Tag: media

Entertainment Plans for the New Year – Blogmas 2025

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Let’s just say my plans for catching up with the movie and TV series I’m behind on this year didn’t work out. Like at all.

I had grand plans for 2025. Catch up on two series. Finally watch certain movies. Possibly get into a new show or three. And hell, maybe we’d be graced with The Old Guard 2 and I’d feel happiness again.

Well.

We got The Old Guard 2, and I still need another day before I talk about that. But that… that’s about it.

For some reason, this year is the year that I’ve basically watched nothing. Oh, sure. I watched the occasional episode of TV, or the random movie. And yes, I watched Survivor and The Amazing Race and Hell’s Kitchen. But that’s about it. It was like I just couldn’t sit down and focus on any of my goals. At least those goals.

So for 2026, I’m going to try again. Hopefully, with me attempting to commit to posting here at least once a week, I’ll be reminded of this. We shall see.

Rewatch the Marvel Cinematic Universe

One of the biggest goals my mom and I said this year was to finally rewatch a good majority of the MCU, and finally move forward. We haven’t done a damn thing. We actually stopped at Ms. Marvel (to my utter annoyance and fury) when it was first releasing, mostly because Mom was feeling really burnt out on marble. And I’ve been waiting for her.

Next year, all bets are off.

My goal is very simple. Rewatch a majority of the first three phases of the MCU. There’s certain films. I don’t feel like re-watching, such as the second Thor film, simply because I’m just not really in that type of mood. Others will be skipped for time. And I may not be able to watch Black Panther, but that’s just because I still cry about Chadwick passing. (That one, however, I will be trying.)

Once I get through Phase 3, I’m gonna skip a couple of the shows. I’ve seen WandaVision and loved it, as well as Falcon and the Winter Soldier. I don’t feel like I need to rewatch them again in their entirety. I may just look for clips online. I will rewatch the films, mostly because it feels like it has been a while since I’ve touched them. And of course, once I get to Ms. Marvel, I’m watching everything 100%.

Actually, this is another case of the “well, kinda.” I know that What If…? is canon, in some way. I won’t be watching it. It has nothing to do with the writing, where the voice cast or anything like that. It is simply because of the animation. It is just not an animation style that I enjoy watching, and it bothers my eyes. Don’t know why, don’t really care to find out. I will just have to make do with summaries. The same goes for Marvel Zombies, because again the animation bothers me, but also because I just don’t like zombies. Respect to anyone else who does, not for me.

I know there’s actually a lot that I have to catch up on. There’s been a decent amount of movies (of which I’ve managed to avoid most of the spoilers, shocker). And I know that some shows have been well received in others… Exist. But I do want to catch up. I may not make it by the time the new Spider-Man comes out, but I will make it for Doomsday.

I hope.

Catch Up on Everything Star Wars

I’m actually embarrassed by this.

I love Star Wars. I grew up with it. I watched the original trilogy many times, as well as the prequel trilogy, mostly because it was coming out while I was a teenager. Ensure, the animated clone war show was on TV right when I could’ve watched it.

Well… I basically only watched the nine main films and rogue one. That’s it.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ve wanted to watch more. I just never got around to it. And I really hate saying that because I had every opportunity to. So, in 2026 I will correct a mistake. I will catch up.

I have already made a spreadsheet of everything by release order, separated by seasons or film. I may end up just main lining each show, but this way I can keep track a little bit. I would love to finally catch up at some point this year. I would love to be able to say that the next Star Wars release is my goal. But I am also realistic in knowing that I probably won’t make that.

But it’s a goal. And maybe I can get somewhat close.

Other Smaller Goals

I’ll be honest, with two major cinematic universes to try to catch up on, plus the random Disney movie thrown in here or there, I didn’t want to make any other humongous plants for 2026. But I did make some small smaller ones.

There are several film franchises where I only watched a few of the films and they have continued on into the current year. A great example would be Jurassic Park. I still haven’t seen the newest one. I’d like to rewatch all the films in order and enjoy the newest one.

I also have basically loaded up my streaming watchlists on all of the major sites. I want to cut those down by half. Now I do have a caveat. If I buy the film or TV show as physical media, it can come right off the list. I don’t have to immediately watch it. I’m trying to build up my physical media collection this year. It’s a decent incentive in my mind.

Another thing I’d like to do is finally watch some of the anime that I have been sitting on. There are several series, newer, and older, that I have wanted to watch and just never put any time into. Some of these are 12 episode Classics, others are… OK. I kind of want to watch my hero academia. Either way, I want to at least watch a couple of anime by the end of the year. Will I make it? This one I might let slip. But it’s allowed. I have a lot I wanna do in 2026.

And finally, I have a goal that I have promised my mom. I will watch one of “her” films a month. I may watch more than one, but I will watch at least one. She and I don’t exactly have the same taste in a lot of our films. But it’s a good thing for me to at least know it’s important to know. The movies that have withstood the test of time, the ones that help shape the entertainment industry to what it is today. I can give her that, especially since she has to suffer through giving up the TV to me when I want to watch Star Wars.

Until then, happy watching!

Watching Chicago Justice Didn’t Go Very Well…

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Thanks to real world shenanigans, I had to pause watching One Chicago a while ago. It wasn’t planned, but something had to give.

It’s been about four months or so. I’m finally back at it! And last night, I reached the major crossover in the 2016-2017 season. So let’s talk about it!

(For anyone who remembers, I will be doing a full season wrap up post once I finish the season. But I wanted to focus specifically on this one topic, to save me from complaining for paragraphs in that wrap up.)

The Lead Up

Towards the end of the previous season of Chicago PD (3×21), there was a backdoor pilot for Chicago Justice. I wasn’t very impressed, but that was fine, I’m allowed to have a different opinion.

During the beginning of Season Four, Detective Antonio Dawson, one of the major members of the Intelligence Unit, is offered a role as an investigator for the State Attorney’s office. In episode eight, he accepts that role and leaves the unit. This sets him up to help start on Chicago Justice, which started airing later in the season.

