Wednesday, April 20, 2016
BRIAN K. VAUGHAN Opens A Surprising Continuity Door in THE WALKING DEAD: THE ALIEN One-shot
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http://www.newsarama.com/28935-brian-vaughan-opens-some-surprising-continuity-door-in-the-walking-dead-the-alien-one-shot.html
Jon Favreau Praises Spider-Man Tony Stark Portrayal in "Captain America: Civil War"
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"Mr. Robot" Reveals Season 2 Premiere Date
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"New Avengers'" Ewing on American Kaiju in "Standoff" Taking AIM at "Civil War II"
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Watch Emily Blunt in Tense Trailer For "The Girl on the Train"
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Vision & Scarlet Witch Get Their Own "Captain America: Civil War" Posters
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Marvel & Mouser Electronics Team Up to Bring Cap's Shield Iron Man's Gauntlet to Life
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This R2-D2 Talking Cookie Jar Will Never Let the Cookie Win
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Maisie Williams Comments on "New Mutants" Casting Rumor
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EXCL. PREVIEW: Jones & Waid's "Strange Fruit" #3 Puts Its Faith in the Colossus
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Review: AMERICAN ALIEN #6 Is MAX LANDIS's 'Love Letter' To SUPERMAN & His Fans
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http://www.newsarama.com/28932-best-shots-reviews-superman-american-alien-6.html
MTV Renews "The Shannara Chronicles" for a Second Season
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This Guy is Writing a Song For Each of the 700-Plus Pokemon
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Young Dumbledore May Appear in "Fantastic Beasts" Film Trilogy
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Hot Wheels Rolls Out "Captain America: Civil War" Cars
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Vaughan Martin Expand "Walking Dead" Universe with Panel Syndicate Special
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Skottie Young Departs "Rocket Raccoon and Groot" Teases New Marvel Project
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Crackle Announces "Snatch" TV Adaptation Based on Guy Ritchie Crime-Comedy Film
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HBO Offering 2-Day Free Trial for "Game of Thrones" S6 Premiere
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There's a "Three's Company" Movie in the Works
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"The Huntsman: Winters War" Stars Reveal the Making of a Fairy Tale Sequel
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Comics A.M. - Nick Sousanis "Unflattening" Wins Lynd Ward Prize
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NECCA IVAN DRAGO ACTION FIGURE ROCKY IV ROCKY BALBOA
$90.00 (1 Bid) End Date: Wednesday Apr-20-2016 10:55:18 PDT Bid now | Add to watch list |
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Sandman #1 Comic Book DC Comics VF
$85.00 End Date: Saturday May-14-2016 19:11:23 PDT Buy It Now for only: $85.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
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OSCAR ISAAC: STAR WARS: EPISODE VIII Is 'Like An Independent Film'
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http://www.newsarama.com/28931-oscar-isaac-star-wars-episode-viii-is-like-an-independent-film.html
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR AMC IMAX Posters
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http://www.newsarama.com/28930-captain-america-civil-war-amc-imax-posters.html
HELMUT ZEMO In New German CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR Clip
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http://www.newsarama.com/28928-helmut-zemo-in-new-captain-america-civil-war-clip.html
DEADPOOL Blu-ray Special Features Revealed
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http://www.newsarama.com/28929-deadpool-blu-ray-special-features-revealed.html
Dynamite Entertainment JULY 2016 Solicitations
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http://www.newsarama.com/28925-dynamite-entertainment-july-2016-solicitations.html
RUMOR: X-23 To Make Her Live-Action Debut in "Wolverine 3"
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Submit Your X-Position Questions for Cullen Bunn
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Abrams Says Harrison Ford's Injury Allowed Him to Rework Finn/Rey Relationship
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COMIC REEL: "Apocalypse's" Storm Nightcrawler Appear In New Ad; Stroup Begins "Iron Fist" Filming
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"Captain America: Civil War" and "Infinity War" Writers Play in the "Best Sandbox in Town"
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International "Civil War" Promos Include New Baron Zemo Ant-Man Footage
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First Look at Disney World's New Toy Story Land Attractions
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"Deadpool" Special Features to Include Deleted Scenes Rob Liefeld Commentary
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Review: Quantum Break
By Nikki Pryde, @xnikkipryde
When I first heard of Quantum Break, it was the mix of video gameplay and live action episodes that intrigued me. The idea sounded interesting, but I was somewhat concerned that I would zone out or get distracted during the episodes once the controller was out of my hands. After all, that’s why tend to play a lot of video games and watch very little television. My attention quickly moves elsewhere unless there’s a demand for interaction, thought, or a challenge. Thankfully, I seemed to have the opposite problem with Quantum Break; once I started the game, I was grabbed in and found it difficult to pull myself away.
