Game of Thrones, Season Eight, Episode Two, A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms Review: Final Happy Moments.

In the recent seasons of Game of Thrones, the show has lost a lot of the stakes it had previously.
While in the first five seasons it felt like any character could die, after that point the good guys have won victory after victory to the point that, even though the series is still good, it makes the series a much less intense experience.
But I feel that this episode “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms”, directed by David Nutter, may be the final truly “happy” episode the show gives us.
There are so many moments in the episode where characters are given preparations for the conclusion of their arcs in heartwarming scenes.
Theon returns to fight for Winterfell and is reunited with Sansa, Jorah convinces Dany to give Tyrion another chance as Hand of the King, Sam gives Jorah his sword, and Grey Worm and Missandei decide to go to Naath once the fighting is done.
While these are all heartwarming scenes they all present major death flags for the characters, giving these joyous scenes a sense of finality.
By far the best of these scenes is the one when Jamie knights Brienne, with terrific performances from Nickolaj Coster-Waldau and Gwendoline Christie.

The two actors really sold their connection but, again with the sense of finality the scene presents, I doubt Brienne is going to last that long.
I can honestly see her dying to protect Jamie next episode, along with Theon (Alfie Allen), Grey Worm (Jacob Anderson) and Jorah (Iain Glen).
Still, if these characters do die, at least they got some heart warming scenes before their deaths.
Not every scene in the episode is heartwarming though, as Jon (Kit Harringtom) tells Dany (Emilia Clarke) the truth about his parentage and she feels threatened because this means his claim to the Iron Throne is better than hers.
This seems to be laying the seeds for the tragedy of their relationship that is sure to follow.
Honestly though, I find it pretty funny how they both just learnt they have been committing incest and their main focus is still the Iron Throne.
However, not all the scenes in this episode are great because there is one that feels quite awkward.
This is the sex scene between Arya (Maisie Williams) and Gendry (Joe Dempsie).
Even though the scene makes sense, it feels a bit weird watching a character who was a little girl at the beginning of the series do the dirty.
Although, as others have pointed out, Arya has murdered multiple people across the series and we were all okay with that so this says something about those of us who were uncomfortable about it.

Arya and gendry.jpg — The sex scene between Arya and Gendry feels a little weird but we have seen far, far, far, far, far, far worse things on this show.

But there is one criticism I do have that I think is legitimate and that is Tormund Giantsbane (Kristofer Huvju).
Since his introduction, Tormund has turned into more of a comic relief character, to mostly great effect
In “A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms,” however, his jokes got really repetitive for me and almost ruins the scene where Jamie knights Brienne.
Overall, this episode is about on point with the season premiere.
It is mostly fan service, with a sense of finality, that is preparing us for the inevitable heartbreak that will come with the 82 minute episode next week.
Might need the tissues for that one.

The Walking Dead Season Nine Review: A Return to Form.

Seasons seven and eight were the weakest of The Walking Dead.
Full of bottle episodes and with an incredibly slow structure overall, these two seasons really should have been merged into one.
So, in order to bounce back, the show needed to deliver a fantastic ninth season and, boy, did it.
Scott Gimple was replaced as showrunner by Angela Kang who brought The Walking Dead back from the brink, adapting one of my favourite story arcs from the comics perfectly.
However, going in I did have my concerns, what with this season being the final one with Andrew Lincoln as Rick Grimes.
I was afraid the show would not be able to sustain itself without Rick but, thankfully, I was dead wrong about this.
Not only did Rick get a good sendoff in episode five “What Comes After,” but Daryl (Norman Reedus) works as the new lead after Rick’s departure.

Rick's departure — Rick got a good sendoff with episode five, and I am interested to see how his movies will turn out.

The season gets better from there with the New Beginning story arc, which saw a six year time skip.
From here, the season delivers great episode after great episode, only faltering with episode seven “Stradivarius,” which is not a bad episode but is much slower than the others.
By far the best part of this season, for me, is how the new characters from the comics are made even better that their comic book versions.
For example, I care for every member of Magna’s group in the show, while in the comics the only one I care for is Magna (Nadia Hilker) herself.
Connie (Lauren Ridloff) is an especially fantastic improvement on her comic book counterpart.
Then there are the Whisperers who are even scarier than they are in the comics, especially Samantha Morton as Alpha who knocks it out of the park.
I doubt that anyone could play this role better.
Finally, for characters, there is Judith (Cailey Fleming).
After Carl died in season eight, which is the stupidest decision the show has ever made, the series had lost one of its central pieces.
One of the main themes of The Walking Dead is how children grow up in a land of the dead and, with Carl gone, so was this theme.
Enter Judith in season nine, who so far, in my opinion, manages to be a better character than Carl and I cannot wait to see what else the writers decide to do with her.

