#riddlers not in the trailer sorry guys

[jas-peesauna]

WAKE UP WE’RE SO BACK ‼️‼️‼️

[furbygoblinxiv]

Watched Longlegs with some friends last night. Went in COMPLETELY blind like not even haven't seen a single trailer or poster. Anyways. Here's the reasons I think Longlegs is a comedy, in a list (more blatant story/plot spoilers below the cut):

The picture of BILL CLINTON in the office took me out literally every single time

The screaming while driving the car. Both times it happened. #relatable

When Longlegs started doing a little jig with his hands. Couldn't stop thinking of M3gan

When Longlegs' full face as first shown and my initial reaction was to discretely pull out my phone and google "Longlegs actor" and "how old is Nick Cage"

The fact that his name is Longlegs and his legs aren't even that long in the first place. And also that the movie isn't about spiders

That her FBI partner at the start looked vaguely like Jerma

Every time I compared Lee Harker to Will Graham from the Hannibal TV show I had a little laugh to myself

Or every time I noticed a comparison to either Silence of the Lambs or Hannibal to be so fr like there's a lot if you look for them

At the end of the first scene when Longlegs says something like "sorry, it appears that my legs are tooooo long" bc his head is just outta frame or something. It's like the final line in the first scene and I can barely remember it cuz it had me giggling too hard lol

The literal final line being "Hail Satan! 😘" Had me genuinely cackling in the theater

The dolls. Like I'm sorry that American Girl Dolls don't scare me lol

When the devil or whatever is compelling the family to kill each other at the end and the wife is like "we'll be back from the kitchen shortly 😃😰" and the husband is like "I'LL be back shortly, you'll still be in the kitchen" cuz he was gonna kill her and they all knew it. That had me having to muffle my laughter into my arm fr fr

When I was like "this guys gonna die in about 30 seconds" near the start irt the Jerma guy and I was right. Pretty sure down to the seconds too. Just cuz it reminded me too much of Monster House

When Longlegs sang Happy Birthday, I compared it to the Ave Maria Riddler song from The Batman with my friend and we couldn't stop laughing about that

When Longlegs was in that corner store and the cashier girl called for her dad and said he was a regular. Just the implication that this horror movie villain compelled by the devil is a regular at this store. Like that's such a realistic retail mood. Like ya you get some oddballs working retail huh. Probably isn't even the weirdest person to go into that store

[valkerymillenia]

The Batman (2022)

Ok, so here's my non spoilery opinion on the movie.

It's good. It's very, very good.

Forget everything you watched on the trailers, they do not do the movie any justice.

First of all, they don't beat that dead horse again. Aka, we don't have to see the Wayne's die for the millionth time.

Second of all, both Pattison and Reeves understood the assignment.

This is a movie that was clearly written and directed by a comic book reader, it comes across well, not only in the way it's adapted and the characterization of the characters but also in all the subtle references and all the foreshadowing constantly being dropped.

It's also definitely not for children/younger audiences. And the fact that it's not constrained by the DCEU's family-friendly policies really shows. The old Comics Authority would have a field day with this movie

But, moving on...

The first thing you have to bear in mind is that this is a portrayal of a Batman that is young and still fairly new to his role, he has been at it long enough to be extremely effective and win over Gordon's trust but he's still very green emotionally, still discovering himself and his role and growing as a character.

We also see a return to Batman's true origins- the detective and the cryptid, long before he became just another fighting machine (although he still is an excellent fighter and absolutely brutal).

Robert Pattison delivered a very good portrayal of the character, the use of silence and anti social behavior were perfect (very emo but absolutely a young Bruce Wayne), as was his level of intelligence and his single-minded attitude. He clearly understands Bruce Wayne on a level other actors have not (perhaps because he actually reads the comics).

Zoe Kravitz also delivers an excellent performance as Selina, and for once we get a Selina that is actually her own character with her own development instead of just a sexy prop or supporting character for Batman. She's also at the beginning of her career and quite faithful to the essence of her comic roots (although with some twists).

Riddler is fantastic. If you are used to cartoony flamboyant Riddler or Jim Carrey's over-the-top Riddler, forget it. If you are used to awkward and nerdy but hyper competent, extremely intelligent, ruthless, death-trap loving Riddler from the comics though? You're going to love this guy.

Penguin's characterization is good. Very good. I can't go into more without being spoilery.

The visuals and editing are stunning, is it dark and gritty? Yes, it is, but not in the boring, minimalistic, militaristic, too real, dull grey of the Nolan movies, instead it's simply very modern gothic and the use of color is very well thought out, exactly what you'd expect from Gotham.

The music is good, I won't say it's phenomenal, it might not stick with you afterwards, but it's still very good and works really well to complement the scenes.

The wardrobe in general is excellent without being over the top (unless it has to be). And after seeing it in a different light, Pattison's mask is definitely a nod to Adam West's Batman in 66, the disassembled gun bat symbol is dramatic as hell but it actually works really well.

In my humble opinion it might be one of the best Batman interpretations in modern live action (I'm sorry, Keaton, my darling).

Is it perfect? No, no movie is.

But it's still very good and it has POTENTIAL to be so much more, Reeves gave us a lot of foreshadowing and laid down a lot of ground work for sequels that I honestly hope get green-lit but I can't discuss that without spoilers so I'll leave that in a separate review.

[753398445a]

A Liveblog of Harley Quinn 2x2 Riddler U

Full disclosure: I read the synopsis for this episode at one point and still remember that it involves Riddler doing something vague but bad to people in a school. Also, YouTube decided to recommend me a video titled ‘Harley Quinn 2x2 Reaction! Batgirl Vs. Riddler!!’ so I suspect Batgirl may be in this one. I know that when I look for liveblogs I want both the person’s reactions to the events and thoughtful analysis of the material, and I'm sorry that I won’t be able to fully provide the former.

So predictions: I think Riddler will die by the end of the episode. Also the trailers showed what appeared to be Harley and Ivy incognito with Batgirl, so that’s probably going to be them infiltrating the place. Not sure why Clayface wouldn’t be tapped for that kind of role, maybe something happens in this episode that puts him out of commission? Speaking of commission, I think Commissioner Gordon is going to be involved, on account of his niece or daughter (I don’t know which she is in this continuity) having a role. And of course Batgirl is going to fight The Riddler, with said fight apparently being worthy of two exclamation points. Random shots in the dark: I think Bruce will wake up but be an amnesiac, and I feel like Sy’s been in a lot of episodes lately so they’ll probably not have him in this one. [Four outta seven ain’t bad.]

Something I appreciate is that while the writers are having Harley be pro-anarchy they’ve also been pointing out how much losing civilization would suck, like with that line from Ivy last episode about difficulty acquiring sushi and now with Harley’s frustration over needing electricity. I wonder if by the end of the season she’ll have changed her stance on this sort of thing.

So they don’t know Joker is alive, which is something pretty obvious but the implications thereof only just now clicked for me.

...that pretty clearly means that he did use the rendered fat of dead zebras. Which raises the question of how/why he knew how to make candles out of dead animals - I feel like that’s a pretty niche skill. Also, how many zebras were there, if he killed multiple (or at least, had access to the corpses of multiple) and there’s still one in the background? I don’t really visit zoos but I would think zebras aren’t something they’d have a lot of.

Oh, so he’s the Dean of Riddle U. What a fun coincidence! You know, Jim Rash is a really talented guy and I’m happy he was chosen for this role. I preferred his role as a supervillain in Sky High to his role as a supervillain here, but that’s more because I love that movie so much than any sort of flaw with his performance as Nigma.

So beyond looking forward to Jazzfest, Ivy also likes a band that Bing describes as ‘an American folk rock music duo‘. I guess she has varied taste. Or possibly just wants to display the poster despite not liking the band, which would fit with the aspect of her character previously established in episode seven - she cares a lot more about what people think of her than she lets on.

