The Pentaverate: Mike Myers Enters The Culture War

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

5 men run a nice secret society that tries to help the world this is their story.

I am a big fan of Mike Myers and was looking forward to this series for a while, but sadly when I came around to watch it I found it to be far from perfect.

My major issue with the show is its final episode and ending, in which all the white male characters literally kill themselves for the sake of making the secret society more diverse and representational. This is the most obnoxiously on the nose thing I have seen in a while and feels like you are having a message forced down your throat. I thought the point of advocating for wider representation within media was to bring more chairs to the table not to remove them? Maybe I misunderstood.

The reason I am leading with that is because it really ruins what is otherwise a mostly good run. The first 5 episodes are all funny, charming and very watchable. There is a lot to enjoy here from the Jeremy Irons’ intros and the Shrek reference to the Key and Peele joke. I do think however, that killing off Keegan-Michael Key so early into the series was a bad idea as Ken Jeong is a poor replacement.

The humour on the whole is more hit than miss which I suppose is an achievement for a Netflix comedy series.

Overall, if you watch the first 5 episodes on their own then this show is quite good however sadly the final episode ruins the series in a major way by making the whole thing about spreading a message.

Pros.

It is funny

It is a mostly good showing for Myers

It is very creative

Cons.

The message is forced down your throat

Some outdated takes about the internet

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The Boys: The Only Man In The Sky

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Homelander, played by Anthony Starr, splits further off the rails and the Boys continue their investigation into the fallen supe Soldier Boy, played by Jensen Ackles.

This was an improvement on the first episode in a couple of ways. I enjoyed that the series didn’t mess around with the will he wont he question around Butcher, played by Karl Urban, giving himself powers and just went straight for it. I am excited to see where this plotline will go.

Moreover, I enjoyed where the Soldier Boy storyline went I am looking forward to seeing more of Laurie Holden’s Crimson Countess and think she will be a welcome addition to the rouges gallery of the show. In that vein I also like that the show is continuing to push Homelander into becoming an outright villain in the public’s eyes and thought that killing off Stormfront, played by Aya Cash, was a bold step in doing that.

Again much like the first episode the thing that I am the least happy about is the separate Hughie, played by Jack Quaid, plotline as I feel that it continues to feel like filler and for the most part I just want him to get back involved with the rest of the Boys. The relationship drama that I complained about in my previous review is still here to a degree though thankfully it is down on the last episode.

Overall, the series is getting into its flow and looks to be heading in an interesting direction.

Pros.

Butcher getting his powers

Holden’s Crimson Countess

The further descent of Homelander

The continued mystery of Soldier Boy

Cons.

The Hughie/Annie relationship drama and other slow side plots

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The Boys: Payback

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

One year after Stormfront, played by Aya Cash, is outed for being a Nazi the world has a whole new view on superheroes.

I thought that this was a slow first episode for the most part. I understand why the show has chosen to start in this way, to show the changes in the characters and the world but I just thought that compared to other season openers this one was a little light on action, though the sequence with the shrinking superhero was a fun little bit of gore.

I like where this season is heading, with the Boys themselves having superpowers in order to fight the supes, like they did in the comics, and with them investigating an obscure old superhero group; there is a lot of promise for where it could all go. Likewise, I am enjoying seeing the series push Homelander, played by Anthony Starr, to the edge I think it is quite clear that before the season is out he will snap and become outwardly villainous in a very public way.

I am less than keen on the Hughie, played by Jack Quaid, and Annie, played by Erin Moriarty, relationship drama and feel like it is being used to pad out the season, maybe because they don’t have as much footage as they would have liked because of covid. I hope that in the coming episodes we can move away from the relationship drama because honestly it is boring and a little trite.

Overall, a good first episode if a little underwhelming.

Pros.

The tease of the Boys getting powers

The looming mysteries

The ending

The shrinking superhero sequence

Cons.

It is slow

The Hughie/Annie relationship drama

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Star Trek Strange New Worlds: Memento Mori

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Enterprise crew come under attack from the Gorn.

I think this might have been the best episode of Strange New Worlds yet, as it looked and felt like older Trek. Not just that but in this episode the show was really firing on all cylinders, with my only complaint being that it wasn’t longer.

I thought the focus on La’an, played by Christina Chong, nicely paid off her early character work and gave her a platform to shine. Chong really is one of the best performers on this show and we saw proof of that here as she gave a powerful performance.

I enjoyed seeing Captain Pike, played by Anson Mount, in action as well and thought that Mount continues to be the anchor of this show easily holding his own against other Star Trek veterans like Stewart and Shatner. The battle scenes felt really tense and fast paced which really helped the show to escape a lot of its usual issues with needless side characters and subplots.

Overall, a fun episode that restored my faith in this series.

Pros.

Mount

Chong

The battle scenes

It felt like old Trek

Cons.

