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Reviews
Severance: The We We Are (2022)
A Genius Work of Art
This show is incredible and one of the best ones out there, personally it's the best sci-fi drama out there. (I haven't seen the Expanse, I heard that's good, I am planning on watching it). The show is just so unique in its concept and executes it to perfection! So far. This episode uses every single talented aspect of the production it can and uses it to its full advantage, making this episode my favorite finale of all time. This episode wants to make you jump up and down, yell at the screen, and makes you feel tension every second. I literally got goose bumps. It's not only perfect in the way it was acted, directed, shot, and edited, but the finale keeps in mind that there could be more seasons to come and doesn't give away any of its secrets. It focuses on the characters and their outcries for help up to the very last second. The only potential negative I can say about this finale is season 2. This episode relies on the fact that we would be extremely hyped for what happens next. I think the reason this show managed to make the next season so anticipated, is because everyone is still waiting for answers, and the finale just added more questions. So the second season must work. I hope they decide to take the same approach as the first season and really take their time and not waste their secrets. I mean obviously I want some, it's been 2 years and the rumors are saying that it's arriving in 2025. So... you know, make it good.
But otherwise great episode of television that somehow achieves perfect satisfaction!
Stranger Things: Chapter Seven: The Massacre at Hawkins Lab (2022)
By FAR the best episode of the SHOW
Normally shows lose their magic over time and you miss the days when the show used to be good and well...
WELL STRANGER THINGS IS BACK! The mystery is here! Awesome cliffhangers! Tying everything together! All the characters are well utilized! AND THEY ARE FINALLY BACK IN THE UPSIDE DOWN! Why did it take so long for them to get back to the upside down. One of the coolest aspects of the show. They said the name once or twice in S3 and that's it!
But I'M SO HAPPY IT'S BACK!
I also didn't know I needed more answers to season 1, but season 4 gave us sooo many answers! Which makes it feel like the writers planned the whole thing out from the start!!
I don't know if they did or did not, but I LOVE IT WHEN SHOWS DO THAT! The visual effects, production design, cinematography, editing is all on point! Vecna is an ICONIC VILLAIN!
I love this show, but THIS EPISODE!
Season 4 has been a full on improvement! And honestly I would be fine with this show dropping episodes weekly, because the episodes range from 1 hour and 15 to 2 hour and 30 min!
I've seen many other sci-fi, fantasy, marvel, and star wars shows and they spend hundreds of millions of dollars on them but can't get the episode to reach an hour. I love this show committed and even though it took 3 years, mostly because of COVID, it's still amazing how much they accomplished!!!
WandaVision (2021)
An experience you can only get during 2021
I know I'm writing this review extremely late, but WandaVision was not only a masterful show, but a 2 month experience I'll never forget! Marvel was taking a break after Endgame and when I heard of a show called WandaVision coming to D+, I was over the moon excited! I watched and rewatched every promo that was leading up to it over and over again. Definitely unhealthy, but I was 11 years old in sixth grade during Covid and the only one on zoom, so what can you do.
This show really helped me during that time. I had something to look forward to every week, watch YouTube theories. I swear to god the amount of times I rewatched every episode is borderline psychotic! I can probably recite all of their lines in sync while the show is playing, 3 years on! That's how addicted I was at the time!
But the show just captured my imagination, the mystery was amazing, the acting was fantastic! The music was catchy, the story was excellent! And most of all it made me love Wanda and Vision as characters even more! Who were already my favorite characters in Marvel. And the best aspect of it was that it was part of the MCU! It was the perfect combination of factors! I mean it went on to receive 23 Emmy nominations for a MARVEL show.
(MARVEL RANT) Unfortunately it lead to Doctor Strange 2, which uh... Just ruined Wanda's arc, and everything about Doctor Strange. Honestly marvel should restart basically everything and make WandaVision the center piece of Phase 4 that creates a domino effect so this saga becomes more cohesive. But that's 3 years worth of rewriting so that wouldn't happen. And I've lost faith in Marvel. All the stuff I did like last year (2023) was either shows that ended a story for a character (GOTG 3/Loki S2) or is its own separate thing that's fun but won't save marvel (what if...? S2).
