MOVIE REVIEW: THE SUICIDE SQUAD

MOVIE REVIEW:  THE SUICIDE SQUAD  

If there was ONE movie I was looking forward to in 2021...it was THIS one.  I was hoping that this movie would be different than its predecessor.....and I WASN'T disappointed!  Talk about a WILD RIDE for nearly 2 hours...this delivered in that wonderful action-packed, popcorn style movie that gave us a little bit of everything---especially the gore and laughs.  James Gunn threw the rulebook out the window when he got into the director's chair for The Suicide Squad, and gave us a movie that was just pure damn fun to watch. Gunn spared NO EXPENSE on this movie. 

He didn't waste any time, either, as he quickly had Amanda Waller (Viola Davis) assemble a team for a mission in Corto Maltese to shut down the Nazi-era lab there called Jotunheim and something called "Project:  Starfish".  The team is split in two units, one led by Colonel Rick Flag (Joel Kinneman), and consisting of himself, Harley Quinn (Margot Robbie), Weasel (Sean Gunn), Savant (Michael Rooker), TDK (Nathan Fillion), Captain Boomerang (Jai Courtney), Javelin (Flula Borg), Blackguard (Pete Davidson), and Mongal (Mayling Ng), who land on the beach side of the island, and the other team, which Waller recruited Bloodsport (Idris Elba), Peacemaker (John Cena), Polka-Dot Man (David Dastmalchian), Ratcatcher 2 (Daniela Melchior), and King Shark (Sylvester Stallone).  Weasel hits the water and appears to drown when the teams drop from the plane, and Harley drags him to the beach.  Blackguard then pops out in front of the dictator's army awaiting them in the wings, saying that he brought everyone here as promised, thus revealing that he sold the team out.  But, instead of him getting payment, he gets his face blown off.  The team is under gunfire, as Flag says that the team is taking gunfire.  Savant is witnessing the team getting laid to waste, as Boomerang gets blown to smithereens due to Mongal's overeagerness to take down the chopper that's firing on the team.  Flag is wanting the team to fall back, but Harley moves forward to save Javelin, who's taken gunfire, and is fatally wounded.  TDK finally separates his arms, and The Detatchable Kid starts using his arms to hit the soldiers.  But he ends up getting cut down because they shoot his arms.  Harley makes it to Javelin, who gives her his Javelin, and tells her she'll know when to use it.  She wants to know when, but he dies.  Mongal brings the chopper down, but the explosion causes her to catch on fire, thus she incinerates herself.  Flag ends up getting captured, as does Harley.  Savant...having witnessed the massacre in front of him, he decides he's gonna make a break for it....forgetting the ONE rule Waller makes when she makes the deal with the Belle Reve inmates:  if you run, she'll detonate the bomb implanted in their heads.  Waller then presses the detonator on her case box, and Savant is killed when his head explodes.

On the other side, the 2nd unit lands on the jungle side, as Peacemaker, Bloodsport, Polka-Dot Man, Ratcatcher, and  King Shark arrive, and Waller had used Flag's team as a distraction while Bloodsport---who only took the job to keep his daughter from prison for robbery---leads his team into the jungle to make their way to Jotunheim.  Along the way, we learn that Peacemaker is willing to sacrifice anything and everyone for peace, Ratcatcher sleeps a lot, Polka-Dot Man was experimented on by his mother, and King Shark...well, has no friends and is constantly hungry.  Oh, and Bloodsport's got a fear of rats.  Bloodsport's team makes their way through the jungle, as they bicker and argue along the way.  They see an encampment, and they proceed to slaughter the soldiers there.  They then find out that Flag is there, having been saved by the revolutionary army leader, Sol Soria (Alex Braga).  Turns out, they team killed all her troops at the camp.  While the team has found Flag, Harley has been taken in by the Corto Maltese government, and the dictator takes a shine to her.  She then finds out that they plan on using Project: Starfish to attack other nations, and that means killing kids.  Harley kills him, and is then captured by the General of the Army, and tortured.

The team makes their way into the city in order to grab their target to get into Jotunheim:  The Thinker, who's in charge of Project: Starfish. They meet up with him in a club, but the army arrives, and things get out of hand.  The team makes their way with The Thinker out of the club, and before they make their final journey to Jotunheim, they have to rescue Harley.  They go to enact their plan, but Harley has managed to escape on her own, having killed her torturers, and slaughtered the guards.  She ends up meeting with up with the rest of the team, and they then infiltrate Jotunheim, where they split up and plant bombs throughout the building, intending on blowing it up.  Peacemaker, Flag, Ratcatcher, and The Thinker make their way into the lab, where he reveals that the project was spearheaded by the U.S. Government, who funneled millions of dollars into the project, and used test subjects from the island for their experiments.  Flag is enraged when he finds out he's been had, and plans on leaking the data, but Peacemaker, who'd been put onto the team by Waller to destroy the data to cover the government's involvement.  He and Flag fight, and he ends up killing Flag.  Ratcatcher witnesses this, and she makes off with the drive, as Peacemaker gives chase.  The building is collapsing, as Starro---the alien being that's been trapped in Jotunheim the past 30 years, is breaking loose, and kills the Thinker in the process.  The bombs the team planted go off, and the building begins collapse.  Harley, Bloodsport, and Polka-Dot Man are i an office when Polka-Dot accidently sets off the rest of the explosions.  The building continues to collapse, taking King Shark down with it, but he manages to survive, thanks to the aquarium of water breaking his fall.  Bloodsport manages to fall, but stay on slabs of concrete, as he manages to fall down to the level where Peacemaker had caught up to Ratcatcher, and planned on killing her to secure the data.  Bloodsport and Peacemaker fire at each other, but Bloodsport's smaller bullet pierces Peacemaker's larger bullet, and hits Peacemaker, seemingly killing him.   

