Written by John Edward BetancourtIt's funny how sometimes, the things you catch when watching a show, the writers managed to catch at some point as well and that's precisely what I noticed when I settled in for the next episode of Battlestar Galactica. Because in my prior Retro Recap of the show, I made mention of the fact that it seemed the series was weaning itself off of philosophical concepts in order to beef up the action and adventure and wouldn't you know it, 'The Farm' suddenly snapped the saga back to its brainy roots, taking an in depth look at the notions of immortality and how religion and the hope it provides can motivate us in incredible ways, and that certainly mattered to this particular episode. Because let's be honest, things are dire in the fleet right now. People are living in fear, the President is on the run and sadly Commander Adama's return to the CIC did not bring about much change to the current situation, because the Old Man is hopping mad about what has transpired and wants Roslin back in the Brig, forcing him to order a ship to ship 'quarantine' search to find her, and his son and that's when the President pulled out the big guns, broadcasting fleet wide a message of inspiration and hope revolving around her part in the prophecy and pleading for people to follow her to Kobol so that she can lead them to Earth and after jumping away...24 more ships joined her, all in the hope of the prophecy coming to fruition to provide them with a better life. It was simply stunning to see, and eye opening to realize just how little people in the fleet people have to hang on to if they're willing to risk their lives on the blind faith because without the protection of Galactica, the Cylons could lay those ships to waste. But the possibility that the scriptures are right and that they could indeed find a safe place to call home...gave them all the motivation and hope that they needed, and a fine example of how dark things are getting came by way of the moment with Adama where he goes to inspect Sharon's remains to try and understand the betrayal she brought forth before breaking down in tears. It speaks volumes to the darkness growing within him right now and his own need for hope and direction since people he trusts and loves have all but betrayed him at this point. But the show wasn't quite done exploring religion just yet. The Caprica storyline played into the old idea that in order to please God, we must go forth and procreate and oddly enough, that concept was explored by way of the Cylons. Because while out and about, Kara and her new friends are ambushed and in the middle of the firefight, Starbuck is wounded and when she comes to...she finds herself in a suspiciously quiet hospital, tended to by a doctor named Simon who seems oddly concerned about her ability to bear children and well, his curiosity is due to the fact that he's a new Cylon model we haven't seen yet on the show and it seems the Skin Jobs are trying to find ways to reproduce in the hopes of pleasing God and keeping their species going and this was quite the disturbing little storyline to say the least, since the Cylons had droves of women all hooked up to strange machines in the hopes of making them baby production factories. However, what struck me about this little twist in the story, was the fact that it went far beyond religion. It's clear that while the Cylons can easily be replicated and downloaded upon death, they seem concerned with their future legacy and in reality, there is a sense of immortality that comes with having children and perhaps by creating their own new genetic line of Cylon/Human hybrids, they can enjoy that very sense and in turn...start things over again. Either way, despite the fact that there's a somewhat happy ending in place by having Kara and Helo and Sharon fly off in a Raider bound for Galactica (I'm sure the crew will be thrilled to see another Sharon), this was in fact quite the dark episode. The Cylons rammed home the point that they will do whatever they want to humans without a shred of regret and hey...the fleet is now divided and it may take an honest to God miracle to unite it once again. Until next time.
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Written by Scott EdwardsTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...With the Meachum’s not willing to give up a piece of the Rand Empire to Danny who is back from the dead, they have turned to trying to make him disappear. Removing any record of their childhood friend from the files, they know it will be next to impossible for him to prove who he is to the courts. But with help from his new lawyer, Jeri Hogarth, Danny has an ace in the hole, a childhood fingerprint on a ceramic bowl he made for Joy as a child. Seeing that this new evidence is troubling to Ward, Danny has decided to follow the business man to the penthouse that has more secrets than he will know what to do with. Waking up in Harold Meachum’s penthouse, Danny is surprised to see his father’s best friend alive and kicking. Being welcomed back with open arms, Danny finally feels like he is back home. Telling Danny the story about how he died and came back to life with help from the Hand, Harold is ashamed that he will forever be in debt to the group and will do anything to get out of it. With Danny’s story from the hospital, being the Iron Fist and sworn to destroy the Hand, the young man may be the only hope Harold has of seeing the world again, especially his daughter. Telling Ward to drop the case against Danny and to welcome him back to Rand Enterprises, a