The Crossover Event

One Chicago is pretty known for characters making appearances on the different shows in the franchise. Most of the time, it’s limited to a brief appearance, a scene or two at most. However, usually once or twice a season there’s a crossover “event”, which has a singular storyline stretch across two or three shows.

In the 2016-17 season, there were two. The first was a two episode arc which isn’t relevant to this discussion. The second, however, features all four shows across three episodes and serves as the season opener to the latest Chicago series.

This crossover event deals with a tragedy that effects one of the major character, and has ramifications across all of the shows during the event. It was largely successful!

The first part of the crossover is handled by Chicago Fire and deals with Firehouse 51 being called to a fire at a former factory turned illegal housing for artists and the like. While they are able to gets exits open and save a majority of the residents (and partiers, as there was a party also going on), the death toll rises throughout the episode. And to the horror of all the characters, Detective Alvin Olinsky’s daughter Lexi was inside and she’s grievously injured.

Moving into the second part, Chicago PD takes over, looking for the person that set the fire and have killed so many young people. While the majority of the unit is interviewing and searching, Olinsky says at Chicago Med and is there when Lexi succumbs to her injuries. Using some actual police work, the Intelligence Unit is able to identify a potential subject and arrest him.

From here we finish with the first episode of Chicago Justice. And here is when things take a turn.

About Justice…

So, I don’t exactly know how the convict the killer. Or exactly what happens in the trial. Or really anything after about the… fifteen minute or so mark of Chicago Justice.

Why? Because I just turned it off.

Here’s the thing. While I enjoy a good drama, courtroom dramas are hard to sell me on, because I get board with them. I was pretty sure that Justice was going to be along the lines of Law and Order. I was hopeful that something would catch me (like Antonio’s acting with other characters) and I’d get hooked, the same way I did with Fire and PD.

That didn’t happen. The first fifteen minutes was basically conversation. People making statements, people retracting statements, people just… talking. There was no action, no real moment of surprise or twists or turns. Just the same thing for fifteen minutes.

Right at that fifteen minute mark, I just gave up.

Here’s the problem with this. “Fake” was the third episode, the finale, of the major four series, three episode crossover, as well as the first episode of a new show and was meant to sell the show! The complete tone shift from action and tension and tragedy to… mundane just did not work. It slowed everything down and did not fit in with what the first two episodes had set up.

And here’s the thing…

I was warned about this.

When I was first getting into One Chicago, I went to the One Chicago subreddit to get an idea of what type of insanity I was about to undertake. One of the first posts I saw was someone asking if Justice was necessary to watch. That was a resounding “NO.”

Heck, anywhere and everywhere I’ve looked, the cons have far outweighed the pros. So many people flat out said it’s not worth it. To just read episode summaries if I absolutely had to. To just ignore it entirely (except for the first episode, since it is the finale of the crossover).

I spent 15 dollars on the DVDs. Worst purchase of the year thus far.

Wrap-up

Basically, If you’re planning on watching One Chicago, just ignore the existence of Justice if you can. It there but it’s not worth it. None of the plotlines have any real weight on the series going forth (according to my quick research).

During the rest of my watch, I will be skipping it (no great loss, just effecting this one season). I’ll briefly mention it in my season breakdown when I get to that (hopefully some time next week? Maybe even this weekend? Depends on how the rest of tonight goes.

Until next time!

My Top (and Bottom) Media for 2021 – Blogmas 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Welcome to the world of hyper focus.

This year I went from one fandom to another, with a third being started and paused. No really, I can flat out confirm that I really haven’t done much in way of media this year. But let’s break it down, because why not, right?

In terms of TV, my favorite is obviously 9-1-1. I discovered the show by way of Tumblr, when I was looking to get out of the TOG fandom community. While not the perfect show in any sense, I really have enjoyed it. What I really like is the feeling of family I’ve found thanks to discord. I love pretty much all of the characters in the show, and most of the storylines as well. Season Five may be a fever dream, but it’s still pretty good.

Following closely behind is of course the spinoff, 9-1-1 Lone Star. This one is a major surprise to me because I never figured I would enjoy it nearly as much as the OG. It features two of my favorite couples, #Tarlos (TK and Carlos) and the Ryders (Judd and his wife Grace). Honestly, the only reason this show isn’t tied with the OG show is because it have a problem with being the Owen Strand show. (And the fact that Owen keeps on forgetting that he has a son. It’s an issue I want to play with in the next few days.)

Also included on this list is One Chicago, which I’m grouping together because of the fact it is so intertwined. Chicago Fire and Chicago P.D. are both really good shows that are more grounded in reality, especially when compared to 9-1-1 and Lone Star. But I do have some problems with certain characters and storylines, and honestly some of the choices the writers have made. I’ll be getting back to these two shows very soon.

I have also fallen for all the new Marvel content. WandaVision, Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, and Hawkeye have all impressed me in various ways. All four shows had strong messages that really stood out. They’re not perfect (I’m looking at you Loki), but they are a lot of fun. I also include Black Widow and Shang-Chi on this list, as both were pretty great.

Before we get to the things I think weren’t worth my time, I want to highlight the two films that I think were okay. Not great, but not terrible. Step Up: Revolution was a fun little ride, but there was little substance to it. MindGamers was a literal mind fuck, but it had Oliver Stark, so it automatically is better than bad.

And now on to the negative.

One of the biggest disappointments I watched this year was Into the Badlands. I really really wanted to like it, but it was boring and unimaginative. I have a full review on why I wasn’t a fan, and why I DNFed the entire series midway through the first season. But it just… wasn’t worth it at all.

And then there’s Chicago Med. Now, I won’t say I hated it. I will just say it bored me. I don’t want to go into too much detail because I’m trying to finish off the first season, but I will just say that it’s a medical drama that just isn’t for me.

The new Animaniacs also debuted late last year, though I didn’t get to it until the beginning of this year. It did not live up to the original show in any way. I never thought I’d want to turn off the show I had loved all throughout my childhood.

And finally, the show that I DNFed, but that I’m returning to at some point. I watched part of the new S.W.A.T. series starring Shemar Moore and thought I’d really like it, but I just got stuck with it. It’s on my list of a show to catch up with once I finally finish One Chicago.

