Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 26

In which, after ignoring a fetch quest to run around the vaults gathering jumpsuits, we get back to the serious task of helping true love bloom and stealing away the Otregas' biggest earner.
 
(Apologies for the continuity error in this chapter. I reshot Part 25 forgetting I didn't blackmail Cachino until later. This didn't wind up changing anything apart from us getting told off twice.)

Monday, September 27, 2021

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 12 - Blind Spots

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

Plot

When many are left injured by the Ormfell building collapse, including her young charge, Joey Davis, Kelly Olsen will become the guardian her community needs while the rest of the Superfriends are busy with fighting Nxyly.


Influences

The comics of Jack Kirby and The Empire Strikes Back (Lena leaving when she learns her friends are in danger mirrors Luke abandoning his Jedi training)


Goofs

It seems clear that this episode was originally intended to have James Olsen backing Kelly as she officially entered into the role of Guardian and that things were rewritten to put John Diggle in his place. 

Granting that Kara has a lot of blind spots when it comes to the image she presents to the world, Kelly's dressing her down over her failure to be an advocate for ordinary people doesn't ring true when Kara was making personal appearances at city council meetings and using her platform to give a voice to the voiceless not two episodes ago.

It is said that Alex's retinal scan will be needed to access an abandoned DEO facility, but Alex resigned as the DEO Director in 512.While the organization shut down shortly thereafter, it's unlikely Lex Luthor wouldn't have personally made sure she was wiped from the databases personally.

For that matter, how does the DEO still have an operational desert facility? 

With CatCo reporting on traffic problems in National City, it's increasingly clear why CatCo sank to #8 nationally under Andrea's management. 

Early in the episode, Councilwoman Rankin is said to take an experimental new medication but Brainiac-5 later says she was given some kind of gene therapy.

It's a little unbelievable Orlando doesn't recognize Kelly in her Guardian costume at this point. Almost as unbelievable as Kelly not quietly telling him the truth about who she is given her own issues with vigilantes lying to her.

Despite having the power to do wish for virtually anything, Councilwoman Rankin fights Supergirl hand-to-hand.

How did the book Florence wanted to give Lena get delivered to her apartment faster than Lena could fly home in a corporate jet? While it's possible it was delivered by magic, why bother addressing it if she could just send the book to Lena?


Performances

David Harewood gets a wonderful and understated moment in the middle of all the big speeches where J'onn explains why he chooses to live life as a Black man when he could appear to be anyone and it is far more powerful than all of Kelly Olsen's "Do you hear me?" speeches.

As always, David Ramsey is a delight as John Diggle/


Artistry

There are some very good speeches in the script for this episode.


Super Trivia

Azie Tesfai, who plays Kelly Olsen, co-wrote this episode. This makes her the first actor to also write for the Arrowverse on television, although Nicole Maines has written a Dreamer story for DC Comics.

David Ramsey, who plays John Diggle, also directed this episode.

John Diggle makes reference to being given the opportunity to become a special kind of hero, but it requiring that he abandon his family to do so. This is believed to be a reference to the Green Lantern Corps, which it was teased he might be joining in the finale of Arrow.

Technobabble

RP-90 is an experimental drug for respiratory issues, still undergoing trials. Somehow, it can give a human powers akin to those of a 5th Dimensional Imp after extensive exposure to magic residue.

The anti-magic cuff also makes it impossible to track Nxyly.

It is suggested that Nxyly can be tracked by modulating the Watchtower sensors to isolate Mister Mxyzptlk's unique magical energy wavelength. 

Baltorian scanners are portable and able to trace minute amounts of 5th Dimensional energy.

The device which transformed Kara's heat vision into 5th Dimensional energy also infused the Ormfell building with the same energy as it empowered Nxyly. This caused the energy to spread around the neighborhood and into the people when the building was destroyed. This is what is making the people sick.

Brainiac-5 determines that Councilwoman Rankin underwent some kind of gene therapy that turned her into an energy siphon after she interacted with the 5th Dimensional Energy, pulling life force out of the people of the Heights to make her wishes come true.

Brainiac-5 says they can create their own energy siphon using the same dampening technology employed by the magic-nullifying cuff they creaed for Nyxly. While this won't heal the sick, it will give them their energy back and enable them to start healing. However, this will consume all the 5th Dimensional energy, leaving them nothing to use for tracking Mister Mxyzptlk. 



Dialogue Triumphs

Kelly: Looking at those people at the hospital last night, knowing how badly they're struggling... And no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't help them.
Diggle: So you feel alone in this?
Kelly: Alex sent respirators to the hospital, but the rest of the team... Well, they have super villains to deal with.
Diggle: Oliver Queen was really good at seeing the big picture, but sometimes, because of that, he would overlook things. When I wanted to show him something he missed, sometimes he would require proof.
Kelly: Wish it didn't always require proof.
Diggle: I know. Tell me about it. 

Diggle: I had an opportunity to become a special kind of hero. But it would've meant me leaving Lyla, my kids, and everything I love behind. So I had to ask myself... what kind of a hero do I really want to be. So the question is... what are you gonna do with what you're feeling right now?
Kelly: I want to be an advocate for the people who have lost hope. For the people who have been failed by those meant to protect them. For the people who don't have heroes that look like them. Protecting those that are exhausted, so they don't have to fight every single day for themselves.
Diggle: Good. Let that guide you. 

(Kara apologizes for dismissing what Kelly had said earlier.)
Supergirl:
I was just so desperately trying to catch Nyxly, because I know she would cause more damage.
Kelly: Yes, in the future. But while you all have the luxury of focusing on tomorrow, they are barely surviving today.

Alex: I thought I was listening, J'onn. You know, our lives and our experiences, Kelly and I, we have so much in common. I just...
J'onn: You will most likely never understand what she's going through. I came to this planet as a Martian. And in my heart, I've always been more Martian than anything. But... I have chosen to wear the face of a Black man for a very long time now. I could've changed races, could've changed into someone else entirely. But if I'm honest... wearing this skin has made me feel most like an alien on this planet. Feeling like I don't belong. Never quite getting comfortable with the idea that this... really is my home. But I also realize that Kelly and James don't have the option to make that choice. I know you, and I know your heart. And I know how much you and Kelly love each other. She does, too. When she's ready to open up, you'll be there for her. And she'll be glad that you are. 

Orlando: All you heroes end up being the same. You say you care, but you're just gonna go and leave us with a mess to clean up. Why should I trust you?
Guardian: You shouldn't. Trust should be earned. And when you've been wronged, nothing in you tells you to trust again. I'm just asking for a chance. A start to prove I'm different.
(There is a pregnant pause as Orlando considers this.)
Orlando: What do you need?

Alex: Well, how do I support you? Because I love you. And it kills me to see you in pain.
Kelly: Just... let me be. And don't push me to unpack it all right now so it can be communicated for you. Hold the space. And love me. Without having to understand all of me. And all my experiences. And for now, just... Hold me. 


Dialogue Disasters

Kelly: I know! I know that you're all trying to stop Nyxly. I know. But do you hear me? Do you see what is happening? People are gonna die! And I feel like I am yelling into a void! We're supposed to fight for everyone, together. And yet, I am looking at people suffer, people that look like me and everyone here is just too busy. Where is the outrage that people are gonna die without help? Without hope? Maybe you could spare a second for them?!

Councilwoman Rankin: With this power, I can transform this city, sweep away the useless and the weak and make it perfect. And no one will stop me. I'm going to destroy this whole city and rebuild it from the ground up!


Continuity

As the episode opens, Nyxly and Mitch still have not found the Totem of Courage. 

Nxyly declares that there is something off.

A flashback to 611 (i.e. 24 hours earlier) reveals that Joey King was with his friend Ayesha inside the Ormfell when it was destroyed by Nxyly. 

Joey is taken to the hospital, complaining that he can't breathe. 

Kelly discovers that everyone near the Ormfell when it collapses are experiencing the same symptoms. It is believe they inhaled a lot of dust. Unfortunately, the hospital in The Heights is already short on oxygen tanks and respirators.

Councilwoman Jean Rankin was also in the area when the building collapsed. She complains about being in Chisholm Memorial Hospital and demands to be taken to a different one when she realizes she's been recognized and makes a show about being moved elsewhere so as not to burden that hospital.

