What happened to Negan is no longer unknown in The Big Scary U.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead Season 8 episode 5 follow.

The Walking Dead has delivered its best episode of season eight yet, with The Big Scary U.
The U, in this case, stands for unknown, as Gregory points out in the opening sequence, which is one of the longest, if not the longest, opening sequence in all of The Walking Dead.
This opening sequence goes on for a while but every moment of it is absolutely riveting, even though no action is happening.
Negan is scarier than he has ever been in this episode, as he yells at Simon for suggesting killing everyone at the Hilltop.
Jeffrey Dean Morgan is definitely the standout of this episode, delivering his best performance as Negan so far.
I cannot wait to see more of Negan in the rest of the season.

And it is about time we saw him too since both he, Gabriel and the rest of the main Saviours have been absent for four episodes.
It is kind of strange, considering that Negan is the leader of The Saviours and yet he has not been seen in the war since the first episode, although this is because Morgan had scheduling conflicts.
It was great to see the way Negan and Gabriel interacted this episode, with a scene ripped straight from the comics, when Negan reveals he had a wife to Gabriel… after Gabriel tries to kill him, of course.
Meanwhile, inside the Sanctuary, we see the remaining Saviours falling apart.
This gives us a clear indication of why Negan has been able to keep power so long, he is the only one of this group that can keep them together, no matter how extreme his methods are.
We got a really good look at who many The Saviours are, who we did not have a good sense of earlier, which I really liked.
First there is the new Saviour Regina, who we met in the season premiere.
We got a good look at who she is along with who Simon is.
Until this episode, Simon felt more like a generic henchman to me and I had no interest in him.
This episode changed that however as we saw how Simon reacts to this dire situation and we also got a sense of his backstory as well, if it was his backstory.
From what Negan says, it appears that Simon was in charge of The Sanctuary before he arrived and was incapable of leading.
This clearly translates to how things play out in The Sanctuary and it makes Simon seem like he will have a bigger role in the war to come.

Also, Eugene has discovered that it was Dwight who is working with Rick and the others, although it appears he is keeping quiet about it, at least for now.
Hopefully he and Dwight will begin working together soon.
Finally we have a few scenes with Rick and Daryl, where we continue to see how dangerous Daryl is becoming.
He is willing to bomb The Sanctuary, even if it risks the lives of the innocent people inside.
Rick thankfully is against this and it leads to an interesting fight between the two.
This leads to a great callback to the first season with Rick telling Daryl “a choke hold is illegal,” which is what Daryl said when Shane choke held him in the first season.
The two then go there separate ways with Rick going to see Jadis and the Trash People.
However, along the way he sees a helicopter flying overhead.
I’m curious as to what this could mean for future storylines but also I’m wondering what is The Walking Dead’s deal with helicopters.
There was one in Season One, a second one in Season two, one in Fear The Walking Dead and now in this episode.
It is kind of weird how a helicopter is a recurring thing in the world of The Walking Dead.

Overall, this was a fantastic episode.
It is easily the best of the season so far, with great scenes like the one between Negan and Gabriel.
It is episodes like this that show The Walking Dead is not losing its cool.

Justice League is a “just” mess

The DC Cinematic Universe has been on the rocks for quite some time.
First there was Man of Steel, which was overall very forgettable, followed by the disjointed disappointment that was Batman V Superman.
Then there was Suicide Squad, which was a gigantic mess but is kind of a guilty pleasure for me.
Finally, there was Wonder Woman, which seemed to set the DC cinematic universe on the right track.
Now we have Justice League, which was supposed to be DC’s version of The Avengers and continue what Wonder Woman started, by continuing the DC Cinematic Universe’s greatness.
So, did Justice League manage to achieve this?
Well, in my opinion, no.
I actually think that Justice League is just as bad as Batman V Superman.
It might fix a lot of the problems seen in Batman V Superman but it generates entirely news ones that make the film just as bad.
First, let’s talk about what the movie did right, the characters.
In Batman V Superman the characters were all complete hypocrites so it was very hard to root for them, however, in Justice League this is completely fixed.
Batman no longer comes across as the hypocrite he was in Batman V Superman and neither do the other characters.
Speaking of which, I was afraid that the new characters Flash (played by Ezra Miller), Aquaman (played by Jason Momoa) and Cyborg (played by Ray Fisher), would not stand out, due to them no appearing in their own film before Justice League.
However, thankfully I was wrong about this because these characters are all given their time to shine, especially Cyborg.

