Penny Dreadful SN3 EP8 & EP9 – ‘The End’

Greetings fellow Dreadfuls,

Questions that have been asked have been answered, in a truly gripping season finale. This is, no doubt in my mind, the end of a powerful show that we have all come to know and adore, but it was a fitting end. This writing will not be the recap of the final two episodes you may have come to expect from me, but more of a wrap up on the season, and the series.

Thank you to ShowTime for seeing the possibilities, and to the stellar cast and crew, who made the world of Penny Dreadful so compelling and brought us along for the ride.

Thank you also to the creator of this incredibly inventive and original show, Mr. John Logan. Your vision brought the classic characters to life, and merged them seamlessly with characters original to the series. If Penny Dreadful is finished, as it looks very much to be, please know that you certainly have achieved your goals. And in the process, you have done the great writers and poets of the age proud.

Hawaii 5-0 S6 EP24 & EP25 – ‘The Entrance Is Stopped With A Spider’s Web’ & ‘My Desire Is Only For The Chief’

In the explosive penultimate episode, the 5-0 have to protect a wounded Gabriel Waincroft, this seasons big bad. They’re trapped in a building surrounded by Michelle Shioma’s men, as she wants revenge for the death of her father and she’s willing to kill 5-0 and SWAT if they get in her way. With SWAT preoccupied and unable to call for back up, 5-0 must shoot their way out. Running out of ammo and cornered, they are forced to jump between buildings. They attempt to escape by commandeering a bus but are followed. Taking heavy fire, Grover arrives to help allowing Chin to get away with Gabriel.

Meanwhile, Abby works fast to find the mole, as there is no other way Shioma’s men could have found Gabriel and 5-0 so quickly. She reluctantly turns to Coughlin for help, who happily abides when he finds out its Gabriel, as Gabriel killed Coughlin’s brother and he wants justice. They find out the mole is the sister-in-law to the dirty prison guard on Michelle’s payroll from a previous episode. In a surprise twist, Gabriel dies of his injuries, but not before having a heart to heart with Chin about his daughter Sara. This could be considered a little bit of redemption and there was no need for a big showdown between Gabriel and Chin as we had already seen this in a previous episode.

However, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had managed to fake his death and returns in a later season, as he was one of the worst enemies the 5-0 have had and it just seemed too easy. This episode was excellent, action-packed and kept my attention throughout. They could have concluded the series here, with everything wrapped up, it would have been just as satisfying an end to the season.

The finale begins with a call back to Steve McGarrett’s nemesis Wo Fat, as he is taken to a CIA black site in Morocco. Where he meets Wo Fat’s father who forgives him for his son’s death. This all seems a little random and unnecessary, but maybe this is setting up a storyline next season, could we see the return of Doris McGarrett?

Back in Hawaii, Steve and Danno go undercover as drug runners in attempt to stop a meth epidemic. This episode the stakes are raised, as Steve is shot and Danno is forced to break their cover and land the plane. With Steve in critical condition and in desperate need of a liver, the 5-0 reminisce.

Meanwhile, Danno makes the decision to give Steve half of his liver. This episode was very focused on the Steve/Danno friendship and the lengths they are willing to go for each other, it shows just how far they’ve come. Even with their constant squabbling, they are willing to die for each other. The episode came to a close after the procedure, with Steve and Danno squabbling in their hospital beds. Danno sure won’t let Steve forget what he did for him and I’m sure he will keep reminding us next season.

Hawaii 5-0 will return with season 7 in the fall.

Game of Thrones SN6 E9 – ‘Battle of the Bastards’

Welcome back Knights of the Vale, to your weekly review of Game of Thrones. The episode I shall be recapping is episode 9 of season 6 — ‘Battle of the Bastards,’ which just happened to be on Father’s Day. Nice one HBO. Let’s get started!

