Author Archives: Doc

Yellowjackets S3 E7

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“Yellowjackets: Croak”

Joel McHale.

I did not expect to see him as one of the outsiders that came upon the Yellowjackets last week, but there he was, sporting a crossbow and everything.

I don’t know, if I were Joel McHale, who played Kodiak, who was a guide for the frog scientists, Edwin and Hannah, I would not have run from the girls. I had a crossbow. Even after Lottie killed Edwin with an axe, I think I might have tried to take a stand against them. He was clearly bigger and stronger than the girls.

In the end, both Kodiak and Hannah were captured by the Yellowjackets and, if what he hear about in the present day, it does not sound as if either of them make it out of the wilderness. At least, if they do, they are missing.

Then, the mystery of who killed Lottie continues to be crazy as it could, literally, be just about anyone. Taissa has been under the control of her other half for who knows how long. Something confirmed by Van when she was hallucinating at the hospital. She was throwing up blood as Shauna, Tai and Misty joined her on the way to confront the daughter of Hannah, who they believe had sent them that tape. Of course, it could also be Shauna, who had her DNA under Lottie’s fingernails.

Shauna ditched her, well, I was going to say friends, but that is not right) former team mates at the hospital and went to the daughter’s house and Shauna had purchased a big old knife. What is her plan? Or is she just still as psychotic as she seemed in the wilderness? Callie seems to be wondering if her mother is a bad person.

This episode flew by for me and I was not ready for it to end. I can’t wait for next week’s new installment… along with the rumored appearance of Hillary Swank.

The X-Files S8 E12

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“Medusa”

Setting an X-Files episode in the subway system is a solid local. I read some criticism that the subway they showed was way too clean and pristine, but I have never been in a subway before so that is something that I would not have thought about without the comment.

Scully and Doggett were here to investigate a death of a man on the train whose body had been eaten away. They received plenty of push back from the people in charge of the subway, who were not prepared to shut down the subway and cause chaos among the people who used it.

Doggett went down into the subway tunnels as Scully stayed behind to man the center. Though not mentioned, I wondered if this was because she was pregnant and she did not want to potentially expose herself to an unknown contagion. That does not feel like Scully, but it could be the underlying tone of the situation.

Transit police Lieutenant Bianco had lots of negative things to say about Scully, and it felt as if he did not want to be taking orders from a woman. I do not know if he was meant to be shown as misogynistic or just a jerk who did not want to be there, but he was back talking her and running her down to Doggett through much of the episode.

I am not sure how I felt about the end of the episode. It seemed that the mute boy came out of nowhere and the end of the medusa, the cause of the contagion, was killed so easily. It did feel too quick and did not develop it enough.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #9

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“Why We Fight”

I was wondering if this was an episode we were going to get.

When the soldiers of Easy Company were sounding like they were questioning the reason they were fighting this war in the first place, I knew we were getting the scenes we would get.

Concentration Camps.

It was tough to watch the horror of the soldiers as they walked into the camp and realized what the people who were there were going through at the hands of the Nazis. The imagery the show provided in this time was heartbreaking.

The soldiers brought the German town folk to the camp to help clean up and bury the bodies of the Jews that were dead. The shock of what the people saw was powerful. I can’t imagine the idea that they realized that they were the bad guys the whole time.

The episode focused on Nixon, who received bad news from home… his wife is divorcing him and taking his dog. Nixon spent much of the episode drinking, a specific whiskey only. He spends much of the episode searching for it.

EYG Comic Cavalcade #144

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Boy, there was a big week of comics this week, but it is nothing compared to what is coming next week.

I picked up a bunch of comics at Comic World and via eBay, as well as some purchased for me by Todd in Des Moines. I picked up a bunch of independents today at In This Issue Comics in Bettendorf that will not be included in this edition of EYG Comic Cavalcade. Depending on how much reading I get completed, I made do another issue of EYG CC before NEW COMIC BOOK DAY this Wednesday. That is a wait and see…

Next week, as I was going over Midtown Comics list, could have as many as 50 new books. That is an insane number. Probably will have to split into two EYG CC’s next week for sure.

Meanwhile, I have quite the potpourri of comic books this week. Todd calls some of the books that I pick up “unique.” It is tough when you are a trendsetter, like me.

