DCEU News: Snyder Cut Approaches, A Kryptonian Reboot And More

It has been an extremely busy month for DC fans with the imminent arrival of a certain movie, discussion on upcoming streaming shows and certain movies that are entering production. Shall we?

Zack Snyder's Justice League will be streaming on HBO Max as well as getting international releases from March 18th and the movie will clock in at four hours and two minutes with some timed chapters to allow people for breaks. At this rate, you've seen all the trailers, read various interviews with Snyder himself and probably have guessed the cliff hanger ending, so there's not much else left to discuss until the movie's release.

Meanwhile The Flash still scheduled for November 4th 2022 for now has finally added another cast member to the list. The Young And The Restless star Sasha Calle will be taking on the role of Supergirl for the Multiverse themed movie. Other cast members are Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck, Michael Keaton and Billy Crudup but with filming scheduled for the end of April, expect more casting news pretty soon.

Arguably the biggest news reveal and  one that's proving to be a mixed bag with fans so far was the announcement of the inevitable Superman reboot, which will not see Henry Cavill return in the title role but instead cast a black actor, possibly taking on the Val Zod or Calvin Ellis version of the character. This reboot will be produced by JJ Abrams and written by Ta-Nehisi Coates, who has previously written for Marvel titles such as Black Panther and Captain America.

Black Adam might still be looking for a new release date at the moment but it does at least have another cast member with Jafar himself, Marwan Kenzari added in an undisclosed role (though it was rumoured he would be playing the villain, Sabbac a few months ago). Casting has yet to be announced for Doctor Fate, Red Tornado and Osiris and filming is slated to start in April.

Meanwhile Shazam!: Fury Of The Gods has cast West Side Story actor Rachel Zegler in an undisclosed role and while other details have yet to be revealed about the sequel for the 2019 movie, we do know that filming is meant to be starting in May and that the movie is slated for a June 2nd 2023 release.

Another future movie we can add to the pile for the DCEU will be Blue Beetle, which will focus on the Jaime Reyes version of the character and will be directed by Angel Manuel Soto from a script by Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer with Zev Foreman as an executive producer. Filming is slated for Autumn 2021 but no release has been given yet, though casting for the title role should be coming soon.

On the HBO Max streaming front, writer Guy Bolton will be bringing John Constantine to the platform in a series that will be produced by JJ Abrams, will cast a 20 something BIPOC actor in the title and focus more on the horror aspect than religious ones. Elsewhere casting for the Green Lantern series is on the way as filming is set to happen in April, there's a really hideous first look still for the upcoming Aquaman: King Of Atlantis series and Peacemaker will debut from January 2022 and has added  Nhut Le as Judomaster to the cast.

That's a lot of news this month. What are you looking forward most or least, DC wise?

My Review of Promising Young Woman (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Emerald Fennell

Al: "It's every man's worst nightmare, getting accused of something like that."

Cassie: "Can you guess what every woman's worst nightmare is?"

They say revenge is a dish best served cold but with a protagonist like Cassie (Carey Mulligan), well her methods of fighting wrongs are downright bone chilling. Before going any further with this review, this is definitely a movie that once you've seen will definitely stick with you.

Seven years ago, Cassie's friend Nina was raped by Al Monroe (Chris Lowell). No one except Cassie actually believed Nina and at some point, Nina died. Unable to move on from her friend's ordeal, Cassie made it a one woman mission to get revenge and her methods weren't just reserved for the menfolk either.

With the women who failed Nina, Cassie put them through the gamut of gaslighting. She made another former friend Madison (Alison Brie) panic about having drunken sex with another man while tricking a college dean (Connie Britton) into believing that her daughter was in a room with a bunch of frat boys in order to give both women a taste of what Nina had gone through.

The only positive result from that was it served to guilt Madison into giving Cassie vital evidence she'd later use for her final act of revenge but before then, she played the role of drunk girl to scare the shit out of Neil (Christopher Mintz-Plasse) as well as give Jerry (Adam Brody) an offscreen beating. Or did she kill him? I'm actually not sure with that.

Between schemes of revenge, Cassie also had a nice boss at the coffee shop in Gail (Laverne Cox), worried parents in Susan (Jennifer Coolidge) and Stanley (Clancy Brown) as well as even a brief conversation with Nina's mother (Molly Shannon). Unfortunately none of them could veer Cassie off her revenge driven path.

Then there was Ryan (Bo Burnham). He seemed promising and he seemed like he really could've been the one for Cassie until that bit from his past came to light and it's a shame because I was rooting for the guy until then. At least Al's former lawyer (Alfred Molina) had developed a conscience and aided Cassie at the last minute.

As for the final revenge itself. I loved the final confrontation between Cassie and Al and while it was brilliant that not even death could stop her from getting her revenge, I still would've preferred to have seen Cassie be alive and well and to have witnessed Al's downfall for herself. Still though, she definitely got her revenge in glorious style.

- Emerald Fennell who wrote and directed this movie also makes a brief cameo as a makeup tutorial video artist.

- The title refers to the infamous Brock Turner case from 2016.

- Standout music: Far too many choices here but the best ones are DeathByRomy's version of It's Raining Men, Paris Hilton's Stars Go Blind, Britney Spears Toxic and Juice Newton's Angel In The Morning.

- Chronology: By the end of this movie, it was July 27th.

Promising Young Woman is an ambitious, bold piece of film making. Emerald Fennell delivers a biting script and gets extraordinary performances out of her cast, especially Carey Mulligan. The latter delivers a career high performance and while I'm not sure about a certain outcome, there's no denying this film has left a lasting impression.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Superman And Lois 1x01: "Pilot"

 

Written by Todd Helbing And Greg Berlanti

Directed by Lee Toland Krieger

Clark (re Martha): "I think she felt this family needs Smallville."

Lois: "As much as the world needs Superman?"

Clark: "I know it would be a huge change."

Lois: "Yeah, it would but I think she was right."

You wait a while for another Superman series and after years of his cousin flying the cape for the CW, it's time for the most famous Kryptonian to make his television return and with this pilot episode alone, it really does prove that the world will always need Superman.

I know DC shows on the CW can be divisive for some but the good will that the trailers for this show has generated over the last two months are definitely justified. This is an impressive pilot episode, feeling somewhat more mature for a Superman show while at the same time also feeling familiar enough too.

Tyler Hoechlin and Elizabeth Tulloch are equal partners as both Superman and Lois and both of them are given the right opportunities to shine here. You buy their partnership immediately and this episode filled in the gaps to their first meeting, marriage and parenthood with ease as they face a lot of adult problems in this 63 minute premiere.

