Television Reviews Archives | Page 3 Of 42

What’s Next for X-Men 97? And A Wish List for Storylines to Adapt

There’s still a lot of questions that needs answering in X-Men 97 when it comes to connecting with the original Fox series. But as it leaves one legacy era behind, what’s next is promising.

X-men 97 Logo With more than twenty years of new source material to draw from, there are plenty of new arcs to consider adapting for X-Men 97. Not everything has to be from the Chris Claremont years, and now that season one is over, fans, and critics can debate over what worked and did not. I’m glad the series recovered with the next arc being from Grant Morrison’s “E is for Extinction” from the New X-Men. Here, viewers learn Professor X’s evil twin sister Cassandra Nova is getting into the thick of things, and after the lacklustre “Inferno,” (review link) all hell breaks loose in Genosha! A lot of mutants die! Also, when the series is moving into storylines that I’m not as familiar with, I’m open to new interpretations.

That includes the eventual return of Apocalypse and a new team of Horseman for season two. Apparently, I still want answers to two lingering issues. Jean Grey’s connection to The Phoenix was never fully severed, and I’m wondering if that means some kind of return down the road.

Kitty Pryde and Wolverine Vol 1 Also, I miss Shadowcat aka Kitty Pryde. She’s quite important in the comic book version, and has had the quite the adventure and for some readers, they saw her grow up from being that not so confident teen hero in the X-Men to a Guardian of the Galaxy, and even has a few ninja type skills to boot! Although she didn’t have much to do other than be a damsel in distress in the non-canonical pilot for the animated series, and I still find it strange that there’s still no mention of her. She did appear in X-men: Evolution, set in an alternate universe, but when will she be in X-men 97?

Whether this series wants to address that or not, I’m still hoping! With the past days of Claremont no longer a reference point, what’s presented so far has me considering if I should try to get caught up with everything printed from 98 on up. In this series, I like that Bastion is a figure hard to deal with. He’s not your typical 90s style villain. Whether he’s been stopped for good in the season one finale, I shan’t say. Hopefully the next season’s arcs will consider his villain’s ongoing influence to build on the teased made.

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On TVOKIDS, Various Secrets of the Forest are Teased At, and They Don’t Have to Be Super, Natural.

There’s a lot of terrific stories that reveal nearly everything that can go on in Secrets of the Forest. It’s not just an ecological docu-series.

Available on TVOKIDS (Canada), Roku and Apple TV (other regions)

Broadcasting online and on smart TV devices is Secrets of the Forest, a twenty-six episode series that has been releasing an episode a week since Earth Day. It’s an educational program to teach viewers of all ages the best way to cultivate humanity’s relationship with the boreal world. The reason I’m interested in this series is that it has a vibe that is familiar.

The format is similar to Popular Mechanics for Kids. Much like Elisha Cuthbert and Jay Baruchel. I’m sure this series’ face, Taviss Edwards, will follow the same path in her transition to become an entertainer as she grows older. She just sparkles in front of the camera.

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Talking About A New Generation with Doctor Who’s 14th Season (or is that one?)

There’s some revisionist changes to the changes of Doctor Who that few will appreciate, and what’s explored here concerns the misaligned episode “The Devil’s Chord.”

Doctor Who Season 14 Poster A lot has changed with The Doctor over the years. And to say which Doctor Who incarnation is better depends on whom you ask, which generation they’re from and if the show can survive the test of time. As for why The Beatles was chosen over the The Who to market the new era under Disney’s distribution network, that’s because the British Invasion with the former really changed the landscape of the music industry. Both gained recognition around the same time (1964).

With today’s woke culture inspiring Russell T. Davies to further change all that was classic with the series, I’m not as keen to call myself a fan of everything new. The Doctor’s reward of getting a new set of regenerations (“Time fo the Doctor”) is because he saved his homeworld from complete destruction. Unlike The Master, when he transferred his essence to other bodies to extend his own cycle (this character was originally male), the Doctor was keen to expire and let someone else save the universe. But the BBC said we can’t put an end to their best known media empire.

To explain how regenerations work, it’s all because of the power a black hole contains. If one can harness the energy from the singularity, it can supercharge the cells of a Gallifreyan body. The Eye of Harmony was made to contain all this power, and as for why this is important, perhaps Ruby (Millie Gibson) has some ability to tap into that or be a storehouse of energy too. Continue reading “Talking About A New Generation with Doctor Who’s 14th Season (or is that one?)”

