Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

Baymax! Season One

Posted on by

Some may not realize, but Baymax, who appeared in the Oscar-winning animated film Big Hero 6 in 2014 is actually from Marvel Comics. The characters are not from the main Marvel comics continuity (to say Earth 616) and so they also do not appear in the MCU (perhaps in is one one of the multiversal earths). Still, they are a Marvel property and so it fits in the Marvel on Disney + section of EYG.

The Baymax! series on Disney + features six episodes that are shorts (between 10-15 minutes each). The first four episodes had a basic formula to it. Someone in the city of San Fransokyo said something that drew the attention of Baymax (like ‘Ow’) and he would come and try and provide comfort and aid. Then at the end, he would be back at his home and Hiro would come in and ask him about his day, which would result in a humorous joke to tag the episode.

However, the story between the formula was anything but typical. He helped Hiro’s mom with her diner, a woman get over a long held sadness, a girl who had her first period, a man who served fish who developed an allergy to fish and then in episode 5, a cat.

These were all extremely charming and handled with great sensitivity and care. There was also a lot of humor in each episode as it was very funny as Baymax desperately tried to provide the care each character needed, whether they wanted him to do so or not.

I was really impressed with the episode about the young girl who was having her first period and the show spoke about the menstrual cycle in a calm and positive manner while still being able to mine the situation for the humor involved. The humor was just not based on the typical awkwardness of the situation. Baymax was not awkward in the moment because he was just trying to provide aid to the girl. The funniest moment was Baymax trying to buy the proper feminine product at the store and having everyone in the store recommending something different.

Apparently, this episode (along with another one where they guy with the fish allergy , who was gay and built up his confidence to ask another guy out) cause controversy among the conservatives. I had not even noticed it when it first happened, but apparently, in the scene I mentioned about the purchasing of the feminine products, there was a transgender individual there with a recommendation too, wearing a pride flag shirt. I honestly had not even thought about it as I watched it. It was just another person in the scene to me.

Of course, the cries that this was, “…part of Disney’s plan to re-engineer the discourse around kids and sexuality” tweeted by Christopher Rufo, the conservative academic from the right-leaning think tank, the Manhattan Institute, appeared on Twitter and in a New York Post article.

There is nothing sexual in this episode. It is just a part of life that children who may be watching Disney + will go through. There is no reason why a show with a character such as Baymax shouldn’t show how to treat people who are different with sensitivity and respect. I rewatched the scenes in question and I just do not understand why someone would have trouble with anything this sweet and kindly.

The final two episodes, where Baymax tried to help a cat, end up as a two-parter where Baymax finds himself with a run down battery inside a warehouse scheduled for destruction. Hiro has to unite the people who Baymax helped over the course of the series to assemble and find the robot before it was too late. This was an awesome change of the formula and pulled the whole six episodes together into a finale.

Baymax is a fabulous character and the series does a great job of highlighting how caring the robot is, while also being remarkably entertaining and funny. The six episodes are currently on Disney +.

Stranger Things S4 Vol. 2 E9

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Chapter Nine: The Piggyback”

Two and a half hours is longer than a lot of movies, but the final episode of Stranger Things in season four is better than a lot of movies. There were so many emotions and anxious moments in this finale that it really put a satisfying period on the best season of Stranger Things we have had. Some of the early episodes had a few storyline that dragged some, but every one of them was fire in this episode.

I was not a huge fan of the Russian arc for most of this season (with the exception of Hopper’s awesome escape) but it felt too dragged out and too separate from the story being told in the season. That changed with the use of the Demogorgon and we got a fantastic struggle with Hopper, Joyce, Murray in the gulag trying to help the kids by killing these monsters. Tying it back to the main story really brought a relevance that had been missing. Then the connection between Hopper and Joyce came through the screen.