Speaking of Ivy’s subplot from the Queen of Fables episode, its Kite-man (Hell Yeah!). I agree with Ivy, that joke was cute. Heads up: The remainder of this paragraph incorporates information I’ve heard about regarding future episodes. Honestly I was halfway expecting to hear that they’d broken up offscreen to make way for Harlivy, hopefully the fact that they haven’t means the writers will pull from the comics and make that an open relationship. It’d suck to either kill him off or break them up and then just immediately have her get into another relationship.

That’s Barbara, right? I feel like its gotta be, but it could be a fake-out. Harley, you can’t complain about Clayface’s unnecessarily complicated characters last episode and then make up such weird names in this one. Damn it, I actually expected there to be some sort of payoff for that Clayface bit but couldn’t figure out how to phrase it. I was expecting it to be more of an eleventh-hour type deal, but still! Also, I should’ve asked this earlier but how exactly is Harley planning to co-opt the water and electricity?

Surprised to see that Dr. Psycho is still chafing about his role on the team, it seemed like he’d accepted it. I don’t think that the writers are building up to anything with that, for the record - he’s just the Unsympathetic Comedy Protagonist who has to be miserable with his lot in life for our entertainment.

I noticed the sound of sirens during that establishing shot earlier and didn’t mention that it didn’t make sense (because the cops are gone) out of a desire to be less nitpicky. Apparently that actually wasn’t a mistake on the part of the creators, but rather foreshadowing. Neat!

Harley and Ivy dancing to the music is a fun touch. I like when shows incorporate little details like that that don’t actually matter. Also, Jim is here. Called it! He’s doing about as well as could be expected, to be honest.

Can’t Dr. Psycho make forcefields? This is cool and all but I feel like it isn't necessary. Also, I’m wondering if this excursion will culminate in that shot in the trailers of him emerging from the portal atop what I’ve been told is a parademon.

How could the party be a fundraiser for Jiminy if Barbara already had time to score wristbands for it. Unless the bands just work for any party? Or maybe that jump between the scenes of her being chased by Harley and Harley and Ivy invading her dorm was a lot longer than it seemed.

Loving this subplot with "Stephanie”. I’m honestly curious about how things go between her(?) and Chad.

Clayface is still vulnerable to electricity? Pokemon logic taught me he would be immune. Eyyy, that’s the Inquisotortor guy! Also, Poison Ivy doesn’t resist electric attacks? Its like these guy’s haven’t bothered to learn the type effectiveness chart at all!

God, Harley’s a dick. I find it entertaining, but a major part of her growth last season was in not taking her team for granted, so her doing so again is disappointing.

Clayface, no. Chad set you up, don’t fall for his silver tongue again!

Still no Frank. Wasn’t his last appearace him mentioning that he was getting more sun exposure than what was ideal? If he doesn’t show up soon I’m gonna assume that it was a fatal amount.

[lalaurelia]

Quick Gotham 5x04 thoughts

Well, okay. After the previous amazing episode this one was underwhelming, to say the least. And yeah. The shove scene was as bad as it seemed from the trailers, guys. T_T I didn’t enjoy this ep, so, just a warning, I’m whiny and bitter here.

The opening scene with Haven in flames was really cool, but they just go and ruin it with Babs rethinking her wish to kill Oswald. Not that I want him dead, no way, but... some consistency to your characters, writers? Is that too much to ask? It feels like children playing and one kid goes one way, and the other doesn’t like it so they retcon everything abruptly with no explanations. So no. Not enjoyable at the least. No tension, no resolution.

Jim grabbing Oswald, blaming him, nothing new, let’s go on.

Oswald shows up at the GCPD (we’re back at the GCPD, folks - what was the point of Haven if not being a delicious target?) with firepower and offer of help. And it feels like a sensible follow-up from the third episode.

Partner.

Then they have a moment of glory for Jim with capturing Zsasz, and the writers really made Oswald more stupid. Jim and Oswald bicker a little, but it has no heat, no emotion and it frankly sucks because it doesn’t feel like them. Like the characters we know and love.

They kind of made Zsasz the quirky funny assassin guy again, though, so kudos for that.

Ugh. Every Ed scene is torture for me this episode. I don’t enjoy him, or his done and redone journey of a messed-up mind. Could the guy just, I dunno, become the Riddler without fracturing into more personas each season? I almost pity him. I would’ve pitied him more if only he stopped killing women. Seriously. This got old the first time, Ed, when you murdered Kristen.

Lucius is the only good thing that can be connected to Ed. I love his quiet charm and his gentle, considerate mind, which btw is no less sharp.

Selina tracks Jeremiah, Ecco dances with Jeremiah, Bruce and Alfred track Selina but not before she delivers a seemingly deadly blow. But we all know how that works out in Gotham.

With Zsasz captured, Jim and Oswald are at odds again with the dispense of justice. And this rubs me wrong again, you know? Because I get Oswald wanting to go ahead and capitalize on people loving him at the moment. What I don’t get - will never accept as a canon fact - is that Oswald would want to sacrifice his good relationship with Jim for that. This feels like a crude parody of their conflict over the Pax Penguina, but... it’s too crude. Too much, too over the top, and with flimsy motives.

And what the everloving fuck - just where did you manage to find a guillotine? Did you rob a French exhibition or something? Oswald surely has better things to do.

Blah, blah, Jim and Harvey save Zsasz from what is more or less a lynching, Oswald shows off his sharpshooter skills (I love that they made him such a good shot, seriously, everything else notwithstanding), Oswald tries to talk Jim to his side of things - the shove happens. It felt so out of place. It felt wrong. This whole episode feels so fucking wrong I’m crying.

Jim and Harvey take Zsasz out of Gotham, Victor tries to get under Jim’s skin, quite successfully, to which Jim reacts with his brand of suicidal abruptness and offers a shootout between them.

Jim. For the love of god and Oswald and everything that’s still left nice in Gotham. You just don’t fucking DO THAT. You don’t propose a duel between yourself and a known assassin who just doesn’t miss. You don’t make your only friend be an accomplice to this sort of shit. This is seriously so grating. I don’t have the words. I don’t like this particular writer (or team?) who penned this episode. You guys messed up. You messed everything up. How could you. How dare you.

What is left by the end of this mess of an episode?

We still don’t know who’s behind the explosion. (I’m 99% certain it’s Bane.) Ed is an unlikable mess. Oswald’s made a close-minded fool. Jim is under a ton of stress and cracking, but I really don’t feel anything regarding that right now because this whole episode feels so FAKE.

Oh, and it finishes strong with Barbara showing up all sexy and providing an opportunity for Jim to blow off some steam and work out his stress/pressure-related issues. We knew this was coming. That doesn’t make this better.

And really, what the hell. Babs is better than just being something a man can use. Why do you strip her of her agenda. Why do you make this so unbelievable. Sure, her relationship with Jim couldn’t have been based on romance this season, not after everything. It could only be a one-night-stand. But to have it happen with so little buildup is kind of offensive to both characters - they’re more complex than that. Now Babs just serves as a pretty dame Jim can have sex with with no explanations offered. No better than a sexy lamp. This sucks, folks.

I hate this episode. I’m sorry.

I’ve tried to stay positive on twitter, but... really. There’s nothing good this time. Thanks, Gotham, you’ve made me cry.

[blackbatpurplecat]

My Thoughts on “Batmobile: Arkham Tank”

Some also call it Batman: Arkham Knight, the big finale to the Arkham series that had clearly peaked two games ago.

Holy moly, what a rollercoaster ride from FABULOUS over FRUSTRATING to FANTASTIC to FUCK THIS SHIT.

Yup, I know. I’m super late to the party but please remember, the (complete) game’s price started at 90 bucks AND it was absolutely unplayable on PC for the longest time.

It’s also the first game I’ve ever ragequit and then watched the ending on YouTube because fuck. that. game.

