Bleach Review: Sensitive Monster

"What the hell is that thing up to?"

Kenpachi and Mayuri continue to fight Pernida however they begin to struggle against her Compulsory powers.

Wow now this chapter really ups the gore quite a bit but I guess that couldn't be helped with the kind of power Pernida has. As before I am liking the teaming up between Kenpachi and Mayuri and their different approaches to fighting but I also liked that they treat each other as comrades such as Mayuri getting Nemu to heal Kenpachi's arm or paralyzing him. Starting with Kenpachi he gets completely wreaked in this fight by first having to rip off his own arm off and then getting both his legs twisted (which is where the massive amounts of gore come in). I always like seeing Kenpachi fight but Pernida is defiantly not the opponent for straight up attacks which is where Mayuri steps in. I've always thought Mayuri is one of the most dangerous Captains with his quick ability to analyse an enemy's power and counter it; he saved Kenpachi by paralyzing the rest of his body with his Ashisogi Jizo, which we get to see a new power from! Mayuri then completely owns the fight by figuring out that Pernida's power relies on her nerves entering her opponent's body however I doubt that it is going to be that easy as Pernida seems to be finally ripping off her robe. As for Pernida I do find her to be a really interesting character and her power is awesome and gory but I am finding it too similar to Barragan's Respira for my liking (like how Kenpachi had to rip off his arm before it can consume his whole body). Plus while an explanation to her power is good and makes sense for a Quincy I swear she didn't seem to have this nerve limitation before, she used to just point and whisper so has Kubo changed her powers? Finally I did like the quick banter between Nemu, Ikkaku and Yumichika and I hope they step in to fight soon.

Time for Mayuri to own this fight!

Overall a solid fight chapter and while Mayuri has got the upper hand now I think Pernida will probably turn it around in a chapter or two.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Kenpachi fighting and the gory wreck he became
                   Mayuri owning the fight
                   All the shots with Pernida because she is awesome to see

Let - Downs: Too similar to the fight with Barragan
                       Has Pernida's power changed?    

Bleach Review: All is lost

The King is dead

The chapter begins with Yuzu and Karin feeling earthquakes in the world of the living which is caused by the death of the Soul King. Yhwach explains his powers let him see the future and that his Reiatsu allowed him to control Ichigo. Ichigo and Yoruichi attack Yhwach while Orihime attempts to heal the Soul King but they fail meanwhile Urahara is shocked that the Soul King is dead but Ukitake has a strange look on his face.

Still wish these chapters where better but this one was more entertaining than the last few and that is because Kubo did do a good job of showing us that "all is lost": the worlds crumbling, the Soul King is dead and Urahara has completely lost his cool. First off while it is good to see Yuzu and Karin again bur I do wish they did something more interesting and that they where more relevant to the plot than just a quick cameo. Karin was teased with having such a big role, especially in the Fullbringer Arc, but it seems that Kubo forgot about her and the best he can come up with is her playing video games during a quake.

"Your anger makes you stronger Ichigo!"

I do really like that Yhwach has literally won over all of the heroes (when Aizen failed) and it looks like there isn't much they can do however I want to know more about his plans. I doubt he wants to be destroyed along with the worlds but maybe he wants to revert it to how it was before the Soul King. We also got some much needed background on the Soul King and that he was created by the Soul Society to control the flow of souls. This does explain why he seems more like an object than a person but I just hope we get even more in info on exactly who or what he is. I liked the short conflict between Ichigo and Yhwach however why did Yoruichi have to use wire? Does she really think that will hold him? Finally it looks like Ukitake's Kamikake is finally going to be put into effect with his expression at the end of the chapter and I think this technique might allow him to take the place of the Soul King or share his body with him for a while. The latter might explain why the Soul King is losing more and more limbs every chapter because it could already active; notice the Soul King has no ears when I'm sure he had some earlier.

"Wires! My one weakness!"

Overall a decent chapter but I hope there is more action and fights in the next one.

SCORE: 6/10

Highlights: Earthquakes destroying all the worlds
                   More information on the Soul King
                   Urahara losing his cool and Ukitake's plan maybe revealed next chapter?