Quantum Break, by developer Remedy Entertainment (the makers of Alan Wake), is an action-adventure third-person shooter with bits of decision-based role-playing and a cinematic twist. The story follows Jack Joyce and Paul Serene, old friends who were involved in a time experiment gone wrong, and who now find themselves with extremely differing opinions on how to set things right.
The game is broken into five acts, each of which consist of three segments. In the first part, the player takes on the role of Jack. His brother William was involved with Paul’s time travel project, and he seemed to have had some information about what went wrong and how to fix it. He’s on a mission to reverse what has been done, but Paul and his shady Monarch corporation stand in the way. This part plays like a regular video game, with the player interacting with the environment, engaging in combat, and overcoming obstacles. While the game relies on third-person shooter tactics, Jack also has a variety of time manipulation powers that help keep things exciting. He can do targeted time freezes, rewind time to return objects to the way they were previously, charge forward toward enemies, and more. You can also perform combos of the abilities to clear a room more effectively, and level up Jack’s abilities for additional effects. The opportunity to mix things up helps the combat feel more creative and engaging, which was much appreciated by me, since shooters aren’t exactly my forte. My only real vexation with the combat system was the lack of a regular melee move to help Jack escape tricky up-close encounters without having to use Time Rush to dash away.
The second part of each act is called the Junction, where the player gets to do a little decision-making as our antagonist, Paul Serene. Having traveled to the future and back, he seems to believe that the end of time is upon the world and there’s no way to stop it – and yet he seems to have some secretive plan that he does not want Jack to interfere with. During each Junction, Paul is faced with making a major decision on how to handle the situation thus far. This decision affects how the future of the game plays out when you start as Jack again in the next act. What I really liked about the Junction, however, is that you don’t go into these decisions blindly. You can preview each decision, and Paul will describe the pros and cons for you. While it might remove some of the suspense, I absolutely loved this opportunity to have informed control while steering the game – it allows the player to customize just how bad the “bad guy” really is.
Each act ends with a live-action episode that follows several different characters. First, there’s Paul – the player gets to witness the Junction decisions in action, and see Paul’s personal story a bit more clearly. The other characters are employees of Monarch – some loyal, and others not so much. While I had originally been a bit concerned about the episodes being dull, I found that they added so much more dimension to the story by showing more than just the perspectives of the antagonist and protagonist. It always gave me the feeling of the stakes being so much higher when the next act would start and I’d be playing as Jack again.
While the graphics of the game were great overall, they were most impressive during close-up scenes between characters. The facial details and animations were incredibly detailed, and when combined with the talented voice acting they reminded me somewhat of Heavy Rain and Beyond: Two Souls. There were actually a few brief moments during the live action episodes where I thought I was still in game mode! Unfortunately, this is also because the live action segments weren’t the best quality, though I suspect this has to do with both budget and trying to match the different parts of the game aesthetically.
Quantum Break has a unique story built around discovery, time travel, ethics, and the potential end of the world. At times I kind of expected there to be plot holes when the end of the game was drawing in and some things had yet to be explained, but they actually wrapped it up quite nicely. Jack Joyce is pretty much just your typical action-adventure game protagonist, and since I’ve experienced so many characters like him already, I found myself focusing on the supporting characters and antagonist a bit more. Each character has a different perspective on the events unfolding, and their backgrounds and motivations behind the decisions they make become clear as the game and show progress – some wish to save themselves and rise to power, others have families to protect, and others are mysteries that leave you with more questions than answers. They add depth to the story but giving us a more complete picture of what’s at stake for everyone, and this is where I think the mix of video game and live-action episodes really works for a shorter game like this. In the RPG’s I play that are heavily story-focused and require the player to spend a lot of time getting to know the supporting characters, getting the kind of depth that comes out of learning everyone’s background story requires hours upon hours of additional play time. The Quantum Break episodes allow us some of that depth while also saving a lot of time. And while I do normally like a longer video game, I’m okay with heavily decision-based games being shorter because it increases my likelihood of replaying the game and getting to experience the other outcomes.
Altogether I thought Quantum Break was a unique and impressive game with great replay value. There are certainly weak points and room for improvement, but I thought it was a really fun experience and I would certainly like to see Remedy Entertainment produce more games like it in the future (and, to be honest, I totally want Quantic Dream to get in on this as well). There were small moments where the excitement dulled for a while, but the ending was intriguing and left me wanting more. AND THAT LAST LINE?! I CAN’T – well, it looks like you’ll just have to find out for yourself.
