#I used ai for this because I suck at storytelling. | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

sacredglitch · 7 months

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i have eeped, woken up and cried

I have some thoughts. MW3 spoilers below.

Major thing out of the way; everyone is gonna experience the campaign at different lengths depending on skill and difficulty they choose. I started around 9/10pm and finished at 5am, so it took me quite some time, predominantly with issues in the Weapons Free missions and the Ally AI just never backing me up? Felt a lil like Rudy in the Ghost Team mission yknow?

But it was a fun experience in gameplay standpoint. There was elements of both MW and MWII alongside some new things that I still gotta get used to once MP drops. But story wise?

Something felt weird. Like it wasn't as consise as MWII with its storytelling. All that took, what? A few days? Maybe even weeks to come to completion. With this game, bar the flashback mission, I never knew how closely related each mission was unless it was explicitly clear, like Passenger and the mission with Farah inspecting the debris. You know that was only hours apart from one another.

Characters also felt a little odd. Like there was moments where it felt like yeah, these are the crew I know and others where it's like....who am I listening to right now? There was just an air of tension with it all, and yes with who they were dealing with ofc there's tension...but idk again the flow wasn't there like the other two games.

Okay elephant in the room; Soap and Makarov. The amount of times Soap was on the verge of whipping out his pistol or knife and just ending it and no one letting him? If Makarov was such a major threat; sometimes the information he may or may not have had just isn't worth it. Thousands would be alive if Johnny was just let loose and take out the trash. But because he wasn't he's now dead.

And Makarov lives. What the fuck, Activision? Infinity Ward? Fucking Sledgehammer?! What was the point of killing off someone who they know damn well is beloved in the fandom (yes, he died in the OG but hear me out) as is his actor, let the baddie get away, and then just....end it with the 141 spreading his ashes. No revenge for Soap, no honouring what he wanted from the beGINNING, no nothing. Just somewhat dull words from the team, his ashes spread and roll credits.

It's giving rushed story for no fucking reason. I wouldn't be so mad if they just did something after that. Sure, one could say this is them building up to MWIV but it also could have been dealt with one more mission. It truly feels like a slap to the face for the fans, cause we know OG Soap's death was agonising but it had its resolution with Price honouring his men.

If this was the second game then it would also make more sense, build up to the conclusion. But no, this was what most of us expected to be the big finale of Makarov and this current story of Modern Warfare, and it wasn't. Just more prolonged waiting that they're probably going to rush to get out next year. It's truly a shame on the big trio working on this game, but also towards the new fans and in my eyes, Neil too. This was his big break in sorts and it's clear by fan interaction he loves being Soap. I'm glad he seems to be the main protagonist of Zombies which makes me hope he'll be in more things or some pre campaign things but damn. Imagine getting the role of a beloved character, giving them an incredible performance just to be shot point blank and given a dull ending. That would make me feel betrayed but ofc I won't speak for Neil, I have 0 clue how he feels on all this. Hell he could be all for it. Just...truly sucks from a fans perspective.

One final thing is the questions and confusion that ig are open ended because whoop de doo another game, more cash for Activision. For starters; who was the 'Shadow' giving Makarov intel? Was it supposed to be Shepard? Considering he was kidnapped and all that would make sense, but Makarov specifically said Shadow. In my eyes if he had meant Shepard, he would have said US Official or something.

Speaking of Shadows; why did Graves sell him out? What's he gonna gain from that? A redemption arc? Fuck that shit I didn't spend almost two hours fighting the tank for him to come back and be all "am sowwy"

Was Urzikstan truly cleared of any wrong doing or is it one of those things where it's like "Welp it's one General's word against our opinions". Also not to get into irl things but seeing some of the stuff during the Passenger mission had me thinking of how the world is currently with certain ongoing fights. Sometimes COD gets the realism down.

Maybe it was because of the situation they were in and how big the threat was, but there wasn't much of a dynamic going on with the teams. At most, there was some Soap and Ghost banter, and then Graves with his Shadows but that was kinda it. No idle chatter just head in the game type of deal. Does make sense ofc but maybe that's why the characters really felt off at times.

One that's just a personal thing; since it's confirmed that at least in 2019, Price, Soap and Ghost knew one another, makes sense cause the trio were SAS, but it's got me thinking why is Ghost the only one allowed to call him Johnny? It was teased in MWII with the interaction in Prison Break but...it's not been elaborated on. Even Price, when Soap was losing his shit over Makarov in the Heli, called him John.

What did Ghost do or say that Soap decided he could allow him to call him Johnny? This isn't anyway me asking "OooOO, are they fruity???" no I'm curious. If it was a thing he allowed his superiors that he was friendly with to say, then Price would be included that. Alejandro and Rudy would be included. What makes Ghost so special?

The last thing that my grief riddled mind can think of is where is Soap's family? I don't think I can truly believe he doesn't have one. It's canon he joined because of his cousin so...why was the 141 the ones to spread his ashes? Again it could have been his wish and all...shit just also adds to the rushed story feeling. I ain't asking for the MacTavishs to make an appearance or be canon or whatever but as someone who has a loved ones ashes, the small urn you get would have made more sense. That they decided with the ashes his family gave them to throw them off the cliffside in what I assume is Scotland.

If he didn't have family then holy shit it makes his death even more hurtful but no way impactful.

I'm just rambling angrly now so I'll stop my thoughts. Overall the game was fun, interesting concept with the Weapons Free missions but the story was lackluster compared to the previous games, as well as a slap to the face for Soap's character. It was just there for the sake of sadness.

I wasn't expecting a happy ending, I was just hoping for a honourable conclusion.

#rambles to the void #cod mwiii #cod mw3 #cod mwiii spoilers #cod mw3 spoilers #this is all just a vent instead of a reflection over things #im also just not really up for debating how the game was paced or if some found it fine or whatever #im too tired for it #im just putting out my feelings #also was it worth the 100 quid?#no #70 maybe for vault #but not 100 #if there's a 4th I'm not doing vault edition until well later in its release if at all

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thenighttrain · 1 year

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Yeah, I feel you with AI and I think it's very important to draw a firm boundary with regards to its usage. I know that machine learning algorithm (that are commonly used in AI) improves efficiency in some workloads but there are times where AI crosses that ethical boundary e.g. copyright concerns and that's a big no-no to me :-/

But I really hope the AI isn't the only thing that will define the Pluto in Aquarius era. I really hope this will be era where we have the technological advancements to move towards something more eco-friendly e.g. the significantly better battery life + lower energy consumption like in my new computer!

That's very valid! Because we only heard two songs from The Good Witch so far, it's too early for me to decide whether I prefer YSUFT vs this album. Though I do notice that the new singles sound vastly different to her pre-2022 work and that's fine!

btw when you've mentioned about preferring You Signed Up For This over the singles from The Good Witch, the former album is a Virgo Sun. So perhaps you might relate more to the Mercury influence of the album (e.g. more focus in the wordplay / storytelling) comparing to the water influence of the upcoming album?

Regarding Taurus albums, I also had to look up my Spotify library but I quite enjoy Two Ribbons by Let's Eat Grandma! I'm sure I'll think of more LP's in due course!

P.S. I'm glad that I'm not alone in the Taylor situation! I'm still looking forward to listening to what she comes up for Speak Now TV, but I also think it's perfectly valid to take a step back & branch out a little bit.

I find that it takes quite a lot of courage to properly branch out - being an astrological Fixed dominant myself I can relate: it takes a long time for me to get invested in something & let it go. This situation really sucks bc I've been into her stuff for more than 10 years, but I've been catching up some some new book / music / cinema releases & learn some new skills, so that's keeping me productive.

I want to assure you that you're not being dramatic: yours is a very valid take & I totally relate as well 💖

i totally agree! haha i probably do love you signed up for this because of the mercurial influence bc i do love the rambles and wit in it. hopefully the good witch is good! yes i need to take a step back with taylor. isn't it annoying that we're NTJs and don't easily get invested in things omg. and when we do, it's 100%. i'm happy you're into new books and music and movies though! and new skills, what are you learning? and thank u so much for the reassurance<3

#antoniosvivaldi #ask

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tineteenieworld3 · 1 year

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Like I just will never fully get it. AI IS a great editing tool, yeah it still makes mistakes and it doesn’t know how to improve writing because it lacks any human emotion so it can’t really tell stories, but it can fix your punctuation and spelling and add more advanced word choices. But the point is, that executives aren’t understanding, is that a writers job is to be a storyteller, there’s so much more to it than just words being put together. There’s millions of pieces that go into writing a compelling story that an AI can’t grasp because it’s still just a computer. It can answer questions but it can’t hold true opinions or feelings.

In the end they’re just going to have to do more work to get a good story out. It’s a great tool, it can’t exist on its own though without a lot of human input.

Like you can’t tell it to just write something, you have to give it a shit ton of examples of what the writing style looks like, what the themes are, who the characters are, and still it sucks because an AI can only take that stuff at face value.

For example: talking about byler or ST, if you have that story to an AI it would not understand the underlying implications or the things not said aloud. It can only take information it’s being directly told. It can’t lie, it can’t feel, it can’t create in the way people seem to think it can.

It’s so frustrating to see watchers being like ‘lol go ahead let AI do it’ because they sound so dumb. Do you not want quality TV or something? Because we’re not going to get it with AI, it’ll be crap that we still have to pay for. Besides the whole point about the arts and entertainment is PEOPLE, we’re watching the creatives minds of humans that can relate to us and make characters and worlds that make us feel. Creativity is what makes humans special and alive.

We’re going to keep giving these dumbass power hungry executives money while any semblance of creativity and art is stripped away

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grimwood-notice-board · 10 months

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WOULD THE REAL WRITER PLEASE STAND UP

By Eldon Macwood

(Trigger warning: I'm not afraid of cussing, and it shows. If you have virgin ears that gets offended easily, don't read on. You do you. Reader discretion is advised)

So the other day, I learned that even though I have been writing off and on for over 13 years (longer, but I mean seriously), even though I have 100's of 1,000's words (pretty sure overall tally would end up in the seven figures) across my many wips, even though I have published some stories (through small presses, a couple on my own), that I am just a pretender, and not a real writer all because I now use AI as a tool in my writing. I was told this by another author. Of all the people to say such gatekeeping bullshit. I won't name them as that's frowned upon, unless you ask me directly. Although we share many mutuals on Facebook, I'm sure some who read this post will know who. I have literally imported my own material for fucks sake. Okay, moving on...

AI does come up with some great ideas. And yes, AI can write some okay prose. But the thing of it is, there's this thing called editing and rewriting. And back in my day, when I was considered a real writer, rewriting was considered WRITING. And of course, even then, people bickered over it being writing. I can't speak for REAL WRITERS, since I'm just a figment of your imagination as per the gatekeepers, but for people like me, the first draft always sucks. It's through multiple drafts where the story really comes together. For me, my first draft is called, draft 0. It's the word vomit of the story in a structure that's the clay on the wheel. Which is what I use AI for, along with my own writing in the pre-prose phase.

But now that AI is here, I am all wrong. Forget where I come from. Forget that rewriting is writing. In fact, even if you don't use AI, when you rewrite, you're not writing. Wait, maybe you are, since you didn't involve AI at all. I dunno, ask the fucking gatekeepers, they are the gods on the subject. They know all. They're the real gods of storytelling. Just ask them. They do enough chest-beating to prove it.

Gatekeepers do what I call, minimizing. It's when you hate a group of people for your own ignorant reasons, then you minimize them. They are suddenly not Human. They suddenly don't have the street cred that they held for years. Not to say I was some kind of best selling author with Sanderson level backlog, but still, I had enough cred as a writer. Now that has all changed, apparently. Not sure when, or how, but the gods have spoken.

According to one former friend and a writer (yes, he's still a writer even tho he's a gatekeeper, I don't take that title away, I don't have the right), any use of AI whatsoever will make what I write trash. Nice to fucking know. I have learned soooo much. Like who to unfriend. Don't get me wrong, with everything I have been going through lately, this is a cakewalk. I actually like having something less serious to be mad about. I mean, it is serious, but not on the level of my life right now.

But it still pains me because the writing community has went through so much in the past ten years. It just seems like this one is petty as fuck, all because some writers use a tool that abusers have, well, abused.

Again I say it, and I will keep saying until it sinks in, I don't support abusing AI. I support small presses trying their own best to keep out the AI submissions. I support authors choosing not to use AI one bit. I hate it when abusers steal an author's name and work and then posts it as their own. That's not what I consider gatekeeping. Authors all have their own rules for their writing process, and authors have a right to their brand and work. All presses have their rules for submissions. This has always been a thing, and it's a thing I fully support. Just like I support the writer/actor strikes going on right now, because they have every right to oppose AI replacing them. They deserve their jobs, and the pay to afford bills, and a life.

Me, I just use AI for my own shit. If I submit anywhere, I'd write under their rules, as it's their house. No problem.

Because I'm not a dick.

Now, when a gatekeeper wants to shit on me for my own use on my shit that I will publish, I will sink my teeth into their necks, not literally, that's gross. My reason for this is simple; you're free to avoid using AI all you want, but you're not free to shove it down my throat. You do you, you stay in your lane. I will do the same. But the moment you swerve into my lane, we will have problems. And it's serving in my lane when you trash talk authors like me, and the books I write. You do that, fuck you.