new fighter has been added back to the company that desperately needs one. Being found out by her students, Colleen is ashamed of herself and wants it all to go away, but one of her students has posted the video of her beating a man twice her size to try and help encourage business. Not knowing what to do, Colleen is still having problems with money so she decides to train for her next fight, not knowing where or when it will be. Finding the fight club on a roof top, Colleen asks two of her opponents for double the pay and is granted her wish. With the money now rolling in, she is shocked to see that she is needed for help once again by the now billionaire Danny Rand and his friend Joy. After signing all of the forms that bring him back to power at Rand Enterprises, Danny shows up for his first meeting late. Listening to the sales pitch being proposed by Ward, Danny is shocked that his company is going to try and profit off of the misery of others. Demanding that the company’s new drug be sold at cost to the masses to save lives and swinging around his 51% stock holdings to make it happen, the business is set to lose millions of dollars on the drug's release once it hits the street. The money does not matter to Danny at all, but Ward is sure to make a stink about his new boss to the board when the company starts to lose money hand over fist. Wanting to get Danny away from the meeting scene, Joy promises to tell him everything that she knows about the pier purchase that the Hand had her father push for. Knowing little about the area, much less why Rand Enterprises needed it, she does not have the answers, but there is someone that does. When triads break into Danny’s apartment, he will do anything to protect his childhood friend, (I guess they are friends again) from any harm coming her way. Finding out where the triads hang their hat, Danny pays the gang a visit and throws out that he knows the Hand is behind the pier purchase and they back away. But they know more about the Hand than they are willing to say and while Danny is still looking for answers, he may find something more deadly instead. Okay, I think this is best episode of the series thus far. You get to have two ghosts meet on the physical plane, well, just Danny and Harold reunited for the first time without drugs involved. What I liked most about this is that Danny was greeted with open arms, something that Ward seems to frown upon and if you know much about Ward, he was never coddled by anybody when growing up, he was just told to grow up. I am sure if Ward had resentment toward Danny as a child, it is about to get much worse as an adult. Danny finally gets to reconnect with Joy and thanks her for helping him with his lawsuit, even though now it was not needed. The two have plenty to catch up on, but they also need to figure out why someone has put a target on her. Harold gets his reward for the pier purchase from the Hand, and it is touching, especially to see his fatherly love has never gone away. Colleen is kicking butt and taking names in the ring, but who knows when her luck is going to run out, because it most certainly will soon. The story took a 180-degree turn in this episode as Danny has been welcomed back to the family. Now I am not sure where it is going to head next, but I still want to see the Hand and how they react when they find out that Danny is the Iron Fist and has been taught how to destroy them. Written by John Edward BetancourtTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...The old saying, the truth shall set you free, exists for one reason and one reason alone...it's unequivocally correct. When one is honest with every single person in their life, there is little to worry about because everyone is on the level and communication is at its best. But alas, life doesn't always work that way. We hide things from time to time or pick and choose what truths we tell the people in our lives and the end result of that...is always a mixed bag. Sometimes people forgive us and understand why we kept facts from them and other times...it results in downright disaster, and last night on Supergirl, truth, took the center stage. Because two key characters last night, Kara and Winn, found themselves dealing with lies in their lives and well...it was fascinating to see how they dealt with them because both of them came to discover their significant others are completely different people than they claimed to be, and exploring this angle of our humanity led to a surprisingly interesting episode in 'Star-Crossed', and this was a story that will clearly have major repercussions for Kara and Mon-El's relationship going forward since well...we learned a lot about the mysterious Daxamite last night, but before we get too deep into that, let's take a look at Winn's storyline because not only was it nice to finally see Winn get more screen time, but his journey last night made for one endearing tale as well. Winn as it turns out, found himself in hot water after a little after hours fooling around in the National City Art Museum where it turns out his lovely lady friend from another world, set him up in order to swipe the world famous piece of art, 'Starry Night'. But despite the fact he was betrayed and used, Winn had a funny feeling more was going on here and after some digging he came to discover that his hunch was right, she was committing crimes in order to satisfy the kingpin of an art theft ring, so that they would let her captive brother go. It leads Winn to find a way to save her brother and free her of her obligations, but what matters