Let's start with The Flash, as this Christmastime episode had the Weather Wizard break out Captain Cold and the Trickster(so great to see Mark Hamil indulge in his evil side!) in order to gang up on their mutual fleet footed adversary.
While that last part is typical bad guy fare, I have to say to the Weather Wizard "Really? That's the best you can do? All of your atmosphere altering powers, plus a wacky willing-to-do-anything ally in your corner, and your big scheme is to blackmail your enemy into letting you beat him down in public?" Weak tea, Weather Wizard, seriously:
Since Earth-2 Wells has a legitimate motivation to go along with this plot to build up Barry's power so that Zoom will have more to steal(his daughter being held captive), I'm a bit more sympathetic to his plight but Barry is still going to be hurt in more ways than one when this betrayal comes to light.
All in all, this has been a pretty good season up to now and having Wally West arrive to join the family should make for some interesting plot twists as we go forward. I do like that E-2's Jay Garrick is slowly becoming part of E-1's Team Flash(not to mention Caitlin's obvious crush on him) and the change in the dynamic of Barry's offbeat frenemy relationship with Leonard Snart,aka Captain Cold, who was not around much for this mid season breaking point. That's mainly due to setting up the Legends of Tomorrow series and how fun was that Arrow/Flash crossover that gave us Hawkgirl?
The next time we check in with The Flash, we'll also have to be ready for that show and with all of the other superhero themed series on TV these days, overload is a real possibility yet if the quality levels keep going up ,it'll be so worth it:
Both Fitz and Simmons have really grown in strength over these past season, what with Jemma doing her best to survive on that abandoned planet and Fitz overcoming his physical problems to not only get her back but using his mental capabilities to try and rescue Will(shame about what happened to him), his rival for her affection. Seeing Fitz not take any more crap off of Ward was damn fine to watch, even if he had to back down there:
A lot to deal with as the new year looms and they did tie up a few loose ends for the most part. However, when the show comes back in March, I wonder if any of this will tie into the upcoming Captain America: Civil War movie.
Well, for now at least, we do have a new season of Agent Carter to look forward to in January. With Peggy having an adventure in L.A., some movie magic is bound to happen and waiting for her to kick some Hollywood ass is as hard as holding off on opening your Christmas presents until morning:
Supergirl received a vote of confidence from the network recently, as a full season run was approved for next year. While the show is far from perfect, with clunky dialogue at times and a need for subtlety in their girl power messages, there is a lot more merit to this series that is worth expanding upon.
For one thing, both Kara and her foster sister Alex have character arcs that are not always directly tied into one another, which allows each of them to deal with their own struggles and triumphs without one overshadowing the other. Also, Cat Grant maybe cartoonishly bitchy at times yet in her own weird way, she's the best critic and mentor that Supergirl has on her side, although unknowingly but still...:
The action sequences have been well done for the most part(Red Tornado was rather awkwardly done but his takedown was nice) and while there should be a main villain arch set up here, the story lines are being put into place rather well.
Maxwell Lord is clearly meant to be Kara's Lex Luthor and her evil aunt Astra,who will be focused on during the mid season finale next week, makes for a suitable General Zod, only with a lot more personal connection for Supergirl in facing off on that foe.
Sometimes, the best plot points on this show have an everyday tone to them, as when Kara had to deal with backlash involving the way she handled a road rage incident. While the need to control her anger is a serious one, that guy did throw the first punch there and was lucky that Supergirl only knocked him down a little, if you ask me:
As the show goes on(and with any luck, gets a second season), some of these rough spots will be smoothed away and we'll really get to see what Supergirl can do. I admit that I was not a big supporter of this show at first but this is one of those times that I'm happy to be wrong about something.
Plus, when a show like this gets to introduce a big character like the Martian Manhunter(another secret that Alex has to keep, which will cause some more sibling problems) as well as this, it should be supported by the fans with steel hard strength. Give Supergirl a chance,folks, if you haven't already and you may be as pleasantly surprised at how good it is and can be:
RANDOM NOTES:
GOTHAM: Despite my disappointment at the early demise of a potential Joker and the barely fulfilled potential of major menace Theo Galavan, I am still determined to tune into this show. With the Penguin and the Riddler now becoming fast friends, plus the promise of Mr. Freeze arriving as soon as February, Gotham is not out of wicked times to be had there. So,let us ring in the new year with the second half of the-is season to the sounds of a chilling chime of devious delight:
Well, I have to say that I'm glad you're enjoying Supergirl. I haven't watched it, myself, and don't expect to start soon, but I hope that the writers are doing well by a good character that can keep the representation onscreen a bit more gender-balanced.
ReplyDeleteThe Flash is damn odd, and you point it out with the public beat down. This series is consistently silly and unrealistic, but the cast is solid and the writing can be very good and the tone is often so light and positive that it's infectious. All of that is enough to make this show a winner.
SHIELD had a weird way of closing off its hiatus, and it doesn't quite work, but I'm sort of just happy to see that something like this can appear on tv at all. I just don't think this series will go down in the history books because it's so stodgy and slow and filled with moments that seem so uninspired.
I haven't watched Gotham, and don't expect to start any time soon =p
Supergirl did surprise me but it still has a ways to go there. If you can catch up with it over the holidays, it's totally worth the time.
ReplyDeleteI'm liking The Flash and interested in seeing Legends of Tomorrow but hopefully, the latter won't be up against MAOS. They do take their time with plot lines but I suspect that has to do with linking up to the MCU(and you need to watch Captain America: The Winter Soldier!).
Gotham, I can understand your reluctance but I'm invested in the characters more than the over all story arcs, so I will be sticking with that show for a little longer. Hopefully, the upcoming Mr. Freeze arrival will make things a frosty blast to watch:)