For anyone who hasn't watched this show, go do it right now! It's a deep exploration of grief and what it means to lose someone. It should be treated as its own contained story, because it won't satisfy your need for big marvel crossovers/ big superhero cameos and definitely won't satisfy your need for well thought out interconnectivity in future installations cough cough (the Marvels, Doctor Strange MoM, ect...). But as always it has its marvel easter eggs that will please any marvel fan!
This show really touched my heart and I'm so grateful Disney actually allowed this show to be made. Everything from the production design to the unforgettable music, to the characters, cinematography, editing, I mean everything was just on point!
Thank you WandaVision!
What If...? (2021)
Season 2 took a dark turn, and not in the way you'd want
Season 1 of this show is AMAZING! 10/10! Now I know many people would disagree, but I loved it so much! Everything was so unexpected and dark. And I just loved how it toke a movie, changed something, and made the story go in a completely different direction! Favorites being Ultron episode, watcher broke his oath, Strange Supreme, and Avengers all died. Sure there were 2 or 3 episodes that really didn't stick the landing, but overall I really enjoyed it!
Now season 2... was okay. It felt very safe. Which is not what you want to do when the show is WHAT IF! First of Ego and Hela, insanely powerful beings either got beat in 2 seconds, or just became good in 2 seconds. Instead of making the villains even more terrifying and unexpected, the heroes beat or change them easier than the films do. I would rather have insanely powerful Ego or Hella be the villain for the final episode instead of Supreme Strange come on... The season had to take more chances.
Another issue is time. The episodes are way too short, and the time is not always used wisely. And I feel as though this was an issue in the first season where some episodes didn't get to finish their story (Killmonger, Zombies), but here it really shows. Instead of leaving it open-ended, it rushes it to an uncomfortable extent. Like Kahhori's episode. Way to overpower for whatever reason and does everything perfectly. Once again everything else is amazing to look at, but character is first. Captain Carter for me is an exception. Because she was in 5 episodes (2 being her own what ifs), which aloud her to be fleshed out more, also you can count the fact that she was in multiple mcu appearances before hand. Kahhori's introduction was rushed.
Some episodes I really enjoyed in S2, were Iron Man in Sakar, Captain Carter fight the Hydra Stomper, and 1602. The other ones go from fine to absolutely boring. For more in depth, I wrote reviews for most of the episodes.
I gave this an 8 (in the time of S1 and S2 release) because I still loved the first season, and S2 wasn't a complete failure.
What If...?: What If... Strange Supreme Intervened? (2023)
Eye Candy and how Strange Supreme was robbed of his arc from S1
To start my review I want to talk about season 1 finale. I thought it was exceptionally good. Sure, maybe there were plot holes, but everything from the animation to the music to the story was AMAZING! Every second something happened that made my jaw drop. Examples; (multiple Thor hammers, Star Lord stealing soul stone, Doctor Strange eating Soul Stone, Time Stones battling each other, AI vs. AI battle, Killmonger holding all Infinity Stones, Peggy and Black Widow team up on motorcycle, etc...) And these are just a few. Now what I loved about that finale is that it also used every prior episode to tie in a satisfying ending. It was all built up. It felt like it's own little Saga. Also the fight scenes had stakes for each of the characters.
ONE SPOILER BEYOND THIS POINT THAT'S EXPLAINED IN THE FIRST FIVE MINUTES OF THE EPISODE
Now this season finale. I really enjoyed! Animation was amazing! Easter eggs everywhere! I even liked Kahhori and Peggy team up! But there were issues that really lowered it for me. For example, I hate what they did with Strange Supreme! He was one of my favorite characters from last season, and he had a redemption. It took an entire universe's death for him to see where he was wrong. That's why the story was so compelling. But... the writers decided to make him evil. GUESS WHAT'S HIS MOTIVE! Uh, yeah, the same one from 2 years ago. They ruined him! UHHHH! Maybe the writers couldn't find a worthy villain. Or they just wanted to find a way to bring many characters into the episode to make everyone just look at some easter eggs. Hence, the title. They should've extended the 1602 episode (the one with some plot holes) and made it an actual 2 parter. Have Strange Supreme be like a help.
