. I would feel better about Kara doing this if Snapper were a slightly dumber character. But he's not. I feel like the bottom is going to drop out in this scheme eventually. She's playing it REALLY fast and loose and treating Snapper as if he's dumber than he is.
Lena Luthor is building up a solid reputation as doing favors for Supergirl and being genuinely helpful. Which means she's evil. The series would keep her motives and actions more ambiguous if she was good (see Miss Martian for an example of this). I know how television works.
Lame episode. **.
Supergirl "Crossfire"
I have to say, Alex being gay makes a lot of sense. She is the one character besides J'onn they have gone out of their way not to show have a personal life. And it makes sense if she doesn't like dating, or doesn't realize there is an actual reason she doesn't like it. This is not Willow Rosenberg randomness. It fits.
I think Winn was very right in his argument with James about the usefulness of people like them in providing information and support to the heroes. I'm a little surprised he decided to go along with James at the end because he WAS right. I also took immediate notice that it WAS in fact Winn who saved the day.
My suspicions of Lena Luthor are lessened. Before this week I thought there was a 80% chance she was evil. Now it's 50/50. They could just as easily go with a gut-wrenching stand against her mother, as a mother daughter supervillain team-up. Either one would work, and I don't think the show has tipped its hand there.
On the other hand, do you know why this show is so stupid and easy to make fun of? Kara has Mon-El work at an office before he even knows a phone is. I would have to think with the stakes involved for her secret identity, that Kara would think to give "Mike" a little prep-work on what his actual job entailed ahead of time, and not simply had him be surprised at "alarms". Orientation to a job is a thing. Supergirl couldn't spend a week teaching him the basics before throwing him into that?
Mon-El raises an interesting scenario: What if Superman was a total hedonist and used his superpowers to take "advantage" of women? And what if the fact that Superman doesn't do that is the thing that is weird and abnormal? I would like to believe I'd behave like Superman in those circumstances, but I'd have to believe most people would be Mon-El. And I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with that. The woman he was trolling clearly was into him, and did all that stuff for him to get with him (and he was willing). I don't see the ethical dilemma there. It's not mind control or anything of the sort.
Is Supergirl a virgin? She seemed a little TOO outraged at walking in on Mon-El doing that. That speculation right there could be an episode.
Much better than last week. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Changing"
I don't care what anyone says, I LIKE the Alex stuff better than the Parasite stuff. The human stuff is the reason I enjoy these shows, not the superheroics.
Since when can Kryptonians get drunk? I always thought that Clark being able to win every single bar bet he entered into was a pretty fair trade-off for having his planet destroyed. But maybe that's just me.
Let's talk about Alex a little. I kind of think she was treated badly not only by Kara, but by Maggie too.
Kara first: Kara's reaction to the coming out was terrible. She later explained (very well) that it had to do with guilt for never bothering to realize it, but what she immediately does is says she's trying to understand it. To rationalize it. And that's not how it works. I could tell by the look on Alex's face that she pegged Kara as someone who was trying to talk her out it. Which sucks.
I also blame Maggie for this mess. She saw this coming, didn't she? Then why didn't she say so up-front? The entire reason Alex came out was due to her, and the fact that Maggie kind of knew that makes her rejection inexplicable. If she was going to help her get through this, not immediately setting that limit amounts to nothing more than leading her on.
Diggle isn't Guardian, James is. I like that Winn is offended that James is treating him like an employee or the IT guy. He's not. The suit is actually HIS thing. The sooner James realizes that Guardian is both of them, the better.
Don't care for this version of Parasite. I like the janitor Metahuman who gets into a scientific mishap better than the alien version. I like that Winn calls him Grimace though.
Chyler Leigh looks way older than 30. Do not get me wrong. She is a stunningly beautiful woman. But that doesn't mean she can pass for a twentysomething.
Speaking of which, Randy from Monk got old. That makes me sad. For Sharona.
I love that the blue guy Mon-El is beating up walks around in public in a suit. It reminds me of the demons from Angel who did the same thing. I miss Andy Hallet.
Speaking of Mon-El, I think both Kara and Alex are being unfair. I don't necessarily agree with Spider-Man's "Great power, great responsibility" mantra. It works for Spidey because Peter Parker is equipped for that, and always has been. Alex sneers at Mon-El that he's a coward who runs from danger. That's obviously not true. But even if it was, so what? That's MOST people. That's normal. You cannot expect the gaining of superpowers to change the psychology of the person who gets them. That's unreasonable. Add to that Kara's blatant racism, and I think Mon-El is getting a bum deal from his supposed "friends".
James and Winn deciding not to tell Kara seems terrible on the surface. But their reasoning is sound. She would try to stop them, and she is the one person who would be able to do it. Suddenly, I find their despicable behavior rational.
Deathstroke is in the Invasion four parter trailer? I though he was embargoed.
I loved the episode, but not for the superhero stuff. ****1/2.
The Flash "Monster"
I like that Julian truly appreciated the way the Flash saved his life. Now he doesn't have to wake up in the morning and see a child killer in the mirror. That is no small gift.
Caitlin's mother says she knows she is not a killer. I really wish she was right.
I knew it was a hologram immediately. Why didn't the rest of the characters?
HR being a fraud is cool, but I do not actually see what value he now contributes. An idea man? That may sound good on a bibliography, but it actually means exactly nothing amongst a group of scientists.
I was a little bored with this, but I liked the stuff with Barry and Julian. ***.
The Flash "Shade"
I prefer the gaunt and angular Shade dressed in black, and wearing a top can, a cane, and sunglasses.
Feel so bad for Caitlin. Was The Shining a deliberate movie choice on the show's part? A good person driven to evil?
Julian being absent from the end leads me to believe he may be Alchemy.
What did the villain say at the end of the episode when Flash asked him who he was? I couldn't tell through the voice SFX.
I do not look forward to next week. ***1/2.
Arrow "Human Target"
Human Target! The Arrowverse is really expanding this year.
Okay, now I get that Ragman and Prometheus are two separate people. Which makes the fact that their costumes are nearly identical inexplicable.
Tobias Church was an idiot to give up Arrow's identity BEFORE getting any assurances. Granted, Prometheus could have lied about it, but he basically gave up the one reason Prometheus could have kept him alive for no reason.
I liked the episode. ****.
Arrow "So It Begins"
I'm calling retcon. Oliver was never a serial killer, and the list was NOT a hit list. It was a justice list. Sometimes that meant killing somebody, but just as often it meant gathering the evidence to send them to jail. In fact, in the very first episode, that is what Oliver did to Jeffrey Hunt (who was one of the anagrams tonight). Hunt was actually killed episodes later by Malcolm Merlyn. If Oliver was a serial killer, he wouldn't have been upset at Huntress using as much lethal force as she did. As he noted back then, it wasn't his opening move. And it never was.
Quentin still being a drunk is disappointing but unsurprising. As Quentin honestly and accurately noted, lying is what drunks do.
Artemis being upset that Oliver used to kill people however is understandable. Because the fact that he convinced her not to do that is the reason why she wanted to sign up with him in the first place.
Prediction: Prometheus is Felicity's boyfriend. I predicted that in the season premiere, and the idea that he's a cop just solidified that theory. Because this is television. And television sucks. And even if Arrow CAN be a good show, generally speaking, it sucks just as much as the rest of television does.
All right. ***1/2.
Arrow "Vigilante"
Artemis is evil? Yet another reason Oliver was right to be wary of taking on new partners.
I prefer the singing Vigilante with the cowboy hat, motorcycle, and git-tar.
This is literally the first season where Quentin's stuff isn't thrilling me. Probably because it is such a bummer.
Felicity's boyfriend is my suspect of being Prometheus, but the D.A. is a dark horse. There is also a big chance one of them is Prometheus and the other Vigilante.
I love that Felicity went on the mission and wore a skull mask. I guess there are scenarios where she wears a mask after all. I love how it mussed up her hair. She is so hot.
Mr. Terrific? Yes, please. Oliver shouldn't be calling him Curtis in public anyways. Rookie mistake. For that matter he shouldn't be calling Spartan Diggle.
