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stereogeekspodcast · 4 years

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[Transcript] Season 1, Episode 1. Detective Mode – Batman’s Worst Enemy is Himself

In our first Detective Mode episode, we discuss why Batman is his own worst enemy, and consequently, bad for Gotham City, and the Bat-Family.

Listen to the Episode on Anchor.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Ron: Today we're talking about Batman.

Mon: Yes, welcome to our first episode of Detective Mode.

Ron: Batman is a starting point for all superhero fans and he was for us. Mon: Yeah, we started off by watching the 1960s show with Adam West, and that really shaped our love for superheroes. It was camp but it was fun.

Ron: Yes, we struggled with the other versions of Batman because we loved the Adam West show so much. But once we started reading the comics, we definitely changed our minds about how we felt about Batman yeah exactly because Mon: Bruce himself is a complicated character but also a very inflexible person.

Ron: Yeah, that's a good point. Well, Shelfdust has this whole series about Batman's worst enemies, and he has a huge rogues gallery. But finally, we decided that Batman's greatest enemy is himself.

Mon: Yeah, and in this episode, we’re really going to be discussing why we think that.

Ron: Because, as much as everybody loves Batman, and we do love Batman, there are a lot of flaws with this character. In many ways he's making his own life, and the life of the citizens of Gotham, nd the people of the Bat-Family, very difficult.

Mon: Exactly. I mean, when we talk about Batman's enemies, we have Riddler, Joker, Penguin, Poison Ivy, Bane. these are just the compelling ones. There are so many more. But they are his own enemies, his personal enemies, and yes, they wreak havoc on Gotham. But why do they keep coming back?

Ron: And that's actually the only way to look at Gotham City. It's a place where crime happens but justice is never really served. And that's the whole point of Batman to actually bring justice to his city, and looking back at his past, Batman lost his parents. They were killed right in front of his eyes when he was a small boy, and that shaped his future. That shaped the person that he was going to grow up to be, and that shaped Batman. But the set of rules that he set for himself when he was a child… He was a traumatized child, and that completely colored the way he looked at justice, and that's shaped the way he's tackling the villains that attack him, and the city.

Mon: Yeah, that's true. I mean, it's a child's point of view. It's good. I mean, he's innately a good person. He has a code of honour which he usually doesn't break. There's always going to be a chance here and there, where it's going to change.

But while I like that code of honor, I feel like Bruce is working on crime in Gotham from the top down. It's easier for him to be Batman, to use his face to beat up these bad guys and throw them in Arkham. But what is he doing to make the city better?

Bruce is the wealthiest guy in the whole of Gotham. I mean, he comes from the wealthiest family, who have a history of wealth and a history of power and influence over people. So why isn't he using that? Instead he's just, you know, putting these bad guys away in Arkham, and they're breaking out of there, like every three weeks or so.

Ron: Yes. Nobody really stays in Arkham for very long. It's really a revolving door.

Mon: Yeah, and let's talk about Arkham for a minute. Like every iteration of Arkham, be it in the comics, in the games, in the TV shows and films. It's this horrible, wretched place. All it does is re-traumatizes anybody who goes in there. And it makes them worse.

Ron: So, where does the rehabilitation happen? Can you get justice in a city like Gotham without actually rehabilitating these people? All these criminals, you know, Poison Ivy, Joker, Bane, they come from great poverty, great deprivation, and they're trying to make sure that not only they can have some kind of luxury, but they can give it to their cohorts that they work with. So, where is Bruce Wayne? And where is Batman? When those people need help, before they become Joker and Poison Ivy. Mon: Yeah. And another way that I feel that Batman is not only his own worst enemy, he's also Gotham’s worst enemy is that he's fighting bad guys, he's putting them away, they come back out way stronger. But all he is doing all the time, is using his power and wealth to give himself and the Bat-Family better tech, better weapons. And that's something that's alluded to in the Christopher Nolan films. In Batman Begins where detective James Gordon says that if you're more invincible, they're going to start bringing out more powerful weapons.

Ron: Exactly. And that's actually a concerning issue, especially as we look at the world in 2020. There's so much money being spent on the police force, they have tanks, they have Kevlar, and the kind of weapons that they have access to, they could do real harm. And that's just to protect the city. I mean, that's exactly what we've been seeing in Batman. He has a suit that protects him. He has a utility belt that has all sorts of gadgets. But these are not just for him, he's making the same things for the GCPD. So, what we've seen in real life has actually been reflected in the Batman books for a very, very long time. He's actually making a world around him that allows for, even gives permission to, people to create super weapons, and that becomes dangerous for the common man.

Mon: Absolutely. The most recent arc in the Batman comic series deals with a new character called Clown Hunter, who has been killing Joker's henchmen. And Batman is dead set against it. When the Clown Hunter is introduced, Batman speaks to him about his murderous ways and Clown Hunter tries to explain to him that he lost his parents and he was orphaned. He's homeless, he's squatting in this place because of a fight between Batman and Joker. So, this young boy is collateral damage. And these are the characters that we don't often see, or we don't often see Batman engage with. But this clown hunter character, he's presented as a villain, or a villain-to-be. But he's just collateral damage in a fight that really shouldn't have happened.

Ron: We see that quite often. Even Kite-Man, he’s probably one of my least favorite characters in the DC Universe, he's extremely irritating.

Mon: I can’t believe he's such a huge part of the Harley Quinn TV show!

Ron: It actually did a really good job with him in that show. I was quite impressed. But otherwise, he's not a very good character; he's not very interesting. But his villain origin story comes from Batman. He lost somebody in his life because of Batman. It comes back to the same thing. Is Batman really helping the people of his city? What is he doing for people like Clown Hunter, for Kite-Man so that they don't end up on a path to villainy? How many heroes are in Gotham City, that will actually bring about something good? Apart from the Bat-Family. Even Nightwing, he's left, he's gone to Bludhaven. There's Red Robin. He's usually with his group of superheroes. There's Robin, who well, he doesn't really have a choice. He's Batman’s son. There’s Batgirl. At least, she is trying to do something. But she has a connection to the GCPD, because Gordon is her father. So, in a way, she has a very blinkered view of crime fighting, as well. Again, it comes back to the same thing. What are they doing to actually rehabilitate these people? What are they doing to mitigate the kind of collateral damage that they're causing?

Mon: Yeah, I mean at the end of the day, Batman is working on a surface level. He's not trying to structurally make a change to Gotham itself, and he's one of the rare people who has the power to do that.

Ron: Exactly. I mean he does have limited unlimited resources. So, what is he doing with that money?

Mon: Exactly. And we're always hearing about the corrupt cops in the GCPD and the mayor, who's usually being bribed by the Penguin or whoever. I mean, Penguin becomes mayor in several iterations of Batman series. So, we have to ask ourselves: why is Bruce just standing by and letting all this happen? And, of course, we're talking about a comic book character here, and he is just a reflection of the people who create him or writing. So, is it that much harder to think of a good character, a heroic character, who does the dirty work, but doesn't necessarily do it with his fists? Ron: Yeah. Gail Simone had an interesting Twitter chat with a few people some time ago about Batman. Quite a few people were asking, why does Bruce Wayne not do something with his money to save the city of Gotham and actually put an end to crime? And she was saying, it doesn't really make for great comic book writing, because the visceral action of somebody hitting somebody's face, or punching them in the solar plexus, that makes for great art, that makes for great reading. Somebody sitting behind a desk crunching numbers, trying to run an orphanage, or pay off some bills, that's not very exciting.

Mon: And also, I know that the diktat from up above in DC is that every comic book needs to have an action scene. It’s something Tom King alluded to a couple of years ago about his series, which is a little bit more cerebral from time to time. But yeah, he said basically every issue must have some action in it.

Ron: I think you can still have some kind of action. While also acknowledging the fact that Bruce Wayne has to do something with the money he has.

Mon: Something more. Because at the moment, what he's doing is, it looks like he's hoarding it.

Ron: It's actually quite interesting because the current Rebirth run has Bruce pretty much losing all his money. All of its been transferred to Lucius Fox. So, what is he going to do now? And another thing that we're seeing is Bruce is actually being questioned about what he's done for the city. He's actually having to rethink his war on crime, and whether it's actually brought anything to the plate.

