After an awesome return last week, Young Justice is keeping the ball rolling nicely. We're back on track with the main plot now, while still managing to throw in some added features. As with nearly every episode, they've managed to add even more depth to the immensely deep story going on.
The focus has returned to our double agent, Aqualad. Once more, Kal has to prove himself to The Light and this time he has to lead an attack on Mount Justice. He's not alone, either, he's got his own team of evil youths now. Artemis is sticking by his side, now as Tigress, and she manages to remain pretty epic. We get to see the Terror Twins again and actually pose a threat. Last time we saw them, it was mostly just Megan and Connor posing as them, so it's nice to see what they can actually do together. And of course we've got the lovable rogue, Icicle Jr. He's still got his crush on Tuppence, despite the fact that he's never met the real her. He's easily the most enjoyable of the team, managing to be psycho will still maintaining a certain charm.
Nightwing, being the mastermind that he is, claims that Aqualad's attack was all part of the plan so he could get a way to track the captured Lagoon Boy. However, clearly a major downside to the plan is that Beast Boy, Impulse, and Blue Beetle have all be taken prisoner. This means that things will probably get messy soon. And if that wasn't bad enough, to prove his loyalty, Aqualad destroyed Mount Justice. Nightwing and Connor were barely able to survive, another hiccup in Dick's plan.
As one would expect, Wally was not happy with what happened. He brings up some good points stating that Nightwing's ploy is bound to get someone hurt soon. And Aqualad's ruse seems to be working a little too well, as even Wally is starting to doubt where his true loyalty lies. Aqualad's whole traitor plot has just been swung around so much since it began. First he turns evil due to his personal trauma, then he's actually a mole, and now there's the possibility that his emotional trauma may actually have turned him evil. So far he's seems like he's still on the heroes' side, but I can see some moral conflicts growing even more out of this.
Aside from Aqualad, though, the main character of this episode seemed to have been Blue Beetle. Continuing off of last episode, Impulse seems intent on befriending Jaime. The two of them make a good duo and should continue providing some nice moments. Jaime's story took a drastic turn, though, when The Scarab decided that it was time to take control. Jaime was helpless to stop himself from attacking Aqualad which, as far as he knew, would result in the death of his friends. It's been made pretty clear that The Partner is related to The Scarab so it makes sense that Jaime has been getting a lot of plotlines lately. Things are sure to get worse before they get better for him.
The other minor subplot of this episode featured Mal trying to reconnect with Karen. I'm really glad that Karen has finally be given some time outside of Bumblebee. So far she's been one of the least featured new heroes and I've wondered about her story. She's busy at work for Ray Palmer, while Mal is left on the sidelines. It's not the most original plot, and definitely not one of the most exciting, but it still is good to see that these characters have their own personal issues as well. I'm still hoping that Karen/Bumblebee will be getting an episode devoted to her soon.
So, where does that leave us now? The Light is in a menacing position for the team. They've got four of their newbie heroes, they've got Aqualad and Tigress on their side for now, they've got those kidnapped kids still trapped tubes, for some reason they seem to have Shimmer there too, but I'm not sure what that is about. This is sure to lead to a much larger battle that is sure to have some morals and loyalties questioned. The Partner is sure to be revealed and given some explanation soon enough, and that means that Jaime's story is likely to be given further depth. Jaime seems to be set up as the main protagonist of this part of the series, so I imagine he'll play an important role in the climax.
The show just keeps growing better so I'm even more excited for next week.
Saturday, October 6, 2012
Monday, October 1, 2012
Glee - Makeover
The last couple of episode have been mainly focused on the new guys coming into Glee, and Rachel getting used to NYADA. For this episode, though, the spotlight shifts off of the newbies and returns to some familiar faces, while Kurt takes the focus in New York.
So what does McKinley have in store for us today? For starters, Schue finds that he's not enthusiastic about Glee anymore, and decides that maybe he could try making a difference in the world. Okay, I'm a little mixed on this plot. For one thing, we kind of alright saw this with the whole Sue versus Burt for congress plot last year. On the other hand, Schue does need a plot to keep his story moving. Then back to the bad, we've seen before that Schue has had to pick between his dream and the kids...he chose the kids. So, let's hope that this plotline isn't just a recycle piece that we've already gotten tired of. If they keep it fresh, then it could actually be interesting.
The main plotline at the school, though, is another kind of political battle. Brittany wants to be president for another year, while Blaine is interested in making his mark on the school. Brittany snags Artie as her vice-president telling him that he'll be the one doing all the work if she wins, while she hands Sam over to Blaine. This whole thing comes to a head with another one of those Brittany moments that just make me cringe. Her argument, she'll cancel weekends and summer because she loves everyone in school. This girl isn't just dumb, she's insane. While she's meant to be funny, I just can't accept that a teenage girl would actually say something like that.
For me, the real star of this episode was Sam, though. While Blaine tries to teach him the info he needs to know about being vice-president, Sam tries to help Blaine lose his uptight persona. When Blaine finds that Kurt has no time for him (we'll get to that later) Sam steps in and let's him know that the bowtie isn't really working. Sam then gets an awesome moment where at the debate he gets asked if he's ashamed of being a stripper. At first I expected this to be another angst moment for Sam, but instead he just surprises everyone and rips off his shirt. No doubt thanks to this, and Brittany's horrible ideas, Blaine wins the election. At the end we find that he's managed to really start building a strong friendship with Blaine. And he may have won over Brittany too.
I'm sticking to my prediction that Sam and Brittany are going to get together. The next episode is supposed to feature a breakup, and it's very clear that Brittany and Santana are having issues. Brittany was shown being very cuddly with Sam after she lost the election, and I think the two of them may have something. As for Mercedes, we haven't seen any sign of her, but I think we can assume that she and Sam have broken up...if they ever actually did get together for good.
Lastly, we got to see Kurt get into work at Vogue.com. Unlike Cassandra July, his mentor, Isabelle Wright, is positive, but insecure with herself. She encourages Kurt to never lose his optimism and is eager to help him give Rachel a makeover. I can say that she's add a nice burst of positivity to the New York plot, while still being able to show her own weaknesses. By the end, she lets Kurt join her on the fashion discussion, and tells him that maybe this is the life for him.
The episode ends with Rachel and Brody. Despite both being aware that Rachel hasn't forgotten Finn, they eventually give in to a kiss. Then, who should decide to show up for a surprise visit, but none other than Finn. Well, looks like Rachel's going to have some serious drama in her life, but that's for next episode. Whatever happens, it's got my attention.
So this episode gave us a nice look back at some of the older characters. Marlie, Wade, and Jake took the backseat from their plot to give Blaine, Artie, Sam, and Brittany a chance to take up the stage. I'd say this is a good kind of balance for the kids. Schue has got his plot rolling which could really do either way at this point. Kurt's got a new life in store for him which seems to be a pretty uplifting experience so far. And Rachel is in trouble. All in all it looks like we're on the right path. Next episode should continue on with these plots and see if it can keep them interesting.
And did you notice any reason why this episode was so much better than the last two? That's right, no Kitty!
So what does McKinley have in store for us today? For starters, Schue finds that he's not enthusiastic about Glee anymore, and decides that maybe he could try making a difference in the world. Okay, I'm a little mixed on this plot. For one thing, we kind of alright saw this with the whole Sue versus Burt for congress plot last year. On the other hand, Schue does need a plot to keep his story moving. Then back to the bad, we've seen before that Schue has had to pick between his dream and the kids...he chose the kids. So, let's hope that this plotline isn't just a recycle piece that we've already gotten tired of. If they keep it fresh, then it could actually be interesting.
The main plotline at the school, though, is another kind of political battle. Brittany wants to be president for another year, while Blaine is interested in making his mark on the school. Brittany snags Artie as her vice-president telling him that he'll be the one doing all the work if she wins, while she hands Sam over to Blaine. This whole thing comes to a head with another one of those Brittany moments that just make me cringe. Her argument, she'll cancel weekends and summer because she loves everyone in school. This girl isn't just dumb, she's insane. While she's meant to be funny, I just can't accept that a teenage girl would actually say something like that.
For me, the real star of this episode was Sam, though. While Blaine tries to teach him the info he needs to know about being vice-president, Sam tries to help Blaine lose his uptight persona. When Blaine finds that Kurt has no time for him (we'll get to that later) Sam steps in and let's him know that the bowtie isn't really working. Sam then gets an awesome moment where at the debate he gets asked if he's ashamed of being a stripper. At first I expected this to be another angst moment for Sam, but instead he just surprises everyone and rips off his shirt. No doubt thanks to this, and Brittany's horrible ideas, Blaine wins the election. At the end we find that he's managed to really start building a strong friendship with Blaine. And he may have won over Brittany too.
I'm sticking to my prediction that Sam and Brittany are going to get together. The next episode is supposed to feature a breakup, and it's very clear that Brittany and Santana are having issues. Brittany was shown being very cuddly with Sam after she lost the election, and I think the two of them may have something. As for Mercedes, we haven't seen any sign of her, but I think we can assume that she and Sam have broken up...if they ever actually did get together for good.
Lastly, we got to see Kurt get into work at Vogue.com. Unlike Cassandra July, his mentor, Isabelle Wright, is positive, but insecure with herself. She encourages Kurt to never lose his optimism and is eager to help him give Rachel a makeover. I can say that she's add a nice burst of positivity to the New York plot, while still being able to show her own weaknesses. By the end, she lets Kurt join her on the fashion discussion, and tells him that maybe this is the life for him.
The episode ends with Rachel and Brody. Despite both being aware that Rachel hasn't forgotten Finn, they eventually give in to a kiss. Then, who should decide to show up for a surprise visit, but none other than Finn. Well, looks like Rachel's going to have some serious drama in her life, but that's for next episode. Whatever happens, it's got my attention.
So this episode gave us a nice look back at some of the older characters. Marlie, Wade, and Jake took the backseat from their plot to give Blaine, Artie, Sam, and Brittany a chance to take up the stage. I'd say this is a good kind of balance for the kids. Schue has got his plot rolling which could really do either way at this point. Kurt's got a new life in store for him which seems to be a pretty uplifting experience so far. And Rachel is in trouble. All in all it looks like we're on the right path. Next episode should continue on with these plots and see if it can keep them interesting.
And did you notice any reason why this episode was so much better than the last two? That's right, no Kitty!
Young Justice - Satisfaction
We've had a large hiatus for a while now, but it's finally over and let me tell you, the wait was worth it. This was a really strong episode that managed to focus on a lot of character development in many different characters, carried on all the major storylines, and packed in a tonne of epic action.
The main focus on this story was about the original Roy Harper who's been missing ever since before the series began. Remember way back at the start, Red Arrow was a super angry jerk. This could be forgiven as it was in his programming, but we now see that real Roy isn't any better. He quickly tears into Green Arrow for 'abandoning' him and then goes out for revenge on Lex Luthor. Yep, this guy's going to be trouble.
