My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x07: "Dumb Patrol"

Written by Tamara Becher-Wilkinson & Eric Dietel
Directed by Jessica Lowrey

Miranda (to everyone): "Shall we go home now?"

Ah, Miranda, you seem like the Nicer Jane as Victor put it. Or are you? After this episode, I am not sure about that. I mean you're less moody and seem not as quick to swear like Jane but your immunity to the Scant Queen's effects and ability to use others to kill her did show a ruthless side to you as well that's on a par with Niles basically.

Then there's also the fact that Scarlett Harlot herself seems to be missing and her station closed. Is Miranda bumping off some of the others in the Underground or is someone else? At least Scarlett's disappearance got Jane out of her mopey self to do some investigating and while I'm not in a rush to see her back as the Primary, at least she's going to have something to do in the Underground to keep her busy for a bit.

As for Miranda, when she wasn't being secretly sinister, she was also the only showing any sense when the others - Larry, Vic and Roni were all infected with the Scants from that White Painting of last season. Under the influence, Larry tried unsuccessfully to get Flit to help him see his grandson while Victor and Roni were mostly being all sappy with one another here.

Now with the title this episode had, it really could've strayed into the dumb side of things too heavily but fortunately, I think they held it back rather nicely. I also liked that the plot with the Scant Queen also saw the returns of both the Beard Hunter and Willoughby Kipling for good measure. The latter though had a slightly more interesting part with the Niles side of things than the main plot though.

Speaking of Niles though, he left Dorothy in space, came back to Yukon to look for Slava, only to encounter the Candlemaker and get a cryptic warning about the danger of Dorothy and that led to him striking a deal with Willoughby. Even when Niles is trying to prevent disaster, he still comes across as the absolute worst.

Meanwhile Cliff came crashing down to Earth (so glad they didn't just leave him floating in space for an episode), had problems moving his legs for a bit but on the plus side, it does seem like he made some progress with Clara while Rita got into her beekeeper role and even managed to save a guy from being mugged. Pretty good stuff with these two minor plots.

- Animal-Vegatable-Mineral-Man popped as a billboard, promoting his book, My Side, which got glowing reviews from Kite Man and Gerard Way.
- While Mr Nobody didn't appear in the episode, we did manage to get a nice reference to Alan Tudyk's work on the Harley Quinn TV series thanks to the Beard Hunter.
- Dorothy didn't appear in this episode and it's the second one this season, apart from Pain Patrol that wasn't heavily focused on her.
- Chronology: Not long from where Space Patrol left off.

Dumb Patrol might have slightly dumbed down some of our main characters this week for plot purposes but the episode was anything but dumb. I enjoyed the main plot and the smaller plots with Niles, Rita and Cliff also worked a treat as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x15: "Stay"

Written  by Pete Nowalk
Directed by Stephen Cragg

Annalise (to the jury): "Who I am is a 53 year old woman from Memphis, Tennessee named Anna Mae Harkness. I'm ambitious, black, bisexual, angry, sad, strong, sensitive, scared, fierce, talent, exhausted and I am at your mercy."

Six seasons, 90 episodes, an unlikely chance of a movie (had to throw in that Community reference) and it came to this. I could've quoted that entire courtroom speech but the tail end really drove home everything we've known about Annalise over the last six seasons.

I don't think it's a shock that Annalise got off free and nor is it a bad thing. In spite of her cover ups, she's never killed a single person on the show and she certainly didn't deserve prison. Annalise's empowered speech along with several things falling into place (Nate's change of heart, a certain flashdrive and Wes's testimony falling into her hands) all played their part along with the jury showing mercy as well.

Annalise being free though didn't mean there weren't consequences for everyone else. Someone important had to die in this last episode and it seemed only appropriate that both Frank and Bonnie would end up dead trying to protect Annalise and each other. Their deaths got to me, but at the same time I don't hold it against the show for doing it.

As for Connor - he came close to avoiding actual prison time but his conscience got the better of him and he refused to let Oliver go against Annalise. A good thing as Annalise would've eviscerated Oliver on the stand. It's also nice to see that the relationship survived as the last few minutes pushed things into the far future.

Michaela on the other hand - she avoided prison time, but lost her friendships even if she did go on to have a career and children. Not much was revealed about Laurel post trial, but it seems that Alfred Enoch was playing an older Christopher after all and he ended up assuming Annalise's former position with a lovely last scene that echoed the first ever scene of the scene.

The flashforward method seems to have become a very popular series finale staple since Six Feet Under did it back in 2005 and while some of the makeup on the cast looked dodgy, the funeral scenes for Annalise (who lived a mostly good life, post trial, even having Tegan at some point) were beautifully done.

I'm glad that we got to see the likes of Ophelia, Celestine and Eve once more in the series and while I wished the show had properly gone there with Annalise and Tegan, I am glad that they stayed in each others lives. I'm not gonna lie, I did tear up a little during the final few scenes. Annalise might have been a messy character, but isn't that why we loved her so much? Viola Davis nailed this role from start to finish.

- Apparently there was meant to be a scene with Asher in this episode, but it was cut for time.
- We didn't find out what happened with Gabriel after he took the money Frank gave him. Both Nate and Tegan were at the funeral but their scenes were also cut.
- Standout music: Matt Maeson's Dancing After Death during the last moments of this episode.
- Chronology: A three day period over the trial scenes before jumping over thirty years into the future for Annalise's funeral.

Stay definitely has earned a place for me as one of the strongest series finale I've seen on. It's not new in terms of it's use of flashforwards, but it's affecting in the right moments and offered a more than satisfying conclusion to this show, with all it's imperfections and twists and turns. Ending it here was the right thing to do. It's been an interesting journey but this is the perfect end for it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x14: "Annalise Keating Is Dead"

Written by Sarah L. Thompson & Tess Leibowitz
Directed by John Terlesky

Bonnie: "Frank, Hannah. She and Sam had a baby. A boy."

