Wednesday, 8 November 2017

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters 2 #1 - Comic Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

‘It was all because of a simple accident. Whilst testing teleportation technology, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles found themselves in another dimensional New York – the New York City of the Ghostbusters.

 ‘Together, they fended off Chi-You, a member of the Pantheon that had been meddling in the affairs of the Turtles’ earth for centuries. They also constructed an interdimensional portal in the Ghostbusters firehouse, a device the Turtles then used to return home, and something that the Ghostbusters have been experimenting with ever since.

 ‘And that was it … Until now.’

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters 2 reunites the two iconic teams as the Turtles run into trouble on their way back from Dimension X (as seen in the events of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #75) and must turn to the Ghostbusters for help.

The first issue of this crossover event spends a lot of time setting the stage for the action to come, having to not just include the events of the previous crossover, but also address the ongoing events of both individual books. Instead of allowing this to bog things down, the book manages to keep a steady pace and feel very accessible, even to a reader that has only a passing knowledge of the previous team-up.

This time around, the spirit of Darius Dun, a crime lord assassinated under the orders of Splinter, enlists the aid of the demonic entities The Collectors to track down and capture the Turtles and spirit them away as a punishment for Splinter. Donatello is able to escape from The Collectors long enough to reach the Ghostbusters’ dimension, calling on the team for help. Unfortunately for Donatello, The Collectors follow him and are able to drag him back to their ghostly purgatory alongside his brothers.

The rest of the book is given over to the daring plan thought up by the Ghostbusters, a plan that sets up the issues to come, and teams up one Turtle and one Ghostbuster across various dimensions.

Not a great deal happens in this first issue, but that’s because the author needs to pack in a lot of information, particularly in the last few pages, which outlines our heroes’ plan and the story to come. The artwork is gorgeous throughout, and the looks of both the Turtles and the Ghostbusters work well together despite their very different styles.

However, we do get a very brief glimpse at some of our characters entering different dimensions, complete with brand new art styles that affect even our heroes. How this will play out in coming issues, and the kinds of art we’ll see is anyone’s guess, but from previous experience of the Ghostbuster multiverse, it’s sure to be interesting.

With a strong basis that manages to bring together the ongoing mythology from two books, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles/Ghostbusters 2 #1 looks to be an interesting event series that will have heroes we know and love experience new and interesting adventures.


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The Flash ‘Luck Be A Lady’ Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

The fourth season of The Flash continues to push for a lighter and more comedic tone as it brings back a familiar face to rejoin Team Flash, and sets Barry (Grant Gustin) against one of the more interesting villains of the week the series has given us.

‘Luck Be A Lady’ has two main focuses, that of its villain of the week Hazard (Sugar Lyn Beard), and getting Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) back on the team; thankfully, the episode manages to nail both of these stories and is only let down by some minor moments.

With Tom Cavanagh having previously played a different version of Harrison Wells each season thanks to the series making use of parallel worlds, it became a question of who he would be playing following the death of HR Wells at the end of season three. Would it be a Wells that we’ve already met, or would he be yet another version from an Earth we’ve not seen before.

Whilst the show could have had a lot of fun with introducing yet another version of the character (the scene from the previous season where we saw steampunk and cowboy Wells still stands out as particularly fun) the continued introduction of new Wells’ could have become boring over time. As such, the series makes the better choice of having Harry Wells of Earth-2 return.

Thanks to spending a whole season with Team Flash previously, and visiting multiple times during last season, this version of Wells has a lot of history and shorthand with our characters to draw upon, making him fit in almost immediately. We get to skip the set-up of ‘what kind of person is this Wells’, or any question about if he can be trusted, and go straight to having him as a fun addition to the series.

The scene where he attempts to deliver a Break-Up Cube (why is that not being developed in the real world?) to Wally (Keiynan Lonsdale) is so awkward and weird that it hits the perfect tone for the series. Thankfully, this shift to humour isn’t limited to just Wells, but also follows the villain of the week around like a lost puppy. With powers that affect the luck of those around her, Hazard is one of the funniest, yet more sympathetic, villains the series has given us.


