We'll no longer be re-capping Constantine. I hope it gets better, but as of right now I am full of Can Not for that show. Besides, even though it's based on a comic it's not STRICTLY a superhero show, so I defintely feel ok about it.
Speedy Synopses
Gotham 1x8: The Mask
Jim and Harvey find themselves in the midst of a pretty gruesome investigation: a man has been killed with what looks like office supplies ... and his killer has left damning evidence (in the form of a finger) inside his mouth. Edward Nygma joins the investigation (a little too gleefully) and finds that this isn't the first murder involving office supplies. In fact, four other young men in busniess suits have turned up dead this way recently. Jim and Harvey's leads lead them to investigate the financial firm of one Richard Sionis, who has a penchant for weaponry and masks, and an office filled with employees who have injuries or scars. Come to find out that Sionis—a.k.a. The Mask—has been running a Fight Club for Financiers, and forcing prospective employees to fight in an abandoned office building until only one is left standing. (He/She gets the job, natch.) The investigation nearly turns sour when Jim finds himself trapped in the latest "job interview," but apparently underneath that stodgy exterior, he knows a thing or two about fighting.
Meanwhile: Bruce goes back to school, and gets into a fight. He doesn't exactly know how to fight (yet), however, but Alfred helps him out a bit, and shows a bit of a darker side. Oswald's still up to no good, but when he tries to make nice with Fish, she doesn't return the favor.
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x7: The Writing on the Wall
This episode was so crazy good bananas that I don’t know where to start. Coulson agrees to go deep into his hidden memories so that they can figure out who the Mad Carver is, who has taken another victim, and not at random. It’s super dangerous but that’s our Coulson. Turns out the victims are all former agents. Coulson sees how the alien serum affected other S.H.I.E.L.D. agents badly, drove them to the brink of insanity and they had to have new identities and new memories implanted. He’s able to narrow it down to two possible suspects and one is definitely going to kill the other. Coulson, Skye and Mai arrive just in time and, not only do they save the agent and his family, but they also see the giant elaborate train set he built for his son. Except that it’s not just a train set. It’s the drawings, and looking at it now you can see that it’s a CITY. AN ALIEN CITY. Did I mention that in Coulson’s Repressed Memories we see the scientists removing the serum from a PRESERVED KREE ALIEN BODY? You guys. YOU GUYS. This has so much movie crossover potential that I. AM. DYING.
Ward is on the run and S.H.I.E.L.D. is on his tail, except not really. Ward is like, 54 steps ahead. He dips out on Trip, Bobbi AND Hunter. Hunter dressed as a cowboy is just so Hunter. Ward goes on to a safe house and murders all of his former cohorts. WOW. He also gets Mr. Hydra to meet him there, beats the tar out of him and leaves him all gifted up for S.H.I.E.L.D. The truly tragic happens when Ward shaves his beard as part of his new “on the run” look. I may have wailed at my television. He’s going after his brother. Is that a giant box of matches I see in his bag? Oh dear.
The Flash 1x5: Plastique
A new meta-human is blowing things up in Central City and it’s up to Barry and The Gang to save the day. When they realize that she doesn’t have control over her powers, they try to help her by taking her to Star Labs (and also giving her a badass nickname - Plastique!) Her name is Bette San Souci and she’s a veteran who’s riddled with shrapnel. She was in the hospital during the blast, Weird Stuff Happened, and now she can detonate anything she touches. Barry feels for her and wants her to become part of Team Flash but the others, including Dubious Dr. Wells, point out that it’s too dangerous. Her former general is looking for her and of course he’s super evil and involved in nefarious, immoral experiments. OBVIOUSLY he used to work with Dr. Wells. Sadly, Bette is killed by General Eiling due in part to Wells suggesting she murder him (ugh) but Barry manages to dissuade her right before Eiling puts a bullet in her. It was hella sad, y’all. Cisco’s sad face is SO SAD. Brighter parts of the episode included the scene between Barry and Joe (aren’t they always?) where Joe tells him that he’s always known Barry’s feelings for Iris. Barry really wants to tell Iris about his abilities but stays true to his promise to Joe. Still, that didn’t stop him from having a rooftop talk with Iris as The Flash. FINALLY a scene that made me start to care about Iris as a character, and as someone important in Barry’s life. It was really romantic in a Clark Kent/Lois Lane kind of way.
