Supergirl Season One: Livewire

Kara gets a surprise when she foster mother arrives in town for Thanksgiving meanwhile an accident transforms CatCo employee Leslie Willis (Brit Morgan) into the villain Livewire.

Supergirl has been a lot better with it's villains in the last episode and now this one because it shows us that it doesn't have to rely on the 300 escapees from the Phantom Zone but can create it's own villains. That is what we get with Livewire we see her origins, the beginning of this villain, as a radical radio host who got her powers by a lightning strike through Supergirl. I really liked Livewire herself because first off her powers are really cool; from her electrical attacks to her teleporting, the effects where pretty damn cool. Plus it was helped by Brit Morgan who was great in the role and brought a lot of enthusiasm, glad she didn't die at the end and I hope she appears again. However the best part that really helped the Livewire plot was the involvement of Cat and the fact that she is tied so closely to the villain. She herself played a part in creating Livewire because of how she treated Leslie who used to be her protégée of sorts and we also got to see a softer side of her with how she is opening up more with Kara and trusting Supergirl. Cat still steals a lot of the scenes she is in (she's like the best character after Kara) and I just laughed at some of her one liners, like her "YouTube commenter one" lol.

As for everything else the subplot with Kara and Alex's mother Dr Danvers (Helen Slater) wasn't nearly as good because the whole "disapproving mother" thing is nothing new. I honestly found her character to be annoying, her scenes boring and her ones with Alex (like at the Thanksgiving table) just plain awkward to watch. I've already said I don't like Alex (you got to admit she is the least interesting character on the show) but this whole subplot didn't help her because she just whined a lot throughout it and I couldn't stand her during that dinner where she just drank throughout it. The only interesting thing about this subplot was the Flashbacks and the reveal that their father (Dean Cain) worked and died under the DEO and Hank Henshaw. Wish their father was still alive because he seemed like a more interesting character with his work on Superman but this also makes me think that Henshaw and the DEO will be villains in a future season. Finally Winn is now getting to be a really good character because him caught in the middle of that awkward dinner was pretty humorous and I liked the mention of his criminal father. Now I knew he shared the name of DC villain Toyman but I didn't see his character becoming him but it is likely his father is Toyman so I can't wait to see how this plays out.

Overall a we got to see the origins of a great villain and I liked how heavily involved Cat was in this as well. It's too bad that not more screen time was devoted to this because half of it had to spend time with the disappointing subplot of Alex and her mother.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Livewire and how Cat tied with the character
                   Flashbacks
                   Winn and the reveal about his father

Let - Downs: Alex and her mother
                      More screen time should have been given to Livewire

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





http://screencapped.net/           

Supergirl Season One: Fight or Flight

"I've already fought Superman so let's try Supergirl"

Cat runs an expose on Supergirl meanwhile Kara must deal with one of Superman's oldest and must formidable enemies; Ben Krull AKA Reactron (Chris Browning).

Wow we get Superman more involved in this episode than I thought so maybe that might mean one day he will get a proper appearance than a cameo? This episode once again deals with Kara's inexperience at being a hero and addresses the issue as to why she doesn't just call Superman for help all the time. The answer is simple in the fact that Kara wants to be her own hero, one that the people can look up to first in National City rather than just a plan B if Superman isn't around. I liked how Kara dealt with it; fighting Reactron in her own ways such as first trying to reason with him (I liked that this showed her compassionate side to the villain) then using force as a must. In the end I feel that she did prove herself to her friends, Superman and Cat who was writing a bad article on her. I also really liked the end of the episode when she had that message chat with Clark because while I know the series is limited to how much they can use Superman it is could to see some communication between them. Now as for the villain he was the best one by far! Reactron was so freaking cool, from the look of his armour to his awesome energy based attacks and fight scenes but it was his backstory that was a highlight. It was just really cool and such a good move to have an enemy of Superman make an appearance because it does expand the TV universe in showing that major events have happened before the start. He may have just been in one episode so far (hope he comes back!) but I feel he has been the best developed villain because of his tragic backstory and history with Superman, plus he isn't just going after Supergirl because he was ordered to he has his own proper reasons to.

"Talk to the hand!"

As for everything else I was glad to see more of Maxwell Lord because he is a great DC villain and while I do like the actor portraying him I don't think this debut did the character justice. He was only really in this to fix Reactron's armour something a generic scientist could have done and he just comes across as an annoying rich playboy. However I will give the show the benefit of the doubt in that they are going to develop him from a good guy to a villain plus I did like this hinted relationship between him and Cat so we'll see where that goes. I also think James was a tad disappointing because after everything he said last episode of getting out of Superman's shadow he goes ahead a calls him without hesitation. Sure he apologized, sure he put his life on the line to stop Reactron but I just thought he had more faith in Supergirl after all the encouragement he has been giving her and them sharing the same desires of being their own person. Winn I admit is growing on me; he is a fun character to watch whether with his enthusiasm to help Suergirl or trying to win her affection lol. Finally I didn't like that Alex and the DEO managed to find the way to stop Reactron conveniently at the end because I would rather Kara, James and Winn found out themselves when the DEO where barely involved this episode. I know I have already said I didn't like them much but I think I would more if they weren't just squeezed in just for a little screen time. However Henshaw still peaks my curiosity by displaying his red eyes and again I really, really hope he turns out to be Cyborg Superman!!

So what past do these two have?