Kelly calls Alex to ask for help. Alex, who is in the middle of tracking Nyxly and trying to figure out a way to contain her, brushes Kelly off but says she'll contact some of her med school friends who work at other hospitals and see if they can send more respirators.

The doctor at the rich hospital says Rankin is fine but just needs to rest. She demands he give her an experimental drug for respiratory issues or else she'll pull her support from some local health-care grants the hospital needs.

Kelly calls James to vent about how people are dying around her. but all the local news is talking about is the Super Friends fighting a giant cat.

Lena has apparently started training in using magic with Florence.

Lena leaves Fortune Bay after getting a message about the problems in National City.

Lena leaves Florence's cave without taking a book that Florence wanted her to have. 

The DEO Desert Facility is apparently still intact and operational, despite the organization having shut down.

Alex and Kara go to the DEO Desert Facility to try and find some 5th Dimensional energy information that can be used to build a tracking device to find Mxy.

Alex thinks to check on Kelly, but decides she's got things under control.

Kelly calls Andrea, incensed that CatCo is reporting on traffic issues caused by the collapse of the Ormfell rather than the local health crisis. Andrea says her demographic cares more about traffic than The Heights.

John Diggle shows up on Kelly's doorstep, saying that James asked for him to talk to her.

Kelly recognizes John Diggle as being from Star City. He says he's in Metropolis these days.

Kelly and Diggle decide to explore the Ormfell wreckage.

Jean Rankin discovers her power after saying she would kill for a sandwich and magically creating a sandwich after her aide seemingly drops dead.

Kara and Alex find Baltorian scanners which are able to trace 5th Dimensional energy, which leads them back to the Ormfell.

Brainiac-5 says that gathering up the dust laced with 5th Dimensional energy should give them a power source that can track Nxyly and removing the dust should heal the sick people.

Jean Rankin meets with another councilwoman about building a new building that could house five teach companies where the Ormfell stood. She conjures up money to bribe her into helping her.

Kelly tries to talk to Kara about all the problems in the Heights, but Kara dismisses her and says Mister Mxyzptlk will be able to put things back how they were.

Kelly tries to talk to Alex about how she thinks there's something more than the dust hurting the sick people, but Alex runs off to deal with the effort to find Nxyly promising they will talk later.

Dreamer gives Kelly her scanner, just in case they did miss something, before she goes off as well.

Kelly uses the scanner to determine that Councilwoman Rankin is radiating 5th Dimensional energy.

Orlando confronts Councilwoman Rankin on her miraculous recovery, as she's making a speech about how the poor people in her district need to stop letting their weakness hold them back.

Rankin tries to run. Kelly chases after her and Rankin teleports away after creating a sledgehammer to try and kill Kelly.

Kelly is able to grab some of Rankin's hair in the fight with her.

Kelly loses it and shouts at the Super Friends for missing that Rankin was a problem.

Dreamer stops Alex and Kara from following after Kelly as she goes to the Watchtower gym.

Diggle follows after Kelly and tells her that he was given a chance to become "a special kind of hero" but that it would have meant leaving his family behind.

Diggle says that there are many kinds of heroes and Kelly can be the kind that protects people rather than fighting villains.

Kara apologies for not listening to Kelly and references her getting involved with the anti-alien protests in Season 4.

Alex talks to J'onn about feeling like she's failed to support Kelly. 

J'onn tells Alex that he chose to maintain the face of a Black man because he never felt so alien as when he looked like Hank Henshaw. He admitted he feared forgetting what it was like to be Martian and an outsider because of his ability to blend in anywhere.

Brainiac-5 figures out a way to drain Rankin's power and save the people of The Heights.

Braniac-5 also helps Kelly with designing a new Guardian costume, being sure to give the helmet better sight-lines. She also wants it to show off her face, making sure people can see that she's a Black woman.

Brainiac-5 tells Kelly that there is still discrimination and racism in the 31st Century, but it has gotten better in many respects.

The Super Friends confront Councilwoman Rankin and mitigate the damage to The Heights, as Kelly activates the energy siphon and tries to save the sick people.

Kelly gets Orlando to help her convince everyone in the hospital to go into the street or help the sick people out.

Councilwoman Rankin is apparently arrested (although it is unclear on what charges.)

Kelly, as Guardian, suggests that Orlando might consider running for her now vacant City Council seat. He dismisses this, pointing out he's an ex-con (even if he was fully pardoned) and that he is more worried about finding a place for himself and Joey to live.

Diggle congratulates Kelly on her premiere as Guardian and tells her something Jefferson Pierce once said - "Don't be a hero to the people. Be a hero for the people."

Kara apologizes to Kelly again and says she's thankful to have her watching out for people when she overlooks them while tending to the big picture.

As Diggle leaves the Watchtower, Brainiac-5 asks if he's heading back to Metropolis already and seems surprised when Diggle says yes.. Diggle then says "Worlds Await." - the same words that kept echoing in his head in F716. (This would seem to imply that he may have changed his mind about the job offer he mentioned earlier...)

With the interference caused by Councilwoman Rankin gone, Nxyly is able to get a bead on the Courage of Totem using her crystal ball.

Lena returns home to find a package containing the book Florence wanted her to take.

Lena's address is 508 Park Place, National City, CA 00389.

Alex apologizes to Kelly and asks what she can do to understand her better. Kelly says Alex doesn't have to understand - just be there to support her when she needs it.


Location

Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.


Untelevised Adventures

Apparently James Olsen and John Diggle became friends at some point, bonding over their similar struggles.

John Diggle also apparently met Jefferson Pierce (Black Lightning) at some point and is privy to his secret identity. 


The Bottom Line

With a hospital short on respirators and a rich white woman who literally draws her power off the suffering of children causing a public health crisis as the villain, this may be the most timely and least subtle Supergirl episode ever. That's not a problem, since Supergirl has never been subtle. The problem is that the script gives Kelly Olsen far too many speeches that try to be Maya Angelou poems and its a bit much. 

Had there been more conversations like the ones Kelly has with Alex and Kara near the end of the episode, it would have been a far better episode. On the other hand, Kelly's speeches drive home the point that sometimes one has to shout to be heard and I'm not sure those moments that work well would hit as hard without the moments that don't to contrast against.

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 25

In which we go slouching into Gomorrah and become involved in a quest to help true love bloom between a lady of negotiable affection and her capo beau. This episode had to be rerecorded twice due to sound issues and game glitches. Coincidence? Yeah, probably.

Friday, September 24, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 24

In which, having killed the Caesar and Mr. House, we take some time to talk to the little people on The Strip, learn just how the Followers of the Apocalypse are mixed up in all of this, and try to convince an old man that his dreams of revenge are not that smart.

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 23

In which, having smote the Caesar verily, we learn of Mr. House's grand design and get ready to rid the world of another petty tyrant with delusions of grandeur.

Monday, September 20, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 22

In which, after returning a teddy bear to her friend, we get to the bottom of just what this Platinum Chip does and then set about setting back the Legion's plans in a most direct fashion - first by upgrading Mr. House's robot army then by killing every single Legionnaire we can find.

Sunday, September 19, 2021

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 11 - Mxy in the Middle

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


Plot

With Nyxly now loose on Earth, the Super-Friends turn to an unlikely ally to help them reign in the imp princess - Mr. Mxyzptlk! Meanwhile, Lena visits her mother's birthplace in Newfoundland, only to find a chilly reception from the residents of the small town.


Influences

The Lord of the Rings
(The All-Stone is basically the One Ring for imps.)


Goofs


Somehow, the ground around the giant cat is left unscathed by Alex's missile and Kara's heat vision blast.

Honestly, there's no logical reason why they shouldn't have J'onn shapeshift to replace Mxy rather than depending on a holographic projection other than J'onn not wanting to impersonate Mxy.


Performances

Thomas Lennon is a delight as Mr. Mxyzptlk, finding the right balance between camp and annoying, while still doing some honest acting to convey Mxy's frustration at how limited he is without his magic.


Artistry


I must confess I laughed out loud at Supergirl using her heat vision as a laser pointer to distract a giant cat.


Super Trivia

The episode title is a reference to the sitcom Malcolm In The Middle.

Mxy explains Nxyly's history with a parody of the 1978 song "I Will Survive."

