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The 100 7x01 "From the Ashes"

Welcome back to The 100 (for the last time). We have finally reached the beginning of the end and what a journey it promises to be. Last season ended with several big shockers, Abby Griffin was taken as a host for Simone Prime, the Flame was removed from Madi and effectively destroyed and Octavia Blake was stabbed and disappeared into a fine mist-ala Marvel characters after a Thanos snap. That means that the last season premiere The 100 will ever get already has a lot of questions to answer, in addition to (hopefully) managing to successfully wrap up a series that has spanned several years. 

As in previous years I’ll be dividing my review into sections, previously these sections were a riff on the concept of “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly”. This season, I will be separating them based on plot line-as even in this first episode there are two different ones-until those plots begin to coalesce into one. 

We’ll begin with what I am currently terming:

 “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters (Two of Whom We Just Met)”

We pick up right where we left off, with Bellamy reeling from Octavia’s strange disappearance and rushing off into the woods around Gabriel’s compound to search for her. In his grief he’s less than observant and he is knocked unconscious and abducted by an apparently invisible force. These few seconds-less than 30-represent all of the screen time Bellamy Blake receives in the first episode of the final season of The 100. Fans who have been watching the promotion for the final season have become increasingly anxious over the absence of the male lead and it seems those anxieties were justified. It is astonishing and offensive that one of the core members of the show is removed completely from the story in the final season, his absence literally stripped from him as he is once again thrust back into a plot line he has only just managed to escape: his life (and thus his worth) being directly proportional to Octavia’s. As Hope escapes and Gabriel and Echo take off after Bellamy we finally actually enter “The Main Plot That is Somehow Made Up of Only Side Characters”. 

Eventually, Gabriel and Echo run into Hope, who has discovered-albeit too late-a piece of paper lodged in her arm that states “Trust Bellamy”.That message doesn’t stop her from getting into a quick tussle with Echo and it’s obvious that she’s had some training-with a mother like Diyoza and some kind of relationship with Octavia, that’s not at all surprising. The three of them-after coming to a sort of peace with one another, journey for quite some time. It is full dark before they catch up with the invisible force that has taken Bellamy and when they do so, they find themselves caught up in the hallucinations that the anomaly causes. 

Here we see Echo confronted by two ghosts from her past, King Roan and the actual Echo-the one she murdered in order to survive. Both ghosts make valid points-that Echo is a creature driven by servitude, which some I suppose would mistakenly call loyal. They even go so far as to question Echo’s purpose in life now that her current master (Bellamy) is missing. I don’t think it’s an unfair assessment. Echo latched on to Bellamy in Season 4, seeing him as an authoritarian figure and she never really let go. While I do believe that they both love each other, it seems very obvious that said love (at least on Echo’s part) is fueled by a need to have someone who she can serve. Who is Echo once she no longer has someone to answer to, who does she become when her one stabilizing figure is gone. I suppose that’s a question we’ll get answers to this season. Hope also sees a vision-albeit shorter-of Octavia telling her to stay quiet, no matter what she hears. As this is a line we’ve heard in the trailer, it seems obvious that the anomaly can also show someone memories and not just their innermost fears (what we see with Echo). Gabriel sees nothing-or at least nothing we see, but this is unsurprising given he’s studied the anomaly so long. 

Finally managing to break free of the hallucinations that they’re being shown the trio manage to get the jump on a few of the invisible assailants and when they do the audience is shown the inside of their helmets. Hope they are told to kill on sight, indicating that she is somehow a known threat to them, but Echo and Gabriel are supposed to be reditioned to Bardo. I’d like to take the time to point out now that to rendition doesn’t simply mean to take. It means that you are treating these people as political prisoners who know potentially damaging information-and want to use any means including inhumane ones to retrieve that information. And Bellamy has already been taken. Despite the order to rendition Gabriel and Echo though, they don’t actually seem to want to capture them, instead continuing to rebuff them, together Gabriel, Echo and Hope manage to stop the assault and their story ends with them walking into the anomaly holding hands-so that they won’t be separated. It’s possible their next stop lands them directly in Bellamy’s path, but given it’s taken them so long to catch up with the Invisible Force I find that unlikely, especially given that the Force can apparently conjure up the anomaly whenever they choose to. 

I do find it very interesting that the Invisible Force was also meant to capture Echo and Gabriel and yet-when they chase after Bellamy-the Force fights them off. I'm assuming that they choose to take Bellamy and leave the others so someone is left behind to tell Clarke that Bellamy has been taken.This makes sense as, Clarke being the main character, she’s likely the person they’re trying to ultimately take. It’s just one more piece of bait (that will produce no actual results) for Bellarke fans however. While the instinct is to be excited that whoever has taken Bellamy likely knows that Clarke will do whatever she can to save Bellamy, at this point we all know that nothing good is on the horizon for him. 

This leads me into my next section:

“Almost All of the Mains are Here, but it Feels Like This Plotline is Unnecessary”

Sprinkled through this episode like bits of parsley (aka food grass) are the rest of the Arkadians (and yes I still call them that). So much of this particular plot feels like something that could have been taken care of during the Season 6 finale. Almost everything that happens in Sanctum could have been carefully tied up during the final bit of Season 6 and we could have begun this Season with the scene of Octavia being stabbed and disappearing. It feels very disjointed to watch Clarke (and the others) deal with the repercussions of what happened in space, like what to do with Russell Prime (especially as it appears that all of these things happen literally the day after the Season 6 finale). We’re expected to believe that Clarke has apparently gone through all of the stages of grief, somehow managed to find a perfect yellow farmhouse, set up Russell in what is essentially serving as a prison and begun to discuss plans for building a compound for the Arkadians all in, what is essentially a few hours after her mother’s death?

To top all of that off, we never see any cracks in the picture perfect “I’m fine” exterior until Clarke snaps when Russell hands over Abby's ring and clothes and begins to beat him rather brutally. It’s such a stark contrast to her behavior over the course of the episode that it just doesn’t align with anything that she’s done. To have Clarke go from “I want to do better because I don’t want Madi to grow up in a cruel society.” to “We’ve all made mistakes, tomorrow Russell Prime dies for his.” almost gave me whiplash. It would have been so much more believable if we’d seen small cracks in her facade over the course of the episode, but there were none. Am I meant to believe that-like Madi retains some of the memories of the Commanders before her even though the Flame is destroyed-that Josephine (and her sociopathy) linger in Clarke’s consciousness and that’s what made her brutally assault Russell? Or am I meant to believe that this is truly Clarke? I don’t know, but I do know that whatever message they were trying to sink there, it didn’t land. 

I did really love Madi’s plot this episode. I enjoy that, now that the Flame is dead she doesn’t have to be a receptacle for a long dead love interest of Clarke’s. I enjoyed that she was going to school and has a house and a dog. I really liked that she was finally able to remind Clarke (and the audience) that she had a mother before Clarke and she didn’t just forget her because Clarke showed up. I did not like the fact that-even in the absence of the Flame-we are expected to believe that Madi still maintains memories from the commander and of course the one they choose to focus on is one of Clarke as Wanheda-meaning that it’s a memory of Lexa’s. It is infuriating to me that the Flame can be destroyed and yet Madi as a character somehow still exists as a mouthpiece for a character who has been dead for over 125 years at this point. It would be nice if this show could spend time actually developing the new characters they forcefully insert into the narrative every year, but I expect in the final season, that might be asking for a bit too much. 

To further the refusal to leave the Grounders in the past, Jason somehow manages to have the Dark Commander transfer his consciousness into Russell Prime’s where he lurks in the background until Russell is knocked unconscious by Clarke (are we to assume Russell has not slept during this time as well?). My best guess is that he does this by using some type of Bluetooth/Wi-Ffi situation,  When they are destroying the flame and uploading him into the Eligius ship. Because both are Eligius tech, the Flame and the mind drives created by Becca are similar. I assume the Dark Commander’s code searched for (and found in Russell-who was on the ship) something similar to his own tech and simply uploaded himself onto it in the background, waiting for an opportunity to show up. Now all that’s left is to see what type of fresh hell he unleashes on an entirely new planet-especially given some of the residents of said planet believe him to be a god.

I do find Murphy potentially interesting this year. For years he has managed to “cockroach” his way through situations. Staying alive through nearly impossible situations. But there seems to be a fair amount of turmoil surrounding his decisions as they relate to Clarke and Abby (and their deaths) as well as his decision to become a Prime. Given that connection with two of the three Griffin women, and my concern that Madi will find herself in danger once it’s discovered that she is no longer the Commander and once the Dark Commander manages to get her alone (which we all know will happen sooner or later), I would not be surprised if Murphy (who has never been one to make the sacrifice play) does so in this final Season. 

Smaller things I enjoyed include Raven and Clarke’s relationship being on the mend. The two haven’t really been friends since Season 2 and Finn’s death, so it’s nice to see that-although it took Shaw and Abby’s deaths respectively-they seem to be leaning on each other at this time. With Clarke having lost all of her natural born family, it would not surprise me if she is willing to go to devastating lengths this Season to keep them all safe. I’m also very interested in the increased presence of both Gaia and Indra. As a fan of both Tati Gabrielle and Adina Porter (and their massive talent) in show’s outside of The 100, I’ve yearned for a deeper exploration into their relationship for Seasons. It looks like we might finally get to dive deeper into who they are now that Gaia is no longer a Flamekeeper and Indra no longer has a Commander. 

Overall, I believe this is the weakest Season Premiere of The 100 to date, which is terribly disappointing given the fact that it’s the last one they’ve ever received. Even though we have yet to see the backdoor pilot (Rothenberg says it will be 708), it already feels like this final Season will serve more as a way to set up a show that will likely not take off the ground (because Rothenberg has successfully managed to upset every person in the show’s fanbase) than the sendoff to the existing characters and stories he’s spent 7 years building. It will be a terrible thing if that is indeed the case. Hopefully, based off of the title of this episode, The 100 will manage to make some sort of phoenix-esque ressurection. But for now, I don’t know if they have enough time to truly tell the story that Rothenberg wants to.

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on The CW

Aprille’s episode rating: 🐝🐝

[truthbeetoldmedia]

We Only Part to Meet Again; Farewell Unity Days

It’s been a wild three years, but this past January, the first “The 100” convention in North America had its final curtain call. Featuring an astonishing seventeen guests the (all too-short) weekend was jam-packed with fun and laughs. Created by Miah Bannerman and Leana Santos and held at The Pinnacle Harbor Hotel on Vancouver’s beautiful waterfront, there was palpable excitement in the atmosphere all three days. For many, this was their first opportunity to meet some of their favorite actors in person, for others, an opportunity to reconnect with friends both old and new, for all, an amazingly good time. 

Returning to moderate the panels for Unity Days final year was Jo Garfein, co-founder of Cancer Gets Lost (CGL) and host extraordinaire. Moderating isn’t an easy task, but Jo managed to make it look like one, effortlessly handling fan questions and doing her best to pry a few Season 7 secrets from the zipped lips of the cast (the Spoiler Police never sleep). This year, Unity Days had a whopping ten (10!) panels, the first of which was the CommUNITY Panel on Friday night, which highlighted on the generosity of The 100 fandom and offered fandom a deeper look into Eliza Taylor’s Koh Tao Primary School (co-founded with Claire Wyndham) in Thailand. The documentary created by Pat Cotter (Eliza’s brother) was shown (and is also available on Koh Tao’s website here). Jo was also given the opportunity to talk about CGL’s fundraising efforts and more information was made available about other ways to support Koh Tao, including sponsoring a child. It was a great way to begin the weekend, but this was far from the last time we’d talk about charity at this convention. 

The Saturday Welcome Panel (ft. Eliza Taylor, Bob Morley, Sara Thompson, Tasya Teles, Lola Flanery). Although, as noted above, no pressing details were dropped about the upcoming final season, the panel was still a great way to start the day. We did learn that the Season 7 looks promise to be exciting (and Bob Morley has been rocking a clean-shaven face after years of fandom debate over the merits of “The Beard”, so I’d hazard a guess and say they’re right on that.), we learned that Lindsey Morgan filmed an episode in lieu of Eliza this season for medical reasons Bob had yet to direct his episode (at the time of the panel) and that, after the loss of Abby, Clarke is no longer struggling with her friends. After a few quick fan questions, fans and actors leave the panel to grab autographs, enjoy meet and greets and take pictures. 

The Bonus Guest Panel (ft. Chelsey Reist, Jarod Joseph, Chuku Modu, Jessica Harmon, JR Bourne, Richard Harmon, Tati Gabrielle, Lee Majdoub, Shannon Kook, and Shelby Flannery). So many guests and not nearly enough time. This panel opened up with a quick celebration for Tati Gabrielle, the talented actress (not just a spiritual advisor on The 100, but also a badass witch on The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) turned 24 this year! There’s a quick introduction and then we jump right into the questions. There are questions about Miller and Jackson (Mackson are apparently “still there”), moments that defined characters (for Gabriel (Chuku Modu) letting go of Josephine, for Richard (Murphy) meeting Emori), before we once again parted ways. 

The Sanctum Panel (ft. Chuku Modu, Sara Thompson, JR Bourne,  and Shelby Flannery) did manage to give us a few new bits of information about what is perhaps the largest unknown still remaining on the show: Sanctum and its people. Again we are told the costumes are going to be something to look forward to this year (Chuku), we’ll learn more about Hope’s markings and what they mean in relation to the anomaly and that Russell will need to figure out where he fits in now that his family and his way of life, has been destroyed. 

Finally, in perhaps what is my favorite moment of the convention this year, the Saturday Closing Panel. After discussing their favorite fan moments, JR Bourne, an avid supporter of The Grace Rose Foundation (which supports efforts to find a cure for cystic fibrosis), announced that he had a Season 7 “The 100” crew jacket up for auction, with proceeds benefiting the foundation, but soon decided to donate all proceeds to support disaster relief efforts in Australia . After an intense bidding war (something The 100 fandom might soon become famous for after a similar event at Conageddon 2 just last year), the jacket went to Megan for $3,700 dollars. Encouraged by the generosity, JR manages to find another jacket and secures a promise from Tara (the 2nd place bidder) for $3,600 dollars. In just 15 minutes, over $7,000 USD was raised to help Australia and it was an amazing reminder of the basic goodness of humanity. 

