Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

One Piece S2 E6, E7

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“Nami Deerest”

“Reindeer Shames”

The next two episodes of season two gives us the debut and the origin of a character that I had heard about, but knew very little about him.

Chopper is a character that I heard some people wonder how they were going to adapt him. Apparently, Chopper is a reindeer who had eaten a Devil’s Fruit and turned into a being that walked on two legs and could talk. Moreso, we discover that Chopper is able to change between forms.

Katey Segal joined the list of guest stars this season as Doctor Kureha, who they took Nami to see after she fainted last episode.

The path to Dr. Kureha was one of the most tense moments of the series as Luffy and Sanji literally climbed a mountain side to reach a castle. They were told that the castle held a witch, but it is just Dr. Kureha and Chopper.

On the way up the mountain, Sanji slipped and fell. Luffy caught him by stretching his neck and catching him with his teeth. While that was all kind of bad ass, it had a weird CGI about it. Stretching can be a tough thing because it does not look natural. Still, Luffy using his teeth to save Sanji… great.

The story of Chopper’s origin is heartbreaking and is told to Luffy, Sanji and Nami by Dr. Kureha. It was after Luffy found a pirate flag in a crate and Chopper yelled at Luffy to not touch it.

The seventh episode was almost the entire story of Chopper and it goes to show you how important of a character he is.

We are introduced to the King of Drum Island, Wapol, who is just a horrendous character. Wapol also got a Devil’s Fruit at the beginning of episode 6 and he is one who really needs his comeuppance in the finale.

It really looks like there are a bunch of storylines that are not going to be wrapped up this season. The whole bit with Smokey and the Marines are not going to catch up yet. I am not even sure that Vivi is ever going to get back to Alabasta this season. Maybe as the cliffhanger. That is fine with me.

Paradise S2 E6

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“Jane”

We got quite a cliffhanger at the end of episode six. Something that has been building since season one episode one. Xavier and Teri met eyes. Of course, it was right after Gary tried to kill Xavier by setting off the bomb early… the bomb that Xavier was setting up to blow up the people Teri was with because he was mistakenly believing that they had snatched Teri and was holding her prisoner. All because Gary had a weird fixation on Teri and he wanted Xavier out of the way.

Gary failed pretty amazingly considering. All he had to do was blow him up but he had to apologize to him first, giving Xavier the chance to get the bomb away from him so he would not be killed.

And this was not even the main focus of this episode.

This episode gave us background details on Jane and we learned how crazy she really is.

I mean… CRAZY…CRAZY….

She had a dark backstory for sure… but surely one that leads to the supervillain. Now I am not sure whether it is Sinatra that we should be worried about or Jane.

Meanwhile, Jeremy is preparing to try and escape from the camp he is being held at. Thankfully, he has Nicole Robinson to aid, despite it going against her better judgment.

One Piece S2 E4, E5

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“Big Trouble in Little Garden”

“Wax On, Wax Off”

Last season, One Piece was cruising along and then, suddenly, they had a two part episode. Season two has copied that idea as episodes four and five are a two part episode on the island in the Grand Line called Little Garden.

The Little Garden had all kinds of things we had not seen before such as dinosaurs, giants, and David Dastmalchian. Dastmalchian joined the roster of the Baroque Works as Mister 3, an assassin who can create wax.

This was an excellent pair of episodes that featured some awesome things:

  • One of the key storylines over theses two episodes includes trying to give Usopp an arc. He came through big time in these episodes.
  • The two giants and their century long duel was great and I loved how these giants were not the stereotypical giants one would come to expect.
  • The big fight with Miss Valentine and Mr. 5 at the giant wax cake was awesome, and, as I said, Usopp came through like a boss.
  • I love how the giants survived, even after it seemed as if they were dead.
  • Miss Goldenweek was perhaps the scariest of the Baroque Works assassins we’ve met so far. She caused a lot of suffering to Luffy.
  • We get our first interaction with the mysterious Mr. Zero, via a phone conversation between Mr. Zero and Sanji (who was pretending to be Mr. 3). I think he was being played by Joe Manganiello.
  • The two giants work together to help Luffy’s ship to get past a giant goldfish.

