Category Archives: TV-G[eek]

The Boys S3 E3

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“Barbary Coast”

The third episode of The Boys Season 3 was released on Amazon Prime along with episode 1 & 2 and just like every episode has plenty of amazing moments and shocks.

“The bold and the batshit” was a line dropped by MM in this episode and it absolutely feels like a perfect description of what we get.

Highlander’s crazy rant at his birthday party last episode has made him MORE popular among the people (particularly white males). I should have seen that coming. Highlander is our Trump in this series where the worse he gets, the more his base loves him. Suddenly now, Highlander has a new upswing in his attitude as he is filled with confidence and bravado. So much so that Highlander announced on the decision show for the reality show American Hero, that he and Starlight were in love … #Homelight.

We get our first look at Jensen Ackles’s Soldier Boy in a flashback to a mission where the original super team, Payback, was involved in Ronald Reagan’s Iran-Contra situation. Soldier Boy was believed to have been killed and taken by the Russians. Meanwhile, several of Payback were killed or injured. Black Noir was there and we get a little bit about how he was scarred. I have wanted more about Black Noir the whole series and I love that we are getting info on him.

Butcher is still suffering from using the V-23 last episode. Continually puking green vomit, Butcher tried to keep Ryan safe by turning on the kid and making him hate Billy. Butcher made himself look like a real asshole.

The Deep is back in the Seven, thanks to Highlander’s mind games and attempts to show Starlight who had the real power. However, the scene later where Highlander forces The Deep to eat a living squid (who was begging for his life, to Deep who was the only person to hear it) was horrible. His name was Timothy, and Highlander forcing him to eat Timothy to prove his loyalty was absolutely rotten.

Highlander is really feeling himself as the master manipulator and is taking his newly found leverage a whirl. He had even dared Starlight to release the tape of him on the plane. He believed it would not matter any more and that the public would still love him.

Next week the show will continue as there are 5 more episodes of season 3 coming.

The Boys S3 E2

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“The Only Man in the Sky“

Episode two of season three really built on the fallout of the first episode… in a big way.

The knowledge that Victoria Neuman was the “head-popper” sent Hughie into an existential crisis, doubting everything he had done in the last year of his life and sending him into a spiral.

The insecurities and grief drove Butcher to continue his investigation into the death of Soldier Boy by confronting Soldier Boy’s former teen sidekick, Gunpowder, and using the V-23 to give him powers. Those powers leading Butcher into murdering Gunpowder in the typically gruesome manner that we have become accustomed to.

MM is having his issues as well as the talk around Soldier Boy apparently is triggering for him. He realized that he had to do something after losing control in front of his daughter.

But this was the combination of everything that has been going on in Highlander’s life that was the real highlight of “The Only Man in the Sky.” Highlander’s birthday special was being planned and he continued to get crazier and crazier. News of Stormfront’s suicide (by biting off her own tongue, ewww) hit him hard as did the constant pressure from the crowd, his dwindling numbers, Starlight’s continual rise in the ranks, Stan’s disrespect all blurred together to finally send the “hero” off the deep end and spew his vitriol live on television during his birthday celebration. It was a shocking moment that has been building truly for all three seasons.

You could almost hear the Vought P.R. department bouncing off the walls. It was a stunning monologue from a man whose image has meant more to him than just about anything. This was finally the true Homelander coming out for the world to see… not the processed, managed hero that had been carefully crafted for public consumption.

I am anxious to see where the show goes from here.

Also, the show felt extremely topical this episode because the fact that Gunpowder was speaking at a gun show/convention, proclaiming the far right ideas of gun ownership and gun rights and promoting for the Vaught Rifle Association. It felt way too real with the tragic occurrences we have been facing over the last month with the barrage of mass shootings and the desire of many for this to be the time that changes the culture. That scene with Payback was difficult to watch, but placed the character into our understanding right away.

Episode three is also dropped on Amazon Prime today and then it will go into a weekly release schedule.

The Boys S3 E1

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I checked in at Amazon Prime tonight, knowing that some times they drop premiere early and there was The Boys Season 3, Episode 1 waiting to be watched.

The streaming site were scheduled to drop the first three episodes of the new season of The Boys on June 3rd and then go weekly after that. I loved getting a chance to see the first episode early (to be honest, I could go on to two, but I’m saving that until tomorrow).

What a wild beginning.

