MagnusHex

2x09: Catwalk Ah, I related to Catwoman so much this episode. To feel like a loner forever trapped to walk the tightrope of society, never to fit in anywhere as you put on a smiling face instead of speaking your mind (that goes double for being a woman speaking her mind at risk of being labeled a bitch, even though she had a good point about Veronica Vreeland's legacy). There's romance to that outlook of life even amidst the loneliness, and I could definitely understand Selina's desire for that freedom and excitement. Like many of Batman's rogues, if not all, Catwoman's not gonna turn a new leaf any time soon, but a kleptomaniac thief is pretty low on the list of dangerous criminals Batman should put a stop to, and I don't really mind seeing the bat and the cat doing their little danger for a while more. The thief and the detective's rivalry has been played out way too many times, but Catwoman's special relationship with Batman is novel enough that I'm not tired yet of seeing that spark further develop. 4/5

I'm pretty sure Balthazar was just fucking with Sam. That whole "kill your father, even if it's not really your father" deal seemed kinda arbitrary. Always good to see Robert Englund in anything. He's such a fun, lovable actor that I would watch almost anything with him. So this was a fun one. It's nice seeing Julian Richings as Death (after his epic appearance in season 5 that amped up the stakes of the show) and Lindsey McKeon as Tessa again (probably the last remaining recurring female character that isn't evil or dead... so to speak), and I like the idea of Dean playing Reaper for a day. I tend to enjoy it when episodes like this go for a high-concept plot like this, and I like that they didn't waste the creative potential of the concept by letting us see the different kinds of deaths a Reaper might go through in a day, and what happens if you let someone live (the answer seems less Final Destination-ey and more Dark Pictures Anthology-ish). More importantly, I always tend to enjoy the expansion of the lore on this show, whether it's the angels or the Four Horsemen, and this particular addition to the lore of Death didn't disappoint. I like the idea that death has a balance to the natural order of things, even the death of an innocent little girl. It's grim, but there's a realistic neutrality to it. And nice! Sam's soul is back! And from the looks of the next episode promo, there aren't really any long-lasting consequences to it like they've all been worried about, at least temporarily. I'll take that if it means we can put an end to the Soulless Sam arc and get back to normal, especially if the alternative would've meant another angst-filled saga with the Emochesters trying to fix Ensouled Sam only to have it resolved at the very last episode of the season, which seems to be the show's formula anyway so I'm not holding my breath that it wouldn't happen. That said, Sam immediately deciding to kill Bobby just didn't seem to be very logical or pragmatic (Dean would pretty much be on his tail hunting him like all the monsters they've hunted before), and that pragmatism (or at least the potential for being pragmatic without being too heartless and losing the audience) was the only thing that made Soulless Sam remotely appealing in the first place. But I guess it was an eventuality, because that's how stories like this usually go: the emotionless sociopath eventually takes things one step too far and the good guys have to stop him. I would've liked to see Sam get a little more action as a competent hunter (since that's the only remotely good thing going for the character in a long while), but oh well. Five bucks says that the thing Death wants Sam and Dean to find have something to do with this season 7 Leviathan I keep reading about. 3/5

