Wandavison: The Future Of The MCU Is On Disney + ?

Written by Luke Barnes

Wandavison is a superhero TV series set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe directed by Matt Shakman. The plot follows on from the events of Avengers Endgame that saw Wanda Maximoff (Elizabeth Olsen), lose the love of her life Vision (Paul Bettany), in the fight against Thanos. This makes things odd when government agency S.W.O.R.D starts picking up reports of a town that has been turned into a sitcom, with Wanda and Vision at the centre of it- what is going on?

So this was the big first series of the Disney + Marvel era, how was it? Well for the most part it was solid and just what you would want out of the MCU, however, there was also a tinge of disappointment as I finished the series. Now as I am writing this series review, I am torn.

First things first, the opening few episodes won’t be to everyone’s speed. They are very different from the wider MCU, and instead focus on being a faithful homage to different classic sitcoms, with Marvel easter eggs being thrown in to keep people invested. If you are a lover of classic American sitcoms then you will definitely get more out of this show. However, with episode 3 things start to progress quickly, and crazy shenanigans begin.

That brings us to my first little issue with the show, so for the most part these shenanigans are good, and they nicely feed that MCU itch we have all had for over a year now. However, the series has far too many characters, and can’t balance its cast at all. This becomes an issue when you have the return of Kat Dennings’ Darcy, who yes, has a few moments in the lime light but for the most part feels relegated to a bit player when she could have been so much more.

This is contrasted with the main performances from Bettany and Olsen, who both benefit from more screen time and a wider focus on their characters. Olsen and Bettany really make the show as good as it is, and the final scene they share is a testament to both of them as actors, a dry eye will not be found in the house.

The ending of the show poses, a few interesting questions about where Wanda is going in the MCU, and what we might see from her in the future. With the final post credits scene (there are two), being particularly interesting. Also the new costume is rad as hell.

I found myself disappointed by the finale, not because like many I had read theories online and expected all kinds of crazy nonsense to happen, but rather because I was expecting the finale to be bigger to feel more impactful. Yes, the ending we get is intimate and personal and serves as great character work, but I really thought the ending of the first Disney + Marvel series was going to end with more of a bang. Maybe my expectations were too high.

Overall, as long as you realise that for the most part this is atypical MCU fare, and don’t read articles online about wild character reveals, there is plenty to like here especially if you are a fan of American sitcoms or the wider MCU.

Pros.

The intimate love story

The crazy mystery

Olsen

Bettany

Peters

Cons.

The ending doesn’t have as much of a bang as you would want or expect

There are a few too many characters

4/5

The Mandalorian The Series So Far

The Mandalorian is a science fiction television program set in the Star Wars universe. So this review/ discussion will serve as a general one for the show so far, rather than a review of either season one or two. The plot of the show centres around the life of a lone Mandalorian (Pedro Pascal), as he travels around the Star Wars universe getting into trouble. The main through-line of the series is The mandalorian’s mission to find a home for a young jedi named Grogu (or as the internet has dubbed him Baby Yoda).

So, before we get into it, yes, I do believe Disney was right to axe Gina Carano from the show, as she has being spouting some heinous garbage on social media to try and chase clout and make herself a martyr of the conservative cause, and frankly I don’t want someone like that anywhere near my Star Wars content.

I’ve always had a strained relationship with Star Wars personally, I liked the animated shows, I like the books and comics and I like the games: the films not so much. However, this show a long with the new season of Clone Wars has got me back into Star Wars in a big way.

I enjoy how rich the world of this show is, and how characters return often. Do I think it is a bit lazy that the show has to rely on the team up mechanic for it’s season finale in both seasons so far of the show, yes I do, they should have tried something different with seasons two, but hey the finale was still pretty rad. I think the most interesting thing about Star Wars is the lore and this show really dives into that. It was fun seeing Ashoka (Rosario Dawson), again and I am excited for her spin off show.

I think the best thing about this show is its action, even in pretty standard middle of the season episodes we still get nice full on set pieces and action and it really helps the show to stand out from the competition and feel more like you’re watching a film then you are a tv show.