Judith Grimes.jpg — The little ass kicker herself is the new Carl for this show and it is going pretty well so far.

Then there are the episodes themselves, which are stellar, as stated.
The best episodes of the season, though, came towards the end, with episodes 14 “Scars” and 15 “The Calm Before” being absolutely fantastic.
These episodes were investing, dark, and some of the best episodes of the entire series.
Overall, I would say The Walking Dead can manage just fine without Rick.
However, Michonne (Danai Gurira) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) may be another story because both are set to depart next season, which is concerning.
But Maggie is supposed to be returning so there is that.
I am also a bit concerned about how the Whisperer Arc will be handled in season ten, because, after the horrifying pike scene of episode 15, I believe the arc started to go downhill a bit.
Hopefully, the show will be able to improve on this arc in season ten just as they did with season nine.
If you stopped watching The Walking Dead after seasons seven and eight I would recommend you start watching again because the show has returned to its former glory.
I just hope that it stays there.

Attack on Titan Chapter 117 Predictions.

What is Marley’s plan of attack?

At the end of Chapter 116, Marley’s military arrived to bring the fight to Eren.
However, they must have some trick up their sleeve if they hope to defeat him.
Marley has three Titan Shifters and a large amount of soldiers ready to fight but this still may not be enough.
This is why I think it is a possibility we could see a repeat of Chapter 92, where Marley will turn a bunch of Eldians into Titans, which could motivate Zeke to transform those who ingested his spinal fluid when he arrives.
Although, if Marley does use regular Titans then there will be nothing to stop them from attacking their own soldiers and Titan Shifters so this might not happen.
I have also seen some speculation that Marley may have perfected ODM Gear from the one Zeke stole from Miche in the Clash of the Titans Arc.
If the Marleyan soldiers can now use ODM Gear then this would give them a much better chance of winning.
Still, I believe their main form of attack will be the Warriors, who may actually be able to defeat Eren, despite his War Hammer Titan abilities.
This will probably be because of Reiner, who is more motivated than ever to beat Eren.
Besides, Reiner has lost to Eren in all of their fights so it is about time he won.

Will Eren use his War Hammer Titan?

Eren ate the War Hammer Titan all the way back in chapter 104, and in Chapter 110 we saw he could use its abilities when he broke out of prison.
So, despite Eren’s Titan form not looking any different when he transformed at the end of “All Creation,” he still clearly has those powers.
This makes it almost certain that he will use them in his battle with the Warriors and the Marleyan Military.
The question is how?
Some have theorized that Eren will use the War Hammer Titan power to create two blades like those in the ODM Gear, which he has used before so that makes sense.
We have also seen that the War Hammer Titan is capable of creating long range weapons like crossbows so I can definitely see Eren shooting the airships out of the sky.
However, we do not know how skilled Eren will be with these powers, considering he only got them recently.
While it certainly will come in handy, I do not think we can expect to see Eren on the same level as the previous War Hammer Titan quite yet.
If he somehow is though, then this will undoubtedly make the battle terribly one sided in Eren’s favor.
Whatever the case, I think we can expect to see the full extent of Eren’s capabilities with the War Hammer Titan power very soon.

When will Zeke arrive and what will he do?

Eren will be going up against three Titan Shifters in the next chapter so he will need all the help he can get.
Thankfully, his half-brother, Zeke, is currently on the way with Floch and the other Yeagerists.
I think this will most likely be the cliffhanger of Chapter 117 or 118, with Eren about to be overwhelmed and defeated only for Zeke to jump in and help at the last minute.
This would be a nice payoff to the scene where Zeke promised Eren he would save him and it would also be interesting to see how Zeke interacts with his former allies turned enemies.
I am the most curious about how he will interact with Pieck, considering he was the closest to her when he was on Marley’s side.
If Pieck is going to die, then this could lead to a sad scene where Zeke actually eats her to stop her from interfering.
This is just speculation though.
What I do think will happen is that Zeke will also play a role in destroying the airships with Eren, because his main attack is a pitching throw with rocks.
If this is the final battle, I also think we can expected to see Eren and Zeke finally initiate their plan once this battle is over.
However, since I think Eren is manipulating Zeke, this plan may not be what Zeke intends and he will probably be betrayed.

How will the scouts escape and what will they do?

