Friday, 19 February 2016

Trans Beauty Queen Stripped of Title For Not Being 'Trans Enough'


Last year 23 year old transgender woman Jai Dara Latto, from Walkerburn in Scotland, was crowned as the winner of the Miss Transgender UK competition.  Now, however, she has been stripped of her title by the woman who runs Mis Transgender UK, Rachael Bailey, after claiming that Jai is not infact transgender.

The accusations come following Miss Bailey claiming to have seen footage of Jai from an upcoming BBC3 documentary, to air next month, in which Jai is filmed at home relaxing in a pair of boxer shorts and being seen working out at the gym in shorts and a t-shirt.

Miss Bailey claims that this is proof that Jai is not living her life full time as a woman, instead branding her as a drag queen.

Speaking to the Scotsman, Miss Bailey said 'When Jai entered the competition, she said that she was full time and she's not - she's a drag queen.  The documentary showed her living as a gay male in her boxer shorts.  Underwear is very important to transgender females - one of the first things people do is change their underwear as it makes us feel like we are finally a woman.'

'When I confronted her, she just said that I didn't have a leg to stand on and it is difficult.  It is basically one transgender person saying to another 'You're not transgender enough to be in our competition'.  It sounds daft when you put it like that.'

In addition to winning the title Jai was given a £3,000 modelling contract, which has also been taken away from her and awarded to another contestant, a £5,000 cash prize, and £10,000 worth of surgery in India.  Jai has already turned down the prize of surgery, wishing to wait for gender confirmation surgery on the NHS.

Jai has said that she was approached by Miss Bailey, who claimed that she had broken the terms and conditions of the competition by not being 'full time'.

She went on to say that, 'I am transgender.  It seems to me that Rachael has based her claims on her subjective information from having viewed the documentary Miss Transgender, which is yet to be aired.  I gave consideration to sharing a letter from my doctor on my gender dysphoria, but decided against it.'

'The documentary clearly shows me living full time  in my community, functioning on a daily basis, interacting with family, friends and others in my desired gender role.  Being transgender is not some exclusive club.  There are many of us in it and we are all different from one another.'


Rachael Bailey's fixation that only a certain way of dressing or presenting is what makes someone 'trans enough' is an incredibly shortsighted and damaging one.  It insists that not only do trans women have to match perfectly to some pre-ordained definition of female, but it's also quite misogynistic when you look at it.

Miss Bailey insists that only by wearing 'women's underwear' are you 'finally a woman', but would she levy these same rules onto a cisgender woman found wearing boxer shorts?  I very much doubt that.

These kind of views make it incredibly hard for trans women in society, as if you are seen to act in any way that is deemed 'masculine' it is suddenly used as an argument that it must be proof that your entire gender identity, presentation or even life is a construct based on a lie.  Miss Bailey is here saying that if you do not fit her very narrow view of what should be considered female it must automatically make you a man.

Well, I'm calling bullshit on that.  Wanting to wear boxer shorts to feel comfortable does not suddenly mean that you are lying about being a trans woman, if it did the same would have to apply to any woman who has ever worn boxer shorts, even for a moment.  Surely these other women are lying about who they are too.

It also begs the question of where else Rachael Bailey draws this line of rigid womanhood?  'You like the colour blue?  Sorry, you're not trans enough'.  'You prefer action films to romantic comedies?  Nope, you're a dude'.  'You have male friends and prefer beer over wine?  Well then you're just living a lie'.

This isn't as much about what makes a person trans enough (the answer to which is, if you're trans you're fucking trans enough!) but the way people view oppressive gender stereotypes.  You would hope that as a fellow trans woman Rachael Bailey would know better than to make those kind of judgements on other trans women, sadly it would appear that she does not.

Wanting to wear the clothes that make you feel comfortable doesn't change your gender identity.  Liking certain things does not change your gender identity.  Having a body that does match your gender identity does not change your gender identity.

I've been in this kind of situation myself, where another trans woman questioned my validity as a trans woman, where I was accused of being a closet cross-dresser or gay man because my Facebook didn't have enough picture of me out in public. It was crazy, it was frustrating and it was upsetting.  But it made me realise that for some people, no matter what the situation, sometimes nothing is ever enough.

So I'd say to Rachel Bailey what I said to this other person, 'who the fuck are you to judge other people's lives?'

You don't need anyone else's approval, you don't need to meet anyone's standards to be yourself.  You're all 'trans enough', whether you've finished your transition or if you've only just come out to yourself.  You're all 'trans enough'.  Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise.

Amy.
xx

Posted by at 6 comments:
Labels:

Male Student Told To Remove Elsa Fancy Dress Costume For 'Violating Gender Norms'


A 13 year old boy was forced to remove his fancy dress costume when his school principal deemed that it violated gender norms.