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Meereen 

Daenerys argues with Tyrion about how to deal with those attacking Meereen. Tyrion thinks that Meereen is under attack because it is seen as a threat as long as it has no Master(s). Daenerys says that she’s glad that it’s seen this way, as we all know she doesn’t approve of slavery. She believes in a different method of “negotiating”… killing all those who oppose her. On a stretch of land overlooking Meereen, Daenerys along with her trusted advisers and small group of Unsullied meet with the three Masters leading the attack. They seem to think that she is here to negotiate the terms of her surrender, but she quickly clears away the confusion. Drogon lands behind her, and she rides him to Meereen. Daenerys’ other two dragons, Rhaegal and Viserion, free themselves from the pyramid and take to the sky following the mother of dragons. They begin burning the ships attacking Meereen. Back on the stretch of land overlooking Meereen, Grey Worm tells the Masters’ soldiers that they can leave and be with their families or die fighting, they choose to leave. The Masters are then given a choice: choose one among them to die, as to send a message to never attack Meereen and break their truces again. Grey Worm approaches but kills the other two masters. Tyrion warns the surviving Master to warn the others that if they seek retribution they will be met by the wrath of Daenerys Stormborn and her dragons. The Dothraki army arrives led by Daario Naharis and they slaughter the Sons of the Harpy. Later on, Theon and Yara arrive and speak to Daenerys in her throne room. They suggest an alliance as Yara has the ships Daenerys needs to cross over to Westeros. In return, Daenerys will give Yara the right to be Queen of the Iron Islands. Daenerys agreees, noting that both their fathers were horrible, and both Westeros and the Iron Islands have not been ruled by a Queen yet.

Winterfell

A small party including Jon, Tormund, Sansa, Davos and Lady Mormont talk with a party of Ramsay Bolton and a few other Lords. Ramsay declares that he has 6,000 men at his disposal which is double than what Jon has. Jon suggests that he and Ramsay battle it out one on one, but Ramsay admits that he knows Jon is superior in fighting skills, and therefore is safer letting his 6,000 men kill Jon’s. Sansa tells Ramsay to sleep well, as tomorrow he will die. Later that night, Jon discusses strategy with Tormund and Davos, while Sansa watches. After the meeting is over, Sansa and Jon argue about her opinion on Ramsey’s tactics. Both of them do not seem to know any other better plan, as they don’t want Rickon to die but it’s inevitable. Sansa knows that because Rickon is a true born Stark, neither bastard nor a girl, he is a greater threat to Ramsay and will be killed weather or not they fight. Jon visits Melisandre and asks her to not bring him back to life if he dies this time, but she says she will do whatever the Lord of Light will command her to do. Ser Davos wonders off from the camp because he can’t sleep the night before a battle, and comes across a pyre. Shireen’s bones are still in the pyre along with the wooden carving Davos made her (someone is out for blood, Melisandre watch your back). The war horn is blown signalling to arms! The Bolton army has a stare down across the snowy field with the Stark army. Ramsay releases Rickon Stark from his neck rope, and tells him to run to his brother Jon. Ramsay begins firing arrows at Rickon, who continues to run in a straight line (WHY?!), Jon mounts his horse in the hopes of making it to his brother in time, the distance is closing, but a few metres apart Ramsay’s arrow hits home. Blood sputters from Rickon’s mouth, he is dead. The battle commences with the archers, followed by the mounted soldiers and finally the pikemen using the phalanx formation. Ramsay doesn’t risk getting his hands dirty. Jon Snow nearly dies TWICE, leaving us all forgetting to breathe. It looks like Jon Snow and the survivors are going to die as they are completely surrounded, but suddenly a horn sounds. The Knights of the Vale (really predictable move) arrive led by Sansa and Littlefinger, to save the survivors. Jon leads the final attack against a retreating Ramsay. Wun Wun the giant breaks down the gate of Winterfell, taking countless arrows, and eventually dying because Ramsay shoots an arrow through his eye. The army kills Ramsay’s remaining men, and Jon bashes Ramsay’s face in, only stopping after seeing Sansa watching nearby. Later on Jon takes Rickon’s body to be buried in the family crypt beside his father. Sansa talks to Ramsay shortly, before his hounds tear into him, after not being fed for several days.