One problem being their fourteen year old twin boys Jonathan (Jordan Elsass) and Jordan (Alex Garfin). Both kids are tonally different to each other - the jock and the loner with mental health issues and within this pilot we see Clark struggle with Jordan as it's revealed surprisingly fast that he's the one with actual powers as well as a budding love interest in Sarah Cushing (Inde Navarette).

I'm not surprised that Jordan turned out to be the one with powers or that both boys didn't initially take it well when they learned that their father is Superman but the characters along with Sarah do make up the teen quotient for the CW and I thought all three came across well enough. 

As for the bigger threats - relocating to Smallville to save the farm following Martha's death might be what Clark intends to do but it's clear that Lois has her own arc that will likely involve Lana Cushing-Lang (Emmanuelle Chriqui) bank that now seems to be owned by Morgan Edge (Adam Rayner) who clearly has been set up to be an ongoing problem for Lois and Clark going forward.

This episode didn't actually feature Edge but he's mentioned a lot and he's responsible for the Daily Planet being gutted and Clark losing his job. However with Lois quickly agreeing to relocate to Smallville, it's unlikely she'll be remaining in the Daily Planet much longer either.

However the main villain of this opening episode and one who took delight in testing Superman's abilities was of course called The Stranger (Wole Parks). If you've already been spoiled, you'll know who he really is and if you paid the attention before the reveal, then it being Lex Luthor from a different Earth won't be a shocker.  You can't have a Superman show without Lex Luthor and we've got one from a different Earth. This is gonna be fun.

- The opening flashbacks were stunning, even Clark's first Superman suit as well as the neat ways they managed to get Donner, Siegel and Shuster on a notice board.

- Other characters we met that are of  importance are Lana's firefighter husband, Kyle (Erik Valdez) and Lois's father General Sam Lane (Dylan Walsh). The latter seemed to have more cordial relationship with Superman than he did with Supergirl during the latter's first season.

- Some of the darker stuff in this episode was mostly real life, such as Sarah telling Jordan about the horrors of her father's job. It sort of offers clarity for his abrasive behaviour around Lois and Clark.

- Chronology: Let's assume it's 2021 for now.

Superman And Lois takes all the bits from previous iterations and does something wonderfully new with it. This feels more grown up but still capturing the wonders of the character and his world. There's no denying that the CW have stuck gold with this series. Watch it soar.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Batman: Death In The Family (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Brandon Vietti

Bruce (to Clark): "If I've learned anything over the years, it's that the impossible is just the unthinkable lying in wait."

Yeah, we did this already animated wise back in 2010 but if DC can give us two animated movies the same Superman arc, then why not another variation of Death In The Family/Under The Red Hood for good measure.

The first half hour of this interactive, fate choosing feature has Bruce Wayne (Bruce Greenwood) telling Clark Kent (Nolan North) the events of the previous movie and I got to be honest, while it's nice to get Bruce's perspective on how he failed Jason Todd (Vincent Martella), it's also the definition if paddling and easily could've been conveyed in about five minutes.

Still though, there's the nice banter between Bruce and Clark and once you get past the overlong, you can sail through the scenarios of how things would've played out had Jason not died during that fatal encounter with the Joker in Bosnia. Most of then are not as surprising as they could've been.

You can have Jason avenge a Batman who died, you can have him still become the Red Hood or even Hush. There's even a scenario where Jason gets to kill the Joker along with the options of either having Jason fight or kill Batman and even a battle with Two Face.

Overall, the options of either killing or spring the Joker seem to cover every aspect if Jason's personality - the volatile sidekick, the victim, the villain and the grudging antihero. There's really an ideal option for however you feel about the character and that particular in general as well as seeing as how other Bat family react to things. 

- I'm surprised they didn't try and get Jensen Ackles back for this one, but Vincent Martella does a good job voicing Jason Todd.

- Wonder Woman and The Flash make brief cameos here and Cheetah even winds up as one of Jason's victims.

- I see they managed to slip in clever reference to Joker's first ever appearance in DC comics as well.

- You need the BluRay version in order to access the interactive choices for this movie.

Batman: Death In The Family is a solid but unnecessary retelling of the 2010 movie and if you have that in your collection, you don't really need this. The alternative scenarios are fine, animation is great but I cant help feeling that this was little more than a cheap cash grab and a simple Red Hood story might have been the better idea.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of Wrong Turn (2021)

 

Written by Alan B. McElroy

Directed by Mike P. Nelson

John: "I was wrong about you, Jen. You are strong."

Jen: "I had to be if I was ever gonna get away from you."

Okay, forewarning time. As a horror franchise, I have no real attachment to Wrong Turn whatsoever. I've only seen the original once and have never bothered looking out for the five sequels that followed but for some strange reason, I decided to watch this one and the results were largely mixed to be honest.

The story is simple enough - six people decide to go on the Appalachian trial and by the end of this, only one makes it out of the traumatic events that follows but as the end led to believe, you can never escape the creepy, villainous tribe of the piece, also known as the Foundation.

Our six protagonists are three couples - two straight couples with Jen (Charlotte Vega) and Darius (Adain Bradley) and Adam (Dylan McTee) and Milla (Emma Dumont) along with gay couple, Gary (Vardaan Arora) and Luis (Adrian Favela). I'm gonna tell you right now, there's zero point in being even the tiniest bit invested in any of these pairings.

It's great for a horror film to have a gay couple among the main characters. Less great would be the way that Gary got quickly dispatched and Luis himself suffered a fate almost worse than death until he too was eventually killed off. So close but yet still drastically too far in the wrong direction for LGBT rep in the horror genre.

That's not to say the straight pairings fare better either to be fair. While trying to escape the Foundation, Milla fell into one of the many traps set out by the savage group and Adam paid for bashing a member's head in by getting his own bashed in.

The remaining couple of the piece are only spared by the Foundation's brutal leader Venable (Bill Sage) by Jen literally offering her and Darius's services to the tribe, which saw the latter eventually being brainwashed as the former got help escaping with her father, Scott (Matthew Modine), tribe girl Ruthie (Rhyan Elizabeth Hanavan) while also dealing with jealous tribeswoman Edith (Daisy Head) and some other threats along the way.

As baddies go, the Foundation are pretty poor even if Bill Sage does a little to dimensionalise his character, Venable. Charlotte Vega does a decent job as Jen but I'm not sure the character would go down in the pantheon of final girls, Everyone on the other hand are poorly served, though given rather brutal outcomes that have no emotional weight at all.

