Category: Television

REVIEW: Big Little Lies, Episode 102

In episode 102, “Serious Mothering”, of Big Little Lies we continue to see the struggle of these 3 mothers to live their lives and raise their children the best way they can.

Reese Witherspoon has done a lot of movies and her acting is always on point, but here in Big Little Lies it feels like she is not just perfect for this role, but beyond perfect. In fact, there may not even be a word that describes how well this role suits her. Her Madeline is funny, loyal to her friends, mean to her enemies, a great wife and an amazing mother. All the characters are different in their own way, but Madeline is my favorite character in this show. But no one is flawless and it was a little unfair of her to use Chloe to ruin Amabella’s party. I understand she is trying to protect her friend, Jane, and she should definitely continue to go for it, but she shouldn’t use her daughter like that, since she hadn’t even talked to her about it (not even after saying that).

All shows nowadays try to touch on a sensible subject, and Big Little Lies “chose” domestic violence. But what we see in this show isn’t really what we usually see: man and woman argue, man beats woman, woman cries and stays defenseless and then man leaves coming back later to apologize. Here we see that Celeste and Perry start arguing and he slaps her, like what usually happens on TV’s domestic violence. The unexpected about this is that Celeste fights back. Right after she gets slapped, she slaps Perry back. Then he pushes her, apologizes almost immediately and they have make-up sex (which kind of felt like rape). This is to say that, unlike what TV makes us believe in, there is more than one kind of domestic violence, and just because one of them fights back doesn’t mean that it is any less a crime. Celeste later mentions this to Madeline and, probably against what she thinks, she should see on Madeline’s face that this isn’t normal. The problem is that she probably thinks that it is. She is in a good relationship with a younger and a good looking man, she hears people say that their relationship is the best, and so maybe she thinks that there has to be a price to pay, because not everything in life can be good. That last part is obviously true, not everything in life can be good. But shouldn’t we be able to feel safe in our own home, with our own family? Yes, of course we should.

In this episode we are pretty much introduced to Ed (Madeline’s new husband). I know that he was in the pilot, but he also wasn’t at the same time. Sure we saw him in some scenes, and heard him speak a few lines, but I think all we learned about him in last episode is that he is Madeline’s husband. I don’t think we even knew that he was Chloe’s father (I actually thought Nathan was). But I understand that some characters have to be sidelined in some episodes for others to shine, because there isn’t enough time for everyone to be in the spotlight in the same episode. Happily, he wasn’t sidelined this time and we learned more about him. We even saw him being a little bit badass in the scene he spoke with Nathan. It appears that in this show the roles are reverse, because man are usually more direct than women. However, in the scene with Nathan, Ed definitely left his intentions clear, but in a more indirect way. It was an amazing scene though.

I thought that Madeline didn’t like Bonnie because she was her ex-husband’s new wife, and it seemed like she was overreacting a bit to what concerns her, but my perspective definitely changed in this episode. Bonnie took Abigail to the “Planned Parenthood” and that was completely not her job. Even though it was Abigail who asked for it, she should have called Madeline. But this is not the reason why I think she is a little bit of a bitch, at least not on its own. After Ziggy kissed Amabella (the poor kid was just trying to make amends) and after the school director said that Skye incited the kiss, Bonnie said that she didn’t believe Skye would do that, since she is very peaceful. This is definitely a big piece of sh*t. She doesn’t mind lecturing other girls about whatever she wants, but when it comes to her own daughter things obviously change. I guess she is not as OK about the subject as she seemed.

This was a great episode and it seems that the flash-forwards are getting more and more close, because Renata already started talking about a fundraiser dinner, which is probably THE fundraiser dinner (you know, the one where someone will get killed). I am giving this episode an 8.0/10.

Stay tuned for my next review of episode 103, because it seems that things are starting to heat up because “war” was already announced and our new favorite TV mothers will be “Living the Dream”.

