It looks like S.H.I.E.L.D. is no more. Well at least the title is no more. According to EW.com, apparently there comes news that the title is being changed to (or at least referred to for the time being as) Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. While we can all debate why, they also included a show summary that everyone can read up on before we debate this title:
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Joss Whedon (MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Buffy the Vampire Slayer) shows us not all heroes are super with MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
Fresh from his role in the summer’s box office smash, MARVEL’S THE AVENGERS, Agent Phil Coulson (Clark Gregg) returns to the worldwide law enforcement organization S.H.I.E.L.D. He puts together a small, highly trained, team of Agents to tackle the cases that haven’t been classified yet, the new, the strange and the unknown. That team consists of straight arrow Agent Grant Ward (Brett Dalton), an expert in combat and espionage; pilot and martial artist Agent Melinda May (Ming-Na Wen); and brilliant if socially awkward scientists Agent Leo Fitz (Iain De Caestecker) and Agent Jemma Simmons (Elizabeth Henstridge). They’ll be joined by civilian new recruit and computer hacker Skye (Chloe Bennet).
Prepare for an epic adventure that showcases the hope and wonder of the human spirit. This is a world of Super Heroes, aliens and the unusual – of action, spectacle and world spanning stories. The show will speak to the human condition through the lens of our very human, non-powered S.H.I.E.L.D agents – that together we are greater than we are apart, and that we can make a difference in the world.
Executive Produced and co-written by Joss Whedon, Jed Whedon & Maurissa Tancharoen (Dollhouse, Dr.Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog), Jeffrey Bell (Angel, Alias) and Jeph Loeb (Smallville, Lost, Heroes) comes Marvel’s first live-action TV series, MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Credit: nerdlunch.net – Also not a photo from set…
So let’s break it down quickly: I think it’s an odd move. I mean, it shouldn’t be surprising because Marvel wants to tag their branding on everything now (Marvel’s The Avengers ring a bell?) but it’s just too much at this point. Plus just saying S.H.I.E.L.D. would have just made enough waves as a short and efficient attention grabbing title. EW speculates because ABC might want to separate its title from FX’s The Shield but I can’t buy that because the series isn’t running anymore and enough time should have passed so confusion would not be made. Even the ‘Agents of’ part comes off as redundant because who else would we be following in S.H.I.E.L.D.? The Janitors of S.H.I.E.L.D.? The Real Housewives of S.H.I.E.L.D.? (Crap, call Bravo now and tell them to stop that idea from getting on the air.) Regardless, this is all done for the advertisers as Joss & ABC prepare the pilot to show off in May to generate some ad sales so who knows, we might get the title change back or perhaps something more ridiculous might be in hand. Although does it matter? We could probably just stop and declare this the best pilot of the fall season and they could name it whatever they want because even an appearance from Hasselhoff as a Nick Fury doppelganger couldn’t stop the me from watching.
Just this week, Netflix Streaming rolled out a ton of animated, geeky goodness, including the likes of Regular Show, Adventure Time, Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated, Archer, Batman Beyond, Batman: The Brave and the Bold, Powerpuff Girls, Problem Solverz, Dexter’s Lab, Foster’s Home, Grim Adventures of Billy & Mandy, Venture Brothers . . .
And, most significantly for the superhero-obsessed, the recent Justice League animated series. Both of ’em — Justice League, which focuses on the big seven (Superman, Green Lantern, Flash, Wonder Woman, Martian Manhunter, the Flash, and Hawkgirl) and Justice League Unlimited (JLU), which brings in DC Comics heroes by the truckload.
Well ABC did all they could to try and sell Happy Endings on Friday nights (please read this in the sarcasm font). Sadly, when the show returned from its unplanned hiatus, it did so to less than stellar numbers. I’m sure now ABC will have to go ahead and cancel the sitcom, as the people they turned to and pleaded to help save Happy Endings have let them down.
Let’s all take a moment of silence.
