Tag Archives: Orla Brady

VisionQuest: Immolation [S1:E7] – TV Review

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TL;DR – This week reconnected me back to the story with some strong themes, which was important after last week’s outing.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

Vision, and the team try to work things out.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

Today we dive into the penultimate episode of VisionQuest, and for the first time, I am a little worried. I came out of last week’s Deadlock, feeling quite concerned with the direction of the show. Some of the reveals left a bad taste in my mouth. However, Terry Matalas has not done me wrong yet, so I am here to see if he can bring it all together.

So, to set the scene, everyone is working through the fallout of Deadlock, with Vision (Paul Bettany) and Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) trying desperately to save Lisa (Lauren Morais) from the nanobot that Jocasta (T’nia Miller) sent into her brain and is slowly rewriting who she is as a person. Meanwhile, Jocasta and Ultron (James Spader) have made their way to her mortal grave and unlocked five of the six locks needed to unleash her plan of world domination, which is when the mysterious benefactor arrives to both parties, offering them hope, or sending them to ruin. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Deadlock [S1:E6] – TV Review

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TL;DR – There are a lot of responses you can have to an episode of television, but one you never want to hear is “oh…..”.

Rating: 3 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series

A statue of a bird in front of Jocasta's digital house.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

We have reached the end of our penultimate episode drop of VisionQuest as calamities are colliding and the story is heating up. Well, I wish I could say that about this episode; however, one of these did not happen, and I am not quite as hyped as I once was.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Firewall, Vision (Paul Bettany) made a choice that could change everything: he lowered his firewall and let Ultron (James Spader) … and FRIDAY (Orla Brady) … escape into the internet. The last time they pursued the internet they decided to destroy all of humanity [look, fair]. What will happen this time when there is another synth, Jocosta (T’nia Miller), also out there causing trouble? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Firewall [S1:E5] – TV Review

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TL;DR – How do you visualise robots hunting each other down in cyberspace? Well, with a play, my dear.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

The gang in colour in a black and white room.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

Well, we have entered that back half of this series, and so far with No Strings, Theseus, Reboot, & Malware we have gotten a lot of setup, a lot of sheer glances, and a lot of furtive statements. But we don’t have a lot of solid ground, and we are running out of time to stick that hard landing. Will today’s episode prove to be that foundation?

So, to set the scene, well, this is not good. Vision (Paul Bettany) gave Ultron (James Spader) access to his body to stop Jocasta (T’nia Miller) from killing everyone, including Thomas (Ruaridh Mollica). Still, once you give Ultron a crack, he takes a mile. In this case, by locking Vision, EDITH (Emily Hampshire), FRIDAY (Orla Brady), DUM-E (Henry Lewis), & U (Jonathan Sayer) up in the loft he was once trapped in. But sure, they may be in jail, but four AI programs with moxie can still achieve a lot. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Malware [S1:E4] – TV Review

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TL;DR – The pivot point of the season, in many ways.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

A TV bathed in red light showing a mirrored crow taking flight.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

In many modern shows, there can be a pivot point that yanks the narrative in a very specific direction. To use an MCU example, when we found out that Wanda is in control in WandaVision or when Wanda is in control in Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness. Well, today is that time.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Reboot, things were starting to look up. Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) had started to get over his phobia of water, Vision (Paul Bettany) had turned off and on again, and Paladin (Todd Stashwick) found the wrong synth. It was all going well, until FRIDAY (Orla Brady) discovers that something or someone snuck in during the reset. “The Power of Code Compels You” because it is time for a little exorcism. Also, I think you should be taking the anniversary of Sokovia with a bit more interest Vision. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Reboot [S1:E3] – TV Review

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TL;DR – When you introduce a villain in the same show as Ultron, you need to do it as well as this.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

Pixelated fire at the heart of Vision.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

We have now moved into the next batch of episodes with VisionQuest, and after some solid set-up, it is time to get into the meat of the episode. Is what I would be saying if this was not another set-up episode, but when you are setting up such a solid villain, well, I will allow it.

So, to set the scene, at the end of Theseus, things are looking really bad for Vision (Paul Bettany). Paladin (Todd Stashwick) just shot him full of adamantium rounds, breaking his unbreakable case and leaking vital fluids all over the place. He would be dead if not for the fact that Tommy (Ruaridh Mollica) does not like to listen to such advice. But Paladin is under a contract and is not going to stop just because his third attempt to catch Vision failed. But while everyone was watching Vision die, they should have been watching the news for all the murders going around. Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: Theseus [S1:E2] – TV Review

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TL;DR – The show continues to draw me in with its world slowly revealing itself.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

A painting of Vison arising from flames.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

Today we continue our dive into VisionQuest, the third and maybe final in the series of Wanda-instigated Disney+ shows. Each drops a new side of the MCU as they play in their realm of witches and monsters where miracles and tragedy go hand in hand.

