Tag: TV Feature

The Last of Us: Apocalypse 101 – Rule #1, Cities Are Bad

December 27th, 2013

-Iggy Bigby

I never really liked living in a city. Too many people. Too many germs. Too many people with germs.

I guess I was right to be worried. People are already calling it “Outbreak Day”, which is kind of dumb. Why does history always give it’s biggest moments the silliest names? So self-serious. “The Plantdemic” was right there. Anyway, there’s a good chance writing this won’t matter. By the time anyone else gets their hands on it, “Outbreak Day” will either be in every history book or history books won’t exist.

I’m not really sure what’s happening, but it doesn’t feel good. It feels really bad, actually. It started with a few nerve-wracking headlines and flashing news tickers. But it was always so easy to ignore. I mean, who really pays attention to the news? None of it seems to matter until it’s changing your life. Then, oh boy, does it matter.

Alright, here it goes. The truth. Or at least what I’m pretty sure is the truth. Picture me clearing my throat here, for dramatic effect –

Most people are dead. The ones that aren’t are suffering.

That being said, momma didn’t raise no quitter. So, for the sake of my own sanity, and maybe yours, I’m putting together this little guide to surviving the apocalypse. “THE APOCALYPSE“, I can’t hardly believe it. Is this really the apocalypse? I don’t know. I’m just not really sure how long I’m gonna make it, and if I can’t make it, I hope someone else finds this and makes it themselves. Although, if I don’t make it, maybe this survival guide isn’t really worth reading? Fingers crossed.

Rule #1, Cities Are Bad

Spending my entire life surrounded by fields felt like a curse until it wasn’t. I grew up in New York, but not the part you’re thinking of. I’m from Western New York, where there’s room to roam. A couple years ago, when it was time to pick a college, I went with the University of Buffalo. Close to home, but far enough to feel independent. I had some friends ahead of me who already lived there. Plenty of things to do. It was safe. It made sense. It was densely populated.

I was supposed to graduate from college this semester. A big celebration. Years of hard work. I was only on campus for about a month before I noticed the chaos on every screen.

“CORDYCEPS BRAIN INFECTION REACHES CRITICAL MASS”

Remember when you learned about the Cordyceps fungus in high school? Of course, you don’t. It never happened. Literally, not a single person cared about Cordyceps, unless they loved ants. That, like the name “Outbreak Day”, was pretty stupid. Its whole thing is getting on the brain and growing until it takes over. Should have been a red flag. For the longest time, it only infected insects. Turned them into zombies, made their corpses move on their own. A fun YouTube video, at most.

Then, at some point this year (2013 if you’re keeping track)*, Cordyceps managed to evolve. It spread through contaminated food, like the worst case of salmonella you’ve ever had. It started infecting people, making them act all funny. They became violent and mindless. Tearing people apart. I’m not sure if they’ve been eating anyone, but I wouldn’t rule it out. The “Infected”, or whatever we end up calling them, are pretty hard to reason with.

On the morning of September 26th, this is what The Buffalo News had to say:

The Food and Drug Administration’s investigation of crops potentially tainted with mold continues across the country. Initial lists distributed to vendors nationwide warned against crops imported from South America, but now the scope has extended to include Central America and Mexico. Several companies have already voluntarily recalled their food products from the shelves.
Buffalo News

By nightfall, Channel 4 was claiming a 300% increase in area hospital admittance. By the next day, there weren’t many normal people left. There was a lot of screaming. Crashes and bangs. Fire. Tears. There’s always snow in Buffalo. I’ll never forget realizing the white flakes outside my window were ash.

I remember it all so clearly. I was supposed to get an apartment off-campus with a few friends, but that fell apart last minute. I was in the dorms. So compact. Every footstep felt like it was coming for me. Pure anxiety. If one person was infected, an entire hall was infected. Nowhere was safe. Nothing made sense. It was densely populated.

I was lucky enough to live on the second floor and fled out the window. Short drop, didn’t hurt. I could hear them screeching and banging on my door. Wood broke as I hit the ground. I ran until I couldn’t anymore. I’ve been held up in an abandoned wing of the school ever since. Looks like one of the janitors was doomsday prepping in his closet. Glad it worked out for one of us.

