Karen’s Pull List: Series 01, Issue 06 – For the WE 10/29/16

Time for Karen’s Pull list! I took a week off due to real life issues, but I’m back now, and ready to talk about the week in comic book TV. There be spoilers within, so proceed at your own risk!

The Walking Dead 7×01 – The Day Will Come When You Won’t Be

Grade: 10 Mixed Sucked Nuts

• You picked a fine time to kill them Lucille
  Well, we finally got the payoff to last season’s cliffhanger. Negan’s threat was carried out, and the victims of his “vampire bat” were revealed. Abraham was the first to go, with a defiant “Suck my nuts,” as an epitaph. Then Darryl decided to fight back, which led to another brutal attack, this time aimed at Glenn.
  Negan taking out two members of the cast was a great payoff to the cliffhanger from hell in Season 6, and I have to hand it to the showrunners, they brought it. I’m sad to lose both Abraham and Glenn, but ultimately, their deaths will lead to huge character developments in many other people on the show, and I think the story will benefit.
• He’s a Rick and he’s drowning slowly
  Negan wasn’t done with his new band of misfit toys after that, oh no. He knows how to read people, and he’d singled out Rick as their leader early on. After the carnage was over, he dragged Rick into his trailer and took him on a merry ride.
  He has to assert himself as the alpha so Rick’s group will be broken for good, so he removes them of all their goods, and has Rick go and retrieve them – namely an axe – in a field full of walkers.
  Rick manages to weakly fight through the infected while he has flashbacks to the terrifying incident they just all lived through. It was an amazing way to play out the events on film, and I loved it.
  
• It’s a new day
  After Rick was put through the ringer, his last task was to take the aforementioned axe and cut off Carl’s hand. For those that read the comics, I’m thinking this was an homage to the fact that, by this time, Rick has already lost his hand to the Governor.
  At the last minute, a sadistic Negan stops him from the amputation, and leaves them there to sit amongst their dead friends. Maggie goes into an impassioned rage and wants to kill Negan and his men. The rest of the group calm her a bit while they take the bodies away – and Rick has a strange vision of his entire group, including the people they’ve lost, having a holiday-like dinner.
  It reminded me a bit of the Lost finale, and I’m truly wondering where they’re going with that vision. Very artsy-fartsy, but also thought-provoking.

Supergirl 2×03 – Welcome to Earth

Grade: 8 Biased News Articles

• Goodness, Gracious, Great Walls of Fire
  The President is coming to town, but someone has nefarious plans. I guess it’s a good thing Supergirl is near because she’s able to foil them with a patented Wonder Woman twirl! The guy from the Krypton pod has just escaped from the DEO, so of course the perp MUST be him, amirite?
  They (the DEO and Kara) track him down as he tries to signal Daxom, his home planet, and take him back into custody. While he’s there, another attack is carried out – and Kara is red-faced.
  Krypton and Daxom were bitter enemy worlds when they existed, and she jumped to all the wrong conclusions because of that bias. She owns up to her mistake, and they have a mini-bonding session as common refugees on earth. He calls himself “Mon-El,” which is weird, because… well, I’ll save that for another time.
  The actual evil-doer is a really minor character from the early JSA days named The Scorcher, but my theory is that she was just a red herring. My prediction is that she was a hit-man for hire, and the victim may have had more to do with the hit than we might imagine.
• There’s a new BAMF in town.
  Oh yeah! Maggie Sawyer! How awesome was she? Floriana Lima jumped into the role like she has always been Maggie, and OWNED it. Also, the sparkity sparks with Alex… HOTNESS INCARNATE. Maggie and Alex didn’t want to see the value in each other at first. It’s like they just knew they’d be getting in over their heads if they admitted any vulnerability. Subtext within subtext. Loved her.
• Notice what happens to POTUS?
  As I alluded to in the first bullet point, we saw that President Marsdin isn’t all that she appears. I personally believe that she has some very bad intent when it comes to National City and perhaps even the Earth. Our four-show crossover is looming, and with it comes our big bad – The Dominators. One of my theories is that she may be a genetically modified Dominator, using the Act to allow her race to “colonize” the planet.
  Another theory, posed to me by my “The Fandom Zone” co-host, Charles Skaggs is that she’s a White Martian (Marsdin/Martian) and since they’re the “bad” Martians, they would also have nefarious plans.
• A Sorta Familiar Face
  Just before the episode ends, we’re introduced to M’gann M’orzz, a.k.a. Miss Martian, the last daughter of Mars. She’s slightly wary to show her true self to J’onn, and rightly so. Although she appears to be a green martian, like J’onn, she’s actually a white martian. I’m guessing this will get complicated down the line.