Starro finally escapes, and shoots out several offspring that attach themselves to the army below, as the team fights off getting attacked by them.  As Starro communicates through his new minions, he proclaims this land as his.  Waller says that it's time for them to leave, as they have the data, and that's all they were there for.  Starro can destroy the island all he wants, because the US has no further involvement with Corto Maltese, and she says it'll be considered a good thing.  Bloodsport and the team decide to stick around to stop Starro, and this enrages Waller, as she plans on killing the remaining members of the team, but one of the members of her own staff knocks her out.  They then take over the mission, and aid the team in trying to take down Starro.  King Shark is sent to attack by Bloodsport, who says he's food, while he orders Polka-Dot Man to attack him, as he tells him that's his mother.  Polka-Dot Man causes damage to Starro, but he ends up getting killed in the process by one of Starro's tentacles.  Starro continues to resist, but Ratcatcher calls upon all the rats in the city, as they overrun the streets, running over a fear struck Bloodsport in the process.  Meanwhile, Harley had positioned herself atop a building, and finally knew what to use the javelin for---and she leaps out at Starro, and impales him right in the eye, and falls into the iris of the beast.  Meanwhile, the rats have crawled their way up Starro's body and into the opening of the eye, and start attacking the nerves in the eye, thus causing fatal damage to the beast.  Starro collapses, and is defeated, as the rats...especially Sebastian---Ratcatcher's pet---and Harley make their way out of Starro.  Bloodsport then downloads the data files onto a secret and private server, and if she puts his kid in prison, and if he crosses her, than what's on the data files becomes public knowledge.  She agrees, and the team takes off for home, having accomplished their mission.  Sebastain snuggles up to Bloodsport, who seems like he's about to overcome his fear of rats as the movie ends.

In the extra credits scenes, we see that Weasel had not drowned, but manages to wake up, and then wanders into the jungle.  Then, we switch to a hospital, where two of Waller's subordinates talk to the doctor, and they find that Peacemaker has been rescued from Corto Maltese, recovering from his injuries.  

From start to finish, the movie NEVER let up on the humor, the character interaction, and the plot kept moving at a nice pace---quicky, but steady.  It never lost focus of what it was, and it was something that was reminiscent of a comic book.  It didn't hide that it was a comic book movie, and wasn't going out of its way to shy away from the comic book tropes in its over-the-topness.  It was fun, bloody, hilarious, and just an overall excellent movie.  My ONE gripe was the fact that so many of the team got bumped off in the opening act of the film, but then again...this WOULDN'T be the Suicide Squad if we didn't have SOME casualties---and, admittedly, some of the way these guys died was just flat out FUNNY.  Some...much more of a bummer.  Flag was NOT someone I expected killed.  I thought he, like Harley, would be the holdouts once again.  And Waller...MAN, does Violet Davis know how to play a sadistic bitch.  If ANY actress who's taken their crack at this character in the past thought they had her down....Davis blows them away.  She OWNS this role.  She is the one woman who GETS Amanda Waller and what she's all about.  Overall, it's the Suicide Squad movie I wanted....and I got.  

What did YOU all think of this movie?  Was it better than the original for you?  Subscribe below and leave me a comment.  

SUPERGIRL 6.12

RECAP - SUPERGIRL  6.12:  "Blind Spots"  

As the title of this episode of the Girl of Steel states:  blind spots.  We all have them.  Despite our best efforts to be the very best people we can be, we often have blind spots to more important issues that are going on---things we SHOULD be paying attention to, but often overlook because of what we might perceive as the "bigger picture".  This happens to EVERYONE...including superheroes.  And the Superfriends get a harsh lesson from one of their own because they didn't see a threat that was right in front of them....but Kelly Olsen DID.  Because it hit HER on a personal level.  And it was something that she couldn't control---and when she needed help...there wasn't any there.  So, this episode brings the subject of the people in places that are often ignored by those who're capable of helping them out, and giving them a helping hand, only to ignore them for what they perceive to be a "bigger problem".  And, sadly, those people suffer---and are in need of a voice to speak up for them.

Kelly Olson has taken on a new job as a social worker in The Heights...a part of National City that is one of the poorer neighborhoods.  Just recently, she, with the help of Supergirl, managed to secure low-cost housing for residents there---especially those that had been part of the prisoner work-release program like Orlando, who has abilities because of his alien physiology, but committed a crime to help his little brother, whom Kelly works as his social worker.  They were all set to go into this building...despite meeting resistance from Councilwoman Rankin, who wanted to level the building to bring in business interests, thus making HER look good in the eyes of the public by creating jobs...much to the dismissal of the people who live in her district with whom she can care less about because they're "criminals" and--even moreso---minorities.  But Joey, Orlando's brother, is happy showing his new friend where they're going to live, and is excited for his new home, and being with his brother again....when something bad happens---the building was blown up by Nyxly.  