Warning: SPOILERS ahead!

Strap in, kittybats, this is gonna be a looong one.

So if you either haven’t played it yet or if you need to refresh your memory, what’s the story?

Scarecrow is back! He didn’t do a great job at reconstructing his face but a fantastic job at perfecting his fear gas (and stealing Hugo Strange’s voice). He threatens to release the gas in Gotham which leads to people evacuating the city. The remaining cops of the GCPD are being terrorized by thugs and goons working for Scarecrow, Two-Face, Penguin, Harley Quinn, and a newly introduced villain: The Arkham Knight.

With the help of Oracle, who’s situated at the Gotham Clock Tower, Batman traces Scarecrow to ACE Chemicals. Crane has turned the entire factory into a gigantic fear gas bomb and is able to flee before Bats can take him down. The bomb can’t be defused, however, Bats is able to reduce its radius of impact so it’s mostly him who gets exposed to it.

We find out that even though Batman had drunk the cure for Joker’s disease at the end of Arkham City, he’s still infected for... some... reason that’s never explained. Fear gas and infected Joker blood is a dangerous cocktail so a life-like hallucination of the Joker materializes in front of Batman and keeps reappearing now and then to torment Bats with jokes and comments while Bats is running around the city.

There are also four more people who are still infected and locked up at one of the Batfamily’s hideouts where Robin’s working on a permanent cure. So far, only three of those infected are slowly turning into Joker while the 4th guy seems immune, giving Bats hope he might be the key to the cure.

Apparently, the Arkham Knight knows Batman really well and tips Crane off to kidnap Barbara since she’s working for Bruce. This forces Bats to confess to Gordon that his daughter’s been involved with vigilantism under Batsy’s care for years. An enraged Gordon breaks off their friendship and rushes off to find Babs himself. Yeah sure, good luck with that, Jim...

Back to the fear gas investigation, Batman and Nightwing interrogate Penguin and find out that Scarecrow had been working with a businessman named Stagg who tried to fuck Crane over and keep their invention, a dispersal device called Cloudburst, to himself. Of course, that didn’t end well. Bats tracks down Crane in an airship but gets gassed again while Scarecrow flees again.

The fear gas gives Joker control over Batman’s body for a short amount of time and adds another layer of urgency: If Bats can’t find a cure for the infection, Joker might take over his mind and body the same way he’s been taking over those other three innocent Gothamites.

Bats is able to find Barbara locked up at Crane’s hideout but she also got gassed. Her fear of Batman drives her to commit suicide. While mourning, Alfred informs Bruce that Crane now plans to release the fear gas via Cloudburst. There’s only one person who could help now - Poison Ivy. Batsy gets her out of prison and is able to recruit her for his plan. He finds an ancient and one-of-a-kind tree in Gotham that’s able to neutralize the gas so Ivy steps inside it to reactivate its strength.

More bad news are on the way when Bats finds out that Harley has broken into their hideout (because the Batfamily’s security system sucks, yeah that makes sense) and released the “Jokers.” Batman and Robin are able to recapture them all, even Harley. However, in a seriously well set up twist, the ONE dude who seemed immune to Joker’s blood is even more infected than the others and kills them. When he recognizes Joker in Batman’s eyes he also shoots himself, saying Batman will be the perfect Joker once the transformation is complete.

Robin’s quite concerned to find out about Batsy’s state and asks him to lock himself up until the game’s over but Bruce says NOPE and locks Tim up instead. Bruce couldn’t stand losing another Robin so he wants to spare Tim a similar fate that Jason Todd had to endure. You all know that story. Gee, I wonder why they bring it up all of the sudden...

So FINALLY the freaking Cloudburst is activated and douses the entire city in heavy fear gas. It’s too much for Ivy and the one-of-a-kind tree but thank God for deus ex machinas, there’s another tree, making them two-of-a-kind trees, that could help fight the gas. Batsy finds it, Ivy wakes it, the trees spread some kind of pretty pollen and the gas is neutralized. Unfortunately, it was too much for Ivy and she dies (and decomposes) in Batman’s arms.

We find out Gordon’s been kidnapped because DUH so Batsy tracks him down in the Arkham Knight’s hideout underground. The Knight takes off his mask to reveal a “““““tWiSt””””” everyone knew was coming after watching the first trailer of the game - he’s Jason fucking Todd who’s pissed at Bruce for not knowing he’s been alive all those years and just replacing him with Tim, and now wants to kill him. Bruce however wants to welcome Jason back with open arms which is too much feels for the ruthless assassin so Jason flees. Wow. How anticlimactic. Bats frees Gordon and they go to face Scarecrow at the top of a building.

Crane reveals in yet another twist you absolutely saw coming that Babs is still alive (so Babs killing herself was a result of Bats getting gassed - but how did Scarecrow know what Bats was seeing when he was under the influence???) and Gordon had made a deal with Crane to keep her that way. Jim shoots Bats in the armored chest, Scarecrow throws Babs OVER THE EDGE, Bats saves her and takes her to the GCPD.

After making sure that Jason’s goons don’t destroy the Bat servers, Bats is informed that not only Gordon but also Robin’s been now kidnapped by Crane. A kidnapped Robin, what a shocker... To save their lives, Batman drives to the ruins of Arkham Asylum where Crane, his hostages, and a camera are waiting. Crane tells Gordon to remove Batman’s mask in front of the camera which is broadcasting live on TV. Bats is okay with being unmasked and the big reveal BRUCE WAYNE IS BATMAN sends news reporters into a frenzy.

Crane injects more fear toxin into Bruce which brings out the Joker in him. Another dose, however, brings forth Joker’s worst fear: being forgotten. Batman’s mind and Joker’s mind begin fighting. Of course, Batman’s is stronger than Joker’s; Bats locks Joker up in his subconscious and regains control over his body. Bats gives Scarecrow a taste of his own toxin and takes a frightened Crane back to GCPD.

With the Batman’s identity uncovered, BATMAN IS DEAD as the intro of the game had promised. Ehm yeah, if you say so... Bats activates the Knightfall Protocol. He says goodbye to Selina, Dick, and Jim while finishing a few more side quests. Then he flies home where reporters are already waiting. Alfred welcomes him back, they close the front door, and Wayne Manor blows up.

If you had enough patience to collect >240 Riddler trophies, you’ll get the TRUE ENDING of the game:

Time has passed. Gotham is safer now, Gordon’s mayor, Babs and Tim (WTF?!?!?!) are getting married, and somewhere in Gotham, two thugs who are trying to rob a family in a back alley are being scared shitless by a huge nightmarish Batman figure.

THE END

What the actual huh?!

That was it?! THAT was the grand finale to the Arkham series?! I mean we all knew he wouldn’t die because people rarely have the balls to actually kill Batman off. You can say “This is how The Batman died” dozens of times but you’ll never convince me that you’ll actually kill him. Killing his name, his reputation, his identity, his secret, that’s just a cheap cop-out! And I realized how the game would end wayyy too early.

You built up a story so complex that you didn’t even see the plot holes anymore, you had three twist of which only ONE was good and it wasn’t even the last one, and fans didn’t even understand the true ending, yet you decided that THAT would be your huge finale and goodbye?! Lame, Rocksteady, seriously. I had expected much more.

Speaking of which:

Before the game came out, Rocksteady had proudly announced to have come up with an original character, a new piece on Gotham’s chessboard. A young man in a reddish suit who has a past with Batman, knows his identity and how he operates, and keeps calling him ‘old man.’ GEEEE, I WONDER WHO THAT IS!!!!! Yeah, it’s Jason. Woah, what a shocker. I had really hoped for something good, I was willing to give them the benefit of the doubt but NOPE, it’s the same old spiel. They didn’t even try to make his identity subtle, you know it’s Jason after his first line. And what a letdown their confrontation was. Wow, a stealth mission. And then Jason just runs away. He only shows up one last time to help Bruce at the end. Why?! You really want to tell me that after years of hating Bruce with an undying passion, recruiting hundreds of men, building dozens of tanks, and building a huge-ass drill (where the fuck did Jason get the money for all that?!), all Bruce had to do was say “sorry bro” and everything was forgotten?! That was how you resolve the conflict with one of the 2 main villains in the game?! Wow. Just... just wow.