Last week at Ethan Chase Middle School in Menifee, California, students were permitted to attend classes in fancy dress costumes.  Students were encouraged to come dressed as characters from Disney movies.

Austin Lacey chose to attend dressed as Queen Elsa from Frozen, complete in sparkling blue dress and long blonde wig.  The costume was reported to be a hit with students, with many posing for pictures with him.

Unfortunately school principal Chris Hernandez was less than pleased with the costume and ordered Austin to remove it before he then confiscated it.

In a statement made by Romoland School District, superintendent Julie Vitale said, 'This action was taken in accordance with district policies.  At no time was there an indication that the student was expressing any particular message.  The principal's action was based upon the need to stop a general disruption to the school environment.'

The superintendent went on to state that the school district 'prides itself on having policies and practices that support all students regardless of gender identity or gender expression.'

Despite this reassurance Austin's mother, Brooke Francev, told local television stations that Austin 'was later informed that the principal does not believe that boys should be dressed like girls.  I can't believe that there are still people out there who hold those beliefs, especially on a day when it was intended in good fun.  It really shouldn't have been an issue.'

Austin is not transgender, by has said that since his treatment he's taking a stand on the rights that people have, and Austin's mother has said that other students were upset by the incident and wish to promote a week of cross-dressing in solidarity with the LGBT+ community.

The decision by principal Hernandez to force Austin to remove his costume is a questionable one at best, especially when the reasoning he gave was that it was 'causing a disruption'.  Unless Austin was the one and only student to take part in the school's fancy dress that day it is highly unlikely that he was the only person having pictures taken with him.

If the school did not want to 'cause a disruption' perhaps they should not have chosen to host a fancy dress day, an idea that was guaranteed to disrupt the normal school day.  Instead, it would appear that a school official used that as an excuse to hide their own prejudice at gender variance.

The fact that Austin is not a trans or gender variant teen should not be an issue here, it's the schools reaction that should be.  On a day where students are encouraged to dress up and have fun a student is singles out and punished because of the beliefs of one person that boys shouldn't be dressed as girls.  I truly hope that there are not trans or gender variant students at Ethan Chase Middle School, as it has become quite clear that they would not be made to feel welcome there.

Amy.
xx

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: ,

Arrow 'Sins Of The Father' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain plot points or story spoilt, please do not read further.


It would finally look like Arrow has decided to deal with it's Malcolm Merlyn problem.  After a shaky third season a lot of fans were looking forward to Arrow addressing a lot of the left over story lines from last year and putting some of them to bed, 'Sins of the Father' finally did just that.

The Arrow team aren't the focus of this weeks episode, despite it being about trying to save Thea's life, instead time is given over to finally resolving the Nyssa/Merlyn story, and the series definitely benefits from doing this.

One of my biggest issues with the last year and a half of stories from Arrow has been Merlyn, and his almost honorary membership to team Arrow.  In the comics Merlyn is Oliver's arch rival, his general Zod, Sabretooth or Sinestro.  He's supposed to be the evil version of what our hero is, so having him playing nice with Oliver and the team this last season has not only felt wasteful of the character, but kind of goes against what he's supposed to be about.


So when Merlyn agrees to give up being Ra's in order to save Thea I thought the new status quo would be carrying on, imagine how delighted I was when he turned around and betrayed everyone by not wanting to give up power, even to save his daughter.  Now this is the Malcolm Merlyn the show has been missing.

What ensues is an all out ninja assassin war on the streets of Star City, which is always cool to watch.  It's nice to see that despite trying to play peacemaker when push comes to shove Oliver and the team side with Nyssa.  Even if you forget that Malcolm killed Tommy, brainwashed Thea into killing Sarah and engineered all of the events of season three he wasn't going to get Team Arrow on his side.  During her time on the show Nyssa has shown that despite being an assassin and the daughter of Ra's she's a much better person, that she has love, compassion and forgiveness inside of her, and that's the much better candidate to be leading the league.

The episode is also good at showing how much Oliver has grown over the course of the series, when instead of killing Merlyn in single combat he simply cuts his hand off.  The Oliver of season one would have killed him without a single thought, even before you take into consideration all that Merlyn's done to our team.  It's clearly a move that the writers took because they don't want to lose Barrowman from the series, but it's also a good character moment for Oliver, though one I'm 100% certain he will regret before season four is finished.


Elsewhere in the episode Felicity deals with her own father issues as she comes face to face with the man who abandoned her and her mother years before.  Whilst some might find this second story a lot less interesting than the ninja assassin war it actually works very well in an episode all about fathers, and never goes and steps on the toes of the main plot.

Wanting desperately to believe that her father could be the good man he claims Felicity is heartbroken to learn that everything her mother ever said about the man is true and that he can't be trusted.  Discovering that he's only using Felicity to try and steal from Palmer Tech she does the only thing she feels is right and turns him over to the police to be arrested.