Do you all remember around the time of Avengers: Endgame when there was such an outcry on social media and the internet wanting Paul Rudd’s Ant Man to fight Thanos by climbing inside his butt and then going full size? Well, it may not be Thanos, but we do get an idea of what it might have been like in the opening sequence of The Boys.

The Boys has not lost its crude and graphic nature since season two is all I will say about the arrival of the super named Terminte.

After picking my jaw up off the ground of that opening, The Boys settled into the concept that appeared to be the throughline for season three, and that is the fact that Highlander is cray cray.

They kept poking the mean puppy too as Stan Edgar appointed Starlight as Co-Captain of the Seven and he did not care what Highlander thought. Add that to the fact that he has lost his son, he is having his decision making ability questioned for having fallen in love with a Nazi (in season two) and having to go around to all of the talk shows to constantly explain himself… well, you can see how the stress might be getting to him. Heck, it is not like Highlander was the cover boy for sanity in the first place.

Billy Butcher has had a rough year too. He has been playing by all the rules and having to answer to Hugh in Hugh’s new position with the Federal Bureau of Superhuman Affairs’ (FBSA). Of course, Hugh works for Victoria Neuman, who makes people’s head explode. A secret that she does not keep from Hugh for long. I’m curious to see what Hugh does now that he was being showered with blood and guts from Victoria’s latest kill. Unbeknownst to her, Hugh saw everything.

Going back to Butcher, he has a few vials of the new temporary drug that gives someone super powers for 24 hours. He may have found his key to taking on Highlander without dying.

The Deep wrote a book…sort of… well, ghost writers wrote it. Then, A-Train came into conflict with Highlander, showing us all that you should never mumble insults under your breath about a man with super hearing.

And we will soon be getting.. Soldier Boy!

Excited to see the next couple of episodes tomorrow.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 3

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“Part III”

So…. this happened.

Darth Vader, with James Earl Jones’s voice and (potentially) Hayden Christensen in the suit, made much more impact in this episode than I thought he would, but we are now half way through the series. Vader cements himself as one of, if not the, best movie villains ever. He dominates every scene and he shows his anger with every breath. His very presence is amazing.

This episode was a big step back. I loved episode 1 and I found episode 2 to be a big step backwards. While I still think episode 1 is the best of the series, episode three made some huge strides.

There were so many great things in Part III. Everything with Vader was awesome. The Vader vs. Obi-Wan confrontation was epic and showed how low Obi-Wan had fallen. Vader’s stroll through town, breaking the necks of random people, was intense and frightening.

The interactions between Obi-Wan and Leia were absolutely enjoyable. The dialogue was well written and heart-felt. The entire scene in the back of the truck with the Stormtroopers was gold. When Leia asked if he was her real dad, my heart broke. You can see how different the two of them were, with Obi-Wan broken and pessimistic and Leia positive and full of life. It creates a great contradiction between them.

Then, Leia is a great improv partner. The young actress playing Leia is named Vivien Lyra Blair and she has been doing an incredible job, especially in this episode. She really reminds you of Princess Leia (Carrie Fisher).

This episode though is not a slam dunk. There are a few problems I had with Part III. I did not like some of the choices made. When Leia sent Talia back to help Obi-Wan, I thought that was ridiculous. Sure, she wound up helping, but she promised to get Leia back to her father and she dumped that quickly. Then, how did Reva get to the end of that tunnel? I rolled my eyes big time when she showed up. That should not have happened.

What is wrong with these Stormtroopers? They are supposed to be hunting Jedis and they get into a truck with a guy that couldn’t be dressed more like a Jedi if he tried. This is starting to be a running joke.

Finally, the episode seemed to have all kinds of barriers that seemed to prevent people from moving forward that could easily be WALKED AROUND in just a few seconds. Then, how did the fire caused by Talia stop Vader and the Stormtroopers when, one- it was not that huge and two-Vader just used the Force to put out the other fire. Why couldn’t he do that again? (I think he may just be letting him go). It’s little things like that which brings the episode down a little.

Things did get much better this episode. We saw a Stormtrooper cut in half.

By the way, people on the internet who are spending their days tormenting and leaving racist and hatred toward Moses Ingram (Reva) need to stop. You are the worst. She has every right to not be harassed just because she is playing a role you do not like. Morgan Ingram is not the problem. You are. Stop it.

Stranger Things S4 E7

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“Chapter 7: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab”

Okay, that was the end of Volume One of Season 4 of Stranger Things and it was fantastic.

