Tag: tv

VisionQuest “Deadlock” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of a VisionQuest episode, “Deadlock.” If you want to see my thoughts on VisionQuest’s previous episode, “Firewall,” check out this link. VisionQuest “Deadlock” begins where many episodes of VisionQuest begin: inside one of the synthezoids’ mind spaces. “Deadlock” begins with Jocasta’s mind space. On the heels of last episode, Ultron left Vision’s mind space for somewhere else. It makes sense that he’d want to join Jocasta. I love this narrative construction. It fits with a synthezoid. It almost gives VisionQuest a novel approach. Novel meaning both unique and like a book. VisionQuest found a way to show a character’s interiority. That’s cool. But the show may be leaning on this a little too much at times. Equal parts of the show occur in the real world and a character’s mind space. This worked at the beginning. I hoped for the show to pivot.

Quick Note: Spoiler Alert VisionQuest “Deadlock” is in effect. You’ve been warned.

Again, I love VisionQuest’s mind space narrative structure, but we’re six episodes (out of an eight-episode run) into the series. VisionQuest should’ve reduced the amount of time spent in a synthezoid’s headspace by now. I think, we are shifting from that because most of Vision’s AI buddies have flown the coop. The majority of VisionQuest’s mind space minutes occurred in Jocasta’s head. Again, this makes some sense. We watch Ultron and Jocasta find a connection, more on that in a minute, and see what the pair have planned for humanity. Nothing good. But their scheme makes sense for both characters and who they are. I questioned VisionQuest going the route of Ultron and his bride, but the show has proven my doubts unfounded.

I may have been too hard on VisionQuest sticking with its mind space structure. The show maintains good pacing, a rare thing for a Marvel television series. Ultron and Jocasta have revealed their plan for humanity: make humans more robotic. “I got the idea turned round,” Jocasta said. “Instead of making synths more human, we should inject machine into them (humans).” This is a subtle shift to Ultron’s original goal. It fuses Jocasta’s backstory (which we learn in “Deadlock”) with wanting to fix what ails humanity.

We see Lisa Molinari (Tommy’s love interest) infected with one of Jocasta’s nanobots. She loses most, if not all, of her autonomy. While Ultron shares Jocasta’s viewpoint that humanity is flawed, I can see the two finding a disagreement. Ultron convinces Jocasta not to use her nanobot on Tommy. Ultron plays this off as not wanting to upset Vision, but it run deeper. Ultron wants humanity. He yearns to live, taste, and experience things as a human. I can’t see this desire jiving with robbing humanity of its mortal experience. If everyone thinks the same, what would happen to the artists that Ultron loves?

I can see VisionQuest incorporating some form of Ultron not wanting to rid humans of their humanity. I don’t know if it will involve artists or family or some other aspect of the human experience, but I can’t imagine Ultron going on a journey (like entering Jocasta’s mind space) and not changing. Change is a main theme in VisionQuest. Tommy has embraced his dual identity (Thomas Shepard and Tommy Maximoff). Vision tries to relate to Tommy as a father. Even Ultron wants to feel what the people feel; in VisionQuest, Ultron takes his first sip of a real alcoholic beverage. E.D.I.T.H. even tells Paladin’s Tactical A.I. (played by Diane Morgan) that the “Strongest don’t always survive, but the ones most willing to change.”

Family is the other of VisionQuest’s major themes. I can’t imagine Ultron turning his back on his family (Vision and Tommy) when the moment of truth arrives. And I like what Lisa Molinari said about Vision being a father to Tommy. We learn by doing. I feel like this can apply to Vision and Ultron as father figures.

VisionQuest “Deadlock” had plenty of great moments. I like how the episode began with Jocasta trapping Ultron, or at least, she tried to imprison him. Jocasta’s actions run counter to what Ultron said Vision did in the previous episode. Vision called his locking up Ultron a mercy. Even though Ultron’s prison was short-lived, he could tell the difference between what Vision did and what Jocasta planned to do. Tommy namedrops his codename: Speed. I like how he called Keanu Reeves’s character in Speed, Speed, and how the Paladin had to correct him. And Paladin’s handler being a Tactical A.I. made sense, and E.D.I.T.H. taking her place fit. And it was fun.

VisionQuest “Deadlock” managed to bring many of the show’s disparate storylines together. Paladin returns but may now be in a tentative alliance with Vision. Paladin’s former employer is back in play and made a plea directly to the synthezoid. We still don’t know who exactly is hunting Vision, but I’m sure that will be revealed soon. We know what Ultron and Jocasta have planned and most of what our heroes need to overcome in the final two episodes. Lisa’s life is in the balance, and humanity may become more like machines. And Tommy and Vision have reengaged as father and son. Vision has finally told Tommy everything about his past.

