Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock Days Could Be Numbered

We are now into the final countdown before uniquely named megastar Benedict Cumberbatch joins the Marvel Universe as Doctor Strange. It’s weird to think that just 6 years ago those 6 syllables didn’t trip off our tongues as regularly as they do now. Today, Cumberbatch is an Oscar nominee, a household name, and the leader of of a tribe of groupies who call themselves ‘Cumberbitches’ – high praise indeed.

In an interview with GQ Magazine, the Sherlock star suggested that he might be hanging up his deerstalker after season 4. “It might be the end of an era. It feels like the end of an era, to be honest,” Cumberbatch explained. “It goes to a place where it will be pretty hard to follow on immediately.”

But before you fake your own death in protest (a la season 2) Benedict is not burning any bridges with Conan-Doyle‘s famous detective. “We never say never on the show. I’d love to revisit it, I’d love to keep revisiting it, I stand by that, but in the immediate future we all have things that we want to crack on with and we’ve made something very complete as it is, so I think we’ll just wait and see. The idea of never playing him again is really galling.”

Sadly, it seems Sherlock is a victim of its own success. Both Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman – who plays John Watson – are never short of job offers. According to IMDB, Benedict Cumberbatch has eight upcoming projects (including Avengers: Infinity War and yet another version of The Jungle Book) and Freeman has five. That won’t leave a lot of time for filming numerous 90 minute episodes of Sherlock!

So, the message is, Sherlock fans: enjoy season 4, as it could be your last visit to the mind palace!

Sherlock season 4 is due to air in 2017 (date TBC)

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James Gunn’s Guardians of the Galaxy Named ‘Deadliest Movie’

Not content with being peddlers of insurance and an irritating opera singer, price comparison website Go Compare has conducted a study of the deadliest movies (there are 653 on there in total!!). Blood and gore classics like A Nightmare on Elm Street, Halloween and Scream don’t make the top 10 at all – in fact, a lot of family favourites grace the hot spots, which is topped by tongue in cheek superhero jaunt Guardians of the Galaxy.

Director James Gunn took to Facebook to share the accolade, explaining that the reason the film topped the chart with a whopping 83,871 on-screen expirations was due to one of the final scenes where a swarm of Nova Corp pilots are destroyed trying to defeat Ronan. The impressive scene shows over 80,000 ships being blown up, resulting in the deaths of their crew. As Gunn says “it’s individual, ONSCREEN EXPIRATIONS, not implied deaths through seeing planets or cities exploding.” GotG is in no danger of being overtaken soon – it had 78,184 more on-screen fatalities than its nearest rival, Dracula: Untold.

If on-screen deaths on a grand scale are your bag, check out the top 10:

1. Guardians of the Galaxy  (2014) 83,871 bodies
2. Dracula: Untold (2014) 5,687 bodies
3. The Sum of All Fears (2002) 2,922 bodies
4. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) 2,798 bodies
5. 300: Rise of an Empire (2014) 2,234 bodies
6. The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) 1,741 bodies
7. The Matrix Revolutions (2003) 1,647 bodies
8. The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies (2014) 1,417 bodies
9. Braveheart (1995) 1,297 bodies
10. Avengers Assemble (2012) 1,019 bodies

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Luke Cage SN1 EP05-‘Just To Get A Rep’

A fan favourite joins the series, as Luke becomes the hero Harlem deserves in a rousing episode.

Five episodes in, we’ve reached the point where things are turning around for Luke and his allies. With the initial rage caused in Luke by the death of Pop finally subsiding, an air of hope has returned to the series. This may seem a strange thing to say given much of the episode was about Cottonmouth shaking Harlem down for everything they’ve got, but his actions finally resulted in Luke taking up the mantle of a proper hero.

A puzzling part of the episode though was that not everyone seems to know Luke has ‘abilities’. Given his impressive appearance on TV, one would think most people would recognise the truth, but we still got moments where characters seemed surprised at what he could do. As Luke continues to protect Harlem, these kinds of encounters will no doubt subside, but something about those moments felt off. Nevertheless, it was certainly fun seeing Luke traverse Harlem, collecting back what had been stolen. All we’ve seen from Luke so far is his personal vendetta against Cottonmouth. This is a fine story in its own right, but there’s something uplifting about him just wandering round helping people in need.

