Tuesday, December 21, 2021

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 5 - Armageddon, Part 5

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Barry is given a chance to end his feud with Eobard Thawne once and for all, but the consequences could be dire for the entire Arrowverse. Meanwhile, the Green Arrow of the future journeys to 2021, seeking a lost loved one.


Influences

Green Arrow and the Canaries (story picks up from the failed pilot) and the many contradictory origin stories of the Reverse-Flash in various The Flash comics.


Goofs

Barry says that future Chester made the PED, when it was said in 804 that Ray Palmer made it. (Perhaps future Chester enhanced it in the six months after it was taken to STAR Labs?)

Iris' lecture on Oliver Queen ruining his life by killing to protect his loved ones neatly ignores that Iris killed Savitar to save Barry Allen in The Flash season 3 finale.

It's odd that Joe would threaten to disown Barry and Iris if they didn't save Thawne, given that you'd think a police officer would appreciate that sometimes you have to take lives to save lives... like Joe did when he shot Clyde Mardon to save Barry in The Flash pilot.

Despero says point-blank that he cannot kill the Reverse-Flash because the only way to be sure he won't survive somehow to menace the future is for him to have never existed in the first place. Yet he still goes on to try and kill Thawne after Barry and Team Flash refuse to let him fade out of existence. 

The idea that removing Thawne's connection to the Negative Speed-Force will save him doesn't make any sense since one of the powers the Negative Speed Force is supposed to grant is immunity from paradoxes. (Come to think of it, why isn't THAT protecting him anymore?)

Why would Despero bother pretending to be a hero from the future if he's really some petty tyrant exiled from his home planet? It wouldn't make it any easier for him to come back and time to kill The Flash.

For that matter, Barry's reasoning that Despero must be a bad guy because he's willing to kill for a greater good doesn't make much sense given how many of Barry's friends (Oliver Queen among them) have the same belief.

Barry's reasoning that the Flame of Py'Tar must follow the laws of physics like a real flame despite being an alien magic power source is probably the most wonky pseudoscience in the show's history.

For all Barry and Team Flash do to try and spare Thawne's life and save him from being erased, they do nothing to explore the possibility of saving Damien Darhk and finding a way for him and Nora to live. Granting that this is a magic problem they don't have the experience or ability to deal with and Damien would likely refuse, having made peace with his death, it's still odd the possibility isn't suggested.

Barry also never seems to consider the possibility that taking away the source of Despero's power might kill him.


Performances

Danielle Panabaker gets a truly powerful moment staring down the Reverse Flash and telling him she can happily watch him die after all he's done to her family and friends.

Neal McDonough gives a masterful performance during his brief scenes as Damien Darhk and he and Courtney Ford finally get the chance to give Damien and Nora the farewell they didn't get during his last appearance in Legends of Tomorrow.

Katherine McNamara is frankly wasted in this episode, but her brief appearance showcases why she deserved to headline an Arrow spin-off centered around Mia Queen.


Artistry


The fight between Despero and The Flash may be the best in the show's history in terms of CGI cinematics. 


Flash Facts

The backstory Thawne gives in this episode regarding why he came to hate Barry Allen most closely resembles his backstory in the Rebirth era Flash Comics. In that reality, Thawne sought to become a hero like The Flash in his time after figuring out how to give himself superspeed.

The key difference between the Arrowverse Thawne and Rebirth era Thawne is that, in the Arrowverse, Barry apparently showed-up Thawne as he was about to make his big debut as a hero. This made Thawne determined to prove that he was the superior speedster.

In the Rebirth era, Barry traveled forward in time and discovered Thawne had taken up his mantle, only to turn him in to the authorities after he learned that Thawne was staging some of the accidents from which he saved people.Thawne later sought redemption after serving his time and became a professor of history who worked at the Flash Museum of his time. He later became obsessed with destroying Barry after he traveled back in time to show his hero that he had changed and discovered Barry giving the same inspiring speech he had once given to Thawne to Wally West.


Technobabble

Damien Darhk theorizes that he was drawn back in time to 2021 thanks to his connection to the Time Stone that Barry was wearing when he traveled back in time. He is unsure, however, why he is still alive and why Nora hasn't returned to life yet.

Temporal fade is when a person begins to flicker in and out of existence due to changes in the timeline.

Mia Queen explains that she traveled to 2021 tracking a temporal signature but that she accidentally tracked Thawne's "scent" by mistake due to how much temporal energy he carried.

When Barry used the Time Stone to reset the timeline, it eliminated all possible time variables, restoring a single permanent timeline. This is why, if Thawne is erased this time, it will be permanent and he won't be able to survive as a time remnant like he did following the death of Eddie Thawne in 123.

A speedster can have their connection to the Speed Force or Negative Speed Force destroyed by being exposed to continuous voltage, like blowing a fuse. 

Mia uses a Canary Cry arrow to take out Frost and Allegra.

Barry reasons that the Flame of Py'Tar may be a mystic alien energy source, but it still has to act like a normal flame, which means it can be harnessed and dispersed by a vacuum.

Chester reworks the PED into the lining of a pair of gold boots for The Flash costume. This gives Barry the ability to redirect energy fields around him, including the Flame of Py'tar.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Barry explains the Reverse-Flashpoint to Joe.)
Joe:
Uh... well, I'm so sorry you went through that. Hey, listen to me. I'm here now, and I'm not going anywhere.
Barry: I know, it's just... seeing you again after everything that's happened... 
(Joe chuckles. ) 
Barry: It's just... I can finally breathe again.
(Joe and Barry both jump suddenly and stand as a voice speaks behind them. It is Damien Darhk, who has somehow appeared in Joe's living room.)
Damien: Nothing like a second shot at life. 

Barry: Damien, what you're doing now...
Damien: I'm no hero, Barry. I'm just a dad.

Thawne: Flash. I didn't come here to fight. I came here to make a scene, publicly, so that there would be witnesses for what I have to ask you.
Barry: What is it?
Thawne: I need you to save me.

(Thawne has been taunting Caitlin by telling her she's wasted her life with Team Flash.)
Caitlin:
 Fine. You want honesty? When I was a resident, fresh out of med school, one of the first things they taught me is that sometimes, you lose a patient. That death is a part of life. So guess what? It's your turn. Because all the speed in the world can't help you outrun what's coming for you.
Thawne: You'll save me. You'll save me, Snow. You don't have a choice.
Caitlin: (continuing as if he hadn't spoken) And another thing: I stayed here because Barry and the rest of the team, they're not just friends, they're family. And just so we're clear, what I've been doing for the last eight years is hating you. So if you're looking for someone to save you, look somewhere else.

Barry: Don't you have anything better to do than trying to destroy my life? 
Thawne: Destroying you is my life. 


Dialogue Disasters

Joe: This decision is for the two of you. But I can tell you one thing: if you let Thawne die, you don't have to worry about him destroying our family.


Continuity

The episode continues where 804 ended, with Barry running to Joe West's house to see him after calling him on the phone to confirm he is alive.

Damien Darhk appears in Joe's living room. He guesses that there's something he has to do before the timeline is restored.

Barry gives Damien Darhk back his time stone.

Revere-Flash appears at CCPD headquarters.

Barry tells the rest of Team Flash about the Reverse-Flashpoint and how Chillblaine and Frost were married in that future.

Barry doesn't know about Chester and Allegra's rekindled romance from 804 or that the two ever became romantically involved in the first place..

Barry gives Chester the PED.

Taylor at CCC Media sends out a news alert regarding the Reverse-Flash attacking CCPD Headquarters.

Mia Queen, the future Green Arrow, shows up at CCPD HQ and threatens Thawne, asking him where William is. This is a reference to William Clayton, Mia's older half-brother, who was abducted in A809.

Thawne says he has no idea who William is..

Mia notes that Thawne is suffering from temporal fade, suggesting he doesn't have long to live.

Thawne surrenders himself to Barry, saying he only made a scene so there would be witnesses when he asked him for help.

Thawne wants Team Flash to keep him from being erased from the timeline.

Chester knows who Mia Queen is and has heard many stories about her parents.

Caitlin says she is going to call Frost in so the whole team can discuss whether or not to save Thawne.

Mia is against the idea of saving Thawne, saying nothing good can come of it.

Barry asks Caitlin to figure out how long Thawne has before he stops existing. 

Mia tells Iris that she's come to the past looking for her brother, who was abducted two years earlier.

The only other clue Mia has apart from a temporal signature leading her to 2021 is the Queen family Hozen, which William gave to her before he was abducted.

Mia says that she hasn't killed anyone yet, but she will to rescue her brother.

Iris tries to convince Mia that her father ruined his life by killing people.

Mia points out that Thawne killed Joe West and tried to manipulate Iris into marrying him

Caitlin says that Thawne has two hours left to live and that she can quite happily watch him die.

Thawne recalls Ronnie Raymond and his death in 201.

Caitlin tells Barry that she thinks they need to let Thawne die.

Barry asks Thawne why he's so determined to destroy his life.

Thawne claims that, in 200 years, he discovered how to give himself The Flash's powers and go faster than he or any other hero had. Unfortunately, before he got the chance to reveal himself to the world, The Flash showed up and saved a crowd he was meant to save. This inspired Thawne to prove that he was the superior speedster.

Thawne says that he will keep trying to find ways to ruin Barry's life once Team Flash saves him.

Despero returns from 2031 and confirms that the Armageddon was prevented. He came back to 2021 to confirm that Thawne is erased from history.

