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House of the Dragon S1, Ep. 1 Review

It’s been three years since the end of Game of Thrones, and I thought that the world had moved on from it. I know I did; the final season left me as disillusioned as everyone was with Daenerys Targaryen. And with how much flak HBO Max’s gotten with their recent Purge of the Batgirl film and shows like Infinity Train, I had even less motivation to support their Game of Thrones prequel. Yet, as last Sunday night came around, I found myself sitting in front of the TV, ready to watch House of the Dragon. I convinced myself I wanted that I wanted to see it simply for the dragons. I didn’t want to deal with the hot mess that was House Targaryen again anytime soon.

It looks like I was lying to myself. I got sucked right back into the world of Westeros, albeit one that’s far different from what we know. 

Westeros Under Targaryen Rule

Taking place almost 200 years before the events of Game of Thrones, House of the Dragon shows us a much different Westeros. One ruled by the Targaryens at the height of their power, with plenty of dragons to go around. It’s a Westeros that’s, for the most part, free of the corruption and rot prevalent in Game of Thrones, and the madness of the Targaryens. At least in the beginning. After all, the whole point of House of the Dragon is to show the events that would lead to House Targaryen’s slow decline over the next two hundred years.

For those who don’t know, House of the Dragon aims to cover the Dance of the Dragons. In a nutshell, it’s a civil war that pits House Targaryen against itself over who gets the right to sit on the Iron Throne. One of the candidates has yet to be born, but the other one gets introduced in the show’s opening scene riding her own dragon: Rhaenyra Targaryen, the eldest child of King Viserys I. 

Whether intentional or not, there is a lot of Daenerys in Rhaenyra. They’re both beautiful, smart, and skilled dragon riders. The main defining difference is that Rhaenyra’s a lot happier overall since she got to have a happy childhood with loving parents. Since this is Westeros, though, don’t expect that happiness to last. Count on it not to last. 

The Players Emerge

Much of the first half of the episode sees most people in good spirits in the Royal family. Viserys is due to have another child any day, with the whole realm participating in a tournament to celebrate the birth of his soon-to-be heir. However, cracks already start forming with the arrival of his brother, Daemon, played by Matt Smith, aka the 11th Doctor (and one of my favorites!)

I was initially hesitant to see Matt Smith play someone who, according to lore, is the deadliest man in Westeros during this time. However, my doubts burned away after seeing Matt’s performance as Daemon. He plays him as this arrogant, self-assured jerk who’s abrasive to everyone except his niece. Unlike Joffrey, though, he’s got the chops to back up all these claims and the dragon. 

As fun as it is to see Westeros at the height of the Targaryens, nothing lasts forever. Pretty soon, trouble comes when the Queen goes into labor. In what has to be one of the bloodiest things HBO’s ever done, we watch as the Queen dies due to a C-Section, and her infant son not long afterward. Everything gets worse from there, and soon, it’s clear that the Iron Throne will be contested.

The Big Twist About House Taragaryen

It’s not until the final minutes of the episode, though, that we get the biggest plot twist, which affects everything about Game of Thrones. In a conversation between father and daughter, Viserys reveals there was another reason why their family conquered Westeros. Aegon the Conquerer had a dream about the future, where death marches from the far north and threatens to destroy all life. In other words, the White Walkers. So, Aegeon knew that the only chance the world had was if Westeros was united, leading to his conquest of the Seven Kingdoms. 

So, all that talk about Jon Snow being the “Prince That Was Promised” wasn’t just a red herring. The Targaryens tried to set themselves up so that one of them would be the one to save the world from the White Walkers, and they’ve passed that knowledge down from King to King for generations as a warning. 

This Only Means They Screwed Up Even Worse Than We Thought

Of course, this only makes what happens during Game of Thrones all the more important since Aegon’s dream became a reality, though not in the way he thought it would. Of course, it also makes the Targaryen’s fall all the more tragic. They forgot their true purpose, squandered their potential, and almost left Westeros in ruins before the Night King ever marched south. Even though they ultimately succeeded, they lost everything, with their last remaining member exiled to the far north. 

I thought this inclusion was a cop-out meant to make up for what happened with Game of Thrones ending. However, the revelation that this reveal was due to info directly from George R.R. Martin, I’m willing to tolerate it. I’ll like it even more if Martin finally finishes the last two books and gives us a better ending. 

So, despite my reservations, I find myself hesitantly returning to Westeros. I will try and avoid getting attached to any characters, though, since I expect many of them to die before the series ends.

I Give “The Heirs of the Dragon” a 4/5. Don’t Waste this, HBO.

Why the Ending to Attack on Titan Makes Sense

The following was written by me for the website The Game of Nerds. I am reposting it here with their permission.

Good lord, it’s Game of Thrones all over again. If you follow the world of anime and manga, then you may have heard that last week, Attack on Titan, the popular manga by Hajime Isayama, released its final chapter. And the fan response was…divisive. Fans took to social media in droves to talk about the ending and what happened to Eren Yeager. Many people cried. Some looked back on how much Attack on Titan meant to them. And some just threw their hands up and complained about it.

To all the haters out there, I get it. I know what it’s like to feel disappointed by the ending to a beloved story. Me and countless others went through that same experience two years ago with the end to Game of Thrones. I hated how rushed things were, how they mishandled some characters, and I hated how Cersei died. I got more of an emotional reaction from the series finale to a Disney cartoon that aired the same morning than Game of Thrones. In other words, I feel your pain.

