The old saying, ‘you can’t win them all’, still holds great power in this day and age because there is a lot of truth to be found in those words. For truly, try as you might, you simply cannot succeed at everything you do, and this is a saying that applies to television shows as well. Because regardless of how great the season might be, sometimes the story just doesn’t click and for proof, look no further than the next episode of Stranger Things. Because ‘Chapter Six: E Pluribus Unum’ is a story that while good in its own right, doesn’t quite hold up to the other powerhouse stories present in season three, due in large part to the fact that this particular tale slows things down tremendously just as things were heating up in the last episode.
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Which, I fully understand the why behind that particular storytelling decision, so that the characters can properly understand exactly what’s happening in Hawkins right now. But that doesn’t wipe away the fact that this one really is a combo breaker, that is a tad heavy exposition wise, and really the best example of this is Hopper and Joyce’s journey, or rather, lack thereof in this tale. For they spend most of their time at Murray’s place, getting some answers from Aleksi about what the Russians are doing in Hawkins and while there were definitely some hilarious moments to be found in this part of the story, the fact that the audience already knows what’s up, takes you out of this just a little bit, as did the segment beneath the Starcourt Mall.

Because there really wasn’t much for the Mall Squad to do after they were spotted by the Russians, except run and hide or fight off the interrogation techniques of the Red Army. And while it was nice to see Steve and Robin bond and reflect upon their time in high school, and see Dustin educate Erica on the finer points of being a nerd, not much else happened. Which means that it was up to Eleven’s crew to save the day storytelling wise and their journey definitely delivered. Because this segment of the story featured a bold gambit on El’s part to find out exactly where the Mind Flayer is hiding so that they could put a stop to this nightmare before it escalates, and that meant Eleven had to dive deep into Billy’s mind and what she found there was equal parts terrifying and fascinating.

For in the recesses of Billy’s brain, we were privy to a lifetime of disappointment and heartbreak, since we learned that the only bright light in his youth was his mother, who left when his father became abusive and that abuse continued along for years on end, and the anger and shame that came from that transformed Billy into the bully he is today. But while that was heartbreaking to watch, the terror came from the fact that this method of searching is precisely what the Mind Flayer wanted to happen all along, so that he could speak with Eleven, his true nemesis, and explain to her that his plan is to make this world his own before the story revealed that he and his lackeys were on their way to deal with El and her friends, and that sequence of events allowed for this particular tale to end in chilling fashion.

For seeing the Mind Flayer gain strength by absorbing his minions was disturbing to say the least, as was the final shot of him transforming into a gooier version of his already disturbing self. But, while that was cool in its own right, this episode still doesn’t resonate with me as much as its predecessors do, and I guess my real issue with it, is that all this exposition should have happened sooner in the season, so that everything here builds up the tension for the forthcoming season finale. However, this was watchable, and it does get kudos for finding a way to pay tribute to George Romero again by featuring some queues from the Day of the Dead soundtrack. If anything, it’s just best I accept this one for the transitional tale that it is and move on. Because the finale does await, and this series always knows how to close out a story. Until next time.     

​Having someone to depend on is something that everyone needs. Regardless how much we may like being alone, having someone that will look after you and help whenever you need it makes life much more livable. Even if you have not found this one person that is there for you for every situation, you have your friends that are good at helping with specific issues and even though they may not be the ones you want to turn to at all times, they will do anything in their power to help you.

Samantha has just moved back home with her mother while she waits to hear back as to whether or not she has been accepted into horticulture school. Even with her shady past, Sam has been able to focus all of her wrong doings into producing some never before seen flowers and wants to show the world. With her mother keeping a close eye on her, since the last time Sam was at home she was hooked on drugs, she knows that it is only for a few weeks and if this gardening path does not free her from her home, her new girlfriend will.

After a rough break up, Samantha has found her new love with a bartender from her work, Nikki, who is helping Sam stay clean and sane. Although this is Sam’s first relationship with a woman, she is happy and willing to lay it all on the line to make sure it works out. When going to a party however, Sam is drugged and has sex with a party goer named B.J. who takes full advantage of her. With Nikki missing the party altogether, Sam believes she can keep this a secret from her love and pretend like nothing has happened, but she gets very sick and cannot explain why.