This week’s “unique” books and others:

20 Degrees Past Rigor #1-3. Written by Rodney Barnes and drawn by Maan House. I have had issues #2 and #3 for awhile now, but I was missing #1, so they have been sitting in a pile waiting. I went to eBay to look at the book and it was rare and expensive so I put it off for some time. I finally ordered it and it arrived this week. This was just a three issue series from Zombie Love Studios and it was fun. I learned that the title was when the dead bodies started turning into zombies… twenty degree past when the body would become rigor.

X-Force #9. “The Shapley Value.” Written by Geoffrey Thorne and art by Marcus To. Stephen Segovia & Rain Beredo did the cover art. This is chapter six of the X-Manhunt, and we get the resurrection of Lilandra. This being the reason Charles Xavier has been running around free the last several chapters.

Dark Pyramid #1. Written by Paul Tobin and art and cover art by PJ Holden. This is a new series from Mad Cave that I could not find at any of the local shops and I have to grab via eBay. A podcaster goes missing during a recording session after entering a cave on Mt. Denau in Alaska. His girlfriend Becca heads to the mountain to try and find him. Intriguing mystery in this new book. Looking forward to seeing where it goes.

Miles Morales: Spider-Man #31. “Pools of Blood Part Four” Written by Cody Ziglar and art by Luigi Zagaria. Federico Vicentini and Ceci De La Cruz did the cover art. Miles and Deadpool’s team up comes to an end with this issue and we get a cameo at the end of the book showing us where Miles is heading next… Hercules?

Exceptional X-Men #7. Written by Eve L. Ewing and art by Carmen Carnero. Carmen Carnero and Nolan Woodard did the cover art. Part of the X-Manhunt saga, but not a numbered chapter. This was listed as Collateral Damage and is barely connected. It is more about Axo discovering his new friend and mentor is actually Mister Sinister. Tough reveal for Axo.

The Deviant #9. Written by James Tynion IV and art and cover art by Joshua Hixson (Silver Medalist). The series comes to a dramatic conclusion after a long wait. Issue nine has been long time coming and it does not disappoint.

Absolute Batman #6. Written by Scott Snyder and art by Nick Dragotta. Cover art was done by Nick Dragotta and Frank Martin. Batman punts a young kid off a boat. It was one of the best things I have ever seen. Oh… and Absolute Joker makes his first appearance.

TVA #4. Written by Katharyn Blair and art by Pere Perez. Cover art was done by Pere Perez and GURU-eFX. I really like this mixture of the characters from Loki Disney + series and Marvel. Seeing Spider-Gwen, Captain Carter and a variant of Gambit working with B-15 and Mobius is a good time.

Saga #72. Written by Brian K. Vaughn and art and cover art by Fiona Staples (Gold Medalist). The weird and wild adventures of Hazel continue with the newest episode of the Saga. There is such a developed storyline here that it feels as if anything could happen, but I am confident that Vaughn and Staples knows exactly where they are headed. Saga is one of the best reads every month.

Avengers #24. “The Casino Job” Part 3. Written by Jed MacKay and art by Farid Karami. Valerio Schiti and Federico Blee did the art for the cover. Kang shows his treacherous side and Black Cat questions the side she is on. The Avengers then return to earth in time to discover that Dr. Doom is in control.

Absolute Flash #1. “Of Two Worlds Part One.” Written by Jeff Lemire and art and cover art by Nick Robles. I love Jeff Lemire and I have always liked the character of Flash, so this is a nice combination for me in the new “ABSOLUTE” books from DC. Wally West is our main protagonist and it sure does not seem as if Barry Allen has much of a future in this book. Good stuff so far.

One World Under Doom #2. “The Free World.” Written by Ryan North and art by R.B. Silva. Variant cover art by R.B. Silva. Victor Von Doom is showing off his new power to Valeria Richards and uses his power to “un-rock” Ben Grimm. Thing no more? We’ve seen this happen several times so I do not expect this to be a long term development… especially with the Fantastic Four movie coming out from Marvel Studios in July.

West Coast Avengers #5. Written by Gerry Duggan and art by Danny Kim. Ben Harvey did the cover art. Finally caught up with the West Coast Avengers after missing an issue awhile ago and then not getting this one on time. I do like this roster of characters so far, but with Firestar off for rehab, I would like to see someone new.

