Supernatural - "The Raid" - Season 12 Episode 14 Review

March 4, 2017

The guys are still understandably angry with their mom, Mary. I mean shoot, it’s her fault Wally died and Cas got injured. I can’t even imagine had Castiel died what that would have meant for their relationship. I’m just glad we don’t have to find out! But after all that, she’s still working with the British Men of Letters. One thing I really want to know, does Jared Padalecki practice his sad faces in the mirror or something? He is always making the best faces when he’s upset in the show, and their conversation with Mary was no different. Sam continues to be Dean’s voice of reason in this episode, and Dean isn’t having it. Dean’s pain runs so deep with Mary he is not sure who to trust it seems. So it wasn’t too surprising to see Sam meet up with Mary behind Dean’s back. She still thinks she is doing the right thing, that one day the world will be without monsters, thanks to the British Men of Letters.

I really don’t think she even realizes what she’s getting into with these creeps. I’m pretty sure they don’t even realize they're in over their heads, and this episode will prove it. I just wish they would have kept my boy Dean out of it. Because if things go sour with their big Vampire plan, at least he would have been free of harm. But nooo, the BML had to go to the bunker and get him so they could try to recruit him as well. Their plan sounds good; they track all the Vampires down like terrorists until they get lead to the alpha. Much how the military or police may run surveillance. The plan sounds good, but the Alpha is far smarter than they realize, so I don’t believe it will go down the way they think it will. And it didn’t take long to prove my hunch was correct, and the hunted became the hunters. The vampires were outside the BML compound, and Mary and Sam had no idea where Dean was. At least the two bad asses were together outside the compound and knew what’s going down. The brains of the BML are trapped inside their so called fortress like sitting ducks when the Alpha makes his way in. They didn’t finish the spell for the Colt45 bullets yet, or so they make it seem. At that point Dean still has no idea Sam is even with them, so I couldn’t imagine what his reaction would be. And I can’t imagine he will react well to knowing his mom stole the Colt for the BML either.

The big surprise is the hunter working for BML was working for the Alpha Vampire the whole time. That explained how they got the intel on where their bunker was. Lucky for them the Alpha liked to talk as much as he did right? I mean how else would they have pulled off getting the bullet in the gun to be able to kill him. It’s kind of sad to see him die, monster or not. He was a pretty classy fella, even if he did kill a few folks. I had a feeling Dean and his British counterpart will be sad to have missed out on that action. As I knew he would be, Dean was annoyed Sam left out the fact he was going to see their mom in his note. But he quickly got over it. Ketch as all too excited he got to take the traitor of a hunter to deal with, in his own way. But he didn’t hide his displeasure with Mick in the least bit. It’s very clear that Ketch sees a kinship with Dean, so he wants to play on the same side as him. And as he says, he feels he was very close to getting Dean to agree to work with the BLM. But, I think having his brother Sam agree to work with them behind his back will actually make him more apt not to want to do it.

What do you guys think about all this sneaking around behind each other’s back business that has been going on? I for one think that their relationships with really be tested soon. They already had it out with each other for Mary lying about her involvement with the BML. Now Sam is going to be doing the same? Not to mention, he now knows his mom also lied about stealing the Colt. This is going to be a big deal to Dean. How could it not be? She lied more than once to him, and he forgave her for her transgressions as far as he knows. So when he finds out there is more, it’s really going to be bad. I really hope this doesn’t cause Dean to go off on his own right before this Cosmic threat pops off. I mean, it’s happened before, so I wouldn’t be surprised.

Written by Kaylynn Kasandra. Awkward hippie who enjoys helping people, creating things, reading, sci-fi, fantasy, and Thor. Find more from her at kaylynnkasandra.com and
http://www.youtube.com/c/tiedyesmurf

The Path - "Providence" - Season 2 Episode 7 Recap and Review

March 4, 2017

I don’t even know where to start with this episode. The foreshadowing with Eddie in the car with Summer in the beginning, too good. We see a lot of major things in play during this episode. Eddie obviously is still having prophetic dreams of sorts, for one. Richard and Kodiak really do believe they’re doing the right thing by going after Eddie too, which really upsets me. Because, as I have said, over and over again, I can’t stand creepy Cal. So their focus on Eddie really upsets me. I just hope they eventually see he’s actually the hero, not the villain. I really find it upsetting that Chloe’s son had to be in the car with their plan went down. After seeing Kodiak’s failed attempt at the war museum, I had thought he would make sure the kid wouldn’t be involved. I was very disappointed in that.

As for Cal, he still had Sarah by his side. Of course. Like, why is she always siding with this creep? I will never get over her nearly unwavering dedication to this sociopath. I understand she and he are co-guardians to the light, but she could confide in more sincere people, like her husband. Not her overly opinionated family. Cal still confides in Mary, so it’s only right Sarah talk to someone who isn’t crazy. Even if Mary is. I also understand Sarah not wanting anyone to find out the pending threats upon their very community. She would much rather sweep it under the rug and devise a plan with Cal. But of course, at a loss to herself and the movement, considering Cal paid out too much to begin with. And as not to be swept under the rug, as it was once again in the show; Gaines finds out the water testing was dropped. Those poor people once again get no help!