As you can see, it’s been a pretty light year. I stuck with the show that really got me hooked again (especially after leaving The Old Guard fandom behind). Hopefully next year things can get more back on track and I’ll be able to watch more.

Until next time!

WTF Did I Just Watch – Blogtober 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

So, I like the actor Oliver Stark. He’s pretty talented, and he’s one of the stars of 9-1-1. Obviously that means that I’m going to go looking to see what else he has made in the entertainment industry.

Today on Discord, a group of us got together to watch one of his films. It was a trip, and that’s putting it mildly. We decided to do this because this week there isn’t a new episode of 9-1-1, but because of time zones and people’s schedules, we’re watching the same film three times.

We watched 2017’s MindGamers.

Let me start by making it very clear that this is an R-Rated film., for violence, language, some minor sexuality, and drug use. Also, there is some visible animal injury, though it was done in CGI. Be forewarned, it’s something I wish I could have known about because I would have probably skipped this film if I had a clue. So, under seventeens, stay away. Over seventeens should also stay away, because I literally just watched the thing and I can’t tell you what the hell I just watched. It’s a mind screw, easy.

MindGamers tells the tale of a group of students who make an amazing scientific breakthrough. They discover how to link people’s minds through a quantum computer. Unfortunately, this discovery leads them down a series of events that doesn’t quite end well for the gifted students.

Oliver Stark plays Dylan, one of the students. He’s portrayed as a young and free man, taking some fun drugs, but is also exceptionally smart. He dresses in an alternative style which sticks out in most scenes. No, serious, he sticks out. Most everyone else is wearing normal clothes. But he’s hot, even before he started working out for 9-1-1 and bulking up.

The thing about MindGamers is that it’s trying too hard to be too many things. There subtle references to many of the popular Sci-Fi films of the decade. On top of that, but religion plays a surprising role, both as a good thing, and a bad.

Another big issue I had was in the editing. It was hard to figure out what was considered reality and what was in the characters’ heads at many points. I get that they were trying to do something interesting, but it missed it’s mark several times. At one point on Discord, the group of us watching together (six I believe), all said at the same time that we had no fucking idea what we were watching. I swear several scenes were edited out of the final release.

The cast was… fine I guess. Oliver got to show off his parkour abilities at one point. Sam Neill was in this, to my great surprise, and I may have wept for his career for a moment. (Not Oliver’s, he was just getting started at this point.) The only other person who stuck out was Tom Payne, because he landed the lead role of Malcolm Bright on Prodigal Son, and I saw beyond too many promos for that show when I was blasting through 9-1-1 earlier this year.

I think this film was trying to be smart and trying to say something. Unfortunately, whatever it was trying to say got lost in translation, at least to me. You may enjoy it, but the only time I’ll pick this one up on my own is when I’m having a wine night. Watching it tipsy may change my opinion.

Until next time!

What’s the Problem with Sword Art Online? – Blogtober 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

[Edit note: This is not the post I was planning on putting up on Thursday or Friday. I’m actually rewriting part of it, and I’m trying to go for length. It should be up Monday. Today and tomorrow are more… filler posts.]

In the world of anime, there are always going to be popular series to love, and popular series to love to hate. There are many popular series that remain as such for their entire life span (Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, the never-ending One Piece to name a few). On the flip side, there are always popular anime that… just aren’t as popular online. That’s the polite way of saying it.

One such series is Sword Art Online.

For background, SAO started out as a series of web novels written by Reki Kawahara that was later republished into a series of light novels starting in 2009. These light novels proved popular (as well as his other series Accel World), and both would soon be green lit for manga and anime adaptations. As of now, there are 26 volumes of the light novels, which span several in universe years. There have been three seasons of the anime, as well as an extended length bonus episode and a film, with a new season promised and a new film coming out soon.

The funny thing is, it was decently received originally in the West. And then it was plagued with pacing issues, massive amounts of “sloppy writing” as well as logical gaps for several characters that just don’t really make much sense. For more serious anime fans, the issue is that Kirito is presented as the “perfect” one, and is promptly trashed online.

The fact that his group of friends is mostly made up with women around his age that all at one point admire or have crushes on him (minus one girl who is younger) is somewhat problematic. I will give the series one thing though. While he does have these girls in his group, he has only become romantic with one girl, and he is in a committed relationship with her.

SAO deals with virtual MMORPGs. Basically the player puts on a headset and is connected to the video game. This proves to be a problem during the first arc, Aincrad, as the creator of Sword Art Online, Akihiko Kayaba, traps them inside. The players are in comas playing the game to either completion… or death. It’s actually has real world stakes, which is honestly terrifying if you think about it. Past the first arc, several other VMMORPGs are introduced, one of which becomes something of a “hub” for the main characters.

The main character, Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, is one of the players trapped inside. He had been a beta tester and understand how to use the game better than most, due to having previous experience. When he fails to use that knowledge during the first boss raid a month into the game, costing the lives of about twenty players (due to Kayaba having changed the boss’s pattern, as well as the location and design of the dungeon), he is labeled a “beater”, which is a portmanteau of “Beta Tester” and “Cheater.” He runs with it, literally, and becomes one of the strongest solo players in the game. He has any adventures with different characters that would end up becoming friends of his both in game and out, but also faces tragic losses, including the girl who was his first crush, killed in front of him when they get caught in a trap.

But he also grows in the two years they remain trapped. He teams up with Asuna Yuuki (her in-game name is also her first name) a few times, slowly becoming friends, and shifting into a relationship. After they are married in game, they end up helping care for a young girl named Yui, who turns out to be one of the programs that was locked when Kayaba sealed the game. After finding Kayaba in-game, Kirito is able to beat him in a desperate fight after he nearly kills Asuna, and frees them.

During the next several arcs, Kirito really grows up. He’s values life more than anything, and is willing to put himself in danger to protect anyone he deems deserves it. His relationship in the real world with Asuna blossoms, and I consider it to be very healthy. He also is able to mend fences with his sister Suguha, who he basically cut out of his life when he found out that he was adopted (his “parents” are his aunt and uncle, who adopted him as a baby after his parents died in an accident).