Ray Fisher did an excellent job playing him because Cyborg was by far the best character in the movie, although he was almost completely CG but we will get to that later.
All of the cast portraying members of the Justice League are great and their chemistry is very well developed.
By far, the best scenes in the movie are when they are talking or arguing and trying to figure out how they work as a team.
Also, some of the action was really well done.
My favourite action set piece was a fight between the Flash and someone else who can move at super speed (I will let you guess who that is).
A lot of the jokes are also really funny.
I particularly liked a joke to do with Wonder Woman’s lasso of truth, which left the audience roaring with laughter.
However, this is where the positives end for me.
Where to begin with the mess that follows?
Let’s start with the story, which feels rushed.
It felt like at least several key scenes were missing.
This is probably because the studio cut down its run time to two hours.
This was a bad move on their part because the movie feels kind of disjointed because of it.
We can see that many shots and scenes from the trailers are gone, probably because of the cut run time.
If this movie had been at least 30 minutes longer it would have felt less disjointed and, maybe, I would have liked it more.
An increased run time could also have helped improve the film’s villain Steppenwolf (played by Ciaran Hinds).
Speaking of which, Steppenwolf is one of the most boring movie villains of the decade.
In my Thor: Ragnarok review, I criticized Hella for being a bland villain but, compared to Steppenwolf, she looks like Darth Vader.
Steppenwolf’s motivations are boring, he just wants to take over earth for evil reasons that are never fully developed.
He is completely forgettable, no joke, I actually kept forgetting he was in the movie until he had a scene and he looks like a video game character, due to the atrocious CGI.

And I wish I could say the atrocious CGI only affected Steppenwolf but, unfortunately, I cannot because the truth is this movie looks like a video game.
Had Justice League actually been a video game, I would be praising it for its visuals but for a big budget movie, this CGI is awful.
If it looks like a video game I’m not going to believe its actually there.
The CGI is not awful all the time though, because there are some times where it works, like when the Flash is running at super speed and with Cyborg, however the good far out ways the bad.
The worst case of CGI is in the final battle where, when fighting Steppenwolf, even members of the Justice League are CG.
This ruins the entire fight.
But, arguably the worst part of Justice League is that there is never a feeling of impending doom.
We are lead to believe that Steppenwolf’s invasion of earth is world ending but it never really feels like that for two reasons.
One, of course, is Steppenwolf himself ,who never comes across as an actual threat but just a bland, boring villain as I said earlier.
The second reason is that we do not see how the world is reacting to these events.
Say what you want about Batman V Superman but at least we saw how the world was reacting to what was happening.
We got to see what they thought of Superman and then his eventual sacrifice.
In Justice League however, no one really reacts to Steppenwolf invading earth.
When he and his forces invade a small Russian town no one reacts to it.
We do not see the world panic because of the alien invasion and we barely see how the people in the town are dealing with it.
The movie focuses on one family in this town and no one else.
Because of this it only feels like the family is in danger, not everyone in the town, or the world for that matter.

Worst of all, we do not even see how the world reacts to the Justice League.
I know I’ll probably be accused of being a Marvel fanboy for saying this but in The Avengers we got to see what the world thought of a team of superheroes.
At the end of The Avengers we see their reactions, through news reports, some praising, some condemning the heroes and it gives us a sense of the impact The Avengers have left on the world.
However, in Justice League, there is no such scene so we get no insight into the impact the Justice League has had and what the world thinks of them.
Justice League is a mess.
It may fix some of the problems from Batman V Superman, like the characters but there are still more problems that make it just as bad.
I now have no further anticipation for any film from the DC Cinematic Universe because of this… well, except for Wonder Woman 2 and Suicide Squad 2 (as I said, guilty pleasure!).

Some Guy is not some episode in the latest The Walking Dead episode.

Spoilers for The Walking Dead season eight episode four, Some Guy.

Many people are already calling Some Guy the best episode of Season 8 of The Walking Dead.
However, I do not feel that way.
I did like Some Guy but it had a few too many obvious flaws, for my liking.
In fact, I actually think this is the weakest episode of the season so far.
The Some Guy title refers to Ezekiel, in this episode, who we see torn down from a leader confident of victory, to a shell of that man who no longer wants to be called king.
I really liked a lot of the scenes with Ezekiel.
As the episode went along, we saw Ezekiel gradually lose more hope, starting with the death of his soldiers, until he loses it completely, with the death of Shiva.

Even Jerry had moments to shine in this episode, when he cut a Saviour, who was holding Ezekiel hostage, in half.
Although it is weird that he hits him twice with it, considering he obviously killed him with the first blow but that is a nitpick.
Carol is another central character in this episode, mowing Saviours down, left and right and just generally being Carol.
However, although I did like these things, as I said, this episode did have more flaws than previous episodes.
For one thing, the danger never feels real in this episode.
For most of the episode, the characters never felt in danger to me.
When Carol was being shot at from behind the car, it was ridiculous that she was not hit with the amount of bullets being fired.