most when it comes to this storyline is that Winn truly believed deep down that Lyra loved him and cared for him in the same way he loved and cared for her and chasing his gut paid off in spades. But the most beautiful part of this, is that Winn looked past the lie, and was able to forgive her because of the opportunity in front of them when it came to a relationship, and because of the feelings he knew they shared. The same beauty and understanding however, did not apply to Kara and Mon-El. Because we quickly met the mystery beings that showed up at the end of last week's episode and as it turns out...they were the King and Queen of Daxam, and they had ventured to earth to find their son...Prince Mon-El. Yes, Kara's new boyfriend was the prince she simply could not stand and this revelation led to instant tension between the two of them because this lie, was a tough one to get around and despite culling advice from Winn, speaking to Mon-El's mother and even giving him one last chance to redeem himself for telling the lie...Mon-El continued to put his foot in his mouth and informed Kara of the fact that he hadn't a clue as to whether or not he would have ever told Kara the truth, which led to the end of their relationship and what was so poignant about this, is the fact that Mon-El was prepared to continue to live the lie. Sure, he's getting a second chance on earth to right all the wrongs he created as a prince on Daxam, but the fact he was unapologetic in being prepared to keep the deception going was more than Kara could bear. In the end however, this was a nice, intimate episode to change things up considering how large in scope the last episode turned out to be and well, I loved it. I thought it was great to explore something such as this, where good people in good relationships had to deal with a lie and all the heartache that comes with it and it was a wonderful stroke of genius to give us two polarizing examples of how people handle this kind of problem and well, while not every story ended happy last night, it was good to see the show get back to the exploration of interpersonal relationships and give a superhero some grounding in real life by having to deal with everyday things. As to what comes next for Mon-El and Kara, that's hard to say. It's sweet of him to claim earth as his home and stay here for Kara, but let's be honest...he screwed up bad and has a long road ahead to earn Kara's forgiveness, and she may not be willing to forgive him at all. Until next time. Written by John Edward BetancourtWhen I was a kid, there were two things that I wanted to be when I grew up, and they battled it out on a weekly basis. From Sunday-Friday I wanted nothing more than to be an astronaut so I could travel to the stars and see the universe. But come Saturday morning, when the cartoons came on, all of that was forgotten. By the end of the morning cartoon run, the stars could wait, I wanted to be a Ghostbuster. That's right, I wanted to hunt down any crazy spirits roaming around in the world out because of one reason and one reason alone...the weekly animated adventures of the Ghostbusters, courtesy of the awesome show, The Real Ghostbusters. While I can never forget my love of the movies, what helped fuel my love for them even more was this show. How could it not? It was the freakin' Ghostbusters bustin' ghosts and man, this was a fantastic show. All the characters were back, including Slimer who was now somehow an ally...but it worked and it had myself and my brother hooked. Obviously the plot was pretty simple. Week in and week out, the boys would deal with a ghost of the week in some form or fashion and eventually bust the sucker. Yeah, you knew what was coming, but you loved it none the less. It was those moments when they broke out the Ecto-1 and their proton packs that you waited for. The show itself lasted seven years on the air, and was constantly evolving. Eventually Slimer became a bigger part of the show as it moved on and the show became a little sillier as well, but when I think back upon this show, I not only reflect upon the delicious bowls of Fruity Pebbles that I consumed while watching it, but more so on the stellar early seasons of the show. I distinctly remember the first couple of seasons not only mixing in the trademark laughs and action from the movie...but also some solid creepy moments. Some of the ghosts that appeared on the show, Samhain is one that comes to mind, were borderline disturbing and I think that's a great thing. It was these moments and stories that captured the essence of the original films, since it balanced horror and comedy perfectly and it was that kind of quality storytelling that kept me coming back week after week, and years after this show left the air, I still have yet to see an animated adaptation that was as faithful to the original material as this one. Either way, this is one of my favorites from back in the day and at some point, I really need to get off my rear and pick up the show on DVD, and probably a box of Fruity Pebbles too. Written by Scott EdwardsTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...With his mind being clouded by all of the drugs in the Birch Psychiatric Hospital, Danny has no idea where the orders about his fate are coming from. Being honest with his doctor about the Order of the Crane Mother, his time in K’un Lun and being the Iron Fist, he may not have a chance to leave the facility after all. Being moved in the middle of the night, Danny sees that he is to be beaten to a pulp, but is actually able to focus enough to escape his