tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51618430108180065372024-03-13T09:34:43.724-06:00The Eclectic GenreratorA review site dedicated to a variety of film, television and literary genres.Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.comBlogger458125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-80519433283968473452014-07-20T13:20:00.000-06:002014-07-28T10:06:14.733-06:00Review: Snowpiercer<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
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<b>Spoiler-free Review:</b><br />
Dystopias can be a tricky thing. They run a gamut between the outright believable, and thus more chilling settings (<i>Children of Men, <a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/search/label/The%20Road">The Road</a></i>), to those exotic and sometimes overly stylish canvasses that serve to showcase a writer's themes (<i>Brazil,</i> <i>1984</i>, <i>The Handmaid's Tale</i>). <i>Snowpiercer</i> can be firmly placed somewhere on the side of the latter, but that's not a bad thing at all, as there's a hefty amount of substance mixed in with its slick look.</div>
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The film is directed by South Korean Joon-ho Bong. While not familiar with Joon-ho Bong's full body of work, I'm a fan of his clever 2006 endeavour, <i>The Host</i>, and encourage any lover of monster movies to check it out. <i>Snowpiercer</i> doesn't spend a great deal of time on the premise or explaining all the details of its setting—a present-day attempt to reverse global warming results in the freezing of the world. A brilliant industrialist with a love of trains has already constructed a luxury locomotive with a self-contained ecosystem that circumnavigates the planet, and that becomes the refuge for humanity's survivors. Jump ahead 17 years and life aboard the train is a rigid caste system with the elites at the front, and the rabble at the tail. A situation ripe for revolution. Yes, <i>Snowpiercer</i> can be heavy-handed in its themes.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2SfgW3vmKo/U9U5eP1oUSI/AAAAAAAAGME/QoWlAeQ3_5Q/s1600/snowpiercer-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-k2SfgW3vmKo/U9U5eP1oUSI/AAAAAAAAGME/QoWlAeQ3_5Q/s1600/snowpiercer-1.jpg" height="219" width="320" /></a></div>
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Bong assembled an effective and eclectic cast with Chris Evans (<i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2011/07/review-captain-america-first-avenger.html" target="_blank">Captain America</a></i>)<i> </i>as hero of the tail section, Curtis, who takes charge of the revolution to seize the front of the train and the <i>eternal engine</i>. Kang-ho Song (<i>The Host</i>) is a former security expert crucial to the uprising. Tilda Swinton (<i>We Need to Talk About Kevin</i>) delivers another memorable performance as Mason, one of the elites charged with keeping everyone in their proper place, with John Hurt as the wizened mentor to Curtis. Octavia Spencer (<i>Community</i>) and Ed Harris also star. It's a great cast that meshes well together, with Evans managing the main role quite effectively.</div>
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<i>Snowpiercer</i> looks great. It's beautifully shot, with some memorable vistas of the frozen Earth. While the entire movie takes place on the train, each car presents a new setting, and progressively gets brighter the farther we move from the tail section, beginning in its washed out palette and moving to the vibrancy and technological wonders of the front. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A81kQdDL9hI/U9U5WvEbOAI/AAAAAAAAGL8/MZwpsHCvU3s/s1600/18w6kzbdbe24cjpg.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-A81kQdDL9hI/U9U5WvEbOAI/AAAAAAAAGL8/MZwpsHCvU3s/s1600/18w6kzbdbe24cjpg.jpg" height="320" width="228" /></a>I was continually reminded of Terry Gilliam's filmmaking style. There are some particularly surreal scenes, a lot of it surrounding the cultlike and messianic adoration of the people for Wilford, the train's creator (the eternal engine is life! Everyone has their place!), and bizarre bits of random humour. It's especially personified by Tilda Swinton's character and actress Alison Pill's over-the-top school teacher performance. But it serves to highlight this isn't a humanity familiar to us. Just enough time has passed to allow us to believe in this self-contained community (and wouldn't some kind of religious zeal be necessary to keep such a microcosm of society in line for so long?).</div>
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The dystopic world presented here <i>does </i>need to be taken with a hefty grain of salt. While the global cooling chemical that pushes the Earth into an ice age isn't much beyond the realm of experiments gone awry, the train itself is best enjoyed when not scrutinized <i>too </i>much. It's a closed environment that runs on a perpetual motion machine, and circles the earth once every year. Coincidentally (or not) it becomes the last refuge for a sliver of humanity when the world freezes. It hugs the sides of snowy peaks as it crosses enormous trestle bridges and smashes through fallen ice with relative ease. Yet Bong's sometimes surreal style still kept me grounded in the movie and allowed me to buy in to the premise, unlike the more hard science fiction like <i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/search/label/Elysium" target="_blank">Elysium</a></i>, which, while looking real, left me scratching my head for most of it wondering how such a geo-political future came about.</div>
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The train is the perfect metaphor. It's a prison. It's the world. It never stops. It follows the same route year after year. The progression from the back to the front is a progression from darkness into light, ignorance into knowledge. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqjMDPc4JeE/U9U5QgFNrxI/AAAAAAAAGL0/8xs5_qhSDn4/s1600/Ko-Asung-and-Song-Kang-ho-in-Snowpiercer.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-HqjMDPc4JeE/U9U5QgFNrxI/AAAAAAAAGL0/8xs5_qhSDn4/s1600/Ko-Asung-and-Song-Kang-ho-in-Snowpiercer.jpg" height="260" width="320" /></a><i>Snowpiercer </i>is just as engaging as an action movie alone, and launches into it very quickly, taking the audience along with few breaks in the momentum. And those pauses, when they occur, provide welcome moments to explore some of the history and characters and insights into life aboard the train.</div>
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That dichotomy led to an interesting controversy in getting <i>Snowpiercer</i> into the American market, with Harvey Weinstein demanding to cut as much as 20 minutes in order to make for a more <i>action-oriented</i> experience. Or to put it more blatantly, <i>dumbing it down</i> for American audiences. I have a sense what those cuts would have entailed (the aforementioned elementary school scene, and a dramatic insight into Curtis' backstory, two of the larger breaks in the action). But these were essential to the movie, so it would have been severely diminished without them, or any number of others. Fortunately the director won that battle and it's getting its intact release, and judging from box office results could be a sleeper hit in North America.</div>
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<i>Snowpiercer</i> kept me guessing as to its ultimate destination. Bong manages to maintain tension throughout in a steady progression through the cars, with each opened door revealing something new and unsettling. While several aspects were predictable, a host of others were not. There is no character too important not to be expendable, and one is never certain they know exactly what is driving the plot. </div>
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<span style="text-align: start;"><i>Snowpiercer</i> is very blatant in its allegory, but presents plenty of material for post-theatre discussion, and very likely lots to rediscover in rewatching. </span>Bong succeeds in giving the audience a sufficient emotional punch, as I had bought into the fates of everyone, even the more minor characters. Definitely not on the scale of something like <i>Cloud Atlas</i>, but I was reminded a little bit of <i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/search/label/The%20Divide" target="_blank">The Divide</a></i> by the end of it. While I had no doubts I would enjoy <i>Snowpiercer</i>, I was pleasantly surprised how much I did. It's a film that definitely can find its niche among the less thoughtful summer blockbusters.</div>
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Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-84251596674232525412013-12-27T19:35:00.000-07:002014-01-04T19:37:49.009-07:00Review: The Walking Dead 118<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Issue 118</i> keeps the <i>All Out War</i> arc moving briskly, with Rick and Ezekiel's armies attacking Negan's outposts. Back at the Hilltop Gregory returns to find controversy over his decision to appease Negan.</div>
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<i>All Out War </i>continues to be a good read, and the last few issues have not lacked for action or development. Casualties begin to mount and loyalties start to fray, and I'm sure something ominous must be on the horizon despite the current state of Negan's forces.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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Gregory is alive, and returns to the hilltop exhausted with the few who abandoned Rick's campaign. He's furious when Maggie asks if the attack was successful, revealing she knew of it. Gregory declares it was him who stopped the suicide mission and smoothed things over with Negan. While Gregory doesn't even know who Maggie is, she accuses him of being a coward, but when Greg replies that Negan is the reasonable party and it's Rick who is crazy, she punches him.</div>
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Maggie proceeds to address the crowd telling them it's their time to act to take down Negan lest they be beholden to him the rest of their lives. While Gregory weekly protests, she announces she believes in Rick Grimes.</div>
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Back in Alexandria a worried Carl finds Michonne returning absent his father, but she assures him he's working on attacking Negan's outposts. He's relieved to hear the plan worked.</div>
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Later Ezekiel makes his way to Alexandria and confides how their first victory had been luck. Dwight had revealed the location of four of their outposts. While Rick led a successful attack against one (despite Eric being killed), Ezekiel's men were massacred, and he was forced to flee. Shiva managed to save him from walkers, but was overwhelmed and killed herself, allowing him to escape. Alone with Michonne, he admits he wishes he had not survived, so his men would see him as a hero and he would not have lost Shiva.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>118 </i>keeps the pace of the storyline and brought some much-needed attention to Maggie so that she could rally troops at the Hilltop. I admit I was surprised that Gregory had actually survived. He's the biggest wild card right now and I can imagine him doing something desperate to retain control.</div>
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The first major losses stacked up this month—Eric and Shiva. Right now it's unclear how many men Rick has left, but no doubt the Hilltop will be able to provide some new recruits, unless Gregory somehow manages to rebuild his power base. </div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-35107757579289909682013-12-23T18:03:00.000-07:002014-01-03T18:04:06.987-07:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "Head"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Head</i> addresses Hank's backstory and the true nature of his mission with Marie and marriage to Delia. The head in question is Delphine, and Queenie opts to take her under her care and teach her a lesson. Meanwhile, Myrtle schemes to bring the coven back into order, starting with the council and Delia. Nan struggles to remain at Luke's bedside despite his mother.</div>
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Who knew that a decapitated Kathy Bates would be so much fun? Her scenes were the funniest of the season so far, and provided a great contrast to the darker elements of the episode. </div>
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<i>Head </i>was one of the best, culminating in what was generally expected, but promising an exciting conclusion to the season when the story resumes in the new year.</div>
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In 1991, a young Hank is taken into the woods by his <i>witch hunter</i> father. They've been hunters for generations, his dad explains as they load the rifle. They proceed deeper into the trees until his father flushes out a woman who falls in front of Hank. Hank is told to put her down, and as she begs for her life he can't bring himself to kill her, allowing her time to cast fire against his father before she collapses. As he puts out his burning jacket, the older man reminds his son never to forget what they are.</div>
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Fiona visits Marie's salon with the box, asking to talk. Marie reluctantly agrees, and in the back Fiona finds the decapitated body of Delphine standing in the cage. Marie chastises Fiona for using Delphine as a bargaining chip. Fiona wants to talk terms, but Marie laughs at the prospect they can mend the truce. Delphine pipes up from inside the box that Fiona is insane. Fiona wants to stop the petty quarrelling given the witch hunters that attacked the night before. Witch hunters are white women's worry, Marie counters. She also knows Fiona has cancer and can't protect her own. Fiona tells Queenie to go burn the box with Delphine's head, so she takes it away, and Fiona leaves.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s7wC27I-gbQ/Ur5xRdNg-GI/AAAAAAAAGJo/loeqbNilqtA/s1600/936596_208910759292733_437606696_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="217" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-s7wC27I-gbQ/Ur5xRdNg-GI/AAAAAAAAGJo/loeqbNilqtA/s320/936596_208910759292733_437606696_n.jpg" width="320" /></a>Myrtle wants to ensure Delia has no doubts that she had anything to do with the acid attack. Delia never doubted her, she assures her.</div>
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In Atlanta, Hank visits the <i>Delphi Trust</i>, home of the witch hunters, to see his father. They're not happy with his progress in New Orleans and especially not that he allied himself with the voodoo queen. He should <i>not </i>take initiative, they remind him as he's only to gather intelligence. That's why he's married to Cordelia. Hank tells him he's more capable than he thinks. But his father already knows about the fire starter he killed, which they had to clean up after, and which ended the lives of a maid and desk clerk as a result. The hunt isn't only about the kill—they only strike when the time is right, and they need Hank back in the house. The acid attack on Delia was authorized by them to ensure she needed Hank. But someday she will need to be put down.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1HR0xVfOI5k/Ur5xRq6oaZI/AAAAAAAAGJs/dc_9-Fnqeac/s1600/AHS_121113_Primary-banner.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1HR0xVfOI5k/Ur5xRq6oaZI/AAAAAAAAGJs/dc_9-Fnqeac/s320/AHS_121113_Primary-banner.jpg" width="320" /></a>Myrtle entertains the council, who have returned after her surprising phone call and have regrets about the <i>misunderstanding</i> that led to her burning<i>.</i> And they want to hear all about Misty Day. Myrtle explains she has power, compassion and uniqueness. As Pembrooke toasts her she begins to choke on the meal, and she and Quentin are paralyzed. Myrtle chastises them for wanting to eliminate her so they could dominate the council. But she brought them there to help Cordelia—and proceeds to remove an eye from each with the melonballer. With that and her magic, Delia can see again.</div>
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Fiona arrives home shocked to find her daughter healed, and Myrtle thanks her for sending her to the flames to bring her clarity. She also cut up the bodies of the council and disposed of them. The two trade accusations of murder and Fiona threatens her with permanent exile. Delia reminds Myrtle she needs to treat her mother as the supreme and her mother needs to stop accusing Myrtle. The real danger is outside. She also realizes that her gift has vanished with the return of her sight.</div>
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At the hospital Zoe and Madison find Nan who has been sitting outside of Luke's room. His mother won't let her see him. Luke remains in a coma with Joan at his side. She's furious when the girls enter. However Nan can hear him in her mind. Luke tells Nan information to verify that he's communicating with her so Joan acquiesces and sings to her son with Nan at her side. </div>
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Queenie keeps Delphine's head and brings her home, giving her <i>Roots</i> to watch. She vows to educate her about her people. </div>
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In his hotel room Hank suddenly feels the torture of Marie's magic while her emissary arrives to demand the heads of the white witches. She wants them dead that night or he'll die. Hank is left alone and loads up his weapons.</div>
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Delia teaches Misty about herbs, including one that banishes evil that she should use only in extreme circumstances. After Misty leaves, Delia finds Hank behind her. He's astonished to see her sight is back. She won't have any of his affection despite his desire to get back in her good graces. Misty returns, and Hank remembers her—he's the one who tried to kill her at the cabin. He refuses to leave the house but Delia advises him she's filing for divorce. Upstairs Hank leaves with a box of his stuff, but is stopped by Fiona's new menacing guard dog. She explains they needed some protection. The dog leads Fiona to Zoe's room where she finds Kyle. She tells him to leave but Kyle just breaks the dog's neck.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-di8mp5_soEA/Ur5xRufVksI/AAAAAAAAGJw/WY5Hx0g7mdY/s1600/AHS-Coven-Head.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="276" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-di8mp5_soEA/Ur5xRufVksI/AAAAAAAAGJw/WY5Hx0g7mdY/s320/AHS-Coven-Head.jpg" width="320" /></a>At the hospital Joan suddenly sees Nan as a miracle for giving her a ray of hope. Nan then explains that Luke is telling her God is judging Joan for what she did to his father. His father's death was no accident. In a flashback, he was stung by a swarm of bees, put there by Joan who knew he was allergic. She killed him because he was leaving her. Joan turns on Nan and tells her it's all been a dark trick, sending her away. </div>
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The girls come home to find a far more cogent Kyle playing gin with Fiona. She took the liberty of<i> sprucing</i> him up. He's not all there but he's okay. They need a new guard dog, one who will attack on command, Fiona explains. </div>
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After watching all of <i>Roots</i>, Delphine gloats she kept her eyes shut the whole time. Queenie decides to play her civil rights music instead and joins Marie downstairs as Hank walks in and begins to shooting. He shoots Queenie in the stomach and proceeds into Marie's chamber. Queenie struggles to grab a gun and crawls after. Marie comes out and Hank shoots her in the arm, and is about to finish the job when Queenie puts the gun in her own mouth and shoots. Hank's head blows off. Upstairs Delphine finds herself touched by the images of the civil rights movement.<br />
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Hank's father gets the photos of his son's body. Luke wakes up from his coma with his mother at his side. But all he can say is she murdered his father. Joan tells him to go back to sleep and puts a pillow over his face. At the school, Fiona goes to answer the door and finds Marie Laveau. She welcomes her inside and shuts the door.</div>
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<i>Head</i> was a great episode, balancing the ominous nature of the revelation of the witch hunter threat against some hilarious Kathy Bates moments. Meanwhile, Myrtle, Delia and Fiona all shone with some great scenes.<br />
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I doubt Queenie is dead, especially with the likes of Misty Day nearby to solve the problem. If she manages not to survive this, Ryan Murphy has some 'splainin' to do given all the resurrected characters currently running around.<br />
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The approach to returning Delia's eyesight was especially novel, but I wonder just what purpose the council serves if Myrtle can off them with no consequence...it all seems very much like the <i>True Blood</i> Authority (meaning, it lacks any authority whatsoever aside from dramatic purpose).<br />
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Again, the Luke situation is feeling very tacked on. I have no idea how this will tie into the big storyline, unless his family turns out to have some sort of association with either party. Right now it's a distraction from the main action.<br />
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Next episode—Marie and Fiona working together against the witch hunters? Yes please.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-20999150564225994042013-12-20T13:42:00.000-07:002014-01-04T13:42:53.981-07:00Review: The Walking Dead 117<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4mMYZo1eio/Ur5tKZl1bWI/AAAAAAAAGIg/4prgersFPmA/s1600/The+Walking+Dead+117-000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-q4mMYZo1eio/Ur5tKZl1bWI/AAAAAAAAGIg/4prgersFPmA/s1600/The+Walking+Dead+117-000.jpg" /></a><b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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Negan and Rick deal with the fallout from the first battle of the war. Holly gets a firsthand view of Negan's state of mind.</div>
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<i>117 </i>was a decent follow up to an exciting few issues, and leaves us with plenty to wonder about as Rick's crew prepares for the next attack.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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Negan believes he's captured Rick's girlfriend, but Holly informs him she barely knows him and that he never succeeded in killing Andrea either. She goes on to reveal the reason she wanted to bring down their gate was revenge for killing Abraham. Vexed, Negan needs time to figure out his next move so has her taken away.</div>
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Negan and his men attempt to cut through the horde surrounding his compound but are forced back inside by shear numbers. He gets his <i>smart</i> people working on a solution while ordering his men to sporadically go out and attempt to trim down their numbers.</div>
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On the road, Rick struggles with Holly's decision as the others wonder what fate awaits her. Without delaying too long, Rick announces their plan to press on and take out Negan's outposts before they can be alerted.</div>
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Holly is visited by one of Negan's men, David, to check in, but he proceeds to attempt to rape her. Negan suddenly arrives and pulls him off, berating him for descending to that level. They will eventually have to work with these people once the war ends. We don't rape, he tells him, and cuts David's throat. As David dies Negan explains to a stunned Holly they're not monsters.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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The big question this month is how genuine Negan is with Holly, or was David's death a con? He does seem to retain his own moral code given how he kept Carl and Rick alive for so long. But pressed with the reality of the zombies outside his home, will he crack? </div>
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How long will Rick's success last? Cut off from Negan, can the outposts survive? No doubt Rick and Jesus will run into a few surprises during their campaign.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-62451536190733800002013-12-19T21:30:00.000-07:002014-01-02T21:32:31.978-07:00Revew: American Horror Story: Coven "The Sacred Taking"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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Misty Day appears at the school, bringing a resurrected Myrtle eager to exact revenge on Fiona. With the coven in chaos, Delia decides on an ancient ritual to reveal the identity of the supreme. Meanwhile, Delphine realizes being immortal doesn't necessarily mean she's invulnerable to Marie's torture.</div>
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<i>Sacred Taking</i> was an enjoyable episode steeped in ritual and some further hints at the backstory of the witches. Luke and his mother remain a confusing and weak storyline, though, so hopefully this does go somewhere (and doesn't fizzle out like the aliens from last season). </div>
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The season is speeding by, but the series continues at a brisk pace, advancing a lot of plot as far as bringing the various players together for the final act of the season.</div>
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Queenie wanders through a sketchy area of town and dispatches with a would be attacker using her magic. Zoe and Madison arrive, wanting her back in the coven even though admitting it's a mess right now. Queenie doesn't believe their spiel, nor the idea that a new supreme is rising, and proceeds to kill the attacker and gut him. As they watch in horror, she explains he raped three girls. Marie needs a dark heart for a spell, and she plans to give it to her. She rips his heart out. Voodoo and witchcraft—war is coming, and they're going to lose, Queenie tells them.</div>
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Bedridden Fiona muses over the cancer that has infected her spine and she laments the loss of her beauty. Delia has no sympathy for her, so she's sought solace in Axeman. But she doesn't want him watching her decay. She just needs to figure out which of the girls is coming into the supreme.</div>
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Luke's dealing with his mother's outrage with the girl's next door over his wounds from Halloween. She insists he must cleanse himself and gives him an enema (!) to clean him from the inside out. At the school Nan can sense she's hurting him, but Delia orders her to sit down and lectures the girls that no one else can slip through the cracks. Queenie is now dead to her. And they have one shot to kill Fiona.</div>
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Delia remains unaware Spalding is dead and Zoe goes to answer the door to find Misty, who declares she's in danger. Myrtle had woken from her healing slumber and warned Misty an assassin was circling the cabin. Misty leaped for cover as a gunman fired inside and the two of them hid in the swamps. Delia asks who is there and takes Misty's hand, getting a vision of her burning and resurrection. She welcomes her into the coven. Misty then asks if her friend can stay and leads them to the greenhouse where they find Myrtle. Delia is elated to find her again and warns her the coven has fallen on hard times. Myrtle declares Misty Day is the next supreme.</div>
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Zoe and Madison have been sharing Kyle. Zoe wants him to relearn things so he can have a life while Maddie is not so forward thinking. They have a busy night ahead of him so she leaves him with his lesson. Myrtle and Delia are performing a ceremony called the <i>sacred taking</i> to learn the identity of the supreme. Myrtle is certain of Misty's credentials. Misty doesn't want to be the supreme, but Delia warns her no one gets to choose. </div>