Three episodes remain in season two and I expect it to be awesome.

One Piece S2 E3

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“Whiskey Business”

Booger Bombs!

Yes, there were booger bombs. It was epic.

Another great episode of One Piece. Here we get to see Zoro and his new swords get in some action on the new island where they stopped. It seemed as if the island loved pirates and we so friendly. Of course, things are too good to be true.

The two assassins, Miss Wednesday and Mr. 9, were freed by Luffy… or at least Miss Wednesday was freed because Luffy’s gut told him to do it. They escaped and became a major problem during this episode.

However, Miss Wednesday turned out to be someone that we did not expect… a missing princess, undercover inside the assassins.

One of the best parts of the episode was the swordfighting of Zoro as he is seeing visions of Dracule Mihawk, the world’s greatest swordsman who left Zoro defeated and near death last season. Zoro counting off the number of agents of the Baroque Works he took out was awesome and showed some amazing fight choreography.

Back to booger bombs. Mr. 5 showed up with Miss Valentine as they chased Miss Wednesday. Apparently, Miss Wednesday has found the info on the identity of the leader of the assassins, Mr. Zero.

The show has done a tremendous job of building up a group of antagonists for our crew in the first few episodes that feel more than just the bad-guy-of-the-week. From Smokey to Mr. Zero and the assassins in-between, this has a good group of characters with mysteries abounding.

Monarch: Legacy of Monsters S2 E3

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“Secrets”

Another week… another week where I can’t stand Cate.

She ended the episode looking at the broken Golden Gate Bridge and feeling all kinds of guilt over her releasing the Titan X that the world now knows about. Maybe she is planning on jumping off the bridge. It is terrible to say, but I think the show would benefit from it.

We get the scene we have been expecting in one of the flashbacks where Keiko and Lee made love after escaping from the natives on the island. Keiko felt guilty here too, but I think it probably will lead to Lee being the actual father of Hiroshi instead of Bill Randa.

Bill found a letter from Keiko to Lee at the end of this week’s episode which tells me that things are about to happen.

Lots of melodrama this week, which is the weakest part of this show. The flashbacks are still the strongest part of the show while the present day is just hardly interesting. Even now with a new Titan swimming around, the present day is not that good. Monarch sure feels like an incapable organization.

This show needed some more Titan action as the human drama is not cutting it.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #60

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His & Hers

“Episode Four”

More drama is brought up between out two main characters and we get what we have needed… some face to face with two of the top actors around. Jon Bernthal and Tessa Thompson are both powerhouse actors and this gives us the first, real, face to face engagement between them.

I mean, they have had scenes together int he previous three episodes of Him & Hers on Netflix, but none of them were as powerful as this one at the end of episode 4.

It focused around the loss of their child and how they were tearing each other apart, even when they did not want to be doing that. It was painful and real, but it seemed as if they may have taken a step in their relationship… as the truck sex may indicate.

Both swear that they had not part in hurting Rachel and the second victim Helen, but I am still not sure I believe them.

The killings are certainly connected as the presence of a friendship bracelet at both scenes implied. It also pointed toward Jack’s sister, who also has one of the bracelets. The cameraman is looking a little sus too.

The city is flipping out and the mayor showed what a dumb ass he was by making Jack do a press conference. The city town hall turned into a chaotic mess and winds up getting broadcast on the news… thanks Anna, who stirred the pot big time.

Shrinking S3 E7

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“I Will Be Grape”

It is the birthday of Tia so Jimmy and Alice are celebrating in their own way. The whole group of characters are circling around, lending their help and support. Alice is very worried that her father will be alone and be completely lonely when she went to college.