Mon: Exactly. How effective is Batman?

Ron: We haven't seen him be very effective at all. Somebody like Joker; he's been around for quite a while. There used to be kind of comedic elements to him and the Adam West shows and. And we've seen that character become darker and darker. We've seen The Killing Joke, where he maimed Barbara. He was one of the more terrifying villains that we saw, when he was portrayed by Jack Nicholson, and he was portrayed by Heath Ledger. Let's not go into the Joaquin Phoenix Joker movie, which was not good.

But this is a person who is still a mystery in many ways, but he keeps harming the city, he keeps coming back. He harms people he causes damage, and he ends people's lives. And he causes a lot of pain in the process.

Mon: Exactly. And the worst thing is, at the end of it all, because the DC executives are so keen on keeping the Joker alive in some form or the other, it almost seems like Batman forgives the Joker. Yeah, that's why he always lets him live or sends him to Arkham, but it's not enough. Something more needs to be done about somebody who constantly returns and destroys the city.

Ron: Yes, I mean, he's a dangerous, dangerous man, and he has shown time and time again that he does not care about getting better.

Mon: So, something needs to be done. Maybe Arkham needs to be redone or restructured completely. Bruce has the power to do that. And unfortunately, he really just hasn't. So, in a way, you have to ask, is Bruce enjoying this? Maybe Bruce just keeps these people around so that he remains relevant.

Ron: Yes, it does. But in a way it makes sense because if there are no criminals, what's Batman going to do? There is no need for Batman. The whole point of Bruce becoming Batman was that he would make a city that would one day not need him. But it's been, what, eighty years of Batman and he’s still needed. Mon: Exactly. In fact, more so, because every time there's a colossal fight or battle, it seems like the city is completely at its end and there are even more new villains coming up. Just now, we've got two new different iterations of villains who are out to take on Batman and able to fight him toe to toe.

Ron: And the other thing is that, the newest villain that's been introduced, we don't really know very much about him, but it seems that he has history with Bruce. So, this is a personal battle that is being fought, and the victim is once again Gotham City.

Mon: There's so much collateral damage in the city, but even if we don't care about the poor faceless Gotham-ites, Batman's own family have been affected by his incompetence.

Ron: How can we forget Jason Todd, his second Robin, a feisty character, in many ways, but he ended up being murdered by the Joker. And because comics, he came back to life; he was resurrected. And he is still, after very many issues, very angry with Batman, who basically is a father figure to him. Because Batman never did anything to the Joker despite Jason dying. And that ended up leading to Jason becoming Red Hood, and he was a villain for quite a while.

Mon: Yeah, and it's funny because Batman basically saved Jason from being a villain. When he was young, his greatest concern was, if he left Jason out on the streets, then Jason would just become a bad guy. He would just be another one of Batman's rogues’ gallery. So, he invited him to the mansion, taught him to become the Robin. And that was great. And then, because of Batman's forgiveness of the Joker, when Jason does come back, he comes back angry, because it's constantly fueled by the fact that Batman refuses to act on what happened to him. Ron: That's how he keeps going. It's this vengeance that has shaped his relationships with almost everybody around him. And it's made him a very, very despondent, angry young man. We've had an issue with writing for Jason. It's not been good for a long time, but he can't grieve properly, he can't be a relatable person.

It seems like, because Batman is basically the flagship of DC, to make him as interesting as possible, everybody else around him is suffering.

Mon: Yeah. And let’s take Barbara Gordon, for example. We, especially nowadays, everybody talks about Jason's pain and Jason's anguish about what happened with the Joker. But people tend to forget what happened to Barbara Gordon. In The Killing Joke, which is a huge favorite among a lot of people.

Ron: It's not a very good book, actually.

Mon: It's quite problematic by today's standards, anyway. But for Barbara, she was left in a wheelchair after being shot by the Joker. And she took that opportunity. She saw it as an opportunity and became Oracle, still a very, very helpful superhero to the Bat-Family. And in the Rebirth comics, she was able to get some surgery, and she's back to being Batgirl.

But the writers, in general, tend to forget that the Joker had a lasting impact on her, as well. And while with Jason, it’s very much about his anger, with Barbara, she has to deal with it. And I don't think she's allowed to be angry at Batman. Even though she should be.

Ron: Yes, exactly! She's always been by Batman’s side, but has he earned that? Has Joker earned her forgiveness? Of course, it comes back to writing, and how female characters are never… It's a huge problem with the big two, that female characters have had certain personality traits that are not very realistic, at all.

Mon: So, it's hard to see them as rounded, fleshed out characters because that's not how the people see them.

Ron: And they have largely been written by men who seem to have very strange views on women. So that's also quite unhelpful. But again, it comes back to the same thing. What is Batman doing for his city, for his people, for himself? Because people are getting hurt. And nothing's being done about it.

Mon: There's the old adage that goes: violence begets violence. And, in essence, that's exactly what Batman is doing. Because every time he brings out his Kevlar and his armor and his fancy batmobiles, somebody is trying to figure out a new way to get through all that.

Ron: You don't want to say that it is an invitation, but because nothing is being done to keep these people behind bars or to find a way to make them better, then, it does become an invitation. Because they know that they're not going to be in Arkham for very long. Somebody is going to break them out or they're going to find a way to break themselves out. And they're going to have an upper hand because they've already fought Batman and now, they've actually learned the things that Batman seems to be working on

The principle that all the henchmen, they're desperate people so they're aligning themselves with the Riddler or Joker or whoever is the villain of the week. But those people, they're easy to grab. They're easy to punch, they're easy to put behind bars. What happens to the bosses?

Mon: Also, we have to ask ourselves: why are there so many henchmen lining up for these jobs with the Penguin and whoever? Where are the other jobs?

Ron: Exactly! That means there’s a high rate of unemployment in Gotham.

Mon: And again, that comes down to structural, systemic issues. Even if the bosses, none of them really do any work, all the henchmen have to do all the hard work and dirty work. So, if they didn't have a huge rotating door of henchmen coming in and out, they wouldn't be too effective.

Ron: We know that Bruce Wayne has a very large corporation, and obviously people are working there. Maybe there are opportunities to make new jobs. Why isn't he taking that up?

Mon: Exactly, exactly. It seems wrong to lambaste Bruce Wayne and Batman so thoroughly, since he is definitely one of our favorite superheroes. But at the same time, I feel like after 80 years of reading pretty much the same thing over and over, I think that, especially the most recent disappointment would have to be when The Joker War was happening in the Batman: Rebirth series. And by the end of it, he’s still a threat, an insidious threat, but he's still a threat.

And it just makes us wonder why DC is so against letting go of this character. Its comics. If a character dies, they'll be back in a year. It's fine. But give us a year where we do something different with Bruce Wayne.

Ron: Yes. And you know what, I would say, make a huge change. You know what this is making me think about? There's been a lot of discussion about colorblind casting in films. And we have seen different versions of certain characters. We've seen Thor, the mantle was taken up by Jane Foster. We've seen Miles Morales’ Spider-Man. Maybe we need a Bruce Wayne who is not so white.

Mon: In fact, we are going to get a few. I don't think they’re canon versions, but we do have a few things coming up in the DC future slate. The publications which will try and expand the variety and diversity of characters, even characters that we are familiar with. I hear that there's going to be a Batman who isn't exactly all white. Ron: Okay, but again, that's not the main title. That's always going to be a problem because I think, up until this year, we felt like whatever Batman was doing, it was fine. We were okay with it.

Mon: Yeah, as long as the stories are entertaining, we will keep coming back.

Ron: The stories have not been entertaining, that's a different matter altogether.

Mon: Yeah, that's it.

Ron: But since 2020 has happened. Since we’ve seen what an extremely rich, white man can do when he is in a position of power, right now, Bruce Wayne's entire arc really needs to be rethought. Because it is very difficult. The two of us are women of color. We're immigrants. Reading Batman do what he does, it's not relevant anymore. It's actually a slog for me to read Bruce Wayne’s stories. I feel really bad saying that because Batman has been in our lives forever.

Mon: Yeah. Can't remember a memory without Batman in the background

Ron: I have to really prepare myself to be like, okay a new issue of Batman has come out, let me read it. It is really difficult, because there is nothing about this man that I'm interested in or that I care about.

