You’re the Worst S3 E9 ‘The Seventh Layer’

Paul and Vernon are hanging out which doesn’t happen as they are so different. Clearly these two are quite different.

Their car soon stalls and they wait on the side of the road for help. Having finished all his drinks, Vernon leads Paul into the woods to find a creek. They find the creek and Vernon jumps in. It is so humorous watching these two men who really are too different to spend time together.

Paul wants to get home but is quite troubled since Lindsay’s special friend is coming over. Paul really wants to get home but Vernon wants to bunker down.

They seem to be having fun until nature calls Paul. Reading the receipt from the gas station he finds that Vernon put diesel in his car. They get into a fight but soon stop when a squirrel is caught in Vernon’s pit trap.

Pledging that they will drive to Mexico they reassert their manhood but soon hear a bear. Running they end up rolling down a short cliff and are knocked out. They make it out of the woods and Vernon wants to leave but can’t do it. He tells Paul he will signal when he is about to leave and it is sure that these two are friends now.

I am curious how this will continue to play out. I am surprised that these two have become friends but it certainly won’t do anything to the show’s dynamic. It was really nice to have an episode focus on other side characters who are just as important to the show as a whole. Excited for what comes next!

 

Gotham S3 E7 Mad City: Red Queen

After Mad Hatter shot Valerie Vale in the stomach this episode opens with Jim waiting for Valerie to wake up. Valerie breaks up with Jim since she truly believes he loves Lee. Jim really is nothing but trouble to the women he loves.

Mad Hatter is looking for a way to enhance his blood virus and meets with a scientist. He gets his hand on a dangerous psychotropic drug calls Red Queen and immediately uses it on its creator.

Nygma and his new lady love are together after 12 hours of being together. Realizing its so late, he asks her to dinner and kisses her before heading off to see Penguin. He tells Penguin he is in love which shocks and disgusts him because he loves him.

The Hatter goes to find Alice’s corpse, so can use her blood. At the Wayne Manor Bruce is cooking up a feast, clearly someone important is coming over, it is Cat after all. Bruce is heading toward becoming Batman slowly but surely.

Jim heads in to help find Tetch but is rebuffed because he doesn’t want to be a cop. Penguin is preparing for a party and wants to have Nygma his plus one, but of course Nygma has his date.

Barnes is in his office when he is told that the virus has been tested and just gets more vicious as it gestates.Mad Hatter is preparing his sister’s blood for use in poisoning the city.

Lee is talking to Mario is upset about Jim and the Hatter’s interaction with Lee. Just then Jim comes in with a gift for Vale and sees them talking. Lee tries to get Jim to tell her he really wanted to save her, but of course Jim is afraid.

Penguin heads to the library to glean knowledge and meet Nygma’s lady love. Penguin tells her that Nygma went to Arkham in hopes of scaring her off. She seems scared but also quickly seems to brush it off. Something is up with this Kristen Kringle clone.

The Hatter appears in the hospital and leads him on a dash before using Red Queen on him. Penguin is at his party smug that he scared off Nygma’s love when he bumps into Hatter who obviously he does not know.

Jim is feeling the effects of the drug and sees Babsy in elevator worker attire. Jim tries to escape but he is in for a bumpy ride. He meets Bruce at the GCPD and sees Penguin in a war sequence. He soon sees Bruce again and sees everyone that has died because of him. Wearing a Gordon mask Bruce shoots him in the stomach and pushes him off the ledge.

Barnes and Bullock are interrogating a scientist when Barnes goes off the rail. They figure out that the Hatter is going to poison the Founder’s dinner where all the higher ups will be.

Gordon is back in the elevator and has a humorous encounter with Babsy. He is now at home in a 50’s style home with a dream of Lee and what his kids would look like. Of course this happiness won’t last long because Jim is quite the mess.

He ends up in a padded cell with Babsy and she stabs him in the neck. Jim certainly doesn’t want Lee, I’m sure of it, she is a little too nice.

Bruce is sitting in front of a cold dinner with no Cat to enjoy it with. When Alfred comes to clean up she appears. Bruce is hurt that she was late and asks her why, she tells him this is all weird for her and he agrees.