I haven’t seen my family since they dropped me off on campus. Cell service isn’t a thing anymore, so I have no idea if they’re alive. If they’re thinking about me, wondering the same thing. Downtown is too full of – whatever those are – to make an escape. I think I’m all alone at the moment, though sometimes I think I hear shuffling at night. I don’t sleep much.

Enough with the sad stuff, though.

I’ve decided the first session of “Apocalypse 101” is about cities. They’re bad. Don’t go to them. Don’t go anywhere with a lot of bodies. If you have supplies to survive in open spaces, stay where you are. If you found this note in the city of Buffalo, get the hell out. More people means a higher infection rate, and a much lower chance of you keeping your human brain.

Even what I’m doing right now isn’t sustainable. I need to be somewhere I can move, and I need a volleyball I can draw eyes on. Living by yourself isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.

Good news, though. There’s a radio in here, and it just started picking up a military frequency. Only a little unsettling. Looks like they might be showing up soon, making UB a “Quarantine Zone”. Maybe I won’t have to keep this up very long after all…

(*I do intend to keep track)

January 1, 2023
‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Easter Egg is a Nod to One of Marvel’s Most Important Crew Members

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special finds the Guardians recovering from their adventures with Thor and preparing for the unknown from their new base of operations, Knowhere. While the special spends a portion of the runtime inside the severed head of a Celestial, the bulk of the action takes place on Earth where Mantis and Drax head to give Peter the best Christmas present ever: Kevin Bacon. During the botched abduction of Bacon, the pair had an encounter with the police and director James Gunn used that scene as an opportunity to sneak in a reference to one of Marvel Studios’ longest-serving and most important crew members.

As seen in the credits, one of the officers who had the misfortune of crossing paths with Mantis and Drax is Officer R. Bobbitt. Though it’s not been confirmed by Marvel Studios, the Officer is almost certainly named for longtime Marvel Studios Property Master, Russell Bobbitt. Few people outside of Kevin Feige and Casting Director Sarah Finn have worked on as many MCU projects as Bobbitt. Bobbitt first served as the Property Master in 2008 for Iron Man and has worked on a total of 20 MCU projects to date, from the Agent Carter One-Shot, to streaming series such as WandaVision and Loki and the Werewolf By Night Special Presentation. In addition, Bobbitt has made his way on screen in a few projects.

As Property Master, Bobbitt oversees the creation and acquisition of the props used in each MCU project. Bobbitt’s MCU designs include Captain America’s shield, Mjolnir and the Infinity Gauntlet. Bobbitt is set to serve as Property Master on 3 upcoming MCU projects: Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, Agatha: Coven of Chaos and Blade, running his total number of MCU projects up to an impressive 23. Given the work he’s done on the Guardians in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame, it was incredibly cool of Gunn to give Bobbitt a nod in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special.

November 25, 2022
Maria Bakalova’s Voice Role Confirmed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special saw the roster of the Guardians grow by one as Cosmo the Spacedog joined the ranks of the team. After appearing briefly in Guardians of the Galaxy, Cosmo is now a more fully realized character complete with her comic-accurate powers of telekinesis and telepathy. Being a telepathic Soviet spacedog means that someone was going to be brought on to voice the character and as reported during SDCC, that someone is Maria Bakalova.

Bakalova was reported to have joined the cast of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 in June of 2022. After to rising to fame in her role as Tutar Sagdiyev in Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, Bakalova has found herself increasingly busy. While she doesn’t hold down a major role in The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special, it’s possible that Cosmo will find herself a key player in Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 and could play a role in assembling a new version of the team should her arc follow that of her comic book counterpart. If that’s the case, Bakalova could become an MCU mainstay in the way that Bradley Cooper and Vin Diesel have as voice actors for Rocket and Groot, respectively.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is set to hit theaters on May 5th, 2023.

November 25, 2022
The Origin of Star-Lord’s Quad Blasters Revealed in ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’

The premise of The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special revolves around Mantis and Drax trying to give Peter a great Christmas. Not only do they want to bring him out of his funk over the loss of Gamora, but they also hope to help Peter recapture the magic of Christmas after hearing a story from Kraglin about how Yondu ruined the holiday for Star-Lord.