Here’s the thing, though. While some people may criticize how Eren Yeager dies and act like it’s Daenerys all over again, it’s not. From my point of view, this was the best ending for Eren Yeager and Attack on Titan. Don’t believe me? Then allow me to give my perspective on Eren’s plan and why this was the best possible ending.

By the way, if you’re reading this, I’m assuming you’ve read the manga, watched the anime, or saw a recap video online.

Don’t Hate the Player, Hate the Game (Or the Titans)

For those who remember, Eren was only able to activate the Rumbling because he fooled his half-brother, Zeke, into thinking he was on his side. Zeke was a self-loathing man who hated himself and his people, the Eldians, for their ability to turn into Titans. His solution? Team up with Eren to use the power of the Founding Titan to render all Eldians sterile. That way, the power of the Titans would die with them and the world would be saved.

As soon as I read about that in the manga, I thought that Zeke’s “plan” was stupid because it doesn’t really solve anything. And I had a feeling that Eren wasn’t going to go along with it. In fact, I remember thinking that if I was Eren, I would just use the Founding Titan to get rid of the power of the Titans for good.

Think about it. The reason why the Eldians are hated is because they’re cursed to turn into Titans. Any people who could do that would be feared and hated by the rest of the world! Eren understood that the Titans are another prison for the Eldians; one that almost none of them realized. His solution? Follow through with the promise he made as a kid: end the Titans for good. In other words, destroy the power of the Titans. Which is what he did in the end!

But ending the Titans wasn’t enough. He had to leave the Eldians in the best position to survive after he was gone.

Eldians Become the Saviors of the World

If Eren destroyed the power of the Titans the first chance he got, that wouldn’t solve anything. It would just leave the Eldians waiting to be wiped out by the rest of the world. So, he made it so that the rest of humanity couldn’t retaliate. At all. Ergo, he activated the Rumbling and wiped out most of humanity. However, he also gave his friends and the remaining Warriors the chance to take him down for good. If his master plan was to destroy everything outside of Paradis, why would he do that?

It’s as Armin said: he wanted them to stop him. Whoever would kill Eren Yeager would be a hero. A near-messiah who saved the world and ended the threat of the Titans forever. As the world would rebuild itself, that hero would hold a lot of influence in what happened next. So, what if said savior was from Paradis? By letting an Eldian of Paradis Island kill him, Eren would force the world to acknowledge something important. That the people of Paradis were no more devils than the rest of the world. They were just people, both good and bad. In other words, human.

From what we saw at the end of the manga, what Eren hoped for came to pass. His remaining friends became heroes of humanity. While Armin acknowledges that the hate and violence will never fully fade from the world, humanity can finally move on, free from the Titans forever. And while Paradis remains a militarized nation, Armin holds out hope that seeing the Warriors and Scouts working together will convince them to trust the rest of the world. And you know what? So do I. At least now people will be killing themselves normally than worrying about giant man eating monsters.

About Eren’s Outburst….

I’ve heard a lot of people complain about one scene from the final chapter in particular. As Eren’s talking to Armin via the Paths, Eren’s trying to act like he no longer cares about what happens to him. However, as soon as Armin says he hopes that Mikasa will eventually move on and find someone else to love, Eren breaks down. He starts lying on the ground and crying about how he doesn’t want that, that he wants Mikasa to only love him forever, because he loves her.

As Armin points out, and Eren acknowledges, he looks really pathetic in that moment. Instead of the cold and stoic man he’s become post time-skip, he’s reduced to the same emotional wreck we first met. And while some fans hated it, I didn’t. Why? Because it proved that all that stuff he said about hating Mikasa was a lie.

Eren knew for years the future that was going to come to pass. He knew that he would start the Rumbling, almost destroy the world, and then die at the hands of Mikasa, and it terrified him. However, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t find a way to change the future that the world (and his future self) had created for him. So, knowing he couldn’t fight it, he chose to embrace it. He chose to bury his emotions and severed ties with his friends so they wouldn’t feel guilty for killing him.

But in that moment where he takes off the mask, Eren Yeager showed us that he was still the same scared teenager that we’ve come to know, love, and hate. He never wanted to become a genocidal maniac, and despite all his posturing, he was disgusted with what he’d become. However, he knew that if he didn’t do this, everyone he loved would die. So, this wasn’t a sudden turn to madness like Daenerys, but a calculated sacrifice for his friends and for the world.

I Liked the End to Attack on Titan

I want to make one thing clear: in no way do I approve of what Eren Yeager did. What he ended up doing is wrong in every sense of the word. As much as I deplore his actions in the end, though, I still think that this was the best possible ending for Attack on Titan.

When Eren started the Rumbling, he wanted to do three things:

1. Make himself into the enemy of the world
2. Turn his friends into the saviors of mankind
3. End the curse of the Titans forever.

He managed to do all that and more. Through his actions, the world had to realize that it was their blind hatred of a people they never even met that led to this outcome, and would have to deal with it. By dying at the hands of his friends, they became the heroes that everyone left will listen to, Eldian or not. And with his death, the Titans vanished from the world forever. They were free.

If this all sounds like the ending to Code Geass, that’s because its the exact same scenario. And while some fans may have a problem with that, I don’t. Code Geass had one of the most brilliant endings I’ve ever seen in an anime, so I see that as a compliment rather than a criticism. Attack on Titan started as this supernatural, post-apocaylptic fantasy, but then turned into this story about the nature of war, humanity, and freedom. As for Eren Yeager, all I have to say is: well played.

