Tag: recap

Agents of SHIELD Season 4 Episode 17: Identity and Change Recap

~ Metacrone

AOS417Ward:Patriot:Jemma:Coulson

Picking up where we left off last episode, Coulson and Daisy have spent the night catching up and are back at school the next morning. Coulson summarizes everything Skye has revealed to him, ending by saying he knew he wasn’t crazy. He can tell the difference between fact and fiction because he’s stopped using the Kree-blue mind-control soap. Instead, he makes his own. This will be a running joke for the rest of the episode, but, remember, you’re not paranoid if they’re out to get you. There’ve been way stranger weapons in the MCU. And I can’t use most soaps either, so I totally believe it’s a weapon, Phil.

Clark Gregg’s daughter, Stella, stops by to ask for help. He tells her he’s having grown up time and sends her on her way. But just then, Good Guy Ward calls to tell Skye that Hydra is on their way, so it’s time to bring Coulson in.

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Agents of SHIELD Season 4 Episode 16: What If… Recap

~ Metacrone

MALLORY JANSEN

Welcome to Agents of HYDRA, the world of the Framework created by Aida, the Darkhold and Radcliffe. As you can see above, Aida’s given herself a few perks, casting herself in the role of Madame Hydra, director of HYDRA, which is charged with the safety of mankind in the dystopian world that she’s created. Be careful what you wish for.

This all came about because Radcliffe generously told Aida to solve one regret for each person she placed in the Framework. When you’re dealing with Agents of SHIELD, their regrets tend to be events that have global and historical consequences, so changing a few small decisions has a giant ripple effect. Of course, it’s not all due to Fitz, May, Coulson, and Mack opting for milder versions of the events of their earlier lives. (I think Mace wanted to be an inhuman and a true hero, while the others all wanted less violence and loss.) Aida also undoubtedly keeps tight control on the situation in the Framework, so that no one’s memory is triggered, and nothing seems unrealistic to them. It all adds up to HYDRA’s law and order, Big Brother philosophy dominating the culture with very little resistance, since Aida controls the population as a whole.

This episode opens with Daisy Skye looking at her bed, guessing about which boyfriend she’s going to find there. And, it’s door #2, consolation prize Grant Ward. She tries to take matters into her own hands, but, oops, her powers didn’t follow her into the Framework. She’s stuck with him for now.

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Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 17: Aruba/Season Finale Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

LOT217RipMickNate

This episode, the Legends prove once again why they’re legends, not heroes, as they take on the Legion of Doom to restore reality and destroy the Spear of Destiny, with decidedly mixed results. The only relatively permanent death is the one person Barry Allen has been trying to kill for three seasons. Sara Lance proved her prowess as a strategist by finally taking out the Reverse Flash and disabling the Spear in one fell swoop. It’s just that there were a few issues about the way the Legends got her to that point…

Picking up where we left off last episode, Rip apparently doesn’t realize that he’s been miniaturized. You’d think Gideon would have known. Was she sweet enough to keep it from him so as not to demoralize him even further? They don’t let being a few inches tall slow them down though, and speed away, out the nearest open window to find the rest of the Legends.

The Legends are looking for a signal from Rip, using a radio that Ray built. Nate pouts over Amaya in the corner, having realized that his feelings for her were deeper than he’d admitted. Ray and Jax hear Rip’s radio call, explaining that he has a small problem, just as the mini-Waverider flies into the basement. Mick is the two year old in all of us, as he grabs the ship to make faces at mini-Rip through the windshield. They quickly make a plan to find Ray’s suit at Star Labs and un-shrink the ship and Rip. I was really hoping the Honey, I Shrunk the Time Master part of the show would take a little longer. But, it’s not to be.

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Riverdale Season 1 Chapter Eight: The Outsiders Recap

~ Metacrone

RVD108Cooper&BlossomWomen

This week’s episode centers around Polly, finally in Riverdale, available to tell her side of the story, and to give the Blossoms and the Coopers a chance to fight over her in person. Jughead references The Stepford Wives in his opening voice over. There are two facets to the story of The Stepford Wives at play here. The first goal is turning all of the wives into perfect clones that fit the exact parameters of societal and male ideals of perfection, which is done by replacing them with androids. The second goal is finding the wives with secrets and intelligence, and moving them to the top of the replacement list. So many secrets are revealed in this episode, and so many characters try to control and manipulate other characters. Too many for me to list in what has become a very long recap.