Told in an animated flashback featuring Michael Rooker’s return as the voice of Yondu, Kraglin’s story shows a young Peter setting up a Christmas tree with Kraglin and setting out presents for their fellow Ravagers. A grumpy Yondu puts and end to the Christmas cheer by stomping on the Christmas tree, throwing away the presents and exclaiming that he hates Christmas. Kraglin believes that event ruined Christmas for Peter and it’s his story and hope to cheer Peter up with a great Christmas that sends Mantis and Drax on their well-intentioned-if-not-entirely-illegal trip to kidnap Kevin Bacon.

Not only are Mantis and Drax successful on their mission to bring Bacon to Knowhere, but the rest of the Guardians also chip in to make Christmas memorable for Peter. During his conversation with Mantis, who is revealed to be Peter’s sister, Peter explains that there’s part of that story of Christmas past that Kraglin didn’t know. Peter goes on to reveal that Yondu later changed his tune and not only kept Peter’s present (one of the little figures he liked to keep on his console) but also gifted Peter with the Quad Blasters that he’s carried with him ever since. While there was certainly no need to tell the story of how Peter came into possession of his weapons, having them be a gift from Yondu only adds to the emotional connection that Peter and the audience already have with the character.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.

November 25, 2022
‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Sees a New Member Join the Core Team

While James Gunn made it clear that The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special wasn’t going to introduce any major new character to the MCU, he didn’t say that the team wouldn’t experience a few changes. It turns out that the special, set between Thor: Love and Thunder and Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, finds the team not only moving into a new base of operations but also adding one to their number. True to his word, Gunn didn’t introduce a new character but rather brought one on board who hasn’t been seen for nearly a decade.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special reveals that Cosmo, a labrador that was part of the Soviet space program who was introduced in Guardians of the Galaxy, is now working with the Guardians. Last seen with Howard the Duck and The Collector in the post-credit scene to the 2014 film, Cosmo appears early on in the special, working with Rocket on cleaning up Knowhere. Those unfamiliar with the comics may have been shocked to find out that Cosmo is no ordinary space dog.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special immediately establishes a pretty comic-accurate Cosmo by putting her two primary abilities on full display. While working with Rocket, Cosmo uses her telekinesis to lift a pair of panels up to begin repairing a building. After being insulted by Rocket, she drops the panels and speaks to Rocket using her telepathy. In the comics, Cosmo’s DNA was mutated after being exposed to cosmic rays during a failed test launch.

The comics established Cosmo as an incredibly powerful telepath, able to read and manipulate the minds of others and reach out over long distances. Adding Cosmo to the team now is of note as it was Cosmo who formed a new team of Cosmic defenders, The Annihilators, after the dissolution of the Guardians and the death of Star-Lord. Though no plans have been revealed for what comes next for the members of the Guardians who come out on the other side of the events of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, it’s possible the Cosmo could play a similar role in assembling the next iteration of the team.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is now streaming on Disney Plus.

November 25, 2022
‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special’ Establishes a New Base for the Team

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special isn’t exactly essential viewing for those trying to follow the ongoing narrative of the Guardians in the MCU, but it does sprinkle in a few key changes to be aware of ahead of next May’s Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Although the bulk of the special follows Mantis and Drax as they head to Earth, it’s bookends take place in a familiar setting from Guardians of the Galaxy that’s now become their base of operations!

Following the special’s animated opening sequence, Nebula reveals that the Guardians now own Knowhere after having bought it from Taneleer Tivan. Knowhere, the severed head of a Celestial floating about in space, was a key location in Guardians of the Galaxy and was visited again by Star-Lord, Gamora, Drax and Mantis in Avengers: Infinity War. Tivan had put up shop on Knowhere hundreds of years prior to the Guardians’ first visit and set up a mining operation to extract the valuable organic matter that remained inside the Celestial’s head. Tivan, also known as The Collector, also kept his museum of oddities on Knowhere where he stored the Infinity Stone known as the Aether/Reality Stone and where the Soviet space dog Cosmo was kept until being freed following the explosion of the Power Stone.

