Murphy's Multiverse

Tag: TV

  • REVIEW: ‘Peacemaker’ Episode 8 – “It’s Cow or Never”

    REVIEW: ‘Peacemaker’ Episode 8 – “It’s Cow or Never”

    After a six-week run, the first season of Peacemaker has come to an end with “It’s Cow or Never.” The series has seen some highs as James Gunn has yet again taken the comic book genre and flipped it on its head. This time he tackled one of DC’s most unknown characters, Peacemaker. The highly anticipated finale has finally arrived and proves why Gunn told people to avoid Social Media at all costs. The only question remains: did the finale live up to the rest of the show?

    Keep in mind, this review contains massive spoilers of the finale. So, only continue at your own risk.

    The Peacemaker finale does not waste a second, as we jump straight into the action. Our unlikely team is on their way to take down the “cow” teased during the previous episode’s final moments. John Cena‘s Peacemaker has gone through quite a bit in the past twenty-four hours, such as being betrayed by a friend and killing his father. That would obviously affect anyone’s mood with the betrayal of Adebayo hitting him especially hard. He proceeds to make fart noises over her attempted apology highlighting his childish way of handling these kinds of situations.

    One of the running jokes this season is that Peacemaker constantly rags on Economos, such as mocking his beard. It all built up to a surprising somber moment after he briefly tried to infiltrate the Butterfly’s hideout. While it felt a bit silly given the stakes of the story, it did give us some great character growth for everyone left on the team. It was a heartfelt moment that was important to build up the final confrontation.

    Peacemaker’s journey this season, strengthened by John Cena‘s performance is what truly carried the series. His work on the series is stunning, as he offers a strong emotional range from a character that once killed an entire village of people without batting an eye – no, we won’t talk about Rick Flag. The finale uses his character development to push his old belief in direct contrast to the lessons he learned throughout and what it means to have friends.

    The series doesn’t want to fully turn him into a boy scout just yet, as the final moments reveal his father is still haunting him. This is an element torn right from the comics but given a psychological twist. This time around isn’t the soul of his father living in his helmet, but a personification of his regrets. He also isn’t joining any superhero group, as the amazing surprise cameo by the Justice League gave him a moment to curse them out on being late and focusing on what is truly important.

    One of the series’ biggest strengths lies in how it uses parallels to further develop its characters, especially with Smith and Adebayo. They have similar parental situations and had to realize that they might not be as good as they once believed. After he was forced to face his father head-on, she decided to do the same by revealing Amanda Waller’s ties to Task Force X. Not only is it a way for her to make up for planting the diary but also to confront her demon. Plus, it got us a cameo by the always-amazing Viola Davis.

    The finale may have featured one of the series’ best action sequences. It highlights just how much effort has been put into the choreography of the series, as the all-out assault being played alongside the series’ theme song “Do Ya Wanna Taste It” gave us some memorable moments. We even get Peacemaker wielding a shield to play on the ongoing joke of him being a “douchy” version of Captain America.

    Ther is one oddity in this series that remains even in the final episode, Judomaster. While he provided some incredible beatdowns – Nhut Lee offering a fun performance throughout – he didn’t really provide that much to the series. He just showed up and kicked ass. There wasn’t much of a character arc outside of his love for snack food. The only reason he wasn’t a butterfly was revealed due to him buying into their vow, but it may be something that the now-confirmed second season might further explore.

    The first season of Peacemaker was truly something special and the finale offered a tense, fast-paced, and incredibly well-put-together 45-minute episode. James Gunn continues to be a powerhouse in the genre of comic book adaptations, and it’s no wonder DC wants to develop more projects. If this episode is anything to go by, the DCEU will be shaken up quite a bit moving forward, and I can’t wait to see more of John Cena in this role.

  • ‘Star Wars’ Veteran John Williams Returns to Compose ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Theme

    ‘Star Wars’ Veteran John Williams Returns to Compose ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Theme

    It looks like it is official, as after quite a few rumors hinted at the iconic Star Wars composer John Williams would make his return to the classic universe. It seems they were right as Variety has confirmed his return and that he’ll be creating the theme for Disney+’s Obi-Wan Kenobi series. It’s fitting, as he was involved with the original prequel trilogy that defined Ewan McGregor‘s take on the character, and it’s been two years since he completed work on the ninth film of the franchise.

    He has supposedly recorded it last week with the Los Angeles orchestra. It’s noteworthy that he is willing to tackle this project, as it is his first TV project since 1985’s Amazing Stories. and the NBC Olympics theme. The composer won an Oscar for his work on 1977 original and has been nominated for its five sequels over the years. He also was heavily involved with the theme for Solo: A Star Wars Story and Disneyland’s Galaxy Edge theme park. He even won a Grammy for the latter.