The real action breaks out when Roy attacks Luthor, and Luthor sends out Mercy to fight. As evil as he is, Luthor is a really awesome character. He is able to remain calm and witty all throughout the assignation attempt. Then there was the actual fight, which was really something intense. Mercy proved to be a real threat, and Roy's only got one arm here. But he manages to wrap explosive rope around her arm cannon and blow off her greatest weapon.
He doesn't get to kill Luthor, though, instead he trades his revenge for an improved arm cannon for himself. He also chooses a new name for himself. Comic fans would recognize the hint when Luthor starts praising his internal arsenal, so it's no surprise when Roy declares that he shall now be called Arsenal. I think we'll be seeing more of this guy soon, he's got a lot of room for more stories. Espescially considering that he's wearing a piece of Luthor tech on his arm. I can't be the only one who remembers what happened to Super Boy last season. Luthor may have found himself a new mole, or something just as sinister.
This episode also gave us a bunch of minor moments to see into the minds of some of the other characters. We learn that Jaime feels bitter about never getting to know the original Blue Beetle. The perky little guy from the future, Impulse, offers him a hand in friendship though. Jaime is another deep character who will no doubt bring much to the rest of the season; his friendship with Bart is just a nice touch into his character. We get to see that Super Boy is depressed because no one remembered his birthday...except Wendy. The two of them definitely have signs of a romance going on which could be an interesting, not super-related plot. And we got to see that Jade has a score to settle with Aqualad, while Sportsmaster is just ticked off at Black Manta. He brought what I felt was one of the most amusing lines, "The son of Black Manta can't kill my daughter...not without running it by me first."
And lastly we got to see all the ladies get together for a baby shower for Rocket. Naturally, I was ecstatic to see Zatanna and Rocket again since they were two of my favorites that never got enough screentime. It looked like they might be getting a sideplot when Captain Cold tried to rob a nearby bank, but sadly it didn't go anywhere. But at least we know that they haven't completely forgotten about these two ladies. Maybe they'll get to show off a bit later in the series.
All in all this episode lives up to its name as it was very satisfying. We have a lot of plots to get to and it looks like this series is going to get a lot more hectic than before. If it stays this high quality, though, it's bound to be superb. It looks like I'm back to eagerly waiting for the next episode, but at least this time it's only a week.
The main focus on this story was about the original Roy Harper who's been missing ever since before the series began. Remember way back at the start, Red Arrow was a super angry jerk. This could be forgiven as it was in his programming, but we now see that real Roy isn't any better. He quickly tears into Green Arrow for 'abandoning' him and then goes out for revenge on Lex Luthor. Yep, this guy's going to be trouble.
The real action breaks out when Roy attacks Luthor, and Luthor sends out Mercy to fight. As evil as he is, Luthor is a really awesome character. He is able to remain calm and witty all throughout the assignation attempt. Then there was the actual fight, which was really something intense. Mercy proved to be a real threat, and Roy's only got one arm here. But he manages to wrap explosive rope around her arm cannon and blow off her greatest weapon.
He doesn't get to kill Luthor, though, instead he trades his revenge for an improved arm cannon for himself. He also chooses a new name for himself. Comic fans would recognize the hint when Luthor starts praising his internal arsenal, so it's no surprise when Roy declares that he shall now be called Arsenal. I think we'll be seeing more of this guy soon, he's got a lot of room for more stories. Espescially considering that he's wearing a piece of Luthor tech on his arm. I can't be the only one who remembers what happened to Super Boy last season. Luthor may have found himself a new mole, or something just as sinister.
This episode also gave us a bunch of minor moments to see into the minds of some of the other characters. We learn that Jaime feels bitter about never getting to know the original Blue Beetle. The perky little guy from the future, Impulse, offers him a hand in friendship though. Jaime is another deep character who will no doubt bring much to the rest of the season; his friendship with Bart is just a nice touch into his character. We get to see that Super Boy is depressed because no one remembered his birthday...except Wendy. The two of them definitely have signs of a romance going on which could be an interesting, not super-related plot. And we got to see that Jade has a score to settle with Aqualad, while Sportsmaster is just ticked off at Black Manta. He brought what I felt was one of the most amusing lines, "The son of Black Manta can't kill my daughter...not without running it by me first."
And lastly we got to see all the ladies get together for a baby shower for Rocket. Naturally, I was ecstatic to see Zatanna and Rocket again since they were two of my favorites that never got enough screentime. It looked like they might be getting a sideplot when Captain Cold tried to rob a nearby bank, but sadly it didn't go anywhere. But at least we know that they haven't completely forgotten about these two ladies. Maybe they'll get to show off a bit later in the series.
All in all this episode lives up to its name as it was very satisfying. We have a lot of plots to get to and it looks like this series is going to get a lot more hectic than before. If it stays this high quality, though, it's bound to be superb. It looks like I'm back to eagerly waiting for the next episode, but at least this time it's only a week.
Monday, September 24, 2012
Ben 10 Omniverse - The More Things Change Part 2
And we finally get to see the conclusion of this series debut. The episode is basically all action, yet it still manages to characterize the main characters well within the action.
Rook and Ben make a really good duo. The interesting thing is that both of them carry "rookie" attributes, just different ones. Ben is definitely more experienced with dealing with baddies, but he's immature. Rook on the other hand is a very skilled fighter, but is somewhat clueless when it comes to the actual procedures. They play off each other well, as neither one of them truly stands out as superior. It means that they both have something to learn from each other, and they could have a really interesting relationship. This is best characterized in a scene where Ben explains to Rook the process of finding the "Big Bad" followed by Ben battling a monster hound that Rook has to rescue him from.
We got to see another recurring character from the previous incarnation: Vilgax's right hand man, Syphon. While he may not seem like it at first, Syphon really is one of the better villains from the series. He's not a gimmick, he's dangerously intelligent, and he can come off as quite menacing when he wants to. He's moved on from Vilgax now and he seems even more dangerous. I think that he could definitely move up to the role of major villain if they keep him around.
I'm still not as impressed with the actual Big Bad, Khyber. He just doesn't seem to be bringing much to the show. Unlike past major villains, he doesn't seem to have any big plan other than take out Ben Tennyson. Furthermore, throughout the episode he just repeated the same tactic. He would send out his transforming, monster hound, the two would smash around for a bit, then the hound would retreat. Sorry Khyber, I'm just not feeling you.
I was also disappointed that we didn't get any more glimpses at 10 year old Ben. That scene at the beginning has to mean something, yet right now it's just feeling out of place. I don't know what they have planned here with the whole two timelines thing, but it would be nice to get it straightened out soon.
But I'd say that overall this episode was a good success. We really got to see Rook and the new Ben in action. Ben used a variety of aliens, and as usual, the omintrix enjoyed screwing him around. Shocksqwatch is definitely looking cool, and I love his Canadian accent.
I'm positive for the future. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ben and Rook's relationship, an explanation for the dual timelines, and some villains who are more enjoyable than Khyber.
Rook and Ben make a really good duo. The interesting thing is that both of them carry "rookie" attributes, just different ones. Ben is definitely more experienced with dealing with baddies, but he's immature. Rook on the other hand is a very skilled fighter, but is somewhat clueless when it comes to the actual procedures. They play off each other well, as neither one of them truly stands out as superior. It means that they both have something to learn from each other, and they could have a really interesting relationship. This is best characterized in a scene where Ben explains to Rook the process of finding the "Big Bad" followed by Ben battling a monster hound that Rook has to rescue him from.
We got to see another recurring character from the previous incarnation: Vilgax's right hand man, Syphon. While he may not seem like it at first, Syphon really is one of the better villains from the series. He's not a gimmick, he's dangerously intelligent, and he can come off as quite menacing when he wants to. He's moved on from Vilgax now and he seems even more dangerous. I think that he could definitely move up to the role of major villain if they keep him around.
I'm still not as impressed with the actual Big Bad, Khyber. He just doesn't seem to be bringing much to the show. Unlike past major villains, he doesn't seem to have any big plan other than take out Ben Tennyson. Furthermore, throughout the episode he just repeated the same tactic. He would send out his transforming, monster hound, the two would smash around for a bit, then the hound would retreat. Sorry Khyber, I'm just not feeling you.
I was also disappointed that we didn't get any more glimpses at 10 year old Ben. That scene at the beginning has to mean something, yet right now it's just feeling out of place. I don't know what they have planned here with the whole two timelines thing, but it would be nice to get it straightened out soon.
But I'd say that overall this episode was a good success. We really got to see Rook and the new Ben in action. Ben used a variety of aliens, and as usual, the omintrix enjoyed screwing him around. Shocksqwatch is definitely looking cool, and I love his Canadian accent.
I'm positive for the future. I'm looking forward to seeing more of Ben and Rook's relationship, an explanation for the dual timelines, and some villains who are more enjoyable than Khyber.
Friday, September 21, 2012
Glee - Britney 2.0
Glee's new episode is a repeat of a theme we've already seen. That should give you a pretty good idea of what kind of episode this was. I know Brittany is a big break out character from the series, but I've never really liked her and I espescially find her central episodes to be ridiculously annoying. This one may have been one of the worst. Let's break it down by plotline this time.
Brittany's Plot: The main plot of the episode and like I said, incredibly annoying. Brittany is feeling down, so Schuester suggests that they do a Britney Spears theme to cheer her up. Okay, sounds like a good idea, except we already had an episode dedicated to Britney Spears, we don't need another one. Furthermore, the entire plot is just a parody of Spears's dark times. Brittany freaks out and tries to shave her head, attacks people with an umbrella, and lip syncs a song. Also a guy exclaims, "Leave Brittany alone!" Having references to something is good and could be funny, but all this was was taking famous moments and giving them to our Brittany to replicate. At the end, we learn that this was Brittany's intention after all, but it still doesn't make the entire plot any better. Something else that bugged me was the extreme reaction to lip syncing. I can see why Schue would be upset, but why would they be banned from competing at Nationals simply because they lip syncing one school-based concert? Brittany even gave a reason for it, she didn't want to damage her voice and she wanted to focus more on choreography. In short, this plotline was nothing more than a repeat of the last Britney episode and some of Britney's infamous moments.
Rachel's Plot: This plotline was somewhat better, but still irritating at parts. In Rachel's storyline we learn that Cassandra July used to be a Broadway star before freaking out at a man with a cellphone ringing during her performance. And the reason why she's so hard on her students is because she doesn't want her students to explode at an inappropriate time. Pretty predictable storyline, but seeing her over the top reaction to the guy with the phone was pretty amusing. When Rachel gets fed up with Cassie she slaps her with this. After a moment of silence Cassie tells Rachel to get out. I don't know if we're supposed to support Rachel or not, but I'm definitely on Cassie's side for this one. What Rachel said was incredibly inappropriate and probably very hurtful to Cassie, regardless of how hard she is on Rachel. Also, Brody is continuing to advance on Rachel. She has to remind him that she's still thinking about Finn, which he respects. Still, though, it feels like Brody is being pretty immature about the whole thing, moving in on Rachel when she's clearly stated that she's not done with Finn. So, this overall plot had some interesting moments, but still wasn't the best.