More of a set-up episode than great in it's own right. But it was still good. ***1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Abominations"
One of the perils of doing a time travel show, especially with minority characters, is the reality that pretty much without exception, history absolutely sucks. It's never actually been as fun as Doctor Who made it look. The show can decide to sanitize things the way they did in the Nazi Germany episode a couple of episodes ago, or they can wring actual drama from how horrible things were. Suffice it to say, this episode was a LOT more successful than the Nazi Germany one. Part of sci-fi is exploring big ideas having to do with the human condition and a color-blind Nazi Germany doesn't do that.
I actually like Jax's initial perspective to Stein that he's ALWAYS been black and he's ALWAYS faced sucky people his entire life, so he can handle this. He's wrong about the degree here, but only about the degree. I totally get why someone who has probably had to deal with the stuff Jax did thinking they already had it plenty bad. Because he's right. The only way he's wrong is the degree. That's it.
I am amazed I never realized Jefferson Jackson shared a name with two infamous slave-holders. I don't consider myself colorblind for not realizing that. More like clueless and suffering from too much white privilege. I'm a numbnuts.
I loved Rory asking Stein if he was trying to kiss him. With Wentworth Miller gone, Dominic Purcell is the best person on the show.
Speaking of which, are they trying to make Ray the new Captain Cold? Because that's dumb. Seriously dumb.
I loved Sara bringing back a live severed head as a demonstration. One of the things I've always loved about Sara is that she is not afraid to shock people for their own good. And Lee needed that right then. Good for her.
This was the best episode so far, because even if they could only go as far as a TV-14 rating, they still made things horrible enough to get across to the audience how bad things were. And things sucked back then. ****1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Compromised"
New rule: Lance Henriksen needs to be in every single TV and movie project from here on out. You'll thank me for this idea.
And I love that they got Henriksen to play Obsidian because his persona is the last kind TV casts as a gay men. And I think since Torchwood TV has been willing to do away with some of the stereotypes involved with portrayals of gay men on TV. That's partly what I loved about Sara in season 2 of Arrow.
Here's an opinion: the specific reason the 80's sucked is because they thought they didn't. The 70's and the 90's sucked too, but those decades KNEW they sucked. That is what the punk rock and grunge scenes were all about. The 80's actually think they are, clever, trendy, and futuristic, if your idea of futurism involve Disney theme parks constructed in the 1950's. And while music could be all right in that era, almost all of TV and movies sucked. It was a REALLY bad time to be a discerning TV or movie fan. People dressed in ugly fashions in the 70's because they were depressed and that was what helped them feel better about their alienation. People in the 80's actually thought shoulder pads and feathered hair looked good. They were hopeless back then. And I think even I knew it at the time. I was always super unhappy with what my mother used to dress me in as a young child. And that's probably because she thought it looked good.
I love that Rory's biggest annoyance with Ray is repeating that there is nothing wrong with the cold gun. And I love that he says that. Because there isn't. It is perfectly cool, on every level, real or punny. Ray wanting to fix that is Ray saying Snart wasn't the awesomest guy ever. And that's not true.
Speaking of Rory I love that he eats an eclair when the bomb ticks down. It's not like he's smart enough to help, and if you're going to suddenly go out, it's reasonable to try to put yourself in a state of pleasure before that happens. And eclairs are pleasurable foods.
I think the show has had Martin interacting with his old self too often. He now knows TOO much and a lot of the excitement of the character doesn't seem as genuine anymore if he knows it's coming and always has. But maybe that's just me.
Not a terrible episode by any stretch of the imagination. ***1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Outlaw Country"
Opinion: Rory is the best role of Dominic Purcell's career. I said the same thing about Wentworth Miller and Leonard Snart last year, but this is the year Mick Rory has come into his own. I still cannot believe the first season saddled this hilarious character with so much unnecessary drama and plot bummers. Dominic Purcell is MUCH better when he's having fun.
Loved his scene in the saloon of him making friends with Turnbull and turning on him when it counted. Jeff Fahey was great as Turnbull. The latter half of that guy's career has been amazing. Ever since Lost, Fahey has only been in good projects.
Vixen telling Rory that the animal isn't ALL Rory is was a good moment. Because it should be true at this point.
Where IS Snart anyways? We had been led to believe he'd be returning this season on all of the Arrowverse shows, but he's been MIA outside of a flashback on The Flash. Is he in the Legion of Doom or not?
Speaking of which, where is Rip? Is Arthur Darvill still a cast member? He wasn't listed in the opening credits. But then neither was Matt Lenscher, and he didn't appear in this episode either.
For the record Sara isn't just "into fillies". She's bisexual, which is something this season seems to have forgotten.
Glad Ray has the ingredients to rebuild an Atom suit. Let's hope it's less of an Iron Man costume this time though. Maybe gaudy tights and a cool belt (hint hint).
Worried about Stein and Clarissa. We'll see what happens.
MUCH better than the last Western episode, probably because Hawkgirl wasn't around to be so mopey during it. SO much fun. ****1/2.
Gotham "Mad City: The Red Queen"
I am SO mad about the new Miss Kringle. An abusive ahole like Ed should not get a do-over after he kills a woman. What is wrong with this show? How does it not get something like that? This show is basically saying men who abuse and kill women deserve a second chance. There has always been a dark subtext in this show that violence against women is acceptable, and now it's not just acceptable, it's a good, romantic notion and a moment for personal growth. I am disgusted.
I don't know why Oswald is upset. If I were him, I'd just bide my time. Ed is definitely going to screw this up on his own. And is the show trying to get me to think he's a creep for revealing Ed's backstory to her? He's freaking doing her favor! I don't care if his motives are selfish, that woman needed to be warned immediately. And I'm especially disgusted that the writers decide to show her thinking it is no big deal. That's the writer's subtle way to hint that whatever happens to her next is her own fault. Seriously. I bet the writing staff is filled with serial abusing sex offenders. This show doesn't read any other way.
Now that Valerie points out WHY Jim told Tetch to shoot Lee, I think even worse of him than if he had intended Tetch to actually kill her. Vale is right. Jim is bad news. And he's such a butth0le he can't even admit the truth to Lee. There is nothing about Jim Gordon that doesn't suck.
Mario being upset is the correct reaction. Because what if Jim had been wrong? How would Carmine Falcone react to his son's fiance getting shot? It was a stupid move on every level.
I kind of like Alfred saying he's keeping Bruce in earshot. He'll give them privacy, and he IS Bruce's employee. But he's not going to let them have sex either. That is very good. It's time Alfred drew a line somewhere and that is a very fine line to draw.
I love that Harvey's sick of Jim's excuses as to why he isn't a cop anymore. Because as he noted, Barnes it right. All Jim does when asking Harvey to help him is get him in trouble. If he really wanted his help and to take down Hatter he'd get his shield back.
The fact that Tetch uses his sister's body like that shows that he is the worst person who has ever been on this show. And that's a f***ing feat.
The hallucinations were mostly cr*p but I like the idea that Barbara is the women in Jim's head. It says many things about Jim, all of them bad.
But do you know what the dream sequence was? Television. Why else have Oswald on the battlefield rather than flashback to somebody Gordon actually knew in the war? Because that's what TV does, and that's why TV sucks. And can I just laugh out loud at how lame his life with Lee and his family was? It wasn't quite as bad as Christmas with the Picards. But it's up there.
Either Tetch is the stupidest criminal ever, or the writers are the worst writers ever. It's probably both. Why does Tetch need to hold the people at gunpoint to drink the wine? The entire selling point of poison is that the victims don't even know you are using it! Tetch is adding a complication that this plan doesn't need to work. Also Tetch is so stupid, he leaves a labeled bottle of the drug he used on Jim right next to him so the doctor will know exactly how to treat him. Tetch AND the writers are idiots.
I love that Bruce is an amazing cook on his own. It's makes sense Alfred taught him that. It's a good skill for a bachelor to have.
The idea that Jim is afraid of being a cop because he's afraid of the expectations of being a hero is laughable. Because it's freaking Gotham! There ARE no good expectations for cops, much less expectations for cops to be heroes! He spends a couple of years not drooling on his shoes and he'll get a medal pinned on him. How can this show possibly tell the audience over and over again that the police corruption is institutionalized, and never gonna get better without Batman, while still saying being a cop is something to aspire to? I'll buy that moral on Law & Order SVU. Not this show. And it's crazy that the show thinks I suddenly should. It wants me to pretend I haven't been paying attention.
