Something that I had failed to mention in the last MLP episode review was the fact that I had watched that episode the day that it was released on YouTube. Even though I was at the Expo at the time, I made sure to watch it that day as I wasn't sure if it would even still be around at a later point on account of copyright take-downs. I say this because the Once Upon A Time episode Ruby Slippers was one that I also watched during that weekend so it was pretty easy for me to stay on top of both of them.
In this episode, we get to see the return of Ruby/Red Riding Hood as she winds up in the Underworld after tracking down Zelena. Her reasons being that her friend Dorothy was put under a sleeping curse by Zelena with no known way of reversing it. As this is going on, Hades is trying his damnedest to snuff out any chance of hope any residents of the Underworld might have, showing that there are no boundaries to how far he'll go.
This was a very enjoyable episode for me mostly because of how much darker it got. Hades' plans to destroy everyone's hope goes from removing the "haunting booth" to straight up condemning an innocent soul to the River, swearing to do the same to anyone else who helps out our heroes. According to him, "it's not easy being a hero when no one wants to be saved".
We also get some interesting flashbacks to Mulan and Ruby searching for her pack in Oz only to discover Dorothy. As it continues, we get to see the friendship that develops between Dorothy and Ruby as the latter starts to question if she even knows what she's looking for anymore. Maybe what she's really looking for is even closer than she thinks if you know what I mean.
With that said, where it eventually goes might be somewhat controversial and rub some people the wrong way. I know one person who posted a status about how this episode "ruined The Wizard Of Oz" for him. All this time, though, I was just thinking to myself "Seriously? Dude, you need to calm the fuck down".
Finally, Snow White gets to return to Storybrooke to look after her and David's son after David has his name replace hers on the tombstone while Belle puts herself under a sleeping curse in order to prevent Hades from taking her baby. That and Hades is still trying to woo Zelena in the hopes of escaping from the Underworld.
Onto the next one now, Sisters centers around Regina trying to prevent Zelena from getting together with Hades with some help from their mother, Cora. But that's not the only case of sibling rivalry going on as David is forced to confront his twin brother, James, who's none to happy with all the glory David's been receiving that he believes should've been his. We're also given a flashback to when young Regina and Zelena first met.
Something that I found interesting about this episode was the way that it shows the different manners in which characters deal with the past. Regina and Zelena start off as being very bitter towards each other, not knowing how close they used to be in the brief time that they were together as little girls as they had their memories erased (well, Regina did at least). But, once they get help remembering this, they actually become much closer to each other and a former villain even gets a chance at redemption in the process.
But we also get to see the negative side of this between David and James, the latter of which refuses to let go of the past, proving that there will always be those people who will never change. This point proven even more by his eventual destruction in his attempts at revenge.
Additionally, it was interesting to see the change of heart made by Regina. She starts off as being completely against Zelena getting together with Hades as she feels that he'll only use and harm her, but, by the time the episode ends, she's fully accepting of it if it makes Zelena feel happy. This part might be iffy to some people and I myself am not fully sure about it, but it's still pretty harmless I guess.
With that said, the episode does end on a cliffhanger regarding Mr. Gold and his father, Peter Pan, but I won't give away any major details. All I will say is that I'm curious to see what the 2 of them are going to do come next Sunday, especially since this is the first time in almost a month that we've even seen Peter Pan make an appearance.
And that was my double review of both Once Upon A Time episodes and I'd like to know what your thoughts are about them if you've seen them. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post. Take care.
Monday, April 25, 2016
Sunday, April 24, 2016
Empire: The Tameness Of A Wolf and Time Shall Unfold Double Review
I tend to watch the shows that I do not only for the plot or writing, but also in their ability to create complex and believable relationships between characters. Empire is a prime example of the complexities and layers of each member of the Lyon family's personalities and how they interact with each other.
Our first episode sees Lucious going through the process of putting together a music video for his song that's in the running for an award against Jamal's own song and the demons of his past that he wrestles with regarding his own mother. While this is going on, Cookie's first birthday out of jail is coming up and she's hoping that her family will be able to put aside their differences even if just for that one day.
The moments where the episode focuses on Lucious putting his music video together are particularly interesting as he's haunted by his past and what his mother put him through. He's trying to show his authenticity as Dwight Walker and the real world grittiness that he witnessed. His soul is laid completely bare here as he embraces his past.
Additionally, there's a very touching moment when Cookie's birthday does come around that shows how much the Lyon family genuinely cares for each other. With all the times that they're at each others' throats, it was nice to see all of them getting along together even if it was only for that brief moment. Of course, Andre's discovery that Lucious' mother was bipolar like him, which Lucious points out that he was embarrassed both of his mother and with Andre, kind of ruins the moment for me.
Add in Freda Gatz starting to work on music with Jamal, leading to Cookie discovering that her father was the same man who Lucious had murdered in jail, and an unexpected proposal and I was ready to see what drama would unfold in the next episode.
So with last Wednesday's episode, Lucious is setting plans into motion in the hopes of getting back into Empire by taking down Hakeem and we get to see that there's a real ruthlessness in his actions. As that's going on, Anika drops a bombshell on the family and Jamal has to make a decision on whether he wants to make music with Freda or bring on a multi million selling artist for his upcoming album.
All of those good feelings that were going on during Cookie's birthday in the previous episode are all gone here as Lucious stops at nothing to dethrone Hakeem as Empire's CEO. There are no lows he won't stoop to to make sure that he gets Empire back. He's very much a devilish character as he talks all slick and continues to have that clever smirk written all over his face when things go according to his plan. Even when (SPOILERS) Hakeem is eventually voted out of his position, Lucious still continues to rub it in his face.
What I particularly liked about this episode was whenever it focused on Jamal working on his upcoming album. We get to see that he has really great chemistry with Freda when they're spitting rhymes in the studio, which then goes to provide an important lesson about authenticity in the music business when this diva doesn't even have the decency to show up to the studio for recording but simply provides her own pre-recorded vocals for Jamal to add to. It goes to show that there's something to be said about interaction with other artists in the studio that makes the project feel more real.