My Picks for the Most Heinous Fathers in Fiction

They are the pinnacle of horrible parenting at it’s absolute worst. Happy Father’s Day everyone, and today, I wanted to take a look at some examples of characters that I consider to be the worst dad’s in fiction. Whether they neglected their children or were verbally or physically abusive to them, these are the deadbeats that Child Protective Services would love to put behind bars. That is, if they could.

Also, it goes without saying, but I despise each and every one of these guys. Okay, maybe not one of them.

Tywin Lannister

I cannot lie: I have a grudging respect for the Patriarch of House Lannister for being one of the smartest characters in Game of Thrones. As the head of House Lannister in the first half of the show, Tywin manipulated events to ensure his family would remain on top. No matter how immoral the methods may be (*cough* Red Wedding *cough*). Yet for all his talk of the importance of family, Tywin failed to practice what he preached. While each of his kids got scarred by their dad’s neglect, it was Tyrion who got the worst of it.

From the moment he was born, Tywin sought to make Tyrion’s life a living hell, all by virtue of being a dwarf. From denying him his birthright to allow him to be framed for the assassination of Joffrey, he went out of his way to be rid of his son. So, can you blame some of us for cheering when Tyrion killed his father as payback for all the abuse? Considering how he was going to have Tyrion killed, I’d say it was justified.

Aku

He is the shape-shifting master of darkness, the Shogun of sorrow, and the mortal enemy to Samurai Jack. Aku is one of the most evil beings in cartoon history, with atrocities that span centuries of tyrannical rule. However, it turns out he’s also… a dad? In the penultimate episode of the show, we learn that he left part of his essence with a cult that worshipped him. And when the High Priestess drank it, she somehow got pregnant and gave birth to Aku’s half-human daughters, the last of which was Ashi, Jack’s companion and love interest.

Now, Aku’s more or less on here because of all of his past actions. He didn’t have enough time to develop a real relationship with Ashi. However, in the short time he knew of her existence, he used his essence to control her body against her will and become his unwilling puppet. Fortunately, Ashi proved that her heritage didn’t define her and overcame her father’s control, which led to Aku’s downfall and Jack getting back to the past at last.

Darth Vader

As a Sith Lord, Darth Vader was responsible for countless atrocities in the name of his master, many of which would physically and emotionally scar his children, Luke and Leia. The first movie alone saw him order the deaths of Luke’s Uncle Owen and Aunt Beru, torture Leia, and force her to watch as her home planet was destroyed. Then came Empire where he cut off Luke’s arm, and then proceeded to shatter his son’s world with this now famous scene.

I would also hold the fact that he was absent from his kid’s lives for twenty years, but to be fair, he was led to believe that they were dead. He may have redeemed himself in his final moments, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that Vader was a bad dad.

By the way, this is the one that I don’t hate. I’m more disappointed in Vader.

Mr. Stotch

If you thought that I would put Randy Marsh on this list as the dad I hate most on South Park, guess again. While I find some of Randy Marsh’s antics annoying, I understand that he’s just an idiot and doesn’t mean any harm. Most of the time. The dad that I hate the most has to be Mr. Stotch.

Mr. Stotch is, in my eyes, the epitome of a dad that is far too strict with the way he treats his son, Butters. He will rail on Butters for the most minor of mistakes, real or imaginary, and his main form of discipline is to simply ground Butters. In the context of the show, it’s played for laughs, but if this was in real life, Mr. Stotch would be arrested by Child Protective Services. When I got to fight him in South Park: The Fractured But Whole, it felt cathartic to give him his just desserts.  

Fire Lord Ozai

And here he is, the man I consider to be the epitome of terrible fatherhood, Fire Lord Ozai. I could write an entire article on why Ozai was not just a horrible dad, but a horrible person in general, and overall waste of human DNA. Instead, I’ll just paraphrase all of the horrible things he’s done:

• Jealously tried to have his wife’s ex-boyfriend (and true love) killed
• Was willing to kill his own son to appease his equally abusive father
• Murdered his own father in order to usurp his brother’s birthright and become Fire Lord
• Challenged his own son Zuko to an Agni Kai just for talking out of turn, and then permanently scarred him and banished him when he refused to fight.
• Was emotionally abusive to Azula and pushed her into becoming a cold-blooded, sociopathic perfectionist, contributing to her eventually loss of sanity.
• Was going to burn the entire world to the ground to create a new world where he ruled as a god-king

All said, Ozai was, without a doubt, the worst father that I had ever seen on TV while I was growing up. Everyone universally agreed that the world would be better off without him, with Zuko even encouraging Aang to kill him. While he would have deserved it, I think that Aang’s punishment was far more fitting. Taking away his bending forever, stripping him of all his power, and leaving him to rot in prison for the rest of his life was a fate worse than death. And a fitting punishment for such a sad, pathetic bully. Good riddance.

Happy Father’s Day, Everyone!

So, now that that’s out of the way, I want to say thanks to all the wonderful fathers out there. And I hope that seeing these failures of parenthood in action will make you appreciate your old man even more.

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DuckTales Season 3, Episode 7 Review

I don’t remember where I read it, but a big theme to the third season of DuckTales is legacy. Huey, Dewey, and Louie are starting to realize that, for better or worse, Scrooge will have to pass the torch down to them one day. While that is awesome, it makes wonder if they’re capable of stepping into Scrooge’s shoes someday. And what prompts this question, you may ask? A trip to Valhalla to fight a world-eating snake in a wrestling match. It’s one of those episodes of DuckTales.

