Peacemaker, “Best Friends, For Never”, Review!

Re:cap of last episode - A caterpillar crawls on the tree outside of Leota’s apartment.  Leota is on her laptop talking to Amanda Waller (Viola Davis).  The same actress from The Suicide Squad (2021)!  She doesn’t turst Murn and Amanda tells her to hide Peacemaker’s Diary in his trailer.  We find the shocker, that Leota is the daughter of Amanda Waller!  Annie, the woman whom Peacemaker met at the bar, is brushing her teeth after their night together.  Chris is happy in his tightie whities and sees the record player so does his song and dance. He likes her record collection because John says, “This is when men were men because they weren’t afraid to be women.”  Annie walks to the kitchen and grabs a knife.  She becomes feral and very strong, tossing Chris around the apartment!  He decides to jump through the window and crash down.  

Chris has crawled to his car and puts on his Peacemaker helmet.  He voice activates the sonic boom which shreds Annie and puts a crater in the parking lot!  Emilia gets a call from Peacemaker who is angry about the situation, she gets dressed, as Chris goes back to get his uniform from Annie’s apartment.  She is frustrated she can’t get her shirt buttoned and hammers on the apartment of the “new girl”, Leota, telling her to drive and that Peacemaker killed a “butterfly.”  Chris gets to the apartment and awkwardly puts on his uniform as another song plays on the record.  Murn gets an update from Emilia as he walks into the base, Henenlotter Video.  Economos runs up with his case.  Emilia while Leota is driving assembles a gun and wars her about Keeya.  Murn has Economos change the registration on Peacemaker’s car.  

Detective Sophie Song (Annie Chang) is investigating the scene with her partner, Larry Fitzgibbon (Lochlyn Munro).  She hopes it involves “capes” and notes that there is enough problems with Vigilante.  An officer has picked up what she thinks is a pizza, but Sophie tells her it’s a human face!  Leota pulls up next to the parking lot as Chris picks up Annie’s record collection and a strange device.  Emilia calls Peacemaker and tries to warn him about the police. Sophie sees his helmet and sends officers to the exits.  She wants Peacemaker to jump from the second floor.  Then, she has Leota drive around to the back of the apartment.  Sophie checks out the apartment as other officers see Peacemaker at the stairwell and go check on the apartments.  Peacemaker knocks on a door and then forces himself inside.  

He takes married couple, Evan (Lenny Jacobson) and Amber (Alison Arya) Calcaterra, as his hostages.  She admires Peacemaker’s taste in music and doesn’t mind being tied up, then they start to argue.  Peacemaker jumps down balconies as Sophie breaks into the apartment. Officers converge on the back of the building.  The police have their guns drawn on Peacemaker, but they are taken out by tranquilizer rounds by Emilia.  Sophie warns and then shoots at Peacemaker.  He calls for Eagly and then escape!  Morning, Economos changed the fingerprints of Peacemaker.  August Smith answers Sophie Song and the officer thinks he is playing superhero.  He says it was his son’s car.  The car registration was changed to Chris’ father which makes Murn angry. 

Economos tries to sew up Chris’ wounds and brings up Bat-Mite, the interdimensional imp.  Very funny, Batman’s biggest fan debuted in Detective Comics #267 (1959), he is known for appearing in the 1977 The New Adventures of Batman and other cartoons.  It’s crazy to think Gunn brought him in the DCU. Emilia suspects Amanda Waller gave the butterfly information about Peacemaker.   She narrows it down to Leota, but Chris turns it hilariously to Economos.  Then, Chris remembers that he left the contract kill folder that Annie was reading in bed.  Murn is angry at him and then gets a phone call that there were witnesses.  He has Leota takes “care of them” to which Leota asks what he means with finger guns, funny!  Back at his trailer, Chris puts on the Firehouse record he took from Annie’s collection, and starts crying, more laughs.  

He is sad that everyone hates him and regrets killing Rick Flag.  Character development for Peacemaker?  Then, sees Vigilante is at the window, a hilarious conversation that Peacemaker makes about comparing him to Louis CK.  Leota is outside in the apartment hall when Amber and Evan are about to go see mug shots.  She offers a trip to Lake Tahoe for a bribe.  Vigilante offers to clean up Peacemaker’s living space as he sits on his couch.  He thinks of himself as Peacemaker’s best friend.  Chris has started to question his mission.  Vigilante admits that he likes killing people.  They go out to the forest to target practice on applicances.  The best friends like blowing up things and toss dynamite at each other.  At the police station, the Calcaterras both point out the picture of Auggie.  Sophie has a smile as they arrest him for the murder of Annie. This second episode of Peacemaker really gets the right vibe of comedy, violence, and just the craziest mash-up of comic books!   

