Daredevil Season 2 Review

(Warning: I spoil stuff.)

Daredevil has returned to Netflix for it’s second season. This time as well as continuing Daredevil’s story we get introduced to Matt Murdock’s college girlfriend and current assassin Elektra, and New York’s newest vigilante the Punisher. This season was structured differently than season 1. Where last season was one ongoing story. This season had several arcs running throughout.

The first arc introduces the Punisher, and damn does he enter with a bang, (pun mostly unintended.) In a lot of ways this season doubles as a Punisher origin. While we don’t see his origin. He do see his journey from vengeance seeker to skull shirt wearing  Punisher from the comics. I like how the show set him up as a monster but then flipped it by making him one of the more sympathetic characters, well to a point that is. This might be the best Punisher we’ve gotten. While I don’t think a solo series could work, I would welcome it. The Punisher feels like a character who just shows up and tears things up and leaves. He certainly could only work on these Netflix shows where we can see how brutal he is. The only negative is maybe his origin is a little convoluted.

After the end of the Punishers intro arc, we get introduced to Elektra. She was a bit mixed for me. I liked the performance but some of the writing was a little off to me. They never bother to really explain what the Black Sky is and it kind of hurt a lot of the tension for me. It just made Stick sending someone to kill her beyond excessive. But I suppose it could be seen as a bit of a self fulfilling prophecy. I also found it pointless that they decided that her sai were something she needed to obtain instead of just already having them. I get that they like to slowly build these characters. But her just stealing them off an assassin felt forced to me. Her costume when she finally gets it is okay. She has one of those costumes that doesn’t work in live action and the replacements used generally fall into the okay category.

 

I can’t help but feel a little let down by the climax. Granted it was good but it felt set up for more. We saw the Punisher enter a room filled with guns. I was expecting him to show up and mow down a ton of ninjas. Instead he just snipes a couple and that’s it. And because she died in the comics it wasn’t hard to guess that Elektra could die. When Elektra and Daredevil have that little moment where they talk about running away together I rolled my eyes slightly because it reminded me too much of a similar beat in the Amazing Spider-Man 2.

The Hand were our big bad this season, and while Daredevil fighting ninjas is awesome there wasn’t anything engaging about them beyond their physical threat. The returning Nobu is their figurehead here but he isn’t much of a character. This was only magnified when the Kingpin made a brief but awesome return. Which is too bad since having stand out villains has been one of the best aspects of these shows. Especially with it still being a consistent problem in the Marvel movies.

But same as in the first season, the action is spectacular. In the third episode we get a fight that will give the hallway fight from season 1 a run for it’s money. They also seemed to have amped up the gore this season. There are some really brutal moments that stand in stark contrast to the rest of the MCU which usually plays things light and fun.

While some details were lacking the positive more than outweighs the negative in what was another great installment in Marvel’s Netflix shows. Definitely looking forward to Luke Cage.

My rating 8.9/10

Supergirl “Hostile Takeover” Episode Review

(Warning: I spoil Stuff.)

Supergirl has reached it’s fall finale and it ended on a fairly strong not. This episode had some of the strongest action in the series to date. I liked the homage to Man of Steel’s Superman, Zod fight. If that fight had showed Superman saving at least one group of people from some rubble maybe people would have complained less.

One of the most interesting developments is Cat Grant figuring out Kara’s secret. Which I’m okay with because it would get ridiculous if she couldn’t figure it out. That was something Lois and Clark was guilty of. While it was hilarious when a time traveler made fun of Lois for being so stupid to not figure it out. The fact is it was ridiculous how often the main cast would interact with Superman and never put two and two together. Now in this show anyone that could identify her knows. So she just needs to hide her identity from strangers.

It was interesting to hear that it seems Superman is aware of Martian Manhunter. So why does he not tell Kara? Then again I still don’t get why Alex can’t. Seems like secrets that only exist to make people mad at each other later.

We also finally met Non who seems like he is going to be the real big bad this season. Which is fine Astra hasn’t been a very interesting villain. Though her status as a more tragic figure can hold more dramatic weight. While the show has shaken off most of it’s early problems good villains is something it still lacks, and hopefully Non will be a step toward that.

I feel like ending in the middle of a fight was an odd way to end the fall finale. But since it’s going to be back on January 4th it’s forgivable. I guess I’m used to how Flash and Arrow are laid out and even if they don’t share continuity the shared DNA is there. Still, it was another fun episode. My Rating 8/10.

Supergirl “Human For A Day” Episode Review

(Warning: I spoil stuff.)

