Supergirl: The Sixth And Final Season... Reviewed!

Shout out to Warner Bros for providing a copy of this product for our review. My opinions are my own.

The sixth and final season of Supergirl is here, and I'm curious if things have gotten better than the second season when I stopped watching. I got really annoyed with the show initially based on the way they set up things between Supergirl and her love interest, James Olsen and then dropped it. If they were going to have a relationship, let it be, if not... they could've left it alone.

It wasn't just the way things fizzled out between them, I just didn't like how things were playing out with James in general. Even if his alter ego grabbed my attention for a second... I was already on my way out of the door. I say that to say, I don't know what happened from season three to five, but... let's see how season sixth plays out... shall we?

 

Story: So the season kicks off action-packed as we get filled in on where things left off in Season Five. Super Friends takes on Leviathan in the season opener, and makes quick work of her... but the party doesn't stop there as Kara takes on the immortal Lex Luthor and ushers phantoms into the season. For the record, this version of Lex Luthor is a trip (in a funny way).

The remaining members of the team are Supergirl (duh of the day), Martian Manhunter, Brainiac-5, Dreamer, and Sentinel.

This season Kara will spend a good amount of her initial screen time in the Phantom Zone (after her initial... situation). This will give other members of the team time to shine more as they get into... Phantom busting, taking on Dracula, time-traveling, and a sort of Ground Hogs Day (if you're familiar with that old movie). I think my favorite episodes this season were when they went back to the past, they were enjoyable and I actually found myself watching episodes 5: Prom Night + 6: Prom Again... a few times (which showcased Brainiac-5, Dreamer, and the 2009 versions of Kara & Alex).

Outside of the standard superhero action, they also touched on a serious subject regarding incarceration and the people in the system abusing their power to take care of the less fortunate (which includes child abuse taking place in a children's home). These episodes aren't just focused on these issues, but you get a change of pace with some depth to mix things up while also bringing awareness to things that actually happen (i.e. gentrification).

I don't want to give it all away, but you also get a new hero and villain that emerge in the first half of the season and they're sure to keep you locked in as well as the interesting side stories with Dreamer, and even Lena Luthor.

The writers didn't let the previous episodic characters go to waste either, they had more screen time in the second half along with the arrival of a familiar face, but they kept it wrapped up in a superhero bow... as the trying situation put the newest hero to the test. You can see in the episode that it's her moment as she finds her calling, and some real things are said (i.e. something that Martian Manhunter said while out on the balcony with Alex). I noticed that DC hasn't been bashful about delivering a message, but they were able to write it up well and open the door for the new heroine to potentially have her own spinoff. There was also something symbolic about how the baddie was taken down as well.

There is enough action and story to enjoy this season, but... the feisty fifth-dimensional Imp, Nyxly, is still on the move in the second half of the season and she's no joke. They found a creative way to make sense of the remaining episodes by way of the Super Friends & Nyxly going after these... totems. Each totem brings on a different threat, and... it mixes things up.

While dealing with the fifth dimensional threat, flowers are blossoming in the process. These flowers are Kelly Olsen, Lena Luthor, and Nia Nal. They aren't in full bloom at this time, so you will see those growing pains play out in different ways, but it adds to the interest and wanting to see them grow.

It's interesting how they bounce between these varous scenarios and then you see them having... game nights and stuff. Not saying they can't have downtime, it's just... funny to see (and they also have time for work, and other things that I won't spoil for ya).

Is Nyxly all bad news?

Does the season wrap up in a way that does the show justice overall? Hmmm... does a huge brawl between the Super Friends vs Lex  + Nyxly + 5th dimensional beasts & Gladiators sound awesome to you? I'll leave it at that, outside of one phone call at the end where I was like... EXACT (someone finally said it).

One thing I wasn't crazy about in regards to the final season is that only Alex & Kelly seemed to be written in terms of being able to have a relationship. Like jeez, there were plenty of Super Friends and no one else could get any love in their life from an intergalactic bae or something?

