DCFanDome - Day 1 Highlights

Originally this was going to be a one day event but due to the demand and the fact that the DCFanDome site kept crashing, the wise decision was made to push the majority of the TV segment to a second day - September 12th.

In this blog alone, my coverage will focus on the movie side of things, but note that there also trailers for the games Gotham Knights (due in 2021) and Suicide Squad Kill The Justice League (due in 2022) that were also interesting as well as a trailer for the seventh season of The Flash CW show and spoilers for Titans upcoming third season. These will be looked at in the next blog.

Here, the focus is on upcoming movies and without further ado, here we go ....

Wonder Woman 1984 kicked off things in style with writer/producer Patty Jenkins and her cast of Gal Gadot, Chris Pine, Kristen Wiig and Pedro Pascal all joining in to hype up the movie, due for theatre only release from October 2nd. The cast were also joined by Lynda Carter herself and it was an added bonus to an already lovely opening panel. The second trailer was also released with a proper look at Kristen Wiig in action as Cheetah and we can all breathe a sigh of relief that it's not a Cats style misfire. After waiting so long for this movie, it's nice to know we're closer to witnessing Diana's second big screen solo adventure. 

WW84 Final Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OASpkr_ljhw

The Flash then also made a splash, albeit a shorter one as of yet, filming for this movie will not commence until early next year in order to meet it's June 3rd 2022 date. We had director Andy Muschietti, writer Christina Hodson and lead actor Ezra Miller talk about some plot point and it continues to be clear that this will be a variation on the classic Flashpoint comic. Also revealed a few days before the event was that both Michael Keaton and Ben Affleck will be returning to the movie as their respective versions of Batman while some concept photos show that Barry will also get a brand new suit made for him. You can also expect more casting to be confirmed over the next several months as the film gears up for production.

A little closer of course would be The Suicide Squad, still slated for August 6th 2021 and James Gunn made one hell of a splash here with the reveals. The new characters in this movie will be Peacemaker (John Cena), Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), Thinker (Peter Capaldi), Polka Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), Savant (Michael Rooker), King Shark (Steve Agee), Sol Soria (Alice Braga), TDK (Nathan Fillion), Javellin (Flula Borg), Tyla DuBois (Storm Reid), Flo Crawley (Tinashe Kajese), Mongal (Mayling Ng), Presidente General Silvio Luna (Juan Diego Botto), Emilia Harcourt (Jennifer Holland), Major General Mateo Suarez (Joaquin Cosio) while Taika Waititi and Julio Riuz's roles have yet to be disclosed. Appearing from the previous film are Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Amanda Waller (Viola Davis), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney) and Rick Flag (Joel Kinnanman). The roll card was a great way to hype up this movie and the behind the scenes look gave us a good taster of the chaos coming our way with this motley crew.

TSS Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8tWKJwyG6Y

Three months since HBO Max made a lot of fans happy and following his own fan panel a month before, this was the place where Zack Snyder could reunite with his JL members (minus Jason Momoa) and unveil the trailer for Zack Snyder's Justice League. I'll admit aside from a rather bland song choice, the trailer sold this pretty well and it's clear as day that we're going to be seeing something completely different to the theatrical release. This will now be a four episode series to be released on HBO Max in 2021 with deals for international airings to be sorted in the next few months. There will also be an option to watch this as a movie as well. Expect to see several characters that you didn't back in 2017 in this miniseries as well as expanded scenes for others too. 

ZSJL Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z6512XKKNkU

As for Dwayne Johnson - you gotta admire the guy. He's a one man promotion machine and while I've had my reservations for Black Adam (due December 22nd 2021), this panel did give us some things to mull over. First of all, we had Noah Centineo's casting as Atom Smasher confirmed as well as the JSA members  Hawkman, Doctor Fate and Cyclone being confirmed for the movie with casting soon to come. We also got some concept art of the characters and concept trailers explaining Black Adam's backstory. 

Black Adam Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N73oTiIIJe0

And then we got the panel with the least amount of information and absence of it's leading star. We did however have director James Wan and Orm himself, Patrick Wilson but seeing as the sequel to Aquaman is the furthest away (December 16th 2022), I'm not surprised that not too much was revealed. We did learn the sequel will be a little more serious and relevant along with the promise of new worlds being explored but we're a while off before we get anything really juicy to go over.