Let - Downs: Yuzu and Karin just wasted pages
                       Still doesn't feel like the story isn't moving forward 

The Flash Season One: Power Outage

"Which letters you want me to show you next?"

The episode begins at the night the particle accelerator exploded and a drunken young man named Farooq Jibran (Michael Reventar) climbed an electrical tower to see; he was electrocuted, becoming Blackout, while his two best friends looked on. In the present Wells is using his hidden computer to make a log of Barry's development and thinks that his desire to help people is holding him back. Later Barry is called to a crime scene where a body has been charred beyond recognition but with the help of the team at S.T.A.R labs they discover his identity and find out he worked at a power company. Barry then rushes to it as The Flash when they find out Blackout is draining electricity there and after a short fight Barry finds himself outmatched and his powers drained from him. This is then confirmed after several tests at S.T.A.R labs and that it could be permanent and when Wells looks at his future newspaper and finds The Flash is in no records.

"You better no be stealing my powers!"

While Barry contemplates never having his powers again Blackout arrives at the lab to get his revenge on Wells for the death of his two best friends who died when he couldn't control his power. Meanwhile at the CCPD William Tockman AKA The Clock King (Robert Knepper) takes the place hostage after using a blackout, caused by Blackout, to his advantage and his hostages includes West and Iris. When Barry tries unsuccessfully to negotiate with Blackout, Wells believes they can restore Barry's powers by using the treadmill and a lot of power meanwhile at the CCPD Clock King wounds Eddie who was hiding until the right moment. Back at the labs Wells enlists the help of Girder to fight Blackout who agrees while Barry, after convincing Caitlin to help, doesn't believe the treadmill has worked. They then both try to escape and run into Girder who dies after failing to kill Blackout, this angers Barry especially when he finds out Wells basically used him as a distraction. The team then discovers that Barry does have his powers back he just mentally believes he cannot do it anymore.

"I'm back!!"

At the CCPD Clock King takes Iris hostage for when he gets on his helicopter however Iris manages to pull a gun on him, after secretly removing Eddie's spare, and a shot is heard. At the labs while the team is escaping Blackout catches up with them and tries to kill Wells however Barry saves him by regaining his speed. He battles Blackout who dies after absorbing too much of his power again, Barry then rushes to the CCPD to find Clock King shot in the leg and Iris okay. Later Barry apologies to Wells for his comments earlier and to Iris as The Flash for not being there and then promises Wells to work more on researching his power. The episode ends with Wells discovering the future as been restored and extracting blood from Blackout; wanting to know how he could absorb Barry's speed.

Awesome!

I guess first I want to talk about one of the most important events in this episode and that is the subplot involving Wells trying to restore the future. I mentioned in an earlier review that I think Wells is from the future and I kind of think this might confirm it. At the beginning of the episode I think Wells wanted to change the headline of the newspaper which reads; "Flash missing in crisis". Maybe this means that something so terrible happens in the future because The Flash wasn't there and Wells wants to guide Barry as much has possible. It would also explain why Wells cares about his safety more than anything because he always prefers if Barry just stays in the lab; maybe he doesn't know exactly what happen The Flash and wants to be cautious. Whatever the reason I found it interesting when the newspaper changed when Barry lost his powers and when he took blood from Blackout; could this mean Wells wants to absorb Barry's power or make him immune to another absorbing affect?

You got to love drinking while climbing very high

Now on to the first villain of the episode and that is Blackout and he was a really good one as well with a cool power. I like that it wasn't just electricity that he can absorb Barry's power because it made for a good subplot; I liked the moment Barry had when he said he could not live without his powers, just shows how much he wants to keep being a hero to Central City. Back to Blackout you are probably tried of me saying that the villains have some great backstories but when it comes to comics what makes an awesome hero and villain is a great origin story. They might not be that fleshed out but they do a good job with the time in one episode and they learned from their mistake with the lacklustre Weather Wizard. It again shows just how much lives where ruined by the particle accelerator and how much guilt Wells has to live with such as Blackout's two friends. Because of this, and the fact that Blackout comes across as a drug addict to absorbing power, does make him more of a villain to sympathise with along with Multiplex and Plastique.