Mon: Yeah, I mean, he's gruff, he's rugged, he's always talking about how he works solo, and he must work alone. He has a gigantic Bat-Family. He would be so much more effective if he actually invited them to help him, instead of fighting on his own. I can't say I look forward to reading the Batman title, either. Which, again I feel really bad. But I think it's because there's a predictability that has crept into his comics. And it's because it's the safety net.

Ron: And it's the same kind of people writing the same kind of stories over and over again. I think, now is the time to really make a change.

Mon: Yeah, behind the scenes. And on the page. To really shake things up and make Bruce a compelling character again and even if it means a romantic getaway with Catwoman for seven-eight issues, we’re fine with it. It's okay! It's still different. If that makes him change his mind about how he does this war on crime.

Ron: Because Catwoman comes from nothing. Maybe that's what he needs. I do like BatCat, and I did like those issues in the Rebirth comics, but we haven't gone anywhere with it. That is the problem. There is so much that can be done with it.

Mon: Catwoman is far too restrained in her relationship with Batman. I think it again comes back to the safety of not pushing the boundaries of what Catwoman can do or can say to Batman. Because half the time I'm like, really? Why is she with this guy? He's Batman but, she deserves better.

Ron: Yeah, she's smart. She's seen a lot of the really bad parts of the city. She knows what can be done to make things better, because she's been on both sides. She's fought by Batman’s side. She's fought to save Gotham City. But she's also fought to steal stuff.

Mon: So that she can survive!

Ron: Exactly. She changes the perspective. Batman has not really had to do that. In a way, I kind of like the Christopher Nolan movies because we saw him leave Gotham City behind, leave his life behind, and actually have to be out on the streets. We see him trying to steal an apple. sharing it with another fellow thief, because he had nothing.

Mon: But in the comics, it feels like he hasn't learned from any of those kinds of experiences, or at least he's so far removed from those experiences now that he can’t really put himself in the shoes of anybody who is in that state. Ron: Yes, that's true. You were mentioning how we're going to have a future DC book where we're going to see a different version of Bruce Wayne, but I'm not sure what that's going to give us. Because I just read Batman: Overdrive which was quite enjoyable. And it wasn't written by a white man, but the ethos of Batman is somebody who has money, who has privilege. And it doesn't seem like he is able to see beyond that. And that is the problem that we have in 2020.

Mon: Interesting. So even in this Batman? I haven't read it yet.

Ron: Yes, it's a YA book, it's quite enjoyable. He's a young man. This is teenage Bruce Wayne, but he just doesn't see the privilege that he has. And it's a bit jarring when you're reading it, because… Yes he has friends who come from the wrong side of the tracks, who don't have as much money as he does, but he is just so self-absorbed. I think that's what's the problem with Bruce Wayne's money and privilege. He can't see beyond himself, even in his crime fighting. It's not how much of it is for Gotham City, and how much of it is for revenge for what happened to his parents. Mon: Wow. Yeah, that's it. I'm a little disappointed to hear that, because I was quite excited to read it. I kind of agree with you because , the problem with a character who is self absorbed or the issue with such characters, it's about them being—not being apathetic towards other people's pain and suffering, and their situation.

I think therein lies the problem with Batman. He is so absorbed with him being the sole protector of Gotham when he has so many people he can rely on. He's got Lucius Fox backing him up right now. He has Barbara who is back in the Oracle chair when she really should be fighting as Batgirl. He has all these safety nets. And he's not really doing anything with these partners that he has. And it really just comes back to the same thing that he doesn't see beyond himself. And that has repercussions on the people around him, on his city, and on the villains that he's been fighting all these years.

Ron: Exactly.

Mon: They're always saying, yeah, Batman he has his rules which is why he can't step over the boundaries. But that's not the point. Batman doesn't have to go around killing people to make a point. He needs to just make sure that Gotham isn't a breeding ground for these people.

Ron: Make structural changes when you have the ability to make those structural changes. And we're not really seeing that. I'm not saying that we need entire issues dedicated to Batman trying to build the halfway houses or something. but at least give us an inkling that he is doing something like that. And when they are introducing new villains like Clown Hunter, this is a boy who is murdering people, because of the deaths that have been caused by Batman.

Mon: And he's not just murdering common people. He's murdering people who worked with the Joker.

Ron: And who are also in some way, just regular people in difficult circumstances. So, it's such a vicious cycle.

Mon: Well, it actually reminds me off the first season of Batwoman on The CW. In Batwoman, where Ruby Rose’s Kate Kane, she's Bruce’s cousin, so she's also a person of wealth. She returns to the city and while at first, she really does want to fight as Batman, and then as Batwoman, she also starts making little changes. She buys those halfway houses, she's making a little club, which is friendly towards queer people. So, she makes her own little changes. Unfortunately, we won't be able to see more of that.

But we have a new hero in Javicia Leslie’s Ryan Wilder who is going to be debuting next year. 2021. And she is also affected by the structural issues, the systemic problems of Gotham. And she will be fighting for those people.

Ron: Javicia Leslie is a Black woman. She's playing the first Black Batwoman. And this is the kind of change that we need to see.

Mon: Exactly. Who knows, if Rose had remained as Batwoman into the second season, we probably wouldn't have seen this. But she stepped back and they saw what was happening around the world, and they made a positive change by bringing in a Black woman who can give us a completely different idea of what it is like to fight crime in Gotham. Ron: And is this something similar with Sophie Moore. They didn't have to have a Black woman in that role, but they did, and we get a completely different perspective because she's a Black, queer woman. We don't get to see characters like that. So for me, the Batman comics, if they really want to make Batman more relevant, maybe, to make sure that Batman doesn't seem like an enemy to his own people, maybe start making a big change like that.

Mon: Yeah, I, for a very long time, I've always wanted to make a sort of Elseworlds story where Batman is like sort of, half-Asian or full Asian, who knows. And the problem is that they will be rich, but because of the systemic racism and societal racism, he's not quite accepted by everybody else which is why he works alone so often. You need to sort of mold it, so it makes a little bit more sense.

Ron: But I would take that even further. What if Batman, an Asian Batman, whose parents built Gotham City, ended up seeing his parents being killed in front of him, because they were immigrants, because they were doing something for the city. We've managed to get a completely new perspective. I'm looking at it this way: we were in Dubai for so long, and there were so many South Asians who stayed there and built the city from the ground up. And it makes a difference to what the outcome of the city is. So, maybe that's what Gotham needs. Maybe that's what Batman needs. His titles need a refreshing change in point of view. Mon: Exactly.

Ron: Unfortunately for us, though we really do love Batman, we do have to admit that he has not been good for his city, for his close friends and relatives. Or for himself. He's not healing, he's not getting better. He's doing the same thing over and over again, which is quite literally the definition of madness. So, we need to see something new in Batman. We need to see him change. We need to see him held accountable for what he's been doing wrong. And maybe we just need a new Batman.

Ron: You can find us on Twitter @Stereo_Geeks. Or send us an email [email protected]. We hope you enjoyed this episode. And see you next week!

Mon: The Stereo Geeks logo was created using Canva. The music for our podcast comes courtesy Audionautix.

[Continuum by Audionautix plays]

Transcription by Otter.ai and Ron.

#batman #podcast #geek #dc comics #stereo geeks

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violent-optimism · 5 years

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Ranking the Uncharted Villains

Hey Everyone!

I know this post is kind of out of the blue. The truth is I’ve been working on it for about a month or two. It’s taken me a long time to make but it’s finally done and I am ready to share it with you all!

Please enjoy this ranking of all the villains in the Uncharted game series. The order of characters is from worst to best. These are just my personal opinions, and I don’t mean to change anyone’s minds!

Also, please excuse the poor quality of some of these images, I struggled to find high quality ones!

(Note: I will not be including minor/side villains like Ramses, Orca, etc.)

Gabriel Roman – Simon Templeman

So let’s start off with, in my opinion, the worst of the bunch, and not in a good way. Roman is not a horribly written villain at all, but compared to some of the other Uncharted baddies, he’s pretty boring. There’s not much about him that is interesting or unique. He’s just an old British guy hell-bent on finding the treasure before our heroes do. Never seen that before! Although I will give him props for being the only Uncharted villain to actually “kill” one of the heroes…for a limited time that is.

