As the old saying goes, and I'm certain I'm paraphrasing it here; it's not enough to simply live, one must live with a purpose. However, while that phrase has resonated with all of us, sometimes we are unclear as to what the purpose in question really is. Is it settling down and raising a family? Is it digging your heels in and pursuing your dreams? Or is it simply finding a way to live on a beach for the rest of your days, with umbrella drinks in hand. 

The exact answer to those questions may forever elude us, because technically...those solutions all qualify as correct, depending on how you decide to live your life, and what makes you happy. But while we may not agree on a perfect solve to this age old notion, we can definitely agree on one thing, regardless of the path you walk, sometimes we find purpose in what we believe. In fact, having faith in just about anything gives us some kind of direction in life and finding something to believe in was at the forefront of American Gods last night, because 'Head Full of Snow' gave Shadow, a man with nothing to lose, something to believe in, and that gift made for an absolutely fascinating and wonderful episode, and oddly enough, Shadow's newfound belief, all came by way of learning more about the Old Gods...and what they do for those that believe.

Because we learned last night that it's not enough for Wednesday and his friends to merely exist and feed off belief from the people of the world. They are after all, like us, and for them belief is akin to love. We need to be loved unconditionally, and enjoy the trust that comes with that kind of love and that is also what the Gods seek, to the point where they will reward the right people who show them such devotion. Case in point...the sub plot with an immigrant named Salim and the Jinn we briefly met in last week's episode, where Salim acknowledges the Jinn's sheer existence and power and his unexpected and unbridled worship for a God led to a romantic encounter with the Jinn, and a reward for his unrequited 'love'; a better job, and a chance at success in America at last. A wish granted if you will. 

But even though that's what they seek, their egos can still be bruised, which brings us back to Shadow and his journey into faith. Because after a short discussion with Zorya Polunochnaya, where she points out the fact that Shadow believes in nothing and has nothing because of that, she provides him with a gift to match his last name, and in that instant something changes within Mister Moon. He suddenly sees an opportunity to do something special. After all, as a man with nothing to lose, why not try and roll the dice and see what happens, leading him to challenge Czernobog to another match of Checkers, and this time around Shadow wins, meaning that Czernobog will join them on their journey to Wisconsin and while the rematch may not have won Shadow more life, the fact that he believed in himself speaks volumes of things to come.

However, the most magical part of this episode, outright involved magic since to get more funds for the trip to the land of cheese, Mr. Wednesday needed Shadow's help to rob a bank, a move that turned out to be one of the most unexpected and hilarious moments on the show to date, but what mattered more about their interaction is that Wednesday asked Shadow to focus on one thing before the heist went down, snow...and lots of it. With nothing else to do on this day, Mister Moon complies and wouldn't you know it, snow comes to Chicago, leaving Shadow curious as to whether he conjured the snow himself, or if believing in the possibility was enough to help Wednesday make it happen. Regardless, for the first time in his life, Shadow is open to new avenues of thinking and he's finally starting to believe in something...the unknown, and his newfound belief is a wonderful gift for his devotion to Mr. Wednesday. Unfortunately however, his exploration into the mysterious may be put on hold since at the end of the episode we discover that Laura is alive and  well and ready to talk in Shadow's hotel room...

If anything, this has to be the best episode the series has put together to date, and we're only three episodes in, and I say that simply because everything worked in this story. Not a moment was wasted, the visuals were a true sight to behold and well, at this point...I'm truly rooting for Shadow because this episode finally made him one hundred percent relatable. We've all been or will be at a point in our lives where we feel like we are without direction or our faith in something else has been shattered and he represents the new beginning many of us have found when that happens, and also a fresh start for the Gods of old as well. Either way, this one was downright brilliant, and once again it ends in perfect fashion because I am dying to know more about how Laura Moon managed to come back from the dead. Until next time.

Inside each and every one of us, resides a calling if you will. That sense and feeling that we belong somewhere else in the world, doing something so special and so wonderful that nothing else in the universe will ever make us happy. Some of us answer that call, some of us do not, but when we feel it, the draw that comes with it, is incredibly strong.

