My Review of Empire's 4x13: "Of Hardiness Is Mother"

Written by Dianne Houston & Carlito Rodriguez
Directed by Craig Brewer

Cookie (to Lucious): "I hate to break it to you, but everybody at this table at one point wanted you dead."

With Andre being the only one to actually try and go through with it though. I can see Cookie's point of view here, but I also think Lucious has every right to be mad at Andre for the damage he caused. However Cookie's influence still overruled and Lucious and Andre did actually work together in order to stop Eddie's own little takeover plans.

I did like that when Lucious failed to charm wife 2 Celeste that it was Andre who was able to get through to her and I also liked the stark conversation they later had when Andre pointed out Lucious's ruthlessness as well. I think this episode did succeed in making some headway with the two of them, even if there's still some tension between them.

When Cookie wasn't trying to get Lucious and Andre onside and scorning over having to wear a heart monitor, there was a great subplot here involving Poundcake. This season really has had fun with the prison flashbacks with Cookie and here, we saw that Poundcake's deal with Burleson didn't last long when the latter ended up in jail again.

In the present day, Cookie realised that Poundcake was dying and made it her mission to try and find the latter's daughter, leading to her also dropping a grenade on Burleson's wife for good measure. Sub plot wise, this was pretty interesting stuff to watch and it did tie in nicely to Cookie wanting to be on more equal terms with Lucious as well.

As for the rest of the episode, we saw Jamal experimenting with a new sound that didn't seem to go down well with his fans while Eddie's influence on Tiana had the latter bringing out her worst diva behaviour. Hakeem on the other hand, played mentor to a white rapper named Blake and to be honest, their rap battle in the studio was the highlight of the episode. I also found it amusing to learn that Chet Hanks who played Blake is actually Tom Hanks son as well.

- Tori is back on the drugs, even though her observations on Tiana were rather spot on.
- Going by next week's trailer, it looks like we're going to be seeing Cookie's mother in flashbacks.
- Standout music: Hakeem & Blake Battle by er, Hakeem and Blake, Jamal and Tori's They Don't Know and Tiana's Unforgettable.
- Chronology: Not long since Sweet Sorrow left off.

Of Hardiness Is Mother is a strong episode. Not the show at it's best but engaging enough nonetheless with some nicely done scenes with Cookie and Poundcake, Lucious and Andre and Hakeem and Blake to measure. It does seem like the Eddie plot will intensify a bit more though, which is good as it might be a bit too late in the game to add another antagonist into the mix this season.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x19: "To Our Deaths And Beyond"

Written by Peter Blake & Iturri Sosa
Directed by Scott White

Ra's (to Bruce): "Today is not the day I die."

To be fair, having Bruce be the one to kill you in the first place always seemed like a flawed idea, Ra's. What I will somewhat commend the show was the restraint they took in resurrecting him, even if the character has popped up in flashbacks and dream sequences and we've had the likes of Sofia, Jerome/Jeremiah and Poison Ivy to keep us entertained over the last few months.

Having Bruce's blood be the thing to bring Ra's back did make some sense but it also felt a rather quick way to have him re-enter the fray and give us a doom laden portent of future events as well. So we know in the next month that a fire is going to cleanse/destroy the city and Bruce will emerge a Dark Knight, which has been the subtitle for this entire season. We still however don't know if these remaining three episodes will be our last for this show or if there's more to come.

What we do know is that Ra's seems to like Bruce enough to want him to remain alive and throughout this episode he also rigorously tested Barbara's resolve, forcing the latter to step out (temporarily) from her narcissism and prove herself worthy enough not to killed. Barbara might have lost the Demon's Head but she certainly reaffirmed her relationship with Tabitha and managed to retain her loyal Sisters of the League, which was an achievement in itself.

The focus on Barbara and Bruce this week meant also testing Selina's own loyalty issues. Here she showed that she was more focused on the bigger picture and actually was more sensible than both Bruce and Barbara at times. I like that Selina was the voice of reason here while the team up between Alfred and Tabitha while acquiring Ra's's knife was one of the funniest moments from the episode. I can't be the only one hoping those two work together again, right?

As for the rest of the episode, nice little subplot with Ed and Leslie this week. I like that Ed has realised that Leslie is using him but at the same time made her aware that something else has awoken in her, given her recent shooting of Sofia Falcone. While I don't ship the pairing, I don't hate it either and I do like that Ed initially looked like he was about to betray Leslie before turning the tables on both Oswald and Grundy.

For Nygmobblepot fans, I imagine this episode might have stung a little but in terms of betrayals, even Oswald should be able to get over this one, considering his own plans to betray Nygma beforehand. Even Ed himself told Oswald he held no grudge with him at all, so maybe next season they'll work together on something without a betrayal in the mix.

- Speaking of Sofia, is she going to play any kind of role in the next three episodes or do they plan to wake up her next season, assuming we get one?
- Leslie might want to come up with better solutions because some of the people in the Narrows clearly need to do something more productive than betting on cockroach eating contents.
- Do we know if Gordon and company have made any effort to try and apprehend the likes of Scarecrow, Tetch and Firefly?
- Chronology: Not long from where That's Entertainment left off.

To Our Deaths And Beyond certainly felt a bit of a filler episode compared to the previous batch of episodes we've had in the second half of this season. Still though the main plots were entertaining enough and the finale seems to be set up rather nicely as well, even if we have a two week break before the ball starts rolling there.

Rating: 7 out of 10

Batman 66 - Episodes 25-28 Reviews

A great selection of episodes as the Joker impersonates royalty and one of my favourite original baddies makes their debut as well.

1x25: The Joker Trumps An Ace

A few senseless crimes here and there is nothing too new for the Joker but this time around, it seems that he wanted to go a little bigger with his escapades and befuddle the Dynamic Duo. We had him shrinking vans seemingly only then to snatch the Maharajah of Nimpah as well for good measure. This one ends on a pretty good cliffhanger when the Joker's latest accomplice tries to appeal to the Clown Prince to spare Batman and Robin, only for the latter to put them in a gas chamber. 7/10

1x26: Batman Sets The Pace

I liked the way both Batman and Robin got out of this particular bind but the highlight of this episode was of course, the Joker trying to pass himself off as the Maharajah of Nimpah in order to swindle money out of the Gotham City State Bank in order to discredit Batman before the latter and Robin were able to work out what the Joker was planning all along. It's not a classic two parter for the Clown Prince but it's a lot of fun nonetheless. 7/10

1x27: The Curse Of Tut

As much as I love this show's take on our classic villains, it also truly excelled itself with it's own creations and none better was timid professor, William Omaha McElroy turned criminal King Tut - having suffered a blow to the head and convinced that he's now the former Egyptian Pharaoh. In this first part, Tut has his acolytes making doom laden announcements in the park while also successfully managing to kidnap Bruce Wayne, who ends the episode bound and gagged to a gurney and doomed to go over a cliff. 8/10