Gotham 3×06 Follow the White Rabbit

Grade: 8 Maniacally Repeated Phrases

• Half of six in one hand, a dozen in the other
  Okay, that was a confusing storyline title, and it was meant to be. James was being tormented by Jervis Tetch/Mad Hatter throughout the episode, as he was given a series of choices to be made. They all resulted in great harm coming to the participants – at Jervis’ hand, although he was trying to rest the blame on James’ shoulders.
  A young boy vs. a newly married couple, a doctor vs. a journalist, and then Valerie vs. Lee. In the end, he chooses Lee to be shot by Jervis, which I think is a calculated move. Knowing Jervis, James figured he’d switch to Valerie, and that way he had a doctor to help save her. 
• We need to talk…
  The bromance between Oswald and Ed has become a little bit more to Oz. The hug we witnessed last week led to some feelings that the Mayor is determined to share with his right hand man. At first, he chickened out, but later on, he invited Ed to dinner at the mansion, and ever the polite guest – he offers to bring a bottle of wine. We’re left with the image of Oswald practicing his confession over a full dinner table, just waiting for his guest to arrive.
• Is a bella right for Ed?
  Meanwhile… while choosing wine, the apparition of Kristen Kringle appears to Ed. She chats with him, reveals her name as Isabella, and then shares a riddle. A short scene that brings up so many theories and questions. Is she real? Is she a relative of Kristen come to take revenge? Will Ed blow off Oswald’s dinner? Will he show up with Isabella in tow? Does that mean Oz will finally flip on Ed or even take out his anger on Isabella? So. Many. Questions!

Lucifer 2×05 Weaponizer

Grade: 9 “Accidents”

• Bloody Brothers
  There’s a new brother in town, and he’s causing trouble. Uriel wants to carry out his Father’s wishes and take his Mother back to hell. He tells Lucifer he’s going to take away what their dad “gave him” if he didn’t hand Charlotte over.
  He’s apparently the jealous brother, and he takes great pleasure beating up both Amenadiel and Lucifer (and also Mazikeen). He’s also not really going to take Mom back to hell, he’s going to use Azrael’s sword to OBLITERATE her. Instead, during the big fight between Uriel, Lucifer, and Maze, he drops the sword – Lucifer picks it up and stabs his brother. 
• Enter the Conrad
  The murderer in the ‘case of the week’ ended up being Ryan Goldburg, a talent manager – played by Phil LaMarr. I’m just using this bullet point to give props to Mr. LaMarr, who is a prolific voice actor. One of my favorite roles he’s voiced is Hermes Conrad in Futurama.
• A present from Dad
  I’m fixated on Uriel’s comment about Chloe being given to Lucifer by God. I’ve been under the impression since early Season 1 that Chloe may be partially other-worldly – unbeknownst to herself. It would explain how she weakens Lucifer when he’s around him. This comment that Uriel threw out probably went way under the radar, and it may not even mean anything, but it seems like another clue to me. My theory is strengthened a bit when Uriel’s machinations to kill her are foiled by Chloe herself in the end.
  
• Odd Bondage
  Throughout the episode, Lucifer and Dan found common joy in the movie series in which the murder victim was the star. They had a few instances of man-bonding which I found hilarious, and Chloe found disturbing, yet oddly adorable.
  …
  …
• “Welcome to Deviltime”
  Lucifer thinks he needs a catchphrase, and this is what he tries out. BEST. SCENE. EVER.
  Lucifer: “Welcome to Devil Time.”
  Chloe: “What are you doing?”
  Lucifer: “Trying out my new catchphrase.”
  Dan: “Welcome to Devil Time? What the hell does that mean?”
  Lucifer: “She knows what it means.”
  Jamie Lee: “I have no idea what that means.”
  

