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! We’ll see you again in the new year.
Doctor Who – “The Giggle” (2023 Specials E3, BBC One/Disney+)
Read our full review by Kate Kosturski.
Hilda – “The Train to Tofoten” (S3E1, Netflix)
Read our full review by Matthew Garcia.
Hilda – “The Fairy Mound” (S3E2, Netflix)
When it opens, “The Fairy Mound” feels like it’s going to explore the mysteries around Tofoten. Despite how much Frida and David want to wander and explore the quaint qualities of the town, Hilda is certain something more is going on; she either ditches them to go ask questions or outright drags them to weird sights in the forest. No one believes her, or they don’t want to believe her, aware of what wild situations they’ll end up in. (And that they’ve already been in.) “There’s a reason why they’re called fairy tales and not just tales,” David tries to reason with her. Of course Hilda’s right, and she stumbles straight into some old world lore, with two hooded figures who lurk at the edge of town, their shadows stretched long across the green and that fairy mound, surrounded by her great-aunt’s charms.
However, the focus here is Johanna, and digging more into her lore, as it were. We learn Johanna grew up in Tofoten, and left when she was much younger. “I guess I outgrew it,” she tells Hilda. Immediately, Hilda sees how her stories conflict with each other, and all Johanna’s secrets and insecurities end up bubbling over.
“The Fairy Mound” struggles to remember everything Hilda learned and how to balance everything we love about her, that high energy, that unquenchable desire for adventure, with where she’s grown and changed. Turning the focus from a town or creature to her mother was a strong call. It is important for us to see people with the same fascination as the landscapes and creatures. There’s a scene where Johanna confesses to Hilda about her background in Tofoten, and the frame holds on Johanna, tight, allowing the character animation and Daisy Haggard to shine. It’s as breathtaking as some of Hilda’s more fantastic sequences, albeit in a more grounded, wrenching way. So much of these opening episodes have been about returning home, wondering if it’s the place for you, then remembering why you left.
With an abbreviated season, Hilda doesn’t have time to waste. But Luke Pearson, Stephanie Simpson, and Andy Coyle take the time to linger, to hold, to reflect. In turn, it reminds us of how special this show has been. – Matthew Garcia
Pluto – “Episode 8” (E8, Netflix)
Read our full review of the mini-series finale by Elias Rosner.
Scott Pilgrim Takes Off – “Whatever” (E4, Netflix)
In case you missed it, read our full review by James Dowling.
