My Most Helpful Reviews

Some of my most helpful reviews. These are the ones where my unique approach and history gives insight, raises and hopefully answers questions most people wouldn't consider. There is a side benefit of helping people better understand my favorite shows and all of that, as well as me being able to geek out on my favorite shows. But it is a side benefit.

The Pretender: Parole (1998) season 3 episode 6

Jarrod learns something worth knowing

Jarrod's chosen disguise clashes with his actual innocence. Even people who have never been to a strip joint before still know what one is. And Jarrod's 'pretend' here is as an ex-convict. The kind of guy who would love a place like that. It's the best dialogue relating to his guilelessness and inexperience ever. But what he learns is about Sydney. For the past 2 years Sidney has been forced to be repressive fo his parental feelings concerning Jarrod. His work requires an objectivity of course but the more he let himself feel responsible for Jarrod's upbringing the more guilt he would feel about letting Jarrod go through what he did all those years. To the point of actually lying to Jarrod a year earlier and denying he ever even entertained the thought of being like a father to him. Sydney meets the boy who actually is his son. But grew up with another father. The kid finds out it completely the wrong way. And Sidney's speech to the son to the effect of " the man who raised you was always being there for you, loves you as much as if he'd given you life" is heart-warming and amazing. Nicholas asks him if he ever felt that way about anyone and after a brief pause Sidney admits that he did once. A child, long ago. And Jarrod hears him! The way Jarrod feels about Sidney has always been clear as day. And now Jarrod is finally in on the fact that Sidney does in fact have the same familial feelings. Even if he is forced to be repressive of them. It was pretty glorious.

The Pretender: Road Trip (1999) season 4 episode 5

Incredible camaraderie exceptional acting

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Speaking of the Wizard of Oz plot line it was a beautiful romp with all three of the main characters from the center perfectly happy to be following Jarrod's clues and jumping through his hoops. Despite her complaining Ms Parker seems to trust that whatever they will find at the end of this yellow brick road will be worth the mystery. And Sidney seems more than a little amused as he goes running around like rats in a maze. Like literally he calls it that and it doesn't bother him at all. Maybe he feels that he owes Jarrod this after keeping so many things secret for so many years. They are the 3 musketeers and it's beautiful. I didn't know the actress to play Zoe from anything. She was probably a major name as a female actress at the time as well as a bombshell. Also the one time Jarrod assumes something other than the best about someone he is 100% wrong and you can see real regret in his eyes. He's always really good at reading emotional cues and micro-expressions but the one time he makes a conclusion based solely on the facts and the evidence- rather than the person - right in front of his face he is seriously almost disastrously wrong. But Zoe and Jarrod are each-other first honest and deeply committed relationship. Again: Stellar!

The Flash:Armageddon, Part 1 (2021) season 8 episode 1

It's not an 'Error' It's a hint

I'm starting to think people are idiots. The history of the Royal Flush gang doesn't line up with season one, because it's not supposed to. It's a hint or a fore-shadowing that the timeline is different. And it is a hint that things are screwed up more than would seem at first blush. But also a hint about more than the fact that Joe is dead and the Reverse-Flashpoint is going on. In the first episode after the Armageddon arc Bart and XS go back in time and change the history of the Royal Flush gang so that they showed up when Barry was still in his coma. In this episode people are already living in that altered timeline. Also ever since Crisis on Infinite Earths they are living in a different timeline than the first 5 seasons anyway. Earth Prime is a post Crisis timeline with old world and new world differences. Season by season continuity is 'insufferably inconsistent'...because the timeline has undergone two major overhauls and been mildly changed twice. Ray Palmer shows up mostly to show that Brandon Routh didn't completely fall off the Arrow-verse map when he left the Legends. Which is nice to know.
When Sarah and Ray left Arrow during season 4, it was easy to think they were no longer part of the show. Then in season 5 we learn "oh they've been having thier own adventures." Ray was here to prove that didn't happen. The inter-connectivity of these episodes, that is the connection and tying things together in a way that makes sense is actually pretty strong. Despite the Arrow verse being mostly shut down. It's nice to know leaving the show isn't leaving the franchise. And for never having been a member of Team Flash, Ray has always been one of Barry's closest friends and allies. Ultimately this entire arc proves one thing: that the Arrow-verse shrank...but is not gone. And some people display their ignorance when shredding the Flash for it's 'simplicity'.