cage. With the power back in his hand, the Iron Fist is able to punch his way out of the hospital and gets back on the streets where he wants to be. Visiting his father once again, Ward is finding out the hard way that not following his requests could be hazardous to his health. Having failed to have Danny killed, Ward is instructed to go back to work since that is what he is good at. With his sister Joy at his side, closing the deal on the pier is the most important thing for their future, but neither of the kids fully understand why. But business is business and Joy is great at her job and willing to go the extra mile to make things happen. Returning to Colleen’s dojo, Danny is not followed but forced to make a promise that he may or may not be able to deliver on. Needing to prove his birthright to get his chunk of the company that is his, he needs to try and find a common place between himself and his friends. Visiting Joy Meachum, Danny gets offered a hundred million dollars for his shares in the company, but would have to change his name if he accepts the offer. Seeing the change in his old friend, Danny declines the offer and tries to come up with an alternate plan to make the Meachum’s pay for what they are doing to him. With Danny promising to pay her back in a big way, Colleen is still trying to make ends meet at her dojo and when one of her students shows up with a new battle wound, she needs to know what is going on. Hearing that he is a part of the underground fights going on around town, she shames her student, but when it comes to making money, fighting is the only way that he is able to get by for his family. Watching as Danny arrives back to his temporary home before beating up one of her students for disobedience, Colleen fears for the worst and needs to insure that she will be able to make the next month’s rent and decides to check out the fights and see if it can be a new source of revenue for her. Getting visited by his overseers, the Hand, Harold has been figured out and must pay the price for leaving the penthouse. Visiting Danny in the hospital may be more costly than he knows, but if the Iron Fist is real, which he knows it is, it may be the only way he is able to move on with his life and get back to the real world. Knowing that his every movement is being watched once again, the deals that he is instructing Ward to make may be for the family’s best interest, but not for their future. The Hand seems to have its reach where Harold does not want it and another failure may be more costly to him than just cutting up his hands. Needing help to prove himself, Danny has one other option and is able to track down Jeri Hogarth. Knowing her before she was a big time lawyer and finding out that she is taking care of his family’s assets, she may be Danny’s last hope. With her digging for some sort of proof that the dead Danny Rand is the man he claims to be, Jeri is coming up nothing, not even a birth certificate, which only leads to someone trying to erase Danny entirely. With only one additional record that Danny can locate, he finds that the Meachum reach is much further than even he could imagine when it comes to burning hospital records, but they might have something in plain sight that could be even better evidence. There you have it, the first crossover character of the series as Jeri Hogarth is back once again and being the best lawyer that she can be. This is a little bit of a better crossover for me since it has to do with business and how cutthroat some people can be when all is said and done and the Meachum’s are at the top of their game. It is obvious that Ward and Joy are not willing to give up any part of Rand Enterprises and are going to fight over it in court, but that might be a losing battle for them with Hogarth on the case. I will admit that the best part of this episode falls between two scenes, both with Danny and Joy seeing eye to eye on one thing, that they are no longer friends and money rules the world. Even though Danny does not believe this one bit, everything comes down to money in the long run and that is what Joy is fighting for hand over fist. Only three episodes in and we get our first crossover and I am sure that there will be another one coming up pretty quick as it appears that Danny might actually need to be checked out by someone at the hospital, I guess we will have to wait and see. Written by John Edward BetancourtIt was pretty obvious at the end of the last episode of Battlestar Galactica that Saul Tigh's decision to dissolve the Quorum of Twelve and declare Martial Law was a bad idea that would lead to trouble, the only thing we didn't know at that point, was exactly how much trouble it would stir up and what kinds of consequences would come from it all, and the next episode 'Resistance', answered all of our questions and unfortunately, we were treated to some ugly answers in a story that saw a fleet divided and a surprise vendetta come to light. But before we get too deep into that, let's talk about the big bright spot in this episode, the storyline on Caprica. Because let's be honest...it was tense at first to see Helo and Starbuck run into what seemed to be some unsavory human beings, before it became a joy to discover that the people that put them under fire, were a Pyramid team known as the Caprica Buccaneers and we learned that they have been surviving purely on daring raids the entire time since the fall of Twelve Colonies. It was just wonderful to know that someone else had survived the nuclear holocaust and while it didn't do much to advance the plot, the