Alan Rapp

Stargirl – Pilot

  • Title: Stargirl – Pilot
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Stargirl - Pilot television review

For as many super-hero shows that have been produced over the past decade it’s odd that Stargirl is the first to center around a single teen protagonist rather than your usual twenty or thirty-somethings. Despite opening with the deaths of multiple heroes, the pilot episode offers a bit of a lighter touch than we’ve seen in recent years focusing on the upheaval of Courtney Whitmore‘s (Brec Bassinger) life as her family leaves Los Angeles for a new life in Nebraska. There’s plenty of cliche here, both in the depiction of Midwestern hospitality and in high school life, but when the show focuses on super-heroes it finds its groove. The first character we’re introduced to isn’t Courtney, but her new stepfather (Luke Wilson) who a decade ago was the sidekick for the dying Starman (Joel McHale) who entrusts his cosmic staff to Pat, suggesting someone other than Pat (really, anyone but Pat) might one day be chosen.

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Ghost-Spider #9

Ghost-Spider #9 comic reviewMost of Ghost-Spider #9 features our spider-heroine mulling over the unexpected offer of friendship and team-up by Johnny Storm and Sue Storm. Despite her initial reluctance (and multiple warnings from her Spidey-Sense) Gwen decides to go forward with the meeting that ends with the trio taking down some smugglers (with what the Storms really want from Gwen yet to be revealed).

Returning to an ongoing theme, we see some father/daughter discussion about Gwen’s choice of after-school activities (especially given what her father sees as Gwen’s increasingly reckless behavior). There’s also plenty of Spider-Gwen swinging around the city and contemplating school and social media.

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The Flash – Success is Assured

  • Title: The Flash – Success is Assured
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The Flash - Success is Assured television review

It’s more accurate to say the Sixth Season of The Flash ends with “Success is Assured” as little effort is made to come to a conclusion in the shortened season finale. Yes, Joseph Carver‘s (Eric Nenninger) reign of terror will come to an end as Eva McCulloch (Efrat Dor) gets her revenge, but Iris (Candice Patton) remains trapped in the mirror universe and Barry (Grant Gustin) is no closer to creating an artificial Speed Force or preventing the loss of the little speed he has left. Also, with so little time left, it’s a bit odd for yet another episode to devote so much time to Killer Frost‘s (Danielle Panabaker) personal story which is completely disconnected from the season arc and ultimately doesn’t lead the character anywhere but into an obvious state of hiatus.

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Star Trek: Voyager – Ex Post Facto

  • Title: Star Trek: Voyager – Ex Post Facto
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Star Trek: Voyager - Ex Post Facto television review

Throwback Tuesday takes us back to the Delta Quadrant and to the misadventures of a starship crew 70,000 light years from home. In a story more than a little similar to Star Trek: The Next Generation “A Matter of Perspective,” Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) is accused of romantic entanglements with the wife (Robin McKee) of a scientist and the scientist’s (Ray Reinhardt) murder. Convicted of the crime before Voyager is made aware of the situation, Paris has had memories of the murder (from the victim’s perspective) implanted in his mind, forcing him to relive the murder every 14 hours. Given his more questionable character, and a living record of the murder, Paris’ possible guilt is an easier sell than Riker‘s in “A Matter of Perspective,” although no one ever accepts the evidence against him. The idea of implanting memories as punishment was also used by Deep Space Nine in “Hard Times.”

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