So Knight is about Batman trying to find a cure for a Joker poison in his blood while a villain who knows Bats’ identity plans to take down a city that has only thugs in it? Is it just me or does that sound AWFULLY familiar...?! Rocksteady, you’re SO cReAtIvE.

Also the ending SUCKS!!! So Bruce makes the world believe that he and Batman are dead now. Do you even know what that means? That means Bruce and Alfred will spend the rest of their days in a Batcave without any connection to the outside world. Their family think they’re dead. So Bruce dooms Alfred to a life of isolation (cruel!!!) and gives up the “normal” half of his life to be Batman full-time. Something even the comics have established before as a fucking stupid idea!!! Bruce is NOT only Batman! Why can’t those damn fanboys pull their heads out of their asses and accept that Bruce is both Bruce Wayne AND Batman! He can’t be only one or the other; each side needs the other to exist! It’s just so fucking dumb!

After bashing the story, let’s get to bashing the gameplay:

Do Rocksteady hate their fans? Was Knight their revenge on every single fan who had said “I wish we could drive the Batmobile” in the past? Because that would explain a lot. While designing the game, they were probably thinking “Oh you complain that you don’t have the Batmobile? We’ll give you the Batmobile! Here you have the Batmobile!” That ugly tank no one’s able to handle because of the sluggish controls is just a huge FUCK YOU to gamers.

They completely overdid it. Way too many tank missions, way too many racing quests, WAY TOO MANY!!! The Batmobile missions always stopped the flow of the game, only felt tedious and turned into a boring chore. And if you weren’t tanking around, you had to solve lever puzzles to get your tank from point A to point B.

And as if the side quests weren’t average enough (the boss fights were kind of a letdown in general, especially after having played Origins), the fucking tank spoiled them even more. Remember the epic Firefly fight in Origins? In Knight, you have to race after him a few times. Done. Remember the epic Deathstroke fight in Origins? In Knight, you have to blow up his tanks (racing), take down militia towers (sometimes tank), and defuse bombs (tank), and then Batsy takes him out with one punch in a cutscene. Done. Also more tanks in the Freeze mission. And don’t get me started on ALL THE TANK MISSIONS in the main story!!!

One of the worst filler missions was “follow Gordon to the Clock Tower”: After driving 5 meters, there are more tanks, and once those are defeated, Gordon enters the Batmobile. Why the flying fuck couldn’t Gordon get in right at the start?!

The biggest joke was the Riddler mission. The puzzles were fine but WHYYY the race tracks??? How is a race track a riddle?! Nothing could be further related to Riddler than racing! What the fuck, seriously, what the fuck???

The constant forced use of the Batmobile made it hard for me to get the feeling that I was playing a Batman game. If I want a racing game, I buy a racing game. I did NOT want Need For Speed in my Batman game! Whoever decided to put THAT much Batmobile shit into the game deserves to be slapped in the face with a Joker fish. And the tank fight against Jason towards the end was the reason I quit. FUCK! THAT! FIGHT! FUCK! IT! HARD!

And the obligatory PC complaint: You sell a fucking expensive piece of shit that doesn’t run on PCs, you release patches that don’t help, and then you just say “oops sorry” before never working on improving the game again. Thanks. Also a huge thanks for fucking up the keyboard optimization. In City, we only had to tap one key for special moves, in Knight, it’s several keys we surely have the attention for in an engaging fight. And why did you change the order of the Bat gadgets?!

Alright, after such a long rant, I don’t want to leave out what I genuinely liked about the game:

For the most part, the voice-acting was perfect. There were tiny duds here and there but I don’t blame the voice-actors for those but the directors and/or the people who decided to use those takes for the game.

Kevin Conroy and Mark Hamill are simply THE best team out there. There’ll be no one else ever ever who’ll be able to capture Batman and Joker so perfectly like they do. And while I love Mark to death and I think the Arkham Joker is the best Joker period, I still think “yeah, how do you bring the best actor and the best villain back after killing him off? oh I know! make him a hallucination! cop-out!” Joker showing up again and again was absolutely not necessary and didn’t add anything story-wise but I’m happy they did it because it’s Mark and he was THE BEST PART of the game.

Some side quests were fascinating! The level design for the last Mad Hatter stage was beautiful (Origins was better though). The entire case for Professor Pyg was bone-chilling! At first, I was like “what’s with the buildup? I know it’s Hush, just get on with it” but then Hush had another side quest and I began to wonder where the first case was going. Its ending was so dark, so fucked up, so creepy, I absolutely fucking LOVED it!!!

The one quest everyone will forever remember is the one featuring Mr. Freeze! Oh boy, that was perfect writing right there! It was nice to see that Freeze hadn’t forgotten that Batsy helped him in City and asked him again to find his kidnapped wife. What I 110% had not expected was that they would bring Nora back to life! I sat there, transfixed and so happy that after all those years, they finally gave Nora a voice and more character. She stepped out of the position of a MacGuffin and became real. The ending to that quest... The dialogue, the music, the visuals. I almost cried. You can’t write a better ending to their sad and bitter-sweet love story.

The relationship between Batman and Catwoman was also written very well. You immediately notice that he talks to her in a very different way. To everyone else, friends and foes alike, he’s serious, tight-lipped, monosyllabic. With Selina however he actually engages in chit-chat. And when Selina worried about him going after Scarecrow, her soft voice made my heart sing. At the end of the stupid Riddler quest, we finally got a hot BatCat kiss. Okay, it all ended with Bruce saying farewell and them never seeing each other ever again but that’s due to the dumb finale. (One question though: If you finish the quest before the end of the game, how does Selina know that Batman is Bruce?!)

Almost finished, here are just some more additional thoughts on the game in general:

The feature of switching from character A to character B during a fight sequence was awesome, I loved that! As well as the ability to use your surroundings in a fight. Why not put that in more?!

The “recreate a crime scene” moments were cool and I would have loved more of them because, well.... Batman is A FUCKING DETECTIVE, NOT A NASCAR DRIVER!

The DLCs were nice but rather short. The Red Hood DLC completely spoiled who the Arkham Knight was though. And Jason handling guns made me ask myself why he was still using his fists.

The Batgirl mission was good! It was great to see Harley in her original outfit, Babs and Tim worked well together even though he wanted to have her out of harm’s way too often. And the backstory of the park which you could learn about via recordings was wonderfully dark. SO dark.

Writing Babs and Tim as a couple was idiotic. Why was that change made? You had Dick in the game, why didn’t you just use the canon couple?! Changing Dick to Tim had no influence on the story so why do it?!

Seeing Bats and Babs interact without any forced sexual shit was beautiful!

THOSE MOTHERFUCKING MAN-BAT JUMP SCARES!!!!!! WHY???? My heart almost exploded!!!!!!!!!!

Giving Scarecrow Hugo Strange’s voice was cheap. Whenever he made an announcement, I felt like I was back in City. Don’t remind me of a better game I could be playing instead, Knight...

Catwoman’s purple suit from the 90s was a skin you could use!!! I LOVE HER SO MUCH!!! SHE’S SO BEAUTIFUL!!! Yeah, I know, it was a modified Batgirl skin but SHE WAS STILL SO BEAUTIFUL!

After the buildup in City, Azrael and his Order were another letdown.

After the buildup in City, Hush was another letdown (even though the reveal was pretty cool and Conroy’s voice-acting was SO AWESOME!). You have a villain that looks like your hero in a story about how the hero is revealed to be a vigilante. Why not USE the villain for something, ANYTHING?! And if you finish the mission AFTER the game’s end, how come Hush doesn’t know who Batman is?!