It is the power of that calling that just so happened to be at the center of Doctor Who last night because the good Doctor was feeling the need to do what he does best...travel the universe and do wonderful things and it just so happened that a distress call from the stars sent him, Bill and Nardole on a fresh adventure that took them to a terrifying place floating about the void, and what happened after their arrival there made 'Oxygen' the most Doctor-centric episode of series ten to date, one that spoke to our purpose/calling in life, and what happens when we are deprived of that purpose.

But before we get too deep into the Doctor's personal and painful journey in this story, we need to highlight the fact that this particular tale took a page from last week's episode, 'Knock Knock', by once more peppering in some lovely genre blending by bringing horror back into the mix once again, delivering hints of Alien since something sinister was waiting in the shadows of Chasm Forge, the mining station where this episode was set. But instead of something big and slimy and scary waiting in said shadows, the show's second homage turned out to be Dawn of the Dead in space by giving us walking corpses who worked to add more unfortunate souls to their ranks with a mere touch, causing a twisted malfunction of a person's space suit and well...believe it or not, zombies in deep space work well on screen and I love the fact that the series continues to mix up the genres, and that this episode kept with the 'man is the monster' theme we've been seeing all year since it was a corporation that made these nightmares come to life.

All of that aside however, the Doctor's journey, and that calling I made mention of a moment ago, were the centerpieces of this episode and well...it was quite the sight to see the Doctor struggling in this story. The Oath he's taken, and the need to stay on Earth that comes with it, is truly starting to rattle him, to the point where he is fumbling when it comes to his own powerful lectures, and to see him staring out at the night sky full of wonder as to what adventures might be happening out there without him was downright heartbreaking. To be out there, in the middle of the void, making miracles happen as only he can is the Doctor's true purpose in life, and it's calling to him in powerful fashion, so it makes sense that he didn't hesitate to answer the distress call from Chasm Forge.

However, what made this storyline so incredibly fascinating, is that the Doctor is rusty. Sure we've traveled through time and space over the past few weeks, and we've even seen a little danger during these adventures, but nothing like what we found at Chasm Forge. There was a real risk that Bill, the Doctor or Nardole could have met a horrible end in this awful place and well, the Doctor was completely unprepared for what waited for him aboard this station. He made mistakes because he was a little too headstrong on wanting to immediately save lives and relish in the rush that comes with it, and sheer adventure for that matter, and this speaks to what happens when someone is robbed of that sense of purpose in their life; when the opportunity arrives to be back in the thick of it, they jump right back in, without a care in the world that consequences may come about from leaping without thinking.  

In the end however, I really enjoyed this episode. It once again balanced the scares in masterful fashion, while providing us with a fascinating mystery and adventure, but what really blew me away this go round, was Peter Capaldi's performance. Over the course of an hour, he was able to convey his need to be out amongst the stars and the frustration that comes with feeling rusty when you haven't done something for quite a while that used to be second nature, all with a simple look, and that speaks to Capaldi's skill as an actor and his understanding of how to play the Doctor since that mix conveyed a man who knew that mistakes were being made, but he had to remain confident and vigilant to keep people alive. Either way, it should be interesting to see what kind of long term repercussions come from this episode's events, after all...there's the whole matter with the Doctor's sight and the mystery of the Vault seems to be looming large over the whole story now. Until next time.

Often times when a television show goes on a tear when it comes to a particular theme or concept, you truly expect the series to maintain the status quo as the season rolls on, and as I settled in to watch the next episode of Battlestar Galactica, I indeed expected more of the same. I was ready to learn more about what season two had made a grand focus, in regards to death and how we face it, and as it turns out, 'The Captain's Hand' decided to surprise us all by going in a bold new direction...by taking the time instead to analyze the importance of life.

