When we lose someone near and dear to us, the pain in our hearts and our souls overpowers everything. It’s why we have trouble sleeping after they’re gone, why we cry until there are no tears left to spill and why we find ourselves struggling with our day to day actions as we try to our best to move forward without that particular person in our lives. But what we rarely think about, is how long it will take for us to recover from a particular loss so that we can in fact get back to feeling like our old selves, and we don’t think about that for one good reason; because there is no solid timeline. Sure, there are people that believe that there is a specific timeline for people to heal and that after said timeline, it’s time to get back to regular life, but…they’re wrong.
 
You heal as you need to heal, and it may take you a little bit of time to put yourself back together, or it may take a lot of time. What matters more is that you eventually come to a point where you realize you’re ready to move on. Because when you’ve reached that point, you’re able to move forward quickly, and still carry the memory of the person now gone and all of this is important to reflect upon because it just so happened to take the center stage in the season one finale of Lodge 49, and focusing upon this made ‘Full Fathom Five’ quite the powerful and emotional and beautiful episode to watch. For in this tale, after ages of aching over the loss of their father, the Dudley twins finally came to realize that hanging on to this pain was no longer helping them in life and they slowly shed it in their own unique ways.
 
Liz though, took a little bit more time in getting to that point, but she got there in the end, thanks to a little bit of assistance from both of her former places of employment. Because a quick stop at Omni corporate allowed for her to learn about the fallout that came about from her going overboard in the harbor and the anger that Corporate Guy sent her way surprised her and gave her pause to say the least. And another stop at Shamroxx to get her old job back ended in disaster when she was told there was no more room for her at the restaurant and that…is when Liz finally decided to take matters into her own hands and with a unique threat at the bank, she was finally able to settle her debt and find closure when it came to her father and at long last, she was ready to move on in life to whatever adventure awaited her next. 

​As for Dud, well the fallout from the Orbis deal and the fact that the Lodge was closing was enough for him to realize that he too needed to move on and start looking toward tomorrow and that prompted him to make some changes in his life, like shaving his beard to look more mature, and speak with Temp Joy about getting a career going and he even let go of his car and paid Liz back before finally opening up to her about how much he believed his dad’s death was his own damn fault and this…this was hard to watch. Because man, he really does believe that he should have stepped in and done something to save his pop. But his wonderful sister reminded him that there was nothing that they could do, and that ‘it is what it is’ and well, that was enough for Dud to find closure as well and he continued on his journey stronger than ever, and he even opened up to Ernie, letting him know how important it is to have him around and the two of them figured out a way to keep their friendship going, regardless of what happened to the Lodge.
 
Speaking of the ol’ 49, its precarious situation allowed for the story to explore once more the power of believing in something since every single member of the Lodge struggled with its pending closure, including Blaise, to the point where it seemed that life had no meaning for the quirky alchemist anymore. But a unique set of circumstances made for quite the wonderful resolution when it comes to the Lodge. For an impassioned plea from Jocelyn and a little writing magic from Connie while she was on sabbatical, wherein she made Larry’s wild story known while abroad, allowed for Lodge 1 to come to the conclusion that 49 should be saved, and for now, the home that so many need will continue to stand, in large part due to the fact that it was the resting place of the all-important scrolls, something that Ernie is working with El Confidente to reclaim…
 
But alas, while that twist should be cause for celebration, this episode does end in supremely bittersweet fashion. For just when Dud was able to go back out on the water to surf once again, he found himself injured from a shark bite and we are left to wonder as to whether or not he passed out on the beach from the resulting blood loss from the bite, or if he’s going to be a reason for Liz to grieve once again. Thankfully though, we will get the answer to that question sometime next year since Lodge 49 is indeed getting a second season at AMC and I couldn’t be happier about that fact. Because this show really is something special, and it’s incredibly intelligent and down to earth and this kind of unique story deserves to be told and I cannot wait to see where this magnificent tale is going to take us next, now that our main characters are ready to move on to the next phase in their fascinating lives. Until next year.   

There comes a point in all of our lives, where we encounter something that seems to be too damn good to be true. Everything in our fiber tells us the deal or the opportunity is wrong, but at the same time, part of us wonders what would happen if by chance our gut is the one that’s wrong. Because if it is, spoils and riches untold await us, and we go for it in the hopes that this is it, this is our shot at fame, or fortune and glory and well…the disappointment is quite real when it turns out that the ol’ gut was right after all and it just so happens, that this particular little conundrum was the focal point of the next episode of Lodge 49.
 