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They join hands, and Delia explains the ritual has been invoked three times in their history—the first was the Salem witch trials when the coven fled south. The supreme was too weak to make the journey so invoked the sacred taking. She took her own life to allow a new supreme to arise to lead them. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0tKG0sHX6fk/Ur5vFMJuXXI/AAAAAAAAGJU/mhg_dfY2lLo/s1600/fiona.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="306" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-0tKG0sHX6fk/Ur5vFMJuXXI/AAAAAAAAGJU/mhg_dfY2lLo/s320/fiona.png" width="320" /></a>Fiona is sick and delirious. She wanders out of her bathroom to find Maddie dancing there, taunting her that she'll soon be moving into her room. Fiona asks who brought her back, but Maddie says she brought herself back. And they're going to burn her at the stake. She can leave the world that way, or take an overdose of her pills and go to sleep. Maddie leaves and Fiona throws the pills away, but finds Myrtle there.</div>
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Myrtle explains she's been resurrected by Madison. Fiona plans to depart the country and wants to leave with the man she's found. Myrtle reminds her she just has two choices and Fiona's dream is just a nasty trick—she'll die alone and disappointed. </div>
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Downstairs the girls await the results of their spell, and when Nan wonders if she could be the next supreme all of them insult her with their silence. She leaves and goes next door, breaking inside to find Luke. She hears his muffled moans and opens the door to the closet to find him tied up inside.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZyELS1TxnU/Ur5u_iR-9NI/AAAAAAAAGI4/BMFz1n6fQKo/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Coven-The-Sacred-Taking-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="275" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-HZyELS1TxnU/Ur5u_iR-9NI/AAAAAAAAGI4/BMFz1n6fQKo/s320/American-Horror-Story-Coven-The-Sacred-Taking-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Myrtle continues her temptation, but Fiona won't lament over past regrets. She knows when the party's over and has accepted her fate. She asks her to look after her Delia. Then she takes the pills and asks Myrtle to ensure they hang her portrait in the place she chose and lies on the bed. Myrtle leaves her to die. </div>
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Fiona hears Spalding telling her to wake up. He only has voice in the spirit world now, but sees everything. He offers her a medicine, but she refuses, saying she's finally doing something good for the coven. He tells her she's giving up and has been tricked. He won't permit it. Madison is not the next supreme. She was brought back by another witch. He gives her the medicine that makes her throw up the pills. </div>
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Meanwhile, Queenie goes to see Delphine in her cage, giving her some take out. All they've been doing is bleeding her, she explains, when Queenie asks if she's been fed. She asks what she did to deserve the betrayal. Marie comes in and berates Queenie for feeding her, sending her away. Marie tells Delphine it gives her great pleasure just to know she's in a cage. Delphine taunts her—she can't kill her because she can't die. She suggests Marie throw her back in the box because she's had enough of the world. The natural order will be restored in a century. Marie warns her she has more choices than that and cuts off Delphine's hand. </div>
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Nan leads Luke downstairs but he warns her they can't go next door. His mother finds them, and gets on the phone to the police. He tells her they're leaving and she can't stop them. That's when someone shoots both her and Luke.</div>
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The girls wait downstairs as Myrtle plays the piano. But Misty feels no signs of something changing. Fiona arrives, explaining that the signs of the supreme were a migraine for her and asks to talk to the <i>gifted swamp witch</i>. </div>
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Alerted to the commotion next door, Misty heads over where the paramedics take Luke away. Fiona glamors the officer, explaining the mother is dead and they're waiting on the coroner. She suggests Misty use her talent on the woman. The rest of the girls watch the scene from outside. Delia senses something, finds a bullet and has a vision of Hank. Misty lays her hands on Luke's mother and raises her from the dead.</div>
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Zoe returns to her room and Kyle, and explains they're under attack. Kyle speaks—he says this road goes two ways. He loves her. She loves him too. And Maddie listens in.</div>
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In the morning Fiona joins her daughter for coffee. Delia demands they not play games. They both know she orchestrated the spell the night before. Fiona compliments her on demonstrating real grit and finally she has hope for the coven. And she's proud of her daughter. Fiona notices the silver bullet Delia found. Fiona senses it's blessed—meaning witch hunters. Delia realizes they need her mother now more than ever. Fiona goes outside and finds a large box on the porch. She brings it inside and opens it up with Delia. It's Delphine's head. Her eyes open and she mouth's <i>help</i>.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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Another action-packed episode even if Jessica Lange's fate was never in doubt. I do wonder what will happen with the Axeman, or if he's simply been left as a loose end to the storyline. Perhaps he may be of help in the coming war with the witch hunters.</div>
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The Luke storyline was the weakest and most erratic—his mother's abrupt turn into full blown crazy didn't really feel organic, nor did the sudden closet rescue and shooting. The cut from that to the paramedics seemed like a poor edit. And I won't even go into the <i>comet enema</i>...which surely raises the bar for most disturbing scene of the season.<br />
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All the pieces seem to be moving into place for a more unified coven to face their greater threat—Kyle, Misty and Myrtle are all under one roof now. That may mean an alliance with Marie might be close at hand, as well. I could see the series ending with a true peace and unification between the two factions.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-13999534223256476092013-12-03T15:35:00.000-07:002013-12-08T15:44:49.934-07:00Review: The Walking Dead "Too Far Gone"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Too Far Gone</i> brings the first half of the season to a close as the Governor rallies his people to take the prison in order to ensure their own survival. Meanwhile Rick finally addresses Carol's absence with Daryl, but there is little time for discussion as the Governor plays his hand.</div>
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After a slow moving succession of episodes, <i>The Walking Dead </i>delivered an epic finale in spades. This is truly the series' <b><i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2013/06/review-game-of-thrones-rains-of.html" target="_blank">Red Wedding</a></i></b> moment, and one fans have been anticipating since the beginning. While it followed as close as it currently can to the same storyline in the books, <i>Too Far Gone</i> also addressed this season's theme of <i>getting to come back</i>. </div>
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I'm sure there is a different reaction between those just watching the show and the rest of us who are well-versed in the comic storyline. While feeling the impact, I definitely was not left in shock as I was during Lori's abrupt death in <b><i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2012/11/review-walking-dead-killer-within.html" target="_blank">The Killer Within</a></i></b>. But those not in-the-know will be left dealing with the heap of their emotions by the end of it.</div>
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The Governor addresses his people, pitching the necessity of doing something unsavory to ensure their survival given they will eventually be overwhelmed by a herd of biters. If they stay there they die. He explains the people who destroyed his previous camp now live in a prison, with walls and plots of land for farming. They don't need to kill anyone, but must be prepared to. He has a plan to take it without bloodshed—two captives—Hershel and Michonne, taken when he snuck up and knocked out the latter, and forced Hershel to put down his weapon.</div>
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Most of the people in the prison are thieves and murderers, he goes on, adding that they mutilated him, killed his daughter and burned his camp. They have little time to delay before the others realize their people are missing and they lose the element of surprise. Tara is first to say she's in, followed by everyone else. The Governor orders them to pack up and get ready. As they disperse, Lily reminds him she was happy where they are and the idea of killing repulses her. But the only judgement he cares about is that she and Megan are still breathing.<br />
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The Governor has Michonne and Hershel in his RV, assuring no one will hurt them and it isn't personal. He tells Michonne he knows his daughter was dead now. But he needs the prison and no one else needs to die. She'll kill him, Michonne counters. Hershel attempts to reason with him, offering him a way to live in peace. The Governor suggests Hershel is a better man than Rick. Hershel sees he's changed, but the Governor counters they will never be able to live together. Hershel appeals to him as a father and the fact they both have daughters. But they aren't his daughters, the Governor replies. The Governor secures their convoy in a temporary safe place by the water, then gets a hug from Megan before he goes.<br />
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In the prison, Glen is slowly recovering from the flu. Bob sits with his unopened bottle when Sasha arrives to thank him for helping with the supply run that saved them all. Bob doesn't want anyone's thanks but advises Sasha she should be resting. Rick tells Daryl the truth about Carol. The other is understandably furious and wonders what they're to do with the girls. Rick hasn't told Tyreese yet and isn't sure how he'll take it. Daryl suggests they go find out.<br />
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They find him down in the tunnels, but Tyreese wants to show them something first—a rat skin pinned to a board. Tyreese declares they have a psychopath among them, the same one who killed Karen and fed the walkers rats through the fence. Rick begins to explain it's not the same person who killed Karen, when they hear an explosion that rattles the building. They come running outside to find a convoy of vehicles plus the tank sitting outside the gates. The Governor announces he wants to talk.<br />
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Rick explains there's a council now. The Governor asks if Hershel and Michonne are on the council, and brings them into view. He suggests Rick will be making decisions today and advises him to come out to have that talk.<br />
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Daryl nods to Rick. He speaks to his son, and then goes out across the courtyard to face his adversary through the fence. Daryl tells the others they need to get ready to flee through the back and to get the bus ready with their supplies. He begins quietly passing out weapons to Bob and Maggie, Beth and Tyreese.<br />
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Rick offers himself in exchange for Hershel and Michonne. The Governor doesn't want to blast a hole in their new home. They have until sundown to leave or his hostages die. It's not about the past. It's about right now. Rick counters that there are children inside, some still sick. The Governor is offering to let them walk away. There's nothing else to talk about. Even if they attack, the Governor still has superior fire power and will win.<br />
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From the fence, Carl wants to kill the Governor right now. Daryl says that would just start something else and to trust his father. The kids begin to load up the bus but Lizzie doesn't want to go. Carol told them to be strong. They should have guns too, she says.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yt4rKFnq7G8/UqAPe9OfQLI/AAAAAAAAGHI/MI-P8msrVWE/s1600/hershel-e1386013011257.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-yt4rKFnq7G8/UqAPe9OfQLI/AAAAAAAAGHI/MI-P8msrVWE/s1600/hershel-e1386013011257.jpg" /></a>Back at the Governor's camp, Lily sits on watch while Megan plays by the shore, struggling to free a sign in the mud. Lily spies a biter wander into the river and begins to come towards them. Megan calls for her to come over and help. The walker falls down and gets carried away by the water. Relieved, Lily puts down her weapon as Megan manages to lift the sign up and wipes it off. It says <i>Warning. Flash Flood Area. </i>Next to her a hand begins to come out of the wet mud and grabs her. Her screams draw Lily, who rushes over, but the walker bites Megan's shoulder before she can shoot it.<br />
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The Governor dispatches some walkers that begin to gather, reminding Rick the noise will only draw more over. The longer they wait, the harder it will be to leave. Rick looks to Hershel. Rick then offers that they can all live together. There's enough room. The Governor doubts they'd sleep well being under the same roof. It wouldn't work after Woodbury or Andrea. Rick knows it won't be easy, but they don't have a choice. They're not leaving and Rick promises to fight back. And gunshots will bring a herd that will take down the fence, he adds. They can all live there or none of them.<br />
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The Governor takes Michonne's sword and threatens Hershel. Rick addresses the others, explaining they've taken in some of the Governor's old friends and they're leaders in the prison now. They'll be one of them if they put down their weapons. Nobody needs to die. Rick says they can all still come back—they're not too far gone from the things they've done. They all can change. Hershel smiles at the speech. The Governor pauses. <i>Liar,</i> he says, and slices Hershel's neck.<br />
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Carl fires and hits the Governor in the shoulder, starting a barrage of gunfire. Michonne falls and rolls to the ground while Rick takes cover. Hershel is still alive, crawling along the ground, but the Governor finds him and cuts his head off. He looks up to find Lily standing there with Megan in her arms.<br />
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Tara hides behind the tank, shell-shocked and unable to use her weapon. Alicia tries to get her to fight but then tells her she'll find her if they get separated.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q32kqGMaAc/UqAPg2oLkRI/AAAAAAAAGHY/bd_5DxPgTrs/s1600/timetoleave.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8Q32kqGMaAc/UqAPg2oLkRI/AAAAAAAAGHY/bd_5DxPgTrs/s320/timetoleave.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Governor shoots Megan in the head, then orders the convoy to start up and break through the fence. <i>Kill them all. </i>The fence goes down under the tank with the Governor's forces following. The tank fires into the main buildings and proceeds up to the inner fence. Maggie rushes in to get Glen and tells Beth to get the bus ready.<br />
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Rick tackles the Governor as the tank rams into the last fence. As the bus gets loaded up, Maggie arrives with Glen, but Beth isn't there. She goes off to look for her. The Governor pounds Rick's face. Walkers begin to swarm towards the prison drawn to the commotion.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CxLHXSZjdA/UqAPeAv7PGI/AAAAAAAAGG4/GfXPcpyK_-Y/s1600/MV5BMjMxNDA5ODcyMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDUzNzI3MDE@._V1_SY317_CR131,0,214,317_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-5CxLHXSZjdA/UqAPeAv7PGI/AAAAAAAAGG4/GfXPcpyK_-Y/s1600/MV5BMjMxNDA5ODcyMV5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTgwNDUzNzI3MDE@._V1_SY317_CR131,0,214,317_.jpg" /></a>Maggie finds Bob and Sasha pinned down by a car as he takes a hit. The bullet passed through him. They watch the bus drive off and flee together. Tyreese gets trapped by Alicia and another man, but Lizzie shoots her cohort, then Alicia in the head. Tyreese tells Lizzie and her sister they need to make it to the bus, but they go running off in another direction and he's forced to follow.<br />
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The Governor gains the advantage and begins to strangle Rick, but Michonne stabs him through the chest. Struggling to his feet Rick asks about Carl. She doesn't know. As he runs off in search she looks down at the Governor gasping for breath and leaves him there.<br />
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The tank continues to barrage the prison but Daryl throws a grenade in the barrel. Mitch jumps out as it blows up only to find himself facing Daryl's crossbow. Daryl shoots him in the chest. Beth comes running over and he tells her they have to go.<br />
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Rick stumbles back calling for Carl, but only finding walkers. Then Carl appears, shooting them. Sobbing, Rick asks for Judith, but his son hasn't seen her, and they find the empty baby seat covered in blood. Rick tells them they have to go and they flee the prison.<br />
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The Governor lifts his head to see Lily covered in blood and walking over. She raises her gun and shoots him. The herd begins to converge inside the burning prison as Rick tells Carl not to look back.<br />
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<b>The Verdict:</b><br />
<i>Too Far Gone </i>was one of the best episodes to date and ended the storyline quite a bit sooner than I would have thought. Until I saw the tank in the Governor's camp I anticipated the prison arc lasting until the end of this season, but once that prop made its appearance at the fence there was no other path for Rick's group other than to say good-bye to the prison for good.<br />
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I do feel the Governor's double episode arc was essential in fleshing out his character a little more as well as the faces in his own camp. While he arrived at the same place he left, he remained more than a two-dimensional villain (with kudos going to David Morrissey for his fantastic well-rounded portrayal). Even the conversation-heavy face off between him and Rick was just as intense as the final battle itself. Having two episodes with the Governor left us with a (slim) bit of hope that he might take Rick up on his offer of rapprochement. His single word <i>liar</i> carried plenty of weight as he ended the life of a beloved character.<br />
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I kept thinking how valuable Carol would have been during the attack (and could not help but notice Rick maintaining he couldn't make decisions now because there was a <i>council,</i> despite that Carol was on that same council). My theory is that one of the groups will encounter Carol on the road, even possibly Tyreese's. With Hershel dead, only Rick and Maggie and Daryl (maybe Beth) know the truth about the murders, so her return to the fold could be based on keeping that secret. And by the time Rick is reunited with them it could all be decided upon. Just a theory.<br />
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I'm happy that the series continues to pull no punches. Hershel's death wasn't entirely unexpected, given his big climactic speech in <i><b><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2013/11/review-walking-dead-internment.html" target="_blank">Internment</a></b></i> that hinted at bad things ahead. He did die during the prison attack in comic continuity anyway, but his presence here also served to fill the absence of Dale, and the series is left without the sage wisdom of either of these characters now.<br />
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The attack was especially chilling considering how sick most of the background characters are as they recover from the flu, so having that extra element figuring into the equation added to the tension. The deaths of the Governor's new people got more weight given we've gotten to know them. Some were very welcome, like Mitch, while others like Alicia were shocking, if more for the fact of how great a shot Lizzie is. I even had to go back to the comic to realize that Lily indeed killed the Governor then, as well. So that leaves Tara and Lilly as the only survivors (that we know of). The series needs to replace Andrea in some way, so I'm guessing the two of them might end up with the rest of the survivors eventually.<br />
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I did love the chaos of the final moments and the disparate groups that have run off in wildly different directions. Tyreese appears to be with Lizzie and Micah, and I'm assuming the other children made it to the bus. Beth and Daryl are an interesting pairing too, while Maggie (who is seven kinds of awesome right now), Bob and Sasha are off in their own direction. That leaves Michonne on her own again, and the rest of the group with Glen on the bus. And the final scene in the comic is matched with a beautiful shot of Rick and Carl fleeing over the hill and his urgings not to look back. Very effective.<br />
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There are lingering questions of course—who skinned the rats? I'm guessing Lizzie, but Micah is also a possibility as I'm certain the series is going to follow the<i> twins </i>storyline now that the group is on the road. I'm leaning towards Micah, given Lizzie has proven herself a capable killer. Also, there is the question the mysterious <i>third</i> group who killed the camp the Governor was spying on. There are a couple of storylines from the comics that could lead them all to cross their paths on the road, too.<br />
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As for Judith, my bet is that the series is sticking to the comic and keeping her dead. I will be very let down if they've somehow gotten her to safety on the bus. It would certainly be an odd happy twist for <i>The Walking Dead</i> to pull on its audience and rob Rick and Carl of the angst they earned here.<br />
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<i>The Walking Dead</i> closes its mid-season break refreshed, with a cathartic end to the Governor, shaking up the status quo and the potential of new characters arriving on the horizon. While it would have easily made an amazing season finale, I'm happy it wasn't. There's plenty of dark storylines to harvest and I'm excited to see the series within reach of them.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-56659442747849716822013-11-24T22:14:00.000-07:002013-11-26T22:14:21.521-07:00Review: The Walking Dead "Dead Weight"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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Continuing the Governor's story, <i>Dead Weight</i> finds Martinez taking his former leader and the girls into his own camp, and the subsequent power struggle and angst that results within the group. The Governor struggles to maintain his new family life despite the pressures of their situation that requires a strong hand to lead.</div>
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I'm enjoying the excess development forced upon the Governor and his own cast of characters, but the series is definitely feeling like it's plodding through molasses given this abruptly all came at the expense of the prison storyline. Despite this nitpick, the episode ends bringing things back to the present. And with the addition of a certain heavy-duty piece of equipment now under the Governor's command, the mid-season finale promises plenty of action.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b><br />
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Martinez stares down at the Governor for a moment before reaching down to help pull out Megan and throwing the rope down to him. Martinez asks him quietly if he's been on the road all this time. He explains they have their own camp, but the Governor must accept he's in charge and there's no dead weight—contribute or be cast out. The Governor agrees.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-33rvex2Dhk8/UpV5xHZJuzI/AAAAAAAAGF8/HHxYGET2D-8/s1600/Dead-Weight-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-33rvex2Dhk8/UpV5xHZJuzI/AAAAAAAAGF8/HHxYGET2D-8/s320/Dead-Weight-6.jpg" width="320" /></a>The Governor and Lily set up house together in an RV, next door to a tank that a former army man brought. He wishes he could make it better for her (annoyed by the leaky roof) but she's optimistic.<br />
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He goes on a supply run with Martinez and some others, Mitch and Pete, to investigate a survivalist camp. They come upon a decapitated corpse tied to a tree with a sign on it saying <i>liar</i>. As they get closer to the cabin they find another labelled <i>rapist</i>. Inside they find another with <i>murderer </i>tacked on him, and who appears to have shot himself. There are two walkers inside—the mother and child—both quickly dispatched. But they also discover the still biting heads from the corpses. </div>
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As they stay there for the night, finding some beer, Martinez reveals he would have left him in the pit had the girls not been with him, but he thinks the Governor's changed. They wonder what happened in the cabin to create such an odd scene. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgkckZGpLKs/UpV5yNIBaAI/AAAAAAAAGGU/MiqnLDGEju4/s1600/ustv-the-walking-dead-s04-e07-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zgkckZGpLKs/UpV5yNIBaAI/AAAAAAAAGGU/MiqnLDGEju4/s320/ustv-the-walking-dead-s04-e07-1.jpg" width="320" /></a>Back at their own camp and enjoying their beers, Martinez explains he wanted to recreate what they had before. Lily admits the Governor won't say a word about their former settlement. After everyone disperses, Martinez and the Governor golf on top of the RV. Martinez confesses his cohort is dead and got reckless after they abandoned the Governor. He notices a family really brought him back, though Martinez would never risk something like that again for fear of losing them. He offers to share the crown a little now that the Governor's here. The Governor abruptly hits him in the back of the head with a club and kicks him off, then proceeds to drag him to the walker pit. He doesn't want the crown, he tells him over and over again and feeds him to the walkers.</div>
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Lily and Megan return home to find the Governor sobbing. He explains he had a bad dream. In the morning Mitch announces they found the remains of Martinez in the pit, having gotten drunk and likely fell in. Pete takes leadership of the camp, prompting cries for a vote. He assures them it's temporary until they arrange something more democratic, and asks the Governor to come along on a hunt.</div>
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Pete confides in the Governor that he needs some help with leading, but they're distracted when Mitch finds another camp ahead of about ten people with ample supplies. Pete suggests they take them in, but Mitch counters they need their supplies, wanting to take what they need and go. Pete refuses. </div>
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They manage to trap a few meagre animals for food by the end of the day. The Governor walks off and they follow him back into the other camp, which has been massacred and pillaged. Mitch is furious that someone else took the supplies, while Pete is horrified they're all dead. </div>
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The Governor returns home, directing Lily and Megan to pack. Things are about to go very wrong, he explains, and he can't put them at risk. They leave at night, including Tara and new girlfriend Alicia, but they stop on the road when they see a crowd of walkers blocking it, trapped in the mud. They return to camp.</div>