The ONLY good thing about the episode is the notion that Jim's father is behind the Court of Owls. It's stupid, but it will make good television. But that is literally the only thing that was decent.
This season started off promising, but Gotham is back to sucking as much as ever. And all is right with the universe. 0.
Gotham "Blood Rush"
Executioner, huh? I find it very telling that before he went completely bananas at the end, Barnes refused to simply connect the doctor to the murder of the cleaner. It would have been SO easy, but he doesn't do it because after this is all over, he plans to confess. It is weird how sideways things went.
Speaking of which, Oswald is an idiot. Do you know why he didn't have to kill Isabella? Ed's mirror conversation. He was going to wreck that on his own. And let me just say Isabella now makes my skin crawl dressing up as a murdered women to empower her killer. Ed is no less disgusting for asking her to keep the glasses on.
I had really hoped Isabella was Kristen's twin sister and was secretly planning to torment Ed in revenge, but the show can't even get that right. So gross.
I miss Don Falcone on a weekly basis. It's good he's guest starring a lot this season, but John Doman was one of the best things about season 1. So of course they got rid of him. I forgot that he and Barnes never met before this.
This episode puts into sharp focus the season's biggest fault so far. They haven't given Donal Logue anything to do. When the show started, he was the second lead, but now he comes and goes, and doesn't seem to be a part of the main action. I think the series is getting rid of another one of its selling points. Again.
Barbara is a freak. Do you know what is interesting about me and this show? I do NOT ship Jim and Lee, and haven't since season one. He treats her deplorably, and I kind of resent the show trying to say they are the unsung love story of the series. They don't belong together. Lee is a wonderful and wonderfully normal person. Jim is a complete dirtbag. Why does the show think I want them to end up together?
Better than last week, but that's not saying much. ***.
Gotham "The Executioner"
I'll admit that Barnes holding the gun on Jim was a great act break. But they weren't smart enough to immediately cut back to it after the commercial. Also the "Guilty!" ending wasn't hardcore or scary. It was unbearably cheesy. This is why superheroes have a bad rap.
They never should have gotten rid of Clare Foley. Do you know what I wouldn't have minded? If the new girl at least was smart enough to mirror her performance. Ivy had a cold-blooded serial killer vibe to her and spoke slowly and deliberately, and could give you the hairy eyeball like nobody's business. That is precisely why Foley's performance as a child was so amazing. You don't see actual kids in roles like that. The new girl isn't terrible, but she plays Ivy as flirty and fun, and now there is absolutely nothing special about the character. They also haven't addressed the fact that she's a murderer.
I will not deny that whoever plays Ivy, they always give Bruce and Selina good stuff to work with. While Foley was actually better than those two, the new girl makes you appreciate how already amazing those two kids are. Selina's disgusted reaction to Ivy being such a bad thief that she doesn't know how to haggle was great, as was Bruce subconsciously telling Ivy she looked good in front of Selina. Can you blame Cat for twice denying she was involved with this stooge?
Why did Barnes' reveal himself? He must have been too crazy to function. Because if he hadn't shot that guy in front of Jim, he would have gotten away with it. Jim had only suspicions and no evidence, and Barnes actually had great explanations for everything. Plus, Barnes' spotless record meant he'd get every benefit of the doubt. Too crazy, too soon.
Do you know who DOESN'T have great explanations for everything? Oswald. I think killing Isabella was not only a mistake because it was unnecessary, and Ed would have screwed that up on his own, but does Oswald really think Ed is too stupid to figure it out? Ed's thing is solving stuff. You think that doesn't extend to murders? The Butch excuse means Pengers is living on borrowed time.
Oh, and Miss Kringle is this show's Laura Palmer and Isabella is Maddie Ferguson. The only difference is they weren't killed by the same person.
Some stuff was great. Some stuff was... not. ***1/2.
Lucifer "Monster"
"You think I'm beautiful?"
Do you know what's interesting about Lucifer? He thinks ALL women are beautiful and doesn't judge by looks. I find it beyond ironic that the Prince of Darkness treats women on this show better than many real-life men.
I love that Lucifer is sick of Linda. It's about time. He has never lied to her and she doesn't believe a word he says. Why should he bare his soul about his problems to somebody who thinks he's speaking in metaphor? It's hard to trust someone who clearly thinks you are a serial liar. Especially if you never lied to them once.
Linda's reaction to the reveal at the end was sickening. She's not only the worst therapist ever, but the worst friend too.
I love that Lucifer pays for the vending machine food. He puts the money in the machine and FAR more than for what he took. I think the reason Lucifer says he is evil here is not because he remotely believes that. It's that everyone else does and it's got to frustrating. And why should he share his problems with Chloe anyways? Like Linda, Chloe thinks he's crazy on his best day and a liar on his worst. The fact that Lucifer is the most distrusted character on the show, despite being the most honest, shows exactly why he should be cynical of mortals judging other people for their sins.
You know, before tonight, I'm not sure I'd believe the idea that Amendiel deserves to be rewarded for his actions, but his mother sold me. It is such a crying shame it's the petty lame mortal sinning nonsense that is behind his fall from grace. It also tells me his father prioritizes the wrong things.
And I love that Amendeil ultimately blames God. This whole Grand Design thing would probably be more plausible if God actually said what it was. Obviously what happened to Muriel was part of God's plan. Don't you think that God owed it to his family to tell them what the plan was when one of them died?
Lucifer's guilt is interesting to me because it is another thing that hints that he is the most moral character on the show. Definitely not on Earth. But of the main cast? I believe that. The idea that he has never killed anyone before is provocative too.
I love that Maze doesn't need to say anything to extort extra Halloween candy and money from the guy for Trixie. Just a slight step forward and a harsh look. Is the half zombie face Maze's actual appearance? There is one woman who definitely needs to put her face on in the morning.
I think the most interesting thing about the show is that the Devil is the good guy, and all of the bad things that happen make God the bad guy. It's not blasphemy or sacrilege driving that moral. It's the logical end result of Grand Design. If everything IS preordained, then God wanted it to happen. But definition Satan CANNOT be evil. And I like how the show is pointing out the logical fallacies of fundamental Christianists, without ever once saying the Bible itself is the thing filled with fallacies. It treats the material respectfully, and offers an opinion that HAS to be true, but that conservatives really seem to have a hard time grasping. People sinning and doing things that conservatives find immoral are NOT things that are up to a person to judge. That's up to God. And if everything IS preordained, that means on some level God is cool with it. Fundies can't have it both ways. Either God is all powerful or he isn't. Either God never makes mistakes, or he makes them all the time. It's one thing or the other, and I feel like the fundamentalists are picking and choosing which parts of the Bible mythology to follow based upon what fits into their preconceived prejudices. They aren't gay, so it is easy to say somebody who is gay is evil for being so. But if somebody is gay, that's because God ultimately decided they should be. That's the Bible. And people acting like they have a right to shove their values on someone else in the name of God are the actual ones committing blasphemy.
I kind of see why conservative groups did not want to see this show on the air. Because if you tell the audience it is okay to question the people perverting a religion, while being respectful of the religion itself, all bets are off. Fundies' biggest enemies aren't secular humanists or atheists. They are liberal Churches teaching people that not everybody sees God the same way they do. And for the mega-churches, that is a dangerous message. I get why the right is upset now. I do. But as usual, they are upset for the wrong reasons. It's because shows like this try to hold the preachers accountable for what they preach. And if televangelists ARE nothing but con artists, making people aware of the con is the most dangerous idea of all.
Now keep in mind what a billion dollar industry those mega-churches are, and how many millions of dollars they rake in week after week, and you can start to see why some fundies are upset that people might get the idea that it's okay to think for yourself. *****.
Lucifer "My Little Monkey"
Three things I need to discuss:
1. Maze has the best argument as to why Linda is being unreasonable. Nothing has actually changed. The only difference is that Linda now knows her friends aren't a couple of psychopathic liars. That's a GOOD thing. And Linda is the worst friend ever for not realizing that. Although I kind of get why somebody realizing they boned Satan could damage them. I DO.