We're at the second last ever episode of this series and things really went up a good few notches here. I just knew that there would have to be a surprise obstacle to come Annalise's way at her trial and I also knew that when it looked like things were going to go her way, something would go horribly wrong.

Surprise obstacle number one being the return of Laurel, who Langford also had in mind to testify against Annalise along with Connor and Michaela. Laurel betraying Annalise was less surprising than Connor and Michaela if we're being honest here. It's also not surprising that she'd use Christophe to justify her actions, which Michaela had no problem calling out.

Of course, it didn't take too much for Annalise to actually get to Laurel and have the latter come to her way of thinking and by doing that, not only did we see Connor and Michaela fall apart on the stand but they also quickly turned on one another when Michaela let slip she got a better deal. Looks like Connor will be going to jail after all then.

The trial itself was a highlight of the episode. From Annalise's preparation on how to present herself to a jury of her peers to the fact that she was forced to represent herself when Tegan got her struck off the case. I know how this ends for Annalise but right now, it's not looking good for her.

Her hopes of getting Hannah on side clearly went to hell the moment Bonnie confessed to Frank about his true parentage. Annalise believed that Hannah's "suicide" was at the behest of Birkhead but it's looking very likely that either Frank or Gabriel (the latter being furious with Michaela's lies on the stand). I'm going with Frank on this one as it's still too late in the day to try and make audiences give a damn about Gabriel.

- I can't believe ABC allowed Viola Davis to say "assholes" in this episode. That made the episode feel a little naughtier.
- Nate manipulated Jorge into going against Birkhead while Xavier's body was discovered. Tegan really wasn't holding back on her big old crush on Annalise either.
- Standout music: Chris Garneau's Little While.
- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left off. Laurel has also been living in Brooklyn for a year.

Annalise Keating Is Dead - maybe, maybe not, at least not yet. This episode definitely packed a punch with the opening scene, all the trial bits and the final moment. I can't believe there's one more episode. I'm gonna miss this crazy but I don't doubt the last one will hit the hardest.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x06: "Space Patrol"

Written by Neil Reynolds
Directed by Kristin Windell

Caulder: "Thank you, Cliff. I promise I'll never ask another favour of you again."

I swear to God, every time Caulder seems like he might not be a total shitebag, there's always something to disprove that sentiment. Was this his whole plan all along? Take Cliff to space, retrieve Dorothy and then eject Cliff into space? What an asshole, eh?

Cliff's hostility towards Caulder was beginning to thaw with the hopes of getting some sensation again. Despite not wanting to even go into space, he actually went to help Caulder get Dorothy back and that was on top of the fact that he was furious with Dorothy for killing two of Jane's personalities here.

Not to mention that when Cliff did find Dorothy, he was the one who was able to persuade her to come to the ship and return to Earth. Cliff might have been a crappy father to Clara but he managed to do more parenting with Dorothy in one conversation than Niles has ever done in the latter's life. Ugh, this show really does make it hard to even vaguely root for Niles at all.

As for Jane - well, it seems that both Katy and Baby Doll might not be dead after all. If Miranda (Samantha Marie Ware) is anything to go by, both of them will need a little time to rebirth but essentially the Candlemaker didn't kill them. It also seems that Jane allowed her guilt to let Miranda take over as Primary, so that's going to be fun to watch in the remaining episodes.

Elsewhere, Larry got the other part of the title plot this week when a group of Cosmonauts who worked with Caulder came back to Earth. Notably one of them - Valentina Vostok (Mariana Klaveno) also was revealed to have a Negative Spirit while her teammates - Zip (Derek Evans) and Specs (Jason Burkey) died years ago and have had a benign spore inhabiting their bodies before they got buried. I did like that Larry realised that he needed family by the end of this one and Valentina was a delightful guest character.

Meanwhile, I did find it interesting that Rita wound up in a production of Old Town! that was actually a running commentary of the events from the first season. The scene where she was talking with the actress playing the Blob Lady was especially hilarious. Looks like Rita has found herself an enemy in Isabelle.

Last but not least, I guess it was a little obvious that Roni would have to tie in a little more to the grand scheme of things than just being a love interest for Victor. Giving Roni a past connection to STAR Labs and Caulder does feel a bit too predictable but other than that, I'm still enjoying her as a character.

- I have to admit that I almost thought Zip and Specs made for a cute couple with the amount of fooling around they were doing before Valentina told Larry what happened with them.
- Caulder having a space ship since 1955 didn't faze me that much.
- Standout music: Ruelle's Genesis during the funeral scenes.
- Chronology: From where Finger Patrol left off.

Space Patrol made for an entertaining detour of sorts, bolstered by another shocking cliffhanging (or Cliff floating) moment, coupled with some brilliant character bits for all of the main players involved here. Saying that, I do want to see more of Candlemaker and I'm hoping he strikes again next week.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Old Guard (2020)

Written by Greg Rucka
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood

Joe (re Nicky): "You're a child. An infant. Your mocking is thus infantile. He's not my boyfriend. This man is more to me than you can dream. He's the moon when I'm lost in darkness and warmth when I shiver in cold. And his kiss still thrills me, even after a millennia. His heart overflows with the kindness of which this world is not worth of. I love this man beyond measure and reason. He's not my boyfriend. He's all and he's more."

Another month, another new movie to hit Netflix and while I should more of their original movies, this was one that had my attention for a few reasons. One being lead actor Charlize Theron proving yet again that she's a bonafide action star as well as an incredible award winning actor and of course, the general premise itself.

