BATWOMAN - SEASON 1.15

REVIEW:  BATWOMAN - SEASON 1.15:  "Off With Her Head"


Oh, we are most certainly MAD for entering into dark territory with Alice.  Her life has been a trainwreck, followed by creepiness, followed by pure bouts of insanity.  The woman can't seem to catch much of a break, and she isn't giving anyone ELSE one, either.  She is desperate to find her dear "brother" Mouse, and now has to face her tumultulous past as she now has to face off with the Caterpillar---Augustus Cartwright---AKA Dr. Campbell---to find her long, lost companion and co-conspiritor.  Meanwhile, Kate is trying to deal with Alice's maniacal plans, as well as heat from the Crows again, now that Jacob is back in charge after his release.  Batwoman is STILL in his crosshairs, and it's now put Sophie at a crossroads.  Does she stay with the Crows, or follow her heart and believing in Batwoman's crusade?  She was a bit heartbroken at the end of last week, as her and Batwoman parted ways after a couple of huge kisses.  Sophie has things to work out before she can commit to being her true self.  She must come to terms with everything before moving forward.  And Mary....awesome Mary.  She's figured it all out, put the pieces together---and she wants in on the action!  Mary is nobody's fool, and she is doing all SHE can to goad and coax the truth about Kate being Batwoman out of not only Kate herself, but Luke as well.  And she's getting closer  But for now...let's peek in on Gotham City THIS week, to see what happened to Mouse, what effect it has on Alice, and how will Kate, Jacob, Mary, and Luke react?  

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We open up, going back in time, to the day that both Beth and Kate were sent off to boarding school by their parents.  Their mother gave them their birthstones...the necklaces we see them both wear.  Trust me...it's and important part of the episode down the road.

We see a young lady leaving a club in the WRONG part of town, looking to hitch a ride, when a creepy guy comes up on her.  He does the usual creep guy things, and Batwoman shows up to beat him down.  She saves the gal, and the young lady sees the Batsignal, and our heroine is off.  She lands on the roof of the GCPD, and sees that Augustus Cartwright is all bound and unconsicous, with a note in his mouth.  A gift from Alice...with the note saying "Ask Mommy Dearest".  

Kate has August all locked up in her bar, and Jacob has paid a visit.  He does admit that he shot Alice, but Kate breaks it to him that Alice is still alive.  While Alice herself has been on the hunt for dear Mouse, trying to figure out just where August stashed him away.  She does find him suffering from a HEAVY dose of the fear toxin that he's been breathing for awhile.  She breaks him free, and he says that his father killed her, but she says it's her.  Once she confirms it's her, and that the other woman was made up like her to fool him.  She then finds out that where they're at is the "Queen's Home"...Alice's "Queen of Hearts".  

We backtrack in time to a snowy day, when the "Queen" arrives, and August makes sure that Alice and Johnathan are cleaned and tidied up for his mother.  She is an elderly lady with an oxygen tank in tow.  She looks upon her son, and scolds him for having a pipe in her presence.  She then gets greeted by her grandson, and then meets Alice.  She admires Alice's necklace.  Wonders where she got it from, and Alice replies that she can't remember.

Jacob and Kate discuss August, and his connection with Beth.  She then reveals to her father that Cartwright has been masquerading as Dr. Campbell.  She thinks they should drop him off at the GCPD, but he shoots back that who would believe them?  August awakes again, and he wonders where Alice is.  Kate asks him who's "Mommy".  And August says that Alice is trying to play games against the master of games.  He's not going to let her win, and said that he managed to fool everyone in Gotham for six years.

Alice asks Mouse why he is there.  Mouse says that he was put there, and given a dose of the fear toxin to make him live out his biggest fear....and his fear....is HER.  He then jumps at her and tackles her.  Takes her, straps her to the chair, and feeds her the gas that HE had been breathing.  He then bolts, leaving her to her fate.  Alice then begins to relieve her fear about the "Queen of Hearts", and her cruelty to young Alice.  

Luke drops by Mary's underground clinic, and she informs him that she found a possible lead to Beth's killer.  She introduces Luke to a guy that gives them a lead with a license plate to a car that was possibly driven by Beth's killer.  They're on the hunt for it.  

August reveales his plan to Kate and Jacob---using the fear toxin he got from an old colleague, Dr. Johnathan Crane.  He wanted to reunite his family, but felt Alice was the cause for breaking it apart.  He made sure that Mouse's greatest fear was Alice herself.  And he would snap, and attack her.  He surmises that Alice at that moment would be breathing the heavy vapors of the fear toxin, and that if she doesn't get an adreanaline shot soon, she'll die.  He's willing to make a deal with Kate:  he'll reveal the location where Alice is right now, and they let him walk.  Longer they wait, if they don't give him his freedom...Alice will lose what sanity she has left, and COMPLETELY snap.  As calculating as Alice is, she will be totally unhinged.  Jacob starts choking him, and Kate tries to restrain him.  August comments that Alice should be getting a visit from "Mommy Dearest" right about now.

Alice is having nightmares...bad ones.  Reliving the times the "Queen" verbally abused her, and also physically abused her, such as when she gave Augustus' mom cold tea, she's beaten.  We see her at one point going to the outside shed to find extra cream, when she comes across another fridge that's got a lock on it.  Augustus asks her what she's doing in the shed, and she says she's looking for cream.  No cream there, and she comments how his mother hates her.  He feels differently.  She says she hates her because she's young and pretty, and his mother is old and haggard....and Augustus beats her.  

Augustus recalls what his mother did to Alice...that he took away her happiness.  After awhile, Alice got numb...learn to lock away the pain.  While Alice is reliving her least favorite nightmares, Augustus tries to pass the buck of the blame onto his mother.  Kate calls him on it, and says that while HE kidnapped Beth, threw her into the basement, it's his MOTHER that's the bad guy.  Kate isn't buying into it.  Jacob's had enough, and he says that he will find her, and then he will skin Augustus alive.  Jacob takes off to find her, and Kate works on trying to pump more info out of him.  He says he needs some water.  While he rattles on, Kate tells him that he has NO idea who the real Beth is---kind, sweet, good hearted.  She gave EVERYONE a chance--even when she didn't deserve it.  He managed to loosen his bonds before getting his water.  But he managed to break free, grab the glass, and break it.  He then looks at Kate, says he will never find her, and slits his throat.  

Mary and Luke work their way to the junkyard, and while searching for the car, she tries to lure more info about fessing up to knowing and working with Kate when she's Batwoman.  But her little quips go unnoticed, and they managed to find the car, and it's a match.  Luke pops open up the trunk, and finds the weapon that killed Beth, with the bullets a match.  Right then, Mary gets a call from "Batwoman", and she says she needs help stopping someone from bleeding to death.  While Augustus managed to slit his throat, he didn't hit the corrotted artery. So, Mary instructs her to find something to stitch him up to stop the bleeding.  Kate has nothing else but a staple gun, so she uses it.  It seems to work, as a temporary solution, and she needs to get this person to a hospital.  She hangs up, and when Luke asks what that was, Mary responds slyly that it was "Doctor/Vigilante" confidentiality.  

Alice has a nightmare about her father and sister fighting over her, then giving up on her completely and leaving.  Back at her club, Kate has bound up Augustus a lot tighter this time.  He's alive, but lost a lot of blood.  She ponies up a deal with him:  If he tells her where Alice is, he gets a free walk out the door.  He seems to think that Kate will eventually kill him, and she says she's not a killer.  He says "not yet".  She says hope, honor, integrity...things that HE stripped away from Alice.  We then see Jacob on the road, when Kate calls him, and informs him of the address to Alice's location.  Kate tells Augustus he goes free once Jacob confirms that Alice is arrive.  

Mary and Luke are in Kate's office, running down the owner of the car.  While he's working away on his laptop, Mary is searching for the secret opening to the Batcave.  He almost catches her, and she plays coy.  He says he finally got a hit:  the car was owned by Maple Cartwright---Augustus' mother.  

Alice finally musters up the strength to break the chair by pushing herself over.  The gas mask comes off, and she manages to get herself free.  She goes to a window, and smashes it to get some fresh air.  She had tried the door, but can't get out.  She then takes one of the shards of glass, and goes to slit her throat, but Jacob breaks the door down, and manages to deliver the adrenaline shot, and saves her.  She asks where Kate is, he said she's with Cartwright.  Alice says that he came running.  He said that he came because he cares...and wanted to save what sanity she had left.  Apparently, according to Alice, Augustus didn't finish the story about "Mommy Dearest".  Jacob says that he heard all he needed to...she was a piece of work.  Alice comments "HIS Mother?"  