Atoq Navarro – Robin Atkin Downes

Much like his boss, Navarro ain’t that special either. He doesn’t even have that many lines or screen time until the later chapters of the game. One could easily forget about his existence, especially during the more intense areas of the campaign. However, Navarro is slightly better than Roman in one specific way, in that he is revealed to have been pulling the strings all along; and is in fact the main baddie whom you fight in the final showdown. He appears to be far more intelligent than originally shown, which makes for an interesting twist when he betrays Roman and ultimately kills him.

Asav – Usman Ally

For those of you who have had the pleasure to experience the amazing game that is Uncharted: The Lost Legacy, you are probably very familiar with this villain. To put it plainly, Asav is a delusional yet intelligent psychopath who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. While seemingly very intimidating at first, Asav’s plan starts to fall apart towards the end of the game thanks to the insane stubbornness of Chloe and Nadine. In truth, Asav is actually nothing more than a madman who struggles to see beyond his own vision. He is definitely well written (and acted) but he fails to hold up against some of the franchise’s more iconic villains.

Eddy Raja – James Sie

Speaking of iconic villains, it doesn’t get any more iconic than this hilarious baddie from the original game. While he doesn’t have a terrible amount of screen time, Eddy completely steals the show whenever he’s around thanks to the brilliant comedic timing of James Sie. Eddy is an interesting character as he somehow manages to be intimidating and pathetic at the same time. Hot-headed and completely full of himself, the Indonesian crime lord is a classic villain with only one true motivation: treasure (lots of it!). I do acknowledge that Nate and Eddy teamed up before his rather gruesome death, but let’s be honest…he’s definitely a bad guy, no question about it.

Katherine Marlowe – Rosalind Ayres

Looks can be deceiving, and while Marlowe might look like a sweet old lady, she is anything but. Cold, manipulative and incredibly smart; Marlowe is the only Uncharted villain to have literally been at odds with Nate for most of his treasure hunting life. Granted, she needs help from her loyal bodyguards in order to fully enact her wicked deeds, but Marlowe is a very imposing woman nonetheless. Preferring psychological warfare and controlling her enemies through fear, Marlowe is one of Nathan Drake’s greatest adversaries, and rightfully so!

Talbot - Robin Atkin Downes

Probably the most terrifying thing about this Uncharted baddie is just how little we actually know about him. Wherever Marlowe goes, Talbot is never far behind. Throughout his appearances in Uncharted 3, the secondary villain appears to do things that should be impossible. He’s like a magician, a secret service agent and a sadist rolled into one terrifying man. While seeming prim and proper on the outside, Talbot houses an evil streak and shares his superior’s goal of dominating opponents through fear and pain. Oh, and definitely don’t accept any drugs he offers…

Rafe Adler – Warren Kole

Rafe has got to be the worst example of what happens when you spoil your kids. What do all men with money want? More money. With big dreams of finding Henry Avery’s treasure and the bank account to pull it off, Rafe will stop at nothing to prove he is more than just another rich white guy (which he totally is). However, money isn’t the only thing that Rafe has going for him. He does an exceptional job at pretending to act like a sane individual. In truth, he’s a psychotic monster with a temper that’s always bubbling just below the surface. Rafe doesn’t care about being nice and never will, he just wants one thing and I’m pretty sure you know what that is (psst…treasure).

Nadine Ross - Laura Bailey

To be honest, I sort of struggled on whether or not to actually include Nadine on this list. Yes, she is one of the main villains in Uncharted 4, but as we know from The Lost Legacy, she isn’t all bad, and isn’t nearly as loathsome as some of the other characters on this list.

That being said, Nadine is not to be messed with. She literally packs a punch! Capable of fighting two grown men at once, the leader of Shoreline will make you think twice about the phrase: “hits like a girl”. Straightforward, blunt and not one to mince words, Nadine is as strategic as she is lethal. She also has the unique experience of being the only Uncharted villain to avoid death. In the end, she’s all the better for it.

Harry Flynn – Steve Valentine

It’s impossible to overstate just how entertaining this character is. Flynn is a villain that you love to hate. While not quite as witty as Drake, Flynn does possess a wicked sense of humor; ultimately dishing out some of the most hilarious dialogue in the entire Uncharted series. What is interesting about Flynn is that he honestly just seems like an ordinary guy who made some very wrong choices. His lack of intelligence and pathetic tendencies don’t make him very threatening; especially in comparison to his villain counterpart.

On the other hand, Flynn does seem to get a kick out of fooling Drake and even lands a rather devastating gunshot wound on our hero. Although he tries his best to impress Lazarevic, his efforts aren’t up to snuff, and the villain dies in what is probably one of the most tragic and unexpected deaths of the series.

Zoran Lazarevic – Graham McTavish

Come on, who else could earn the number one spot on this list? In my opinion, Lazarevic is by far the scariest and most dangerous villain in Uncharted. Described as a “psychopathic war criminal” by Elena, the main baddie from Uncharted 2 has no issue with killing his own men if he believes it will help him reach his goal. There is a certain philosophy to him, as he is inspired by the “great men” of history (i.e. Hitler) and wishes to go down in history as a similar figure. He’s a complete sadist and enjoys taunting people with games that put lives at risk. Lazarevic (allegedly) becomes invincible, so much so that even Nathan Drake can’t defeat him. He is utterly insane and if given the opportunity, will snap a few necks and take great pleasure in doing so. Lazarevic is the best Uncharted villain, hands down.

I hope you guys enjoyed my list! Let me know what you think!

#Uncharted #Uncharted Villains #my ranking

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dailyaudiobible · 6 years

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11/22/2018 DAB Transcript

Ezekiel 44:1-45:12, 1 Peter 1:1-12, Psalms 119:17-32, Proverbs 28:8-10

Today is the 23rd day of November. Welcome to the Daily Audio Bible. I am Brian and it's a pleasure and an honor to be here with you today. And, I guess, traditionally this is the beginning of the holiday season, black Friday. And, so I guess we can say it's the most wonderful time of the year. And thankfully the rhythm of our year takes us right through the most wonderful time of the year and we just continue to take steps forward, which is what we'll do today, of course, because it’s what we do every day. We’re reading from the Good News Translation this week. Ezekiel chapter 45 verse 13 through 46 verse 24.

Introduction to First Peter:

Okay. So, as promised at the beginning we find ourselves being reunited today with an old friend, the apostle Peter. And, of course, we’ve had plenty of opportunity to observe the personality and character of Peter throughout the Gospels and, of course, in the book of Acts and we've experienced his passion in action but we’ll now hear that passion in written form in the letter we know as 1 Peter. So, let’s talk about where we’re headed. Simon or Simeon was Peter's actual given name but by the time that that he had become a part of the inner circle of Jesus, Jesus had given him the name Cephas, which in Aramaic means rock. And, so, when the Aramaic language is translated into the Greek language than the word Cephas becomes Petros. And, so, there. Now we can see the origins of the English biblical name Peter. And Peter’s story is certainly one of redemption, is certainly one of absolute transformation. It’s hard for us to forget his lowest moment when he denied Jesus three times in Caiaphas's courtyard. And from there we followed Peter all the way to the upper room where tongues of fire hovered over those awaiting the coming Holy Spirit. And after that Peter was different. He was empowered with an anointing and a boldness and we’re still feeling the impact of that today, both from the witness of his life in the Gospels in the book of Acts and from the writings that we’re about to read. So, Peter says in his letter that he's writing from Babylon and although there's plenty of conjecture, the general consensus among biblical scholars is that he was probably referring to Rome. And incidentally, most biblical scholars would make the same parallel with the book of Revelation. When Babylon is referred to it is likely referring to Rome. So, with that in mind 1 Peter it is generally dated from the early to mid-60s A.D., somewhere within the vicinity of time that the apostle Paul was first released from prison. And the letter was written to God's chosen people who are living as foreigners in the provinces of Pontus and Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia. These were five provinces of the Roman Empire and they're all now located within modern-day Turkey. Peter used the term “God's chosen people who are living as foreigners” because this had been something that was well understood in Jewish culture. Those living as foreigners or the diaspora were those who had been scattered all over the world in different exiles and in terms of first Peter, most recently those would have been fleeing from persecution because of their faith. So, there's a little context, but first Peter is a forthright letter. If James kicked our butt, first Peter is pretty forthright too and it packs its own wallop, but under underneath all of it is a letter that's written actually to encourage, to bolster, to lift up those who are suffering because of their faith and to be a reminder, a beacon, to remind them of the glorious hope for those who do endure. So, if we’re still kind of smarting from James we’re about to get a second helping of straight talk as we begin the first letter of Peter and today we'll read chapter 1 verses 1 through 12.

