Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Light and Magic S2 E3

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“There’s No Going Back”

One more May the 4th watch. I watched the third and final episode of Light and Magic, the second season documentary detailing ILM’s history.

They talked about the work on Revenge of the Sith and then moved on to Pirates of the Caribbean. We see a couple of Oscar winning moments for ILM.

The creation of Davy Jones was one of the more intriguing parts of this documentary.

They looked at some of the competition that was springing up in the movie industry.

It was a fine conclusion to the second season, but honestly, there was not anything that really stood out as excellent in this episode. There was just a lot of interesting moments and images.

Andor S2 E4, E5, E6

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May the 4th be with you!

It was not intentional that I watched the three Andor episodes on Star Wars Day. It is merely a coincidence. The second season of Andor releases three episodes every Tuesday night at 8 PM my time. That does not give me much time to watch on Tuesdays so I have been pushing it off to the weekend. For the second week in a row, I watched them on Sunday, which just happened to be Star Wars Day.

It’s nice when things work out like they should.

Leia’s adopted father, Senator Organa made a cameo walk through in episode six, but, surprise, surprise, he has been recast. Benjamin Bratt is now playing the role instead of Jimmy Smits. Reportedly, Smits could not shoot the role because of scheduling conflicts. Organa does not make much in the episode four, so I can only assume that the character is more vital as the season continues, otherwise, this cameo would be easily removed, I would think.

Saw Gerrera made an appearance in these episodes as well, and I have to say, Forest Whitaker is downright creepy in the role.

These episodes have been fine to me. I have not absolutely loved these episodes, but there are some really strong points. I thought that every scene involving Diego Luna was perfect. The tension of episode six was palatable.

It seems as if every block of episodes has some tragic occurrence going down. Episode six had one of those as Cinta was shot accidentally by Samm, who was not supposed to have a blaster. This was just after Cinta and Vel reunited, which should have tipped me off that something bad was going to happen to one of them. It was the old LOST thing about when someone is happy, that is when everything goes to hell.

Oh, and when Bix (Adria Arjona) got some vengeance on Dr. Gorst, who tortured her in season one, that was epic. Really bad ass and how she and Cassian walked away together after… loved it.

Doctor Who S2 E5

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“Lucky Day”

I loved this episode. Unlike a certain faction of fans online, I loved Ruby Sunday as the Doctor’s companion in season one of the show on Disney +, and I thought it was great to see Millie Gibson once again.

I was sad that we did not get much involvement with the Doctor in this episode, but I understand the importance of that for the character of Ruby.

We did get to see how much of a bad ass Kate from U.N.I.T. was though. Her scenes facing off with Conrad were intense.

This episode of Doctor Who dealt with the idea of misinformation and the spreading of lies and half-truths across the internet and social media. Conrad’s vileness through the second half of this episode spoke to the disillusionment of many people in our institutions because of this misinformation that has been weaponized by certain individuals and groups.

I did not see Conrad’s betrayal coming. Not even a little bit. As the show was setting up Conrad and Ruby as, apparently, a new and happy couple, I was buying into the relationship 100%. To reveal the truth in such a callous manner was tough to watch as Ruby did not deserve such hostility. I went from really liking Conrad, hoping that he could be another important piece in Ruby’s life and an ally for the Doctor, to absolutely despising the bastard. I will say that the fact that the ending clearly showed that, with Mrs. Flood’s arrival, Conrad has a bigger role to play this season. Actor Jonah Hauer-King does an exceptional job as this character. he made me hate him so much. I am glad that there seems to be more for him to do moving on.

I reiterate, what the heck is up with Mrs. Flood?