His friendships with other members of his friend group range from true friendships to teasing brothers, depending on the person. Once the second arc is finished, it seems like he really tries to become someone his friends can count on, helping them in game and supporting the in the real world.

Here’s the thing. I know there’s wonky writing. I know that the main character is somewhat problematic (which actually is fixed once you get past the first arc in my opinion). I know it’s not for everyone.

But I actually like it.

So much so that I bought my ticket to see the first film in theaters less than ten minutes after they went on sale back in 2017. (I even took the day off for it.) I own most of the light novels (currently on a book buying ban, so I’m two back), and a good portion of the manga. I also have the video games, but I’m completely terrible at them.

I found the story to be pretty compelling. It’s been a trope in a few anime or manga that I’ve read previously (famously in the .hack// series), but this brought it to the world on a larger scale. In all actuality, I noticed a major uptick in shows with this theme. It’s something that ended up drawing me to SAO in the first place.

I also am a solo-player when I play games. I don’t like to join parties or groups. Back when Cartoon Network’s MMO FusionFall was still available, I did 99% of the game solo, except when I had been asked by a friend to help them with some early tasks one day. I think that gave me a connection to Kirito that most people don’t have, as most people don’t mind being in groups and parties when playing online games.

I’m actually planning on rereading the light novels pretty soon, because it’s been awhile. I also want to read the “Progressive” novels, which rewrite the first two light novels into a longer length, going almost floor by floor. I own five of them, but I haven’t really sat down to read them, as I got the during the third season of the anime, which in my opinion is the strongest season (though you have to watch the first two seasons to understand exactly what is happening).

So yeah. I love a series that isn’t well received. It’s not the first time (that would be Gundam SEED), but it’s cool with me. I watch what I like, regardless of what the people around me say.

(BTW, I’ll go into more detail during my Whumptober wrap up post, but wow, when I crossed 9-1-1 with SAO, I got some hilarious messages on tumblr… Just wait for that next month.)

Until next time!

What’s on My TV “To Watch” List – Blogtober 2021

~ Liz Harrison ~ 1 Comment

One of my goals this year was to finally sit down and watch some of the TV shows that I’ve been skipping over. With news that the IATSE workers are planning to strike on October 18th (which I wholeheartedly support and you should too), I’m getting prepared for the potential long gap between completed episodes of my shows, and new ones.

I’ve had a few shows on my “To Watch” list, and I guess this potential break will give me the opportunity to watch (or rewatch, in the case of some).

Of course, I guess I absolutely have to include One Chicago right at the start of this list. I’m still dragging my way through Season Four of Fire and Season Three of P.D. It’s nothing to do with the shows, really, as to why it’s taking me so long. I can clearly point to the fact that I’m doing a lot of writing right now, because of both Blogtober and Whumptober. I’m trying to stay ahead as much as possible. (I’ll discuss it more in the season wrap up video, but… I’m not a fan of Med. Like at all.)

Another show that I absolutely have to watch is S.W.A.T. Many of the people on the 118 Discord have been talking up this show. I watched the first… three episodes, but stopped because of One Chicago. It was interesting enough to hold my interest, so I’m planning on going back to finish at least the first season, if not more.

I’ve also planned on finally finishing Shadowhunters. I watched the first two seasons around the time the aired, but I stepped away from the fandom. It’s been on my list to return to, and this would be the best time to do so. Of course, I’m mostly watching for Malec, but no one said I didn’t have standards.

Because the second season is finally coming out on October 22nd, I’m absolutely planning on watching Locke and Key. It’s a supernatural show based off a comic book on Netflix, and it caught my eye last year enough that I watched the entire first season in one night. I do need to rewatch season one, but I’m okay with that. It has a decently written plot, and the characters are interesting enough to give it a watch.

I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but I never finished Loki. I love the actors and I think the premise is amazing… but something just didn’t catch me. Mom and I watched the first two episodes as they released, and just stopped. I think we may just sit down and blast through the rest of them, but I wasn’t feeling it. I do want to watch them, because I can’t watch Black Widow or Shang-Chi until I have. (It’s a thing. Have to watch in order. Can’t help it.)

Thinking about Netflix, I’m one of those people who never actually watched Stranger Things. I’m not a fan of horror normally. I did watch the first few episodes a couple of years ago, and liked it well enough, but then we moved and I never got back to it. I’m adding it to the list as a maybe.

There’s one other show that I’m considering, but I doubt I’ll finish it past a certain death. Into the Badlands was Oliver Stark’s first television performance for American audiences as a series regular, and apparently he is really good for the season and a half that he was on the show (he dies in 2×04? I think? Thanks, Youtube.). I’ll probably give it a bit of a watch one night.

… Looking back at this list, I’m insane. Good thing winter is coming… Of course, I’m basically writing off December. But that’s a discussion for another day.

Until next time!

Happy Anniversary to The Old Guard!! (TOGTakeover Recap)

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Quick note: for some reason this didn’t post yesterday, though it was scheduled to do so. My apologies for any confusion.

A year ago today, what has become on of my favorite films released onto Netflix with not that much fanfare. I certainly didn’t hear about it, and at the time I was watching films in all of the genres that The Old Guard was sectioned into. (I watched it like two weeks later thanks to Tumblr.)

I had been planning to do a rewatch and livetweet it, but today has been a pretty exhausting day (moving beds around, it’s a thing). So instead, I want to talk about it more generally.

Over on Twitter, TOGTakeover has been an event started by nicelytousled on Tumblr. Every day they have posted a prompt or question to the fans, who all answered in such spectacular fashion. I wanted to go ahead and go through some of my answers here, and also expand on them.

Day One: Favorite Character. So like many answers, this one was hard to answer because truthfully, I love them all in different ways. But for this I went with the complex, complicated character brought to life magnificently by Matthias Schoenaerts. Booker stole most of the scenes he was in (the others were taking by KiKi Layne). I love characters that make mistakes and have to atone for their actions. And Schoenaerts brought all sorts of emotion to the role, in a way that the comic just didn’t really do. At least in my opinion.