During the events of the special, it’s clear that the Guardians have only recently taken ownership of Knowhere and are in the process of cleaning it up following the exit of the Tivan Group. The move to Knowhere puts the Guardians in an interesting location headed into Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3. Writers Dan Abnett and Andy Lanning introduced Knowhere in 2007’s Nova #8 and it became an important location for both Richard Rider and the Guardians following the events of Annihilation: Conquest. Later, Knowhere became the base of operations for the Annihilators, a team of “cosmic heavy hitters” assembled by Cosmo following the dissolution of the Guardians and the death of Peter Quill.

Director James Gunn has made it clear that Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 is the end of the road for the current iteration of the team, but with them preparing to operate out of Knowhere and Cosmo joining the squad and displaying her telepathic powers in the special, it’s possible that a version of the Annihilators could be making its way into the MCU. The original comic book Annihilators consisted of Silver Surfer, Ikon, Ronan the Accuser, Beta Ray Bill, Gladiator and Quasar, so it’s hard to imagine any MCU version of the team being too similar; however, their first mission found them taking on the Cosmic powerhouse Blastaar, a character whose live-action rights were acquired by Marvel Studios when Disney acquired Fox in 2019. Given the knowledge that Nova is headed to the MCU soon, it seems likely that Knowhere could be propped up as a major Cosmic location as Marvel Studios finally expands that corner of its universe.

The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special is streaming now on Disney Plus.

November 25, 2022
Ranking Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Cabinet of Curiosities’ From Best to Worst

This Halloween, there are plenty of terrifyingly grotesque projects to watch across all streaming platforms. However, none are quite as unique as Guillermo del Toro‘s Cabinet of Curiosities. An anthological series of short films written and directed by a swath of award-winning horror creatives, the Netflix Original is an excellent practice in scaring the living daylights out of even the most devoted thrill-seekers. Specializing in the strange and unnerving, nearly every installment in the collection is worth a watch. Unfortunately, not every episode can be as good as the rest, and the uninitiated should have a guiding hand in selecting which to view should they only have time for one or two. As such, Murphy’s Multiverse has ranked every entry in the Cabinet of Curiosities based on spookiness and overall entertainment value. So, carry on, but beware of more than a few tentacle monsters…

1. The Autopsy

F. Murray Abraham in The Autopsy

Without a doubt, the clear high point of the series. Directed by David Prior (The Empty Man) and written by David S. Goyer (Blade), The Autopsy immediately stands as a horror classic. The short is based on a 1987 story from author Michael Shea, in which alien lifeforms possess human bodies for their own nefarious purposes. When a coroner, played by the incomparable F. Murray Abraham, comes across a corpse carrying one of these aliens, it leads to a night of horrific revelations and bodily mutilations that no viewer will ever forget. The script is the most arresting that the Cabinet of Curiosities has to offer, pulling the audience in from the very beginning and refusing to let go. Even at its most freakish moments, it’s nearly impossible to look away, and Abraham‘s performance seals it as a must-watch for fans of the genre.

2. Pickman’s Model

Crispin Glover and Ben Barnes in Pickman’s Model

Coming in at a close second is Pickman’s Model, a short film based on the H.P. Lovecraft story of the same name. Directed by Keith Thomas (Firestarter) and written by Lee Patterson (Colony), this tragic tale concerns a pair of artists in the early 20th century, played by Ben Barnes and Crispin Glover, who encounter each other repeatedly over the course of a decade while the former slowly descends into madness over the latter’s increasingly disturbing work. The episode is a masterclass in suspense and paranoia, and the duo of Barnes and Glover are perfectly cast in their roles. Some major changes are also made to the original story’s plot and ending, which will keep devoted fans on their toes and leads to some disturbing imagery that will remain engrained in the brain for days after. viewing.

3. The Viewing

Peter Weller in The Viewing

An original creation from the mind of notably unconventional director Panos Cosmatos (Mandy) and his writing partner Aaron Stewart-Ahn (also Mandy), this is one episode that differs significantly from the others. Featuring an all-star cast (Eric André, Steve Agee, Sofia Boutella, Michael Therriault, Charlyene Yi, and Peter Weller), The Viewing plays mostly as a My Dinner With André-style conversation piece. A group of the world’s brightest minds are brought to the home of a mysterious, wealthy benefactor, who refuses to explain why they’ve been gathered until the shocking end. Despite being a bit less spooky than its counterparts, the episode ranks third for its enchanting aesthetic and electrifying finale. All that talking leads to quite the payoff, and the acting is pretty good to boot.