Supergirl had it’s first real holy shit moment this week. It’s just to bad it didn’t involve the title character. When Henshaw seemed to display some kind of psychic sense I began to suspect who he really was and I was not disappointed. J’onn J’onzz also known as the Martian Manhunter finally gets to be seen  properly in his full form in live action. Previously his Martian form was seen in the unreleased JLA pilot, and Smallville only appeared in human form. Though I suspect that since his Martian form appeared to be done in CGI we won’t see too much of it. Even though I began to suspect it the twist was very well done and completely changes the dynamic of the DEO stuff which always felt like deadweight to me, and while I still hope the show moves away from it the presence of Martian Manhunter makes it more interesting.

The main plot where Kara has to deal with not having her powers was enjoyable albeit familiar plot-line. The Flash did a similar plot last year and I believe Smallville, and Lois & Clark did it as well. But that’s okay, seeing a hero have to struggle and step up without their powers is a classic story trope of the genre. Kara’s helplessness as someone died right in front of here, and the scene where she talked down a gunman who could have killed her were very good.

Minor DC villain of the week Jemm was fairly uninteresting but did prove enough to set up the episodes big reveal. I’m enjoying the strong character development they’ve been giving Cat Grant who is now coming off multi layered while still retaining her more eccentric behaviors.

I’m not sure why J’onn would want Alex to keep his true identity a secret from Kara. I feel like it would solve a lot of their trust issues. Winn’s random freakout over a simple hug was a little unrealistic. It was also strange that Kara would waste any amount of time to change into her costume to save James. The show is finding it’s footing for the most part but the villains need an upgrade.

My Rating: 8.1/10

Arrow/The Flash Legends of Today/Legends of Yesterday Review

The second annual Arrow Flash crossover happened and things have definitely escalated since last year. Then we had the Arrow, the Flash and Arsenal. This year we have Green Arrow, the Flash, Speedy, Black Canary, Hawkman, Hawkgirl, and whatever Diggle is supposed to be.

This year the crossovers main job was to set up Legends of Tomorrow. Though several episodes in both the Flash, and Arrow have been doing that. We get introduced to Vandal Savage, who is making his live action debut. Here he is a actually a composite of Savage and Hath-Set as opposed to being a caveman. Though meteors still play a role in his immortality.

We meet Hawkman, and Hawkgirl. Though we’ve met Kendra in two previous episodes of the Flash it’s here that she learns of her powers. They’ve opted to just go with the mystical reincarnation route, so no Thanagar in this universe. I felt that Hawkman was a little stiff but wasn’t bad.

Unlike last years crossover which told two separate but connected stories, this was one story. The subplot in the first part while continuing the main arc of the Flash stuck out a bit. Arrow opted to just focus mainly on the crossover. I also don’t know why they made Oliver’s son not Connor Hawke, especially since Hawke is gonna show up in Legends of Tomorrow but not as Oliver’s son. That just makes no sense to me.

Just seeing this many DC heroes in live action together was a lot of fun. The action was cool and throw in one of DC’s more interesting villains and you get one hell of a crossover/backdoor pilot.

My Rating 8.9/10.

 

 

Jessica Jones Season 1 Review

(Warning I Spoil Stuff.)

Marvel and Netflix unleashed the second series in the Defenders series and the second MCU production to center on a woman. And much like their first joint venture this was an astounding success. Much like it’s sibling show we see the dark and ugly side of Marvel’s universe. Make no mistake much like Daredevil, Jessica Jones is not for kids.

Krysten Ritter is fantastic as the title character. She’s a very much a broken person because of what happened to her. suffering from PTSD and alcoholism. They take a while to really explain Jessica’s backstory. Which is forgivable with the Netflix model. We never get a full explanation as to how she gained her abilities other than she got them in her accident. Though they left a few threads for a possible second season which seems like it will involve learning more about how exactly that happened.

It doesn’t take long to feel like Mike Colter’s Luke Cage can definitely carry his own series. Though it doesn’t seem like Jessica will appear in Luke Cage’s series which is too bad considering how connected they were in this show. I really enjoyed their fight in Cage’s bar and the fight where Kilgrave is controlling Luke.

Once again Marvel’s Netflix outdoes most of the feature film villains with the Purpleman called only Kilgrave in this series, played by David Tennant. Much like the Daredevil series they don’t introduce the villain right away. I liked how Jessica’s PTSD flashes of Kilgrave were lit with purple. He is with out a doubt a complete monster who also happens to have the temperament of a petulant child. Though how exactly his powers work is a little suspect at times. We’re told his powers are like a virus and towards the end of the series his powers get enhanced. If it just meant he could spread his influence over a wider area that would be one thing. But he controlled someone over the phone which is a little ridiculous.

