Sherlock Season 4 Trailer Launched

Oof. I am a die-hard Sherlock Holmes fangirl and I love the BBC, but damn was this trailer dark. The lightheartedness of the previous three seasons are gone – there is not one strip of humor in the minute and thirty second trailer. Everything is death, and it looks like Sherlock will be pushed to the extreme in the next season as evidenced by his gaunt face and consistent five o’clock shadow.

 The trailer shows actor Toby Jones to be the major villain in Season 4 (sidenote: horrifying, hair-raising laugh). Personally, I believe Moriarty is dead, and that he was smart enough to figure out a way to make Holmes’ life a living hell from beyond the grave, and that the focus will shift to Toby Jones’ character as the main villain.

So the three clue words for this upcoming season are: “Thatcher,” “Smith,” and “Sherrinford.” The current theories are that no one really knows what “Thatcher” could relate to except for a password in “The Hounds of Baskerville” and an old Watson blog post where an art student is killed by a clay bust of Margaret Thatcher. There are more leads on “Smith,” in which Toby Jones is confirmed to be playing a man named “Culverton Smith,” who is a character from “The Adventure of the Dying Detective” by Arthur Conan Doyle. Story about poison and Sherlock pretending to poison himself to trick Smith out of hiding – good story. Curious how they’re going to modernize it.

And last but not least, “Sherrinford.” Leading theory? The eldest Holmes brother who takes care of the Holmes estate so the younger two can go play parliament and private detective.

This series has never let me down, and for a collection of short stories that was published in the late 1880s-early 1890s, it has been wonderfully modernized and turned into fantastic entertainment. Let’s just hope in this next season we’ll have enough banter and everyday moments to balance out the drama and destruction.

And let’s not forget that Mary has a little one on the way… can’t wait to see how this ends up! Check out the trailer below and let us know what you think in the comments below.

Daredevil SN1 EP10 – ‘ Nelson v. Murdoch ‘

After last week’s blockbuster episode, it should be no surprise that there would be a bit of a slower episode. “Speak of the Devil” ended on a HUGE cliffhanger and this episode has to pick up the pieces. Foggy has found Matt broken and battered from his conflict with Fisk and his men. A large part of this episode is a simple battle of wits between Nelson and Murdoch.

One of the highlights of this episode is that after being a secondary character, Foggy finally gets a little character development. He is rightfully upset as he feels his friend has lied to him for all this time. His reactions feel natural as he seems appropriately upset about a major bombshell being dropped, but is conflicted that it came from someone so near and dear to him. Foggy’s smart-alecky personality lends itself to featuring a little more comic relief in this episode – not exactly a laugh-a-minute riot, but the humor seems natural for how someone as sarcastic as Foggy would respond in this situation.

This episode reveals a lot of the backstory between the two. They were in law school together where Foggy was the joker and the girl chaser while Matt was the more serious student. They worked at a law firm but quit when Matt’s abilities gave him insight that their bosses were bilking people before starting their own firm. These scenes are effective on a few levels – Matt and Foggy have chemistry, plus showing them in this episode creates a great contrast between the friendship they used to have and how things have turned out.

B-plots include a story reveals a few more shades of Fisk’s personality as he actually shows a willingness to go legit… until something happens. Also, Karen and Urich are on the hunt for information about Fisk, eventually leading them to Fisk’s mother. The Karen Urich sideplot may be a side dish, but it’s welcome with the main entree.

Overall, this is a solid episode. It is one of the lightest on action – the only time we see the Devil in action is a quick flashback when he roughed a child abuser – but it is effective. Foggy becomes a little more fleshed out, as does his relationship with Matt. The B-plots are engaging enough while keeping the season’s story going.

The Expanse SN1 EP3 -‘Remember The Cant’

THE EXPANSE — “Remember the Cant” Episode 103 — Pictured: Thomas Jane as Detective Josephus Miller — (Photo by: Rafy/Syfy)

Episode 3 is meant to heighten the tension surrounding the mysterious disappearance of Julie Mao and how all of the characters are intertwined.

We begin Ceres Station

Holden’s last minute transmission has been picked up and is now being broadcast across the galaxy, causing disturbance among the Belters, Mars, and Earth.

Havelock is still with the prostitute. It turns out he’s learning the Belter language from her, but there is a sense of caring and sensuality between the two. Havelock is quickly called to the station.

At the station, he meets with Miller as their Captain is lecturing them about how to contain the coming hostility with the Ceres natives concerning the message from Holden. The Ceres Station citizens support the O.P.A. and the security forces know this will put a strain on the fragile relationships between the three governments.

Miller is assigned his area and decides he want’s to meet with the O.P.A.’s leader, Anderson Dawes (Jared Harris from Mad Men), so he raids the docks under the pretense of searching for contraband.

The dock workers are getting irritated and just as they threaten Miller, Dawes appears.

Dawes seems to be a reasonable man and he and Miller have a chat. Miller asks if he is familiar with Julie Mao and of course Dawes says he doesn’t remember her. He questions Miller’s motives, though. He thinks there is a reward for finding Julie Mao and Miller is investigating Julie’s disappearance for the reward money.

Later, as Miller is doing research, he’s suddenly called to the Medina (the main plaza on Ceres Station) for an emergency. It seems the Belters are protesting about air and water they feel was stolen by the Martians.

While there with Havelock and Octavia Muss (his old partner), they get a call about skirmishes breaking out near Havelock’s prostitute friend so he leaves alone to check on her.