Equally fun was the actual montage of robberies. The scene itself ranged in tone from serious to at times funny, but worked to show how desperate Cottonmouth had become. Despite how unhinged he may be; you get the sense from previous episodes that he truly cares about Harlem. Resorting to petty daylight robbery in a misguided attempt to recoup his losses therefore shows someone on the brink. The effect Luke has had on him in such a short amount of time is actually pretty intriguing. In the first episode of the Season, we were witness to a Cottonmouth boasting of his empire, with some pretty nifty imagery to back that up. This episode gave us a realisation of just how fragile his operation is, and his fall from grace is spectacular to watch. With each passing episode Cottonmouth becomes that little bit more unhinged. Killing his own men for petty reasons. Robbing the place he claims to want to make great again. They’re all the actions of a desperate man, and it’s fascinating to see just how easily Luke got under his skin.

In regards to Luke, his past began to unravel throughout the episode. With Shades no aware of his true identity, and Misty in possession of Reva’s picture, I daresay it’ll be long before his past comes back to haunt him. Misty herself continues to be a hard character to pin down. Her staunch need to abide by the system in order to catch Cottonmouth is admirable, but annoying behaviour on a show about a superhero vigilante where just about every other character is doing the exact opposite. Her character should feel refreshing amidst all the others, but her obsession with Luke detracts from her positive qualities. Were she just pursuing Cottonmouth, her character would be all the more likeable, but the way she has targeted Luke makes her character annoying. It’s a shame to because there is such promise within her. Her first appearances portrayed a no-nonsense, wisecracking, badass woman, determined to protect her home. With each subsequent episode though we’ve seen less and less of this behaviour, and it’s starting to make her character feel like a drag.

On the plus side, this episode saw the return of a character whose appearances in both Daredevil and Jessica Jones have turned her into a fan favourite. Yes, that’s right, Rosario Dawson returned as the always awesome Claire Temple. The character gets better with each appearance, and this time was no different, as we saw she herself has some pretty badass fighting moves. We’ve only ever really seen Claire within the context of the characters around her. Her appearances have always been tied to that of the main heroes, and as such this is a side to her we’ve never had to see before. It was nice then that she was given her own subplot this episode.

The time spent with Claire this episode was used to properly develop the character. Before this we didn’t really know anything about her, other than that she is a skilled nurse with a habit for meeting powered people. Now we know that she originated from Harlem, and the introduction of her mother makes the character feel more human in a way, as before she existed in a bubble of superhero strife. It was a particularly exciting moment when Claire revealed she wanted to aid powered people. She’s been known as the Night Nurse to fans ever since she was first introduced, but it’s satisfying to see this start to develop into something real. The way she has evolved across several shows is not something I’m sure has ever been done before, but it continues to make her one of the most interesting characters around. It helps that outside the main protagonists, she feels like the least likely to be killed off. You have to be really special to survive two seasons of Daredevil, an appearance in Jessica Jones and time in Luke Cage.

There was many an interesting moment scattered throughout the episode, so other notable highlights include:

• Cottonmouth now potentially has a way to kill Luke, courtesy of Hammer Industries. My reaction to the delayed bullet was similar to that of Cottonmouth’s. That thing is awesome! Though of course horribly tragic should it be used on Luke…

• Detective Scarfe is under suspicion which was a development that happened surprisingly quickly, but even more surprising were his actions toward the end of the episode. He chose not to deliver weapons to Cottonmouth, signalling a potential change of heart. If so, unfortunately for him redemption never lasts long on these shows, so I imagine his days are numbered. This is a shame as he’s actually a really fun character.

• Luke needs to invest in some vigilante clothes. A perfectly good shirt ruined, and it was tailor made!

• Luke’s interactions with Fish are turning into a great part of the show. Fish will never quite replace Pop, but he brings his own unique character. The writers have brilliantly transformed what I assumed would be a background character into one of the show’s highlights.