Spending the whole of the opening scene with Becky, showing how bad her life was before she got her abilities, means that you never really see her as a villain, more a person who is taking advantage of their immense good luck to try and enjoy their life for once. The fact that she never intentionally goes out of her way to hurt or threaten anyone helps a great deal with this. Her luck based powers also means that the writing staff get to have a lot of fun whenever they send Barry up against her, beginning with him slipping over on a pile of marbles, and culminating in him falling down, accidentally cuffing himself with power dampening handcuffs and getting trapped under a big flashing sign.

These moments are so slapstick and over the top that they shouldn’t really work, but manage to fit so well in the episode because the characters know that these moments are ridiculous and acknowledge that. Whilst Hazard is enjoyable as a villain that challenges Barry and the team in a way that we’ve never seen before, her defeat because of a science loophole feels very much like an easy solution to a difficult corner that the writers put themselves in.

This episode also goes a long way to revealing some important answers as to where these new villains are coming from (something that I thought the show would hold back for a few more episodes at least). It turns out that the new metahumans were accidentally created by a burst of dark matter hitting a bus when Barry was released from the Speed Force in the first episode.

Whilst not the first time that the team has created it’s own villains, it does feel different enough in a way for it to still be interesting. Hopefully, this won’t result in Barry or the other members of the team going on to blame themselves for the event of the season. Having just moved away from a season much darker in tone it would be a shame to accidentally slip backwards.

The main stumbling blocks this episode had, however, were the strange scene in which Iris (Candice Patton) and Barry decide to get married on the spot, which feels out of place for the characters and has some jokes that don’t quite stick the landing; and the sudden departure of Wally West. Despite the sudden ending of his relationship at the start of the episode there’s been very little this season to suggest that Wally doesn’t feel a full and integral part of the team as Kid Flash, so it feels out of place at the end of the episode when he chooses to leave town.

Whilst the show was always going to struggle with an additional speedster in the main cast, it’s not an impossible problem to get around, and could be good with some creative storytelling. Instead, Wally has been sidelined because the writers don’t know what to do with him. Hopefully he’ll get the treatment he deserves in future episodes, perhaps even making the leap over to Legends of Tomorrow as some fans have suggested, where he may get better development as part of their ensemble cast.

A fun and enjoyable episode that manages to pack in some great character moments and laugh out loud comedy, The Flash continues to prove to be one of the more enjoyable series in the CW DC Universe.


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Tuesday, 7 November 2017

Mighty Morphin Power Rangers Graphic Novel Volume 5 Details Released



The synopsis and cover art for the fifth volume of Boom! Studios Mighty Morphin Power Rangers ongoing comic has been released online, following this weeks release of the fourth volume in stores.

Set for release in May 2018, Volume Five collects together issues #17 - #20 of the title.

'The hit Mighty Morphin Power Rangers comic enters its second year!

 'The team is reunited, but everything's changed. Without the guidance of Zordon or the constant attacks from Rita, the Power Rangers must discover what it means to be a hero in this brave new world. Finding new allies and facing new villains, a lost history of Zordon's first Power Rangers team on Earth will be uncovered.

 'From Kyle Higgins (Nightwing) and Hendry Prasetya (Power Girl) comes a change to the status quo. Also featuring The Adventures of Squatt and Babboo from Ryan Ferrier (Kennel Block Blues) and Bachan (Bill and Ted Save the Universe).
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The Shining Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

The second film adaptation of a Stephen King novel after the successful Carrie just four years before, The Shining pushes horror from graphic scares to slow building psychological tension as the audience is subjected to a descent into madness.

Struggling writer and recovering alcoholic Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson) takes on the position of winter caretaker for the Overlook Hotel in the isolates Colorado Rockies, joined by his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) and young son Danny (Danny Lloyd). The Overlook’s cook, Dick Hallorann (Scatman Crothers), shows Wendy and Danny around the hotel, and discovers that Danny has ‘the shining’; a series of psychic abilities that Hallorann also possesses. Hallorann warns Danny about the hotel and tells him that there are bad memories within its walls. When a winter storm leaves the Torrance family isolated, Jack’s sanity is pushed to the edge when he falls afoul of the spirits that haunt the Overlook, including that of the former winter caretaker, who went insane and murdered his wife and daughters before killing himself.