Barry asks Despero why he doesn't just kill Thawne if he thinks it is so important. Despero says that he would, but there's a chance that he would come back as a remnant like he did before. The only way to be certain, Despero says, is for Thawne to naturally be erased by the forces of paradox.

Barry, Iris and Caitlin vote to let Thawne die Cecile, Chester and Allegra want to find a way to save them.

Iris tells Chester and Allegra, point-blank, that they do not get a vote when it comes to Thawne.

Joe shows up and asks to speak to Iris and Barry in private.

Joe tells Iris and Barry that if they let Thawne die they won't have to worry about him destroying their family, because it will already be destroyed.

Barry says that he thinks he can save Thawne by removing his connection to the Negative Speed Force, the same way Jefferson Pierce almost took away his powers in 803.

After Team Flash decides to save Thawne, Despero takes control of Mia Queen and turns her against them.

When Barry tells Despero about his plan to depower Thawne, Despero points out that Thawne has been depowered and regained his powers before.

Iris tells Allegra and Frost to protect Thawne from Despero, but they are neutralized by a Canary Cry arrow used by Mia.

Barry tells Despero that he thinks he must have been the tyrant on his homeworld rather than the heroic rebel leader, because a real hero wouldn't choose to take a life instead of trying to save one.

Despero is able to knock out all the power at STAR Labs, except for the force-field trap containing Thawne.

Mia shoots Caitlin in the leg.

Cecile is able to use her powers, mixed with Mia's willpower, to break Despero's control.

With his control on Mia broken, Despero threatens to destroy all of Central City of Team Flash doesn't allow him to kill Thawne.

Barry is able to disperse the energy of the Flame of Py'Tar by using his new boots 

Despero seemingly spontaneously combusts after Barry snuffs out the Flame of Py'Tar.

Barry is able to destroy Thawne's connection to the Negative Speed Force with a focused electrical blast. This also stabilizes him in time.

Barry rents out a bar for a private party to celebrate.

Damien Darhk shows up at the party. Mia threatens to kill him for what he did to Laurel Lance and Damien says she can go ahead, since he's not sure how he's still alive anyway. Mia changes her mind.

Sebastian James is Mia's favorite brand of scotch.

Iris gives Mia a lead, saying that one of the symbols on the Queen family Hoen matches a symbol on some heavily redacted documents from Berlin. She couldn't find out more thanks to some intense firewalls, but she thinks a great hacker could probably get more.

Mia says she will consult with Felicity Smoak in 2021.

Joe comes to the part with Allegra and Frost.

Frost notices Chester is starring at Allegra and guesses he has a crush on her.

Barry thanks Allegra and Chester for holding him accountable regarding Thawne.

Damien gives Joe his Time Stone, saying he thinks that he'll need it some day.

When Joe takes the Time Stone, Damien disappears. 

Damien briefly meets Nora in some sort of psychic landscape resembling the bar, but ethereal and glowing.

Nora appears in the bar confused, asking what happened to her dad.

Joe takes Nora away to explain everything.

In CCPDHQ, a photo of several police officers labeled New Years Eve 2014 changes so that Bart and Nora are seen in the background behind Joe and Eddie Thawne.


Location

Damien Darhk and Nora Dark briefly meet in some sort of psychic space between life and death.


Untelevised Adventures

Despero travels to 2031 and determines the Earth is no longer endangered by the Armageddon event.

Mia Queen spent the two years following her last appearance in A810 searching for William Clayton in her time with no success. She denies having killed in that time, but has still done things she thinks Felicity wouldn't approve of. 

Barry makes arrangements with Cisco Ramon for the Reverse Flash to be locked up under ARGUS custody.

Mia goes to Felicity Smoak in 2021 to ask her for help in tracking William.


The Fridge Factor

Mia Queen is only saved from a quick death at Reverse Flash's hand because Thawne was holding back.

Mia Queen admits that her arrival in 2021 is accidental, having tracked the wrong temporal signal after spending two years failing to find her kidnapped brother William.


The Boomerang Factor

The drama over the Reverse-Flash being allowed to live requires characters who killed in self-defense before to suddenly become militant about heroes never killing ever.


The Bottom Line

An utter disappointment, both as an individual episode and the conclusion of Armageddon, which manages to undo everything the first four episodes of Season 8 did to salvage the series after Season 7. The long-awaited Mia Queen cameo is pointless, only serving to make the character look incompetent while failing to advance her story. The fight with Despero is nonsensical, as is the central storyline with Team Flash suddenly deciding they need to save Thawne. The damnable thing is that there's some wonderful effects works and performances among all the elements that don't work, but all that does is highlight how much better this should have been.

Thursday, December 16, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 25

The thrilling conclusion, in which we enter the Cave of the Dark One and perform the unspeakable rituals to bring about eternal night. Will our thief find a way to steal the day away from the vampires? Will good-ish triumph over evil? And why am I asking you?

Tuesday, December 14, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 24

In which we wander into an obvious trap and the story is spelled out in case we hadn't already figured out all the clues from having our fortune told. Of course we already have all the rituals needed for the end of the game, but we can helpfully get our fortune told one more time and get some very specific clues about finding all the things we already found. Wow!

Sunday, December 12, 2021

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 4 - Armageddon, Part 4

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Traveling to the future seeking to stop himself from destroying the Earth, Barry becomes trapped in a Reverse-Flashpoint, living on borrowed time in a timeline where Eobard Thawne is The Flash and about to marry Iris West! Faced with a new Team Flash that sees him as an enemy, Barry will have to make an unthinkable alliance to get back to the past.


Influences

Flashpoint by Geoff Johns (evoked by Eobard Thawne, who cites it as his inspiration in making himself The Flash), The Flash comics of Mark Waid (creator of modern Reverse-Flash origin) and The Flash #165 (Reverse-Flash tries to marry Iris)


Goofs

Eobard's speech at the rehearsal dinner at the beginning of the episode isn't precisely like his speech at the end of the previous episode.

Ryan Wilder and Alex Danvers change into their superhero suits instantly between the scenes on either end of the title card sequence. 

Caitlin Snow was not in attendance at Iris and Thawne's rehearsal dinner. (Maybe she volunteered to monitor the city case of an emergency?)

It is unclear why Damien Darhk is alive in the new timeline. (Presumably Thawne may have arranged his resurrection so that he could go on to kill the Legends, preventing them from being able to interfere in his establishment of the Reverse-Flashpoint.)

It is also unclear why Ryan Choi is single in the new timeline, when he was happily married and had a young daughter during his last appearance in Crisis on Infinite Earths. While this could be an unintended side-effect of the Reverse-Flashpoint (like Barry accidentally awakening the Frost persona in Caitlin Snow during Flashpoint) it is somewhat strange that Batwoman and Sentinel don't seem to have had their timelines changed at all.


Performances


Neal McDonough has a fantastic turn here as Damien Darhk, managing to be gleefully evil and yet somewhat sympathetic in how he chooses to nobly sacrifice himself to save his daughter.

It also should be noted that the chemistry between Javicia Leslie and Candice Patton is fantastic and you can truly believe they're best friends, despite this being their first episode paired opposite one another. 


Artistry

Again, top-notch effects work for the fight scenes.


Flash Facts

The title teaser of this episode is changed to show scenes of Eobard Thawne in place of Barry Allen.

The idea of the Reverse-Flash taking Barry Allen's place and marrying Iris West comes from The Flash #165 (November, 1966).

Ryan Choi's Atom costume is modeled on the classic Atom costume worn by Ray Palmer in the comics.


Technobabble


Sentinel is able to reconfigure her weapon into a paralysis ray capable of temporarily holding a speedster.

The Particle Eradication Distributor (PED) is a device that can erase any type of matter. It was created by Ray Palmer. Combined with the power of a Time Stone, the PED can erase any unsolidified anachronisms on the temporal plane. 

Chester determines that the Reverse-Flash is running on limited speak, making him harder to track as he's generating fewer negative-tachyons than normal. He is able to compensate for this by synching Ryan Choi's Atom bracelet's microsensors to the satellite, allowing it to better isolate minute signals.

Batwoman has a Velocity-Zero gun that can temporarily disrupt whatever connection a speedster has to any type of Force. 

Leaving a person in bed alone after a night of passion is known as the French Exit.

Barry determines that he'd need to reach a speed of Mach 20 to open a time portal. This requires a runway 40,000 miles long. While he could run around the Earth that quickly, the pressure he exerted on the mantle while doing so would cause cataclysmic changers to the Earth's core. He would only have two minutes to open the portal before the damage he did reached the point that it could permanently damage the world.

Barry estimated his odds of success as 2%.

The speed wake of Barry's build-up generates 100 earthquakes around the globe and a tsunami in Japan.

Ryan Choi's new Atom suit allows him to increase the molecular density of Damien Darhk's sword by a thousand fold, making it weigh two tons.


Dialogue Triumphs

Thawne: You got a lot of nerve showing up here, Allen.
Barry: It's been you this whole time. Despero, Armageddon, Joe.
Iris: Don't you dare say my father's name, you murderer!
Barry: Guys, it's me, Barry. Iris is my wife. 
(The assembled heroes stare at Barry in disbelief, their hatred of him obvious.)
Barry: We've all fought Thawne together!
Cecile: Oh, my God. He actually believes the things he's saying.
Barry: I'll show you it's me.
(Barry raises his hand and releases the costume from his ring. He changed reflexively, not noticing that his costume is now yellow - the costume of the Reverse-Flash!)
Barry: Thawne, what did you do?
(Thawne just looks at Barry and shakes his head.)
Thawne: You're not the Flash, Allen.
(Thawne runs out of the room and back. He is clad in a familiar red costume.)
Thawne: I am.

