​I rarely find myself extra excited to watch a particular television series that I already adore, but Preacher is that kind of unique series that can accomplish such a feat because last week’s episode truly set the stage for something special when it comes to the overall season story arc and that left me counting down the minutes until last night’s episode, ‘Les Enfants du Sang’, simply because I had the funny feeling that just about every single storyline introduced this season was about to kick into overdrive and suffice to say that my anticipation was rewarded in epic fashion since this particular tale delivered in just about every single way imaginable.
 
In fact, this story found a way to tie together all kinds of loose ends, since we were able to catch up with Eugene Root in this one and watch him have the opportunity to discover first-hand what happened to Annville. And while the realization that his home and likely everyone he ever loved are gone forever should have broken him, he somehow found purpose in tragedy and came to believe that God has some kind of special purpose for him and that new line of thinking will be put to the test in the coming days since the Saint of Killers was able to put the young man in shackles with ease before venturing out back into the world to get his hands on the other loose soul from Hell, Adolf Hitler…
 
But, while I thought that the hunt for Hitler was going to be resolved in this episode as well, there were bigger fish to fry in this particular tale, like catching up with Cassidy so we could learn more about the vampire he encountered last week and as it turns out, this part of the story ended up being the most fascinating part of the night since this turned out to be quite the character study for Cassidy. Because spending time with Eccarius shook up Cassidy’s world, and once again put his loneliness and disdain for vampirism on display. But despite his dislike of that world and everything it stands for, he’s hurt, and he’s desperate to feel needed and wanted and the possibility of having an eternal best friend, is a temping idea indeed.
 
Yet, while Cassidy was working on himself, Jesse and Tulip raced against time to save Gran’Ma, because her death would mean Tulip’s as well and this dynamic duo called upon their past experiences in crime to rob Sabina/Madame Boyd blind of all the souls she’s collected in order to keep the old monster going and well, they pulled it off and healed Gran’Ma and this even served as a grand opportunity to make a voodoo power play as well since Jody was able to wipe out Sabina’s crew and capture the infamous Madame Boyd so that Gran’Ma could enjoy her competitor’s soul and well, all of this bloodshed prompted Jesse to make a power play of his own so that he could be free of the debt at last, and he made the decision to finally call the Grail.
 
Which was a fine decision because things are grim there as well. For the Allfather decided it was high time to pay Herr Starr a visit in person to discuss the final plans for the End of the World and it would seem, with a mere command, the Allfather will reign down a nuclear fire upon the world and rebuild it from the ashes, a plan that Starr doesn’t quite agree with and well, that’s where this episode leaves us, with a hell of an apocalypse hanging high over everyone’s head, and what a magnificent episode this turned out to be. Not only did it give us some juicy plot points to chew on, and a reason for Jesse to rise up as a hero, but it was fast paced and downright hilarious and well, once again, it’s time to watch the clock and endure a painful wait until Sunday because right now, this series is delivering some epic storytelling and I’m dying to know what comes next. Until next time. 

​Over the past few weeks, we’ve come to learn plenty about a unique area of our world, thanks to the BBC America documentary, South Pacific. For instance, this series has shown us that this chain of islands has in essence, defied the odds at every single turn, allowing for life to exist in a place where technically it should not due to its extreme isolation from the rest of the world. But, thanks to mankind’s desire to explore and expand, and nature’s ability to make the impossible, possible, life has found a foothold here, making the South Pacific a beautiful and majestic place.
 
However, while wonder and awe have been the central focus of this documentary early on, one can never forget, that there are no easy journeys in this world, and life in the South Pacific is as rough and tough as it is elsewhere in the globe, and last night’s episode of the series, ‘Endless Blue’, felt the need to explore a somewhat gritter aspect of this tropical paradise and it found a way to look at exactly how tough it is to survive in this place in the most unique way imaginable; with a brief history lesson that found a way to permeate the fabric of this entire episode, by way of the story of the crew of the Essex.
 