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In the morning he goes to talk to Pete, and quickly stabs him in the back. Next he goes to Mitch, pulling his gun on him, sitting down to have a chat. He explains Pete is dead. He admits he was right about taking the other camp's supplies. Pete was weak for wanting to do the right thing. His own brother was similar, always being the hero. He's running things now and will do anything it takes to protect the camp, and if he joins him, he'll never have to worry about doing the right or wrong thing...they'll do the<i> only</i> thing.</div>
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Later the Governor drops Pete's body in the creek, telling the rest he died on a supply run. Everybody loves a hero. The camp begins to organize and starts construction of a secure perimeter. The Governor warns them to avoid strangers and report back what they see when they search for supplies. </div>
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A walker gets into camp and nearly kills Megan. The Governor shoots it in the head and everyone comes running. The Governor goes down to the dock and stares down at Pete beneath the water. Pete is a walker, struggling to reach the surface. The Governor then takes the truck to the edge of the woods, spying on the prison as he sees Rick and Carl tend to their garden. With gun drawn he moves on to find Michonne and Hershel disposing of the bodies of the walkers from the fence incursion. He raises his gun.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t5a80mL23Yc/UpV5xIRQ5FI/AAAAAAAAGGA/AKHGY0ktsWI/s1600/the-walking-dead-dead-weight-the-governor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-t5a80mL23Yc/UpV5xIRQ5FI/AAAAAAAAGGA/AKHGY0ktsWI/s400/the-walking-dead-dead-weight-the-governor.jpg" width="266" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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I'm torn between my appreciation of the the Governor's arc and the derailment of the momentum of the prison storyline. It's unacceptable that the whole Carol/Daryl revelation has yet to happen. I'm also left wondering what the point is if we've basically brought the Governor right back to his post-Woodbury mental state. Did we really need two episodes to hit the reset button?</div>
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It will be curious to see if the Governor can put his need for revenge against Michonne aside in favor of protecting his new family. Or if he will let that opportunity cloud his judgement (I'm assuming he doesn't shoot Michonne and Hershel in the opening act next week).</div>
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The massacre of the other camp didn't make much sense given the close proximity the Governor, Mitch and Pete must have been over the course of their day out <i>and</i> heard nothing. But it also means there's another dangerous group of survivalists running around close by too. Will they show up again?</div>
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What intrigues me more is the preview for next week which sees the Governor at the gates of the prison with his iconic tank—if this storyline is playing out as it did in the graphic novel then the mid-season finale is definitely going to bring an abrupt change of direction for the entire season. I don't know if I'm even ready for that level of plot development coming on the heels of such an erratically paced batch of episodes.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-37505688402793334132013-11-23T21:28:00.000-07:002013-11-26T21:28:49.100-07:00Review: The Walking Dead 116<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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The standoff that ended last issue is broken pretty quickly as Rick and Jesus put their big plan into effect. </div>
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Another fast paced, quick read, <i>issue 116</i> was an enjoyable one, providing some surprises and call backs to lessons learned from earlier storylines. The result is a very satisfying conclusion to this particular chapter and the promise the war is only beginning.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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As Negan and Rick face each other down, the former suddenly realizes there's a mere handful of men from the Hilltop leaving, not half the army as Gregory promised. With that Negan pushes him off the wall and opts for a more diplomatic approach with the invaders.</div>
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Rick holds firm to his demands so Negan's men begin firing. Rick's army takes cover and begins picking off the snipers, then unleashes a barrage of gunfire to pin down Negan and his men inside. Negan orders Dwight off to warn the other outposts, but realizes too late just what Rick's plan is—the cacophony has drawn every walker in the area to their position. With the plan working, Rick loads up his troops on the buses, intending on ramming the gate himself with a car.</div>
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Holly rushes out to stop Rick, wanting revenge for Abraham. She realizes he's willing to strand himself inside with Negan to break the gate, but Rick assures her he's the only one he won't kill. Holly knocks him down and takes the car, breaking through the barrier and hitting a wall.</div>
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As Negan orders everyone inside before the zombies enter the compound, he finds Holly alive, advising her he won't be letting her off that easy. Outside, Jesus is pleased with their first victory, but Rick warns it's just the beginning of the war.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>Issue 116</i> had some unexpected twists, not the least of which was Rick managing to derail Negan on a couple of fronts. Having grown to expect regular defeat lately, this first victory was a long time coming. The use of the herd as a weapon comes from plenty of past teaching moments and it worked really well as a battle tactic. As Rick comments, he who attacks first, wins.</div>
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It looks like Dwight didn't make it out, so I hope Rick and company manage to take down the other outposts before they can be alerted to trouble. Negan does have, Holly, however, and I'm sure she's in for a world of hurt as Negan will certainly want to demoralize his enemies by making an example of her.</div>
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What didn't ring right was Rick's decision to drive the car through the gate. Was he planning on being captured? After all the talk from Jesus that his people need him alive as a leader? That makes no sense and he's mistaken if he thinks Negan still needs to keep him alive—what better symbol to parade to their troops than Rick's dead body?</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-74007048981624891522013-11-21T13:31:00.000-07:002013-11-24T13:32:34.097-07:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "The Dead"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>The Dead</i> returns the focus to Kyle as he begins to reconstruct his memories and is reintroduced to Maddie, who herself is coming to terms with her return from the dead. Queenie begins to doubt her place among the Salem witches. Fiona's past catches up to her at the school, while she finds herself drawn to the Axeman.<br />
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<i>The Dead</i> was a mixed bag, still setting up new pieces in the storyline for future pay off. The Kyle subplot looks like it's finally getting somewhere and Marie returns to prominence, as well. It just felt a bit off and unexciting, but nothing surprising as <i>American Horror Story</i> tends to suffer from these lulls here and there between major developments.<br />
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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In a flashback to Kyle when he was still alive and hanging with his friends at the tattoo parlor, Kyle has big plans to make something of his life. He wants to be an engineer to insure disasters like Katrina never happen again, and he doesn't want a tattoo that's going to make someone judge him. In the present, chained up in the greenhouse, he's horrified to find his ankle has his frat brother's tattoo. Zoe arrives, holding a gun behind her back.<br />
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Zoe explains he knows how this has to end and she should have let him go. The only way she knows to fix it is to kill him. Unfortunately Kyle grabs the gun and puts it in his mouth. Zoe struggles with him and it fires through the ceiling, and she break down, admitting she doesn't want him to die.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fmvgruBFnsM/Uo6Q5mnGxyI/AAAAAAAAGFQ/BoQoFxi7Y60/s1600/1_FULL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fmvgruBFnsM/Uo6Q5mnGxyI/AAAAAAAAGFQ/BoQoFxi7Y60/s320/1_FULL.jpg" width="256" /></a>Meanwhile, Madison, who has been numb to the world all her life, wants to be able to feel something. That includes taking any poison she can find, to no effect. Even fire doesn't hurt her now, and she can eat all she wants.<br />
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Delphine finds Queenie in the kitchen so they go to the drive-thru and enjoy a late night snack. While discussing their odd situations, Delphine suggests the other girls will never see Queenie as her sister because she's black.<br />
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Hank calls Delia in the middle of the night wanting to come home. She hangs up, but he promises to see her soon as he sits among an assortment of high powered weapons. Delia gets up and goes in search of Delphine but hears a noise behind her. Madison grabs her before she stumbles on the stairs and Delia gets a flash of her death, including her mother killing her.<br />
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Fiona has gone to the Axeman's apartment where he puts on some jazz and gets them a drink. In the bathroom she finds she's starting to lose her hair, but seems to miss the bloodied corpse of the apartment's real owner behind the shower curtain. After a kiss she decides it's a mistake for her and moves to leave. He suggests it's her destiny, but she turns on him. She's a miserable human being, she admits, and he should want nothing to do with her. He offers sex instead of love and manages to seduce her.<br />
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In the morning Zoe chains Kyle up in her room and tries to train him to speak. He gets frustrated and Madison comes in, asking who it is. Zoe questions if she remembers it's Kyle given she killed him. Maddie says Delia wants to see her so she'll look after him. When she's gone she asks Kyle if he saw a light when he was dead. She didn't. But they both came back. They're both wondering now if it's been worth the trouble.<br />
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Queenie arrives at Marie's salon. She's surprised it took her so long to come see her. Queenie doesn't think the Salem witches like her, but Marie suggests they care plenty. They care about her power, though they'll never be welcome here. Marie reveals they have evil under their roof—she buried Delphine and Fiona dug her up. Queenie doesn't think she's so bad but Marie challenges her to ask her what she's done. If Queenie ever wants to join her, the only price is Madame LaLaurie. As she leaves, she wonder what Marie will do to Delphine. Marie tells her not to worry about that.<br />
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Delia confides in Zoe that she sees everything now despite her blindness. The Axeman is a bad spirit that Zoe sent packing, which means she's very powerful and she now has a bulls eye on her back and Fiona is her biggest enemy. She admits her mother has only ever been on her own side. If Fiona concludes Zoe's the supreme, she'll try to kill her, just like she killed Maddie. Fiona is growing weaker but that makes her dangerous. They have to kill her. Zoe returns to her bedroom to find Kyle and Maddie having sex.<br />
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Fiona dresses to leave but the Axeman wants her to stay. Fiona suggests the dead body in his bathtub will start stinking up the place. She's no angel either, he says, but she always had someone to tidy up after her. She's called the police and they're on the way, she counters. He knows she'd never do that. She doesn't care to hear anything more about him. He's been watching over her since she was eight, he explains.<br />
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In a flashback young Fiona uses her abilities to retaliate against older bully Helen. After Fiona is pushed to the ground it was the Axeman who knocked a shelf down on Helen. Fiona demands to know what he is. He admits he saw her as a daughter at first, but she grew into a fearsome woman and he fell in love. Fiona doesn't believe in ghosts. He just wants to give her pleasure. She tells him to keep his distance and haunt someone else.<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM__bpBtV4c/Uo6Q5g1Zf7I/AAAAAAAAGFM/F5rhidRR3As/s1600/6_FULL.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-mM__bpBtV4c/Uo6Q5g1Zf7I/AAAAAAAAGFM/F5rhidRR3As/s320/6_FULL.jpg" width="210" /></a>Spalding wakes up in his room tied to his bed and Zoe waiting for him, asking how he is. He says he's feeling fine, stunned that he can talk and has his tongue back. She found it in the alcove hidden in a box, still alive because someone enchanted it. He admits it was Myrtle Snow's magic, and that's why he cut it out. She kept it, but Myrtle wasn't powerful enough to restore it. Zoe is. All she wants is the truth, the one thing he can't refuse her. He confesses he didn't kill Maddie and it was Fiona. His family has served the coven for ten generations, he protests. Not anymore, Zoe replies, and stabs him to death.<br />
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Queenie goes to Delphine to ask her about the worst thing she ever did. The older woman says the past is best left buried. But Queenie claims she wants to be a true friend and has to see the ugly as well as the good.<br />
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Delphine recounts the story of her slave Sally, who gave birth to a baby with a light complexion, obviously her husband's. Delphine decided to make her her new handmaiden to help with her beauty treatments. In her bedroom Delphine explains her own beauty concoction is the only potion that works and asks Sally to guess the ingredients. Sally thinks it's blood. But there's something extra special, Delphine teases, from a boy newly born. She knows who the father is and she needn't bother giving the baby a name. Queenie is mortified and Delphine says she couldn't have a bastard growing up in her house. Sally killed herself the next morning and they buried her with her baby. Delphine points out it was a different time and a different world. She's grateful to have a true friend to guide her.<br />
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Zoe showers up to clean off the blood. Madison asks what she's been up to and knows she's upset a little about what happened between her and Kyle. Zoe realizes they can't be together anyway, but Madison suggests otherwise given he's already died once. Being with him is the only thing that made Maddie feel anything, but Zoe doesn't have to give him up either. She takes Zoe to the bedroom where Kyle is sitting and the two welcome her into their bed.<br />
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Fiona turns up at the Axeman's bar waiting for him to finish playing. She offers to buy him a drink.<br />
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Queenie takes Delphine out to get a new hair style. Delphine is nervous at the prospect, but is excited when they enter the salon, unaware that it's Marie Laveau's, who appears behind her welcoming her back. Delphine tells Queenie she doesn't know what Marie will do to her. But she does, Queenie replies, and Delphine is chained up. Marie suggests Queenie make the first cut and hands her the knife. She'd love to. Afterwards Marie applies the fresh blood to her face. Beautiful, she says.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JA_3MnMyviI/Uo6Q6VCUBTI/AAAAAAAAGFc/T-UCX-GxycU/s1600/ahs_0479.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="258" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-JA_3MnMyviI/Uo6Q6VCUBTI/AAAAAAAAGFc/T-UCX-GxycU/s320/ahs_0479.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
<i>The Dead</i> didn't offer anything memorable this week, and played to expectations. Queenie has shifted loyalties to Marie as I thought she would, though how solid that is remains to be seen.<br />
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The question of what lies after death continues, and I'm wondering if it will become a major theme as the series progresses. Is there a reason Fiona doesn't believe in ghosts? Is the Axeman more than a ghost? Did the witches do something to him that allow him now to walk the world in a physical form?<br />
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While Kyle's storyline hasn't been my favorite, at least there's been advancement on that front. When Zoe indulged in her undead threesome my first reaction was that it was totally out of character. But then I realized it does suit her given she kills everyone she's with. What better sexual companions than two undead ones?<br />
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Here's hoping that Spalding breaks the resurrection chain and stays dead.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-57110683230415297552013-11-17T18:54:00.000-07:002013-11-20T18:56:47.483-07:00Review: The Walking Dead "Live Bait"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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Following last week's surprise reveal of the Governor watching the prison, <i>Live Bait</i> joins him immediately following the massacre of his citizens and his subsequent abandonment by his henchman. Alone and disconsolate, the Governor wanders aimlessly until meeting another group of survivors that reminds him of his past.</div>
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<i>Live Bait </i>succeeded in the impossible—humanizing the Governor again. It was also quite a slow burn of an episode, as well, coming on a string of them, but I found I wasn't bored at all. In contrast, there was a high level of tension given it's the Governor we're dealing with, and how he would respond to encountering other people. </div>
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<i>Live Bait </i>refuses to go into expected territory, ending on a surprising note and playing against what most of the audience would have anticipated. The Governor's storyline will continue to get fleshed out next week, but there's the potential for interesting developments.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b><br />
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Following the massacre of the Woodbury militia, the Governor and his two men make camp for the night. As he sits in a fugue in front of his fire he watches a zombie make its way towards him, trying to reach him through the flames until Martinez shoots it. Come morning he emerges from his tent to find they've abandoned him. He gets a rig working and returns to Woodbury, which he burns to the ground. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lp5a87Xq3SU/Uo1hKre8FQI/AAAAAAAAGEk/BLpFbwk5MVY/s1600/twd406a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-lp5a87Xq3SU/Uo1hKre8FQI/AAAAAAAAGEk/BLpFbwk5MVY/s320/twd406a.jpg" width="277" /></a>Wandering for a couple of months he finally collapses on a street when he sees a girl in a window and goes inside to investigate. He finds two women with the little girl, armed with a gun and bat. He hands his weapon to them and explains the man in charge of his town lost it and he barely got out alive. He offers his name as Brian (from a message he saw scrawled on a barn). Tara, a former cop, and her sister Lily have been waiting for the National Guard. They also have their disabled father (suffering from lung cancer and requiring oxygen) and Lily's daughter Megan, who doesn't talk. They were lucky in having a food truck parked outside their building when the outbreak happened. They ask if he plans on staying, and he says just for the night. Tara warns him not to mess with her family or she'll put him down. Lily comes to visit him after, bringing him food. He takes it, but later dumps it out. </div>
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The Governor brings the plate back and they invite him in. He helps them take their father to his bed. There are walkers moving around in apartments upstairs and the old man says Tara has tried repeatedly to kill them. He asks him to go to a friend's suite to retrieve a backgammon set, something that might make Megan talk again. The Governor does so, and finds the neighbour (who had lost both legs) now turned to a walker and trapped in the bathtub. He kills it and takes the gun in his hand. </div>
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The Governor brings the game back to them, and in his room looks at the family photo he carries. In the morning Lily comes in with a few things for the road. She also gives him his gun back but he tells her to keep it as they need another one. He has the one he found upstairs, and explains that they have to kill the walkers in the brain. Tara's just been shooting them in the body. She reveal her father has stage four lung cancer and nearing the end, with just two days of oxygen left. She asks if he'll go to an old folks home to get any tanks he can find. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iqEJNoP3S8s/Uo1hJvdJ4cI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/xKPZC88oTc4/s1600/the-walking-dead-live-bait-4x06-520x286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-iqEJNoP3S8s/Uo1hJvdJ4cI/AAAAAAAAGEQ/xKPZC88oTc4/s1600/the-walking-dead-live-bait-4x06-520x286.jpg" /></a>The Governor walks to the place and finds it filled with the former residents. He discovers a dozen oxygen tanks and quickly heads out with them, but his activity has alerted the walkers and he can only escape with two. He brings them back but won't talk about what happened.<br />
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Lily insists on tending to his cuts. She admits Megan thought he was her dad when she saw him as he abandoned them a few years before the apocalypse. Megan stays with him while Lily goes for ointment and asks what happened to his eye. He confesses he's a pirate, and when they laugh he explains what really happened was he tried to help someone. </div>
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The Governor stays awhile. Cleaned up and with a hair-cut, he proceeds to teach Megan chess as the girls tend to their dying father. When he passes, they finally bring in Megan to see him. The Governor urges them to go but she wants a minute. The old man's eyes open and he grabs Tara, and the Governor proceeds to bash his head in with the oxygen tank as the others scream for him to stop. The Governor digs a grave and Lily comes out to help bury her father. When they return Megan runs away from him but Tara admits he saved her life, and her father would have been grateful.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-4BsUCyFY4/Uo1hK2R3UPI/AAAAAAAAGEs/AQLxBLcIdjE/s1600/walking-dead-governor-saving-meagan-642x383.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-R-4BsUCyFY4/Uo1hK2R3UPI/AAAAAAAAGEs/AQLxBLcIdjE/s320/walking-dead-governor-saving-meagan-642x383.jpg" width="320" /></a>He leaves them alone, and when he returns home he burns the photo of his family. He packs up and tells Lily good-bye, but she wants him to take them with him to find some place better. He reluctantly concedes and they leave in the food truck. On the road, Tara admits she's not really a cop, though she was in the academy, and apologizes for lying. When they make camp Lily and the Governor wake up in the night and have sex.</div>
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The truck breaks down and they set off on foot to find a car. The Governor spies a herd of walkers ahead. Megan remains frozen but finally runs to him and they head into the woods. The Governor and Megan fall into a pit with a few walkers trapped inside. He violently kills them with his bare hands and promises Megan he won't let anything happen to her. That's when Martinez appears and looks down incredulously on them.<br />
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>Live Bait </i>sets up a humbled Governor with a new group of survivors as a contrast to the prison. It's too early to make such grand predictions (after all, we <i>only</i> saw the Governor at the end of <b><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2013/11/review-walking-dead-internment.html" target="_blank"><i>Internment</i>)</a></b>. But the series managed to humanize the man in ways I couldn't have thought possible after last season, and raises the question if redemption is possible for anyone in the post-apocalypse. </div>
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I felt plenty of apprehension watching him interact with everyone, and certainly relieved that Tara, Lily and Megan lived to see the end of this episode. Given how so many new characters are offed as soon as they break out of the gate, I hope they stay around as they've received more development in one episode than all the Woodbury characters. </div>
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There's a comparison to be drawn between Carol and the Governor's abandonment of the past, which has become a running theme this season. Only once he lets go of his dead family can he move on and embrace a potential new one. Interesting to see if somehow Carol and the Governor cross paths how they might get along now. But the past isn't far behind with Martinez showing up with all the Governor's secrets. Will the latter kill him or can they agree to make peace now that he appears to be stable?</div>
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I'm still satisfied with the low key pacing of this season, mixed with a few skirmishes here and there, as I'm sure the mid-season finale promises a big event. However, it's irritating that we wait yet another episode to get to Daryl's reaction to Carol's absence. It feels like poor pacing to do that, especially if the Governor's story next week doesn't bring him closer to current events at the prison. </div>
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Would I accept a redeemed Governor? It would certainly be an exciting storyline to pursue that would fly in contrast to the graphic novel and ripe for drama with all the characters at the prison coming to terms with the whole idea of it. I doubt that's going to happen, but at least the writers have succeeded in raising that hope. So if (and when) the Governor falls back into his old ways it will be just that more tragic.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-75967393588975905392013-11-14T13:06:00.000-07:002013-11-17T13:07:25.089-07:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "The Axeman Cometh"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>The Axeman Cometh</i> introduces a new plot and character to the storyline, as a serial killer crosses paths with the school in 1919. In the present, Zoe's plan to consult a Ouija board to contact Maddie yields mixed results. Delia comes home from the hospital but her new found powers strain her marriage to Hank.</div>
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Much like the Black Dahlia from season one, Murphy brings in another historical character, the Axeman of New Orleans, and provides another historical flashback to the witch's school. I have no idea how important this character may be to the season, but he does get slipped into the plot to provide the girls some answers and will have an impact on at least next episode.</div>
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Though there were the usual weekly twists and surprises, I found this one to be a mixed bag and one of the weaker ones of the season, but it did have to follow the incredible Halloween two-parter. <i>The Axeman Cometh</i> still entertained, and served best as clean up for last week's mayhem.</div>
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New Orleans, 1919. A narrator calling himself the Axeman, who has been terrorizing the city, declares his intention to claim other victims. He sends a letter to the newspaper announcing his plan to spare anyone whose house is playing a jazz band (given he has a thing for jazz). The witches at the school read the article and discuss finding some jazz to play to be on the safe side. One bold witch decides they are powerful (as well as suffragettes) and need to take a stand for once.</div>