Jake's Plotline: Along with Brittany, Jake was pretty much the star of this episode. We learn that he's a womanizer, yet Marley still has her eyes on him. Jake seems to return the feeling and in another heartwarming moment, gets in a fight with some jocks for making fun of Marley's mom. I'd say that's very impressive of him, even if it was a bit violent. We get a quick cameo from Puck who tries to send Jake in the right direction. It would have been nice to see the two of them interact for a little more than one scene, but I guess you have to make cuts to fit in the time constraints. Jake eventually joins Glee club and it looks like he's going to have a relationship with Marley...until Kitty shows up. We were almost out of an episode without her ruining, not that this episode needed any help from her. Anyways, she announces that she is Jake's girlfriend. This is another one of those moments where I just have to shake my head at the disaster character known as Kitty. Jake got into a fight with her two jock lackeys, defending a girl Kitty's been tormenting, and then joins a club which Kitty also seems not to fond of. So therefore she must want to date him? Unlike Finn and Quinn from season one, this relationship has no set up and seems like it's just thrown in to cause some more drama. Of course, this kind of thing has been driving me crazy forever. Relationships in Glee pop up everywhere out of the blue and usually fizzle out in a couple of episodes.
The songs of this episode were nothing special really. Like I said, we already had a Britney episode, so there wasn't the same appeal as there was before. No songs stood out as exceptional and were mostly just thrown in without much relevance.
Another thing that struck me about this episode is the line between fantasy and reality. Of course, it's always been a blurry line Glee, but I think that usually they are able to keep them separate enough. A running gag through this episode is Brittany accidentally saying her voice overs out loud. Definitely crosses the line, but it's funny so I can accept it. What I don't get is the whole "Womanizer" bit. A bunch of girls, both in and outside of the glee club, sing about how Jake is nothing but a womanizer. By the end they're all dancing and singing in the gym while Jake watches. Seems like your typical fantasy number, right? Except, at the end, they rope Jake and pull him in, following which the song ends and Jake asks Marley to hang out. So, it wasn't a dream and somehow all that actually happened?
I'm going to stay positive and not let this episode bring me down though. The show can still be enjoyable and I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can do. For example, I definitely saw hints of a Sam and Brittany relationship. Last time we saw, Sam and Mercedes were still together, but they were never really strong. As for Brittany and Santana, they're clearly having issues. I think it could be an interesting couple to explore if they do it right. Whether it goes anywhere or not, though, I'll keep my fingers cross that they've got some good plots in store for us.
Brittany's Plot: The main plot of the episode and like I said, incredibly annoying. Brittany is feeling down, so Schuester suggests that they do a Britney Spears theme to cheer her up. Okay, sounds like a good idea, except we already had an episode dedicated to Britney Spears, we don't need another one. Furthermore, the entire plot is just a parody of Spears's dark times. Brittany freaks out and tries to shave her head, attacks people with an umbrella, and lip syncs a song. Also a guy exclaims, "Leave Brittany alone!" Having references to something is good and could be funny, but all this was was taking famous moments and giving them to our Brittany to replicate. At the end, we learn that this was Brittany's intention after all, but it still doesn't make the entire plot any better. Something else that bugged me was the extreme reaction to lip syncing. I can see why Schue would be upset, but why would they be banned from competing at Nationals simply because they lip syncing one school-based concert? Brittany even gave a reason for it, she didn't want to damage her voice and she wanted to focus more on choreography. In short, this plotline was nothing more than a repeat of the last Britney episode and some of Britney's infamous moments.
Rachel's Plot: This plotline was somewhat better, but still irritating at parts. In Rachel's storyline we learn that Cassandra July used to be a Broadway star before freaking out at a man with a cellphone ringing during her performance. And the reason why she's so hard on her students is because she doesn't want her students to explode at an inappropriate time. Pretty predictable storyline, but seeing her over the top reaction to the guy with the phone was pretty amusing. When Rachel gets fed up with Cassie she slaps her with this. After a moment of silence Cassie tells Rachel to get out. I don't know if we're supposed to support Rachel or not, but I'm definitely on Cassie's side for this one. What Rachel said was incredibly inappropriate and probably very hurtful to Cassie, regardless of how hard she is on Rachel. Also, Brody is continuing to advance on Rachel. She has to remind him that she's still thinking about Finn, which he respects. Still, though, it feels like Brody is being pretty immature about the whole thing, moving in on Rachel when she's clearly stated that she's not done with Finn. So, this overall plot had some interesting moments, but still wasn't the best.
Jake's Plotline: Along with Brittany, Jake was pretty much the star of this episode. We learn that he's a womanizer, yet Marley still has her eyes on him. Jake seems to return the feeling and in another heartwarming moment, gets in a fight with some jocks for making fun of Marley's mom. I'd say that's very impressive of him, even if it was a bit violent. We get a quick cameo from Puck who tries to send Jake in the right direction. It would have been nice to see the two of them interact for a little more than one scene, but I guess you have to make cuts to fit in the time constraints. Jake eventually joins Glee club and it looks like he's going to have a relationship with Marley...until Kitty shows up. We were almost out of an episode without her ruining, not that this episode needed any help from her. Anyways, she announces that she is Jake's girlfriend. This is another one of those moments where I just have to shake my head at the disaster character known as Kitty. Jake got into a fight with her two jock lackeys, defending a girl Kitty's been tormenting, and then joins a club which Kitty also seems not to fond of. So therefore she must want to date him? Unlike Finn and Quinn from season one, this relationship has no set up and seems like it's just thrown in to cause some more drama. Of course, this kind of thing has been driving me crazy forever. Relationships in Glee pop up everywhere out of the blue and usually fizzle out in a couple of episodes.
The songs of this episode were nothing special really. Like I said, we already had a Britney episode, so there wasn't the same appeal as there was before. No songs stood out as exceptional and were mostly just thrown in without much relevance.
Another thing that struck me about this episode is the line between fantasy and reality. Of course, it's always been a blurry line Glee, but I think that usually they are able to keep them separate enough. A running gag through this episode is Brittany accidentally saying her voice overs out loud. Definitely crosses the line, but it's funny so I can accept it. What I don't get is the whole "Womanizer" bit. A bunch of girls, both in and outside of the glee club, sing about how Jake is nothing but a womanizer. By the end they're all dancing and singing in the gym while Jake watches. Seems like your typical fantasy number, right? Except, at the end, they rope Jake and pull him in, following which the song ends and Jake asks Marley to hang out. So, it wasn't a dream and somehow all that actually happened?
I'm going to stay positive and not let this episode bring me down though. The show can still be enjoyable and I'm looking forward to seeing what else they can do. For example, I definitely saw hints of a Sam and Brittany relationship. Last time we saw, Sam and Mercedes were still together, but they were never really strong. As for Brittany and Santana, they're clearly having issues. I think it could be an interesting couple to explore if they do it right. Whether it goes anywhere or not, though, I'll keep my fingers cross that they've got some good plots in store for us.
Friday, September 14, 2012
Glee - The New Rachel
Okay, September is here and that means that shows are coming back. Let's start with something a little different than what I've done before, Glee. The episode overall was a bit of a mixed bag for me. It still has many of the good features that we love Glee for, while throwing in some new characters and plots. But there were also a lot of things that bugged me. I'm not going to be covering the whole episode, since they're so long, but just go over the main things.
First off, characters. Of course, one of the main issues I, and a lot of other people, had with the last few seasons was that screentime was dominated by Rachel, Finn, and Kurt. But all of the major camera hogs have graduated and it's time to give other people a chance. Fitting with the theme of "The New Rachel" it seems like Tina, Brittany, Blaine, and newcomer Wade/Unique will be stepping forward and trying to claim this role. Brittany and Blaine both got their fair share of screentime last season, Tina has been about average, and Wade/Unique of course is new. I have no problem with these four, and from the looks of it, Artie as well, becoming stars, as long as they give focus to the other characters as well. Sugar is one of the most amusing characters on the show, and the fact that she can't sing should really make some interesting stories. She had pretty much no relevance last season, so hopefully they can change that. And then there's Joe, who I've been hooked on since his performance of "Stereo Hearts." He's got a nice voice and he's an interesting character; again, I hope for more of him. I was disappointed to see that the little cutie, Rory, is gone without ever getting a chance to stand out. He'd better come back later on, like how they did with Sam last season, since he definitely could offer more. Now onto the new characters.
Kitty: Um...I absolutely hate her! It's not simply because she's a mean girl, though. Sue introduces her as her new head cheerleader, and she is clearly filling the role that Quinn and Santana had in their time as head cheerleaders. We've never seen her before, but somehow, here she is, top of the food chain already. And she's not bringing anything new at all. She's playing the same game that we've seen so many times by now in the last three seasons. But while Quinn and Santana had stories that clearly showed that they were more than some jerk, so far, that's all Kitty is. Now, it is only the first episode, so I'll give her a bit more time, but it didn't long for Quinn to establish herself as deeper than she looked, so Kitty had better get some depth soon or else she could very well end up as the worst character on the show.
Marlie: While the old glee kids are fighting for who shall be the new Rachel, in walks Marlie who clear embodies just that. Unlike Rachel, though, Marlie seems like a much nicer character. Then there's the plotline with her mother, the lunch lady. While this would typically play out with the daughter trying to keep it a secret, Glee takes it in just the opposite direction and has the mother try to keep it a secret in fear that Marlie won't make any friends otherwise. Marlie, however, won't have any of this and tells everyone that the person they're making fun of is in fact her mother. She's nice and brave; truly an admirable character. She could be considered sickeningly sweet, and maybe she will end up like that, but right now I'd say that it's a nice refresh to have a character as positive as she is.
Jake: While Marlie is bringing the positive, Jake is clearly going to be bringing some negative drama onto the show. He's the half-brother to our old friend, Puck. Like Puck, he's clearly got some issues, perhaps even more than his brother. He's a good singer, but he has to have things go his way or else he gets mad. This leads to a confrontation with Shue, and leads to him rejecting the glee club. Obviously he's going to be playing a deep role, and while he still is negative, unlike Kitty (yes, I'm still on her) he has already shown to have more sides than that.
Brody: The new love interest to Rachel. He seems nice, but a little bland. That's all I've got on him for now.
Cassandra July: Rachel's dance instructor. Meh, she bores me. I mean, we've all seen the typical, nasty coach who just wants to see her students succeed. Even if that isn't exactly how Cassandra's going to play out, it's clear that that's the idea they're going for. She reminds me of Sue, except that instead it seems like her quips are meant to be taken more seriously. And since she's not as over the top as Sue is, she's really just a boring version of her.