Now for those unfamiliar with this tale, the Essex was a whaling vessel that was sunk by a sperm whale in the South Pacific in 1820, and the survivors of that attack, had to survive for 90 plus days in this region and they were some of the first humans to learn just how tough it is to see another day in this place and their journey served as the gateway to explore how hard it is for every species out there to survive in this paradise and really, the first real visual that hammered this point home, was a place known as the ‘Desolate Region’, where the water is devoid of life thanks to a barrier well below the surface of the water and it was just incredible to know that such a place exists.
 
But, a ‘watery desert’ isn’t the only element that makes survival rough out here, the sheer size of the Pacific Ocean contributes to the trials and tribulations of wildlife since food is scarce. But as is always the case, life finds a way to make things work and many species have created a balanced food chain in order to see another sunrise and while all of this sounds bleak for a documentary, the darker parts of this tale merely served as the setup for far more wonderful moments since the show was kind enough to take us to the Oases that hide in the South Pacific, where survival is a little easier for the creatures of the seas.
 
Yet, while this one had some tougher moments to endure, it was still an amazing ride to say the least. In part because I was fascinated with how this episode integrated the story of the Essex into a modern day look at the South Pacific, but also because, it truly did end on a high note. Because, despite the tough stuff we had to sit through in this tale, when all is said and done, this story served as a fine reminder that life does go on, and there’s plenty of beauty out there to bookend the sad stuff, and well, you really can’t go wrong with a documentary that’s willing to give you the straight story and as is always the case with this series I’m hungry to learn more, and I’ll be counting down the minutes until next week’s episode. Until then. 

​I personally think it’s an awesome thing when a television series puts forth an episode that more or less leaves you speechless because that’s when you know said series has reached a proverbial apex. Because if there’s little on your mind once that particular tale has come to an end, it’s done its job. It has sucked you in and taken you for one hell of a ride and you were captivated by every single second of it and that’s precisely what happened to me with last night’s episode of Cloak & Dagger.
 
Because for a good ten minutes after watching ‘Back Breaker’, I merely stared at my television in silence over everything I’d just watched play out on screen and oddly enough, the only words that made their way to my buddy Dave (who joined us for a podcast about the show last week) were ‘wow’ several times over and really, what made this episode so incredibly impressive were a pair of key elements. The first one being, that the show did something you rarely see in superhero stories, wherein it in essence laid out the journey our characters were going to go on in this tale, something that took me aback at first, but made sense as the story rolled on because in essence, the show was doing its best to prepare the audience for the fact that we were about to bear witness to Tandy and Tyrone’s darkest hours and it was going to be a bumpy ride.
 
In fact, while it was nice of the show to provide us with that particular courtesy, it barely softened the blow of what happened to these two magnificent characters because my goodness, we’ve never seen them lower than they were in this tale. I mean, come on, Tandy was straight up stealing hope from people’s minds in order to enjoy a brand new high and some semblance of joy in her life and Tryone…well his anger was in essence unleashed in this story since he didn’t exactly receive a hero’s thank you for getting Connors arrested and it was just fascinating and important to see them fall from grace and be forced to finally face their past and their pain because the time has come at last for them save lives, whether they like it or not.
 
But while the cliffhanger ending sets the stage for one hell of a season finale, and while this would be a fine opportunity to speculate upon what comes next since Tandy’s mom and Tyrone are in some serious trouble at the moment, I’m compelled to return to the ‘lessons’ on superheroes that this episode provided us with simply because, I felt it got one of those lessons wrong. Because one particular line (and I paraphrase), revolving around how heroes are in essence weak and reflect our inability to rise up to become something better simply rubbed me the wrong way, in large part due to the fact that heroes like Tandy and Tyrone represent the best parts of us. They rise above their pain and suffering to inspire us to be better, and the more I ponder on that aspect of the story, the more I wonder if it was done on purpose.
 
