Admittedly, it's been a bit since I have written about S.H.I.E.L.D. and I actually haven't been able to watch it on time to save my life. Even last night I missed it, but amazingly my parents have DVR (best invention ever). So! I'm just going to say that I am really impressed with this season so far. I love what S.H.I.E.L.D. Is doing.  Let's break it down shall we? (I'm just digging the numbers thing.)

1. Uhm, seriously, can I declare my love for May here and now? She is so amazingly awesome that if I could be any Marvel Heroin, it would be here. May kicks butt with no remorse. Better yet, she's really good at it. She and Hunter are out to find some information on Ward and HYDRA. Totally cool normal stuff, only Bobbi doesn't know about it. I'm pretty sure that's not okay, but even Hunter said that Bobbi knows he's lying and that's all that matters. Breaking into HYDRA to track down info isn't easy. Hunter is going to have to go in, which is good because he has an in. A "friend" of his says that he can get him to speak with someone, but there's some fight to the "death" stuff. May offers to go, but she's notorious and a tiny little chick like her taking down people would kind of be a tip off. So it's Hunter that has to go. I was a bit surprised to see him fight said friend, not overtly so. Like any good fighter Hunter cheated by pulling out the Brass knuckles. Random fact! Those break your knuckles if used incorrectly. Life lessons with Shae! Of course Hunter wins! Even May gets to relieve some anger by beating up three thugs who wanted a piece of her...because she's amazing.

2. What is with this Price chick? This head of the ACTU is still out there looking for Lincoln, who is being framed for things he didn't do. Lincoln is on the run and Coulson wants nothing more than to find him. Several failed attempts to talk to him lead the not-mutant on the run to the only friend he has and trusts. Okay, this actually made me cry. I'm seriously not sure how or why this happened, but it did and there's no going back. Said friend sees the news and confronts Lincoln after calling to turn him in. That's kind of a dick move. I don't care what the news says, if my good friend came to me needing help, I'm helping! You don't turn your friends in! A total accident sends said friend into a heart attack and Lincoln is so crushed and distraught over his inability to bring is friend back, he calls Daisy. It's so hard to not call her Skye by the way. Like, insanely hard. She shows up to help and it's a confusing moment where they confess feels, and kiss, and then Coulson says to hand him over to the ACTU and then Lincoln bolts, so they almost take Daisy....and long story short everyone goes home. The end?

3. Not the end! What's going on with Coulson and Price?! I don't like it. I sense some weird flirting. Whatever is going on, Price is dead set on making her organization show results. Dealing with the Altered isn't easy, and this is just cause for fear and panic. I get why Daisy's mom was so....insanely secluded/psychotic about her hate of normal people. She wasn't really wrong with the wide spread panic Price is causing. Coulson seems to be in a bind since the chick also has evidence of Daisy being at the hospital where Lincoln supposedly killed three people. In order to keep it quiet, and to actually have a say in how things go, Coulson makes an offer Price can't refuse. His consult on her operations. Basically, they work together? But not? It gives Coulson the control to keep S.H.I.E.L.D. In the loop on things and actually help handle them better. Not a bad play.

4. And lastly, Simmons and Fitz. Jemma is struggling with being back. Whatever happened really screwed her up. And she's twitchy and whatnot all throughout the episode. Despite everything, she's trying to put on a brave face. Sounds are amplified, lights brighter, and all around, she's trying to adjust as best she can, right? Fitz is pulling no punches in trying to help her. There's only so far the guy can go though. Bobbi finds her in the lab working on the remains of the portal. For the billionth time Bobbi claims the portal isn't coming back, and finally Simmons snaps saying she has to go back. Why? For what? WHAT HAPPENED!?

All in all this episode played with my emotions too much! In dying for next weeks show already...

Two things that can reduce me to tears at work: animals, just literally anything about them that might be remotely sad, uplifting, and/or happy, and Once Upon a Time. Seriously, last night’s show totally just made me cry. Mostly the ending. Because, listen, sometimes things happen. So, let‘s just walk through the feels-fest real quick.