Back in Newfoundland, Lena is learning about her new abilities with Margaret, and finds out that her friends are in trouble, and has to leave.  Margaret wants her to take the spellbook with her, but Lena bolts to head back home to help.  While the issue gets resolved without Lena's help....we DO see that when she returns home...Margaret has mailed the spellbook to her.

Now, Nyxly had been unable to find the next totem, and this is despite having Mxy inside the crystal.  Something is off, so she replays the last 24 hours, trying to figure out why she doesn't have much power.  And this is when she blew up the building just to get back at Supergirl.  

Going back those 24 hours is when the explosion happens, and Joey and his friend are caught in the aftermath of the blast.  Kelly and Orlando show up to help the kids, and get them out of there, but there are several other members of the neighborhood caught in the explosion, and now they're in the hospital, and the services are being overrun, as people need oxygen, and masks, and other things the hospital is simply out of, and can't supply, because there are more sick people than there are services to help them.  Kelly asks for help, and Alex says she'll send assistance from a friend, but right now, the team is dealing with another issue....that being Nyxly.  Councilwoman Rankin had been in near the building at the time of the explosion, so she got affected as well.  Kelly brings the issue to her, and she just thanks her, and then when she is trying to recover, demands that the hospital use a new untested vaccine on her, and if they don't give it to her, she'll pull any funding for them in the future.  So, she receives it, but it has an interesting effect on her.  Meanwhile, Kelly feels emotionally distraught an overwhelmed because of what's happening, and calls her brother James, breaking down, and asking for help....and just being ignored...and she feels like they don't care.  

Now, the Superfriends themselves?  They're busy trying to get a lock on Nyxly by trying to use Mxy's energy signature to track her, but they've had no luck.  Alex wants to check in with Kelly, but figures that whatever is going on, Kelly has it handled.  Kelly's plight doesn't go unheard by her brother, because he made a call to an old friend in John Diggle, who shows up at Kelly's door, totally understanding of her situation at hand.  John knows where Kelly is coming from, having been a soldier himself, and knowing the situation at hand.   He talks about how Oliver always saw the big picture, but was often times unaware of the smaller issues that occurred in Star City.  They go over the wreckage to find out what's causing the problem with the citizens getting sick.  Brainy shows up, as they found out about the Ormfell collapsing, and with Brainy's device, find out that the wreckage is littered with 5th Dimensional energy.  They figure that if they can extract it, they can use it to track Nyxly.  Brainy takes off, but that leaves Kelly and Diggle to wonder about the effects of this 5th Dimensional energy has on the people that got caught in the explosion.

Rankin is overjoyed that the building collapsed, as it now furthers HER agenda.  She feels empowered since getting the vaccine, and realizes just why as the wishes she made have now had a physical effect, as she wished for food, and actually killed her assistant with her.  She now realizes that she has superhuman capabilities, as she tests them by wishing for money to pay off the other councilmember by paying them off to switch their vote towards her business project.  Rankin realizes that now she can rebuild the Heights in her own image. 

Kelly meets up with the team afterwards, and Supergirl promises her that once they catch Nyxly, they'll have her reverse what she did.  Especially now that they're taking all the 5th Dimensional energy from all the wreckage to help them build a device to track Nyxly.  But Kelly reminds her that the building wasn't in that great a shape before.  Dreamer gives Kelly one of the devices that tracks 5th Dimensional energy.  Kelly notices that the Councilwoman is giving a press conference outside the hospital, and she's talking about how great she feels, and how she's back at work, ready to help the community. She also uses the device, and finds out Rankin is giving off massive amounts of 5th Dimensional energy.  Orlando confronts her about what happened, and she orders her security to remove him, but Kelly shows up in her Guardian mask and shield only to protect him, and she has her guards spirit her away, but Guardian chases after her, and they have a fight.  Rankin escapes by disappearing, but not before Guardian gets a lock of her hair.  

Kelly and Diggle return to the Tower with the lock of Rankin's hair, and tells them that Rankin's got 5th Dimensional energy in her, and she's using it.  The team is extracting the rest of the 5th Dimensional energy from the Ormfell wreckage.  Supergirl promises that once they've stopped Nyxly, they'll fix what she did.  Kelly's frustration with the situation has her blowing up at the team for ignoring the problem:  people are getting sicker and could be dying because of this explosion, but NONE of them has paid attention to the problem, because they're more concerned with Nyxly.  And while saving the universe IS important, people like HER, and many others...are being left out in the cold because of who and what they are, because they have NO hope and NO ONE to GIVE them hope.  And she storms off.  Everyone has been put on notice because of their ignorance to the situation at hand.  Alex wants to talk to her, But Nia tells her that Kelly needs time alone.  Alex feels helpless, and J'onn tells Alex about how alone HE felt when he came to Earth...and how taking the form of a black man has still made him feel alone and ignored.  He grasps what Kelly is going through...as well as those in The Heights who don't have anyone to give them hope.  He just tells Alex to give Kelly time...she'll tell her what she needs when she's ready.  