The last day of the last Unity Days was a bit slower and maybe that’s because time knew it needed to give people time to savor this experience for the last time. Sunday’s guests were Lindsay Morgan, Tasya Teles, Sachin Sahel, Richard Harmon, Luisa d’Oliveira, Chelsey Reist, JR Bourne, Chuku Modu, Jarod Joseph, Jessica Harmon, Shannon Kook, Tati Gabrielle, Lee Majdoub, Blythe Ann Johnson, and Shelby Flannery. Both the Welcome Panel and The Bonus Guest panel were, unfortunately, hampered by the fact that guests weren’t able to share much about the current season, what that meant was, that for guests who were present on Saturday, there wasn’t much that they could add that was new. Despite that, the cast were naturally very charming which helped to create an overall joy. Unity Days has always been more about the joy of being together 

Sunday was a big first for me, personally. It was the first time that I was invited to speak on a panel for my work. Myself, Yana Grebenyuk, Shanon Mizikoski and Gabriela Orsini were all featured on The Reviewer’s Panel (which Yana also moderated). It was wonderful to be able to sit and chat with some wonderful people about our favorite (and sometimes least favorite) aspects of this show we’ve all loved for so long. I even shed a tear or two! Unity Days was the first fan convention I ever attended, so to end the convention as a panelist was amazing to me. I am grateful for the opportunity and the experience. 

The final panel of any convention is always a bit sad, and knowing that this was the final Unity Days and the last season of the show  made it that much sadder. As always, I love hearing the “describe your character in x amount of words” portion and this is what we got for Season 7: 

Lee: He Is Torn

Jarod: Somehow Still Alive

Chelsey: I’m Not There

Tati: A New Beginning

Shelby: Twisted and Wicked

Tasya: Never More Stressed

Jess: When’s It Over?

JR: My Family Died

Lindsay: Karma’s a Bitch

Sachin: I Lost Abby

Richard: Trying His Best

Shannon: Finding His Humanity

I don’t know about you, but I find myself excited to see what this last chapter holds. I’m so grateful to have been able to share this experience with all of you (both digitally and physically) one last time.

All pictures courtesy of Unity Days, via Shot by Devon

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The Toxicity of Kylo Ren and Reylo 

It’s no secret that the newest villain of the Star Wars franchise, Kylo Ren, is a polarizing figure. In fact, there’s a large fanbase that don’t think of him as a villain at all (despite confirmation from cast and crew). If you take issue with that statement, look at the marketing: it’s Rey, Finn, and Poe at the center of the franchise. Not Kylo. Instead, he’s framed as a misunderstood underdog that is undeserving of the criticism he faces.

Now, that’s not to say that Kylo Ren can’t be appreciated as a character. It’s completely possible to appreciate him as a character and not as a person — after all, thinking someone is interesting or well-written isn't an endorsement of their behavior, or a claim that they deserve the benefit of the doubt.

People can be drawn to characters for all sorts of reasons. A lot of people enjoy rooting for the villain simply because they’re a villain. You can appreciate a character's potential, or their personality. It could even be as simple as thinking Adam Driver is good looking, or appreciating his portrayal of Kylo, with that being the reasoning for being drawn to that character. 

Despite all of this, there’s an interesting (and troubling) phenomenon happening with people who have decided to “stan” Kylo Ren — not his potential as a villain, or because Adam Driver is talented, but the character himself, so much so that there is a fundamental misunderstanding (or willful ignorance) of his actions and motivations. 

I’m not apprehensive to call this kind of fanservice toxic, because that’s what it is. There’s something really unnerving about stanning someone who has commited genocide, runs labor camps, and has direct, not-at-all subtle parallels to Nazism. 

Ignoring Canon

The main theme here is that Kylo is somehow “misunderstood,” and not only that, but deserving of a full redemption (and a girlfriend in the form of Rey, but I’ll get to that in a bit). The narrative and what we know about Kylo in canon is a stark contrast to how fandom sees him. There’s this image of him as a down on his luck, unloved, victimized person who has been wronged by the people in his life, which simply isn’t true. 

Kylo is the ultimate example of privilege. He arguably has the coolest parents in the world in the form of Han and Leia. He was, at the time of his turn to the dark side, being taught by Luke Skywalker (his uncle). From the get go, he had the support and resources that we rarely see someone have in the Star Wars universe. 

And for those who like to counter with the argument that Han left Leia and is somehow a deadbeat dad — he did so after Kylo killed the entire group of Jedis Luke was instructing and abandoned his family willingly. You can dislike that decision all you’d like, but it had no bearing on Kylo’s turn to the dark side. 

A more fitting criticism would be towards Luke, who admitted that he sensed something disturbing in his nephew and briefly thought about killing him. I’ll admit that this is fair enough, but for Kylo to react with murdering numerous Jedi students and then immediately joining the space fascists? I’d say this side of him has been lurking under the surface for a while. 

Also consider — was Luke wrong? Dude literally built a device specifically to commit genocide. 

This romanticization of a hard life that never existed is even more disturbing when you consider that there’s another character whose backstory fits this narrative: Finn. 

Finn’s storyline is what certain fans desperately want Kylo’s to be. Finn was kidnapped at a very young age, forced to become a stormtrooper and was embedded in the hateful doctrine that Kylo is such a fan of. Despite being raised in that toxic environment and being indoctrinated with propaganda from such a young age, Finn — of his own volition, before he met Rey or Poe or anyone else — made the decision to resist and break free of the Empire. 

He did this because he felt it was morally correct, at great risk to himself and his well being. He’s been in that environment for his entire life, so he knows exactly what happens to traitors. Despite all of this, he does it anyway. 

Unwanted and Unearned Redemption

There’s also this strange need to advocate for Kylo’s redemption, something that is very clear he doesn’t deserve or want. 

I’ve noticed a lot of fans who are desperate for his redemption call him Ben — his given name — which is both hilarious to me and makes no sense. He literally chose to change his name to Kylo Ren. He doesn't want to be Ben anymore, and he’s made that very clear. 

Leia and Han clearly wanted him to abandon his position in the First Order and come home during The Force Awakens. During his showdown with Han towards the end of the film he’s given a shot at redemption, which he rejects violently by murdering his own father. After this happened it was speculated that this was a sacrifice Kylo had to make to rise up in the First Order, or to prove to Snoke his loyalty to infiltrate the First Order better and ultimately turn against it. 

This was pretty easily disproven in The Last Jedi when he also attempts to kill his mother, Leia, who barely manages to survive. At the end of that same film, he’s also responsible for the death of the definitive hero of the franchise, Luke Skywalker. 

If the theory about Kylo proving himself to Snoke was true, the tendency to murder his own family (and consequently the people offering him redemption after all he’s done) would have ended with Han.

After all of this, he’s given yet another chance to redeem himself, this time by Rey. He turns down this opportunity like he did the others. 

As mentioned before, even without his violence towards those who want to help him, his actions are enough to completely eliminate the possibility of redemption. He’s overseen and advocated for genocide. He’s a member of an actual fascist organization. At this point, there’s no plausible way that he could be redeemed, nor should he be. 

Romanticizing Abuse 

This leads me to the discussion surrounding Rey and Kylo, or “Reylo,” an incredibly convoluted and twisted way to look at romance. 

Reylo fans desperately need Rey to be the one to “save” Kylo, a textbook example of an abusive and toxic relationship. This is the Star Wars version of “She can change him,” making Rey the bearer of Kylo’s emotional labor when he has no interest in changing at all. 

It’s not Rey’s responsibility to bring about his redemption. A true redemption needs to happen organically, of his own volition, and not because he’ll get rewarded with a girlfriend if he does. And, let’s be honest, it’s not a realistic expectation. If he only changes for Rey and not because he realizes that genocide is morally wrong, that’s profoundly disturbing and also selfish. 

Here’s some advice: if someone says they’ve changed only for you and because of their love for you, that’s a red flag. They aren’t changing for reasons that are morally correct, or for anyone’s benefit; they’re changing because their feelings and their feelings alone matter. If Kylo changes because he loves Rey, that is a self serving act for his benefit only. 

Further, what happened to Kylo torturing Rey in The Force Awakens? He kidnapped her, holding her captive, and entered her mind without consent. That’s as clear a metaphor for abuse you can find, and that’s not even my only example. 

In The Last Jedi, Kylo attempts to persuade Rey to join him on the dark side. He tells her that she’s “nothing,” but not to him. To him, she matters. This is very commonly touted as a romantic moment, but the emotional manipulation is more than obvious. 

Kylo doesn’t care about Rey. He says she’s “nothing,” that none of her friends care about her, that she’s worthless to them. By tearing her down then building her up by saying that she’s not nothing to him, he’s enforcing the idea that the only way she can have significance is with him. 

I don’t even mean “with him” in the romantic sense — he pretty transparently only wants her on the dark side for her power. Kylo is a terrible jedi, and he’s witnessed Rey’s prowess a number of times. He only wants her power and skill, not her as a person. 

He murdered her father figure, Han, in front of her, and nearly killed her best friend, Finn; he’s tortured her and manipulated her — it’s never been more obvious that he doesn’t care about her at all. 

If anyone knows anything about abusive relationships, this is the first thing that abusers do. They alienate their intended victim from their friends and family, ensuring that they alone are the only source of comfort. It ensures that if things ever get bad, the victim has nowhere to go and no one to turn to but right back to the abuser. 

What message would it send to little girls and boys if Rey were to end up with Kylo after all of that? Deal with his violence and manipulation long enough and he might change? If I have to spell out why that’s dangerous, I don’t know what else to say. 

In addition — what does this say about how people view Rey? Do you really want her to be with someone who has tortured her, betrayed her, and manipulated her? The answer is that people who want Reylo to be together only care about Kylo, not Rey. 

Toxic Masculinity 

Despite these specifics, the general acceptance of Kylo’s behavior is surprisingly rampant in fandom. His actions aren’t simply excused, but romanticized. He has obvious anger issues, control issues — that scene in the beginning of The Force Awakens when he lashes out and destroys the control panel with his lightsaber? That may as well have been a shot of an abusive, angry man throwing around furniture and punching walls because he has no emotional control. 

Sure, people like Kylo. They’re allowed to. But there’s a clear difference between liking a character and blind endorsement of that character's actions. I know plenty of people who like Kylo as a character, but the difference is if they meet someone like Kylo in bar or see one of his outbursts, you’d call the fucking cops. You wouldn’t ship him with your best friend. That's the dividing line here.

Kylo Ren is a direct parallel to real-world men who lash out because they’re filled with anger and frustration that’s turned into something truly ugly. They lash out at the people who are willing to help, all because they feel themselves robbed of things they think they deserve. Kylo wants power, he wants control, and he cares about nothing else. 

Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker hits theatres internationally on December 19, 2019.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Movie Review: "Knives Out"

This review does not contain spoilers.

Knives Out, written and directed by Rian Johnson and starring a mega-ensemble cast, is, dare I say, this generation’s Clue. While it’s not as ridiculous as Clue, it still has all the elements I loved from the classic. There was mystery and intrigue, as well as a bunch of perfectly-timed comedy.  

We’re introduced to the eclectic cast of characters when the patriarch of the Thrombey family, Harlan (played by the phenomenal Christopher Plummer), mysteriously kills himself after celebrating his 85th birthday, surrounded by his family. Harlan is a self-made man, who owns over $60 million in assets, liquid and otherwise. He wants his family to also be self-made, yet he still takes care of them all. Two officers, one a state trooper and the other a detective, are investigating the family, along with a mysteriously-hired private investigator by the name of Benoit Blanc, played by Daniel Craig. 

One second you think the murderer could be the eldest daughter of Harlan, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, the next you think it could be Harlan’s rogue grandson, Ransom, played by Captain America himself, Chris Evans. The entire family is constantly pointing fingers at each other. They believe it could be suicide, but they also believe it might not be. Everyone has motives and none of them are entirely innocent. 

It is only when Blanc sets on making Marta Cabrera, played by Ana de Armas, the Watson to his Holmes that we really start to get anywhere. Marta was Harlan’s privately-hired nurse, but more than that? She was possibly his only friend. Harlan’s family all relied on his wealth, but Marta was the only person who seemed to genuinely enjoy his company. 

The story-telling is compelling. The audience is able to see where everyone in the family is coming from, regardless of whether it’s the truth or not. In good time, we’re able to line up what actually happened. There were some predictable moments, but there’s so many twists and turns that you can’t even be upset that you’ve maybe guessed it super early on. You are literally shown exactly what happens and then they still manage to throw you for a loop with a big reveal at the end! 

I cannot recommend this movie enough! Besides Daniel Craig’s terrible accent, Chris Evans and Ana de Armas totally enchanted me. The different dynamics in the family made for a hilarious mix of relatable family content. This movie was absolutely fantastic and definitely was a fun experience! 

Knives Out is out on Thanksgiving Day, November 28th. 

Sarah’s movie review: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x10 “Hunahpu” Review

I would just like to start this piece off by congratulating the cast and crew of Mayans MC on being renewed for a third season! With the Kurt Sutter-shaped elephant in the room, fans and the people involved were all left wondering what was going to become of this series? Would the Season 2 finale be a series finale or could it be renewed? Well good news, all! Shortly before the finale aired, the news broke of the renewal and we all jumped for joy! (At the very least, I certainly did!)

I thoroughly enjoyed the finale! It hit points I didn’t think there would even be time to delve into. Almost all my questions and concerns were met. I definitely feel comfortable with where the story will be going into Season 3! 

Most of the trailer for the finale seemed to be focused on the impending war between the Mayans MC Santo Padre chapter and the Vatos Malditos due to Riz succumbing to wounds inflicted by the latter club. What isn’t known though is that Taza messed with Riz’s life support and that’s ultimately what made Riz pass away. It isn’t exactly known why he did so yet. Taza has a hidden history with the Vatos Malditos and there’s no doubt in my mind that he’s wanted war with them for years. Bishop has a meeting with other charters to try and remain on course for the gun deal with the Vatos Malditos and the Sons of Anarchy. They all need the gun deal to work out because there’s a lot of money on the line. At the expense of Coco’s feelings and Riz, Bishop remains on course with the deal. 

However, that’s only actually in the eyes of the other charters and the Sons. Bishop actually firmly believes this is a Santo Padre issue and they have every reason to retaliate. The President of the Vatos Malditos is scheduled to attend his grandmother’s birthday party. The plan is for the Mayans to sneak attack and slaughter them all, especially the Prez. We see the President and his grandmother had been hiding for what appears to have been the majority of the party because they knew there would be retaliation. 