- The alternative title for this movie is Wrong Turn: The Foundation which would help differentiate it from the 2003 original movie. It only opened in US cinemas for one night.

-  The film has no opening credits at all for some odd reason. You have to wait until the closing credits to even get the title.

- There's no connection to any of the sequels but it's not entirely remaking the original either.

- Chronology: Gonna assume 2020, which was when it was meant to be released.

Wrong Turn definitely is a mess of a movie. Not quite another sequel but perhaps not enough of a reboot and the Foundation are just pretty poor characters along with the main characters. Maybe this franchise should just stay dead until someone can come up with a far better idea than this one.

Rating: 4 out of 10

My Review of It's A Sin: "Episode 5"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar

Jill (to Valerie): "He died because of you. They all die because of you."

Onto the final 'La' for this powerhouse series and of course, it ended how I think we all predicted it would. Time had passed and despite Ritchie's determination to live and some bits of hope, eventually he died. And it felt small but gutting.

Gutting due to the way that Valerie Tozer made herself into the biggest bitch by heartlessly removing Ritchie from his friends during his final weeks of life and for the cold and callous way in which she informed Jill a day later that Ritchie had died from something that wasn't her fault.

Keeley Hawes delivered a powerhouse performance in this episode but my disgust for Valerie and her mistreatment of Jill went into overdrive here. I loved that Jill wouldn't let Valerie intimidate her and I especially loved that she gave Valerie the dressing down the latter deserved here.

By comparison, Clive was surprisingly the better parent of the two, though he could've stood up to Valerie for Ritchie's sake. Still though, Ritchie's death hit as hard as Colin's and every other death this miniseries has given us.

In five episodes, Russell T. Davies highlighted a beautiful but tragic world. We lost characters like Colin and Ritchie bit at the same time, we also know that Roscoe, Ash and Jill also lived and I'm hoping went on to have amazing lives. 

Roscoe even got a second chance with his father and Valerie's actions were reprehensible, even I'll admit that she did love Ritchie in her own way. I do feel that maybe Ash should've been there too in the Isle of Wight with Jill and Roscoe but he still had some nice moments in this one.

- Russell T. Davies mentioned about wanting to do a sixth episode with Jill in the present day, which I would've loved to have seen.

- There was a nice flashback to an earlier with all the gang and Greg where Ritchie had his ice cream ruined by a sea gull. That was a lovely last scene.

- Standout music: Gonna go with Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill.

- Chronology: This episode started in November 1988 before jumping quickly into November 1991.

For a finale, this was a satisfying way to end the series. There was sadness, there were tears but there was also joy in getting to know these characters and further proof that Russell T. Davies continues to knock it out the park. Whatever his next project is, there's no doubt I'll be watching it.

Rating: 9 out of 10

Oh, Brother, You Don't Look The Same

A bit unusual for me but two TV Jumble blogs this month and here is the second one ...

Batwoman: The show took a two week break before coming back with a nice enough character piece that gave Ryan an old enemy to confront, a young boy's life to save and an ex-girlfriend to reconnect with. The same ex who also seems to be involved with Ocean, that guy that Safiyah wants Alice to kill who also has a romantic past with Alice to boot. On top of that, there's more hints of Black Mask coming, Jacob actually can work with a new Batwoman while Sophie, Mary and Luke all have different ways to deal with Kate's absence.

Bridgerton: I've finally finished the series and needless to say, I will be coming back for seconds. The second half of the season certainly put Simon and Daphne through the gamut while Eloise's hunt for Lady Whistledown surprisingly led to the latter's identity being revealed a lot earlier than expected. There was also the social downfall of the Featheringtons, a near scandal for Colin, Anthony reassessing his priorities and Benedict embarking on his own sexual escapades though sadly not with Henry. Maybe next season.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: I have to admit that while I liked the final season enough for the most part, there's no denying that it felt very rushed for it's own good. The Eldritch Terrors were often easily dispatched off and Sabrina and Nick's own 'happy ending'  was a questionable way to end the series. I did like the return of the original Hilda and Zelda from the 90s series and the show certainly had fun with the two Sabrinas angle but overall, this was hastily ended series.

Schitt's Creek: Finishing up the second half of the third season, I really have come to love this series and these batch of episodes were some of the best yet. The introduction of Noah Reid's Patrick has certainly been a great addition to the series and while I'm surprised they didn't hold off a little before David and Patrick got to share their big kiss, I can see why so many love this couple. Now it's time to move on to the fourth season.

WandaVision: These last two episodes have been quite the adventure for the show. Is Wanda really controlling everything? SWORD think so. Both Norm and Agnes have implied to Vision that she is and anyone who has threatened Wanda's newly created world has paid for it. However it does feel like someone else has been pulling the strings and the return of Pietro with a new face definitely raises more questions too along with Wanda and Vision's rapidly aging kids. Along with the brilliant trio of Monica, Jimmy and Darcy, things really are heating up now.

• Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay have been cast in the lead roles for HBO's upcoming adaptation of The Last Of Us.
• JJ Abrams and HBO Max will be doing a reboot of  Constantine with a BIPOC lead. Guy Bolton will be head writer for the series.
• CBS will be ending both Mom and NCIS: New Orleans with their current seasons.
• The CW have passed on the Wonder Girl pilot but will go ahead with Naomi.
• Alan Cumming will make a guest appearance on Prodigal Son.
• The Flight Attendant will air on Sky1 from March 19th.
• Jamie Chung has landed a role on the upcoming revival of Dexter.
• Simone Ashley will play Kate Sharma, who will be the love interest for Anthony in the second season of Bridgerton.
• Brooklyn Nine Nine will also be ending with it's eighth season.
• Angus Macfadyen has been cast as Jor El for Superman And Lois.

My Review of Breaking Fast (2020)

 

Written And Directed by Mike Mosallam

Kal (quoting Superman): "Excuse me, Miss. I've got you."

Mo (quoting Lois Lane): "You've got me? Who's got you?"

It's Valentine's Day and I felt like watching something sweet and in terms of movies to pick, this was definitely a great choice to make. It's been on my list to watch for a few weeks now and today seemed the most apt of days to cave in and finally watch it.

Set in WeHo, or West Hollywood if you like, we've got our main protagonist, devout doctor and Muslim Mo (Haaz Sleiman) celebrating the last day of Ramadan with his family, only for his boyfriend Hassan (Patrick Sabongui) to break up with him, in order to marry a woman to appease his father.