Since this is most likely the final battle, then the scouts will definitely play a part in it.
In order to do that though, they have to escape from their prison cell.
This may or may not happen in Chapter 117 but it will almost certainly happen during this battle.
Coming back to my earlier theory, I believe Onyankopon will be the one to free them because there has been a lot of hints that he does not fully trust Yelena.
In the chaos of the battle he will probably run to free the Scouts.
As for Niccolo, he will most likely help Sasha’s family escape from the battlefield, while the scouts fight.
About what they will do during this fight, even though they are questioning Eren’s methods, they will still have no choice but to side with him during this battle.
In fact, Armin’s Colossal Titan could be enough to tip the scales in Eren’s favor, along with Zeke.
No matter what happens though, I think this could sadly be the last time we see a few of these characters, which leads me to my next point.

Death Predictions.

Some characters are going to die in this battle.
Whether these characters are major or minor, it is inevitable.
It just remains to be seen who these characters will be.
Starting with the scouts, the most likely candidates here are Connie and Jean, who are not as important to the story as Armin and Mikasa but whose deaths would still get an emotional gut punch, especially Jean.
However, I think that Connie may be the most likely to die here, even more so if Zeke gets involved.
Isayama has set up a possible fight between the two since Zeke turned Connie’s entire family into Titans and Connie said he was looking for an opportunity to fight him in the Uprising Arc.
Since Zeke is an important character though, if he and Connie do fight then I see Connie losing and probably dying.
Eren, Mikasa and Armin are also too important, like Zeke, so will not be dying any time soon.
Then there are Yelena, Onyankopon and Floch, who are all minor characters and could possibly die at any point.
Moving onto the Warriors, I think Reiner and Porco are safe for now.
Porco still needs to meet Historia and have his antagonism with Reiner resolved, and Reiner will most likely die when Zeke turns Falco into a Titan and Reiner sacrifices himself to save him, which I do not think will happen next chapter.
Pieck, on the other hand, could die.
She is handcuffed to Gabi and will not transform until she is uncuffed because it would kill her.
If she does get free though, she is still at risk because her Titan is the weakest and, unlike Porco and Reiner, I do not see anyway she can grow, even though I do really like her character.
As for Gabi, she is in the middle of a character arc so she is not dying.
Falco is another story, however, because he, and the others who have consumed Zeke’s spinal fluid, will most likely be turned into Titans soon.
Unless Reiner does sacrifice himself to save him, then I think Falco will most likely die soon.
His brother, Colt, is also fair game because his character does not seem to have a point.
Finally, there is Magath who I think is safe for the time being because he clearly has a role to play, although I do not know what that role is.

My Concerns.

Now we come to the portion of the predictions where I lay out my concerns for the endgame of the series.
If you read my review for Chapter 116, you know that I am currently against this being the final battle.
The reason for this is that there are at least four major characters with unresolved storylines far away from this battle.
Those characters being Levi, Hange, Historia and Annie.
In my opinion, the only excuse an important character has for not being present during the final battle is if they are dead and none of these characters are.
It has also been a very long time since we have seen Historia and Annie so Isayama needs to bring them back into the story soon.
So, this fight possibly being the last one does have me concerned.
I would say that there is a chance this may not be the final showdown but, in all honesty, it has all the hallmarks of being that.
The characters are back in Shiganshina, where it all began, almost all of the Titan Shifters are present in this fight, and Zeke is on his way to meet Eren, which is currently the driving force of this final arc.
As a result, I find it unlikely that this is not going to turn out to be the last battle of the series, which is worrying because many of these characters’ storylines are unresolved at this point.
I am especially concerned that the missing characters will not reappear until the epilogue, which would be bad writing for a lot of them, especially Annie.
Her return has been hyped up for a long time so, if she only reappears during the epilogue of the story, it will feel like her character was completely wasted and that Isayama had absolutely no idea what to do with her.
If it is the final battle of Attack on Titan, then Isayama needs to find a way to include the four important characters who are missing.

And that is the end of my predictions for Chapter 117, which I will review when it is released. On another note, be sure to check out my reviews for the episodes of Attack on Titan Season 3 Part 2, which returns on April 28. This part of the anime with be adapting The Return to Shiganshina Arc, which is my favourite arc in the manga so far. I cannot wait to see how it is adapted and sharing my opinions with you.

Game of Thrones, Season Eight, Episode One, Winterfell Review: The End Begins.

