Grimm Review: “The Grimm Identity”

Kyle’s Review

“The Grimm Identity” went in several directions. Some worked, while others fell flat. I enjoyed how the show started. Cut scenes made us question Nick’s mental state and flash backs reminded us of what happened last season. The combination of these two storytelling elements lead me to question whether or not Juliette is dead. Grimm wouldn’t kill off one of its principle characters. Would they? A “dead” Juliette in a Snow White inspired coffin suggests not. Despite these great developments, I don’t see why Grimm felt the need for Nick to puke expositional dialogue. Even though we saw visions of what happened last season, Nick sped through all the plot threads again but he spoke so quickly, I couldn’t catch half of what he said. And I don’t buy the exchange between Hank and Nick (Nick’s upset and Hank thinks he’s speaking gibberish). The flashbacks and cut scenes were enough. A shorter exchange would’ve worked.

The rest of “The Grimm Identity” spent time forcing the Nick’s crazy angle—even though we know he’s not—and his mission to track down Trubel. I don’t want to spoil anything here but Nick jumps out of the fire and into the lion’s mouth. We may have had a rocky ride getting somewhere during “The Grimm Identity,” but Nick’s story arc got to a good place. The rest of Nick’s gang question whether it’s a good thing Juliette died (which was fitting and Grimm didn’t dwell too long on it). Renard had scenes opposite the rest of the cast and we find he’s suffering from the fall out of his turn as Jack the Ripper last season, an arc no one asked for. Before “The Grimm Identity” committed to Nick looking for Trubel, Adalind gives birth to her and Nick’s daughter. I rolled my eyes when I heard there were complications during childbirth.

Why do comedies play up whether or not folks get to the hospital and/or change the number of babies born, while dramas have complications during childbirth? Grimm explained what happened well enough but hearing this cliché took me out of the story for a moment and also got me wondering if we’d see a supernatural baby with powers. I hope not.

Grimm has plenty to work with this season and the parts of “The Grimm Identity” that worked outnumbered the ones that didn’t. Still, Grimm sputtered as it got in gear. I’m sure next episode will make more headway.

Arrow Review: “Beyond Redemption”

Jim’s Review

This week’s episode did a lot right, I think. Maybe it was the tying up of a couple loose ends, maybe it was individual performances, it was almost certainly because the rogue SCPD task force had a device which could mute Laurel, but what’s important was that I enjoyed it.

One thing this show is doing is borrowing from other areas of the DC universe. Since the big two (Batman and Superman) seem personas non grata in the Arrow-verse, that’s freeing them up to pilfer a little from those characters. With Sara, they seem to be swiping the Jason Todd angle from Batman, and that could work, but I’m a little worried about how much screen time that will give Laurel in all of it.

The angle with Felicity worrying over Ray’s last recording fell a little flat for me, and the idea that the device couldn’t be hacked didn’t really ring true to me, even if it was Ray’s. I suppose the long and the short of it is I’m not invested with that particular angle. Felicity working with Curtis to develop an idea and save jobs at the company is all well and good, but there’s no tension attached to it. When they’re seen together, they banter and trade life stories. Neither of them seems particularly stressed, and if they seem detached, you can be sure the audience will, too.

I will say I’m really enjoying Neal McDonough as Damien Darhk. He’s doing a fantastic job of blending a menacing demeanor with an odd sort of charisma, and in that way, I feel like he could just about become this show’s Joker, where Count Vertigo failed miserably to hit those notes.

A trend I started seeing last season, which I’m sorry to see continue, is the flashback sequences flattening out. I’ve noted it before, and it’s just something they haven’t gotten on track. Oliver being back on the island is an effective way to introduce future plot elements, but there’s too much of a disconnect with what is happening now.

The highlight for me was Oliver confronting Captain Lance. Maybe for the first time, I felt their conflict had something tangible to it, so it was a strong narrative moment for me as a viewer, and I think Stephen Amell really sold it. It may be the most impressed I’ve been with him as an actor.

Unfortunately, I feel I have to fire a parting shot at this episode. I liked what Captain Lance said at the end, but I didn’t buy it. It came too suddenly, and I couldn’t believe it managed to change the mind of a woman who’d already murdered colleagues in cold blood.

Everything considered, I still think this season is working much better than last. As always, they’ve got a lot of irons in the fire, and I just can’t see my way to caring about all of them, but I don’t find myself checking out nearly as often, and I’m genuinely interested to see how things progress.