Max offering herself up as bait was frightening and I was legitimately crying as she raised from the ground. Lucas was fighting with Jason and when Jason stepped on the Walkman and broke it, I audibly cried out. Jason deserved his fate when the “earthquake” came through the house. Even with Eleven there, I was scared for Max. I couldn’t believe that they would kill her after the drama of episode four, but they did it anyway. Thankfully, Eleven was able to save her, sort of. It seemed as if Max may be alive but is lost in her mind.

The death of Eddie was also painful as he went out a hero. Having Dustin there made the loss all the more painful. Eddie was a major player here, with his metal performance of Metallica and his efforts to give the party more time. His death by the bats was horrible and painful.

We learned that Vecna/Henry/1 was behind everything that was happening with the Upside Down. It is not the Mindflayer. Instead, Vecna survived the finale (according to Will, who said that he could feel him now that he was back in Hawkins). He was hurt, which sure seemed as he should be with the saw-off shotgun and the fire that was consuming him. I was pumping my fist when Eleven arrived and pulled Vecna away from Max the first time. That was an amazing arrival.

Mike’s words of love helped to inspire Eleven in her battle with Vecna. This was another thing I thought might come from Mike’s dying words, but I am grateful that my prediction was off.

The earthquake that ravaged Hawkins was horrific and frightening. It is still amazing that the town is so blinded by their denial. I did enjoy the falling action, catching up with the characters after the “victory” over Vecna. The California crew arriving back in Hawkins reuniting with their friends, Dustin with Eddie’s uncle, Hopper and Joyce making it back from Russia, and Hopper’s emotional reunion with Eleven were all great moments. Jonathan and Nancy’s reunion was awkward as could be as they both have clearly grown apart but are afraid to admit it. Then, the huge cliffhanger with the storm clouds which should lead us into season 5.

This was great. Emotional. Exciting. Painful.

Can’t wait for season 5.

Stranger Things S4 Volume 2 E8

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Chapter Eight: Papa”

At first, I was just going to write up both episode 8 & 9 together in one post, but I decided that I wanted to split them apart. I did watch them back to back, which was a commitment of four hours. The 8th episode was an hour and a half. It did not feel like that though. These episodes flew by as the storylines continued to come together.

This has been a great season so far, though there are a few early story bits that did not work well. However, these storylines (basically the Russian gulag and the west coast crew) fired on all cylinders in this volume of the show. Mike and Will became huge pieces for the episode and the Russian tale became so much more than it had been on the build.

Episode 8 gave us some serious kick ass action from Eleven. Her confrontation with Brennen had me screaming at the TV and then her crashing of the helicopter that was trying to shoot her was amazing. Eleven’s reunion with Mike was emotional too.

Speaking of emotions, Will was talking to Mike, trying to convince him that Eleven would always need him because he was the heart of the group and he showed the mysterious painting. That made me happy because I had considered them looking at the painting after Will died. There have been plenty of rumors about which characters might die in this volume and it has made me anxious about all my favorites.

Thankfully, Matthew Modine was the first to go and that made me happy. I’ve wanted this guy to get offed the minute after he walked into the present day section of this show. It is all the better too that it was not Eleven who killed him.

Going back to Will, his monologue to Mike in the back of the pizza van about feeling different and not knowing how people will react was not just about Eleven and Mike. It was clearly about how Will feels different because (as plenty of people have speculated) Will is gay. The show has not said the specific words, but he is obviously implying it. And the words were beautiful and Will’s pain was powerful.

The Hawkins crew went about preparing for their plan to kill Vecna/Henry/1 by going to a gun shop and beefing up their weapons. They ran into Jason and his basketball vigilantes doing the same thing.

Part of the Hawkins crew plan was to offer up Max as bait so they could catch Vecna/Henry/1 in the Upside Down while he is mentally traveling to the regular world.

A great set up for the finale. The Hawkins crew with the A-Team “setting up the trap” section of the show was a great ’80s throwback. The nostalgia of the series has not been as relevant in this season’s episodes as it has been in the past.

