Tag: TV

‘Moon Knight’: Marc and Steven are Traveling to the Afterlife.

The final few minutes of Moon Knight’s episode four gave audiences something to think about and figure out ahead of the final two episodes of the series. At first glance, it seems like the old “it was all a dream” sort of twist, where the character, in this case, Marc Spector, kept bringing real-life characters and details into a self-fabricated world. This would obviously deprive the events experienced until now of most of their meaning due to a lack of actual real-world impact, something that feels extremely dated. But in fact, Marvel should instead be using that classic trope to lead fans astray as what Marc wakes up to should actually be the dream itself.

Following Harrow shooting Marc at Alexander the Great’s tomb, he wakes up in an institution, very similar to the one we see in the Lemire-Smallwood comic run. There, while trying to escape Harrow’s office, he comes to a long corridor that seems to tilt like it was on a moving vehicle, with the lamps and the medical carts moving accordingly. This should be enough to make us doubt the veracity of the reality presented to us. But it’s not until going back to some promotional footage that, not only does it become clear why the halls seem unstable but we also understand where Marc really is.

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight

This shot in one of the promotional videos seemingly shows us a large funerary boat traveling through the desert. And this is where we will likely find Marc, even if all he sees around him, maybe as a coping mechanism, is a mental institution filled with details from his life. This fits the Egyptian mythology the show has been exploring as boats played a big role in ancient Egyptian funerary practices. Funerary boats were often used to deliver the deceased to the afterlife, with Anubis, the god of death, the afterlife, cemeteries, tombs, and the Underworld, having his own ship that traveled between the world of the living and that of the dead. It was while doing so that it would weigh the hearts of the deceased on Maat’s scales of truth and justice, hence judging the individual’s actions in life. If the heart was found to be heavy it was fed to Ammit, with the soul cast into darkness. On the other hand, if the scales were balanced, the deceased would be taken before Osiris who would welcome them into the afterlife.

Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight

All of this, besides feeling terribly consistent with what the show has shown us so far, might clearly hint at all past events being what is real, with the dreamlike state being what we see as the mental institution at the end of episode four. Marc and Steven (and Jake?) will eventually be judged in order for their spirit to move on, either to damnation or the afterlife. With Khonshu out of the picture, it seems unlikely that they will manage to come back from the dead, again. Or does it?

The first four episodes of Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight are now streaming only on Disney+.

April 20, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Directors on Episode 4’s Twist Ending and Comic Inspiration

Episode 4 of Moon Knight has been amped up for quite some time and as it finally found its way online, the Internet is currently wrapping its head around what exactly just happened. Of course, it didn’t take long for questions to arise and luckily Aaron Moorhead and Justin Benson, the directing duo behind that very episode, talked about how they approached the twist ending and how Jeff Lemire and Greg Smallwood‘s run with the character influenced their direction.

There will be spoilers ahead, so only continue at your own risk if you haven’t seen the episode yet.

As the episode was slowly coming to an end, we suddenly see Marc Spector get shot by Arthur Harrow. As he is falling down what seems like a bottomless water spot inside the grave of Alexander the Great. Yet, it suddenly turns into an old-fashioned, Indiana Jones-inspired TV show before revealing that Marc was in a facility all along. We see many familiar faces and objects that hint that maybe not everything we saw was real. this sequence is strongly inspired by a famous run from Lemire and Smallwood, which the directors highlight in their interview with EW.

The end of episode 4 is actually a gift of the script. It came from wanting to do the least expected thing and completely disorient the audience, while also being completely true to the character that we’ve built over four episodes. Also the comic book character: There’s a run of ‘Moon Knight’ written by Jeff Lemire, and [Greg] Smallwood did the art, and it has a lot of similar feelings and visuals to what happens at the end of episode 4. So we’re really glad to be able to honor the original comics, the ones that we were the most drawn to when we were trying to crack Moon Knight. That’s where the inspiration came from, especially visually and tonally
Aaron Moorhead

Benson highlights that they also took inspiration from some of the iconic panels from that run as they explore his escape from this mental health institute.

Also, connecting it back to the Lemire run, there are so many iconic single panels within that run. But there’s one sequence in particular where our hero has been trying to escape from a mental health facility. He finally gets out. He jumps out, but it turns out he was on an airplane, and he’s free-falling. Obviously that doesn’t happen in this show, but we really feel like what we did captures the spirit of that distilled image into something that is not literally that but has the same feeling.
Justin Benson

In the same interview, they highlight that the next two episodes will be even more promising and we’ll get a lot more moving forward. It’s an exciting twist and takes the series into a really interesting direction that may not mesh well with many at first that got used to the adventure vibe it was building up so far. For now, we’ll have to wait just two more weeks to see the series fully come together.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

April 20, 2022
New ‘One Piece’ Set Video Offers a Closer Look at Baratie

A surprising new video has found its way online from Netflix’s live-action One Piece series. Now, what makes this video stand out is that it’s the closest look we’ve ever had at one of the boats for the One Piece production. Not too long ago, we got our first look at it in the distance but a new set of video reveals the entrance to the Baratie, the famous ship where Sanji and Zeff feed traveling merchants, marines, and pirates. While it seems they are still working on the boat, it is our best look yet at the details they’ve put into these ships.