Based off a comic book series of the same title from writer Greg Rucka, this movie focused on a group of immortal warriors - Andromache "Andy" of Scythia (Theron), Booker (Matthias Schoenaerts), Yusef/Joe (Marwan Kenzari) and Nicky (Luca Marinelli) as their existence has finally caught up with them and the wrong people are looking for them, all thanks to a misjudged pairing with former CIA Operative Copley (Chiwetel Ejiofor) who's working for the big bad of this movie.

The big bad being of course an irritatingly smug young pharma CEO named Steve Merrick (Harry Melling) whose goal for this movie would be study the gene pool of these immortal warriors, find out their secrets to their prolonged life and make a profit of it as best as possible. It's because of this simplicity that Merrick makes for a rather one dimensional and unengaging villain in another delightful action based movie.

By the time Merrick's comeuppance comes, it's less satisfying and more of a relief, although there was a part of me that feared he might have survived that particular. Then there was the turnaround as such with Copley who went from being the one to out Andy and her gang to now becoming the guy who has to work to keep their existence a secret as they pick the right missions to work on here.

While the main villain plot was a bit too simplistic for it's own good, it did serve a purpose to cause friction within the group as Booker turned out to be the traitor and was exiled from the gang. Don't worry though, there's a stinger that pretty much means he won't have to wait a century to see Andy and company again. That and the fact that a sequel will very likely happen too.

As for Andy herself - Charlize Theron yet again proves that she's an all rounder here. Andy's backstory along with the hints of her immortality beginning to falter are handled excellently as well as her mentoring and bonding with new member, Nile (Kiki Layne). Nile served as a way to really step into the world and ask the needed questions to the group while also demonstrating her own smarts and earning her place during the major third act fights.

Then there's Joe and Nicky. I'm not gonna lie, they were the big selling point for me with this movie and if you wanted proof that you can have compelling gay couple in the midst of an action flick, this movie really proves that point so well. They're the big love story here (although there's hints of a past romance between Andy and the not so dead Quynh, as played by Van Veronica Ngo) and it's beautifully handled from start to finish, hence the quote I selected for this review emphasising that all the more.

The lore itself with this property has also been given some decent screen time too. We learned where Booker, Joe and Nicky were picked up from while hints were given about Andy's long lived life and of course, we also had the flashbacks with Quynh and Lykon (Micheal Ward). It's a gripping world that I definitely want to see more of and going by the hype, one I think I will be seeing too.

- Andy is speculated be over 2000 years old but Booker was discovered in 1812 and Joe and Nicky originally met and killed each other during the Crusades before falling in love with each other.
- The Immortals are born from non immortal families and have non immortal children themselves as Booker told Nile about the children he lost.
- Standout music: Frank Ocean's Godspeed, Madaline Duke's Born Alone, Die Alone and Elle King's Baby Outlaw.
- Chronology: April 2019 as the movie took in Sudan, France, UK, Morocco and Afghanistan in terms of locations.

The Old Guard on one hand definitely feels like a very typical comic book/action piece and while it's main villain easily lets things down, the dynamic characters and cast really elevate into something far more interesting than expected. I wouldn't be surprised if Netflix commissions a sequel to this very promising franchise. I definitely want to get to know more of these Immortals.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x13: "What If Sam Wasn't The Bad Guy This Whole Time?"

Written by Ricardo C. Lara
Directed by Dawn Wilkinson

Tegan: "Who was born in March, Annalise?"
Tegan/Bonnie: "Who is it?"
Annalise: "Frank!"

Okay, I'm gonna say it - one this was too obvious a reveal and two, it's way too late in the day to be doing this kind of storyline. Serously Frank is the love child of Hannah and Sam? I guess it explains a lot but it's still an unsatisfying and unnecessary plot with only two episodes left to.

What was even more strange was during the inclusion of the flashbacks and present day antics was that Hannah didn't appear once. I mean, she could still appear next week but it seemed off that we didn't see her in some capacity. Still though, even if that flashback to Annalise's incest barb from the first season, which I had forgotten about, this was disappointing in terms of reveals.

On the plus side, at least Vivian wasn't lying and came across better in both the present day stuff and the flashbacks with Sam and Gabriel. She also saw through Sam in a way that Annalise hadn't at the time and it seems like she'll succeed in getting Gabriel to leave as well, so it's a plus all round.

Speaking of the flashbacks - we saw Sam attempt an affair with Vivian before the latter rejected him, argue with Annalise over their grief for their child as well as sabotage Frank and Bonnie's blossoming relationship while having the implication that Hannah coerced Sam into a sexual relationship that resulted in a pregnancy.

I feel this episode was trying to give Sam a bit of a free pass when it came to his reprehensible behaviour and I really didn't like that. Sam has never been a sympathetic character and this episode certainly failed to generate any sympathy for him. In general, I don't care about Sam and this new reveal feels like a massive case of "too late" as we're late in the game and have other things that matter.

Speaking of which, it seems like Connor took himself a new deal with a rather annoyed Agent Lanford applying the pressure to both him and Michaela. I'm not sure if the latter also agreed to a new deal but I assume that she did though. Nate also managed to get himself an advantage by ratting Pollock out to the FBI as well as holding the cards over Frank with Xavier's boy to boot. That's also rather annoying.

- Annalise was also doing some investigating into Wes/Christophe during the flashback sequence this week.
- I notice that Sam is the only character who doesn't look noticeably different in the flashbacks.
- Standout music: Unsecret's Fallout during the last few minutes of this one.
- Chronology: 2005 for the flashbacks. We also found that Sam and Hannah's parents have been dead since 1993.

