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Post by Brady Brown on Jul 18, 2014 16:02:31 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.05 "Haunted"So, shocker to everyone, I'm apparently catching up on Watchtower sooner than I thought at would, and... I'm very, very, very okay with this. As usual, I really enjoyed this episode - I think it managed to be a lot more thrilling than the past 4 episodes. It had some great character beats, most of which were met with grief, and the ending.... well... I mean... THE ENDING. WHOA. Okay, let's start off with the new guy in town - Dick Grayson. I have to say, I was going to be severely disappointed if there wasn't a crack thrown at his name, so when Helena made that little remark, I was floored. But in terms of character, he has me very interested. I loved all the callbacks to his origins - acrobat, Tony Zucco, the Joker murdering his family. I always love little easter eggs like that. His relationship with Helena, however, is what intrigues me the most about him. I highly doubt this is going to be there last encounter, and I believe you've hinted at, in spoilers, of a possible love triangle between Helena/Dick/Lisa, which I'm all for, because Helena's sexuality just adds so much to her already BAMF character. Speaking of Helena (I shall never go a review without mentioning her, even if she isn't in the episode) her scenes with The Joker were honestly quite hard to read. Not because of the writing, it was very well written, but because of what he was saying - the truth. Helena is such a shattered soul, and it's difficult to hear that she's so beaten down emotionally and mentally that she wishes she was dead more than the man who killed Guido. Also, I'm a little confused as to why Lisa is not being searched for, and why Helena has not been questioned of her whereabouts? She did escape police custody after assaulting Gordon, so I would think that more actions would be taken in terms of attempting to find her. The only other two qualms I had was the introduction of some of the hallucinations. Guido, Selina, and Oliver felt very out of place. I understand why they were there, but the didn't add anything for me, and I was really confused as to why they were there so shortly. Also, how did Batman come to find the antidote? Unless I missed something (which, let's me honest, tends to happen quite a lot haha) he sort of just shows up with the antidote. Correct me if I'm wrong, though  Now, let's talk about Hush. Because holy shit. He's such a cynical villain, and I can't wait to see how you handle him compared to how he was handled in the comics. His army, and Lisa's soon involvement it seems like, is my favorite aspect of this season so far. But despite Chloe's wishes, I'm all for a Watchtower Army  With Vicki and Kahn, I can already feel a Chloe/Perry vibe, which I absolutely love. In my last review, I talked about how Perry's relationship with Chloe is my favorite part about his character, and if you're sort of going in this direction with Vicki and Kahn, them I'm all for it. Because, I mean, both of their fiances died, they can totally relate. Onto Kyle. I love the grief he is feeling. While the whole "we're heroes, we don't kill" motto can get repetitive in media, I love how Kyle has been recently thrust into this hero persona, and how he's handling the guilt. Constantly checking on the victim and everything like that. BUT THEEEENNNN. Zatanna showed up, and I need to know what her deal is, and why she makin' erryone tegrof everything, if you get what I mean. So yeah, another awesome episode of Watchtower, which isn't anything new because all episodes of Watchtower are just near brilliant. Like I said above, I love the character beats we've been hitting in the past two episodes, and hopefully this momentum can keep going for the next couple of episodes. BRAVO, JACK, BRAVO!
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Post by Brady Brown on Jul 18, 2014 21:14:30 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.06 "Mirror"Keeping the pace going with Watchtower, it was nice to see Talia causing some more antics. I seriously adore her for all the wrong reasons, and she reminds of a much more sadistic Selina Kyle, which means you've hit her characterization right on the nose. I want to again reiterate that the character beats in this season are purely magical. We have Helena questioning Kyle, and Perry begging Chloe to stay alive, all of which made this a very entertaining episode. To start off, let's talk about Earth 2. I do have to say, I preferred the scenes on Earth 1 more than I did Earth 2. Honestly, I didn't necessarily care about anyone on Earth 2; I didn't feel anything when they died (and... well... they all died, hahaha), and I didn't really care if they achieved what they were trying to achieve. I feel like, possibly, the "Mirror" webisodes would have helped with that. Luckily, that was my only issue with this episode Speaking of Earth 2, Chloe 2 was a real treat to read about. I instantly felt connected to her character and sympathized when she was spilling her guts to Kyle on the rooftop. So props for making me feel that way so quickly. Also, she was just kick ass in her opening scene which is always an A+ in my book, even though you have absolutely no idea what that means. Now, onto the character beats. As always, we have Helena being all BAMF like by asking questions about Kyle, which, when I look at it, was definitely needed. Looking back, Kyle was integrated into the team very quickly, so having Helena be like "hold up" was nice and refreshing. Also, there end scene was great, and I'm looking forward to more interactions between the two. Then, we have Chloe and Perry, who have one of the best interactions on the show. It was actually a little heartbreaking watching Perry plea for Chloe to at least stay with him in his final weeks, as well as Chloe learning of the tragic news. I can't believe I'm saying this, but... Perry should totally just, like, stick around... FOR CHLOE. Not anything else. Nothing else... at all. All in all, another fantastic episode. The ending caught me off guard, which it totally shouldn't have because I think I remember you telling me Doomsday was showing up in the mid-season finale, haha. But yes, despite the Earth 2 issues I had, this episode was awesome. Looking forward to seeing how everything develops, GOOD WORK, MISTAH JACK.
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 18, 2014 23:15:37 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.04 "Bound"Why hellooooooooo. What is this? I'm in the Watchtower Discussion thread and I'm reviewing? Ladies and gentlemen, hell has frozen over. Okay, not really. Maybe it has. I don't know. That would be some damn good guessing if it was though. Anyway, moving on to this belated review. Duuude. I woke up to not one, not two, but THREE Watchtower reviews. You've made my existence, thank you. Hahahaha. So I wrote out this huge three paragraph response to this particular part of the review, and its not in me to try and mirror that (no pun intended) so I'm just going to say that I am STOKED that Talia has solidified herself as a main character for you, and promise that there will be no more possessions from here on out in regards to her. All Stana Katic. All Talia. What you want to see with her, and that iconic storyline from the comic books, will happen in at least two different ways- one in the first half of the season, one in the other half. Its what guides her arc, and guides - hopefully - your empathy towards the character. I WROTE SO MUCH AND ITS ALL GONE AND I WANNA DIE but seriously, I am beyond happy about this and I hope she continues to be on your radar, and maybe even solidify herself as a favourite. It'll be interesting to see week to week because she has a LOT of growth, a lot of "one step forward, two steps back" and a lot of redemption to do too so I'm excited to find out what you think of her as the episodes continue. This storyline allows me to go back to basics in regards to Perry White and Chloe Sullivan. I mean, the series opened on an interaction between these two characters, and this season is Perry's last, so its very nostalgic to write and very saddening. I think when it comes to Perry and Vicki moments, they're almost like the 2.0 version of Chloe/Perry. I really wanted to parallel that in a way because he's always been a mentor on this show for Chloe, and now that Chloe is no longer a reporter, and no longer in need of mentoring, we can see that characteristic of his through his interactions with Vicki, and it gives us that sense of what his purpose was back in season one, now in this season - his last. There are going to be a lot of great Perry and Chloe moments coming up this season, and his most absolute final storyline of the series will involve a hell of a lot more, so I hope it's through this that Perry may not necessarily become a favourite (as for two seasons he was not) but at least someone to remember fondly and be seen as a pivotal part of Chloe's journey, and this show. I knew when I was going to bring Chloe back that I needed different reactions other than just "oh yay" because that would have made for a very boring episode, and having Guido die literally an episode prior to Chloe's death, and having such a ripple effect on Helena's life, meant that I could bring some conflict into it. However, Helena's anger is more towards Bruce, and less directed at Chloe. In fact, Helena is relieved to have Chloe back, and is relieved when everything finally works out and she's free of Talia and alive. She's more pissed at the fact that Bruce had this method, and had this knowledge of what could potentially have saved Helena a lot of grief, and he never let her in on it. I think, especially in regards to Huntress / Batman, Bruce and Helena won't be getting along much this season at all. They'll have moments, but when it comes down to it, they've bridged apart so much. I mean, Helena - who is trying a new way now - has been taking lives to lower crime, and clean up Gotham City, whereas Bruce is totally against that and they butt heads over it. This just adds fuel to the fire, and god forbid Helena find out that it is in fact Bruce Wayne behind the bat mask. As for Lisa, I've had a lot of fun with her. Her storyline was not planned like this in the beginning, and it sort of gravitated towards that during the outlining process and figuring out what she could besides wait for Helena to come home from being Huntress. Even the ending to her original arc this season has sort of been changing in my head and she's honestly a wild card at this point. I don't know what's going to happen to her, which is really exciting as a writer, but also daunting, especially for this season where everything is so crucial because we have so many mysteries being set up. As for her scenes with Gordon, I loved writing those. And I mean looooove. I really wanted to show that corruption is still there at the GCPD and that Gordon being the head