Category Archives: TV Reviews

TV Review – Rick and Morty: How Poopy Got His Poop Back  

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TL;DR – While not a revolutionary episode, it wisely knew that bringing the gang back was the right thing to do as we step back into this universe.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Netflix subscription that viewed this episode.

Ghost Robot.

Rick and Morty Review –

We have a new season of Rick and Morty, a show I have both loved and become frustrated with in almost equal measures. They take wild swings of greatness that leave you awestruck and then follow it up with the most asinine story imaginable. However, we are entering its post-Justin Roiland era, so it is time to see if that changes the game or not.

So to set the scene, it is the first cold open of Season Seven, and suddenly, there is Mr. Poopybutthole (Jon Allen). Reversing his usual appearance at the end of the season, it is a deep despair as things have not gone well with his life. It has gotten so bad that Beth (Sarah Chalke) has put her foot down, and Rick (Ian Cardoni) must do something about Poopybutthole. Well, it is time to round up the team for an intervention. I just hope no one forgot a birthday. And is that Hugh Jackman (Hugh Jackman)? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Continental (The Continental: From the World of John Wick): Theatre of Pain & Full Series – TV Review

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TL;DR – While the final episode sort of sticks the landing, the series is still a bit of a mess when you look at it as a whole.  

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this series.

The Coin Press.

The Continental Review –

If there has been one disappointment this year, it has been the John Wick prequel about how Winston took over The Continental Hotel. So far, it has been full of missed opportunities and convoluted storylines. It was a bland entry into a fascinating universe. However, there is one more episode, and there is still a chance that they can stick the landing.

So to set the scene, it is D-Day as Winston (Colin Woodell) has his team come together to take out Cormac O’Connor (Mel Gibson) and usurp his position as head of the Continental Hotel. However, Charon (Ayomide Adegun) tipped Cormac off that something was afoot and sent his armies to stop it. But it just might be the meddling of the cops, as KD Silva (Mishel Prada) and Mayhew (Jeremy Bobb) start closing in. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Loki: Ouroboros – TV Review

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Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ subscription that viewed this show.

Post-Credit Scene – There is a Mid-Credit Scene.

Rating: 4 out of 5.
Statue of Kang.

Loki Review –

Well, we have finally hit sequel territory with the MCU’s television shows on Disney+, and the first cab off the rack is Loki. I may have been excited about this had this been back in 2021, before the first season and then the follow-up Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania. Now, there is just trepidation. But a solid trailer teased that this might be the season where everything falls into place. But we will see.

So to set the scene, at the end of Season One, Loki (Tom Hiddleston) was kicked through a time door by Sylvie (Sophia di Martino), who proceeded to stab He Who Remains (Jonathan Majors). This has the effect of smashing the primacy of the one timeline, as branches pop up everywhere. Loki is desperate to warn everyone of what is happening, but no one remembers him, and there are statues of Kang everywhere. Now Loki is on the run and might be able to do something about it if he stops time slipping all over the place. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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The Continental (The Continental: From the World of John Wick): Loyalty to the Master – TV Review

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TL;DR – Continued floundering makes those moments when it tries to do something feel lacklustre.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this series.

Staring at a cremation urn.

The Continental Review –

Well, hmmm, I have enjoyed everything we have gotten from the John Wick universe so far. However, last week’s opening, Brothers in Arms, fell flat in many ways. Now, this is only a miniseries, and the first episode was primarily set-up, which means it may take off from this week.

So to set the scene, it was The Bronx in 1955, and two young boys throw a Molotov cocktail through a window under orders, only to find there were people in there. In the present, Winston (Colin Woodell) manages to get in to see his dead brother Frankie’s (Ben Robson) corpse to say goodbye and collect his personal items before it is cremated. It is a focusing moment for Winston, and a plan is formed: it is time to kill Cormac (Mel Gibson). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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C*A*U*G*H*T: Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – While it never truly commits to its absurdist premise, there are moments when it shines.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Stan service that viewed this film.

The Hostages.

C*A*U*G*H*T Review –

There is a version of Australian comedy that takes a very irreverential look at power structures. Where no one is immune from the castigation, it is within this space that we find ourselves today, delving into a geo-political quagmire that only Australia could do.   

So to set the scene, we open on a hostage video in progress as four captured Australian soldiers, Rowdy Gaines (Ben O’Toole), Albhanis Mouawad (Lincon Younes), Phil Choi (Alexander England), and Dylan Fox (Kick Gurry), on the island nation of Behati-Prinsloo plead for their lives. It is heartbreaking as the prisoners are attacked on camera when they don’t follow the script, even more so for the Australian government, which officially states that it has no armed forces in the region. It is a simple call for help … help to survive … help not to be murdered … until the cameras cut, and the four celebrate how good the take was. Now from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Star Wars: Ahsoka – Part Seven: Dreams and Madness – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is time to get our battle on as the many different elements of this show come crashing together.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

the nightsisters

Ahsoka Review –

When I came into this show, my only connection to any of the characters was Ahsoka’s (Rosario Dawson) time in Book of Boba Fett and The Mandalorian, and that probably was not a ringing endorsement. Add to that some more time with Mon Mothma (Genevieve O’Reilly) on Andor, and hey, is that the cool space dad, Captain Carson Teva (Paul Sun-Hyung Lee), who is in everything. I didn’t come in with the passion for these characters that many people did, but I am starting to understand the appeal.

