Saturday, May 13, 2017

Supernatural, Season 12, Episode 21: There's Something About Mary

Damn it Supernatural you killed Eileen. She was looking like an interesting recurring character with some much needed inclusion and you done killed her. By Hellhound – controlled by Arthur Ketch

This is part of the ongoing campaign of the Men of Letters to kill all American Hunters and apparently make them look like monster attacks

And some of those attacks are by Mary.

Mary is being imprisoned and brainwashed by the return of Lady Toni and her skill with mind altering substances to generally break down someone’s will and reality.  Mary is duly terrified that she is losing herself and she is going to end up hurting and killing people she cares about. She desperately struggles, she desperately appeals to the connection she has with Arthur which, despite obviously hitting a chord, doesn’t move him. She even tries to commit suicide though he stops her.

She’s definitely sinking.

Meanwhile her sons are definitely noticing something is up. Mick is out of touch. Mary said something was up and then fell off the grid and more and more hunters are suddenly dying to the monsters. They expect a certain level of death, it’s not the safest profession after all. But the rate us suspicious

I do wonder why the Men of Letters are going to so much work to make it look like monster attacks – especially since that includes going so far as to actually use hellhounds

And where do they get hellhounds? Turns out evil Dr. Hess has a deal on with Crowley – demons can operate in the UK so long as they confine their activity to people who are making deals. The argument being that if they chose to make such a deal that it’s their own silly fault. At the same time Dr. Hess is awfully high handed with Crowley and the king of Hell takes exception

We also see that wonderful Men of Letters way of motivating people – the leadership of the new American Hunters will fall under either Arthur or Toni. Because the British Men of Letters believes in throwing their people against each other because team building exercises, I guess. Also everyone has slept with everyone so let’s have some more office tension.

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Nine: What Family Actually Means

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This is a rough episode for out merry band of homo sensoriums.  As much as BPO is a threat, real world issues take precedence.  Lito's career continues to be a concern, Nomi has a speech to give, Kala is once again feeling closed in by the narrow life marriage to Rajan presents and Will experiences a loss that breaks his heart. 

After some research, Riley and Diego figure out that the woman who gave up Whispers is named Carol Cumberland.  With few leads, they decide to check out Carol's house. When Riley and Diego don't get an answer at the front door, they go around back and Will breaks a window so that they can get in. Diego snarks about doing a BE while being a cop. There's still food on the table and it looks like someone left in the middle of a meal.  Riley and Diego head into the basement where they find a lab and a hidden room. This is where Raoul was taken to be experimented on. It's suitably creepy and sad to think that this is where Raoul ended up. In flashes, we see Carol getting a visit from Jonas.  When Riley and Diego head upstairs, they find Carol floating in the tub having died from slitting her wrist. Was it Jonas who whispered in Carol's ear this time? 

The speech cannot be avoided any further, if Nomi wants to be a part of her sister Tegan's wedding, she has to face her family at the rehearsal dinner. Nomi's parents clearly aren't pleased that she even attended and Janet, Nomi's mother, snarks that Nomi should have the grace to leave with one of her headaches.  This is just the challenge that Nomi needs to find the courage to give a speech. Nomi's speech is far more about her than it is about her sister Tegan. Nomi talks about forging her mother's signature to get her gender reassignment surgery and how Tegan learned about it and though the siblings argued, Tegan didn't rat her out. When Nomi awoke after the surgery, the first face that she saw smiling at her was Tegan's. Nomi talks about Tegan's kindness but she also brings up how her parents wanted her to be more like Tegan and less difficult. In the end, Nomi does get around to wishing the couple happiness and threatening to hurt her future brother in-law, courtesy of Wolfie if he breaks Tegan's heart. 

The next day is the wedding and Nomi arrives just on time and is trailed by Bug and Amanita. Bug actually cleans up pretty well.  As they walk down the aisle, the groomsman that Nomi is pared with cannot resist being a transphobic asshole and commenting that Nomi has nice breasts for a man. Cue the arrival of Sun, who asks Nomi if she wants to hurt the guy. When Nomi says yes, Sun twists the asshole's finger. I so approve of that.  The wedding is just about to start when Agent Bendix storms into the church. He's waited a long time but he thinks that he's finally got Nomi cornered.  Agent Bendix announces that he is taking Nomi into custody in front of a shocked audience.  

No one is more stunned than Amanita and Bugs, who know that this should not be happening because of the e-death.  It takes a moment but Amanita realises that Bendix still there because he didn't check on his warrant first. Bugs and Amanita rush down the isle and Amanita declares that Bendix is only there to gratify his male ego. When Bendix threatens to take in Amanita as well, she demands to see a warrant.  Bendix pulls out his phone and of course he cannot find a warrant because one no longer exists.  Bendix is certain that since Nomi is a hacker that she must have done something but he can no longer prove it. Nomi's father demands that Bendix unhand his daughter and threatens that if he does not, he'll have to deal with the full weight of his law firm. A frustrated Bendix is forced to give up and leave.  Amanita checks in on Nomi, who is clearly flustered and Nomi explains that she's emotional because this is the first time that her father has called her his daughter. 

Kala is shopping for a gift for a pregnant friend with her mother. Kala is not pleased that this is her friend's third pregnancy. Kala is not impressed that her friend left her job to change diapers and questions what the point was of her friend getting an education. Priya however believes that the young couple is just doing what comes naturally and that making a family is the most natural thing in the world. Kala is quick to retort that cancer is also natural. This is one of he most explicitly feminist scenes in Sense8 thus far and I love that it's Kala's scene. 

Later, at home, Ajay, Rajan's friend drops by with a gift for the newlyweds.  Kala invites him up but it's clear that she has some reservation about doing so. Ajay tells Kala to wait until Rajan gets home to open the gift because it's something they should share together. At this point, my brain is screaming that this is a bomb because Ajay sets by spidey senses tingling. Kala fiddles with the present but she doesn't open it. 

Friday, May 12, 2017

The 100, Season Four, Episode Eleven: The Other Side

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Skaikru is divided between three locations.  Raven is still on Becca's little Island, planning her space walk.  At Arkadia, Monty is desperately trying to reign in Jasper's little death cult and at Polis, we have a bunker stand off going down. Prime Fiya is coming for all of them and some important decisions need to be made which will decide who gets to live and who dies. 

Let's start with Arkadia, where Jasper is presiding over an end of the world party. Jasper has been very clear for a long time that he does not want to survive what comes next and he's managed to convince some people to join him in his little suicide party.  Harper, who seems to be holding onto some guilt has also chosen to stay. With Harper and Jasper choosing to remain at Arkadia, Monty feels compelled to stay behind in the hopes that he can convince them to change their minds.  With both of Monty's parents dead, he feels that Jasper and Harper are all the family he has left. 

Monty has created three hazmat suits and tells the rest of suicide crew that he can also take seven people in the rover without too much exposure to the radiation. Monty pleads with people to leave with him while they can but they only continue to party. They party so hard that Riley overdoses.  An upset Monty tries to revive Riley but it's too late.  Watching Riley overdose however gives the suicide crew a new idea. They realise that they have enough drugs for everyone to overdose and die a pain free death. 

Monty brings Harper to see the changes that he's made to the rover so that it will be safe for them to travel. When Harper tells Monty that he should leave, he's adamant that he's not leaving without her or Jasper.  This is when Harper declares that she doesn't love Monty and that he's not enough for her want to live.  Harper then leaves but stands outside of the rover crying. I don't know about you but if I were Monty, I would be long gone. It's like Bellamy said, "you cannot save someone who doesn't want to be saved". 