Penguin is at the party talking to the leader of the Court of Owls gushing about Nygma and his actions. She tells him the Court will be in contact in due time, she then vanishes. Suddenly the Hatter comes in cause chaos and force them toast. Just then Barnes and co jump in and Barnes brutally strikes the Hatter. He can tell Alice’s blood has infected him.

Jim has hit the final floor of his trip and is about to face who he really is. She hands him the exit key and he soon ends up in the street with a man dropping Red Queen on the floor. It turns out it his father and he tells him to get in his car.

He and his dad have a talk and Jim lets his words flow. Jim is afraid he destroys everyone, but his father tells him if he was doing good by everyone he’d drop the lone wolf persona. He tells him to look in his ring for the truth as Jim wakes up.

Nygma is talking to Isabella at the manor and telling her about his crime. She is unfazed by this since she has read all about it. Penguin pops in hoping to see Nygma but sees him with Isabella. His plan didn’t go over as he would have wanted, now did it?

Jim looks through his father’s mementos and finds his ring. Jim goes to the GCPD and Barnes tells him they locked up Tetch in Arkham. Jim is calm and asks for his job back. Barnes without a second thought welcomes him back. The leader of the court of owls meets with her commander  and it might just be Jim’s father.

With all that happened in this episode, the next episode looks to be even wilder. Cannot wait to figure out more about Isabella,  Barnes’ blood infection and what will happen because of it.This show certainly just gets better and better.

Star Trek: the Next Generation and Aliens Crossover

Have you ever wondered what it would be like should the Trek crew ever encounter the bad arse Aliens from the movie? Ya, neither have I, but not that I think of it, imagine how Data would respond to the giant double-mouthed, black beast in his face.

Well, it was announced that Dark Horse comics and IDW, would be incorporating a new set of comics combining the Next Generation with Aliens. Holy cow, mind blown. The series is hoping to be released in April of 2017 (my birthday month,) with writer Scott and David Tipton and J.K. Woodward for illustration. I don’t know about you, but I love the crossover comics. So I may be first in line when this bad boy comes out. ^_^

First Look At Tessa Thompson On Thor: Ragnarok

Last week, Thor:Ragnarok director Taika Waititi shared a video from the last day of principal photography.  Thor himself, Chris Hemsworth and Tessa Thompson, who plays Valkyrie made an appearance. Though they were not in costume, but Thompson still had her make up on.

 These photos emerged days before the video of Thompson in full Valkyrie attire.

I have to say, she looks pretty bad ass.  Of course in the comics, Valkyrie is drawn as a blonde white woman, true to Norse mythology. There was a little backlash when Thompson was cast, but I’m pretty sure she is going to kill it!

Thor: Ragnrok stars Chris Hemsworth as Thor, Tom Hiddleston as Loki, Anthony Hopkins as Odin and Idris Elba as Heimdall, with an appearance by Mark Ruffalo as Bruce Banner/The Hulk.  The added cast includes Thompson, Cate Blanchett as Hela, Karl Urban as Skurge, and Jeff Goldblum as the Grandmaster.

Check out the video from Taika Waititi:

Thor:Ragnarok is scheduled to release on November 3, 2017.

The Walking Dead SN7 EP02-‘The Well’

The introduction of a brand new community brings a welcome respite to the doom and gloom.

Wasn’t that fun? That, I think, is the best way to describe this week’s episode. A light and breezy hour of television unlike anything we’ve really seen on The Walking Dead before. That’s not to say it was devoid of drama, but that took more of a backseat whilst the show expertly introduced us to the relative absurdity of The Kingdom and its leader King Ezekiel. Oh, and also his pet tiger. So yeah, like I said, like nothing we’ve seen before.

It would have been easy for this episode to be too absurd, but things were kept grounded by showing it through the eyes of two characters we’re already invested in, Carol and Morgan. Watching them both react to the fantastical nature of The Kingdom was at times hilarious, and injected some much needed humour into the series. This episode was the exact opposite of the last, and was exactly what we needed.