Augustus comments that his mother died some time ago.  Kate reminds him that he shot Beth...who looks just like Alice.  He could've swore it was Alice.  She was wearing the necklace and earrings that his mother coveted.  Kate asks about the earrings, and he said that they were a gift to his mother, because she coveted them.  He says they were a gift from THEIR mother.  We flash back to Beth picking the lock on the door of the freezer in the shed, and she finds their mother's head inside.  Augustus says that his mother coveted their mother's face, especially after he fished it out of the river.  But as she got older, he kept putting it off.  After all, he says it would be a bit of trouble wearing the face of a dead woman.  We then see Beth walking into Maple's room, cutting her oxygen mask, and then procees to light the compressed air on fire, and Maple gets burned alive by Beth.  Kate finally loses it, and begins choking Augustus.  She's enraged when she finally realizes what she's doing, and she hops off him in shock.  She then freaks out, and is desperate to try and save him.  Jacob and Alice arrive, but it's too late.  Alice congrats her father...she says that he now has TWO daughters that are killers.  Alice closes Augustus' eyes, as she recites more of Alice in Wonderland---the end of the book, I do believe.  She then walks off.  

Luke and Mary discover about the death of Cartwright's mother.  They believe that Kate won't rest until they find Beth's killer.  

Kate is shaken up, and the voiceover says that she gave in, and apologized to Bruce---she crossed the line.  She doesn't know about herself anymore.  She's drinking to try and numb herself.  She then whips out her phone to text Sophie, asking what she's doing.  Sophie says it's late.  Kate was going to type more, but gave up as Alice walks out, and she puts the phone away.  Alice asks for a drink on the house.  Kate gives her the bottle, and Alice looks at her, and says it's going to be a long night---bodies don't bury themselves.


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This episode was part creepy, part cathartic, part depressing, and part surprising.  We got a little dose of psychological candy delivered to us on this show.  While Batwoman was pretty much just a spot appearance at the beginning, it was Kate that held down the fort with Augustus as he revealed his little manic tale of his mother, and of his plans for Alice.  Meanwhile, Alice was reliving all of her awful experiences with Maple Cartwright in her head, courtesy of the Scarecrow's fear toxin, WHOM--we discover--was an old colleague of Dr. Cartwright.  Nice way of tying Dr. Johnathan Crane into things, and explain the fear toxin away.  It DID do the desired effect, however---it got Mouse to turn on Alice, and put HER through the emotional ringer with HER past in the Cartwright household.  And the truly creepy part wasn't so much Augustus himself---it was his MOTHER.  Her desire to have a new face---and that face to be that of Kate and Alice's mother just gave me that awful Ed Gien feel.  This almost bordered on Texas Chainsaw Massacre creepy.  Now I can understand, and practically sympathize with Mouse because of what HE went through, but this also kind of turns Alice into not so much a psycho villain...but a tragic character of Shakespearan proportion.  While it was bad enough Beth was kidnapped and held against her will by Augustus, but her will was broken by his mother.  She HAD to hide in a new identity to survive.  But once she found her mother's head in the freezer in the shed---boy did she come out of her shell.  Burning Maple alive was just flat out vicious driven revenge.  And the look in her eyes---it was like an arsonist amdiring their handiwork.  

Kate also became a tragic figure by the end of this episode, because she BROKE the Bat-Code:  YOU NEVER KILL.  Now, the blood is on her hands, and there's NO AMOUNT of hand washing she can do to clean them.  She will now spend the rest of her days questioning herself in her role as Gotham's Protector, knowing she crossed a line that Bruce Wayne was tempted with soooooo many times as Batman.  Especially with the crazies HE dealt with (The Joker ALONE can fill a tome).  But Bruce---no matter HOW personal ANY of his enemies made it---NEVER crossed that line.  Kate---for all the strength, honor, and courage she has had thus far as the Lady Crusader...she fell victim to anger and hate because of what Augustus had planned for her mother's face.  She lost it...quite simply.  Sha gave in.  And thus, she proved Augustus right by the end of the episode, when he said beforehand that she'd be a killer...despite her denying it.  So...where does Kate go from here?  And what will Luke have to say?  Mary even?  

Speaking of Mary and Luke---they have a great rapport with each other.  I LIKE seeing these two work together.  Both bring intelligent qualities, while both being awkward in their own sense.  They also provide some bit of lighthearted brevity in an otherwise VERY dark episode.  And the fact that Mary kept pressing both Kate AND Luke in her own subliminal way about the fact she KNOWS their secret in regards to Batwoman just makes it a tad comical.  The fact that NEITHER Kate nor Luke have picked up on it amazes me.  But then again---Kate Kane is NOT the World's Greatest Detective.  So, she's a little slow on the uptake.  Luke may figure it out before Kate does at this juncture.  But I'm kind of hoping Mary finds her way into the Batcave and shocks the hell out of them both...that would be a nice twist.  

Jacob---for all the faults the man has---was the reasonable one in this episode.  Sure, he was pissed off at the beginning, but he kept a level head for the most part.  And the fact that he saved his daughter from totally losing her marbles, shows the man still has a soft spot for his kid---despite her being unhinged.  It's NOT going to fix anything between the two, but at least he showed he still DOES love his daughter...regardless of what and who she is.  And I felt it was interesting that, in her time of need, Alice was actually glad he was there.  Maybe there WAS something to what Alice said when Kate said she was giving up on her---that she didn't WANT them to give up on her.  It makes you wonder that---deep down---she's still looking to be saved.  I doubt she will at this point---I think that we passed that exit a few offramps ago...but it's something to think about.

Now...far as Mouse goes...WHERE did he run off to?  Is he going to be searching for his father before he gets caught and put back into Arkham?  And what will happen when he DOES find out that his father is dead, and that Kate was the culprit?  How will that play out with Alice?  It's making things intereresting as we begin to enter the homestretch of this first season.  

Okay,  batties...that's all for this round.  Please subscribe, leave a comment, and spread the good word of this little place in cyberspace!

Until next time....The Signal Is OFF!

DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.6

REVIEW:  DC'S LEGENDS OF TOMORROW - SEASON 5.6:  "Mr. Parker's Cul-De-Sac"


It's been an interesting start to the season for our wayward time-travellling team.  We've had Astra, who'd been trapped down in Hell, and whom John Constantine TRIED to rescue, decide SHE wanted to run the underworld, and send some of the most baddest baddies in history back up to the real world for an "encore presentation".  And while the Legends dealt with these threats, it was crimping Astra's style, so she took the coin of John's and sped up his time clock, thus making the lung cancer he's GOING to get arrive a little faster.  On the verge of death, with the help of his friends, and some convincing from Astra's dead mother, he got a stay of execution.  Now, he needs a Loom, that once belonged to the Fates---ONE of which, is Charlie---who destroyed the damn thing, and spread it across the multiverse to ensure her sisters didn't get it back---but Crisis screwed that up.  Now, she's on the run, and John needs the Loom...something's gotta give.  Meanwhile, Behrad's sister Zari is adjusting to life aboard the Waverider, as she sees what life is like as a Legend, since she's nothing more than a social media infulencer with her own brand.  However...she's begun to remember things about her past life there.  And will Ray and Nora ever find eternal bliss?  We'll find out...


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We take a trip back in time to Salvation 2 years back, as we see the fall of Damien Dhark with the whole Beebo vs. Mallus incident.  We see Gary picking up pieces of Beebo when someone emerges from the crater after the battle.  It turns out to be Damien Dhark, and Gary freaks out.  

Constantine is discussing the Loom of Fate with Sara, Ava, and Charlie.  He needs it to save Astra, and Charlie isn't being cooperative.  He asks Sara and Ava for help, by going back in time to nab it before Charlie shatters it.  Sara and Ava tell him 'no', and that Astra made her bed, now she's gotta lie in it.  Gideon then lets the team know there's a new time fracture alert, and it seems like they're headed into the Wild West.  Sara calls for the team, but they're not there.  Turns out--Ray is still at John's with Nate, Behrad, and Gary, as he's preparing a big meal in order to propose to Nora.  He's putting the finishing touches, and puts the engagement ring in a chocolate truffle.  Nora arrives, but she's got company in tow, as her charge Pippa is still with her.  She's a bit surprised at how all-out Ray has gone for their evening.  

Nate is back on the ship, and enters his library, where he finds John rummaging through volumes, trying to get information on how to find the Loom.  Nate then regails John a story about a man named Shackleton who'd been obsessed with finding the Loom.  He says that he may have tracked a piece of it at the South Pole.  John takes that info, and begins to plan his trip to retrieve the piece.  Nate then morphs into Charlie, who has used the story as a ruse to throw John off the trail, and keep him busy for awhile.  