Why put a normal firefighter into one cell with Gotham’s worst criminal scum?!

Stop trying to convince us that Bruce loved an insane maniac who wants to kill millions of people.

The Ra’s al Ghul mission was intriguing however! I did not know who was killing his followers until the reveal and the decision at the end of the quest was a great dilemma! It had no influence on the game but I liked how it made the player think.

You made me feel pity for Killer Croc! How dare you! Plus there was a moment, when you’re in a duct underneath a freaking HUGE Killer Croc and the game told you to take him down. I was just looking at that gigantic monster and thought NOPE, CAN I PLEASE LEAVE?!

I still prefer the less realistic designs of the characters from the first games. Their expressions were less stoic and their eyes were less dead.

The goons’ conversations were a riot again!

JOKER’S SONG NUMBER!!! HOLY SHIT YES!!!

The designs of the race tracks were fantastic! While I think Rocksteady dropped the ball with gameplay and story, the level designs were marvelous!

The photo mode was a really cool feature!!!

I highly appreciate the creators’ love for detail. There’s an entire video about the easter eggs in Arkham Knight and it’s TWO FREAKING HOURS long! That’s a level of dedication I respect!

To close this up, I doubt I’ll return to this game very soon, if ever. I loved Asylum, I can play City in my sleep, I enjoyed Origins and do not understand the hate it gets, but Knight? Nah.

It’s the Batmobile that breaks this game’s back. Rocksteady simply didn’t know when to stop or how to work it in well. The tanks and racing quests kill the Batman-y atmosphere every single time and get old extremely quick. Those parts become monotonous and repetitive, and the worst crime is that fighting tanks and drones side-lines the actual villains you’d much rather fight.

I can forgive lame boss battles, I can forgive plot holes, but if the gameplay isn’t fun, I will not replay the story, no matter how well it’s written. A game’s supposed to entertain me, not frustrate me into leaving it for days (which happened twice before I quit).

Do I recommend Arkham Knight? If you like car races and shooting games, yes. If not, watch a playthrough on YouTube. It pains me to say that this Batman game, the big finale to an amazing series, only goes downhill after the opening cutscene.

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Gotham” S4E20

HOLY SHIT THIS EPISODE!!!!!!!!!!

AN:  I managed to record my reactions to this episode and hopefully I can transcribe what I said into this post (even though about 20% of this post is screaming and inarticulate flailing)

*imitates the Epic Voice Trailer guy doing the Gotham commercials*

Oh my gosh...

[RIP Jerome Valeska Second Time’s the Charm] Hahahaha!

“To Jerome!”  *tries to toast but can’t do it with a cell phone*

*The Jester rolls up on her motorcyle*  It you... OK.

Oh that costume is awesome...

She has bells!  On her coat!  Oh my gosh!

“Dig me [Jerome] up!  Dig me up!”  *nervously laughs*  Whaaaaaa.....

They keep reusing that same panning shot from the angel statue on...

“I [Jim] don’t need that crap thrown in my face right now.  [Harvey] Get outta here!”  Hooooooooo....

When is Lee going to cut this crap out?

“I’m [Lee] not betraying my friend [Ed].”  Are you serious?

“If the law has lost its meaning, it's because people like you [Lee] are turning your back on it.“  Hooooo....

“I don't want to send you to Blackgate!  That's the last thing I want to do.  Don't you know I wish I could let you walk out that door, turn my head?”  “What's holding you back?“  The laaww....

Guys, c’mon, I want them [Jim and Lee] to be happy.  Not necessarily together but happy.

That’s the same freaking font as the one on the Wayne Enterprises “gift” that Jeremiah got

[PLAY ME]  Oh my God

Oh my God!  That font though [on the screen]!

“I want you to throw me a wake at the GCPD.“  Nooooo...

Air horn!

Noooo-oh my God!

Oh no-oh my God!

*Jerome’s cult brings the casket*  THEY DID IT- WHA-

“I [Ed] would sooner debate you all on teleology versus deontology than leave her [Lee] with that overgrown Boy Scout [Jim].“  Whooohoohoohoo....

Oh my God...

“Team, we have everything?  Bicycle pump?  Can opener?“  Are they preparing a jail break or fixing the TARDIS console?

Pickle jar?!?

Oh I like that shot of Ed putting on the hat

Oh God... ooooohhhhh God.

“But right now, Jeremiah's maze may actually be the safest place for them.“  *nods*

OK, a 2 by 10 (whatever that is) plank is not going to barricade the door!

Did they say open the armory?  Oh my God.

“This wake is just intended to distract us while his followers hit the real target.“  What’s the real target?

Ooooohhhh....

*claps hands*  I like this plaaannn....

*sing songs*  [Electricity whirring down]

*The generator turns on*  Oooohhhh.... ooooohhh... wow!

Oh my gosh, there’s a solution poster of the maze on the wall in Jeremiah’s office.

That [generator] is HUGE!

“You’ve kept this project a secret, yes?”  “No one outside of Wayne Enterprises knows it exists”  *hisses*  This just seems really dubious...

“It's the ones who are closest to you that you have to keep your eye on.“  OK what does that mean?  What does it meannn...

“Arkham Asylum sent me [Jeremiah] Jerome’s personal effects.  And amongst them, I found his diary.”  What?

Haha oh my God!

I don’t want to even ask why there’s a glittery ice cream cone sticker on the cover

Whoa...

“Maybe you [Jeremiah] shouldn't spend so much time reading it.“   Yeah....

Oh my God...

Why don’t you actually close it?

*Bruce puts his hand down in the middle of the book*  There we go.

“Your brother is dead, Jeremiah.  It's time for you to come out of this bunker and join the world.“  *nods*

This just seems really dubious!

“Jerome Valeska’s acolytes are kicking off again”  *whispers*  Oh shit!

God, look how freaking paranoid Jeremiah is!  Man!

Is that how it’s gonna kick off?  What happened to his face?  Didn’t it turn white?

“He’s alive and he’s coming after me!”  He’s dead.  He’s dead.

*Glass shatters in the background*  Oh God, please...

Shoot...

*Alfred gets attacked offscreen*  Oh my Goddd!!

“Bruce, I [Jeremiah] need to tell you something.”  Oh, he’s gonna tell him about the gas!

I can’t freaking believe that this is the same actor.  Bravo, Cameron!

“What if I [Bruce] could show you he's [Jerome] dead and buried?“  Is that gonna help?

“Then I’ll [Jeremiah] try.”  There we go!

“You’re a good friend, Bruce.”  *clutches chest and leans back in pain*

Ugh, man, they’re gonna set this up and then it’s just gonna go downhill from there

Oh God, who brought the chainsaw?

Oh my God...

Lee!

Is that the Jongleur character?

AN:  Yes

“Hi, guys.”  *in best George Clooney Batman voice* Hi guys, I’m Jim!

Freaking Jim gritting his teeth... I love it

Oh my God...

Oh my God, what happened?!?!?  WHAT HAPPENED?!?

“He [Alfred] was on his way to your office. He'll wait for us there.“  Bruce....

“What was that?”  Oh my God, he’s so paranoid!

Oh my God, they actually dug it up...

*Jeremiah bolts*  Haaaaahahaha!  Oh my God!

Yeah, no, Jerome’s dead.  He’s so dead.  I’m sorry, man, but he dead.

Oh my God... they’re [Oswald and Butch] watching cartoons!

Wouldn’t make-up work for Butch?

“Not run apace”.... that’s a new term

“Did you [Oswald] just shush me [Butch]?!?!?”  Hahahahaha!

“Confusion is always an opportunity for the clear-headed.“  Oooohhh, that’s a good line.

You’re gonna interrogate him [Jongleur] with a cattle prod near reporters?!?  Are you serious?

Dude...

*The Riddler arrives*  Oh crap!

