#inspector gadget episode reviews

[11cleyva]

Your tag said you have film studies?

I mean, I do have film studies as my subject to my degree. Normally people don't ask me about it, mostly just ask if I'm in school. But if this is a legitimate question about it, then I'll answer. 

I have a major in History and a minor in English. But my history is focused on film/television. But not how to make a movie, more of what makes a movie. 

I focus on 1912-1960's films, and the television of the 50’s to the 60’s. With my main focus on the society norms and gender studies of those films and shows. Along with those goes into film theory, and mise-en-scène. 

So needless to say, I spend a majority of my time watching old movies and taking notes on them. And just making general assumptions too because not everything is as obvious as it could be. As well reading autobiographies and biographical works of actors of those said films/shows. And watching documentaries of them as well. 

But I do have other interests besides just old black and white movies, I'm very much interested in 1980’s science-fiction, cyberpunk, and dystopian movies such as Robocop(1-2), Bladerunner(s), Terminator(1-2), and more films that fit into that category. The ones that are given 1.4/10 on movie reviews, like Cherry 2000. I just watch them for fun mostly.

Right now, since I'm not taking any history courses that pertain to my subject I'm just sort of in an Inspector Gadget phase, and of course making assumptions, theories and connection to other films and reading deeper than I should into a kids show. So I go back and do my usual film study where I replay something over and over to find the small details, even in the background. Because everything in a show/film has a purpose, and the director wouldn't have put something in if it didn't mean something to it. So that recurring theme of him eating ice-cream is seen in more than six episodes thus far, most of the time they're mint. So that says something about his character. So I do a lot of in my head character analysis.

I went off topic. Oh and the English minor is there because I felt I wanted another subject on me while I focused in history. 

[fancoloredglasses]

Inspector Gadget (Bumbling for Justice)

(Thanks to M. Acrylic)

[All images are owned by WildBrain Ltd. Please don’t sue me or sic Penny on me]

When you think of police shows, you think of brilliant detectives piecing together the clues to bring the villains to justice.

Aaaaaaaand then there’s Inspector Gadget.

Gadget (voiced by Get Smart alum Don Adams) is the world’s first bionic decective. His body is stuffed full of neat devices including extending arms, spring loaded legs, pop-out roller skates, a personal helicopter, and a parachute (really just an umbrella that somehow supports his weight)

His detective skills are...well, let’s be honest. He’s a fucking moron.

(Thanks to Official Pink Panther)

It’s clear the writers were inspired by the Inspector in The Pink Panther Show.

(Thanks to Looper)

...and the live action Inspector Clouseau (played by Peter Sellers) in the Pink Panther films.

Hell, in the pilot episode he even sported a Clouseau-esque mustache in the first episode (thankfully he used his Gadget Razor by the next one)

The only reason I can see he still has a job is due to...

...his niece Penny, who generally does all the sleuthing while Gadget is bumbling around.

...while her dog Brain keeps an eye on Gadget.

Every episode is pretty much the same.

Metro City Police Chief Quimby gives Gadget an assignment...

...on exploding paper for some reason. I’m not sure why, as that tactic always blows up in Chief Quimby’s face. Gadget’s assignments put him against the criminal organization known as MAD, headed by...

...Dr. Claw (along with his pet MadCat) Note that you only ever see Dr. Claw’s gauntleted hand. Throughout the episode Dr. Claw has his many agents trying to kill off Gadget as he bumbles around while Penny does the actual sleuthing and Brain does his best to keep Gadget alive (usually while being mistaken as a MAD agent by Gadget)

By the end of the episode, Penny manages to foil MAD’s plans and makes sure Gadget gets all of the credit.

Over the years there have been two live-action Inspector Gadget films. One was an origin story that starred Matthew Broderick (from Ferris Beuller’s Day Off), while the other was a direct-to-video release that didn’t. Both are available on Disney+ for the curious.

Netflix has also produced a new series that is a continuation of the original series.

If you would like to watch the original series, it’s available on Roku.

If you would like to see an episode reviewed, please let me know.

[thoughtsandfiction]

Ep 3 of Mayfair Witches, or The One in which Rowan tries to walk to a house but is stopped by the plot.

So my major issue with Mayfair Witches is that it doesn't seem to be aware of it's own episode count, so it feels like it can have filler episodes. It cannot, and all they've been successful at doing is making me think there's not a lot of story to tell here (book fans, how dense is this story? Does it require a lot of stretching to make if a viable long running tv show?)

Not a lot happens in this episode and that worries me because we're approaching the half way mark, and it feels like we're still doing set up! I think Rowan should've gone with Carlotta. Would it be the smart choice for her? Probably not, but:

1) It would illustrate her desperation for family and answers about both her mothers (which is the whole reason she came here) 2) She asks Cip to identify the house in the picture (and later tries to go to it) but she didn't need him to do this! In Ep 2 the tour guide already told her it's The Mayfair House. Carlotta identifies herself as a Mayfair! Go with her! She is a more sure bet of having the answers you seek than stalker guy!! 3) Going with Cip is used as an opportunuty to explain The Talamasca and his powers, and do we need this right now?? We kinda get the gist of them as a supernatural bureaucratic organisation already, and Cip's powers have been demonstrated enough that I don't think anyone is hankering for a play by play. This whole thing slows down the urgency of Deidre's murder. 4.) This show needs more Carlotta/Beth Grant. There's something kooky about her performance that's made it one of the more enjoyable parts of the series. And Carlotta is the character with the most well articulated motives. She is a God-fearing (very Catholic) woman who is/thinks she is protecting her family from evil, and is fanatical about her protection (as VERY religious people often are). I want to see what her dynamic with Rowan is. It's time for Rowan really get into the woo woo shit. Also just the vibe of the aunts is so creepy. I mean, twin beds?? Give me weird adolescent sibling dynamics, yes! 5) I think Rowan meeting the Mayfairs, and experiencing the kinds of manipulation and restriction that Deidre was subjected to would be good motivation for her to run to Cip, and engender more feelings of sympathy for Deidre, and make Carlotta a viable suspect for her murder. 6) And I'm sure the Mayfairs have more of an idea about why Deidre was murdered. What is this 13th Witch thing? Why did Carlotta try so hard to keep Rowan away? Would Carlotta tell her? Probably not, but she's more likely to get some idea there than with Cip. 7) Lasher meets Rowan on the road, drugs her, seduces her, and then lures her to (what I'm assuming) is the Mayfair House. Carlotta and Catholic Hilda (seriously, what is her name?) are trying to find a way to get her to them. ROWAN ALREADY WANTS TO GO THERE! She has expressed this want! She was on her way! Why is everyone acting like she doesn't? Why are we getting in our own way?! And why get her there just to bring her back?! It's Two steps forward, two steps back! We're not moving!

Don't get me wrong, I understand why she goes with Cip. The moment is scary, and he's the only person she kinda knows. But get her to the house at some point in the episode. I mean, I would've rather heard Carlotta's explanation of what Lasher is and the evil he represents to her, and see Rowan try reckon with that, than hearing Cip repeat the vague descriptors we've been hearing since ep 1. Cip can still live his inspector gadget fantasy, cause somebody's gotta get the whodunit rolling, but this is Rowan's story. Let her drive the action! Give her things to do!

I'm gonna keep watching because I am very curious about how they're gonna write the rest of this. Most reviews I've seen and read say episodes 1-5 are meh and unfortunately that's proving to be true, but I'm nothing if not an optimist, so I'm still waiting for this story to kick it into high gear, and there are reasons for my faith. The scenes between Delphine and Carlotta are, I think, the most chilling stuff this show has done so far. Delphine's palpable fear? Carlotta's completely unsubtle manipulations? The race and class power dynamics at work? Her crushed in head?! Horro! Thriller! Good shit! It puts Carlotta up as a front runner for primary antagonist. There is something here, there's potential here. Let's hope we're done laying the groundwork and are finally going to tap into it.

Minor Asides:

So how does Lasher work?? Cause the reason Carlotta betrays Delphine is to trap Lasher, but he's still free enough to set fire to buildings, and dance around a funeral procession with Rowan??

What exactly were the Talamasca's protections? Cause Lasher could still find Rowan, and Rowan could just leave the building, so what did they actually do??

Witch hunters..... yay? I don't know. One the one hand, potential for some action and aggresive witchy woo, but one the other hand seems like a set up for Rowan to girlboss feminisim at some Men, a tactic employed by many "Show For/About Women," which can sometimes feel rote.

[sparklyaxolotlstudent]

I posted 1,763 times in 2022

210 posts created (12%)

1,553 posts reblogged (88%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@lenacraft

@zoe-oneesama

@jacquesthepigeon

@flightfoot

@whitetigerdemoness

I tagged 390 of my posts in 2022

#monster high - 52 posts

#the owl house - 51 posts

#ml spoilers - 46 posts

#encanto - 39 posts

#miraculous ladybug - 33 posts

#dolls - 28 posts

#the owl house spoilers - 16 posts

#ml salt - 14 posts

#rainbow high - 14 posts

#g3 - 13 posts

Longest Tag: 65 characters

#he also has seen nooroo and dusuu on his late night kitchen raids

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Dead End: Paranormal Park is AWESOME, and is already being attacked by Concerned Parents... with the weirdest morals.