Miller and Muss try to get the crowd under control, but things just escalate into a riot.

THE EXPANSE — “Remember the Cant” Episode 103 — Pictured: Thomas Jane as Detective Josephus Miller — (Photo by: Rafy/Syfy)

On The Donnager

Holden, Naomi, Amos, and Shed are treated as criminals (i.e. roughly). They’re each separated into their own cells, while Alex is mysteriously escorted away.

The Martians question each of them separately.

The Martians are trying to pin the destruction of the Canterbury on Holden and his crew. It seems all of them display terrorist skills. The Martians also imply Naomi may be a member of the O.P.A. She denies this. 

Finally, the crew is reunited in a holding cell. They’ve all been told that Naomi is an O.P.A. operative. No one trusts anyone.

Before a fight breaks out between them, Holden agrees to talk to the captain of the Donnager to see if he can get them set free. The captain agrees to let him and his crew go if he recants and instead accuses Naomi of destroying the Cant.

Earth.

The Earth Government is trying to figure out why the Martians blew up the Cant.

Avarasala meets with the Martian Ambassador, Franklin Degraaf who happens to be an old friend. She accuses Mars of working with the O.P.A. to take over Ceres. She threatens to re-deploy the Earth fleet to show strength. Of course, Degraaf denies it.

THE EXPANSE — “Remember the Cant” Episode 103 — Pictured: (l-r) Shohreh Aghdashloo as Chrisjen Avasarala, Kenneth Welsh as Degraaf — (Photo by: Rafy/Syfy)

Later, during a briefing about the Mars situation, Avarasala is given intelligence that Mars is in fact not working with the O.P.A.

She meets again with Degraaf. His diplomatic credentials have been revoked and he’s been banned from Mars for life. He’s accused of causing the Martians to have to expose secrets to avoid a confrontation with Earth.

As they talk, Avarasala and the (ex-ambassador) end their friendship.

The episode wraps up back on Ceres Station where we see the aftermath of the riot. Destruction and dead bodies. Meanwhile, Havelock is still off by himself. As he is patrolling, he wanders into a deserted alley and is attacked by O.P.A. thugs. They impale him and utter, “Remember the Cant,” as the episode ends.

‘Kiefer Sutherland’ Returns For ‘Flatliners’ Reboot

Kiefer Sutherland recently revealed that he is set to appear in Columbia Pictures remake of the 90’s cult classic Flatliners, but left fans of the original film to speculate as to the nature of Sutherland’s return.

Until now.

In an interview with Metro, the American actor confirmed that he will “play a professor at the medical university,” who is understood to be Nelson Wright, Sutherland’s character from the original film. “It is never stated but it will probably be very clearly understood that I’m the same character [-], but that I have changed my name and I’ve done some things to move on from the experiments that we were doing in the original film.“

“I loved making the first film,” added the Hollywood actor. “When I was asked if I would be interested in taking part in this, it didn’t take more than a minute to say yes.“

The Joel Schumacher directed original, which also starred Kevin Bacon, Julia Roberts, Oliver Platt and William Baldwin, received a mixed reception upon release but accrued $10 Million on its opening weekend before going on the gross $61.5 Million in the US alone.

Danish Director Niels Arden Oplev (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo) is set the helm the reboot with former Vampire Dairies actress Nina Dobrev, Ellen Page (Inception), Diego Luna (Rogue One), James Norton (War & Peace) and Kiersey Clemons (Bad Neighbours 2).

Principal Photography for the reboot is underway in Toronto with Columbia Pictures citing a release of August 18, 2017.

For all your Film News & Reviews, stick with @mitch_rated only on Skatronixxx.com

Wynonna Earp : An Introduction To One Of The Most Promising Series Of 2016

 

As the newcomer , the Syfy show  Wynonna Earp , has been one of the most satisfying new series on television this year . This show is all about girl power , giving tribute to a female character we have all been waiting  for so long .

Now I know there are many badass female characters in television right now , and don’t get me wrong they are all amazing characters , but few give that  Wynonna Earp  realistic and relatable vibe , to the point you are rooting for her every second of the show .

No wonder the show won over an amazing fan base that are the #Earpers  , who have been so supportive  with continued posts and pleas to the Network for a renewal under the  #RenewWynonnaEarp hashtag .And it hasn’t been in vain since Saturday during their San Diego Comic-Con panel , the cast and producers  announced that the Network has picked up the show for a second season , with 10 confirmed episodes .

So now this character joins a number of female badass characters , such as Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) , who make us believe that they are human and not some made up Mary Sue , perfect super human ,  who succeed in everything and can do any task to perfection .

We can actually see this character struggle as the show progresses , we see her being strong , fragile , and going through every stage of the emotional spectrum , giving a message that is so needed in a world where we are feed perfection : ‘ It’s ok to have a bad day, or year, or decade ! It happens to all of us ! Sh*t happens!‘ . And we love it !

But that doesn’t apply only to the main character , since literally (to me ) every character is amazingly written and portrays qualities , virtues and flaws that we all can relate to . And also #WayHaught which is my new OTP .

One of my favorite characters of the series is Waverly. She is the youngest Earp and the person who everyone wants as their best friend ! She is introduced as this sweet , shy young woman ,who escalates to pulling a shotgun to your face (see episode one to get what I’m talking about) at moments , who we see grow and develop as a character throughout season one .I focus on her since it’s so rare when you see on television characters like her that make us realize that our society still doesn’t give women enough support , to believe in themselves and believe that they can achieve anything . And it’s refreshing to see what can happen when you give people your support instead of pulling them down . I think that the strongest messages this show can give to girls out there is ‘Just by giving people a hand , you can help them build a whole new world around them !’ .