“We need a costume shop.”  Oh my God, they’re gonna go in disguised as some of Jerome’s followers.  Oh my God.

Lee, get up!

I like that dude with the black lace umbrella in the background!

Guys, what are we doing?

Of course he [Jeremiah] hides in a freaking... mausoleum.

That shot of Bruce is awesome.

“You can trust me because I'm your friend!”  *whimpers*

“I want you to be my friend, Bruce.”  *clutches chest*

“And then you came along and offered me everything I could dream of.”  “Because I believe in you, Jeremiah.“  Oh my God...

This is breaking my heart.  This is freaking breaking my heart!

“All we have to do is get out of here.“  *starts singing “We Gotta Get Out Of This Place” by The Animals*

*Jeremiah fires off a warning shot near Bruce’s feet*  WHOA!

Where did he get the gun?

“You can fool everyone else but I [Jeremiah] know you made a switch.”  Oh my God...

*actually clutches hair in stress*  Oh my God...

“And you can't hide, not even behind that new face of yours.“  What?  Wait, what?  What?

“I know it’s you.”  What?

“I know it’s you, Jerome.”  Whaaaat?!?

Oh my God, Jeremiah, noooo....

“You killed my friend Bruce. Now it's time to put you back in your grave.“  Nooo....

*Jerome’s casket is revealed to be actually a beer cooler*  HAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHA...

*slaps chair in hilarity*  Oh my gosh...

*Lee accidentally knocks out Ed*  Oh my God!

Jiiiimmm..... this is such a bad idea, Jiiiimmmm....

OK, there’s the generator.  They left it on?  Why did they leave it on?  They just wanted to see how long it would run?

Whoa.... what’s going on?  What’s going on?

*Jerome’s corpse is found propped up next to his tombstone*  OHHH MY GOD!

Jerome’s hair looks different... whoa...

*The Jester points a gun at Jim*  Oh my God!

Is he [Jerome] just.. gaslighting the crap outta him [Jeremiah]?

*Jeremiah goes after Bruce with Jerome’s straight razor*  Oh my God!

*gasps when Jerome starts getting strangled by someone offscreen*

Oh my God...

AN:  Take a sip every time I’ve said this during this reaction.  Careful, there’s a lot of them.

“Hold still, brother.  Let's peel off that grotesque facade.”  Oh my God...

HE’S DOING THE VOICE!

What kind of rule is that sharp that it can embed itself in a wall?

OOOOOHHHH!!!

OK, what’s going on?  Seriously, what’s going on?  What’s going on, what’s going on, what’s going on...

*jaw drops to the floor*

Whaatt... whaaat...

*Jeremiah shoots one of the cult followers through the chin*  AAAAAHHHHH!!

What’s going on, what’s going on...

*absolutely screams when Jeremiah starts wiping off his makeup*

*absolutely screams again when Jeremiah does the same thing in the video that Jim is watching*

OOOOOOOOHHHHHHH!

Oh my God, there’s ten minutes left!  WHAAAAAATT?!?

“Other than some mild cosmetic effects...”  Hahaha my God...

Oh my God...

I just wanna know where Jerome found the time to make a freaking journal of all his escapades

Wait, so did he [Jeremiah] set up the whole thing?

Ohhhh my God....

“I [Jeremiah] would hate to be within a mile of it [the generator] if it were to... overload.”  Oh my God...

“Jerome wanted to slather you [Bruce] in honey and have you eaten alive by corpse beetles.“   Eeewww...

Also, whoa there, Jerome.  Calm down.

Can’t believe I’m kink-shaming a dead clown.  What has this world come to?

“Are you gonna listen?  Or you gonna behave like children?”  Pfftttt.....

See, I [Jeremiah] don't want to kill you [Bruce], because I want to show you how much I've changed things. How much we've changed things.”  Oh my God... oh my God....

Bruce doesn’t know about the generators.  Ohhhh shit!

Oh my God, they’re not gonna kill off Jim!

“See those generators that we built with your [Bruce’s] money, they work even better as bombs.“  Oh my God...

*gasps when Jeremiah’s bunker blows up*

“Jim Gordon is dead.”  No Jim ain’t dead.  C’mon.

“In fact, I [Jeremiah] can honestly say... you [Bruce] are my very best friend.“  *through gritted teeth*  Oh my Goddd...

My hands are actually shaking...

“I [Oswald] don't expect you [Jongleur] to betray the memory of that old corpse.“  Hoooo...

Roll credits!

“Is your [Butch’s] plan to gain his sympathy by reciting your tale of woe?“  Pffffttt....

*Butch starts shoving chicken bones up Jongleur’s nose*  AAAAAAHHHHHH!

Hahaha Oswald in the background!

*pumps fist*  Whoo whoo!

So do they [Ed and Lee] actually like each other here?  What’s going on?

“I'm assuming you [Ed] brought one of those [clown costumes] for me [Lee]?”  “Oh.  Now, I would be into that, but they only had one.“  Hahahaha oh my Goddd...

*jams out to “Rockers” by U.K. Subs*

WHERE’S JIM?!?

*Ed and Lee share a kiss*   Oooooohhhh....

“Don't just wrap me [Ed] around your finger, Lee.“  That is exactly what’s she’s doing.

“You know, it's funny, it kind of reminds me [Harvey] of my first apartment in Crown Point.”   “How long ago was that?”  “I still live there.”  Heehee...

*Ecco shoots the guards*  OOHHHHH

Wait, are they [Jeremiah and Ecco] holding each others’ arms?  Almost protectively?

I’m.. actually totally down to see where this relationship goes in this show.  I know it was mentioned that Ecco is “devoted” to Jeremiah so I’m not sure how far that goes. 

There’s definitely an implication of romance in this bit but I’m very interested in how this goes down.

Ohhhh my God...

AAAAHHHH

AAHH THE LOGO

[sueboohscorner]

"The Primal Riddle" S3 Ep. 17 #Gotham Recap, Review, and Spoilers

When Penguin gets his way, the freaks come to play! Hello all. This is a spoiler, recap, and review of the seventeenth episode of the third season of Gotham. Let’s jump right in to it.

The first scene we see is rather a chilly one because Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor) and Ivy (Maggie Geha) are wrapped up in heavy winter wear in order to find the first freak for their army: Victor Fries (Nathan Darrow). He’s not exactly welcoming when he sees Oswald because during his candidacy for mayor, Pengy kinda sorta drove out many of the freaks that escaped from Indian Hill. Things get a tad awkward at first, but with Ivy’s perspective, Oswald’s persistence, and Fries’ recovered ice suit, Victor agrees to join them.

Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie), after that whole spat with his uncle, has a meeting with Kathryn (Leslie Handrix). Jim manages to convince that he wants to join the court under the false pretense that he killed his uncle Frank out of revenge for his father. Of course the Court and all their creepiness want to see if Jim is truly loyal.

Back at the GCPD, the police report of Frank’s “murdered” body ends up in the hands of Lee Thompkins (Morena Baccarin). Instead of acting concerned, Jim acts somewhat aloof towards his uncle’s death. Since Lee has to say something about everything, she takes notice of Jim’s behavior and call him on it. When he denies what’s really going on, Lee goes on a tangent about Jim’s destructive behavior, blah, blah, blah, and how she can’t wait to see it blow up in his face, blah, blah, blah, don’t care.

Jim and Harvey (Donal Logue) become aware of Edward Nygma (Corey Michael Smith) is now being called the Riddler in the newspapers and apparently is causing some more trouble.

Speaking of Ed, Barbara (Erin Richards) takes a little visit to his lair. She wants information about the group of people who really control Gotham for, what else, personal gain. Edward is reminded about how Dr. Hugo Strange said something to him about that very same subject. Needless to say, his interest is piqued; and it stirs the theater bug in him.