Now with that nonsense over, what could the future hold for the “no really it looks like a crappy Friends knockoff at first but give it a chance, it’s good” show? Well in a move much likethat of Cougar Town (also an ABC sitcom) last year, it appears as if Happy Endings might be heading to cable. Deadline reported this week that the basic cable channel USA, home of Psych, is looking to pick up the sitcom.
One has to imagine that USA is looking at Cougar Town‘s move to TBS and seeing how they’ve not only done better than on ABC, but also bringing in a demographic that TBS had previously not seen much of. However I don’t know that the same will happen in this case. TBS was known mainly for Law and Order reruns, not original content. Then they brought on Conan (who just signed a contract through 2015) which certainly brought new viewers to the network. Cougar Town was just an add on to that. When Happy Endings first showed signs of being canceled, I thought that a Cougar Town/Happy Endings block could do quite well on TBS, but apparently USA thinks that it would fit better over there. They have been looking to develop more half hour sitcoms to round out their schedule that is filled with show like Royal Pains and Suits (as well as hour after hour of Law and Order reruns, seriously what is it with Law and Order?)
With Pych likely being canceled, they could also eying Happy Endings to be a replacement for that. USA’s original shows aren’t bad, actually some of them are quite good, but I do think bringing on a show like this and the publicity it brings, could only mean good things for the network.
I figured when last week was such a good episode (Laurel’s ugly crying aside), that this week might be a bit slower but I was still looking forward to it, and the return of the Count. However, this was one of those weird episodes where certain parts were awesome but the episode all together was a bit bland. Not that that’s a bad thing, it’s difficult to keep up the intensity for 22 episodes so there’s bound to be some lulls. Hopefully this lull won’t continue but let’s dive into those great moments of “Unfinished Business”!
Awwww, shit. Vertigo is back on the streets and in the clubs. Not only that but people are taking it and then going and literally playing in traffic. Given the number of pointless internet fights I’ve seen the phrase “go play in traffic” uttered in, I found this to be quite amusing. Of course with the drug vertigo back out, people first thought that perhaps that Count Vertigo was also out. Hooboy, that could not be further from the case. I do like how the doctor put it though – “word salad”. I might have to start using that.
“He’s sumasshedshiy” Credit to: ninawaldorf
I’m going to stick to “word salad” and leave the “sumasshedshiy” to Oliver Queen. However, that look combined with the description? Perfect. Not so perfect? Everything else Oliver did in this episode. He thought Tommy was actually guilty of procuring the vertigo. Not only that, but unless I missed it, did he ever thank Tommy for the hiding of the Arrow Cave evidence? I don’t think so. He was an ass to Felicity when she was trying to comfort him about the Count. He was a major dick to Diggle about him going after Deadshot. Is Diggle’s job 24/7? Is Felicity’s? I mean come on, surely there is some down time during which they can pursue their own interests, perhaps get a hobby or read a book or something. Even if that something is going after a dude who shoots people for a living. Oliver, Oliver, Oliver… you need to get a grip.
I loved that they brought back “the Count” even if he was sumasshedshiy. However, I saw it as the doctor and orderly from a mile away. Rule number one when trying to implement a surprise plot twist – don’t go out and find the sketchiest and most guilty looking orderly out there. Surely there was a slight 5 foot nothing, 150 pounds soaking wet guy they could have used. Then I would have been surprised! I think we can all agree though, Diggle remembering to say “Clear” (as opposed to when he had to revive Oliver and Felicity reminded him he forgot) as he killed said orderly. Well done Dig.
Diggle actually had quite a bit of call back in this episode. He’s trying to hunt down Deadshot. He’s still dating the sister-in-law, and he’s continuing his life as a drug dealer/purchaser. I can not be the only one who laughed when he announced to the Arrow Cave that “The person of color (apparently emberbrushiebrushie is not of the American persuasion) has successfully purchased your drugs”. That Diggle, he’s a laugh a minute.
I am very very interested in seeing where this ARGUS thing goes. That and will Diggle and Lyla be more than just “old Army buddies”? I do love a good love triangle. Actually, that’s a lie, they usually annoy me (see Tommy, Laurel, and Oliver) but I do want to see more of Diggle’s life that doesn’t center around Oliver. That being said, I do like that Oliver finally came around and said he would help on the Deadshot front. Redeemed himself a little bit. Just a little though.