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Watch the trailer for the finale, episode 10 of season 6, below:

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Wow. Our insider scoop about Ramsay’s death was spot on. Terrific acting Iwan Rheon, you really brought Ramsay Bolton to life. I absolutely loved the scene between Daenerys and Yara, talk about powerful women. The Starks have Winterfell again, but at what cost? Will the Lannister army come knocking before the White Walkers? Or is it Littlefinger they have to watch out for? Comment, share and like below, or tweet me @SohoDoll. And as always, “Winter is coming.”

 

Predictions: Game of Thrones SN6 E9 – ‘Battle of the Bastards’

Tonight’s upcoming episode of Game of Thrones is bound to be intense. As the episode’s name suggests, we will witness the ultimate battle between Jon Snow’s army and the Bolton army. With perhaps a surprise from a House you may have forgotten exists: House Reed.

Jon Snow’s army is really small in comparison to the Bolton army. They are outmanned even taking into account the giant Wun Wun. Bolton’s men are trained to use the phalanx formation —think Spartan formation with shields and long spears. We see Tormund and other wildlings have no idea how to counteract this strategic method of fighting once they reach the front line, since Wildlings attack in a surge of strength. That’s just the front line though. It’s followed by lines and lines of archers, pikemen, and mounted soldiers. Despite these odds, we know Sansa wrote to a House. House Reed swore fealty to House Stark thousands of years ago when the Starks were Kings in the North. If you recall when Robb Stark’s army was heading South, the crannogmen of the House Reed were instructed to protect the Neck from the Lannisters. They did not help Stannis during his battle on Winterfell, nor did they swear fealty to House Bolton. Therefore, we can assume they remain loyal to House Stark. When Lord Howland Reed finally meets Jon he’ll tell Jon who his parents are, since Howland was with Eddard the day they saved Lyanna Stark.

Skatronixxx received a hot little tip that a main character will die. Who could this character be? It’s likely to be Ramsay Bolton himself. In the preview of tonight’s episode we can hear a male character (presumably Jon Snow) say, “Thousands of men don’t need to die. Only one of us.” Jon wants to spare the lives of his men, because he knows the odds of winning are less against such a great force. The question is, will Ramsay take him up on this offer? Both Jon and Ramsay are seasoned fighters and strategists. While we can hope that Jon kills Ramsay in combat, we can also expect Ramsay to only agree to the fight if he believes himself to be superior in fighting skills.

In an interview on the 26th of May, 2016, with This Morning, actor Iwan Rheon who plays Ramsay Bolton gave what might’ve been a little clue about his character’s death.

Interviewer: “I mean however it happens, I think it should be pretty grizzly, shouldn’t it?”

Rheon: “Yeah I think he’s got it [a grizzly death] coming. I think he deserves it.”

On a side note, I for one will be sad to see such a talented actor leave the show. Iwan Rheon and Jack Gleeson, who played King Joffrey, were superb in their roles of much hated characters.

If Ramsay does die, it will be at a cost. Jon can’t die again, not so soon after being resurrected. Most likely it will be someone dear to House Stark. So who will it be? Ser Davos, Tormund, or Brienne all seem likely suspects.

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There are quite a few Northern Houses that might change their minds last minute and turn on the Boltons. I’m still holding out hope that Arya appears and stabs Ramsay, that would be epic. What are your predictions? Comment, share and like below, or tweet me @SohoDoll. And as always, “The North Remembers.”

New Heroes And A Villain For DC’s Legends Of Tomorrow

With the move from regular to recurring role of Wentworth Miller aka Captain Cold, and the exit of Hawk duo Ciara Renee & Falk Hentschel, the crew of the WaveRider is a little light for the upcoming Season 2. The news currently making the rounds is that Mari McCabe aka Vixen is being cast from the past, and that Nick Zano (Cougar Town, Minority Report) will be enlisting as Dr. Nate Heywood. Nate is a historian and the grandson of Henry Heywood – WWII superhero Commander Steel and a member of the JSA. The Season 1 finale of LoT hinted very strongly (broad side of a barn door strongly, lol) at the appearance of the JSA in season 2, thanks to a second WaveRider that Rex Tyler (Patrick J Adams) crashed in front of our team.