Mirror Image In this special episode of Fringe... I've never actually seen Fringe, but I've read that this episode would fit right in due to the show's premise. Doppelgangers should inherently be a fun concept as another you, by logic, wouldn't want to harm you. I know I would have wanted to hang out with another me who knows and likes the same things I know and like, play the same video games together, etc. But of course, the concept itself can be frightening too when you think about it: if that person is to murder you and replace you, who's going to know? That latter, not so fun scenario of doppelgangers is at the heart of this episode where poor Millicent Barnes (Vera Miles) becomes threatened by the existence of another her messing with her mind. What began as seemingly harmless pranks of her suitcase materializing elsewhere soon spiraled into something more sinister. Vera played up Millicent's manic behavior well enough that her sanity felt questionable very early on. Since this is The Twilight Zone, I felt inclined to believe she was telling the truth and not just having a delusion, but her expression of bewilderment as she stared into blank space when Paul Grinstead (Martin Milner) called out to her in one scene did make it seem like Millicent was losing her grip on reality (despite Rod's insistence in the opening narration that she's supposed to be this level-headed woman). Therefore, I couldn't really blame Paul at first for calling the cops for her, thinking he was doing her a favor, but when he later discovered that he had fallen into the same fate Millicent was raving about earlier, it kinda feels like karmic retribution, especially when you consider the way society associated improper women with mental illness even in the '60s (see Mad Men for more evidence). I personally wouldn't have called the cops and would merely offer to send Millicent home or something. But the way everyone clicked their tongue at this crazy lady does make you wonder if these reactions to Millicent's claims is either meant to be a critique of gender roles in the '60s... or Rod was just out of touch when it comes to writing women. It's worth noting that in the preview to Mirror Image (played at the end of the last episode, Elegy), Rod has claimed that Mirror Image was his attempt to disprove the claim that he's "not at his best" when writing women. Ironically, from how Millicent is treated as a mental nutcase by everyone this episode, I could see how those claims surfaced. The problematic treatment of Millicent aside, this episode feels stretched out at a solid pace despite being only half an hour, with enough time spent with both Millicent and Paul that you feel for each character and their fears and anxiety. Compared to previous episodes where the script seems eager to jump from one plot point to another, this one feels like it's taking its time enough that both Vera and Martin have ample opportunities to really tell the story through their expressions of worry, concern and anxiety shown to each other. There's an intimacy in their interaction, which makes Paul's actions in the end seem all the more pitiable. Aside from its well-paced structure, there's also the creepy framing of both Millicent and Paul's doppelgangers, one with her evil grin from the bus window and the other clearly trolling Paul as he led him on a merry chase. Though expositions would usually be a cheat, Millicent and Paul's discussions of what the doppelgangers might be - beings from a parallel universe here to replace them - paired well with the suspense of the episode, bringing to surface Millicent's fears (of the bizarre situation) harboring around her mind. 3.5/5 The Monsters are Due on Maple Street AKA That legendary episode everyone knows even despite never having seen the show. However, despite its acclaimed status, I initially didn't really enjoy this episode as much as everyone else. I found it a little too over-the-top, its characters' actions somewhat ridiculous (and moronic). One thing that bothered me, for example, was how quick they were to believe in the fantasies of a child whom they accused of having read one too many comic books in the first place. Instead of trying to find a solution for the power outage, it felt like they were looking for an excuse to turn on each other, especially when they called out on as innocent an act as stepping out to your lawn in the middle of the night to... stargaze? It took me another rewatch to eventually not take the episode so literally and accept it as a commentary on not just the McCarthyism attitude that occurred during the Red Scare, but also that sense of persecution hidden within each of us that's still prevalent today. It's a simple but effective metaphor of how easy it is for us to turn on each other on a whim, and how we cast our prejudice against those "different" from us (a sentiment that's probably just as relevant for Rod during the '60s amidst the civil rights movement). Obviously, the message of the episode remains as timeless as ever, especially with recent political events and figures causing a stir among our versions of Maple Streets, with people quick to bear arms against each other in the ensuing chaos. I'm a cynic and a misanthrope at heart who doesn't really like people much, and yet, despite having gleeful fun at the sight of the Maple Street citizens turning on each other in this episode, I was also a big fan of that ferry scene from The Dark Knight. "What were you trying to prove? That deep down, everyone is as ugly as you?" Great, great line and scene. If only the denizens of Maple Street were as optimistic towards each other's humanity as Gotham citizens. 3.5/5

1x18: The Squire of Gothos The ending's kinda amusing after having seen Futurama's parody of this episode, especially because their version of "Trelane" was also a man-child, but one that feels more closer to modern takes on keyboard warriors living in their parents' basement. I don't think writer Paul Schneider, when he wrote this anti-war episode, quite knew how future children would similarly behave like Trelane with war simulations (AKA Call of Duty) in their control. William Campbell played a Trelane with enough suave that his stereotyping of the crewmembers' cultural backgrounds came off as amusingly ignorant than mean-spirited (I really love George Takei's reaction to Trelane bowing to him and going, "Is this guy for real?"). It's interesting that compared to someone younger like Charlie X, Trelane, a full grown adult man in our eyes, feels like a far less threatening child trapped in a man's body, full of the playfulness that a spoiled little kid might display. With Charlie, I could feel the foreboding danger everytime he comes on screen due to how mentally disturbed he acted; with Trelane, I just felt like he's a sheltered little man who needed a reality check (or I guess a good spanking from his parents, it seems). That said, William played the role with enough glee that the entire episode feels fun from start to finish, even with some of the more outrageous things that came out from Trelane's mouth ("Ah, a Nubian prize!"). Interesting trivia regarding that particular line I caught from IMDB: "During filming, William Campbell blew the line with a supposedly embarrassing blooper, "Ah, a Nubian slave!" According to Campbell, Nichelle Nichols, an activist of African-American Civil Rights Movement, responded, "I'll kick you in the ankle!" Now I kinda wanted to see that version of Uhura kicking Trelane instead. 4/5

That's fair, I suppose, but enemy or not, I still found it tasteless. But that's something I'm used to in the show anyway.

He said he was gonna let Cas have an hour of kinky fun with Meg before killing her.

