My Review of Doctor Who: Flux - Chapter One: The Halloween Apocalypse

Written by Chris Chibnall

Directed by Jamie Magnus Stone

Swarm (to the Doctor): "Our final fight has begun."

If there's one word I could use to describe this episode, it would be "whiplash". Chris Chibnall did say this opening episode would feel like a finale and with a fancy subtitle named Flux, he wasn't exactly kidding about that one. Its hard to say whether he's hit the ball running or written himself into a corner. The next five weeks will tell.

Anyways, the Doctor and Yaz opened the episode nearly being booked in acid by the dog looking Karvanista (Craige Els) who then fled and kidnapped unemployed plasterer/wannabe museum guy, Dan Lewis (John Bishop). New companions are usually thrown into the deep end to prove their kettle but Dan's kidnapper turned out to be an inadvertent saviour and he was mostly bamboozled by both the Doctor and Yaz as he took in the Flux coming for the universe.

I liked that this episode wasted no time in telling us that the Flux was a universe destroying event along with the introduction of the mysterious Swarm (Sam Spruell) and his sister, Azure/Anna (Rochenda Sandall). While the latter seemed to take a perverse joy in tormenting Dan's would be girlfriend, Diane (Nadia Albina), the former was more interested in the Doctor.

With the Karvanista turning out to be more grudging friend than foe, it seems that these mystery aliens who I'm assuming are the Ravagers have a history with the Doctor. Keeping with this version of the character, its a history that she doesn't remember, something which which Swarm revelled in to boot. As a group of baddies, there's potential here with this mystery race and the event that seems to be the Flux.

Of course along with the universe ending, things also seem to be bad for the TARDIS. This episode had it leaking black goo and even the Doctor wanted vortex energy on trying to stop the Flux. It's not looking good for the best ship in the universe. Will the TARDIS even make it out of this six part series alive? 

Then there's Yaz as well. In the near ten months since we've last seen her, she's quit her job and gotten more openly annoyed at the Doctor keeping secrets from her (the latter seeking the Karvanista for info on the Division). I liked seeing her confront the Doctor on that and she had a better rapport with Dan than the Doctor did if I'm being candid.

As for the rest of the episode, it wasn't just Dan that felt important here. We got to meet space pilot guy Vinder (Jacob Anderson) who seemed to abandon his mission when things got real with the Flux and then there was Claire (Annabel Scholey). She took the long path to reunite with the Doctor and Yaz. Then a Weeping Angel got her again. I wouldn't worry too much. This episode made it abundantly clear we'll be seeing her again.

- Flux is the third time this show has done this type of season (The Key To Time and Trial Of A Time Lord, anyone?) and the first Halloween we've gotten in it's 58 years.

- Steve Oram also appeared here as 19th century philanthropist Joseph Williamson and yes, he's another character we'll be seeing over the course of the series.

- Vinder's ship was called Outpost Rose and that wasn't the only allusion to that former companion in this episode.

- Two Sontarans also appeared in this episode, setting up the next chapter, War Of The Sontarans.

- This episode was dedicated to Julie Ankerson. The title sequence added John Bishop's name and the series new title.

- Chronology: October 31st 2021 and 1820 in Liverpool as well as two scenes in the Arctic Circle.

The Halloween Apocalypse definitely had a lot going on with it. Arguably too much in parts, especially for 50 minutes but between introducing several new characters, hinting at both the end of the universe and this version of the Doctor, I can't deny that it didn't keep my focus. This is a promising start to what hopefully will be the final stretch for both Chibnall and Whittaker. 

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 3x08: "Subconscious Patrol"

 

Written by Tanya Steele

Directed by Rebecca Rodriguez

Rita: "The world is flagellating. I'm getting mine."

Revenge is certainly a dish best served cold or whatnot but while this episode's focus might have been Rita's mission against Madame Rouge/Laura De Mille, it was our band of misfits getting caught in the crossfire between them and the Sisterhood of Dada.

Last week, they all disappeared courtesy of some creepy CGI birds that came from Malcolm. For most of the episode, we saw Larry, Cliff, Jane and Victor all having to deal with their biggest regrets/trauma and not entirely come out the other side of it all. Some things were said and done, but things didn't get magically better here.

Larry relived his wedding day and his mother's homophobia while deciding to take care of the alien parasite that he puked up before being taken away. I'm not sure keep that thing will be a good idea to be honest. Then there was Cliff coming to terms with prioritising his own hedonism over being a father while also losing Clara's trust in the present day. Get off those pills, Cliff.

Victor dealt with identity issues ingrained into him as a child before waking up to another new body in ten present day. Has Cyborg been erased for good? Then there was Kay wanting to break free completely from Jane with the unintended consequence of the other personas leaving her too. Again, not really a great result there and that's taking out the rather effed up version of Sesame Street we got for most of her scenes this week. 

As for Rita, I'm not sure she's actually gotten her revenge yet. We did get a bittersweet confrontation between her and Laura, where the latter seemed to embrace her villainy while Rita regained her old memories, kept most of her new ones and returned to the current year. Then there was that final scene between her and Laura.

As for Laura, her actions with the Sisterhood of Dada did have consequences. It saw her getting booted out of the Bureau of Normalcy and right into the hands of the Brotherhood of Evil. They even gave Laura her new name of Madame Rouge and tasked her with usurping one of Niles's greatest achievements. After this episode, I'm not sure if there's any gluing back for Laura.

- Poor Harry the puppet lamb getting slaughtered by Jane and company. He did not deserve that fate.

- At least Laura was actually fully dressed in red when she got the Madame Rouge moniker. It's amusing in the comics that the character's costume is usually blue.

- Rita really was responsible for the deaths from Vacay Patrol as part of her own mission.

- Chronology: Both 1949 and 2021 here. 

Subconscious Patrol had so many beautiful character moments that it's an immediate favourite this season. These characters are a mess and desperately need to get their shit together but you never stop feeling bad for them, even at their worst. Saying that, it's the battle between Rita and Laura that should propel the last two episodes.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of The Long Call (2021 ITV Series)

 

Written by Kelly Jones

Directed by Lee Haven Jones

Matthew: "I had to leave."

Dennis: "You had to leave the church. Nobody ever said you had to leave your family."

Not  gonna lie. I'm not a huge follower of the ITV crime drama genre because once you've seen one of them, you kind of seen them all. They rarely deviate from an established format and to a certain extent, this adaptation of crime novelist Anne Cleeves book of the same name doesn't feel too radically different either.

Of course a difference here would be that the lead detective is an openly gay man named Matthew Venn, played by Ben Aldridge (Fleabag, Pennyworth). Matthew's background plays an instrumental role in this four part series. Not just that he's married to Jonathan (Declan Bennett) but that his own family and former religious life factored into the main mystery itself.