Arrow 3x6: Guilty
Laurel is still training at Ted “Wildcat” Grant’s gym, much to Oliver’s disapproval. Whatever, Oliver. Anyways, dead bodies start showing up and one of them at the gym. Ted is the main suspect but Laurel is his alibi. Oliver is concerned because Ted has a record; he beat a guy to death six years prior. Except that he didn’t, he took the wrap for his former partner. You see, Wildcat used to be Starling City’s vigilante before Oliver Queen got off the island. He had a partner who got too “enthusiastic” about his job and ended up killing someone. Ted told him to leave Starling and he ended up kidnapped and tortured by the mob. He’s killing bodies and leaving a trail as payback to Ted, who he has some SERIOUS ABANDONMENT ISSUES with. Running parallel to this tale of partners breaking up is Roy and his Sara-killing nightmares. He confides in Felicity who pieces together the possibility that Roy may have murdered Sara based on the trajectory of the arrows, etc. Roy and Felicity tell Oliver, Laurel (oh boy) and Diggle. Laurel starts to lose her shit but Ollie focuses her on the task at hand with Ted. In a VERY uncharacteristic move, Diggle suggests that they treat Roy like any other murderer. Um, hi, Roy was on Marakuru, remember? This didn’t feel like Diggle to me AT ALL. Annoying. Even though Ollie tells Roy to suit-down for now, he follows them and ends up saving them from Ted’s Crazy Ex Partner, but not before he wails to Roy about how Ollie is using Roy the way that Ted used him; “You’re just another weapon in his arsenal!” (ARSENAL!) And then we are treated to a scene which brought about ALL OF THE FEELS.
Oliver has pieced together what actually happened and invites Roy to a mediation session that is annoyingly NOT shirtless. He gets Roy to go deep into repressed memories and Roy finally sees that he didn’t murder Sara but a police officer. He’s angry at Ollie for not telling him, which is kind of understandable. Then we see a crazy archer calling herself Cupid shooting some poor bastard in an alley.
Hero of the Week: The Flash/Barry Allen
I’m struck by how inclusive Barry was with Bette when he realized that her “condition” couldn’t be cured. He instantly suggested that she should become part of the team. (Could you imagine Oliver doing the same? He doesn’t even want Baby Sara in the Lair.) The amount of empathy and compassion he had for her was just incredibly moving, and his reaction to her death equally so.
Honorable Mention: Plastique/Bette San Souci
Bette was a victim in the truest sense of the word, and twice over. Once by her government and again by the explosion that turned her into a virtual detonating device. In the end Barry managed to convince her not to kill Eiling, that she’s not a murderer and she thanks him for that, even as she’s dying.
Honorable Mention: Detective Harvey Bullock
Sure, he’s pretty lazy and corrupt but he’s not going to let the rest of Gotham PD sit around on their asses while his partner is out there possibly getting seven colors of shite kicked out of him OR WORSE. I appreciate Harvey a lot more now that I’ve seen some flashback scenes with him; he used to be a better man than he is now. Hopefully Jim will continue to be a good influence on him and he’ll find his way back again.
Villain of the Week: Dr. Harrison Wells
Dr. Wells has an end-game, we all know this. He’s had one since BEFORE the blast. He’s lying to those closest to him and will definitely throw you under the bus if needs must. Hell, he’ll even murder you himself! I couldn’t quite decide if he encouraged Bette to kill Eiling to get rid of Eiling OR to quietly dispose of Bette but either way it’s JUST SO SHADY AND AWFUL.
Honorable Mention: General Eiling
Clancy Brown, you are a master of your craft, sir. Your General Eiling is a familiar one, the type of villain that is so convinced of his own morality even when he’s protecting his country at all costs. The final scene where we flash back to his original “project” with Wells and an anxious gorilla sitting in a lab cage confirms it. (Also, Gorilla Grodd!)
Clark Kent Moment of Duh
The Flash finally confronts Iris and it is adorable. He manages to stay just out of sight and uses his powers to vibrate his vocal cords so that his voice is disguised.
Ab-tastic
Oliver and Roy have been very uncooperative in this respect for the past few weeks. Even though Ward is evil (and sadly, also now beardless) we did get a glimpse of his upper-body goodness:
Right in the Kisser
Barbara is The Worst and leaves Jim because he’s not taking her calls while she sits at home and gets drunk. Totally reasonable. I saw someone on Twitter call her the Lori Grimes of Gotham and I may have snorted.