This episode was also not built up will. It was all very out of nowhere. The watcher didn't get to do anything either. He didn't have a story this season. Last season had a journey for the watcher. Also Kahhori is way overpowered! Her episode was good, but her power set is so confusing and she just seemed like she came out of know where.
To summarize this episode - VERY FUN TO LOOK AT, but quite a jarring turn of events. I gave this a higher score than I would have if it didn't include many of the easter eggs and cool fight scenes, because that's what was the most enjoying. And don't get me wrong, IT SUCCEEDS REALLY WELL AT THAT!
What If...?: What If... The Avengers Assembled in 1602? (2023)
Feels like OLD TIMES
Wow, just wow! I loved this episode so much! Best of the season! I just love how this brought tons of marvel characters into one setting, and It was fantastic!
These past episodes of season 2 have been mid to worse. The what if... isn't interesting, and is not well executed. But I love how this episode just tied so many different variations of characters into one setting that we know and love and have them interact with each other in a 1602 setting!
It was really nice seeing super serum Captain Carter and Captain America talk to each other. And especially Loki and Thor! Awesome interactions!
This is somewhere in my top 5 of the series! I want more of this!
What If...?: What If... Hela Found the Ten Rings? (2023)
This season doesn't take risks
UUUUUUHh! Hela is literally the goddess of death!!! She ain't going to change within like a few minutes of an episode. Why is this season going this. Why can't this season actually have a dark episode. Everything has to crack jokes now. The captain Carter one is prob the darkest of the season and that's saying something. Hela just cracks a joke every second she gets. The ten rings weren't even really part of the story. The action scenes were okay I guess, but this show is getting so watered down by jokes and happy endings. Maybe what I want sounds depressing, but out of all the possibilities of HELA FINDING THE TEN RINGS... her suit turns white, and she goes to kill Thanos (not the first time this season!) SHE DIDN"T EVEN PUT IT ON. People are saying she got the Loki treatment. Uh no, he changed after a whole show was dedicated to him, and he was a lot less deathly and evil than her. Now I guess, the writers say that Loki just had to learn leaf magic and he could've become a different person.
EDIT: I rewatched it a few times, it's not the worst. I enjoyed seeing Hela, just thought it could've been better. Turns out the writers didn't want to make dark episodes, because they were writing this mid pandemic. The episode had good animation, and I guess it's good for 30 min. My ratting is a 7.5
I miss Thor Ragnorock Hela. She was awesome.
What If...?: What If... Kahhori Reshaped the World? (2023)
Rushed introduction
So, this was good. Not a bad episode. It was a neat introduction to a character and I respect the attention to detail and language in this episode. The art style was awesome to look at! And I loved how different it was from the other episodes of what if...?
The issue here was, this was way too rushed. This should have been a movie and instead they tried to do world and character building in less than 30 min. The powers of the character felt unearned, which is especially important when there is a whole village with these same powers and you want to establish this character as the most important one. Also at the fault of the run time, she immediately becomes powerful. She's like a better version of Captain Marvel. She's not annoying, but still doesn't feel human. Once again, they should've killed off her brother in the beginning to create a more emotional resonance with character, and that would have gave her a more satisfying arc. This season is keeping it safe with not going to dark. Next time stick to a what if with a character we know, and then take them to an unexpected place so we can see something new. Like Strange Supreme episode, T'Challa Star Lord, Captain Carter, and even Tony Stark when he crashed into Sakar. Those episodes changed and added on to those characters, dare I say creating new ones in the process.
But overall enjoyable episode. Can't wait to see how these episodes tie together.
What If...?: What If... Captain Carter Fought the Hydra Stomper? (2023)
WE'RE BACK! For now?
So, I loved the first season! There were maybe 2 or 3 episodes that I didn't really enjoy, but the rest were fairly good! So when the second season came out, each episode was okay. It wasn't embracing the concept, and was really rushing it. Episode 4 with Iron Man was pretty good, but could've used more emotional moments.
This episode was AWESOME! The first act was meh, but towards the middle things got so good! It just got better and better! Now this is on the level of the Ultron and Murder Mystery episode for me!
