Supergirl: Falling Review

image credit: DC, CBS, supergirl.tv

Shocking, tear jerking, and game changing would be the best way to describe tonight's episode of Supergirl.

Are "turn the hero bad" episodes a bit of a cliche? Yes. But in this case, in the overall scale of things, it works.

Just as things seemed to have gotten better for Kara and co. during the last episode, everything naturally goes to heck in this episode. There are so many shocking moments that happened, but in order to avoid spoilers, I won't say what happens. But it's definitely going change the show overall; in character arcs as well as relationship arcs.

It's also a tear jerking. I myself was crying more than once during the episode thanks to Melissa Benoist's absolutely stunning performance in the episode. She managed to convey the effects of "Red Kryptonite" to where it wasn't corny and made Dark!Kara a legitimate threat, projecting cruelty and malicious into a usually bubbly character (though constantly weighed by morality and tragedy). Not to mention the moments after the effects (spoiler alert) wore off where Kara realized the gravity of all she'd done.

On top of Benoist's performance, we had two more knock-out performances in our midst: David Harewood and Chyler Leigh. Their performances in some (spoilery) scenes of the episode was done beautifully and brought even more tears from me. Honestly, Alex and Hank (or J'onn)'s relationship is one of the best relationships on the show, in my opinion.
What will happen next? I have no idea. But it's going to be good, I know that much.

Rating: 9/10

Next Time:

Agents of SHIELD: Bouncing Back Review

image credit: farfarawaysite, Marvel, ABC

Agents of SHIELD returned to our screens Tuesday night, starting off with a bang-quite literally. It
gave us moments of joy, fangirl/boy worthy moments, and definitely some shipper moments that had me internally screaming. So what are we waiting for? Onto the review!

Synopsis:
The team get wind of a new Inhuman on the scene, a young woman named Elena Rodriguez with the ability of super speed. Meanwhile, back at the base, Coulson is determined to put an end to Gideon Malick-at any cost.

Review:
I've always loved Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. From the first episode, it slowly became my favorite show. However, I couldn't deny that from season two onward, something felt missing from the show, something that made season one work so well for me. It wasn't until Bouncing Back aired that I realized what: fun. This episode was fun. A word I wouldn't usually associate with S.H.I.E.L.D, as it's been dealing with darker themes since the Hydra reveal in Turn, Turn, Turn.

Between seeing the Secret Warriors finally being assembled, the use of Elena's powers, and the humor being completely on point, this episode is no doubt a favorite of mine so far this season.

We've got some much needed character development for a lot of characters (especially in terms of Fitz and Simmons), and more development on the relationship department. There was a scene for each of the main relationships of the show (Fitzsimmons, Phillinda, Static Quake and Huntingbird) and the episode also gave the fandom a new ship: Elena and Mack, an already fun and endearing relationship.

Of course, the whole episode wasn't just laughs and giggles. We also got our best look at Hive yet, and I've got to say, it's terrifying. Brett Dalton knocked it out of the park with this episode; the Grant Ward we all know and love (or love to hate) is definitely gone and there's no denying the eerie presence Hive has. If that's how creepy it is recuperating, I'd really hate to see what it's going to be like at full power, so to speak.

S.H.I.E.L.D. is definitely back and if the rest of this season is as good as this episode then, hoo boy, are we in for a ride.

Rating: 10/10

Agent Carter: Hollywood Ending

image credit: abc, marvel, farfarawaysite

Talk about a season finale! Once more, Agent Carter proves that it's one of the best shows with a cast of absolutely wonderful actors and characters. Filled with humor, tension and excitement, the season finale certainly proved that this show is worthy (and deserving) of a third season.

The episode concludes the season's ongoing story line with Whitney Frost in a way that was both clever and terrifying for viewers, as it jeopardized the lives of many loved characters.

The love triangle between Peggy, Jason and Sousa was finally put to bed as well in a way that handled beautifully and I'm thankful they didn't cop out on that storyline, but gave Peggy the right to make her choice-which she did.

The episode saw the return of Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper), who always makes the episodes a lot more fun, especially with his dynamic with Peggy and Jarvis.

Filled with laughs, some moments that left me a teensy bit teary-eyed, moments that made me scream at the tv in terror and later elation, the finale is definitely one of the best episodes of the season, bringing back the humor and dynamics that made season one and ending on a happy note with Peggy and Sousa finally getting together.

And then of course, you have that shocking ending. I definitely need a season three to find out what happened, thank you very much ABC.

Rating: 9/10

New Daredevil Season Two Trailer

Agent Carter: The Edge of Mystery/A Little Song and Dance Review

image credit: ABC, Marvel, farfarawaysite

Following the cliffhanger of last week's two hour extravaganza, last night's episode was all heartbreak, action and shocks and turns. But what else could you expect from the two episodes before the season finale?

I won't lie. I was in tears majority of the episode. Why? Bloody Edwin and Ana Jarvis. If you thought Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. was painful, last night Agent Carter gave some of the most emotional, heartrending scenes I've ever had the pleasure of watching.

James D'Arcy knocked it out of the park last night with his performance as Jarvis dealt with the aftermath of Ana being shot-and unexpected consequences that followed the injury. The emotions were raw, charged and felt real during the episode; each actor provided a stellar performance, but James D'Arcy and Hayley Atwell absolutely stole the show with their emotional scenes, especially with their argument in the desert in A Little Song and Dance.

Speaking of song and dance, I was honestly shocked at how well done the dream sequence was. While one could argue it didn't really match the tone of the rest of the episode, it was a fun scene altogether and saw the long awaited return of Angie Martinelli (Lyndsy Fonseca) as the entire cast put on a fantastic show, complete with singing and an epic dance between Peggy and Daniel (and yet another almost kiss....perhaps the third time will be the charm) that was quite frankly amazingly done and had me shipping them even more (which I didn't think was possible).