A year later and Mo's friend, Sam (Amin El Gamal) tells his single friend to get back on the market and when Sam celebrates his birthday, the opportunity for Mo to seek love again comes in the form of aspiring actor and general cool guy, Kal (Michael Cassidy) and it's definitely a fun adventure these two love birds go on.

Recently while promoting It's A Sin Russell T. Davies talked more candidly on representation and having gay characters played by gay actors. In the context of Breaking Fast, Haaz Sleiman is openly gay while Michael Cassidy is straight. While I definitely agree with RTD's sentiments on the topic, there's no denying that both Sleiman and Cassidy have amazing chemistry, regardless of their own sexualities in real life.

We see Kal surprise and charm Mo by being able to speak Arabic, know his way around Ramadan customs and spending the majority of the month breaking fast with him almost every night. Then there's the fact that both men are massive fans of Christopher Reeve's Superman and this film earns even more great will, especially with both of them shamelessly quoting one particular scene twice in this film.

Of course while they do ultimately end up together and celebrate the last day of Ramadan with Mo's family, we still had moments of tension with Mo not being able to accept alternative views on his faith as this led to a heated confrontation with Sam where the latter related his own experiences as a stark contrast to Mo's own beliefs.

Kal's own turbulent relationship with his own family also came into play as well and while I definitely wish we had met his father and brother, his backstory definitely gave the right context to his love of acting, relationship with alcohol as well as giving Mo food for thought on how he's dealt with problems in his life. The subplot about Mo and his grandmother was also a nice poignant bit of writing here too.

Overall, I really loved this movie. Both Sleiman and Cassidy were fantastic to watch and while I found Sam a little OTT to begin with, he really is someone you want on your side and he had some genuinely funny moments like the one with his gossiping cousin at a funeral. Mo's mother was another delightful comic character that I would've liked to have seen more of but the focus was Mo and Kal and that was more than fine by me.

- The Superman references are even more on point when you remember that Michael Cassidy played Jimmy Olsen in Batman V. Superman: Dawn Of Justice.

- This is actually a remake of a short film from 2015 that was also written and directed by Mike Mosallam.

- Standout music: Haaz Sleiman's version of Climb Ev'ry Mountain.

- Chronology: I'm gonna assume 2020 tbh.

Breaking Fast is a joyous, lovely film with two wonderfully delightful protagonists and a believable love story. I don't know if this will generate any kind of follow up but if it does, I would absolutely watch it in a heartbeat. Haaz Sleiman and Michael Cassidy are both sublime.

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of It's A Sin: "Episode 4"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar

Ritchie (to everyone): "I'm gonna live."

I cant believe there's only one more episode left in this incredible miniseries and this one certainly saw the shit hit the fan even more as we opened with a funeral of another young man whose parents couldn't accept his sexuality while Ritchie went on a tangent about decorum.

I've seen that Ritchie has divided viewers and in a way that's a good thing. I love all the main lads on this series have been so different to each but at the same time, it feels believable that they all are friends. Colin's death still loomed on events and here Ritchie wanted not to talk about AIDS while being confronted with the reality of it.

Olly Alexander really impressed with this episode. Ritchie might not be the easiest of characters to like at times but he definitely went through the ringer here. An attempt to cook a nice dinner for his family went awry and he unloaded a lot more than he probably wanted to on an old school mate named Martin (Jonny Green).

I did fear that straight Martin was going to punch Ritchie when the latter was coming on a bit too strong, but instead he was kind and told Ritchie to look after himself and I loved that. I also loved that Ritchie stepped in during the protests after some policemen attacked Jill and his confession and determination at the end was a highlight along with the ballet scene with Martin.

I somewhat mentioned that Ash had felt underused so far this series ans this episode somewhat amended that as we got to see into his job as a teacher. The job came with an asshole boss that made Ash go through books to ban that might have homosexual content in them. Aside from that, there was also the hint of Ash wanting to get closer to Ritchie with the latter keeping him at arm's length.

As for Roscoe, he was somewhat enjoying the high life being offered to him by closeted and conservative MP Arthur Garrison (Stephen Fry) but Arthur being such fanboy for Margaret Thatcher was more than Roscoe could tolerate so he took some pleasure in adding a special ingredient to Maggie's coffee. That scene was the other highlight from this one.

- Ritchie got to act in a Doctor Who bit called Regression Of The Daleks. Surely Chris Chibnall should be calling any of these talented young actors for this show.

- The inspiration behind Jill Baxter, Jill Nadler appeared here, playing Jill's mother Christine. I also loved seeing Colin's mum, Eileen at the protests too.

- Standout music: Eurythmics Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This).

- Chronology: March 1988 at the start of this episode.

There's just one more episode to go and this series really has gotten better and more heart breaking as it's gone. Ritchie's downward spiral, the protests, the hard realities gay men had to face and the enabling that people like Garrison did with Thatcher. 

Rating: 9 out of 10

My Review of Batman: Soul Of The Dragon (2021)

 

Written by Jeremy Adams

Directed by Sam Liu

O-Sensei (to Bruce): "Life is meant to be lived with others. It is too hard to live it alone."

You really are never far away from an animated Batman movie but this time around, it really does seem the next phase of DC animated movies are showing a little more room for experimentation. This time around, it's not even the Caped Crusader in the present day as he finds himself teaming up with some old friends for a special mission.

Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne/Batman (David Giuntoli) finds himself reunited with spy Richard Dragon (Mark Decascos), crime lady of Chinatown Lady Shiva (Kelly Hu) and martial arts trainer, also known as Bronze Tiger (Michael Jai White). Their mission is to find the Gate and stop it from being opened by Kobra of all organisations.

It seems that Kobra, led by the delusional Jeffrey Burr (Josh Keaton) is determined to become a vessel for the god Naga and will stop at nothing to achieve his goals. This also includes using children to open the Gate and when that failed, ultimately himself. The only problem is that Naga had a different vessel in mind in order to doom mankind.

Flashbacks (of which there are many here) do a lot to flesh out the relationships between the main four protagonists/antiheroes, as well as giving a good sense that O-Sensei (James Hong) was trying to mold their destinies but it was really Richard who was slated to be the one to hold Naga and he certainly tried, with a little help from everyone else here.

The fact that this story wasn't actually wrapped up here as our characters entered Naga's world genuinely surprised me. I was going we'd see Batman tea, up with Richard, Shiva and Bronze Tiger and now we have to get a continuation of this story. Will they all make it out alive? I bloody hope so.