Day Two: Favorite Action Scene. I was late to answering this, so I had a snarky response. “Since answering ‘the whole damn movie gave me the sequel please’ wouldn’t be in the best taste…” Anyway, I went with the plane fight. There’s something about Nile’s raw anger and emotion verses Andy’s sarcastic smile that just does it for me every time. And I have to give the fight team and cinematographer credit. It really looks like they are making full contact, even though we all know they aren’t. Props to them.

Day Three: Favorite Relationship. I absolutely copped out on this one. Because my feed on Twitter was filled with posts about the two obvious relationships (Joe and Nicky’s romance of the ages and Andy and Quynh’s tortured romance), I decided to focus on a relationship that was a bit broader. I focused on the found family aspect of the film. Even though the team is broken several times (Lycon succumbing to his wounds in front of Andy and Quynh, Quynh being dragged away from Andy (and Joe and Nicky, though they weren’t with the two women at the time), Booker’s actions splitting the team, and then the team leaving Booker at the end of the film), there is very much a sense of family. Andy is the eldest sister, Joe and Nicky the older brothers (… don’t think too much into this metaphor, just go with it), Booker the younger brother, and Nile the new sister just finding her footing. It works for me.

(Also, like less than an hour after I posted that, we got the news from Charlize Theron about the sequel, so you can imagine how the event changed.)

Day Four: Favorite Domestic Scene. There aren’t really too many “domestic” scenes in the film, if you really think about it. At least not with more than two members present. But I absolutely have to go with the Marrakech meeting scene. The family is together, baklava is gambled on and Booker takes Nicky’s money, and of course plans are made. There’s such a good atmosphere in this scene that it really sets the tone for the entire film.

Day Five: Favorite Antagonist. I just couldn’t decide on who I wanted to focus on for this day. A lot of people used it to attack Booker, which, okay, fair. But I really detest the true villains in this one. So instead, I went for James Copley, the other turncoat in the film. If you really think about it, did he at least have good reason to do what he did? Okay, probably not. But his heart was in the right place.

Day Six: Favorite Quote. This film is beyond quotable, but one quote still stands out to me, so much so I want to hang it on my wall. “Just because we keep living, doesn’t mean we stop hurting.” Booker’s pain comes through so much during the campfire cave scene, and this quote is absolutely in my mind when I think about the film. It’s absolutely true in so many ways.

Day Seven: Favorite Outfit. Okay, look. Nile has the best wardrobe in the entire film, full stop. From her plane outfit, to that amazing green and white bomber jacket during the rescue, to her pub outfit. I want to shake her stylist’s hand please.

Day Eight: Favorite Moment from the Comics. Am I fully prepared to get yelled at for saying that I’m not a fan of the comics? Yes, yes I am. I just cannot take the art style of the main series. However… the first issue of the prequel/anthology comic Tales Through Time has a scene where Nicky and Joe dance in a park, and it’s just wonderful.

Day Nine: Favorite Cast Member. This is one of those questions where there is no wrong answer. The whole cast if perfect and priceless and wonderful and I cannot wait to see them again.

The true answer is that I would sell my soul to meet Matthias Schoenaerts. Fight me.

Day Ten: Favorite Song From the Soundtrack. So, I do this thing where when I wake up, I mess with this “daily playlist”. It usually just has ten songs on it, but I listen to it when I’m driving (if not listening to a podcast or the rare audiobook), when I’m in the shower, or when I’m trying to write. The Old Guard soundtrack has made almost permanent status on that list. The song on there the longest (because I checked)? “The World We Made” by Ruelle. It’s from the church fight, and it’s fire.

Bonus Question: Song to be Included in the Sequel? I don’t have a specific song that should be included. What I would love is to have songs that feature artists from whatever countries end up being in the film. It would put another “multicultural” spin on the series, which can only be made better at this point.

Day Eleven: Favorite Headcanon. So I had two for this prompt, but I only posted one because I honestly didn’t want to deal with some of the anti!Booker squad. Yes, they exist, and they annoy me.

The first headcanon is the one I posted. I think they collect degrees a la The Cullens. Between all of them, they have received a degree in pretty much every subject. At one of their more isolated and secure safehouses, they have every degree sorted by year and earner. They’ve also made a game out of it. If someone within a hundred years gets a duplicate degree to someone else, they have to by the alcohol for the original earner for a decade. Joe and Nicky do it all the time just to annoy Booker.

The second headcanon is something I’ve really thought about, and I even used it as a throwaway line in “The Genius Immortal”. Joe and Nicky weren’t angry at Booker for betraying them and letting them get captured. That was just annoying. No, they were more pissed because Andy lost her immortality, and they took out that anger on him. Once they completely cool down and whatever, he’ll be back with the team before the end of five years, give or take a month.

Day Twelve: One Thing You Want to See in a the Sequel. (The question was adjusted due to the sequel being officially announced by Charlize) For this one, I decided to ignore the “one thing” and run with it. So my original answer was, and I quote, “Booker Redemption. Family Feels. Nile finding her place in the team. More of the Immortal Husbands, and damnit give us that Andy/Quynh kiss. (And Joe’s shorts. I beg you.)” I’m not picky. Not at all.

Day Thirteen: What the Movie Means to You. I was brief on twitter, so here is where I’m going to expand my answer.

When I found The Old Guard in July, I wasn’t in the best place. I was depressed. I’d been out of work since April, thanks to their lackluster response to the pandemic. I was playing Lego games to try to stay sane, but that was honestly stressing me out. And I was coming off the disaster that was The Reading Rush (which was completely canceled this year, for obvious reasons). I was a mess.

I happened to go onto Tumblr, and I saw that some of my mutuals were posting about this Netflix film with good LGBT+ representation. And I was intrigued, you know? But I honestly didn’t put too much stock it what Tumblr said, because their suggestions had always been hit or miss with me. But after a few days and seeing that more mutuals were also loving the film, I took a chance. I turned it on. Two hours later I was a changed woman.

The community can be toxic sometimes. The battle lines can be drawn and redrawn a hundred different ways. But there’s something about this movie. I always see something different every time I watch it. Maybe a line hits differently, or I notice a slight gesture that I hadn’t seen before. There is always something.