Dottie: She has no relevance to the plot, and if she had any lines, they weren't memorable. Yet I still find myself greatly enjoying Tina's new assistant. She was just, simply cute. I hope they actually do something with her and don't just have her as a throwaway gag.
Now, let's move onto the new format. Instead of focusing all our attention on McKinley High and its glee club, they've now dedicated half of the show to Rachel in New York. This has its own pros and cons. I definitely liked seeing how Rachel is doing and how different her world has become. However, on the other side, this means that we're losing time to focus on the main plot and as such the episode's storylines can't quite develop as much as before. I guess that's the price to pay, though. I'm hoping that it's not going to be pure Rachel, though, I'm curious to see how Santana or Puck are doing.
Alright, now I have to mention something that really, really bothered me. For the past three seasons it has been repeated time after time that Shue wants glee club to become more popular. They've been desperate for members just so they can meet the minimum requirements, and just to get the club off of the bottom of the food chain. And now Will's dream has come true and glee club is idolized, people are eager to audition. So, maybe he'll have to turn away some kids, like we saw with Sugar last season, right? But a big theme has always been that glee club is open to everyone who auditions, and it's not like they're running out of space. And yet when the list goes up, are you ready for this, there is one person who made past the audition? One person?! So, they're still under the requirement and it's become the kind of clique where only the best can enter? Why, just why?
I mentioned that the glee club has become super popular, well that leads me to another thing that bugged me. For three years these kids have been bullied and no matter what they do, nothing seems to change. They win Nationals, though, and everybody loves them. Okay, I'll accept that. But by the end of the episode, things are right back to how things started. All because Kitty decided that she doesn't like Marlie and Wade, and remember this is a girl who we've seen nothing of since now (I'm not letting this go), where is she getting this kind of influence from? And to just emphasize my previous point, maybe this could have been avoided if Shue let more people join and they actually became a strong fraction of the school population.
But enough about what I didn't like. As usual, the music was amazing. Two songs in particular stood out to me: Blaine's "It's Time" and the competitive attempt on "Call Me Maybe." Of course they had to put that song in there, it's huge. And they did it justice, in a fun sort of way with the four "New Rachel"s trading lines between each other.
I really am looking forward to what more plotlines we'll be seeing. Like I said, we've got plenty of potential in some of the older characters, and we've got a lot to explore with Jake and Marlie...and I'm hoping for Dottie too. Rachel and Kurt's storylines are both different from what we've seen and could definitely be something interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll even come to like Kitty...maybe.
First off, characters. Of course, one of the main issues I, and a lot of other people, had with the last few seasons was that screentime was dominated by Rachel, Finn, and Kurt. But all of the major camera hogs have graduated and it's time to give other people a chance. Fitting with the theme of "The New Rachel" it seems like Tina, Brittany, Blaine, and newcomer Wade/Unique will be stepping forward and trying to claim this role. Brittany and Blaine both got their fair share of screentime last season, Tina has been about average, and Wade/Unique of course is new. I have no problem with these four, and from the looks of it, Artie as well, becoming stars, as long as they give focus to the other characters as well. Sugar is one of the most amusing characters on the show, and the fact that she can't sing should really make some interesting stories. She had pretty much no relevance last season, so hopefully they can change that. And then there's Joe, who I've been hooked on since his performance of "Stereo Hearts." He's got a nice voice and he's an interesting character; again, I hope for more of him. I was disappointed to see that the little cutie, Rory, is gone without ever getting a chance to stand out. He'd better come back later on, like how they did with Sam last season, since he definitely could offer more. Now onto the new characters.
Kitty: Um...I absolutely hate her! It's not simply because she's a mean girl, though. Sue introduces her as her new head cheerleader, and she is clearly filling the role that Quinn and Santana had in their time as head cheerleaders. We've never seen her before, but somehow, here she is, top of the food chain already. And she's not bringing anything new at all. She's playing the same game that we've seen so many times by now in the last three seasons. But while Quinn and Santana had stories that clearly showed that they were more than some jerk, so far, that's all Kitty is. Now, it is only the first episode, so I'll give her a bit more time, but it didn't long for Quinn to establish herself as deeper than she looked, so Kitty had better get some depth soon or else she could very well end up as the worst character on the show.
Marlie: While the old glee kids are fighting for who shall be the new Rachel, in walks Marlie who clear embodies just that. Unlike Rachel, though, Marlie seems like a much nicer character. Then there's the plotline with her mother, the lunch lady. While this would typically play out with the daughter trying to keep it a secret, Glee takes it in just the opposite direction and has the mother try to keep it a secret in fear that Marlie won't make any friends otherwise. Marlie, however, won't have any of this and tells everyone that the person they're making fun of is in fact her mother. She's nice and brave; truly an admirable character. She could be considered sickeningly sweet, and maybe she will end up like that, but right now I'd say that it's a nice refresh to have a character as positive as she is.
Jake: While Marlie is bringing the positive, Jake is clearly going to be bringing some negative drama onto the show. He's the half-brother to our old friend, Puck. Like Puck, he's clearly got some issues, perhaps even more than his brother. He's a good singer, but he has to have things go his way or else he gets mad. This leads to a confrontation with Shue, and leads to him rejecting the glee club. Obviously he's going to be playing a deep role, and while he still is negative, unlike Kitty (yes, I'm still on her) he has already shown to have more sides than that.
Brody: The new love interest to Rachel. He seems nice, but a little bland. That's all I've got on him for now.
Cassandra July: Rachel's dance instructor. Meh, she bores me. I mean, we've all seen the typical, nasty coach who just wants to see her students succeed. Even if that isn't exactly how Cassandra's going to play out, it's clear that that's the idea they're going for. She reminds me of Sue, except that instead it seems like her quips are meant to be taken more seriously. And since she's not as over the top as Sue is, she's really just a boring version of her.
Dottie: She has no relevance to the plot, and if she had any lines, they weren't memorable. Yet I still find myself greatly enjoying Tina's new assistant. She was just, simply cute. I hope they actually do something with her and don't just have her as a throwaway gag.
Now, let's move onto the new format. Instead of focusing all our attention on McKinley High and its glee club, they've now dedicated half of the show to Rachel in New York. This has its own pros and cons. I definitely liked seeing how Rachel is doing and how different her world has become. However, on the other side, this means that we're losing time to focus on the main plot and as such the episode's storylines can't quite develop as much as before. I guess that's the price to pay, though. I'm hoping that it's not going to be pure Rachel, though, I'm curious to see how Santana or Puck are doing.
Alright, now I have to mention something that really, really bothered me. For the past three seasons it has been repeated time after time that Shue wants glee club to become more popular. They've been desperate for members just so they can meet the minimum requirements, and just to get the club off of the bottom of the food chain. And now Will's dream has come true and glee club is idolized, people are eager to audition. So, maybe he'll have to turn away some kids, like we saw with Sugar last season, right? But a big theme has always been that glee club is open to everyone who auditions, and it's not like they're running out of space. And yet when the list goes up, are you ready for this, there is one person who made past the audition? One person?! So, they're still under the requirement and it's become the kind of clique where only the best can enter? Why, just why?
I mentioned that the glee club has become super popular, well that leads me to another thing that bugged me. For three years these kids have been bullied and no matter what they do, nothing seems to change. They win Nationals, though, and everybody loves them. Okay, I'll accept that. But by the end of the episode, things are right back to how things started. All because Kitty decided that she doesn't like Marlie and Wade, and remember this is a girl who we've seen nothing of since now (I'm not letting this go), where is she getting this kind of influence from? And to just emphasize my previous point, maybe this could have been avoided if Shue let more people join and they actually became a strong fraction of the school population.
But enough about what I didn't like. As usual, the music was amazing. Two songs in particular stood out to me: Blaine's "It's Time" and the competitive attempt on "Call Me Maybe." Of course they had to put that song in there, it's huge. And they did it justice, in a fun sort of way with the four "New Rachel"s trading lines between each other.
I really am looking forward to what more plotlines we'll be seeing. Like I said, we've got plenty of potential in some of the older characters, and we've got a lot to explore with Jake and Marlie...and I'm hoping for Dottie too. Rachel and Kurt's storylines are both different from what we've seen and could definitely be something interesting. Who knows, maybe I'll even come to like Kitty...maybe.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Ben 10 Omniverse - The More Things Change Part 1
Okay, I haven't been posting much, but that's because there are no good series running right now. However, I've watched the sneak peak episode of the new Ben 10 series, which will be running in autumn. So here's my thoughts.
I know a big complaint about the new series was the art shift. It was quite shocking to see the character suddenly look like goofy cartoons, however, I don't really have much of a problem with it. The characters look cute in their new style, and it fits the more lighthearted theme they had back in the first series.
The characters are all acting like their usual selves so there's no surprises there. Gwen and Kevin seem to be heading out of the series though. I guess that it is time for a little switch up since it's been the same dynamic for so long. But still, those two will be missed, and are going to need a suitable replacement. I'll get to him later.
So, the episode begins with Zombozo stealing a brain, leading to Kevin hilariously pointing out, "Why does Bellwood even have a brain bank?" I was at first annoyed at how Zombozo had been changed from creepy to wacky. However, I then remembered that they did the exact same thing last time they switched series, so I'm not going to bother complaining. He's still a monster clown which is the heart of his character.
The true villain is revealed to be Khyber and his transforming dog thing. To be honest, I'm not really impressed with this villain. I remember back when Vilgax was big, scary, and menacing. Khyber doesn't exactly come off as an intimidating villain. Maybe he'll prove me wrong, but so far he's given me no reason to think that Ben can't handle him.
Now, for Ben's new partner. Again, I wasn't too happy when I first learned about Rook coming in to replace Gwen and Kevin, however, he hasn't been a disappointment yet. He's very badass when it comes to fighting, yet he's adorably clueless when it comes to communicating with Ben. I think that he'll actually be a very amusing character to get to know.
Lastly, we'll go back to the very start of the episode. We see the ten year old Ben 10 fighting with a new villain called Malware. No more explanation is given, but perhaps we'll be seeing more flashbacks to this time period. While I loved seeing young Ben, this does bring up a few problems. Particularly, problems with the continuity. Things could get messed up if, apparently, new stuff happens in the past that was never mentioned before. It could work out nicely, but I'd rather not get into a tangled mess like this.
All in all, I'm impressed with the start. It's still the same series that we remember, with a few changes. The series needed some changes to keep it interesting though. So I have high hopes for when the series actually begins.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Legend of Korra - Endgame
And so we've come to the massive finale. There's been a lot of build up to this, and it truly was the biggest moment of the series.
