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Mack is just the best, right? Helps gets the Plotdevicism, battles a bunch of robots, and brings one back so his girlfriend can get new arms. And he almost got killed in the process. Also, he didn't kill his old schoolmate about the revelation of "Mack Hammer," and he didn't punch Coulson on the ship. I think Phil wouldn't have quipped in such a tense situation . . . but fuck it, he's gonna die soon anyway, right? What do we call the antagonists? Do they have a name? I think they might not, so we need one for them. "SWORD" is the obvious choice, but that's basically "SHIELD in space" in the comics. I don't remember the kid at all. He was a Von Strucker? Huh . . . maybe the producers figured The Gifted might make that name a bigger thing. Also: no vaguely incestuous overtones! Looks like the rift doesn't always make manifest nightmare, since Deke's mom stopped by and basically left a family tree behind. I'm hoping he does more soon. I mean, Fitz is really irritated, but in a situation like that, I'd be tempted to direct Deke to the food storage and let him chow down on stuff we've gotten away from. Twinkies really last forever, don't they?

Last night had lots of complications for me, so I had to use the DVR. Party Time (Brian Arnold, Barclay Stockett, Jake Murray) vs. Brazi Bros (Alexio & Lucas Gomes, Brittany Reid) We start with an upset, as Alexio winds up beating Brian to the buzzer by four-tenths of a second. At first glance, it looked like he missed it, but he got enough of his hand on it to get the win. And that is the low point of the night for Party Time. Barclay wins her heat as Brittany splashes down, Jake beats Lucas, and Party Time wins the relay as Alexio (running the second leg) wipes out trying to clear Tilting Ladder. Brian probably didn't need the five-second penalty as he clears the Warped Wall to clinch the win. All-American Ninjas (Paul Hamm, April Steiner Bennett, Jonathan Horton) vs. Karsten's Fast Kats (Kevin Klein, Lauren Keen, Karsten Williams) Of course, nobody really brings up that Paul compete on Sasuke several times, including the one where he cleared Stage Two, but forgot to hit the buzzer. Kevin defeats him, and Matt & Akbar keep talking about how he beat the greatest American gymnast. The guy's last Sasuke was in 2005, and NBC didn't air his failed run in 2016. April vs. Lauren gets the While We Were Away treatment, with April wiping out on Monkey Bars. And then came back-to-back shocks. First, Karsten wipes out on Tilit Ladder, and Jonathan gets the win for clearing that. In the relay, Karsten (running anchor) doesn't clear the Monkey Bars, and he is really pissed off about it. Jonathan clears the obstacle to give AAN the upset. Party Time vs. All-American Ninjas It's all Party Time. Brian leads Paul handily as he wipes out on Rumbling Dice. Afterward, Brian interviews that Paul is his hero. He probably means Sasuke, but it isn't specifically mentioned. Barclay (who is dubbed "Sparkly Ninja," which . . . since when?!?) and April clear the Warped Wall, but both are very fatigued. April falls from Salmon Ladder, giving Party Time a 2-0 lead. Jonathan can't get the momentum from his upset, as he struggles with Tilting Ladder and splashes down on the Floating TIles, though he's able to "save it." I use quotation marks, because Jake was so far in the lead, it would have taken a massive fail to force a relay. But the eccentric ninja -- no doubt trying to redeem himself for ANW9, which no one talked about) -- gets the win by a large margin, completing the shutout. Next week: Ian Dory and his Wolf Pack and David Campbell (The Godfather!!) make their runs toward glory.

Comic shops are offering a free comic in anticipation of Krypton. Basically, it's a reprint of World of Krypton #1, the start of a four-issue miniseries from John Byrne and Mike Mignola (who would create Hellboy). I think the story was written after Crisis on Infinite Earths, depicting the revised version of the planet Krypton. I also believe there were two other miniseries in the same vein: World of Smallville and World of Metropolis. I got WoK from a DC Comics harcover reprinting Mignola's work, and I think it holds up well. ETA: Story from Bleeding Cool. Also, the issue has brief profiles of four of Krypton's esteemed Houses.

Stumbled into this review and praise of KLK's animation style. Enjoy!

ScrewAttack hosts "Death Battles" on their YouTube. Next week, they're pitting Jotaro against Kenshiro from Fist of the North Star. Here's the video covering the basics of Jotaro and Star Platinum. There is one bit from the series that hasn't aired on Toonami . . . just so you know. And here's Kenshiro's profile.

Translation: "I gotta think long term. If I'm big enough a jackwad, I might get three more tries at the $1 million!"

