Arrow Reaction: "The Sin-Eater" (5x14)

Warning: Arrow is rated TV-14 for mature content. Spoilers included.

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Three former foes of the Green Arrow break out of Iron Heights and head to Star City to wreak havoc. Meanwhile, the ACU calls for the arrest of the Green Arrow for the murder of Detective Billy Malone.

"Just busy, you know, taking out the trash." -Thea

What I Liked

Lance
I think the memorable moment of this episode was when Lance sat down and talked to Oliver about everything that's been happening. It was really good because Oliver gives all these great speeches, but sometimes he needs someone to give him a pep talk. So, good for you, Lance.

Dinah 
Surprisingly, Dinah was my favorite part of this episode. She kicked a lot of butt, and it was extra fun to see her taking on the girl gang. Also, she was sworn in as a police officer, so that was exciting.

Go, Dinah! Go! (source)

Connections
I guess for the most part I liked that this episode tied together a lot of the earlier parts of the season, such as returning to Tobias Church's stash and finally coming back to Billy Malone's death. It makes the last few episodes feel less isolated. I guess.

What I Didn't Like

Susan Williams
Honestly, I still don't care about Susan Williams. I see absolutely no chemistry between her and Oliver. I also don't understand why Oliver cares about her so much so suddenly. She has done nothing to prove she isn't two-timing him. And the whole build-up of her learning he's Green Arrow is gone. In a single episode, a single decision between Felicity and Thea. Wow. Great pacing, writers.

Susan Williams: a summary (source)

Green Arrow
Oh look! The ACU wants to arrest the Green Arrow for Billy's death. Who is surprised? Nobody. Nobody is surprised that this has happened. It's happened before. It will happen again. (Please don't.) I don't care. Billy died episodes ago, and they're just now returning to it. Like... stop. I don't care. It's old news. Even Felicity got over it a while ago. Just drop it. Move on.

Girl Gang
Oh look Cupid and two other female criminals I don't remember are back. Wow. I don't care. I didn't care about anything they were doing during this episode. It was boring. I've never cared about Cupid. She's... annoying.

The only lady that matters these days is Dinah. (source)

Prometheus
I can't believe they're still under the illusion that Clayborn's son (?) is Prometheus. Yet they don't know his name or where he is? I'm confused. You have a super hacker on your side and you can't find him, but you can find his mother? That makes no sense. The whole situation is confusing, and I honestly don't care anymore. I just miss Prometheus in general. Where did he go? Did he disappear? Is he hiding out with Rory? He literally hasn't shown up on the show since last year. If he's out to get Oliver and the Green Arrow, why did he just leave?!

Overall

I don't know. I just kind of felt bored with everything in this episode. It felt like a huge filler episode that didn't help anything with the season arc or the character development. Nothing significant or exciting happened. Season five is starting down the path that season four took--as in, it's dragging on and on without anything happening. I just don't care right now. I'll keep watching, but I'm just so disappointed in this season again. Bring back Prometheus (and Rory).

What did you think of "The Sin-Eater"?

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The Flash Reaction: "Attack on Gorilla City" (3x13)

Spoilers included for The Flash.

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Barry, Cisco, Caitlin, and Julian travel to Gorilla City on Earth-2 in order to rescue Harry from Gorilla Grodd. Meanwhile, Wally and Jesse try to determine their relationship status.

"Speedster vs Super Gorilla. Best, worst video game ever." -Cisco

What I Liked

Gorilla City
Gorilla City was awesome. The architecture, the gorillas, the world--everything looked great and reminded me of Planet of the Apes and King Kong in the best possible way. The special effects in this episode were amazing, which helped bring the gorillas and Earth-2 to life. Grodd and Solovar were terrifying, especially when they used Harry and Cisco to talk. And I thought highly intelligent gorillas were creepy. Highly intelligent and telepathic ones are worse.

Just look at it! (source)

Jesse and Harry
This episode brought Jesse and Harry back, even if it was in a small way. I've missed them. The best moment was between HR and Harry, which was hilarious and perfect. And Jesse and Wally finally, finally got together. Though, I guess we'll have to see if that will last when they tell Harry.

How is HR not the greatest? (source)

Julian
Of course, the precious cinnamon roll was the best in this episode. Not only did he dress as Indiana Jones for most of the episode, but he went to Earth-2 in order to protect Caitlin and make sure she knows who she is--not Killer Frost, but a good person. And then the end! At the end they go have dinner together. I can't deal with these two! Please, my shipper's heart won't take it if this ends badly.

What a nerd. I love him. (source)

Speedster vs Super Gorilla
The showdown between Barry and Solovar was freaking epic. All the special effects were cool. Solovar looked amazing. The arena looked amazing. And Cisco and Julian coaching Barry through the fight was great. Plus, Barry using a "Reverse-Flash" move was perfect. Basically, this entire episode was worth it just for that fight.

Look at flipping awesome this all is. Except the part where Barry gets knocked over. (source)

What I Didn't Like

Predictable
This episode, however, was a bit predictable. I knew that Harry's kidnapping was a trap. I knew that Grodd was using Barry to get rid of Solovar so he could become the new gorilla leader. And I knew that Grodd was planning to invade Earth-1, using Barry or Cisco or whoever to do it. If I can figure that out, why can't these geniuses figure it out?