Getting into Dem Bones Which Make Up Why Dead Boy Detectives is Recommended Viewing Fun!

Fans of anime and TheCW style programming will find a lot to like with this take of the comic book Dead boy Detectives.

Spoiler Alert

Although some elements in the live action adaptation of Dead Boy Detectives are different from the comic books, not everyone is going to notice. What I like about this pair of undead sleuths is the fact they talk about how life in the thereafter works. I know all of it is made-up, but there’s an ounce of truth regarding a few things, especially concerning what defines the soul and why whoever holds dominion over it can control the individual. When not all ghosts are willing to possess a human, then there’s something worth considering.

What’s offered is not like other young adult supernatural adventure series about best mates solving occult crime. It’s nothing like The CW series and although Locke & Key exist in the same Vertigo universe, I have to wonder if other agencies will get identified, should more episodes get made.

I suspect the reason why this series is so heavy on LGBTQ is because of the comic books. It may have begun with Jill Thompson‘s take, and when she published her graphic novel with a yaoi style cover, I had to wonder. In the latest 2023 miniseries, Edwin opens up to those feelings, and I’m honestly not surprised showrunners Steve Yockey and Beth Schwartz are going hard on having an almost all queer series. Unfortunately there’s just no impact, other than to make this series stand out from others. It should really be about a pair of ghosts helping other spooks find peace than to explore the difficulties of coming out. Those episodes don’t really stand out. Continue reading “Getting into Dem Bones Which Make Up Why Dead Boy Detectives is Recommended Viewing Fun!”

In Fallout, It’s Wild and Wooly. A Review from a Non-Gamer’s Perspective.

Amazon Prime’s Fallout fits very well into the weird west genre when considering how it overlaps with all that’s beloved from The X-Files and Nightbreed.

Streaming on Amazon Prime

Fans of post-apocalyptic narratives don’t really need a primer to enjoy Fallout. Everything gets explained during the course of eight episodes and folks can either binge or pace it out for the next two months. After its explosive debut last week, I’m hooked and love the undead cowboy who must have read a lot of Jonah Hex comic books. At first, I thought it was set during the 50s or later, like 1977 when this antihero’s exploits was in print. Instead, it’s 2077 when the world blew up.

Had the introduction not shown Lucy MacLean (Ella Purnell) signing a piece of paper showing the date of March 17, 2299, I would’ve thought the vintage set design existed for another reason. With all the era appropriate decor, the only thing out of place is the television. It looked like it was from a future time similiar to The Jetsons. And with what’s broadcasted in black and white, I thought Dwight D. Eisenhower ordered the start of the next World War!

After the nuclear destruction of Los Angeles, the details fall into place. Those who caught sight of the clouds raced to shelters (called Vaults) and those who didn’t are dead or heavily mutated. Some turn into Ghouls and live long lives, and others aren’t even trying to rebuild. After 200 years, a very feudal society defines the surface world.

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When X-Men 97 Forgets What Made the Original Tales Special, Is This Animated Series Worth Watching?

As long as the viewer isn’t a long time fan of the comic books, they won’t be wise to recognise how X-men 97 changes story beats around.

X-men 97 Logo Spoiler Alert

The rebranded version of X-Men the Animated Series off to a rocky start. Although I enjoyed the first two episodes of X-Men 97, the next pair were not as good. After seeing how the Inferno storyline got compressed and spat out, it seems nobody in the writers’ room really understands the key moments that define that story arc.

In the original tale, S’ym and N’astirh plan to invade Earth. These demons need Illyana Rasputin’s powers to make it happen, and along the way, Madelyne Pryor, becomes part of this entourage after she realises her relationship with Scott was a sham. In all her grief and loathing, Mr. Sinister appears to explain why he created her, and soon afterwards, she would become the Goblin Queen instead of what the cartoon has changed around.

This moment in the life of being an X-Men ranks as #2 of my most favourite storylines from the Chris Claremont years. And without that without the invasion plan in place, the Rasputin storyline and her becoming Darkchylde wouldn’t be as impactful. Morph’s transformation into her really makes no sense as there’s no acknowledgement concerning why the Goblin Queen is important to the grander scheme. As for why she could awaken Illyana’s evil side, I’d have to reread the Uncanny X-men and New Mutants comics (Amazon Kindle links) to know.

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