And finally, Anika drops the news that she's pregnant with Hakeem's kid, which I swear leads to one of the funniest moments of meta-humor I've seen in a while. All you need to know is that the line comes from Jamal and centers around the word "heir". I already mentioned previously how Empire is based off of Shakespeare's classic King Lear and Jamal's line was soo hilarious that I actually had to pause the episode I was laughing soo hard.
The fact that Anika reveals this news an episode after that proposal I mentioned earlier I'm sure is going to result in even more drama that I look forward to seeing in a few nights from now.
And that was my double review of the last 2 episodes of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post., Take care.
Our first episode sees Lucious going through the process of putting together a music video for his song that's in the running for an award against Jamal's own song and the demons of his past that he wrestles with regarding his own mother. While this is going on, Cookie's first birthday out of jail is coming up and she's hoping that her family will be able to put aside their differences even if just for that one day.
The moments where the episode focuses on Lucious putting his music video together are particularly interesting as he's haunted by his past and what his mother put him through. He's trying to show his authenticity as Dwight Walker and the real world grittiness that he witnessed. His soul is laid completely bare here as he embraces his past.
Additionally, there's a very touching moment when Cookie's birthday does come around that shows how much the Lyon family genuinely cares for each other. With all the times that they're at each others' throats, it was nice to see all of them getting along together even if it was only for that brief moment. Of course, Andre's discovery that Lucious' mother was bipolar like him, which Lucious points out that he was embarrassed both of his mother and with Andre, kind of ruins the moment for me.
Add in Freda Gatz starting to work on music with Jamal, leading to Cookie discovering that her father was the same man who Lucious had murdered in jail, and an unexpected proposal and I was ready to see what drama would unfold in the next episode.
So with last Wednesday's episode, Lucious is setting plans into motion in the hopes of getting back into Empire by taking down Hakeem and we get to see that there's a real ruthlessness in his actions. As that's going on, Anika drops a bombshell on the family and Jamal has to make a decision on whether he wants to make music with Freda or bring on a multi million selling artist for his upcoming album.
All of those good feelings that were going on during Cookie's birthday in the previous episode are all gone here as Lucious stops at nothing to dethrone Hakeem as Empire's CEO. There are no lows he won't stoop to to make sure that he gets Empire back. He's very much a devilish character as he talks all slick and continues to have that clever smirk written all over his face when things go according to his plan. Even when (SPOILERS) Hakeem is eventually voted out of his position, Lucious still continues to rub it in his face.
What I particularly liked about this episode was whenever it focused on Jamal working on his upcoming album. We get to see that he has really great chemistry with Freda when they're spitting rhymes in the studio, which then goes to provide an important lesson about authenticity in the music business when this diva doesn't even have the decency to show up to the studio for recording but simply provides her own pre-recorded vocals for Jamal to add to. It goes to show that there's something to be said about interaction with other artists in the studio that makes the project feel more real.
And finally, Anika drops the news that she's pregnant with Hakeem's kid, which I swear leads to one of the funniest moments of meta-humor I've seen in a while. All you need to know is that the line comes from Jamal and centers around the word "heir". I already mentioned previously how Empire is based off of Shakespeare's classic King Lear and Jamal's line was soo hilarious that I actually had to pause the episode I was laughing soo hard.
The fact that Anika reveals this news an episode after that proposal I mentioned earlier I'm sure is going to result in even more drama that I look forward to seeing in a few nights from now.
And that was my double review of the last 2 episodes of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see y'all on the next post., Take care.
Saturday, April 23, 2016
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - Gauntlet Of Fire Review
Something that I've found rather strange about MLP:FIM is that most episodes centering around dragons tend to be the lesser episodes of the series. This is particularly perplexing as dragons are supposed to be really cool, but, with the exception of Dragonshy, I can't think of a single good dragon episode. Sadly, Gauntlet Of Fire continues that unlucky streak.
In this episode, we see Spike receiving a call from the Dragon Lord to take part in a challenge with other dragons to choose the Dragon Lord's successor. Also taking part in the challenge are antagonistic Garble and the Lord's daughter, Princess Ember, against her father's wishes. Yup. It's that kind of episode. Along the way, Twilight and Rarity offer support to Spike and all three of them even manage to get on good terms with Ember.
So many of you have probably guessed where this episode will go just by reading that last paragraph. This episode is pretty heavily predictable in several areas. From Princess Ember competing in the challenge against her father's orders to Ember going from being the cold, unfeeling character to having a more accepting, friendly personality to who eventually becomes the new Dragon Lord. Oh yeah, and Garble is still the same 1-dimensional bully he was from several seasons ago.
Even with that said, though, I still found several things to enjoy about it. The challenge itself is definitely fun to watch (though seriously how were Twilight and Rarity able to get past the challenges soo easily?) and I really like the design of Princess Ember. Additionally, I enjoyed the concept of Spike possibly being shipped with Ember in the future as I feel it will finally allow people to move past shipping Spike with Rarity.
Finally, I liked how this episode properly portrayed Spike as an admirable character. He starts off wanting absolutely nothing to do with the challenge and even gets permission from the Dragon Lord to leave, but, when he hears about Garble's plans to launch an attack on the ponies should he become Dragon Lord, he decides to compete anyways even though he knows his chances of actually winning are slim. This is the kind of Spike I love to see and the ending of the episode even leaves a potentially bright future for the ponies.
To sum it all up, Gauntlet Of Fire is my least favorite episode of the season, but even then it still has some good things about it and I don't consider it to be anywhere near the worst of the series (that title clearly belongs to Princess Spike IMO). Is it flawed? Yes. Can it be predictable? Definitely. But I still think that it's decent enough to at least have one or two viewings.