Thinking that this is a sexually transmitted disease, Sam turns to her doctor and tells him the story of what has happened, but the doctor is not able to give her any answers upfront, he just tells her to keep doing what she is doing and she should get better. But it becomes more apparent that there is something very wrong with her as she starts to bleed profusely, and her appearance becomes more sickly. Trying to find out what is wrong with her, she hears that the police are looking for the same guy from the party that she had hooked up with, but with no reason as to why they are looking for him, she keeps her silence. As the third day of her sickness strikes, Sam has become very sensitive to sound and her eyes have changed from their normal hue to a blood red. Thinking that she is on drugs again, her mother tries everything in her power to have another intervention, but what is wrong with Sam runs deeper than a nasty habit. 

This is a very depressing story to say the least. With a good story and fantastic acting, I was blown away by how it played out. Not getting anyone to believe her and what was really happening with her health due to her tainted past is just very upsetting but is true is so many ways. With people judging Sam about her past and current lifestyle, when she actually needs help, there may be nobody that will step up to the plate. This is a fantastic character piece as you watch Sam’s deterioration play out before your very eyes, and it is not just the makeup that will make you cringe as you can see her emotions changing very drastically as well. Stay Scared. 

If there’s one particular thing that I outright live for when it comes to watching my favorite television shows, it’s the moment when the plot decides to kick into overdrive and wow us with a story that drops all kinds of awesome surprises and/or moments into our laps. Because this is when the stakes are raised, and things get truly interesting and danger is everywhere if the story calls for it, and this just so happens to be on my mind today, because that all-important moment finally arrived in the next episode of Stranger Things. For ‘Chapter Five: The Flayed’, was filled to the brim with exciting moments and wonderful twists and turns, and all of that came about by immediately picking up from where we left off in the last episode.
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Which means that we quickly caught up with Hopper and Joyce in the midst of their search to uncover what Mayor Kline’s stupid deal had done to their town and as it turns out, they quickly came to learn that the Russians had done some industrial modifications to the farmhouses on the outskirts of town. But before they could figure out exactly what was going on, the Russian Terminator showed up to cause trouble, prompting Hopper to arrest one of the Russian technicians he and Joyce encountered and make a run for it, all in the hopes of getting to Illinois to see Murray and hopefully uncover a few military secrets in the process and this was just, intense and wild and the wonder of this tale didn’t end here.

Because Steve and Dustin and Erica and Robin were finally able to get out of the mysterious elevator that dropped them into the depths of the earth, and it didn’t take long for them to discover that this was some kind of massive Russian base. One filled to the brim with more soldiers than they could count and of course, they needed to figure out exactly what was going on in this place and took the time to sneak around, which brought about a stunning moment for Steve, since he finally got into a fight and won. But while he was able to defeat a trained Russian soldier, there was no time to bask in the wonder of his victory, for this motley crew was able to finally discover that the Russkies in this base, were working to re-open the gate. 

However, once again, the centerpiece of this particular tale involved Eleven and her group. Because after much discussion, the team decided that they needed to take the fight to the Mind Flayer as quickly as possible, which means they needed an assist in finding Billy, and that brought them to the hospital in order to turn Mrs. Driscoll loose in the hopes that she would lead them right to Billy. But there was a slight complication in this plan in that, some of the Flayer’s minions already discharged Mrs. Driscoll and they had plans to add Nancy and Jonathan to their ranks and despite putting up one hell of a fight, one that dropped two of the minions in epic fashion, the closing moments of this tale revealed just how powerful these hybrid beings are since they were able to meltdown and reassemble into something straight out of our nightmares…

If anything, I was quite impressed with how action packed this particular tale turned out to be. Because this one was filled to the brim with complex action sequences and breathtaking moments, and plenty of lighthearted comedy as well since this one taught us that Russian scientists love Cherry Slurpees. But outside of that, while this episode didn’t exactly offer up a ton of new revelations, since the audience has been privy to a lot of the secrets that were revealed to the characters here, it’s nice to see the heroes of Hawkins finally figure out exactly what’s happening in their town, and it’s awesome for the audience to see everything begin to come together. And now that the stakes have been raised, I have no doubt that the final three episodes of the season are going to escalate the plot further and well, I definitely want more, so, on that note, it’s off to Hawkins to see what other challenges await our heroes. Until next time. 

