Speedy Synopses:
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. 2x15: One Door Closes
The fallout from the revelation that the S.H.I.E.L.D. that Agent Coulson & co. have been working for since Hydra emerged isn't the "real" S.H.I.E.L.D. continued this week, with us getting a glimpse at not only the present day situation, but also what went down to create the fracture in the first place. The latter being: The ship that Agent Gonzalez commanded was nearly taken by Hydra, but Bobbi, Mac and Izzy—hello again, Lucy Lawless!—and the other loyal S.H.I.E.L.D. agents stood their ground, but not before Bobbi nearly blew up the entire thing (on Fury's orders). The former being: Coulson's team figures out that Bobbi and Mac are hiding things, and attempt to take them down, but Bobbi sets off an EMP, which causes confusion. Thankfully, the members of Coulson's team are a whole lot smarter* than one might give them credit for, and attempt to retake control, but the "real" S.H.I.E.L.D. blows their way in, guns-a-blazing. (THEN FITZSIMMONS HAD A MOMENT AND I SQUEED.) Gonzales tries to talk to Coulson about Fury's apparent megalomania, but May saves the day and sends Coulson off to safety (before she gives herself up to fight another day, obvs.) Safety being an island, on which Hunter meets him, and pledges himself to Coulson's cause.
Meanwhile, Skye's visited by Gordon (a.k.a. the Nightcrawler guy with no eyes), who tells her that he can help her. She's unconvinced, but then the "real" S.H.I.E.L.D. comes to collect her, and she uses her power against them. In her shock, she calls for Gordon's help. Where they bamf off to remains to be seen.
*Common sense. We know they're all geniuses, intelligence-wise. (Mandy C.)
The Flash 1x17: Tricksters
-Barry is convinced that Wells is responsible for both the death of his mother and Mason Bridges’ disappearance, and he’s trying to piece it all together with Joe; he simply can’t understand how someone who would do so much harm could be the same man who helped him harness his own powers and save the city time and time again. They’re distracted by an explosion in the distance; there’s a villain dropping tiny bombs into a playground. A particularly TERRIBLY COSTUMED villain, who’s calling himself The Trickster.
...except that the OT (Original Trickster) is sealed up in his very own special cell in Iron Heights Prison. Mark Hamill has a blast reprising his role through a series of bad wigs and excellent scenery-chewing. Joe and Barry seek out his help, but of course it’s all part of the trick! Baby Trickster IS in fact Son of Trickster (and how great was Hamill’s Darth Vader moment??) and it’s all a ruse to get the police out looking for a non-existent bomb as son breaks papa out of Iron Heights, taking Henry Allen as their hostage.
-Their plan is to rob Central City’s wealthiest at a mayoral fundraiser, flamboyantly declaring that the champagne’s been poisoned. As the attendees frantically call their banks to transfer funds, Iris uses speaker phone to notify Joe what’s going down. Her cell is easily tracked to City Hall and Barry whooshes in only to be literally armed with a Speed-bomb by The Tricksters; if he drops below 600 MPI or tries to take it off it will explode! As he runs Wells tells Barry that he has to “phase through” a wall, leaving the bomb behind, and it’s when he tells Barry to “feel the lightning” that Barry finally has the idea that Wells has had some first-person experience being a speedster. He succeeds in phasing (uh, through an oil tanker? Not sure that was the safest choice, Bar), zips to STAR Labs for a vaccination gun (courtesy of the amazing Caitlyn Snow) which he then uses to Save The Day. Dr. Allen is returned safely to Iron Heights but not until his son gets to rescue his father AND reveal himself as The Flash, confirming what his dad thought all along. COMMENCE FEELINGS.
-Speaking of revelations, Barry and Joe decide to reveal Barry’s Secret Identity, recruiting Eddie in their search to find the truth about Wells. They ask him to lie to Iris about Mason. They want to keep her safe from Wells and feel that being in the dark is safest (Eddie disagrees and so do I.) He tells her that Mason had a ladyfriend in Brazil and is taking time off to be with her “off the grid”. (If Iris is half the reporter she wants to be she’ll smell that lie a mile away.)