The final two episodes, including the oversized 2 1/2 hour 9th episode, drop on July 1st. Thankfully, though, there was no horrific cliffhanger making me yell at the screen when it went to black,

Of course, it went to black several times so I had that terrible feeling multiple times.

The biggest reveal in this episode is how they connect Vecna to the orderly at Hawkins Lab and to Victor Creel. I did not see it coming and I really liked how it all developed. Of course, the orderly that had been approaching Eleven in the flashbacks turned out to be Henry Creel, son of Victor, who turned out to be the mysterious One from Hawkins Lab. He also was the one who slaughtered all of the kids in the lab. I said last write-up that I thought there was going to be a twist coming and that Eleven did not turn out to be the person who killed the kids, despite that is what the show wanted you to think, and I was right.

However, I never guessed that Eleven would open a door to the Down Under and that would cause the creation of Vecna. I like that a lot because it gives Eleven an even deeper reason to be involved in the upcoming final struggle with Vecna besides the fact that she needs to help her Hawkins friends.

No Mike crew in this episode. I very much expect them to arrive at Nina Project near the beginning of episode 8.

Hopper threw down with the Demogorgon in the Russian prison camp while Joyce watched on. The intensity of the confrontation was cool and the reunion of Hopper and Joyce was great, but I am ready for them to be out of Russia.

Dustin truly is a rock star. His theories have been 100% on target all season long and he has to be considered one of the MVP of the Haskins group. It is Dustin or Nancy.

When Vecna stepped in and took over Nancy, I was literally yelling at my screen.

Now that the first 7 episodes are in the book and we have a month to wait for the last two episodes, I can look at the first part as a whole. I found it somewhat uneven and I was not a fan of several of the storylines that took place. It definitely built to a strong final few episodes.

Favorite Episode: I’m torn between “Dear Billy” and “The Monster and the Superhero”. It is one of those. I would lean toward “Dear Billy.”

Least Favorite Episode: Still Chapter 1: The Hellfire Club” by far.

Best Actor: It is Millie Bobby Brown for the whole season, but I would say that the best single performance was Sadie Sink in episode four.

Most Underused: Will Myers. Why can’t Noah Schapp get his own storyline. He is a great actor, but it seems as if this show constantly sticks him in the background.

Best New Character: There are a bunch, but I have grown to like Eddie. I was not a fan of him in episode one, but he has become a much more enjoyable character so far.

Worst new character: I have no interest in Argyle.

Favorite Storyline: The Vecna investigations in Hawkins.

Worst Storyline: Hopper in Russian prison camp

Other Pros

  • Dustin. He has been awesome this season.
  • Paul Reiser. Always good to see him.
  • Jason as the charismatic leader of the Hawkins flash mob.
  • Victor Creel. Great cameo from Robert Englund
  • The special effects and look of the show is brilliant.
  • Vecna. Great villain. Absolutely menacing.
  • Murray. And then Murray as Yuri.
  • Characters interacting. This show does individual conversations extremely well.

Other Cons

  • The group all split up. I want them all back together.
  • Dumb ass parents.
  • The government led by Lt. Colonel Sullivan
  • Not enough Erica Sinclair
  • Lack of Jonathan. I’m fine with Jonathan and Nancy seemingly growing apart. I always liked her with Steven more anyway. But that does not mean that we have to turn Jonathan into a stoner waste.

July 1st should be a big day for Netflix.

Stranger Things S4 E6

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“Chapter 6: The Dive”

Are you s#*%ing me?

So far in this season, Stranger Things has avoided doing the black screen cliffhanger, where they are at a desperate moment, full of tension and then they go black screen and head to credits. They had a chance when Max was running up the hill from the Upside Down hoping to escape Vecna. They threw a black screen up at that moment, only to return for the resolution before the episode ended. My emotions appreciated it.

This time, though, they couldn’t help themselves.

Poor Steve is stuck in the Upside Down with some kind of demon birds eating at him as he screamed and kicked in hopes of getting free and then…

Black screen.

Arrrrrrrrrrggggggghhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Great episode with the tension and frightfulness that Steve, Nancy and their group was facing to the humor of the crew at Suzie’s house searching for the address of the Nina Project.