Dita Galindo has been majorly depressed all season. Miguel and Emily were trying their hardest to get her help, but ultimately, they weren’t all that engaged with Dita. Emily knew Dita saw Felipe instead of the shrink every time she had an “appointment”, but she still didn’t actually know what was going on with her, emotionally and mentally. Miguel was even worse. He loves his family and has proven he would fight for them, but he’s also a busy man on both sides of the border. Unfortunately, that means the people closest to him often do get pushed to the wayside.  

Felipe knows Dita had Marisol killed and also had put a hit out on Felipe too. EZ and Angel want revenge and, ultimately, Dita wants to die. The fire that left her permanently scarred and in pain was her first chance at death. She wanted it then and she still wants it now. EZ offers to be the one to end her life. Dita says a prayer and they’re all emotional. EZ’s been waiting for this moment since he first walked in and saw his mother’s dead body on the butcher shop floor. He choked Dita to death with his bare hands and then Angel joined in on burning the body. Dita had left notes for Emily and Miguel, so it would look like a suicide and they wouldn’t go looking for the killer.

At the end of the episode, Miguel is about ready to send all his guys out to search for Dita, because she took off in one of the cars when she went out to her appointment (when she was actually going to meet the Reyes men). Emily found the note and together they went to go find her body because it was too late. Miguel looked like an empty shell, while Emily showed more emotion in that one scene than she has since Cristobal was returned to her in Season 1. 

Honestly? I had been waiting for Dita to die. The fact that the writers added in an old love affair between her and Felipe was just tiring and too convenient in my eyes. It makes me wonder if that was the plan from the very beginning. Dita was an absolute snake and, at the end of the day, that was all she was good for. 

One major concern I had was about Potter being pushed to the side for the latter half of this season and how exactly he was going to make a big comeback in the story. I definitely wasn’t disappointed! Miguel, Emily, and then EZ and the Reyes family found out about Potter and his technically illegal relationship he had with a witness in an investigation in Mexico that resulted in the birth of a son. Emily knew Miguel wanted to use that information to help out Adelita, but when EZ informed her that Potter was threatening to deport Felipe, she gave him the intel to help out his father instead. 

EZ and Angel had to actually decide what they were going to do because Angel also has Adelita and HIS OWN CHILD to think of in this scenario. Ultimately, he knows Adelita would probably tell him to leave her behind, just like she did when he tried to save her in the desert. You can really see the love and admiration he has for her because he’s still respecting her wishes. He knows she’s strong and because she’s strong, he can be strong too. So all things considered, EZ and Angel decide to use the information to help Felipe. 

EZ and Angel finally meet up with Potter and they confront him with what they know. I have never seen Lincoln Potter look more shaken up than he did in that scene. His Achilles heel was discovered. The Reyes brothers wanted legitimate legal paperwork for, not just Felipe, but their mother too. This isn’t just Potter’s job on the line, but also his son. 

Meanwhile, Adelita has been in a secured facility, in labor. To see her in so much pain, while also handcuffed to the hospital bed? It was completely inhumane. We did get a scene of Adelita snuggling with her newborn. However, that visual was ruined because Potter wanted the baby taken away from her as soon as possible. They had a DNA test done to see if they would find a paternal match in the system, meaning if the father had previously been incarcerated, they would find out who he is. Well, there was a match. They didn’t name Angel, but Potter immediately makes a threat against Angel the same way Angel made the threat against Potter. Potter would make sure both of their sons never found out who either of them were. 

I cannot tell you just how gutted I was to see Angel in anguish over this. I was fortunate enough to meet Clayton Cardenas at Rhode Island Comic Con this year and I managed to tell him my finale predictions that had me emotionally spiraling out of control. My first prediction was that Felipe would get deported and that was debunked, thank goodness! My next prediction was that Potter was going to take the baby away from Angel and Adelita and put them in the system. This fucker had the nerve to LIE to me. He told me it was likely that neither would happen. I mean, technically we know Potter took the baby, but we have no idea what his plans are. This man let me spiral about this theory and then basically told me I didn’t have to worry. I can’t help but laugh! 

One good thing did happen this episode though! EZ got patched in! It was a unanimous vote.  Angel had brought up that this wasn’t the life he wanted for his little brother, but now he can’t imagine having this life without him. The Reyes brothers’ relationship has consistently been my absolute favorite throughout the first two seasons. They had their ups and downs, but they will firmly stand beside each other when shit hits the fan and I find that beautiful!

This was a stellar sophomore season! I feel like the finale would have even made a good series finale, if they hadn’t gotten renewed. All storylines were touched on and we know where the characters stand. There are certainly plenty of questions still left over that should be answered in Season 3, but overall this was a solid finale and an extremely solid season! 

Some thoughts on the episode:

Miguel and Emily are forever hot and cold. One second they seem annoyed with each other and the next they would kill for each other. 

They also didn’t seem that thrilled to be at the event for the Agra park deal.

 Adelita didn’t utter a single word this episode, but I suppose just seeing her will have to tide me over until next season.

 Angel Reyes deserves to be a father to his son, damn it! 

 EZ has a darkness in him that is only getting darker and darker and I’m kind of excited to see where he’ll go next season.

 I hope we’ll get Taza’s backstory next season. I want to know more about his time with Vatos Malditos when he was younger. 

Miguel just looked empty and cold and I’m curious as to where he’s going to go with his mother’s death. 

 Is Miguel ever going to find out Felipe is his real dad?  Are EZ and Angel ever going to find out Miguel is their half-brother?

Marcus saw the motorcycle tracks left at the scene of Dita’s death. I’m wondering if he already knows exactly who was involved. Alvarez isn’t dumb. He’s an extremely intelligent man. 

Mayans MC should be returning to FX in 2020.

Sarah’s episode rating: 5bees

Sarah’s season rating: 4 bees

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Mayans MC 2x09 “Itzam-Ye” Review

Leading us into the finale, Episode 9 deals us some heartbreaking blows. Some truths are discovered, some remain hidden, and we say goodbye to a character who has been with us since the first episode. I knew it was only a matter of time, seeing as how this season hasn’t dealt us any blows quite like this yet. It was still pretty rough to see. 

Let’s get into it!

Uncovered Truths

Felipe Reyes finally has a sit-down with his boys and tells them about his former life as Ignacio and the life he led before meeting their mother. He informed EZ and Angel about the affair he had with Dita Galindo and how when he met their mother and she got pregnant with Angel, they fled to America and they became the Reyes family. Ignacio grew up in the same town as Jose Galindo and the cartel. When he became Dita’s protector, she grew feelings for him and he didn’t discourage them. He made sure to mention that he ended things as soon as he met their mother. This whole time I thought he was cheating on Mrs. Reyes and I got so mad, but Felipe’s back on my good side with this one...kind of.  

There were still some questions that needed answering, but they had to get Emily away from Miguel’s watchful eye in order for this to happen. Felipe had called in a favor with Dita to get Emily away for a “girls day” at the spa. From there, Felipe picked Emily up in the back alley and brought her to meet up with EZ and Angel at Felipe’s house. Once there, she was able to show them all what she had found in the Galindo financials. The Reyes men and Emily saw that Dita had written and signed the checks, but were suspicious of Jose and then Miguel himself. The timing just didn’t add up to Emily because Jose was gone before they even knew the Reyes’ were in Santo Padre. The checks were written only 10 years before the episode takes place. That makes Miguel the suspect in EZ and Angel’s eyes. Emily’s convinced he had nothing to do with it. He wouldn’t kill anyone (on the northern side of the border, anyways). She pleads with EZ not to harm her husband. 

When EZ drops Emily back off at the spa, he gets a glance of Dita. Before that day, he mentions how he wouldn’t even know what Dita Galindo looks like if he had crossed paths with her on the street. He gets a good look and he gets a feeling that only EZ gets on this show because of his photographic memory. He rushes back to Casa de Reyes and looks through Felipe’s lock box of his previous life for a picture to confirm his theory about Dita Galindo. Turns out, Dita knew Felipe and Marisol were in Santo Padre 10 years ago. Dita had wanted Ignacio for herself. Dita orchestrated the hit that killed EZ and Angel’s mother and that had meant to kill Felipe as well. 

It was exactly as I predicted! Dita can get down and dirty just like the rest of the Galindo family. She’s always had that kind of darkness in her; that ability to harm others.  

Hidden Truths

Meanwhile, Miguel has known for weeks at this point that Emily has been hiding something from him. He knows the death of the city clerk has something to do with it and he knows the Reyes family is involved. Miguel has no idea what exactly Emily is hiding and just how deep those secrets run. He can have Nestor and Marcus follow Emily all he wants, but he’s not getting much closer to finding out the truth. 

As a sign of good faith between them and their marriage, Miguel apologizes for having lied to her about his plans to deal with Potter. He tells her what he found; that he had a relationship with someone he was meant to protect while on the job in Mexico and they had a child together. He also tells her that he intends to use this information to help Adelita, but he has no plans to harm the woman or the child. Emily sees through this farce though. While she appreciates being kept in the loop, she knows he’s trying to get her to spill whatever it is she’s hiding from him and that’s just not something she’s ready to do just yet. 

There is another truth that is being kept hidden though. Felipe and Dita haven’t told anyone else that Miguel may be his son. I say “may” because she never got a paternity test done and I believe science over a gut instinct on this one. I’m really looking forward to the day this secret comes out though. It’ll cause an explosion, no doubt. 

To Fight or Not To Fight?  That Is The Question.

Last episode we saw Coco and Riz get hurt. Coco had been by the bikes when they got blown up and his eyesight was damaged. When the episode this week begins, we see Coco being discharged with the doctors saying he may or may not get his eyesight back. He will need to see a specialist, but is that something he can even afford? If he can’t see, he can’t ride. What will his place in the club be like after all this? Understandably, the man is pissed and is hell-bent on retribution. 

As for Riz, he was shot several times in the ambush throughout his body and he’s shown on life support. He’s got a tube down his throat helping him breathe and he’s unconscious. We don’t know if he has any family around, except for the club, as they were the ones the doctors spoke to, apparently, regarding Riz’s situation.

The question now is whether or not the club is going to seek revenge against Vatos Malditos, the club from Tijuana. SAMCRO and the other Mayan charters will understand if that’s what they decide to do, but the amount of money they’d lose from the Irish guns if they go for retribution is just far too great. Vatos Malditos is the only MC to the closest port on the southern side of the border. The Mayans and Sons both need this deal to work out. 

It is ultimately Bishop’s decision, as he is club president, so this is the dilemma he deals with throughout the episode. The club is rallying around their fallen members. Coco may never see again so that puts him on Team War and Angel and Gilly tend to vote along with Coco, especially under these circumstances. One of the other club officers (I honestly forget the name. There’s too many club members and not enough time to devote to having each one stand out) has voted that the money is far too good, so they need the deal for the betterment of the club. The rest of the club officers decide to go with whatever Bishop decides, so that’s NO help AT ALL.

Bishop’s torn, but ultimately decides to go with the money and the deal. Coco’s vision and Riz’s health could very well improve! The money would even help them with whatever they need to help heal them along the way. The vote is made and they go with the money. The plan is to follow through on that until a wrench gets thrown in. Riz dies. His lungs give out.  

What nobody else knows is that Taza, the club VP, messed with his life support. He killed Riz because he lied to Bishop. He does want war with the Vatos Malditos and that’s what he’s about to get. You see, when Taza was young and impressionable, he was a member of Vatos Malditos. We don’t know when or why exactly he left, just that there’s no love lost there.  Perhaps we shall get some answers in the finale?  

The penultimate episode was a rollercoaster of emotions and just what we needed going into the Season 2 finale. I’m hoping to get a “Miguel, I am your father” confession from Felipe, but I honestly don’t know if there will be time!  War is coming and it’s inevitable. 

Some thoughts on the episode:

 Coco was discharged awfully fast. I definitely expected the news of his vision to be delivered in a more devastating way.

 I really like how they showed Leti fawning a bit over her father. This is the first time she’s seen him be hurt from club-related…activities.

It just hit me that Felipe is the only one that knows everything now. I feel like he’s the one in the most danger now because of that. 

EZ and Gabby sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G! I ship it!

 EZ and Angel are just so done with Potter. I feel like all those scenes of the brothers just blatantly ignoring texts from Potter were kind of put in as after-thoughts almost? Kind of like, “Oh hey. Remember Potter? He’s still here.”

I’m really feeling Adelita’s absence right now and I just hope she’s okay and she returns to us soon, in whatever capacity. 

If this show doesn’t get renewed soon, I’m going to be PISSED.  

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX

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Mayans MC 2x08 “Kukulkan” Review

We finally got to see the current SAMCRO Prez of our hearts, Chibs! Tommy Flanagan reprised his role and not everything ended as happily as we were when we saw that Chibs was going to be making an appearance. Like everything with SAMCRO, not everything went as planned and disaster was sure to follow. 

Last week, the Mayans Santo Padre chapter got into it with a rival MC out of Mexico because they were doing business on their turf; human trafficking, to be precise. There were many dead on the rival MC’s end and everything had gone up in literal flames. Well, wouldn’t you know it? The Sons want the Mayans to work with them on running guns. The northern port is closing and the Irish will no longer be able to bring the guns right in to Northern Cali, so they have to move to a port down south. The one right across the border in Tijuana, as a matter of fact.

This whole episode we’re reminded of the fact that Jax Teller wanted SAMCRO out of the gun trade. We learned earlier this season from Happy, and it was reiterated again this episode, that the process has just taken a bit longer than expected. The Mayans were supposed to be running the show, and while it seems like they are involved, it’s still minimal because we haven’t actually seen that. One can guess that the Santo Padre chapter just hasn’t been too involved yet. Regardless, this is the out that the Sons need to be done with the gun business once and for all.  

Throughout the episode EZ is trying to get a hold of Emily, but she’s dodging his calls. Last episode EZ asked her to look into the Galindo financials for him. He gave her a time frame and amounts. When she found information that matched up, she demanded answers. EZ informed her that he thinks the Galindos are responsible for his mother’s death and they had hired a hit on Felipe, as well. Emily just can’t believe it. This is her family. I just wanted to shake her. Emily, you married into a goddamn cartel. None of them are innocent. She finds herself so upset that she slaps EZ and proceeds to ignore him for the rest of the episode, especially when it turns out that EZ was right. In fact, judging by the check register, Dita ordered the hits on Felipe and his wife. She signed the checks. I just wanted to deck Emily and Dita.  