This series began with Matthew returning home for his father's funeral, much to the disapproval of his mother, Dorothy (Juliet Stevenson) who has issues with her son's sexuality, as it conflicts with the beliefs of the Brethren, an extreme evangelical group. The group are lead by Dennis Stephenson (Martin Shaw) and while he initially appeared to an ally to Matthew, the series revealed his more sinister side, notably with the coercive hold he had over his wife, Grace (Anita Dobson).

As a baddie, there's something quietly chilling about Dennis as we see the ongoing damage he's caused to both his wife, community as well as to Matthew and his own family while at the same time, being the one instrumental in the demise of a local man named Simon Walden (Luke Ireland) whose relationship with several characters took some interesting turns as the series progressed.

The reveal of Simon's killer for me was something of a success. When it's revealed the person responsible for his death, it's tragic given the character in question as well as a damning indictment of the influence that one person can have over an entire community. As twists go, it's one of the most satisfying things about the four part series.

The other satisfying thing would be of course Ben Aldridge. He's a likable, engaging actor and makes Matthew Venn a largely sympathetic and competent protagonist. It's also nice to see that while Matthew still has his demons about his religion and sexuality, that overall he has a strong marriage with his husband (though Jonathan isn't given a lot to do) and a good rapport with his fellow detectives, notably single mother Jen Rafferty (Pearl Mackie).

In terms of performances, Aldridge gave a strong central performance with the likes of Juliet Stevenson, Martin Shaw and Anita Dobson also being the highlights. There's a slew of different characters throughout this series, both adding much needed diversity to the Devon setting as well as adding to the ongoing twists concerning Simon's murder. However some of these characters work better than others and a few of them could've been nixed for pacing issues. 

- Ann Cleeves is best known for her Vera and Shetland novels, both of which have been ongoing series for ITV and BBC. 

- The second book, The Heron's Cry will also be adapted for ITV. Ben Aldridge has something of a similar background to Matthew Venn.

- The series used a few flashbacks to Matthew's youth and we seemed to get a few scenes of Matthew swimming, which seemed to be for artistic value.

- Chronology: The book this series is based came out in 2019 but I'm assuming this was set in 2021.

The Long Call made for a good series spaced out over four nights on ITV. I do wonder if for pacing purposes if it might have worked better as a two hour movie instead of four episodes but overall, I definitely enjoyed, found the central performances great and while some of the accents felt a bit put on in parts, I definitely think I'll be coming for the follow up.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 7x03: " wvrdr_error_100 not found"

 

Written by Phil Klemmer And Matthew Maala 

Directed by Caity Lotz

Sara: "Welcome to the team, Gideon."

Welcome to the team? Ah, but Gideon has been there since the very first episode, outlived several Legends and if there a character truly deserving of the spotlight in this milestone episode, to would be her of course. The Legends are nothing without her.

Being newly human will be an adjustment for Gideon but with Astra and Spooner having her back, there's no doubt that she'll be fine. However for this episode, Gideon was mostly out for the count and to was up to Astra and Spooner to take a big trip down memory lane in order to bring Gideon around.

We've done the playing around in a character's subconscious thong before but in Gideon's mind, we got a Brit speaking Jax to guide Astra and Spooner around and see some old faces again. I could focus on the characters who didn't appear in this episode a bit later but the ones who did re-emerge were largely welcomed, except one of course.

It was a delight not only to see Jax again but also Captain Cold, Ray Palmer, Martin Stein, Rip Hunter, Nora Darhk and Hawkman, who out of all the returns was by far the most surprising of the bunch. These memories served as means of reminding audiences just how much he show has evolved over the course of seven seasons but also a re,under that there's still work to be done.

Gideon had to battle a corrupted version of herself to come out the other side and needless to say her various speeches about what the Legends mean to her had the desired effect here. Amy Louise Pemberton absolutely owned this episode and there was something truly heartwarming about seeing the Legends guide her humanity. Even if that also included a bit of pie theft.

On the downside, Bishop has also resurfaced. The younger version, about to become psychotic and with a version of Gideon to himself, it looks like he might be the one responsible for the Legends current predicament. I'm not keen on the character being trotted out as a villain for a second season in a row. Hopefully there's another one on the horizon too.

- The title sequence took in all the past title sequences, which was a lovely nod to things.

- Characters who didn't appear were Kendra, Mick, Amaya, Wally, Constantine, Charlie, Mona, though I think we saw some archive footage with some of them and both Constantine and Mick were directly mentioned.

-  I do think the WB could've dropped their contradicting rule and let Mart Ryan briefly appear as Constantine or debuted Gwyn Davies here, but it's a minor nitpick for me.

- Chronology: Yip, still 1925, Odessa, Texas. At east we're getting out of Texas though. 

wvrdr_error_100 not found would definitely win an award for one of the weirdest titles but for a show as weird as this, it would be apt. As 100th episodes go, this was brilliant. A beautiful love letter to the show's past, present and future and Caity Lotz did an excellent directing job too. I'm really glad this show was able to accomplish this milestone and celebrate it in style.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Injustice (2021)

 

Written by Ernie Altbavker

Directed by  Matt Peters

Joker (re Superman killing him): "Now that's .... a punchline."

Well, this was inevitable in the animated adaptation stakes. After covering the likes of Flashpoint, The Dark Knight Returns, The Death Of Superman etc, another infamous dark DC story/alternative take had to be covered and Injustice seemed ripe for the picking.

If you're familiar with the story through both the games and yearly comics, this adaptation will be something of a mixed bag for you. Some key elements are retained, others are changed and there's an undeniable sense of things just being rushed all over to get to where this particular movie ends, note wise. Yup, it's the definition of a mixed bag.

Superman (Justin Hartley) finds himself overjoyed with the possibility of becoming a father, only for the Joker (Kevin Pollak) and Harley Quinn (Gillian Jacobs) to trick him into accidentally killing Lois Lane (Laura Bailey) and devastate Metropolis. Superman reacts to this by killing the Joker and by doing that simple act, this movie sets up a downward spiral for the Man of Steel.

With Batman (Anson Mount) trying and repeatedly failing to get Superman back to the light as the Kryptonian abuses his powers and turns the world into a police sate with Wonder Woman (Janet Varney) enabling his destructive behaviour, it's everyone else who suffers as a result. If you thought Justice League Dark: Apokolips War was a bit too bloodthirsty, then you really have problems with this one.

This movie doesn't shy away from characters such as the Flash (Yuri Lowenthal), Nightwing (Derek Philips) and even Cyborg (Brandon Michael Hall) all getting caught in the crossfire between the trinity but it's the machinations of an opportunistic Ras Al Ghul (Faran Tahir) that somewhat bring the team back together along with Superman meeting up with alternative versions of himself and Lois courtesy of Mr Terrific (Edwin Hodge).

This movie clearly is the start of an ongoing story and I'm not entirely sire where the second part will go now that the tyrannical Superman seems to be out of the way. There's a good use in supporting characters such as Plastic Man (Oliver Hudson), Robin (Zach Callison) and Catwoman (Anika Noni Rose) as well as Harley's rapport with Green Arrow (Reid Scott) but far too many characters in this movie are largely wasted or too quickly killed off.