2. Kevin Alejandro is TOO cut. It's distracting for someone in that particular role to be a muscle-bound as he is. Terry Crews is a similar level of shredded, but that's always part of his roles. It is really a bit disturbing to me that Alejandro is TOO in shape for the kinds of roles he gets. It's unnecessary and makes me feel especially fat.
3. Joe Fields is guilty. It doesn't matter that he didn't pull the trigger, he knew about the murder ahead of time, and was complicit in helping the murderer get away with it. Last I checked, conspiracy to commit murder doesn't come with a lighter sentence if the murder actually takes place.
All right, but not as great as last week. ***1/2.
Lucifer "Trip To Stabby Town"
Lots to chew on this week.
I am amazed that Charlotte doesn't get how this works, especially after her insightful conversation with Amendiel a couple of weeks ago. God controls everything, right? So he knew Charlotte causing all that pain and suffering was coming. Did it ever occur to her that God refuses to speak to her because she's unworthy of him, and he knows she always will be? I thought this after watching a 1 hour TV show. How does this not cross the mind of an Immortal who has existed since the beginning of time?
Speaking of unlikely realizations, I find it hard to believe Linda JUST realized the implications of sleeping with Satan. Because, if that were me, that is the FIRST place I would have gone after the reveal. I wouldn't be all "Oh, yeah!" two weeks later.
Amendiel cannot even pretend Maze isn't hot. Who is he kidding?
Dan stating that Lucifer ruined his marriage was not true. And yet, it IS actually because of Lucifer he lost her. Before she met Lucifer, Chloe was open to fixing things with him. I think that still would have been true if she had found out he was dirty. But once Lucifer came along, she moved on, and Dan no longer has a shot. So while Dan is right in admitting that Lucifer didn't actually destroy his marriage, Lucifer is the reason he will never be able to fix it in the future.
Speaking of Chlucifer I am charmed that Lucifer does not notice how jealous Chloe is, or even make a big fuss of it when he thinks that is what is going on at the end. Normally, that kind of stuff is the FIRST thing he suspects, but he thinks so highly of Chloe now, it doesn't occur to him to attribute negative motivations to her, even when they clearly exist.
I needed that Donald Trump line badly. And I like that it was significant in that there weren't a ton of other names mentioned in that moment. It is that set in stone according to this show.
Another good week of a strong season. Last season was focused too much on the procedural aspect, and now with Charlotte we're exploring the Heaven and Hell stuff on a weekly basis, which is when the show is at its best. Simply solving a case a week wasn't cutting it last year, and now the show is reaching its potential. ****.
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash
The weakest of the LEGO Justice League movies, probably due to the fact that the caveman stuff was so stupid. At least they got Phil Morris to voice Vandal Savage. Another good Justice League: The Animated Series homage was the opening title being entirely cribbed from that. What a great tribute to Bruce Timm and the DC Animated Universe! They just switched Barry, Hal, Cyborg, and Supergirl for Wally, John Stewart, J'onn and Hawkgirl.
As dumb as the caveman stuff was, I liked that they showed the origins of the Amazons and Paradise Island.
Love that Cyborg is willing to high five Flash, but have his heart not be in it.
Cyborg is right about something: Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane not hiding the passenger too just makes it useless. The whole point of invisibility is to hide, and you can't do that if a huge part of the disguise is clearly visible.
I also love that when Batman is stranded in the future, he kicks a rock off of the cliff in the Batcave. It was a very cute moment reminding us how very cute these versions of the characters are.
"The first thing a pirate learns is never to touch the Captain's booty!" "There had to be a better way to say that." Heh.
Neither the Legion of Superheroes nor Supergirl were used to their full potential, but I liked this version of Brainiac, and that he has hundreds of identical conniving robots exactly the same as the original. I laughed that the Mecha Leaguer was still actually shorter than him.
Speaking of, why is Vandal Savage taller than Batman? The whole point of LEGO is that the people are all the same size. This bugs me about as much as Rowan being smaller than his siblings in LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures.
Do you know what I love about the mecha? It isn't formed by the vehicles combining into each other. The vehicles actually split into a thousand Lego pieces and are rebuilt. Very Lego and unlike every other mecha ever.
Cosmic Boy smelling bad because soap and water were hard to come by was a dumb joke.
I hated Cyborg's tantrum upon thinking Superman and the others were dead. It was supposed to be funny, but it was embarrassing instead.
Love that they had Wonder Woman do the spinning costume change as seen on the 70's TV series.
I also love how chipper Superman seems at the end while trying to destroy Batman. Plot hole: Why didn't Batman wait until Superman was fully de-Brainiacked before setting down the sun ray-gun? It would have gone easier if he hadn't shown mercy.
Batman isn't super prepared to have a caveman outfit and a pirate outfit in the Batmobile. He's super dumb. The Bat-Vitamin supplement is idiotic too.
Love Batman surfing the shark.
Batman used the Lasso of Truth in this movie on Diana the same way as Superman did in the recent movie "Justice League Vs. Teen Titans". It still doesn't sit right with me that someone other than Diana can get the Lasso to work.
I love Brainiac thinking Batman would be easy to defeat because he had no powers.
When Batman returns to Earth at the end why isn't he a giant? Or did he return right before the Earth was shrunk?
Interesting to have a movie with Brainiac and the Legion of Superheroes and Brainiac 5 never comes up.
Superman says he found Green Lantern because the sofa is the only piece of green furniture in the Hall of Justice. Are you sure it's also not because it's glowing and see-through?
Batman's "So that's what they feels like" is a total homage to The Dark Knight Rises. Or if you want to be less charitable, a total rip-off.
Flash's speed effects in the movie were actually quite lousy. He seemed to be moving much slower than the Flash ever should. The Cosmic Treadmill has a neat design though. A cross between the Batmobile and the Delorean from Back To The Future.
I laughed that Hawkman was on Thanagar for molting season and Green Arrow was teaching archery clinic on Raan. "Oh come on!" bellows Cyborg. "Everyone there has a ray-gun!"
So dinosaurs and cavemen existed at the same time in the Legoverse. At least I hope that's the explanation. Because if the writers didn't know that about OUR universe they are dumb.
Why is it when Earth rolls on the floor, entire cities and continents aren't crushed? Are they saying the Green Lantern aura protected it? Because if so, that's neat.
Karate Kid shout-out. I liked the revelation at the end that the rest of the Legion wasn't actually dead and that was just a Jedi Mind Trick Saturn Girl pulled on Superman. Because if that weren't true, that future would have been SUPER bleak.
This franchise has done better. **.
The Justice League: Caught On Camera:
These are outtakes, bloopers, and animatics. I like that it's "A Batman Film", Batman is the director, and Brainiac is the studio boss. Funny. ***1/2.
Trailers:
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom: Pretty good trailer. ****.
LEGO Dimensions Trailer #1: Funny seeing Batman interact with the Wicked Witch Of The West. ****.
LEGO Dimensions Trailer #2: Joel McHale is hilarious. *****.
Be Cool, Scooby Doo!: Love the show but disappointed the trailer didn't showcase the break-out character: Daphne. ****.
Teen Titans Go! "Booby Trap House"
I like that the Titans keep singing the sing-along even when the car is crashing down the mountain.
I think the best thing this series ever did for the franchise was give Starfire and Cyborg a very personal and personally goofy relationship where they are nonstop rascals. I can't get enough of it. The ideas of what they thought of as adult were funny enough. But those still live-action photos of them had me absolutely rolling.
A good one. ***1/2.
Teen Titans Go! "Fish Water"
Bad episode title. They should have called it "The Ghost Fishperer".
Every time Starfire drinks that fish water I remind myself that Robin wants to kiss that. It would almost serve him right.
And yes, carnies suck.
The toast thing was random but funny.
Above average. ****.
Supergirl "Survivors"
Didn't like this. Do you know what would have been cool? If Supergirl had admitted to Mon-El the reason she realizes her parents weren't perfect is because she now realizes they were racists d*cks who instilled cr*p values about Daxams into her. The moral was right there for the taking, and the series refuses to explore that idea because it might make Kryptonians look bad. But in my mind, they ALREADY look bad for it.