2x08: Time Out of Joint This episode, Batman learns what it feels like to be The Flash. I liked The Clock King in his debut specifically because of his lack of superpowers or even special gadgets; he had to rely on his wit alone against Bats. Furthermore, what made him special wasn't really a knock-off sci-fi device, but his interesting (albeit petty) motive against Mayor Hill, lamenting his lost time while also wasting it on petty revenge. And now he's just back wasting more time on revenge. With the device he had stolen from Dr. Wakati, he could have made a fortune recovering from his bankruptcy, but I guess the ego prevails over reason for supervillains. This was a relatively fun episode with some cool gimmicks in The Clock King's newfound time powers, but the novelty kinda wears off. Everything cool about the villain initially also fades away as he's defeated in just a way as lame as his gimmick - Robin trips him and he falls on his fragile device. One thing to note is that in the production order of the series, this is the first episode to be plagued by the new Adventures of Batman and Robin intro as part of the promotion of Robin's debut in Batman Forever. Oliver Sava of AV Club wrote, "The introduction of Batman: The Animated Series suggests a certain level of sophistication in the episode to come, whereas The Adventures of Batman & Robin just seems like every other children’s show. And the contents of “Time Out Of Joint” don’t do much to change that." I very much agree. While not necessarily a childish plot, there's not much done here with the Clock King compared to his previous outing other than make him some guy with a neat stolen gadget he didn't even invent, befitting your typical villain of the day Batman and Robin must stop to save the day. All that separates him from your Adam West villain are cheesy time puns, except both Fugate and Robin have that covered as well. On an off topic note, I never understood the appeal of American cartoon puns as I grew up watching anime and their more serious dialogue. I remember watching a few clips from the American dub of Digimon, and how everyone loved it more than the original Japanese version, and I was simply befuddled at the appeal of those stupid puns that the original anime lacked, especially when that humor was present to lighten to the tone of the serious plot about children facing the concept of death in the first place. On the topic of Wakati's device, it's a shame such a useful device for humanity has forever been lost because of a Saturday morning cartoon villain's foolery. If only real world governments are that courteous about potential WMDs; one mistake by some idiot and the invention's forever banished. Ah well. That's Gotham for you. *snare drums* 2.5/5

LMAO Another Dick Cheney joke! I'm not even American, but I heard of all the nasty stuff he pulled with 9/11 during the Bush administration. Crowley's one of those fun-to-hate villains that I wouldn't mind seeing return, but I'm not gonna shed any tears over him burning to crisp either. I love the sound of his voice too as much as he loves his. It's just so slick and smooth, all that charm rolling right off Mark Sheppard's British tongue. Not sure I like Grumpy Skinner that much anymore. The novelty of having Mitch return to the show has kinda worn off, especially with Samuel being a tough character to respect. His motive is kinda sympathetic (but not really), but him lacking any backbones just makes him kinda a loser I don't really wanna see hang around, since it makes for a pretty pathetic and boring character. Dean's got a point about bringing the dead back, but Samuel wouldn't hear the end of it. Of course Crowley couldn't get Sam's soul back. Guess that would have been too easy for a CW show. Guess I'll have to wait till the finale. Meg's torture bit (while also being a damsel that needs to be saved) is on the tasteless side, but that's nothing new when it comes to Supernatural's treatment of female characters. It's kinda a boys' club where it's only natural to let the angel have a little fun with a demon girl before ganking her. I thought Dean had matured past his problematic views on women, but I guess not. 2/5 We're not gonna get fun fairies and aliens MotW every episode, but man, the mythology's getting kinda dull too.