Then there was Shazam! The cast were joined by comedian Sinbad and while we're also another while off from the sequel (November 4th 2022), we did learn that it will be called Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods and with filming due to begin in early 2021, casting information will probably start leaking towards the end of the year. Again, a rather short but decent enough panel. Of course the best was clearly being saved until last.

The Batman of course being the best and in news that will shock absolutely no one whatsoever, the most trending topic of the night with the  trailer trending on every platform. Let's talk about the trailer: it was incredible. Robert Pattinson is going to be a definitive take on the Dark Knight and Paul Dano's Zodiac Killer esque take on the Riddler is genuinely chilling to watch. Colin Farrell looks unrecognisable as the Penguin, Jeffrey Wright looks great as Jim Gordon and while I'm not keen on Catwoman's makeshift look, Zoe Kravitz seems to have the character's mannerisms down perfectly. It's also been revealed that Rupert Penry Jones will play a corrupt mayor in the movie and one of the Riddler's first victims while Barry Keoghan will also play Officer Stanley Merkel. The movie itself certainly has captured the moodiness and Gothic quality of the comics, with a bit of Gotham and Batman: The Animated Series added into the mix. Meanwhile the upcoming HBO Max series focusing on the GCPD will be set during Batman's first year while the movie itself will be based in his second year. So far, only 30 per cent of the movie has been filmed with production resuming next week but it's really looking amazing so far. October 1st 2021 cannot come fast enough.

The Batman Trailer 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g59rUQbVlIw

Those were the highlights of the first day of DCFanDome. Servers crashing and trailer leakage to one side, I think it was a bloody success. Day 2 - September 12th will have a lot to live up to, but I'll cover the highlights. 

My Review of Happy Death Day (2017)

 

Written by Scott Lobdell

Directed by Christopher Landon

Lori: "What I really want to know is, how did you figure it out?"

Tree: "Because you've killed me before."

Lori: "Then I guess I'm just gonna have to do it again."

Anyone want a female led horror version of Groundhog Day? Even if you didn't, that's exactly what you'll get when watching this movie and truthfully, it's a lot of fun to watch with an unusually named protagonist Tree Gelbman (Jessica Rothe).

The movie starts off with a surprise birthday party for Tree, which involves her ignoring her father, David (Jason Bayle), blowing off a date with closeted gay guy Tim (Caleb Spillyards) as well as a previous hook up with fellow college student, Carter Davis (Israel Broussard), who also becomes her love interest as the movie progresses.

Each time throughout the movie, Tree relieves the same events on her birthday with each time altering the outcome but the result also being the same - getting killed by a mystery stranger wearing a creepy looking baby mask. Each and every time.

Of course while we're going through the movie, it's fun watching events getting rewritten and it's also fun seeing the blossoming relationship between Tree and Carter develop as the latter finds himself becoming aware of the antics in a way or at the very least believing that Tree is telling the truth about her would be killer.

As for the killer in question - it turns out the supposedly nice roommate Lori Spengler (Ruby Modine) turned out to have it for Tree, due to the fact that both women were sleeping with their college professor, Dr Butler (Charles Aitken) and the would be method of murder came in the sweet variety that I definitely would've succumbed to had I been in this movie.

Jessica Rothe is quite a find and when it comes to horror, I can't think of the last time we've had a really interesting final girl. I'm not saying that Tree Gelbman would give the likes of Laurie Strode, Nancy Thompson or Sidney Prescott a run for their money, but she certainly has similar qualities to those particular final girls.

Also Ruby Modine is definitely no slouch as Lori, adding a quite menace to the character during the big reveal while at the same time remaining quietly in the background until the big reveal. Israel Broussard makes for a charming love interest in Carter and the most of the supporting characters are decent enough to watch as well. I haven't seen the sequel yet but I'm also hoping that Tim followed Tree's advice. 

- The killer is called Babyface. Tree's proper name is Teresa but she's largely referred to as Tree throughout the movie.

- This film holds a record of being the third movie after both Prom Night (2008 version) and The Final Girls to have a PG-13 rating. That rating doesn't hurt the overall content of the movie.

- The original title for this movie was going to be Half to Death.

- Chronology:Tree's birthday is September 18th so you have the idea as to when this movie is set during.