Five Peacemaker Helmets out of Five! 

#ViolaDavis, #AnnieChang, #LochlynMunro, #LennyJacobson, #AlisonArya, #BatMite

The Wheel of Time, “The Dark Along the Ways”, Review!

Re:cap - Moiraine chastises Nynaeve for not bringing her to see Mat once she knew about the darkness in him. Later, she is bathing when she is joined by Maigan, head of the Blue Ajah, she asks about how the Trollocs reached Two Rivers. Moiraine doesn’t know and the head of her order wants her to stay permanently at the tower. Later, Moiraine is taken to see Egwene who shows her the rings of the Aes Sedai taken by Valda. She tells Egwene that her Yellow Ajah allies are the best healers for Perrin.  Egwene says his eyes turned yellow and the wolves that might be controlled by him. Night is about to fall and Lan is wondering why she masked their bond. He guards the door until Moiraine’s return. She looks at the wall decoration of a woman looking behind a curtain.   

She weaves the One Power and a white door opens that takes Moiraine to the chambers of The Amyrlin Seat, Siuan Sanche. They kiss, in fact they are lovers, which they have hidden in the White Tower. In bed, Moiraine admits that she had found the Dragon, five potential candidates, according to the 3,000 year prophecy. They were both witness to a new prophecy given by the Aes Sedai Gitara who died afterwards. Moiraine says bringing all of the Two Rivers folk, the others will die, the Dragon will destroy the Dark One or join him, to which she vows to kill him before that happens. She says to Siuan that she has to exile her or the Blue Ajah will keep her in the White Tower. In the morning, Lan and Moiraine are talking about Mat when Liandrin asks about the villagers. Moiraine threatens that she knows about her man in North Harbor.  

She asks for help from Loial. Egwene reunites with Nynaeve. Moiraine takes them to see The Amyrlin Seat. Nynaeve is of course defiant. The Amyrlin Seat thanks Egwene for the return of Great Serpent rings. She brings up the Last Battle and that the Wheel of Time calls for them. Later, Moiriane looks out from the Tower to see the River Erinin, her last look at the place of her early life and training. The Amyrlin Seat has given the exile to Moiraine Sedai, they weave the One Power to seal the vow on the Oath Road, their fingers almost touch. They will never see each other again.  An emotional scene, necessary, but the relationship is felt in their tearful eyes. Moiraine is ordered to look at her sisters who turn away from her. She passes the line of Aes Sedai that were with her at the Gentling of the Dragon including her friend, Alanna.   

Moiraine rides to the hill with the Waygate and is met by Loilal with Egwene and Perrin riding up.  They are joined by Mat, Rand, Egwene, and Lan also on horseback. Egwene hugs Rand. Moiraine and Lan send away their horses! Loilal says the horses can’t travel to the Ways. She says that it will take them to the Eye of the World, the prison of the Dark One! If they don’t stop the weak Dark One now, his armies will destroy the world! Moiraine weaves and opens the Waygate, it is a dark portal struck with lightning. Lan and Loilal lead the others to the portal, but the gate shuts out Mat! The episode opens with a woman, Tigraine Mantear (Magdalena Sittova) in winter gear with arrows and a spear running in a snowy, burned remains of siege weapons. She pauses by a rock feeling the pain of her baby. I’m figuring that this must be Rand’s mother from her red hair.  A knight above her attacks, but he is taken down by Tigraine who stabs his face with her spear!  

Then, she has to fend off three more knights with two spears! Isn’t enough that this lady is giving birth?, you have to go on taking her on outnumbering her three to one? Tigraine is able to kill two of them, but the third gets hold of her and stabs her side with his sword! She slams her head back, pulls out the sword, and then cuts the knight with his sword. The wound at her side is bringing the birth of her baby. Tigraine crawls back to the rock with the dead knight’s cape, about to give birth, when a heron-marked sword is held to her! The sword!, this must be Tam al’Thor, Rand’s father!  Then, we get torches handed out as the Two Rivers friends want the gate to be opened, but Moiraine says Mat made his choice. The Ways are apparently a dark limbo with hexagonal rock paths and columns that kinda reminds me of the underground in Big Trouble in Little China (1986).  

Loilal tells them the Way was once covered with fruit trees and grass. Perrin warns them that he senses something up ahead. It is a Guiding Stone from Loilal’s Ogier people, but defaced.  Moiraine has them rest, it will be a day more to reach the Waygate, as Loilal tries to read the Guiding Stone. Lan tells Moiriane that they are being followed. Rand draws Egwene over as they rest. Later, Egwene hears whistling, suddenly a Trolloc appears, but Rand blasts it off their rock clearing with the One Power?, shrieking into the void.  Moiraine realizes that they used the Way to reach the Two Rivers undetected. Loilal explains that the use of One Power has awakened the Machin Shin, he translates it means the Black Wind, Lan warns them not to listen to it. Moiraine tells Loilal they must reach Fal Dara. Something is screeching and formed like the black wings of insects. They start to cross a narrow bridge and then the Black Wind swirls around them!  