The monologue that the Doctor delivered to Conrad at the end was one of the sharpest moments Ncuti Gatwa got to have. There was something about that speech that felt off though. Perhaps the timing…

Doctor Who has been one of my favorite shows so far, as it has had a bunch of amazing episodes this season. It was great to see Ruby again and I enjoyed how the show delved into the idea that companions might have a difficult time getting back to a normal life after their time with the Doctor ended. One could even argue that Ruby is suffering from a form of PTSD, which is why Conrad’s betrayal was all the worse.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #15

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“24/7”

John Dee-centric episode took quite a turn.

With John having the dream ruby, he stops off at a diner for some coffee and truth-telling, bringing along everyone with the misfortune to come inside the diner.

This did not feature much Sandman. Outside of a shot of him still unconscious with Matthew trying to wake him, we do not see Morpheus until the final act of the episode. What we get is a tour de force from David Thewlis as John, just sitting back and observing the scenario he put into place about truth telling. There was something funny about John Dee watching everything unfold as he dug into a big container of ice cream.

The show provides a powerful theme about truth and lies, showing, I believe, the fact that we cannot survive by being honest all the time about everything. It reveals the darker side of human nature and destroys the idea that “honesty is the best policy.” At least in part.

The unfortunate people in the diner have to face their unhappy existences because John Dee has created a situation where they are going to tell the truth about everything. Even for one of the sweetest characters that we have seen so far, waitress Bette Munroe (Emma Duncan), who seemed to be engaging and friendly to everyone.

The show does a strong job of introducing these secondary characters quickly and providing enough details that make us intrigued, if not interested, in their lives and their eventual downfall.

There was a lot of darkness in this episode, and Morpheus is anything but a hero. He is just finally here to retrieve the power of the ruby, which he does in the final showdown. I was unaware that John Dee was the kid of the man who had captured and imprisoned Morpheus in episode one, and that made the story all the more interesting. John Dee seems to have found his own fate at the end of the show.

Is it just me or is Matthew the raven a better person than anyone else on the show?

There are six more weeks of The Sandman in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk.

The X-Files S9 E5

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“Lord of the Flies”

Okay, I saw the cast list for this episode which included Jane Lynch, Aaron Paul, and Erick Avari and I was hopeful. Then I started to see the episode and I knew this wasn’t going to be one for me.

It started off with a YouTube show called “Dumb Ass” which was clearly a parody of Jackass. I have never liked jackass so I was not into this opening either. Stupid people doing stupid things are not funny. One of the main Dumb Asses wound up shockingly dead.

It turned out that the loner kid hanging out in the bunch named Dylan, who can control bugs. He has some kind of bug boy with bug pheromones. There was a girl he was in “love” with which felt like too many other X-Files episodes that we much better.

Jane Lynch was Dylan’s mother and, I think, principal at the school. She can web people up with webs from her mouth.

There was some dumb doctor specialist involved that had some attraction to Scully, and that was just did not fit into this story.

I found this to be a very disappointing episode. This episode was meant to echo early series episodes of the X-Files, but it just does not work well. The show is lacking the Mulder-Scully dynamic and it can not be duplicated with these characters. They need to play to the strengths of these new characters and not trying to reclaim the old tones.

This was an episode that I just did not like.

The Last of Us S2 E3

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“The Path”

This is the first week of the post-Joel era of The Last of Us, and much about us grieving the loss.

I have to tell you that the cry of Ellie as she woke up in the hospital was just feral. Totally crushing. I was nearly in tears from just Ellie’s roar of anguish.

This show has been effective with their time jumps. This is another good one, but I thought the moments before the leap (Ellie in hospital, Tommy with Joel’s brother) were tremendous.

Three months later, Ellie is getting out of the hospital with the anger underneath the surface.

It was great to see Catherine O’Hara again as the local therapist. Her meeting with Ellie was funny and her conversation with Tommy was interesting. The sudden baseball game that Catherine O’Hara was watching was a weird and felt odd. She has added a ton to the show in her few scenes.

Ellie and Dina are on the road to go kill Abby. The Jackson Council refused to send a group of 15 to Seattle after Abby and the others who killed Joel. Ellie tried to speak to the Council and her speech was moving. Didn’t work though. Ellie had never planned on accepting the verdict of the Council.