During a packed house of a production of Hamlet, the Riddler takes the stage! He announces that he wants to know who really runs the city…and then he runs another actor through. But he doesn’t depart without leaving a riddle for the GCPD to decipher and his boss like ability to roll his R’s.

Let’s see what Bruce’s clone, Five, is doing. Shall we?

While playing a game of chess with Alfred (Sean Pertwee), Five (David Mazouz) seems to be getting kind of attached to him; but Alfred is still suspicious of “Bruce’s” behavior as of late, but he does not let on. After the game, Five’s nose begins to bleed. He makes a quick visit to Kathryn and the Court. We are informed that the process that brought Five to life was somewhat ineffective and that Five has a short amount of time to live; although Five does seem to be grateful towards the Court for all they’ve done for him.

Back at the theater, Gordon and Bullock investigate Edward’s riddle left behind after his performance. Oh, wait, sorry. PERFORMANCE! They find a box mentioning a “two-faced politician”.

No, not that one yet.

The riddle was talking about Mayor James. Jim and Harvey arrive at his office and see him eating Danishes sent to him by a “concerned citizen”. Sudden tummy troubles make James take some pills for his pain. Upon further inspection, the little, white pills have little, green question marks on them. It could only be the work of………Man Bat! Nah, it’s from the Riddler.

Mayor James is immediately escorted to the hospital. Unfortunately, the emergency room is overrun by a bunch of bikers due to a bomb that Riddler used in their bar. Jim tries to keep an eye on James, but the ruckus caused by the biker gangs gets out of hand and the Mayor is kidnapped amongst the commotion.

Things get heated up when Oswald and Ivy come to recruit Firefly (Camila Perez) who works at some industrial factory. It doesn’t take long to convince Bridget to quit her job and join the army of freaks. Not before throwing smoldering liquid in her boss’ face of course.

Riddler and Barbara interrogate the Mayor. The only information that he can give up is that there IS a group of people running Gotham and that they go by the Court. Babby-K is still bitter about the whole situation, but that doesn’t stop Edward from broadcasting him holding James hostage for information about the Court on live TV.

This provides an opportunity for Jim to prove his loyalty to the Court.  He manages to convince Nygma to come down to the GCPD with Mayor James with a bomb attached to his neck. Jim play it cool, even when Ed presses a button on a device that activates the bomb. However the signal on the device was jammed due to a little favor from Tabitha (Jessica Lucas). Edward agrees to leave the GCPD with Jim because Jim said that he knows about the Court.

Meanwhile, Five visits Selina’s (Camren Bicondova) place. Surprisingly, he comes clean about who he really is and about the weapon that the Court plans to use on the city. Selina asks why he would tell her all this and he says it’s because he cares about her. Selina scoffs and says that he is nothing at all like Bruce. She knows that Bruce would try to save everyone rather than just one person. She goes on a tangent that Five will never be like Bruce because he is nothing. Insignificant. Five tells her to stop saying things like that, but Selina continues her taunt until he PUSHES HER OUT OF THE DAMN WINDOW! Holy crap on a cracker, Batman! Five killed her!

The last we see of Selina is her body contorted on pavement; her eyes wide open and stock still. One cat comes to check out what happened. Then two. Then five. Then ten….

Jim and Edward meet in the location Kathryn told Jim. Heavy nostalgia fills the car as Jim reminds Ed about the dinner that he and Lee had with Edward and Kristen. The moment of cynical friendship is dashed when Kathryn’s car approaches. She welcomes Edward and tells him that she will tell him everything about the Court.

Barbara Queen enters her club in a fury when she asks Tabitha and Butch (Drew Powell) about the device that was supposed to off around the Mayor’s neck. Apparently, Bab and Tab’s relationship is a bit rocky and it doesn’t help when Barbara herself wants full control of Gotham.

The last thing we see is Kathryn inducting Jim into the Court of Owls with a really cool owl mask sunglasses thing.

This episode was quite entertaining. I liked that there wasn’t just two storylines that were followed. I enjoyed the little homage to the “Batman Returns” film when we see Selina on the ground after being pushed out a window. The army of freaks and company scene I especially like because we got to see the dynamic of Oswald dealing with people he usually doesn’t waste his time on.

Things I liked:

The. Absolute. Haminess. Of Edward Nygma. Actor Corey Michael Smith clearly had so much delight while delving into the Riddler’s character. And for those of you who might not like his performance, the Riddler is very intelligent, yes. But he is also showy, campy, and very insecure. Come on, it’s probably a little tricky making someone who tells riddles and puzzles threatening. Smith captures the giddiness and homicidal nature of Edward Nygma.

Seeing Oswald handle himself with the “freaks”. Normally Oswald wouldn’t look twice at someone like Ivy or Firefly, but I think he’s learning to embrace his more monster side of himself. He’s learning and leading the people that his mayoral campaign tried to run out.

Seeing Tabitha get a little wiser towards Barbara.

BUTCH! I love that guy.

The absolutely stunning work from makeup and costume for Victor Fries and FIrefly.

WOAH! Selina being pushed out a window by Five?! I mean, I saw her image on the pavement in several promos and trailers, but I was still stunned. I’m not happy that Selina got pushed to her death, but THAT. SCENE. THOUGH.

Things I didn’t like:

Lee and her stupid grudge against Jim. Yeah, yeah, Jim shot her husband on their wedding day, but only because he was infected with the Tetch virus. AND SHE KNOWS THAT. But nooooo. She still won’t shut up about her salty-ness towards Jim. I know there are some fans who like her, and I got nothing against the actress, far from it. I just never liked her or thought she added anything else other than being a doctor and some love interest. I’m at the point where I just want to kick her in the throat whenever I see her now. *gets down from soap box* I’m done.

 Overall, I’d give this episode a good 8.5 out of ten.

As always, stay weird.

(If the title of the episode, “The Primal Riddle” sounds familiar, that’s because there’s a comic book arc with the same name. The plot is basically where Batman’s soul is inside the Riddler’s body.)

[theabominableblogger]

My Reaction to “Gotham” S4E19

We gotta wait two weeks until the rest of the episodes!!!  Which is actually a pretty smart move because “Infinity War” premieres next week.

Initial thoughts and predictions about the last three episodes of S4 are included as well after the reaction.

AN:  I managed to record my reactions to this episode and hopefully I can transcribe what I said into this post.

*imitates the Epic Voice Trailer guy doing the Gotham commercials*

OK, this recap is totally full of spoilers for me because I haven’t seen those episodes yet so this is my first time seeing Ra’s in action and I’m trying to catch up with this show...

What did they inject her [Tabitha] with?

OK Barbara, what are you doing?

*Some League Members sneak attack Barbara*  Oh wow!

“How should I know?!?  You’re ninjas!”  That’s... racist...

“I’m [Barbara] the Demon’s Head.  My hand is a freaking lightbulb!”  *snorts*

So the Demon’s Head can tell.. the future... with the flashlight hand?  OK...

Bruce, your car’s so loud!

“You don’t have a covert mode on this thing?”  No, cause it’s not the Batmobile yet!

*Bruce quiets the exhaust down*  Ohhhh... there we go!

“All I know is it’s about Barbara and it’s important.”  WHY? Why would you go along with that?

Bruce, why?  Just get back in the Batmobile!

 “Barbara needs our help.”  Why?

They’re gonna bring him [Ra’s] back from the dead?!?

I like this music here [that plays when the other League members take some of Bruce’s blood to bring back Ra’s]

Ohhh my God!

Ooooohhhhhh my God!

Wait, what about the Lazarus Pit?  Can’t they use that?  Just... throw him in?

Yeah, didn’t Sofia get shot in the forehead?  How is she still alive?

“What am I [Ed] to you [Lee]?”  Good question.

What the hell is this storyline?  Like, where are we going with this?

Freaking Oswald...

That sass, oh my god...

DID HE [Ra’s] JUST RIP OUT THE DUDE’S THROAT?