cut away scenes to Helo and Starbuck interacting with them was a nice palette cleanser from the darkness. Speaking of that, let's get back into the thick of things and return to the mess unfolding aboard Galactica, because the first real issue that came about from Tigh's declaration, was that the people of the fleet, specifically ships that provided Galactica with important supplies, cut the ship off from what it needed, demanding that the President be reinstated immediately. It forced Tigh to send a platoon of marines to get what they needed and of course, in the midst of the chaos and with a pilot in charge, things got ugly and four citizens lost their lives. It was enough to motivate Lee and a few others aboard the ship to quietly put together a plan to free the President and get her safely to Cloud Nine, where she can hopefully bring peace to the fleet. Yet the show wasn't done dropping our jaws with just that, there was also the matter of Sharon and her fate for shooting the Commander and unfortunately, her actions got the Chief in trouble because Tigh thought the poor man was also a Cylon and in on the whole thing, which led to an intervention from Baltar, forcing him to use his Cylon detector once again...but not before using the Chief as a guinea pig to get Sharon to admit to exactly how many Cylons were currently in the fleet. Thankfully, Tyrol was cleared of any wrong doing or Cylon blood lines and released back to duty, but Sharon...well she didn't fare so well. While she was being transferred to a brand new Cylon-proof cell, Cally took the opportunity to exact a little revenge for both the Commander and the Chief...by plugging Sharon in the stomach, where she died in Tyrol's arms. So yeah...this was quite the bleak episode to say the least, and I have to say I'm impressed with the fact that the show has managed to shift from a philosophical nature to this pedal to the medal method of storytelling where tons of events happen in rapid fire. It's allowing for one plot thread after another to be wrapped up in neat and tidy fashion, all while presenting us with new challenges as well, like the insurrection brewing in the fleet for example. But at least there was one extra bright spot in this episode that we didn't cover in depth because it was so brief, the fact that the Old Man is awake from his surgery, and ready to take command once again, and we'll see how he handles the mess that Tight has left for him because man, it's a doozy. Until next time. Written by Scott EdwardsTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...Returning home after being gone for fifteen years has not turned out the way Danny Rand has hoped for. Having a target on his chest, he has had to fight off men with guns, but that might only be the start of his fight in the big city. With his childhood friends Joy and Ward Meachum not believing who he is, Danny finds himself strapped to a bed and being injected with something to keep him calm. As the flashes of his past grow stronger, the memories of his parents on their flight that went down in the Himalayas may be the only positive thing he is able to hang on to. After getting his instructions from his deceased father, Ward Meachum is ready to start moving on with his life, but the threat of this stranger impersonating Danny Rand can still be dangerous. With the man locked up in Birch Psychiatric Hospital, at least he can convince his sister that they are getting the fake Danny the help that he needs. But Joy is having more questions than answers when it comes to this person who claims to be an old friend. Getting a call from the hospital, Joy is convinced that the so called Danny is the boy that she knows and knows of a way to make sure that nobody is pulling her leg. Every eight hours in Birch, Danny is fed another series of pills to keep him from being normal. Taking a walk around with one of the other patients and finding out the stories of many of the others housed there, he needs to get out as soon as possible. When being confronted by the passport in his possession that has the name John Anderson, Danny finally admits to where he got it, but it is not enough to convince his doctor that he is not crazy. When getting to another session, the doctor shows him an old commercial that the young Danny Rand was a part of and sees the grown man’s response. Thinking that it is strange, Dr. Edmonds calls Joy to check up on the story and is convinced that this actually could be the Danny he is claiming to be. While walking the streets alone, Colleen is noticing that she is being followed by a group looking to jump her. Being able to eliminate the threat, she is disappointed in her students' attempt at attacking and requires them to train more for these kind of real life situations. Getting back to her dojo and receiving a call from Danny who is asking for help, she also gets a visit from someone that she never expected, Ward Meachum. With an offer of money to keep her mouth shut about the stranger in the city and a statement saying that he is a danger to anyone that he passes, Colleen finds herself in the middle of something that she does not want to be a part of. Visiting Danny in the hospital, Colleen is able to come to her own conclusion, but it may not be what the Meachum family wants to hear. As it turns out, the dead Meachum father Harold is alive and well after all this time and is staying in his penthouse away from the world. Knowing everything that is going on with his son’s attempt to kill the stranger, he also has the Birch Psychiatric Hospital wired to the hilt. Listening