The movie is brim with so many great characters. The main four work extremely well with each otner and in the separate moments they had as does their deadpan but wise Sensei and while Burr himself isn't quite the threat that he should be, his acolytes certainly were menacing enough as was Naga. 

- Other characters in Nanda Parbet with the gang and O-Sensei included Jade Nguyen (Jamie Chung) and Rip Jagger (Chris Cox). The former was killed by the latter , revealed to be a Kobra agent.

- Both Kelly Hu and Michael Jai White have previously played their respective characters on Batman: Arkham Origins and Arrow.

- With the exception of Silver St Cloud, this movie refrained from having any other Batman related character in the mix.

- Chronology: This was set in the 1970s and they had a lot of fun with this era of choice.

Batman: Soul Of The Dragon was a the right tonic of playing around with classic 70s tropes, different genres and in general having a great mix of characters to bounce with. Thanks to the cliff hanger, I'm so glad we'll likely be seeing more of this world.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of It's A Sin: "Episode 3"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar

Jill (re Colin): "He's gone."

I knew we wouldn't have to wait until the last episode before one of the main characters would die and whoever it was, it was always going to leave an impact. The death in question turned out to be Colin and it was a gut punch to watch.

Colin's been the innocent member of the group, gently teased by Ritchie and Roscoe but loved by them as well as Jill and Ash nonetheless. He's the only one of the characters who up to this point we haven't seen intimate with another man.

In flashbacks we learned that Colin was having sex with his former landlady's son (who also has AIDS) and while she seemed disgusted at the thought of her son being gay, Colin's mother was nothing but supportive of him until his final breath.

Russell T. Davies has a fair for writing mothers and Colin's is one of the best he's ever written. My heart broke for her as she had to fight in order to see him locked away in that hospital with those unfeeling doctors who treated Colin with no regard for his life. I loved that she had scenes with the gang as well.

Credit has to be given to Callum Scott Howells. This is one of his first roles in a major drama and he absolutely delivered big time here. Colin was a far more relatable character and to lose him so soon was gut wrenching but I absolutely got why RTD chose to kill Colin and to show the other symptoms of AIDS as well. I can imagine Howells will get a lot of offers after this performance and deservedly so.

As Colin's death affected everyone, it also served as a looming foreshadowing for Ritchie as well. He realised the severity of AIDS when he dumped fellow actor Donald, upon realising the latter had symptoms and the stark warning about not going home from his agent clearly shook him to his core. I can already tell that Ritchie will be the next to die. Well that and the trailers did somewhat draw attention to it.

- Nice use of Stephen Fry in this episode as an older suitor of Roscoe's. Both Roscoe and Ash came back negative this week.

- The mentions of Derek Jacobi and Philip Scofield when Ritchie and Donald were talking about being gay actors was amusing.

- Standout music: Queen's Who Wants To Live Forever?

- Chronology: This episode took place in 1986.

This series continues to knock it out of the park each episode. Everyone continues to bring their A game and every character remains believable. This episode had me in tears and I don't doubt the final two episodes will do the same.

Rating: 9 out of 10

To Ruse Is To Confuse

I know, it's been over a month since my last TV Jumble blog but here's some of the shows I have been catching up on in the last few weeks.

Batwoman: Season 2 of this show has gotten off to a surprisingly strong start with managing to seam on Javicia Leslie's Ryan Wilder as the new Batwoman but at the same time not completely abandoning the idea that maybe one day Kate Kane will return to Gotham. The first three episodes not only saw Luke and Mary guide Ryan on her new role but also had both Jacob and Sophie aware of Kate's former identity, resolved the Tommy as Bruce plot very speedily and had Alice coax Safiyah out of hiding while giving us an entertaining version of Victor Zsasz. That's good work for only three episodes so far.

Bridgerton: Shonda Rhimes has spent the last fifteen years giving ABC many a glossy hit and it was only a matter of time before she moved to Netflix and would wind up giving them one of their biggest shows. I'm halfway through the first season of this soapy period drama and while  there are times, it can feel a bit silly, it's massively enjoyable with the ruse between Simon and Daphne causing more problems than solutions, the writings of Lady Whistledown being akin to Gossip Girl but there are some entertaining characters like Benedict, Eloise, Penelope, Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte to watch here.

Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: It's the final season and the Eldritch Terrors along with Faustus (who has long since worn out his welcome) are among us. In the first half of this last season, we've seen Sabrina (x2) and the gang come up against terrors such as Uninvited, Weird and Perverse with the Void also getting closer and closer. We've had seen Hilda get married, Caliban try to get rid pf Lilith and Adam, Roz find out she's a witch and Nick declaring end game for himself and Sabrina. Let's see what the remaining four have to offer.

Schitt's Creek: I'm halfway through the third season and I'm loving this show so much at the moment that I don't want it to end. So far I've seen both David and Stevie the gorgeous himbo Jake and was a little sad to see him go. Still, at least David and Stevie got businesses to run, the latter with Johnny, Alexis went back to school, Moira decided not to do another horror movie and Ted became a thirst trap for a few minutes.

WandaVision: Disney+ have had an excellent time with a certain Pedro Pascal show doing impressive numbers for them, so after an 18 month absence, it was time for the MCU to come back swinging with the first of many shoes they have lined up for the next few years. Four episodes in and this series has mixed wonderful sitcom tropes with an underlying darkness to come out as the Multiverse so being set up, Wanda's grief has made a fantasy dream/imminent nightmare for herself and Vision, while SWORD has roped in Monica Rambeau, Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo into the mix to fix things. This is definitely one of the best things that the MCU and set the bar for the other shows to come.

• Superman And Lois will premiere on the CW from February 23rd. It will be now 15 episodes instead of 13 as originally planned.
• The CW have already renewed 12 shows including Riverdale, Charmed, Walker, Batwoman, Legends Of Tomorrow as well as The Flash.
• American Horror Story's tenth season has begun filming and Sarah Paulson has teased a different hair colour and cool name for the character she will play this season.
• Marilyn Manson's scenes from American Gods have been removed.
• The Stabler spin off is titled Law And Order: Organised Crime.
• Disney+ now plan to do a series set in Wakanda, expanding the Black Panther side of the MCU.
• Tian Richards will play Tom Swift for the upcoming Nancy Drew spin off on the CW.
• HBO Max will release all of It's A Sin from February 18th. The miniseries has pulled in over 6.5 million for Channel 4 and All4.
• The remaining episodes of The Walking Dead will air February 28th onwards.
• Azie Tesfai will write an episode for the finale season of Supergirl.