Miguel is still having Nestor report on his wife’s whereabouts 24/7. When Emily shows up at Felipe’s butcher shop at the end of the episode, Miguel shows up too. Emily had just informed Felipe that it was Dita who had his wife killed and had wanted him dead too. She also told him that EZ was the one who figured it out, so we can maybe expect a small showdown between those two before the season ends in two episodes. Miguel is suspicious because, as he told Felipe, the women in his life (Dita and Emily) always seem to go to him. Felipe brushes it off, saying he’s the only butcher shop in town, so everyone goes to him. It’s weak, but Miguel doesn’t fight further. Emily rides home with him. I expect a blow up between those two before the end of the season, as well. 

There were a couple of moments with Potter that didn’t really fit with the rest of the episode. The way the episode was going, I almost completely forgot about him. He met up with EZ and Angel to assert his dominance, I guess? He actually lost my attention this episode. However, Miguel learned that Potter has a weakness! Miguel had previously noted that the Spanish Potter spoke was very colloquial. Potter had informed him that there had been a woman in a village that he spent time with that he had learned the language from. Well, as a way to hold leverage over Potter and help get Adelita back, Miguel had his sources dig up this woman. Turns out she has a kid and the timeline matches up to Potter’s story. Lincoln Potter had a child with this woman. Miguel swears no harm will come to her or the child, but this is Miguel Galindo and, while he denied that he’s in love with Adelita, he still deeply cares about her and will do anything he can to have her released.  . 

Now for that cliffhanger of an ending! The tension between the Mayans and the club from Tijuana was bubbling all during negotiations with the Sons, but it had seemed that they had reached a deal. The clubs had met at a hotel where the clubs know the owner. It’s neutral territory. As the other clubs ride off, the Mayans stick around and relax with a couple of drinks. Once night falls, a mysterious black van throws a fire bomb at the Mayans’ bikes. That draws the Mayans outside, where gunfire starts to rain down on them. When they run inside, we see the Tijuana club hadn’t actually left and they are now firing at them from all sides. It’s an all-out bloodfest. We see Riz go down with several gunshots to the chest and Coco was burnt pretty badly from the bikes being set on fire. In fact, he can’t see. Injuries are all around, but Riz and Coco seem the most dire and in need of serious medical assistance. 

The episode ends with the club yelling for somebody to call an ambulance. Riz’s life is in danger and Coco’s WAY of life is in danger. Either way, everything has changed. I’m excited to see the fall out!  

Some thoughts on the episode:

The entire episode leading up to Chibs’ arrival, I just kept yelling for him! I was *SO* excited that Tommy Flanagan was making an appearance!

I want to know more information on why it took longer than expected for them to get out of the gun business, but we probably won’t get anything because this is Mayans MC and not Sons of Anarchy.

I was high key annoyed with Emily this entire episode. 

I hated that in the last episode we saw EZ ignoring Emily’s calls and texts and then in this one it was the exact opposite. Just separate these two permanently, please. 

Felipe is just OVER these Galindo women and I was howling in laughter at how fed up he sounded when Emily showed up at his butcher shop!

Riz keeps getting the short end of the stick here. He just keeps getting hurt.

Coco has presumably lost his vision, whether it’s short term or long term. When Clay had that awful arthritis in Sons, we were constantly reminded that his reign as club president was essentially on borrowed time. If you can’t ride, you can’t vote; meaning you can’t sit at the table. I’m wondering how Coco is going to deal with all this and if it will affect his relationship with the club and Leti. 

I know Carla Baratta was most likely on maternity leave at this point in the story, but gosh darn it did I miss Adelita.  

Sarah’s episode rating: 4bees 

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

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Mayans MC 2x07 “Tohil” Review

Episode 7 of Season 2 was all about family. This show is all about family, but this episode really showcased it in the best ways. We have the Reyes family and the Cruz family. We also have the Mayans family saving a migrant family. There was some beautiful vulnerable moments, as well as some excitement we’ve come to know and love about this world. There was also too much Emily for my liking, as usual, but that’s neither here nor there. 

Let’s get into it. 

EZ is staying with his pops after the events of the last episode unfolded. He got into a brawl with Marlon, the city clerk Emily had sent him to intimidate into confessing to taking bribes from the Chinese on the Agra Park deal. A gun was drawn on EZ and all EZ did was push the gun out of his face and the gun went off. It ended up looking like the city clerk killed himself, so EZ just went with it. 

Throughout the entire episode, EZ is declining Emily’s calls and ignoring her texts, especially when she learns that the clerk is dead. Her actions directly got somebody killed. He wasn’t an innocent man, but nobody on this show is truly innocent. She’s clearly stressed about not being able to reach EZ to find out what happened. Miguel can see how she’s acting and knows something is up with his wife. In fact, I don’t know if he just doesn’t trust her or if he’s just plain worried about her, but he wants eyes on her at all times. 

Anyways, back at Casa de Reyes, Angel goes to meet with his brother and hopefully talk with his father. There is a lot still weighing on his mind after what EZ told him and what they’ve been working with Happy on. Angel does confront Felipe and it’s actually my favorite scene of the episode. He tells his father that he knows Felipe isn’t who he says he is and that there’s a disconnect between the two of them. He recognizes that their relationship is different than Felipe’s relationship with EZ and Felipe takes all the fault with that. Felipe knows he shouldn’t have treated Angel differently or EZ differently. It would seem like they both want to have a more open and honest dialogue between the two of them and I hope things will be easier between them, especially because Angel tells his father that he and Adelita are going to have a baby together. Angel and Felipe are so open with each other here. Felipe assures Angel that he will be a good father who loves his child deeply because he can see just how insecure Angel feels about being a dad and being a good dad, at that. 

While Angel is opening up to Felipe, Felipe does the same with Angel, in regards to actually being Ignacio. He tells him that it was much easier being a cop on Galindo’s payroll at the time than not working for him. Jose Galindo liked Ignacio and trusted him, he quickly became a part of his inner circle after a couple of years. It was only when his wife was pregnant with Angel that he decided to leave the cartel and Ignacio behind all together and become Felipe Reyes. He picked up and changed his whole life for the better for Angel Reyes and I can’t say that I wouldn’t do the same. It’s what Angel deserves: someone to move hell and high water for him. 

Leti’s back, y’all! She’s living with Coco and going to school. He’s her father and he’s looking out for her, but she hasn’t always known him as her father, so their relationship is still a work in progress. Leti went out and got Coco his favorite breakfast and it almost feels like she’s trying to soften him up for something. Turns out, she had been letting a friend, Gabriela, stay there, despite Coco not knowing and just not allowing that. Coco is upset until he learns that Gabriela’s mother and brother, her only family, were being held by the Malditos MC, who are human traffickers. Gabriela was essentially being threatened to keep giving them money she didn’t even have for the safety of her family. Leti loaned her $5,000 of her own tuition money in an offer to help and that’s something Coco isn’t too pleased with either. 

The group that is holding Gabriela’s family is an MC that has encroached on Mayan turf, so that alone brings the Mayans into the fold. There is a huge amount of disrespect there too since Leti told this other club that her father was a Mayan and they laughed and then proceeded to rough her up a bit, since she was trying to help Gabriela. Since the Mayans MC are full of softies, honestly, not only are they going to get rid of this threat, they are determined to reunite Gabriela with her family. 

The Mayans find the house they’re camping out in and go in, guns ablaze. They find several locked doors in the house with migrants huddled together. They learn from these prisoners that if families don’t pay, the young ones are trafficked and the other ones are killed. The ones being trafficked are moved to a separate location closer to the border. The club finds where the other are being kept and finds them locked in cages. The rival club is killed off and the house is set on fire after freeing everyone. There is one mother and son pairing in the fray and its Gabriela’s family!  The club was able to reunite this one family and remind people not to mess with the Mayans all at the same time!

The episode ends with EZ and Emily finally meeting up. Emily had previously been on the phone with Miguel and told him that Ileana was upset about Marlon’s suicide and needed her there. Miguel surely didn’t look like he believed a single word coming out of her mouth, so he instructed Nestor to make sure somebody is watching her 24/7. Turns out, he had every right to feel that way because she met up with EZ in secret. They spoke about the events at the clerk’s house and how it really looked like a suicide, so EZ wrote a “suicide note” and sent a confession to the mayor’s office about the Chinese agra park deal. 

EZ finally asks Emily for a favor, regarding his family. I’m wondering if EZ and Emily are going to discover that Miguel is Felipe’s son. Are all these lies finally going to catch up to Dita and Felipe? 

Some thoughts on the episode:

I’m very pleased to have Leti back. I’m thrilled she’s in school and thriving like that.

I love that there seems to be a spark between EZ and Gabriela. EZ needs to move on from Emily, but he keeps going back and she’s literally getting him into shit he doesn’t need to be involved in. 

I love when the Reyes men open up to each other and are vulnerable. The show is at its strongest when this happens. 

So...did everyone see who’s going to be on next week’s episode? Who else is freaking STOKED?!?!

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x06 “Muluc” Review

I’m still on a high from last week’s episode! It was my perfect cup of tea! This week’s, though, is an entirely different story. There was some quality Reyes content, but I was still left wanting more from other stories and other characters.  

After dealing with one abduction (arrest) last week, we encounter another actual abduction this week. This time it was El Padrino himself, Marcus Alvarez. Potter’s own mercenaries went after him for information. They tortured him bloody. Long story short on all that? The gang did save him just before the mercs were about to end Marcus’ life. The torture was extremely graphic, like ripping off his fingernails. I was cringing the whole damn time.  

One thing I appreciated was that the Mayans and the Galindo cartel were working together as one unit once again. Miguel was willing to go to any lengths to save this man and that’s what I appreciate about him. If Miguel Galindo cares about you, he’ll do anything to make sure you’re safe from harm. In fact, he even went out into the field with his muscle and the MC. Usually a big boss type, like Galindo, would hide away out of sight so as to not get hurt. Not Miguel.  

While this crew is trying to rescue Marcus, Emily is trying to get to the bottom of the Agra Park deal. Turns out, the Chinese had an inside man and was able to make a last ditch bid and swipe it from under the Galindos’ noses. Emily was very much pissed about this because this is “HER thing”. This is her project for the Galindo family’s clean side of life, as opposed to the cartel life. She found this bit of information out from her old family friend who she was essentially paying for intel a few episodes ago. Together, they put it together that the insider who told the Chinese must’ve been a certain clerk.  

When Emily went to go break the news to Miguel, Miguel was harsh and short with her. She DID just interrupt a meeting trying to make plans to rescue Marcus. Miguel doesn’t want her to get dirty on the cartel side of his life. I don’t think it’s too much to make sure she stays as clean as possible, especially for the sake of their family. However, Emily just has to butt her way in. Well Miguel didn’t like that, so he proceeded to yell for someone to get her out of there to the point where he came across as particularly cruel.  

You know what’s mighty coincidental? EZ is practically always there when Miguel is an ass to Emily. The director always seems to make it a point to show us EZ’s reaction to his former flame interacting with her husband in a less-than-favorable way. That is particularly trendy in the love triangle trope. Y’all know how much I hate love triangles.  

Some time later Emily reaches out to EZ and they meet at Felipe’s butcher shop. She wants EZ to go and intimidate the clerk into confessing what he’s done, regarding the deal with the Chinese. It isn’t worth going to jail over, you know. The thing that pisses me off though is that we only see Emily go to EZ when she needs something. Am I supposed to be seeing ex-lovers reconnecting? All I see is one rich white woman asking a not-rich, non-white ex-con to possibly use force to get someone to confess to a crime. EZ could (and actually did!) find himself in trouble over this, but will Emily even care? She better, or I’ll dislike her even more than I already do.  

Onto my favorite part of the episode, we had some quality content with the Reyes brothers looking out for each other. Obviously, Angel is feeling pretty upset after what happened when he tried to rescue Adelita. EZ took it upon himself to stay with Angel and watch over him. Several times, Angel tells EZ to back off and that he’s not suicidal over it. Dude was clearly pretty wrecked though. You can tell that Angel was definitely glad to have his brother near him. In fact, when the MC and the cartel went to rescue Alvarez from the warehouse he was being kept in, it wasn’t just EZ that was sticking close to Angel. Coco was too. I love how much this club truly cares about each other.  

One other tidbit we got from this episode is that Happy, EZ, and Angel were able to narrow down the suspects of who wanted the Reyes parents murdered to one of the two major cartels at the time. It had to have been either the Galindo cartel (who Jose was leading at the time, while under the fed’s thumb with a bullshit deal), or the La Sonora cartel. (I’ll bet you $10 it was Dita though. I get a huge “If I can’t have him, nobody can” vibe off of her previous relationship with Felipe.)  

The episode ended with the Mayans and cartel killing all the mercs involved with Alvarez’s torture. The question is whether or not Potter knew about their plan; if he told them to torture Marcus or not. We see Potter calling them at the end, only to receive no answer. We know the woman working with Potter had no idea because Miguel confronted her about it and she seemed truthful in not knowing anything about Marcus going missing and whether or not it was Potter’s mercs.  

Also, that clerk that EZ was sent to intimidate? Yeah, they got into a brawl because he wasn’t backing down from EZ’s non-threatening threat. He pulled a gun on EZ and they fought. EZ pushed him away and the clerk ended up shooting himself in the head. It honestly looked like a suicide. If not for the clear signs of a brawl in the home, maybe EZ might get away with this?  Maybe Emily will pull some of her weight and do EZ a favor for once? He wouldn’t have gotten into that mess if it wasn’t for her. I’m just wondering how long this storyline is going to take.  

Some thoughts on the episode:

I am ALWAYS here for the gratuitous shots of the Reyes brothers shirtless. Those men work hard and it is very APPRECIATED.  

Mental health is so important and I’m glad EZ and the crew are watching out for Angel.  

Love* how the Galindos can be loving and hateful to each other all in the span of a 52 minute episode. (*By “love”, I mean “hate”.)

We got a Leti mention! First Leti mention all season! Miss our little Cruz! Can’t wait to see her in the episode next week!

Bishop looks super confused as to why Happy was in EZ’s trailer with the two Reyes boys. Will they expand on this subtle look? How long will this take?

Honestly didn’t even realize Dita wasn’t in this episode until after it ended. Would gladly take the rest of this season this way.  

I did miss Adelita BIG TIME though. I’m almost as upset about this as Angel is.  

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x05 “Xquic” Review

My Angelita heart is absolutely SOARING right now, y’all! We really got a whole ass episode of Angel willing to do anything and fight anyone to get Adelita back. My shipper heart can barely contain itself!