Happy Death Day is definitely one of those horror films that blends a sci-fi element, riffs off a classic movie from a different genre and absolutely delivers on it's premise. I had so much fun watching this movie and from what I've read about the sequel, there's more fun to be had and with a final girl like Tree Gelbman, that's a good thing.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Get Out (2017)

 

Written & Directed by Jordan Peele

Chris: "Yeah, so this is uncharted territory for them. You know, I don't want to get chased off the lawn with a shotgun."

Rose: "You're not going to. First of all, my Dad would have voted for Obama a third time if he could've. Like, the love is so real."

It's been interesting in the last three years to see the career trajectory that Jordan Peele has had, all due to the success of this movie and I have to admit it's taken me this long to finally have actually seen this horror number to get why so many have become enamoured with Peele's general appeal in the genre.

I'm not going to cite this movie as an outright classic because while I definitely think it adds a conversation into the genre that's been needed for a while, it's somewhat not without it's flaws and that's mainly how one dimensional (although creepy) the main antagonists of the film actually are. There's little in the way of nuance with them.

However every horror film needs a strong protagonist and given that this is a genre where the male protagonists are often few and far between, my favourite thing about this particular film would be lead actor Daniel Kaluuya. Over the years, he's gone from a bit player and co-writer on a show like Skins for UK audiences to a bonafide leading man in Hollywood and it's easy to see how this movie essentially catapulted his fame.

Kaluuya's role is that of Chris Washington, who for the first time is finally meeting the parents of his white girlfriend, Rose Armitage (Girls actor, Allison Williams) and the issue of Chris being a black man is raised earlier into the movie with Rose reassuring him that her parents are not racist. The fact that Rose seemingly insisted on that already set up where things were going to go in this movie.

Once we meet Rose's family - Dean (Bradley Whitford) and Missy Armitage (Catherine Keener) as well as her brother, Jeremy (Caleb Landry Jones) and housemaid Georgina (Betty Gabriel) it soon becomes pretty clear that all isn't what it seems with the Armitages andChris finds himself plunged into a nightmare he won't forget anytime soon.

While the Armitages themselves feel a bit too one dimensional as baddies, I will admit that aside from Kaluuya himself, Allison Williams does a brilliant job switching from a seemingly nice girlfriend in Rose to a full blown psychopath and the more sci-fi elements of the Armitages true schemes really does help to elevate the movie a little beyond being a typical horror fest. I think it's probably that element that later saw Peele getting The Twilight Zone gig for CBS Access.

- Peele did a voice cameo for the injured deer and a commercial in the movie. This is also the first horror movie from an African American director to make over 100 million in the box office.

- I was pretty much relieved that no harm came to Chris's dog in this movie because that happens far too often in horror films. The deer on the other hand wasn't as fortunate.

- Another standout performance in this movie was also Lakeith Stanfield as both Andre Hayworth and Logan King.

- Standout music: Childish Gambino's Redbone at the beginning of this movie.

Get Out was an impressive debut for Jordan Peele and while the baddies of the piece could've been fleshed out far better, there's no denying that both Daniel Kaluuya and Allison Williams excel in the lead roles, there's plenty of nice subversion from some usual horror tropes and it definitely delivered the right amount of scares.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Professor Marston And The Wonder Women (2017)

 

Written & Directed by Angela Robinson

Marston (to an audience): "To you Wonder Woman is just a comic but she's my life. She's my love."

The timing of this film could not have been more perfect. Released nearly four months after Gal Gadot herself dominated the big screen in her first solo outing as the legendary Amazon, this biopic concerning her creator felt like a smart move and one that could add a bit more insight into the most influential female superhero of all time.

Of course, as this is a biopic, while Wonder Woman and the initial controversy that the content of her comics often generated (somewhat described as sadomasochist), the real focus here is William Moulton Marston (Luke Evans), his wife Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and their lover, Olive Byrne (Bella Heathcote) and while this movie takes a lot of creative liberties, it's a fascinating look at all three people here.

The Marstons themselves were known in the academic community especially for their work with the lie detector test (or were they?) and this gets covered as student Olive finds herself getting immersed with the pair, to the point of leaving her former life behind and having William's children as well as becoming a lover with Elizabeth.

This unconventional relationship isn't shown without it's controversy and backlash from respective communities as all three have their professional lives put at jeopardy as they delve into the world of BDSM while developing a certain heroine, whose adventures are scrutinised by children's literature expert Josette Frank (Connie Britton) much to William's derision.