The Purple Testament "Man, war stinks!" - Rod Serling's attempt at subtlety Given Rod's experience in WWII, we've once again touched on the haunting memories of war and its many casualties and sacrifice, and it makes sense why Rod would have fantasies about having to predict death that he could have stopped if given the chance. I couldn't quite grasp the meaning of Rod's closing narration (even after Googling), so I won't bother (besides, it's Richard II, not Richard III). But what I'll say is that being a seer who could predict death, especially in a warzone, really sucks. It's not a power I would desire, at least not in this form where I wouldn't have any other power to stop the death. If you tell me it's like the opposite of Death Note or something where I could write down something to prevent someone else's death, that would at least provide me comfort. But to be able to tell someone's upcoming death like it's the coming attractions at the cinema, but only able to the watch idly at the death coming to pass, then that sounds like a nightmare of its own (see Final Destination). Hell, even Death in those Final Destination movies gave the protagonist a better deal by leaving breadcrumbs and clues on how to prevent the death. And even putting aside the technicality of preventing deaths, it's a warzone, so the soldiers were kinda prepared for this sort of inevitability happening someday. Fitzgerald (William Reynolds) wouldn't have been able to tell his soldiers who might be dead to stay back at the basecamp like a coward or deserter, and that's why Phil Riker (Dick York) leaving base despite what Fitzgerald told him made sense; he had a duty as a soldier, so he could only leave his belongings behind hoping for the best. It's also why I like the scene where Freeman (Marc Cavell) asks Fitzgerald to work his fortune-telling magic on them to see who won't make it back but he refuses, because while he could very well save everyone who might die in the battlefield, the bigger question is should he interfere and play god that way, thus depriving the battlefield of soldiers necessary to stop the enemy forces? As mentioned, this episode is essentially just one of Rod's many meditations on the horrors of war once again, and the episode does well to convey that helplessness Rod must have felt witnessing all that death in the battlefield. Fitzgerald is burdened with knowledge, and the tranquil look on his face at the end was appropriately creepy and uncomfortable as he rode his final carriage to the afterlife, finally at peace from the horrors of war. Of course, he did drag one innocent soul down by not informing the driver to be more careful of the mines. That lack of attempt to prevent even the driver's death weakens the episode a little bit and weakens the impact of Fitz's powers if he's not even gonna bother to move an inch to tell the driver to take a detour or something. But that might not matter if you read the episode as a metaphor for the numbness of war and all its death tolls, thus explaining Fitz's apathy to everything by the end of the episode (you could even say he's stepped into the heart of darkness in an Apocalypse Now kind of way). The way he and Riker kinda just accepted their fate in the face of war felt thematically appropriate, and it gives the whole episode an otherworldly and surreal feeling, like they're in Purgatory reliving the final days of their life as they remember those Hellish days at war. One other goofy moment (aside from the above jeep driver's fate) is that at the end, the sergeant (William Phipps) warned the driver about the mines that would ultimately kill him and Fitzgerald. When they later hear the explosion, he went, "It must be just thunder." WHAT?! 😂 You just told them about the mines! Why don't you go check first before declaring it's thunder? That moment really took me out of the episode, but I'm starting to sound like CinemaSins, so I'll stop. 3.5/5 Elegy I knew it was a wax museum kind of deal. Kinda forgot about the twist for a while, as I did for many of these episodes, but I was hoping it was something sinister. Guess I got my wish. But in spite of the horrible fate of our protagonists, this episode through and through has a quirky and whimsical feeling, including the whacky antagonist whose only sinister moment came from one of the last shots where he declared "Humanity is a threat to peace!" Case in point, a modern TZ remake might have Jared Padalecki's skin peeling off his bloodied flesh in a wax museum. I think what amplifies that feeling is that the actors' attempt at the longest game of Red Light, Green Light (SQUID GAME!) failed miserably in some aspects, with some of the actors obviously blinking or accidentally shift their pose a little bit. It's not a dealbreaker as the plot is fun enough on its own, and it in facts adds to the creepiness of the world, making me ask: Are they really dead like Jeremy Wickwire (Cecil Kellaway) said? Or are they just trapped in stasis for eternity like that woman in Wishmaster who wished to be beautiful forever but got turned into a living mannequin? The latter fate is obviously more horrifying, but also most probably not the intended one in the script. But between criticizing Rod Serling's attempt with 1960s effects or just make up my own headcanon to explain away the goof-up with a far more delightful twist, the latter sounds more appealing. Still, more details filing in the gaps and less astronauts with bland personality wandering around like tourists would have been kinda nice. They keep pointing to the war that destroyed old Earth in the 1980s, but never bothered to relate how their modern Earth in the 2180s look like compared to this recreated 20th Century Earth. Sure, one of them says the recreated Earth looks peaceful, thus implying that Earthlings still haven't got their shit together by 2180, but what about their politics? Their environment? Their technology? I'm guessing for that last one, not much progression is there either as these three men walked onto an alien environment without so much as a laser weapon to fire off at Wickwire moments before their death. All we got in terms of insight is guesses and implications from Wickwire's contempt at Earthlings (but then why bother recreating their lifestyle?), so the plot does feel a little thin before the twist ending, much like many TZ episodes I had problems with. And I keep circling back to the lack of explanation for Wickwire's action that makes this episode hard to review and appreciate without picking it apart. I guess in the simplest terms, he's a caretaker merely defending his cemetery from humans that he consider to be hostile, war-like and dangerous? But then why work at a place that seems to celebrate the comforts of humans? Is it some kind of avant garde ironic piece by some bored billionaire aliens? But I suppose none of it really matters because the episode's tone is creepy enough even with the whimsical music. Just a whole bunch of people standing around frozen in time, leaving your mind to run wild about the countless possible horrific scenarios. Perhaps like all good horror stories, the explanation your mind comes up with is the scariest. It's a little cheap and pretentious when I put it that way, but I don't really have appreciation for confusing "arthouse cinema" that "leaves the ambiguity to the audience's imagination." 3/5

True. I've always liked larger than life characters who would do anything for the greater good though, heartless or not. Makes for entertaining fiction at least. While playing Mass Effect, for example, I would often go for a Renegade run as FemShep, no matter how heartless it gets. Relevant:

2x07: Harlequinade I've seen snippets of this episode on YouTube and I could already tell it's gonna be a fun one. Ol' Batsy and Harley teaming up. You won't find that in the DCEU (or even a proper movie centered on Joker and Harley for that matter, though Todd Phillips might correct that with Folie à Deux), but that might hopefully change for Gunn's upcoming DCU, given that he has worked on Harley's character before for his Suicide Squad. After last episode's mediocre trio, Paul Dini brought the series back to its roots with Bats' classic rogues, but with a spin: Lady Harleen Quinzel herself being more of the focus here than the clown prince of crime (though the latter's obviously involved as well). I like how the title card by Eric Radomski makes Harley look like a Bond girl on a James Bond poster, which is appropriate given that Harley, like one of those Bond femme fatales, is still an untrustworthy ally who's in love with her precious Mr. J. Arleen Sorkin turned in great voice work for Harley as usual, and it's always fun listening to her play out Harley's bubbly nature alongside Bats' straight man. Part of the fun of watching this odd pair is that Paul straddles a nice balance where I wasn't sure whether Harley would betray Bats at a whim or not, and watching the accomplice to a psychotic killer assist Batman and Robin out of a room full of gun-totting mafia feels true to the character's whimsical nature in TAS. She might have ended up double-crossing Bats, but not before having a little song and dance in a fun escapade with the dynamic duo first. I like how it ended too, with the B&R pairing turning the J&H couple against each other, and Harley pulling the trigger on Joker too, which thoroughly impressed the latter. As much as I enjoyed seeing a chance for Batman villains' rehabilitation in previous episodes this season (and a chance for Harley to become Bats' temporary sidekick in this one), Harley's mad love staying true despite all the abuse and Joker hugging the woman that tried to kill him just feels true to character regardless. 4.5/5

That X-Files opening killed me. "The truth is in there." LMAO I kinda knew this was gonna be a fun episode, but goddamn. I love how, despite the existence of demons, angels and even Norse gods, UFOs always become too much of a stretch for Sam and Dean. One thing you gotta give Jared Padalecki credit for is how well he played Soulless Sam, something a lot of people seem to agree on. After Dean gets aliennapped, he just accepts the drink from the waitress with a smile and checks her assets out, playing well a person told to fake his emotions. That's a hard balance to straddle, but I think Sam has been nailing it so far this season. Jared's reading of "Do you have bigger cups?" was great. And I know it's been said to death, and I know I said that the Soulless Sam arc could use a little more meat, but I do like Soulless Sam for not only the refreshing dynamic of Sam being the pragmatic one and Dean the empathetic one, but also how Sam is basically Sherlock now - Cumberbatch, not Jeremy Brett or Downey - the stoic but crass, no-nonsense robot that even Spock would raise a brow at. "Have you considered the possibility that you suck at hunting UFOs?" Sherlock would usually follow this up with, "What? I was telling him the truth. Isn't it kind?" Another great quote by Sam that could have easily been said by Cumberlock: "Better run, man. I think the fourth kind is a butt thing." Robert Picardo played a great Leprechaun with all the mischievous mannerisms and posture that come with the role. I gotta say, this is easily one of the best monster-kills of the show just because of how freaking hilarious it is, that the salt-counting actually works. Lastly: King Oberon. I've played so much Shin Megami Tensei that I would have loved to see King Oberon appear this episode instead of just being mentioned. Also, no mention of Queen Titania? Midsummer Night's Dream? 😛 4/5 for this fun ep by Ben Edlund.

Yeah, honestly, I would've probably not nitpicked so much about how lame the Alpha creatures look if the main plot's more interesting, or if the Soulless Sam plot had more meat to it than "Sam lacking empathy scares Dean." Much as I like it when there's a cool-looking monster around, that's not really why I watch this show for because I understood its limited budget on TV. Same with other smaller-budget cult TV in their early seasons like Buffy and X-Files before they became bigger in later seasons: I enjoyed them for the character writing. Unfortunately, Supernatural has Sam as a character. It's not even quite Mulder and Scully where their chemistry made the show great; Sam and Dean's chemistry did make early seasons entertaining, but that's like 3 seasons maybe out of 15 before they chewed each other out and begun the moping every season up till 6; Mulder and Scully's chemistry was great throughout almost the entire show, even in the reboot. "Sam and Dean" doesn't quite have that kind of appeal.