Commentary:

Okay. So, even though the postures that the apostle Peter is writing about in his first letter, which we’re reading, even though those things are intended to be lived out every day, we mind find it, what's being said is particularly relevant to the time of year we’re moving into now. I mean, because this is the time that our schedules start to fill, right, and they fill with joyful festivities but it's…along with all of that comes plenty of challenges, right? The rest of our year kind of gets disrupted. And in that disruption, we may find ourselves like feeling that something's missing or fighting for our place, right, whether we’re fighting for a parking spot at the mall, which some of you probably are today, or within the family dynamics that arise around the holidays. And Peter gives us counsel in advance out in front of things on how to face trying times like these. So, quoting Peter, “Be obedient to God and do not allow your lives to be shaped by those desires you had when you were still ignorant. Instead be holy in all that you do just as God called you is holy Scripture. The scripture says be holy because I am holy.” So, obviously Peter’s not talking about holidays in the 21st century, he was talking about the shape of our everyday lives but since we’re headed into one of the most uniquely stressful times of the year, the counsel becomes immediately available. I mean…just…we read a lot of words today but if we just remember these, “you must be holy because I am holy”, right? That can be a rescue when we’re absolutely exhausted, when were emotionally spent, when we’re pulled into challenging environments, when we’re rubbing up against all kinds of stuff that just comes at this time year. Because often when we’re stressed out, right, we’re trying to find ways to cope and we’re overwhelmed and. And, so, we move toward trying to be in control…we try to control the environment, or we become incredibly opinionated or we become extremely judgmental. And, ironically this isn't a new 21st century phenomenon among human beings. On the heels of Peter's encouragement to live holy lives he had this to say, “You call him Father, when you pray who God judges all people by the same standard according to what each one is done.” So, we have to remember that we are each individually on a journey with God, especially in these stressful times like the holidays. None of us have been appointed that the spiritual judge over our peers or our family. God will handle it and He is impartial because He knows what's really going on. So, in instead, Peter offered an alternative thought that relieves us of our control and returns us to a place of gratitude. And here's how he says it, “Now by your obedience to the truth you have purified your selves and have come to have a sincere love for other believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.” So, to be able to achieve or to live into this kind of love, even in spite of the stressful times, Peter goes on, “Rid yourselves then of all evil. No more lying or hypocrisy or jealousy or insulting language.” And oddly these are the kinds of behaviors we get pulled toward around the holidays when things are starting to fray, right, when it's all starting to get to us. So, we can lavish gifts upon people while simultaneously being deceitful, hypocritical, jealous and full of all kinds of unkind things to say. And this is not unlike James observation that God can be worshiped, and His creations can be cursed out of the same mouth. And he had something to say about it and we should remember, “Surely my brothers and sisters, this is not right.” And the same conclusion applies to what Peter is saying. And then from our reading today, lastly, Peter gives us the “why” of all of this in a stunning reminder of who we really are, “you” and this is quoting Peter, “you are the chosen race, the Kings priests, the holy nation, God's own people chosen to proclaim the wonderful acts of God who called you out of darkness into His own marvelous light.” And we have to acknowledge that the seasons we are entering is centered around that that absolute truth. Like all around the world we’ll begin to consider the arrival of the Savior who has called us out of darkness. And maybe this is the first time you’re realizing just how close to Christmas we are with all that’s just happening around us this week. Let's carry into the season with us this reminder, something that we can continually tell ourselves. “You must be holy, for I am holy.” Let's bring that into a season that celebrates the coming of the Holy Child and just allow that, that reminder of holiness and the invitation that we are being given to be holy and carry that into this season and let it shape our experience and be an influence for our decisions because we always have a choice. We can do good.

Prayer:

Father, we invite you into this, this what we’re talking about. We must be holy because you are holy and we certainly invite you into that because we can’t be holy on our own. We need to interact and collaborate to be intertwined with you. So, come, Holy Spirit. But we also pray over this coming season, out in front of us now, of joy and celebration that brings tremendous challenges to certain lives in all kinds of ways. We need you. Come, Holy Spirit we pray into the days ahead we ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.

Announcements:

dailyaudiobible.com is the website, its home base, its where you find out what’s going on around here.

And today is Black Friday and…well…I talked about it a couple of days ago but that means that the Daily Audio Bible Family Christmas Box for 2018 is now available and it is packed full of things that you’ll want to keep for yourself and things that you’ll want to give away. And this year's Christmas Box is a good one. We have the Promise Land double DVD set that is always popular around here because…well…frankly it allows us to go in with a window and look around basically at the places that we have visited so often in the Scriptures. And double DVD set has over four hours of content to just really, really immerse yourself in the land of the Bible. So, that is in the Christmas Box. We’ve also included the last two books that I've written, the first one called Reframe in the second one called Sneezing Jesus. And these are both books of spiritual transformation. They are…I mean…literally when I sit down to write, I'm writing because I feel like I don’t have a choice…like I've reached a point of wrestling that I need to begin to put things on paper, that's where things start. But in my heart and in my mind, I'm always writing toward someone and that someone is our community. So, if you have been taking the journey through the Bible and haven’t taken the journey through Reframe or Sneezing Jesus, they’re in the Christmas Box this year. And man I wrote it, so, it's hard for me to say you really should read this, but I wrote it to be read by our community, people who are hungry for the Scriptures and are truly pressing in to the relationship with God that is offered through Jesus and actually trying to live this faith and actually allowing this faith to transform us. I’ve written these things that journey. So, both of those are included in the Christmas Box. And one additional book called “Going Solo”, written by my friend Robert. And it is about the solo parenting journey. There are plenty of single parents in this community, but there's probably none of us that don't have a single parent in our lives. And Robert went through a season of being a single dad under some pretty dire circumstances. And he shares this story. So, but it’s not just like a book of commiseration or a book of tips and tricks. Like, it's not…it's exactly what a single parent who is overwhelmed needs to hear with no one expecting anything in return. It's just pouring life into a tattered soul. So, if you are on the solo parent journey then, yeah, this for you. But if you’re not, you know someone and this is for them. We also have our Daily Audio Bible Christmas cards for this year and they’re very beautiful and they have the word for the year imprinted on the front, “Hope”. So, there’s 20 cards and 20 envelopes in the Christmas Box. You can order the cards…like if you send out more than 20, you can order your Christmas cards from Daily Audio Bible. They're not big advertisements for the Daily Audio Bible. They say Daily Audio Bible on the back, like where Hallmark is…would usually be. That's it. But they are a fantastic way to invite your friends and family along for the journey with you in the coming year. So, yes there’s a pack of 20 of those in the Christmas Box but you can order as many of them as you want separately at the Daily Audio Bible Shop. And we’ll talk about that in the second. Also included is the Daily Audio Bible Christmas bulb for 2018. And I think this is the seventh year we've done this. Of course, the word “Hope” is on Christmas bulb. And I have a one of these for every year that we've been doing it and it goes up on the tree every year and I look at that little place on the tree, and it reminds me of all the journeys, all the miles, all the words, all the life that goes into a year of the Bible. So, that reminds me of all the journeys we’ve taken and just brings you into our home. And I know that that's become a tradition for many of you and that's true for you as well. So, the Christmas ball is in the Christmas Box. Also, we’re lovers of the Black Wing pencils and we have those in the Daily Audio Bible shop with all of our writing paraphernalia, which by the way, those writing kits are awesome Christmas gifts. So, you can check that out. But this year we were able to work along with our friends at Black Wing and get the Daily Audio Bible imprinted on some pencils. We’re not allowed to sell them like in boxes of 12 or as individuals but we’re allowed to put them in the Christmas Box. And, so, there’s is a Black Wing Daily Audio Bible, one-of-a-kind, in the Christmas Box this year. And then, of course, your choice of our Windfarm coffee or our Windfarm boutique tea. And lastly, a surprise, a mystery. And everybody will get the mystery, but everybody won’t get the same mystery, but one additional resource of some sort will be in the Box this year. So that's the Daily Audio Bible Family Christmas 2018. It's a good one and it's available now on the Daily Audio Bible Shop. So that's at dailyaudiobible.com and then you click Shop and you'll see the Christmas section and you’ll find all the stuff. Of course, you can access the shop from the Daily Audio Bible app as well. So, we always sell out of these. I recommend if you want one that you get one sooner than later. Those of you who are outside of the domestic United States, including our neighboring nations of Canada and Mexico, the cutoff date for us and kinda feeling confident that everything would arrive for Christmas, is the 28th of November, which is less than a week. So, if you're international and you'd like this to arrive for Christmas, then I wouldn't delay. We will send them, of course, after the 28th internationally, but not sure the gonna arrive in time for Christmas. So, don't delay on that. If you're inside the United States then, you know, there’s a little more time but wouldn't wait, they sell out every year. So, check all of that out in the Daily Audio Bible shop. It's Christmas time. Here we go.