Granted this particular story did feature death and plenty of it, but once you get past the lives lost in this one, it truly is a celebration of life and the importance of preserving it and all of that was accomplished with two key storylines; wherein the show tackled abortion in its own special way and by having Lee spend some time aboard the Battlestar Pegasus as a consultant, with a shiny new promotion to Major, in the hopes of smoothing things out between Kara Thrace and the ship's Commander, a former engineer turned skipper of the boat named Barry Garner, and well...Lee's timing simply could not be better because things aboard Pegasus are a bit of a mess.

Because Garner, is a bit of a hard-ass, and not the productive kind that is tough but fair. He has little idea how to command a Battlestar and its vast and dynamic crew and that's precisely why he and Kara are butting heads and exactly why Lee needs to be there, especially when a pair of Raptors go missing because Garner gets the bright idea to jump the entire ship to the last known location of his men and in the process, flies the Pegasus right into a massive trap, one where the ship takes on serious damage to the point where Lee is left in charge while Garner does his best to repair said damage in order to keep his valiant crew alive and in doing so...the Commander sacrifices his life to get the ship back home. It's a stunning moment to say the least, because it's clear Garner suddenly came to realize keeping these people alive, whether they loved him or not mattered more and his sacrifice saved thousands of souls.  

However, the show wasn't quite done looking at the needs of the many, because back in the fleet, a young woman from Gemenon stows away to the Galactica in the hopes of seeing Doc Cottle, and the reason for making such a dangerous trek is simple...she wants to have an abortion. Unfortunately the people of Gemenon don't believe in such procedures, putting the President in a tough place, one where she has to decide as to whether or not she should respect a particular culture's beliefs since the young woman asks for asylum, until the Admiral points out that with so few humans left in existence, at some point the luxuries of old are no longer affordable, and that would include the ability to terminate a pregnancy, and after running the numbers with Vice President Baltar, Laura comes to realize Bill is right and puts a freeze on abortions, but not before the young woman from Gemenon gets her own mere hours before the Executive Order is put into motion, giving Laura one last sense of the old life and the freedom that everyone enjoyed before making a grand and sweeping effort to ensure the human race survives...

Either way, kudos to the show for briefly tackling an issue that continues to rage on to this day and finding a solution for it that works strictly for the story rather than trying to hammer out a solution for the real world and well, despite the darkness surrounding the death of Commander Garner, this was quite the uplifting episode. Lee found himself promoted, again, to Commander of the Pegasus, the fleet understands now that life matters above all else and I guess if there is only one other dark or concerning spot hanging over this one, it's that Baltar declared himself a presidential candidate for the upcoming election and I think we all know, that's a bad idea. However, I love the fact that the series closed out a dark story arc in positive fashion, and I'm quite curious to see where this new arc is taking us because I'm fairly certain this will all somehow tie together as the second season finale draws closer and closer. Until next time. 

I've spent a lot of time pondering on last night's episode of Designated Survivor, simply because I am truly torn as to whether or not I liked this particular story. It wasn't bad by any means, but it also was not the finest that the series has to offer and my mixed emotions on this one exist simply because...I really expected more from the penultimate episode of season one.

Because the plot line of 'Bombshell' had the makings of an instant classic. It put Tom Kirkman in a tough place when Abe Leonard dropped his big story about Al-Sakar not being responsible for the Capitol bombing and Hannah was trapped behind enemy lines, trying desperately to get into contact with her friends at the FBI to let them know about her whereabouts but alas, I walked away from this one not feeling the sense of danger or joy that I normally feel when watching this series and the reason for that is simple...very little was accomplished in this episode.

Normally this show is all about advancing the plot to some degree, especially when it comes to Patrick Lloyd and the whole mess with Browning Reed, but in this episode, nothing new was revealed in the slightest. Sure Hannah saw them loading explosives onto a smaller boat but outside of that, anything to do with Hannah was really nothing earth shattering and that's unfortunate. Plus, back at the White House the best laid plans by Mike and Chuck to expose the traitor failed miserably and well, even that felt out of place because Chuck is damn good at what he does and our NSA traitor doesn't seem smart enough, nor does Browning Reed and their cohorts seem concerned enough about being caught at this point to put the kind of wild technology featured in the closing moments of this episode on the traitor's laptop. 