-The flashbacks this week FINALLY gave us the answers we were looking for in regard to Wells/Reverse Flash; how could he have been in Barry’s house if the blood samples collected don’t match? It’s because the REAL Harrison Wells (RIP) died the same night as his poor wife in a car accident engineered by Eobarne Thawne (played by Carrie Bradshaw’s DAD), who then uses future tech to SWAP FACES with Harrison Wells. Thawne needs STAR Labs to be up and running about six years ahead of schedule if he ever wants to return home. Thawne/Wells knows that something about Barry has changed, although he attributes it to his dad being taken hostage. Our Barry wears his heart on his sleeve and I fear that his inability to be just the slightest bit crafty will ultimately cost him when he goes up against Thawne.
Arrow 3x18: Public Enemy
-Maseo was actually going to kill Felicity, you guys. This is clearly a man who has lost everything. Oliver once saved his son and so he saved Oliver in return but Maseo is a League man. Thankfully Ray takes the arrow meant for Felicity, which lands him in the hospital with a deadly blood clot that could either kill him or leave him seriously brain damaged.
-Oh yeah, the mayor is dead. Mayors in the DC universe don’t last long, do they.
-Captain Lance is still on the warpath, determined to bring in The Arrow even though Laurel is pleading for him to be reasonable; clearly it’s a copycat but Lance DOES NOT CARE, Y’ALL. His grief over losing Sarah and being kept in the dark about her death is manifesting itself as some serious tunnel vision. The Arrow is a convenient scapegoat for all of his painful emotions right now and he uses all the manpower at his disposal to bring him in.
-Ra’s decides to pull a Deathstroke and tells Lance (after an elaborate kidnapping/bringing him back to his lair) that Oliver Queen is The Arrow. That final puzzle piece slips into place and now it’s personal. (Sidenote: where did Ra's get his giant iron standing torches? Did he ship them from home? Did he hire a decorator? Does he subscribe to the same catalog as Oliver does for his hero mannequins?)
-Oliver realizes that Ra’s isn’t going to stop and that he’s managed to get the SCPD after him. Team Arrow confronts Team LoA on a rooftop and we’re treated to Ra’s giving Oliver a slow-clap for his efforts. “You can’t kill me because then you’ll have to BE ME”, etc and honestly Oliver, just TAKE the mantle! I know you don’t Play Well With Others but this is just silly.
-We got lots of action sequences this week and I continue to hate Laurel’s Michael Jackson pants. Do I need to start a hashtag campaign? #BetterBlackCanaryCostumeOrWeRiot
-In the flashbacks we see that Shado is actually her twin sister, Mei, who helps Oliver and Akio hide from Waller's men. Maseo and Tatsu manage to rescue them and Oliver gives Mei the closure she needs regarding her "missing" father and sister. "You have no idea how powerful the truth can be."
-Charlotte Ross is back! I love Felicity’s mom so much. Can we get a web series of Felicity and Donna Smoak on a road trip? She manages to distract a doctor long enough that Felicity can inject Ray with his nano-robot medicine (courtesy of Palmer Technologies) which saves his life. Later on he tells her that he loves her (aww!) and Felicity freezes up like a damn Otter Pop. The look on Ray’s face jabs me right in my heart. We get a nice mother-daughter moment when Donna reassures Felicity that she couldn’t tell Ray she loves him because she loves Oliver.
-Oliver decides to give himself up and the rest of his team are furious. Laurel manages to get immunity for all of them as part of his plea. Frustration is at an all-time high and it’s Roy who throws himself on Oliver’s funeral pyre, intercepting his prisoner transfer and declaring (in Oliver’s gear) that HE is The Arrow.
Hero of the Week: Ray Palmer/The Atom, Arrow
He took an arrow to the chest for Felicity and continues to be a bright spot of humor and light in a show that is pretty damn dour. I know that he was a bit awkward and stalker-y when he first arrived on the scene but week after week I make the spot in my heart for Ray Palmer just a little bit bigger.