If you want to partner with the Daily Audio Bible here as we approach the end of the year, then obviously, I can't thank you enough. My humble gratitude is beyond my words because every day that we sit down to come together like this is another day that we've done something in collaboration with God and His word, but also in community together. We just wouldn't be here if we didn’t do it together. So, thank you. There’s a link on the homepage of dailyaudiobible.com. If you’re using the Daily Audio Bible app, you can press the Give button in the upper right-hand corner or, if you prefer, the mailing address is PO Box 1996 Spring Hill Tennessee 37174.

And, as always, if you have a prayer request or comment, 877-942-4253 is the number to dial.

And that's it for today. I'm Brian I love you and I'll be waiting for you here tomorrow.

Community Prayer and Praise:

hi, my name is Gwen Kavune and this is my first time calling the Daily Audio Bible. Today is November 19, 2018. I am so glad to be a part of the daily audio Bible. I really love hearing Brian and his commentary on the Bible each day. I’ve been listening for…since late in October and I really, really enjoy listening to the commentary, like I said. This is such a great venue for hearing the word and it’s great for me to because I am blind. So, this is a great way for me to hear the word of God. And hearing the prayer…being able to have a place to leave a prayer request is great. And to have other people agreeing with you and prayer is a great thing. I love having that available to me and having other believers out there supporting and encouraging me. That is so great. And I enjoy hearing from others and I enjoy…I’m sorry…I enjoy the poetry from Blind Tony. You do a wonderful job. Your gifted…

This is Judy and Steve in Salt Lake and this call is for Christine with the bumpy dog. Christine, we heard your call, not the first one, but the last one __ and we just want you to know that we are praying for you and we’re sending you a virtual hug. And I would’ve called sooner but I couldn’t talk. Just know we love you and we’re praying for the peace that passes all understanding for you, for healing according to God’s will. Whatever comes next, we pray that you are strong and that you know His love for you is never-ending. And we pray this in Jesus’ precious name. Amen.

Hi everyone, it’s Karen in St. Louis. Thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for all your prayers for my 60th. Got a couple of texts from Marlene that were so encouraging and Shannon from Salem, your song your prayers and Josh from Indiana, your prayers were just like from God for my heart and I’m so grateful. I’m grateful for this community and am so grateful for Brian, Jill, and the family that’s answered the call. And I’m most grateful to Jesus who is the author and perfecter of our faith. And He’s our ultimate hope. And, so, Brian, I loved your commentary today on James and talking about the faith and works and then also going into our tongues. All these things that we’re going through in most of the fall, I think about Paula and the devastation that you’ve incurred and Christine with the bumpy dog, my heart goes out to you sister. And, so many others, you know. But this kind of encouraged me because we are on a journey. And in Hebrews 12:1 it says, Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. And I just think about how it is constantly just looking to Jesus. And I thought about what you said Brian, at the family reunion, and about how you said that you never felt so close to the Lord is when you are suffering. So, brothers and sisters, take heart in this Thanksgiving where we give thanks to Jesus. I love you all. Bye-bye.

Hello Daily Audio Bible family, this is Becky from Orlando. I am calling in right now for Paula the child advocate. I just heard that you lost her home. I am so, so, so sorry that that happened in the wildfires. I hadn’t heard your original call and, of course, my eyes started tearing up when I heard that. I’m so sorry for your Paula. I’m gonna keep you in my prayers for you to find a house and some temporary housing in the meantime and just for some comfort. So, I’ve got you in my prayers and I’ve also got Christine with the bumpy dog in my prayers also. I’m praying for God’s healing touch on you for the chemotherapy to do its thing and to heal you and for you to find relief and for you to be able to get back home. So, I’ll keep you both in my prayers and I love you all very much. All right. Have a good day. Bye-bye.

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Review

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Psych: The Movie, when it was released in 2017, was clearly a love letter for the avid Psych-Os missing fake psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday), his platonic life partner Burton Guster (Dulé Hill), and the rest of the Santa Barbara Police Department after the series wrapped in 2014. From a David Bowie-loving villain to a #TeamGrimmie T-shirt, it was the best kind of fan service. Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, then, is undoubtedly a love letter from the cast and crew of Psych to one of their own: actor Timothy Omundson and his grouchy yet heroic alter ego, detective Carlton Lassiter, both undergoing recovery for a stroke. Psych 2, which premieres July 15 on Peacock, is a surprisingly poignant example of art imitating life while still ushering a crew of beloved characters through personal and professional life changes.

Because of the timing of Omundson’s stroke prior to shooting the first movie, Roday and series creator Steve Franks quickly rewrote that script to build in reasons for Lassiter’s absence: transplanting the mystery from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, and bringing in Lassiter for a late-stage pep talk for his former partner Juliet O’Hara (Maggie Lawson). The scene was staged in such a way as to not necessarily acknowledge that anything had changed in the character’s life. But three years later, with Omundson still relearning how to walk, the writers (Franks, Roday, and Andy Berman) leaned in to the actor’s real-life situation and constructed an entire Hitchcockian whodunnit around his recovery:

Someone shot Lassie! Recuperating in Santa Barbara, the usually sharp detective, his senses dulled by pain and meds, nonetheless notices a series of strange happenings in and around his recovery clinic: catatonic patients walking the halls, bleeding strangers lurking on the grounds at night… possibly even ghosts. With potentially supernatural happenings afoot, clearly this is a case for a fake psychic and his many-nicknamed-associate. And when it comes to Lassie, Shawn and Gus are more than happy to return to their old stomping grounds, slurp some Jamba Juice, and unravel this eerie case.

But here’s the rub: What if it’s all in Lassie’s head?

In addition to meeting Omundson where he’s at, the Hitchcockian plot smartly turns the series’ original premise on its ear: Instead of Shawn being the one that people struggle between debunking and believing—no one moreso than Lassiter—now it’s Lassie as the unreliable narrator. While Shawn’s lies ballooned to so precarious a point that he could lose all credibility if punctured, Lassiter arguably has more to lose should his peers decide that he’s “crazy”: Not only could be he forcibly retired from his job, but he’d lose the respect of the police department and (he believes) wife Marlowe (Kristy Swanson) and their daughter Lily.

You can hear the genuine warmth and affection that everyone involved has for Omundson. In the scene when Juliet tells Lassiter, “You are the strongest person I know, and I am watching you get stronger every single day, and I love you, and I don’t know what I would do without you,” it’s also clearly Maggie Lawson talking to Omundson, and probably even also the series engaging its fans, especially now.

These highly emotional stakes ground a mystery that often veers into the ludicrous, even for Psych. There are hospital hijinks involving dismembered hands and foot tickling; another bonkers Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson) hallucination that outdoes its Psych: The Movie predecessor; a shootout at a Viking-themed ice bar; and exhaustive travel back-and-forth between Santa Barbara and San Francisco. At the hospital, Richard Schiff plays a suspiciously uptight doctor, while Sarah Chalke is a beam of sunshine as basically a more put-together version of Elliot from Scrubs, with a smile for Lassiter and an eye for Gus.

