The White Lotus S2 E6, E7
Spoilers
“Abductions”
“Arrivederci”
Season two of The White Lotus wrapped up with these final two episodes, and I feel kind of empty.
Madame Butterfly died at the end.
The reveal of who the body was in the water was heartbreaking and several of these stories turned out tragic.
I never would have guessed that Tanya would have been the one who drown. Even more so… the plot surrounding her death was crazy, but, seemingly, not just paranoia. The worst part of everything was Greg gets away with all of Tanya’s money, and we never see him again. The whole Tanya and the Gays story was a heavy part of these last two episodes and had such a tragic twist at the end that it hit me like a punch in the gut.
Tanya’s death was not the only story that I thought ended sadly. The whole storyline with our two prostitutes was terrible. Lucia turned out to be scamming poor, naive Albie to get money… in the end 50,000 Euros. Albie thought it was to get her out from under a crazy Italian man, but that guy was just part of the scam, as we see in the final moments of the show. I feel disappointed in myself because I had started to come around on Lucia and Mia after spending the first part of this season disliking them quite a bit. I should have stuck to my opinions, but the show played me good.
There was so much toxicity in the relationships of Ethan and Harper and Daphne and Cameron that I had soured on that story already. Watching these four being so horrid was my least favorite storyline. Did Ethan and Daphne have a sexual encounter on the island? Did Cameron and Harper do more than what Harper confessed to? My one favorite part was Ethan going to nearly murder Cameron in the water. I would never see that guy again if I were Ethan, but that was not the implication that I got. However, Ethan and Harper seem to have gotten past their troubles and are, apparently, happy once again.
These last two episodes were extremely well done, but they did not go out of their way to give us a happy ending. Maybe in the end it will turn out okay for Albie and Portia, who reconnected at the airport (even though Portia had no idea about Tanya’s fate… or at least, only suspected).
There was a lot of things left ambiguous, which does not bother me. I have a good idea what happened. I just would have liked something more positive than the scamming hookers being the big winners.
The first episode of season three of The White Lotus is out and I will get that one done before the next episode Sunday night.
Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man S1 E9, E10
Spoilers
“Hero or Menace”
“If This Be My Destiny…”
The finale two episodes of the first season of Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man are absolutely amazing!
In episode nine, we get a big showdown between Spidey and Scorpion, with Lonny smack dab in the middle. Lonny gets exposed to a gas that gives him super strength (and will eventually turn him into the Tombstone we know in the comics). Spidey and Lonny defeat Scorpion.
In episode ten, we have a big battle with Dr. Strange and the symbiote and we are shown that this battle is what would lead to the battle from the first episode at Peter’s school, and the spider that bit Peter was the spider that Norman had created with Spider-Man’s blood that they had collected. I loved that adjustment in the story. It made everything work for me.
The writing on this series has been excellent. It has developed more than just Peter Parker. I feel like they built the supporting characters around Peter so well, especially Lonny who could arguably be considered a co-lead character. They show us the beginning of several villains in the Spider-Man world, like Otto Octavius, Scorpion, Norman Osborn, Venom etc.
With Spider-Man’s actual suit debuting in episode nine, Spider-Man looked sensational. The animation of these episodes were so great with some amazing shots. I have not necessarily loved the animation prior, but this seemed to really be something special.
The voice acting did great all season long. Everything was excellent, especially Coleman Domingo, who was so epic. I would love to see Domingo play Norman Osborn in the MCU. The show has done a great job of slowly building Norman into who we expect he will become. And yet, it feels very justified.
I did not expect this series to be great because recent Spider-Man animation has been more directed toward very young children. This series was right up there with the best Spider-Man series and right there with X-Men ’97. I am happy that this series has a three season order so there are at least two more to go.
I love Spider-Man.
EYG Favorite Comic Covers of the Week
February 19
Big week of books this week. Lots of choices for the medals and it was a real tough decision. I had five books that I had narrowed the list down to and I considered doing a tie for both the bronze and silver medals. However, I made a final decision on the books and found my final three.