Kyle’s Take

I’m unsure whether Arrow made significant strides during “Beyond Redemption” but I’m enjoying this season more than the last, and that’s a good thing. Like Jim, I couldn’t care less about the Ray/Felicity angle because Felicity is with Ollie and her mourning will be short lived as Ray Palmer/Atom will return and we’ll get another lead-in for Legends of Tomorrow. I won’t harp on Arrow setting up yet another show here. I’ve even said my piece about how ridiculous and deflated the Curtis-Felicity saving jobs arc is. Tom Brady texted and he says you need to pump more air into that story, Arrow.

The further removed we are from Arrow’s first season, the less sense Ollie revisiting the island during flashbacks makes. We also get a disconnect from season to season (we do the time warp every year), so since I’m a solutions-oriented guy, keep the flashbacks but make them about the six month gap between seasons. Alright, enough of the negative let’s get to the positives.

McDonough as Darhk: good. Oliver confronting Lance: great. Rogue cop using a Canary dampener on Laurel: belly laugh funny. Laurel’s comeback of different frequency, same cry: cringe-worthy. But if Arrow could drop lines like these with a little more tongue-in-cheek (think Robin during Batman Forever and “holey, rusted metal, Batman”), I might be able to get on board. Cheese pairs well with whine.

Overall, this season’s moving along well and I’m glad I stuck around.

Arrow had a handful of secrets this week and here’s a link to our Arrow secrets page. Thanks for reading.

Arrow Secrets: “Beyond Redemption”

Lady Cop

You may think the credit for Rutina Wesley as “Lady Cop,” a member of the anti-vigilante task force and the main antagonist in this week’s Arrow, is a generic role but there is a DC Comics character named Lady Cop.

Lady Cop’s given name is Liza Warner, and in the comics, she was the sole survivor of the “Killer-in-Boots,” who murdered Warner’s college roommates. This event prompted Warner to join the police and she stopped numerous criminals in the search of finding the killer who changed her life. Eventually, Warner was promoted to Chief of Police in Ivy Town—yeah, the same Ivy Town Ollie and Felicity were at the beginning of this season, playing house—and Warner aided the onetime Atom Ryan Choi. It doesn’t look like Wesley’s Lady Cop will play nice with any costumed hero, so I don’t expect her to show up on DC’s Legends of Tomorrow. But you never know.

You Have Failed this City

Part of what may have worked in this week’s episode (and what’s working so far in this season of Arrow) is Green Arrow’s attention to his hometown, Star City. With global threats a common occurrence, Ollie hasn’t been able to use his catch phrase, “you have failed this city” in some time. We heard it this week, when Green Arrow confronts Lady Cop.

Neal Adams

We’ve had more subtle hints to Green Lantern/Green Arrow’s artist but it still put a smile on my face when I heard Curtis Holt accuse Neal Adams, a Palmer Tech employee, of being Green Arrow. I don’t know if Adams is 5’2” (Felicity scoffs at Curtis’s suggestion of Neal Adams as the Green Arrow because he’s that height), but he’s left one of the longest shadows in DC Comics history. Besides Green Arrow, Adams is known for his work on Batman and Green Lantern.

Papp Stadium

The baseball stadium Oliver mentions is another reference to a Green Arrow artist. George Papp was a DC Comics artist and the first person to introduce the Arrowcave, Green Arrow’s secret lair. It’s fitting Papp had a namesake in this episode because we saw a new and improved Arrowcave in “Beyond Redemption.”

News 52

If you looked closely during Ollie’s mayoral announcement, you’d see a different logo on one of the microphones in the cluster of press mics in front of Ollie for News 52. This new logo is more in line with comics’ News 52.

Opening Monologue = Candidacy for Mayor Announcement

If Ollie’s speech during his announcement for mayor sounded familiar, it should. Most of Oliver’s opening credit monologue was used for his speech announcing his candidacy for mayor. Did they think no one would catch that?

Thanks again for reading. If you missed our review of Arrow’s “Beyond Redemption,” here’s a link.

The Flash Secrets: “The Fury of Firestorm”

The Fury of Firestorm

The title of this week’s episode is also the title of Firestorm’s second ongoing—and most recent—comic book. “The Fury of Firestorm” could also reference the relationship between Jax and Stein as their current interaction—what little we saw—is closer to Stein and Ronnie in the comics than the Ronnie and Stein’s TV counterparts.