4. The Murmuring

Essie Davis in The Murmuring

One of two episodes written by maestro Guillermo del Toro, this episode is essentially a classic haunted house story. Directed by Jennifer Kent (The Babadook), The Murmuring sees two ornithologists take up residence in an old, abandoned, isolated mansion while researching the murmurs of birds. Andrew Lincoln and Essie Davis put in admirable performances as a married couple recovering from personal devastation, and although the short is less creative than some of its fellow entries, it is one of the most genuinely horrifying. Several scenes are straight-up hard to watch, putting it solidly at number four on the list.

5. Lot 36

Tim Blake Nelson and Sebastian Roché in Lot 36

The other episode from del Toro, Lot 36 revels in leveraging harm at the United States’ worst demographic. Directed by Guillermo Navarro (Hannibal), this episode focuses on a racist, disgruntled veteran – played by Tim Blake Nelson – who purchases the storage locker of a recently-deceased occultist. What he finds inside is predictably monstrous, and his fate is set up beautifully as the story progresses. It’s a solid hour of horror, but nothing all that special or memorable, landing it firmly at the top of the bottom half of this list. However, it does get bonus points for taking place in Buffalo, New York. Go Bills!

6. The Outside

Martin Starr and Kate Micucci in The Outside

Clearly developed as one of the highlight shorts from the series, The Outside falls a little flatter than intended. Directed by Ana Lily Amirpour (A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night) and written by Haley Z. Boston (Brand New Cherry Flavor) based on a story by author Emily Carroll, the episode sees a meek woman and her unassuming husband, played by Kate Micucci and Martin Starr, have their lives turned upside down by the disgusting effects of a new skincare routine peddled by an omnipotent television salesman, played by Dan Stevens. While it carries an intriguing thesis, The Outside fails to be as entertaining as its premise suggests it could be. It’s also not all that scary, pushing it down to the lower half of the list.

7. Graveyard Rats

David Hewlitt in Graveyard Rats

A Victorian period piece, based on an old short story by Henry Kuttner, Graveyard Rats is more shock than awe. Written and directed by Vincenzo Natali (Splice), the short features a scummy gravedigger, played by David Hewlitt, who robs the residents of his graveyard in the middle of the night, only to discover in terror that a colony of rats is doing the same. The episode has a fairly enthralling third act, with some pretty upsetting visuals, but is otherwise a bit of a snore. Not something that many viewers are likely to watch again.

8. Dreams in the Witch House

Rupert Grint in Dreams in the Witch House

The last of Lovecraft‘s stories featured in the series, Dreams in the Witch House is a great idea with a pretty disappointing execution. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Twilight) and written by Mika Watkins (Origin), the episodes sees Rupert Grint as a broken young man searching desperately for the soul of his dead sister. His hunt leads him to a mystical attic in a cursed house, where he comes across a sinister witch and her furry familiar. The production work on this one is great, but some key changes from the original plotline make for a lesser version. It doesn’t hold interest but does have some cool moments. Unfortunately, not enough to lift it from the bottom of the list.

October 30, 2022
‘House of the Dragon’ – Best & Worst of “The Green Council”

It may be Rhaenyra’s birthright, but it’s starting to feel like Alicent’s kingdom. In the latest episode of HBO’s House of the Dragon, titled The Green Council, Olivia Cooke’s Queen Hightower takes a grain of salt and runs with it. Following a crucial error made by her husband on his deathbed, Alicent feels justified in placing their son, Tom Glynn-Carney’s Aegon II Targaryen, on the Iron Throne. Backed by her father, Rhys Ifans’ Otto Hightower – Hand of the King – and a network of deceptive councilmen, Alicent goes on the offensive to support Aegon and discredit her one-time friend. Unfortunately, the would-be Lord of the Seven Kingdoms is nowhere to be found, and the hunt for his Grace gives Eve Best’s Princess Rhaenrys Targaryen just enough time to mount a rather bold counter-attack. With secrets revealed and the dark underbelly of Flea Bottom becoming a genuine problem for the crown, the Dance of the Dragons has only truly just begun.

