The Review at the End of the Universe
“A Little Sacrifice” The 100 deals with Indra’s efforts to stop Sheidheda on Sanctum while those on Bardo deal with a genocidal Echo. This season’s Sheidheda plot has been great showcase for JR Bourne who owns every scene he has as that character. His performance is so strong that it elevates material that doesn’t hold…
“Stolen” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. returns to the 1980s and showcases Nathaniel Malick’s plan to build an army of Inhumans for anarchic purposes. An otherwise stellar final season of this show has been marred by underwhelming antagonists. The Chronicoms have consistently failed to feel like a credible threat despite their plan to irreparably alter history…
“As I Have Always Been” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. delivers its version of a time look story with Daisy and Coulson working to stop the Zephyr from being destroyed. Sooner or later pretty much every sci-fi or fantasy show does a time loop episode. It’s one of those staples of genre storytelling that’s just fun…
“After, Before” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. remains in the 1980s and heads to Afterlife to consult Jiaying in order to restore Elena’s powers. It was only a matter of time before the final season got around to referencing the Inhumans and how they played into the show. The concept was first introduced in this show…
“The Flock” The 100 shows the journey to becoming a disciple on Bardo as Sanctum deals with a hostage situation. One of the more frustrating things about this season is how little overall forward progression there is on some of the plots. Many steps forward are countered by show turning back the clock to detail…
“The Totally Excellent Adventures of Mack and The D” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. journeys to the 1980s as Mack is consumed by loss and Deke tries to make the best of a bad situation. The convention of jumping two decades at a time is broken with this episode. We started in the 1930s, moved to…
“Anaconda” The 100 takes a break from the main plot of the season and turns the clock back to the time of the first Apocalypse in order to set up a potential spin-off. Backdoor pilots are a strange beast. They are episodes of a TV show designed to set up the major elements of a…
“Adapt or Die” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. evolves the threat of the Chronicoms as some lingering questions find answers. If anyone’s following these reviews to read my thoughts on how this show handles time travel then you’ll get your fix early. Any questions over whether this show was allowing the characters to play their part…
“The Queen’s Gambit” The 100 continues to heighten the tension in Sanctum as the Bardo prisoners have little to do but discuss their issues with one another. This season remains a difficult one to understand just because of the volume of plot being burned through. So far the strongest episodes have been the ones that…
“A Trout in the Milk” Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. heads to the 1970s to stop the Chronicoms and HYDRA from changing history into something significantly worse than came before. I really like that this season is playing fast and loose with whether the timeline can be changed or if the characters are simply playing their…