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The axeman is actually a bartender, and as he walks the streets that night he hears plenty of jazz playing—except the witch school, which is blaring opera. He goes inside where one of the witches waits for him reading tarot cards. He tells her he made his intention clear as she pulls the Death card—his card. Then her schoolmates ambush him and stab him to death.</div>
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In the present Zoe goes through Maddie's things and a tiny bottle of liquor rolls out into the closet where she finds a hidden door containing an alcove full of old photos and a Ouija board. She shows the school pictures to Queenie and Nan, explaining how the school used to be full of witches a hundred years before, and now their numbers are down to three. She feels Madison wants them to find her—so she pours each of them a drink of absinthe and vows to watch their backs. Queenie is less than enthused, but partakes. They proceed to use the Ouija board despite Queenie's warnings how dangerous it is. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L02BQs0HHto/UogSZ9EjEiI/AAAAAAAAGCg/4U_Yme35xHo/s1600/AHS+S3E6+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="253" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-L02BQs0HHto/UogSZ9EjEiI/AAAAAAAAGCg/4U_Yme35xHo/s320/AHS+S3E6+3.jpg" width="320" /></a>First question—<i>are we alone?</i> It moves to <i>no</i>. <i>Did you die here? Yes. Were you murdered? Yes. Who killed you? You did.</i> They ask if this is Madison. <i>No.</i> They ask who it is. <i>Axeman. </i>Queenie puts a stop to it, telling Zoe she best know who she's talking to if she's going to play around with it.</div>
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At the hospital Fiona finds herself able to read the minds of those getting chemo with her, something that starts to drive her crazy. She never had the ability before and wonders if it's the medication. The doctor asks her to stay and finish her chemo. He assures her they've chosen an aggressive form of treatment for her. She realizes what she really wants is to belong to somebody.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99b9HUa-q-w/UogSe-8oxrI/AAAAAAAAGDM/bA8kHGRSvDQ/s1600/american-horror-story-coven-the-axeman-cometh-gabourey-sidibe-600x400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="215" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-99b9HUa-q-w/UogSe-8oxrI/AAAAAAAAGDM/bA8kHGRSvDQ/s320/american-horror-story-coven-the-axeman-cometh-gabourey-sidibe-600x400.jpg" width="320" /></a>Investigating the Axeman of New Orleans, Zoe learns he killed eight people and was never caught. Nan explains that his response that <i>we killed him</i> refers to the class of 1919, the year the Axeman disappeared. Nan and Queenie both refuse to continue communicating with him. Zoe is disgusted at their lack of solidarity, so proceeds herself.</div>
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She asks where Madison is in exchange for giving him what he wants. He tells her the attic. Zoe goes to investigate, and in Spalding's room is immediately assaulted by the stench. Maddie's decomposing body is in the chest, and Spalding grabs her from behind.</div>
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Blind Delia comes home from the hospital with Hank. She's angry she can smell roses. She needs chrysanthemums for strength and protection. Hank touches her again and she gets another vision of the red-haired woman. She demands to know who it is. She had to go blind to see things she couldn't before. Fiona is pleased with their relationship breakdown and laughs she finally has Hank's number. Delia warns him he'll be accountable for all his betrayals and sends him away. </div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hssZCpkZ3o/UogSbodQfZI/AAAAAAAAGC4/IbiT6VsG8ss/s1600/ahs-coven-ep-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-2hssZCpkZ3o/UogSbodQfZI/AAAAAAAAGC4/IbiT6VsG8ss/s320/ahs-coven-ep-6.jpg" width="320" /></a>Fiona explains she's been given the sight, the greatest and hardest gift to live with. When her mother touches her she gets a flash of Myrtle's burning. She's horrified Myrtle is dead and refuses to believe she threw acid in her face. </div>
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Zoe quickly knocks Spalding out with a doll and then Queenie, Zoe and Nan proceed to torture him to confess to the murder. Nan can hear his voice in her head. And he answers <i>yes</i>.<i> He has unique appetites</i>, he reveals. He wonders if they will turn him into the authorities and expose the coven, he adds. Queenie isn't so helpless, and takes a heated spatula and presses it against her face until a welt burns on Spalding's cheek and he passes out. They'll kill him, she says, but Zoe isn't sure he's telling the truth. </div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Trt0EWNMTkk/UogSfYuLDeI/AAAAAAAAGDg/e1oDhuavJOA/s1600/American+Horror+Story+Coven+3x06+-+The+Axeman+Cometh+-+Lily+Rabe.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Trt0EWNMTkk/UogSfYuLDeI/AAAAAAAAGDg/e1oDhuavJOA/s320/American+Horror+Story+Coven+3x06+-+The+Axeman+Cometh+-+Lily+Rabe.jpg" width="296" /></a>At Misty's cabin, the witch has Myrtle buried in dirt, slowly healing her. Kyle arrives and she cleans him up, but that prompts a flashback of his mother and he freaks out. After breaking a variety of things, including her Stevie Nicks record, Misty is infuriated. Zoe arrives, shocked to find him there. Misty wants him gone, but Zoe says she's taking them both with her as she needs her help.</div>
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Hank comes to see Marie, announcing they have a problem. He's angry about the acid attack but Marie assures him she wasn't behind it. She thought she'd hired a professional witch hunter—six years in that house and for nothing. He protests he's killed nine Salem descendants for her (including Cayley, who visited Delia at the school as shown in a flashback). Cayley could start fires with her thoughts. She wasn't open to Delia's offer and just wanted a good husband. But Marie didn't intend him to play house with Delia. Now Delphine is brought back to life and her Bastian is dead. Marie orders him to bring her the heads of all of them and burn the school to the ground...and she'll let him live.</div>
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Zoe takes Kyle and Misty to the greenhouse and chains him up. She shows Misty Maddie's body but she's already rotting and beyond Misty's power. Zoe presses her, providing Maddie's missing arm. Misty concedes and proceeds to do her work. With Zoe's help Maddie begins to revive and scream. Zoe explains everything to Queenie and Nan about their new house guests. Misty wants to be taken home but Zoe offers for her to stay so she has some place to belong. Misty wants to be alone. The school isn't her tribe, and there's bad vibes in the house, she muses.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4MsitZqt4Y/UogSdOPKvsI/AAAAAAAAGDE/VJE-kzYofs8/s1600/american-horror-story-coven-madison-axeman-cometh.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-W4MsitZqt4Y/UogSdOPKvsI/AAAAAAAAGDE/VJE-kzYofs8/s320/american-horror-story-coven-madison-axeman-cometh.jpg" width="282" /></a>As Delia takes some pills and gets ready for bed, the Axeman is sitting in the bedroom.<i> I've always hated this room,</i> he says. Delia demands to know who he is. He's been trapped inside the room all these years, until the young witch offered him his release in exchange for a favor. But when the time came for her to release him, she left. He's trapped in there with Delia and refuses to let her out. All she has to do is to sing and dance, he adds.</div>
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Maddie slowly regains her senses, but isn't sure how she died and remembers very little. Maddie recalls seeing red, but nothing after that. And there's nothing on the other side, she explains. Just black.</div>
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Delia's scream alerts the girls who run up to her room. Zoe says she promised to release him but Delia refuses to allow them. Zoe rushes downstairs to find a spell to make him move on. She pulls out a particular book that calls to her and it flips to the appropriate page. They cast the spell and rush back to Delia's room where she's alone and screaming.<br />
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Outside the Axeman walks down the front steps to the gate and starts on his way down the street. At a bar he takes a seat next to Fiona, asking what she's drinking.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXhY-5VCviI/UogSeILgIkI/AAAAAAAAGDA/8xDk9Hpq4f8/s1600/ahs-axeman-4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXhY-5VCviI/UogSeILgIkI/AAAAAAAAGDA/8xDk9Hpq4f8/s320/ahs-axeman-4.jpg" width="213" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
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Murphy throws in another historical character with the Axeman, and I wonder how long he'll be wandering around, or how he will be involved with Fiona. What was the true nature of the spell that Zoe (had) selected (for her?). Is there some other twist to it that is yet to come? And is Zoe doing this because she's the supreme or someone else is pulling her strings?<br />
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The big revelation this week was Marie and Hank's connection. I was feeling some sympathy for Marie, but it appears she's been working against her truce with Anna for years.</div>
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I was surprised to hear the casual line given to Luke, who has been sent home already. Given Fiona's comments last week I assumed he would remain in the house recovering.<br />
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My big criticism here is yet another resurrection from the dead. Let's see—Kyle, Delphine, Maddie, Myrtle, and now the Axeman have found their way back to the mortal plane (except poor Bastian) . If death isn't going to stick it's going to be difficult to feel any sense of doom when it comes to character mortality.</div>
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To make matters worse, this week was very inconsistent in who can be resurrected—why is Misty leaving Myrtle planted in the ground to heal for so long when Maddie (who has been rotting in the attic and missing a limb, is brought back to life within minutes?). Of course, that might not be Maddie that came back. We definitely need to see some consequences to all this, and maybe that's what Murphy has in mind if some higher power (like the Devil) is going to make its displeasure known with the amount of dead bodies rising at the school.</div>
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Some idle thoughts—What's with Fiona's continued Good Samaritan hospital antics? Are they unmotivated acts of kindness or are they more nefarious? And her doctor seemed unusually suspicious, too. Are we to take anything from Maddie's comments that she saw nothing beyond death? </div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-2048470550643403142013-11-10T18:45:00.000-07:002013-11-13T18:45:55.987-07:00Review: The Walking Dead "Internment"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cV5ga_BXr9g/UoF3oaFLMqI/AAAAAAAAGCE/aOVQMAhXB_c/s1600/the-walking-dead-internment-hershel-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-cV5ga_BXr9g/UoF3oaFLMqI/AAAAAAAAGCE/aOVQMAhXB_c/s1600/the-walking-dead-internment-hershel-2.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b></div>
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<i>Internment</i> finds Rick returning to the prison as Hershel desperately struggles to hang on to the last vestiges of civilization while dealing with the worsening conditions of his patients. On the outside, Maggie manages the ever-increasingly herd of walkers pressing against the fence.</div>
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I found the first half of <i>Internment</i> a tad slow and uneven, especially following a string of slow-burn type episodes. But it really turned around for the second half and made for quite a tense and riveting hour when all was said and done. The dark tone of the series seemed extra heavy here, especially with the focus on Hershel, who has always had his faith in a higher power that their situation was happening for a reason.</div>
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The Carol revelation only got cursory mention given the more pressing events at the prison, so hopefully that provides suitable drama next week. The final act brought a satisfying cliffhanger that answers the anticipation of many viewers.</div>
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Rick continues his drive home, staring at Carol's watch. Meanwhile, Hershel, Glen and Sasha try to save the seriously ill who are choking on their own blood, but people continue to die, and Hershel insists on removing them from the cell block before they dispatch with the body. Lizzie finds him and Glen taking out the latest fatality.</div>
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Hershel goes to talk to Maggie and reassures her Glen is resting. As she tries to clear the massing walkers from the wall, Rick returns, and she sees he doesn't have Carol with him. He reveals the truth about Karen and David and tells her to fill in her father. He then asks if she would have brought her back, and after a moment Maggie admits he was right to send her away. He goes on to find Carl and is relieved he hasn't had to use his gun. He passes off the food he gathered, but won't let him out of quarantine yet. Carl points out he hasn't gotten sick, but Rick needs to protect him for as long as he's able. </div>
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Dr. Caleb believes he's past the point of recovery and urges Hershel to focus his attention on the others as well as securing the cells in case people begin to turn. Despite his best efforts, someone dies in the middle of the cell block and Hershel tells everyone to go back inside. A very ill Sasha comes over to help him take the body out. </div>
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Rick finds him afterwards, learning they've lost three so far. Rick assures him the people still have hope. Hershel still believes there's a reason all of it has happened. Rick confesses what's happened with Carol, which weighs heavily on Hershel as he closes off all the cell doors. He finds Sasha unconscious and tries to save her, while in the next cell over another has died and begins to rise as a zombie.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWoZrpS9UI8/UoF3owGileI/AAAAAAAAGB8/QYuynJsYTqQ/s1600/walking-dead-internment-hershel-walker.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="153" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-pWoZrpS9UI8/UoF3owGileI/AAAAAAAAGB8/QYuynJsYTqQ/s200/walking-dead-internment-hershel-walker.jpg" width="200" /></a>Sasha wakes up and thanks Hershel for being so damn stupid to come in and care for them. Meanwhile, Glen has been looking after one of their patients helping him to breathe with a makeshift tube, but he starts to choke. Glen collapses himself before he can call out for Hershel. Lizzie finds him bleeding from the mouth just as the other wandering zombie takes down Hershel, and Glen's patient also rises from the dead. That makes three walkers on the loose as the others are roused to the commotion. </div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pij7Z4YVUvs/UoF3n0EBSsI/AAAAAAAAGBs/jqr1aUa2C_8/s1600/The-Walking-Dead-4x05-Internment-Carlost-net-009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-pij7Z4YVUvs/UoF3n0EBSsI/AAAAAAAAGBs/jqr1aUa2C_8/s200/The-Walking-Dead-4x05-Internment-Carlost-net-009.jpg" width="197" /></a>Hershel gets up as Lizzie leads the zombie away from Glen. Lizzie falls down but Hershel throws it over the rail. He finds Glen struggling to breathe. Caleb has also turned and Hershel stabs him in the head. </div>
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At the fence, a gunshot alerts Rick and Maggie that trouble is brewing inside. He tells her to go, as he'll take care of the fence, so she runs off. Rick goes to find Carl and gets him to come with him to help, but the weight is too great and walkers pour through a break. Carl and Rick run back into the inner fence.<br />
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Maggie finally breaks through the viewing glass window to get inside the quarantine. Hershel begins to draw another walker away and kills it, then returns to Glen's side. The other walker that was Glen's patient still has the breathing pipe in its throat and he tries to tear it out to use on Glen. Maggie arrives and shoots it in the head. They rush back, connect the tube to Glen and get him breathing again. Lizzie comes back, asking if it's over. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4b8qXaLeWs/UoF3niCkosI/AAAAAAAAGBk/8LNiQlJRb5g/s1600/3f599d00-833a-49e9-871d-cfbcecb3b10a_zps6a772909.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="165" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b4b8qXaLeWs/UoF3niCkosI/AAAAAAAAGBk/8LNiQlJRb5g/s200/3f599d00-833a-49e9-871d-cfbcecb3b10a_zps6a772909.jpg" width="200" /></a>As the walkers get through the second barrier, Rick and Carl start firing to hold them back. They finally manage to take down the herd and go through to ensure they're all dead. They see Daryl's group returning.</div>
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With the situation inside under control, Tyreese rushes to Sasha's side. Maggie brings the supplies for Hershel and Bob to begin dispensing and tells her father to go rest. He goes back to Caleb's cell and tries to read his Bible, but starts crying. </div>
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In the morning cleanup of the prison begins. Daryl asks Hershel where Carol is. He suggests he talk to Rick about it. Hershel asks to tag along with Michonne as she drives out the pile of bodies. Rick and Carl taste the first beans from their garden as Rick delays talking with Daryl. Outside the gate the Governor watches from the trees.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bmaq1Sn38gA/UoF3pMBXtrI/AAAAAAAAGCA/-aZMfHQAZoY/s1600/walking-dead-internment-zombie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-bmaq1Sn38gA/UoF3pMBXtrI/AAAAAAAAGCA/-aZMfHQAZoY/s320/walking-dead-internment-zombie.jpg" width="285" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
While some of <i>Internment </i>felt plodding<i>, </i>in hindsight I did enjoy the end result. The level of tension and foreboding was pretty weighty, and Rick voiced everyone's thoughts that life at the prison will never be the same again once this plot is resolved.<br />
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As people begin dropping like flies for a second outbreak, I was left with my criticism from the beginning of the season—we've never had a chance to see these Woodbury characters in any context other than <i>about to die.</i> While Rick and Hershel and the rest have had months to bond with these people, the continuing slaughter of the background characters doesn't provide the emotional impact it should. Even Dr. Caleb, who has had more screen time that most, didn't affect me in any way.<br />
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While we didn't get the anticipated Daryl/Rick confrontation, that must come next week. I guess Maggie's reaction doesn't surprise me, given her faith-based upbringing, but when all hell was breaking loose and the wall was coming down, my only thought was that they certainly could have used an extra set of capable hands like Carol.<br />
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Some well-deserved shout outs go to the Hershel focus this week, someone who is juggling his own character arc, as well as plenty of Dale stuff that passed to him from the graphic novels. Watching him struggle to kill the walker (given his previous history) was effective. Also great to see Maggie, who really shone in her command role. And finally to Sasha, for surviving the flu, given her character holds a lot of promise.<br />
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The reappearance of the Governor came sooner than I thought. I don't know if he can be the rat-feeder, given that person was operating from within the prison. But it suits his modus operandi to slowly wear down the prison defences with the herds as has been happening so far this season. It's more likely Lizzie, who is treating the undead like pets. As the <i>The Walking Dead</i> approaches its midseason break, I'm sure that events will begin to accelerate for what promises to be a significant cliffhanger.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-65564459263930486982013-11-06T17:37:00.000-07:002013-11-10T17:38:09.068-07:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "Burn, Witch, Burn!"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Burn, Witch, Burn! </i>is a tense and wildly entertaining conclusion to the Halloween arc. A flashback to Delphine's earlier evil ways show that her daughters have much to be aggrieved about when they reappear as part of Marie's undead army. With the school under attack, the girls are left to their own devices while Fiona sees to a severely wounded Delia and the council returns demanding answers.</div>
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There's plenty of plot development among the carnage, as well as some interesting twists and turns. While a few plot points were glazed over relatively quickly, <i>Burn, Witch, Burn! </i>was easily the best episode to date. </div>
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New Orleans, 1833. Delphine's Halloween party has her eldest daughter flirting with a new gentleman. To spite her, Delphine invites him to tour her <i>chamber of horrors</i>. The bowl of eyeballs contains actual blood and eyeballs, torn from her slaves. He's not man enough for her chamber of horrors, she laughs. Her daughters later commiserate how they will never have a husband unless they rid themselves of their mother. Delphine learns of this and that night has the three of them dragged from their beds and thrown into the cages in the attic. They protest they were never going to go through with it, but Delphine warns they still only draw breath because she loves their faces. She'll set them free in a year.</div>
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In the present, Delphine looks upon the animated corpses of her daughters and slams the door shut, declaring it's too late for all them now. As they bang on the door, Queenie comes down to warn that something's going on outside.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqZK0O6e694/Un6hjDc9RdI/AAAAAAAAGAo/PVq8PGxoqGI/s1600/american-horror-story-coven-borquita-si-manifesta-a-sua-madre-nell-episodio-burn-witch-burn-291286.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="218" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-VqZK0O6e694/Un6hjDc9RdI/AAAAAAAAGAo/PVq8PGxoqGI/s320/american-horror-story-coven-borquita-si-manifesta-a-sua-madre-nell-episodio-burn-witch-burn-291286.jpg" width="320" /></a>Fiona hears Delia's screams and rushes to her side. She spies the hooded figure leaving. At the hospital the doctor explains sulphuric acid has burned through her optic nerves. They couldn't save her eyesight. After sitting at Delia's bedside, Fiona wanders the hospital until she comes upon the medication room. She finds some pills and washes them down with her flask, and in a fugue spies the hooded figure down the hall. One of the patients tells her she might have well thrown the acid herself. She then finds a woman in her room whose baby was stillborn. Fiona tells her it was a girl and brings it to the mother to hold, despite her protests. She needs to feel safe, Fiona says, urging her to talk to her. Then Fiona lays hands on it and the baby starts breathing. </div>
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Nan explains the undead are surrounding the house—she can't hear them in her head. Zoe closes the drapes and secures the house as Luke chides them that it's just a prank. He goes out to handle them. The zombies remain motionless for the moment, until Marie levitates and utters <i>begin</i>. A few trick or treaters who have been complimenting the figures on their prosthetics are abruptly torn to shreds as the zombies become active. Luke is wounded as he tries to flee, but Nan rushes out to rescue him, taking refuge in a car.<br />
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Spalding takes Delphine and the still weak Queenie upstairs. Delphine puts Queenie to bed and goes to get ice for her, leaving Spalding to care for her. In the kitchen Delphine finds one of her daughters peering through the window. She unlocks the door and lets her in, declaring how sorry she is for all she did to her, wondering if there is something still inside her that remembers her mother. Delphine promises to make amends. The creature grabs her throat and lifts her off her feet.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlNFXYSBvFA/Un6hhU__LzI/AAAAAAAAGAU/vfE2DfGDluo/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Episode-3.05-Burn-Witch-Burn-Promotional-Photos-5-595-slogo-ad1800f2ac06f636bc065bf5ade4f08c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-IlNFXYSBvFA/Un6hhU__LzI/AAAAAAAAGAU/vfE2DfGDluo/s320/American-Horror-Story-Episode-3.05-Burn-Witch-Burn-Promotional-Photos-5-595-slogo-ad1800f2ac06f636bc065bf5ade4f08c.jpg" width="213" /></a>Queenie sends Spalding to find out what's keeping Delphine. She hears a commotion in the hall and goes out to find him crawling away from Delphine's zombie daughter. It goes after Queenie, but she stabs her shoulder, inflicting the same wound on the creature. Queenie slashes her throat, but it keeps coming. Finally Delphine appears and impales it with a poker, which seems to kill it. She had a monster for a mother, Delphine confesses. This was the only kindness she ever did for her. She sobs against Queenie's shoulder.</div>
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The undead begin to break through the car windows until Zoe distracts them by banging pots, leading them away. She hides in the garden as they pile up against the door in pursuit. Zoe retreats into the greenhouse and finds a chainsaw.</div>
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Nan helps Luke out of the car, drawing the attention of the zombies again, who follow them back to the house. Zoe appears with the chainsaw and starts severing heads and bodies, dispatching with all of them, except for one. Cornered, Zoe holds up her hand, utters a word and the creature falls back. Back at the salon, Maria collapses to the floor, declaring there's some real power in that witch house.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKzSQ4hsSks/Un6hiir5aAI/AAAAAAAAGAg/QukU4_Rftkc/s1600/ahs-burn-witch-burn-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-QKzSQ4hsSks/Un6hiir5aAI/AAAAAAAAGAg/QukU4_Rftkc/s320/ahs-burn-witch-burn-2.jpg" width="234" /></a>Hank shows up in Delia's room after driving all night, finding an angry Fiona waiting. Fiona leaves, vowing that he needs to disappear. Hank promises his wife he'll never go away. As he touches her Delia suddenly wakes up with a vision of him and the red haired woman.</div>
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Come morning, Fiona oversees the burning of the undead as Zoe and Nan gather the bodies. Luke is sleeping but isn't well enough to leave. Fiona tells them he can stay until he recovers, and his mother will only call the cops anyhow. Fiona is pleased with Zoe's service to the coven and won't forget it. Delphine joins Fiona at the fire, languishing at the end of her daughters. They deserved a better mother. Fiona knows the feeling. Delphine suggests their shared tragedies can bring them closer together, but Fiona doubts that.<br />
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The council shows up, charging Fiona with gross neglect of the coven. The house is under attack by outside forces and her own daughter is in the hospital. They demand her abdication. The council shall oversee the coven until the supreme shows herself. Fiona curses Myrtle for trying to seize power and demands they sit and listen. </div>