Snake Smackdown in Valhalla

Once every ten years, Scrooge travels to the Norse afterlife of Valhalla to keep the world-eating serpent Jomungandr at bay. However, the means of doing so is through a wrestling match, complete with all the smack-talk, fans, and metal chairs we’d expect to see from the sport. Honestly, it’s hilarious to watch, especially since Jomungandr’s voiced by Game of Thrones alumni Kristofer Hivju. What makes it even funnier is that in Valhalla, Scrooge plays the bad guy, and how he just embraces the role. His alter ego of the “Millionaire Miser” plays up his stinginess and I enjoyed every second of it. Unfortunately, he hurts his back after Round One, leaving Webby and Dewey to fight in his stead.

Wrestling tropes aside, the heart of the episode focuses on Huey and Dewey facing different dilemmas. Huey’s still coming to terms that he may not be as good at everything as he thinks. Dewey, meanwhile, has to learn that not everyone will like him, no matter how much his need for attention wants. In a heart-to-heart in the locker room, the two openly question if they can live up to Scrooge’s legacy. It’s a real world problem people have to face growing up: can they measure up to their parental figure’s expectations?

Real Wrestling Rules

The episode ends on a predictable note: Dewey ends up beating Jomungandr and makes him lose the respect of the people of Valhalla for being a jerk. It may seem to counter what the episode is about, but honestly, I don’t care. I enjoyed the wrestling.

This episode may not be for everyone, and I doubt I’ll remember it in the long run. However, not every episode of a good show has to be this ground-breaking thing. I was entertained, and that’s all that matters.

I Give “Rumble for Ragnarok” a 3.5/5

Stray Observations

• Leave it to DuckTales to take a one time joke from their Christmas Episode and build a premise behind it.
• Too bad Della and Donald didn’t appear. They would have destroyed that Serpent.

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Things that came to an end in 2019

In my look ahead at 2019 that I did at the end of last year, then you’ll recall what I dubbed 2019. I called it “the Year of Endings.” The name came from the fact that several great stories in the form of movies, shows, and games would be ending this year. It felt appropriate.

With the year now largely wrapped up, I decided to take a look back on everything that came to an end. In addition, I wanted to share my thoughts about the way these things ended. Too often have I seen a good story ruined by a bad ending.

Infinity Saga

When Iron Man came out in 2008, I don’t anyone knew what it was starting. As a result of that film, a cinematic universe the likes of which had never been done was born. Now fast forward to 2019, and supeheroes dominate our culture, with Marvel capping off one of the most ambitious stories in history: the Infinity Saga.

I’ve been a fan of Marvel since I was a kid. So when I saw Thanos appear in that mid-credits scene in Avengers, I knew what Marvel was building to. However, never in my wildest dreams did I expect the Infinity Saga to end like it did. The franchise had plenty of high moments, a few low points, but through it all, it remained an incredible ride. The final clash between the Avengers and Thanos was one of the greatest moments in cinematic history. As a result of the MCU, I don’t think our culture will ever be the same again, and I’m happy about that.

Game of Thrones

Game of Thrones was, without a doubt, the definitive show of the decade. Based on George R.R. Martin’s books and inspired by Shakespeare’s plays, this show gave us a modern spin on a medieval world. The sheer amount of success it’s had is mind-boggling. From giving dozens of actors their big break, to all the memes and references in pop culture, Game of Thrones was a show that only came around once a generation. Then, we got the finale.

If you’ve read my reviews for the final season, then you know how I thought it was a let-down. Yeah, all the characters I hated died, but the way they did made it feel like a hollow victory. While I don’t agree with how the show ended, I’ve since come to a conclusion. While I think the final season could have been done better, I don’t think it changes the fact that Game of Thrones is one of the best shows ever made. The ride alone made the whole thing worth it in the end. Also, I could at least celebrate Littlefinger’s death.

Kingdom Hearts: The Xehanort Saga

Fourteen years. That’s how long fans had been waiting for Kingdom Hearts 3 to come out. In that time, we had to go through several mid-quels, prequels, and remasterings. However, in January 2019, Square Enix finally gave us the final chapter in the Xehanort Saga for their crossover RPG, Kingdom Hearts.

Personally, I enjoyed Kingdom Hearts III. I loved the updated graphics, the new game play mechanics, and the new worlds based on Disney properties that we could explore. However, my enthusiasm for it was marred by my belief that Square Enix delayed it longer than necessary. Then when I got to the end and saw what happened, I felt more frustrated than sad with how it turned out. Despite this, I still think Kingdom Hearts is one of my all-time favorite series.

Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga

After forty-two years, eleven movies, and hours worth of content, it seems that Star Wars is dropping the curtain on the Skywalkers. After Disney bought Lucasfilm in 2012, they announced their intent to create a Sequel Trilogy, culminating in the release of The Rise of Skywalker earlier this month. The film’s supposed to put an end to the story of Skywalker family. However, I don’t buy it for a second.

Ever since The Rise of Skywalker was announced, people talk like its the end of the franchise. In reality, that couldn’t be further from the truth! Star Wars proved a long time ago that it can tell great stories without involving the Skywalker family. In fact, some of the best content didn’t involve the Skywalkers or their friends at all! In other words, I see The Rise of Skywalker as the first chapter in a new era for a franchise that can go on for decades.

Star vs the Forces of Evil

This year saw one of the best cartoons put out in years come to an end. At one point, Star vs. the Forces of Evil was almost as popular as Steven Universe and Gravity Falls. However, that didn’t stop Disney from rushing bringing the show to a somewhat quiet end in May of this year. The question, though, is why I keep bringing this show up.