Sara and Ava look to gather the team for this new Encore threat, and go to Mick's room, where they hear a loud commotion.  It turns out Mick has been getting negative feedback on Rebecca Silver by someone.  Zari shows up, exfoliating her face, wondering what the noise was.  Sara then tasks Zari to help fix Mick's problem and her and Ava take off into the past to deal with this new threat.  We then go back to Gary...who seems to be fading in-and-out of existence.  

Our trip in time takes us to Kawachinagano 1932....well...er....Salvation 1876.  We see Gary tied to some train tracks.  A train is coming, but Sara and Ava arrive, and get him off the tracks before the train whizzes by.  Gary refers to Ava as "Director Sharpe", and she asks Gary what year he came from.  He says 2018, and she says to use his PalmerTech watch to get back to the Bureau.  But...he says it was stolen.  It was stolen by Damien Dhark.  We go back to John's where there's a knock on the door, and Nora goes to answer it, and she sees her dad.  He's here to see his dear daughter.  

It's apparent that Damien is the latest Encore to repay a visit to the real world.  He says he's been roped into Astra's pyramid scheme, and decided to visit his daughter instead.  She asks how he got here, and he shows her the PalmerTech watch.  He likes the house, and believes that Nora is still doing her black magic thing, and she excuses herself to inform Ray that her dad is there, and they need to hide.  So Ray takes Pippa upstairs to avoid trouble.  More trouble arrives when Sara and Ava arrive, with Sara carrying the Soul Sword she obtained from Genghis Khan, looking to drive it through his heart.  

Zari and Mick are looking at posts online about Rebecca Silver's latest book, and ONE particular post blasts him, and says that the latest book sucks.  Zari says that bad reviews happen, and then ignore him.  She also has an idea, as she hacks into the person's account to locate them.  If he sends them a written copy of the book, he might end up making a fan for life.  

Ray takes Pippa to his room, and gives her a program to watch that he used to as a kid:  Mr. Parker's Cul-De-Sac, which is a poor man's Mr. Rodgers, but I digress.  He's using it to distract her, and keep her safe.  She says the show looks awful, but Ray says to give it a chance.  He starts one of the many tapes of the show he has, and says he'll be back.  Ray then bumps into Nate and Behrad, and they look excited to congratulate him on his pending nuptuals, but he informs them that Damien Dhark has arrived at the house.  Sara and Ava are also on the lookout for him, and it's a girl's only trip.  

Zari and Mick check back online to see if the fan he sent the autographed book to go it.  They did, and they post a video of them opening the book...then proceed to burn it.  Mick gets pissed, and he and Zari find out the location of this person, and decide to pay them a visit.  So, they go to Central City.  When they arrive at the culprit's house, Mick has a written statement given to him by Zari, while she's filming this with her cellphone.  It turns out that the perpetrator of the book burning is a ginger-haired girl.  She gives him grief, and when he starts to tell her off, Allie shows up at the door.  He wonders what she's doing there, and she says it's her house.  And that is her daughter, Lita.  And...surprise, surprise!  Lita is Mick's daughter.  He then passes out right at the door....with Zari commenting on camera about a plot twist.

Nora is giving her father the grand tour of John's house, which he's impressed by.  He can feel the dark energy about, and she keeps running with the lie, that she's still evil.  She hears something at the door, and she sends her father to the study, she'll be back.  She answers the door, and it's Sara and Ava.  Nora knows what they're going to do, but she asks them for one night to have with her dad, and to solve the problem HER way.  They reluctantly agree.  They follow her into the house, where they meet her dad waiting, and Nora spins the yarn about Sara and Ava being her underlings.  He notices the sword in Sara's hands, and he's impressed with hit.  Nora takes it out of Sara's hands for now, to try and keep SOME semblance of peace.  Once in the kitchen, Sara just wants to destroy him, but Nora says that since this is John's house, they have all the ingredients they need to cast a spell to get rid of Damien's powers.  Gary volunteers to make the potion, and Ava says they should just kill him and be done with it.  Nora then invokes Book Club on them.  Ava can't believe it.  But Nora wants just one more night with her father.  If it goes south, then they can kill him.  During this time, Sara's phone keeps ringing, as it's Wild Dog calling, and Ava answers it, talking to Rene about WHY he's calling.

John is all decked out in winter gear, to battle the Antarctic cold, as he heads to the South Pole to search for the piece of the Loom.  Nate bumps into him, calls him "Captain Cold", and wonders where he's going.  John says he was following up on a lead about the Loom based on what Nate told him, but Nate looks puzzed.  John realizes he's been duped by Charlie, and stoms off in a huff, having ditched the winter gear.  He says he's going to find this Loom HIS way.  

Wild Dog calls Sara again, and she chats him up a little bit, says she's busy at the moment, and she'll get back to him.  They want Gary to speed it up with the potion, but he says he has to do it right.  He tells them to come back, it SHOULD be ready for dessert.  Sara and Ava reluctantly serve dinner to Damien.  But things go from bad to worse for Nora, because John  has showed up, pissed off at Charlie.  Damien spots him, and they renew plesantries.  Damien is attacked by John, who tosses fireballs at him, and he's thrown back.  Nora bursts in to halt the battle before it gets bad.  She then tells her dad that she and John are together.  John looks at Sara, who tells him to play along.  So, he gets into it, and backs up Nora.  Damien is actually pleased with this.  

Ray's room, as they continue watching Mr. Parker, Pippa asks Ray why he isn't with Nora.  He says that she needs time with her dad, and he's giving her space to do so.  She ends up quoting Mr. Parker, saying that he should love whomever he wants to love, and to let her know.  Ray is surprised she's quoting the show, and feels she's right.  So, she calls Nora to her, since Nora is still her Fairy Godmother.  Nora scolds Ray for having her called upstaris, as she's TRYING to juggle all the tension balls in the air at John's, and Ray asks if she's hiding him on puropose.  Nora admits that she is, because she's trying to protect HIM from her father.  She's trying to prevent anyone from getting killed.  She also pleads with Ray that she needs the one night with her dad...and with that, she vanishes back to John's.  Pippa asks if Ray would like a change of shoes, Mr. Parker style, he says he would.  

Back with Mick, Zari, Allie, and Lita.   Allie recounts how she hooked up with Mick years ago, and she got pregnant with Lita.  She named her after Lita Ford of the Runaways, as Mick says.  She would've told him about her, but he was in prison.  Lita chimes in and says that apparently, her Mom's standards were low, but her father's sperm count was high.  She found out that they hooked up at the reunion.  Lita still hates him, and thinks he writes crappy books.  Mick's heard enough, and takes out a mindwipe gun and zaps them.  He goes to zap Zari, but she stops him.  He then gets up to leave, and says they were NEVER here.  

Nora is back to continue keeping all the plates spinning.  As they're sitting down to dinner, John and Damien talk shop, and John uses this time to bring up Damien's love of collecting magical artifacts, and asks him about the Loom of Fate.  This does NOT sit well with Sara, Ava, and Charlie.  Damien raises and eyebrow with interest, and says he never got that one.  Talks about how it was shattered into pieces, and spread across the multiverse.  John says that it's all in one universe now.  Damien says that you'd need a Fate to reassemble it.  Nora is despearate to change the subject.  Sara's getting snippy, and Damien senses a bit of hostility in the room.  Ava lays into Sara about why she DIDN'T tell her about the job offer from Rene in Star City.  Ava is upset she hid this from her, and Sara tells her that she was THINKING about taking the job.  And Ava wonders if it would be a long distance thing again.  Sara says that's not the intention.  If she takes the job, she would have Ava with her permanently.  Damien says THIS is why he never allowed fraternization with the staff.  In the kitchen, Gary has finally finished the potion, and pours it into the chocolate truffle.  

Back at Ray's room, Ray is being consoled by Nate and Behrad.  Nate admits that maybe he's rushing things with Nora too quickly.  Ray decides that he's going to talk to her regardless.