This film changed my life. That’s why I can’t shut up about it.

Until next time!

(As a quick aside, it’s really surprising to see that Netflix and Skydance failed to even mention the film today, even though they have done so for other properties on their debut anniversaries. The fans are not exactly having it tonight.)

A Funny Thing About Trailers…

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been getting a real kick out of the 9-1-1 fandom.

Don’t get me wrong, like 90% of the people tweeting about the show are hilarious. But it’s been a real trip the last few days, ever since the trailer for tonight’s episode dropped.

Let me quickly, briefly, and badly summarize it. The trailer shows the team helping a woman with a child. There’s a brief shot of Eddie’s girlfriend Ana, and then “the scene”. It’s implied that a main character get’s shot by a sniper.

The camera focuses on Eddie right before the sound of a gunshot. The call for “firefighter down” is heard from the captain of the 133.

So, why does this make me laugh? It’s simple. Trailers are designed to entice someone to watch whatever they are advertising. A bad trailer can cause a decline in projected sales or viewership.

But the thing is, trailers, especially trailers for TV shows, are designed to hook someone. And they lie. A lot.

Take the last episode of 9-1-1: Lone Star. There’s a shot in the trailer that shows Carlos in his apartment at the top of the stairs, calling for TK as flames fill the area. The way the shot is framed, it looks to imply that TK is downstairs in the living area, where the fire is.

In reality, TK and Carlos were having a moment in bed (ok, they were on their way to second base) before TK smelled the smoke. Carlos beat him to the top of the stairs by about a second. TK quickly pulled him back into the bedroom as there wasn’t a safe way downstairs.

See what I mean? The trailer was meant to make the viewer worried for TK’s safety, as if he was in the middle of the firestorm that was their living room. In reality, they were both upstairs.

The same can be said for most movie trailers, as they are meant to sell the basics of the story without giving away major plot points or the ending of the film. Of course, some marketing companies seem to have forgotten that in recent years… as I’ve lost count of how many times I see a trailer and it basically shows the entire movie. In all honestly, I’ve stopped watching most trailers at this point for exactly that reason.

The reason I bring up trailers is because the reaction to the 9-1-1 episode trailer has been fierce. I’ve lost count of the amount of people that have written fics saying that Eddie gets shot. Or Buck, who is on the street as well, in normal clothes instead of his uniform. Or both of them.

The thing is, I can almost guarantee that tonight’s episode will go one of two ways with this. One: we’ll get the gunshot and “firefighter down” without seeing who it is, then do a time jump to before. Or two: this lovely plot point will be a cliffhanger ending for the episode, leading into the finale.

I’m leaning towards option two.

Do I want anyone to actually get shot? Ok, look. Let’s not look at my AO3 History, got it. But seriously, no, not really. Is it going to happen? Probably.

Is this what breaks up Eddie and Ana, because there’s no possible way she’ll be strong enough to deal with her boyfriend being injured and not just a “hot firefighter”? God I wish, but the show already went that route in season one with Chimney and his ex Tatiana after the rebar to the skull incident, as well as Buck and Ali, who left him in the season two finale after the firetruck explosion. (Tatiana broke it off before Chim was released from the hospital, while Ali at least waited until Buck was home before talking it out and leaving.) Honestly, I’d be okay with either option. Or if they break up before the shooting.

… Look, I just don’t like Ana’s character, ok? And I wasn’t exactly happy when she popped up in the trailer. She’s a two dimensional character that has no personality and only exists to be a love interest. She’s made ablest comments to Eddie’s son previously. She doesn’t seem to realize that dating Eddie could be an ethics violation. She and Eddie have no chemistry. (I have nothing against Ana’s actress, to be firm. She’s fine. She just have NOTHING to work it. Honestly, I feel for her, because the entire fandom is up in arms about this. Luckily, no one is directing it her way, because it’s not her fault. But still.)

But back to trailers.

I’m hoping that there’s gonna be a surprise ending. Like someone we don’t know getting shot. Or the wound is minor. Or something. It’s leading into the season finale, and the show has some big shoes to fill. Season One’s ending didn’t have an explosive ending, just upheaval, with Abby leaving (and going on to ghost) Buck, but also Bobby finally moving forward with Athena. Then there’s Season Two, with the aforementioned firetruck bombing, and the fallout of Buck’s injury. Hell, Season Two also opened with an earthquake, which sets the stage for a pattern that is followed in the next season (natural disaster start, catastrophic accident at the end… oh.). Season Three opened with the Tsunami, which has a major effect on the 118 (Buck and Christopher are in the damn thing, and then Christopher get’s swept away from Buck, it’s a whole thing. Chris is fine, though. He’s a national treasure.) and ended with a horrific train derailment, and the return of Abby (and fucking closure for Buck.)

There is a pattern. Shit.

… Eddie’s getting shot.

Buck is his best friend. They are practically co-parents to Christopher. They’ve been partners since day two. (Day one, Buck was jealous of Eddie. It’s a whole thing. He got over it.)

…

Hey trailer guy? If this is right, I’m gonna cry.

(That moment when you start putting two and two together. Lovely. I’m rambling, and derailing. I’m gonna go sit in front of the TV now. It’s almost time.)

Until next time!

Finding a New Fandom

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

Don’t worry, I’m still completely in love with The Old Guard. That’s not changing any time soon.

I briefly talking about this new-to-me fandom in Friday’s post. I’m not at obsession level with it, which I’ll explain why below. But it’s caught me, and I know exactly who to blame.

The show is called 9-1-1. It takes place here, in Los Angeles, following both Station 118 of the Los Angeles Fire Department, as well as a Sargent with the Los Angeles Police Department, and a 9-1-1 dispatcher. It also airs on Fox, though I’m watching it on Hulu.

As of last night, I’ve completed the first two seasons. And I’ve enjoyed it, for the most part. I think the cast is a great bunch that plays of each other very well. Some of the emergencies have been… lame, but most were entertaining. There is some uneven writing, mostly in the B-plots, but all in all, it’s not terrible.