​Finding that special niche that you are really good at in life is a difficult thing. As there are so many jobs out there that we may excel at, they may not pay enough or be in a field that we are willing to brag about. There is no shame when finding a job that you are good at, but if you don’t really like it, you are just lying to yourself every time you put on the uniform or sit at your desk. Finding that one job you are great at and could enjoy doing for some time leaves you feeling happy and refreshed when you head home at the end of the day and that is something that most people need.

Alex Mathis is a man that loves his job as he is one of the best exterminators in the city. Even though the job is not as flashy as he believes it should be, he takes pride in helping people with their bug and varmint problems, even on his day off. Without being able to get the hot girl of his dreams while wearing his extermination gear, he is never deterred from asking as he knows that once they need his help, he will be their knight in white armor.

Getting called in on his day off, Alex is bitten by a brown recluse spider and is sent to the hospital since its bite is much more venomous than most. Trying to remain in high spirits after receiving his bill, the hospital fire alarms go off while an attack of some sort took place in the morgue. As the mortician has noted that it was spider like, Alex jumps into action offering some pro bono work to get his expenses covered. With this being approved by the hospital director, Alex is given the help of a security guard named Jose, on his adventures into the depths of the building to try and find the attacking creature. 

As Alex and Jose are working, the hospital is taken over by a group of military scientists who are looking for the same creature but know the secret behind what is going to happen. As the spider feeds on the sick in the hospital, it starts to grow at an alarming rate and cannot be stopped by the conventional methods. When escaping the hospital, the spider makes it into the city where it starts to feed on everything that crosses its path. Without the state-of-the-art technology that the military brings to the table, Alex and Jose are able to locate the future locations of this spider at the same time as their military friends. Wanting to help rid the world of this menace, Alex is pushed into full exterminator mode when his new woman friend is taken by the spider for a future meal. But to make matters worse, it also becomes apparent that if it lays its eggs, all bets are off. So, both the exterminators and the military have to team up to destroy the oversized arachnid and save the city before its mini offspring are able to hatch and mature.

Looking at the title, you know what you are getting yourself into. Yes, there is a Big Ass Spider in this movie that terrorizes anything and everything that gets in its way. Only wanting to survive, the spider is hunting based on its instincts and with a little help from the military has become one of the largest arachnids on the face of the earth. But is that the only reason to watch this movie? Hell no, as there are fantastic interactions between and Alex Mathis and whoever he is talking to at any point of time. With guarantees that you will laugh, you might find that there is enough in the movie to scare you as well, as for some reason, spiders are frightening little creatures. Stay Scared.

Small towns always have an appeal to everyone that has been stuck in the big city all of their lives. While the opposite is also true, big city folks are more likely to make the move to a small town than vice versa. Usually with a slower pace of life, small towns always seem like the best alternative, but when something goes wrong, they may not be equipped to deal with it, at least not on a big scale. It is hard to decide if this is the life you want to live, but once you visit, you are usually hooked and never want to leave again. 

Being the most sought after woman in town, Starla does not worry about any of the advances that come her way since she is married, but the same cannot be said about her husband Grant. When getting shutdown at bedtime once again, Grant decides to go and take a walk, but winds up at the bar where he meets young Brenda who has had a crush on him for many years. Taking a drunken stroll out in the woods, Brenda is ready to take her crush to the next level, but Grant is not yet willing to cheat on his wife. Shutting down the young woman’s advances, Grant spots something strange in the woods, a cocoon of sorts with a slug trying to crawl away. Poking the slug with a stick, Grant gets shot in the chest with a sharp burrowing creature that moves quickly through his body and finds its way to his brain.

Being controlled by something other than himself, Grant starts to redecorate the house with a nesting area for the new arrival. With a massive need for meat, he starts to eat up everything in the fridge and has to move to outside sources of protein before he can make it back to the store for more. While Starla knows that something strange is happening to her husband, she does not know how bad it really is. During the start of the annual hunting season party, Starla is stood up by Grant and ends up dancing with her old friend Bill who is now the Sheriff of the town. With the majority of the town at the party, the infected Grant goes to visit some easy prey in Brenda who is surprised as to what she receives from her new lover.