Ironically, a book that I saw on the newsstand at Comic World and grabbed because I loved the cover, did not make the cut. It was a beautiful foil cover of Ultimate Black Panther#13. There was also Amazing Spider-Man #68 which nearly made the medals.
So here are the three medalist this week.
Bronze Medalist
Shazam #20
Variant Cover D
Cover art by Mark Spears
I do not collect Shazam, but the opportunity to buy this book fell into my lap (thanks Todd) and I couldn’t pass it up. Mark Spears has been a star this year so far.
Silver Medalist
Mystique #5
Cover Art by Declan Shalvey
The Mystique series has had some extremely intriguing and attractive covers, including this issue. With the skull on Mystique’s body, and a mask in her hand, this gives us a insight into the concept of Raven. This is an amazing cover.
Gold Medalist
House of Slaughter #30
Cover art by Jorge Fornes and Werther Dell’edera
I love this one. The contrasts with the black and blues on the cover are awesome. This is such a interesting cover that it beat some really great ones. It is simply a standout.
The White Lotus S2 E4, E5
Spoilers
“In the Sandbox”
“That’s Amore”
It was two interesting episodes that seemingly flipped my opinions on some of the characters from the first three shows of season two.
This was the first time that I was interested in the two prostitutes who had been hanging around the White Lotus, Mia and Lucia, had been a distraction for much of the first three episodes, but, for some reason, I started to enjoy their presence in these two. Mia’s relationship with Albie felt sweet. I was a little uncertain because it felt like she might be taking advantage of him. Then Lucia’s accidental poisoning of the piano player led to her to gt a chance to play the piano.
Tanya, whom I already like, was able to get out of her depression over Greg’s leaving when she came across a group of gay men who invited her into their circle. I’m still not sure about the overall positiveness of this though. The end of episode five made me wonder. Still, it was nice to see Tanya apparently happy for a bit at least.
I was rooting for Portia, but her hooking up with Jack felt beneath her, and I was not sure I liked that storyline piece.
This was also the first time that I got into the story with Dominic and his father Bert. There was a scene between the two of them at dinner that brought this troubled relationship to light, making me understand these two way more than discussions of The Godfather ever did.
Aubrey Plaza’s Harper, who had been my favorite character up until these episodes, found a condom wrapper in the apartment and became extremely unhappy with Ethan. This entire arc has done nothing but make me dislike Harper and make me feel sorry for Ethan. It feels at this point that Ethan is way better than any of the people he is with, whether it be Harper or his best friend, Cameron, who is just a creep.
I do think that the show has begun to hint at who the bodies are going to be and we had a couple of characters go out to the water in moments of melancholy and close their eyes. It was both Dominic and Harper at different points during these episodes. I do not know if this is meant to be red herrings, but these two are easily the most depressed characters on the canvas right now, even lower than Tanya.
Two more episodes to go before I start season three.
Paradise S1 E6
Spoilers
“You Asked For Miracles”
I love Die Hard so much.
Using it as flavor for this episode was such a great idea.
Paradise is such an incredible show. I never expected this being as amazing as it is.
Xavier is leading the charge against Sinatra. He has everything planned out perfectly, knowing what she would do at each step. It led to a dramatic showdown at the episode’s end between them, and something that Xavier did not see coming.
His wife is alive?
Xavier also does not know that his daughter Presley is not safe and secure. She is in the custody of Jane. Presley did not know that Jane was someone not to trust.
Xavier has all the guns. Things are really coming together.
Yippee Ki-Yay, Mfer.
White Lotus S2 E2, E3
Spoilers
“Italian Dream”
“Bull Elephants”
I just discovered that White Lotus season three has begun over on MAX, with episodes dropping on Sundays. Apparently episode 1 of season three is out and the next one will arrive this Sunday night. I had just started season two recently and so I would like to set a goal to finish season two and watch the first episode of season three before Sunday night so I can caught be caught up with the series.
So today I watched episodes 2 & 3 of season two.
I am not incredibly connected to any of these characters yet, outside of Aubrey Plaza. She is in a wild situation with her new husband and his best friend. They are seemingly dancing around each other and the tension is palatable. Between the two husbands, Ethan and Cameron, Ethan is so much more likable and he seems a much better person than anyone else on the show.