And I noticed from another author who is gone now, they did make a post I kinda agreed with. Although they still hate writers like me, they were mad because of the abusers who don't make it clear that they use AI in their books. Be it in the cover, or in their writing. As where I actually make it very clear I do use AI. I also make it very clear that I write a lot of my own stuff, and that AI is just a tool. I'm terrible at being a pretender as I'm not only an actual writer, but I also freely admit to using AI in the process. But they don't think about that.

While yes this is a rant, it's also to point out the growing divide between writers/readers, This will get messier. People are making their stands. It's sad. And it could have been avoided if many would have just took the time to get to those of us who use AI as a tool. Kinda like how bigots usually don't take the time to get to know the people they hate. They only confirm their own bias. But many love to be divisive, and to commit, othering, which then makes the other side, like mine, do the same. Because it's natural for the consequences to go there.

Get to know us. Get to know the people who aren't abusers. You might be surprised. And who knows, maybe we can start to mend this schism. Maybe. I'm not very hopeful about that, currently I'm saving all of my hope for my mother's health. But it would be nice to see this battle between us shrink. I will play nice if you do. Of course, that goes the other way as well.

Sometimes I have to remind myself when to stop because a thick head won't listen. And then I'm just wasting my time.

This being said, if you respect me, and respect writers/authors who use the tool, we're good. If you don't we're not. Don't waste our time fighting. If you gatekeep, leave me be. Unfriend or block. Just pull the plug. I will leave you alone, no worries. That way we can just focus on our own shit. Don't add more fuel to the fire, thus making the gatekeepers look worse than they already look.

I want to share shit I enjoy. I want to have more positive interactions on here. I know we are all burned out, I know we all have shit we care about and defend. But these days, we need to do better. Lets actually do our research. I know, that's not a popular term. I mean it as in, don't confirm your prejudice. I mean, challenge your prejudice. I did. When I came to AI, I looked at all the sides before I made my stance. And even as a pro-AI person, I was skeptical about AI in writing. But looking into it, and getting to REAL writers, I saw that I was wrong. It's okay to be wrong. There's no shame in that.

I want to get to the point where I don't have to make disclaimer after disclaimer when I talk about using AI. Sadly, I don't see that happening anytime soon. Lately, I have been putting distance between me and other authors who gatekeep. Many of them are self-published authors who have faced gatekeepers shitting on SP authors and books all because some people have abused SP books.

Abuse in publishing, and stealing works is nothing new. It's easier now, but it's not new. Assholes will do what assholes so, shit everywhere, make a fucking mess, with zero disregard. That's why they're assholes. But other authors, or writers, should fucking know better. We should stand united on matters like this. I'm tired of seeing us split apart. We already have plenty of reasons to not get along thanks to stupid politics, but at least with writing, we could come together some. Well, now that's not a thing unless we find a segmented group we can get along with. And each group is getting smaller, and smaller.

If you're a decent person who just wants to learn more, please reach out to me, or look up channels on YouTube where authors go over what AI tools mean for creating stories and art.

Check out Sudowrite here, if you're curious about the site.

Check out what kindest author I know has to say on the matter: Ekello Harrid.

Check out the Nerdy Novelist, Jason Hamilton here.

Check out the Future Fiction Academy here.

Check out Sudowrite's YouTube channel.

These are the top channels that I watched when I was deciding on using Sudowrite. They also cover other platforms like, Claude, Poe, Chat GPT, etc.

I really hope to meet more like-minded creators, and authors, and writers, and story-tellers (whichever term you prefer) who are pro-AI for legit purposes. I will never befriend an AI-abuser, or an AI-phobe. I will draw the line on both.

Thanks for reading, and I'll catch you later!

(If you're not a troll, if you don't spew hatred, feel free to leave a comment!)

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silent-partner-412 · 2 years

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I HAVE FINISHED ZERO TIME DILEMMA

tbh it’s been a long time coming… me and my friends played 999 last year over the course of a week, and then we took quite literally a year to start and finish VLR. genuinely we started it in June last year, and due to us sucking ass at scheduling we didn’t finish until this month. it wasn’t even an issue with the game, i loved VLR, just that the game is so long and we sucked at committing 😭

anyway i just sped through ZTD in three days by myself and it’s been very interesting. somehow i’ve found a lot to love about the game but also i kinda understand why it has something of a reputation among Zero Escape fans. i have a few thoughts.

first of all, since this is the first ZE game i played by myself, the escape rooms were a fucking treat. i never needed help on any of them but they still were super confusing and puzzling in the best way. i have multiple pages of notes from this game and it was such a joy to go through one of these games without the help of my friends who are way smarter than me. idk if the escape rooms are as good as VLRs but i loved the experience i had regardless.

second of all, the overarching plot was definitely not as good as the last two games, it was kinda convoluted and left a lot about VLR unanswered or unsatisfying. but there was still a lot to love, D team was on the whole fantastic (the fact that this is the only team Uchikoshi wrote himself really shows) and while C team wasn’t as good i thought Carlos was absolutely precious and Junpei and Akane have only continued to grow on me as this series has gone on. honestly, the two endings for D team were just fucking fantastic, i really liked Diana as a protagonist and the amount of lore we got for Sigma and Phi was just wonderful. definitely all my favorite moments of this game were with this team.

but then… there’s Q team. and goddammit if this game has an achilles heel it’s these bitches. these three just do not work as a unit; pretty much all their scenes range from boring to nonsensical to frustrating, and when that started spilling into scenes with the other teams it was immensely frustrating. Q/Sean was fine i guess, he was a little bland but mostly interesting as like the AI type character?? but the other two… my god. Mira was mostly a non presence but when she did do something in the story it kind of fell in the “so bad it’s good” range for me? like her serial killer shit is on the Korekiyo range of ridiculous, but at least it was kinda funny lol. Eric on the other hand i think is fucking terrible all around. pretty much all the worst and least interesting conflict surrounded him; as a villain he was boring and stupid, but then when the game wanted to make him sympathetic he just ended up being pathetic because his entire emotional core is fucking MIRA, a SERIAL KILLER. 9/10 times when i was groaning or yelling at my screen it was because of him, the story would probably still have a lot of issues without him but having him gone would’ve saved me so much headache. definitely the worst Zero Escape character imo.

honestly tho i’m just happy to finally say i’ve completed this series. it’s a shame ZTD was so low budget and didn’t come together how a lot of ppl hoped, but this is still a super awesome VN series that does a lot of interesting things with the idea of timelines and unconventional storytelling, with some super fun gameplay segments to boot. i don’t really expect a ZE4, but i guess i’ll be ok with AITSF2 in the mean time lol.

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mostlysignssomeportents · 3 years

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All the books I reviewed in 2020

I know it's a little late for Xmas shipping, but I'm FINALLY getting around to publishing a roundup of all the books I reviewed in 2019!

Part 1: FICTION FOR ADULTS

I. AGENCY by William Gibson: A sequel to The Peripheral for the Trump years, about seductive bitterness of imagined alternate timelines, filled with cyberpunk cool and action.

https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/books/story/2020-01-24/agency-william-gibson

II. RIOT BABY by Tochi Onyebuchi: An incandescent Afrofuturist novella that connects the Rodney King uprising with contemporary struggle, pitting supernatural powers against dire politics.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/04/23/riot-baby/#Tochi-Onyebuchi

III. OR WHAT YOU WILL by Jo Walton: A metafiction about the desperate attempt of a character to pull his writer into a fictional world to save the both from human mortality.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/07/little-bro-with-snowden/#metafiction

IV. A BEAUTIFULLY FOOLISH ENDEAVOR by Hank Green: Sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing - a madcap and sometimes brutal tale of social media influencers, alien invaders, disinformation, and runaway capitalism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/08/absolutely-remarkable-thing/#carls

V. FAILED STATE by Christopher Brown: A legal eco-thriller that imagines the end of capitalism without imagining the end of the world - cyberpunk meets ecotopianism, with anarchist jurisdictions, show-trials, and rewilding.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/12/failed-state/#chris-brown

VI. AFTERLAND by Lauren Beukes: Eerily well-timed road-trip novel set after a prostate-cancer plague wipes out nearly every man on Earth, except for the protagonist's teenaged son, who is now being hunted by the (all-female) US government.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/28/afterland/#XY

VII. BALLISTIC KISS by Richard Kadrey: Sandman Slim confronts the worst demons of all - his own trauma and self-doubt.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/25/anxietypunk/#bk

VIII. SQUEEZE ME by Carl Hiaasen: Hiaasen was writing comedic whodunnits about improbable Florida Man types decades before the memes, and his Mar-a-Lago gator plague novel is a hectic and hilarious tale for our times.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#disappearing-act

VIII. The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson: KSR says it's his last novel and I say it's the book he's been training to write all his life. If you like your climate fiction wrenching but still uplifting enough to move you to tears...

https://pluralistic.net/2020/12/03/ministry-for-the-future/#ksr

IX. SET MY HEART TO FIVE by Simon Stephenson: An absurdist robot-romp in the mold of Kurt Vonnegut about a robot who catches the disease of emotions and tries to treat it by moving to Hollywood to write screenplays about robots.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/01/cant-pay-wont-pay/#robot-rights

Part 2: NONFICTION FOR ADULTS

I. A PUBLIC SERVICE by Tim Schwartz: An incredibly practical, detailed guide for would-be whistleblowers (and journalists who work with them) to staying safe while spilling the beans.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/08/a-public-service-a-comprehensive-comprehensible-guide-to-leaking-documents-to-journalists-and-public-service-groups-without-getting-caught/

II. THE MONSTERS KNOW WHAT THEY'RE DOING by Keith Ammann: A sourcebook for RPG game-masters explaining how different kinds of monsters can use a variety of combat tactics that add depth, texture (and challenge) to your games.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/10/the-monsters-know-what-theyre-doing-an-rpg-sourcebook-for-dms-who-want-to-imbue-monsters-with-deep-smart-tactics/

III. SNOWDEN'S BOX by Jessica Bruder and Dale Maharidge: The incredible, true tale of how trust among friends allowed Snowden's leaks to safely transit from his home in Hawai'i to the hands of Laura Poitras and the journalists who reported the story.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/03/31/snowdens-box-the-incredible-illuminating-story-of-the-journey-of-snowdens-hard-drive/

III. ABOLISH SILICON VALLEY by Wendy Liu: A personal journey from a fully bought-in believer in Silicon Valley's meritocracy to a ferocious critic who demands tech to serve humanity, not a human race in service to the tech industry.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/14/abolish-silicon-valley-memoir-of-a-driven-startup-founder-who-became-an-anti-capitalist-activist/

IV. THE CASE FOR A JOB GUARANTEE by Pavlina Tcherneva: A fierce little book setting out an economic program to rescue the nation and the planet from a system that insists we can't even hope for a better world.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/22/jobs-guarantee/#job-guarantee

VII. SUBPRIME ATTENTION CRISIS by Tim Hwang: What's worse than having our lies destroyed by surveillance to manipulate us with ads? Having our lives destroyed by surveillance in order to fuel a fraudulent market in ad-based manipulation.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/05/florida-man/#wannamakers-ghost

VIII. MONOPOLIES SUCK by Sally Hubbard: There are plenty of *great* books about monopolies and the resurgence in antitrust, but Hubbard's is the most practical, providing the reader with excellent advice for actually *doing something* about monopolism.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/27/peads-r-us/#sally-hubbard

IX. BREAK 'EM UP by Zephyr Teachout: The most lucid, readable, infuriating, energizing book on the rise of monopolies. Teachout never loses sight of the systemic nature of the problem, even as she uses individual stories to tell the tale.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/29/break-em-up/#break-em-up

X. BOUNDLESS REALM by Fox Nolte: There has never been a better book about the Haunted Mansion (indeed, this is one of the best books ever written about environmental design in general). Nolte goes *way* beyond trite wisdom about "storytelling."

https://pluralistic.net/2020/11/09/boundless-realm/#fuxxfur

PART 3: GRAPHIC NOVELS

I. YEAR OF THE RABBIT by Tean Viasna: A graphic memoir of Viasna's harrowing boyhood during the rise of the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. It's a tale we've rarely seen through the eyes of a child, and brilliantly realized.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/01/22/year-of-the-rabbit-a-graphic-novel-memoir-of-one-familys-life-under-the-khmer-rouge/

II. FEMALE FURIES by @misscecil: Castellucci uses an obscure and anachronistic all-woman cast of DC Universe b-characters to tell an incredible, smart, pitiless story about #MeToo, comics, solidarity and betrayal.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/29/female-furies/#apokolips-now

III. LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST by Adrian Tomine: A memoir of intensely felt impostor syndrome, a forceful reminder that comparison is the thief of joy - and that the traits that keep an artist going at first go toxic over time.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/21/the-thief-of-joy/#tomine

IV. CONSTITUTION ILLUSTRATED by R Sikoryak: The Trump years were an unhappy crash-course in Constitutional law, but Sikoryak's genius adaptation of the Constitution in the style of dozens of cartoonists is a pure delight.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/07/27/ip/#r-sikoryak

PART 4: KIDS AND YA

I. SEND PICS by Lauren McLaughlin: A YA novel that's a thrilling revenge-play about "revenge porn," a cyber-heist novel that's also a sneaky and forceful book about teen girls' sexuality.

https://memex.craphound.com/2020/04/21/send-pics-ripping-brutal-amazing-novel-about-teens-sextortion-revenge-and-justice/

II. IMPOSSIBLE MUSIC by Sean Williams: A YA novel about a music-obsessed kid who loses his hearing is the frame for a book about ability, adaptation, music theory, family, Deafness and what dreams are really for.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/06/30/deafhood/#impossible-music

III. HARD WIRED by Len Vlahos: A 15 year old discovers the truth behind bizarre dysfunction of the world around him: he's an AI in a sim, and the guy he thinks of as his long-dead father is actually the research scientists who created him.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/08/31/ai-rights-now/#len-vlahos

IV. ADVENTURES OF A DWERGISH GIRL, by Daniel Pinkwater: Like every Pinkwater novel, it defies description, it is brilliant, and it is his best to date. Ghosts, Revolutionary War fleshbots, papaya juice, and supernatural beings from the Catskills!

https://pluralistic.net/2020/09/25/dwergish-girl/#you-are-a-pickle

V. WITCH by Finbar Hawkins: A beautiful debut novel about a pair of 17th century sisters who avenge themselves against the witchfinders that murdered their mother. A superbly told historical.

https://pluralistic.net/2020/10/01/the-years-of-repair/#witch

FINALLY: I published *four* books in 2020!

I. POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER: My debut picture book, about a little girl who turns her toys into weapons and torments her parents by hunting monsters all night, with wonderful art by Matt Rockefeller:

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781626723627

II. LITTLE BROTHER/HOMELAND: My multibestselling YA novels were reissued last summer in a gorgeous package with a (fantastic) new introduction by Snowden.

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250774583

III. ATTACK SURFACE: A standalone, adult sequel to Little Brother and Homeland. The New York Times called it "vocal and unflinching" and "ultimately optimistic"; the Washington Post called it a "riveting techno-thriller."

https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250757531

IV. HOW TO DESTROY SURVEILLANCE CAPITALISM: A long pamphlet/short book that makes the case that Big Tech manipulates us and spies on us because they have monopolies - not because they've developed devastating, data-driven mind-control.

https://onezero.medium.com/how-to-destroy-surveillance-capitalism-8135e6744d59

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wraithowl · 6 hours

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In the dimly lit alleyway of London, shadows danced ominously as a group of wizards and witches gathered, their faces etched with worry and fear. Among them stood Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ron Weasley, Alastor "Mad-eye" Moody, Remus Lupin, and Rufus Scrimgeour - all tense and on edge.

Their mission was grave - to catch a dangerous witch in the service of Voldemort who had been terrorizing the wizarding world. Mad-eye knew they needed help beyond what the Order of the Phoenix could provide. Reluctantly, he turned to an ally that struck fear into even his seasoned heart - Onyx Faolan.

Onyx and her wife Chiara Lobosca emerged from the shadows riding on majestic thestrals, their presence commanding respect and awe. The masked guards surrounding them added to the air of mystery that surrounded the Fianna.

As Onyx swung her flail with deadly precision to take down the murderous witch in a swift motion that left everyone speechless, Lupin's mind raced with disbelief. He had always dismissed tales of the Fianna as mere myths until this moment when reality slapped him in the face.

The aftermath left everyone stunned as they gazed at the lifeless body of their enemy. Scrimgeour was forced to admit his respect for these otherworldly allies who seemed more powerful than anything he had ever encountered before.

Harry couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions - admiration for Onyx's strength and skill, gratitude for their assistance in this dire situation, but also a lingering sense of unease at how effortlessly they dispatched their foe.

As they prepared to leave after fulfilling their end of the bargain, Harry found himself drawn towards Chiara - her silver hair glinting in the moonlight as she moved with grace and determination. There was something about her that captivated him - an inner strength mixed with kindness that resonated deep within his soul.

The encounter with Onyx and Chiara opened Harry's eyes to a world beyond what he had known before. The Faoladh were protectors unlike any other - fierce warriors dedicated to justice and defending those who could not defend themselves.

As they rode off into the night on their ethereal mounts, leaving behind whispers of awe and fear in their wake, Harry knew that he would never forget this night or those enigmatic figures who had changed everything he thought he knew about courage and power. And deep within his heart stirred a newfound respect for beings whose existence defied logic but whose purpose was crystal clear - to stand against darkness no matter the cost.

#chiara lobosca x mc #i used ai for this because i suck at storytelling #onyx faolan #chiara lobosca

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animebw · 4 years

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Binge-Watching: Ore Monogatari, Episode 13-15

In which we get our first genuinely mishandled arc, an interesting point is let down by confused messaging, but things quickly turn around as Takeo becomes a teacher.

An Unpleasant Turn

Well, folks, we just hit an interesting speed bump: for the first time, Ore Monogatari has given me an arc that I don’t quite think works. After twelve episodes of pretty much the sweetest, most effortlessly wholesome rom-com imaginable, we spend two episodes on a side plot that hits this show’s first real sour note. It’s far from dealbreaking, and it’s honestly not that bad an arc in and of itself, but it’s the first time that Ore Monogatari’s storytelling has alienated me more than it’s sucked me in. And that’s not a pleasant feeling to sit with. It’s never a good time when a show you like does something you dislike, but especially with a show as comfortable and welcoming as this one, feeling it push me away is especially disconcerting. Hopefully this isn’t indicative of future troubles to come, because after how much I’ve loved this show over its first half, I’d hate for its second half to let me down.

So. The problems pretty much all stem from the new side character who’s introduced to be the driving agent of this arc’s plot. He’s a guy named Oda, and he’s got a crush on Sunakawa’s sister Ai, who, as we might remember, has a crush on Takeo. Ai has already turned him down and made it clear she’s not interested, but he’s followed her back home from college anyway to meet Takeo and learn about the guy his crush fell in love with. The reason why? He wants Ai to confess to Takeo so she can finally get over her feelings for him and move on, thus opening herself up to other romantic prospects- in other words, so Oda can make his move on her. Yeah, it’s exactly as scummy as it sounds. We’re constantly shown Oda pushing past Ai’s boundaries, contriving situations to make his plans work, and just overall taking advantage of Takeo and Yamato’s inherent kindness to insert himself where he clearly doesn’t belong. And it’s... weird. It’s weird and uncomfortable in a way I don’t think the show recognizes. Sure, Oda gets his fair share of ribbing, constantly freaking out at Takeo’s overwhelming size and ultimately failing to make Ai confess, but it feels like the show’s treating him as a nosy, but ultimately harmless dude who’s trying to help Ai get over her shit. Except he’s also ignoring Ai’s explicit rejection and taking Takeo’s battery out of his phone when he’s not looking to try and force a situation, and his inner monologue reminds us a lot how he’s doing this so he can get “his turn,” and it’s like... is this guy supposed to be genuinely overstepping his boundaries or just being kind of a prick? Because it doesn’t seem like the show really knows either?

The Jinx of Life

And that sucks, because it really throws a wrench into Ai’s development when the character drama behind it are so confusing. There’s a great conversation to be had in regards to crushing on people you know you don’t have a shot with, and how you go about dealing with those feelings. By far my favorite scene from these episodes comes when Takeo and Suna are riding the haunted boat tunnel and talking about how this amusement park supposedly has a jinx where couples who come there are destined to break up. But Suna points out that really, it’s less about a jinx and more about the fact that a good chunk of romantic couples just aren’t going to work out. A lot of relationships fall apart for all kinds of reasons, not because of some outside fate or forces, but because it just wasn’t meant to be, or they just weren’t right for each other. It’s a powerful, insightful conversation about the reality of romance, especially teen romance, that doesn’t always come up in rom-coms, especially not rom-coms as fluffy as this one. And in classic Ore Monogatari fashion, the philosophy goes down with a heaping teaspoon of hilarity as Takeo’s quiet thoughts are interrupted again and again by him screaming over the ride’s countless jumpscares. In that moment, you can see what this arc is trying to be: an exploration of the reality that some relationships just don’t work out, and when it’s best to move on when you know there’s nothing more to be done.

And honestly, I think Takeo and Yamato’s side of that story still works really well. It’s a simple enough metaphor, but it still tracks; there’s no jinx or fate that will determine your relationship’s path. If you want to make it work, then it’s up to both of you to do your best for each other, whether that’s as simple as finding each other in a crowd to watch the festival together or involves deeper questions. But I’m really not sure what I’m supposed to take from Ai and Oda’s side of the story. Am I supposed to be glad Ai didn’t tell Takeo her feelings? Does that mean she’ll be able to move on, or is she still holding on? Am I supposed to be thankful for Oda pressing the issue, or does the show really not realize how uncomfortable his lack of respect for Ai’s boundaries is? Neither of their feelings are any closer to being resolved, so whatever point it was trying to make with them is still in stasis. It doesn’t even serve as an effective parallel to Takeo and Yamato, because there’s no closure for us to understand how Ai and Oda’s situation is similar to or different from theirs. And it weirds me out that this show is usually so damn good at parsing out meaning from closure and letting characters come to realizations about themselves and their relationships that stick with them in subtle but noticeable ways from then on. So why did it drop the ball on this one? Were it not for how lovely Takeo and Yamato’s moments were, this would feel like something out of a different, much weaker show.

P-O-P-U-L-A-R

Thankfully, episode 15 immediately picks up from the previous arcs’ missteps and gets right back to the good stuff. The focus this time is on Takeo’s popularity with other girls, and it leads to some fascinating new dimensions for him. Takeo, in a rare moment of being perceptive of Yamato’s feelings, is quick to reassure her that he’s not really popular with girls, so she doesn’t need to worry about someone else stealing him away. But as Suna rightly points out, that’s not entirely true. Takeo is popular with a lot of people, boys and girls alike. He may be intense enough to weird people out, but like I said last time, his natural earnestness and desire to help makes people gravitate toward him just as strongly. Which is interesting, because despite Takeo’s desire to help people, he doesn’t always spend much time really thinking about them if they’re not in his immediate purview. Even something as simple as everyone being much slower than him is a realization, he’s never really paid attention to how fast other people run, or why some people might be dissatisfied with not being as fast as other people. The way he sees it, everyone just has their own pace, some faster, some slower, and there’s nothing wrong with that. That’s always been his greatest strength; he doesn’t judge people for not living up to some bullshit ideal of who they’re “supposed” to be. But it also means he’s slow to realize why these things matter to people so much, and how to go about helping those around him overcome them.

Which makes it such a beautiful twist when Takeo takes on the position of a mentor for the first time in his life. Now he’s not just helping his classmate Saijo by saving her from some bad situation, he’s actively helping her better herself by getting better at running. He’s not entirely sure going in what it means to be a mentor, but he figures out along the way how best to motivate her and commits to it. And he still doesn’t judge her for not being as good a runner as everyone else; after all, she’s no less worthy a person just because she’s not the most athletic girl in the world (Side note, I appreciate how the show draws her noticeably more chubby than most anime girls). It’s clear Saijo has a bit of a complex about her weight and thinks it’s something to be ashamed of, but Takeo never treats her as anything less than normal, because that’s just the kind of guy he is. You get the sense that he’s stepping outside himself in a new way, putting in the effort to meet other people on their level while still holding fast to his fundamental desire for good. It’s a step on the road to becoming more social, and once again, you totally understand why Saijo becomes so enamored with him as a result. But there’s another fantastic twist waiting: she’s not actually in love with him as Yamato feared, she just really admires his work ethic and wants him to keep training her so she can continue on the road to self-improvement. That’s fucking great. It’s an acknowledgement that there are more ways to be popular than simply being an object of desire. Popularity can mean people looking up to you, valuing your advice, recognizing you as someone they can rely on. And that all starts from understanding people and doing right by them, as Takeo has always tried to do and is only getting better at.

Of course, though, it doesn’t really matter to him if or how he becomes popular. He’s just doing what he believes to be right, making the world a better place in his wake. And as long as he’s popular with Yamato, that’s the only sort of female affection he’ll ever need. It’s a lovely sentiment to close out this episode, and it handily washes the bad taste of the previous arc out of my mouth. As long as Ore Monogatari keeps its heart in the right place, I think it’s gonna be just fine.

Odds and Ends

-”The ending was different from the book, but it was still entertaining.” Lol, there’s a mood.

-”We must be pretty good for a perceptive guy like you to be oblivious to all this.” snrk

-So I’m not sure how to react.” Man, I love Suna’s relationship with Takeo. He doesn’t even remember his own birthday, but his best bud is here to make sure he has a good time on it.

-ksdjfhsdkjf the fuckign pecs wiggling

-”I’d still love you even if you got buff.” What a dreamboat.

-Aaw, Takeo even respects big sis’ boundaries when she’s visiting! What a good egg.

-”That was straight to the point.” The Sunakawa family’s entire purpose in life is to clear up dumb teenage misunderstandings, and god bless them for it.

-”If we get separated, just use Takeo as your landmark.” askjdhaskdhask

-TAKEO IN CAT EARS. MY HEART IS SLAIN.

-”That was more violent than I anticipated.” Never underestimate the spinning teacups.

-”Sorry. I always seem to have the worst timing.” SUNA FOR FUCK’S SAKE

-Aaaaaw, even Takeo gets embarrassed to talk about how he finds Yamato cute! He’s human after all.

-”Did you fake it?” Pfft. Sometimes he picks up on things fast.

-”Towels are so fluffy!” Listen dude you’re adorable but you might wanna check u on your GF’s approaching mental crisis

-Okay, the comedic cuts in the “who gets to carry Saijo” scene had me cackling. Good lord, this show.

-wait a fuCKING SECOND WAS THAT A PARASYTE REFERENCE IN THE NEXT EPISODE PREVIEW GOD DAMMIT MADHOUSE

Man, what a roller coaster. See you next time!