Special guest time!!

As for the other villain I am glad that we get to see Clock King again because he was awesome in Arrow. I liked that he had a role in this show because it is just a little reminder that the shows The Flash and Arrow are connected and hopefully we will see more characters cross over. For example I read that the team behind Arrow haven't ruled out the possibility of having Meta Humans on their show which I am looking forward to because even though Arrow is one of my favourite shows, I wish some of their villains wasn't so grounded they need some powers. Again I liked Clock King in this because he is a villain that uses his intelligence to fight and with it he took a whole police station hostage. Don't like that he was stopped by Iris since I just don't like her that much because like Laurel in Arrow they put her in every episode and try to make her seem so important but at least Laurel is going to become a vigilante soon so that might make her character better. I hope to see Clock King again, maybe still in The Flash or in Arrow's Suicide Squad.

"This is so much better than writing it down

For what I didn't like in this episode firstly it was the events with Girder; don't get me wrong he is an awesome character but he was wasted here. Firstly we didn't even see his fight with Blackout and that had the makings to be absolutely epic and he was basically killed off screen as well; Girder looked like he had the advantage at first but we didn't get to see how Blackout turned it around. Next I can't believe they killed him off!! He was a cool character and I liked that we had a Meta Human who knew Barry from his past. I honestly thought Girder would live and become sort of an anti - hero; reluctantly teaming up with Barry to stop other Meta Humans before finally redeeming himself and maybe even being friends with him. Sorry but I got to shake my head at this; such wasted potential of a character and future good storyline. As for what else that annoyed me I am getting tired of Caitlin constantly being against Barry all of the time; whenever the team comes up with a plan she is always the one who says it can't be done. I know this is because she cares but why does she always have to be the annoying voice of doubt?

Eddie shouldn't have tired sneaking up on him

Overall this was a great episode with Wells and his plans for the future and having Clock King on it but I just hate that Girder is now dead.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Blackout and the plot of him stealing Barry's powers
                   Clock King
                   The mystery of Wells continues to deepen

Let - Downs: Didn't see Girder vs. Blackout and Girder is now dead
                      Caitlin constantly being the voice of doubt
                      Iris is the one to stop Clock King

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/                 

Revolution Season One: Ghosts

The war continues.

The episode begins with Danny's funeral and the rest of the characters look on however the good thing in moment of grief is that no more helicopters have come. At night Commander Ramsey thinks that it is best to regroup at another base and continue the fight like they have so far but Miles disagrees because he thinks will never win like that. Miles agrees to help the Rebels but believes he needs more seasoned men to help such as Jim Hudson (Malik Yoba) who was part of Miles's assassination plot against Monroe, Miles and Nora leave soon after to find him.

So.....why is it Aaron and Miles doing the digging?

Things between Rachael and Charlie are still tense because Charlie continues to fight with the Rebels even though Rachael does not want her to put herself in danger. Meanwhile Aaron is sorting through his stuff in his backpack and removes the two pendants he has but as he leaves the room the turn on. This is finally explained back in Philadelphia when Randall tells Monroe that he can remotely activate them and track where they are. Monroe is still suspicious of him but Randall promises him more pendants and scientists and more power than he can dream of.

Randall vs. Monroe, in a battle of wits

Miles and Nora manage to find out that Jim is living in a small town of Culpeper and they set off to find him though Nora is worried that the recent deaths and failures are affecting Miles. However they are followed by a Rebel traitor who tells them where they are heading to a Militia Captain named Deckert who then orders the Rebel killed. Back at the Rebel base Charlie and the Rebels she was with have returned from the raid and Rachael is worried when she notices her covered in blood.

Just kill her now Charlie, trust me you are better off without her

At Culpeper Miles and Nora find Jim who is now married to a woman named Sophie and is working as a librarian to forget about is past life with the Militia. Miles tries to convince Jim to help train the Rebels and fight but Jim is still angry that Miles never killed Monroe after all the planning they made and forces them to leave at gunpoint. At the Rebel base Rachael noticed wounds on Charlie's body and wants her to stop but Charlie insists she has no right to tell her what to do and that she wasn't there for her and Danny, Rachael then slaps her (B***h). Before anything else can be said however everyone notices at the bases hears the sound of approaching vehicles and they looks to see several Humvees coming towards them. Miles and Nora are leaving Culpeper but on the road the notice Deckert leading a Militia kill squad to the town, Miles then rushes on ahead and warns Jim who is furious that he may have to kill again.