Quantum Break is currently available on Xbox One and PC. (I also want to add that while I played on the Xbox One and everything ran smoothly, I have heard others complain about performance issues on PC.)
Rating: 4/5
admin
via The Nerd Machine
http://www.thenerdmachine.com/review-quantum-break/
Top Nerdy 10: Civil War Anticipation Edition
By Rachel Cheng (@iamrachel)
Remember when this epic awesomeness was released?
For the chosen few who attended the world premiere, the wait is finally over. And for the rest of us mere mortals, there are still three and half more grueling weeks. But before you feel too sorry for yourself, the cast have been on a busy promotional schedule and have been giving audiences a sneak peek at what’s in store. So here are our favourite interview moments from the Civil War crew.
10.
It seems Cap isn’t impervious to rogue chicken. Ridonculous.
9.
A deeper look into the characters going head to head.
8.
Some superheros are just better at keeping secrets than others.
7.
#TeamBurpee vs. #TeamGinkgoBiloba. God bless, Anthony Mackie.
6.
The ladies of Civil War are kickass.
5.
We’re still waiting for the Evans/Mackie dance-off. We can’t possibly be the only ones!
4.
Spidey! How delightful is Tom Holland?
3.
I have the utmost much respect for the Russo brothers.
2.
Shield miming, it’s an artform. Side-note: this is by far one of the best interviews done with the cast.
1.
And Chris Evans’ next role is that of a young mermaid longing to be human… The love we have for this cast knows no bounds.
The countdown continues. Captain America: Civil War hits screens May 6th!
‘Til next time,
Rach
admin
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http://www.thenerdmachine.com/top-nerdy-10-civil-war-anticipation-edition/
HOT TOYS BATMAN RETUNS BATMAN ACTION FIGURE MMS 293 KEATON
$199.99 End Date: Friday May-20-2016 7:21:30 PDT Buy It Now for only: $199.99 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
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Sansa and Reek Make an Icy Escape in "Game of Thrones" Clip
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Daisy Has a Deadly Vision in New "Agents of SHIELD" Promo for "The Singularity"
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Johansson's Controversial "Ghost In The Shell" Role Draws Different Reaction Overseas
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Hayley Atwell Belts Out "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" on "Lip Sync Battle"
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Need New Comics? Visit FindAComicShop.com
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"The Flash" Deals with Losing His Speed in New Trailer for "Back to Normal"
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"Finding Dory" Japanese Trailer Reveals Lots of New Footage
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IDW's July 2016 Solicitations Feature "Rom's" Return "Powerpuff Girls" & More
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SKOTTIE YOUNG Confirms Departure from MARVEL's ROCKET RACCOON & GROOT
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http://www.newsarama.com/28927-skottie-young-confirms-departure-from-marvel-s-rocket-raccoon-groot.html
WIZARD WORLD Scaling Back Conventions After $4.25m Loss In 2015
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http://www.newsarama.com/28926-wizard-world-scaling-back-conventions-after-4-25m-in-2015.html
Sandman #1 Comic Book DC Comics VF
$85.00 End Date: Saturday May-14-2016 19:11:23 PDT Buy It Now for only: $85.00 Buy It Now | Add to watch list |
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PREVIEWS: "Criminal" "Star Trek" & More New Comics On Sale April 20 2016
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Denzel Washington Chris Pratt Ride in With "Magnificent Seven" Teaser Trailer
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The Team - Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.
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Agent Daisy Johnson must call upon the Secret Warriors for an inaugural mission that will leave no member unscathed. Meanwhile, S.H.I.E.L.D. learns more about Hive's powers, forcing them to question everyone they trust. © © ABC Disney |
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Once Upon a Time: Ruby Slippers Review
By: Marianne Paluso
Before the second half of season 5 began, I was really excited for this arc in part because the first half was beyond brilliant and in part because we were finally about to embark on an arc about Emma fighting for her happy ending. Of course there are always sub-stories and in the 100th episode, “Operation Firebird” became not only about saving Killian but also rescuing other souls and our characters encountering people with unfinished business. I was truly excited to watch the stories unfold, but with the exception of “Labor of Love” and “The Brothers Jones,” this arc has been nice but underwhelming resulting in a mixed bag, and this week’s episode was the second, maybe even third in a row that resulted in these underwhelming mixed emotions, derailing quite a bit from these main storylines. “Ruby Slippers ” was a nice episode and included a love story that is new territory for the show that had a very sweet, and thankfully happy, result. And yet at the same time, this episode was also another reminder of the underlying issue with this particular arc. Once Upon a Time is not perfect; no show is. And we are used to “filler “episodes in the middle of arcs, as well as episodes devoted to guest stars. However, what matters with these episodes is whether the main storyline remains connected and is not forgotten. I remember the “Frozen” arc being criticized because the guest stars took up too much screen time. And while they did, the characters were also engaging and the story compelling, and most importantly, it all reflected and related back to the main character, Emma, in a very significant and beautiful way. The same can be said for the 5A “Dark Swan” arc where the guest stars were highlighted but were undeniably and intriguingly connected to the main Dark One storyline resulting in amazing drama and revealing mythology about the show. But this Underworld arc has been all over the place. For an arc about Emma fighting for her true love, these past few episodes have almost felt like she has been downgraded to a supporting character. Of course, this is an ensemble and all the characters need their chance to shine. I was hoping to see, for example, more development for Regina and Robin as opposed to the confusing story of Belle and Rumple or the continuing story of Zelena and Hades, though at least I do for the most part find the second entertaining.