The Flash 3×04 The New Rogues

Grade: 8.5 awkward situations

• I may not know Snart, but I know what I like
  While this bullet point is a discussion of the main storyline, I want to take a second to mention how great it was to have a flashback in order to see Wentworth Miller as Leonard Snart. I want him back full-time!
  Mirror Master is one of my very favorite “Rogue” aka Flash villain, so I was looking forward to his appearance in this episode. For the most part, I enjoyed Grey Damon’s (and the showrunner’s) take on the character, even though it’s not my favorite incarnation of the villain. Harry actually gave the nod to “my” Mirror Master – who happens to use a gun in order to manipulate mirrors.
  The Top was also in this episode, but I wasn’t enamored with her. There was absolutely no relation between her portrayal and the character in the comics, but even so, she was fairly one-dimensional. She wouldn’t have passed the Bechdel test.
  The special effects used in this hour were amazing. I’ll point out the time that MM used the side of the building to travel as one of the outstanding graphic elements that wowed me. Fantastic.
  The Rogue of the Week storyline is really just to encapsulate Barry training Jessie IMO. And I’m more than fine with that. He realizes how much he’s learned about mentoring from Oliver, and how much he actually sounds like the man in green leathers now.
• Now you’re playing with portals
  The team decides they want Harry to stay, but he and Jessie need to go back to their Earth. He offers to help Cisco and Caitlin open a portal and send out a beacon with a test in order to get a worthy Wells to reply. They get responses from four potentials, and they’re all pretty funny. There’s Wild West Wells, Steampunk Wells, French Mime Wells, and then the Wells they end up keeping, what people are calling “Hipster” Wells. I prefer Goofball Wells because Hipster… yuck.
• Killer Crystals?
  Caitlin has been affected by Flashpoint in that she now has meta-human powers. Like her Earth-2 counterpart, she can manipulate molecules in order to generate ice-spikes from her hands. She’s also beginning to change into her base physiology, which means she’s surrounded by permafrost. She’s not going able to hide her abilities any longer.
  The first character to be Killer Frost in the comics was named Crystal Frost, and I wondered if she’d take that as her alter-ego name, since hopefully she won’t be evil…
• Close, but not THAT close
  Barry and Iris are truly a thing. Joe has always been team Biris… Irie… Wallen? Alest? ugh, whatever we’re calling them. The kids are pretty discreet, but since they live under Joe’s roof, he sometimes has a front-row seat to some smooches. He’s getting a little squidgy about it, and after some very awkward convos, Barry decides he’s going to move out, again.  

Agents of SHIELD 4×05 – Lockup

Grade: 8 Quentin Carnival Posters

• Minimum Security
  We’re moving along in the story with Lucy, Eli, and the rest of the ghosts. Lucy & co. are converging on the prison in which Eli is being held while our heroes try to intercept them and save Eli themselves. While SHIELD makes it to the man first, Lucy herds him into an ambulance when Robbie’s Spirit of Vengeance rears it’s ugly head in order to reap the soul of a gang member.
  The guy is the last surviving member of the gang that caused the accident that crippled Gabe, Robbie’s brother – so it’s a double temptation for the pull of Ghost Rider’s Vengeance.
  I know some viewers were wondering why he would stop to kill the gang member, but he is compelled by the Spirit that’s taken over his body to reap souls. When he has a personal connection, it’s magnified exponentially. He really had no choice but to stop and take his soul.
  Eli has been taken to the ghosts’ hideout, and now he’s being told to read the Darkhold tome. If you want to know a bit more about the book, I gave a little backstory in our roundtable discussion here.
• The Director and the Detector
  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Emma is still being subjected to lie-detector tests. She has to tell Fitz to stop telling her things because she might give something away during these sessions with the diagnostic expert. She mentions facial micro-expressions as ‘giveaways’ when someone is lying, and how she’s easy to read.
  After Simmons has been tested, she’s asked by Mace to hold his hand through a televised interview. She feeds him information through an earpiece until he decides to go off-book and out himself as an inhuman.
  Once they get back, Mace discusses putting her through more polygraph tests because of “anomalies,” in her previous tests, and calling back to her conversation with Fitz, she tells the Director that she noticed some of his tells during the interview, and that he might not be the big hero that he’s been lauded to be. With that hanging over his head, he calls off any future testing, and bling blam, she’s off the hook. Good for you Emma!
• Mass <Hysteria> Media
  As was mentioned in the bullet point above, Director Mace outs himself as an inhuman live on television while Senator Nadeer is also present. Since she’s not only a strident opponent of inhumans but also a backer of the Watchdogs organization, he’s going to have to watch his back. Especially now that he’s had a secret pow-wow with her where she seems to have even more of an agenda than before.