All librarians are packing these days

The Rebels are evacuating their base and Charlie finds Rachael removing flash drives from the pendants and destroying them in a bowl of acid. Just then however Randall leads a team of Militia soldiers in the base, blocking of the exits for Charlie, Rachael and Aaron. Randall has a Flashback six years before The Blackout and we find out that he and his wife have just received news that their son Edward Flynn was killed in the line of duty. Rachael confesses that she and Ben worked for Randall at the Department of Defence and that they where working on a weapon before the power went out. Randall then uses a megaphone to say that he doesn't care that the pendants are destroyed but wants to take Rachael away.

Super epic entrance!

At Independence Hall Tom voices his concern that he does not trust Randall and Monroe agrees but says that everything is under control however Tom feels that he is being replaced. At the Rebel base several fire fights break out and Rachael is briefly captured and we have another Flashback a month before The Blackout where she and Ben are concerned about deploying the weapon in Peshawar but Randall doesn't care. Charlie and Aaron manage to free Rachael and they flee to the rendezvous point where the Rebels where going.

Watch out for crossbows guys

Back at Culpeper Jim, Miles and Nora manage to kill all the Militia but Jim's wife sees and is disturbed by what she saw. Jim says that Miles has ruined his life again but still decides to go with him and fight Monroe. They reunite with Charlie and the Rebels and Charlie apologies to Rachael for the stuff she said earlier. Later that night Aaron insists to Rachael that she tells him everything that she knows and she starts by telling him that there is a place called The Tower. The episode ends in a Flashback and Randall is sitting at the head of a table surrounded by others and in looking at a command team that is stationed at The Tower via video link on the night of The Blackout. Everyone looks uncertain and The Tower team asks if he wants to deploy the weapon and Randall, after looking down at his son's dog tags, orders the team to deploy.

Now time for the evil laugh

We are getting some answers now!

While obviously winding down from all of the man vs. helicopter action we had last episode, this one nonetheless delivers an awesome episode. Randall is now more involved in the plot than ever and I was surprised that we got a lot of back story information on him all ready. Looks like he really did turn Ben's project in to a weapon after all and he wanted it shutdown certain part of the Middle East for the American soldiers. Obviously the weapon must have been faulty after all because it must have breached it's containment field because it infected the entire world. However unlike Rachael I feel sorry for Randall because even if he did give the order to destroy the world, he did lose his son who was a soldier he just wanted to end the fighting.



"Time to lose your head"

Now as for Rachael she was a total b***h in this episode and really for slapping Charlie, Charlie was right she has no right whatsoever to act like a mother now and I hate that she tries to. Again she tries to make everything all about her in this episode and I can't see why Randall wants her because of how annoying it was fore Monroe. Also I don't get why the writers are making her out to be this extremely intelligent woman, she just doesn't come across has one only extremely arrogant and stupid.

"I just love my booze"

One other thing I didn't like about this episode was that the pendants where destroyed so easily, after ten episodes of them being so powerful and important two of them are just gone like that. Again another thing why I don't like Rachael she just dumped them in acid before discussing with anyone else, didn't wait to talk it over, didn't even answer Aaron's question about the flash drives. I know Randall was tracking them but they could have been a major advantage to the Rebels, they could have powered up their own helicopters or tanks for some pretty intense action but thanks to Rachael that isn't happening.

WTF!

Also from what I get with the small screen time with Tom is that he is not pleased with Randall being here at all. I am sure this is going to create some conflict between the two characters and maybe Tom might even start his take over of the Republic that was hinted at a while ago. Speaking about conflict we also get the inclusion of a new character, Jim Hudson, and I am really liking his character and I hope he takes an active part with the Rebels but he really doesn't seem to be on the best of terms with Miles at the end of the episode so we will see what happens there.