Even worse is the scene where Rick and Daryl chase the Saviours with the 50. Calibur Machine Gun.
They are shot at repeatedly with this gun and, due to plot armor, are never hit.
If this was a real situation, then they would have been torn apart by gunfire.
It made the action feel very artificial and the danger not very apparent.
This episode also has a few scenes that just do not work.
First there is Ezekiel’s conversation with the Jeffrey Dahmer look alike, who took him hostage.
Some of this conversation was really good and interesting but, mostly, it was a bit of a drag.
I was just waiting for a Walker or Jerry to show up and kill him.
The final problem I have with this episode is Shiva’s death.
Yes, it was a sad death but the way it happened did not work at all.
In the comics, Ezekiel is overwhelmed by Walkers and about to be devoured when Shiva charges in and saves him, sacrificing herself in the process.
In the show however, Ezekiel, Carol and Jerry are not even close to being overwhelmed.
They could easily walk over an embankment and escape but Ezekiel wants to stay behind and sacrifice himself, even though they could all escape together.
This leads to Shiva charging in and sacrificing herself but since Ezekiel could have easily fled, her sacrifice felt completely unnecessary.

Although, I did love Ezekiel’s reaction to her death.
Khary Payton did a great job in this episode.
It is these problems that makes me think this episode is the weakest in the season so far.
I still liked the episode though because there was enough character development, with Ezekiel, and some interesting action scenes to keep me interested.

Thor: Ragnarok, over hyped but still good

Given all the hype surrounding Thor: Ragnarok, with many people, including Joss Whedon himself, calling it a masterpiece, you would expect it to be one of the best Marvel movies, right?
Well, sadly not because, while I do believe the film is good, Thor: Ragnarok is certainly over hyped.
It is a very decent film and I would urge people to go and see it because the film is a lot of fun but, at the same time, I do think people are over praising it.
The film features the return of the goddess of death Hela (Cate Blanchett), who attacks Asgard and traps Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and Loki (Tom Hiddleston) on a garbage planet, where Thor is forced to fight in Gladiator matches, where he runs into The Hulk (Mark Ruffalo).
The Thor movies are considered, by most, to be the worst films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe so the new Thor movie definitely needed to do something different.
Enter director Taika Waititi, who turned Thor from one of the least interesting Marvel characters into a comedy star.

This new entry in the Thor series feels like it has more in common with Guardians of The Galaxy, than the previous Thor films.
Thor: Ragnarok is definitely a comedy first and super hero movie second.
The film has some excellent jokes, some of the best in any Marvel film.
My favourite joke had to do with the introduction of Valkyrie (Tessa Thompson), which left me in a fit of laughter.
Another hilarious thing about the movie is the character of Korg, played by Waititi himself.
Korg is basically the comedic relief and he gives a lot of the best jokes in the film.
However, while the comedy route is welcome, there is too much of it.
Both Guardians of The Galaxy films were comedies but they knew when to crack a joke and when not to.
As a result, these films were able to have big emotional moments but Thor: Ragnarok doesn’t know when not to crack a joke, going as far as to put them in the big emotional scenes, almost ruining them.
It is not only the jokes that ruin these emotional moments but how they were handled as well.
At the end of the film, when Thor fights Hela, something happens to Thor that is quite shocking but they cut away from it so fast that there is no emotion to it.
Another disappointing thing is the dropped sub plot with Bruce Banner and The Hulk.
Banner tells Thor something about The Hulk that you expect to come back and be a big thing later but it never does.
Also, let’s be honest here, if it was not for Blanchett’s great performance as Hela, her character would be entirely forgettable.

Hela is no different from almost every other Marvel villain we have seen.
She wants to take over the universe and submit everyone to her will, blah, blah, blah, evil stuff.
However, like I said, the movie is not bad, it is just over hyped.
There are still a lot of really great things about Thor: Ragnarok.
For starters, the visuals are stunning and the CGI on display is really good.
The action is also riveting, with the fight between Thor and Hulk being a particular standout.
We are also introduced to new and interesting characters.
I already mentioned Korg, who is a great comedic relief character but there is also Valkyrie, who is sure to become a part of the Avengers and The Grand Master, played magnificently by Jeff Goldblum.
Surprisingly though, my favourite new character was not any of the main ones but a side character.
That character is Scurge, played by Karl Urban, who becomes Hela’s henchman, after she invades Asgard.
Scurge easily has the best character development in the entire movie.
You can see he likes how Hela gives him an important position, however at the same time, he feels guilty about the bad things that Hela orders him to do.
It was great to see a henchman in a movie that would not just blindly follow the villain, without any sign of a conscience.

