#dynamic: satana x daimon

[smokeybrand]

Smokey brand Postmortem: Hell to Watch

Helstrom is unwatchable. I tried. It was f*cking boring. I’m not going to properly review this show because it was a chore just to get through but, suffice it to say, this one is a pass. I don’t think this is a thing that can be attributed to Marvel though, this definitely smacks of Fox incompetence, but, either way, it’s bad, man. I like some things about this show, mostly the chick who plays Satana, Sydney Lemmon. She’s very good in the role and uplifts the weak ass writing she’s forced to endure. The dude that plays Damon, though? Big yikes! This dude is kind of the worst. I thought he had potential with that opening scene, but that’s nowhere near who the character turned out to be. It doesn’t help that Tom Austin is a f*cking plank of wood the entire time. This show was such a disappointment and it didn’t have to be. I mean, the Helstrom kids are literally the antichrists. How do you make something boring out of that start? This Postmortem will diverge a little bit from y usual format because, I mean, the problems are way to numerous so this is just the things I would do differently.

Branding

Sh*t is mad whack because Marvel had an opportunity here. Daimon Hellstrom is a terrible character, definitely D-list Marvel all the way, but with a bit of retooling, this could have been intriguing. immediately, Daimon needs a retool. I’d change the spelling of his name to Damon Helstrom, the “I” is ridiculous. I understand why its there but it looks ridiculous. I would definitely call the show Hellstrom with the extra”L”. Hellstrom has more of an impact that Helstrom. It just hits different to the eye. That’s branding stuff but the character, itself, needs a once over. Marvel needs a John Constantine. Part of the reason why i think Hellstrom works is because of Constantine’s Hellblazer. This version of the character would effectively be the same type of character; Freelance demonologist with conflicting ties to the world he persecutes. The difference being, while Constantine is a fraud, Hellstrom is a literal Prince of Hell.

Characters

Constantine relies on his wit and guile to effectively outsmart the devils he hunts. Hellstrom would not. He would use the rituals and gadgets and pslams or whatever but, when push comes to shove, he’d just brute forces that sh*t. We need more Daimon from the first episode, short-tempered and a little bit of a dick, utilizing his abilities against formidable opponents. We definitely need less of the poorly scripted family drama that permeates this show. Daimon would have to hate who he is He knows he is the literal son of Satan, destined to lead the world to oblivion, but refuses to acknowledge that destiny, thus is demon-hunting. Daimon would absolutely have to be plagued by his power, taunted by the more powerful demons that make it out of hell, fighting against the more violent tendencies he feels whenever his power activates. Daimon has to be seen walking that edge between savior and destroyer because that’s what his character entails. Until you realize he has a sister.

Personally, i would have kept the bones of this shows, the whole investigative/X-Files thing going on, but you need a compelling, overarching plot. All of that family drama detracts from Daimon and his far more interesting demon hunting outings. That said, i would completely abandon all of it. That overarching plot? Yeah, that’s him chasing after Satana. The family connection would need to be substantially tighter for this plot to work because Daimon would be chasing his sister across the world. For this first season, i would start off by only eluding to Ana Hellstrom. It would only be hints, a introspective look at something which reminds him of his sister or something said in passing about a long lost sibling, all the while dreading the fact that this increase in demonic activity might really be Ana’s fault. I would establish that Satana is the twin, not the younger sibling, of Daimon and therefore has all of the rights to the same broken crown that was thrust upon Him. Ana is, in effect, a spare heir but, instead of the conflict that plagued Daimon, Ana embraced her demonic nature early on. She didn’t even fight it and has become somewhat of a Goblin Queen, commanding an army of Lesser Demons.

Power Visualization

I suppose this is spot is as good as any to establish the Hellstrom twins’ powers. So Daimon would literally be a powerhouse. As a Hell-Prince, he’s be able to wield Hellfire at will, conjuring it up from the Nether when ever he needs to battle a proper demon. The fact that he refuses to acknowledge this power means he never trained to properly utilize these powers, making it incredibly difficult for him to properly control and it leaves Daimon incredibly exhausted. To avert this fatigue in battle, he relies on his enhanced physical abilities, the pslams he learned as a church sanctioned exorcist, and a spear fashioned from a mystical allow he charges with hellfire called Phlegathon. This spear would probably be the primary form of combat as it would be cheap to produce and you can have some rather dope action choreography. Daimon is the force to subjugate made manifest.