What If Sam Wasn't The Bad Guy This Whole Time? wasn't quite as good as the previous episodes and this plotline with Frank was something that should've been done earlier in the show's timeline. It feels too late to be doing it now and while the flashbacks were decent, it felt like filler overall.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x12: "Let's Hurt Him"

Written by Daniel Robinson & Matthew Cruz
Directed by Janice Cooke

Nate: "So you ready to lose your father?"
Xavier: "He deserves it."
Nate: "I agree. Let's hurt him."

I swear if there was an award for the dumbest character on this show as we head into these last few episodes, then Nate would get the damn prize. And yes, I'm aware of other character stupidity but Nate really made things more complicated for everyone.

Let's talk about Xavier Castillo for a moment though. He's cute, the actor playing him is decent enough but he's also an insecure man with severe daddy issues and a father who will always prefer Laurel over him.

This episode alone Frank had kidnapped Xavier and got him to confess about working with Agent Pollock (who seems to have escaped her just desserts for the time being). Frank also managed to do that without doing too much damage to Xavier, which I guess was different for Frank. Maybe Bonnie has been a good influence on him after all.

Then Frank made the mistake of getting Nate involved. By giving Nate access to Xavier, it was a way to get him back onto Annalise's side and take away another obstacle in her upcoming trial. Nate got the answers about his father's death that he needed (we knew it was going to be Birkhead on that one) and should've left Xavier alive. I think Nate was going to until Xavier opened his mouth about his own father and therefore sealed his doom at the hands of Nate.

With another mess for Annalise to clean up that could get her sent down, this week also saw Deanna Montes (that lawyer who has been in the last few episodes) try and get the death penalty on Annalise. The team up with Tegan and Annalise wisely recording her conversation with Connor and Michaela managed to spare her that fate along with a much timed television appeal for good measure.

As for the likes of Connor, Michaela and Oliver - they went from disbelieving Gabriel to trying to sell him out to Annalise (who spared outing him to the FBI) while also admitting their own transgressions to Annalise as well. Either way, things are probably not too great for them.

Last but not least, I wasn't really expecting a return from Vivian but between her trying to protect Gabriel again, she did leave a hell of a creepy hint to Annalise about Sam and Hannah. Did those two actually have an incestuous relationship? That last moment seemed to imply it.

- A few flashbacks to scenes from the first two seasons with the show, mulling over the Hannah bits. I'm guessing we will see her before the show ends.
- Tegan's reference to Game Of Thrones was cute but clumsy. Robert wasn't wrong about her feelings for Annalise but even then, Tegan proved that she was the best person to help Annalise.
- This is the first episode of the series not to feature Asher at all.
- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Let's Hurt Him took the need for justice and revenge to a new level with Nate's swift killing of Xavier. It also saw Annalise get out of one big problem, despite her trial continuing to loom over while setting up another plot I'm not entirely sure we need this late in the game.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Santa Muerte Is Coming

Another TV Jumble, another catch up on some of the biggest shows I've been watching over the last few weeks.

911: This show really has been swinging out some really strong material into it's third season. The most recent two episodes delved into a chapter of Athena's past previously unexplored while Henrietta caused a devastating accident. Some genuinely powerhouse performances from both Angela Bassett and Aisha Hinds in these episodes while this season has also explored the reckless actions of both Eddie and Maddie in different areas of their personal lives and careers.

Derry Girls: I'm not sure when RTE1 plan to air the second series but I will try and catch it before Channel 4 get around to the third one. The last episode of the first season had a talent show and more importantly revealed that Claire was a "wee lesbian". I think the show did a good job of handling the story with Erin being initially horrified by her friend's reveal before taking to her defense. I definitely want to see where the show goes with Claire from here on in.

Love, Victor: If you're a fan of Love, Simon then this streaming series spin-off is definitely the worthy successor to it. We're back in Creekwood High and this time, it's Victor Salazar (Michael Cimino) coming to terms with his sexuality, getting involved with Mia while also wanting to be with Benji as well. It's a sweet, feel good series with a likeable cast and lead man and the continuity to a certain movie definitely works in the show's favour.

Penny Dreadful: City Of Angels: Now I loved the original series and reviewed all three seasons of it, so I was looking forward to this sequel series but two episodes in, I hate to admit it, but it's leaving me a little bit cold so far. On the plus side, Natalie Dormer is doing a good job as the main baddie, Magda and the latter's various disguises but Tiago needs to be a bit more dynamic as a lead character and the pacing needs to seriously pick up.

The Good Place: It's taken E4 an age to actually air the third season and with the show long since finished it's run in the US, better late than never. Last time we saw them - we had Eleanor, Chidi, Tahani and Jason all on Earth, essentially getting the chance to have a do over with Michael nudging them along. The opening episode was a little slow but it was a nice enough reintroduction to the gang and it'll be interesting to see if Michael's experiment will succeed.

The Politician: I'm going to start the second season of this show very soon but the last three episodes of the first season were pretty strong. The two part assassination plot felt like a finale while the actual finale felt more like an opening episode for the next season. I'm not sad to see some of the characters leave (Dusty won't be missed) or to see the main action in New York and I'm already on Team Dede and Hadassah than I am Team Payton and his inexplicably growing list of supporters.

- Jeremy Pope will play a love interest for MJ Rodriguez's Blanca in the upcoming third season of Pose.
- HBO have cancelled Run after one season.
- The upcoming fourth season of Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina on Netflix will be the show's last season. A potential fifth season would've featured a crossover with Riverdale.
- Stargirl has been renewed for a second season but will air on the CW instead of DC Universe.
- Lucifer's fifth season will see Tom Ellis playing Michael as well as the title character.
- HBO Max have commissioned a spin-off streaming series for The Batman that will focus on the GCPD. More on that in a later blog.
- Amazon have renewed Hanna for a third season.
- Lucy Liu has been cast in ABC pilot, Fka Bossy.
- The Crown has been renewed for a sixth and final season.
- Lee Daniels will helm a reboot of The Wonder Years, focusing on a black family for ABC.

