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Star Wars: The Clone Wars Season 7, Episode 7 Review

Remember how I said that I was looking forward to seeing what happens in the next episode of Star Wars: The Clone Wars? I take it back; so far, this arc has been a snooze fest for me! Which is a shame, as I wanted Ashoka’s return to be this big thing. It’s the lost chapter in the life of one of Star Wars‘ best characters, and something I was looking forward to. Yet the story with the Martez Sisters feels like it’s going in a circle with little growth.

Prison Time

Thanks to the series of bad decisions the trio made last episode, Ashoka, Trace, and Rafa are locked up by the Pykes until they get their spice. Which they won’t, since Trace dumped it. So the three begin debating over the ethics of smuggling spice to a crime syndicate. Ashoka tries arguing that giving them something that helps them ruin lives makes them just as bad.

The thing is, Rick and Morty did the exact same thing years ago when Rick sold a gun to an assassin to kill a sapient, organic hating cloud. Bottom line, Pykes would get the spice either way, so Ashoka’s argument falls flat.

I have to give this episode credit, though: it does show why Trace and Rafa don’t trust the Jedi. Apparently, when Ziro the Hutt was freed from prison in “Hostage Crisis” back in Season One, the Jedi chased after him. Cad Bane sent a speeder plummeting out of control, and a Jedi stopped it from hurting anyone. Except for Trace and Rafa’s parents, who were killed when said speeder crashed into their shop.

The worst part is that the Jedi didn’t do anything to help them beyond saying “the Force will be with you.” They didn’t even try to help them or take responsibility for collateral damage. No wonder they don’t like the Jedi.

The Mandalorians Return?

So, the trio manage to briefly escape the Pykes and come close to getting off-planet, but they end up back where they started. They get recaptured, and the episode ends with them in another prison cell. What a waste of time!

Or maybe not. While Ashoka flees the Pykes, we get a shot of someone in a nearby crowd of people. Someone wearing a Mandalorian Helmet. After that, we then see another group of Mandalorians who recognize her from what happened on Carlac. There’s only one group that would know of that: Death Watch, now lead by Bo-Kotan Kryze.

Right now, my hope is that we see the Mandalorians bust Ashoka and her friends out in the next episode, then invite her to help them take down Maul and free Mandalore. It would be an amazing segue to the final arc of this season, as well as the final act of the Clone Wars. Plus, given the rumors that Ashoka will appear in Season Two of The Mandalorian, this would make for an amazing tie-in to that!

This arc has been boring for me so far. However, if it helps to transition to the long-awaited Siege of Mandalore, then I hope the next episode sticks the landing.

I Give “Dangerous Debt” a 2/5

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Harley Quinn Season 2, Episode 1 Review

In hindsight, I really wish that I had reviewed the first season of DC Universe’s R-rated show, Harley Quinn. I wound up binge-watching this weeks ago and fell in love. I love the zany characters. The over-the-top violence is hilarious without feeling gratuitous. Most of all, though, I love how the show self-parodies the hero-villain dynamic in comic books. It’s like The Venture Bros crossed with South Park. So when Season Two came out on DC Universe earlier today, I vowed to review the whole season. Buckle up, buttercup, because this is going to be amazing.

Welcome to New Gotham

At the end of last season, Gotham laid in ruins and anarchy ruled. The Justice League’s trapped in a book, the Legion of Doom’s gone, Joker’s an amnesiac nobody, and Batman’s missing. Taking a page from the No Man’s Land story of the 90s, the President decides to bail on Gotham and throws it out of the USA.

Meanwhile, Harley wants to revel in all she’s accomplished: she took down the Joker and became the top hyena in the New Gotham. She just goofs around and has fun, thinking she can rest on her laurels as everyone knows she’s on top. Which is a rookie mistake!

What Harley fails to realize is that order and chaos are cyclical. Once the anarchy wears off, new players will rise and start to restore order. Harley doesn’t realize this, though, because of one key problem. She learned how to be a criminal from the Joker, and without even realizing it, she’s emulating his “agent of chaos” style of villainy. Even her solution to shutting down the other major villains in Gotham is very Joker-esque. Convincing all the henchmen to become their own villains causes more chaos, but it doesn’t last long.

Harley’s failure to take charge comes back to bite her when the other villains freeze her in a block of ice for two months. As a result, Penguin, Two-Face, Mr. Freeze, Bane, and the Riddler divy up New Gotham. Once Ivy and Harley’s Crew bust her out, she’s back to square one. Well, not entirely. She kills Penguin in a very over-the-top manner. Now she’s gunning for all the other villains.

Poor, Poor Gordon

Meanwhile, we get a hilarious subplot involving the show’s haggard version of Jim Gordon. He’s trying to hold out hope that Batman will come and save them, but everyone around him is jumping ship. The police join the villains, Robin’s no help, and his wife divorces him. It’s sad to see, but also hilarious at the same time. As for whether Gordon actually gives up in this New Gotham remains to be seen. As we see in the trailer, this season will see the introduction of Batgirl. Maybe Gordon’s daughter will be what lights a fire in her dad again. Or not.

