TV (112)
It’s difficult to review any animated Batman series without comparing it to Batman: The Animated Series. The early '90s series has now become, essentially, the gold standard for animated Batman fare. The creators of The Batman, which ran a little over a decade later, from 2004 to 2008, were well aware of this. So, they made it their goal to set their series apart from TAS as much as possible.
The end of the first season of Prime Video’s The Legend of Vox Machina is upon us, and it’s - to take a word from our favorite flirtatious merchant - glorious. The final three episodes of the show have taken a major turn, as the group of burgeoning heroes known as Vox Machina have continued their quest for revenge and the reclamation of Whitestone, the ancestral home of Vox Machina member Percival De Rolo. In doing this, they have discovered the intricate plot of the wicked Briarwoods, a power couple that has all the wrong intentions.
Things have certainly picked up as the first season of Critical Role’s Prime Video series has moved past their halfway point. As the back half of the season kicks off, events are beginning to unfold as the group of plucky, would-be heroes has continued their attempt to restore Percival’s ancestral home of Whitestone from the villainous horrors known as the Briarwoods. As this season has continued exploring this part of Vox Machina’s story, it’s become increasingly obvious that this show has found its footing, bringing so much of what made the streamed game so rewarding into this medium.
During my review of the first three episodes of The Legend Of Vox Machina, I came away with an overall positive outlook of the show, but with some concerns. The first three episodes served as a look back into the events that happened before the actual play show began streaming to give us an introduction to the characters, as well as a glimpse into the story that would define the moment that Critical Role “arrived:” The Briarwood Arc, which serves as the first of the show’s big character arcs in the form of a revenge plot for everyone’s broody bad boy, Percival.
What started as a game between friends became a streaming sensation, a global phenomenon, a legitimate creator-owned content platform, and one of the most successful and impressive Kickstarter campaigns ever. From all of that hundreds of hours of content, years of story, and a massive journey comes the first season of Prime Video’s Critical Role: The Legend of Vox Machina.
If you’re anything like me, you’ve suddenly been hearing people talk about Ted Lasso over the last few months. Probably not a lot of specifics, just mentions of how good it is, and a few references that you didn’t quite understand. And, if you’re anything like me, you’ve thought to yourself that it sounds like it might be fun, but haven’t watched it, because it’s only available on Apple TV+. (Seriously, who needs—or even can afford—yet another paid streaming service right now?) Well, I’m here to tell you: You need Ted Lasso in your life. And you won’t even realize just how much you needed it, until you’ve seen it for yourself.
It’s been quite the season for The Mandalorian, and, according to yesterday’s massive amount of LucasFilm announcements, this is just the start in the next chapter of Star Wars. While this week’s episode, titled “The Believer” and written and directed by Rick Famuyiwa (Dope, Confirmation), doesn’t have the internet-destroying reveals present in the last few episodes of the series, it has some of the most intense action sequences featured in the show so far and dives deep down into the dark heart of those who served the Galactic Empire.
Viewers may still be on an emotional high after last week’s much-applauded appearance of Ahsoka Tano on The Mandalorian, but, as this week’s episode makes clear, we ain’t seen nothing yet. Ever since actor Temuera Morrison made his stunning cameo on Tatooine at the end of the first episode of the season, fans have been waiting for the reappearance of Star Wars’ most feared bounty hunter ever. With this episode, courtesy of series creator Jon Favreau and director Robert Rodriguez, the wait is over.
Well, Star Wars has once again delivered for the holidays. The moment is upon us: the first live-action appearance of fan-favorite character Ahsoka Tano. And, while it’s always hard for moments like this one to live up to years of the build up of fan expectations, Dave Filioni and Jon Favreau have gifted us with another amazing episode in a season of amazing episodes, as well as a potential glimpse into the future of Star Wars.
While the mention of former Jedi Ahoska Tano will certainly have viewers on the edge of their seats, waiting for the next sign of this popular character from the Star Wars animated series, this week The Mandalorian takes a minor detour to visit some old friends, deal with some old enemies, and give Apollo Creed the chance to play in the Star Wars sandbox.