But this show doesn’t only focus on it’s female characters , it also presents very strong male counterparts that go through a series of struggles and convince us that everyone has things to deal with , no mater how well put together they look .

For example Doc , which is a silly badass  character , makes us furious with some of his actions , but as the story progresses , we understand the ‘Why’ behind his decisions . Another character worth mentioning is Dolls , who seems like the typical portrayal of a stiff government employee , but in reality has his crazy things to deal with , and believe me , they are crazy !

So without wasting more time let’s try to explain the main plot of the show ! It will be a bumpy ride , but stay with me .

It revolves around Wynonna Earp (Played by Melanie Scrofano ) who returns to her town Purgatory , after being away for three years .

We are first introduced to the character while she is on a bus getting to Purgatory , when a woman who had gone off the bus to relieve herself Is attacked, she runs to save her from being killed by what we first assume is an animal . But shocker , it’s actually a returned to life criminal once killed by her great grandfather , a Revenant .

As we quickly try to recover from the shocking revelation , we learn that Wynonna is a descendant of Wyatt Earp, local hero and lawman . The Earp’s are cursed with keeping the Revenants inside Purgatory , her home town , the borders of which  confine Revenants inside.

Revenants are the returned criminals that her great grandfather killed long ago , and every generation on the Earp Heirs 27-th birthday the Revenants come back to life , beginning what seems an endless cycle , since the Earp Heir has to send them back to Hell . On their 27-th birthday the Heir awakens , being given the ability to use “Peacemaker” , a six chamber Colt Buntline Special gun with a long barrel , that can kill Revenants dragging them to Hell via a fiery portal in the ground . The only person who can use ‘Peacemaker’ is the Earp Heir (in this case Wynonna ) , who is tasked with killing all the Revenants .

We soon learn that the previous Heir , Wynonna’s father never killed the Revenants , opting for a peace treaty with Bobo Del Rey , the main antagonist , which backfired as the Revenants invaded their home , wanting to kill him and Wynonna’s big sister Willa , who was supposed to be the Heir .

By doing this the Revenants hoped to end the awakening of the next  Heir and the killings that would follow  , breaking so the endless curse that had followed them for generations . But when a then young Wynonna trying to save her family took Peacemaker and tried to kill the Revenants ,  ended by shooting her father instead , an action that lead to it’s death and the disappearance of her sister Willa .

What makes Wynonna’s actions special is that she runs to save the girl , without Peacemaker , unarmed , not knowing that she was going to become soon the next Heir . She fails to save the girl but gives a lesson to the Revenant who tried to kill her too . And many may argue that she has a death wish , but I disagree. I think that she can’t stand watching people getting crushed by others , and that is an amazing quality for any character .

She  later retrieves Peacemaker , intended to protect the family she has left and to avenge her father and sister by killing all the Revenants , especially the seven who had organized the attack on her house.

Her fully embracing of her Heir legacy/curse , is the start of one of the most interesting storyline I’ve seen recently . I truly believe that if the show continues on this path , it will give us some amazing storylines . Shows that tackle the supernatural while still giving a feeling of normal , as if there is no distinction between our reality and the shows world , are very hard to write . Hopefully the showrunners will keep on with the amazing work they are doing and we will have an amazing new show to wait for every season .

So if you are interested in a series with amazing characters , where the lead is a badass woman and the plot line makes you laugh and cry and wanting more each episode . If you want a show about the supernatural , where you also have the feeling of normalcy ,  I strongly suggest you check out this show ! I guarantee you wont be disappointed .

Preacher, Season One Review, Part 2

What happens when an angel and a demon fall in love?  A baby is born.  And that baby has inhabited Jesse Custer.  The new AMC series Preacher tells the story of Jesse Custer, a small town preacher who is given a divine power that he uses to bring people back to church.  Based on the 90’s comic book series of the same name, the adapted television version takes a step back to show how Jesse gets his powers and how the people of Annville are affected.

So far there have been the Pilot and four episodes shown.  Just a quick recap of the first five episodes, Jesse is using his new found ability to save the town, Tulip continued to try and convince Jesse to help her get her revenge, Cassidy helped Jesse fend of angels who want the supernatural entity inside of Jesse, Donnie is humiliated by Jesse, but is scared when he realizes that Jesse has super powers, Odin, a self-proclaimed atheist, is compelled by Jesse to serve God, but when approached to partner with a big corporation to improve Annville, Odin kills them and the angels, Deblanc and Fiore come face to face with Jesse to ask him to give back the baby.  There’s also the story of The Cowboy in 1881, after two days of traveling and getting beat up, he returned home to find his family is dead.

SO…episode five, Sundowner, with Jesse talking to Deblanc and Fiore reveal that the entity inside of Jesse is a being known as Genesis. Genesis was created when an angel and a demon fell in love…forbiddenly.  Deblanc describes Genesis as “the most power entity ever known, the singular force that would shift the balance of power, threaten all creation…” Genesis escaped its domicile, a coffee can and the angels are there to put it back.