Here's Sylvia replying to Joss' post: "I won my elimation while being sick and was in the hospital for the same amount of time as Leroy but I got sent home and he didn’t I feel your pain" She's got a point as well. Maybe Leroy is basically the Challenge version of Rob Mariano, where BMP will keep throwing him into the mix until he wins. Remember, he lost Nia in BOTE2, but they gave her Theresa (originally a teammate of Wes). Follow-up from Marie: "At least you guys weren't publicly humiliated in a Laundry basket." One problem with The Challenge being a career: permanent feuds. How often do reality feuds spill into the "real world," then back into the show they were just on? Not as often as this one. ETA: Devin bitching about losing to Jemmye was funny. Ranks with Dan Renzi going, "All eighteen of us were beaten by Ah-MY-ya and Melissa."

From Twitter: Killbot knew whom she wanted to face if given a choice. Scroll down for Cara Maria's rejoinder. Looks like that friendship is officially over. Joss weighs in on Darrell vs. Nelson. Dude's a wanker, but he does make a valid point. Briana reveals too much about herself. I know, she's not on this season, but I had to share. Also, most of the folks I see are Facebook want to wash down their meals with Nicole's tears. Once again: I get the hate, but I don't get why it has to be all-consuming for some people. I will say that Zach's crack about Nicole having to go to speech class was pretty funny.

Caught last night's After Show. I think Tony is scheming to kill CT, get a "dad bod," and take his place. Single White Meathead, if you will. Nice having Justina drop by to help Nessa. And Britni sucks, but everybody knew that, right?

I'm just not caring. How did Bradley become despised? I'm not paying attention. Lucky for him that Michael messed up. All that was missing was Probst looking at the idol and drawling, "You have chosen . . . poorly." Speaking of Probst, I have a question, and I'll understand if you think I'm reading too much into it. A tribe is lagging behind, as their opponents are on the final part. Only two guys are pulling the rope to get the track on the rail. About a second after the lead guy (really don't know names, really don't care) yells for help, Probst hollers, “You can’t do this with two guys!” So the other pitch in, and they get to the final part, and they win in a surprising manner. Does that mean Probst interfered with the game? Once again, I'm not caring, and I'm sure there's eye candy for Probst on both sides . . . but the idea that he'd nudge a tribe forward -- even for the sake of drama -- is a little disconcerting. Whasherface doesn't go for the Ghost Island idol. Boooooooooo. I know, she probably made the right play with a vote at risk, but I know the producers are itching to rub mistakes in the faces of past contestants. Sadly, I don't think they can work in the letter JT slipped to Russell along with the idol.

We got a mission, deliberation and Ring in the same episode. 'Tis a miracle!! Of course Devin would remember he's an asshole and demonstrate it to us in spades. As much as I'm glad he booted Johnny, he is also very insufferable. Watching him use his Grenade to choose the teams and have that spectacularly blow up on him was fun to watch. Once again, there are no out-and-out heroes on this show. Okay, Laurel did take out Britni for us, but it didn't involve beating her without mercy. No, all Laurel did was out-tug Britni, then have a few awkward moments with Nicole. If Nicole is reading this: at least you didn't have Mike's birthday from Battle Of The Seasons. You're lucky. Also, I wondered if there was any peanut butter in that cake. Hey, you gotta know your birthday girl. Mercenaries did not deliver. Frank is still a punk, and I'm glad he lost. Ashley is average at best, and she didn't bolster Kam's resume in surviving Rings. I will give Nelson credit for haning tough against two tenacious opponents: Darrell and Teege. Seriously, Lavin, don't hate the players for the stalemate. Hate the people who designed the game. On the plus side, good call not bringing in Laurel for a game of Figure 8. BMP might have saved a life. BTW, watching people choose teams is really getting old. It's too safe a choice, and nobody goes for the more vindictive alternatives.

Theory about Ralph: he's basically all rubber, right? Maybe his brain is like a rubber band. He learns, he evolves . . . and then he snaps back to being a jackass. Sweet that Cisco mentioned Spider-Man 2. Totally applied to the situation.