You can clearly see the fish mouth on the left side, which is surprisingly accurate to the manga. The eyes stand out as they seem to be small windows. It even has its own entrance. So, maybe we have a chance to see it work as a separate little boat like it did in the manga. There’s a lot of detail put into the boat to bring it to life and it definitely looks like they’re sticking to it remaining a floating restaurant.

Baratie entrance pic.twitter.com/f2NHwb7aNY
— ONE PIECE NETFLIX FAN (@OP_Netflix_Fan) April 20, 2022

What’s unclear is if they’ll also include the additional floats on the outside, as it seems they’ve provided a few smaller areas for people to enter. It wouldn’t be surprising, especially with rumored set photos for the interior making the rounds, that they’ll have some of the fights take place inside. If they’ve built multiple stories for a few shots of people eating, it would seem like a waste not to use it. So, perhaps Sanji’s fight with Gin might mainly take place inside.

There are a lot of opportunities in how they could approach the project, as they might see it start in the restaurant before Luffy takes on Don Krieg while avoiding falling into the water. Whatever direction they might take, the first looks are quite impressive and really showcase how much work is being put into this series to offer a very distinct look that combines the manga with real-world influences.

Source: Twitter

April 20, 2022
REVIEW: ‘Moon Knight’ Episode 4

Viewers finally got to see the Moon Knight episode that creators and critics have been teasing for weeks. The series’ fourth episode packs quite a lot into its runtime, but the only part that viewers are going to cling on to going forward is that twist of an ending. It was quite the exciting changeup, and it truly revamps the narrative on multiple levels and allows the psychological mystery setup to pay off dramatically. Comic book fans might recognize how eerily similar the psych ward at the end of the episode is to the popular Jeff Lemire-Greg Smallwood run, but it does not need that connection to carry its excitement forward. It does beg the question—between where the episode left the previous “reality” and where this new reality could go, how can Moon Knight possibly wrap this story up in a satisfying way with only two episodes left?

The episode pre-twist was notable for several reasons. It brought with it its own genre because with Khonshu out of the picture it turned into a more recognizable adventure a la Indiana Jones or Tomb Raider. Admittedly, it was not the most thrilling plotline the MCU had ever explored, but the wealth of Egyptian lore in Episode 4 was extremely interesting and packed a lot of potential into the series. Still, the pre-twist episode spent time adding major detail to not only the main story but also several of the characters. Had the episode not ended in a twist, there would have been a great deal of speculation leading out of this episode purely on the Arthur Harrow and Ammit plot. But, as we know, Harrow seemingly kills Marc Spector who drifts away through water only to reawaken someplace very different.

While the information in the pre-twist episode still, hopefully, brings value to the series later, it is difficult to expect any viewer to truly pay attention to that when Marc wakes up in what looks like a mental institution or psych ward. Everything we thought we knew is turned upside down, which brings the theme of wondering what is real and what isn’t back into the spotlight after the first episode. Moon Knight gave a sense of security with the reveal of Marc and Khonshu, and nothing had really suggested that they were not real or that the story was not taking place in reality. Now, Episode 4 spends its last ten minutes or so trying to convince you that none of it was real—sort of. The odd amount of Egyptian imagery and, of course, what looks like Egyptian goddess Taweret (whose stuffed animal we saw in the gift shop in Episode 1) suggests that this mental institution is not simply the true reality either.

So now Moon Knight is genuinely and beautifully under the “What is real?” umbrella. The already-phenomenal psychological aspect of the series will take center stage in a grand way going forward without a doubt. A psych ward—or some kind of projection of it—is the perfect place to dive deeper into the Marc/Steven psyche. There are many obvious Easter eggs (such as the cupcakes, Gus, maps, the adventure film, etc.) to suggest that what we watched of the series so far may have actually all been in Marc’s head. There is also a very eager extra sarcophagus like the one Steven was found in that has to be the most obvious tease of another personality of the entire series. Given how the episode ended, it looks like the next episode could have an escape-oriented theme with Marc and Steven working together as two different bodies. This is a perfect way to “bring to life” to both alters the amazing performance that Oscar Isaac has already put in with the characters so far. Watching them interact may very well be the highlight of Moon Knight.