The angels are distracted when a blond woman enters the restaurant where they meet Jesse.  She looks at them and leaves the restaurant to make a call.  The angels go after her and start fighting.  Jesse goes to help her, but she turns on him as well.  Fiore kills her and Jesse freaks out until he see her coming after them again.  Deblanc explains that woman is a Seraphim angel and she came back by reinvigoration.  Fiore mentions that her phone is a direct line to Heaven, but you need angel hands to operate it.  The Seraphim follows the guys to the hotel where the fight continues.  Cassidy finds them fighting on top of a bunch of angel bodies and shoots the Seraphim.  He joins the fight when she reinvigorates and end it when he finally knocks her out the next morning. Fiore dismembers her, but doesn’t kill her.

The angels tell Jesse that they were not given permission to go to Earth.  They explain that Genesis is a scandal that must remain a secret that should not be used.  There are two ways to get Genesis out: 1) sing to it, 2) kill Jesse and open up his body with a chainsaw.  Deblanc asks Jesse again to give Genesis back. He refuses, saying that if God doesn’t want him to have it, God can come get it.  Deblanc warns him that there will consequences for using Genesis, but Jesse won’t listen.

Later Cassidy tries to talk some sense into Jesse about Genesis.  Jesse says he’s keeping it to save the people of Annville.  Cassidy thinks Jesse is just asking for something bad to happen. Jesse tells him that it’s all God’s plan and God doesn’t make mistakes.  Cassidy tries to remind Jesse that he is only a man…who can make mistakes.

Miles considers how to cover up the murder of the Green Acre Group partners after a representative calls asking where they are.  He seeks guidance from Jesse asking how he would know when doing something bad is the right thing to do.  Jesse gets distracted by Tulip before he answers him.  Miles covers up the murders by making it look like the partners burned in a car accident.

Tulip lashes out at Emily, assuming that there is something going on between Emily and Jesse.  After she calms down, Tulip offers to help Emily with her busy day by running errands for the church.  She arrives at the church to put away supplies and is cornered by Cassidy.  Cassidy noticed a tattoo of a tulip on Jesse’s shoulder and put the puzzle together.  He call her “his Tulip,” but then Jesse interrupts them asking why Tulip is at the church.  Tulip hides Cassidy and explains that she is helping Emily.  Tulip leaves with Jesse and Cassidy is heartbroken.

Eugene then experiences acceptance at school when one of the kids says hi to him, eats lunch with him, and then invites him to hang out after school.  Later, Eugene asks Jesse to undo everything, saying they were cheating and God wouldn’t like it. They begin to argue about how Jesse is making people see the light; Eugene insists that it is wrong.  Jesse accidentally uses his powerful voice, telling Eugene to go to Hell.  When he turns around, Eugene has disappeared.

Cassidy sees the whole thing, but Jesse ignores him when Cassidy confronts him.  Tulip shows up and Cassidy uses this opportunity to let her know that he didn’t tell Jesse about their fling. The two start arguing about who knows Jesse better.  Tulip mentions that Jesse is still her boyfriend, which hurts Cassidy.  He tries to tell her about Jesse’s ability, but she doesn’t believe him.

The flashbacks continue showing Jesse and Tulip as kids. Tulip stayed with Jesse and his father for a little while, but John Custer sent her away with Child Services.  Jesse prays to God to kill his father and send him to Hell.  Not long after, Jesse is woken up in the middle of the night by his father and told to hide.  Men come into their home, beat up the preacher, pull Jesse out of his hiding place, and drag them both outside.  John Custer tells Jesse to promise him to be one of the good guys…Custers don’t cry, they fight…then John is shot in the head.  Jesse believes it’s his fault because of his prayer to God.

After the sheriff stops by looking for Eugene, Cassidy approaches Jesse again.  He insists that Jesse go looking for Eugene, but Jesse doesn’t think he can do anything.  Cassidy tells Jesse that he has lost control of Genesis and needs to give it back.  Jesse tells him Eugene’s story and how Eugene is not an innocent man. Cassidy says that he sinner as well and asks if Jesse will let him burn too.  Cassidy hands Jesse a fire extinguisher and walks into the sun to burn, proving that he is a vampire. Jesse lets him burn.  When Tulip asks about Cassidy, Jesse gets mad that Tulip already knew about him.  He insults Tulip for being an O’Hare and asks why she is even there. Tulip leaves.  Emily tries to reach out to Jesse by telling him she believes in him. He tells her she’s stupid and to go home.

Odin goes to visit Jesse and demands that he sign the deed to transfer the church to Odin.  Jesse insists that he won the bet when Odin agreed to serve God.  Odin tells him that he is not a Christian so he won the bet.  Jesse refuses to sign and Odin leaves.  Odin gathers his men and they charge the church just as Jesse is tearing up the floorboard, screaming for Eugene to come back.

A hand appears out of the ground and Jesse pulls Eugene up. Jesse calls the sheriff telling him that he found Eugene, but then realizes that Eugene isn’t really there.  The imaginary Eugene talks Jesse into giving Genesis back to Deblanc and Fiore.  Jesse tells the angels that he will give it back, but they have to help bring back Eugene.  They extract Genesis, but it quickly goes back into Jesse.  The angels leave the church offering no help with Eugene.