The first episode alone has demonic possession, ritual sacrifice, satanic chanting, and the main characters are almost killed on screen. 

Other episodes have the dog reading from what could be described as a demon spell book (And perform dark magic) more satanic possession, TWO characters get killed on  screen, there’s body horror, one character tries to gouge another’s eyes, etc. One of the main characters is a literal demon, who at one point look like she’s dragging a corpse inside the house. 

The thing they’re complaining about? 

An image spot of two guys marrying. 

286 notes - Posted July 11, 2022

#4

What

382 notes - Posted April 14, 2022

#3

Totally random, but after seeing the sneak peek of the new Monster High series

Imagine if they released a gimmicky Frankie with limbs like Create-A-Monster, but instead of just “normal” limbs, give them the most random add-ons, like that hookshoot, a whisk, spoon, brushes, a mop...

Basically, “Inspector Gadget” Frankie. 

733 notes - Posted September 28, 2022

#2

It's so bizarre how the show insist that Adrien/Marinette are the endgame ship and go out of their way with every other character shilling the pair... And then they make not one but two episodes were the universe gets destroyed when they are in a relationship (Chat Blanc and Ephemeral). And another that shows they wouldn't work well together (Desperada). And now one that heavily implies Ladybug mistake, that Hawk Moth wouldn't shut up about, was trusting Adrien with a Miraculous (He was Felix, but she didn't know).

It's like they want us to root for them, but at the same time are giving us reasons not to.

1,248 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Imagine if Miraculous Ladybug actually had continuity and the “Using more than one Miraculous at a time is fucking dangerous” ended up being true and the opener of season 5 is Hawk Moth being in a fucking coma after his stint using all Miraculous at the same time in the season 4 finale. 

1,795 notes - Posted March 15, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

[animated-dragon]

Amateur Reviews

I am going to review stuff just for fun. Will be animated shows (cartoons and anime, why do have different names for the same thing?), may occasionally include live-action spin-offs.

Shows and movies I want to review:

Time-Travel series I got for my birthday

Magi-Nation

Digimon (series/season 1-4)

Teen Titans (seasons 1-5, I did not know there was a fifth movie until I got the dvd set)

Young Justice

Justice League and Justice League Unlimited

One or two of the Pokemon series (I am not doing all 20+ series)

Trollhunters

3Below

Wizards

Lion King Remake? maybe

Bofuri: I Don't Want to Get Hurt so I'll Max Out my Defense

The Legend of Vox Machina

Zak Storm (season 1 - 52 episodes)

Miraculous Ladybug

Matt Hatter

Maybe a transformers series

Storm Hawks

Slugterra

Rollbots

Scooby-Doo

Spider Riders

How to Train Your Dragon (specifically movie franchise/trilogy)

Dragons Rescue Riders

The Lion Guard

Not Quite Narwhal

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Voltron (Netflix)

Avatar: The Last Airbender (3 seasons/whole series)

My Little Pony Friendship is Magic

My Little Pony The Next Generation

Avatar: The Legend of Korra

The Legend of Zelda

Rayla and the Last Dragon

Turning Red

Surf's Up

Scooby-Doo and the 13 Ghosts and sequel

Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and sequel

The Deep

Sea Beast

Inspector Gadget

Whatever else I watch/remember/feel like

[bostoniangirl85]

‘Inspector Gadget’ (1983) episode review: ‘Movie Set’

I’ve been tinkering with a fic featuring Lana Lamour and rewatched the episode “Movie Set”, which led me to do this episode review. There’s a lot of my random headcanons in here, so this is a long one.^^

I love Chief Quimby’s theme that plays whenever he appears. Character themes are such a trademark of 80s and early 90s cartoons.^^ Also, after watching the entire original series I’m convinced Quimby is a secret agent and his title of Police Chief is just a cover. Same with Gadget.

In regards to Gadget’s binocular vision, it’s hard to tell from the episodes since they deploy so quickly, but it looks to me like the binoculars emerge either from Gadget’s fedora, or it’s also possible they deploy from his eyelids. I just really like the idea of Gadget’s gadgets being part of his body as well as his hat. The Gadget hands emerge from his hat, but it’s also possible that some of the larger gadgets like the ‘copter and ‘brella emerge from Gadget’s body. We never get a definitive answer from the series so this is always fun to explore in fanfics.^^ Plus if so many gadgets were in the hat, and the hat was ever lost or damaged, it would make Gadget very vulnerable and I just can’t see Professor Von Slickstein being so careless as to make Gadget so dependent on his hat.

I just love the little detail that Gadget’s modifications to the paper airplane actually did make it go farther. I think this shows that in some ways Gadget’s brain functions just fine, just not in the correct order as other people.

I mentioned this before, but I’m convinced Lana Lamour was modeled/inspired by Lana Turner. The physical similarities are too clear, and Turner was known for playing femme fatales in her films.

Okay, this can’t be ignored - Gadget’s behavior does not put him in the best light in this episode. Gadget in the original series is definitely a ladies’ man, and I can’t help but wonder if on some level Gadget knows that some people may view him as a freak/not fully human. Gadget is oblivious in the 80s cartoon, but he’s not stupid either. He has moments of true clarity and insight, and we can’t deny that he’s incredibly brave (even if that bravery stems from ignorance). I discussed this in another post a while ago, but we don’t known how much of Gadget’s body is machine vs. flesh and blood. Can he have children? Can he have a fully physical relationship with someone else? My personal theory is that Gadget knows deep down on some level that others may not see him as human, and he subconsciously tries to overcompensate with being overly confident, combined with whatever happened to his memories when he was first turned into a cyborg. If Gadget were in his right mind and his memories not impaired, I think he would have no trouble finding a partner because he is very charismatic and has a lot of confidence. Unfortunately as he is now with his scrambled Brain Gadget sometimes comes across as arrogant, even if he’s coming with the best of intentions.

Now let’s talk about Penny. I love how she’s clearly annoyed with Gadget’s behavior at the beginning of the episode and scolds him to focus on his assignment. Which leads to an interesting thought if Penny ever wishes for a mother figure? We don’t known what happened to Penny’s parents, or if Gadget is her uncle by blood/marriage/adoption, but I’m sure as Penny got into her teens she would want some guidance from a woman. I don’t think Penny would ever begrudge Gadget getting married and finding a partner, but Penny is very protective of Gadget also and I think her annoyance is equal measures concern for Gadget and not wanting him to get hurt, and not wanting someone like Lana as a stepmother in her life. Penny’s got enough on her plate already.^^

And maybe Penny’s juuuust a bit jealous when she sees Lana in person and mutters, “she doesn’t look so great.” I love that moment.^^

(Gadget to Penny): “I’ll already have my hands full with Lana.” *face-palm* Good lord, Gadget, your niece is 10! Only in the 80s could you have these sorts of lines, lol.

I wonder if Lana was an actress before joining M.A.D., or vice versa? I’m going with that she was an actress first (though not quite A-list Hollywood) and joined M.A.D. at some point in her career for her own reasons. Also, I think her accent is fake for her role - she just uses it as a cover but doesn’t actually talk like that. My personal headcanon is that Lana has a New England/Yankee accent but quickly learned to hide it so she could advance in the film industry.

How can Gadget not recognize Penny when she’s tied up right in front of him?! There’s only two possible explanations - either Gadget’s memories and ability to recognize faces are truly impaired, or he’s a damn fine actor. He also doesn’t seem to question why Penny and Brain are at the set at the end of the series. I’m assuming it’s the weekend or summer vacation.

That’s about it for now - let me know your thoughts!  :)

[quasar1967]

Cinefantastique #154

13th Warrior: Retelling the monster clasic "Beowulf," director John McTiernan and star Antonio Banderas take on tenth-century Vikings. The Haunting: Phil Tippett on devisng visual effects in the remake of Shirley Jackson's and Robert Wise's classic. Blair Witch Project: Artisan Entertainment releases the Sundance sensation, a no-budget horror film destined for cult status. Mystery Men: Universal's effects-laden superhero parody is based on an obscure comic. Deep Blue Sea: Director Renny Harlin on his high-tech shark killer thriller, as medical research meets Jaws. Iron Giant: Brad Bird directs the children's classic by British poet Ted Hughes, with the promise of a pure cinema kick. Animating "Tarzan": Disney's animation realizes Edgar Rice Burroughs' hero as movies never could. Wild Wild West: The reinvention of the '60s TV show as summer movie eye candy. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me: Director Jay Roach on spoofing the Bond formula in the return of Mike Myers' randy superspy. Muppets in Space: Producer Brian Henson on the magic of the Muppets in the high-tech world of movie making. Inspector Gadget: Music video director David Kellog on filming the cartoon fantasy live action. Stigmata: Rupert Wainwright on directing Tom Lazarus' unique horror script for MGM. Babylon 5: Crusade: The doomed series-the sequel to Babylon 5-premieres on TNT. Star Wars, Episode One: The Phantom Menace: Still reeling from the unprecedented build-up of the newest Star Wars, our interpid reviewer shares his views.