We see two of our male characters once again coming more into their own in this episode. Sean and Hawk. While both are on very different paths so to speak, they are both finding their footing. Sean reaches out to his family, which ends up getting him into a whole heap of trouble. As any family would when their son is in a cult, they track him down. When they insist on taking him out of the movement, along with Mary and the baby, I was scared for them. Who knows what lengths this crazy guy will go if he thinks his child is being taken from him. He’s already trying to dig his claws into Hawk. He wants him to be his little spy now, and Hawk has no idea. He really thinks he’s being used for the movement’s best interests. It’s sad. Hawk is so intelligent, and compassionate. As we see once again in this episode. The way he cared for the homeless on his mission trip in the city makes me really hope he sees the truth of the movement before he’s tainted. He needs to know how corrupt Cal is and how his Dad is really the one who knows what’s up. He’s the one who is really aligned with the light so to speak. Because the road Cal will have him on will leave him with no friends.

Cal’s little stunt at Sarah’s house when they were gathered for dinner was too much for me. He always manages to manipulate things to his favor and I can’t stand it. Once again he has wormed his way into the good graces of Sarah’s family. I would hope to think that if Sarah knew Eddie was being held captive by Kodiak and Richard she would narc on Cal. But considering how many times her poor choices have disappointed me in the past, I can’t say she would. I just really hope they hear Eddie out. After all, Steve wants him to be the guardian of the light. So if they really believe in all that crap, they better get that message.

I just want to know when they’re going to explain this magic lightning scar. There is so much more they’re not talking about when it comes to that. If this whole light thing is real, obviously Eddie is the only one really connected, and that has to tie into it. I can’t wait to see if we get more answers about his premonitions as well. He has had these since day one. Is it really the light speaking to him, trying to warn him? Is it his brother? Is it something else? We have been building up to all this for so long, and I can’t wait to find out.

Written by Kaylynn Kasandra. Awkward hippie who enjoys helping people, creating things, reading, sci-fi, fantasy, and Thor. Find more from her at kaylynnkasandra.com and
http://www.youtube.com/c/tiedyesmurf

The Walking Dead - "New Best Friends" and "Hostiles and Calamities" Season 7 Episodes 10 and 11 Reviews

March 1, 2017

Season 7 Episode 10

"New Best Friends"

Tensions are rising between the Kingdom and the Saviors, or at least, between Richard and the Saviors. Truth be told, the skinny asshole that decked him a few episodes ago antagonized him again, as Saviors are wont to do, so the standoff was somewhat justified. But when being an asshole is sort of your M.O., correcting undiplomatic behavior isn’t high on the priority list. This time around, both Morgan and Benjamin get involved, so things get hairy very quickly. Ezekiel’s grand voice commanding them to stand down sounds a bit weaker now that we know he doesn’t want to fight.

Richard tries to recruit Daryl into a very fucking backwards plan to drag the Kingdom into a fight, which involves assaulting one of their convoys, leading them back to a weapons cache, and sacrificing Carol. Ezekiel probably won’t fight until something horrible happens to one of his people, but to just let the Saviors have a trailer full of guns and homemade explosives, and to sacrifice easily one of the best fighters the show has ever had, is stupid. Daryl thinks so too and puts the kibosh on Richard’s plan in true Daryl fashion, with punching and gravelly mumbling.

Meanwhile Rick and the rest are taken into some Mad Max-esque junkyard city by Gabriel’s new best friends (ha ha ha) who are taking this post-apocalyptic society thing a bit too far. Each of them dresses like a homeless Kylo Ren and their leader, Jadis, speaks in an impossibly annoying regressive future speak. There are a lot of them, but they won’t join Rick’s cause until they’re given guns, food from the boat, and a promise that they keep a portion of the spoils of war. But first, Rick must become a garbage gladiator and defeat an admittedly cool looking armored walker. They go in peace after Rick proves himself, but not before Rosita pops off some bullshit tough guy wisdom which I can see is going to get annoying.

Daryl and Carol have another reunion, and he gets her up to speed on things since she decided on a life of self-imposed, romance novel reading exile. That is, he lies to her. Instead of pulling her back into the fight by telling her about Abraham and Glenn, he tells her that everything is good and they’ve struck as amicable of a deal as one can with the Saviors. Indeed, Carol being afraid of losing her humanity is a powerful thing and while the war effort is lesser without her, she deserves to live in peace. Whether the truth comes out eventually remains to be seen.