Monty's next move is to go find Jasper, who's staring out the window at the red moon. The moon is beautiful, but it's also a sign of the approaching death wave. It doesn't take long for Monty to figure out that Jasper has taken a lethal dose of drugs. Jasper asks Monty to tell him that he loves him and Monty responds by trying to put his fingers down Jasper's throat. Jasper fights off Monty complaining that, "this is really unsanitary".  Jasper then kisses Monty's hands and promises to see him on the other side before dying. A desperate Monty cries, telling Jasper repeatedly that he loves him. Bye bye now. I am so not  going to miss Jasper, who has irritated me with his man pain for the last two seasons. 

With Jasper dead, Monty decides to take one last shot with Harper. As he runs through Arkadia, Monty sees that the others have also chosen to overdose on drugs.  As it turns out, Harper couldn't go through with killing herself and when she sees Monty, Harper tells him that she loves him. The two then hug it out. 

On the island, Raven is preparing for the world's most awesome space walk ever. Becca even points out that if Raven wants, she can go to the moon.  Raven has been one of my favourite characters for quite some time, so I find myself actively hoping that the writers can pull one out of the hat and save her. There's no reason for Raven to go the way of Jasper. 

As Raven works away, she realises that there's someone else in the room.  That's right, it's Sinclair, who is adamant that he didn't die so that Raven can go out like this.  Sinclair wants Raven to choose life and is convinced that there's a way for her to beat this.  Becca however tries to encourage Raven on her little space walk and points out that if Raven survives this that she'll be in pain.  Raven however points out that the decision isn't about pain but about life and that she chooses life.









Thursday, May 11, 2017

The Handmaid's Tale, Season One, Episode Five: Faithful

For the past five episodes, as viewers we've watched as the Gilead attempted to ground women under their feet using any method at their disposal. Each handmaiden has a partner, whose job it is to spy on them.  Every aspect of their lives is under strict control.  If that were not enough, handmaidens are subjected to ritualistic rape in order to supposedly fulfill their biological destiny.  Women are meant to do nothing but birth babies. 

The directors and writers have weaved brilliantly between June/Offred's former life and her present to remind us of how much she's lost. We've watched as June lost access to the funds in her bank account and when she was informed that she's no longer allowed to hold down a job.  When June and Moira couldn't take it anymore and decided to protest, soldiers fired into the crowd.  We had moments of hope: when June and Moira were able to briefly escape the indoctrination center, only to be forced to witness in horror as June's feet were beaten for believing that she's entitled to be able to go or stay at her own choosing.  Nothing is out of the control of the Gilead and should a woman forget herself, the reminder are swift and harsh. For Ofglen the result is circumcision and for Janine, the loss of an eye.

The eyes are everywhere and the people not only know it, they fear it. Each small step away from the programmed existence is an act of rebellion.  Perhaps the most apt line of the night came from the commander himself when he explained that the Gilead is trying to make things better and that better for some, means worse for others.  There is no doubt that for June, Moira, Emily and even Janine, things are substantially worse. They've been forced to trade their independence and sense of self in order to obedient little baby making machines.  For the new Ofglen however, life has improved. She now lives with a family she believes cares about her and for the first time in a long time, she's off drugs, has food to eat and a clean place to sleep. For the new OfGlen, the restrictions of the Gilead are a small price to pay for the safety she now feels.  This comment doesn't serve as an exoneration of the Gilead, but it does serve as a proof that even in freedom, there are those because of how society was structured that fell through the cracks and remained there.  OfGlen isn't now free because she lives in a gender essentialist society but because she now inhabits a world in which capitol has no bearing on her material needs. 

Rebellion in the Gilead takes the form of things we consider to be everyday now. It's the commander handing Offred a women's magazine to read as a treat. It's her being able to see the world she lost and how different things are today. It was real, it wasn't a fantasy.  It's Serena Joy beginning to wonder if the Commander is infertile and arranging for Nick and Offred to have sex.  Serena Joy even uses the threat of the colonies to get Offred to agree.  What neither discuss however is that even though this is clearly against the rules, Offred cannot disagree. In the guise of saving Offred, Serena Joy is simply arranging for Offred to be raped by a different man.  Offred must take this risk because Serena Joy wants her to. It's the commander gazing at Offred with lust during the ritual and touching her legs in a sexual manner, wanting her to enjoy it as much as he does. It's even as simple as Janine sticking out her tongue, copying her young child. 

iZombie, Season 3, Episode 6: Some Like it Hot Mess

Like the last episode, I’m going to brush over the murder – because these murder cases are increasingly becoming less and less relevant to iZombie. Similarly so is Clive – even as he takes more point on the murders and relies less on Liv’s abilities

It’s frustrating that I thought he’d be much more involved in this series once he knew Liv’s secret and we’d have more fun seeing him understand the brains Liv eats, and using them and working round them. But beyond being less confused that hasn’t really happened. The crime scenes and the brain personalities have become less and less relevant. Liv herself has, as I’ve pointed out, become less and less relevant but at least she is linked to the other plot lines. Clive is not – Clive does a great job of tracking down the red herrings, grudges and other issues in the murder victim’s life with great skill and observation and limited help from Liv. Go Clive. Shame we didn’t actually spend any real time on that or it was really relevant or not completely lost in everything else. More than any other character, Clive is fading to obscurity.

Liv is also much reduced. Her brain this week basically made her a party girl with zero organisational skills. So she’s just been ditzing around the edge of the episode and adding little useful at all.

Instead let’s turn to Major – he took the cure last week and he now faces losing his memory. It starts with utter childish glee which makes me want to smoosh him so much. He’s sooooooo cute. And I’ll help him clear up that ice cream. Very very carefully. Yes, yes I will.

Major can now taste food again which is super awesome and happy and being human seems great again – and Ravi and Liv test him and he appears to have full memory as well. All is joyful and cute and smushable! Oh and Major touches on keeping with Liv which she puts down to a very emotional moment and not necessarily putting them in relationship mode but it does look like they’re heading that way.

Ravi and Major also manage some super-cute bonding over computer games again, bringing us back to their awesome friendship and scenes where I don’t want to strangle Ravi – so yay! Peyton and Blaine are also all settling in all snuggly and happy – yay. All is yay

And then Major starts to lose memories. Yup, looks like it’s all coming crashing down and we have emotional scenes as Major writes goodbye letters to the people he cares about to open when his memories finally go.

He ends up on a bus (ditzy Liv wasn’t watching him) and ends up at his mother’s house – who he’s apparently been estranged from for a long time since she left his father and entered a relationship with another woman (hey, it’s taken 3 seasons but this may finally be recurring LGBT inclusion). He’s taken to her when he’s found wandering, alone and confused with no memories.

At the morgue, zombie screw-up Donny tries to get Ravi to give him the cure as he has a client who wants to buy it. Ravi refuses because he has a limited supply and the whole memory loss – to which Donny insists, backed by some dubious anecdote, that Blaine is totally faking his memory loss

So when Peyton arrives to discuss something work related he makes sure to pass on this highly dubious rumour from a highly untrustworthy source to her. Of course he does. Ravi is risking becoming an outright villain on this show.