First, can someone please explain to me why the bromance between Arthur and Charming is both creepy and kind of adorable? Seriously, I’m liking the fact that Charming has a friend that’s…well, not dating his daughter, or a reformed type of evil anything, or you know, whatever. This time it seems David found an actual friend. And that’s why you shouldn’t trust anything that is too good to be true. Let’s face it here, this show is notorious for making you trust something, and then murdering your feels so violently you can’t even comprehend what just happened. 

Either way, the time in Camelot is pretty cool to look at. I liked how this week’s flashback points was all about David redeeming himself and becoming the hero he’s already a legend for. He doesn’t just want his story to be about kissing a princess and waking her up. I mean, bonus, he’s totally had two kids with her and their daughter is the same age as them…does anyone else still find that to be a bit weird? Because, oh yeah, I totally do…magic is a pretty good excuse for, well, everything. Except for Why Arthur is kind of, oh I don’t know, EVIL! He literally talks his own squire into committing suicide by drinking poison. This “everything for the Kingdom” thing doesn’t sound all that great to me. And, if you ask me, this is probably the most evil thing anyone has ever done on this show. Seriously, talk about sociopathic…at Least we find out that Lancelot is alive! I knew we could believe in him!

Second, Emma and Hook are still my favorite pairing in this show (Okay, possible second, because Belle and Rumple are just adorable beyond words!), so seeing them have issues makes me sad. I mean, yes she’s the Dark One, but I don’t trust that! Emma loves Hook. Being the Dark One or not, she loves him. And if you ask me, there’s too much going on to make me think that Emma is truly all about being evil. She even asks Hook if he loves her and when he says he DID, and eludes to not loving her anymore, she leaves.

Of course, she was totally just using him for some information to help make a healing spell and save Rumple’s life, which is a whole other mess of complicated. Emma needs a Hero…and she’s going to craft one out of Rumple, of all people, because his heart is the perfect blank slate right now. I guess Rumple is finally getting to be the hero he wanted…just not sure about the circumstances. Either well, It’s got to be getting slightly….better? Emma did lie and deceive Hook to get something she needed from him. Even so, I don’t believe her intentions are that bad. Yes she needs Excalibur, but is it really for destroying the Light forever? Orrrrr is it a plan to get rid of the Dark One forever?

Lastly, OH MY GOD BELLE! Throughout the past three episodes, Belle has had her Jar with the Rose in it! For every petal that falls, Rumple gets one step closer to death… So when Belle is in the diner, at the end of the episode, picking up soup, and the last petal falls…I nearly lost it. But then, then! The Rose blossoms anew, and opens, and she drops the soup and runs! Rumple is alive! He’s awake! And….and he’s missing!

The utter crushed look on Belle’s face…man, talk about A). Good acting and B). heart wrenching sadness. Thankfully we do see that Rumple is alive, and scared (rightfully so), and that Emma has plans for him. Belle doesn’t know that! She has no idea! Now she has to be scared and worried! She’s probably thinking the worst…that…that he left her! Which he didn’t! He was kidnapped! He needs True Love's Kiss! It fixes pretty much everything…

So, yeah. TV shows are dangerous. OUAT has made me need another episode, like now, andddd I have to wait. An entire week. Which is just great.

I've always loved how special makeup effects help us enhance our imagination in so many ways. They allow nightmares to come to life and at the same time they can envision the impossible or perhaps give us a possible glimpse into the future when they are utilized just right and last night on Face Off, mankind's future was the focus. 

With only six contestants left, a Focus Challenge was put down in front of the remaining artists that tied into Syfy's The Expanse. Where they were asked to show us human evolution hundreds of years after a devastating disaster and well, "Beyond the Expanse" set the stage for the upcoming season finale and I found it to be one of the most polarizing episodes on a personal level when it came to who was left standing at the end of this episode.  

First off with only six people left, the makeups were pretty damn impressive. You're now seeing the cream of the crop and it was so cool to watch these sensational six quickly get their makeups in order...save for Nora, more on her in a moment. I mean heck Scott was completely done with his sculpt when mentor Michael Westmore came back to tell him to change it and make it more human and with some drastic changes he remained safe along with Nora. But there can be only one winner and that turned out to be Evan and his wild snake/human hybrid definitely deserved the win.  