I feel for Tanya too. Her husband Greg definitely has something going on. He has been getting phone calls, speaking to someone he tells he loves. He’s plotting something. It seems like his potential illness that was going to kill him is gone. He indicated that Tanya helped him get better. I wonder if the show is trying to make him look like a bad guy and it will be a swerve, or is he after Tanya’s money?
Again, I have not seen any progression toward the scene we got in the first episode with all the dead bodies in the water. It was late in season one when things started to happen in that area as well.
The Gorge
Apple TV + released a new movie recently featuring Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy called The Gorge. The Gorge is an action/horror film with touches of a romantic film.
According to IMDB, “Two highly-trained operatives are appointed to posts in guard towers on opposite sides of a vast and highly classified gorge, protecting the world from an undisclosed, mysterious evil that lurks within. They bond from a distance while trying to stay vigilant in defending against an unseen enemy. When the cataclysmic threat to humanity is revealed to them, they must work together in a test of both their physical and mental strength to keep the secret in the gorge before it’s too late.”
The first hour of the movie is excellent. I really liked the relationship built between Levi (Miles Teller) and Drasa (Anna Taylor-Joy) when they were on opposite sides of the Gorge. There was a sweetness to them increasing their connection via notes. When Levi shoots the cable across the Gorge, I was amazed at the efforts he took. I loved when the cable gets blown free and Levi falls into the Gorge.
The action in the Gorge is good, but a lot of that was nothing that we haven’t seen before. No spoilers, but how they escaped the Gorge eventually was unbelievably cool.
I do think the ending was a little iffy at times, but I did enjoy the very end of the film. It is a satisfying conclusion, if not rushed a bit, which is odd considering the film runs over two hours.
I thought this was a fun time for the most part. It looked great and I enjoyed our two main characters. It was definitely a good time and an easy watch.
3.6 stars
The X-Files S8 E5
Spoilers
“Invocation”
This was my least favorite episode of the eighth season so far, but it was not bad, and was almost saved by the ending.
Seven year old boy Billy Underwood was snatched from a park and was missing for ten years. Strangely enough, Billy returned but had seemingly not aged one day.
The craziness of the case involved Scully and Doggett, but it felt as if Doggett had taken a step back into the asshole that he had been shown as in the early episodes of this season after apparently taking steps forward in the last couple.
The returned boy would not speak and was creeping out his father and brother. His mother was not bothered at all. The first half of the episode did not feel as if it matched up with the conclusion, but I did like the conclusion.
The kidnappers from ten years ago were discovered and arrested but Doggett discovered a grave with the skeletal remains of Billy Underwood from the time when he originally disappeared.
I don’t know if this was supposed to be a spirit of some kind returned to help his brother, who wound up kidnapped by the same men, or what. There was a scene of a knife being stabbed in Billy’s brother’s bed that does not make sense in the eventual narrative. It sure seemed as if the show was setting up the returned Billy as some sort of malevolent force.
I read on Wikipedia that this also set up an arc for John, who apparently had lost a son to a murder as well, which makes sense why he was so obsessed with this case. However, I missed it during the episode. A psychic had mentioned something about someone in the room having gone through this, but I did not think it was Doggett and I do not remember it ever being touched on the rest of the episode.
I found this uneven and shaky as an episode, but not one that I hated. It is a definite “mid” episode, though if the upcoming Doggett arc takes off, maybe this would require some readjusted thought.
Dark Matter S1 E6
Spoilers
“Superposition”
Jason 2 is becoming more manipulative with every second. He accidentally gives his son ice cream with nuts in it, not aware that the boy has an allergy to them. This started some questioning by Daniela about what was going on.
Then, man the Box is a perfect way to get rid of bodies. Imagine, you could just drop a body off in some nearby dimension and no one would ever know. Jason 2 does that very thing, albeit not a dead body, when he tricked Ryan into going with him into the Box only to strand him in an alternate universe.