Let’s start at the very beginning, shall we?  

Angel and EZ had just rode in from their northern California road trip. Angel had found out that his parents aren’t who he thought they were, especially his father. They’re greeted by Bishop and the gang, who start asking questions about the Swole Boys, the dumb as fuck wannabe biker gangsters. The current issues regarding the wannabe club started because Angel lost his cool, so he’s prepared to take whatever punishment Bishop and the rest of the table deem fit. It’s right when he’s about to head inside to discuss his fate when Felipe pulls into the junkyard in his truck. This is ALSO right when the club finds out that Adelita has been taken by Potter. This literally all just happened in the span of a few seconds. It looks like Angel is going to go yell at his father, but instead he just ends up crying into his father’s arms. Poor, sweet Angel; heartbroken on all fronts.  

It’s decided that Angel and EZ aren’t going to confront their father just yet. They want to get Adelita back first. Angel being the father of Adelita’s baby is still being kept a secret because Adelita wanted them all safe first, so Angel’s angst is certainly about to reach a breaking point. He doesn’t care what he has to do, he has to be there when they rescue her.  

He’s not the only one who’s upset about Adelita being taken by Potter and the mercenaries. Miguel Galindo is pretty upset, himself. He’s also got to be feeling pretty guilty too. He was with Adelita and they had no idea they were being tracked. Adelita saved all their asses. Emily reads into the way Miguel seems to be processing everything like he’s in love with her. Miguel proceeds to deny it, while also sounding completely in love with Adelita at the same exact time. He says he’s just envious of the power and admiration Adelita has, but it could possibly be more than that. I mean, if I was presented with a choice between Adelita and Emily, I’d fall in love with Adelita a million times over too. (Not to diss Emily, because she’s had some strong moments going for. I just prefer Adelita all the time always.)  

To try and get Adelita out of harm’s way, the MC, Galindo and his cartel, and Los Olvidados are pulling out all the stops. They’re working together to find the hideout south of the border the mercs took Adelita to. They know it’ll be too late to try and help her once she’s taken north of the border, so time is of the essence! It’s an all hands on deck type situation, especially to Angel. At one point, tensions are so high between Angel and Bishop that Angel slips and says that Adelita’s baby is his baby. He’s the father. It all makes sense to the whole crew now; why Angel was so desperate to be there every step of the way and not do lackey (prospect) jobs. The crew seems to be pretty happy for him and are even more determined to bring Adelita home.  

The whole crew had managed to find the hideout and were camping out across the street. Potter and the mercs had planned to send decoy cars out of the safehouse in case they were being watched. Each car had a pregnant woman with a bag over their heads to conceal their identity.  This leads to a pretty brief mix up where they follow the wrong car for a while. Thankfully, EZ has that perfect memory of his and recalls there being one more car. The Mayans figure out the best route to head them off before they cross the border and off they go!  

An exciting car chase later, though, ends in a pretty heartbreaking situation for Angel. Adelita tells Angel to leave her behind; that her arrest is what’s best for everyone and for the Mexican communities Los Olvidados is helping. This woman is about to give birth any day now and she’s putting the good of others before herself, like damn. Angel, is obviously distraught. He loves Adelita and their unborn child. He’s gone through emotional hell and back for them, but ultimately, he does as Adelita says. The club leaves the scene and leaves Adelita behind for Potter and his officers to catch up to them.  

Where will they go from there? Who knows?  

This was definitely Clayton’s best episode! It’s been an absolute joy to see him bring this wonderful character to life! He perfectly showcased Angel’s angst and despair at his love and unborn child being in danger. Clayton does a marvelous job of showcasing so many different emotions in any given scene. His humor and raw emotion? Perfection. I can’t wait to see what else is in store for Angel Reyes, honestly.  

Some thoughts on the episode:

Seeing Adelita in the cage at the beginning of the episode through me into a fit of rage at this current administration. This show is so politically relevant.  

Angel’s in love with Adelita. Miguel’s in love with Adelita. I’m in love with Adelita.  

I absolutely adored the scene between the Reyes family on the back of Felipe’s truck. They still have so many issues to work out, but they are family first. Their love for each other is what makes them stronger. I’m rooting for this family unit!

So Emily knows about Felipe and Dita’s supposed history. She knows Felipe worked for Jose Galindo as Dita’s protection. This time she wants him to be Dita’s emotional protection. I honestly don’t care. I hope Dita dies by the season’s end.  

EZ is going to be an UNCLE. Is he pissed that Angel didn’t tell him? I mean, the rest of the MC, I understand and EZ probably does too, but what about him?

So where’s Leti? You know, Coco’s daughter? She was heavily featured last season, so where is she now?  

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x04 “Lahun Chan” Review

Guys!! We finally got some answers!! I’m so pleased! Episode 4 of Season 2 was a pretty strong episode and that’s mostly because we got some freaking answers!!

Let’s chat about what those Reyes boys were getting up to. Episode 3 ended with the boys in Happy’s house, ready for a showdown. They had immediately tied up Happy and started demanding answers. Well, Happy’s a rock. He is unmovable...or so we thought. Happy’s one weakness is his dog. Once Angel and EZ realize that, they use it to their advantage. (Thankfully, no animals were harmed! It was just a threat that I doubt either guy would follow through on, the fuckin softies.) Anyways, we learn that when Happy went Nomad during his time on Sons of Anarchy, he was a gun for hire.  

Before Happy left the Nomad charter and settled in with the Charming crew, he fucked up a job. It was the death of Mama Reyes that ultimately sent Happy to live the small town life. You see, Happy was supposed to kill BOTH Mama and Papa Reyes, but she was the only one in the butcher shop when he went for the kill. He doesn’t know for sure who ultimately ordered the hit, but he does know it was one of the Mexican cartels, even possibly the Galindo cartel. The night EZ killed that cop and ultimately saw Happy’s face, Happy actually thought EZ was a cartel member sent to kill him for not executing the job properly.  

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am to see where this story lines up in the Sons of Anarchy timeline.  It’s been bothering me since the twist was revealed in the Season 1 finale. One major thing I can cross off my list now!  

While Angel and EZ are going back and forth on torturing Happy for answers, and it did take them all day, it seems, we see the brothers have their heart-to-hearts. Angel learns that EZ was keeping MORE intel from him, this time about their own father and who he used to be. It’s all right there in the paperwork Happy has when the hit was ordered, but all EZ does is further confirm that intel with what he learned from stuff he found in a locked box in their own home last season.  

Over with the Galindos, Emily and Miguel are keeping a closer eye on Dita when she goes to her appointments. By that I mean, their security is keeping a closer eye on Dita because her only family members are too preoccupied with business. She’s been scheduled to see a therapist, but she’s not at all interested in seeing a shrink. She bribes the good doctor to say she was at the appointment and to continue to say she goes to all her appointments and then she goes and meets Felipe on the roof and out of sight.  

We learn what happened to Dita in the time jump. The fire that got the Galindo homestead is ultimately what hurt Dita, except she believed that fire was there for HER. It was just a regular southern California wildfire. The area had been told to evacuate, but Dita just...didn’t. When Miguel’s security went to find her, she hid. A young firefighter ended up finding her and getting her out, but not before she badly burned.  

There’s also more learned about the affair between Felipe and Dita. Dita actually admits that she believes Miguel is Felipe’s son and, therefore, Angel and EZ’s half-brother. She never did an actual DNA test to find out for sure if Miguel was Jose Galindo’s son, so I’m wondering if that’s something that could possibly be done. I’m on the side of science, here, not gut feelings when it comes to paternity. Dita assures Felipe that no one will ever know.  

Can you even begin to imagine what could happen with the cartel side of things if they realize that Miguel isn’t the true heir? I imagine it’d be one huge clusterfuck.  

Emily is there when they pick up Dita after her “appointment” and she notices Felipe’s truck parked close by. When the two women get back home, Dita is preoccupied with her grandson, so Emily quietly hunts for anything to explain Dita’s behavior and relationship with Felipe. She finds a picture of Dita, Jose, and Felipe from decades ago. Now Emily knows that their history runs deep.  

Meanwhile, Miguel has taken Adelita south of the border in order to see how they can protect their investment in Palomo, the woman the farmers (and Los Olvidados) have put their faith and support behind to make Mexico better. What they don’t know is that mercenaries Potter is working with to track down Adelita have stuck a GPS tracking device under all the vehicles Galindo and the Mayans use when they’re south of the border. Shortly after Adelita and Miguel reach their destination, they see the mercenaries closing in on them. Adelita comes up with a plan that Miguel found Adelita and was preparing to take her back to Potter. Adelita ends up being arrested and carted away by the mercs. Miguel is in distress. *I* am in distress. Angel is going to freaking LOSE his MIND when he finds out.  

I mean, holy hell.  

Some thoughts on the episode:

Opie is a good doggo who has never done anything wrong in his whole life.  

Happy loves ONE THING and that is RIGHTFULLY his dog.  

I love how Angel and EZ can be at each other’s throats one second and then can actually work their shit out logically once they get that pent-up aggression out of the way.  

I don’t like Emily, but when Dita called her a white devil, I wanted to FIGHT. Dita, YOU are a devil.  

Adelita and Miguel’s awkward car ride has left me feeling all kinds of confused. These guys have awesome chemistry, but I REALLY don’t want Miguel to be the father of Adelita’s baby.  

I hate love triangles.  

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝 

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x03 “Camazotz” Review

The Mayans have all come together in Northern Cali to avenge the killing of their brother in the last episode. As you’ll recall, a Mayan by the name of Medina was killed when he walked in on those two racist detectives partaking in illegal substances while also filming a drug-addicted young woman who was being forced to perform oral sex on one of them. The cops were spooked and one of them shot at Medina, killing him instantly. Bishop wants the Stockton charter to hold off on acting out. He, instead, wants his Santo Padre chapter to take the lead on this one. 

Hope, the unfortunate drug addict, was able to get the cop’s phone in the aftermath. She brought it to the club. The club is going to use the phone to draw the responsible cop out from wherever it is he’s hiding and get their revenge. Hope is to be their bait. The cops know she has the phone, but they don’t know the club has her. The plan is for Hope to message the cop and bring them to a different location, but things don’t go to plan when the partner of the intended cop shows up, instead. They take the fight to cop’s mother’s house, which leads to Coco shooting the cop’s mother for nearly choking Hope to death, and then the whole club has the cop dangling from a tree and proceeds to shoot firing-squad-style until he’s well past dead.      

We catch up with Mini, who appears to be having trouble sleeping. She wakes up to the sound of a woman moaning and groaning. This little girl thinks it could be Adelita in pain and goes to investigate. She’s in for a huge shock when it’s actually a man performing oral sex on a prostitute. Adelita and Mini are currently staying in a brothel that’s protected by Alvarez and the club, so, yeah. Lock those doors, people! There are little eyes and ears hanging around the place. Anyways, the man ends up making an unfavorable remark once he sees the scars on Mini’s face. Adelita steps in and makes the man apologize to Mini. 

Poor little Mini is definitely dealing with a lot emotionally this season. Her facial scars make her feel like an “other”, when all she wants to feel is beautiful like Adelita. This leads to a tender scene between Alvarez and Mini. Marcus tells Mini that her scars are her story, essentially. He has scars of his own; they all do. Mini’s scars don’t make her a mouse, they make her a lion. She is fierce, like Marcus and Adelita, and others should be intimidated by her because of her power. Marcus is like a wise grandfather figure here and I love this for them. 

Emily is determined to get to the bottom of the Agra Park bid. The mayor’s “betrayal” of having the bidding open to more than the Galindos is fresh. To get more intel, Emily wants to help out an old family friend. In the end, she believes they’ll be helping each other. But what she’s really doing is giving money for intel. Just last week Emily wanted Miguel to keep the shady business out of their legitimate business, but if Emily is the one doing the shady business, it’s okay? I see how it is. 

Potter makes a return to the Galindo estate and collects Miguel for a four hour trip on the southern side of the border.  What he shows Miguel is that he knows Adelita and her influence is as strong as ever. Potter also shows him a young Mexican politician that is gaining support from the farming community. Potter wants Miguel to “bloody her up”, not just dirty her up and make her unfavorable to the people who are following her. 

Before leaving, Miguel and Emily had just had a little spat over Emily wanting to give her old friend money in exchange for information. When Dita tried to get her grandson, whom Emily had been holding, out of the situation, Emily snapped at her and told her not to touch her baby. Cristobal is her grandson. This leaves me to wonder if whatever happened to Dita in the time jump, involved Cristobal as well. Anyways, Dita encloses herself in her room and calls Felipe. This encounter leads to use finding out that there was, in fact, a love affair between Dita and Felipe and this opens up all kinds of doors now. 

I am over love triangles, as you all know. However, they seem inevitable in fiction. Dita and Ignacio, as Felipe was once called, had an affair when Dita’s relationship with Jose Galindo was fizzling out. This could end up showing that Miguel maybe isn’t a Galindo. He could be Angel and EZ’s older half-brother. We don’t know when exactly this all happened and when trying to figure out the timeline, my brain is getting all confused. I need Kurt Sutter and Elgin James to give me a direct timeline. 

It’s time that we start learning about what happened during that eight month time jump. I know we’re only three episodes into the season, but we’re flying blind! We need more information! We need to know who the father of Adelita’s child is. (If it isn’t Angel, I will RAGE.) We need to know about Dita and potentially Cristobal, apparently. There’s just so much information missing and we need those flashbacks in order to understand and move forward.  

When justice is settled, club-style, Angel reminds Bishop that Angel and EZ still have business in Stockton and they’ll remain up there for another day or two. At the end of the episode, we’re taken to Happy’s house. His dog is going nuts inside. When Happy turns the lights on, our favorite Reyes brothers are there, having waited for him. Next week we’ll FINALLY see the face-off between Happy and the Reyes brothers. 

 Some thoughts on the episode:

I think it’s time we got Mini and Adelita out of the brothel. 

Grandpa Marcus Alvarez is my favorite Marcus Alvarez. 

Coco’s “my bad” keeps this show light in some of its darkest moments and I appreciate that. 

I’m definitely not feeling the storyline of Dita and Felipe having had an affair. 

Happy named his dog after Opie! *Cue myself crying to sleep.*

Sarah’s episode rating: 3bees

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x02 “Xaman-Ek” Review

Episode 2, “Xaman-Ek”, gave us all the quality Reyes Brothers content we could ever desire. These boys are working through their drama and it’s everything I want for them!