The Fever I still remember my experience playing Marvel Snap. It's a free to play mobile game that got great reviews for how fun it can be for players without paying a dime. Of course, the truth isn't all that ideal, as it can become increasingly challenging to get better cards the more lootbox you open. With each opened lootbox, your "Collection Level" increases, and you'll be matched with opponents of the same CL that might have been lucky enough to have better cards than you, thus leading you to a bad time and tempting you to essentially... "pay to win." There have actually been far worse and predatory schemes from other mobile games, but much like Mr. Franklin Gibbs (Everett Sloane), I can easily fall into addiction with games like these and would end up paying quite a big sum (though thankfully never into the thousands). You hear of how much one has to pay to get the top gear in Diablo: Immortal, after all, and you'd wonder "Why not daylight robbery, Blizzard?" The point is that addiction and gambling can come in many forms, even today, and our contemporary "pay-to-win" gambling addiction might just be as damaging as your more traditional slot machine kind too. While Emily St. James of the AVClub might have considered this a "bad" episode - and I agree to a certain extent due to the repetitive nature of the script that didn't really go anywhere meaningful - I still like the message and what Rod Serling was trying to say. It lacks subtlety and mostly revolves around Franklin being an unlikable twat who verbally abuses his wife while he pulls on the one-armed bandit, but there's enough variety here to keep things from becoming completely one-dimensional, such as the amusing scene of the coins calling out to Franklin, or even the unintentionally hilarious design of the slot machine that's stalking him in his delusion. There were a few things I would try to improve (if I'm actually a talented writer like Rod instead of just some hack on an Internet forum) like making the machine design creepier or have the moment where the casino owner hangs the "out of order" sign over the machine be more disturbing (instead of just quirky in a dark comedy kind of way like it is now), but for the most part, the episode delivered the message Rod was trying to say quite decently, even if it's not very entertaining compared to many other episodes. I particularly like the way Franklin's addiction felt relatable and realistic, with him rationalizing at first why he has to play the slot machine (to get rid of the ill-gotten money). This is classic addiction behavior 101, and I've lived through it. What does hurt the episode, however, is that it's not very Twilight Zoney. The only supernatural element of the story is the machine with a supposed mind of its own, which is way too silly of a concept to be taken seriously (not to mention shifting the blame of addiction onto slot machines or video games). Plus, its goofy voice is less Austrian T-800 and more Mr. Spell. I think that weak link to the core of the show (supernatural things with ironic twists) is the same reason why episodes like this fail, because that's not why we tuned into the show and why we liked it in the first place (for another example, see the campier and goofier episodes of Batman: The Animated Series divorcing themselves from the darker, more psychological elements of the caped crusader). Or at least not for me. Something else I've noticed about the Twilight Zone universe: it has fragile windows. 3/5 I kinda have a soft spot for it just because it touched on a topic I care about. The Last Flight This was a really well-written one, far superior than the previous one obviously, but time travel stories are so abundant nowadays that I'm spoiled, and it becomes challenging being that impressed by one anymore, regardless of how good the twist is. But thankfully, this episode's appeal for me is less about the twist and more about the character of Flight Lieutenant Decker (Kenneth Haigh) and his journey to discover his courage in the face of fate. I love how the episode is slowly built up to peel away Decker's character and what he's lying about to Major Wilson (Simon Scott's mannerism as Wilson makes me feel like Clancy Brown could play Wilson in a modern iteration of the episode). Information about him is gradually fed to the audience piece by piece so as to build intrigue, but I also like how natural it feels; he's a coward who deserted his mission and comrade in arms, so he had every reason to lie. What's a bit of a cheat, however, is his sudden crisis of conscience and willingness to suddenly sacrifice his life, even though he hasn't even witnessed for himself the good Mackaye would have done had he lived. It's not the worst transition ever though, and it merely requires a little suspension of disbelief for a half hour show that needs to wrap things up quickly. In a longer episode, the ending might have the three men at the American airbase hold a tribute to Decker (and the beginning would show Decker and Mackaye bonding together) or something hokey like that, so perhaps that's a good thing. It's short enough that it leaves you pondering on your own the pathos of Decker's fate and how he became a hero that day. 4/5

I suppose. I was speaking in terms of popularity, not in terms of how powerful the Wendigo is. I've definitely heard of Dracula, but I've never heard of the Wendigo until I got much older (unless you count the Abominable Snowman). But honestly, it doesn't matter either way, because I wouldn't have minded seeing an Alpha Wendigo in place of the Alpha Vamp if it means we get a cooler-looking monster.