While previous episodes felt as though they sometimes gave too little information or background on the major subjects of Marc Spector and Khonshu, it is almost certain that the events of Episode 4 and what it teases is coming will blow that whole issue wide open. We end in such an introspective place where the pieces of Marc’s life and mind are literally just scattered around him. It could be a perfect opportunity to journey into his mind and past.

As mentioned, the twist looks a whole lot like the Lemire-Smallwood run. That might mean the last two episodes of Moon Knight borrowed heavily from it. But even if the series does attempt a direct adaptation of the comic—which it almost certainly will not—it is not reasonable to fit that into two episodes. Even if the series seeks to merge elements of the Lemire-Smallwood story with the very original plot from the series so far, it still seems unlikely that two episodes is enough time. Overall, it is hard to picture how a twist of this magnitude could lead to a comprehensive and satisfying ending so quickly. Moon Knight could be another victim of the MCU Disney+ series curse of not quite sticking the landing. Or, it could keep surprising us like it has been.

In any event, Episode 4 might have just been the biggest “twist” of the entire MCU. Obviously some fans of the Moon Knight comics might feel less lost than those unfamiliar with them, but nearly the entirety of the first four episodes of Moon Knight were a far cry from how it looks like the series might try to tell the story from here on out. The jarring transitions between the two was one of the most enjoyably “What the f***?!” moments in MCU memory. It means that the series has to take the character’s psychological origins and backgrounds seriously story-wise and that requires going to places that other projects are usually uncomfortable with. There is certainly something wildly unnerving about what just happened in this episode. It is not unreasonably optimistic to think that the final two episodes of the series will make Moon Knight one of the most triumphant MCU installments.

April 20, 2022
Netflix Planning on Launching an Ad-Supported Version

It was a rough day for Netflix, as not only did their subscribers drop for the first time in over ten years but also saw their share drop by over 25%. Yet, it seems that the company has plans to counter ct its recent developments and plans, as Co-CEO Reed Hastings has revealed they are planning on releasing an ad-supported version of the service. In a new statement, he has revealed their decision to push forward with this offering, and they plan to release it in the next “year or two.”

Those who have followed Netflix know that I have been against the complexity of advertising, and a big fan of the simplicity of subscription. But as much as I am a fan of that, I am a bigger fan of consumer choice. And allowing consumers who would like to have a lower price, and are advertising-tolerant get what they want, makes a lot of sense.
Reed Hastings

the move makes sense to push its development forward, especially as there’s a big market that obviously hit its pay gap with the recent raise. So, this ad version not only offers them an alternative income stream but gives viewers an option to watch their favorite shows at a more affordable price. Though trying to pull the sharing aspects may backfire, as while it seemingly has a potential of up to 100M sharers, it doesn’t mean they will translate that number directly to new subscribers if they take away a function they’ve been used to for years. We’ll see if this pays off long-term for the service.

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

April 19, 2022
‘Moon Knight’s ‘Assembled’ Episode Eyeing a May Release

As is tradition, every new Disney+ show will also come bagged with a new entry in the Assembled series. Disney+’s offering to those that want a look behind the scenes and get a feel for how their new favorite series was made. They also made some for the film was well, which made it the go-to for those wanting to know what exactly is happening over at Marvel Studios. Moon Knight will also get its own episode and it seems that the release will be the week after its finale.

As such, you can expect a behind-the-scenes look at Moon Knight as of May 11th. It’ll be great to see just how they brought this series to life, especially with the filming taking place in the desert where they shot Lawrence of Arabia, as well as turning Hungary into Egypt due to them not being able to shoot on location as a result of permit issues.

There’s also the potential of getting to know just how Oscar Isaac created his take on DID, especially with how complex they try to showcase it as two personalities are fighting for the same body. Episode 3 included quite the seamless transition from Marc Spector into Steven Grant, which may be something the actor can talk about in the project and how he conducted his research on bringing it to life. Whatever that may be, it’s going to be exciting to see what the latest entry in Assembled has to offer when it releases in May.

Source: What’s On Disney Plus

April 19, 2022
Netflix Faces First Loss of Subscribers in 10+ Years

Here’s a somewhat surprising development, but ever since Netflix started its online streaming service, it has been in a state of constantly growing. Yet, for the first time in over ten years, the streaming giant faced a stark drop in its shares by 20% after losing 200K subscribers in the first quarter of 2022. That’s not all, as they suspect another drop in the next quarter as large as 2 million at this rate.

The cause for this development is mostly associated with two key factors. On the one hand, the recent increase in costs due to the ever-growing amount of originals being added to the project has swayed customers away from their subscriptions. As competition continues to grow in the market, it seemingly backfired on them in the short term but hope to see it work out in the long term. It may be the first hint at a potential shift for the company to embrace an ad-supported model moving forward to counteract the price increase.