Dessert is served, and everyone is enjoying it---well, Damien is especially, and Ava bites into hers, and discovers the ring.  They all notice the ring, and Damien surmises that the ring was misplaced, and given to the wrong person.  John, quick on his feet, apologizes, and takes the ring from Ava, and goes to propose to Nora.  Ray has made it downstairs, and Nora realizes who the ring was from...and her eyes say it all---she's happy.  When John proposes, Nora flat out refuses.  She can't keep the lie going anymore.  She finally admits to her dad that this isn't her house, Sara and Ava aren't her henchwomen, and she's not with John, she's a Fairy Godmother, and she's in love with Ray.  Ray goes up to Damien and admits he loves Nora.  He asks for her blessing, but Damien is upset that he was lied to.  He was gone 2 years, and this is how he's treated.  He then uses his powers to subdue the team.  Sara's had enough, and she grabs the Soul Sword, and goes to stab him, but he stops her, notices what the sword is, and takes it from her.  He plans on killing all of them...Nora included.  

at Ray's room, Charlie has joined Nate, Behrad, and Pippa watching the show, when they get an alarm from Gideon about a disturbance coming from John's.  They're all set to head out and Pippa wants to go.  They refuse, but she wishes it, and it's granted.  

At John's, he's battling Damien, and blasting him, and Damien is not happy, though he DOES consider Constantine a better man for Nora than Ray.  He says that Ray and his friends brainwashed her, and that she's nothing more than a fairy.  Pippa witnesses all this, and says that she wishes that they were all in Mr. Parker's show.  With that, the entire team and Damien are now in the show.  Ray comes in as Mr. Parker, and introduces Damien and Nora as his guests.  He asks them what their problem is.  Damien goes first, and says that Ray has brainwashed Nora.  Nora replies that he's acting like a child, and can't handle it.  Ray then says that maybe it's time to go into the land of make believe, and he hears the sound of the train.  Gary is the train of abomination, and he zips by on the track.  We then see John and Charlie sitting at a table, while Sara and Ava pop up as puppets---which just annoys John all the more.  Sara and Ava work out their issue with Rene's job offer.  Sara felt that maybe Ava wanted to settle down, and put down some roots.  Ava says that she's having too much fun on the ship, and so Sara says she'll tell Rene to stuff his job offer.  They make up, and say to John and Charlie that communication helps.  John says that he NEEDS the Loom to help save Astra, and stop these Encores.  She says that she destroyed the Loom, because NO ONE should have that kind of power, and everyone should have free will.  He promises that once they save Astra, he'll help her destroy the thing permanently.  Charlie likes that idea, and agrees to John's deal.  Ava and Sara give a big "YAY" for communication.  

Just then, bike messenger Behrad shows up with a package.  It's the Safe Space Sombrero.  Damien takes it to talk, and he says that it's Ray and the team's fault that Nora's life is a mess.  Nora grabs it, puts it on, and says that it was HER choice to be who she is, NOT theirs.  She LIKES helping kids.  Being raised by a death cult and not her father---that was NOT her choice.  It was HIS.  Her working with kids helps her cope with that. She likes her life now, and she's never going back to what it was.  He had a vision of her life to where she was happy.  She says she is, and all she wanted was for him to be proud of her.  He is proud, and they hug.  Just then, Nate the Sun rises,and everything is rosey.  Pippa is watching all of this, and thinks that her family is better than this messed up group. so she relases Nora from her obligation.  Everything returns to normal, and Damien shakes Ray's hand.  At this point, Nora says yes...she will marry Ray.  And since everyone is there, she wants to get married right now.  So, Sara ends of officiating the wedding (she IS Captain of the Ship, so that gives her the right), and the celebration is on.  

Damien ends up pulling Ray aside, and says that Nora needs to be in the real world to do her job, so Ray and her  need to leave the ship to do so.  Ray understands, and Damien gives him his blessing...but will be back to kill him if he screws up.  He then laughs, and says just kidding...but he isn't.  Just to put a spark of fear into Ray.  Mick made it to the ceremony, and is nabbing some cake when Zari passes by.  He tells her that both Allie and Lita are better off without him.  Zari asks if he's really sure about that---and Mick takes off.  

Damien and Nora talk about him turning over a new leaf.  He needs to move onto the next chapter, but promises he won't be far, and will check in from time to time.  He says he loves her, and she loves him.  He then goes to take off...looking back one more time at his newlywed daughter with her husband.  He walks off.  As he goes to leave, Sara catches up to him.  He knows that he's going to get grief from Astra for not coming here to raise a bunch of chaos, but Sara replies that he just wanted to see his daughter.  He knows she hates him, and apologizes for what he did.  He goes to shake her hand, but she refuses.  He gets it....and he doesn't blame her.  He wouldn't shake his hand, either.  He thanks her and the team for making Nora happy.  He leaves.  Then, Sara notices that the Soul Sword is gone.  She races out the door to chase after him, but sees him impale himself with it, thus being banished yet again.  This is where the show ends.


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Well...we got a little bit of everything tonight---not really any action as far as ass kicking goes, but we got STORY...and sometimes, that's good as well.  Of course, this being the Legends, we did get our share of campiness as well.  The whole Mr. Parker kids show motif was a good way to toss some of that in, as well as the cheesy way Ray had originally set up his proposal to Nora.  All in all, it worked out in the end, and we got some more movement in a couple of storylines, as well as a huge SHOCKER out of the deal.  

First of all...I had NO idea that Rene was trying to lure Sara BACK to Star City.  I think that clears up Sara's absence during that couple of episode stretch where Ava had to run point with the team (of course, we know Caity Lotz had been setting up, and directing one of the shows), and that she had contemplated LEAVING the ship, to take a job with Rene, and have Ava with her.  Sara, the settling DOWN type?  Guess Crisis effected her more than we know.  Even though she's decided NOT to take the job, because Ava is just having a blast being on the ship and the team, I'm still curious to have them explore that further.  

Ray and Nora FINALLY tie the knot!  We've been building to this the last couple of seasons, and now it's finally done!  Congrats on those two!  And to have Damien Dhark be an Encore, and---instead of causing trouble like the others---he went against the grain, and assuredly pissed off Astra by just showing up to spend time with his daughter.  And, although it's not QUITE the future that he had envisioned for Nora---the fact that he realized that THIS is what she wanted was enough.  It also allows Nora one last time with her father, before he heads off back to Hell.  And though he tried to make peace with Sara, she still can't bring herself to give him that.  That wound will run deep forever.  But she WAS surprised that he took himself out with the Soul Sword.  With all that said, this was the set up for Ray and Nora's departure from the team, which I feel either happens in the next episode or two.  But I don't see them sticking around for the season finale.  Ray and Nora's story is finished...and I think it's time for Ray Palmer to pass the mantle of The Atom down to Ryan Choi.  At least...that's what we HOPE happens!

Okay...color us STUNNED to find out that Mick Rory has a kid?!!  I get that he was a rotten kid (and a more rotten adult), and had a fling or two in school...but who saw the whole "I had a kid with a gal I hooked up with in high school" coming?  I thought it was just cute that he had a girlfriend back home--but to have a kid because of it.  Of course, Mick does what the does best when faced with anything close to human emotion---he runs away from it.  But, I honestly can't BLAME him for that, either.  Lita already hates him, thinks his writing sucks, and already HAS a bad idea of her dad.  Mick, KNOWING the kind of person he's been...can't see himself as a father figure.  It's too hard for him, and--knowing how messed up HIS family life was growing up---would feel the kid is better off NOT knowing him.  How they address this in the future will be interesting indeed.  We've seen SOME humanizing of Mick over the years...but this is much deeper than usual.  But, Lita only knows the BAD parts of her dad's life---she has NO idea about him being a Legend.  So, to see her dad as the "good guy" is not something she's going to be privvy to unelss it comes out somehow.  

We really got no movement on Zari this week...other than the fact she knows how to hack into computers.  But she took a backseat to Nora and, too a lesser extent, Mick's story this week.  This DOES allow her to bond more with other memebers of the team. as she did with Ava a couple of episodes back.  

And lastly---John and Charlie came to an agreement about the Loom.  John made a good point this episode as well---who's to say her sister's haven't gotten to the pieces already.  So, it's going to be a race against the clock to get the Loom for him to save Astra and restore her family, before Charlie's family gets the Loom back, puts it together, and messes things up.  I get and support Charlie's reasoning, but what she did wasn't enough.  John offers to destrory it permanently---so I think that's a good deal for her.  

It was a sweet, kinda campy, sentimental episode that gave us a happy ending of sorts.  Ray and Nora are finally married, and they're going to go off into the sunset, leaving the team down two members.  But as I said--hopefully Ray passes the Atom suit to Ryan Choi, and he joins the team.  

Glad you guys stopped by, and I DO hope you plan to subscribe, comment, and tell everyone within earshot to check me out here.  I appreciate it!

Until next time...Time Is On Our Side.