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Fiona explains the coven is under attack from inside. She saw the woman in the cloak and it was Myrtle Snow. Myrtle is outraged at the accusation. She loved Cordelia. Fiona implies she murdered Madison, as well. Pembrooke and Quentin are intrigued and want to hear more. Fiona reveals that Myrtle used an alias and has been in town all these weeks planning the coup—and she shows her pictures from Myrtle's hotel room which show a wall of photos of Fiona. Myrtle breaks down, declaring Fiona had to be stopped. But Fiona demands justice and tears off Myrtle's glove, showing an acid scarred hand. The others have no choice—burn her. Myrtle refuses to resist. She's used to being an outcast and will go proudly to the flame.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGok1HYADTg/Un6hlAHVh9I/AAAAAAAAGA8/OWbViUjVlAA/s1600/tumblr_mvtp4qAZlE1s84grjo1_500.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="317" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hGok1HYADTg/Un6hlAHVh9I/AAAAAAAAGA8/OWbViUjVlAA/s320/tumblr_mvtp4qAZlE1s84grjo1_500.png" width="320" /></a>In the countryside Myrtle is led to her pyre. Zoe can't believe this is actually happening as Myrtle is tied to the stake and doused with gasoline. They watch her go up in flames. </div>
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Fiona continues downing her pills and gets a visit from Queenie, who asks if she helped her frame a guilty woman or an innocent one. During the inquiry it was Queenie who dipped her own hand in acid to cause the wound on Myrtle. No one is innocent, Fiona says. Queenie doesn't know if she can live with it. Fiona teases that her mind is getting stronger and Queenie can rise to heights she can't yet imagine, even the supreme. Queenie likes the idea of that. Fiona asks for her trust and to follow her instruction, and Queenie, tempted with power, promises. </div>
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Meanwhile Spalding sprays copious amounts of air freshener around his room and around the chest holding Madison's body. He tries to lift her out but tears her arm off.</div>
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Misty arrives at the site of the burning where feral dogs are eating the body. She lays her hands on the charred remains and Myrtle opens her eyes.<br />
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<b>The Verdict:</b><br />
<i>Burn, Witch, Burn! </i>was lots of fun, right down to the chainsaws cutting a swath through the undead. Myrtle's arc has taken a significant twist, and it appears she and Misty will be conspiring together. Could Myrtle find a kindred spirit in Misty, someone she could groom to be the supreme? Something tells me that Kyle may be making his way back to Misty, as well.<br />
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For that matter, how much of Fiona's framing of Myrtle was true and fabricated? Fiona's sudden revelation that she'd been investigating Myrtle's appearance in town all this time seems a bit contrived, so I don't know if the writers will delve further into this or we'll just be left to accept it at face value. Regardless, the council appears to be completely blind and impotent to everything going on.<br />
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Zoe still appears to be the too obvious choice for the supreme. Her new spell casting during the zombie attack could be a red herring (she and Madison did swear allegiance to the Devil in their resurrection spell for Kyle, so that definitely has to figure in to what's going on). Is the Devil going to be making an appearance at the school, given Marie detected some heavy duty witchcraft at hand?</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-69763611769470651902013-11-03T16:02:00.000-07:002013-11-05T16:05:43.280-07:00Review: Walking Dead "Indifference"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmWQvFjhk38/UncSDymV_BI/AAAAAAAAF_M/5YRfLElpxCw/s1600/37180121-4135-ce6e-e275-46c0f9348de9_TWD_404_GP_0619_0157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-LmWQvFjhk38/UncSDymV_BI/AAAAAAAAF_M/5YRfLElpxCw/s1600/37180121-4135-ce6e-e275-46c0f9348de9_TWD_404_GP_0619_0157.jpg" /></a></div>
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b></div>
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With supplies running low, Rick and Carol leave on a food and medicine run as he copes with the knowledge of what she did in the prison. Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob attempt to find a new vehicle and salvage their mission to the veterinary college.</div>
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<i>Indifference</i> was another quiet but ominous episode, continuing this season's theme (in case we missed it) that people either change or die in the post-apocalypse. It was packed with moral questions and the two groups provided a contrast of how each deal with similar ethical obstacles.</div>
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I found the conversation between Rick and Carol very gripping and some of the best scenes of the season. Giving Daryl, Tyreese and Michonne some time together was also a nice move. It was all a welcome respite from the prison set. I thoroughly enjoyed this thought-provoking chapter, despite the conclusion which left me outraged at certain characters and is sure to divide fans into two camps. </div>
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<b style="text-align: justify;">Spoilers Now!</b><br />
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Carol speaks to Lizzie through the glass partition, letting her know she and Rick are going on a run for food and whatever other supplies they can find. Lizzie informs her no one else has died yet, but she expects more will, and at least they will get to come back. They're still <i>something</i>, <i>someone</i>, she tells Carol. If she doesn't die she'll get bit, but she'll still be <i>her</i>, just different. That attitude worries Carol, who reminds her to run if there's danger. She can't be afraid to kill to save herself or her sister. Lizzie understands and Carol assures her she's a survivor. When Lizzie accidentally calls her <i>mom</i>, Carol asks her not to do that again. If Lizzie is still afraid to kill, Carol advises her to fight it, and one day she'll just change. They all change. Meanwhile, a pensive Rick loads up the car.</div>
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On the drive, Carol points out Rick doesn't trust her now and left Maggie in charge at the prison. She explains Karen and David were suffering, drowning in their own blood, and she made it quick. They needed the bodies gone and at the time were the only ones who were sick. She had to try to save lives. Rick says <i>maybe</i>. </div>
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The two disembark in a neighborhood and find a car that appears to have been recently parked there. They set about investigating the houses. After cleaning out a medicine cabinet, Carol kills a zombie that comes tumbling down the stairs, and then a man and woman emerge, offering them food. Carol treats his dislocated shoulder as they explain they were trapped there after raiding a greenhouse. Rick watches as Carol manages to reset his shoulder and tend to it. The couple, Sam and Ana, were separated from their crew about a week before. They ran a refugee centre together until people trampled her in a fire and injured her leg. Sam saved her life. They've been on the move ever since. Rick and Carol share a look, and then he asks them his three questions.</div>
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Daryl's group cleans up at a creek and sets off in search of a new ride. Tyreese remains disconsolate that they're so far behind schedule and Sasha is likely dead. They come upon a service station where a car looks to have been hidden beneath some branches. As they clear away the vines to see what else is there, Tyreese accidentally cuts through the binds on the door, which is holding back all the walkers trapped inside. After dispatching them Michonne berates him for not working with the team.</div>
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Inside Daryl finds a battery for the car while Tyreese and Michonne wait. She tells him he should have let the walker go when they told him, and suggests he just wants to die. Anger makes him stupid, she warns. He counters she's still angry about the Governor. If he was here, she'd cut him in two, she admits, but she's not angry. She was. He asks why she still searches for him, but she confesses she doesn't know.</div>
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Daryl and Bob find those inside killed themselves by drinking antifreeze. They come across an older walker trapped under a desk. Bob puts it out of its misery. Daryl asks Bob about the group he was with before. Bob was found on a road by Daryl after having been with two different groups and ended up as the last man standing in both. It weighed heavily on him and he almost didn't come with Daryl. Then he confesses he came on the run to the big box store because he wanted a bottle, and that's what brought down the shelf and got Zack killed. Daryl tells him that's bullshit. He and Sasha picked the spot and there's no way he could have known. He's not standing alone. With the car working, the four of them head off in their new ride.</div>
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Sam asks if they passed their test. Rick explains the prison and the dire situation, but they're keen on the prospect of fences and walls and want to come. Rick tells them to sit tight while they sweep the neighbourhood. The others offer to help but Rick is reluctant. Sam promises not to take any chances. Rick acquiesces and gives them a gun to fire if they're in trouble, promising to rendezvous in two hours. He gives Sam his watch.</div>
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In another house, Rick asks Carol if it was right to let the kids come back with them. It was the humane thing to do, she says. Carol concedes if they're strong enough to help them survive then he made the right call. Carol asks why he hasn't said a word about her killing Karen and David. She wants him to face reality—he can be a farmer, but he can't <i>just</i> be a farmer. He was a good leader, she admits. He never murdered two of their own, Rick shoots back. Just one, she replies, referring to Shane. He doesn't have to like what she did, just accept it, Carol tells him.</div>
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Outside Rick picks some tomatoes growing in a garden and asks how Carol knew how to fix Sam's shoulder. She confesses she learned it from living with her abusive husband and being thrown down the stairs. She never thought she could be strong then but she already was. He asks why she doesn't say Sophia's name anymore. She's dead, she replies. He admits he wakes up expecting Lori to be there, too. As they come around the back of the yard they find a discarded apple box and blood, and Ana's torn off leg. Across the street walkers are consuming her body. </div>
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Daryl, Tyreese, Bob and Michonne make it to the veterinary college. Inside they hurry to find the supplies Hershel outlined for them. They succeed in getting everything on the list and head out through the dark corridors, fighting their way out through crowds of walkers. Tyreese breaks a window and they escape on a landing on the second floor. Bob slips and nearly loses his bag of supplies to the undead below. Tyreese tells him to let it go, but he refuses and manages to get it free. Daryl looks inside and finds a bottle of booze and no meds. He should have kept walking that day, Daryl says bitterly, and makes to throw it. Bob warns him <i>don't </i>and puts his hand on his gun. Daryl gets in his face and takes his gun, while Tyreese asks Daryl to let it go. Bob didn't want to hurt anyone. Daryl gives him the bottle back and warns him not to take a sip until the meds get to their people.<br />
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They discuss a route home to get them back the fastest. In the car Michonne tells Daryl he was right. The trail went cold with the Governor. She doesn't need to go out anymore. It's a quiet ride in the car.</div>
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Back at the house Carol and Rick realize Sam is overdue. He wants to wait a little longer, but Carol tells him it doesn't matter because he's not there and they have to go. It was a nice watch, she says. As they pack the car Rick confronts Carol that Karen and David might have lived and it wasn't her decision to make. When Tyreese finds out he'll kill her. When the others find out they won't want her there. If everyone else dies, with just the two of them, he won't have her there either. Carol thought he was done making decisions. He's making it for himself, he adds. She could have pretended everything was fine, but she stepped up, she protest calmly. She refuses to go anywhere without Lizzie and Mika. Rick tells her they'll keep them safe. She's not the woman too scared to be alone anymore. She'll start over and find others, he says, and she'll survive. </div>
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Rick helps her stock up Ana and Sam's vehicle. She hands him her watch that her husband had given her to replace the one he gave Sam. She has no use for the past anymore. She drives away. Rick heads back, keeping an eye on his rear view mirror.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzymqaWp8EY/UncSEMmPsPI/AAAAAAAAF_Q/3M72ovdbCLY/s1600/the-walking-dead-indifference-daryl.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-KzymqaWp8EY/UncSEMmPsPI/AAAAAAAAF_Q/3M72ovdbCLY/s320/the-walking-dead-indifference-daryl.jpg" width="212" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
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<i>Indifference</i> left me with plenty of anger and frustration with Rick's ongoing god complex. The pairing of Rick and Carol was long overdue and extremely effective. The survivors at the prison will definitely feel her absence.<br />
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The episode had another strength with the grouping of Tyreese, Daryl and Michonne and I enjoyed the interplay between these three. I can't say I'm getting attached to Bob at all given I doubt he will survive much longer (who knows, perhaps the writers will surprise us with a redemption). But he seemed to let the group down a little too easily given his confession. </div>
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Interesting that Rick banished Carol but Daryl and Michonne saw fit to keep Bob. It reveals the poor decision-making that exemplifies Rick (which I shouldn't complain about given it's remaining true to the source material). Carol's growth has been a steady journey to leadership, despite the moral questions she's raised by her actions. Meanwhile Rick has made numerous bad decisions and suffered breakdowns, withdrawn from governance, and abruptly takes it upon himself to make decisions that will affect the entire community.<br />
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Carol brings up a salient point that Rick killed Shane, but as always, Rick justifies his own decisions when it suits him. I have no doubt Carol cares about the survival of the group as a whole, though she takes extreme measures to do so. And I have no doubt Rick would abandon the group if the situation was dire enough and he had to choose to save Carl and Judith.<br />
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Carol's contribution was immense and will damage their longterm viability. It's especially hypocritical when one considers how Rick's handled Carl's less than ethical actions. There has to be some fallout for this, and definitely some reaction from Daryl. I'm sure (hoping) that the chickens come home to roost for farmer Rick. <i>At least </i>Carol remains alive and can return, which is more than we got with Andrea. She's much too strong a character (and a great actress) to abandon so easily.</div>
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Sadly, Sam and Ana were too adorable to last. I really want them to work out with our survivors but this is <i>The Walking Dead</i>, of course, and they were quickly dispatched, leaving Sam's fate in question. On a final note, I'm growing more certain that Lizzie and Mika will play out the <i>twins </i>storyline from the graphic novel, which would be quite a bold move.</div>
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Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-15419020557987760862013-10-31T12:05:00.000-06:002013-11-03T12:06:29.978-07:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "Fearful Pranks Ensue"<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b></div>
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<i>Fearful Pranks Ensue </i>continues the tradition of fun <i>American Horror Story </i>Halloween episodes, focusing on the outbreak of hostilities between the school and Marie Laveau. Bastian's attack leaves Queenie at death's door, leading Delia and Fiona to search for answers as Maddie's disappearance draws attention from the witch's council.</div>
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<i>Fearful Pranks</i> left the Kyle and Misty plots in favor of witch politics. Angela Bassett continues to shine as the focus shifts to her voodoo magic and much of her past in New Orleans. Frances Conroy's Myrtle Snow finally gets to step into the storyline and the mysterious Spalding receives an equal amount of attention.</div>
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I really enjoyed this one, and it was full of interesting twists and turns, and some great new character additions. With the series breaking into high gear and on solid legs, the episode concludes with the usual cliffhanger that promises an exciting conclusion.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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In 1961 Henry, a black boy attending an integrated school for the first day, is chased on his bicycle by some men. His mother works in Marie's salon, and they later find him lynched, so Marie sets about on a revenge—summoning some zombies to kill—and dismember—the culprits.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXynJ-PZrtk/UnWjRz-mNzI/AAAAAAAAF-U/Hk_1Zv2ZPho/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Episode-3-04-Fearful-Pranks-Ensue-Promotional-Photos-american-horror-story-35919325-500-334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-vXynJ-PZrtk/UnWjRz-mNzI/AAAAAAAAF-U/Hk_1Zv2ZPho/s320/American-Horror-Story-Episode-3-04-Fearful-Pranks-Ensue-Promotional-Photos-american-horror-story-35919325-500-334.jpg" width="254" /></a>Spalding is enjoying a tea party among his vast doll collection when he's interrupted by voices from downstairs. It's Fiona and Maddie's heated discussion in the gallery where he finds Fiona cutting her throat. As he rolls the girl up in the carpet Fiona muses that Maddie would have made a lousy supreme, and it's her duty to stay vital. She confesses she always enjoyed her little talks with Spalding, particularly since he lost his tongue. </div>
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A broken window sends Fiona outside to investigate, and she finds the doors to Cordelia's lab broken and Queenie bloodied on the floor. Behind them Bastian rises. Later, Fiona gets Cordelia and brings her to Queenie's room where she has the wounded girl. Fiona berates her daughter that she allowed one of their girls to be attacked by Marie Laveau, who obviously sent them some dark art voodoo. Delia retorts that it's Fiona's fault for provoking her. Fiona realizes her daughter was searching for a voodoo fertility spell. Fiona went there to show strength and Delia undermined her, she scolds.</div>
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Queenie's heart stops, so Fiona uses her magic to breathe life into her. Queenie starts breathing again, but Delia suggests a hospital. Fiona refuses and advises her the council would question her daughter's competence.</div>
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Weary, Fiona returns to her room and tells the cowering Delphine to get out of the closet. Delphine admits Queenie saved her, and the monster was Bastian. Fiona already knows that, but suggests she keep it to herself. It won't be coming back. The next day at the salon Marie receives a very large package and finds a severed bull's head (still blinking) inside.</div>
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Kyle, covered in blood, finally speaks to Zoe, saying her name. She apologizes for all that's happened to him and goes to make him some food. She notices some rat poison in the cupboard, something she slips into the bowl, but she returns to find Kyle gone.</div>
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It's Halloween, and Delphine warns that spirits will be walking the earth. She comments that Fiona looks beautiful as she prepares to go out. Fiona has no use for Delphine's superstitions. She plans to let the world in tonight.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0aPaj0r5tA/UnaY-0NEKXI/AAAAAAAAF-0/XalN9nXYGis/s1600/screen-shot-2013-10-30-at-4-32-42-pm.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="206" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-u0aPaj0r5tA/UnaY-0NEKXI/AAAAAAAAF-0/XalN9nXYGis/s320/screen-shot-2013-10-30-at-4-32-42-pm.png" width="320" /></a>In the back room Marie prepares to exact revenge, but her coworker warns her not to start a war with the Salem witches. In the previous war Marie made peace and sat across from Anna, both women vowing no more bloodshed and outlining their territories. Marie declares the truce over. </div>
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Hank has taken a job out of town (he's a USDA agent), but in reality he's meeting a new girlfriend he met online—Cayley. After they have sex she admits she really likes him and hopes he doesn't break her heart. He takes out a gun and shoots her in the head (!).</div>
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Queenie finally wakes up. As Delia goes to get clean towels Delphine thanks her for saving her life. Nan walks in telling them <i>they're</i> here. Delia goes downstairs to find the council—who only assemble under the gravest of circumstances. It's composed of Myrtle Snow, Quentin and Pembrooke. Myrtle wasn't aware of Queenie's assault, a fact Delia inadvertently reveals. Delia then confesses to going over to Marie Laveau's, which is something else the council didn't know. Fiona arrives and tells her daughter to stop talking. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WU2IFhxTi4/UnWjSDYK-VI/AAAAAAAAF-Y/DZuHjVhvLBU/s1600/tumblr_mv799e6ZL81qgtl4po1_500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-8WU2IFhxTi4/UnWjSDYK-VI/AAAAAAAAF-Y/DZuHjVhvLBU/s320/tumblr_mv799e6ZL81qgtl4po1_500.jpg" width="213" /></a>Myrtle explains they were summoned by Nan because she can't hear Madison anymore and thinks she's dead. The council begins the inquiry into Madison's disappearance, adding that the guilty party will suffer death by fire. Delia testifies first, unsurprised Madison would stay out all night or run off. The council is curious if she was manifesting new powers before her disappearance, and it's Nan who mentions that she set the neighbour's curtains on fire. The council then interrogates Fiona, and Myrtle berates her way of running things. The supreme is more than a figurehead and must be present, and her absence has not gone unnoticed. So Myrtle wants to know why she's back now, adding that Fiona was present was when Anna went missing, as well.<br />
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Flashback to 1971 when young Fiona testified to Anna's disappearance. She tells the council she noticed the supreme took a bottle of wine with her, and they conclude it has something to do with her recent truce with Marie Laveau. They reveal that Fiona is the new supreme and she will soon begin the tests of the <i>seven wonders.</i> Young Myrtle is not happy at all to hear that and believes she murdered Anna. </div>
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Myrtle knows when a lie is being told and goes on to cast a spell. At dinner she confides in her friend that Spalding always cleans up Fiona's messes. She's enchanted his tongue so he's incapable of speaking a lie, and he's been called to testify before the council. That night his screams wake the house and Spalding lies writhing on the floor of the bathroom with his tongue cut out.</div>
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In the present, Myrtle warns Fiona she will pay for all the crimes she's been committed. No witch has been tried and burned since 1926, but Myrtle is dying to light the next one. She calls Spalding as their final witness. Myrtle tells him justice is near and all he has to do is write the name of the witch who is responsible for cutting out his tongue. Spalding writes Myrtle's name.</div>
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In the flashback, Spalding actually overheard Myrtle talk of the enchantment at dinner. He met with Fiona in the bathroom afterwards and tells her he will speak his final words—<i>He has always loved her</i>. Then he cuts out his own tongue in front of her as she screams.</div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkQm0k29IbE/UnWjHPGWaqI/AAAAAAAAF-I/8EZQ25nyFkQ/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Season-3-Episode-4-Fearful-Pranks-Ensue-3-550x366.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-xkQm0k29IbE/UnWjHPGWaqI/AAAAAAAAF-I/8EZQ25nyFkQ/s320/American-Horror-Story-Season-3-Episode-4-Fearful-Pranks-Ensue-3-550x366.jpg" width="320" /></a>Myrtle is furious, declaring Fiona's gotten away with two murders. Delia interrupts for her mother's defence, telling them they're wrong. Madison wasn't the next supreme. The hallmark of a supreme is glowing health and Madison had a heart murmur she kept secret. Fiona is the supreme for a reason.</div>
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Marie closes shop for the night and begins her ritual—summoning more zombies from their graves. At the school trick or treaters come to the door while the girls debate whether Madison is still alive. Though Nan can't hear her in her head, Zoe still wants to look for her, but Fiona told them all to stay inside for the night. Upstairs, Spalding, wearing a nightgown, chooses a dress that he brings to Maddie's dead body. He has her sitting at his table with a teacup. </div>
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Fiona and Delia enjoy a night out at the bar. Delia wants them to ask each other three honest questions. She wants to know why she hates Hank. Her mother tells her he reeks of bullshit. Delia asks if she killed Madison. Fiona says no. Fiona wants to know who Delia thinks is the next supreme, but her daughter knows she's obsessed because she must feel her powers weakening. Later on Delia's drank too much and throws up in the bar bathroom. As she cleans up a hooded figure comes out of the stall and throws acid in her face.</div>
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Luke comes to the door to drop off cookies for Nan, wanting to pay her back for the cake. As Delphine answers the door to more trick or treaters, she finds three corpses standing on the porch. She recognizes her dead daughters. Horrified, she shuts the door as a horde of zombies begins to bear down on the house.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T4QQW8qX4qQ/UnaY-O9vtxI/AAAAAAAAF-s/wiVfWo16ktI/s1600/american-horror-story-3x04-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-T4QQW8qX4qQ/UnaY-O9vtxI/AAAAAAAAF-s/wiVfWo16ktI/s320/american-horror-story-3x04-6.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>Fearful Pranks Ensue</i> was a fun and lively episode—Who attacked Delia? What the heck is up with Hank? Will the students be able to defend the school from a zombie attack, including Delphine's daughters? And who is the supreme? Add to that the new war (and historical rivalry) between Marie Laveau and the New Orleans witches, and I'm loving where the series is heading.</div>
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Kyle's plot line is the weakest for me at the moment, and thankfully we got just enough of that to further it along a bit in favor of expanded insight into Myrtle and Spalding, supplemented by her cohorts Quentin (the first male witch we've seen) and Pembrooke.</div>
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The flashbacks remain a highlight of the series, though much of what we saw here didn't hold many surprises. Spalding's doll collection remains a creepy addition, though, and Maddie's ultimate fate provided a satisfying bit of creepiness.</div>