Because ‘Apogee’ featured a storyline where everything wonderful that had been introduced in the past episode came crashing down around everyone for various reasons, leaving the overall story in quite the uncertain place and well, how it unraveled before our eyes was eerie to say the least because for the most part every single scenario in this particular tale felt slightly familiar, as if we’ve all been there before and perhaps the most relatable scenario for the audience to grab on to in this tale came by way of Liz’s journey since the big Omni mingle aboard a boat and all the hollowness that came with it, prompted Liz to make another important and rash decision. 
 
For she more or less abandoned her brand new gig as a corporate executive, despite the fact that the CEO of Omni loved everything about Liz, even going so far as to gush about Liz’s unique perspective on life and the job she was about to undertake and while her decision to walk away, again, seemed shocking at first since she was in fact doing so well at the mingle, it makes sense in the end. Because Liz did get a first-hand look at how Janet really wasn’t, the independent free-thinker and renegade she made herself out to be. She was there to serve ad nauseum and potentially becoming that, was more than she could bear. Sure, she wants more out of life, but on her own terms, and how she quit the job is equally as of note since she jumped off the boat and just swam for the harbor without giving it a second thought. 

​If anything, we’ve all been in Liz’s shoes and either started a job or nearly took one where we got the same feeling this wasn’t quite for us, or that we didn’t belong in this position and the relatability found in this episode didn’t end there. For Dud and Ernie’s journey brought the whole ‘too good to be true’ notion to bear since they began to have some odd suspicions about the whole deal with Captain, to the point where they were able to do some digging on their own when they accidentally ran over the geologist that Ernie met at the Kaplan meeting and well, he offered up some devastating news in that…there was no oil under Orbis, just toxins and dirt and that…completely and utterly shattered their hopes and their world.
 
Because no oil meant no deal, and in turn, no money to save the Lodge and well, you really felt for these guys since it truly seemed as though Gary knew what he was talking about, and for a moment there it really did seem as though Ernie and Dud had fallen victim to another one of his cons. But, the truth is we may never know if Gary was being honest with them or not, because the big moment when Ernie and Dud confronted him took a turn for the weird since they discovered that Avery snuck into Captain’s house earlier in the day and tied Gary up as part of a plan to figure out what the trio were up to and well, eventually Captain got free of his ropes and injured himself badly in the most freakish way imaginable, since his use of a harpoon to teach Avery a lesson cost him an eye and put him a coma since the firing of said Harpoon propelled him onto a Narwhal statue in his pool.
 
So, yeah. That wild ending puts everything up in the air when it comes to everyone’s future now. Because now Liz is without a job and Ernie and Dud’s deal is basically dead with Captain in the hospital and who knows if the Lodge can recover since there’s no way it can meet its financial obligations and well, while this ends in dreary fashion, I have to give credit to the boldness of this particular episode since it was so supremely relatable. This really was…a slice of life, and a difficult one at that, and I loved it and I have to know how this season is going to end, regardless of whether it wraps up in good or sad fashion and on that note, it’s time to hit play on my AMC app one more time…

If there’s one thing I’ve learned from watching a lot of television over the past few years, it’s that most shows need at least a season to properly figure out what works for their audience, in order to provide them with a perfect storytelling experience. That means by season two, we see episodes that cater to everything the audience loves, alongside a story arc that takes us on a perfect ride of highs and lows. But when it comes to Lodge 49 on AMC, all of those rules are in essence thrown out of the window, and this series…well this one apparently knew its audience from the get-go because it is already telling us a flawless story that knows how to ebb and flow in a way to please its fans.
 
Take for example the last few episodes, because ‘The Mysteries’ and ‘The Solemn Duty of the Squire’ stepped away from the more lighthearted themes and ideas we often find on this series, replacing them instead with darker notions and concepts involving loss and how sometimes life just slaps you around when you’re down and while many shows out there would continue to stay that course, and surprise an audience with a new direction to try it out, this series knew that wasn’t the right way to handle this modern day fable, and thankfully, the next episode in this series, ‘Something from Nothing’, took the time to steer us back into lighthearted territory, by letting Bruce Campbell do his comedic thing.
 