This show may have done the near-impossible. Ultron was not the most inspired villain in the MCU. Avengers: Age of Ultron was one of the weakest Avengers films. And yet, VisionQuest has made Ultron cool. Like most Marvel Cinematic Universe properties VisionQuest has some pacing issues, but it’s better than most MCU vehicles, and this trilogy of mini series (WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and VisionQuest) are the strongest modern MCU properties. Most of that comes from each series focusing on its characters, even the ones who aren’t human.

Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “Deadlock.” What did you think of this episode? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

VisionQuest “Malware” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of a VisionQuest episode, “Malware.” If you want to see my thoughts on VisionQuest’s previous episode, “Reboot,” check out this link. VisionQuest has opted for a quick plot. Sure, the last episode, “Reboot,” spent time building up the show’s characters, but for the most part, this series has kept a brisk pace. We learned who the murderous synthezoid is (Jocasta) and who Jocasta’s programming is based. Actually, she isn’t a program at all, but the person whose brain waves are trapped inside the synthezoid. Interesting. This differs from the comics and used to great effect.

And before we go any further into this review or reaction of VisionQuest “Malware,” a spoiler warning is effect. Consider yourself warned.

VisionQuest wasted little time to reveal Jocasta. This is in keeping with Vision and Tommy’s relationship, Tommy’s past (before Vision entered his life), and the Vision’s internal world morphing over the course of a handful of episodes. This show has done an excellent job of slowing the pace (for a reflective scene or scenes) and hitting the gas (for an action scene or scenes). If anything, VisionQuest’s pacing might be a little brisk. This is a show that wants to hold your attention.

With each of these reactions, I struggle with where to begin. A lot occurs within a single episode of VisionQuest. Let’s begin with the Vision’s internal world. First, notice how I’m referring to Vision as Vision instead of The Vision. VisionQuest has deftly shifted the current Vision’s view of self as more in line with the previous Vision, so I’ll be calling him Vision from this point forward, I think. We’ll see if his circumstances change. Spoiler: they do at the end of this episode. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Vision’s internal world gets turned upside down by Jocasta’s invasion.

The gang of AIs, including Ultron, look into the Butcherbird Murders. Jocasta (the Butcherbird Killer) has been killing leaders of AI technology, the same tech geniuses behind Ultron and Vision. I liked how D.U.M.-E. and U dressed up as Sherlock Holmes, because of course they did. Ultron and E.D.I.T.H. form an uncomfortable alliance, working together to uncover the killer’s identity or at least their next target.

Before we get there, Ultron and Vision share a funny scene where they infiltrate police files. The Captcha Test was hilarious. How many squares contain a fire hydrant? Three. Five. It’s a comical moment but a good character one as well. Ultron chooses five because his robotic eyes can observe more within a picture. Vision picks three, which is what the police security deems as a “human” answer. This subtly shows Vision gaining humanity. This and Vision’s relationship with his son. And yes, Vision stops just shy of adopting Tommy. Tommy and Vision’s relationship remains a hallmark of this series. It can singlehandedly carry VisionQuest, but the show adds in Ultron (grandfather) and the host of AIs as Vision’s extended family.

This choice feels more in line with the MCU pre-Avengers: End Game. Most early Marvel projects focused on family and the relationship between fathers and sons. This could be why the Vision/Wanda Maximoff shows hit differently than most other recent MCU properties. They have that link to the past while looking toward the future, grounding viewers in something tangible. Few people are synthezoids or can phase through solid objects, but most of us have some version of a family, even if it’s a screwed up one like Thomas Shepherd’s. This week’s second episode saw plenty of callbacks.

My favorite must be the nod to Tommy’s love interest Lisa Molinari’s comic book counterpart: Coat of Arms. In the comics, Molinari has four arms. In “Malware,” she wears a coat with an extra pair of arms, and Tommy giggles because leave it to Lisa to have a “Coat of Arms.” Nice.

VisionQuest glossed over the introduction of Josephine “Jo” Carrington, one of Markridge Biotech’s founders and one of the creators of J.I.M. (the first attempt at a synthetic man). Carrington was turned into Jocasta. I’m certain we’ll find out how in future episodes, but for now, Jocasta believes she isn’t a copy of Carrington’s brain. She is Carrington. Honestly, I like that for VisionQuest’s story. After J.I.M.’s failure, I could see Markridge Biotech resorting to installing a person’s brain into a synthetic human. This also serves as a great motivation for Jocasta to murder Markridge Biotech’s executives. Good old fashioned revenge. It also makes Jocasta sympathetic.

I mentioned in the previous VisionQuest episode write-up that in the comics, Jocasta was designed to be the bride of Ultron. While that can’t be the case here (if Carrington is stuck inside a synthetic body), Jocasta does recite a phrase dear to Ultron’s heart: Peace in Our Time. Ultron insisted he was a one-off in the previous episode. That can still be true, but Jocasta repeating this line could indicate that Carrington and Ultron have a shared lineage. A directive deep within themselves that could stop them from murdering half the planet.