Episode 9 is 2 1/2 hours long, which is longer than many movies so the conclusion is certainly going to be epic (since I have already watched it, I can let you know for sure).

Only Murders in the Building Season 1

Posted on by

SPOILERS

One of the shows that I wanted to watch is the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building starring Steve Martin and Martin Short. When season one originally came out, I thought about watching it, but it slipped by the wayside. I’ve always enjoyed Steve Martin and Martin Short and the idea of them in a murder mystery was very intriguing. With the second season starting, this was a great chance to see if I was going to enjoy the show.

I started season one and ended season one on the same day. Breezed right through it. It was so good.

The central mystery of the show is set up in the first episode and it is extremely compelling with a plentiful amount of suspects and twists and turns. It is plotted out well and each episode helped build the story. There were some really cool episodes, including one that had basically no dialogue and was focused on a deaf character and the use of ASL. The story mixes together and it works extremely well.

Steve Martin and Martin Short have great chemistry and are filled with humor. Selina Gomez does an extremely good job and, to be honest, I was not expecting for her to be as excellent as she was. She fit right in with the two lead legends in the film and she absolutely carried her ow

There were some wonderful guest stars here too including Nathan Lane, Jane Lynch, Tina Fey, Sting, and Jimmy Fallon.

The arrival of the bassoonist Jan (Amy Ryan) helped open up the Steve Martin character and they fit together and, when we discovered that Jan was the actual killer, it was a tough reveal. Steve Martin was amazing during the confrontation between them.

And the show did a great job of setting up for season two.

I know a few episodes of season 2 have dropped so I am looking forward to continuing with this every Tuesday on Hulu.

The Boys S3 E7

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Here Comes a Candle to Light You to Bed”

Ok…now what????

What a shock at the end of the show. My jaw dropped and everything that I thought was going to happen eventually in season three of The Boys went by the way side. The Boys had their very own, “Luke, I am your father” moment as Soldier Boy told Homelander that he had discovered that Vought had Soldier Boy give them a sample of semen that would become Homelander.

Now what???

The thought that Soldier Boy would be able to stop Homelander, perhaps by taking away his powers with his blast, feels as if it is off the table now. In fact, Soldier Boy was calling Homelander to change the deal and that makes me wonder exactly how this could turn out for the heroes.

I still hate Billy Butcher. He went through a horrible mental illusion caused by Mindstorm that flashed through his abusive past leading up to his brother’s suicide. It felt as if Butcher was finally going to have that reflective moment that made him at least a little less of an a-hole. However, when Starlight called to warn Hughie that 3-5 doses of V-23 causes death, she spoke with Butcher who promised to tell Hughie but, of course, he did not. In fact, he wanted them to steal some more so they could take down Homelander at last.

And then, Black Noir interacts with animated cartoon characters. I could not believe that Black Noir was suddenly Eddie Valiant from Who Framed Roger Rabbit. We saw the animated version of Soldier Boy being betrayed by Noir and the others in Payback when he was given to the Russians. We could see that all of the animation was in Noir’s head and not in reality and it certainly showed us that he was not quite all there.

A-Train lives! I thought he was a goner last week after he killed Blue Hawk, but he awoke in the hospital with Angela right there, telling him the made up story to cover the death of Blue Hawk and that A-Train had a heart transplant from Blue Hawk himself.

I think that next week is the season finale. I have no idea what is going to happen and that is great!

The Deep continues his foray into his sex life with the mollusks. The Deep’s wife was not quite into the threesome.

Ms. Marvel S1 E4

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Seeing Red”

One of the items that I have meant to comment on over the last few week of Ms. Marvel on Disney + was how effective this show is for drawing connections with the viewers. I mean, I am not a 16-year old Pakistani Muslim girl, but I can relate with so many other aspects of the series. I have seen plenty of online reactors who have found parts of the story, especially with the family or situations, that brought them back to their own childhoods or their lives in some way.