But before we dig too deeply into Ernie and Dud’s time with Captain, we also need to take a moment and discuss Liz’s journey, because her story in this tale also went to some supremely lighthearted places as well. Because as it turns out, Liz’s time with corporate guy (and I might add, it’s hilarious we’ve yet to learn his name) has been quite the positive influence in her life since she followed through in exploring the management program at Omni after all, and ended up getting herself a new gig at corporate and found some purpose in life at last and well, it was just beautiful to see Liz on a new path, one that gives her peace and also, I found it fascinating how this particular part of the story paralleled Dud’s journey in its own unique way since Omni Corporate has its own Lodge-like proclivities…

However, while Liz’s story was a joy to watch, let’s be honest…it’s Bruce Campbell that stole the show in this one because my goodness, his turn as Captain in this one was the stuff of legend. Because the entire sequence wherein Ernie and Dud hung out with him was rip roaringly hilarious as Captain, or Gary if you prefer, went to every extreme with this duo to have a good time, even going so far as to invite both Ernie and Dud to a cockfight south of the border before ending their night at some kind of wild party involving free spirits and goats and heaven knows what else and this manic sequence wiped away and all of the darkness that remained from the last two episodes and…in the process this part of the story found a way to maintain the heart and character intimacy that this series is known for.
 
Because as the story progressed, we came to learn a lot about Captain/Gary. In that, the man loves to drink, because he’s struggling like the rest of our characters and he’s going through a nasty divorce, and he’s also…an outright fraud. For eventually he reveals to Dud and Ernie that the whole Orbis thing is a big fat lie, one designed by shell corporations to get to the oil that lies beneath the plant and well, while this seemed like quite the downer for Ernie, good came out of this whole twist after all since Gary gushed about how the kindness exhibited by Ernie and Dud genuinely made him happy and that because of said kindness, he wanted to help them out and include them in his own plan to buy out the land and the oil, making them rich beyond their wildest dreams, and as an added bonus, he also offered to pay for the loan on the Lodge and save it, provided of course he could join up. 
 
So, that’s there this one leaves us, with hope in our hearts since everyone’s problems are seemingly solved and while this one did leave my spirits soaring, the closing image of Avery watching Dud and Ernie from afar, and Gary’s track record as a liar leaves me a touch skeptical that all will be well. But in the here and now, I can at least bask in the fact that this was a delightful episode through and through and it was just magical to see Bruce Campbell show off his acting chops once again and I really enjoyed every single second of this tale and thanks to this story, we now have an end game in sight since clearly the next couple of episodes will focus heavily on saving the Lodge and the deal to make Ernie and Dud rich and well, I need more, plain and simple, so it’s time to watch another entry in this magnificent tale. Until next time.

​There are a great many things that fascinate me about humanity and our evolution through the years, one of them being, our distinct desire to abandon the darker parts of our past so that we can in fact become a better species. Because that is quite the noble cause when all is said and done, since such a push toward that should in turn, remove the worst parts of our species from modern and future society. But the fact of the matter is, while we have been able to reflect upon and stop repeating the bigger mistakes of our past, we’ve yet to eliminate the root causes to said mistakes, meaning that these issues sometimes find new ways to thrive in our modern world.
 
In fact, in 2018, America and the world for that matter are seeing quite the unexpected wave of close mindedness and well, outright stupidity and all of it is grounded in our inability to remove the root cause of what brought about these issues in the first place. But thankfully, science fiction is always there to examine our current world and our current missteps in order to provide us with a potential fix or way forward and once again, Doctor Who took the time to dig into such matters in its own unique way. Because ‘The Witchfinders’ took us to an era of history where a lack of knowledge caused more harm than good since we were privy to some witch trials in the 17th Century, and well, the series held nothing back when it comes to the parallels of this particular era, and our modern world.
 
For the show made it abundantly clear that in the 17th Century, people who spoke in bold tones about something they claimed to be experts of were able to sway people’s opinions and decisions through their ‘knowledge’ and fear, and because of that a great many people died for unnecessary reasons and well, it didn’t take long for this Witch Hunt to reveal that not much has changed in four centuries when it comes to that. Be it the Anti-Vaccination movement, or the sudden rise of Facism/Racism in America, or the continued bias and hatred toward the LGBTQ community, all of those problems in our world are related to several key things; a lack of knowledge and understanding and fear. 