'Sins of the Father' is a cleanup episode where some of the outstanding plot threads are finally (hopefully) put to bed.  The only way that the main season arc is effected is by Merlyn becoming a clear villain again for the first time since season one (yes, it's been that long!) and joining up with Damian Darhk.  Merlyn gives Darhk information about Oliver's son, William, which just adds to the who's in the grave/who does Felicity want Oliver to kill questions that have been driving fans mad for months. 

Wherever the show goes from here things are sure to get worse for our heroes as Merlyn joins forces with Darhk and Hive.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Legends of Tomorrow 'Fail-Safe' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain plot points or story spoilt, please do not read further.


When it comes to the CW's television DC Universe The Flash is the lighthearted and funny show, Arrow is the darker and broodier show, and after this weeks episode that Legend of Tomorrow is the show that is able to effectively combine both of these tones to the best effect.

With half the team captured by Savage and thrown into one of the worst gulags in Russia things take on a much darker tone this week than usual.  That's not to say that there haven't been moments of darkness in the show so far, Savage's ritualistic butchery of Carters body was pretty grim, but this is the first episode where the show feel more like Arrow than the Flash.  Our heroes are in a bad place, literally and figuratively, and the oppressive and grim tone throughout help to reinforce that idea.

When Heatwave, Ray Palmer and Professor Stein are captured by Vandal Savage are locked away in a gulag whilst they try and force Stein to give them the secret of the Firestorm matrix it's up to Rip, Sarah and Captain Cold  to come up with a plan to break them out.

Surprisingly it's Heatwave who stands out as one of the best characters this week, with Ray and Cold in close second.  When the line-up for the team was first announced I was surprised to see both Cold and Heatwave on the list, I questioned the reasoning for two villains on this group of heroes, but after this week I totally get it.


Where Rip and Sarah made plans to kill Stein if needed in order to save the future it was Cold and Heatwave who saved the most lives.  Cold refused to let Sarah kill Stein, talking her down and telling her that she doesn't have to keep being the killer she once was, whilst Heatwave refused to leave Ray behind during their escape, literally carrying his teammate to safety.

One of the best things about the Rogues in the comics is that they had a code.  Yes, they were villains, but they had rules and lines they refused to cross, and it's great to not only see that reinforced in the television universe, but to see that in some ways the 'bad guys' on the team may just have a better moral centre than some of the 'good guys'.  Without Cold's intervention Sarah would have completed the mission that Rip gave her, Stein would be dead and Firestorm would be gone.  Captain Cold is quickly turning into the best character on the show.

Ray also had some character development this week as he bumbled his way through prison life, completely unaware of just how ill suited and stupid he is to survive in such a place.  By the halfway point in the episode I was definitely feeling Micks frustrations of being stuck with Ray, for a man who's supposed to be a genius Ray is possibly one of the dumbest people on the team, blinded by his constantly optimistic attitude.  


That being said, when Ray and Mick are being tortured and Ray steps up to take a brutal hammer beating that was meant for Mick I began to see just how good a character Ray can be.  He's constantly wanting to do the right thing, even if sometimes it makes things worse for himself, and he took beating after beating in this episode because of that, yet still refused to stop.  Like Captain Cold said, he'd take a beating for a complete stranger, and in a lot of ways that makes Ray one of the most noble members of the team, even if he's not the brightest.

It was good to see what could be the start of a more positive relationship between Ray and Mick, and if not a friendship at least mutual respect.  It also led to one of the episode's funnier moments as Mick carried a half conscious Ray out of the gulag, 'Hey Mick, this is a strange kind of hug'.

Victor Garber also got a lot of time to shine this week as he became the focus of Savage's plot to create a new Firestorm, and no scene showed off his acting ability more than when he had to watch Ray and Mick be tortured.  Selling the inner struggle Stein was facing during that scene was crucial, and Garber did it with ease, making it easy to see the guilt and despair he felt over their misery whilst also fighting not to give in for the greater cause.  


Thankfully this week also seemed to put an end to the Stein/Jax bickering as the young man tells Stein he understands why he was being so hard on him and saves him from the clutches of the evil Russian Firestorm, firmly cementing their partnership and friendship.

Despite being the concluding part of a two part story the episode manages to end on a great cliffhanger moment that brilliantly sets up for next weeks episode.  

When Kronos attacks the Waverider as it travels through the time stream the ship is damaged and crashes in Star City in the year 2046.  The city looks like it's seen better days as the team heads out to investigate, at which point Rip reveals the city was attacked in 2016 (does this mean that the bad guys plan succeeds in season 4 of Arrow?).  The team are barely out of the ship when they come face to face with Green Arrow, but this isn't Oliver Queen, but Connor Hawke.