[incorrectstarcoquotes]

What Coulda/Woulda/Should've Been?

Star vs the Forces of Evil is on Disney+ and that’s so awesome. Since Disney+ is the big streaming service that everyone is going crazy over that can only mean that Star vs can get a new audience for people who don’t even know that the show existed. I just hope Doug Walker doesn’t review it for Disneycember. I really don’t need that guy claiming that Star and Marco are rip-offs of Dipper and Mabel (they’re not).

However since the show ended earlier this year, I can’t help thinking about all the interviews and AMAs the crew has done since then. There are several things that we’ve learned from them between what the show was going to be and what the show ended up being. 

Let me preface that saying traditionally kids cartoons don’t last very long on television. Reason being is that TV executives figure that the intended audience for whatever show they made has grown out of watching that show by the time season three comes around. It’s one of the reasons Disney had the 65 episode rule for such a long time. Everyone just assumes that by the time episode 65 airs, you’re too old for the show they made and you’ll move on the something else. The exceptions to the rule are shows that don’t do very well and shows that are mega hits that made the network SO MUCH money (Think Spongebob or My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic). 

The traditional TV plan for cartoons was make them as toyetic as possible, make a certain amount of episodes, then sell the show for syndication so reruns can run on lesser networks or foreign networks. That’s how I was able to watch so man episodes of Chip n’ Dale Rescue Rangers, Inspector Gadget and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles even though all those shows ended production by the time I was born.

Of course in the ass end of 2019, we know things have changed. Millennials and Gen Z’ers love cartoons, and thanks to the internet, it’s easier for someone to keep up if you tell a serialized story. You can watch from the beginning whenever you want; you just need a streaming service. We know that, but a lot of executives are old. Add this knowledge to the fact that it doesn’t look like Daron Nefcy thought her show would last that long at all.

She says here’s my idea for a show. They say we’ll do it but first age up the characters. She does it and makes Star an actual magical princess from another dimension. She thinks of a plot and ending. She figures two seasons is good enough. Disney XD decides to try impress advertisers and greenlight season three. She pushes back the ending and adds another story arc. The show becomes so popular that after Gravity Falls ends it becomes the flagship show for Disney XD and gets a fourth season. She thinks that she’s really pushing her luck and decides that season four is the final season just to be safe. Basically. The show was originally going to end in Battle For Mewni, but the ending kept getting pushed back since the show kept getting new seasons.

From what I can gather, there were parts of the show that were going to be there regardless of when the show ending. 

Star was always going to try to destroy the magic as a way to stop the final boss for good.

The magic that we keep talking about was the magic that the Butterfly Family and Magic High Commission used to stay in power. The Lucitor’s keep their demonic powers, the Pony Heads still float, and monsters maintain their abilities (size shifting, regeneration, etc.) because those are biological, not magical. 

Star and Marco were always going to end up together as a romantic couple in the end. Always. In the end.

The Magic High Commission was going to be taken out of commission (I know, I couldn’t resist. I’m sorry).

So if the show would have ended at Battle For Mewni:

Before or after the showdown with Toffee, Marco would have confessed his love to Star

Instead of reviving the magic with Glossaryk, Star would have destroyed the corrupted magic dimension which held Toffee’s consciousness. 

The Magic High Commission would have remained dead. 

Marco could have ended up stranded on Mewni.

If the show had ended at the season three finale:

Star would have been disillusioned by the corruption and racism of the Butterfly Family and the MHC (if she hadn’t been already).

Destroying the magic would have removed her family and the MHC from power as well as weaken Meteora.

Tom would have chosen to back off to let Star and Marco be together.

Eclipsa would have to deal with an older Meteora.

Marco again could have been stranded on Mewni.

It’s really season four that threw a lot of people off including the svtfoe crew. Nefcy has admitted that they did several things just to see what it would look like, like Marco and Kelly getting together. They also wrote themselves into a corner when it came to Star and Marco’s relationship. Tom was the only reason Star and Marco couldn’t be in a relationship which is unfortunately why TomStar lasted as long as it did. 

This last bit is a personal issue just for me and my brother, but one of the reasons we did like season four was because the Mewmans were jerks. The average Mewman was always depicted as being either stupid, lazy or vindictive. So when we spent more time with regular Mewmans in season four, we started to dislike them more and more. Star wanted to make Mewni better, but we never thought the Mewmans were worth the effort. 

Waiting until the end to make Starco canon always pissed me off too. Nefcy has said that she thought it would be “boring” if Star and Marco just got together without drama and doesn’t like it when stories have the main couple just get it right on the first try. Well I hate stories where the main couple doesn’t get together until the very end of the story. Shows like Kim Possible and Parks and Recreation really spoiled me. The main couple got together but the story still continued. It pisses me off that TV writers and producers don’t think that they could get good stories from being in a relationship or it’s too hard so they don’t want to. Tangled the Series is doing just fine and the main couple is going to stay a couple for the whole show.

Thanks for reading. 

[fly-pow-bye]

DuckTales 2017 - “Double-O-Duck in You Only Crash Twice!”

Story by: Francisco Angones, Madison Bateman, Colleen Evanson, Christian Magalhaes, Bob Snow

Written by: Christian Magalhaes

Storyboard by: Sam King, Kathryn Marusik, Rachel Paek, Stephan Park

Directed by: Jason Zurek

"My name is Pad. Launchpad. McQuack. My name is Launchpad McQuack."

The episode seemingly begins in medias res, as Launchpad is infiltrating a casino. He has on some spy glasses, as he has become Double-O-Duck, super spy. He gets a call from Dew-ble-O-Duck, because Dewey Duck cannot even function if he doesn't choose an alias without the word "dew" in it, letting him know the secret code he needs to tell Enemy Agent Red Feather.

Dew-ble-O-Duck: Pastrami on rye, hold the mustard!

Double-O-Duck: Mmmm, yummy!

We can tell already that Launchpad is more Maxwell Smart than James Bond. Would anyone be surprised if he wasn’t?

As Dew-ble-O-Duck, also wearing cool glasses, distracts everyone in the room with a song fitting for this James Bond parody, Launchpad, even with his lack of any kind of intellect, manages to spot Agent Red Feather. She literally has red feathers. Unfortunately, he didn't exactly remember what tasty item he was supposed to use as a secret code.

Red Feather: Can I help you?

Launchpad: Ham and cheese!

Alas, Enemy Agent Red Feather is not exactly a fan of that smart refrigerator scene from Duncanville. She gasses Double-O-Duck before Launchpad could suggest chocolate pudding or french fries, giving a one-liner about how the kitchen is closed. It's like one of those Sierra adventure games, though they end up referencing something more modern.

YOU DIED

Yes, like Dark Souls, though they use a generic retro game losing a life sound. Even when shows involve video games with cutting edge technology, parents might not get that it's a video game if it isn't bleep bloop bleep bloop.

The entire last scene was just a new and sophisticated augmented reality game at Funso's Fun Zone: Double-O-Duck, a reference to a DuckTales '87 episode where Launchpad had to impersonate a super spy that happened to look just like him. It's a neat reference; the game even features OddDuck, the villain of the week of that episode, as an enemy.

Webby and Scrooge are at Funso's as well, though Scrooge does not appear to be interested in anything around him, never mind a room with a fake adventure in it. In an attempt to borrow money from Scrooge, Dewey tries to convince him that the game is cool, because one could use the power of virtual reality to go on an amazing adventure.

Scrooge's expression says it all; he doesn't even need to say anything to that.

Needless to say, Dewey only has one more chance to beat that Casino Royale, as that chance will be the last his allowance could afford. He also knows that he can only play this with Launchpad, because "they're a team"! Launchpad reluctantly agrees, using the famous last words of anyone before something goes terribly wrong: "what could possibly go wrong?" We then zoom into the ball pit, where we find a hidden base owned by F.O.W.L.

Yes, this is the beginning of this season's F.O.W.L. plotline that was teased at the end of Season 2. DuckTales 2017's version of Darkwing Duck's rogues' gallery is led by Bradford Buzzard, originally of Scrooge's Board of Directors before he decided to call it quits after Louie used their funding to bring back his favorite TV show. It's a long and, to be honest, kind of eh story. Now, he leads many of the villains that appeared in previous episodes, and he has made a new base.

Alongside the also named after her feather color Black Heron is Steelbeak, who comments that he wanted the base built on a sattel-lighthouse to nobody's approval. This continues the trend of James Bond references, as he is the Jaws parody from Darkwing Duck. Steelbeak is not exactly the brightest bulb at F.O.W.L., but he is completely confident and gets really offended at the accusation that he is stupid. From what I've heard, he wasn't meant to be any denser than the other villains in the original Darkwing Duck, but for the sake of giving Launchpad an evil counterpart, it works well with this plot.

Black Heron is taking the Gyro Gearloose role here, as she is working on the Intelliray, powered by a diamond from the F.O.W.L. archives. With a little more work, this ray can be used to make Scrooge dumber than the dummies! Honestly one doesn't even need any kind of ray for that to happen; seems like all you need to do is steal a couple coins from him for that.

