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!
And since the summer is here, at least for a few more weeks, check out our 2022 Summer TV binges, where Multiversity staffers reach back in time to review comics/comics-adjacent/nerdy shows all summer (and the first half of fall) long. (Here’s a handy list of what’s being covered too.)
Harley Quinn – “The Horse and the Sparrow” (S3E10, HBO Max)
Read our full review of the season 3 finale by Carl Waldron.
He-Man and the Masters of the Universe – “A Leap of Faith” (S3E5, NETFLIX)
He-Man is drinking from the Skelator Kool-Aid, and it ain’t pretty. “A Leap of Faith” Is the episode that teaches us . After dunking himself in some ‘evil soup’ as Duncan aptly puts it, Prince Adam suddenly isn’t acting so princely. In fact he’s acting much more like an obnoxious Hulk smacking his dad’s arm away and then using a thunder clap to send Teela flying into the snow. Even his own sword is telling us he is clearly no longer worthy in a Mjolnir/King Arthur-like moment when he is unable to pull it out the snow. He literally shouts at his sword ‘I don’t need you anyway!’ which is hilariously immature and petulant, but also reminiscent of scenes we’ve seen recently in Marvel movies.
Speaking of which -after watching this episode and thinking about the past seasons, I can confidently say that this version of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe has managed to create their own sub-genre. The influences from Marvel, anime, gaming, WWE, and more have been worn on their sleeve since day 1. It affects so many storytelling decisions, which the writers use as perfect punctuations to action-packed scenes. For instance in this episode when Teela and He-Man are battling there are several impact frames that are drawn straight from Dragon Ball in the way that they design the explosions and compose them against landscapes of giant rocks. The amalgamation of popular storytelling formats from both East and West are consolidated with a distinctly American flavor. This is because the emotions and lessons presented to us are new renditions of classic moral quandaries presented most distinctly in American super-hero culture.
Emotion is always the most important part of storytelling in any format, and the show always remembers to keep everyone’s actions centered around core desires. This allows for a lot of great storytelling with important lessons weaved into it. This episode is all about power and the path to the dark side that it can often lead people to. He-Man, like many other great villains, is consumed by a singular purpose with what we would consider good intentions at the root level. For him, he wants simply to protect everyone he loves, but now he is willing to cross any line to accomplish that goal. This is a central struggle in Western superhero storytelling, which is the idea that if you’re a moral character, and you cross a certain line (murder) then you are no longer a hero anymore.
He-Man is told by his father that to defeat an opponent and to destroy them are two very different things. It’s the Batman versus Joker debate: wouldn’t it make more sense to just kill the Joker and spare all the people he’s going to harm? Why go through all the trouble of having to battle the same villain over and over again? In this episode He-Man has clearly made his decision and it’s up to everyone to stop him. His friends also teach us another valuable lesson, that sometimes if you really care about someone you have to be willing to step up and protect them from themselves.. by punching them in the face. –Henry Finn
Locke & Key – “Freebird” (S3E6, Netflix)
Continued belowRead our full review by Alexander Manzo.
The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power – “The Great Wave” (S1E4, Amazon Prime)
There’s a term Tolkien devised to describe an improbable good turn of events: eucatastrophe. “The Great Wave” feels like a whole exercise in this: Galadriel spends the whole episode trying to convince Miriel to save the Southlands from Sauron, but the Queen Regent — who saw Numenor’s doom through the Palantir — refuses, believing that, because her vision began with Galadriel’s arrival, allying with her would set in motion this disastrous course of events. It’s only when Galadriel is deported, and the petals of the White Tree begin to fall, that Miriel realizes she’s made a terrible mistake, and declares she will lead an expeditionary force to the Southlands with the Elven Commander.
Elsewhere in Numenor, we learn the voice Isildur hears on the sea is that of his mother, and that both he and his brother Anarion are obsessed with venturing to the Undying Lands to see her again. Isildur’s daydreaming causes him and his friends to fail their trial to join the Sea Guard, though the recruitment for Miriel’s expedition means they are not deprived of purpose for long. Elendil, who’s been busy with the court this week, is surprised and perhaps a little perturbed to see his son volunteering. Meanwhile, Earien winds up going out to dinner with Kemen (Leon Wadham), son of Pharazon, who’s also a member of the Builders’ Guild.