The one major downside of the Psych movies is that they lack the tight structure of a 42-minute TV case. There’s still all the same crime-solving plot beats, but you trade that briskness for a bevy of witty references, as if the characters and the stars would rather spend ninety minutes catching up on the last three years of pop culture. To be fair, they are great; where else would you see The Force Awakens and This Is Us get equal play? (And they’re both stories where fathers come to tragic ends! It all fits.) But the joke-spackling can’t entirely disguise the holes in the narrative.

Shawn and Gus’ penchant for puerile humor also grates a bit in this installment, especially when one of the movie’s central themes is manning up and getting more serious. The aforementioned foot-tickling scene felt out of place even for these two. When it’s just the two of them being handsy and inappropriate, it’s comedy gold; when they bring in a play partner, it just gets uncomfortable.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Stars on Hitchcock Homages and Special Reunions

By Natalie Zutter

But it’s not all rehashing old bits, as Shawn muses to Gus in an especially meta moment; Psych 2 also offers small but pivotal moments of growth for the major characters. One of the movie’s biggest treats is watching Jules be the one to sneak around Shawn’s back investigating the identity of Lassiter’s shooter, instead of their usual status quo in which she’s the straight man to his risk-taker. Even more fun is that she gets a temporary partner in Gus’ girlfriend Selene (Jazmyn Simon), who initially races down to SoCal to investigate Gus’ potential love interest but winds up joining the hunt for a missing bullet and a shadowy motive.

Even the supporting cast who get only a few scenes are standouts, from Chief Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson) staring down a life-changing job interview to Woody (Kurt Fuller) in a disguise that’s just this side of offensive to Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) continuing his absurd Boomer hipster ways while also managing to have an actually heartfelt conversation with Shawn about fatherhood.

Absent fathers loom over Lassie Come Home, from Shawn in a sitcom-y plot involving a pregnancy test to Carlton’s meds-induced hallucinations of the Lassiter family patriarch (Joel McHale), a ghostly manifestation of the detective’s self-censure about manliness and what recovery looks like. Psych 2 never sugarcoats Lassiter’s recovery, adeptly balancing hope and pessimism, hero worship and regret.

The mystery resolves in an uneven fashion, with a few too many red herrings and new characters and settings that you could tell it was fun to set up, if nothing else. But let’s be real, we weren’t here for the who or why of Lassiter getting shot; the movie’s heart is in what he does next. That resolution is handled so thoughtfully, in a simple moment that resonates for both Lassiter and Omundson, and every (not-a-dry) eye watching.

Psych had already proven with its first movie that it could grow and change with its fanbase, but this latest installment commits to putting each character on a new path, even if it’s just taking one step. Here’s hoping we’ll get to keep revisiting Shawn and Gus à la the BBC’s Sherlock and Watson every few years—for a new mystery, sure, but really just because everyone feels like family.

Psych 2: Lassie Come Home premieres July 15 on Peacock.

The post Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Review appeared first on Den of Geek.

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pyramidhead316 · 7 years

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On ‘Supergirl’ and toxic relationships.

So, I didn’t know about this sh*tstorm that was going on, until I came across it while reading one of my regular jaunts through Supercorp for the day, since I’ve been steadily working on my Star Wars/Supergirl/Persona crossover and my Silent Hill fic ‘Dark Descent’. (Yes, it’s as crazy as it sounds! ;-D) And I’ve been shocked at the mess that this has turned into it. I’ve read accounts of it on Reddit, where people have blamed the fandom from Supergirl, and said that shippers are toxic to the series. Others have said that people are taking this way too seriously.

Yes, fans may be overreacting to this. I don’t condone threats or very harsh personal insults to the cast, since they have friends and family too. But here’s the thing. We’ve just endured an entire series of one of the worst relationships I have ever seen on screen, with a character that literally makes me, a bi-leaning man, want to see Bane break him. I really wanted Bane to just put in one appearance on ‘Supergirl’, break Mon-El in half, and then leave. :-P Chris Wood is a good man, but he’s been stuck with playing Mon-El, a character who is one of the worst and most boring love interests I’ve ever seen on screen, and who has sucked away nearly everything I loved about the series. He pales to some of the legendary love interests who have been presented for strong female characters in the past. Hell, he pales to James who came before him! And now we’re told that LGBT people, who don’t have enough representation on screen, have to feel diminished and that they’re not worth much to the show, that they have to accept anything thrown their way even if it’s insults, that they have to have their fantasies mocked, by straight people who can never understand even an inkling of what they’re going through (God, I really want to punch some straight people tonight, after reading through that thread on Reddit), and that it’s okay to have a formerly strong female be together with an absolute slime of a man, because God forbid you have another LGBT pairing on the show? Yeah, I don’t blame them for being pissed.

By now, I’m sure we all know what was done. Jeremy Jordan said something stupid at Comic Con, and used a song to turn it into a game. Thereby earning himself and Melissa the ire of about 500,000 fans. :-P Even Gail Simone herself has chipped in on this, bashing rightfully the cast for their idiocy. That we’ve pulled a legendary comic book writer from her important work to comment on this says a lot about this situation. The problem is not that Jordan said Supercorp was never going to happen. We knew it was never going to happen. The problem is that he then turned it into a game, using it to insult the very viewers that support him, and a partial portion of the cast was stupid enough not to shut him down. This would NEVER have been done for a straight pairing, and if you’re a straight person and you believe differently, then you’re a fool and deluded.

First off, let’s be honest: the way Kara and Lena are written on ‘Supergirl’ is queer baiting. I understand this happened a lot on another show, ‘Rizzoli and Isles’, to the detriment of that show’s cast when they personally took to mocking the show’s fans who were hoping for a pairing. A lot of people never forgave them for that. Another reason why I never watched that show, besides my disinterest for police procedurals. I don’t have time for that game. Kara and Lena could easily pass for best friends at first. But the dozens of flowers as gratitude for saving (or trying to save) her reputation? The increasing relying on Kara for support? The fact that Lena and Kara have more chemistry in their little fingers than Melissa and Chris have in their entire bodies, on screen? (Where is this supposedly hot action that Karamel fans see on screen? The words that come to mind are “cold fish”. Now John Crichton and Aeryn Sun – there’s a HOT pairing! And I’m not ashamed to say that as a man.) All this has to be intentional on the part of the writers. The chemistry can be accidental – that happens in sets, but the actors can only work with what they’re given. Mon-El never should have passed beyond his comic relief role as an almost little brother for Kara, and I think the writers realize this. They have no plans for what they want to do with him in the end, but he fits the traditional white bread image of a love interest. Lena and Kara have fantastic chemistry, terrific chemistry, but the writers already have an LGBT pairing on the show, and they can’t afford another one – the censors would eat them alive. So, they write this way, teasing glimpses of something that could be more, in order to keep the LGBT audience watching, knowing that there will never be more. That’s queer baiting. Writing teasing glimpses and touches, in order to give the appearance of a possible gay relationship, knowing that there will never be another gay relationship on the show all the while.

Secondly, some people say that why is it important. Do you wonder why so many fans pair together characters in lesbian or gay relationships? People flock to pairings because there is a dearth of representation on the television. Hetero relationships have NEVER been under-represented on TV, ever. It has been the norm for so long that people have accepted it as the norm, and don’t realize that it’s not everybody’s norm. It’s become so accepted for people to assume that a character is straight that a woman could come in on a show and start flirting with every woman imaginable, and people would still assume she was straight and just playing around, unless she outright said she was gay. The same goes for men. Jonathan Frakes attempted to destroy this with an episode of “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in the 90’s, by wanting a man to play his love interest, showing that love knew no gender, but big surprise, the writers never let him get it passed, out of fear of the censors. If you would just give us more LGBT pairings to root for, we wouldn’t give a crap who Supergirl was with! As it stands, you don’t and you pair her with a man that she would otherwise be advised to dump as soon as possible by most people. It’s the final insult, in a long line of insults. What do you expect to happen!? O_O You can’t keep pushing the LGBT fandom, teasing them and needling them whenever necessary, and not expect some fallback. Yes, sometimes it falls on the actors unfortunately, but you have to understand that a lot of people out there are getting sick of this ‘straight only, white only’ crap out there. I notice that you guys didn’t go deep into Maggie’s background in Blue Springs, because you probably didn’t want to traumatize white viewers watching it. What’s the matter, you don’t want to show how nasty white people can be in a small rural town? o_O (And I say this as someone who’s most favorite protagonists are mostly white (Solid Snake, Alessa Gillespie, Raiden, Anakin Skywalker, Kara, etc. The whities are strong in my fics. ;-P Yet it’s their stories I like, not their skin color.)

