Tag Archives: Jason Mantzoukas

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Demon Pigeons Attack [S2E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Despite some forced tension, the episode shines with a thrilling chariot race and heartfelt godly moments.

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.

A swarm of Stymphalian Birds.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

A couple of days ago, we looked at the first part of this opening introduction to Percy Jackson’s second season: I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals. We talked about how it felt like the first part of an opening episode. Well, today we take a look at that second part where things ratchet up in tension as the real threat comes into view.  

So, to set the scene, Tantalus (Timothy Simons) is ruling Camp Half-Blood like his own fiefdom, which is getting in the way of everyone wanting to go save Grover (Aryan Simhadri) and secure the Golden Fleece. But Percy (Walker Scobell) and Annabeth (Leah Sava Jeffries) think they have found a loophole in the rules, thanks to the chariot race, that should let them go on an official quest. Well, that was the idea, but a cryptic warning from Chiron (Glynn Turman) and the sudden swarm of Stymphalian Birds put a wrench in their plans. 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: I Play Dodgeball with Cannibals [S2E1] – TV Review

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TL;DR – Our first episode is very much a ‘get all our ducks in a row’ kind of narrative, but I didn’t mind because the cast take it in their stride.

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.

Clarisse La Rue arrives.

Percy Jackson and the Olympians Review –

Well, it is good to say that it is time for some more Percy Jackson and the Olympians. I was honestly delighted with everything that Season 1 had to offer, as it showed just how important casting is for a show. Well, now we are back for round two, and I, for one, can’t wait to see what the Sea of Monsters has going on. I mean, I know because I have read the books, but the sentiment still stands.  

So, to set the scene, it has been a year since Percy Jackson (Walker Scobell) and his friends Annabeth Chase (Leah Sava Jeffries) & Grover Underwood (Aryan Simhadri) stopped a brewing war between the Gods by discovering that one of their fellow campers, Luke Castellan (Charlie Bushnell), was a thief and was manipulating Olympus into open warfare. While Percy has been away from camp, he has tried to keep up with his friends, but when he dreams that something has gone terribly wrong on Grover’s hunt for the lost god Pan, he must get back to camp right away. Only, is he able to take Tyson (Daniel Diemer), the cyclops his mother, Sally (Virginia Kull), befriended through the barrier that stops monsters? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Prodigy – Ouroboros, Part I, Part 2, and Full Season – TV Review

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TL;DR – A beautiful end to a season, and hopefully not an end of a series.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

A time portal opens up over Earth.

Star Trek: Prodigy Review –

Alas, we have come to the end of the second and hopefully not last season of Star Trek: Prodigy. What a season it was. We will take some time a bit later to explore the season as a whole, but before that, we need to dive into this incredible season finale that went places I was not expecting at all.

So, to set the scene, after Asencia (Jameela Jamil) attacked the USS Voyager-A and the USS Protostar, it became clear that something had to happen before she did irreparable harm to The Federation with her time weapons. The problem is that Starfleet is already spread so far that there is no one else about to get out that far to help them. The combined crews need to stop them fast because, little do they know, Asencia has captured Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) and mined his mind for secrets she can use to cause galaxy-wide chaos. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode and season as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Prodigy – Ascension, Part I & Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – Honestly, wow, I was sitting on the edge of my chair for the whole episode.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The USS Voyager-A and the USS Protostar.

Star Trek: Prodigy Review –

Have you ever been sitting watching a show and suddenly thought, “Hey, whatever happened to [insert important plot point here]”, only to get slapped in the face with that plot point a few moments later? Well, if you have ever had that happen to you, then you will know what I felt like as we jump into the episode today.  

So, to set the scene, after getting the USS Protostar back into orbit during the Last Flight of the Protostar and a number of struggles, we finally get back into contact with the USS Voyager-A. While Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Chakotay (Robert Beltran) get a moment to reconnect, things go from bad to worse. First, Starfleet wants them back to Earth so that they can deal with the Protostar themselves. But before that can happen, a danger from the past comes back with a vengeance. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Prodigy – Last Flight of the Protostar, Part I & Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – It is time to escape a world and find who we are.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

The Protostar sails across the planet.