The whole town arrives at the church to watch the battle, even setting up barbeques. Donnie looks around as Odin’s men re-think their strategy.  Donnie puts his head in the trunk of his car and shoots a gun, blowing out his eardrums.  Later he then enters the church to go after Jesse. Jesse tries to use his powers to stop Donnie, but Donnie can’t hear him.  Donnie knocks him out, and Jesse wakes up to Odin telling him to sign the deed.  Jesse asks for one more Sunday when he will bring God to Annville to answer all of their questions.  If they aren’t satisfied, then Jesse will denounce God.  The conflict ends with the sheriff leading Jesse away in handcuffs

Tulip nurses Cassidy back to health, by feeding him small animals. Still angry with Jesse, Tulip decides to leave and find Carlos alone. She calls Emily and asks her to take care of Cassidy.  Before leaving, Tulip tells Emily that she is done with Jesse Custer. Cassidy reaches out to Emily and she calls Miles, the mayor and Emily’s part time boyfriend, begging for help.  Miles arrives at Tulip’s house and looks for Emily.  He finds Cassidy in the bedroom and when he turns to leave, Emily closes the door on him.  Emily stands at the door, listening to Miles scream as Cassidy feeds on him.

Deblanc and Fiore book passage to Hell, via a travel agent. While waiting to depart, they decide to call Heaven instead and let them know where they are and what has happened to Genesis. Fiore goes for the phone and it’s gone.  The angels leave for their trip to Hell.

The sheriff looks for Fiore and Deblanc, but they have already left.  He finds the Seraphim angel instead and she begs him to kill her.  He chokes her and she reinvigorates behind him.

Jesse escapes the sheriff and makes his way to Tulip’s house.  He finds Emily and she tells him that Tulip went to Albuquerque and Cassidy is inside. Emily leaves and Jesse goes inside to talk to Cassidy.  Jesse apologizes for letting Cassidy burn. He offers to help get rid of Miles’ body if Cassidy helps him.  He shows Cassidy the angels’ phone.  He tells him he is going to use it for his sermon on Sunday, but he needs an angel’s hand to operate it. Cassidy and Jesse dig up the bodies of the angels the first time Cassidy killed them.  They take one of the hands before burying Miles in the same grave.

Jesse calls Tulip and leaves a message, talking a particular memory of the two of them together. He ends the call with “For me…it’s just you…til the end of the world.” Tulip hears the message as she sits in front of Carlos who is bound and gagged. She stands up, with mallet in her hand and walks toward him and says, “alright Carlos.”

The Cowboy returns to Ratwater.  He walks into the saloon and throws a bag of heads at the crowd.  He kills everyone in the saloon and sits down for a drink.  The earth begins to shake and The Cowboy is taken back to the day he was sent to get medicine for his daughter.  The Cowboy is caught in a loop, seeing the same events happen over and over again, ending the exact same way. Everyone is dead and the earth is shaking.  The Cowboy is in Hell. Everything changes when the angels arrive offering him a job…to kill a preacher.

The season one finale is titled Call and Response, airing Sunday night on AMC.  Click the video for the preview:

So…Jesse has to call God in order to be taken seriously by everyone in Annville.  Despite warnings from Deblanc, Fiore and Cassidy, Jesse has built up this reputation and boasted that he can deliver God to the people.   Either something amazing will happen or Jesse is just setting himself up for failure.  Either way, I’m literally biting my nails off waiting to find out.

But what about Eugene????  Will Jesse save Eugene? And will Eugene be the same if he returns from Hell?

Episode 5 is the saddest episode ever!  I felt so bad for Eugene and his circumstances to begin with.  Jesse’s arrogance shows the dark side of both Genesis and Jesse. With the good comes the bad, but Jesse doesn’t see that until it’s too late. Jesse’s God complex gets the best of him and Eugene is the first to pay for it.

Ian Colletti is amazing as Eugene.  His story is so heart wrenching, yet you can’t but help to be hopeful for him.  Eugene wants forgiveness, but he doesn’t want Jesse to hand it to him, he wants to earn it from God.  At times he seems so broken down, but then other times he’s so optimistic.  I just love Eugene.

I like how the flashback of Jesse’s father aligns perfectly with Jesse’s relationship with Eugene in episode six, He Gone.  It’s not until after someone is dead or gone that Jesse realizes he has done something wrong.  In John Custer’s case, there’s nothing Jesse can do about it but feel guilty. In Eugene’s case, Jesse feels guilty, but he still has hope that he can save Eugene.

Jesse deals with more consequences in episodes seven, El Valero, when Odin attacks the church.  Odin’s faith was never restored, or Odin has a different idea of what “serve God” means to him.  Donnie was actually smart enough to find a way to avoid Jesse’s powerful voice.  If he hadn’t busted his eardrums, that fight could have lasted days.  Odin and Jesse are both stubborn men.   The only thing I liked about this episode is that Jesse finally realized that Cassidy was right.  He finally heard what Cassidy had been saying to him all along about Genesis…but Genesis won’t go.  And maybe Jesse doesn’t really want it to.

Episode eight, Finish the Song, gives Jesse one last chance to make things right.  He makes amends with his friends and is trying to find a way to help Eugene.  I don’t know that Jesse’s plan is going to work, but he believes in himself…probably for the first time.  And this makes the viewer want to believe in Jesse Custer…I want to believe in Jesse.  And I want Eugene to return safely.

And The Cowboy!  Graham McTavish portrays The Cowboy and up until the final episode, anyone who hasn’t read the comic book series didn’t know the importance of this character.  Spoiler Alert, he is The Saint of Killers and will be around for quite some time.

There is one episode left in season one. Even if you haven’t read the comics, the story is easy to follow and you end up wanting to see more of the brilliant performances of Dominic Cooper, Ruth Negga, and Joseph Gilgun.  If the intensity, dark humor and crazy action of Season 1 is any indication, Season 2 will be SO AWESOME!