1x28: The Pharaoh's In A Rut

The second part of this excellent story maintains the quality of the first part as Bruce saves himself but Tut doesn't hold off in arranging to have the billionaire playboy kidnapped again. Only this time, it's Batman who ends up being captive to Tut along with a fallen Nefertiti. Both of them are put through the Pebble Torture resulting in Batman having to do the Bat Dance while Tut himself is eventually reverted back to his original personality. It's easy to see why this character would later to go on to influence the similarly themed Maxie Zeus for the comics but this show got there first and while I like Zeus, Tut is just that bit more interesting, especially when you take Victor Buono's larger than life performance into account. 8/10

Next blog I'll delve into The Bookworm Turns/While Gotham City Burns and Death In Slow Motion/The Riddler's False Notion

My Review of Empire's 4x12: "Sweet Sorrow"

Written by Eric Haywood & Jamie Rosengard
Directed by Eric Haywood

Lucious: "I love you."
Cookie: "I love you too, that's all that matters."

I've seen a lot of praise for this particular episode and having just watched it there, I can see why. The main plot revolved around Cookie, having seen her suffering a heart attack with Lucious trying and mostly failing to get her to take things easy and for Cookie to do her best to maintain her independence.

It was nice to see Lucious in the caregiver position this time around, considering we had Cookie in that role for him earlier in the season. I did like that he brought in both Carol and Candace to look after their sister when he wasn't around. The show doesn't give us enough scenes with Cookie and her sisters but when it does, they're gems and seeing the three of them squabbling was very entertaining without it going overboard.

More importantly, it showed us that heart attacks run in the Holloway family as the ladies father had also suffered one when they were younger and it also set up the seeds for Cookie and her sisters mother to be introduced in a later episode. We already know that Alfre Woodard will be playing the role towards the end of the season, so I like the set up here for her impending arrival.

Meanwhile following Andre's revelation about causing the car bomb, this episode did have him on the outs with his family but at the same time, he was also the one to expose Eddie's takeover plan to both Lucious and Cookie. I did like that Eddie actually admitted his treachery to both Cookie and Lucious before they ran him out of the company. Of course, I don't think this will be the last we've seen of Eddie this season though.

As for Jamal, his attempts of cultivating good PR for himself went south pretty fast but I did like that he was supportive for Becky and her decision to have a termination. I also that J Pop was written pretty sympathetically and stepped up for Becky as well. You know an episode is on to a winner when the B-plot is as enjoyable to watch as the main plot.

- Jamal was interviewed by Good Morning America's Robin Roberts while Eddie and his second wife, Celeste interacted with Lupe Fiasco at the start of the episode.
- I wonder if Candace and Andre have ever talked about marrying spouses who are a white. Both Cookie and Carol teased Candace again over that.
- Standout music: Tiana and Hakeem's Big Shoes.
- Chronology: From where Without Apology left off.

Sweet Sorrow excelled with all the scenes Cookie had with Lucious, Carol and Candace while the Jamal/Becky bits were also effective. I'm intrigued to see how Eddie will also strike back now that the Lyons are aware of his plans and the sooner we see Cookie's mother, the better too.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x18: "That's Entertainment"

Written by Danny Cannon
Directed by Nick Copus

Gordon: "It's a long way down. You sure you'll outlive me?"
Jerome: "Oh, I'm sure because I'm more than a man. I'm an idea, a philosophy and I will live on in the shadows of Gotham's discontent. You'll be seeing me soon, Au Revoir."

Last time he was taken out properly, it was in The Last Laugh and back then, Jerome waxed on lyrically about how he'd live on because he was an idea that couldn't be suppressed. This time around, he made sure that his insane legacy would remain in the family as Jeremiah's fate took an exceptionally expected turn in the last scene of this episode.

Unlike some of the more avid fans, I have no issue with Jeremiah actually assuming the role of the Joker but I am surprised that Jerome's potential final act of malice wasn't saved for the finale. Then again, I guess with Gotham's fate lingering in the air, perhaps the showrunners want a Joker hook to help secure them a fifth season but whether or not it works out for them, we won't know until next month.

There is a chance that for now, Jerome might have some life left in him but truth be told, I'm actually hoping his death this time actually sticks. Jerome has been fun to watch as a character but if Jeremiah really is going to step in as the Joker, then Jerome needs to remain dead in order for Cameron Monaghan to help sell the performance as the 'good' twin becoming the city's most iconic and dangerous of criminals.

As for Jerome, I think we all guessed that his hijacking of the festival and demands for both Jeremiah and Bruce was a way to distract Gordon from the main plot of the episode. The laughing gas storyline served a few purposes but mainly it was Jeremiah who really has suffered the worst of it and Oswald got the chance to save the day by actually working with Gordon, even if Jeremiah had spotted his betrayal coming a mile off.

I quite liked the grudging team up with Oswald and Gordon in this episode. The former stopped the city from descending into the brink of madness, if not entirely for selfless reasons while the latter actually got some decent shots into Jerome and even took the latter out. On top of that we also got to see Bruce fighting Firefly for the briefest of moments in this episode as well as Selina stopping by for some birthday cake.

Meanwhile away from the madness of Jerome's latest actions, Barbara found herself getting more and more into being the new Demon's Head while Tabitha's attempts to take some sense into her ended badly for the latter. I'm not surprised that Barbara would believe her own hype but I also don't think Tabitha should be too trusting of those blokes who are claiming to be working for Ras either. Either way, it seems like this storyline will be coming to a head in the next episode.

- Alfred pretty much gave Bruce a proto-Batmobile at the start of this episode.
- We've got a new mayor who managed to survive this episode. Whether he survives the rest of the season will be interesting to see.
- No Leslie, Nygma or Butch/Grundy in this episode.
- Chronology: February 19th, considering that's meant to be Bruce Wayne's actual birthday. The episode didn't seem to specify how old Bruce is meant to be in this episode.

That's Entertainment was certainly entertaining enough, if not as much as the previous two episodes. I get that some fans might not like the Jerome/Jeremiah/Joker twist but after years of skirting around the issue, I'm just glad some proper progress has been made on the matter. Whether it's enough to secure the show a future beyond the four remaining episodes of this season, it's hard to tell though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 3x18: "The Good, The Bad And The Cuddly"

Written by Marc Guggenheim & Phil Klemmer
Directed by Dermott Downs

Beebo (to Mallus): "Beebo want cuddles."

Now those are three words I didn't expect to be using for a quote for this review. Then again, I also didn't expect that a deadly demon such as Mallus (pronounced Malice) would be taken out by the Blue God himself, Beebo in deluxe formation but at the same time, this is the sort of madness I've come to love with this show as well.

