What a way to open a season!!! Finally we get to see Roy suit up as Aresnal, and the whole gang working together like a machine. I think the reason for this is to show they are all in a good place, before everything gets really bad. Really, really bad.
So in the past few months no one has seen Thea who took off with her father and Dark Archer, Malcom Merlynn, at the end of last year. Diggle and his ex wife are expecting a baby. Oliver and Felicity are apparently an obvious thing to everyone but Oliver. Laurel has been working hard with the DA’s office and her dad is now a captain in the police force.

One of his first actions being to announce the end of the task force assigned to capture The Arrow and thank him for his help saving the city. Nice stuff. Everyone is happy happy. Oliver and Felicity go on a date. Then get blown up.

By this guy, the new Count Vertigo. Who may not matter because he is caught by the end, saying there will always be someone to take up the mantle of Vertigo. Or some other silliness, I’m not sure.

Bigger thing here is the addition of Ray Palmer, A.K.A The Atom. Played by former Superman, Brandon Routh.

He is taking over Queen Industries. That’s going to be fun.
Diggle’s baby is born and Sarah Lance returns as Black Canary. Everyone is happy. Then Sarah takes three arrows to the gut and falls like five stories to her death. All on screen. No cutaway or doubt or anything. Super dead. Unless they roll out Lazarus Pits or clones to this show, her bird is cooked.

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Was a good one. Can’t wait for next weeks episode, “Sara”.

The CW stalwart, Supernatural, began it’s tenth season last night. That in itself is a great achievement for a show many people say should have ended after season five. The fact that they have found a fresh an interesting new way to go this season is even greater as I would still watch if the show wasn’t getting better every year.
Dean Winchester is a demon now. Not an evil spirit wearing a meatsuit demon, but his own soul in his own body turned in to a demon by the Mark Of Cain(long story). His road trip buddy and spiritual adviser being none other than the King Of Hell himself, Crowley. That is hilarity enough, and they quickly get out of the way the biggest question from the end of last year. Is it still Dean?

Drunken karaoke? Yup, that’s Dean alright. He just seems like normal Dean but angrier, until a particularly brutal exchange with a young women he had been spending time with:

Dean: “I seem like the kind of guy to sleep with a skank in every town I come through.”

Girl: “I’m just messed up enough inside to leave here thinking I deserve that.”

It was an incredibly cruel exchange, and one that leaves no doubt there is something broken inside him.

Then there is Sam, searching for his brother and getting himself kidnapped by a hunter whose name I don’t think we learned last night. He seems to have an old issue with Dean and thinks he can use Sam as leverage to get Dean to show for a confrontation.

No luck there. Dean tells the guy Sam is on his own and we are left with more questions than answers. There is also a side story featuring Castiel which looks like more angel garbage. It isn’t bad, but I had hoped when it was announced Misha Collins was getting bumped to series regular that he wouldn’t be off on his own all season. Hopefully there is a plan here and it won’t just be script filler. We also have the addition of Mark Sheppard to series regular which means Crowley every week if we are lucky. The only thing that concerns me about both of these additions is the last time we had a fan favorite added to the regular cast it was Jim Beaver, the year his character Bobby Singer was killed.

This was not a bad kickoff. It almost seems like it is fashionable to complain that Supernatural should have ended by now, but I think if you never watched past season five, you can’t really judge it. It is funny, because I can no longer remember a time when this show wasn’t on the air. If it continues last years trend of gaining viewers, we could be in for a long road ahead still. It is great to see a ten year old show still come up with something new to base a season around, and I for one cannot wait until next Tuesday.
Here is an extended promo for that episode, “Reichenbach”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=G_DjSOEXaHE

So the big season one finale came and went as if it was an episode from halfway through the season. There finally was some movement on the black ops vamps, and a glaring fuck up in the main story.
The good guys finally trace the Master back to a theater where he is being protected by a den of vamps. They attempt to infiltrate the theater through the sewer tunnels and head toward a confrontation.
While all of this is going on there are some pointless parts where they set up conflict for season two. Replacing the person in charge of the CDC, and discovering that the other group of vampires are apparently pissed at the Master for waging this war in the open. They have three “ancient ones”, vampires so old they cannot move. I am not sure if they are better or worse than the Master, but they apparently do not have any love for the Master.