All three leads do an excellent job in bringing the characters to life and while I definitely would've liked to have seen more of Marston's creation here, the focus on his lifestyle definitely gave a fascinating into the man as well as the lives of both Elizabeth and Olive, especially as the former herself often had difficulty in submitting but did when the threat of losing Olive came to be a reality.

There's a far more insightful and accurate commentary on the nature of BDSM and it's correlation to basic human nature than a certain franchise that shall be named with Marston putting a heavy emphasis  on the D.I.S.C. model of behavioral styles throughout the entire movie as he put this in practice with his relationships with Elizabeth and Olive.

The movie also covers the final days of Marston with Elizabeth and Olive coping with his loss as well as remaining with one another until their own dying days. At times, I did find myself more invested with them as a pairing as I did with William, but as I mentioned earlier in the review all three actors play their parts well and have the right spark with each other.

- Marston's granddaughter Christie Marston publicly stated that the family rejected the movie and it's depiction of their grandparents.

- Nice performances as well from JJ Field as fetishist Charles Guyette and Oliver Platt as comic book pioneer, Max Gaines.

- At one point we did Olive donning the very costume that would be seen on Wonder Woman during the Marstons first session with BDSM.

- Chronology: This takes place during the years of 1928 to 1947 with some focus on the 1945 testimonials.

Professor Marston And The Wonder Women might not be a strictly authentic look into the fascinating life that Marston, Elizabeth and Olive lived but it's definitely an engrossing depiction that succeeds in keeping you gripped from start to finish. I also came away from this movie hoping that all three of these leads at some point wind up in the DCEU.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Doctor Who: Christopher Eccleston Returns - For Big Finish

Yeah, had to make sure the title was clear as other publications deliberately fudged that one but if 2020 wasn't crazy enough, this has actually happened.

Fifteen years since his departure in the first series finale of the 2005 series of Doctor Who, Christopher Eccleston is finally reprising the role of the Ninth Doctor and it's courtesy of Big Finish, who have recorded 12 new stories with Eccleston, due for release next year, with Eccleston commenting on his much hyped return.

“After 15 years it will be exciting to revisit the Ninth Doctor's world, bringing back to life a character I love playing.” 

While details about other cast and stories are yet to be revealed, the Ninth Doctor will have a four boxset situation with each set containing three stories and a behind the scenes feature disc, titled Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures, which can be preordered from the Big Finish site. 

I have to say, I'm genuinely shocked by this. I know it took a while for Big Finish to get Tom Baker into the audio, but I didn't believe they would be able to persuade Christopher Eccleston. It's Fantastic (as the 9th Doctor would say) that they have. However on that note and sorry, but this bit is going to be rant at the actual series itself. Bear with me.

It's brilliant that over the last few months both Big Finish and Emily Cook through the watchalongs have managed to keep Doctor Who somewhat in the public eye but if anything, it's also highlighted that the BBC and Chris Chibnall themselves are failing to do this and that's somewhat a worrying thing to see.

Before anyone comes at me about COVID or the NMD crowd, it has been five months since The Timeless Children has aired and while we know that Chibnall and lead actor Jodie Whittaker are back for Series 13, we don't however know when filming is slated to begin or have any clue as to when it may actually air and given that other major productions have either restarted filming or are about to begin again, surely the BBC should be making some kind of announcement concerning one of their biggest shows?

We also still don't know if the upcoming Revolution Of The Daleks will air either at Christmas or New Year and while it's been rumoured that both Bradley Walsh and Tosin Cole are departing in the special along with Mandip Gill continuing into next series, it's still not confirmed.

I've seen some people online tangentially connected with the show defend Chibnall's overt secretiveness but for me, I genuinely think it's slowly killing the hype for the series and we're at a point where some new information concerning the series should be starting to be officially announced, if anything to at least curtail other 'sources' from spreading misinformation about the series.

I've already voiced enough of my own personal criticisms I have with the current era, but that doesn't mean I don't love the show or that I want it to do badly. I just want better storytelling and some proper marketing and excitement and right now, both the BBC and Chris Chibnall really need to pull their finger out on both counts. Hopefully something genuinely exciting concerning the show (perhaps some new companion casting) will emerge soon.