Trading Zambesi for the Wild West meant we got to see Jonah Hex once again but he was the tip of the iceberg for allies for the Legends in this finale. Having Jax, an alternate Kuasa, Helen of Troy, Ava and Nora after Ray/Damien went back in time and the latter chose to sacrifice himself to save his daughter proved to be a great thing when Mallus himself rounded up some vikings, Romans and pirates to help deal with the Legends as well.

Of course the use of the Totems was going to be Mallus's undoing but having Sara, Mick, Amaya, Nate, Zari and Wally merge together as a giant Beebo though still has to be seen to believed. Never have I see an epic battle in a comic book show and not been able to keep a straight face and yet, it was a satisfying way to actually take Mallus out of the equation once and for all.

As the season has progressed, the Totems have been so instrumental and Mallus has grown as a threat but so have the Legends. The amount of people who were willing to fight for them and Ava's rousing speech as well showed that they've truly grown as a team. Even Rip's sacrifice at the start of the episode as well was a testament to his belief in the band of misfits. I didn't expect Rip to die in this one but he wasn't the only exit we got here.

Two deaths, both for love with Rip and Damien to one side, this episode also had Amaya go back to Zambesi and while I knew it was inevitable, I was a little surprised that Nate didn't go with her as well. I do hope this isn't the last we've seen of Amaya though, even if it's unlikely she'll be a regular again next season. While it took me a while to warm to her and Nate as a couple, this season did sell the pairing better and I loved Amaya's interactions with Sara and Zari as well. Even though Ava will be a regular next season, we do need another regular female character on board the Waverider.

As for the last moment of the episode, trust John Constantine to show up with a demon's head to warn the gang they've botched up again. Seeing Gary dressed as Constantine was a little bit surreal though Zari's comparison to an orangey menace made me laugh. Now how John will work as a regular next season, I don't but it's definitely clear the supernatural content is going to be upped a bit when the show comes back.

- It's been five years since Jax last saw the Legends. He's now a father. I'm glad he came back for this one. I also found the flirting with Zari and Jonah pretty sweet as well.
- Calling it now: we're going to get a Ray/Nora romantic pairing next season. I'm also wondering if Constantine and Gary have a thing on the side too.
- The gang arguing about how to pronounce Mallus's name and the latter's irritation over them getting it wrong.
- Chronology: 1942 & 1992 Zambesi, 1874 Salvation and 2018 Aruba.

The Good, The Bad And The Cuddly was a sublime way to end this season. It probably could've done with a few more minutes but it was action packed, emotional, funny, clever and surreal in equal measures. We should all be praising Beebo that this show has gotten a fourth season.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Empire's 4x11: "Without Apology"

Written by Matt Pyken & Joshua Allen
Directed by Dianne Houston

Cookie: "I still run this bitch."

Oh Cookie. This week she went from one problem to the next one showing that she really did run both Empire and her family and then the episode ended with her getting a heart attack. Considering everything she's had to deal with since coming out of prison, it's probably surprising that this didn't come much sooner to be honest.

This episode alone, Cookie had a minor problem to deal with in ageing girl group 3 Black Divas who she tried to give a new contract to so they wouldn't cause Empire any bad publicity only for Lucious to nearly ruin her plan before the two of them banded together to actually get the ladies back on board by buying the rival label they were going to sign to.

I liked the focus on the older group and they certainly seemed to be justified in wanting to get a little even with the mistreatment they had experience at Empire. It was also amusing seeing them perform to uninterested people in the mall to getting a spotlight at Leviticus when they decided to play ball with Lucious and Cookie.

However the bigger storyline revolved around Andre finally confessing to his family about his involvement in the car explosion. It was inevitable this would happen and the results were delightfully explosive as Lucious rightfully lost the head with Andre while Hakeem and Jamal were unable to handle their brother's confession.

I didn't however expect the end scene with Cookie having a heart attack though. The scene was nicely shot but also reminded me of something more recent in my own family as well. However I don't think a heart attack will be the thing to take Cookie out of the mix from this show, not for quite a while though.

- Eddie and Wife No 3 are working with that app guy (who was also on Arrow this week) to take over Empire. Eddie also seems a little too interested in Tiana, who sensibly turned down Hakeem's proposal of marriage.
- I liked Jamal and Becky talking about the latter's pregnancy, even if she did end things with J Pop.
- Standout music: Three Black Divas more polished Can't Rock With You and Tiana/Jamal/Hakeem's Beautiful.
- Chronology: Not long from where Birds In A Cage left off.

Without Apology certainly had a little more to it than the previous episode. While I'm not entirely thrilled about Eddie and his wife plotting against Empire, I'm not too shocked by it either. The Andre scenes and the older girl band though were the highlights this week.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x17: "Mandatory Brunch Meeting"

Written by Steven Lilien & Bryan Wynbrandt
Directed by Maja Vrvilo

Jerome (to Jeremiah): "I guess it's like what they say, we could all just go insane with just one bad day."

Had it not been a few weeks ago, I think the reveal of Jerome having a twin brother would've been a genuine shocker but in these days of the internet, it of course had to leak and somewhat dilute the surprise a bit for those who stumbled upon it. Saying that though, I can see where this one is going.

Also played by Cameron Monaghan, Jeremiah Valeska seems to be the more stable of the twins, having been sent to St Ignatius when he was a kid in order to get away from his homicidal twin and adopting the name Xander Wilde while also living as a reclusive architect in a place that looks as wild as anything a reclusive in Gotham would live in.

I liked that Jeremiah had anticipated that Jerome was coming for him and quickly positioned his right hand woman, Ecco into getting Jerome before the latter could get him. Of course, it was also obvious that Jerome would make sure to have both the Scarecrow and Tetch on hand while Gordon and Bullock also stumbled upon Jeremiah's hiding place.

Performance wise, I think Cameron did a good job in separating the two brothers reasonably well but the interactions between Jerome and Jeremiah made it pretty clear how this show will be handling the Joker storyline in it's last slew of episodes as well. After all, Jerome did talk about everyone having one bad day and I think that day is going to be pretty imminent for Jeremiah rather soon.

Of course when we weren't getting a brother reunion in this episode, we were seeing Jerome setting up his Legion of Horribles by recruiting the likes of Mr Freeze, Firefly, Oswald and Grundy to his cause as a rather unfortunate businessman then came to a grim end with the effects of a new laughing gas that leaves one hell of a smile on your face. Actually, the Grundy bit was Oswald's effort and that took some persuading but those two had some brilliant scenes in this one.

Outside of the Jerome storyline though, we had an interesting plotline with Leslie and the Riddler. First of all, I am not in the slightest bit surprised that Lee and Ed are hooking up and while I don't ship, I actually don't hate either. I do imagine however the Nygmobblepot are probably seething with this development though.