It was too short

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Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part III

4/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Darth Vader, played by Hayden Christensen and voiced by James Earl Jones, and Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, face off for the first time.

I think this series is getting better as it goes along, it isn’t perfect by any means but it certainly is finding its footing. The two things that irritated me about this episode up front before I get into the things I liked, firstly I don’t like that Reva, played by Moses Ingram is being written to be a mary sue, great at everything automatically with no knockbacks or challenges and secondly I don’t like that the Grand Inquisitor, played by Rupert Friend, has seemingly been killed off, though no doubt that will get changed by the end of the series.

That said, for the most part I enjoyed almost everything about this episode. I liked the secret underground resistance, before the resistance, rail road and all of the good things it could bring: including maybe seeing Quinlan Vos in live action. I also enjoyed Indira Varma’s Tala and thought she had great chemistry with both Obi-Wan and Leia, played by Vivian Lyra Blair.

Moreover, I also thought the fight between Vader and Kenobi was good and I applaud how brutal they got with it. I think a big issue with The Book Of Boba Fett was how bloodless everything was, so it is nice to see some gore and threat being shown in the Star Wars Disney + universe. I have seen some people complain about Vader letting Obi-Wan go at the end, with him not venturing into the flames to finish him off or even using his force powers. However, I think him doing this makes sense as he is probably going to be playing the long game and be tracking down not just Obi-Wan but also his helpers. Two birds with one stone as they say.

Overall, a pretty strong episode made better by Reva taking a back seat.

Pros

The Vader Kenobi fight

The tease of Quinlan Vos

Leia continues to have good moments

McGregor is on top form

Cons.

Hugely side-lining the Grand Inquisitor

Reva as a mary sue

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Flight Attendant Season Two: An Eight Episode AA Meeting

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The plot this time around sees Cassie, played by Kaley Cuoco, seemingly being framed for murder whilst also having to work through her alcoholism.

I enjoyed this season slightly less than the first, and though I do think there is still a reason for this show to exist and that the second season is not totally unnecessary, I do think that the show can do with improving if it is going to go onto a third season.

I liked that Max and Annie, played by Zosia Mamet and Deniz Akdeniz, were given far bigger roles and I thought it was a good idea to even give them their own side stories as well, it really helped to strengthen some of the weaker moments and to add some much needed comedic relief.

The darker tone and the more intense focus on Cassie’s alcoholism is an issue for the show as far as I am concerned as though it is for the most part good character work it does become a bit too bleak and hard to watch at times, and last I checked this was a comedy drama series. My issue is that this season spent a lot of time focusing on these sad elements and that made it less enjoyable to watch.

Overall, the darker tone and deep dive into Cassie’s alcoholism makes this show hard to watch at times and makes you question whether it is still fun to watch, however, there is still enough good elements to keep you around.

Pros.
Mamet and Akdeniz

An engaging mystery

Fun to be had

The ending

Cons.

It is bleak and hard to watch at times

They give the alcoholism stuff far too much focus

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Stranger Things Season 4 Volume 1: The Netflix Issue

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

The Hawkins gang are back for a series that feels forced and altogether needless.

Personally, I believe that the end of the last season was the perfect place for the series to end, the big bad of the Mind Flyer was defeated, the kids were going in different directions and the whole things had a very conclusive feel to it that would have worked well if it had been the end of the show. However, Netflix realising they don’t have much else decided to string it along for two more seasons.

I won’t sit here and tell you this season is bad, because that isn’t true there are some good moments here and there, there are just now also a lot of issues. The worst issue in my mind is the double whammy of having each episode go on for far, far longer than is necessary and also splitting the season in two, in a desperate attempt to keep people subscribed for longer. The episodes are at times off putting in their length and the binge as a whole this time around really asks a lot of you.

I enjoyed the body horror and the clear Nightmare On Elm Street inspiration here, however, I thought a number of the sub-plots either didn’t work or made no sense. The satanic panic idea that the Hellfire club some of the boys join being viewed by the towns people as a satanic cult just makes them all look really dumb, I understand this was a genuine thing that happened but still it makes no sense that the kids parents would actually go along with it. Worse yet the early season sub-plot about Eleven, played by Millie Bobby Brown, getting bullied just feels entirely needless. The first few episode progress incredibly slowly and the bullying subplot and several of the other teen angst directions they try and go in don’t work and feel like filler. You fill find yourself going please just get to it at times.

Overall, I am not saying it was a bad collection of episodes but I am saying this time around it felt far less needed and far more forced, which of course hurt the show.

Pros.

Steve and Robin

Some fun to be had

The more overt horror feel

Cons.

Needless subplots that feel out of place

The pacing and episode length

Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part II

3.5/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor, tracks Princess Leia, played by Vivian Lyra Blair, to the planet of Daiyu.

Reva’s parkour race/flip session was the most low budget goofy thing I have ever seen from Star Wars. Honestly whoever put that together should get fired.