• Pop’s memorial was surprisingly rousing. I didn’t think the writers would have Luke actually one-up Cottonmouth, but I suppose they have to build him up before he eventually comes crashing back down again.

Another stellar episode of Luke Cage saw Luke drop his selfish vendetta in order to become the hero that Harlem deserves. The return of Claire Temple saw the character come in to her own, away from the shadow of the heroes. With Cottonmouth’s empire crumbling, and Luke at the best place he’s been all season, we’ve now entered the period of calm before the storm. As Luke’s ego grows with each passing victory, it can only be a matter of time before he comes tumbling down to reality.

Alterna’s: The Chair US Theatrical Release Ticket Pre-order Campaign

Indie comic book publisher Alterna Comics are doing a screening of their movie The Chair based on the graphic novel of the same name by  Peter Simeti and Kevin Christensen. They are doing a US release this month starting on October 18th, 2016. They currently have a campaign through the crowdfunding site Tugg. Tugg is similar to Kickstarter in that you won’t be charged till the goal is met. What your are purchasing is a ticket to the movie at a theatre in your area, and the film will not show there unless enough tickets are sold.

Movie info and Synopsis provided by Alterna Comics:

2016 (NR) 94 min.
Director: Chad Ferrin
Featuring: Bill Oberst Jr., Roddy Piper, Naomi Grossman, Timothy Muskatell, Noah Hathaway, Zach Galligan, Ezra Buzzington, Kyle Hester, Derrick Damions, Kin Shriner, Susan Eisenberg, Jacob Banser, John Siciliano, Tomas Boykin, Robert “Corpsy” Rhine, Joe Laurinaitis, Joseph Pilato, Jack deLyra, Harley Burks, Zebadiah DeVane, Christian Hutcherson, Michael Berthold, Brent Anthony, Andrew Marheineke

Synopsis: Based on the Alterna Comics graphic novel of the same name, THE CHAIR follows the story of Richard Sullivan, an innocent man struggling to escape execution on death row. Witnessing the savage killings of his fellow inmates at the hand of the prison’s sadistic and psychotic Warden, Sullivan decides that the only way to survive is to fight back. But as he matches the brutality occurring in the prison, Sullivan is forced to come face to face with his sanity and his own horrifying past. “…a chilling experience inside death row, where murderers, rapists and pedophiles become victims.”- Barbara Torretti, DARKVEINS “…pulls no punches to bring to life a psychotic world.”- William Meeker, TFK’s WEB OF INDIE HORROR AND SCIENCE FICTION “Although there is torturing in it, there is more plot and other elements that dig much deeper, both into the story and characters than just trying to gross out your audience with sadistic torture scenes. …there’s more to it than that and that’s what separates this from most films of this type.” – Andrew Peters, KINKY HORROR GOON REVIEW

 

 

Alterna has also just announced special guests that will be at screenings across the United States:

 

 

To make sure The Chair play in your area, please order your tickets through Tugg

The Chair was one of the late Roddy Pipper‘s last films, so if you’re a fan of his or horror movies in general support your local screening. Show Alterna Comics and the public in general that indie content is just as good if not better than the mainstream.

You only have a few days to get your tickets!

This Is The Day You Will Always Remember As The Day The Pirates Of The Caribbean 5 Teaser Was Released!

Grab yer bottles of rum, ye scurvy seadogs as the new Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (or ‘Salazar’s Revenge’ here in the UK) teaser has been released.

The new teaser doesn’t reveal a great deal, although it offers us how first glimpses at Javier Bardem (Skyfall) as Captain Jack Sparrow’s old enemy Salazar and Brenton Thwaites’ (Maleficent) Henry. 