1x16: The Menagerie, Part 2 "It was thought the fiction of a court-martial would allow us ample time to show the entirety of Captain Pike's journey on Talos IV." - The Talosians, maybe "You forgot you are on trial, Spock. You WILL answer all questions put to you." I get that the reason for Spock's response to the above statement is that the others (mostly Kirk) wouldn't believe him even if he tells them the truth, but c'mon, they're already seen a psychic projection of a movie with multi-cam angles on their projector, and in that movie, they've already seen what the Talosians' powers could do by the time that quote above showed up. If those things aren't enough to convince them, then nothing will. Plus, I don't know why Spock would be so secretive to Kirk anyway. In fact, much of Spock's behavior and just this entire episode don't make sense this episode. There's being emotional as a half-Vulcan, and then there's breaking all manner of rules to save one man, even if it's his former captain. Spock, the "logic is the end-all, be-all" guy, risking the entire Enterprise for one man. I was also a little confused about Commodore Mendez's message at the end until the Star Trek wiki explained what happened to me (that he also received the Talosians' feature presentation transmission back at Starbase 11). Furthermore, that final shot of Pike on the screen walking alongside Vina whose beauty is restored... Yeeeah, The Cage AND that final shot were produced before TOS. But okay, granted, never aired, so never canon till this episode. Fair enough. A bit of narrative maneuvering that makes that final shot lose a bit of that intended heartwarming magic if you've already seen The Cage before this episode. In The Cage, that Pike you see walking away with Vina is an illusion created by the Talosians for Vina's sake, while the real Captain Pike could be seen walking away back to his ship. Knowing that fact makes the edited footage feel a bit awkward. lol Reminds me of Power Rangers (especially the older seasons) where budget constraints forced Saban to recycle footage in ways that sometimes don't make a whole lot of sense when you think too hard. And finally... Talosians, a dying alien race whom Pike left behind to die, slowly. Is it such a good idea to leave his fate in their hands? Especially in his quadriplegic state that's not ideal for breeding (the Talosians' initial goal for keeping life going on Talos IV)? I mean, I guess Vina and him could work something out but... I don't see how. A bit of a mess, a bit too much Cage footage than necessary even this episode (the Orion girl footage would've sufficed for Spock to make the point tbh), and questionable intent from the Talosians. Let's call it a 3/5. Interesting side note: while reading up on Spock in Strange New Worlds, someone pointed out that was pre-Kolinahr Spock, which would retroactively explain why Spock smiled so goddamn much in The Cage, but since Kolinahr wouldn't really be introduced yet by this episode, it was a pretty clever way to explain Spock's behavior in Cage down the road. 1x17: Shore Leave We are still some ways off from the first appearance of the holodeck in Star Trek: The Animated Series (and a whole GENERATION away from frequent holodeck hijinks 😉), so we would have to make do for now with a VR planet. We've had a revolving door of cast members and Enterprise crewmembers early on in the show (Pike, Gary Mitchell, and even Rand was gone) before it settled on the crew of Kirk, Spock and McCoy. However, if you didn't know anything about the show or perhaps Star Trek in general (not knowing Kirk or Spock would probably qualify you as living under a rock, but McCoy, not so much), it's understandable if you thought that this is the episode McCoy bites it. The cast members had certainly sold it well enough with their performance. Poor Bones, finally found love with not-a-doctor only to be pierced through his heart - quite literally. Emily Banks and DeForest Kelly shared great chemistry with each other, so Barrows breaking down in tears felt quite powerful, as was her attempt to calm herself down. It's too bad this is seemingly Emily's only role as Barrows for TOS (I couldn't find any record of any other appearance) as I quite enjoyed her acting here, particularly her scenes with DeForest. That said, perhaps it's for the best as Yeomans seem to fall into the problematic fate of having their sexuality exploited for the plot. I know, I know, product of its time, and while I respect Barrows' fantasy of being ravished by a dashing Don Juan, it's still a rather disturbing idea to have your rape fantasies come to life. Sulu had a samurai, Rodriguez had a tiger, Kirk an old flame, McCoy a black knight, all rather tame concepts, but then out of nowhere - rapey Juan! Just saying. Still, an amusement park planet where your greatest fantasies - or fears - could come to life. Obviously, this could be the most fun or the most uncomfortable experience you'll ever have, even if it's all harmless. While writing reviews for The Twilight Zone, I had often touched on the concept of escapism from reality, and what a delight it might be to just get away from the hassles of real life (even having written a fan fiction about a similar VR concept decades ago as a kid), and I still stand by this statement after this episode, even if I don't necessarily think it's very healthy. It's a drug for the mind for sure, but it's one we would possibly never experience in our lifetime with our limited VR technology anyway, so why not dream a little? We could all probably use a shore leave on Shore Leave Planet, given the chaos of real life affairs at the moment. 3.5/5 It's a fun harmless little episode with some seemingly real stakes midway through, and I had a rather good time watching it. Footnote: for a moment there, I thought that Kirk had wandered onto the set of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, but then I found out it's just Vasquez Rocks.

I suppose that's a fair take. Can't remember much about the Wendigo. Season 1 felt like ages ago, even for me. Still, that's a wendigo though, not a vamp. I've never been big on wendigoes as monsters go since I'm not really familiar with them. And if a third-tier monster like a wendigo is cooler-looking than the more popular vampire, let alone the Alpha of all vamps... yeah, doesn't sound right. lol

I'm pretty sure I've already learned about that before, but I guess I was in denial and having wishful thinking. Ah well... it's nice to dream, isn't it? 😂

It makes sense, but that doesn't mean it's interesting. It's why nobody bothers to show Spider-Man fighting ordinary street-level mafia even though they actually did that in the comics. Nobody would pay to see that on the big screen or even the little screen. Something that's realistic and sensible doesn't always translate to something that's engaging. I wouldn't want to watch an entire episode with Bruce having meetings at Wayne Tower, for example. I suppose. The thing that drew me to the show was something more different, that it's filled with more mature content than your average Saturday morning cartoon, as is appropriate for a Batman show. It's what made the series revolutionary for its time, a dark show for children about a vigilante beating up the criminally insane at night while dressed in a bat costume himself. Given time, I might be able to appreciate the moments of camp for the kiddies, and I do accept them for what they are... but I call it like I see it as an adult audience member in terms of my own enjoyment of the episode. I don't really enjoy camp, especially when it applies to Batman stories. I probably wouldn't even watch The Brave and the Bold even though I heard great things.