While nothing out of the ordinary ever happens in the town, Bill is called in on a missing person’s case and has to ask Starla questions about her husband’s whereabouts. While she does not know what could have happened, Starla opens the only locked door in the house to find Grant’s new breeding ground and tries to get Bill back before he comes home.  But as Bill arrives back at the house, he sees that Grant is not the man he used to be and his limbs are starting to grow...squid-ish. Now with Grant on the loose, Bill has to get a few men together to find the crazy husband and hopefully find out where Brenda was taken as well. As more reports of livestock being killed come in from the border of town, Bill thinks he knows where Grant will hit next, but what he discovers about how and why Grant has changed will change his outlook on the things to come.

Sometimes you need to sit back and watch a movie that is supposed to make you laugh, and Slither did just that.  With so much humor, it is hard to believe that there are some good horror aspects in it as well, even if they get twirled up into a ball of ever evolving horror homages to various sub genres. I must admit, I think the movie did a great job in keeping to one storyline and once the weirdness and mutations started, they stuck with it. With plenty of creatures and zombie people being infected by the parasite, I am still blown away by how the Sheriff kept it together and was able to devise a plan to win the day. If you don’t mind a little more humor with your horror, this is the perfect movie to get it from. Stay Scared.

As season three of Stranger Things rolls on, I’m quickly starting to notice that one of the key reasons that this season is so well received and quite frankly so entertaining, is the sheer fact that it really is working to provide the audience with everything that the series does well. Because when it immerses us into a juicy plot, we simply cannot look away, and it’s doing that in every single episode, and it really is doing a fine job as well of keeping the spirit of adventure that we came to love in season one alive since every single story also features new and fascinating places for our characters to go, something that just so happened to be amplified in the next entry in this series, ‘Chapter Four: The Sauna Test’.
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Because holy cow, this episode took us all kinds of fascinating places, and thrilled us in the process since so many amazing secrets and plot points were revealed, such as the fact that the ever-slimy mayor of Hawkins, made a deal with the devil. Because shortly after Hopper awoke from his epic beatdown, he immediately recalled that the man who beat the tar out of him, was also at the mayor’s office the other day, prompting he and Joyce to pay Kline a physical visit to get the mayor to admit as to why that mystery man was at his office, and well, what the chief uncovered was disturbing to say the least. For now, we know this muscular dude is bad news and aligned with the Russians and he helped broker a deal to snatch up all the land on the outskirts of town. Why exactly, Kline didn’t know, but that didn’t stop Hopper and Joyce from heading off to start a little investigation of their own.

While they dealt with that, the plot thickened at the Starcourt Mall. Because Robin figured out that the airducts should be able to get them into the store room that the Russians were guarding so heavily, allowing for them to learn exactly what they’re hiding, provided of course…one of them could fit within the ventilation system. Enter Lucas’ sister, Erica, who was tiny and agile enough to make it through the vent network and in order to get her buy in on the plan, Scoops Ahoy had to give up a Queen’s ransom in ice cream, and just like that the plan was set into motion, and it was a rousing success. Because they got into the room and learned that the Russians are transporting some shady stuff, and they also came to learn that this storeroom is more than meets the eye, since it’s also an elevator that goes deep into the ground.

But truly, the centerpiece of this tale was the journey that Will and his cadre of friends went on. Because now that he was fully aware of the Mind Flayer’s return, Eleven and Max met with him and the others to formulate a plan to stop him before he could garner any real strength, and that meant, they needed to outright confirm that Billy was indeed his new host. Which prompted them to launch a plan to capture him at the rec center and use the sauna there to bring the Flayer to the surface and this, well this ended up being a beautiful return to the horror elements that made this series famous to begin with. Because Billy was terrifying once his secret was exposed, and the battle that ensued between he and Eleven was breathtaking and chilling, and while it ends in a stalemate, the fact that someone can hang with El is terrifying to say the least and I’m sure it won’t be long before these two foes face off once again.

In the end however, what I truly loved about this episode, is that it left so many plot threads hanging in the right kind of way. Because already, I’m dying to know what Hopper and Joyce will find on their search. I need to know what waits beyond the doors of that incredible elevator and of course, I’m also left wondering as to how exactly Eleven and her friends will be able to stop the Mind Flayer now he’s stronger than he’s ever been and well, the only way to find the answers to those questions, is to hit play as soon as possible. But before I return to the Netflix app to get my fix, I really need to shower this episode with as much praise as possible. Because this really was a dynamic and wonderful tale, one that pulled me in and entertained through and through and clearly, the story is ramping up to something big and I cannot wait to see what surprises await me in the next chapter of this magnificent story. Until next time.   

