WandaVision Review: The Penultimate Episode Wastes A Magnificent Elizabeth Olsen Performance

Dear reader, there is something you should know about me: I prize a story that tries something new or puts a unique spin on an old story. Sometimes to the point of preferring a piece of media that fails at trying something to one that is better but safer. That is why I prefer something that is, at best, just fine like Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice to something I feel is definitively good like Ant-Man. The Marvel Cinematic Universe certainly prefers to play in the latter space, which is fine but often leads to a lack of creativity in format and formula. Because of that lack of creativity, WandaVision is unable to reach its full potential.

Full Spoilers for ‘Previously On’ follow. You have been warned.

Superman & Lois Premiere Review

Superman & Lois is a show that fundamentally understands the characters it is adapting. For something like Guardians of the Galaxy that is not much of a problem as no one had every heard of those characters prior to the release of that film. Superman and Lois Lane are something else entirely. These are the icons of pop culture. A pair that define heroes, super or otherwise.  It is not often something gets it this wrong.

The following contains spoilers for ‘Pilot’.

News Roundup 02.25.2021

Hey y’all. Welcome back. I know this is a day late, but I really wanted to see if there was anything cool at the State of Play today. Spoilers: There was. Unfortunately, there was a Pokémon event announced for tomorrow, so that will have to wait for next week.

A few quick updates for the blog before we get started. I am going to have a review up for the Superman & Lois premiere tomorrow. I doubt I will be doing weekly reviews, though I may do checkups if something particularly interesting happens. As promised last week, the weekly Comic Reviews will be returning from hiatus on Monday. Next week will also the first of the Kingdom Hearts Retrospective Redux (Working Title) posts, featuring the OG itself. So, look forward to that.

But I digress, we have news!

WandaVision Review: What Is WandaVision Even About?

What is WandaVision? Is it a loving pastiche of classic TV sitcoms? Is it a deep exploration of Wanda Maximoff’s grief? A look at Vision’s trauma stemming from his incredibly toxic relationship? The origin of Monica Rambeau, the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s newest hero? A way to bring back fan favorite characters like Darcy Lewis and Jimmy Woo and continue their stories? WandaVision is all of the above and yet it is not really about anything.

Full Spoilers for ‘Breaking the Fourth Wall’ follow. You have been warned.

Resident Evil 7: The Series Most Confused Installment

With over two dozen entries, Resident Evil is one of the longest running and most storied franchises in video games. It is a series built on the foundation of third-person horror that slowly became more action-focused. After Resident Evil 6, a critical failure, sold about half Capcom’s expectations¹ the series was put on hiatus as the company attempted to determine what Resident Evil looked like going forward. The answer was a return to the series’ root.... somewhat.

News Roundup 02.17.2021

Hey y’all. Sorry this is late, but I decided to delay it to ensure I could get the news from the Nintendo Direct in here. It was pretty exiting and about half of this post is dedicated to it. But first, some quick blog news.

First up, I finally finished the Supernatural final season reviews.  That was a ton of fun and I might look at doing something big like that again in the future. Next, I expected the Comic Reviews to return from hiatus March 1^st. I have missed doing those quite a lot so to be able to get back into that will be exciting. I also may be changing the format a bit, but that has yet to be finalized. Finally, this Friday I will be starting a recurring ‘Feature’ series of posts. These will range from reviews to more singular topic-focused posts. For example, this is where the announced series of Kingdom Hearts retrospective redoes will slot, though not this week. This week is about Resident Evil.

With that out of the way, let’s jump into the news!

Supernatural Series Finale Review

I am not sure it is possible to create a perfect television finale; that is especially true when said television series has been around longer than the channel it airs on. Having said that, ‘Carry On’ is not the finale I would have created, even with the obvious Covid-19 related restrictions. But it is probably the best it could be and is emotionally satisfying.

WandaVision Review: Evan Peters Is A Bright Spot In A Mediocre Installment

WandaVision started extremely strongly. Then it started having more direct connections to the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe and everything began to fall apart. While the addition of Evan Peters certainly helps to give this episode a new and electrifying energy, the series has lost some of its early magic. No longer is story charming. It is instead a largely boring affair. The same can be said of the supporting characters. Luckily, this episode provides just enough entertainment to keep viewers invested.

Full Spoilers for ‘All-New Halloween Spooktacular’ follow. You have been warned.

Supernatural Season 15 Episode 19 Review

 So, this episode is not the finale despite very much feeling like the finale. Whatever happens in the next episode is going to be a complete surprise. Well, I have some theories but that is beside the point. What matters is that ‘Inherit The Earth’ wraps the ongoing conflict of the season (and series) in as satisfying a way as possible. And with some of that signature Supernatural attitude.

WandaVision Review: The Series Midpoint Is An Improvement

The further we get into WandaVision, the less it is a fun new take on what the Marvel Cinematic Universe can be and the more it becomes indistinguishable from what came before. That is not to say that ‘On a Very Special Episode…’ is bad episode. It is not and is, in fact, a significant improvement over last week’s episode. The series remains largely stagnant until the closing moments, but those moments introduce intriguing possibilities.

Full Spoilers for ‘Ona Very Special Episode…’ follow. You have been warned.

Supernatural Season 15 Episode 18 Review

‘Despair’ may have been the most emotionally exhausting episode of Supernatural since ‘When the Levee Breaks’, the penultimate installment of the fourth season. The details are almost exactly opposite, but both episodes end with game changing, emotional confrontations. Unlike that season four altercation, this one comes six or seven years too late. But running out of time and allies is the theme of this episode and the writers likely felt they had to act now if they were going to do the thing.

Supernatural Season 15 Episode 17 Review

‘Unity’ is the episode I expected last time. In that review, I mentioned that I expected at least one more huge twist. It sure happened. But before that, Sam and Dean—and Castiel-- approached their predicament in fundamentally different ways. Not in any unexpected ways, especially coming off the end of last episode, but still profoundly different, putting on display the group’s mindset and beliefs.

Year In Review: Best Video Games of 2020

 Hey y’all. Welcome back to the grand finale of the 2020 Year in Review. Please check out the others focusing on TV, movies, and comic books. I planned to have this done sooner but delayed a few days, so I had time to fit one final game on the list. Anyway, you’ll notice I have a somewhat eclectic assortment of games on the list. I played an absurd number of games last year, both new and old. Consequently, I took chances on genres, series, and studios I never had before, and it led to this list as I found some new all-time favorites. There is also a strangely high number of remakes and remake-ish titles and I do not know what to make of that, but it is certainly interesting.

As always, the list is in a rough but not concrete order from “worst” to best. The exact order could change any given day depending on my mood though.

Anyway, Let’s get to the games.

Honorable Mentions: Hades, Devil May Cry 5 Special Edition, Super Mario 3D All-Stars, Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, Signs of the Sojourner