For in many ways, the city of New Orleans in this particular tale is without hope and direction, and the character that spoke those words has some dark clouds hanging over his mind as well, so perhaps this was all a setup, to give everyone that hope. Because it’s inherently clear now that the mysterious element is starting to break loose, and that Tandy and Tryone are going to have to fight the very thing they saw in Ivan Hess’ memories from eight years ago and perhaps in doing so, in overcoming their woes and their pain…they will prove Father Delgado wrong and inspire the city in magnificent fashion and the chance to see to them finally put their demons to bed, and be beacons of light and hope…has me supremely excited to watch next week’s season finale and see this powerful story come to a powerful and likely moving conclusion. Until next time. 

When it comes to AMC’s Preacher, I’ve gotten used to the fact that the audience is either going to be treated to a slow burning story when they tune in, or one that suddenly vaults the plot forward in epic and powerful fashion. That’s not a bad thing by any means, it’s simply how this show does business and it’s made Jesse Custer’s story about as entertaining as can be over the past several years. So, imagine my surprise, when I settled in to enjoy last night’s episode, ‘The Coffin’, only to find that this series is evolving and learning how to create hybrid stories that retain the character focused slow burn style that the show is known for, while peppering in some big and juicy plot twists.
 
Because that’s precisely what last night’s episode featured through and through, starting with Cassidy’s journey in this tale, since he found himself looking for love in the Big Easy now that he was back home and well, it was just fascinating to know that really, Cassidy’s problem in life is that he’s desperate to be accepted and loved by someone and despite being fooled by a vampire dating app and finding himself alone once again, it would seem that his world is about to get a whole lot more interesting now that he’s been kidnapped by a secret order of vampire aficionados known as Les Enfants du Sang and well, the ebb and flow of Cassidy’s story, with moments of intimacy and pain followed by this little twist was just brilliant, and it didn’t end there.
 
For back in Angelville, it was time for something we’ve all been waiting for since Jesse and his troupe arrived in this musky and disgusting place…a showdown with Gran’Ma, and all of this was motivated by the fact that Cassidy had escaped the clutches of the Tombs and well, that discovery led to one of the funniest moments of the night as Jesse and Tulip found themselves in a fist fight with T.C. and Jody, one that they lost, which left Tulip locked up and Jesse, back in the coffin he so hates at the bottom of the swamp and therein lies the slow part of his story, because Jesse was forced to face his past and his fears while at the bottom of the water and eventually, he came to realize he had power over a great many things in life and escaped his watery tomb in creative and explosive fashion. 

But while Jesse worked to figure out how to deal with his fears and escape the swamp, Tulip put quite the plan in motion. Because one way or another, Gran’Ma was going to pay for what she’s done to her and Jesse, with her life if necessary and Tulip spent a fair part of the hour demonstrating her incredible intellect as she outfoxed Jody, and escaped her chains, leading to the all-important confrontation with Gran’Ma, wherein she asked nicely to have the old bird release Jesse from the curse and let them leave before things got violent and that’s when the biggest twist of the night came into play since we discovered…that dear ol’ Gran’Ma and Tulip’s lives are tied together as an insurance policy for Gran’Ma and if the old lady dies, so does Tulip which means that the Custer matriarch is going to have to survive and thrive if Tulip wants to see another day.
 
Yet, while these storylines are dark in their own right, there was some lightheartedness to be found in this tale, thanks to Herr Starr and the Grail. Because this episode finally allowed for us to meet the Allfather, the supreme (and supremely starving) leader of the Grail, who wanted to know if the Messiah’s training had fully prepared him to be the Savior of mankind and, uh, yeah…Humperdoo was anything but ready. But…he did something of consequence, a beautiful song and dance number and watching the Messiah work it with his tap shoes on had to be one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen when it comes to this series and this little sequence was a welcome respite from the heavier moments present.
 
Because despite the laughs, Gran’Ma is still quite ill and in desperate need of a soul to feed upon and it would seem that’s going to be the focus for this plot line in the days to come, getting Gran’Ma back on her feet. As to whether or not that will get her to let Jesse and Tulip out of their soul binding contracts has yet to be seen but in the here and the now, what a magnificent episode. This one really highlighted why Preacher is such a unique series and I loved this new style of storytelling through and through since we learned plenty about our characters, all while getting some thrills and spills and I’m quite curious to see if this hybrid style is going to stick around in the weeks to come. Until next time.    