This works because the show has plenty of overarching themes such as family, relationships, love that are universal. Plus, there is an amazing amount of cultural information and scenes that show us the lives of Muslims in the MCU in a positive light.

This week we head to Karachi, Pakistan (and the show actually recorded there) and see what the city is like, filled with color and foods. I swear Kamala spent half the time eating in this episode.

We are introduced to several characters in this episode including Red Dagger, a Pakistani hero that had been introduced in the comics, and Kamala’s grandmother, who we technically saw on the phone Facetiming with Kamala in previous episodes. Noni is a spark of energy in a little old lady body. She was more like Kamala and you can see why they have such a close relationship and why she and Muneeba may have had some conflict. Muneeba claimed that Noni always was spouting her “crazy theories” which could explain why Muneeba called the bangle junk in episode one.

There was a lot more fighting this episode as Kamala and Red Dagger squared off at first in the typical super hero fight. Then we got the Kamala/Red Dagger fight with the ClanDestines who escaped from DODC custody. This included a chase scene through the streets of Karachi.

It was during that last fight scene where Namja stabbed at the bangle and sent Kamala somewhere else. It is not clear if it was another dimension or time travel, but Kamala wound up at the train station during the Partition.

With only two episodes left, things are picking up with Kamala. Ms. Marvel has been a fantastic series so far and I can’t wait to see where it goes from here.

The Boys S3 E6

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Herogasm”

Seventy years ago. Founded by Soldier Boy. Poor Frenchie.

This is what a lot of the fans of the Boys comic book series have been waiting for. This episode of The Boys goes much farther than just a gimmick.

Are there sections in the show that have to be pixeled out by the YouTube watch along groups in order for their videos to be allowed? Absolutely. There is a ton of nudity and some graphic sexual moments. However, there is a ton of character bits and plot going on around the Herogasm.

Soldier Boy, Butcher and Hughie head to Vermont to try and find the Twins from Soldier Boys’ team. Soldier Boy has decided to kill all of his team and Butcher agrees to help if he adds Homelander to the list.

The battle that ends up at the Herogasm site between Soldier Boy, Butcher and Hughie against Homelander is awesome. They almost got Homelander, but he is able to escape, but he does – though clearly shaken.

So much happened here including:

  • Annie posts a streaming video showing the world the havoc that happened when Soldier exploded and she told the truth about everything, including Homelander. She announced that she was quitting the Seven. This was a shocking ending to the amazing episode.
  • The Deep and the Octopus. Come on…
  • Starlight and Hughie have a major fight as Hughie’s insecurities seem to be getting in the way.
  • Kimiko is grabbed by the same Russian thugs that grabbed Frenchie last week. She kicks their asses but thinks that she is a monster. She did stab that guy a few times…
  • A-Train out right murders the Blue Hawk by brutally dragging him at super speed across the road. But… is that the last straw for A-Train’s weak heart? Does he die?
  • Imagine there’s no heaven…
  • GPS, Bluetooth and Internet are made up words according to Soldier Boy.
  • Ashley ripped out her hair as she yelled at A-Train.
  • Black Noir cut out his tracker and he is in the wind after hearing about Soldier Boy going after former team. Is Black Noir scared of Soldier Boy or is there more to this?
  • Homelander stepped and squished Termite.

Obi-wan Kenobi Episode 6

Posted on by

Spoilers

“Part VI”

I have been up and down on Obi-Wan Kenobi, the Disney + series that dropped its finale for this (possibly) only season of the show. Some episodes were great, some were not good at all, and most had something worthwhile. The biggest issues I had with the series has been the writing, which feels as if they are not going too deeply and are having characters do some stupid stuff.

I felt the same way about the finale. There were parts that I thought were tremendous and other parts that just did not work for me. Overall, this was not as bad as some of the tweets I saw afterwards, but it was not a total win either.