How would she know this ray even works? Simple, she used it on a lab rat.

Not just any lab rat, either, but they turn this ordinary rat into this rather intelligent rodent that is more anthropomorphic. In fact, one may recognize this rodent from a different show from the Disney Afternoon. There's a funny story about this, actually.

Of course, this is the opposite effect of what Black Heron wanted, and she needs to work on the ray some more to make the Intelliray that makes dumb rats smart make smart ducks dumb. Steelbeak doesn't seem to get any of this, and is way more focused on how that rat managed to make clothing for herself. That's actually not a bad question, though not one relevant to the situation. There's a lot of interactions with the bright heron and the not-too-bright rooster, and it builds throughout the episode.

In order for any of those evil plans to happen, they need to get Scrooge and his family out of Funso's. It doesn't seem like it really matters, as nobody, not even the adventurer of adventurers, suspects that this place they're under is suspicious, but that was the Buzzard's orders. Bradford Buzzard may not be a bright bulb either; in the very first episode, he wanted to turn off the magical barrier that kept the Bombie from continuing his unending journey to kill his boss...actually, that makes a lot of sense now. Black Heron orders Steelbeak to get the Scrooge family out without Scrooge getting suspicious about this new conspiracy against him.

That won't be too difficult, as Scrooge has different plans than trying to figure out if there's a conspiracy against him. There's a B plot about Scrooge getting convinced to go into the arcade section and getting addicted to Skee-Ball. Webby even calls it Skee-Ball, which is a trademarked term for the rolling ball game, even though the game itself calls it "Prospector Pete's Goldrush Bonanza!" They could have avoided any trademark issues, but they went with the brand name anyway. Well, if Disney could pay for DJ Khaled, anything is possible.

Again, this is a B-plot where there isn't that much to it, though I can't say I wasn't entertained by Scrooge taking this Gold Rush as an adventure and treating the tickets it spits out as actual gold. There is also a point to this: he becomes so addicted, that, say, if a kid and a bumbling idiot get kidnapped by a group with a vast conspiracy against Clan McDuck, he wouldn't know because his quest for tickets is the only thing on his mind.

Totally not speaking of which, Dewey and Launchpad play their last game of Double-O-Duck, and they do manage to get past the "secret code" part by the way of Dewey taking over for him. They get to the "win the card game" part, except the usual opponent has been replaced by some special boss. At least, that's what they assume. He's also wearing the glasses, but neither of them take that as a clue that this person may be a not-so-fellow player.

They have to play a game of baccarat chemin de fer, and Launchpad pretends to know what any of those words mean. The good news for him is that it was gibberish to Steelbeak, too. as both of them end up just saying random card terms while slamming the cards down, convincing each other that they got the upper hand. This all ends up leading to Steelbeak changing the game to 52 Teeth Pickup. That, of course, means a fight scene.

During this fight scene, we get a shot of what is happening in the real world, where we see the carnage this unscripted fight scene is causing. Why are there little kids in the middle of the AR room, clearly not playing the game judging by their lack of glasses? We see a little bit of this earlier, too, where Dewey takes off his glasses to reveal that one of the characters was just the Funso's mascot standing in the middle of the room. There is at least one enemy to fight in the game even if it was played as intended; I can imagine someone accidentally walloping a real person while fighting the fake one. Maybe I shouldn't think about this too hard.

If I were to nitpick some more, one of the hits randomly has a hit flash, even though there's none in the other punches. There was nothing different about that hit; I could understand using a hit flash if Steelbeak actually hit someone with his namesake, but it was just another punch. Was the censors just not happy with that particular one, but the other punches were okay?

The fight does go outside the AR room, leading them to the restaurant area where confused onlookers are looking at these weird glasses-wearing people fight as if they were special agents. I do like this shot where we see Steelbeak punch Dew-ble-O-Duck and Double-O-Duck out of a window in the AR world, and then it cuts to the real world, where the pool this lead to was actually the ball pit. The same ball pit they zoomed into to reveal the new F.O.W.L. Lair, in fact!

When Double-O-Duck and Dew...alright, I'm getting tired of calling them that already even if that's the roles they were given. When Launchpad and Dewey wake up, they're locked in a glass cell. That could mean only one thing: they finally beat the casino level! This leads to an interesting dynamic: they think they're still in a video game, despite being in the very real F.O.W.L. lair. This is good for the plot, as we'll soon see.

Meanwhile, we see that Black Heron managed to get the ray to work as it should, making the minions so dumb, they think a generic puzzle cube, they didn't want to tread on Mr. Rubik's toes even if Bay Tek was fine, is food. I mention this because it's a running gag.

Back to the cells, we see that all the other smartened up lab animals, including that rat from before, another much larger rat, a housefly, and two chipmunks, decide to help this large duck out of this situation. Alright, I'll drop the act: these are the Rescue Rangers. They're not named, but they're the Rescue Rangers; they're even constantly followed by an instrumental of their theme song.

There is an interesting behind-the-scenes story here: alongside the mascot of the biggest entertainment corporation in the world, the Rescue Rangers were supposed to be off-limits to DuckTales 2017 for various reasons. They were originally just going to have the small Gadget reference, referring to her only as "the intelligent rodent", but they kept building and building it to the point where the rest of the Rescue Rangers made it in, too. Once the executives caught on to the scheme, they decided to just allow it.

What possibly helps this is that we never focus on them. For starters, we never get to hear them talk. The audience always sees their scenes from the duck's point of view, and, in the rules of the Rescue Rangers, humans, or ducks in this case, can't communicate with rodents even if they are smart. This is not to say they never do anything major in the plot; it's thanks to them that that all important "cell release" button was pushed, freeing Launchpad and Dewey and getting them to "the next level". Dewey does seem to think that Launchpad came up with the solution to teach a mouse to fly a plane, and Launchpad just goes with it. It may not be out of malice, it's probably just because he's Launchpad.

That next level? Find the secret weapon!

Those wielders of the secret weapon are not exactly in good terms with each other at this point. Black Heron isn't too happy that Steelbeak interpreted getting rid of Scrooge's family is to get two of his family members and lock them up right in F.O.W.L.'s headquarters. This is because Black Heron knows that this is a perfect way to lead Scrooge McDuck right to them, as Scrooge would eventually figure out they're missing and figure out exactly where they went. She is that genre savvy.

Not savvy to anything is Steelbeak, and after Black Heron decides to insult him again and again for his mistake, he finally has enough and snatches the Intelliray right out of her hands, and shoots her with it. That takes out Black Heron out of the whole episode, actually, as the most that happens with her after this is that, when Dewey and Launchpad get to the room she's in, Dewey rightfully assumes the bad guy who is trying to figure out how her robot arm works is way too easy for the mission right after the moon logic puzzle of teaching rats to fly planes. How unbalanced!

Enter Steelbeak and his army of generic puzzle cube-gnawers, armed with the Intelliray and a bunch of one-liners that Dewey wants him to skip. I debated with myself on whether or not him not saying "where's the 'skip dialogue' button" was a missed opportunity or not. Another small fight happens, this time with no random hit flashes. With one hit, Steelbeak drops the Intelliray to the ground.

He then picks it up and attempts to shoot Dewey with it, Launchpad getting in the way with the classic "take the bullet for him" trope. Dewey does the "big no" trope, only to tell him that this must have been his last life. Wait, there were no lives before, the video game seemed to be "you died, game over" in the first scene. Dewey can't be consistent with what video game he was playing!

But wait, if all hope is lost, why is the ray blue? Well, it appears that Steelbeak forgot to check if that gun was set to "make smart rat dumb", or "make dumb rat braindead" in this case. Instead, we get a James Bond reference I actually recognize.

(special thanks to martosi231234 for this GIF)

Okay, maybe I should have made this a GIF; they totally do the James Bond intro parody here, complete with a maybe too obvious parody of the "dah dah" part of the James Bond theme. No shooting the screen, though; TV-Y7 does have its limits.

Inner Double-O-Duck: I'll take it from here, chum.

This inner Double-O-Duck shows up a couple times, mostly acting as his new intelligent guardian angel. Dressing up as one of the minions, thanks to knocking one out earlier, he sneaks into a large computer room and deals with the minions by telling them to go to Sector 13. They don't know what that means, but with his newfound intellect, Launchpad persuades them to go there anyway.

It's here where Launchpad finds out everything about the newly revived Fiendish Organization for World Larceny's conspiracy against Mr. McD. It's also here that he finds out that Steelbeak kidnapped poor Dewford, trapping him with rope and boating him across town. Since Dewey isn't a superhero, there's no way he can just get out of the rope. Well, maybe not every superhero can get out of the rope. Oh, and yes, Intelligent Launchpad always calls Dewey Dewford, but Scrooge is still Mr. McD. That nickname is that ingrained in him.

Most importantly, he finds out he's no longer in a video game...actually, I am not sure when that was supposed to happen. We know it does happen because it comes up later in the episode. A little before this point, I was almost expecting a rather disappointing ending where it was revealed this whole episode was just the video game, but this scene proves that can't happen because the game wouldn't known about the F.O.W.L. plan.

