It's no secret that Freeform's new show Beyond is one that's been on my radar for a little while now and with good reason. It's promised us an intriguing and original storyline revolving around a character named Holden Matthews who slips into a coma and awakens 12 years later with special abilities that quickly draw him into quite the mysterious conspiracy and my curiosity only grew further after speaking with the show's star; Burkely Duffield.

Thankfully though the veil surrounding this show was lifted at last since Beyond premiered its first two episodes on Freeform last night and well...let's be honest, the one question burning on all of our minds is whether or not this show is worth watching and I'm happy to say that the answer to that question is a resounding yes, but for reasons I never quite expected. My personal expectation going into this series was that the conspiracy was going to be the focal point here, and as it turns out, said conspiracy took a backseat to a story that allowed for us to get to know Holden up close and personal since the pilot episode set the tone for a powerful character drama. 

Because Holden's plight is downright fascinating and credit is due to Burkely Duffield for turning in one incredible performance because the pilot episode is heartbreaking on so many levels. I say that simply because of the fact that Holden is more or less robbed of a normal life thanks to his mysterious coma. Sure he's a medical miracle and gets to return home without any lingering issues from said coma, but it's up to him to pick up the pieces now and put together a new life after all this time and it's simply incredible to watch Holden try and hold everything together internally as he tries to fit into a new world he doesn't understand and process the natural progression of time and all the changes that come with it.  

But while Holden's struggle alone will draw you in, there is that conspiracy I made mention of and the show handles that in epic fashion as well, because by the end of this episode, you're dying to know more about why Holden is on someone's radar and what exactly this person and their lackeys want with him and well...if it wasn't for the mysterious man in the Yellow Jacket, our intrepid hero would never know what kinds of incredible powers he happens to harbor. But it's not all gloom and doom for Holden, he appears to have an ally in Willa since she was there to save the day, but she also adds another wrinkle of mystery to the story since she appears to be the key to answering another big question...what happened to Holden during his twelve year slumber. 

All of this sets the stage for what should be an incredible first season of Beyond and well, thanks to the top notch writing, outstanding performances and overall world building from this pilot episode, I'm hooked. I have to know more about these characters and this world and all the mysteries that inhabit this story and my thanks go out to Freeform for bringing to life a show this fascinating and this original and for allowing all of us to binge it so there's no waiting in unraveling the mystery surrounding Holden Matthews and the incredible powers now in his possession, and on that note...it's time to start the next episode and see where the story takes us next. Until next time.

I think it is safe to say that every single fan of TNT's The Librarians was wondering when the threat of 'new magic', something that was seen for the first time in this universe a couple of weeks ago, was going to rear its ugly head once again, and as it turns out, the wait to see its return turned out to be a short one to say the least. Because last night's episode, 'And the Curse of Cindy' brought forth the return of magic in the hands of people who simply don't understand it in what turned out to be another tragic and hauntingly beautiful episode as our intrepid Librarians did their best to contain its power.

This time around the Clipping Book sent them to a lovely mansion to investigate what at first seemed to be a strange cult, only to discover that a young woman named Cyndi, one that seemed quite familiar to Ezekiel, had control over the hearts and minds of every single person in this complex since everyone there adored her in obsessive fashion. It leads to the discovery, shortly after Flynn and Jake suddenly find themselves obsessed with her as well, that magic was clearly involved in her quest for fame, forcing the group to work quickly to uncover what kind of magic she was making use of before more people fell under her powerful spell.  

But what made this particular episode so engaging and magical, for lack of a better word, was the fact that once again the series went deep into the mind of the villain to understand their motivations and need for more in this life and while at first it seemed as though Cyndi was cut from the same vengeful cloth as Kirby Goulding, she turned out to be nothing like him. Cyndi, whose real name was Cindy Kroger, turned out to be a former reality show contestant who was voted off of The Life Show in cruel and malicious fashion for no discernable reason and being rejected in front of a national audience, combined with the fact that Cindy already felt like an outcast that no one cared for in life, drove her to take up an offer from the show's makeup assistant Agnes to build a love potion that would give her the adoration she so craved. 