Everyone hears their own distorted voice telling them their doubts and fears. Nynaeve hears her failure to protect the villagers again and again, she screams and forms the burst of white light in a circle! Moiriane opens the Waygate and Lan pulls away Nynaeve. They have reached the plains where Loilal points out the fortress city of Fal Dara. Moiriane says they have to walk for a day to The Eye of the World. They are all disturbed by the voice of the Black Wind, but continue on to walk to Fal Dara. The eye-patched Lord Yakota (Amar Chadha-Patel) welcomes Lan’s return, whom he calls Dai Shan, to the city. They meet with the bearded ruler, Lord Agelmar Jagad (Thomas Chaanhing) who also greets Dai Shan. He says that his sister, Lady Amalisa Jagad (Sandra Yi Senchindiver) warned the White Tower of the Blight. Lord Agelmar says they have defended the Borderlands from Trollocs.  

Moiraine warns him about the Dark One moving his armies through the Waygate and says they should wall it up. Lord Agelmar makes the order and offers the group his hospitality. Fal Dara makes me think of Osgiliath that was the farthest outpost to protect Minas Tirith in Lord of the Rings. Out of the Waygate is the coat of what looks like Mat, but how did he get through the Way and open the Waygates?  Moiraine walks with Lady Amalisa and says she will visit Min. What I remember from the books was that she was an annoying character. Lady Amalisa wants to know why they traveled the Ways, but Moiriane says while she trained at the White Tower, Lady Amalisa is not an Aes Sedai. Moiraine wants her to send a message to the White Tower to have the Red Ajah find Mat.  

Walking through the streets, Perrin remarks to Nynaeve that he thought he saw Padan Fain who was at the very beginning of their adventures! They enter a tavern, Moiraine talks with the bartender, Min Farshaw (Kae Alexander) whose power, as a Seer, was hidden from the Aes Sedai. She looks at the Two Rivers friends and says Perrin has “yellow eyes with blood running down his chin.” Min says she sees Rand holding a baby. Then, with the girls, “white flame and a ring of gold.” There is also sparks between them, a connection, that is consumed by darkness.  Min also tells Moiraine that The Amyrlin Seat will be her "downfall." Moiraine tells them about Min and what she saw in the Pattern and also about the fate of the others in the Last Battle. Egwene knows what is right, but Nynaeve is still distrustful of Moraine. This seems to separate the Two Rivers villagers, Nynaeve finds herself with Lan, and the Dragon Reborn is discovered! By the way, besides Min, the other new characters are unnamed in the show.  Some mysteries are revealed, we have our heroes in danger, as we get closer to the Eye of the World in this episode of Wheel of Time!        

Four Ter’angreal out of Five!   

#WheelOfTime, #MagdalenaSittova, #AmarChadhaPatel, #SandraYiSenchindiver, #KaeAlexander

Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas #1 Review!

Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas #1 features the story of desperate soldiers during the Battle of Arrakeen and the beautiful art of Jakub Rebelka! The short story was first published in the magazine, Amazing Stories, in #597 (1999). It was a new Dune story after Chapterhouse: Dune (1985) by Frank Herbert. Also, the first collobration of Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. The short story was later collected in The Road to Dune (2005), a companion book that compiles notes, the alternate story, “Spice Planet”, letters, and short stories. The writing duo’s first novel in the Prelude to Dune series was Dune: House Atreides (1999).  

They had adapted the novel for BOOM! Studios in a twelve issue limited series. Herbert and Anderson also adapted the first book in a graphic novel for Abrams Comic Arts with a second part coming up. Since this short story by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson takes place during the Battle of Arrakeen, fans of the novel, 1984 David Lynch movie, and the recent Denis Villeneuve film can all appreciate this work. The cover by Jeff Dekal has the ragged Artredies survivors look out from their cave out to the Arrakis sand dunes to the Caladan seas. Herbert and Anderson adapt their short story with illustrations by Jakub Rebelka.  

The one-shot is published by BOOM! Studios. We open with a little catch up summary, Arrakis with the city of Arakeen, Duke Leto Atredies is betrayed by Baron Harkonnen who has brought in troops to retake the city and the planet of Dune! The red skies have the Harkonnen ornithopters hovering over Arakeen like vultures. The city burns as we see fortress structures built into the Shield Wall. We see all this in a large panel with a smaller one showing the shredded Artredies flag. A two page spread shows that the ornithopters are dropping explosives onto the fortresses as the Harkonnen troops begin to occupy it.  