The rest of the Count/evil doctor story line was a bit predictable. By now, we know that Oliver has no qualms killing people even though he’s felt the need to admonish anyone else who even thinks about killing someone. In my perfect world, the writer’s would from here on out just forget that Ollie ever said anything about not killing and therefore never repeat it. Because when you stare down a man, high on the vertigo that got in your bloodstream before you puked what looked to be Nickelodeon slime, and shoot him with three arrows, it’s hard to say you aren’t a killer with a straight face. Not that he deserved to live, but still, they need to stop saying it.
Of course as soon as I say that, we have Oliver poised and ready to take out the Count for good, and he can’t do it. I’m actually really glad he didn’t because that just didn’t seem right. That and I’m holding out hope that he’ll find a way to unscramble his brain and come back to match wits with the vigilante once more. We shall see.
Best part of this episode, for me at least, was the island. Finally we get to see the real beginnings of the vigilante version of Oliver Queen as opposed to the whining mixed in occasionally with some dumb luck.
Shado is amazing. As much as I love Yao Fei, I might love his daughter that much more. Not only is she pretty bad ass when it comes to fighting, but she’s also very zen and she’s already filled in more backstory in one episode than we’ve gotten in the seventeen previous. Yao Fei was a Chinese officer, was the scapegoat for a massacre, sent to the island, and now Fyers is trying to make him a scapegoat once again for whatever he has planned. Makes you wonder who Yao Fei pissed off in a previous life. Damn.
Credit to: htbthomas
The island parts also gave Oliver even more of a human side. Like I said, the whining has subsided a little but you have to imagine sitting there as a privileged silver spooner who has literally not had to do much for himself, watching two people who are very self-sufficient and know how to defend themselves. Not only that but they are talking shit about him as he’s sitting there. Talk about a blow to the self-esteem. The satisfied look on Oliver’s face when he is able to draw back the bow without difficulty pretty much said it all.
Which brings us to this.
Hey did you know that Laurel likes sushi? Yes, it was mentioned again but that’s not the issue here. When the show first started I thought that Tommy would end up being the Merlyn of the comics. Then he just didn’t seem like he was “that guy” so I figured they weren’t going to go with a Merlyn. Then John Barrowman showed up as Malcolm Merlyn and I was pretty darn sure that he was it.
Now that Tommy has left Oliver and Oliver’s club thanks to Oliver, again being a bit of a douchebag about it all, lying and maybe taking a little bit advantage of him, and has gone back to the man that he swore he’d never speak to again… his father. I guess when you’re dad ends up almost dying, talking to him again seems easy. Hell, asking for a job is even easy! I’ll have to remember this for the future. (Just kidding Dad, I’m sure no one will try to hire a big time assassin to take you out with a poisoned bullet)
Of course that’s what the episode ends with right as there is another small hiatus, only three weeks this time. Still – yet another moment that asks more questions than it answers! What is Tommy going to do when he finds out his Dad has been lying to him as well? Will that be the straw that breaks the camel’s back and he is going to go off the deep end? And when did he move in with Laurel?
So many questions, so few answers. Like I said, there were some great moments like the island and the last scene but as a whole, this episode was rather blah. Going to have to go with the middle of the road 3 out of 5.
Arrow will return on April 24th, have a good hiatus Arrow fans and I’ll see you next time!
In the beginning of this, the mother of all finales, the Governor is beating the living hell out of Milton. They go into the room where Andrea is being kept and when the Governor tells Milton he isn’t leaving the room until he kills Andrea, he tries to kill the Governor. Obviously, because the Governor is a pro at evading death, he immediately turns the knife over onto Milton and explains that now he is going to die, and he is going to turn, and then he will tear the flesh from Andrea’s bones. Either he kills her or he dies, or he dies and then kills her.
