Science Fiction

Altered Carbon – Payment Deferred

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Altered Carbon – Payment Deferred
  • wiki: link

Altered Carbon - Payment Deferred television review

Takeshi Kovacs (Anthony Mackie) begins his search for the talented killer he believes to be masquerading in the skin of Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). He’s not the only one looking for Horace Axley’s killer, as the leader of a Protectorate squad (Torben Liebrecht) cuts out local police and assumes command of the investigation which he is certain will tie back to a terrorist plot. Carrera (Liebrecht) has added incentive to investigate the crime as the sleeve he mistakenly believes responsible for the murder is Protectorate property which Kovacs is walking around the city in.

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Samurai Jack – Episode XXI: Jack and the Dragon

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode XXI: Jack and the Dragon
  • wiki: link

Samurai Jack - Episode XXI: Jack and the Dragon television review

Throwback Tuesday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his quest to make his way home. Jack‘s (Phil LaMarr) wanderings lead him into woods and a nearby village both plagued with an ungodly stench. Many of the early scenes feature Jack trying to keep the stench away (which his sword can miraculously cut through) and haggling with the Scissorsmith (John Kassir) of the town, unwilling to offer up any information for free (even if it might help save the town from the stench which is ruining their crops and forcing wildlife to flee). The man’s bird (which may or may not have once been his wife) proves more helpful in starting the samurai on the right path.

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Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Too Long A Sacrifice #1

/ / Comics

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine - Too Long A Sacrifice #1 comicsSet during the time of the Dominion War, after Worf‘s appointment to the station but prior to the death of Jadzia Dax, the first issue of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine – Too Long A Sacrifice gives us an explosion in the promenade and rising tensions aboard a station already at war. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine has largely been ignored by comics (this marks the first new comic featuring the series in a decade).

Many of the staples of the series are here including Dr. Bashir and Garak enjoying lunch (and surviving the blast that destroys the restaurant). Framing the issue around a mystery for Odo to solve offers a good point of reference for the mini-series. We’re also given our first red herring as early evidence points to Quark being responsible for the destruction of a competitor.

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Altered Carbon – Phantom Lady

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Altered Carbon – Phantom Lady
  • wiki: link

Altered Carbon - Phantom Lady television review

One of the most intriguing aspects of both the show’s premise and the open-ended Season One finale, is that Altered Carbon can be reset with a new actor and new story whenever necessary (not unlike Doctor Who). 30 years after the events of last season’s finale, “Phantom Lady” opens with Takeshi Kovacs living in the body of a lounge singer waiting for payment. The arrival of a bounty hunter (Simone Missick) working for Horace Axley (Michael Shanks) forces Kovacs back to Harlan’s World in the body of a new sleeve (Anthony Mackie) with a new mystery to solve and a new lead to the whereabouts of Quellcrist Falconer (Renée Elise Goldsberry). The circumstances of Kovacs being reborn in Mackie’s body make sense (even if it leaves questions unanswered about the sleeve he ended Season One in), and the set-up will offer a new mystery to solve, although I’m mixed on the choice to make the new mystery as personal (involving the love of his life) at the outset as last season (which involved his sister).

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Samurai Jack – Episode XX: Jack and the Monks

/ / Television Reviews
  • Title: Samurai Jack – Episode XIX: Jack and the Monks
  • wiki: link

“It. Is. Impossible.”

Samurai Jack - Episode XX: Jack and the Monks television review

Throwback Thursday takes us back to the adventures of the time-displaced samurai and his quest to make his way home. Jack‘s (Phil LaMarr) faith and perseverance is tested in “Episode XX.” After the minions of Aku destroy a time portal before the samurai can use it to travel home, a disheartened Jack encounters three monks who are on a quest to climb a mountain where, it is said, truth can be found at the mountain’s summit (while admitting no traveler has ever made it that far). While neither welcoming or discouraging the samurai, Jack joins them on their quest only to face obstacle after obstacle which further break his spirit.

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