Things are setting up nicely in Russia too as Murray and Joyce showed some really good planning and some serious backbone when dealing with Yuri. It is looking more and more like we are getting a Hopper, Joyce, Murray confrontation with the Russian Demogorgon gladiator style. The whole Hopper is a prisoner angle has been my least favorite so far in the season (outside of Argyle turning Jonathan into a stoner plot point), but I hope that everything that they have been building to in this season is going to be worth it in the end.

Then, I really want Dr. Brenner to die. I hate “Papa” so much. We continue the search into Eleven’s past to try and regain her powers. I am beginning to think that there is something coming in this story that is going to be a twist. The first scene of the season implied that Eleven massacred the entire project, but I am not sure that is the truth right now.

Then Jason seems to have an ability of the oratory nature. We have seen that all season with his pep talks to the basketball team and his friends, but after Patrick was murdered, it looks like he might be taking a step toward charismatic leader. I was wrong about him seeing Patrick’s death and accepting Eddie’s innocence like I speculated about last time. In fact, he doubled down, claiming Eddie is a vessel for the power of the Devil and he got the townspeople whipped up into a mob to search for Eddie.

There is one more episode remaining in the “Volume One” part of season four. It is a 2 1/2 hour episode and I am afraid that it is going to leave us off in another cliffhanger. Episodes 8 & 9 are going to drop at the beginning of July and I am just hoping that it is not a horrible cliffhanger like episode 6 left us with.

Stranger Things S4 E5

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“Chapter 5: The Nina Project”

After not seeing Eleven in episode 4, she is front and center in “The Nina Project” as Dr. Brenner returned and we see he is working with Owens to get Eleven back. I have to say, I really hate Brenner and I hope he finally dies for good.

It’s hard to tell exactly who is involved with whom here. I guess the government agents shooting up Joyce’s house last week were with Lt. Colonel Sullivan and not with Brenner. I was surprised that Owens was involved with Brenner, but he certainly looked as if some of the things Brenner was doing did not sit well with him.

Eleven does regain her powers and so who knows where this is going now as Eleven accepted the hand of “Papa.”

Meanwhile, our group found their way into the Creel house looking for clues. They realized that Vecnu was in the Upside Down opposite of this house. They are following their flashlights through the house, much like they have done during every season so far.

Mike, Jonathan, Will and Argyle bury Unknown Hero Agent Man and end up figuring out what Nina was… and discover they need a hacker and Mike suggests Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie in Salt Lake City.

Murray and Joyce escape from their bonds on the airplane and they fight Yuri, rendering him unconscious. We get some karate from Murray the black belt. The plane then crashed in the woods in Russia, I assume.

This episode felt like a transitional one to set up the final two episodes. With Patrick being killed as Jason was swimming after Eddie in a rowboat. Perhaps this will show Jason that Eddie is not the person behind Chrissy’s murder.

I think a lot of what is in this episode is important but it is nowhere as intense as the last couple of episodes. As I said, this is building for an awesome final two episodes, getting all the pieces into place.

Stranger Things S4 E4

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“Chapter 4: Dear Billy”

What an episode.

This was the best episode so far of season 4 of Stranger Things, by far. Every ne so far had had some issues for me, but “Dear Billy” was just intense and totally compelling with every plot piece to every story beat.

Easily the most emotional part was the whole Max section as she went around delivering letters to the people she loved in expectation of her dying at the hands of Vecna. This led to the best sequence of the series so far with Max in another dimension, confronting Vecna while Steven, Dustin and Lucas desperately try to snap her out of the the trance that she was in.

Tie that sequence in with the excellent use of Nancy and Robin confronting Victor Creel (played by the iconic Robert Englund) and finding a piece to the puzzle that could possibly help prevent Max’s death.

This entire act was just breathtaking and steeped in character. Sadie Sink is just an exceptional actor and she nailed this scene.

Then, the agents arrived at Joyce’s house, guns a blazing, killing one of the two cops assigned to protect Mike, Jonathan and Will. The second cop took out a bunch of the government agents in a fire fight in the house in an impressive one shot. He took a bullet trying to save them, but they all found themselves in Argyle’s pizza van. Mike, Jonathan and Will had already planned on ditching the cops and finding their way back to Hawkins before the strike team struck.

What has been my least favorite part of the season so far has been Hopper and the Russians, because it feels like such an outlier to the story. It’s last season’s leftovers. However, this episode’s Hopper scenes were just fabulous, exciting and just a thrill a minute. I did not think about a betrayal from the pilot, Yuri. I do remember that the Russians have a Demogorgon so perhaps that is how this aspect of the plot will tie in and make it feel like a Stranger Things element. Still, Hopper’s escape, eating peanut butter to recapture was just beautifully done.