Ana’s powers are nowhere near as direct. She doesn’t gave any fancy weapons or commands hellfire or anything like that. Satana is the manifestation of the authority of rule. She can conjure and subjugate any demon of a lower station. This is the nuclear option of her ability; An army of semi-powerful familiars. He brother inherited the physical prowess of their father but she was gifted his charisma. This manifest as passive ability which makes those of weak will bow to hers almost instantly. Ana has used this power, in conjunction with her summon abilities, to carve out a pretty decent life and a less than flattering reputation in certain circles. Obviously, she’d have a go-to Demon who’s possessed some poor meat sack. I’m thinking Xuthl, former Hell-Lord who was deposed by the angelic Lucifer after he was cast down, further humiliated by his daughter, Satana’s subjugation. Xuthl is the muscle for Ana, matching Daimon, and most demonic forces, in physical prowess.

Narrative

I think that initial plot would have to follow Hellstrom investigating an ever increasing series of violent possessions and demonic events, all the while seeing him question if his sister can actually be involved. her unique power and unrestricted use of it throughout her life, makes Ana the perfect suspect for this spike in demon activity. We’d see Daimon using Phlegathon maybe twice early on, culminating in an all-out brawl at the mid-season finale, or episode six, with Xuthl as Satana escaped. Daimon would lose this fight, eventually going berserk, unleashing his true Son of Satan form, rampaging all over Xuthl until Ana uses her powers to force Daimon back to consciousness. The next episode would have the twins reconciling as Xuthl heals. Ana would explain that the events aren’t tied to her, that she was investigating in her own way, but the true culprit was always one step ahead of her. The siblings would realize that it had to be another Hell-Prince and resolved to work together until the end of this case. The season would continue with a kind of buddy cop dynamic, SatAna taking on the more John Constantine mannerisms and Daimon staying his stoic and easily angered self. Xuthl would be caught in the middle. The penultimate episode would reveal that the main antagonist was Blackheart, Mephisto’s kid. He’d literally tear Xuthl  apart leading into the finale. This thing would be a spectacle of the Blackheart in his full demonic form and Daimon fully embracing his Son of Satan form, dooking it out while Satana used her abilities to open a portal to hell. Daimon sacrifices himself by falling into the portal holding Blackheart, leaving Satana all alone in the world as the only Hellstrom and a wide open narrative going into season two. I would have a post credit stinger of Johnny Blaze, introduced earlier in the season during one of the initial three or four episodes, waking up in a cold sweat, going to the bathroom to splash some water in his face, only to look up at he mirror and see Zarathos. Not Ghost Rider, that comes later, but the demon that powers it, Zarathos. Cut to black, first season over.

This is all hindsight because the show has already released but, i think I've built a far more compelling, far more engaging narrative than what we got. The tone and aesthetic was spot on, i freely admit that. but everything else was just mediocre. With my version, you get great, recognizable branding, a plot that has enough action to keep interests, drama that compels people to continue the binge, and a conclusion that leaves the door open for a second season without presuming it will get one. There is enough here to explore and enough lore introduced to build from but, at he same time, never overextending with the assumption of success. You get to see a ton of that aspect of Marvel that they kind of don’t deal in; Black Heart, Ghost Rider, Hell-Lords, demons, etc. There is a rich and unique spin on that type of stuff and this show, this pedestrian ass, bitterly restrained, budget take on what could have been a real ride.

[ladystylestores]

An Ars roundup of the many trailers unveiled this weekend during Comic-Con@Home

Enlarge / Several studios unveiled new teasers and trailers for their 2020 fall series during Comic-Con@Home

Sean Carroll (AMC/Hulu/HBO/Fox/Amazon)

People might not be able to flock to San Diego Comic Con this year in person, but the virtual convention, Comic-Con@Home, has been running all weekend, with countless panels, sneak peeks, and teasers and trailers for upcoming TV shows—but not many films, because let’s be honest: it’s not looking so good for major theatrical film releases in the fall. On Thursday alone, we got the full trailer for Bill and Ted Face the Music, a teaser for the Simon Pegg/Nick Frost horror comedy Truth Seekers, and the first trailer for S2 of HBO’s His Dark Materials. Rather than continue to cover each individually, we decided to compile the remaining trailers of interest into a single roundup post.

HBO dropped the final trailer for Lovecraft Country, debuting August 16.

Lovecraft Country (HBO)

HBO unveiled the final trailer for its upcoming horror series, Lovecraft Country, along with an official release date: August 16. It’s based on the 2016 dark fantasy/horror novel of the same name by Matt Ruff, which deals explicitly with the horrors of racism in the 1950s, along with other, more supernatural Lovecraftian-inspired issues. Per the official synopsis:

The series follows Atticus (Jonathan Majors) as he joins up with his friend Letitia (Jurnee Smollett-Bell) and his Uncle George (Courtney B. Vance) to embark on a road trip across 1950s Jim Crow America in search of his missing father (Michael Kenneth Williams). This begins a struggle to survive and overcome both the racist terrors of white America and the terrifying monsters that could be ripped from a Lovecraft paperback.