I think my obssession with Star vs. can be explained with three different reasons. Firstly, I think after being so thoroughly disappointed by it, I subconsciously transferred my love of Game of Thrones to Star vs as a means of coping. Secondly, I felt like Disney rushed to get the show’s final season out, throwing in multiple episodes in the span of a few weeks. As a result, it ended before we could get ready for it. Finally, I think that they could have told more stories in the show. Daron Nefcy has openly said she’d come back to do more with Star vs if Disney asked. Thus, I don’t think the story of Star Butterfly’s done just yet.

My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic

I used to think that My Little Pony was a toy line meant for little girls. Then I saw Rainbow Dash beat the snot out of Starscream on an episode of Death Battle. That made me realize that these ponies could actually be cool. After that, I got into the show, and ended up becoming a brony.

In October of this year, Discovery Family and Hasbro brought My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic to an end. However, unlike Game of Thrones or Star vs., this show came to an end on a very satisfying note. Discovery Family went out of its way to promote it by re-running every episode ever, and the finale managed to tie up any remaining plot threads. In other words, it had a good ending. Best of all, IDW Comics will be continuing the story in comic book form starting next year, so this won’t be the last time we see these characters. I thought it was great seeing one of the decade’s best cartoons go out on a high note, and I only wish other shows could do the same thing.

Happy New Year

Do you agree with my picks? What other great things came to an end in 2019 that I missed? Let me know in the comments below, and happy New Year.

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A Look at Pop Culture Highlights of the 2010s

It’s hard to believe that the 2010s are almost over, and what a crazy decade it’s been. On a global scale, we saw the deaths of dictators and terrorist, major elections, and I might add, an apocalypse that never happened! That’s not what this blog is for, though! It’s about pop culture, and pop culture saw a lot of big things happen.

As the 2010s draw to a close, we look back on what I consider to be the biggest moments in pop culture. It can be a movie, a franchise, or a phenomenon. All that matters is that it involves pop culture.

Anime Goes Mainstream

The 2010s are the decade when the entire Millennial Generation came of age. Thanks to the likes of Toonami and (to a lesser extent) Kids WB, we were also the generation that grew up watching anime. Now that we were all of age, we were to use our powers as fans to make anime a part of the mainstream culture.

As a result, what was once a niche interest is now widely accepted. It’s progressed to the point where western cartoons are taking influence from their Japanese counterparts. However, I think the best example is the fact that Goku has his own balloon at the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. You don’t get more mainstream than that.

Cartoons Depict Same-Sex Couples

Before the finale of The Legend of Korra, I never heard of a kids cartoon showing a same-sex couple. The fact that Nickelodeon was willing to do it seemed revolutionary, and I approved of it. Then a show by the name of Steven Universe took the portayal of the LGBT Community even further, and the floodgates were opened. As a result, more and more kids shows are willing to have depictions of LGBT individuals.

What makes this awesome is that all these cartoons are teaching kids that it’s alright to be LGBT. Those kids will grow up and be more accepting of others, and then the LGBT will be more accepted by others. Also, it’s good TV.

Disney Dominates

In hindsight, this may be more of a con than a pro. While Disney’s been prevalent in American Culture for decades, the 2010s saw them reach new heights of success. While they’ve made several popular cartoons, I’d chalk it up to their acquisition of large businesses like Lucasfilm and Fox. As a result, they now have ownership of some of the best franchises and films ever made.

While this does seem good at first, I can’t help but feel concerned about how powerful the mouse’s become. They already own a large portion of the entertainment industry. If it’s decided that they’ve become a monopoly, there could be calls to break up their company. Hopefully, that won’t happen.

Game of Thrones Shakes Up TV

Few shows in the world have been as big or as influential as Game of Thrones was. When HBO first premiered this adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s popular novel series in 2011, few could have imagined how big the show would get. However, the show became a runaway hit that only grew bigger with each season. With a cast, story, and budget that rivaled that of big-budget films, Game of Thrones redefined what could be done with television.

The show’s final season may not have been as good as some fans wanted it to be. However, the fact remains that Game of Thrones rewrote what could be done with TV shows. Thanks to the number of actors whose careers got kickstarted or revitalized by the show, it’s safe to say that Game of Thrones’ legacy will be felt for years to come.

The Rise of Streaming

Ten years ago, I never even heard of companies like Netflix, Crunchyroll, or streaming services. Now we’ve got Netflix, Amazon Prime, Disney+, and who knows how many others. In other words, the 2010s were the decade when streaming came into their own.

As we stand on the cusp of a new decade, streaming’s bigger than ever. If I’m not mistaken, they’re poised to become the way most people watch their shows, leaving Cable TV in the dust. For better or for worse, streaming is here to stay.

Superheroes Dominate Entertainment

There’s no denying it: the 2010s were a decade dominated by superheroes. While there had been plenty of great superhero movies in the past, they seemed few and far between. However, all that changed with the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Pushing the boundaries of what could be done with superheroes, films like The Avengers brought the shared universe concept to life in a way that had never been done on the big screen before.

The success of Marvel prompted superheroes to reach dizzying heights of popularity, and now others are trying to join in. Even the world of Anime and Manga’s taken with superheroes, giving us hits like My Hero Academia. As we close out the decade, superheroes stand near the summit of entertainment. By the looks of things, Marvel and DC show no sign of letting that fade away. Here’s hoping we keep getting good content!