My Review of The Experiment (2010)

 

Written And Directed by Paul T. Scheuring

Archaleta: "Ah, so you're the one who knows what it's going to take for this society to evolve."

Travis: "I'm just regurgitating what people have been saying for a long time."

If you've ever of the infamous Stanford Prison Experiment from the 1970s or seen the 2001 German movie, Das Experiment, then The Experiment will be familiar enough to you. For those unfamiliar, here's a simple rundown.

A group of men from all different walks of life agree to take part in $1000 a day 'experiment' in which they are either prisoners or prison guards and if they can handle the psychological pressure, then they will be a lot richer for the experience, both mentally and financially by mostly the latter.

Taking part in this experiment includes anti-war protester guy named Travis Cacksmackberg (Adrien Brody) and a 40 something man named Michael Barris (Forest Whitaker) and at first, it seemed like the two were going to strike up a friendship but the moment both men fell into their respective roles as prisoner and prison guard, the dynamic changed in quite a brutal way.

Michael is a man somewhat emasculated by a domineering mother through flashbacks and as soon as as he becomes a prison guard along with some others, he's not above making his newfound power known to the prisoners ans he soon locks horns with Travis, who has a reluctant leader of the prisoner.

Travis for the most part did try to retain his pacifist ways but between being physically humiliated by an increasingly unhinged Michael and the guards and having to save another prisoner, Oscar (Jason Lew) from nearly being sexually assaulted by fellow guard Chase (Cam Gigandet), its not surprising that the experiment then resulted in a full scale prison riot with everyone more scarred by the events of the movie than beforehand.

Although I've heard the German original is the better movie when it comes to tackling this particular real life experiment, I did like this movie quite a bit. I think Adrien Brody did a solid job in making Travis an engaging protagonist but Forest Whitaker definitely delivered the stronger performance of the two.

The other characters, both prisoners and prison guards alike somewhat made up the numbers and there was at least one character who went from prison guard to prisoner in order to showcase Michael's lack of mercy. There was also a brief love story for Travis with the only female character named Bay but honestly, it's a wasted role for Maggie Grace and added nothing to the overall story.

- As well as Das Experiment and this movie, there's another movie called The Stanford Prison Experiment with Ezra Miller that covers this general idea as well.

- Originally this movie was meant to have Elijah Wood but he left a few days of shooting and presumably was replaced with Adrien Brody.

- The real experiment ended after six days but here despite ending early, they all got their $14,000.

- Paul T. Scheuring who wrote and directed this also worked on Prison Break.

The Experiment is a solid enough take on the infamous Stanford Experiment and seemingly a solid adaptation of a much stronger original movie. Both Adrien Brody and Forest Whitaker are on fine form and if you like your prison themed movies, it's a good one to watch.

Rating: 7 out of 10

My Review of It's A Sin: "Episode 2"

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar

Ritchie (re AIDS crisis): "It's not real. I don't believe a word of it."

Oh, the denial is real and it's not good. Last week we saw the death of Henry Coltrane and this week, another guest character suffered the same fate. We saw Henry's death affect Colin, this time it was Jill affected by the death of Gregory "Gloria" Finch (David Carlyle).

Gloria might have been a one episode character but this episode did an amazing job with an excellent guest performance from David Carlyle. We saw Gloria/Greg as a part of the group, a unrequited admirer of Roscoe before his illness took place and Jill became a confidante for him.

Lydia West has become quite a find with both Years And Years and Dracula but if this miniseries doesn't catapult her to bigger success, I'd be genuinely surprised. Everyone needs a friend like Jill Baxter and Jill was the only one to be of any help to Gregory in his last few months before his spiteful family took him back to Scotland.

With Jill doing her best to learn more about AIDS (even enlisting Colin at one point), Ritchie's overt denial about the seriousness of the crisis while frustrating was also pretty realistic. I did like Jill telling Ritchie that he was too clever for his own good but her words did seem to fall on deaf ears. Unfortunately, it's pretty obvious that Ritchie's staunch denial will have consequences fairly soon.

As for Colin, he lost one job but soon gained another. There was also something rather satisfying in seeing his sleazy boss get a comeuppance as well. Meanwhile Roscoe watched his sister get married from afar, met his niece and gave some money to his family. Although I didn't like Roscoe being unkind to Gregory, his family scenes were a highlight.

The only character of the main five not to do much this episode was Ash. He was basically just there but given that he was reading about the crisis last week, I'm surprised he didn't back Jill up when she was trying to make Ritchie and Roscoe be a little more sensible.

- Both Ritchie and Jill got into Equity and Valerie still thinks they're a couple. Also did Ritchie mention he's a Tory?

- Those brief scenes Colin and his boss had in New York were actually shot in Liverpool.

- Standout music: Laura Branigan's Gloria. 

- Chronology: It started with December 1983 before moving into 1984.

Another strong episode, this series continues to pull no punches as things are beginning to get very real and it's become apparent one of our main characters will become ill within the remaining episodes. This episode wasn't an easy watch and I can imagine the rest will also difficult viewing.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of It's A Sin: "Episode 1"

 

Written by Russell T. Davies

Directed by Peter Hoar

Ritchie (to casting agent): "I just want to be happy."

It's been nearly two years since the last miniseries event from Russell T. Davies and he's coming back swinging with this rather timely look at the AIDS crisis as we find ourselves in the 1980s and looking at the lives at five LGBT characters who will become affected by this imminent crisis for them.

First of all there's the leader of the group - Ritchie Tozer, as played by Years & Years frontman, Olly Alexander. Olly's no stranger to acting, having played minor roles in shows such as Skins and Penny Dreadful and he's definitely leading man material here with this particular role.

Ritchie's a dreamer and his transition from wanting to be a lawyer to an actor doesn't sit well with parents Clive (Shaun Dooley) and Valerie (Keeley Hawes). They're also unaware that he likes men and mistake best friend, Jill Baxter (Lydia West) for a girlfriend that Ritchie doesn't correct them on.

While Ritchie might have some tension with his family, he spends a good portion if the episode copping up with many fit blokes, including Ash Mukherjee (Nathaniel Curtis), despite putting his foot in it about the latter's heritage while the episode ends with both Ash and Jill discussing the imminent crisis heading their way.

The AIDS crisis however has more of a direct hit on shy, slightly nerdy Colin Morris-Jones (Callum Scott Howells) who loses a mentor and friend - Henry Coltrane to it before the end of this one. While I was a little disappointed to see the miniseries lose Neil Patrick Harris after just one episode, he left such an impression on this that I really hope he works with RTD on another project in the future.