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x05: "Finger Patrol"

Written by Chris Dingess & Shoshana Sachi
Directed by Glen Winter

Baby Doll (to Candlemaker): "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

On one hand, I have to admit that Baby Doll is my least favourite of Jane's personalities to watch but on the other hand, I didn't see her presence being the one that would have Dorothy lose control and cause Candlemaker to spring forth and go for the kill in the Underground.

Candlemaker's been itching for a showcase and this was a good taster of what he can do as Jane realised that he wasn't going to be easily taken down. Even Hammerhead couldn't match him and Baby Doll (who was intolerable) ended up paying the price here.

Kids do fight and when both are volatile like Baby Doll and Dorothy, it was pretty obvious that their friendship was going to be rather shortlived. Baby Doll made the mistake of trash talking Niles to Dorothy and the latter made the mistake of underestimating Baby Doll's actual powers, which resulted in one of Dorothy's imaginary friends, Manny being killed as well. Maybe Niles should have actually kept an eye on the pair as he was doing nothing else here.

Getting away from the Dorothy and Baby Doll stuff, Larry's attempts to reconnect with his other son, Paul and the latter's son and grandson, Dex and Toby went as badly as predicted. I wasn't shocked that Paul instantly turned on Larry or that Dex ended up in the crossfire as well. At least Larry had his Negative Spirit and Rita to get him out of there this week.

Meanwhile, things were on a slightly lighter-ish note with Cliff and Victor this week. The former seemed to be in a better mood when he realised that Niles intended to upgrade him for the better but then also reached out to Silas Stone as he feared that Niles might not be around long to actually carry out with the upgrades.

As for Victor, well, he had the buddy cop moments with Cliff, which I enjoyed as well as some nice scenes with his father. However the highlight was seeing him and Roni reconnect and here's hoping nothing disastrous happens with those two for the remainder of the season.

- It was revealed that this season was meant to have 10 episodes but due to COVID, the number was reduced to nine instead.
- Rita auditioned for a role, and despite her audition going wrong, she managed to get the part. I did like her scenes with Toby here.
- I loved the whole Steele & Stone montage. One of the funniest moments the show has done.
- Chronology: Not long from where the previous left off.

Finger Patrol finally gave Candlemaker his moment to shine after weeks of him merely being a voice for Dorothy to ignore. I have to admit that I did enjoy the other two plotlines more than the Dorothy/Baby Doll stuff this week  but we're at the half way point and things are nicely picking up.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Batwoman - Season 2: Javicia Leslie To Play Ryan Wilder

Back in May, it was announced that after one season, Ruby Rose would depart the series as Kate Kane/Batwoman. It was initially assumed that the second season of Batwoman would see a recast of the title character, but the CW had other ideas.

Instead of a new actress to play Kate Kane, the CW thought it would be a better idea to have a new character assume the mantle of Batwoman. The character in question would be called Ryan Wilder, also an out lesbian and former drug runner (according to a character description released last month) who would be inspired by Kate Kane to become Gotham's latest protector, following the disappearance of the former in the show's upcoming second season.

Last night, it was revealed by the CW that Javicia Leslie, whose credits include the recently axed God Friended Me has been cast as Ryan Wilder/Batwoman. The actress whose character has also been described as "likable, messy, a little goofy and untamed" will be the second live action iteration of the character and for those wondering if Leslie is a member of the LGBTQ+ community, she had this to say herself on the matter ....

"And as a bisexual woman, I am honoured to join this groundbreaking show which has been such a trailblazer for the LGBTQ+ community."

Already current cast members of the series (and from other Arrowverse shows), including Camrus Johnson and Meagan Tandy have congratulated Javicia on joining the show as did former Batwoman herself, Ruby Rose (which I thought was a rather classy gesture).

I've not seen Javicia in anything prior, but I'm intrigued by her casting and while I do think it would've made more sense for the series to have simply recast Kate Kane instead of creating a new character in Ryan Wilder, I am intrigued to see how the upcoming second year will readjust certain stories that were clearly meant for Kate, how Ryan herself will interact with the remaining cast members and how the crossover with the upcoming series, Superman & Lois also pans out. If the show can succeed with this new Batwoman, then it will be unstoppable going forward.

Press Release: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-53346036

Batwoman's second season will begin filming later in the year and will air from January 2021 onwards on the CW. E4 are currently airing the remaining episodes of the show's first season.

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x11: "The Reckoning"

Written by Inda Craig-Galvan
Directed by DeMane Davis

Gabriel (to Michaela/Connor/Oliver): "I know who killed Asher."

With four episodes left to go, I am really glad that this show did not decide to prolong this particular mystery. First of all, Asher's killer wasn't a main character but rather an FBI agent named Pollock who seems to be working for Xavier Castillo. However Gabriel did believe it was actually Laurel until he clapped eyes on Pollock and immediately told the remaining Keating kids.

It does feel like the show at this point is trying to keep Gabriel relevant enough to the main plot, even though he should've left last season but at least he did the right thing by telling Connor, Oliver and Michaela about Asher's killer while they mourned their former friend's life and felt guilty over their last moments with him before he died.

The flashbacks succeeded in eliciting sympathy for Asher as he recorded an apology to his friends before Pollock killed him. Going by the trailer for the next episode, it also seems that we're not going to have to wait long for Asher's death to also be avenged either, which is nice.