Peyton treats him with all the contempt her deserves for again trying to split up his relationship out of his obsession for her

She goes to her romantic evening with Blaine – but now she has doubts. She talks to him about how happy they are, and mentions Ravi’s rumour in passing which Blaine dismisses. She pursues with an artful “I’m so happy now I almost don’t mind how we got here”

American Gods, Season One, Episode Two: The Secret of Spoon

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This episode with an introduction to Mr. Nancy, otherwise known as the trickster god Anansi. We meet him aboard a slave ship bound for the Americas.  He appears after a slave prays to him to be saved from his impending fate. Mr. Nancy appears all suited up and dapper but because he's a trickster God, the freedom he ends up offering isn't freedom in any sense that most people would want; it's freedom from life. My Nancy tells the slaves about the dehumanisation of slavery, and how this transitions to Jim Crow, and how even after a civil rights movement, Black people are still institutionally discriminated against and willfully killed by the cops. Mr. Nancy actively encourages the anger of the slaves and suggests that they destroy the ship because for them, once the ship docks, they will never know freedom again. They will learn that because of White supremacy that they are no longer understood to be people. The only freedom that these people will ever know is the freedom death provides. Even though this means their death as well, the slaves set fire to the ship and kill the Dutchmen who are treating them like human cattle. Later, we see Mr. Nancy in his spider form land safely on the shore.

In series premiere, Shadow got the piss beat right out of him and was almost lynched.  His body is so battered he's forced to seek medical attention. It's only the beginning of the trials that he will go through in this episode.  Shadow returns to the home he shared with his wife to pack up their belongings. On one hand, his mind is filled with warm memories of her but on the other, the evidence of his wife's betrayal in the form of a dick pic on her phone weighs heavily upon Shadow. Shadow scrubs the floor in the bathroom until his hands start to bleed.

With Shadow's former life all packed up it's time to move on.  The first stop is a diner where Wednesday has a meeting with an Ifrit while Shadow is sent shopping to pick up a few items. Wednesday makes sure to inform Shadow that he's low on cash and therefore Shadow can only take a certain percentage off the top.  Shadow is shocked that Wednesday would think that he would steal from him whereas; Wednesday suggests that Shadow will never get anywhere if he doesn't learn to take care of himself.

Shadow walks through the aisles picking up the items that Wednesday asked for. He stops when he comes to a group of televisions for sale because suddenly Lucille Ball has come to life and she's talking directly to him.  I actually had to pause this scene to make sure of who I was seeing and yes, it was indeed Gillian Anderson playing the hell out of this part.  The I Love Lucy lady wants something from Shadow - she wants him to join sides with her because she's identified how strong he really is.  Of course the I Love Lucy lady is actually Media, and she has a dire warning, guys like Shadow end up dead by suicide.  At this point however, Shadow doesn't want to end his partnership with Wednesday and he turns down the offer.

When Shadow returns to the diner to meet Wednesday, he's quite concerned that he's losing his mind.  Wednesday points out that Shadow has the choice whether or not to believe whether what he's seen is real or not, or if he's going crazy. Wednesday adds that maybe going crazy isn't such a bad thing.  This is the moment when Shadow is clearly being offered a red pill and a blue pill.  Shadow can either run or stay and see just how far the rabbit hole goes.

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Seven: I Have No Room in My Heart for Hate

As I mentioned in my last review, the character which frustrates me the most is Riley. Unlike the other sensates she seems to serve no real purpose for her cluster. She's been the damsel in distress that Will just had to save and then quickly fell into the girlfriend role. Besides giving the concert which drew the attention of other clusters, Riley hasn't really done much and that's all about to change in a massive way with a trip to Chicago. Will, of course, being an overbearing boyfriend, is not on side with this at all.  To be honest, he like the audience has been given no reason to believe that Riley is the least bit capable but it's still annoying. 

Riley is on a plane to Chicago and Will just won't leave her alone.  He's like an annoying gnat in her ear.  It's so bad that Nomi actually has to intervene and play peace maker when Riley snarks to the flight attendant that she would like some ear plugs. Of course Will is quick to reminder Riley that ear plugs won't stop her from hearing him because he's in her head. Nomi explains to Riley that Will is just worried about her and encourages Will to simmer the hell down a little bit. On the plane, Riley gets a visit from a sensate we haven't met yet.  This sensate isn't interested in much conversation because she feels that Riley is still trying to change the world and that one can only change oneself. She does however say that she's looking forward to meeting Riley again when her thinking has improved. This new sensate totally reminds me of Tilda Swinton in Dr. Strange and I'm glad to see the back of her quickly. Please don't go there Sense8, there's no need for that. 

Will is not above pestering Nomi and he wants to know if the ID she created for Riley will hold up. Nomi is confidant because it's the best one she's over done. An insistent Will wants to now how Nomi knows for sure it's all good and Nomi explains that over the years she's had to make new ID for trans* people when the government wouldn't provide it. Nomi does get Amanita to check for updates and they learn that there's been another mass shooting and that border security has been increased a bit. Nomi does however promise Will to get in touch with him if anything becomes a concern. 

Nomi and Amanita sit to have a meal with Amanita's three dads and her mother. They consider themselves old hippies and all attest that they have no desire to find out who actually is Amanita's biological father is. Amanita's parents are absolutely horrified by the shooting when they discuss it and are quick to blame patriarchy. They see patriarchy as a violent force bent on destruction for the sake of power. I love the family dynamics Amanita grew up. 

When Riley lands in Chicago, Will is by her side and on high alert.  Proving that he's a true BFF, Will's old partner Diego shows up to escort Riley around.  Diego is willing to do this even though he's super pissed at Will for just leaving with no explanation. Will says that he's sorry but of course, Diego cannot hear him. Diego drives to a small restaurant and stops to get some food. Will explains to Riley that Diego eats when he gets nervous. Over a malt, Riley explains a little bit about sensates and that Will is with her right now. Diego is incredulous but after Will calls him on the phone, they begin to repair their relationship.

Lito, Hernando, and Daniela The Fetishist, return to their home in Mexico city chanting, "we're here, we're queer". Someone needs to explain to me why it is that Daniela The Fetishist seems to think that it's okay for her to do that.  Their happy mood is destroyed when they discover Joaquin and Daniela's The Fetishist's parents waiting for them. Daniela's The Fetishist's parents aren't happy that she left Joaquin and are even less pleased that she's now living with Hernando and Lito. Daniela's The Fetishist's parents demand that Joaquin grab her bag and that she leave with them immediately. Before Joaquin can take the bag, Lito grabs the other end and refuses to let go.  Joaquin actually has the nerve to call Lito a "f@ggot" and ask Lito if he wants to go again.  At this point, Lito is confidant that his cluster will be there for him and responds, "only if you want to get your ass kicked by a f@ggot." It's Wolfie who shows up to add, "again" with a smile on his face.  Daniela's The Fetishist's parents make it clear that if she doesn't leave with them right now that they'll cut off her trust fund but Herando and Lito assert that Daniela The Fetishist doesn't need their money.  Daniela The Fetishists decides to stay with Lito and Hernando. 

Since her promotion, Kala has had more access to the accounting of the family business and she's not pleased with what she's discovered. Kala marches into Rajan's office and interrupts one of his meetings. Rajan admits that to boost the bottom line, the company has been selling old and expired medication to places like Kenya. Capheus is in the room when Rajan makes his admission, making it very personal for Kala because she knows Capheus's mother depends on the HIV medication for her life.  Rajan tries to say that this is standard operating procedure and that he makes sure that their people receive only the good medicine. Kala is pissed right off with his confession and storms out of the office. 

Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Supernatural, Season 12, Episode 20: Twigs, Twines & Sasha Banes

Let me play with the chronology a little here to make it flow better: we have the inevitable scene where Sam and Dean discuss the current issue (Castiel the Nephilim et al) angst about it for a bit before deciding they should get on with a monster of the week episode. This is fairly standard fodder for Supernatural and the filler is all nice with lots of woe and emotion – but, it’s basically there so they can segue from “ZOMG EVERYTHING IS TERRIBLE AND THIS CONSUMES ALL OUR TIME!” to “Let’s hunt wererabbits!”