Overall this episode had the best villain by far, had some great development for Kara and managed to include Superman in really well without taking too much from Sueprgirl. Thought I'd take the time to say that I haven't forgotten the new Arrow episode I was just too busy in Wednesday to review it so I will get round to it and I will no longer be reviewing Bleach because I will be more busy again soon because of work and I'd rather find time for these shows than Bleach.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Reactron was a kickass villain!
                   Kara becoming more and more her own hero
                   Cat still great and Winn is improving

Let - Downs: Maxwell Lord's debut could have been better
                      James wasn't too good this episode
                      The DEO just squeezed in at the end to help with the villain

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





http://screencapped.net/

The Flash Season Two: The Fury Of Firestorm

"See there's nothing to being a hero"

Team Flash must find another person to share the Firestorm Matrix with Stein before it is too late and the solution might lie with a young mechanic Jefferson "Jax" Jackson (Franz Drameh).

It looks like the Nuclear Man gets the spotlight again with the finding of the new half of the Firestorm Matrix. Now those who have read the comics know that it is Jason Roush who teams up with Stein after the death of Ronnie but since they didn't want to use the actor back in Season One they decided to create a new character which I think was handled really well. I was really impressed with the character Jax, he was just a really likeable person who fitted in well with the whole Firestorm storyline. The Flashback at the beginning already established him as a hardworking, well liked football player who is willing to save people and gave him a kind of tragic backstory in that he lost his dreams to the explosion. I also liked his struggle throughout the episode of whether or not he should join with Stein because it would have been rushed if he just jumped in straight away. I also liked that there was another candidate for the Firestorm Matrix, Henry Hewitt (Demore Barnes), and the effects of his powers and the final fight with Firestorm was really cool (and that he is a really old Firestorm villain from the comics). However I feel like they didn't develop him well as a villain because he went from jealous scientist to crazy villain in a matter of only a few scenes. Plus they hastily gave him a police record to almost reinforce that he is the bad guy, all in all it just felt rushed with him.

Is he good or evil?

As for everything else the Francine subplot was handled a lot more better mainly because more screen time was given over to it. Maybe the illness would be a bit more at home in a soap opera, maybe a tragic death this season would be wasted on her and I think in the end it is going to be Iris's excuse to forgive her mother but still the rest was handled good. Iris did shine a lot in this because I am glad she didn't just forgive her mother now, she is taking it a lot more serious than I thought she would and nice change to her confront Francine about all the horrible stuff she has done. Then of course there is the reveal that she has a son which is obvious to a comic fan that he is going to be Wally West and since Iris knows I hope she tries to find out more about him instead of forgetting about it. Plus I hope Wally West does turn out to be Joe's son because besides from wanting to see how he would handle the news I think it would makes things less awkward. Finally the best part of the episode was the biggest WTF moment all season and that is the introduction of freaking KING SHARK!! Again I praise the effects crew on Flash because they once again have done a great job with a completely CGI creature on a TV series budget and he looked so awesome. I also liked the build up to his character like Patty and Barry discussing King Shark's teeth (again love those two together) and him being taken out by Wells from Earth 2. Can't wait to see how all of Team Flash will react to Wells and I really, really, really hope King Shark returns in the future because they just have to, all of the Flash fans are going crazy on the internet over this one scene!

So freaking awesome!

Overall a great story for the Firestorm Matrix and intro for Jax and for having one of the best WTF moments and endings in all of Flash and Arrow.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: Intro of Jax/The Firestorm storyline
                   Iris was great in her subplot
                   KING SHARK!!!!

Let - Downs: Villain was underdeveloped
                       Didn't like the illness being thrown in there

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





http://screencapped.net/

Supergirl Season One: Pilot

 

Kara Zor - El (Melissa Benoist) has been living a normal life in Earth ever since her arrival as a young girl from Krypton however she decides to embrace her powers when alien convicts from the Phantom Zone decide to reveal themselves and cause havoc.

 

You know this pilot was a lot better than I thought because unlike the Arrow and Flash this show has to build on the existing mythos of another superhero; Superman. Well first off I shall tell you what I think of the cast starting with Melissa Benoist who really did nail it as Supergirl. It is entertaining seeing her juggle her two personalities of Kara and Supergirl; as Kara she is this likeable, funny, almost goofy newsroom assistant and then instantly become the powerful Supergirl with it feeling forced, she becomes more serious but still retains a light - hearted feel to the character by bringing humour even in a bad situation e.g. when she was lifting the plane. The rest of the cast did an awesome job as well like Mechad Brooks as James Olsen who has this interesting personnel connection with Superman that you want to know more of, her boss Cat Grant (Calista Flockhart) who I actually found to be quite funny and I loved the newsroom scenes with her and her sister Alex (Chlyer Leigh) her sister who is her anchor to a normal life; they all did her job great. I know there are more but one I hope gets developed a lot is Hank Henshaw (David Harewood) because those who have read the comics knows he is Cyborg Superman and I am really interesting in knowing if that is who he becomes. The other standout besides the cast is the awesome action scenes that this show has and I was really impressed with how they where done. We has Supergirl flying all over the place, punching aliens and being punched through walls etc. the effects are really good! Her fights with Vartox (Owain Yeoman) where so cool to watch, they didn't feel at all one sided and it was good and believable how see defeating him in the end. 

 

This was an awesome moment!

