REVIEW: Iron Man 2 (Road To Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the third movie in the lineup, Iron Man 2.
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKtcmiifycU[/embedyt]
The sequel to the successful start of the MCU. Does it still hold up after 8 years or does this suit need to be left behind?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 8 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story takes place after Iron Man in Russia where we are introduced to the main villain of the movie Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), and we see his father is about to pass away. Right before he does, he lets Vanko have the plans to his fathers work and Vanko creates his own Arc Reactor. On the other side of the world, we see Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.), kicking off the year-long Stark Expo event in New York. Shortly afterwards, he is forced to appear in court to debate control over the Iron Man Suit. He wins the case and continues his playboy lifestyle when Vanko shows up at the Grand Prix that Tony is participating in and attacks him. After Vanko is caught and sent to jail, he is then set free in order to work for Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), to recreate the Iron Man Suit. After a house party gone wrong, James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), steals an Iron Man Suit and takes it to the military to be modified. After the fight, Tony gets the attention of SHIELD and they give him his fathers secrets in order to make a new type of ARC reactor so Tony can prevent his Death. After Vanko makes new Iron Man drones, Hammer goes to the Stark Expo to present them, when Vanko takes control and everything goes wrong. Tony and Rhodes put on their suits to fight the drones and Vanko to save the day.
The acting in Iron Man 2 on par with the first Iron Man. Robert Downey JR. continues to show why he is the only Iron Man we need and why he is Iron Man. Don Cheadle and Sam Rockwell are also worth mentioning because they bring the comedy and action to the movie and serve as perfect balances and counterparts to RDJ. I should also mention that this is the first time we see Scarlett Johansson as Natasha Romanoff and she kills it. Mrs Romanoff is both gorgeous and can also kick butt all in one.
The CGI is also on par with the first Iron Man (Are you starting to see a pattern here?). The War Machine and Iron Man suits look awesome and can really put in some work. The suits may not be real but you will want one for yourself after watching this. I should also mention that Vanko’s whiplash suit also looks awesome. The prototype one looks cool but the final suit at the end of the movie looks really cool as well.
One bad thing I will say about Iron Man 2 is that it doesn’t try to top the first movie. Most movie sequels try and outshine their first outing but, Iron Man 2 doesn’t try to do this. The movie instead goes for showing more and introducing more characters. However, it also tries to play it safe as well but trying to follow the formula of the first movie. That is a choice that harms the film in the end because instead of going bigger and better, it goes bigger but skips the better which is a shame. Iron Man 2 shows it had potential but instead just only gives the minimum effort.
The Verdict:
While it isn’t as bad as Incredible Hulk, Iron Man 2 also isn’t better than Iron Man. Iron Man 2 tries to emulate the formula of the first one but, also try to play things safe. Sequels are supposed to be bigger and better than the first. Iron Man 2 puts in the effort to be a good movie, just not a great sequel to Iron Man.
7/10
Next up on the list, we take a trip to Asgard to see what our favourite Norse God is up too in Thor.
REVIEW: The Incredible Hulk (Road to Infinity War)
Alright, let us continue The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event with the second movie in the lineup, The Incredible Hulk
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbqNb2PFKKA[/embedyt]
This one has mostly been forgotten but is still in canon with the MCU. Is the second movie in the MCU a hulk smash or a pass?
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Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 10 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story is about Bruce Banner (Edward Norton) on the run from the government and looking to cure his Gamma sickness (AKA The Hulk). When he is discovered by the Military lead by Thunderbolt Ross (William Hurt) and is forced to flee his house and avoid getting captured. When he is cornered in the same factory he worked at, he turns into the Hulk and goes on a rampage. After nearly escaping, Bruce is once again lost and on the run when he is picked up and travels back to the USA to try and finally get a cure. However, while back in the US, he comes across his old lover Elizabeth Ross (Liv Tyler), she wants to help Bruce by any means possible. This leads the couple to New York where when they make the cure but all is lost when a Super Soldier went wrong Emil Blonsky (Tim Roth) uses Bruce’s blood to gain more power and become the Abomination. This leads to a final showdown in New York when Hulk and Abomination clash with Hulk winning and saving the day (Of Course). In Conclusion, Bruce leaves to go to BC and Thunderbolt Ross gets an unexcepted visitor which turns out to be Tony Stark (Robert Downey JR.) who wants to talk about the Avengers Initiative.