I'm not entirely sure what Leslie's angle here is though. I don't believe she has real feelings for Ed but at the same time, why is she encouraging him to up his bank robbing quota? I did like the Riddle off between the pair of them and despite her motives, I think Leslie might have at least spared poor Lars an awful fate but I do think if she's trying to micromanage the Riddler, it's going to inevitably backfire on her.

- With this show recasting both the Scarecrow and Ivy this season, the original actress to play Firefly reprised her role for this one.
- I know she's not meant to be Harley Quinn but Ecco certainly looked the part. It also seems that Hugo Strange will be resurfacing fairly soon as well.
- No Selina, Barbara, Tabitha, Lucius, Sofia or Ras this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where One Of My Three Soups left off.

Mandatory Brunch Meeting certainly gave a little game change to the Jerome/Joker plotline with the addition of Jeremiah into the mix. The storyline though is pretty compelling and the subplot with Leslie/Riddler also worked well with the episode, though I assume those two will also be tangled into the main storyline pretty soon now.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Empire's 4x10: "Birds In A Cage"

Written & Directed by Craig Brewer

Claudia (to Cookie): "You can have Lucious but Dwight is mine."

It really has felt like a long while since the show was on the air. Last time I watched this, the DuBois family had been taken (Angelo in a more permanent way of course), Andre confessed to Lucious his past sins and Lucious ended up trapped in a cabin by a crazed Claudia.

It's of little surprise then that the latter plot strand was the main focus here with Claudia resorting to extreme measures to get 'Dwight' back by going full on Annie Wilkes on the guy. I genuinely thought this was going to be a storyline that would dealt with for a few episodes so I was rather surprised to see how quickly resolved it was here.

Cookie literally wasted zero time in working with Thirsty to find Claudia's own shrink and realise where she was keeping Lucious and even try to rescue Lucious as well before Claudia went full on psycho and tried to kill her before she killed her own therapist. I'm also a little surprised that Lucious spared Claudia but I guess that means she can reappear in the finale to cause more mayhem for Cookie and Lucious.

However, crazy as Claudia was, she did manage to point out the destructive aspects of Cookie and Lucious's relationship, even if she didn't say anything particularly new in that regard. Speaking of Cookie, we got some more prison flashbacks where she suffered at the hands of that prison guard following Poundcake's betrayal of her. I think thematically it did tie in reasonably well to Lucious's ordeal at Claudia's hands as well.

As for the rest of the episode, it was nice to see Porscha being supportive to Becky when she realised that the latter was pregnant while at the same time, I liked that Hakeem was there for both Jamal and Andre, even if his methods were a little hamfisted. Meanwhile the episode also ended with Andre ready to go into full on confession mode, which should make things very interesting next episode.

- That blonde look does not suit Cookie, at least not in this episode.
- No Anika, Eddie, Warren, Shyne or Tiana this week.
- Standout music: Not a lot this week, so I guess Tori and Hakeem's Talk Less though Claudia using a distorted version of Snitch Bitch to torture Lucious was something else.
- Chronology: Not long from where the previous episode left.

Birds In A Cage had some interesting parallels to both Cookie and Lucious dealing with prisons and their captors and it put paid to Claudia for the time being as well. It's not the strongest episode we've had and the music highlights were a bit lacking but it definitely had some lovely character moments though.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 3x17: "Guest Starring John Noble"

Written by Keto Shimizu & James Eagan
Directed by Ralph Hemecker

Mallus (to everyone): "I am so much more than a God."

And after most of the season trying to re-emerge, this episode ended with Mallus finally making his long awaited appearance and having Nora subsequently killed off to boot. CGI wise, Mallus could look better but he certainly could look a lot worse too.

Taking things back to Zambesi where the biggest tragedy to befall Amaya's family and village was an interesting move for Mallus to be reborn as such. I found the Legends trying to prevent the event but also having something else - Grodd in this case, be the cause of Mallus coming out to play big time - and almost destroy Zambesi was somewhat expected.

The show hasn't really done a lot with Grood since Damien brought him into the Mallus storyline but here, the psychic gorilla tried and thankfully failed to kill a young Barack Obama while also getting himself shrunk by Ray for his efforts. I did have a laugh at seeing Grodd in the jar but wasn't at all surprised when Damien let him out again.

Speaking of Damien, having him join the team was a bit odd and amusing to watch. I liked his scenes with Sara and Ray the most but his betrayal of them in order to save Nora was totally expected. Regardless of what happens in next week's finale, I don't think we're going to be losing the character any time soon and nor do I expect that he will be turning a new leaf either. There was however some joy in seeing Sara stab Damien in the back for his latest action, even if she didn't quite kill him.

Then there's the Amaya side of things. Both Nate and Wally had opposing stances when it came to her actions in Zambesi. Wally rightfully pointed out the consequences of Amaya's actions while Nate was more eager to help his girlfriend. I have to admit, I was more on Wally's side here, even if I completely got what Amaya was attempting to do. Plus it was somewhat nice to see younger versions of Kuasa, Mari and Esi, the latter being Amaya's daughter and reluctant bearer of the Ananzi totem.

As for the title itself - the use of John Noble was absolutely genius. Having Ray get him to record some dialogue while he was in the midst of filming one of his most famous roles was such a cheeky thing for the show to do but it completely works for the episode nonetheless.

- Nate got the Earth totem, which he managed to work and Ray the Water totem, which he could not work. No surprise that Damien got the death totem then.
- Ava is actually in her twelfth incarnation and Rip was unbelievably (even for him) cold in telling her that too.
- Bit weird seeing Mick mainly using his heat gun to take out Grodd when he was wearing the Fire totem as well.
- Chronology: 1992 Zambesi, 1999 New Zealand during filming of The Lord Of The Rings for John Noble and 1979 for Obama himself. A pretty good likeness with Lovell Adams-Gray as Barack.

Guest Starring John Noble had a lot going on. It's use of the title actor to one side, it certainly brought forth Mallus in a suitably strong, mixed up the alliances and had some nice interpersonal drama to boot. Next week's finale should put this storyline to rest as well as some possible exits but we do know now that we've got a fourth season to look forward to as well.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Batman 66 - Episodes 21-24 Reviews

It's been over a month since I've done this but to end this month, here's another edition of my Batman 66 reviews as the Penguin tries to go straight and the Riddler is back once again.