The totems making up the All-Stone almost match the Paragons required to save the multiverse during Crisis on Infinite Earths, with Honor being replaced by Dreams.

Nxyly makes reference to fighting a Khundian general at one point. The Khunds are a war-like race of aliens in the reality of DC Comics, who are known for their predisposition to violence. Khunds do not take insults lightly and are insulted easily, looking for any excuse to challenge one another in duels to the death.


Technobabble

Imps can be summoned by speaking their name. Should two people do this at the same time, it seems to give the imp the freedom to decide who to obey, as Mxy helps Kara instead of Nxyly.

Imps can track one another when they use magic. This leaves Mxy effectively powerless as he tries to stay off of Nxyly's radar.

The All-Stone is a magical artifact created thousands of years ago by an evil imp named Jyrryd, which gives its owner complete control over everything - matter, energy, magic, life and death. The All-Stone was broken into multiple Totems of seven primal powers - truth, destiny, dreams, love, hope, humanity and courage.

According to Mxy, each planet has a set of these totems.

The crystal ball Nxyly has is revealed as the Crystal of Jyrryd. It can be used to track the All-Stone Totems, but it requires the power of an imp with the blood of Jyrryd. 

Mr. Mxyzptlk is revealed to be Jyrryd's last living descendant. 

J'onn confirms that the device built by Dr. Raab in 610 converted Kryptonian bio-energy into a form that Nxyly could absorb.

Brainiac-5 thinks he can reverse engineer Dr. Raab's device to create something that drains the magic from Nxyly. Alex then suggests that they can modify a DEO power-dampener cuff that Nxyly can't unlock to keep the power-draining device locked on her. Even then, it will require a steady stream of magical energy to power it.

Brainiac-5 complains that the nano-plating on the DEO cuff is too thin. Dreamer says she may be able to reinforce it with dream energy.

5th Dimensional energy destabilizes the copying format of Brainy's copying machine, causing the duplicate Mxy to reintegrate with him far too quickly.

Imps are forbidden from killing people directly with their magic. However, they can still kill people indirectly by summoning monsters that could potentially harm people.


Dialogue Triumphs

(Mxy explains Nxyly's history in song, to the tune of "I Will Survive.")
You'll see that I'm afraid, I am petrified!
For that imp she has a crystal she wants me inside!
And Nyxly's just not any imp,
But a princess brave and strong,
Who was wronged,
And for payback has waited long!
Oh, she's the daughter of the imp king,
Who was bad to every imp
And every other thing
So she conspired with her brother to unseat the evil lord
But they got caught and sent to trial before the horde!
Go on
Walk out the door
Oh, the king, he disowned Nyxly For starting up that war
And Nyxly's brother, he got praised, for showing his ferocity
But Nyxly was sent away. Because, hey, patriarchy!
Oh, Nyxlaaai! She would survive
In the outer lands, she found a quest, and that kept her alive
The All-Stone totem she would find!
So much power she would mine!
She would survive! She would survive!

Mitch: We had a deal! I help you and you help me get my menagerie back!
Nyxly: Let me help you with something far more valuable. A lesson. Those you think are close to you would just as soon betray you and leave you locked away. You gave me what I needed, and now you're nothing more to me than a gnat. And I am the bright light that you're drawn to. That will incinerate you.

(Mxy wants to prove he can be useful without his magic.)
Alex: Well, now that the stone is out, any tips on how to get the magical current to connect to the component's electrical one?
Mxy: Yes. Ummm... Here's the thing. I mean, you know, because magic is just instinctive to us imps. (chuckling nervously) So to explain it to a non-Fifth-Dimensional being, it would just be like trying to explain a spear to a stick figure.
J'onn: Why don't you try us?
Mxy: Okay.
(Mxy looks at everything and is clearly out of his element. Alex and J'onn look at him expectantly.)
Mxy: Have you tried turning it on, turn it off, turning it on again? 


Continuity


Mr. Mxyzptlk is summoned by both Kara and Nxyly at the same time.

Mxy testified against Nxyly when she was put on trial for treason against her father 300 years ago. He says that he regrets this, but points out she was trying to destroy most of the Fifth Dimension at the time.

Kara never told the rest of the Super Friends about her encounter with Nyxly in the Phantom Zone.

Mxy explains that Nxyly is looking for the All-Stone - an artifact that could make an Imp all-powerful and that the All-Stone was broken into seven totems.

Nxyly's crystal ball could track the totems, if she trapped Mxy inside it.

Mxy claims he was forced to testify against Nxyly by her father, King Brpxz, because of his heritage and his family being on thin-ice because of their infamous ancestor.

Nia has her reoccurring dream with the ravens and the ice cage again. This time, however, she sees Mxy in the cage, dead.

When Nia lies about what she was doing, Brainy picks up on it. She admits to him, privately, that she was responsible for freeing Nxyly after she became stuck in the Dream Realm.

Brainy comforts Nia, telling her he knows how it feels to be exploited by a villain, referring to his bargain with Lex Luthor in the second-half of Season 5.

Brainy agrees to keep Nia's secret, but encourages her to tell Kara on her own.

Andrea loaned Lena a CatCo corporate jet for her trip.

Andrea calls Lena and learns that she's about to arrive in Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, which is her mother's hometown.

Lena is the spitting image of her mother at her age.

Lena discovered a picture of her mother with two other women - Florence Abbott and Margaret Bishop - who were her best friends since childhood.

Margaret Bishop is still living in Fortune Bay, according to Lena's research.

Andrea promises to help Lena find Margaret Bishop, when Lena admits she couldn't find anything about her or her whereabouts today.

Lena's mother's birthname is revealed to be Elizabeth Walsh.

Dee-Dee, the innkeeper Lena booked a room with, recognizes her as a Luthor and is overjoyed to see her... until she says she's the daughter of Elizabeth Walsh. Suddenly, she declares that Lena's room has been double-booked and there's no room for her.

Mxy suggests just sending Nxyly back to the Phantom Zone, but Kara says she thinks Nxyly could be reasoned with and that what happened to her was unfair.

Kara goes to retrieve the amulet Mon-El used to fight Mxy in 213, after Mxy reveals that, rather than destroying the amulet, he hid it in a cave in the jungles of Corto Maltese. He thought nobody would find it, but warns Kara it's now being used as a base by a guerilla warlord. 

Mitch returns to his ship to find Nxyly there. He says he was arrested but managed to slip away during a transfer.

Mitch offers to help Nxyly but she dismisses him as useless to her now.

Kelly is said to be busy dealing with the fallout caused by the Ormfel Building and other damage throughout the Heights caused by Nxyly's attack.

Mxy offers to help J'onn and Alex with creating the magic-draining device, but proves to have no technical aptitude at all.

Lena goes to a bar in Fortune Bay which she learned was owned by Margaret Bishop. The Margaret Bishop in question goes by Peggy and reveals herself to be named for her mother. When Lena mentions her mother was Elizabeth Walsh, she too goes from being friendly to hostile and tells Lena to get out of Fortune Bay, saying that Elizabeth Walsh was no friend to her mother.

Peggy claims that her mother is dead and that Elizabeth Walsh was the one who killed her. She also claims Elizabeth Walsh was a conniving opportunist who left town after seducing a wealthy man into giving her a new life.

When pushed, Peggy says that her mother, Elizabeth walsh and Florence Abbott were part of a witches coven together.

Peggy says she saw Elizabeth Walsh set a shed on fire without a match while her father was inside it. He died in the fire. Florence Abbott disappeared after that, leaving Margaret to deal with the fallout. 

Mxy tries to help Nia and Brainy with the cuff, but is also turned away.

Nxyly releases a giant cat on National City.

Dreamer tries to draw the cat into the Dream Realm, but fails.

Supergirl distracts the cat using her heat vision as a laser pointer while Sentinel tries to destroy the cat with her Hand of the Soldier.

Nxyly says that a Khundian general tried to capture her once, but she killed him and his arm with a Kryptonite-breathing dragon.

Nxyly gives the heroes two hours to hand over Mxy and tells them to meet her in Smidt Park.

Andrea calls Lena and tells her she found Florence Abbott. She e-mails her the details and tells Lena she shouldn't give up, even if everything she found out so far seems bad.