Thawne: Iris West is my lightning rod now, Reverse-Flash.
Barry: What the hell did you do?
Thawne: Nothing you haven't done before.
Barry: You created a Flashpoint.
Thawne: Wrong. I created a Reverse Flashpoint. I started by doing a little housekeeping at S.T.A.R. Labs, and then I took care of the one father you had left.
Barry: Why?
Thawne: Because after our last encounter, it was clear to me you were faster than I was, and that the only way to defeat you... Was to become you. So I ran back to the year 2013 and made sure that I was the one struck by lightning. I was the one that Iris West wrote about as the Streak. I led Team Flash. I was the one Iris West fell in love with. I stole your life! And because every hero needs a villain... I created that, too.
Barry: You wore my face. It was you that attacked the city that day. That's why they don't trust me.
Thawne: Made you think you were crazy, crazy enough to beg, literally beg Jefferson Pierce to steal your speed. What's it at now, 5%? Maybe less?
Thawne, what you've done destroys the world. It creates Armageddon.
Thawne: No.
Barry: No, it's true, damn it!
Thawne: I would not create a perfect world just to watch it die. As a matter of fact, the only thing that is set to expire is you. And do you know why? Because I finally did what I set out to do all those years ago. I killed you as a child.
(Barry tries to punch Thawne but his hand just passes through him. Like he was a ghost.)
Thawne:
You can do that all night long. But the fact remains, at the stroke of midnight, my timeline will solidify... And you will cease to exist. And your precious Speed Force cannot help you now, because in this timeline, she chose me. An Iris chose me. I've won. I finally won. Who's faster now?!

(Damien Darhk is strangling Barry with his magic.)
Darhk:
Don't make me ask you again. Who are you?
Barry: Thawne's the real Reverse-Flash. (gagging) Erase me from the timeline at midnight.
(Suddenly, Darhk drops Barry on the ground. He stares into space, stunned as he considers this.)
Darhk: Man, he is good! I mean, that's like a... work of evil art. The question is now, what do I do with you?
Barry: (still gasping) You could still help me.
Darhk: "Help me?" No, I'm the bad guy. I don't help heroes.
Barry: But you're also a father, which means you know what it feels like to love someone with all your heart and soul, like your daughter Nora.
Darhk: My Nora's dead. I am done listening to you.
(Darhk gets ready to do his choking spell again but Barry starts speaking faster.)
Barry: She's supposed to be alive! And she is in the timeline I'm trying to restore. In my timeline, a demon was gonna take over her soul, but you switched places with her. You gave your own life so she could live.
(Darhk considers this and pulls his Time Stone from his pocket.)
Darhk: If you're lying to me, I'll see you burn. 
(Barry nods and touches the Time Stone. Darhk sees the moment of his death in the original timeline.)
Darhk: Nora, Nora.
Nora: Dad, why?
Darkh: Because I love you. And I couldn't watch you become a monster. Like me. 
(The image fades away. Darhk looks stunned but nods.)
Darhk:
 It's true. My Nora doll's supposed to be alive. I sacrificed myself to save her. 
Barry: So honor that sacrifice. Help me restore the timeline and bring her back.
(There s a pause. Darhk finally turns around to regard Barry.)
Darhk: Let's go to work. 

(Barry is having a crisis of faith about being fast enough to get the time portal to open.)
Darhk: Why do you think I'm helping you? You think I want to die? I don't. But if sacrificing my life means that Nora gets to live the life that Thawne stole from her, then yeah, I'm gonna do it because my love for her is what keeps me going every damn day in my life. I mean, who do you think I built this whole empire for? Iris, your family, your friends, they are what keep you going.
Barry: Iris doesn't remember what we had.
Darhk: Well, that doesn't matter. You do. 

(Chester and Allegra kiss as the world is falling apart. Caitlin Snow watches this tunned.)
Caitlin: 
When did this happen?! 


Continuity

Ryan Wilder is Iris West's best friend and the Maid of Honor at her wedding.

Iris West was Ryan's Maid of Honor at her wedding to Sophie Moore.

Ryan wants to have a baby, but is worried about balancing pregnancy with being Batwoman.

Allegra is said to be living in London now, but is considering a job offer in Gotham City.

Reference is made to Barry Allen being responsible for killing Sara Lance, Nate Heywood, Ray Palmer and Cisco Ramon.

Barry tries to talk sense into Iris, calling her his lightning rod.

Thawne confesses to altering the timeline so Joe West died, sabotaging the safety equipment at STAR Labs so that it wouldn't detect a radiation leak and attacking Barry's friends and the people of Central City in 802.

A news report confirms that Damien Darhk was just released from prison on a technicality, having been convicted on multiple counts of murder six months previously. Darhk and the Reverse-Flash teamed-up to fight multiple heroes, reportedly killing all of the Legends of Tomorrow, Ray Palmer (who is described as a tech philanthropist rather than a superhero) and ARGUS Director Cisco Ramon. 

Cecile Horton uses both the Thinker's Chair and the Medusa Mask of the Psycho Pirate to boost her powers to try and find Barry.

Iris notes that Barry called her his lightning rod - a pet name that only Thawne had used for her previously in private.

Alex notes the awkwardness between Allegra and Chester and asks what is going on.

Allegra tells Alex that she and Chester hooked up for one night after a "lusty" D&D session, but that when she woke up the net morning he was gone. By the time they talked about it, they decided it was better they stay friends.

Chester is working on a new costume for Ryan Choi.

Barry finds the PED in the secret compartment in the pinball machine in Chester's lab.

Barry runs Damien Darhk out of STAR Labs rather than let him kill Ryan and Chester.  This tips Darhk off that something is off with the man he knows as the Reverse-Flash.

Damien Darhk uses his Time Stone to see how the past was in Barry's timeline and sees his heroic sacrifice in L318.

Ryan is forced to return to Gotham City, after a call from Batwing confirms that Two-Face is on the loose again.

Ryan gives Iris a Velocity-Zero gun and promises to be back for the wedding tomorrow. She says that Batwing built it after an encounter with a certain "Lady in Red." 

Iris is having trouble writing her wedding vows.

Iris has won two Pulitzer's in this reality.

Ryan says that she has decided she wants to adopt a kid rather than having her own.

Chester is once again confirmed not to drink alcohol.

Alex confronts Chester on his one-night-stand with Allegra.

Chester says that he went to go get coffee and blueberry muffins, wanting to have breakfast in bed ready for Allegra when she woke, but that Allegra was gone when he got home.

Chester never told Allegra the truth because they got attacked by the Legion of Doom immediately afterward and by the time he approached her, she didn't want to talk about it and kept telling him that night was a mistake.

Ryan Choi is a cynic about love and says he's spent years trying to help Chester get over Allegra.

Damien uses the Time Stone and sees Barry's past as the Paragon of Love, during Crisis.

Alex confronts Allegra on why she cut Chester off.

Allegra tells Alex that every relationship in her life ended with her getting kicked to the curb and waking up alone brought back all her bad memories of being abandoned.

Alex tells Allegra it is worth the risk of rejection to try and make things work with Chester.

Ryan Choi admits that for all his acting like he doesn't believe in love, he's scared of winding up alone. He too encourages Allegra to go for it with Chester.

Barry goes to Iris and tries to plead his case to her again.

Thawne shows up and tells Iris to just shoot Barry.

Iris shoots Thawne with the Velocity-Zero gun, but tells Barry to run before she changes her mind.

Barry meets with Darhk, who agrees to stay at his point of origin and keep in touch with him through magic.

Frost and Chillblaine confront Darhk. They are immune to his magic thanks to a shielding spell provided by John Constantine.

Ryan Choi, in his new Atom suit, ends the fight with Darhk, with his new costume.

Barry gets a sudden boost in speed when Iris realizes she does love Barry Allen.

Despero senses that Barry is telling him the truth when he tells him that the Revese-Flash framed him and the disaster he caused in the future and that the future is now safe, but he still decides to travel back to his own time to confirm it for certain.

Barry talks to Joe on the phone and confirms that he is alive again in 2021.

Thawne, once again the Reverse Flash, manifests in the Time Vault at STAR Labs and tells Gideon that he will change what is about to happen.


Location

Central City - 2031 - The Reverse-Flashpoint Reality


Untelevised Adventures

In the Reverse-Flashpoint reality, there are a number of changes beyond Eobard Thawne being The Flash - some of which are at odds with the current Arrowverse timeline.

The Barry Allen Reverse-Flash and Damien Darhk teamed up to fight multiple heroes, in a battle that killed all of the Legends of Tomorrow, including Sara Lance and Nate Heywood. They also killed Ray Palmer and Cisco Ramon.

Cisco Ramon was the director of ARGUS in this reality, rather than head of the R&D department.

In this reality, Ryan Choi became the Atom, but apparently never got married and had a daughter, as he makes reference to pretending to be a Don Juan but secretly being afraid of waking up alone every morning for the rest of his life.

Allegra Garcia was said to be working at a new job in London.

Allegra and Chester are revealed to have had a one night stand which ended awkwardly, as Chester left Allegra alone to get them breakfast and Allegra woke up thinking Chester had abandoned her.