As for the gang - yup, Annalise found out about the deal that they took and the show didn't waste time with that confrontation either. I think points were made from both sides here, even if I still did side with Annalise just that little bit more. I also wasn't surprised that Nate also screwed Annalise over as well.

The best part of this episode was Annalise's scenes with Ophelia. Every time this show brings Cicely Tyson for an episode, it's a delight and yet again, there was some brilliant moments with Annalise and Ophelia, such as the latter finding out about her daughter's relationship with Eve and of course, turning on Nate too. I'm really glad that ship has been completely burned as we head into the remaining episodes of the season.

As for Bonnie and Frank, both of them were thinking about their own skins and you can't really blame them. However neither of them actually did anything there and pledged their loyalty to Annalise as the three held firm here.

- This episode apparently was the last one to feature Matt McGorry, even though he filmed a scene for the series finale that was cut for time.
- The show really does seem to be hinting at a potential pairing with Annalise and Tegan.
- Standout music: Ursine Vulpine's Do You Realise?
- Chronology: Over a week since the events of the previous episode.

The Reckoning definitely saw Annalise coming out swinging here and like I said, her scenes with both Tegan and Ophelia were the highlights along with the continued references to the chain of events that have led to this moment. With the mystery of Asher's killer revealed, it's time to see what happens next.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 6x10: "We're Not Getting Away With This"

Written by Tess Leibowitz
Directed by Sheelin Choksey

Connor: "I'm only signing if you agree to one more term. Michaela gets the same protections I do, even if she doesn't sign."

I know, it's been over a month since the series has ended and I've been busy with other things but catching up with the final six episodes of this series, things got off to an interesting start with this particular episode.

So let's recap: back at the end of 2019, it turned out that Asher was killed after being outed as a mole, Connor and Michaela looked like they were about to take the rap for his death and Annalise had left the country. Of course with this show, there's always a few twists to contend with.

Sticking with Connor and Michaela first, this episode easily could've set them against one another but it shows how far both characters have come that they had the same idea and ensured they both got the same protection when signing a new deal. Will they actually betray Annalise? It's possible but I'm betting another twist will emerge on that front.

I'm glad that both Connor and Michaela chose not to listen to either Oliver or Solomon and went with their own instincts here. Fortunately for both of them, it's paying off for now but again, I do see some jail time coming their way as the net has definitely closed in on them.

Speaking of nets closing in, I knew Annalise was going to get caught but I thought it would happen a little later into the latter half of this season. I don't think she made it one day in Mexico before effectively putting herself in the way of being arrested but I assume there will also be a few more twists there too.

Keeping with the twists, this episode didn't really give much in the way of clues as to who killed Asher. We got some more flashbacks with him and while both Bonnie and Frank were acting shady as anything, it's fairly safe to assume that neither of them will ultimately be involved in Asher's actual death. I do however think that Gabriel knows more than he's letting on, considering that it appears he was the last person to see Asher alive.

- I recognised Annalise's handler as Iyari Limon, who played Kennedy in the last season of Buffy The Vampire Slayer.
- Tegan wasn't pleased with Annalise's disappearance, Nate was annoying in the little screen time he had and even Connor's mother was a bit OTT at times here too.
- Standout music: Lux's Yesterday's Wake and Seven Of Cups Strange Unknown.
- Chronology: More or less from where the mid season finale had left off.

We're Not Getting Away With This opened up the remaining episodes to this final season on a great note. Annalise's scenes were short but the moments with Connor and Michaela and the Asher flashbacks more than kept things moving along nicely.

Rating: 8 out of 10

The Flash Movie: Characters That Should Appear In This Movie

With DCFanDome still over a month to go and rumours about upcoming projects popping up a lot (though it'll be interesting to see if any of them are true), here's a rundown of some of the characters who should/will likely appear in the upcoming The Flash movie, starring Ezra Miller in the title role, directed by Andy Muschietti.

1: Selina Kyle/Catwoman (Michelle Pfeiffer)

With Michael Keaton's much older Bruce Wayne/Batman being brought into the DCEU apparently for this movie and the future, the only other character from that universe who should also appear in this movie would of course be Michelle Pfeiffer's Selina Kyle/Catwoman. Thanks to Crisis On Infinite Earths we already know these two got back together and got married. Seeing this iconic pair on screen again would be fantastic.

2: Barry's Other Rogues

Because at the end of the day, this is a movie about The Flash and we do need to see his own enemies factor into things. The rumours already are that both Reverse Flash and a female Mirror Master will be in this movie but I'm sure we can get a nice opening scene where Barry encounters the likes of Captain Cold, Captain Boomerang, Killer Frost,  Pied Piper and so on as he did in The Flashpoint Paradox animated movie. I'd also put in a Gorilla Grodd cameo, setting up the character as the antagonist for a potential sequel.

3: Kingdom Come Superman (Brandon Routh)

If ever there was proof that second chances are needed, it would be this case. Brandon Routh may not have gotten the love when he was in Superman Returns but there a lot of love when he took on a Kingdom Come version of the character for Crisis On Infinite Earths. He could play the same role that Superman somewhat played in the original comic, before having Henry Cavill also appear but more on that in a bit.

4: Justice League themselves

This is more something that should appear towards the end of the movie when things are back to a new normal. It's clear that Barry's messing with time will have long term consequences (Michael Keaton's Batman/Bruce Wayne instead of Ben Affleck) but it'd be a missed opportunity not to have Gal Gadot, Jason Momoa and possibly Henry Cavill and Ray Fisher appear in some capacity in this movie. Especially if rumours of a Rebirth movie have any merit to them. Maybe even Zachary Levi's Shazam as well for good measure.