Diggle talks to Kelly, who's venting her frustrations into a punching back, and puts it to her:  What does she want to do?  What is she going to do about it?  Kelly says she is going to be the voice of the voiceless, the hero that THEY need in that community.  Supergirl then talks to Kelly....and apologizes for not listening to her, for not paying better attention to what is going on.  She understands that she needs to do better.  Kelly says she wants to be heard, that she wants them to listen to her...and Supergirl agrees, and wants to know what she can do to help.  They find out that, because of the vaccine Rankin took, it's helped enhanced the 5th Dimensional energy she absorbed from the explosion, thus the powers she has comes from drawing off the energy of those also affected by the blast, thus making them weaker and more sick.  Brainy figures they can create a device using the energy drawn from the wreckage and from the piece of Rankin's own hair to stop her.  However, this will mean making Nyxly impossible to track.  Supergirl, however, says the people come first.  So, they get to work on how to stop Rankin before she starts draining the life from the people of the Heights.  Brainy talks to Kelly about improvements she wants to make to the Guardian suit, and he knew she'd want to fashion it to her specifications.  Before they get to work, she does ask him:  being from the 31st Century...are things better for people like her?  Did they solve the issues that still plague the world in this day and age?  Brainy confesses that, while things have gotten BETTER, there's still the issue with privilege, and that there is still work to be done. Generational scars are still apparent.

Rankin is finally ready to use her powers to reshape the city in her own image, but the Superfriends are ready to meet her head on.  As she battles the team, Guardian is placed atop the building in order to position herself to help transfer the energy Rankin as sucked out of them back TO them.  With Rankin distracted, they use the device created to draw her power out, and Guardian uses her shield to transfer the energy back to the people.  With those affected by the blast having their energy transferred back to them, Rankin is arrested, and the threat is over.  Everyone is happy that they now have a hero of their own in the Heights in Guardian.  

John gives kudos to Kelly on Guardian's success, and wishes her luck, knowing she'll do great in the role. He's heading back to Metropolis where "world's await" he says, as Brainy looks on...knowing what John's future entails quite possibly.  Later on, Kelly is at home, just trying to relax...take everything in....and still processing everything.  Alex returns home, and apologizes for not being there for Kelly when she needed to be.  She wants to be there for Kelly when she's upset and stressed, and wants to help.  Kelly says she isn't always going to unpack everything at once, but she just wants Alex to be there and hold her and she does. 

Nyxly finally gets an idea where the next totem is....and she and Rich are ready to plan.

This was one of the most powerful episodes of Supergirl there has been.  Now, I know some have felt that this show has gotten TOO political at times (or too woke, and so on), but this is truly and important issue, and it comes from a place of true passion and care about what's going on in the world.  Azie Tesafi, Kelly Olsen herself, wrote this amazing episode that addresses a huge issue still plaguing this country.  Her acting in this episode was powerful, emotional, and it was completely sincere.  It shines a light on a very huge problem that still permeates across the US these days:  privilege amongst those in power, and minorities who're still kept under thumb.  She wanted to ensure that we got attention drawn to this issue, while also allowing it to be a springboard to bring Kelly in as Guardian officially.  It hits the right emotional beats, and you see Kelly's struggle with this whole issue, and feeling the pain and suffering of those around her, while many---including the very heroes sworn to protect those who're in trouble---ignore the small details...issues that may be small to THEM, but MASSIVE for those going through them.  We learn that heroes are NOT perfect....even superheroes, and that minorities still don't get a fair shake in this country.  It also shows a person of privilege---Councilwoman Rankin---as someone who can care less about her constituents, and only sees dollar signs and a chance to increase her own stock and power.  Brainy was right...there is still much work to be done.

It was awesome seeing Diggle once again...providing sage advice and assistance when necessary.  David Ramsey has become the go-to guy to direct Arrowverse episodes, and he does a great job here as well.  Also, what he's done as Diggle is just nothing short of inspiring.  We love this character, and whenever he's on screen, we're happy.  And we've gotten SOOOO MANY teases about him being Green Lantern, this might've been the biggest easter egg yet.  As he leaves for Metropolis, he talks about "world's waiting", while also talking about giving up the hero life to raise his family.  But with Brainy's smile as John left....he knows of John's fate in the future.  So, we keep wondering....and hoping....that Diggle will indeed become Green Lantern someday.  We're not giving up hope.  

Not much more I can comment on for this episode.  What about YOU guys?  What did YOU feel about Azie Tesafi's job as writer on this episode?  Was it too much for you on a sociopolitical level?  Or did you feel it was a story that needed to be addressed?  Subscribe and drop me some comments below.

Until next time...Up, up, and away!  

STARGIRL 2.7

 

RECAP - STARGIRL  2.7:  "Summer School - Chapter Seven"  

Things have taken a very dark turn in Blue Valley.  Eclipso is loose, and ready to corrupt and spread his evil all over the town...and nourish off the souls of the townsfolk.  And the JSA is reeling from what happened with their battle against Shiv, Artemis, and Fiddler.  With the Shade also having tasted defeat against Eclipso, the team must now try to regroup, and figure out how to stop Eclipso before he grows more powerful, and nearly unstoppable. 

This episode pretty much spent the focus on Yolanda, and her continued headaches and nightmares involving the death of Brainwave.  We first see her in confessional at the church asking the priest if the devil is real.  If he is, isn't it their duty to stop him.  She does believe the devil resides in Blue Valley.  