In Eregion, work on the Great Forge is underway, but Celebrimbor tells Elrond he suspects Prince Durin is hiding something. Although Disa puts up a good front, she’s no match for Elrond’s Elvish senses, and he finds her husband overseeing operations in an old mine after discovering mithril (the metal that will be used to make Frodo’s vest someday.) Their conversation inadvertently prevents Durin from being trapped when a cave-in occurs, and while he manages to save the other four miners, he becomes angry with his father over the incident. Elrond comforts him, telling him it’s only natural to have mixed feelings about one’s parents, sharing the story of his father, Earendil the Mariner. It’s a touching sequence, one that cements Elrond and Durin’s friendship as the most heartfelt and endearing on the show.
In the Southlands, Adar (Joseph Mawle) introduces himself to Arondir: for now, it seems he’s a fallen Elf (a proto-Orc, perhaps?) with delusions of apotheosis. He lets him go with a message for the Southlanders: submit or die. Over at the Elves’ watchtower, the refugees gather, and Theo defies Bronwyn to return to the village to gather supplies. He encounters Orcs hunting for the sword hilt he found, and despite his best efforts, he’s only saved by Arondir’s timely arrival. (This isn’t a eucatastrophe by the way, where else would he start?) Back at the watchtower, Arondir shares Adar’s message with Bronwyn, while Theo learns at least one of the villagers — Waldreg (Geoff Morrell) — is willing to embrace his people’s evil legacy as allies of Morgoth. – Christopher Chiu-Tabet
Paper Girls – “It B Over” (S1E8, Amazon Prime)
Read our full review of the season, and series, finale by Reid Carter.
Resident Alien – “Cat and Mouse” (S2E14, Syfy)
Read our full review by Christopher Chiu-Tabet.
Samurai Rabbit: The Usagi Chronicles – “The Fuzzy Pony” (S2E3, NETFLIX)
I cannot get a grasp on this season at all, can I? “Game Dogs” was a pretty lackluster episode but “The Fuzzy Pony” is solid through and through. The action is much improved, the comedy actually lands, and even the directing felt more daring and sharp. Sure the ongoing plot’s still paper thin but that’s hard to improve for just one episode. I think a lot of my positive thoughts come from how Yuichi was utilized. Rather than being front and center, he takes a backseat to Chizu, Kitsune and Gen, and spends most of the time acting as a foil to Gen as they go from increasingly cute location to increasingly cute location.
The excitement and glee in Gen’s eyes as he gets to plan the best birthday party for Kitsune was a ton of fun. I disagree with Gen’s assessment that Kitsune wanted “cute” rather than “fight” but you can’t argue with the results. You especially can’t argue with the scene where the Super Ultra Mega Cute Deluxe Birthday Bash package or whatever was described with all the flair of a medicine commercial disclaimer. And that slow zoom? Excellent.
Continued belowI was a little frustrated that we were teased with Kitsune’s backstory and instead got more Chizu antics. She’s the only one we haven’t gotten much for yet and it’s starting to feel weird considering they blew through everyone else’s in two episodes at the start of season 1. That said, I like the mystery and it fits the character. I also prefer this kind of slower burn character development to the kitchen sink approach the series has taken. We learn a lot about Kitsune just through her actions and reactions to Chizu leaving and while we don’t know the specifics, the important bits shine through.
Speaking of Chizu, she’s now the Neko Ninja Crew leader! That was…fast. We got the gang back together after splitting them up only to split them up again. It makes sense Chizu would do this, seeing as how the problem with the Neko Ninja is both Lady Fuwa AND the crew’s ethos in general, so freeing the batch of indoctrinated kids wouldn’t actually solve the problem writ large. It’s a fun new dynamic and actually makes the series feel bigger rather than smaller.
Not physically though. The whole thing still feels as empty as a beer keg after a college rager or a particularly dull poetry reading. Can we please have some background characters be, you know, in the background? Please? If we can get a supremely awkward dance by Fuzzy Pony, I think we can get a couple randos milling about in the background.
Can I also praise the Fuwa/Chizu fight? That was great. It felt like a real fight with weight and form and an arc. Plus it gave Fuwa the chance to actually be kinda menacing for once. We certainly will be seeing more of her later in the season, but first, the return of the robots and their mysterious eggs? Ikuzo! – Elias Rosner
The Sandman – “The Doll’s House” (S1E7, Netflix)
Read our full review by august (in the wake of) dawn.
She-Hulk: Attorney at Law – “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans” (S1E5, Disney+)
It finally feels like She-Hulk: Attorney at Law is most of the way out of its awkward phase. It’s normal for a show, especially a sitcom, to take a minute to find its legs. This show had the added high concept and cinematic universe to contend with while figuring itself out, though, and that’s not an easy needle to thread. With “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans,” Marvel’s legal comedy doesn’t reach its full potential, but it absolutely feels like the most confident version of itself.