And that was my review of last week's episode of MLP:FIM and I'd like to know your thoughts about the episode if you've seen it. Just a couple of side-notes here. To start off, I don't hate the pairing of Spike with Rarity. In fact, I fully supported it from the beginning. The problem that I came across with it though was about a year or so ago when one of the staff members stated that Spike and Rarity are never going to be a couple, which I would've been fine with except for the fact that, since then, there have been many episodes that continue to cock-tease the relationship between them after we've already been told it's never going to happen, so it's literally just provoking the audience the more it's brought up and it's starting to get annoying. So yeah. I'm hoping that with the possibility of Spike being shipped with Princess Ember that we'll be able to move past that and that it'll never be brought up in anymore future episodes again. On a lesser note, I know that some of you might be frustrated that I haven't put out any new reviews of Empire yet, but I promise that I've just finished watching the most recent episode last night and I'll get around to reviewing the 2 most recent episodes tomorrow followed by a double review of Once Upon A Time on Monday and a review of last Monday's Gotham on Tuesday. So until then, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows and I'll see y'all on the next post. Take care.
In this episode, we see Spike receiving a call from the Dragon Lord to take part in a challenge with other dragons to choose the Dragon Lord's successor. Also taking part in the challenge are antagonistic Garble and the Lord's daughter, Princess Ember, against her father's wishes. Yup. It's that kind of episode. Along the way, Twilight and Rarity offer support to Spike and all three of them even manage to get on good terms with Ember.
So many of you have probably guessed where this episode will go just by reading that last paragraph. This episode is pretty heavily predictable in several areas. From Princess Ember competing in the challenge against her father's orders to Ember going from being the cold, unfeeling character to having a more accepting, friendly personality to who eventually becomes the new Dragon Lord. Oh yeah, and Garble is still the same 1-dimensional bully he was from several seasons ago.
Even with that said, though, I still found several things to enjoy about it. The challenge itself is definitely fun to watch (though seriously how were Twilight and Rarity able to get past the challenges soo easily?) and I really like the design of Princess Ember. Additionally, I enjoyed the concept of Spike possibly being shipped with Ember in the future as I feel it will finally allow people to move past shipping Spike with Rarity.
Finally, I liked how this episode properly portrayed Spike as an admirable character. He starts off wanting absolutely nothing to do with the challenge and even gets permission from the Dragon Lord to leave, but, when he hears about Garble's plans to launch an attack on the ponies should he become Dragon Lord, he decides to compete anyways even though he knows his chances of actually winning are slim. This is the kind of Spike I love to see and the ending of the episode even leaves a potentially bright future for the ponies.
To sum it all up, Gauntlet Of Fire is my least favorite episode of the season, but even then it still has some good things about it and I don't consider it to be anywhere near the worst of the series (that title clearly belongs to Princess Spike IMO). Is it flawed? Yes. Can it be predictable? Definitely. But I still think that it's decent enough to at least have one or two viewings.
And that was my review of last week's episode of MLP:FIM and I'd like to know your thoughts about the episode if you've seen it. Just a couple of side-notes here. To start off, I don't hate the pairing of Spike with Rarity. In fact, I fully supported it from the beginning. The problem that I came across with it though was about a year or so ago when one of the staff members stated that Spike and Rarity are never going to be a couple, which I would've been fine with except for the fact that, since then, there have been many episodes that continue to cock-tease the relationship between them after we've already been told it's never going to happen, so it's literally just provoking the audience the more it's brought up and it's starting to get annoying. So yeah. I'm hoping that with the possibility of Spike being shipped with Princess Ember that we'll be able to move past that and that it'll never be brought up in anymore future episodes again. On a lesser note, I know that some of you might be frustrated that I haven't put out any new reviews of Empire yet, but I promise that I've just finished watching the most recent episode last night and I'll get around to reviewing the 2 most recent episodes tomorrow followed by a double review of Once Upon A Time on Monday and a review of last Monday's Gotham on Tuesday. So until then, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows and I'll see y'all on the next post. Take care.
Wednesday, April 20, 2016
I'm baaaaaaaack!!!
Hey everybody. David here to give a quick little update. First of all, I'm officially back from the Midwest Media Expo in Michigan. I got in about 2 nights ago and have just been trying to get adjusted and back into the normal swing of life so sorry that I wasn't able to get on here sooner. Life's just been hectic.
Another thing to point out is that yes I will be getting back to my episode reviews. I've got some catch up to do as I'll need to give reviews for 2 Empire episodes from last week and tonight, last Saturday's MLP:FIM episode, last Sunday's Once Upon A Time episode, and last Monday's Gotham episode. I've already seen last week's Empire, MLP, and Once Upon A Time so I just need to get about writing the reviews for them. Now I just need to find time for Gotham and tonight's Empire.
Anyhoo, I appreciate y'all's patience as I try to get these reviews out in a timely manner. That's about it so I guess I'll see you on the next post. Later.
Another thing to point out is that yes I will be getting back to my episode reviews. I've got some catch up to do as I'll need to give reviews for 2 Empire episodes from last week and tonight, last Saturday's MLP:FIM episode, last Sunday's Once Upon A Time episode, and last Monday's Gotham episode. I've already seen last week's Empire, MLP, and Once Upon A Time so I just need to get about writing the reviews for them. Now I just need to find time for Gotham and tonight's Empire.
Anyhoo, I appreciate y'all's patience as I try to get these reviews out in a timely manner. That's about it so I guess I'll see you on the next post. Later.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Gotham: Into The Woods (and Prisoners) Review
The reason why this is a double review is because there wasn't enough that I could really do for the episode 2 weeks ago. This was a bad episode. I can't remember the last time I was soo frustrated with an episode at how painfully predictable it was. This is literally Big Hero 6 bad in its predictability. I called every moment, every death, and every decision that was made.
"But David, you said that The Gift Of The Maud Pie was really predictable and yet you enjoyed that." Yeah. I enjoyed it because it had a nice balance of humor and heart to it and I was just having a fun time watching it, I was entertained by it. Prisoners I didn't have a fun time watching nor did it entertain me. This is quite possibly the first episode of Gotham that I've outright hated.