Visuals: Visual are quality as you'd expect, mostly day scenes to enjoy mid shots, closeups, over the shoulder, birds eye, and worms eye view shots at 1080P HD. Looking at the 3D animations made me immediately think of the... Injustice game franchise. There is this vision that Dreamer has where Lex Luthor appears, when you see if you'll know exactly what I'm talking about.

Audio + Extras: Audio was cool, I got lost in the action and didn't really focus on it like that, but there were times I noticed it enough to give a headnod in amusement. DTS TruSurround is what I listened to the sixth and final season of Supergirl with and I can't say I was disappointed, there just were moments that really stuff out to me as far as audio goes... although the surround sound might reveal some awesomeness.

Anyway, the extras this season include... Deleted Scenes + A Farewell Tribute to Supergirl. Look up in the sky... it's a bird, it's a plane, it's 20 one hour episodes that were serviced up this final season to round out this season. I just had to put that in there.

Price: As far as the price is concerned, you can get Supergirl: The Sixth And Final Season on DVD for $24.99 and Blu-Ray for $29.99SRP. Ofcourse we have the hook up for you, just click either link, but even at the prices here... I don't think you'd be disappointed with the amount of content that you get in this final season and how the writers laid it out for the most part.

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio 4 (to be fair I went back and watched episodes again to see how the 5.1DTS-HD surround was on surround sound)

Price 5

4.75 out of 5 Cool Points

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The Alienist: Angel of Darkness... Reviewed!

I like to thank Warner Bros. for supplying a copy of this show for my review. My opinions are my own.

I have to be honest. I had no idea what The Alienist: Angel Of Darkness was or what it would end up being. I saw the name of this show and thought it was going to be something related to Aliens being considered the devil or something.

I'm still confused about the title, but the show began to grab my interest a few episodes in. It didn't start off slow, but... my interest increased around the 2nd or 3rd episode.

Story: It started off jacked up, and that... kinda continued with the light of a crime-fighting team of detectives shining through to find out what sinister filth was behind babies being kidnapped and replaced with dolls. 

It seemed like a weird pattern of babies being taken and the mothers being charged for their alleged murder.

The dots connected in a way that kept my interest as the detectives began to unravel acts of pure evil, and when I thought the team was getting down to the bottom of it... there was a twist that had me like (holy sugar wrappers). It's not just sinister acts going on in this show, you also get a dab of romance in there.

Sara (played by Dakota Fanning) is the head of a private detective agency, that utilized the skills of Dr. Kreizler (Daniel Bruhl) aka the Alienist and a New York Times reporter by the name of... John Moore (Luke Evans). She also has other members of the team assisting her, but the story revolves around these three as they take down an elusive killer in an 1890's New York setting. You get corrupt institutions, sensationalism, and a spotlight on women in the society at that time as written for the show. What I appreciate is that they didn't make it cheesy while doing this, there were some things in there where they could have potentially taken this woman vs men direction... but I'm glad it didn't go that direction to overshadow the story.

There were things tucked in there that I found quite interesting, like with John Moore. I saw how he was being belittled publically for lacking certain resources and being in a relationship with someone who seemed like she wanted to be with him because she had someone to control financially. I think that was based on her upbringing, but... that's no way to maintain a relationship (when it comes to anyone) or that person wouldn't be authentic. In my opinion, I think that would merely be adapting to a life in captivity, so... I think that's one of the reasons he pours so much time into his work in order to prove himself worthy. 

Each of the main characters had something interesting about them, which resulted in something interesting to look forward to as far as their personal lives are concerned.

I did find it most interesting that the Alienist wasn't the main character in the show. Don't get me wrong, when it comes to the Alienist, he played a crucial role when it came to those breakthroughs (he was able to get people to recall memories). 

Even if he didn't lead the way, it didn't take away from the show as Dakota Fanning respectfully shined in her role. Overall, the team dynamic was interesting as the detectives inched their way towards taking down the baddies going after innocent little babies for reasons I will leave for you to find out.

Visuals: Visually this show has a good mix of angles that helped with the suspense. I really liked those bokeh shots the team was able to pull off for select scenes where they were able to capture the foreground and completely blur out the back (i.e. the hands are seen but the body is blurred out).