The teaser contains a nice Curse of the Black Pearl vibe that will hopefully carry across to the film, however the absence of Johnny Depp (Edward Scissorhands) is strange. Hopefully the first full trailer will make up for the lack of Jack Sparrow with plenty of shots of everybody’s favourite alcoholic pirate.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge marks the return of Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow,  Orlando Bloom (The Lord of the Rings) as fan-favourite character Will Turner (who has been absent since At World’s End), Kevin McNally (Doctor Who) as Gibbs, Geoffrey Rush (Finding Nemo) as Barbossa and Stephen Graham (This Is England) as Scrum. The first also stars Kaya Scodelario (The Maze Runner) as Carina Smyth, Golshifteh Farahani (Exodus: Gods and Kings) as Haifaa Meni, Javier Bardem as Captain Salazar,Brenton Thwaites as Henry and David Wenham (The Lord of the Rings) as Scarfield.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar’s Revenge comes to our shores on 26th May 2017.

Elementary SN5-EP1 ‘Folie a Deux’

Sherlock and Watson  have once again graced our screens, with the premiere of season 5 airing last night (October, 2), and the dynamic duo didn’t disappoint. Oh, how I have missed the eccentric detective and his level-headed protégé Watson, who balance Sherlock out, however, I have noticed she is becoming more like Sherlock each episode. Let’s have a quick recap the last episode of season 4

 Elementary SN4-EP24 ‘A Difference in Kind’ Recap

Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) quickly disarms the bomb and deduces that it was no Vikner, but another member of his group who wants to dethrone him by killing them, thus not harming him and Joan Watson (Lucy Liu). The two of them find out with the help from Morland (John Noble) that the bomber is connected to an Iranian diplomat in the organisation, Hashemi, who is bent on deposing vikner as the leader. They meet with her only to realise the enormity of the organisation and to learn the reason why Morland was targeted by Vikner.

Some in the organisation, like Hashemi, wanted Morland as the new leader until Vikner played his hand. Sherlock, Watson, and Morland work together to frame Vikner for a federal crime, only to find out he was tipped off by a contact inside the FBI and is in the wind. Morland, in an attempt to protect his son, then contacts Vikner, who thinks he’s going to be able to kill off Morland, however, he has allied with Hashemi, so Vikner is killed instead by her men.

Morland meets Sherlock on the brownstone’s rooftop, telling him that he has taken over leadership of the organisation with the aim of dismantling the network from within and explaining to him that it was the only way to guarantee he would not lose his son. He also promises that the group won’t have a presence in New York and prepares to return to London.

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Elementary SN5-EP1 ‘Folie a Deux’

Sherlock (Jonny Lee Miller) and Watson (Lucy Liu) investigate when at bomb goes off in a crowded park. They believe it is the Bensonhurst Bomber, who was last active six years ago. He has become active again, but this time, his bombing spree is in Flushing. Sherlock spots a guy acting suspicious at the crime scene and gives chase, but he escapes when Sherlock is hit by a car. Not deterred from being hit by a car Sherlock gets his first break in the case while giving chase both men jump over a parked taxi, the suspect put his hand on the bonnet as he jumped over and left his fingerprints behind.

Sherlock is concerned that Watson is getting restless after five years as a private investigator, he points out that this is her third career, and can’t help but wonder if her wanderlust has subsided. Watson contemplates and agrees that life is short and that she hasn’t been “a construction worker yet or a biker or an Indian Chief” to which Sherlock replies “You think I don’t get the Village People reference, but I do“. They get a match to Nathan Resor (Matthew Del Negro), a land developer who was in jail when the bombing had stopped. Of course, Resor denies the claims he is the Bensonhurst bomber, and a search of his home turns up nothing.

Watson realises that she and Resor have a contact in common, Shinwell Johnson (Nelsan Ellis), a drug dealer whose life she had saved as a surgeon after he was shot by rival dealers. Johnson now on parole, is working in a boxing gym, emptying spit buckets. Johnson gets the name of Resor’s cellmate Cray Fielder (Lee Tergesen), however, they can’t get Fielder to flip on Resor. A second bomb goes off while Resor is under surveillance and couldn’t have possibly planted this bomb.

Sherlock and Watson begin to suspect that Resor and Fielder are working together, they break into Fielder’s house hoping to find evidence to tie Fielder to the bombings and it pays off, they find a bomb-making kit. They eventually get Fielder to flip on Resor and the pair will never see the outside of a jail cell. Watson visits Johnson at the halfway house, he opens the door a little, Watson asks if he wants to go for a walk and a chat, he agrees and says he will just get his coat, he has a gun in his hand which he hides and he grabs his coat and leaves. Would he have shot himself if Watson hadn’t of showed up?