Good they are getting the White Martian reveal out of the way immediately.
First live action version of Draaga? I think so. I like that they didn't go all out with him, and make him a CGI creature. Sometimes, I think franchises like MCU's Hulk overthinks things a bit. A guy in an alien costume is not measurably worse than an entire CGI creation. Except that it's cheaper and you can actually do more with them.
I seriously loathe Roulette. I am not somebody who actually likes sympathetic villains, but she's a character like Harry Potter's Dolores Umbridge. She's SO loathsome that she actually ruins the project whenever she is on-screen. I don't need to like my villains. But I also dislike being repelled by them.
Kara using Supergirl as a source for her reporting is both genius and really stupid. Genius because it's actually a legit idea. Stupid because if somebody does even the SLIGHTEST bit of digging, they'll realize the truth. I would feel better about Kara doing this if Snapper were a slightly dumber character. But he's not. I feel like the bottom is going to drop out in this scheme eventually. She's playing it REALLY fast and loose and treating Snapper as if he's dumber than he is.
Lena Luthor is building up a solid reputation as doing favors for Supergirl and being genuinely helpful. Which means she's evil. The series would keep her motives and actions more ambiguous if she was good (see Miss Martian for an example of this). I know how television works.
Lame episode. **.
Supergirl "Crossfire"
I have to say, Alex being gay makes a lot of sense. She is the one character besides J'onn they have gone out of their way not to show have a personal life. And it makes sense if she doesn't like dating, or doesn't realize there is an actual reason she doesn't like it. This is not Willow Rosenberg randomness. It fits.
I think Winn was very right in his argument with James about the usefulness of people like them in providing information and support to the heroes. I'm a little surprised he decided to go along with James at the end because he WAS right. I also took immediate notice that it WAS in fact Winn who saved the day.
My suspicions of Lena Luthor are lessened. Before this week I thought there was a 80% chance she was evil. Now it's 50/50. They could just as easily go with a gut-wrenching stand against her mother, as a mother daughter supervillain team-up. Either one would work, and I don't think the show has tipped its hand there.
On the other hand, do you know why this show is so stupid and easy to make fun of? Kara has Mon-El work at an office before he even knows a phone is. I would have to think with the stakes involved for her secret identity, that Kara would think to give "Mike" a little prep-work on what his actual job entailed ahead of time, and not simply had him be surprised at "alarms". Orientation to a job is a thing. Supergirl couldn't spend a week teaching him the basics before throwing him into that?
Mon-El raises an interesting scenario: What if Superman was a total hedonist and used his superpowers to take "advantage" of women? And what if the fact that Superman doesn't do that is the thing that is weird and abnormal? I would like to believe I'd behave like Superman in those circumstances, but I'd have to believe most people would be Mon-El. And I don't necessarily think there is anything wrong with that. The woman he was trolling clearly was into him, and did all that stuff for him to get with him (and he was willing). I don't see the ethical dilemma there. It's not mind control or anything of the sort.
Is Supergirl a virgin? She seemed a little TOO outraged at walking in on Mon-El doing that. That speculation right there could be an episode.
Much better than last week. ***1/2.
Supergirl "Changing"
I don't care what anyone says, I LIKE the Alex stuff better than the Parasite stuff. The human stuff is the reason I enjoy these shows, not the superheroics.
Since when can Kryptonians get drunk? I always thought that Clark being able to win every single bar bet he entered into was a pretty fair trade-off for having his planet destroyed. But maybe that's just me.
Let's talk about Alex a little. I kind of think she was treated badly not only by Kara, but by Maggie too.
Kara first: Kara's reaction to the coming out was terrible. She later explained (very well) that it had to do with guilt for never bothering to realize it, but what she immediately does is says she's trying to understand it. To rationalize it. And that's not how it works. I could tell by the look on Alex's face that she pegged Kara as someone who was trying to talk her out it. Which sucks.
I also blame Maggie for this mess. She saw this coming, didn't she? Then why didn't she say so up-front? The entire reason Alex came out was due to her, and the fact that Maggie kind of knew that makes her rejection inexplicable. If she was going to help her get through this, not immediately setting that limit amounts to nothing more than leading her on.
Diggle isn't Guardian, James is. I like that Winn is offended that James is treating him like an employee or the IT guy. He's not. The suit is actually HIS thing. The sooner James realizes that Guardian is both of them, the better.
Don't care for this version of Parasite. I like the janitor Metahuman who gets into a scientific mishap better than the alien version. I like that Winn calls him Grimace though.
Chyler Leigh looks way older than 30. Do not get me wrong. She is a stunningly beautiful woman. But that doesn't mean she can pass for a twentysomething.
Speaking of which, Randy from Monk got old. That makes me sad. For Sharona.
I love that the blue guy Mon-El is beating up walks around in public in a suit. It reminds me of the demons from Angel who did the same thing. I miss Andy Hallet.
Speaking of Mon-El, I think both Kara and Alex are being unfair. I don't necessarily agree with Spider-Man's "Great power, great responsibility" mantra. It works for Spidey because Peter Parker is equipped for that, and always has been. Alex sneers at Mon-El that he's a coward who runs from danger. That's obviously not true. But even if it was, so what? That's MOST people. That's normal. You cannot expect the gaining of superpowers to change the psychology of the person who gets them. That's unreasonable. Add to that Kara's blatant racism, and I think Mon-El is getting a bum deal from his supposed "friends".
James and Winn deciding not to tell Kara seems terrible on the surface. But their reasoning is sound. She would try to stop them, and she is the one person who would be able to do it. Suddenly, I find their despicable behavior rational.
Deathstroke is in the Invasion four parter trailer? I though he was embargoed.
I loved the episode, but not for the superhero stuff. ****1/2.
The Flash "Monster"
I like that Julian truly appreciated the way the Flash saved his life. Now he doesn't have to wake up in the morning and see a child killer in the mirror. That is no small gift.
Caitlin's mother says she knows she is not a killer. I really wish she was right.
I knew it was a hologram immediately. Why didn't the rest of the characters?
HR being a fraud is cool, but I do not actually see what value he now contributes. An idea man? That may sound good on a bibliography, but it actually means exactly nothing amongst a group of scientists.
I was a little bored with this, but I liked the stuff with Barry and Julian. ***.
The Flash "Shade"
I prefer the gaunt and angular Shade dressed in black, and wearing a top can, a cane, and sunglasses.
Feel so bad for Caitlin. Was The Shining a deliberate movie choice on the show's part? A good person driven to evil?
Julian being absent from the end leads me to believe he may be Alchemy.
What did the villain say at the end of the episode when Flash asked him who he was? I couldn't tell through the voice SFX.
I do not look forward to next week. ***1/2.
Arrow "Human Target"
Human Target! The Arrowverse is really expanding this year.
Okay, now I get that Ragman and Prometheus are two separate people. Which makes the fact that their costumes are nearly identical inexplicable.
Tobias Church was an idiot to give up Arrow's identity BEFORE getting any assurances. Granted, Prometheus could have lied about it, but he basically gave up the one reason Prometheus could have kept him alive for no reason.
I liked the episode. ****.
Arrow "So It Begins"
I'm calling retcon. Oliver was never a serial killer, and the list was NOT a hit list. It was a justice list. Sometimes that meant killing somebody, but just as often it meant gathering the evidence to send them to jail. In fact, in the very first episode, that is what Oliver did to Jeffrey Hunt (who was one of the anagrams tonight). Hunt was actually killed episodes later by Malcolm Merlyn. If Oliver was a serial killer, he wouldn't have been upset at Huntress using as much lethal force as she did. As he noted back then, it wasn't his opening move. And it never was.
Quentin still being a drunk is disappointing but unsurprising. As Quentin honestly and accurately noted, lying is what drunks do.
Artemis being upset that Oliver used to kill people however is understandable. Because the fact that he convinced her not to do that is the reason why she wanted to sign up with him in the first place.
Prediction: Prometheus is Felicity's boyfriend. I predicted that in the season premiere, and the idea that he's a cop just solidified that theory. Because this is television. And television sucks. And even if Arrow CAN be a good show, generally speaking, it sucks just as much as the rest of television does.
All right. ***1/2.