"All hail the Militia!"

Lastly the action sequences where as good as ever, its always great seeing sword fighting in Revolution and we got a lot of that in Culpeper. Also we might get even more now since Jim seems to be just as good with a blade as Miles and Monroe. Charlie also stood out a lot as well with taking down her fair share of Militia at the Rebel base; I don't enough crossbow as much as swords it was still great.

A waste, a damn waste

Overall this is a solid episode like the last one with some great action at the Rebel base and Culpeper and it was interesting that Randall got his own Flashbacks. Only real let downs was of course Rachael's entire attitude and that the Rebels won't be fighting with their own power thanks to two pendants being destroyed. Also I hope we find out more about this Tower soon because, from what the Flashback at the end implied, the source of The Blackout started there.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Action at the Rebel base and Culpeper
                   Introduction of Jim Hudson
                   Randall Flashbacks

Let - Downs: Rachael
                      Pendants being destroyed

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/

Revolution Season One: The Stand

Another episode to review! Thought I point out that when I watch TV series, if I can, I like splitting the episode into arcs like in Anime. For example the last episode ended the Finding Danny Arc because they now have him back and I like to call this second half of season one the War Against the Republic Arc.

The episode begins with the helicopter firing at the group however they manage to find shelter in a restaurant and even survives its barrage of missiles by hiding in the freezer. Back at Independence Hall Tom reports to Monroe that no remains where found but Monroe does not care about them anymore. With a working attack helicopter he wants to wipe out all of the other nations but he will first start off by getting rid of every Rebel in the Republic.

DAMN!

The group manages to escape from the city by hiding in a corpse wagon and Charlie pretending she is one of the Militia by using her brand. As the group is walking through the trees they spot the helicopter in the distance and guess that it is heading for the Rebel base in West Chester and they try to get there as fast as they can. However they are too late to save anyone as the base is wiped out and Nora insists that she has to warn Rebel headquarters in Annapolis, Maryland which Danny and Charlie agree to as well. Aaron is against it saying that they finally have Danny and managed to escape from the Republic and they can just go home but Rachael says she must fight Monroe because it is her fault Monroe has power. Miles does not know how they can take out a helicopter but Rachael knows of an old co - worker nearby who has the weapons they need.

 

Aaron, you made the most sense out of everyone in that room

The group then decides to split up with Miles going with Rachael to get the weapons and the rest going with Nora to the Rebel base. It then changes to another destroyed Rebel base and Tom, Jason and a few of the Militia are viewing the burnt base from a distance. Jason is disgusted by this because it was nothing more than a massacre while Tom argues that this is war and that the Rebels shouldn't be hiding with their families in the first place. Tom then turns to a captured Rebel to have "a little chat" about the next closest Rebel base.

 

"Our little chat is going to end with a bullet in your brain right"

Charlie's group make it to the Rebel base and are greeted by Nicholas who has made it there with his Rebel group as well. Nicholas leads them inside and the group sees that most of the Rebels are severely wounded by the recent helicopter attacks. They are also introduced to Commander Ramsey who says that the resistance is now over but Nora says that Miles will save them. Meanwhile things are tense between Miles and Rachael but Miles says that he truly thought that she was dead that Monroe even showed him a body.

 

"We Rebels are good and screwed"

Back at the Rebel base Jason spots Charlie and some children from his hiding spot and Tom soon does as well and wants to order a strike on the base. Jason is against this because of the amount of people at the base even though Tom suspects he only cares about Charlie. After a heated argument and a fight Tom says to Jason that he is dead to him and to never return home. Miles and Rachael make it to the house of John Sanborn (Leland Orser) who says he has been out of touch with a lot of the old scientists for a while, even Grace.

 

You got one weird hobby there Sanborn 

At the Rebel base Jason warns Charlie of the upcoming attack and even though she is grateful she says that Jason cannot come with her. Charlie then tells Ramsey this who insists that they fight because they cannot get the wounded out in time. Things are also not going well for Miles and Rachael because they are soon knocked out by a sonic sound gun by Sanborn who says that Randall got to him first. Shortly after this however Miles manages to break free of his bonds and knock out Sanborn, they then take his weapons which includes a RPG. We then see Randall preparing to leave the base he has Grace confined and but insists she continue working on an elevator that will get him to level 12. He leaves a guard to watch her while he is absent.