- Justin Hartley has previously played both Green Arrow and Aquaman in the Smallville. He's a good actor but one of the weaker voice actors for Superman.

- Nice team effort from the trinity, Plastic Man, Catwoman and Harley Quinn to take out Amazo. 

-  The next animated movie will be Catwoman: Hunted, due for release in February 2022.

- Chronology: I assume present day. The Earth 9 Superman referred to this world as Earth 22.

Injustice had some decent moments but overall, it made for a disappointing movie. It felt too rushed in parts and too many characters were just there to be killed off and add little to the plot. However, it's clear this wont be a one off event and hopefully the next movie will be a marked improvement.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 3x07: "Bird Patrol"

 

Written by Ezra Claytan Daniels 

Directed by Omar Madha

Rita: "We are offering you the chance to atone. Take it."

Laura: "I atoned that day by making useful agents of you."

After last week's slightly disappointing episode, this definitely felt like the show had quickly regained it's footing. With three episodes remaining, it definitely looks like the Sisterhood of Dada might not be villains and Laura herself has definitely earned their wrath.

It seemed somewhat telegraphed in the previous episode that Laura would eventually betray her friends for the Bureau of Normalcy and low and behold, that's exactly hat happened in flashbacks. She signed a pacifist group to commit unspeakable acts, caused Malcolm's death and forced Rita to head back to the present day for a reckoning.

To her credit, Laura did seem horrified upon remembering what she had actually done but even when given the opportunity to stone and free a bird like Malcolm, she tried to justify her misdeeds from the past. It's no wonder things went to (bird) shit by the end of this one with a gazillion birds making the gang disappear as Laura herself turned into one and scarpered.

The Sisterhood of Dada  seem to have Rita firmly on their side and while they weren't that bothered about her and Malcolm being an item, I almost got the impression that Rita has become a de facto of the group. The flagellation has begun but what the hell will happen next? And will Laura eventually make amends before the season wraps up?

As for the rest of the gang themselves, Cliff's story was the weakest. He ended up babysitting his grandson but had no problem using Clara's credit card to feed his current addiction. Elsewhere Jane faced both Kay's wrath over a missing bicycle and the other persons being too desperate to keep Kay below the surface as best they can.

So,what stronger this week wad Larry finally puking up his space tumour and almost wanting to look after it like a pet, which was both weird and strangely affecting. Victor on the other hand came close to getting his skin surgery while also sharing a nice moment with Roni. It's nice that the show hasn't forgotten about that character.

- The episode did open with Laura recruiting Wally for the Bureau. Wally could make things come to life from pictures.

- A part of me did think that the doctor Victor consulted with was going to talk him out of the surgery. I had hoped she would to.

- Jane has Cher records? Maybe Cliff did deserve to be dropped at his daughter's house for that.

- Chronology: 1949 in flashbacks and 2021 present day.

Bird Patrol delivered this week with the flashbacks and the reveals. I knew Laura's betrayal was coming but it still stung a tiny bit along with her unwillingness to make proper amends. Most of the personal subplots worked well here too.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Titans 3x13: "Purple Rain"

 

Written by Richard Hatem And Greg Walker

Directed by Chad Lowe

Dick (to the Titans): "I've got a great idea. Let's get the hell out of Gotham."

That's probably not a bad idea, Dick, but wherever you lot go, trouble follows, so it wouldn't really matter if you remained in Gotham or whatever. Saying that though, this season did manage to get enough of the city and this Scarecrow plot has finally come to an end.

This episode was the gift that gave with Crane's downfall coming from some good old fashioned team work and Dick being savvy enough not to do what Crane was banking on him doing. That and a rather swift left hook from Tim certainly helped matters too. Tim might want to practice on his fighting skills though, but he'll get the chance to next season.

Seeing Dick, Jason, Gar and Tim work their way into Wayne Manor while Rachel, Kory, Kom, Donna and Conner work with the Lazarus Pit, magic, the elements and electricity while Barbara and Vee handled the hacking side of things. It's stiff like this that I want to see the show do more of. The purple rain effect itself actually looked pretty decent in the grand scheme of things. 

With Gotham on the verge and Crane rightfully suffering at Arkham, thanks to Rachel, the Titans leaving for San Francisco was the right thing to do. I don't know if that means they'll stay based there next season or if something brings them to either Metropolis or Star City, but either way, I do think it's right for them to leave Gotham. I'll miss Barbara though if this episode was the last time we'll see the character.

As for Jason, he redeemed himself bit just about. I genuinely thought he had some great scenes with both Dick and Bruce but unless the character is getting a spin-off (something which Curran Walters seems to hinting at), I get the feeling this won't be the last time we'll see him. Jason still has amends to make and one person on his list needs to be Dawn and needs to happen onscreen.

As for Donna and Blackfire, I'm sure we'll see both of them as well next season too, but it did seem like their paths were also away from the Titans. Donna found herself getting a job offer at ARGUS from Vee and Blackfire herself still has the possibility of getting back to Tamaran, thanks to Conner making amends for sabotaging her previous attempt. Conner messed up last week but he definitely did the right thing here.

- Vee mentioned a certain Roy Harper as being a member of ARGUS. The character was mentioned last season, so will he actually appear next season?

- I can't believe Gar didn't know who Selina Kyle was but Tim did. Tim knowing wasn't a surprise but Gar not knowing was.

- Given the title of the episode, I'm genuinely surprised the actual song itself didn't feature. 

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Purple Rain was a better ending to a season that started off well, dropped the ball for several episodes, then managed to regain it's footing. There seasons in and this show still has teething problems that I'm not sure it can or even wants to solve at this point. I hope next season some changes are made and enforced to keep the series on an even keel.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 7x02: "The Need For Speed"

 

Written by Morgan Faust And Marcelena Campos Mayhorn

Directed by Alexandra La Roche

Nate (to a mobster): "Repeat after me: I forgive myself."

I have to admit, initially the title of this episode did make me think more about speedsters, but in reality, it was about consequences. The consequences of J. Edgar Hoover removed from the timeline and Nate going into overdrive to make things right.

Boarding the train to New York to keep up with history and using a spell from Gary, Nate spent most of this episode looking like Hoover while Behrad made his feelings about the guy a bit too known at times. Sidenote: I'm glad Behrad was sober for most of this episode. Now give him something meaningful to do and we're good.

As for Nate he mostly fooled people and even solved his (well, Hoover's) own kidnap attempt while also dealing with Al Capone's mobsters and a robot version of Hoover who also managed to disrupt proceedings in this episode. Are we going to keep getting robot versions of this guy until we get to New York?

Speaking of New York, this episode ended with both Astra and Spooner realising they needed to get to Gwyn Davies before the Legends ended up dead. Gideon spent most of this episode being unable to communicate with Astra and Spooner and Astra spent most of it being impatient with Gideon and feeling sorry for herself, which did grate a bit.