We get the narrator, Sergeant Hoh Vitt of the Artredies Guard, admitting their failure to protect the duke and his family. A Harkonnen commander orders the firing of what Vitt calls “ancient artillery” on the Atredies entrenched in the Shield Wall. The explosion thrums the cave with the Atredies survivors. They are bandaged, wounded, and pelted by rocks from the artillery fire. Vitt hears the gasp of his nephew, Elto, who is dying. He wants his uncle, who is jongleur, a name for a medieval entertainer, to tell him a story. This is as a story of the ground troops, the grunts who defend House Atredies, normal humans not story of the nobility or advisors.  

He compares the artillery shelling to waves crashing on the cliffs of Caladan, the Atreides homeplanet. Vitt brings up the sights and smells of Caladan, the fishing boats, and Castle Caladan next to the sea. The story is interrupted as the cave is plunged in darkness. A gunner, Deegan, restores a glowglobe to give a little light. Scovich gives a drop of water to a distrans bat in its cage.  He hopes to send it out with a message of rescue. Elto wants a story of how they got to Arrakis.  Vitt’s story covers Duke Leto, his son Paul, and Lady Jessica, all of whom we see from behind, not personal, no faces, a nice touch.  

Tensions flare up with the soldiers about who is to blame, but Vitt is able to calm them down. Deegan freaks out and wants to escape, the last sedative is given to him, and he gives a story to put him to sleep. Then, Vitt goes to the defense of Arrakeen where they fight against troops that are using the Sardukar style, the elite troops of the Emperor. This is recognized by Gurney Halleck, House Atredies Warmaster, and then the Harkonnen artillery fire starts. Halleck calls for Vitt to retreat and defend the supply caches in the Shield Wall.  

They fire lasguns down at the artillery and Elto is successful in destroying a cannon before their retreat. Scovich releases a bat to send a message, slipping through a crack in the cave, which Scovich says is a “Fremen trick.” Elto wants another story from his uncle. He has Elto remember the seaweed forests and the coral gems they found, the contrast of the green with the red of Arrakis is incredible, Rebelka is also the colorist. Hoh Vitt’s story brings all of the soldiers’ memories of Caladan for one final time. Dune: A Whisper of Caladan Seas has some stunning artwork, a story of trapped soldiers, and the power of a storyteller!  

Five Coral Gems out of Five! 

#DuneAWhisperOfCaladanSeas, #BrianHerbert, #KevinJAnderson, #SergeantHohVitt, #Elto, #Deegan, #Scovich, #GurneyHalleck  

Naomi, “Unidentified Flying Object”, Review!

Re:cap - the pilot ended after Naomi’s strange meeting with Zumbado in the forest, she meets with Dee who reveals his wings, a Thangarian like Hawkman!  Naomi finally has the correct question, “Who am I?”  We pick with Dee who folds his wings and shows her a newspaper.  The headline is from Port Oswego Journal and he says that it started March 14, 2004 with the “Mysterious Flying Object.”  He had seen the light in the sky and sensed Naomi then.  Dee says that there is a “unique vibrational signature” for people like them.  He says they are made from an unique metal, Nth Metal, made on his homeworld of Thanagar.  Naomi is told she is “not human” and she starts to panic.  She reads comic books, to be an alien superhero is like a wish fulfilled!  

NAOMI - - “Unidentified Flying Object” - - WILL MYERS, KACI WALFALL, AIDAN GEMME - - Photo: Danny Delgado/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Naomi gets a call and Dee says that their talk is enough.  I really like Dee as a mentor.  The next morning, Naomi is at the kitchen table asks her family about the crash, her father says he doesn’t know the answers.  Greg McDuffie reassures his daughter.  Naomi skateboards to school.  Main Street seems to have changed.  She passes Zumbado at the car lot.  She runs into Anthony who has a coffee for her.  Strange, it seems like the school day is almost over, he and the other friends would have seen Naomi at the start of school.   He awkwardsly asks her to a pizza place and she agrees running off.  At the bridge, Dee is waiting as Naomi rides her board there.  Dee says that they will jump and she will fly.  He asks if she has ever been injured.  I like the superhero test.  He was told by Superman that “impossible is relative” when he fought alongside him in a war.  