#anime #the anime binge-watcher #tabw #ore monogatari #my love story

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ellie-s-machete · 4 years

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My thoughts on The Last Of Us Part II

This is my general opinion about the game as a whole. Spoilers ahead

The main reason why I love this game is because of its bold story. Playing half of the game as the antagonist and trying to make the player understand her point of view is ballsy. It worked for some people, it didn't work at all for others but you gotta admit that this isn't lazy storytelling, or bad storytelling. I totally get that some players didn't like the game, this is a divisive, polarizing game, and it achieved its goal. But once again, and I cannot stress this enough, not liking the story doesn't mean the story sucks. On the contrary, The Last Of Us Part II is brilliant.

To appreciate the game, three things are required: (1) try to understand each character's point of view, (2) keep in mind that there is no hero and no villain, (3) analyze what you're seeing, especially characters' behaviors and actions. I'm not trying to sound pedantic, but you have to use your brain and analyze the shit out of this game. You don't need a high IQ or whatever, just make the effort to understand what you're witnessing. The Last of Us Part II is not comfort food, it's not something you play to just relax (and if that's what you're looking for in a game, great! just play something else, because you won't get what you like with part II). If you're out there playing the game and draw conclusions just by looking at the tip of the iceberg, no wonder you will find the game shallow. Dig deeper, I swear it's not that hard. Maybe you still won't like the game, which is fine, but if you don't make the effort to try to understand, then you're not giving the game a chance in the first place.

Gameplay wise, Part II is far better than Part I. The melee combat with the dodge mechanic was amazing. It felt like stealth was harder in Part II, probably due to the improved AI. The AI was sooo good, and I played on moderate so I can only imagine how tense the gameplay would be on survivor. Because let's face it, even on grounded the AI in part I was clunky, stealth was so easy. Part II offers you a real challenge. The only thing I didn't really like was the different weapons in the second part of the game where you play as Abby, I didn't like the crossbow and the other guns. The only good add-on was the pipe bombs.

Now I have to say that I didn't enjoy Abby's part of the game as much as Ellie's (I still liked it because of the intense combat sequences though). And what I'm about to say is the biggest flaw of the game, at least for me: at one point it didn't feel like I was playing a tlou game (feel free to share your thoughts about this because I didn't see any player bringing that up). For me the most important element of this game is your connection to the characters, and unfortunately it didn't happen for me. I was completely neutral regarding almost all characters in Abby's part. The two only engaging characters were Abby and Lev. To be quite honest I didn't care at all about Owen, Mel, Manny, Nora etc... And this aspect of the game really contrasted with Ellie's part: I loved every single side characters (Dina, Jesse, Tommy, or even Maria). So the lack of attachment to secondary characters in Abby's part was what made the game feel off for me. The only thing that really grounded the story in the world of The Last of Us was the presence of the infected, with multiple memorable encounters which overall made Abby's part more intense than Ellie's. It's just a shame that I didn't really care about the characters. I'm not saying that the second part of the game was bad, I'm just saying it felt underwhelming for me. But I see a bunch of people say that they preferred Abby's part which is great!

Important thing about the story: I see a lot of people say that the story is messy, and I don't agree at all. Everything makes sense, everything is meticulously interwoven, everything is logical. What people aren't used to are the multiple timelines, the story isn't linear like the first game was, and I love it. Also it was something that was predictable if you're familiar with Halley Gross' work on Westworld (if you are confused with the timeline of Part II, don't watch Westworld lol). For me the non-linear narration makes the story powerful because you get hit with these mini epiphanies throughout the game, and it's thrilling. And the game was perfectly balanced between action, stressful moments, and moments of levity. What I thought was amazing is that the game first makes you believe that flashback sequences will be moments of levity, which they are in a way. But these flashbacks are also anxiety inducing, as they contain key story elements (mostly linked to Ellie and Joel's relationship and its evolution throughout the 4 years spent in Jackson) that everyone was craving for (like Ellie confronting Joel about the lie). This is awesome because flashback sequences first give you a false sense of security, you feel like it will be a moment where you can just breathe and relax, but nope. It's also reinforced by the fact that they chose to make some of these flashback sequences longer and playable with the inclusion of combat encounters. The pacing was really good in my opinion.

A lot of the encounters were memorable, but the most intense for me was the Abby/Ellie confrontation in the theatre. I hated it and loved it at the same time. I hated it because I really thought I was going to kill Ellie as Abby (didn't see any leak of that part). I was shaking, I didn't want to hold the controller anymore, I didn't want to see Dina get killed, it was by far the hardest part for me, emotionally speaking. I just couldn't believe what was happening, it was insane. No other game had made me feel that uncomfortable before, I was going through a wild range of emotions, the whole sequence felt like a vivid dream, or nightmare should I say. And that is why I love that part. It's the best climax I have ever experienced in any form of media, a real climax. What a ride!

Part II proved that both Neil Druckmann and Halley Gross are fantastic writers, and that them working together was a great collaboration. They figured out a great balance between their respective ideas, considering that they often have diverging ideas. It just proves that a lot of thoughts were put into the making of the game, that everyone's opinion was taken into consideration (even the actors' opinions), which resulted in a well thought-out game that hasn't been rushed.

#tlou2 #tlou2 spoiler #the last of us part 2 #the last of us #tlou2 review

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popwasabi · 4 years

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“Picard” S1 Review: Doesn’t boldly go but is nonetheless engaging

Produced by CBS All Access

Starring: Patrick Stewart, Isa Briones, Allison Pill, Michelle Hurd, Santiago Cabrera, Evan Evagora, Harry Treadaway

Many fans had high hopes for “Picard” going into CBS All Access’s continuing voyage into the Star Trek franchise.

Fans wanted to see the lore finally expanded into the future after its previous three ventures (Enterprise, Abrams Trek, and Discovery) took place in the past, bring modern themes and ideas to Star Trek’s futurist’s world view in a way that felt fresh and relevant, but most importantly continue the story of the franchise’s greatest captain; Jean-Luc Picard, of course.

(He’s the best captain. This is not up for debate. Don’t @ me!)

In some ways the new series succeeds at this. We get glimpses of the previously untouched world of Star Trek post “Nemesis,” new themes that are resonant with real world events and exploratory, even critical, of the Federation’s worldview, and of course plenty of Picard himself as he navigates the strange new galaxy he inhabits.

But Picard ultimately misses the mark due to rushed storytelling, half-baked side plots, and just plain poor execution overall. It’s sad because “Picard” and this very talented cast and production team have their moments throughout this first season’s ten episode run but somehow even with 10 episodes of content to work with fans still end up with a somewhat jumbled mess.

(Me by like the eighth episode.)

This isn’t to say “Picard” isn’t worth your time if you’re an avid Star Trek fan or just someone who likes Patrick Stewart in this role in general but the first season will leave you still hungry for more and not in a good way.

“Picard” continues the story of the titular captain, now retired admiral, many years after the events of “Nemesis” as a retired Jean Luc reflects on his life in Starfleet and of his late friend Data who gave his life for his. A synth ban has been enacted in Starfleet after a major riot on Mars some years prior and Picard is understandably sour on the idea, given his relationship with Data, while also fighting Starfleet on not helping the exodus of the Romulans after the supernova that wiped out their homeworld in “Star Trek (2009).” When a young woman comes seeking Picard’s aid after an attack by mysterious assailants, revealing that she is an android and the possible daughter of Data, and gets killed, it is up to the retired Admiral to find her twin sister before she suffers the same fate.

Before we get started let’s throw out some of the bad faith arguments on why this series wasn’t all that good.

“Picard” doesn’t suck because it has “politics” in it. At this point, if you are complaining about the existence of social viewpoints and political/philosophical discussions in your Star Trek, or let alone any series for that matter, I don’t know what the hell you’ve been watching the past few decades. Star Trek has always been more than just a show about cool-looking spaceships and laser beams, you neckbeards.

(Hell, even the other “Star” got more going on in it than that.)

It’s also not bad because of female representation or “girl power.” Again, Star Trek has always had this and frankly having a few more instances of the women of Trek taking center stage doesn’t even come close to rebalancing the scales on the overall massive representation of cis white men across the genre and even the series anyways.

Also get the fuck over the use of curse words in this series. While certainly some instances in this show felt awkward, the use of the word “fuck” does not dilute Star Trek’s overall story.

(It would have made earlier season’s funnier for sure.)

Now that that’s out of way let’s get into the real reasons that, for me at least, the series fell short of an otherwise promising goal of delivering great new Star Trek.

The main problem stems from the series overall jumping off point in its first episode. Picard is understandably still upset about the death of Data and having him deal with survivor’s guilt is a great way to bring this character into the future and reexplore the humanist viewpoints Data touched on in the older series. But also having Picard deal with his fallout from Starfleet, both from the synth ban AND the Romulan exodus, creates chasmic diverging plotlines that never quite come together. The story really needed it to be one or the other. Either Picard wanting to advocate for the continued existence of synthetic life or the rescue of the Romulans post super nova. The latter is touched on a bit through the addition of the character Elnor but doesn’t quite work given that majority of the Romulans in this series are portrayed as villains.

There is definitely a post Brexit, anti-immigrant hysteria message being told there but not enough depth and nuance is given to make it look like Starfleet was particularly wrong here to abandon them given that they do end up being spies committing espionage in the Federation and the clear villains of the first season. The showrunners could have brought these two stories together by perhaps making Soji a Romulan bent on bringing down synthetic life because maybe her twin sister died in the riots on Mars, making Picard have to choose between his commitment to both minority groups abandoned by the Federation but of course, that’s not what the series goes with.

Also suddenly shoehorning in a convoluted anti-synth worldview into the already ultra-secretive Romulan empire was muddled to say the least.

(A decent summation of the Romulans, pretty much ever. Also why is the only Asian actress in this scene in Osaka depicted as an alien, Mr Kurtzman?...)

Some of these ideas could’ve been saved through better editing and pacing though but not enough is done in this first season to mitigate these issues. Too much of plot is told through plain exposition; people sitting down and talking for five-ten minutes about prophecies and backstory instead of having the story simply show us instead. It makes the pacing often slow even by Trek standards and grinds the action to a halt even when there are lasers being shot at one another in the next scene.

Many of these plots get barely any attention too. The Borg cube, why it’s abandoned, and why Hugh is working for the Romulans through the Federation is given surface level development at best. Seven of Nine returns and at one point is momentarily hooked up to the Collective and she doesn’t really say much about it after it happens. The new character’s Rios and Raffi both have side stories given to their development that get touched on once and never brought up again. Dr. Jurati straight up murders her lover and is set to turn herself into the Federation and it’s just kind of forgotten about in the finale. And Elnor, well, he gets to do his best Legolas impression slicing and dicing fellow Romulans with his sword I guess.

(He is still best boi though :3...)

The main co-star however, Soji the perfect android, has a particularly rushed development going from a scientist unknowing of her nature, to supposed prophet of doom, to predictably the savior all in one season. Her arc needed more time to develop with perhaps her Romulan love affair with Narek being the first season’s main driving force and her realization as an android being the climax.

Instead we get basically four seasons of Battlestar Galactica’s Sharon arc crammed into one season and it unfortunately makes the story feel half-baked.

(Ok, Boomer.)

Don’t get the wrong idea, all these new characters have great individual moments as well throughout the season but sooooo much side plot is shoved in already into a muddled overarching narrative that it feels like several seasons worth of storytelling stuffed and edited down into a ten episode arc. Why the series felt it needed to conclude this robust story about synth hating Romulans in “Picard’s” first season feels like an unforced error in this reviewer’s opinion even if Sir P Stew only has maybe a couple seasons of extensive acting left in him anyways.

But the season isn’t completely worthless, as much as this review has been spent dunking on its less than stellar parts. The cast is exceptional, even working with the spare parts they’ve been given. Episode 5’s “Stardust City Rag,” in particular, stands out as a good mix of old and new Trek, with a decent dosage of cheese featuring Patrick Stewart trying on a French accent in a space bar. Santiago Cabrera is delightful as the ship captain Rios while also playing various forms of himself in AI form in equally enjoyable roles. Evan Evagora is fun as the deadly yet somewhat aloof Elnor, even if his character doesn’t do all that much except cut up a few Romulans. Seeing Jonathan Frakes and Marina Sirtis reprise their roles as Riker and Troi respectively in episode 6 was heartwarming and felt the most like TNG out of all the episodes. And Jeri Ryan seems liberated in this series in this version of Seven of Nine, no doubt glad to be rid of that restrictive corset and Rick Berman’s meddling hands.

(Big “Fuck you, Rick Berman” energy going on in this scene.)

The production value is obviously high level as Trek has rarely looked this good on the small screen. There’s some great cinematography throughout the season whether it’s Picard’s chateau winery, the haunting nature of the Borg cube, or the synth homeworld in the season’s final beats. The spaceships look cool as always and the world of the future feels well futuristic.

The musical score is also top notch, with a great opening theme that feels very much in line with Trek at its futurist glimpse into a hopeful cosmos.

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The season’s best moments though are between Picard and Data and will remind you why they were more than likely your favorite characters on TNG. Generally speaking, exploring the humanist themes of artificial intelligence in new Trek was a good choice and having Picard deal with survivor’s guilt kept the pulse of the muddled story still beating. Brent Spiner is still great as Data and will remind you all again how talented he has always been as an actor and though his age seeps through the makeup a bit he is nonetheless still a perfect android.

