The Review at the End of the Universe
“Brainwave” Stargirl continues its focus on the villainous characters, revealing what turned Brainwave into a psychotic killer and teasing whether that legacy will be inherited by his son. Origin stories are certainly nothing new in comic book TV series, but most often they are that of a protagonist whose growth from nobody to hero forms…
“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…
“Shiv (Part 2)” Stargirl continues spending too much time looking at Cindy, the psychotic assassin Shiv. The last episode was something of a disappointment, mainly on account of the attempts to make us empathise with her and put an alternative spin on her hateful personality falling flat. This follow up puts things slightly back on…
“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…
“Shiv (Part 1)” Stargirl shifts its focus from young superheroes to their teenage criminal-in-waiting counterparts by spotlighting the first of several second-generation villains, someone who is already evil enough on her own. Heroes and villains are more interesting when they function as a mirror of one another, or at least operate on a comparable level….
DC’s Legends of Tomorrow recently completed its fifth season which prompted a conversation on Kneel Before Pod. The team discusses typical lunacy, the merits of free will and how drunk you’d have to be to not notice someone being abducted by aliens right in front of you. Craig can be found on this very site,…
“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…