Stevie unfortunately went home for her so so make up of a human being that evolved to be more aquatic, and that's where I found myself once again disagreeing with the judges because joining her in last looks was Ben. Now Ben's creation, well it turned out awful. He used a ton of metallic paint and hair gel to create a volcanic look and was lambasted by the judges for it and stayed and I don't get why. Ben has been one of the most inconsistent contestants here, often times skirting by with an okay makeup and he is still here. If anything Stevie deserved another shot because of her creativity but man...I just don't get how this guy keeps sneaking through, we can talk about his wins but something about his style and work has me concerned about his ability to win this competition.  

In fact it's high time we take a moment and start looking at who may win this because next week, two people go home and three are left standing for the finale and at this point, I'm calling Scott or Evan to be the winner of this competition. I like Jordan's work, but I'm not sure he's able to handle the pressure the same way Scott or Evan can, you already know my thoughts on Ben and Nora has me concerned too. Every single week she has trouble with her sculpt and pulls a new design out of thin air and this close to the end...I'm not sure that will fly, especially with the pressure to come. Either way we find out who is in the final three next week and I can't wait to see who it is. Until then. 

Well, after that breathtaking and action packed season premiere of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. I wasn't quite sure what to expect last night. This is a show that always tends to surprise you with a new way to tell the story week after week and episode two was no exception. Instead of an hour packed to the gills with explosions and action, this story was a little more low key, but equally as entertaining.

Not to mention in many ways "Purpose in the Machine" helped set up another big plot line to deal with this season while at the same time the plot worked hard toward putting our fractured team back together and while it basically served as the foil to the season premiere, keeping the action on the back burner, I was still captivated none the less because of the touching moments between our beloved team and the fury that the episode managed to elicit thanks to the jackass that is Grant Ward.  

In fact last night's plot was pretty simple. Coulson, Bobbi and Fitz enlist the help of an Asgardian who has been on earth for centuries to figure out how to get the Kree Portal to open and potentially save Jemma from whatever world the damn thing deposited her on. While they do that, we finally find out where May is hiding since Hunter tries to bring her back into the fold to help bring down Ward. Turns out she's been taking care of her father (played by super awesome veteran actor James Hong) after a car accident and after much debate internally she joins Hunter to find Ward...who is steadily rebuilding Hydra at a frightening pace. While that hunt goes on, Daisy and Mack join Coulson in England where Daisy figures out how to use her powers to open the portal and in the process...they save Jemma. 

Yes, that was undoubtedly the first non complex plot of the show in years, and yet somehow they managed to keep this episode tense and fast paced. For one, there was an incredible sense of urgency to rescue Jemma and dude, Fitz is a badass jumping into the portal to save Simmons. I mean, if that's not love, I dunno what is. Not to mention, the return of Hydra is one that made me squirm in my seat because they are being rebuilt in Ward's image which means we can forget about the sense of duty and purpose this organization used to have, it's about to become a ruthless and brutal organization and that's just terrifying.  

But what I loved most about last night, was the push to get the team back together by any means possible. In many ways, this was the episode that truly addressed the fallout and losses for Coulson's S.H.I.E.L.D. from last year. They're a team on the edge, and it's clear there's only a handful of them left. So to see that kind of push to get everyone back together, including May was a wonderful thing and they're gonna need it. The fact that Ward found Baron Von Strucker's creepy and psychotic son is not a good thing and while Hydra may not be quite what it used to be...we all know Ward is putting the band back together for one thing...to exact revenge upon S.H.I.E.L.D., and the stage is now set for that showdown. Until next time. 

I was talking to John last night when this idea came over me. Many of us at Girls of Geek are pet owners, and we have all ended up adopting. This past July things were a bit stressful, and super long story short, Mattie and I nearly ended up with another kitten via my parents. However, that fell through and we both seemed a bit down about it. I ended up dragging Mattie to the Dumb Friends League where we met the newest addition of our home, Agent Carter. Carter (who’s original name was something less cool) was the cat that tugged at our heart strings. She had been surrendered by her previous owners and was sick, and had a possible chronic disorder that would lead to a life of daily medication and worry.