Honorable Mention: Roy Harper/Arsenal, Arrow
Roy is incredibly loyal to Team Arrow, especially to his mentor and leader, Oliver. That he's willing to go to prison in Oliver's place (and give up his newly rekindled love with Thea) speaks volumes; hopefully his (brief, if the preview for next Wednesday is any indication) time in prison will give him time to realize that he needs to work on forgiving himself for killing a man while on Mirakuru. You don't want to end up alone and burdened like Ollie, Roy.
Villain of the Week: James Jesse/The Trickster, The Flash
Even though we got the Big Reveal about Evil Eobard I still think that Mark Hamill deserves ALL the applause for his return as The Trickster. MAN, that voice! Who knew you could be so terrified of a man who once played your childhood sweetheart Luke Skyywalker?
Honorable Mention: Captain Quentin Lance, Arrow
When he slapped Oliver in the face I AUDIBLY GASPED. He can't see the forest for the trees right now and I'm genuinely worried for him. Oliver Queen may be many things, sir (uptight, a martyr, full of secrets, someone who can wear the HELL out of a pea coat), but he is NOT a villain.
Troy Barnes Award for Evoking The Feelz:
(images courtesy of pintasfun/tumblr.com)
Ab-tastic:
And the people said, "AMEN." (image courtesy of willaholla.tumblr.com)
Right in the Kisser:
-No time for romance for our S.H.I.E.L.D. agents as secrets are revealed and feelings of betrayal are felt. Maybe Skye will find love with one of her fellow Inhumans?
-Barry and Joe asking Eddie to lie to Iris is sure to come back and bite him in the ass. (Question - is there anyone out there who actually ships Barry and Iris? ANYone?)
-Felicity breaks Ray's heart when she doesn't return his "I love you" so that's the end of that. I hope Ray finds true love on his spin-off series next season. That man is too hot and too sweet to be single for long. Roy and Thea are officially Back Together and so now Malcolm needs to get his own damn place so Roy can move OUT of The Glades and into her swanky penthouse. Actually, that might be a bit awkward with Oliver living there. Hmm. They have time to figure it out while Roy is in prison I guess.
Biff! Bam! Pow!
This whole sequence was AMAZINGLY cool! (image courtesy of theartistictiger.tumblr.com)
Comic Pages:
Pick of the Week: Rocket Raccoon #10
written by Skottie Young, illustrated by Jake Young
What I love about this book is that only SOME of them are suitable for me to pass along to my nieces and nephews. Such is the nature of everyone's foul-mouthed non-raccoon with a heart of gold. In the latest issue Rocket is working as a mercenary because, like the rest of us, he has BILLS TO PAY. Right now he's paying back ALL of his ex-girlfriends (who collectively came for him in previous issues) but he owes money EVERYwhere. Thankfully Groot is there to keep him from getting himself killed and making bad decisions (sometimes). You don't know happiness until you witness Groot order the foofiest, most-umbrella'd cocktail you've ever seen.
Honorable Mention: Angel & Faith S10 #13
written by Victor Gischler, illustrated by Cliff Richards and Michelle Madsen
Faith has returned to Magic Town in London and finds Angel trying to help Fred (FRED!) repress Illyria who is trying her damnedest to once again take over Fred's body. Eldre Koh is also in Magic Town; he needs to find Illyria to get answers about who killed his entire village and complete his revenge quest. We get to see a very moving scene in which Nadira finally makes Koh realize the futility of revenge, how it tricks you and takes over your entire life. The Fred/Illyria episodes of Angel were some of my favorites so I'm excited to see her/them finally make a reappearance in the comics!
-Jamie Hewlitt of The Gorillaz was the artist behind Tank Girl before he ever headed off into rock-pop bliss with Damon Albarn. He’s back to draw for the upcoming anthology, 21st Century Tank Girl, and you can see a preview here!
-A very worthy read on Indigenous Representation in comics. Keep an eye out for Moonshot: The Indigenous Comics Collection, a Kickstarter-funded anthology created by indigenous creators! Definitely ask your comic store to stock it!