And, even though I do not think this movie is the masterpiece it is being made out to be, it is still a lot of fun.
Thor: Ragnarok is one of those movies that is just entertaining the entire way through, due to its constant comedy and action scenes.
If you go to see it, you will definitely have a lot of fun.
It may not be a masterpiece but it is still a good watch.

Daryl is the real monster in this week’s episode of The Walking Dead, Monsters.

SPOILERS FOR THE WALKING DEAD SEASON 8, EPISODE 3.

The Walking Dead Season eight is still going strong with its third episode, Monsters, being released last night.
Season eight is a definite step up from Season seven, which often felt very drawn out, while season eight feels exciting and fast paced.
Even in its quieter moments every scene in this episode is brimming with tension.
Specifically the scene between Rick and Morales.
It was nice to see these two catch up, even if it was at gunpoint.
Morales learning that Glenn had a wife and him calling Rick “Officer Friendly,” (a callback to season one) were definite highlights in this scene.
Unfortunately, this ends when Daryl shows up and kills Morales, without a second thought, despite knowing who he is.
Originally, I found it very annoying that they brought Morales back, only to kill him an episode later.
I wanted Morales to have a big part in the story and contribute in the All Out War story arc.
However, despite this, I can still see that Morales coming back and dying did have a point.

For one thing, he called out how violent Rick has become and even asks him, point blank, if Rick had a gun on him, would he would have pulled the trigger.
Secondly, it also helps to show how far Daryl has gone.
He holds absolutely no sympathy for the Saviors and it does not matter if they surrender to him, he will kill them no matter what.
Another scene that shows this is when Daryl executes an unarmed Savior, who is surrendering, despite Rick’s promise that he can live if he does so.
This not only highlights how far Daryl will go when it comes to the Saviors but it also shows how Rick is seriously beginning to question the group’s morality.
His interaction with Morales has begun to show him how morally unethical they themselves are becoming and all this is shown through a look he gives to Daryl, after he executes the Savior.
Andrew Lincoln does a fantastic job in this episode, visually.
Two other important things happened in this part of the story.
First we have the death of Eric.
Now, personally, I preferred his comic book death because it shows how quickly someone can die in war but this was a good death too.
Eric’s heartfelt goodbye to Aaron was sad and really made me feel for them.
However, I did not like how they were not very clear that Eric had actually die.
All we get is Aaron seeing a Walker in the distance and assuming it is Eric.
I would consider it a possibility that he was still alive had the writers not confirmed his death.
It would have been better if they had actually shown the Walker was Eric.
The second important thing that happened in this episode was Rick going back for Gracie, the baby he orphaned in the previous episode, who Aaron offered to take back to the Hilltop.
This open ups the possibility of a crazy fan theory to happen, which will be interesting to see if it comes true.
I will not state this theory because I do not want to potentially ruin it for people but I can say it will be one of the best twists The Walking Dead has ever done, if it does happen.
The other storylines in the episode are also really good.
First we have Morgan, Tara and Jesus transporting the prisoners from the outpost to the Hilltop.
After a group of prisoners, including Jared, try to flee, Morgan starts executing them but is stopped by Jesus.
This leads to a great fight sequence between the two, ninja against ninja.

This was one of the most thrilling parts of the episode, however it did end with Morgan leaving, which I am concerned about.
Hopefully it will not turn out like Carol’s storyline from season six and seven.
Then we have the Hilltop storyline with Gregory arriving and begging to be let in.
This scene was hilarious, especially the interaction between Gregory and Kal.
“I did not eat those pancakes,” Gregory yells.
Xander Berkeley does a really great job of selling Gregory’s cowardice and pathetic nature.
Then Jesus and Tara arrive with the Savior prisoners who Maggie eventually decides to let in, despite the danger.
I wonder if Gregory will collude with Jared and the other Savior prisoners to take over the Hilltop.
The final storyline sees Ezekiel and Carol leading an attack on another Savior outpost.
Ezekiel was another standout in this episode, with his over confident nature backfiring at the end of the episode and is sure to continue to bite him, in the next episode.
The episode ends on a cliffhanger with Ezekiel’s men shielding him from gunfire.
We are certain to see the effects of Ezekiel’s over confidence in the next episode.

But, despite how much I did love the storylines in this episode, there was still one problematic scene, along with Morales abrupt death and Eric’s confusing one.
This scene was a gunfight between the Alexandrians and Saviors, at the outpost Rick was attacking.
In this scene the editing is a bit choppy and I did not recognize anyone from Alexandria or the Saviors so I could not tell who was who.
I was unable to tell if the Alexandrians or the Saviors were winning.
Still, this and the other two problems I previously mentioned were very minor in comparison to the rest of the episode, which was very exciting and enjoyable.
Season eight is off to a much better start than season seven and I am eagerly awaiting the next episode.