I know there is probably a lot of opposition towards this opinion. It could be I'm just happy seeing a marvel episode that I'd like to rewatch, but everything was heightened in this one. The action was amazing to look at, animation was improved, the episode left parts for Peggy and Widow's relationship. I also felt the stakes.
But I'm still waiting for this season to embrace the dark side of the multiverse. Kill some characters off, take risks. That's what I loved about the first season. Everything was so crazy and unexpected, you didn't know who would survive (Zombies episode).
But I hope this show keeps this up!
What If...?: What If... Iron Man Crashed Into the Grandmaster? (2023)
So much fun!
I really enjoyed this episode! Best one of the season! The what if actually felt like a what if that could have played out. With episode 1, Thanos dying, then Ronan coming to Xandar, and this random shield closed before Ronan could enter was all far fetched. Episode 2, all made sense, until Ego got beat so quickly by Peter and with the child saying Ego got into his head after exploding tons of planets, fully aware of it. Why couldn't Ego be in Quill's head while he was killing him? Episode 3, well come on, that Avengers tower heist didn't feel like a threat. I'll give it a pass because it was a Christmas episode.
But E4 made sense and felt natural. What if...? Tony didn't make it through the portal in time. Makes perfect sense. They also didn't go through a montage of paintings to show us it, they literally animated the What if that occurred. Small difference, but worth it.
Also Tony was insanely well written! Like what!? The writers defiantly love and understand these characters. Unlike other characters, Tony was pushed aside last season, and was present in 4 episode, because, well he's Iron Man. But here you get more to the character, it adds on. Like the doctor strange episode and the Ultron episode, Tony got extremely good character development! Gamora was good. Like okay. Again my biggest complaint, add more time to the episode. I'd sacrifice the 20 minute Christmas episode to add more time to some of these episodes. Because they could really use it. Jeff Goldblum was fantastic in this! I just love the character interactions, this is what made me fall in love with season 1, and what they continue to do in season 2, just this episode really shows!
JUST PLEASE, for season 3 add more space to breathe! For example we could've used a fight for Thanos at the end! That would have been awesome! Tony and Gamora fight against him. That would have been perfect.
What If...?: What If... Happy Hogan Saved Christmas? (2023)
Meh
This episode is my least favorite, it was sort of fun, but worthless mostly. It's like they made this episode just to fit Christmas. No stakes, no character development. What they should've done is make a more solid what if...? At the Avengers tower, with Christmas more as a back drop. Like, if this was a 22 episode season, why not. But this only has 9 episodes, 8 if you don't count the finale as a real what if...?. So using this episode just to make Happy Hogan something else. Not worth it.
The word count is so much, so I'm just going to keep typing on and on. So yeah, you defiantly got my review.
What If...?: What If... Peter Quill Attacked Earth's Mightiest Heroes? (2023)
Fun
So, I really enjoyed season 1 and I was upset when they didn't fully explore the "what if ego was winning" concept from episode 102. S I was really excited for this one!
Well this one fell flat. I enjoyed the first half of it a lot, and loved the scene where all the avengers were working together in the beginning, but by the end they got rid of that, and it would have been better if they were trying to stop Ego and Ego only instead of a desert army. Also, I didn't like Quill's insanely quick change of heart. And it turns out he was blowing plants up because of mind control. Lame excuse. The show should take more risks! Stop making it so cheery, especially with concepts like this! That's what I loved about episodes like the murder mystery, strange supreme, and Ultron. This episode toke an almost ultron level being and beat him in 2 seconds.
But it was fun and I liked the character interactions, so it's a 7.
What If...?: What If... Nebula Joined the Nova Corps? (2023)
A Solid Start
What if... Nebula joined the Nova Corps?
Personally I LOVED season 1 of What if...?. I thought it was fantastic! It surprised me in so many waves, and had me love each of the different versions of the characters they portrayed! Sure, there were a few episodes that really didn't need to be there, and some character inconsistencies. But again, it IS the multiverse!
My favorites were the murder mystery episode with Nick Fury, Doctor Strange episode, and Ultron. Top 3.