So to set the scene, Ezra (Eman Esfandi) and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) get reunited down on the surface, not knowing that this is part of a trap set by Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) and Lord Baylan (Ray Stevenson) and Shin Hati (Ivanna Sakhno) are chasing at their heels. Up on a space whale, Ahsoka and Huyang (David Tennant) are ready to re-enter this new galaxy, not knowing that the Nightsisters (Jeryl Prescott Gallien, Claudia Black & Jane Edina Seymour) warned of their coming and they have prepared a trap waiting for them. But back in the republic, Hera (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) has to answer for her wilful ignoring of the Council. A court-martial is in her future until she receives aid from an unlikely source. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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The Continental (The Continental: From the World of John Wick): Brothers in Arms – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is a perfectly okay introduction, but by attaching itself to this world, it wrote checks that it has so far been unable to cash.  

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Amazon Prime service that viewed this series.

Standing alone in a crowded subway platform.

The Continental Review –

If there has been one world that has delighted me over the last decade, it has been John Wick and its universe. Indeed, I wrote a whole article on how it was a Masterclass in Visual Storytelling and Worldbuilding. The more we heard about this world, the more fascinated I was with it. However, prequels are always dicey propositions, as we see today.

So to set the scene, it is 1955 in New York City, and a young Winston is learning the hard life that can come from the world he is in. Years later, we find a world of sex, drugs, and club techno as the world sings in a new year. But that is not just any New Year’s Eve party. It is one held in The Continental, and as they countdown to ‘Happy New Year, ’ something goes boom. But there are some rules that you just don’t break. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Lower Decks: Something Borrowed, Something Green – TV Review

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TL;DR – We delve into Orion culture one dagger to the shoulder at a time

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.
USS Cerritos

Star Trek: Lower Decks Review –

The one thing that Star Trek: Lower Decks has worked hard at is finding that middle line between being a comedic take on the Star Trek universe and being a show that would fit in that universe. While you can see that love in every single Easter Egg [there are so many]. But they don’t always get that balance right. Today, we get a fantastic example of what an episode can be when they walk that narrow line.

So to set the scene, the Lower Decks gang is still getting used to the new world where they are Lieutenant (j.g.). It comes with perks like not living in a corridor and being able to finish all your tasks for the day, but it also comes with responsibilities. For Tendi (Noël Wells), that means going back to Orion because her sister is getting married, and Starfleet wants to make a good impression after an Irion ship mysteriously vanished. Tendi is understandably hesitant, even more so when T’Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) and Mariner (Tawny Newsome) tag along. But hey, it is not like her sister will get kidnapped just before the wedding? … Right? … Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Wars: Ahsoka – Part Six: Far, Far Away – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get a story from a galaxy far, far away.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service that viewed this series.

The hyperspace sled approaches the whale graveyard.

Ahsoka Review –

Last week with Shadow Warrior, we got the middle point of the narrative, laying out where everything will be heading. However, while all that was going on, there was part of the story that was absent. The driving force of the season so far. The only question is, was it worth the wait?

So to set the scene, as Ahsoka (Rosario Dawson) and Huyang (David Tennant) hop on a ride from a star whale heading to a galaxy far, far away. Lord Baylan (Ray Stevenson), Shin (Ivanna Sakhno), Morgan Elsbeth (Diana Lee Inosanto), and Sabine (Natasha Liu Bordizzo) rocket into a floating graveyard and the ancestral home of Morgan. But the anticipation does not have to wait for long as the Grand Mothers (Claudia Black, Jeryl Prescott Gallien & Jane Edina Seymour) announce that Thrawn (Lars Mikkelsen) is on his way. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Neighbours (Neighbours: A New Chapter) – S41 Ep. 8904 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This was a fascinating jolt of nostalgia, but I am not sure it has the sticking power to be more than that.  

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

Disclosure – I watched this on 10 Play.

Neighbours Review –

If there is an Australian that has made it big overseas, there is a more than reasonable chance that they spent some time on Neighbours [or Home and Away, but we are not talking about that today]. Guy Pearce, Luke Hemsworth, Cleopatra Coleman, Russell Crowe, Ben Mendelsohn, Liam Hemsworth, Margot Robbie, Natalie Imbruglia, Jesse Spencer, Dichen Lachman, Alan Dale, Daniel MacPherson, and Kylie Minogue, just to name few. So, it was a bit sad when the show came to a somewhat sudden stop last year. In the way that seeing an old cornerstone come to an end, you’ll understand when they finally put Simpsons to rest. But a year later, life has sprung back to Ramsey Street, and it is time to see if this is a rebirth or a lumbering zombie.

So to set the scene, it has been two years since we last checked in to the gang on Ramsey Street, a small cul-de-sac in the suburb of Erinsborough, Melbourne. When we last left the street, everyone was putting on a wedding. Well, time is nothing but a circle because as we meet everyone again, we discover them all getting ready for the next nuptials. Karl (Alan Fletcher) and Susan Kennedy (Jackie Woodburne) are letting their old friend Harold Bishop (Ian Smith) crash at their house. But if there is one thing that sums up Ramsey Street, the more it stays the same, the more it changes as a new family moves in and a mysterious woman, Reece Sinclair (Mischa Barton), arrives at the local hotel. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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