And of course, the people who spread their hatred or misinformation do it loudly and boldly on the internet in this day and age and rally their cause with rhetoric and fear and well, this examination made for one brilliant episode. One where Jodie Whittaker shined in her performance since she was able to call out these issues in quirky and bold fashion, and her speech to King James regarding how one can better understand the world was just brilliant and even the setting was laden with commentary since the people of this Colonial-era village, were satisfied with whatever decisions others made for them, serving as a grand allegory to the fact that ignorance is bliss and that indifference is sometimes as great a problem as fear mongering since it allows for such matters to persist.
 
However, all commentary aside, the show did have a big alien mystery to deal with, and for the first time since the series/season premiere, we actually had some nasty aliens on our hands since we came to learn that this tiny village was in fact, settled next to an ancient alien prison, one that houses a species known as the Morax, and they were eager to escape their chains and take over the world and thankfully, the Doctor was able to put them back into their cells. And as an added bonus, this episode also featured one hell of a guest star in Alan Cumming, and his portrayal of King James I was just a delight to say the least since he played the obsessive monarch with a zest and zeal that only he can deliver and of course, he found a way to stand out and make every single scene he was in as memorable as possible.
 
But, make no mistake about it, this was an episode that unleashed all kinds of fury toward the ignorance that currently permeates our world and honestly, that’s a good thing. Because every single one of those issues that I listed a moment ago continue to make headlines in the modern world and this episode more or less served as a fine reminder to continue fighting the good fight for those who are already working to combat such matters and it also served as a wake-up call for those who believe it will all simply go away on its own and well, that’s what good science fiction does, it challenges us and it just goes to show that Doctor Who is the smartest show on television right now and I hope it keeps this up, because a good kick in the pants, is sometimes necessary. Until next time.   

There’s a solid reason why some old sayings have managed to stick around after all this time; because they still ring true. Every word of these phrases strike a chord within all of us because we’ve felt their gravity and their reality at some point or another in our lives. Case in point, ‘when it rains, it pours’. For that little saying, seems to come about more often than we’d expect, because when good things come into our lives, they seem to wash over us in giant waves, providing us with a peace we never expected and well…when the bad comes, it hits us hard, sometimes changing our lives as the ugly just keeps on coming. Oddly enough however, these phrases also find their ways into storytelling, because stories reflect our world in their own special way and the phrase, I just made mention of, definitely applies to the next episode of Lodge 49.
 
For the next episode in this awesome series, ‘The Solemn Duty of the Squire’, saw the darker themes that reared their head during the last episode appear once again and, challenge the characters in new ways as the bad stuff continued to tighten its grip upon the story. Take for example Blaise and the whole storyline involving Avery from ‘London’. Because it was eventually revealed when Jocelyn arrived from Lodge 1 that this man was nothing more than a common thief, one who robs Lodges blind in the hopes of learning the secrets to making gold and well, his outing at the hands of a real Emissary was the just the beginning of the bad news in this tale.
 
For once Jocelyn got his hands on the books at the Lodge, he came to discover some seriously chilling news in that…Larry did a lot of shady things during his final years as Sovereign Protector. Not only did he spend his last few years living off of everyone’s membership fees, in turn neglecting the health of the Lodge, but he also made one incredibly shady deal that has put the Lodge’s future in jeopardy. Because Larry took out a massive loan from a Chinese bank to keep the place afloat, and the $300k he owes said bank is about to require a hefty payment, one that the Lodge cannot make and one that will likely put it into Foreclosure and well, this news more or less shattered Ernie. For his lifelong hero was now a villain and he tried his best to deal with this news and keep up a strong front for his loyal subjects. 

​Yet, despite his best efforts to keep his spirts up, Dud recognized Ernie’s pain and tried to step in as a Squire and help Ernie feel better…with mixed results of course. In fact, Dud’s plan to get Ernie his T.V. back, quite literally fell to pieces, leading to fallout in their friendship and if all of this wasn’t harrowing enough, even Liz went to some dark places in this tale. Because despite signing up for the management program at work, and passing every interview with flying colors, a checkmark on her past forced her to once again walk away from a wonderful opportunity, leaving her future in a seemingly precarious place and well, I’ll be honest, this is the bleakest episode the series has put up to date since everyone was seemingly without hope. But there were some rays of sunshine in this tale when all is said and done.
 