After a long wait, the final season of Game of Thrones has finally begun with its premiere episode, “Winterfell.”
Anticipation has been building for months now to see how what is arguably one of the greatest TV series of all time will conclude, and the first episode of this conclusion does not disappoint.
If there is any single word to sum up this episode then it would be reunions, because there is a bulk load of them.
Jon and Arya, Jon and Sam, Tyrion and Sansa, Arya and the Hound, Arya and Gendry, Jamie and Bran, the list goes on.
As a result, “Winterfell” is a set-up episode to the coming battle with the Night King and his undead army, and we will probably have to wait another episode to get that battle.
Still, what we get in this episode is nothing short of great and really shows how fantastic Game of Thrones is with character drama.
All of the reunions and meetings that happen in this episode are well done, with many of them being reminiscent of the very first episode of the series.
I found the best of all the reunions to be the one between Sam and Jon, where both Kit Harrington and John Bradley gave magnificent performances.
Bradley is touchingly sympathetic as Sam in the scene where he learns his father and brother were murdered by Daenerys (Emilia Clarke), which leads him to tell Jon his true parentage.
Jon takes it as well as can, learning that not only had his father lied to him his entire life and that he is the true heir to the Iron Throne but also that he slept with his aunt.
Kit Harrington sells the conflict, anger and sadness Jon is feeling in this scene brilliantly.

Jon and Sam.png — The scene between Jon and Sam is the best of “Winterfell,” with both Harrington and Bradley giving great performances.

Unfortunately, this scene and others in “Winterfell” seem to be highly hinting at Jon and Dany being at odds later.
This is nowhere more apparent than when Sam asks Jon, “you gave up your crown to save your people. Would she do the same?”
Only time will tell if Jon and Dany will stay united in the same cause, but I sense a tragedy coming, what with the Night King approaching and Cersi (Lena Headey) scheming.
Speaking of her, Cersi’s scenes in this episode continue to show how conniving she is, with her having Euron (Pilou Asbaek) fetch the Golden Company to deal with Jon and Dany’s army after they are finished fighting the dead.
In a small twist she even has sex with Euron to ensure his loyalty, and even goes as far to send Bronn (Jerome Flynn) to murder Tyrion (Peter Dinklage) and Jamie (Nickolaj Coster-Waldau).
However, this last act does seem to go a bit against her character.
While her wanting Tyrion dead is nothing new, the idea that she would want to kill Jamie just feels weird to me because, although they are on opposite sides now, I never got the sense she wanted him dead before.

Cersei is unlikable as ever in the season premiere, even if her wanting Jamie dead does not make sense.

Sadly, this is not the only flaw I had with the episode because Theon (Alfie Allen) returns to rescue Yara (Gemma Whelan) from Euron’s clutches.
This scene felt a little rushed and odd, given that Theon somehow knew where Yara was, and it felt like Theon’s mission of the final season was going to be to rescue her, but now that is done.
Other than this though, “Winterfell” is still a great episode that also delivers on a few tense scenes to remind the audience of what is at stake.
After escaping from the Wall, Tormund (Krisofer Hivu) and Beric (Richard Dormer) run into Edd (Ben Crompton) and, after a pretty good comedic moment between them, find the horrifying scene of a young lord brutally murdered by the Night King and placed up in a display as a warning.
The night is certainly coming to Game of Thrones.

Tormund and Beric.png — The scene where Tormund, Beric and Edd discover the killed boy, who comes back as a Wight and attacks them, reminds the viewer of the horror that is to come.

The episode ends with Jamie arriving at Winterfell and seeing Bran (Isaac Hempstead Wright), in what will probably be the most awkward reunion of the final season.
In all seriousness though, I doubt Bran hates Jamie now because he is the Three Eyed Raven and seems more emotionless.
In the trailer for next episode we see Jamie being put on trial, in a sense, but I believe Brienne will speak up for him by maybe convincing him to tell the truth about why he killed the Mad King.
Although, we did not actually see Brienne this episode from what I can recall so we will have to wait and see.
Either way, “Winterfell” was a great way to kick off the season and sets up a lot of the relationships and conflicts that will be sure to come to a head in the great war with the Night King in the next few episodes.

The Walking Dead Issue 190, Storm the Gates, Review: Welcome but Rushed.