Gloria on the other hand tried her best to get both Astra and Spooner to try with Gideon and eventually her advice paid off when Spooner was able to read Gideon's thoughts. I've really come to like Gloria in the last four episodes she's been in so hopefully we'll see more of her, even after Astra, Spooner and Gideon head to New York.

As for Zari, she spent a good portion of the episode high on her brother's gummy bears but at least shew as able to turn things around and come up with an impressive list of potential suspects for blowing up the Waverider. In a lot of ways, this felt like a nice reminder of the show's past and a single set up for next week's 100th episode.  As for Sara and Ava, they were mostly in honeymoon mode this week.

- I love the new title sequence for this season and we even got to see Gwyn Davies in it. I'm assuming we'll see him after the 100th episode though.

-  Ava's safe word was both boring and in character for her. She did seem mortified that Zari picked up on it though. 

- The title referred to a nickname that Hoover had as well.

- Chronology: Late October 1925 in Odessa, Texas. The gang have to meet Gwyn Davies by November 7th.

The Need For Speed was certainly breezy episode with everything more or less working. I feel like we're  killing time until the show gets to New York but Nate had some great moments as did Astra, Spooner and Gideon. Now on to the 100th episode.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Double Feature - The Future Perfect

Written by Brad Falchuk And Manny Coto And Kristen Reidell And Reilly Smith

Directed by Axelle Carolyn

Theta: "Another perfect specimen."

Congrats, show, you might have ended the season creating the perfect specimen but after such a promising start, it's sad to see how much this season just dove off a cliff. You had two ideas that clearly were never going to intersect and would've been better handled as separate seasons. Honestly you should've taken the first idea you had and tried to have gotten another two episodes out of it and this season would've been perfect.

Sadly by going with this second idea to make up an extra four episodes, this season widely just fell apart. As Eisenhower was on his deathbed, Mamie continued getting into bed with Valiant Thor and Nixon found his own presidency coming to something of a comprising end with two alien races working together. 

Why did this episode decide to now introduce the reptile race when had this season been longer, it could've been done about two episodes beforehand? More importantly, why make the human resistance idea so futile and why would Thor's race be so willing to share Earth with another alien race?

I know this episode posited the idea that humans are too selfish to share the planet (again, true), but I'm unconvinced that Thor's race would also be willing to share with another one that had technology better than theirs. I also feel there was potential with this concept that ultimately got squandered. Ultimately this alien themed second half was too undercooked for it's own good.

Mamie's crisis of conscience came far too late for her act of rebellion to have any real impact and Calico's cowardice and betrayal was too telegraphed to also have the desired effect. While Theta was able to manipulate Calico's latent maternal instincts with the hybrids, I can't imagine that Theta will want to keep Calico around for too long.

As for the younger cast, I know they weren't loved by fans but damn, this episode really did  give them all the shit end of the stick. In seasons past, at least one of them would've survived and probably would've helped scupper the invasion/hybrid story but nope, all of them died here. Not to mention that Kendall got subjected to a fate worse than death. I hate to admit it, but even I found that extremely cruel for the character.

- I'm assuming that Dickie get probed in order to persuade him to resign. Mamie using the code name 'Deep Throat' even stunned Valiant Thor.

- Theta mentioned her humanity being her greatest shame in case  anyone was wondering if she were a hybrid herself. 

-  This episode had four people writing it for some reason. I do find it interesting that Ryan Murphy himself had no involvement with this second half.

- Chronology: 1969, 1972, 1979 and 2021 for this episode.

It pains me to say it but The Future Perfect turned out to be an extremely dire way of ending this season. The idea of a season taking two widely different concepts with Red Tide and Death Valley had so much potential but in reality, both of these ideas needed to be separate seasons in order to breathe. A very disappointing end to what was initially a very strong season.

Rating: 6 out of 10

DCFanDome 2021 - Highlights

It's been a year and after setting records back in August 2020, DCFanDome came back fir a second round, shorter time and streamed on multiple platforms to deliver some of the biggest news items  and it certainly delivered alright. Here are the highlights.

The Batman (4/3/2022) might have been the last event of the evening but it was once again, the biggest hit of the bunch. The second trailer gave us more context for the movie's central plot between the Caped Crusader (Robert Pattinson) and the Riddler (Paul Dano) while also giving us more stuff with Penguin (Colin Farrell) and Catwoman (Zoe Kravitz). There's no denying that Matt Reeves has a future classic in his hands with this hotly anticipated movie.

Meanwhile Patty Jenkins confirmed once again that she will be directing the third Wonder Woman movie and Lynda Carter will reprise her role as Asteria in it.

The Flash (4/11/2022) also made something of a splash too as director Andy Muschietti unveiled some footage from the movie. The footage revealed a better look of the title character's new suit, the possible demise of the Justice League, glimpses of Sasha Calle's Supergirl and Michael Keaton's Batman along with two versions of Barry for the price of one. It looks very promising so far.

Elsewhere, Aquaman And The Lost Kingdom (16/12/2022) unveiled some concept art as well as the look of the new suit for Black Manta. Director James Wan also talked about the story being more of a globetrotting adventure, promising a much bigger scale for the aquatic hero.

As for Black Adam (29/7/2022), it got this event off to a good start. Dwayne Johnson certainly made his presence known and gave viewers a glimpse of the opening scene. Put it this way, you don't want to mess with this particular antihero. We also got a look at the symbols for Cyclone, Atom Smasher, Doctor Fate and Hawkman.

Meanwhile Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods (2/6/2023) also gave us glorious first looks of the Shazam family in action, Rachel Zegler's unnamed character as well as Helen Mirren and Lucy Liu as villains Hespera and Kalypso. The movie also promised a bigger scale compared to the first one and it's definitely embracing the Greek mythology in a huge way.

As for Batgirl and Blue Beetle, sadly no release dates for these movies were announced and aside from some concept art for both, nothing too shocking was revealed here. The former movie will feature a Batman (yet to be confirmed which one though) while the latter will also factor Kord Industries and will likely Ted Kord as a mentor to Jaime Reyes.

On the animated movie and TV/streaming front, Catwoman: Hunted (18/2/2022) and DC's Super Pets (20/5/2022) were highlighted while Battle Of The Super Sons was revealed for a 2022 release. HBO Max also did a sizzle reel for the third season of Harley Quinn (another 2022 release) and released the first two episodes of the fourth season of Young Justice. Meanwhile it was confirmed that Batman: Caped Crusader and My Adventures With Superman would air in 2023.

Gamers also got to see new trailers for both Gotham Knights and Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, both slated for 2022.

HBO Max are going all in with DC content. They showed a first trailer for Peacemaker (13/1/2022), renewed both Titans and Doom Patrol for fourth seasons and even managed to snatch Pennyworth away from Epix and gave the show a third season, due to be released in 2022 as well as promo pics of limited series, DMZ. Netflix on the other hand did some behind the scenes feature on Sweet Tooth and released a poster of Gwendoline Christie's Lucifer for The Sandman. 