Star Trek: Prodigy Review –

After a season-long hunt for one Chakotay (Robert Beltran), there was always going to be a question of whether the series would be able to stick that landing. That is a huge emotional weight with a payoff that is needed given they are a legacy character … and you know what, I think they did it.    

So, to set the scene, at the end of The Devourer of All Things, as the time vultures circled in, there was only one hope left for the future. That was our team of Dal (Brett Gray), Gwyn (Ella Purnell), Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Zero, Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui), and now also Maj’el (Michaela Dietz) had to jump through a portal to places unknown. Good news: they found the USS Protostar and Captain Chakotay. Bad news: they are stuck on a sand bar on a K-class planet and have no way to get off it. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Prodigy – The Devourer of All Things, Part I & Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This two-parter was a clear love letter to Star Trek.   

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

USS Voyager-A over a planet

We are at the midway point in Star Trek Prodigy’s second season, and what a season we have had so far. We have swapped around holograms, had conversations with whales, been led by mysterious foes, and also discovered that The Doctor (Robert Picardo) 100% has written at least one enemies-to-lovers holonovel. However, everything is about to shift under their feet, and I can’t wait to see how.

So, to set the scene, after taking some shortcuts through an abandoned Borg Transwarp Conduit and stopping to get Zero (Angus Imrie) a real body. The team of Dal (Brett Gray), Gwyn (Ella Purnell), Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Zero, Murf (Dee Bradley Baker), and Rok-Tahk (Rylee Alazraqui) have arrived at the coordinates in the nebula hoping to find a clue from Chakotay (Robert Beltran). But when they find a planet hidden in subspace, things take a turn. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be some [SPOILERS] ahead.

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Star Trek: Prodigy – Into the Breach, Part I & Part 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – This was a joyful jump back into this world that you can clearly see was made with love.  

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Starfleet Academy.

Star Trek: Prodigy Review –

Well, the first season of Star Trek: Prodigy was a bit of an odd duck. It was first meant to be on Nickelodeon, then Paramount+, then even then we couldn’t get it out here, then dropped weirdly, and then it was cancelled on Paramount+ and removed from the service, which was a stupid choice, only to CBS to shop it around and get it picked up by Netflix. While it has been a wild ride to get to that point, I am glad we had it because it means we can look at the first two episodes of the second season today.    

So, to set the scene, after the end of last season, Dal (Brett Gray), Jankom (Jason Mantzoukas), Zero (Angus Imrie), Rok-Tanh (Rylee Alazraqui), and Murf (Dee Bradley Baker) have landed on Earth and have been taking classes to prepare them for the entrance exam to Starfleet Academy. They are not technically cadets yet, but they could be. But when Admiral Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) has a mission for them, they jump to join, especially when they see the new USS Voyager-A. Meanwhile, Gwyn (Ella Purnell) is taking the long trip back to her homeworld on a mission to stop the coming civil war from ever happening. 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: 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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Twisted Metal: Season 1– TV Review

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TL;DR – It could have been more intense, but it becomes a surprisingly interesting car chase when it gets going.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

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

Warning – Contains scenes that may cause .

St Louis behind a wall.

Twisted Metal Review –

It is a very odd time for video game adaptations, where we are oscillating wildly from adaptations that still feel embarrassed about their source material to those that are perfect recreations. In this shifting dichotomy, we get Twisted Metal, a game that I think few have considered since its PS2 days, bar that image of the clown. But the question is: can you turn that into a compelling narrative? Well maybe.

So to set the scene, 20 years ago, the world fell apart as a virus destroyed the world’s computers. This apocalyptic event split the world in two. Some walled themselves up inside cities, and those who got booted outside. It is a lawless void, but people must still take supplies between the cities. Insert the milkmen, of which there is no better than John Doe (Anthony Mackie). But it might be worth driving into the unknown when he is allowed to find a home. Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead. 

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