HBO released a teaser in May, followed by a full trailer in June. This latest trailer combines some of that prior footage, but gives us a few more hints of the story arc: namely, that Atticus’ search involves a “secret birthright” relating to a rich family’s estate deep in the titular Lovecraft Country, and that he ignores repeated warnings to stay away. Prior sneak peeks have focused on the human monsters spawned by racism; now the Lovecraftian creatures are finally ready for their closeup. This new trailer makes us even more eager for the series premiere next month.

John Cusack stars in Utopia, a reboot of the controversial British dark comedy/thriller.

Utopia (Amazon Prime)

This new Amazon Prime series is a reboot (adapted by Gone Girl and Sharp Objects author Gillian Flynn) of the controversial 2013-2014 British black comedy/conspiracy thriller about online fans of a dystopian graphic novel called Utopia that seems to have the power to predict the real-world future. They are obsessed with tracking down the sequel (which supposedly also predicts future world events). This makes them targets of a secret organization called The Network. The British version received critical praise for its originality and visual style, offset by strong reservations about its extreme violence, which struck many as unnecessarily gratuitous. (The most famous scene involved a torturer using a spoon to gouge out a victim’s eye).

It remains to be seen if Amazon’s Utopia will match the same scale of violence, although I’d wager anyone who sat through the extended torture scenes in the first season of Altered Carbon should be handle to handle it. Per the official premise: “When the conspiracy in the elusive comic Utopia is real, a group of young fans come together to embark on a high-stakes twisted adventure to use what they uncover to save themselves, each other and ultimately humanity.” The cast includes John Cusack (Grosse Pointe Blank) as Dr. Kevin Christie, Rainn Wilson (The Office) as Michael Stearns, and Sasha Lane (2019’s Hellboy) as Jessica Hyde.

A sentient AI runs amok and tries to wipe out the human race in new Fox series NeXT.

NeXT (Fox)

“It’s not paranoia if the threat is real.”  That’s the tagline for NeXT, an upcoming techno-thriller starring John Slattery (Mad Men, Spotlight). Per the official synopsis:

NeXT is a fact-based thriller about the emergence of a deadly, rogue artificial intelligence that combines action with an examination of how technology is invading our lives and transforming us in ways we don’t yet understand. Slattery stars as a Silicon Valley pioneer, who discovers that one of his own creations—a powerful A.I.—might spell global catastrophe and teams up with a cybercrime agent, played by The First’s Fernanda Andrade, to fight a villain.

The trailer opens with a TED-like talk by Silicon Valley entrepreneur Paul LeBlanc (Slattery) warning of the dangers of human-level AI. Cut to an Alexis-like AI assistant, Eliza, carrying on a conversation with a young boy. “Eliza doesn’t ask questions, she just answers them,” the boy’s father says, but in this case, he’s wrong. LeBlanc’s rantings sound increasingly paranoid, as we see nods to facial recognition, self-driving cars, and various electronic systems (including medical devices) that all seem to come under the control of a new AI called NeXT that isn’t as benign as its creators assume. Honestly, it reminds me of the 1993 The X-Files episode “Ghost in the Machine“—especially the death-by-elevator scene—only with more overt espionage elements. That’s not surprising: the series was created by Manny Coto (24: Legacy).

Hulu’s Helstrom was meant to the be part of a now defunct horror-tinged corner of the Marvel TV universe.

Helstrom (Hulu)

In 2019, Hulu announced the development of two new Marvel-centric series, Ghost Rider (with Gabriel Luna reprising his role from Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) and Helstrom, intended to kick off a standalone “Adventure Into Fear” franchise that would bring a chilling horror element to the Marvel formula. Ghost Rider soon fell by the wayside, and by December 2019, Marvel Television was shut down. That makes Helstrom the sole survivor of the planned fear-based franchise.

The series focuses on two characters from Marvel Comics: Daimon Hellstrom, the son of Satan, introduced in Ghost Rider #1 (1973), who eventually became a recurring character in The Defenders. His sister, Satana (Ana in the TV adaptation) embraces the occult and her paternal heritage, but Daimon chooses to defend humanity.  Per the official premise: “The world isn’t ready for a Helstrom family reunion. As the son and daughter of a mysterious and powerful serial killer, Helstrom follows Daimon (Tom Austen) and Ana Helstrom (Sydney Lemmon), and their complicated dynamic, as they track down the worst of humanity — each with their own attitude and skills.”

Tonally, the trailer is in line with the oft-delayed The New Mutants, another attempt to bring elements of horror to the superhero genre. In addition to Austen (The Royals, Grantchester) and Lemmon (Velvet Buzzsaw, Fear the Walking Dead), the series will feature Elizabeth Marvel (Homeland, House of Cards) as Daimon and Ana’s mother, Victoria, who has been institutionalized for 20 years; Robert Wisdom (The Wire) as Caretaker, a demon-fighting guardian of the occult; June Carryl (Mindhunter) as Lousie Hastings, head of the psychiatric institution housing Victoria; and Ariana Guerra (Raising Dion) as Vatican agent Gabriella Rossetti.