Star Wars Returns to the Big Screen

Star Wars remains one of the popular franchises in the history of entertainment, with millions of fans across the world. Thus, when Disney bought Lucasfilm and announced more Star Wars movies, a lot of fans got excited. With the release of The Force Awakens in 2015, the franchise returned to the big screen for the first time since 2008.

The Sequel Trilogy may have ruffled feathers for fans. However, there’s no denying how they helped lead to a resurgence in Star Wars. That, and Disney reset the canon so they can create a more tight-knit universe for the franchise. Given the Expanded Universe spanned thousands of years, Disney’s got a long way to go.

Weaponized Nostalgia

The millennials are now all grown up and able to contribute to our economy. More importantly, though, we’ve reached the point where our childhoods are now nostalgically profitable. As a result, the entertainment industry seeks to profit off that nostalgia as much as possible. Which is how we’ve ended up in a culture filled with nostalgia bait.

I could explain how important nostalgia bait is to the entertainment industry these days. However, I think How it Should Have Ended on YouTube does it a lot better in their “Detective Pikachu Hero Cafe” short.

“Because if you remind people of something they liked when they were younger, they will get excited and want to watch it!”

Detective Pikachu

That the whole premise, really, and with the millennials now of age, our childhoods are fair game. Hence why we’re seeing specials and reboots of the shows we watched growing up. Heck, the return of Star Wars qualifies as nostalgia bait! For better or for worse, our childhoods are coming back.

Happy New Year!

Agree with my choices? What were some major highlights of the decade for you? Let me know down in the comments!

Click here to see more stuff recapping past years.

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Rick and Morty Season 4, Episode 4 Review- Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty

Dragons are some of the most iconic creatures in all of fiction, appearing in almost every culture I can think of. As cool as they are though, I know that having one as a pet would be a bad idea. Even if they’re one of the nice dragons, they’d still be a hassle. Why mention this? Because the plot of this week’s episode of Rick and Morty has the pair learn this the hard way. However, it’s not for the reasons you’d think.

Full disclosure: this episode gets weird, even for Rick and Morty. Don’t say I didn’t warn you!

Morty’s Drogon (I Know What I Wrote)

So, Morty decides that he wants Rick to get him a dragon as a reward for all the crap he goes through. Even though Rick tries to get out of this, in the end he gets Morty his dragon, Balthromaw, though he wants no part in it.

In my opinion, Balthromaw’s a mix of a few popular depictions of dragons. Firstly, he has his own lair where he hoards treasure like Smaug from Lord of the Rings. Physically, though, he looks like he could be the long-lost twin brother of Drogon from Game of Thrones. As a bonus, Balthromaw’s voiced by GoT alumni Liam Cunningham, AKA Ser Davros.

At any rate, Morty soon realizes that having a dragon’s not as fun as it sounds. As a result, Rick decides to slay him, and then probably planned on saying “I told you so” later. However, the show twists its typical formula by having the two bond over all the cool stuff Balthromaw.

Then, things take a turn into left field. The two end up “soul-bonding”, which is thinly-veiled metaphor for sex. Instead of hiding it, the show goes all out, with the dialogue even making it sound like sex.

Um… Dragon “Soul-Bonding”

So, from here, things get very weird even by Rick’s standards. Firstly, Balthomaw gets taken back for bonding with more than one soul. However, since Rick’s soul-bonded to him, if the dragon dies, Rick does. As a result, they have to go rescue him in a dimension where Rick’s science doesn’t work. Some other reviews have said it’s a missed opportunity to not have Rick deal with the fact that his expertise is useless, but I disagree. He’s still Rick Sanchez, and even when put into an unfamiliar environment without any of his tools, he’d still find a way to thrive.

It doesn’t matter in the end, though. The whole fantasy adventure ends up being something everyone wants to forget. As a result, Morty tells Balthomaw to get lost, unable to stand the revelation of how horny dragons can be. If it weren’t for what I just witnessed, I’d be laughing at the deadpan, baritone way Cunningham voices the dragon’s attempts to reconcile.

Jerry and Garfield and the Noodle Incident

While all this is happening, Jerry’s on his own adventure with a talking cat a la Garfield. There’s no explanation whatsoever as to why the cat can talk: all that we know is that Rick has nothing to do with it. The two go on a silly road trip to Florida for the heck of it, but just leaves them to have to call Rick for a ride home. Naturally, Rick uses this chance to scan the cat’s mind and find out why it can talk.

We never learn what Rick and Jerry see, but whatever it was, it was horrific. The two are so disgusted that Jerry starts vomiting, and Rick almost kills himself. If someone as messed-up as Rick’s tempted to choose suicide rather than live with seeing something, then it has to be bad.

I thought this pay-off was a hilarious example of the “Noodle Incident” trope. Getting its name from the Calvin and Hobbes comic strip, TV Tropes defines a noodle incident as something either so ridiculous or offensive that it can’t be shown. Fortunately, Rick mercifully wipes Jerry’s memory of the whole thing. As much as Rick hates his son-in-law, he can’t subject him to what they just saw.

What Just Happened?

So, even after watching this episode, I still have no idea what the point behind it was. However, maybe that’s the whole point of what I just witnessed. I honestly don’t know, because I’m still trying to get over the fact that Rick and Morty took dragons and made them into horny beasts. Maybe it was just Justin, Dan and the others wanting to mess around. Or the whole thing was a subtle defense to the ending of Game of Thrones.

One thing’s for sure, though: I think Rick’s going to steer clear of fantasy worlds for a while.