As for the CW, both Smallville and Supergirl received panels, we got sneak previews of upcoming stuff concerning The Flash, Legends Of Tomorrow, Batwoman, Stargirl and Naomi as well as a set tour with cast members from Superman And Lois.

Last but not least, Superman now has the phrase - truth, justice and a better tomorrow. Personally, I like it. 

All in all, a pretty strong second year for DCFanDome. The shorter time and multiple platforms to watch the event was a good way to improve on the first year. I'll definitely be watching again next year. What was your highlight from this year? Mine was The Batman of course. 

My Review of Doom Patrol's 3x06: "1917 Patrol"

 

Written by April Fitzsimmons

Directed by Omar Madha

Sisterhood of Dada: "Piffle paffle."

Well, this was  something altogether. Last episode saw Rita steal Laura's time machine and this episode opened up with her landing in 1917. Also in less than five minutes, Rita didn't waste time in ending up with the Bureau of Normalcy and meeting a familiar face.

The familiar face being Laura DeMille, somewhat more stricter than she has in the present. It also doesn't take long for a memory affected Rita to befriend the Sisterhood of Dada and strike up something of a budding romance with Malcolm (Micah Joe Parker) while deciding to remain put in this particular time period.

While Rita seemed to be enjoying herself over a century in the past, Laura was growing impatient with the rest of the gang not being helpful over the Sisterhood of Dada. Of course, the Sisterhood did make sure to make themselves known to Laura by the end of this one. What the hell did Laura do to piss them off? 

As for the rest of the gang, Jane got a nice plot where she allowed Kay up on the surface and the latter had a good time. Unfortunately it also seems like the other personas are going to turn on Jane. just as she was making positive changes for Kay.

Then there was Cliff, who mostly was going off the deep end, wasting money and selling his friends stuff to get more highs. Its the weakest plot of the episode, along with the Victor storyline with him wanting to get synthetic skin. Neither plot worried for me.

Last but not least, Larry's storyline with his son hit the same beats again. Paul can't forgive him so Larry threw him out of the manor. Also this tumour storyline has not made any progress whatsoever and it's beginning to feel a bit drawn out at this rate.

- Malcolm has a canary in placement of a heart. I wonder how long Rita will remain in this particular time. Her romance with Malcolm seems likely doomed.

- The mere mention of Niles's name in 1917 did trigger something in Rita, even if her memory didn't return here.

- Standout music: Clever use of Poker Face thanks to the Sistethood of Dada's downtime.

- Chronology: Both 1917 and 2021 throughout this episode.

1917 Patrol was something of a mixed bag. Both the Rita and Jane/Kay plots were excellent but none of the plots with the male cast hit the mark this week. Still though, a minor blip in what has overall been a strong season.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Halloween Kills (2021)

 

Written by Scott Teems And Danny McBride And David Gordon Green

Directed by David Gordon Green

Tommy: "Evil dies tonight."

It's October. It's that time of year and after a three year break, Michael Myers has returned to terrify us all. However this movie picks up from where the previous one left off and needless to say that a burning house was never going to be enough to slow Michael Myers (James Jude Courtney).

Laurie Strode (Jamie Lee Curtis) as well as Karen (Judy Greer) and Allyson (Andi Matichak) find their night of hell hasn't ended while former victims and survivors Tommy Doyle (Anthony Michael Hall), Lindsay Wallace  (Kyle Richards), Marion Chambers (Nancy Stephens), Sheriff Leigh Brackett (Charles Cyphers) and Lonnie Elam (Ronnie Longstreet) have their ideas on bow to deal with an old enemy back in the spotlight.

Laurie's role in this movie is scaled back in favour of emphasising Michael's former victims and it's a creative choice that ultimately works quite well. I never greatly care for Lonnie in the 1978 movie (did anyone?) but here, there's flashbacks to an encounter with Michael on that night forty years ago and the character has a great rapport with his fellow survivors as well as Allyson and Cameron (Dylan Arnold).

Cameron was a character who wasn't particularly great in the last movie but here he makes up for it, even if he doesn't come out of this alive. There are a lot of deaths in this movie and Cameron's not even the most memorable but I did feel bad for the guy. This movie did a lot to redeem the character from his previous appearance.

Speaking of redemption, this movie was incredible for Judy Greer. I'll admit the first half of the movie does have Karen foolishly try to lie to Laurie about Michael's fate but the second half of the movie, the character truly came into her own. Her confrontations alone with Michael are genuinely sublime but was that final scene really it for her? I'm not entirely sure. I hope not.

A genuine surprise of the movie however was the reveal of Deputy Hawkins (Will Patton) actually being alive. Not only that, but we got a genuinely interesting if somewhat long flashback to that night where a younger Hawkins (Thomas Mann) history with Myers  was explored in depth. It's a sublime moment and Hawkins himself  also had some wonderful scenes with Laurie.

As for the kills, they're gory in parts and there are some inventive ones but they're nowhere near as shocking as some critics have made out. I do think this movie did certainly up the body count and a lot of the returning characters did seem to purely fodder for Michael's rampage. Out of the returning characters, Lonnie and Tommy got the most screen time, though I do think the former was utilised better.

However despite his high amount of kills, Michael also found himself in the position of having mob justice exacted on him. This movie definitely has a lot to say about consequences and although he's successful yet again, Michael does get a small taste of it here.

- A gay couple named Big John (Scott MacArthur) and Little John (Michael McDonald) bought the Myers house and needless to say, did not live to tell the tale. 

- The pumpkin sequence had multiple pumpkins on fire, which looked pretty cool. More interesting was that this movie kept both Michael and Laurie apart from each other. 

- Special shout out to poor Lance Tovoli, who got the saddest death and it wasn't even at Michael's hands. 

- Chronology: Halloween 2018 along with the flashbacks to 1978. We even got a new version of Loomis (Tom Jones Jr) and I did feel bad for poor Pete (Jim Cummings).

Halloween Kills might not be the exact same instant hit as the previous movie but I honestly thought it was far better than expected. I loved the flashbacks, returning characters, the kills and various character moments. Even  Laurie's reduced role didn't hamper this one for me. Cannot wait to see how this wraps up next year.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Titans 3x12: "Prodigal"

 

Written by Jamie Gorenberg And Bryan Edward Hill

Directed by Carol Banker

Crane: "September has come. It is the month for dying."

Just one more episode and we'll be free from this Crane storyline. Just one more and he'll likely be gone foe good, given that Vincent Kartheiser certainly didn't make a good impression on set while filming this season of the show. 

Speaking of Crane, both him and Jason naturally turned on one another and given that the latter and outlived his usefulness anyways, it was only natural that Crane would do the last part of his grand plan alone - destroy Gotham City once and for all. It was also at this point that Jason decided it was rime to switch sides, but only because his plan to kill Dick went sideways.