5: Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie) - but not quite!!!!

With Birds Of Prey scribe Christina Hodson also writing this movie, it's very likely some characters from her previous DC effort will surface here, mainly due to the characters in question actually being in the original Flashpoint comic or some added in lieu of others being scrapped. With no Thomas Wayne Batman appearing in this movie, it's likely we won't get Martha Wayne Joker so maybe in lieu of that, perhaps we take Harley's Flashpoint counterpart YoYo and slightly merge with the Martha Joker here for a brief scene with Keaton's Batman. Then our Harley could make a brief appearance at the end.

6: The Flash (Grant Gustin) - CW TV Series

I know some DCEU fans hate the idea of anything CW related being within sniffing distances of a big screen movie but a cameo from Grant Gustin's Flash (maybe a post credit sequence between both Gustin and Ezra Miller) is something I think would delight a lot of fans, myself included. Yeah, that's it really.

7: Jack Ryder

It's amazing that for a character who has been around for over 50 years, we've not had one live action version of him. Man Of Steel nearly brought him to the big screen but replaced him with original character, Glen Woodburn. Jack Ryder appears in a minor role in the Flashpoint comic but I think you could use him in the same role that Lois Lane had in the comic and he's a character that's flexible enough to pop up in other movies as well.

8: Constantine & Zatanna

With rumours of both characters getting their own solo movies (and I emphasise the word "rumours" here) and HBO Max working on a Justice League Dark series, having this magical pair appear even if briefly would work for me. Zatanna at least had a role in the expanded material for the comic and she's on the verge of becoming the next big break out character for the DCEU and I can never say no to seeing Constantine either. I could also see them being part of a resistance force along with some other characters. Leading into my next point.

9: Green Lanterns

We know that HBO Max have a series in the works and there's still some rumblings that a Green Lantern Corps might happen at some point but I do think some fans are going to prefer seeing some of these characters on the big screen more than on a streaming series. Perhaps characters like Simon or Jessica could briefly factor into this movie.

10: Birds Of Prey themselves

I know the movie was a mixed bag for some people and with the box office numbers, it didn't exactly set the world alight but given that Christina Hodson is writing this movie and the potential with both Black Canary and Huntress (still meh on Renee Montoya here), I definitely think this group could be part of a growing team Barry might need when trying to get things back to a new normal.

Right, those are the characters that I'd like to see in The Flash movie. Is there anyone I missed out on? Who would you add into the mix?

The Flash is due to be released June 3rd 2022, with filming to commence next year. Casting information will be unveiled at DCFanDome on August 22nd.

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x04: "Sex Patrol"

Written by Eric Dietel & Tanya Steele
Directed by Omar Madha

Cliff (to everyone): "Is anyone going to say anything about the fact that Rita's G spot almost ended the fucking world?"

Yes, let's talk about that one then. For an episode called Sex Patrol, I certainly expected some frisky business but Rita's g spot nearly ending the world, even I didn't see that happening. Maybe Flex should limit his talents every once in a while, eh?

The returns of both Flex Mentallo and Maura Lee Karupt - two of the best guest characters we had last season was absolutely welcomed and with Danny being out of action, it was up to them and the Dannyzens to help revive the sentient street into action. Of course Dorothy also played a part in the matter too.

However getting back to Flex, helping Rita trying to unlock a past memory resulted in a sex demon named Shadowy Mr. Evans (Brad Binkley) emerging at the party and giving birth to a baby whose cry would kill all the children. Fortunately for everyone, Hammerhead happened to take over Jane's body and that baby got sent back into it's father for good measure.

Of course when Rita wasn't nearly ending the world, she was making some headway with Dorothy's age and the latter herself seemed torn as a child and wanting to see what things were like as an adult. The episode nearly had her destroy Danny but balk at the last moment before also deciding that she didn't want to grow up. It also seems that Candlemaker is slowly working his way into getting unleashed by Dorothy at any time.

As for the rest of the episode - I liked that Danny reformed as a tire and took everyone back but I really liked that Danny told Niles that he needed to do better with Dorothy. Unfortunately, I think Niles will do the exact opposite, Dorothy will unleash Candlemaker and everything will go spectacularly sideways as we head into the latter half of the season.

Dorothy aside, this episode saw Cliff and Victor both coming back into the fold while being hugged by a high Cliff was the very thing that made Hammerhead hand back control for Jane. Larry on the other hand seemed to be in a perpetual mopey state that not even a cool party could lift his spirits. I get that Larry has his regrets but I do want to see him cheer up a little this season.

As for the SeX Men themselves - well, Kiss, Torture and Cuddles were an interesting bunch of guest characters. Think Ghostbusters but for extremely oversexed spirits. They were fun to watch and it was nice to see that they weren't actually baddies in this episode either.

- There's a lovely speech in this episode Maura Lee talking about her experiences as a trans woman while also giving Victor some good advice about Roni.
- Rita's bad memory was seeing her mother sleeping with a producer to get her a part while Jane's personality Scarlet Harlot also came out to play.
- Standout music: Abigail Shapiro's take on Pure Imagination (Niles and Dorothy's favourite song), Goldfrapp's Ooh La La and Jhay C's Get It On.
- Chronology: London 1978 for Niles/Dorothy opening scene as well as 1931 Burbank for the Rita scene with her mother.

Sex Patrol definitely had it's moments. The returns of both Flex and Maura Lee was welcome, along with the insight into Rita's past and impending plot of Dorothy losing control. This episode also did highlight that Niles will be his daughter's undoing as we get into the latter half of this season.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x03: "Pain Patrol"

Written by Tom Farrell & Tamara Becher-Wilkinson
Directed by Samira Radsi

Red Jack: "You could have transformed into something truly exquisite. Something divine."
Caulder: "I guess I'm still just that boy in the alley."