Now to said monster of the week

We have a spooky hotel which is being investigated by Tasha Banes. We’ve never met her – but we’ve met her twins children – Max and Alicia.

Tasha is a witch – but a good one (which is damn rare in the Supernatural world. Which I would consider something to consider as noteworthy given that this can be seen as demonising religious practice… but then this show also has a whole lot of evil Angels as well. And god was a bit of a self-absorbed whiney arsehole. So “religious power used often for evil” seems fairly universal)

She is examining some kind of bad woo-woo in this hotel – she finds a woman with a bad attitude and is then promptly stabbed.

Cut to Max and Alicia. Alicia is worried about her mother’s absence and calls Mary – getting Dean and Sam instead and they decide to join in. Max continues to insist everything is fine because denial is a very commonly chosen solution by so many people.

To the inn where they find Tasha, apparently alive and well. Since we all know that’s a lie absolutely no-one is shocked when Sam discovers people around the inn supposedly went missing years ago. After a few discussions about family that circle the same Dean/Sam/Mary vortex we’ve been swirling in all season.

Tasha is exposed as a fake and Max uses his woo-woo (since, unlike his sister, he inherited his mother’s witchy powers) to try and expose her. This alerts all the cloned minions of the house who are all pretty much invulnerable and a long battle follows

The Leftovers, Season Three, Episode Four: G'Day Melbourne

Kevin and Nora are on their way to Australia, supposedly to investigate the group which offered to send Nora where her family is.  Rather than talking to Kevin about how to bring the 20K into Australia, Nora chooses to smuggle it in herself. This is a risk Nora didn't have to take because if she had talked to Kevin, she could have divided the money between the two of them. Instead of talking about this, they have frantic sex on the diaper changing station in the bathroom. Yes, please say eww because that's disgusting.  This one scene pretty much encapsulates their relationship in so many ways. Both of them are suffering and trying to so hard to understand and negotiate the world around them but neither of them is willing to have a simple conversation. When Kevin and Nora are lost or desperate, they don't speak, they fuck as though the physical connection could somehow make up for the myriad of ways in which they don't actually trust each other. 

Safe in the hotel room, Nora brings up the book of Kevin, which Kevin claims to have read on the plane there.  Nora quizzes him to find out if he's telling the truth, never once thinking that maybe Kevin knows what happens in the book because he lived it or at least a part of his delusional mind did.  This is yet another subject that the two are unwilling to talk about.  

Nora is adamant that she has to see these people by herself and Kevin doesn't push the issue.  Even though Nora has no jurisdiction in Australia, she's told Kevin that she's going to find and expose these people. It screams absolute bullshit because clearly, Nora is going to take the leap in the hope of being with her family again, something else they don't speak about.  Nora's phone rings and she's told that a bus will be out front in fifteen minutes and that she's to board it and stay on it until the last stop.  Nora goes rushing outside.

As Nora waits for the bus, a woman approaches and asks if she is a mother. When Nora says yes, the woman asks Nora to hold her baby while she does an interview. The woman is convinced that if she goes in with a baby that she won't get the job. Nora hesitates because she knows that she cannot afford to miss the bus and the woman begs.  Nora finally agrees to take the child. Not long after the woman walks off, the bus arrives. Nora is informed by the driver that if she misses this bus that she'll have to wait another 45 minutes. Nora begs the driver to wait and rushes into the restaurant to hand the woman back her child, announcing that it's illegal to discriminate on her way out.  When Nora makes it outside, the bus is just pulling away. Nora races and get lucky because the bus stops and she's allowed to board.

Kevin is still in the room and he trying to read the book but is annoyed by the television. After finding no way to turn off the tv, he calls down to the front desk where they promise to reboot the tv from there.  Kevin vaguely pays attention to the television and he hears that there are two missing Kevin's. One of them is a sheriff and the other of course is his father. As the camera pans to the crowd at G'day Melbourne, Kevin spots none other than Evie Murphy, who's supposed to be dead. Evie is holding a sign which points to an apocalyptic passage from the Koran. Of course, this is when the television reboots. Unable to turn the tv back on, Kevin rushes to the site where G'day Melbourne is being filmed live.  To do this, he has to walk right past Nora, who at the time is waiting for her bus.  It's yet another indicator that these two are going their separate ways. 

Kevin manages to catch up with Evie, except she says repeatedly that she doesn't know him.  Kevin of course is absolutely insistent and demands to know what else is wanted of him. The woman Kevin believes to be Evie gives a different name and says that she's not the person he's looking for.  It's clear that Kevin's become unhinged and even a little desperate.  A passerby notices the confrontation between Evie and Kevin and intervenes. For his trouble, Kevin is head butted but he does manage to snap a photo of Evie as proof.  

Kevin calls Laurie, who's just finishing up a session with someone looking for peace.  Kevin wants Laurie to get on the internet and track the name Evie gave him, the way she does with people who come to her looking for closure.  Laurie of course does not believe that Evie is alive and so Kevin sends Laurie the picture he took.  Laurie lets slip something about the public library and tells Kevin to stay away from it but of course that's exactly where Kevin goes.

Lucifer, Season Two, Episode Fifteen: Deceptive Little Parasite

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Ever since Charlotte managed to return to earth her goal has been to make up with her boys and somehow get back to heaven.  She's schemed to the point where she's hurt Lucifer horribly.  After all of this time, it seems that Charlotte has finally stumbled upon the one thing she needs to get the gates of heaven to open at long last - Azrael's blade.  The problem with this is that Lucifer is the lightbringer and he's the only one who can wield it as intended but to do so, Lucifer has to get control of his emotions. That's a steep task. 

Charlotte tries to encourage Lucifer to think of his father and get angry because the last time he managed the sword he was enraged.  Lucifer gives his best attempt but nothing happens. Amenadiel tries punching Lucifer but other than irritating him, nothing changes.  Lucifer hands Amenadiel the sword with the intention of kicking him in the nuts to get even but Charlotte is quick to put a stop to it. 

Unable to wield the sword, Lucifer moves onto plan two, which involves a visit to Dr. Linda.  Dr. Linda is instantly distracted with questions about heaven, like does it really have pearly gates and is it filled with clouds.  This causes Lucifer to snark about his father looking like Morgan Freeman.  In Dr. Linda's defense wouldn't you ask those same questions? Lucifer then turns the subject to the matter at hand and is informed that emotions cannot be controlled. Dr. Linda is sure that Lucifer married Candy in order to hide something and that what he really needs to do is to drop his barriers and feel.  Lucifer of course is resistant to this and in shock that Dr. Linda doesn't have the inside track on controlling emotions. 

It's morning and Maze is shocked to see that Chloe forgot to make breakfast and so assumes that something is wrong with her. Chloe takes this as a suggestion that Maze is interested in learning about her feelings and so she opens up about her thoughts on Lucifer's marriage. Maze however is not in the mood to be an emotional support and so simply puts in her headphones and pretends to listen as Chloe pours out her heart.  When Chloe realises that Maze has only been pretending to listen, Maze claims that dealing with human emotions on an empty stomach makes her stomach ill. 