 

"Look after the house while I am gone"

Back at the Rebel camp Charlie tries to convince Danny to sit this fight out but he refuses and then the helicopter arrives but there are two of them now. The group hold them off as long as they can but a lot of the Rebels are killed, just when all hope seems lost Miles and Rachael come galloping on the wagon. Miles tries to use the RPG that is activated by the pendant but is but knocked out by a helicopter missile, Danny then makes a move to the RPG. He manages to blow up the helicopter with the amplifier in but the other one, crashing because of the loss of power, blindly fires bullets which hit Danny. He dies with Charlie screaming over his corpse and Rachael not really looking like she cares.

 

Looks like helicopter beats guns

With Danny dead Rachael wonders how she could have been such a bad mother and let him fight but Charlie now says that they are joining the Rebels so they can kill Monroe. At Independence Hall Monroe is annoyed by the loss of his amplifier but one of his men tells him someone, who drove here in a Cutlass Ciera, wants to see him. Randall introduces himself along with Sanborn who asks Monroe what they can do for him. The episode ends with Rachael cutting open Danny's corpse and removing and mysterious small and blinking metal object.

 

We must stop this Deadly Alliance!

Now that was quite the explosive episode wasn't it!

 

What I really didn't expect was the death of Danny after we spent ten episodes following Charlie's quest to save him, I guess the writers really want to end that part of Revolution in a really final way. I do like that they went this way are well because it is almost like an F - YOU to the characters; after everything you been through this is the end result, you may have destroyed the helicopter but Monroe still won in the end. What also is good about it is that Charlie and Miles now have a reason to continue the fight on the Republic however what I didn't like is that I expect now that a certain other character will now try to hog a lot of the story.

 

Sorry Danny - Boy your part is over now

I am of course talking about Rachael and this episode once again just proves how much I hate her! Aaron really was the only one who made sense earlier; they had a chance to just go home and hide from Monroe, even if he did conquer America I seriously doubt he would ever have found them again. But no Rachael has to make everything about her and puts what she wants before anything else and she puts her children in danger as well. Also she never even cried or scream when Danny died and I just want to shout; "Your son just died in your arms, show some f***ing emotion for once!" but no the writers are making the really bad move of making her seem like this really detached and strong character that isn't working. Also I know that she was crying a bit when she was expressing regret with Charlie but Elizabeth Mitchell is such a bad actress that I didn't believe it and again her face just wasn't convincing or changed. Plus another reason to hate her is that with that moment she had with Miles makes me suspect that she cheated on Ben so now we can add cheating whore to the list of things she is.

 

One betrayal and it haunts you for life right Jason? 

However enough about Rachael bashing for now a highlight of this episode was definitely the slaughter of the Rebels by the helicopter. Monroe was right earlier when saying that if he had one everyone would bow before him and he was right. I especially like the stand against the two helicopters at the end; it was intense, brutal with some awesome explosions and it was great seeing the Rebels fight back. Overall this was probably one of the best action sequences in the series and I was really worried at first about Monroe losing the helicopter so early but that went away when I saw Randall.

 

"What evil scheme shall I think of now"

It final looks like Randall is going to get more of a major role in future episodes now that it looks like he is joining Monroe, he is such a mysterious antagonist and I want to know what his motives are. I seriously doubt he has just decided to join Monroe; he must have is own overall agenda and he must being planning to use Monroe to get it. However I hope Randall is careful because Monroe is not a man to be played and he is going to use Randall for his own purposes. Also I wonder what why he wants to get an elevator up and running again and why to level 12? I am sure we will find out soon and I bet it won't be good. Also I really liked the character of Sanborn and is sonic gun was really cool, looks like he has joined Randall and Monroe for now but I don't think it will be for long. Looks like he was obviously intimated by Randall and I do want to see more of his character and if he will defect.

 

Try and aim for the pilot Nora!