Even the bombshell that reflects the episode's title was glossed over in quick fashion. The revelation that the White House is covering up a homegrown conspiracy and insurrection is a huge deal and the fact that foreign governments seemed concerned about it enough to table a nuclear peace agreement, but not  concerned enough to press Kirkman further on getting to the bottom of the story, before forgetting about it as quickly as they did, was just odd to see on a show this intelligent. However, there was one saving grace to this episode, the fact that President Kirkman was as awesome and optimistic as always. He still had hope for a better future, he still inspired others and really, you can't go wrong with that. Plus there were some wonderful moments of levity when it came to Seth getting a little air sick aboard Air Force One. 

Either way, this episode still continues to frustrate me because this was a grand opportunity to set up the season finale in epic fashion. The fallout from Abe's newspaper article at home could have played into Senator Bowman's hands and created some incredible dramatic tension, and Hannah's storyline could have set up a showdown with Lloyd and Browning Reed if we knew exactly what target was coming first and when. In the end however, this one simply came up short and it's a shame really because the tension and anticipation for next week's episode simply isn't there at the moment and we can only hope at this point that the season one finale has something special in store for us that will knock our socks off to make us forget about this one off episode on a show that often delivers world class storytelling. Until next time.

After four episodes that take us to some incredibly dark and powerful places, the kind where you need a few moments to process the horrors that you have just seen, leave it to The Handmaid's Tale to completely and utterly surprise the audience and take the story in a stunningly different direction, if only for a moment by delivering an episode of this powerful story that manages to be a bittersweet affair.

Yes, you read that right. 'Faithful' was not the usual quality gloom and doom that the show puts forth, this story actually managed to explore the wonder of love and our need to experience it in life, and as an added bonus, it truly took us into the hearts and minds of the people of Gilead, giving us powerful insight into the fact that not everything is quite what it seems here, along with insight into what several of the characters believe about the world they inhabit, and how few truly believe in what this twisted place stands for and because of that, resistance is continuing to gain momentum in this world in the most unexpected ways possible.

Take for example the whole notion of the ceremony. It is sacred in this world, it is necessity to procreate the species and...it would seem few truly believe in it's deeper meaning outside of men like the Commander. Because Mrs. Waterford takes a moment to propose something incredible and downright stunning to June; that Fred may in fact be sterile and that there is another way...they can enlist the help of Nick to get June pregnant. Which means it's clear that some of the most powerful women in Gilead have zero stock put into the ceremony and well, to know that one of the fundamental foundations of this new society is successful thanks to the help of men besides the Commanders, is quite the revelation and embarrassment for this way of life, and it didn't end there.

Because for weeks now, it seemed as though the Commander was going to be June's way out, that he despised the world he helped build and as it turns out, following a brief confrontation with June in his office after a lustful moment during the Ceremony, that I was wrong about the man, he will provide no salvation because the dear Commander is nothing but a coward and a strange representative of this disgusting new world. He has no machinations to see Gilead fall, in fact he does support it and what it stands for, but he's the type of man who enjoys the best of both worlds. He prefers to pretend there is disdain for Gilead in his heart by toying around with things that are taboo so he can bury himself in the cleansing vitriol the government provides. He is in many ways a parallel to active elements in modern day religion wherein some of these folks are happy to sin, but it's okay because they ask for forgiveness.

Yet while the Commander turned out to be a pathetic disappointment, the resistance building within the hearts of people like Mrs. Waterford and Nick, since he was happy to help in getting June pregnant, is popping up everywhere. The wife of the new Commander where Emily (now Ofsteven) is posted seems to be happy to avoid the Ceremony at all costs and Emily even found a unique opportunity to stick it to Gilead by commandeering a car and wiping out a member of the Eye. Granted, she'll no doubt face some terrifying consequences for her actions, but she clearly believes she has nothing to lose...and her actions served as an inspiration as well.