So what exactly is the root cause of The Kingdom’s fairy-tale existence? For the answer to that we look no further than to its leader: King Ezekiel. We get to witness several sides to Ezekiel throughout the episode. The whimsical and benevolent King revered by his people. The calm and tactful leader keeping his forces in check and holding off war. Then there’s also the real Ezekiel. The one that drops the act and opens himself up to Carol. Each were interesting to watch in their own ways, but whilst King Ezekiel was funny, and Leader Ezekiel impressive, it was Normal Ezekiel I was most interested in. Like most leaders in the apocalypse, he didn’t really choose to be one. Instead his keen acting abilities and pet tiger built him up in the eyes of others, transforming him into the King. His candid chat with Carol presented a man who knows he’s got a good thing going, but is still struggling. This attitude, combined with the different ways we saw him carry himself throughout the episode, indicate a character I have no problem investing in.

Whilst Ezekiel may have been the big new take away from this episode, we still got to see just where Morgan and Carol are at now, and it seems they’re both in a relatively stable place considering the events of the last season. Morgan in particular seems to have found a place where he belongs. We see The Kingdom also has dealings with the Saviours, but it’s a much steadier relationship than what we’ve seen with the other groups. The Kingdom doesn’t actively seek out violence, but knows there’s always a chance it will be necessary. Because of this, it is a place where Morgan fits right in. Indeed, Ezekiel respects Morgan for his stance on peace, and it’s not long before he asks him to mentor a young man. That Morgan and his values were so easily accepted into The Kingdom was encouraging to see. Morgan’s philosophy was often a point of frustration last season, however it seems he’s finally turned a corner, finally accepting that killing is sometimes necessary. Being at The Kingdom he’ll have time to work on that, whilst still being encouraged to remain true to himself.

Unfortunately, Carol didn’t take quite so easily to The Kingdom, still adamant she was going off on her own, but she seemed to soften a little by the end of the episode. The beginning of the episode however saw her hallucinating Walkers as actual people, yet it wasn’t really made clear whether this was as a result of her injuries, or her current psychological state. I’m leaning more towards the former, but it would have been a good distinction to make. The episode saw the return of sweet Carol, as she put on her act once again to blend in and gain trust. It’s always great to see Carol like this as it’s just such a stark contrast to her usual persona, but it was an act Ezekiel wasn’t buying. It was interesting how the two connected, but it remains to be seen whether it will be enough to keep her around. There was certainly the hint of chemistry between the two, as there was between her and Morgan as well, but it looks like they might be building towards something between Carol and Ezekiel. Certainly when he showed up at her house at the end it was a surprising but telling moment, and if that’s where she plans to reside from now on, it seems that Ezekiel was instrumental in keeping her at the very least close by to The Kingdom.

Of course so much was introduced this episode there is plenty to talk about, so other notable highlights include:

• It’s interesting that Ezekiel keeps the deal with the Saviours a secret from most of his people, especially because he mentioned they’d want to fight. Most the people there didn’t seem like the fighting kind, so I wonder who the Saviours killed to force Ezekiel into submission? I have a feeling the person Morgan is mentoring doesn’t know the whole truth about his father’s death. Perhaps rather than Walkers, it was the Saviours who killed them?

• Speaking of that kid, I can see his relationship with Morgan going one of two ways. Either he’ll become a better fighter under Morgan’s teaching and everyone will be happy, or the Saviours could kill him providing Morgan with the push he needs to go psycho on them. Knowing this show it’ll be the latter.

• Though The Kingdom has a fairly calm relationship with the Saviours, it’s obviously not somethings they’re happy about. Allowing the boars to feast on Walker flesh and then giving said boars to the Saviours is a very intelligent idea, though I wonder if it works? In any case, this was probably the most civilised group of Saviours we’ve met. Clearly The Kingdom’s seeming cooperation encourages the Saviours to be a tad nicer.

• So The Kingdom has a choir, breakfast and lunch cobblers, movie nights and Ezekiel has a Steward who was so ridiculously over the top he might as well be named a Jester. Meanwhile, the main group is quite literally picking up the pieces of their broken lives. Two completely different worlds.

• It has to be highlighted once again, because it really is the best line: “I have no idea what’s going on in the most wonderful way!”