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It was also unexpected to see the young maid from the first season making a (brief) appearance. I don't know what to think of Hank yet, because that was truly a weird development. And it appears he's more than just a crazed killer given the weapon he used on her.<br />
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As expected, Delphine is beginning to grow on me, especially now that she's demonstrated she can be grateful to Queenie for saving her life. How she will react fighting off her own daughters next week will be interesting, as well as who among them might exhibit the powers of a supreme.<br />
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I'm left wondering what kind of power structure the Salem witches operate under—if the supreme is the best of them, how does the council exert any sort of authority over her? It seems they've allowed Fiona to do whatever she liked as long as she didn't interfere in the school. Hopefully it gets fleshed and doesn't become one of those sketchy hierarchies like we've seen in <i>True Blood</i>. But on a final note, it's curious, given from what we saw of Myrtle's history, that she was there to escort Zoe to the school—might she think Zoe is the chosen one?</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-39225599926887338432013-10-27T20:23:00.000-06:002013-10-29T20:24:29.556-06:00Review: The Walking Dead "Isolation"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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As the flu turns into a full blown epidemic, the council isolates the sick from the healthy. Daryl and Michonne set off in search of antibiotics while Rick looks for answers on who might have killed David and Karen. </div>
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<i>Isolation </i>was far more subdued than the previous weeks, focusing on the characters and how they deal with the critical health situation. While some might find it too low key, it was an interesting contrast to find the formerly safe haven of the prison very much a <i>prison</i> now. The episode ends with a revelation that opens up a host of additional problems. </div>
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I enjoyed this one, because it succeeded in conveying the seriousness of the situation and the <i>new normal </i>at the prison. But I don't think the show can get away with too many of these overly chatty episodes. But that's not to say it was all talk either—there was a decent action scene later on. The series continues to run strong, opening up multiple plot threads to address later on once this flu (hopefully) is resolved.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b><br />
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Tyreese shows Rick, Daryl and Carol the bodies and demands Rick find who did it and bring them to him. Rick tries to calm him down but Tyreese ends up punching him, and Rick viciously beats him down until Daryl pulls him off. </div>
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Hershel tends to Rick's hand afterwards. After losing twelve in the initial outbreak, they've now lost Karen and David killed in cold blood. Bob finds Tyreese digging graves, suggesting he go get checked out by the doctor, but Tyreese refuses until he buries them. Bob lends a hand.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yjU8bD05POU/UnBcYTu0leI/AAAAAAAAF80/14R2QBvCPmc/s1600/969a6823-6713-81bc-3887-1513b51104c9_TWD_403_GP_0530_0151-624x416.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yjU8bD05POU/UnBcYTu0leI/AAAAAAAAF80/14R2QBvCPmc/s320/969a6823-6713-81bc-3887-1513b51104c9_TWD_403_GP_0530_0151-624x416.jpg" width="226" /></a>Sasha has come down with the flu and goes into the quarantine cell block. Dr. Caleb is already sick himself. The rest of the council discusses the outbreak, but Glen finding himself showing symptoms already. They need antibiotics and Hershel knows of a veterinary college 50 miles away that would have the medication they need. Daryl and Michonne elect to go. In the meantime they'll separate the most vulnerable from the rest. </div>
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Tyreese finishes the graves and Rick comes over to pay his respects and apologizes. Rick thinks the guilty party might be trying to stop the spread of the disease. Tyreese warns Rick that if he doesn't act, he will.</div>
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Carl goes into isolation with the rest of the kids. Beth remains in seclusion with Judith. Maggie sits outside her door confiding in her that Glen has it. Beth assures her they all have their duties in their time of crisis. Daryl and Michonne enlist Tyreese to come with them on their supply run, but he wants to stay and keep watch on the sick ward. Daryl assures him no one will get into the ward without other people seeing them. </div>
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Lizzie falls ill, too, and Carol escorts her into quarantine. When she asks Carol to tuck her in, Carol sends her in alone, telling her Glen can help. After she leaves her Carol breaks down.</div>
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Hershel has an idea and gets ready to head out into the woods but is stopped by Carl, who won't let him leave by himself. They go together, and Hershel searches for elderberries to make tea to alleviate some of the symptoms. Carl stands watch, and they note how peaceful the woods are. They find a decomposing walker lying next to a tree, and another wandering slowly with a leg hold trap on her. Hershel tells Carl there's no need to shoot them and disturb the peace.</div>
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Tyreese assures Sasha they're getting medicine and joins with Daryl, Michonne and Bob. He asks Carol to look in on Sasha. Carol confides in him how sorry she is about Karen's death, and after he leaves she breaks down and angrily pushes the water barrel over. </div>
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Maggie berates her father for not staying in quarantine, and instead going into the cell block to try to treat the sick with his tea. Rick doesn't want him risking his life either but Hershel lectures them both that he might be able to save lives and right now everything they do is a risk.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fAF2Kp9gbE/UnBcYf9TyUI/AAAAAAAAF84/wRTer8GozXI/s1600/the-walking-dead-carol.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="198" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-8fAF2Kp9gbE/UnBcYf9TyUI/AAAAAAAAF84/wRTer8GozXI/s320/the-walking-dead-carol.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rick goes on to investigates the crime scene. Carol goes outside the fence to clear the water supply hose but finds herself surrounded. Rick notices and comes running. He's angry that she went out on her own, but with people falling sick she wanted to get it done while they still had a chance.</div>
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On the drive to the veterinary college, Daryl assures Michonne he would come along with her in her search for the Governor had the trail not gone cold. Michonne wants it known that's she's not abandoning them when she goes out on her long sojourns. They suddenly hear a voice on the radio, and then abruptly slam on the brakes when they find the road full of zombies, and over the hill the college is swarming with a herd of thousands. Backing up, they get stuck on a pile of bodies so have to make a run for it. Tyreese stays in the car until Bob screams at him to get out. He goes on a blind rampage with his hammer and is quickly surrounded while the others run into the woods to regroup. They're surprised to find Tyreese emerge after awhile, exhausted. </div>
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Rick reminds Carol it was stupid of her to go out by herself. She sacrifices a lot for the group, he muses, and wonders if there is anything she wouldn't do for their people. No, she says. Rick then asks if she killed Karen and David. Yes, she admits, and walks off with her water.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fPEM5bfSEeA/UnBcZFgHacI/AAAAAAAAF9U/V_WKB2pw_0A/s1600/walking-dead-isolation-carol-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-fPEM5bfSEeA/UnBcZFgHacI/AAAAAAAAF9U/V_WKB2pw_0A/s320/walking-dead-isolation-carol-2.jpg" width="205" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
While not the most exciting episode, <i>Isolation</i> did deal with the quarantine and the idea that the wilderness is perhaps a more safer refuge for everyone at the moment. Characters got paired up with some good scenes together—Maggie and Beth, Hershel and Carl, while Tyreese finally got some extended screen time with the others.<br />
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The giant herd was a satisfying large scale set piece to end the show on. It will be interesting if that whole excursion is a failure and (according to the previews) it falls on Carol and Rick to get supplies. Daryl, Michonne, Tyreese and Bob are without a vehicle and stranded anyway.<br />
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There's also the matter of the mystery radio signal that's completely overshadowed by subsequent events. Something to look forward to later. And the Governor remains a phantom only talked about rarely even in name at the moment, so I'm sure his return will come when we least expect it.<br />
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Carol's casual admission to the crime speaks to quite a change in her outlook. But were Karen and David already dead, or did she murder them outright? That's critical in how Rick deals with this, as he has to decide if he should bring it all out in the open or maintain the secret (especially from Tyreese). I prefer the latter, as the show hasn't dealt with a heavy secret since Shane and Lori's affair, and I think the threat of that reveal would be a nice addition to everyone's stress. However, that all relies on Carol <i>not </i>being crazy. While I can see her decision to kill Karen and David, that would not explain the rat feeding to the walkers, which suggests another culprit remains on the loose.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-28640230178340144712013-10-23T22:02:00.000-06:002013-10-24T22:02:54.724-06:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "The Replacements"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>The Replacements</i> finds Fiona considering her future as the supreme, and who might be the rising star that could displace her. Zoe tries to rectify the Kyle situation by visiting his distraught mother. The girls are intrigued by an attractive new neighbour. Delphine has difficulty adjusting to her new position.</div>
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<i>The Replacements </i>wasn't much scary this week, but more than made up for it with disturbing and icky scenes dealing with revelations about Kyle's home life. Who is getting replaced? That would be Fiona, who suddenly realizes her days as the supreme may be numbered. Zoe tries to replace Kyle for his mother. Patti Lupone joins the cast as an extremely religious potential adversary for Fiona. </div>
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This was the weakest of the episodes to date, with two plot developments that could be seen coming right from the start. However, <i>The Replacements</i> was full of snappy one-liners and plenty of dark humour and still offered much to entertain.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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New Orleans, 1971. A younger Fiona chats with her predecessor Anna, asking when she realized she was the supreme. Anna explains that by the time she was Fiona's age she had already manifested multiple gifts, but the mastery of the <i>seven wonders</i> is what makes one the supreme. Fiona feels she's ready and wants to be tested, but Anna refuses. Fiona then points out that when one supreme begins to flower, the old one fades, and she can see that Anna is already growing older and weaker as she gets stronger. Incensed, Anna declares she's foreseen that Fiona will ruin the coven and vows to make it her mission to ensure she never takes the throne. Fiona cuts her throat, and finds Spalding watching from the doorway. In the present, Fiona muses over Anna's painting in the gallery, considering who might be her successor. She finds Spalding watching and asks if the <i>cat has his tongue</i>.</div>
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Zoe visits Kyle's mother, Alicia. The troubled woman asks to share something with her—she had been about to hang herself when Zoe called her and is grateful she came by. Zoe then heads to the cabin where Misty is still listening to Stevie Nicks and Kyle remains in a daze. Misty is pleased to see her and shows her how Kyle's scars have healed. He touches Zoe's hair but says nothing. Zoe needs to take Kyle home given his mother is a wreck but Misty doesn't want either of them to leave. Zoe promises to return, but Misty doesn't believe her. </div>
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Delphine is still adjusting to the modern age, and is mortified that the <i>magic </i>TV box is showing a black president. Fiona inform her she's the new maid, unless she wants to go back in the box. When Delphine brings the girls their food she refuses to tolerate Queenie's backtalk. Instead she tosses her food on the floor. Fiona intervenes before Queenie can attack her and advises her Delphine is now Queenie's personal slave. There's nothing she hates more than a racist, she snaps.</div>
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Queenie, Nan and Madison watch some new neighbours move in next door, including the young handsome son unloading the truck. His mother shows up to tell him to put on a shirt. The trio show up at their house with a cake, greeting Luke who lets them in. Madison starts flirting right away, but he isn't as interested in Madison as she'd like him to be. His mother Joan arrives to tell them they're already late for Bible study and will take the cake to share. Madison informs them their religion is a crock, quickly enraging the devout Joan, who grabs her wrist holding the cake knife, which flies into the wall. She orders them out of the house, and as they leave the drapes catch fire, as much to Madison's surprise as the others.</div>
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Realizing her beauty is fading, Fiona reluctantly sees a plastic surgeon, insisting on watching the video of how they will cut her up. However when she has her blood work done up the results come as a shock. She's in no condition for any elective surgery and her immune system is in free fall. Meanwhile Delia is back at the doctor following the failure of her<i> alternative</i> methods. The doctor has reviewed her own blood work and breaks the news that she just can't have a baby. </div>
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Zoe drives Kyle back home and leaves him on his mother's porch. Alicia screams and embraces him as she watches from afar. Later, Alicia puts him to bed but asks him how his body can be so different as she saw him in the shower. He looks like someone else and she doesn't understand how that could be. But that doesn't matter, she says, and proceeds to kiss him (!).</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rb0pWdFdyv4/UmlrkzK8ZHI/AAAAAAAAF8I/ohWaDsfgijc/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Coven-Teaser.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Rb0pWdFdyv4/UmlrkzK8ZHI/AAAAAAAAF8I/ohWaDsfgijc/s1600/American-Horror-Story-Coven-Teaser.jpg" /></a>Back at the school Fiona is having a drink as Spalding brings in Joan Ramsay from next door. Joan offers her a Bible and isn't sure what her school is but two of her girls invaded her property. Fiona has no patience for Bible thumpers or their hypocrisy towards sex. Joan warns her she'll call the police next time and charge them with assault <i>and</i> arson. That piques Fiona's interest. Madison arrives and mocks Joan, but once she leaves Fiona asks Madison if she has a light. Madison is able to use her new fire abilities to ignite her cigarette. Fiona suggests they talk.</div>
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Delia visits Marie's salon with an appointment to consult about her fertility problem. She's led to the backroom where Marie sits on her alligator throne. Delia is well aware of the potions she's capable of and her particular fertility spell that is always successful. But it's no walk in the park, Marie explains, going into detail of the elaborate ritual. It must be during the new moon and will cost $50,000 cash. Delia is committed, but Marie just laughs at her—she has no intention of performing the spell given she's the daughter of her sworn enemy. The damage is already done, Marie explains. Fiona has messed with the wrong witch. Delia didn't know her mother was already there. </div>
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Fiona and Madison have lunch. She asks if Madison has always known she was special. Fiona muses that she has so much to give and so much to teach, regretting being a bad mother to Delia. Madison wants to learn. Self-preservation is the most primal instinct, Fiona explains, and wonders what it will take to make someone disregard that. She gets Madison to enchant a pedestrian to believe he's safe in the street. The man walks out and stops as cars veer around him, but Madison doesn't know if she did that or Fiona. </div>
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Queenie is enjoying Delphine's servitude when the older woman sees something in the window. She's horrified when she realizes it's Bastian, the minotaur. Delphine panics and locks the door and it bangs its head against it, frightening both. Delphine explains who it is and reveals her own identity. Queenie remembers her story from the house tour and is outraged at all the things she's heard about Delphine. Delphine begs her for mercy so Queenie tells her to go hide but first cuts her hand with a knife, taking some blood on a napkin. She goes outside with it. </div>
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Zoe gets a call from Alicia, who explains Kyle is back, but it's not really him. She heads right over. Alicia tells Kyle that Zoe is joining them for dinner. Kyle is sitting on the floor in silence. Alicia admits she's possessive and it's time for Kyle to move on with his life and she's pleased he's met someone like Zoe. But she presses him about his new body. She<i> knows</i> his body, she maintains. No one knows him like she does. Kyle flips out and hits her with a football trophy, then proceeds to beat her to death. Zoe shows up to the dark house for dinner to find the door open and Alicia's body, then faces Kyle covered in blood.</div>
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Fiona and Madison play pool at a bar while attracting the attention of several men. Fiona can see herself in Madison's face. As Madison gets drunk, Fiona dumps out her glass, and when they return home and walk through the gallery, she advises Madison to get her portrait painted when she's young. She tells the girl that she is the next supreme, and Fiona's time is up. Madison is killing her—her powers are growing and Fiona is the source. Her life force is pouring out of her into Madison and now Fiona has cancer and will last a year at best. But she maintains she'll go out in style.<br />
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Fiona confesses she took her inheritance too soon and squandered it. She was a shitty supreme. Her mentor Anna was majestic and powerful and taught her everything she knew, but she thanked her by cutting her throat. And she's kept the knife, which she takes out. She gives it to a frightened Madison, telling her to kill her for the sake of the coven. A frantic Madison refuses, and Fiona continues to scream at her to do it, then abruptly cuts the younger girl's throat. Spalding watches from the doorway again as Fiona stares at the blood on her hands. He comes in with a handkerchief for her to clean up. Fiona tells him to bury her deep, and adds, "This coven doesn't need a new supreme, it needs a new rug."</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>The Replacements</i> delved into the more seedy aspects of matters, with Kyle's home life exposed, and Zoe's best of intentions leading to the inevitable death of Alicia. The same can be said for Madison, who had a target on her back the moment she lit Fiona's cigarette. I do like that the writers toyed with the audience by illiciting so much sympathy in the first scene with Alicia before showing the true horror of what Kyle's life has been like with her as a mother.<br />
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The Ramsays will likely shake things up a bit, but whether Joan can be anything more than their nosy neighbour remains to be seen. She's definitely more of a caricature than a character at this point.</div>
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Delphine's adjustment to modern life was hilarious, including her mortified first look at Barack Obama. Throwing her in with Queenie made for additional laughs, but I'm not sure if we're going to see any evolution in Delphine's temperament to make her more sympathetic or not. She's a wild card as to where she may end up as the series progresses. As for Queenie, I can see her being drawn over to Marie's side soon enough, unless her dalliance with Bastian puts her on Marie's bad side.<br />
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I don't recall Marie having such an over the top accent in the last two weeks, but she certainly got to have a juicy scene here. One wonders if Marie's tribe suffers the same passing of the torch as the Salem witches when it comes to the supreme, and if someone might be out to replace her too. Yet she's apparently immortal, so that may not be the case.<br />
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We're left with a few mysteries, such as what the <i>seven wonders </i>might be, and will Delia get to go through with her baby spell by perhaps betraying her mother? With Maddie gone, who is the new supreme-in-waiting? Zoe seems the easy choice, but Misty Day is a possibility.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-25450640854565133092013-10-20T20:58:00.000-06:002013-10-21T21:00:30.401-06:00Review: The Walking Dead "Infected"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Infected </i>kicks off a tense episode as Patrick lumbers his way back into the populated cell block to wreak havoc. But equally urgent threats loom, including the gathering walkers outside the fence. Rick is forced to make some decisions about his new lifestyle, and Carol worries if her teaching methods might be put in jeopardy.</div>
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Another fantastic episode, <i>Infected</i> could very well have been titled <i>Paradise Lost,</i> as the calm and security of the prison is shattered for good. It maintained a level of unease and increasing despair that really made for an emotionally draining hour. We got movement on Rick's arc, as well as some curious behaviour from Carol, some nice bits with Michonne and Carl and Daryl, and some new faces (that hopefully aren't just more cannon fodder).</div>
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Two episodes in and the season is running on strong legs and feels rejuvenated. While the time jump (much like last year's) leaves the audience grappling a bit with some abrupt character shifts and behaviours, at least the series isn't dragging like the much-maligned second season.<br />
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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In the middle of the night someone tempts the walkers closer to the fence with a flashlight and feeds them a rat. Inside, Tyreese sits up with Karen and remains pensive about Zack's death and the number of people who move in and out of their lives now. Karen wants to take things slow and goes back to her own quarters, stopping by the showers to wash up. She hears something, but a search of the room yields nothing and she leaves, while Patrick slowly rises from the floor. Back in her cell she readies for bed, leaving the cell doors open. Patrick approaches the curtain over her door, only to be distracted by a cough one cell over where he kills another sleeping man.</div>
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As morning comes, Rick tends to Judith and wakes up Carl. Patrick has spent the night feasting on his victim before the sounds of activity draw him out. The other man then rises himself. Glen and Maggie have been on watch in the tower. He takes her picture with the camera he got at the mall supply run. She wakes up to the noise and takes her turn on watch while he goes for a perimeter check. </div>
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Michonne is about to depart on her next search, and Rick and Carl see her off. She asks why Carl doesn't wear his hat anymore. It's not a farming hat, he says. They notice the cluster of walkers leaning against the fence and he asks his father if they can help clear them. Rick has cucumbers to tend to, he dismisses, and refuses to let Carl go. Carl asks for his gun back. Rick ignores that, but gunshots alert both of them, Michonne and Maggie. Glen and Sasha yell out walkers are on the loose inside.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kK2B_DzwnfQ/UmSO2ZeTMiI/AAAAAAAAF54/Y2SPgy8CBuQ/s1600/the-walking-dead-infected-carl-running1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-kK2B_DzwnfQ/UmSO2ZeTMiI/AAAAAAAAF54/Y2SPgy8CBuQ/s320/the-walking-dead-infected-carl-running1.jpg" width="212" /></a>Carl runs to the gate to let Michonne in, but the doors are open long enough to allow a few undead into the safe area and she has to fight them off. Carl grabs a rifle and saves her as Maggie gets her inside. Michonne twists her ankle in the process, and they all watch a herd approach the fence, alerted to the commotion.</div>
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Inside, the cell block is in chaos as people try to flee. Several have either turned or are bitten. Tyreese reaches Karen and gets her out. Carol tends to one of the wounded, Ryan, and sets about to amputate his arm, only to sees he's also been bitten in the back of the head. Glen, Daryl and Rick finally find Patrick and kill him, securing the area. Unfortunately they must then go through and ensure the casualties remain dead. </div>
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Carol comforts Ryan. He has no one else and asks her to look after his kids. She tells him he's going to have to let them say good-bye, so brings in his two girls, Lizzie and Mika. He dies quickly, and Carol ushers them out, reminding them what they're supposed to do. Lizzie, the oldest, says they should be the ones to do it. While her little sister can't, Carol allows Lizzie to take the knife and helps her through it, reminding her what they showed her to do. But she falters and Carol takes over, puncturing him through his ear.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LWDBJBzMRo/UmXeQ80K27I/AAAAAAAAF6g/0z0Ep9bXhsI/s1600/o-THE-WALKING-DEAD-570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="309" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1LWDBJBzMRo/UmXeQ80K27I/AAAAAAAAF6g/0z0Ep9bXhsI/s320/o-THE-WALKING-DEAD-570.jpg" width="320" /></a>Rick discovers a locked cell with a walker inside bleeding from the eyes. He kills it and finds no wounds or bites. Dr. Caleb and Hershel notice he died choking on his own blood, something they saw on Patrick, as well as on the walker outside the fence. Caleb suggests it's an aggressive flu strain. They piece together the connection between the sick pig and similar dead game in the woods, and Hershel suggests they need to do something about the hogs. They've all been exposed. </div>
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Rick goes outside but warns Carl away, and the others to stay back given the possibility of infection. Rick explains Patrick got sick from the flu, died and attacked the cell block. They've lost a lot of good people. He warns them not to get close with any who have been exposed for awhile.</div>
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The council meets to discuss the crisis, wondering if they can separate everyone who may have been infected. Hershel suggests they need a new cell block to quarantine people. Carol finds a coughing Karen, and they inform Tyreese she needs to be sequestered with the rest. Hershel warns everyone not panic while they get a handle on medications. </div>