1x21: The Penguin Goes Straight

Oh look, Oswald's back and this time around it seems that he wants to go on the straight and narrow and give up his plans for villainy. Naturally the Dynamic Duo are skeptical about such a thing, so the Penguin goes into overdrive to make himself look good to the point where he nearly even fools Commissioner Gordon. The episode does however end on one of the best cliffhangers with both Batman and Robin strung up and ready to be shot by an unwitting Gordon and O'Hara at the funfair. How will they get out of this one? 8/10

1x22: Not Yet He Ain't

The answer to the previous question I posed, was that they got out of it quickly. It's often amazing how quickly both Batman and Robin escaped from their perilous cliffhangers but the rest of this two parter quickly saw Penguin's great diamond scheme going the same way. There's a great fake out with the Dynamic Duo seemingly killed before the Batmobile which Penguin steals then turns against him as he's brought to justice. 7/10

1x23: The Ring Of Wax

And he's back. The third story to feature the Riddler (and they really loved using him, Joker and Penguin for this series a lot) and it's a pretty solid enough event. A wax museum of Riddlers is one thing but the idea of having Batman and Robin as giant candles just showed how creative the show liked to be with the perils. There's still the bit with a female accomplice that also fancies Batman but it's not the worst thing here to be honest. 7/10

1x24: Give 'Em The Axe

Like the previous two parter, there's a good portion of this episode where the Riddler believes the Dynamic Duo are dead and is then disappointed when Robin initially appears to be alive to him. It does lead to Robing getting tied up but it does give Batman time to make an entrance as the Riddler's scheme to break into the sarcophagus of the ancient Incan emperor Hualpo Cusi which supposedly contains the long-lost treasure at the Gotham City Museum comes crashing down. Overall, a fun two parter for the Prince of Puzzles. 7/10

Next blog I'll delve into The Joker Trumps An Ace/Batman Sets The Pace and The Curse Of Tut/The Pharoah's In A Rut.

Festivities In March

A brief rundown on some of the show I've caught in the last few weeks and yes, there's some I do need to catch up with as well.

Arrow: A mixed bag of events here. To get the negative out of the way, I really don't care a great deal for Dragon being the main antagonist for the remainder of the season as he's a (so far) pretty cardboard villain to watch and the less said about the newbies acting like spoiled brats and Diggle wanting to be the Green Arrow, the better to be honest. On the other hand, I am enjoying the possible redemption arc with Black Siren and the returns of both Roy and Nyssa in the last few episodes to tie in with Thea's departure. That character will be missed.

Black Lightning: I'm about two episodes behind (will catch up within the next week or two) but I'm slightly losing interest with the show. The most promising villain they had with Lady Eve (who genuinely exuded menace) was killed off a bit too abruptly along with Tori, a character who also had promised and Lala, who I don't care about is back for whatever reason. I'm still not really compelled by Tobias as a baddie and Lynn does nothing really interesting either. On the other hand, Gambi has had his moments, I've enjoyed the Jefferson/Anissa teaming up and Jennifer discovering her own powers has been neat.

Once Upon A Time: So far not really a spectacular return considering we're into the last ever batch of episodes. A few backstories for Facilier, Naveen, Alice and Robyn aside, there doesn't seem to be a huge amount that's really happening. Even Victoria dying, Gothel building her cult and a mystery killer bumping off witches hasn't done much to ignite excitement here. Henry and Jacinda are still a lifeless couple and it's hard to get too invested in Regina/Facilier either, even if the latter is a more engaging antagonist than Gothel. The show seriously needs to pick up in it's remaining episodes.

The Flash: I've been liking the Thinker storyline this season but credit given where it's due, even the episodes that haven't focused on the guy and his constant body jacking have been enjoyable as well. The emotionally charged Enter Flashtime was a series highlight along with the following episode where Iris had Barry's abilities and made for a pretty awesome hero herself. Of course there has been some niggling bits with there being no further explanation for Cecile's current mind reading and Ralph being somewhat annoying and brooding in parts.

Will & Grace: This revival so far has been a lot of fun to watch and each episode has certainly proved that the show can work yet again, which is a relief. In the last few episodes we've a Victorian Christmas themed special, the funeral for Rosario (who I do miss seeing on the show), the introduction of Jack's grandson, the revived rivalry with Karen and Leslie, Grace meeting Leo again and even Will changing careers and dating younger guys for a bit. No wonder NBC seem more than happy to keep renewing this show, despite Season 9 not finishing airing yet.

- Netflix have renewed Queer Eye For The Straight Guy for a second season, which will be released later in the year.
- Will & Grace has been renewed for both tenth and eleventh seasons by NBC. Following it's huge ratings, ABC have also renewed Roseanne for an eleventh season while it's tenth one has started airing.
- Gotham will be tackling the No Man's Land arc for it's finale. E4 have the rights to the fourth season, airing from April 10th.
- Caity Lotz will be appearing in the sixth season finale of Arrow. Colin Donnell will appear in the 21st episode of the season.
- Jennifer Morrison, Ginnifer Goodwin, Josh Dallas, Emilie De Ravin, Sean Maguire are among the many returns for Once Upon A Time's series finale.
- The Librarians has been cancelled after four seasons by TNT.
- Tobias Menzies will be succeeding Matt Smith as Prince Philip for the third and fourth seasons of The Crown.
- Humans third season will air on Channel 4 from May and on AMC from June 5th.

My Review of Gotham's 4x16: "One Of My Three Soups"

Written by Charlie Huston
Directed by Benjamin McKenzie

Jerome (to Jervis/Scarecrow): "That's the spirit boys, think big and kinky."

A selection of soups or a selection of baddies. With the former, you're guaranteed at least one enjoyable offering while with the latter, you're possibly guaranteed maybe death. Since we last saw him, Jerome clearly had another ace in the hole as he threw his twisted smile in with both Jonathan Crane and Jervis Tetch in order to break nearly everyone and themselves out of Arkham within the first five minutes of the episode.

Out of the three, it was the Scarecrow who had the least amount to do, considering that he was largely off screen until the end but he did manage to get his fear gas and both Jervis and Jerome provided their own distractions so that Gordon, the GCPD and Bruce/Selina wouldn't get in his way and they were rather great distractions too I might add.

While last season I thought Tetch started off initially well before becoming something of an annoyance, this episode he was a bit of both. His obsession with blaming Jim for his sister's death has been played out and I really found myself bored with Tetch going on about it yet again. On the other hand, he did provide a rather strong dilemma for James when the fate of several innocent citizens and Bullock were firmly in his hands. Needless to say Jim managed to rescue them at the last minute but this did serve as a reminder that Jervis can be a credible threat in spite of his irritating wordplay at times.

With Tetch causing the biggest distraction for Gordon, it was fun to see both Bruce and Selina band together in order to take out Jerome. The latter decided to take a trip down memory lane and terrorise his uncle Zack for information, only for the latter to burn him with some soup before Bruce inadvertently came to Jerome's rescue. While Bruce was reluctant to actually kill Jerome, Selina seemed a little too quick to try and do it instead. For Batcat fans, this episode certainly delivered with the teaming up moments between Bruce and Selina, even if they didn't stop Jerome at all.