I’d like to say it was us who picked her, but it was actually Carter who picked Mattie. This tiny, sneezy, kitten threw herself into Mattie’s arms and that was that. The great news is this supposed chronic problem our tiny kitten might have was actually a very severe cold. With two huge rounds of antibiotics she was up and playing with the boys in no time. Today Cater is a solid little trouble maker who doesn’t meow much (due to being sick for such a long time) but instead meeps and barks. Mostly, she chortles. It occurred to me then that there are so many pets out there needing homes. While we were there in July, Dumb Friends League was waving all adoption fees on cats older than a year in hopes of finding them homes. Had we been able to take more in, you can bet we would have.

Today I wanted to talk about the importance of pets, for those looking for a new addition to their family. Now, they are a living being and should not be taken lightly. With the Holidays coming up I know it’s tempting for many to get puppies and kittens for presents, but I’d like to urge us in a different direction. A different thought. When considering your newest family member you need to remember that it is all about personality. Sometimes you click with them, and other times they don’t click with you. What I like best about Dumb Friends League is how you can go and meet the animals you’re interested in and get to know them before making that decision.

With all that being said, welcome to Pet Spotlight. A segment where we pick an animal (or two) up for adoption! Today’s pick happens to be two dogs that I thought stood out the most! Also, one of them is 12 and the other 9, and my heart literally shattered into a billion pieces. Misty and Sam! Sam is 9 year old male Catahoula Leopard Hound and Misty is an 12 year old female Australian Cattle Dog mix! The two are a pair, as they should be, so if you or someone you know is looking for a couple to complete their family, these two might just be that. Both are house trained, good with kids, and rather young and playful despite their ‘age’. Remember, that’s just a number! For more information please visit the Dumb Friends League Website at www.ddfl.org and we look forward to bringing you a look at more wonderful pets that need a loving good home.

All right, admittedly this season’s first episode didn’t exactly grab ahold of me, however, episode two…kind of ripped my heart out of my chest and held it tightly. I’m not going to lie, Emma as the Dark One is really working for me. For whatever reason, she really is fantastic at being evil. The back and forth is oddly working for me this time around, I don’t know why I’ve struggled with this in the past, but I really have. 

This season is lining up to really just…be epic from what I can gather so far. I’m hoping my expectations aren’t too high already, but, things happen. In the Enchanted Forest and the Kingdom of Camelot, we have a grand ball about to happen six weeks in the past. Regina has announced herself as the Savior, which isn’t boding well with Emma, but, Regina does have a point. Emma can’t use her magic, after all the more she does, the more she turns…right?

But, the ball doesn’t go as planned. Percival realizes who the ‘Savior’ is, or rather that Regina the Evil Queen is amongst them and he’s a little unhappy about it. Enough so that he tries to kill her (I mean, she burned his village when he was a kid, so it’s fair. I’ve also stopped questioning how everyone is somehow just the same age as everyone else, despite the obvious fact that it’s impossible…but Magic!) only he stabs and kills Robin instead. The only one who can save him is Emma, and she does…ignoring the figment of her imagination that is Rumple. Everything comes with a price, Emma just wasn’t willing to let Regina pay. I don’t mind that Emma is attempting to be selfless, I just feel that this is why she ends up going full dark side on everyone. Which, seems like a plausible reason as to how we all get from Fighting the Darkness to Dark One Emma!

Robin Lives! Or does he? Fast forward to present day and it seems Once Upon A Time's version of a Hell Hound has come to collect the soul of the life that was spared. Though, really, just any life. A life for a life, as it is in all of these types of deals. Only, Regina can’t stop it. Emma refuses to help, and points out that it really is Regina’s fault and her debt to pay, so she needs to do that! Kind of hard to do when everyone’s memories are missing, and Emma isn’t willing to really fill them in. Probably with good reason. Regina is struggling to handle things. She’s determined to save the day at whatever cost. This sudden switch in character roles is quite fun! Finally, Regina faces the demonic beast attempting to take her boy toy, offering her life, only to find that she truly isn’t alone. Does love kill this beast? Probably more like the script decided that a bunch of people holding hands can overcome most things…either way, Robin is saved.