The scene was also done as a way of showing Peggy's impossible place in the love triangle between her, Jason and Daniel, as well as giving us another glimpse at her brother Michael with an emotional scene as the two talked about Peggy being in the field and how Michael knew that it was what she wanted more than anything.

With plot twists, betrayals, heartbreak, gasp worthy moments and more shipper squeals than I can count, these two episodes were absolutely fantastic and beautifully done. Honestly, I can't wait to see what next week has in store for us.

Rating: 5/5 (I would also argue 10/10)

The Flash: King Shark Review

image credit: CW, DC, farfarawaysite

Last night's Flash picked up exactly where last week's left off; moments after Jay Garrick was cruelly killed by Zoom in front of the entire team, before his body was dragged back to Earth 2 by the dark speedster.

The episode focused mainly on the team recovering from that loss as well as what they saw on Earth 2, while trying to stay busy to avoid to pain of their loss. That distraction came in the form of King Shark.

Continuing the tradition of a second crossover episode, we had a visit from Diggle and his wife, Lyla (who's now running ARGUS!) as they try to help the team defeat King Shark as the talking shark actually escaped ARGUS' custody.

The episode was another suberb episode, following the Earth 2 episodes. It was nice to see an episode with the team dealing with the after effects of their visit to the parallel Earth; seeing the consequences of character's actions is something I love to see in television (or in any form of entertainment, really) and I'm glad the writers didn't decide to just go straight to a light hearted episode, which in a way, this episode was but there was that undertone of loss that really made the episode work.

There's so many standout performances in this episode that it's really hard to choose a favorite scene in the episode, but all of the Caitlin and Cisco scenes together were amazing, as was seeing the West family bonding.

Quite impressive was how they handled King Shark; it would be very easy for this episode to be corny or just not good at all, but somehow they managed to do the complete opposite. It was tense during the fight scenes and the CGI for King Shark was darn good for a television show. And when a show can make a talking shark wearing pants even remotely threatening, then that's darn impressive.

Rating: 5/5

Supergirl: Livewire Review

Tonight saw the airing of what was originally episode five of the first season of Supergirl, and boy

Credit: CBS, kryptonsite 

was it a good one. So, as I always say, onto the review!

Synopsis:

When Leslie Lewis is transformed in a super-powered being called Livewire, she goes after the two people who've wronged her: Cat Grant and Supergirl. Meanwhile, Alex believes that her mother will disapprove of Kara's antics as a superhero.

Review:

This is easily the one episode I was looking forward to the most this season. Why? Because I was actually familiar with the villain, Livewire, thanks to some recent issues of Batgirl (written by Cameron Stewart and drawn by Babs Tarr). And tonight's episode of Supergirl did not disappoint. While the origin story of Livewire is different from that in the Batgirl comics, it did not detract from the fantastic (and somewhat simple) plot. 

While the plot itself may be simple (a wronged radio host decides to seek revenge), it's the characters that more than make up for it. Following Arrow and The Flash's lead, tonight's episode of Supergirl gives us some flashbacks to Kara and Alex's childhood....and opens up a future plot-line. 

Cat Grant also gets some much needed character development, and no longer is just the incredibly blunt boss that we've come to love (and sometimes hate), but has a few emotional scenes that proves that Cat is indeed as human as the next person...er....some people anyway.

Another part that truly made the episode was the family relationship between Kara, Alex and their mother, Eliza (Helen Slater). While there's more than a little tension at first, it's finally resolved in a way that not only opens a new story-line, but gives us a more in-depth look at Alex's character, and particularly how she feels about always looking out for her sister.

While Winn and James aren't really in their episode, their presence is felt and their relationship with Kara is still the best, and both get several funny scenes in the episode (as well as serious, since we get a better look into Winn's family and James' relationship with Lucy Lane).

All in all, this episode has so far been my favorite of the season thus far. Let's hope next week can continue the string of excellent episodes!

Rating: 5/5

Gotham: Pilot Review

Screencap from Trailer

Okay, so I've been a little slow on writing my reviews-I just didn't feel like writing them yet-so, here I am with a review for last week's  Gotham.

Synopsis:
James Gordon has just joined the Gotham Police Department, and so far, his first case has been a rough one: between trying to find the murderer of the Waynes, and going at ends with his crooked partner, Gordon has it in for him. Can he survive the city that is filled with crooks and crooked cops?

Review:
The episode started by introducing us to Selina Kyle, future Cat Woman, who simply goes as 'Cat' now. Of course, the first part of the episode shows us the infamous scene in Bat-Man lore: the death of the Waynes, leaving Bruce Wayne-who saw the whole thing-an orphan. The rest of the episode plays out like any other crime show: Gordon makes a promise to Bruce that he'll find the Waynes' killer, much to the dismay of Bullock, his partner, who wants nothing to do with the case. The episode features plenty of future criminals-The Riddler, Poison Ivy and the Penguin just to name a few. While they don't feature any future heroes-the only two that spring to mind are Robin and Bat-Girl, and I know that at least one of them haven't been born yet. The GCPD department looks exactly like it does in the Arkham games, which was the first thing that sprung to mind when I first saw it. My only complaint about the series is the use of technology-cell phones-which wouldn't have been around when the Waynes' were murdered, but I suppose they're setting the series in present time. So far, the show is far darker than the usual shows I watch, but it'll be interesting to see how it'll continue.

Overview:
4.5/5

Gotham Pilot review by James
What did you think of the episode? Comment below!
-Tegan