Though the finale as a whole is underwhelming, the characters do share a nice final moment that is both touching and reminiscent of everything a fan loves about Star Trek. It’s a great cap to an otherwise ok return to Star Trek for TNG’s top characters and its truly touching in the best way that this franchise has always been known to be.

(Deactivating my emotions chip because I just..can’t! I just can’t, ok! *Sobs*)

But great acting and high production value can only mask so many flaws with a convoluted plot and “Picard” unfortunately suffers from the bloated and uncooked nature of its many ideas. What the story really needed was three season arc not just ten episodes and it shows. I guess the plus side is with this particular plot wrapped up it leaves the door open for new ideas and a fresh start in the second season but it does feel like an overall miss for Picard’s homecoming back into the universe of Star Trek.

Overall, though there are worse ways a Star Trek fan can spend their quarantine than watching “Picard” and there’s certainly enough here for fans to latch onto and have hope for better things in the next season.

Hopefully things are less rushed or at least more focused in the second season and we can see a more proper return to form for both Picard and future Star Trek.

Here’s hoping the producers and writers make it so…

VERDICT:

3 out of 5

Let’s hope we get a return of Q in the next season.

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jorrmungandr · 4 years

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2019 was a good year for games.

Lots of interesting new ideas in the space, and some refinements of old ones. Here’s a list of my personal favorite games of this year, in no particular order. Making an ordered list can be fun, but it’s ultimately pretty pointless.

Video games are such a diverse medium at this point that it’s really like comparing apples and oranges. How does Baba Is You stack up against Dragon Quest XI S? They have almost nothing in common, and their aims are so different that it makes no sense to compare them directly.

Speaking of….

Baba Is You

There are a lot of indie puzzle games out there. Making a little mind-bending puzzle is something that’s easy to do on a relatively small budget. There are also a lot of games that mimic old pixel art aesthetics of earlier game systems, to greater and lesser success. Making a truly great puzzle game, though, is a true accomplishment. Something that combines a wildly different array of elements in interesting ways, but maintains a simple readability that allows you to return to puzzles after months away and instantly recognize what’s going on.

Baba Is You is a game that accomplishes this and more. It operates on very simple, basic rules, but the way they escalate over time and require you to think outside more and more boxes with every single puzzle is simple astounding. A lot of puzzle games escalate their difficulty so quickly that it’s easy to get discouraged, put off by the impossible tasks you’re being asked to perform. Where Baba shines is that it gives you a perfect runway, teaching you things slowly but surely through a series of challenges.

This is a game where you will instantly go from feeling like the world’s greatest super-genius to a complete and utter fool in a matter of moments, from finishing one stage to starting the next. Over and over again, for dozens and dozens of levels. No game has ever better demonstrated the value of brain rest, stepping away from a problem and letting your subconscious work on it for a while. Every time I came back to a puzzle after a couple hours, I would suddenly see some option I never saw before.

One final note, the graphics are actually a perfect fit for this game. A lot of times, pixel art feels like a gimmick, something to do when you don’t have a good idea, or just mindless nostalgia-baiting. But here, it serves a gameplay purpose, giving you an absolutely clean view of the elements in play at a glance, and also serves as an homage to the simple-yet-challenging puzzle games of those older eras.

Code Vein

And now, for something completely different: An extremely anime-styled souls-like. I remember hearing about this game years and years ago, and thinking that it looked kinda… bad. But, in the meantime they really brought it all together into something fun, if not very innovative.

Code Vein is exactly the sort of thing I look for in a souls-like: it takes the basic formula and adds some new mechanics to it, and has an identity of its own. Instead of a medieval fantasy world, it’s a post-apocalyptic modern city crawling with vampires and zombies. It takes inspiration from stylish, gothic anime of the past couple decades: Code Geass, Blood+, Tokyo Ghoul, etc. The character creator is extremely detailed, but mostly when it comes to clothes and accessories.

The gameplay is… fine. It’s balanced around always having an AI companion, so they can throw bigger groups of enemies at you. It doesn’t require the same sort of intense caution of the Souls series, but that makes it more of a fun, casual experience. At least until you’re fighting a boss, then it suddenly requires you to really be on your game with dodging. If I have one complaint, it’s that the difficulty is incredibly bumpy, some areas are a cake walk and others have you struggling through every encounter.

Oh, also the area aping Anor Londo from Dark Souls. Not because it’s derivative, that’s totally fine, but because it’s a maze where everything looks the same and it’s a real pain to get through. Souls games are at their best when areas have good landmarks and make a kind of logical sense. Earlier in the game you pass through a big parking garage, and it’s perfect, just the sort of thing that translates well to this kind of game. But this cathedral-ish area… it just sucks.

It really is quite shameless.

Overally, it’s just a solid souls-like. I enjoyed the crunchy RPG elements, switching classes and balancing your weapons and armor to get good mobility and damage. The ability to just equip cool-looking attack moves as skills you can use, like spells in Souls games, is something I’d really like to see in more games in this sub-genre.

Fire Emblem: Three Houses

I was kind of skeptical about this game before it came out. Mostly because it was bringing back weapon durability, a mechanic I’ve always hated in these games, but that ended up being a non-issue. Also the school setting made me a bit wary, thinking it was just gonna end up being some Persona-esque thing where you spend tons of time on mundane nonsense while an actual war is going on.

That was all baseless, it turns out. They balance the idea of a military academy with a traditional Fire Emblem structure remarkably well, giving you a lot of freedom around what you want to do when you play the game. You can run around the monastery talking to students, managing your relationships, or you can just do a ton of tactical battles if you want.

The storytelling was remarkably good, though I feel like it was harmed a bit by the weird way it handled multiple routes with different big mysteries. Some routes ended up completely ignoring or just not getting around to some pretty major mysteries. I’m a person who likes long games, but expecting someone to go through all four routes to figure out what’s going on is a bit much.

But more than that, the way it holds back certain reveals hurts the writing in other ways. The actual revelations can’t really have any effect on the characters and their relationships because it all happens at the very end of the game. It keeps the world feeling a bit flat, without any reactions. The mysteries feel extraneous to the plot, in a weird way, when they are so important to certain characters’ identities and the core conflicts that drive the second half of the game.

The gameplay is okay, though a few of the maps are way too big. The portable Fire Emblem games reigned in the map sizes from the old NES and SNES ones, which was a great thing. But now we’re back to moving a whole army one unit at a time for multiple turns just to get to the next group of enemies. The class system was fun to engage with, balancing learning different skills to open up new opportunities, but the gender-limited classes were a real disappointment. Why can’t men ride pegasi? Why can’t women punch good? It’s bizarre, and honestly felt like it had some stuff left over from early drafts, like the pointless dark mage classes.

This has been a lot of complaining about a game I played for close to a hundred hours. Why is this game even on my list? Because the characters are fucking fantastic, and on a basic level the tactical battles are a lot of fun. It offers a paternalistic form of power fantasy, fostering and guiding your children-warriors and then seeing them destroy your enemies. It is just incredibly satisfying to play. And for all that the mysteries end up a bit frustrating, they are intriguing, and do a good job of motivating you to get through a very lengthy game.

Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

Ah, love a good IGAvania.

This was a year where I really reached for comfort food games a lot, and this is maybe the king of that category. It’s just an old style of game that doesn’t get made anymore, done extremely well by the guy who used to make ’em all the time. Nothing super different or innovative, just the same old thing with a couple new tweaks.

It’s an easy game, but that’s entirely by design. It’s about running around this castle killin’ monsters, collecting new abilities, just exploring and poking around the corners. It’s a game that is, ultimately, designed to be comfortable. And in a time of such strife in the world around us, what could be better?

Disco Elysium

There’s already been a lot written about this game, tons of praise heaped on its writing and its interesting, hauntological world that is so similar to our own, and yet so different. Frankly, I’m really glad I got turned into this before it even came out, if I heard all that overblown praise I’d never have ended up actually sitting down and playing it.

Here’s what I’ll say: This game is a look at an ugly world, and it gives you a lot to think about, but it actually doesn’t take itself too seriously. There are a ton of extremely funny moments, a lot of straight-up goofy-ass jokes. This is not medicine that you have to suffer through, just take it as it comes and it’s a good time. This is what allows its writing to really land, it’s not lecturing you from on high, it’s engaging on a lower, more personable level.

It’s also not some super serious text that you have to pore over and consider extremely closely at every moment. It’s a game, you can save scum and try to exploit mechanics and look up answers to mysteries. Much like Souls games, people come up with all sorts of weird rules about the “proper” way to play games like this, but in the end your experience is up to you.

One final note: the game does start off with a kind of off-putting ironic tone. Some people try to downplay this, but it’s there. I can only say this: if you give this game a chance, you’ll be rewarded. It is worth getting through a few sarcastic jabs to get to the good stuff later on. It’s not some perfect audio-visual experience that will entrance you from the opening moments to the credits, it’s just a video game.

Dragon Quest XI S

I first played Dragon Quest XI last year on PC, and I enjoyed it a lot! But I didn’t actually finish that version, not really. I put a lot of time into, but ultimately burned out on the grind towards the very end.

The form that games come in is very important to how they are experienced. Dragon Quest games work best as portable games, I truly believe. It also helps that this version on the switch added the ability to speed up regular battles, so you don’t have to sit through some long attack animations over and over. The more important aspect, though, is simply the ability to pick it up and put it down more easily.

Sitting down at my PC, plugging in my controller, and pulling up a game is a subtly labor-intensive thing. It means I’m devoting a lot of attention to a game, and it has to do something to earn that on a moment-to-moment basis. The ability to just push a single button on the switch and get back into means that I’m willing to forgive a lot more down time.

Anyway, the game itself: this is not just a very good Dragon Quest game, it is the ultimate Dragon Quest game. It truly shows the value in iteration over pure innovation, taking all sorts of different mechanics and ideas from past games in the series and bringing them all together in one big package. But it doesn’t feel overstuffed, it’s just doing the same thing these games have always done, just really, really well.

Dragon Quest XI successfully pays tribute to the older games in the series while also telling a new story with entertaining twists and turns, and fun and interesting characters. It’s beautiful, everything runs smoothly, the writing is charming and light. It’s not on the same level as Disco Elysium, but it’s not aiming for that sort of thing. It’s a fairy tale, a fable, a reflection of the world in a different sense.

A lot of game critics missed this game because it’s long. And that is absolutely fair, it’s hard to fit a 100-hour game into a review schedule in this day and age. But it’s an absolute gem, a truly wonderful experience from beginning to end. I’d recommend it to anyone who just wants a game to relax with at the end of the day.

Monolith: Relics of the Past

Like some sort of Christmas miracle, there was an expansion pack released for one of my favorite roguelikes on Christmas day, just last week.

Monolith is the best twin-stick shooter roguelike, I will make no bones about it. Forget your Gungeons and your Bindings of Isaac, this is a classic NES-styled game with an absolutely pitch-perfect aesthetic and sense of humor. It serves both the twin-stick shooting and the roguelike parts of its genre perfectly, giving you a strong basic weapon to rely on, and also a guarantee of something more interesting but random in every run.

Man, there are games that I enjoy more, but I really, truly feel that this is one of the best-crafted games of the past few years. And this expansion only made it better: fixing up the UI and tooltips to make things more clear, rebalancing the weapons so that they are all useful, adding more variety to runs.

I’m not the best at Monolith, it took me quite a while to get a full win, but that doesn’t make it any less fun to play. In my youth, I was really quite good at bullet-hell games, but nowadays those reflexes aren’t there. It’s a game designed for people who can dodge endless bullet curtains, and also, now more than ever, for those who struggle with it.

It’s truly inspiring to see something that takes from the past and the present and fuses it together into something so wonderful. There are other games that really capture the NES aesthetic and sensibility, like Odallus or The Messenger, but this one really gets the spirit of that whole era of games. It is at once light and airy, and also punishingly difficult. It offers tricks and outs, but also remains utterly mysterious and intimidating.

And that’s it. There are more games I enjoyed this year, like the remake of Link’s Awakening, but these are the big ones that stick out in my mind.

There are a lot of big narrative-heavy games I never got around to finishing, or even starting. It just doesn’t really fit with how I play games these days, listening to podcasts and aiming to relax, not engage with something on a deep level.

That’s okay, though. I’ll get around to ’em in the fullness of time.

Games of the Year 2019 2019 was a good year for games. Lots of interesting new ideas in the space, and some refinements of old ones.

#baba is you #Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night #code vein #Disco Elysium #Dragon Quest #Dragon Quest XI S #fire emblem three houses #goty #Monolith #video games

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lcvedol · 5 years

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time: start! | entry 1 | prologue

x/x/x

I don’t know what to do. How to start..it’s so confusing. I’ve never really needed to mark my words down in a place like this, I’ve never had this much in my mind before now. Is anything going to ever read this? I mean- I write down things a lot! Song lyrics, thoughts, secrets.. I’d like to think of it as just something that belongs to me. It’s comforting, reassuring, even if It’s just me basically talking to myself. Maybe this is like a vent log? I can’t really look at this like a diary yet, so I guess I can just ramble here until further notice.

I had to do a bit of counting, and I checked three times- there’s a total of nineteen people here, including me. We all just woke up in this..dusty, dirty room with no recollection at all of how we even got thrown into here. I can’t remember what happened, how I ended up here, but I was supposed to be on some kind of tour. Trapped in this room with so many different prodigies was a little stressful, but also kind of weird. My classmates..they’re all really different compared to one another. So many different talents! There’s even some kind of Vending Machine Placement Scout (her name is Atsu, and I like her hat).