Out of Alcatraz #1. “Modesto.” Written by Christopher Cantwell and art and cover art by Tyler Crook (Bronze Medalist). This is a piece of historical fiction combined with a what if. This follows two of the prisoners who tried to escape from Alcatraz. It was believed that the escapees had drowned in their escape attempt, but in this new book from Oni Press, Christopher Cantwell tells the story of two of them surviving and what happened to them after. I enjoyed this quite a bit too.

Return of the Living Dead #2. Written by S.A. Check and James Kuhoric and art by Andrea Arcari. Cover art by Mark Spears. Another book that came to me from eBay this week. It is yet another book that has provided us with zombie action. Plus an awesome Mark Spears cover.

Those Not Afraid #2. Written by Kyle Starks and art by Patrick Piazzalunga. Cover art was done by Glenn Fabry. Our serial killer competition is in full swing, but will it be derailed when the Headless Whores Man is arrested and the Home Intruder sprung a trap. Only two issues in and it seems like we are at the end. I suppose there is more coming from our mysterious killers.

You Never Heard of Me #2. Written by Iolanda Zanfardino and illustrated by Elisa Romboli. Will uses his new power that he gained from his grandma to help save a classmate from making a fatal mistake… and perhaps gains a new helper.

Eddie Brock: Carnage #2. Written by Charles Soule and art by Jesus Saiz. Iban Coello & Frank D’Armata did the cover art. Above all else, I was distracted in this issue because they kept talking about Oceanic Airliner Flight 814 crashing, and it was taking me back to Oceanic Flight 815 from LOST. Clearly that is an homage to my favorite show ever. Oh, and Carnage and Eddie tangle with Bushwacker.

New Champions #3. Written by Steve Foxe and art by Ivan Fiorelli. Cover art was done by Todd Nauck & Rachelle Rosenberg. The New Champions vs. the Champions! Manipulated by Psycho Man, the two teams, who should be the best of friends, fight each other. Are the Champions even a thing any more?

Bug Wars #2. “Ain’t No God in Swarm City.” Written by Jason Aaron and drawn by Mahmud Asrar. Cover art was done by Mahmud Asrar & Matthew Wilson. Bug Wars has been a cool read so far. Slade Slaymaker shrinks down and is in the fight of his bug-lovin’ life… in the grass outside his own house. One of the more creative books out this month.

Assorted Crisis Events #1. Written by Deniz Camp and art by Eric Zawadzki. Variant cover art B by Stipan Morian. This was a wild book. Playing with time is always a mind-f and this one is taking all of that to a brand new level. This is one of those unique books that truly is different than most books on the market.

The Hive #1 & 2. Written by AJ Lieberman and art by Mike Henderson. Another one I have been waiting for. I ordered this off eBay on Feb. 17, and I had not noticed that the seller listed the delivery time as a month + later. I was so tired of waiting for issue #1 that I ordered it from another eBay seller. Ironically, both copies of #1 arrived on the same day. I’m not giving any feedback for that first seller, nor will I buy from him again. Series is intriguing though.

G.I. Joe #5. Written by Joshua Williamson and art and cover art by Tom Reilly. Duke and his Joes are captured and tortured for info, but that is no problem. Meanwhile, Cobra Commander is planning a bomb to turn everyone in the radius of the bomb into mindless slaves to Cobra.

Challengers of the Unknown #4. “Red & Green.” Written by Christopher Cantwell and art by Sean Izaakse and Amancry Nahuelpan. Cover art was done by Izaakse & Romulo Fajardo Jr. Red leads a mission with Green Lantern and Captain Comet, leading to Red’s becoming paralyzed. There is a big time mystery surrounding the Challengers and the Omega Power and the JLU is getting a little nervous.

Deadpool/Wolverine #3. “Recruits.” Written by Benjamin Percy and art by Joshua Cassara. Joshua Cassara and GURU eFX did the cover art. Deadpool is under the control of a villain and he and Wolverine go at it… I mean, violently. Much more violence in this book than any of the Red Band books that have been polybagged.

Sabretooth: The Dead Don’t Talk #3-4. Written by Frank Tieri and art by Michael Sta. Maria. I missed issue 3 of this series so I had to wait on it too. I have to say that these two issues were way better than the first two issues. I was fully engaged with this story and I was upset over the unexpected death that occurred.