The first episode served mainly as a backstory for Amon and Tarrlok. Things start off action packed when Amon shows off his new planes to take out the Fire Nation army. However, the heart of the episode is when Korra discovered an imprisoned Tarrlok. He explains his story. He is Amon's brother and both of them learned bloodbending from Yakone.
The story is incredibly sympathetic. We see that having a family hasn't made Yakone any less of a monster. He forces his children to practice bloodbending, insisting that they will take revenge of Republic City for him. It is incredibly disturbing to see the two young boys torment animals with their powers. The younger Tarrlok cries, "Stop, you're hurting them." To which Yakone scolds him for being weak. The sound of blood being manipulated, the look of terror in the animals' eyes, and the fact that this is done by just kids is completely horrifying. It gets worse, though, Yakone makes his children bloodbend each other. This is the point where Amon, or Noatok as was called then, decides to leave behind his family.
It certainly puts a much more sympathetic view on both characters, but I don't know if can forgive all of their actions. Tarrlok explains that Amon believes that he is doing good by making the world 'equal.' Yet Amon never shows any signs of remorse or sympathy for all the damage he's done to innocent lives. He may have a tragic backstory, but he is still a pure villain.
During the second episodes, things really pick up. I feel that there just wasn't enough room in the given time. Throughout the series we've seen a lot of stuff happen, and it just gets all wrapped up here. Despite his massive army, Korra manages to challenge Amon, learning Airbending, beat Amon, and restore bending to everyone. Of course, it's understandable that it would be a little rushed, considering the time limitations. And that didn't make it any less awesome.
Amon battles both Korra and Mako, and then his own Lieutenant. While Amon has almost always been in complete control, we finally get to see some venerability to him. First off, his seems shocked by Korra's accusation that he's a bender, but has a backup plan for that. Still Tenzin gets a shot at him, and then Mako gets a big moment to shine by electrocuting him despite being bloodbended.
Amon's big defeat comes, right before he tries to debend Mako. Korra, who previously lost her three powers, suddenly gains airbending. It is incredibly satisfying to see Amon finally get what he deserves as Korra blasts him into the ocean. Then he has no choice but to reveal his bending to his followers. The only thing I would have liked to see was Korra's airbending actually coming from one of the lessons she's learned. I mean this whole season she's been trying to connect to her spiritual side to unlock airbending, and yet she gets it right at the end just whens she needs it? It seems a little convenient. Aang seems to explain it as her having nothing is what connected her to the spiritual side, but still it seemed a little out of nowhere to me.
Much more noticeable, however, is Korra's sudden regain of all her powers and the ability to restore bending to everyone. I know the season is ending, but I thought it would be great character development for Korra to learn to adapt without her former powers. And again, it just seems like an easy way out.
The sidestory to this episode feature Asami, Bolin, and General Iroh taking down Hiroshi Sato. First off, where has Iroh been all this time?! He's super awesome, and we only get a couple of episodes to see him in action. The guy has the ability to jet with his firebending, that is epic. However, Asami herself gets a huge moment to shine. She takes control of one of her father's own weapons and faces him in a duel. She calls him out on all this mistakes he's making, which is enough to push him over the edge. Sato has always seemed like a someone relatable villain. He lost his wife and that's enough to make him want to change the world. He clearly still loves his daughter, even when she opposes him. However, he crosses a line in this episode when he decides that Asami won't see things his way so he'll have to kill her. Bolin says it best in an awesome line, "Mr. Sato, you are a horrible father."
The romantic plot still seems a little up in the air. Asami and Mako share a tender moment, but there's still clearly tension between them. Judging by the way the two of them worked together, it seems like another hint that Bolin and Asami will end up together. At the end of episode, Mako and Korra seem to officially get together, which I guess means that Asami is officially single. I want to see Iroh get with someone. Actually I want to see a whole lot of this character, but having him paired off with Asami or Korra when be something interesting.
There is one moment in this episode that really defines the entire series, though. Near the end, Tarrlok and Amon are escaping, and Amon promises them a new life. Tarrlok agrees, yet he seems to have other plans. It takes the viewer a few seconds to realize what he's thinking--then boom! Tarrlok blows up the boat and kills both of them. Yes, that's right, they showed a murder-suicide on a kids show. It's the final touch of tragedy in both of their lives. They couldn't escape the darkness that Yakone had planted in them, and their only choice was to die.
I think I speak for everybody when I say, season 2 cannot come soon enough. The question is, what more will the series offer us. I'm hoping we'll get to see more of the descents of the previous generation. Iroh needs way more screentime, but what about the new Fire Nation queen ? And Tenzin's siblings, one of which showed up briefly at the end? And it's going to require a huge villain to top Amon and Tarrlok . I really don't know how they plan to do it, but I have total faith that season 2 is only going to grow.
The first episode served mainly as a backstory for Amon and Tarrlok. Things start off action packed when Amon shows off his new planes to take out the Fire Nation army. However, the heart of the episode is when Korra discovered an imprisoned Tarrlok. He explains his story. He is Amon's brother and both of them learned bloodbending from Yakone.
The story is incredibly sympathetic. We see that having a family hasn't made Yakone any less of a monster. He forces his children to practice bloodbending, insisting that they will take revenge of Republic City for him. It is incredibly disturbing to see the two young boys torment animals with their powers. The younger Tarrlok cries, "Stop, you're hurting them." To which Yakone scolds him for being weak. The sound of blood being manipulated, the look of terror in the animals' eyes, and the fact that this is done by just kids is completely horrifying. It gets worse, though, Yakone makes his children bloodbend each other. This is the point where Amon, or Noatok as was called then, decides to leave behind his family.
It certainly puts a much more sympathetic view on both characters, but I don't know if can forgive all of their actions. Tarrlok explains that Amon believes that he is doing good by making the world 'equal.' Yet Amon never shows any signs of remorse or sympathy for all the damage he's done to innocent lives. He may have a tragic backstory, but he is still a pure villain.
During the second episodes, things really pick up. I feel that there just wasn't enough room in the given time. Throughout the series we've seen a lot of stuff happen, and it just gets all wrapped up here. Despite his massive army, Korra manages to challenge Amon, learning Airbending, beat Amon, and restore bending to everyone. Of course, it's understandable that it would be a little rushed, considering the time limitations. And that didn't make it any less awesome.
Amon battles both Korra and Mako, and then his own Lieutenant. While Amon has almost always been in complete control, we finally get to see some venerability to him. First off, his seems shocked by Korra's accusation that he's a bender, but has a backup plan for that. Still Tenzin gets a shot at him, and then Mako gets a big moment to shine by electrocuting him despite being bloodbended.
Amon's big defeat comes, right before he tries to debend Mako. Korra, who previously lost her three powers, suddenly gains airbending. It is incredibly satisfying to see Amon finally get what he deserves as Korra blasts him into the ocean. Then he has no choice but to reveal his bending to his followers. The only thing I would have liked to see was Korra's airbending actually coming from one of the lessons she's learned. I mean this whole season she's been trying to connect to her spiritual side to unlock airbending, and yet she gets it right at the end just whens she needs it? It seems a little convenient. Aang seems to explain it as her having nothing is what connected her to the spiritual side, but still it seemed a little out of nowhere to me.
Much more noticeable, however, is Korra's sudden regain of all her powers and the ability to restore bending to everyone. I know the season is ending, but I thought it would be great character development for Korra to learn to adapt without her former powers. And again, it just seems like an easy way out.
The sidestory to this episode feature Asami, Bolin, and General Iroh taking down Hiroshi Sato. First off, where has Iroh been all this time?! He's super awesome, and we only get a couple of episodes to see him in action. The guy has the ability to jet with his firebending, that is epic. However, Asami herself gets a huge moment to shine. She takes control of one of her father's own weapons and faces him in a duel. She calls him out on all this mistakes he's making, which is enough to push him over the edge. Sato has always seemed like a someone relatable villain. He lost his wife and that's enough to make him want to change the world. He clearly still loves his daughter, even when she opposes him. However, he crosses a line in this episode when he decides that Asami won't see things his way so he'll have to kill her. Bolin says it best in an awesome line, "Mr. Sato, you are a horrible father."
The romantic plot still seems a little up in the air. Asami and Mako share a tender moment, but there's still clearly tension between them. Judging by the way the two of them worked together, it seems like another hint that Bolin and Asami will end up together. At the end of episode, Mako and Korra seem to officially get together, which I guess means that Asami is officially single. I want to see Iroh get with someone. Actually I want to see a whole lot of this character, but having him paired off with Asami or Korra when be something interesting.
There is one moment in this episode that really defines the entire series, though. Near the end, Tarrlok and Amon are escaping, and Amon promises them a new life. Tarrlok agrees, yet he seems to have other plans. It takes the viewer a few seconds to realize what he's thinking--then boom! Tarrlok blows up the boat and kills both of them. Yes, that's right, they showed a murder-suicide on a kids show. It's the final touch of tragedy in both of their lives. They couldn't escape the darkness that Yakone had planted in them, and their only choice was to die.
I think I speak for everybody when I say, season 2 cannot come soon enough. The question is, what more will the series offer us. I'm hoping we'll get to see more of the descents of the previous generation. Iroh needs way more screentime, but what about the new Fire Nation queen ? And Tenzin's siblings, one of which showed up briefly at the end? And it's going to require a huge villain to top Amon and Tarrlok . I really don't know how they plan to do it, but I have total faith that season 2 is only going to grow.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Legend of Korra-Turning The Tides
I've said it before, but every episode of this series just cranks up the intensity. Amon moves up another level as he wages full out war with Republic City. Nearly every character in series gets a chance to show just how badass they can be.
As the episode starts we see that the Equalists are taking out several political figures. However, when they come to Tenzin he is able to take them all out in an awesome battle. It only goes up from there. When things take a turn for the worst for Tenzin, the Avatar Four show up and take out his attackers. Then we get to switch the scene to Lin Beifong having to protect Tenzin's family. When she runs into trouble, the three airbender kids prove that they really have been taught well.
All in all, though, the real star of this episode has got to be Beifong. She truly proves how dedicated she is to protecting when she takes on the Equalist attackers practically by herself. Then she realizes that Tenzin and his family need to get somewhere safe and escorts them out of Republic City. When Amon's battleships follow she comes to the decision that it's up to her to keep them busy. The way she tells Tenzin to not turn back, no matter what, shows that she knows how much of a risk she's facing, yet she does it anyway. She metalbends the ships as she tears them apart. It's incredibly awesome, yet incredibly sad, because you just know that she's doomed. Sure enough she's eventually taken out and brought to Amon. She doesn't lose her hard attitude though, even as her bending is taking away from her. Before she disappears Meelo announces, "That lady is my hero." So true.
Something I could do without is the drama of the episode. I feel like I've been saying this for a while, but all the love angst is taking away from these episodes. It worked back when things weren't so dangerous, but now the city is under attack and Asami still is giving Mako grief. Mako brings up several good points, why can't they worry about their relationship later? Asami's not having it though; she is seriously getting quite annoying.