of it means that there's still hope for it, and still a light there guiding the darkness (as corny as that sounds). They're willing to arrest Lisa and frame her as the Huntress just to calm the city down, but Gordon knows she's, instead, working for Huntress and wants to exploit that. Gordon obtaining the Huntress' list is something that just made sense to me, especially heading into the next episode, because it allows for more conflict in Huntress' crusade other than just "I've killed another person" or Huntress getting caught in some dangerous shit and needing help to get out of it. Plus, for Gordon, there's this question of "where do you draw the line" because there's Batman working outside of the law, and there's Huntress, and while they're handling their vigilante activity with two different methods, they're both still criminals by the "good book." So Gordon's trajectory this season will be very interesting, and hopefully you like it. The car crash scene was written but deleted in one of the later drafts, and it honestly just involved her kicking in the back meshed frame between the front seats and the back, and in all the commotion the officer went off the tracks and crashed it in the park. The reason I deleted it was because it didn't really sit well in the script. It was such a short moment, and I figured just going from Gordon's reaction to learning she didn't make it to the GCPD, to this crashed vehicle, and more dead officers... it just had more flow to me. Oh, I completely understand that. I will say, though, that the "lockdown" wasn't meant to be a crucial part to the episode, as much as it was a solution for Bruce to keep Helena from walking out on them. The bigger aspects of this episode were primarily the subplot with Chloe figuring out more about Talia through her situation, and Talia getting the circle formed, and being brought back in corporeal form. Aw, that makes me beyond happy. I love your reviews, Brady and this one was no exception. HAHAHA. Oh god. I actually loved writing their moments together in this episode, and so I'm glad. Come up with a kickass shipper name, and then we'll start talking more about it  |
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Post by Brady Brown on Jul 18, 2014 23:59:36 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.07 "Guardian"Yaaay! I'm officially caught up on Watchtower, and I'm freakin' pumped. But, regarding this episode: um. what. the. hell? This episode was insane. There's really no other way to describe it - f*cking. insane. I don't even know where to begin, or how this review is going to turn out, but let's just go with it and see how many bumps we hit along the way. Okay, so first, we got Bruce/Talia. Balia, Truce, whichever you prefer. Talia has easily become one of my favorite characters on the show, and her anti-hero nature just makes me love her so much more. We had some great scenes with her and Bruce this episode, and I really enjoyed her coming clean to him at the end of the episode. They have such a love/hate relationship and I love it. That is all. Then, we have Dick/Helena/Lisa moments, which, oh my god. Delisa? Maybe? I don't know... But I'm glad Helena and Dick are finally... acquaintances. I wouldn't call them friends, but acquaintances, and hopefully they get to kick some major bootay together soon. And... Lisa... Lisa, Lisa, Lisa. You make it so hard for me to like you because you go up and have some nice feels with Helena, and then go and run away. Her involvement in the Hush army was a pretty awesome part of the episode, though. Still on Helena - she easily has my favorite story this season (shocker, I know). She's so emotionally unstable that I can't help but feel devastated every time something happens where she ends up violently sobbing. I sob too, Jack, I SOB TOO OKAY? But with that sobbing comes the realization that you're handling such a dark storyline so well, and I can't wait to see what else is going to happen with it. There were some nice Chloe/Perry moments. Won't talk about how much I enjoy them, because I have in the past 3 The thing I really enjoy about Vicki's character is her determination. She needs to know if Tommy is Hush, because if she doesn't it's going to destroy her. She reminds me of Carrie from Homeland in that factor. I feel like this is ultimately going to end up bad for her, as it does for most reporters. Also, the Tommy aspect has me interested, because you and I both know about him in the comics, so I'm beyond thrilled to see how he's going to be handled here. Quick question, though? How old is he? I think he was referred to as one of Bruce's father's friends? But then he's said to be 40, which doesn't really add up to me. The plot, as always, was brilliant, and this was probably one of the best paced episodes of the season, if not the best paced. From the get-go, we're thrown into the action, and if you're going to start a script like that, it's best to finish it that way, in my opinion. With that being said, all of the major moments lasted just long enough, and the action was perfect, but there's no real surprise there Another fantastic episode! Can't say I'm surprised, though. This episode changed the game completely, and I don't know where the hell you're going with it, but I can already tell it's going to be brilliant. The ending was definitely WTF, as most of you're endings are... *glares* BUT AMAZING AS ALWAYS JACK, BUT YOU SHOULDN'T BE SURPRISED. ALSO, HOPE SULLIVAN FTW.
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 19, 2014 0:18:16 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.05 "Haunted"So, shocker to everyone, I'm apparently catching up on Watchtower sooner than I thought at would, and... I'm very, very, very okay with this. As usual, I really enjoyed this episode - I think it managed to be a lot more thrilling than the past 4 episodes. It had some great character beats, most of which were met with grief, and the ending.... well... I mean... THE ENDING. WHOA. Ah, dude. I too am very, very okay with this. Heueheuheu. This season was very hard to get started and back into the swing of things because of how much had changed, both with the timejump, the new dynamics, relationships, and the nature of having the main character dead and having to find a way to both bring her back, and get things a-cracking. So I'm very happy that these episodes appear to be getting better and better as the season progresses for you. There are so many good lines coming up from Helena in regards to Dick. I think "Guardian" has one of the best if that's what you're oddly looking for, HAHAHA. But no, it wouldn't be Helena if she didn't make some wisecrack about it. Fleshing out Dick's backstory was kind of hard to do because I didn't want so much overwhelming exposition, especially in a situation where Helena would honestly be like "hey man, I don't wanna hear your life story, go away, leave, now." HAHAHA. So, it was hard. I think establishing that sort of mentor/student dynamic to begin with where he insinuates he has something to teach her allowed him to give us some of that background information, and these two characters are very much cut from the same cloth so I think joining them up, and letting them interact is good for the show, and good for Helena's storyline this season. At the moment, in regards to the love triangle, its very subtle. I mean, I feel like if you have Dick/Helena interacting you can see this underlying chemistry forming, and there are a few milestones in their relationship developing over the course of this season, but then you see Helena/Lisa scenes that really demonstrate how much these two women love each other. Tackling Helena's sexuality isn't something I planned to do, and didn't think I needed to do - at least in an obvious "I'm this" or "I'm that" kind of way, and still don't think I will be because I don't think love has to be explained, or this attraction, or any of that and Helena isn't, for the most part, a real touchy feely person that wants to over analyse every little thing. I do hope that other readers don't think she's caught between being straight, or gay, or think this has some overlapping discovery of sexuality storyline so much as it is that she's fallen for this woman who has come to mean a lot to her, just like she could fall for a man, even Dick Grayson. I think its a little unfortunate that its a love triangle between a woman, and a guy named "dick", but that's another story HAHAHA. But yeah, I hope to develop both relationships in a way that is logical and sparks an interesting dynamic because I don't really see this being like Elena and Damon/Stefan, or Lucas and Brooke/Peyton, or Laurel and Oliver/Tommy. So we'll just have to see how it plays out. The idea to make those scenes with The Joker an hallucination was so last minute. During the writing process, I realised that it would make sense for The Joker and Helena to have this understanding of one another, and it could explain why he's saying the things that he is and he could relate to it himself. But then I realised that The Joker connects more with Batman, and it didn't make sense for him to blurt everything out the way that he does to Helena. I feel their dynamic is a lot different to that, and so I realised that it would have to be an hallucination and a much needed one. I mean, I thought maybe you guys would be upset that it wasn't a real situation playing out, and especially for an episode that could very well be The Joker's last (for a long time at least), but it was crucial to Helena because, as you said, we learn the truth about her perception of things, and her mindset going into this Crusade. The reason Lisa isn't being searched for, at least in the beginning of this episode, is explained by the end of it. Its clear that Helena hasn't realised that something bad has happened, so much as Lisa has given up on their relationship. I know the scene in "Bound" hinted at more than that, and the fact that she was shot, but Helena and Lisa have been through a whole hell of a lot worse, and to Helena this is just Lisa running away from it, and running away from her because of this vigilante crusade she's on. So her decision to put an end to it, and to call Lisa at the end of the episode shows that she really has no idea what is going on with Lisa. The weird thing about all of this, in regards to finding Lisa, is that it all stems from Gordon's witch hunt for The Huntress. I think, while Lisa did take the lives of a few officers, Gordon is more focused on the bigger picture and the bigger threat to the city: Huntress. Ultimately, that is the goal, but Lisa's involvement, and Helena's attachment to Lisa, will come back up again sooner rather than later. Oliver's reappearance (while offscreen) was explained to have a significant impact on Chloe, and a much larger purpose than the others as we really explore the fact that she's got major trust issues, and after everything that's happened she can't stand to deal with anymore surprises. As for Guido, it helped