Potions Inc #1-2. Written by Erik Burnham and art by Stelladia. I picked these up on eBay, but honestly, I do not remember why. And I did not like these issues at all. I was just not interested in the story and I had trouble keeping my attention. There are three more issues in this mini series, but I do not plan on pursuing them further.

Magik #3. “Pacts” Written by Ashley Allen and art by German Peralta. Variant cover art B was done by Jenny Frison. Illyana makes a deal with Liminal that could see her rid herself of the Darkchilde for good. Will Dani Moonstar help her accomplish this?

Werewolf by Night: Red Band #8. Written by Jason Loo and penciled by Sergio Davila. E.M. Gist did the cover art. Jack Russell has become a ghost wolf while Elsa Bloodstone is trying to compile a team to come rescue him. Is it too little too late? And will Reptil be allowed to join them?

Daredevil: Unleash Hell Red Band #3. Written by Erica Schultz and penciled by Valentina Pinti and Jose Luis Soares. Variant cover C art by Peach Momoko. Things go poorly for Daredevil (Elektra) against the possessing spirit of Muse. I guess the next stage of the battle will be in literal Hell.

Question: All Along the Watchtower #5. “Into the Breach.” Written by Alex Segura with art by Cian Tormey & Raul Fernandez. Tormey & Romulo Fajardo Jr did the cover art. Renee breaks Batwoman out of Cyborg Superman’s control, but things really look bad for our heroes. The original Question makes an appearance (okay, maybe not the original one, I admit I do not know the history of the character. It just is not Renee).

The Rocketfellers #4. Written by Peter J. Tomasi and art and cover art by Francis Manapul. The Rocketfellers are continuing to hide out in the 21 Century while displaying skills that they have. The Rocketfellers are an interesting read but it can be difficult to follow at times. I just do not know the characters well enough yet.

Other books this week: Psylocke #5, Lawful #8, When I Lay My Vengeance Upon Thee #3, Sam Wilson: Captain America #3, SilverHawks #2, Zatanna #2, Blood Squad Seven #7, The New Gods #4, Mine is a Long, Lonesome Grave #2, Ultimate X-Men #13, Ultimate Black Panther #14, and The Power Fantasy #7.

Locked

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I had not heard about this movie until I saw a mention of it on TikTok. Starring Bill Skarsgård and Anthony Hopkins, this reminded me quite a bit of Phone Booth, with Colin Farrell, but with a car.

Eddie Barrish (Bill Skarsgård) was a man struggling to get his life on track. His van was in the shop and he did not have the money to pay to get it fixed and he could not keep his promises to pick up his daughter, Sarah (Ashley Cartwright) after school.

In an attempt to get the money he needed, Eddie was in search of a car that might be open where he could steal the money he needed. He was not stealing cars, just looking for stuff he could steal inside.

When he comes across a wealthy looking car unlocked in a parking lot, Eddie thinks he has struck it rich. That is until he realizes that he can not get back out of the car. He is locked inside. And a phone line from the car is ringing, demanding that he answer it.

When Eddie can’t take the ring any longer, he answers the phone to discover that the car’s owner, William (Anthony Hopkins) is on the other end and this car was a trap to punish anyone trying to rob it. William then tortures Eddie for several days in several hard to buy scenarios in an attempt for justice. Eddie does not know how deep the anger goes inside William.

I am of two minds with this one. While I like the idea and the execution, some of the things going down are hard to accept as possible. The electrified seats, the bullet proof glass, and the cameras everywhere were all accepted as part of the trap. I kept thinking that there had to be a way out of this car and that made it tough for me to accept the premise.

Bill Skarsgård, however, does a fantastic job as Eddie. Eddie goes through the ringer here, both physically and emotionally. This is one of the rare films that Bill Skarsgård has done where we can see his face, and he does not disappoint. His character is filled with all kinds of emotion and guilt over the life that he has chosen and his own failures as a man and a father. He clearly loves his daughter, even while letting her down consistently.

There just felt like there was something that did not work in this movie for me, and, I can’t believe I’m going to say this, but I think it was Anthony Hopkins. He is a master at acting, but I just did not feel like he was cast properly in this role. I found his dialogue to be clunky and all over the place, lacking that taut delivery of some of his other classic villains. The film want this to be a morality tale, but it takes too long to get to the reasoning behind the trap and I found Hopkins to be more annoying than sinister.