There is more than enough political action to dig through this week, as House of the Dragon takes a deep dive into House Hightower and their many allies. Not even mentioned above – Fabien Frankel’s psychopathic Ser Criston Cole makes a return to prominence when Graham McTavish’s noble Ser Harrold Westerling steps down as Lord Commander of the King’s Guard, Ewan Mitchell’s strong-chinned Prince Aemond proves he may be the best Targaryen brother, and countless innocent civilians are either killed or made to be prisoners because the Royal Family can’t get themselves together. It’s a whole bunch of drama, but nothing Murphy’s Multiverse can’t sort into distinctive categories. With that being said, it’s time to discuss the best and worst moments of The Green Council.

(Eve) BEST – The Beast Beneath the Boards

Photograph by Ollie Upton / HBO Eve Best HBO House of the Dragon Season 1 – Episode 9

Last week, Phia Saban’s Princess Helaena Targaryen gave a frightful premonition to her mother that she should beware “the beast beneath the boards”. It was a wildly cryptic comment that seemed to hint Helaena could see the future, and in The Green Council, fans learn that may be exactly the case. Just as Aegon is crowned King, and starts to get a terrifyingly real feel for power, Rhaenrys bursts through the ceremony on the back of her dragon to let the “Greens” know that Targaryen blood is not burned so easily. It’s a moment that the entire season has been building up to, and it does not disappoint. Best’s performance is incredible, both regal and commanding, and the sweet sweet feeling of watching the duplicitous Hightowers quiver in fear before someone they’ve treated so poorly is enough payoff to hold fans over for at least another year.

Best also delivers in an earlier scene between her Princess and the newly-empowered Queen, in which the former flexes decades of personal trauma in a conversation Alicent should have known not to have. This moment alone probably would have put Rhaenrys in contention for this episode’s most valuable player, even before she went crashing through walls on the dragon’s back to cement her status as The Queen Who Should Have Been. Either way, her title no longer matters, because she’s earned a new one entirely. First Princess, then an almost Queen, and now – the Beast Beneath the Boards.

WORST – A Child Fight Club and The Lord of the Feet

The Green Council pulled back the curtain on quite a bit of the dirty secrets hiding in Westeros’ darkest corners. As such, it was difficult to pick just one as the worst the episode had to offer. As the hour began, it seemed Ser Cole was still a lock for House of the Dragon’s most obnoxious inhabitant, but things changed quickly when Aegon went missing. During the search for his Royal Highness, it’s revealed that King’s Landing is home to an underground fight club where children without homes are forced to sharpen both their teeth and nails before fighting each other to the presumed death. It’s a disgusting scene to watch play out, and anyone who says they didn’t flinch each time one kid landed a claw on another is probably lying. Even worse, it’s implied that some of the children involved are the bastards of Aegon himself, carelessly sleeping his way through the city and leaving his own blood to rot. It’s not a long sequence, but its larger implications are enough to put it at the top of the “worst” list in an episode filled with some pretty bad stuff.

Also, one would be remiss to write about the downsides of this episode and not mention Matthew Needham’s Lord Larys Strong. In a particularly uncomfortable few minutes, the dastardly know-it-all forces the Queen to show him her feet in exchange for important information. It is yet another example of female objectification in Westeros, as even the Queen herself must use her body to get what she wants. The grotesqueness of this doesn’t need that much further explanation, but the fact it feels like this foot fetish might be a recurring thing on House of the Dragon means it needed to get a shout so it would never have to be discussed again. Really, just icky.

October 17, 2022
Charlie Cox’s ‘She-Hulk’ Appearance Could Be the Death Knell for the Decanonization of ‘Daredevil’

In a few weeks, Charlie Cox’s Matt Murdock/Daredevil will make his highly anticipated appearance in Marvel Studios’ streaming series, She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. General audiences have seen footage of The Man Without Fear in teasers, trailers, and Episode 5 of the series, “Mean, Green and Straight Poured into These Jeans”, ended with a glimpse of Ol’ Hornhead’s new hornhead, getting fans primed for his eventual entrance. And while Murdock has already appeared in one MCU project in the past year, his brief cameo in Spider-Man: No Way Home didn’t give fans enough time to get a sense of who he is. That’s all about to change and it’s a foregone conclusion that a whole lot of fans aren’t going to like it.