But now that that's out of the way, let's get into the actually good episode I saw. After being broken out of Blackgate Prison, Gordon sets about trying to get evidence to clear his name while also avoiding the police force out looking for him. Meanwhile, Oswald is struggling with the death of his father as the rest of his family antagonizes him perpetually as they know he won't retaliate... or will he?
After how absolutely excruciating the last episode was, this episode had a lot to prove in my opinion and, for the most part, I believe that it all worked out rather favorably.
We get to see the lengths that Gordon is willing to go to to prove his innocence even going soo far as to steal evidence from the GCPD office. The whole cat and mouse game he plays with the police force can prove to be rather intense and dramatic on several occasions. Even when he gets closer to finding out who framed him, it's still nail-biting.
Oswald's suffering with the loss of his father combined with his family's antagonistic actions toward him had me invested as I was certain that he would snap at any moment. Watching him was like watching a ticking time bomb unsure of what might set it off and it even leads to a pretty dark climax, one of the elements of said climax including cannibalism.
We also get to see some more interaction between Bruce and Selina as he's living on the streets, something that I would've liked to see in the previous episode, but was sorely lacking. Not to mention Barbara's release from Arkham has me even more interested to find out what'll happen next week.
And that was my double review of the 2 most recent episodes of Gotham and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and, if I don't get my Empire review out before I leave on Thursday night, I'll see you guys when I get back from the expo next Monday night. Later.
"But David, you said that The Gift Of The Maud Pie was really predictable and yet you enjoyed that." Yeah. I enjoyed it because it had a nice balance of humor and heart to it and I was just having a fun time watching it, I was entertained by it. Prisoners I didn't have a fun time watching nor did it entertain me. This is quite possibly the first episode of Gotham that I've outright hated.
But now that that's out of the way, let's get into the actually good episode I saw. After being broken out of Blackgate Prison, Gordon sets about trying to get evidence to clear his name while also avoiding the police force out looking for him. Meanwhile, Oswald is struggling with the death of his father as the rest of his family antagonizes him perpetually as they know he won't retaliate... or will he?
After how absolutely excruciating the last episode was, this episode had a lot to prove in my opinion and, for the most part, I believe that it all worked out rather favorably.
We get to see the lengths that Gordon is willing to go to to prove his innocence even going soo far as to steal evidence from the GCPD office. The whole cat and mouse game he plays with the police force can prove to be rather intense and dramatic on several occasions. Even when he gets closer to finding out who framed him, it's still nail-biting.
Oswald's suffering with the loss of his father combined with his family's antagonistic actions toward him had me invested as I was certain that he would snap at any moment. Watching him was like watching a ticking time bomb unsure of what might set it off and it even leads to a pretty dark climax, one of the elements of said climax including cannibalism.
We also get to see some more interaction between Bruce and Selina as he's living on the streets, something that I would've liked to see in the previous episode, but was sorely lacking. Not to mention Barbara's release from Arkham has me even more interested to find out what'll happen next week.
And that was my double review of the 2 most recent episodes of Gotham and I'd like to know your thoughts if you've seen these episodes. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and, if I don't get my Empire review out before I leave on Thursday night, I'll see you guys when I get back from the expo next Monday night. Later.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Once Upon A Time: Her Handsome Hero Review
Something that I'm really enjoying about this half of the current season of Once Upon A Time is the fact that it takes advantage of incorporating characters who may not have had as much development as others. Characters that may have originally been one shots in past seasons before getting axed off get to be further fleshed out here in the Underworld and in flashbacks. Last night's episode was no different.
So the main story of the episode centers around Belle and Mr. Gold running into Gaston who has a score to settle with the latter all while showing flashbacks to reveal more about the earlier days of Belle and Gaston during the infamous Ogre Wars. As this is going on, Hades learns that flowers are starting to grow in the Underworld where everything is supposed to decay. The reason for this being that our heroes have brought hope to the Underworld's residents which doesn't sit well for him. Additionally, Emma discovers that a nightmare she had is actually a vision of the future and tries to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.
An overlying theme of this episode was the balance between light and dark magic. Belle is determined to keep Mr. Gold from using his dark magic, but finds this to be pretty difficult when she asks him to use his magic for less than honorable means. This goes to show that not everything is clear cut black and white.
The flashbacks also provide a little more background into the Ogre Wars when Belle and Gaston come across a young ogre and have differing opinions on how to deal with him. Speaking of Gaston, outward appearances naturally prove to be deceiving as the episode progresses and his chivalrous nature falls away. It almost reminded me of Prince Hans from Frozen now that I think about it.
Additionally, it's interesting to see the lengths Hades is willing to go to to snuff out any chance of hope in the Underworld as he tries to play on Belle's fears of losing her baby to him by making a deal with her. The temptation Belle deals with regarding the offer is played out rather well also as she has been trying to keep Mr. Gold on the right path, but finds herself drawn to a decision that is definitely non heroic.
Something that I was kind of annoyed by though with this episode was the cocktease bullshit when Hades goes back on the deal because of a technicality. Really? We're going through this again? That's really starting to get old fast.
So with that said, this is one of my least favorite episodes of the season, but that's not really saying much as I can't think of any episodes that I've outright hated entirely. It still might be worth a watch if you find it worth your time and the last few minutes reveal the return of a character that's got me curious about what's to come. All I'll say about the returning character is that it's nice to see her back after her short-lived run on another show.
And that was my review of the latest episode of Once Upon A Time and I'd like to know what your thoughts were on the episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and stay tuned tomorrow when I'll have my double Gotham review. Til then, I hope you guys have a great rest of the day. Take care.
So the main story of the episode centers around Belle and Mr. Gold running into Gaston who has a score to settle with the latter all while showing flashbacks to reveal more about the earlier days of Belle and Gaston during the infamous Ogre Wars. As this is going on, Hades learns that flowers are starting to grow in the Underworld where everything is supposed to decay. The reason for this being that our heroes have brought hope to the Underworld's residents which doesn't sit well for him. Additionally, Emma discovers that a nightmare she had is actually a vision of the future and tries to prevent anyone else from getting hurt.