Right off the bat, I want to say that this film comes across as dull and boring at times. Sure it has plenty of action but it’s done in such a way that it feels more like white noise than anything exciting. The only good part of the film is the last 30 mins with the fight between Hulk and Abomination and the RDJ cameo at the end. This is really bad when this is supposed to be a continuation of the fresh MCU.
The acting in this movie is also dull as well, everyone in this movie looks like they don’t want to be there and they are only doing this because they got better things to do. The performances are also bland with everyone in the cast trying too little or not even trying at all. The worst has to be Liv Tyler, she basically whispers all of her lines and comes off as annoying as well. The best performance in this film is from Tim Roth, sure he looks bored as well but, you can tell he is having fun playing the proto super soldier.
For all the negative I have been giving the film, the CGI still holds up after 10 years. The Hulk and Abomination look visually pleasing and are awesome to see on screen. It feels like more work and effort was put into the CGI then the rest of the movie itself.
The Verdict:
Before watching this movie, I kept thinking, “Why is this movie so forgotten by most MCU fans?”. Well, now I finally have the answer, it’s because this movie is dull. The story is simple but the execution is what falls apart. The acting is also dull and no one seems to be trying in this movie. When the only good thing about the movie is the end and the CGI, you really done screwed it up. I can only recommend you watch the last 30 mins of this film. Other then that, this is most definitely a hulk pass.
5/10
Next up on the list, we look at the sequel to the excellent Iron Man, Iron Man 2. Is Iron Man 2 a worthy sequel or will it derail the franchise?
REVIEW: Iron Man (Road to Infinity War)
This is it folks! The Papi Chulo RADIO Road to Infinity War (RTIW for short) review event has begun!
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With Infinity War coming out this May, we will be going back and reviewing every single MCU movie in release order! After all, every end has a beginning. So let’s start at the beginning with Iron Man.
Iron Man is the first movie in the now famous MCU and even 10 years after it’s release, does the movie still hold up?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hYlB38asDY[/embedyt]
Before we get into it, it should be said that there will be spoilers if you haven’t seen it yet (Although since it’s 10 years old, you should have seen it already).
The story of Iron Man is an origin story for Tony Stark, played by the famous and expensive Robert Downey JR. After a weapons testing, Tony get’s ambushed and captured by the Ten Rings. They demand that Tony Build them the Jericho missile and then they will kill him afterwards. However, along with us saviour and cellmate, Yinsen, they secretly build a prototype Iron Man suit to help them escape. After Tony barely escapes with the suit, he is rescued and learns he has been gone for 3 months and tries to shut down production of his weapons for good, after seeing all the harm he has caused with them. However, Obadiah Stane, played by Jeff Bridges, has other plans for not only the weapons but Tony’s prototype suit as well.
The story is easy and simple to follow which is one of the strong aspects of the movie. Iron Man has had a strange and crazy ride in the comics and seeing as this is the first movie, they had plenty of material to choose from. Now, I haven’t read a single issue of Iron Man so I don’t know if this story is from the comics for not. So, it’s nice to see them go for their own story of good vs. evil. It’s this moral dilemma that Tony has is what makes him so likeable and charming.
It also helps that the acting in this movie is awesome. Robert Downey JR. is the star of the show and he nails Tony Stark and Iron Man. Jeff Bridges is also very charming and can also be menacing as the villain of the movie. Everyone else in the cast did a great job as well.