In my review of the previous The Walking Dead issue, I criticized the Commonwealth Arc heavily for how aimless and mediocre it had been so far.
Coming into Issue 190, “Storm the Gates,” I was expecting it to be more of the same, so I was pleasantly surprised when I saw this issue could be a step in the right direction.
It is not spectacular or anything, but it does give me hope that the Commonwealth Arc might just get better.
Although, I have had false hope with this arc before so we will have to wait and see.
I will also admit that I was wrong about something I criticized Robert Kirkman for last issue, this being artificial tension.
I thought the Walker herd in that issue was just a way for Kirkman to create some pointless tension in a slow story, but the herd actually has a story point in “Storm the Gates,” with the herd attacking the Commonwealth.
The reason it got so close to the community before being spotted, is because Pamela called her troops back after Mercer was arrested, which is another case of Kirkman wonderfully showing Pamela’s incompetency.
The approaching herd leads to Rick, Mercer and the others. having to all hide in the buildings while the herd walks around, until Maggie arrives with her deus ex machina army to save the day.
Although I did like that the herd actually serves a point in this issue, a lot of the storylines here seem pretty convenient.
Rick and Mercer are somehow able to get the Commonwealth’s 50,000 civilians inside their buildings in a matter of minutes?
Then there is Maggie’s arrival with her army, which is a complete deus ex machina, but one that moves the plot forward.
I feel I should also mention one panel where Magna is looking down at Maggie and something about the artwork here looks a little off.
That said, the rest of Charlie Adlard’s artwork is stunning as usual.
After the Walker herd are defeated, Rick and Mercer plan to finally talk with Pamela, only for her to march in with her army from Greenville and accuse Rick of trying to usurp her.
Rick tries to convince her this is not the case but she is too paranoid to believe him, ordering her troops to attack in a panel similar to the ones when Negan attacked Alexandria, and the Governor attacked the prison, bringing an end to the issue.
This cliffhanger was a very welcome one for me because it finally looks like it is going to create some interesting consequences, possibly even some deaths, in the next issue.
Coming back to Magna, she shares a scene with Yumiko, which highlights their relationship, that has me believing one of them may bite the bullet.
However, while I do welcome this cliffhanger, it does feel very rushed to me on a story level.
Pamela was somehow able to organize an army in Greenville, a community probably a long way from them, in a matter of hours.
Not only this, but her accusing Rick of trying to take over feels very forced.
Up until this point, Pamela has trusted Rick, especially after he killed Dwight to save her life, so her suddenly thinking Rick wants to become leader of the Commonwealth comes out of left field, even if it does finally get the story rolling.
Overall, this was an average issue with various positives and negatives.
I hope that the next issue follows up on its promise of action and excitement, rather than reversing all of this like it did with the antagonism between Rick and Michonne.

Pet Semetary Review: Sometimes not Spoiling a Movie in the Trailer is Better.

I said in my review of Shazam that you needed to look no further than the new Pet Semetary‘s trailers to see how bad trailers have become when it comes to spoiling movies.
I can distinctly remember watching the second trailer for this film and being infuriated by many huge spoilers there were.
The trailer showed a huge twist in the film that deviated from Stephen King’s original book and its first adaptation, which could have shocked and horrified audiences in the theater if it had not been in the trailer.
What’s worse is that I can tell by watching the film that the directors, Kevin Kolsch and Dennis Widmyer, wanted this twist to be a surprise because of how many red herrings they put in place.
So, for this huge surprise to be ruined in the trailers is very disheartening to me, and shows that trailers really need to be more like Shazam and Avengers: Endgame‘s going forward.

Amy Seimetz’s reaction to the twist in the film was basically my reaction to seeing this twist spoiled in the trailer.

Moving onto the film though, beside the aggravating spoilers, Pet Semetary is a solid adaptation of Stephen King’s original novel.
It follows Louis Creed (Jason Clarke), his wife Rachel (Amy Seimetz) and their two children, Ellie (Jete Laurence) and baby Gage, as they move to their new home in Maine, the centerpiece of all things horror when it comes to Stephen King.
After Ellie’s cat Church is killed by a truck, Louis’ neighbor Jud Crandall (John Lithgow) shows him the misspelled Pet Semetary, a cursed place where dead things come back to life when buried there.
However, after Church is buried and comes back from the dead, it becomes clear that he is not the same and something evil now controls him.
From there, Louis’ life spirals out of control when a tragic event leads him directly back to the Pet Semetary, where more evil continues to rise from the grave.

church the evil cat.jpg — From undead cats to ghosts, *Pet Semetary* has plenty of unnerving supernatural forces in its story to creep you out.

The film is as scary as it sounds, with a lot of gore and scares to keep the audience on the edge of their seat.
Then there is the acting, which is great across the board, especially from Jason Clarke and Jete Laurence, as the father and daughter.
The performances make you care for the characters more, which makes it all the more horrifying when the film reaches its third act and builds to its pulse pounding conclusion.
However, Pet Semetary is still far from perfect.
Along with the trailer spoiling almost everything, there are a few things that feel a bit unnecessary in the film.
For example, this weird ritual is set up in the beginning with these creepy kids who go to bury their pets at the Pet Semetary, but it is never addressed again.

creepy kids.jpg — Seriously, what was the point of those creepy kids at the beginning of the film?

Coming back to the ending, while it was a well done and a scarier deviation from the original novel and film’s ending, and that is saying something, it does feel a bit rushed.
I distinctly remember thinking that’s it? as soon as the credits started to roll, because the film ends so abruptly.
Pet Semetary is still a good time though, with a lot of creepy moments and great performances across the board.
Just under no circumstances watch the trailer because then you will not feel the shock and horror at the twist the directors wanted.