to the sessions, Harold is starting to believe that this could be the real Danny and has a plan to find out for good. Getting admission to the hospital and talking to the drugged up patient, Harold hears the tale of how Danny survived and about the Order of the Crane Mother whose sole purpose is to defeat the Hand. With the newfound knowledge, Harold is forced to come up with another plan for what to do with Danny, as death might not be the best option for his former partner’s son. Well damn, this is a pretty depressing episode overall as you see the Meachum family starting to not trust each other at every turn. Joy knows that this stranger that claims to be Danny is actually Danny, Harold wants the young man to be taken somewhere safe for reasons unknown (only that there is a handprint on his window) and Ward wants the imposter killed at all costs. The hospital scenes were great, yet very frightening as the medication flows like water and Danny is not able to meditate his way out of trouble. Keeping him in a fog, the friendly Dr. Edmonds finds out the truth that this is the actual Danny Rand, yet the man still has traumatic issues when it comes to losing his parents fifteen years ago. Colleen has found herself in the middle of something that she does not yet understand when it comes to Danny and the Meachum family, the only thing she does know is that she does not want any part of it, but I doubt that she will be able to sit back and watch from the sidelines. This seems to be a big set up episode for a battle that will be coming to the streets soon, I just hope that the Hand shows up for at least part of it. Written by Scott EdwardsTHIS IS THE EMERGENCY SPOILER ALERT SYSTEM...YOU ARE ADVISED TO READ AT YOUR OWN RISK...Months have passed and it is finally time to introduce another member of Marvel's Defenders and this one is Iron Fist a.k.a. Danny Rand. I have been very open about going into these series clean, as I do not do a ton of comics anymore and had not heard the name Iron Fist for quite a while until the series was announced. So with my little bit of knowledge about this, in that he is a master of martial arts, let’s jump in and see what our next Netflix Marvel Hero is bringing to the screen. Returning home after years away, Danny Rand is happy to begin the process of getting his life back together, but he is quickly noticing that things have changed. Arriving at his father’s building, Rand Enterprises, Danny is not met with open arms when asking to talk to the president of the company, but instead is thrown out on the sidewalk like a homeless person. Trying again and this time making it to the top floor with little issue, Danny sees his old friend’s Joy and Ward Meachum running the company that their father’s built together, yet neither of them are willing to accept the shoeless, scruffy outsider as the boy they once knew. Throwing him out again, Danny will have to find some sort of way to convince them that he is who he says he is, and get his life back together. Knowing that something out of the ordinary is going on, especially since the company is about to expand, Ward will not let his guard down and needs to find a way to get rid of this issue before something bad comes out of it. Even though Joy sees a little bit of her friend that she lost fifteen years ago in the stranger, she is still trying to convince herself that Danny died like the reports stated to fall in line with her brother's beliefs. But there is still a shred in her that wants to believe that it could be Danny and when seeing him outside of her house, she is starting to wonder if there is something more to the story. On the other hand, Ward is trying to keep his cool and winds up giving the intruder a moment of his time, but will stop at nothing to rid the world of this Danny Rand imposter. Danny sees firsthand how his world has changed over the years he has been gone. Seeing that Joy has moved into his family’s old house, he just needs to figure out what that means. Staying in the park, Danny is greeted by Big Al who is more than willing to help out a fellow homeless man with whatever he can. Seeing the sincerity in Big Al, Danny has not lost all faith in how all people are, but has had a very tough time trying to get anything to go his way since returning home. While doing his stretches in the park, a new opportunity may have presented itself when Danny meets a struggling teacher in Colleen who is in need of money to keep her dojo open and he may be able to give her the boost that she needs. While trying to get a normal job teaching taekwondo for Colleen, Danny is met with men with guns who try to end his short time in the city. Being able to avoid the attacks, Colleen keeps a close eye on the stranger and watches as Danny is able to take the fight to the next level. But Danny is far from happy with having a target on his chest and is able to get the information about who is trying to have him killed, Ward Meachum. Knowing that the attacks will not stop until he is able to convince the brother/sister team that he is really Danny Rand, he must find another way to get at least one of them alone so he can plead his case. But that might be easier said than done as he finds out when he seems to have no friends left in the big city. Not too shabby for the start of the Iron Fist series as the world is introduced to Danny Rand. Seeing how hard it is to come back to life in a world that believes you are dead is kind of refreshing, since it seems so easy for other characters in this type of tale that have been gone for a lifetime. I can tell