Most of the shots were your standard close-up and medium shots, but there were plenty of long/wide shots, panning, and other dramatic shots to keep it interesting. Even in the daytime, this show still felt dark to me based on the background music and overall environment. Day and night scenes were balanced with crisp visuals, and nothing felt like cheap fluff to sell the 1890's setting. 

If I had to knock a scene or two, it would be some of the ones involving the slaughtered pig props. They looked authentic, but the scenes had nothing to do with a butcher, so... I didn't think the pigs were a necessary part of the focal point for some shots. They could be there, but only to an extent that they didn't get that focus. At most, I could have seen them off to the side or something, but... it didn't kill the show.

Audio + Extras: As far as the audio goes, nothing really stood out to me. That's not a bad thing though, everything worked for the good of the experience and the sound was balanced. You have the background music that plays without overpowering the vocals of the characters, and keeps the tension where it should be (whether it's high or they merely want your attention because the team is on to something).

Extras include Inside The Alienist: Building the World, Walking the Set 2.0 with Luke Evans, Kreizler Season 1 Recap, Dressing a Modern Woman, Series Overview. I didn't get the time to dive into all the extras, but I'd suggest leaving these untouched if you didn't watch the show prior to the release on Blu-ray, DVD, and Digital. 

Price: When it comes to price, you can get The Alienist: Angel of Darkness on Blu-ray for... $29.99, and DVD for... $24.99 or... get it on sale here! The MSRP isn't bad because you don't get those disappointing ups and downs that drag a show out unnecessarily, it feels more like a movie that keeps things paced throughout 8 episodes... but it doesn't have money either.

Overall, The Alienist: Angel of Darkness is a very good show... and I think it's a good thing that it's a limited series. A limited series has more of a sharper focus on the writing in my opinion because you don't have to figure out how to keep it going season after season because you have set objectives... and this show delivers the goods without at a worthwhile pace through a likable cast.

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio + Extras 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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The Undoing... Reviewed!

 Shout out to Warner Bros for supplying a copy of, The Undoing for this review. My opinions are my own.

This show gave me weird vibes immediately, I really didn't know what to think of it... but it was all part of the tone the director's wanted to set.

Story: In this HBO limited series the story revolves around Grace (Nicole Kidman) and Jonathan Fraser (Hugh Grant), though the show opens with a little boy who I later identified. Grace and Jonathan seemed to have a pretty good life together. Jonathan is a Child Oncologist, while Grace is a respected Therapist.

There are some real-life therapists who have a problem with Kidman's character in the show but... some were taking low-key shots at other real-life therapists. I'm saying no names, and I'm not a therapist, but I thought the goal was to... highlight the source of problems + provide tools to solve, cope and/or overcome those problems resulting in a breakthrough. I guess that's just me, and I'm not saying that Grace has to be harsh or anything with her clients but... I don't see anything wrong with mentioning certain things that challenge them to take personal responsibility for their actions. Spoiled milk shouldn't be sold in stores, but at the same time... if you see the bad date, smell a bad smell, see a thick consistency and... you still indulge, that's a personal decision.

Anyway, their life goes from joyful to miserable in the blink of an eye... as a tragedy sets them on a course for this undoing. It all stemmed from this mysterious woman who emerged on the scene acting very strange (almost like a free spirit who couldn't help herself). I thought she was attracted to Grace, and then I thought she was trying to get therapy sessions with Grace, and then that switched to me questioning her being potentially obsessed with her. I don't want to spoil it, but this particular woman set off a chain reaction of drama following a violent murder. There was bombshell after bombshell in this show as investigators began to dig and information began to come to the surface.

I didn't know what to make of it... because there were so many twists and turns, but when it's all said and done it was an interesting experience. My initial suspicion was confirmed in the end as far as who did it, but they make you feel almost surprised that you were right (and it doesn't stop there as the goosebumps start to form for the grand finale). I don't know how a season 2 would be possible... but I'd be interested in seeing how that plays out. I guess I can kind of see it, but... I can't explain without delivering spoilers.