There wasn’t much to not like with this show but there was a weird subplot involving the lawyer Hogarth having an affair. It felt out of place for most of the season. The twins that were Jessica’s neighbors were weird and the sister was kind of annoying.

There wasn’t a single reference to Daredevil until the finale when Rosario Dawson’s character showed up, and I appreciate the restraint. This show is definitely on par with Daredevil though I still prefer the later as I’m more a fan of action crime drama over the noir thriller that Jessica Jones is. But this is a great show and a great edition to the Defenders series.

My Rating 9/10.

 

 

The Flash “Gorilla Warfare” Episode Review

(Warning, I spoil stuff.)

Gorilla City. Wow, holy crap I can’t believe they did that. I swear I find myself thinking that a lot when it comes to these shows. This week we got the long awaited return of Grodd whose CG looks to have been upgraded.

After he got his own Knigtfall moment last week Barry spent most of this episode rebuilding his confidence more than his body. A pretty standard story, shades of Peter Parker loosing his powers due to sadness in Spider-man 2 though not as inexplicable.

Thanks to Cisco’s vibing we got our first glimpse at suited up Hawkgirl with wings and it was pretty awesome. Why is it that the Flash seems to have suffered the least when it’s come to setting up Legends of Tomorrow? Both this and last season of Arrow have devoted a large chunk of time to it but the Flash has done a bit less. Thankfully after the big crossover they no longer have to worry about setting up another show and can instead just focus on coexisting.

In showing that Grodd targeted Caitlin I’m glad this show is good enough not to go for a cheap King Kong homage. Though Cisco not referencing it is a little surprising I suppose. I really like Earth-2 Welles dressing up as Reverse Flash. Watching Tom Cavanagh do that I couldn’t help but remember a quote from Robert  Downey Jr’s character from the movie Topic Thunder. “I’m a dude playin a dude disguised as another dude.”

One can’t help but wonder how long until Joe finds out about his son, and if Barry will tell Patty his secret before he ruins his relationship with lies. This was a solid episode that left me wanting more. Specifically more Grodd and Gorilla City, because I want to know if they can pull it off.

My Rating: 8/10.

Supergirl “Livewire” Episode Review

(Warning: I spoil stuff.)

This week due to understandable reasons Supergirl had to skip to it’s fifth episode. Though for the most part . The only major thing missed was a more proper introduction for Lucy Lane and her and James reestablishing their relationship. Also Red Tornado apparently, which I was looking forward to. I’m sure this episode will be shown at some point.

One thing I was hoping to see in this show was Livewire getting a proper live action debut. It certainly didn’t disappoint. He fights with Supergirl were probably some of the coolest the show has had so far. If only because of Livewire’s powers.

It was good to see Cat Grant start to become more three-dimensional while still retaining her wit. Her history and guilt over Livewire was interesting. Her demoting her felt rushed. They should have had her defy her first, and then get demoted.

Kara’s adopted parents finally got some extended screen-time. Though we learn that her adopted father apparently died in a plane crash while working for Hank Henshaw and the DEO. Of course it’s implied this is a lie. What actually happened to Mr. Davners is the latest in the shows mysteries which include Henshaw’s glowing eyes.

The show I guess will likely move away from the whole DEO element which I haven’t really cared much for. The pacing still felt a bit off to me, at one point Livewire opens her eyes in a hospital bed then she’s outside. I felt abrupt to me. She also figured out her powers way too quickly. Some of the family stuff dragged a bit but wasn’t too bad. The action scenes were more than enough to make this an enjoyable episode though.

My Rating: 7.8/10

Supergirl “Fight or Flight” Episode Review

(Warning: I spoil stuff.)

This week continued exactly where the last episode left off with Supergirl allowing herself to be interviewed by Cat Grant. I like that Supergirl mostly stayed in the air and did her best to keep her distance. Of course Cat got under her skin and she accidentally let it slip that she’s Superman’s cousin which catches the attention of one of his old enemies. Reactron, goofy name aside was the best villain of the week we’ve had so far. He had stronger motivation and was the first non alien criminal we’ve seen. I decided to look this villain up and he actually is from the comics albeit heavily changed and oddly enough debuted as an enemy of Supergirl and not Superman.