Shazam Review: Darker than Expected… but that’s a Good Thing.

Trailers spoil everything these days.
You need look no further than the Pet Semetary trailer to see how bad things have become, in terms of them spoiling large twists in the film.
Which is why it is such a relief when watching Shazam! because so many exciting twists and turns in the story are left for viewiers to see in the film.
The main feature the trailers focuses on is Shazam!‘s synopsis, as most trailers should do.
Directed by David F. Sandberg, the film follows a boy named Billy Batson (Asher Angel) who is given superpowers by an ancient wizard (Djimon Hounsou), which he obtains whenever he shouts the wizard’s name “Shazam!”
It also conveniently gives him the body of an adult male super hero whenever he does this, played expertly by Zachary Levi.
The switch between Asher and Levi is great, with Levi doing a fantastic job as a kid in a superhero’s body, pretending to be the adult he looks like.

Zachery Levi.jpg — Zachary Levi is magnificent as Billy’s super hero form, with him often ending up in hilarious situations by trying to act like an adult.

The other characters of the film are also great with Billy’s foster family all being likeable and well cast, especially Jack Dylan Grazer as Freddy.
Then there is the villain Thaddeus Sivana (Mark Strong) who is the best villain the DC Extended Universe has given us so far.
You perfectly understand why he is doing what he is and one particular scene he leads in is surprisingly horrifying.
Shazam! is, after all, a family film so to see something that pushes those boundaries is very surprising and, again, made me glad it had not been spoiled in the trailers.
It was undoubtedly my favourite scene of the film.

Mark Strong.jpg — A boardroom scene where Mark Strong’s interrupts is surprisingly dark for a family film so prepare your children when you go in.

Shazam! is also great with its humor, delivering many hilarious scenes.
As well as this, the movie gave us some sadly realistic messages about family with Billy’s search for his mother, which is dealt with in a mature and well thought out way that made me feel for him.
There are a few plot holes here and there but, while these are noticeable, they do not hinder the experience all that much.
Overall, Shazam! is one of the DCEU’s best films, alongside Wonder Woman.
It is funny, mature, and full of surprises.

Attack on Titan Chapter 116, Heaven and Earth, Review: The Final Battle Begins… Already?