As predicted both Rachel and Gar Dick to the Lazarus Pit and after a battle of wills with Crane and seeing a potentially bright future, Dick managed to come out the other side and get Jason on board with helping to save Gotham. He also pointed out that Jason's days as a Titan were truly over but that the latter still had a chance of redemption. Why do I get the feelings a certain something is being hinted at?

As for Rachel and Gar. yes, they kept watch over Dick and realised that Conner and Krypto were no longer around but they also had a lovely conversation about their abilities. We finally saw Gar turn into something else - a bat while Rachel also talked about how she overcame her father as well.

Elsewhere Donn and Tim largely bickered over the latter's overeager desire to be a hero in Gotham. However while Donna was right to call out Tim's reckless streak, he was pretty handy to  have in fighting off  some of the corrupt GCPD members this week. I say he will be dinning that Robin next season but he definitely does need to be trained up first.

Last but not least, Starfire told Blackfire the truth, they made up, the latter was set to become queen on their home planet again and then Conner deliberately sabotaged her chances of getting home. That was not cool at all, Conner. Actually this whole episode was Conner at his petulant worst. Not a side I want to see with the character.

- Barbara managed to escape from her cell and regain control over Oracle and looked pretty badass in doing so.

- Dick's daughter in that dream sequence. I say it's safe to assume that Kory is meant to be the mother.

- Batwoman's current season has been playing around with items from the Rogues. In this episode we got to see some from Joker, Penguin, Riddler and Scarecrow of course.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

Prodigal is something of an improvement slightly on the previous two episodes. At least all the pieces are in place and with any luck, the finale can maybe bring this season to something of a decent closing. I'll just be happy for Crane to be gone.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 7x01: "The Bullet Blondes"

 

Written by James Eagan And Ray Utarnachitt

Directed by Kevin Mock

Sara: "No Time Courier, no Waverider. We're stuck in 1925."

Remember that when classic Doctor Who when entering it's seventh season decided to make things a little Earthbound and even as far as last year when Agents Of SHIELD seventh season sort of did the same thing. Well, Legends Of Tomorrow now in their seventh season are going for a similar idea, funnily enough.

Following the events of the previous finale (which aired last month, boy, is this show back quickly or what?), the Waverider has blown up and the gang are stuck in 1925. Their attempts to get home have predictably failed and their antics have also attracted not only local attention but also that of a certain J. Edgar Hoover (Giacomo Baessato) to boot.

By now, this show has taught us that when the Legends mess up, they do it royally and even when things look like they could turn out fine, something disastrous will derail it. On the other hand, things usually do resolve themselves as well. However they're off to a bad start, thanks to Nate inadvertently causing Hoover's death and Gary having to eat up the body.

Killing off a famous history figure while on the way to New York to seek out one scientist named Gwyn Davies (Matt Ryan) - who we didn't get to see here. I really do hope that Sara, Ava, Nate, Gary and Behrad do bump off anyone else along the way. Ava did kind of grate with going on about not leaving footprints before her true crime obsessive persona came into play and Gary got to feast on human flesh.

As for Spooner, she naturally didn't want the Legends drawing further attention to her mother and they understood that for the most part. Gloria has been a good recurring addition to the series and she had some sensible advice for Astra, in regards to the latter working away from Constantine and finding her own identity as a magical practitioner. Astra might have failed to revive the Waverider but she did manage to make a human version of Gideon, so that's going to be interesting for the rest of this season.

Meanwhile Zari whilst in her element making circus costumes for the gang and snarky remarks about the time couriers also was brooding over John leaving her. I'm actually glad this episode immediately showed us what that key was and for the time being, Zari has a picket dimension to mull things over before the gang finally get help in returning to their ship.

- We just got a very generic title card. Hopefully that changes once they introduce Gwyn into the mix. 

- The title comes from the robbery gang that Behrad had to choose on the spot. Behrad had some decent moments in this episode.

- I am definitely convinced this show might go down the romantic route with Astra and Spooner and I actually hope it does.

- Chronology: 1925, Odessa but we're heading to New York now.

The Bullet Blondes is a strong opening episode and while I'm not entirely keen on the Legends being stuck in one particular time for the whole season (or likely most of it), this change of pace has potential so far. Why did that other Waverider strand the Legends in 1925 and how much help will both a human Gideon and Gwyn actually be to the gang?

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Double Feature - Blue Moon

 

Written by Kristen Reidel And Manny Coto And Reilly Smith

Directed by Laura Belsey And John J. Gray

Eisenhower: "What have I done?"

Well, Mr President, you basically doomed citizens in your own country into becoming experiments for a hybrid race that won't actually succeed until 2021 if the finale trailer was anything to go by. Yup, you've doomed them all.

Realising they needed an envoy of sorts, this still unnamed alien race (we don't even know what planet they're from either) got Valiant Thor (Cody Fern) to oversee relations with Eisenhower and bring him up to speed on some technological advancements as well as the grander plans. On top of that, Valiant Thor also decided to have sex with Mamie for good measure.

Surviving being possessed by an alien certainly put a spring into Mamie's step and she did not care that Ike wasn't pleased with the alien invasion or that he caught her having sex with Valiant Thor. However she did give Ike the suggestion for what would become Area 51 while Nixon arranged for Marilyn Monroe's death and in later years, Ike would see the gravity of the deadly deal he made with the aliens.

Cutting back to the present stuff an unfeeling Theta helped Troy give birth to a hybrid child, only for the child to be slaughtered when it didn't meet expectations. I thought this episode in particular actually helped to sell the younger cast better as both Isaac Cole Powell and Nico Greetham were given some strong material to work with.

Troy felt the trauma of losing a child and didn't want Cal to go through the same thing so he helped his boyfriend deliver his baby. I thought Cal would die from being cut open by Troy and not stitched up in time bur alien baby latching onto Troy may end up killing him instead.

As for both Kendall and Jamie, they seemed touched by Cal and Troy's desire to be actual parents while Calico shot down the younger group's desire for escape. The flashback to her encounter with Neil Armstrong (Bryce Johnson) and Buzz Aldrin (John Sanders) played on a popular conspiracy theory, while also offering a place of solace for the younger characters as well.

- Calico has given birth to over 150 hybrid babies since her abduction and has shut herself off from feeling any loss for them.

- Mamie not only talked about wanting to make birthdays less juvenile but also Halloween as well.

- Keeping with the name dropping, Calico told the younger cast that Stanley Kubrick directed the moon landing.

- Chronology: 1954, 1957, 1969 and 2021 throughout this episode.

Blue Moon was the strongest part of this segment of Death Valley, not unlike how the penultimate episode of the previous half was. I just hope this time around, the finale brings everything together but it's glaringly obvious at this point that there will be no links between the two ideas for this season.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Witches (2020)

 

Written by  Robert Zemeckis And Kenya Barris And Guillermo Del Toro

Directed by Robert Zemeckis

The Boy: "Witches are real and they hate children."