Back at the prison everyone is seemingly packing up to go. When the Woodbury crew invades the prison, they notice that no one is immediately around. Tyreese and Sasha stayed back at the town to protect the children and citizens. When they began going deeper into the prison, the emergency alarm is set off and there are flash bombs everywhere, forcing them outside. Once outside, Glenn and Maggie, in full body armor, start shooting out the Governor’s men.
They immediately retreat, but leave behind the kid with asthma, who should not have been on their defense crew in the first place. The kid stumbles across Carl and Hershel hiding out in the woods, and while the kid is handing over his weapon, Carl shoots him in the head. Hershel brings this concern up to Rick.
Once on the road, the Governor makes his crew pull over. Some of his people try to explain that they believe they aren’t soldiers, and that they walked into a slaughter. The Governor turns on his own people and opens fire, sparing only his two most trusted men, and unknowingly, one of the women.
Back at Woodbury, Milton passed and started to turn. The door is closed, and last we see in this scene, Milton as a walker starts going toward Andrea, who is armed with only a wrench, and is still tied up.
Rick, Michonne and Daryl go after the Governor, but stumble across the pile of dead/undead Woodbury men he left behind. The one woman who was then locked in a car, got out and lead the group to Woodbury. Rick explained to Tyreese and Sasha, who were guarding the wall, that they initially went there to end everything, but then came across what the Governor did to his own people. They then began looking for Andrea, and find her in the corner of a room with Milton dead. Andrea then reveals her shoulder, which was torn apart by Milton. She asks to be the one to shoot herself while she still can.
Rick, Michonne and Daryl head back to the prison. When they arrive, they being a little surprise. They bring a bus full of Woodbury citizens with them to come stay at the prison.
For the last 12 minutes of this finale, I had tears either in my eyes, or running down my face. I would like to think that I have become more desensitized to the thought of characters on this show dying off, but it just isn’t true. Andrea has been with us since the very beginning. She has been through a lot since the beginning; having to put her sister down, going on runs, helping protect the group, being stuck in a group of two on the run all winter, and then acting folly under the Governor’s spell. I complained a lot about Andrea this season, mostly because of how she seemed dizzy with unmerited optimism, and blinded by the charms of a man who she knew was shady. She was a strong character in this show for so long. I am really going to miss Andrea.
This was a very strong season for The Walking Dead. We have lost some great characters, but we have also gained some. We lost Lori, but we gained Judith. We lost Andrea, but we got some Woodbury citizens. We lost Merle, but to be fair we had just gotten him back this season. We lost T-Dog, but we gained Tyreese and Sasha. Overall, season 3 has been extremely emotional, very frustrating, shocking, devastating and perfect. I have to say that this has been my favorite season so far. I award the finale a 4.5/5
Hello boys and girls, welcome to season 3 of Game of Thrones. I have been tasked with attempting to explain the excellence that is this series. This season will be comprised of half the book of A Storm of Swords, while season 4 will take on the other half. The title is Valar Dohaeris, which means “all men must serve”. It becomes obvious that it references the last episode of last season, Valar Morghulis, which means “all men must die” but also sets the stage as to where loyalties must lie and who is behind which true king (or queen) of the throne. I’ll try not to recap too much, because you seriously need to watch the episode instead of me spouting it back to you, but I can tell you this, while slow due to setting the table for the season, this was still a damn good way to begin the third year.
The episode starts with Samwell running for his dear life in the thick grasp of winter north of the wall. He just saw a White Walker army last season and that gave great reason to run. Unfortunately he is all alone as he runs into what used to be his good buddy. He gets rescued by the Night’s Watch (or more accurately Ghost – Jon Snow’s Direwolf) and they are now tasked with warning the citizens of the south before everyone pretty much dies. Meanwhile, Jon Snow gets acquainted with a giant and the Wildlings and their leader, Mance Rayder (Ciarán Hinds). Snow does manage get a great welcome with a few stones thrown his way, but that will soon change as he is welcomed once he manages to relate himself to Rayder. Can I also add that Hinds is a great addition and he is awesome in everything he does, with Rome being the first thing that comes to mind. They definitely deserve an A+ in casting him.
