Author: Metacrone

Lifelong film, television and theater enthusiast. Choose love.

The Flash Season 3 Episode 17: Duet Recap [Video]

~ Metacrone ~ 2 Comments

Duet

Welcome to the first ever, epic, Flash-Supergirl-Legends-Arrow musical crossover episode! Did anyone actually get to join in from Arrow? Malcom Merlyn/John Barrowman was an Arrow character until he moved to Legends this year, so we’ll count him. This is a reunion of all sorts, with Grant Gustin, Melissa Benoist, and Darren Criss/Music Meister having starred together on Glee, various combinations having gone to college together, and others knowing each other through previous work or longtime friendship. Fun times all around.

Previously on The Flash and Supergirl, Kara broke up with her boyfriend, Mon El, because she found out that he’s actually the Crown Prince of Daxam, rather than a lowly palace guard as he’d originally told her. Her planet, Krypton, has always hated Daxam, its sister planet. The Kryptonians inadvertently destroyed Daxam, as well, when they destroyed their own planet, through their own environmental arrogance. Despite the fact that Mon El has a much better reason to hate Kara than she does to hate him, she continues to find reasons to nurture her racism while telling herself it’s in the name of truth and justice. It’s all very alt-right, while supposedly being feminist. Except the word feminism doesn’t mean what the Berlantiverse thinks it means.

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Supergirl Season 2 Episode 16: Star-Crossed Recap

~ Metacrone

SPG216Kara&TeriH

Sooo, it was an interesting night on Supergirl. We had three high profile guest stars. Winn was unlucky in love, AGAIN, but refused to accept it. Maggie and Alex officially deserve more screen time. Alex can get you Hamilton tickets if you need them.

Oh yeah. We also confirmed that Mon El is the Crown Prince of Daxam. And that he lied about this to Kara. Which she finds unforgivable. There were some threads woven through the episode pointing out Kara’s lingering prejudices towards Daxamites in general, and Mon El in particular. Teri Hatcher, as Mon El’s mom Queen Rhea, took good care of her little boy in this regard. Winn’s storyline with Lyra was also used to highlight Kara’s arrogance and inflexibility. Given how long I’ve been calling out Kara for those traits, it was a very satisfying episode in that way.

Kara and Mon El start the episode enjoying Kara’s funemployment with a Netflix and junk food binge. Mon El suggests that they watch one of those movies where people just break out into song out of nowhere. Kara asks if he means a musical, and suggests Funny Face, gushing about the whole idea for a few minutes. Chris Wood is visibly holding back laughter while she gushes. Then they confess how happy they are with each other to each other and are generally perfect and cute and adorable and in love.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 5: Under Leaf Pluck Lotus Recap

~ Metacrone

IF105Danny&Colleen

Okay, I know I’m supposed to take this new heroin that’s infesting Rand and our cities super seriously, but there’s an issue for me that I can’t get past. When the flight attendant drug dealer pulls out the stylish new heroin patch, what she pulls out is a medical dressing called Tegaderm made by 3M. It’s used for surgical wounds and to hold IV lines and medical devices to the skin. Metamaiden has been using them since she was ten years old for her diabetes devices. The heroin addiction explains so much, let me tell you.

I guess we now also know that Rand is patterned after 3M, which happens to be my husband’s employer. We’ve been living on the spoils of the drug and tape business for years now. Why do you think I’m so into duct tape? That’s where the cocaine is. 😎

Anyway, we actually open on a group of flight attendants young women with rolling cases headed to various offices. But, seriously, why the uniformed bot look? We hear them explaining the joy of their newest pharmaceutical product which, surprise! Turns out to be a no-muss, no-fuss synthetic heroin, which helpfully comes as pills, patches, powder, and drops. It’s been specially formulated so that the human body never develops a tolerance for it. The final potential client asks to test a sample on an expert, and brings out an addict with track marks all over his arm. No need for that any more! On goes the Tegaderm, which is breathable and waterproof, in case you’re wondering, so you can wear it 24/7, through all of your other activities. No idea how that would affect the heroin, but I’m going to guess they want you to keep a heroin patch or two on at all times. For your health.

The addict passes out for a moment, then wakes up and says it feels like the first time. Orders start pouring in.

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The 100 Season 4 Episode 7: Gimme Shelter Recap

~ Metacrone

HU407Murphy&Emori

The Black Rain is finally here, and nobody’s really ready for it. But, it’s okay. If you have the right kind of protection, it barely affects you, mainly regular or recurring status on the show. The island gang is grappling with their own issues, and Emori realizes that it’s about time for a shocking death amongst the minor characters. She takes steps to make sure that this week an extra is chosen instead. This makes Harper very worried that she’ll be chosen soon. We also have another therapy session between Kane and Bellamy disguised as a dangerous, hopeless rescue attempt. Fun times, kids.