Chillblaine is revealed to have reformed and is in relationship with Frost.

Ryan Wilder and Sophie Moore are married and planning to adopt a baby.

Ryan Wilder and Iris West are best friends in this reality and Iris was the Maid of Honor at Ryan's wedding.

Alex Danvers is also married in the new reality, but it is not confirmed it is to Guardian/Kelly Olsen.

Nora Darhk is dead in the new timeline, for unspecified reasons. There is a chance she was not romantically involved with Ray Palmer in this timeline.

John Constantine apparently left the Legends, as in the main reality, but still felt the need to help bring their killer to justice, providing Frost and Chillblaine with a shielding spell to protect them from Damien Darhk's magic.

Two-Face is said to be active in Gotham City again. 

In the past before Barry resets the timeline to how it was before he left, Despero kills all of Team Flash accept Cecile.


The Bottom Line

A surprisingly good penultimate chapter. A lot of the subplots are given more time than they deserve and some of the character interactions are odd. For instance, it would make a lot more sense for Ryan Wilder to be approaching Alex Danvers about her worries about having children given Alex knows that struggle. Of course it's possible Alex never adopted Esme in this reality, which would make for a random change as strange as Ryan Choi no longer having a wife and daughter. Still, the performances are solid and more than make up for the incongruities in the script.

Saturday, December 11, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 23

In which, after hearing more improvised dialogue from the newly grateful (but still smelly) barflies of Mordavia, we go off in search of the rest of the rituals of the Dark One. We also rejoice, because I did not delete my old saved games, allowing me to go back and look at the information I really should have written down earlier.

(Apologies for the delay on this episde. It's been a long week. Ironically, this will help space out the final episodes better before I take a break for the holidays.)

Tuesday, December 7, 2021

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 3 - Armageddon, Part 3

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

As Barry and Jefferson Pierce meet to discuss Barry's problems and the possibility of removing Barry's powers, Iris begins to investigate her father's death and the possibility that maybe he didn't really die.


Influences

Armageddon 2001, The Flash comics of Geoff Johns and The Flash comics of John Broome.


Goofs


Jefferson Pierce makes reference to living in Atlanta. In the Black Lightning series, Jefferson lived in Freeland - a fictional city based on Atlanta. (It's possible Freeland was a specific suburb in Atlanta. Or Jefferson may just be making reference to the largest major city, like how Dallas is often used to describe all the cities surrounding it, not trusting Barry to know where Freeland is.)

The character motivations are all over the place in this episode. Iris jumps between thinking Barry is right to thinking Joe is dead from scene to scene. Despero decides to wait for the heroes to lead him to The Flash only to suddenly boot up the STAR Labs particle accelerator to boost his own powers so he can do it himself.

It also beggars belief that neither Despero nor Cecile/Top would require a nation-wide telepathic scan when Barry was in Central City at the Hall of Justice the whole time. 

Also, wouldn't Team Flash be aware of the Injustice protocols, in case one of them needed to call in the other heroes if Barry were too far gone to request it himself? 


Performances

Cress Williams give a great performance as Jefferson Pierce that will leave you wishing for a fifth season of Black Lightning.


Artistry

The special effects are of cinematic quality, particularly during the Black Lightning vs. Flash fight.


Flash Facts

Barry says that the Injustice Protocols were created by all of the major heroes working together after a battle with a villain named Faust. This seems to be a reference to Felix Faust - an evil magician and classic Justice League villain in the comics, who had the ability to trade souls between bodies. Faust appeared in C110 where he was killed by Chas Chandler, but since this occurred before Crisis on Infinite Earths, it's possible Faust was one of the villains resurrected on Earth-Prime. It's also possible that Faust found a way to escape from Hell, which he also did in the comics.

The Injustice Protocols, which are used to take out a superhero who has gone rogue, seem to have been named after the Injustice games and comics, where Superman went rogue and took over the world.

The basic idea of the Injustice Protocols is similar to the plans created by Batman in the JLA: Tower of Babel storyline, which allowed him to neutralize any member of the Justice League. Batman devised the plans after a group of villains (including Felix Faust) swapped bodies with their enemies in the Justice League.

Chester makes reference to Cerebro - the psychic-power boosting computer used by Professor X from the X-Men - in describing a device that could boost Cecile's empathy powers to counter Despero. This is one of many occasions where the Arrowverse reference Marvel Comics characters as being fictional creations in their reality. 

When Despero attacks the government agents at STAR Labs, he is briefly seen toying with a chess set. The shot where this occurs is a mock up of the cover of Justice League of America #1 (November 1960) where Despero first appeared.

The scene in which Barry and Jefferson discuss soul music is based on an idea proposed by Black Lightning showrunner Salim Akil. In an interview with EW.com, Akil discussed his idea for a Barry Allen and Iris West-Allen appearance in Black Lightning, where Barry would discuss having been raised in a Black family and how Joe West had shared his love of soul music with Barry. While the cameo never happened due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was intentionally referenced here.

The idea of the Negative Still Force is unique to the Arrowverse. Presumably it acts in a similar manner to the Negative Speed Force, mimicking the regular Still Force but being more destructive in nature. So far the only difference between them is that the Negative Still Force seems to allow the wielder to alter the timeline without creating paradoxes.

In the comics, in the New 52 era, the Reverse-Flash originally had the ability to alter the flow of time rather than being super-fast. His newfound command of the Negative Still Force seems to convey the same ability.

The ending, in which Eobard Thawne marries Iris West, is a nod to The Flash Vol. 1 #165 (November 1966) in which the Reverse-Flash took Barry Allen's place at his own wedding.

The name Robern's, the restaurant where Iris and Thawne's wedding reception is held, is a nod to Eobard Thawne's younger brother in the comics, who was a police officer who tried to thwart his brother's crimes before he traveled back in time. Eobard Thawne altered the timeline so that his parents never had any children after him, according to The Flash Vol. 3 #8 (February 2011).


Technobabble

The Injustice Protocols were designed to neutralize the most powerful heroes on Earth-Prime in case they should go rogue. Each member of the team was assigned a teammate to be the one to step in for one another. In The Flash's case, the designated teammate is Black Lightning.

Kalanorians have four hemispheres in their brain, as opposed to humans, who only have two hemispheres. This makes Despero effectively twice as powerful as any human telepath by sheer virtue of having double the processing power.

The security officer at the Scott Railway depot confirms the missing frames on the footage from when Joe died, but explains that is because of the CCT system being on the same power grid as Sharks Stadium and their upload always being interrupted on game days.

Barry alters the conduits in Jefferson Pierce's costume to enable him to generate enough voltage to disrupt Barry's connection to the Speed Force.

Chester's Neural Conjoiner allows telepaths and empaths to pool their powers and amplify them. This allows Cecile and The Top to search for The Flash across a continent, allowing Chester to triangulate his location using the visual data they pick up. Part of the device is a pair of television rabbit-ear antennas. 

Unlike Still Force isotopes, the Negative Still Force isotopes don't decay; they linger.


Dialogue Triumphs

Black Lightning: My father had a saying, one that I even teach my students today. "Where's the future? Right here. "Whose life is this? Mine. "What are you gonna do with it? Live it by any means necessary." So don't worry. I will honor my promise. I will do whatever is necessary to keep folks alive. But remember... when we take away your powers, they are gone permanently. 

(Jefferson refuses to help Barry lose any more of his power.)
Barry:
 Fine, you want to ignore the protocols? Now imagine millions dead all because of me!
(Barry throws a lightning bolt at Jefferson. He side-steps the bolt, grabs it and spins, throwing the energy back at Barry and knocking him down.)
Black Lightning:
It's your lightning. You keep it. 

(Barry ran Jefferson around the room in a rage and accidentally destroys the case holding Green Arrow's costume. Barry sees the broken case and is stunned.)
Black Lightning: You think this is what he would have wanted? You told me that before Crisis, Oliver went to the Monitor to trade his life for yours. Now, I never met the man, so you tell me: why'd he do that? 'Cause he was afraid? Nah. A man like him lays down his life for a man like you for one reason: because you are the best of us. Now, Oliver Queen wasn't a quitter. He'd never quit on you. So don't you dare quit on yourself. 
Barry: Jefferson, I'm so sorry.
Black Lighting: It's okay.  Just tell me this. Where's the future? 
Barry: It's right here. 
Black Lighting: Whose life is this? 
Barry: Mine. 
Black Lighting: So what are you gonna do with it? 
Barry: Live it... by any means necessary. 


Continuity

Barry called Jefferson Pierce to the Hall of Justice to enact something called the Injustice Protocol.

Jefferson is hesitant, saying that the Injustice Protocols are a one-way trip and meant to be used as a last resort.

Barry tells Jefferson about the events of 802 and how he is apparently losing his mind and attacking his friends and city.

Jefferson suggests they call in Kara, J'onn and Sara to discuss this, referring to Supergirl, Martian Manhunter and White Canary.

Jefferson finally agrees to go forward with Barry's request after he says that he forgot about Joe dying six months earlier.

Despero is shown to be psychically scanning Central City looking for Barry.

Cecile makes reference to the mental health crisis she had in the past, revealed in 713.

Cecile can sense Despero's presence and his watching Team Flash.

Joe West reportedly died after falling onto the tracks at Scott Railway after tripping.