Emma is still being evil, or is she? I feel she’s up to something more than what we see. It seems she has Excalibur down in her basement, sheathed within the stone. Once the Dagger and sword are reunited, made whole, it seems the Dark One will be able to do something no other before her could…vanquish the light forever. Thankfully, she can’t pull it from the stone, not without paying whatever that price is….which leaves a huge cliff hanger for next week, and really, I have no patience, so this is going to be torture.

Few of us in this life have ever experienced true fear. We've been scared, but those moments that shake us to our core and force us to do whatever it takes to either survive or push through terrifying seconds on the clock often elude us and that's why we turn to television and film. 

This is a place we can go get a sliver of an idea of what that's like as we get the opportunity to experience such horror through the eyes of a fictional character. When it is done right...it's nothing short of spectacular and one such episode that pulled it off and still sends my heart racing every single time I watch it...was the official series premiere of Battlestar Galactica, "33".

This was an episode that set the tone for the series by putting the characters through absolute hell in incredible fashion. The last of humanity, now in deep space hoping to find the lost thirteenth colony of Earth have run into quite a problem. Every time they jump, the Cylons find them and to top it off...their evil archenemy appears every 33 minutes after said jump. By the time we join them in this episode they have been jumping and dealing with this nightmare for days now and the crew of the Galactica have seen little sleep and if they don't figure out soon how the Cylons are tracking them...there's a fair chance a mistakes will be made and mankind will come to its end.  

I mentioned earlier that this episode gets the blood pumping every time I watch it and I meant it. This is an episode of television that brings fear to life because there isn't a second wasted when it comes to the plot, the action or the acting because every single second you feel as frazzled as the crew of Galactica. Not to mention the threat of the Cylons is always out there and the dread that comes over you when 33 minutes strikes the clock only sinks you into the experience of this episode further. To top it off, the decision that has to be made regarding the ship that turns out to be the reason the Cylons have been able to follow them...is an ugly one that tears at you. We know Adama and Roslin are right...but the fact we never confirm if the crew is there or not haunts you as a viewer.

But what truly sells this episode...is the acting. Every single member of the cast is nothing short of incredible when it comes to their performance. Each one of them have to pretend they have been awake for over 130 hours and they all sell it. They look exhausted, you can see them teetering where they stand and their eyelids fight them every single step of the way.  It's a hell of a way to start the series and you knew from this point on, this show would push the envelope and put our characters in incredible situations and thankfully I didn't have to wait long for the next episode to air since the series went with a two hour premiere and we'll discuss the next episode, next time. Until then. 

I remember quite fondly the first two nights that the new Battlestar Galactica aired on Syfy. They had been advertising it left and right and having seen the original series as a young boy, I figured I would simply check it out. I truthfully was not a fan of the original series, and that remains the same to this day because of the excess cheese factor...but a remake from Ronald D. Moore, that had my attention. 

Needless to say, the series was thrilling from the get go. We wasted no time getting into the Cylon attack and already the new show had a different feel from its predecessor and in a matter of minutes, I forgot the other incarnation of the show existed. This world was suddenly what mattered and it was a damn fascinating one at that. Every character had my attention, especially William Adama simply because I am a huge fan of Edward James Olmos but every single character jumped off the screen.  

I mean, Tigh was now a raging drunk, Starbuck was a strong and fiery woman and the Cylons...well they now looked like humans and they were utterly terrifying. Only being two years removed from the events of September 11, the attack on the Twelve Colonies felt visceral and raw only because those events were still fresh in my mind and somehow that instantly connected me to all the characters. It was quite clear an hour into this that I was witnessing television history. I had never seen anything quite like this before, and I was hooked. I didn't leave the couch for the first half of this miniseries, and I was on time for the second part. 