No Eleven in this episode(outside of flashbacks), though her presence was felt.

Stranger Things S4 E3

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“Chapter 3: The Monsters and the Superheroes“

I am now fully on board.

I was very disappointed with the first chapter of the season four Stranger Things because it spent so much time with people I did not know. Looking back now after episode three, I understand why they told this story the way that they did and I can appreciate the effort.

Chapter Three was full out plot progression on all areas and it just just thrilling. I was compelled by every story going: Eleven and her inner struggles and police troubles, Lucas and his confliction between friend groups, Nancy and Robin’s investigation into the Victor Creel clue, the desperation of Mike to help Eleven, Dustin and Steve trying to help Eddie by figuring out what was happening with Vecna, Hopper’s soon to be escape attempt… so much going on and it is all firing on all cylinders right now. I am very happy.

There is so much tension right now and it gets even more ramped up by the return of Paul Reiser’s Sam Owens. Perhaps his supposed ability to give Eleven her powers back is a bit of a contrivance, but he certainly delivered a fantastic monologue to Eleven in that diner to convince her to come with him. Paul Reiser is a great actor and he brought that gravitas to the scene and kicked Stranger Things into high gear.

And then…Vecna has targeted Max. When his voice said Max for the first time, I nearly cried out. I love Max and specifically Sadie Sink, who is one of the best young actresses on the show, and I do not want to see her all bent and cracked out of shape. I don’t know how they’re going to stop Vecna from claiming Max, but I am so invested in them stopping him.

I want this season to end with Mike telling Eleven that he loves her. That is the only way it must work.

I am so happy that I feel that things have really been elevated, even if Eleven hitting Angela with the roller skate is going to be swept away easily, as Paul Reiser insinuated.

Stranger Things S4 E2

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“Chapter Two: Vecna’s Curse”

That was much better.

Interesting that of the two new series that I am watching, Obi-Wan Kenobi had a first episode that I absolutely loved and a second episode that I was disappointed with. Now, Stranger Things season four had a first episode that I did not like much and a second episode that I liked way more.

My complaint about Chapter One was that there was too much focus on characters that I did not know or care about. Chapter two is just the opposite as we see so much more with our main characters as the story kicks into high gear.

I will say that I was not a huge fan of the answers about Hopper. His whole Hopper in the gulag bit is not what I would want, but Joyce and Murray stuff helped make that storyline more engaging. In a show with so much fantastical things happening, Hopper’s story feels very mundane, or pedestrian. Maybe it’ll pick up as other sections of the plot have done.

Mike arrives in California and meets up with Elle. There is some issue going on with Will, but we will see more of that as the season moved on. Elle gets tormented by Angela at a roller skating rink, showing Mike that Elle had been lying to him about how positive her life in California has been. After Angela and her minions embarrassed Elle, she came back and hit her in the head with a roller skate in a terribly violent encounter. She kept flashing back to the slaughter in 1979.

My favorite parts of this film was the story going on in Hawkins. With Dustin and his crew searching for Eddie to get him to tell his story about what happened to Chrissy and with Nancy and Fred following the story and having Fred be the next victim of Vecna.

We got a name to pay attention to as Enoch from Agents of SHIELD (Joel Stoffer, playing Eddie Munson’s father) told Nancy the story about Victor Creel. Victor Creel will be a major piece of this season, I am sure.

This episode took a huge step in the right direction for me. There is a lot of horror elements that make the show stand out. It looks great on the screen and the effects are top notch.

Stranger Things S4 E1

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“Chapter One: The Hellfire Club”

Okay, I have finally been able to start Stranger Things season 4, which debuted on Netflix Friday. I had several other commitments to watch and could not start until this evening.

What the hell did I watch?

Season fours premiere episode was really odd. Sure, we saw our favorites from the past season and learn where they are currently at, the show threw at us a ton of new eccentric characters, giving them an excess amount of screen time.

Who the heck is Chrissy?

At first, I was kind of into what we were seeing, but as the focus increased on the new characters, I got less and less interested. I liked the way some of the characters we knew from before were being portrayed. There were plenty of troubles for our heroes as their friendships have been tested, and their lives have been messed up.