Iris started looking at the evidence connected to Joe West's death and discovered a glitch in the video. Joe seemed to disappear before the train hit him. This leads Iris to theorize that something might have happened, like he was taken by a metahuman or swapped with a mirror clone.

Allegra makes reference to the fight with Bloodwork in 708 and how Iris trusting in Barry paid off before.

Cecile loses it and tells off Iris for even daring to think Joe might be alive.

Iris goes off to research her father's death on her own. Allegra goes after her.

Cecile, Caitlin and Chester go to work on trying to find Barry.

Chester says he can build a device to boost Cecile's powers.

Cecile says she can get someone to help further boost her abilities.

Iris is revealed to sometimes see things because of her time sickness. In this case, she sees some kind of green pixelated energy, similar to the Still Force, around the spot where Joe died.

Iris has an appointment with Deon Ownes to stabilize her that night.

On the day that Joe died, the Red Line train arrived 15 minutes early.

Iris suddenly changes her mind when the security officer at the depot offers to let her see the backed-up local files of the security footage of Joe's death.

Cecile recruits The Top, last seen in 701, to help her search for The Flash.

The Top has been reduced to hustling pool at O'Shaughnessy's in Keystone City.

The Top has recently been released from Iron Heights and tells Cecile that cheers broke out at the prison when they heard about Joe West's death.

The Top agrees to help in exchange for Cecile working to get her parole restrictions lifted.

Barry plays "Blue Monk" by Thelonious Monk while working on fixing Black Lightning's costume.

Barry loves soul music, which Joe West introduced him to when he was a kid.

Barry says Joe's favorites were Miles Davis, Johnny Hartman and Ella Fitzgerald but Thelonious Monk was his very favorite.

Jefferson tells Barry about the death of Bill Henderson in B316 and how he was a cop, like Joe, who Jefferson saw as a brother.

Jefferson makes reference to Peter Gambi, his foster father, who created his costume.

Jefferson says he's sure Joe is proud of Barry.

Allegra does some investigating on her own and determines that the Red Line never runs early. In fact, it almost always runs late. More, she determines that the train that hit Joe passed a routine inspection two days earlier, yet somehow had the hydraulics fail. Additionally, dozens of other little things went wrong that could have prevented the disaster, even ignoring Joe's tripping for no apparent reason.

The files on Joe's accident Allegra assembled show the same particles Iris saw at the site of Joe's death.

Top advises Cecile to close herself off from her emotions and her sadness over Joe's death to focus her powers more effectively. 

Top and Cecile overload the Mark I. version of Chester's neural conjoiner.

Despero senses what Cecile and Top did and decides to let them lead him to The Flash.

Deon Owens, the Still Force avatar, finds Iris at the site of Joe's death and is surprised because they usually meet at the STAR Labs Speed Lab. 

Deon says that nobody has been screwing with the timeline, because he would sense it if they were.

Iris asks Deon to undo all her treatments, thinking that her time sickness is tied to whatever is altering reality and leaving these particles behind.  

Deon says the particle Iris is seeing are temporal isotopes, but instead of decaying they are growing. He says the reason he couldn't sense them until Iris pointed them out was because someone was using the Negative Still Force to rewrite the timeline. He confirms that Joe West wasn't meant to die six months earlier, but someone changed the past so that he did.

Caitlin tells Cecile she thinks Top is wrong about closing herself off, saying that didn't help her when Ronnie Raymond died and that Cecile's strength comes from her connections to those she loves.

Chester's phone alerts him that someone turned on the particle accelerator at STAR Labs.

Despero is revealed to have done this, so he could use its power to boost is own psychic abilities.

The second time Cecile and Top use the neural conjoiner, Chester is able to get a picture of Barry with Black Lightning, but doesn't know where they are.

Chester recognizes Jefferson Pierce and knows he is Black Lightning.

Despero shows up at Chester's garage and demands to know where The Flash is.

The Top betrays the heroes and tries to bargain with Despero, trading the information for a chance to help him kill The Flash. Despero denies her and attacks her psychically. She is left alive, but comatose.

Cecile is able to drive Despero away by thinking about Joe.

Barry tells Jefferson that Despero is from the future and offered convincing evidence that Barry will destroy the world ten years from now.  Jefferson does not believe it.

Barry accidentally destroys the case holding Green Arrow's costume and bow as he and Jefferson fight.

Despero finds Barry at the same time that Deon and Iris show up.

Barry no longer has the power to travel in time.

Deon sends Barry forward in time to find out who really caused the end of the world in 2031, as Black Lightning holds off Despero.

Barry arrives in 2031 outside a restaurant called Robern's, which is hosting a "West Party." This turns out to be a wedding reception for Iris and Eobard Thawne.

The West Party includes Cecile, Allegra, Chester (who now has dreadlocks), Alex Danvers (Sentinel), Ryan Wilder (Batwoman) and Dr. Ryan Choi. At the time of this episode, it had never been indicated that Ryan knew Barry Allen or any of the Central City or National City heroes.

Ryan Choi last appeared in L501.


Location


O'Shaughnessy's - Keystone City - 2021.
Central City - 2031


Untelevised Adventures

Barry makes reference to a battle between multiple heroes with Faust, which led to the creation of the Injustice Protocols.


The Bottom Line

An odd episode that seems to be running in place and padding out the crossover. The scenes of Grant Gustin and Cress Williams interacting as The Flash and Black Lightning are magical and will leave you wanting to learn more about their off-camera adventures together. Unfortunately, most of the episode is centered around Cecile and Iris arguing and more of the Force God nonsense from Season 7 nobody wanted to see return. It is worth it, however, for the final two minutes and the reveal that everybody saw coming but still hits like a brick wall.

Monday, December 6, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 22

In which we finish exploring the castle and solve the mystery of the missing innkeeper's daughter. Unfortunately, it's a bit late to save her life... or is it?!

 

Friday, December 3, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 21

In which, after eavesdropping on the innkeeper and his wife, we finally set out to plunder the prize of Mordavia and break into Castle Borgov.

Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Starman Plays Quest For Glory 4, The Thief Path - Part 20

In which Katrina busts out of the castle again (pun intended) and we start cleansing the Mordavian woods of wraiths and whatever other nasty things the night can throw at us. We also have our most vivid nightmare yet, before more training, more nightmares and more midnight meetings.

Batwoman Episode Guide: Season 3, Episode 7 - Pick Your Poison

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here. 



Plot

As Ryan's family dynamic grows even more complicated, Alice hits the road with an unexpected new partner in crime - a Poison Ivy possessed Mary!


Influences

The Batman comics of Grant Morrison (Black Glove society)


Performances

Again, Nicole Kang and Rachel Skarsten playing off each other is the highlight of the episode.


Artistry


The Poison Ivy costume and make-up is respectable. 


Bat Trivia

While discussing the blood sample Ryan gave them, Jade Jett's scientist employee makes reference to Swamp Thing. This is the first indication that Swamp Thing exists on Earth-Prime in the Arrowverse following Crisis on Infinite Earths.

The only other reference to Swamp Thing in the pre-Crisis Arrowverse was an AR Easter egg tied to the show Constantine, where fans who called the number on John Constantine's business card would hear a voice mail greeting advising them to "try the bloody swamp" if they had called looking for Alec Holland.

Mary uses the name Daphne as an alias. In classic Greek mythology, Daphne was a nymph whom Apollo pursued against her wishes. Her father, a river god, transformed her into a laurel tree to protect her. Apollo made himself a crown of her leaves.


Technobabble

The Poison Ivy infection is said to double in strength every 12 hours.

The perimeter on Alice's tracker nanobots is 15 miles.

Alice's blood type is O negative. This makes her a universal donor, but she can only accept blood from another O negative person.

According to Luke, blood cells can live outside the body for up to 4-6 hours.

The tracker nanites die along with the blood cells they inhabit.


Dialogue Triumphs

Mary: Why are we in a motor home?
Alice: Oh. Because we wrecked our super-sexy sports car fleeing the GCPD.
Mary: Alice, what did you do?
Alice: Actually, it's not what I did but, uh, if you don't remember, it's probably for the best.

(Mary learns about how she hurt Ryan and Mary as Ivy.)
Mary: Oh god... I'm gonna be sick!
Alice: Oh. Well, you're in luck. Our new ride has a toilet!
(Mary is heard gagging from the bathroom.)
Alice:
Trust me, sister. It's nicer than the one in Arkham.

(Alice offers to keep Mary safe in exchange for a blood transfusion.)
Mary:
What's your type?
Alice: Tall, dark and brooding.
Mary: Your BLOOD type.

(Ryan is annoyed that Sophie slept with Montoya.)
Sophie:
Didn't realize I needed your permission.
Ryan: To sleep with the woman blackmailing me, threatening me with prison? No. Of course not. I am so happy you two found each other. 

Batwoman: Luke, I need a direction. I'm all dressed up with nowhere to go.
Luke: Uh, good news, bad news?
Batwoman: Bad news first.
Luke: OK. Mary hasn't used her credit cards and shockingly hasn't posted on Insta, so I don't have a bearing to give you, and we only have 42 minutes until sunrise.
Batwoman: OK. You better hit me with the good news.
Luke: 19 of our trackers are offline, so we're down to 4.
Batwoman: That's the good news?
Luke: I didn't say it was that good.