Producer Marc Guggenheim has this to say about season 2…

We Look Back At The TV Show Falling Skies

It’s almost a year since Spielberg’s Scifi show Falling Skies ended its 5 season run, it had a very promising start but it had a lot of critics say the final 2 seasons were a mess. So decided to look back at the shows best bits and where it went wrong.

Falling skies began 6 months after the alien invasion and most of the human population had been wiped out, the aliens – a race called the Espheni, also known as Overlords are the brains of the operation. They created Mechs which are alien robots and then there are the Skitters – the foot soldiers, who we later find out are another alien race who have been harnessed/controlled by the Espheni. The Overlords do the same to human children, they harness and enslave them through alien bug-like creatures attached to their backs. Falling Skies centres around Noah Wyle (ER, The Librarians) as History Professor Tom Mason and his 3 sons who are a part of a group of survivors called the 2^nd Mass. The group is led by Will Patton (Remember the Titans, Armageddon) as Captain Weaver and Tom is 2^nd in command, who’s knowledge of military tactics and war history helps get the 2^nd Mass out of some very sticky situations.

Each season felt very different with an even darker tone than the season before. Season 1, was less about defeating the aliens and more focused on general survival, trying to find food and avoiding the aliens as much as possible. It was a stage of discovery, as the 2^nd Mass learnt how to kill the Mechs and Skitters, remove the harnesses, discovered the Overlords and finally learnt to trust each other. Season 2, the 2^nd Mass were on the defensive with the skitters on their tails, they journeyed to Charleston where a new government had been set up. Season 3, was more political, it dealt with new alliance with another alien race known as the Volm, maintaining the new government and finding the mole. Season 4, was very different, the 2^nd Mass was split up and we see the Espheni’s next attempt to control the humans through experiments and ‘brainwash’ camps. Season 5, was the lead up to the final battle to destroy the Espheni for good.

It’s not just all alien action, the most compelling part of the show is the relationships, especially between Tom Mason and his sons, the love and desperate need to protect each other is portrayed consistently well throughout and remained one of the most engaging aspects of the show. They are also not afraid to kill off a few important characters, upping the stakes, but still maintain the main themes of hope, trust and family. There was great character development and an incredibly talented cast. Also they had some amazing guest stars, such as Terry O’Quinn (Lost).

Memorable Moments:

It wasn’t just the aliens they had to worry about but also other groups of survivors. One of the more memorable groups was the 7^th Mass from season 1. Led by Terry Clayton (Henry Czerny), they made a deal with the Espheni to hand over any children they could find to ensure their own survival and freedom. It showed the desperation and darker side of humanity, and led to the death of the first major character, Mike (Martin Roach) – who died saving the children and his son.

In season 2 episode 4, we meet a group of child survivors and as usual things go wrong. These children (plus Matt Mason – Toms youngest son) are captured by skitters and taken to a harnessing facility. Of course the 2^nd Mass get there in time to save them, but not all. In one of the darker moments we see a young boy being harnessed and the screams and cries are quite chilling.

Another, is Tom’s interrogation in season 3 as the Espheni attempted to extract the location of the next attack, Tom was put in a dream-like state where he woke up and the invasion never happened. It was a fun and interesting episode, also reminded us of the life they might have had before this crazy new world.

Honourable mentions: the Critters, Hal’s eyeworm removal and Lexi’s powers.