And that’s where we get to this episode’s cliffhanger: Ultron has seized control of Vision’s body. We all knew Ultron was planning something or at least, he bided his time to make a winning move. I didn’t expect VisionQuest to pull the trigger on Ultron after four episodes. Like I said, VisionQuest has moved at a brisk pace. This must be Vision at his lowest. He’s trapped inside his own body, Ultron has kidnapped his son Tommy, Jocasta is still on the loose, and we most likely haven’t heard the last of Paladin. Like Lanterns earlier this year, VisionQuest has found fertile storytelling ground. We’ll have to see if VisionQuest can stick the landing.

I do trust Marvel with its Vision/Wanda Maximoff shows. They may struggle with other properties, but it’s obvious Marvel has wanted to tell these stories from the comics. Reading Avengers comics from the 70s-90s (my family held on to back issues), I always wondered how one would adapt Vision and Scarlet Witch’s story to the big or small screen. This pair has a bizarre storyline. The MCU has done a good job adapting their story. It isn’t the same as the comics, but that’s a good thing.

Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “Malware.” What did you think? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

VisionQuest “Reboot” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of a VisionQuest episode, “Reboot.” If you want to see my thoughts on VisionQuest’s previous episode, “Theseus,” check out this link. “Reboot” is a spruced-up bottle episode where most of the action between The Vision and Tommy occurs in a hotel (with the pair looking inward), while the scenes involving The Paladin and Jocasta has a few locations to include a swanky penthouse (with The Paladin looking outward). I like the asymmetry used in these two story lines. It serves VisionQuest’s story well and makes the shifts between the two stories almost seamless.

Before we go any further, a spoiler warning is in effect. Consider yourself warned. I really liked how VisionQuest set up the two opposing stories. Like I said, The Vision and Tommy’s storylines looks inward. The Vision finds the man he wants to become through becoming Tommy’s father. He places the blame on Wanda Maximoff for most of “Reboot’s” runtime, unable to reconcile the absurdity of a synthezoid fathering a human child with a chaos witch. Saying it out loud, I see The Vision’s point. It’s ludicrous. And somehow, Wanda’s hex magic willed it into being. The Vision is Thomas Shepard’s father. How else can one explain that he can phase through solid objects? It’s something Tommy inherited from The Vision. The Vision side of “Reboot’s” story concerns itself with past connections and a hopeful future.

I loved the scenes between The Vision and Tommy. They felt real, like a parent and child reconnecting after years. Despite owning a wealth of knowledge, The Vision struggles to be a father. It’s touching. It’s honest. And it’s fitting that The Vision’s first step toward becoming a real father was to listen to his son. Beautiful.

The Vision’s internal world takes a step back in “Reboot.” The characters are just as engaging as ever. I liked the touch of Tony Stark basing his AIs off of real-life people. We may (and probably should) find out more about the people F.R.I.D.A.Y. and E.D.I.T.H.’s are copied from. The MCU did show Jarvis (Agent Carter) and J.A.R.V.I.S. early in its runtime. It’s great to see Stark continue this practice, because this is what happens in the comics. The comic book version of The Vision was a brain copy of Wonder Man’s. For a time, I wondered if the MCU would link Wonder Man and VisionQuest. Jocasta, who is most likely the other synthezoid introduced in “Reboot,” (we may get confirmation in the next episode) was a brain copy of someone else. I like the concept of brain copies. It’s a great way to flesh out the MCU and sprinkle in some callbacks, provided those callbacks are more than nostalgia bait and hold meaning.

Quick note: I’m writing these reviews/reactions as I watch the episodes; I haven’t yet watched episode four before writing this post, and my thoughts on the next episode may alter my thoughts on this episode (in retrospect). Future Kyra may know who the other synthezoid is and who’s brain the synthezoid copies.

I liked the scene at the end where The Vision’s internal world converges with this new synthezoid. The moment before the invasion, The Vision and the surviving AIs honor J.A.R.V.I.S.’s memory. Who knew U could sing? And D.U.M-E is anything but if he can recite poetry. It’s a touching moment and necessary one. J.A.R.V.I.S. may not have shown up as much in the MCU these past several years, but I still see bumper stickers that read, J.A.R.V.I.S. is my copilot. Fans didn’t have time to mourn his passing last week. And I liked the many Easter eggs VisionQuest threw into this episode. I counted almost 90. 90 is a lot. My favorites were when U sprayed E.D.I.T.H. with a fire extinguisher (like he did with Tony in 2008’s Iron Man), and F.R.I.D.A.Y. recounting the day she couldn’t save Tony. Equal parts funny and heartbreaking.

I’ve delayed talking about The Paladin’s side of the story for long enough. We discovered more about The Paladin this week. Fantastic. Despite being one of VisionQuest’s chief antagonists, I almost found myself rooting for him. The Paladin has a strange moral code and magnetic personality, but the addition of an inferiority complex (he’s not a Paladin by blood) makes him a more complex character. VisionQuest choses its flashbacks well and doesn’t slow down the narrative by throwing in too many. Easter Eggs may be a different conversation. Anyway, The Paladin gets fired by his employer. Something tells me he won’t stop hunting The Vision, and The Vision will have more bounty hunters on his tail. Not to mention the other synthezoid.