    The composer just turned 90 a few days ago and continues to work to this day. It’s an admirable dedication to his craft, as he composed Steven Spielberg’s next film The Fabermans, and is involved with the fifth Indiana Jones. His inclusion in Obi-Wan Kenobi also adds that extra touch as this series is a bridge between the prequels and A New Hope, for which he created a theme for Alec Guinness time with the character. So, it’ll be exciting to hear what he has in store for us.

    Source: Variety

  • New ‘Moon Knight’ Stills Provide First Look at May Calamawy’s Layla

    New ‘Moon Knight’ Stills Provide First Look at May Calamawy’s Layla

    Marvel Studios’ Moon Knight has consistently generated buzz over the past few weeks since the first look at the show was released. So far, the footage has mainly focused on Oscar Isaac’s Steven Grant as he struggles to make sense out of some disturbing events, most of which he can’t be sure are real. Beyond that, outside of a few glimpses of Ethan Hawke’s Arthur Harrow, the rest of the cast hasn’t been revealed.

    Now, thanks to still believed to be from Empire’s coverage of the series, fans have their first look at May Calamawy’s mysterious character, Layla. A couple of the images would seem to be from flashbacks that show Oscar Issac’s Marc Spector working with Calamawy’s character in Egypt. Of course, it’s possible that these are also stills showing them revisiting Egypt later in the series, but given the gear worn by both characters, I’m inclined it’s the former scenario and takes place before Spector is killed and revived by Khonshu.

    Little is known about Calamawy’s Layla, though it’s possible, given the fact that Marvel Studios seems to be reinventing minor characters for this series (like Hawke’s Harrow), that her character is a reworked Leila O’Toole, an archeologist and Egyptologist who while in Egypt studying the ruins, became a member of the Cult of the Living Pharaoh. The photos certainly seem to support her having some interest in exploring whatever dig Spector is part of and while it’s unlikely she’ll be a direct adaptation of the character (she’s probably not a mutant in the show), we still don’t know anything at all about her role in the series.

    Source: Reddit

  • ‘Peacemaker’ Episode 8 Primer

    ‘Peacemaker’ Episode 8 Primer

    The very first series set within DC’s extended universe is about to reach the end of its first season. Peacemaker gave us a chance to get even closer to the character we once only considered “douchey Captain America” (John Cena’s words, not mine) and over the past seven episodes, we’ve seen some fantastic development with the titular character, winning over the hearts of many skeptics who’d held a grudge since the murder of Rick Flag. Now the finale is almost here and soon enough we’ll be pining for more.

    The penultimate episode, ‘Stop Dragon My Heart Around’, finally answered the question we’ve been wondering since early in the season: what happened to Christopher Smith’s brother? The answer: Chris happened. In a pit match between the two brothers, set up by Auggie and his friends, in an attempt to look tough and not let his father down, Chris wailed on his brother a little too hard, injuring his brain and killing him.

    The present day saw Christopher Smith on the run with Vigilante and Economos, split off from the rest of the group to face the “cow” on their own. This plan was blown to pieces as the White Dragon and his group followed them, striking first and throwing the mission off course. Vigilante bravely provided a distraction for Chris and Economos, by unpinning a grenade and being caught in the blast, nearly killing himself.

    Elsewhere, the rest of the team fell into shambles as Harcourt clashed with Adebayo after her betrayal (she planted the fake diary in Peacemaker’s trailer) was revealed. Things were cut short when the Butterflies arrived, presumably after Murn. Goff quickly dispatched of Murn and the Murn butterfly in sight of Harcout and Adebayo. And just when it seemed things could not possibly get worse, they do indeed as Judomaster returned! giving Harcourt and Adebayo a good fight before eventually escaping again.

    The White Dragon and his followers find Peacemaker and one of the show’s biggest conflicts finally came to a head. This fight is a big moment for the character, as he faced the source of his abuse, ending in Peacemaker shooting his father in the head, and ending the torment he’s faced since he was a child.

    The team regrouped at a local vet where Eagly is given medical care after being backhanded by the White Dragon and they decide to put aside their differences and finish the mission. The final scenes revealed the “cow”, which wasn’t actually a cow at all, but rather a giant slug-larva that’s the source of the amber fluid.

    However this ends, it’ll surely be quite outlandish. Lets just hope we don’t have to wait too long to see Peacemaker officially renewed for season 2 at HBO Max.

  • HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us Won’t Premiere in 2022

    HBO’s ‘The Last Of Us Won’t Premiere in 2022

    We’ve been closely following the production of HBO’s live-action adaptation of The Last Of Us. It seemed like the show starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsay would find its way to HBO sometime this year by how fast the production has been pushing forward, but it looks like we’ll have to wait just a bit longer. In a new piece by Deadline, HBO and HBO Max Chief Content Officer Casey Bloys revealed that the project won’t premiere at least until 2023. In his full quote, he does tease that he’s already seen some of the early episodes.

    It’s not going to air in 2022 — they are still shooting in Canada. I imagine you will see it in ’23. I have seen some early episodes and I’m very excited. Craig did Chernobyl for us, he is a fantastic writer and director. What I’ve seen looks amazing, so I’m excited for it, but it will not be in ’22

    Casey Bloys

    It looks like this project is much larger than we initially expected. The fact they are still filming shows quite the commitment, and if they haven’t started any post-production work yet it makes sense that it’ll take until 2023 to release. OF course, things might always change but we hopefully get to see the series early in the next year.

    Source: Deadline

  • REVIEW: ‘How I Met Your Father’ Episode 6 – “Stacey”

    REVIEW: ‘How I Met Your Father’ Episode 6 – “Stacey”

    Episode 5 of How I Met Your Father really upped the emotions and was a standout episode for the season. As a result, episode 6 had a lot to live up to in order to keep the show on a high. From an amazing emotional performance last episode to humor massively improving from episodes 1 and 2, I had hopes that the show would keep up and be able to meet that kind of quality for the entire second half of the season. Did Episode 6 continue on the great path?

    “Stacey”, the episode title, refers to Sophie’s current love interest’s ex-girlfriend because all sit-coms need that episode in the beginnings of a new relationship. To avoid spoilers, the man in question on this episode will not be named. He and Sophie are invited by Sid and his fiancee to a weekend out. Not having previously slept together, obviously, tensions were a little high.

    The episode did a really good job of focusing on the relationship aspect of the show. I have already said how well they have been developing the characters and relationships thus far; the show really dug into that this episode with each of the main cast members. From Sid and his fiancee dealing with their own problems, to Sophie and her current love interest dealing with some jealousy with the ex-girlfriend, and the rest of the cast having a dinner party, which ends up revealing many secrets about their relationships as well, it was all handled competently.

    As previously discussed, the emotional moments of the original show and how they were starting to come up on the new show as well matter. After last week’s episode, I thought they would surely save episodes like that for the end of the season, as most shows do. However, with the season only being 10 episodes long, I also felt they would be wasteful if they followed that since there really isn’t time for filler episodes that sitcoms are known for. Luckily, they did not nearly do what I expected, at least so far.

    If episode 5 was a standout memorable moment, episode 6 was a defining one. Sophie not only has an absolutely charming end to the episode when all loose ends are tied, but she also has a surprising moment with one of the other characters on the show (who I suspect is the true father). One moment that further develops the current relationship, and one that hints at other possibilities is one of the biggest things I loved from How I Met Your Mother, comes to How I Met Your Father and I am all for it. Always keeping viewers on their toes about the mystery of the aforementioned father is what the show truly needs to shine and keep viewers engaged and, so far, they have absolutely killed it. With one character currently winning Sophie’s attention, one that makes sense on a lot of levels, again, no spoilers, and one that has openly denied very unconvincingly that he is in love with her, there are so many possibilities.

    Humor also stayed on a high note in this episode. Multiple character moments had me giggling and some added environmental humor that,while a little corny, also managed to get a laugh out of me in the end. Add in a whole lot of banter from the cast and the show really feels like it is getting in a grove. Great sitcoms are a mix of good humor, memorable characters, and relationship development. How I Met Your Father already had the relationship development down; now, the memorable characters are getting developed perfectly. While some moments are still corny, or definitely will not age well, they are starting to work out those kinks, which makes me really excited for how the recently announced season 2 will help in that area even more.

    The second half of the season is really getting How I Met Your Father on a hot streak. With better humor, keeping up with the tremendous characters, and delivering absolutely stellar moments, the problems of the first two episodes seem so far away now, likely even to be more forgivable on a second watch-through, similar to season 1 of How I Met Your Mother. I truly hope the show stays on this path, I am absolutely loving how charming and emotional it is becoming, and with season 2 confirmed, I cannot wait to see what else this cast and crew are able to deliver with feedback in hand. The foundation is set for success on this show’s journey to be a great successor to the phenomenal original, maybe even being able to fix some of the original’s complaints, such as the often criticized final season. With only a few episodes left this season, I’m excited about where things are going. I just hope they can deliver on a season finale worthy of the twists and turns of How I Met Your Mother’s.