From the very first scenes, The Shining sets itself apart from many other horror film, shying away from dark, cramped hallways and quick cuts; instead giving audiences bright daytime scenes, large rooms, and slow tracking shots. It’s a very different kind of horror film, one that relies upon disorientation and strong character acting to build fear and tension rather than jump scares and half hidden monsters. It’s probably this that helps the film stand the test of time as a classic; the fact that there are no special effects that age badly, nor monster makeup that looks dated.

We don’t have monsters stalking our characters, but the hotel itself. Designed to disorient and bewilder, the Overlook Hotel is alive in its own way, playing with the minds of not just the characters but the audience too. The manager’s office is in the centre of the hotel, yet has a window looking outside; Dick Hollorann takes Wendy and Danny into a room on the left side of the hallway, yet when they exit it’s on the other side; corridors in the hotel appear to hold both rooms and elevators despite only being six feet deep. The very set design is wrong, it doesn’t work, and that adds to the sense of unease that runs throughout.

These design choices, and the way that Kubrick shoots the film, mean that scenes that would normally be disturbing in themselves become the standard with an ever-present pervasive tension and fear. When the spirits of the hotel do actually manifest to terrorise the Torrance family, these moments become heightened. And it’s these moments that have gone on to become some of the most iconic in cinema, especially the scene in which Danny comes across the ghostly vision of the murdered Grady twins; which has been recreated and parodied to the point where even people who haven’t seen The Shining know where it’s from.


However, it’s not just the design and direction that deserve praising; the acting also sets the film above many other entries in the horror genre. With such a small main cast, so much focus is given over to the Torrance family, and both Jack Nicholson and Shelley Duvall give their all in their portrayal of a family being slowly destroyed by supernatural forces. Always convincing as ‘unhinged’, Nicholson is believable as a man haunted not just by the ghosts of the hotel, but those of his former addiction. In some ways the film could almost be a story of addiction, and the effect that it has on a person and their loved ones; fortunately, Jack isn’t the only character to experience the paranormal, so we don’t have to question if it’s all inside his head.

Duvall is often overlooked for her performance, with Nicholson receiving much of the praise. Whilst Nicholson is great as a man succumbing to madness, Duvall gives the stronger performance, literally screaming for her life in the final acts. Caught in the middle between a husband with a history of addiction and violence, and a son with a strange ability that they don’t understand, she is forced to contend with her world falling apart around her.

Despite being imitated in film and television countless times, The Shining continues to impress, not just as a horror story, but as a masterclass in how to make a film. Though not the most faithful adaptation of a Stephen King novel, it captures the feel of the book in such a way that it’s still one of the best.


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Supergirl ‘Far From The Tree’ Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

The third season of Supergirl continues to prove that it was not only a good choice for the CW to pick up a cancelled series, but that it works incredibly well within their shared multi-verse, able to tackle some serious and emotional storylines without losing the sense of fun that makes the series enjoyable.

Supergirl (Melissa Benoist) herself, and most of the rest of the cast, took a back seat for this episode so that J’onn (David Harewood) and Maggie (Floriana Lima) could take centre stage. Whilst the show (and the other CW DC Universe series) often benefit from having a larger cast to draw from, it often means that certain characters don’t get a chance to shine. Taking the time to focus on one or two of the supporting characters like this is a good choice, and is hopefully one that the show will continue to make throughout the rest of season 3.

Following the receipt of a psychic message from M’gann (Sharon Leal) telling J’onn that he needs to come to Mars as soon as possible, Kara volunteers to join him. Whilst he initially thinks it’s better for her to stay on Earth to take part in Alex’s (Chyler Leigh) wedding shower both women tell him that he’s a part of their family, and that if Alex could go with them she would too. This is a nice moment, one that adds to the idea that Alex and Kara see J’onn as a father figure; which is a theme that will be very important in this episode.


Travelling to Mars, in a shapeshifting 1950’s convertible, Kara and J’onn learn that M’gann called them to Mars because they had found another Green Martian survivor, J’onn’s father M’yrnn, played by the voice of Martian Manhunter from the Justice League and Justice League Unlimited cartoon series ,Carl Lumbly. On Earth, Maggie must also confront a father that she believed to be forever gone from her life, when she decides to try to reconnect with her estranged father Oscar (Carlos Bernard).