So, MAJOR SPOILERS in regards to Ash and Pokemon, some of you may have heard what Ash has finally done. And that's that, I suppose. I heard they're getting two new protagonists for next season for the new Scarlet/Violet region.

Try living in an apartment. I have to keep my music volume managed even in daylight or we would get noise complaints. Makes me wonder how loud people living in private estates could turn their music up to.

As I've mentioned in another post, pretty sure I've come down with the ol' covid, no thanks to my mum inadvertently spreading it to me. It started as a sore throat, then a 38.6 Celsius fever, plus muscle aches. I felt like my brain was literally being cooked even after taking the Panadol my local polyclinic prescribed, so I had to buy a fever patch, but ultimately, sweating it out was the answer to really bring the heat down. Now my fever is gone, but I still have dry coughs and food tastes bland. I read that people's sense of smell and taste while suffering covid don't get their senses back for up to a year. Ugh. I'm not sure if I could handle food tasting like nothing for a year. Might have to try out acupuncture if this goes on too long.

So, how important is it to watch this series in production order? Because, as you could tell from my last post, I might have messed it up by watching it by airing order (no thanks to HBO Max).

2x06: The Terrible Trio Our first real dud of the season, though not the first of the series. But with more than 60 episodes in the first season alone, a few duds among both seasons isn't too shabby. That said, it does remind me of a discussion on Reddit when comparing Batman: TAS with Superman: TAS. According to Redditors, the former has higher quality episodes but in a less consistent manner, whereas the latter is consistently good, but never to the heights of Batman. Still looking forward to watching it and the rest of DCAU someday though. The trio of jokesters Bruce got to fight this episode is pretty mediocre, but that's nothing really new for the world of comic book superheroes. You'd always get a Frog-Man or Paste-Pot Pete somewhere between great storylines, especially for a long-running series, so I'm pretty used to it and gave this a mere shrug. I gotta admit though, despite calling it a dud, I wanted to like it at first, and I sort of did, at first. It's not one of Bats' more iconic rogues for sure, and Penguin pretty much already covered being the billionaire gone bad angle (even though the concept of exploring what Bruce Wayne would've been like had he not lose his parents at a young age like these frat boys is interesting... on paper), but I initially liked them for their ability to outwit both Bats and Robin. It's not exactly a four-dimensional chess move to put civilians in Bats' way, but the effort should be acknowledged. But then Warren Lawford let a piece of evidence loose in front of Rebecca Fallbrook and imprinting his ring on her father's jaw... annnd he's down to the idiot booth. They can be clever alright, but as Bats said: experts in arrogance. I kinda laughed a bit when Bats said "scoundrels like these are worse than the Joker - at least he has madness as an excuse." I get the logic of that, but these are just spoiled frat boys. It's hard to take them as seriously as someone like the Joker. Must be a slow day at the Batcave. Furthermore, their costume is just ridiculous. I get that they were from a Batman comic, but it feels more like they belonged in one of the goofier Spider-Man comics than Batman, particularly one starring Paste-Pot Pete. A bat motif and costume is cool; the fox, vulture and shark motifs for the trio aren't really working out, looking more like Halloween costumes. Also, who talks like that in real life? “A valiant effort, stout sentinel, but the game was ours before it began.” There's suspension of disbelief, and then there's "Waitwut? Am I watching the wrong show?" Campy and hammy, and yet somehow still mediocre villains. But perhaps I'm being too harsh about it since, as is the case with I've Got Batman in My Basement, these two episodes are reminders that this is still a Saturday morning cartoon of sorts targeting children. It just happens to be darker than your average kids cartoon. That's why when Batman conveniently saves Rebecca at the last precise moment, just happening to fly by at that very last second, I gave it a pass for just being a cartoon. Then again, Bats does have a flair for the dramatics and theatricality, so it might make sense (also the reason for his Stealth Hi/Bye when he mysteriously vanishes mid-conversation). But cartoon or not, the animation quality's no excuse though. Done by Jade Animation instead of the usual Dong Yang, Rebecca's facial expression was so obviously distorted in one scene even I noticed it, even though I don't usually pay attention to these details (ironic when watching an animation to not pay attention to the animation quality, I know, but cut me some slack; I have an attention disorder, probably). The only satisfying part of the episode might be the ending when Warren's cellmate is about to have a new bitch in the form of a privileged frat boy. I got HBO Oz vibes watching that scene. Then again, prison rape is such a touchy subject I'm not going to touch that with a ten-foot pole. More points off for Robin being completely useless this episode. 1.5/5

True, but my point wasn't that they didn't use Dracula specifically, but that it wasn't a creature as demonic-looking or as epic in scale as him. The Alpha Vamp's just some guy with bad teeth.