Now obviously I was awaiting S2. This new episode was okay. What I really liked about it is that it had an awesome animation style, the shots were really well executed! I also really enjoyed the the side characters, especially Howard the Duck! I enjoyed this new side to Nebula, it made sense to the character.
What I didn't like was that it was way too short - a big issue in the first season -, if you add up the time it's only like 23 minutes. Everything was so rushed. They could've showed how it affected people around the globe more. It was very simple. Also, the characters won in like 2 seconds. There was like no security in that Nova Corps building. One thing about the T-Challa episode of S1 is that the breaking in part was very well executed, and it was layers of plans. Which is something they should've done here. Also when did Xandar ever have a planet shield??? Now that was ridiculous. It wasn't put up in the first Guardians of the Galaxy, it wasn't put up in Infinity War, when Thanos came to take the power stone. It wasn't put up in What If...? Ep8 when Ultron came to destroy the planet. I understand it's a plot device, but come on, it felt like lazy writing.
I wish this episode made it more like a... who killed Yondu and why throughout the whole episode. Like a murder mystery. I don't know.
Anyway, the characters were good, and it was a solid beginning, better than Peggy Carter one. Hopefully this season, like the last, gets better with time.
Loki (2021)
LOKI IS A MASTERPIECE!
WOW! WTF JUST HAPPENED?
The finale for season 2 of Loki was just BRILLIANT! THE BEST episode of season 2, and in my top 3 for the whole show. I had no idea they'd actually pull it off. The music, cinematography. Direction, acting, editing, etc... were all perfect!
In my opinion 1st season of Loki was more of an overall success for me. Season 2 was very overcomplicated, and Loki wasn't even in the spotlight much, he was really underutilized (until the end). Many characters were, especially Sylvie had no purpose in Loki 2. She just helped develop Loki. Pretty much it.
I also am still confused about the time loom. How can all the branches be dead when the time loom isn't there. Because time started before the time loom. Right? Miss minutes and Renslayer were really there to create added drama, because they basically didn't include them in the finale. They could've easily condensed season 2 into like 4 episodes or less and added a more interesting journey for Loki to achieve this god like status. Very dissapointed they didn't travel to other places in the universe, like you're the TVA, travel to some unknown planet or time, like what LOKI did in season 1.
Overall season 1 of Loki was more tight in story, made more sense, and developed characters I loved that weren't as interesting in the second season. (Sylvie, Mobuis, Renslayer). But considering how marvel has been lately, Loki 2 stuck the landing. ESPECIALLY on the last 2 episodes! Really made me love the show even more!
The Morning Show: Update Your Priors (2023)
A PERFECT BUILD UP!
WOW, this episode was awesome! This whole season was slowly building up to this episode! It wasn't clear in what direction this season was going from the beginning, but now everything is being tied together and it's just a joy to watch!
The performances are incredibly strong and the writing is on point! I honestly don't know whose side to be on! Most of the characters are being well fleshed out, unlike some. Cory is my favorite as always.
This episode finally reveals secrets from previous seasons that never got discussed, and it's so satisfying how they are tying it together.
This season is still not as good as the first. The first was something new, different, and fresh. Everything was there for a purpose and you got a lot of Alex and Bradley dynamic. This season comes close, it really depends on the last episode. Because lately in a lot of shows, the penultimate episode is amazing, and the finale then disappoints. The writers set a high bar, let's hope they can reach it!
Otherwise props to the cast!
The Morning Show: Strict Scrutiny (2023)
Getting better and better!
I loved this episode! It kept building up and up many plot threads and grounding the characters in interesting ways.
I love how we saw Cory's mother and the relationship between them! It was interesting and showed us how Cory and Bradley can relate in family situations.
I'm loving the fact that Alex is finally happy with someone! She has gone through so much in the past seasons and it's nice that she found someone she likes! I mean there is still a lot of drama around that relationship, but still.
I'm really curious with the Stella, Cory, and Paul business drama. Wondering what Stella will end up doing.