It’s so weird, I feel so alone despite the fact I’m with so many people. We all had to solve some kind of escape room puzzle? Everyone worked really hard to get out though, and I wish I could’ve been a little bit more of help..I’m not really the smartest- so I couldn’t really understand what to do. It was freaky, though, we were basically locked in! If we didn’t get out, would we have starved..? Would someone have just left us in there to die? God,I don’t want to think about it, but a REALLY tall guy managed to solve the puzzle (Cape! I think? He reminds me of a Pokemon, but I don’t know if he’d like me calling him that, so I won’t say it to his face! ^^;;). It was all number based, apparently, after we all put our heads together. It took a couple of hours, but I’m so relieved we got out all in one piece (I can’t say the same for my brain, though).

I should probably talk a little bit about the people here, I guess! I haven’t gotten to talk to all of them, but I got to converse with a couple of people- maybe I can just talk about what I think of them? Is that rude? Probably, but I think I have an excuse for the time being. Whoever threw us in here must be happy with themselves, because I feel like I’m going insane already. I don’t have any idea who threw all of us into a room together, but it sucks, as you can probably guess.

Okay, first, I tried to pair up with this one guy..but I don’t think he was looking for friends? Not sure, but he seemed kind of down in the dumps (understandable have a nice day), so we paired up together! I didn’t get his name, but he had bleached hair and some black glasses. He didn’t directly seem rude, though, I’m sure he was just kind of cautious! I get that, maybe I shouldn’t have been so forward trying to befriend him? Ah..I’ll work on that later!

Tatsu-chan! I took a break from looking around to talk to her. Really excited girl, I like her a lot! She keeps messing my name up, but I don’t really mind, I just don’t want to seem rude if I try to correct her a lot. She’s the Ultimate Urban Legend, and I’ve heard a little bit about her? I scroll through the internet a little more than normal people, so I’ve caught some glimpses of her name. She’s an off the rails kind of girl, but she has good intentions. She just wants to have some good fun! I can understand that. There was this person in a grey bodysuit that came over in an apron, looked at me, and then immediately BOLTED. What did I do!! Was there something on my face??? God, I really don’t want to make a fool of myself in front of 18 other people!! They’re a chef, though, because I got to help them out a little bit in the hallway once we broke out of our freaking jail! They just seem shy, though, so that’s cute! I don’t mind shy people, it just takes time for them to break out of their shell. uvu

Setsuko-chan seemed helpful in our investigations, Atsu-chan as well, they both seem smart. One’s more friendly than the other, but I’m sure they’re as worried as I am. Ultimate Secretary, Ultimate Vending Machine Placement Scout, kind of wary about Setsuko-chan, but she reminds me of my mom, a little. Not in a weird way or anything- she’s just seems to be really mature and hard-working, so I’ll respect her anyway. I haven’t talked to Atsu-chan much yet, but she did a lot to break us out of here, so I respect her too! I just don’t want to be a bother to any of them, I was probably one enough not doing much in our investigation..T_T

Yves-chan made some kind of remark about someone bashing our heads in?- I don’t think it was a threat, but now I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep tonight. :( Wtf :’( But she seems pretty! And cute! I like her hair! I’m sure she only said that because she dabbles in the horror genre, so I understand. It’s worth a chance to talk to her later, though! Her and Hisanobu-chan, the baker, paired up and got along pretty nicely I think? He likes to use “OHOHOHOHOHO” a lot! Except not in capitals. And not that loud. That probably seemed offensive, please don’t read this, ok?? <_<

There’s Elliot-chan! Tall, muscular, bartender, pretty good looking for a high-schooler, but I’m not hitting on him or anything!! He seems nice, but I haven’t really spoken to him. He seems like he knows what he’s doing, though! So that’s nice to have in this big dysfunctional family of ours (I mean class I’m just joking I swear I don’t know anyone here).

There’s..uh...team...Team Fen..Fenrir? I think that’s what the monologue man called it? It’s ran by Protagonist-chan! I’m kidding, but he keeps calling himself that and I don’t get it!!! This isn’t an anime we’re in, it’s an escape room, I kept telling myself! But he has cool shoes that light up in the dark, so he automatically gets Shizuka Points! +500! Then there’s the bowlcut dude! He vapes, but I don’t know anything about vaping, but at least he didn’t blow it into my face or anything! Him and Rune-chan are bros, I think? And there’s Fleur-chan! She’s pretty, I like her hair a lot! She’s tiny too, and overall just pretty soft looking! Dirty mouth, though. And that’s the team! Maybe it’ll expand, later? I’m happy that they’re getting along.

There’s..someone in a gas mask. I don’t know who it is, but they seem kind of rough and tough like the bleached-hair dude. Haven’t spoken to them, but maybe I will...later?????? Idk? It depends on the time and place. Why are they wearing a mask though? :thinking emoji here: It’s a mystery!

The ice skater! Diantha-chan? I think? Yeah, her. She kind of rubbed me the wrong way just a little bit with the random comments, but I’m sure there’s more to her! I’m just kind of a little worried to see it, an ice queen at heart, I guess!

There was this random guy who gave me the sink eye when I tried to politely bribe the keypad (it had emotions- idk technology is crazy ok!! It looked like it had an AI), so I guess he doesn’t like me much! He’s the merchant, from what I read about him, but I won’t spare any details- he’s scary, and I’m not sure if it’s a good idea to try and talk to him. I’m going against my own morals on this one!

Mitama-chan! She seems like a real mom, and she was helpful too! Really nice and strong, pretty much the perfect girl from what I’ve seen of her! She’s an art appraiser, so I guess she has a pretty sharp eye, too. She’s someone I’d love to talk to over a cup of hot chocolate or tea! Whatever works for her.

Oliver! Ollie! Ollie-chan, yeah! Haven’t talked to him, but he seems like a real storyteller! He’s kind of uptight (which is again- understandable, have a nice day). He’s a writer, so I’m sure his mind is an enigma. I don’t know much about him otherwise. Cute name though! ^v^

Then there’s Kihaku-chan! He’s super chill and he’s a musician too! A taiko drummer! I can play the guitar and piano, but not the drums- so I applaud him for that! He’s a rhythm gamer, too, at least from what I remember when we talked! We did like the briefest collab in the world (when I was carrying someone too! Lololol), but we sounded absolutely beautiful together! He’s super talented and I admire his work a lot, even if I’ve only heard him once! I hope we can be friends and work more together!

And I think I covered everyone! What a colorful class I have, right? I hope I can meet their standards. I’ll update this more once I get the chance as time passes, mostly about people, events, the usual! Maybe write a couple of song lyrics in here when I get the chance? Might as well work in this, too! Hopefully nothing bad happens, but I’ll still write it down just in case.

Signing out,

miya☆

#diary #entry 1 #shizuka

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aion-rsa · 3 years

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TV’s Most Confusing Episodes From Doctor Who to Westworld

https://ift.tt/2WAmL4r

There has to be some confusion in a TV drama, a procession of things not-yet-understood. That’s the deal: accept temporary bafflement in the expectation that at some point, all will be revealed. Or even if it won’t be, at least there’s a reason it’s been left unsolved, like a Sudoku you’ve got jam on.

Enough, Scrappy-Doo! The TV Dogs Who Need to Chill the F Out

By Alec Bojalad and 3 others

TV’s Most Stressful Episodes From Battlestar Galactica to The Handmaid’s Tale

By Alec Bojalad and 2 others

What doesn’t work is when a TV show that’s supposed to be taking you along with it, leaves you behind. That could be your fault (Did you stay awake? Skip an episode? Were you checking your phone? Was your dog doing that weird thing with the curtains so you had to get up and miss a bit?). Or it could be the fault of a TV show either too ambitious or inaccessible or illogical for comfort. We’ve chosen the episodes that left us scratching our heads; you can judge who’s to blame.

Doctor Who ‘Twice Upon a Time’ (2017)

So named because twice is the minimum number of times you have to watch the 2017 Doctor Who Christmas special before you have the weakest grasp of what’s going on. Considering that most will have only watched it once, and that, from inside a boozy, gravy-based fug, it’s staggering how esoteric this one is – impressively so. As showrunner Steven Moffat’s farewell episode, it’s a distillation of the sort of clever, complicated, ambitious, self-referential writing he’s known for.

There are two Doctors (three if you count the post-Regeneration glimpse of Thirteen), two overlapping Doctor Who stories, a Dalek, an ancestor of The Brigadier, a ship’s pilot made of glass, a moving historical WWI moment and three companions who aren’t really there. (Or are they?) It’s about regret, or reminiscence, or saying goodbye. It’s definitely about something and is doubtless very meaningful and poignant once you crack its shell, but there’s the sense that, unless you’re one of the Who hardcore, it doesn’t really care for you to try. Why be so aloof? It’s Christmas. Let the rest of us play too. LM

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend Season 4 Episode 8 ‘I’m Not the Person I Used to Be’

This was a bold move from a bold show. When Santino Fontana chose to leave Crazy Ex-Girlfriend after his one year contract ended, the character of Greg – assumed by many to be lead Rebecca’s romantic endgame – was written out in early season two. Then in the fourth and final season, Greg returned but this time played by Skylar Astin. Instead of glossing over the casting change and pretending as though nothing had happened (like when, say, Ross’ ex-wife Carol on Friends or mercenary warrior Daario Naharis on Game of Thrones changed faces), Crazy Ex-Girlfriend hit it straight on.

This smart, innovative series had always been filtered through the unreliable perspective of lead Rebecca Bunch (hence the extravagant musical numbers that take place in her head). So when Greg’s character was recast, the show used it to comment on our impressions of other people. ‘I’m Not the Person I Used to Be’ lampshaded New Greg with a psychoanalytical reflection on changing perceptions and personal growth. It was brave. It was innovative. It was admirable. It was… really confusing and distancing. However great Astin was in the role, and however clever the idea was, New Greg was the point at which some Crazy Ex-Girlfriend fans began to peel away from a show clearly unafraid to leave viewers behind. LM

Westworld Season 3 Episode 8 ‘Crisis Theory’

The Westworld season one finale was confusing in a delicious, grinning ‘Oh, you clever devil’ kind of way. The Westworld season two finale was confusing in an exhilarating ‘Blimey. All right then!’ kind of way. The Westworld season three finale was confusing in a way that made you feel like you’d watched the entire Terminator trilogy on fast-forward while downing a 12-pack of Red Bull and trying to rewire the electrics in your house. It wasn’t a good feeling.

I still don’t know which world-dominating AI was which, who was fighting who, what the evil French guy wanted, how many people were secretly Dolores, whether Maeve still only existed in the Matrix, and why Jesse from Breaking Bad was the new Jesus. If free will still exists by the time season four comes, I’m using mine to either get a valium prescription or change channels. LM

Rick and Morty Season 4 Episode 6 ‘Never Ricking Morty’

“Never Ricking Morty” is a particularly divisive episode of Rick and Morty – even at this very website! Some of us loved it, while others weren’t big fans. One thing that’s undeniable, however, is that this midseason 4 episode is the show’s most complicated narrative endeavor yet. “Never Ricking Morty” takes place on a “Story Train,” meaning that the plot initially goes through your typical three-act storytelling structure.

Once Rick and Morty realize where they are, however, Rick understands that the only way out of the Story Train is to reject the conventions of storytelling altogether. This means that any natural storytelling inclination must be resisted. It also means that the show burns through about nine series finales worth of epic nonsense right at the end as Rick and Morty’s “canon” is sucked right out of them. It’s tremendously challenging to watch, much less understand, and the episode wants it that way. – AB

Russian Doll Episode 7 ‘The Way Out’

Like many other Groundhog Day-style “time loop” stories, Netflix’s Russian Doll goes out of its way to establish the “rules” of its sci-fi premise. Every time Nadia Vulvokov (Natasha Lyonne) dies (which happens with disturbing frequency), she returns to the night of her 36th birthday party, washing her face in the bathroom as Harry Nilsson’s “Gotta Get Up” plays. That much is easy to understand, and Russian Doll has fun seeing how far it can make Nadia last before perishing and returning to the night in question.

Once she meets another person stuck in a time loop, however, things start to get wacky. Russian Doll’s seventh episode, “The Way Out,” is about as off-the-wall an experience as you’ll find on television. Nadia’s loved ones start to disappear. Then she flashes back to memories of her mother. Before you know it, teeth are bloodily falling out. Russian Doll settles in for a relatively logical ending in its eighth episode, but this penultimate installment is pleasantly incomprehensible. – AB

The Nevers Episode 6 ‘True’

The Nevers’ premise is bold enough to begin with. The HBO series is set in a fictional Victorian era where a select portion of the population (most of them women) have been “Touched” or blessed with supernatural abilities. Apparently, however, bold wasn’t nearly bold enough. The Nevers’ sixth episode, which serves as a de facto season finale due to a COVID production delay, upends everything.