What were your thoughts on the premiere of Elementary Season 5?

Elementary airs  Sundays 10/9c  on CBS.

Once Upon a Time SN6 E2- A Bitter Draught

She’s back.

That’s right, The Evil Queen in all her glory and scene stealing wardrobe is back.  And, I loved every minute of it.  Nobody does villain better than Regina, and I’m really liking having her as both a hero and at the same time a villain.

Although, watching her coming on to Gold was a little uncomfortable to watch.

I was excited for the arrival of The Count of Monte Cristo, but sad he isn’t sticking around.  I’m really unhappy that they teased us with a peek at Aladdin and Jafar but haven’t shown us any more about them.

Hook helped Belle because he’s trying to become someone he can like (and forgive), and Emma had some appointments with “The Cricket” to talk about her Savior issues in hopes of ending the tremors in her hands.

Last week, I said that the premiere left me feeling a little meh.  Well, I’m still waiting for things to get moving.  Things seem to be moving slower than a sloth on Xanax.  I understand that they’re building … but come on, hit me with a hammer already.

MacGyver SN1 E2 – Metal Saw

Things didn’t start off all that well for Mac & Company in the latest episode of MacGyver.  But, if you were a fan of the original then you know that’s kind of the formula.  Early in the first season of the original show, they called them the “Opening Gambits”.  They usually involved MacGyver escaping single-handed from some impossible scenario.  The only difference in the new version of the “Opening Gambit” is that Mac’s not alone… insert hero sidekick Jack Dalton here.

I’m glad that the powers that be on this one have been listening (even if only slightly) to the fans of the original series.  I know that they completely re-tooled the pilot and re-shot everything.  They have several members of the original team on staff… and they pay homage to the original every chance they get.  And yet, something still feels off.  Perhaps, it’s just me pining for Richard Dean Anderson, but maybe not.  I read recently that RDA refused to be a part of this reboot because he felt like CBS & the team behind this revival were ignoring the wishes of the loyal fans of the original series.  His refusal came before the re-tooling and re-shooting.  So, I’m still holding out hope that he’ll come on board eventually… in some capacity.

Shut up!  Do NOT burst my bubble.

Anyway, back to this episode…. Mac & Company have to go save Jack’s ex-partner (ya know, from when he was in the CIA) who’s gotten in a bit of a jam in Venezuela.  I think the line of the episode award goes to Riley (played by Tristan Mays).  After being told to wait in the car, she comes in just in time to knock out the bad guy with a car door… And she says, “What?  You told me to wait in the car; technically I did.”  Of course, they save the ex-partner (played by Person of Interest alum, Amy Acker) while throwing around phrases like “hashtag” and “Uber” pointing out all the modernizations of a classic, and they manage to catch the bad guy as well.  Oh yeah, and we learn in this episode that what Mac and Jack have in common is they’re both unlucky with women.

The action in this new version seems … well…. more.  And, I gotta say, they blow a lot of stuff up.  And I do like to watch ’em blow stuff up.  I miss RDA’s narration though.  Don’t get me wrong Till still has some narrated bits, but RDA just had a sarcastic wit that’s missing in this one.

The best gag of the episode is the bowl of paper clips on the table… but I don’t want to say anymore than that.

Fear The Walking Dead SN2 EP15-‘North’

‘Fear The Walking Dead’ ended Season 2 on a high with its best episode yet.

Having a two-part finale is an odd prospect for a show such as ‘Fear The Walking Dead’. Due to its serialised nature, every episode links together anyway, but in watching this final episode I understand the decision. Things pick up immediately where they left off at the end of the previous episode and the show is all the better for it. Had there been a week break between the two, much of the impact of this episode’s cold opening would have been lost. Travis is now a completely broken man. No longer the moral compass of the group, he’s now (finally) just another survivor, doing what he needs to do.