As the church sign says, “You don’t have to go, but you can’t pray here.”

The Season Finale airs Sunday night.  Preacher airs on AMC. Check your local listings for show times or go to AMC.com to watch online.

Preacher – Season One Review, Part 1

God is gone and the world is in serious need of a savior.  Or so the story goes.  Enter Jesse Custer, a Texas preacher with great power that could potentially rival God himself.  Preacher is a 1990’s comic book about a small town preacher who is inhabited by a supernatural being and goes on a search for God with his ex-girlfriend Tulip O’Hare and his best friend, the Vampire Cassidy.  This is the premise of the new AMC series with the same title of the comic book series.  The show stars Dominic Cooper as Jesse Custer, Ruth Negga as Tulip O’Hare, and Joseph Gilgun as Cassidy.

The comic book series ran from 1995-2000, created by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon and was considered for a movie deal that fell through due to the weird and violent nature of the story that was deem impossible to adapt. Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg spent seven years trying to bring the comic to life. They enlisted the help of Breaking Bad’s Sam Catlin and AMC picked it up.  The show premiered on May 22 in a familiar time slot to regular AMC fans.

In the television series, Jesse Custer grew up the son of a preacher, turned to a crime-filled and sinful lifestyle, turned his life around by becoming a preacher and moving back to his hometown of Annville, Texas, bringing his bad boy reputation with him.  He is constantly at odds with his good intentions and his hostile nature in addition to not finding solace in the word of God.

The first five episodes introduce Jesse and the people of Annville and all of the shenanigans that happen after Jesse receives his special gift.

• Tulip is Jesse’s ex-girlfriend and former partner in crime. After Tulip tracks down Jesse in Annville, she is persistent in convincing him to join her to get revenge on the man who ruined their lives. He refuses her stating that he has changed and he is dedicated to his new job, but Tulip is not convinced.
• Cassidy, a 119 year old vampire who literally lands in Annville.  Cassidy is hiding from vampire hunters. Jesse meets him at a bar and the two wind up in jail together by the end of the night.  The two become friends, often talking about right and wrong.  For a vampire, Cassidy sure has a handle on doing the right thing.
• Emily is a widowed mother of three, who works as a waitress and volunteers at the church. It’s obvious that she has a huge crush on Jesse, but he doesn’t see it.
• Donnie Schenck is known as the town bully, so when Jesse sticks his nose in Donnie’s family business, it creates a conflict between the two that leads to a violent confrontation.
• Eugene is a troubled teen who turns to Jesse for guidance and encouragement after a botched suicide/murder attempt. Eugene believes that God is mad at him for what he did.  Jesse does his best to convince Eugene…and himself that God is listening even if he doesn’t reply.
• Odin Quincannon is a businessman who owns the local slaughterhouse.  He is more interest in the economic development of Annville without the help of a big corporation and absolutely no interest in going to church.
• Sheriff Root is Eugene’s dad, who is constantly worried about Eugene and how the town treats him.
• The Cowboy is actually from the past, the year 1881.  His story is played out slowly through the series with the big reveal of how he is connected to the present and Jesse.
• Genesis…the blasphemous love child of an angel and a demon that was conceived during a war that pitted Heaven against Hell. Genesis is neither all good nor all evil, but it is powerful…maybe too powerful.
• Deblanc and Fiore are a pair of angels who have followed Genesis to Earth.

The series starts with an invisible force traveling to Earth, inhabiting men of god, including Tom Cruise.  These men explode after the being enters their bodies.

Travel to Annville, Texas where Jesse Custer is preaching to a distracted and small congregation.  After church, he goes to check on one of his friends, only to realize that his ex-girlfriend, Tulip, is back in town.  Jesse literally runs away from her.

The story flashes back to Tulip fighting a man in a moving car, trying to get a map from him.  She crashes on a farm, in front of a couple of kids. She enlists their help in making a bazooka and then they play hide and seek.  She is being chased and uses the bazooka against her pursuers and gets away.  The kids are in awe of how strong and cool she is. Later she is seen giving that map, owned by Grail Industries, to a woman in Houston.  That woman gives the map to a man in white.

Back in Annville, Tulip catches up with Jesse and insists that he join her in her quest for vengeance against the man who ruined their lives, Carlos.  Carlos left Jesse and Tulip behind after a heist, basically causing their breakup and sending Jesse to the church pulpit. Jesse continually refuses her, but Tulip won’t take no for an answer.

Cassidy is a vampire who is playing bartender to a group of men who want him dead.  After killing them all, he jumps out of the plane and lands in Texas.  He meets Jesse at a bar as he’s trying to figure out where he is.  Cassidy is trying to lay low to avoid any vampire hunters, so he moves into the church attic.  He attempts to tell Jesse what he is, but Jesse doesn’t believe him.

Donnie Schenck finds out that Jesse has been talking his family about him and he doesn’t like it.  He confronts Jesse and the two get into a fight that lands Jesse in jail with Cassidy, who sort of helps Jesse win the fight.  Afterward, Donnie is constantly reminded about that humiliating fight by everyone in town, including his boss Odin Quincannon.

After Emily bails Jesse out of jail, he tells Emily that he has failed his father and will be resigning as the All Saints preacher.  After she leaves, Jesse is praying for a sign from God.  An invisible entity appears and enters him.  He wakes up three days later with increased confidence and a new attitude about his role as a preacher.