She is not accepting of Superman, her character is not consistent, Naomi says she just has to find the crash site.  Dee leaps off the bridge and then hovers above her.  At the McDuffie home, Annabelle enters, as Naomi puts up her research about the town and U.F.O. sightings.  Annabelle asks about the disc, but Naomi is not interested.  Naomi says it crashed on the day she was adopted.  Her mother says her father is using the car.  Annabelle brings in Jacob (Aidan Gemme) and his junky car.  Greg McDuffie is brought in to see Commander Steel (Brian Brightman) who tells about the Superman incident.  He says the team, the Unidentified Aerial Phenomena Team (UAPT) found an indestructible red fabric that his team found in the forest.  There was a Commander Steel, Henry Heywood who was in Legends of Tomorrow, Tom Wilson played one Hank Heywood, his son, and there is a Citizen Steel, Nate Heywood on the show.  Could this be another world's Commander Steel?  

NAOMI - - “Unidentified Flying Object” - - AIDAN GEMME, MARY-CHARLES JONES, KACI WALFALL, WILL MYERS, CAMILA MORENO - - Photo: Danny Delgado/The CW -- © 2022 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Annabelle asks about her date with Anthony.  Jacob has a case of equipment and they go investigating the forest.  Naomi senses something as the others scan and check the trees. Naomi hears the sounds of life in the forest and her friends.  Annabelle checks on her.  Naomi tells her that she could hear everything, super hearing?  At school, Naomi tells Annabelle her encounter with Dee and his wings.  Annabelle likes that Naomi is a superhero, Naomi denies it, and Anthony drops in to ask about which Greek god they would be for a project.  He is going to stop over at Naomi’s house.  At the dark room, they are developing photographs, a dark room?  We have digital photos.  Anthony rings up the myth Steve who saw something unusual with the UFO in 2004.  They head over to Steve O’brien’s (Sean Hankinson) house, he has given up UFOs for a normal life, and share with Naomi about the light in the square.  

He thought he heard voices, just like Naomi, Steve saw a bright light and then was back at his car.  Naomi brings up Falls Creek and Steve says the landing was miles away.  Back at Naomi’s house, she is more desperate to find the crash site at the mill.  She is getting intense for the others and walks to her room.  She hasn’t been reporting to her Superman site in some time.  Jennifer McDuffie is helping Anthony prepare pasta.  Nathan arrives and there seems to be tension between them.  Anthony and Jacob are working on the map, there are no mills around the Falks Creek, and Naomi finds a closed mill.  The drive the night road, but Jacob’s car stalls.  Naomi calls in Lourdes with her van.  They find at the abandoned mill, strange writing on a wall, Naomi recognizes it from the disc.  She uses her super hearing to hear the entrance of someone, it is Zumbado!  He has her friends leave and Naomi brings up a spinning field like in the forest. There is a large number of characters to juggle in an episode, but Naomi has an interesting hero's journey!  

Three Discs out of Five!        

#Naomi, #UnidentifiedFlyingObject, #AidanGemme, #BrianBrightman, #SeanHankinson

Book of Boba Fett, “The Gathering Storm”, Review!

Re:cap - the last chapter of The Book of Boba Fett, Boba’s gang, Fennec later calls them the Mods, has scout, Skad with the cyborg eye.  He reports to Boba Fett via hologram call.   He has seen about a dozen Pykes leave a starliner in the hangar bay.  Fennec says the Pykes are going to war.  In the bacta tank, Boba flashes back with green tint to riding his bantha, and he sees the cave entrance of Jabba’s Palace.  He uses his rifle’s sight to watch the Nikto guards as the entrance is sealed up, a garage?  Boba returns to his bantha whom he calls “old girl”, to feed her, banthas are herbivores so they are reported to eat purple tubers.  This shifts to the triple moons of Tatooine, Chenini, Ghomrassen, and Guermessa, identified in Star Wars: Absolutely Everything You Need to Know (2015), nice shot.  The director of photography is Dean Cundey who also worked on the second episode.  

At the campfire, Boba is eating some meat, a scurrier, his bantha licks her tongue, and he tosses her a piece, nice touch.  Some bright flash chargers in the distance light up the night sky, a battle?, disturbs his meal.  Boba approaches with his bantha to the battle and takes out his rifle to see a fallen form, Fennec!  This from The Mandalorian, “The Gunslinger” (2019) where the rookie bounty hunter, Calican shot her in the stomach.  He picks her up. The earlier battle was between Fennec and The Mandalorian.  A nice origin of what happened to Fennec Shand.  The bantha takes Boba and the unconscious Fennec to a settlement of cyborgs, a mod-parlor?, very cyberpunk.  He takes her inside the cyborg workshop. 