As for everything else the whole story of the first episode was done really well (the opening with Kryton was really great) and I liked Kara's transition from normal girl to Supergirl. However I feel that already the show is following an already familiar formula that has already been established on Flash and Arrow. I mean only half way through and already she has this hacker friend, Winslow Schott (Jeremy Jordon), who finds the crimes for her on computer and has a crush on her. Already too many people know her identity like the secret military organization which her sister just happens to be apart of. Plus they have already established that this will mainly be a villain of the week structure and while there is nothing wrong with that they haven't exactly given us any big, overarching story yet. Finally you see I like strong female characters being the lead, which this show is giving the audience, however it is 2015 and it throws the whole feminist issue right in your face. It isn't subtle with it at all like some of the lines the characters say which I expect from a show like Star Trek Next Generation or Stargate SG1 which where both in the 1980s - 1990's. I personally believe men and women are both equal and have been for ages and ages now so it is annoying when a show tries to act like Marvel Agent Carter but that was set all way back in the 1940s so it had a proper reason to use the whole non - equal issue. You know I am not alone in mentioning the issue because I have read a lot of comments like this even when the trailers where just coming out and I really agreed with Cat's reasoning for using the name Supergirl.

 

"Good think I can fly because I don't know how to drive"

Overall a great start to the series which does a great job of establishing the world of Supergirl and the characters.

 

SCORE: 7/10

 

Highlights: The cast of characters especially Melissa Benoist

                   Awesome action scenes

                   The story from Kara at Krypton to who she is now was done very well

 

Let - Downs: Already following a very familiar formula found in Arrow and Flash

                      The feminist issue is not subtle at all                  

The Arrow Season Four: Green Arrow

New season, new threads

Oliver and Felicity have been living a quiet life after leaving Starling City however Laurel and Thea arrive to ask for Oliver's help when a former League member Damien Darhk (Neal Mcdonough) shows up with his own HIVE forces.

 

I said that in my Flash review that while it's first episode of the new season was great it didn't have much of an impact however Arrow.......just WOW, it nailed it completely! I wondered how Oliver and Felicity where going to go back to the vigilante lifestyle after we spend the first five minutes with them in suburban paradise and I was surprised that it was mainly due to Felicity who has been secretly helping Team Arrow because she was bored. I liked that they didn't waste too much time bringing them back it was just like; "The city is worse than we thought and we miss the thrill, so lets get back into it.". It was enjoyable to see them come back where we see more of Felicity back to her old positive self and Oliver himself seems a lot more open and light - hearted which is a great change from the depressive tone of Season Three so good job to Amell. As for the rest of Team Arrow Diggle was a definite standout because after three seasons of being Oliver right hand man he is the most reluctant to accept him back because of how Oliver betrayed him; the bromance isn't completely back yet but we still see them working together (plus I like his costume and I don't care what anyone else says). The weak point with Team Arrow however was with Laurel and Thea and while I do really love seeing Laurel as Black Canary and Thea impressed me with her kicking ass during the truck chase they didn't leave much of an impression and felt like they where just there. We get only a one minute snippet of Thea losing control because of the Lazarus Pit but honestly I would have preferred for them to save it until it is the focus of a whole episode and not have been shoved into this one. I'm sure these two will be better when they both get an episode dedicated more to them but there just wasn't much for them in this premiere.

 



The Force is strong with this one

As for everything else the biggest standout was the introduction of Damien Darhk who was just perfectly, and I mean perfectly, cast. He had such a creepy and intimidating presence when he was on screen like his first scene where he comes out and says he is the bad guy and he wants Star City to die. Quickly want to mention Star City and they did an awesome job of making it seem worse than ever like the abandoned buildings, empty streets, the murders of leaders and the fact people just want to leave. This is of course helped by Damien and his HIVE forces who seem unstoppable and even the grunts put up a hell of a fight; they are like a high tech version of the League. Back to Damien his fight scene on the train was so damn cool and when he used his powers to catch arrows and kill with a touch it was just WTF! This is kind of explained with Damien performing a ritual near the end and I really don't know what it means yet but this is what I wanted in Arrow; more powers either through Meta Humans or the supernatural and I can't wait for more. Finally I will talk about the two biggest twists of the episode with the first one being Quentin working with Damien which is something I did not see coming. I liked Quentin in this even before that reveal because while he still doesn't support vigilantes he doesn't go overboard, its like he's "I'll do my thing, you'll do yours" but I think I am going to really like him working for Damien because this will give his character something completely new to work with than just being the cop (though I don't think he is evil or anything). Then there is the reveal that someone will die in six months which is more than a compelling reason to keep on watching. As for who it could be Felicity might seem too obvious and since Thea already died I think it could either be Quentin, Diggle or maybe even Felicity's mom? I know I haven't mentioned the Flashbacks yet but they didn't seem worth mentioning; His back on the island but we get no information as to why, I still don't like Waller and I hated she had to come back so soon and I would have preferred seeing a few episodes where the Flashbacks focus on Oliver being a rookie vigilante chasing criminals in Coast City like we saw for a bit.

 

"It's Team Diggle now, anyone have a problem with that?"

Overall Arrow was a far more impressive first episode than Flash for the new season by delivering lots of action, character development, introducing it's impressive new villain already and giving us two big twists that just hooks us into this new season straight away.            

 

 

SCORE: 9/10

 

Highlights: Oliver and Felicity's return to Team Arrow/Diggle and Oliver conflict

                   Neal Mcdonough as Damien and his mysterious powers

                   Two really big twists/Quentin was really good in this

 

Let - Downs: Laurel and Thea where the weak points in Team Arrow

                      The Flashbacks

 

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

 

 





http://screencapped.net/

Bleach Review: The Second Eye

Which one is the real one?

Shunsui manages to catch Lille off guard with his shadows however that doesn't last when Lille reveals the true power of his X - Axis ability.