Arrow 5×04 – Penance

Grade: 8 Pieces of Baggage

• The needs of the one…
  Okay, my main pet peeve about this episode (and I actually like the episode overall), is that Ollie and Lyla decide – on their own, without Diggle’s consent – to break him out of prison. Mind you, this just happens to be non-time-sensitive, at a time when Star City could really use it’s Mayor and head vigilante. But hey, it makes for a good story, so I’ll allow the hand-wave.
  Ollie and Lyla come up with their plan without Felicity’s help (since she doesn’t condone the mission), and they go in hot. They break him out ARGUS/Ninja style and use an anti-molecular compound that apparently eats through anything (except the container in which it’s held) to high-tail it through a hole in the floor of his cell.
  Once he’s out, they stash him in a cozy hideout that was once the HIVE base. It’s lookin’ pretty fly now though, kind of a groovy vibe to it. Dig is okay with being out of jail even though he was being a bit of a martyr before, and it seems like he and Lyla (and John Jr.) are gonna get comfy. For now…
• Bait & Switch – then get them to the Church on time
  The Arrow-ettes help Ollie to take down some low-level thug who’s stealing from Kord industries. Short aside – I know Brandon Routh was supposed to be Ted Kord, but I’d like to actually get a Blue Beetle already. Can we make that happen? They slightly bungle things, but get the bad guy and the evidence anyway. They call an uber (or so Curtis alludes) to take him and the stolen goods to the cops.
  Curtis later makes a comment about the Kord Ind. booty being a chip that anybody can get their hands on, so why would Church’s guys want to steal it? Why indeed. I could (and you probably could too) see this coming down Main Street. He just needs something that they’ve gotten their hands on to be put in evidence lock-up, and he’s definitely accomplished that. His guy put whatever explosive device they had in the stolen chip container, so when it was settled in lock-up, he triggered it, and blam – easy access. Cue sad trombones, or Price is Right loser sound, or whatever you prefer.
  Church gets in, grabs lots of armaments, and gets out with anything he wants. So far, he’s killing it on the bad guy front. Ollie’s still out of reach, but our little band of misfit toys decide to get the stuff back from Church anyway. Luckily, Rory decided to return to the team after bugging out over the whole ‘Felicity killed my family’ thing. They go in to Church’s hideout, and end up saving the day with the help of Lance and the ACU – at the expence of Wild Dog – who ends up strung up and being tortured by the end of the episode.
• Bratva Break-in
  The Bratva flashbacks continue as Ollie is the sole remaining recruit, where he has the third and final test to pass. Anatoli drives him to the local ‘precinct’ so Ollie can do a drunken stumble and get hauled in. While in the holding cell, he has to question a guy about Kovar. He does a great job – you can see how close he is to becoming the Oliver we know in the present – and after he gets the information, he kills the snitch.
  Finally, Anatoli welcomes him to the Bratva organization, and they share a drink from his flask. We’ll see how they’re going to deal with Kovar later.