In 1990 we got our first big screen adaptation of Roald Dahl's The Witches and I won't lie, that movie freaked me out as a child. Seeing Anjelica Huston in her true fork as the Grand High Witch was pretty terrifying and while I greatly like Anne Hathaway as an actor, the question is: does her version hood up just as well?

The answer I'm afraid to admit would be not really. She certainly gives it a great go and ups the theatricality of the children hating character but it's not quite on the level as to what came before and it's one of a few problems that the movie has in itself.

If the 1990 movie deviated away from certain aspects of the original book, then this updated version takes the action of the United Kingdom altogether and puts it in a firm Southern setting where the young protagonist of the piece (Jahzir Kadeem) goes to live with his grandmother, played by Octavia Spencer, following the death of his parents.

There's a lot of time spent in trying to get the grief stricken child to open up to his grandmother but when he does, she gives him a pet mouse called Daisy (later revealed to be a girl named Mary, voiced by Kristin Chenowith). Also, upon an encounter with a strange woman in the store, the boy also learns that witches are real and his grandmother knows how to work voodoo as well.

Going to a posh hotel in the Gulf of Mexico ran by a rather ineffectual Mr Stringer (Stanley Tucci), the boy and his grandmother then get involved in stopping the Grand High Witch and her large coven from turning the children of the world into mice. Of course, the boy and his new friend, Bruno (Codie-Lei Eastick) are already victims of the spell and unlike the previous live action version, it's a spell that's not reversed by the end of it.

In some ways, keeping that plot point from the original book along with a detailed look into the boy and his grandmother's mission to take out witches worldwide by warning children about them is definitely a massive strength of the movie. That and the believable rapport between Octavia Spencer and Jahzir Kadeem with Chris Rock voicing the elder version of the mouse.

Other than that, everything else somewhat falls apart. The CGI is genuinely terrible during certain scenes, there's a few times when Hathaway hams it up too much for the story, Bruno's parents are terribly written and the first half an hour drags a bit, even if it's setting up a hinted past between the grandmother and the Grand High Witch.

- The Grand High Witch turned the grandmother's friend, Alice into a chicken during an early flashback in the movie.

- The Grand High Witch certainly had more of a wardrobe here along with different wigs. The elongated smile did genuinely look creepy.

-  Due to its timing release wise, this became more of a streaming movie than a theatrical ones, though some cinemas did get it.

- Chronology: 1968 Alabama but by the end of the movie, it was around 1979.

The Witches definitely doesn't live up to the excellence of the previous live action but it's not a total loss of a movie. The main cat do the best they can, the location work definitely works better than the CGI in parts and there's something delightful in seeing the Grand High Witch being eaten by her own cat. Saying that though, this was a reboot we could've done without.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of Doom Patrol's 3x05: "Dada Patrol"

 

Written by Shoshana Sachi

Directed by Kristin Windell

Shelley Byron (to Jane): "I'll see you on the other side and give Laura De Mille my best."

Might be a bit hard to do that when this encounter resulted in the gang being somewhat overwhelmed by the Sisterhood of Dada. Overwhelmed to the point where they have now outright refused to help Laura anymore. Also with the exception of Rita, the rest of the gang simply don't like Laura all that much.

Laura managed to get the gang to go after the Sisterhood of Dada on the premise that she would go away forever. It was enough for Cliff, Jane, Larry and Victor to head off into the woods and make themselves too easy prey for the Sisterhood and the latter group absolutely knew how to get to each and every one of them.

Jane and Kay got the most tempting of offers being locked in a sweet shop with Shelley Byron/The Fog (Wynn Everett). Shelley was getting to Jane, slowly breaking her barriers down until Hammerhead interrupted and Jane found herself at odds with Kay. The fact that Jane succumbed to taking one of Byron's sweets was pretty telling too.

Victor's encounter with Lloyd/Frenzy (Miles Mussenden) certainly went a way into talking about Victor's own identity both as a black man and as Cyborg while Cliff encountered two members with the germophobic Sachiko/The Quiz (Gina Hiraizumi) and Holly/Sleepwalk (Anita Kalathara) as he talked about fearing death and wanting to be alive for his grandson, hence his reckless overdose on internet bought pills for Parkinson's disease.

Even Larry himself when he was dealing with a moving blue light tumour found himself encountering his own son, Paul and having to bring him back to the manor. What the hell is going on with that thing on Larry? It's obviously some side effect from losing his Negative spirit but I'm hoping we start to get an answer to it soon though.

As for Rita, there was a lot of drinking and a lot of bonding between her and Laura. I'm starting to see why the two of them are being shipper online. I also found it amusing how well Rita took it that she knew Laura from the past. However the moment Laura cast doubt on Rita being a time traveler, it was obvious that Rita would use the machine to prove her wrong. Somehow I think Rita might end up making things a tiny bit worse.

- Of course Jane would refer to Laura as Doctor Who. Michelle Gomez played Missy during the Peter Capaldi era of the show.

- Victor got linked back online but it seems that Silas went behind STAR Labs in order to do it.

- Standout music: Barry Manilow's Copacobana was well enough to introduce Holly.

- Chronology: A day since the events of the previous episode.

Dada Patrol certainly hit the spot in introducing the Sisterhood of Dada and the Eternal Flagellation. It's hard to tell where the show will go with this particular group, though it's clear that Byron is the leader of the pack and made it their mission to seek out of Jane and send a cryptic warning to Laura.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Titans 3x11: "The Call Is Coming From Inside The House"

 

Written by Stephanie Coggins

Directed by Carol Banker

Crane (to Jason): "You know the time for masks is over."

The time for this story line is also something that needs to be over and after this episode, I'm starting to think that perhaps Jason might be too far gone after all for any form redemption. It's nice that he's slowly becoming disillusioned with Crane's increased batshit behaviour but his actions really have made it impossible for the Titans to take him back without looking extremely foolish in doing so.

Dick himself was extremely foolish this week. He knew that Jason was leading him into an bvious trap and instead of actually using Conner and Krypto's help, he knocked them out with Kryptonite. I swore during that moment of pure stupidity. However Dick did pay royally for his recklessness when he got shot and public supporters were only too happy to defend Jason.

As for Crane, on the plus side at least he finally shaved, so the scruffy hobo look is finally gone but then he spent most of the episode terrorising a pizza delivery guy just because he came across a damning profile of himself. This episode further highlighted what a weak and pathetic version of the character we've been saddled with this season. Two episodes to go and we'll finally be rid of him.

Meanwhile the rest of the spit up Titans were either going through stuff or learning a little more along the way. In a case of the former, Starfire's encounter with a single mother named Kapelwa had her learn not only something about her own past, but also discover a power set that she had no idea existed. Aside from some awful CGI in flashbacks to her homeworld, Kory easily had the best scenes of the episode.

The second best scenes of course belonged to Donna and Tim, who reunited, hid out with the latter's family and also learned that Crane was targeting neighbourhoods with people resisting him. Although Tim has been given far less screen time than I expected this season, he definitely has shown his detective skills wonderfully and both him and Donna make a great team.