Reading between the lines-hell, just reading the lines-of everything anyone associated with She-Hulk: Attorney At Law has had to say about Daredevil appearing in the show, it’s clear that Marvel Studios, who regained the live-action rights to the character just a couple of years ago, is rebooting the character in a way that seems to knock the three season of the Netflix series off the required viewing list. It’s not to say fans of Daredevil can’t still enjoy the show and that new fans couldn’t watch it and glean some important information from it. It’s just that this doesn’t seem to be the EXACT SAME Matt Murdock.

Marvel Studios is smart here to let this play out on screen without ever giving a definitive answer because it allows them to both keep the conversation alive (all publicity is good publicity) and to “keep” the parts of the story built on Netflix that they like attached to the character, if only in the minds of the people who watched it. So much as they did with Peter Parker, they probably won’t redo the whole origin story and new fans will just get a condensed version of how this seemingly ordinary, blind lawyer ended up as a ninja with supersenses. However, when the character appears on She-Hulk in a few weeks, it’ll start to become pretty obvious that this version has some different bells and whistles.

As part of the Marvel Studios Showcase at D23 Expo 2022, fans were treated to an exclusive first look at a scene from the DD episode of She-Hulk: Attorney At Law. The scene, involving Jen as Jen and Matt as an All-New, All-Different Daredevil, complete in his brand new mustard yellow suit, took place on a rooftop and instantly gave the audience the visual equivalent of the new car smell. Everything about Cox’s performance from his demeanor to his cadence, to the flirtatious nature of his interactions with Jen felt intentionally different. It’s not to say Cox never smiled or had a good time playing the character on Netflix; it’s more that he’s playing the character with a different bent here and one that tonally fits what fans have come to know about She-Hulk.

And it’s not just Cox’s delivery that’s different. It’s more nuanced and detailed than that. His movements, his body language and, most notably, the Man Without Fear front flip he does off the top of the building as the scene comes to a close all look and feel brand new. Other than the piss poor handling of The Hand, one of the most frustrating things about the Netflix series was the lack of high-flying, acrobatics. For a character known as, you know, Daredevil, he didn’t do much Daredeviling. Doing some light somersaulting across a rooftop is a long way from the character’s comic book roots and in a 2-minute clip, Marvel Studios managed to get more thrilling acrobatics in than I remember in 3 seasons. That’s not to say he didn’t do any high-flying bits in Daredevil, there were maybe 5 spread out over the years, it’s just to say that it certainly wasn’t a big part of who that character was. Add that to the fancy flip that fans have seen in promo material for the show and you have reason to believe that Marvel Studios is going to make that a part of their DD’s toolbox.

It’s a hard argument to make, especially since his new costume seems to be nothing more than a repainted version of his old costume and that it is the same actor wearing it. And maybe it’s not an argument worth making based on a 2-minute clip, but everything in that clip FEELS like an incredibly intentional effort to let fans know that while this is the character they know and love, it’s not exactly the character they know and love.

Ultimately, Cox’s one-episode and change appearance in She-Hulk: Attorney At Law may not provide enough evidence to definitively say whether or not this MCU version of the character really is an All-New, All-Different Daredevil. That might be something that isn’t entirely clear until his longer appearance in Echo ahead of his own 18-episode series, Daredevil: Born Again. It also might be something that’s never made crystal clear. However, what is clear is that when everyone sees Cox’s performance in She-Hulk, it’s going to cause quite the stir on social media and message boards, because no matter how hard people want to hold on to what they love, this appearance looks like it’ll sound the death knell for the canonical relevance for the Netflix version of the character, which may die a slow death over several years.