Now this chapter defiantly picks up the pace a lot more than the last one despite it wasting a bit of time in the beginning. To elaborate it's basically Shinji confirming that Shunsui is the type of person who fights alone and especially now that he is Captain Commander however despite that I would have preferred more Captains fighting Lille. Throughout all of Bleach the fights have mostly been one on one, even the Espada in FK fights that started off multiple Captains against them eventually became one on one so I wouldn't have minded if there was a bit of a change here. Moving on Lille confirms that his rifle is made out of Reishi and simply restores when it is sliced in half, though this was going to be obvious because he is a Qunicy. We also get some cool moves from the both of them as they try to land a blow on each other and then Shunsui getting the upper hand by creating shadow copies of himself which made for an awesome shot!



It's been too long since we've seen a Vollstandig

However just when things look bad for Lille he reveals that when he opens his left eye swords can just pass right through him just like how his bullets can pass through anything. Then we get some great backstory on Lille and that he was the last Quincy granted power by Yhwach and is the most powerful one because his god - like ability makes him closer to Yhwach. I don't know if this is actually true because while his ability is overpowered maybe Lille just has a bit of an ego lol. Finally the chapter ends on a really awesome few pages when Lille activates his Vollstandig Jilliel which, besides from looking freaking cool!, immobilizes Shunsui and then fires several shots into him. Now Lille's Vollstandig is one of the most unique I have seen and makes me look forward to the remaining Sternritter Vollstandig, Pernida didn't use one but then again it was a left arm. It's power to stop Shunsui along with the X - Axis ability makes me think that Shunsui will have to go Bankai to win, plus Lille looks like his in some sort of a cocoon so maybe we will see more forms?

"Ha! You missed my vital spots"

Overall a way better chapter than last time, besides from the beginning the fight is really looking like it can be just as good as the Pernida one. However unlike the Pernida one this one seems like it could be a lot more face paced since Lille is already in his Vollstandig

SCORE: 8/10

Highlights: Shunsui vs. Lille
                   More background on Lille and his power
                   Lille's cool Vollstandig

Let - Downs: The beginning with Shinji and the others was kind of irrelevant

Bleach Review: The Twinned Twilight

"Time to BURN!"

Grimmjow continues to goad Askin into battle meanwhile Bazz - B and Haschwalth start their fight.

Now this is the kind of chapter I have been waiting for; getting right into the action and not being dragged down by long exposition of the current situation. First of the beginning of this chapter was so funny with Askin running away from Grimmjow because he wanted to sneak attack Ichigo's group rather than fight them head on. Of course Grimmjow gives chase and we get a bit of a teaser for a new move when his fingers transforms into claws; to me this looks like he is preparing a move similar to Desgarron even though he isn't in his Resurreccion. I am looking forward to seeing Grimmjow in a fight once again and I hope he has a lot of new power ups and maybe a second release form. As for Askin like my last review I really think this is a charade and he has yet to show his true, I think this because of the way he has been acting and his has been hyped up for ages but unlike Pepe I don't think we will be disappointed.

As for the later half of the chapter I was glad to see that Haschwalth actually got to fight Bazz - B and we got some really cool scenes of Haschwalth using his sword and Bazz - B using his Burner Fingers. There where three important things to take from this second half; one Uryu has actually entered the battle (probably going to fight Mayuri) but Haschwalth still does not trust him because he wanted a spy placed on him. Secondly it is revealed that Haschwalth actually takes over and gains the power when Yhwach sleeps, I did not expec thist because Bazz - B isn't just randomly attacking him, Bazz - B believes he can destroy Yhwach's power when it is transferred to Haschwalth. Thirdly we get the reveal that Bazz - B and Haschwalth where proper friends (a least Bazz - B thought so) because they gave each other nicknames and Bazz - B took it really personally when Yhwach used Auswahlen. Plus we got to know that Auswahlen takes way the survivor's Vollstandig so Bazz - B is already at a disadvantage in this fight but he must obviously have a plan or he wouldn't charge right in to battle.

What is this new move?

Overall after the slow pacing of the previous chapters this one was just so refreshing; we got some awesome fights set up and we could get a Bazz - B flashback next chapter. This is great because I want to know more about the Wandenreich, the Quinces and this friendship between Bazz - B and Haschwalth.

SCORE: 10/10

Highlights: Funny moments with Askin and Grimmjow
                   Haschwalth vs. Bazz - B/them being friends?
                   The fast pacing
                    Set up for Bazz - B flashback

Bleach Review: Against The Judgment

"With us you Soul Reapers can finally leave"

Aizen prepares to bring down the entire Soul Palace despite the protests of the Soul Reapers however the surviving Sternritters in the Wandenreich intervene led by Sternritter U, NaNaNa Najahkoop.

Been a while since I have reviewed Bleach but as I have said before when I am really busy during the week I make Gotham, Arrow and The Flash my priority over this plus despite Aizen I have been so disappointed in Bleach's constant standstill in terms of plot development lately. Anyway this chapter is really good because it brings back the Sternritter who survived Yhwach's Auswahlen but what is weird is that they seem to have their powers back, I thought Auswahlen drained them of their powers? Still we get to see NaNaNa in action and find out that his Underbelly power allows him to analyse Reiatsu over time and damage his opponent. It was really cool and while he didn't complete stop Aizen he certainly didn't mind taking him on which is why I didn't like Bazz - B stopping NaNaNa. NaNaNa has always been one of my favourite Sternritter, I really like his design and personality, and it would be a shame if he dies now without ever having a proper fight especially when  he was hyped to face Renji for a time (more evidence that I think Kubo has just been neglecting him). However even if he wasn't I would have preferred a fight between the surviving Sternritter and the Soul Reapers in place of a team up; it is understandable that Bazz - B is against Yhwach now because he almost died by Auswahlen but still in my opinion one last fight against the Soul Reapers would have been better (plus it looks like Shunsui was finally going to fight too). Not much else to say about this chapter other than the dialogue between Mayuri and Aizen was funny because I wanted these two great minds to have a argument for a while now and I wasn't disappointed; each trying to prove who is better was typical of them.

