Television Reviews

Harley Quinn – A Seat At The Table

  • Title: Harley Quinn – A Seat At The Table
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“So we’re blowing up Todd after dinner.”

Harley Quinn - A Seat At The Table television review

When the Gods wish to punish us, they answer our prayers. In “A Seat At The Table” Harley Quinn (Kaley Cuoco) has achieved everything she thinks she’s ever wanted. She’s a card-carrying member of the Legion of Doom who listen to her opinions. And even the Joker (Alan Tudyk) is treating her like an equal for the first time in their life. However, things are not all that the seem. First, her crew is given a less cordial reception. While Harley earns a big office, they are sent down with the goons and henchmen to be rented out to any member of the league. Second, her attempts to learn more about how to get things done within the group by spending time with the Joker neglects both the crew and Ivy (Lake Bell) who Harley had agreed to help with an environmental attack (only to show up kissing Joker on the news instead).

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Young Justice – Evolution

  • Title: Young Justice – Evolution
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Young Justice - Evolution television review

While the episode provides a couple of backstories keeping the season-long arcs moving forward, “Evolution” is mostly a love letter to the character of Vandal Savage (David Kaye) and is dedicated the the show’s original voice actor for the character Miguel Ferrer. Interlaced with the story of Vandal Savage told through the journals to his youngest daughter Cassandra (Zehra Fazal), the conflict of the episode features Vandal taking control of Warworld to thwart an attack by an alien armada. Without the Justice League (which the Light has crippled all too well), the Earth is left largely defenseless against such a large-scale attack. Even with the Warworld, Vandal must call on the help of Darkseid (Michael-Leon Wooley) to repel the invaders controlled by an old enemy – Starro.

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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The New Deal

  • Title: Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. – The New Deal
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Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The New Deal television review

It’s been over two years since I sat down to watch an episode of Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. which I was astonished to discover was still on the air. Set in New York City during the early 1930s, features the remaining agents tracking Chronicoms who plan on stopping S.H.I.E.L.D. from ever coming into existence by altering the timeline. The episode has fun with the look of the era, particularly in styling Daisy‘s (Chloe Bennet) hair and clothing. The season premiere also fixes a mistake with the show since it’s inception by having the version of Coulson (Clark Gregg) be a Life Model Decoy for the now dead (again) agent. The choice to allow the LMD to know what it is allows for some internal conflict within the character and also full use of its enhanced strength against the threat of the Chronicoms.

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Rick and Morty – Never Ricking Morty

  • Title: Rick and Morty – Never Ricking Morty
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Rick and Morty - Never Ricking Morty television review

“Never Ricking Morty” offers an anthology-style story strung together by the idea of Rick (Justin Roiland) and Morty (Roiland) being trapped on a train full of passengers all of whom have various Rick and Morty stories to tell. Pushing the limits of meta, Rick and Morty discover the train is controlled by Story Lord (Paul Giamatti) who hopes to use the imaginations of the pair to break through the fifth wall (but it turns out the entire episode takes place within Morty’s new trainset). As with previous anthology-style episodes, some of the bits (quick look at the futuristic war between cats and dogs, Biblesaurus and his veggie pals) work better than others (Rick’s musical numbers, a Christmas saving vignette without a punchline, or the constant abs jokes).

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Scooby-Doo! – Never Ape an Ape Man

  • Title: Scooby Doo, Where Are You! – Never Ape an Ape Man
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Scooby-Doo! - Never Ape an Ape Man television review

Throwback Thursday takes us back to Scooby Doo, Where Are You! for another mystery involving some meddling kids and their talking dog. An invite from Daphne‘s (Stefanianna Christopherson) uncle brings Mystery, Inc. to the movie set of The Ape Man of Forbidden Mountain where a real apeman begins terrorizing filming. With Daphne’s uncle playing one of the few guest-stars, it’s not hard to guess who is masquerading as the apeman (who oddly isn’t unmasked in the show’s tradition). The episode is memorable for Scooby-Doo (Don Messick) acting bravely early in the episode to save an actress from the apeman’s first attack and Daphne triggering a trap that sends Fred (Frank Welker) falling into a secret passage behind a bookcase (which would become part of the opening credits). As to the odd appearances of the parrot and a Scooby mask or the questionable motives of the stuntman putting a co-star’s life in danger merely in hopes to get a bigger role in the picture (which wouldn’t exist without the co-star), those are inconsistencies the episode doesn’t attempt to explain.

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