We know return to our regularly scheduled programming…
The Flash: “Magenta” (Season 3, Episode 3)
“Magenta” was a return to the Flash’s “metahuman of the week” formula we all know and love/put up with.
The metahuman this week was Frankie Kane, aka the titular Magenta, a girl with a split personality who can control metal (Magenta…Magneto. Huh.). I thought Joey King was great in the role, especially when she was chewing scenery when Frankie was in Magenta-mode. Frankie’s backstory and redemption at the end of the episode gave the “metahuman of the week” formula a heartwarming change of pace, rather than the usual imprisonment or death. I’m sure we haven’t seen the last of her.
This week also saw the return of Harry and the now speedy Jessie. Tom Cavanagh continues to be one of the best things about the series, that’s a given, but I felt that the rift created between Harry and Jessie over her new speed powers was treading similar grounds as the various arguments the two had last season. I mean, Harry having worries over Jessie’s speed seemed natural for the character, but I wish they hadn’t made it as huge as they did, for the sake of freshness. That being said, it was still fun to see Jessie sing her new powers, and seeing her team up with Barry next week should be a treat.
“Magenta” had a fair amount of weaker elements. Barry and Iris’ date troubles I found unconvincing. Not only has the “awkward date” trope been done a few times already, but I felt like the characters of Barry and Iris had enough chemistry that an awkward date just wouldn’t be a possibility, if you know what I mean. It seemed like it was only there to fill the CW’s weekly quota for romantic melodrama. Also, Wally’s arc this week wasn’t as strong as it could’ve been. I liked the scene between him and Jessie in the city, but the rest of the time he was acting a childish. I’m seriously starting to worry that he’s going the Roy Harper route.
Other Thoughts:
- I already tweeted something like this, but I really want a t-shirt with Harry’s face and “NOT!” written underneath. I’m sure someone has already made and is selling it by now, I just need to find it.
- Wally’s definitely going to go find Alchemy now, right?
- Barry leaves Iris at that gazebo thing at the end and doesn’t even speed her home. Greeeat boyfriend material.
Rating: 7.4/10 Speed Labs
Next week, Mirror Master is introduced and Captain Cold is somehow making a comeback. Despite being dead…
Arrow: “A Matter of Trust” (Season 4, Episode 3)
“A Matter of Trust” was a much better “team-building” episode than “The Recruits,” and I think it’s because it dealt with the trust that must exist amongst a team for it to succeed, a theme I don’t think was handled as well in last week’s installment.
A gripe I had with “The Recruits” was that, aside from Curtis, we were introduced/reintroduced to Rene, Evelyn and Rory and essentially told to care about them a bit too quickly. This week, though, I thought that we got to know the three a bit more. They seemed a lot more defined as individuals, and I think that helped in making me care when Rene “killed” Sampson, or when Felicity broke the news about her involvement in Havenrock to Rory. I think that I still need a bit more time with Evelyn. That sounds weird, doesn’t it? Anyways, I liked the recruits this week, and how Oliver overcoming his trust issues with his new teammates tied in to the rest of the episode.
As for the much-publicized appearance of Cody Rhodes as Sampson, I thought that he was…okay? I’m not a fan of wrestling or any of that jazz, but I’m aware of Rhodes and his little “rivalry” with Stephen Amell, so his casting (and the name of the drug, Stardust) just seemed on-the-nose. That being said, Rhodes wasn’t terrible. Physically, he fit the bill perfectly and I enjoyed Sampson addressing his cronies, but he didn’t get enough to do or say to make him interesting or memorable.
On the Diggle side of things, his scenes remained disconnected from the main story, but were a lot better than his scenes last week. Throwing Deadshot back into the mix helped things, but then they took him out of the mix again and I got a bit disappointed. Regardless, John’s discussion with the imaginary Floyd were well-written, as was Diggle’s ultimate choice to remain in prison to make up fro killing Andy. Poor guy. He could go for a nice, relaxing prison break next week.
Other Thoughts:
- Once again, Curtis got all the best jokes. The “suit up” joke was a great touch.
- Can Deadshot actually be alive again? Please? I miss him…
- The flashback moment with Oliver being initiated into the Bratva looked amazing. Well-lit, well-shot. Just wow.
Rating: 8.0/10 six of hearts
Next week, a much-needed prison breakout for Dig!
Legends of Tomorrow: “The Justice Society of America” (Season 2, Episode 2)
Legends opened this week’s episode with a bang as the crew of Waverider took on the titular Justice Society of America. It was an entertaining scene that set the stage for another fun episode of Legends of Tomorrow.
It was great to finally meet the Justice Society and see them in action, even though Vixen (the original), Commander Steel and Hourman got the most screentime. The rest seemed to have been benched for their first outing, which was a bit disappointing, but understandable. I really wish we would have gotten an explanation for each society member’s power. Besides Vixen. Sure, we saw some of them use their powers, but I didn’t really get what their powers were. What does Hourman do? Is Commander Steel sort of like Captain America? What’s the deal with Obsidian, Dr. Midnight and Star Girl?
As for the Legends, the absence of Rip (whose presence was sorely missed) left the crew in need of a new leader. Even though the “who should be boss?” is a tired one, I can’t say I didn’t find it to be any fun. It was fun to see Stein take the leader role, fumble with it, and hand it over to Sara in the end.
We’ve seen the crew take on Nazis before, but we got to see them take them on in full glory this week, and it was a hoot. The scenes in the club proved to be the most entertaining, with Stein belting out a surprise solo and Ray struggling to Heil Hitler and then promptly starting a bar fight. It was good, pulpy fun. The effects on the bezerkified Krieger? Not so much.
Other Thoughts:
- Darhk got the villain spotlight this week, so it was Thawne’s turn this week. He didn’t get as much to do, but he certainly left a mark with the murder of Rex. Also, I’ll never get tired of seeing the Reverse-Flash zipping around like he does.
- But seriously, how awful were the Krieger effects?
- I really liked this version of Vixen, by the way. Maisie Richardson Sellers makes the role her own. I just…hope they tread carefully with the romance they seem to be setting up between her and Ray. That didn’t work out very well last time. Can’t we just have a season of one of these shows with no romantic subplot?
Rating: 7.8/10 dog tags
Next week, the Legends are in Ancient Japan…
Noah
No comments:
Post a Comment