Brainy once again encourages Nia to tell Kara that she released Nyxly on Earth.

Mxy uses a temporary cloning device to make a copy of himself and suggests using it as a decoy to bluff Mxy and get the cuff on her. Everyone agrees this is a good plan, but the duplicate disintegrates almost immediately due to Mxy's magic destabilizing the copying format.

Lena finds the home of Florence Abbott. She comments that Lena looks just like her mom and claims to still talk to Elizabeth in her dreams.

Florence says she doesn't trust computers and gets her information directly from the source. She claims Elizabeth told her that her daughter was a scientist, but Lena points out anyone could find that information easily with a Google search.

Florence says she, Elizabeth and Margaret all came from a long line of witches. Florence taught them how to draw on the power of nature and says she can teach Lena, whom she senses has the same spark.

Florence claims that Margaret's husband, Tommy, was abusive but that nobody would do anything because he was popular in town. She also claimed the fire that killed him was an accident and that they had been trying to scare him.

Florence tells Lena that her mother is still watching over her and is very proud of her.

Nia takes Brainy's image inducer and reprograms it to make her look like Mxy. She says she'll slip the cuff on Nxyly while Kara distracts her.

The plan falls apart when the magic interferes with the mage inducer and Nia's disguise is ruined.

J'onn, Alex and Brainy rush to the scene with the Phantom Zone Projector, but Nxyly uses a spell to tie everyone up and summons the Kryptonite- breathing dragon she mentioned before to kill everyone.

Mxy shows up and surrenders himself to Nyxly, only to slip the anti-magic cuff on her wrist as he's drawn into her crystal ball.

Nxyly is teleported away at the last moment, along with the crystal ball.

Kara admits she was mistaken to think Nxyly could be reasoned with.

Lena thanks Florence for telling her about her mother, but she's still skeptical that she could use magic.

It is revealed that Mitch was the one who saved Nxyly She agrees to partner with him and help him build a better life in exchange for finding the totems. She says the Totem of Courage should be their first target.

Nia has a dream vision of Nxyly and confirms that she is with Mitch and depowered, but she's usuing the crystal to search for the totems.


Location

Fortune Bay, Newfoundland, Canada.


Untelevised Adventures

Kara retrieves the amulet Mon-El used to fight Mister Mxyzptlk from a cave in Corto Maltese. 

Kara goes to the Fortress of Solitude and uses the scanners there to search for 5th Dimensional energy signatures around the world.


The Bottom Line

An energetic performance by Thomas Lennon isn't enough to redeem this episode, which seems to have borrowed half of its script from a new CW pilot for another Charmed reboot. The decision to have Lena become a witch comes out of left-field, though it must be admitted the idea is so weird it is at least interesting. The same can't be said of the other half of the episode, which only works when Mxy is on-screen.

Friday, September 17, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 21

In which we gather some more talent for The Tops, before picking up Boone to go and "negotiate" with the Caesar himself. And by "negotiate" I mean kill the child-raping son of a motherless goat. After we do every quest we can in the Legion camp without a major alignment violation, of course.

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 20

In which we confront Benny and survive an assassination attempt before taking on a new role: talent scout for The Tops. Yes, this is a rather sudden shift in priortities, but darn it, we've met too many musicians and comedians on the road who we need to help find a gig!

Monday, September 13, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 19

In which, after taking care of one last debt to collect for the folks at the Atomic Wrangler, we finally reach The Tops and set about bringing Benny to justice... only to discover just what his sinister scheme is and why he tried to kill us off.

Saturday, September 11, 2021

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 10 - Still I Rise

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

Plot

Supergirl steps in when a building set aside for low income housing is suddenly sold off to a large corporation as part of an effort to gentrify National City. Unfortunately, Nyxly shows up to complicate matters even further. Meanwhile, as Nia trains with her mother, Alex begins training Kelly to become the new Guardian. 


Influences

Various Superman and Supergirl comics dealing with real world issues, with an emphasis on journalists doing good rather than superheroes punching people.


Goofs

Jesse Rath's green make-up as Brainiac-5 looks off, though that could be intentional as to make him look more off-kilter during the cheesy PSA.


Performances

Again, the best part of the episode is Nicole Maines playing Nia's torment at the evils she has committed even as her mother tries to help her while holding her accountable. Thankfully, it's much better developed this week than last week.


Super Trivia

The title comes from a poem by Maya Angelou.


Technobabble

Nyxly is able to temporarily resurrect the dead for one day. However, due to the way she works the spell, Nia is trapped in a pocket dimension centered around her apartment for the duration (i.e. one day) and cannot communicate with anyone outside that space during that time. Additionally, the spell will cause anyone who might notice Nia's absence or try to contact her to forget about her.

Brainiac-5 claims to have 86% more energy since abandoning junk food for green vegetables. 

The people of Edifar are known for their building capabilities and technological advances. 

Brainiac-5 says that the odds of a criminal like Mitch returning to crime after being released are 2:5.

A cryo-nuclear bomb is powerful enough to freeze everything in a one-mile radius and can even kill a Kryptonian.


Dialogue Triumphs

Nia's Mother: There's an ancient story... About a woman who slandered her friend. The woman went to her rabbi, full of remorse. The rabbi told her to cut up a feather pillow and to scatter the feathers into the wind. He then instructed her to go out and collect every single feather. She cried, "That was impossible!" And the rabbi replied, "No more impossible than to completely undo the wrongs of your actions." You made a dark bargain, Nia. You unleashed Nyxly on this world. And the actions she will inflict will be like those feathers.
Nia: So what should I do?
Nia's Mother: This is not about doing, Nia. Just like your dreams, the ravens, your sister, you cannot run away from this. You must have the courage to sit with the pain to take in the gravity of what you've done. 

Orlando: Councilwoman, you don't know me. But I'm one of your constituents. My name is Orlando Davis. I spent the last two years at Van Kull Prison, and was one of the people counting on housing in the Ormfell. I've lived in National City my entire life with my little brother Joey. We lost our parents when I was 14. I quit school to take care of my brother. But there isn't a big market out there for dropouts, so the bills piled up. I made a stupid mistake and I've been paying the price ever since. But I'm not the only one who's paid it. See, I remember what it felt like to go to bed at night with my family nearby. To feel safe. To feel loved. But Joey doesn't. He's been in and out of the system his entire life, and I am so scared that he's gonna make the same mistakes that I have and I can't even be there to help him. Because what he needs is a home. He is not the only one. So, I'm here today to ask you one thing. See us. All the people hoping to live in this building, when you're deciding whether to vote for this deal... you're voting on our lives, on our families. On my chance to give my brother some hope. So, please... see us.

Brainiac-5: The fight for systemic chance often feels never-ending. All we can do is keep showing up


Continuity


Nia brings Nyxly into the real world, from the dream realm.

Nyxly agrees to honor her deal with Nia, but notes that her power will be sapped for a bit afterward.

Nyxly says she has other business on Earth before she returns home.

Nia's mother says that she has always been with Nia in her dreams, but that she's ignored her wisdom. This confirms that Nia's mother was the owl in 609.

Brainiac-5 and Supergirl agree to film a cheesy PSA that encourages healthy eating habits in children.

Kara has second thoughts after seeing the PSA, but Brainy tells her the ad went live on Catco's website 20 minutes earlier and has already gained 800,000 views.

Kara makes reference to how Alex made her train under Kryptonite energy emitters during Season 1.

Kelly gets a call from Orlando Davis and learns that his efforts to secure an apartment for himself and his brother fell through.

Supergirl checks up on Orlando and confirms that he was up for an apartment in a complex, the Ormfell, which was being set aside as affordable housing for reformed convicts, before being sold to Orquoia (the largest cloud computing company in the world) by the city.

Orlando is currently crashing on a friend's couch - the same friend responsible for him going to prison in the first place.

Mitch, the sidekick of Naxim Tork in 606, is revealed to be on Earth, disguised as a human and at liberty.

Mitch abducts Nyxly with the intention of adding her to his menagerie and trying to get Naxim Tork to go back into business with him.

Nyxly lies and says she's powerless and condemned to walk the Earth as a powerless mortal.

Mitch has a collection of Supergirl headlines posted around the inside of his ship. This leads Nyxly to suggest Mitch abduct her instead and she offers her help to do so.