Lucifer and Chloe meet up at a crime scene.  Lucifer is still trying to get into Chloe's good books so he greets her with a coffee. Debbie, the murdered woman, is the head of admissions at a prestigious elementary school. It's Chloe who discovers that a pair of scissors is missing and suggests that this might be the murder weapon. With little to go on, Lucifer and Chloe decide to speak to Debbie's boss Murray, who calls Debbie the heart and soul of the academy. The interview really doesn't give them much to go on but Murray's admission that the school focuses on emotional self-control peaks Lucifer's interest. Lucifer stops asking questions about Debbie, and starts to grill Murray on emotional control. Murray explains that parents often notice a difference after the first class. That's enough to get Lucifer looking through brochures while Chloe takes over the questioning. No one is as perfect, as or enemy free as Murray suggests Debbie is and so Chloe questions if Debbie had ever been stalked by parents who were desperate to get their kids into the school. This is when Murray remembers that Debbie did indeed have an incident with a set of parents. 

Chloe decides to investigate the angry parents and calls them into the police station. Apparently, the parents were told that if they gave the school a large donation that their son would be admitted.  The school cashed the check and their son was not admitted. Debbie claimed that the school never got the donation. Both parents are suitably in a rage which turns to confusion when Dan enters the room with a photograph of the murder weapon that the police retrieved from their home. 

That evening, Lucifer is at Lux, and the bar is in full swing. Rather than presiding over the action, Lucifer is actually at the bar reading a children's book on emotions that he clearly picked up at the academy.  Lucifer is then approached by three women who have similar features to Chloe looking to have sex.  Lucifer quickly figures out that this was set up by Charlotte and so he calls out for his mother. Charlotte appears and explains that she set this up to see if it would give him the ability to wield the sword. Lucifer sends the women on their way and admonishes Charlotte saying that "a foursome is not an emotion." 

Lucifer returns to reading his book, certain that he will get a handle on things soon. Charlotte however suggests that Lucifer would understand her urgency if he had a child.  Rather than understanding that Charlotte is missing her other children, Charlotte's comment inspires Lucifer to believe that the answer to his problem is a child.

The next morning, Lucifer simply shows up at Chloe's home startling her. Given the surprise of the parents she interviewed yesterday, Chloe now believes that the knife was planted and that someone might be embezzling money from the school. Chloe and Lucifer walk into Trixie's room to find that she isn't ready yet, which is a problem because Chloe doesn't have time to drive Trixe today. Lucifer volunteers to drive Trixie to school much to the surprise of Chloe. 

Rather than taking Trixie to her normal school, Lucifer takes Trixie to the academy and tells her that if she plays along, he'll get her whatever she wants. As Lucifer and Trixie are given a tour of the school, Trixie grabs Lucifer's hand. Lucifer of course wants to know if Trixie has a leash or something because he doesn't like the skin contact. The P.E. teacher is the one giving the tour because of course, Debbie is dead.  Lucifer isn't pleased with the pace of the tour because he's only really interested in learning how to control emotions. 

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Six: Isolated Above, Connected Below

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In the last episode, Riley played a concert in order to reach out to other sensates. Will's cluster may be intimately connected with each other (remember sensate orgy) but that doesn't mean that other clusters are the same, nor does that mean for a moment that there's any kind of trust between clusters.  Other than being sensates what they all have in common is that they are being hunted by Whispers and that means that not everyone can be trusted because some will make deals with the devil in order to survive.  

Will and Riley are traveling by train and Will is on blockers to make himself invisible to Whispers.  This means that when a new sensate shows up, Riley is his contact person because she's the only person who can see him.  A Scottish man who appeared at the party the night before appears to Riley but absolutely refuses to give her his name because he doesn't trust that she isn't working for BPO. He asks to be called Old Man Hoy because having spent 30 years on the run, his trust isn't something he gives away easily. That's about all Hoy is willing to share before disappearing. 

Feeling inspired after the concert, Lito takes his talents to the kitchen where he makes an epic breakfast to celebrate his decision to travel to São Paulo and be the grand marshal. When Lito, Hernando and Daniela The Fetishist arrive at the airport, there are quite a few fans waiting to greet Lito. It's just what he needs to boost his spirits, even if he's nervous at the very idea of giving a speech to start off the festivities. 

Now that the e-death has been accomplished, Nomi and Amanita are finally free to return to their home. It's a beautiful moment because they've been on the run for so very long.  Maybe, just maybe things will finally work out for these two and they absolutely deserve it.  They aren't free from the threat that BPO poses but they finally have a place where they can feel safe and have privacy from prying eyes. It's a small victory and it's worth celebrating. 

As for Sun, her small respite is over. Her teacher may have provided her with food and shelter but she cannot stay there forever.  The cops already suspect that she may be hiding there. Sun says goodbye to her dog and her teacher once again but she promises that she will come back one day.  It's what Sun needs to do but it's still so sad. For Sun, the respite can only be brief because not only does she have to worry about BPO, Joon-Ki isn't going to stop until she's dead. 

Capheus left Zakia's network thinking that his feelings might not be returned but it turns out that the dudebros were wrong.  Zakia flags down Capheus's bus and while Jela and his passengers listen in, Zakia admits that she did have a same sex relationship in London.  Zakia explains that she's attracted to people and not genitals. This makes yet another LGBT character on Sense8, which is easily the most diverse show that we do. Zakia says that it's now time for her to show some courage and she and Capheus kiss, while the passengers and Jela cheer. Capheus points out that they are different worlds but Zakia says that tonight they are not.

Capheus and Zakia head off to Zakia's place and start to have sex.  The one thing we know is that when one sensate has sex, others are likely to as well.  We aren't treated to a group orgy scene but we do finally get the pay off of Wolfie and Kala getting it on.  It was all so damn hot I had to fan myself.  Of course, Wolfie and Kala aren't together in the same way that Zakia and Capheus are but as Wolfie proved earlier, that isn't a barrier to sensates. 

The next morning, a naked Capheus goes onto Zakia's balcony and thrusts his hands in the air in triumph and after a night like that, I certainly don't blame him. Capheus then makes his way into Zakia's kitchen and seems astounded by everyday things like a cappuccino maker. It's a reminder of just how different Zakia's life is from his.  Zakia who was educated in London has privilege that Capheus has never had. 

Wolfie is absolutely happy to have spent the night with Kala but instead of greeting the day with arms raised in celebration, he's kissed awake by Rajan.  It's a funny moment and a reminder of just how weird life as a sensate can be sometimes. Kala on the other hand seems to have some regret in the harsh light of the morning.  She may have wanted to sleep with Wolfie but faced with Rajan's smiling face, she's reminded that she broke her vow by doing so. 

Capheus sits to have breakfast with Zakia and he reveals that the head of the Kenyan Democratic Reform Party paid him a visit. Zakia is impressed until Capheus makes it clear that he cut the meeting short and showed the man the door. Zakia is insistent that the leader is a brilliant man and that if he chose to speak to Capheus,  this means he has something important to say.  Capheus once again stresses that he is not a politician and it's Zakia who uses Capheus's words against him this time saying that he's a leader. Touché

The next sensate to introduce themselves to Riley is Puck. Yes, they met when he was examining the blockers but he didn't reveal at the time that he's a sensate. Puck is truly a gross human being and has no problem sexually harassing Riley. What Puck won't do however is give Riley any information or reveal his source for blockers. Like Mr. Hoy, Puck is not keen on trusting any sensate because of the potential for betrayal to BPO. 

Tuesday, May 9, 2017

Into The Badlands, Season Two, Episode Eight: Sting of the Scorpion's Tail,

The Widow made a deal with the devil when she chose to make an alliance with Quinn. It is however allowing her to deal with the other Barons. This week, Hassan is having trouble with supplies and his cogs are deserting quickly.  No matter what threat the Barons pose, The Widows offer of freedom from tyranny if the cogs join with her is too much to resist.  The Widow however isn't content with simply depleting Hassan's forces and this week she shows up to take his head. When The Widow meets with Quinn to discuss their success, she learns that not only did he take out another Baron but he took out the Baron's wife and children as well. This is enough to have Tilda grabbing for her weapon only to have The Widow shut it down.  The Widow may not like that Quinn has killed innocent women and children but she sees this as something she has to tolerate until the other Barons are dealt with.