After all, corporate guy did swing by Liz’s apartment to see what was eating at her, and eventually, on a pseudo date she did open up to him and let him know some of her troubles and it was nice to see that she’s finding a little romance at last and that someone finally reached out and made her feel as though she matters and…there is the whole matter of the ending of this one as well. For early on in this tale, Jeff went off to find the elusive Captain, and ended up dehydrated and in the hospital at the end of his hunt, only to reveal to Ernie that he found the man at last, and told him where he was hanging out, leading Ernie to quite the surprise. Because at Captain’s property development out in the desert, was Dud, handling some paperwork, bringing back the notion of fate and destiny. But more importantly…Captain was there, in the pool out back and at long last, Ernie is about to get his shot at the deal of a lifetime…
 
Okay, so, before I start digging into my final thoughts on this episode, the inner fanboy in me needs to take a moment and freak out over the fact that Bruce Campbell…THE Bruce Campbell is freakin’ Captain! I had my hunches he was in this show after that conference call, and I was right, and I couldn’t be happier. Because Bruce is one of my all-time favorite actors and now here he is in a show that I am utterly falling in love with. But now that I have that out of my system, wow, what an episode. This was one was heavy, and it’s heartbreaking to know the Lodge is in jeopardy and well, at this point, I’m not sure how Ernie is going to save it and that sense of the unknown is fascinating to see in a television series since a way out is usually present for the characters in just about any story, but here we are, and well, with three episodes left, I’m dying to know how this is going to end and whether or not the Lodge gets saved. Which means it is time to hit ‘play next episode’ once again, and dive back into this magnificent story. Until next time. 

There are few things I enjoy more when it comes to a television series that I am falling in love with, than when it finds new ways to completely and utterly surprise me. Because it’s magical to know that I’m so immersed within the framework of the plot, that I find myself totally unprepared when a greater plot thread or overreaching arc suddenly drops into my lap and it just so happens, that Lodge 49 managed to pull this off to a tee. Because for several episodes now, it’s been about the characters and their journey, and while I’ve enjoyed every single second of that, there is a plot involving fate and destiny that has been placed upon the back burner in this saga. That is until the next episode in this series, ‘The Mysteries’, came along.
 
For this tale found a way to propel this whole matter involving fate and destiny, and magic for that matter as well into overdrive in this tale. But I made mention of this coming about as a surprise, and I meant that. Because before the series came to that point, it had other matters to focus upon, like some commentary on perception, specifically how other people perceive us and view us matters at times and can motivate us to do something good with our lives, and much of this was explored by way of Liz’s journey in this tale since she came to learn that other people see her and Dud as outright losers and while she did her best to mask her hurt over this discovery, it was obvious to the audience that this stung badly.
 
Of course, that didn’t stop her from going about her usual day of working at Shamroxxx and isolating herself in the evening. But an apology from everyone’s favorite donut slinger, Alice, in regard to her dad calling Dud and Liz losers, led to some drinks and another wild evening of entertainment for Liz, the kind that ended with a broken mirror, and her head going through the glass in her coffee table and the sobering pain that came with this move, in conjunction with what Alice’s dad had to say all seemed to serve as the wake-up call that Liz has been desperate to receive and in a surprise and stunning move, she called her corporate crush and seemingly made a move toward something more stable in her life. 

But that’s where the traditional character study that we’ve come to know and love in this series came to an end. Because the wonder of fate and destiny took the center stage as Ernie and Dud did their best to care for an ailing Larry that seemingly was beginning to lose his mind. In fact, there was plenty of discussion in this tale revolving around getting Larry some serious help by way of assisted living because of his newfound proclivity to scare everyone with his behavior and it would seem that Larry had concerns about his health as well, prompting him to work hard to right a wrong, one that changed the course of this series in ways I never expected and the grand reveal of the fact that alchemy/magic and everything that the Lodge stands for is real, was stunning to say the least.
 
