Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E3

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“The Hollow of His Hand”

Holy crap.

My jaw is still agape after the dramatic end to Daredevil: Born Again episode 3.

The episode’s main drive is the Hector Ayala case and Matt’s desperate attempt to free him. Things were looking good for awhile since Matt had the witness in his custody, the man who the police were roughing up when Hector came across them. However, the witness proved to be a little weasel, and decided to change his story on the stand.

Hector was in a lot of trouble and Matt decided to put him on the stand. Matt dropped the bomb of all bombs… Hector Ayala was the White Tiger.

The judge and the D.A. were angry at Matt’s grandstand play, especially after Matt had argued that Ayala’s life as White Tiger should be kept out of the case.

Moving forward, the reveal of Ayala as White Tiger took the breath out of the case against him. It removed the motive for Hector to have attacked these police officers. Despite D.A. “Hawk” Hochberg’s talented closing, hector is found not guilty on all counts. It had to be that way. There was no reason why Hector would attack these cops just out of the blue and the jury knew that.

Wilson Fisk was not happy about this. He summoned BB Urich to talk to her about vigilante’s and the rule of law. Fisk indicated that he would need to step up with these vigilantes.

And then it happened.

As Hector dressed up in his White Tiger gear, and he went out and gets shot in the head. I have to say I was kind of expecting it. What I was not expecting was seeing the gunman walk away with a big skull on his chest.

Frank? That can’t be you, right?

Unbelievable moment that drove this episode. It appeared that Matt did not murder those cops in that apartment so that is a good thing, but they really do not bring it up much. The one cop only had a black eye. Sounds sure made it seem as if bones, like neck bones, were breaking.

Anyway, back to the Punisher. My guess is that this was one of the police officers who had the skull tattoos that shot Hector. I can’t believe that Frank Castle would kill Whiter Tiger.

Good episode with a major ending.

The White Lotus S3 E4

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“Hide or Seek”

The White Lotus is picking its pace up as the season progresses.

  • Timothy has seemingly developed a drug problem and finally talked to someone about the FBI problem. Things look bad for the family.
  • Piper wants to tell her parents about her future choices.
  • Saxon and Lochlan are on a yacht, partying despite their lack of knowledge about their family financial situation.
  • Rick confesses why he came to Indonesia to Chelsea, having to do with the man who killed his father.
  • Belinda finally made her way to Google to discover the fate of Tonya and figure out that Gary is, in fact, Greg. This is my favorite storyline right now as I want Greg to go down for his part in Tanya’s death.
  • There is a missing gun.

Things are ratcheting up and I am here for it.

The X-Files S8 E8, E9

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“Surekill”

“Salvage”

This is two fairly average X-Files episodes. “Surekill” was a little more enjoyable than “Salvage” which is not much of an episode overall.

It does feel somewhat weird hearing Scully offer up the implausible solutions that Mulder used to offer. She moves into those ideas so quickly now with Doggett as the naysayer and I am not sure that I buy the reasoning behind Scully’s new open-mindedness. Sure, she would go along with Mulder’s old theories, but she always had a foot in the real world, even when you would think that she wouldn’t.

In “Salvage,” the plot is dumb and lacks a lot of intricacy. It was odd since it involved an unstoppable metal man, much like Robert Patrick played in T2. There were a couple of scripted lines to make a reference to the movie.

In “Surekill” we got a man who had x-ray vision and could then shoot his enemies through the walls, using armor piercing bullets. Where he was able to get armor piercing bullets is beyond me. Maybe they are easier to get than I know.

The ending of “Salvage” was ridiculous and went against the entire episode leading up to it. Not that there was much to the episode prior to this ending, but it was a total crap end playing on some lackluster idea of kindness.

Neither of these are episodes that I will remember moving on. Both are disposable monster-of-the-week episodes that do little for any of the characters involved.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #7

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“The Breaking Point”

This was one of my favorite episodes of Band of Brothers so far. I’m not ready to anoint it as my favorite, but it is certainly in the argument.

There was so much character development throughout the entire episode, narrated by Lipton, that it provided me with more feeling toward some of these characters that, to be honest, blend together for me at times. Lipton. Speirs. Dyke. Compton. Malarky.

I have to say, there were two visceral moments for me in the episode. The first was when Joe Toye lost his leg in the shelling. It was such a shocking moment and the shell that then shredded Bill Guarnere, who had rushed out to help Joe, was unthinkable.

And the second moment was during this entire barrage, the soldiers kept jumping into their foxholes and I kept thinking how are these foxholes supposed to help against these shells? I mean, I understand how it can provide shelter to gunfire, but these shells were coming down from above, right? Then the show proved me right when it showed Corporal Penkala and Sgt. Skip Muck getting blown to bits while they were inside their foxhole, begging for George Lutz to get in it with them. I literally cried out when that happened.