Lastly to point out Tom and Jason have finally fallen out and I am guessing they will soon find themselves fighting against each other. Even though Jason was turned down by Charlie she doesn't own the Rebels so I am sure he will find some way in or fight on his own. As for Tom I think he decided to let is son go more out of love than hate because if Monroe found out about Jason sympathising with the Rebels then he would have been killed. Tom letting him go was actually saving his life and it is not like Jason can't survive out on his own and that is because Tom made sure that he could.

 

Have you got a prayer for this Nicholas?

Overall this was a great episode with the scenes with the helicopter being the stand out one of the only things that bothered me was Rachael in it. She was annoying enough in this that I would have to mark it down for it and even though she removed some object from Danny at the end, if it has something to do with her I doubt I will care much. Also quick mention even though I am glad they survived how could that helicopter miss them in an open field at the beginning of the episode? And how could they survive that missile attack in a freezer? this isn't Indy 4!                        

 

 

SCORE: 8/10

 

Highlights: The stand off against the helicopter

                   The possible alliance between Monroe and Randall

 

Let - Downs: Rachael

 

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/



Revolution Season One: Nobody's Fault But Mine

Half way through the series now.

This episode begins with a Flashback five years after The Blackout where Miles, Monroe and their Militia are fighting in the ruins of Trenton, New Jersey in a what would later be known as the Trenton Campaign. Monroe jokes about how they would be forced to use swords soon because ammunition is running out but Miles is hurt. He tells Monroe to leave him but Monroe refuses sayings that if Miles dies he will die with him.


Joking about using sword; you got to love unintentional foreshadowing 

It then changes to the present and the group are moving through the streets of Philadelphia at night and Charlie is still feeling bad because of the knock to the head last episode. Miles manages to get them inside the house of an old friend of his when he was in the Militia and then leaves to group to find out where Danny is. In Impendence Hall Tom tells Monroe that Miles is likely in the city (because they found the body of Wheatley) and suggests he moves to their base in Boston for a while however Monroe refuses to run from Miles. Not long after that Charlie, Aaron and Nora are captured by Tom who guessed this was one of the few places Miles would try to hide them.

"All according to my plan"

Charlie is thrown in to cell away from the others, which her mother is also in as well and of course she is shocked to find her still alive. Rachael tries to explain but Charlie does not want to hear it because they need to escape and find Danny. Meanwhile Tom has Aaron and Nora in a separate place as bait for Miles to try and rescue. Tom also recognizes Aaron from computer magazines before The Blackout and says that even though he was a fan of his work, he is glad that a once millionaire is helpless at the hands of a once faceless paper - pusher.

How the tables have turned

Miles goes back to the house but notices the presence of Militia and instead goes to Tom's house before Tom gets back. He holds his sword to Julia's throat and demands that Aaron and Nora be brought to him, which Tom reluctantly leaves to do. Back in the cells Charlie and Rachael try to escape but are stopped by the arrival of Strausser who brings them to a beaten Danny. Monroe then orders Strausser to shot one of Rachael's children if she doesn't finish the amplifier that Jaffe was working on. Charlie insists that her mom shouldn't finish the amplifier for Monroe and even says to Strausser to kill her but Rachael breaks and says that she will complete it. Tom brings Aaron and Nora to Miles though he insists he cannot bring Charlie or Danny but says that they are being held at an old power plant, Miles then locks Tom and Julia in a closet before leaving.

"This is the first time your meeting me Charlie, you should be honoured"

The next morning Miles, Aaron and Nora make it to the power plant and find that it is heavily guarded, lucky for them Aaron knows where the back service tunnel is and Miles and Nora infiltrate it while Aaron stays outside with a bag of explosives to blow the front gate. In Monroe's office in the plant Baker asks Monroe if he can bring himself to kill Miles and we then have a Flashback two years before The Blackout. Turns out Monroe's parents and little sisters where killed by a drunk driver and Monroe is at their grave contemplating suicide however Miles shows up and convinces him out of it insisting that they are still brothers.