On the other, there’s also the big move to pull out of Russia due to the recent event involving Ukraine. Naturally, that also left an impact on its subscriber basis moving forward. Once things potentially calm down and they can once again one, the question remains if they can get those subscribers back. Vladimir Putin‘s answer to companies pulling from the country came in the form of allowing legal piracy, which could hurt releases in the country.

While some are seeing this as an end of an era, there was always going to be a point where they won’t manage to consistently grow as the market potentially saturates with new competition. Of course, losing 20% of your stock is going to hurt and the bigger question remains if the streaming market will start cannibalizing itself moving forward. As of right now, we’ll have to see if they see a continued loss going through 2022. Whatever the future holds, it’s certainly a rough start to the year for the company.

Source: CNBC

April 19, 2022
Episodes of ‘Agent Carter’, ‘Duck Tales’, ‘X-Men’ and More Missing on Disney+

It looks like Disney+ is doing a lot of work behind the scenes. Not too long ago, it suddenly looked like they were censoring shows such as Falcon and the Winter Soldier’s bloodier sequences getting cleaned up. What started as fears it is them openly moving away from embracing the current inclusions of darker storylines, especially with the addition of Marvel’s Netflix series, but they swiftly revealed it was a technical error that led to it. Surprisingly, it seems that it happened again and ended up leading to various episodes getting lost.

Deadline is sharing that various series such as Duck Tales, Agent Carter, X-Men: The Animated Series, Owl House, Lizzie McGuire, and other shows are missing episodes. It was first noticed by fans on Reddit complaining about the series missing from the service. Disney has responded and that they are working on correcting this, as the episodes were excluded due to a technical issue on the service which glitched out the episode’s inclusion in the list.

The good thing is that nothing is lost, but it definitely got people’s attention. It seems like the fix might take some time but they ensure it’ll be added once again. Of course, this isn’t a good sign for those that have been hesitant about streamers’ lack of sharing physical releases of their original franchises. Here’s hoping it can be resolved sooner and we’ll find out more later on.

Source: Deadline

April 19, 2022
‘Moon Knight’ Episode 4 Primer

Episode 3, “The Friendly Type”, really moved things along in the overall plot, including Arthur using the scarab to lead him to the site of Ammut’s tomb. At the behest of Khonshu, Marc tries to get the Ennead, a group of major Egyptian gods, to intervene with what Arthur is trying to do, but Arthur lies to them, leading the Ennead to warn Khonshu not to interfere further. To find the coordinates of the tomb, Khonshu turns back the sky to the night they locked Ammut away, angering the Ennead. As the episode ends, Khonshu is imprisoned, leaving Marc/Steven without his power.

Marc and Steven get way more comfortable with each other over the course of this episode, even willingly letting each other take over the body when it seems to serve them best. The episode also presents the clearest evidence that there might be a third personality within Marc’s mind. While interrogating a group of men, Marc is knocked out when Steven interferes with the questioning. When he wakes up, he’s in the middle of stabbing one of the men while another lies dead behind him. When Marc asks Steven what he’s done, he claims not to have done it either. In the comics there is another, more violent, personality named Jake. This could totally be his doing!

Arlyn’s Assumptions

In this next episode, I believe that they will end up finding Ammut’s tomb too late. I feel like Arthur will have already found it and dug it up. The other Egyptian gods have locked Khonshu away, which will obviously have a big impact on Marc and Steven seeing that Marc was just a corpse when Khonshu found him. I’m not sure how Marc survives. I have a bad feeling about this…

The next episode streams tomorrow!

April 19, 2022
Hayden Christensen on Preparing for His Return in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’

While everyone was excited about Ewan McGregor‘s return as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the upcoming Disney+ series, many were caught off-guard when it was revealed that he’ll also be joined by Hayden Christensen. Not only that but shortly after it was confirmed that he’ll also return in the Ahsoka series as well. So, it’s a grand return for the actor that played Anakin Skywalker in the prequel trilogies. In a new interview with Entertainment Weekly, he revealed how he prepared for the role after 17 years.

It seems he really did his homework as the actor revisited not only all the films but also watched The Clone Wars and Rebels animated series, which were quite important to develop his character even after he hung up the mantle. Perhaps it also was what inspired him to join Ahsoka to get involved with the story introduced in the animated series.

I went back and rewatched all the films,” says the man who will be once again going behind the mask as Darth Vader. “And I also got into the animated shows, The Clone Wars and Rebels.
Hayden Christensen

It’s great to see his commitment not only to bringing this franchise to life but generally how much work he’s put in to prepare for his return. We have been teased that he’ll be in the series as Darth Vader, but there’s always a chance that they might use flashbacks to also revisit scenes between Anakin and his former master. Perhaps Ahsoka Tano even gets a cameo in the upcoming series.

Source: Entertainment Weekly

April 19, 2022