Boomb Tube: The Week of Comic Book Television, 2/20/22-2/27/22

Welcome to our newly revamped Boomb Tube! Here, we will be catching you up on the week in comics TV, both through micro-reviews, as well as links to our full-length TV reviews. We also tend to review series that are dropped all at once weekly, so there are a few ‘older’ shows mixed in for good measure. Are we missing your favorite show? Let us know in the comments!

Batwoman– “We’re All Mad Here” (S3E12, The CW)

After a season trying to blend characters of the first two seasons with mixed success, “We’re All Mad Here” finds a way to build tensions along family lines. “We’re All Mad Here” builds this tension through the Batman McGuffin of the week, The Joker’s Joybuzzer, which has one charge left and can correct intense phycological damage. While Ryan and the team want to use it on her brother Marquis and save Gotham, Alice wants it to fix herself (and bring Mary along for the ride.) Much of “We’re All Here” explores the relationships between the two sets of siblings and serves as an interesting exploration of the importance of support units.

While the team wants to use the joy buzzer on Marquis, he doesn’t want saving. Nick Creegan does a spectacular job of capturing Marquis’ unhinged joy of being evil. While he has the support of his family, he just loves being an agent of chaos. Alice, on the other hand, wants to be better. Perhaps she’s not using the most savory means of getting there, but she seems remorseful of her former life. (She also seems to continue her slow descent into madness, haunted by the ghosts of her past.) But while the team has abandoned her during the majority of the episode, Mary learns that her remorseful attitude simply isn’t an act. While “We’re All Mad Here” doesn’t necessarily put sibling against sibling yet, it could be creating a family showdown. They might have abandoned Mary as Poison Ivy, but the bonds she made with her sister are sticking around.

The great irony of “We’re All Mad Here” is that the team might have made things worse for Gotham by abandoning Alice. Instead, the episode goes to great lengths to establish a bond between Alice and Marquis, two results of the same Joker attack. While Alice initially fights back, she gives Marquis something even the Joker would envy; the keys to the Batcave. In the end, the team saves no one, and Gotham might be more at risk than ever. – Joe Skonce

Big Nate – “Valentine’s Day of Horror” (S1E3, Paramount+)

Big Nate continues to subvert tropes and expectations in ways that are subtle, but significant. Here, we meet Jenny, who Nate has loved from afar for his entire life. The twist is that she’s absolutely terrible. It’s not played up too much, but it is clear that she’s just about as catty and bratty as a middle schooler could be. She is the catalyst for Nate’s mission this episode, which is to make her his valentine. But the whole event is turned on its head by recurring character Zeph (who works everywhere in town) putting pizza into boxes that are contaminated in some way, causing to a school-wide vomit outbreak.

Ben was too scared by the ‘horror’ aspects of this to enjoy it. “I was terrified” he said, which is more about Ben than it is about the scariness of the episode. Amelia found it gross, but funny, especially the exaggerated puking that was legitimately off-putting at times. As for me, I was taken by the show’s consistently funny and harsh portrayal of adults. They veer into caricature at times, but their motivations feel more true than I would’ve ever expected. Principal Nichols cares more about his standing and reputation than he does the kids he works with. Unfortunately, this is not an inconceivable trait.

I know this is not exactly what you’d expect from a Big Nate review, but it speaks to the depth of both the original strip and the show’s refusal to make a itself into a one-dimensional kids show. – The Salvatores

Legends of Tomorrow – “Too Legit to Quit” (S7, E12)

Continued below

Read our full review by Christopher Chiu-Tabet.

Naomi – “Shadow Ridge” (S1E5, The CW)

This is the first episode of Naomi that diverts into a ‘mystery of the week’ that isn’t directly related to Naomi’s homeland or family. Sure, there is going to be a connection at some point, but this episode felt like what it is: a way to extend the show to a traditional TV season length. And while it wasn’t a bad episode per se, that is not a great sign of things to come for the show, which has seen its directness be among its strongest assets.

This episode mostly takes place at a team building camp that is staffed by, and I cannot state this enough, just the worst camp counselors you could ever imagine. They don’t supervise the kids, don’t have lasting consequences for when the kids inevitably do something wrong, and spread rumors that go far beyond the ‘haunted cabin’ standard. The camp is a flimsy excuse to get the four principle kids alone, and the emotional beats with those four work well enough.