Octavia and Helios are riding through the forest after last week’s near miss with executing Lincoln Ilian. She knows Ilian is following her, because he’s a homeless puppy now who’s going to imprint on the last person who was nice to him. Octavia stops, grabs Ilian, and puts a knife to his throat. Ilian has the balls to tell her she won’t survive in the forest without him. Is that the best pick up line he’s got? He must think she accidentally wandered off the side of that cliff. He moves on to more sensibly offering to help her in exchange for her having spared his life.

We’re spared more of his awkward flirting by the arrival of the Black Rain. Octavia grabs Ilian up onto Helios with her, and they head for the nearest cave.

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Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 15: Fellowship of the Spear Recap

~ Metacrone

LOT215Len&Damien

Captain Cold is back for his husband partner! Not the evolved, heroic version of Lenny that Barry Allen inspired, but still, he’s flesh and blood, in the here and now, and there don’t seem to be any time consequences after him, so I’ll take it. Let’s not talk about the version that sacrificed himself any more, I’m getting verklempt.

We start the episode in a battlefield in the middle of World War 1, because even though we have a time machine, we can’t go a few weeks forward or backward and complete the mission when the battle isn’t being fought. Where would the fun be in that? The characters all note how dire the situation is, so that we will worry about them for the entire episode. Remember Hawkman and Leonard Snart died last season, so ANYONE COULD DIE.*

Let’s jump back 72 hours. The Legends examine the fragments of the Spear in their possession. They have to find the Legion of Doom’s evil lair to collect the last fragment from them. Rip knows that they’ve been camping out at the Vanishing Point, so off we go. Len sacrificed himself there exactly a season ago, in S1 Ep15, Destiny.

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Agents of SHIELD/Agents of HYDRA Season 4B and 4C: LMD Review and HYDRA Photos, Posters and Speculation

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

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The LMD arc is one of my favorite arcs that this show has ever done. The story was compelling and a balanced combination of characterization, action and plot. All of the characters had something to do, or at least their LMDs did. We were kept guessing about the LMDs right up until the last episode. The only major disappointment was the writing for the Superior, who turned out to be a flat, boring character after his foreshadowing suggested someone more exciting. How you can make Zach McGowan boring, I don’t know, but they managed to do it. Maybe Ivanov will be more exciting as an LMD. He was offset by all of the Patton Oswalts, and all of the Mallory Jansens. Both were fun and amazing with their multiple characters. The other disappointment was the death of Senator Nadeer. I still have a small hope that she’ll turn out to have been an inhuman all along.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 4: Eight Diagram Dragon Palm Recap

~ Metacrone

IF104DannyWardJoy

Danny hasn’t fallen to the sidewalk in an Iron Fisted splat, so the series can go on. He catches onto a light pole as he’s falling from the window of the penthouse bunker, then falls again, after declaring that he needs to get himself to the surface of all things in K’un Lun. He lands on a ledge and is knocked out.

No clue how he survives the fall. Let’s go with mysticism and a tie in with Dr Strange, because that’s where this show fits in the MCU. Danny is clearly Stephen Strange’s younger, naive cousin, ready to hang out with Tom Holland’s Spiderman, the Guardians of the Galaxy, or the Agents of SHIELD. If ABC cancels AoS after season 4, new episodes could move to Netflix and fit right in with this show.

Back to the show we’re supposed to be recapping.

Danny wakes up in the penthouse bunker, the opening credits having conveniently disguised how he got there. He’s on Harold’s couch, and looks at the view of Harold’s arched window that Harold looked at in episode 2 with Kyle to the side. Danny is alone in the frame, and in the light, whereas Harold was in the dark. Ward walks in behind Danny and stands just to his side. Danny is already protected, has already received sacred instructions and is a believer. Finding Harold again brings him back to the family he was missing, but Ward crossing behind him is a reminder that everything is not as it seems.

Danny and Ward sort out the fairness of Ward pushing Danny off the building but then bringing him upstairs, because they will never stop bickering like brothers. Harold makes his grand entrance, telling them to get over it, like he probably did a thousand times when they were kids. Danny freaks and jumps to stand next to Ward, because even a crappy big brother might still protect you from a ghost.