Jimmy definitely showed how much he still missed his wife, as we see a sweet scene with them singing “A Thousand Years” and Tia messing up the lyrics to sing “I Will Be Grape.”

Alice called Louis to come to Tia’s grave so Jimmy can see how good his life has become. Alice tells Jimmy that he was the reason why Louis was able to move on, and she worried that Jimmy would never be able to move on.

New epic guest star this week. Shrinking has amazing actors in secondary and supporting roles, and Candace Bergen is here as Constance, Derek’s mother, who has had a very contemptuous relationship with Liz over the years.

I love Candace Bergen and having her on Shrinking is fabulous. What was even better was the all-too-short scene between Candace Bergen and Harrison Ford. What a wonderfully written moment and I loved every second of it.

Michael J. Fox also returned this week in a session with Paul.

Then, we get Cobie Smulders back as Sofie, who gets invited to the final sing-a-long with Jimmy and his whole family/friends at the celebration of Tia’s birthday. A little awkward, but fitting right in with the way Shrinking goes.

Then, it ends with a brutal thud as Gaby gets a phone call telling her that “We lost Maya.” I assumed that she died, as she did seem like she had made a decision at the end of last episode.

Strong episode again as this show is just so awesome. So many amazing actors with such excellent writing.

The Pitt S2 E10

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“4:00 PM”

“You hold the leg.”

I laughed at this line as Ogilvie was handed the severed leg of an incoming patient. The look on his face was just hilarious.

The Pitt was thrown several more rough cases after a water park ride collapse.

Robby is showing the stress of everything a bit more this year as he ripped into Samira after her panic attack. Robby did come right to the point sharply. He also had some words with Dr. Al-Hashimi. Robby has been slowly cracking over this show and those cracks are beginning to show.

There are a bunch of characters struggling with their own personal issues. Mel came back from her disposition and the lawyers were apparently rough on her. Langdon and Santos’s dialogue is sarcastic to say the best. Both Samira and Javadi are having mommy issues. Becca tells Mel that she had a UTI because she has been having sex with her boyfriend- lots of sex, she said.

Things feel as if they are beginning to get tense among the characters and I wonder if things are going to become rough soon.

Paradise S2 E5

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“The Mailman”

Episode five is a very strong episode that kind of reminded me of the season one episode from The Last of Us where we met Bill, A Long, Long Time. It felt outside of the story that was being told around them for much of the episode.

This is the background of the story of where Teri has been and how she survived the three years outside of the bunker.

Turned out there was a mailman named Gary and a friend of his named Enos he met playing games online. The two of them were bouncing around conspiracy theories and how they would survive a zombie apocalypse, when things seemingly became real for them.

Gary discovered that there was a fallout shelter in the basement of the post office that he worked in that was hidden and was not used. No one even knew it was there.

Gary and Enos were collecting a small group of people to join them in the shelter and Teri wound up among that by happenstance.

There was also a young boy named Bean, who had an abusive homelife, that Gary would see on his mail route. Gary brought the boy with him into the shelter. It was Bean that helped bring Teri into the group as they bonded very quickly.

Gary was the man Xavier had at gunpoint at the end of the last episode. He had told Xander that he had known his wife and that she was taken.

However, this all seems like BS. The end of the episode threw a real twist as we see a scene where Gary and Enos went to see the people in the train and discovered that they were people looking to help others and were on the way to Colorado. Gary shot Enos to keep the story away from Teri (though it looked like Bean saw that happen) and Gary has been lying to Xavier this whole time.

I was feeling something was off with Gary for awhile during the episode. I thought maybe Gary was the one to destroy the radio, but Enos did admit to doing that.

There are some real questions about what Gary did and why he did it. I am sure that it will make more sense once we hear the full story, but, for now, Xavier is planning on attacking this group of people on the train to find Teri. It could be that she is not even there.

One Piece S2 E2

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“A Promise Between Men! Luffy and the Whale Vow to Meet Again!”