that Joy and Ward Meachum are as focused on business as they are on their pasts, and it will be interesting to see if and how Danny is able to break down their walls. Danny already knows how difficult it is to get along in the world and sees once again how sad it can really be. With the hatred that is coming his way from every direction, he is able to find what he needs in meditation, which is great, but I think that it will wear off quickly if more people are trying to kill him at every turn. The flashes to his past are a little different and I am not sure how that is going to be utilized in the series, since he gets the shakes and something seems to happen to him while they are going on. Well, there are plenty of episodes to go, so I hope you are ready for plenty of Iron Fist coming up. Why 'Avatar: The Last Airbender' is the Best Show Ever - Part II: 'No One Can Give You Your Honor'3/17/2017 Written by Kate McHargueThe hero factor is off the charts in this show and not in the cheesy, cliché, ‘one against the many’ way. The heroes in this show come in all different ages, shapes, sizes, genders, races and each brings their own unique talent to the fight. There are scrappy young kids who stand up to soldiers twice their age. There are older generations who refuse to bow down to tyranny. There are families who share their homes and food with weary travelers and refugees. There are friends who stand their ground against other friends because they know something is wrong. There are warriors and healers and spiritual guides and political activists and every day citizens! Literally everyone who isn’t a villain in this show, is a hero. And even the villains are sometimes heroes! Other shows and narratives have certainly accomplished this transformation of the quintessential bad guy becoming enlightened and joining the cause. But this show manages to do it about a dozen times! And what’s more, each time feels organic and true to the character rather than forced. And each character that makes this switch to hero status does so in their own unique way. General Iroh was once a fierce and destructive military leader who personally led the attacks that colonized and enslaved the Earth Kingdom’s people. But he spends the entirety of the show subtly guiding Prince Zuko towards a better path that will hopefully benefit the entire world. He saves Katara and Aang in the catacombs of Bae Sing Sae in season two and the retakes the city from the Fire Nation in season three (despite trying to conquer it years earlier). His story proves that it doesn’t matter how many mistakes you’ve made or how long you’ve lived, you’re never too old to do the right thing. And then there’s Zuko, the banished crown prince of the nation that seeks to enslave the world and who’s only mission is to find and capture the one person who could save it. We watch throughout the series as he struggles with his rage and feelings of abandonment, brought on by a father who abused him and the scar that constantly reminds him of his “dishonor”. We feel for him as he struggles to do what is right when his title and family demand great evil of him. His hero journey is also one of self-acceptance. He finally joins the right side of history and explains, “I know now that no one can give you your honor. It’s something you earn for yourself by choosing to do what’s right.” In Zuko we find a hero that is rough around the edges. A hero who was not born or chosen by destiny or providence, but rather one that chose to do what is right of his own free will and at great personal cost. Then there’s Team Avatar. By the end of the series, the group has grown into a diverse force for good. Katara, a master water bender and great healer who uses her caring nature to support and inspire those around her to fight. Toph, a master earth bender who is seen as ‘disabled’ by most but proves herself more than capable of changing the world and even invents a new method of bending. Suki, a skilled warrior who leaves her homeland to protect the innocent people who are affected by the war. Sokka, a keen strategist and trained soldier who uses his innovative thinking to defeat any foe. Zuko, the aforementioned reformed villain and powerful bender. And finally, Aang, the Avatar, master of all of the elements and bridge to the Spirit World. He is the one who is tasked with restoring balance to the world and the one who has the greatest power, but he is hesitant to use it unless absolutely necessary. From start to finish, Team Avatar proves that being a hero is a team effort and isn’t about being the most powerful or being a certain age, gender, race, etc. It’s about celebrating and honing your own unique power and choosing when to use it to do the most good. But let’s take this heroism one step further. While all of the characters I mentioned (and plenty of the ones I didn’t) have some well-tuned moral compasses and seriously big hearts, they also have flaws and moments of weakness that humanize them. Their hero pedestals are chipped and cracked in places and that makes them all the more deserving of praise. Each character does something that twists the traditional hero narrative and gives them an edge that makes them at once relatable and admirable. Katara, the kindest and most caring of them all, in a fit of revenge nearly kills the man who murdered her mother. She spares his life but she makes it clear that it isn’t because she forgives him. It’s because she doesn’t want to sink to his level. She is capable of that hatred that drives us to commit evil deeds but chooses not to act on it. Toph