An overlying theme of this episode was the balance between light and dark magic. Belle is determined to keep Mr. Gold from using his dark magic, but finds this to be pretty difficult when she asks him to use his magic for less than honorable means. This goes to show that not everything is clear cut black and white.
The flashbacks also provide a little more background into the Ogre Wars when Belle and Gaston come across a young ogre and have differing opinions on how to deal with him. Speaking of Gaston, outward appearances naturally prove to be deceiving as the episode progresses and his chivalrous nature falls away. It almost reminded me of Prince Hans from Frozen now that I think about it.
Additionally, it's interesting to see the lengths Hades is willing to go to to snuff out any chance of hope in the Underworld as he tries to play on Belle's fears of losing her baby to him by making a deal with her. The temptation Belle deals with regarding the offer is played out rather well also as she has been trying to keep Mr. Gold on the right path, but finds herself drawn to a decision that is definitely non heroic.
Something that I was kind of annoyed by though with this episode was the cocktease bullshit when Hades goes back on the deal because of a technicality. Really? We're going through this again? That's really starting to get old fast.
So with that said, this is one of my least favorite episodes of the season, but that's not really saying much as I can't think of any episodes that I've outright hated entirely. It still might be worth a watch if you find it worth your time and the last few minutes reveal the return of a character that's got me curious about what's to come. All I'll say about the returning character is that it's nice to see her back after her short-lived run on another show.
And that was my review of the latest episode of Once Upon A Time and I'd like to know what your thoughts were on the episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and stay tuned tomorrow when I'll have my double Gotham review. Til then, I hope you guys have a great rest of the day. Take care.
Sunday, April 10, 2016
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - On Your Marks Review
Undoubtedly, the biggest moment of last year's 5th Season of MLP was when Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, and Scootaloo finally got their Cutie Marks. No one knew that this was even coming as it was never advertised like Alicorn Twilight in the Season 3 Finale was and yet it still happened, right on the 5 year anniversary of the show's pilot.
After the dust settled from this monumental occasion, people began to wonder "What does this mean for the Cutie Mark Crusaders now that they've finally gotten their Cutie Marks?" Yesterday's episode tries to answer this question and, as far as I'm concerned, does a pretty decent job in that regard.
In this episode, we see the CMC looking for ponies who are discontent with/have forgotten the meaning of their Cutie Marks in the hopes of assisting them, but to no avail. This eventually leads to them going off on their own to pursue their own interests, something you'd almost never see as the 3 of them have practically been inseparable ever since first meeting all the way back in Season 1.
I found this episode to be very entertaining as it focuses on the CMC struggling to figure out what they're supposed to do now that they've finally obtained what they've been after for the show's majority. The fact that they went off on their own pursuits I found to be a very clever metaphor for how friends at one point or another have to part ways without going too extreme. This really spoke to me on a personal level as this past weekend I saw some friends of mine for the last time before they had to move down south.
Another thought to add was the way that, when the CMC separated, Apple Bloom was soo focused on her own problems that she nearly missed an opportunity to help out another colt. I feel like that teaches kids that oftentimes we need to look outside of our own little world and realize that other people have their own problems just like we do. Also, as a side note, I liked how the show also mentioned that you can like a hobby even if it's something you're not necessarily good at as you can get better at it through practice.
Finally, THANK THE SWEET BABY JESUS THAT WE FINALLY HAVE OUR FIRST SONG OF THE SEASON!!!! I LOVE many of the songs that Daniel Ingram does for the show and I was patiently waiting for when the first song of Season 6 would drop. The song that I got was a very sweet and almost melancholy number by Apple Bloom that I thoroughly enjoyed.
In my opinion, this is a very cute and entertaining episode that any MLP fan will definitely enjoy if at all interested. Plus there's also the possibility for a new ship (wink wink nudge nudge)!!! LOLZ!!! XD
And that was my review for the latest episode of MLP and I'd like to know your thoughts about it if you've seen the episode. Sorry that I ended up getting this review to you guys later than usual, but I've had a pretty hectic weekend with my brothers' Drama Show to seeing some friends for the last time to undergoing Security Department training at Six Flags throughout most of today. Additionally, something that I feel I should voice now before I forget is the fact that, from Thursday night until Monday night, I'm going to be out of town at the Midwest Media Expo in Detroit and therefore won't be able to get any reviews out over the weekend until I get back, but don't worry. I'll get them out eventually. Until that happens though, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you guys on the next post. Take care.
After the dust settled from this monumental occasion, people began to wonder "What does this mean for the Cutie Mark Crusaders now that they've finally gotten their Cutie Marks?" Yesterday's episode tries to answer this question and, as far as I'm concerned, does a pretty decent job in that regard.
In this episode, we see the CMC looking for ponies who are discontent with/have forgotten the meaning of their Cutie Marks in the hopes of assisting them, but to no avail. This eventually leads to them going off on their own to pursue their own interests, something you'd almost never see as the 3 of them have practically been inseparable ever since first meeting all the way back in Season 1.
I found this episode to be very entertaining as it focuses on the CMC struggling to figure out what they're supposed to do now that they've finally obtained what they've been after for the show's majority. The fact that they went off on their own pursuits I found to be a very clever metaphor for how friends at one point or another have to part ways without going too extreme. This really spoke to me on a personal level as this past weekend I saw some friends of mine for the last time before they had to move down south.
Another thought to add was the way that, when the CMC separated, Apple Bloom was soo focused on her own problems that she nearly missed an opportunity to help out another colt. I feel like that teaches kids that oftentimes we need to look outside of our own little world and realize that other people have their own problems just like we do. Also, as a side note, I liked how the show also mentioned that you can like a hobby even if it's something you're not necessarily good at as you can get better at it through practice.