Tremendous parts:

  1. Obi-Wan vs. Vader lightsaber fight. This is easily the best part of the show. Obi-Wan got his groove back and they had a knock down battle. The conclusion of the fight with Obi-Wan slicing open the Vader mask and seeing the scarred face of Hayden Christensen was epic and a beautiful way to leave it.
  2. We get to see the criminally underused Uncle Owen, played by Joel Edgerton.
  3. Did I mention that lightsaber fight?
  4. Should go without saying but Ewan McGregor is fantastic. Hayden Christensen got a chance to redeem his earlier performances.
  5. Qui-Gon Jinn.

Middle Ground:

  1. Leia. The use of the young actress in this episode was fine although I would have liked to have seen the reunion with her father.
  2. Kumail Nanjiani. It is always good to see Kumail, but his character here is reduced to a babysitter. He is the Stranger Things’ Steve here.
  3. Vader orders ship to follow Kenobi. This made no sense since we know Vader could have followed Obi-wan himself; However, I give a break to this since it fits right in with Vader’s anger overwhelming his logical sense.

Poor:

  1. The whole Reva bit going to try and kill Luke. That made no sense to me and it was meant to try and show Reva in a better light, but it was way past time for that to happen. This has been easily the worst written character on the show. Moses Ingram did the best she could with what was here.
  2. Obi-Wan able to get back to Tatooine in such a quick fashion.
  3. Why does Vader start to leave Obi-Wan under the rocks. This was the only weak point for me during their lightsaber duel. After all this, why leave Obi-Wan beneath the rubble. Don’t you want to see him die, Vader.

Overall, I liked this more than The Book of Boba Fett, but it was nowhere close to the Mandalorian.

Ms. Marvel S1 E3

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Destined”

Another fantastic week of Ms. Marvel! I love this show. There were some awesome character moments with Kamala and her family as the wedding of Aamir gets underway, some exceptional Bollywood dance routines and some serious action.

We learned of Najma, the identity of the mysterious woman who was the mother of Kamran. She is a member of a group of Jinn called the ClanDestine. The Jinn existed as invisible creatures or demons in early pre-Islamic religion and mythology. We saw a flashback to 1942 British controlled India, where Najma and Kamala’s eventual grandmother Aisha originally found the bangle on a chopped off blue hand buried in a ruin.

So when Najma helped rescue Kamala last episode, we find out that she wants Kamala to help the ClanDestine to get back to their own dimension. She left out the fact that this could be terribly dangerous, a fact that Bruno found out about later (shout out to Dr. Selvig!)

Kamala texted Kamran that she needed some time, but when Najma discovered that Kamala was not immediately wanting to help them, she and her group went to force her to help. This turned into a disruption at the wedding.

I loved the wedding scenes. They were so wonderful and colorful and full of love and life that is was totally charming. The dancing was such a treat. I am glad that they waited until “Brown Jovi” (Ha Ha) started to bring in the ClanDestine.

The fight between Kamala and the ClanDestine was really tense and exciting as Kamala used her hard light to keep them at bay. Both Bruno and Kamran helped in the battle, but it was not until Damage Control arrived that allowed Kamala to sneak out the back. This was also where Nadia saw Kamala use the hard light and realized that she was “Nightlight” the whole time. You could see the hurt in Nadia’s eyes because her best friend did not tell her about this.

This show has just been so great and it only continues to improve every episode. Again, Iman Vellani is unbelievably charming and full of so much energy and life. Knowing that this is her first acting job is mind-blowing and it goes to show that Marvel clearly knew what they had in her.

The Boys S3 E5

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“The Last Time To Look On This World Of Lies”

Amazon Prime dropped the fifth episode of the third season of The Boys tonight, continuing the outstanding season. Things are really starting toward building up to the battle with Homelander.

Homelander continues to flex his figurative muscles to the people around Vought, including board members. With Ashley taking the CEO role, Homelander looks like he is finally realizing that running a business is not as easy as he thought. This seems like one more thing that is piling upon the crazy hero.