Seasons 4+5:

A lot of critics did not like season 4+5, and I must agree they were not as good as the first 3 seasons. However, I don’t think they were as bad as some people made out, sure they had their flaws, maybe it was the change in showrunner or just hard to top the excellent execution of the previous seasons. I feel that the scenarios got more ridiculous and risky, they needed more explanations, a lot was left in mystery like the powers of half alien Lexi. Some plots were never resolved, such as the effects of the harnesses which seemed to be forgotten about after season 3. Further, other story arcs seemed unnecessary like the love triangle between Hal Mason-Maggie-Ben Mason, it seemed a little forced. Although I’m being overly critical as I did still enjoy the final seasons and was still emotionally invested in these characters. Ultimately, we can’t like every decision the writers make. To season 4’s credit, they killed off a lot of characters, making it feel more realistic and heart-breaking to suffer real loss. The alien action and fight sequences remained good and it’s hard not to enjoy a good old inspirational Tom Mason speech. Some argue the finale was anticlimactic, maybe that was due to the lack of action, I feel it could have used a final big action sequence. It also felt a bit rushed and a little cliché, be that as it may, it was a satisfying and natural end unlike some shows that take too many risks and ruin it. I’m glad it ended in a Tom Mason speech and after all they had lost they got a happy ending. In addition, I like the idea of bringing the story full circle and the suggestion that the story was at the point of view of Matt Mason was a nice touch. Overall, Falling Skies remains one of my favourite shows even with its flaws and I will continue to binge on the box set.

Let us know your thoughts on Falling Skies, what are your memorable moments from the series. Did you enjoy the finale? And if you haven’t seen it, it’s still worth the watch, check out the Season 1 trailer below.

 

 

The Complete 2016 Fall TV Schedule For The US

It’s that time of the season when the networks release their TV line-up for 2016/17, below I have a complied the complete line-up for the following American networks: ABC, CBS, CW, FOX and NBC.

Some shows have made a move to new nights while others have moved networks, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend is now on Fridays and Supergirl has moved from CBS to CW.

Shows in bold = New shows

MONDAY

8pm

Dancing With The Stars (ABC)

The Big Bang Theory  (CBS) (* moves back to Thursdays at 8pm in October; Kevin Can Wait will take over the timeslot

Supergirl (CW)

Gotham  (FOX)

The Voice (NBC)

8:30pm

Kevin Can Wait (CBS) (* Man With a Plan takes over timeslot in October)

9pm

2 Broke Girls (CBS)

Jane the Virgin (CW)

Lucifer (FOX)

9:30pm

The Odd Couple (CBS)

10pm

Conviction (ABC)

Scorpion (CBS)

Timeless (NBC)

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TUESDAY

8pm

The Middle (ABC)

NCIS (CBS)

The Flash (CW)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine  (FOX)

The Voice (NBC)

8:30pm

American Housewife (ABC)

New Girl (FOX)

9pm

Fresh Off The Boat (ABC)

Bull (CBS)

No Tomorrow (CBS)

Scream Queens (FOX)

This Is Us (NBC)

9:30pm

The Real O’Neals  (ABC)

10pm

Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

NCIS: New Orleans (CBS)

Chicago Fire (NBC)

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WEDNESDAY

8pm

The Goldbergs (ABC)

Survivor (CBS)

Arrow (CW)

Lethal Weapon (FOX)

Blindspot (NBC)

8:30pm

Speechless (ABC)

9pm

Modern Family (ABC)

Criminal Minds (CBS)

Frequency (CW)

Empire (FOX)

Law & Order: SVU (NBC)

9:30pm

Black-ish (ABC)

10pm

Designated Survivor (ABC)

Code Black (CBS)

Chicago P.D. (NBC)

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THURSDAY

8pm

Grey’s Anatomy (ABC)

Thursday Night Football (CBS) (8pm-10:30) (* The Big Bang Theory, The Great Indoors, Mom, Life in Pieces and Pure Genius will all join CBS’ schedule on October 27, once Thursday Night Football is over)

DC’s Legends of Tomorrow (CW)

Rosewood (FOX)

Superstore (NBC)

8:30pm

The Good Place (NBC) 

9pm

Notorious (NBC)

Supernatural (CW)

Pitch (FOX) (* Bones will air here in winter now and Prision Break will air here in spring now)

Chicago Med (NBC)

10pm

How to Get Away With Murder (ABC)

The Blacklist (NBC)

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FRIDAY

8pm

Last Man Standing (ABC)

MacGyver (CBS)

The Vampire Diaries (CW)