Because it means that something truly special is brewing as we close in on the end of season one, and clearly it involves Dud since his journey matches that of the Lynx’s founder and the fact that Dud was able to see wonders during the night shift at Orbis, only cements the fact that magic is real in this universe and the Lodge truly is something to behold and it is important to the health of our characters since it can in fact heal in its own special way and offer bonds to people they never knew were possible. Yet while this grand reveal was incredible in its own right, it was also unfortunately, bittersweet. For in the closing moments of this tale, with the truth finally revealed, Larry finally passed into the great beyond, leaving his closest friend behind with incredible knowledge, and a new responsibility in life as the Sovereign Protector of Lodge 49.
 
So, yeah, wow. This was actually quite the impressive episode when all is said and done. Because it’s rare for a series to reveal its secrets in the middle of the season, but here we are, and now the truth is out in the open, and it’s clear that Dud is as special as Larry believed and well, while this episode was in many ways a grand download, it really was beautiful when all is said and done. Because it gave Larry a complete journey in this tale, and Liz is pushing to grow in life and…there are more mysteries to be addressed in stories to come because there is now the whole matter of the missing scrolls from the One True Lodge and who is the mystery man that arrived, claiming to be from London? Time will tell of course, but the good news is, I don’t have to wait long to find out, for the next chapter in this tale is just a button press away…until next time…

​In this modern age, we often believe that it is outright impossible for anything in this world to not be connected. After all, the internet is everywhere, satellites and other technologies can find just about anything on land or from the sky or space. But the harsh truth of the matter is that our world is massive and vast, and things can and will get lost upon this planet, to the point where technology does us no good when it fails or when it cannot overcome the planet’s ability to hide things, and oddly enough, the delicate eco system that is nature, also has issues sometimes with keeping its connective tissue together, as was evidenced in the BBC America documentary, Chimps of the Lost Gorge.
 
Now in this particular documentary, we are transported to Uganda, and nestled in the savannah of this beautiful nation is a massive gorge in the countryside known as the Kyambura Gorge and this massive chasm is home to rivers and lush jungle-like overgrowth and it’s also home to something incredibly rare, a lost tribe of chimpanzees, the Kyambura Chimps. These simians, who somehow found their way into this gorge fifteen years ago, stayed long enough that nature and the world evolved around them in quick enough fashion to cut them off from a habitat where they could thrive with more of their own kind.
 
For in between the gorge now, is mankind on one side, and we all know how humans would feel about chimps coming through a place that is the domain of mankind and on the other side, is pure danger. For the savannah awaits and within its bushy grass are lions and threats untold. And the fear for their safety is one factor keeping these chimps firmly planted in their valley, as they do their best to survive and well, that’s no easy task. Because these poor animals are conflicted in this place. They want to leave, they want to explore and they’re even protective of their territory, and it was obvious during this show that they want to leave, in fact some are desperate to.
 
But, a fear of the unknown is the other reason the chimps stay in this valley and while there is indeed plenty of food for them eat and tons of shelter and safety in this place since predators won’t venture into the gorge, their future is still quite perilous. After all, there are only a handful of females in this tiny group of chimps, and thus far, they’ve produced nothing but males and that lack of females is critical to the future of this group of castaways and well, I’ll just say it now, this was both heartbreaking and outright fascinating to watch. I’ve never seen this type of problem for a species in nature before, but this conundrum is precisely what this story presented to us.
 
If anything, what impressed me more about this particular documentary, is that it offered zero answers or solutions when it comes to the situation these chimps are currently in, aside from the fact that they need to be rescued and well, that made this documentary daring in its own right since most documentaries prefer to offer up some kind of happy ending if possible. But instead, this one ended up being a true slice of real life, wherein nature is cruel, and the circumstances are harsh and who knows what the future will hold for the Kyambura Chimps. But in the meantime, our only comfort when it comes to these animals, is the knowledge that for now, they’re surviving the best way they know how…

I’ve said it before, and I will be happy to say it again, I love nature related documentaries on BBC America. Because these little slices of our world, not only do a phenomenal job of providing all of us an incredible view of nature as it really is, they sometimes force us to ask important questions about our role in nature’s health, and what we can do to improve and support the delicate eco-system that we are a part of, and for Thanksgiving this year, the network was gracious enough to offer up two new documentaries about our world and our impact on the simian world, starting with ‘Chimp Sanctuary’.
 
