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jamesurech
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Star Wars: The Bad Batch: The Cavalry Has Arrived (2024)
Worth all the buildup
This episode delivered on everything you could want in a finale. Not only are their satisfying wrap-ups for the characters, but there are also actions scenes so tense and impactful that I had to go back and re-watch them multiple times.
The buildup of the entire series and especially the last few episodes paid off in spades. In a vacuum, this could have just been a generic Star Wars rescue mission, but the rest of the show before made sure every character and every action had meaning, keeping you on the edge of your seat the entire time.
So much of it is done so well that I just couldn't help but smile throughout the entire ending. I'm glad to have stuck with this series since the first episode aired, and it gives me hope that Star Wars, and especially Star Wars animation, can still deliver heartfelt stories with compelling characters and meaningful action.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Flash Strike (2024)
Good setup, but could have used more
This, alongside the past few episodes, was a very setup heavy, action-oriented episode with a shorter than average runtime. We've got some Chekhov's Guns set up and are prepped for the action of the series finale, but I can't help but feel like we could have had a little more character. It's not a major issue because we have an entire series worth of character development behind these guys, but these shorter episodes make me worry that the finale will not have enough time to tie things up in a satisfactory manner.
On its own, this episode keeps the intensity high throughout with some good action and at least a few character beat progressions, but to quote Echo from the season 2 premiere, "We should be doing more." I can only hope the finale has an extended runtime to give ample time for an emotional climax and good closure to all of our character arcs.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Bad Territory (2024)
Hitting the brakes on the pacing
This episode takes things much slower than the past few have, and there's a lot less action, but it has some pretty good moments, too. We split the party between an A and a B plot, which I think gives each of them a better opportunity to shine as individuals and to develop their dynamics, but I think the episode could have done a bit more character work with that time, especially with Hunter and Wrecker.
Because of the week break between episode releases, the slower pace can be a bit frustrating, but I think in the context of the whole season, having a couple episodes dedicated to setup and character work helps keep things from becoming tiring.
This isn't an episode you can skip, but it's probably the one I feel the least inclined to watch again in the near future.
The Owl House: Watching and Dreaming (2023)
A Pleasing, but Unremarkable Finale
As the finale to one of my favorite shows of the decade, this episode had a lot to deliver, and it did so in a very serviceable fashion.
"For the Future" got through most of the character conflict, which allows this episode to focus on the last few major plot points before wrapping up the story. This episode has some strong character work in it, especially with Luz, King, and Eda's reunion, but some of the episode's more dramatic and climactic moments fall a little flat. Nothing in this episode is bad, but I felt a lot of "I see what you're doing, and I appreciate it, but it's not working for me" throughout the runtime.
The ending fits the show and its themes very well. As someone who has been keeping up with this show since Season 1 ended, the ending made me feel like my time was well spent getting to know these characters and seeing where they end up. In that regard, this episode is everything that a finale needs to be. With regards to everything before that, I say "almost, but not quite."
The Ghost and Molly McGee: Book Marks the Sprite/Double, Double, Darryl & Trouble (2023)
A Strong Indicator for the Season
While the season premiere was pretty good, it got me worried that the show would veer too hard into the Chen family (especially Molly's crush on Ollie) at the expense of other characters. This episode has quelled those fears.
We get two very solid segments featuring Libby and Darryl, both with strong comedy and a good plot. Libby's story was especially good, showcasing her intellect and problem-solving skills. Darryl also had one of his best episodes with a compelling and realistic subversion of the "troublemaker kid" trope.
These two episodes give me strong hope that the rest of the season will be as good as, if not better than, the first one.
Star Wars: The Bad Batch: Plan 99 (2023)
A strong, well-paced finale
You know an episode is really good when you feel the need to watch it again soon after your first viewing. Continuing immediately after the previous episode, "Plan 99" has to contend with a different structure for its pacing, but it handles it quite well. It does not linger on moments for longer than it needs to, but it also builds a lot of suspense.
This episode has several emotional payoffs and reveals, and although you can see a lot of them coming, I'd say that shows good foreshadowing rather than lazy writing. Not all of the swings are hits, but enough of them are to keep you engaged.