Legends OT 2×03 – Shogun

Grade: 8 hidden compartments

• The Family Feud
  Okay, Nate isn’t ready for time-travel. I’ve said it. Ray saved his life by injecting him with a modified version of the Nazi serum, and it gave him the power to turn his skin into steel. While training – in a tiny compartment that was against the outside wall of the ship – Nate breaks through the wall of the Waverider and gets pulled out into space. Since Ray is in his suit, he pushes down his visor and charges after him.
  They land in Feudal Japan because of course they do. Nate, who is enthralled with history, keeps giving away the fact that he’s from the future, even if the people of the village don’t pick up on it.
  He can’t control his new power either, which totally backfires when he confronts the Shogun to try and save the girl who, let’s face it, he’s kinda got the hots for. He ends up getting stabbed for his efforts.
  Mr. Shogun found Ray when he arrived in another part of the area, and stole his Atom suit. Even though it wasn’t made to fit him, he seemed to be able to use it effectively against our band of legends. When the other time-travelers arrived to help, they fought off the Samurai while Ray and Nate have their face-off with their leader, but the only way to defeat him is to completely ruin Ray’s Atom armor. Bye bye pretty shiny costume.  
• Compartmentalizing
  Back on the Waverider, Jax and Dr. Stein work on fixing the damage that Nate did, and in doing so, Jax realizes that there’s a hidden compartment that he wasn’t aware of. Thanks for the head’s up Rip! Martin can’t resist checking it out, so the duo finds it and enters – and it’s full of armaments… and a computer display that spits out a message from future Barry “The Flash” Allen. The message is apparently something for Rip’s ears only, so they decide to keep it from the rest of the crew… for now.
• The Sword of a Generation
  Oh, did I happen to mention that Masako and Ichiro Yamashiro happen to share the last name of a recurring character in the Arrow universe? Yeah… that katana is pretty famous.
• The beginning of a… beautiful? friendship
  Vixen, having found Hourman dead in the last minutes of the previous episode – saying that a time-traveler killed him – has stowed aboard and is determined to kill Mick, because of course the Legend turned bad guy is the perp. Jump to conclusions much, Vixen? She’s pretty good on getting the jump on most of the crew, but Citizen Steel (aka Nate) stops her with his new powers, and they talk her out of killing Mick. She helps them in Feudal Japan, and bickers with Mr. Rory through the whole episode. It’s pretty cute actually, and I’m guessing we’ll see more of this sandpapery relationship.

Luke Cage 1×04 Step in the Arena

Grade: 9 huge afros

• Rackham? I hardly knew ‘im
  This whole episode is a flashback to Luke’s time in prison, with a very small bit of present-day action to get him out of Genghis Connie’s peppered throughout.
  We’re told the story of the racist guard named Albert Rackham who runs an underground “Fight Club,” where he pits the prisoners he deems ‘disposable’ against each other to essentially fight to the death. He’s especially threatened by Luke, since he’s a former cop and seems to be unafraid of the guards. Of course he hides behind his bluster, making it seem like he’s a tough guy – and he only sends his goons after Luke – he never goes in to do the dirty work himself.
  We learn that this is where Luke learned to hate Shades, as he’s one of Rackham’s lackeys. This is before Luke got his indestructible powers, so when Shades and Comanche put the hurt on him, it really hurts.
  He’s close to death when he reaches the infirmity, but the prison doctor has an ace up his sleeve. He’s been experimenting with rapid healing techniques, so he tries it on Luke. Rackham interrupts the procedure, planning to burn Luke alive in the liquid, but all that does is make the tank explode – killing Rackham and the doctor, and giving Luke his powers.
  Carl Lucas is about to get his superhero name as he bashes his way out of prison. He makes his way to Riva, and she helps him change his look and find the name “Luke Cage”. He grabs some clothes from a clothesline on the way, and it’s a complete copy of his outfit from his 1970’s comic book incarnation – Power Man, Hero for Hire. LOVED. IT.
• Doctor’s pet
  While in prison, the guys attended group therapy led by Riva Connors. She is his safe haven while in prison, she convinces the doctor to save his life, and then helps him after he escapes. We also know that she becomes Luke’s wife later on – so she’s a very important part of his life. She essentially made Luke what he is.
• Coming out… of the rubble
  In a mirror to his Prison Breakout, Luke pounds his way out of the rubble after Connie’s got bombed to nothing last episode. He and Connie survived, and he gets them out with some injuries on Connie’s part. I’m glad that the couple survived. I like them so far. I’m not watching ahead, so please don’t spoil it for me if they bite it!
  With all the reporters at the scene, there were enough witnesses to his strength and durability that Luke finally had to tell people who and what he’s about. Badass Dude.