I’ve always found it utterly incredible how nature finds a way to accomplish the impossible. For instance, there are places on this planet, that should not have any shred of life thanks that area’s climate or remote location, yet life finds a way to thrive there and I always find myself in awe when life is discovered in these remote places. But what’s more impressive about all of this, is how various beings find their way to places like this and last night, South Pacific on BBC America took the time to explore this by way of the next chapter in this fascinating journey, ‘Castaways’.
 
Now, our voyage in this tale started on New Guinea, wherein we learned that some of the species there, felt the need to spread their proverbial and literal wings, and the ones that could traverse the incredible distance between New Guinea and the Solomon Islands found new roots there, and brought a little bit of home with them in the process. Because the fruit bats that made it there brought seeds with them on their journey, allowing for all kinds of trees to thrive in a place they never existed before. But while this colonization of the Solomon’s was incredible in its own right, the story became a touch more harrowing after that.
 
Because the distance between these islands grows larger the further one goes, which means the varietals of species found on these islands is far less than that of New Guinea and the Solomon’s, but life is there none the less and this is where nature came into play, since cyclones and tsunamis dissipated over or struck these islands respectively, bringing with them only the strongest of species, the kind that figured out how to thrive in these tiny remote places. And I was especially impressed by the story of the birds that can fly for four years that appeared in this segment, since they also managed to colonize their own little corner of this world and that coconuts can also help to bring life to remote places simply by floating in the ocean and taking root in a brand-new place.
 
However, there is of course one species on this planet that can easily find a way to reach any corner of this world, and humanity has played its part in bringing life to these islands as well. Because once the boats were loaded up ages ago with every necessary item to continue our way of life, humans often missed the stowaway species that were there to feast on some of the supplies and once mankind arrived at their destination, these stowaways settled down in their new home and it was quite cool to learn how mankind figured out how to traverse the empty sea between these islands and how the ways of the first people that made it to the South Pacific, the Lapita, are still practiced thousands of years later.
 
If anything, this episode gave me pause. Because it really helped me to understand just how everything on this planet is connected and this story really hammered home how something as devastating as a storm or a wave can also generate life and it was also incredible to see how humanity has learned to respect nature in these remote places and how hard these people work to live in harmony with it and well, I simply can’t wait for more. I really had no idea how much there was to learn about these beautiful islands, and it’s going to be an utter delight to settle in and discover more about the South Pacific and all of its beauty. Until next time. 

​You know, the more episodes I watch when it comes to NBC’s Timeless, the more I understand the outright frustration of every Clockblocker out there. Because this show is about as smart as they come, and it’s just a delight and well, my understanding of why everyone wants to see a third season or two hour finale of this show was solidified shortly after I finished the second episode of this series, ‘The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln’, because this particular tale truly put on display everything that this series could accomplish with a few more years under its belt.
 
Because if there’s one particular trope in time travel related stories that is rarely challenged or even addressed in the slightest, it’s the moral complications that come with the notion of traveling through time in general, and that’s really what this episode focused upon. Because the Time Trio really was presented with quite the opportunity here, in that they could have saved Abraham Lincoln’s life and potentially alter history for the better, and I love how the trio took the time to debate the potential pros and cons of such a move and the God complex that can come about from the act of altering history, since they would in essence begin to toy with who lives and who dies. 
 
It’s just rare to see such matters addressed in a series like this, and quite frankly, it added a welcome depth to the characters. Because while we know they have a solid moral core through and through, at least pondering on the notion showed off their human side since we all play the game of ‘what if?’ from time to time and it made all three of them relatable on an incredible level. And speaking of their moral code, I would venture to say that this episode also serves as the first time that they truly show off their abilities as heroes in general because my goodness, did they pull off some incredible feats in this particular tale, and what they did was downright inspiring.
 