While The Widow is in a meeting with Quinn, Tilda talks with Veil.  Things aren't going well for Veil now that she and Henry are back in Quinn's custody. Veil has no problem letting Tilda know that the Widow isn't the saviour that she pretends to be, otherwise The Widow never would have subjected a woman and her innocent child to Quinn.  Veil believes that Tilda made a mistake by not poisoning The Widow when she had a chance and that she made a mistake by not killing Quinn when she had a chance.  Veil is thus implying that the blood of whoever dies to satisfy the power lust of the Widow and Quinn is directly on their hands. Tilda is clearly upset seeing Veil this way but at this point, she's not ready to turn her back on The Widow, whom she calls Mother. Tilda is desperately holding onto the idea that the Widow is different from all of the other Barons and that she wants freedom for everyone.

They've traveled a long way but Bajie, M.K. and Sunny are finally ready to cross the border into the Badlands.  M.K. and Sunny hang back while Bajie makes a trade with a smuggler for passage for the three of them.  Bajie is not impressed when neither M.K. or Sunny praise him for his efforts, or even say thank you. Sunny is concerned that they are gong to be double crossed but Bajie points out that their coin is good and that he trusts the smuggler as much as one can trust a smuggler.  As it turns out, Sunny's suspicions were correct and the smuggler does indeed betray them in order to earn twice the money.  Finding themselves out numbered and out armed, Sunny, Bajie and M.K. have no choice but to surrender themselves to Chau's forces.

It short order, Bajie, M.K. and Sunny find themselves the newest residents of Chau's jail cell. Bajie of course sees the upside and points out that at least they've made it back into the Badlands.  At this point Bajie, M.K. and Sunny don't have many options and so Sunny decides to lean on the one piece of leverage that he does have. Before Sunny was betrayed, he  was the most famous clipper in the Badlands.  Sunny calls over one of Chau's men and reveals his tattoos, saying that Chau is going to want to see him.

Chau welcomes Sunny back to the Badlands and informs him that much has changed in his absence.  She also drops the hammer about Quinn still being alive. Chaus knows that she's next on the Widow and Quinn's hit list and she's determined not to end up headless like the other Barons.  Chau is quick to realise what an asset Sunny can be and she offers him the job of Regent. Sunny however isn't interested in returning to murder for a Baron and proposes an alternative deal. Since both of them want Quinn dead, Sunny suggests that they use M.K. to draw The Widow out into the open instead. Sunny is certain that The Widow will want M.K. because she doesn't know that he no longer has his powers. To accomplish this, Sunny suggests that Chau have one of her men pretend to defect and tell the Widow that Chau is planning on trading M.K. to the River King in order to get supplies to defend her turf.  Chau doesn't bite immediately but in the end decides to go with Sunny's plan because it costs her nothing if Sunny dies and if he does manage to kill Quinn, and at least neutralize the Widow, the war will be over.

Sunny returns to the jail cell to get M.K. and Bajie yells at Sunny about his betrayal. Bajie is particularly pissed because he saved Sunny's life.  In his anger, Bajie doesn't see Sunny drop a silver bookmark in his pocket.  Later, alone in his cell, Bajie is ranting to his new cellmate about Sunny when he discovers the bookmark. Bajie uses the bookmark to pick the lock to get out of his cell and he slips outside and steals a motorcycle. Before Bajie leaves however, he sees M.K. in the back of a truck and decides to follow, rather than simply going his own way.

Back home, an upset Tilda decides to confront The Widow on her treatment of Veil.  The Widow says that she chose to punish Veil for trying to turn Tilda against her.  Tilda of course doesn't see this as a good enough reason, so The Widow argues that Veil is just one person and that by turning Veil over to Quinn, she now has the ability to save so many people. Furthermore, with Quinn's people leading the charge against the other Barons, it means risking the lives of the butterflies less.  The Widow and Tilda don't get to finish the argument because Odessa enters the room to report that one of Chau's people is claiming that he is defecting.  Just as Sunny planned, Chau's man drops the detail about M.K. being sold to the River King.

Once Upon A Time, Season Six, Episode Twenty: The Song in Your Heart

Not being a fan of musicals generally speaking, I certainly wasn't looking forward to this episode.  Why oh why do networks insist on doing a musical episode when they run out of ideas? It's usually a sign of desperation on the part of the writers. Also, let's be honest, just because someone can act doesn't mean that they can sing, resulting in torture for the viewer, who feels that they have to watch in order not to miss any kind of advancement in the meta.  More often than not, I find myself feeling sorry for actors forced into this position because they have to know the minute the inevitable musical episode is proposed that A) their show is on its last legs and B) they are going to embarrass themselves with off key singing while trying to sell their characters to the audience. With that being said, let's look at the bad and the very very bad of the musical episode of Once Upon A Time

It begins with a flashback to little orphan Emma trying to record a hit song for a musical competition at the school.  This is ruined when a fellow orphan enters the room and berates Emma for her effort, saying that people will just realise that Emma's a nobody if she makes this attempt.  Why is there always a mean girl? Also, in the nineties, weren't we all just a bit over trying to be Madonna?  Why the hell wasn't Emma channeling her internal Alanis Morrisette?  The 90's were all about girl power in pop. Also, am I the only one wondering why only the mean girl got to wear flannel?  Okay, so I digress but can you blame me for not wanting to get to the point in this recap when poor Lana Parrilla was forced to sing?

In the present, it's officially Emma's wedding day and though she has two dresses, neither of them feel quite right.  An anxious Snow arrives and offers to let Emma wear her wedding dress.  Has anyone looked at the differences between these two women?  Snow is quite a deal shorter than Emma so I don't think that her wedding dress would look right on her anyway.  You cannot just lengthen a dress easily unless it has a massive hem to begin with.  At any right, we're just going to pretend that they are so similar in size that Emma will look smashing in her mother's dress.

Flash again but this time it's to Snow and Charmings wedding day. A heavily pregnant Snow is extremely frustrated and freaking out that they won't be able to do right by their baby thanks to the Evil Queen. Charming encourages Snow to calm down because their baby doesn't need her mama in a tizzy.  Snow steps out on to the balcony and makes a wish that her daughter will find happiness.  The next morning, Snow wakes up and finds that everything she tries to say comes out in song.  Does she immediately call for a Doctor for fear that she's taken leave of her senses? Why of course not just continues to sing with the blue bird which just happened to fly into her window.  It seems that this singing thing is contagious because David waltzes in the room and is singing as well.  Together they decide that their singing is the perfect weapon to defeat the Evil Queen. 

Ginnifer Goodwin and Josh Dallas are actually pretty good in fact, I would go as far as to say that I even enjoyed Dallas's singing.  Unfortunately because everything that sang had to end in a rhyme and Emma and Charming are generally as exciting as wet lettuce, Goodwin and Dallas couldn't save this scene. There are somethings that talent alone cannot hide.  It also didn't help that it set a standard for the rest of the episode which was not met by the other actors. 