I knew Barbara wasn’t gonna last as the Demon’s Head!

Ohhhhhh who called it??  I did!

“I heard your offer.  And here’s my counter...”  Bite me.

“Bite me.”  There we go!

“Ohhhh... God, are you kidding me?!?!?”  HAHAHAHAHAHA!!

“We did not come here to fight.”  No, you [Oswald] came here to mope.  And bitch and complain, Oswald.

“Little advice:  be sure to skim some off the top when she tosses you aside.”  What?  I’m sorry, what?

“Turns out the old boy’s club don’t appreciate a woman calling the shots.”  I don’t think it’s that....

“I [Barbara] need to do my own thing.”  Uhhhhhh.... Barbara, no...

How are they doing Ra’s half-dead zombie mouth?  Is that prosthetics or CGI?

“You [Barbara] think that [the lady in the painting] was you?  She was just a whore...”  Ooooohhhh....

“You really thought you were an incarnated queen?  But in truth, you’re just an unstable nightclub owner whose greatest accomplishment was the murder of her own parents!”  Oooooohhhh....

Now there’s more flesh on his [Ra’s] hand now.  There we go.

OHHHH... WOW!

WE GOT SWORD-FIGHTING RA’S AL GHUL!  YES!!

*accidentally whacks laptop with a clothes hanger in excitement*

Oh that looks AWESOME!

*Ra’s impales a League member through the back with his sword from across the street*  OHH WOW!

Bruce just looks pissed!

Are they [people from the Narrows] eating bugs?

Oh yeah, she’s [Lee] like the leader of the Narrows

When is Lee gonna get back to Gotham?

“You don’t get it, Jim.”  No, I don’t get your [Lee’s] storyline.

“We’re gonna kill the son of a bitch [Ra’s].”  How?

Why does Bruce have to the one to kill Ra’s?

*laughs*  Uhh, what?

I like Alfred’s suit

Ohh my God!  Haha, they’re [Alfred and Tabitha] pretending to be married!

[Selina gets lowered down through the roof to steal the knife] *starts scatting the Mission Impossible theme*

And they [the embassy security] don’t even notice the knife being gone!

No cameras were on or anything that caught that?  Really?

I don’t like this whole split personality thing going on with Ed.

 I don’t like this...

Or... plot twist!  What happens if like both personalities figure out what’s happening and they kinda *claps hands together*  merge together or something like that?  I don’t know.

Selina, what are you doing?

“Give me [Barbara] the knife!”  Noooo

“Stay back, muffin!”  “Don’t you even go there, love!”  Hahahaha!

*Barbara points a gun at Bruce*  Really?

*Barbara shoots out the tires*  Oh, that’s mean...

Nooooo... they [Tabitha, Barbara, and Selina] took the Batmobile!

“That lovestruck moron, Ed, is floating down a river of dopamine deep within the primitive circuit of my brain and I need you to help me drown him.”  Ohhh.. wow.

“And how big is the score?”  “Uh, about a hundred million.  A piece.”  Ohh, big payload.

“Stabby-stab!”

“Maybe call back up?”  “I [Barbara] did!  Here they are!”  Really?!?

“Selina, we’re strongest when we’re together.”  But this is a terrible plan!

Does she have to do a special spell or all she has to do is lift up her flashlight hand [to summon Ra’s]? 

Like “for the glory of Merlin, daylight is at my command!’ kind of thing...

Jim, what are you up to?

45 branches?!?  Of a bank?!?  In one city?

*Ra’s appears after the lights flicker and go out for a moment*  Ohhhh that’s cool!

“Ouch.”  HAHAHA!

*Ra’s throws Barbara through a glass window*  Oooooohhhh, wow!

*Bruce runs in and tackles Ra’s off of Barbara*  Ohhhh, Bruce in with the assist!

What?

Oh, it’s the future!

*Barbara sees Ra’s kill Tabitha*  Ohhhhh....

Wait, it’s another future thing!

“[Ra’s] You win.  Just don’t hurt her [Tabitha].”  Oh snap.

Ra’s funeral outfit that he’s wearing currently, with the hood, looks pretty sweet.  And with the ascot tucked into the vest.. that’s nice stuff.

*Ra’s starts transforming back into himself after getting the Demon’s Head back*  Uhhhh... everybody run?

Ohhhhh.... wow!

*Ra’s breaks the knife in half*  Shiiiiiiitt!

Bruce’s probably like “Man, I gotta learn how to do that Stealth Hi-Bye in the shadows like Ra’s does!”

Oh he [The Riddler] double-crossed them [Oswald and Butch]!

“If you come against Lee, you come against me.”  *cue incredulous look toward screen*

Take a shot every time Oswald goes into crazy yelling mode

Wasn’t it like a few episodes ago where the Riddler broke Oswald out of Arkham and they had their whole working together thing?

I like that shot of Ed putting on the bowler hat

Lee...

“[Lee] You know your rights.”  Oh wow.  Cold!

Barbara, what are you wearing?  That’s hideous.

*Barbara’s League members pledge their loyalty to her*  Ooohhh, so she has her own army now?!?

Ohhh... OK, things are getting interesting!

Can’t they just forge it [the knife] back together?

*Bruce leans in to kiss Selina*  Oh oh ooh ooooohhhhhhh....

*Ra’s interrupts*  OOOHH!!

Has he [Ra’s] been there the whole time?

“You have no idea what I’ll become.”  “Of course I do.  At least, what you could become.”  He’s telling the future!

“When I took back the Demon’s Head, I saw a vision of a cataclysmic event soon to befall this city.”  No Man’s Land!

“A cleansing fire that will purify, destroy, create.”  Ohhh..

“I will use it as a mighty forge, molding you into a dark knight of Gotham.”  Aaaahhhh!!

Oh wow!

OK, does that mean that for the No Man’s Land storyline coming up, does that we’re gonna get a “Batman Begins” kind of situation?  Where they would have to close off the Narrows and leave Scarecrow to go nuts in there.. and then...

“A cleansing fire...” yeah, they’re gonna try to burn it down!  Yeah, it’s gonna be like the Great Fire of London and burn Gotham down to the ground.  Are they gonna have that as well as the earthquake?  Because with No Man’s Land, the earthquake caused the government to segregate Gotham from the rest of the world (like no one was allowed in or out).  So how is this gonna work?

Or maybe Ra’s hasn’t seen like the whole future yet... no, he has to know, because Barbara had that whole Butterfly effect thing with seeing what decisions were bad for her to make.  So maybe he’s not telling Bruce the whole truth...

And with Season 5, if we ever get a Season 5, is gonna be a soft reboot because they’re gonna bring in more Batman-related elements so probably in the season finale, Bruce is gonna step up his vigilante game and all that (but I highly doubt he’s gonna go full Batman at the age of 18 like whoa, little soon, buddy).

And promo pictures of some of the villains doing their own thing were released already, so that’s probably how this season’s gonna end.  Wow.  Because we have Jeremiah stepping in as the Proto-Joker (who looks eerily like young Jack Napier from the 1989 Batman), and then all the others... wow!

And then, what’s gonna happen to Ecco?  She’s his [Jeremiah] bodyguard!  Like, he said that she pledged his life to him or something like that and he looked pretty freaked out when he though Ecco was in danger.  I don’t know what’s gonna happen to her.... I really hope she lives.  I know there’s a lot of theories going around about her.. there’s a theory that she’s gonna be Harley Quinn, which I’m not sure about.... while I kinda find it interesting, I’m more leaning toward the fact that there is another character from “No Man’s Land” named Echo, and that’s who she is.  Or...theory time:  what if Ecco ends up teaming up with Bruce and Gordon and she’s like “Hey, so Jeremiah’s going off the deep end and I want to make sure you guys can take him down rightfully but in order to do that, I’m gonna be a double agent for you guys and still work with Jeremiah as his bodyguard.”  I can see that happening...

How is the end of this season gonna go?