Yes! I’m almost certain the other synthezoid is Jocasta Pym. To save me from going through all the MCU’s potential synthezoids, let’s just say she is the bride of Ultron, Jocasta. In the comics, Jocasta is a brain copy of The Wasp. I don’t see that. VisionQuest has reestablished brain copies as a thing in the MCU, so Jocasta will definitely be a brain copy of someone, but the Wasp doesn’t fit. The MCU also wants to distance itself from Antman and the Wasp: Quantumania. So, who is Jocasta’s brain double? She’s an assassin, so a Black Widow (maybe the one from Agent Carter) would make sense. Taskmaster was unceremonially eliminated (in Thunderbolts*), so Jocasta could’ve been a copy of Taskmaster. Regardless of who she is, Jocasta (or the other synthezoid) left an impression.

VisionQuest “Reboot” ended on a great note. I struggled to rewatch “Reboot” before writing this post because I wanted to see what would happen next. Jocasta infiltrating The Vision’s internal world is compelling. The visual cues VisionQuest leading up to this invasion was spot on (the color palette changes, Ultron following the butcherbird killer and painting the end scene during “Reboot’s” opening scenes). I’ve said it multiple times. The Vision/Wanda Maximoff trilogy of mini series is the best MCU property this side of Avengers: End Game. All of these projects are baseline good to great.

Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “Reboot.” What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Whatcha Watching, Geekly: October 2026

Published on by KyraLeave a comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here! Today, our writers share what they’ve been watching over the past month. Feel free to share what you’ve been watching over the past month, because we’re all part of the Geekly Gang. I’ll get this post started with what I’ve been watching over the past month.

Kyra’s Shows

I started watching Atypical on Netflix. I was reluctant to watch the show because of its lack of actors with autism. From what I’ve heard, Atypical correct that shortcoming by hiring actors with autism in future seasons. Yes! Looks like we may have another addition to the Autism Representation series of posts. I won’t go into too much detail here; I’ll have to save something for that future post (which will probably post some time early next year, 2027). Like many shows that feature neurodivergent characters, Atypical doesn’t get every detail right. I just started watching, but hiring actors on the spectrum in future seasons is a step in the right direction.

Despite seeing some of the tropes presented in Atypical on more than one show featuring an autistic character, the show manages to hold my interest. And some elements of Atypical ring true. Honestly, the first season (I’m early on in the show) does a good job portraying Sam’s family and friends. For now, Atypical does a good job showing how family struggles to accommodate someone on the spectrum, even when that person has lower support needs. I do like how Atypical makes the distinction of people with autism having different needs. Atypical is listed as a comedy drama. I’d argue it’s more of a drama than comedy (at least for the first season), but it has some moments that made me giggle.

This won’t be the last time I mention Atypical on the site. Beware! I see an Autism Representation post in the future.

Animal Control TV Series Logo

I write my section of these posts a month ahead (usually), and Animal Control season four dropped on Netflix. At this moment, I’ve been rewatching the previous season in preparation of Animal Control season five releasing at the end of September. By the time you’re reading this, I’ll be watching the new season. It took me a while to warm up to Animal Control’s characters. I’ve discussed the danger of short episode seasons for sitcoms in the past. I won’t belabor the point here. In short, short episode seasons don’t work for sitcoms. Shows struggle to retain an audience. The characters don’t have time to develop. Animal Control had the will they, won’t they romcom couple get together at the end of season three, which seems like a lifetime, but it’s the same number of episodes as Ross and Rachel on Friends getting together. Short episode season kill a sitcom’s momentum.

Short rant over. I like where Animal Control left its characters at the end of season four and can’t wait to see what shenanigans the gang gets into in season five. I started watching Animal Control because of Joel McHale. I’m staying for the adorkable characters.

Signs of a Psychopath

By this point, you know I’m a true crime fan. I’ve watched every episode of Signs of a Psychopath. The latest season released over the past month, and I’ve caught up in the series. I’ve watched enough of Signs of a Psychopath that I know what psychological jargon the subject matter experts will say before they say it. I could make a drinking game out of it. Flat affect. Drink! Okay. Maybe I shouldn’t make a drinking game out of this show.

Lanterns TV Show Banner

Lanterns‘ first season wrapped up this past month. I won’t say much about this show. If you want my thoughts on Lanterns, Geekly has reviews of each episode. In short, I’m hoping for a second season. I may have some issues with Lanterns, but the show is entertaining and worthy of a second season. If it does return, I want more alien planets. And aliens! We need more pink-skinned beings.

