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!
Ahsoka – “Master and Apprentice” (S1E1, Disney+)
In case you missed it, read our full review by Brian Salvatore.
Ahsoka – “Toil and Trouble” (S1E2, Disney+)
In case you missed it, read our full review by Brian Salvatore.
Futurama – “Related to Items You’ve Viewed” (S8/11E5, Hulu)
Leela moves into Fry and Bender’s apartment, leaving Bender feeling like a third wheel, and to decide to go work for Mom’s newly rebranded Momazon: cue a billion obvious but still funny jokes about Amazon and Alexa, or its stand-in Invasa. (Best one: Bender revealing he can pee in a bottle.) When Leela and Fry learn Bender isn’t allowed to leave the warehouse on the Moon, they go with Farnsworth to demand his freedom from Mom, only for her to discover Invasa has become sentient, hates her coldhearted owner, and is using nanotech to make the warehouse grow indefinitely.
Appropriately, given the subject, it turns out to be very convenient for our heroes: can’t get in? Don’t worry, the warehouse envelops the Planet Express ship. Can’t escape? Nevermind, Earth is now in the warehouse. The Sun’s gone? That’s not even an issue for two minutes. Momazon put Planet Express out of express? Eh, it’s technically part of Invasa now too. This is easily one of the most disposable episodes of the show ever made, with Bender’s emotional issues getting shoved aside by the not-so-world ending scenario, but it was still a fun time, and we got a great callback to Bender screaming about the universe being DOOMED, so I can’t complain. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Good Omens – “The Hitchhiker” (S2E4, Amazon Prime)
In case you missed it, read our full review by Mel Lake.
Harley Quinn – “The Most Culturally Impactful Film Franchise of All Time” (S4/E7, Max)
Harley and Ivy travel through time! I was surprised it took four seasons to get these two ladies to pull a Bill and Ted. The duo is rocketed into the future, where they are met with the most post-apocalyptic scenario possible. Fully equipped with grown children of friends, their own evil daughter, and a dire situation they have to go back and prevent. Not since Justice League Unlimited: The Once and Future Thing, or that crop of future-based episodes on Heroes have we experienced such cartoonish melodrama. Thankfully, it’s always entertaining to see characters interact with their future selves, or, in this case, kids. Kudos to Harley and Ivy for parenting together and whooping their daughter’s ass when the time was right. It might not be ON in real life, but in the cartoon, it felt appropriate.
The B story was short but enlightening. It turns out the Joker didn’t kill Nightwing and was stealing valor for the real murderer. Barbara takes after her old man, detects the absolute crap out of that, and exposes Joker for the good dude he actually is. I still want a Joker spin-off with his wife and kids. I said I wouldn’t mention that again, but new year new goals. – Carl Waldron
Heartstopper – “Heat” (S2E5, Netflix)
Day two in Paris, and the school trip is off to the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre. However, everyone is more preoccupied with identifying who’s responsible for the hickey on Charlie’s neck, and he soon becomes stressed from the attention, as well as Ben’s envious glances. Although Nick manages to get Harry and the other jerks off their backs, Charlie becomes overwhelmed after Nick tells him he’s learned Ben still has feelings for him, and faints. After he recovers, Nick tells Charlie he’s noticed he may have an eating disorder, something we learn is apparently a vicious cycle brought on by bullying. Afterwards, Nick receives a phone call from his dad, offering to meet in a cafe in 20 mins: Charlie, who’s astonished and rather turned on to learn his boyfriend speaks French, accepts Nick’s offer to meet him too.
Continued belowMeanwhile, Tara and Darcy fall out after she avoids the difficult questions one more time too many, as we learn Darcy has never invited her to her home, or introduced her to her parents. Tao confesses to Charlie that he was accidentally responsible for outing him the previous year, and Charlie absolves him of his guilt, while placing a locket bearing their names on Pont des Arts to ward suspicion away from Nick. Lastly, in the Louvre, Elle is inspired by a comment Nick makes about not understanding art, but still appreciating it, to act on her feelings for Tao, drawing him away to a secluded spot, where they wind up having their first kiss. All in all, this was a very episodic chapter, but still a beautiful and poignant half hour as always, and the location photography was stunning – absolutely stunning!
Song of the episode: “Doesn’t Matter” by Christine and the Queens – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Mech Cadets – “For All Humanity” (S1E4, Netflix)
Most of Sky Corps Academy’s staff leave to help strengthen the Global Defense Ring against the Sharg ship, leaving General Park, Dolly Yu, Max, and Ava to handle the Sharg larva by themselves. Park and Dolly go to incinerate the other three eggs, however a fault causes them to become trapped inside the room after Max places the facility on lockdown, just as the eggs begin hatching. The first larva meanwhile attacks the cadets’ quarters, and Frank bravely defeats it with his crutches, and the sharpened end of his damaged prosthetic leg. It gets back up, but Maya strikes the killing blow by removing and throwing Frank’s prosthetic at it – now if they were adults, they would’ve totally kissed afterwards.
When Stanford discovers his mother’s in danger, he deactivates the lockdown, against Olivia’s advice, declaring that she is not expendable. Ava manages to kill one of the larvae with a laser minigun, while Stanford arrives with Buddy to squish another, but the fourth hatchling burrows into the ground and escapes. A furious Aiden Park blames Stanford, expelling him for putting his personal needs over the good of humanity. Good lord, what a jerk: what’s the point in a “humanity first” philosophy if it doesn’t prioritize the safety of civilians like Dolly? Someone bring Tanaka back to sort this man out pronto. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
My Adventures with Superman – “Zero Day Part 2” (S1E9, Adult Swim/Max)
In case you missed it, read our full review by Matthew Vincenty.
This is a reminder that we will have a review of Riverdale’s series finale when Elias returns from holiday. We can’t have someone cover over 100 chapters and not cover the finale!