Because a little earlier on I made mention of love, and how much it matters to us and how much we need to feel it at any level, and Emily's bold moment reminded June of that fact and what made her story so interesting this week, is how much love and well...feeling alive was on her mind. We spent a lot of time exploring her past, how she met Luke, how they fell in love in quick and powerful fashion but tried to play their feelings off as nothing special since Luke was married at the time, and how that love eventually led to an affair and Luke leaving his wife because he knew what he had in June and he was far happier with her. 

But June's quest to feel desire or love goes beyond such simplicity, because the show was trying to tell us something far more powerful. That Gilead is an awful place because it robs human beings of their ability to feel...anything. There is no joy, no sorrow, no love, no desire to be found in this place. Heck there's not even fear at this point because everyone knows the Eyes are watching and have resigned themselves to what punishment awaits if they slip up so everyone just goes through the motions. They exist and they're miserable and we as a species need to feel something in order to find life worth living and that understanding, combined with Emily's heroism...led June to Nick to feel passion for the first time in years.

When all is said and done however, this episode was a welcome change of pace. An audience can only take incredible punishment for so long and the writer's room clearly delivered everyone a gift for enduring some serious suffering with this refreshing and slightly uplifting episode. I can't call it anything more than 'slight' because hey, Gilead still exists and it's still an awful place, but it's refreshing to know that people are finding a way to keep the old world alive, to respect one another and find joy in a world devoid of it. Either way, the cracks continue to grow in Gilead's foundation and it should be interesting to see where June and Nick's relationship goes from here, especially considering that Nick admitted to being a member of the Eyes...until next time...

The Marvel Cinematic Universe has accomplished a great many things, and from that giant list of accolades, what the entire MCU needs to be proud of the most; is the fact that their stories feature consequences. That's important when it comes to character growth and respecting your audience but most importantly adding consequences to a character's actions makes for a dynamic and powerful story and last night on Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., consequences took the center stage.

Because 'The Return' picked up immediately where last week left off, with everyone emerging from the Framework and working to acclimate themselves to the real world once again and alas...there was also some physical and immediate fallout from everyone's actions within that magical and terrible place. May was suffering from atrophy in her muscles for being inside there for so long. Yo-Yo was struggling with the fact that Mack refused to leave the Framework and to top it all off, Coulson and May still had to deal with multiple LMD's of the Superior and Aida was in possession of Fitz and making quite the attempt to woo him and control him as easily as she did within the Framework.

But, the real world certainly doesn't work the same and oddly enough, Aida/Ophelia or whatever the heck she wants to be called this week, dealt with the biggest consequences of all for her actions. For starters, a fully functioning human body comes with fully functioning human emotions, including guilt; which she felt in spades for more or less abandoning Fitz's friends and surrogate family and despite helping the team out and saving Mack from a watery grave, Aida's new emotions were dealt another blow when she and the team returned to what was left of S.H.I.E.L.D. HQ when Fitz revealed that there is not enough room in his heart for two loves, and that Aida has to deal with the fact that Jemma is the only woman he wants in his life. 

That moment was enough to break her and that's when things got ugly. Because Aida made great use of her new Inhuman powers and went on a tear throughout the base, violently murdering anyone she came in contact with and well...this was simply a stunning sequence to watch since Aida is more or less a child emotionally and dangerous because of that since she is able to wield incredible power without an understanding of how or why she's doing something in particular and really...the greatest part about this whole storyline is that this is the amalgamation of consequences for everything that's happened in season four. From the Darkhold, to the Framework, and the LMD work that Radcliffe put together, this is the price that everyone pays as their world continues to fall apart and S.H.I.E.L.D. will have to figure out how to save the world from this creation without its usual resources available to it.

However, there is some good news when it comes to the fight. Because in the closing moments of the show, the portal that brought Fitz and Coulson back from that strange place between worlds opened up once again...and the Ghost Rider came through and since Aida was created by the Darkhold, perhaps this being with ties to the supernatural will serve as the perfect way to stop her. Either way, I loved this episode through and through. Once again the story was cooking and not a single minute was wasted and it's wonderful to know that Fitz is going to do his best to set those bad memories and digital actions right and this was simply an incredible setup for next week's season finale and I cannot wait to see how this ugly mess that the Darkhold created, gets resolved. Until next time.