Nyxly says she has a plan but it requires an expert engineer. Mitch says he can abduct one.

William is baking again and testing almond flour alternatives.

Councilwoman Jean Rankin is behind the deal that sold the Ormfell Building to Orquoia.

William says that most people in The Heights (the poor neighorhood where the Ormfell is located) are in favor of the deal because of the jobs it will bring in.

Andrea suggests having Supergirl do a Q&A on the CatCo website rather than do a simple interview about the Orquoia deal.

Nia once again dreams about ravens and a cage made of ice, but has no idea what it means.

Nia's mother says that you should never exit a dream in fear and that everything in a dream has a meaning.

Ravens are symbolic of wisdom and misfortune in dreams.

Nia dreams of the dollhouse she had when she was young.  She then sees her sister in the window and concludes the ravens symbolize her sister, Maeve, who last appeared in 411.

Mitch attacks Raab Cryogenetics and kidnaps an alien engineer, Dr. Desmond Raab.

Kara leaves her Q&A after only two questions, after hearing Dr. Raab calling for help. This does not help her case, as the last woman to speak called her a hypocrite for telling people how bad things are just as things are improving after all her talk of having hope.

Desmond Raab is from the planet Edifar.

Kara recalls Mitch from the events of 605 and 606 and wonders how he is loose on Earth.

According to the DEO files, Mitch and Naxim Tork were released sometime before the DEO was destroyed and Naxim left Earth sometime in 2020.

Mitch has been in and out of the county jail several times since released, with one charge of breaking-and-entering and a few petty thefts.

Nia has a dream where her sister asks her for her light but it burns her to ashes.

Nia concludes the dream is telling her she needs to come to peace with her estranged sister.

Kara meets with Councilwoman Jean Rankin as Supergirl, but she's unsympathetic to the idea that her deal is going to hurt people and points to the billions the city will make and all the people who will be employed.

Kara talks to two other council members but they're also on-board with Rankin.

Kelly is upset because she can't master the move Alex tried to teach her. Kara points out that she was still able to take Alex down in a fight using what she made up herself.

Supergirl's PSA now has 5 million views.

Kara realizes that the PSA is working because Brainy's story about fighting a junk food addiction resonates with people and that for all her celebrity, she lacks that personal touch. This leads her and Kelly to get Orlando to speak that the council vote on the measure.

Nia's mother tells her a parable about coping with guilt and advises her to trust her dreams before disappearing.

Orlando speaks to board about how he quit school and became a criminal to take care of his brother.

Mitch plants the cryo-nuclear bomb Desmond Raab built at Nyxly's direction inside the Ormfell building.

The cryo-nuclear-bomb is encased in lead so Supergirl can't look at it as she's using her heat vision to neutralize it.

Alex, J'onn, Brainac-5 and Kelly evacuate the building.

Kelly saves Councilwoman Rankin from being hit by shrapnel using a bulletin board as an improvised shield.

The council ultimately votes against Rankin's proposal.

Alex complements Kelly for being adaptable rather than trying to copy everything she does.

Nia asks for a truce in her dream vision and the ice cage cracks.

Kara heads back to the Ormfell building after the Watchtower instruments detect an energy signature.

Nyxly confronts Kara, revealing that the lead also encased a device that would restore her power if it were supercharged with heat-vision.

Nyxly freezes Kara and says she is going to destroy everything Kara cares about before returning to the 5th Dimension to do the same to her father, starting with the Ormfell Building.

Kara calls Mxyzptlk for help and he appears in the final scene.


Untelevised Adventures

Kara and Alex's surprise that Naxim Tork and Mitch survived the destruction of the DEO suggests that many of its prisoners were not evacuated in time and died when the building was destroyed by Leviathan. 


The Bottom Line

Preachy and lackluster, in a nutshell. While the show is to be credited for not pretending all Orlando and Joey's problems can be solved in a single episode and his speech to the city council is a good one, it still feels like this episode started with that speech and was reverse engineered as an excuse to bring in superheroes around it rather than starting with the superheroes and finding a way to tell a story with them that is culturally relevant. It doesn't help matters that Kara tries to sympathize with Mitch, despite the character deserving no sympathy and not even managing to be as amusing as his hammy partner. 

Friday, September 10, 2021

Legends of Tomorrow: Season 6, Episode 15 - The Fungus Amongus

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


Plot

With Bishop leading an alien invasion fleet to destroy humanity as part of some crazed plan to force Sara to help him give birth to a new and improved human race, the Legends will have to break all the rules of time travel and common sense to save the world and arrange the perfect last-minute wedding for their co-captains.


Influences

Doctor Who (story involving misfits fighting aliens with the power of love), Swamp Thing (the idea of a guardian alien mushroom is in the spirit of the Green and the Gray), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (John's appearance as an ideal version of himself that might as well be called Constantine the White) and Hellblazer (John being a bastard who betrays his friends to save himself.)


Performances

Despite the rather sudden turn of Mick Rory deciding to become a father and Kayla's 180 on remaining with him, Dominic Purcell completely sells the change in Mick's priorities and gets a fine send-off.

By the same toke, Matt Ryan remains the perfect John Constantine, remaining a likeable bastard despite everything he did in the past few episodes, leaving the series with a grin and a wink and one more mystery for the Legends to deal with in his absence. 


Artistry

The script for this episode manages the neat task of balancing a wedding, an alien invasion and send-offs for two established characters while still giving everyone in the cast at least one neat moment. My favorite may be the silent scene where Astra hugs Spooner after she sends her mother to safety - a powerful moment given how neither woman is all that expressive about their emotions.


Trivia Of Tomorrow

This is the last episode of the series to credit Dominic Purcell as a regular cast member, leaving Caity Lotz and Amy Louise Pemberton as the only members of the original cast remaining as the series heads into season 7. It also leaves Astra Logue as the only member of the Legends directly based on a character from the comics. (Sara Lance, while heavily based on Gail Simone's version of Black Canary, is widely considered to be an Original Creation.)

This episode will reportedly be Matt Ryan's final performance as John Constantine in the Arrowverse. This is apparently due to the character being reserved for an upcoming HBO Max Constantine reboot produced by J.K. Abrams, which reportedly feature an as-of-yet-uncast actor of color playing Constantine as a London native. This move has confounded fans, given Warner Bros. announcement that they were no longer limiting themselves to one live-action incarnation of their superhero characters and embracing the multiverse model for their DC Comics productions. Thankfully, Ryan will be joining the cast as an original character and become a series regular in Season 7.

The concept of the Fountain of Imperium being an alien mushroom that acts as a protector of humanity that can bond with humans shares in lot in common with the concept of Swamp Thing and the forces of the Green and Grey, which connect all plant life and fungal life in the universe, respectively. 

The bit where the John mushroom allows him to commune with those who eat him is taken directly from Swamp Thing, who was able to temporarily connect humans to the Green by growing special plants through himself.

John makes reference to a demonic associate making a deal to buy his soul and save his life. While some fans thought this might refer to the Lucifer of Earth-666, that demon never trafficked in souls despite he and Constantine apparently coming to a bargain at some point in the past. It could be a nod to the First of the Fallen (John's nemesis in the Hellblazer comics), the Demon Etrigan (whom John worked with quite often) or the demon Negral (who gave John a demonic blood transfusion and reluctantly worked with John on several occasions.)

John gives Zari 2.0 a key, saying the Legends will figure out what it is for. Some fans have guessed this may be the key to John's house, the key to a different house (like the House of Secrets or House of Mystery) or possibly even the Key to Hell from The Sandman. Presumably this will be explored further in Season 7.


Technobabble/Arcana

Kayla is able to repair Gideon, but notes that her wiring needs to be completely rerouted.

Necrian eggs need to be rotated a quarter turn every 12 minutes under a heat lamp.

In Necrian culture, the mother raises her children alone without the input of the father. 

As the Legends come for the young Bishop, he has having trouble with his first Ava Prime clone, as her neural network keeps overloading.

Zagurons are deathly allergic to mushrooms.

Necrian babies are ravenous when they hatch and then tend to go for the first they see.


Dialogue Triumphs

Sara: Mick, you okay?
Mick: Charred. Nothing new.