I think it is safe to say that we are at a fascinating point in horror film history. Because not only is the genre at its absolute peak popularity wise, with zombies and remakes and everything in between ruling the pop-culture landscape, it’s also evolving right before our very eyes. Because in year’s past, the horror genre kept things supremely honest, by offering up posters and trailers that made it inherently clear what kind of waking nightmare one would experience in the theater or on home video and that made it easy for audiences to choose whether or not they wanted to see that particular brand of film, and it offered a sense of comfort to know up front that you would be settling in for something spooky or splatter-y.
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But these days, the industry is having a little twisted fun with its audiences by adding a grand sense of ambiguity to its stories. For now, it’s about producing a vibe with a trailer or a poster, to elicit a sense of curiosity, and the films in question are also upping their game, masking their monsters and focusing on different elements to produce a scare and this paradigm shift is offering up some unique results. Because some of these movies more or less outsmart themselves, and their push to create an eerie atmosphere or a stunning surprise, allows for them to fall flat and become nothing more than a moody art house flick with a hint of horror. But there are other movies that follow this new formula that do a phenomenal job with it, and their success takes us on a uniquely disturbing ride and one such film that meets that particular criteria is Ari Aster’s brand-new horror story, Midsommar.

Now the sheer reason that I lump this movie into a world of ambiguity is simply due to the fact that both the marketing scheme and the film itself are all about keeping you guessing at every single turn, and both elements succeed in that particular endeavor. Because while I was watching this film, my mind was racing to find some semblance of a particular horror trope or concept that felt familiar in order to give my mind guidance and direction in regard to what to expect from the plot, but that simply never came about and that’s really what makes this movie so brilliant in its own right. For once you start putting together exactly what’s happening at this particular commune, you come to realize that Ari has skillfully guided you to bear witness to the cruelty and the evil of the worst possible villain out there; mankind.

Because only man can sanction some of the horrible things that happen in this film and find justification for the cruelty on display here, and once the audience realizes that this is nothing more than the twisted machinations of a misguided community, there’s a genuine bleakness that settles over your soul as you watch. For much like the characters in question, you come to realize that there is no relief coming for the cruelty that’s about to play out before your eyes, you’re stuck in this nightmare and have to ride it out to the end and that creeping terror is something that the story manages to amplify by throwing some relatable ugliness into the mix. Which sounds impossible, since the thought of people tolerating cruelty seems unheard of, but the social commentary present here speaks to otherwise.
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For this story puts it front and center how modern society tends to detach itself from the problems and the evils of the world by playing observer more often than not, and that we also sometimes justify said cruelty when it exists elsewhere by pawning it off as cultural respect and courtesy and what’s truly surprising, is that while that alone would have been plenty of commentary for the audience to chew upon, the film goes one step further in its exploration of how we tolerate the darkness of man by way of toxic relationships. Because much like Christian and Dani in this story, and I suppose more so Dani, when we are afraid of being alone, we ignore and tolerate the flaws and the red flags and outright abuse of our significant other. All in the hopes of finding happiness and joy down the line, as if they will somehow outgrow their immaturity and anger when we know deep down they won’t and this is the plotline that I think strikes home the most since we’ve all been in a one-sided relationship or sadly, one where our partner was as toxic as they come.

If anything, I think all of these elements are why people are quite divided when it comes to this motion picture. Because people either seem to love it or hate it, and while I enjoyed it and appreciated the fact that it put the darkest parts of man on display in unique and brilliant fashion, I can understand why it turns people off as well. Because it is cruel, and it is dark and bleak and free from any sense of safety that horror normally provides, since this story features things we see every day and have experienced relationship wise. But horror adapts to the times and right now, man’s cruelty is what we fear above all else, making this movie relevant and poignant. And I appreciate the fact that this film embraced the mystery prevalent in this genre as of late in unique fashion, and this is one that I hope you see. Because it really is a different kind of horror film, one that stays true to what the genre stands for since it does a fine job of unsettling you and staying with you long after it has come to an end.

​Sometimes in life you experience something that is called Déjà vu, it is not a bad thing by any means, but if it starts to happen too often, you may drive yourself crazy. Reliving some of the events of your life could be a great highlight that you would never want to let go of, but as time goes by, doing this might start to scare you. There is not a way to avoid this, as it has happened to everyone at one point in their lives, but as long as you are able to learn from it, you should come out better on the other side.