I thought this episode was better than the first, though not by much. McGregor was on top from and I liked his back and forth with Leia. The two have great chemistry together and I hope they spend a lot more time together over the course of the series, though maybe not as Disney + Star Wars already has enough parent child dynamics.

Moreover, though I was initially disappointed that Kumail Nanjiani’s character wasn’t an actual Jedi, I do like the mystery of who these friends of Obi-Wan are. I liked Nanjiani and thought he was a welcome addition to Star Wars lore, again I hope we see more of him as the series goes on.

I thought Reva, played by Moses Ingram, continued to be a problem and that her conversation with the Grand Inquisitor, played by Rupert Friend, about her not being one of them and her being beneath them was so incredibly on the nose that I question if the writers even understand the concept of sub-text. Furthermore, her stabbing and seemingly killing the Grand Inquisitor at the end of the episode both further ruined him as a character and also made no sense in terms of the franchise’s cannon. We know he can’t be dead as he later appears in Rebels unless of course this show is going to retcon that. Reva makes it so that the Grand Inquisitor is no longer threatening in anyway and totally undoes a lot of the good character development.

Overall, Reva still continues to hold the series back in a big way and Ingram also comes off as the weakest member of the cast in terms of acting ability.

Pros.

Kenobi and Leia

Nanjiani

The Vader tease

Letting Kenobi fight and be badass

Cons.

Reva

Seeing Reva seemingly kill the Grand Inquisitor

The flips and parkour scenes

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Obi-Wan Kenobi: Part I

3/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Ewan McGregor must come out of retirement to save a capture Princess Leia, played by Vivian Lyra Blair.

So this was a deeply mixed bag, though I would say there was slightly more good than bad.

The good first, I really enjoyed McGregor as Kenobi again he did a really great job of playing the broken Jedi who has all but given up. His interactions with the other characters always feel heightened by his acting prowess as well.

Moreover, I also enjoyed the tone and the more violent edge this series had, with the Inquisitors chopping off people’s body parts and actually feeling threatening. However, this was some what undercut by the fact that only one Inquisitor actually behaved as you would expect, that being Reva, played by Moses Ingram. I will get into later why Reva as a character doesn’t work and why it points out everything wrong with modern day Lucasfilm, but I will say that she was the only Inquisitor that acted the part wanting to hurt civilians for answers and being evil, the rest felt like they were holding back and the show didn’t explain why.

My issues with this series do mostly stem from how they use Reva, having her openly defy the Grand Inquisitor, played by Rupert Friend and thinking that she knows better than all of her male colleagues. A lot of very simplistic people online will scream that anyone who doesn’t like Reva is a sexist or a racist or both, however, I am here to tell you that these people are stupid and so obsessed with their own politics that they have to inject it into any media that they see. The reason Reva sucks is not because of the actor’s race or gender, it is because they have written her as one dimensional, her writing doesn’t feel in keeping with what has been established, by having her treat the Grand Inquisitor as her whipping boy it makes him lesser as a character; and his lack of violent response to her makes it worse. I thought we had all collectively agreed that the girl boss archetype that only existed as a shallow gesture within media to try and force in strong female characters was bad and tokenistic? Or did I miss the memo.

To move off Reva, this show continues another of Disney + Star Wars’ key issues and that is having humans be everywhere. Honestly, at times in this show you would forget it is supposed to be set in a wide interconnected galaxy and just think it was on Earth as humans are most of the characters you will meet. There are a few here and there peppered into backgrounds and in some small supporting roles but for the most part they don’t seem to exist.

Overall, I like what they are doing with Obi-Wan and the more adult tone, however, they need to do more with Reva to make her a better character, humble her and have her overcome something rather than just having her be super great at everything, oh and include some damn aliens in your space show.

Pros.

Obi-Wan himself

The more mature tone

The order 66 flashback opening

Cons.

Reva

The lack of aliens

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Star Trek Strange New Worlds: Ghosts Of Illyria

2/5

Written by Luke Barnes

Summary

A virus makes it aboard the Enterprise which leads to the crew desperately craving light, also there is something about genetic modification.

Did the writers go on strike or something? What was this episode? It felt like barely concealed filler, even in the worst episodes of Doctor Who they could come up with something better than a light crave virus, it is just lame.

Moreover, I am glad to see Rebecca Romijn’s Number One get more fleshed out on screen but this was not the way to do it. I felt like with the genetic modification point they were trying to convey some broader political or philosophical message but if they were it past right by me.

Furthermore, this episode seems afraid to give us any time with Pike, played by Anson Mount, and has him and Spock, played by Ethan Peck, marooned on a planet together, but for the most part just ignores this side plot.

Overall, a lame filler episode by definition.

Pros.

Romijn manages to keep the episode together

Pike and Spock have some fun banter in the short time we see them

Cons.

The main plot feels like it was made on the fly by people just writing down random words

The message and or point is missed

The ending

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