If this is the end of NaNaNa than I am going to be really ticked off

Overall a good chapter but it is a shame that NaNaNa may have been taken out but hopefully the story might actually move now and we get some proper fights.

SCORE: 7/10

Highlights: NaNaNa showing off his power and trying to stop Aizen
                   The banter between Mayuri and Aizen

Let - Downs: NaNaNa taken out?
                      Not sure I like the Sternritter and Soul Reaper team up that much 

The Flash Season One: The Nuclear Man

"Flame on.........everyone is going to think of Marvel"

Team Flash realizes that Ronnie AKA Firestorm has become out of control and decide to stop him which leads Caitlin to continue to investigate project F.I.R.E.S.T.O.R.M and Dr Martin Stein (Victor Garber). Meanwhile Joe asks for Cisco's help with Nora's murder and General Eiling returns to Central City.

Finally we got an entire episode dedicated to Firestorm which actually turned out to be the first of a two parter. I admit I thought they would have brought in another Meta - Human for The Flash to deal with as a small subplot but I am really glad they didn't and the focus was just on Firestorm. The whole story round Ronnie and Stein as part of the Firestorm Matrix has been handled really well so far, especially the tragedy surrounding the two; that it is Ronnie's body yet Stein is the one in control so they are unrecognizable to the people they love. I'm glad that the Flashbacks where about Stein (his meeting with Barry and first waking as Firestorm) so we got to learn more about him and that for the later half of the episode, thanks to several drugs, we got to see him not crazy for once. Hats off to Robbie Amell (real life cousin to Arrow!) for playing a role where he was Ronnie but also not Ronnie. Caitlin also had a strong role in this episode as well such as the awkwardness to talking to Firestorm at S.T.A.R labs, standing up to Wells when he wanted to kill Ronnie to the goodbye at the very end before Firestorm blew up. Lastly while this episode wasn't too action heavy (which doesn't really matter because of the strong material of Firestorm) the small fight between The Flash and Firestorm was pretty awesome as well as the massive explosion at the end.

Good start but I wonder if he will have the rest of his costume from the comics soon

As for the rest of the episode we got a really great team up between Cisco and Joe which I wasn't expecting because the two really haven't interacted much with each other yet. They did really work well together with some great serious and comedic moments and I liked how Cisco stood up for Wells in the end but his curiosity and wiliness to help got the better of him. Of course when they first mentioned that their was two speedsters in the vortex that killed Barry's mother I knew it must have been Reverse Flash and an older Barry because this plot has been used in a Flash comic. I do find this awesome because this proves that time travel does exist in the show and that opens lots of new possibilities; hopefully this proves Booster Gold could be in the show in the future. Also unless Cisco was covering for Wells this also proves that there really is two Reverse Flashes and while Wells does do questionable thinks he doesn't seem to be a bad guy because it is all to protect people. I also don't think he is the Hunter Zolomon Reverse Flash because he seems more like an original one for the show but I still think the second one is Eobard Thawne (Professor Zoom/Reverse Flash) who is either Eddie Thawne from the future or his descendent. Lastly while we did get some nice moments between Barry and Linda I do wish they would expand Linda's character a bit because of how important she is in the comics (Wally West) and I didn't like that we have a jealous Iris now. After choosing Eddie over Barry she really has to play the jealous game here? Plus Barry was right she did interfere when she had that talk with Linda.

So which one shall be coming back to that house?

Overall this was an awesome Firestorm episode and I am looking forward to part two where we get to see General Eiling again who I really liked last time and who is played by a great actor. He obviously must be who Rush was scared of last time because of his knowledge of Firestorm so I can't wait to see what trouble he will cause now.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Strong Firestorm focused episode
                   Cisco and Joe team up
                   Time travel revealed!

Let - Downs: Linda could be fleshed out more and a jealous Iris

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/          

The Flash Season One: Fastest Man Alive

Took me long to get round to reviewing this.

The episode begins with Barry using his new found power to rescue people trapped in a burning building, Cisco is all for helping him but Caitlin feels he is being too reckless. Barry is then called for his job to investigate a gun shop robbery and believes it was done by six people wearing the same shoes, we even have a Flashback to Barry's childhood and we find out he was living with Detective West after his mother's murder. Later at a university gathering to honour a scientist Simon Stagg (William Sadler), which Barry and Iris are attending, six masked gunmen storm the event, Barry saves a guard but faints in the process.

Try to guess who the real one is

Later at S.T.A.R labs the team discovers, using a modified treadmill, that Barry needs to eat massive amount of calories or he will continue to faint. West then shows up at the labs to try and convince Barry to stop endangering himself but an angered Barry refuses to listen to him. That night it is revealed that the gunman AKA Multiplex is Danton Black (Michael Christopher Smith) a scientist who worked for Stagg Industries and had his research stolen from him. He tries to kill Stagg again at a warehouse but is stopped by Barry but Barry is overwhelmed by Multiplex, who can create perfect copies of himself, and his beaten up. This disheartens Barry who thinks that it is best if he should quit now.

"Kick him while his down!"

Dr. Wells then visit's West and convinces him to stop putting so much doubt in to Barry's mind because that is why he loses, meanwhile Iris tells Barry that she wants to investigate the mysterious blur that is seen around Central City. Later Barry finds out that Caitlin has made a clone of Multiplex from his blood and figures out that all the clones require a lot of energy to maintain so the best way to fight Multiplex is to take out the Prime who controls them all. Dr. Wells believes Multiplex was working on this clone technology when stuck by the lightning, thus giving him his powers. West arrives to tell Barry that Stagg is being targeted again and gives Barry his support and admits that the police can't handle the Meta - Humans.