Big Finish News: https://www.bigfinish.com/news/v/christopher-eccleston-returns-to-doctor-who

Doctor Who: The Ninth Doctor Adventures will be released from May 2021. Revolution Of The Daleks airdate is yet to be confirmed for BBC1 and BBCAmerica as well as filming for Series 13.

We Ended The World Again

It's been a while since I've done this and well, a few news shows have emerged and I've dropped at least one as well. 

911: This season really has been hitting it's stride and with five episodes left to go, the ending of episode 13 with the 911 building being taken hostage was a pretty impressive cliffhanger. I also liked that it tied back into Maddie's co-worker who had been attacked in the previous episode. Speaking of Maddie, it's nice to see the show progressing her relationship with Howie (who's also reconnecting with his half brother) while Bobby, Athena and Hen have all had roles in the storyline with Michael (is the show going to kill him off?) while Buck and Eddie could do with a little more, storyline wise.

Love, Victor: I have really enjoyed this lovely, feel good series and given the cliffhanger where Victor finally came out to his parents, I am so glad that it's been renewed for a second season. The build towards Victor accepting himself along with that wonderful episode that actually featured Simon and Bram has been gripping to watch. I love Benji as well as a love interest for Victor and the show's supporting cast really do compliment the series. I'll definitely be watching next season.

The Good Place: Okay, I'm not sure what's going on with E4 because for the last two weeks there has been no new episodes airing. I'm unsure if they've dropped the series, and if they have, I'll have to watch the rest of it online. Anyways, the episodes I had seen though largely involved Trevor doing his best to sabotage Michael's work getting the group to work together as well as some brilliant scenes with Janet and Gen. This season has been good so far and I definitely want to see how the rest of it plays out.

The Politician: Going into the second season of this show, there are two sadly alarming things I've noticed about this one. There's the fact that this seems to be the least hyped Ryan Murphy show probably since The New Normal and that the LGBT content is probably the worst since arguably Nip/Tuck. Other than that, the second season has been mostly entertaining, even if Dede is a far more sympathetic political candidate than Payton has been during the course of this whole series. As for the double pregnancy story with Astrid and Alice - yeah, we could've done without that. 

The Umbrella Academy: The second season launched on Netflix less than a fortnight ago and it's been quite a wild ride so far. The first four episodes separated the siblings into the 1960's, they all built new lives and then Five had to go and spoil it all because there's another apocalypse. On the other hand, the new setting has worked a treat and all the new characters like Lila, Sissy, Ray and Elliot have all added well to the series. As for the romance with Vanya and Sissy, didn't we all see that one coming?

• Although The Flight Attendant has yet to debut on HBO Max, lead actor Kaley Cuoco has hinted that the show will get a second season. 
• Will Smith will have a producer on an upcoming gritty reboot of Fresh Prince Of Bel Air.
• Sirens has been cancelled after three seasons on Freeform.
• Shows like The Good Doctor and Grey's Anatomy will tackle the coronavirus in upcoming episodes.
• High Fidelity has been cancelled after a season on Hulu.
• CSI: Vegas - a continuation of the original series has been ordered for CBS.
• Adria Adjona has joined the cast of the upcoming Rogue One TV series for Disney+
• Shawn Ashmore will be playing Lamplighter in the upcoming second season of The Boys. The show has also been renewed for a third season.
• Olivia Swann will return as a regular for the sixth season of Legends Of Tomorrow.
• Sarah Paulson will direct for the upcoming American Horror Stories spin off. American Horror Story itself is set to film it's tenth season (theme to be revealed) towards the end of the year.

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x09: "Wax Patrol"

 

Written by Chris Dingess & Tanya Steele

Directed by Christopher Manley

Candlemaker (to Dorothy): "Come girl and meet your fate."

And we have a cliffhanger on our hands. Given that we're down an episode, I guess it was to be expected and this episode definitely had enough to wax lyrical over considering that all our main characters were left in quite the position.

First of all, there's Dorothy. She's been fighting all season to keep the Candlemaker at bay and the events of a carnival saw the latter wreck the most havoc as he managed to take out Willoughby and the majority of the gang before grabbing Dorothy and disappearing by the end of this one.

As usual, Niles seemed torn between wanting to protect his daughter but still failing as a father with Slava turning up at the last minute to try and help Dorothy against the Candlemaker. Ultimately it's Dorothy who will have to take out the Candlemaker and quick before the latter completely destroys the world.