So, to set the scene, we find out that when Tommy/Thomas (Ruaridh Mollica) had been held under the water too long, there was a bolt of lightning and suddenly one person became two. Two people, with two lives, and one body. But he is not crazy, because we saw what happened in Maiden Mother Crone; we know the truth, the police don’t. Well, what’s a little avoiding arrest when among friends? Now, from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead.

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VisionQuest: No Strings [S1:E1] – TV Review

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Rating: 4 out of 5.

Disclosure – I paid for the Disney+ service used to view this series.

W+V.

VisionQuest Review Introduction

While I have been keeping up with the MCU movies, over the last few years, I have fallen off the Disney+ TV shows. However, when you see Terry Matalas come in to land the Wanda trilogy, that breaks through, and you need to check it out.

So, to set the scene, since the events of WandaVision, Vision (Paul Bettany) or at least the white rebirthed version of Vision in human form, has gone into hiding in Edinburgh, where he and Wanda hid leading up to Captain America: Civil War. But Vision is not alone; he downloaded many of the old Stark AI programs, including JARVIS (James D’Arcy) and stored them in his quantum processes, where he visits each night. Working with them to become human, well, more human, human-er. But one stored program might come back to bite him: Ultron (James Spader). 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: Picard – The Last Generation and Season Three – TV Review

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TL;DR – They stuck the landing.   

Rating: 5 out of 5.

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

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

The USS Enterprise-D

Star Trek: Picard Review –

The third and final season of Star Trek: Picard has come to an end, and more like any season so far, this felt almost like Star Trek: The Next Generation season 8. There was a little concern coming into the start of the season as to whether they could make it more than just a nostalgia fest. Now, don’t get me wrong, there is a lot of nostalgia on offer here. But there is also a lot of heart. In today’s review, we will first look at whether they stuck the landing with the final episode and then at the season and maybe the series as a whole.

So to set the scene, in Võx, we discovered the terrible secret that Jack Crusher (Ed Speleers) had been holding so tight that even he did not know, he is The Borg. Or at least he had inherited some of the DNA changes The Borg made to Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart). This made him reach out to the voice in his head … The Borg Queen (Alice Krige/Jane Edwina Seymour) herself. Which sets in motion The Borg’s final plan to trigger the Borg DNA inserted in all the young officers and remotely assimilate them using Jack’s ability, and it works. The fleet is taken over, most of those not assimilated are killed, and only Spacedock stands between The Borg and the extermination of Earth. 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: Picard – The Next Generation – TV Review

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TL;DR – A beautiful start to the final season.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5.

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

Commander Seven of Nine

Star Trek: Picard Review –

I have enjoyed the first two seasons of Star Trek Picard, even though they have been very uneven. But I did have some hesitations coming into Season 3 because it felt like the show was dumping most of its supporting cast to give The Next Generation crew one last run. Was this nostalgia going to be a lovely swan song for the final season or an anchor to drag it all down? Well, this first episode makes it feel like it is not the latter.

So to set the scene, we open in the 25th Century as we zoom through a nebula to the SS Eleos XII, where Captain Beverly Crusher (Gates McFadden) is under attack from unknown assailants. After dispatching them but gravely wounded, Beverly sends an encoded message to Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart), a man she has not spoken to in 20 years. Jean-Luc needs to go help his old friend, but how else are you going to do that by bringing in some help from old friends in the form of Captain Will Riker (Jonathan Frakes). Now from here, we will be looking at the episode as a whole, so there will be [SPOILERS] ahead for the show.

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Star Trek: Picard – Farewell and Season 2 – TV Review

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TL;DR – A season mixed with highs and lows, but at least started and ended on a high note.

Rating: 4 out of 5.

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

Jupiter

Star Trek: Picard Review –

We have reached the end of Star Trek Picard’s second season, and as I look back on what has come, I can see great heights and deep valleys. While there were some frustrations, when the season worked, it was some of Star Trek’s best. With that in mind, what we will do in this review is look at how the second season charted its way through and then how it landed with the finale episode, Farewell.

To set the scene, at the end of Hide and Seek, the crew of the La Sirena are no longer the crew of the La Sirena because Raffi (Michelle Hurd) did a deal with Queen Jurati (Alison Pill) where she traded the ship for Seven’s (Jeri Ryan) life. However, before Queen Jurati left, she gave the team a clue about how to save Renée (Penelope Mitchell) and their timeline. The only question is how many more sacrifices will Picard (Patrick Stewart) and the crew need to make to end this final game of Q (John de Lancie). 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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