Now this particular documentary, hosted by Sue Perkins, brings us to a place in Louisiana known as Chimp Haven, a magnificent facility that exists out of a unique set of circumstances. For it’s a well-known fact that we as humans have a tendency to test products and medicines on animals first in order to ensure their safety when it comes to human use and this is a practice that is slowly coming to an end. Because the harshness and pain the test animals endure is indeed cruel to say the least and in 2015, testing on chimpanzees was outlawed in the United States, providing chimps in testing facilities across the nation with a newfound sense of freedom, but that freedom came at a price.
 
For these majestic creatures have spent most, if not all of their entire lives locked up in cages and don’t understand anything about their true nature. Which means they cannot simply return to the wild…which is why a place like Chimp Haven exists. And over the course of the hour, we came to learn everything there is to know in regard to the incredible work the staff here does for the chimps that are able to come to this magical destination. Because at Chimp Haven, not only are these creatures cared for with proper medical treatment, they are given a chance at a healthy and natural life, one where they can in fact, live in a controlled but somewhat natural environment for the rest of their days which brings us to the best part of this documentary, the story it had to tell.
 
Because in this tale, we were able to meet two groups of chimps, male and female who were about to be integrated so that they could live their lives in a pack and enjoy the sense of unity these animals need for the benefit of their mental health and well, this was just fascinating and beautiful to watch. Because we were able to get to know these lovely animals and come to understand their personalities and their quirks and that made the grand moment when the two groups came together all the more magical. For despite a few minor speed bumps and a little trepidation, eventually these two groups bonded and took the first steps toward becoming a little family right before our eyes and this…was just so special and so wonderful to watch.
 
For it speaks the fact that it’s possible for animals, who have endured some serious hardships, to heal and reclaim their instincts and it’s equally as wonderful to know that a group of people, some of whom used to work in animal testing, have seen the light and changed their perspective and banded together to give back to nature just a little bit and well, this is just another fine example of what wonders BBC America has to offer when it comes to its documentaries. Because this one, truly demonstrated how far a little kindness can go when it comes to nature and really, it’s incredible and humbling to know that there are places out there giving back in this fashion and there’s a certain peace that comes with the knowledge that some of the poor animals that once endured sheer terror in a lab, are going to live quite the peaceful life after all…

There has been and will forever be, a great debate in our society revolving around how a story should end. For there are those who firmly believe that happy endings are an outright joke and darkness and grit and moments that stun the audience should be the focus of creative minds everywhere. But on the other hand, there are those who believe that the happy ending is a staple of the story, and that by giving us something joyous, the reader or the audience is being rewarded for sticking with the story. But the fact of the matter is, there is no proper way to end a story, it should simply end as it supposed to and/or do the story justice in the process.
 
Which is why I was so supremely satisfied with the finale of Homecoming, ‘Stop’, because it gave us a proper and justified ending to this wild and harrowing tale by giving us a bittersweet wrap up to just about everything. For there was justice and sadness and joy to be found in every facet of this tale, starting with the fact that it finally resolved any lingering questions we had about 5/15/18 by filling us in completely on that fateful day. And on this day, we learned that shortly after Colin gave an incredible speech that likely helped lock up the program’s future, a phone call to Heidi, put an end to this nightmare since Colin’s fury over the fact that Walter was sent home because of Heidi’s decision to give him a supersized dose of the drug, was overheard by everyone of note at that meeting…
 
If anything, it was supremely satisfying to see this Jerk deserve his comeuppance at last in some form or fashion, and thankfully, the series wasn’t quite done with dealing with this jackass just yet. For the phone call that Pam (Carrasco’s boss) made to Geist in the last episode, forced the company to do something about this mess at last. And shortly after Colin’s doof of a boss was reassigned to another project, Colin was forced to face the music and it was made inherently clear to him, by his newly promoted secretary, that he would need to sign off on a letter admitting his involvement in Homecoming, and how he went ‘rogue’ and made decisions that were not sanctioned by Geist. Meaning that he was the fall guy here and every consequence would fall upon him in the end and that made for a supremely satisfying end to Colin’s story.
 