This was...truly some of the finest storytelling I had seen in science fiction. We were presented with a race of humans that had mastered space travel, conquered faster than light travel and none of that mattered. They were at war, they were facing extinction and there would be no technobabble here, no grand discussion of how they get out of this mess with science...they simply had to survive. The story was what mattered here over all things and that made for a wonderful two night experience, along with a painful wait for season one to get underway. 

This is a series premiere that stuck with me for a long time in fact. It was the first that I can recall addressing the horrors of our world without offering a political message or solution, and one that brought forth a brave new science fiction world. Truly, this is one of the best pilot episodes I've ever seen...and it was only the beginning for now we were on a journey with the last vestiges of humanity, desperately searching for the lost colony of their brothers and sisters on a tiny little world named Earth and it was a journey that took us to incredible places all thanks to a bold beginning that held nothing back. Until next time. 

POP! Figures! Can you have too many? No! And anyone who tells you otherwise is not committed enough to the adorableness that is the POP! figure. Why do I bring this up? Because last weekend was Salt Lake Comic Con and Funko had their own booth there! Not to mention, there were literally billions of POP figures in the building. Really, this is just a fun piece on why you should go to con’s and buy things. Buying things is my specialty, after all, I am the Queen of Geeky Gifts. There were plenty of things to find at the con floor, and for recaps of the con please check out our con section!

So, what did I buy? For starters six POP! figures…like seriously, who needs that many? First, I had to find the Rocket holding tiny baby Groot. Like, literally, I had to find it. And I did! Okay, John and Mattie did…but I bought it! How could you not? I also found Dracula, no really, Dracula…They have an entire line of old school Monster POP’s! With it being almost Halloween, which is my favorite Holiday, I absolutely had to have it. Along the way, Mattie and I found Rocky and Bullwinkle, and if you are asking what those two are then our friendship is completely over. 

Either way, Moose is making a lovely addition to my POP! family. Speaking of, fellow Avenger’s Scarlet Witch and Black Widow were surprise finds that needed to be bought! I didn’t even know they had made either, and finding them was the most pleasant surprise ever. Especially since I am looking for my dad’s birthday and Christmas presents. Black Widow and Hulk might just made a nice gift for either of them. Almost as good as Anger and Joy! Lastly, there is the newest Frozen releases, Frozen Fever Anna and Elsa. Both come with three tiny snow-babies, and yes, Mattie bought the Anna to my Elsa.

If that wasn’t enough I even bought a Keyblade. Yes, seriously, who does that? Oddly enough SLCC had plenty of vendors selling sharp pointy objects and replicas. The  Pumpkin King Keyblade was my second purchase of the con, and was really a just-because-I-can one. Well, that and the possible cosplay of Halloween Town Sora. I’ve not really settled on any one reason. Either way, I had to have it, and have it I did. It’s the biggest purchase of any con, or biggest item I should say. Now I just need to figure out where to put it…I just hope my parents never find out about this one…I con’t need the judging looks. Just kidding, my dad would steal it and chase me with it.

And, of course, there was art. How could there not be art? One of our favorite artists was in and I had to get one of his latest pictures. I just need to buy a frame for it first. Jason Meents does draw the cutest chibi’s I’ve ever seen and I’ll buy anything he draws of the Winter Soldier. Along the way through Artist Alley, we also found someone who drew each Steven Universe character. Were it not for the amazing deal he gave us, we probably would have passed it up, but having all of them in one set at once was the best investment. That, and really, it’s Steven Universe! Short of finding a Cheeseburger Backpack, this was the best find! I think it was fate….

It’s a wonder I had money left over. It’s hard to leave the dealer's room feeling as though there is something missing. How I didn’t purchase everything I saw is a wonder, but my bank accounts limited funds helped. The best part is, most Dealers and Artists travel from con to con and are able to sell their products just about anywhere. There are some with booths, such as Geek Fuel, who offer a glimpse into their services outside of the con, and others who have online stores so you can buy more later. Either way, it’s a fun place to be, and really, I still feel like I need more POP! figures.