Hopefully next week will be Savage light to give us a break from the main arc of the series, and will instead focus on the future Star City, the new Green Arrow, the older Oliver Queen and the return of fan favourite Deathstroke.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Thursday, 18 February 2016

Tory MP Condemns Charity Status For Anti-LGBT+ Religious Group


Mike Freer, a senior Tory MP, has hit out at the decision by the UK Charity Commission to grant charity status to the Christian group Living Out, as the group encourages LGBT+ people to practice abstinence for life.

The Living Out group was granted charity status earlier this week, claiming that they work towards the 'public benefit'.  This is despite being rejected on a previous occasion.

Living Out claims that gay sex comes about through Original Sin and that they encourage discussions on homosexuality from a 'biblical perspective'.  They state that gay Christians must abstain from sex for their entire lives to avoid 'sin' and going to hell.

The group has said in the past that they do not practice or encourage 'gay cures', but some of the wording on their website seems to be making vague allusions to welcoming the support of 'gay cure' groups.

Their website says; 'We welcome and support the work of those individuals and organisations who responsibly seek to help Christians who experience same-sex attraction as in conflict with their commitment to live in accordance with biblical teaching.  This help will involve counselling and pastoral support to live a chaste life and, as part of this process, some seek and experience changes in the strength or direction of their same-sex attraction.'

The group also refers to homosexuality as 'same-sex attraction', a term that is commonly used by 'gay cure' practitioner, particularly in the US.



Mike Freer has stated that he will be raising the case with fellow ministers.

Speaking to the press, he said 'I am surprised the Charity Commission could remotely believe this is to be of 'public benefit'.'

'Imagine if this group provided counselling and pastoral care to those 'attracted to' stoning people to death for wearing two different cloths, or for their desire to sell ones daughter into a foreign market!  That'd be helping to live life according to biblical teachings!'

'They may not use the words 'gay cure', but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck - it's a duck!  This is gay cure therapy rebranded!  I shall raise this with the Charity Commission and with the relevant minister in the Cabinet Office.'

So far the Charity Commission has yet to make a statement about appointing Living Out charity status, or why they believe anti-LGBT+ view to be of public benefit.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at 2 comments:
Labels:

Legends of Tomorrow 'White Knights' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain plot points or story spoilt, please do not read further.


This week's episode of Legends of Tomorrow sees the action shift from the 1970's to the 80's and the height of the Cold War as Rip and the team must infiltrate the Pentagon to find restricted documents about Vandal Savage.

The episode opens with the team having to sneak their way into one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the world, and at first things seem like they're going to work.  Ray and Cold pose as janitors so that Cold can pickpocket an ID, who passess it on to Sarah and Kendra who are posing as military personnel, Mick is creating a distraction as an armwrestling soldier and Firestorm is using his powers to ensure everyone else gets away.  It's the first time the team have properly come together to use their skills effectively.

Unfortunately things don't go quite according to plan as some bickering between the two halves of Firestorm lead to the alarm being sounded, forcing the rest of the team to improvise.  As Kendra and Sarah get into a fight with security something happens to Kendra and for lack of a better word she goes feral.  Luckily for the team Rip manages to erase all of the security footage of the incident, but the government have still seen a woman with wings tearing up a soldiers face and a flying man on fire.


Considering that this is the height of the Cold War and it's the Pentagon there's no telling how this could end up affecting the time line, if at all, but we will probably have to wait until the team move on to another time period before we find out.

Sadly the heist going wrong is also showing us that despite how good a Time Master he might be Rip is not a leader, or at least not a leader for a group of people with such different personalities like our Legends.  Unless Rip can prove himself competent of controlling his team very soon it might be time to appoint another person as the field leader, and at this point the only person who seems anywhere near competent for the role is Captain Cold.

Yes, just like every other episode of the series so far this is yet another episode where Captain Cold manages to steal the show and prove himself to be the team MVP.  When the team head to Russia to track down Savage's current scheme it's down to him and Ray to try and get information from a scientist, something that Ray fails miserably at.  If it wasn't for Cold stepping in and being the charming thief he is the mission would have failed completely.


The same can be said for the explosive finale of the show when he, Ray and Stein go into the enemy base to steal this weeks mcguffin Cold is willing to take a bullet and be killed for the mission.  He's also willing to listen to Rips reasoning and complete the mission even though it would mean leaving being Ray, Stein and Mick.  He doesn't like the decision, and takes Rip to task for it, but does it because he knows the mission needs to come first because the stakes are that high.

Cold is a villain, he's a thief and if needs be a killer, but he's got a moral compass and he's got rules.  In some ways he seems much more suited to being a hero than some of our other Legends.  More so than Ray or Stein, and in a way more so than Sarah, who if we're keeping tally is a bigger killer than Cold.  Is this the route the show is going to go down, are they turning Cold into a straight up hero?  I hope not, I think he's much more interesting when he's walking the line between good guy and bad guy, but maybe changing him to the point where he'll team up with The Flash every now and then would be pretty damn cool.