However what truly makes her story such a tragedy is that unlike Kirby, there was no quest for revenge in her heart, just mountains of pain and severe loneliness and she never wanted to harm anybody, she simply wanted to be loved and adored and needed by people, making her less of a villain, and more of a relatable character. Because at some point or another in our lives we've known people like Cindy, or we've been Cindy and her shattered psyche allowed for her to become nothing more than a pawn for Apep since it turns out he was really the one behind the potion, using the poor girl's pain to help spread evil throughout the world.

Thankfully the Librarians found a way to neutralize the potion and save the world from Apep's evil plan, and truth be told much of the credit for putting an end to this madness needs to go to Ezekiel since he was able to reach Cindy on a fundamental level with his own harrowing story of rejection and pain and while this story ended in beautiful fashion, we can never forget about the greater threat out there, and unfortunately for the Librarians, their problems just became a touch more complex because we now know that DOSA is involved in this ultimate battle between good and evil whether they know it/like it or not, since they are the ones in possession of Apep's sarcophagus, inadvertently (or intentionally) providing him with a safe place to regenerate. Either way, this was simply another incredible episode and I love the fact that they were able to explore new magic in a wholly different and fascinating fashion. Until next time.

The mark of a great story, is that it understands the need for balance. It knows that the only way to truly entertain the audience is to take us on one hell of a ride where we experience a healthy share of thrills followed by lulls and I'm quickly coming to realize that The Man in the High Castle is a show that has completely and utterly mastered this. 

If you need proof, look no further than the first half of season two, which hit the ground running with some stunning and heart pounding stories, before slowing it down and giving all of us a chance to breathe. Which means that after a tiny break, the time has come once again for the series to kick the story back into overdrive and that's precisely what 'Duck and Cover' delivered, another edge of your seat story filled to the brim with stunning revelations and fascinating twists and turns.  

The first big revelation this episode decided to throw our way, came by way of Joe Blake who once again found himself being badgered by his father, but this time around Martin promised his son something worthy of his time...some truth regarding Joe's past. So dear old dad took his son to a decrepit building, one that was used during the war for the sole purpose of perfecting the master race through a specific breeding process, and it turns out that Joe was part of this experiment and was born in this facility. It takes Joe quite some time to come to terms with the fact that he was lied to by his mother, but eventually he seems to find peace with this, and with potentially staying in Berlin and when all is said and done, it was pretty incredible to see the series resurrect the lore of the Lebensborn and apply it to this already rich story.

But the surprises didn't end there, because in New York, Juliana finally came face to face with George Dixon and while the films certainly imply that Dixon's death will save San Francisco from nuclear annihilation, Juliana made the choice to bide her time and get to know this man and clearly Juliana is beginning to the learn the lesson that not everything is ever quite what it seems and she's applying that to her everyday dealings and one can only hope that her gambit pays off because if she's wrong in taking the gentle approach...millions will perish.  

Plus, one has to wonder exactly how much time she actually will have when it comes to making a decision about Dixon because the Kempaitai are hot on her tail, with Inspector Kido going so far as to fly to New York with a signed extradition request (one obtained from a drunken General Onada) to personally ask John Smith to send her back to the Japanese Pacific States. The two men have quite the interesting conversation to say the least...one so important and laden with critical information/truth that not even the audience is privy to the exact details for the moment but it's clear Kido dropped some kind of bombshell since Smith asked for his visit to be stricken from the official record.  

If anything, this episode was a deceptive one, in a good way simply because of the fact that it continues to slowly build up important plotlines that are clearly going to converge at some point in explosive fashion, and another fine example of this is Tagomi's story this go round, since he spent a lot of time in what one can assume to be our world, where he learned how the Japanese lost the war and that his alter ego in this world is a drunken jerk. It's little tibits like that, that suck you in and leave you dying to know how this intriciate web they're weaving is going to come together and kudos are in order when it comes to this show for being able to make a transitional episode such as this as thrilling as can be. Either way, it's on to the next episode to get my High Castle ​fix. Until next time.