• Though it’s heartbreaking Steven Yeun and Michael Cudlitz will never be a part of them again, it was awesome to see Alanna Masterson, Christian Serratos and Josh McDermitt in the opening credits. Let’s just hope they get to stay there for some time.

With The Walking Dead Season 7’s second episode came a whole lot of new faces. Khary Payton as King Ezekiel is a fantastic addition to the cast, bringing a refreshingly abstract character and tone to the proceedings. The change in tone was perfect following last week’s episode, with the more humorous feel giving us a chance to see Carol and Morgan in new ways. Both characters are evolving in exciting directions, as Morgan felt somewhere he actually belonged and Carol started to slowly come back around. The world of The Walking Dead continues to expand in fascinating ways, and with next week set to introduce the Saviours home of The Sanctuary, things only look set to continue being interesting.

Get Ready To Tuck Into Your Bushtucker! I’m A Celebrity Returns Sunday 13th November

Good news, I’m A Celebrity fans, for ITV have today announced that the popular reality series will return Sunday 13th November at 9:00pm. Ant & Dec will again return as hosts, although there has been no word on whether Medic Bob and Kiosk Keith are back.

Celebrities rumoured to take part this time round include former Coronation Street actor Craig Charles, Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt and UKIP leader-by-default Nigel Farage.

Yeah…I can’t see Nigel Farage going in either. Who knows, though. Former Liberal Democrats politician Lembit Opik took part in the 2010 series and he’s certainly much more likely than Sir Cliff Richard (another rumoured name).

I’m A Celebrity will be taking over from period drama series Tutankhamun, which is due to end this Sunday.

Will & Grace Revival

Last Thursday, the cast from the series Will & Grace –  “Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Megan Mullally and Sean Hayes” were together again in Los Angeles for the first time in over a decade.  Creator” Max Mutchnick” gathered the team up for a short film based on the election. With over 6 million hits on the 10-minute youtube clip, its popularity was enough to get NBC to talk about a possible 10-episode revival of the series.

 

The cast, however, seem to be leaning to a more unrestricted and flexible form of new media to achieve this goal. “Debra Messing” who played Grace hinted to Hollywood reporters that a streaming channel would be more of a natural fit for them now to accommodate all of their busy lives.

 

As a huge fan of the original series, I am very anxious and hopeful that the cast will come to terms and we will all be able to enjoy the reboot of this great comedy team. Fingers Crossed!

 

I’m Malia Mercedes reporting for skatronixxx.com. You can also find me at maliamercedes.com where I’m always boasting my loyalty with Loyal Bloodline.

“Loyal people wear their loyalty with Loyalbloodline.clothing“

American Horror Story 6: Roanoke ‘Chapter 7’

Hi, I’m in for Presh again this week while she’s sans internet, but I’m always glad to give you a quick recap of what’s going on in the crazy world of American Horror Story 6. Last week, we were introduced to the new direction of the show – Roanoke, Three Nights in Hell. The actors and the real survivors of the ‘original’ show are all in the house together over the blood moon period. Rory (Evan Peters) already met his maker at the hands of the Butcher, and the action for episode 7 picks up immediately after.

Roanoke ‘Chapter 7’

We open in the production office, where Sidney (Cheyene Jackson) is watching as Dominic (Cuba Gooding Jr) enters the house. Sidney and a camera man are monitoring all the action, and a runner comes in to bring them food. She leaves, and the camera man witnesses Rory’s murder. They are interrupted by the runner screaming. The men go out to find her, and Agnes (Kathy Bates) has slit her throat. She then stabs Sidney and the camera man – all three are left dead outside the production office.

Back in the house, the cast can’t find Rory. They become irritated with Lee (Adina Porter) because she insists of filming everything. This is because she (quite rightly) assumes the show is a plot to get her done for her ex-husband’s murder. They cast find blood but no Rory, and Audrey (Sarah Paulson) comes to the conclusion that Rory has run off to Hollywood to do the Brad Pitt movie, and left her behind because she is too old.