The boat chase is on. While the new far-more-intelligent Double-O-Duck chases the bad guy, he also tries to call Mr. McD and tell him all about what he learned, potentially progressing the plot arc much too early.

Unfortunately for Launchpad and indirectly himself, Scrooge is busy counting the tickets. I can imagine not wanting to trust the ticket counters. He also questions why he can't just keep the tickets and presumably have a giant ticket bin to swim in, and Webby convinces him that the tickets expire at the end of the day. The cashier attempts to explain that isn't the case, and Webby holds up a pizza tray and shushes him. There's some really good expressions in this episode.

After Launchpad tries to let Dewey know this isn't a game, to no avail due to the loud boats, and a pretty action packed chase scene where, fitting for Launchpad, he crashes his boat and, not so fitting for the usual Launchpad, makes a makeshift water skii out of two of the boat's boards and a grappling hook, unfortunately failing to get to him, Steelbeak makes it to his destination: the sattel-lighthouse. See, everything is connected; he even got to go to his dream lair!

This reveals his ultimate plan: turning the sattel-lighthouse into a giant Intelliray, and this time, he did know to check the dial to make all of the rats and other animals in Duckberg as dumb as he is. Launchpad tries to convince Steelbeak to reconsider this plan, as this would make Duckburg so dumb that they would forget to breathe, but...

Steelbeak: That fancy speak won't work on me, Dummie-O-Duck! Hah, classic.

He makes his own fistbump jokes, he's a villain I'd love to hate. How does he get out of this situation? Well, I'll give a giant hint on that: after Launchpad gets saved, he says this.

Launchpad: Thanks for the...

(3 seconds later)

...rescue.

They might as well have put it in giant text, put fireworks around it, and have a choir sing the word "rescue". Good thing this isn't a Cartoon Network reboot. As forced as that scene was, it's still an amazing scene.

I will spoil this, though: before that previous scene happened, he did manage to activate the Intellisatellite, and it's almost about to fire. Anyone could guess that Launchpad's newfound intellect is not going to survive past this episode, and him getting in the way of a giant endumbening laser is the way to do it. And yes, I know endumbening is not a word, but I bet Steelbeak didn't know that. As the song from the first scene plays again, this time showing that it had way more meaning than it did before, Launchpad questions if this is the way to go.

Launchpad: But I can't sacrifice my intelligence! There's so much more I can accomplish! Stop the evil conspiracy out to get us! Solve world hunger! Land a plane!

Oh, his intellect is definitely not going to survive. Also, there's a more personal reason for his questioning, and it was a theme throughout the episode: Launchpad wants Dewey to see him as a competent person to look up to, and, unlike Steelbeak, he usually doesn't have the confidence that this newfound intellect gave him. This makes this a rather heartfelt scene.

Somehow, they get back to the arcade with Dewey still thinking this was the game. There is no explanation for this whatsoever, and even Launchpad questions if it was a game...wait, is this actually that "it was all a game" ending I didn't want? What happened? Why are they here now? How are they here now? What happened to Black Heron? Eh, maybe I should take Dewey's words, from a previous scene, into account.

Dewey: Why are you overthinking this?!

I will say Dewey believing this was all a video game does at least give us a high stakes F.O.W.L. plot without advancing the arc too far this early in the season. Not even Launchpad could do that, as, in the end, Launchpad is back to his old self. He completely forgot about everything he saw, so he couldn't warn Mr. McD about all the misfortune that's going to happen. I will say that I am glad to see that there is a slight hint that the events of this episode did happen, as they do return to that puzzle cube running gag. A running gag that, while not having a real payoff, does have a point to it, how wonderful!

Oh, and as for Scrooge McDuck, with all of those tickets...he only managed to get a very, very small prize. Pretty accurate to the world of redemption games, I'm afraid to say. Don't want to anger that certain powerful rat.

How does it stack up?

The AR glasses do lead to some plot holes, and a lot of the episode relies on references, but none of that ruins the episode. Even the vague ending works in the episode's favor. Hell, maybe it will be explained in the future; this is the kind of show where I can expect that. Maybe not.

With great spy action, some great one-liners, a good villain, and some fantastic cameos from a fellow Disney Afternoon staple, this is another fantastic episode.

Next, suspicious mermaids!

← Quack Pack! 🦆 The Lost Harp of Mervana! →

[thirstaidkitpodcast]

THIRST AID KIT | S2E15 | YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN!

*soothing bedtime story voice* Are you siting comfortably? Then we’ll begin.

This week we are ALL about the voice. Specifically, we are talking about the voices that have molded us, and the voices that make us tingle and melt and laugh and FEEL. 

To help us close out our second season with a bang, we turned in particular to four very special voices from four very special people from across the world. Mads Mikkelsen, with his Danish-inflected voicebox, is a treat for your ears and your eyes (you already know how Nichole feels about him). We love the energy he transmits with his voice, whether he’s about to smash James Bond’s knackers in in Casino Royale, or eat people in Hannibal. Rawr!

We went South — Meridian, Mississippi to be exact! — to sample the very specific delights of rapper Big K.R.I.T. who sounds like something Nichole dreamed up in a lab, he’s so perfect-sounding. He’s also the prime example of how voicework is actually work; the voice as instrument, taking on new depths and highs to send a message, you know? Like honey, syrup, and other slow-dripping food items, K.R.I.T.’s voice makes you think about being home, relaxed, comfortable and also [REDACTED]. 👀

Listen to this:

Then we flew to England to alight at the door of one of Bim’s longterm baes, The Walking Dead (now newly free of that carcass!) actor Andrew Lincoln, because, well, LISTEN. You wanna talk about dulcet tones? Step on up! Whether he’s reading Harry Potter for the kids, reciting poetry, or threatening bad men in the apocalypse, his voice reminds Bim of something rich and strong that you can feel in your belly. 😋

We landed back in the velvet embrace of Jeffrey Wright's signature rasp, showcased most recently in Westworld, but most memorably for Bim, as CIA agent Felix Leiter (”a brother from Langley”) in Casino Royale. Also, remember him in that not-so-good remake of Shaft? Jesus, that raaaaaaasp! 💦

IT’S ALL GOOD, EVEN WHEN THEY’RE PLAYNG BAD.

Along the way, we also reflect on some other voices that have touched us (heh) over the years, from Keith David to Jeff Bridges. 

We also have a segment on some iconic voices: goddesses like Kathleen Turner, with a huskiness that belongs only to her (and also Jessica Rabbit—HELLO); Jennifer Tilly’s twinkly but scratchy singular wonder of a voice (remember her in Bride Of Chucky? Think Lina Lamont from Singin’ In The Rain, and queen of a thousand voices, Cree Summer, who, LEST WE FORGET, was the original Penny in Inspector Gadget. Please put some respect on her name!

Finally, there’s Fanfic Wars, obviously, and well, your ears are in for even more of a treat. You can listen to the whole episode RIGHT HERE (more ways to listen listed below).

(MUCH) MORE TO WATCH AND READ, IF YOU LIKE

Let Mads Mikkelsen sell you some beer

Here’s Samuel Anderson making you a cup of coffee

A little video of tribute to the genius and longevity of Cree Summer

Here’s Jeffery Wright saying the line in Casino Royale that makes Bim clench her fists and bite her knuckle

JESSICA RABBIT, BITCH

Here’s Jeff Bridges as (bald! rich! stern!) Obadiah Stane in Iron Man.

Here’s Big K.R.I.T. doing a stellar Tiny Desk concert at NPR earlier this year. Bonus: he can sing! He has the cutest smile! Let’s get married!

Some of Keith David’s Spawn work

Jennifer Tilly on how she hears her voice vs how others seem to

Here’s Andrew Lincoln talking about reading Quidditch Through The Ages for Pottermore

Here’s the trick Nichole mentioned about Kathleen Turner’s voice.

Mads Mikkelsen as Hannibal, figuratively licking his chops over how he’s gonna fuck Will up

Jeff Bridges has a mf’ing album to help you sleep and the website to buy it from is called, amazingly http://www.DreamingWithJeff.com

Look at young Andrew Lincoln perform Frank O’Connor in this achingly 90s recording:

We’re on Twitter at @bimadew and @tnwhiskeywoman. The show is at @thirstaidkit. 

We’re gonna be off for a while, but you can still send us your Thirst Sommelier requests at 765-884-4778 aka 7658-THIRST (international listeners: send us a short recorded message via email, please). And you can still send us fanmail and love via the written word (aka your SHORT drabbles!) to: thirstaidkit@buzzfeed.com. Also, PLEASE, if you can, rate and review us on Apple Podcasts. We sure do appreciate it!

Stay subscribed to get new content! We’re on: Apple | Stitcher | Spotify | Podbean | Overcast | Google Play | iHeartRadio or search ‘Thirst Aid Kit’ wherever you get your podcasts.

HOUSEKEEPING: ISSA WRAP ON SEASON 2! 

We want to send a very warm and heartfelt THANK YOU to our glorious guests this season: Alanna Bennett (for the Tom Hiddleston episode) and Alexis Nedd (for the Gael García Bernal episode) and Brittany Luse (for the More, More, More! episode) and Rahul Kohli (for his own solo It Ain’t A Thing episode. They were great, and we love them. So much. So please follow them and their work!