Outside of the chaos that the new Trinity were causing, Barbara also had her own mission as Tabitha managed to get her to remember her first encounter with Ras Al Ghul. Having Barbara as the leader of a new, less sexist League of Shadows is an interesting move for the show. I'm guessing though when this current plot with Arkham's mostly deadly dies down a bit is when the League and Ras might re-emerge.

- This is the second episode to be directed by Benjamin McKenzie. I'm guessing if we get a fifth season, he'll be writing another episode too.
- I'm glad that Bullock gave Gordon a hard time over the Sofia/Professor Pyg situation but was also willing to help Jim when he needed to as well.
- No Oswald, Edward, Leslie, Sofia, Butch, Lucius or Alfred this week but at least Harper got more lines. I did like her scenes with Bruce this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause left off.

One Of My Three Soups might have had a few noticeable absences following the events of the previous episode, but the start of this latest Jerome arc that this time might actually put the Joker thing to bed once and for all is certainly brilliant. Great direction from McKenzie, witty one liners and brilliant character moments, this is a cracker of an episode.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 3x16: "I, Ava"

Written by Ray Utarnachitt & Daphne Miles
Directed by Dean Choe

Sara: "Ava, you're real. You're as real as I feel about you."

Three episodes ago, Rip revealed in his own not helpful way that there was something about Ava that no-one could find out. Needless to say, we were going to find it out and we did in an episode that wasted no time in making references to both Orphan Black and Attack Of The Clones in it's usual manner.

Having Ava being a clone from 2213 Vancouver was a little better than the android theory I had thought of and that was even mulled over here but the episode didn't explain why Rip specifically picked this version of Ava to head up the Time Bureau. Is she the original copy or the only clone that has a sense of awareness about her? Will this be something that is resolved in the next episodes or left for next season? It's not a big deal for now but it's hopefully something we won't wait too long to uncover either.

I did think Jes McCallan did a good job this week in portraying our Ava's realisation of her true origins and it was certainly amusing watching Sara and Ava fight the latter's clones while Gary and Ray were somewhat flailing around for good measure as well. Overall, it's an interesting enough backstory for Ava but if anything, it's probably done more to bring her and Sara closer to each other than to drive them apart, so AvaLance shippers should be pleased with this one.

Of course, it wasn't just Ava (x1000s) that took centre stage this week as well. Kuasa got something of a short shrift in the redemption stakes as the moment she stepped up to help the gang and save Nate was also the same one where Nora killed her and took the water totem in the process. I was hoping for Kuasa to be redeemed but not for it to result in death though.

However with Kuasa's unfortunate demise, the episode then ended with Amaya taking a trip back to Zambesi in order to save her grandchildren one more time. Yes, it was a reckless thing for Amaya to do and it's certainly playing into Mallus's own scheme as well in some way but I do think the episode did a good job of building towards Amaya making the choice she did at the end of this one.

As for the rest of the episode, I did enjoy seeing Zari giving Mick one hell of a lesson in totems during her fasting for Ramadan. Mick chose the wrong time to get on Zari's wick and she totally took him down a few bits. Saying that though, their later scene when they both sensed Kuasa's death was pretty poignant too and while they weren't involved in the two main stories this week, their scenes didn't feel like filler either.

- Damien literally couldn't torture Nate this week because he realised that Mallus possessing Nora was a bad idea. I guess he'll be grudgingly helping the Legends soon.
- I was going to lament about Grodd being a no show again but it looks like he's back next week to go after a certain former president.
- Wally commenting on Nate's body. Little bit of a man crush there, Wally? Does Gary also have a crush on Ava too?
- Chronology: 2213 Vancouver and 2018 Detroit. At this rate, they might as well recast Mari and be done with it.

I, Ava offered a good backstory to a character I wasn't initially fussed on but have grown to like over the course of the season and while a world full of Avas wouldn't be my idea of paradise, it did make for an engaging episode nonetheless.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - Alone

Written by Tom Rob Smith
Directed by Daniel Minihan

Andrew: "It's terrible. I hope they catch him."

And so endeth the miniseries here. This has been something of an interesting show that started decent, hit some intriguing dramatic highs in the middle but somewhat petered a little bit in it's final two episodes. This finale was better than the previous episode but it also suffered from being needlessly too long for it's own good as well.

Andrew finally got the attention he wanted with Versace's murder as a manhunt for him had ensued but he also realised a little too late that it wasn't worth it either. Betrayed by his own fame hungry father, hated by the LGBT community and even forced to eat dog food at one point, the only way this could end for Andrew was in his own death and creative licencing to one side, I'm not surprised that he killed himself rather than face justice for the pain he caused so many people during his murder spree.

I think it's safe to say this series will earn Darren Criss some award love in the next couple of months and he's certainly deserving of it but there were times when I wondered if we got too much of Andrew to the series detriment. Last week's episode certainly felt unnecessary and even here, Tom Rob Smith somewhat prolonged Andrew's inevitable demise for a good portion of the episode.

If anything, it was the non Andrew scenes that were the best part. For instance, seeing Ronnie schooling the detectives on their own homophobia was particularly well done along with David Madson's father maintaining that his son was a victim of Andrew's killing spree than an accomplice as well as seeing Marilyn Miglin express anger over Andrew not being caught before allowing herself to be relieved when she learned than he was dead.

We got some needed Versace focus here too with Gianni's funeral coming into play and the harsh treatment that Antonio had to endure. Literally being snubbed at the church by the priest and even given a cold shoulder by Donatella was pretty painful to watch along with his attempted suicide. It was also somewhat irresponsible for the episode not to clarify that Antonio survived his suicide attempt. Much as I have liked the series, it's no wonder the Versace family and Antonio have been so critical of the show. A lot of the criticism has been justified in that regard.

As for the one scene with both Versace and Cunanan, echoing the opening episode - nicely played. Even though Edgar Ramirez wasn't always given as much as Darren Criss in this season, he did a bang up job in his portrayal of Versace that I'm really hoping that both him and even Cody Fern (David Madson) appear in other productions from Ryan Murphy in the immediate future.

- FX aired a trailer for Murphy's next series, Pose, due to air in the summer while also seeding some hints for Feud: Buckingham Palace (still not looking forward to that) with the Diana mentions here.
- The episode got most of the stuff in relation to Andrew being on the run but exaggerated how Marilyn viewed him and the general media coverage.
- Great use of music in the episode, especially with the opening of VOX's Vienna.
- Chronology: July 15th 1997.

Alone brings about a decent but somewhat overdrawn ending to a good series. I enjoyed this season more than the OJ Simpson one that proceeded it but I still can't help looking at the events objectively, if FX somewhat should've gone with a shorter episode run for this. It's unlikely that I'll be reviewing the Katrina season, though I do intend to watch it.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x15: "The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause"

Written by Seth Boston
Directed by Nick Copus

Sofia: "James Gordon, this is where our story ends."