When it comes to dealing with a particular enemy in a superhero story, the plan to bring them down is usually pretty simple; figure out the villain's weaknesses and stay a step ahead of them and our hero will come out on top. But...if the villain knows what's coming, and can figure out our hero's every single move...is there a way that the good guy can ever win?

It is that notion that just so happened to be at the forefront of last night's episode of ​The Flash, and 'Cause and Effect' turned out to be quite the intense story because it wasted no time in giving us exactly what we wanted by revealing Savitar's origin story at last before setting into motion a plan for Barry to fight this darker version of himself...with some interesting effects to say the least. But, first up, let's take a moment and discuss Savitar's beginnings because that turned out to be quite the fascinating tale thanks to its sheer complexity and the outright tragedy it brings to the table.

Because as it turns out, Savitar is a Time Remnant, like the one Barry made to deal with Zoom, and he was created by the more brooding Barry Allen we met in the future to help fight Savitar. But once the battle came to a close, this 'clone' of Barry was still carrying around the pain of a life without Iris, and when he combined that with the new ache of not being accepted by those who created him, he turned to a life of vengeance wherein he would have to go back in time to hurt present day Barry Allen in order to exist in the first place. If that seems like an excessively detailed origin story, it most certainly is, in fact that basically means that Flashpoint has become a temporal causality loop, one worthy of ​Star Trek. But thankfully, the knowledge that Savitar is indeed a future version of Barry Allen gives Cisco quite the idea on how to possibly beat this vengeful foe.

After all, if Savitar/Barry has the real Barry's memories to help guide him through what comes next, why not stop present day Barry from making new ones, that way the team can put together a plan to stop Savitar and he'll never know what hits him. It's a sound idea, one that Barry goes along with, but sadly without the same intimate knowledge that Caitlin has about the human brain, their idea comes with some serious repercussions. Barry loses all of his memories and his identity and thanks to the causality loop, Wally loses his powers as well, leaving Juilan and Cisco, and surprisingly Caitlin/Killer Frost scrambling to set things right, and once you get free of the time travel stuff, of which there is plenty, this story quickly becomes focused on celebrating our past while pointing out the danger of letting our most painful experiences consume us and define us. 

Eventually though, Barry gets his memories back and while this plan didn't quite accomplish what everyone hoped for, our favorite speedster did find value in his pain for the first time ever and on the plus side...the Speed Force Bazooka is close to being ready to trap Savitar, it just needs one last thing to make it wok. Either way, I really did appreciate how this episode took the time to teach Barry another valuable lesson in no longer messing with the past and it was equally awesome to know that Caitlin still exists somewhere beneath that icy exterior and while this one didn't exactly push the plot forward, it was a necessary tale to explain what makes our hero and our villain such polar opposites, and that in way we truly do control our own fate, especially when it comes to which emotions we let rule our lives. Until next time. 

First, a brief reminder: While I will freely discuss the events of the first two episodes and their counterparts in the book, I will not spoil anything from the book which has yet to appear in the show.
 
With episode 2, we finally begin to move away from introductions and world-building and into the meat and potatoes of the plot itself: the Old Gods and the New are diametrically opposed, and they are all interested in Shadow. I’m sorry to say this episode left me feeling a little lost, simply because it defied my book-based expectations in so many ways. After a bit of thought, it’s actually left me rather intrigued, but I couldn’t quite shake the feeling of foreignness overhanging the whole episode, and although it’s a welcome return of one of the feelings I got reading the book, it’s also a bit jarring in how confidently and dramatically it’s eschewed my expectations. What changes am I really thinking about?
Let’s begin.