The CGI also still holds up after 10 years and seeing some amazing improvements with each new Marvel film. From the Iron Man suits, weapons testing and Tonys mansion. You can see that they did not want to get the look and feel of Iron Man wrong. Because if they did, we wouldn’t have an MCU after all and just try to imagine a world without the MCU.
One thing to also point out is how this movie doesn’t try and spend it’s time building a universe. The movie is focused on the character and only drops little hints to make it feel grander in scale. This is the perfect set up for a solo movie and it also feels like if this movie did bomb, it would have been a one and done.
The Verdict:
Iron Man is not only a great superhero movie, it’s also a great popcorn flick. It’s also a really impressive start to what we call the MCU. No one really knew who Iron Man was until this movie put him and RDJ on the map. Iron Man isn’t perfect, but it get’s the job done and is a great start to a new universe.
8/10
Alright, one down, 16 more to go. Stick around because up next will be the mostly forgotten but still in canon, The Incredible Hulk.
ANNOUNCEMENT: Road to Infinity War Review Challenge
After the smash hit that is Black Panther slashed the box office last weekend, it got us thinking. The next movie in the MCU is gonna be the biggest of them all, you know which one I’m talking about…
Now with all the buzz surrounding Infinity War, Papi Chulo RADIO would like to announce that we will be doing the Road to Infinity War challenge!
This means that we will be going back and watching all the MCU movies (Including The Incredible Hulk) and doing reviews for every single one of them. Starting of course with, Iron Man, the famous start to the MCU. Be sure to look out for that and all the other reviews coming soon!!
For now, here is the Infinity War trailer to help hype you up!
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ZfuNTqbHE8[/embedyt]
REVIEW: Black Panther
It’s finally here!! Black Panther is finally in theatres and after Black Panther clawed his way onto the big screen in Captain America: Civil War, fans were hyped to see how Black Panthers solo outing would turn out. With all the hype and buzz around this film, does it succeed or does it come down with cat scratch fever?
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjDjIWPwcPU[/embedyt]
WARNING! SPOILERS AHEAD!! SHIELD YOUR EYES IF YOU HAVEN’T SEEN BLACK PANTHER YET!
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Right off the bat, Black Panther is one of the best movies that Marvel has made for the MCU. The movie has the perfect balance of action, heart, entertainment and pacing. However, the movie does have it faults which I will talk about later.
The story takes place after Civil War with T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) becoming the new king of Wakanda after his father’s death at the hands of Zemo. T’Challa goes through all the rituals and everything seems to be going smoothly until Ulysses Klaue (Andy Serkis) resurfaces and tries to sell Vibranium (The strongest metal in the MCU) when he is caught and imprisoned. Then, Erik Killmonger (Michael. B. Jordan) breaks him out and the two villains team up to try and bring down the Black Panther to steal all the Vibranium in Wakanda.
The story is simple and easy to follow so you don’t need to have read the comics to know who Black Panther and Wakanda is. The movie does a great job of explaining the lore around Wakanda and Black Panther.
However, one bad thing I can say about this movie is how it handles both villains, Killmonger and Klaue. First, halfway through the movie Killmonger actually kills Klaue so that he can get into Wakanda to execute the rest of his master plan. This came out of left field since Klaue is one of Black Panther’s big villains, and Andy Serkis does such a great job in the role that killing him feels like a strange choice. Also, Killmonger also dies in the end which is saddening because he was such an interesting and compelling villain that you end up rooting for him near the end. Michael. B. Jordan also did such a fantastic job as Killmonger that he is easily the best villain in the MCU right now (Sorry Loki). Now that Killmonger was killed, it ruins any potential of him coming back and facing against Black Panther again (Although who really stays dead in comics nowadays?).
The acting is outstanding in Black Panther. Chadwick Boseman (T’Challa) brings his all to his role and so does the rest of the cast. The chemistry with everyone in the cast can be seen and it really helps make the characters more fun and believable. After watching the movie, you will love T’Challa’s family and guards so much that you wish that maybe they may get their own solo movies or one-shots in the future?