Visuals: Visually the show has a lot of eye-catching cinematic scenes, whether it's the galas, shots in the courtroom, or even a small apartment... the shots were quality. While watching the show, it felt like it was meant to be a movie but it was made into an extended film by way of this limited series.

You had a lot of mid shots, close-ups, and even an extreme closeup to deliver on the tone Susanne Bier + David E. Kelley were aiming for. Nothing felt overused even if an extreme close-up on Grace's eye were interestingly weird, they still delivered because I began to question her sanity. If your shots do more than just showcase the acting... you're on the right track.

Audio + Extras: The audio in The Undoing was great and lent itself to the overall tone of the show. Audio is delivered in DTS-HD and Dolby Digital 5.1 for your audio pleasure, and even if it's not exactly an action film... crank it a little.

Extras include:

Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant Introduce The Undoing... which is cool to see them interact outside of the show and reveal something that I never realized about them. Of course they talk a little about the show but seeing how they worked together in this series... I'd like to see more. I'm not sure if you should watch this before watching the show either because Hugh slips up a little.

Creating The Undoing... is basically what you'd think, it highlights the directors (which Nicole Kidman is also an executive producer). Mainly it showcases the film style of Susanne Bier, but it also delivers additional info about the show.

The Undoing Revelations... delivers more of the character perspectives, but... I'd advice leaving this one until after the show. This particular extra contains its own section of revelations for: 

Fernando Alves, Franklin Reinhart, Henry Fraser, and... The Bridge Scene. 

I was trying to pick and choose between which of these extras are safe to watch before the show (maybe Creating The Undoing)... but if you want to jump in without an idea of whats to do, just leave these until after the show is done.

Price: Pricewise... The Undoing comes in at $24.98 on DVD and $29.98 on Blu-Ray + Digital  Copy. This limited series delivers 6 episodes that run for about an hour each... plus the extras. The overall quality delivered here can justify the price for the most part because some movies rival the MSRP with less runtime and quality.

Overall, solid series... they play with you a bit make you speculate, doubt your own suspicions and encourage discussions about what the deal could be. I like shows that engage me on this level.

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio + Extras 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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Snowpiercer: The Complete First Season... Reviewed!

Before I jump in... shout out to Warner Bros for providing a copy of Snowpiercer: The Complete First Season for this review.

The Uptrain vs the tail... the have's vs the have nots. That life on... Snowpiercer.

Story: I had no idea what this show was about, but I like what I'm seeing. Snowpiercer is a train that is basically the only option for survival (basically Noah's Ark on a track). Either you're welcomed aboard with a ticket or you fight your way aboard and end up in... the tail if you manage to survive the onslaught from the train's guards. This fight was justified because you either make it on or... you literally freeze to death as an aftermath of global warming. That's how this show opened and introduced Andre Layton (played by Tony Award Winner Daveed Diggs)... one of the main characters of the show and leader of the tail.

On the Snowpiercer, they have all sorts of things including farm cars where they grow fruit and vegetables, raise livestock, have sea life, an education system, nightlife, restaurants, and so on. The so on includes holding cells, and the dreaded drawers where they place people in some sort of medically induced coma as punishment for crimes (and sometimes other things). They've basically tried to fit life into a train that consists of 1001 cars as it circles the globe fingers crossed for a thaw to take place.

You have the Tail, Third-class, Second-class, and First-class (duh of the day). Each class has its own types of work... minus the first class from what I see and the corruption gets dirtier as you make your way from the tail up. First-class more so had the money and power outside of the train and bought their way in. 2nd class is more so medical class, engineers, and other professionals who were brought in to work. 3rd class is more so labor workers and guards... basically the major cogs in the machine who have no choice but to work or relocate down to the tail.

The only work the tail has access to is sanitation work... but you quickly find out that the tail has allies in the 3rd because some of them were tailies themselves. It's really art... imitating life with someone at the top pulling the strings behind a curtain, with Melanie Cavill (played by Academy Aware Winner Jennifer Connelly) acting as second in command.