Butt holes are fractured in the newest South Park game.

Three years after the excellent RPG South Park: The Stick of Truth, the sequel, The Fractured But Whole (insert giggle) has been released.
I had been anticipating this game for a while because of how much I loved The Stick of Truth and how much I love South Park.
South Park is one of my favourite TV series and I even think it is better than The Simpsons.
I know I may receive some hate for that statement but it is just what I believe.
While The Simpsons started excellently, it is has been going on a downward spiral since season 10 and now, in its 29th season, it is no longer funny.
South Park, on the other hand, has not only remained great for years but has consistently got better as well.
It has only seen a recent drop in quality from Season 18 onwards, while The Simpsons drop in quality started much earlier.
However, even though I think the quality of South Park is starting to drop, this does not affect the game because South Park: The Fractured Butt Hole is a really good game.
It is no where near as good or revolutionary as The Stick of Truth was but it is still a good game.
You play the New Kid again and, after the kids switch games from fantasy to super heroes, you are robbed of your status and have to begin again and build your character up as a hero… while enhancing your fart powers along the way.

The thing I liked the most about The Fractured But Whole was how it improved gameplay from The Stick of Truth.
The gameplay in this one is much more intense and satisfying to play, with you having to think tactically about how to move forward in the game.
Every enemy has different moves and techniques that you have to think your way around, which I really enjoyed.
This all leads to some fun and intense boss battles.
The hardest boss in the game is easily Morgan Freeman.
I still have no idea how to beat him but thankfully he is only an optional boss.
Along with the improved fighting mechanics, your roster has also increased with you being able to choose from 12 allies to fight with you, opposed to the previous game’s six allies.
Every ally is unique and has their own set of skills.
It is incredibly fun to constantly swap out different allies for new ones to try different play stiles.
However, you may find yourself using more allies than others.
I, for example, constantly found myself choosing Scott Malkinson (AKA Captain Diabetes) as my ally in battle because of his great strength and shield ability, which made him able to live longer in difficult battles.

The customization is also great, with you being able to use increasingly hilarious objects to make your character stronger.
Even customizing your character generates a laugh, with the game’s difficulty being related to the color of your skin.
Lighter skin means the game will be easier, while having darker skin will make it harder.
As Cartman (AKA The Coon) puts it, “don’t worry, this won’t affect gameplay, just every other aspect of your entire life.”
It is this social commentary that makes South Park, and thus the game, really shine.
But you are not playing The Fractured But Whole just for the gameplay are you?
No, most people, like myself, bought the game for the humor.
South Park is a hilarious show so it only makes sense that the story would contain multiple moments of out loud laughter, right?
Well, yes and no.
You see, I did really like the comedy in this game but my problem is that it just feels very toned down.
The Stick of Truth was an incredibly controversial game, with many moments that pushed the boundaries of what could be shown.
It had anal probing, an abortion mini game and even a sequence of you fighting Underpants Gnomes under your parents, who are having sex.
This resulted in a lot of censorship in countries like Australia.

This gross out humor was pure South Park and made the game stand out.
In comparison the comedy in The Fractured But Whole feels very toned down, like the creators did not want to risk the game being censored, like in The Stick of Truth.
The game was still incredibly funny but it felt slightly lacking, considering it did not push the boundaries that its predecessor did.
There is one scene that slightly pushes the boundaries but otherwise they play it fairly safe, for the most part.
Another problem I had with the game was its glitches.
I felt like this game should not have been released for a little bit longer just so they could fix the bugs.
For the first five minutes of my play through there was no sound, except the characters talking.
There was no music or sound effects, which was very distracting so this did not give me a good first impression of the game.
Even worse the game froze on me twice in the middle of battles so I had to quit the game and then go back into it.
Thanks to the game’s auto save I could go almost right back to where I was but it was still very annoying to have to do this.
So it definitely felt like the game was not quite ready to be released yet.
However, despite my slight problem with the comedy and the occasional glitch I still think The Fractured But Whole is a really good game that is worth your time.
The gameplay is incredibly fun, the social commentary is spot on and, even though I was disappointed the game did not push the boundaries The Stick of Truth did, the game was still really funny.
If you are a South Park fan I would definitely recommend this one.