This episode decided to address the lingering question of “well why doesn’t she ever call in Superman?” And we got a surprising and brief cameo from behind of a CG Superman as he swooped in to save Kara. It’s revealed that he came not because he thought she couldn’t handle it but because James was afraid for her. He used his signal watch which if I’m not mistaken may have made it’s live action debut. Of course after she chastises him it’s not really pointed out that he was probably right. I did like that Clark talks with her via instant messaging as a way to actually get a conversation between the two since they can’t show much of Superman beyond what they have and honestly I’m surprised they were able to do this.

In a really dumb move James Olsen is now the worst best friend ever by blurting out Superman’s real name in front of Winn. His reaction was kinda funny. But other than a cheap laugh does this lead to anything or does it just make James look dumb. This episode also marked the full debut of Maxwell Lord whose mostly just got captured, awkwardly flirted with Cat Grant, and acted like a dick. We also now have a team Supergirl secret office which I feel like would get found out so easily. Regardless this was another solid episode as Kara continues to grow as a hero and Hank Henshaw continues to have his eyes glow randomly.

My Rating: 8/10

Arrow “Haunted” Episode Review

This week the DC TV universe got a bit bigger and darker with John Constantine guest starring. This episode officially places the unfortunately short lived Constantine series as part of the same universe as Arrow, the Flash, Vixen, and the upcoming Legends of Tomorrow.

It was somewhat disappointing that Constantine only showed up in the present in the last twenty minutes of the episode. But he was in this weeks flashbacks as we learn that Oliver met him on the island. I’m sure fans will have hoped for a bit more from Constantine but we were lucky to get this. I would be great if he appears again. Especially with this season looking to be heavy with the magic, but I doubt it. With the Justice ‘League Dark movie being a possibility this will likely be it for this take on the character. Alas we also don’t get any idea of what Constantine is currently up to, so any one hoping for a few loose ends to be tied will be let down. But regardless his inclusion in this episode was a lot of fun and it was really cool watching him interact with Oliver and the rest of the cast.

One big reveal this week is that Diggle’s brother who he has been trying to avenge as far back as season one was apparently a rival crime lord to H.I.V.E.`This is certainly an interesting development. Of course they could always reveal that is was a cover of some kind but for now it will be cool to see how Diggle deal with this bombshell. With this series old mystery solved I wonder if they will take an opportunity to revisit Diggle’s former sister in-law and nephew.

The big plot of the episode and main reason for brining in Constantine was Sara gaining her soul back after a couple of weeks of being an empty shell. Between this and the revelation that Ray Palmer is alive this episode did more to set up Legends of Tomorrow than progress this seasons arc. However with the preview revealing that Ray is being held captive (in a jar from the looks of it,) by Damien Darhk. That’s a good way to tie things together.

The crossover with Constantine could have been a bit more but was still a lot of fun. My Rating; 8.4/10

The Flash “The Darkness and the Light” Episode Review

(Warning: I spoil stuff.)

Last weeks episode ended with the debut of King Shark. And it sounds like a lot of people were somewhat disappointed that there wasn’t anymore King Shark. Of course in all the excitement about his appearance I guess most people overlooked the fact that he was shot point blank by the Harrison Welles of Earth-2. So he’s probably dead due to reasons of budget.

The Earth-2 version of Harrison Welles was a cool addition to the show. Not just for how everyone reacted to seeing him (Seriously who knew Joe was so trigger happy.) But it was cool seeing at just how different he is from the other Welles. Granted that Welles wasn’t Welles and we don’t really know a lot about the real Welles but he is definitely not like that one either. Earth-2 Welles is arrogant and brash, he and Jay Garrick also hate each other. Welles thinks Jay’s a coward, while Jay eels he ducked his responsibilities for their worlds metahumans. Of course Earth-2 Welles or Harry as Cisco has dubbed him is after Zoom to save his daughter who we learn is being held prisoner by him.

I’m not to familiar with the female Dr. Light aside from the fact that she’s not a villain. This makes the second character this season who is usually a hero pop up as a villain. Though as with Atom Smasher she’s from an alternate universe so it can be excused. It was interesting that she would be the Earth-2 Linda Park. It looks as if next week they will use their Linda a bait for Zoom. I wonder if Linda sticks around they might try and make pair her up with the still to appear Wally West her cannon love interest.

Everyone finally learned about Cisco’s powers and he even got his new nickname “Vibe.” I wonder how long it will be for him to get the shockwave powers of his comic counterpart. Assuming he ever does that is but only time will tell.

My Rating: 8.4/10