Overall, I won’t give it a score, as I don’t feel like that is where this piece was heading, but I will conclude to say this is a very good show, a show that restored by faith in Star Wars, does it play it too safe sometimes yes, but we are still very much entertained.

Pros.

The action

The lore

The characters

Making Star Wars interesting again

Cons.

It relies too much on team ups

Reviewed by Luke

The Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina: Falling To Earth, A Series Retrospective

This will serve as a retrospective over the entire run of the Chilling Adventures Of Sabrina, serving not necessarily to give an ultimately score of the series but more to talk about it in generally, the highs and the lows and what became of it in the end. I will be referring to each part as a season, because let’s face it that’s what they are, Netflix you aren’t fooling anyone.

So, when the CAOS was first announced I was excited, the idea seemed interesting, Riverdale was still good (yes such a time existed, the first season and the first half of the second season), it had not yet lived long enough to become the villain it is today, everything seemed to be in its favour.

When the first season came around everything went well, Kiernan Shipka and the rest of the cast perfectly fitted the shows sense of style, the tone maintained a good balance between scares and teen antics. All was well with the world, of the show that is.

Then came the second season, and things were still good: we got to see more of the world, Hell became a more regular player in the show and that allowed it to open up in a number of interesting ways. However, the cracks had begun to show many of the characters would go on cringey and forced rants about trendy political talking points, in perhaps some of the most token ways possible the show was trying to be woke. The subject matter itself was not the problem it was the way it was handled in the writing that becomes an issue, with the ideal of subtly being well and truly dead. However, I still enjoyed the show and skipped most of the needlessly political speeches, and I binged the second season in a handful of days.

Then came season three and the shows fall from grace. There was so many things wrong with season three I don’t know where to begin, go and read my review of that season for my comprehensive thoughts on it. Making Sabrina a cheerleader? The forced musical numbers and scenes that were widely mocked and condemned online, making the series into Riverdale, really forcing politics into every part of the show, I could go on. This was by far the worst season of the show, and the first I struggled to sit through, and the show seemed to realise that itself.

With the final season the series tried to fix some of its past mistakes, it tried to get the tone and soul of the series back to what it used to be. It had some good scary moments, was it back to the heights of season one? No, not by a long shot, again why do we need musical interludes every few scenes? Although it was better than season three and that was the crucial point this season needed to land.

The ending was very fitting of the show, I wont spoil it as it is still fairly new, but it ended in a way that felt correct that felt right by the characters with enough room there to come back in some way if Netflix has a change of heart.

Overall, in the beginning CAOS was something special and thanks to a very talented cast it never became truly bad though it did lose its way, it tried to return to its roots in the end with mixed results.

Kidding: The Perils Of Kids TV

Kidding is a comedy drama series created by Dave Holstein. The series revolves around a kid’s TV presenter Jeff Pickles (Jim Carrey), who loses his son in a road traffic accident before the events of the series. He carries on working, but his mental health deteriorates, and we the audience watch his breakdown.

I love Jim Carrey, I think he is one of the best actors working today, over the years he has proven he can do both drama and comedy really well and this show is proof of that. Carrey excels himself here, he is the perfect actor to play a Mr Rogers type gone bad. He plays the character with a degree of wholesomeness, but a wholesomeness that feels like it has been taught more than existing naturally. Furthermore, he also conveys the characters breakdown really well, becoming almost frightening at times, he manages to be both loveable and menacing; which is something only Jim Carrey could do.

Moreover, all of the characters on the show are imperfect, they have done bad things of varying degrees, but they are still loveable, and you still root for them to succeed. Later in the series we learn that Jeff’s pen pal is a death row inmate who has killed several people, however, when Jeff meets up with the man’s son and hears the story from his point of view it is shown to be far more nuanced. That is the perfect description for this show, nuanced.

Kidding isn’t always the easiest show to watch, as there are a lot of deeply uncomfortable moments scattered throughout, but despite this you can’t tear your eyes away and you want to watch it all at once. There are as many happy moments as there are sad ones and they balance each other out very nicely, making the show feel very well balanced.