THE FLASH - SEASON 6.14

REVIEW:  THE FLASH - SEASON 6.14:  "Death of the Speed Force"


Welcome back!  It seems, folks, that our boy Barry has been dealing with some old, familiar foes.  If it wasn't the Pied Piper back to make some noise, it's been his ordeal inside the mind of Gorilla Grodd a couple of weeks back.  Now, it seems Grodd has turned over a new leaf...how long will THAT last?  Ralph is still on the hunt for Sue, Frost has actually started to gain more of Caitlin's attributes, Chester is now a part of the team, and Cisco returns!  What will HE have to say about the world beyond Central City?  And then there's Iris...trying to escape the mirror world, unawares that her companion, Eva McCulloch, is really a meta who is actually controlling things---even going so far as to have a fake Iris out in the real world, hunting down the gun that the original Mirror Master, Sam Scudder, used...all the while trying to find a way to take down Black Hole.  On top of THAT mess....it seems that Nash has some ghosts he's dealing with---all dopplegangers of the past---and informing him of one thing:  The Reverse Flash is coming!  As we run into Central City---let's see what's going on THIS week....


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We start off our story this week, we happen upon a very well-to-do socialite with a Russian accent on the phone talking about having come from Santa Prisca, when, out of nowhere, the helicopter starts slowing down, and it looks like it's rusting of sorts.  The helicopoter then begins to freefall, and the pilot can't control it, and she and her male counterpart are panicked.  Back at STAR Labs, Caitlin gets the distress signal, and Camilla jokes about the fact that everytime she shows up, there's always some kind of distress.  Caitlin tells her not to worry, because it looks like Flash is on the job.  However, Barry walks in, eating, and wondering about WHERE he is.  They look at each other, and we cut back to the helicopter, and we see this yellow streak racing up the side of a building and jumping onto the helicopter, and rescues the lady and her counterpart, and the pilot, and gets them to safety.  It's Kid Flash, who then hops back onto the helicopter, and begins dismantling it piece by piece before it strikes one of the buildings.  He is eventually joined by Flash, and they managed to save the day, and prevent any damage.  Barry jokes about Wally always wanting to make an entrance, and they hug, happy to see each other.

Back to STAR Labs, where everyone is welcoming Wally home, and he is demonstrating to them how to use the lighting portion of his powers.  Barry very much wants to learn that.  He's been doing work with the Peace Corps, and still in his zen mode.  Meanwhile, Iris and Eva are watching from the mirror world.  Iris is sad, because she is watching her family comiserate, and enjoying seeing Wally in a good place.  She's losing time in the mirror universe, and hard to keep track.  She needs to get back to her family.  She comments that she hates that "thing" as she calls it, living HER life.  Eva talks about losing time herself, and the fact that her husband hasn't seen her for awhile.  He USED to come and visit her while she was trapped in the mirror, and he used to think of ways to get her out.  She's not sure if he even knows if she's still here.  Iris says that Barry calls her his lightning rod.  That they would always find a way back to each other.  Eva says that he sounds like he would do anything for you, which Iris replies "yes".  Eva says that she hasn't seen Joseph in years, and she hasn't even been able to touch him.  Her hand shakes with a glass of water in it, and at the same time in the real world, we see "Iris" pouring a glass of wine, looking into the mirror, shaking as well, almost pouring the wine all over the place.  The real Iris goes and comforts Eva, while in the real world, "Iris" stops shaking, and Camilla comes up to her, asking if she's okay.  She replies yes, and they go back to the party.  Just at that time, Cisco returns, and everyone's happy...even if he smells a bit from his trip to Atlantis.  Later on, Cisco has passed out, and everyone is ready to take off for home.

As everyone's leaving, Barry and Wally decide to do some speed cleaning, and as they do so, Barry's powers start tripping out.  Wally catches notice of this, and Barry tries to pass it off as nothing.  Wally knows better, and asks what's going on.  Barry says he's had a couple of incidents where is speed is hiccuping.  Wally says that being back for a family visit wasn't the only reason he came.  He says that he had talk to a zen master about connecting with the Speed Force mentally, not just physically.  Wally would be able to "talk" to it, while it would just COME to Barry.  A few months back, however, Wally tried talking to the Speed Force again, and it got quiet.  Barry feels that there HAS to be an explaination.

The Russian socialite who Kid Flash rescued is at Jitters getting an order, then giving grief to the barista who made it that the order is wrong, is on her phone, when another woman comes in wearing a green hooded coat.  She calls out to the socialite, named Maria Volkov, and wants something from her.  The entire coffee shop is frozen in place.  She is the one who tried to kill Maria earlier.  Maria calls out to her as Vida, pleading for mercy, but Vida then envelops her in a bubble, and we hear Maria scream.  Then, Vida disappears, and the shop goes back to normal...until the barista and Maria's male companion scream out at the floor.  

We then see Barry and Joe at the crime scene, getting samples and trying to figure out how she died.  It turns out that Maria was mummified...aged rapidly to death.  Joe says that her name is Maria Volkov, and she was a wealthy socialite.  Barry's analysis says that she was 110 years old when she died.  Cisco arrives to assist, and his readings says that her kinetic energy was severely drained, thus the reason for the rapid aging.  Cisco has seen this before, and it turns out, the culprit---Vida Nomikom, used to run a crime ring, when Joe and other authorities arrested her and had her deported.  Her powers are like that of The Turtle...but Cisco says this is Turtle 2.0, and SHE is the reason Cisco cut short his worldwide expedition.  They need to stop her, and fast.

Cisco is working away on finding something to nullify Turtle's powers, by using Velocity X.  At this point, Nash returns, and asks how Cisco's trip was.  Said it was okay, but he's really gotta work on finding a way to take down this new villain.  Nash asks him for help in solving the mystery of these ghosts of alternate earths that he's seeing.  Cisco tells him that it's physically impossible.  Nash asks why, and Cisco says that you can't have a doppleganger here on this new Earth, because it would cause a neurological degeneration between the two beings (see:  Batwoman's Beth & Alice).  Nash desperately needs his help, but Cisco says that he's got to find a way to stop this new threat.  Nash calls out Cisco for being selfish, and storms off.  Caitlin tries to ask what's going on, but Nash blows by her.  She goes to Cisco, and asks what he's doing, and he doesn't answer.

"Iris" and Wally have a chat, and she comments that since Crisis, Barry hasn't been the same.  Wally asks what happened, and she comments about his argument with the Speed Force.  Wally didn't know, and she feels that he needs to talk to him about it.  Camilla walks in, and takes a picture of the two, showing off her new camera.  Wally leaves, and asks Camilla for the pic, and she agrees to send him one, and he takes off.  "Iris" then says that she needs to delete the picture.  When Camilla asks why, "Iris" goes into this aria about Black Hole getting to them if the pic is posted on social media, and they attack again.  Camilla buys into the story, and she hits delete on it, not wanting to piss off the boss.  "Iris" leaves, and Camilla is curious about her request.

Wally goes to see Barry, and Barry explains what happened when Bloodwork took over, and how he struck the Speed Force, and was upset with it.  Wally now understands what is going on, and blames Barry for betraying the Speed Force.  Barry apologizes, but Wally continues on about how he used to mentally enter the Speed Force, and witness various futures, especially with him and his kids.  He also knows what happened to Nora.  He has seen all those futures destroyed, and it's all on Barry.  He wishes Barry would've contacted him, and they could've worked together.  Barry again tries to apologize, and believes they can fix it, but Wally says he's on his own, and takes off.  

Nash is back at the lab, and he's trying to work on something to help figure out why he's seeing ghosts.  He then walks out in to the hall, and notices two red eyes vibrating through the wall, and it attacks him.  

Barry is in the Time Vault, and has hooked up the Speed Enhancer to Gideon, and has her monitor him, as he enters the Speed Force.  Once there, he sees it (as the image of his mother Nora, of course), and she looks sick.  She's lying in bed and sees her.  She says that something contaminated it, and all this green lightning is the end result.  He blames himself, but she says it wasn't anything HE did.  Barry then realizes that because he asked the Specter to help him get into the Speed Force during Crisis, that it unnlocked his potential, but the Spectre's powers have played havoc with it, and thus has caused the Speed Force to break down.  He begins to blame himself again, and she replies that he did the right thing---he saved the universe.  She says that the lightning is in him...it CHOSE him for a reason.  She tells him to use it wisely.  Then, sadly, the Speed Force dies.  Barry comes back, and blames himself for all of this.

Wally is at his dad's office, informing Joe of what's going on with the Speed Force.  With it gone, there's only so much residual energy left for his powers to work before it's gone.  Joe offers his sympathies, and says that he can't imagine what he and Barry are going through.  Wally snaps, and says that it's all Barry's fault that this is happening.  Joe sits him down, and says that, take all the zen stuff aside, when he first met Wally, he was brash, had an attitude problem, and walked around with a chip on his shoulder.  Since then, he's done the work to become a better man.  He needs to continue doing the work.  And while HE is upset that his powers are fading, he has to take into account how Barry feels...and know that if there is ANYONE who is beating themselves up MORE....it's Barry.  Wally realizes that he's been hard on his brother.  Just then, one of Joe's officers comes in with information about the Volkov case, and he has to take off, but not before reminding Wally that whatever he's going through...Barry's going through it too.