Kings Landing seems to remain awesome as we open with the gratuitous nude scene that has become the hallmark of the series. Of course, it seems to be in stark contrast with Tyrion’s current condition, as he has been banished to a small room with his broken ego and scar. He gets a nice visit from his sister, Cersei and he’s naturally fearful because he lost the title of the King’s Hand to his father and he feels he is ripe to be taken out. Can we say that Dinklage is the man? He is brilliant as Tyrion and they way he owns the screen and lets each word sink in shows how brilliant an actor he is and that the main billing on the title card is well deserved. His one on one with Headey shows the brilliant casting of the series and they play well off of one another with little jabs here and there. Tyrion gets his meeting with his father, his replacement as the King’s Hand. It’s a heartwarming talk between father and son. Tyrion wants some land, Casterly Rock to be precise, which happens to be the Lannister stronghold, but Tywin isn’t having it. He still holds his ‘imp’ responsible for the death of his wife and a disgrace to the family name, what with all the whores that Tyrion deals with. Dinklage and Charles Dance have a great exchange. Again, casting goes a long way and although we have a plethora of characters we must keep track of, each of the actors makes everyone memorable. We also get a Sansa update, as Littlefinger approaches her with a proposal for the young Stark girl. She might just finally get away from King Joffrey.
Speaking of that bastard, Joffrey makes an appearance in this episode as he makes his way through the city, under heavy guard so as to not incite yet another attack from the lower class. He then notices in a separate caravan that Lady Margaery (Natalie Dormer) has exited her protective shell and has made her way to an orphanage through the disgusting and dirty slums of Kings Landing. Apparently she already does the political part of playing the Queen quite well as she visits with the children and gives them hope for the future. This leads to a great exchange between her, Joffrey and Cersei at dinner concerning the poor and how she went out of her way to make sure they felt welcome. Apparently Joffrey is starting to warm up and stands up to his mother in aid of his future Queen’s actions. Obviously this doesn’t sit so well with Cersei.
We also learn that Stannis is licking his wounds with his redhead mistress Melisandre. Apparently she definitely has his ear as he avoids everyone else. His former advisor Davos has survived the Battle of Blackwater Bay is determined to take her out, thinking that Stannis has been led astray. Apparently burning bodies alive makes her out to be one not to be trifled with. Meanwhile, Robb Stark runs into a slaughtered Harrenhal where the dead deliver a message to the King of the North. They find one survivor is Qyburn, who ‘lucks’ out of being amongst the dead. Robb also throws his mother in a cell for her releasing the Kingslayer Jamie Lannister in order to get his sisters, her daughters, back in exchange. The morale is low with his bannerman’s homeland being sacked and witnessing this scene and throwing his mother in a cell probably shows his desperation in trying to get a grasp on his footing in the war he fights. On both fronts of Stark and Baratheon, it looks like they are struggling to figure out what the next move is.
Hey, guess what? Dragons can fish. They can also grill a mean fish on the spot too. They are grown up and pretty badass. Daenerys has her ship, her growing dragons, and she just needs her army. She’s a bit impatient in getting what she feels is rightfully hers. Daenerys gets to shopping for her army in the slave city of Astapor. She finds a seller of an army of 8,000 but of course, the owner is a bit of a douche apparently. He goes out of his way to show that men don’t need nipples. Also damn, he is one disrespectful person to the rightful heir of the Iron Throne. Daenerys starts to have second thoughts about getting her army this way, especially upon learning that their rite of passage happens to be baby killing. The idea of slaves sickens her, but she knows it might be a means to an end and that her treatment of them might reverse the cycle. She also becomes a target that needs protection in this city as a small child of the warlocks has decided make a play for her life. However, an old friend shows his face as he swears to protect her. Naturally I won’t tell you but damn, that’s a great way to end the episode and tease it, right?
Overall, this was a great episode to set the stage for the upcoming season. Yeah, it can be a lot of exposition but being the first episode, we still get enough elements suspense, drama, a bit of horror and great acting amongst the cast. It is going to set up for an exciting season of Game of Thrones as we make the march towards the battle for the Iron Throne.
That Diggle, he’s a laugh a minute.
Grizzly Bomb 