The episode continues from where we left off with them in the season premiere. EZ had just informed Angel that Happy Lowman is the man who killed their mother. This is absolute dangerous territory for these brothers, seeing as how the Mayans MC and SAMCRO have a friendly alliance. EZ isn’t going to let this go and Angel will stand by his brother. The plan is to leave town under the guise of EZ needing to work out some parole paperwork in Stockton. EZ tells Bishop he wants to use the trip to work things out with Angel, so Bishop allows the little field trip. Meanwhile, what the brothers are ACTUALLY going to be doing is hopefully talking things through with Happy. If they act out any sort of revenge, that would put the friendship between the two  MCs in jeopardy, but if they don’t the Reyes brothers will continue to be in anguish over their mother’s murder. 

 Before Angel and EZ leave town, Angel stops in to see Adelita, who is in hiding with the MC on the northern side of the border. The rest of Los Olvidados is on the southern side of the border, along with the mercenaries who want to see that whole organization die out. Angel has never been softer than when he interacts with Adelita and their unborn baby. There’s a sweet back and forth about the gender and Angel is rubbing Adelita’s belly (P.S. Carla Baratta was actually pregnant during the filming of this season! She gave birth to a beautiful baby boy not too long ago! Congrats, Carla!). Angel wants to be able to tell his family that he’s about to have a kid, but Adelita wants to keep it on the down-low, until they’re all safe. If this is really because Angel isn’t the father, I’ll be SO PISSED. 

Los Olvidados is getting ready to move locations. The MC is across the border to help. Turns out Mini, the little girl Adelita is the closest to, runs away. This is the longest they’ve ever been apart and, after the events of the last episode regarding Mini, she feels guilty. She’s on the run on the southern side of the border and she has the club and the mercenaries looking for her. It’s through this search that the mercenaries begin to suspect that the MC maybe isn’t loyal to the “deal” struck between Galindo and Lincoln Potter. This invites more eyes onto the club. In the end, Mini ends up finding the club. She seems to be particularly fond of Coco.  

Taking a break from the MC, we catch up with the Galindo family. Emily and Miguel are trying to be more present for Dita. With Emily trying to pull in a deal with the Santo Padre mayor for Miguel’s legit business, things get messy. Miguel was in the waiting room at Dita’s plastic surgeon’s office when he receives a distressed call from Emily. Miguel leaves Nestor behind to wait for Dita, while Miguel is off to problem solve. Well, when Dita’s appointment is over, she isn’t too pleased that her own family isn’t waiting for; that Miguel left AGAIN. She takes off through the back door. 

She finds her way to Felipe Reyes’ butcher shop. As Jose Galindo’s wife, she knows who Felipe once was. He used to be Ignacio. He’s no longer that person. These two clearly have a history, but what kind of history? Felipe was very much in love with his wife, so was Dita an older flame? We know he worked with the elder Galindo and was in his inner circle. Emily confirms, once Felipe brings Dita home to the Galindo compound, that Dita doesn’t know about Emily’s history with EZ. This is a mystery I’m going to need to learn more about sooner rather than later. 

I’m also really curious to know what brought about this sudden change in Dita. What happened in that 8 month time jump that would cause her to act completely different? She was poised and present. Now, her family treats her like an invalid and she has these horrifying burn marks covering the back of her body. She wears a wig to hide the scars. Once the wig is on, she’s essentially playing a part; as if nothing is wrong, except everything is wrong and the audience isn’t getting the whole story. How long are they going to make us wait on this one?

Getting back to those Reyes boys, EZ and Angel run into these two white biker gang posers, who try to act all tough. Their cuts say “Swole Boys”, so...yeah. That’s all you need to know to judge them. All it takes is Angel pulling his gun on them to get them to back off and leave them alone. The brothers continue with their little road trip and decide to stop at an arcade to kill some time. This is the wholesome bonding brotherly content I had been waiting for. Angel, being the big brother, is an exceedingly classy winner over his little brother. In this roadside arcade, they don’t have a care in the world.

Naturally, something has to disrupt that peace. The camera focuses on this skinny white girl who had been eyeing them the whole time. She gets on the phone and you just KNOW she’s snitching about their whereabouts to somebody. A whole hoard of those “Swole Boys” show up and surround them. It’s 2 against 20. I like the Reyes brothers’ odds though, especially because Angel and EZ grab the golf clubs they had been playing with and start whooping ass. It’s when Angel and EZ get to their bikes, that Angel fires warning shots from his gun and they get away. 

They make it to the Mayans charter in Northern California by dark. They’re greeted by friends and also some white scumbag racists, spouting Trump bullshit you hear all over the news these days. The charter ignores them and encourages EZ to do the same. They’re visiting friends and are there to have a good time. The racists leave for the time being, but we see them committing a terribly gross, lude act with a young woman. In fact, it’s definitely sexual assault. One of the Mayans goes to pee and stumbles upon them. One of the racists has a gun and shoots at the Mayan, killing him.  They run off as the Mayans get to the scene and find their fallen comrade. The episode ends with the club fleeing the scene, as the cops will, no doubt, arrive shortly, and the Reyes brothers presenting as a united front. 

I’m beyond thrilled that EZ and Angel got to spend some time together and are currently building bridges, but that was almost too easy? I know Angel wants a better relationship for the sake of his unborn child and I know EZ wants a better relationship because Angel and Felipe are all he has, besides the club, and he needs them. I just know there has to be more drama right around the corner for these two, but honestly? I’ll take it because this episode was just so fun to watch.   

Some thoughts on the episode:

SO MUCH QUALITY REYES BROTHERS CONTENT.

LIKE SO MUCH.

Angel was just SO SOFT in that scene with Adelita. If Angel isn’t that baby’s father, I WILL RIOT.

I loved the subtle dig Angel (the writers/producers) gave to SoA fanatics about how just because you watch a tv show, ride a motorcycle, and wear a vest doesn’t make you part of a motorcycle club.

I love how politically relevant this show is. 

I’m kind of bored with the Dita/Miguel/Emily storyline. I’m hoping we get answers soon and can move forward from there.

Sarah’s Episode Rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

Mayans MC airs on Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX.

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Mayans MC 2x01 “Xbalanque” Review

The Season 2 premiere of Mayans MC rolled right in with grandeur and intrigue. We were able to briefly catch up with a solid majority of our favorite characters and were introduced to the curious dramas that may befall them this season. There seems to be about five different aspects that will be part of the main focus. 

The Mayans, Galindo Cartel, and Los Olvidados are all working together, as per Miguel Galindo and Adelita’s (Louisa Espina) deal to keep the Galindo cartel the number one cartel in Mexico, while also funneling the money earned back into the communities. The Mayans were brought in as advisors on this deal, as well as muscle. However, Lincoln Potter thinks Galindo is working with him to take Los Olvidados down. In fact, Potter is working with mercenaries to take down each and every hideout and ally they can find that “belongs” to the Rebels. According to Potter, it’s going well and they are almost at the final mission. 

The Mayans accompany the mercenaries on this final mission that turns out to be a total fraud because they plant phones and Rebel propaganda to mislead the mercenaries into thinking these people are actually part of Los Olvidados. Who are these people that are actually being killed? I do not have the answer to that. Casualties of war. It’s when one of Adelita’s kids in the group, Mini, gets snatched by one of the mercenaries, that things start to diverge from the plans the MC had. This child faces torture and most definitely death, even if she talks to them about Adelita and the Rebels. 

Well, these big bad biker dudes aren’t going to let that happen. They barge in, guns ablaze, killing all the mercenaries. EZ has the final kill and it’s with a brutal strangulation after the mercenary was about to kill El Padrino, Marcus Alvarez. Mini is saved. Alvarez is saved. They had no casualties.  Los Olvidados lives another day. 

Reyes Family Discourse

We left off with major tensions between EZ and Angel Reyes. Angel, always the odd child out, had felt that their father, Felipe, had always chosen EZ over him and, in this instance, he most definitely did. You see, EZ had always been the golden child. He has the brains to do just about anything. With his record currently expunged by Lincoln Potter, the world is still his oyster. The deal EZ had made with federal agents is what ultimately broke Angel’s heart last season. Angel made the decision to kill Jimenez for Potter so EZ can really leave that life behind and make something for himself. 

Just because Angel had EZ’s best interest at heart, doesn’t mean that a) EZ took what his big brother was offering and b) Angel isn’t still pissed at EZ. The tension is palpable and it has absolutely no place in the MC and their business. By the end of the episode, Bishop forces EZ to talk to Angel and work it out because the vote to patch EZ into the club is coming up and the vote of all the members has to be unanimous. We know Angel doesn’t want EZ in the club. It’s up to EZ to fix things with his brother, so off he goes to find a solution to their mess.  

The solution comes in the form of EZ going to Angel with the identity of the person who killed their mother. I’m guessing he’s hoping that they’ll be able to bring their mother’s murderer to justice (in their own way) together.    

Galindo Family Discourse 

When we’re reunited with our Galindo family, Miguel and Emily appear to be happy. Emily’s been brought into more of the business side of the family. However, it seems Miguel is still keeping some things from her, in regards as to what happens on the south side of the border. While they clearly love each other, there is still tension between them. Something is plaguing Dita, Miguel’s mother. She just seems like an entirely different woman than she was last season. Miguel’s not around too much, so it seems Emily is the one that has to take care of Dita. Dita isn’t happy that Miguel isn’t home with Cristobal and she’s not happy that Emily has taken to being a working mom, instead of devoting her whole life to being a mother. 

Dita makes a comment to Emily while waiting to be taken to an appointment that she feels she’s getting worse. At the end of the episode, Dita takes off a wig and undresses. She is completely covered in burns. Makes me think it could have been from Miguel. He was quite pissed at being lied to last season, but does he have it in him to hurt his own mother? 

Angelita…and Miguel? 

Soooo...Adelita is pregnant, on the verge of giving birth. According to Miguel, she hasn’t told anyone who the father is yet. When Season 1 concluded, Angel and Adelita’s feelings for each other were pretty apparent, but they weren’t actively together. There weren’t any grand declarations of love and devotion. I know the scenes between Angel and Adelita were pretty fire last season, but so were her scenes with Miguel. However, I’m hoping and praying that they didn’t do the do. Adelita cares for Angel. I don’t think Angel could take another heartbreak. 

Unless he’s not heartbroken?  What happened in that time jump?

Happy Happy Not So Joy Joy

Happy Lowman is still hanging around. Turns out, the Sons of Anarchy crew is still dealing guns. Chucky even asks Happy why they’re still in the gun trade, even after Jax wanted them out. All Happy can say is that it’s taking longer than they thought and that “there’s a lot at stake”. Okay.  Whatever THAT means. The start of Season 1 takes place 3 years after the death of Jax Teller. Season 2 starts at least 8 months after THAT, so how much longer is it going to take, Hap? 

While bringing guns to the Mayans, Felipe comes around looking for EZ, to give him a message and not use his phone. However, EZ’s not there, but that gives Happy enough time to recognize him and inquire as to who he is. You see, we know EZ knows that Happy killed his mom. Now Happy knows that not only did he kill the mother of one Mayan, but TWO Mayans. He knows he’s in deep shit now. 

Some thoughts on the episode:

I’m still Team Get EZ Away From The Club Life. 

I’m hoping and praying that Angel is Adelita’s baby daddy. There’s a supposed love triangle between Miguel, Emily, and EZ. We don’t need another between Miguel, Adelita, and Angel. I get it, Miguel is a desired man, but stop making drama where it absolutely isn’t necessary. 

I absolutely adored the shared smiles between Marcus and EZ after EZ saved Marcus’ life. 

Potter knows exactly who Felipe Reyes is and he continues to be just as unsettling as ever. 

There was a Chibs mention, SO THERE SHOULD BE A CHIBS CAMEO. I’D DIE.  

Happy has a paper trail in that mysterious trunk of his of a supposedly random hit from several years ago? That seems pretty sloppy of our guy.  

Mayans MC airs Tuesdays at 10/9c on FX

Sarah’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝

[truthbeetoldmedia]

Top 5 Moments of 'American Gods' Season 2

In light of the Season 2 DVD release of American Gods on August 20th and the cast and crew gearing up to start filming Season 3, I decided to revisit some of the best and most memorable moments of the season! Season 2 introduced us to new characters, as well as saying goodbye to others. The season has its ups and downs, but we were left with some pretty quality content overall.  

This article contains spoilers for Season 2 of American Gods.

In no particular order: 

New Media Tentacle Sex???

You read that right  It’s the one scene that has been burned into my memory and no amount of scrubbing will get rid of it. Last season’s stand-out sex scene was the infamous Bilquis man-eating vagina scene. This season’s definitely tops the weirdness scale. New Media, played by Kahyun Kim, and Technical Boy (Bruce Langley) went to Argos to find a way to leave Mr. World and make it on their own. There was fondling and...connecting of tentacles. It’s like New Media was trying to upload what he was seeing, in a way? Like the way you connect a USB to a computer.  Well, his USB was connected to her hard drive, for sure.  

Laura actually did something useful for once and killed him before I was further scarred for life.  

Sam Black Crow Cometh

We are FINALLY introduced to my little queer Sam Black Crow baby. Devery Jacobs brought one of my favorite fictional characters to life with Sam and I want to protect her at all costs. Sam walks into the gas station where a battered Shadow is trying to scam the cashier into giving him more money than what he went in with. She then brings Shadow further on his journey. The interactions between Sam and Shadow were super important because she’s literally only the second human Shadow interacts with, but the first that’s actually not involved with his new, messy life.  She’s his breath of fresh air. Devery and Ricky have some fantastic chemistry and I really hope she comes back for Season 3, even if it’s just one episode.  

Odinson? Odin’s Son.

Episode 6 of Season 2, “Donar The Great”, was where the audience learned a bit more about Wednesday’s past, especially his son, Donar.  Donar followed his father and did all that he had asked of him. When he had tried to do something for himself, like falling in love with a woman and wanting to leave their current life behind to be with each other, conflict had risen between the father and son duo. This episode, we learned that there’s one death a god can’t come back from and that is suicide, the ultimate sacrifice for a god. By then end of the episode, Odin and Donar are at odds and Donar is no longer able to leave with the woman he loves. He leaves his father and that life behind. He turns his back on his father and walks away. Wednesday informs Shadow, who he’s been telling this backstory to, that Donar had killed himself in 1942.    