Cisco is still working on a plan to stop the new Turtle by bioengineering Velocity X, and Caitlin takes offense to that, because she IS a bioengineer, and he didn't ASK her for help.  She calls him out on snapping at Nash when he needed help, and completely ignoring people when he got back.  Cisco then admits that while he was out there having his adventures, he was hoping he'd come back different, be a different man.  But, as it turns out, he didn't.  He feels he's back at square one.  Cait tells him that he needs to start mending some fences, and resolve his personal issues.  She's got this...after all, they're Team Flash.  With that, he hands her the job of bioengineering the Velocity X to stop Turtle, while he goes to see Nash.  

Wally finds Barry in the Time Vault.  Barry blames himself, because he used the Spectre's energy to enter the Speed Force to save the universe during Crisis.  And because of that, the Speed Force had a meltdown.  Wally understands, and says that he made the right call, and had it been HIM, he would've done the same thing.  Wally then spins a lesson learing Buddhist story to Barry to help him understand.  Wally said he forgot that when the Speed Force was dying, not only did it effect HIM, but effected Barry too.  Wally then says what is he going to do about it.  At that moment, Caitlin chimes in, and alerts them that the Turtle is back at it.  

At the CCPD, Joe has extra officers ready for the assault, just to take precaution, but the Turtle shows up, capturing Joe, and slowing things down.  She wants the body of Maria, or else everyone is going to die.  

Cisco goes to see Nash, but then realizes that it's NOT Nash...it's Eobard Thawne!  He and Eobard begin to fight around the office, and Thawne tries to kill Cisco using his speed powers---only he CAN'T.  Since he's occupying Nash's body, he can't use his speed.  They continue fighting, and Thawne wraps his hands around Cisco's neck, and tries to kill him.  Cisco's about to black out, but Thawne gets tased by Cecile, and he's out for the count.  

Flash and Kid Flash map out a plan to save Joe and everyone at the CCPD, and try to save the day without exerting much of their speed.  They then figure out a straight line is the direct day there.  They'll have to phase through buildings.  They get the weapon from Caitlin, and they're on their way.  They race to save Joe, and battle Turtle inside the precint, and avoid her bubbles for the most part, but Wally gets caught in one.  Flash tries to appeal to her to let Kid Flash go.  He offers to help her out, but she refuses.  However, she let Joe go to fight the speedsters, and is distracted enough that Joe administers the biochemical serum, and takes the Turtle out.  The threat is ended and Flash and Kid Flash save the day.

Barry is then chatting with "Iris" about what's happened, and how he's on borrowed time with this powers.  "Iris" says that maybe this is a GOOD thing.  That, for all he's gone through and suffered, that losing his powers will allow him to have a normal life...something she feels they deserve.  Cisco then calls them to the pipeline..it's URGENT.

Barry arrives at the pipeline, and Cisco informs him that Thawne is now occupying Nash's body.  Barry and Thawne renew acquaintances, and asks what Thawne wants.  Thawne puts it simply:  he wants to kill Barry.  He knows that the Speed Force is gone, and he knows Barry's powers will be gone in about a month.  But that's why he created the Negative Speed Force.  And when he gets free, he's not only to kill Barry, but all his family and friends too.  

Wally is taking off for his next Peace Corps assignment, when he bumps into his dad.  Joe wishes he'd stay longer, but Wally says he's gotta catch the next ride out.  He has come to peace with the fact that his powers are going to be gone eventually, but he will not stop doing what's right.  He tells Joe that those who believe, will never give up.  And no matter what, those that DO believe, they will win in the end.  He tells his dad to keep an eye on "Iris"....she seems different.  Joe agrees, and Wally is off.

Barry relays his story about the Speed Force and the eventual loss of his powers to Caitlin and Cisco.  But he remembers what Thawne said about having created a Negative Speed Force, and he wants Cisco and Caitlin to help HIM create a Speed Force.  

Camilla is back at the Citizen when she gets a beep from her camera.  It turns out the picture she thought she deleted couldn't be...there was a problem with it.  She looks to see, and there's a weird anomaly with "Iris" in the picture.  She then sees "Iris" who reveals that she is NOT, in fact, Iris.  She says she hated to reveal herself this way, and aims the mirror gun at Camilla, and blasts her into the mirror universe as the episode ends.


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After the quick week off, we are back with yet another solid episode with a brand new villain, and old arch rival comes back (and we wondered just WHERE in the hell he WAS), the return of our favorite engineer, and the reveal of "Iris".  

This episode brought us the return of Wally West, who was inconspicuously absent from CRISIS, and that gets a little explained away.  Barry did not ask Wally to assist him in Crisis, and he took offense to that.  It was the first time in awhile that Barry and Wally had an argument.  Wally didn't hold back, either.  But...thanks to yet another great fatherly chat from Joe, Wally realizes that---as much as HE is suffering from the loss of the Speed Force---so is Barry.  And Barry will ALWAYS shoulder the burden of the world on himself...even though he did what he THOUGHT was right.  I also find it interesting that it was the Spectre's powers that caused the downfall of the Speed Force.  But this is also just the thing that can change the Flash around. The dependency on the Speed Force has been rampant since Season 1, and has been part of a problem for Barry....being dependent upon a force with which he draws his power from.  If he creates his OWN Speed Force (which has been depicted in the comics), it will free him, of a sort, from depending on an OUTSIDE force for his powers---it will be internal.  And if Eobard can do it---why not Flash himself?  He's gotten to be as equally fast as Thawne.  Another little tidbit I got from this show---how Wally is able to manipulate the lightning aspect of his powers in ways that not even Barry can.  That's gonna come handy down the road as the season draws to an end.  

Cisco returned as well, and he went right back into Cisco mode---but, as we see in this episode, he's alienating everyone, because he's actually feeling self conscious.  For all his travelling abroad, and mapping out this new earth...nothing changed for him.  He's still the same Cisco, and he feels there was no personal growth.  He feels let down by that, and kind of takes it out on Nash.  But, that's what we love about Cisco---his personality, and his willingness to NOT give up, and his humor, is what makes him so appealing as a character.  Plus, he keeps it light.  And honestly...the fact that he's been MORE responsible, MORE vigilant..WITHOUT the powers of Vibe---that's growth.  

This is the first episode in awhile where we had only Caitlin, as Frost took a back seat.  And, as always, the crew worked well around Danielle Panabaker's pregnancy...and her role was light, but still impactful.

Eobard Thawne...oh, where have you been?  We haven't seen you since last season finale, and you had SAID that we'd be seeing you in the next Crisis---well, it came and went, man!  But YOU were gone!  Now...the universe is reset, and you have now taken control of Nash's body.  But...can't use your powers while occupying his body.  That's interesting.  That makes me wonder about Thawne's ability to be "fluid", or is he just another ghost like the Wells characters warning Nash before him?  Hard to say, but we KNOW his mad-on for Flash has increased ten-fold.  I gotta tell you---I'll never get enough of a superspeed fight between Flash and Reverse Flash...and the aspect of getting a Round 3 is exciting stuff for me.  

Iris is still naive about Eva's TRUE purpose, and when we saw the fake Iris shaking, as Eva was shaking, because she's controlling that Iris---she didn't notice in the mirror, but the writers made sure we noticed.  And, I find it funny how WALLY was able to see that "Iris" was a bit off...so much that he asked his DAD to keep eyes on her---but BARRY can't!  I mean, I THINK Barry has an idea that "Iris" isn't quite right, but he's been a bit slow on the uptake, lately.  But I feel, in the back of his mind, that he knows there's something OFF about his "wife".  I hope he figures it out soon...more people will.  Ask Camilla---she just got blasted into the mirror universe for HER troubles.  Now, will she join Iris, or will she be in another part of that universe?  And how long before they put it together that Eva is working against them?  What is Eva's next move?  What is her endgame?  Revenge on her husband?  

Finally...villain of the week.  Well, we didn't get the original Turtle, but a new, souped up version.  This one has the same powers, but she can also manipulate them in other ways.  And while she tried to give Team Flash a tussle, the combined effort of Flash and Kid Flash saved the day.  So, she really wasn't anyone to write home about, but will be someone we see again down the road.