Lisa is a normal teenager living with her family, but there is something different about how she lives her life. She has been living the same day over and over again and it is becoming repetitive. Having to answer the same questions every day, eating the same meals every day and watching the same shows every day is taking its toll on her. Trying to explain this to her parents is only making her situation worse as they will not believe her and try to punish her for telling what they believe is a lie.

Everything is the same, day in and day out, but slowly, things are starting to change. The routine stays the same, but the attitudes of her family members start to change day by day. Thinking that she is going crazy, she starts to hear strange sounds in the basement while doing her daily laundry, but when she finally finds a secret door behind the washing machine, she wants to explore. Before finding out the secret of what is keeping her in a consistent time loop, a new visitor comes to the front door that knows exactly what is going on.  

Dressed as a phone repairman, Lisa knows that this man is not what he seems and when the two get away from the family for a matter of seconds, he tells the young girl to give up on her quest for answers. Not being deterred, Lisa continues her search for the truth of what is happening and finds herself being a part of another young girl’s life in the future that is experiencing the same thing. Needing to find out how to break out of the loop is keeping Lisa motivated beyond belief and with the help of her future counterpart, they are able to find the person that is responsible, but will they be able to defeat him and go on with their lives?

I was left baffled when watching this as there was not a way to get answers before they were shown to you. Being a possibility that everyone was dead and stuck in the same day was a thought that crossed my mind while watching this, because I was desperate to figure out what was happening. With two different time lines intersecting to tell the story as well, I was intrigued with how they would both be pulled together to make the ending something more than a, for lack for a better word, dream. I am still up in the air about how much I like this movie, if I just like it, or if I love it. I will require another viewing at some point to see if there is anything that I missed along the way. Stay Scared.

I suppose that if there is one complaint about season five of Fear the Walking Dead that has some genuine credence to it, it would be that this season has been relatively light on the scares and the danger. Because for the past seven episodes, the story really has focused heavily on redemption and kindness and finding a way to come together after the end of the world and it’s honestly something that I think has been quite refreshing when all is said and done. For horror rarely goes to positive places, and I’ve been fascinated by everything that’s played out on screen this season. But I get where people are coming from when they voice their concerns about the lack of terror present this season on social media, and I’m glad to see that the show took the time to address that complaint during last night’s episode.
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For the mid-season finale of this series, ‘Is Anybody Out There?’, finally brought tension and scares to the forefront of the story in the easiest way imaginable. Because this particular tale featured an absolute race against time for the group to escape their current location, since the nuclear reactor was closing in on meltdown status and well, for a moment there, it seemed as though this particular tale was going to extend the threat of that looming disaster to make this an hour filled with tension. Because the group was still slightly scattered to the wind and it was going to take some serious effort for everyone to come together since Morgan and Alicia and Grace were dealing with the herd that followed Alicia away from the treehouse and John and Dwight were still working to figure out a way to get back to the Truck Stop.

Which bring us to an unexpected surprise that this story had in store for us in that, it only took ten whole minutes of screen time for the reactor to blow, and the resulting cloud of radioactive dust that came out of that explosion, added an incredible sense of urgency to this story. Because it was only a matter of time before the fallout covered everything and everyone in the area and that prompted everyone who was away from the plane to get their butts in gear to meet at the rendezvous point as quickly as possible and that’s where the danger came into play in this tale. For there were no guarantees that anyone was going to make it back in time for takeoff and that allowed for some surprisingly moving moments to come to the surface of this story, especially when it comes to John and June’s love affair.

Because Dwight and John came to learn that gasoline is starting to go bad, and because of that new problem, they found themselves stranded further away from the runway than they’d like and the genuine possibility that they would never see the plane, brought about the feels in question. For John took the time to pour his heart out to June, in an effort to offer her a proper farewell, just in case he didn’t make it back. And this was handled in beautiful and classy fashion and it made me truly wonder if we were about to see the exit of a lead character, since it truly seemed as though there was no hope for John or Dwight. But despite the danger surrounding them, this dynamic duo rolled the dice one last time, because there was a chance that Sherry’s car might still be okay. 