Jason and Amanda are starting to feel the stress of their continued failures at finding Jason’s actual universe. They’re coming across so many that are just a little different and they were feeling it. They are also growing closer to one another, bringing even more stress into the situation.
Jason 2 sealed up the Box at the end of the episode, seemingly finishing his plan. However, I get the implication that Jason 2 may not be as happy in this universe than he thought he would be.
I am not sure what will happen next, but I do think the doubts that have creeped into Daniela’s mind will continue to grow as Jason 2 increases his efforts.
Dexter: Original Sin S1 E10
Spoilers
“Code Blues”
I have been up and down with this new prequel version of Dexter during its run on Amazon Prime. Leading up to the tenth episode, I had mixed emotions for this show. The tone had been all over the place and there were times when it felt as if the show wanted to be more comedic than it should have been.
Thankfully, I feel as if the finale of the season delivered a reasonably solid episode, in particular in connection with the kidnapping of Nicky. However, the show left a giant dangling plot in Dexter’s serial killer brother unresolved and feeling like a huge time bomb ready to go off. Will that ever be dealt with? Will there be another season of this version of Dexter? I’m not sure the answers to any of those questions, but looking just at this finale, I thought it was pretty good. (I guess Dexter deals with Brian in season one of the original series, which I did not remember.)
It did not hurt that most of the flashbacks were over and were just used to further the backstory of Brian, which was better than the stuff with Dexter’s birth mom.
The material with Captain Spencer was much better. I have to say that I was critical about the manner in which Dexter allowed Spencer to escape his table last episode. I thought that was an unnecessary risk. Of course, it worked out well, and Dexter was able to save Nicky from a watery grave after Spencer tried to drown the boy. Dexter was able to do it without revealing his identity to Nicky too. Win-Win.
He also was able to catch Spencer and kill him on the boat. Lots of blood involved there, which had to be a problematic plot hole.
Having Dexter, Harry and Deb dancing at the end of the episode was a fun way to show how positive everyone was feeling, even though a darkness lurked around a corner in Brian.
Overall, Dexter: original Sin finished strong, but perhaps not strong enough for me to dismiss the erratic tone taken by the series through the first two-thirds of the season. Some moments were very strong and engaging while other moments just did not work. All of the recasts were big hits though and the show definitely ended on a high note.
Paddington in Peru
The first two films are absolute, unexpected classics. They are two of the best movies that you will ever see. I will say that I was feeling uncertain about a third film in the franchise, called Paddington in Peru. I’ve seen too many third installments take a bad turn.
While Paddington in Peru is nowhere near as exceptional as the first two, this new film is entertaining and fun as well.
According to IMDB, “Paddington returns to Peru to visit his beloved Aunt Lucy, who now resides at the Home for Retired Bears. With the Brown Family in tow, a thrilling adventure ensues when a mystery plunges them into an unexpected journey through the Amazon rainforest and up to the mountain peaks of Peru.”
Paddington is always an enduring character that is funny, easy to love and fun to watch. He works so well in this story, no matter what situation the writers stick him in. Ben Whishaw does a great job as the little bear’s voice.
There are two actors in this film that are always great in whatever they do, and that is Antonio Banderas and Olivia Colman. I have loved Olivia Colman for years, especially her role in Secret Invasion (which felt like the one great thing in that series), and she is awesome her as Reverend Mother. Antonio Banderas was great in the villainous role and has a really solid character arc. Banderas had to play multiple characters in Hunter Cabot’s family and he does a wonderful job.
Dougal Wilson is the new director for the franchise, replacing Paul King, and he does an admirable job, creating a sweet and charming story with some fun characters and family interactions. Paddington in Peru is not near as good as the previous films, but it is still a great family film with a positive message and a lot of fun.
3.75 stars
Yellowjackets S3 E1, E2
Spoilers
“It Girl”
“Dislocation”
Yellowjackets returned to Showtime with the first two episodes of season three with even more craziness among the girls.
Picking up after the shocking death of Natalie at the end of season two, the present day survivors continued on with their lives. Part of the reason this show is so good is that these survivors are still in such trauma over everything that they did and trying to make their way through. You can see the instability of all of these characters, with a chance that at any time they might flip out.