Bishop: (on recording) I'm back! Hello, Legends. Did you miss me? By the time you see this recording, I expect John will be dead. The Fountain will also be dead, and my Zaguron friends should be on their way to destroy you. I hope I've got that right. Otherwise possible egg on my face, ooh. And because I can literally think Sara's thoughts, about now is the time that Sara Lance has figured out my plan for us to live together forever after everyone else has died as the new Adam and Eve. Sara, your mind must be racing, realizing that the only one who can save the Fountain is me. And, spoiler alert, I'm not gonna.

Young Bishop: Wow. Whoever made this is a certified genius... an evil genius, but a genius.
Nate: Yes. An evil genius who is not like anyone in this room. 

Behrad: I spoke to John. He is in the mushroom. He wants to talk to us... and we all got to eat him.

(John appears before Sara, with white hair and a white trenchcoat.)
Constantine: Hello, Sara.
Sara: Are you...  Are you alive?
Constantine: Not exactly. I'm... present. What I did was unforgivable.
Sara: It's okay because we're creating an antidote for the poison that you gave the Fountain, and we can still stop the Zagurons from coming.
Constantine: That won't be enough. Even if you heal the physical side of the Fountain, the spiritual side will remain ill.
Sara: John, I need your help. I need you and the Fountain to help.
Constantine: The Fountain has a mind of its own. It no longer deems human beings worthy of its protection.
Sara: Damn it, John, you did this! You need to fix this!
Constantine: I cannot separate myself from the Fountain. My life force is the only thing keeping the Fountain and Spooner alive. If I leave, they both perish. I must stay as long as I can and let the remnants of my soul be drained. Mushrooms feed off death, and so I'm gonna feed it. I owe it that much. Sorry it had to be this way. (smiles) Do you remember all those years ago, when I said that stable relationships weren't right for you and me? I was wrong. Loving and being loved, that is the point. I had that. It should have been enough, but I wanted more. Now the whole world, especially Zari, is suffering because of my mistake.

(Sara describes her vision of John to the rest of the team.)
Sara: He told me what this is about. He told me what everything is about. He said..."We are all connected."
Nate: I think I saw that on a bumper sticker once.
Sara: It was really profound in the moment.

(Ava is panicking because she hasn't written her wedding vows yet.)
Ava:
Sara already wrote her vows, Gary. Sara, the person who never plans anything, already did the one thing that every wedding needs.
Gary: It's okay. Here's what's going to happen. You're going to walk down that aisle...
Ava: Mm-hmm.
Gary: To the love of your life. She's gonna say some very beautiful things to you.
Ava: That's not helping.
Gary: No, no, no. And then you... you're gonna look deep into those gorgeous blue eyes - of hers and say what you feel.
Ava: ...I feel sick.
Gary: Don't say that.

Nate: We're gathered here today on what may very well be our last to celebrate the union of these two amazing people. I fondly remember the moment they met. (looks to Ava) She had a gun. (looks to Sara) She had a glare. Destiny was at work. We've all been through a lot since that day, and on that journey, you've challenged each other to be the best versions of yourself possible. This moment, this wedding, this is exactly what the world needs. We're facing insurmountable odds, but even during the darkest of times, when hope seems lost, love. Love is what matters most. 

Sara: Ava, the perfect woman, what could a mess like me ever have to offer someone as special as you? I can't exactly say it was love at first sight, but you did look really good in that pantsuit. But the more that I got to know you, and I got to feel your kindness and your honesty, well, this heart, once so cold and guarded, it just... it just melted. And Ava, it's because of you that I get to know what true love feels like. And so, today, here in front of all of our friends... I want to make these vows to you. I will always be your champion, your lover. I will always be your family, and I will listen to you even when the words are hard to hear, and I will let you in every when I’m afraid. And I will support you. I will fight for you. And above all, Ava Sharpe, I will love you.

Ava: My life before you was a perfect fabrication, and then you came into my world and everything just became a whirlwind. You brought chaos into my tidy, predictable existence, and you pretty much brought me to life. So I vow to you to live this life together. Co-captains forever, baby. I love you so, so, much, Sara Lance.

Sara: All right, anybody without steel skin or regeneration fall back and barricade the house!

(Zari stands in the clearing where John died.)
Zari: I really did love you. I wish that could've been enough.
(Zari turns around to leave when a familiar voice comes from behind her.)
Constantine: What's the hurry, love?
Zari: You... you bastard! What, you've been sneaking around here this whole time?
Constantine: No, no, no, I just got here, honestly, really. You know, after the Fountain healed and could survive without me, it saw the purity of my sacrifice, and it's offered to give me another chance.
Zari: Your purity? Don't lie to me.
Constantine: (chuckling) Okay, all right. I was joking. The Fountain didn't think too highly of me. Even less after I contacted an old associate in Hell. Long story short, the chit to my soul now belongs to a demon once again, and the Fountain is very happy that I'm no longer bound to it.
Zari: Wow. You haven't changed at all, have you?
Constantine: You know, people can change and not change at the same time. I'm still a bastard. I know that. But I guess now I know what I'm missing by being a bastard.
Zari: (sighs) We mucked it up. We mucked it up just like you said we would.
Constantine: (sadly) I'd do it all over again in a heartbeat, love.
Zari: (softly) Me too.
Constantine: Listen, I have to walk a different path now. Away from the Legends. 
(John sighs, looking honestly regretful.)
Constantine: But here, take this.
(John hands her an old key.)
Zari: An old key. What is this for?
Constantine: You'll find out.
(With that, John turns around and vanishes through a portal. Walking alone. As he must.)

Sara: Life's crazy, isn't it? Imagine if our first day on the Waverider, we travel to this moment to this house, and we saw me, a captain with a wife and you with 48 kids.
Mick: 49. And a grandbaby on the way.
Sara: I don't think we would have recognized ourselves.
Mick: No. Got to move forward, I guess. To the next job. A new partner.
Sara: Yeah, I had a feeling that was coming. You know you'll always have a home on the Waverider. But I guess you'll be busy taking care of punks.
Mick: Well, I've learned a thing or two about handling punks. Watched you do it for six years.


Continuity

The episode opens with a repeat of the scene from 614 where Mick, Kayla, Sara, Ava and Gary try to save Mick and Kayla's eggs from the bomb Bishop planted on the Waverider.

Mick is revealed to have survived the fireball, only slightly charred, shielding the one egg with his body.

The bomb destroys Gideon's mainframe, taking her off-line.

Bishop steals Kayla's ship.

Behrad returns to discover his couch and living space (which were in the lab) were destroyed by the bomb.

Behrad notes that he has fought addiction and should have seen the signs of it in John.

Zari, Nate and Astra explain how the Fountain of Imperium is an ancient fungal network and that John Constantine accidentally poisoned it by poisoning himself.

All that was left of Constantine after his body decomposed was a single mushroom.

Spooner is also dying, but her mother, Gloria, is using all her tricks as a healer to try and slow the poison.

Mick tells Kayla that he screwed up his daughter Lita's life by not really being there for her when she grew up and he has no intention of abandoning his children again.

Spooner can't be taken to the Med Bay on the Waverider, due to Gideon being off-line.

Ava, Sara and Nate discover a scout ship of what turn out to be Zagurons, who send a signal summoning their race to Earth.

Sara thinks the Zagurons are somehow tied into Bishop's plan.

Behrad plants John's mushroom and claims that he can hear John's voice in the mushroom.

Zari doesn't believe Behrad and says she would have nothing to say to John even if he were telling the truth.

Kayla plans to get off Earth as soon as she can fix Gideon, but offers to let Mick come with her and their eggs.

Bishop left a message for the Legends on Gideon, which plays as she reboots.

Nate and Ava suggest, since Bishop is now 6% Sara and can effectively predict everything she would do, they have to do the exact opposite of what Sara would want to do to beat him. This leads them to travel forward in time and retrieve a younger version of Bishop to make an antidote to the poison that he used on the Fountain of Imperium.

Behrad tells the rest of the team that he sampled the John mushroom and spoke with him and that he wants to talk to the whole team.

Sara refuses to allow this to happen and sends the rest of the team away, before sampling the John mushroom herself after hearing John's voice.

Sara has a vision of John in a bleached-white trenchcoat with his blonde hair now dyed white.