The show dealt with the incompetent leadership provided by Dyke and continued to enhance the legend of Speirs. Buck Compton was not injured during this episode, but it showed that he had reached his own “breaking point” after seeing so many of the people he had been close with over his time with Easy Company dying. Part of the theme of this episode was that wounds were not all physical injuries and that the path of war took a toll on the soldiers’ minds as well.

The mood of the show was downtrodden, depressed. The cold weather played right into that as well. There was little joy in this episode. Even when the company felt safe and were singing, they were interrupted by a sniper.

There are three more episodes remaining in the first series of the Sunday Morning Sidewalk.

Invincible S3 E7

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“What Have I Done?”

The alternate timeline Invincibles arrived on earth, sent by Angstrom Levy, a villain Mark believed he had killed, and brought destruction and chaos to the planet.

This was a brutal episode of Invincible and saw some real stakes as the major cities of the country were devastated and thousands of people were killed. Sadly, Rex was one of the victims, as he blew himself up taking out one of the Invincible variants.

Our Mark was going through it as well. Not only was Eve badly injured, but he had to face the fact that this entire thing was his own fault. Angstrom brought these Invincible variants to the earth in order to get Mark and Mark was having a difficult time dealing with that guilt. Even though this is not Mark’s direct fault, the idea that it only happened because Angstrom was after him was a tough pill to swallow.

The adaptation of The Invincible War was filled with action and drama. The battle with the incoming Invincibles was tough and we saw all of the world’s heroes responding.

It also feels as if there is a slight warming of the relationship between Mark and Cecil, though Mark is still very cautious around him, and who could blame him for it?

Then there is no rest for Mark as we got the arrival of Conquest during the clean up of the city. Mark was itching to hit someone and these two powerhouses went straight for one another, setting up next episode with another bigtime throwdown.

This episode was compelling as could be and was one of the best of the series so far.

Daredevil: Born Again S1 E1, E2

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Daredevil is back.

The new MCU Disney + series debuted tonight with its first two episodes. I liked how the show feels like another season of the Netflix show while feeling like its own thing too.

The return of Charlie Cox and Vincent D’Onofrio brings their aura and talents in the roles of Matt Murdock and Wilson Fisk. The power of these two actors absolutely drive this series so far. These characters are complex and three dimensional. They are the opposite sides of the same coin. The discussion between Murdock and Fisk in the diner is such an amazing scene.

I kind of suspected the shocking death that happened in episode one. I had heard some rumors and that minimized it a little bit. It was still tough to see and was an emotional moment.

Yes, there was not a lot of Daredevil in the two episodes, but it made sense as to why we do not see DD much. We get plenty of Matt Murdock though and it really works.

I am very excited to see where the series heads after the first two solid episodes. It was extremely creative and original. Bringing the idea of Mayor Fisk into the storyline is amazing and gives D’Onofrio something special to play.

We are introduced to White Tiger in these episodes, but out of costume at first. I have always enjoyed the character, but I do not have much knowledge of him. I liked how his story worked into the overall arc of the beginning of the series.

We have not seen Muse yet (although I do think we have).

Daredevil: Born Again is on Disney + released on Tuesdays.

The White Lotus S3 E3

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“The Meaning of Dreams”

Big lesson to learn from this episode: don’t release a cobra.

Second big lesson: All the bald, white guys look alike.

Finally, voting for Trump can cause friction among friends.

The White Lotus had its third episode drop on MAX Sunday night, and, between the Oscars and RAW, I am just getting around to it tonight. It was a lot of fun as some weird and humorous things occurred. There also felt as if there were several biblical allegories happening.

Rick, stoned, released a bunch of poisonous snakes from the terrarium at a local snake show, including a cobra which just happened to bite Chelsea. She was rushed to the hospital, but she turned out fine. When asked why he let the snakes free, Rick just said that he felt bad for them. Chelsea said that snakes were evil, but Rick said that even evil things should not be treated badly. This was a weird sequence with these two.

Belinda went to speak to “Gary” because she had thought she had placed the face that she recognized. She was sure that he was Greg, who had married Tanya. He denied it, of course, but she clearly made “Gary” feel uneasy and could Belinda just put herself in danger? I really want Gary/Greg to get his comeuppance this season from his manipulations that led to poor Tanya’s death last season.

Timothy Ratliff finally decided to put his phone away, since it was constantly blowing up with people trying to contact him… specifically the FBI. The stress is beginning to get to Timothy and he took some sleep medication to get some rest. This looks like an arc forming around him and this drug.