The Cowboy’s story is set in 1881.  As he is looking on a sick little girl, a woman starts singing. He is then told that he must go get medicine. As he crosses the deserts, he encounters a family of pioneers who feed him.  When he arrives in the town of Ratwater, he is told he has to wait for the medicine. He waits in the town saloon where the preacher recognizes him, but can’t place him.  The Cowboy witnesses a woman being raped, while her son watches and her husband lies dead on the floor.  The bartender is selling Indian scalps and the preacher is telling dirty jokes. The next day, The Cowboy leaves Ratwater, but turns around when he passes the family from the day before as they are headed to Ratwater.  The Cowboy eventually turns around to warn the family, and stops the bad men before anything can happen to the family. The preacher remembers who he is, saying he fought him in Gettysburg. The preacher shoots the Cowboy’s horse, forcing The Cowboy to walk home on foot. By the time he gets home, someone has killed his family.  He goes to his closet to grab his guns and leaves.

Back to the present, Jesse unknowingly starts to use the powers he gains after being inhabited by the supernatural entity.  He slowly begins to realize that people are doing what he tells them to do without hesitation.  He only tells Cassidy about the power of suggestion and even though he is a little freaked out, he also begins to understand he can use it to increase attendance at church.

After Tulip reveals that she has Carlos’ last known address and Jesse jumps in the car with her to find him.  At a gas station he is encountered by Donnie who holds a gun to his head. Jesse uses his power to stop him and realizes he can control it. He leaves Tulip at the gas station and returns to Annville.

Two Adelphi angels, Deblanc and Fiore, are following the supernatural entity around the world. They end up in Annville and see that it has found a host in the local preacher.  Cassidy mistakes them for vampire hunters and kills them. When they return to life, they tell him they are from Heaven and want the entity that’s inside Jesse.  Cassidy offers to help them talk to Jesse. When they finally meet Jesse, they ask for the entity back.  Jesse doesn’t know whether to take them serious or not, especially when they say they are going to put it back in it’s domicile, a coffee can. Jesse laughs at the thought of God in a coffee can, but the angels insist that what’s inside of him is not God.

Cassidy meets Tulip when she mistakes him for someone else and pushes him out of a window.  Thinking that he is dying, Tulip kisses Cassidy when he asks for it. She later finds him feeding on a bag of blood, revealing his secret. Tulip has many questions about being a vampire. He tells Tulip that he has fallen for her; she rejects him by telling Cassidy that she has a boyfriend and says that she’s waiting for him. She tells Cassidy about Carlos and her plan for revenge. Cassidy tells her that if her boyfriend doesn’t help her, maybe he’s not the man she thought he was.  Tulip goes looking for Jesse, but finds Emily at his place instead.  Emily tells her that Jesse is at the Flavor Station and when she finds him, she interrupts him, telling anyone who will listen just how bad Jesse used to be.  Jesse tells everyone that he has changed for the better and that everyone can change and be good.  He leaves to go meet Eugene as Tulip is steaming at being rejected again.  Later Tulip steals drugs for Cassidy, and has sex with him.

Odin Quincannon owns most of the town, but doesn’t attend church. Jesse tries to get through Odin by making a bet with him.  Jesse bets that he can make Odin a Christian again or Jesse will sign over the church and his father’s land to Odin.  At the next Sunday service, Jesse uses his power to command Odin to serve God. Odin says OK. Afterward, Jesse is the most popular guy in town.

Odin tells Miles, the mayor that he is ready to meet with a corporation to help Annville’s economic development. Odin says things changes for him after he left church and he realizes they will need help to increase Annville’s tax revenue.  He asks Miles to call the Green Acre Group and set up a meeting.  When the representatives arrive, Odin shoots them all.

Donnie is surprised that Odin went to Jesse’s church. He frantically asks Odin what Jesse said to him.  Odin says Jesse told him to serve God and he will.  Donnie tells his wife that the preacher has a power to make people do things.  He tells her that the preacher made him put a gun in his mouth and he couldn’t stop him.  Donnie is freaked out as his wife consoles him and tells him that the Preacher will get what he deserves.

After Eugene was rejected by Tracy Loach, he took a shotgun and attempted to kill her and himself.  They both survived, but Tracy remains comatose. Eugene forever wears his shame on his face that was reconstructed into a shrunken hole in his face. The townspeople constantly make fun of him.  He turns to Jesse for guidance and encouragement.  Eugene thinks God hates him and is sad that his father, the sheriff has to suffer too for Eugene’s sins.  Jesse uses his powers to make Mrs. Loach forgive Eugene as people in her neighborhood look on.

There is a scene of a man in some sort of control room and he checks on a pressure gauge. He releases the pressure, watching the gauge go down and leaves.  Nothing is said or done, but later there is a shot of a valve sticking out of the ground that looks like it may be under the church.

In flashbacks, we get to meet Jesse’s father, John Custer, who was a preacher as well. When Jesse was younger, his father was killed. Jesse promised his father that he would be good.  In flashbacks, we see a young Jesse helping his father getting ready for service, then getting in trouble for smoking with his friends behind the church. John Custer tells Jesse that he has to set a good example. Later, John is waking Jesse up and takes him the Quincannon Meat & Power.  Jesse hears shouting and his dad burst out of Odin’s office.