Also we learn that even the Ancient ones have no junk.

The largest problem with the episode is not the lack of resolution, but the lack of action by the main characters. The crew rolls in to the theater owner by Bolivar armed for bear. I question the choice of bringing a child in to battle, but the fight was pretty cool. Abraham and Ephraim head up to the attic to confront the Master and here lies the problem. I was sure Abraham was going to die here. Through clever thinking and breaking of windows they smash the Master out the window and on to the roof in direct sunlight. He is smoking and burning. Both Eph and Abe standing over him. Thirty seconds goes by while they stare like a teenager seeing boobs for the first time. Then the Master gets up and runs down the wall.

WTF!!! Even my wife was yelling at the TV! They didn’t stab him or cut him or do anything. They just stared then let him get away! I was astounded that the people making this show thought this was an acceptable conclusion to the season. I knew they wouldn’t kill him because we have more of The Strain ahead of us, but I just can’t buy that level of dumb-fuckery.

Finally before the end credit, Eph’s wife pops back in to scare her son and run away. Because we are on a roll of wrapping up no storylines here, let’s not break the chain right? Ugh. All in all this is a good show. I can’t wait for the next season, I just wish they had rewarded us for putting up with the slow pace. It was as if the characters reaction times are as slow as the plot this year.

Since there is no promo of next year, I will instead post a funny Batman picture.

I sincerely hope all the hullabaloo about this seasons Agents Of Shield ratings turns out to be nothing because so far it is far more promising than the first season.
“Heavy Is The Head” is the second episode of AOS’ second season and continues to show that without their hands tied by the release of a movie(Captain America:The Winter Soldier), these guys can make great tv. It picked up where last weeks left off with The Absorbing Man in possession of the mysterious object and on the run. Standard stuff really, but within all the action you can see what is really important.
One of the surviving mercs would seem to be on a path to redemption. Seemingly joining the team at the expense of an expense account. Simmons also has a breakthrough where we find when he can’t figure a problem out, it may be because he did it in the past. Evidenced by when they need a solution to negate The Absorbing Man’s power, he keeps saying “I didn’t solve this today!” As it turned out he did solve it in a previous day, but due to his condition cannot recall when or how.
We also see the return of Rainna. She is no longer in the employ of Hydra and is working for a new character played by… wait for it… Kyle MacLachlan!!! Is it weird that I am so happy to see him back on tv? Man I loved Twin Peaks. Anyway, if the spoilers are to be believed he is Skye’s father. I am certain that he will steal every scene he is in, and I cannot wait to see him face off with Agent Coulson.
Also the new comer Mac seems to be finding his place in the group. When asked about his proficiency with technology he replies “Ya know how some people can play a song by ear? I need the sheet music.” Seems he may be able to help Fitz get some work done finally.
Near the end we again see Coulson face off with General Talbot. In a field by himself it seems, offering the captured Carl Creel as a peace offering. Then with the decloaking of a Quinjet and the Bus showing that Shield is still doing all right in the armament department. I hope we get to see Talbot finally come around to the group and at least tolerate them. Right now it’s fine but I don’t want to watch him trying to convince himself they are the bad guys for twenty more episodes this year. The man is not an idiot.
Again, the show delivers this week. If they keep this up we may still have the show around for Avengers 3. Get out there and watch it people. It would be sad to let such a great vehicle for the Marvel Universe die because it took them a year to get their footing.
Here is a preview of next weeks episode, “Making Friends And Influencing People”.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mOSo5TRb-y0