Tag Archives: Fantasy Television

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Elven Kings Under the Sky – TV Review

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TL;DR – In our first episode back, we take a moment to reacquaint ourselves with the whole band as the world of Middle Earth starts to fall apart.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Forodwaith

The Rings of Power Review –

Back in 2022, a very bold chance was taken. Can you jump back into the world of The Lord of the Rings but only using some of the appendices as a guide? Now, the actual result was quite mixed for people. However, I loved that first season very much, and I am excited to see where we go from here.

So, to set the scene, Sauron (Jack Lowden) was once a great lieutenant for the evil Morgoth, but once Morgoth was defeated, he alone stood to rule the orcs. The orcs had other ideas. So, how did an elf become the human Halbrand (Charlie Vickers) we first met back in Adrift? Back in the present, Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) and Elrond (Robert Aramayo) are racing to find the best use of the new rings when Elrond has Galadriel drawn in front of High King Gil-galad (Benjamin Walker) and the future of the Elves is thrown into sunder. But is Elrond willing to disobey his own king? 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 Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power: Alloyed and Season 1 – TV Review

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TL;DR – I was captured by the joyful sincerity that permeated the whole season.         

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

The Stranger.

The Rings of Power Review –

When I started watching The Rings of Power, I went into it with a moment of trepidation. The Lord of the Rings holds a special place in my heart because they were the first films that made me want to explore all aspects of filmmaking. Their grandeur and majesty were something I had not experienced before then, and for better or worse, they are the benchmark that all others are compared to. It was hard to go back into this world with that weight of expectations. However, I think this new show rose to the occasion. As we get ready for the second season later this week, I thought it was an excellent time to go back and think through that first season and complete the coverage we were unable to do back in 2022.

So, to set the scene, in the aftermath of Udûn and the destruction wrought from the awaking of Mt Doom, everything in the Southlands has changed. Once lands of green fields, farms, and orchards, now ash, fire, and dirt remain. As they change to this new world, the greatest power is at its lowest, and the lives of the elves look to be ending in Middle Earth. But as Galadriel (Morfydd Clark) returns to Celebrimbor’s (Charles Edwards) forge to get healing for a badly wounded Halbrand (Charlie Vickers), they discover that all hope is not lost. Now, from here, we will be looking at the season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.      

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House of the Dragon: A Son for A Son – TV Review

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TL;DR – An episode full of dread and tension as grief moves way to violence and the chaos that walks in its wake.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Binge service that viewed this episode.

Warning – Scenes in this episode may cause distress.

Winterfell.

House of the Dragon Review –

Well, it is time to jump back into the Game of Thrones universe with the next season of House of the Dragon. You can read our review for Season One, but mostly, it was a season filled with grand heights that were crushed by trying to take in too large a time frame over such a short episode run. Well, with things starting to slow down and all the major players in place, I am ready to see how they will work from here.     

So to set the scene, after the Greens mobilised in Driftmark and the Blacks in The Black Queen. Queen Rhaenyra (Emma D’arcy) sent her children Prince Jacaerys “Jace” Velaryon (Harry Collett) and Prince Lucerys “Luke” Velaryon (Elliot Grihault) to deliver messages to the great houses. While on that trip, Luke is set upon by Prince Aemond Targaryen (Ewan Mitchell), and as they dance in the storm, there is a crushing blow of defeat, and Luke is killed in a moment of over-exuberance. A child is dead, murdered, and now there is no hope for peace. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.  

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Prophecy Comes True & Full Season – TV Review

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TL;DR – Some staging issues aside, I am glad to see that Percy Jackson stuck the landing as it brought season 1 to a close.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Percy approaches the tree.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have come to the end of the first and hopefully not the last season of Percy Jackson and the Olympians and what a season it has been. But the critical question we must always ask in the final episode of a season-long story is: Did they stick the landing? Which is slightly more difficult with the God of the Skies is your enemy. 

So to set the scene, at the end of We Find Out The Truth, Sort Of  Percy (Walker Scobell) had a revelation about the whole situation and the oncoming war. For you see, there is someone even more ancient than the Greek Gods stirring, and Kronos (Nick Boraine) is not at all happy with the Gods that defeated him, cut him into tiny pieces, and threw him into Tartarus. I mean, fair point. However, before Percy has time to tell anyone about it or possibly return the Master bolt to Zeus (Lance Reddick), he, Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are confronted by an angry Aries (Adam Copeland) out for blood. We will be looking at the episode and season as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: We Find Out the Truth, Sort Of – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is time for things to come together and for answers to be given … maybe …

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Hades' Palace

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

We are getting to the pointy end of the season, and we are about to dive into the penultimate episode of the season. It is the time when you have to stop holding your cards close to your chest and to use the metaphor from We Take a Zebra to Vegas, you have to go all in. Well, I am not sure we quite get that, but maybe something close.  