Hit attitude throughout the episode was understandable. Following his brutal murder of what eventually turned out to be three people, nothing fazed him. Getting sprayed with broken glass? Nope. Faced with being killed? Not a thing. It places him in an interesting position going into Season 3. As we saw, he doesn’t mind being killed. There’s likely a part of him that wants it, but the only moment in the episode he sprung to life was when Maddison and Alicia were in danger. With Chris gone they’re his top priority, and now that he’s crossed the line I feel sorry for anyone that even thinks about threatening them.

Whilst Travis’s annoying behaviour is now a thing of the past, sadly Maddison’s isn’t. Her unwavering loyalty to Travis, however admirable, was a severe problem here. The way she defended his actions was pitiful, and she added fuel to an already fiery situation. Travis may not have been wrong to kill Brandon and Derek, but it was still a disturbing thing for him to do, and directly contradicted the rules of the Hotel that Maddison herself had laid out. What’s more is that Oscar was caught in the crossfire of Travis’s rage, an issue Maddison seemed to dismiss. Her behaviour throughout the season has been spotty. At times she can seem like the deadliest character on the show, whilst at others the most embarrassingly weak. She has the potential to be so much more, but the way she handles conflict, especially in relation to her family, weakens the character. It’s a trait I don’t ever see her evolving past whilst they’re alive, and so the people around her will always be in danger.

Unfortunately, Maddison’s loyal nature has somewhat rubbed off on Alicia. She’s been one of the strongest characters this season, receiving some brilliant development. To think that at the beginning of this season we were lambasting her for giving away the location of the Abigail, and now she’s developing into a leader with her first human kill under her belt. Whilst I don’t agree with her defence of Travis, I’m more of a Strand type myself, it’s no doubt in keeping with her character. Alicia has always had to help herself, so by nature she wants to help others. Unlike Maddison though she’s more thoughtful about things. She doesn’t immediately rush to defend Travis like Maddison does, instead taking time to mull over the best option for everyone. As such she’s grown into a strong intelligent survivor, willing to do what she has to in an effort to protect those she cares about.

So whilst this storyline had everything going for it to begin with, it stumbled towards the end. Strand’s decision to stay was given very little context. Sure he’s still recovering from his knife wound, and he said he didn’t want to go out into the world and die, but he’d just helped the Hotel’s most wanted escape, threatening several people with a gun in the process. It’s potentially a way to keep the Hotel in the picture, but I think the general gist of where that’s headed is that it’s all falling apart. It’s a way to further split up the group, and as such, reintroducing Strand into the story will have difficulty feeling organic given the direction everyone else is headed in. That’s if he comes back at all, and given he’s one of the best characters on the show, I hope he does.

In addition, Maddison, Alicia and Travis manage to track down the Colonia…somehow. They find the now deceased Francesco, root around in his pockets for a wallet, and his address just so happens to be near that of the Colonia. In the moment I echoed Alicia’s question of “What are you doing?” These people were tortured just a few episodes ago in an effort to find the Colonia, and then these guys look in their pockets and are all set. It was one of the laziest moments of writing the show has seen yet, and there’s been a fair few of them. The scenes where they find a dying Alejandro and learn where Nick went were good, as it gives them a direction for the next season, but there were some questionable moments amidst the excitement.

Speaking of the Colonia, this storyline didn’t have the spectacular ending we were all expecting, but it still had one. The ultimate demise of the Warehouse Bandits wasn’t exactly satisfying. It wouldn’t have made sense for the Colonia to fight them, but it also didn’t make sense that the ambling horde of Walkers killed them all. The bandits had the high ground, as well as a large supply of ammo, so the fact that they were all killed signalled another lazy attempt to tie up a loose end and move the story forward.