The town is gearing up for the annual 4th of July celebration, and the weather is all out of sorts, since Eclipso has affected things since his return to the earthly realm.  As Courtney talks to Beth, she's hoping Beth has gotten more info from Chuck, or even the actual Dr. McNider, but Beth says it's all quiet, and not a peep.  Courtney tells her to keep her updated.  She then sees a shop that has a picture of Isaac Bowen on it, a missing poster.  Courtney knows all too well what happened to him, and there's nothing she can do about it.  Cameron sneaks up on her, and she freaks, but relaxes, as he comments how he and his dad would help put up the decorations for the town's Independence Day celebration.  He asks her if she can help, and she would like to.  She gets buzzed by Yolanda, who wants to talk, but Courtney puts her phone away, as Cam wonders if she needs to leave again...and he'd understand.  She actually stays and helps him, as Yolanda looks on.  

Yolanda's day doesn't get any easier, as she can't focus on her work at the diner, so her co-worker takes her usual customer, who's rude all the time.  And her co-worker, no possessed by Eclipso, pours hot coffee in the man's lap, burning him.  She apologizes, not knowing what came over her, and she's sent home, as Yolanda wonders what happened.  She then sees a little blonde boy in the diner, and she goes to him, and gives him a sucker.  She turns away from him to notice the coffee incident, then turns back, and he's gone.  It was Bruce Gordon.  

Pat and Mike are at the Pit Stop, and they have to begin re-assembling S.T.R.I.P.E., and Pat tells him that they have to start by screwing in all the parts once again.  Not a job Mike is thrilled about, but this is what Pat refers to as "JSA 101".  Pat goes outside to wait for parts from Zeke, and Mike is in the shop trying to work on S.T.R.I.P.E..  MIke then takes a break from work, to notice a rag on the bench, and when he uncovers it, he sees the pieces of the black diamond.  He starts touching it, and messing with it, and it moves across the table.  Enamored with it, he plays with it more, until it latches into his arm, and starts seeping into his body.  He starts freaking out until he's snapped out of it by Pat.  He wonders what happened, and Pat tells him not to mess with the black diamond.  When Mike asks why he still has it, Pat says that he's hoping that the diamond, which Eclipso is weak against, would be the very thing to stop him.  

Mike's not the only one having hallucinations and dreams, it continues for Yolanda as well.  At first, she heads back to the church, where the priest had called her mother, and her mother began to chastise her, but the priest interrupts her, and says that now is not the time for harsh words.  They're there to help Yolanda.  But she sees a minute figure in the church, and goes to follow it, but it disappears when she opens the church doors.  Later on, as they're back in class with a new teacher, she sees Henry in the hallway, and chases after him.  When she catches up with him, he says he's in a bad place because he never forgave her.  She tells him she forgives him, but he says that his father never will. Brainwave says that he is with Yolanda forever.  Courtney wakes her up from her nightmare...and she's still in class.  Yolanda leaves, and Courtney wants her to open up about what's wrong. She finally admits to Courtney as to what she's been seeing, and Courtney says she should tell the team, they'll support her.  Yolanda isn't sure, but she agrees to anyway.  When she does finally tell of how she killed Brainwave and watched him die, Rick is the first to speak, and supports Yolanda, and says he would've done the same thing.  Beth, however, is too in shock, and can't seem to be that supportive of Yolanda.  And when it comes to Eclipso, she feels that the only one who'll be able to deal the death blow will be her---she doesn't want anyone else to carry that burden.  So, she'll do it.

I should note that while all this is going down, Barbara is having a town business meeting, and they're looking to divert their assets elsewhere to support the town, instead of a business just outside of it.  Barbara says they should liquidate some assets they've been holding onto, and then use that to prop up the factory that the townsfolk work at.  They are all in favor of her plan and the meeting ends.  However, before Barb takes off...she sees black liquid on the ground, and looks up, and sees that the Shade is still having issues trying to gather himself.  

Yolanda returns to the church, and there, her nightmares become more reality, as she's face to face with Brainwave.  He tells her that has she was watching him die, he managed to mentally transfer his consciousness into her, and because her mind is weak, it won't be long before he takes over her mind, and he will live again through her.  Yolanda attacks him once again in her nightmare and again kills him...but then, he changes to Henry, and says that if he burns, she'll burn with him.  Courtney is there as Stargirl in her nightmare, but she can't stop Brainwave.  Courtney manages to wake Yolanda up, and Yolanda just can't deal anymore.  She asks Courtney why she chose her as Wildcat...she's not equipped for this.  She then tells Courtney to stay away from her....she quits.  Courtney tries later on at home to talk to Yolanda, but is met with resistance by her mother, who says it's Courtney's influence that has made Yolanda the way she is, and for her to leave them alone.  The waitress at the diner is also upset, because Yolanda isn't coming back to work, even though she says she'll have a job there if she decides to come back.  

The Dugans gather around the table at home to talk about Yolanda, and why she didn't tell them about Brainwave.  Courtney says it wasn't her secret to tell.  Mike admits that he killed the Icicle, and he feels it was an accident, trying to assure himself.  Barbara says she isn't sure what she saw...whether it was the Shade or not.  At the Chapel house, we see Beth trying to sleep, but then we gaze out the window into the yard...and there is Bruce Gordon...ready for his next victim. 