One smaller example is the character Shadow passes in the Diner, with the strange glasses, confirmed in the credits as “The Jinn,” he appears in the book in one of the “Somewhere in America sections,” which is how our sexual predator/goddess Bilquis was introduced in the last episode. On the one hand, pulling this character forward for a momentary appearance seems almost pointless: they either lose out on his “Somewhere in America” section (which saves them time but would seem to do nothing else,) or include it anyway and give us information about a character who, so far, has no visible impact on our main story. In the end they only have so many episodes to work with and compacting or omitting things is going to be necessary, and removing one of the side-stories that serves as one of several examples of the state of the Old Gods makes far more sense than removing some part of Shadow’s story. Retaining him in such a trivial manner leaves me wondering why they bothered at all. What do we gain from leaving him in? That said, I’ll admit it is efficient, if unfortunate. As the Harry Potter films taught us, we can’t have everything on the screen.

Speaking of Bilquis, it seems the showrunners intend to do more with her than the book did. She appears on only a few occasions in the book and never gets the kind of focus she did in this episode. An important difference that occurred to me only after I finished writing last week is that, in the novel, she is a streetwalker, but in the show she is using modern dating apps for easy hookups. Any potential commentary on changing social norms aside, she struggles in the book to turn tricks and carefully selects her “worshippers” so as to avoid undue suspicion, and she limps by on whatever tribute she can scrounge up. Bilquis appears in the show to be having a much easier time of it, and to potentially be experiencing a return of some of her power. In addition to making me wonder if she’ll play a bigger role in the show than the book, it also creates a new and fascinating idea: that technology (which, remember, is one of the things opposed to the Old Gods,) has actually made life easier for this particular Old God. Where might her loyalties lie, then, as sides are chosen and battle lines are drawn? I’m excited to see where she’ll go from here, and delighted at this particular method of modernizing the book; while Technical Boy’s limo and digital trickery seemed to be an aesthetic modernization and nothing more, Bilquis’ new position feels natural and smart.

As far as “Coming to America” and “Somewhere in America” stories go, the one at the beginning of this episode, featuring the slaves on the ship, is almost completely different from its novel counterpart, but, by virtue of its only purpose being an introduction, avoids causing any problems. I always expected it to be shortened, since the book’s version is about eighteen pages long, but it has experienced some larger changes in its material as well. While it’s a bit more broad in scope in the book, serving as an example of the travels of gods and one of the ways they struggle in America, it’s used in the show to introduce us to another God…who has yet to actually appear in the main story. To that end, the segment serves its purpose, but I will say that this God’s character seems quite different from my conclusions based on his book description. Obviously we all imagine characters in different ways when we read books, and I won’t make the arrogant argument that my imaginings were definitive, but I can’t deny it felt discomfiting; unlike Bilquis' new methods this God doesn’t seem updated, just different.

What's interesting about superheroes as a whole, is that what they stand for and what they represent changes as the years go by to properly relate to their audience and to remain relevant with the times. But despite the changes that have come down the pipe as time marches on, there are a pair of superheroes who seemingly withstand whatever history throws their way to represent one thing, and one thing alone...hope; and those two heroes in question, just so happen be to the last children of the doomed planet of Krypton.

Because when you think of Supergirl and Superman, you instantly think of good, and their powers and how they always do the right thing and the hope they inspire and the joy they bring to millions of readers has always served as a building block to their stories. So much in fact that Supergirl the TV series spent most of season one exploring how Kara Danvers won over the hearts and minds of the people of National City and how she inspires people to be something more now that she is the established defender of this beautiful city. But let's be honest, that message has taken a bit of a back seat for season two of the show and with good reason. The writers have had a grand opportunity to adapt Supergirl to the times and tackle some of the burning issues facing our society. But last night's episode, 'City of Lost Children', brought hope and inspiration back to the forefront in the most unlikely of ways, by giving James Olsen some serious screen time and a chance to apply what Kara and Clark have taught him.