Boba wants a cyborg “modification” to save Fennec’s life and hands the cyborg tech, Modifier (Stephen "Thundercat" Bruner) with yellow dreads a bag of coins.  The actor of course has one of the best nicknames.  As Boba watches, the tech begins cutting into Fennec’s stomach, giving her a cyborg tummy complete with fluids to keep her alive. Fennec revives on a desert floor with a fire going.  Boba is there with josbantha and hands her a black melon to drink as the Tatooine suns are about to rise.  Photography wise, with the Volume, these are beautiful shots showing a different vista of Tatooine.  Fennec wants to know what happened and sees her new tummy.  Boba knows of her reputation as master assassin.  She does not recognize him, without armor?, so he says his name.  

He says he was dead on the sands like her, but rescued by the Sand People.  Boba tells Fennec that he wants her help to get his gunship from Jabba’s palace.  She tells him Bib Fortuna took over, but Boba thinks he will refuse his request without his armor.  Fennec says her debt to him would be paid.  Day, Boba and Fennec ride the bantha, friendship!  At night, they reach the garage, Fennec uses the scope on her MK sniper rifle to find the Slave-I.  She takes a small, ball-like probe that swerves through the closing gate,   and moves through the palace to detect the number of guards.  Boba sets free the bantha to the Dune Sea. At the camp fire, he tells Fennec that next he find his armor and take Jabba’s throne.  Her probe returns and Fennec has it holographically display all of the occupants of the palace.  Fennec wants to enter the palace in stealth mode, they move as Gamorrean guards, the bodyguards?, pass and enter a sewer grate.  

A sous chef droid looks like EV-9D9, who questioned C-3PO in Return of the Jedi, and a chef droid cuts up veggies with its multiple arms, a similar droid was in Attack of the Clones (2002).  The sous chef droid is sent to check out the sound of grate that was moved.  Boba strikes him with his gaffi stick.  The chef droid turns on him with his knives which reminds me of General Grievous with his arms.  Fennec severs his head.  A tiny LEP droid with rabbit-like antennae walks in.  Boba chases after it, the droid is spry, so it is a kindof funny scene.  Fennec corners it, Boba lifts it up, and the droid deactivates itself!  They move to the garage and see Slave-I which is a little rusty!  Two Gamorrean guards rush in, I’m assuming they are Gabby and Gammy, but are taken down by Boba and Fennec.  An alarm is sounded and Nikto guards run in with blasters.  

Fennec blasts them one by one as Boba heads to his ship.  There’s a four-legged power droid which Fennec blows up to toss away some Niktos.  Boba has the Firespray-31 lift off, Fennec rolls away, and then he uses the thrust to knock away the guards.  A Gamorrean attacks Fennec on the ramp and then a Nikto.  Boba can’t get the ship out of the hangar and Fennec has him close the ramp.  She is able to shoot the counter weight for the gate and it opens!   Boba says he will drop off Fennec, but she says she will go along with him.  The Kintan Strider Nikto speeder bike gang is riding in the sand dunes.  The Slave-I appears and Boba mows down the bikers with his ship cannons and a concussion missle for the last speeder. Then, he moves to the Sarlaac Pit to find his armor, apparently he doesn’t remember the Jawas stripping it away.  

He turns the cockpit vertical to scan the gullet of the Sarlaac.  Boba sends a light to find his armor, but only finds the Little Shop of Horrors mouth that lashes out at the ship. Boba tries to fire his cannons, but the Sarlaac has already held the Slave-I with its tentacles!  Fennec is trying to reach for a button, she unlatches herself from the restraints and has to lay on the cockpit window with Sarlaac below!  She climbs up to activate the button and sends out a sonic charge!  It slips into the pit and swallowed by the secondary mouth.  The detonation sends a shock wave around the pit.  Fennec Shand, Sarlaac Slayer!  Later, Boba climbs into the pit to find his armor, of course it is not there, and Fennec pours a canteen of water over his robes dripping with Sarlaac acid.  She says he needs a bacta tank. 

At the night campfire, Boba outlines his plans for a house to rule justly and without waste of life.  He wants Fennec to join him, but she says she’s an “independent contractor.”  Boba is back in the bacta tank and when he emerges the droid tells him that he is fully healed.  Black Krrsantan is back and we also get an appearance by Garsa Fwip, basically good characters, no Mayor’s majordomo or Milton from Office Space.  The episode ends with a meeting between all of the families, very gangster movie.  This episode is directed by Kevin Tancharoen, who directed episodes of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., he is able to tell a cohesive story that moves the narrative along rather than bogging it down.  Robert Rodriguez and also Seph Green, who directed a 2018 episode of Luke Cage, are liabilities to this series; introducing weak characters and elements that are non-Star Wars.  The Book of Boba Fett has finally found its pacing and tone with Tancharoen with the fourth episode, it has Boba Fett taking action and events are not drawn out, fun nods to Star Wars, and everything a bounty hunter could want in a Star Wars series!   