Ward watches Danny closely, surprisingly protective of his abusive father. Danny and Harold bond over coming back from the dead, with Danny taking a moment to remember how ridiculous it is for him to argue with someone else about this. But then he succumbs to his emotions, and accepts Harold as his new father. Harold tells Danny that he’s home now and they hug.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 3 Rolling Thunder Cannon Punch Recap

~ Metacrone

 

IF103Colleen

I am, as usual, the champion of the show no one else likes*. I love that Ward Meachum and his henchman keep turning up at Colleen’s dojo trying to intimidate her, and she humiliates them over and over again. She can take care of herself, and she will keep showing them that as many d*mn times as it takes. It’s pretty cool that these first few episodes have given us as much or more of Colleen as an amazing, revered fighter than they have of Danny. She’s the hometown girl with a stake in the neighborhood and a reputation. I want more Iron Fist fight scenes, too, but I’ll never complain about the female fighter being given equal time and skill. Especially when she doesn’t need to have a man come in and save her at the end of the fight, which is what generally happens.

Speaking of which, we start episode three with Ward’s go to henchmen breaking into the dojo, for Colleen’s own protection, of course. They don’t even bother to be quiet about it. Hope Colleen broke a few bones with her practice sword, to make up for the broken lock. She tells the goons she wants nothing to do with them or anything Rand.

Danny was clinging to the ceiling, because he can double as Spiderman when necessary. He promises not to cause any more trouble. Colleen says that the 3rd tenet of the Bushido code is mercy, but even that has its limits. He needs to be gone in the morning.

Ward makes his way through his father’s gorgeous building up to the penthouse bunker. He can’t find his father when he arrives, but then notices that Harold is laying in a glass case. Is he Snow White? Ultron? Hard to say. It looks like one of the cases Dr Cho and Tony Stark used in Ultron, so let’s go with healing as the guess for why he’s in there. He might have sold his soul to the devil though.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 2: Shadow Hawk Takes Flight Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

 

IF102DannyPunchesDoor2

Danny wakes up from Joy’s drugged tea strapped to a bed in Birch Psychiatric Hospital. There’s a man dressed like a doctor sitting next to his bed who speaks to him in a kindly voice, telling him where he is. Danny asks to have the straps and cuffs removed, because he’s not dangerous, but the “doctor” refuses, on the grounds that a guy down the hall said the same thing, just before he bit another doctor’s nose off. We’re in for a wild ride this episode, kids!

The doctor tries to reassure Danny that, even though it’s disturbing to wake up in a place like this, the staff is there to help. He knows just the thing. Danny needs to kill himself. It’s the only solution for any of us. He’s tried four times, but they keep saving him. He grabs a fork and holds it to Danny’s jugular vein. He says, “Give me the go ahead, and it’s done.” Existentially, he’s correct. Practically, it’s might be too radical a solution to Danny’s problem.

Nurses and orderlies run in just as the doctor/Simon is looking to see if Danny is nodding yes. Simon says he was just saying hello to the new guy. He’s not a doctor, he’s a long term patient. The orderlies tell Danny that they’re going to clean him up, as soon as he takes his prison in a pill medication.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 1: Snow Gives Way Recap/Review

~ Metacrone

IronFistS1Poster

Before we get started: this is a show in which a grown man proves his identity by separating the brown M&Ms from the rest of the colors in the bag. It was the moment I knew the show was for me. It might mean that this isn’t the show for you, though, and that’s okay.

It’s most definitely not Jessica Jones, Daredevil, or Luke Cage, and, from what I can tell, if you loved the dark, gritty atmosphere and brutal fight scenes of those shows, you aren’t going to be happy with their lighter, brighter sister show. If, like me, you found Daredevil too dark and slow to get through, and grew tired of Jessica Jones using filmmaking tricks to replace storytelling, this might be the Netflix Marvel show for you.

(I haven’t been able to get myself to try Luke Cage yet, though I did enjoy the character in Jessica Jones, which I watched all the way through. I only watched a few episodes of Daredevil, up until the Russian brother gets his head smashed in the car door. I liked the Russian brothers.)

I’ve watched the first three episodes of Iron Fist. It’s not all fun, but the story is easy to follow and makes sense. It’s not trying overly hard to be artistic, but there are some nice touches, which I think other reviewers are missing in their haste to condemn it because it doesn’t put style over storytelling like Jessica Jones, or have intense, brutal violence like Daredevil (at least so far). Like its protagonist, it’s easy-going, laid back, and has a sense of humor, but there’s more to it than you realize at first, if you pay attention.

Danny Rand has a tragic back story, but he doesn’t walk around NYC with a broody cloud of angst surrounding him, so neither should his show. He’s an optimist, and a fighter. He Does Not Give Up. He lets people underestimate him. I don’t quite understand why our culture thinks being laid back and happy equals being weak and/or boring, but I suspect this show is exploring that, at least a bit. I’m not sure which one people think is worse at this point. He’s not actually well-adjusted, that’s made clear with his continuous flashbacks to the crash and his time away, and his reactions to being aggressively touched. He’s continuously triggered from being back where he grew up.

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