We learn more of Maggie’s tragic backstory this week through conversation with Eliza (Helen Slater), where she discloses that after her father found out that his teenage daughter was gay, drove her off to her aunts and left her there, simply telling her, “you have shamed me”. It’s a moving moment, and one that was genuinely difficult to listen to. Unfortunately, despite some initial appearances that the two of them may reconcile their differences by the end of the episode, it doesn’t play out that way, with Oscar walking out of the bridal shower.

We discover that this isn’t just down to straightforward homophobia, but due to some deep trauma that Oscar himself has experienced in his life. He tells Maggie that he was racially abused as a child, and had to fight for acceptance, but despite appearances the world hasn’t changed that much. The moment when he says ‘they’re building a wall to keep us out because in their minds we’re nothing but rapists and murderers. The only thing they hate more than a mexicano, is a homosexual’ is so deeply shocking because it feels out of place for Supergirl’s world, but so relevant for our world.

Despite the negative emotions in this scene, despite it talking about very relevant prejudices and hates that people face day to day in their real lives, this is one of the most beautiful scenes the series has ever done. It’s powerful. It’s emotional. It’s important. People watch shows like Supergirl to escape from the real world, so when it incorporates the real world in such a powerful way it’s jarring, but in a good way. Yes, it does feel out of place for the world of the show to be building a wall between Mexico and America, especially as the America of the series has welcomed aliens with open arms; but it’s that important a discussion that it kind of needs to break that fourth wall and talk about real life.

Back on Mars, J’onn has to go on a similar emotional journey to reconnect with his father, to prove to him that he’s not just a White Martian trick. The moment when J’onn shares one of his most loved memories with M’yrnn, of J’onns daughters plotting with M’yrnn to surprise J’onn on his birthday is surprisingly touching, especially as it’s a scene where everyone in it is cgi. Fathers are an important part of this story, and it gives two very different outcomes; one where a father embraces their son in an emotional reunion, and one where a father pushes his daughter further away because of the fear and hatred he has experienced in his own life.

Despite these heavy moment, the episode manages to provide a number of lighter touches, though mostly based around J’onn’z car. The moment when Kara slowly rolls into the White Martian base asking for directions whilst Britney Spears plays on the radio is utterly ridiculous, but provides a genuinely funny touch to an emotionally filled story.

‘Far From The Tree’ shows that Supergirl is able to not only focus on its hero, but can provide deep and fulfilling stories for its side characters too. It also manages to include so much of the lightheartedness and hope that have come to be an important part of the series. Hopefully this will be the tone of the rest of the series to come.


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Perfect Blue Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

‘Mimi was a pop idol, worshipped by the masses until fashion dictated otherwise. In order to salvage her career, she is advised to drop music and pursue acting. She is offered a main role in a popular series, but the character is less clean cut than she would like. Regardless, she agrees to the part, but events take a turn for the worse. When she suspects that someone is stalking her, finds a website that seems to know every intimate detail of her life, and people she knows begins to be murdered, Mimi’s grip on reality itself begins to slip.’

Cartoons aren’t just for kids. Perfect Blue is a perfect example of this. Whilst some animes designed for an adult audience rely on ultra violence or sex to set it apart from those made for kids, Perfect Blue forgoes much of this to tell a story of a young woman being drawn into a darker world, one that leads her down a path towards madness.

The directorial debut of one of the greatest anime directors of all time, Satoshi Kon, Perfect Blue tells a very real story of a very real person; of a young woman desperate to remain in the entertainment industry, even if that means having to reinvent herself and to do some things that goes against her clean cut image. Perhaps more so than when the film was first released 20 years ago, but this is a story that many people will be familiar with.

As a popular young singer who has to forgo her innocent image in order to remain popular, Mimi works well as a surrogate for many young women in the entertainment industry, bringing to mind such names as Miley Cyrus or Lindsay Lohan. Whilst the media present such young women as excessive and the victims of their own success, Perfect Blue shows its heroine as something of a naive person. She wants to leave pop singing behind and challenge herself as an actor, but only gets small single line parts to begin with. At the insistence of her agent she takes on a more serious role, one that involves her taking part in a graphic rape scene.