"Don't hog all the booze Bass"

Rachael then manages to complete the amplifier and at that time Charlie and Danny have escaped from their cell and Miles and Nora have gotten inside the plant and of course all hell breaks loose. After leaving Charlie and Danny with Nora, Miles goes after Rachael who has killed Strausser and after a tense reunion with Miles leaves with him. Baker however catches up with them but they both escape then come face to face with Monroe.

Now your using cover Charlie!

Miles tells Rachael to go and confronts Monroe himself and in a Flashback we see that the two of them have been friends since they where kids and that the Monroe 'M' actually stands for both of their names. Monroe asks Miles to re-join saying that it hasn't been the same since he left and that he will forgive him for trying to kill him. However Miles refuses believing that Monroe has gone too far and saying that he is nothing to him now, this enrages Monroe who draws his swords. After a truly epic clash they are interrupted by Baker and some Militia and Monroe orders them to kill Miles but he manages to escape. 

Like some epic boss battle

Outside the Aaron manages to blow the front gate and the group, which is all reunited, escapes from the plant. The episode ends with the group running across a grassy field but slowly turns around and stares at UH-1 'Huey' helicopter, imprinted with the Monroe emblem and equipped with an amplifier, takes off in the distance.

Yep you are all screwed

I guess the hunting for Danny arc is now fully over and the end of this episode indicts that that war between the group and a Monroe Republic with power has truly begun.

Now that was quite the awesome episode and that is that after nine episodes of the group making their way to the heart of the Republic they finally made it and it did not disappoint. I didn't expect it to be all fitted in to one episode, I thought they would spend one episode sneaking around the city but they only did that for barely the first half of the episode and they rest was an epic confrontation at the power plant.

They used this shot in the trailer

The first part with Tom capturing the group was really good however I thought it was resolved a bit too fast because Miles immediately found out about the ambush and threatened Tom's wife who then immediately frees Aaron and Nora. Also because Tom was then locked in a closet he was not part of the big showdown at the plant and that was a shame because I think he could have been great there. Maybe because Tom is one of my favourite characters but I wanted to have seen him involved in the latter half of the episode.

Even if it's powerful that is one ugly amplifier

Next is the action that happened inside of the plant and it was some of the best that Revolution has had so far. We got some awesome gun fighting with Charlie and when Miles and Nora first got in but what was truly a standout was the fight between Miles and Monroe. It has been really hyped of a major confrontation between these two characters and it lived up to it; we had them fighting over that rifle, Monroe dual wielding against Miles. It was all shot brilliantly, none of it looked fake and it was not some over the top, jumping all over the place sword fight. We also got more back story on the two of them and that Miles has refused Monroe's offer to re - join the Republic and I have to say that I side and sympathise more with Monroe. When his family was killed Monroe only had Miles and he just tired to kill him and then abandon him, Miles really has to take responsibly that he has influence Monroe in to who he is now.

You wasted your chance Miles

Finally we got a truly awesome shot of that helicopter at the end, it was really cool how they did it; hearing the blades whirl in the background, the group slowly realizing what it is and the look on their faces when they see a helicopter for the first time in fifteen years. One of the best reaction shots in the entire series, even more than when the light house was turned on.

"I haven't been idle these past fifteen years Miles"

Two things that I wished could have been different, and this first one is small, is that I wish we could have seen just a bit more of Philadelphia. As I mentioned above I didn't expect the infiltration of the city to be done in one episode so we didn't get a chance to see what the people are like there and just how the way of life is at the capital. Secondly (and again) Rachael does ruin parts of this episode for me because I can't believe she is the one to kill Strausser, I wanted him to go out a lot better than that I just hate it when Rachael kills people in the series. Its hard to explain but it just feels wrong and makes me hate her even more; like when she killed someone like Jaffe and I just wish someone like Charlie or Miles killed Strausser because they probably wouldn't have gloated over his corpse like she did.

Baker should defiantly have been in the series a lot more

Overall this is one of the best episodes of the series and a great mid season finale because they went on a break for a couple of months when this was airing.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Miles and Monroe confrontation
                   Showdown at the power plant
                   The shot of the helicopter at the end

Let - Downs: Tom not part of the second half
                      Strausser deserved a better death
                      Didn't see as much of Philadelphia as I would have liked

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/