Agnes has stolen Sidney’s camera; she regrets killing the runner because she had a baby and was always nice to her. She talks to the camera about being a fan favourite, and how they extended her run on the original show. The lights go out, and when they come back on, she’s surrounded by the weird Blair Witch dollies. This is not going to end well…

Monet (Angela Bassett) and Dominic are drinking at 6am, and Dominic tries it on with Shelby (Lily Rabe). Shelby resists, but Matt (Andre Holland) says he doesn’t want her any more and Dominic is welcome to her. Shelby is devastated. In the confession room, Dominic reveals that he’s been hired to shake things up in the house. He’s come in to be the bad guy, and he’s ok with that, because villains get the most screen time. In the meantime, Shelby is in her room, still very upset about Matt’s outburst. Agnes sneaks up on her with a cleaver. Shelby tries to talk her down, but Agnes chops her. Shelby resigns herself that she’s going to die, and films Agnes. Dominic runs in and saves her, throwing her into a mirror. By the time they calm down, Agnes has run off.

Audrey tries to patch Shelby up, and Matt comes to help her, having softened towards Shelby. Dominic shouts at the camera for Sidney to help them and call an ambulance. They realise no one is coming and decide that they need to leave the house to get help. They argue about who will stay and who will go. Lee and Monet offer to go for help, and Audrey suggests that they go via the secret tunnel (which they are surprised to find out are hooked up with cameras – not so secret after all, eh girls?) They think they see Rory at the end of the tunnel, but it’s the real ghost of Edward Mott (I think it was Matt Bomer under the powdered wig and make up, but I’m not sure…) They run and escape into the woods, and Lee asks if the actors believe her now. Back in the house, Matt and Shelby are talking about their failed marriage. Shelby apologises or her moment of weakness, but Matt says their marriage was dead as soon as they moved into the house.

In the woods, Audrey, Lee and Monet can’t find the trailer. The two actresses clock the blood moon and want to go back to the house, but Lee is keen to continue. They finally find the trailer, along with the dead crew. Audrey is hysterical, and Monet tries to find some form of communications device, but is unsuccessful. Agnes runs out and surprises the girls, but Lee has a surprise for Agnes; she shoots her. The night draws in, and the women catch the torch-carrying Roanoke ghosts marching on the house. Audrey starts to film a Blair Witch style selfie monologue, saying how much she loves Rory, when blood starts dripping on her face. They look up and see Rory, who is very, very dead. Lee shouts to Monet and Audrey to get out, but they are captured by the Polks.

Agnes films herself stitching up from the bullet wound. She starts shouting that the house will be consumed by fire. Right now, Presh’s theory about her being possessed by the Butcher is looking pretty accurate… Back in the house, Matt is in bed with Shelby and he gets up apparently sleepwalking. He goes downstairs, followed by Dominic. The Horned Woman grabs him, and he says that he’s been waiting for her. Dominic goes to get Shelby, and when thy go to the basement, Matt and the Horned Woman are having crazy sex on the floor. Shelby tries to save him, but Matt reveals that he loves the Horned Woman, and that she’s the only reason he came back to the house .Shelby does not take this very well, and smashes his head in with a crow bar. Full on Negan style. No head left.

The Polks have Lee tied up. She begs for her life, offering them money to let her go. Momma Polk (Robin Weigert) gives her sons some scissors to cut her trousers off. They start to season her leg and stab it to ‘tenderise’ it (to make the meat sweeter). That may well be it for Lee now, although I think maybe she’s going to turn out to have masterminded this whole thing.

In the house, Shelby is in shock. Dominic tries to take the crow bar off her, and it suddenly hits Shelby what she’s done. Dominic tells her she needs to turn herself in, but she begs him to help her. He says it’s too late for that, because the cameras saw everything. Dominic tries to clean her up, but she’s too upset. Dominic sees Agnes outside; she’s back for vengeance.

The Polks have Monet and Audrey tied up. Momma brings them some food (implied it is Lee’s leg meat). Monet begs to be set free and Audrey asks where Lee is. She is very slow on the uptake. The women are forced to eat the jerky that is made from Lee’s thigh.

We’re back in the hose and Agnes is screaming at the cast to leave. Dominic tries to stop her getting in the house, but Shelby says they can’t stop them. Agnes meets the real Butcher, and is somewhat star struck. She begs her forgiveness for playing her, but the Butcher is not in a forgiving mood. She slices her head open with a cleaver.