Mimi is talked into doing this by the people around her, and is desperate to please and further her career, so doesn’t realise the impact such a role with have on her image, or her mental health. Indeed, this idea is further emphasised later in the film when Mimi takes part in a photo shoot where the photographer convinces her to remove her clothing. The resulting images, some of which are bordering on the pornographic, are released in magazines without Mimi’s knowledge, furthering the emotional distress the experiences at being used by those around her.


Whilst these events have their toll on Mimi’s health, it’s ultimately the actions of a small number of her fans, and one particularly obsessed fan, that pushes her further into mental decline. Discovering a fan website that is written as if she were the author, she begins to question if she is doing the right thing, how the writer can know so much about her life, and if she may even have another personality that hates her for what she’s done.

As the film goes on, Mimi’s grip on reality loosens, and as a result the events of the film become more confusing and fractured, resulting in the audience questioning what is and isn’t real as much as the characters.

The scenes take on surreal quality, cutting between events in such a way that you’re not sure if what you’ve just seen was real or not. It puts you in the same position as Mimi, it lets you experience an event they way she does without any additional content to let you know if what has happened is within her mind or actual events. Towards the latter half of the film I thought that I had a good handle on what was actually happening, before having this opinion changed by a new development, before shifting yet again.

It’s fairly clear what actually happened by the end of the film, though some do still debate what exactly does happen even 20 years after the film came out. However, I won’t tell you anything about the last act of the film here, as if you haven’t seen Perfect Blue you really need to go and watch it without having the final events of the film spoilt for you.

Perfect Blue is often cited as inspiration for the film Black Swan, and it’s hard to deny that the two have a lot in common. Much like the Aronofsky film, Perfect Blue pushes the lines between reality and madness, it uses strange transitions and cuts to alter events, it’s score at times feels mesmerizing and otherworldly, and it’s lead character is convincing as young woman losing herself within the strangeness of the world around her.

Perfect Blue is one of the best psychological thrillers in cinema, but is sadly overlooked by many due to it being an animated film. If you haven’t seen Perfect Blue (and odds are you probably haven’t) take advantage of the 20th anniversary re-release and go and watch what is easily one of the greatest animated films ever made.


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Power Rangers Ninja Steel ‘Abrakadanger’ Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

Power Rangers Ninja Steel has only two episodes left of the season (three if you count the Christmas Special), and is still giving us poorly thought through and pointless adventure of the week stories rather than delivering anything close to a main story or season arc.

The latest episode sees Preston (Peter Sudarso) receive a book of magic spells and a dragon wand from Princess Viera (Ruby Love), whilst Hayley (Zoe Robins) plays tennis against Victor Vincent (Chris Reid). Along with the magic book, Preston is given a message from Viera telling him that he must learn the spells within the book in the correct order, if he skips ahead something terrible could happen. A good moral lesson for children, learn to do things properly and don’t try to jump to the end; not the best kind of message but one that makes sense at least.

Unfortunately, because the writers seem to be catering to an audience with an age of five, and because they treat the characters like complete idiots, Preston ignores this very clear message and immediately jumps ahead, resulting in him making Hayley invisible.

The result of this is that Hayley must try to play tennis against Victor under a baggy tracksuit and welding mask so that people can’t tell she’s invisible. It’s ridiculous. I can’t even see how children would find these events entertaining or funny. After a quick chat with Mick (Kelson Henderson), who has now simply become the moral lesson giver of the season, Preston sees that he needs to work hard at something and practice in order to become good, the same way that Hayley has worked hard at her tennis for the last year. The result of this? Preston masters all of the books spells and becomes a master wizard in an hour.

This is the kind of trap that the season has fallen into in the past. Last episode Redbot (Byron Coll) was forgiven for telling dozens of lies because he did one good thing. Earlier in the season Calvin (Nico Greetham) went from unable to even ride a bike to passing his driving test in a single afternoon.