But while that segment was tense and uncomfortable in its own right, it oddly paled in comparison to what came next in this story. For Morgan and Alicia and Grace made it to the plane, complete with their undead friends and well, it was simply now or never. For if they didn’t get on that plane in the next few minutes and take off, the dust would settle upon them and that would be that, and reluctantly, they all agreed to start the takeoff sequence, with or without John and Dwight. But thankfully, John and D came rolling in at the last possible second and made it on that plane and in a thrilling sequence of events, the group managed to take off with everyone aboard, and avoid the radioactive cloud in the process. But they weren’t quite out of the woods just yet.
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After all, they needed a safe place to land, and with daylight running out, they needed a grand assist from Wendell and Sarah. But sadly, they were struggling to find a good way to light up the landing strip and they were so desperate to make this work that they even reached out to Logan to see if maybe he would join them in their quest to pay it forward and after brushing them off, they were left without any solid ideas on how to save their friends. However, fate it would seem was smiling down upon everyone in this tale since Daniel returned from his little sabbatical, and he had everything that Wendell and Sarah would need to provide the plane a safe landing and thanks to Daniel, and Wendell’s bravery at the last second, the plane was able to land and everyone was saved.

But a happy ending is never really this show’s style and despite being able to share some warm moments and beautiful reunions, since Daniel and Alicia said hello to one another for the first time in years, Logan showed up at the end of this story to finally explain himself before offering up a fascinating and ominous proposition. As it turns out, he reclaimed the group’s base of operations in the hopes of finding a little information that his partner left behind, specifically the location of some oil fields that would allow their owner to create fresh fuel for the wealth of cars scattered about the countryside. Which meant Logan wanted to work with the group to find those fields and help them create said fuel since gasoline is starting to go bad and also to pay penance for his mistakes as well and while this sounds like a genuine attempt to make things right, there’s danger waiting behind this deal. Because there’s no guarantees that Logan won’t double cross them again, and the people he’s been working with are desperate for a win and willing to hurt folks to get what they want.

If anything, that’s definitely a unique way to set up the back half of season five, because the failure and lack of resources is something that most zombie stories never get the chance to address and of course, fuel is paramount to Morgan’s mission, so joining forces with Logan makes sense at the moment. As to whether or not it will pay off in the long run, well we will find that out in the weeks to come and thankfully, we don’t have to wait all that long to see where this new wrinkle in the journey will take us. For Fear the Walking Dead is only taking a short break this go round, allowing for us to pick this story back up in a couple of weeks, allowing for us to learn if there are indeed any lingering effects from everyone’s exposure to radiation after all and we will soon discover if Logan is being genuine about doing the right thing for a change, and I’ll definitely be counting down the minutes until August 11, when Morgan and the team resume their quest to make a devastated world a better place. Until next time.  

If there’s one thing I’ve always found fascinating when it comes to the horror genre as a whole, it’s how these scary stories are often viewed as therapeutic or a safe space of sorts. Which sounds wild when you first think about it, but there’s a lot of truth to that. Because you’re often treated to a satisfying ending in a horror story when all is said and done, one that features the end of evil and fulfillment and growth for some of the characters, allowing for the reader or the audience to merely dip their toes into raw terror and escape its clutches the wiser and free from harm. But there are horror stories out there that choose to not subscribe to that particular trope, they wish to truly take us on an experience, one that leaves us unsettled long after the story has come to an end, and that’s why I’m such a fan of AMC’s NOS4A2, since it subscribes to that particular line of thinking, and for proof, look no further than last night’s episode.
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For ‘Parnassus’ removed the safety filters that the genre sometimes clings to, in order to enhance something, it is supremely great at; exploring the human condition. But this time around, rather than merely look at what makes us tick and what drives some of our fears and concerns in life, this episode decided to go full bore and explore the dark recesses of our souls. That place where evil can be unleashed upon the world, or in less extreme cases, where we draw inspiration to hurt those we love, ourselves included, and the decision to go that route, made for one fascinating and brilliant and bleak episode, one that saw some of our favorite characters in their outright lowest places, as was the case with Maggie.

Because she was alone and afraid in this tale, and without Joe Bly trying his best to guide her, she made the desperate attempt to turn to her family in the hopes of finding some sense of salvation or refuge. But that quickly turned out to be a bad idea and opening up old wounds is what allowed for all of the fear and pain in Maggie’s soul to bubble to the surface and she embraced the darkness and fed off of her anger and turned back to her old ways to try and find some kind peace in her soul, and it took an act of the Brat and the return of her tiles to bring her within an inch of the salvation she so desperately craved. And truly, the most powerful moment of this particular storyline was when Maggie was able to look at herself in her current state, because you could feel the anguish and the shame over her decision to simply give in to everything she fought so hard to keep at bay and it’s just rare to see that kind of reflection present in a horror story, or see the character sink further into the void after reaching the epiphany she did and thank heavens Vic was able to get there when she did.