"Your the hero this city needs Barry"

Barry arrives at Stagg Industries in time and fights Multiplex and finds out that Multiplex wants revenge on Stagg for stealing his research just before he could have healed his dying wife. Despite being almost overwhelmed Barry manages to take out the Prime but his unable to save him when he commits suicide out of a window. Later Barry and West reconcile from their past disagreements and Cisco and Caitlin are both fully on board with Barry using his powers to help Central City. The episode ends with Dr. Wells killing Stagg when Stagg wanted to find Barry and study him for science.

What is Well's agenda?

Usually it is hard for second episodes to be better than a Pilot because Pilots always have a larger budget to draw in the audience so its a lot more "bigger" however I think this episode topped the Pilot. In my opinion this is largely to the way better villain Multiplex because unlike Weather Wizard his character was a lot more fleshed out. They gave us just enough backstory on Multiplex to make him a great and more meaningful character; like how he specialized in clone technology, was working on during the lightning strike so it defined his powers, that really worked. Also him trying to avenge his wife was a better and more tragic reason than Weather Wizard starting off as a bank robber and still just doing it for the sake of it. It is a real shame that he died after just this one episode because I wold have liked to have seen him in future ones.

Now that is really cool!

Continuing on from that the two encounters Barry and Multiplex had where awesome and really well done. I was unsure how someone who can just multiple himself can stand up against super speed but I really underestimated what overwhelming numbers can do against The Flash. The end fight between them was really cool as well, with Barry speeding through the copies in slow motion to get to the Prime. These to fights where a lot better than the ones with Weather Wizard and I hope that they continue it with other villains.

Bet they had a good laugh at that!

What I also enjoyed was them introducing Barry's metabolism weakness from the comics because I thought they would have found that out in episode one. Might have been resolves really quickly but it was funny seeing Barry run on that treadmill; I hope this comes up again in future episodes and I also hope that there is a villain who exploits it. Another thing that was a surprise to see was another use of Flashbacks in this about Barry's childhood, it makes me think that they are going to have them in each episode just like Arrow. I like them from Arrow but if they continue to do it I would like them to not just use Barry's childhood because how much can they really get when he was ten?

I don't like any of those topping

There was really anything I disliked about the episode because like I said it is better than the first but I guess the attitudes of West and Caitlin was annoying at the beginning. It wasn't that bad because they where just generally worried about Barry but they where both resolved at the end so quickly that I wonder was there any point spending three quarters of the episode mad at him in the first place? Also I feel like Barry's doubts of being a hero didn't need to be there either because wasn't that the whole reason he visited Oliver Queen in the first place, to erase the doubt he felt?

"Your lucky I'm faster than a bullet" 

Overall this was a great episode and makes me look forward to what other villain Barry will face and it again raises about Dr. Wells. He obviously has his own plans in mind and even though he killed Stagg he doesn't come off as an evil guy so it could be his doing bad things for the sake of Barry.

SCORE: 9/10

Highlights: Multiplex
                   The two great confrontations
                   Including Barry's weakness

Let - Downs: Barry doubting himself again when I thought it was already resolved
                      West and Caitlin against Barry so much in this.

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/            

  

The Flash Season One: Pilot

Thought  I'd review the Flash episodes after they premiere in the UK because I thought maybe I should review at least one series that is currently airing. Would have done this for The Strain but I don't have any screenshots for that just yet. Like Revolution this is a SPOILER filled review but unlike Revolution I won't take too long with the episode synopsis.

The episode begins with the 11 year old Barry Allen witnessing his mother's death within a strange vortex of yellow and purple light and ending up blocks away form his house. In the present day the adult Barry (Grant Gustin) as a forensic investigator in Central city and is investigating a bank robbery and homicide committed by Clyde Mardon (Chad Rook). We then spend some time with Barry learn that he grew up with Iris West (Candice Patton) and raised by her father detective Joe West (Jesse L. Martin) and that he is looking forward to the activating of the particle accelerator at S.T.A.R. labs run by Dr. Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh). However later that night the particle accelerator goes out of control, explodes while releasing an unknown form of energy and striking Barry with a bolt of lightning.

"Something tells me I should just stay right here"

Fast forward nine months later and Barry awakens from his coma at the remains of S.T.A.R labs in the care of Dr. Wells, who is now in a wheelchair and his assistants Francisco "Cisco" Ramon (Carlos Valdes) and Dr. Caitlin Snow (Danielle Panabaker). Wells wants to keep examining Barry because of the effects the particle accelerator had on his body but Barry decides to leave. He soon reunites with Iris and her father but discovers he can move at incredibly fast speeds and then goes back to Wells to test his new power, he even remembers to the time of his mother's murder that there was someone in that yellow light. Meanwhile a bank is being robbed by Mardon, who was supposedly killed in a plane crash when the particle accelerator exploded and uses his new found powers as Weather Wizard to control the weather. 

Perfect cover to rob a bank!

Later while Barry and Iris are walking they are nearly run over by Weather Wizard who is escaping from the police in a car. Barry tries to stop him but Weather Wizard creates a whole lot of mist to escape from him, later Barry tires to convince detective West of what he saw but West refuses to believe him. Barry then goes to S.T.A.R labs and finds out they are aware that there are others out there affected by the particle accelerator like him and are calling them "meta - humans". Dr. Wells also refuses to allow Barry to go after Weather Wizard because he cannot afford to lose him because of what his powers can do for science, Barry angrily leaves. He then run 60 miles to Starling City and meets up with Oliver Queen AKA The Arrow (Stephen Amell) who manages to convince him that he can be a hero and protect everyone with his powers.