The drama is well done and the scenes with the car in motion are both ridiculous and suspenseful at the same time. There is a scene with a slow motion deflecting bullet that is kind of laughable, but most of the action is good.

I do think the performance of Bill Skarsgård is worth the price of admission alone. Locked felt too long, even at just over 90 minutes, but what worked in the film worked well.

3 stars

Disney’s Snow White (2025)

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I have found most of the “live-action” Disney remakes to fall into the “meh/it’s okay” category. There have been a couple of good ones, some bad ones, but mostly average to below average. Snow White had been receiving a lot of bad word of mouth and online hate, so my expectations were extremely low.

I did not think it was as bad of a film from what I had heard. It’s not a great movie, and it might be pushing it to call it good as well, but I did not see the reason for all of the hatred this film has received.

The classic story is retold as Snow White was shown as a youngster with wonderful parents, the king and queen. Tragedy struck leaving the king alone. Gal Gadot arrived and married the king. When he went to war, the king did not return and Gadot became the Queen, aka the Evil Queen.

Snow White tried to help her people, but the Evil Queen sent the Huntsman out with her to kill Snow White. He could not do it and let her escape into the woods where she discovered the Dwarves.

Rachel Zegler was good as Snow White. I would go as far as to say that she was the best part of the film. The film had some heart and it told the story well. I thought most of the music was catchy or nice to listen to, even though I doubt I would remember them tomorrow and none of them are songs that I would buy on Apple Music.

The Dwarves were not one of my favorite parts. I thought they looked terrible, creepy as all get out as they were all CGI. The animals looked better, but the Dwarves just had that weird look on their faces all the time.

I did not think Gal Gadot made a good Evil Queen. This is the type of role that she would not handle well. She looked amazing, though.

The overall look of the film was not great. It felt fake and much of the CGI was disappointing. The background was not as beautiful and elegant as it should have been and I am not sure where they spent the reported 250 million dollar budget.

So while this was nowhere near as bad as the internet wants you to believe, I would still place it firmly in that Disney Live Action “meh” category I talked about earlier. I am not sure that there was a real reason (outside of making money) for this film to have been remade.

2.8 stars

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E2

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“City Council”

The second episode of the vampire show What We Do in the Shadows continues to be very funny, although I have to admit that it was not quite as funny as the pilot episode.

This was directed by Jemaine Clement instead of Taika Waititi, and you could see the subtle differences. Still very funny, but the plot had a bunch of things happen that could have been expanded upon more.

I did find the ridiculousness of the four vampires heading to a City Council meeting in an attempt of taking over Staten Island because the Baron wanted them to was out of this world. When Nandor approached the microphone and, talking way to close to it, proclaimed himself as the ruler of the land, it was remarkably funny. The fact that the council members did not even blink when he came up was a commentary about the weirdos that they must see on a regular basis.

Nadja turned the LARPing Jenna into a vampire after seeing her being mistreated by the others in her LARPing group. Charmed by her youth and attitude, Nadja bites her and shares her own blood with Jenna. Jenna reacts poorly in the last scene of the show. I have never been a big fan of vomit jokes, but this worked well for me.

Breaking the three main vampires off into their own storylines may have been too much for the shorter time of this series, because all of the tales felt a touch rushed. I would rather see more crossover from the crew. Still, this was funny and funny makes up for a lot of issues.

EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week

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March 19

It is NEW COMIC BOOK DAY and it is time for the Favorite Comic Covers of the Week.

Another week with no Marvels in the medalists. There are a lot of good comics out there.

Bronze Medalist

Out of Alcatraz #1

Cover art by Tyler Crook

I love this cover. It has such a retro feel to it, with the background and the shadow of the runner out of the title. This feels so original.

Silver Medalist

The Deviant #9

Cover art by Joshua Hixson

It has been awhile since issue #8 and this finale of the series provided a mystery about who the killer was. This is an awesome cover that really portrays that mystery with the blacked out face.

Gold Medalist

Saga #72

Cover art by Fiona Staples

How cute is this. That was my first thought when I was flipping through the pile of new books this week. It was excellent.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E4

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“Sic Semper Systema”

We are getting closer and closer to Matt Murdock resuming his crusade as the Man Without Fear. After the death of White Tiger at the episode’s end last week, this week Matt is facing a lot of struggles.