Elsewhere in the episode Rip gets a reunion with Druce, the Time Master that trained him.  Rip is faced with a tough decision when Druce offers him a peaceful way out of his mission, one that will assure the safety of the team.  It's clear in these scenes that whilst Rip is determined to stop Savage and save his family he has come to care about the lives and safety of his friends, and that the loss of Carter effected him more than he let on.


It's only through some criminal insight from an eavesdropping Mick that Rip becomes aware that Druce isn't being as honest as he claims, and plans to double cross them.  It would appear that sometimes it pays to think like a crook, as Mick is proven right when Druce returns with Kronos and orders the death of Rip.  Luckily Rip took Mick's warning to heart and had some backup with him to get him out of the situation.  With the Time Masters openly declaring war on Rip and the team there's sure to be further conflict between the two groups to come.

The episode's other sub-plot, of Sarah and Kendra training together to try and help Kendra overcome her savage side feels like a bit of a waste of air time if I'm being honest.  There's been no hint of Kendra having this feral side before now, so unless it's some kind of side effect of Carter dieing but Kendra living it's come completely out of the blue.  And if there is an explanation for why it's suddenly appeared, we've not been given it yet.

The fact that Sarah is already fighting the blood lust from her Lazarus Pit experience is one thing, now we have both female members of the team fighting very similar inner demons, and two characters that could potentially jeopardise missions in the future if they don't gain control of their blood lust.  It just feels wasteful to do it a second time, especially when they could have taken a more interesting route with Kendra trying to come to terms with her past lives without Carter rather than the same kind of story Sarah is going through.

One of the better moments of this weeks episode came from Stein.  After him and Jax mess up the opening mission with their constant arguing the same happens later on when they're fighting against Kronos, leading to Jax being injured.  Stein loses it with Jax and ends up looking like a complete arsehole to the young man.  It's only when confronted by Ray that Stein reveals that the reason he's so harsh on Jax is because he feels that he needs the anger to get better, because after losing Ronnie Stein is terrified of losing another half of Firestorm.


The moment is actually very touching, and Victor Garber plays it brilliantly, as a man who is still deeply grieving for Ronnie, someone who he was closer to than possibly anyone else in his whole life.  He lost a part of himself when Ronnie died on The Flash, and he clearly can't go through that again with Jax.  It's an interesting dynamic, and hopefully one that will get resolved before it overstays its welcome as Jax shouldn't end up hating Stein, and losing the arguing would be a lot better too.

With half the team captured, and it's two heaviest hitters out of play, the rest of the team are left to try and mount a rescue mission to get their friends back and stop Savage before he can learn the secrets to creating a Firestorm of his own.


Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Wednesday, 17 February 2016

The Flash 'Escape From Earth-2' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain plot points or story spoilt, please do not read further.


With last weeks 'Welcome to Earth-2' being such a good episode it would be easy to expect that quality to dip with this weeks follow-up offering, as two-part stories haven't always been the best for The Flash in the past.  'Escape From Earth-2' doesn't drop in quality at all though, and works so well with last weeks episode that it might just make the two-part story one of the best the shows ever done.

The episode opens with Zoom terrorising the Earth-2 version of Central City, searching for Harrison Wells, and it's one of the most tense and creepy sequences the show has ever given us.  Zoom is scary, from his demonic look to his evil voice (so much credit for Zoom's presence should be given to Tony Todd for his voice work) to the frightening use of his powers there's no denying that if Zoom was looking for you you'd be terrified.

The opening moments of the episode help to capture that fear as Wells, Cisco and Earth-2 Barry are forced to run for their lives from the demonic speedster.  The best moment comes where the three of them hide in Harry's time vault, only to be followed by Zoom who phases through the very walls searching for them.  It's only through trickery and luck that they manage to stay alive.

This concept of a villain who can get you faster than you can blink, who can walk through walls and won't hesitate to kill makes Zoom easily one of the best villains the show has ever given us.  He's a better speedster than anything we've seen from the Reverse-Flash, he's scarier than King Shark and Gorilla Grodd combined and his taste for evil and murder might be up there with Vandal Savage.  Zoom is frightening, and this episode makes you aware of that.  Even when he's not on screen you're waiting for him to appear at any moment.  His presence is felt throughout and it's brilliant.

With Earth-1 Barry locked away in Zooms lair (as Cisco said, he's a villain so it's a lair) along with Jessie and the mysterious man in the iron mask (more on him later) it's left over to Harry and Cisco to track down Zoom and mount a rescue.  Luckily the two of them get some help in the form of Barry's Earth-2 counterpart, Iris and even Killer Frost.  

After playing up the arch villain stereotype last week it was nice to see Danielle Panabaker bring some of her acting ability to what was set up as a fairly one-dimensional villain.  The death of the Earth-2 Ronnie gives Cisco the opening he needs to appeal to her humanity, to her love for Ronnie and her grief at her loss.  It's a good scene, as it also gives Cisco something to do other than play comic relief, and as always he's damn good at it.