The group of people who just appeared in the woods and wound up getting killed was a weird detour in the show. These people’s death must be part of the next story arc, but it seemed to come out of nowhere.

The scene of Ellie at Joel’s grave was powerful too. The director spoke about this scene being an opportunity for the audience to grieve with Ellie.

Good episode. Seattle looks like a bad deal.

Light & Magic S2 E2

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“There Must Be A Better Way…”

The second episode of the second season of Light & Magic on Disney + featured heavily on the transition from practical effects to that of digital recording and the way in which ILM lead the way in the field of digital special effects.

It started out talking about the elephant in the room, Jar Jar Binks.

Jar Jar is one of the most hated of Star Wars characters among a certain section of the fandom, but the doc looked at the creation of the character. They spoke to Jar Jar actor, Ahmed Best, who was not taking the criticism and anger of the character well. The comments of Jar Jar being a racist character or filled of racist tropes was difficult for him to hear. It got so bad that he told a story about him going on a bridge in New York with the intent of “showing them” how much it affected him. This story of a man having suicidal thoughts over the creation of a movie character was very powerful as was the resolution of the story. It made me think about my own feelings toward Jar Jar.

I was impressed with how much of the negative thoughts and criticisms this doc dealt with. They could have easily brushed that under the rug, but the doc still showed the push back ILM received for its motion capture and digital film from the movie society in general.

The doc spent some time showing how they were involved in the creation of digital tornados for films such as Jumanji and Twister as well as the massive wave from A Perfect Storm.

They spent a good deal of time telling about how they transitioned from Yoda being a puppet as he was in the original trilogy to more of a digital character and then eventually to a point where Yoda could have a lightsaber fight with Count Dooku in Attack of the Clones. One of the more fascinating parts of that section of the show was seeing how Frank Oz, who was puppeteering and voice Yoda, went through so much trouble and challenges with this extremely heavy puppet that he had to hold up with his right arm.

There is one more episode of season two to go. My guess is that it will focus in on Revenge of the Sith.

Andor S2 E1, E2, E3

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Andor season one has been the best Star Wars show on Disney + yet. Some might argue for the Mandalorian, but for depth and story, Andor took the prize.

Andor returned to Disney + for the long-awaited second season debuted with three episodes this past Tuesday night. I was unable to fit it into my schedule until this Sunday morning.

It was worth the wait.

It started one year after the end of last season and we see Cassian stealing a Tie-fighter. He was to meet for a drop off, but that turned into an immediate cluster as the rebels he met could not get along or agree on anything. Cassian was clearly just biding his time with these idiots.

On Mina-Rau, things are much worse, including a near rape. This was not something one would expect in the Star Wars Universe, but I could see it as a part of Andor. I loved the Skeleton Crew earlier this year, but that was clearly Star Wars for the young. Andor is Star Wars for the adult.

That does not mean that there is not humor to go around. There are some very funny things that happen, one of the major ones being a dinner date with Eedy Karn and her son Syril, who wants to introduce her to Dedra Meero. Dedra is a force and her scene with Eedy was epic.

The third episode ended with some tragedy.

Andor continues to be one of the best Star Wars shows around.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #14

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“Chapter Four: A Hope in Hell”

This morning, we take a stroll down the Sunday Morning Sidewalk onto the path to Hell.

And the path to Hell is lined with more than just good intentions. It is lined with tension, anxiety and suspense.

What a great episode this was.

At first, as Morpheus and Matthew traveled into Hell to regain his helm, I was more engaged with the second part of the story, John Dee being picked up by a woman named Rosemary. That conversation inside Rosemary’s car was scary and I dreaded what was going to happen to Rosemary, who was just trying to be a good person.