You should never trust a gorilla. You saw what happened with Kong. (source)

Easy
This episode was also easy. Too easy. Barry defeated Solovar with little effort. Yeah, he got knocked down a couple times, but then one quick "Reverse-Flash" swipe through his chest defeated a giant, intelligent gorilla. Come on! Also, tricking Gorilla Grodd--who, may I remind you, is also a highly intelligent gorilla--was too easy. How did they do that without Caitlin turning Killer Frost? Because she didn't kill him? Why did Grodd bother dragging Barry out of the cage if he was dead? Why not just leave him there? It didn't make a whole lot of sense, and it was just an "easy" way for the writers to get Team Flash out of Earth-2 without too many consequences.

Are you sure you weren't sightseeing? Because I don't think Julian even used his gun. (source)

Jesse
While I'm stoked that Wally and Jesse are finally together (or something), it was kind of annoying that the only reason Jesse was acting weird is because she missed Wally and wasn't sure what their relationship status was. I was hoping there was something deeper there--like she was no longer a speedster or she was having trouble being heroic on Earth-2. But no? Just romance. Uh, okay then.

Though, all of them shipping Wally and Jesse was pretty great too. (source)

Death is the only way
Why was death the only way to stop Grodd? Why did someone have to die? Yeah, sure, they couldn't use their powers. But... ??? They're Team Flash, they can come up with something better than, "Let's sacrifice Cisco in order to stop Grodd to save Iris." No. Let's not sacrifice Cisco to save Iris. That doesn't make sense. Also, if they killed Cisco, how would the rest of them ever get out of Gorilla City/Earth-2? Um, your logic isn't logical!

Thank goodness Caitlin Snow and her voice of reason exists. (source)

Overall

Most of this episode was fantastic. I loved the trip to Earth-2, the return of Gorilla Grodd, and Julian's protectiveness over Caitlin. While some things were predictable or came across as illogical or easy, the episode as a whole was exciting, and I'm looking forward to part two of the Grodd story arc.

 I love that they continually have Julian's character make references to Tom Felton's other works. Like... smooth, writers. Smooth. (source)

What did you think of "Attack on Gorilla City"?

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Why You Should Watch The Lego Batman Movie

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The Lego Batman Movie released in theaters this past month, yet I haven't seen a lot of excitement about it. I mean, it's Batman + Legos. How could that not be cool? Anyways, if the concept of Batman and Legos in the same film doesn't sway you, here are a few more reasons to convince you to watch The Lego Batman Movie.

Batman Characters

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Okay, so obviously Batman is in the film and is voiced by Will Arnett, who also voiced him in The Lego Movie. So consistency is great. But the film also features a plethora of notable characters from Batman lore, including (finally) Dick Grayson! We haven't had a live-action Robin incarnation in a theatrical film since 1997. That's twenty years! So, it's exciting. Alfred and Barbara Gordon (aka Batgirl) are also in this film, and they kick butt. It's awesome. (Everything is awesome.)

Of course, there are plenty of villains as well. Joker, Harley Quinn, Killer Croc, Bane, Scarecrow, Riddler, Two-Face, Catwoman... the list could go on. They literally included every single Batman villain ever, in some capacity. Even obscure ones from the comics. It was perfect. And hilarious.

The Justice League also make an appearance, which is fun. And there are a few other characters here and there that pop in... but spoilers! Overall, though, the makers did a fantastic job with including Batman characters for this film.

Batman Lore

The Lego Batman Movie is chock full of references to Batman's 75+ years of history. From the comics to every live-action show or film (yes, even the 1960s Batman show), there are so many references made during this film. They even referenced movies that came out last year like Batman vs Superman and Suicide Squad. It was wild. I don't think I even caught all the references, but the makers definitely did their research. And while I don't think most younger kids will understand everything, I think their research paid off. It provided another layer of humor for Batman and comic book fans.

Batman Legos

This is pretty self-explanatory, but The Lego Batman Movie is great simply because it's Batman, but as a Lego. Thus, the animation is marvelous. And the story-telling is fun because of all the Lego aspects, such as building weapons or gadgets from the surrounding rubble. This movie includes everything that was awesome about The Lego Movie but with Batman as the focus. The humor, the story-telling, and the animation give a new twist on the Dark Knight--a lighter twist (which, in my opinion, is great, since I'm tired of all the dark and gloomy superhero story lines as of late).

Batman Jokes/Puns

Humor is definitely a big part of this film. Along with the Lego humor and the Batman references, this movie also has a lot of Batman puns and jokes. I mean, how could it not? Almost every Lego video game or movie thrives off the humor and perfectly crafted dialogue. The Lego Batman Movie is no exception. It's full of jokes, such as Batman's password being "Iron Man Sucks" or Batman's voice-over at the beginning of the film (honestly, the best part). Even the soundtrack includes all the Batman puns. It was so perfect, I bet Joker was crying in the corner the whole time. Actually...

Because it's Batman

I mean, honestly, you should just watch it because it's a Batman film. It has action and Batman gadgets throughout, like any Batman film. There are danger and villains. Batman has to save the day by doing something crazy (and awesome). It just also happens to have Legos, humor, and a light-heartedness you can't always find in other Batman films. But overall, this film can definitely hold its own against other Batman films. It was pretty epic. Because it's Batman!

Have you seen The Lego Batman Movie? Do you think it deserves more attention?

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