enhance the story for Helena's eventual hallucination with The Joker, and really reminded us what was haunting her, and what her demons were in all of this. Selina's appearance is build up towards the ninth episode of this season, "Control" which is one of the original five episodes Selina is meant to be back for, and I think having her peppered throughout the season in leading us up to her arc was something I really wanted to have happen. I mean, I don't want the audience to forget her significance to Bruce, and what she meant to him, and that there's still that part of him that so desperately wants to find her, and save her. That line of hers also rings true to Bruce's fears, that he's almost this failure when it comes to his loved ones, and I mean... when it comes to Scarecrow, that's what I love about him- he's able to unlock all these inner fears and feelings we don't usually get to explore. Selina, Guido and Oliver were embodiments, so while its not a huge "oh my god, they're back for this episode" its more to do with their attachments- so their appearances are for Bruce, Helena and Chloe, as opposed to Selina, Guido and Oliver. If that makes any sense HAHAHA. As for Batman, I'm trying to read through and figure that one out myself to be completely honest. I'm pretty sure when he rocks up at Watchtower he has the cure already on him. I think the antidote is something that was formed in earlier encounters, and I know they've used it in the past (either in "Fear" of season two, or "Anarchy"). I think it was a matter of finding Scarecrow, and finding the place he is using to get this toxin throughout the building, and filtering it with the antidote. I mean, making a cure, of having a cure wasn't as important in this episode, so it makes sense that I've written it knowing its been used before and Batman would keep one handy (much like he has a little green rock on hand since his encounter with Zod in "Alien" of last season). He is a completely different character from the comics. I mean, really different. The reason I had to do that was because a huge portion of his story in the comic books was the mystery behind him, and who was under the mask. I felt like that was the defining thing about his time in the comic books, and his arc. So, for this season, I wanted to almost have Hush be a symbol, and give him this army, and this purpose, and maintain this level of mystery about him. We're not going to figure out his identity for a long time, and there are going to be MANY hints, and even more red herrings. The only way to sort of salvage the mythology is to incorporate some of it, and I've found a really cool way of doing that, of which brings Thomas "Tommy" Elliot into the story in episode seven, I believe. He's going to be in at least two episodes ("Guardian" and "Hope"). So I'm glad you like Hush as the villain despite the detachment from source material. Ugh. You have no idea how much I love Kahn. I've actually been considering increasing her role within the series, and maybe even keeping her as the Editor in Chief of the Gotham Gazette for a long, long time. I think this season has a lot of student/mentor themes going on at the moment, especially in regards to Chloe/Kyle, and Dick/Helena, and so Vicki/Kahn is almost like that in a way. I think they have a lot to offer each other, and developing their bond is something I'm excited about throughout this season. I also feel like Kahn has the potential to play a much larger role in this show, and hopefully there's a big enough response and reception to her arc this season that I feel as though she should stick around and we should see even more. Hearing this from you means we're off to a good start, hey HAHAHA. This wasn't planned to begin with. It was planned that Kyle would accidentally take someone's life in the attempt of saving someone else's, but to have Zatanna mind wipe him of that just came to me during the end of the writing process. Zatanna has her own storyline this season which is coming in and out of the main story, and its been one of my all time favourite things to write on this series. The breaking point looks to be happening in episode nine, "Control", or possible even the mid-season finale, "Sacrifice". But there will be a point where its addressed fully and completely and there's no more bullshit. If Chloe finds out, she will be pissed, ESPECIALLY because having her to-be-husband's mind wiped by Toyman, and having Zatanna go around playing with people like that... its going to really ignite some anger. These things that Zatanna is erasing is going to take a turn for the worst, and I think having Kyle go through this grief is one thing, but to take it away and have it possibly be restored and hit him all at once will cause even MORE conflict. So I'm excited for Zatanna's storyline. It WAS said, though, which is true there is no bullshit here... that the reason Zatanna is doing this is because she needs everyone to cut the drama, and stay focused so that they can beat this upcoming war against Hush. She's doing it, in her own twisted way, to make sure that the good trumps the evil. Zatanna is by no means a villain this season, but she is a source of conflict and one that needs to be addressed before Hush unleashes his army, and all hell breaks loose, ya feel? Hahaha. Aw, thanks man. My internet is so slow here so I can't post gifs in my responses and I am so sad, but all these reviews have made me happy and I'm about to tackle the next two you left me. Thank you so much for catching up man, I love you ! |
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 19, 2014 0:34:49 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.06 "Mirror"Keeping the pace going with Watchtower, it was nice to see Talia causing some more antics. I seriously adore her for all the wrong reasons, and she reminds of a much more sadistic Selina Kyle, which means you've hit her characterization right on the nose. I want to again reiterate that the character beats in this season are purely magical. We have Helena questioning Kyle, and Perry begging Chloe to stay alive, all of which made this a very entertaining episode. Aw, thank you Brady! That's probably the best compliment about this season so far, in regards to the character beats. There is a lot of stuff happening this season, and some episodes have storylines merge in that can be overwhelmingly too big I think, but knowing that the "character beats" are there, and you're enjoying that development means that something is going right. Hahaha. The webisodes would have been perfect, and this episode was written with the intention of filling in those gaps so I'm a little annoyed at myself that I couldn't go through with it and on time. I mean, we really learn about the fact that Lutessa was doing everything she did for her brother, Lex, and her entire involvement with Clark Luthor was a ploy so that she could go on to take him down. We also saw so much of the struggle Chloe-2 had to go through in order to stay alive, and I mean I know Chloe Sullivan has been through a lot, but this other Chloe had it really rough. So I do apologise that the webisodes had so much story within them that wasn't shown in "Mirror", but there was no way I could have incorporated all of it in here without it becoming overwhelmingly difficult to read. This is what I honestly care about, and I'm glad to hear. I wanted to the webisode series to initially just create this level of sympathy/empathy for Chloe-2, but hearing that you connected with her anyway, especially with that scene on the rooftop... just, ugh. That means so much to me, man. I'm so happy for that. Oh, and shut up about the A+ thing, HAHAHA. You douche  Kyle's integration was quite fast. I think, at the same time, it was very natural too. I mean, Chloe and Kyle crossed paths, and he sort of had no one and she kind of was emotionally detached from everyone too, and only really had Bruce to talk to, so it made sense for these two to establish this bond so quickly. Helena was the key to really easing him into the audience, though. She was very distrustful, and aware of how quickly he had come into this "team" and this unit, and so I wanted to bookend that distrust with a moment between them, and this episode just felt like the right time to do that for them. I absolutely LOVED writing that final scene between them. I was almost like "do I ship this?!?" and then realised I need to stop myself, and calm myself from shipping Helena with everyone on this god damn show. Hahaha. But no, it was a really fun scene to write, and I kind of really dig their dynamic now. It kind of gave them an A to B to C to follow since they met as opposed to just meeting and being like "oh, we have a new guy." So yeah. I'm glad you liked it too! HAHAHA YESSSSSS. Dude, I was so hoping that anti-Perry fans would turn around, and/or be attached to him this season considering the circumstances of his situation. This has made so happy, holy shiz knuckles. But on a more serious note... writing that scene had me tear up, and a lot of time when it comes to these scenes I try verbalising it, and acting it out and seeing if I connect to the words, and if the responses are natural, and if it does pull at the heartstrings, and just writing it I was kind of in that sad head space and so I was hoping that it would translate on the page, and also to people reading it. So that's really made my day, man. Thank you for telling me that. There are a few more great scenes between these two characters that I think should also pull at those strings, but they're coming up in the back half of these first eleven episodes (and quite possibly the only episodes Perry is about of considering his time is running out). DUUUDE. Seriously, thank you so much. The ending is something I really wanted to talk about so I'm going to rant about it here- Bringing Davis back was something that I really wanted to do once I decided to go through with an Earth-2 episode. I didn't want to do this sort of episode unless it was actually crucial to the storyline, as opposed to just a "wouldn't it be great if we travelled to Earth-2 and got to see all these familiar faces again. Oh yay." So bringing Davis into the story adds a lot to it, and is actually Talia's method to fulfilling the prophecy of her father. I mean, their whole mindset is to treat the bad like a rotted limb, and to cut it off to leave the good behind. That's the best way I can describe it right now (I'm kind of tired, don't judge me). And so Gotham is like the hotspot of bad, and so Talia's solution, and her idea was to release this beast on the city of Gotham and have it level the entire city because its like a rotted limb. However, as we see, this becomes the catalyst for Talia being torn between good and evil, and once she lets this thing into our world she realises she's made a huge mistake and seeks Bruce's help in detaining it. So I'm really excited about this storyline, and giving this Earth-2 visit more of a purpose was something I was really passionate about.