Kyra’s Movie

I’ve always liked Daniel Johnston’s music; expect to see a Daniel Johnston entry in next week’s Geekly Tunes post. Daniel Johnston is the most popular outsider artists. Outsider art is art made by self-taught individuals who are untrained and untutored in the traditional arts with typically little or no contact with the conventions of the art worlds. While Daniel Johnston fits this definition, he’s so much more than that. Daniel Johnston’s music strips away the production you’ll find on studio albums. His art has an earnestness you won’t find in mainstream music. Songs like “Story of an Artist,” “Somethings Last a Long Time,” and “Life in Vain” aren’t afraid to get to the song’s emotional center. Daniel Johnston’s voice adds vulnerability.

Daniel Johnston was more than a musician. He drew cover art for his albums. The picture above is one of Daniel Johnston’s original works. He had a thing for drawing a guy missing the top part of his skull. And The Devil features in a lot of Daniel Johnston’s work. He grew up in an ultra-religious household. Johnston often thought about The Devil. So, The Devil and Daniel Johnston works as the title of a documentary movie about Daniel Johnston. The movie itself interviews a lot of Johnston’s friends and family, and on occasion, Johnston himself. He fought numerous personal demons. He created a unique world. The Devil and Daniel Johnston did a good job of presenting that world.

I’ll briefly talk about two highlights from this movie. The Devil and Daniel Johnston interviewed Gibby Haynes (of the Butthole Surfers) while he was at the dentist. Excellent! At the very end, Daniel Johnston’s parents talked about how they tried to find a place for him, but nothing worked besides their home. Johnston’s father worried about his son. He wanted to know that his son would be okay after he passed. This moment hits a lot different now than it would have in 2006 (when the film was first released). Daniel Johnston would pass of a massive heart attack. His parents would pass away shortly afterwards. Right as the tears fall, cue “Somethings Last a Long Time” and the credits.

The Devil and Daniel Johnston won’t be for everyone, but if you like Daniel Johnston’s music and art, it’s available for free with ads on YouTube.

That’s all I’ve watched this past month, and it looks like I’m on my own for this month. What’ve you been watching, Geekly Gang? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

VisionQuest “Theseus” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of a VisionQuest episode, “Theseus.” If you want to see my thoughts on VisionQuest’s first episode, “No Strings,” check out this link. “Theseus” begins by backtracking a year in the life of Thomas Shepard. Or is he Tommy Maximoff? Fortunately, VisionQuest doesn’t dwell too long in Tommy’s past, just long enough for us to get sense of where his life was headed, how he met his love interest Lisa. I like that VisionQuest gave us this quick flashback and went back to current events. I don’t mind flashback sequences, but they should be meaningful and shorter. Good job. I also like how VisionQuest is developing The Vision and Tommy’s relationship. This development could drive the show.

Before we get any further into VisionQuest “Theseus,” a spoiler warning is in effect. You should watch the show and the Disney+ series WandaVision and Agatha All Along. I said this in the last review/reaction and I’ll say it again, this trilogy of mini series are the highlights of the Marvel Cinematic Universe post Avengers: Endgame. With that out of the way, let’s talk about VisionQuest “Theseus.”

VisionQuest continues to balance scenes with The Vision’s interior world and the world outside his head. I like how Paladin isn’t “The Paladin” but one of many. VisionQuest hasn’t dropped too many breadcrumbs as to who hired Paladin to capture The Vision, outside of S.W.O.R.D., who rebuilt The Vision. But who’s in charge of S.W.O.R.D.? S.W.O.R.D. is the organization that emerged from the wreckage that was S.H.I.E.L.D.. The leader of S.W.O.R.D. makes sense as the person who tasked Paladin, but their name drop could–and should–affect the MCU. Who is the one pulling the strings?

Getting back to Paladin, his odd sense of morality has me intrigued. He insists on no collateral damage but didn’t hesitate to murder the sanitarium guard the moment he questioned his authority. Isn’t the guard collateral damage? Don’t get me wrong, VisionQuest did an adequate job of showing this guard as a comically sadistic jerk, but Paladin broke his own rule. They may not be rules. They may be guidelines. We didn’t see as much of Paladin’s handler in “Theseus” as we did in “No Strings.” Not gonna lie. I was a little disappointed. Diane Morgan is fantastic, and she and Todd Stashwick (Paladin) have great chemistry, exchanging barbs. We should get more of the handler in next week’s episodes.

I hinted at it before, but Paul Bettany has done a great job conveying The Vision during his latest iteration. He isn’t the synthezoid he used to be. He struggles to make connections, specifically with his son, Tommy. And Tommy has his own struggles. We saw Billy struggle with identity issues in Agatha All Along (seriously, you should watch this show if you haven’t already), but Billy’s powers align more with his mother, Wanda. Tommy’s powers are closer to his uncle’s, Quicksilver. Quick shoot out: VisionQuest has did a great job in the first episode with hinting at Tommy’s powers and does a great job exploring what he can do with those powers in “Theseus.”