Meanwhile, the crash site victims are just as crazy as ever. Watching them makes me wonder exactly what horrors these girls did to get through the woods.
Misty is struggling with her part in Natalie’s death. Shauna feels like she is any moment ready to flip out and destroy everyone around her. Lottie is out of the mental institution and hanging out with Shauna. Taissa and Van running out on their bill at a restaurant and having a server chase them only for that server to have a heart attack and die. Taissa and Van hooked back up afterwards… even after Taissa is seeing shadowy figures.
These women are nuts.
Of course, Coach may be a bit nuts too after spending the winter hiding out in the woods talking to “it.” He caught Mari and took her back to his hideout against her will. He seemed to act as if he had no idea that the cabin had burned down.
At the end of the second season, there was an implication that everything in the woods was just in the girls’ imagination, an excuse for the bad things that they did. I wonder if that is true or if there is something there causing all of this chaos.
I liked the start to this season and I am excited to see where these characters go from here.
Sunday Morning Sidewalk #4
February 16
“Replacements”
“Replacements” details the events for Easy Company undergoing Operation Market Garden in Holland, which was a failure. The high-risk operation saw Easy Company retreat from the fight with the Krauts and showed how dangerous this situation could be.
It also featured a group of replacements to the company and how they were accepted (or hazed as the case may be) into a group of men who had been together for going on two years.
We had a return from David Schwimmer’s Captain Sobel, now as the newly appointed Regimental S-4. His facial expressions told more than any lines of dialogue could have from this returning character.
The story was told from the perspective of Sgt. Denver “Bull” Randleman. He gets wounded by some tank shrapnel and winds up spending the night in a barn with Germans all around him. He received help from a Dutch farmer and his daughter in a tense moment. Bull had to fight a German soldier hand-to-hand to keep his presence hidden.
There was also a cool scene where Private Webster gave a Dutch child a chocolate bar. The child had been with his father in an air raid shelter and came out when the Americans went past. The father had said the boy had never had chocolate before and the joy on the boy’s face after tasting the chocolate was a wonderful bit of life included within the horrors surrounding everything.
Horrors such as the Dutch people, who were greeting Easy Company as “liberators,” taking women and cutting their hair and drawing swastikas on their faces. These were women who had slept with German soldiers and were now facing consequences from an angry mob. This was a disturbing scene and you could tell that the soldiers were bothered by it as well.
This show does a really good job of these smaller moments tucked inside the overall dramatics and violence of the war scenes.
Invincible S3 E4
Spoilers
“You Were My Hero”
Episode four of the third season of Invincible was really good, if not split into two distinct parts.
I want to get this out of the way first. When this episode started to use a narrator, like a voice over guy for movie trailers, I HATED THAT! That was the worst. I thought the second half of the show was going to be absolutely brutal because of this horrid technique.
However, as soon as Alan found Battle Beast, the second half picked up dramatically. I am not a fan of Omni Man, but seeing how he has a soft spot for Alan was a cool thing and watching them battle against two Viltrumites was fun.
I really enjoyed the first part of the episode where Mark was taken into the future to confront the king who had enslaved earth. I was sure that the king was going to turn out to be Nolan, Mark’s father, but I was pleasantly surprised to find out that it was the Immortal instead.
Then, with the Immortal basically crazy, the struggle Mark had to face with whether or not to do what the Immortal wanted, to kill him, was a major character beat. It reminded me somewhat of Superman in Man of Steel when he broke Zod’s neck. Mark had no real choice and had to do it (although ripping off Immortal’s head was a little more drastic than breaking his neck).
I hope the beginning of the episode does not turn out to be just a throw away bit in this series, because I liked this and Mark was battling inside on his choice. I wonder if this will be forgotten considering it led to Mark and Eve having sex for the first time.
With the exception of the voice over guy, this was my favorite episode of Invincible in awhile. I hope it isn’t just forgotten (as there were some intriguing things mentioned in the future that could be hints about what is coming).