Sky Atlantic’s The Nevers Proves That Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

By Lacy Baugher

The Nevers Part 1 Finale Is The Most Surprising Hour of TV in a Long Time

By Alec Bojalad

This episode begins not in 19th century London like every other installment thus far, but in a far flung dystopian sci-fi future. Earth is barely habitable and humanity is on the ropes. The only possible hope that the human race has left is in the form of a powerful alien species known as the Galanthi. If this all sounds complicated, you don’t even know the half of it. “True” is notable for not holding the audience’s hand through this disorienting experience at all. The episode makes no attempt to tone down its futuristic jargon and it’s not entirely clear what’s even happening until halfway through. By episode’s end, it’s apparent how “True” connects to The Nevers’ original concept, but no one would be blamed for needing multiple rewatches to really get it. – AB

Farscape Season 4 Episode 7 ‘John Quixote’

Let it never be said that Farscape was a TV show afraid to take a big creative swing. In season 4, we get this trippy and confusing episode (written by series star Ben Browder), which sees Crichton and Chiana trapped in a virtual reality game based on the memories of Black-T Crichton (because, yes, this was after the storyline that saw the show’s main character split into two, equally valid humans) and a neural template from Stark. The game is designed to keep C & C trapped in the gameworld until they die so their consciousnesses will be trapped in the virtual reality—wait for it—forever.

This hour of TV actually holds up quite well upon rewatch, probably because it is packed to the brim with clever pop culture references, but an initial watch of this series installment is absolutely bonkers, featuring Aeryn as a southern belle, Rygel as a version of Monty Python’s Black Knight who can shoot fire out of his ass, and D’Argo as a lederhosen-wearing Hansel who, at one point, eats baked beans out of Jool’s intestines. I can only imagine what someone watching this episode out of context would imagine this show is actually about. – KB

Fringe Season 2 Episode 11 ‘Unearthed’

Some episodes of television intentionally challenge the viewer’s ability to interpret what the hell is going on, and some episodes of television are broadcast wildly out of order, seemingly bringing back a character killed off in the previous season for a humdrum monster-of-the-week installment. You may have guessed that I have a specific example in mind for that second category and, if so, you would be right. Written and filmed to be the 21st episode of Fringe’s first season, “Unearthed” was instead recycled to be a mid-season installment in the second season of Fox’s usually pretty great sci-fi drama.

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This might have worked—it’s a basic episode that sees the Fringe team exploring the mystery of a teen girl who is pronounced dead, only to wake up screaming an alphanumeric code while doctors are working to remove her organs—save for the fact that it features a Fringe team member who was killed at the end of the previous season. Honestly, I can laugh about this now, but, at the time, it was jarring and confusing, with the network (Fox, if you were wondering) offering no pre-episode or in-episode explanation offered for why the aforementioned deceased character might be up and walking. For this to happen in an episode that also features a guest character thought dead revealed to be alive is icing on the cake. – KB

The OA Episode 8 ‘Invisible Self’

The OA is one of the most aggressively bizarre shows in Netflix history. Created by and starring Brit Marling, this two-season sci-fi series is fit to bursting with strange, at times difficult-to-comprehend concepts. The storyfollows Marling as Prairie Johnson, a young woman who resurfaces after disappearing – only now she refers to herself as “The OA (or original angel)”. Prairie/The OA recruits several disciples who she promises to take to another dimension. In “Invisible Self”, the final episode of the show’s first season, it all somehow culminates into…well, into this:

Yes, what you’re seeing there is a group full of cult weirdos engaging in an interpretive dance to stop a school shooter. And mostly succeeding! The OA‘s second season gets even stranger in many respects but it’s hard to top the confusing majesty of this first season finale.

Twin Peaks: The Return ‘Part 8’

Legendary filmmaker David Lynch has absolutely no concerns about being dubbed “confusing.” In fact, when it comes to Lynch’s filmography, that’s kind of a feature, not a bug. In-between crafting mind-bending classic films like The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, and Mulholland Drive, however, Lynch took some time to stamp his name into TV history with the surprisingly straight-forward Twin Peaks. Sure, Twin Peaks was frequently abstract and strange throughout its two-season run but it had a coherent plot, which is more than many Lynch movies can claim.

That sense of narrative coherence all ends during a particular episode of the 2017 revival Twin Peaks: The Return. “Part 8” is absolutely bonkers. Episode co-writer Mark Frost described it as “what you might describe as a Twin Peaks origin story, [showing] where this pervasive sense of darkness and evil had come from.” In Frost and Lynch’s world, that sense of darkness comes in forms including but not limited to: the detonation of the first atomic bomb in 1945, oodles of primordial ectoplasmic fluid, a frog/cockroach creature, woodsmen manifesting out of mid-air, and of course: a performance by “The” Nine Inch Nails. It’s one of the most confusing episodes of television in history…and one of the best.

Dark – Every. Single. Episode.

When trying to pinpoint one episode to highlight for this article, Dark fought back and I came to the conclusion that every single episode of German multigenerational sci-fi series Dark is borderline impenetrable. Just when you think you have finally wrapped your head around what’s happening in the small town of Winden, Dark will throw in another layer to this timey-wimey, multiversal story that assures that you, in fact, have no idea what the hell is going on.

That being said, unlike some of the shows on this list, the confusing nature of Dark’s narrative isn’t a bug; it’s an intentional feature. This is a show that asks a lot from its viewers, but gives us satisfying answers in return. And it’s OK if you only ever have half an idea of what’s going on—if that’s the case, you’re doing better than most of Dark’s characters. – KB

The post TV’s Most Confusing Episodes From Doctor Who to Westworld appeared first on Den of Geek.

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theastrophilearchitect · 3 years

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WandaVision series review part 1.

Because I have some things to say.

This is going to be posted on March 19th, at which point the WandaVision (WV) finale will have been out for two weeks; also the day Falcon and the Winter Soldier (FatWS) begins, which I have, for whatever reason, begun to think of as WandaVision's sequel, despite being a completely separate series. In 2019, FatWS was actually scheduled for before WV, so that makes no sense.

Anyway, I'm going to begin with a spoiler-free review of the series as a whole, then I'm going to go into an episode-by-episode breakdown as I re-watch the show, but the spoiler-free section will contain spoilers for the rest of the MCU. This part will cover episodes 1-3, part 2 will cover 4-6, and part 3 7-9. I’d love to do this in one post, but it’s just a little overwhelming.

If for whatever reason you don't know vaguely what WV is about, you've been living as a hermit for literally the last six years. But if you don't know: in 2015, Marvel Studios released Avengers: Age of Ultron (AoU), technically the second movie in the 'Avengers' franchise, but the eleventh movie set in the MCU, the Marvel Cinematic Universe. AoU introduced three main characters to the MCU: Vision, a synthezoid-human-robot-AI-android thing, who I would call a person but it's complicated - his consciousness is derived from the mind stone, one of six infinity stones, JARVIS, Tony Stark/Iron Man's AI assistant, Tony Stark himself, Bruce Banner/the Incredible Hulk, Thor, and Ultron, the villain of the movie, who's more of a robot than Vision, but he's not the point. The movie also introduces Wanda and Pietro Maximoff, known in the comics as Scarlet Witch and Quicksilver, though they are never called this in the movies. The Maximoffs are twins who volunteered for experimentation from HYDRA, an evil Nazi organisation who provide the main antagonists in the Captain America trilogy. We are told they each gained superhuman powers from the mind stone - Pietro has an increased metabolism and improved thermal homeostasis, and Wanda can do neural electrical interfacing, telekinesis and mental manipulation, or, in the words of Maria Hill, 'He's fast and she's weird.'

Pietro Maximoff is promptly killed by somehow failing to dodge bullets, while Wanda and Vision join the Avengers, and eventually fall in love. I'm not explaining Avengers: Infinity War. Or Avengers: Endgame. If you haven't them, why are you reading this?

Anyway, so Avengers: Endgame is the third-to-last movie in Phase Three of the MCU, but is the last part of Wanda and Vision's story pre-WandaVision, and wraps up with Vision dead and Wanda grieving.

So, should you watch WandaVision? Yes. Absolutely.

We already know our two main characters and several of the other characters, including Monica Rambeau from Captain Marvel, grown up, Darcy Lewis from the Thor franchise and Jimmy Woo from Ant-Man and the Wasp, but we're also introduced to a cast of new characters, mainly new villains (but then superhero movies so rarely use old villains), who are well-developed and intriguing - you'll either love them or love to hate them.

The plot leaves you on the edge of your seat - nearly every episode ends on a cliff hanger, and leaves you with a thousand questions. It answers the bare minimum, the final episode leaving us still with some questions, but it is the perfect way to milk our investment.

On the other hand, if you aren't familiar with the MCU, Wanda and Vision, you may have quite a hard time understanding every aspect. So long as you have a vague idea of the context, you can follow the plot, but you won't enjoy it nearly as much. I really don't think it's worth watching the entirety of the MCU solely for this show, but I also think it's worth watching the MCU movies, full stop.

The series is only available on Disney+, which absolutely sucks. I've had a Disney+ subscription since it was released in the UK, so this wasn't an issue for me, but it does generally suck. Even if you are up to date with MCU movies, if you don't have a Disney+ subscription, you can't watch it. The streaming service stopped offering free trials in July 2020 due to the release of the Hamilton pro-shot, knowing they'd get an influx of new subscribers, but not wanting people to be able to watch it without paying. Capitalism at its finest.

Whether or not the cost of one month's subscription for WandaVision is worth it is subjective - though now all the episodes have been released you could easily watch it and only have to pay once.

Ultimately, I would argue WandaVision is absolutely worth watching, though someone who isn't up to date on MCU films wouldn't enjoy it as much as someone who is, and with its runtime of just under six hours, broken into nine episodes, it may not be worth the Disney+ subscription for you personally, especially if you're not up to date on the MCU. However, I would like to end this section on a positive note: I cannot get over how awe-inspiring the storytelling on this show is. Marvel has its issues with storytelling, with things often feeling disjointed in an attempt to remain unpredictable and prevent actors (*ahem* Tom Holland) spoiling events, but WandaVision doesn't feel that way at all. It's unlike any superhero show I've seen before, plays on morality and plays with sitcom formats from the last 70 years, meaning you'll love it even if, like me, you're not a fan of action-focused media - the only long action scenes occur in the last episode.

So, yes. five stars.

~SPOILER ALERT~

Beyond this mark, I'm going to go into an episode-by-episode breakdown, and it will be basically all spoilers from here. If you haven't seen the show and care about spoilers, go away. Please don't spoil yourself.

Also, in each episode's breakdown, I may point out foreshadowing and things I only notice because I've watched it already, so unless you've seen all nine episodes, you may find spoilers even if you only read about the episodes you have seen.

I watched WandaVision episode by episode as it was released, and since the first two episodes were released nearly two months ago, I'm going to re-watch the show and break it down as I go.

Episode One: 'Filmed Before A Live Studio Audience' This episode was released on January 15th along with episode two, and I didn't actually watch it until the Sunday because I wasn't invested yet, and, of all the MCU shows announced, this was kinda the one I was dreading. Before this show, I loved Wanda, but hated Vision, so I also hated their romance. I'd also seen the sitcom-style trailers and was absolutely terrified it would be terrible, so I wanted to finish the season of the show I was currently watching before watching the episodes.

So let's get into it.

The episode is only 29 minutes along, including the nearly-ten-minute credits, which is pretty standard sitcom-episode length. We open with the Marvel introduction, but as the camera zooms out, we're shown the logo in a fuzzy, monochrome, early-1900s style. The aspect ratio also decreases, which is a nice touch but very annoying because the show itself has a larger ratio, meaning there's a lovely thick black border all the way around the frame. But that's just a formatting complaint.

We move into a 50s-sitcom-style song-montage in which Wanda and Vision, looking human like that single scene in Infinity war are coming home, just married. Wanda magically buys the house and with some weird Vision-power stuff, he carries her over the threshold to their new house, and we see the logo.

Thoughts at this point? Just what? How is Vision alive? Why is it black and white? Why is there a musical song? Why are we in the 1950s? How are they married? Why aren't they being Avengers? Just sheer confusion.

Wanda uses her powers in this episode without her typical red-smoke-sparkles, and they make a lot of gags, received with a laughing track, about their powers, but generally follow a sitcom formula, with the plot of having Vision's boss for dinner and needing to impress him.

Also, it’s noteworthy that what little was left of Wanda’s Sokovian accent by Avengers: Endgame has completely vanished.

It's very odd to see Vision as Vision, as in synthezoid would-be-red-if-it-weren't-in-black-and-white face, dressed in regular clothes instead of his cape and superhero get-up. It seems like his superhero clothes aren't actually a part of him, but when he walks through things, they go with him, though he can't take other objects with him. This could be because they were made at the same time as him, but he also takes his other clothes with him. That's just a question as to the limits of his capabilities, though.

We're quickly introduced to their new neighbour, Agnes, cast in the role of Nosy Neighbour, but the cast of this episode stays incredibly small. Agnes mentions her mother-in-law being in town and talks about her husband Ralph, though neither of these characters are introduced.

Vision goes to work, raising the question of why a superhero synthezoid needs an office job, especially one he apparently doesn't know the purpose of.

Later, Vision calls Wanda from work, and she answers the phone as 'Vision residence', which is confusing on a number of levels. Wanda is a perfectly normal name, perfectly able to blend into this setting - Vision is not. Especially when he has no surname and this answering gives the impression Wanda has taken his name, and literally become 'Wanda Vision,' which is likely the point, but confusing nonetheless.

Here comes a 1950s style advert, advertising the 'ToastMate 2000'. In the ad, the two people put bread into the toaster, which toasts and beeps for an unnervingly long time before coming out. We're then told it's made by Stark Industries (Iron Man's company) with the slogan: 'Forget the past; this is your future!' Ominous, and clearly playing into the fact we seem to be on an alternate timeline.

