Tag: science fiction

Stranger Things Season 1 Chapter 5: The Flea and the Acrobat Recap

~ Metacrone

ST105Hopper&TheBlob

We start to get some answers this episode, as both Hopper and Nancy quite literally enter the belly of the beast. The kids enter an homage to the film Stand by Me, with friendships tested and train tracks walked. We’ve entered the Stephen King portion of the season, so viewer beware.

Hopper has made his way into the buildings at Hawkins Lab secretly and alone, because he’s completely lost his mind. And he knows no one will listen to his crazy theories, just like he didn’t listen to Joyce, or even bother to talk to Nancy about Barb. He sneaks and fights his way all the way down to the monster’s lair. He finds 11’s cell on his way down. After that, he races through the halls, yelling for Will.

He takes the elevator to the monster’s floor as Dustin reads the description of the Vale of Shadows* to Mike and Lucas. It’s a scary, dark, mirror world to our own. The boys don’t know how to get there, and neither does El. She just knows that Will is stuck there.

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Stranger Things Season 1 Chapter 4: The Body Recap

~ Metacrone ~ 1 Comment

ST104Joyce

Everything begins to change in this episode, the midpoint of the season, as even most of the pragmatists among the main characters realize that something mysterious and sinister is going on. We’re starting to reach the meat of the story, with more clues about the lab and cover up being revealed, and the characters beginning to work together. This show is so well done that, while it seems obvious how some of it will play out, I have no idea where they’re going to go with other aspects. Will the stock characters and situations stay that way, become modern clichĂ©s instead, or evolve into something totally original?

This episode picks up not long after the end of episode 3. Joyce has told Hopper her story, and Hopper has told Joyce and Jonathan that Will’s body has been found. Joyce refuses to believe that Will is gone. Hopper at least does a cursory inspection of the house, rather than dismissing Joyce completely, but he also mainly talks to her as one grief-stricken parent to another. Any outsider would logically think she’s hallucinating, and he’s crushed by his own depression that’s been dredged up again full force.

Hopper goes out to his truck to drive away, but thinks better of it and settles in to spend the night sleeping outside of the Byers’ house. Joyce resolutely goes to the shed and gets an axe, then sits back down in her living room to stand watch, in case Will or the monster come back. Jonathan tries to pretend things are somewhere near normal so that he can get some sleep.

Song that plays at end of opening sequence as Hopper goes to his truck, Joyce gets the axe, and Jonathan puts on his headphones: Atmosphere by Joy Division. Joyce is like a Viking warrior goddess with her axe, ready to take on all comers to protect her home and family.

Is Hopper on suicide watch?

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Stranger Things Chapter 3: Holly, Jolly Recap

~ Metacrone

ST103Joyce&lights

We get two of my favorite things this episode, an epic amount of Christmas lights and new information. The show is done with pleasant introductions, and ready to dive in deep, starting with wherever Barb is- possibly a metaphysical mirror image of the pool she was sitting next to, possibly the monster’s lair. Either way, she doesn’t seem to get out alive. Barb fighting for her life, as she screams for Nancy to help her, is intercut with Nancy and Douchey Steve getting to second base. It’s disturbing on several levels.

Nancy hesitates with Steve a few times, as if she might almost hear Nancy, or she could just be having second thoughts about what she’s doing with Steve. Steve continues to be a douche, and falls asleep when they’re done. Nancy is left to walk home alone in the dark through the neighborhood with the missing kid. At least she’s not a babysitter, or she’d surely never make it back to her house alive, given the horror movie tropes we’re working with. But she does make it home alive, and is met by her very worried mother.

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Stranger Things Season 1 Chapter 2: The Weirdo on Maple Street Recap

~ Metacrone

ST102Barb

The plot thickens in episode two of Stranger Things, with Hawkins becoming a dangerous town for the first time in its history, at least according to Jim Hopper. Some of the kids who’ve clearly been perpetually bullied at school might feel differently about it. It’s a bad time to be a scientist, a good Samaritan, or a best friend in Hawkins, we know that much so far.

Mike and company have brought 11 back to Mike’s basement, and all three boys are talking at her while she tries to cope with being wet, cold, and in a strange environment during a thunderstorm. Dustin adds to the fun by making a loud noise to test his theory that she’s stayed silent because she’s deaf. Mike gets her some sweats to put on. 11 rubs them against her face like she’s never felt anything so soft.

The boys reaction to 11 getting ready to strip so that she can change her clothes is worth the price of admission, possibly the whole Netflix subscription. Mike quickly leads her to the bathroom, but she won’t let him close the door. “No” is clearly a very important word to 11.

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Stranger Things Season 1 Chapter 1: The Vanishing of Will Byers Recap

~ Metacrone

ST101GoodbyeWill

Okay, let’s do Stranger Things! I’m way late to the party with this, but, I figure, what the heck, maybe there are a few other people who want to watch in time for season 2. My first impression, as episode 1 starts, is omg, this is so 80s! Are those bikes going to take off like ET’s? The filmmakers got the look of an 80s show exactly right. Something made by Steven Spielberg, in particular, maybe The Goonies. Oops, Steven King just weighed in. Of course there’s an adorable dog and a little sister. Drew Barrymore might be able to look into copyright infringement here.

