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Rick and Morty S8 Ep 1 Review

Rick Sanchez can be one of the pettiest people in all of fiction. If you think an idea of his is dumb, he will put you in a position where you admit it isn’t. If you try to prove that you’re morally better than him, he will force you to stoop to his level. And apparently, if you take his stuff without permission, he will put you in a Matrix until you learn your lesson! And apparently, that was the lesson that he was trying to teach Morty and Summer in the season eight premiere of Rick and Morty! In a twist, though, the episode doesn’t focus on the Matrix itself, though. It focuses on the after-effects on Morty and Summer.

Rick is Petty as they Come

The episode drops us off right at the tail end of Morty and Summer’s time in a version of The Matrix. They took Rick’s phone charger without his permission, and in retaliation, he trapped them in a simulation until they learned not to steal his phone charger. In typical Rick fashion, though, he fell asleep and left them in there for the equivalent of 17 years. Morty went to prison and became a shell-shocked war veteran, while Summer became an unscrupulous businesswoman in an effort to break The Matrix. By the time they get out, they’re mentally adults, and neither of them has dealt with the trauma that well.

Looking at this episode, it’s rather obvious to longtime fans that nothing about “Summer of all Fears” is original. The show has demonstrated Rick will punish his family for the pettiest reasons. It’s dropped us into the middle of an adventure without explanation, only to reveal what happened over time. An entire episode of the show was dedicated to revealing how many times Rick has had to wipe his family’s memories. Even The Matrix itself isn’t that original. It gets to the point where you question if the show isn’t running out of steam.

Killdozer’s Second Coming

Then again, seeing the Smith kids deal with the trauma they experienced in The Matrix remains an interesting sight. If only because of the way the principal adult figures in their lives react to it. Beth likes the more mature Summer at first, but her condescending attitude quickly wears on her nerves. Meanwhile, Morty turns the tables on Rick by trapping him in his own Matrix before trying to drive a death race vehicle into a power plant. That part felt a lot like the story of the Killdozer!

In the end, though, status quo remains the law of the land. Summer is able to talk Morty down, both agree to have their minds wiped, and everything returns to normal as both lost their character development. Not the most inspiring of ways to end the episode, if you ask me. But then again, it’s Rick and Morty. At this point, the show is going to do whatever it wants. Here’s hoping that the rest of the season comes up with some cool stories, though.

I Give “Summer of all Fears” a 2.5/5

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A Fan’s Reaction to the Cancellation of Inside Job

This past Sunday, the world of animation got rocked with the latest in a year-long series of bad news. Inside Job, one of the most popular shows on Netflix in recent memory, got canceled. Series creator Shion Takeuchi took to Twitter to confirm the sad truth.

Fans are…understandably upset about this.

Inside Job Could’ve Been an Adult Gravity Falls

Inside Job was an adult animated series that premiered on Netflix in late 2021. Set in a world where almost every conspiracy theory’s true, the show centered around anti-social super genius Reagan Ridley. With her (incredibly) dysfunctional team, she works for one of the companies that help to manage and cover up all those conspiracies. In other words, think of a funnier version of the SCP Foundation. 

Inside Job had a lot of upper-level talent behind it. Firstly, its creator, showrunner, and one of the executive producers, Shion Takeuchi, was a writer on Gravity Falls. Secondly, two other executive producers were the director for Bojack Horseman and Alex Hirsch, the creator of Gravity Falls himself. The presence of the guy who created one of the cartoons that defined animation in the 2010s was enough to give Inside Job clout before its premiere. 

Once it came out, Inside Job lived up to the hype. It was hilarious, combining the tropes of the office sitcom with a level of weirdness that would make Dipper Pines squeal in delight. From shape-shifting reptiles living amongst humans to a colony of rogue astronauts living on the Moon, Inside Job knew how to get the most mileage out of the paranoid. It became one of the best shows on Netflix; when the new episodes got released, it was one of the top ten most-watched shows on the platform. 

Which only makes its sudden cancellation all the more infuriating.

Three Reasons Why Netflix’s Made a Mistake

Maybe there were issues regarding production behind the scenes, or some executives decided it was less popular than they thought. However, from an outside perspective, nothing about canceling Inside Job makes sense.