Towards the end of the episode, Vision's boss's wife, Mrs Hart, begins asking questions about their past - where they moved from, how long they've been married, children, etc. - and Wanda and Vision freeze, trying to answer, but apparently unable to remember. Mr Hart, Vision's boss presses, but they fail to answer. Mr Hart begins to choke, and Wanda and Vision freeze, while his wife laughs, telling him over and over to stop it, until he falls out of his chair, and Wanda tells Vision to help him, which he does using his powers, though neither Mr nor Mrs Hart question this, and quickly leave, having barely eaten. Overall, the dinner is apparently a success.

Wanda and Vision realise they don't have wedding rings, and Wanda makes some, in a clearly cut-together shot reminiscent of the intended style. The camera then pans out to 50s-style credits, crediting the two cast members, producer, director, writer, photographer, music director, production manager, supervising editor and several other roles, with names I'm sure have some relevance, either to real cast members or some comic reference, but don't mean much to me.

The camera continued to pan out, showing the episode playing on an old fashioned TV in some kind of technological/industrial room. A hand presses a remote button, and we cut to the real credits, against a background of warped shots of screens, which then zooms into the pixels and we see a load of formations, such as of their house. Credits which are seven minutes long, though the length has nothing to do with the show itself.

One more thing: it's hard to notice during the episode, but during the credits we see a warped shot of Vision, in which his eyes appear human, where previously they've been fairly robotic.

This episode brings up a million questions and answers literally none, so, glad there's another episode, we move on. I enjoyed this episode, and enjoy it more the second time round, now knowing the answers to most of my questions, but it's so frustrating.

Episode Two: 'Don't Touch That Dial' This episode is 36 minutes long including credits, which is still fairly standard sitcom length. I watched this one directly after the first, and my frustration only continued.

Something I've only just noticed watching this the second time through: this episode opens with a recap of the first, and it recalls the events without including character introductions--except for Agnes. The recap includes her introduction, but nothing else of her, which, even though she's technically irrelevant in episode one, clearly means the writers are trying to make the audience remember her.

The comedy-style intro to this episode is in a cartoon-style, which opens with an image of the moon surrounded by six stars which light up in turn, a nod to the infinity stones.

Here, Wanda and Vision--Wanda especially--are wearing less traditional-50s clothes, though the first time round I didn't question this because Wanda's hair was nearly the same--just a little longer and more relaxed--and so was the way it was shot, the black-and-white, and the aspect ratio. I didn't quite make the decade-jumping connection, though looking back it is fairly obvious we've shifted to the 1960s.

Since this episode still follows a comedy formula, in which every episode has its own arc which rarely intersects others, the plot of this episode is Wanda and Vision participating in a town talent show and attempting to blend in. After the intro, we see Vision practising, and Wanda brings out a cabinet of mysteries for their act, which has an image reminiscent of the mind stone on the doors.

With Wanda acting as Vision's magical assistant, he gives her the name 'Glamour,' a nod to her powers, and 'glamour' in the more magical, less-celebrity sense. It also matches Vision's magician's name, 'Illusion,' from which it becomes a nod to the fact this whole set-up seems so abnormal, and, an illusion or glamour.

Before the intro to this episode, we see Wanda and Vision getting woken up in the night by some banging. Later in the episode, we hear whirring and another bang, which prompts Wanda to go outside to investigate, where she finds a crashed toy helicopter, in colour. The helicopter has a sword symbol on it--the first time we see this.

Agnes then brings Wanda a rabbit for the magic act, who she calls Senor Scratchy, a reference to Nick Scratch, a colloquial name for the devil. This was part of what led to initial speculations about which character was actually comic-villain Mephisto in disguise - WandaVision also draws heavily from comic series 'House of X', in which Mephisto is the villain. Obviously, people began assuming Agnes was either Mephisto in disguise, or working for him.

Agnes then advises Wanda about Dottie, the leader of some organisation Wanda is apparently trying to join. Skip to the meeting, Wanda emulates Dottie’s actions to appeal to her. Dottie is then rude to a woman giving some sort of account, but she forgot to ask about the chairs, to which Dottie says ‘Devil’s in the details, Bev.’ Agnes then says to Wanda, ‘That’s not the only place he is,’ which added to the speculation about Mephisto.

The committee Wanda is with is working on the talent show to raise money for the elementary school--’For the children.’ This phrase is repeated throughout the episode, and foreshadows Wanda’s motivations as the show progresses. Wanda meets a woman named Geraldine, who says she feels out of place, foreshadowing her true identity, and how she, personally, came to Westview.

Meanwhile, Vision attends a neighbourhood watch meeting and one of the men offers him a stick of gum, which he takes despite the fact he can’t actually eat food, as a synthezoid. One of the men slaps him on the back fondly, and Vision swallows the gum, which we see as a cartoon of it going down his mechanical oesophagus.

Wanda stays behind at the committee meeting to help Dottie clean up, and Dottie tells her she’d heard things about Wanda and her husband, which Wanda responds she ‘doesn’t mean anyone any harm,’ and Dottie tells her she doesn’t believe her, as though she’s mentally returned to reality, continuing to foreshadow the reveal in the next few episodes. The camera zooms in, the music intensifies, and a voice comes from the radio beside them, asking if Wanda can hear him. Dottie asks, panicked, who it is, and who Wanda is. The radio short-circuits, and Dottie breaks the glass she holds, cutting her hand, and the blood is red.

The advert in this episode contains the same actors from the previous one, this time advertising the Strucker watch--a reference to Wolfgang von Strucker, a Nazi villain from the Captain America franchise; also the head scientist on the experiments which Avengers: Age of Ultron claims gave the Maximoff twins their powers. The slogan is ‘He’ll make time for you,’ which, even now, I’m not completely sure what it’s a reference to, or who the ‘he’ could be, but it seems to further suggest Mephisto’s involvement, despite that not actually being the case.

Cut to the talent show, Wanda panics because Vision is late. He shows up, walking and acting as if drunk, and we’re shown the gum is stuck around some gears in his gut. On stage, Dottie makes the audience chorus ‘for the children’ again, and Wanda and Vision come out. Because of the gum stuck in Vision, the act goes sincerely wrong, and he uses his powers out in the open, but Wanda manages to use hers to apparently hide this from the audience. They bring out the cabinet of mysteries, and Agnes asks sarcastically if they’re sure they don’t want an audience volunteer named ‘my husband Ralph?’, the second mention of Ralph in the series.

Vision taps the box with his wand before Wanda gets inside, and the audience starts chanting ‘What’s in the box?’ Wanda panics, does something with her powers, and opens it to reveal a very confused Geraldine inside. Their act ends, and Wanda uses her powers to find and release the gum stuck in Vision, and he seems to ‘sober up’. They try to leave, but Dottie calls them up on stage, praises them and presents them with a trophy for their comedy. Wanda calls up Geraldine, who asks what happened, but they play the ‘magician never reveals his secrets’ card.

They get home, and joke about it, repeating ‘for the children’. Wanda gets up, deciding to get popcorn, and is suddenly quite pregnant, where she very much wasn’t before. There’s a thud outside, and they go to investigate. A manhole cover in the road shifts, and somebody in a beekeeper’s suit, with the sword logo on the back, emerges, face in shadow. Wanda merely says ‘no’, and we rewind to before the thud. Colour then begins to bloom onto the screen, and the episode ends, with an echo of the voice from the radio.

Looking back, I think the shift to colour on Wanda’s part may have been a decision because of the helicopter, and the blood--the beekeeper prompted it, but she’s trying to hide the fact that the things which do not belong are so obviously out of place.

This episode holds no more answers than the last, and has the same comedy tone with the ominous undertones as the last, but also contains significantly more characters and locations, as though this sitcom world has expanded.

And then we had to wait a week for episode 3.

Episode Three: ‘Now in Colour’ And we shift to the seventies. This episode’s recap recalls all the major points of the last episode, including Geraldine’s introduction. This episode is only 32 minutes including credits; longer than the first, but shorter than the last, so we’re still sticking to the comedy format, and the episodes aren’t yet lengthening.

Just a point a little irrelevant to this: WandaVision’s total runtime is about six hours, and we’re getting six FatWS episodes, which is probably about the same runtime but a little disappointing (though that’s mostly because it means there’ll be a couple weeks where we get nothing between it and Loki).

The introduction to this episode is more classic sitcom, with the long pop-style song over a montage of the characters--exactly what you’d expect from the seventies. The episode opens with a doctor at their home, who tells them she’s about four months along, which she obviously isn’t. Vision questions how this happened, but it becomes fairly clear to the audience this is Wanda’s doing. Vision asks the doctor not to tell people about the pregnancy, and sees his neighbour to the non-Agnes side, Herb, trimming his hedge, but the hedge-trimmer is going through the garden wall, and he hasn’t seemed to have noticed. Vision points this out, Herb verbally acknowledges him, but keeps going.

Vision returns inside, and Wanda’s pregnancy has progressed even further. Wanda uses her magic to prepare the baby’s room, and her magic is still missing her signature scarlet, a continuing sign something is wrong. The baby kicks, Wanda describes it as ‘fluttery’, and accidentally makes the butterflies on the baby’s mobile real.

Vision mentions the name ‘Billy’, and Wanda says ‘Tommy’, ‘a nice, classic American name’, returning emphasis to their efforts to fit in. Wanda gets Braxton-Hicks contractions, and her powers turn on the tap, open the window, flare the lights--the pregnancy causes her to lose control of her powers, and the block’s power goes out. Wanda mentions the people of Westview ‘always seem to be on the verge of discovering [their] secret’, and Vision says something seems wrong there. The music intensifies and the camera zooms in, then we cut back to before he said that, but without the rewind sequence we saw in the last episode.

And Wanda goes into real labour, sending Vision in a panic. Then it begins to rain inside, and Wanda comments she thinks her water has broken.

Cut to commercial! Same actors again, this time for Hydra Soak--’find the goddess within’. It’s a bath product meant to take you away from your problems--a reference to Wanda’s apparent escape from what she was left with after Endgame. I’m not completely sure what all the HYDRA references are about, even after watching the whole series.

It stops raining inside, and Wanda opens the windows to dry out the house, and I cannot get over how perfect her hair is in this episode. It’s perfect in the others, too, but this time, it’s perfectly straight, not a strand out of place, and I just can’t get over it.

Vision goes after the doctor, who was about to go on vacation when he left, and the doorbell rings. Wanda puts on a coat to hide her belly, and welcomes Geraldine in, but tells her it isn’t a good time. Wanda gets a contraction, and her coat transforms. And again. So she throws it off, and uses a fruit bowl to disguise it, but Geraldine doesn’t leave.

A stork appears behind Geraldine, apparently the one Vision painted on the nursery wall earlier, and Wanda has to do her best to keep Geraldine from seeing it. She tries to make it vanish in a cloud of red smoke, her typical magic, but fails, and Geraldine eventually hears the stork, but Wanda tells her it’s the ice maker.

The baby, however, it very quickly coming, and Geraldine sees Wanda’s belly. She lays Wanda down, and she births the baby, while light fixtures break and paintings spin, before Vision arrives. My God, her hair is so damn perfect. The baby’s a boy, and Vision concedes to Wanda’s name choice of Tommy. Then Wanda screams again, and Billy is born. For the children.

Vision goes outside with the doctor, and asks about his trip. The doctor tells him that small towns are ‘so hard to... escape,’ yet another ominous implication. The doctor leaves, but Herb is still outside, now without the hedge-trimmer, but with Agnes. They whisper about something, then Vision goes over. Agnes says ‘Ralph looks better in the dark, so I’m not complaining,’ when he asks if they lost power, too. And Agnes asks if Geraldine is with Wanda, as though she is suspicious, though knowing how episode seven ends, her true concern is clear.

Inside, Wanda tells Geraldine she’s also a twin, and the music intensifies. Geraldine says, ‘He was killed by Ultron, wasn’t he?’ in reference to Pietro--Quicksilver.

Agnes says Geraldine is new to town, no husband, and no home.

Wanda asks what Geraldine said, but Geraldine goes back to complimenting her. Wanda presses, but Geraldine’s sudden clarity seems to have gone. Then we zoom in on Geraldine’s necklace, and it’s the Sword logo.

Herb tells Vision Geraldine ‘came here because we’re all...’,but Herb can’t get the words out.

Wanda asks about the symbol, who Geraldine is, but she says she doesn’t answer.

Agnes makes Herb stop talking, and leaves. Vision returns inside, and Wanda tells him, rather monotonously, that Geraldine had to return home. But the camera cuts to the Westview sign, suddenly with a wider, more modern aspect ratio. It’s night, the air ripples like TV static, and Geraldine comes flying out, as though pushed. She collapses on the ground; cars approach, a helicopter casts a spotlight on her. We pan out to some kind of camp, and cut, to that dreaded ‘Please stand by’ credits screen.

And episode three ends, leaving us still without answers, but at least a little confirmation of something malevolent occurring.

So, that’s my initial overview and breakdown of episodes 1-3. Part 2 will contain episodes 4-6, and part 3 7-9 plus my final thoughts.

But that’s that for this week’s post; the next two parts should be up next week and the week after, unless I have something I want to post more.

Anyway, go drink some water, eat something if you haven’t eaten in the last few hours--you’re amazing, you’re beautiful, and you so deserve everything you have, and more.

Bye!

#wandavision #marvel #mcu #avengers #marvel cinematic universe #disney #disneyplus #disney planes #the avengers #wanda #wanda maximoff #scarlet witch #vision #quicksilver #maximoff #tv review #show review #programme review #tv show review

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