The episode still managed to fit in some funny parts too, though. Right before Asami starts tearing into Mako, Pemma offers to leave the room to give them some privacy. Right before she heads out though, she shows the audience a serious "Oh crap," face. Or another hilarious line was right before the young airbenders attacked,Jinora shouted, "Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!"
At the very end we see a General Iroh from the Fire Nation announcing that the army will arrive in three days. I have no doubt that this show will just continue to escalate in how epic it is as the finale nears. Things are definitely going to get destructive. Korra will most likely finally get to show her full potential. Of course, I expect no less from any of the characters, but it is her legend after all. More than ever, I'm looking forward to more.
As the episode starts we see that the Equalists are taking out several political figures. However, when they come to Tenzin he is able to take them all out in an awesome battle. It only goes up from there. When things take a turn for the worst for Tenzin, the Avatar Four show up and take out his attackers. Then we get to switch the scene to Lin Beifong having to protect Tenzin's family. When she runs into trouble, the three airbender kids prove that they really have been taught well.
All in all, though, the real star of this episode has got to be Beifong. She truly proves how dedicated she is to protecting when she takes on the Equalist attackers practically by herself. Then she realizes that Tenzin and his family need to get somewhere safe and escorts them out of Republic City. When Amon's battleships follow she comes to the decision that it's up to her to keep them busy. The way she tells Tenzin to not turn back, no matter what, shows that she knows how much of a risk she's facing, yet she does it anyway. She metalbends the ships as she tears them apart. It's incredibly awesome, yet incredibly sad, because you just know that she's doomed. Sure enough she's eventually taken out and brought to Amon. She doesn't lose her hard attitude though, even as her bending is taking away from her. Before she disappears Meelo announces, "That lady is my hero." So true.
Something I could do without is the drama of the episode. I feel like I've been saying this for a while, but all the love angst is taking away from these episodes. It worked back when things weren't so dangerous, but now the city is under attack and Asami still is giving Mako grief. Mako brings up several good points, why can't they worry about their relationship later? Asami's not having it though; she is seriously getting quite annoying.
The episode still managed to fit in some funny parts too, though. Right before Asami starts tearing into Mako, Pemma offers to leave the room to give them some privacy. Right before she heads out though, she shows the audience a serious "Oh crap," face. Or another hilarious line was right before the young airbenders attacked,Jinora shouted, "Stay away from my dad's ex-girlfriend!"
At the very end we see a General Iroh from the Fire Nation announcing that the army will arrive in three days. I have no doubt that this show will just continue to escalate in how epic it is as the finale nears. Things are definitely going to get destructive. Korra will most likely finally get to show her full potential. Of course, I expect no less from any of the characters, but it is her legend after all. More than ever, I'm looking forward to more.
Friday, June 15, 2012
New Show: Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated
I've been waiting for season 2 of this, but as it turns out it's already started airing in the UK. So now I've been catching up on all the new episodes.
This has got to be one of the best incarnations of Scooby-Doo. While the monster mysteries are still a key part of the show, there's also the arc mystery of the old Mystery Incorporated and a cursed treasure. Then there's also the characters have their own personal stories of relationships.
It's got quite a few funny lines, and just plain amusing moments. For a Scooby-Doo TV show it's surprisingly dark, though. The big bads who manipulate the gang throughout the show usually make things dangerously serious.
As for the mysteries, I wouldn't bother trying to solve them. They're either obviously straight-forward, which is to be expected from a kids' show, or impossible to predict from what they've given you. I just find it's more enjoyable to watch the gang work and see who the culprit is by the end.
Season 2 continues to expand the mysterious plot. While Mr. E played the role as mysterious helper to the gang, he clearly shows a more villainous side in this season. Helping him now is former 'Manticore,' Hot Dog Water. I think she has potential to be a very interesting character. She's already proved that she's more than another crook in a mask, with her desire to have friends. And yet she also seems loyal to Mr. E. Whatever happens, I think she'll make things interesting.
The gang continues to develop as well. All the romantic relationships have fallen apart, but Daphne and Fred seem to be starting to repair things. Velma meanwhile is trying to maintain a friendship with HDW, yet the gang feels there's no place for her with them. And Scooby has a new crush on cute female dog, Nova. Now it's Shaggy's turn to start feeling jealous.
I'm adding the show to my list, so I'll try to do the most recent episode soon and then continue from their once the next one airs.
This has got to be one of the best incarnations of Scooby-Doo. While the monster mysteries are still a key part of the show, there's also the arc mystery of the old Mystery Incorporated and a cursed treasure. Then there's also the characters have their own personal stories of relationships.
It's got quite a few funny lines, and just plain amusing moments. For a Scooby-Doo TV show it's surprisingly dark, though. The big bads who manipulate the gang throughout the show usually make things dangerously serious.
As for the mysteries, I wouldn't bother trying to solve them. They're either obviously straight-forward, which is to be expected from a kids' show, or impossible to predict from what they've given you. I just find it's more enjoyable to watch the gang work and see who the culprit is by the end.
Season 2 continues to expand the mysterious plot. While Mr. E played the role as mysterious helper to the gang, he clearly shows a more villainous side in this season. Helping him now is former 'Manticore,' Hot Dog Water. I think she has potential to be a very interesting character. She's already proved that she's more than another crook in a mask, with her desire to have friends. And yet she also seems loyal to Mr. E. Whatever happens, I think she'll make things interesting.
The gang continues to develop as well. All the romantic relationships have fallen apart, but Daphne and Fred seem to be starting to repair things. Velma meanwhile is trying to maintain a friendship with HDW, yet the gang feels there's no place for her with them. And Scooby has a new crush on cute female dog, Nova. Now it's Shaggy's turn to start feeling jealous.
I'm adding the show to my list, so I'll try to do the most recent episode soon and then continue from their once the next one airs.
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Legend of Korra - Out Of The Past
Now this episode was just stuffed to the brim with everything. With a series so short it's necessary to get things moving fast and this episode was another huge leap. Surprisingly, Korra was not the center of attention this time, instead the two major plots focused on her friends trying to find her, and a flash of Aang dealing with the criminal, Yakone.
Having the action build again was really amazing. While Team Avatar has normally been on the defensive, this time they finally attacked the Equalists. Bei Fong, being the true badass that she is, took the lead to breaking into the headquarters, rescuing her men, and taking out anyone they ran into. Together the entire group never really had too much trouble with their assault; it just goes to show how amazing they can be when they work together.
The second part of their plot involved confronting Tarrlok. This is where it starts to get a little iffy for me. The Equalists tell the group that they didn't attack and kidnap Korra, so Tenzin immediately concludes that Tarrlok had her kidnapped and lied. I mean, I know Tarrlok is shady and he actually is guilty, but how could Tenzin make an assumption just like that? Their confrontation with Tarrlok would must likely have failed as they had absolutely no proof against him. However, in an awesome moment, Tarrlok's assistant that we saw briefly last time revealed the truth about him. Seeing Tarrlok completely break down was pretty cool too, considering how he's been a smug jerk all this time.
The other side of this episode involved Korra meditating to find out what Aang was trying to tell her. We finally see the story of how Aang and Toph arrested Yakone. After just getting glimpses it's really nice to have it all straightened up and explained. Yakone could definitely rival Amon in creepiness. He remains calm for the most part, and when he's sentenced to prison, he proceeds to bloodbend everyone in the room. There are so many things that are disturbing with these signs: Yakone's constant calm, the sickening sound that comes with bloodbending, the struggling movements of the victims, and then there's the fact that Yakone was doing this in a full room instead of waiting until he was alone. Aang eventually takes away his bending for good, which definitely made the connection with Amon.
As the episode wraps up we learn that Tarrlok is Yakone's son, predictably enough. However, here's another moment I'm not too keen on. Just after Korra concludes that Aang's been trying to warn her about Tarrlok all this time, Tarrlok himself is attacked and depowered by Amon. So we have all this build up to Tarrlok being a major threat, and he's just disposed of by the bigger bad? Korra never even got a shot of him after he imprisoned her. I'm hoping that he's not done yet, but with the finale fast approaching, it doesn't seem too likely.
After that, though, we soon return to the awesome. Korra manages to keep herself safe from electrocution by using her wristband to suspend herself. She then takes out the Equalists and manages to escape from Amon. At the end she is reunited with her relieved friends.
One more thing I'd like to mention about this episode is Asami. I liked her before because of her level-headedness, yet now it seems like she's letting the romantic drama get to her. I was hoping this was all behind us after the drama between Korra, Bolin, and Mako, but apparently Asami wants to have her turn now. Throughout the episode she commented on how Mako was so obsessed with finding Korra. Maybe afterwards she could worry about it, but right now her friend has been kidnapped and that's what she chooses to complain about? I suspect that they'll resolve all this drama in the episode before the finale, so hopefully everyone can work it out.
Overall it was a good episode with a couple of questionable points. Like I said the finale is almost here, so if it continues to build, you know it'll be huge.
Having the action build again was really amazing. While Team Avatar has normally been on the defensive, this time they finally attacked the Equalists. Bei Fong, being the true badass that she is, took the lead to breaking into the headquarters, rescuing her men, and taking out anyone they ran into. Together the entire group never really had too much trouble with their assault; it just goes to show how amazing they can be when they work together.
The second part of their plot involved confronting Tarrlok. This is where it starts to get a little iffy for me. The Equalists tell the group that they didn't attack and kidnap Korra, so Tenzin immediately concludes that Tarrlok had her kidnapped and lied. I mean, I know Tarrlok is shady and he actually is guilty, but how could Tenzin make an assumption just like that? Their confrontation with Tarrlok would must likely have failed as they had absolutely no proof against him. However, in an awesome moment, Tarrlok's assistant that we saw briefly last time revealed the truth about him. Seeing Tarrlok completely break down was pretty cool too, considering how he's been a smug jerk all this time.
The other side of this episode involved Korra meditating to find out what Aang was trying to tell her. We finally see the story of how Aang and Toph arrested Yakone. After just getting glimpses it's really nice to have it all straightened up and explained. Yakone could definitely rival Amon in creepiness. He remains calm for the most part, and when he's sentenced to prison, he proceeds to bloodbend everyone in the room. There are so many things that are disturbing with these signs: Yakone's constant calm, the sickening sound that comes with bloodbending, the struggling movements of the victims, and then there's the fact that Yakone was doing this in a full room instead of waiting until he was alone. Aang eventually takes away his bending for good, which definitely made the connection with Amon.
As the episode wraps up we learn that Tarrlok is Yakone's son, predictably enough. However, here's another moment I'm not too keen on. Just after Korra concludes that Aang's been trying to warn her about Tarrlok all this time, Tarrlok himself is attacked and depowered by Amon. So we have all this build up to Tarrlok being a major threat, and he's just disposed of by the bigger bad? Korra never even got a shot of him after he imprisoned her. I'm hoping that he's not done yet, but with the finale fast approaching, it doesn't seem too likely.