Cameo Time!

Returning to Central City Barry convinces Cisco and Caitlin to help him fight Weather Wizard and they give him an altered, red fire - fighter suit that can with stand the heat from fast movement. Else where West and his partner, and Iris boyfriend, Eddie Thawne (Rick Cosnett) find Weather Wizard at an old barn and try to arrest him however Weather Wizard as gone mad with powers and creates a hurricane. Barry arrives in time to save West and Eddie and even stops Weather Wizard's hurricane who is then shot dead by West. West apologizes to Barry but makes him promise not to tell Iris about his powers. Later Barry sees his father in prison and promises to find the real person who was responsible for his mother's murder. The episode ends with Dr. Wells entering and secret room, standing up and reading a newspaper in a hologram that is seemingly from the future. It is from the year 2024 and it says that The Flash has gone missing in a crisis.

Glad they keep the costume so close to the comic one

I was really looking forward to The Flash series ever since I saw the two episodes Barry Allen was in, in The Arrow and I was not disappointed here. I think it must have be really easy to prepare for this show because of how they set up for it in Arrow, like the constant TV protests outside S.T.A.R labs. Marvel may be ruling the cinematic universe but DC sure has two strong TV series that can definitely stand up to Marvel.

The Flash may have the same feel as Arrow because it exists in the same universe but it defiantly has a more comic booky feel to it. This is probably due to the presence of "meta humans"; Arrow has been really grounded with it's storyline and villains but I am glad that is not the case here or else the shows would have been too similar. Plus despite the fact that there are people with powers that can kill lots of people the show seems to have a more light hearted feel as well; I really like Arrow but the show has an overall pretty dark tone while The Flash already feels like it is going to be more fun.



I know who you are!

The story for this episode was great and was a great set up for the world of The Flash and what they want to do with it. I like how we are probably going to get a new villain with a different power each week, a new obstacle The Flash will have to face. I think that, for the beginning of the series at least, it is going to be episodic where The Flash will just face a villain each episode and we won't touch much on a big overarching story until mid season. This is a good way to go however; lets first just get used to The Flash and build up these characters.

Guy who has never been fast in his life turns into The Flash, I get the irony

As for the leading character I think Grant Gustin was just a perfect choice for Barry Allen, ever since I saw him in Arrow he is just really likeable. He delivers a great performance in struggling with how to be a hero and he does come off as a lot more optimistic than Oliver and defiantly less brooding. We also have a lot of supporting cast from the people of S.T.A.R labs to Barry's friends before he got his powers. Won't go into them too much because this was more of a Barry - centric episode but I like them all even if they do all fill generic roles you see in a lot of other shows. A stand out for me was Dr. Wells because of the ending of course and how he obviously is going be a major factor in future events.

Ally or Villain?

The action was all really good however I admit there wasn't much of it because its not like there was a big showdown between The Flash and Weather Wizard at the end but that's alright because like most Pilots this is more of a setup for characters and events. The effects of the powers used in this was great; it really feels like The Flash is moving really fast and as I mentioned above glad they kept his costume so close to the comics (lets see more costumes for villains soon!).

Yep this is pretty damn awesome

As for what could have been better I think the Weather Wizard could have had more depth to him, in the end I honestly didn't care much for him and he just felt like cannon fodder for The Flash's first foe. I hope that future villains are a lot more fleshed out in future episodes and that there is a reason for their powers e.g. Barry Allen was always slow so now ironically he is the fastest man alive. Also I think the episode was really fasted paced, a lot more than it should have been like his training for example. Even though it worked out well in the end I wouldn't have minded Barry being The Flash until the second episode, drawing out the whole understanding of his powers a bit. However this isn't anything big because as I said it worked out in the end anyway.

Overall this was an exciting and great first episode to The Flash series and I can it being around for years and years just like Arrow. I did spot a lot of references to the comics while watching but I won't mention them because that will be too much SPOILERS.

SCORE: 8/10

Highlight: Grant Gustin as Barry Allen
                 Story and characters (worried it would be too similar to Arrow but I was wrong)
                 Great affects for the powers

Let - Downs: A tad too fast paced
                      Didn't care much for the villain

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/



Top Five Sternritters

I am still working on my list for top ten Male Voice Actors so in the mean time I thought I'd write a top ten for my favourite Sternritter from Bleach and who are the main antagonists of this arc. SPOILERS.


5. BG9



 

Possibly the only robot in the Bleach universe, BG9 is the letter K in the Sternritter and it is still unknown what it stands for (I think it could be for "The Knowledge"). BG9 has an awesome character design and he has a cool long ranged fighting style where he uses tendrils, missiles and even a massive mini gun. He was last seen with Chang Du and seemly executed with him however I am one of the many who believe that they are both still alive and that BG9 could even be upgraded to BG10.

4. As Nodt



 

Sternritter F for "The Fear" and As Nodt definitely deserves that title, he also has the distinction with being one of the few who has defeated Byakuya Kuchiki. You can tell that Kubo spent a long time with the design for As because it is so detailed but I wish his backstory was explored even more. His Vollstandig is also one of the most original in the Sternritters and his it was always cool to see him use his fear powers, whether it was turning himself in to a monster or showing Byakuya a melted Rukia. He recently died in battle against Rukia and it was one of the best in this arc.