However, then Morpheus wound up in a fight with Lucifer Morningstar and the narrative of the episode switched. The ‘fight” between these two was amazing… and unlike anything I expected. It was truly sensational and brilliantly constructed. It could have easily just slipped into the big power fight that we see so often, but this was deeper, more intense.

The fight turned on the word of the raven, Matthew, giving Morpheus that last bit of motivation to overcome the ruler of the Underworld.

It also seemed as if Rosemary was able to survive the episode, and I was sure she was a goner. Sarah Niles played Rosemary so exceptionally that I immediately connected with the character and wished for her safety. John gave her the amulet of protection at the end of the episode after she had decided to wait for him instead of escaping to freedom. It was a sweet ending that I still was anxious about. I really wanted Rosemary, a good person, to not be killed off in this warped story. When it was clear that she was going to make it, I did breath a sigh of relief.

Nicely paired episode with two stories (which nearly crossed at the end) that I was very engaged in. This is my favorite episode so far of the season and it does seem as if the show is only getting better each week.

Doctor Who S2 E3

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“The Well”

One of the wonderful things about the Disney + series, Doctor Who, is that this character can be in any kind of type of story needed. Last week we had the meta episode with the animated character. This week there was a space sci-fi/horror story with a lot of tension and mystery. Doctor Who can do whatever you need.

This week was tremendous. The Doctor and Belinda showed up in a space military operation on an unknown planet in the distant future. They encounter a mysterious force that stands behind a person. It is connected to a story that Doctor Who had told previous when David Tennent was the Doctor. It was fun when Ncuti Gatwa said, in character, that he had been on this planet before, and we get a flash from that episode with Tennent.

I truly did not know what was going to happen with this story as there were just a bunch of characters on edge. The show also did a great job of building these side characters quickly so I felt something for them when they were in jeopardy. It was not just a bunch of cannon fodder (though there were some of those here too).

The episode continued to build the overarching mystery of the season with the question about why the Tardis can not return to earth in 2025. These people in the distant future had never heard of the earth or the human race even though The Doctor indicated that the earth should have been known in the time. I do like how they keep planting those seeds even if it is not the main thrust of the episode. Oh and Mrs. Flood is there again, just taunting us with her continual presence.

I am such a fan of this version of the Doctor so far. Ncuti Gatwa is such a strong performer and seems to have chemistry with everyone. He is emotional and powerful, oozing a confidence that is shaken over and again. I have not seen many other versions of Doctor Who, but this one had made me a fan.

The Studio S1 E6

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“The Pediatric Oncologist”

Matt is dating a doctor. A pediatric oncologist, to be precise, and she invited him to a fancy black tie fundraiser with other doctors.

Things do not go well.

Matt agrees to go even though, as the studio head, he has to get a trailer for Johnny Knoxville’s new satire about projectile diarrhea approved.

This led to a conflict between Matt and the doctors who were with his girlfriend. They were looking down on his work, treating it as if it was not important. Matt disagreed, claiming his work as “art.”

While it is difficult to compare movie making to trying to cure cancer, these doctors were extremely dismissive of Matt and looked down their collective noses at him and what he does for a living.

This led to some extremely funny moments. My favorite one was when Matt outbid the doctors at his table for a gold trip to Ireland, even though he does not like golf. I actually cheered for Matt when he tossed out his winning bid at the last second.

I have been enjoying this Apple TV + comedy every week. Again, it feels so very meta, but has some very strong themes.

Light & Magic S2 E1

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“Are We Ready For This?”

The Light & Magic documentary series got an unexpected second season as it showed up with three episodes on Disney +. I enjoyed the initial season of this documentary, so I figured this would be a good series to add to the watchlist.

The story of Industrial Light & Magic, or ILM, is an fascinating tale of movie making and the way they took the business on an entirely new path.

This was around the time that George Lucas was preparing to create the prequels, the infamous films that were the pre-story of Star Wars, featuring Obi-Wan and Anakin Skywalker. Lucas did not want to start work on prequels until he believed that IBM was ready to create the digital work that he thought the movies needed.

