Television Reviews – Page 366

Cursed – Nimue / Cursed

Alan Rapp / August 6, 2020 / Television Reviews

Title: Locke & Key – Trapper/Keeper
wiki: link
wiki: link

Based on Frank Miller‘s re-imagining of the King Arthur legend through the eyes of the girl who would become the Lady in the Lake, the first two episodes of Cursed introduce us to the outcast witch Nimue (Katherine Langford) who is scorned by her village for believing she was cursed as a child (a sequence shown in flashbacks in the second episode of the series). The maurading of Christian zealots known as the Red Paladins, out to destroy the Fey (all magical and non-Christian souls), leads to the destruction of Nimue’s village, the death of her mother (Catherine Walker), and a destiny entrusted to her to see a sword delivered to Merlin (Gustaf Skarsgård). I’ve seen both better and worse versions of the King Arthur legend, but, despite the slow moving first episode (and her inexplicable sudden control of a sword), I do like Langford in the role of the series’ lead.

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Locke & Key – Trapper/Keeper

Alan Rapp / August 5, 2020 / Television Reviews

Title: Locke & Key – Trapper/Keeper
wiki: link

The second episode of the series centers mostly around the family settling in to their new surroundings. In one of the episode’s best scenes, Kinsey (Emilia Jones) has another freak-out with Scot (Petrice Jones) and his friends when shooting a scene for their homemade movie triggers flashbacks to her father’s death. Nina (Darby Stanchfield) meets a childhood friend of Randall‘s (Bill Heck) and learns about a tragedy which he never spoke about and Duncan (Aaron Ashmore) doesn’t seem to remember (making it seem very key related, despite the official story of a drowning). Tyler (Connor Jessup) faces some temptation in trying to fit in with a new crowd and Bode (Jackson Robert Scott) gets a return visit from his Echo (Laysla De Oliveira) who is enjoying the use of the Anywhere Key.

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Stargirl – Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. (Part One)

Alan Rapp / August 5, 2020 / Television Reviews

Title: Stargirl – Stars and S.T.R.I.P.E. Part One
wiki: link

The first-half of Stargirl‘s Season One finale gives Barbara (Amy Smart) a close-up look at Courtney (Brec Bassinger) in action when Icicle (Neil Jackson) sends Sportsmaster (Neil Hopkins) and Tigress (Joy Osmanski) to murder the family as the heroes evacuate and hole-up in a cabin to plan their next move. There are some nice moments of parental pride not only in seeing Courtney kick some super-villain ass but seeing her daughter with her friends and the relationships she’s built in their new home. Rick (Cameron Gellman) is finally able to crack his dad’s journal, and Beth (Anjelika Washington) is able to find the ISA’s manifesto, giving the new JSA a clue to the ISA’s plans (which, aside from murdering 25 million people in the course of a half-hour, turns out to be not that awful).

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Warrior Nun – Proverbs 31:25

Alan Rapp / August 4, 2020 / Television Reviews

Title: Warrior Nun – Proverbs 31:25
wiki: link

“Proverbs 31:25” feels very much like the second-half of a two-hour network pilot introducing more important supporting characters and slowly bringing the various plot threads together in the final moments. Ava (Alba Baptista) spends more time with JC (Emilio Sakraya) and the squatters, going with them to a party at Arq-Tech where the company is unveiling new technology based on the same sacred artifacts the Church has been keeping under wraps for generations. The two opposing characters of interest here are the scientist (Thekla Reuten) using Divinium in the experiments and Cardinal Duretti (Joaquim de Almeida) who opposes any such research (and is also tied to the secret arm of the Church that runs the assassin nuns). Meanwhile, the nuns led by Lilith (Lorena Andrea) have been tracking the demon tracking Ava as all paths converge at the party and setting up Ava’s introduction to a hidden world in the next episode of the series.

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October Faction – Presidio

Alan Rapp / August 4, 2020 / Television Reviews

Title: Presidio – Presidio
wiki: link

The first episode of October Faction introduces us to monster hunters Fred (J.C. MacKenzie) and Deloris (Tamara Taylor) who head back to their hometown with their son Geoff (Gabriel Darku) and daughter Viv (Aurora Burghart) after the death of Fred’s father (Stephen McHattie) who was also a member of the shadow agency. “Presidio” doesn’t offer much in the way of monsters other than a short tease prior to the credits and a relatively uneventful encounter back home at the supermarket. Instead, the episode mainly centers around the wake for the departed patriarch while dropping breadcrumbs who the monsters are and beginning a confusing subplot about the daughter’s mystical abilities (which may or may not have been linked to a carnival fortune teller machine?). I may eventually circle back around to October Faction, but the first episode doesn’t do enough to sell me on the adaptation of the IDW comic just yet.

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