Highlander “dealt” with Maeve this episode. We are not sure what has happened to her outside of the fact that Black Noir helped take her down. Not before she had sex with Butcher though in a violent encounter with him. Maeve has been in a downward spiral this season. I hope she is okay.

Soldier Boy has found his way to America (pretty easily, by the way) and started blowing things up as he tried to figure out what the world was now like. Paul Reiser, of all people, appeared as The Legend, who provided info to Soldier Boy off screen, and told Butcher and his group about it after wards.

Soldier Boy has apparently made a deal with Butcher now to become the weapon against Homelander. This whole deal had its share of consequences though as Butcher had to slip MM a roofie because he knew that MM would not agree to team with Soldier Boy. It also lead to conflict in the relationship with Hughie and Starlight. Starlight is not happy with Hughie for taking the V-23 for powers. This is all done very well because Hughie is taking the V-23 to feel less of a loser and to protect Starlight, but Starlight doesn’t want his protection. She just wants him. She wanted Hughie to leave Butcher and Soldier Boy, but he chose to follow behind Butcher.

Karma was rearing its ugly head for A-Train, whose tip lead to Super Sonic’s murder by Homelander last episode. Now, as A-Train tried to get the racist hero Blue Hawk to apologize after he had been brutalizing black communities, but it went really poorly, and A-Train’s brother wound up in the hospital, apparently paralyzed. This whole storyline is right out of the headlines with BLM and the police.

Kimiko recovered from the attack in Russia, but she lost her powers, which made her very happy. We also had a song and dance routine to “Who Could Ask for Anything More”. This was remarkably charming with Kimiko and Frenchie leading the background dancers through the hospital. It was all an imaginary scene, of course, but it was still so great.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 5

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Part V”

I am torn by this episode.

While I think it is considerably better than last week’s contribution to Obi-Wan Kenobi, I do not think this was up to the levels of Part I or Part III.

The episode featured a light saber battle between young Obi-Wan and Anakin which would have been around the “Clone Wars” time. I thought Ewan McGregor looked weird de-aged at first, but as the flashbacks continued, it did not bother me as it did at first. Of course, the light saber battle was meant to echo was would be going on in the episode as a whole.

This felt more like Reva’s episode as we discovered what we already had guessed. She was one of the younglings during Order 66. We do not know why she survived, but, now, Obi-Wan used this to say that Reva was “hunting” Vader herself. Though we never saw even a hint of this, the show went ahead and tried to turn her. In the end, we learn that Vader always knew who she was and stabbed her with his light saber. Strangely enough, that did not kill her and he left her alone. I found that entire confrontation to be bizarre. Am I supposed to be rooting for her now?

We also got another example of how bad of a shot the Stormtroopers are. How did they not completely butcher those people when they were like ten feet away firing into the crowd?

Obi-Wan going back and forth inside that station, giving himself up, escaping, giving himself up, escaping. I guess it was just to delay the Empire, but you would think that he could come up with something better.

And, why are you holding onto that bomb that would eventually kill Talia? Why not use it like a hand grenade before this on the Empire? I am sad that Talia and her droid had to go. Their death was heroic, but it felt as if it did not need to happen. Wasn’t she some kind of military officer? This was the best she could come up with?

It was nice, though not vital, to see Kumail Nanjiani again. He did not serve a purpose outside of…hey, there is Kumail!

And those who claimed that the Grand Inquistor was still alive, they were proven to be correct as he appeared from out of nowhere today to stand beside Darth Vader.

I enjoyed a lot of the action of this episode, but it just did not feel as if it were very smart. So far, if I were ranking the episodes, I would go like this:

  1. Part I
  2. Part III
  3. Part V
  4. Part IV
  5. Part II

Ms. Marvel S1 E2

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Crushed“

I love this show. It was “very pleasing.”

After only the second episode of Ms. Marvel, I have truly enjoyed the introduction of Kamala Khan and the development of her character. The way the show seamlessly melds the Pakistani Muslim background of the character into the show without making it feel like it is out of place is masterful.