-Dark Horse Comics has TEN new titles hitting the shelves in 2015, including Zodiac Starforce, an all-ages series about a group of superhero teenage girls re-forming their team after a hiatus. You can read an interview with the creative team here. The cover is ADORBS:
Another title from Dark Horse is the notable return of Barb Wire, aka That Pamela Anderson Movie I Was Too Feminist To Watch. She’s a female bounty hunter so what the hell, I’ll give it a look-see:
-At Emerald City Comic Con there was a panel featuring Kelly Sue DeConnick (Bitch Planet, Captain Marvel) and Noelle Stevenson (Lumberjanes, Nimona) among other ladytype comic writers. It was called "Being Non-Compliant" and I am full of the sadz for not being able to witness Kelly Sue bring the truth:
"(Speaking about Bitch Planet/being non-compliant) But what I think the statement they’re making is, I am a person who does not fit the box assigned to me. I am too tall or too short or too fat or too black or brown or too indigenous or too atheist or too slutty or too frumpy or too gay or too whatever the fuck it is my culture is going to judge me for today, and I refuse to see myself through your eyes. I refuse to see myself as imperfect because of that. And you will support me or you will get the fuck off.”
News and Notes:
-The dystopian sci-fi comic Lazarus has been optioned for TV but as of yet no network has picked it up. From what I’ve read it seems that HBO would be its best home. Think Game of Thrones meets The Hunger Games, and with a female lead that kicks all of the butt.
-Stephen Amell of Arrow has been cast to play Casey Jones (and NOT Vanilla Ice, sadly) in the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles sequel.
-More casting news for the Arrow/Flash spinoff: Ciara Renee has been cast as Hawkgirl Kendra Saunders (there are SEVERAL Hawkgirl incarnations) and Arthur Darvill (Doctor Who) will be playing Rip Hunter who is described as (I kid you not) “a roguish time traveler”.
-Extended promo for the rest of this season of The Flash has me ALL A-FLUTTER:
Oliver suited up as Ra's and fighting with Barry AND Ronnie! GORILLA GRODD!
-Extended promo for the rest of this season of Arrow has me FULL OF EMOTIONS:
Roy/Oliver, Oliver/Felicity (SO MANY CANDLES) and WHO is that mysterious woman??
-A handy cartoon of the many Supergirl origin stories, in prep for the series this fall courtesy of writer Chris Haley and artist Jordan Gibson:
-Suicide Squad has their Killer Croc, and it’s Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje.
-Julie Delpy and Linda Cardellini are in Avengers: Age of Ultron.
-Andy Serkis has confirmed that his character in Avengers: Age of Ultron is Ulysses Klaw, a villain who is a part of Black Panther’s origins. INTERESTING.
-Anthony Mackie talks about how important it is for girls to have representation and thaws my heart SLIGHTLY. (Don’t think we haven’t forgotten when you told us to make you a sandwich, Falcon.)
-Netflix’s Luke Cage scores a win for diversity/common sense by hiring Cheo Hodari Coker (Southland, Ray Donovan) as their showrunner.
-Daredevil drops this Friday, you guys! And the early reviews are PROMISING:
“It’s everything Nolan’s Batman never had time to explore, everything Arrow wants to be without network boundaries, and exactly the street-level drama Marvel needs to complete its superhero world."
Let’s watch the trailer again, shall we?
-Deadpool wins April Fool's Day by interrupting Mario Lopez’s interview with Ryan Reynolds, heightens my excitement for the movie:
I can't believe we have to wait until NEXT WEEK to see more Flash/Arrow...! I don't think the Olicity shippers will last that long! What are you most hoping for/looking forward to in the final episodes of these seasons? (I know, I know. It's to see Barry and Oliver: Together Again, isn't it?) What other comics are you loving that came out this week? Just HOW excited are you for Daredevil to drop on Friday and will you be calling off work to sit in your pajamas all day and watch it? (This is a judgment-free zone, don't worry.)