If this show ends up having a total of 3 seasons, then I'd call this a very successful act two closer.
The Owl House: For the Future (2023)
A small fumble
This is a good episode. Unfortunately, it's a little too bogged down for me to call it a great episode. The story takes a bit too long to get going, but it has some strong character moments, especially near the end.
Not all the jokes land, and some of them feel awkward at times. I get that since we're getting closer to the end that the comedy needs to take a step back, but even this shows other more serious episodes land their comedy better than this one.
In terms of character moments, this episode's conflicts have good foundations in what the rest of the show has set up, but like with a lot of season 2B, it felt like there was too much to do with the time they had, so some of it fell by the wayside and got less focus than it should have. The in-episode conflict setups were weak compared to previous episodes, but that's a step down from an A to a B, so it's by no means bad.
Overall, I wouldn't say this episode lives up to the hype of the 3 month wait time from Thanks To Them, and it makes me a little worried that the show won't be able to stick the landing as well as it should have been able to. Here's hoping episode 3 is great, though.
The Owl House: Thanks to Them (2022)
Fast-paced, but not rushed
It's a crime that The Owl House has been cut short from a full third season, but the writers have taken every last minute they have and are giving as much of the story as they can.
If you want a comparison point to another show, this episode is basically what you would get if you took Amphibia's "The New Normal" and "Escape to Amphibia" and smashed them together, with remnants of what were the filler episodes scattered in the middle.
That is not at all a bad thing, though. This episode brings you up to speed on what a lot of characters are going through and manages to weave their web of relationships and progress the plot all in one go. A lot of things that happen probably could have been their own A or B plots in an episode, but they cover just enough of the material to make it fit in the broader narrative.
Despite the fast nature of things, nothing gets shoved in your face. Everything flows very nicely from one point to the next without getting bogged down.
The plot itself is pretty good. Lots of nice character moments and good suspense. Nothing super mind-blowing, but definitely enjoyable. Overall, a high-quality episode and a good sign for what's to come with the rest of the season.
The Simpsons: Girls Just Shauna Have Fun (2022)
It's nice to see a good band episode
With so many characters, The Simpsons has an almost endless amount of character combinations they can bring to its stories. I don't think people asked for the pairings in this episode (Homer/Chalmers and Lisa/Shauna), but it works quite well.
As a band person, I also greatly appreciate the inclusion of the full marching band as a part of the episode. The sound team did a really good job using the sound of real Tenor Drums for when Shauna played, although they are not animated correctly (which is something you only expect from movies, really). No well-balanced marching band would have more Tenors than Snares, either, but I'm just nitpicking at this point.
The plot of the episode itself is rather enjoyable, and although the writing is mediocre at times, there are enough good jokes and interesting situations to keep you going. The theme about the older kids and their influence on younger kids also hit home for me.
A good plot, good characters, and a lot of charm, if you haven't given The Simpsons a shot in a while, you should put this one on.
Amphibia: All In (2022)
Better than the finale
This episode does an excellent job wrapping up a number of character arcs at a rate you would expect from a series finale, but this isn't the series finale. There are a lot of good twists and powerful character moments that remind you how far they have come since the show started. These moments also integrate very well with the action of the episode, creating a masterful blend of substance that few other episodes in this show match. I can always tell that I really liked an episode of a show when I feel the need to re-watch it shortly after the fact, and this was one of those episodes.
Amphibia: The Hardest Thing (2022)
A well-executed conclusion
This episode does a really good job tying up a lot of the lessons and stories that the show has built up throughout its run. If you've fallen in love with these characters, then this episode will put you through the wringer. Even for more casual viewers, the episode hits its emotional beats rather well.
My biggest gripe with this episode is that the main conflict at the beginning feels a little bit contrived and detached from everything else that's happened. I also think it could have benefited from having a 44-minute runtime like "All-in," giving the show more time to send off its characters. It's not a deal breaker, though, and the rest of it is sure to meet or exceed your expectations.
Amphibia: The Root of Evil/The Core and the King (2022)
Andrias' backstory needed more time
One of my most consistent problems with Amphibia has been its attempts to tell a serialized story using an 11-minute episode format, and I think this set of episodes is the pinnacle of why it doesn't work.