We also wanna thank our amazing Pod Squad, who are excellent every day and even more so every time we step into the studio. There is no show without them, and our producers, Julia Furlan and (new with season 2 and now invaluable!) TK Dutes are THE SHIT when it comes to rolling with the punches of quick turnarounds, scheduling conflicts, editing, mixing and uploading. They are the real MVPs, and we love them. Also, yeah, we’re all ladies. 🙌🏿

WE’LL BE BACK SOONER THAN YOU CAN SEND AN EGGPLANT EMOJI.

Stay thirsty, thirst-buckets. Your nation is depending on you. 😘💙💜💚❤️

[wigwurq]

WIG REVIEW: AVENGERS - INFINITY WAR

OH GURL, I finally saw Infinity War! Yes, I’m a full week late to this party but y’all know I had to wait that long to see this with MoviePass. Was it worth the wait? Decidedly: no. I mean, it’s the Marvel Universe and and the wigs are always terrible! But the twist here is: SO WAS THE ENTIRE MOVIE. LET’S DISCUSS.

SO MANY SPOILERS AHEAD.

Straight up: this movie is about jewelry. The only other movie I have wasted so much time at that devoted so much time to jewelry was Titanic and it’s hard to say which movie I hated more? I guess still Titanic but I honestly don’t know. They are both really long, cost way too much money, and involved deaths that didn’t need to happen. So that’s the whole thing with Infinity War, right? We were promised that beloved (?) characters would die and they do but also NOT REALLY. BUCKLE UP FOR THE MOST EXHAUSTING RECAP OF NONSENSE EVER.

So blah blah blah Thanos is this intergalactic psychopath “played by” Josh Brolin but mainly played by a computer, as with most characters in the Marvel Universe. Anyway, he needs to get all 6 infinity stones to complete his blinged out Dr Claw from Inspector Gadget hand. 

That is basically the entire plot of the movie. Thanos is basically Liberace but slightly less gay and with no apparent piano playing abilities who I guess hates overpopulation and is a complete psychopath? You do the math on this one.

The movie starts exactly where my beloved Thor: Wignarock left off with Loki’s increasingly terrible Disaster Artist locks billowing in the space wind as Thanos demands some effing bling. Tessa Thompson is somehow not there because she has much more important things to do. Loki delivers some infinity stone he just had laying around someplace because sure and promptly dies (?) All deaths in this movie are highly questionable but this one seems possibly legit and I’m fine with it because this wig is terrible and Tom Hiddleston can do better. Same goes for Idris Elba who also dies (?).  I’m very happy that these two handsome men have been freed from the shackles of the Marvel Universe and the bad wigs that go with them. Thor and The Hulk are also there but are somehow spared by Thanos because his deal seems to be only killing HALF the good guys but only sometimes and don’t ask why because you certainly will get no answers. 

Moving on, the Hulk crashlands into Dr. Strange’s olde curiousity shoppe and gurl I can’t even with this lewk. I’m all for capes ALWAYS but this HAIR. There are many jokes about Dr. Strange being a wizard and he does look like a very bad magician always. Anyway he gets the 411 on this bling situation from the Hulk which is troubling since possesses some of that bling. It should be noted that the bling he possesses can alter time and space so you’d think the bling could just protect itself and everyone around it but I guess that is too logical for this movie? So instead he decides to go ask another mad genius with a goatee for help!

OMG GOOP IS BACK. HAHHAHAHAHHA. LOOK AT THIS EFFING WIG. 

YOU CAN SEE THE LINE OF THE WIG WITH HER REAL HAIR UNDERNEATH. Ok, I understand that building entire characters and planets out of computers is $$$ but for the characters that are played by people, could we maybe get a wig assist? MARVEL UNIVERSE FOR SHAME.

But this wig is not long for this Marvel Universe since Iron Man decides to form a goatee alliance with Dr. Strange because of course. Look at these weirdos! Side note: these are absolutely the kind of dudes who always go to see movies at Film Forum. Anyway, Robert Downey, Jr’s dye job alone is very upsetting but THOSE GLASSES. NO.

Anyway, the goatee alliance proves terrible at protecting NYC streets despite the fact that DR STRANGE’S NECKLACE CAN CHANGE TIME OMG JUST USE THE NECKLACE. Instead, Dr. Strange is beamed aboard a spaceship where he is given the worst acupuncture treatment this side of Hellraiser. 

Iron Man and Spider-Man somehow save the day by literally stealing a plotpoint from Aliens and then all three make a lot more stupid movie references while also completely failing at doing anything productive involving highly important timeshifting bling.

Meanwhile, somewhere in Scotland, a Transilvanian Witch and a robot twice her age with a flashlight in his forehead have found love outside a kebab shop. 

BUT NOT FOR LONG because WWII wet rag Chris Evans who inexplicably has given himself a butch makeover and ScarJo in the best hair she’s ever had in the Marvel Universe show up to tell them that they need to destroy said forehead flashlight because it’s one of the bling Thanos needs for his bling claw. This is where all logic really goes out the window. The Avengers refuse to sacrifice the “life” of Robot Paul Bettany for the good of, well, THE UNIVERSE so instead to go find help in extracting the bling AND saving a robot’s life in Wakanda because apparently the only capable person in this entire movie is our gurl Shuri.

Anyway, back in space, The Guardians of the Galaxy save Thor who has just been floating around half dead since Thanos left. This means that Chris Pratt and Chris Hemsworth meet face to face and they’re definitely the best looking and funniest in the Marvel Universe so fine. Still, Gamora’s upsetting Halloween Adventure wig continues to exist. Look at these guys looking at it. NO. Anyway, the Chris party is shortlived as Thor needs to go get a new hammer.

But who could make a new hammer? PETER DINKLAGE OF COURSE. The episodic nature of this movie already feels like a sci-fi version of Game of Thrones so why not? He’s the best part of that show and this movie, obvs. He plays a giant dwarf (?) created through highly questionable photoshop not unlike my #2 favorite character in Thor: Wignarock - that GIANT EFFING WOLF. Anyway, this is the best picture I can find of his insane mountain man wig which is very awful. Regardless, he makes Thor an axe with an assist from Groot and also an assist from Thor getting a really terrible sunburn to make it all happen. Whatever? OH: also that raccoon gives Thor a new eye which somehow matches his other eye. Bye, eyepatch!

Anyway, The Guardians go to see Benicio del Toro in his batshit crazy space wig which is so terrible as to maybe be amazing. He definitely has given Thanos some bling that alters reality and they fight and blah blah, Thanos ends up stealing away Gamora, aka his adoptive daughter but not before she tells Chris Pratt she loves him! Yay?

Oh but then in order to get the soul bling (which is not what I imagined), he DEFINITELY throws her off a cliff. But is she dead? DEATH IS NEVER CERTAIN ANYMORE BECAUSE OF THAT REALITY BLING SO EVERYTHING CAN BE CHANGED AND WHY ARE WE EVEN STILL WATCHING THIS NOW SINCE THERE ARE NO ACTUAL STAKES.

Anyway, Chris Pratt and co meet up with the goatee/Spider-Man party and everything devolves into “witty” repartee and terrible decision-making. Thanos shows up and that insect chick puts a spell on him but for some reason they don’t use this magic slumber to kill him, just to try to get his bling claw off and they fail because Chris Pratt can’t control his DAMN TEMPER BECAUSE GAMORA IS MAYBE DEAD BUT PROBABLY NOT SO JUST EFFING CHILL DUDE. Anyway, to save Iron Man, Dr. Strange ends up giving up his bling so Thanos only has one bling left to get...dun dun dun.

Back in Wakanda, Paul Bettany’s bling is being extracted by Shuri but meanwhile, they are totally under attack by some horrible space dogs because obvs. Fighting alongside Wakanda’s already awesome fighters are Chris Evans, ScarJo and the Winter Soldier hisself. GODDAMN THAT IS A TERRIBLE WIG. I mean, truly truly truly outrageously bad.

Also outrageously bad? The fact that all of Wakanda is under attack JUST TO SAVE ROBOT PAUL BETTANY. SO MANY INNOCENT WAKANDANS HAVE TO FIGHT AND ARE KILLED BECAUSE THEY DON’T WANT TO KILL A ROBOT AND WHY DID ANYONE IN WAKANDA AGREE TO THIS INSANE PLAN EVEN MICHONNE FROM THE WALKING DEAD. WHAT IN THE VERY HELL. It should also be noted that Black Panther is the only movie in the Marvel Universe that wurqs wig-wise so truly, this is all really plummeting their stock.

So Thor shows up and almost saves the day but then Thanos shows up and then everyone realizes that they have to just destroy this robot anyway to destroy the bling and this was all a huge and terrible waste of time because OBVIOUSLY.

This makes that Transilvanian witch in a horrible horrible horrible red wig that Robot Paul Bettany loves very very sad because somehow a witch is the only person who can destroy bling in this movie which is a plotpoint I appreciate but then she has to also destroy her robot lover but like: IT’S THE ONLY WAY WHY DIDN’T YOU JUST DO THAT BACK AT THE KEBAB SHOP. WHAT IN THE VERY HELL, AVENGERS?!