After the fantastic chapter 115, I could not wait to see what Hajime Isayama would do in Chapter 116 of Attack on Titan, “Heaven and Earth.”
Needless to say, it certainly delivered a lot of surprising moments.
I made some predictions about Pieck’s plan in confronting Eren, and where Reiner and Porco were, but I was completely wrong about all of this.
However, rather than being excited at this surprising reveal of what they were all planning, it instead left me concerned about the end of the series.
I will get to the reason for that soon but first I want to talk about Yelena and her interactions with the jailed Scouts.
It has been a while since we last saw these characters so I was glad to see that Isayama brought them back into the story, especially with Mikasa’s reaction to Eren’s cruel words in Chapter 112.
She appears to still be numb from it all, and Armin’s comments about this lead Jean and Connie to two different interpretations of Eren.
While Connie believes that Eren has lost himself and needs to be taken down, Jean believes there must be some reason Eren is doing all this.
Naturally, I think Jean is right here because I still cannot see Eren just turning on Mikasa and Armin like that without a very good reason.
Then, Yelena and Onyankopon walk in and we get more revelations about their characters.
Connie demands that Onyankopon let them out but it seems he is fully on Yelena’s side, telling them they have to stay in their cells until Eren and Zeke meet.
However, I still have my doubts as to whether Onyankopon is truly on Yelena’s side.
At worst, I would say he is conflicted and will most likely come around and release the Scouts from their imprisonment while the chaos is ongoing.
I think this because Onyankopon seems to be against a lot of the things Yelena is doing, like when she shoots one of their fellow soldiers Grior.
But, that said, the jerk completely deserved it after the cruel things he said about Sasha to Niccolo.
It is also a pretty gory panel when he gets shot, with his brains splattered everywhere, and will most likely have to be censored in the anime.
As to why Yelena kills him, she does it in an attempt to gain the group’s trust about their plans to save the world.
She also tells them about Zeke’s euthanasia plan, and it has an interesting reaction from Armin, to say the least.
He breaks down into tears and says he is moved by Zeke and Eren’s noble plan.
I think there are two possibilities why he does this.
The first is that this is some kind of reaction from Bertholdt through Armin, but the second, and what I think to be the most likely, is that Armin just realised Eren’s actual plan and is relieved to discover he has not turned on them.
Before we can get any more information on this though, they are all interrupted by the alarm being raised after Pieck infiltrates the Yeagerists.
Moving on to her scenes with Eren and Gabi, this is where both the best and worst moments of the chapter were.
Getting the positives out of the way, Pieck was the highlight of the chapter.
I said in my predictions for Chapter 116 that Pieck had to have a plan to capture Eren, and, boy, does she.
After holding Eren at gunpoint, Pieck admits she cannot shoot him and acts like she wants to come over to his side, offering to expose Reiner and Porco if Eren takes her to the roof.
Eren does this, handcuffing Pieck to Gabi so she will not try anything funny.
This leads to a funny scene where Pieck meets Yelena and comments on how she is missing her beard from when she trapped Porco and her.
The humor does not last though, because, in an intense scene, Eren demands to know where the enemies are, only for Pieck to point at him.
Then Porco bursts from below Eren in his Jaw Titan form, biting off his legs and forcing him to transform.
The buildup to this moment was stellar, and even more so on my second reading because Isayama subtly places Porco among the Yeagerists when Pieck and Eren are passing through.
However, this is just the beginning because Marley’s forces have arrived, with Reiner, Magath and Colt also preparing to take the fight to Eren, in what looks to be the final battle of the series.
If this is the big final battle though, I am very surprised to see it starting now because I thought it would be at least a few chapters before this happened.
The reason I thought this is because there are so many characters with unresolved plot lines.
Hange is off somewhere caring for an injured Levi, Historia is still pregnant under questionable circumstances, and Annie is still in the goddamned crystal.
These are all characters who are important to the story and yet are nowhere near this final battle, which I find very concerning.
Granted, I do not think Isayama needs these characters to be involved here to make a great ending, but it would be incredibly disappointing to me if these characters did not play a role in how the series ends.
Still, Isayama could find a way to bring them all into the story here but I have my doubts.
Either way, I am not going to hold this against the chapter right now because my concerns have not been realised yet.
What I will hold against the chapter though is Pieck’s backstory.
I said in my predictions post that I was hoping to get some backstory on Pieck because she is one of my favourite characters introduced after the time skip, yet we know almost nothing about her.
Sadly, this backstory had a big problem.
When Zeke’s backstory was revealed in Chapter 114, I criticized it for being too similar to Reiner’s.
Now Pieck’s backstory is too similar to Annie’s, with her father pushing her to become a Warrior to make their lives better, only to feel guilty about it and now Pieck wants to help him.
That is Annie’s backstory to a t.
Still, this was only a small moment so it did not completely ruin Pieck’s character, but it does feel like Isayama is running out of ideas when it comes to character backstories.
Overall, despite my concerns, “Heaven and Earth” is still a great chapter that starts what may be the final battle of the series.
I can only hope that Isayama incorporates the missing characters into the story’s ending somehow.

The Walking Dead, Season Nine, Episode 16, “The Storm” Review: An Interesting Finale.

The Walking Dead season nine came to a close with its season finale this week, “The Storm”, in a surprisingly anticlimactic end to a fantastic season.
That is not to say “The Storm” was a bad episode but, compared to the other finales the series has had, the episode did not have that much of a climactic feel.
This does makes sense though, considering the episode is following the shocking pike scene from “The Calm Before.”
In fact, “The Storm” not only lives up to its name by a being a continuation of “The Calm Before” title, but by also featuring a snow storm, the first in The Walking Dead show’s history.
This is surprising when you look at how many snow storms have been in the comics, but hey, better late than never.
The previous lack of snow is more than made up for in this episode, with the snow storm being the main threat the characters face.
This new threat, combined with the characters dealing with the aftermath of the pike massacre make for some compelling moments.
For example, the scenes between Carol (Melissa McBride) and Ezekiel (Khary Payton) were touchingly tragic, with Henry’s death having driven them apart.

It is tragic to see Ezekiel and Carol’s relationship plummet after the death of Henry and makes me wonder what the future holds for them.

It made for a sad contrast, with their relationship being established at the beginning of season nine, only for it to end in the finale.
The fall of the Kingdom basically represents the fall of their relationship.
Speaking of Carol though, the way she and Lydia (Cassidy McClincy) interacted was great.
I especially liked Lydia’s growth through her battle with suicidal thoughts in the aftermath of Henry’s death and being ostracized by many of the other survivors for her mother’s actions.
The big highlight of the episode though is definitely Negan (Jeffrey Dean Morgan), with him taking another step towards his redemption.
After Judith (Cailey Fleming) is lost in a snow storm searching for Daryl’s dog, Negan is the first to give chase and eventually rescues her, even though he gets hurt.
His line that she “wanted more Negan time” was a great moment from him that showed the connection between the two.
It honestly feels like the connection Negan had with Carl in the comics, so I am glad the show found a way they could keep that alive, even with Carl being dead.