Shadow, I am your father

Soooo…for those of you that haven’t read the book, this season set up the fact that Wednesday is Shadow’s father. In Episode 2, we got some EXCELLENT Shadow Moon backstory. We saw a young Shadow and his mother move to a new city. She has told Shadow his whole life that his father is not in the picture because he’s dead and she refuses to tell him more than that. When Shadow’s mother gets sick, we see Shadow waiting for her in a waiting room and a mysterious man comes up to Shadow and offers him a gold coin and a trick. We never see his face. Shadow continues to learn coin tricks and other slights of hand.  

It’s in the season finale that Shadow manages to put pieces of the puzzle together and learns that Odin is his father. It’s while Shadow is trying to hide from the cops that he discovers he has powers. He sees his life flash before his eyes and that’s how he manages to come to the conclusion that Odin is his dad and, in my opinion, quite a shitty one.  

MAD SWEENEY, WHY

Episode 7 of this season was my absolute favorite because Pablo Schrieber absolutely knocked it out of the park! We got so much Mad Sweeney backstory that made you feel ALL THE FEELS for the lonely leprechaun. He was a king once and he had a beautiful young family once. It all came tumbling down for him and other fae folk when Christianity took root.  

At the beginning of Episode 7, Sweeney tells Shadow that there will be a death at the funeral home that night and to not stop it. Sweeney is there to kill Wednesday because he’s completely fed up with being his little errand boy. Shadow also believes that Wednesday will be the death at the house. By the end of the episode, Sweeney and Shadow are brawling. Shadow is doing everything he can to keep Wednesday and his spear safe, because that’s his job. Sweeney confesses to Shadow, as a plea to see reason almost, that he’s the reason Laura is dead (or undead, rather). Wednesday needed Laura out of Shadow’s life and he tasked Sweeney for the job. He also informs Shadow that he had sex with her when they went to New Orleans.  This just lights a whole new fire under Shadow. Sweeney ends up taking the spear to the heart by Shadow’s own hand.  

One of my favorite bittersweet Mad Sweeney moments happened just before he succumbed to his death. He gave a final “fuck you” to Wednesday by taking Odin’s spear and making it vanish. Wednesday needs that spear for the big battle between the old gods and the new gods, so good on Sweeney, honestly. Wednesday is a right jackass who deserves to have a tough time for a bit.  

When all is said and done, there were some fantastic moments this season!  Please comment below with your favorite moments!

[truthbeetoldmedia]

The 100 6x13 "The Blood of Sanctum" Review

Well, The 100 fans, how are we feeling? Tonight we watched the last season finale The 100 is ever going to give us (the next will be a SERIES finale) and I must say, this is perhaps the first time a finale from this show has left me unsatisfied. Let’s delve into why that is:

Closing Season 6 was always going to be a bit of a challenge. We entered this season with perhaps one strong “A” plot and a minor subplot. We walked out with approximately five more plot lines and none of them are ones I’d consider minor. It’s astonishing to me that The 100 managed to craft a finale that not only didn’t close a single one of it’s existing plot lines adequately but also opened up, quite literally, an entirely new can of worms (anyone remember when worms where a thing on this show?). Let’s run through the list shall we: 

Worm Number One: Have You Seen This Boy?

We start the season with the mystery of the Primes, and although we now know exactly what they are and the vast majority of them have been floated, we are left with Russell the Eighth and Priya’s mind drive, clutched securely in the grasp of a now brainwashed Jordan. If it wasn’t obvious enough that Jordan is “under the influence” so to speak, we watch the camera focus on his adjuster while he chats with Bellamy in the finale, proclaiming that he is fine even as he spouts out pieces of information that would make me question that if I were in Bellamy’s shoes. The Prime plot, which could have ended this season, will now make its way into Season 7, where the cult that we were introduced to in this final episode will have a more active role in disrupting the peace. I wouldn’t be surprised if a large part of Jordan’s role next season is finding a new host for Priya and I can’t bring it in me to be upset about that. 

In a season where Jordan Jasper Green was one of the most anticipated new additions to the cast he was sorely under-utilized. We listened to various characters recite Monty’s charge to do better all season, but they all failed Monty and Harper where it mattered the most: their son. Shannon Kook is an expert at bringing a Harper-esque zest for life mixed with Monty’s desire to live better and it was a promising combination and one that was lost after episode 5 of this season. While I understand the appeal of first love, especially when you’ve never met anyone who wasn’t related to you or one of your parent’s friends, it is frustrating to me that so much of Jordan’s why is trapped in Priya nee Delilah. It would have been far more interesting to see Jordan take up the mantle Monty and Harper left behind and become the new moral compass of the group, even barring that, I would have been more interested in watching this man-child explore a world that was bigger than the space of the Eligius ship. Opportunity was squandered there and we’ll never get a return on the investment we made. 

Worm Number Two: Prime Schmimes

Along with Jordan holding on to Priya’s mind drive comes the need for another host and I have an idea of where he might find one. As I’ve mentioned in my YouTube videos and Twitter threads, they don’t make people Nightbloods for no reason. You need look no further than the Griffin ladies to see that: Clarke, Madi and Abby were all made Nightbloods (born or created) to further storylines and Echo (Ash) will be no different. Although she was spared the privilege of hosting Simone, she is currently the only available Nightblood we know of. Russell is also aware of her status and in the finale he quite clearly states that he wants revenge. He may not be able to bring his family back, but all it takes is one mole in the works to help him achieve that, and he has at least two (Jordan and the adjuster — not to mention the possibility of all of the Children of Gabriel who were brainwashed as well). It would also be revenge for Ryker at the very least — his mother’s mind hosted in the body of the woman who murdered him. While Echo does have the neural mesh (she entered the City of Light as well) and has not been exposed to an EMP, we learned in this episode that Russell was careful to examine Abby before he put Simone’s drive in her — to ensure that there was no failsafe. It’s entirely possible that they can shock Echo with an EMP and implant Priya’s drive and further move Russell’s revenge plot along. After all it was love that drove Gabriel to create immortality, what will love drive Jordan to do?

Worm Number Three: Skynet? Is That You?

Some foreign line of code has managed to find a home in the Eligius ship’s hard drive. While trying to save Madi (and we’ll discuss that in a bit), they essentially crash the Flame, allowing them to remove it without the need for the passcode. While this is happening, Madi and the Dark Commander are fighting a bitter battle for control of her body. I believe that — if one isn’t paying enough attention — it’s easy to say that the reason the Dark Commander disappeared from Madi’s body is because they removed the Flame, but I’m going to hazard a guess that he — like any other virus — realized his removal was imminent and adapted to the situation, leaving Madi’s brain and uploading himself into the Eligius computers. 

What does that mean for Season 7 and how will we see him return? Yana Grebenyuk (@yanawrites on Twitter — make sure to watch this space for her finale write up!) postulates that we might actually see him in two places next season! As a rub to Diyoza, who laughed at Gaia teaching Madi how to control the Flame (anyone remember what Gaia says during this scene: “A mind can’t be in two places at once”) Yana speculated that she might actually be trapped with him in the, wait for it, past! We know that the anomaly deals with time and space and we know that when Octavia went in she was gone for some time. Now it seems we have an estimate on how long. Hope is at least 20 years old when she stumbles into the tent and she and Octavia clearly know each other well. As Hope embraces Octavia, stabbing her — much as Clarke did with Finn — she tells her “He still has her” when Octavia asks about Diyoza. Hope’s appearance is very much Grounder-chic and it would also tie into why we learned about Indra seeing the Dark Commander once when she was young. 

Further, with his consciousness now uploaded onto the Eligius ship there’s no limit to what the Dark Commander might be able to get up to now. Maybe this is the true beginning of Terminator’s Skynet. With all of that being said: it is rather disappointing that, even with the close of “Book One” a part of the series’ final struggle will still boil down to the Grounders. It’s been 131 years, two nuclear apocalypses, a new planet and a new cult system (the Primes) and we still can’t seem to shake them. It feels like the show should have been called “Grounders” instead of “The 100” for the amount of focus given to them and it’s disheartening. At least for me. 

Worm Number Four: The Little Whipping Girl

Clarke, my poor girl. Bradbury may be Bellamy’s middle name, but hers is definitely suffering. This season we’ve watched Clarke be isolated both physically and emotionally from the people she’d once called friends. We watch her put herself out there and have a bit of fun, only to wind up almost kidnapped and taken to the Children of Gabriel. We watch her die, fight viciously inside of her own mind to survive, almost die again, be revived by Bellamy and then realize that while she was dealing with that struggle, her child was losing her own mental battle, and then we watch her lose her mother.  

No one person should have to be strong enough to deal with all of that loss and yet Clarke manages it effortlessly every season. We know (thanks to Executive Producer Jason Rothenberg’s Hypable interview with Selina Wilken) that Clarke will be dealing with the grief of losing her mother as Season 7 begins. While I am grateful that she is being given the opportunity to do so, because grief is something that is so often rushed through on this show, I am also concerned about how this will affect Clarke’s issues with isolation. For six seasons now, Clarke has consistently been on the outside of the group looking in, due in large part to her status as lead, forcing her to be the character we follow around to each new location and each new group. Although Jason notes that Clarke will be perhaps even more protective of her family with her recent loss, I don’t necessarily know if the show has the chops to make that work. 

It doesn’t help that her best friend (script confirmed) Bellamy now has his own issues to deal with, which leads me directly into...Worm Number Five.

Worm Number Five: We Call That….Regression?

Many of you reading this initially found me via Tumblr or Twitter or YouTube, all places where a huge part of my online persona is my love for and defense of one Bellamy Blake. He has been my favorite character from the moment he appeared on the screen in the pilot episode and I have been in his corner ever since. We’ve watched him, over the course of six seasons,  mature, moving past the unhealthy relationship he’s had with Octavia since her birth resulted in both siblings carrying a weight they were too young for, growing into a man who left behind the self loathing and resentment of the past and stepped into the self love. If you’d’ve asked me yesterday what my favorite arc on The 100 is, I would have replied without hesitation “Bellamy’s character arc!”

I’m no longer sure I can do that. After the events of last season, which culminated in Octavia putting Bellamy in the pit alongside Gaia and Indra and forcing them to fight to their possible deaths, burning the farm Monty cultivated and then forcing her people into battle out of necessity, it seemed as if Bellamy was finally ready to separate from the lifelong co-dependent relationship he shared with Octavia. The Season 6 finale has appeared to effectively erase that growth in one fell swoop. Just a few episodes ago we listened as Bellamy told Octavia she was still his sister, but she could no longer be his responsibility and this episode we watched as Octavia was stabbed and misted right out of Bellamy’s arms and into the anomaly. The season ends with Bellamy calling Octavia’s name as the anomaly recedes once more. 

In post-finale interviews (again see Selina’s Hypable link above) Jason is clear that finding Octavia is a huge part of Bellamy’s drive in Season 7 (going so far as to compare it to Bellamy’s desire to save Clarke in Season 6), and while I can admire, respect and even understand a brother’s desire to find a lost sibling, it’s a huge walkback (literally almost 360 degrees) on Bellamy’s arc since Season 1. What is the point of watching a show, seeing its characters evolve and grow and change and mature if, in the final season, we watch them revert back to who they were in the pilot episode? Will Clarke always be a girl who’s lost a parent abandoned on a new world? Will Bellamy always be nothing more than his sister’s keeper? Will Octavia always be hidden away somewhere? People aren’t watching television shows to see characters wind up where they began. We watch for the hope that our current situations (whatever those may be) won’t last forever. That growth can be permanent, that who we are now doesn’t have to define who we become, but as we head into Season 7, I’m not entirely convinced The 100 is aware of that. 

Worm Number Six: Madi’s Mad as a Hatter...or is She?

Madi’s plot is perhaps the only one that was wrapped up (even as the Dark Commander clearly continues his nefarious deeds elsewhere) but it was done so haphazardly I was left unsatisfied. We have watched Madi deal with the Dark Commander in her head all season, we’ve watched as she’s slowly folded under his control and we watched her break when it’s revealed that Clarke is dead. It does make sense that learning Clarke is alive would bring her back. What doesn’t make sense is how swiftly that’s dealt with. It took the Dark Commander days or weeks (I’m unsure of Season 6’s timeline right now) to successfully set up a home in Madi’s brain and simply seeing Clarke threaten suicide (and also — what a message to send to...lots of people...I understand that Clarke went through a lot this season, but even with the loss of your mother, even with the potential loss of your daughter, you can still fight) was enough to snap his hold on Madi almost immediately. 

It’s not realistic. I can understand the need to bring Madi back into the picture, but I think it might have played a bit better if the struggle was more prolonged, perhaps even something they needed to put her back into cryo until next season to discover. Unfortunately the choice was made, and a plot line that bit significantly into others ended with extreme prejudice in about two seconds flat. 

Worm Number Seven: Make it Make Sense

(The above image is NOT edited.) The constant will they, won’t they of Bellamy and Clarke’s relationship needs to end now. Even as Jason tells fans that we (as a collective unit) all misunderstood what Bellamy’s drive was in saving Clarke (again see the Hypable interview linked above), he tells EW that "There were a few seasons in the middle of the run where we didn't know, we legitimately were on the bubble and were always trying to engineer something that could possibly be a series ender and a season ender, you know? I have for a while known thematically and like you say, in a general way, what I want the ending to be. I knew what I wanted it to feel like, I knew what I wanted it to say."  

When you look back on the middle season finales (which for a seven season run would be Seasons 3-5) Jason has been crafting a very clear endgame, and that endgame is Bellamy and Clarke, together, facing their next adventure. 

Season 3 ends with Bellamy and Clarke, in the  Polis throne room, standing in front of Lexa's throne. They are united (literally touching), watching their people recover from the effects of ALIE, some wounded (like Jaha), others embracing the people they love (Kabby, Briller, Memori). Clarke delivers the news about the reactors melting down, that they haven't won just yet, and then Octavia kills Pike and walks away. Season 3 ends with Bellamy and Clarke — together — preparing to face their next challenge. 

The Season 4 finale is a bit more ambiguous, because Bellamy and Clarke are physically separated but the notes are still there. We come into Clarke making a radio call and she is speaking to Bellamy specifically. She says "I still have hope" — that call back to the "You still have hope?/We still breathing" moment that sent the Bellarke fandom into ecstatic spirals of joy and — as a ship bursts through the atmosphere — Clarke stands, her breathing quickens, she smiles and she says "Never mind, I see you" and "I See You" (Confirmed by Tree Adams to be written for and about Bellarke), plays in the background.

