Gotham Season One: The Scarecrow

Really cool!

Gordon and Bullock attempt to stop Gerald Crane from murdering more victims meanwhile Fish tries to gain more power and Penguin officially re-joins Falcone.

 

Its the second part of the Scarecrow origins and I got to say that even though everything about Scarecrow was just as good as last week's this episode was let down by other events in this episode. First off it's awesome seeing the first fear toxin and that's it's real purpose was to suppress fear, which actually could have been a good thing for mankind if not for the questionable way of making it. I really liked Gerald's story and how he had a twisted way of dealing with his wife's death so it is a shame he is dead now when it would have been interesting seeing him without fear in future episodes. Jonathan of course is the opposite now since he is consumed by fear and will grow up to instil fear in Gotham, still this origin story does place Scarecrow in a more sympathetic light and I hope this isn't the last we'll see of him. Also those CGI scarecrows where so cool and really done well!

"We're going to be super villains one day"

As for everything else it is always good seeing Penguin's dilemma in the mafia and since Falcone gave him the club and saved him makes me think Penguin is really valuable to him. However the best scene was the interaction he had with Nygma because it was so funny; loved Penguin's expression when being asked a riddle and how Nygma wasn't scared to tease a Mafia guy with riddles. It is also good to see the issue with Gordon wondering whether or not to get aid from Penguin addressed again however briefly but it was kind of annoying to see him making things unnecessarily awkward with Leslie about professionalism in the workplace, I know its a small thing but it was annoying him going on and on about it. Then there are the scenes with Alfred and Bruce and it was really great emotional moment for Bruce dealing with the hikes he went on with his dad and it is always great seeing Alfred fill the role as best as he can and help Bruce in his own way. Finally while I said I was interested to see where Fish was taken now that she is there I actually don't feel bothered at all because I don't really care about Fish trying to get her power back or anything that takes place outside of Gotham.

Ironic that the famous fear toxin could have helped people

Overall it wasn't as good as the first part of the Scarecrow origins but it was still a good watch.  

 

Score: 7/10

 

Highlights: Fear toxin/Scarecrow origin
                   Bruce and Alfred moments
                   Penguin and Nygma confrontation

 

Let - Downs: Fish's subplot
                      Gordon workplace attitude

 

The great screenshots of the episodes where provided by the great site Screencapped. You can look for yourself from the link below;

 

 





http://screencapped.net/ 

Bleach Review: 566 - 570, Rukia Kuchiki vs. As Nodt

This was probably is uploaded later than I thought it would but here is my review of the recent fight between Rukia and As Nodt. It starts off with Rukia going around the Seireitei (or the Vandenriech now that it is taken over) and stopping when she feels something touch her arm and then turns around to see As Nodt floating towards her. We get some cool, creepy expressions of As Nodt as asks where his captured Senbonzakura and her brother has gone to and I found that kind of funny. It is not long before the actions begins and As Nodt fires his Reshi thorns at Rukia, he also takes off his cape and we see his outfit is still the same as last time but with the added addition of fingerless gloves. However even though As Nodt says his fear ability cannot be stopped with ice Rukia remains ineffective by saying that her body is below freezing so she is currently ‘dead’ and fear cannot affect her (it is also the true power of her Sode No Shirayuki), she then proceeds to completely freeze As Nodt in midair. As Nodt survives this however and breaks out while removing his mouth mask to reveal a decaying mouth and then afterwards enters in his Vollstandig by activating the Vandenreich symbol on the back of his eye. His Vollstandig is called Tatarforas and while in it he gains thorn like looking wings and a halo; his suit also peels away to show a decaying looking chest where is ribcage is. This form heightens his strength and speed but also grants him the ability to paralyse his target with fear simply by looking at his victim. He then creates an entire dome of eyes which traps and seems to have the upper hand before Byakuya Kuchiki. Surprisingly Byakuya does not participate in the fight except to free Rukia from As Nodt dome of eyes and to show off Senbonzakura again. As Nodt then proceed to transform in to a massively grotesque looking form but before he can do anything Rukia actives her Bankai; Hakka no Togame. This creates a massive blast of ice which once again freezes As Nodt but this time he crumbles away, thus ending the fight. I liked this fight a lot more than Renji vs. Mask De Masculine and the main reason for that is that this fight did not seem as one sided as that one was. I was completely annoyed with how over powered Renji was but with Rukia vs. As Nodt I thought the fight could have went either way right up until Rukia activated her bankai. Also I really liked that it was Rukia to kill As Nodt and not Byakuya and that is because I don’t think Rukia has had a decent fight since Aaroniero Arrurueire, plus I think a lot of people where expecting it to be Byakuya to finish off As Nodt. Speaking about As Nodt I think it was great to see another Sternritter have a little back story, the only others who have were the Lloyd brothers. It seems that As Nodt was a very religious person on the brink of death while in a hospital and feared going to hell more than anything. However Yhwach suddenly appears before him and asks if he would like power and be saved, which it is a safe assumption that he accepted. Since this hospital looked very modern I am guessing that As Nodt is a survivor of the Auswahlen that Yhwach used to revive himself. However this is only a guess at this point. Another thing that stood out a lot was the amazing art work that went in to this fight; As Nodt of course looks completely menacing as always, whether this is the shape of his eyes at the beginning or his numerous transformations. I particularly like the part when Rukia froze him in midair and they are flying past one another, it was just really cool. Also I would like to point out that I think Rukia’s bankai looked awesome, her dress looked very regal and detailed. I have heard a lot of people saying that if Rukia had a bankai it would have been a scythe but this was a pleasant surprise in my opinion. If there is anything I did not like about this fight was that I don’t think it was as long as it could have been. I always thought Kubo put a lot of effect in to creating As Nodt and I thought he would have been one of the last Sternritter to be defeated. I am not saying that this was a disappointing fight, it is one of the best of the arc in my opinion, and I just think a few more chapters could have been dedicated to it. Overall this was one great fight were we got to see Rukia with some new powers and Byakuya is ready to fight now. As Nodt may have been one of my favourite Sternritters however at least now some of the focus can shift to those Sternritter we have not seen yet. SCORE: 9/10 Predictions At the end of this fight we get to see Isane and Yachiru stalked by Sternritter V – Vanishing Point, Guenael, and I am really interested in seeing how this goes. These are two characters that we have not seen fight yet and this may be a good opportunity for them to show off. However, whether or not it is in this fight or another, I do hope that the Soul Society takes on more casualties soon. The Sternritter are really pushing them but I really think they need to suffer some more losses to make this invasion and last arc more brutal.