So, to set the scene, after being given a hint as to where there might be a portal to the underworld, our gang of Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) just have to get by Procrustes or as he likes to be known Crusty (Julian Richings), kin he may be to Percy, but danger is his game. But no matter what your obstacles are, walking into the underworld is no mean feat. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: We Take a Zebra to Vegas – TV Review

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TL;DR – We’re in Vegas baby, so surely everything is going to go well, and nothing will derail their plans at all.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Grover pokes his head out of the top of the truck.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Time is coming close to the end, and the quest does not have long to run, which makes things complicated when The Gang are stuck in the middle of America with everyone up to the FBI on the lookout for them, monsters on the hunt, and some pissed off gods. I mean, if there is time for a Hail Mary, this is it.

So to set the scene, since meeting Aries (Adam Copeland) in A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers, our gang of Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) have taken a lorry smuggling animal to Las Vegas, because if they have one chance to get their quest done in time they need to find Hermes (Lin-Manuel Miranda). I mean, one god in all of Las Vegas, how difficult could that be? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.   

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: A God Buys Us Cheeseburgers – TV Review

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TL;DR – This is the episode where the quest, the gods, and the half-blood’s stories all coalesce together in a way that makes it the strongest episode so far.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Gateway Arch smoking.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

There is one thing that can make or break your show, movie, video game, or even radio play, and that is the casting. It is so important to find people who can embody the characters and bring them to life. Add in the added pressure of playing new interpretations of old characters, and you have a recipe for disaster. But as we see today, this might be Percy Jackson’s biggest strength.

So to set the scene, since feuding with the Chimera at the top of the Gateway Arch and maybe causing a bit of destruction to a national monument in I Plunge to My Death, our gang of Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) are forced to start hitchhiking as the cops are starting to get suspicious about them. But their day goes from bad to worse when Annabeth spots The Fates (Joyce Robbins, La Nien Harrison & Cindy Piper), and a gentleman (Adam Copeland) in a motorcycle rides up to them. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Plunge to My Death – TV Review

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TL;DR – A more contained story that brings with it strengths and weaknesses.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

The Gateway Arch

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

When you have a ticking timebomb with regard to your quest, you need to start moving it. Indeed, our team has to make it across the continental USA in a couple of days, or all is lost. I just hope you don’t have a wave of upset monsters and feuding gods chasing after you.

So to set the scene, after tangling with the Medusa in We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium, the gang  Percy (Walker Scobell), Annabeth (Leah Jeffries), and Grover (Aryan Simhadri). Decide to hop on a train to make up some missed time. But things start looking dire when their train cabin is trashed while they are out to breakfast. Good thing there is a friendly lady (Suzanne Cryer) that can help … right … ? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: We Visit the Garden Gnome Emporium – TV Review

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TL;DR – We get a slightly updated look at a tragic story.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Starting a quest.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, we have been running through this story at a decent clip. I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher was all about introducing us to this world, and I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom set up Camp Half-Blood. But episode three is here, and it is time to go on a quest, I sure hope nothing untoward happens.

So to set the scene, after declaring that there is a quest, Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) is sent to visit The Oracle (Jennifer Shirley), who reveals what is coming but also that a friend will betray him. Well, all Percy needs to do is pick the two people who will come with him on the quest and without thinking, he chooses Annabeth (Leah Jeffries) and Grover (Aryan Simhadri). Okay, a quest is starting, and they need to get to Los Angeles, but wait, why are they taking the bus and not a plane? We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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Percy Jackson and the Olympians: I Become Supreme Lord of the Bathroom – TV Review

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TL;DR – We build on the foundation and enter the fun world of Camp Half-Blood.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Post-Credit Scene – There is a mid-credit scene.

Percy sits in front of a fire.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, our first episode, I Accidentally Vaporize My Pre-Algebra Teacher, was all about dipping our toes into the universe of Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and the world of hurt that is coming for him. In the follow-up, it is time to rip off that Band-Aid because we are diving into the deep end with the gusto of a charging Minotaur.

So to set the scene, Percy wakes up from a dream with his mother (Virginia Kull) gone and Grover (Aryan Simhadri) looking down on him. He is not in the city anymore, for he is in Camp Half-Blood, a place that is safe for people like him. It might be the only safe place on Earth. Well, as long as he can survive a beat down from Clarisse La Rue (Dior Goodjohn), the daughter of Aries. We will be looking at the episode as a whole from here, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.    

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