Rogue Air

Comic book titles weren’t the only name drops this week. Cisco calls one of team Flash’s former adventures as “Rogue Air.” This is a callback to an episode last season featuring Firestorm by the same name.

Jefferson Jackson

The Flash creative team has called Jefferson “Jax” Jackson as a creation for the TV show, but that’s not really true. Ronnie Raymond had a friend in high school who went by either Jefferson or Jackson. DC never confirmed the character’s name and Jefferson Jackson’s full name never appeared in the comics, but the presence of this character in the Firestorm mythos can’t be a coincidence.

Puffy Sleeves

This could be an optical illusion but Jax’s jacket sleeves look puffy. One of the most memorable aspects of the original Firestorm’s costume were the puffy white sleeves. Jax’s sleeves in these scenes could be a wink to this design.

Tokamak

Henry Hewitt may be a scientist turned lunatic in The Flash, but he was the CEO of Hewitt Corporation in DC Comics. As the maniacal leader of this fortune 500 company, Hewitt kidnapped the daughter of a senator, who got in Hewitt’s way of cornering the energy market, he then duplicated the accident that created Firestorm on the senator’s daughter, transforming her into Firehawk, whom Hewitt brainwashed to eliminate Firestorm. When his plan didn’t work, Hewitt conducted the same experiment on himself and he became Tokamak. The comic book Tokamak differs from his television counterpart due to his fashion sense. As Tokamak’s body emits high volumes of energy, he encases himself in a metal suit. I’m not sure if we’ll Tokamak again but if we do, let’s see some new duds.

Eikmeier Industries

Unlike his comic book counterpart, Hewitt works at Eikmeier Industries, which is named after The Flash and Boston Legal writer Brooke Eikmeier.

King Shark

King Shark is a humanoid shark-man. Pre-Flashpoint he resembled a Great White, but now he looks more like a hammerhead. Shark began his criminal career as a Superboy villain and he was implied to have descended from the Wild Men of Kamandi, of Jack Kirby fame. He hails from the South Pacific and has been a member of the Secret Six and Suicide Squad. King Shark was even a rumored character for the Suicide Squad movie before the lineup was announced.

Land Shark

Who is it? Land Shark, Ma’am.

Land Shark is a reference to a classic Saturday Night Live sketch.

Titanic Soundtrack

I saw what you did there, Jax.
When Martin Stein complains about Jax’s taste in music, Jax tells Doc Stein, “I’ve got the Titanic soundtrack in the back, there.” Nice. Victor Garber, the actor who portrays Doc Stein, was also the engineer in Titanic.

Mercury Labs

Amanda Pays makes another appearance as Tina McGee, a character introduced in the comics during Wally West’s tenure as the Flash and a character Pays reprised from her stint on the 90s Flash TV series.

Applied Sciences

The Mercury Labs department Wells robbed was none other than Applied Sciences. This is a tip of the hat to the department Lucius Fox ran during Batman Begins.

Convergence

The Flash could’ve called the reforming of Firestorm anything but convergence is an odd choice. It’s not so odd because Convergence is the most recent, multiverse, DC crossover.

MacGregor’s Syndrome

Francine tells Iris she’s sick with the terminal disease MacGregor’s Syndrome. This isn’t the first time MacGregor’s Syndrome’s been used in the DC universe. It got its start as the disease that would take Nora Fries’s life in Batman: the Animated Series. Yeah, it’s the same Nora Fries who’s married to Mr. Freeze. Dr. Fries cryogenically freezes his wife, preserving her in order to find a cure for MacGregor’s Syndrome. Arrow also used MacGregor’s Syndrome as the disease Clock King was suffering from when he committed his crimes.

Francine’s Son

Iris’s mom Francine dropped one heck of a truth bomb—or rather Iris uncovered a huge secret. Francine has a son. Could that son be Wally West, the third Flash? We’ll have to see.

Pittsburgh

This is the second Pittsburgh name drop on The Flash. Pittsburgh isn’t just Firestorm’s home in the comics, it’s Rip Hunter’s too, and Rip will lead Firestorm in DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.

Stein mentions a “colleague,” and the most likely candidate would be Emily Rice, who worked with Stein in Pittsburgh.

Did you miss our Flash “Fury of Firestorm” review? Here’s a link and thank you for reading.