Speaking of Vic, her journey in this tale also helped to add to the bleakness surrounding this particular episode, but not in the way that one might expect. For Vic wasn’t doing anything outside of trying to find a little joy in her life, when some genuine wonder dropped into her lap by way of the good news that RISD had accepted her application and that she was getting a full ride, and while none of that should relate to anything dark or dreary, her darling mother is what brought out the ugly in this storyline since Linda did not handle the news all that well. Because her little girl going off to school meant that she would be on her own for likely the first time in her life, and the fear of loneliness and the lack of control she currently had over anyone or anything, brought out the worst in Linda. For she lashed out at her daughter often in this tale, firing off any mean thing that would upset her daughter to satiate the pain, and the revelation that she hid Vic’s bike was equally as fascinating, since it reinforced how desperate Linda is to find some semblance of control at this point. But the true highlight of this segment, is the showdown that happened between mother and daughter. Because seeing Vic call Linda out on her actions and cut through her crap was magnificent to say the least, since it once again shows us how quickly Vic is growing into her own.

Which is something that also proved to be incredibly important to the fabric of this tale. For I also made mention of the fact that unfettered evil was present in this story and that came about by way of Bing and his continued downward spiral. Because when we catch up with him here, he feels as though he truly belongs in Christmasland and that he had done wrong by not following Mister Manx’s instructions to a tee in the last episode, prompting him to offer up the greatest apology in all the land; Vic McQueen on a platter. Which meant he began quite the terrifying hunt for Vic, going so far as to break into her house and rummage through her things to deem her naughty and justify his plans and thanks to one of the many arguments that Linda and Vic endured in this story, Bing was able to get his hands on her and show us just how far he has fallen.
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Because Vic was tied up and put in the same position as Sharon, and Bing was happy to express the truth in regard to what he did to his parents as a teenager and that was chilling to say the least. For this confession had a tinge of pleasure and pride to it, as did anything he had to say about Sharon and it was obvious that murdering others and doing Charlie’s bidding was empowering and encouraging for Bing and that right and wrong no longer applied to him since he would soon be in joyous Christmasland, and that was bad news for Vic. But I made mention of her being something more now and thanks to her growth, she was quick on her mind and her feet in this situation and dangled the possibility that hurting her might anger Mister Manx, and that little mind game, combined with the pin that Craig gave her, ended up saving Vic’s life since was able to escape and beat the hell out of Bing on her way out the door.

Yet, while all of this was engrossing in its own right, what would this series be without a touch of the fantastical? And thankfully, that was also on display in this tale since we learned that Parnassus, lives up to its namesake. For it is a place where Strong Creatives come to share a drink and the company of another and Charlie swung by there to have a little chat with an old friend, and that was a conversation that once again revealed a great deal about Charlie. In that, he’s obsessed with creating a flawless family unit, one with a mother for his endless children and that everything he does, stems from his childhood since it would seem that Charlie comes from a supremely broken home and the negative view of his mother is what drives him in his quest today and that, is just about as fitting as it gets for a villain such as Charlie.

But, if a nexus for creativity isn’t fantastical enough, some of the patrons of this place helped to inspire awe and wonder in all of us since there were hints of Freddy Kruger and Pennywise to be found at various points in this segment and really, in the end, I have to admit that I was quite impressed with this episode. Because this was just phenomenal storytelling through and through, and the terror just kept coming, especially during the sequence involving Bing and Vic and everything that happened here was so juicy and poignant and unsettling that the hour simply flew by and well, what I find equally as fascinating as the story in question, is how this one ends in uncertain fashion. After all, Vic’s home life is a mess, Bing and Charlie are undoubtedly coming for her and her best friend and confidant needs to heal in every way imaginable and what comes next for Vic is anyone’s guess, and that, is a unique way to set the stage for a season finale, and I will definitely be counting down the minutes and days to next Sunday, when the show dedicates two hours to wrapping up the first year of this utterly brilliant series. Until next time.