We begin on November 6th, 1983, in Hawkins, Indiana, at the Hawkins National Laboratory, run by the US Dept of Energy. This was the Reagan Era and the height of the Cold War. I’m sure a sweet old man like Ronnie wouldn’t have approved of any illegal experiments on children that could go wrong and terrorize a small midwestern town. Or maybe they were actually approved by Tricky Dick, and just continued by Ronnie.

Something is definitely going wrong, if the camera work and sound effects are anything to go by. Sure enough, one of the mad scientists runs by and gets attacked by something mysterious in the elevator.

Meanwhile, in a suburban basement, four preteen boys are playing the most exciting and intense game of Dungeons and Dragons ever, until Mike’s Mom breaks up the game because she totally doesn’t get the importance of fun and conquest. Will, Lucas and Dustin take off on their bikes toward their own houses. Lucas, the man of action, reaches his house quickly, then Dustin, the adorable mascot of the group, challenges Will, the sweet honest one, to a race. Will shows he’s not completely pure by taking off immediately, leaving Dustin in the, well, dust.

Lights have been flickering on and off around town. Will’s bike light flickers as he’s cutting through the grounds of the laboratory. He sees a figure in the shadows and falls off his bike, then runs home. He’s still spooked at home, and goes to the family’s shed to get a gun. The shed light brightens, and Will is gone.

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Sense8 Season 2 Episode 3: Obligate Mutualisms Recap

~ Metacrone

S8203Croome&Will

The world of the sensates is broadening rapidly this season, and within this episode. Will finally breaks through the barrier of Whispers to reach a BPO executive and manages a meeting with Jonas, both of which prove very informative. Wolfgang meets a sensate from outside the cluster. But the new information comes with new dangers, and traps within traps are a major theme for this season.

Will and Whispers/Gibbons/Milton/Matheson/Brandt (How many aliases does this guy have?) are meeting in the nondescript room in London that they’ve talked in before. Whispers concedes that Will has compromised him, and tries to convince Will that they have more in common as two Homo sensorium than Will thinks. Will doesn’t buy the ruse. He wants to talk to Croome, the BPO executive in charge. Nomi feeds Will Croome’s personal information until Croome comes into the room. Whispers starts out relaying Will’s demands for a meeting, but balks when Will says that he wants Whispers out of his head. Nomi texts the message to Croome’s personal number, and also asks for a meeting with Jonas. Croome calls in guards who inject Whispers with a drug that renders him unconscious, and Will is finally free from Whispers’ surveillance.

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The 100 Season 4 Episode 10: Die All, Die Merrily Recap

~ Metacrone

HU410Kane:Bels:Oct

Welcome to the first and last annual Hundred Games! The winner will be whoever is the last warrior standing at the end of the fight to the death. No cheating, unless you really, really want to, and are a named character. Alliances are allowed, but discouraged, because, as usual, Grounders don’t really understand the meaning of the words cooperation, apocalypse, or last chance for survival. Even Roan, normally one of the most sensible characters on TV, has lost his mind on this one.

This is Octavia’s episode, on screen anyway. We’ll talk about the off screen machinations happening throughout the episode later. Bellamy finds her waiting to be called out to accept her place as champion for Skaikru and they have a moment. Then Clarke gives her a bit of reassurance before sending her out to the public platform. Gaia is acting as Master of Ceremonies. Stanley Tucci didn’t loan her his blue wig, but overall, Gaia’s always enjoyable to look at, so we’ll let it slide.

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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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The 100 Season 4 Episode 6: We Will Rise Recap

~ Metacrone

HU406Oct&Il

Almost exactly a year after Lincoln’s death, the Arkadians become an angry mob again, and someone ends up on their knees, waiting to be executed. This time, Octavia is the one holding the gun, and she’s forced to confront her dependence on violence and killing as a coping mechanism. Almost exactly a year after Lexa’s death, a stray arrow seems to kill the hope of creating more night bloods. It’s another disappointment in the long line of disappoints suffered while trying to find a way to survive the radiation.

It’s starting to rain as the Ark is burning. Jaha watches as the rain dampens the fire, and Arkadians start to salvage what they can. Jasper notes that it’s not Black Rain. This prompts Jaha to give us the show’s definition of Black Rain, because we are undoubtedly going to see it before long. Jaha says:

“When it comes it’ll be colorless. [Jasper: How will we know?] Pain. Chaos. Death.”

Jasper gives Jaha another of his patented nihilistic speeches and wanders off. Jaha hasn’t given up hope yet. I prefer Jaha to Jasper at this point, and that frightens me. Jaha looks down at the seal from the doomsday cult with the bomb shelter that wasn’t sealed. Jaha, I’m glad you’re still thinking about alternatives. Shouldn’t they be considering building bomb shelters, or looking for deep caves? Virginia is riddled with cave systems.

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