Announcer: Previously on . . . The Flash! Harry: I'm learning to unclench and listen to other people. Well, other people that aren't basically me. Cisco: And we're gelling like near the end of S2! Ralph: I'm getting into the heroic thing without it merely about looking good! Also, how ironic is it that I'm so flexible, yet I've basically grown a strong spine? Halfway through the episode: Harry: I have to beat DeVoe. Every act he commits like he's teabagging me. You get me, Ramone? Like I'm on the floor and he's pressing his sc- Cisco: Ummmmm, did he frame you for murder?!? Now put down the device that mixes your brain and dark matter. We've run out of smart Wellses. Finding an adequate you would take a whole week. Ralph: If anyone needs me, I'm gonna squeeze myself into a bedroom drawer and hope DeVoe forgets about ,e entirely. And then we got Plot Device Meta transferring Barry's speed into Iris, and Iris fails to put out a fire. Yes, she needed backup. You know how she entered the building? Up the stairs, because it doesn't occur to a "normal" person to run up a building. And she let cranky, bitchy Ralph get to her, which . . . she's better than that. She's OG Team Flash. I know, not a part of the actual STAR team, but she's know Barry longer. I did like the purple lightning. Dunno why, and I can't explain why it wasn't red. It was . . . nice. Also, she did have enough skill to make a tidal wave. Also, switch clothes with Caitlin. Meh, I'll let that good. I liked her, and I liked Barry trying to run the show from the lab. Didn't like Fiery Rip Hunter. Didn't like the new flame guy. I know, he was supposed to be one-dimensional, but he still bugged. Sweet . . . except Supergirl has a Reign . . . .reigning this season. That Reign could use color, though. ETA: Plot Device Meta might as well be wearing a red shirt.

Looks like fun . . . but $25 for a two-hour window?

First segment was cringeworthy, for the reasons that you’d think. But at least we have Third Month Mania. If only I could get that voice out my head. And face. Speaking of faces . . . I saw the computers “recognizing” the white masks, I thought “Jabbawockeez.”

That can be handwaved. "That ain't natural! That boy is with the neg-." "Bob? Let it go." BUT-" "Bob, we saw ghosts. Dang-gum GHOSTS. And the Presley boy played 'Amazing Grace' and set them away in peace. I know it's 1954, but I'm not even thinking about interracial dancing and kissing, along with the social implications of 1954." "Yer right. Also, I think that there's the Vixen from the Justice Society!" "You're right! She defended the country that wasn't even hers, so I reckon she earned this." "Yep. Dang, what happened to the Justice Society, anywho?" Yes, I know, the JSA wasn't public because Oliver is supposed to be the heroic forerunner. Just omit everything after "1954" if it bugs. I just wanted to have fun with the scene. Shit, I thought Axl was in the "sammy" as well. So Axl died of natural causes? Did he commit suicide because he didn't want to be called "Josh Groban"? And did Mick personally cremate him? I think he was about to, and then Ghost Axl popped out. This show. Only this show. And I say that with love. ETA: The other theory about the lack of outrage: a mix of Buffy and Men In Black, even if the Legends didn't use memory-erasing devices. Besides, the King of Rock & Roll warding off ghosts in a church kinda sounds like material for a legend . . . and when you think about it, ain't that what this series is about?

Maybe an all-stars competition? If we see that and it's set during the day, then we'd know. With the revised rosters, only four ninjas would have been saving themselves for the main competition.

Just posted the Reunion, completing the season. Seriously, how funny was it that I constantly bitched about this season, unaware of the impending horror that was Battle Of The Sexes 2.

CW: This week on Legends of Tomorrow: The team and Elvis Presley save Memphis and rock 'n' roll! Also, Mick's pet rat dies, and Ray has a funeral for him. Me: At this point, why not? Naturally, I know Damien will swoop in, kick the Legends in their respective crotches- CW: Nope. Daddy & Daughter Dark get the week off. Me: Just as well. I can see them near the church. Damien holding Nora back, all, "No, no. We'll let them have this one." Of course the sixth totem is Death. Of course it's embedded in a guitar ("ghee-tar"?) that a young Elvis picked up. And, of course, it was able to raise the dead, including the soon-to-be King's deceased twin. Just a perfect balance of high stakes, poignancy and humor. Also, a funeral for Axl, complete with a brief tribute. And, naturally, his ghost ran roughshod in the Waverider, was brought to peace, and said goodbye to Mick. Yes, I half-expected the uncle to see Nate and Amaya kissing and scream, "SATAN!! THAT'S THE REAL SATAN!!!!" But it all worked out, and there wasn't much to cringe about. And Wally annoys Zari, but manages to learn a few lessons. Anybody up for a follow-up episode with Elvis? I mean, if we've had Youngish Martin Stein and Jonah Hex . . . ETA: Was anybody else half-expecting the uncle to hiss "The wrong kid died!!!" at Elvis? Please don't let me be the only one.