Wonder Woman is absolutely, blatantly acknowledged as bisexual in the comics. Why is she not portrayed as blatantly bisexual in the movie? O_O Are you that terrified of the few hundred Christians who will protest the decision, that you don’t want to risk ever giving a hint of it in the film? Oh no, other Amazons can be involved with women, and Diana herself admits that men are useless for pleasure, but God forbid you come out and say that she loves women. And this isn’t an attack on the WW filmmakers, they did the best they could. This is an attack on the mindset in Hollywood that says you can’t make a protagonist gay or bisexual in a strong Summer tentpole movie. Why don’t we have a major gay or bi superhero out there, in full display? Why are we letting the bigots continue to run our entertainment for us? And I hate to see this kind of crap filtering down to the television world, with its series. :-( Some people would say, that we should be grateful we got one LGBT couple, in Alex and Maggie. That’s exactly the point: we shouldn’t have to be grateful for only getting one couple, the scraps of whatever they deem fit to toss us? You may know more gay people in your real life than you see on TV! It’s ridiculous. When are we going to be able to see a woman loving a woman, or a man loving a man, and not have it called a perversion or “sickening” children’s minds? It’s the freakin’ 21st century. Get with the program!

Third, if it had been a man who was Lex Luthor’s brother or son, you can believe the Network would have wanted that they hook up and sleep together in three episodes into the season. You can better believe that would have happened. In fact, it would have been a demand: they would HAVE to sleep together, or the writers would be hearing from the network executives soon. Yet God forbid that a woman has something besides friendship with another woman! :-P Yes, it’s perfectly fine to have women be platonic friends: it’s completely ACCEPTABLE! But that’s not the whole story. Far too often, women’s love has been restrained only towards the friendly, while it was expected that any man they meet up with would immediately turn into the romantic. James, Winn, and Mon-El; three red-blooded men who fall in love with Kara, and want to be with her. Why is it that every time Kara meets a man, it has to be romantic? Yet with Lena, a woman, it’s like, oh no, she has to be a friend only! There’s a blatant double standard there, and you must be a blind man without Daredevil’s enhanced senses if you can’t see it! :-P

What hurts about Jeremy Jordan’s words is that his character was (unfairly) characterized as a Nice Guy (™), and not the one you hope for but the other one (i.e. manipulative asshole), whereas he wasn’t that at all. I think he was a friend who genuinely fell in love with Kara, and then shifted out of it later on. He wasn’t trying to manipulate her feelings, by playing the sensitive companion. But the point is that he, out of all the cast members, should have learned that you have to be careful with what you say, and make sure writers give the right impression. It’s like the actor learned nothing from his own arc! O_O I can almost expect this from James’ actor, because then it would have been characterized as jealousy that his character never got a full romantic arc with Kara, and people are clamoring for one with Lena. But for this to come from Winn’s actor, who should have learned that you have to be careful with what you say, because of his own story, is just incredible to believe. I’m glad the actor who plays J’onn J’onzz is staying out of it. He seems to be the wisest of all the main performers there.

I just find this all sickening. The fact that LGBT fans still have to fight for even the slightest shred of respect, and that the smug straight people call them “immature” or “perverts”, or “toxic” or “obsessed for it”. F*cking bastards. It just makes me sick, and makes me wish to never interact with the ‘normal’ fans ever again. If this is what the ‘normal’ fans look like…I’d rather be with the shippers, thank you very much. :-P

Why are gay people and bi people pissed all the time with TV shows? Because gay people ALL DIE in serious programs!! O_O The Clexa thing is an example. You have a 10 times greater chance of dying in a serious TV show, if you’re a gay person! No happy endings are allowed, no sirree. You have to satisfy the Network’s demands that gay people are a perversion, and deserve to die, even if it’s heroically. Whereas with a straight couple, God forbid they have some fatal trouble in their relationship. :-P Some people dismiss that as an insignificant detail, that some people are obsessed with Lexa. I used to think that way, too. Until they realized the truth. Many, if not most straight protagonists make it through their relationship intact. Gay people don’t.

I’ll be honest, I am not going to be watching the season 3 episode when it first premiers. Not just because of this, but because of all the crap with Mon-El, the lazily scripted arcs, the people acting completely out-of-character for the sake of the plot, the hints of Lena turning evil, and many other things. Mon-El sucked all the joy I found out of watching ‘Supergirl’, and the crap going on around him didn’t help. I didn’t care for watching ‘The Mon-El Show’ week after week, and it just became a chore to watch, week in and week out. Sometimes I even switched over to ‘Dancing With The Stars’, even though the lineup was the worst it had been in several years, because I got bored with ‘Supergirl’. At that point, I’d rather have watched a show about J’onn J’onzz and his little adventures, than turn to follow Kara and Mon-El. :-P I’ll wait about six episodes in, until I make sure that it’s good, before tuning in. It wouldn’t be the first time I abandoned a series. I stopped watching ‘The X-Files’ way before the final episode ever aired, and I gave up on ‘Farscape’ for a brief little while when it was obvious the writers had no idea what they were doing, until they got themselves back on track. (Which they did. Thank God.) I have no trouble easily abandoning a series for a few short episodes, until it sorts itself out. Kara’s strong characterization is gone. The strong sisterly bond she shared with Alex is gone. J’onn’s commanding presence is gone, thanks to being hijacked by Mon-El. Lena is set to be evil, from what it looks like, which would completely take away the grayness of her character and stupidly prove that “You are more than your family” just isn’t true. :-P Cat Grant is sorely missed, because James is no replacement, Snapper is sure as hell no replacement, and as cruel as she was, she brought something to the show which is lacking now. Getting rid of the “strong feminist tones” to satisfy the red-blooded American male, apparently means making it like everything else. There is nothing worth watching on ‘Supergirl’ at this time. That’s the simple truth. Besides the occasional guest starring character; those are always good (i.e. Superman, Mxy, etc.). Unless they’re Daxamite. Then they just suck. :-P I hate to put it this way, but maybe it’ll spur some clarity in some folks. ‘Supergirl’ has become a toxic relationship in itself, expecting you to take whatever crap it dishes out, because hey it’s tradition! – that’s what all the other shows do, and I’m cutting it right now. No one is forced to watch, not even if Melissa’s or Chyler’s acting is excellent, and that’s exactly what I’m going to do, I won’t watch. It’s that simple. :-P Unless the show does some serious redeeming, gets back to strong characterization, and forces Mon-El to show remorse for all of the godawful things he did and his godawful fratboy douchebag personality, I’m not going to come back for what is sure to be a sh*tshow of white privilege and faux-romantic arcs painfully grinding strong women down. I miss the way the show was when CBS used to run it. :-(

The irony? I wished for it to be a part of The CW Arrowverse. I see now that my wish was horribly misguided. :-(

*And I can assure you that Mon-El is going to get the most unholy of beatings in my fic. Nothing personal, but his clownish personality and incompetent fighting skills make me sick, and other heroes that aren’t Kara aren’t going to stand for this crap. Can you imagine Batman training this guy? Holy sh*t, Bruce Wayne would go ballistic! :-P As for Winn, I was going to give him a cute little obsession with Star Wars, once he realized the Jedi were real. Oh no, Serra is going to take him to task now, for some of his more annoying foibles. :-P No mercy for the I.T. Hobbit. (And to think, I used to hate that nickname. No longer. You suck, Jeremy Jordan. Thank you for ruining my pure, innocent image of Winn. :-P)

No anonymous messages bashing my views, please. I automatically delete any anonymous messages I receive on my inbox, on every site I’m on whether they’re positive or negative. :-P

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