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Post by Jack Malone on Jul 19, 2014 9:28:34 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.07 "Guardian"Yaaay! I'm officially caught up on Watchtower, and I'm freakin' pumped. But, regarding this episode: um. what. the. hell? This episode was insane. There's really no other way to describe it - f*cking. insane. I don't even know where to begin, or how this review is going to turn out, but let's just go with it and see how many bumps we hit along the way. Again, thank you so so so so so so so much for reviewing all these episodes, Brady. I have missed these reviews, and it really means a lot to me how much time and effort you put into giving me feedback for the show. I love it. I love even more that this was a favourite episode of yours, because this was actually one episode I was worried about, surprisingly enough HAHAHA. I really loved writing their dynamic in this episode, but moreso because of the ripple effect we see happen from that dynamic to Talia's character. She has an agenda, and she is driven to do something that is by no means good, but the idea of being perceived as someone who wants to be, and do evil is something that doesn't sit well with her. Its not black and white, and I think this season is exploring that more than ever through the actions of Helena, and Gordon, and even Chloe, who is on her own descent from being this morally good, grounded character to someone who is going to make decisions like KILLING Clark Luthor, and lying to Davis Bloome ("Mirror"). So I think, with Talia, we're going to see more of the reasoning behind her actions, and hone in on the importance of her decisions. But did she run away? I think you might be surprised. The next episode has Helena quite convinced, when she runs into Gordon in the hospital, that he is responsible for Lisa's disappearance, and there's quite a throw down that takes place. But yeah. There's a lot more going on in her absence than just running away, and it opens the door for an upcoming episode in this back lot of this first half of season three. Um, as for this particular episode... I had a lot of fun reintroducing Lisa into the story as part of the Hush army. I think showing her torn between the army and her old life with Helena was fun to write and really gave a much wider perspective of the army than just "they're evil because they're working for Hush." Its a movement. And, its not a movement that they've been involved in willingly. Some have been brainwashed to believe that what they're fighting for matters, and others are fighting just to survive. The significance of that final scene with Gordon is a lot more powerful than I think it comes off to be- where he is sent all these images of the faces within the Hush army. Hush owns them now. Gordon and the rest of the GCPD don't realise that they're being forced into this movement, but now they have faces and names on every single member, and so its going to be interesting how that information comes into play. Hush is a really wise s.o.b. Dick Grayson is also featured in the next episode, "Hush", and I don't actually know how much of his character - or even Lisa - we'll be seeing this season. I do know those dynamics they share with Helena is one of my favourite things to write, and I want to really build on both, but we'll just have to wait and see. I'm glad you're digging it so far though. Oh, wow. Thanks man. I think this is the first time I've written such a dark storyline, and I mean there's a lot of themes of depression, grief, suicide, and also a lot of apathy in regards to her own life. I think its fun to write someone who is willing to do whatever it takes to save the city, and willingly goes out and kills, but then notices that they're part of the problem and therefore, when all is said and done, they're going to take their own life. Eventually her friends, especially Chloe, will catch onto the big plan she's got brewing, and we'll get a lot of conflict stemming from there because there's no way Chloe is going to let her best friend kill herself. But as for the moment, I think Dick is providing a good source of stability for her, and I mean... that was one of her lighter moments so far when she hugged him. Anyway, I really want to thank you for all these kind words. Helena's arc is one of my top three favourites this season to write, so I appreciate it so so so much. DUDE, IM STLL STOKED YOU'RE LIKING THE PERRY SCENES. *throws confetti* *rolls around naked in the confetti* *gets asked to leave the party for being gross and inappropriate with the confetti* *cries* I think its so easy to forget that Vicki had this relationship for a year with a man she was set to marry, who was ripped out of her life by Hush, purely because of the time jump, and the fact that we only got two episodes of Vicki and Mitchell together as a couple. But like you said... this determination is sort of stopping her from being still, and really feeling the effects of the fact that she is quite detached from everyone, and the love of her life is dead and it was because of this force that she just cannot stop or hope to bring down. So instead, finding out the man behind the mask gives her enough power to at least try and I like that quality about her. Tommy will be explained in the next episode. This Tommy that showed up wasn't by natural causes. He's not some old, withered man stumbling into the GCPD offices. He's the same man that jumped off the bridge, and escaped police custody. There's this mystery behind his appearance, and just as soon as its been introduced in this episode, it gets solved in the next. But there's no accident or mistake. It'll just be more easily explained in "Hope". (I'm so far into the Arrow fandom that writing Tommy makes me think of Tommy Merlyn and not Tommy Elliot. Help) Aw, wow. That's... ugh, thank you so much man. I really appreciate that. I think there will be admittedly some pace issues with the next episode (I'm still on the first draft so hopefully not) purely because there are so many storylines crashing into one another for a really big outing, but I'm hoping to minimize it as much as possible and find the best possible way to tell that story. But just getting that compliment for this episode will tide me over if that ends up being the case HAHAHA. DUUUUDE. I'm so excited for you to see what happens in "Hope". I mean so many mysteries get solved and so many more open up, and I'm just... I need to get this episode finished holy crap. Anyway, thank you so much for reviewing these last four episodes of "Watchtower" and catching up. It really does mean a lot and I don't tell you enough how much I appreciate it. SHES FINALLY HEEEEERE LAKJNKJNFKAHBHBA *salivates and dies* |
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Post by Brady Brown on Feb 9, 2015 18:25:35 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.08 "Hope"MAN, DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE BACK! Okay, so in this return of Watchtower we get the return of Hope Sullivan, who, I have to say, was a really great addition to the story. She was really fun to read, and I just kept seeing so much of Chloe in her character and that made it all really special. I thought her incorporation into the episode was really well done. The fact that she had all of these superpowers because of Emil's experiments was a really nice twist, and a good way to bring in a story that was set up so long ago. Speaking of which, Kyle's involvement, while small, was really nice as well. His inclusion with Hope was a reallllyyyyyy awesome thing to do, and really cleared up the main question as to why he has all of these dope ass powers. Also, Doomsday is coming, and my God. Hell bout to break loose in dis bish. Let's talk about Helena's involvement, because would it really be a Brady Brown review if we didn't talk about the bae? Anyway, Helena's storyline for this episode concluded in a really nice, shocking way. Bringing in Hugo Strange in such a hug fashion was really, really awesome to read, and he's part in this season, however big or little that may be, has me very interested. Why did he take Lisa? Why did he attack Bruce? That's something I'm looking forward to in these next few episodes, if that's even when he's going to play a role. Speaking of Bruce - while I did enjoy his scene with Lex, it didn't necessarily flow with everything else that was going on. I think if there had been a couple of scenes, besides the one with Chloe, the necessity of this kryptonite cage would have felt more real, and the incoming Doomsday threat would have been a lot stronger. Also, the beginning of this episode was really confusing for me. There was a lot going on, and I do understand why everything that happened needed to happen, but I found myself confused for most of the time. But then again, I don't know if that's necessarily a bad thing, because the incident itself was very confusing for these characters. I don't know, I'm going to have to sit on it a while. And I feel like the introductions for some of the characters, mainly Imra and Dick, didn't really feel needed, but I do understand why they were there. The interactions with Chloe and Hope were another highlight. They're so similar, yet they hit heads so much and it's so entertaining to read that it's obvious they're mother and daughter, despite having these years of separation between the two. Their dynamic was really powerful as well - Hope bitter because of Chloe's lack of involvement in her life, and Chloe attempting to reason with her daughter as to why everything she did was to keep her