I am loving how Negan’s redemption arc is being played out in the show, especially Judith’s role in it.

As for the rest of the episode, it was fairly standard.
With the Kingdom having fallen and the Sanctuary not living up to its name, the group are forced to make their way through Alpha’s territory to get to safety but nothing all that massive comes from it.
It is revealed later in the episode that Alpha (Samantha Morton) and the other Whisperers left for winter, however, this does not make much sense to me because wouldn’t it be winter everywhere else?
In any case, the scene with her and Beta (Ryan Hurst) is basically just a reminder that they are still in the story so does not offer much weight.
However, The final scene of the finale definitely does as someone attempts to communicate with the group on the radio they have set up.
I heard rumors that Rick would be on the radio so it was a bit disappointing to not hear his voice, but I am not going to let my expectations influence my opinion on the episode.

I was sad to realise Rick was not on the radio, however, we still have *The Walking Dead* movies, where he will appear, to look forward to.

As to who was on the radio, there has been a lot of speculation.
Most people think it is Maggie and this is the way the show will bring her back, but I personally think it is Stephanie, who is a new character that will be in the next arc, after the Whisperers.
This means, when they are finally dealt with, we will be getting the Commonwealth arc, which I am kind of dreading because of how lackluster this arc has been so far in the comics.
Whatever the case, this cliffhangers is still better than many of the other ones we have had in the series.
I am looking at you “Last Day on Earth.”
Overall, “The Storm” is a decent season finale, and director Greg Nicotero did a good job with it.
Not a lot may have happened, but it was still better than some of the other season finales and was a good way to wrap up season nine.
And, with how great this season was, I am eager to see how season ten will turn out.

The Promised Neverland Season One Review: I am Hooked.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding The Promised Neverland, both during and since its release.
I heard so much hype surrounding it that I started watching the anime half way through the season and I was not disappointed.
The series instantly hooked me with its gripping concept, characters and direction, resulting in an incredibly intense first season.
Based off the manga of the same name by Kaiu Shirai, and directed by Mamoru Kanbe, The Promised Neverland is set on an orphanage where 38 children live with their “mom” Isabella (Yuko Kaida), until they are eventually adopted.
Our three main characters are the energetic Emma (Sumire Morohoshi), the intuitive Norman (Maaya Uchida), and the sly Ray (Mariya Uchida), who are the smartest of all the children.
However, their happy life is completely shattered when they learn a dark truth about the orphanage and their so called mom.
The three then begin to plan an escape with some of their siblings, all while evading the ever watchful eye of Isabella, who will do anything to stop them getting away.

emma and isabella.jpg — Watching Emma, Norman and Ray desperately attempt to outsmart Isabella makes for a very intense viewing.

All twelve episodes are great and full of many intense moments.
Even something as simple as tag is made scary in this series.
What amplifies the tension is how much you grow to care for these children.
Emma, Norman and Ray are all very relatable and well performed by their voice actors.
As for the other children, their adorableness makes you feel instant horror at the thought of them staying at the orphanage with the manipulative Isabella.
Speaking of which, she is a very intimidating character, being able to switch between the personalities of a loving mother to a cruel warden in an instant.
As for the secondary antagonist Sister Krone (Nao Fujita), her nightmare inducing facial expressions will keep you up at night.

Sister Krone.jpg — Good luck getting this terrifying image of Sister Krone’s demented face out of your head when you sleep. Sweet dreams!

But what is most interesting about these two antagonists is also how relatable they become.
They are certainly twisted individuals, but are made much more sympathetic by the conclusions of their stories.
Their sympathetic sides do not make you forget the plight of these kids though, as you will be routing for them to escape every cruel step of the way.
Watching the effect the trauma of their experiences has on them is touching and makes you relate to them further.
This is also helped by the expert direction, with well thought out shots that both amplify the horror and make you care for the characters by placing you right in the middle of their plight.

The cinematography of *The Promised Neverland* often places you right in the kids’ perspective, making the horror much more personal.

Combine all this with a great amount of twists and turns, it makes for a stellar season with only a few problems.
These problems are minor and, for the most part, do not hinder the experience.
For example, there was a scene in the first episode with a bit of bad editing, but the rest of the direction was so good that it more than made up for it.
Then there are the episode titles, which, while having no impact the story, are not memorable because they are just a representation of the date.
The final issue has to do with the intelligence of some of these kids, which does seem a bit outlandish at times, but I was able to push my suspension of disbelief above this.
The Promised Neverland is a fantastic anime that looks set to be one of the greats.
Season two has already been greenlit and I will be excitedly watching when it comes out in 2020.