Kate told Jaclyn and Laurie that her husband had voted for Trump and that she was an independent, dodging the question about whether she had voted for Trump. Jaclyn and Laurie were laughing about it later and Kate overheard them. I mean… Kate is from Texas after all.

I like where many of these stories are going and I hope for justice for Tanya!

Paradise S1 E8

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“The Man Who Kept the Secrets”

Paradise’s first season of episodes came to a close with an answer to the central mystery of the whole first chunk of episodes: who killed President Cal Bradford?

We see, not only, who the killer was, but also how it happened and where he had been since. It turned out that the librarian Trent was the killer of the President. However, it a plot twist worthy of this show, the librarian was not actually Trent. It turned out that the librarian was the man who attempted to assassinate the President in episode one. He had replaced the real Trent, who was a librarian on the list heading to the underground city. The assassin took his place and hid in plain sight the whole time.

He had wanted to finish the job, but he got comfortable and decided he wanted to live. When Cal had come to the library to make a mix tape for his son, it triggered Not-Trent and convinced him to finish the job.

We see the actual flashback to the murder and it is a dramatic end. Xavier chased Not-Trent as he tried to escape the city. Xavier had found directions to escape and Not-Trent smashed him over the head to take it away.

The end to Sinatra was not quite as satisfying, though Jane shooting her through the throat was not as good as Xavier blowing her head off. Jane did this to keep Sinatra alive and keep Xavier from killing her. Jane had been ordered to take care of Presley, but she did not do it. Xavier was happily reunited with his kids without knowing that Jane was behind the murder of his friend.

This is an awesome show and the show set up a great arc with Xavier on his way out of the city in an attempt to find his wife. Paradise has been renewed for season two so that is exceptional.

The X-Files S8 E7

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“Via Negativa”

This was yet another Agent Doggett episode in season 8 that I found very engaging and entertaining. My memory of the 8th season was that I did not enjoy any of these episodes, but on this rewatch, I have found these to be hidden gems. Most of the first eight have been pretty good to awesome, with a few exceptions.

“Via Negativa” is one of those awesome episodes. Even with a limited amount of screen time for Scully, the tone and mood of the show was not lacking and gave a wonderful backdrop for a very strong performance from Robert Patrick.

It was cool to see more from Skinner in this episode and the initial team up with Doggett and the Lone Gunmen. The use of these other X-Files characters helped ease the absence of Scully.

The story itself was not the greatest script I had seen on The X-Files, but there were so many other positives in the episode that it helped create an exciting and eerie show.

Invincible S3 E6

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“All I Can Say is I’m Sorry”

This one was a tough episode to watch.

It started off with the Batman v Superman set up as the character who would become Powerplex lost a sister and niece in the battle of Chicago between Omni-Man and Invincible. He blamed Invincible for the loss and tried to get justice.

In the end, Powerplex’s quest for justice cost him the life of his own wife and son.

Honestly, when I saw that, I immediately thought about Jay Schmidt from the YouTube show pReview’d, which I watch regularly and I know review this show. Jay is very sensitive to anything family-wise since he became a father recently. Seeing the after effects of Powerplex’s attack was devastating, even as an animated show. I had to go watch the pReview’d episode after this and, as I expected, he did not react well. I felt bad for him because he is such a sweet man.

The themes of the episode focused on the results of the loss of life around the fights of the superheroes and how much responsibility the heroes share in the deaths. This is an argument that some films and stories have made, including the loss of life in Man of Steel and, as I mentioned earlier, BvS.

I read a comment that this event in the comic book made a huge impact on Invincible and that it may be a needed moment for the character development of Mark.

Changing the subject for a sec, I just do not like the new black and blue costume. I miss the old one, but it looks as if there is a reason for that change as the tag at the end of the episode looks like something is coming.

Sunday Morning Sidewalk #6

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“Bastogne”

As we start the second half of the season, the soldiers of Easy Company are in bad shape. The defense of the Belgium city of Bastogne was part of the Battle of the Bulge and was one of the most important moments of the war.

One of the key parts to this episode was the focus on the character Eugene Roe, the medic with the group. The horrors he had to endure in an attempt to keep the soldiers of his company in one piece was devastating. I was always a fan of the TV show MASH, but this took the realism to an all new level with the injuries and the blood. It truly gave a portrait of a man trying to hold his own self together to do what he could for the wounded.

Eugene met up with a nurse in the town of Bastogne, Renee. They connected over their efforts to save people and their wartime moments were the sole peace in this episode. Sadly, I knew what was destined to happen here, as Renee appeared to have died in a German bombing run on Bastogne (although no body was found).