The Straw Hats are on the way to the Grand Line and the path gets distracted by a giant whale.

Yes, a giant whale.

Laboon is his name and he wound up swallowing the ship of the Straw Hats. They give the whale a backstory and a reason why he was pounding his head against the Red Line. The show introduced Crocus as the man who watched and tried to help Laboon.

We also get two more assassins inside the whale. Miss Wednesday and Mr. Nine are the two assassins from a group and I do not think we ever found out why they were inside Laboon.

I do love the way that Luffy painted the straw hat on Laboon to symbolize that he was the part of the Straw Hats and keep him from pounding his head into the Red Line.

This was a fun side adventure with Laboon. The whale actually turned out to be a pretty cool character for the show.

One Piece S2 E1

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“THE BEGINNING AND THE END”

One Piece is back!

The surprise hit series from Netflix is back after a couple of years with a second season of pirate action and Anime adventures.

I knew One Piece was coming out on March 10th, but I did not realize that it was out right now. Because I did not realize this, I was only able to watch the premiere episode of season two, entitled “The Beginning and the End.”

The whole crew is back and they are on their way to the Grand Line, but they need supplies so they take a detour to Loguetown, which happened to be where the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was born and died.

Zoro needed to buy two new swords. He wound up with a couple of very special ones after “haggling.” We were introduced to Tashigi, a young woman Marine who helped Zoro out at the sword shop. She did not mention being a Marine, and that she worked for Smoker.

Buggy the Clown and Alvida showed up too and grabbed Luffy. They were out for revenge for what Luffy had done to them before.

You can’t watch this show without getting swept up in the positive energy of Luffy. He is one of the best, most engaging characters on television. The crew around him are fabulous too. I am not a viewer of the Anime One Piece, since it has like five million episodes (Looks like it is actually 1,155… but may as well be five million). However, I loved season one of the Netflix live action show and I am here for these new eight episodes.

It is just a lot of fun and has such an energy about it. I am glad it is back.

Agents of Shield S3 E18, E19, E20, E21, E22

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“The Singularity”

This episode saw the final dismantling of Hydra… offscreen. Amazing that an organization that had such a huge impact on the MCU and this series was dealt with finally as Coulson watched on screens.

We get the debut of Holden Radcliffe, who would become more of a important character in the next season dealing with LMDs. Radcliffe is quite the snake as he is willing to switch sides without blinking an eye.

Fitz and Simmons have sex at the end of the episode, finally consummating a relationship that has been “cursed” from day one, seemingly.

“Failed Experiments”

The Kree appear in this episode as Hive lured them to earth in order to get their blood. Hive’s plan to turn the human race into Inhumans means he had to recreate the original experiment where he had been turned into an Inhuman.

Mac and Daisy faced off and she beat him silly. Mac kept saying that he wasn’t going to fight her. Mac is able to survive because Daisy does not really want to kill him. Mac ruins the experiment with the Kree too.

Daisy offers her own blood to continue the experiement.

“Emancipation”

The Sovokia Accords show their rotten faces in this episode as Talbot comes to Shield headquarters looking for answers. Talbot wants the Inhumans in Shield to be registered, but Coulson said that this is not what they need, they need to keep them secret.

Lincoln has been contacted by Daisy. It’s so funny how Daisy just pushes a few keys and she is throughout the Shield HQ. Daisy wants to help Lincoln to escape and come join her and Hive. Lincoln agrees, but it is part of the plan. Daisy manually brings in a Quinjet, that she believed had Lincoln inside. Instead, it was Lash.

Lash used his power to cure Daisy of the control of Hive, but ends up getting killed by James. Daisy returned to Shield with the Quinjet and the dead body of Lash.

“Absolution”

Daisy is struggling. Like she is addicted to Hive, she is having trouble dealing with things that she had done.