Another love story was also introduced in this episode. At the time, I could not understand the point of the episode from 5A “The Bear King” with the exception of setting up the first LGBT story for the show with Ruby and Mulan. It’s a bold move to include a storyline like this and the set up was clear in that episode in hindsight. So I was surprised that when “Ruby Slippers” finally came, the love story was not with the already established queer character of Mulan with Ruby, but instead with Ruby and Dorothy, a character we barely know and don’t necessarily care about. And similar to “The Bear King,” “Ruby Slippers” had little connection to the plot main story arc. It did not move the plot forward enough. However, on the positive side, there were some connections as we got to see things we’ve seen on the show reinforced: the Ruby and Snow friendship as well as the idea that you must take a leap of faith when it comes to love. And this love story, though not what I expected, was indeed cute and had a very happy, lovely ending. You could understand why Ruby and Dorothy formed a connection, bonding over similar experiences, feeling different, not always feeling accepted, and not or knowing what they’re looking for in life. And the few scenes they had together were very sweet. However, there were a few issues. It is one thing to see connection and even a love form between them, it’s quite another to believe they formed the truest of loves. To punish Dorothy, wanting her silver slippers, Zelena put Dorothy under a sleeping curse. Ruby was devastated to learn this and with her friends helping in the Underworld, they go in search of Aunt Em, thinking she is the one who could save her with True Love’s Kiss. Hades, rather gruesomely so, thwarts their plan by melting poor Aunt Em. But Snow, knowing her best friend well, believes she can see that Ruby loves Dorothy and could break the curse. I actually really enjoyed the scene between the two friends because it was definitely a reminder of that relatable feeling of being unsure and scared of love. As Snow says, “Love is freaking scary.” And in the end, it was lovely to see Ruby find happiness and awaken Dorothy with True Love’s Kiss. But at the same time, this felt very rushed and a little unearned. It is common in fairytales and the show to have characters fall in love quickly but Dorothy and Ruby knew each other for only a few hours and had one meaningful conversation. And it isn’t true love supposed to be rare and special? It’s wonderful, of course, to see darkness did not win, and to show that with a same sex couple, but it was also far too rushed. It’s also disappointing when thinking comparatively to a couple like Emma and Killian who have not yet shared this magical kind of kiss, yet have been developed for three seasons and have literally been through hell so far this year, against a couple who literally had about 15 minutes together on screen and were bestowed such a special magical moment. And that is the mixed bag of emotions. More development would have helped this feel more believable and earned. Moreover, the already established queer character was sidelined to supportive friend and given the fact that she and Ruby had known each other for a while, had love story developed and a TLK happened for them it would not have felt as rushed. But as I said, it is not as if the story we did see was not welcome or lovely in many ways. What I liked was that although it was quick, it was natural and easily accepted and that Snow was there to encourage her friend to believe and take a risk. When it comes down to it though, the mixed emotions have to do with the underlying underwhelming quality of the arc. More development would have been nice, but at the same time I am not overly invested in these characters and they have gone down on these meandering paths away from the main objective for too long. It’s been disappointing that Robin was made a regular and has received so little screen time and the arc about Emma saving Killian has featured so little of the couple. It’s important to have variety of characters yes, but at the same time, I am ready to get back to the main ones. That is what I care about the most. And I am especially ready for Emma, the main character, to be front and center again.