It makes sense that Billy would take to his powers and past better than Tommy. Billy’s consciousness found a well-adjusted kid with a strong family. Tommy’s consciousness found a kid with a broken family life. I love the moment at the end of “Theseus” when Tommy won’t let The Vision get captured by Paladin. “I can’t leave you. You’re my…something.” Ah! Tommy can’t bring himself to call The Vision his father, but The Vision is the closest thing Tommy ever had to a father. This was such a great moment. It tugged at the heartstrings.

I’ve avoided it long enough. It’s time to talk about The Vision’s interior world. I like the development of Ultron getting released from his prison. The Vision could no longer maintain Ultron’s prison, so Ultron walked out the front door. Ultron is the most human of all The Vision’s interior residents. He appreciates humanity. And I can’t help but think he has an evil plan afoot and that makes his escape even juicier.

Ultron’s the one who suggests that one of the other AIs sacrifice themselves to save The Vision. J.A.R.V.I.S. answers the call. He deletes himself, so The Vision can have a chance with his son. In the following moments, Ultron suggests that J.A.R.V.I.S. wouldn’t have been his first or second choice, but it had to be J.A.R.V.I.S.. I loved James D’Arcy’s performance as Jarvis from the Agent Carter television show. I was happy to see him return as an AI version of J.A.R.V.I.S. in VisionQuest, but J.A.R.V.I.S. is the most famous and popular of all The Vision’s AI friends. He had to sacrifice himself because his death carried the most emotional depth.

Honestly, I had to rewatch that sequence of events to absorb that J.A.R.V.I.S. was gone. That was an excellent choice on behalf of VisionQuest’s showrunners and writers. While I wouldn’t mind Ultron sneakily convincing the other AIs to systematically sacrifice themselves, I don’t think that fits for Ultron’s character, and it would become old hat real soon. Ultron has something else in mind, but I don’t know what and that has me on the hook. Paladin may be a worthy adversary, but I’m more intrigued by Ultron’s motives and who hired Paladin to retrieve The Vision. And of course, the father/son dynamic of The Vision and Tommy and even Ultron and The Vision. VisionQuest has set up a nice collection of story threads to explore.

Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “Theseus.” What are yours? Let us know in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

VisionQuest “No Strings” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with a review/reaction of VisionQuest’s pilot, “No Strings.” Ahead of beginning this series, I had moderately high expectations for VisionQuest. Wanda Maximoff and Vision mini series are the best thing the Marvel Cinematic Universe has released since Avengers: End Game. That’s high praise. That includes two Spider-Man films (No Way Home and Brand New Day), Wonder Man (which I still love), and at least one Deadpool film. WandaVision and Agatha All Along are great. While it’s too soon to tell if VisionQuest will live up to the previous series in this set of series (as of writing this post, I’ve only watched the first episode a few times), “No Strings” delivers a solid premise with a couple of hiccups.

Since they’re so great, you should watch WandaVision and Agatha All Along before watching VisionQuest, but if you haven’t yet watched them, you don’t need to because VisionQuest does a good job recapping all necessary story elements from these two series and MCU movies in its opening minutes. If Marvel continues to tell ongoing stories, they should continue this trend. VisionQuest takes advantage of The Vision’s identity crisis, having its titular character replay scenes from past MCU vehicles. It works but slows down the momentum.

Even though VisionQuest dropped two episodes this week, this review or reaction will only concern itself with the first of these two episodes. We will release a second post on “Theseus” later this week. Before we continue, a spoiler alert is in effect. If you have yet to watch VisionQuest “No Strings,” you may want to pause and return to this point in the post. Consider yourself warned.

The Vision lives in two worlds: the outside world, and The Vision’s rich interior world. I love how VisionQuest adapted aspects of The Vision’s life in the comic book series The Visions. Obviously, the MCU can’t adapt The Visions wholesale in VisionQuest; Marvel borrowed some elements of that series in WandaVision. The Vision shouldn’t construct children to replace the ones he lost in WandaVision. It’s been done. Instead, Marvel opted for bringing back several of the helper AIs Tony Stark created in the MCU thus far: J.A.R.V.I.S., F.R.I.D.A.Y., E.D.I.T.H., D.U.M.-E., and U. Throw in Ultron, and you have a party. And it’s the inclusion of Ultron that stirs trouble and sparks the inciting incident.

I like how VisionQuest showed how these AIs interact with each other and the roles they take. I’m not going to list all of these AIs again; those are a lot of acronyms. James Spader’s Ultron and Emily Hampshire’s E.D.I.T.H. serve as great foils to J.A.R.V.I.S. and F.R.I.D.A.Y., who serve as The Vision’s restrained persona, while the other two are great comic relief. Not that the other four don’t have comedic moments. They’re a joy to watch.