September 16, 2022
Embiggening ‘Ms Marvel’s Season Would Have Made It Even Greater

Over the last two weeks, comic book fans were treated to two major season finales — The Boys on Amazon and Ms. Marvel on Disney Plus. And both, in their own respective ways, delivered, despite being geared to two totally different viewer demographics and adapting two totally different flavors of source material. However, despite its high praise — the show currently sits at a 98% critics consensus — only Ms. Marvel has had to grapple with the overarching questions that plague the Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Phase 4 enterprise as a whole, namely whether it did enough to not only advance the story of its title character across a satisfying season of television, but also progress the phase’s meta-narrative. And while it may not be fair to put that pressure on any one show, the truth is, that’s always been part of the promise in an MCU offering. Film or series, the story is expected to succeed on its own while also succeeding within a massive serialized storytelling apparatus.

Seven shows and eighteen months in, then, it’s worth assessing whether the Disney Plus structure has done enough to position its MCU series to succeed. And in particular, whether the SIX-EPISODE structure has done those series any favors. Because, unlike Ms. Marvel, The Boys, like Peacemaker before it, presented audiences with stories told over eight episodes, and it was able to dive deeper into the internal motivations of its leads, all while also doing the requisite amount of worldbuilding, new character introduction, and progression of supporting character arcs that we expect from great television.

In the cases of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, which functioned as an extended prologue for Captain America 4, and Loki, which served as a bridge between Avengers: Endgame and the Multiverse Saga to come (not to mention its own second season), Marvel’s stumbles with respect to telling a six-part episodic story weren’t as damning as they could’ve been. But in the case of Hawkeye, Moon Knight, and now Ms. Marvel, which were all intended to be launching pads for new characters, the fact that certain aspects of the plot had to be sloppily executed and certain antagonists had to be left underdeveloped in order to get our main arcs to their respective endpoints hampered the final product.

In contrast, WandaVision, due to its unique sitcom structure, was afforded an additional three episodes to stretch its legs before diving into the six-part sprint we’ve now grown accustomed to. And while it admittedly didn’t fully stick the landing with respect to its climactic action, it ended on a tremendously satisfying emotional note for our lead characters, and it gave audiences enough insight into what Agatha Harkness and Monica Rambeau’s respective arcs might be to provide emotional stakes for wherever their next steps take them. And of course, the series was able to address the state of the world post-Blip and how the status quo had changed.

Had Ms. Marvel been afforded an additional two or three episodes to tell its story, the writers would have gotten the opportunity to flesh out what exactly the Clandestines’ motivations were, so that Najma wouldn’t have seemed so one-dimensional, and her villainous turn less abrupt and nonsensical. One more episode in Karachi would have given us more insight into the Red Daggers’ organization and the opportunity for Waleed and Kareem to be made even more compelling as mentors and allies to Kamala. Affording an entire episode to the Partition would have allowed the emotional climax of that story to breathe, instead of abruptly transitioning into poorly articulated Noor mumbo-jumbo which completely undercut the tragic star-crossed love story between Aisha and Hasan, and the part Kamala got to play in it. Not to mention, more time would have given the show more space to explore Kamala’s friendship dynamics, particularly concerning Nakia and Zoe, who not only proved to be bright spots in the finale but also play significant roles in the comics. In short, the things the show did well, we would have been able to luxuriate in, and with respect to the things it didn’t do well, there would have been more time allotted to fixing them.

Again, this is not to say that any of the MCU series have been bad. However, they’ve all been limited in certain respects, and six episodes hampers the storytellers’ ability to serve their characters in a satisfying way. (What If…? both as an animated series and a hybrid of an anthology show and a serialized show had its own unique challenges, even with nine episodes to work with.) And in the case of Ms. Marvel, while we do expect there to be a second season (which will clearly take place sometime after The Marvels, based on the stinger), some elements of this season can’t be revisited and retroactively improved. Especially when the “mutation” revelation has rendered some questions moot. So its flaws are its flaws, no matter what comes next. But hopefully, a nine-episode season of She-Hulk, paced differently from the six-episode breakneck pace that the other shows have struggled under, will convince Kevin Feige and the producing brain trust that the MCU’s characters — especially ones as thematically rich as Kamala Khan — need at least eight episodes each season to fully flesh their stories out. And then we can look forward to an embiggened Season 2.

July 18, 2022