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Carol finds the girls at the fence, assuring them she'll protect them as she promised their father. But she bluntly tells Lizzie she's weak. She needs to act fast every time given it's life or death. If she wants to live she has to become strong. Mika thinks her older sister is stupid for crying. She's messed up, not weak, she tells Carol.</div>
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Rick joins Daryl at the new grave sites. Daryl is thankful for all the help Rick has been and says he earned his time off. Maggie comes to get them as a herd of zombies presses against the fence. A team goes to try to clear them off. Sasha calls the others over when she find the remains of the rats that have been used to lure the walkers. The fence begins to buckle and forces the others back. Rick considers what to do, then tells Daryl to get the truck.</div>
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Beth tends to Michonne's ankle, happy she came back safe. Michonne is angry at her own stupidity, but Beth reminds her they care about her. Judith's crying begins to annoy Michonne, and later Beth wants her to hold Judith. Michonne only reluctantly does so, and when they're left alone she breaks down and cries. Beth sees her and leaves them together.<br />
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Carl is inside making markers for the graves as Carol finds him. She asks if he told his dad about what he saw in the library. He didn't. Carol needs to keep teaching the kids to survive, but she hasn't told their parents. She doesn't want to risk them not understanding. Carl feels that's between her and them. Carol asks him not to tell his father, but Carl won't lie to him. </div>
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Daryl and Rick drive out, hauling a trailer behind. They begin to attract the herd to them and Rick takes out a live pig, kills it, and throws it out. Leaving a trail behind them, they succeed in drawing the herd away while the others make repairs to the fence, but the task emotionally exhausts Rick.</div>
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The girls continue to stare at the walkers and Carol joins them again, more comforting to Lizzie this time. She cuts a flower and puts it in her hair, and Lizzie accepts the knife in her hand and keeps it. </div>
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Rick dismantles the pig pen. He tells Carl to keep away and thinks both of them should stay away from Judith for awhile. Carl reveals Carol has been teaching the kids to use weapons and their parents don't know, and she doesn't want him to know. He thinks Rick should let her. Rick pours gas on the pen and thanks him for telling him. He won't stop her and he won't say anything. As it burns he gives Carl his gun back, and puts his own gun belt back on. He throws his blood-stained shirt into the fire and sees another herd gathering at a different section of the fence.</div>
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Tyreese goes to visit Karen in her isolated cell block bearing some flowers, only to find bloodstains everywhere, and a trail that leads down the hall. He follows it into the outside courtyard and comes upon two scorched bodies that have been dragged out and burned. One of them is Karen.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0bV358FBdc/UmXeRoEMAjI/AAAAAAAAF60/kMODGRVqy7w/s1600/walkingdead_101813_1600.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="238" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/--0bV358FBdc/UmXeRoEMAjI/AAAAAAAAF60/kMODGRVqy7w/s320/walkingdead_101813_1600.jpg" width="320" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>Infected </i>was certainly an exhausting episode—an intense and deadly attack, further discoveries and discussions of the flu crisis, and finally Rick's decision to symbolically and violently undo his rustic life. While the massacre at the prison (over a dozen apparently) carried plenty of impact, part of it did feel like a culling of a bunch of no-names from Woodbury. To balance that out we get Dr. Caleb to provide some quick influenza education, and a very quick look at zombie victim Ryan before he was offed. I do hope the series spends more time developing some these background characters so they're more than just faces in the crowd. Otherwise the gravity of their deaths will quickly fade. Case in point—Karen's not-so-surprising demise.</div>
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Rick's continuing dismissal of Carl's questions is troubling, and looks like old style Rick <i>issue avoidance</i>, though that might be on the mend given his return to his gun-wielding self. It was tragic to watch him give up his hope of a normal life for his son (and cutting the throats of his pigs was a heavy metaphor to hammer the message home).</div>
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This season appears to be less talky/more showy, highlighted by the lovely little scene with Michonne that easily conveyed that she lost a child rather than providing us a long, drawn out conversation about it. But the heavier dialogue scenes with Carol and the kids were some of the best. I'm glad Lizzie and Mika got fleshed out as real characters. I was getting the impression that Carol's behavior was shifting to the bizarre side of things. I can't say she's acting in a crazy manner yet, but she came off as overly harsh and paranoid. I realize several months have passed and so her take on things has evolved. And she did lose Sophia, so with kids running around for the first time her protective motherly instincts may be in full swing. Mika <i>could </i>be the problem to watch out for given how aloof she is to her father's death and Lizzie's feelings—and perhaps the sisters will play out one particular disturbing story from the graphic novels?</div>
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Who is the mysterious figure drawing the walkers to the fence? Gosh, is it Carol?! I hope not. We've never seen the unhinged version of her comic book persona and the television series hasn't shown her anywhere close to that version. Bob or other various Woodbury refugees are too easy solutions, which leaves the show with a problem of falling short of expectations if the identity of the culprit is someone we've not met yet.</div>
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Note of the week: Everyone in the prison trusts one another so much no one bothers to close or lock their cells, or even the cell block door? Sloppy.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-69664562380633652942013-10-16T16:56:00.000-06:002013-10-20T17:00:55.537-06:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "Boy Parts"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RtoseeMH2Wc/UmQzSsCjT_I/AAAAAAAAF4s/8B4G7dqSDNE/s1600/American-Horror-Story-3x02-8.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-RtoseeMH2Wc/UmQzSsCjT_I/AAAAAAAAF4s/8B4G7dqSDNE/s1600/American-Horror-Story-3x02-8.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Boy Parts</i> finds Zoe's guilt placing the school in danger, while Madison has an idea to pay her back for her kindness. Fiona seeks to learn the newly uncovered LaLaurie's secret to immortality as her daughter embarks on a solution for her own infertility. </div>
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Death and resurrection plays heavily this week in a variety of ways. Fiona continues to search for eternal youth and finds a variety of options open to her if she can just secure them. Madison and Zoe and Delia strive to create life in their own ways. All of these avenues are certain to come with their respective consequences, of course, and it looks like the season will deal with those in short order.</div>
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There's nothing really to complain about with <i>Boy Parts,</i> aside from a few twists that could be seen coming. But the series is not really about avoiding expectations, just turning them on their ear. It continues to be a fun watch.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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On the swamp two alligator hunters returning to shore find a woman wandering about their camp, declaring<i> it's all wrong</i>. She's none other than the very much alive Misty Day, who warns them not to kill God's creatures. As one man pulls his gun on her, one of the dead alligators comes back to life and bites him, while another drags off his friend.</div>
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Delia wakes up the girls for morning gathering. Zoe is still mourning Kyle and feels he wasn't like his frat brothers, despite what Madison says. Madison suggests he was living on borrowed time anyways given Zoe's <i>black widow</i> status.<br />
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Fiona has Delphine in her room, bound and gagged, warning her not to scream. She wants to know how she's still alive. But she's called down to the gathering and plans to continue their chat later.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bpCnoIZilnw/UmCjqmJkpLI/AAAAAAAAF2I/rSY_ery0u-I/s1600/american-horror-story-boy-parts-3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-bpCnoIZilnw/UmCjqmJkpLI/AAAAAAAAF2I/rSY_ery0u-I/s320/american-horror-story-boy-parts-3.jpg" width="285" /></a>A flashback to 2012 finds Queenie working in a fast food restaurant, where she uses her sympathetic magic to burn the hand of a troublesome customer in hot oil. She didn't get in trouble for it, but the story made the newspaper which led Delia to find her. She since learned she's an heir to Tituba, the first slave to be accused of witchcraft in Salem.<br />
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The gathering is interrupted by the police, who have information movie star Madison was at the frat party and was witnessed with the boys. They feel she might be involved in the bus crash. And Zoe was later spotted at the hospital. That boy died after she left. They followed up with her own history and learned another boy died in the same manner. Zoe breaks down under the accusations and confesses the men gang-raped Madison and she can do things with her mind because they're all witches. Delia steps in and explains she's suffered a mental break. Fiona interrupts and sends the girls away, declaring she's in charge. She hands the men a glass of water (which she spits in) and orders them to drink. One of the police fights the compulsion and while Delia urges her mother to stop, Fiona tells her to shut up and cranks up her power until he takes the glass and drinks. Under her command, she orders them to turn over all their information and never to speak of it again.<br />
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Fiona walks in on the girls and sends them flying against the walls. She berates both Madison and Zoe for not closing ranks when they were threatened. Zoe is soft, she adds. Even the weakest of their kind are better than the best of<i> them</i>. The only thing they have to be afraid of is her.<br />
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Delia is at the hospital with her husband Hank, hoping she's fertile to have a baby. Unfortunately that's not the case. Hank will support her if she wants to go on fertility drugs but doesn't get her desire for it. He's aware of her magic and wonders why she won't use it to help herself. Delia doesn't want to play God.<br />
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Fiona brings Delphine some food, though she suspects she must be immortal by now. Delphine tries to come to grips with the knowledge she's been buried for 180 years, realizing she was tricked by Marie Laveau. Once she took the potion she awoke only to find Laveau and the slaves waiting outside for her. Marie showed Delphine the remains of her family—all strung up in the courtyard. Marie then explained she gave her life everlasting in that potion, and had her put in a coffin and buried, damning her to live forever.<br />
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Zoe and Madison break into the morgue. Madison plans to pay Zoe back for what she did for her (killing the rapist). She has a spell of resurrection she took from the school. They find the bodies of the crash victims, including Kyle's dismembered parts. Zoe is mortified, but Madison sees potential in mixing and matching the best of the corpses and build her the perfect boyfriend.<br />
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The girls sow together the various limbs and perform the ritual, part of which is their declaration of allegiance to the lord of the underworld. After an intense spell casting, the patched up Kyle seems lifeless. Zoe supposes they just aren't powerful enough. Madison heads out to the car while Zoe remains to tell him he's sorry. Someone drives up so Madison leaves her. Zoe kisses Kyle, but she runs off when she hears the door open. The coroner arrives and finds the assembled body, as well as Zoe. Behind him Kyle sits up and proceeds to beat him to death. Zoe calms him down. In the woods, wandering Misty gets a picture of the morgue in her head.<br />
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Fiona is getting her hair cut at a black salon when Marie Laveau walks in and tells everyone to go home, as she'll finish this one herself. Both women toy with one another before revealing their true identities. Laveau reminds Fiona everything <i>they</i> got they got from <i>them,</i> and their kind have been at odds for centuries.<i> </i>Tituba learned her secrets from a line of shamans, giving it to the white girls of Salem. Fiona doubts that, but wants what Marie has—what has kept her young. And she has something in exchange. She leaves her with the promise she'll be back.<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21QMArf3Q90/UmQzTgcGLAI/AAAAAAAAF4w/k7zHrcECc1c/s1600/Bb.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="254" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-21QMArf3Q90/UmQzTgcGLAI/AAAAAAAAF4w/k7zHrcECc1c/s320/Bb.png" width="320" /></a>At the school Nan is overwhelmed by Delphine's voice in her head so goes up to her room and sets her free, telling her to get out. Delphine runs into Queenie, calling her a slave, and knocks her out.<br />
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Delia attempts to make a potion to help her conceive while Hank waits impatiently. She creates an elaborate ritual with an egg and proceeds to have sex with him in the magic circle. The egg breaks and a snake emerges.<br />
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Zoe flees with Kyle, but he remains unresponsive. Misty pops up in the back seat claiming she drew her out there. She takes them back to the cabin in the swamp and Misty starts using he knowledge to heal Kyle, just as Mother Nature healed her from being burned alive, she explains. Zoe remains on edge, but recognizes her, informing her that everyone thinks her dead. Misty heard the call of Zoe's magic and is pleased she's not alone. She seems to believe <i>Stevie Nicks</i> is a white witch and listens to her music. Zoe has to get back to the school, but Misty wants to keep Kyle with her so she can heal him, and the promise that Zoe will return.<br />
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Back at home Marie tells someone he won't believe who is back. They have some business to attend to, and she unchains Bastian, the minotaur. Meanwhile, Fiona finds Delphine sitting on a bench in front of her former home. Fiona suggests she deserved every minute she spent under the dirt if even a few of the rumours about her are true. Delphine doesn't care who thinks she was a monster, but hopes Fiona is a witch so she'll know how to kill her. Fiona won't kill her today, but warns her to behave or it's back in the box. They go home together.<br />
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<i>Boy Parts</i> was another fun, full episode. Kyle's Frankenstein revival wasn't too much of a surprise, and similar to the <i>infantata</i> from <b><i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2011/10/review-american-horror-story-pilot.html" target="_blank">season one</a></i></b>, but it will likely play out very different. With Misty Day's return, as well, I'm sure the two of them will make quite the pair. Misty seems to be a very important character and a wild card at this point. Given Fiona's quest for immortality, her resurrection powers could prove valuable.<br />
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Fiona's exchange with Marie was one of the episode's highlights and I'm anxious to see Kathy Bates enter the fray with the two of them. Marie possesses what Fiona wants—a secret to immortality and youth. And she's also preserved her minotaur lover. I'm under the impression that the bull's head is now<i> his </i>head? If so, did Delphine have some hand in that, because we've not yet seen any indication that Madame LaLaurie possesses any sort of witchcraft.<br />
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I wonder how the rivalry will unfold—will each woman go to war with the other? Or will Fiona and Marie team up for their mutual benefit? It looks like Queenie, given her ties to Tituba, could prove a recruit for Marie in the future.<br />
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I get the impression Zoe and Madison's cavalier deal with the Devil is going to come back to haunt them soon. And the same can be said for Delia's magical dalliance with Hank. Interesting how at ease her husband is with her true nature.<br />
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Like the first episode, I do enjoy how Murphy is playing with the use of magic...nothing too fantastical, but telekinesis, mind control and that sort of thing. The rituals shown this week had enough bizarre mystery to them that they didn't come across as cheesy at all. The history of witchcraft we get here is also novel—the conflict between its African origins and the later evolution of the Salem witches. That raises the question if we'll be seeing some male witches or the like, and how they fit into Murphy's new cosmology.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-32624791362618804612013-10-13T13:18:00.000-06:002013-10-21T00:49:02.270-06:00Review: The Walking Dead "30 Days Without An Accident"<div style="text-align: justify;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b></div>
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<i>The Walking Dead </i>returns for a strong season premiere with <i>30 Days Without an Accident</i>. Many months have passed after the battle with the Governor and Andrea's death, and the prison is now a secure and seemingly thriving community growing some of its own food. Relationships have sprung up with the new additions from Woodbury and others found along the way. Rick has given up his leadership role in favor of a new ruling council, and is content to be a farmer, hoping his son will be more of a child now that they're experiencing somewhat normal lives. Daryl leads a major supply run to a military refuge at a mall while Rick has an encounter in the woods.</div>
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<i>30 Days Without an Accident </i>appeared optimistic and hopeful on the surface, with all the progress the group has made and a real sense of community, but there was an overlying menace and darkness permeating the episode—which is a continuing theme for the series. New faces appear to be harboring some secrets, Carl remains a very adult child, the spectre of the Governor is in the background, and Rick struggles to keep their lives as normal as possible while faced with how the apocalypse has stolen their humanity. The episode ends with a very ominous moment that portends a new danger for the survivors.<br />
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Season four looks to be on the right track (now with its new showrunner Scott Gimple). There was a large (obviously expensive) set piece that gives viewers a healthy dose of zombies, in case they were going through withdrawal over the summer, and nice character moments without getting overly bogged down with explaining what's happened in the previous months. It strikes a great tone of hope with a healthy dose of foreboding.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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Time has passed. The prison has been transformed into a community with fields and livestock. Well-organized teams patrol the wall killing walkers that threaten to gather as a herd. The security perimeter has been strengthened with a variety of zombie traps. Rick walks out in the morning to tend to the garden. While digging he finds his gun. He stares at the walkers along the wall (one in particular with bleeding eyes), then tosses the gun away to resume his work. Carl joins him for chores and they find one of the pigs is sick.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ioZEz-XvmtU/UmQeUAToZuI/AAAAAAAAF3w/xTjHuqqeNDc/s1600/the-walking-dead-season-4-patrick.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="256" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ioZEz-XvmtU/UmQeUAToZuI/AAAAAAAAF3w/xTjHuqqeNDc/s320/the-walking-dead-season-4-patrick.jpg" width="320" /></a>Carol flirts with Daryl as she makes breakfast for the group. Carol informs Daryl the roamers are herding up again and they need to keep ahead of it. He's busy preparing for a major supply run. Patrick, one of the younger members of the community, walks up to thank Daryl for all his work, and it appears Daryl has become one of the more idolized survivors of the original group.</div>
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Maggie and Glen wake up and he asks her not to go along on the run, so she concedes and lets him go instead. Meanwhile, Tyreese tells new girlfriend Karen he's going on the trip. He doesn't like the killing on the fence given it's face to face, but only joined the crew in order to get to know her better. Beth also has a boyfriend, Zack, and he is also going along, though she insists on not saying good-bye to him. New arrival Bob wants to tag along but meets resistance from Sasha, unsure if he can perform on a team yet. She acquiesces as he was a medic in the army. Michonne returns on horseback and is greeted by Rick and Carl. She brings some comics for Carl and they hope she'll stay a little while—she's been searching for the Governor for months to no avail.<br />
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Hershel compliments Rick for bringing them so far, and his new role as a farmer has them growing a good portion of their food supply. But the others on the council wanted him to talk to him, as Rick's lack of carrying a gun has them concerned. Rick is happy with just his knife, but concedes to the request when he goes out to check the snares. Outside the wall he finds a deer half eaten, then spies a walker feeding on another wounded animal. To his shock she turns and begs him for help.</div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp7yQ_jogdA/UmQeU79ppoI/AAAAAAAAF34/Gmdeb67DvkY/s1600/the-walking-dead-season-4-shasha.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Dp7yQ_jogdA/UmQeU79ppoI/AAAAAAAAF34/Gmdeb67DvkY/s200/the-walking-dead-season-4-shasha.jpg" width="151" /></a>Her name is Clara and she needs him to help her take the animal to her husband. Rick cautiously approaches and gives her some food. She wants to come back with him as they've been doing very badly on their own. He wants to meet her husband first and ask him some questions. He asks to search her for weapons, but she's unarmed save for a knife and he warns her not to try anything.<br />
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Clara explains they were on their way to Mexico when the airports were shut down. Now it's just Eddie and her. She doesn't know what she would do without him. He asks what she's had to do and she confesses eating what they could find and leaving people behind, hiding from those who needed their help. </div>
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Carl hangs out with Patrick, and finds some other kids naming the walkers. Carl has no patience for that and explains they're neither people nor pets and not to name them. Patrick is off to storytime, which Carl thinks is just for little kids.</div>
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Daryl's crew arrives at a mall that was chained up by the army during the outbreak to serve as a hospital. They move in to check out the army camp first. Michonne and Daryl hang out with Zack, who keeps trying to guess what Daryl did before the apocalypse. Daryl enjoys teasing him and insists he was a homicide cop. Sasha leads her team in for a sweep of the mall. Meanwhile the roof is full of zombies where a military helicopter had crashed. </div>
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4h7bJklqeA/UmQe0psWZCI/AAAAAAAAF4Q/NFBGo-IqUFc/s1600/30dayswithoutanaccident-04.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-g4h7bJklqeA/UmQe0psWZCI/AAAAAAAAF4Q/NFBGo-IqUFc/s200/30dayswithoutanaccident-04.jpg" width="161" /></a>Inside Bob stops by the liquor shelves and takes a bottle of wine, only to reconsider after much thought and put it back, which collapses the shelf in a ruckus that alerts the zombies on the roof. Daryl rushes to his aid to lift the shelf off him but he's stuck. The weight of the herd on the roof breaks the ceiling and walkers begin to tumble through the tiles. </div>
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The group is overwhelmed and Bob has to fight off a crawling walker himself. The weight of the helicopter begins to break the roof. Daryl and Zack get Bob free but Zack is bit, and they're forced to leave him as the mall collapses and the walkers overrun him.</div>
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Clara wonders if they get to come back from the bad things they've done. They arrive at her camp and she goes to a canvas, happy that Eddie is still there. Something moves underneath. Then she rushes Rick with her knife but he overpowers her. She tells him he's starving and needs something alive. She kept him even though she knows it was wrong. She asks Rick to let her be like him, then stabs herself in the stomach, leaving Rick to struggle with what to do. Rick comforts her as she asks what three questions he was going to ask. Rick answers—how many walkers have you killed? How many people has she killed? And why? You don't get to come back from it, Clara says, and dies. Rick leaves them.</div>
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Carl spies on Carol's story time in the library. As she finishes reading, she brings out a box of knives to teach the children how to safely use them, but Patrick asks to be dismissed as he's not feeling well. She tells him he may have to fight through it to be strong in case he's ever left alone. But she let's him go when he feels like throwing up. Carol notices Carl watching and asks him not to tell his father. He leaves.<br />
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Tyreese returns to Karen's quarters and tells her he doesn't like going out there either. Daryl goes to see Beth about Zack. She takes it stoically, and goes to a sign that says <i>30 Days Without an Accident </i>and takes down the number. She tells Daryl she doesn't cry anymore, but she's glad she got to know him. She asks if he's okay. Daryl is tired of losing people too, and she gives him a hug. As Glen returns, Maggie informs him that she's not pregnant, which comes as an immense relief. But she feels they could make it work and live there lives safely there, despite what happened to Lori. She doesn't want to be afraid of being alive. In her own room, Michonne continues to scan a map looking for hiding places for the Governor.</div>
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Rick returns to the prison and sees the same walker on the wall from the morning. The pig has died. Hershel counsels him that he tried to help Clara but some are too far gone. Rick came back. Carl came back. You do get to come back, he insists.</div>
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Bob goes to sleep and hears coughing as Patrick gets up and heads to the showers to try to cool off. He collapses on the floor in blood, then opens his eyes as a walker. </div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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While we don't get an exact time jump, many months have passed, which is another wise move on the show's part (not the least of which is to keep Carl aging appropriately). It looks like Carol and Daryl continue their playful flirting without taking the next step, but he has evolved so much since last season that he's very much a part of the community and one of the rock stars of the original group.</div>