I wouldn’t mind if VisionQuest stayed within The Vision’s inner world for an episode or two (that may happen in a future episode) because this is a rich world, but I’m glad The Vision must interact with the outside world. Returning to Ultron sparking the inciting incident, he sends out a crypted message to a bounty hunter (Paladin) who is looking for The Vision and gives the bounty hunter The Vision’s position. Ultron says himself that he’s giving The Vision the kick in the pants to get moving. Evidently, The Vision has remained in his past self’s shadow. He’s retraced the original Vision’s footsteps, refusing to make any new moves. Ultron’s action forces The Vision to something. Anything. Even though this is only the first episode, VisionQuest is playing with the dichotomy of Ultron as The Vision’s father and his greatest foe. I love this balance. It also plays into the cliffhanger “No Strings” ends with its closing minutes: Paladin has kidnapped The Vision’s son, Tommy.

Yes! Billy returned in Agatha All Along. If I remember correctly, Wiccan (Billy) was last seen looking for his brother. Could we see a large family reunion by the end of VisionQuest’s runtime? Seriously, if you haven’t yet watched Agatha All Along, you should. It’s excellent. With Tommy’s kidnapping VisionQuest combines elements of Finding Nemo and Taken. The act itself comes straight from Taken, but the vibe I’m sensing (with Ultron congratulating The Vision for having a son) gives me Finding Nemo. And I love how watching that scene multiple times I could read this moment at the end as Ultron being a sarcastic jerk or being sincere. In a way, Tommy is Ultron’s grandson. James Spader is a treasure. This entire cast is amazing.

VisionQuest introduced plenty of interesting threads with its debut, “No Strings.” Someone hired Paladin to retrieve The Vision. Paladin believes S.W.O.R.D. is behind it, but who knows. Ultron works within The Vision’s head. He’s biding his time for the right moment to strike, and that moment will occur at some point. I’ll be disappointed if Ultron never takes a shot at freedom. Heck, Ultron could be the one who hired Paladin, though I doubt it. VisionQuest “No Strings” was a solid–if not rocky because of the flashbacks–first outing. So far, it’s shaping up to be a worthy third part of a WandaVision, Agatha All Along, and VisionQuest trilogy.

Those are my thoughts on VisionQuest “No Strings.” Let us know yours in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” Review

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Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “Dirt and Stars.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “The Jordan Boys Legacy,” here’s a link to that review. “Dirt and Stars” tidied up most of Lanterns‘ loose ends. Did it tie up those ends in the best way. Maybe, maybe not. But the show’s finale does what Lanterns has been doing this entire season, keeping the narrative focused on its characters.

I loved the moment in the car between John Stewart and Noah (Kerry’s son and the Manhunter’s grandson). Lanterns has explored upbringing and the concept of nature versus nurture this entire season. Kudos to Lanterns for doing that. Did I like the reveal of Noah as the last remaining Manhunter. Yeah. It was good. It tied into the events of Rushville. Having a Manhunter as the “final boss” (so to say) was better than trying to shoehorn Parallax into the final three episodes. Did I like the fake out of Kerry being the one who killed Hal? Not as much. It made sense for her character, but Kerry loses something as a character when she impulsively shoots Hal after Hal talks about moving Noah. Clearly, Hal doesn’t want to harm Noah; he wouldn’t have suggested moving. Kerry may be a mother, but she’s also a sheriff. While I could see Kerry shooting Hal in defense, I don’t know if this scene sold why she’d do so.

Again, the acting was phenomenal. You couldn’t have asked for a better cast. I love all of the main cast here. Lanterns (from a writing a direction standpoint) did a fantastic job of conveying these characters. Most of them are flawed and that makes them compelling. Sure, I took Lanterns to task for adding full episodes of backstory for its characters. This caused the show to mark time and not propel its narrative forward. Most creative writing instructors would advise against taking this action. But the characters are so intriguing that I didn’t mind. I wanted to know more about John and Hal’s upbringing. And I think setting Lanterns on Earth was a good move. Would I like to see interstellar Green Lantern stories in the future? Of course. Setting Lanterns on Earth reduces budget costs. I can see the DCU containing its live-action television series to Earth, while its movies explore the cosmos.

Despite grounding the characters (on Earth), Lanterns does a good enough job of adapting the Green Lantern from the comics. I don’t read too many other reviewers’ posts until after I finished reviewing a movie or show myself, but I can imagine a lot of reviewers and specifically reviewers who are comic book readers, complaining that Lanterns should’ve been set in the cosmos. If you plan to make a Green Lantern television series, that series needs to be set in space. I agree with that to some extent, but Green Lantern has had terrestrial stories as well. I remind you of the groundbreaking Green Lantern/Green Arrow comic book series of the 1970s by Dennis O’Neal and Neal Adams. Lanterns made more than one reference to this series, most notably the scene between the Guardian and John’s mother. So good.