It was about time we got to the root of Yolanda's issue, and she just has had tremendous guilt over not only killing Brainwave...but watching him die.  Though her intentions at the time were altruistic, she has carried this burden, and now she can't deal with it.  She feels that SHE is the only one who can stop Eclipso...and to do that, he must die.  And she does NOT want that burden or guilt to fall upon her friends.  And while Rick would've killed Brainwave had he been in her position, she did put it to him that he had a chance to kill Grundy....but didn't.  So, Yolanda knows that, despite Rick's support, he wouldn't go that far.  Beth is just in total shock of it all.  At times, I think she looks like she's in WAAAY over her head.  As the one member of the team that doesn't quite have a weapon or abilities like the other 3, she's supposed to be the smart one.  However, she looks lost at times and overwhelmed.  She's now realizing that this hero business is extremely scary, hard, and full of consequences.  Beth has been somewhat sheltered, and she is now having the hardest time coping with the harsh realities of the world of the superhero.  At least Mike has seen it, confronted it, and respects it....as he fears it tremendously.  He wants to do more, and give more, but he's also scared to death at the evil that lurks outside the door.  

For Yolanda, the burden is too much, and thanks to not only Brainwave's influence, but Eclipso's as well, there's now one member of the Justice Society off the table.  The other issue that still lurks with Yolanda is her family---they're still loading the guilt from her one mistake with Henry, and they've never forgiven her about it.  And THEY feel they're in the right, and thus treat Yolanda like she's a blight on her family name.  That seems to hold more weight with them, than actually rallying around her and giving her love and support.   So, now she will isolate herself, and her family will blame everyone ELSE for Yolanda's issues, instead of blaming themselves for their part in her messed up psyche---it's what's making her easy pickings for Brainwave AND Eclipso.  So, whether or not she recovers is something we'll see before the season ends.  But she has to know that she doesn't HAVE to kill---it's a choice.  And it may not come to that.  But until then, Eclipso has one less person to worry about.   Now, he's got his next victim picked out....the weak link:  Beth.  And with her mind all in knots about Dr. McNider, her loneliness, and feelings of abandonment by her parents, and her lack of friends makes her a prime target.  Either way, the team is getting picked off one by one, and Courtney and the rest of the Dugan family will probably be last on the list---because they still hold out hope, and won't quit.

This was a good episode to do some serious character focus, and shows Eclipso's plan at work...taking down the JSA one member at a time.  So far, so good for the bad guy.  This season is most definitely darker than last season, and the stakes are higher.  Plus, it's now forcing these kids to grow up, and learn that this hero business is no game...and it NEVER gets easier.  

How did all of YOU feel about this week's episode?  Subscribe and leave your comments below.

Until next time...keep your eyes on the stars. 

SERIES REVIEW: THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

 

SERIES REVIEW:  THE FALCON AND THE WINTER SOLDIER

When Disney & Marvel launched their slated plans for Phase 4, THIS show was one that had REALLY caught my eye.  Reason why?   I expected it to be action packed, non-stop intrigue.  And I even told my friend that---with only SIX episodes---they're going to have to hit the ground sprinting for this show.  They did NOT disappoint.  They packed a TON in this six episode arc, and managed to tell an extremely good story that all sorts of little intrigue, character development, and even some surprises.  It gave me a lot of Jason Bourne vibes, what with the spy aspect and even the presence of political intrigue as well.  It also is a story of heart and destiny.  So, in this edition, we're going to recap the thriller that was The Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

This series opens up with a bang, as Sam Wilson, the Falcon, is hot on the trail of Georges Batroc, whom he and his crew have hijacked a plane, and they're trying to get out of Tunisian airspace, but the Falcon saves the day.  Sam has a lot on his mind as of late---it's six months after the Blip, and while he and the Avengers restored the people of Earth who had disappeared when Thanos did The Snap, Steve Rogers bestowed upon him the shield of Captain America, thus passing the mantle.  But Sam struggles with this, and feels he isn't the man to be the face of a country, and thus gives up the Shield to the U.S. Government to put on permanent display.  Meanwhile, Bucky Barnes, having been pardoned, is trying to rectify his past sins as The Winter Soldier by trying to make amends, and has to see a therapist in the meantime.  Air Force Lieutenant Joaquin Torres, who works with Sam, comes across a group called the Flag Smashers, who thought life was better BEFORE the Blip, and gets tangled up and roughed up during his brief encounter with them, as they rob a bank in Switzerland.  He also discovers that they are super-powered beings.  He alerts Sam, who returns home to Delacroix, Louisiana to save the family business and fishing boat that his sister has run since he's been gone.  In a shocking turn of events, The U.S. Government has decided they need Captain America, and they've appointed a new man to carry the shield - a soldier named John Walker. 