This week we got even more of the culture of Ms. Marvel and we got much more with Kamala’s friend, Nakia, while introducing us to Kamala’s crush, Kamran. Bruno received some good news about Cal-Tech, but he was unsure how to feel about it, because of his feelings for Kamala.

Perhaps my favorite scene was Kamala returning home from the party where she met Kamran for the first time, dancing to the song “Be My Baby” by the Ronettes.

The show started looking closer at the mystery behind Kamala’s great grandmother and what the bangle is. We learned in this episode that the powers Kamala has gained did not come from the bangle, but was inside her and was unlocked by the bangle.

I hope the fans are not going to be criticizing the show for the fact that we have not gotten a ton of action scenes or that we have not seen Kamala in her costume much. I heard a lot of the complaints during Moon Knight and this feels the same in that way. They are spending plenty of time working on the character outside of the super hero, which is certainly the Marvel way. Kamala Khan is a fantastic character and I am looking forward to seeing how the show continues to grow with her.

Oh, and Iman Vellani is so perfect in the role of Kamala Khan. Marvel has done a historically great job of casting, outside of a few kinks, but this one feels on that next level: like with RDJ as Tony Stark, Tom Holland as Peter Parker, Chris Hemsworth as Thor. I can’t imagine anyone else playing this role already.

I enjoyed the rescue the kid moment for Kamala, but the kid’s dialogue left something to be desired. Ice Cream Pizza? It did a nice job showing that Kamala has improved her skills with her powers (thanks to some Bruno training), but that she is not incredibly smooth with it yet. She got the job done, though it may not have been without a hiccup or two. She did get to pull out a “super hero landing” though.

We learned this week that Kamala’s parents owe their marriage to Bon Jovi’s “Slippery When Wet.” I loved that little detail as well as Kamala’s brother’s response of “That’s gross.”

I do wonder how the Dept. of Damage Control can interrogate these children without their parents or a lawyer there. They did it in Spider-Man: No Way Home too. I also think that they were using some drones from Spider-Man: Far From Home when they were chasing Kamala.

I spend the entire show laughing and sitting with a big smile on my face. Nightlight? How funny was that? This is so well written and brings every character on the screen to life with details specific for every one of them. I feel as if I am meeting these real people and that I forget at times that this is a superhero show.

Keep it going Ms. Marvel.

The Boys S3 E4

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Glorious Five Year Plan”

Every season I get to a point where I am just on the edge of hating Billy Butcher and then he pulls back enough for me to ease down again. We are just about to that point in season three. Butcher clearly cares for Hughie and MM, but he couldn’t give two craps about Kimiko and, because of that, he treats her like a weapon that he can do with what he likes. He looks down on the her, probably because she is a supes.

The season is halfway over and things could not be much worse than they are right now. Butcher and the Boys just awoken Soldier Boy with his gigantic beard and he blasted Kimiko with his chest ray (something I do not know if Soldier Boy could do). The blast was killing Kimiko as her healing did not seem to work. I wonder if that is the eventual way to stop Highlander.

I do not want Kimiko to die, but it was clear that something was going to happen to her or to Frenchie when they had decided to leave the group after this final mission. That is a terrible sign in super hero stories. Don’t be happy and think you are getting out.

Highlander has also really been feeling his oats lately too. He went to Victoria and had her turn on Stan. He had been tormenting all of the members of the Seven. You can tell that he believes he has no weakness right now.

With Starlight and Maeve teaming up to plan an attack on him, Starlight went to Super Sonic for help. This guy has always looked to be a straight laced hero and I did not really expect him to turn on her. However, when he tried to recruit A-Train to the cause (after a confrontation with The Deep), I saw this was a bad move. I even said out loud, “don’t tell him!”