Some thoughts from NiceGirl Ange:

I’m really sad to see not only Tyler Hoechlin’s Superman/Clark Kent leave town, but also Calista Flockhart’s Cat Grant. I’m going to not only miss the sharp truths that she delivers but also her relationship with Kara. The scene where the two are saying goodbye seriously gave me all the feels and the scene where she tells Kara to toughen up and prove herself to her new boss is one of my favorite scenes ever. Come back soon Cat!.

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Coming Next Week:

Luke Cage 1×05: “Just to Get a Rep” (Netflix)

Cottonmouth strikes back at Luke by taking his vengeance out on the people of Harlem, while detective Knight and Scarfe face an unexpected threat.

Sunday:

The Walking Dead 7×02: “The Well” (9pm ET on AMC)

For a number of familiar faces, a new, well-established community seems too good to be true.

Monday:

Supergirl 2×04: “Survivors” (8pm ET on CW)

When Kara (Melissa Benoist) and Alex (Chyler Leigh) investigate the murder of an unregistered alien, the trail leads to an alien fight club run by Roulette (guest star Dichen Lachman), the ringmaster who commands aliens to fight in mortal combat for the entertainment of rich humans. While trying to stop the fighting, Supergirl and Martian Manhunter find themselves up against a surprising opponent. Meanwhile, Hank (David Harewood) is thrilled to have found another Martian and tries to get to know M’Gann (guest star Sharon Leal) better. Supergirl takes Mon-El (Chris Wood) under her wing and begins to train him.

Gotham 3×07: “Mad City: Red Queen” (8pm ET on FOX)

After coming in contact with a substance by the hand of Mad Hatter, Jim Gordon gets led on a psychedelic trip and must confront his past, present and future. Meanwhile, Penguin struggles with Nygma’s new relationship in the all-new episode of GOTHAM.

Lucifer 2×06: “Monster” (9pm ET on FOX)

Guilty and self-destructive, Lucifer clashes with Chloe during an investigation, leading her to team up with Dan instead. Meanwhile, Amenadiel bonds with Charlotte, and Maze takes Trixie trick-or-treating in the all-new episode of LUCIFER.

Tuesday:

The Flash 3×05: “Monster” (8pm ET on CW)

CAITLIN CALLS ON HER MOTHER FOR HELP WITH HER GROWING META POWERS — Desperate to understand what is happening to her, Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) visits her mother, Dr. Tannhauser (guest star Susan Walters), a renowned biomedical researcher, in the hopes that her mother can provide some answers about Caitlin’s growing meta-human powers. However, when Dr. Tannhauser treats her daughter like a test subject, Caitlin grows cold and brings up past wounds causing the two to have a major blowout. Meanwhile, after a mysterious new meta-human attacks Central City, Barry (Grant Gustin) tries to convince Julian (Tom Felton) to let him assist on the case.

Marvel’s Agents of SHIELD 4×06: “The Good Samaritan” (10pm ET on ABC)

Robbie’s shocking story on how he became Ghost Rider is finally discovered as Coulson and his team’s lives hang in the balance.

Wednesday:

Arrow 5×05: “Human Target” (8pm ET on CW)

When Tobias Church (guest star Chad L. Coleman) captures and tortures one of Oliver’s new recruits, Oliver must turn to an old friend, Christopher Chance (guest star Wil Traval) AKA the Human Target, for help. Meanwhile, Felicity’s (Emily Bett Rickards) worlds collide when Detective Malone (guest star Tyler Ritter) joins the ACU.

Thursday:

Legends of Tomorrow 2×04: “Abominations” (8pm ET on CW)

When the Legends discover a time Aberration in 1863, they find themselves fighting for survival during the Civil War with Confederate soldiers who have been turned into zombies. With the Civil War outcome hanging in the balance, Jax (Franz Drameh) must participate in a daring mission by going to a slave plantation with Amaya (Maisie Richardson-Sellers). Meanwhile, Sara (Caity Lotz) begins to feel the burden of the decisions she has to make as the leader, and Ray (Brandon Routh) struggles to find his purpose on the team.