  • Howard the Duck May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    Howard the Duck May Appear in ‘She-Hulk’s Disney+ Series

    Despite its imminent release, not much is actually known about Marvel Studios’ upcoming Disney+ series She-Hulk. With the titular hero’s role as a superhuman lawyer and a lack of concrete information, it seems the Disney+ release could see any number of infamous Marvel characters grace the small screen. Now, a foreign publication is hinting that one of the more interesting potential surprise appearances on the show could be fan-favorite miscreant Howard the Duck.

    A Twitter user was able to spot a blurb in the March/April issue of the French Scrooge McDuck magazine which teases the inclusion of Howard in She-Hulk. Normally, something like this could be written off as a publisher’s mistake, but this is a magazine that must be approved by Disney directly before they are allowed to publish anything.

    Here’s a rough translation from the segment teasing his appearance:

    In any case, the She-Hulk series which lands this year on Disney+ could hold some “what the duck” surprises! This should delight lovers of this turbulent duck, determined to do as he pleases.

    Of all the places for Howard to end up in the MCU, She-Hulk isn’t actually that far of a stretch. After all, Jennifer Walters will be dealing with the legal aspects of the Marvel Universe, and Howard does have a history working as a private investigator. The series is also confirmed to be a comedy, which matches what we’ve seen from Howard in his short cameos on What If…? and the Guardians of the Galaxy films. Seth Green, the man behind the duck, also recently confirmed to Murphy’s Multiverse that he was open to playing the character again in the near future. Perhaps the voice actor knew something he wasn’t allowed to talk about yet, but only time will tell for certain.

    Source: Twitter

  • ‘South Park’ Set to Arrive to Paramount+ in 2025

    ‘South Park’ Set to Arrive to Paramount+ in 2025

    After a $500 million deal for the exclusive streaming right to the South Park back catalog for HBOMax, Paramount is bringing South Park to their own streaming service Paramount+. The deal is set to end in 2025, and that will mark the end of South Park on HBO and the beginning of their likely new permanent home.

    Along with the news, we also have word that South Park will also air two events every year for the next six years, similar to their Post-Covid projects. Likely due to the success of their Coronavirus event. Paramount+ will also stream new episodes of the show before anyone else starting in 2024. The streaming service is gearing up to take on the big hitters like Disney and HBO in the streaming wars, and becoming the home of South Park will surely help them in that area.

    Source: Twitter

  • Paramount’s ‘Yellowstone’ Footprint Expands with New Prequel, ‘1932’, More Episodes of ‘1883’

    Paramount’s ‘Yellowstone’ Footprint Expands with New Prequel, ‘1932’, More Episodes of ‘1883’

    The story of the Dutton family will continue to be cornerstone content for Paramount +. With a fifth season of Yellowstone recently greenlit and 6666 spinoff in development, the studio revealed today that more content is on the way.

    According to an official release, 2022 will see the debut of “the next chapter” of the Yellowstone prequel 1883 and the development of an all-new prequel, 1932. Whether the next chapter of 1883 refers to a second season or simply more episodes of the current season, which was expected to be a 10-episode run concluding on February 27th, was not made clear in the announcement. The series, which stars Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and Isabel May as the ancestors of Kevin Costner’s Yellowstone character, John Dutton, tells the story of how the Dutton family came to be in possession of the land which came to be the Yellowstone Ranch.

    The new prequel, 1932, will tell the tale of, presumably, the next generation of Duttons post-1883 as they deal with Westward expansion, the Great Depression and the Prohibition era.

    The new prequel order comes as fans seemingly can’t get enough of the Duttons and their story. The fourth season of Yellowstone recently finished its run and drew incredible numbers. The increased viewership led directly to the success of 1883’s first season and now it seems the Yellowstone-verse is upon us.

  • New CG Animated ‘Transformers’ Film and TV Series in Development

    New CG Animated ‘Transformers’ Film and TV Series in Development

    Paramount is going crazy, as they are announcing one project after another. We’ve known for some time that they are working on reviving the live-action Transformers franchise with the upcoming Rise of the Beasts film, which we even got some looks from behind-the-scenes, but it looks like they aren’t quite done yet. During their Earnings Call, they have revealed they are working on a CG animated feature-length film eyeing a 2024 release alongside a new TV series a year earlier.

    There’s no word what exactly the series or film will be about, and if they might even be connected. It’s surprising that with all these spinoff announcements for various projects they didn’t talk about any additional live-action projects outside of Rise of the Beasts setting up a new trilogy. They may also not have finalized any plans which is why they haven’t announced anything and are looking to evolve the series. Of course, given its roots an animated film and series makes sense to prioritize especially as they continue to grow the brand, but it is a curious observation.

    Source: Twitter