In the 2nd epsiode, we see Walker getting ready for his grand appearance on national television, and says he hopes to live up to Steve Rogers' legacy.  Meanwhile, Bucky catches up with Sam, and isn't happy that he gave up the Shield.  He goes with Sam to Munich, where the Flag Smashers, led by a young woman named Karli Morgenthau, are stealing a large shipment of medicine.  Falcon and the Winter Soldier engage the group, and find out their super powered adversaries are tougher than they thought.  They're soon joined in the fight by the new Captain America, John Walker, and his partner, Lamar Hoskins.  However, the Flag Smashers prove to be too much, and they make their escape.  Walker thinks that they should all work together, but Sam and Bucky turn them down.  Back in the States, Bucky takes Sam to meet a man named Isaiah Bradley, who was a super soldier himself back in the day, but the Government turned on him, and sent him to prison.  He refuses to help Sam and Bucky with information about how many more super soldiers there are out there. Bradley was experimented on for 30 years by the Government AND Hyrda.  Bucky is arrested for missing a therapy session, but Walker helps get him out.  Again, Walker suggests teaming up, but they flat out refused.  He orders them to stay out of his way.  Sam and Bucky figure their best bet to get information about these super soldiers is to visit Helmut Zemo in prison.  

Episode 3 sees Sam and Bucky visit Zemo, and he offers to help them stop the Flag Smashers, and thus, Bucky breaks him out of prison to have him come along to assist.  They soon make their way to the Southeast Asian country of Madripoor, which is a criminal sanctuary (and for those who know the comics, Wolverine spent A LOT of time there).  Madripoor is run by a person only known as the Power Broker.  One high-ranking criminal says that the Power Broker hired a man known as Dr. Wilfred Nagel to reproduce the Super Soldier Formula.  Selby, the criminal they get this info from, is killed when Sam blows his cover.  They are rescued by noneother than Sharon Carter, who's been on the lam since the events of Civil War.  She hasn't been able to step foot on American soil, and believes that the old ways of the Avengers is garbage.  She decides to help Sam and Bucky, however, as Sam promises her that he can get her pardoned.  She helps them find Dr. Nagel, and when they find his lab, they find out that he's made 20 doses of the serum, which Karli stole.  Bounty hunters come at the trio of Wilson, Barnes, and Zemo, and they have to fight their way out...with Carter's help...as Zemo had killed Nagel, and his lab is destroyed.  Carter decides to stay in Madripoor and help out when she can.  In Lithuania, the Flag Smashers raid and blow up a Global Repartiration Council storage facility.  While Zemo, Barnes, and Wilson try to find them in Latvia, Bucky's approached by Ayo of Wakanda's Dora Milaje.

Things REALLY pick up in Episode 4, as Ayo has given Bucky 8 hours to have Zemo help them with the situation with the Flag Smashers, before the Wakandans take him.  After all, he was the culprit that killed their king, T'Chaka.  They find Karli at the funeral for her adoptive mother.  But Walker and Hoskins intercept them, but they hold off long enough for Sam, as he tries to persuade Karli to give up and find another way to get her message across.  He wants to do this peacefully and without anymore violence.  But Walker is impatient, and interrupts the conversation, and things get out of hand. Zemo manages to destroy most of the Super Soldier serum before he's captured by Walker.  Walker, however, managed to snag the last vial for himself before Zemo finished them off.  The Dora Milaje humiliate Walker before trying to take Zemo, and in the fracas, Zemo escapes.  Karli takes things to a personal level with Sam, as she treatens Sarah, drawing Sam's attention, and trying to convince him to join her.  Yet another fight breaks out, and Walker and Hoskins engage the Flag Smashers, but unfortunately, Hoskins is killed in battle.  Walker, outraged by what transpires, snaps, and goes after one of the members of the Flag Smashers.  And---having taken the serum---captures the agent, and viciously kills him with the Shield.  Meamwhile, everyone in the crowd has their cell phones up, and taking pictures of the incident, with Sam and Bucky arriving too late to see Walker with the Shield tainted in blood. 

The 5th episode sees Walker battling Sam and Bucky, as they take him down, and get the Shield from him, breaking his arm in the process.  Walker is then put before a Government committee, and is stripped of his role as Captain America for his actions. Contessa Valentina de la Fontaine shows up to tell John to keep his chin up.  Bucky manages to find Zermo in Sokovia, and turns him over to the Wakandans.  Sam leaves his Falcon wings with Torres, saying he doesn't need them.  Sam then goes to visit Isaiah Bradley, who tells him that a black man cannot---and SHOULD NOT---be Captain America.  Sam then returns home to fix the family boat with this sister, who's been looking to sell it, and get out of the business.  But the locals...and Bucky, who shows up later...to help out get the boat back in shape.  Bucky and Sam talk, and Sam tells him that if he wants redemption and forgiveness...start with one person, and go from there.  Do the work.  Sam begins training with the Shield to get used to it.  Karli has the Flag Smashers ready to attack the GRC Conference in New York City.  Sam readies himself  by opening a case that Bucky delivered to him, courtesy of the Wakandans, whom Bucky asked a favor of.  We then see John Walker in the extra credits scene building a new shield using his war medals.  