Eugene went through the mental wringer in this episode, but the final moments with him seemed to indicate that he was going to make it through. He had slowly been starting to become like a zombie, but the final moment in a foxhole with Heffron, who he calls by his nickname “Babe” which was significant because Eugene did not use the nicknames before.

One of the more haunting moments of the episode came when there was a lull in fighting and the Germans could be heard singing “Silent Night” in German from out of their locations in the woods. Since it was Christmastime, this little bit of singing humanized the Germans, reminding us that they were just people fighting for their side, even if the Nazi Party was completely evil.

Another brutally powerful episode of this mini-series. Just four more weeks to go for this series in the Sunday Morning Sidewalk.

Paradise S1 E7

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“The Day”

Holy $%^$

Flashback episode and WHAT A FLASHBACK episode. Man this was tense. The show finally showed us the day when everything changed. We learned what happened to the earth that sent the Americans into the plan to go inside the Colorado mountain.

And man, was it powerful.

I mean, this was something else.

Not only the flashback, but the bookend scenes with Xavier and Sinatra was absolutely jaw-dropping. I found myself hating Sinatra almost as much as I used to hate the Cigarette Smoking Man on the X-Files. I was yelling for Xavier to put a bullet in her head, just like I used to want Mulder to do to CSM.

Sterling K. Brown and James Marsden are absolutely tremendous in this episode. Both of them gave amazing, Emmy-worthy performances in this episode as they dealt with the crisis of the earth’s downfall and the President’s drastic decisions prior to entering the mountain.

The tying of the events of The Day with the Cuban Missile Crisis is a stroke of genius and amazing writing. The determination of President Bradford in his decision to set off the huge EMP instead of launching the nuclear armory from the nuclear football is stunning. Could he have save the world with his choice?

Hearing Teri’s voice at the end was shocking and made me just hate Sinatra (aka Samantha all the more).

Plus, Sinatra told Xavier that the DNA found at the President’s murder site did not match anyone from inside the mountain, meaning that the murderer came from outside. I am not sure I believe her, but it is a massive twist if true.

This was the best episode of the season so far in a show that is chocked full of amazing episodes. Such a great hour of television on Hulu (or Disney +).

The White Lotus S3 E2

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“The Meaning of Dreams”

I do think this episode was a slow burn. There was some interesting conversations and what felt like a lot of set up.

There was a robbery that was surprising and exciting.

I am pleased that Gary is truly Greg, from the previous two seasons. I would love to see this rat bastard get his comeuppance for his involvement in Tanya’s death from season two.

What is happening with the Ratliff family? There is a plethora of storylines stuck within this group of characters.

Rick is a mystery for me and I am intrigued by who he is.

There is a lot of humor and curiosity going on with this season.

Dark Matter S1 E8, E9

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“Jupiter”

“Entanglement”

I’m conflicted over the last two episodes of Dark Matter.

On one hand, I like the sort of happy ending for the characters… at least, it seemed like a happy ending.

On the other hand, I am not a fan of the League of Jasons that suddenly formed with hundreds of doppelgangers coming together. All apparently able to find their way to the same universe.

I was so confused when Jason 2 killed that first Jason right off the bat in episode eight. Then, there were Jasons coming from the woodwork. There were Jasons everywhere you turned.

The entire time, I kept wondering how we were going to know if the Jason who wound up with Daniela and Charlie was the OG Jason. I suppose they all were OG Jasons, but I mean the Jason that we have been following since the beginning of the series. Not an alternate version because Jason made a choice.

Overall, I am not a fan of how this ended. The multiple Jasons just did not do it for me. I just wanted Jason and Jason 2 to be the final conflict, but Jason 2 even helped them out at the end. That character changed his tune too much for my tastes and I just did not know what was going on.

The X-Files S8 E6

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“Redrum”

This was a very interesting episode of the X-Files. Actor Joe Morton was the main protagonist of the episode Martin Wells, as he was in jail, arrested for the murder of his wife, something that he did not remember. He was murdered by his father-in-law as they were transferring him to a more secure location.

After dying, he awoke and it was the day before he is killed.

The episode is told backwards for the rest of the time and Martin was trying to figure out what was happening to him.

Martin was friends with John Doggett and Doggett and Scully would make appearances throughout the episode.

I found this plot very clever and intriguing. I liked everything about the episode. I saw some criticism that Morton had too much exposition during his monologues, but that did not bother me at all.

Scully and Doggett did not appear a lot in the episode, as it was definitely focused on Martin Wells. Still, I thought the use of them was well done considering the plot that they were using.

I thought this was another good-to-great episode from season 8, which I did not expect. What I expect is that I had a poor mindset about the season when it first came out because there was no Mulder. Looking at it now, these have been much better than I remember.