After that, though, we soon return to the awesome. Korra manages to keep herself safe from electrocution by using her wristband to suspend herself. She then takes out the Equalists and manages to escape from Amon. At the end she is reunited with her relieved friends.
One more thing I'd like to mention about this episode is Asami. I liked her before because of her level-headedness, yet now it seems like she's letting the romantic drama get to her. I was hoping this was all behind us after the drama between Korra, Bolin, and Mako, but apparently Asami wants to have her turn now. Throughout the episode she commented on how Mako was so obsessed with finding Korra. Maybe afterwards she could worry about it, but right now her friend has been kidnapped and that's what she chooses to complain about? I suspect that they'll resolve all this drama in the episode before the finale, so hopefully everyone can work it out.
Overall it was a good episode with a couple of questionable points. Like I said the finale is almost here, so if it continues to build, you know it'll be huge.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Young Justice - Depths
This episode has got to be the complete opposite of last week's episode. "Bloodlines" was for the most part comedic and only focused on one character. "Depths" on the other hand was incredibly dramatic and gave a fair share of development to many characters. It was just as good an episode though.
The main focus of this episode was Artemis and was nice to see her back after giving and episode to Aqualad and Kid Flash. She' still awesome as ever and seeing her in action was fun. The big thing about the episode was that she "died." However, this wasn't a surprise ending; they revealed it right at the start, which was the first clue that it would be subverted somehow. The early reveal and then working back to how it happened was an interesting idea, but they really abused it to death. Every time Artemis or Dick said anything it would someone hint to her upcoming "death," which got a little annoying after the first couple of times.
And of course the ending reveals that she's still alive. However, they did pull this off pretty well. Instead of just having Artemis burst back into life at the last minute, they actual made it seem like she was truly gone. The next scene was a funeral, again giving the impression that she really had died. So when she showed up at the final scene, it was quite a relief. I feel that it would have been better if they hadn't had the "She's dead" line right at the start, though. Like I said, that was a big tip off that all wasn't as it seemed and meant that I still figured that she might be alive.
Speaking of the ending, another twist that wasn't expecting as much though was that Aqualad is still good. I thought this at first, but after "Alienated" it made it quite clear that he had many reasons to turn to the bad side. So I really couldn't help but smile when we learn that he's just been acting undercover all this time and having to make tough decisions. Like season the search for the mole created a lot of tension between characters, I think we might heading in that direction again with this plot now.
While that was the major source of drama, there was quite a lot going on between Miss Martian, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy. In a dark scene we learn the true reason behind Miss Martian and Superboy breaking up. It seems like Megan still sees things as black and white and thinks it's okay to mind rape as long as it's on "the bad guys." That might not seem like enough to break up the two, but they we learn that she tried to change Connor's mind about it mentally. It's so easy to feel the pain between the two of them. You may recall Connor exploding at Megan earlier when she tried to talk to him mentally because it reminded him of his time at Cadmus. And then you'll remember that Megan was terrified that she might make a mistake and lose Connor. Well the worst has come true for the both of them. If the pain in their voices isn't enough to make you feel for them, than Megan starting to cry would do it.
And then there's the character who has been waiting for a breakout episode since season 2 started, Lagoon Boy. He's always around, and sometimes goes out on missions, yet we haven't really seen too much of him yet. Today we really got to learn what kind of person he is. He has probably got to be one of the most obnoxious characters yet. He purposefully taunts Connor with his relationship with Megan, and then in action he ignores orders from Nightwing. We haven't really seen a character like this yet. Cassie was shown to be a little careless, but Lagoon Boy is much, much worse. I quite like him for it. He should keep things interesting by not being as perfect as the other heroes. Currently he's been captured by Black Manta which in itself should lead to an interesting plot.
Nightwing finally got into the action, but I still don't think it was his breakout yet. He still hasn't done anything particularly big, aside from being in control of the team's actions. I'm still hoping he'll get an episode to himself soon. Since the so-called retired heroes are starting to get back in the spotlight, I'm also hoping we'll be seeing Zatanna and Rocket soon too. They were two of my favorites from season 1 and I was disappointed to learn that they would be leaving the team, especially since they didn't get much development. But I've got my fingers crossed.
The main problem with this episode was plot holes. Megan says that they can't let the villains know that the main heroes are gone, but earlier Psimon seemed to know that Batman was out of the picture. If The Light already know then it's not likely keeping it a secret will help. And then there's the reasoning behind Artemis returning to the team. In hindsight it was likely that they just wanted an excuse to "kill" her, but the reasoning they gave to everyone else seemed pretty weak. She just told Megan that she was there because "not everyone thinks the Martians are bad." So, what exactly does that mean? And lastly, why did Black Manta want to destroy the rocket? I'm sure it benefited The Light's plan somehow, but they didn't really explain that.
Last week's plots were shoved to the side for now. Bart and the real Speedy are probably going to be stored for another plot later. It's a shame because I was interested in both of them, but I guess that it's for the best that we take it one plotline at a time.
The plot is definitely getting deeper and I think things are really going to start taking shape soon. As always, I'll be looking forward to the next episode.
The main focus of this episode was Artemis and was nice to see her back after giving and episode to Aqualad and Kid Flash. She' still awesome as ever and seeing her in action was fun. The big thing about the episode was that she "died." However, this wasn't a surprise ending; they revealed it right at the start, which was the first clue that it would be subverted somehow. The early reveal and then working back to how it happened was an interesting idea, but they really abused it to death. Every time Artemis or Dick said anything it would someone hint to her upcoming "death," which got a little annoying after the first couple of times.
And of course the ending reveals that she's still alive. However, they did pull this off pretty well. Instead of just having Artemis burst back into life at the last minute, they actual made it seem like she was truly gone. The next scene was a funeral, again giving the impression that she really had died. So when she showed up at the final scene, it was quite a relief. I feel that it would have been better if they hadn't had the "She's dead" line right at the start, though. Like I said, that was a big tip off that all wasn't as it seemed and meant that I still figured that she might be alive.
Speaking of the ending, another twist that wasn't expecting as much though was that Aqualad is still good. I thought this at first, but after "Alienated" it made it quite clear that he had many reasons to turn to the bad side. So I really couldn't help but smile when we learn that he's just been acting undercover all this time and having to make tough decisions. Like season the search for the mole created a lot of tension between characters, I think we might heading in that direction again with this plot now.
While that was the major source of drama, there was quite a lot going on between Miss Martian, Superboy, and Lagoon Boy. In a dark scene we learn the true reason behind Miss Martian and Superboy breaking up. It seems like Megan still sees things as black and white and thinks it's okay to mind rape as long as it's on "the bad guys." That might not seem like enough to break up the two, but they we learn that she tried to change Connor's mind about it mentally. It's so easy to feel the pain between the two of them. You may recall Connor exploding at Megan earlier when she tried to talk to him mentally because it reminded him of his time at Cadmus. And then you'll remember that Megan was terrified that she might make a mistake and lose Connor. Well the worst has come true for the both of them. If the pain in their voices isn't enough to make you feel for them, than Megan starting to cry would do it.
And then there's the character who has been waiting for a breakout episode since season 2 started, Lagoon Boy. He's always around, and sometimes goes out on missions, yet we haven't really seen too much of him yet. Today we really got to learn what kind of person he is. He has probably got to be one of the most obnoxious characters yet. He purposefully taunts Connor with his relationship with Megan, and then in action he ignores orders from Nightwing. We haven't really seen a character like this yet. Cassie was shown to be a little careless, but Lagoon Boy is much, much worse. I quite like him for it. He should keep things interesting by not being as perfect as the other heroes. Currently he's been captured by Black Manta which in itself should lead to an interesting plot.
Nightwing finally got into the action, but I still don't think it was his breakout yet. He still hasn't done anything particularly big, aside from being in control of the team's actions. I'm still hoping he'll get an episode to himself soon. Since the so-called retired heroes are starting to get back in the spotlight, I'm also hoping we'll be seeing Zatanna and Rocket soon too. They were two of my favorites from season 1 and I was disappointed to learn that they would be leaving the team, especially since they didn't get much development. But I've got my fingers crossed.
The main problem with this episode was plot holes. Megan says that they can't let the villains know that the main heroes are gone, but earlier Psimon seemed to know that Batman was out of the picture. If The Light already know then it's not likely keeping it a secret will help. And then there's the reasoning behind Artemis returning to the team. In hindsight it was likely that they just wanted an excuse to "kill" her, but the reasoning they gave to everyone else seemed pretty weak. She just told Megan that she was there because "not everyone thinks the Martians are bad." So, what exactly does that mean? And lastly, why did Black Manta want to destroy the rocket? I'm sure it benefited The Light's plan somehow, but they didn't really explain that.
Last week's plots were shoved to the side for now. Bart and the real Speedy are probably going to be stored for another plot later. It's a shame because I was interested in both of them, but I guess that it's for the best that we take it one plotline at a time.
The plot is definitely getting deeper and I think things are really going to start taking shape soon. As always, I'll be looking forward to the next episode.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Legend of Korra - When Extremes Meet
This episode started out not promising too much, but once it got rolling it seriously made some big movements.
The main thing to note that it was basically line after crossed line for Tarrlok. It's not surprise that the new chief of police is in his pocket, but that was just the start of his feud with Korra. Tarrlok continues to prod Korra, and things take a turn for the worst when he tries to abuse all non-benders for being suspect of being equalist. Korra, being the hot-headed morally driven girl she is, tries to help the people, only to get her friends arrested. Then at the climax, Korra visits Tarrlok alone at night. It starts out like another one of their conversations going nowhere, but suddenly Tarrlok snaps at gets into a fight with Korra. And at the very last minute he shows that he knows how to bloodbend and locks Korra in a wagon. His last words are that she'll never see Republic City again.
These episodes just keep on adding bigger and bigger plotpoints. Whether Tarrlok is working for Amon or not, he's clearly branded himself as a villain now. We don't know what's in store for Korra, but she's got a lot of work to do now.
In this episode we also got to see the official formation of the new Team Avatar. Korra, Bolin, Mako, and Asami get into action and start taking down the equalists. I thought that Korra was supposed to be focusing on Airbending instead of fighting crime but I'm not complaining. We finally got to see Mako and Bolin in full offense mode which is something I've been waiting for. But it's clear that the most skilled fighter is Asami, which isn't too surprising.
I really liked Korra's attitude this episode. As usual she doesn't always think before acting, but that's what makes her so cool. She's ready to help out the nonbenders as soon as she sees how they're being treated. Then she takes the fight to Tarrlok personally. And when he tells her that he'll release her friends if she follows his rules, I was expecting her to reluctanly agree, but she tells him that she can't be controlled. Go Korra!