The Pilot episode was a great way for non-comic book readers to be introduced to Preacher.  Rogen and Goldberg have previously stated that they didn’t start the show the same as the comics so that the audience wouldn’t be completely lost in the chaos. The duo changed some of the characters and their backgrounds with the approval of comic creator Garth Ennis.  The pace of the story had to be slowed down and backed up a little bit to allow new fans to get into the story without changing the core elements of Jesse, Tulip and Cassidy, but instead developing their characters into the people they become in the comic book series.

The flashbacks throughout the series help with Jesse’s character development.  We get to see his relationship with good and evil in the form of his father, a preacher, and the temptation of Tulip’s faster pace lifestyle.

I enjoyed the Pilot episode, mainly because of Tulip.  Ruth Negga is great in this role. She has one of those faces that can project a feeling without saying a word. I loved Tulip’s baptism scene in Episode 1, when she smiles at Jesse while underwater and then thanks him for getting her all wet before leaving.  She is sassy, mischievous, and relentless in her pursuit of Jesse.  Negga is definitely one to watch in this series.

And Cassidy is interesting to watch too.  The mashup of genres actually works for a character like Cassidy…I mean, where else would a vampire be accepted by a man of God? It seems that Cassidy appeals to Jesse’s dark side, but not to the same extent as Tulip.  He just tempts Jesse with drinking and being selfish; vices that Jesse already had.  And he’s not trying to force Jesse to live a life of crime like Tulip is.  Both characters encourage Jesse to be true to himself and just be who he really is.

I like that the show focused on the character development of the supporting cast, in particular, Eugene.  It’s interesting to watch Jesse with Eugene.  Their mentor-mentee relationship lets us see Jesse’s good intentions, but it’s heartbreaking what has happened to Eugene. In episode one after he baptized, Eugene just seems so full of life and hopeful until someone reminds him about Tracy.  Despite what Jesse tries to do for Eugene, the hardest person to earn forgiveness from is Eugene himself.

 

I think one of the best things in each episode is the church signs.  Though vulgar at times, it’s quite funny what the vandals come up with.

In all, Preacher is executed well for television, but it’s not for everyone. The comic book series is described as violent and vulgar that contains sacrilegious talk about Heaven, Hell, Angels, Demons, and God.  If that doesn’t bother you then by all means, check it out!  The Preacher Marathon airs this weekend on AMC just before the Season Finale.

Preacher airs on AMC. Check your local listings for show times or go to AMC.com to watch online.

*UPDATE* American Horror Story Season 6 Teaser

**AHS UPDATE**

Finally AHS has released a teaser for the upcoming season 6 and OMG it was worth the wait, however it raises more questions and still remains a mystery, but a very intriguing mystery and now seeing the teaser I have a feeling it is going to blow all the other AHS series out of the water. Season 6 is definitely going to be darker than the previous series. The number six on the promo images is now joined by a question mark and based on these teaser trailers and several interview given by series creator Murphy, the popular theory concerning the plot of the season is dealing with a cult, Orphanage, or returning to Asylum’s Briarcliff manor as well as the storyline of The Antichrist, which has already been touched upon in series one, but in true AHS fashion they are not giving much away on theme of season six.

Below is the AHS teaser…. Enjoy!

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Spider-Man: Homecoming, Villan Announced!

Marvel has revealed some news about Spider-Man: Homecoming that isn’t casting news – finally.

At San Diego Comic-Con this weekend, Marvel finally let fans know who the villain of their latest Spider-Man franchise will be, and they revealed it’ll be The Vulture himself.

There were always strong rumours about The Vulture appearing, and that he would be portrayed by Michael Keaton (Birdman, Need for Speed, Batman Returns – 1992), however, these rumours were never confirmed. But with the release of some stunning concept art, we can safely say one and for all that The Vulture is coming.

In the released concept art, you can very clearly see Spidey facing the Vulture – and you can also see he won’t be sporting his usual neon green gown. Instead, what we’re looking as is a dark green, high tech suit, with massive mechanical wings and wicked metal talons.

Those who were lucky enough to see the trailer they release at SDCC this year have also eagerly confirmed that the concept art is accurate to his brief appearance in said trailer.

Rumours do speculate that Vulture’s flight suit is based on technology left behind by the Chitaru after the infamous Battle of New York between Loki’s army and The Avengers in The Avengers/Avengers Assemble. Looking at the construction of the wings in the image, it is not a stretch at all to assume this would be true.

This also lends itself to another rumour that’s been going around – whilst we’re all aware of the rumours that some of the cast are supposedly going to be villains, and one will supposedly be The Tinkerer – this would make plenty of sense as he could A) build the flight suit, and B) The Vulture originally enlists The Tinkerer’s skills in the original comics aswell.

Overall, Spider-Man: Homecoming looks like it’s to be the hit of the summer, with a blend of heavy-hitting fight scenes and teenage perils of homework and high school that will create the Spider-Man movie fans have been begging for. The official synopsis reads;

“A young Peter Parker/Spider-Man (Tom Holland (Captain America: Civil War, Billy Elliot: The Musical Live, In The Heart of the Sea)), who made his sensational debut in Marvel Studios’ Captain: Civil War, begins to navigate his newfound identity as the web-slinging superhero in Spider-Man: Homecoming.”

Spider-Man: Homecoming is due for release on 7th July 2017, and will star Tom Holland, Robert Downey. Jr (Iron Man, The Judge, Charlie Bartlett), Zendaya, (Shake it Up!, Zapped, Frenemies) Marisa Tomei (The Wrestler, What Women Want, Empire)and many. Many. Many. MANY more.

 

We Bring You Faith – A Short Film Starring Our Own Alex!