Firstly, the show was good. It was popular and had an active and growing fanbase on social media. It trended on Twitter when the second half of Season 1 came out in November. Why would Netflix can it when it was doing so well? It doesn’t make sense, and everyone knows it.

Secondly, Netflix had already renewed the show for a second season in June 2022. To backtrack and cancel the show like this would discourage people in the animation industry from wanting to work at Netflix. Instead, they could take their experience and ideas for potentially popular shows to the competition. 

This has led to an extreme backlash from the show’s sizable fanbase. I’ve checked on Twitter several times in the last 24 hours, and fans have been calling Netflix out, demanding an explanation or for the show to be renewed.

#RenewInsideJob

As a fan of Inside Job and animation, I find this entire thing extremely frustrating and disappointing. I hate seeing works of fiction end without any resolution. In addition, the last year has seen me grow more and more frustrated at how animation’s treated in the entertainment industry. Compounding this fact is that we can’t do anything beyond spreading the word online. It might not be enough to make Netflix renew Inside Job or let it migrate to another service, but it’s all we can do. 

My thoughts go out to Shion Takeuchi and her team. I hope they can finish Inside Job one day, but I still wish them the best in their work. As for me, I’m considering walking out on Netflix or for a good while. 

House of the Dragon Episode 8 Review

Well, we all knew this day was coming. It would happen before the first season ended, no less. However, knowing that it was coming didn’t make it any easier for us to watch. Especially since this moment would doom almost everyone in the cast to what will come next, this week on House of the Dragon, King Viserys breathes his last. It’s the beginning of the long end of House Targaryen.

The Driftmark Affair

After yet another time skip (the last, I hope), the episode opens up on Driftmark in a succession crisis. Corlys was badly injured fighting in the Stepstones (again), and his survival remains doubtful. Thus, his brother Vaemond’s trying to press his claim to the lordship of House Velaryon since it’s obvious that Rhaenyra’s kids aren’t Laenor’s. While Corlys seemed aware of this, he ignored it, preferring to let House Velaryon live in name if not in blood. In the end, House Velaryon decides to take the issue to King’s Landing, now firmly a Hightower stronghold.

Side note, I never read the books, but I know that Corlys Velaryon made it to the end of what’s to come and was a major player in the Dance of the Dragons. While his fate’s unknown, his death would be a major change of events with massive consequences. Hearing about this, Rhaenyra’s family heads to King’s Landing to head Vaemond off, since if he wins, it could cost her the Iron Throne.

Aegon the Elder Belongs in Jail

I wasn’t joking when I said King’s Landing is under Hightower control. Otto and Alicent have redecorated to focus on the Faith of the Seven, and stacked the court with their loyalists. Worse, Alicent has gotten even more paranoid. Though given how her firstborn son is a rapist, she has every right to be.

I’m being serious here. In a series filled with plenty of dark moments, one of the darkest might be learning that Aegon forced himself onto a poor servant girl. And he considers it to be harmless fun. I could spend an entire post listing all the reasons why this is messed, but the bottom line is that if Aegon weren’t a Prince, he’d be thrown in the cells. Alicent’s ready to disown him, she’s so beside herself. The message is clear: Aegon as King is a bad idea. 

King Viserys: Too Good for This World

However, the most surprising part of the episode is what we see of King Viserys…or what’s left of him. Already in poor health at Driftmark, Viserys has become little more than a living corpse. His body’s covered in sores, his hair’s gone, and he’s missing an eye! He looks absolutely horrible…and it makes it even harder to see what’s become of him. It also hit…really close to home.

A few years back, an older relative of mine passed away in the hospital while we were visiting them. While they looked nothing like how King Viserys does, the sight of seeing someone that you’ve known all your life, that you see so full of life, hooked up to machines and tubes, is heart-wrenching to see. That’s how I felt when watching Viserys. The curse of the Iron Throne led him to this state!

In essence, this whole episode painted King Viserys’ entire life as this great tragedy. All Viserys ever wanted to do was protect his Kingdom and make others happy. As a result, others took advantage of his good nature to manipulate him for power and create discord. And even now, when he’s in so much pain that he can barely move, he still tries to keep his family together! The sight of Viserys limping toward the Iron Throne was a brilliant example of how far he’s fallen, and how determined he is to keep his family together. 