safe. It was really well done. Now, onto the Suicide Squad. Their fight scenes were really well written, as were Hope's powers. It was nice for them all to pop back up again, and continued with a story that I was really hoping would be addressed soon, so naturally I was happy about it. Dinah's storyline, I feel, is just beginning this season. I don't know how many more episodes she's in, but I feel like her mother's death is really going to have an impact on her and the rest of the people she comes into contact with - which will hopefully be the rest of Team Watchtower, and possible the Squad. As always, the entire Hush storyline is my favorite aspect this season, despite how small it felt in this episode. Hope knows who Hush is, but oh shit we got Doomsday showing up, so I see the Hush plot being put on hold for a little bit. Despite that, I can't wait to see how these characters are going to prepare, and now we have Moira, Gabe, and baby!Hope back, so it looks like a Sullivan family reunion but we'll see how that works out. Also, I hope to see more Lois/Chloe scenes in the next episode, if it even calls for them to be together. The end of this episode was a nice little tease of them! All in all, this was a really great episode. Lots of action, as always, some awesome cliffhangers that have set up a new mystery revolving around Hugo Strange, and the introduction of Hope Sullivan who herself is a force to be reckoned with. It's great to have Watchtower back, and I can't wait to see where it goes!
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 9, 2015 20:04:50 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.08 "Hope"MAN, DOES IT FEEL GOOD TO BE BACK! Woohooo! It's nice to be airing again and getting such awesome reviews. Thanks Brady! Bringing in Hope Sullivan was the whole reason continuing with the pregnancy storyline for Chloe in the second half of season two happened in the first place. I didn't want to just bring in a baby to the show knowing full-well what would come of the Chloe/Oliver relationship in that year's finale, and so once I realised that I could bring Hope from the future and get to play with that character I instantly knew I had to do it. The really cool about this version of the character is that she's essentially now from an aborted timeline because Chloe finds Hope in the present, and so I could do these outlandish things with her. With that said, she's still integral to the story because of what she's set up and what she has changed. This version of her being erased from the future doesn't affect the changes she's made in our present day storyline because of how many threads in time are being overlapped and played out here as well as the fact that Chloe gave her enough time to do what she did (with Kyle) before erasing her completely. Speaking of Kyle, these next few episodes really are about completing his origin story and by the second half of this season he will be a fully established, integrated character with no mystery surrounding him whatsoever. It's nice to be able to say that he's not just packing all this heat with no explanation as to how it came about and I wanted Hope's arrival on the show to be more important than just getting to see what Chloe's daughter could be like had things played out the way they were going to play out. So having it be her who gives him these powers just made so much sense, and having it tie back to the first season with Emil was something that I wanted to do to make this season feel even more "epic" for the series in the sense that all the pieces of the puzzle are coming together and that everything that has happened so far within Watchtower's run has happened for a reason. So I'm glad it connected with you in that way and you enjoyed that aspect of this episode. Having the opportunity to bring Hope and Mia into the story to achieve that massive plot point and reveal was ultimately just an added bonus I couldn't pass up on. I'm so happy you're asking these questions. Woo! That was definitely the intended plan at the end of "Guardian" when Lisa went missing. I know you mentioned in the review that you were mad that Lisa just upped and left and I didn't want to be like "NO SHE GOT TAKEN BY HUGO STRANGE" because it was part of the cliffhanger at the end of this episode and was going to be explained. But now that it's out in the open, it's cool to see all those questions being asked and they will be answered in next week's episode! Hugo Strange's introduction isn't so much on the spectrum of the wider, ongoing storyline involving Hush, but it will tackle some of the larger sub-plots of this season as well as give us a lot of character beats and moments that are required going forward. So hopefully you'll enjoy the episode next week just as much as this one! I definitely agree. Part of it is also the massive break between "Guardian" and "Hope" that wasn't really planned. So going from the previous episode where Talia basically reveals that she's let Davis Bloome into this world and he's more than she bargained for and she's terrified about what he's going to unleash for the world to this episode of seeing Bruce working to find something that can sustain him and make sure he isn't unleashed... it would have been less damaging to the flow. But I agree. It was a necessary component of the season, but finding a place for that scene within this episode was challenging and something that obviously could have been worked on. The opening of the episode was definitely meant to be this high stakes, suspenseful, over-drive of an opener that just escalated and escalated. An interesting thing I was going to do was create a parallel showing that Hope had to do the exact same thing to get into the present day but it had to be cut from the episode because that itself was another ten pages and seeing Chloe go through a similar process went from "a cool parallel" to "unnecessary" real fast. I mean seeing Chloe have hope that she would reunite with her daughter, then it being torn away because of Dinah, and then seeing what lengths she would go to in order to get that opportunity back hints at the direction of this character for the season. I mean, she killed Bruce. She was pushed so far as to kill Bruce on the idea that it could get her daughter back and while that's part of an "aborted timeline" now too, it's still interesting to see what could make Chloe snap and what she'd do to protect her daughter and her family. As for Imra, she was purely a cameo appearance. I really liked having that moment with her and out of the Legion it had to be her because she holds the most innocence and the most nobility and the most heart. While that scene cuts off prematurely, or at the peak of it's intent, and goes straight to Chloe resurfacing in the past to change what had happened... it implies that Chloe had to kill her too in order to obtain that ring. I hope that explained why she was needed for the episode, and for that scene to work. In regards to Dick, though, he was purely a follow up to - again - the previous episode. Dick and Helena were both in that hospital after learning that Lisa was gone, and so he's still there now. Plus, having Helena go from attacking Gordon to just walking away wouldn't have felt right for the brief moment that was needed. So having Dick there to leech her away from him and tell her to stop felt like the right route to go down. That makes me so happy. Thanks, Brady! I'm glad you saw it that way. I was worried there was a little too much bitterness that it might be a bit pushed or a bit forced in regards to her interactions in the beginning of the episode with Chloe. But I wanted to show that she was hurt and she clearly didn't know or understand what Chloe had to do or what she was forced to do and give up and sacrifice. I really wanted Hope to be oblivious to it all and just know the Chloe that's written in the history archives, you know? I think the only real glimpse we get of that character and who Hope is at her core is in that final scene with Chloe in the back of the vehicle where they're both genuine with each other and aren't angry or bitter or holding up a front and so I was kind of expecting everyone to not like this character, at least for the majority of the episode. It's nice to see her actually being understood and not disliked for how she acted in the first half of the episode. So yeah, you've made my day Aw, man. Thank you! That means a lot. As I told you on Skype, this was kind of the last appearance of the Suicide Squad in its current form. I'm really not a big fan of how they did the Suicide Squad on "Smallville" and so every time I've brought them back on Watchtower, I've tried to turn it into something else and steer it towards the version from the comics but it's just never been played like that and so I wanted to give them one big, last hurrah to, ultimately, finish it off. I feel like Rick Flagg was the guy who introduced the Suicide Squad within this continuity so if I wanted to end it we would have to see him die (to put it bluntly). In this episode, I wanted to show him being the misguided force behind this alliance and how he's a very controlling person. I mean, Warp respected him and understood him, but Dinah and Alexandra just kind of felt like they had to follow his orders. Killing him freed everyone in a sense, and Warp was allowed to make his own decisions, and despite what happened to Alexandra, she had relief too. The only loose thread is what happens to Emil Hamilton, and where does he fit into all of this... something I haven't planned yet but definitely will tackle later on in the series I