The Whisperers go out with a whimper in The Walking Dead Issue 173: Final Fight

You know, I was really looking forward to Issue 173 of The Walking Dead.
After the brilliant cliffhanger in the previous issue, which saw Beta about to ambush Jesus and Aaron, I could not wait to see what would happened.
I was really afraid Jesus or Aaron might die and that Beta’s return would have a massive impact on the story going forward.
However, what I did not want to happen was for Beta to appear only so Kirkman could kill him off, thus tying off the loose end of the Whisperers.
Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened.
Instead of Beta’s return presenting a turning point in the story and making the Whisperers a legitimate threat again, he is just killed off when Aaron shoots him.
It makes you wonder why Kirkman even bothered keeping Beta alive.
Why didn’t he just kill Beta in The Whisperer War, there was no reason to keep him alive since he dies pretty much immediately when he shows up again.

Although I did like the reveal of Beta actually being a famous basketball player before the apocalypse, his death here is incredibly disappointing.
Kirkman should have just revealed who he was and then killed him in The Whisperer War.
I can see why Kirkman wanted to kill Beta off though, considering he is bringing in a new group of survivors into the story and wants to focus on them.
But ending the Whisperer story like this is really disappointing and left a bitter taste in my mouth.
The Whisperers should have gone out with a bang, not a whimper.
The rest of the issue is alright and filled with your regular The Walking Dead character development.
It looks like Maggie is going after Negan next issue and I really hope she does not kill him.
We already had one interesting character die in a disappointing way, we do not need a great character to die that way as well.
There is also a scene where Carl helps out Sophia only for Lydia to glare at them jealously.
This could prove to be interesting, considering Lydia’s upbringing with the Whisperers.
Maybe she will threaten Sophia to stay away from Carl.
By far my favourite scene in the entire issue though was when Laura berates Dwight for his treatment of Rick.
Dwight is a really good character but recently he has been going downhill with his antagonism towards Rick so it is good to see someone put him in his place.
Hopefully Dwight will realise how he is acting and get on the right track again.

The issue ends with Eugene’s group arriving at the place where they will meet the Ohio group only to be ambushed by a new group with guns that has bayonets attached.
The Ohio group is very cautious it would seem, or maybe they are just evil, we’ll have to wait and see.
Overall this issue was pretty disappointing due to Beta and essentially the Whisperers themselves’ demise.
The rest of the issue was alright but this one thing just dragged it down for me.
The Whisperers used to be this great threat but the way Kirkman ended their storyline just made them seem kind of pathetic to me.
They deserved better.
Still, I am interested to see what the future holds for The Walking Dead, with the new Ohio group being introduced.
I will be sure to review the next issue when it comes out next month.

The Last of Us Part 2: Ellie’s Mum, past timeline and a cult?

Since the Last of US Part 2 was announced there has been rabid speculation by fans as to what the story will be about.
This has caused theories about the next installment to run rampant, both plausible and ridiculous.
I, for one, think the theory of Joel being dead and Ellie hallucinating him to be one of the worst theories.
Now that a new trailer has been released theories are, once again, running rampant, although these theories seem much more plausible than previous ones and I actually believe some of them are true.
The newest trailer is especially brutal as we see an unknown woman about to be gutted and hanged by a group of people who are apparently from some kind of cult, due to the fact that they use biblical words like sin and apostate.
However, before the woman can be killed, two guards bring a woman named Yara before the leader of the group who orders her arm bashed in with a hammer saying, “clip her wings.”
This torture is especially brutal and nothing like what we saw in the previous games.
However, before the group can break Yara’s other arm they are set upon by arrows and, with help from the unknown woman, Yara is able to kill the leader.
The archer, named Lev, emerges from the woods and tends to Yara who tells him to cut the woman down from the noose.
Disturbingly, Lev does not want to do so saying, “she’s one of them,” showing how little death matters in this world as he has almost no reaction to a woman hanging feet away from him.
Yara insists and Lev relents, cutting her down, only for the trio to be attacked by a group of Clickers.
The title appears and the trailer ends.

This trailer naturally generated much confusion due to the absence of Joel and Ellie and was a bold move on Naughty Dog’s part.
To show a trailer that does not focus on the main characters at all but instead a group of new characters was a risky move but it definitely paid off because of the level of speculation it has generated.
Already theories are running rampant, the biggest one being that the unknown woman in the trailer is actually Anna, Ellie’s mother.
Now I actually believe this theory.
For months there have been rumors that The Last of US Part 2 will take place in two different timelines, one in the future, with Joel and Ellie, and one in the past.
If this is true, then this trailer most likely takes place in the past.
As to the theory of this woman being Anna, there are three things that support this.
First of all, the woman does bare a slight resemblance to Ellie, although this may be stretching it.
The second thing that supports this theory is not from the trailer at all but an Easter egg from Uncharted 4.
In the game you can find a poster called The Last of Us: American Daughters, which has a pregnant woman wearing a gas mask that strongly resembles Ellie.