I swear to God, if Paddy Considine doesnt win an Emmy next year, I’m going to be so pissed.

A Last Hope Snuffed Out

In the end, it seems like Viserys determination to keep his family together might have worked. Some negotiation between Rhaenyra and Rhaenys has her eldest sons promised to her granddaughters, ensuring Velaryon would survive in blood and name. Vaemond suffers from death by Daemon in the process, though. Daemon is such a badass!

In addition, Viserys organizes a family dinner for both sides, and, despite everything, Rhaenyra and Alicent find that they still have things in common. Rhaenyra thought that Alicent was exaggerating how hard it was looking after her father, but seeing King Viserys’ made her realize that she wasn’t. It was that hard for Alicent. So Rhaenyra genuinely thanks her former friend for what she gave up. And for a brief moment, it looks like both sides can reconcile. Which is why what happens next made my heart sink like a stone. 

Firstly, the animosity between the kids still leads them to come to blows, a result of the hate their parents encouraged in them. Rhaenyra ends up deciding to take her kids back to Dragonstone as the dinner ends with her and Alicent seemingly parting on good terms. They don’t know it, but this proves to be a tragic decision could doom them all.

As the episode ends, King Viserys lies on his deathbed in the dark, alone. No family to be found. With his final breath, he speaks of the Song of Ice and Fire and Aegon’s dream and how he believes in it. There’s just one problem: he thinks he’s talking to Rhaenyra. In reality, it’s Alicent who hears his last words. And she ignorantly thinks he’s talking about making Aegon king. Without even realizing it, Viserys destroyed his family as he died.

The Storm Breaks

The King is dead. Long live the King.

I don’t blame Viserys for what’s happened beyond the death of his wife; at least, not entirely. Viserys was a man who saw the forest for the trees. While everyone else schemed for power, Viserys knew the evil from beyond the Wall would come, and the blood of Aegon would have to face it. Ultimately, Viserys was vindicated. It would Rhaenyra’s descendants in Daenaerys Targaryen and Jon Snow that would rally Westeros against the Night King. It was Aegon’s dagger that Arya used to kill the Night King. In the time of House of the Dragon, though, most of the players will die.

I promised I wouldn’t hate or get attached to any characters in this show, but after seeing the preview for next week’s episode, I feel my anger rising. Alicent, you just doomed everyone. 

King Viserys is dead, and the storm will break next week. The dragons shall begin to dance, and it will tear Westeros apart. Man, this was such a good episode. Kept me glued from start to finish!

I Give “Lord of the Tides” a 4.8/5

This past Sunday, House of the Dragon surprised fans with the reveal of its opening credits. It had the opening score from the original Game of Thrones, yet now juxtaposed against a River of blood running towards the sigil of House Targaryen. While some fans felt excited hearing the original opening score from Game of Thrones, there’s a problem with it that I think needs addressing:

It doesn’t make sense.

Say what we might about Game of Thrones, but for all its faults, the opening wasn’t one of them. While it changed with each season, it always remained consistent in conveying something:

• The rings around the sun told the story of the Rise and Fall of House Targaryen.
• It introduced the world like one big mechanical board game, with the major locations having gears and all.
• It focused on the areas that would play an important role in the season.
• It changed to reflect the current state of things in the show.

The opening to Game of Thrones was one of its most recognizable qualities. It’s the one that got parodied and copied by other shows and YouTube. The intro to House of the Dragon, though? Nothing about it makes sense.

The Problems With HOTD Opening

I understand that the river of blood represents the House Words of House Targaryen, “Fire and Blood.” However, the scenery and everything about it makes little to no sense from my perspective. Is it supposed to be a labyrinth that the Targaryens lie at the center of? Does it represent Old Valyria? It doesn’t make sense at first glance.

I read somewhere that the whole thing’s meant to represent the bloodline of House Targaryen up to this point. Each gear represents a different member of the house of the dragon and whatnot. However, casual viewers who haven’t dived deeply into the lore of Game of Thrones will not understand this. That’s not good for the show.

Bottom-line, while the opening does look cool, there’s a lot about it that doesn’t make sense in the scheme of things. Do better, HBO.