Arrow "Vigilante"
Artemis is evil? Yet another reason Oliver was right to be wary of taking on new partners.
I prefer the singing Vigilante with the cowboy hat, motorcycle, and git-tar.
This is literally the first season where Quentin's stuff isn't thrilling me. Probably because it is such a bummer.
Felicity's boyfriend is my suspect of being Prometheus, but the D.A. is a dark horse. There is also a big chance one of them is Prometheus and the other Vigilante.
I love that Felicity went on the mission and wore a skull mask. I guess there are scenarios where she wears a mask after all. I love how it mussed up her hair. She is so hot.
Mr. Terrific? Yes, please. Oliver shouldn't be calling him Curtis in public anyways. Rookie mistake. For that matter he shouldn't be calling Spartan Diggle.
More of a set-up episode than great in it's own right. But it was still good. ***1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Abominations"
One of the perils of doing a time travel show, especially with minority characters, is the reality that pretty much without exception, history absolutely sucks. It's never actually been as fun as Doctor Who made it look. The show can decide to sanitize things the way they did in the Nazi Germany episode a couple of episodes ago, or they can wring actual drama from how horrible things were. Suffice it to say, this episode was a LOT more successful than the Nazi Germany one. Part of sci-fi is exploring big ideas having to do with the human condition and a color-blind Nazi Germany doesn't do that.
I actually like Jax's initial perspective to Stein that he's ALWAYS been black and he's ALWAYS faced sucky people his entire life, so he can handle this. He's wrong about the degree here, but only about the degree. I totally get why someone who has probably had to deal with the stuff Jax did thinking they already had it plenty bad. Because he's right. The only way he's wrong is the degree. That's it.
I am amazed I never realized Jefferson Jackson shared a name with two infamous slave-holders. I don't consider myself colorblind for not realizing that. More like clueless and suffering from too much white privilege. I'm a numbnuts.
I loved Rory asking Stein if he was trying to kiss him. With Wentworth Miller gone, Dominic Purcell is the best person on the show.
Speaking of which, are they trying to make Ray the new Captain Cold? Because that's dumb. Seriously dumb.
I loved Sara bringing back a live severed head as a demonstration. One of the things I've always loved about Sara is that she is not afraid to shock people for their own good. And Lee needed that right then. Good for her.
This was the best episode so far, because even if they could only go as far as a TV-14 rating, they still made things horrible enough to get across to the audience how bad things were. And things sucked back then. ****1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Compromised"
New rule: Lance Henriksen needs to be in every single TV and movie project from here on out. You'll thank me for this idea.
And I love that they got Henriksen to play Obsidian because his persona is the last kind TV casts as a gay men. And I think since Torchwood TV has been willing to do away with some of the stereotypes involved with portrayals of gay men on TV. That's partly what I loved about Sara in season 2 of Arrow.
Here's an opinion: the specific reason the 80's sucked is because they thought they didn't. The 70's and the 90's sucked too, but those decades KNEW they sucked. That is what the punk rock and grunge scenes were all about. The 80's actually think they are, clever, trendy, and futuristic, if your idea of futurism involve Disney theme parks constructed in the 1950's. And while music could be all right in that era, almost all of TV and movies sucked. It was a REALLY bad time to be a discerning TV or movie fan. People dressed in ugly fashions in the 70's because they were depressed and that was what helped them feel better about their alienation. People in the 80's actually thought shoulder pads and feathered hair looked good. They were hopeless back then. And I think even I knew it at the time. I was always super unhappy with what my mother used to dress me in as a young child. And that's probably because she thought it looked good.
I love that Rory's biggest annoyance with Ray is repeating that there is nothing wrong with the cold gun. And I love that he says that. Because there isn't. It is perfectly cool, on every level, real or punny. Ray wanting to fix that is Ray saying Snart wasn't the awesomest guy ever. And that's not true.
Speaking of Rory I love that he eats an eclair when the bomb ticks down. It's not like he's smart enough to help, and if you're going to suddenly go out, it's reasonable to try to put yourself in a state of pleasure before that happens. And eclairs are pleasurable foods.
I think the show has had Martin interacting with his old self too often. He now knows TOO much and a lot of the excitement of the character doesn't seem as genuine anymore if he knows it's coming and always has. But maybe that's just me.
Not a terrible episode by any stretch of the imagination. ***1/2.
DC's Legends Of Tomorrow "Outlaw Country"
Opinion: Rory is the best role of Dominic Purcell's career. I said the same thing about Wentworth Miller and Leonard Snart last year, but this is the year Mick Rory has come into his own. I still cannot believe the first season saddled this hilarious character with so much unnecessary drama and plot bummers. Dominic Purcell is MUCH better when he's having fun.
Loved his scene in the saloon of him making friends with Turnbull and turning on him when it counted. Jeff Fahey was great as Turnbull. The latter half of that guy's career has been amazing. Ever since Lost, Fahey has only been in good projects.
Vixen telling Rory that the animal isn't ALL Rory is was a good moment. Because it should be true at this point.
Where IS Snart anyways? We had been led to believe he'd be returning this season on all of the Arrowverse shows, but he's been MIA outside of a flashback on The Flash. Is he in the Legion of Doom or not?
Speaking of which, where is Rip? Is Arthur Darvill still a cast member? He wasn't listed in the opening credits. But then neither was Matt Lenscher, and he didn't appear in this episode either.
For the record Sara isn't just "into fillies". She's bisexual, which is something this season seems to have forgotten.
Glad Ray has the ingredients to rebuild an Atom suit. Let's hope it's less of an Iron Man costume this time though. Maybe gaudy tights and a cool belt (hint hint).
Worried about Stein and Clarissa. We'll see what happens.
MUCH better than the last Western episode, probably because Hawkgirl wasn't around to be so mopey during it. SO much fun. ****1/2.
Gotham "Mad City: The Red Queen"
I am SO mad about the new Miss Kringle. An abusive ahole like Ed should not get a do-over after he kills a woman. What is wrong with this show? How does it not get something like that? This show is basically saying men who abuse and kill women deserve a second chance. There has always been a dark subtext in this show that violence against women is acceptable, and now it's not just acceptable, it's a good, romantic notion and a moment for personal growth. I am disgusted.
I don't know why Oswald is upset. If I were him, I'd just bide my time. Ed is definitely going to screw this up on his own. And is the show trying to get me to think he's a creep for revealing Ed's backstory to her? He's freaking doing her favor! I don't care if his motives are selfish, that woman needed to be warned immediately. And I'm especially disgusted that the writers decide to show her thinking it is no big deal. That's the writer's subtle way to hint that whatever happens to her next is her own fault. Seriously. I bet the writing staff is filled with serial abusing sex offenders. This show doesn't read any other way.
Now that Valerie points out WHY Jim told Tetch to shoot Lee, I think even worse of him than if he had intended Tetch to actually kill her. Vale is right. Jim is bad news. And he's such a butth0le he can't even admit the truth to Lee. There is nothing about Jim Gordon that doesn't suck.
Mario being upset is the correct reaction. Because what if Jim had been wrong? How would Carmine Falcone react to his son's fiance getting shot? It was a stupid move on every level.
I kind of like Alfred saying he's keeping Bruce in earshot. He'll give them privacy, and he IS Bruce's employee. But he's not going to let them have sex either. That is very good. It's time Alfred drew a line somewhere and that is a very fine line to draw.
I love that Harvey's sick of Jim's excuses as to why he isn't a cop anymore. Because as he noted, Barnes it right. All Jim does when asking Harvey to help him is get him in trouble. If he really wanted his help and to take down Hatter he'd get his shield back.
The fact that Tetch uses his sister's body like that shows that he is the worst person who has ever been on this show. And that's a f***ing feat.
The hallucinations were mostly cr*p but I like the idea that Barbara is the women in Jim's head. It says many things about Jim, all of them bad.
But do you know what the dream sequence was? Television. Why else have Oswald on the battlefield rather than flashback to somebody Gordon actually knew in the war? Because that's what TV does, and that's why TV sucks. And can I just laugh out loud at how lame his life with Lee and his family was? It wasn't quite as bad as Christmas with the Picards. But it's up there.