Last but not least, there was Roscoe Babatunde (Omari Douglas) who unlike Ritchie and Colin came out to his family and did it in a very bold, defiant and rather amusement, including slapping his homophobic father. It was a nice bit of subversion on what I expected and I can't wait to see how he manages The Pink Palace in later episodes.

- Originally this series was to be titled The Boys  but then a certain Amazon series happened and it got renamed after a Pet Shop Boys song.

- All the episodes are available to watch on All4 but I'll be watching this weekly on Channel 4. There's also an afterhours series with interviews from cast members each week.

- Standout music: Bronski Beat Smalltown Boy.

- Chronology: This episode started in September 1981 but we got into 1982 as it progressed. 

It's A Sin is starting off we'll and feels like it will be another triumph for RTD. All the characters immediately stand out, it's funny in parts, heartfelt in other and while I expect some deaths among the regulars, I'm gonna enjoy them while I can.

Rating: 8 out of 10

My Review of The Dressmaker (2015)

 

Written by Jocelyn Moorhouse &  P.J Hogan

Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse

Myrtle: "I'm back, you bastards!"

Ever fancied a film described as "Unforgiven with a sewing machine?" Odd as it might sound, that's probably the easiest way to describe this quirky movie, in which Kate Winslet plays the titular dressmaker with a very chequered past who after 25 years has come home to look after her mother, Molly Dunnage (Judy Davis) in the fictional outback town of Dungatar.

Winslet's Myrtle or Tilly as she's largely referred to during the movie has a lot of old ghosts, as she was previously accused of the death of a young boy when she was only ten herself and taken away by the regretful Sgt Farrat (Hugo Weaving) who forms a rather endearing bond with Tilly as well as getting the chance to make it up to her during the end of the movie.

Of course while most of the locals don't take kindly to Tilly's return, they soon begin to tolerate her when they see her dressmaking skills in full fashion. Even the rather spoiled Gertrude Pratt (Sarah Snook) would rather have Tilly make her wedding dress than the rather talentless Una Pleasance (Sacha Horler). Of course this doesn't mean that Tilly is loved or even forgiven for the crime she did not actually commit by the locals.

The same locals who have no issue remaining hostile towards Tilly even after the latter realised that local gossip Beulah Harridiene (Kerry Fox) lied about her involvement and the one person who genuinely loved her - Teddy McSwiney (Liam Hemsworth) also dies rather tragically, quickly followed by her mother of course.

Tilly spends a good portion of the movie believing she's cursed and with the tragedy she's endured, you can see why she feels that way. Molly countered that it was the unforgiving locals who are the curse themselves and even before death, she managed to help Tilly get some revenge on them.

As the movie winds down, we see some of the locals like Beulah, local councilman Evan Pettyman (Shane Bourne) getting their just desserts before Tilly herself gets her last revenge on the town that made her life a living hell in a rather spectacularly camp manner. It's an extremely over the top moment that could be seen as a mood killer but personally I found it a delightful sense of retribution in light of the circumstances.

- The movie is based on a book of the same name by Rosalie Ham, who intended for it to be made into a movie.

- Both Kate Winslet and Judy Davis were envisioned for the roles they ended up being cast in.

- Standout music: People Will Say We're In Love by Gordan McRae/Shirley Jones, Lover Man by Billie Holiday and Bang Bang by Lanie Lane.

- Chronology: 1926 for the flashbacks and 1951 for the main action in the movie.

The Dressmaker is certainly an underrated gem of a movie. Kate Winslet, Judy Davis, Hugo Weaving and Liam Hemsworth are all on fine form, it alternates between being playful and funny to outright dark and traumatic with a nice dash of theatricality for good measure. Definitely worth a watch.

Rating: 8 out of 10

Sex And The City: HBO Max Orders Revival Series

 And Just Like That ..... the story continues.

Last month there were rumours that HBO Max had plans to revive Sex And The City for a limited series and last night, Sarah Jessica Parker, Kristin Davis and Cynthia Nixon all took to social media to confirm that the show would be coming back for a 10 episode series, now titled And Just Like That for HBO Max as this upcoming series would focus on Carrie, Charlotte and Miranda in their 50s. As you have no doubt noticed by now, a certain someone is not returning.

Yup, it seems that Kim Cattral will not be reprising her role as Samantha Jones and already this is going to be a major obstacle for the limited series. I know Cattral doesn't get along with the rest of the ladies but it's a pity differences cannot be put aside for this likely one off event. I do wonder if this upcoming limited series can draw in potential new audiences or even the same impact the original series, which ran for six seasons between 1998 to 2004 on HBO as well as the two movies from 2008 and 2010. I feel Sex And The City is definitely a product of its time, but perhaps this revival an at least be more entertaining than it's big screen adventures were. However the lack of Samantha Jones doesn't work in its favour.

SATCNextChapter: https://tvline.com/2021/01/10/sex-and-the-city-reboot-hbo-max-sarah-jessica-parker/

Thoughts on this news? Is this exciting or a revival too far? And Just Like That  will start filming  late Spring in New York with Parker, Nixon, Davis and Michael Patrick King serving as executive producers.

DC News: Walter Hamada Re-Signs, WW3 Confirmed And More

 It never rains but it pours and DC news has certainly been doing that of late. This may be a monthly feature, depending on how much info spills out but here goes.

Recently it was revealed that the fate of future DC content lies solely on both Toby Emmerich and Walter Hamada and it's those two alone who are in charge of what goes to theatres, television and streaming. This is a revelation that some DC fans are not too enthused about, especially as it was revealed that Hamada will be around until 2023 at the very least.

Speaking of Hamada, he recently revealed that every upcoming movie is being looked at for HBO Max spin off potential and that Robert Pattinson's Batman will be from Earth 2. He also revealed ambitions from 2022 onwards to have four DC movies in theatres and two "riskier" ones (such as Batgirl and Static Shock) on HBO Max a year. Whether this can be achieved, I'm not certain but it'll be intriguing to see it pulled off.

Of course this also brings up the issue of the upcoming HBO Max property - Zack Snyder's Justice League.  A recent interview with Hamada suggested that the miniseries/movie will be a "cul de sac that leads nowhere", which has seemingly annoyed a certain fanbase but with an upcoming movie set to restructure the DCEU, Michael Keaton rumoured to be replacing Ben Affleck as the main Batman (with a rumoured Batgirl in waiting) and Ray Fisher looking increasingly unlikely to be kept on as Cyborg, it wouldn't be too shocking if this SC did become a one and done deal as even Snyder himself has recently admitting that he might be moving on from the DC Universe.