I liked this episode, as it finally exposed the fake Iris to at least ONE person, who know has been blasted into the mirror universe.  We got Cisco back, and look forward to him and Chester inertacting, which should be hilarious.  Not sure how much Frost we'll get, and will we get another Ralph sighting before too long?  And a return of Sue, since SHE is now VERY entrentched in this whole Black Hole deal.  Will Barry catch on that this "Iris" is not his wife before it's too late?  Will Iris figure out Eva is playing her?  So many questions...we shall see the answers coming up starting next week.

Alrighty...that's all for this week.  Please subscribe, tell your friends, and leave some comments on what YOU thought of the show!  

Until next time...keep on running.

BLACK LIGHTNING - SEASON 3.16

REVIEW:  BLACK LIGHTNING - SEASON 3.16:  "The Book of War:  Chapter Three - Liberation"



Here we are---the Season Finale of Season Three of Black Lightning!  It has been one HELL of a ride this season, and has kept us on our toes.  We have gotten the Pierce Family picked apart, watch them squabble, but rise together when it mattered most.  We saw the return of Lady Eve, the threat of the ASA and the Markovians---and the biggest villain to date:  Gravedigger.  We've picked up some new allies along the way, and CRISIS reshaped the world for Jefferson, as he is now a part of a MUCH bigger world.  

But...the final battle for Freeland is at hand, as Black Lightning faces his toughest test yet:  his Great Uncle - Gravedigger!

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We pick up where we left off, with Gravedigger and Black Lightning duking it out, while Jen is out for the count.  Both men trading blows, and Gravedigger gets the upper hand for a bit.  He taunts Black Lightning, and then notices his concern for Lightning, and realizes that he is the girl's father.  They continue to battle, and while this is going down, Jamillah Olsen is reporting from near the site of the battle, giving the lowdown as the battle rages on.  However, as she's giving the update, she is shot from behind, and her camera falls, as the Markovian army bursts into the scene, and they make off with Lightning.  Black Lightning and Gravedigger continue to battle, and Black Lightning calls out Gravedigger, saying that they're related, and gives him the lowdown on the family history.  Gravedigger says that's too bad, he'll be missed, and turns Black Lightning's powers on himself, and he starts to burn out.  But Black Lightning fights back yet again, and holds him off.  He recharges and takes off, noticing that Lightning has been captured.  Gravedigger then starts prepping his men for war.

At the Pit, Gambi is in contact with Sgt. Grayle and Erica, letting them know that Gravedigger and the Markovians are on their way, and they must save the kids.  They start getting the kids to safety.  Meanwhile, Odell is with Col. Williams and Major Grey, who updates him on the Markovian attack, and how close they are to storming the place.  They ask for a plan of action, and Odell says they're packing up, and getting out of Freeland.  He orders Col. Williams to go through every database with any classified information, and destroy it.  He orders Major Grey to find the briefcase, and either obtain it or destroy it.  Bascially, leave no trace whatsoever.  

Gambi takes down a "closed for business" sign, and Black Lightning contacts him.  He informs him that the Markovians have taken Jennifer, and Gambi is immediately on it, looking to track her location.  While he's finding Jen, he orders TC to find Odell, and TC is  on it.  

Lightning is in a containment cell, unable to use her powers.  Gravedigger introduces himself as Sykes.  He explains that he means no harm to the metas, and that he is there on behalf of the Markovian Government to set up a metahuman state within its borders...a safe haven for them, if you will.  Jen isn't buying into his idealism or his plans, and says that all he's doing is taking the metahumans by force, and not giving them free will.  He shoots back that she knows NOTHING about the US, because of her youth.  They get into a political debate which includes questioning the validity of Obama and JFK.  But Jen holds her ground.  He storms off, and Lightning takes a breath.  She held her own, but still is uneasy, and feels like she messed up. 

While all this is going down, Painkiller is on a quest to complete his mission---kill the Pierce family.  He runs across some unfortunate Markovian soldiers, whom he quickly dispatches, and grabs this powerful rifle from them, perfect for what he has planned.

Major Grey and Lady Eve have a meet.  Major Grey says that she needs the location of the briefcase, and Eve will tell her, but wants no betrayals.  Grey says that Lady Eve will be relocated to Gotham City, and take her seat on the Shadow Board.  Lady Eve is taken aback by this and then she realizes that they plan on nuking Freeland.  The fix is in, and both Lady Eve and Grey shoot at each other, and both take a hit.  Eve manages to escape, and Grey says she'll never make it out alive.  Eve then makes a call to her gal Destiny, and informs her to call Lala---telling her to inform him that if the Markovians succeed...there will be no Freeland left.

Tobias is with one of the nurses--a "Nurse Judas" as he calls him.  He wants to know WHERE the Markovian Metas are.  He's already killed his father, and his mother will be next if he doesn't spill his guts.  

TC has been trying to locate Jen, and they find her at the Markovian Compound.  Brandon shows up, and asks what's going on.  Once he knows Jen has been kidnapped, he's on board for the rescue operation.  TC then collapes from strain, because his attempt to find Odell has failed, because he's put in countermeasures to his powers.  He needs to rest.  Black Lightning shows up, and he and Brandon take off, but not before Brandon checks his phone, and sees someone enter on the security camera where he left Dr. Jace.  Col. Williams enters the premesis and finds Jace.  She thinks he's there to save her, but she is sorely mistaken.  Williams says that his orders are to erase every classified file the ASA has....and that means her.  Williams puts two slugs into Jace at point blank range.  He takes off, as Jace dies.

Inspector Henderson is with the Resistance, helping to get metas moved to safety, when the Markovian army shows up.  A gunfight breaks out, and the Resistance is pinned down, but they get assistance from the least likely of places---Lala and his gang.  They both give a nod to each other, knowing that--like it or not---they're in this together...for now.  

Lightning is in her cell, when she feels a tremor.  She gets up to see what's wrong, and her dad is there to rescue her.  He puts his hands up on the cell with hers, and charges her powers.  Brandon shows up, and says that they're needed at the Pit, and to follow them.  They fly off, and he hops on a motorcycle.

Col. Williams has found Lynn in a lab, trying to create a countermeasure to Gravedigger.  She tries to reason with Williams about needing to finish this serum to take out Gravedigger's powers.  He informs her of his orders from Odell...destroy all classified files---which includes Lynn.  He already informs her that he killed Jace, and as he is ready to kill her, she again pleas with him, recognizing him as a meta, for which he takes offense to and denies it.  He goes to shoot her, and she strikes him hard, having enhanced herself temporarily, and he flies against the wall...seemingly killed in the process.

Gravedigger, at this juncture, is wading through fallen bodies, making his way to the Pit.  

Jeff meets up with Lynn, and notices that Williams has been dispatched.  She tells him that she found a solution to dampen Gravedigger's other powers, and they  can take him down.  At this time, Painkiller has found his quarry...and has his sights set on Jen.  He tells Khalil that he's going to off her first, and Khalil won't let him.  We get inside his head, and his battle with his darker half begins anew.  Sword fighting with each other until the swords break.  Painkiller goads him, but Khalil is unrelenting.  He continues to fight Painkiller, and actually bests him.  We then see the actual Khalil regain himself, and pull back on the weapon...putting it away.  

Henderson is locating Gravedigger, and the Resistance stands at the ready.  Gambi informs him to NOT engage, however.  They begin firing on him, but it does nothing to him...he swats them away.  Grayle and Erica then go out to stop him, but, they too, fall to him.  In the Pit, Thunder and Grace manage to get the metas to safety, and lock them into an impenetrable shelter.  Gravedigger makes his way to them, and as they're ready to fight, he takes control of Grace, and "forces" her to fight Thunder.  Grace attacks, and Thunder now has to defend herself, while Gravedigger walks on by.  

Markovian soldiers have Black Lightning and Lightning in their sights, but Henderson sees his and gets a jump on them.  However, he ends up getting mortally wounded from a weapon shot from a soldier.  Black Lightning races to his side, and says he can't move him, he's got a hole in his chest.  Black Lightning apologizes to him for failing him, and Henderson, weakened and dying, says he didn't.  Black Lightning says he's the best friend he always had.  He thanks Henderson for saving this life.  Jennifer cries as she watches Inspector Henderson die, with his last words being to Jeff---don't let down Freeland.  

Grace and Thunder continue to fight, with Thunder trying to subdue her.  Grace's powers continue to evolve, and gets one last attack in, but Thunder uses her powers to push Grace up to the ceiling to knock her out.  Grace is down, and Thunder can't get her to wake up.  She frantically calls out to Gambi, but he tells her to stay on mission.  She kisses Grace, and marches on.  At the Sanctum, TC has recovered, and knows how to get around Odell's little firewall.  Black Lightning and Lynn work out a plan to take down Gravedigger.  He will distract Sykes, while she shoots him with the nullifying agent.  