The beginning of the doc included discussion on Caspar and Dragonheart. The episode indicated that once Lucas saw Dragonheart, he knew ILM was ready for The Phantom Menace.

They spent a good chunk of the doc on the creation of Jar Jar Binks. One of the most divisive characters in Star Wars, Lucas believed that Jar Jar was one of the most important pieces of the puzzle and that the film would not work if they did not nail Jar Jar. Such an interesting comment for a character that so many Star Wars fans hated.

They also discussed the pod racing scenes and how George saw these.

Whether I was a fan of these movies or not, the technology created and used on these films revolutionized the industry without a doubt. I am intrigued to hear the stories of the making of the prequels moving forward.

All three episodes of this documentary dropped on Disney +.

The X-Files S9 E4

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“4-D”

The multiverse comes to the X-Files.

This was an interesting and confusing episode as it started off with Monica Reyes having her throat cut, and Doggett getting shot, but returned from commercial with Monica at home and Doggett there with her.

Skinner called her and told her that Doggett had been shot.

How many times does Doggett die in this series? This is at least the second time.

Monica Reyes came up with the theory from out of nowhere. It was the kind of theory that Fox Mulder would have pulled out.

This was an interesting idea but the overall execution was at best okay.

The Last of Us S2 E2

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“Through the Valley”

I can’t believe it.

I was aware of Joel’s fate in general from the video game, but I knew no specifics. So as this was being set up, I was in denial. I was sure that they had planned on extending Pedro Pascal’s part longer into season two because of how huge of a star he had become.

Nope. Episode two and Joel is dead.

Honestly, right up until the end, before Abby drove that broken golf club into Joel’s neck, I thought he was getting out of it, somehow. I never played the game so I was unaware that this was setting up a scene that was straight out of the game.

Ellie held on the ground, screaming for mercy for the man who was like a father to her was heartbreaking, and I know that there are extenuating circumstances behind the vengeance of Abby, but I want her dead… just so dead.

Joel had saved her life earlier in the episode as she had been chased by the Infected and was about to be caught when Joel appeared from nowhere to stop it. The whole chase scene with Abby and the Infected, as well as the crawling beneath the collapsing fence, was just suspenseful.

Before this tragic event, the Infected crashing into the city and causing such a tremendous amount of loss. The standoff with Tommy and the Bloater was intense as you get on TV. I thought Tommy was a goner, but he was able to make it through, thankfully.

Bella Ramsey was amazing in this episode. They are absolutely setting up Ellie and Abby as similar characters for future face off. Historically, heroes and villains are like the other side of the same coin. This feels like the show is building a hero/villain archetype.

What We Do in the Shadows S1 E10

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“Ancestry”

The first season of What We Do in the Shadows wrapped up with episode 10 called “Ancestry.” Guillermo does some DNA testing on the vampires and himself to see what their ancestry would be. Guillermo discovered some interesting facts.

One, Nandor had 200,000 living descendants. This included one living descendant in Staten island. Nandor wanted to go see her and she turned out to be 94 years old. The sight of Nandor floating outside her window led directly to her death.

And two, that Guillermo was a descendant of Van Helsing, the well-know vampire killer, leading Guillermo to question everything about his life. Especially since he “accidentally” killed two vampires in the recent episodes. The idea that Guillermo, Nandor’s familiar is actually related to Van Helsing is a really funny idea.

What was also funny was how Nandor, Laszlo, and Nadja, along with Colin, attended Nandor’s granddaughter’s funeral… inside a church. The vampires were in the back literally smoking and catching on fire. When Nandor sent Guillermo for water to put him out, he accidentally brought holy water, which burned him all the more.

The first season of What We Do in the Shadows was really funny and enjoyable. I do believe, moving forward with this show, I will be doing a binge day for the remaining five season, where I take the entire season and binge them in a day, doing a wrap up write-up at the end of the season.