Funny 115 entry in five words: "No, Reed's on OUR team."

It was an honest mistake, and the stakes aren’t bigger than bragging rights at this point. In the first episode, there were wipeouts in the first three heats, so those that won those heats did not need to run beyond the Warped Wall. I’m guessing that it’s more about not risking injury for Jessie, as opposed to ego. “In case you’re just joining us, Jessie Graff has suffered a serious injury.” “I see you, Jessie! I see those bones sticking out of your leg!!!” ETA: I posted edits on an iPad, and I had to clean up those mistakes, but that's no real excuse. Apologies if I confused anybody reading this.

Adult Swim puts out an old-school video game sequence. Also, Oni Press kicked off their quarterly R+M title with the Vndicators. Fun stuff; the Oni books really capture the best essence of the show.

It'll never happen. Best case, Probst squeezes in people who made it to Day 39, go heavy on alpha male winners, and cross his fingers that one of them wins and ties Sandra. Or maybe he'll bring in 16-20 dudes. I respect most winners, but I like the ones that won despite being female or not being Probst's idea of a "man's man," like silver-haired Tom, Earl the last minute substitute, Bob for obvious reasons. I'd add Cochran, but he was a funny beta, which Probst seems to tolerate. If he didn't, Cochran would not have crashed Game Changers to give "advice."

Some night. New rules, same results: Latin America is still green (do they have Ninja shows?), and Asia continues to not come big. Are ANW and Sasuke close in terms of competitiveness these days? Is is an apple/orange thing? We had Japan returning with two guys, along with newbies from Indonesia and Vietnam . . . and they manage three points. Dang. I think that the U.S. team had a better night overall, with Europe sweating elimination in Stage Two. Then the scores got wiped, both Europe and U.S. got three points, and Sean McColl wins the Battle of the Seans, beating Sean "Papal Ninja" Bryan by 0.86 seconds. Good efforts all around, especially from Bryan, who failed to clear Flying Wedge in the most painful way imaginable. Maybe the weatherman life is as draining as the U.S. presidency? And I just realized why I shouldn't like Joe (most of it political views), but he doesn't rub me the wrong way that hard. To be honest, none of the ninjas do. Not like we got a "Johnny Bananas" motherfucker milking the teat extra hard and playing the role of bad boy. ANW10 starts on May 30! If there's a celebirty/charity edition, we might get it on the 23rd. I'm not sure if it'll live up to last year. Stephen Amell cleared the Salmon Ladder in a semi-competitive environment, and that's all fans of Arrow (like myself) wanted to see.

This week: It's another episode that might as well be titled "Does Polnareff Have To Work To Be An Idiot, Or Does It Come Naturally?" With Kakoyin still on the mend, the team travels around Egypt. Meanwhile, a schmuck whipping boy gets a sword with a Stand: Anubis. Basically the sword can slice through anything . . . unless Chaka doesn't want it to. Anubis possesses him, making him kill his father and friends, who were assholes. The last guy he dispatches was hiding behind a cow, and Chaka slices the guy in two, without even nicking the cow. Shades of Baron Zeppeli breaking the rock and not the frog underneath. Anyway, Polnareff finds himself lost,and then he meets Chaka. Cue awesome swordfight. Polnareff gets cut up, but Silver Chariot uses a last resort attack to seemingly kill Chaka. Polanreff gets mesmerized by the sword, but comes out of it okay as the gang finds him. Also, four mice try to abscond with the sword, which should've been a dead giveaway that Something Was Wrong. Joseph: Okay, we can't afford to get separated anymore! The enemy can come from anywhere!! Seriously, if we meet anybody, they're usually either a minion of DIO or dead inside five minutes. It's getting old, dammit!!! Avdol: Iggy, would you please stop snarling at the sword? Polnareff: Mon dieu! I might as well take the sword to the police station right now. Joseph: OH MY GOD!!!!!!!!!!!!! It's like talking to a brick wall. A really, really stupid brick wall! Joseph gets Jotaro to play Frenchmansitter, and they go to the police station. Actually, no, they hit a barbershop, because Polnareff needs a shave and a haircut. Yeah, watching a guy trim down that flattop is funny. But the Frenchman asks the barber to put the sword to the side . . . and then the guy sharpens his blade and starts shaving . . . and then he takes the hot towel off Polnareff's face . . . and Polnareff looks into the mirror to find that Anubis has possessed the barber, and the blade is right next to his throat. Oh and Jotaro seems to be napping. "Seems" is the key word, because he's probably faking, and Star Platinum will save Polnareff's ass next episode.