Either Tetch is the stupidest criminal ever, or the writers are the worst writers ever. It's probably both. Why does Tetch need to hold the people at gunpoint to drink the wine? The entire selling point of poison is that the victims don't even know you are using it! Tetch is adding a complication that this plan doesn't need to work. Also Tetch is so stupid, he leaves a labeled bottle of the drug he used on Jim right next to him so the doctor will know exactly how to treat him. Tetch AND the writers are idiots.
I love that Bruce is an amazing cook on his own. It's makes sense Alfred taught him that. It's a good skill for a bachelor to have.
The idea that Jim is afraid of being a cop because he's afraid of the expectations of being a hero is laughable. Because it's freaking Gotham! There ARE no good expectations for cops, much less expectations for cops to be heroes! He spends a couple of years not drooling on his shoes and he'll get a medal pinned on him. How can this show possibly tell the audience over and over again that the police corruption is institutionalized, and never gonna get better without Batman, while still saying being a cop is something to aspire to? I'll buy that moral on Law & Order SVU. Not this show. And it's crazy that the show thinks I suddenly should. It wants me to pretend I haven't been paying attention.
The ONLY good thing about the episode is the notion that Jim's father is behind the Court of Owls. It's stupid, but it will make good television. But that is literally the only thing that was decent.
This season started off promising, but Gotham is back to sucking as much as ever. And all is right with the universe. 0.
Gotham "Blood Rush"
Executioner, huh? I find it very telling that before he went completely bananas at the end, Barnes refused to simply connect the doctor to the murder of the cleaner. It would have been SO easy, but he doesn't do it because after this is all over, he plans to confess. It is weird how sideways things went.
Speaking of which, Oswald is an idiot. Do you know why he didn't have to kill Isabella? Ed's mirror conversation. He was going to wreck that on his own. And let me just say Isabella now makes my skin crawl dressing up as a murdered women to empower her killer. Ed is no less disgusting for asking her to keep the glasses on.
I had really hoped Isabella was Kristen's twin sister and was secretly planning to torment Ed in revenge, but the show can't even get that right. So gross.
I miss Don Falcone on a weekly basis. It's good he's guest starring a lot this season, but John Doman was one of the best things about season 1. So of course they got rid of him. I forgot that he and Barnes never met before this.
This episode puts into sharp focus the season's biggest fault so far. They haven't given Donal Logue anything to do. When the show started, he was the second lead, but now he comes and goes, and doesn't seem to be a part of the main action. I think the series is getting rid of another one of its selling points. Again.
Barbara is a freak. Do you know what is interesting about me and this show? I do NOT ship Jim and Lee, and haven't since season one. He treats her deplorably, and I kind of resent the show trying to say they are the unsung love story of the series. They don't belong together. Lee is a wonderful and wonderfully normal person. Jim is a complete dirtbag. Why does the show think I want them to end up together?
Better than last week, but that's not saying much. ***.
Gotham "The Executioner"
I'll admit that Barnes holding the gun on Jim was a great act break. But they weren't smart enough to immediately cut back to it after the commercial. Also the "Guilty!" ending wasn't hardcore or scary. It was unbearably cheesy. This is why superheroes have a bad rap.
They never should have gotten rid of Clare Foley. Do you know what I wouldn't have minded? If the new girl at least was smart enough to mirror her performance. Ivy had a cold-blooded serial killer vibe to her and spoke slowly and deliberately, and could give you the hairy eyeball like nobody's business. That is precisely why Foley's performance as a child was so amazing. You don't see actual kids in roles like that. The new girl isn't terrible, but she plays Ivy as flirty and fun, and now there is absolutely nothing special about the character. They also haven't addressed the fact that she's a murderer.
I will not deny that whoever plays Ivy, they always give Bruce and Selina good stuff to work with. While Foley was actually better than those two, the new girl makes you appreciate how already amazing those two kids are. Selina's disgusted reaction to Ivy being such a bad thief that she doesn't know how to haggle was great, as was Bruce subconsciously telling Ivy she looked good in front of Selina. Can you blame Cat for twice denying she was involved with this stooge?
Why did Barnes' reveal himself? He must have been too crazy to function. Because if he hadn't shot that guy in front of Jim, he would have gotten away with it. Jim had only suspicions and no evidence, and Barnes actually had great explanations for everything. Plus, Barnes' spotless record meant he'd get every benefit of the doubt. Too crazy, too soon.
Do you know who DOESN'T have great explanations for everything? Oswald. I think killing Isabella was not only a mistake because it was unnecessary, and Ed would have screwed that up on his own, but does Oswald really think Ed is too stupid to figure it out? Ed's thing is solving stuff. You think that doesn't extend to murders? The Butch excuse means Pengers is living on borrowed time.
Oh, and Miss Kringle is this show's Laura Palmer and Isabella is Maddie Ferguson. The only difference is they weren't killed by the same person.
Some stuff was great. Some stuff was... not. ***1/2.
Lucifer "Monster"
"You think I'm beautiful?"
Do you know what's interesting about Lucifer? He thinks ALL women are beautiful and doesn't judge by looks. I find it beyond ironic that the Prince of Darkness treats women on this show better than many real-life men.
I love that Lucifer is sick of Linda. It's about time. He has never lied to her and she doesn't believe a word he says. Why should he bare his soul about his problems to somebody who thinks he's speaking in metaphor? It's hard to trust someone who clearly thinks you are a serial liar. Especially if you never lied to them once.
Linda's reaction to the reveal at the end was sickening. She's not only the worst therapist ever, but the worst friend too.
I love that Lucifer pays for the vending machine food. He puts the money in the machine and FAR more than for what he took. I think the reason Lucifer says he is evil here is not because he remotely believes that. It's that everyone else does and it's got to frustrating. And why should he share his problems with Chloe anyways? Like Linda, Chloe thinks he's crazy on his best day and a liar on his worst. The fact that Lucifer is the most distrusted character on the show, despite being the most honest, shows exactly why he should be cynical of mortals judging other people for their sins.
You know, before tonight, I'm not sure I'd believe the idea that Amendiel deserves to be rewarded for his actions, but his mother sold me. It is such a crying shame it's the petty lame mortal sinning nonsense that is behind his fall from grace. It also tells me his father prioritizes the wrong things.
And I love that Amendeil ultimately blames God. This whole Grand Design thing would probably be more plausible if God actually said what it was. Obviously what happened to Muriel was part of God's plan. Don't you think that God owed it to his family to tell them what the plan was when one of them died?
Lucifer's guilt is interesting to me because it is another thing that hints that he is the most moral character on the show. Definitely not on Earth. But of the main cast? I believe that. The idea that he has never killed anyone before is provocative too.
I love that Maze doesn't need to say anything to extort extra Halloween candy and money from the guy for Trixie. Just a slight step forward and a harsh look. Is the half zombie face Maze's actual appearance? There is one woman who definitely needs to put her face on in the morning.
I think the most interesting thing about the show is that the Devil is the good guy, and all of the bad things that happen make God the bad guy. It's not blasphemy or sacrilege driving that moral. It's the logical end result of Grand Design. If everything IS preordained, then God wanted it to happen. But definition Satan CANNOT be evil. And I like how the show is pointing out the logical fallacies of fundamental Christianists, without ever once saying the Bible itself is the thing filled with fallacies. It treats the material respectfully, and offers an opinion that HAS to be true, but that conservatives really seem to have a hard time grasping. People sinning and doing things that conservatives find immoral are NOT things that are up to a person to judge. That's up to God. And if everything IS preordained, that means on some level God is cool with it. Fundies can't have it both ways. Either God is all powerful or he isn't. Either God never makes mistakes, or he makes them all the time. It's one thing or the other, and I feel like the fundamentalists are picking and choosing which parts of the Bible mythology to follow based upon what fits into their preconceived prejudices. They aren't gay, so it is easy to say somebody who is gay is evil for being so. But if somebody is gay, that's because God ultimately decided they should be. That's the Bible. And people acting like they have a right to shove their values on someone else in the name of God are the actual ones committing blasphemy.