Last but not least, both Rachel and Gar had their own story looking for the Lazarus Pit that brought Jason back from the dead. Needless to say they found it and then Rachel's powers went into overdrive upon Dick being attacked. While its great to see more of Rachel's powers, this show really has sidelined Gar for far too long. That needs to change.

- Blackfire was the one who had powers but Myand'r and Luand'r had a witch transfer her powers to Starfire. The CGI was awful during those scenes.

- For $25 that pizza would want to feed a whole family. Even I kind of agreed with Crane's reaction to that price. Tim's mini Batcave looked pretty decent.

- Standout music: Even Crane's horrible singing couldn't lessen the impact of TLC's Waterfalls for this episode.

- Chronology: From where the previous episode left off.

The Call Is Coming From Inside The House had some great character scenes, marred by a lot of stupidity and it feels like three seasons in, the writers keep making the same mistakes that they should've long since learned from. I really hope the last two episodes can pull it back together.

Rating: 6 out of 10

My Review of American Horror Story: Double Feature - Inside

 

Written by Manny Coto And Kristen Reidel And Brad Falchuk

Directed by Tessa Blake

Troy: "Please tell me what happens next."

Theta: "Birth."

Okay, two episodes into this one and while there's certainly a lot of fun to be had and some shameless use of famous historical figures I do have to wonder where the hell this is actually going and whether or not it will actually connect to the first half of the season in any meaningful way.

In terms of the black and white era, there was slightly more focus on it with a time jump where now John F Kennedy (Mike Vogel) confiding in Marilyn Monroe (Alisha Soper) about the deal that Eisenhower had made with the aliens, much to the disgust of Richard Nixon (Craig Sheffer). Marilyn of course believed her lover, given that she had her own encounter with aliens as a child. Something which the trailer for next week also seems to be further expanding upon.

Needless to say, JFK got shot and while Mamie refused to offer condolences to Jackie, she was however trying to get Nixon in order to persuade her husband to comply with the aliens in flashbacks. The same aliens who then destroyed Maria's body before taking over Mamie herself in order to remind Dwight that they were the ones holding all the power.

Back in the present day, our four young protagonists were all physically showing their pregnancies. Jamie decided to bring them all to her own doctor, who freaked at what she saw growing inside Jamie and ended up getting killed before she could tell anyone. Not so surprisingly, Jamie and company got captured by the men in black.

It seems this deal with humanity and the aliens to create a hybrid species has been keeping space and while Kendall got no answers from the rather cryptic, Theta (Angelica Ross), at least the gang's new friend, Calico (Leslie Grossman) tried to fill in some blanks but not a whole lot. Still, Theta looked suitably creepy on reveal and Calico had an interesting backstory.

As for Troy, his antics seemed to have condemned him to have his labour induced with Theta doing more to frighten him than put him at any ease. I have a feeling that Troy will likely be dead by the next episodes and I'm not sure if Kendall, Jamie and Cal will survive much longer either.

- This episode truly wasted Lily Rabe with Amelia Earhart being dead pretty fast. 

- Kendall seemed pretty adept at using the equipment to figure out the creature growing inside Troy. 

- Calico was abducted in 1979, hasn't aged and conversed with Steve Jobs (Len Cordova) here.

- Chronology: 1963 and more from 1954 for the first half and I assume 2021 for this one.

Inside was a solid bit not spectacular episode and with only two left, I do want this season to end on a high note but so far, this alien stuff while amusing in it's own way feels too much like a diversion. On the other hand, at least the two timelines have seemingly connected a little better though.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of The Craft: Legacy (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Zoe Lister-Jones

Lily (to Adam): "Now its you who's gonna burn."

As a 90s kid, I absolutely loved The Craft and before finally settling down to watch this, movie that I've been putting off for a year, I went and watched the original. For me, it naturally still holds up. For this movie, it also meant that the comparisons were going to be inevitable.

This movie flits between wanting to be a reboot but by the end of it, it ended up becoming a sequel to the 1996 cult classic. Both ideas are sound. They even work well together. If the first movie was a produce of it's time, this one certainly is as well. Though whether or not it will garner the positive legacy of what came before is probably less likely.

Shy girl Lily Schechner (Cailee Spaeny) and her mother, Helen (Michelle Monaghan) move in with the latter's new boyfriend, Adam Harrison (David Duchovny) and the latter's sons, Jacob (Charles Vandervaart), Isaiah (Donald MacLean Jr) and Abe (Julien Grey). Soon enough, Lily's in a new high school and soon makes enemies with Timmy (Nicholas Galitzene) but also some new friends as well.

The friends in question being witches Frankie (Gideon Adlon), Lourdes (Zoey Luna) and Tabby (Lovie Simone). When they realise that Lily is their fourth and a natural born witch, the foursome soon connect and put their newfound abilities to the test. Needless to say that Timmy becomes the first recipient of the girls magic.

Timmy in a lot of ways mirrors Chris from the original movie but things do take an interesting turn with him. While I think the movie should've avoided the near romance angle with Lily, it was intriguing to reveal the character as bisexual as well as his own interest in the supernatural. However for a movie that professes to be woke, it did commit the cardinal sin of killing off one of it's two LGBT characters. 

The wokeness in question definitely can be a source of contention for the movie, only because sometimes it feels like the movie cant decide between taking the woke stuff seriously or outright parodying it. Despite some truly cringy dialogue in parts, the movie does a decent job in making the central characters likable enough as they come into their powers.

As for the baddie of the piece - yup, it's toxic masculinity encapsulated in Adam, who's actually a psycho warlock wanting to steal Lily's powers. Of course he underestimated the power of four and did not live to tell the tale. In terms of battles, it's a bit more simplistic than the one we had with Sarah and Nancy in the original.

Speaking of Nancy, the link that this movie has to the original is that Nancy was revealed to be Lily's biological mother and that Helen had an agreement of sorts never to tell Lily about her. It was nice to see Fairuza Balk reprise the role for the last scene of the movie bur considering the numbers this movie didn't make, I don't know if we'll ever a continuation of this set up.

- Props to the movie for having a trans character with Lourdes and not shying away from the character bring trans.

-  This movie had an international release but also went to video on demand.

- Standout music: I'm going with Alanis Morissette Hand In My Pocket. The rest of the music wad not good.

- Chronology: I'm going to assume 2020 to match with the time of this movie, though Lily repeatedly kept using a polaroid camera to take selfies.

The Craft: Legacy is an oddity of a film. It's nowhere near as good as the first movie and white a lot of the 'wokeness' will likely put people off, it's actually not as bad as I had expected it to be. The main characters are decent enough, the link to the first movie while a bit tacked on does mostly work and if by some miracle, it manages to get a follow up of sorts, it has stuff it can work with. Not a total disaster but definitely not a classic.

Rating: 6 out of 10