Personally, I feel like this show can't decide what type of genre it wants to be. Is it a satire, soap opera, drama, comedy? I don't know. But either way it manages to create an enjoyable watching experience that I'm currently in love with! I hope the next 3 episodes get better and lead up to an awesome finale!
Loki: Breaking Brad (2023)
This is the LOKI I know and love!!
Personally, I loved the first season of Loki! It was so captivating and interesting, and the finale was perfect. I was very skeptical with the second season. Not sure if it'd be able to live up to it, but boy was I wrong!
This episode was nuanced and intriguing! It's laying groundwork and I love that! They also made Loki, more Loki! In the first season of the show, I feel like Loki lost his evil touch, but Loki is very dark this episode and I hope they go even further with that this season!
They're taking their time and developing a story, and marvel should learn from that, because I have no idea what she hulk or secret invasion were. This won't necessarily save marvel on its own. Marvel needs to use other projects to expand on what Loki is giving.
Overall, this was awesome! Now go and watch it!
Foundation: Long Ago, Not Far Away (2023)
FINALLY! FOUNDATION IS BACK!
Omg. Amazing! Beautiful! This episode was just beautiful! What happened?!
NO SPOILERS for this episode alone.
Let's get this straight. I loved season 1. Personally I think it was a genius from beginning to end. The world building was amazing. The dialogue was smart. Everything with Gaal was fantastic! There were some issues with the Trantor storyline. But it managed to tie things up at the end. Everything with the Cleons was incredible. The Dusk storyline might be my favorite one in the show. So I'm a big defender of last season. But this one...
The second season lost me. It started off with promise, but kept meandering every episode. There was no sense of direction. I didn't like the Seldon backstory. It felt off. Everything with Gaal and Salvor is very awkward, and all the magic witch stuff is getting on my nerve. I thought this was a science fiction show. I thought Gaal was just really good at math. But now it's really just all gotten off track, and Gaal is this magic being. I just wanted to fall asleep when they came on the screen. Everything with Constant and the Clerk is okay. Clean storyline was the strongest this season. But still fails to feel as smart and interesting as when Dawn was figuring out he was different in the first season.
But this episode, really payed off! It had emotion, action, smart dialogue! And don't let me forget Demerzel's backstory! It was the smartest thing put out this season! Even the Gaal and Salvor storyline was entertaining! I couldn't stop laughing at the end of it! It has a lot of explaining to do. This episode made some big moves! I was at complete shock by the end of it. I am wondering how the writers are going to handle the finale episode, which will be hard for them to land considering this episode came right before it.
This episode shows there is still hope for this show. As long as they don't screw it up next week. Crossed fingers.
Sharper (2023)
One of my new favorite heist films!
Where do I start! This movie was incredible! The cinematography, the story, and especially the acting was amazing! The cast is awesome! Julianne Moore, Sebastian Stan, John Lithgow, Briana Middleton, and Justice Smith all delivered excellent performances!
The story was well thought out and planned. It started off small, and expanded to different characters giving the film a bigger and bigger scope! And the finale ties it all together in such a subtle way. In this film, I'm constantly at the edge of my seat. This movie doesn't overdo the story, by bringing backgrounds on all characters about their intentions, why they do this or that. It's simple, but also complex, especially in terms of the twists!
Well thought out film. If you're looking for a fun, thrilling, twisty, well acted film! This is for you!
The Afterparty (2022)
Another GREAT APPLE TV+ COMEDY!
When I watched the trailer, I thought I'd give it a try, and I'm glad I did! This show is hilarious, lovely, and really suspenseful! Every episode is a new perspective but also a new genre. They've released a rom com, thriller, musical, and action episode!
It's so much fun trying to connect the dots, and I honestly have no clue who was the murderer, it can be anyone. Really excited on what's to come!
Eternals (2021)
An amazing film!
(Doesn't have spoilers) This movie was incredible! The story is fantastic! It was so different then any marvel film I've seen. I don't understand why people hated the movie?! There was so much dialogue, and story between every character! The actors did a great job! This movie brings everything I love about the mcu, space, the jokes, the action and visual effects!
(Spoiler ALERT) The one problem I have, is the deviants. We found that they have an intelligence, but then Thena just slices the deviant in 10 pieces!