proves herself to be incredibly greedy and, at times, insensitive to other’s pain. She can be judgmental of others but ultimately recognizes this is a defense mechanism because of her own sensitivity to being judged and the assumptions people make about her. She puts aside her prejudices against the world that has often times failed her and instead looks to help those who celebrate her ‘disability’ and to make the world a better place. Even Aang, essentially the most enlightened being in existence and supposedly the most balanced of these characters, is a kid and therefore prone to emotions such as jealousy, fear, hatred, etc. We first meet him in a frozen iceberg, 100 years after the war started, because he ran away. And even after he has accepted his destiny and started on the path towards heroism, there’s an entire episode dedicated to Aang attempting to overcome and let go of these emotions that hinder his ability to bring balance to the world. And in this episode he chooses his selfish desires and love for Katara over the possible destruction of the entire world and the innocent people who inhabit it. Ultimately he becomes the hero the world needs him to be but his journey to that point is fraught with moments where Aang jeopardizes the good of all for his own personal gain and shortcomings. Some might argue that this is not a new trend in hero portrayals. And to those people I say, I agree with you! Avatar: The Last Airbender is not the first show to have a lot of heroes, villains who become heroes, or heroes with a lot of flaws. That being said, it is the show that combines all of these to provide a complex portrait of what it means to be 'good' and to do 'good'. It paints honor as something that comes from within, a personal sense of right vs. wrong and the decision to act on what’s right no matter what you’ve done in the past or what you might lose in the process. It showcases the power of friendship, of inclusion, of empathy, of self-acceptance. This show teaches us that maybe not all heroes wear capes or are remembered by history but that each of us has a part to play in bringing balance to the world. Written by John Edward BetancourtIt really did seem for a moment there in season two of Battlestar Galactica that things were looking up. The Cylons aboard the ship were defeated, and Saul Tigh looked like a capable leader for a change. But the third episode of this season, 'Fragged', was quick to remind us that sometimes old habits die hard, especially when it comes to the Colonel and there were plenty of loose ends to be tied up when it came to the survey team still stranded on Kobol. If anything this episode was a crash course when it comes to the stress of leadership because it took the time to focus on two key characters, Crashdown and Tigh as their worlds began to crumble as the pressure started to mount. For Crashdown, his jitters came about from the fact that two men had been lost on his watch along with the discovery that the Cylons were preparing a little surprise for any rescue team coming to Kobol by way of an anti-aircraft missile battery. That pressed everyone into service for an all out assault on the Cylon garrison, something that really only Crashdown was mentally prepared for since everyone else left in the group were deck jockeys and a Vice President. While the Lieutenant dealt with that mess, Tigh had new fires to put out aboard the Galactica. Because as it turns out, Adama's surgery was not a success, there was still plenty of internal bleeding going on and while Doc Cottle's return was a welcome sight, it meant more surgery for the Commander and that Saul was still in charge of the boat. Which is quite the problem when the press want a statement and the Quorum of Twelve want to see the President. All the little details of having to run a Battlestar quickly put him in a snippy or drunken place and it's something that the crew quickly noticed and heartily mocked at just about every single turn. The immense pressure on these two men leads to a pair of pivotal moments wherein Crashdown essentially snaps and points a gun at Cally when she refuses to fight, leading to his untimely demise before the survey team is rescued at last and Tigh's attempts to discredit President Roslin, since she's searching for a fix of her potent cancer medication, backfires when she secretly gets said medication and is coherent and prophetic in front of the Quorum when she reveals her diagnosis and that she is more or less the dying leader that will lead mankind to salvation. Unfortunately, her stunning counter move makes Saul look like a fool and it leads to his most boneheaded move to date, when he announces that he is dissolving the Quorum of Twelve and declaring Martial Law throughout the fleet. The man simply can't hack it and while Adama's second major surgery is a success, that kind of wear and tear on the body can only mean he'll be out of commission longer and well...that's downright terrifying since it's clear that Saul simply cannot handle the stress of command, nor does he have the tact for diplomacy. Regardless, this episode deserves some serious credit. After all, it is a bit of a mop up episode, yet it still managed to be filled to the brim with action and tense moments, especially when it came to everything that went down on Kobol and it managed to put together an impromptu cliffhanger by way of Tigh's stupidity and it should be interesting to see what kind of fallout awaits us in the next episode from his poor decision making. Until next time. |
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