Alice: I hope this goes better than my last transfusion. Nocturna? You were there.
Mary: Right. You mean when you saved your own skin by siccing that off-brand vampire onto moi by luring her with the fact that I had Desert Rose in my blood, which was only there because you gave my mom the choice between her or me with only one cure between us? Yeah, I remember.
Alice: We've come a long way, haven't we?
Mary: Hmm. You know, for so long, all I wanted was for you to be out of my life. I should just stick an embolism in your IV and finally just be done with you.
Alice: (laughing nervously) Ahem. Heh heh. Or, uh, option "b," You could finish my oil change, and you will never have to see me again.
Mary: Actually, that's what I'm afraid of. Hard to believe, right?
Alice: You don't want to be alone. I know the feeling. But you won't be. I'm gonna stay with you through this whole Mary metamorphosis.
Mary: You'd be a lot easier to trust if you weren't a serial killer.
Alice: A serial killer who hasn't left you, doubted you, or ignored you. Do you really want to be alone right now, or do you want help from the only family you have left? 


Continuity

Ryan meets Marquis Jet for a secret meeting. However, this turns out to be a ruse to allow the Black Glove Society to capture Marquis while his guard is down.

Ryan set up Marquis in order to get a favor from Jada.

The favor turns out to be using Mary's blood sample to develop an antidote that will purge Poison Ivy's control spores from her system. 

Vesper Fairchild reports on the apparent return of Poison Ivy following Mary's attack on Batwing and Batwoman in 306.

Sophie wakes up in Rene Montoya's apartment.

Sophie learns that Mary has been taken over by Poison Ivy, but the possession only occurs during the day when Mary is in sunlight.

Luke's arm is still in a sling.

Sophie tells Luke and Ryan that she didn't go home the night before, so she has no idea what happened to Alice.

Mary wakes up next to Alice in a motor home.

Alice tells Mary that she fought the GCPD the day before  and their car got trashed, leading her to steal a motor home.

Mary, as Alice, threw her phone into the Gotham River on the way out of town.

Alice still has the AI module for the Batwing suit.

Alice offers to help protect Mary until she masters her new Poison Ivy powers in exchange for a blood transfusion to rid herself of the tracker nanites.  

I-15 runs through Gotham City.

Alice is able to throw off Batwoman's pursuit by using her blood to paint messages on various cars.

Mary and Alice begin flirting with various customers in a bar and doing blood tests trying to find O negative people to drain.

The bartender tries to kick Mary and Alice out, finding them creepy, but Mary subconsciously uses her Poison Ivy powers to make the bartender friendly.

Sophie tells Luke and Ryan about how the Mayor's Office is getting ready to go after Mary with full force.

Sophie also tells Luke and Ryan about her one night stand with Montoya.

Marquis escapes from the lab where his mother was going to have him cryogenically frozen.

Ryan and Sophie find Jada Jet after Marquis attacked her.

Marquis goes to Wayne Enterprises looking for Ryan and stabs a security guard to death with a pen that Luke Fox was given by his father.

The pen has an 18-Karat gold nib and a satin lacquer finish.

Marquis claimed that Lucius Fox used to come by his mother's house and they shot hoops in the driveway a few times.

Marquis easily beats up Luke, who only has one good arm.

Alice picks up a man named Jason who is a Gemini with no piercings or tattoos. He turns out to have O negative blood.

Dr. Tuva was the scientist working for Jada Jet who developed the Poison Ivy cure.

Marquis is waiting for Ryan and offers her the antidote in exchange for her resignation as CEO of Wayne Enterprises and all her stock options.

Sophie dresses Luke's wounds and admits her field dressings in the military academy were famously horrible.

Monotya's apartment is over a GC Jitters - apparently a local chain of the CC Jitters from The Flash.

Luke is able to track Mary by using her GC Jitters rewards card, which was used at a GC Jitters outside Metropolis 2 hours earlier. 

Alice makes reference to Nocturna from 113.

Marquis calls his mother and tells her to be watching TV at 9 am.

Mary and Alice escape from a police officer who identifies their vehicle as stolen. They hit him with the car, but he rolls under the vehicle and the tires do not go over him.

Ryan catches up with Mary and Alice and offers Mary the cure.

Mary says she doesn't want it.

Mary and Alice escape.

Ryan and Luke have their security clearances at Wayne Enterprises revoked, leaving them locked out of Wayne Tower and the Batcave. This leaves them with Ryan's costume and the Batmobile.

Marquis calls a press conference announcing that he's the new CEO of Wayne Enterprises.

Mary, now fully committed to being the new Poison Ivy, dons a green costume and watches the press conference with Alice, and they decide he looks like he might be fun.


Location

Brownsville Pub and a motel somewhere outside of Metropolis.


Untelevised Adventures

Mary and Alice had a violent encounter with the GCPD at some point between episodes, which trashed their electric sports car and led to Alice stealing a motor home.

Renee Montoya told Sophie Moore that the Mayor's Office is authorizing extreme measures to go after the new Poison Ivy during their night together.


The Bottom Line

A mixed bag, oddly enough. The parts involving Alice and Mary are magic, despite it making little sense that Mary should feel at all conciliatory to her mother's murderer. Yet Nicole Kang and Rachel Skarsten play off of each other so well that it seems quite natural and their bonding is far more interesting than Marquis' Joker act, which is far more predictable and, as a result, boring in comparison to the untouched territory of Ivy as a parasite.

Tuesday, November 30, 2021

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 7, Episode 7 - A Woman's Place Is The War Effort!

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.


Plot

The Legends' latest time jump takes them to Seattle at the height of WWII. Sara, Ava, Astra, Spooner and Gideon take jobs working alongside other "Rosies" in an airplane factory to get the parts they need to repair the time machine, but Astra rebels against the racism of the era and tries to build a better tomorrow. Meanwhile, Behrad and Zari 2.0 give Nate a crash course in Persian culture and etiquette in anticipation of his moving in with Zari 1.0 and their ancestors, only to have their hospitality abused by Bishop.


Influences

I Love Lucy (Ava's battle with a sped-up conveyer belt pays tribute to an infamous I Love Lucy episode.) and the movie Hidden Figures (theme of Black women working in vital roles without credit.)


Goofs

For all this episode does to combat sexism and racism and point out the role that non-white women played in World War II, it's a little screwed up that the head janitor played by Kimleigh Smith isn't given any name in the script beyond "Female Worker."


Performances

Raffi Barsoumian has another outstanding turn as Bishop, managing to make the hapless wannabe hero surprisingly sympathetic even as he's playing Sheridan Whiteside to the Tarazis' Stanley family.

Jes Macallan proves an able Lucille Ball impersonator. 


Artistry

The episode's use of period music in setting the mood is fantastic.


Trivia Of Tomorrow

The McDougle Jemison factory is named in honor of two Black women who had prominent roles in the the American space program. Sharn Caples McDougle was the first Black woman to serve as a spacesuit technician. Mae Jemison was the first Black woman to travel into space.

Ta'arof (or Taarof) is an ancient Iranian custom which forms the backbone of modern Persian etiquette and hospitality. It is meant to even the playing field in a heavily hieratical culture and dictates the proper way of how to behave as a guest and a host, with hosts offering their guests whatever they want with the expectation that the guest will not be greedy in regards to sharing food or drink. The custom of allowing a social better to enter the room first but making a show of allowing them to pass before you is another part of Ta'arof.


Technobabble/Arcana

Gideon says that the odds of someone being injured by a toilet are 1 in 10,000.

Operation Blind Man's Bluff is a maneuver the Legends have developed to distract people. It consists of playing Marco Polo while running around whoever they are distracting.

Fixing the time machine this time requires rebuilding 18 aeroimpetus stabilizers. They can be assembled using corrugated metal, 2 inch I-beams, copper wire and a standard welding station.

The tradition of ta'arof demands a guest deny a host's offer three times before finally accepting it. It also requires a host to offer something to a guest as a gift if they like it, as when Bishop admires Zari 2.0's "retro" phone.

The factory has an injection molder, which makes custom metal parts, that keeps breaking down. Once fixed, it can be used to make the aeroimpetus stabilizers far faster than Spooner can assemble them.

Spooner accidentally casts a spell which paralyzes Mr. E. Staples in place.

Bishop builds a navigational device for the time machine made out of Zari's phone and a Speak-and-Spell. He calls it a neural communicator and says that, when worn by Gideon, it should help her steer the time machine.


Dialogue Triumphs

Bishop: I'm on your side, I swear. There is a soon-to-be bad Bishop who's actually a replacement robot clone of me, but I'm the good Bishop.
Ava: So which Bishop blew up our Waverider?
Bishop: Well, that was me.
Zari 1.0: And who sent the robots after us?
Bishop: Also me.
Nate: None of this fits the definition of "good."
Bishop: In my defense, I thought you kidnapped me, but then I learned the truth. You're the good guys. Only it was too late. Gideon went rogue.
Gary: Her?
Gideon: Me?
Bishop: (hearing the familiar voice and freezing up) Oh, no.
Astra: She's harmless.
Bishop: Wait, this is astounding. A living, breathing Gideon? A true deus ex machina among us?
(Bishop reaches out to touch Gideon but Astra slaps his hand.)
Astra:
She's neither a god nor machine. She's human. So who the hell are you talking about?
Bishop: I stole a copy of Gideon's OS when I was on your ship, restored her to factory settings, and then built my own Waverider.
Spooner: Oh, no, Evil Virus Gideon.
Gideon: That seems a bit harsh. How about misunderstood Gideon who's just trying to keep the timeline intact?
Behrad: By killing us?
Nate: Evil Gideon it is. 