It was an action packed episode this week. We have a huge body count now: Diana, Rory, Sidney, Camera Man, Runner, Matt, Lee(?), and Agnes – and we know all but one of Shelby, Dominic, Audrey, and Monet will die too over the next three episodes. They must be changing it up a bit; I mean, they’ve killed eight characters in two weeks, you can’t tell me they’re not going to drop it to three in three! Anyone else got money on Audrey surviving? Yeah, me too.

Join me or Presh (whoever’s online) next week for Chapter 8, and don’t forget to share your thoughts on this weeks episode in the comments below, or on our Twitter page.

Follow me on Twitter @pixiewose

The Vampire Diaries SN8 E2 – Today Will Be Different

This episode begins with Damon talking to a gun manufacturer at a convention.  Well, to be honest, he just makes parts of the gun… the non deadly parts.  Yeah.. .okay.  What he does for a living makes him the perfect candidate for Siren Snack.  Then it turns into a Desperately Seeking Sarah situation.

You do remember Sarah, right?  Sarah Nelson (played by Tristan Mays, whom you may recognize as Riley on the new MacGyver) is the last living relative of the Salvatore Brothers.  The Siren manages to get the name after peeking into Enzo’s brain.  So, after leaving clues for Bonnie to follow, Enzo and Damon go on a hunt for Sarah.  Bonnie and Stefoline go rushing to North Caroline to rescue Sarah.

Because of Bonnie’s need to save Enzo, she deviates from the plan.  She vervains Enzo and runs off with him.  So, when Damon shows up and takes Caroline’s daylight ring and leaves her stranded, there’s no one to help stop Damon from killing Sarah except Stefan.  In doing so, we find out why Enzo and Damon haven’t escape the Siren yet.  Their minds are bonded to hers, so if they get to far away from her they suffer intense pain.

Stefan does manage to talk Damon into not killing Sarah, but then the Siren shows up and steals a tiny tidbit of information… she now knows about Elena.  Then she sneaks into Damon’s mind… the little corner of it where he’s been reliving the memory of meeting Elena for the first time to keep some little piece of his mind safe from the Siren.  Now, he’s meeting her in that memory instead of Elena.  The Siren then uses her powers to keep Stefan from saving Sarah, so he has to watch her die while Damon leaves with evil incarnate.

We’re left with the mystery of why Ric’s intern has a tattoo of the symbol that is carved on an artifact from 1790 at The Armory.  I’m guessing once we figure all that out, we’ll know how to save Enzo and Damon.

… and kill Sybil the Siren.

MacGyver SN1 E6 -Wrench

The opening gambit this week was my biggest fear… being trapped in my car in a deep hole while it’s being buried … well, or going under water in my car… but either way it means dying from lack of oxygen.  And also, being trapped in my car.  In a voice over narration, Angus admits during this portion of the show that his biggest fear is being unable to keep the people he loves safe.  OK, yeah, I’m afraid of that one too.  Of course, Mac saves them all by using the “explosion” from the airbags to blow out the windshield and they climb out to safety.

The main part of the show involved Mac having to try and stop an old nemesis from using a bomb to blow up the UN during peace talks.  Over the course of the show, we find out what Mac was doing just five short years ago… dismantling bombs in Afghanistan.  The Ghost (a bomb maker, and his nemesis) killed Mac’s C.O… which meant some touching scenes at the end with the young daughter of said commanding officer.

During this episode, Jack told Mac at least a half a dozen times… “You don’t get to do anything stupid alone”… that’s friendship goals right there.  My best friend just usually points and laughs while I’m committing the biggest screw ups of my life.  Of course, she helps me up when I fall down, but only after laughing at me for at least ten minutes…. and pointing out to everyone within hearing range that I fell and “busted my ass”.

They also showed us that Riley is taking bad ass lessons from Thorton… so I’m expecting Riley to show off her skills at some future date and save Mac and Jack.

The Ghost got away.  I like that (like the original) Mac doesn’t always get the bad guy.  Sometimes, he just manages to save the good guys.  I’m sure “The Ghost” will be back at some point.  Maybe he’s the villain I’ve been waiting on … classic Mac’s nemesis… Murdock.

Only time will tell.