Gravedigger has made it to the Pit, and Brandon and Lightning are there to meet him.  They combine their powers to hold him at bay, and Lighting contacts her dad, letting him know that Gravedigger is there, but not sure how long they can hold him off.  Gravedigger fights back, and manages to disable Lighting and Brandon.   They're out of the count.

Odell orders the system to go into self destruct mode.  He tells the system to give it a 10 minute fuse, then light the place up.  The system accepts the oders, and Odell leaves, as the building goes into self destruct.

Black Lightning and Gravedigger engage in Round 2.  As they battle, Lynn shows up as Brandon and Lightning recover.  She needs to get the antibooster to Gravedigger immediately.  Gravedigger gets Black Lightning down yet again, but this time, Lynn finds the mark and hits  him with the antibooster.  He tries to "push" Lynn to take it out, but his powers are fading.  Jefferson says that Sykes put up a good fight, but stay down.  TC then informs Gambi that they building has been set to self destruct.  Gambi relays that info to Jefferson, and Lynn tells him they have to go.  He doesn't want to leave Gravedigger behind, because he's family, but Lynn says there's no time.  They have 60 seconds, and they have to get going.  Black Lightning grabs her, and they fly off.  As they leave the Pit, it explodes.  However, the metas inside the bunker are safe from the explosion.  Everyone makes it out.

As Odell prepares to take off to Gotham City, Khalil is in the back seat, letting him know that he didn't forget about him.  Introduces himself as Khalil, and is going to kill him for what he did.  Black Lightning reaches him, and tries his best to reason with him.  Khalil ends up pulling the trigger anyway.  As he gets out of the back seat, he says he only hit him i nthe spleen...he can do without it.  But if he wants Odell to face trial, he better get him to a hospital quickly.  Khalil then leaves.  

Major Grey and what ASA troops are left, storm Gambi's shop, after they blow the front of the building up.  Once inside, Gambi manages to do a little cat and mouse as Grey says she wants the briefcase. He gets a couple of shots off, as he heads down into the Sanctum.  Grey and her men follow, and come across TC, who is ready to defend himself.  However, he gets shot and falls.  Gambi says he thanks her for bringing the last people to know the Pierce family secret.  Gambi shoots Grey and the other soldiers.  He gets TC, who had a bulletproof vest on, and they make their escape.  

In the aftermath of the battle, we see Grace in bed, and Lynn telling Anissa that there is nothing she can do---Grace is in a coma.  It's possible her evolving powers have something to do with it.  Lynn says that she needs to be in a place where she can get some real help.  

Tobias is still in Markovia, watching the Congressional hearings going on in Washington regarding the Markovians and the ASA.  He comments that Black Lightning is getting his moment in the sun, but perhaps it's time to return home to take back what is his.  

The Congressional hearings are taking place in Gotham City (where's Vesper Fairchild when you need her to report---this is her damn JOB!), and Lynn testifies about the meta's and their need for help.  The committee approves of Lynn's idea for a boarding school for them, to help acclimate them back into society.  We see, however, that before her testimony, she's gone back on the Glimmer.  Black Lightning gives his testimony with Thunder and Lightning about how the United States used the ASA as an extention to not only infect the citizens of Freeland, but to experiment on them to  creat metahumans.  When pressed for evidence, he produces the briefcase, which has all the information they need.  The head of the Congressional committee states that Odell is in custody awaiting trial, and that the ASA has been disbanded.  They thank Black Lightning for his contribution, and is allowed to leave privately.  Meanwhile, we see a white man intently looking upon the hearings.  As HE leaves the building, we see him shapeshift into Gravedigger, who managed to survive the explosion.  We see the Pierce Family walk out tall, their mission accomplished, and the family unit back together as the season ends.


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Wow....I was shocked to find out that THIS was the season finale.  I had no idea this show was only scheduled for a 16 episode slate.  It WOULD explain, however, why the finale felt kind of rushed.  While it did have a climax, I was a bit disappointed that there could've been...I dunno...MORE.  While it was a GOOD show...I felt it could've been BETTER.  

I had hoped for SOME kind of Justice League guest appearance to help out with Gravedigger...it would've given him the essence of being a MUCH bigger threat that he turned out to be.  Black Lightning calling on some super friend help would've been cool.  But---this was Jefferson's fight, and he needed to be the hero---he IS the star of the show.  Maybe I'm wanting too much tie-in to the rest of the Arrowverse.  Then there's the issue of Grace---she's in a coma, and needs SPECIAL help.  This is where Jefferson could've talked to Barry Allen...had Grace moved to STAR Labs in Central City, where Caitlin and a now returned Cisco can monitor her.  It's something they  CAN explore, and would allow Lynn and Anissa to make guest appearances, and vice versa with Caitlin and Cisco.  Or at least phone communication.  SOMETHING.  You have these characters connected...I'm hoping to use them more.

I KNEW Gravedigger wasn't going to die---too powerful a supervillain to kill off.  My question is:  was he satisfied with the outcome of the hearings, or will he just go underground for now until it's time to resurface?  Another thing that caught my attention, was his plan for the metahumans.  Did anyone get a Magneto feel from that?  Remember Asteroid M from the X-Men comics?  Magneto was trying to do right by his kind---so he felt---and Gravedigger has that same agenda.  It's something to explore in the future.

Glad that Sgt. Grayle and Erica survived....they'll continue to make up the future Outsiders for Jefferson.  Plus, TC survived as well.  But the Sanctum seems lost.  Whether or not Gambi repairs the shop, or relocates the Sanctum is another matter.  

Little disappointed that Major Grey and Col. Williams met such lackluster ends.  Though I am not sure that Grey is dead, but Col. Williams sure looked like it after Lynn struck him.  And...I am sure he was caught in the explosion.  Odell surviving makes for him to return...because you KNOW he won't last in jail long---the Shadow Board will bail him out somehow.  And I have no doubt that THEY will be the next threat for Black Lightning and the team next season.  Lady Eve's invovlement will also be key.  I am also disappointed that Dr. Jace met such a quick and dirty end.  Rather lauckluster...and I am not sure Brandon got ANYTHING out of her in regards to his family or his past.  

Tobias will be that threat you have to keep an eye on, because he's looking to climb the ladder yet again, and take control of Freeland once more.  And Lala can't WAIT for him to return...so expect a turf war to erupt next season.

RIP Inspector Henderson---you will be honored by Freeland.  And congrats on Damon Upton for a fantastic job as Freeland's lead cop.  He departs the show as a dying hero.  

This season saw EVERYONE grow and mature in ways we couldn't imagine.  We got introduced to new threats, and it tied up A LOT of loose ends.   The biggest growth came from Jennifer---from being a puppet to an outspoken powerhouse who felt like SHE was our moral compass all season.  China Anne McClain was PHENOMENAL this sesaon, and I credit her for Jennifer's growth and process.  Anissa had to step up, and grow into a leader in her own right.  As Blackbird AND Thunder, she managed to help the metas, the Perdi, AND help lead the Resistance.  She showed she can stand her ground...even against her own father.  And we rooted for her and Grace, and are hoping that Grace will recover.  We like these two together.  Jefferson himself had to adapt and grow...always the leader, and TRYING to be a moral compass for all, but having to deal with two daughters who are strong willed and opinionated in their own right, and the rise and fall of Lynn several times.  She herself had to adapt.  She wanted to destroy the system of the ASA from the inside.  However, it cost her dearly, as she became an drug addict.  Her journey is far from over, but hoping that she will finally embrace what this family is:  superheroes.  Gambi, as always, the voice of reason, and finally had his chance to come out of the shadows.  

As for Khalil---well, it was nice that they tied up his story.  However, it leaves it open as to whether or not he comes back.  I feel he will be gone on a journey of self discovery, and peace of mind.  But he got his payback--of sorts--to Odell for turning him into a monster and having him kill his own mother.  Something that will weigh on his conscious for the rest of his life.  

Overall, this season was just FANTASTIC.  It was in high gear the whole time, had a great pace, and provided PLENTY of stories for us...both major and minor.  Every major player had a chance to shine, and they did an amazing job.  This series NEVER disappointed from the outset really (though I WAS hoping for more in the finale, but it was STILL a good show).  I look forward to what next season brings.


Okay kids..that does it for Black Lightning this season.  Hope you enjoyed the reviews, and we'll be back next season.  Until then, subscribe to the blog, tell your friends, and leave your comments below---I wanna hear from you!

Until next season...the Power is OUT!