Matt wants justice for Hector, and this leads him throughout the episode. He comforted Hector’s niece, who came wanting to see her uncle. Matt would not let her. Groundwork being set for the niece to assume the mantel of White Tiger, as she does in the comics.

Matt’s new case is a tough one. His client insists that he get probation, despite this being a multiple offense. Of course, it was just stealing caramel corn. These scenes between these two were quite powerful and, you could tell, spoke to Matt. Oh, and the client, who was on tape stealing the caramel corn, asked if it could have been Skrulls. LOL!

Matt went to see Frank Castle, aka Punisher, after he found a bullet with the skull on the casing. We all knew Frank had not been the one to shoot Hector, but Frank did not seem to anxious to come out of his bunker to help Matt out. The scene with these two was the best scenes of the show so far, and that is saying something considering how strong the acting has been so far.

We also saw Wilson Fisk struggling with his instincts. He does not seem to fit in the role of the mayor very well. Certainly Adam, the man who Vanessa had an affair with, would agree as Fisk has him locked up in a cage.

And… watching Fisk desperately trying to keep himself in control as this group of children sang to him (terribly, by the way) was funny, as was Fisk’s rapid departure after the first song.

Two-part episode next week. I have a feeling we’ll see the costume make its full return.

Plus….. there was Muse!

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E1

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“Pilot”

After adding The Leftovers to the watchlist at EYG, I came across What We Do in the Shadows on Disney +. I loved the Taika Waititi written/directed movie that this was based on, and it was another show that I have heard many praises about, so I decided to add this to The Leftovers and The X-Files rotation.

What We Do in the Shadows currently has six season and 61 episodes.

What a hoot this show was. The story is there are four vampires living together in Staten Island and there is a documentary crew filming their every day lives. The vampires are Nandor the Relentless, Lazlo and Nadja, who are married, and Colin Robinson, the energy vampire. There is also Nandor’s familiar, Guillermo, who served Nandor for ten years.

The writing of the dialogue of this pilot episode was fantastic, with such a clever spin on the idea of vampires and building upon the movie. It was a hilarious episode, where I laughed out loud multiple times. You can definitely feel the Taika Waititi flavor of the show, as he did direct the episode. The pilot was written by Jemaine Clement, who co-wrote, co-directed and co-starred in the original movie with Taika Waititi.

I am curious to see if this series can maintain this level of humor and creativity over a long run of episodes. I can see this being a show where the story runs dry after awhile. It is an intriguing set up and I want to see where they take it from here.

The Leftovers S1 E1

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“Pilot”

I needed some more TV shows to watch. Of course, I have a bunch of shows that I watch during the week, such as Daredevil: Born Again, The White Lotus and Yellowjackets. However, with the rewatch/new watch shows, I have finished Battlestar Galactica, Bates Motel, Dark Matter and others leaving me just The X-Files to watch. I decided it was time to dip into the queue and see what series I could add to the X-Files.

I have been interested in The Leftovers for awhile now. I have heard positive word of mouth about the series, and it did not hurt that it was from Damon Lindelof, one of the driving forces behind LOST, my favorite show of all time.

The Leftovers has been on my MAX list for awhile now and I thought this was the perfect time to start this show.

My first thoughts was that the Russo Brothers must have taken inspiration from this show for Avengers: Endgame, because there were so many early episode similarities. The disappearance of the people from the earth right down to the THREE YEARS LATER that came on the screen. (Yes, Endgame was FIVE YEARS LATER, but that is semantics).

The world we were being introduced to had that same grim feel that Endgame had in its first moments where we see the post blip. This was with only 2% of the population of earth disappearing. I can’t imagine how that would feel, when people you know were just gone, with no explanation. Avengers: Endgame could blame Thanos. Where were the answers for these people?

The pilot began to introduce us to characters, and getting to know a large ensemble is a challenging task. This show did it very well as I was engaged with everyone as the episode progressed. There were plenty of mysteries and untold stories that will be revealed, I’m sure. The trauma from everyone in this town was obvious.

There are three seasons of The Leftovers with 28 episodes overall. There were several moments in the pilot that caused me to shout out. I am sure that this will live up to the hype.