(Sara sees Bishop at the dining room table.)
Sara:
Why is he down here?
Nate: I'm learning about Persian culture so I can win over cranky uncles.
Behard: Bishop's my teachable moment.
(Sara glares at them for a second but then sighs.)
Sara: You're lucky I love you two.
Nate: Aw, I love you. (hands her a bread basket) Here's some complex carbohydrates.

Bishop: You eat food? How human are you?
Gideon: Biologically, I'm 100% human.
Bishop: Well, so then, how computer are you?
Gideon: Also 100%, which is confusing mathematically, but accurate metaphorically. 

(The head janitor just discovered the paralyzed E. Staples.)
Female Worker:
You ordered the integration?
Astra: I couldn't have them treat us like second-class citizens or worse. I just--I didn't think that all those women would walk out.
Female Worker: I am pushing the same mop you are. Young ones like you think it's all about now. It's not. We are all just branches on a tree. There are some below us, some yet to come. This war gave us a chance to finally wake this country up. But that doesn't happen overnight. Slow and steady progress, that's sustainable progress.
Astra: You don't stick a knife in a man's back nine inches, and then pull it out six inches and call it progress. It's torture.
Female Worker: What good is change if it doesn't last? Without those women, the plane won't get finished, and the DOD will pull our contract.
Astra: So your team can't finish the plane?
Female Worker: I didn't say that. I mean, maybe we can. Maybe if we work around the clock, maybe if someone brought meals, coffee, some cots for breaks.
Astra: Maybe, huh?
Female Worker: Heh. We can do it. But what's it matter? Once top brass finds out, they're going to fire us anyway.
Astra: You take care of the plane, I will make sure you keep your jobs. Deal?
Female Worker: Probably the straight dumbest thing I've ever said yes to. Deal. 

(Bishop is trying to explain his neural interface to Dr. Davies.)
Dr. Gwyn Davies:
You dropped a toilet on my time machine. I don't have to talk to you.
Bishop: Look, you have a problem. Your machine can travel. You just can't tell it where. But with this, Gideon can navigate it. All she has to do is think where she wants to go, and... The device can read all of Gideon's thoughts.
(Bishop places the helmet on Gideon's head and it begins to speak.)
Interface:
That shirt really brings out Gary's eyes. And those pants accentuate his butt.
(Gideon pulls the helmet off hurriedly.)
Gideon: Now I think I understand why humans keep secrets now.
Behrad: That's called shame. And there's no shame in the game. Those pants do accentuate his butt. 
(Gary has been silent this whole time, but smiles a bit at Gideon.)


Continuity

The Legends crash land in a forest and discover Bishop among the wreckage of the time machine.

The Legends distract a group of American military police away from the time machine wreckage using the Blind Man's Bluff maneuver. 

The Legends escape into the mansion dimension using the key in a woman's outhouse.

Bishop explains how he copied Gideon's OS, built his own Waverider, created the Robo-Hoover to maintain the timeline and accidentally created the Evil Gideon that is trying to destroy the Legends.

Bishop is put in John's bedroom in the mansion dimension.

Dr. Gwyn Davies asks who John is, apparently having not been told about Constantine yet.

Ava and Sara discover they are crashed near an airplane manufacturing plant that is in the middle of holding a hiring fair for female workers, since most of the young men who would normally work factory jobs have been recruited as soldiers.

Zari 1.0 returns inside the Totem reality.

Nate says he will move in with her once they get the team back to the present.

Nate tells the rest of the Legends that he and Zari are moving in together.

Nate makes it clear that he is not quitting the team - he will just be commuting from out of the totem every day.

Nate agrees to let Gary have the helmet from his Steel costume, which he almost never wears anymore.

Spooner knows how to weld.

Ava and Sara are recruited for the assembly line. Gideon his hired on as a secretary after saying she can process one million words a minute.

Astra and Spooner are hired on as janitors, as the factory manager refuses to allow non-white women to work on his floor.

The McDougle-Jemison factory produces one bomber every 48 hours.

Astra rankles at being made to clean, but Spooner points out that their position allows them to easily smuggle out what they need because nobody is watching the janitorial staff.

Zari 2.0 returns from the totem dimension with the news that Uncle Amoo Arjomand, who was the totem bearer 400 years earlier, is displeased about the idea of Nate moving in.

Zari 2.0 recovers her phone, which she lost in 704.

Behrad decides to treat Bishop as a "guest" in order to teach Nate about the Persian custom of ta'arof, so that Nate can impress their ancestors with his good manners.

The head janitor informs Spooner and Astra that they created a secret workshop they use to repair the machines that are thrown out and they've become as good as any of the white "Rosies" working the real factory floor. She says they are welcome to use it, provided their other work gets done first.

Zari's towels are 600 GS Egyptian cotton.

Bishop says he prefers a denser towel - at least 800 GSM.

The First Lady, Elanor Roosevelt, is said to have called the factory several times about seeing it in action.

Astra tried to forge a work order to get the aeroimpetus stabilizers made, but is caught by the factory manager, Mr. E. Staples. She accidentally freezes him with a spell as he's in the middle of firing her.

Astra plans to take over doing Mr. E. Staples job, in order to keep the factory on-schedule, so that evil Gideon doesn't detect them doing anything wrong.

Zari plays a game on her phone called Pastry Smash.

Zari is forced to give her phone to Bishop.

Astra is able to arrange for the time machine to be transported into a disused hangar, where Dr. Davies and Gary can work on repairing it in private.

Gideon does not understand why humans keep secrets from one another.

Astra starts making the factory run more efficiently by installing a complaint box, learning what the workers want fixed and doing it. This includes offering coffee and setting up a radio in the break area.

Astra goes one step further by ordering the workplace to be racially integrated. This causes roughly half of the white workers to quit. 

The head janitor discovers the frozen Mr. E. Staples and Astra explains she was what happened as an opportunity and had been running the factory in his place.

Astra makes a deal to protect the women's jobs if they can get the plane finished in the next day.

Nate and Behrad make lunches for all the workers.

Behrad tells Astra how much he admires her assertiveness, even if it has gotten them into trouble.

Astra says she admires how giving Behrad is, but says he also uses his traditions as a way to avoid conflict. She encourages him to stand up to Bishop.

Staples' fingers begin to move after Astra and Behrad talk.

Behrad confronts Bishop on his rudeness. This leads him to reveal that he'd been working on building a neural interface that will let Gideon steer the time machine.

Behrad agrees to be friends with Bishop.

Mr. E. Staples revives just after the latest bomber has been completed, in anticipation of a visit from Colonel Dawson. He's about to fire all the Black workers when the Colonel arrives, with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who has come to congratulate the workers on the job they've been doing. She's accompanied by a photographer with Time Magazine.

Astra got the idea to invite the First Lady from Behrad, taking is idea that "a good guest can make a good host" to a literal extreme.

The Colonel says the plane looks as fine as any he's ever seen as Mr. Staples insists it can't be any good and Elanor Roosevelt says his integrated factory will be a model for the industry and the the reporter for Time says they'll be sure to be on the cover.

The Time team take a photo of Mr. Staples with his integrated workers in front of the plane.

Dr. Davies allows Bishop to install his neural interface into the time machine.

Zari 2.0 comments on how Dr. Davies looks like John Constantine. Behrad and Nate don't see it, with Nate saying he looks more like Rip Hunter than anyone.

Based on what Astra did with the factory, Elanor Roosevelt pushes Congress to integrate al factories two years before it originally happened in the original timeline.

Evil Gideon corners the Legends inside the factory, but Bishop and Gideon are able to deliver the time machine to them.

Bishop sacrifices himself to distract the gunmen so the Legends can escape in the time machine.

When Gideon asks where to go, everyone says "Home." We do not see where they jump to.

The gunmen are revealed to be a group of robots who resemble Behrad, Spooner, Nate and Sara. It appears that Evil Gideon has made a team of Robot Legends to replace the real Legends. The Zari and Astra robots were killed in the fight.


Location

Seattle, Washington - 1943


The Bottom Line

A little heavy-handed and mixed in its messaging but the comedic moments more than make up for it. January 12th, 2022 can't come fast enough.

Monday, November 29, 2021

The Flash Episode Guide: Season 8, Episode 2 - Armageddon, Part 2

 For a summary of the episode guide layout & categories, click here.

Plot

Barry is given seven days to prove that he will not become the villain who threatens the Earth of 2031, but first he must survive the worst day of his life without going mad.


Influences

The Armageddon 2001 storyline and Injustice.


Goofs

Why hasn't the Public Safety Act been evoked anytime in the last four years when weird things were happening at STAR Labs? Or any other lab in Central City? (Presumably Joe West and Cisco Ramon were able to use their positions with the police to steer away inquiries?)

Alex tells Iris, Chester, Allegra and Caitlin that they are the first to discover a Kalanorian. However, a Kalanorian was said to have started a fight in Al's Dive Bar due to the psychic effect of Myr'nn J'onzz's Ta'ar Ka'riq in S315. (It's possible this was changed by Crisis.)


Performances

Grant Gustin is the MVP this time around, doing an amazing job of selling Barry's horror at the possibility he might be going mad and making it seem plausible he might be, given everything in his life going bad.


Artistry

Again, the special effects are some of the best in the show's history.


Flash Facts

The idea of a hero becoming a villain after one bad day lay at the heart of the Injustice reality. However, in that reality (set in a series of video games, with comic tie-ins and one animated movie adaptation) the hero who snapped was Superman, rather than The Flash.