The Flash Review: “The Fury of Firestorm”

Kyle’s Review

I can see why Flash fans could be upset with the last two weeks of this season: the show has marked time, setting up the CW’s upcoming Legends of Tomorrow. Both The Flash and Arrow (as of this review, I haven’t seen the latest episode of Arrow) have seen their story arcs and series regulars play second fiddle to the upcoming series, but The Flash has suffered this fate far more than Arrow. Hopefully, the events at the end of “The Fury of Firestorm” will launch The Flash in a different and better direction.

Even worse than the deferment of any meaningful progress in Flash for Legends of Tomorrow’s setup, was the cast’s stilted acting during this episode. I don’t know if it’s the writing, the actors, the direction, or all of the above, but Grant Gustin (Barry), Jesse L. Martin (Detective West), and Carlos Valdes (Cisco) were the only ones who looked natural. I guess Candice Patton (Iris) did okay but she showed little range beyond being pissed at her mother. The West family arc moved too fast for my taste but fortunately, I don’t think it’s over yet. Iris’s mother is sick with a terminal illness and her truth bomb could lead to a major shift in the Flash. And that might be another thing that’s keeping The Flash’s second season from clicking. The Flash has introduced more than one element that could affect the show long term—but with no definite payoff—and the DC TV universe as a whole. I’d like the Flash to focus more on its characters.

“The Fury of Firestorm” had Caitlin Snow think about Ronnie for the first time this season, but Firestorm was in the title, so I guess the writers thought it was a prerequisite. It’s shocking that Jay Garrick (Caitlin’s new love interest) didn’t make an appearance this week, when he’s made one every other episode this season and he hasn’t returned home. That’s convenient. Franz Drameh gave a good performance as Jefferson “Jax” Jackson, but Drameh didn’t have enough time or material to explore his character. I’m sure we’ll see plenty of him in Legends of Tomorrow. The villain of the week worked well enough for me. I don’t expect Hewitt to return but he could, and the pot’s on the stove but the pilot light isn’t lit for the Zoom slow boil. There isn’t enough connective tissue at this point to make me care about Zoom, and the villain most Flash fans wanted to return made an appearance at the end of “The Fury of Firestorm.” Harrison Wells could be a calming presence for The Flash.

“The Fury of Firestorm” showed promise—at least at the end—and I trust Flash will turn the corner next week. While we’ve seen plenty of action this season, I’d like a little more character development.

There were plenty of name drops and Easter eggs in “The Fury of Firestorm,” so here’s our Flash secrets page. Thank you for reading.

iZombie review: “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues”

Kyle’s Review

iZombie continues its strong showing this season with “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues.” Several plot points boil over, but not too many. This week’s showcased character is Major. After weeks—if not a month—of hard drug abuse, Major reaches his breaking point. While trying to purchase drugs, Major runs into a teenage boy he tried to get off drugs when he was a social worker. Ouch. Then, he’s so stoned he can’t remember what happened to the dog, Minor, he adopted, and he runs back to Liv. “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues” continued Major’s rollercoaster of a season but Liv isn’t too far behind on this ride.

The weekly mystery took a backseat in “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues,” so Liv could parse her feeling with Major. She’d been so focused on work that she hadn’t been able to deal with Major up to this point and an investigation going nowhere was a good and organic way to address her personal issues. iZombie promised us romance for Liv and we may have seen the first glimpse of it this week. I’m glad iZombie took its time, easing us into a Liv’s romantic life, but I’m not convinced things are settled yet: Major has been sleeping with Liv’s roommate. That can’t go well.

Even though the mystery’s solution played second fiddle, we saw how the case was solved. I wasn’t too happy with how the case got wrapped up in a pretty bow, but someone coming forward with new evidence is usually how things happen and victims can be in the wrong place at the wrong time. “Even Cowgirls Get the Black and Blues” took a break from giving us a police procedural and spent time on character development. I can’t be upset with that. Heck, even detective Babineaux and Peyton may have side story arcs that could have legs. And the season’s slow boil with Blaine and Max Rager provide iZombie with plenty of opportunities.

Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Review: “4,722 Hours”

Kyle’s Review

Last week’s episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. set up “4,722 Hours,” so we shouldn’t be surprised that this week gave us everything Simmons experienced while she was off-planet, but I would’ve liked if we had these tidbits sprinkled throughout the season instead of upchucked in one episode. Still, “4,722 Hours” was a good episode and Simmons’s behavior over the past episode or two was explained.