Beyond the sweetness of the love story, there were some more positive aspects of this episode which did serve a purpose, albeit a small one: more positive development in Zelena’s redemption, more recognition of Killian’s importance to the Charmings, and a way to leave the Underworld. I really liked the scene between Regina and Zelena as the younger Mills sister could see behind her bluster and that Zelena is ashamed for what she did to Dorothy. And when she gave the slippers to the heroes without getting anything in return, it was another positive step in her becoming a better person. I am happy to see Zelena get some proper development because her character is fantastic. In my favorite scene of the episode, Killian thanks David for coming down to the Underworld for him and even though David said he did it for Emma, he also admits that Killian has grown on him a bit. Though they have trouble admitting it, these two really have become good friends and anytime they are onscreen together is golden. The begrudging friendship is such fun to witness and the rapport that Josh Dallas and Colin O’Donoghue have developed is natural and ever appealing. And it’s clear that they also know how to not only make a good team, but also put the women they love above all else. The silver slippers are way to get out of the Underworld (realm jumping is amusingly easy now), and Emma wants her parents to return to Storybrooke to be with her younger brother. It’s time for them to get back to their baby. She’s ready to face Hades without them, but with Snow’s name still on the headstone, she is stuck. The plan was for David to leave. But in true Charming fashion, and with some smart thinking on his and Killian’s parts, they find a way for Snow to leave instead. When Hades was trying to force Killian to engrave the names on the gravestones, he had enchanted his hand to do so. While the names couldn’t be erased, they could be changed so Killian engraves David’s name into Snow’s headstone. And the look on Emma’s face when she realizes what they’ve done was so lovely as they smile and hug each other in a very sweet moment, matched by the goodbye between Snow and David complete with their beautiful musical theme. It was as sweet and heartfelt a moment between them as there has ever been, built on faith and belief that they will be really be reunited again. When Ruby and Dorothy’s special moment appears in the storybook, Henry also sees Snow back in Storybrooke with her baby boy and shows these pages to his family. They all are relieved and happy and ready to find a way back home. Where the story goes for Belle is less certain as she will willingly put herself under a sleeping curse to protect her baby. She wants Rumple to do anything he can to save their baby and then get her back to Storybrooke so her father can awaken her with True Love’s Kiss. I hope that can happen. I guess we will see. As far as how Killian will be saved; how he, Emma, Henry, Regina, Robin and David will defeat Hades; and how true love can prevail for Emma and Killian, those are the stories that I long to see and have been sidelined for too long. Yes, I do enjoy all the characters and even the guest stars, but the main ones are what I love and care about the most. I hope that after feeling underwhelmed and as if everything has been stalled lately, these final episodes will pick up and everything that has been built up will conclude in a satisfying way. Emma and Killian especially have gone through so much heartache and pain this season, so I have to hold out hope that a true love magical moment, whether it be a kiss or something even more profound, that they have earned countless times over, will be bestowed upon them in a beautiful way.
Favorite Moments: I enjoy the friendships on this show so much and two scenes in particular were lovely and meaningful. Hearing David admit that Killian has grown on him and Killian smiling about it made me smile so much because it wasn’t sappy but more of their begrudging sort of rapport while still showing that they really do care what happens to the other. And the scene between Ruby and Snow was equally lovely because we could see how much Snow understands her friend, with Ruby demonstrating that relatable fear of love being one-sided. But of course Snow being the champion of happy endings was beautifully encouraging. Lastly, although they are small moments, I loved seeing the sweet signs of affection in the scene where Snow says goodbye to her family from her kissing David, to Emma hugging Killian, to her holding onto him and her father’s hands. I live for moments between the Charming family.
Favorite Lines:
Killian: I realized I hadn’t said it yet, but thank you. I didn’t want Emma to do this, let alone drag everyone along.
David: We made our own choices.
Killian: Really? I didn’t know you cared.
David: Alright, I did it for Emma.
Killian: Ah, figured.
David: And I guess you’ve grown on me a bit.
Killian: Well I tend to have that effect on people.
Snow: Love is freaking scary. I’m about to say goodbye to David for what may be a really long time. And you know why I’m okay with it? Because what you get back when you love someone far outweighs the risk.
admin
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http://www.thenerdmachine.com/once-upon-a-time-ruby-slippers-review/
Versus Zoom - The Flash
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Equipped with the tachyon device, Barry believes he is fast enough to stop Zoom (guest star Teddy Sears) and wants to open the breaches to catch him. Harry strongly advises against that plan but after Barry convinces him, Harry reveals that Cisco has the power to re-open the breach. Meanwhile, Hunter Zolomon's (Teddy Sears) painful story on Earth-2 is revealed. © “FLASH” TM & © 2014 Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved. “FLASH” and all related elements are trademarks of DC Comics. |
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