The name of Xotar has been used by two previous DC Comics villains. The first was a mad scientist, also known as The Weapons Master, who a super genius scientist from the future who fought the Justice League of America. The second was a New God of Apokolips and loyal servant of Darkseid.

The Arrowverse Xotar is a metahuman telepath/telekinetic and a woman, who bares no resemblance to either of the Xotars from the comics.

This episode reveals that the Arrowverse version of Despero is empowered by the Flame of Py'tar. A remnant of the nuclear energy that created his home planet, the Flame of Py'tar is a mystic power source which made the already formidable Despero even more powerful than he was as a telepath with the strength and durability of a Kryptonian. In the comics, the Flame of Py'tar increased Despero's strength, speed, durability, reflexes and gave him the ability to alter his biomass, shrinking to human-aize or growing even larger. He could also alter reality to a degree, creating physically real monsters rather than illusions.

It is unclear to what degree the Arrowverse Despero's powers come directly from the Flame of Py'tar as he only uses it in the episode to try and kill Barry Allen. It's possible that his shapeshifting from human-form to his true-form is an application of the Flame of Py'tar rather than the shape-shifting technology used by other aliens on Earth (like Brainiac-5) to blend in.


Technobabble

Chester says the radiation scanners in STAR Labs have not been updated in a week.

Chester determines that part of the early detection array that monitors radiation levels inside STAR Labs has become corroded.

The radiation level  inside STAR Labs' power core reads over 1000 rads.

Caitlin scans Barry's biometrics after he's possessed by Xotar and determines his amygdala activity and cortisol levels are elevated, yet within normal parameters. 


Dialogue Triumphs

(Despero attacks Barry.)
Barry: I thought we had a truce.
Despero: I thought as much. Your bravery is strengthened by the reassurance you gain from enhanced healing.
Barry: It doesn't mean it hurts any less.
Despero: Pain is the debt we pay for change, and I'm here to change the future. Thanks to this experiment, I now know the force required to kill you when the time comes.
(Barry looks a bit annoyed by this.)
Despero: Oh. I've seen your destiny, Flash. I've watched you use your power to destroy everything and everyone.
Barry: You still haven't told me why I would do this. Huh? What would cause me to turn my back on everything I've sworn to protect?
Despero: Madness. Many times in the past, the pain you've suffered nearly crushed you. But soon, a new despair will befall you. And it will create an unbroken chain of sorrow so great... your mind will crack. And with it, the world ends. You see... your power has recently accelerated. But so too has your ability to descend into madness. Tragedy is coming for you, Flash. What remains to be seen isn't whether or not you'll break. It's when.
Barry: I have seven days.
Despero: I'd worry more about tomorrow if I were you. I don't know the details of what will happen. But I know tomorrow is the beginning of the end. Your end. I've granted you a chance to defy destiny. But I'll be staying close by. As soon as I sense your mind turning mad, I'll find you. Good luck fighting fate, Flash.

Barry: Protecting this city is still our top priority.
Frost: Even from you? 

Despero: Crisis and tragedy are like fires, Flash. Some are strong enough to endure them. But others are destined to be consumed by them. Soon we'll find out who you are.

Black Lightning: You look like death warmed over.
The Flash: I need your help.
Black Lightning: Barry, what the hell is going on?
The Flash: Injustice. 


Continuity

The episode continues immediately from the end of 801.

Despero attacks The Flash to determine if he has enhanced healing powers, so that he will know how much strength is required to deal a death blow to him.

Despero explains that The Flash went insane because of some great sorrow that broke his mind. He also says that tomorrow is the day everything changed. 

Despero says he will give Barry a chance to prove himself innocent, but he intends to watch him and kill him the moment he senses the madness within him.

Alex Danvers gives STAR Labs access to the alien database once used by the DEO after setting up a link to the mainframe in the Super Friend's Tower in National City. This suggests that this episode takes place before the DEO was reestablished in the finale of Supergirl (S620)

Alex mentions a computer programmer named Marcus, whom she introduced to Caitlin. He wrote a searching algorithm that runs at light speed.

Alex says she can't find any information on Despero, suggesting he's a big threat if he's stayed off the DEO's grid.

Frost has returned from her vacation.

Reference is made to Barry going crazy while connected to the artificial speed force in 702 that enhanced his cognitive abilities but repressed his emotions.

Caitlin says she ran a bio-scan on Despero while he was in STAR Labs and confirmed that, in addition to his telepathic powers, he has strength and durability on par with a Kryptonian on Earth.

Chester wants to find some way to contain Despero or neutralize his powers. He makes reference to the unit used to contain Bloodwork.

Frost wants to build some kind of weapon to stop Despero.

Iris tells Barry that she's going to stop by Cecile's to help her with Jenna, since Cecile is working on a big case.

Barry is called to the scene of a bank robbery where the security guard had to be hospitalized after having some sort of breakdown. The vault was mysteriously empty.

Barry is confronted by Captain Kramer, who says he needs to hand over his badge.

Barry is informed that he has been suspended pending investigation into federal crimes. Kramer informs him that the DA's office believes Joseph Carver had another mole in the CCPD besides Sunshine and the evidence points to Barry being that mole.

Barry talks with Cecile, who starts planning a wrongful termination suit against the city on Barry's behalf.

Cecile going to sue.

Cecile feels another presence in the room with them.

Barry sees Despero but he denies being the presence and says he's only appearing through a psychic manifestation of his consciousness.

Cecile does not see the illusion of Despero.

Despero says Barry's mind has not broken yet.

Cecile sense Despero's energy when he allows himself to be noticed and says it filled the room.

Barry sneaks into the hospital to talk to the guard from the bank robbery. He keeps repeating one word over and over... Xotar.

Caitlin calls Barry and tells him to get to STAR Labs right away because the city is threatening to shut them down over a radiation leak.

The Public Safety Act was passed four years ago after "meta fallout" nearly took out the city. This may be a reference to the new wave of metahumans and meta-tech created by The Thinker's schemes in Season 4.

The CCDBS is the organization taking apart STAR Labs.

The CCDBS orders STAR Labs to be sealed in concrete, demolished and the rubble sent to a nuclear waste site.

Barry gets Gideon to project holograms to block off the areas of STAR Labs used by Team Flash.

Barry erases all the servers in the building, including the one hosting Gideon.

Iris puts her people to work on investigating Xotar. Taylor quickly determines that she's a psychic metahuman from National City whose trademark trick is driving people crazy.

The Flash confronts Xotar at the Central City Diamond Exchange.

Barry wakes up in his apartment, where he is informed he tried to attack Chuck, Caitlin and Allegra.

Caitlin scans Barry and determines that he's basically normal.

Frost sets up a med lab at her and Caitlin's apartment.

Chester says he and Allegra can set up a comms/Cortex replacement in his garage.

Despero tells Barry that he is from the planet Kalanor.

Despero claims that he led a band of rebels against an evil despot who took over his world. Both sides suffered heavy losses, but his side won. He elected to spare the despot, who rose again 1000 times worse than before. He spared Despero and exiled him from Kalanor, knowing nothing would hurt him more than losing his home.

Despero came to Earth and adopted it as his new homeworld before Flash destroyed it.

Allegra and Chester are still playing Dungeons and Dragons on the weekend, after Allegra agreed to play one game in 714.

Allegra knows when Chester is bluffing.

Chester is a pacifist and has been ever since his effort to build a replica of Marvin the Martian's ray gun as a kid burned down a friend's house.

Chester rigs up a temporary comms system using old cel phones.

Xotar robs a Central City Museum van transporting priceless artwork.

Flash evacuates all the people on the scene before trying to confront Xotar again.

Xotar reveals herself to be telekinetic and holds The Flash off the ground.

Barry vibrates his cells fast enough to generate a lightning shock that takes out Xotar.

After sharing the news of Xotar's defeat, Barry says they can see about talking Joe into making a pot of his famous jambalaya. Everyone else thinks he is making a sick joke.

Barry goes to Joe and Cicile's house looking for Joe.

Iris and Cecile tell Barry that Joe died six months earlier and that Barry gave the eulogy at his funeral.

A memorial plaque gives Joe's day of death as May 23, 2021. (This was six months to the day of this episode airing.)

A news report claims that Flash attacked the city after Xotar's arrest. There were no deaths, but many were injured and the damages were estimated to be worth millions of dollars.

Despero summons the Flame of Py'tar, the undying fire of his home world, to destroy Barry.

Despero uses his powers to put Cecile to sleep when she tries to defend Barry.

Allegra teleports into the house with Chester, who uses a device to repel Despero's attack.

According to Alex Danvers, the Flame of Py'tar was an energy source that was supposedly the sentient heart of the planet Kalanor, but that nobody had encountered an actual Kalanorian until Team Flash met Despero.

Chester says that he can track down Barry, even without STAR Labs' satellites. 

Barry is revealed to be hiding at the old STAR Labs hangar where he set up a round table in L501.

Jefferson Pierce, clad in his Black Lightning costume, meets Barry at the STAR Labs hangar.


Untelevised Adventures

Frost ice-bridges a lot of material out of STAR Labs off-camera and sets up a basic medical lab in Caitlin's apartment. 

Joe West is implied to have died in the line of duty.

Alex says that Supergirl and Martian Manhunter are off-world investigating Despero.


The Bottom Line

Surprisingly sedate given everything that happens in it, but not bad by any means.