Hell’s Kitchen (FOX)

Caught on Camera with Nick Cannon (NBC)

8:30pm

Dr. Ken (ABC)

9pm

Shark Tank (ABC)

Hawaii Five-0 (CBS)

Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (CW)

The Exorcist (FOX)

Grimm (NBC)

10pm

20/20 (ABC)

Blue Bloods (CBS)

Dateline (NBC)

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SUNDAY

8pm

Once Upon a Time (ABC)

NCIS: LA (CBS)

The Simpsons (FOX)

Sunday Night Football (NBC) (*8pm-10:30pm)

8:30pm

Son of Zorn (FOX)

9pm

Secrets and Lies (ABC)

Madam Secretary (CBS)

Family Guy (FOX)

9:30pm

The Last Man on Earth (FOX)

10pm

Quantico (ABC)

Elementary  (CBS)

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COMPETITION TIME!! WIN An Exclusive Screening Of Suicide Squad

 

Skatronixxx.com is partnering with the awesome team at Bluebeards Revenge to offer you and your friends the chance to win an exclusive screening to the Suicide Squad movie! Interested? You know you are!!  Read on to find out more!

Suicide Squad centres around a group of uniquely skilled super villains made up of legendary characters from the Batman universe such as The Joker and Harley Quinn. The team already under incarceration in a high security prison, who are recruited into a top secret task force by a shady government agent named Amanda Waller. Nicknaming themselves the Suicide Squad when they realize their criminal pasts make them expendable, they are assigned to execute dangerous missions in exchange for certain perks only the government can offer.

‘The Bluebeards Revenge is a premium men’s shaving and grooming brand boasting a range of quality products for the face, body, hair and beard. More information can be found at www.bluebeards-revenge.co.uk ‘

Bluebeards Revenge makes them the ideal partner, after all who said that you can’t look good whilst saving the world? 😉

OK HOW CAN I WIN AN EXCLUSIVE SCREENING??? TELL ME MORE!!!

It’s as easy as sliding down the batpole! All you need to do is click here and fill in your details. With the the main prize being you and up to fifty (yes fifty) of your friends getting an exclusive screening at a cinema.

Even if you don’t win you won’t lose out! There are runners up prizes of 15 sets of exclusive film merchandise, each including: black Suicide Squad hat with embroidery, Suicide Squad playing cards with glow in the dark logo, Suicide Squad temporary tattoos.

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 Still not convinced? Check out the trailer for Suicide Squad that hits UK cinemas on Friday the 5th of August 2016 .

IMPORTANT INFO

•  Closing date for entries for the private screening is August 15th, 2016
•  Closing date for entries for the film merchandise is September 19th, 2016
• Check out the competition’s Terms & Conditions here.

Mr. Kidd Speaks – An Exclusive Interview With Julian Black Antelope

Julian Black Antelope as Mr. Kidd, Josh Hartnett as Ethan Chandler, Stephen Lord as Mr. Roper

Greetings Dreadfuls, fans of Blackstone, Skatronixxx peeps and everyone else! Recently I had the distinct pleasure of meeting and interviewing Julian Black Antelope. Dreadfuls will recall that he played Mr. Kidd in the final episode (Sn 1 Ep 8) of Penny Dreadful – Grand Guignol. Mr. Kidd and his partner, Mr. Roper were hired by Ethan’s father to bring him back home, a job that Ethan put a quick and bloody end to. Since I only started reviewing Penny D this year (although I have watched since the beginning), if my attention hadn’t been drawn to the fact that Julian is local, I would have missed out on the incredible opportunity to talk with him. Thanks, Sis! Love ya!  Read on for details of my interview with this incredibly versatile, interesting and down to earth man.

Orphan Black SN4 EP10 – ‘From Dancing Mice to Psychopaths’

When looking at the title of the final episode of Orphan Black season 4, we know that we are in for an epic treat. And the episode was indeed amazing!

However, when comparing it to other episodes from this series/viewing it as an overall conclusion to the best Orphan Black season so far (IMHO), meh…