At the end of the episode, Daryl leaves the Kingdom. He and Morgan make a small peace, even though Morgan still refuses to use his favor with Ezekiel to influence him to fight. And yet, after hearing of Carol’s approval and meeting Shiva, Daryl decides the king is still an okay dude. My only beef here is that Shiva is supposedly only loyal to Ezekiel but nah, the nice kitty can’t resist a man who hates haircuts and sleeves. Oh well, on to next week.

Season 7 Episode 11

"Hostiles and Calamities"

We find ourselves back at the Sanctuary, in the aftermath of Daryl’s escape and Fat Joey’s untimely but perhaps deserved death. Dwight puts the pieces together himself first, and a grim realization dawns on him, that his former wife turned Negan concubine helped Daryl escape. Not only does he know he’s in for a royal ass kicking for losing a prisoner and pet project, but it’s painfully obvious that he’s the one that is going to have to find Sherri. Negan is nothing if not sadistic. Despite his place in Savior hierarchy, Dwight is tortured almost daily.

Eugene on the other hand, believed he was in for a world of pain but finds Negan and the Sanctuary oddly hospitable. He was gifted pickles and granted immediate access to all Savior privileges and benefits. Even if he’s able to cast bullets, Negan sniffs out Eugene’s bullshit. This is where things may get tough for him because he resorts to his song and dance that roped Abraham and Rosita in to keeping him alive. They seem to buy it but now he must keep up the appearance of being of superior and indispensable intellect, even resorting to grade school science tricks to impress Negan’s drunk wives, who were sent over to his room as a “signing bonus.”

Meanwhile, Dwight goes to the one place he thinks Sherri might be. As he paces around their charming, but now destroyed house, her words clang in his mind. He finds a letter from her explaining her actions. Here is the core of Dwight’s pain: the life they had haunts him anew every day and the horror of their separate lives now only makes those memories harder to endure. Ironically, we learn that he supposedly has a bad memory, and might forget little details of promises they made to each other. Come to find out, poor Dwight remembers everything. Daryl represented the person Dwight was; emotional, passionate, angry, and a fierce defender of his loved ones. He stirred things in Dwight that were long dead, forced beneath the water for Dwight to make some kind of life in the Sanctuary. Sherri helped Daryl escape so Dwight might slip back into Negan’s Good Boy mode, and left herself because she didn’t want to endure life as Negan’s “Good Wife” any longer. It was a sacrifice she made to keep him alive, and yet the consequences of that sacrifice may indeed be worse than death. Conflicted by his duty and his love, something as small as her lipstick on a cigarette harries Dwight’s mind and heart. This scene’s emotional weight is much needed and appreciated.

Back at Sanctuary, Eugene hits his first snag when two of Negan’s wives approach him to help a third, Amber, commit suicide. This falls within his abilities but perhaps he’s suspicious of them using their feminine wiles to seduce him into helping. Sure, they appeal to his sense of humanity and basic goodness, explaining what a hell hole life is for Amber, because while the other girls may have a stomach for being a concubine, she’s more or less being raped so that her sick mother can get medication. Eugene agrees but seems to turn a corner. He has rightfully been characterized as a coward from the get go, and a liar who is not nearly as competent as he says he is, but not malicious and useful enough to keep around. Thus he’s been picked on by several characters throughout the show, and just when he gets a bit of approval from someone, they get their head beat in. The shoe being on the other foot in Sanctuary, Eugene is finally the boss of something now. If the power wasn’t enough to sway him, seeing Negan toss the previous doctor into a forge certainly did it. Better to stay on the man’s good side, even if your value was greatly overstated. The suicide pills he cooked up for Amber, he surmises, are actually for Negan. Rather than help the girls topple the dictator, he warns them not to cross him and sinks into his comfortable, cowardly chair. Him being the new doctor may prove to be a problem however. Regardless, at the end of the episode he declares his allegiance to Negan in truly spineless fashion.

Dwight sold the old doctor out to cover his, and Sherri’s tracks. Rather than track her down and bring her back to be horribly punished or try to reunite with her, he lets her go. Knowing Negan would stop at nothing until she was back, doubly so if they both ran off, so he returns to Sanctuary and plays two very strong cards. He plants evidence on the doc and uses his unflinching loyalty to implicate the doctor in Daryl and Sherri’s escape. Why it was the doctor is anyone’s guess, but don’t tell someone with a big heart that there’s no room for those anymore.

How long can both Dwight and Eugene keep up their bluffs? While one’s resentment for Negan has reached critical mass, the other’s alliance with him is just beginning. Or are they both on the same side? Their little exchange in the final scene makes one wonder if they aren’t both double agents working to expose a weakness in the Saviors...

Written by A Play On Nerds contributor, Jerry Herrera - Lover of horror, sci fi, and fantasy in that order. Semi-permanent Disneyland resident. I'm at least one of the droids you're looking for. Twitter: @FrankenJerry - Instagram: @GeraldoPedro