In our final episode, Karli and the Flag Smashers make their move on the GRC conference, with the aid of Batroc.  With the aid of Sharon Carter and Bucky, Sam appears in a new suit...fully embracing his role as Captain America, and battles Batroc, while Bucky and Sharon try to save the GRC Conference leaders.  John shows up to try and battle Karli, but she beats him down, and then he tries to save the members of the Council by using his super strength to ensure that a truck doesn't fall off a building and kill the members trapped inside.  Cap comes in to help, and the members are safe.  Karli makes a run for it, and Captain America gives chase.  She runs into Sharon, and Batroc shows up, and we find out that Sharon is really the Power Broker.  Batroc threatens to expose her secret if he doesn't pay him more money, and she shoots him, saying she doesn't give in to blackmail.  Cap shows up to try and stop Karli, as Bucky and Walker manage to capture the rest of the Flag Smashers.  Sam bets Karli to give up, but she keeps attacking him, begging him to fight back.  But he refuses to.  Carter manages to kill Karli, and the threat is over.  Sam brings out the body of Morgenthau, and addresses the GRC and wants them to delay the forced relocation of those Karli died fighting for, and instead make efforts to HELP them.  All eyes are on Sam, as his speech is broadcast nationally.  The Flag Smashers captured by Bucky and Walker were killed on their way to the raft by Zemo's butler, Oeznik.  Zemo hears of it from his cell on the Raft, and smiles.  Valentina is with John, as he tries on his new uniform, and gets a new codename:  U.S.Agent.  Bucky goes and makes amends with everyone he ever hurt while he was the Winter Soldier.  Sam then shows Isaiah Bradley a statue and memorial to him in the Captain America exhibit, for his effrorts during the war, ensuring that the world knows that he was a hero for America.  Later on, we see Sharon Carter get a full pardon for the events of Civil War, and is welcomed back into the CIA.  Afterwards, we see her making a call, as she says that the Power Broker is back in business, and they're about to have access to all sorts of government weapons and secrets, ready to be sold to the highest bidder. 

As I said at the beginning, this show had to hit the ground sprinting, and it did.  The cinematography for the action sequences were spectacular, and some of the moves Sam made in flight were stunning.  The battles were intense, felt REAL, and gave us a great sense of danger, excitement, and intensity.  When Sam finally suited up as the new Captain America, the suit looked FABULOUS.  Other members of the cast also had tremendous fight scenes, including Karli, Bucky, and even Sharon, who just looked incredibly badass in her big fight scene.  Wonderful action that was balanced by a very well written story.  

We saw tremendous growth from Sam and Bucky in this series, and the chemistry both Anthony Mackie and Sebastian Stan have is just off the charts.  They have impeccible comic timing, and their scenes are just worthwhile viewing no matter what.  We see these characters go through their personal labyrinths together, and come out the other side better people.  Daniel Bruhl was amazing once again as Zemo, as the guide for Sam and Bucky in their battle against Karli Morgenthau, but also ensuring that his own plans go the way he wants.  Biggest laugh I got this series was his dance moves in the club in Madripoor.  He managed to get what he wanted for the most part:  destruction of the Super Soldiers...though he DIDN'T get John Walker, who took the final serum to gain his metahuman status.  

Sharon was the character that had some of the best growth of anyone, as she "grew up", and became an underground dealer in Madripoor in order to make a living, since the intelligence community had pretty much black boxed her.  I did figure at the end of Episode 3 that she was the Power Broker.  This is an intriguing twist, considering that her Aunt Peggy was so highly revered, and one of the founders of SHIELD.  But to have Sharon...jaded by everything that transpired because of the Sokovian Accords, and having aided Cap and his crew to escape custody....was a marked woman.  Out in the cold, and no way home, she resorted to criminal activities to survive.  She built herself back up, not just as a real badass from a fighting standpoint, but very sneaky and manipulative as well.  To see her ready to sell out her own country for profit is very interesting, and I wonder if anyone will eventually expose her secret, and what she'll do to escape.  She's become a major player in the new Captain America universe.  

John Walker was pretty much everything I expected from his comic adaptation.  And, in a short time, things played out fairly like his comic version did.  Wyatt Russell did a VERY good job portraying John Walker, and is real curious to see how he fares as U.S.Agent.  The real surprise for ME was the appearance of Julia-Louis Dreyfus as Valentina de la Fontaine.  She was superb.  Bitchy, headstrong, confident, and still has an air of mystery around her.  I look forward to seeing more of her, and what the hell she's exactly got up her sleeve.  Was she or is she STILL Madame Hydra?  I have no idea, but I hope we learn more from her as we go along in this new Phase of the MCU.  

Overall, this show was freakin' AWESOME, and it never let up.  Even the down moments where we got more character development felt important, carried weight, and helped drive the story along.  Also, the quasi-poliical nature of the series can honestly be taken from the headlines of the world.  It also shed light on the treatment of minority soldiers, who didn't get the proper respect or treatment for the sacrifices THEY made for their country, as we got from Isaiah Bradley.  But I was GLAD he got some respect at the end.  The thing that made me pleased the most, was Sam's speech at the end, where he addressed the GRC.  He dropped some truth, as well as just looked INSPIRING as Captain America.  I would follow that man into any trench if he asked.  Mackie's performance this entire series was just epic...he owned every scene he was in, and he LOOKED the part of a superhero, and carried himself like one.  I can't wait to see a new Captain America movie with him as the star....it's going to be great!  And finally...I loved that at the end of this series...they made sure the change was official from The Falcon & the Winter Soldier to "Captain America & the Winter Soldier".  

What did YOU guys like about this show?  Subscribe and leave me your thoughts and opinions below.