think it's awesome that you're like: "this is just the beginning, right?" When I planned for Dinah's return, it was only meant to be this one episode (and potentially the mid season finale). However, after I wrote that last scene with Alexandra, I realised that she couldn't just up and leave and we had to explore that more. So, she's in the next three episodes and has her own arc that weaves in and out of the other storylines planned for those episodes. In the same sense that these episodes will finish the origin story of Kyle, these four episodes tackle the origin of The Black Canary in the way that we know her to be in the comics. When it came to Alexandra (Dinah Drake), I had strayed so far from the comics that being able to tie it back into the source materiel in this episode called for tying Dinah herself back into the source material and now we're going to see how she doesn't quite fit into this world anymore, and this city and she's going to want something more than what it can offer her. So there's a nice arc for her to watch out for. Hush is my favourite aspect of the season too and I will say that he plays a much larger role in the back half of the season than the next few episodes. That said, Hush still has a role in driving certain character's in the next few episodes and he does resurface in the tenth episode (penned by Chris Davis). So there's a lot to look forward to with him. Next week will deal with Vicki and Perry wanting to lure Hush in so they can stop him and so they turn to Kahn for help in orchestrating some sort of front page story to use as a beacon to grab his attention. Whether that comes to fruition, or works, or whatever... stay tuned! Ending on the reveal of Doomsday sets up so much. I think, similarly to Hush, it drives a lot of characters' motivation and actions in the next episode. Chloe, specifically, reacts in a really crazy way and adding Moira, Gabe and baby!Hope back into the story just elevates it even more for her. Now, everything that threatens the city, and threatens the team, threatens Chloe's family and so she's that much more passionate about putting an end to everything. She wants to fight back and she's going to start with none other than Talia Al Ghul Unfortunately, there isn't a whole lot of Lois/Chloe. However, I have said previously that Lois will pop up multiple times this season and knowing now that she's in on everything means that these interactions won't be flashbacks, or "what if" scenarios. So hopefully that makes up for the lack of Lois in next week's episode I'm so excited for you to see the rest of the episodes. Thanks so much for reviewing it, Brady! I know you said you were going to be busy and might not be able to read until the end of the week so it means a lot that you took time out of your day to get it reviewed/read as soon as it aired. You're the bomb diggety. *hugs you* |
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Post by The Doctor on Feb 10, 2015 4:24:26 GMT -6
So just saw "Hope" came out.......i have to say I have waited for this episode for like half a decade and I can't wait to see what happens next My review foR this episode will come next!!! |
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Post by MJ on Feb 10, 2015 5:38:21 GMT -6
Hey Jack, out of curiosity I just skimmed some of the new Watchtower episode and have to say it looks like your writing has just gotten better over time which is always cool- to see people developing and honing their skills (not to say that your writing was terrible before or anything XD). But yes, I might have to try picking up where I left off because I'm quite interested now to see how Watchtower has developed over the past couple of years |
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 10, 2015 8:49:08 GMT -6
So just saw "Hope" came out.......i have to say I have waited for this episode for like half a decade and I can't wait to see what happens next My review foR this episode will come next!!! "Half a decade." You crack me up, man. I definitely had you in mind when writing this episode knowing that you've been waiting a good three seasons for certain moments and delivering on those finally was very satisfying and I can't wait to hear your thoughts buddy. |
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 10, 2015 8:57:52 GMT -6
Hey Jack, out of curiosity I just skimmed some of the new Watchtower episode and have to say it looks like your writing has just gotten better over time which is always cool- to see people developing and honing their skills (not to say that your writing was terrible before or anything XD). But yes, I might have to try picking up where I left off because I'm quite interested now to see how Watchtower has developed over the past couple of years Aw, thanks MJ! That means a lot, especially considering you were there since the beginning giving me constructive criticism week to week and was part of that developing process. I think the biggest change in my writing is that I've slowly, over time, been able to grasp the writing style for scriptwriting and become more confident within that form of writing as opposed to the prose and fan fiction that came before it. I mean, it was Chris who introduced me to it all and found me on YouTube writing a Faith the Vampire Slayer fan fiction and he was like: "Hey, you should pitch this and turn it into a scripted series for my network" and I had absolutely not idea what the hell he was talking about, lmao. But yeah, still a lot of learning and developing to go but glad I've had theVPN, and the people on this site, to play a massive part in starting that and contributing to that later on. Now I'm studying scriptwriting and I've just begun my second topic of eight and it's already played a massive role in the way I write which will probably be more evident in the second half of this third season (eps12-22). It's so weird to go back and see old episodes, of which I'm sure I'll have the same feeling about the rest of the series when it's all said and done in the future, but yeah... /end-way-too-long-response. Thank you! |
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Post by Alex Matthews on Feb 10, 2015 18:28:16 GMT -6
So... "Hope" Honestly, after that first read, I'm not sure what to think, but here goes, anyway I think a 2nd read-through will help me get some things sorted in my mixed up brain - it's not that the plot was confusing, per se, but the whole 'time travel' and alternate time tracks left me gasping in shock, before scratching my head as I tried to figure out the whole 'casuality' of it Jack, this would be the 2ND time you 'killed' Imra, correct? After the 'death' of the 3 main Legionnaires the first time, I have long wondered if it stuck, so it was nice to finally have that answered, so fingers crossed that means Imra is still alive in kicking 1000 years from now I'm also now WELL AND TRULY CONFUNDLED when it comes to Hush and how Tommy Elliot works into it, but I guess that's what you were going for, eh? One question, and this is purely for my own selfish reasons, but did you always have Mercy in mind for the assistant, or did my inclusion of her inspire you to use her? Personally, I would have liked more for the first on-screen meeting of Lex and Bruce, but I loved the way you used Zod's brief 'visit' as a cover for him to get the krypto-cage, and that Lex know seems to think that he and Bruce have a shared opinion when it comes to 'alien' visitors. Hugo Strange - I loved the use of the 'yellow tinged glasses', and eagerly await more on that storyline, Hugo is a strange character and finding out what his grand purpose in "WTR" is, will be something I anticipate for weeks to come. Dinah - poor girl  I can understand your reasons for deciding to change up the dynamic of the Squad completely - as much as I love "Smallville", some of their depictions of certain characters associated with that team, especially their Deadshot, were certainly lacking. Given the fact you brought in a very different Floyd Lawton before they did, and in my humble opinion, did a much better job, it begs the question how much of their S10 arc applies to "WTR". Hell, you could technically simply replace DS with another assassin for hire in both his episodes in S10! Anyway, back to Alexandra/Dinah, I LOVED the reference to how Checkmate (or it's precursor in the 80s) used her to get to the others, and she still feels like she needs to protect them, as well as her family. |
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 10, 2015 19:22:13 GMT -6