With the help of Killer Frost the group finds Zooms lair and rescues Jessie and Barry, with Barry getting some well needed encouragement from his Earth-2 counterpart.  With Barry having been talked out of a slump so often in the past by various father figures (evil Wells, Harry, Joe and his actual father) it's nice to see him get that kind of help from himself for once, and it goes to show that even in another universe, without any superpowers Barry is still Barry deep down.  

When Zoom reappears and captures Jessie things look pretty grim for our team, and I was expecting this to be the point where Harry made the ultimate sacrifice to save his daughter.  Instead the heroics come from Killer Frost, who tells Cisco that he was right about her love for Ronnie before hitting Zoom with everything she's got.  It's sad to think that this is probably the last time we're going to see Killer Frost as it's pretty much a certainty that Zoom killed her for turning on him.  It doesn't take much to get Zoom to kill you, but attacking him and letting his prisoners run away has got to be guaranteed death sentence.  

Before we talk about the final scenes of the episode I should take a moment to talk about Jay Garrick over on Earth-1.  Carrying on from last week Jay is still dealing with the threat of Geomancer and trying to get his speed back with the help of Caitlin.  Caitlin appears to perfect the speed serum Velocity 9 and manages to temporarily give Jay his speed with no ill effects.  Jay and Caitlin even finally kiss after weeks of skirting around their feelings.

I love Jay Garrick from the comics (well, the pre-New 52 version anyway) and am always glad when they give him things to do as so far his character has felt very underused and bland.  That's why this weeks episode left me feeling heartbroken and also kind of hopeful for the character.

In the final moments of the episode Harry, Jessie, Cisco and Barry race back to the breach to Earth-1 and manage to get through moments before Zoom does.  Jay throws one of their disruption devices into the breach and it starts to close.  Before it does, however, Zoom reaches through, phases his arm through Jay and drags him back to Earth-2.  


As we know from seeing this kind of thing in the past a hand phased into someone is pretty much guaranteed to kill them, and even is Jay had some Velocity 9 left in his body it's unlikely that his body could heal from that kind of wound.  So, Jay Garrick's dead then right?

Well, maybe not.  And this is where I get back to the man in the iron mask.  While Barry was trapped in Zooms lair he and Jessie figured out that the man in the mask was trying to communicate with an old POW code and spelled out the word Jay.  Barry confirms that the man was referring to Jay Garrick, and reassures the man that Jay is safe on Earth-1.  Instead of finding some kind of comfort in this the man in the iron mask reacts badly, which begs the question why.  Well, here's my thoughts, perhaps the man we've known as Jay Garrick isn't actually Jay Garrick, but the man in the iron mask is.

I know it might sound a little crazy, but bear with me here.  We know that Zoom wants Barry for his speed, and that he wants to drain it away from him into himself.  Now, this has apparently already happened to the Jay Garrick that arrived on Earth-1 and that's why he isn't a speedster anymore.  But if Zoom had already drained one speedsters powers why does he need Harry to figure out how to give him Barry's speed?  If he's already done it in the past why didn't he steal Barry's speed when he broke his back, or when he had him locked up in his lair?  I think the answer is because Zoom doesn't know how to do it yet, and never drained Jay's speed.  


We know that there are various doubles and shape shifters in the Flash/Arrow universe, so it could be very possible that the Jay on Earth-1 is only someone who looks like Jay Garrick.  That's why he only has super speed when taking the Velocity serum.  I think that the man in the iron mask is the real Jay Garrick, captured by Zoom and held prisoner whilst Zoom figures out a way to steal his speed and that the Jay Garrick on Earth-1 is an impostor, possibly sent by Zoom to infiltrate Team Flash and gather intel.  This could also explain why Jay stood unusually close to the breach as it closed, to allow Zoom to grab him and pull him back through to Earth-2.

I know it probably sounds like a crazy idea, and that it might seem like a desperate way to get Jay back after it looked like he died, but it kind of makes a little sense.  Especially when you consider that the Man in The Iron Mask story dealt with twins and people who looked alike.  It would also explain why his prisoner is in a mask, like in the original story he doesn't want anyone to see their face so that they know an impostor is around.

I'll have to wait to see if my idea has any real merit, or if the man in the iron mask is someone else entirely, but if the show can continue to deliver more episodes as good as this one the waits going to be an entertaining one.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Legends of Tomorrow 'Blood Ties' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain pot points or story spoilt, please do not read further.


'Blood Ties' not only manages to keep up the momentum of the last two episodes, but acts as an unofficial third act to the opening two parter as the action stays in 1975.  Not only does the setting stay the same, but a lot of the themes and story lines from the from the last episode carry across directly into this one.