I have to say I am quite disappointed with Ikki, though. Just when that painful romantic plot was getting resolved, Ikki blurts out to Asami that Korra likes Mako. And later we see that it's Asami's turn to get jealous. Really? We already had Korra, Mako, and Bolin have dramatic reactions to this plot, while Asami remained pretty kind to everyone. And now she's going to get angry too. Thanks, Ikki.
But there were some funny parts in this episode too. My favorite part was Korra yelling at the corrupt police chief, "You are the worst police chief ever!" And it was immediately followed by Tenzin telling her to calm down, before adding, "You really are the worst...ever." Ah Tenzin, always good for a laugh.
With the end of this episode we've got a lot of questions and plots to resolve. Will Korra manage to get back to Republic City? Will her friends get out of jail? How will they deal with Amon? When are we going to see Beifong again? I seriously can't wait for the next episode!
The main thing to note that it was basically line after crossed line for Tarrlok. It's not surprise that the new chief of police is in his pocket, but that was just the start of his feud with Korra. Tarrlok continues to prod Korra, and things take a turn for the worst when he tries to abuse all non-benders for being suspect of being equalist. Korra, being the hot-headed morally driven girl she is, tries to help the people, only to get her friends arrested. Then at the climax, Korra visits Tarrlok alone at night. It starts out like another one of their conversations going nowhere, but suddenly Tarrlok snaps at gets into a fight with Korra. And at the very last minute he shows that he knows how to bloodbend and locks Korra in a wagon. His last words are that she'll never see Republic City again.
These episodes just keep on adding bigger and bigger plotpoints. Whether Tarrlok is working for Amon or not, he's clearly branded himself as a villain now. We don't know what's in store for Korra, but she's got a lot of work to do now.
In this episode we also got to see the official formation of the new Team Avatar. Korra, Bolin, Mako, and Asami get into action and start taking down the equalists. I thought that Korra was supposed to be focusing on Airbending instead of fighting crime but I'm not complaining. We finally got to see Mako and Bolin in full offense mode which is something I've been waiting for. But it's clear that the most skilled fighter is Asami, which isn't too surprising.
I really liked Korra's attitude this episode. As usual she doesn't always think before acting, but that's what makes her so cool. She's ready to help out the nonbenders as soon as she sees how they're being treated. Then she takes the fight to Tarrlok personally. And when he tells her that he'll release her friends if she follows his rules, I was expecting her to reluctanly agree, but she tells him that she can't be controlled. Go Korra!
I have to say I am quite disappointed with Ikki, though. Just when that painful romantic plot was getting resolved, Ikki blurts out to Asami that Korra likes Mako. And later we see that it's Asami's turn to get jealous. Really? We already had Korra, Mako, and Bolin have dramatic reactions to this plot, while Asami remained pretty kind to everyone. And now she's going to get angry too. Thanks, Ikki.
But there were some funny parts in this episode too. My favorite part was Korra yelling at the corrupt police chief, "You are the worst police chief ever!" And it was immediately followed by Tenzin telling her to calm down, before adding, "You really are the worst...ever." Ah Tenzin, always good for a laugh.
With the end of this episode we've got a lot of questions and plots to resolve. Will Korra manage to get back to Republic City? Will her friends get out of jail? How will they deal with Amon? When are we going to see Beifong again? I seriously can't wait for the next episode!
Saturday, June 2, 2012
Young Justice - Bloodlines
Alright, let's get this started!
With the hints that have been dropped so far, I've been waiting for various other kid heroes to show up in the series. With this episode we got to meet Impulse, and I've definitely been expecting him. He's a really awesome character and this was a great episode to cover him. His wacky personality is really enjoyable, and it's a strong step above the other comic relief characters, Kid Flash and Beast Boy, who are more joke-makers. Impulse's motor mouth talking and constant nonchalant attitude makes him very amusing.
The plotlines that we've been following so far didn't get too much progress in this episode. The villain, Neutron, seems to have been controlled by some hidden bad guy. My first thought was the Kroloteans since that's what we were led to believe, but at the end we see a silhouette that does not match the Kroloteans. But the plot just got a lot more deep with the addition of time travel and a wasteland future. The ending revealed that Impulse still has work to do in 2016, so we'll probably be seeing more of that.
Speaking of the ending, it was a nice twist that they pulled off. It's not a serious shocker, but it was interesting to see that Impulse isn't actually the goofball that he appears. He seems to in fact be rather grim, having come from a terrible time that's understandable.
The sideplot in this episode was just as, if not more, fascinating. Continuing where we left off, Red Arrow work to find the original Speedy. Seeing the two of them in action on the same side was very satisfying; in particular we see them surrounded by guard in one scene, then finished off the last one in the next scene. When their story started, I was a little confused as to why Chesire would risk bring her baby with them, but I wasn't the only one; Roy points out that they should have left Lian with Artemis halfway through their plot. Of course, Chesire and Roy both have no problem even with the baby. With the discovery of Speedy I'm really interested to see how he will play into the plot.
Some of my favorite moments this episode were Nightwing's skills in general. He managed to take out super speedy Impulse, then got him to drink a tracking device by getting him to think that he was tricking him into giving a DNA sample. We really need to have an episode that actually focuses on Nightwing in action and not just him off to the side. Then there was Barry's "Be back in a flash," line. What really makes it hilarious is just his family's unamused reactions.
The only problem I have with this episode is that it created way more questions than it answered. We haven't even gotten to know all of the new characters, we don't know the full story behind the former members, and we don't know what's with the five missing numbers; yet they're already adding a new character. Furthermore I felt like they had a nice balance going on between the Kroloteans, the Light, and the other subplots, but this one just throws another major curveball. The future plot is not going to be something that can be resolved soon so we're likely to get a few more episodes on it.
That being said, I'm still really happy to have Impulse on the cast now. I think his plot and character will make the series even more enjoyable. I've got my fingers crossed that next episode we'll get a few more answers we've waiting for.
With the hints that have been dropped so far, I've been waiting for various other kid heroes to show up in the series. With this episode we got to meet Impulse, and I've definitely been expecting him. He's a really awesome character and this was a great episode to cover him. His wacky personality is really enjoyable, and it's a strong step above the other comic relief characters, Kid Flash and Beast Boy, who are more joke-makers. Impulse's motor mouth talking and constant nonchalant attitude makes him very amusing.
The plotlines that we've been following so far didn't get too much progress in this episode. The villain, Neutron, seems to have been controlled by some hidden bad guy. My first thought was the Kroloteans since that's what we were led to believe, but at the end we see a silhouette that does not match the Kroloteans. But the plot just got a lot more deep with the addition of time travel and a wasteland future. The ending revealed that Impulse still has work to do in 2016, so we'll probably be seeing more of that.
Speaking of the ending, it was a nice twist that they pulled off. It's not a serious shocker, but it was interesting to see that Impulse isn't actually the goofball that he appears. He seems to in fact be rather grim, having come from a terrible time that's understandable.
The sideplot in this episode was just as, if not more, fascinating. Continuing where we left off, Red Arrow work to find the original Speedy. Seeing the two of them in action on the same side was very satisfying; in particular we see them surrounded by guard in one scene, then finished off the last one in the next scene. When their story started, I was a little confused as to why Chesire would risk bring her baby with them, but I wasn't the only one; Roy points out that they should have left Lian with Artemis halfway through their plot. Of course, Chesire and Roy both have no problem even with the baby. With the discovery of Speedy I'm really interested to see how he will play into the plot.
Some of my favorite moments this episode were Nightwing's skills in general. He managed to take out super speedy Impulse, then got him to drink a tracking device by getting him to think that he was tricking him into giving a DNA sample. We really need to have an episode that actually focuses on Nightwing in action and not just him off to the side. Then there was Barry's "Be back in a flash," line. What really makes it hilarious is just his family's unamused reactions.
The only problem I have with this episode is that it created way more questions than it answered. We haven't even gotten to know all of the new characters, we don't know the full story behind the former members, and we don't know what's with the five missing numbers; yet they're already adding a new character. Furthermore I felt like they had a nice balance going on between the Kroloteans, the Light, and the other subplots, but this one just throws another major curveball. The future plot is not going to be something that can be resolved soon so we're likely to get a few more episodes on it.
That being said, I'm still really happy to have Impulse on the cast now. I think his plot and character will make the series even more enjoyable. I've got my fingers crossed that next episode we'll get a few more answers we've waiting for.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Introductions
Hello everyone. So, for the last year or so I've been giving my opinions on music, but now I've decided to spread out into TV shows now. I have several shows, mostly cartoons, that I watch weekly, and I have strong opinions on most of them. With each episode I'll post my thoughts on what I thought of it and how it affected the plot and characters. The list of shows is bound to change based on what's airing at the time. Right now the three cartoons that I'm watching are Young Justice, Legend of Korra, and Ultimate Spider-man.
Young Justice is a DC universe show focusing on the younger heroes. It took a bit of time for me to warm up to it, but I have become quite fond of the deep characters. Recently it started it's second season featuring several new characters. Again, it took a little time to get used to them, but they also seem interesting. With each episode I'll be show to talk about the further expansion the characters receive.
Legend of Korra is a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. While I've only seen portions of Airbender, I have been keeping up to date with Korra. The characters always make me smile, and the dark plot is very, very intriguing. I'm sure to mention my favorite funny moments of each episode and my speculations for future episodes.
Ultimate Spider-man takes Peter Parker and puts him on a team with four other heroes. They run into various Marvel heroes and villains throughout their adventures. This is the series that I'm the most mixed on and most likely to complain about. It has some good points: interesting characters, an overarching plot, and clever fight scenes; and some bad points: lame characters, plotholes, and tries too hard to be funny. My posts will probably vary depending on how good the episode was.
So yeah, if you like watch any of these shows and wanna hear my opinion be sure to drop by whenever the episode airs.
Young Justice is a DC universe show focusing on the younger heroes. It took a bit of time for me to warm up to it, but I have become quite fond of the deep characters. Recently it started it's second season featuring several new characters. Again, it took a little time to get used to them, but they also seem interesting. With each episode I'll be show to talk about the further expansion the characters receive.
Legend of Korra is a sequel to Avatar: The Last Airbender. While I've only seen portions of Airbender, I have been keeping up to date with Korra. The characters always make me smile, and the dark plot is very, very intriguing. I'm sure to mention my favorite funny moments of each episode and my speculations for future episodes.
Ultimate Spider-man takes Peter Parker and puts him on a team with four other heroes. They run into various Marvel heroes and villains throughout their adventures. This is the series that I'm the most mixed on and most likely to complain about. It has some good points: interesting characters, an overarching plot, and clever fight scenes; and some bad points: lame characters, plotholes, and tries too hard to be funny. My posts will probably vary depending on how good the episode was.
So yeah, if you like watch any of these shows and wanna hear my opinion be sure to drop by whenever the episode airs.
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