Episode Title 3.03 for Legends of Tomorrow Revealed

Executive producer and writer for Legends of Tomorrow Marc Guggenheim took Twitter on Thursday to announce episode title 3.03 of the show.

Episode titles for 01 and 02 of the upcoming season are “Aruba-Con” and “Freakshow” respectively.

Episode 3 season 3 will be called “Zari.”

Season 3 of Legends of Tomorrow is set to premiere on October 10.

REVIEW: American Gods, Episode 105

American Gods continued with episode 105, “Lemon Scented You”, and what an amazing episode this was. For the people who didn’t read the book (like me) and so were a little bit in the dark for the past four episodes, with no idea of what was happening, this was a very enlightening hour.

It started with another chapter of the “Coming to America” story and this time it showed the trip of one of the first tribes that ever travelled there. They suffered a lot of sacrifices along the way, and when they finally set foot in the new land they got very disappointed because there was practically no food. The leader goes to their God for help and later another tribe arrives, willing to take them in. Having faith in their God, the tribe refuses and so they get all killed except the children, who join the new tribe. After a few years they completely forget their old God and so he disappears. “It is in people’s hearts that Gods are born” but when the hearts stop believing (or start believing in something else) the Gods die. This is why Wednesday is so afraid of being forgotten. He will die and completely disappear and no one will care about it.

This first scene, unlike other scenes of the “Coming to America”, was animated and that contributed to change things a bit, giving the audience something new, but at the same time stay focused on the story they are trying to tell. This show definitely has the most incredible screen shots, no wonder it is nominated for Best Picture Editing and Best Special Visual Effects.

After two episodes of waiting, we finally see the scene in which Shadow and Laura talk. Of course Shadow is very shocked at first (who wouldn’t be) but in the end he gets over himself and they have a conversation about Rob and their affair. They even eventually kiss and that is the first time Laura feels something ever since she came back from the dead. Whatever Laura is doing here, whatever her unfinished business is, it definitely involves Shadow. Somehow Wednesday finds out about the fact Laura is alive (a crow told him) and he invites Shadow for some drinks, but the police shows up and they go to jail, because of the bank they robbed.

Meanwhile, we see an amazing scene between Technical boy and Media, who is dressed as David Bowie. I really love Media, first because Gillian Anderson is amazing in everything she does, but especially this role. Second, because every time we see her she is dressed as someone different and totally taking over that person’s character. They talk about a third New God, Mr. World, who is the leader of the New Gods and the personification of globalization. They want technical boy to apologize to Shadow and Wednesday. Another amazing thing in this show is these new Gods. The old Gods are of course physically old. The new Gods however is a different story. Mr. World is the oldest (but not that old), then Media and lastly the technical boy, because first came globalization and information, then the media and ultimately technology. It is hilarious how they treat technical boy as a child. Poor kid!

 

Media also mentions something really interesting: she says that the Martians invaded in 1938. I didn’t really know what she meant (yes, I am a millennial) but after a little digging I found out it was a radio series that aired on Halloween of that year. It was based on the novel “The War of the Worlds” by H. G. Wells. It became famous because it caused mass panic, since it presented an alien invasion and everyone thought that was true. “They wanted to be real, so it was”. This was maybe the first time that Media started getting power and believers.

Back in the motel, Laura finds the Leprechaun and he desperately wants his coin back, but the coin is what is keeping Laura alive. Since he can’t take the coin (it has to be given), he is out of luck because Laura will never give it to him. In this scene he confirms what I had been thinking about: that Wednesday was manipulating Shadow. Wednesday hired Mad Sweeney to fight with Shadow back in the pilot of the show. The Leprechaun chocks Laura in the bathtub so that her body would rot quicker, and gets caught by the police.