Ward is still toying with Skye and even though you know she hates him that her feelings are more complex. His feelings might be too but I’m not willing to give that asshole the benefit of the doubt anytime soon.
Joe lets Barry know that he’s known forever that Barry is in love with Iris, assuring him that Iris doesn’t have a clue. I just want to live inside every scene between these two. Cisco has an ill-fated (but still very sweet) crush on Bette and apparently, no filter when it comes to the ladies. “I’m sorry, that was completely inappropriate.”
An archer calling herself Cupid (points deducted for lack of originality) shows up in Starling City. We’ll see more of her and her attempts to woo Oliver Queen in the next episode. He DOES have a thing for rescuing morally corrupt women so we’ll see.
Biff! Bam! Pow!
Running up a building to save window washers, running across water to dispose of his friend’s body that’s about to detonate - Barry Allen had all the action this week!
There was one arrow in particular in Ollie’s quiver that had comic fans (including my husband who send me a nerdy excited text) exuding squee, and that’s the Boxing Glove Arrow:
Comic Pages
-Batgirl #36 is out and it's really pretty great, y'all. I was super hyped for the previous issue which starts this whole new story arc of Babs going to Grad School, living in hipster Brooklyn, and getting a sweet new costume courtesy of illustrator Babs Tarr. Sadly it fell a bit flat for me but this one has really pulled it together, adding in some really great supporting characters like Nadimah, Barbara's new assistant, and a potential new love interest in the form of a swoony teaching assistant. She and Dinah (Black Canary) are still on the outs but it's snarky and cute. Anyways, read it already!
-Sam Wilson (The Falcon) has made his debut as Cap in Captain America #1 AND Captain America and The Mighty Avengers #1 this past Wednesday! Yay diversity! I liked the Sam we see in Captain America more but I like the inclusion of so many other Avengers in the other title.
And ICYMI, Anthony Mackie posting about this little Falcon was the cutest thing EVER:
-Marvel has announced a new title to start in February, Guardians Team-Up. The Guardians of the Galaxy will meet up with ALL of the Avengers in the first issue, hinting at a possible romance between Rocket Raccoon and She-Hulk. WHAT. (CBR)
-Thor #2 is out! She’s fighting frost giants with a sensibly designed breast-plate! My comic shop forgot to add this to my saver this week so I still haven't read it, but if it's as good as the previous issue we're in good hands.
-Ant-Man #1, to be released in January, will have an ever-shrinking variant cover! (CBR)
News and Notes
-It’s BEYOND awesome that we’re getting a Captain Marvel movie in 2018, but Lauren Davis challenges that we need more female-led superhero movies. AGREED. (io9)
-We all know and love Storm (she deserved so much better than Halle Berry) but check out this list of OTHER kickass black superheroines! (io9)
DC:
-Michelle MacLaren, director of The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones, has been declared the frontrunner for directing Wonder Woman. (CBR)
-The Flash and Arrow will have their first major two-part crossover event starting on December 2nd! Personally I could watch a spin-off web series of just Oliver mentoring young wannabe heroes like Barry and Roy. (CBR)
-In more Arrow news, we were treated to the first pic of our new Black Canary this week. Laurel doesn’t look half bad, does she? LOVE her mask and that lipstick.
-Speaking of not looking half bad, Roy Palmer will finally start training on the Salmon Ladder in this week’s episode of Arrow. Looks like he’ll be going on a date with our Felicity too. GET IT GIRL. (CBR)
-In Suicide Squad movie news, Jai Courtney (Divergent) has been rumored for Deadshot. (CBR) In BIGGER news, Margot Robbie (The Wolf of Wall Street) has been cast as Harley Quinn! (Den of Geek)
Marvel:
-X-Men: Apocalypse will have Magneto and Mystique’s romance front and center. It must be a very hard life that Jennifer Lawrence has, getting to stare into Fassy’s eyes all day and get paid for it. (The Hollywood Reporter)
-Is Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. leading up to involvement with Inhumans? That preserved Kree body we saw this past week definitely points to “yes”. Some great Easter eggs and theories here, including who Skye’s father could be in the Marvel Universe. (CBR)
Let's dish and swoon together in the comments!