I mean, think about it for a moment. They put themselves in harm’s way in order to preserve decades of history and billions of lives, without giving it a second thought and that’s just magnificent, and I loved watching them in essence turn into the heroes that I was introduced to in the second season all on a moment’s notice. It’s almost as if a switch simply came on for all of them in this particular story, and while they have their flaws and their respective pain, (in fact the moment where Wyatt realizes that he has no one to call gave me pause) they put all of that aside to do the right thing and well, it doesn’t get more inspiring and more beautiful than that.
 
But what’s truly impressive about all of these elements, is that this is what the audience is treated to just two episodes into the series. It usually takes shows years to get this kind of character development in place, or to challenge the genre it represents, while it took this series no time at all to make all of that happen. It just speaks to the fact that this series was flat out ahead of its time and that it features some damn fine writing and it goes back to my earlier point, it really deserved more love and care because this kind of quality storytelling…is downright special. Until next time.  

​You know, there’s really no way to sugar coat the fact that this spring was downright brutal for fans of various television shows everywhere. Because the networks went on a wholesale cancellation spree, bidding farewell to one beloved series after another. But of the many, many shows that left the airwaves in 2018, I think perhaps the one that pained its fanbase the most, was NBC’s Timeless and the drawn-out farewell that surrounded it.
 
Because not only did it take forever to even receive the unfortunate news that the series would not be returning for a third season, but everyone is still in the dark as to whether or not the proposed two-hour super finale is going to receive the green light or not, and the unknown is a tough place for any fan to reside. But, while we wait to hear as to whether or not this series will receive a proper ending, I thought it was high time to complete the Time Trio’s journey on my end since I came into the show in the middle of season two and what better a way to celebrate this magnificent series than by looking back at the titular first season, starting with the ‘Pilot’ episode.
 
Now, when settling in to watch this all important first jaunt through the timestream, I have to admit that I was caught off guard by how slick this first episode turned out to be. Because often times, pilot episodes feel rough, since the cast, crew, and the Writer’s Room haven’t quite found their voice, but that simply wasn’t the case with this particular tale. Everything here felt established and I love the fact that this pilot isn’t cringeworthy or awkward, it’s just quality storytelling through and through and it does a fine job of setting up the wild adventure to come and all of these elements made this episode a blast to watch and I now understand how so many people fell in love with it from the get go.
 
But truly, the centerpiece for me when it comes to this first adventure, are Lucy, Wyatt and Rufus. Because it’s the Time Trio that makes this story work in the first place and there some supremely special moments to be found in this tale when it comes to these magnificent heroes and it was so cool to see this group jell together so quickly once they start their mission and it was equally as awesome to see how quickly they embrace their roles as heroes and how much good is residing within their souls and well, when all is said and done, this may actually be one of the finest pilot episodes I’ve ever seen in my life time.
 
Because everything about this episode works and I love that all of the elements that sucked me in when I started season two were present here, because that means this series never lost sight of what it wanted to accomplish, and it stayed consistent throughout its brief run, which is quite the miracle in its own right. But most importantly, it’s just a delight to be reunited with this group once again, and I’m glad I waited a little while before starting these Retro Recaps simply because a little time away after the bad news has given me a newfound appreciation for this wonderful show and now if you’ll excuse me, through the wonder of Hulu, it’s time to consume another adventure, so I can geek out about it with the rest of you fine folks as soon as possible. Until next time. 

​The more time I’ve had to think about the ending of last week’s episode of Preacher, the more I’ve found myself worrying about Jesse Custer’s mental state. After all, saving his best friend or not, there was a real negative weight and gravity to Jesse’s actions when it comes to Cassidy, and it definitely seemed as though said actions, while noble in his own mind, were a direct result of the dark and disturbing place that Angelville has turned out to be and for the first time ever on this series, it seems as though Jesse’s soul and mind are corrupted and as it turns out, Jesse’s true mental state and motivations were put on display in last night’s episode of the show, ‘The Tombs’.
 
However, as this show is wont to do, the exact answers to our questions weren’t presented to us in quick and simple fashion. We had to work for it and I won’t lie, for a fair chunk of this episode, it truly seemed as though that Jesse Custer was irrevocably as lost as the souls that populate the Tombs. Because Jesse simply wasn’t himself in this tale, as he egged on the drunks and the junkies that found their way to the Tombs to enjoy a little bloodlust and there was real darkness on display in his eyes when he went so far as to hurt Cassidy both emotionally and physically, and that kind of behavior, along with what we learned about Jesse’s past, only added to the worry on my mind.
 