So then everyone just keeps fighting Thanos even though he is completely unstoppable but like...maybe just fighting him hand to hand will work? (It doesn’t work). Nothing works! Nothing wurqs! The Avengers are completely useless and Thanos just peaces out and then things get completely mindbogglingly stupid:

HALF THE POPULATION OF THE WORLD INCLUDING HALF OF THE AVENGERS JUST DISAPPEARS INTO SMOKE LIKE AN OFFBRAND EPISODE OF THE LEFTOVERS WHICH I’VE NEVER SEEN AND DEFINITELY WON’T NOW.

Huh? Yes, this was Thanos’s plan all along! But obviously, these deaths are not real! I can’t even tell you who got whisked away and who didn’t because one of the people blown away was Black Panther and THERE IS NO WAY IN HELL THEY ARE ACTUALLY KILLING OFF BLACK PANTHER. Also before he’s blown away, Dr. Strange says something about how this was the only way (after earlier doing like 14 million calculations) so clearly: they win in the end.

But not the end of THIS movie. No! No! The Marvel Universe refuses to be self contained to one movie. So the whole thing just...ends! For now! Like one big hanging chad of death until the next Avengers movie (A YEAR AWAY) when definitely everyone will live again. THE MARVEL UNIVERSE JUST MADE DEATH NOT A REALITY AND WASTED ALL OUR TIME IN THE PROCESS. There has not been a more ridiculous cliffhanger ending to a movie since The Empire Strikes Back and absolutely both endings are true garbage filmmaking THERE I SAID IT. 

At this point, I ask myself: HOW MANY DAYS HAVE I LOST TO THE MARVEL UNIVERSE? How many overlong movies have I watched to prepare for other overlong movies THAT DON’T HAVE AN ENDING? HOW DOES THIS CYCLE CONTINUE? WHEN WILL WE BE DONE? NEVER! BECAUSE WE’LL KEEP SEEING THEM BECAUSE WE DON’T VALUE OUR TIME AND BECAUSE WE’RE GARBAGE PEOPLE. THE END.

VERDICT: DOESN’T WURQ

[archeriexriverdale]

Riverdale - 2x13 :REVIEW 🗡 💀 😍 😡 😏.

wow... Wow... WOW!!!! what could you even say about this episode?! My ship made an appearance after 200 years of not blessing me with their beauty, we finally found out what happend after that cliff hanger last episode and the bitch that Chic is. Has finally shown his true colours (rubs hands together!) oooooo this has been a good one! 😂 😂. But here's is what stood out to me this episode.

🗡 I knew Chic was crazy when he walked in on Betty sleeping with that creepy jason look on his face 🤢🤢. But when he confessed he did that to Betty HERSELF! I was like.. Ok. He ain't so bad cause at least he admitted it and had a good reason.

Any redeeming quality of chic went out the fucking window this episode. I know you caught that creepy smile he did when Hal was kicked out a second time 👁. Also. Him acting like the scared little boy is so fucking fake I don't know how Alice is buying this shit 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂. I'm sooooooo glad Betty ain't. Cause the scared little boy act is ridiculous af. Acting like his terrified of hal like... What is hal gonna do?

🗡 Don't get it twisted I ain't Hal #1 fan. And him cheating on Alice and his family is kinda shit. But I don't like how Chic just cut him out the picture like HE wants to be the only Ben in the Coopers life and this worries me. Cause not only is it Hal family and flesh and blood this fucking... Stranger has staked his claim on. But I have a dark feeling his gonna start to drive a wedge between bughead so Betty can rely on JUST him... and then distance Betty and Archie like....no.no. No.

This clown! Has got 👏 to 👏 go! And the sooner Hal stops fucking around with Penelope and get his detective hat on. The better for fucking everybody.

🗡 Don't the character of riverdale watch any crime shows... Why tf don't they bother wearing any gloves when moving a dead body 👁.

🗡 If Alice is still mean to Fp after all this shit I swear to God 😂 😂 😂 😂.

🗡 When Fp said to Alice he takes care of his own

🗡 When Fp took hold on Alice hand

🗡...... But you saw her marriage ring

Don't matter though 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂. FALICE ROSE THIS EPISODE!!!! AND I'M SO FUCKING HAPPY YOU CAN'T STOP ME FROM REJOICING 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍 😍.

After weeks and weeks of fans begging for falice they have finally done it! (it might take a long ass time for falice to come on again). But I have my fill for now 😂 😂. Now that Hal and Alice marriage is literally falling apart. I hope Chic stays the fuck out the way and makes this happen lol. Cause I have a feeling fp is not easily turned away when it's something he wants 😈 😈.

And now Fp and Alice have even MORE in common (dead bodies) I mean... (shrugs) if that ain't relationship goals 😂 😂 😂 😂.

🗡 Who else thinks this detective shit is a complete joke. Not to mention when he is 'undercover' he has the whole inspector gadget costume with the hat and trench coat (could you be even more obvs?)

But also you expect me to seriously believe Hermione and Hiram went through all that trouble to (Mess?) with Archie when they have better things to do?.... Lies. I believe they (got rid) of the detective and then said he worked for them so Archie wouldn't be snooping around. It's basic maths. I ain't stupid. Archie don't see that though cause his a headass and it ain't his fault 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂. But still...come on.

🗡 wait... Penelope is in love with hal now 💀.... I can't with this 😂 😂??

🗡 Wasn't surprised Veronica never told her dad she warned the mayor... And I think he knows she lied too. He can't really get mad or say shit cause he did the exact same thing with something more serious 😂 😂 😂 😂. Like father like daugher eh? 😈.

🗡 Fred is probley the most luckiest man rn 😂 😂 😂 😂. He sleeps with a man's wife and that same man (instead of beating him tf up) pays for his hospital bills and saves his neck from the FBI? my god 😂 😂 😂 😂 what even is this?

OVERAAALLLLLLL though this episode was amazing! Action after action! No scene lagged or made me not care it was just awesomeness all around. (trust riverdale to do their best episode before ANOTHER hiatus 👁) but I seriously can't wait for the new episode... They have me interested now. It was a slow start but they are getting there lol.

Episode 10/10 (Falice makes up for most of the rating don't judge) 😂 😂 😂 😂 😂.

[gofunkoyourself]

Avatar, Disney, Dumb and Dumber, Funko Shop, Inspector Gadget, The Office, & More! - Talk'n Pops 230

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[bostoniangirl85]

Inspector Gadget (1983) episode review: “The Amazon”

I’m back with another episode review, this time Episode 4 of Season 1, “The Amazon”! This episode was one of the big inspirations for starting “A Man’s Worth” and it’s one of the best episodes of the first season IMO.

This episode is probably the closest we come to knowing anything about Gadget’s past and his origins as a cyborg through the introduction of Professor Von Slickstein. I really wish the show had explored Gadget’s origins in more detail but I understand it’s a kid show and meant to be light-hearted. But still, there are so many things we don’t know about Gadget, Dr. Claw, Penny, etc. that it’s a fanfic writer’s gold mine of possibilities.^^

It’s interesting that Gadget tells Penny that Quimby wants him ready 24/7 for action, which makes me think Gadget is much more than a  mere city cop. Gadget’s secret missions all over the world are definitely in line with international espionage and this is what started the whole INTERPOL/spy angle in “A Man’s Worth”.

Hmm...and on that note, Gadget must get a TON of overtime pay. Either that or his salary is much higher than a regular police inspector, especially if he can afford such a large house.

Von Slickstein’s background is also really interesting - if he’s the “father of modern bionics” then he’s probably one of the most valuable people in the world in terms of scientific knowledge. It’s no surprise that M.A.D. ends up kidnapping the professor. And on that note, I’ve noticed that M.A.D. goes after a *lot* of scientists in the series, which got me started on the whole cyborg/bionic warfare theme. If one agency had a monopoly on something as powerful as bionic technology, they could easily become the most dangerous organization in the world.

So what were the circumstances in which the good professor turned Gadget into a cyborg? The “official” canon story is that Gadget slipped on a banana peel, but I could see that as a light-hearted joke to keep Gadget from asking too many questions, which of course Gadget would easily accept due to his faulty memory. And maybe the fact that Von Slickstein lives so close to Gadget’s home is a way for him to keep an eye on Gadget.

Okay, you gotta hand it to Gadget, he almost caught Claw during the car chase scene. Gadget may be a terrible driver, but he’s tenacious as heck and his sheer determination makes me think that he really was involved in law enforcement before he was turned into a cyborg.

Claw’s plan to create an army of robots is actually pretty terrifying if you think about it. If he got his hands on all of the bionic technology available, he could replace anyone with a robot doppelganger (like we saw in “Gadget’s Replacement”). Even *more* terrifying is the thought of turning someone into a cyborg against their will. No wonder Quimby was so serious about this mission (not that he isn’t in every episode, bless him).