John explains that the spirit of the Fountain of Imperium is ill, along with its body, and that it no longer feels humanity is worthy of its protection. Even if they can create an antidote it still won't help and John is giving up his soul to keep the Fountain and Spooner alive. 

John tells Sara secret of all life is that we are all connected.

Mick refuses to let Kayla flee the Earth, saying he knows there is a part of Kayla that care enough about him to want to stand with him and his friends.

Young Bishop's antidote is able to heal Spooner.

Spooner can no longer hear the thoughts of aliens and can't pick up the presence of the Zagurons.

Spooner confirms what John said about the Fountain not wanting to help them.

Sara asks Ava to marry her today, leading the other Legends to start organizing a last-minute wedding. 

Gary prepares the clothes, Zari does the brides' make-up, Astra conjures up some floral arrangements and Behrad caters and provides the music for the ceremony.

Spooner's mother offers up the tablecloth from her own wedding.

Spooner sends her mother way to protect her from what is coming next.

Ava is having trouble writing her vows and takes Gary's advice to just wing it while looking at Sara and opening up her heart.

Ava asks Gary to walk her down the aisle.

Mick walks Sara down the aisle.

Both Young Bishop and Kayla attend the ceremony, along with the Legends.

Nate officiates the ceremony, having become legally certified to marry people on-line.

Bishop attacks the wedding in Kayla's ship as the Zagurons emerge from their ships.

Sara realizes John's message was meant to tell her that Spooner could use her connection to the Fountain to connect the Legends and switch their powers out during the fight. This leads Sara to give her healing factor to save Behard after he is stung and Ava to acquire Nate's power.

The love the Legends have for each other revitalizes the Fountain, who destroys the Zagurons as they are about to overwhelm the house.

Mick and Kayla's eggs hatch and the babies devour Bishop alive.

Young Bishop swears to change, having seen his eventual fate, but the Legends erase his memory and send him back to where they took him to preserve the timeline.

John sold his soul to a demon to save his life.

Constantine gives Zari an old key and says she'll know what it is for when the time is right.

Mick leaves with Kayla and their kids in her ship.

As the Legends are about to leave, another time-ship appears and blows up the Waverider.


Location

Odessa, Texas, USA - 1925
Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada - 2212


The Bottom Line

An amusing ending to a good season and a solid send off for Constantine and Heatwave.

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 18

In which we come face to face (sort of) with Mr. House, the man who made New Vegas and learn some VERY IMPORTANT PLOT INFORMATION. My apologies to the action fans, but this is one of those episodes that is a whole lot of talking and me snarking about the talking. But we do get to play Caravan with a public servant while he's supposed to be on the clock at the end. That's exciting, right?!

Wednesday, September 8, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 17

In which we undertake a quest to join the Brotherhood of Steel, in what would certainly be a daring bit of adventure if it didn't involve returning someplace we'd already been once and killed most of the enemies. With that done, we had back to New Vegas and a long overdue meeting with Mr. House.

Monday, September 6, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 16

In which we pick up Veronica to search what was Vault 11 - a place where nobody wanted to become the Overseer, for some reason. This mystery is quickly forgotten, however, as we go to work cleansing the nearby dry lake bed of giant ants.

Sunday, September 5, 2021

Supergirl Episode Guide: Season 6, Episode 9 - Dream Weaver

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


Plot

Kelly and Kara team-up, as the social worker encounters an orphaned alien boy who is acting out in foster care because he fears something is wrong with his incarcerated brother. Meanwhile, as Andrea pushes CatCo to delve into the lives of the SuperFriends, Nyxly crashes Nia's dreams and asks her for help.

Influences

Various Superman and Supergirl comics dealing with real world issues, with an emphasis on journalists doing good rather than superheroes punching people.


Goofs

It's a little odd that Kara didn't go to Argo City with her father to witness her parents reuniting. Granting that it is totally within her nature to want to get back to work, surely National City could have done without her for another few days? 

There's no connection to the end of last week's episode and Nia saying Nyxly's name as she woke up. (Come to that, there's no indication anywhere that Kara ever told her friends about Nyxly.)

Orlando getting a full pardon and released on a day's notice seems incredibly unrealistic, even by the standards of Supergirl.

Since when is William an on-site news reporter rather than a writer?

Despite the episode title being a reference to her character, Dreamer barely figures into this episode and her subplot stands apart from everything else.


Performances

Nicole Maines has a great turn here as Dreamer, totally selling Nia's torment.


Artistry

The effects work for the fight between Supergirl and the alien convicts is rather good and the fight choreography better than average.

The direction does an effective job of mimicking a chaotic dream during Dreamer's nightmares sequences.


Super Trivia

The episode title comes from a 1975 song by Gary Wright.

Betty Buckley, who played Patricia Arias in Supergirl Season 3, voices the owl in Dreamer's vision.

At one point, Andrea suggests that William and Kara jump off a bridge and interview whatever Super Friend catches them. This tactic was employed by Lois Lane in the comics go get Superman's attention in some stories.

Andrea also references the Bat-Signal, suggesting they project an S in the sky to get Supergirl's attention.

When Kelly visits Joey, he is seen reading a Captain Carrot comic - a DC Comics' children's series about a super-powered rabbit.


Technobabble

Metalomite are an alien race that have the power to bend metal telekinetically.

Obscurans are an alien race that create a residue that makes things invisible. 

Zeltarian  are an alien race that have the power to generate EMPs.

Dynamorphs are an alien race who have the power to unleash energy blasts.

Toradines are an alien race who have the power to create force fields.

5000 pounds of ammonium nitrate is enough to blow up a 50 story building.

J'onn has the technology to track an Obscuran based on the energy signature of their unique residue. 

Nia says that only Naltorians have the power to enter the dream realm in physical form. Nxyly says 5th dimensional imps can do the same thing.

Naltorian women are unique in their ability to make their dreams manifest in the real world.

Bringing the dead back to life is a serious infraction of universal law, but imps can do it under limited circumstances. Specifically, they can only bring the person back for one day.

J'onn determines that whoever is staging the truck robberies is trying to build a dirty nuke and all they lack is uranium. 


Dialogue Triumphs

Nyxly: Nia. You're back. Thank goodness. I'm sorry our conversation got interrupted by that vicious owl. We were just about to make a deal.
Nia: Thanks. But no thanks.
Nyxly: I don't understand.
Nia: Nyxly... I don't know you. But I do know that imps on the whole are not to be trusted.
Nyxly: How would you like to be judged by your species, Nia? Aren't you a hero on Earth?
Nia: Yes, but...
Nyxly: I can grant your dearest wish, Nia. And you can end this cycle of tormented dreams, and finally see your mum for hours. Don't you want that?
Nia: Of course I do.
Nyxly: Then let's help each other!
(The owl hoots and flies at Nyxly again.)
Nyxly: That monstrous bird. Get out of here! Shoo!
Owl: The wise understand by themselves, Nia. Fools follow the words of others.
Nyxly: Don't listen to that stupid owl.
Nia: Owls will bring to light what is in the dark. They're symbols of truth.
Nyxly: Nonsense. That is a ferocious bird of prey who's looking at us like a pair of tiny little tasty sparrows. She's trying to divide and conquer us, Nia, so that she can devour us for breakfast.
Nia: I don't think owls are that devious. My mother revered them.
Owl: Wisdom lies not in seeing things, but in seeing through them.
Nyxly: Oh, shut up, you ghoul!

Orlando: I begged Social Services for help... but they didn't listen. And who's gonna rent a place to a guy making minimum wage? So, I tried to rob a store. When you're desperate, you'll do anything. In prison, I believed what they said... that the work-release program would be the answer to Joey and me being together again. It turned out to be another lie. Face it, okay? No one wants to help people like me. (looks to his fellow prisoners) People like them.
Supergirl: I'm an alien on this planet, too. I've seen how hard life can be for the people that the system isn't designed for, how that system can fail those less fortunate. But I promise you, if you come with me, I will do everything in my power to make sure your voices are heard.


Continuity


Nia is having reoccurring memories of crows attacking her as she chases her mother, who is accompanied by an owl, in a swamp.

Princess Nyxly appears in Nia's dream after she leaves it.

Kelly and Alex are unbeatable at Charades. 

Kelly has a new social work case involving a 10 year old alien orphan named Joey Davis, whose brother Orlando is in prison. 