I kind of see why conservative groups did not want to see this show on the air. Because if you tell the audience it is okay to question the people perverting a religion, while being respectful of the religion itself, all bets are off. Fundies' biggest enemies aren't secular humanists or atheists. They are liberal Churches teaching people that not everybody sees God the same way they do. And for the mega-churches, that is a dangerous message. I get why the right is upset now. I do. But as usual, they are upset for the wrong reasons. It's because shows like this try to hold the preachers accountable for what they preach. And if televangelists ARE nothing but con artists, making people aware of the con is the most dangerous idea of all.
Now keep in mind what a billion dollar industry those mega-churches are, and how many millions of dollars they rake in week after week, and you can start to see why some fundies are upset that people might get the idea that it's okay to think for yourself. *****.
Lucifer "My Little Monkey"
Three things I need to discuss:
1. Maze has the best argument as to why Linda is being unreasonable. Nothing has actually changed. The only difference is that Linda now knows her friends aren't a couple of psychopathic liars. That's a GOOD thing. And Linda is the worst friend ever for not realizing that. Although I kind of get why somebody realizing they boned Satan could damage them. I DO.
2. Kevin Alejandro is TOO cut. It's distracting for someone in that particular role to be a muscle-bound as he is. Terry Crews is a similar level of shredded, but that's always part of his roles. It is really a bit disturbing to me that Alejandro is TOO in shape for the kinds of roles he gets. It's unnecessary and makes me feel especially fat.
3. Joe Fields is guilty. It doesn't matter that he didn't pull the trigger, he knew about the murder ahead of time, and was complicit in helping the murderer get away with it. Last I checked, conspiracy to commit murder doesn't come with a lighter sentence if the murder actually takes place.
All right, but not as great as last week. ***1/2.
Lucifer "Trip To Stabby Town"
Lots to chew on this week.
I am amazed that Charlotte doesn't get how this works, especially after her insightful conversation with Amendiel a couple of weeks ago. God controls everything, right? So he knew Charlotte causing all that pain and suffering was coming. Did it ever occur to her that God refuses to speak to her because she's unworthy of him, and he knows she always will be? I thought this after watching a 1 hour TV show. How does this not cross the mind of an Immortal who has existed since the beginning of time?
Speaking of unlikely realizations, I find it hard to believe Linda JUST realized the implications of sleeping with Satan. Because, if that were me, that is the FIRST place I would have gone after the reveal. I wouldn't be all "Oh, yeah!" two weeks later.
Amendiel cannot even pretend Maze isn't hot. Who is he kidding?
Dan stating that Lucifer ruined his marriage was not true. And yet, it IS actually because of Lucifer he lost her. Before she met Lucifer, Chloe was open to fixing things with him. I think that still would have been true if she had found out he was dirty. But once Lucifer came along, she moved on, and Dan no longer has a shot. So while Dan is right in admitting that Lucifer didn't actually destroy his marriage, Lucifer is the reason he will never be able to fix it in the future.
Speaking of Chlucifer I am charmed that Lucifer does not notice how jealous Chloe is, or even make a big fuss of it when he thinks that is what is going on at the end. Normally, that kind of stuff is the FIRST thing he suspects, but he thinks so highly of Chloe now, it doesn't occur to him to attribute negative motivations to her, even when they clearly exist.
I needed that Donald Trump line badly. And I like that it was significant in that there weren't a ton of other names mentioned in that moment. It is that set in stone according to this show.
Another good week of a strong season. Last season was focused too much on the procedural aspect, and now with Charlotte we're exploring the Heaven and Hell stuff on a weekly basis, which is when the show is at its best. Simply solving a case a week wasn't cutting it last year, and now the show is reaching its potential. ****.
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Cosmic Clash
The weakest of the LEGO Justice League movies, probably due to the fact that the caveman stuff was so stupid. At least they got Phil Morris to voice Vandal Savage. Another good Justice League: The Animated Series homage was the opening title being entirely cribbed from that. What a great tribute to Bruce Timm and the DC Animated Universe! They just switched Barry, Hal, Cyborg, and Supergirl for Wally, John Stewart, J'onn and Hawkgirl.
As dumb as the caveman stuff was, I liked that they showed the origins of the Amazons and Paradise Island.
Love that Cyborg is willing to high five Flash, but have his heart not be in it.
Cyborg is right about something: Wonder Woman's Invisible Plane not hiding the passenger too just makes it useless. The whole point of invisibility is to hide, and you can't do that if a huge part of the disguise is clearly visible.
I also love that when Batman is stranded in the future, he kicks a rock off of the cliff in the Batcave. It was a very cute moment reminding us how very cute these versions of the characters are.
"The first thing a pirate learns is never to touch the Captain's booty!" "There had to be a better way to say that." Heh.
Neither the Legion of Superheroes nor Supergirl were used to their full potential, but I liked this version of Brainiac, and that he has hundreds of identical conniving robots exactly the same as the original. I laughed that the Mecha Leaguer was still actually shorter than him.
Speaking of, why is Vandal Savage taller than Batman? The whole point of LEGO is that the people are all the same size. This bugs me about as much as Rowan being smaller than his siblings in LEGO Star Wars: The Freemaker Adventures.
Do you know what I love about the mecha? It isn't formed by the vehicles combining into each other. The vehicles actually split into a thousand Lego pieces and are rebuilt. Very Lego and unlike every other mecha ever.
Cosmic Boy smelling bad because soap and water were hard to come by was a dumb joke.
I hated Cyborg's tantrum upon thinking Superman and the others were dead. It was supposed to be funny, but it was embarrassing instead.
Love that they had Wonder Woman do the spinning costume change as seen on the 70's TV series.
I also love how chipper Superman seems at the end while trying to destroy Batman. Plot hole: Why didn't Batman wait until Superman was fully de-Brainiacked before setting down the sun ray-gun? It would have gone easier if he hadn't shown mercy.
Batman isn't super prepared to have a caveman outfit and a pirate outfit in the Batmobile. He's super dumb. The Bat-Vitamin supplement is idiotic too.
Love Batman surfing the shark.
Batman used the Lasso of Truth in this movie on Diana the same way as Superman did in the recent movie "Justice League Vs. Teen Titans". It still doesn't sit right with me that someone other than Diana can get the Lasso to work.
I love Brainiac thinking Batman would be easy to defeat because he had no powers.
When Batman returns to Earth at the end why isn't he a giant? Or did he return right before the Earth was shrunk?
Interesting to have a movie with Brainiac and the Legion of Superheroes and Brainiac 5 never comes up.
Superman says he found Green Lantern because the sofa is the only piece of green furniture in the Hall of Justice. Are you sure it's also not because it's glowing and see-through?
Batman's "So that's what they feels like" is a total homage to The Dark Knight Rises. Or if you want to be less charitable, a total rip-off.
Flash's speed effects in the movie were actually quite lousy. He seemed to be moving much slower than the Flash ever should. The Cosmic Treadmill has a neat design though. A cross between the Batmobile and the Delorean from Back To The Future.
I laughed that Hawkman was on Thanagar for molting season and Green Arrow was teaching archery clinic on Raan. "Oh come on!" bellows Cyborg. "Everyone there has a ray-gun!"
So dinosaurs and cavemen existed at the same time in the Legoverse. At least I hope that's the explanation. Because if the writers didn't know that about OUR universe they are dumb.
Why is it when Earth rolls on the floor, entire cities and continents aren't crushed? Are they saying the Green Lantern aura protected it? Because if so, that's neat.
Karate Kid shout-out. I liked the revelation at the end that the rest of the Legion wasn't actually dead and that was just a Jedi Mind Trick Saturn Girl pulled on Superman. Because if that weren't true, that future would have been SUPER bleak.
This franchise has done better. **.
The Justice League: Caught On Camera:
These are outtakes, bloopers, and animatics. I like that it's "A Batman Film", Batman is the director, and Brainiac is the studio boss. Funny. ***1/2.
Trailers:
LEGO DC Comics Super Heroes: Justice League: Attack Of The Legion Of Doom: Pretty good trailer. ****.
LEGO Dimensions Trailer #1: Funny seeing Batman interact with the Wicked Witch Of The West. ****.
LEGO Dimensions Trailer #2: Joel McHale is hilarious. *****.
Be Cool, Scooby Doo!: Love the show but disappointed the trailer didn't showcase the break-out character: Daphne. ****.