The team launched an assault on Hive, and they end up capturing him. They brought him aboard the Zephyr One, but it turned out that is exactly what Hive wanted. Hive had a bomb that had a virus connected to it and he needed a way to get high enough in the atmosphere to spread it across the earth, changing humans into Inhumans.

Daisy confronted Hive at the end of the episode and begged him to take her back. I was not a fan of this, because it made Daisy look pretty weak.

“Ascension”

The Hive storyline came to a satisfying conclusion as Coulson came up with a new plan, to load the bomb onto a Quinjet and send it into space. When the explosion went off, the virus would be in space and would not cause any trouble for the earth.

Of course, there are all kinds of trouble with the execution of this. Yo Yo gets shot trying to protect Mac. Lincoln gets injured by James. Hive is still running around causing trouble.

Daisy, who had had visions of the future where a Shield agent died, wanted to sacrifice herself in the Quinjet to make sure the bomb is safe for the planet. However, Lincoln beats her to it and he and Hive are trapped in the Quinjet as it leaves earth’s atmosphere.

I was never a big fan of Lincoln, but I appreciated his sacrifice and his last few moments with Hive in the Quinjet, knowing that their deaths were imminent, was very strong.

I did feel bad for Daisy, who sure went through it this season. Her grief over Lincoln’s death was tough.

The end of the episode restarted things for the next season, with Life Model Decoys, a vigilante Quake and Coulson no longer director being major hints dropped.

Sha Na Na S4 E7, E8, E9

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Three more episodes of Sha Na Na in its final season, and there were some weird things going on.

First of all, the guests were all over the place. Two country music performers, Mickey Gilly and Dottie West, which feels strange since Sha Na Na is not country. But even odder was The Ramones. Their acting in the short sketch was not good at all.

In the Dottie West episode, some of the group dressed up like country music stars including Bowzer as Loretta Lynn, Jocko as Johnny Cash and Santini as Dolly Parton. You could tell that Dottie West was having a good time as she laughed after each one.

Sha Na Na also did that strange thing where they pulled kids out of the audience and brought them up to the stage to sing love songs to them. It was a different world, I guess. Donny sang “Puppy Love” which has a sweet connotation to it. Honestly, the first girl of three they brought up sure did not look like she wanted to be there.

In the Mickey Gilly episode, they had a running joke that they were going to have Robert Redford come to the show to sing and dance for the first time or they were going to do an opera. The Redford joke did run through the show, but they did wind up doing the Bowzer of Seville. The opera was actually not too bad, and it kept the joke bit to a minimum.

Several of these songs were ones that I did not recognize outside of Chantilly Lace (done by Jocko), Come and Go with Me and Puppy Love (by Donny).

The Pitt S2 E9

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“3:00 PM”

I was thinking that it has been a while since we had a patient that seemed okay and then suddenly is in jeopardy. Wouldn’t you know that the next scene was that exact thing happened.

What would the Fourth of July be without having some kid blow off some fingers with a firecracker? We got one of those in this episode, but it is leading to more of a story than just that. The kid is being raised by his sister after their parents had been deported back to Haiti. This one feels more topical in its storytelling.

Howard, the overweight man returned with specifics. He needed surgery immediately, and the phone call he had with his estranged sister was heartbreaking. I have a real bad feeling that Howard is not making it. I sure hope I am wrong about that.

We got a new “old” character. Apparently, Monica was a clerk who got forced into retirement by the tech, but she was quite the storm coming into the ER with all the online stuff down because of potential cyberattack. She only had a few scenes, but she immediately became one of my favorite.

Mel was taken off for her disposition, just minutes after her sister was brought into the ER with stomach pains. Langdon took over that case and seemed to know exactly what was needed.

Roxie, the lung cancer patient, is actively preparing to die, as the morphine continues to be increased. It is another tough storyline currently being run through The Pitt.

And my favorite quote of the week was from Dr. Robby…

“Ogilvie, put your hand down.”