Initially I was concerned when I found out that the action would be staying in 1975, after all this a time travel that's spending three of it's thirteen episode run in the same time period, but I'm happy to say that the content of the episode stood up so well that any concerns were quickly forgotten as I found myself enjoying the episode just as much as the first two.

This episode features three branching stories that manage to not only give most of our cast a moment to shine but also manage to be strong enough that they could all be the leading story in their own episodes.  Rip and Sarah go on a mission to track down and destroy Savage's finances, Ray and Professor Stein fight to save Kendra's life from the injuries she suffered in the last episode, and Captain Cold, Heatwave and Jax go on a trip to try and change the time line and his family's history.

The Ray and Stein story, whilst good, is probably the weakest of the three.  After being stabbed with Vandal Savage's dagger in the last episode several shards of the ancient blade broke off and are rushing through her bloodstream threatening to kill her.  With no medical equipment on board that can successfully prevent this they're left with only one solution, use the Atom suit to shrink down and enter Kendra's bloodstream and destroy the fragments one by one.


What happens next is a great mash up of The Magic School Bus meets Inner Space as Ray gets to show off some of the ways in which the Atom suits abilities to shrink down can be used to great effect.  Sadly the whole part when Ray begins to doubt himself and needs a pep talk from Stein feels a little forced for a character as established in the Flash/Arrow universe as he is, though it did give a nice moment for Ray and Stein to speak about the loss of Rays wife, something that we haven't had in a while.  It's nice to be reminded that under Rays fun loving exterior there's a deeply hurt man with a very good reason for wanting to be the Atom.

The Captain Cold storyline in a big improvement over the Ray/Stein one, as Wentworth Miller gets the opportunity to show off just how amazing a character Captain Cold can be.  We've been given glimpses into Colds past during the Flash, and we've seen just how bad his home life was growing up and how nasty a person his father was.  So when Cold realises that he might have a chance to change his fathers past and make things better for him and his sister.

Cold hatches a plan to steal an emerald that his father ends up getting arrested for trying to steal in the original time line and give it to his father.  Miller has always excelled in the role of Captain Cold, and seems to have an absolute blast playing him with all of his swagger and scenery chewing fun, and whilst he's great to watch when he's acting that way it's a pleasant surprise to see him playing some emotional scenes this week.


The moment when Cold speaks to his younger self and is a touching one as he tries to impart some words of wisdom on his younger self and gives us a look a look at the damaged and vulnerable man beneath the charming villain.  It's also another example of how time might end up being the biggest villain of the show rather than Savage.  Cold tries to change the past, but time still manages to find a way of having his father sent to prison like he was meant to.  Can ur heroes even beat Savage when so far every episode has shown us the even if you manage to change history history has a way of fighting back?

The main Savage centric story follows Rip and Sarah as they try to track down Savage's money in an attempt to cripple his plans.  As per usual for our group of heroes things don't go especially to plan as the bank they try to infiltrate turns out to be a front for a group of Savage groupies.  When a fight breaks out you have to wonder why Rip only brought Sarah along instead of some of the heavy hitters of the group, but Sarah and Rip get to show just how competent they are as they beat down a room full of assassins.

Actually, a lot of this episode shows just how similar Rip and Sarah are in a lot of ways, they almost seem like kindred spirits, two damaged souls searching for a way to heal.  It even feels like their could eventually go on to be more than just a friendship between the two of them, which could add an interesting dynamic into the mix as Rip tries to bring his family back from death.


Rip and Sarah manage to track down Savage and discover that he isn't just powerful because he has the money to fund his schemes, but because he has a cult like following.  Using the bodies of Hawkman and Hawkgirl Savage can impart some of his immortality onto his followers, extending their lives.  This adds a new and interesting dynamic to Savage and his group, as it means that the team aren't just dealing with the head of basically a terrorist organisation, but someone who is worshipped, which makes him and his followers much more dangerous.

During the course of the episode we get to see a lot more of how downright nasty and evil savage is as he torments Rip with the knowledge that one day he is going to kill Rips family, and revels in that knowledge.  It's these looks at the cruelty and sadism that Savage has that's slowly making him one of the more memorable villains, he's not just evil because he's got a plan for global domination, he's evil because he's a really, really nasty human being who revels in the pain of others.

In an episode packed with action, character development and three great plots the writers even manage to cram loads of extra material in that builds on the Flash/Arrow universe.  We get to see Rip travel back to ancient Egypt in his first attempt to kill Savage.  We get to see a little more of Rips study aboard the Waverider, where we see a wanted poster for Jonah Hex (who will be appearing later on in the series).