Superman & Lois: Fail Safe (2021)

Knowing Supergirl season 1 makes this even Better

There is something in this episode that I didn't see for YEARS. And now that I do of course it drowns everything else out for me. Knowledge of the first 2 seasons of Supergirl usually helps deepen the appreciation for this show. And having something so closely-related to compare it to helps you notice things you otherwise would miss or dis-miss. This episode most especially. I have seen this episode over a dozen times and always a little annoyed that Clark didn't notice something was going on with Tal when he was in the cell. Tal started rubbing his head, looking increasingly tired, as a result of having 'voices in his head', but Clark didn't' seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Surely Clark wasn't so preoccupied to miss what was right in front of his face. Mentally and out of pure boredom I started comparing Tal Rho's cell to General Astra's in season one of Supergirl, under Glenn Moshower's General Lane and a cathedral size bell went off in my head: Clark noticed his distress it but attributed it to the Green Kryptonite. I always assumed it was the rather intense 'training' he'd learned from Zeta that let Tal sit there without caring much for getting sick. I mean that stuff would make either of them sick and no matter how much of a disaffected soldier Zeta had trained Tal-Rho to be, he couldn't cure him of his bodies reaction to radioactive pieces of their home-world. So when Clark sees Tal shaking and his nerves getting frayed, he's not surprised at all. But neither has he any reason to think anything is going on that wouldn't be explained by sitting in a cell surrounded by a Kryptonians only poison. Rather is a lot of build-up not none of it is rushed, forced or tedious. Nothing feels boring and no time feels wasted. It really is a well- paced episode with a slow build up to whatever is coming next. All told this is a strong 'pause before the final bout' kind of episode. As much so if not more so than “A Brief Reminisce before Cataclysmic Events' a couple episodes ago. An episode whose actual title references how much of a calm before the storm it is.

The Flash: Success Is Assured (2020)

Why are people hung up on Nash?

Nash Wells is not wearing anything to hide his face in a police station full of cops. But the original Harrison Wells was a confessed murderer for killing Barry's mother. Barry himself is standing next to Nash perfectly at ease. If this was the man who killed his mother, he'd have his hand around the guy's throat. Also, he has a Wells face. But everything else about him screams Indiana Jones, not an academic in the first place. And certainly not a guy in a wheelchair who accidentally blew a hole in Central City years ago. Another cool thing in the episode is Nash doing his second best if not his absolute best channeling of Harry Wells. Getting a rise out of Barry to get him to stop feeling sorry for himself a couple of episodes ago/trying to get him forgive himself. And Nash is a channel for Harry in a way because he has Harry and Sherloque in his head literally telling him they are shocked Allen is even considering the deal fake-Singh offered. Nash is then able to give Barry some much needed perspective on what the result would be if he DID take the deal. Even if it was for absolutely PERFECT reasons, it wouldn't have worked out like he planned. "I understand where you're coming from. But if you go *this* far to bring her back, Iris won't forgive you. And you will have gained nothing." Only Harry Wells and Oliver were this much of a mentor to him, on equal footing. And now with Harry in his ear, Nash can be that.

Smallville: Finale (2011)

Beautiful and not as confusing as people think

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One of the most talked about and obvious errors in the episode is how Johnathan can be there, able to make physical contact with Martha who doesn't think anything of it. This is never addressed in the episode. But there is an explanation: Brainiac-5. Back in season 5 the evil Brainiac tried to convince Clark to kill Lionel by pretending to be Johnathan Kent. He could physically interact with everyone. Earlier in this season we saw Brainiac, the Brain Interactive Construct as he was intended to be: a much kinder, update of himself called Brainiac-5. In the episode Homecoming he taught Clark to stop being afraid, stop punishing himself and everyone around him for past mistakes and to embrace his future. And Martha doesn't say anything about it because she's used to the craziness by now. Everyone seems fixated on how Johnathan could be back from the dead and Clark's wedding and a room full of people not notice, but that's just it: there's nothing to say anyone except Clark and Martha can even see him. Martha is there and when 'Johnathan' interacts with them, you can kind of see that he's just being there for his friends and recognizing the importance of this moment...but not sharing it.