Power Rangers has been heavy handed with moral stories in the past. It’s told some pretty ridiculous stories to get children to think about doing the right thing. But it has never been as badly handled as Ninja Steel. This season seems to be telling viewers that they can do anything they want, can pass any test, or master anything straight away with little effort. This episode could have had Preston learn a spell or two and end with him saying that he needed more practice to master them all, to tell children that time and dedication are important. Instead it takes fails as both a story and a lesson for children.

Whilst this episode did feature a monster with an absolutely amazing design and name, Abrakadanger, but is so overwhelmed by such a poor episode that I can’t help but feel robbed of what could have been one of the best monsters of the season.

Power Rangers Ninja Steel continues to miss the mark, to write stories that lack any of the charm or fun of previous season. It tells strange moral stories and includes such ridiculous humour that even the youngest of viewers will find it unentertaining. With only two episodes before the end of the season it looks more and more likely that the series will be unable to turn itself around, leading to one of the worst seasons of the franchise’s 25 year history.


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The Walking Dead ‘The Damned’ Review



Originally published on Set The Tape

The second episode of The Walking Dead season eight continues with the theme of ‘all out war’ as it presents a number of stories of the people of Alexandria, Hilltop, and the Kingdom assaulting Saviour camps and outposts.

Following the singular assault that was the main focus of the premier episode, ‘The Damned’ splits our characters off into four groups, widening the war against the Saviours and using the confusion at the Sanctuary to their advantage.

Compared to previous seasons, where each of these four stories would be spread out over four separate episodes, here they’re all told at the same time, giving the story a sense of pace that The Walking Dead has severely lacked in the past. Whilst this is a good thing, there are a number of plot points that feel underdeveloped as a result of this mashing of stories.

The action is spread across four groups: Tara (Alanna Masterson), Jesus (Tom Payne), and Morgan (Lennie James) attacking the satellite facility Rick and his group assaulted way back in season six; Carol (Melissa McBride), Ezekiel (Khary Payton), and other members of The Kingdom track down a wounded Saviour; Aaron (Ross Marquand) and Eric (Jordan Woods-Robinson) pin down a group of Saviours; and Rick (Andrew Lincoln) and Daryl (Norman Reedus) try to track down some high calibre guns.

The Carol and Ezekiel story is easily the weakest in the episode, with the group essentially just following a trail through the woods for several minutes before finally finding the man they were looking for. Even after all that build up, however, we fail to get a satisfying resolution as the tiger comes out of nowhere to kill the man before our characters even get close to him. Whilst the surprise tiger pounce in the season seven finale was a moment that stands out, repeating it again just two episodes later is rather weak.

The group led by Aaron and Eric had something of a strange mission, simply keeping a group of Saviours pinned down in their compound. Whilst part way through the assault we discover that this is in part to allow those Saviours that they’ve shot time to turn into walkers and attack their former friends, it’s a plan that only feels half good because it’s never really explained.

Are they keeping the Saviours busy or do they actually want to take the compound? Are there only the Saviours outside the front to worry about or are there more inside? Is there a back way out of the compound, and if so are our group doing anything about it?

Because there are so many questions about this particular plot point left hanging there’s no real sense of what our heroes are trying to achieve, and it’s hard to tell towards the end if they start losing because more Saviours have arrived to help, or if they enemy has just fought back hard enough.

Sadly, one thing that they do decide to do with this story is shoot Eric in the stomach. Whilst his fate is yet to be determined it’s very hard to see him being able to survive a wound like that in this kind of scenario. Whilst I’m not particularly attached to Eric in any major way and he’s had very little screen time, is this going to be another example of the show killing off an LGBT+ character for no real reason, like Denise (Merritt Wever) in season six?

Thankfully, we do get some better character moments in the assault (re-assault?) on the satellite facility as we see a darker side of Tara. It’s nice to be able to see some moral clashing, even during what is supposed to be a war for survival, as she and Jesus argue about what’s the right thing to do, whether they should take prisoners or simply kill people outright.

With Morgan having given up his pacifist ways, perhaps Jesus is stepping up to take over a similar role, to be that voice that tries to keep the group from straying too far down a dark path. Even after almost being killed by a Saviour pretending to surrender Jesus refuses to shift from his position, going on to stop the group from killing over a dozen others. How this will continue to play out over the rest of the season is anyone’s guess, though this is surely not the end of this moral debate.