I was saving the best for last, because the most amazing scene in this episode is the one in the police station. As I said before, we finally started to understand what was going on when Wednesday told the police officer the absolute truth (of course he didn’t believe him, but that isn’t Wednesday’s fault). After putting Shadow and Wednesday together, the new Gods start showing up. First Media, this time dressed as Marilyn Monroe, she even says that it was the FBI that killed her. Throughout the years, the media turned Marilyn Monroe into a hero, into a Goddess, and that totally reflects here. After her, Mr. World makes his first appearance in this show, and they are both followed by Technical Boy. After apologizing, they offer Wednesday a chance to “find his own audience” which to him sounds like exile. Wednesday is definitely not wrong about this, it may sound a piece offer, but they simply want him out of the way. It appears that Mr. World genuinely wanted him to take this peace offer, since he is obsessed with information and Wednesday as a lot, since he is very very old.

We know that Old Gods are many and they definitely seem more powerful, but that may not be true. We saw some of Media’s power in the scene at the police station: she sent Technical boy a kiss and that was enough to break some of his teeth. This to say that we definitely didn’t see much of the New Gods and that needs to change, because I love the interactions between them.

With all this said, this was definitely an incredible episode, maybe even the best of the season (except maybe the season finale, but I am not yet sure I will consider it better than this one). I am giving it a totally deserved 9.6.

I will be back soon with my next review of episode 106, “A Murder of Gods”, where we will meet a new (actually old) God.

Episode Title of Once Upon a Time Episode 7.04 Revealed

Screenwriter Adam Horowitz has taken to social media once again to give us a title spoiler for season 7 of Once Upon a Time.

Season 7 Episode 4 will be titled “Beauty.”

https://www.instagram.com/p/BXUdNWQBuxf/

Once Upon A Time returns Friday, October 6 on ABC.

Take a Closer Look at Medusa’s Powers in New Inhumans Sneak Peek

The SDCC trailer for Marvel’s Inhumans gave us our first look at Medusa’s (Serinda Swan) powers, and fans seemed overall satisfied with what it looked like.

Now, Marvel has given us a sneak peek which showcases Medusa’s beautiful hair in action.

The clip features Maximus (Iwan Rheon) completely failing at seducing Medusa and it ends with her wrapping her hair around him and looking very angry.

Check it out:

Two-Night Arrowverse Crossover Announced

The CW has announced that the 2017-2018 television season’s Arrowverse crossover event will take place over two nights at the Television Critics Association summer press tour.

The crossover event beings Monday, November 27 on Supergirl, followed by a special Monday episode of Arrow. The crossover continues Tuesday, November 28 on The Flash, then concludes on that night’s DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

CW boss Mark Pedowitz said that with The Flash and Legends already paired up on Tuesdays — and after discussions with producers and the marketing department — “We felt that it would be better and tighter in storytelling…. This was the best way to go.”

“Next year we may go back to four nights,” he allowed.

Pedowitz also made clear that unlike last year’s event, which technically started but barely took place on Supergirl, “It’s a full, four-episode crossover.” As for how one tops an alien invasion as a premise for the all-star team-up, all he would say is, “Romance is in the air.”

The Arrowverse’s very first crossover took place in December 2014 and started on The Flash and concluded on Arrow. In December 2015, Legends of Tomorrow villain Vandal Savage targeted Central City barista Kendra Saunders, triggering the involvement of Flash and Arrow heroes. Last year’s four-show, three-night event included Supergirl, as the many Superfriends battled the alien race known as The Dominators.

Daytime Divas Post-Mortem: What Would Season 2 Look Like?

VH1’s Daytime Divas ended its first season with a bang, a mic drop and a pair of handcuffs.

TVLine interviewed showrunners Mike Chessler and Chris Alberghini about the biggest twists in the season finale, as well as where the series would go in a potential Season Two.

Here are a few interesting excerpts from the interview:

You left us on a hell of a cliffhanger, considering a second season isn’t confirmed.

CHESSLER | Yes, we wanted to end on a big cliffhanger! It’s a fun, soapy show, and we’re obviously hoping there will be another season. Otherwise, we’re stuck on the cliff!