Finally, THANK THE SWEET BABY JESUS THAT WE FINALLY HAVE OUR FIRST SONG OF THE SEASON!!!! I LOVE many of the songs that Daniel Ingram does for the show and I was patiently waiting for when the first song of Season 6 would drop. The song that I got was a very sweet and almost melancholy number by Apple Bloom that I thoroughly enjoyed.
In my opinion, this is a very cute and entertaining episode that any MLP fan will definitely enjoy if at all interested. Plus there's also the possibility for a new ship (wink wink nudge nudge)!!! LOLZ!!! XD
And that was my review for the latest episode of MLP and I'd like to know your thoughts about it if you've seen the episode. Sorry that I ended up getting this review to you guys later than usual, but I've had a pretty hectic weekend with my brothers' Drama Show to seeing some friends for the last time to undergoing Security Department training at Six Flags throughout most of today. Additionally, something that I feel I should voice now before I forget is the fact that, from Thursday night until Monday night, I'm going to be out of town at the Midwest Media Expo in Detroit and therefore won't be able to get any reviews out over the weekend until I get back, but don't worry. I'll get them out eventually. Until that happens though, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you guys on the next post. Take care.
Thursday, April 7, 2016
Empire: A Rose By Any Other Name Review
Something that I really enjoy about shows like Empire is how they display the complexities of family dynamics and relationships. Every character has their own complicated backgrounds that lead to interesting story lines and equally interesting personal drama.
Last night's episode saw Hakeem stepping up as the new CEO of Empire Entertainment while, at the same time, working with Cookie to have Camilla's hold on the company pried away. As this is happening, Andre and Rhonda are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their baby and Jamal's gay fans start turning on him when they believe that his homosexual lifestyle isn't genuine on account of a rumor that he hooked up with a fellow female artist.
The family dynamic shown here is on full display in all of its complications and complexity. Andre and Rhonda's dealing with her miscarriage shows both sides of the same coin with Andre turning to his faith to deal with the loss and Rhonda starting to doubt that there even is a God. Jamal, when he finds out that Lucious started the rumor that he got together with a girl, fires back with a vengeance with a song that points out his father's own lack of genuineness.
But there were also plenty of positive displays of familial relationships. The biggest example that I can think of is the way that Cookie, Jamal, and Hakeem are there for Andre when he starts breaking down emotionally. Jamal and Hakeem even showed their support for Andre by performing a very touching song about what he's been through as music is the only outlet they know how to best communicate through.
That last part really stuck with me as I've always believed that music is a universal language that everyone can understand and relate to. Sometimes the best way to communicate with a person is through song when all other forms of communication fail.
As usual, the music was great and the plot definitely took an interesting and somewhat dark turn at the end when Hakeem betrays Camilla and all that follows afterwards. I'm definitely looking forward to what's going to happen come next week.
And that was my review of the latest episode of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts on the episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
Last night's episode saw Hakeem stepping up as the new CEO of Empire Entertainment while, at the same time, working with Cookie to have Camilla's hold on the company pried away. As this is happening, Andre and Rhonda are still struggling to come to terms with the loss of their baby and Jamal's gay fans start turning on him when they believe that his homosexual lifestyle isn't genuine on account of a rumor that he hooked up with a fellow female artist.
The family dynamic shown here is on full display in all of its complications and complexity. Andre and Rhonda's dealing with her miscarriage shows both sides of the same coin with Andre turning to his faith to deal with the loss and Rhonda starting to doubt that there even is a God. Jamal, when he finds out that Lucious started the rumor that he got together with a girl, fires back with a vengeance with a song that points out his father's own lack of genuineness.
But there were also plenty of positive displays of familial relationships. The biggest example that I can think of is the way that Cookie, Jamal, and Hakeem are there for Andre when he starts breaking down emotionally. Jamal and Hakeem even showed their support for Andre by performing a very touching song about what he's been through as music is the only outlet they know how to best communicate through.
That last part really stuck with me as I've always believed that music is a universal language that everyone can understand and relate to. Sometimes the best way to communicate with a person is through song when all other forms of communication fail.
As usual, the music was great and the plot definitely took an interesting and somewhat dark turn at the end when Hakeem betrays Camilla and all that follows afterwards. I'm definitely looking forward to what's going to happen come next week.
And that was my review of the latest episode of Empire and I'd like to know your thoughts on the episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Once Upon A Time: Our Decay Review
If there's anything to say about Once Upon A Time it's that it never ceases to amaze me with the ways that it connects and interweaves certain characters together. After last week's reveal that the lord of the Underworld himself had a past connection with Zelena AKA The Wicked Witch Of The West, I was curious to see how that connection would be developed and, for the most part, this episode manages it pretty well.
Through a flashback, we see Zelena in Oz trying to obtain the necessary ingredients to enact the time travel spell we saw her produce back in the latter half of Season 3 in an attempt to prevent her mother, Cora, from abandoning her. As this is happening, Hades shows interest in the same spell as he figures he could use it to overthrow his brother, Zeus, and take over Mount Olympus while at the same time falling for Zelena.
Much of this episode focuses on Hades still trying to bring the spell about, one of the ingredients, the embodiment of Innocence, he tries to obtain in the form of Robin Hood and Zelena's baby, in place of the second born child Rumpelstiltskin owes that Belle is carrying. Additionally, Henry is still discovering his power as the Author as everyone else is continuing their search for a way out of the Underworld.
I was particularly amazed at the development that was given to Zelena when she, her baby, and Belle wind up in the Underworld through a portal Mr. Gold made to obtain the baby. I got to see that, even with someone as wicked as she was, she still cared deeply for her daughter, even going to the point of making a difficult sacrifice in the end for the infant's betterment.
The connection between her and Hades was very interesting as they seemed to have real chemistry in the flashback shown, even though it would be destroyed through Zelena's own fears that Hades is merely using her for his own benefit despite his claims that his feelings for her are genuine.