Given that I do not believe in the Ellie being pregnant theory either, I think this person is most likely Anna and this is hinting at her appearance in The Last of Us Part 2.
The final piece of evidence to support this theory is Naughty Dog released the names of all the characters in the trailer but blanked out the woman’s name.
However, we can tell from the blanks that the woman’s name is four letters long, just like Anna.
Therefore I think this is most likely Anna and she will appear in a past storyline in The Last of Us Part 2, which will detail the events of Ellie’s birth.
If this is true then the past story line will probably take place six years after the outbreak began, since Ellie is 14 in The Last of Us and the outbreak started 20 years ago.
The idea of The Last of US Part 2 going back and forth from past to present is certainly an interesting one.
If this is Anna, then I wonder how it could tie into Ellie’s story, considering Anna died shortly after giving birth to Ellie.
Maybe Anna’s story could give an explanation to Ellie’s immunity?
Maybe something happened while Ellie was in the womb that made her immune?
Of course this is just speculation so it is possible all of this will not happen.
Still though, I really like the idea of it constantly cutting back and forth between timelines because it could offer the opportunity for us to see the same characters in both timelines.
For example, if these new characters Yara and Lev live through the past storyline then we could see them interact with Joel and Ellie in the future years later, which would be really interesting.
Another thing we can guess from the trailer is who these new enemies are.
It appears that these enemies are from some kind of cult, due to the leader saying the woman is nested with sin and asking Yara where the other apostate is.
A cult being the main enemies of the game would certainly be unexpected because most people thought the Fireflies would be the main ones.
However, just because the Fireflies may not be the main threat does not mean they will not be in the game.
If this woman is Anna, then we will most likely see Marlene as well in the past storyline because the two were close.
There is also the fact that the leader of the cultists says, “clip her wings,” when telling her men to break Yara’s arm, leading some people to believe that Yara is a firefly, which could certainly be possible.
However, there is also the possibility that Yara and Lev were actually a part of the cult because they refer to the Clickers as demons.

But, although the cult does take up a big part of this trailer, there is a possibility that they could just be a side enemy like the hunters were in The Last of Us and they might only take up a small part of the game.
Speculations aside, I feel that I have to talk about the graphics of this game in the trailer, which are nothing short of stunning.
Naughty Dog have really outdone themselves this time.
If this is in-game footage, then The Last of Us Part 2 is going to be an incredibly beautiful game.
So, those are my thoughts on the second The Last of Us Part 2 trailer.
I cannot wait for this game to come out, although unfortunately that probably will not be until late 2018 or early 2019.
However long we have to wait, I will be sure to buy it when the game comes out.

A surprise return makes an intriguing twist for the Walking Dead.

All out war continued in last night’s episode of The Walking Dead, The Damned, which saw Rick’s group attack two separate Savior outposts.
The Damned was a definite improvement on last week’s episode, as an almost solely action driven episode that left you on the edge of your seat.
The Walking Dead is definitely learning from its mistakes in season seven by focusing on multiple characters, instead of a small group of them one episode and another small group in the next.
All the main characters featured in this episode are given their moments to shine.
I especially liked the dynamic between Tara and Jesus and their debate over whether they should just kill all of the Saviors.
Morgan was also a standout in this episode as we saw him go full clear mode and take out a bunch of armed men with no hesitation or remorse.
He even went as far to flashback about Rick’s speech in season six about killing all of the Saviors, which almost made him killed Jared, the Savior who killed Benjamin.

I imagine that Morgan will come to regret not killing Jared, that guy is bad news.
It will be interesting to see what happens with the prisoners they captured this episode.
There was a lot of them so I wonder what they will do with them.
Will they escape or will someone like Morgan or Tara just start executing them?
We will have to wait and see.
The second of the three story lines this episode saw Carol and Ezekiel tracking a Savoir to stop him alerting his friends at the outpost of the coming attack.
This was a very minor plot point that is building to the big attack next episode, which will have dire consequences for Ezekiel, if they go the route of the comics.
However, although it was interesting to see Carol and Ezekiel interact, along with Ezekiel casually dropping his king persona, it did feel a bit weird, considering how it is urgent that they track this person and yet they are constantly stopping to talk.

It was great to see Shiva in action again this episode, eventually taking down the man they were tracking and I look forward to see how she is utilized next episode.
Now for the third story line, which saw Rick, Daryl, Aaron and Eric and their forces attacking a second Savior outpost.
This story line by far had the best parts of the episode.
From Rick’s intense fight with the Savior, to learning he had orphaned a child, to Eric getting shot, this story line was filled with intense moments.
Not to mention the surprise return of Morales, which was unfortunately spoiled for me before I watched the episode (thanks a lot internet!).