I started watching simply because I was sick of the Monday night 9-1-1/9-1-1 Lonestar chat that would take place for like six hours on the discord I’m mostly on. I’d known about the show since it first launched, but I never gave it a second thought. I figured I was done with crime proctorial shows, thanks to the Criminal Minds/CSI NY burnout I’ve been dealing with for several years. But something about the chat caught me.

So, against my better judgement, I started watching. And after the first episode, I wasn’t completely sold. I could see the actors were trying, but they weren’t gelling. Not yet. But slowly they started to. And the storylines got less soap opera-like and more one the actual primetime tv level.

While I enjoyed season one, there was one character that stood out to me, and not in a good way. That character was Abby, who was the 9-1-1 operator, who made contact with rookie firefighter Buck on a call. Soon, their connection grows (unevenly), and almost too quickly, they are dating. Then, she takes a soul searching world traveling trip and leaves Buck in the dust. Okay, there’s more to it, but that’s the gist of it. Honestly, Abby, who was older than the then 27-ish year old Buck, was almost manipulative in how she got Buck. Maybe others won’t see it, but I sure did. And honestly, I thought I wouldn’t like Buck, after his behavior during the first episode (though he did quickly mature, because his actor deserves good storylines).

Actually, now that I think about it, most of the relationships are written unevenly. I’ve just completed season two, so I’m not sure if things change from her. Hen, a veteran firefighter and first female on the 118, lives with her wife, but their relationship, while loving, feels shallow right now. Not the fault of the actors, it’s the writing that I draw issue with. Buck’s next relationships also feel the same way. (Please, please, please tell me he dumps Ali in season three. She’s a damn idiot.). Buck’s sister comes to town, (which is whole other can of worms I’ll unpack in a second), and deals with the death (literally) of one relationship, and the blooming of another. Which was poorly timed. Hell, even newcomer Eddie, who starts in season two, has a relationship that dies in the same season. The only relationship that makes it through is between Sargent Athena Grant and 118’s Captain Bobby Nash.

Let me talk about Buck for a second. Because the season two finale did him dirty. Buck has spent all of season two becoming a better character. He makes mistakes and fixes them. He deals with his absent sister showing up out of the blue, helps her, deals with the aftermath of his brother-in-law’s death (who didn’t die painfully enough), and then watches finally get with someone who treats her right. It’s clear that everything he learned in season one, he took to heart. And then a firetruck flips because of a bomb, it lands on his leg, he barely gets any screen time, we only see a minor character with him at the hospital (not his team or SISTER), and poof, he’s home and healing. Yes, it’s a major injury, but I just described what amounts to ten minutes. Of the season finale. Where this accident was featured in the promotional material.

They did him dirty.

Honestly, they did the same with Eddie. The man is a Army Veteran, coming from Texas, with his young son, Christopher. His wife ran out on them when she finally broke after having to care for Christopher, who is cerebral palsy, while Eddie was in Afghanistan. Suddenly she’s back in the picture, but she just wants to see him, not get back together or really be a family again. Then poof, she gets hit by a car and dies like a day after asking Eddie for a formal divorce. Because the man with enough issues needs to see that. At least his friendship with Buck mostly well written. Buck easily becomes close with Christopher, and there are at least two comments about “his son” that he doesn’t deny. If the writers are teasing the fans with this bromance, I think they might riot.

The second season has a few episodes solely dedicated to the pasts of some of the characters. While I think it’s a good idea to fill in the backstories of characters, I wasn’t really impressed with how they did this. Flashbacks are fine, but the entire episode was dedicated to these characters, which many main characters not making an appearance if they weren’t around at that time. Hen’s story is empowering, and I really enjoyed the fact that she stood up to her former captain. Chimney’s was fine as well, though it didn’t explain the origin behind his name (real name Howard), and it was placed between two connected episodes with a cliffhanger. It just didn’t do it for me. Bobby’s episode (which is the second time we’ve had major flashbacks to his life before the 118) was also in the middle of two connected episodes, but it was at least more relevant to the currant storyline.

I’m complaining a lot, but I don’t mean to be. It’s all the issues I have with the writing. But there has been some good.

I have really enjoyed some of the cases they’ve been called out to. The banter fits, and the emergencies are varied but interesting. It’s not all crazy incident here and bomb threat there. There are also just general car accidents and fires and people making mistakes and asking for help. The variety is honestly very refreshing. And most (not all) really feel like they are down to earth instead of being spit-balled at a wall.

I’ve been warned that as a Buck fan, I’m going to have issues with the first half of season three. And I’m okay with that. If I could survive season six of Criminal Minds (the year the Powers That Be forced out AJ Cook in two episodes, dropped Paget Brewster to 16 with most of the B-plots revolving around writing her character out, and then hiring Rachel Nicols (no offense to her) to be the token blond girl for most of the season, with a horrifically written character), I can survive this. There’s this magic button on all the streaming players. It’s call the “move forward 15/30 seconds” button. And I will make use of it.

On the flipside…

The show gained a spinoff last year, and I’m not really sure if I want to watch it. I’m talking about 9-1-1 Lonestar. There’s just something about it that feels off-putting. I don’t know what. I know I have to watch it, because there is a crossover episode that just aired, so I have to bite the bullet at some point. But I’m really not looking forward to it. I guess it just hasn’t clicked with me yet.

Honestly, 9-1-1 isn’t a bad show. It’s good old fashioned TV. Not award worthy, but good enough to tune into every week (or, if you’re me, binge-watch two seasons in four days. Now to blast through the rest by next Monday, because I’d love to be able to watch it live with everyone).

I’m gonna get back to Febuwhump (which is suffering because of this show, I swear) and maybe treat myself to another two episodes once I finish. Maybe.

Until next time!

How TV Habits Have Changed For Me

~ Liz Harrison ~ Leave a comment

The Discord server I’m most active on, The Immortal Disasters, is primarily focused on The Old Guard. And that’s all well and good.