As for The Flash, this movie has been in development hell for too long but finally it seems like it will actually go ahead. Loosely based on the classic Flashpoint by Geoff Johns, the movie written by Christina Hodson (Birds Of Prey) and directed by Andy Muschietti (IT Chapters 1&2), the only cast confirmed so far are Ezra Miller, Ben Affleck and Michael Keaton but with filming due to begin in April, expect a lot of casting announcements to start coming out over the next few months.

Last but not least, there's the Amazon side of things. Wonder Woman 1984 might have rather dicey box office numbers (though under the circumstances doing better than expected), it's done rather well on HBO Max and a third movie has been fast tracked with Gal Gadot and Patty Jenkins set to return. I can't imagine we will see this movie before 2024 but I'm glad Jenkins and Gadot will be able to complete their trilogy.

Walter Hamada Re Signs: https://variety.com/2021/film/news/walter-hamada-re-ups-deal-as-dc-films-president-exclusive-1234878800/

Doctor Who - Series 13: John Bishop Joins Cast

We may have lost Graham O'Brien (Bradley Walsh) and Ryan Sinclair (Tosin Cole) but after Revolution Of The Daleks aired, the BBC were quick to reveal that the Doctor (Jodie Whittaker) and Yasmin Khan (Mandip Gill) will have company in the TARDIS.

Comedian John Bishop (who's also had acting gig in things such as Skins and Accused) will be joining Whittaker and Gill as the new companion, called Dan. Not much is known about the character at the moment, other than going by the trailer, he's from Liverpool, a builder and has a friend (Craige Els) who reads his horoscope to him. 

The scene showed some brief shots of moments that were filmed for the upcoming thirteenth series but nothing too revealing either. Saying that, we know that Bishop's character will have his own encounter with the Sontarans and will likely be in all eight episodes of the upcoming series. 

The 54-year-old, who recently tested positive for coronavirus, said boarding the Tardis was a "dream come true", that his character "becomes embroiled in the Doctor's adventures" and faces "evil alien races beyond his wildest nightmares".

I know some people were keen on just the Doctor and Yaz only for Series, but personally I think Chris Chibnall has made the right call adding a new companion into the mix and we've seen countless times that older companions work very well on the series. In other words, I think audiences will actually like John Bishop as Dan.

Press Release: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-55509582

Welcome To The TARDIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eHSob62p17Q

Series 13 of Doctor Who should resume filming this month for a 2021 airing on both BBC1 and BBCAmerica.

My Review of Doctor Who's 13x00: "Revolution Of The Daleks"

 

Written by Chris Chibnall

Directed by Lee Haven Jones

The Doctor: "Thanks for helping today. Won't be seeing you later."

Dalek: "You will not escape us, Doctor."

The Doctor: "Yes I will. Every time."

Following the events of that controversial finale, it seems that things really have changed for everyone and yet at the same time, maybe not changed enough. If you liked Resolution as a Dalek story but felt it was a bit too small scale, then you'll be happy that Revolution Of The Daleks is something far grander in the scheme of things. 

The Dalek story definitely feels a lot bigger this time around. Instead of one simple Recon Dalek, we have an entire race of Security Drones, partially created by the clever Leo Rugazzi (Nathan Stewart-Jarrett) at the behest of Jack Robertson (Chris Noth) and aspiring PM Jo Patterson (Dame Harriet Walter). Unfortunately for Leo, his curiosity led to these seemingly safe Security Drones becoming more like their true selves when he meddled around and created a whole new embryo. 

Of course, this lead to some more possession acting, which was nicely done but unlike Lin in the previous Dalek story, Leo died here. It also didn't help that the Security Drones became mutated with liquified humans and in order to solve the problem of the Security Drones, the Doctor had to wangle in some actual Daleks to deal with the situations.

This also meant that in order to get rid of the Daleks, Jack, Ryan and Graham had to nuke their ship and the Doctor and Yaz had to lure them into the other TARDIS and have the latter collapse in on itself just to get rid of them for good. All round, that should sum things up here in terms of the actual threat of the episode.

As for the returns - I guess we should've see Jack Robertson coming back a mile off. This episode could've either humanised him or killed him off and there was definitely a moment where the latter seemed very likely. Ultimately it did neither and Robertson managed to come out of the situation looking like a hero. Yup, he's going to be a recurring pain for the Doctor at this point.

As for Captain Jack (John Barrowman) - I loved his earlier appearance in Fugitive Of The Judoon and I thought he was brilliant here. The quick way he got the Doctor out of her prison, their wonderful dynamic, his timely advice to Yaz on the nature of being a companion, which of course also led to the other big event of the episode.

It's been a while coming but this episode saw the exits of Graham and Ryan with both of them volunteering to leave the Doctor of their own accord. As exits go, it lacked a certain oomph and considering some new information that's come to light, Yaz won't have much longer with this Doctor either. Still though, I thought Ryan was actually used pretty well in this episode and I did like a certain callback with both him and Graham that ended the episode.

Speaking of Yaz, she was definitely the most affected by the Doctor's absence and definitely reacted the most emotionally towards it as well. There's been rumours that she might have feelings for the Doctor and this episode certainly didn't dissuade that. I personally would prefer if the show didn't go there with the Doctor and Yaz but a part of me wouldn't be surprised if the idea is at least raised next series.

- While in prison, the Doctor encountered a Weeping Angel, Ood, Sycorax, a Silent and of course, the Pting. John Barrowman also got his name in the opening credits.

- Nice references to Rose Tyler, Gwen Cooper, the Master and even better that Chibnall did not reference a certain real life event still going on at the moment.

- Interesting that the Doctor gave both Graham and Ryan psychic paper each. Seemingly odd too in a way.

- This episode was also made in 4K UHD if you really want to see it in a more snazzy way.

- A short scene added to the end of the episode, revealed that John Bishop will be joining the cast for Series 13 as new companion, Dan.

- Chronology: Ten months since the events of The Timeless Children.

Revolution Of The Daleks certainly delivered a better Dalek story, return for Jack but somewhat fumbled with the exits for Graham and Ryan. Still though, it's a strong episode and with next series only being eight episodes long, I do hope this episode will be a signifier of better quality next series, especially if those rumours are about to come to pass.

Rating: 8 out of 10