Welcome back to 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!
Avatar: The Last Airbender – “Into the Dark” (S1E4, Netflix)
Read our full review by Ramon Piña.
Invincible – “This Must Comes as a Shock” (S2E5, Amazon Prime)
Read our full review by James Dowling.
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – “Family Matters” (S2E13, Disney Channel)
Lunella’s parents have grown suspicious about her after-school activities, but despite her grandma’s encouragement, Lu is still reluctant to tell them the truth, fearing how they might react, and eventually lashes out after they try to get her to commit to time with them. In the meantime, she has her first superhero team-up with Turbo (Erika Ishii), a New Warrior from the comics, against old-school Spider-Man villain Silvermane (Jonathan Banks), whom she soon learns ruined her relationship with her own mother, Erma (Hiromi Dames), to protect her secret identity. Even after Silvermane kidnaps her mother, Turbo still won’t unmask herself, leading Lu to decide to come clean with her family before it’s too late.
This was a really poignant episode that captured perfectly the need for space many teenagers struggle with, and the work-life balance many adults lack too. Although I wasn’t familiar with her, Turbo was a compelling enough character that I hope her storyline is resolved in a later episode, and I love that of all the Spider-Man villains, they chose Silvermane for this one; I love the way his body detached and reattached together, the scene where Casey interrogated his detached finger, and how he was defeated by having his consciousness get downloaded into Lu’s Sew a Stuffy bear (love a long game like that.) Also, I’m always happy to hear Cobie Smulders as Maria Hill again, and to see the return of her love-hate relationship with her wannabe sister Casey – and ultimately, who was Lunella searching for, if not an older sister this week? – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur – “The Molecular Level” (S2E14, Disney Channel)
Molecule Man attacks the Lafayette residence to draw out the Beyonder, just as Lunella and Mimi are trying to persuade the others her superhero life is perfectly safe. The villain’s newfound mastery of his own molecules have rendered him even more terrifying and formidable than ever (like a cross between a symbiote and the T-1000, right down to the inability to freeze and shatter him), and he eventually traps Lu in her bedroom. Devil manages to send up a drone carrying the Moon Girl outfit, giving Lu the confidence to take him on directly, and finally subdue him.
It’s then Lu delivers the coup de grace: she gives Molecule a piece of her self-healing suit, so he can repair his broken body and mind, causing him to realize he was so consumed with revenge, that he forgot he could use his powers to restore his planet. He thanks Lu by undoing the damage to the apartment, before bidding her farewell. As Lu’s mother Adria says, she has not only become a strong and smart hero, but also a wise and compassionate one – and it’s then she drops the bombshell that she’s banning her from any future superhero activity. What a gripping mid-season finale! I hope Devil protests by refusing the Lafayettes’ requests to join them for Sunday lunch in the meantime. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Resident Alien – “Lovebird” (S3E5, Syfy)
Read our full review by Christopher Chiu-Tabet.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch – “Infiltration” and “Exraction” (S3E6+7, Disney+)
The Bad Batch has always struggled between being a military procedural and a show that can push a story forward. Season 2’s back half was a wonderful example of using the procedural format to tell larger Star Wars stories, but the third season has reverted back to the first season’s pacing, which is to very slowly dole out information while beating the viewer over the head with information that was already known and show more of the same types of conflicts.
Continued belowWith Crosshair and Omega back in the fold, The Bad Batch released two episodes this week, but neither does anything to push the season’s plot forward. Instead, we get the umpteenth episode that shows Rex trying to bring other clones to his way of seeing things, the umpteenth episode of showing Crosshair’s harder edge than the rest of Clone Force 99, and the umpteenth episode of Omega being ran down by the Empire. With less than 10 episodes left, The Bad Batch really needs to up its pace. – Brian Salvatore
The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live – “Bye” (S1E3, AMC)
Read our full review by Alexander Manzo.