For one thing, this is the first episode not to feature a major cameo and the show is better for it. As fun as Wong, Abomination, and Hulk are, it’s definitely nice to let the core cast shine all on their own. The A-plot this week follows Jen as she attempts to fight Titania’s trademark of the name She-Hulk. It’s a top notch storyline that weaves together laugh out loud comedy (particularly from Jameela Jamil) with a compelling legal fight, which is exactly what this show was built to deliver. Better yet, the episode does the good work of bringing some more depth to Jen’s life at GLK&H. Jen’s boss forces her to take on firm rival Mallory Book as her lawyer in this matter and while the two clash in some ways, the episode ends with the pair developing real respect for one another. It’s not mind-blowing television but it’s exactly the kind of thing that makes a show’s world feel more full.
Where the last couple of episodes relied on the broader MCU, the more narrow universe of Jen, her family, and her firm feels much more rich in “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans” than it has in the past. Plus, as funny as Benedict Wong was, putting actual sitcom stars Jameela Jamil and Renée Elise Goldsberry in the spotlight means that this is a story filled with subtle movements and inflections that bring big laughs (just look at Renée Elise Goldsberry’s performance as she reads Jen’s dating app bio).
The B-plot is a bit more of a mixed bag. Now, the Drip Broker (excellently portrayed by The Flight Attendant’s Griffin Matthews) is easily the best invention of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law thus far. He’s hilarious and the idea that you have to get to him by buying knock-off Avengers merch is absolutely incredible (and “Avongers” shirts better populate the MCU for the rest of time). The beef I’ve got with this storyline is the way that it lets down Pug and Nikki as characters. Ginger Gonzaga and Josh Segarra are charismatic, talented actors with an easy chemistry that makes them a blast to watch. The characters’ dynamic is fun, with Ginger as the straight-man to Pug’s sneaker-head himbo and it’s easy to imagine all of the misadventures they could get into in a proper sitcom. But ultimately, their search for the Drip Broker for the sake of designer clothes for Nikki and Iron Man shoes for Pug (two pairs: one to wear, one to keep in the box) leads to nothing for them as characters. It’s all for the sake of Jennifer getting a costume and a tease about Daredevil showing up. Great as those two things may be, it’d be nice to see the side characters of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law get a little more love. These should be fully fleshed out characters with lives beyond their utility to Jennifer. This was a solid opportunity to give them that while still weaving their story into Jen’s but they end up feeling like afterthoughts.
Continued belowStill, this is arguably the most successful episode of She-Hulk: Attorney at Law to date. Tatiana Maslany is still a superstar and it’s a delight to watch her week to week. Here’s hoping next week continues the trends of “Mean, Green, and Straight Poured into These Jeans.” –Quinn Tassin
Star Trek: Lower Decks – “Room for Growth” (S3E4, Paramount+)
Read our full review by Joe Skonce.
Stargirl – “Frenemies – Chapter Three: The Blackmail” (S3E3, The CW)
I’ve got to hand it to Stargirl; I keep expecting the show to begin the rehab process on Sylvester, but that isn’t what’s happening at all. I mean, the guy isn’t a villain, but it is hard to call him a good guy right now. He’s easily the most impulsive person involved with the JSA, and he’s also the oldest. His ego is out of control, and he has no social graces whatsoever. Now, obviously, the details of his resurrection may have something to do with why he’s such a prick, but in all the flashbacks we’ve seen, this seems par for the course. It’s a bold move, because he is such an important and beloved figure on the show, but it is also a good decision. There’s no nostalgia for the past here; Courtney and co. are clearly the better JSA at this point.
The murder of the Gambler is still at the heart of the season, and we find out that he, until recently, was blackmailing the Crocks, which made them suspects for his murder. While the show has been doing a good job checking off potential killers, they really haven’t added too many suspects, either. At this point, it seems like the killer isn’t going to be somewhat that we really know or suspect, which will likely make it a slightly underwhelming reveal. Last season, we saw Mr. Bones and the DEO emerge as players, but this seems about as far from a covert government assassination as you can get.
The only real complaint I have with the season so far is the amount of rehash that we are getting each week around Cindy and the Crocks. We get it, they were criminals. And yes, they probably aren’t totally trustworthy, but their status is all that anyone is really discussing. We’ve had almost no time with Beth, Rick, or Yolanda this season, and any time they are on screen, they’re basically arguing about Cindy. It was nice to see Yolanda and Sylvester share a scene this week, but even that felt rushed. Sylvester is the logical link to the legacies of the past for the young JSA, and this is the first time he’s so much as mentioned a former teammate. That both shows his selfishness and the show’s misuse of him. – Brian Salvatore
