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 – “Shadow Warrior” (S1E5, Disney+)
Read our full review by Brian Salvatore.
Daryl Dixon – “L’ame Perdue” (S1E1, AMC)
In case you missed it, read our full review of the series premiere by Alexander Manzo.
Daryl Dixon – “Alouette” (S1E2, AMC)
Read our full review by Alexander Manzo.
Futurama – “Zapp Gets Cancelled” (S8/11E8, Hulu)
Turns out being canceled is legally a thing in 3023, as we find out when Kif finally has enough of Zapp’s awful behavior, leading to him being discharged, and forced to undergo (8 hrs of) sensitivity training (complete with a scarlet ‘C’ badge.) Leela, having grown despondent with being the Only Good Employee at Planet Express, applies to become a DOOP pilot, and is almost instantly appointed Zapp’s replacement. However, Leela finds her big new job isn’t all that, getting pressured by President Glab to sign a trade agreement with the knobbly, handsy Tactillians, even though it will lead to a physically inappropriate hug from their Quing (I’m guessing they’re androgynous.) Zapp’s training, meanwhile, gets hijacked by another canceled officer, Dr. Gary (anything but) Kind, who deceives him into attacking the signing of the treaty.
Kind threatens to throw a disgusting durian into the Great Blow Hole the Tactillians get their precious air from, but Leela can’t bring herself to fire on him and his hostages. However, when Kind’s rehab time runs out, Glab appoints him captain of the Nimbus, and he unthinkingly orders himself killed in a fit of mania. Leela is given a Medal of Valor for stopping the durian from falling in (causing herself to become stinky, and thereby preventing the Quing’s desire to grope her), but also dishonorably discharged for being a wimp. Back at Planet Express, things end on a heartwarming if gross note, with Fry basically telling Leela she was too good for DOOP, while Zoidberg asks for her consent to lick the last traces of the durian off her face. (Something that thankfully happens offscreen.)
This was definitely a tricky subject to make a fun episode around, and the writers definitely weren’t all that interested in Zapp’s character growth, but it still fired on all cylinders from the start, beginning with him insisting on having his shower thoughts on the bridge. Bender hiding by stashing away his head, and Farnsworth collapsing after detecting the durian through the Smell-O-Scope were much funnier than they should’ve been, and John DiMaggio gave a fantastic performance as Kind. Above all, it was a really sweet showcase for Leela and Fry, especially the aforementioned moment where he manages to capture her smile on camera again – aw. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Harley Quinn – “Killer’s Block” (S4E10, Max)
Read our full review of the season 4 finale by Carl Waldron.
Heartstopper – “Perfect” (S2E8, Netflix)
Read our full review of the season 2 finale by Christopher Chiu-Tabet.
Mech Cadets – “All for One” (S1E7, Netflix)
The Sharg commence their attack on the GDR towers across the globe, and Tanaka leads their cadets in stopping an especially huge one heading towards the tower nearest Sky Corps HQ. Although the kids finally work together to kill the Sharg, it turns out it was pregnant, and its corpse unleashes many smaller Sharg. Despite the arrival of Hero Force (which now includes Adam in its ranks), one of the Sharg manages to deactivate the tower, and Tanaka’s Robo, Tombo, loses their arm.
Back at base, arguments fly over how many Hero Force mechs exist, while Tombo dies. Stanford offers to fly up to scout the Sharg ship heading to the hole in the defense ring, but General Park refuses, wanting everyone to prepare for its arrival; it’s there and then Olivia finally defies him, and flies off in her mech. All in all, this was a dramatic and nailbiting episode. The budget limitations became apparent, as we never saw the other Robo Mechs fighting the Sharg across the globe, but it kept reigniting and dashing your hopes that our heroes would win until the final cliffhanger – plus, Stanford got to do his best impression of Idris Elba’s Henry V speech in Pacific Rim. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Continued below
One Piece – “The Man in the Straw Hat” (S1E2, Netflix)
Read our full review by Robbie Pleasant.
One Piece – “Tell No Tales” (S1E3, Netflix)
Tune in tomorrow to read our full review by Robbie Pleasant.
Star Trek: Lower Decks – “I Have No Bones, Yet I Must Flee” (S4E2, Paramount+)
Read our full review of the second half of the season premiere by Joe Skonce.
Star Trek: Lower Decks – “In the Cradle of Vexilon” (S4E3, Paramount+)
Read our full review by Joe Skonce.
The Wheel of Time – “A Taste of Solitude,” “Strangers and Friends,” and “What Might Be” (S2E1-3, The CW)
In case you missed it, read our full review of the three-part season premiere by Greg Ellner.
The Wheel of Time – “Daughters of the Night”(S2E4, Amazon Prime)
Tune in tomorrow to read our full review by Greg Ellner.