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The CGI for this movie is amazing and really eye-catching. The scenes where T’Challa goes to the ancestral plane are really breathtaking and give off some serious Lion King vibes with how they are presented.
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Wakanda is fantastic and stunning to look at and it also looks like a great place to live. This movie did such an amazing job showing off Wakanda and the community around it that it really does feel like a special and sacred place. The technology that is in Wakanda really comes to life and some of the gadgets are really outstanding and awesome. The tech looks so futuristic and amazing that it will leave you wanting some of Wakanda tech for yourself! I mean just think of the possibilities!
I should also mention that the waterfall fight scenes are also beautiful to look at and really has a grand sense of scale that leaves you wanting more. Also, the fighting is also very brutal and awesome to see. Props to the stunt people for the movie.
The music for the movie blends in with the tone/theme of the movie and it also stands out on its own as well. Kendrick Lamar produced and wrote the songs for Black Panther. Lamar has been on a roll in the rap game over the last few years with his music winning Grammys. Lamar brings his A game and produces some great music that is very catchy and shows that he was the perfect choice for Black Panther.
The Verdict:
Black Panther is a great movie from start to finish. The story is simple and compelling, and the characters are entertaining and loveable. The main villain is the best that we have seen in the MCU. However, it should also be said how they handle the villains in this movie is also misguided. The CGI is also very well done and it really helps enhance the movie. Overall, everyone gave their all into making this movie, and it really shows. Believe the hype and go see Black Panther.
9.5/10
Now excuse me while I go make my way back to Wakanda for the second time.
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REVIEW: Batman: Gotham By Gaslight Animated Movie
Batman: Gotham By Gaslight is the latest DC Animated movie to hit Blu-Ray today. It’s based on the Graphic Novel of the same name but it’s not an adaptation.
If you want to watch the trailer before reading the review, here it is:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJ6EX6zX4FU[/embedyt]
Now before anyone mentions anything, there will be spoilers for the movie down below.
The story takes place in in the 19th century Gotham City where Jack the Ripper is murdering women on the streets and Batman is on the prowl to stop The Ripper. However, after chasing him down and almost catching him, Batman is then arrested and put in jail. Batman later then escapes and tracks down the ripper for one last fight.
The story of the film kind of forgettable which is a shame because the original graphic novel was such a huge success. This feels like if they copied their homework but changed it enough that it looks different.
While this isn’t a straight adaptation of the original graphic novel, it does thrive on its own by not following the source material. However, this also hurts the movie as well because it tries to deviate so much that the eventual twist at the end of Jim Gordon being the Ripper comes as more of a head-scratcher and feels like a forced change that hurts the overall narrative of the film.
The animation style is great, it looks very different from the last few animated movies we have gotten from DC. It has a mix of both 2D and 3D animation and that looks fluent and eye-catching, it captures the atmosphere of a 19th-century
The voice acting is awesome, Bruce Greenwood does the voice of Batman and he does an amazing job. Bruce is no stranger to Batman, he has been in other Batman animated movies and cartoons such as Batman Under The Red Hood and Young Justice. The rest of the voice cast did a great job in the movie as well but most of them were forgettable.
Overall, if you are looking for something different when it comes to DC Animation, Gotham By Gaslight is visually impressive and action-packed. However, the story may be forgettable compared to the original graphic novel, it’s still a good time and shouldn’t be overlooked.
7.5/10
REVIEW: Altered Carbon, Episode 102
Altered Carbon continues as we head into episode 2 of the new Sci-Fi Netflix series.
Now before anyone mentions anything, there will be spoilers for the episode down below.