Anything I know about Brainiac-5 outside of Smallville is Querl Dox/Brainy/Brainiac-5 from Supergirl. This version of 'Johnathan' actually reminds me a little bit of him. The hesitation in putting his hand on Martha's shoulder in the barn. Knowing it would be comforting but worried about over-stepping. I mean obviously Supergirl hadn't been written yet, but it makes a certain sense after season 5. The evil Brainiac once impersonated Johnathan to convince Clark to kill Lionel. So why wouldn't the more benign, supportive Brainiac 5 we saw earlier in this season take Johnathan's form trying to give Clark a gift? To Have Johnathan there in some form for a moment as important as the wedding? Johnathan does seem to be talking about himself a step-removed here, like he hesitates to refer to himself as Clark's father. Also, over the course of 5 years Johnathan never had so little reluctance in referring to Jor'el as Clark's father. It really sounded like this was coming from someone who knew and understood Jor'el, like J'onn Jo'nzz or someone from Krypton.
Lex and Tess acting the way they do, Tess being all alone and never sharing screen time with anyone but Lex was inconvenient and trying, but unavoidable. Cassidy Freeman wasn't on set with anyone else. Everything felt if not particularly rushed, more grand, fantastical and sweeping than anything that had come before it. And everything did happen pretty much at once. Which jarred me a little but it was a pretty adrenaline-filled explosive season finale and that fast pace and 'no time' feeling probably was what they were actually going for. Annoying as it was, I think it kind of fit. Also I saw Crisis on Infinite Earths of the CW Arrow-verse, in which Tom Welling reprises this role before I actually saw this final season. I wondered why Clark seemed perfectly cool with Lex being president, given how much of a monster Lex has been since season 6. Clark was so cool with it because Lex didn't remember any of this. He was no longer the monster we've come to know over the past few seasons and might have been just a normal politician. He had truly been freed from the shackles of being first raised, then confused and angered by Lionel as well as his feelings of betrayal with Clark's secrets and presumption. In season 5 as he explains in season six's Nemesis he got sick of Clark always having judgment on speed-dial, assuming the worst of him. And now he doesn't have to deal with what he perceived as a knife in his back and the loss of his best friend. Which gives more weight and certainty to Tess' final act. Tess didn't exactly redeem him. But she gave Lex a second chance and the rest of the world (unknown to the world) a brighter future. Which apparently held 20 years later when Supergirl's Lex showed up. And Tom Welling's Clark mentioned Lex was president. And seemed 1,000% cool about it.

Star Trek: Deep Space Nine: Hippocratic Oath season 4 episode 3

Makes more sense when you ask different questions

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Among Star Trek fans this episode serves to empathize the difference between Doctor Bashir and O'Brien's approaches. Frequently the only question stemming from it is whether O'Brien was justified in doing what he did at the end.

Having learned a thing or two about TNG O'Brien since first watching the episode I know his straight-forward 'he's the enemy' perspective actually is true to the character. And personally I love every moment Julian learns another way in which the Jem'Hadar leader is different and this is something he wholeheartedly believes in and could follow. What makes everything work in the end, even after O'Brien destroys his research forcing his escape is the moment he tells Bashir why he did it. It wasn't because he wanted the Jem'Hadar to die or because he was a solider. It was because it was the only way he knew to save Julian's life. He flat out says that "Whatever else you may think of me or what I did; I hope you understand that." Which clears the air and makes forgetting this 'overstep' not only possible but the most natural thing in the world.

I was always with Bashir and O'Brien's stance always seemed unnatural to me. If his attitude here throws you for as much fo a loop, watch the season 4 TNG episode 'The Wounded'. O'Brien is a solider who has seen war and sees things with the simplicity of a solider. Adding all this together and the entire episode is superbly crafted and deeply awesome.

Smallville:Cure (2007) season 7 episode 4.

Vandal Savage aka Jeremiah Danvers

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After watching Legends of Tomorrow I learned that Curtis Knox was a name assumed by immortal madman Vandal Savage, and is one of his more popular aliases. I assume that's who Dean Cain is here: the Smallville version of that minor DC villain. But what's kind of cool is the connection to a future series. In Supergirl Dean Cain stars as Kara Danvers/Kara Zor-el's adopted father Jeremiah, a recurring character. As well as far more obviously starring in Lois and Clark new adventures of Superman in the 90's. And apparently it's a continuing trend. Teri Hatcher also stars in a few episodes of Supergirl and one episode of Smallville. But while Dean Cain's character is far less likable here, compared to the others he plays in Superman productions, he shines MORE as an actor. Bringing a humanity and an emotionalism to someone who until the very end is a single-minded mad scientist type of character. That it's hard to imagine he feels anything except the need to never be alone again.

Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)

I don't understand how blind people are

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The only convoluted parts of this movie are Lex Luthor's plan and why the world suddenly hates Superman. As far as Why Bruce is so relentlessly pursuing Superman and why 'Save Martha' actually pulls him back, they could not have set it up more clearly. And I realize a lot of Batman fans were disgusted/surprised at this version of Batman but they do explain his character perfectly: this is world weary, Robinless Joker beaten Batman who has almost given up on hope for the world. He spells out his motivations to Alfred "He has the power to make anything happen and if we believe there is even a 1% chance that he is our enemy He sees this alien as another freak in a costume. He even tells Superman while he's punching his face repeatedly "You were never a God, you were never even a man." Batman does not spare Superman because thier mother's share the same name. Batman didn't even know 'Martha' was Supes mother's name at first. But Superman asking Batman to save someone else was enough to make him pause and consider that this evil alien cares about people, cares about someone more than his own life. And then Lois comes in and tells him "It's his mother's name." Bruce realizes Superman has a human family, has a life, IS a good man he almost murdered. He finally realizes that "How many good guys are left, how many stayed that way" is a question he should have been asking about himself all along. It's a line straight out of Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent :You either die a hero or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain. Setting up both his mission and his attitude for the next movie.
This is not "Batman" anymore. This is not Superman *yet*. I'm wondering why it's so hard for people to stop, look at the film and realize this. Superman is a new born superhero. People call it unrealistic or something that neither hero reacts how they would in thier prime. Neither hero IS in thier prime. “Batman hates Superman for clear obvious reasons but Superman has no reason to hate Batman” ?? Clark Kent has a pretty clear reason for hating or at least mistrusting a vigilante who tramples on the law and civil liberties. People see this movie fail thier own expectations and in so doing, completely fail to see this movie in the context of this universe. Where honestly their expectations do not and should not apply.

My personal reflections on part 2, on the Arrow portion of the Elseworlds crossover.

Not a review on the episode. I took the time to think long and hard on one single aspect of this episode to the exclusion of literally everything else contained within part 2 of a 3 part crossover called Elseworlds.

In part one Oliver wakes up with his own face but living Barry's life and with the Flash's speed. Barry wakes up in the bunker sparring with John Diggle who calls him 'Oliver'. They have a town mouse country-mouse thing going on and when they are unable to convince Barry's friends that they are not crazy that they actually have switched places, they breach over to Earth-38 to talk to Supergirl. Their reality and their timeline has been altered. But Earth-38 is a different timeline, so maybe she'll recognize them as who they truly are. She does, we see Clark and Lois for the first time. Barry, Clark, Oliver and Supergirl go back over to Earth1 to stop a giant robot who can mimic any and all meta-human abilities. Then they learn that whoever shifted reality like this is on their way to Gotham. Open part 2.

Arrow: Elseworlds, Part 2 (2018)

Fun call backs with exceptional grounding

Okay so when I saw this I hadn't gotten far into season 6 of Arrow yet. I was just watching it as part of the Elseworlds crossover. And I have to say this episode was far more than a harbinger for Crisis. There has always been a draw back or an impediment to Barry and Oliver's relationship, rather something Oliver just never quite seemed to grasp before: Barry's attitude is a rejection of his circumstances, a refusal to live in darkness, not an absence of difficult circumstances or things to take seriously. Going all the way back to when Barry first showed up in Starling City, Oliver always dismissed Barry as someone who could afford to be all happy and gay because he never had anything that could bring him down. And while Oliver had walked in Barry's physical shoes in the Flash portion of the crossover, that probably only reinforced his belief that Barry's life is a sappy, emotional and smooth ride compared to his own. Now, walking a bit in Barry's Mental shoes, seeing Reverse Flash shred Flash for 'being so weak you couldn't stop me from killing your mom' Oliver FINALLY gets that Barry could have been dragged down, easily and simply didn't let himself be dragged down into this darkness. He'd met Thawne briefly, fought against him at the end of Flash season 1 but never really understood who Thawne was to Barry. He'd heard, once that Barry was stuck in some personal issues, but naturally he'd had his own. And to hear Oliver actually validate him, rather than simply support him was probably the height of glory for Barry. The big surprise occurred when Oliver, Kara and our Barry face Mar Novu. The Green Arrow (actually Barry) yells at the Monitor “by giving a nutbar an all-powerful, reality rewriting book!' and I could SWEAR that was Roy Harper speaking. Someone we hadn't seen since near the end of season 3 of Arrow. Someone who was at Oliver's side for 2 years and had donned the hood himself. Plus there was a second moment of Barry being the all-knowing mentor in the relationship. Which is always completely awesome to see.