Max (Sadie Sink) is clearly struggling since her brother was killed in the finale of season three. Her troubles were engaging as we saw her withdraw from the group and break up with Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin). Speaking of Lucas, he has joined the basketball team and is finding that he is being pulled away from his friends. The whole basketball game story was bizarre and made little sense.

Jane, aka Elle aka Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is going through plenty of typical high school problems in her new school in California. She was involved in several scenes right out of the “mean girls” playbook, which are made even more difficult since her powers seem to be gone.

Of course, maybe that is a good thing since we saw a flashback to 1979, with a distinctly de-aged Millie Bobby Brown murdering the entire group at Hawkins National Laboratories. That opening scene was great and intense and really set the tone…

Except it didn’t.

The tone of the rest of the show was pretty campy. Every once in awhile, there would be a tense scene that did not feel so hokey, but they seemed to slip into the unknown. By the second half of this episode, I was not sure what I was watching and was hoping it would end.

There was quite a bit of disappointment over this episode. The use of characters that I did not know was oft-putting for me and the characters I did know seemed to be acting in manners that didn’t fit or were painfully cliché.

I hope this gets better.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode II

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“Part II”

So now I am not as confident.

After, what I thought was a sensational first episode, Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode II came back down to earth. Simply put, this felt like a giant step back in terms of just about everything.

It was not terrible. I’m not going to stop watching the show because of this episode, but it had a feel like much of the Book of Boba Fett series. I found it paced incorrectly, the characters felt just wrong, and the dialogue was not up to par on the first episode.

The show truly feels as if it is trying to recreate the Mando/Grogu dynamic with Obi-Wan and Leia, and, sadly, it did not seem to work for me.

I’m not sure why they rushed through so much of what could have been a strong story, but Obi-Wan found Leia, got her out of the clutches of the villains, avoided the Inquisitors and escaped the planet with her.

I did enjoy the appearance of Kumail Nanjiani as a fraudulent Jedi, scamming people for credits, but he also seemed to switch up his character midway through the episode and that felt too quick as well. Nanjiani is always welcome, but I’m not sure this was executed to its fullest extent.

The rooftop chase scene felt silly too. The Third Sister was the one standout of this show, but the whole conflict with The Grand Inquistor did not mean as much to me. I have not watched the animated Star Wars shows so the apparent retcon when Third Sister killed him (or so it seemed) did not register with me. I’m also not sure of the connection between Obi-Wan and Third Sister so I hope we find out why she was so obsessed with him.

I do like how Obi-Wan is struggling with using the Force and that he has to use a blaster because he does not have the fortitude or the confidence to wield the weapon of a Jedi.

I just found this episode disappointing and I hope Obi-Wan Kenobi gets back on the fight track now that Obi-Wan and Leia are together.

However, that last scene of the show with the shot of Vader…. that was powerful. Excited for his return.

Obi-Wan Kenobi Episode 1

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“Part One”

I have not reviewed any of the Star Wars Disney + series so far, including The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett or any of the animated series. However, after watching the first episode of the newest Star Wars series, Obi-Wan Kenobi, I feel that this is a series that deserves a write-up.

I really enjoyed this first episode.

Ewan McGregor returned as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the time frame during the years that he was a hermit on Tatooine keeping an eye on young Luke Skywalker. We see Obi-Wan in his depressed state, struggling to deal with the failures of his past.

The episode actually started with a group of flashbacks to the prequels, making them look so much cooler. If only those three films were as exciting and well done as this montage.

So coming into the series, one thought that the story would be Obi-Wan watching over Luke and protecting the young future Jedi. However, that does not appear to be what is happening. Instead, Obi-Wan is on his way to try and help save the kidnapped Leia Organa.

How cool it was to see Alderaan and a young Leia running through the forest and playing with her droid, Lola. Everything made a lot of sense as Leia’s adoptive parents contacted the hidden Obi-Wan to ask for help from the Jedi Master.

Ewan McGregor is such a great actor and he is piling on the layers of Obi-Wan as he resisted the call to return to action. It worked extremely well and gave him ways to create tension and anxiety in a character that we know makes it through to Star Wars Episode 4: A New Hope.

The villains are really introduced well, with the Inquistors making an impact right off the bat.

I am very excited to continue the series.