His opportunity to do good in a different way came about shortly after the realization that his alter ego, the Guardian was not seen as the beacon of hope that Kara or Clark represents, he instead stood for fear and that wasn't settling well with him. It made him rethink everything he was currently doing as the Guardian and an odd set of circumstances set James down a path of personal redemption. Because a random attack by a telekinetic alien brought James into contact with said alien's son, named Marcus, and the two discovered they shared a near instant bond, to the point where James offered to take the kid under his wing in the hopes of getting him to open up and reveal his mother's location so the DEO could figure out what caused her to attack since her species, the Phorians, are not known for being hostile and well, this made for some fantastic television.

James receiving some serious screen time was well overdue and it was quite magical to see him struggle with finding a true heroic purpose in life and open up to young Marcus about his past and his pain and it was equally as wonderful to see him go the extra mile to make sure that Marcus and his family, and extended family for that matter were safe, but alas...despite the wonder of James' tale this go round, it was indeed overshadowed by a far more powerful storyline, Queen Rhea making her move. Because it turns out she was responsible for the random attack since her work with Lena was generating particles in the atmosphere that prompted the Phorians to strike and to make matters worse, those particles were related to a grander plan, because the gateway she introduced to Lena was built to perfection, allowing for other Daxamites from across the galaxy to cross through the portal and arrive on earth, where Queen Rhea is planning to rebuild Daxam atop our world.

If anything, this was quite the surprising episode. Because not only was it a lovely character study of James Olsen, it was also quite the incredible setup for the season finale, and there's still an episode left before we get there, and one truly has to appreciate the calm that Queen Rhea operates with because she's not a traditional villain. She knows how to bide her time, how to win you over before unleashing hell and she's so good at deception, she managed to break down her only son and convince him to not put an end to all of this madness. Either way, what comes next should be downright amazing, because Supergirl is going to have her hands full trying to deal with hundreds of ships full of super-powered Daxamites and it is going to take every ounce of her strength and courage to save the earth from this ugly mess. Until next time.

When it comes to our favorite television shows, iconic moments are one of the many reasons that we bother to tune in. We simply crave those incredible, game changing moments when the landscape of the show is forever altered because it means the series in question is willing take risks to not only entertain us, but provide us with an experience. Sometimes shows pepper in these moments at random, leaving us in shock when the dust has settled, or in the case of Better Call Saul, they set them up in such incredible fashion that we just about count down the minutes until that iconic moment arrives. 

Because for the past two and a half seasons, we have watched James and Chuck McGill go back and forth in heartbreaking fashion, wherein Jimmy has done his best to turn his life around from a life of crime and shady dealings in order to receive acceptance from the brother he loves and admires, only to learn that Chuck firmly believes his little brother doesn't deserve to be a lawyer, that he is somehow sullying the law by practicing it, setting these two men on a path toward an inevitable showdown and it is that showdown that fans of this series have been waiting for with baited breath and at long last...that moment arrived between the two of them last night and after this nothing will ever quite be the same for the Brothers McGill because 'Chicanery' was a devastating and powerful episode, one that was filled to the brim with moments we will never forget. 

But, before we dig too deeply into Jimmy's hearing with the State Bar, we need to take a little time today and discuss what we learned about Chuck last night because the story did take a lot of time to give us some serious insight into the man, and as it turns out, pride and image are extremely important to Chuck and there is a fair chance that the end of his marriage shattered him in ways we may never understand. Case in point, the flashback this episode treated us to, where we saw Jimmy once again doing anything to help out his big brother by helping Chuck get the inside and the outside of the house cleaned up, because Rebecca was back in town and the time had come for Chuck to charm her and woo her once again over a lovely candlelight dinner. 

However, these intricate preparations were also designed to hide Chuck's 'condition' since he also put together an elaborate story as to why the power was out when she arrived and all of this effort and deception turned out to be a waste of time because a cell phone call from Rebecca's boss, sent Chuck into a downward spiral where he was not only incredibly rude to his ex-wife, he actually bothered to dig deeper into the lie, citing bad manners on her part as to why his attitude changed and he also made sure that Jimmy swore to never tell her about his condition and it was clear in that moment, how Chuck is perceived by others matters above all else. He must be viewed as a classy and intelligent lawyer and to be see as anything else is downright unacceptable.