This also plays out interestingly when the 2 of them meet in the Underworld in the last few minutes where he continues to express that his feelings for her remain the same. Is he being honest? Maybe? Is he merely using her as he stated earlier on in the flashback that he'd make her pay? Who knows? I'm just interested to see how this'll be developed even more in future episodes.
One of the last things that I'll mention is that there's a slight sideplot involving Snow White and Prince Charming discovering a way to communicate with their infant son, Neal. The method is referred to as a "haunting" where residents of the Underworld step into a phone booth to communicate with those who are still living.
This was particularly interesting in the sense that one of the residents they talk to has no idea if anyone even hears the messages from the other end, stating that if they don't he's wasted about 30 years doing this. There's a very sad hopelessness in this character's mindset. But then it's revealed later through Henry that the hauntings do actually work.
If there was any one complaint that I had about this episode, it's that it doesn't really explain how Zelena was still in Storybrooke. The last time I saw her was when Regina summoned another twister to send her back to Oz so what's she still doing here? Hopefully, they'll explain it in an upcoming episode.
Overall, this is still a pretty good episode as it develops the characters even further and even does an interesting bit of world-building with the Underworld. I still remain enthusiastic for what's to come in the following weeks as it looks like Hades' end goal has been revealed within this episode.
And that was my review of the latest Once Upon A Time episode and I'd like to know your thoughts about it if you've seen it. Something that I'll say right now is that I forgot that there's no new episode of Gotham tonight so I won't be getting another review for it until next week. In the meantime, I'll be watching The Voice and Blindspot. Anyhoo, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
Through a flashback, we see Zelena in Oz trying to obtain the necessary ingredients to enact the time travel spell we saw her produce back in the latter half of Season 3 in an attempt to prevent her mother, Cora, from abandoning her. As this is happening, Hades shows interest in the same spell as he figures he could use it to overthrow his brother, Zeus, and take over Mount Olympus while at the same time falling for Zelena.
Much of this episode focuses on Hades still trying to bring the spell about, one of the ingredients, the embodiment of Innocence, he tries to obtain in the form of Robin Hood and Zelena's baby, in place of the second born child Rumpelstiltskin owes that Belle is carrying. Additionally, Henry is still discovering his power as the Author as everyone else is continuing their search for a way out of the Underworld.
I was particularly amazed at the development that was given to Zelena when she, her baby, and Belle wind up in the Underworld through a portal Mr. Gold made to obtain the baby. I got to see that, even with someone as wicked as she was, she still cared deeply for her daughter, even going to the point of making a difficult sacrifice in the end for the infant's betterment.
The connection between her and Hades was very interesting as they seemed to have real chemistry in the flashback shown, even though it would be destroyed through Zelena's own fears that Hades is merely using her for his own benefit despite his claims that his feelings for her are genuine.
This also plays out interestingly when the 2 of them meet in the Underworld in the last few minutes where he continues to express that his feelings for her remain the same. Is he being honest? Maybe? Is he merely using her as he stated earlier on in the flashback that he'd make her pay? Who knows? I'm just interested to see how this'll be developed even more in future episodes.
One of the last things that I'll mention is that there's a slight sideplot involving Snow White and Prince Charming discovering a way to communicate with their infant son, Neal. The method is referred to as a "haunting" where residents of the Underworld step into a phone booth to communicate with those who are still living.
This was particularly interesting in the sense that one of the residents they talk to has no idea if anyone even hears the messages from the other end, stating that if they don't he's wasted about 30 years doing this. There's a very sad hopelessness in this character's mindset. But then it's revealed later through Henry that the hauntings do actually work.
If there was any one complaint that I had about this episode, it's that it doesn't really explain how Zelena was still in Storybrooke. The last time I saw her was when Regina summoned another twister to send her back to Oz so what's she still doing here? Hopefully, they'll explain it in an upcoming episode.
Overall, this is still a pretty good episode as it develops the characters even further and even does an interesting bit of world-building with the Underworld. I still remain enthusiastic for what's to come in the following weeks as it looks like Hades' end goal has been revealed within this episode.
And that was my review of the latest Once Upon A Time episode and I'd like to know your thoughts about it if you've seen it. Something that I'll say right now is that I forgot that there's no new episode of Gotham tonight so I won't be getting another review for it until next week. In the meantime, I'll be watching The Voice and Blindspot. Anyhoo, feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
Sunday, April 3, 2016
New Developments.
Hey guys. David here giving a quick little update about what's been going on in my life. The biggest piece of news is that I've officially been hired for a Security position at Six Flags. I just found out about it last Monday, filled out the paperwork on Tuesday, attended basic employee training and got my uniform yesterday, and sometime today I'm going to pick up my ID badge.
After that I have department training, but I don't know when it's happening yet. The reason for this is because I need my ID in order to get on to the website where I get my schedule and I wasn't able to get my ID yesterday because the printer was broken from about 150 employees who were going in to get theirs.
Anyways, I really appreciate those of you who've kept me in your prayers as I've been looking for a job for almost a year and a half before this so thanks for that. For those of you who read my reviews, I'm sorry that I didn't have a Gotham review last week, but when you read the one for this week you'll understand why.
In other news, I found out that the hotel I'm staying at for the Midwest Media Expo had lowered the rates on some of their rooms so I managed to hop on that and ended up saving $50 in the process. Even though I'm still disappointed that my friend won't be there, I'm trying hard to make the best of the situation.
Part of that is that I'm really hoping that Doug Walker AKA The Nostalgia Critic will be at the expo again this year and that he'll be doing his Movies Everyone Disagrees With You On panel because I've got 2 that I really want to get off of my chest (Both of the #1 spots for my Movies I Dislike/Hate, But Everyone Else Loves and Movies I Like, But Everyone Else Hates lists for those of you wondering). He was at the expo last year, but I unfortunately wasn't able to attend as I wasn't in the best financial situation. Hopefully, he'll be there again. That would make my entire month.