We start the episode by seeing Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) and Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda) morning routines. Kovacs wakes up and scolds his AI companion for the hotel Poe (Chris Conner) for letting the attorney Oumou Prescott (Tamara Taylor) into his room while he has no clothes on, and Ortega reluctantly wakes up to go for Boxing training with her partner Abboud (Waleed Zuaiter). The scene with Kovacs is funny and awkward since he is talking to the attorney with no clothes and Poe keeps trying to cover him up. While the scene with Ortega and Abboud is fun and intense, we get to learn why Ortega keeps a tracker on Kovacs as Abboud tells her to stop following him like a stalker.
Next, we go to a Sleeving (Body Swapping) Faculty where Kovacs and Prescott go to get some answers, only to find Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) getting back into his current sleeve and talks to Kovacs. This scene plays out as a world-building moment because we get to learn more about how and what Sleeves (Empty Bodies) are and what purpose they serve in this future.
Then, we move to a poker game that Poe is playing with his AI friends and this scene doesn’t really serve much but it will get mentioned because it has some great effects and it also gives some backstory to the Poe and the AI he calls his friends.
Next, we see Kovacs watch a bunch of videos of death threats that Bancroft has received and stumbles on one that sees’s a masked man show his gun to the camera. Kovacs is able to get a Serial Number and track down the gunman to his home and tries to question him about the video. We later find out that the man’s name is Vernon Elliot (Ato Essandoh) and he is trying to save his daughter. This conflict as a whole takes up a huge chunk of the episode and is awesome from start to finish. From the continuous fighting and special effects that are presented when Kovacs uses a VR headset to look where Elliot’s daughter Lizzie.
After this, Kovacs Visits a futuristic strip joint to find talk to one of the girls to find out more information about Lizzie and where to find her when he is then ambushed afterwards by Vernon. This turns sour because then Kovacs and Vernon are attacked by some gangster with some using a power enhancer. This scene was filled with action and violence to make it entertaining and it looked visually pleasing as well.
Finally, we end the episode by Kovacs coming back to his hotel home when he is greeted by Bancroft’s Wife who wants to sleep with Kovacs. They then spend the last few minutes of the episode having sex.
This was another great episode of Altered Carbon, it had a nice balance of both world building and action that keeps the viewer entertained and interested in what this world has to offer. Let’s hope that this series can continue going up from here.
9/10
REVIEW: Altered Carbon, Episode 101
Altered Carbon is the latest new series to stream on Netflix and is a Sci-Fi/Cyberpunk thriller that looks gorgeous and is thrilling at the same time. Just by watching the trailers, you can see that it is heavily inspired by Blade Runner and other Sci-Fi films. However, this isn’t a bad thing, Altered Carbon takes this notion and runs with it pretty well while also creating its own universe and characters.
Here is the trailer if you are interested:
[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhFM8akm9a4[/embedyt]
Now before anyone mentions anything, there will be spoilers for the first episode down below.
Altered Carbon starts by throwing you right into the action, where we meet two criminals with guns, one is a woman (we don’t learn her name) and a guy by the name of Takeshi Kovacs (Will Yun Lee) who are ambushed by an armed forces group, they look like stormtroopers if they were scarier. The criminals put up a good fight, but are killed in the end. This scene was very tense at times and was full of action. Definitely a great way to start a pilot.
We then cut to 250 years into the future where we see Takeshi Kovacs (Joel Kinnaman) being reborn. However, he is in a different body and is having a hard time adjusting to his new environment. However, not only has his body changed, so has the world around him. It’s here that we get to see the CGI and set design really kick in. The world of Altered Carbon is visually stunning and it stands out enough that it doesn’t come off as a copy of Blade Runner (There’s going to be a lot of comparisons that so just a warning).
It’s after that stunning revelation that Kovacs is picked up by Kristin Ortega (Martha Higareda) who is a police lieutenant who picks up Kovacs and escorts him to a wealthy estate where we learn that Kovacs was hired to try and solve the murder of Laurens Bancroft (James Purefoy) who has already been reborn into a new body. However, Bancroft still wants to find out who wants him dead. It’s this conflict that is the driving force for the rest of the episode, as Kovacs spends his time thinking about taking the case for him to finally agree to at the end of the episode.