Sadly, these sections are let down by Morgan, who appears to have become something of a parody. After telling a couple of guys that he can risk his life because he ‘doesn’t die’, he indeed survives being shot point blank; a moment that kills the other two. Perhaps because sudden and unexpected death seems to be a thing of the past for main characters on this show, or maybe because Morgan just blatantly said he wouldn’t be killed, but I wasn’t worried in the slightest when he was shot. I knew the show wouldn’t let him be dead, and as such any tension or drama was missing from this event.

The one surprise that that the episode did manage to deliver well was the reappearance of Morales (Juan Gabriel Pareja), who we haven’t seen since way back in season one. One of the original members of Rick’s group in Atlanta, he reappears moments after Rick discovers that he just murdered a man protecting his baby to hold our leader at gunpoint. This is a character whose fate fans of the series have been asking for years, so his sudden reappearance as a saviour is genuinely a surprise, one that will leave viewers guessing as to what happens next for a week as the episode ends with him telling Rick that he has called for reinforcements, telling Rick to surrender.

‘The Damned’ manages to miss a lot of the sour notes that made the first episode of the season suffer by putting aside time shifts and narrative complications to simply focus on events. Unfortunately, some ill thought through and poorly developed storylines means that despite being a stronger episode than the season premiere, there were still a number of issues that kept it from being truly great.


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Monday, 6 November 2017

Assassin's Creed Origins - The Assassins of Assassin’s Creed



Originally published on Set The Tape

With the advent of Assassin’s Creed: Origins this weekend, we have an all-new, potentially legendary assassin in Bayek, an ancient Egyptian warrior who embarks on a quest for vengeance following the murder of his son.

Each of the assassin protagonists across Ubisoft’s series, which celebrates ten years this year, have been varied, interesting and different. As Origins takes us to the untold beginnings of the historic war between the Assassins and the Templars, we explore all of the main assassins across the series…


 Desmond Miles (1987 – 2012)

 Raised member of the Assassin Order, constantly living in hiding from the Templars, Desmond left the Assassins at the age of 16. Desmond was later captured by the Templars when he was in his mid twenties and taken to Abstergo Industries, where he was placed inside the Animus, a device that would allow him to relive the genetic memories of his ancestors.

Eventually freed by the Assassins, Desmond and his allies tracked down an ancient artifact, the Apple of Eden, of immense power from the First Civilisation, a group of humans that came from before our history, and used it to prevent the destruction of Earth by a deadly solar storm. Desmond sacrificed his life to use this device and save all of humanity.


 Altair Ibn-La’Ahad (1165 – 1257)

 A member of the Levantine Brotherhood of Assassins, Altair was the youngest Assassin to obtain the rank of Master. After failing to obtain the Apple of Eden from the Templars, resulting in an attack on the Assassin headquarters, Altair was tasked with killing the Templar leaders.

During this mission Altair learnt that the Assassins leader, Al Mualim, had betrayed the order, and had to kill his former teacher. Now the leader of the Assassin Order, and with the Apple of Eden in his possession, Altair rebuilt the Order, setting in place teachings that would last for centuries.


Ezio Auditore da Firenze (1459 – 1524)

 A member of the Florentine nobility during the Renaissance, Ezio’s father was a member of the Assassin Order until he and Ezio’s brothers were killed by the Borgia’s, who were members of the Templar Order.

Fleeing Florence, Ezio managed to find the lost teachings of Altair, reunite fractured Assassins factions, and bring the Borgia reign to an end. He managed to prevent the Templar Order from capturing the Apple of Eden, liberating much of Italy from their rule.

Later in life, Ezio would travel to the home of Altair to discover the history of the Assassin Order, passing on his findings to the many Assassins Factions he founded. Ezio eventually died of a heart attack in Florence aged 65.


Ratonhnhake:ton/Connor (1756 – Unknown)

 Connor was a Master Assassin of the Colonial Brotherhood during the events of the Revolutionary War. Born of the Templar Haytham Kenway and the Kanien’keha:ka woman Kaniehti:io, Connor’s tribe was destroyed protecting a First Civilisation temple; setting Connor on a quest for vengeance.