"The Root of Evil" felt like a pretty generic episode. It wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't that spectacular, either. I did like the return of content from Season 1, but I think it could have been better executed.
"The Core and the King" needed to be a standalone 22-minute episode. It tried so hard to cram Andrias' backstory into 11 minutes that most of it felt like heavy-handed exposition. While it's nice to get more context onto some of the hint given in Season 2, we spend so little time with the new characters that it's hard to care about any of them at all. It just feels like the writers gave Andrias a brooding backstory for its own sake without taking the time to fully flesh out each character's motivations. It jumps from plot point to plot point almost as if checking off boxes of things that need to be explained without taking care to tell a good story in the process. All of this builds to a climax that feels like it was supposed to be dramatic but wasn't.
Civilization VI (2016)
Hard to get into, but extremely deep and fun
This game has such an incredible amount of depth that I get sucked into it for hours at a time. Highly recommended for people who like that kind of stuff, but I understand that it's not for everyone.
Ultimate Chicken Horse (2016)
A game to pick up with friends anytime
You need to have friends who also have this game to enjoy it, but when you do, it's an absolute blast. It's a great outlet for creativity, and a good way to strengthen friendships, so long as you play with the right people.
Bug Fables: The Everlasting Sapling (2019)
A worthy successor to Paper Mario
Though I may have some minor gripes with the gameplay and its balancing, this game really is incredible. It sucks you into all three main characters' stories, and then it develops those stories in ways you wouldn't initially expect. Highly recommended!
Night in the Woods (2017)
Story over gameplay and it works
The beginning was very slow, but the characters and their interactions were compelling enough to keep me interested enough in continuing. The bass playing was fun, but it was less important than I thought it would be. I really like how there's a lot of different storylines going on, and you get to choose to focus on the ones you care about. The gameplay was never very compelling, which is one issue I have with the game, but it makes up for it with how well the story builds up near the end. The beginning was very slow, but the characters and their interactions were compelling enough to keep me interested enough in continuing. The bass playing was fun, but it was less important than I thought it would be. I really like how there's a lot of different storylines going on, and you get to choose to focus on the ones you care about. The gameplay was never very compelling, which is one issue I have with the game, but it makes up for it with how well the story builds up near the end.
A Short Hike (2019)
Short, but highly enjoyable
A beautiful mix of Celeste and Animal Crossing, A Short Hike is a quaint, but fun romp that won't take you long to beat. It masterfully builds up its mechanics throughout the game with great difficulty scaling and interesting twists to keep things interesting. Highly recommended for a fun afternoon.
DuckTales: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck! (2019)
DuckTales at its best
DuckTales is at its best when it tells stories about family, found, blood, or otherwise, and no other episode executes that better than this one. From its masterful cold open to its cliffhanger ending, this episode expertly balances its comedy with its serious emotional moments. Every character is in their element with none of their actions feeling out of place. Even the clichés the episode dabbles into serve their purposes and do not overstay their welcome. In an already great show, this is an episode I am always keen to re-watch.
The Owl House: The Intruder (2020)
When the show begins to shine
This is where the show really starts to pick up steam. It's funny throughout except when it needs to be serious. This is also the first episode that feels like it has real stakes, and the focus on the main trio of characters gives each of them some great character development. Multiple long-running plot threads stem from this episode, and what better way to start each of them?
The Owl House: I Was a Teenage Abomination (2020)
Branching out into more interesting territory
The jokes in this episode are more consistently funny, and the episode once again has very effective character introductions. Both the main and B-plots of the episode are more engaging than the previous one. It's weird to watch this episode knowing how some of the characters develop, but that just goes to show how well the show handled them throughout their time on-screen.
The Owl House: Witches Before Wizards (2020)
Reinforces what the show is all about
This episode starts off with better jokes than the first episode, but the rest of it has a bit of dull mediocrity to it. It still does a good job establishing character traits, as well as the general themes of the show, but there is a lot to be desired.
The Owl House: A Lying Witch and a Warden (2020)
Effective introductions
An effective pilot with a fair number of good jokes, a nice moral, and good character introductions. Nothing really stands out, especially compared to the later parts of the show.