Snow returns with the wedding dress but as soon as Emma touches the dress, the Black Fairy turns up and turns the dress black. Personally I cannot help but think that the Black Fairy did Emma a solid here.  How the hell was she going to wear a gown that Snow who has a completely different build than her daughter and was pregnant at the time and not look like a hot mess? Emma needs to say thank you to the Black Fairy for saving her from having to spill something on the dress when she realised how awful she looked in it. So, everyone is in shock that Rumple didn't follow through and take out his mother. Umm excuse me, did they just meet Rumple? Haven't they spent six years learning that he's not to be trusted? The Black Fairy makes it clear that she and Emma are going to fight and that Emma has changed a bit since being a lonely angsty wannabe 90's orphan pop star. To add a little salt to the wounds, The Black Fairy sends the merry band of heroes to the clock tower where she's arranged to curse the town at 6pm - the same time as Emma's wedding. You gotta hand it to the Black Fairy for style and epic party crashing. 

Doctor Who, Season Ten, Episode Four: Knock Knock

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Bill is taking the next step on her path adulthood and independence - she's getting her own place, if she can find one that's affordable.  Bill has six roommates to split the rent and still yet, they cannot find anything they can afford on their budget, until they run into a senior gentleman who just happens to have a place for let at a price too good to pass up. The kids are excited by just how much space they have and the fact that the house has a tower; however they keep waiting for the shoe to fall. There must be something wrong with the place if the landlord is willing to rent it so cheaply but having no other options, they sign the lease.  One kid is so excited that he moves his stuff in that night.

The Doctor shows up in his Tardis to help Bill move and comments that he's surprised that she doesn't have more stuff.  It's a lowkey reminder of Bill's financial state.  If you don't have a lot money, you don't have the ability to accumulate a lot of things. Bill is content to have the Doctor just drop her possessions on the sidewalk out front of the house but the Doctor is quick to notice that something is wrong and decides to follow Bill inside.  Bill immediately starts trying to drop less than casual hints that the Doctor should leave, saying that there's nothing wrong with the house.

Finally alone in her room, Bill hangs a picture of her mother and asks if her mother is proud of her because she has her own place.  The walls and floors creek and Bill reminds herself that she just in an old house and that none of the phenomena that she has been exposed to since meeting with the Doctor exist here. She does however acknowledge that it's scary to be sharing a home with essentially six strangers. When Bill returns downstairs, surprise surprise the Doctor is still there.  Bill introduces him to her roommates as her grandfather and he suggests that he doesn't look that old and says father.  Bill is finally forced to pull the Doctor aside and explain that this is where her boundary is. For Bill, there's her life in the Tardis with the Doctor, and then there's her home and her private life which is hers and hers alone.

In recent years, the companions have all had their own lives. Rory and Amy treated going away with the Doctor as a sort of extended vacation but they were also interested in an every day life where Rory went to work as a nurse and they did everyday activities. Clara kept her job as a teacher right down to the end. Even River managed to go to school and become an archaeologist in between travelling with the Doctor when Amy and Rory were sleeping and getting into all kinds of trouble. Each one of them kept a boundary between their life on the Tardis with the Doctor and their everyday existence.  Given that we know that life on the Tardis with the Doctor -- no matter how fantastic it is -- always comes to an end, it's probably a good idea.  What I love about Bill is that she actually articulated where her boundaries lay and pushed the Doctor to honour them, though in this case didn't work out.

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Five: Fear Never Fixed Anything

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The sensates have never really been in denial about how much danger they are in. They know that they're being hunted by BPO because they are different. They know that they had to come together to rescue Riley last season.  Will has had to spend months on hard drugs in order to stop Whispers from tracking them. The knife has quite literally been hanging over their heads but up until Jonas was killed, they were intact.  Jonas may not be a part of their cluster but he was important to them and now he's gone.  Jonas's death is keenly felt and it accomplished exactly what BPO wanted, they are all afraid and at a loss for what to do.  Jonas was the last member of his cluster and what happened to him, could easily happen to them if they don't find a way to escape BPO. 

Even with BPO hanging over their heads they still have to continue their everyday lives and the struggle that comes with it.  It's what reminds us that though the sensates are different because they communicate differently than sapiens, they live and share the same world. This is what helps to keep the story grounded. 

Between his exploits with Silas and being interviewed on television, Capheus is attracting more and more attention.  The Kenyan Democratic Reform Party pays Capheus a visit about running for office.  Naturally, Capheus denies that he's a politician and wants no part of this.  It must weigh heavily upon him that when his father stood up to be counted he was killed.  The leaders tell Capheus that they don't want a politician and that they want a leader but Capheus refuses to entertain the idea even briefly and is quick to escort them out of his home. Personally, I can see why Capheus is so appealing to  The Kenyan Democratic Reform Party. Capheus speaks passionately about income inequality, changes that need to be made to the system and our shared humanity. 

Kala pays a visit to her father and he has her try a new recipe he is working on. Kala is clearly distracted.  On one hand she is drawn to Wolfie and cannot really deny the feelings she has for him and then there's her marriage to Rajan. Rajan may have provided Kala with a beautiful home, a wonderful wedding and honeymoon but he's certainly keeping secrets when it comes to work.  Kala is a deeply religious woman and she pledged her love, body and loyalty to Rajan and her feelings for Wolfie are in direct conflict with that. Sanyam may not have the answers, particularly because he doesn't know exactly what his daughter is going through but he does offer some comfort and promise that things will eventually make sense and she will know what to do. 

Sun is now on the run by herself and so she turns to her former teacher.  For Sun, simple comforts go along way. Not only is she reunited with her teacher, she's reunited with her dog.  A night's sleep, a shower and a warm meal leave her feeling much more like herself. Her tranquility however is ruptured when Joong-Ki appears on television to make a plea for his big sister to turn herself in. An enraged Sun, breaks the television and instantly feels regret; however Kang-Dae makes it clear that if she didn't do it he would have.  Sun begins intensive training, even though she currently doesn't have a plan for how to move forward. All Sun knows is that she has an enemy and that she won't stop until that enemy is dead. Sun however does get a visit from a former opponent/lover, now cop. He doesn't speak to Sun directly however does make it clear that he knows that Joong-Ki is no innocent and only needs some time to prove it. The cops says that he knows that Sun needs a friend. Alright, I had a little bit of squee because I really want Sun to have something good happen to her. 

Nomi, Amanita and Bug are busy picking up the pieces by continuing the investigation by working with the only lead they have left - the pictures that Lito took in Raoul's room when he visited Raoul's father.  It's Amanita who finds the manufacturer of the equipment that Angelica used and traces it back to the University of Chicago. This seems to be ongoing because the company is still supplying the university. I knew that Angelica, despite her name was no damn innocent. 

At this point, Nomi's life is still very restricted because she's a wanted woman and Amanita's run in with Agent Bendix is a stark reminder that the authorities are not going give up until they have her in custody.  It's Bug who comes up with the key to Nomi getting her life back - e-death.  At first, Amanita is irked because he didn't mention this before and it would have saved them so much trouble but as it turns out, Bug only knows a guy, who know a guy, who can make it happen. Bug assures the women that he's already started the process. Could there be a light at the end of the tunnel for Nomi? It would be nice, particularly because Nomi's sister is about to get married and Nomi has been asked to be the maid of honour. It's time to see "The Guy", that is if Bug can stop with the pregnant pauses to make every word he utters that much more dramatic. Yeah, Bug is growing on me, even if he's getting on Amanita's last nerve. 

Monday, May 8, 2017

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Four: Polyphony

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Things are looking grim for the sensates. At the end of the last episode, just as Will and Croomer were forging a deal and a possible path forward, Croomer was stabbed to death courtesy of none other than Whispers.  Will is already a wanted man and with two dead bodies lying on the floor, the police are going to want to talk to him.  Will doesn't have much time. Nomi discoveres that the police were called before he even arrived.  Whispers is so very good at what he does. Will and Riley must make it out of the museum somehow. It's Lito who comes in handy this time and when he takes over Riley, he pretends to be hysterical. It's the distraction that Will needs to slip out of the building unnoticed and great comic relief.