But there are a few channels on the Discord that focus on off-topic things, including “other-fandoms”, where we all discuss what’s happening in other movies and TV shows. It’s where news broke on the server about Ryan Haywood and that nightmare. It’s where we all yell and scream about WandaVision, because we’re all nerds. (Quick aside, watching everyone freak about not being able to access Disney Plus last night was hilarious. I’m not watching it until tonight, so I got my entertainment value all set. Haha.)

But the weirdest thing to come from “other-fandoms” has to be the now weekly dedicated chat about the Fox shows 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lonestar.

I decided to start watching it, but I have four seasons combined before I catch up with the currently airing episodes. And it got me thinking about my own TV habits, and how they’ve changed since childhood. So let’s talk about it.

My TV History

Growing up, my family regulated what was on TV. And I was totally fine with that! I had Sailor Moon and Pokémon and Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog (and all incarnations that followed). We’d watch Barney and other kids shows that were deemed “good and safe” for the youth of the early 1990’s. Because of the times, I ended up watching things out of order, of course. There was no real way to record things except with a VCR, and that trick was limited to certain movies that my dad wanted to keep (including this weird film called Sebastian Star Bear: First Mission. Look it up, it’s WEIRD).

I didn’t watch the live action shows geared towards my age group much. It just wasn’t something that interested me. I knew about them, but honestly, my mom and dad were teaching me more than those shows, of which I can barely remember. We’d probably watch a Disney film over most of the children’s programming, honestly. I never even watched He-Man or Power Rangers either.

Even when I started school, I wasn’t watching the same stuff. I’d rather turn on Digimon than SpongeBob, or Gundam instead of whatever comedy show Cartoon Network was currently airing. And don’t get me started with the live action Disney shows. They did nothing for me. I wanted shows with a storyline that lasted multiple episodes, rather than shows with two 11 minute plots. Even with growing up going to Disney World twice a year, I just didn’t care for a lot of what they had to offer.

After my Dad died when I was twelve, my TV habits matured a bit. I was allowed to stay up later than eight o’clock, which was when the “adult” shows would come on air. So I started watching CSI with my mom, and was introduced to more mature content. But at the same time, I still was watching anime, still crying over the season two finale of Teen Titans, and surprisingly falling in love with Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! over on Disney’s new teen-centric channel, Jetix. Around this time I was also introduced to the French series Code Lyoko, which really rounded out my love for series.

By the end of high school, I had a few “staple series” that weren’t animated. I watched every episode of CSI:NY and Criminal Minds religiously. I kept up with Without a Trace, and had a passing knowledge of CSI (too dark and greenlit for me) and CSI: Miami (why is Miami orange-tinged?). This was 2009, which was around the same time that recording episodes to watch later was now apart of the culture of television viewing.

And then, during my first semester of college, Mom took a two week trip to visit a friend. I still was living at home for monetary reasons. While she was gone, and I didn’t have class, I discovered a random episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, which I’d missed growing up due to when it aired (1997-2003). It was from the first season. And I fell in love. The day after I saw that episode, I took a special trip to the mall after class, and bought the first two seasons on DVD.

And thus I discovered binge-watching.

What is binge-watching?

Binge-watching is watching a series in rapid succession. In this case, I watched the first two seasons of Buffy in a week, as I still had classes, homework, and sleep. But if I nothing, I was watching each episode back to back. Right before Mom returned, I picked up season three, but I ended up slowing down watching, due to watching to catch up with her and her own personal shows.

From Buffy, I discovered a whole new world. Honest. I never really knew what Netflix was, or why streaming shows was so popular. But I didn’t want to spend fifty dollars on a season of TV that I could watch online. And from there, I finally realized how modern people watched anime and caught up on the shows that aired when we were young, or hadn’t even been thought of yet.

How Had Binge-Watching TV Changed Viewership

In the past ten years, binge-watching has become the more popular way to view shows. It’s completely possible to watch an entire season of a show in a day or two, provided that you don’t have other pressing matters to deal with. It’s changed how patient the average person is for the next episode. While episodic shows are still relevant and of course air on TV, there is now parts of a fanbase that will wait to watch the next season until it drops on a service like Netflix, Hulu, or Amazon Prime Video.

Whole shows are now sometimes dropped a season at a time onto those platforms. As an easy example, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina is an episodic show with usually ten episodes per season. And yet, it would always drop with all ten episodes at once. This is the same for shows across all platforms, though there are some notable exceptions (WandaVision on Disney Plus, and The Boys over on Prime Video come to mind).

Where Do I Fall?

So, my viewing habits of TV have of course adapted with the times. I’ve been known to watch an entire series in a single night (Locke and Key on Netflix being a recent example). But I’ve also tried to string out shows instead of watching them quickly.

I don’t watch much “traditional” television anymore. My TV in my room is dedicated to streaming movies, playing Blu-rays, and of course, gaming. The TV in the living room is primarily Mom’s, as her bedroom in this apartment is weirdly set up and we’ve yet to find a place to put her TV (and at this point we’re just waiting until we can move to set it up then). And honestly, most of what is on TV right now doesn’t really interest me. But that’s just my personal tastes. I know many people who love what’s currently airing.

What Am I Currently Watching?

The main thing I’m watching weekly is, of course, WandaVision. I also plan on watching each Marvel-Disney Plus show as it airs (so Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Ms. Marvel, and Hawkeye) because I’m a Marvel junkie. Judge me as you wish.

I’m attempting to binge-watch 9-1-1 right now. I finished the second episode of season two last night, and my goal is to watch at least three or four episodes a day. It’s not my favorite show on air, but it’s ok. I’m honestly skipping through some scenes, but don’t tell the discord that. I just find some of the writing to be juvenile.

I’m also watching Black Sails, which is a prequal to Treasure Island. It aired on Starz a few years ago to great success. I’m just taking my time because I want to read the novel first, and I’ve completely overextended myself this month.

I have others in the queues of all the streaming platforms I have access to, all of which I hope to start whittling down in the coming months. This was a goal that I started last year, when the pandemic went into high gear and my family made the decision to basically keep inside for the duration, minus my few and far between trips to the store when absolutely needed. There are certain franchises I’d like to give a shot, but I’ll save those names for when I actually watch them.

Until that time, I’m off to go finish today’s story for Febuwhump.

Until next time!