Discovering that the Templars had all but destroyed the Colonial Assassins, Connor tracked down one of the few survivors, Achilles Davenport, and convinced him to train him to become an assassin.

Connor sided with the Patriot movement and worked with George Washington to combat the Templars, becoming an important figure within the Revolutionary War. Connor would eventually become disillusioned with Washington and disappeared after destroying an Apple of Eden.


 Edward Kenway (1693 – 1735)

 The grandfather of Ratonhnhake:ton, Edward Kenway was a privateer-turned-pirate and member of the West Indies and British Brotherhoods of Assassins.

After Edward was shipwrecked on an island with a wounded member of the Assassin Order, the young pirate accidentally found himself drawn into the war between the rival factions. Discovering that the Templars were after a First Civilisation site that would grant them great power, Edward fully joined the Assassin Order.

Edward was eventually killed by the Templar Grand Master for his research on the First Civilisation.


 Shay Cormac (1731 – Unknown)

 A former member of the Assassin’s Order, Shay would go on to join the Templars to hunt down his former comrades.

After finding and activating a First Civilisation facility on the order of the Colonial Assassins, he inadvertently caused a massive earthquake, killing hundreds. Turning his back on the Assassin Order, Shay vowed to stop them from activating a First Civilisation site even if he had to kill them all to do so.


 Arno Dorian (1768 – Unknown)

Arno was a member of the Parisian Brotherhood during the French Revolution, his father was killed by the rogue Assassin, Shay Cormac.

During his missions across France, Arno learnt that Napoleon Bonaparte was planning to use a First Civilisation artifact to take control of the country. Managing to stop Napoleon’s plans, Arno was able to recover the artifact, an Apple of Eden, and sends the artifact to Egypt.


 Jacob & Evie Frye (1847 – Unknown)

 Raised by Assassins since birth, twins Jacob and Evie travelled to London in order to take back the city from the Templars. Jacob and Evie led the Rooks, a criminal syndicate, against the Templar factions across London.

Together, the two Assassins were able to wrestle the control of the capital back to the Assassin’s Order, obtained the First Civilisation artifact ‘the Shroud of Eden’, and assassinated the Templar Grand Master Crawford Starrick.


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Sunday, 5 November 2017

Twitter Censors LGBT+ Content As Adult Content



The social media outlet Twitter has this weekend updated their policies to try to exclude 'adult content' from the site, and in doing so have blocked content from the LGBT+ community, including search results for the term bisexual, bisexuality, gay, and transsexual.

Twitter issued a blog post on 3 November confirming these changes.

'Online behaviour continues to evolve and change, and at Twitter, we have to ensure that those changes are reflected in our rules in ways that's easy to adhere to and understand. Today, we're publishing a new version of the Twitter Rules to clarify our policies and how we enforce them. While the fundamentals of our policies and our approach have not changed, this updated version presents our rules with more details and examples.'

Twitter included a small list of updated areas, including abusive behaviour, self-harm, spam, and adult content.

Whilst these changes aim to crack down on online abuse, members of the LGBT+ community have already found that numerous pieces of content have been removed, including images with the hashtag bisexual, and videos with the hashtag gay.

Where there can at times be adult content with many of these hashtags, the majority of posts using them do not contain offensive materials, and as such, Twitter is being called out for LGBT+ erasure, and Bi erasure in particular.


Whilst there are no image, video, or news results for #Bisexual, #Bisexuality, and #Transsexual, only some aspects of other LGBT+ hashtags have been blocked, such as images for #Gay.

Despite these changes in rules to try to remove 'adult content', Twitter if still filled with pornographic images and videos, with the only content that appears to be blocked so far being unrelated to the areas in which Twitter has said that it wants to police.

Many bisexual users on Twitter have expressed their concerns over this development. With bisexuality having a history of being overlooked in the past the removal of bisexual content is very concerning, as is the possible conflation of bisexuality being linked to promiscuity and increased sexual activity.

Twitter has yet to reverse these changes, or comment on the removal of LGBT+ content.


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