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Andrea's absence is quite evident and I can sympathize with Michonne's drive to hunt down the Governor to avenge her death. She looks like she's at ease with the new group, too. But I question how logical it is to think she can find the Governor given he could be anywhere at this point.</div>
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As for new faces, Bob survived while Patrick and Zack got dispatched quickly. He looks like he'll be a wild card in episodes to come. Tyreese's new girlfriend needs some screen time before I can get a sense of her. I'm happy that both he and Sasha are getting fleshed out. It's refreshing to see some children in the community and someone for Carl to interact with (and hopefully play out some other storylines in the graphic novels).</div>
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The <i>it's raining zombies </i>scene in the mall brought some action to the premiere, but it also showed how fine-tuned this group has become in surviving. There were no stupid decisions (weak liquor store shelves excluded). In that respect the series has moved forward and avoided pitfalls where idiotic characters bring disaster (at least so far. That could change). Meanwhile, Rick's story with Clara played out pretty much as anticipated. But the point was to show there are people too far gone to be saved. It was a tragic one, but a good contrast with Rick's own bout with insanity, showing at least he pulled himself back from the brink.</div>
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The big reveal of Patrick's death leaves plenty of questions—was he sick to begin with? Or is this a mutation of the zombie virus? The pig's death, and that bloody looking walker eying Rick imply something is spreading (even Daryl's interesting finger-licking handshake to Patrick stood out). Perhaps it's just the swine flu and Patrick was sick already. It's refreshing to see the writers explore the other hazards of this apocalyptic world—when a disease other than the zombie plague can prove just as devastating, especially in a closed community like the prison.<br />
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<i>30 Days Without an Accident</i> struck a perfect balance. There was enough quiet time developing characters without being overly heavy or boring, and enough zombie kills to satisfy pretty much everyone.<br />
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Note to Michonne, Daryl and Sasha—Really, you couldn't have put poor Zack out of his misery in the moments you were watching him getting eaten by zombies, rather than just run off and leave him to suffer?</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-32041116563145467852013-10-10T12:09:00.000-06:002013-10-20T17:00:23.653-06:00Review: American Horror Story: Coven "Bitchcraft"<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>American Horror Story: Coven</i> kicks off a witch-focused season with a jam-packed episode full of all kinds of the awesome we've come to expect from Ryan Murphy. Coming off the success of a surprisingly satisfying <i><a href="http://eclecticgenrerator.blogspot.ca/2012/10/review-american-horror-story-asylum.html" target="_blank"><b>Asylum</b></a></i> last year, and continuing the anthology format, this one promises to be the best one yet.<br />
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Salem's true witches fled to New Orleans to escape persecution, and in the present are recruited to a special school to protect and hone their talents. The <i>supreme</i> (Jessica Lange) makes a surprise return to visit her headmaster daughter Delia (Sarah Paulson), but has her own agenda. Meanwhile, newly discovered witch Zoe must deal with her new found abilities and finds her world turned upside-down as she joins the school.<br />
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While I initially balked at the notion of single-season storylines, I'm finding it quite interesting to see these actors play new characters each year—Lange, Paulson, Rabe and Evans are back, as well as Tarma Farmiga from season one. Plus, the ever-charming Jamie Brewer returns, as well. There's some new faces, including the formidable talents of Kathy Bates and Angela Bassett. With its customary frenetic pace and frequent flashbacks, I'm looking forward to another wild ride with a batch of scene-stealing actors.</div>
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New Orleans, 1834. Madam LaLaurie (Kathy Bates) introduces her daughters to some gentlemen callers at a dinner party. Later in her room, she paints her face in blood to tighten her skin, but the butler warns her something happened during the dinner party—her daughter was caught with the house man, Bastian. LaLaurie declares they'll say he took her by force, and has the slave taken to her private torture room in the attic where several others are suffering. She puts a bull's head on him, given she loved Greek mythology. The minotaur was always her favorite.</div>
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In the present, Zoe leads her boyfriend home to have sex with him in her empty house. He abruptly gets a nosebleed and has a fatal seizure. The official word is an aneurysm, but her mother confesses that she should have told her daughter the truth—her great-grandmother had the same genetic affliction—she's a witch. It doesn't show up in every generation. The real witches of Salem escaped and went to New Orleans, where they started a school. Her mother <strike>has her taken awa</strike>y sends her off there with escort Myrtle Snow (Frances Conroy). </div>
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At <i>Miss Robichaux's Academy</i>, Zoe enters alone and is confronted by hooded figures who throw her on a table and make like they're about to sacrifice her. Laughing, they confess they're just messing with her. They're Madison Montgomery (famous actress), Nan and Queenie. Headmistress Cordelia Fox arrives and takes her in hand to explain the school was established in 1790. Marion Warton took it over in 1868, the reigning <i>supreme</i> of the time, establishing a safe haven for young witches. Their numbers have dwindled, she confesses. Many of the families who carried the bloodline chose not to have children. As for the supreme, she is the witch who bears countless gifts, unlike the rest who usually just have some ability. Cordelia plans to teach her how to control her gifts, and as a cautionary tale explains a recent news story of a girl, Misty Day, who displayed the power of resurgence and could resurrect the dead. She was taken and burned as a necromancer by her religious community. Their lives are always at risk, she warns.<br />
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A woman, Fiona Goode, visits a laboratory where a dying test monkey is given a serum and is healed. She wants it. Scientist David assures her they will be ready for human trials in two years, but she wants it now and reminds him his research is funded by her late husband's money. She needs an infusion of youth, but he reiterates that he can't give it to her.</div>
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Back at home Fiona proceeds to do lines of coke and have a breakdown while noticing the news report about the missing Misty Day. David arrives. He had conceded and has been injecting her with the serum for five days. She wants more as it doesn't appear to be working. He stands his ground and won't risk his career any further, offering his resignation. The doors close and the lights go out and Fiona proceeds to chase him through the house, throwing him across the room with a gesture. She kisses him and draws out his life energy until he dies a husk.</div>
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At dinner, the girls ask why Zoe got sent to the school, so she explains the accident. Nan, a clairvoyant, tells her she will find love in an unexpected place. Madison reveals her own story—she caused the death of the director of a play by dropping a light on him. That prompts some bitchiness between her and Queenie, who is a human voodoo doll and can inflict pain on others. Nan breaks up the heated argument and Queenie storms off.</div>
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Fiona shows up to see her daughter—Cordelia. Delia wants her mother to go away, resenting her for leaving her at the school. Fiona reveals she is going to stay and help her, believing Misty Day's death is the beginning of a storm and her girls are unprepared for it. Her teaching philosophy has been a failure as there are no shadows to cower behind in the modern world. Cordelia threatens to call the council and asks when her mother will finally die and stop ruining her life. Fiona dismisses her concerns and maintains she's staying, and thinks they should make the best of it.</div>
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At a frat party, Kyle (Evan Peters) lays eyes on Zoe and seems smitten, while his friend puts something in Madison's drink and proceeds to gang rape her with the other frat boys. Zoe gets worried for her and goes searching. Kyle goes upstairs and finds his frat brothers, pushing them off Madison. As they run off, Zoe comes in and comforts her promising they won't get away with it.</div>
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The girls watch the newscast of the previous night's events. Seven of the nine boys died, with the remaining two in critical condition. Zoe insists they have to tell someone and that Kyle tried to help. Fiona walks in and berates Madison for being sloppy. Madison tells her to go to hell, so Fiona throws her against the wall. She's read all their files and they won't become great women of their clan without her tutelage. So she's taking them on a field trip.</div>
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They go on the haunted home tour of Madame LaLaurie. Fiona glamors the tour leader while Nan senses something in the house. The girls learn Delphine forced her daughter to get blood from the slaves so she could use it to stay young. The secret ingredient was human pancreas. They're shown the attic where she kept her chamber of horrors...and the place she met her own demise.</div>
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Flashback to old New Orleans, where Marie Laveau visits Delphine, saying she's in need of her services. She has the cure for her husband's affliction, his compulsion for young ladies, she explains. A love potion to ensure fidelity. Delphine can't resist the prospect and takes it, then writhes in pain. The slave she mutilated was Laveau's lover, and she came to exact her revenge. Marie then goes up to the attic to find Bastian bound and wearing the bull's head. Delphine's body was never found, the tour guide adds.</div>
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Zoe goes to the hospital and finds Kyle isn't among the survivors, but the rapist himself survived. She has sex with him in his bed until he dies like her boyfriend of a massive aneurysm. Then she lays flowers at Kyle's memorial.<br />
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Cordelia berates her mother for taking the girls on a field trip and why is Zoe suddenly missing? Fiona isn't concerned and goes out—back to LaLaurie's home where she enchants some workers to dig up the courtyard. They find a chained up coffin, and inside...Delphine is bound and gagged, and still alive. Fiona frees her and tells her to come along. She'll buy her a drink.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FHQyX72fC-0/Ul9BerdHZ6I/AAAAAAAAF1Q/OQVL4uXbWCg/s1600/AHS-3x01_11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-FHQyX72fC-0/Ul9BerdHZ6I/AAAAAAAAF1Q/OQVL4uXbWCg/s320/AHS-3x01_11.jpg" width="192" /></a><b>The Verdict:</b><br />
<i>Bitchcraft </i>kicked things off quite nicely, providing a lot of compelling back story to the witches and introducing interesting characters, with some twists and surprises along the way.<br />
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The setting of New Orleans, and an era of slavery and persecution of women sets up some great themes to explore this year and I imagine Murphy won't disappoint. And there is certain to be plenty of disturbing elements. I'd thought the initial promos showing the minotaur were a metaphor, but we get a full blown one served up in the first episode.<br />
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I think I'm going to like the direction Murphy is taking the magic—nothing too crazy or flashy (ie lightning bolts from fingers), but focused more on mental abilities, voodoo and ritual. The more grounded approach is certainly appreciated.<br />
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It's great to see Jamie Brewer back in the cast, as well as the brief reunion of Evan Peters and Tarma Farmiga. The other girls at the school are a nice mix of personalities with interesting backgrounds. I highly doubt the likes of Misty Day and Kyle are out of the picture at all, and there's a host of talented characters to mine as the season progresses—including Francis Conroy's brief appearance. Now that Kathy Bates has been brought into the present, can Angela Bassett be far behind? I'm definitely anticipating watching those two actors play off Jessica Lange.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-50501349465497144022013-10-09T14:15:00.000-06:002013-10-19T14:15:11.041-06:00Review: The Walking Dead 115<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>All Out War </i>kicks off with <i>issue 115</i> as Rick, Ezekiel and Jesus embark on their confrontation with Negan. As everyone says their (hopefully) temporary good-byes, Rick has feelings of self-doubt.</div>
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A great start to what promises to be an epic storyline. The pacing was fast and didn't drag, as it could have given how many months this is going to play out. I don't doubt it's going to be an enjoyable ride and could really unfold in a host of ways, not all of them beneficial for our protagonists.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now:</b></div>
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As the day arrives, Rick says good-bye to Andrea and Carl, who are left in charge of the town's security. Rick is filled with inner turmoil about his decisions despite Andrea's pep talk. Meanwhile, Michonne slept with Ezekiel, and as they get up his aide Richard informs him their men have arrived.</div>
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Eugene has resolved his moral conflict over making bullets and production is well underway. After meeting with him Rick addresses the townspeople to explain they will soon be called upon to ensure they keep their way of life in ways they've not been asked to before.<br />
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The army sets off and arrives at Negan's compound where Rick calls him out. Negan is outraged at their audacity. While both want to avoid a damaging conflict, Rick lays out his terms—no harm will come to the people inside as long as Negan and his men turn themselves over to be killed. As Rick sees things are going as they planned, Negan announces he has a better idea, and produces Gregory, who tells Rick and Jesus that the Hilltop stands with Negan, and any of their men who fight against them will have their families thrown out to fend for themselves.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>All Out War </i>is year long storyline, so I had no expectation we'd find any quick fixes to the Negan problem. This is the first time the survivors have been called upon to act as an army and it remains to be seen if Rick, Jesus and Ezekiel can keep their people in line under stressful conditions.<br />
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For the moment it's unclear how Negan plans to back up Gregory's threat to kick out the families of those who support the attack. One would think that would cause a rebellion back at the Hilltop if that were the case, unless he has much more support behind him than we've seen. Hopefully Maggie becomes a force in that arena.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-88916890958695273662013-09-13T12:44:00.000-06:002013-09-17T12:46:38.851-06:00Review: The Walking Dead 114<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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As the tense standoff with Negan goes on, events quickly accelerate at Alexandria.</div>
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Continuing on the cliffhanger from last month, <i>Issue 114</i> delivered a strong conclusion to the current storyline, with a dash of deux ex machina. But that didn't detract from enjoyment of the story as the series moves into its epic <i>All Out War</i>.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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As Negan gloats to Rick at Andrea's apparent death, he adds it's only the beginning of the killing he's about to inflict on him and his people. That leads to one of the prisoners pleading for his life given he has a family, but that only raises Negan's ire, and suggests anyone who tells him to kill this guy will be spared. The others refuse, so Negan prepares to begin his slaughter until Jesus arrives in force with Ezekiel (and tiger). Jesus apprehends Negan and holds a gun to his head, warning his men to stand down.</div>
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In the tiger slashing mayhem, Negan escapes with a few of his men and Ezekiel lets them go, warning Rick they still outnumber them and they're not prepared. Rick runs to the church tower to find Negan's dead man on the ground, and a very beaten up Andrea up top.</div>
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At the doctor, she's stitched up while Ezekiel and Jesus agree things could have unfolded a lot worse than they did if they had arrived late. Michonne berates Rick for throwing away their advantage, but Rick maintains Negan knows very little about how organized they are. In a few days they'll have all the people they need to launch an attack. Later, he tells Carl he did right, and in the coming day he needs him to remain at Alexandria to help protect the town. Carl asks his father to make sure he kills Negan. Alone, Jesus chides Rick that he needs to do better next time. Rick is a leader that the people will look up to, and it will all fall apart without him.</div>
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Meanwhile, Negan tells his people to prepare for all out war.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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Kirkman ended this storyline on a satisfying note, despite the last minute saves courtesy of Ezekiel and Jesus. There was really little else he could do without sacrificing a host of characters. Granted, Rick, Negan and Jesus all exemplified extraordinary survivability during the fight, with Negan's henchmen suffering the most at the paws of Ezekiel's tiger. </div>
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Hopefully Rick's hubris has been thoroughly put in check after this latest miscalculation, and I still question Jesus' belief that Rick can be a true leader to their new civilization. We'll see how it all plays out. I'm anxious to see these characters in a prolonged war setting, and I'm sure there are ample subplots to play out over the course of the next year.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-79008338589915496442013-09-02T00:35:00.000-06:002013-09-20T00:40:42.389-06:00Review: Elysium<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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In the year 2154 there are two distinct classes of humanity—the bulk of the human race stuck on the ruined Earth, and the wealthy elite who reside in the luxurious orbiting paradise of Elysium. Factory worker Max has been searching for a way to get to Elysium all his life, where miracle medical technologies are the privilege of the wealthy few, but when stricken with a fatal workplace accident, he's offered an extreme option to get into orbit and take the battle to the rich.</div>
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uzM01vWiRsQ/UjvmJdZSp2I/AAAAAAAAF0Y/Q_aSLdyMOGU/s1600/elysium-wagner-moura-matt-damon.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-uzM01vWiRsQ/UjvmJdZSp2I/AAAAAAAAF0Y/Q_aSLdyMOGU/s320/elysium-wagner-moura-matt-damon.jpeg" width="317" /></a><i>Elysium</i> is a highly anticipated film from Neill Blomkamp after the immensely successful <i>District 9, </i>and so<i> </i>has big shoes to fill. What it does have is a great cast—Matt Damon as Max, Jodi Foster <i>(Contact)</i> as Defence Minister Delacourt, Alice Braga <i>(I Am Legend) </i>as Frey, and Sharlto Copley<i> (District 9)</i> as Kruger. It's shot much like <i>District 9</i>, in a gritty realism with similar rapid-fire scenes, this time with a broader palette ranging from the sprawling future Los Angeles to the pristine splendor of the space colony. It all feels like a genuine, livable future, and the technology is (for the most part) believable. As hardware-driven, smartly designed science fiction it's a success, offering innovative and detailed visuals that fans of the genre can really enjoy.</div>
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So it looks great, but the story is where things begin to fall apart. <i>Elysium</i> is all about class warfare, which is pretty relevant. But it doesn't entirely succeed in conveying its ideas with a solid plot or characters. There are plenty of plot devices—the <i>Elysium</i> miracle medical technology (and I'm not exaggerating—it's pretty much a miracle machine as far as its healing powers) is there only as a target for the put-upon people of Earth. The denizens of <i>Elysium</i> are far too one-dimensional to be even remotely realistic. Why be a stoic, stuck-up robot when you have a machine in your house that can heal you nearly instantly? If that's the case, one would think <i>Elysium</i> would be a riotous party place where anything goes. But it's the opposite. So there are major flaws in the suspension of disbelief that accumulate over the course of the movie.</div>
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZadV19waMg/UjvmKEJw_hI/AAAAAAAAF0k/CClf1e_uAsM/s1600/elysium16.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-DZadV19waMg/UjvmKEJw_hI/AAAAAAAAF0k/CClf1e_uAsM/s320/elysium16.jpg" width="307" /></a>My other problem with <i>Elysium </i>is the failure in creating a believable dystopia. The world-building <i>looks </i>stunning, but I struggled to understand how the society of 2154 came about. It's far enough in the future to allow for quite a bit of technological advancement as well as geo-political and economic change, but how did it get there? Why do the billionaires on Elysium behave like such dicks? They not only horde the miracle medical technology but take great pains to keep it from everyone on Earth for no good reason. What kind of government do they have? It feels very fascist, but there's no great insight into the inner goings on of the place. And there's little indication of what people do all day (unless you're stuck running a corporation on Earth). All we see are kid's birthday parties, yet people don't seem to be home long enough to prevent illegal immigrants from breaking their front door and hopping into their medical beds on a regular basis.<br />
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<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j4AOQuhNDm4/UjvmJFOx1eI/AAAAAAAAF0U/o830OJ5Bd84/s1600/elysium-trailer-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-j4AOQuhNDm4/UjvmJFOx1eI/AAAAAAAAF0U/o830OJ5Bd84/s320/elysium-trailer-1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhqs1DGGQ44/UjvmJ6w18eI/AAAAAAAAF0g/BNwifoVhfTc/s1600/Elysium+-+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="181" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-Dhqs1DGGQ44/UjvmJ6w18eI/AAAAAAAAF0g/BNwifoVhfTc/s320/Elysium+-+3.jpg" width="320" /></a>Character actions cause some head scratching too. As much as I love Jodi Foster, her Delacourt was <i>outrageously</i> cold to the point of absurdity. Matt Damon was relatively believable as the self-sacrificing Max, and even Sharlto Copley as Kruger (though he also exhibits some bizarre shifts in motivations that don't get a great deal of insight). The same can be said for Julio's actions in the final act. It's enough to add up to a heck of alot of mental distractions when attention should be focused on the story.</div>
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<i>Elysium</i> is a visual treat. Special effects are amazing, and the set design is top notch, conveying a realistic <i>lived in</i> view of the future that lacks the glitz and polish of a lot of science fiction movies (for the better). But <i>Elysium </i>suffers from inevitable comparisons to the far superior <i>District 9,</i> which isn't fair at all to Neill Blomkamp (mostly). While we can't expect grand science fiction with amazing ideas each time out, <i>Elysium's</i> trailers did imply that we were getting the next installment of Blomkamp's thoughtful science fiction. In that respect it failed. It's likely audiences will not be debating the moral issues of the film to the same extent as <i>District 9</i>. As an entertaining summer movie, I was satisfied, but not enough to pick this one up on Blu-Ray.</div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5161843010818006537.post-76377616278712171392013-08-30T00:08:00.000-06:002013-09-10T00:09:59.242-06:00Review: The Walking Dead 113<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXsohwelGAQ/Ui62BlZ2V2I/AAAAAAAAFzg/QS069rHEjsw/s1600/The+Walking+Dead+113-000.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-fXsohwelGAQ/Ui62BlZ2V2I/AAAAAAAAFzg/QS069rHEjsw/s400/The+Walking+Dead+113-000.jpg" width="260" /></a></div>
<b>Non Spoiler Review:</b><br />
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<i>Issue 113</i> is a short but tense chapter in the ongoing battle with Negan. The face-off in Alexandria spirals out of control as Andrea fights for her life in the church tower and Rick is put back into a similar situation that led to Glen's death. </div>
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This was a quick read, but one of the more effective issues in awhile. Events have moved passed the point of no return and I'm left wondering how (or if) Rick can get all his people out of this one.</div>
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<b>Spoilers Now!</b></div>
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Jesus finds Negan's outpost empty, realizing that his men must have gone somewhere.</div>
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One of Negan's men finds Andrea in the church tower and proceeds to beat her up. Negan, meanwhile, gloats to Rick that his sniper has been found and is as good as dead, but nearly dies as a bullet clips Lucille but misses him. It's Carl behind the fence and an enraged Negan demands he be thrown over or he'll kill their people. Rick tackles him but is pulled off. Those behind the fence ignore Negan's demands.</div>
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Negan manages to calm himself and tells Rick his son has done something inexcusable. Without Carl to punish, he will kill Rick's men first, and then his people will give up the boy, as they won't be able to let him murder Rick. </div>
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Andrea is beaten up and nearly tossed out of the tower. In town Rick tries futilely to negotiate, but he and Negan see a body fall out the window. Rick is horrified while a pleased Negan lines up his captives in preparation to execute them. In the tower Andrea drags herself back up to the window, muttering to herself that she and Rick don't die.</div>
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<b>The Verdict:</b></div>
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<i>Issue 113</i> was a great ride, made even more tense with the question of Andrea's fate given the death of the character on the television series. I was much relieved to see her pull herself up and hope she can grab a gun by next month. Will she manage to kill Negan? Unlikely at this point in the storyline, but a dramatic rescue is needed to get this situation under control.</div>
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Hurray for more Carl craziness. Too bad he isn't as good a shot as Andrea. </div>
Jeffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10633721898286623320noreply@blogger.com0