Except, it's more where their story was put on pause when Leslie decided to get revenge and save Jim by putting a bullet between Sofia's eyes, which landed the latter into a coma rather than six feet under. I guess Sofia will be another character we can await for the chaos that will be a rather jam packed finale.

I knew Sofia's quick succession of amassing enemies was destined to backfire on her but even I'm surprised that it happened almost this quickly, though at least the show didn't decide to drag things out. Oswald escaped and Sofia knew she was on borrowed time, so she got Zsasz and Headhunter to try and take out both the Penguin, Penn while she failed to deal with Gordon herself.

I've missed Zsasz in the last few episodes and it was nice to have him back here, snarking along the way while also failing to take out both Oswald and Arthur for good. This episode gave us some information on what Penn likes to get up to in his spare time and to be honest, it's one of those things I would've been fine not seeing at all.

As for Oswald, well he's clear of Martin's "murder" given that Edward rescued the kid and Sofia being coma bound means he's got a shot of reclaiming his underworld title before someone else usurps it from him. However the highlight of this episode wasn't so much Oswald escaping Arkham and having Sofia taken out of the picture for him but more his reunion with Nygma.

This episode finally laid their rivalry to one side as they both came through for each other. Nygma rescued Martin, busted Oswald out of Arkham and even refused to help Sofia while being tortured while Oswald put his revenge plan to one side in order to rescue his friend. While I don't think this show will ever give Nygmobblepot shippers what they truly desire, at least the two of them are back to being friends again though.

As for the rest of the episode, we got more of Leslie's dark side, considering her willingness to help Oswald against Sofia and her punishment of Samson when reclaiming the Narrows. There was also Bruce helping Selina with retrieving something from one of Ivy's former victims and there was also Butch putting the frighteners on both Barbara and Nygma while Tabitha did very little than protest a lot.

Speaking of Barbara, that shiny light from her former encounter with Ras came into play a lot this week when she kept getting headaches and saw the latter in the Sirens bar. I know next week's episode has more rogues returning but I'm really looking forward to the subplot she's going to have with Ras in among all that madness.

- I had to laugh at the joke between Oswald and Edward never wanting to see the docks again. We all know that's not going to happen for either of them.
- Nice to have a Freeze cameo in this episode along with Zsasz and Headhunter going off to get milkshakes.
- No Lucius or Alfred this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where Reunion left off.

The Sinking Ship, The Grand Applause is a pretty extravagant title but the episode in itself was rather showy in it's teams up this week. Of course Sofia's reign had to come to an end or pause but we already know that Oswald won't be long in losing his grip on the underworld when he gets it back though. As for next week, let the madness unfold.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Legends Of Tomorrow's 3x15: "Necromancing The Stone"

Written by Grainne Godfree & Morgan Faust
Directed by April Mullen

Constantine (to Gary): "Well, tonight squire, I'm all yours."

I tried to resist the slash ship (no, I really didn't) but this episode made it nigh on impossible for that. I thought we had already struck male/male ship gold earlier in the season when we learned that Citizen Cold and The Ray were a couple but this surprising pairing between John Constantine and Gary Green over Dungeons & Dragons I did not see coming. That kiss alone also was an unexpected treat for this delightful episode.

I think Constantine is probably the first person in a while that has actually taken Gary a tiny bit seriously as he waffled on rather enthusiastically while at the same time also helping both Ava and John try and figure out how to help the rest of the Legends from a Death Totem possessed Sara while at the same time, the show went out of it's way to seed the future for our bisexual demonologist will involve a bit of time and space travelling.

If we didn't already know that Matt Ryan was going to be made a regular next season, this episode certainly told us this. There was more emphasis on the Newcastle Incident and Astra with Mallus using the latter to prey on John at one point while Sara even extended an invitation to join the Waverider. Note that John didn't exactly say no to the offer either and he'll be back for the finale along with a lot of other people too.

With Constantine in full arrogant swagger, the scenes between him and Ava were even more delightful. I know his presence slightly worries some AvaLance fans but this episode alone went out of it's way to tell them they needn't worry. In fact, despite Sara breaking up with Ava after her little trip to the dark side this week, the episode did end on a hopeful note so I wouldn't be too shocked when Sara and Ava reunite and they'll probably do that next week.

I thought this was a strong episode for Ava, character wise too. She was determined to save Sara and her scenes with John and Gary were the highlight of the episode. I'm also not surprised that it was Ava who actually got Sara back to the light despite Mallus/Nora seriously tempting Sara to the dark side as well.

As for Sara - anyone else think her Death Totem look was a mix up of Dark and Light Willow from Buffy's final two seasons?  She certainly knocked out Ray quite savagely as well as the psychological warfare on Zari, Wally and Nate as well with those visions of Behrad, Jessie and Henry. I am glad though the gang did quickly forgive her when she came back and that Amaya encouraged Mick to use the Fire Totem in order to save the day. Mick was the only logical person who could wield that particular totem considering we don't have Jax on the ship anymore. It was also nice to see him step up as the hero as well. More of that please with Mick.

- They really are having fun with Beebo as well with Gary having socks of him and John talking about doing a spell on the toy as well.
- It was nice to actually have Nora in an episode without Damien in the background. We still have to see her in action using Amaya's Totem before the latter reclaims it.
-  Wally was smart enough to try and use his powers against, like Nate should've done. I assume that Nate having steel powers also played a role in him not being able to use the Earth Totem.
- Chronology: New York 2018 for the Constantine scenes but there was some offscreen adventures with the likes of DaVinci, Laika and Einstein to name a few. Also three weeks since the events of Daddy Darhkest.

Necromancing The Stone tread quite a dark path into Sara's psyche as she put her whole team in danger but it was also one of the strongest episodes this season with some genuinely funny moments and an inspired team up of Constantine, Gary and Ava. With three episodes left, I do think it's time we see Mallus in physical form fairly soon.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of How To Get Away With Murder's 4x15: "Nobody Else Is Dying"

Written by Peter Nowalk
Directed by Jet Wilkinson

Annalise (to Laurel): "You're not your parents."

I wouldn't be so sure about that, Annalise. I think Laurel has proven a lot that she's very influenced by the same family she's been desperately trying to distance herself with since the show's beginning and this episode alone, she played her role in her father's downfall along with the set up for next season as to whether or not she's harmed her mother.

Personally I think Laurel probably hasn't killed Sandrine at all (though I suspect someone else will have done) but I'm also not surprised that even her close knit friends were quick to doubt her as well. Even Jorge prior to being arrested for his multiple crimes was fearful that Laurel killed his ex-wife, which really does say a lot about how he sees his own daughter.

Then again, Laurel did come out the victor in this episode. She just justice for Wes, revenge on her parents and even got baby Christopher back as well. The scenes with Annalise and Bonnie with Christopher were especially lovely to be honest. Of course with Bonnie, something else was set up for next season.