Overall, this is a damn near perfect show, it is easily one of the best shows I have seen in recent years and proves that Jim Carrey is a fantastic actor. Season 2 comes out here in the UK next week and I can’t wait. If you haven’t seen it yet, you defiantly should make it your next binge!

Pros.

Jim Carrey.

Maintaining the balance between happy and sad.

The songs and the imagination.

The emotional moments.

The ending, that I won’t ruin here.

5/5.

Reviewed by Luke

Broad City: The Best Show YOU Haven’t Seen

Broad City is a sitcom created by and starring Abbi Jacobsen and Ilana Glazer. The plot follows the two as they live and love in New York city. The series is supposed to be somewhat autobiographical, based on the two’s real-life friendship and their years trying to make it in the big city. It ran for 5 series from 2014-2019.

The reason why I like this series so much is because it is the closest thing to real life, I have seen on television possibly ever. The way the two go about life, is very close to how I go about my own life. The series deals with some really quite heavy themes, such as depression and self esteem issues, which I applaud it for; much like something like Atlanta, this show also manages to handle these darker themes in comedic way, whilst also treating them with respect.

I think another reason why this show is so important is because it features two strong self-motivated female leads, who are both in charge of their own destiny and live they way they want to live. I think this show is great as there are few other shows like it on TV and when you watch it you will see what I mean.

Both of the leads are hilarious, Glazer and Jacobsen both make me laugh at least a few times every episode, another reason this show is so good and so special is because there is very few bad episodes; most of the episodes are good and some of them are great.

The wider supporting cast which has changed over the series is also fantastic. Hannibal Buress as IIana’s on again off again boyfriend Lincoln is a very welcome presence on-screen, he has some of the best jokes on the show and his relationship with IIana is sweet and wholesome; it is one that you root for over the course of the show as you want the two of them to end up together.

Overall, this was one of the best shows on TV and one that will sorely be missed. You should definitely check it out if you haven’t already seen it.

Pros.

Both of the leads are hilarious.

It is empowering.

Hannibal Burgess is hilarious.

There are no bad episodes.

Cons.

Okay there are one or two bad episodes, but more slow than bad.

4/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Walking Dead:When A Show Lives Long Enough To Become A Zombie

The Walking Dead is a horror television series developed by Frank Darabont, based on the Robert Kirkman comic series. The plot sees a group of survivors lead by Rick Grimes (Andrew Lincoln), who spend their days fighting for survival in a world that has sunk into a zombie apocalypse; they must do whatever it takes to survive, no matter the cost.

I am a big fan of the Walking Dead comic, as well as Robert Kirkman’s other series Outcast. Invincible let me cold, but that is personal taste. As such when the Walking Dead series was announced I was excited, when Andrew Lincoln was cast, I was even more so.

The first few seasons were good, strong, must watch TV. However, when they got to the prison things changed, I don’t know what it was, maybe it was the shift in the behind the scenes creatives, but something changed, and it was very much for the worse. Season’s started to feel more dragged out, more and more episodes felt like filler and less and less happened, which is a shame as this was the same season that had introduced David Morris as the Governor.

From there things got worse, as well as the pacing issues and the season by season increase of filler episodes, the show started doing something else that ruined the quality, I am of course taking about the fake outs. In the promos for coming episodes of the show, we saw characters in situations where it looked like they were going to die, this got taken to an extreme when Glenn looked all, but dead and then a few episodes later it turned out he was alive; then he died at the end of the season. The issue with this is that it makes the actual character death have less impact, it also feels like a direct effort to manipulate fans.

Now we are at a point the show, where it has lost a lot of its core audience, I personally tuned out at the start of season 6, I saw the stuff they did with Negan, I didn’t like it. It has killed off a lot of the main characters and the ones we have left are less interesting. I am sorry but, Darryl is not a good character. All the issues that I have mentioned before are still there, and now they try and include direct adaption of scenes from the comic to try and lure fans back in but guess what they aren’t coming.