Jughead tells us in his opening voiceover that Alice and Hal Cooper were high school sweethearts who got married and had two beautiful daughters. Their lives appeared perfect until Polly got pregnant and Jason was murdered.

Then Jughead recounts a summary of Polly and Jason’s history together. None of the information is new, but we do see new footage while he talks, including a conversation between them in the school hall with Polly in her cheerleader uniform, an argument at Pop’s, Nana Rose giving them her engagement ring, and the two of them at Pop’s while making plans to run away. Jughead is sitting across the aisle from them, looking bored as he watches.

Polly is sitting in Hermione’s living room, telling her story to Sheriff Keller. She tells him that the last time she saw Jason was the day that they made plans at Pop’s. Jason was going to make a one-time drug delivery upstate in order to raise the funds for he and Polly to run away together. He made a deal with the Serpents to deliver the drugs in exchange for cash. The drugs burned up in Jason’s car, along with the ring, and everything else she had to remember him by. Hermione stops the interview when Polly gets upset.

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Legends of Tomorrow Season 2 Episode 16: Doomworld Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

LOT216Amaya

“My name is Eobard Thawne. With the help of Damien Darhk, Malcolm Merlyn, Leonard Snart, and Mick Rory, I’ve obtained the Spear of Destiny, an ancient artifact with the power to rewrite reality itself. And we have. It’s a brave new world.”

Welcome to Doomworld, the Legion of Doom’s version of a perfect reality. Sara and Amaya, clad in head to toe tight black leather, are hunting down a vigilante in Star City. They catch her, and it turns out to be Arrow’s Felicity Smoak! In a mask and costume! She gets in a good dig before they cart her off to Mayor Damien Darhk, calling then the Bimbo Brigade.

Damien is pleased with his pet assassins. He has them kill Felicity right then and there in his office. Due process does not exist in Doomworld, to absolutely no one’s surprise. He adds Felicity’s mask to his collection, which already includes those of every other Star City Vigilante: Arrow, Black Canary, Ragman, Wild Dog, Mr Terrific, The Flash, Spartan, Speedy. Felicity didn’t get a code name. 😥  Or would she still use Overwatch? Doesn’t seem to fit when she’s out in the streets.

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Iron Fist Season 1 Episode 6: Immortal Emerges from Cave Recap

~ Metacrone

IF106Danny

In this episode, we learn more about Madame Gao and the Hand. Specifically, that she’s smarter than Danny, and there’s a reason she’s lived so long. Danny has suffered through some difficult experiences, and worked hard to get through his training, but he hasn’t really experienced treachery and betrayal first hand yet. Madame Gao is happy to help him fill in those gaps in his education.

At the start of the episode, we hear Danny’s mentor from K’un Lun instructing him as he meditates, while invitations are passed out to a pair of Russian butchers in a restaurant, an entomologist working in her office, and an assassin relaxing with some karaoke after murdering several people. The invitations say, “The time has come.”

Danny remembers his mentor, Lei Kung, telling him, “I tolerate no questioning from you because doubt leads to death.”

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Supergirl Season 2 Episode 17: Distant Sun Recap

~ Metacrone

SPG217RheaMonEl&Kara

Last week, I asked for more Queen Rhea and King Lar Gand. This week, we got that, but it was definitely a case of “Be careful what you wish for.” On the bright side, Kara and Mon El are back to being a sweet, flirty couple, after their musical trip to The Flash. It’s Maggie and Alex’s turn to bring the angst. And we’re apparently going to pick up a dropped thread from the beginning of the season, since Secret Alien US President Lynda Carter is back to reveal her plans.

Kara wakes up to find Mon El making her breakfast in bed. He’s discovered cookbooks, and is applying them to his quest to romance her. His parents remain in orbit around Earth. In other words, they’re helicopter parents, TM Mon El.

The news reports show an attack in progress in National City. Kara makes a quick change and is off to the fight. Mon El will be a super partner and do laundry while she’s gone. Homemakers do important work too, okay? Kara easily beats the alien.

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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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