I think a 2nd read-through will help me get some things sorted in my mixed up brain - it's not that the plot was confusing, per se, but the whole 'time travel' and alternate time tracks left me gasping in shock, before scratching my head as I tried to figure out the whole 'casuality' of it I definitely like "left me gasping in shock." Yeah, I was always so confused about people's reaction to their "deaths" in the first season finale because they did come from a world where Emil's experiments had taken over and wiped everything out and so when Chloe effectively brought him down, she changed that future. I know there are a lot of time-travel shows out there with their own mythology and way of doing things, and so on Watchtower and in this universe, I believe that things from an aborted timeline can still leave a mark on present day. So while the Legion can come back from a version of the future, and die, and that future changes, those versions of themselves still made it to the present. They're not erased in the sense that none of that happened anymore. Keeping with that, it's why we're allowed to have a version of Hope come from a future where Chloe didn't raise her and have her change things before Chloe erases her future by reuniting with Hope in the present. As for Imra "dying", I more-so implied it than showed it. I think it works better that way. Personally, I think Chloe killed her and that's my head space for that scene and it's not something that is going to be "answered" or looked into later but in the larger spectrum, it doesn't really matter. So I left it up to ya'll to really read that how you feel it went and what you believed the implications were. But yes, she is alive and kicking in the future, as are the rest of the Legion. Yay! That's good. I promise, despite things that get answered here and there, there is going to be an episode within the final three of this season that is basically going to lay it all out on the table for you so it makes sense. Tommy Elliot comes back into our story, and there's a grander purpose behind having him on the show. I will confirm that he's obviously NOT Hush, but in keeping true to the comics and the source material, he is a part of that storyline and I think you'll start to see how in the back half of the season, as opposed to right now in the two episodes he's appeared in. What we do know is that he was plucked from the past and ended up in our present. As well as that, his name and his ties to Hush only recently started coming through as though history were being fixed or made in this current moment. So there's a lot of loose threads to tackle as the season plays outs -- part of what makes writing a big mystery this season the most fun. I did have to look at your Lex appearance on "M:SCU" purely to make sure I didn't f*ck anything up continuity wise. Personally, I wanted to go down a different route and have "OTIS BERG" as his new assistant and went into this episode writing his introduction. But then, like I said, continuity wise I had to add "Mercy." I think I agreed more with Brady on the Lex/Bruce scene which is funny because I wrote it. It was really hard to find a place for it and it was an important moment - not just because it was Lex and Bruce meeting but because it's the next step in this ongoing storyline involving Talia, and Bruce, and Davis/Doomsday. It was a necessary scene. But finding a place for it in this episode that didn't stick out like a sore thumb was difficult and I think if I made the scene any longer it would have killed the flow. But I'm glad you liked the callback. I don't think it's too spoilery to say that I've planned a Batman v Superman episode of "Watchtower" to happen, and all these things -- the Zod encounter last season, meeting with Lex this season -- are little bits and pieces that develop towards it. I think what's cool was humanising Hugo Strange. I think you might all be a bit surprised when we come into next week and he isn't this insane, maniac of a character or anything completely out there. I wanted to do my own interpretation of him and I definitely want to revisit him in the future. He tackles some very big ongoing subplots of the season that need to be addressed before we go into any of the big major plot points as this first half of the season comes to its conclusion and so I can't wait for everyone to see next week's episode! This is definitely only the beginning for Dinah. These next three episodes will close out what I would call the origin of Black Canary in a lot of ways. The way her arc ends, and the things that are set up... it's very much like closing the doors on an origin story and stepping out as a fully, fledged superhero. I'm excited to see what people think of her arc. It definitely came together in an unpredictable kind of way for me -- piecing it together as opposed to planning it as unpredictable for the readers -- and so I think really fondly of it because it's kind of its own reason for being here. There's so much more coming for her that might end in more comments of "Poor girl", but she's a fighter and she's come a long way since Smallville and this is just the final few steps she has to make before embracing her destiny, really. Personally, the way I've come to see it is to not stress too much. I mean, I don't think its too far up my own ass to say that I preferred my version of the story purely because I liked taking something from the comics and changing it up so drastically. I liked having Deadshot be this retired hitman, and I liked getting to bring him, and later his daughter, into the fold. I like to think that this "Floyd Lawton" of the Tenth Season of "Smallville" is just some carbon copy, trying to take over where the original left off. I mean, I could bring him into "Watchtower" and explain that and hell, he could definitely be part of the new Suicide Squad I'm setting up later in the series, but I haven't stressed too much about it because even with that explanation it's just like "oh, continuity still intact." Just like we've had references in the first season of Chloe completely erasing her identity -- something she done prior to Watchtower / Watchtower backstory, and so I've had to attribute that to what she did in S10, and later, her actually "faking" her death by blowing up the Watchtower of Metropolis with her believed to be inside it (and even found in the wreckage). It's just a matter of working around these obstacles and making it work so everything in S10 did happen. Wrapping up Alexandra's story was something I didn't know when it was going to happen, but when it came to planning this episode, and dealing with the mother/daughter stuff... I felt like it was the right time. I feel like there's been this question of her identity and how she's so different to Dinah Drake, and I wanted to kind of explain things, ground them, and tie it into the comics in a much larger way. The fact that she still died of cancer, and the fact that she was the original Black Canary... these are all things that I felt were essential to include in a "final" appearance. That said, she does resurface in next week's episode VERY VERY briefly where you just might see her in the ol' Black Canary attire. I can't tell you how but... Exclusive right here! LMAO!! Thanks for reading the episode, Alex. |
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Post by Brady Brown on Feb 16, 2015 17:42:13 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.09 "Control"So, this was definitely one of those episodes of Watchtower, where right from the first page the pace is set and we're flying from there. Despite the different plotlines, which were all connected somehow, this episode had a really steady pace that made this a really strong installment of the third season. Hugo Strange was a good villain for this episode, and allowed us to see a maniacal side of the science he's been practicing. I really enjoy characters who have brought themselves down by becoming consumed with their work. So, Hugo was a nice aspect of this episode for me. Now, onto Bruce, who played a rather crucial part in this episode. In fact, I think I would go as far to say I wish there had been more of him. I feel like his story was off to the side a little in favor of Chloe's mission to stop Talia and Doomsday, as well as find Kyle, even if that was what needed to happen. However, with that being said, it was nice for Bruce to be at the forefront of the story. His interactions with Selina were so bittersweet - they're finally back together, and we get that sense of chemistry that's been lacking since she's been gone, but then he's gone before he can do anything about it. Also, it was just nice to have Selina back. She's such a fun character to read, and it's going to be hard trying to savor the moments she has in her final episodes. Speaking of Bruce's story - we have Dinah. I'm not really too sure about her involvement in the episode, or what she was really there for. If there was a specific purpose, I apologize on my lack of memory because I'm an awful human being. She just seemed very unimportant to me in this episode, despite having that conversation at the end with Bruce, which was a really nice speech to conclude the episode! Next, of course - Helena. It's always nice to see her in her Huntress gear. I really liked how she was the one to save Bruce, because it shows how she's still a good person even though she's done all of these horrific things. Still really interested in her dynamic with Lisa and Dick, and can't wait to see how that evolves as the season progresses. Speaking of relationships, I was glad Vicki's engagement to Mitchell was brought back up. Amongst all of the chaos, it's easy to forget that people have died, so showcasing that was really well done. Also, with Vicki, it was nice to see her with Perry again, as well as seeing Perry's new outlook on his situation. It was a nice contrast. Their scenes at the Gazette were really good, especially seeing Vicki at the forefront of some action, and actually fighting back. Hopefully she continues that courageous streak. And of course, we have her new position, which I'm sure will lead to some great dynamics with Kahn. This goes along with the new direction the paper is taking, which is another thing that is going to be interesting to see develop. I think that's all I had to say... if you want to know anything else, just ask me. This review is terrible, and I apologize. But to sum up: I enjoyed this episode! It was a nice installment with a strong villain and had plotlines that were all interwoven by the conclusion. Doomsday is out, and the pace doesn't seem to be slowing down from here! Can't wait to read more - Awesome job!