It has reached a point where the show needs to end, unless they want to drive it into the ground. They could focus on the spin-off shows if they wanted to carry on the universe, but the main show should end.

Torchwood: Doctor Who After Dark

Torchwood is a science fiction TV series created by Russel T. Davis, the show acts as a spin-off to Doctor Who. The show follows a group of agents led by Captain Jack (John Barrowman), who fight to protect the human race from extra-terrestrial threats as well as paranormal ones.

This show is the anthesis of Doctor Who, for all that show is about exploring other worlds, in a family friendly manor, this show is Earth based and very much not fit for child viewing. To that extent there are moments in each episode that seems to push the boundaries of what they can show on television, or at least what the BBC will let them show. There are many quite gratuitous sex scenes and lots of over the top swearing and violence. Normally, this wouldn’t bother me, because normally it is done in a tasteful way, but here it really isn’t.

Another issue with this show is that unlike Doctor Who, classic Who not the current bastard version of the show, and even the other spin-off series The Sarah Jane Adventures, Torchwood does not have any memorable monsters. A lot of them are just fairly generic and don’t leave much of an impression on you, it is to that regard that I think this is the weakest of the 3 shows; as I am not even going to acknowledge Class.

Captain Jack is easily the one of the best characters Doctor Who ever created, he is both charming, funny and carefree, but also troubled and brooding; Barrowman can pull of both emotional ranges with ease. The episodes that focus on him are easily the best in the shows run, however, these are few and far between. Mostly we get episodes devoted to the other members of the agency, with Jack only playing a very small part in their adventures and most of these other characters are dull and uninspired. Moreover, the characters often do things that are morally reprehensible, Gwen (Eve Myles), and Owen (Burn Gorman), are both examples of this and yet we are supposed to cheer for them? I think not.

I think the later season of this show are far better than the early seasons as it very much finds itself somewhere during its second season. I think that this show tries too hard to be an adult version of Doctor Who, it loses sight of what it was originally intended to be, of all the shows in the Doctor Who Universe the only show worse than this was Class, and that is saying something.

With Captain Jack coming back to current Doctor Who I wouldn’t be surprised if Torchwood did as well, hopefully time will gift this show with a fresh and less unnecessary take.

Doctor Who (Season 12): A Season Of Extremes

Doctor Who is a British science fiction show that has just completed its 12^th season; which my review today will be covering. The plot of the show centres around a time traveling character called The Doctor (played by a multitude of actors over the years, but is currently portrayed by Jodie Whittaker), who goes on various adventures through time and space.

The last time I talked about this show I suggested that it was on the decline, beyond hope, but having now finished the latest series I am slightly more optimistic about it. The finale, the Tessla episode and Frankenstein episode I thought were good, the rest well I will get to them. Having good episodes is a step up from season 11, where they were all either incredibly forgettable or bad.

What’s more in these episodes were the writing is stronger and more Doctor central Jodie Whittaker’s portrayal of the character is better. When she is playing it straight her version of the character works, it doesn’t when she is manically talking to herself, or showing no empathy towards the companions. Speaking of which, an opinion of mine that hasn’t changed is that the companions this season are terrible, they have nothing to do, no personality, and only serve to steal focus away from the Doctor; BBC if you’re listening kill off one or two of them and give Jodie Whittaker and the Doctor more time to shine. I was really hoping in the season finale that they would have killed a few of them off, but they don’t have the balls anymore for real stakes where characters might die.

Finally, this season is a season of extremes, those bad episodes I was talking about before are really, really bad. Is it an improvement in quality to go from a season of really boring bland episodes to then have a season where every episode is either good or awful? Current year Doctor Who seems to love giving lectures, there are multiple moments in multiple episodes where the Doctor looks into the camera and gives us a talking to about one thing or another and it just annoying, really annoying. Good science fiction is escapism, the audience doesn’t want to constantly be reminded how bad they are and how humans are destructive terrible creatures, yet Doctor Who never got the memo clearly.