Even as we watch Clarke's joy turn into apprehension when she realizes that's NOT Becca's rocket and instead says prisoner transport — if the series had ended here, in this moment — it's possible that it could have been Bellamy (and the others) walking off of the Eligius ship and in fact, that was the most common theory during the hiatus: that Bellamy and the others had joined up with the Eligius crew to combat the fuel issue, which wasn't far off. The series would have ended on the assumption that it was Bellamy walking off of that ship, reunited with Clarke and together again, facing the challenge of repopulating a barren Earth (after they dug out the bunker of course) and because we didn't have any updates on the Space Squad until Season 5 premiered, we also would have been left without the knowledge that Bellamy and Ash (aka Echo) were a thing. 

Season 5 ends with Bellamy pulling Clarke into his side, both crying, both leaning on each other (with Jordan in the background) united and about to take on this journey (the discovery of a new planet) — together — again. And yes, I know a lot of people were upset about this ending because Bellamy and Ash/Echo were still a "couple", but again, I want to point you back to Jason saying that he was writing these as series finales and he knew what he wanted those finales to feel like and what he wanted them to say.

The theme of the Season 3-5 finales has always been "Bellamy and Clarke, together, facing the next adventure." and the feeling has always been that Bellamy and Clarke and their relationship to one another are the center of the story, that if the story ends here, Bellamy and Clarke are together. I'd even go so far as to say that the theme of Season 4 and Season 5's finales specifically has been about hope and renewal. The opportunity to do and be better in a "new" place. 

And that’s fine and dandy. What’s not fine is when this relationship is deliberately given romantic beats, framing and lines in an effort to draw or retain an audience with no payoff. Again, people are not watching television for the never before seen plot twists. People watch television for the characters. They stay for the characters. Friends is one of the most successful shows of all time on the strength of the relationships it showcased as an example, and the same can be said for many other great shows. It’s when showrunners forget that, believing that the story they are so desperate to tell is more important than the audience who have given them the ability to tell that story, that everyone suffers. One need look no further than the recent endings of Game of Thrones and Veronica Mars for evidence of that. 

Make the story clear. Make it plain. Your audience deserves that. 

In conclusion, The 100 season finales work better when they are written as series finales. Given the knowledge that he would have one more season to close out the show the way he wants to, Rothenberg leaned too far into the chaos of Episode 12 (“Adjustment Protocol”) and left audiences with a bitter, unfinished taste in their mouths. With only 16 episodes left to satisfactorily wrap up all of the arcs he opened or left open this season, I’m not convinced we won’t be seeing a repeat of Game of Thrones. 

April’s episode rating: 🐝.5

P.S. A Good Worm: 

If you’re like me and you need something to look forward to as we enter the long hiatus before the final season of The 100, think about making your way to Conageddon! Located in Boston, Massachusetts, and this year held on April 3rd-5th,  it is The 100’s only American convention and as someone who’s been before (and will be back) it’s a weekend packed with fun and friends. Tickets haven’t gone on sale just yet, but make sure you watch this space for more information, including cast information and ticket pricing!

[truthbeetoldmedia]

iZombie 5x13 "All’s Well That Ends Well" Review

Hello friends, are we ready to say goodbye? I was a little nervous coming into this finale, seeing as there was so much to wrap up, and therefore...much to mess up. As a result, the pacing was indeed a little strange, but some minor characters get some hero moments, and it was all setting up a final ten minutes that essentially functioned as an epilogue that sealed the series. 

Okay, let’s dig in. Enzo has taken over Fillmore Graves and has declared war on humans. Dolly and her people have responded in kind, going around New Seattle taking out high ranking zombies. While gunfire rains over the city, Ravi, Clive, and Liv are returning from Atlanta with the vial needed for the cure. 

Even though it’s risky, they choose to fly to get back faster. Liv’s plane seatmate is suspicious, insisting she’s seen Liv before. Even though the official heist is over, the trio show they still have a few smooth moves, and manage to slip a sedative into the woman’s drink so she’ll stop asking questions. As she sleeps soundly, her iPad drops to the floor of the cabin. She must have figured it out right before she’s knocked out — the flight attendant picks up the device and sees the browser is open to an article about Liv and her work as Renegade. 

When the plane lands, the flight attendant pulls Clive, Liv, and Ravi from their seats and introduces them to a Portland police officer. After a brief moment of anxiety, the flight attendant reveals they are siblings, and Liv saved their younger sister’s life by smuggling her into Seattle and turning her into a zombie. The officer offers to escort them to the Washington border as a thank you, and in hopes they can get back to Seattle quicker. Clive is happy to hear this, as he gets a message that Dale is labor with their baby. 

Major turns himself in to get a shot at securing the Max Rager, and luckily he still has one more ally back at Fillmore Graves. Lieutenant Collins has always been a steadfast supporter of Major, and she truly comes through in his hour of need. She helps him get past Enzo and his lackeys so he can get to the precious energy drink needed for the cure. As a result, Enzo executes her. Lieutenant Collins was always a background character, but she was one that I always respected and appreciated, and without her, Major wouldn’t have been able to make it out of Fillmore Graves alive. We’re pouring one out for her tonight. 

Meanwhile, Peyton is still being held hostage by Blaine. She helps the Freylich kids make a distraction by conking him over the head, and tossing the keys to Oliver, the older boy with a terminal illness. He drives the getaway car, but Peyton doesn’t quite make it out with the rest of them. The Freylich smuggler shoots at Peyton, and while she takes him out, he gets her too. Blaine runs out to see Peyton bleeding out on the ground. 

The kids make it back to the safe house, just as Liv and Ravi are arriving. When they realize Peyton didn’t return with them, they get emotional. Ravi nearly falls apart before Liv reminds them they have an important job to do. She tells Ravi to get to cooking the cure, and she would deal with Blaine. She promises to show no mercy. 

Luckily, Blaine’s obsession with Peyton serves her well in this instance. He turns her into a zombie and forces to eat a meal with him. It’s pretty incredible Peyton has survived this whole series without becoming a zombie, but I guess the virus comes for everyone eventually. Unfortunately for Blaine, he should have been more calculating about the brain he fed her. Don E watches Peyton while Blaine goes to visit the well on his father’s property (the one that also used to serve as his father’s prison). Don E is delighted when Peyton has her first vision, but in a dead-panned voice, she tells him she saw Blaine suffocating a girl with a pillow, wearing a wedding dress and calling for Don E. While we still never see the true circumstances of Darcy’s death on-screen, I’m more inclined to trust Peyton’s version of things than Blaine’s. It’s the last straw for Don E, who storms to the well and unceremoniously pushes Blaine in. “No one was ever going to love you,” Don E screams down the well. “I’m the only person who could stand you, and you killed my fiance.” Liv shows up just in time to see the show and she hesitates even less. She hurls a rock at Don E and her aim is true. Don E goes in the well right after Blaine. “Enjoy eternity together!” she sneers, just as she bursts into tears, grieving Peyton. One has to wonder, if this was all that it took to get rid of these two, perhaps it should have been done a long time ago. It certainly would have saved Liv a lot of headaches. I find that even though it was a simple death, it was a deserving one for Blaine and Don E. I was hoping for more of a redemptive moment for Don E, but it took him way too long to see the light, and he’s been complicit in Blaine’s schemes since the very beginning. By the end, he was a richer character, but still an evil one. I’m okay with those two being a little closer to hell now. 

Besides, it was all worth it for the moment right after. “How funny would it be if now I knocked you in,” Peyton says. Liv turns around to see her best friend, and the two reunite in a sweet hug. This moment made me a little emotional. These two college buddies have morphed into two very capable and clever young women, and they’ve been by each other’s side through the worst of it. 

Blaine and Don E may be out of the picture, but we but we aren’t even close to the end yet! Clive and Dale deliver a beautiful and healthy baby. It essentially takes them out of all the action, but I thought, for better or worse, it was a strong choice. I was glad I didn’t have to worry about either of them dying in the eleventh hour, and they were able to watch everything from their television screens without being in danger. 

Ravi finally creates the cure, and he and Major dramatically roll up to the local TV station. After a brief attempt at convincing Johnny Frost to take the cure, Major takes matters into his own hands.  “I’m here to prove to the people that it’s over,” he says. He strikes a deal. Major will take the cure, and Enzo can shoot him in the chest in front of everyone. If he dies, it proves he’s not a zombie. It’s just the kind of stupidly heroic thing that Major would do, and Enzo takes him up on it. Major takes the cure and Enzo shoots him more times than can be counted. It’s traumatic, and they really had me believing that our boy was probably dead. Ravi tackles Enzo and manages to cure him. Graham, who had been sneaking around the background the entire episode, appears and shoots Enzo in the head, avenging his boyfriend. A Fillmore Graves officer takes him out, and chaos breaks out. RIP sweet teacher Graham. Outside the TV station, there’s intense gunfire being exchanged between Fillmore Graves, Dead Enders, and Dolly’s CHICS. Inside, the power goes out. 

Ravi crawls over to what appears to be a lifeless Major, while we listen to a voicemail he left for Liv. He says goodbye because he doesn’t think he’ll survive his latest world-saving stunt, but she’s always been the love of his life. Just when I was beginning to choke up and start preparing for a life without Major Lillywhite, he softly croaks, “You tricky son of a bitch, what was in that syringe you gave me.” Ravi admits that he gave him a vial of straight up Max Rager, but promises him that “next time, it’s all yours.” 

Liv is back at the station, bawling while listening to the voicemail and believing Major is dead. Strangely, Michelle comes into the morgue and asks Liv if she’s okay. The moment is brief and someone breaks into the morgue and sets off a huge explosion. And then suddenly, we are ten years into the future. 

At first, I was a little let down. This is absolutely the easiest way to wiggle out dealing with the aftermath of Dolly, the other fringe human groups, and all the other plotlines that iZombie didn’t feel like it wanted to deal with neatly. We don’t get to watch how Seattle apparently “repopulated, rebuilt, and rebranded” as we hear in a moment later. But my frustration was short lived, as the last ten minutes were devoted to my beloved core characters that I adore so much. 

Clive, Peyton, and Ravi appear on a virtual reality talk show, where a charismatic host asks them questions about their lives after the cure. As three people who had a front row seat to the events, the host wants to get their perspectives. It’s revealed that none of them stayed in New Seattle after the war, but they all went on to have very successful careers and marriages. Ravi and Peyton are a married couple living in Atlanta, she’s a lawyer and Ravi is head of the CDC. Clive and Dale are co-captaining San Francisco PD while raising their kid, as well as Michelle’s. Besides their lives prospering, the world has recovered from this chapter of history. The cure was distributed, and while some were cured, some are still living full lives as zombies. Dolly is still out there, but not causing trouble as far as we know.  While this is all lovely and good, this show really makes us sweat here. Where are Liv and Major? The host wants to know as well. The three of them insist that they are both lost to time, legends in their own right, and they miss them just as much as anyone. Liv died in the morgue’s suicide bombing, and while Major never lost hope that she’s alive, no one has seen him in ten years. They’ve accepted that Liv isn’t alive or that Major will never resurface, America will have to accept it too.  

Unless...

We see a flashback of Major returning to the safe house with the kids, and Liv meeting them there. They reunite with a passionate kiss, and even though things are still burning and they are covered in dirt and exhausted, things are right again. 

In the most “happily ever after” ending the show could have possibly delivered, Liv and Major are living their lives in private, in a huge mansion by the water, with all their little zombie children. Their friends are well aware of this, and are protecting them from the world at large with their reunion interviews. After the host disappears, Liv and Major appear in the virtual reality space, and after some light teasing amongst the group, they invite Clive, Peyton, and Ravi to their personal zombie haven. “All it takes is a scratch,” Liv says with a knowing smile. 

This show tackled more than it had a right to. It was convoluted, goofy, strange, exhausting, whimsical, outlandish, absurd, dark, and hilarious, all at the same time. But what grounded it at the center was the fact it never forgot about its core cast. At times they were given unfortunate character arcs, undercooked plots, and under-serving love interests. But in the end, we saw who they truly were. Ravi, the scientist with a moral compass. Peyton, the lawyer with clever smarts. Clive, the captain with a discerning spirit. And Major and Liv, the nurturers and protectors of zombie-kind, the best mom and dad friends you could ever ask for. I can’t express how happy I am the show ended with these five, standing tall and in love with each other, looking well-rested in paradise. It wasn’t an easy road, in fact sometimes it was a very frustrating road. But when I remember iZombie, I’ll remember it was a show about heroes, good over evil, and a really, really good meal.  I’m always going to have a soft spot in my heart for it. 

Stray thoughts 

“She’s googling The Good Place. She thinks I’m Kristen Bell.” “She’ll be sorely disappointed.” This gag was straight up gold. 

Those flamethrowers seemed especially cruel? Fire doesn’t kill zombies, but sure seems to be painful 

Collins, Graham, Oliver, and Michelle. All minor characters this season that had a Moment this episode. While most of these characters were overall underutilized in this series and season, I liked how each of them were used to tie things together. Oliver was the only one who made it out alive, however, and the rest of them definitely deserved better.

Did the suicide bomber think that blowing up the morgue would prevent creating more zombies…? That’s the only reason I can think why blowing up a fridge full of dead people could make sense. 

Wait this actually reveals a strange plot hole. Is there a limit to how long you’ve been dead before you can be scratched and be a zombie? I don’t remember this question ever explicitly being addressed. There was never an instance where anyone considered creating a zombie army from Liv and Ravi’s morgue.

Clive and Dale named their daughter Olivia. My HEART. 

Even though Peyton was okay, I’m glad we got to see Major comfort Ravi. Their bromance is truly one for the ages. 

“The way I make my decisions these days is asking myself what would Liv Moore do.” This couple is THAT supportive ship. 

I wish we had gotten better promo photos for this finale, or at least some more variety of scenes 

Even though it’s a little thin to believe that some people never turned back human and there are zombies still peacefully living among us (as well as Liv and Major, living outside), I actually didn’t mind it. They had to have some way to wrap up the problem of people who would die if they turned back into a human.

“I do miss you, partner.” “Vice versa, Clive.” Wow, ten years without Liv’s antics. I imagine that Clive’s productivity at work has gone way up, although I’m sure he sorely misses her crime-solving visions.

That’s a wrap for iZombie. What did you think? Favorite brains? Worst plot holes? Best shipper moments? Let me know your thoughts! 

Haley’s episode rating: 🐝🐝🐝🐝.5