The man Simmons encountered on the alien planet not only befriended Simmons but further complicated Simmons and Fitz’s relationship. (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. hasn’t named the planet yet but since the planet is a sentient being—maybe—this planet may be a little used but awesome comic book reference: we’ll let you know in our secrets page.) While there isn’t a direct Marvel comic book link with the name Will Daniels, the name the man stranded on the living planet gives Simmons, I’m not convinced Will told Simmons the truth. There’s more to this world and the abandoned man.

“4,722 Hours” had layers. That’s not surprising given that this week’s episode focused on a character without powers. I’ve said in the past that Daisy (aka Quake, aka Skye) needed more opportunity and layers, and I hope Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. gives her a similar treatment that it gave Simmons this week. And just because “4,722 Hours” gets into Simmons psyche doesn’t mean that it skimped on action. This planet—whether it is or isn’t what I think it is—is one foul beast. It messed with our protagonist physically, mentally, and psychologically.

As long as Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. builds their characters in a manner like the ones used in “4,722 Hours,” I could see season three as its best season. Perhaps with Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. laying the groundwork for Inhumans, we’ll see the show progress Marvel’s cinematic universe rather than playing second fiddle to it. In other words, “4,722 Hours” was a great episode despite only featuring one main cast member. Give us more episodes like this, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D..

Want to learn more about this week’s mysterious planet? Here’s a link to our Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. secrets page. Thank you for reading.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Secrets: “4,722 Hours”

Ego the Living Planet

For months fans have speculated whether Simmons was on a Kree or Skrull planet—there’s no way it could’ve been a Skrull planet because Fox owns the rights to the Fantastic Four but fans were hopeful that a covert deal had been made—but “4,722 Hours” may have given fans a clue to the planet’s identity, and it’s a doozy. It’s a desolate planet with few creatures. It even appears to be sentient. It’s gotta be Ego the Living Planet, right?

Will believes the planet is alive. The planet shifts in order to torment its two inhabitants. Canyons stretch at the planet’s will and the sun was blotted out for creatures (humans) who need a sun to function properly. Yeah, all of those are some of Ego’s abilities. So who is Ego?

Ego the Living Planet first appeared in Thor #132 in the 60s, and he’s been a weird staple in the Marvel universe ever since. Ego started as an alien scientist until he merged with his home world for survival. Ever since then, Ego has gone toe to toe with Thor and even Galactus. You don’t want to eat Ego, Galactus, he’ll only give you heartburn.

Connecting the Dots

I liked all of “4,722 Hours’” callbacks to previous episodes this season. I never thought Simmons just happened to be in the right place at the right time in order for Fitz to save her and this episode clarified why she would be in a position to see the flares Fitz fired into the portal. Simmons figures out that the Monolith’s portal works on a specific schedule, but it’s based on the planet’s moons, not by anything Earth-based. This explanation tracks with what was said in this season’s second episode, when Elliot Randolph suggested the portal opened based on a natural schedule but the schedule had nothing to do with Earth.

Three Astronauts

The three astronauts Austin, Taylor, and Brubaker, who died in Will’s team, are references to fictional astronauts from other franchises.

Austin has to be a reference to Steve Austin, The Six Million Dollar Man. Austin was an astronaut before an accident, during an experimental flight, left him horribly disfigured. As the iconic voice over from the show would attest, scientists made him faster, stronger, better. They had the technology.

Taylor should be a reference to George Taylor, Charlton Heston’s character from the original Planet of the Apes. Taylor was another astronaut but he actually made it into space, only to discover a planet where apes evolved from man. This may be an older film but I don’t want to say much more than that and spoil the movie. The modern Planet of the Ape prequels are good but you should watch the original.

Then we get to Brubaker. This one’s a little tricky. To comic book fans, Brubaker looks like a reference to Ed Brubaker, the comic writer who brought Bucky back to life as the Winter Soldier. Okay, I didn’t call spoilers on that one but if you’re reading a secrets page about Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., you’ve probably seen Captain America: Winter Soldier. And in case you’re wondering, the plot of Captain America: Winter Soldier drew inspiration from Ed Brubaker’s work on Cap.

Anyway, Ed Brubaker most likely isn’t the reference Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. is making by naming the third astronaut Brubaker. They’re most likely referencing Charles Brubaker, James Brolin’s character in the film Capricorn One. In this flick, Charles Brubaker is supposed to go to Mars but the mission goes belly up due to bad funding, which causing the US government to fake the mission’s success.