Because this tale also took the time to catch up with Tulip and Madame Boyd, and during their time together we learned about how the Madame, who is really named Sabina Boyd, used to date Jesse when they were teenagers, and that he broke her heart not once, but twice. The first time came about when he made it clear that he shouldn’t be hanging out with trash like her and the second time came about when her brother died in a fight with Jesse in the Tombs and all of this information gave Tulip pause as to what the love of her life is all about, and she even saw his darkness on display first hand as Jesse took the time to beat the living crap out of Cass.
 
But as it turns out, all of this…was a smokescreen. Because in reality, Jesse was trying to save his love and his best buddy, and anyone from his past from the horrors of Angelville and the power of his Gran’Ma and he put up an evil front to push them away. It’s something that Tulip was able to see through, but not Cassidy, who left Angelville in an honorable huff (since he didn’t use the Love Spell on Tulip after all) and after a brief but honest confrontation between Jesse and Tulip, it would seem that there is some peace between them at last, but trouble still waits on the horizon for this couple because Jesse is still under Gran’Ma’s voodoo thumb, but there may be a cure for that problem, if Tulip decides to take Madame Boyd’s violent and vengeful advice when it comes to Gran’Ma…
 
If anything, the ending of this particular tale turned out to be quite the relief. Because let’s be honest, one big reason we all watch this show is because Jesse Custer is a flawed hero, one that will throw down as necessary but believes in a better world and seeing him corrupted, would be a terrible thing and while it would seem that this particular issue is now resolved, new problems are now presenting themselves. After all, the Grail is following Cassidy back to the Big Easy and the Saint of Killers, is back on the prowl for both of Satan’s missing souls, and Jesse of course and well, I love the fact that just like that, the overall story is rolling again and that makes me wonder whether or not our time in Angelville, is coming to an end. Until next time.

​Sometimes it’s quite humbling to ponder upon how much mankind has accomplished. We’ve wiped out diseases, been to the moon and discovered so much about our world and our environment that it seems as though, there’s little left to uncover about planet Earth, and we should instead turn our attention to the stars. But that line of thinking is in fact, incorrect. There’s still so much we don’t understand about this tiny blue ball we call home and our lack of complete knowledge when it comes to planet Earth is why I’m so thankful that there are networks out there who continually provide us with documentaries and specials about our planet that motivate and inspire others to seek out the unknown.
 
As it turns out, BBC America is one such network that is all about educating as many people as possible about our world and this summer, teaching us about the wonders of our home is going to be their focus and last night, saw the beginning of a wonderful six-part series about a part of our world that I personally knew very little about, the South Pacific, and well, judging from what ‘Ocean of Islands’ had to offer, it’s clear we are going to be in for quite the treat because this magnificent tale, one narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch for that matter, was loaded to the brim with all kinds of incredible moments and facts. For instance, I learned in this premiere, that these isolated islands are surprisingly interconnected to one another in unique ways.
 
Case in point, I did not have a clue that the cool and temperate waters that surround MacQuarie Island travel an incredible distance to the Galapagos Islands and allow for species that normally thrive elsewhere in the world to survive there. Plus, it was equally as fascinating to learn how cyclones and other such violent storms have managed to bring life to islands that normally wouldn’t see animal and insect migrations thanks to their severe isolation and that these transplanted species have managed to grow and thrive and evolve in ways we never imagined. Yet, while this was fascinating to watch in its own right, I have to admit that I was more impressed with how human beings have also managed to find ways to thrive on islands that are surrounded by the ocean and nothing more.
 