Finally, this week starts a new schedule at the day program I'm currently attending. I don't actually find out which groups I have until I go in on Tuesday, but I'm feeling good about the choices I made. Now that I'm hired at Six Flags, I'm most likely going to stop going to the day program altogether come late May/early June when the park officially opens for the Summer. It'll be sad to leave naturally, but the whole point of the program was to help me get a job which I now have so it's pretty much "Mission Accomplished" in that sense.
Anyhoo, that's pretty much it for me and I'll see you guys on the next post. Later.
After that I have department training, but I don't know when it's happening yet. The reason for this is because I need my ID in order to get on to the website where I get my schedule and I wasn't able to get my ID yesterday because the printer was broken from about 150 employees who were going in to get theirs.
Anyways, I really appreciate those of you who've kept me in your prayers as I've been looking for a job for almost a year and a half before this so thanks for that. For those of you who read my reviews, I'm sorry that I didn't have a Gotham review last week, but when you read the one for this week you'll understand why.
In other news, I found out that the hotel I'm staying at for the Midwest Media Expo had lowered the rates on some of their rooms so I managed to hop on that and ended up saving $50 in the process. Even though I'm still disappointed that my friend won't be there, I'm trying hard to make the best of the situation.
Part of that is that I'm really hoping that Doug Walker AKA The Nostalgia Critic will be at the expo again this year and that he'll be doing his Movies Everyone Disagrees With You On panel because I've got 2 that I really want to get off of my chest (Both of the #1 spots for my Movies I Dislike/Hate, But Everyone Else Loves and Movies I Like, But Everyone Else Hates lists for those of you wondering). He was at the expo last year, but I unfortunately wasn't able to attend as I wasn't in the best financial situation. Hopefully, he'll be there again. That would make my entire month.
Finally, this week starts a new schedule at the day program I'm currently attending. I don't actually find out which groups I have until I go in on Tuesday, but I'm feeling good about the choices I made. Now that I'm hired at Six Flags, I'm most likely going to stop going to the day program altogether come late May/early June when the park officially opens for the Summer. It'll be sad to leave naturally, but the whole point of the program was to help me get a job which I now have so it's pretty much "Mission Accomplished" in that sense.
Anyhoo, that's pretty much it for me and I'll see you guys on the next post. Later.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic - The Gift Of The Maud Pie Review
I've gotta be honest with you guys when I say that I had pretty mixed feelings going into this episode. On the one hand, the fact that the title of this episode clearly states that Maud Pie is in it was an instant plus for me. I don't know about you guys, but, IMO, Maud Pie is easily one of the best supporting characters in the show. Every time she speaks in that monotonous, deadpan voice it automatically makes all of her lines hilarious.
But on the other hand, the title was kind of a giveaway for what the plot was going to be like. Anyone familiar with classic literature could easily point out what story the title of this episode was parodying and the plot is pretty similar to said story. But, when I finally watched it, while it was predictable for the most part, I also found it to be very cute and enjoyable.
So this episode focuses on Rarity and Pinkie Pie going to Manehattan for different reasons: Rarity is looking for a location for her newest fashion boutique and Pinkie is there with her sister, Maud, as part of a tradition she has where she sets one day aside for each of her sisters to go sight-seeing somewhere before exchanging gifts at the end of the day. But complications arise when Pinkie has trouble finding the perfect gift for her sister.
As I said, anyone who knows what story this is based on could guess what happens pretty quickly and the only reason I'm not saying what story it's based on is so that I don't ruin it for anyone who doesn't know. Still, this episode has plenty of humor and heart to make up for the predictability.
Maud is hilarious as always, particularly whenever she's talking about her favorite topic: rocks. There's an especially funny line from her that takes place in a jewelry store that is too hilarious for me to ruin. Go watch it if you haven't yet. There are plenty of other funny moments sprinkled throughout that I won't give away.
However, even with all of the comedy in the episode, there's also a surprising moment of heart at its center. The message found in here is that a gift isn't nearly as important as the thought behind it which we get to see from both of the Pie sisters and even see the sacrifices they're willing to make. This is a really great moral for kids that you don't always see that often.
So in the end, can this episode be predictable at times? Definitely. But the mixture of comedy and heart at its center are still well worth a watch. This episode I found to still be decent enough for at least one viewing.
And that was my review of the latest MLP episode and I'd like to know your thoughts on this episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
But on the other hand, the title was kind of a giveaway for what the plot was going to be like. Anyone familiar with classic literature could easily point out what story the title of this episode was parodying and the plot is pretty similar to said story. But, when I finally watched it, while it was predictable for the most part, I also found it to be very cute and enjoyable.
So this episode focuses on Rarity and Pinkie Pie going to Manehattan for different reasons: Rarity is looking for a location for her newest fashion boutique and Pinkie is there with her sister, Maud, as part of a tradition she has where she sets one day aside for each of her sisters to go sight-seeing somewhere before exchanging gifts at the end of the day. But complications arise when Pinkie has trouble finding the perfect gift for her sister.
As I said, anyone who knows what story this is based on could guess what happens pretty quickly and the only reason I'm not saying what story it's based on is so that I don't ruin it for anyone who doesn't know. Still, this episode has plenty of humor and heart to make up for the predictability.
Maud is hilarious as always, particularly whenever she's talking about her favorite topic: rocks. There's an especially funny line from her that takes place in a jewelry store that is too hilarious for me to ruin. Go watch it if you haven't yet. There are plenty of other funny moments sprinkled throughout that I won't give away.
However, even with all of the comedy in the episode, there's also a surprising moment of heart at its center. The message found in here is that a gift isn't nearly as important as the thought behind it which we get to see from both of the Pie sisters and even see the sacrifices they're willing to make. This is a really great moral for kids that you don't always see that often.
So in the end, can this episode be predictable at times? Definitely. But the mixture of comedy and heart at its center are still well worth a watch. This episode I found to still be decent enough for at least one viewing.
And that was my review of the latest MLP episode and I'd like to know your thoughts on this episode if you've seen it. Feel free to comment below, keep loving movies and TV Shows, and I'll see you on the next post. Take care.
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