In short, all three fictional astronauts were involved in failed space missions, much like the three astronauts in “4,722 Hours.”

If you missed our review of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. “4,722 Hours,” here’s a link. Thank you for reading.

Blindspot Review: “Cede Your Soul”

Kyle’s Review

Some critics may dislike “Cede Your Soul” when comparing the episode to prior Blindspot episodes because the show traded squeezing in a puzzle, a mystery, and scant character development for taking a breath and letting viewers into the quiet hours of Blindspot’s large cast. “Cede Your Soul” had Weller and Jane take a step back, while both of them sorted out their private lives—or lack thereof. Zapata may have settled her score with her bookie—but I doubt this will last. And Patterson’s boyfriend makes another appearance and the boyfriend messed up Patterson’s board game collection: he alphabetized Patterson’s board games by title instead of by game designer. I feel your pain, Patterson. All of this added to a lot of time in which to know these characters during “Cede Your Soul,” because there wasn’t much of a puzzle for this week and the mystery got wrapped up real quick, sort of.

I don’t want to get into too much of “Cede Your Soul’s” plot and inadvertently give away some spoilers but let’s say that this week’s baddie was tricked into doing bad things, helped the FBI stop the threat, got kidnapped by the folks who tricked them, and then showed Jane Doe and Patterson how to find her. This inside guy afforded Blindspot to dive into its central and reoccurring characters and that’s a great thing.

I’m still not sold on Jane and Weller’s romantic involvement (if there will be one) and elements presented in “Cede Your Soul” make that a more distant probability. I’ll also need more context between Agent Weller and his dad to completely buy into Weller’s distance with him. Weller is distant from everyone but specifically his father. There has to be something more to this relationship but Blindspot hasn’t revealed it—yet. The Zapata arc is going well. The events in “Cede Your Soul” may suggest that Zapata’s gambling story arc is done but everyone knows Zapata’s addiction will turn up again. Jane Doe gets friendly with this week’s duped baddie and forms a bond. With the break in the action, Blindspot delves into how lonely Jane’s new life is and that was nice to see. But I have a soft spot for the board game loving Patterson (for obvious reasons). I can’t say she and I have the same taste in games—how many copies of Clue do you need?—and her private life was only touched on, but I like that there’s a prominent character with a serious board game addiction.

Overall, “Cede Your Soul” was a good change up to Blindspot’s usual break-neck speed and I’d like to see more Blindspot episodes take this route—certainly not all of them, but some more episodes like “Cede Your Soul” would be nice.

The Awesomes Review: “Super(hero) Tuesday”

Kyle’s Review

In typical Awesomes’s fashion, all of the third season’s threads got tied up neatly with “Super(hero) Tuesday.” I’m saying “Super(hero) Tuesday” wasn’t a good episode, it was, but this week’s episode showed us the Malocchio family pre-evil genius and set up next week’s finale: Prock’s Awesomes versus Mr. Awesome and his new team of Awesomes.

Prock took most of “Super(hero) Tuesday” coming to terms that his father was now evil. Prock knew his father wasn’t himself for most of this season and one of this week’s best moments is when Prock figures his father must be evil because Prock’s best friend Muscle Man reminds him that Mr. Awesome never treated Prock like a son when he was good, so Mr. Awesome has to be evil now. Ouch! This exchange was one of The Awesomes best awkward laughs.

But the thick-headed Muscle Man isn’t wrong about how terrible a father Mr. Awesome is. If you’ve been following The Awesomes, you’ll know this next part, but if you watch the show a couple of weeks after it airs, you may want to turn away. Mr. Awesome is Perfect Man’s father and Mr. Awesome was never there for Perfect Man as a father. This makes for an interesting dynamic as Prock’s family grew a lot this season. Livewire’s pregnant with his child, Prock acknowledges his mother’s new husband, and he has a brother in Perfect Man. I like how The Awesomes focused on family this season, and they didn’t limit themselves to the show’s namesake family.

“Super(hero) Tuesday” spent as much time with the Malocchio family as it did with the Awesome family. We caught a glimpse of what Livewire’s life was like before her father turned evil. Dr. Malocchio was a loving husband and father. This season of The Awesomes asks two questions at once. Is a great man also a good man? Can a notorious man be a good man? The Awesomes doesn’t get too deep—it’s a comedy after all—but it’s refreshing to see characters with various levels on a comedy/superhero show. I’m all in for next week’s season finale.