Because there are plenty of communities thriving about the South Pacific and they’ve even managed to influence our world since a harvesting ritual that takes place on Penecost Island helped to invent bungee jumping and then there are the good people of Anuta Island, who have figured out how to live in perfect harmony with the world that surrounds them for generations now, and I found it fascinating how they only take just enough when it comes to their resources, in order to ensure that future generations can enjoy the same way of life and their lifestyle serves as a lovely bookend to the Rapa Nui’s story, wherein their greed and desire to outdo one another led to deforestation and disaster on Easter Island since they consumed every resource available in that place, leaving only those mysterious statues behind.
 
What’s amazing however, is that this is merely the highlight reel of what this episode had to offer and there was just so much packed into this single hour that I’d likely need several blogs to cover everything featured here. Heck, I could write a few thousand words on the wonder of the Coconut Crab alone when one considers how amazing their tale turned out to be in this episode. But I digress, and instead implore you to check this series out as soon as possible. Because it’s inherently clear that the South Pacific is a place of great beauty and wonder and we all need to take the time to learn more about this remote part of our world and I’m honestly looking forward to discovering more about these islands and I have no doubt that I’ll be staring at the screen with awe in the weeks to come as this documentary reveals all the majesty that the South Pacific has to offer. Until next time.

What I’ve always found interesting about our favorite television shows as a whole, is how we get comfortable in watching them, regardless of what they bring to the table. If it’s a dark show, we are content with the darkness. If it’s a drama, we’re good with the tears it brings to our eyes and if it’s an unconventional superhero series like Cloak & Dagger, we find ourselves lapping up the twists and turns it sends our way. Of course, while it seems as though this is a setup for a rant on how this can be a problem for an audience, it’s not. If anything, this is on my mind today because when a series establishes what it’s all about and finds a way to surprise its audience, that’s a special moment indeed, and that’s precisely what Cloak & Dagger managed to pull off last night.
 
In fact, I’m ready to declare ‘Lotus Eaters’ as the best episode that season one has offered up to date because not only did it tell quite the unconventional story by sending us inside someone’s mind in order to give the audience and our heroes some answers, but also due to the fact that it finally allowed for Tandy and Tyrone to become the heroes we’ve been waiting for them to become in the most subtle ways imaginable. But, before we dig too deeply into that part of the story, let’s take a moment today and discuss that first story element I made mention of because they really did venture into someone’s mind for answers, Ivan Hess’ to be exact and what they found there…was downright fascinating.
 
Because inside Ivan’s mind, was a waking nightmare, one where Ivan constantly re-lived that fateful night eight years ago when the rig exploded and well, he had been in his own memory for so long that his real identity was a mystery to him but he did have some interesting nuggets to offer up to the audience in that, whatever energy was released before the Rig explodes or exploded, ‘infected’ some of the crew, transforming them into something angry and while that may have been part of the nightmare, putting it front and center makes me question whether or not there’s some credence to this and if its related to Tandy and Tyrone’s abilities and quite frankly, their destiny as superheroes as well, and really, this was just a cool idea through and through and their concern over seeing Ivan’s inability to escape his worst nightmare is what led to the heroic moments in question.
 
For there was an unexpected trap in Ivan’s mind; a phone, one that rang during every destructive cycle and on the other end of the line was Tandy’s father and well, when given the choice to either to speak to her dad or complete the mission to save Ivan, she chose her father every single time and that’s where the heroics came into play. Because Tyrone had to step up and push Tandy to understand that this was all a fantasy and once he was able to do that, Tandy was able to influence Ivan to understand the same thing, allowing for him to escape the prison of his own mind and return to consciousness and his daughter at last and most importantly, Ivan became the first life saved by this budding dynamic duo.
 
So really, when all is said and done, this episode was just magnificent. I loved the twist when it came to Tandy and the phone call with her father since the past and its power over us has always been a predominant issue on this series and I loved how the neutral territory of someone else’s mind allowed for them to learn their powers and heal and because that twist was downright original through and through. But, most importantly, they are continuing to embrace their roles as heroes and what they did in this tale was a wonderful thing. But I am still concerned about the lucid revelations in this one involving a form of ‘evil’. Because when you take the messages we received a couple of weeks ago regarding a threat to come, and ponder upon what Ivan had to say in this tale, it makes one wonder if something incredibly dark is on its way…