Meanwhie, back in Port Oswego, we see four adults do questionable stuff as well. Naomi’s parents forget there are things called surveillance cameras, and basically reveal to Commander Steel that they’re lying, while Dee and Zumbado team up to extract information from the bounty hunter who tried to off Naomi last time. Dee and Zumbado make an interesting pairing, and while they totally should’ve killed that bounty hunter, I’m interested to see where their stories go. The McDuffies on the other hand are just bad at what they do, and will likely be exposed shortly. – Brian Salvatore

Peacemaker – “It’s Cow or Never” (S1E8, HBO Max)

Read our full review by Reid Carter.

Raising Dion – “Issue #205: You vs. Me” (S2E5, Netflix)

BIONA captures another, heavily infected, Gary-esque creature. Nicole, realizing this is her fate if she’s not cured, asks to be quarantined. After trying to formulate a cure, Pat gives her bad news: he needs more time, time she does not have. On hearing this, Janelle storms into the lab and uses her telekinetic abilities to synthesize the antidote; a subsequent conversation with her mom establishes she’s always been secretly a scientific prodigy, who took after her grandfather. Unfortunately, when the cure is tested on the infected man, he dies after his human consciousness is restored, leaving Nicole distraught.

At the lakeside cabin, Tevin and Dion engage in a race, where they use their powers to outwit each other, while Brayden watches from afar via a crow he possesses. Kat, meanwhile, tries not to worry about the monsters that may be lurking in the woods, and tries to keep her cool with Pat after BIONA contacts her for medical input, as well as to provide Tevin with some romantic advice regarding her sister. “Don’t talk about it, be about it,” she warns him. I think it’s safe to say Kat stole this episode, between that, calling Pat an “ass-,” and her self-aware comments about their horror-esque location, although Dion’s confusion about his aunt’s orientation was pretty priceless too.

Brayden starts pressing on Tevin’s mind, “encouraging” him to attack Dion. Dion becomes concerned that his mom hasn’t called back, and starts telling Tevin about Brayden, explaining the way he encouraged his disobedience has made him concerned that he’s not a good person, and left him anxious about what his mom would think. Tevin tells him everyone makes mistakes, and that there is good and bad in everyone. True enough, Brayden starts overwhelming Tevin’s will, and he orders Dion to run; however, Dion is overwhelmed by the Crooked Man’s new form of a huge flock of crows, and Brayden grabs him. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet

Resident Alien – “Family Day” (S2E5, Syfy)

Full review by Christopher Chiu-Tabet.

Snowpiercer “A New Life” (S4E5, TNT)

Liana Layton makes her entry into the world, welcomed by her parents, Zarah and Andre, and greeted by bells and literal fireworks in “A New Life.”

The show takes this theme and runs with it, as everyone looks to the future, even if it hurts. On the good side, Josie and Ben find comfort for their losses in each other’s arms. A truly odd pairing, considering that only a few months ago, Ben’s love Melanie tried to kill Josie. But one can’t hold grudges at the end of the world.

Continued below

However, no one told Pike that. I was rooting for him and Ruth but he’s frustrated by Ruth’s insistence of returning to hospitality to help care for the train and its’ passengers. Ruth wants Pike to believe in the future that Layton has promised but all he seems to believe in is Ruth herself. That leads to the big revelation later in the episode: that Pike is behind multiple attempts on Layton’s life. At the end, Pike smashes his last detonator, seemingly giving up the idea of killing Layton, partially inspired by Audrey’s song of divided loyalties. But Pike’s loyalties remain unclear.

Trouble is also brewing, as it usually does, with Wilford, who is recovering from being stabbed with an overdose of the drug for the sleepers. He’s obviously going to survive a little longer, which I find disappointing. It all seems to be leading this season to a confrontation over New Eden. Even if the train makes it there, will it all be a mirage? If so, Layton and his people are unlikely to survive to the next season. – Corrina Lawson

Super Crooks – “Casino Grand Granite” (S1E11, Netflix)

The gang is back together and gearing up for another heist, this time to pay off Carmine’s debts. You’d be forgiven for forgetting that the gang split up in the first place, though, or for not realizing that five years have passed because it was glossed over in the middle of an episode and treated as no big deal. The pacing in this show, man, it’s just so strange.

We get a very small glimpse into the minor characters’ lives after the prior heist but nothing about these characters matters, and they themselves don’t seem to do much other than wait around for Johnny Bolt to show up. And why do they trust Johnny with this plan, when exactly zero of his plans have worked thus far? Who knows.

The stage is set for a showdown with The Bastard and a worse-for-wear Praetorian on a Japanese island separated from heroes and villains alike. Praetorian has fallen from grace and fallen out with his super friends, but since that was done via a montage, we don’t know what his deal is now, nor is there much reason to care about his beef with Johnny’s new team member, Gladiator. Here’s hoping that the violent fun Super Crooks has proven itself capable of returns for the final episodes.-Mel Lake