Oh, and Batman’s still alive.

Welcome to New New Gotham

In short, the new season of Harley Quinn manages to hit the ground running and doesn’t stop. And if the Penguin’s brutal death is anything to go by, then no one in this season will be safe! Though, to be fair, the finale to last season saw Joker kill Scarecrow, so I’m not surprised Penguin bit it. Here’s hoping even more people die in the most insane manners possible.

Speaking of which, I enjoyed watching the violence going on in the background of the show as everyone in New Gotham fends for themselves. Two dogs were fighting over one man’s arm, while two thugs were fighting over the other one. It’s morbid and dark, but also hilarious and I hope to see more of it.

With everything that’s going on in the world, I think that we need a good laugh. Hopefully this season of Harley Quinn will give us just that while we wait for COVID-19 to die. Fingers crossed!

I Give “New Gotham” A 4/5

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I’m not the first to say this, and I don’t care: 2020 has sucked so far! Thanks to COVID-19, the entire world’s come to a standstill. People are dying from the virus while much of the world’s forced to stay home to combat the spread. Others are getting laid off from their jobs while the economy tanks. And the cherry on top is that most of the entertainment industry is getting hit hard: every major film for the spring and summer is either delayed or canceled. It feels like there’s no hope spots in the world right now!

That’s where you’re wrong.

I know how bleak things seem right now: many of us are stuck at home, no job, no going out to see friends, no fun. Yet there are still plenty of hope spots to be found in 2020. Thus, in the interest of helping everyone to keep going, I wanted to go over a few positive things that we have to look forward to in Spring 2020

Rick and Morty’s Back!

It’s very ironic that a show as cynical and nihilistic as Rick and Morty could be one of the hope spots of Spring 2020. Yet as we have time and again, Rick and Morty resonates with people in a way few shows do these days. So when Adult Swim released the trailer for the second half of Season 4, the Internet blew up.

I don’t know what I’m looking forward to the most. The badass mech-suits, the return of Morty’s dog Snuffles, or the fact that Tammy and Summer are going to throw down. Rick and Morty returns May 3rd, and it couldn’t have come at a better time.

Harley Quinn Season 2

In hindsight, I wish I had seen Harley Quinn while the first season was still ongoing. It’s one of the funniest shows I’ve seen in years! If I could best describe it, it’s like you fused the foul mouth of South Park with the self-parodying humor of The Venture Bros. and the craziness of a Saturday morning cartoon. In other words, it hits all the right notes for me.

After finally dumping Joker and spending all season trying to one up him, Harley Quinn stood at the top. Joker’s missing, Batman’s missing, and Gotham’s in ruins and up for grab. So now she’s planning to become the top dog in Gotham. Expect a lot of casual profanity, over-the-top gore, and heart and humor. This is so worth $7.99 a month for a subscription.

Streaming Services Step Up

There’s only one thing that can keep the masses sane during this prolonged period of isolation: entertainment. However, due to the virus freezing the entertainment industry, people have to get creative. Enter streaming services to save the day. To be more precise, Disney with Disney+

Disney has one of the biggest media libraries in existence, and it seems they’ve taken it upon themselves to be the big heroes in this crisis. They released Frozen 2 months ahead of time to help people. Now, they’ve just released Pixar’s newest film, Onward. It’s been less than a month since the film came out in theaters. A cynical man would look at this as streaming’s attempts to profit off people’s need for entertainment in a desperate time. However, I don’t care right. This is a big hope spot for a lot of people.

Gamers Get Cool Remakes

A lot of gamer’s out there are hunkering down and taking advantage of the time off from school and work to catch up on their gaming library. However, there’s no denying the fact that COVID-19’s affecting the gaming industry as well. Gamestop switched to delivery services after their miserable attempts to stay open as an “essential bussiness”. The damage is already done, though. Not to mention there’s no E3, and The Last of Us II is delayed.

Fortunately, this April sees remakes of two of the greatest video games of all time. This past week saw Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 get a remastered campaign released. Meanwhile, next week sees the release of the Final Fantasy VII remake. I’m going to be playing both!

Hope Spots for 2020

Look, I know how bad things are right now. And it’s going to get worse before it gets better! But we can’t give up hope yet. These are just a few of the things that we can look forward to in 2020. They’re hope spots in a dark time.

So, to everyone out there who’s struggling to get through these difficult times, just try to keep looking for the silver lining to this dark cloud. If we listen to the health officials and stay safe, then next year, this could all be a bad memory.

So, go find what it is that motivates you to get through this crisis. Binge watch that show you’ve been meaning to see. Finish that game you couldn’t beat! WORK ON YOUR BODY! AND DON’T GIVE UP NO MATTER WHAT!

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