So far, Altered Carbon presents a beautiful world and some really good acting. However, the story feels pretty scarce and doesn’t explain everything clearly and it may come off as a lot of showing but not telling. Given that it is only the first episode of the series, we can cut it some slack. Let’s just hope that the story will pick up and gain more momentum while exploring more of the beautiful world around it.
8.5/10
REVIEW: Once Upon A Time, Episode 705
Once Upon A Time returns once again, this week with episode 5 of this seventh season, entitled “Greenbacks”, and, as promised, this was totally a Tiana centric episode.
In flashbacks, Tiana and her mother saw themselves forced to sell most of their property, because the kingdom is getting more and more poor. Trying to make a merge and find a love at the same time, the princess from The Princess and the Frog went to see the invidious Dr. Facilier, who continued to sell his lies and play his tricks to get what he wanted, kind of like Rumple’s style. I don’t think it was very hard to guess that “prince” was not going to be the answer to Tiana’s problem. First: because it seemed like a very simple solution; second: the prince seemed too charming; third: Once Upon A Time doesn’t really do love at first sight, and that is kind of what happened, if it wasn’t all a lie of course. Turns out Facilier simply wanted the ruby from Tiana’s neckless and, lucky for him, he got it closer to the episode. It was when Tiana was returning the frog to the so-called Prince Marias, that she realized she doesn’t need a prince nor another hero to go and save her and her kingdom. She can very well do that herself. And so she will.
In present day, after Victoria raised their rent, Sabine decided it was time to make more money, so she came up with the idea to sell her beignet. With Jacinda’s boss out of town, and with no other place to sell, Sabine decided it was a good idea to sell them at Jacinda’s work. The business was really starting to be successful, until Victoria ordered that little shop wrecked, making Jacinda be out of a job. It really was not fair seeing Jacinda storm Sabine with complaints and insults, at least she tried to do something, unlike Jacinda who simply hopes everyday she won’t get fired. Besides, I think everyone knew that was totally not Sabine’s fault, but rather Belfrey’s. I was glad Lucy made her come to her senses, and apologize. Now the two have a new business in a truck, so let’s see how that turns out.
Meanwhile, Rodgers continued the search for his missing girl, and in this episode, we found out her name: Eloise Gardener. During this investigation, he came across a tough guy who wasn’t very helpful, expect for telling him that, if the girl drew that symbol, she must be in danger. Later, we found out the guy, not surprisingly I guess, is working for Victoria Belfrey, and Victoria probably knows who this Eloise is. Maybe it could be woman she has trapped in her tower. I am sure we will find out soon enough, because “Eloise Gardener” is the name of episode 7, so we will probably have some answers by then.
While all this was happening, Roni told Henry it really wasn’t a good idea to trust Ivy, because she usually is bad news. Doing what any mother would to protect her child, she decided to meet with Victoria’s daughter to the place she says her mother is spending a of time: the top of the tower. They obviously didn’t find the kidnapped lady (I guess that would be too simple to take down Victoria), but Roni found something just as curious: a photo of her and Henry, back when her name was Regina Mills, in the fantastic little town of Storybrooke. Roni of course, only recognized herself, but later she discovered the little beside her is Henry. I am really looking forward to seeing this storyline unfold, because I really hope it will end with Roni remembering everything, especially knowing that next week’s episode is her centric.
If you were wondering if Ivy was really trying to help Henry take down her mother, or if she was a double agent figuring out what they are up to, the answer is neither. Ivy seems to be working for herself alongside Victoria’s prisoner. In what I thought was a great twist, we found out that Ivy also remembers everything. I really think she is doing all this to impress her mother. In the end of the day, no matter what she says or what she says, she just wants Tremaine’s approval, and maybe getting close to Henry is a part of her plan.