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Post by Jack Malone on Feb 16, 2015 20:43:56 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.09 "Control"So, this was definitely one of those episodes of Watchtower, where right from the first page the pace is set and we're flying from there. Despite the different plotlines, which were all connected somehow, this episode had a really steady pace that made this a really strong installment of the third season. Aw, that's awesome to hear. I know you're the first to pick up on the pace / flow of an episode if its just not working and so that's a huge compliment to start this review off. Thanks, man. I loved writing for him. Something I did with him that was similar to Hope in last week's episode was that you're given this totally different perspective of the dude to introduce him and by the end of the episode you kind of get shades of who that person really is. I liked kind of hinting at the fact that he's this completely crazy dude, and then you sort of realise he's been trapped in a corner and is fighting to do anything to get his way out of there and that he's not a half-bad guy just trying to fight for something he believes in. I'm not sure how I'd bring him back into the story -- there aren't any plans at the moment -- but I definitely thought he was the perfect villain to tell both sides of this story: the first with Bruce and reuniting with Selina however briefly (which will set us up for their reunion in a later episode) as well as finally bringing the Zatanna storyline to a close. Oh, wow. I didn't expect that response. I think it's cool, though. I mean, I think when it comes to Bruce's portion of this episode, anything extra would have just been feeling left field because of the circumstances he was in. I don't know how many different scenes I could have done of him in this state. However, it's nice to know that I could have gone even crazier with it and focused even more on it so that's awesome. As for Selina, it was nice to write for her again. Her final episode is one of the few I've been waiting to write for a long time now and so I hope her final few episodes do this character justice who seems to be a bit of a fan favourite. With this episode, I wanted to give ya'll a bit of a taste of what might happen when they reunite, but mostly I wanted to both: A) Explore Bruce's feelings on Selina after everything that has happened, and B) Tackle this sort of loose thread in the ongoing season and find some sense of closure for Bruce on whether he should keep searching or start grieving. Dinah was one of my favourite parts about writing this episode, to be honest. I needed her appearance in the episode to be kind of confusing and bring up questions because it was very much this question of who is real: Selina or Dinah? I think having Dinah there would raise a lot of questions because Bruce and her don't have a lot of history and it's both extremely believable that she could be a figment of his imagination planted there by Strange, or be the woman hooked up to him. I'm bummed you found her unimportant but next week is a much larger episode for her. There's this gradual sense of: "does she really fit in this world anymore?" and "does she belong here?" questions that will surface and maybe your perception of her role in this episode is reflective of that? What I'm saying will make so much more sense by the end of her arc *hopefully* I've gone on record to say Helena has been a favourite to write this season. I think when it comes to her... if she has a personal vendetta involved, she will do anything to get it done. So while it may be odd to see her in the role of saving Bruce and almost working as part of the team, there's this whole thing of avenging her girlfriend. There's this element of having someone she cares about being wronged and wanting to do something about it and so that's why she's so proactive about helping. It's the same thing about the last episode... she got caught up in everything because of Dinah being back and being with the Suicide Squad, but when push came to shove she chose to ignore helping Chloe find her daughter so that she could find Lisa. Speaking of Lisa (and Dick), there's a lot more involved for these characters going into the last two episodes of this first half of Season Three This may be an unbelievable statement, but I absolutely love Vicki and Mitchell. Last season, when I had introduced Mitchell, I just needed someone to have back and forth banter with Vicki in scenes that called for her to do something at the Gazette and I ended up having to cut so many of their scenes because they just wrote for themselves and went for pages and pages. So I'm more invested in their romance than the audience ever could be because you guys were sort of exposed to them for two episodes at the start of the season before Mitchell was killed. I'm glad there's an impact there, though and I definitely have plans to keep threading him back into this season. With Vicki, it was kind of necessary to remind the audience why she's so passionate about finding Hush. I think it's the same with all the characters in a way where there has to be these moments that touch on why they're doing what they're doing (in the long-run, not just motivations per episode) and the story called for reminding us that Vicki is doing this for Mitchell in more than just a few ways. I'm glad you liked that moment! I love Vicki / Perry scenes. This episode, in particular, was a lot of fun to write because Vicki is almost oblivious to the fact that her "partner in crime" isn't doing too well. She sort of clings to the same level of denial Perry has only she hasn't been hit with a rude awakening yet. I think next week's episode has that involved for both characters. I planned a huge Perry storyline for next week and Chris did an amazing job with it and I can't wait for ya'll to read it. As for Kahn, she's just been a lot of fun to write for and I never went into introducing her character back into the main story thinking that she would be in on the big secret. Planning this episode, however, I realised the better opportunities there would be for her character being in on everything. There's a lot planned with her and hopefully she sticks around Dude, it's not terrible. Thanks for reviewing so quickly, I appreciate it. Also: as someone who is more interested in the Hush aspect of this season, you'll definitely like next week's episode and it's all Hush-ville in episodes 12 through 22 (I promise). So I can't wait for you to read those. Thanks for everything, man! *hugs* |
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Post by Brady Brown on Feb 24, 2015 18:30:20 GMT -6
REVIEW: 3.10 "Toxic"So, here we are. All in one episode we get: Poison Ivy, a Barbara and Chloe team up, al Ghul family probz, and a death. *wipes away sweat* This was definitely a game changing episode, not just because of Perry's death, but because it added a lot of layers to this complex story. It was interesting to see Ivy and Hush act as two separate threats in this episode, and their different motives and how they interacted with the characters they were set up with. With Ivy, we saw Chloe's ambiguous motives start to come to light, and I really appreciated Barbra, someone who could arguably be a mini-Chloe, taking a stand and telling Chloe how much she's changed. Now, with Hush, we obviously get a much bigger threat. I mean, for crying out loud he unmasked Batman! But seeing him kill Ivy and take Bruce down with such ease really solidified him as a true threat. Speaking of which, on the flip side of things, Ivy's turn on Hush was really... abrupt, I guess. I was really confused with how she sent Dinah to kill Lisa, but then... sent Chloe and Barbra with the antidote to go and save Gordon and stop Hush. Also, whaaatt the heellll was that ending with Ivy?! That was a real shock, I'm assuming time travel? I don't even know! But it was great! Onto Perry, I was really struggling to figure out why he was in this episode, to be honest. Obviously, that all changed in the final act, which was easily the biggest shock of the entire episode, if not season. But despite my initial struggle, it was really dynamic to see him share tender moments with his ex-wife, because we've only seen him in darkness for a majority of the series. Alice, as a character, was a good contrast for Perry. I pictured her very soft spoken, mainly because of the Georgie Engel casting, and the fact that they discussed her former pregnancy was a really powerful moment for the both of them that I really appreciate it. Also, props to the writing in that scene, as well as the entire episode, because it only reverberated its nature. It was also heartbreaking to have Vicki be the one to find him. They've had such a strong relationship this season and to visualize her pounding at his door and dropping down next to his body was literally tearing away at my heart. Speaking of Vicki, it was refreshing to see her disagree with Kahn and defend someone she considers a friend. On the flip side, Kahn's motives and actions, I feel, can't be ridiculed because she is doing what's right - telling the city of its possible threats. I'm just curious to see what's going to come of that. Dinah's been a really difficult character for me to connect to during these past two episodes. I don't know what it is. I think it has to do with the fact that she had such a huge part in Hope. I almost feel like this 3 episode arc could have been pushed into one episode. But I will say, however, that I am glad she's going to find her own place at Star City. Also, it was insanely clever to have Ivy show up at Sherwood Florist, which will be forever missed. RIP Sherwood Florist. We also got to see a glimpse of Nyssa, who is already a total polar opposite to that of Talia. I can't wait to see how those two are going interact in the future, especially when Brcue's life hangs in the balance. All in all, this was a pretty great episode. Despite the confusion I had with Ivy/Hush and Dinah, the major twist at the end, as well as Barbara's huge involvement in this episode made me really enjoy this installment. I do hope, however, that 27 year-old Ivy might resurface in the future? That's what it seemed like, but I don't know what you have planned. Basically, just a great episode all around! Side note: This review mainly focused on story, but I just wanted to commend Chris' writing for this episode. It was stellar, and I had such an easy time reading it because its flow was really well done. So, great job, Chris! Never a disappointment with your scripts!
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I can understand your reasons for deciding to change up the dynamic of the Squad completely - as much as I love "Smallville", some of their depictions of certain characters associated with that team, especially their Deadshot, were certainly lacking. Given the fact you brought in a very different Floyd Lawton before they did, and in my humble opinion, did a much better job, it begs the question how much of their S10 arc applies to "WTR". Hell, you could technically simply replace DS with another assassin for hire in both his episodes in S10! Anyway, back to Alexandra/Dinah, I LOVED the reference to how Checkmate (or it's precursor in the 80s) used her to get to the others, and she still feels like she needs to protect them, as well as her family.