Unfortunately, I was right. A-Train went to Highlander (off-screen) and told him about the plot against him, which led to Highlander murdering Super Sonic as a way to try and keep Starlight in line. It was not surprising that Super Sonic was killed, but it was a shocking moment. Funny, I was listening to John Campea’s show recently when he and Rob Meyer Burnett were talking about Super Sonic, and they set the Over-Under for Super Sonic’s death at 5.5 episodes. Well guys, it is under.

Oh, I skipped over Kimiko’s dildo fight. Not a sentence one would expect to type. It was an awesome segment.

The Boys episode 4 is the low point for the season (at least I hope). I really hope that Highlander gets his comeuppance this season. He deserves it.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 4

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Part IV”

Okay, so this feel fairly familiar.

Episode 4 of Obi-Wan Kenobi is another rescue mission as Obi-Wan and Talia head into an Empire stronghold to rescue Leia, who had been captured by Reva, the Third Sister (which was probably one of my biggest issues with last episode).

Obi-Wan and Talia head into the heart of the beast pretty easily. They find Leia, fairly easily too. And there is yet another Deus Ex Machina to pull his fat out of the fire.

There were a couple of interesting things: such as Obi-Wan using the force to hold back a cracking window with water behind it. I liked that moment (it reminded me of the “Not Penny’s Boat” scene form LOST, just with less emotion behind it).

It was also weird that Reva was able to foresee the possibility of Leia’s escape and plot to stash a tracking device on her droid. When she told Vader that she had a tracking device on the ship, I rolled my eyes big time because I did not think there was any chance that Reva could have possibly planted a tracker on the ship. However, at least it is plausible that she planted it on Lulu.

My problem is that this really does not seem to have any purpose in this episode. We basically ended up in the exact same spot we were before the episode. There were a few nice scenes with Obi-Wan and Leia after the rescue, but those did not require going through the rescue.

Only two more episodes and, for me, there have been two great episodes and two average to below average episodes.

Ms. Marvel S1 E1

Posted on by

SPOILERS

“Generation Why”

The newest Marvel Disney + show debuted this morning and it was Ms. Marvel. I’m not going to lie. I was not sure how this would work. I have enjoyed the character of Kamala Khan in the comics, but I was unsure how that would translate and would I enjoy watching a coming of age version of the character?

The answer is…very much so.

I really enjoyed the first episode of Ms. Marvel, which brought a fun. energetic burst of energy to the screen. Colorful, charismatic and charming, Ms. Marvel Episode 1 combined the feel of a John Hughes high school film with that of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World.

Kamala Khan was a 16-year old High School Junior who daydreamed her way through the day with visions of Marvel superheroes bursting form her imagination. Creating fan fiction on YouTube, Kamala was able to create adventures for her favorite superhero, Captain Marvel.

With the first ever Avengercon coming up, Kamala, and her best friend Bruno, tried to figure out a way that they could convince Kamala’s overprotective parents, Yusuf and Muneeba, to let her go.

The show has played with the origin of the character of Ms. Marvel. In the comics, Kamala Khan is an Inhuman and gained her powers through exposure to Terragin Mist, as the other Inhumans have. However, here she found a arm band of some kind and it gave her these light based powers. Her TV show abilities are still undefined as of yet, but I saw some highlights on Jimmy Fallon showing Kamala and Bruno working on them on a roof top. I know there has been some controversy over changing Kamala’s powers, but that does not bother me. These seem to be a interesting variation of them and we do not know where the show will be taking them. I’m fine with what we got.

Easily, the best part of this show is young actress Iman Vellani, who, in her first acting role, is so charming and so realistic that you can’t help but be swept up in her life. She may be the perfect casting for the first Muslim superhero to have her own comic.

The cast around Iman is amazing too. I immediately loved everyone in her family, Bruno, the actors at school. It all just flowed so wonderfully.

I also loved how they worked in the Pakistani culture while still making me relate with her. I am looking forward to expanding that culture.

The visual style of the show is unlike anything that we have seen in the MCU yet and it is so full of humor and creativity. There are some amazing shots included that create a style all of its own.

I am excited to see what comes next in this enjoyable new show.