Four Thrones of Boba Fett out of Five!  

#TheBookOfBobaFett, #TheGatheringStorm, #KevinTancharoen, #StephenThundercatBruner

Superman and Lois, “The Ties That Bind”, Review!

Last episode, Lois resolves the situation by having John Henry and Natalie, his daughter, to stay at the farmhouse.  We get a perspective digging under the ground when we see the fist of Doomsday!  This is the creature that killed Superman!  He was introduced in Superman: The Man of Steel #17 (1992) and their fight ended with both deaths in Superman #75 (1993).  He was in 2009 episodes of Smallville and appeared in Beavis.  A breakfast is being made, Lois is busy making it, as the family gets to the kitchen table, and John Henry and his daughter arrive.  Natalie says she is vegan.  Clark sees visions and falls down as there are tremors!  Doomsday is coming!  Later, Clark explains that he has been having visions.  John Henry offers to drive the kids to school.  Clark tells Lois that he sees a cave-in and screaming. Lois thinks it may be visions of Krypton.    

In town, Kyle is getting boxes out for the campaign.  Mayor Dean (Eric Keenleyside) walks out of the restaurant.  Smallville High, Jonathan kisses his girlfriend, Candace.  His teammate, Ron, tells him to save his strength.  Jordan asks Sarah to go to lunch and at the lunch table, brings in Natalie.  Sarah says she has a `78 Firebird, Natalie works out how to start the car.  A friendship?  There is a secret from the camp.  Smallville Gazette, Chrissie is listening to a podcast with a self-help guru, Aly Allston, Lois walks in and says she is a cult leader when Chrissie says her story as a journalist is questioned.  Superman flies to snowy base.  He walks into a red lit room, red sun radiation surpasses Kryptonian abilities, to see Morgan Edge, now Tal-Rho, reading a book and greets him as brother.   He speaks with Edge in his cage, Clark mentions if pain and visions are a side effect of the Eradicator.  Tal-Rho says that he is powerless after the solar flare.  

SUPERMAN AND LOIS - - “The Ties That Bind” - - ELIZABETH TULLOCH, TYLER HOECHLIN, WOLE PARKS- -  Photo: Bettina Strauss/The CW - © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

At the Amer Tech mines, Lois and Chrissy meets with Dr. Faulkner (Catherine Lough Haggquist), who admits that they haven’t caused the tremors.  Lois brings up the X-Kryptonite.  The doctor leaves and Lois has Chrissy find a seismologist.  The candidate, Daniel Hart, says he has a job offer at Bristol County, but admits that he is dropping out of the race.  He was coerced by some business, like Amer Tech or Edge Industries?  Jordan meets with Sarah who says she is going to work on the car with Natalie.  At the farmhouse, John Henry sees the photo of his family.  Lois is at the door and John Henry says she should be herself with Natalie.  She asks for help on the mines.  They hear the swoop in and Clark says that Edge is not a help.  Clark hears gunfire at a hangar.  Automatic fire keeps federal agents down, Superman knock him back, and then the gunman (Shaw Madson) breathes a yellow gas.  He punches Superman back.  

He starts to get into action, but struck by the vision, and the gunman slams down Superman, is taken away at superspeed, it is Tag Harris (Wern Lee), a former classmate of Jordan and one of the students from the DoD school.  There are two others, but Superman falls unconscious.  Superman is recovering at the DoD with Lieutenant Anderson who says the gunman was Phillip Karnowski, a drug runner.  His team, the Threat Reduction Agency (TRA)? will be fodder for Doomsday.   John Henry is setting up equipment at the mine and has a flashback of his Lois.  His device will locate the seismic disturbances.  At the Cushing house, Kyle and Lana go over possible candidates, it's kinda obvious who it will be.  At the Smallville High workout room, Ron lifts heavy weights to the enthusiasm of his teammates, Jonathan continues with his  small dumbbell.  Jordan is looking over pics of Sarah on his phone.  Clark tells his son that he was looking at the other fortress. 

SUPERMAN AND LOIS - - “The Ties That Bind” - - EMMANUELLE CHRIQUI, ERIK VALDEZ - -  Photo: Shane Harvey/The CW - © 2021 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

 Jordan joins his father, Superman, and Tal-Ro at his desert fortress.  A red crystal floats to his hand.  They see the hologram form of his mother, Lara-El (Mariana Klaveno)!   She helped her son first season possessing Lana.  At first she doesn’t recognize Tal-Rho, her other son says it was taken before the destruction of Krypton.  Lara is repulsed that her machine, the Eradicator, was used on humans.  She says Tal-Rho was grown in lab and he is angry at her abandoning him to his father.  Clark tells his other about the visions.  At the garage, Natalie is working on the car with Sarah, she slips up bringing up the bunker.  She tries to cover up saying it is the name they call the workshop.  Natalie brings up Sarah’s problem with Jordan.  Then, the car starts.  At his RV, John Henry brings Lois green tea.  Suddenly, the device activates with small tremors.  Lara looks at her grandchild.  Across from them, Tal-Rho says Lara favors Kal-El, Jordan defends him, matching his uncle!  