Still Nick and the Colonia were still in for a fight. There’s a sense now that Nick has evolved. His gullible nature has been pushed aside as a result of his care for Luciana, and it showed in the way he rejected Alejandro. He didn’t completely give up on his faith however, assuming the role of leader of the Colonia, leading them to a potential safe haven. It again signalled how he’d grown. No longer was he running. He’d finally become a man and was guiding his people to safety. Or so he thought. Upon crossing the border, the remaining members of the Colonia were shot at by what appeared to be some form of militia. The Colonia group quickly scattered, whilst others were killed, with Nick and Luciana being taken captive in one of the truly shocking moments of the episode. I say that, but seeing how happy they all were heading towards what Nick assumed was a refugee camp should have been a dead giveaway.

So much happened in this action packed episode, so other highlights include:

• After lying from the very start, Alejandro lied once more to the Colonia. His speech was actually quite rousing. With the fact that it was in Spanish I think increasing its effect. It was only right then that he committed one final act of nobility at the end, using his dying moments to rid the world of the Warehouse Bandits.

• The man who captured Ofelia in the previous episode seemed similarly dressed to the men who got Nick and Luciana. Maybe a reunion is on its way!

• How awesome were the scenes showing Oscar’s brother cutting into Oscar’s head? I’m assuming it was medically accurate, but after all that did they really expect him to survive.

• With the exception of Elena, the behaviour of the Hotel people really annoyed me this episode. No one took the time to talk anything over. Just a few episodes Elena and Hector were villains in the eyes of the Hotel guests, and now Hector is enraged over Oscar’s death? I get why they aren’t a fan of Travis, but Maddison and Alicia are the reason they’re all standing in a well-protected haven.

• With that border shooting it looks like ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ might be about to get political in its 3^rd It should be interesting if they do, as there’s a lot of potential for good material there.

‘Fear The Walking Dead’ ended Season 2 with an action packed episode that will see characters changed forever. Gone is nice guy Travis and good girl Alicia as they both triggered the kill switch for reasons of varying necessity. Maddison’s behaviour continues to be erratic and annoying, which doesn’t exactly enamour one to seeing her again in Season 3, whilst Strand’s place in the next season is just one big question mark. With Nick, Luciana and Ofelia sprung upon by a new set of villains, fans have some exciting developments to look forward to in the new season. For now though Season 2 ends on a high note, despite a lot of rocky moments along the way. ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ still has a long way to go to become must see TV, but the potential and excitement are there, so hopefully Season 3 will be when the show really hits its stride.

Fear The Walking Dead SN2 EP14 – ‘Wrath’

The build-up to several climactic battles made for a tense and explosive episode.

For much of the duration of the show, Travis has stood out as the one person least suited to life in the apocalypse. His reluctance in Season 1 to take up arms made sense, as it was reflective of the confusion the characters found themselves in. As the season ended, his merciful killing of ex-wife Liza signalled a potential shift in his approach to the apocalypse. If he could shoot dead a woman he loved, then surely he would be able to face fresh horrors each day. That unfortunately didn’t ring true, and Travis clung to the only person he felt he had left in the world, Chris. Fast forward through a series of turbulent and testing trials for the two, where Chris became more and more suited to the new world, and Travis less and less, to meet a man truly broken by what the world has become.

However much he didn’t want to admit it, a small part of Travis must have known he needed to let Chris go, but this didn’t prevent him from regressing into the husk of a man we once knew. This episode showed Travis as a man who has nothing left to lose. Whilst he might have refrained from violence and clung to the idea that the Walkers were just sick in earlier episodes to set an example for Chris, as soon as he learns Chris is gone he snaps into the person the apocalypse always wanted him to be.

Speaking of Chris, I was truly surprised that they decided to kill him off like they did. He was being built into a potential villain that I assumed Travis would have to face in the finale, so it was surprising instead to see the tables turned and Travis become kind of a villain himself. I’m sure for many though, Chris’s death was somewhat satisfying. A brutal car crash causing a mangled leg just to then be ungraciously shot in the head and left to rot in the middle of the road. I’m sure for many who felt disdain for Chris it could’ve been a lot worse, but there’s no denying how unexpected the event was. I believed Chris would die in the finale at the hands of Travis, but instead his death fuelled Travis’s transformation into the very thing he was trying to prevent Chris from becoming all this time.