We even get the line used in the trailer for the series that got everyone excited, 'I've seen Men of Steel die and Dark Knights fall'.  What that means for the CW universe is anyone's guess, it could mean that one day Superman and Batman will appear, it could mean that Superman and Batman are further in the future and will sadly never meet the Flash or Green Arrow, or maybe Rip hasn't just travelled in time, but between universes too, as we know the Supergirl show exists as part of the television multiverse.  Whatever the line means for the show or the franchise it's definitely world building, and that's something we really want more of from Legends of Tomorrow.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Tuesday, 16 February 2016

Supergirl 'For The Girl Who Has Everything' Review


This review WILL CONTAIN SPOILERS for the episode to be discussed, if you do not want certain plot points or story spoilt for you, please do not read any further.


Using one of the most iconic Superman stories of all time for the Supergirl television show is a ballsy move, but luckily it's one that pays off well and actually makes one of the best episodes of the series yet.

Following straight on from the surprise ending of the last episode Kara's friends worry when she fails to appear for work the next day and won't respond to any calls and rush over to her apartment where they find her unconscious with a Black Mercy plant attached to her chest.

Comic book fans will instantly know what this means and the viewers are quickly let in on the details as Kara finds herself trapped in a dreamworld thanks to the parasitic plant.  This is a good thing too, as it does away with the familiar television trope of trying to make the audience think that the hallucination could somehow be the real reality (such as 'Normal Again' in Buffy The Vampire Slayer, or the phenomenal 'Far Beyond The Stars' on Star Trek Deep Space Nine).

Whilst Alex, Winn and James fight to find a way of getting the Black Mercy off of her Kara finds herself back on Krypton with her family alive and well.  It's the perfect world she could have wanted if her home world hadn't been destroyed, she even has a young Kal-El and an innocent and free Aunt Astra in her life.  


My one complaint with the Black Mercy story is that the team devise a plot to free Kara from the Black Mercy by using a virtual reality device to send Alex into Kara's mind to get her out felt a little weird and kind of pointless.  Why go to all of the trouble of trying to make the VR work, even going so far as to get Maxwell Lord to help with it, when J'onn could have just used his telepathy to send Alex into Kara's mind?  It kind of feels like the writers overlooked that possibility, or at least failed to give a reason why J'onn didn't used his powers to solve the problem.

The Black Mercy story wasn't just a throw away story though, as it fed into the bigger season arc as we find out that it was Non who sent the plant to Kara in order to distract her and keep her out of the way whilst he and his men put parts of their plan into motion.  

Using Non was a great idea because it gave Kara someone she could really taker her anger out on.  Having just gone through the pain of losing her old home and her family for a second time she needed a foe that she could unleash some of her anger on, and it being a Kryptonian means that she doesn't have to pussyfoot around and can let loose.  It's not quite up to the levels of violence she used on Red Tornado, but it's pretty close, plus it's got the emotional impact that the Red Tornado fight lacked.

It wasn't just Kara who got to fight though, as both J'onn and Alex took on Astra.  Whilst it was great to see J'onn back to being the Martian Manhunter and using his powers to full effect (including phasing during a fight!) Alex dispatching Astra with a Kryptonite sword was definitely the highlight of the fight.  It also raises some stakes for later in the season, as J'onn takes the blame for Astras death as to preserve her relationship with Alex.  


This will surely be something that will rear it's head in the future, probably as a way of driving a wedge between Kara and Alex and create divisions amongst the DEA before the seasons climactic events.

Considering the original source material for this episode is widely considered one of the all time greatest Superman stories ever written Supergirl does a great job at adapting it to their own needs and capturing the essence of the original material whilst managing to make it their own.  A good example of just how good the series can be and the kind of episodes they can make when at their best.

Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:

Monday, 15 February 2016

Comedian Jordan Raskopoulos Comes Out As Transgender


Jordan Raskopoulos, member of the Australian comedy trio Axis of Awesome, has received an outpouring of support from around the world after revealing that she is transgender.

A video was posted onto the groups youtube channel yesterday in which Jordan addresses the questions that she has received about her beard, which she shaved off last year.

She said, 'So, I got rid of my beard in February 2015 and for the past year a lot of you guys have been asking about it.  A lot of you guys want to know why I got rid of the beard and asking when it will be coming back.  Some of you have said that without the beard I no longer look like Jack Black but instead look like Boo from Orange is the New Black.'

'Well, the truth of the matter is that there is a very good reason for why I got rid of the beard and a very, very good reason why it is never ever coming back.  And that reason is that I am transgender.  No shit.  That's right, I'm a girl.  I am transgender.'

Jordan goes on to talk about the troubles that she has faced throughout her life, dealing with gender dysphoria.  She says that she reached the decision to transition whilst on tour with the Axis of Awesome group after realising that she could no longer deny her gender.

She goes on to talk very positively about her transition and going on to live her life as a transgender woman.  'Being trans does not mean you have to give up on your life or your friends or your family or your career or your achievements.  I'm going to continue on doing exactly what I was doing before and I'm going to be fucking awesome.'



Amy.
xx
Posted by at No comments:
Labels:
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)