Then, Superman has visions that agonize him as Lara scans Kal-El’s brain.  The tremors strike.  Tal-Rho snaps out of his handcuffs!  Everything is a total whirl that it a moment happens, moves to another, and then another!  Super drama!   Tal-Rho blasts Superman to the rocky wall, Jordan blasts his uncle’s shoulder.  Dr. Faulkner sees the monitors and and tries to warn the workers.  Something brutal, grunting, takes down the miners.  Jordan punches Tal-Rho, but he is head butted and has his arm around his throat.  Lara pleads with Tal-Rho to release him.  Does his hidden power connect with Leslie Larr?  Four blue lights are seen and then an explosion in the mines!  The mysterious appearance of Doomsday is exactly like the comics, powerful, world shaking, but unknown.   John Henry tells Lois he has never seen a disturbance like at the mines.  Superman is freed from the vision and slams Tal-Rho back.  He begins to throw punch after punch, furious, and tells his half-brother, “Never touch him!”  His mother in hologram form tells Kal-El that she knows what is the problem!  Superman and Lois throws in so much events and characters that this ups the super ante and makes a fine second episode of the season!  

Five Kryptonite Crystals out of Five!  

#SupermanAndLois, #TheTiesThatBind, #EricKeenleyside, #CatherineLoughHaggqist, #MarianaKlaveno, #WernLee.  

Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!

Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!  He is one of the most distinctive baritone of a voice which he turned to acting to control his stutter.  One of his first film roles was Dr. Strangelove (1964).  Jones is an accomplished stage actor,  winning the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play for The Great White Hope in 1969.  He took the part of Jack Johnson along with co-star Jane Alexander, from the stage to film with The Great White Hope (1970).  Jones  played Lennie on Broadway in Of Mice and Men (1974).  He of course provided the voice for Darth Vader in Star Wars (1977) and starred in Exorcist II: The Heretic also that year.  James Earl was the villainous Thulsa Doom in Conan the Barbarian (1980).  His voice was also heard again as Darth Vader in The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and then Return of the Jedi (1983).  

An iconic role was his Tony Award winning performance in August Wilson’s Fences (1987) as Troy Maxson.  This is my favorite part he played.  One of his interesting roles was in the comedy Coming to America (1988) playing King Jaffe Joffer.  The following year, he was Terence Mann’s Field of Dreams. In 1990, Jones starred as Admiral Greer in the Hunt for Red October.  Also that year, Jones won an Emmy for Supporting Actor in a Movie or Miniseries for his role as Junius Johnson in Heatwave (1990).  He was Gabriel Bird in the tv drama Gabriel’s Fire (1990-1991), in 1991, he won an Emmy for Best Actor for the show.  Jones returned as Admiral Greer in Patriot Games (1992).  He had another great role as Mr. Mertle in The Sandlot (1993).  Then, he was Earnest Moses in the superhero comedy The Meteor Man (1993).  

Another iconic role for Jones was as the voice of Mufasa in the Disney animated film, The Lion King (1994).  He was also Franklin Stern in a 1994 episode of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.  Next, Jones returned as Admiral Greer in Clear and Present Danger (1994). Jones was the voice of Unas in the “Thor’s Hammer” (1997) episode of Stargate SG-1.  In 2002, Jones was awarded the Kennedy Center Honors.   He was back on Broadway in 2008 starring in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof.  Jones played himself in “The Convention Conundrum” (2014) of The Big Bang Theory.  He returned to voice Mufasa in The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015) and also Darth Vader in a few episodes of Star Wars: Rebels from 2014-2016.  He was in the thriller Warning Shot (2018).  Jones also back as Mufasa in the live action Lion King (2019).  He returned as King Jaffe Joffer in the comedy, Coming 2 America (2021).  Happy Birthday James Earl Jones!

#JamesEarlJones, #DrStrangelove, #TheGreatWhiteHope, #StarWars, #Fences, #ConanTheBarbarian, #ComingToAmerica, #FieldOfDreams, #GabrielsFire, #PatriotGames, #TheSandLot, #TheLionKing, #LionGuardReturnOfTheRoar, #StarWarsRebels