Overall, this was a good episode with some good twists. It was just a shame we didn’t get to see Weaver, because now that he probably remembers, it would be great seeing him interact with the other characters. But I do understand that there is never enough time to do everything in the same episode, so I really hope we will see him next week. I am giving this episode an 8.4/10.
Next episode will air next week, and it is entitled “Wake Up Call”. Like I already said, it will be a Regina centric episode, and hopefully it really will be her wakeup call for everything that is going on.
REVIEW: How to Get Away with Murder, Episode 406
How to Get Away with Murder is once again back, this time with episode 6 of season 4 entitled “Stay Strong Mama”. In it, we finally found out why Jorge Castillo killed Wes.
In a surprising turn, Laurel’s father showed up at Michaela’s new company, and organized a surprise meeting with the main attorneys, Tegan included. The writers decided to keep us in the dark for a little while longer, and we only found out what he was up to when he and Laurel gathered to have lunch. Jorge is preparing everything to make Antares Technologies go public. When this happens, he will make an amount of money which will be so big that the word “huge” does not begin to cover. When Wes threatened to reveal everything about Annalise, D.A. Denver and Jorge Castillo teamed up to shut him up, and maintain their public imagine, since Laurel would go down with everyone. But of course that knowing it and proving it are two very different things, and Michaela doesn’t seem to be very eager to put Tegan’s job on the line to help her friend.
Like I predicted in my last review, Asher is fully back, and demanding explanations. Unfortunately, Michaela continued lying to him, which led to Asher take matters into his own hands and plant a camera in Laurel’s apartment. By the end of the episode, Asher left Michaela in what was definitely a hard scene to watch. Of course, this is pretty much what Michaela was asking for when she started lying to her boyfriend. Sure they wanted to protect him, but they just made it worse. Also, Asher can totally look after himself, and I am sure he would be more than happy to help them, since this is about Wes.
In the meantime, and like we saw in the end of last episode, Annalise and Connor started a partnership, and a great one as it was expected. Once again, the D.A.’s office went a little bit over the edge, trying to take the home of Claudia’s mother and children, only because she signed the class action lawsuit. The two new partners spent the episode finding a way to force a judge to make the D.A.’s office back up, and fortunately, they succeeded, by making Claudia’s son go on TV and tell everyone what was happening. That was such a great scene: the speech the kid gave was really beautiful, and we even got to see everyone’s reaction while they were watching it. Hopefully this win will make more people want to sign Annalise’s petition, giving her again the number she needs to start actually doing something. Yes, that’s right, because unlike some people said during the episode, Annalise is the perfect person to do this.
While all this is going on, Isaac starts to question his ability to be impartial around Annalise, adding to the fact that, like he said in a previous episode, she might be triggering some dark demons inside him. Like Annalise, Isaac too lost his child. Even though he had the chance to be around her a lot more than Annalise was able to be around her child, that doesn’t make it hurt any less. Hearing Annalise talk about it seems to be awakening his wishes to hurt himself, and his ex-wife says he needs to step out of it. Nevertheless, Isaac continued to be her therapist for the episode, and this is really starting to make more and more progress. I loved that scene in which Annalise says that everyone counts on her, but she can’t please anyone, because she can’t be strong all the time. Of course, she always tries her best, but even the court badass needs to feel vulnerable and weak sometimes, so she can thrive and win on all the other occasions.
In flash forwards, we managed to see a glimpse of Annalise in the shower, washing up blood, which means that, as usual, she is somehow involved in all this craziness that is going be happening. These events are starting to be closer and closer, so eventually all this will make sense.
Overall, and as usual, this was a great episode. I loved most of Annalise’s scenes, and now we finally know the reason why Wes was murdered, putting everyone one step closer to exposing Jorge. I am giving this one an 8.8/10.
Next episode is entitled “Nobody Roots for Goliath” and in it Annalise will gain an unlikely ally for her class action law suit. Keep in mind that this next episode is the last one before the winter finale, so things promise to get heated.