Joey's species have the power to generate electromagnetic pulses.

Andrea has a white board with all the publicly known information about all the Super Friends. The only real mistake is her belief that Brainiac-5 is a shape-shifter (presumably based on Brainiac-5's image inducer and human form.) It also notes that Dream's race is not known and she is believed to be half-human., half-alien. 

CatCo Worldwide Media is now #3 on the media tracker ratings, after having been #8 in 608.

Andrea makes reference to the interviews Supergirl and Dreamer have given in the past when they try to shrug out of interviewing their superhero identities.

Andrea sends Nia home after she falls asleep on her feet during their meeting.

Andrea threatens to have William and Kara writing classifieds and obituaries if they can't get her an interview with a Super Friend within the next day.

William once tried to bluff his way into 10 Downing Street to get an interview with the British Prime Minister by disguising himself as a pizza delivery man.

J'onn calls Kara in to help him investigate a series of truck robberies that appear to have been committed by aliens.

Obscurans and Metalomites do not typically work together, due to some long-standing grudge between their races.

The truck thieves have stolen computer mother bowards, motor oil and steel casings in their previous robberies. Their latest robbery stole ammonium nitrate. This leads J'onn and Kara to conclude they are building a bomb. 

Ms. Hochschild runs the foster home for alien children where Joey Davis is currently living.

Joey has reportedly been picking fights, disobeying the staff and misusing his powers over the past few days. Two days earlier, he knocked out power to the entire block.

Joey gets monthly visitation with his brother, who is currently in Van Kul Prison. 

Ms. Hochschild blames Orlando for being a bad influence on Joey and says Joey started acting up after their last visit.

Kelly notices an intelligent girl named Esme while waiting to see Joey.

Ms. Hochschild has all of the children wearing power dampening cuffs. She says it is a necessary safety precaution, though Joey is a special case as his powers can short out the cuffs.

Joey says his brother had dark circles under his eyes, which can happen if they use their powers too often and they can become sick if they use them too much. He also says his brother is part of a work-release program.

Orlando reportedly robbed a store because he and Joey needed the money to find a place to live after their parents died.

Kara is familiar with the work-release program Orlando is part of from a piece she wrote and an interview she did with the warden. However, the program is supposed to be working with a clothing manufacturer, meaning there's no obvious reason Orlando should be using his EMP powers on the job.

Kara agrees to help Kelly investigate it, while Alex and J'onn focus on the truck thefts.

Nyxly confronts Nia in her dream and claims to have gotten stuck in her dreams by accident, but says she can help Nia and that she needs Nia's help. 
 
Nyxly says she was banished from her dimension and an evil man took her powers, saying she couldn't cross back into her world in her weakened state. She still has some magic, however.

Nyxly asks Nia to help her cross into the real world by using her powers, claiming she can bring Nia's mother back to life for one day in exchange for her help.

The owl in Nia's dream attacks Nyxly before Nia can agree to help her.

The warden of Van Kul Prison thanks Kara for her article and says the Second Chances program has been getting more donations and corporate sponsor offers since it came out.

Warden Kote says there have been on incidents of the alien inmates using their powers and that they are constantly monitored while on the job. He promises to look into Orlando's case.

When Kara asks about interviewing Orlando, the warden says all visits have to be approved two weeks in advance. 

Kelly and Kara try to make an appointment, but Kara uses her super speed to access the prison records. She determines that Orlando is already on his way to a new job.

J'onn determines that the rest of the robbery gang consists of a Toradine and a Dynamorph.

Kara overhears one of the guards threatening Orlando when he says he can be forced to steal, but he won't hurt people.

The alien inmates escape after knocking Supergirl and J'onn down with an energy blast and making their van invisibe.

The news reports that the warden is assuming that the inmates kidnapped the guard that was with them.

Kara believes someone infiltrated the Second Chances program to corrupt it and goes to tell Warden Kote what she overheard and saw.

Kelly second guesses her instincts, saying that Orlando was just put in danger because of her trying to exploit her connection to Kara. However, Alex points out that they wouldn't have discovered the connection between the truck thieves and Orlando if it hadn't been for her caring enough to do all she could to help.

Kelly tells Alex about her dream from 607 and how she thought maybe she could protect people even if she couldn't fight the same threats as the rest of the Super Friends.

Warden Kote refuses to believe that his program has been corrupted and begs Kara not to write about this because it will destroy all the good the Second Chances program is doing. He remains convinced that the criminals in this case went bad and that his guard is a hostage.

Nia says that everything she has heard about imps says they are not to be trusted.

Nyxly appears in Nia's dream again. Again, the owl attacks her, but this time it speaks to Nia and says that the wise understand by themselves but fools follow the words of others. 

Nia says that owls are symbols of the truth in dreams, as they bring things to light in the dark. She also says that her mother revered owls.

The owl also says that wisdom lies not in seeing things but seeing through them.

Kara asks William if he can call his CIA contact to get information on Warde Kote. 

Kara butts heads with Andrea over how she should be doing real reporting instead of chasing the Super Friends around trying to get an interview. Andrea rebuts that they need eyeballs to do their jobs.

Kelly comes to check on Joey to find Ms. Hochschild inflicting pain on him through his power-inhibitor band.

Kelly notes that there are security cameras in the building and says she thinks Ms. Hochschild's bosses would be interested in seeing what is going on in her house. Ms. Hochschild says nobody has time to look at everything that is going on and says she's been working the system longer than Kelly has been alive.

William discovers that Warden Cote has a luxury beach house, luxury cars and a secret off-shore account in the Cayman islands which has been getting regular deposits on a regular basis - none of which seem possible on his publicly recorded salary.

William notes that there's little oversight of privately-owned, for-profit prisons in the United States.

William tracked the prison's contracts from Summerlin Industries through two dozen shell companies, eventually ending with an LLC in Panama registered to Cypress Holdings, which is a front for Brun Mannheim's Intergang.

Kelly goes back to the foster house and hacks the security system to get the footage of Ms. Hochschild hurting Joey.

Warden Cote calls the guard and suggests bringing the inmates back, but he says it is too late for that and that as soon as they get the uranium they can kill the inmates and they'll be in the clear.

The guard also confirms that Bruno Manheim was the one paying for a dirty nuke.

J'onn is able to pick up the trail of the inmates searching known Intergang hideouts.

Kara is able to talk the inmates down on trying to fight back.

William does an on-camera interview with Supergirl about the corruption of the Second Chances program, giving Kara a chance to talk about how the programs do good work even if this one was corrupted to exploit at-risk workers.

Warden Cote and his guard are arrested  as a result of William and Kara's tracking their connections to Intergang.

Kara says she thinks Andrea has a point, but that Supergirl can be used to make people hear about the ugly truths they would ignore otherwise.

Kelly watches as Ms. Hochschild is arrested for child abuse.

Esme thanks Kelly for what she did, having figured out she was the one who helped them.

Orlando is given a full pardon and picks Joey up.

Kelly says she wants to be the new Guardian.

Alex gives her James' helmet, which she says she picked up after seeing Kelly use his shield to protect other people during S509.

Alex also says she will start training Kelly to fight the next day.

In her latest dream, Nia agrees to help Nyxly.


Untelevised Adventures

At the same time the events of this episode are occurring, Brainiac-5 is piloting Zor-El to Argo City.

Lena is still looking for information about her birth mother.


The Kryptonite Factor

Nia's decision to help Nyxly comes out of left field.


The Bottom Line

A surprisingly good episode that tackles a real world problem without getting preachy and brings the two halves of Kara's life together in a way that works. Shame the Dreamer subplot seems like it was added into the episode at the last minute and is completely separated from everything else. 

Friday, September 3, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 15

In which we start trying to collect all those loose bits of electronics the Brotherhood of Steel sent us after a while back. Which means backtracking to two of the vaults we already explored and not pissing off the drugged out fiends that think we're there to sell them some drugs.

Thursday, September 2, 2021

Fallout: New Vegas - I Am The Doctor II - Part 14

In which we endear ourselves to the residents of Jacobstown and go off on a quest to find a dog brain. We also delve into the secrets of how the Nightstalkers gained the power to become invisible and get to know Lily; a senile Nightkin who thinks we are her grandchildren. 

Or are we?! 

No. No we are not.