But while much of that is happy in its own right, I mentioned that this episode had bittersweet moments as well, and all of those came about from Heidi in this finale. For she decided it was high time to set things right and atone for her mistakes and her apology tour started with Walter’s mother, wherein she told her the complete truth about what happened at Homecoming and with that now complete, it was off to find Walter and apologize to him as well and she used his personalized map of California, to start a cross country trek to find the tiny town he dreaming of living in and well…after a few setbacks, she finally ran into him at a local diner and was able to chat it up with him and see that while he didn’t quite remember her, he was happy and at peace and because of that…Heidi let him go without ever speaking a word about the past so he could enjoy his future…
 
Yet, what was equally as incredible about that moment, is that Walter may indeed remember her after all, since he shifted a knife on her side of the table in the same manner he often did with her pen on her desk back in the day, but for now the truth as to whether or not he does remember her will elude us. For that moment, brought us to the end of this incredible story and well, I found it to be quite satisfying when all is said and done. For every plot thread was wrapped up, every character found their closure and that’s really all can you ask for in a story and I am so glad I took the time to check this out simply because, it was so unique from beginning to end. But thankfully, this is not the true end of our journey, for a second season of this series is planned, and well, I’ll be counting down the minutes to it because this really was a phenomenal ride, and I cannot wait to see where this world will take us in season two. Until next year.

It’s funny how sometimes, our desire to know everything about a particular story, blinds us to the fact that once in a while we manage to come across just about everything we need to know in said story. It’s rare when this happens of course, but once in a while it does, and a story tips most of its hand early, well before the ending and well, this is something that dawned upon me shortly after I finished the next episode of Homecoming, ‘Work’. Because shortly after this tale came to a close, it sunk in that the prior episode, ‘Protocol’, more or less answered all the questions that have been burning on my mind, and that at this point, and here on out I suppose, it’s about resolving the storylines for the characters in logical fashion and for proof, look no further than Thomas Carrasco’s story in this episode.
 
After all, this is a man who has been searching for the truth since we met him in the pilot episode, and now that he finally had time to speak with Heidi and take her statement about the Homecoming incident, that truth was finally in hand and he could explain to his boss why he went a touch rogue to get it and at the same time, inform her that he was going to escalate the complaint to the next level, an act that brought Thomas great satisfaction to say the least and well, it was just wonderful to see Thomas enjoy a sense of vindication at last after being ignored and pushed around for the entire run of the series and I also appreciated the implication that this might be Thomas’ last case for the Department of Defense and that he was potentially ready to move on to something more in life, something he honestly deserves.
 
But, this grand exploration of what comes next for the characters didn’t end with Thomas’ story, for this tale also saw Colin return home from his wild trip to Tampa, and for the first time ever, we saw Colin as a man, one filed with remorse who wanted to atone for sins…if only for a moment. Because a little pressing from his wife, prompted him to bury his concerns and his emotions and well, his penance in this tale was far smoother than Heidi’s, since she returned to work and her daily life, with guilt weighing heavy on her mind over everything she’s done, and she spent a fair amount of time reflecting upon her life and her decisions up to this point and her frustration with said decisions didn’t come to a head until a customer died in her restaurant, seemingly reminding her that life is far too short to spend it wallowing in regret.
 
Yet, while it isn’t exactly clear where Heidi goes from here, her ruminations were beneficial for the audience after all since there is in fact, one last thing to explore in this particular story as a whole; exactly what the hell happened at Homecoming on May 15, 2018. For the series has implied for some time now, that something terrible happened on this day and well, this episode gave us the beginning of the details of what happened on said fateful day and wouldn’t you know it? It wasn’t what any of us expected. There was no violence, no breakdown on Walter’s part. Just the reveal that he was going to back to the field to fight, something Heidi wasn’t good with and in a stunning move, she had lunch with Walter in the cafeteria, where the two of them sat down and enjoyed a meal that was laced with a heavy Week 6 dosage and that’s where we leave this tale, with everyone worried about the fact that Heidi was consuming something so powerful…
 
Which of course, now explains the memory loss that Heidi suffered when we first met her in this tale, and this twist sets the stage to finally answer the last of our questions when it comes 5/15/18. But all of that aside, kudos to the series for abandoning the mysterious air that has hung over everything in order to give us a story where plot lines begin to wrap up in logical and satisfying fashion and well, I’m now quite curious to see how this saga comes to its end. For with answers in hand, and just a little more to explore on that fateful day, there’s not much story left to tell, unless of course, the show plans to move beyond the events of Homecoming. But really, there’s only one way to find out, so, the time has come at last to finally see how this story ends, so if you’ll excuse me, it’s time to hit play next episode, one last time…