Fancy a little pain, anyone? Yeah, probably not but this episode decided to serve a fair dollop of it with the arrival of one of the most sadistic villains the show has done so far. If you thought Mr Nobody was an asshole, then get a load of Red Jack (Roger Floyd) for good measure.

Following the end of the previous episode where a load of butterflies kidnapped Larry, this episode revealed that Red Jack was behind it and the latter didn't waste time in getting Niles and Rita to come to Larry's rescue.

Not surprisingly enough, Red Jack ignored Rita and seemed to favour Caulder, due to a previous encounter they had over a century ago. Red Jack saw something in Niles he found fascinating and wanted to make the latter his apprentice. When Niles refused, Red Jack decided to subject him to a little pain in order to bring him around.

This show hasn't been shy in it's use of bizarre and sadistic villains and Red Jack easily is one of the best they've done in less than two seasons. Having his victims turn into butterflies was a nice touch but fortunately Rita was able to save Larry and Caulder managed to kill Red Jack before he could any more victims to his collection.

One of my favourite parts of the previous season was the rapport with Rita and Larry and this episode drove that home even more. I love how accepting Rita is of Larry and even when he tried to tell her that he was a lost cause, she proved him wrong. I don't want a romantic relationship with these two but I do love seeing them working together.

As for the rest of the episode - Dorothy's screen time was shorter compared to the previous episodes but that was a good thing. I did like her playing hide and seek with her imaginary friends, even if Danny the Brick didn't fare well as a result. I also liked her scenes with Niles and Rita in this episode as well.

As for the rest of the gang - Cliff tried to reconnect with Clara, only for the latter to call the most sympathetic cops on him ever while Jane found herself in the midst of an intervention and then taken out as the dominant personality. Given the build up in the previous episodes. I definitely saw this coming.

Last but not least, I'm liking Victor's building relationship with Roni even if it's one step forward and then a few backwards. Either way, it helps that both actors have chemistry and that Roni seems keen on letting Victor know everything about her. Saying that, will Victor rejoin the rest of the cast or will he remain separate from the main story until the last few episodes?

- It seems that Clara has a wife or girlfriend and they're expecting a baby. Cliff did seem happy at the end of being a grandfather.
- I liked that Larry seemed to be a fan of Rita's past acting roles and the latter being critical over another actress's performance on an old movie was amusing.
- Caulder's drawing up a blueprint for Robotman 2.0.
- Chronology: Flashbacks to London 1888 with Caulder and Red Jack's first meeting and 1966 to Larry first moving into the manor and befriending Rita.

Pain Patrol definitely lived up to it's title as all our main characters suffered in various ways and again, Red Jack has got to be one of the best villains the show has done in terms of design, characterisation and acting.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x02: "Tyme Patrol"

Written by April Fitzsimmons & Neil Reynolds
Directed by Harry Jierjian

Crazy Jane: "Maybe it is time for a change."

Onto the second episode and well, things certainly keep taking an interesting turn, don't they?Following Dorothy getting the warning about Niles facing imminent death, this episode focused on trying to slow down the process with a little help from Tyme. Yes, that's how it's really spelled.

Specifically Doctor Jonathan Tyme (Brandon Perea) who has a certain continuum in his head that could actually help Niles out. Rita was determined to get it. Jane agreed to go along and Cliff took some persuading but eventually also decided to help as well, in spite of his growing hatred for the Chief.

Dr Tyme's world though was a lot of fun to see. A roller disco derby with a certain Donna Summers song on repeat, it's actually a pity that we didn't get to see more of it. Tyme himself was a little under utilised and it came as no shock that the gang messed things up when Rita aimed for the head. Is it bad that I'm not that anxious for the Chief to survive?

I mean if he does, fair enough but the majority of the first season both portrayed him in a horrible light and posed the question as to whether or not the gang would be better without him. Of course, it's also implied here that without the Chief around, Dorothy could unleash hell on Earth but a part of me thinks everyone on this show, Dorothy included would be better off without him.

Keeping with Dorothy here - she spent a good portion of the episode in denial over her father possibly dying before getting Rita to help her learn to cook, which I thought was a nice moment between the two of them. I've noticed that Rita has been stepping more and more this season so far and I'm loving it.

As for the rest of the gang - it seems that one of Jane's other personalities, Miranda is vying for dominance and I'm guessing that Jane allowing that to happen will be both a bad idea and fairly imminent while Cliff was a lot more focused on sticking it to Caulder at every opportunity this week.

Then there was Victor. He went to a support group and then clashed and somehow bonded with Roni (Karen Obilom) - a military vet who certainly had a spark with him. As for Larry, he attended his son Gary's funeral, had a reunion with other son, Paul (John Getz) and then a swarm of butterflies captured him during the last moments of this one. Both Larry and Victor's plots were separate from the main action this week but both were very strong.

- Danny being a brick was another thing I'd forgotten about but going by trailers for the season, I don't think this will last too long.
- I wonder when we'll meet more of Dorothy's imaginary friends beyond Darling and Herschel.
- Standout music: Of course it's going to be Donna Summers Bad Girls, much to Cliff and Jane's annoyance.
- Chronology: London 1927 with the same flashbacks told from Niles's point of view. Caulder is also 139 years old.

Tyme Patrol was a bit stronger than the opening episode, although I do wish we had seen more of the title villain of the week and his world. Dorothy's still a strong addition to the series and I'm liking Rita's increased assertiveness in helping the gang out. Right now, I'm not sure if Caulder will survive the season. Maybe he shouldn't.

Rating: 7 out of 10