Morales has been the face of fan speculation and memes for years now, concerning his disappearance in season one and what happened to him.
The level of interest that has circled Morales over the years is kind of odd, when you think about it because he was only in four episodes and was more of a side character than anything else.
Still is is good to see him back and on the side of the Saviors.
Clearly a lot has happened since we last saw him, back in season one.
It will be interesting to see what they do with his character… if they do anything with him at all.
I hope he is not just a one episode bad guy that dies in the next episode because, if he is, what was the point of bringing him back?
I hope they actually do something with Morales and he has a point being here.
Overall, this was a great episode, with only a few minor faults in Ezekiel and Carol’s story line.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the next episode and what Morales’ return holds for the future.

Back to the 80’s for Stranger Things season two

stranger things season 2

Stranger Things is back and kicking in season two of the hit Netflix series.
I was pretty late getting on the Stranger Things band wagon as I only watched the first season six months ago but when I did I was instantly hooked.
So, naturally, I was excited to see what season two would have to offer and, I have got to say, I was impressed. (WARNING!!! Minor spoilers ahead.)
Season two not only continues the story from Season one but expands on it, introducing new characters and interesting plot points that keeps the story fresh and thrilling.
The story telling here is just excellent, with so many twists and turns that I could not stop watching.
I binged watched the entirety of season two in just two days and I am so thankful this is a Netflix series because, if it aired weekly, then I would not be able to handle it.
Season two starts a year after Will was rescued from the Upside Down and a lot has changed since then.
Mike is still mourning Eleven’s disappearance, There is a new girl in town named Max, Joyce now has a boyfriend Bob and Will is experiencing PTSD from his time in the Upside Down… well, as we all know, it is not PTSD but it suits the story for everyone to think it is.
The season starts off great, introducing us to a bunch of new characters like Bob, Max and her step-brother Billy.
These characters are all very interesting and I cannot wait to see what they do with them in the future, Max especially because she is a very likable character and a welcome addition to the show.
max
Speaking of characters, I liked how a lot of the old characters from the first season were expanded upon like Dustin, Lucas and Steve.
Steve was especially good this season.
In the previous season I thought he would turn out to be a stereotypical, one dimensional bully but he actually surprised me by growing as a character and redeemeing himself.
The surprises with Steve continue this season, as he continues to grow into a likable, yet flawed character.
One thing this season definitely did better than its predecessor was present a feeling of danger throughout.
Although I loved the first season of Stranger Things, it was pretty obvious which characters would live and which ones would die (with a few exceptions, like Steve for example).
Not this season however.
Every time a character is in danger you feel like this might be the last time you see them and it has you on the edge of your seat with panic every time, unlike the previous season.
shadow monste
But just like last season, 80’s throwbacks abound!
There are so many callbacks to the 80’s and movies of the time.
I saw references to Alien, E.T and even one incredibly hilarious Indiana Jones homage.
This season is filled with twist after twist, all of which are thrilling.
The opening sequence of the first episode had my jaw on the floor.
Most of the episodes end on a cliffhanger, which has you begging for more and makes this almost the perfect show to binge watch.
I say almost because I do have some issues with it.
My biggest one being Max.
Now, as I said, I really liked her character but my problem lies with how the other characters react to her, more specifically Mike.
Mike does not like Max and it is for the stupidest reason.
He is a complete jerk to her, which makes him really unlikable.
Since Mike is supposed to be one of the main characters of the show, the fact that I did not like him this season is a really bad thing.
It does not help that this minor plot point is never resolved.
We never get a scene of Mike apologizing to Max about how he treated her, it is acted like it never happened.
This season also displays, once again, how incompetent the government forces are.
In season one, I found it highly unrealistic how Hopper was able to break into a top secret laboratory, guarded by trained soldiers, with relative ease and this season once again portrays how incompetent these people are.
While interrogating Nancy about keeping quiet about Barb’s death the scientists are stupid enough not to check for a recording device.
As a result, I found these government forces to be unrealistically incompetent but this is only a minor problem.
The final problem I had with this season was episode seven.
This episode felt very different in tone and just felt out of place in comparison to the rest of the season.
What is worse is the episode prior to this ended on a massive cliffhanger and this episode does not address the it, that is saved for the next episode.
Thank god this is a Netflix series because if the episodes had been released weekly I would not have been able to wait to see how the cliffhanger played out.
eleven
Other than those three problems however, I loved this season and I cannot wait for season three.
The story telling was brilliant, the characters were lovable and fun to watch, (both the old and the new) and the various twists and turns kept you engaged.
If you have not watched Stranger Things season 2 or any episodes of Stranger Things I would highly suggest you you go and watch it,
You will love it just like I did.