Marvel Television – Page 12

Loki – The Variant

Alan Rapp / June 14, 2021 / Television Reviews

Title: Loki – The Variant
wiki: link

Loki (Tom Hiddleston) gets a job. For an episode that is mostly Loki doing office work, the second episode of Loki shouldn’t be nearly as entertaining as it is. However, this is Loki we are talking about. If the first episode of the series was all about Loki learning about, and trying to escape from, the Time Variance Authority, the second episode of the series is about Loki’s attempts to work with them to track down a different variant of himself who has been leaving a string of dead agents across time. Loki’s attempts to prove himself have mixed results, but he does discover the other Loki is hiding at the horizon of large disasters allowing for the introduction to the episode’s big bad.

…

Loki – The VariantRead More »

Loki – The Variant Read More »

Loki – Glorious Purpose

Alan Rapp / June 9, 2021 / Television Reviews

Title: Loki – Glorious Purpose
wiki: link

The new Loki follows the adventures of the version of Loki (Tom Hiddleston), a “variant” from the normal passage of time, created during Avengers: Endgame. However, from the perspective of Loki, the events of his new series take place immediately after the events of The Avengers. This is an important distinction as this version of the character hasn’t had the growth of over the years as the one seen over the remainder of the MCU. Loki is almost immediately captured by agents of the Time Variance Authority tasked with preventing branches in time and resetting variants such as Loki. Despite the TVA’s plans to reset Loki, one agent sees the mischievous and untrustworthy character as a potential ally who they can use to track down a much more dangerous variant who has been killing members of the TVA while working towards some hidden purpose.

…

Loki – Glorious PurposeRead More »

Loki – Glorious Purpose Read More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – One World, One People

Alan Rapp / April 26, 2021 / Television Reviews

Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth
wiki: link

The six-episode run of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier concludes with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) becoming Captain America and working with Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), and at times even the disgraced former Captain America (Wyatt Russell), to take down the Flag Smashers. Along with putting Sam in costume for the first time, the episode also features the character calling out politicians for their cavalier attitudes which led to creation of the Flag Smashers and their movement. Although never mentioned in the series, the entire world shakeup was caused by selfish decision of Tony Stark which the world is still paying for long after his death. While the episode earns points for Sam calling for change, it shouldn’t be lost on audiences the episode ends soon after and prior to the show introducing just how such change could fix the complicated problems of the world which look to be the true legacy of Tony Stark.

…

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – One World, One PeopleRead More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – One World, One People Read More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth

Alan Rapp / April 19, 2021 / Television Reviews

Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth
wiki: link

“Truth” picks up immediately after the previous episode with Sam Wilson (Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan) chasing down the new Captain America (Wyatt Russell). For show that has been about moments rather than consistently good storytelling, the episode delivers with a strong action sequence that (along with a scene or two later in the episode) effectively ends John Walker’s tenure as Captain America. While some may be wowed by the action scene which opens “Truth,” it’s the half-hour which follows where the series actually deals various issues it raised in previous episodes (and then promptly ran away to the next action scene). The big turn to end “The Whole World is Watching” no doubt had more people talking about the series, but it’s here The Falcon and the Winter Soldier puts in the work on character development and storytelling.

…

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – TruthRead More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – Truth Read More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is Watching

Alan Rapp / April 12, 2021 / Television Reviews

Title: The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is Watching
wiki: link

Well, that escalated quickly. One of the oddities about The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, given it’s shortened six-episode run, is the series is somehow both slow to advance plot while also skipping over and rushing to big moments at the same time. “The Whole World is Watching” certainly gives us the big moment, it also takes the new new Captain America (Wyatt Russell) from frustrated hero with an inferiority complex to psychopath in the space of a single episode (and that’s before he chooses to juice himself with the super-solider serum which only enhances his flaws). The result is a memorable final scene that sets stage with brutal murder, a bloody shield, and several questions about where the show goes from here. While a step-up from the previous episode, the structure of the peaks and lulls continues to provide some great moments but also some hit-and-miss plot to move characters from one of these events to the next.

…

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is WatchingRead More »

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier – The Whole World is Watching Read More »