I Give “Claw and Hoarder: Special Ricktim’s Morty” a 3/5.

By the way, I wanted to get this off my chest: that wizard used a wand to create a portal to travel between dimensions. This was the perfect opportunity to reference another form of magic-based interdimensional travel and they wasted it.

Stray Observations

Look at all the cool things that Balthomaw had in his lair. Some of that stuff’s worth more than all that treasure!

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My Plans for December 2019

Thanksgiving Day’s behind us and we survived Black Friday; and I hope the Force was with you if you went shopping. Now the holiday season’s here, and if you’ve followed RJ-Writing Ink since last year, you’ll remember what I did. I watched a holiday special a day, then reviewed it here. Now I’m here to say that I won’t be doing that again this year.

There are multiple reasons behind this. Firstly, trying to write a special a day got hectic for me. I still had to do my other posts, and it got a little difficult. Secondly, there are a few things that I want to focus on for this December. Thus, here are my plans for December 2019. I think you’ll find them taking you to a galaxy far, far away.

Star Wars Hype Build-Up

I don’t get as much of a chance to write about it here, but I’m a huge fan of Star Wars. I enjoy everything from the movies to the books, games, and lore. Despite my love of the franchise, I’ve been a skeptic about the sequel films since they started. However, I refuse to let my optimism be diminished. As such, I aim to make sure the Force is with me for December.

All throughout December, I’m going to be writing about all things Star Wars. There’s no set theme for this, as it can be about anything from the franchise. Some ideas I do have, though, include:

• Favorite Moments in Star Wars
• A look at the philosophies of the Jedi and Sith (and their flaws)
• Characters in Star Wars I’m a fan of
• Good things about the Star Wars prequels
• My biggest problems with the Star Wars sequels

All of this will lead up to my review of Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker. May the Force be with us this December.

A Look Back on 2019

If you’ll recall, I wrote a post at the end of last year calling 2019 “The Year of Endings.” The rationale being that this year saw the end of a lot things in pop culture. With the year coming to a close, I want to look on some of the things that came to an end this year. I’m not sure if this will be one post or a series of posts, but I can tell you that I plan to have it up between Christmas and New Year’s Eve.

To clarify, most of what I’ll be writing about will be things I’ve already written on RJ-Writing Ink.

A Look Back on the 2010s

For better or for worse, the 2010s were an eventful decade for humanity. From world-changing historic events to the rise of cultural icons, the 2010s were big. Thus, with the decade coming to a close, I felt it’s appropriate to look back on the big highlights.

Expanding on my look back on 2019, I’ll be writing on a number of topics. I already have some ideas in place:

• Biggest Global Events of the 2010s
• Best Movies of the 2010s
• Biggest moments for pop culture in the 2010s
• Best TV shows
• Best animated TV shows

There’s no set timetable for this, though. All I know is that I’ll be posting it throughout December.

Some Holiday Specials

Alright, I know I said that I wouldn’t be focusing on holiday specials this year. However, if I see a special or movie that I like, then I want to write about it. Don’t expect it to take up much of my blog, though.

May the Force Be With Us

Well, that’s everything that I wanted to say. In between all this, I’ll be doing posts on my regularly scheduled topics. May the Force be with you!

Click here for some of my Star Wars stuff.

Come here to see some of my Animanga stuff.

Click here to see my other animation stuff.

I’ve been putting this off for three weeks now, and I can’t take it anymore. Game of Thrones is over, and I need to talk about the show some more!

To say Game of Thrones is the biggest show of the decade would be an understatement; it’s one of the biggest shows of all time. It’s changed our culture in ways that few stories have ever done. The tens of millions of fans, references and parodies by other shows, works by scholars; I could go on! Not to mention that the places they used to film the show got significant boosts in tourism. Croatia and Northern Ireland have websites dedicated to Game of Thrones tourism.

What I’m saying is that this GoT has gotten a lot of love, and that’s why the final season was so divisive. Its sad feeling seeing a story you love end in an unsatisfying manner, and for some, it can sour an otherwise good memory. I’ve spent the past three weeks thinking about that, and I want to give my answer to this question:

Is Game of Thrones Still a Good Show?

The Plot

Few adaptations are capable of carrying over everything from their source material, and Game of Thrones is no exception. The show took liberties with the source material from day one, but they were never too drastic. Some characters got aged up, appearances changed for casting purposes, things like that. As time went on, though, it began to deviate from the books.

Martin gave Weiss and Benioff an outline of how he was going to end the books, and that’s what they used for Season 6 onwards. Which is good and all, but I’m not alone when I say this: they made the final two seasons too short. HBO tried to go for quality over quantity with fewer episodes, but by doing so, they lost both. I liked Season 7, but it was one big event after another. That may work on paper, but in truth, we need extra time to flesh the story out. In short, they should have stayed at the ten episode mark.

You have to admit; though, even at its worst, GoT is still enjoyable to watch. The casting’s amazing, the music is world-class, and the special effects are incredible. It speaks to the high quality of the show when the worst of it is still fun to watch. I still hate Dorne, though.

The Worries about the White Walkers

Depending on how you look at it, the White Walkers are either the best or the worst thing about Game of Thrones. Despite coming from the book, the White Walkers are more of the show’s work. They’re hardly shown in the book, and they don’t have as significant a role as in the show; not yet, at least.

The reason why its a problem is because the show spent so much time building them up as the ultimate big bad of the show. I even considered all the power plays in Westeros as distractions to weaken them for the war against the dead. By Season 7, it was all I cared about. Then in one episode, it ended thanks to the most badass woman in the show, Arya Stark.