Ps. This is only a minor thing compared to the other things I’ve talked about here, but can the Doctor go back to visiting other planets please? I understand they might not have the budget for it, but to set every episode on Earth, or Earth like locations is just lazy and it loses all the appeal of the Doctor being able to go anywhere in time or space.

*Also, I am not even going to go into the timeless child twist, because we would be here all day if I did.

Overall, a step up from the woeful season 11, but this show is still bad in a lot of ways, critical ways, and has a long, long way to go to even be half decent Who.

Pros.

Some strong episodes that actually feel like Doctor Who.

Whittaker has some moments of greatness.

Cons.

The companions other than Bradly Walsh, are annoying, devoid of personality and worse of all distracting.

Whittaker also has some terrible moments.

The lectures and the complete lack of subtly.

2/5

Reviewed by Luke

Inside Number 9: A Black Mirror Killer

Inside No.9 is a British black comedy anthology series created by Reese Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. Each episode usually stars both men, plus a wide array of British celebrities and has a different premise, some of them are horror themed and some of them more standard drama, it is very much similar to Black Mirror in that regard.

I have recently started watching this show after I watched a Youtube video about it, and I have to say it may be one of the best shows I have watched recently. Each episode usually has a twist that completely changes how you view the it, making it a must re-watch kind of show. The tone of the show is usually pitch black, occasionally there is some black comedy, but normally it plays it straight.

The writing on the show is very smart and it does things I haven’t seen on screen before, it is certainly not afraid to take risks. The first episode Sardines, shows a family getting together to play the hide and seek esque game sardines, while more and more people join the cupboard where the majority of the family is hiding a dark secret is revealed; this leads directly into the twist and then the end of the episode.

The reason why this is so excellent is because it adds to the already built tension, all the way through the episode we know that there is something not quite right going on, but every time we think we understand what is going on the show takes it in another way and you are left saying wait what.

So far, there has been 5 seasons of the show, with the 5^th currently airing in the UK now, and I have to say each season is as strong as the others, there are standout episodes in each; such as the Krampus episode, the demon episode at the end of the first season and so on. As you can see, I really enjoy the horror themed episodes. I think the only reason this show isn’t as big as something like Black Mirror, despite being better than it in a lot of ways, is because it doesn’t have the power of someone like Netflix behind it which stops it from reaching a wider international audience.

Definitely something to check out if you haven’t seen it already!

Pros.

The twists.

The experimentation.

The re-watchability.

The great casts.

It does Black Mirror but better.

Cons.

None really.

5/5

Reviewed by Luke

The Office: Humour In The Day To Day

The Office is a British mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant. The premise of the show is a film crew recording the day to day activities of an office in Slough, within the office we have larger than life characters such as David Brent (Gervais), as well as a will they won’t they romance centered around Tim (Martin Freeman), and Dawn (Lucy Davis).

For many of you reading this when I say The Office, you would think of the American TV show of the same name, but the Ricky Gervais version of the show was the one that inspired it. Recently I have been re-watching The UK Office, and it got me thinking, there is something special about this show, something that stands the test of time, and I am going to try and find out what it is.

I think the most obvious answer of what makes this show special is it relatability, working in an office is something that is very familiar to a lot of people, but I think it is more than that. The awkward cringe comedy the show is known for is again something a lot of people can relate to, we have all done something cringey in our lives, or we have all seen someone else do something cringey and thought to ourselves ‘please stop’, this again makes this show relatable, as we can see ourselves in the characters.

What’s more, Gervais seems to be very good at hiding emotion and depth behind cringey and unlikable characters. David Brent is not likeable, he wants to be, but he isn’t, that’s the joke. However, despite all the bad things he does across the run of the show you still want him to be happy, in the final episode when he finally seems like he is happy and other laugh at him and try and take it away, you feel for him, you feel connected to him in a way.

The romance of the show works in a similar way, you really root for Tim and Dawn to get together, even when it seems like they won’t. The show teases us the audience with the idea of them getting together many times, but it doesn’t give it to us; this then makes it all the more satisfying when they do.

Overall, I think the reason this is such a special show is because it isn’t outlandish or ridiculous, it is every day and ordinary.

Written by Luke