Have you heard anything?

ALBERGHINI | It’s still being discussed. There are big fans of the show, so we’ll just hope for the best.

How do you think Maxine would fare in prison?

ALBERGHINI | Well, Maxine’s a very dominant and controlling presence. She’s also very resourceful, and I think it’d be interesting to see a woman like that in prison, where her resources and access and influences are limited — at least initially. It’d be fun to see what she could make out of that situation. Not that we’re basing her on this, but I’d love to see how Martha Stewart’s first few days were.

As for Shawn, I’m no lawyer, but if he ends up coming clean about the murder, won’t they both end up behind bars?

CHESSLER | Maxine is a master manipulator. She’s very well-connected, and she’s always finding ways to get the end result she wants. I think there’s definitely some legal peril for both of them, but I also think Maxine is probably one step ahead of everything.

ALBERGHINI | We’re all very interested in Shawn and Maxine’s relationship. I’m interested in showing the complexity of it. What other secrets do they have? What else has one covered up for the other? Mother-son relationships can be just as complicated as mother-daughter relationships, so we’d like to explore that more.

Are Maxine and Mo actually “good” now?

ALBERGHINI | I would say they’ve reached a “friendly” détente. Each has gained a little more respect for the other. Each has been humbled by the other. And I think they feed off of each other. They improve their own game based on the other’s actions.

Last question, and this one’s really bugging me: Is anyone going to find out that Ramona’s been stealing from the set?

ALBERGHINI | No, we’re saving that for Season 2. [Laughs]

That’s a wrap for Season 1. And as always… lunch is on us.

Ricky Whittle Talks American Gods Season 2 at SDCC

American Gods star Ricky Whittle dropped some interesting spoiler morsels during an interview with TVLine at San Diego Comic-Con a couple of weeks ago.

Is a feline going to be smitten with Shadow Moon? Did Shadow Moon and Bilquis almost meet in Season 1? What about Laura’s great love and physical decaying? What other new characters will we be getting to know in Season Two?

Watch the following video for all the answers to those questions:

Midnight, Texas: “Lemuel, Unchained” Sneak Peeks

Angels, vampires, psychics, witches, assassins, racist biker gangs, ghost grandmas and a talking cat! Welcome back to Midnight, Texas.

The cast of NBC’s sexy supernatural summer series attended San Diego Comic-Con a couple of weeks ago. TVLine sat down with the cast and chatted with the cast about what’s to come.

Here are two sneak peeks from episode three titled “Lemuel, Unchained”:

Midnight, Texas airs Mondays at 10pm/9c on NBC.

Black Lightning‘s Location Confirmed

While The CW’s latest superhero series Black Lightning might not be set in the Arrowverse (yet), we do have confirmation on the actual city location of the new series.

Black Lightning will be set in Freeland, a fictional city. The television series is filming in Atlanta.

Developed by executive producers Salim and Mara Brock Akil, alongside Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter, Black Lightning will showcase battles that are even more grounded in social justice than when Jefferson Pierce debuted as one of DC’s first African-American heroes in 1977.

Topics tackled by the series will include Black Lives Matter, race relations and police brutality. “This is an American story, this is not a black story… We’re going to be culturally specific, but universal in our themes so everyone can see themselves in these stories,” said Salim Akil in an EW interview.

In the interview they also discussed if crossovers with other CW DC series could occur.

One of the things that Black Lightning will do, and Jefferson will do, is be able to introduce the humanity of the people who are caught in these communities. So I didn’t want to distract from that, and I didn’t want to distract from us getting to know Jefferson, Jennifer, and Anissa, or Black Lightning, Thunder, and Lightning. I wanted people to get to know them first.

Now, you know, everything is possible. But hopefully this season everybody will just get to know them and get to respect them and accept them for who they are before we start making other moves.

But will there be crossover potential?

Yeah, I’m not opposed to it at all.

Black Lightning premieres in 2018.