I realized then that prophecies in Game of Thrones are worthless. So much Jon being the one to save the day. Then again, since Game of Thrones likes subverting expectations about fantasy, this wouldn’t be out of the question.

Its Take on Medieval Fantasy

Before George R.R. Martin, people would think of medieval fantasy being something like Lord of the Rings or Ivanhoe. Noble heroes fight against evil, epic battles of magic and things. Game of Thrones takes all that and splashes it with a ridiculous dose of reality.

In real life, the medieval world was more or less the same as life has always been: violent and as filled with jerks as it is with good people. More to the point, it’s not a black and white story, either; its grey. As in real life, people sometimes have to do bad things to survive or achieve their goals. As a student of history who has seen some messed up things, I appreciate the fact that they don’t sugar coat anything.

My favorite moment was still The Battle of the Bastards.

My Verdict

So, was the finale to Game of Thrones not what we expected? Yes. Though, the show may have ended up falling victim to its hype. It had become the most excellent show on TV, so expectations for the final season were high, maybe too high ever to meet.

Does the finale make it any less of a show as a whole, though? I can honestly say that, no, it doesn’t.

The show had its fair share of controversies and bad moments before the final season came around, yet it kept going through it all. When you look back on it as a whole, it’s still an incredible story; one of the best stories humanity has ever told, in my opinion. I am upset that we never got to see Jon slay the Night King as I wanted, or Arya kills Cersei, but we can’t get everything. It may have tripped at the finish line, but I still think that Game of Thrones is worth watching. If you don’t agree, then I respect that.

Team Stark 4 Life, people!

One last thing! Did you guys know that there’s a hand-woven tapestry that depicts the events of the show? I’m serious! Located in a museum in Belfast, Northern Ireland, the Game of Thrones Tapestry was modeled after the Bayeux Tapestry in France. It has all the big moments from the show on it up to the end of Season 7, and they’ll be adding the final season soon. Click the link below to see the website about it:

Cool Game of Thrones Tapestry

Game of Thrones, “The Iron Throne” Series Finale Review

After eight years, 73 episodes, and too many deaths to count, Game of Thrones is over, and our watch has ended. It redefined what can we can do with a TV show, influenced a decade of pop culture, and became the most popular show in the world.

It’s so popular, that economic experts are saying that millions of people will either were going to call out sick on Monday or be less productive. It’s going to cost the economy millions.

I’m going to write something that looks back on the series as a whole, but this will focus on the finale. So, did it end up being everything we hoped for? Laura Prudom of IGN noted that it ended up being as bittersweet as George R.R. Martin said it would. The end of a good story’s often bittersweet, though it feels more bitter than sweet, in this case.

Picking up after Daenerys has burned King’s Landing, Jon and Tyrion try to come to terms with what they saw. They’re both wracked with guilt and grief, but it’s Tyrion who gets the message across. Peter Dinklage gave his last performance as Tyrion everything he had, the grief he feels very visible. It’s not until he gets to the crypts that we see his best performance. Digging through the rubble until he finds the bodies of Jaime and Cersei, Tyrion breaks down in tears.

No matter how much she hated him, Tyrion could never bring himself to hate his sister. The bitter irony to this scene is that, despite all the times his father and sister tried to get rid of him, Tyrion was the last one standing. The last of the Lannisters; he was alone.

And now the rains weep o’er his halls, and only one soul to hear.

Daenerys, meanwhile, revels in her victory. In the Red Keep, she tells the Unsullied and Dothraki that they’ve “liberated” King’s Landing. Now, she intends to do the same to the rest of the world.

Say what you will about the story, but everything about this scene was flawless. The cinematography was perfect, Emilia Clarke was giving her all, and the whole thing drove home the fact that Dany has become that which she swore to destroy. The fact that it reminded me of a Nazi rally only drives that fact home.

When Tyrion resigns as Hand in disgust, Daenerys arrests him for treason, and he spends what he thinks are his last hours trying to convince Jon that she must be stopped. Jon tries to remain stoic and say that she’s his queen, but we know he’s lying to himself. He still wants to see the good in her, but Arya and Tyrion point out that if he does nothing, then Daenerys will eventually kill him and Sansa.

Even though Jon knows he has to do it, he makes it a point to ask Daenerys one last time to stop this madness. It’s who he is. But this is what Daenerys has become. The Game has corrupted her, twisted her good intentions. The only reason people let her get away with it, us included, is because we saw the people she burned as jerks. The Warlocks, the Slavemasters, the Khals.

I had made peace with what happened next, but on the inside, it still broke my heart when Jon stabbed Daenerys in the heart. Sensing his mother’s death, Drogon comes in the throne room and tries to nudge her lifeless body in vain. Everyone expected that he would try to kill Jon, but instead, he turned his on something else: the Iron Throne. Where Balerion the Black Dread forged the Iron Throne, Drogon the Winged Shadow reduced it to molten metal.

This was a powerful moment for me, one of the best in the series. People have said dragons are as smart as humans, if not smarter. And in this moment, Drogon was smart enough to realize that while Jon may have been the one to do it, it was the Iron Throne and all it stood for that killed his mother. It was like a curse that had torn Westeros apart, and the carnage we’d seen in the show was only a fraction of the bloodshed. Homes plundered, dominions in ruin, all to grasp at the Throne. Drogon made the smartest decision out of anyone in the show, and decided that no one should have that power. Then, he took his mother’s body, and flew away from Westeros, never to return.