The murder sequence of Brandon and Derek was disturbing from start to finish. There was no clean, glorified vision behind the fight, instead it was just messy and brutal and reflected Travis’s want to cause as much pain as possible to the people who had killed his son. It was one of the standout instances on the show where the camerawork and editing really helped to amplify what we were seeing. The multitude of quick cuts and violent nature of the camerawork moving all over the place emphasised the chaos of the scene. The only drawback was the slightly cheesy way in which Chris and Brandon were reflected to have died in the exact same position. The irony of Brandon’s situation was shown in the way he was brutally beaten to death by an enraged Travis, additional imagery wasn’t necessary, and if anything took away from the scene.

We also saw some more of Ofelia this episode and I just have no clue where her story is headed. The opening moments with her were exciting. She’s become one of the chief Walker slayers on the show, and despite my earlier qualms that she had no purpose, she’s now become quite the badass. It’s a shame then that her story isn’t going in a direction that has given us a reason to be excited yet. We now know she’s made it across the border into the US, in turn meeting or possibly even being captured by a man with a gun. It’s the fact that we don’t know which of those options it is, that makes the story fall flat. We can’t be worried for her because the man could be a good guy, and they haven’t even really created a good sense of mystery around it. I think the problem is that there was so much happening this episode. If we get more of this story in the finale it could work, likewise if we don’t the break until Season 3 will give plenty of time to build on the mystery around her story.

This episode also checked in on the Colonia, where things are finally starting to get more exciting. The warehouse bandits are preparing to take the Colonia but in a surprising moment of humanity gave fair warning to Nick so that people could escape. This was immediately subdued by grisly imagery of Francesco’s murdered family, and in all fairness was more as service to the plot than an accurate reflection of the Bandit’s nature as we’ve seen so far.

Nevertheless, Nick delivered the news back to Luciana and Alejandro which was when things really started to pick up. So far the Colonia has been represented as a place of peace, where nothing much ever goes wrong. Uncertainty breeds chaos however, and with the place on the brink of destruction things inevitably start to go wrong. An inside Walker attack signified the loss of control Alejandro has over every aspect of the Colonia, whilst it also brought about the truth of his immunity to the infection. As suspected, he wasn’t bit by a Walker at all, but by the drug addict he had tried to save when the apocalypse kicked off. In a feat of cunning and intelligence similar to what Eugene did in ‘The Walking Dead’, Alejandro used the bite to encourage people’s faith within him and persuade them to build up the Colonia around him. It was a satisfying reveal, set in motion by the fact that he is now truly bitten, so it will be interesting to see whether he will actually help protect the Colonia now that he knows he doesn’t have much time left.

Such a pivotal episode of the series must have more than a few standout moments, so other highlights include:

• It was nice to see Strand up and about again, but in the likely event that things go south at the Hotel, the effect of his injury has me increasingly worried about his ability to escape.

• The refugees were starting to get rather angry, so it’ll be interesting to see whether they cause trouble at the Hotel, or if something even more dangerous is on its way.

• I couldn’t tell who, but Travis looked like he caused some nasty damage to one of the Hotel group trying to stop his rampage. Hopefully whoever it was isn’t dead, but it’ll no doubt call into question his place at the Hotel. Well that and the fact he just beat some guys to death with his own two hands. That tends to make people a little uneasy around you.

• Alicia continues to prove herself as the best of the bunch. Her apology to Travis over the way she treated Chris was completely unnecessary on her part, but she did it anyway. Her diplomacy and general badassery are building her up to be the ultimate survivor, which of course makes me very worried for her going into the season finale.

• Walker Kill of the Week:

           Nick: ‘You Poked My Eye!’ Walker

So the penultimate episode of ‘Fear The Walking Dead’ Season 2 delivered on all fronts. Tensions between characters at the Colonia came to a dramatic climax as the group faces immediate danger both within and outside the walls. Meanwhile the shocking death of Chris transformed Travis into a raging death machine that further signalled his deterioration in this world. Heading into the finale, with the Colonia facing destruction, Travis’s place in the group in serious question, and Ofelia facing a mystery man with a powerful gun, you can be sure it’s gonna be one hell of a ride.