Agent Carter S2 E4-10

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I ripped through the final seven episodes of the second season of Agent Carter last night, once again not wanting to stop to write up a review for each episode. As I did for the first season, I would get to the end of an episode and just wanted to continue immediately. I very much enjoyed the second half of the second season as the stakes were upped with Whitney Frost and her quest for the Zero Matter.

Let’s hit some of my favorite moments:

  • The entire Jarvis and Ana relationship is the best relationship on television and right near the top of the MCU. And, of course, when Ana was shot by Frost, it shook Jarvis to his core and truly messed with his relationship with Peggy. Guilt and blame flew freely in some powerful scenes between these two fantastic actors.
  • I did not have near the emotional connection to Dr. Wilkes as I did when I originally watched Agent Carter on ABC. He was fine, but I remember rooting for him to be with Peggy. Now, not so much.
  • Peggy being impaled in episode 5 and being back to full strength by 7. I have to say that this was a bit iffy. Peggy may be remarkably trained and talented, but she is not super human and that sure looked like a killing blow.
  • Whitney wiping out half of the Council of 9 was quite the power move.
  • Howard Stark returned for the final episode once again, delivering a great line about Jarvis hitting a woman with the car when Jarvis drove into Whitney Frost.
  • I appreciated the use of secondary characters Rose and Aloysius Samberly in helpful, yet comedic ways. Samberly in particular was the total antithesis of a spy character.
  • The use of Dottie Underwood was interesting as they continued to set her up as Peggy’s arch nemesis but someone who has a healthy bit of respect for Carter.
  • Just how untrustworthy Jack Thompson is and whose side is he actually on. I loved how Peggy just went about her business even after Jack tried to find dirt on her to “balance the scales” between them. Peggy just said that she would never reveal his confidence, and we believe her.
  • Jack ending up in a bloody pile on the floor of his hotel room in the post credit scene was something I did not remember. However, it sure looked like the assailant was Ray Wise to me. Of course, this is a forever dangling plot since Agent Carter was not renewed for season three. I assume Thompson died there.
  • Musical dance numbers are always a plus!
  • Gamma cannon setting up a future issue for Bruce Banner?

I did enjoy a lot of the humor in this season, but there was quite a bit that felt forced as well. Anything between Peggy and Jarvis though, gold.

I wish this show had more of a following, because it was so well done. I am sure we will be getting more Agent Carter, in the form of Captain Carter as the MCU continues. I am happy with Sousa heading off into the multiverse with Quake from Agents of SHIELD.

Agent Carter is able to be binged and streamed on Disney +.

Agent Carter S2 E2-3

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“A View in the Dark“

“Better Angels”

The second season picked up quickly with some great scenes in the second and third episodes, setting the stage for what was coming next for Agent Carter.

The show reestablished the connection between Peggy and Jarvis with a wonderful scene of Jarvis working out and challenging Peggy to a little sparring.

What I loved about this was how confident Ana Jarvis was. She knew exactly what was going on and she did not even once think that anything was going on between her husband and Peggy. A lesser show would have tried to use this as a way to create conflict, instead of a great character bit.

I have found something interesting about the show on this rewatch. Peggy and Dr. Jason Wilkes got close during these two episodes and Peggy believed he had been killed in the Zero Matter explosion. I remember, when this was first on, I was rooting for Jason and Peggy to get together, even though I could see that the show was working towards Peggy and Sousa. I wanted Peggy and Jason together. Now, I found myself thinking that this relationship had come out of nowhere and did not feel reasonable. I wonder if the fact that at the end of Avengers: Endgame, Peggy and Steve wound up together affected my thoughts on Peggy with another man. Add to that all of the Peggy and Steve stuff from What If…? that I found this to be happening too quickly for my tastes. Fascinating result.

Howard Stark’s reappearance always brings a ton of energy as well. Despite his being a massive playboy, Howard always seemed like a big brother to Peggy. Again, I loved that Peggy had a relationship with Howard Stark that did not include an intimate component.

I also remember how much I disliked Jack Thompson, even more than season one. He has looked like a crooked agent, bowing to the wants of Kurtwood Smith and the group behind the scenes. I do not remember if Thompson takes a turn for the better as the series goes on, but the newspaper headlines that Peggy told him she saw the day before, about a rigged election, made him raise an eyebrow.

Oh…and this guy isn’t long for the series.

Whitney Frost has the Zero Matter inside of her and it is slowly destroying her face (not to mention absorbing this guy’s entire body). She is a little scary and losing her grip on reality.