Once Will and Riley are clear of the building, the other sensates arrive to discuss what to do next.  This is when Wolfie finally makes an appearance.  Wolfie apologises for being late but explains that he has met someone who might be able to them. He's talking about Lila, the woman he had psychic sex with in the last episode. Lila may know more about what is going on than they do but at this point, the sensates have no idea whether they can trust her or not. For all the sensates know, Lila could be working for BPO and waiting for an opportunity to sell them out. Wolfie asks Nomi to run a check on Lila.

While the sensates have been talking, to Bug, it looks like Nomi has been talking to herself.  Bug finally decides that it's time to ask Nomi what is really going on. Nomi turns to the other sensates for advice on what to do but they leave it in her hands. Nomi and Amanita sit Bug down and tell him about sensates and his mind is absolutely blown. Nomi reminds Bug that they need discretion because one false step could be a disaster. Amanita and Nomi share a concerned look as Bug stumbles out of the room.  Clearly Bug can be trusted because he's letting Nomi and Amanita stay there but discretion doesn't seem to be his strong suit.

Sun is on a roof top and she's working out, clearly trying to come to peace with everything that has happened. Sun's approached by the woman she escaped the prison with and is informed that it was indeed her brother who tired to have her killed. This is really a no shit sherlock moment; however, it's saved by a discussion of Sun's brave and warm heart.  The woman is worried that whatever Sun plans to do to her brother will change who she is as a person and that this would be a terrible thing.  I tend to agree with that. 

While Sun is having her little heart to heart, Kala returns to the same temple that her father in-law was stabbed at to find a protest going on.  It seems he spearheaded a war against idol worship and the Hindu population is not at all happy and rightfully feels it's an infringement on their religious freedom. Capheus is also involved in trouble when while driving his bus, he is forced to stop because it is surrounded by people chanting Van Damme.  The local government has once again raised the price of water and the people have decided that they aren't going to take it anymore. Nomi finds herself at the side of both Kala and Capheus which is a problem because Amanita is currently being followed by Agent Bendix, determined to find out where the women are living now.  Between what's going on with Kala, Capheus and Amanita, Nomi is absolutely overwhelmed. When Amanita makes it home safely, Nomi crumples in tears.

Things are about to get more intense for Kala. When Kala returns from a shopping trip she is greeted by armed security. It seems that the government has decided that their family needs security because someone sent a bomb to Rajan because of his father's restrictive policies on religion.  

Riley takes the drugs Will was given by Croomer to a friend to find out what is in them.  The sensates need to find a way to stop Whispers from tracking Will but aren't sure if they can trust the drugs that Croomer gave Will. Kala shows up to ask questions about what the pills are made of and how they will effect the person who takes it.  It's very clear that the person Riley turned to for help is totally into her and the sensates actually gossip about this as Riley does her best to act normal and as though there aren't several people carrying on an invisible conversation around her. 

That night, Rajan takes Kala to an art gallery.  After meeting one of Rajan's friends, Kala excuses herself to go the bathroom where she runs into Wolfie.  Wolfie is in what is now Felix's club in Germany.  Kala wants to know why things are so difficult between them and Wolfie explains that Kala deserves happiness.  This of course is when Lila decides to make an appearance. Lila quickly becomes aware that Wolfie is with someone else but she cannot see Kala. Lila starts to talk about the fun of a threesome, as Kala suggests that maybe she's not such a good person after all.  Wolfie turns from Lila to Kala but before they can kiss, Kala is called away.

Wolfie then finds himself sitting in Lila's car. Wolfie has figured out that Lila is working for the drug lord as a form of protection and that she's not being hunted by BPO.  Wolfie of course wants to know how it is that Lila accomplished that but she's not exactly forthcoming with details except to say think of what you want most and then think about what you'd be willing to do to achieve it. It's pretty dark but it's absolutely meant to be. 

Sunday, May 7, 2017

Sense8, Season Two, Episode Three: Obligate Mutualisms

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After spending months on the run and Will risking his life by taking drugs in order to block out Whispers, the sensates have finally had the break they've needed. They've managed to track down Whispers when he's in a meeting with Croome.  Now they know at least one man of power behind the mystery and the sensates intend to leverage what they've learned.  Will has no problem goading Whispers, an honestly Whispers needs to be taken down a peg.  

Sensing that he's in a position of power, Will decides that it's time to make some demands.  Will asks to speak to the man in charge and orders Whispers to repeat exactly what he says, so that he can communicate with Croome. In order to encourage Croome that it is in his best interests to talk, Nomi does some hacking and informs Will that Croome ordered some flowers for a sick Aunt and that he also has a mistress named Rita.  Will's next request is for a meeting with Croome and Jonas without Whispers being present.  Whispers starts to hesitate about passing on the message and so Will has Nomi text Croome directly with his demands. Frustrated with Whispers, Croome orders him drugged and taken away.

This is the first time in months that the sensates no longer have the threat of Whispers hanging over their heads and they take advantage of it. It's a beautiful day outside and the sensates all take a walk on the streets of Amsterdam. The war is far from over but in this moment, it's time to celebrate and enjoy their small victory.  Even Sun, who is still trapped in a South Korean prison gets a sense of freedom. It's a powerful moment. 

Lito is on cloud nine when he enters the office of his management team to discuss his upcoming film project. The joy just leaps off of Lito as he talks about how beautiful the city is and how wonderful it is to be alive.  Lito's management is far more subdued because the news they have for him is not good. It seems that the film's producers have evoked a morals clause and have decided to drop Lito. This deflates all of the positive energy Lito walked into the room with. His management however still believe in him and hand him a large stack of scripts for him to consider. It's explained to Lito that they've had to turn down a lot of scripts in the past because of his busy schedule and though he's been kicked off one film, he still has the opportunity to find something else and fall in love with the story. 

Felix has been offered a free club by a local crime lord and so Felix and Wolfie head off to sign the paperwork.  Wolfie is caught unaware when he learns that the crime lord's partner is not only a woman, but also another sensate.  She is quick to initiate sex with Wolfie right under the nose of the crime lord. Wolfie is amazed that it feels like they are touching though they are actually sitting across the table from each other.  As the crime lord discusses his money laundering scheme, Wolfie and the woman have sex. This is the first time that Wolfie has visited with someone outside of his cluster. 

Sun is having a decidedly less pleasurable time.  Without warning, Sun is dragged out of her cell.  Sun instantly realises that something is wrong and she reaches out to Nomi. Because Sun is danger, all of the other sensates show up to help her out. It's Will who notices that these aren't regular guards because their uniforms don't fit properly and the tasers are pointing the wrong direction.  Nomi notices that the surveillance has been turned off in the room they are about to drag Sun in and tells her to fight. With the aid of both Wolfie and Will, Sun fights back but she's overpowered. Sun is dragged into the room and tased several times which each of the sensates experiences.  This is a dangerous thing for Caphues who is currently driving a bus. The fake guards get a rope around Sun's neck and begin the process of hanging her, which all of the sensates experience as well. In India, Kala falls to the ground choking unable to breathe. Fortunately, another prisoner enters the room and stabs one of the fake guards which causes Sun to fall to the ground. Sun catches her breathe and with the aid of Wolfie and Will, she takes out the rest of the guards. This scene is so damn awesome that I found myself cheering and carrying on.