A woman who was granted a way out of the tail... also extended that pass to Andre by spilling the beans on his former profession as a detective. His skills were showcased while solving a crime, and I thought the show was going to be about him solving crime aboard the train while he collected intel to overthrow the train... but that wasn't all. There was a sinister twist, and I have to say that I was looking forward to each episode to find out how the scales would be tipped. I won't spoil it for you but...  there are a lot of moving parts in this show so it's best to watch the show with no distractions if you want things to be as cohesive as possible.

After the climax of season one... let's just say there are 994 cars left and it got that way with some creative tactics to pull off a much-needed rebellion, which is only the beginning. There were a lot of wounds to lick... and a lot of resentment at the end of season 1, so I have no idea how it's going to play out in the next season but I'm ready for another ride on the tracks after they threw in that hook at the end.

Visuals: The visuals were crisp in the show, I wasn't crazy about the initial cel shade presented in the opening... it wasn't that appealing but I wondered if that was done to fill the scene until the physical portion took place (perhaps to keep things on the budget). What I appreciated about the show's visuals is that... (yeah) you had the unforgiving elements outside + the grit of the tail, but you weren't stuck looking at that during your entire experience. They switched it up more than I assumed they would, I thought it was going to be a... cold train but it had lush environments, vibrant, cars that represented the target environment almost to the point that you forgot you were on a train.

The night car doesn't disappoint.

Shots weren't merely eye level either, they had a gang of dynamic shots. A woman swam down to get a sea urchin in a very nice vibrant shot that made me wonder if she was somewhere else in the world... until they presented a different shot revealing that it was a part of the train. They had a challenge with this show (in my opinion) because they had to figure out how they were going to make shots dynamic on a train that was essential... linear, and with all the praise this show has been getting... they knocked it out the park. I've already begun to watch season 1 over again... and didn't realize I missed certain things that connect the dots for me even more. One of my favorite shots was in episode 8 when they brought in that blurred shot and increased the focus as one of the members of hospitality polished a spoon in First-Class, it was very clean and the transition to her working showed me how much pride she took in her work (whether I like her or not is beside the point).

Here a little taste of uptrain in one of their fine dining restaurants.

Audio + Extras: The audio in Snowpiercer is Grade-A, it gave us the sounds in the environment (i.e. a wall of clinging bottles in 3rd class) + the on-going rumble of the train in the background without it overpowering everything else. The train's sound is very subtle and there is no need to make the rest of the audio compete. You still get the music and sound effects to add to the suspense + the sound of the train increasing when necessary... but I didn't find myself rewinding to find out what someone said due to a bad mix.

Extras include:

• Overview

• Class Warfar

• Jennifer & Daveed Behind-the-Scenes Interview

• The Train

• Behind the Curtain: Art of the Frozen World

This is how you do extras. That's what I'm talking about, extras don't break the bank but they definitely add to the package and give fans of the show a bit more to enjoy for buying the physical product. I even made peace with the opening of the show after finding out that this show has a novel, so they opened the show with that look to present them bringing it to life.

Price: Pricewise... Snowpiercer: The Complete First Season rolls in at $24.98 on DVD + $29.98 for Blu-Ray + Digital Copy. Now... this is what I'm talking about, price a show in a way that sells. $24.98 works for DVD & $29.98 is definitely the sweet spot for the show and its award-winning cast.

You can grab Snowpiercer: The Complete First Season here for $5 less than the SRP on DVD or Blu-Ray!

Overall, man... this is a damn good show. I would've liked to see them do more with Andre's detective skills... but the show kept me guessing, I had no idea where the tracks would lead but they're heading in the right direction from what I see. This is only the beginning. By the way, I knew I saw Daveed Diggs before... possibly in person at a Gala, but... definitely on Sesame Street (of all places). He's Mr. Noodle's brother... Mr. Noodle! 

By the way, the show is so popular TNT has renewed the show for a season 3 ahead of season 2's debut!

Story 5

Visuals 5

Audio + Extras 5

Price 5

5 out of 5 Cool Points

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