I’m not sure whether to laugh or cringe whenever Gadget sees a pretty face.^^ I don’t think Gadget would ever behave so outrageously if his mind wasn’t scrambled, but I can see a pre-Cyborg Gadget being a lady’s man when he was younger. I think on some level deep down Gadget knows he’s not like other men so maybe his behavior is a way to make up for it? More on this later - I’ll probably save that for another post.

I love that Brain is a better driver than Gadget. XD

I really like how Von Slickstein stands up to Claw and at first refuses to cooperate. It says a lot about his character. And I’m convinced that Von Slickstein gave Penny her computer book and watch, though if she knows that isn’t revealed. And apparently he also has super-strength as he was able to carry Gadget out of the pyramid!

There’s so many questions this episode created, but it was a big inspiration for the plot line of “A Man’s Worth” and I really enjoyed it. 

[brajeshupadhyay]

Major explosion at missile facility in Iran gives rise to variety of conspiracy theories all over Tehran

Iran’s news media tried to counter reports about the missile site, saying those were generated by “enemy media” eager to portray Iran’s missile bases as vulnerable to attack

When a major explosion lit the skies on the edge of Tehran last week, the Iranian government was quick to dismiss the episode as a gas explosion at the Parchin military base, which was once the focus of international nuclear inspectors.

It turned out that was false: Satellite photographs show the explosion happened at a missile production facility not far from Parchin, a base laced with underground tunnels and long suspected to be a major site for Iran’s growing arsenal.

But beyond Tehran’s effort at misdirection — commercial satellite photographs showed the telltale burn marks of the explosion and the location — it is unclear whether the cause was an accident, sabotage or something else.

US and Israeli intelligence officials insist they had nothing to do with it.

But in Iran, where curating conspiracy theories is a national pastime, the sight of a huge explosion in eastern Tehran quickly merged on social media with news of a power outage in Shiraz, nearly 600 miles to the south. Shiraz also has major military facilities, and the explosion and the outage happened within the same hour on Friday.

There is no evidence the incidents were related.

Nuclear inspectors visited the Parchin military facility five years ago after years of standoffs with Iranian authorities. Renovations at the facility had been so extensive that it led to suspicions that the government might have been trying to hide past work on nuclear detonation technologies.

After the episode last week, Iranian news organisations were shown a small hole in an otherwise intact gas tank, which seemed an improbable explanation for an explosion so large that pictures of the flames, taken miles from the site, showed up on Twitter.

By the end of the weekend, overhead commercial photographs showed a scorched hillside at the Khojir missile production complex in eastern Tehran, where both liquid and solid propellants are made for Iran’s missile fleets.

“It seems likely that some sort of gas or liquid storage tank blew up,” said Fabian Hinz, an expert on Iran’s military at the James Martin Centre for Nonproliferation Studies at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. “Probably industrial gas that’s needed for missile production,” he said, but it was unclear from the photos. The main buildings at the missile production centre appeared undamaged.

Iran’s missile programme has long been a target of Israeli intelligence agencies. A large explosion in 2011, which killed a key architect of Iran’s missile programme, is widely viewed as an act of sabotage.

But this explosion may have been different. Two Israeli intelligence services that operate outside Israel’s borders, the Mossad and the Israel Defence Forces intelligence unit, said they were investigating the episode and had not yet reached a final conclusion on whether it was an accident or sabotage. But several officials insisted that Israel was not involved.

US officials also said they doubted it was a sabotage operation. Usually, Israel and the United States act in coordination in such covert missions, as they did with the cyberattack on Iran’s nuclear centrifuge facility at Natanz a decade ago.

A spokeswoman for the Israeli prime minister’s office declined to comment on whether Israel was involved in the explosion, a standard response to such questions. A spokesperson for the IDF also declined to comment.

Ronen Solomon of IntelliTimes, an intelligence blog, who was among the first to identify the Khojir missile facility as the site of the explosion, noted that it did “little damage.” But he noted it was “a vast facility,” and as part of the Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, it has been the target of US economic sanctions.

If the explosion was an act of sabotage, some analysts noted, it was carefully designed to not invite retaliation because damage was so minimal. But in the past, there have been small attacks designed to create fear among Iranians that foreign powers had insiders in the country’s sensitive military programmes.

Iran’s news media tried to counter reports about the missile site, saying those were generated by “enemy media” eager to portray Iran’s missile bases as vulnerable to attack.

David E Sanger, Ronen Bergman and Farnaz Fassihi c.2020 The New York Times Company

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[theonetruevincent]

TheOneTrueVincent Reviews: Sonic Underground

Happy very late Christmas/New year, I know I’m late but better late than pregnant, So I decided, totally not last minute and fully planned it, that before the end of the year I would review everyone’s favorite cartoon from the best animation studio DIC Entertainment, Sonic Underground. I mean come on who doesn’t love watching Sonic for Christmas, So let’s get into it.

What’s up with this show?:

Sonic Underground, it’s the third animated show adapting Sega’s mascot Sonic The Hedgehog, the show was created by DIC Entertainment who are famous for shows like The Super Mario Super Show, Inspector Gadget, and Super Duper Sumos, even the original Sonic The Hedgehog cartoon, along with so many other memorable shows (I said memorable, not good).

The show came around when Sega asked DIC to make a new Sonic cartoon, this was at the same time Sega was making the Dreamcast, so it’s assumed they wanted a new cartoon to promote the console. 

They already made the show bible back in March 1997 and was announced in December of the same year, The show wouldn’t actually air until January of 1999 in France, which only lasted for 18 episodes there. The US wouldn’t get it until August of the same year.

This show has a lot of production problems in general as we’re going to see right now because we are going to the creators/crew of the show.

The Crew:

When it came to looking up the crew of the show it was a mess, I’ve read that the production of this show was a mess for the writers, mainly because they were given such little time in general, but JEEZ! When it comes to a director, there were 4 of them, 3 of them only worked on 14 episodes each, while only 1 of them worked 24 episodes.

Of course like said earlier the writers got the worst of it if you check the writers for the show you’ll see that there was almost a different writer for each episode of the show, which watching the show you can really tell, which with that we can go into the actual show now.

The Premise:

*Note: Sonic Underground takes place in a different canon from any other Sonic media 

Queen Aleena (Gail Webster), the former ruler of Mobius, get’s overthrown by the evil Doctor Robotnik (Garry Chalk) and takes over the world and forcing the Queen to go into hiding. To preserve the dynasty, she separated her children Sonic (Sam Vincent), Manic (Tyley Ross), and Sonia (Stevie Vallance) after an oracle told her a prophecy that she and her children would one day reunite with each other and defeat Robotnik. Years later, Sonic and his siblings group up and are given a quest from the oracle to search for their mother and rise against Robotnik once and for all.

The general feel:

Sonic Underground is a DIC Entertainment show, and if you are, in any way, familiar with any other shows from DIC you can already get an idea what this show is about. But in case not let’s discuss it, first, the animation, the animation is average at best and can be pretty terrible at other times. Like a lot of other DIC shows this show has a lot of animation errors that can either be the best or the worst, but regardless if you were alright with the style of SonicSatAM then it’s passable, but otherwise, you might not like it.

As for the actual characters and story, it’s well, alright I guess? It’s not the absolute worst thing in this show, the story is alright for a kid. As for adults, mostly for the people who didn’t grow up with this show, there’s not that much for them. The characters are fine, Sonic and Robotnik are almost the exact same as their SatAM counterparts if you like the characters in SatAM, then Underground is almost the same, only it doesn’t have any of the characters from SatAM, with only a few references maybe but other than that not much. As for Sonia and Manic, the other two leads, they’re meh at best it doesn’t really matter since these two are never coming back to any show.The plot is dumb and too confusing for its own sake, and for most episodes, nothing goes forward, they almost find their mom but not really, and fuck with Robotnik and his henchmen. and even then the show ends on a cliffhanger since the show got canceled before they could.

Also, one more thing I forgot to mention since Sonic and gang has magic instruments weapons and not just being freedom fighters but they’re also an underground band. Because of that, there has to be a song in every episode, to sum them up in one word: TERRIBLE. 

Final thoughts:

I never grew up with SonicSatAM, but I did watch Sonic Underground when I was younger and absolutely loved it, it combined two of my favorite things at the time Sonic and rock (somewhat). But of course, when I grew older I realized “Wow, this is terrible”. After that, I never really watched it up until this review, and it’s still the same opinion for me

In the end, Sonic Underground is not a good show, I would say kids would like it and if you grew up with this show and still like it that’s fine, but if you’re expecting something amazing from this show, don’t. 

Fun Facts:

GamesRadar called the show “The absolute worst Sonic moments”

Patrick Lee of The A.V. Club panned the series, calling it one of the most artistic failures to ever end up on television

The Sonic The Hedgehog comic had featured a story in a special issue in which the Sonic Underground continuity was featured

Thank you for reading this, and if you enjoyed it please like and reblog and if you want to see more of my reviews follow me @theonetruevincent and if you’re interested in my personal life, go to my main social media down below.

Sorry, this came SO LATE, I’ve been very busy for the last couple days, but anyway have a great New Years! My Personal Blog: https://vinniethegbalord.tumblr.com/ My Twitter: https://twitter.com/GbaPlayer967

Thanks again and keep being cool, see ya next time!