3. NaNaNa Najahkoop

 

The first Sternritter to be introduced during the first invasion outside of the column of fire, NaNaNa is the Sternritter U but it is yet to be revealed what it stands for. He has the most unique design out of all of the Sternritters and I really like his personality, however Kubo has really been unfair to this character. We never got to see his fight with Rose, he observed Renji for a whole night and saying that "red monkey" will soon be finished he has yet to fight him. The worst of it was that in the lastest chapter he was seemingly defeated off screen by Byakuya, it just annoys me that Kubo keeps doing this. Still I am looking forward to seeing NaNaNa in a real fight and I hope he does defeat Renji because that is what the hype has been building to.

2. Giselle Gewelle

Probably the most craziest character Kubo has ever created for Bleach; Giselle Gewelle "The Zombie" has the power to turn both Soul Reapers and Quincies into zombies that obey her every command. Giselle was mostly a back ground character when she was first introduced but with the March of the Zombies chapters we get to see just how insane she really is, she doesn't just like battle, she gets off on it. She is not above using her own comrades as zombies and she is also one of the most perverted characters ever, this is really shown in her facial expressions. Unfortunately Kubo has now turned the attention away from the recent awesome March of the Zombies chapters to focuses more on Pepe and I do not like that. I was really enjoying seeing Giselle and her zombies and it doesn't even look like we will even get a proper conclusion to it any time soon.


1. Gremmy Thourmeaux

My most favourite is Sternritter V "The Visionary". I like Gremmy because he is so sadistic and one of the most arrogant characters there is. His power is also one of the coolest in Bleach even though Kubo could have done more with it. He also mercilessly killed two captains while they were injured unlike most villains who like to give the heroes a chance by going in to a big monologue. His fight with Kenpachi is also one of the best during this arc and even though he was defeated (and it was revealed his true body is a brain) I really hope we see more of him in the future.


Bleach Review: 565 God Like You

Long time since I have done a review of Bleach but here it is again, I know I said I would group my reviews of Bleach chapters together but this chapter is so damn important that I just had to review this single one. Now as ever I will begin with a quick overview.

This chapter starts off not with a look at the end of the fight between Renji and Mask De Masculine (I will probably do a review of that whole fight soon now that it seems to be completely over) but with a flashback of the birth of a very strange baby. This baby was born in a vegetative state; he could not move, speak hear or pretty much do anything but what he could do was cure the aliments of anyone who touched him be it physical, mental or psychological conditions. The reason for this is that the baby imparts some of its soul in to that individual which gave that person the power to over come his or her condition however once that person dies the part of the baby’s soul would return to him and he would gain the powers and experiences that soul gained while it was outside of the baby. Because of this the baby began to be able to move, see, talk and hear and the first word he heard was the chant to a God that he would take as his name and that name was Yhwach who in his teenage years grew up to look like Tensa Zangetsu! That is right, Tensa Zangetsu has been confirmed to be the younger version of Yhwach which many already had thought (myself included) but it is good to have it confirmed. 

Back in the present day Yhwach is still upon his throne and talks to the soul of Mask De Masculine and tells him to return to him, this confirms that Mask De Masculine and James are in fact dead. Just outside his door Uryu is about to enter before being stopped by Haschwalth, in the ensuring conversation between the two you can just tell these guys hate each other but since Uryu is named as Yhwach successor he seems to tolerate him and even describes more of Yhwachs powers to him. It seems that not only have all of the Sternritter have a part of Yhwach soul placed within them they have also had a letter engraved on their soul that represents their power, this seems to be a more powerful version of the soul imprinting that Yhwach used when he was only a baby. Haschwalth also goes on to say that the Soul Reapers have a part of Yhwach soul within them as well so that no matter which side gets the most losses Yhwach will continue to grow stronger. The chapter ends with the dawn of the second day of fighting as Yhwach wakes up and looks over the battlefield.

This was one hell of a unique chapter, a bit disappointed that we see no other fights or Sternritter but we get an awesome back story on Yhwach and some new revelations. The obvious one of being that Tensa Zangetsu was Yhwach younger version but one of the most important ones was that his power as a baby must have Auswahlen, which is the power to absorb the souls of Quincies which was how he could revive himself in the present day in the first place. 

Second was that Yhwach must always be absorbing the souls of those killed in battle to not only get stronger but to keep himself from going back in to a vegetative state, I am sure this was the seal Yamamoto mentioned when he defeated Yhwach a thousand years ago. Now does this mean that a thousand years ago Yamamoto managed to stop all the fighting and is that what the heroes are going to have to do now? 

Also since not only the Quincy but only the Soul Reapers have a part of Yhwach soul within him, he is just going to get more powerful the longer and bloodier this war becomes.

Lastly it is revealed by Haschwalth that Uryu did indeed join the Vandenreich to avenge his mother who was a victim of Auswahlen but since he drank the blood of Yhwach he is now bond to him like all the other Sternritter. Will Uryu then side with the Vandenreich or will he still try to avenge his mother? I am going to side with the first option because I really don’t see Uryu has a bad guy but the hatred between him and Haschwalth during their conversation kind of foreshadows a possible battle between them.

Now about Yhwach it seems that Kubo has made him out to be some kind of Jesus a little bit; he cured anyone who touched him, he is worshipped by all of his followers and Uryu drank his blood, like people drink wine at church. The Quincy has always had a holy theme going one with them and Yhwach only reinforces this. Not only that but besides from seeming to be unstoppable a this point he is woven in so well in to the Bleach lore in spite of being introduced in the final arc. Kubo I have to say that you have done a great job with this character!

In conclusion this was a great chapter and a nice break from the constant fighting we have had so far. Some might say it was a little slow and they might be right but since it revealed a lot about Yhwach that more than makes up for it.

SCORE: 9/10