I had to admit it was delightfully meta to see Frank talk about the good times not lasting long as soon as Gabriel Maddox (Rome Flynn) came into the mix. I'm guessing that he's meant to be Bonnie's son considering that Nate was looking at her file and if it means a bigger role for Bonnie next season, then this should be a good thing. I'm also guessing we won't wait too long to find out who Gabriel's father was though.

As for the rest of the episode, there was a lot of interesting personal bits here. I hated that Michaela got Simon deported, even if her motives weren't entirely malicious but it was still a pretty despicable thing for her to do. I also liked Asher calling her out on her actions, even if he did go on a bit over. On the other hand, at least Michaela still has Connor on her side while the bromance with Asher and Oliver continues to blossom rather nicely now that Asher bagged himself a best man gig.

- Annalise's class action case storyline was also resolved with an obvious victory and Connor's back to applying for Middleton.
- Despite being deported, I'm hoping we do see Simon again.
- Tegan will be back next season I hope. I'd like to actually see her and Annalise work together.
- Chronology: Not long since The Day Before He Died left off.

If it wasn't for the set up with both Sandrine's whereabouts and the arrival of Gabriel Maddox, then I think Nobody Else Is Dying would've served as a series finale. It finally laid to rest the ghost of Wes, brought nearly everyone back together and put Annalise on a rather good path too. I do wonder though if the next season will be it's last one though.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of Gotham's 4x14: "Reunion"

Written by Peter Blake
Directed by Annabelle K. Frost

Ivy: "You always did think you were better than me."
Selina: "That's not true, I was your friend. We were friends, Ivy. You said so yourself."
Ivy: "That was a long time ago. I'm a different person now."

If ever there was a thing that Gotham has consistently gotten right in terms of comics, it would be that somewhat complicated dynamic that both Catwoman and Poison Ivy have shared with one another. We've seen them both as friends and as enemies and in simultaneous books at the same time, a bit of both.

With this arc, we've seen that come to fruition here. Selina had been keen on actually helping Ivy to begin with but when the latter decided to go down the genocidal path, that was a line Selina wasn't willing to cross. In some ways, it makes sense that Ivy's final confrontation wasn't with Bruce or Gordon but instead one of the few people who has been kinder to her than most in her short enough life.

I'm glad this episode didn't end with Ivy either killed off or getting a spell in Arkham or somewhere else but instead, we got a rather complex confrontation with herself and Selina as the latter ensured that Ivy wouldn't be able to use the remaining Lazarus water for any more plant based experiments. I liked the mulling over of their friendship and how it served as a means for the pair of them not to kill the other. Given that the title for the season finale has also been spoiled online, I'm also hoping that we're not going to have too long until Ivy shows up again.

As for Ivy's general plan, it's interesting that she went after Bullock to avenge her father's death before leaving him to take out Gordon so she could cause her own havoc at a Wayne Enterprises event, even if she failed on both accounts. Credit to the show though for this Ivy arc and making her a compelling antagonistic while at the same time not also abandoning other storylines this week. Peyton List did make a considerable improvement with her performance this week.

Ivy wasn't the only dangerous female character to cause chaos this week. Leslie's attempts of getting Sofia onside resulted in her hand being smashed and getting quickly dethroned from the Narrows as Sofia got her own revenge on her sister in law. However while Sofia might be enjoying her shot of victory now, it seems that with Gordon on the warpath and a team up between Oswald and Edward, things are going to get very bad for her sooner than later.

The Ed plot this week saw himself being deceived into helping Oswald while trying not to kill Leslie but seeing the pair reunite certainly made for a good use of Oswald's screen time but this wasn't the only reunion as both Gordon and Bullock and Bruce and Alfred patched up their differences as well with some choice moments shared between all the characters in their scenes together.

- I noticed that Ivy's hair was a lot redder this week. Would you say auburn or scarlet though? I think the former perhaps. Ivy even wore a bit more green this week as well, including nail polish.
- Liked the shout out to both Essen and Barnes this week. I'm still surprised the latter hasn't resurfaced though there's still eight episodes left for him to do so.
- No Butch/Grundy, Tabitha, Barbara, Jerome or Ras this week.
- Chronology: Not long from where A Beautiful Darkness left off.

Reunion certain delivered in it's one to one scenes - Selina/Ivy, Gordon/Bulock. Leslie/Sofia, Bruce/Alfred and Oswald/Edward while providing a decent enough (and I hope temporary) exit for Ivy at the same time. I guess with this arc out of the way, it's time for a prison break and Sofia's downfall to look forward to.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Assassination Of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story - Creator/Destroyer

Written by Tom Rob Smith & Maggie Cohn
Directed by Matt Bomer

Modesto: "You're not upset because I stole, you're upset because I stopped."

So for the penultimate episode of this series, it's case of Mommy knows best and Daddy is quite literally the worst for both Gianni and Andrew but mostly the latter's past was emphasised as Gianni's brief scenes as a child in Milan discovering his love for fashion and gaining his mother support generated the least amount of focus in favour of Andrew once again.

I know it's been the main focus of the season - the Andrew side of things but I was really hoping that with the title for this one, there would've been something of an even focus on both him and Gianni but I digress. On one hand, there's some terrific acting in this episode like there has been all season long but on the other hand, this was an episode that needed a trim.

I'm not sure we needed to see so much detail on Andrew and his family leaving Manila and coming to America as well as the focus on his father, Modesto and the role he played in Andrew's sense of entitlement. That said, a genuinely riveting performance from Jon Jon Briones as Modesto certainly did help the episode along though.

It was easy to see why Andrew went from fearing and idolising his manipulative father to loathing him when he realised that Modesto's stealing didn't leave to much in the way of actually saving money, considering how quickly Modesto had abandoned his family when he was caught out in the end.

It was also this realisation about his father that somewhat sent Andrew down on his own path of lying as well, given the whoppers he told the pharmacy manager at the end when applying for a job at Thriftys. Now that we've gotten Andrew's fairly elongated backstory out of the way, next week can actually focus on the aftermath of his most famous and final of kills and conclude the series.

- Good guest actors with both Edouard Holdener and Billy Cruz playing younger versions of both Cunanan and Versace this week.
- Again no Gianni, Donatella and Antonio in current day scenes but there's always the finale for that.
- Matt Bomer directed this episode, so it's nice to see he's still involved in the Ryan Murphy TV universe while this is the only episode co-written as well.
- Chronology: Both 1957 Milan for Gianni and 1980 and 1987 in Manila and the US for Andrew and his family alone.

Creator/Destroyer felt like a filler episode at times with too much focus on Andrew and not a desired split between both him and Gianni when it comes to origin stories. It's not a bad episode as such with some great guest performances but it certainly could've done with a shorter running time in order to convey the same message. Hopefully the finale will give the series a good conclusion.

Rating: 6 out of 10