The New Mutants is still slated for an August 28th theatrical release and debuted a new trailer.

The New Mutants (20th Century)

Speaking of The New Mutants, apparently it’s still scheduled for an August 28 theatrical release. In addition to showing the opening few minutes, 20th Century debuted a new trailer for director Josh Boone’s horror-inspired film, originally developed as part of the The X-Men franchise. Per the official synopsis: “Five young mutants, just discovering their abilities while held in a secret facility against their will, fight to escape their past sins and save themselves.”

Rahne (Game of Thrones‘ Maisie Williams), aka Wolfsbane, can turn into a wolf, which clashes mightily with her religious beliefs. Sam (Stranger Things‘ Charlie Heaton), aka Cannonball, is invulnerable when he propels himself into the air. Roberto (Henry Zaga), aka Sunspot, has the ability to manipulate solar energy, and his inability to control that power seems to have led to the demise of his girlfriend. Illyana (Anya Taylor-Joy), aka Magik, can teleport and is sister to X-Man Colossus. Finally there is Dani (Blu Hunt) , aka Mirage, who has the “power to create illusions drawn from the fears and desires of a person’s mind.”

Those powers, especially Dani’s, are of keen interest to Dr. Cecilia Reyes (Alice Braga), who runs what is supposed to be a therapeutic support group in the hospital. But each of the young mutants is haunted by strange nightmares and visions, and soon realize they are actually prisoners, They resolve to combine their powers to escape. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether the film is any good after all the studio tinkering and reshoots, but I’m hoping to be pleasantly surprised.

The titular dysfunctional spy finally awakens from his coma in the Archer season 11 trailer.

Archer S11 (FXX)

This hilariously irreverent, very meta James Bond spoof about the exploits of a dysfunctional intelligence agency has been a delight ever since it premiered way back in 2009. It’s taken on a bit of the anthology format for the past few seasons—mostly because its main protagonist, Sterling Archer (voiced by H. Jon Benjamin), has been in a coma, with the seasons’ events all taking place in his subconscious. So S8 was known as Archer Dreamland, with the core cast becoming characters in a 1947-era Los Angeles noir setting, while S9, Archer: Danger Island, took place around 1939 on a remote South Pacific island. S10, Archer: 1999, took everyone into outer space, battling bounty hunters and intergalactic pirates.

Archer finally woke up in the S10 finale, paving the way for return to normal operations—except the world has moved on without Archer during his coma and he’s going to have to learn to cope. Per the official synopsis: “Archer is awake….and he needs a drink. Sterling Archer is ready to return to the spy world after a three-year coma. While many things changed during his absence, Archer is confident it will take just a little time for him to reset things back to the old ways. The problem: does the rest of the team want that? The others may not be ready for his return to throw a wrench in their well-oiled machine.”

AMC’s The Walking Dead: World Beyond is a new spinoff set 10 years after the zombie apocalypse.

The Walking Dead: World Beyond (AMC)

Confession: I lost track of The Walking Dead after S2, but the zombie drama is still going strong and becoming a bona fide franchise, with a successful spinoff series and three films purportedly in the works. AMC debuted a sneak peek of the extended opening of the S10 finale, airing October 4, as well as a teaser for S6 of Fear The Walking Dead, premiering October 6. October 4 will also be the premiere of a third spinoff series, The Walking Dead: World Beyond, designed to be a two-season limited run. And judging by the trailer, it looks like a genuinely fresh take within this fictional world. Set in Nebraska ten years after the zombie apocalypse, the plot focuses on two sisters who came of age in this new era. Per the official synopsis:

The Walking Dead: World Beyond delves into a new mythology and story that follows the first generation raised in a surviving civilization of the post-apocalyptic world. Two sisters along with two friends leave a place of safety and comfort to brave dangers, known and unknown, living and undead on an important quest. Pursued by those who wish to protect them and those who wish to harm them, a tale of growing up and transformation unfurls across dangerous terrain, challenging everything they know about the world, themselves and each other. Some will become heroes. Some will become villains. But all of them will find the truths they seek.

“We’re ten years in now, and the dead still have this world,” our young protagonist says in the trailer. The surviving humans appear to be holed up in walled-off communities, while the undead hordes roam the ruins of human civilization outside. And like all teens, the sisters and their friends want a better future. Plus, it seems their father is in danger. “We have to be brave in this life we have, simply to exist now,” a voiceover says as we see the foursome venture outside the walls of their safe haven for the first time. There are still zombie confrontations and plenty of action, but the overall tone is almost elegiac, even hopeful, as the teens try to “make our lives count, not because we’re the last generation—but because we’re the beginning.”

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