The X-Files S8 E11

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“The Gift”

Agent Doggett is still in search of Agent Mulder, as he said he would do when we first met him, and his investigation brought him to a strange town with a bizarre creature. A creature that turned out to be more moral than the people of the town.

Tracking Agent Mulder’s cell phone, Doggett finds his was to Squamash, Pennsylvania. With his investigation, he discovered that Mulder had submitted some false reports the day prior to his abduction.

We had seen a mysterious figure enter a house with a married couple and shoot someone that was there. We soon learn the man who shot those three bullets was Agent Mulder. It all felt bizarre, and it seemed very out of character for Mulder, something that Skinner pointed out to Doggett.

The story wound up being about a “soul eater” and the town knew about it, keeping it as property to help save the sick and dying. This was apparently the reason that Mulder had sought out the soul eater. Mulder was dying from a brain disease and he came looking for the healing of the soul eater. When he found him, he realized how much pain the soul eater was in, and Mulder’s shooting of it was meant to euthanize it. The soul eater would survive and drag itself out of its grave.

It was a shocking moment in the episode when Doggett is shot from behind by the sheriff’s men, who want to keep the soul eater for themselves, and died. The soul eater had escaped and saved Doggett by taking Doggett’s death for itself.

One would think that an experience like this would have turned Doggett into a believer, shaking that skeptic tag that he had worn in season eight so far, but I guess he is too hard headed to be changed.

There was no Scully in this episode and it marked the basic return to the screen of David Duchovny, though only in flashbacks and memories.

The White Lotus S3 E5

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“Full Moon Party”

Sam Rockwell showed up in Bangkok as Rick’s friend. He brought him a gun and a story about what led him to be ten months sober, and that story was about as unexpectantly shocking as anything on the episode.

It felt like something horrific was going to happen the whole episode.

In the end, most of these stories felt as if they were in a holding pattern. It felt as if something was going to happen that was tragic, but it never did.

I am still most invested in Belinda and her worries over Greg/Gary, which leads to a night of passion for her.

I’m not sure what the trio of blondes and the Russians story was. I was not a fan of the party boat with the Ratliff boys. Timothy Ratliff’s suicidal feelings are interesting, and Parker Posey is always fun.

At this point, I am not sure what is going on and I am not sure where this season is heading. I do like these characters, but I just feel as if nothing of substance has happened and I am waiting for it to kick into gear.

Adolescence TV Mini-Series E1-4

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Whoa.

The new Netflix series Adolescence was a British crime drama that really packed a punch.

It was a four episode limited series that explored the story of a 13-year old boy accused of murdering a female classmate and the effects that this had on the boy, his family and others at school.

The third episode was the most stunning of the four, as it featured the boy Jamie Miller and Psychologist Briony Ariston having a session where she was trying to assess Jamie’s understanding of the case. This hour of TV was as thrilling and anxiety-ridden as you will ever see, with two amazing performances from these two actors, who spent nearly the entire time alone in a room. Owen Cooper played Jamie, and Erin Doherty played Briony.

The four episodes are shot in a one take (although there are a few moments where there are hidden cuts in the filming). It was an amazing accomplishment of acting and staging of a TV program to make this one take even remotely possible.

The show was created by Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham. Graham also starred as Eddie Miller, the father of Jamie. His performance in episode four was all kinds of heartbreaking, ranging from anger to total rage to regret and grief. The show did not shy away from the after-effects on the family, showing how the parents were forever damaged by their son’s actions.

The show uses the term incel, which is a mostly online subculture of men who are unable to find a girlfriend and who use this as an excuse to blame women for it. It is a type of misogynistic tendency that has been more active in the last few years. The show name dropped Andrew Tate during one episode.

Owen Cooper was exceptional as the Jamie Miller. His performance was both emotional and chilling. I wanted to believe his denials right up until the fourth episode when he calls his dad, on his father’s 50th birthday, to tell him that he had decided to plead guilty. Even after Jamie nearly admitted that he had done it in episode three and the implication that they had him on CCTV footage actually stabbing the girl, I wanted to believe that there was going to be a twist. I wanted to believe that there was something else going on. In the end, it was exactly what it looked like the whole time.

This was a devastating four episodes of TV, with unbelievable performances from everybody and a plot that was absolutely gripping and crushingly real. It is not an easy watch, but it is a powerful one.