As for the gang themselves - Rita, Cliff and Victor all had confrontations with their imaginary friends before succumbing to the wax. Even having an imaginary friend didn't stop Larry from also sharing the same fate and Kay herself looked she was about to be in the same predicament too, considering the Candlemaker took over Miranda.

Speaking of Miranda, the flashbacks focused on her working as a waitress before meeting a busker who seemed nice at first before being revealed as a toxic asshole. The flashbacks were pretty strong and they did a good job of explaining Miranda's current mentality while Jane herself managed to pull herself out of the well. It'll be Jane who end up helping Dorothy with the Candlemaker. 

- The imaginary friends included Imaginary Jesus (for Cliff), Roxy (Rita), Doctor Cowboy (Victor) and a Punch & Judy doll (for Willoughby).

- How come Niles wasn't turned into wax? Surely the Candlemaker would've done it to him before going after the other members first?

-  Standout music: King Harvest's Dancing In The Moonlight and The Cure's Picture Of You.

- Chronology: 1969 Milwaukee during the Miranda flashbacks and the present day for everything else.

Wax Patrol definitely ended on a solid cliffhanger for next season (and given that it's doing well for HBO Max, this should be coming back). I do feel they'll use next season's premiere/the intended finale to quick wrap this up ala Titans before moving on to the next story. 

Rating: 8 out of 10 

My Review of Doom Patrol's 2x08: "Dad Patrol"

Written by Tom Farrell & April Fitzsimmons

Directed by Amanda Row

Candlemaker: "It's time, Dorothy."

No kidding, eh? All season long we've been building towards the inevitable with Dorothy and now it's here. All season long this show has done a great job with developing Dorothy and making her as sympathetic as possibly with Abigail Shapiro putting in a fantastic performance but with one episode to go, it was time for the Candlemaker to finally come out and properly play.

Niles will never win father of the year but in this episode he attempted to give Dorothy one last nice day before he'd have to do something to prevent her from maturing. However fate got in the way as Dorothy did mature and the end showed that the world might be doomed as a result.

It's hard not to be sympathetic to Dorothy's plight as all she's wanted is to be a normal girl and loved. Niles has repeatedly failed her as a parent and while the others have done their best to try and help, the most helpful adult in Dorothy's life was the woman in the bathroom who explained to the girl that she was getting her periods. 

With Dorothy's tale playing out in the present, the episode delved more into the past to examine the abuse that Kay/Miranda had to suffer at the hands of Kay's father. The show hasn't been shy in highlighting how awful Kay's father has been but in case any of us had forgotten, we really got another painful reminder of what a truly evil human being he was to his daughter.

Jane wonderfully stepped up with a little help from Larry by going down the well to retrieve Kay's stuffed teddy Harry before Miranda revealed her true colours and shoved Jane down another well where the likes of Scarlett and Lucy were also floating in. I know Miranda was too good to be true and we've got an interesting battle for Primary on our hands with her and Jane in the finale.

As for Rita and Victor - they made a lovely team up this week as they went looking for Roni, who killed someone from her past and admitted to stealing the Uma Jelly. Things did not end well between Victor and Roni in this episode but here's hoping those two can work it out. I really like Roni and I'm hoping the show can keep her around for a bit longer.

Elsewhere Cliff was also kept out of the main events this week but on the plus side, he got to reconnect with Clara and it was rather nice to see the two of them getting along. More interesting was the fact that Cliff seemed to have a reaction when cooking breakfast. Is he starting to regain some feeling?

- If you liked the idea of Steele & Stone a few episodes ago, how does Borg & Beekeeper sound? It could be the modern version of The Avengers.

- Larry had some flashbacks to spending time with his son, Paul while Willoughby was consulting with a white guinea pig named Burbunny over the Dorothy situation.

- By the looks of this episode, I'm thinking that Niles will not make it into next season. 

- Chronology: 1954 and 1961 for scenes with Kay/Miranda and Larry/Paul as well as the present day for the bulk of the episode.

Dad Patrol took the theme of fathers and daughters with varying results but each look was either compelling, heartfelt, horrifying or a mixture of the three elements. I know we're one episode short on what we should be but I do hope the finale does resolve the main story with Dorothy well but even if it doesn't, the numbers on HBO Max would imply that we'll be seeing more of this show for the time being.

Rating: 8 out of 10

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.