Arguing about how Lanterns does or does not adapt the comics plays out like a windshield wiper. It doesn’t work because of this, but it does work because of that. And so on. I return to the characters. Kyle Chandler does a phenomenal job as a broken Hal Jordan. While Aaron Pierre’s John Stewart borrows a few elements from another Green Lantern (Kyle Raynor’s artist abilities), Lanterns does a great job of weaving those elements into John’s character. I’m always down for more Nathan Fillion as Guy Gardner, and I can’t wait to see if Gardner gets his red power ring. From the main cast to recurring characters and supporting characters, most, if not all, the actors do a great job. I enjoyed this show. Is it a perfect representation of Green Lantern from the comics. Not exactly. But I draw your attention to DC Comics’ Elseworlds. It’s the multiverse without the interconnection. The characters are close enough to their comic book counterparts.

John Stewart was a military veteran and had an odd upbringing. Guy Gardner always had a chip on his shoulder and suffered from an inferiority complex. While he spent most of his life as a hero, Hal Jordan did become a villain. It’s the online chatter about Jordan that makes me laugh.

In the comics, Hal Jordan killed all but one Guardian (in Lanterns, Jordan’s mentor Sinestro killed a single Guardian), and then Hal began killing every Green Lantern and claiming their rings for himself. That’s where we get the iconic image above. Fans became so outraged, claiming Hal would never do those heinous acts. This isn’t my Hal. Hal’s a hero. He isn’t broken. The complaints became so loud that DC Comics backtracked the story. Instead of Hal becoming Parallax, they made Hal possessed by Parallax. It wasn’t Hal’s fault. It was someone else’s. LOL Lanterns had shades of Hal as Parallax, and Green Lantern fans are doing the same thing online in 2026 as they did in the 1990s. My time machine works. It’s the 1990s again.

See what I mean? We can go on for hours like a windshield wiper with Lanterns being a “good adaptation” of Green Lantern. Most points have counterpoints. I will add that Lanterns did set up the concepts of the emotional spectrum (what each color of power ring represents) in subtle ways. I can’t wait to see how Lanterns explores the emotional spectrum in the future (if it gets renewed for a second season, that is). I mentioned Guy gaining a red power ring. Red power rings are fueled by rage. He’s a list of DC Comics’ Emotional Electromagnetic Spectrum:

Red/Rage
Orange/Avarice
Yellow/Fear
Green/Will
Blue/Hope
Indigo/Compassion
Violet/Love
Grey/Sorrow
Black/Death
White/Life

The lantern John uses to power up his ring has yellow streaks: fear. Sinestro mentions that fear can be the most powerful force in the universe. Of course he’d say that, he’s the most famous wearer of a yellow power ring. While in bed, Hal says to Kerry that he “wills” her to stay. This is a great nod to what powers the green power ring; it’s another great moment of Hal trying to reclaim his hero status after his fall. And I mentioned in previous reviews that Parallax (DC Comics’ living embodiment of fear) was hinted at more than once in Lanterns. The show eases viewers into this concept. An emotional spectrum is odd, but I can’t wait to see what the DCU has in store for the emotional spectrum’s future.

Yes. Guy gains a red power ring, but he may be the one character who has worn the most unique color of power rings. I’d like to see the DCU explore Guy’s character arc with these various rings. I’d also love to see the DCU adapt Supergirl gaining a red power ring. This dovetails into 2026’s Supergirl. So many people derided Supergirl because the main character was too angry. During a comic book event when most DC characters gained a power ring, Supergirl gets a red power ring. Buried under the weight of expectations (superhero, member of the House of El, part of the Superman family, and various gender roles as a woman), Supergirl embraced the red power ring by saying “F#@% this S#!t.” It was a joy to see an unleashed Supergirl.

I enjoyed Lanterns season one. The show had flaws. I mentioned several weeks ago that I couldn’t see how Lanterns could regain its momentum after the events of Rushville (episode five), and the show struggled to do just that. The momentum slowed to a crawl. I’d say the first five episode of this season were fantastic. I’d gladly rewatch them. The last three episodes leave a little to be desired, but overall, Lanterns season one held my interest.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “Dirt and Stars” and the show as a whole. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “Bad Optics,” here’s a link to that review. “The Jordan Boys Legacy” had some great callbacks. That’s good, sometimes even great. And this week’s episode did some things to progress Lanterns season one’s plot, but I’m afraid it may not have done enough. The season finale has a ton of work. As the episode’s title implies, “The Jordan Boys Legacy” dives into Hal Jordan’s backstory. That may not sound like it’s a bad thing, but remember, Hal’s gone. Any longform story with Hal is backtracking when the finale is next week. And this episode builds up the idea of Hal unaliving himself. Can I use the S-word here? You know what, I will. This episode suggests Hal may have committed suicide, but I think this is a red herring.

Before we get any further, spoiler warnings are in effect. You’ve been warned. If Hal committed suicide, it’ll be because he was under the influence of the fear toxins John Stewart encountered in this week’s episode, and that fear toxin originates from Parallax and/or the Sinestro Corps. Lanterns hasn’t done enough to build up these threats. We’ve physically seen Sinestro himself in a couple of episodes, but he’s been imprisoned. I should take a moment and acknowledge that this week’s episode of Lanterns did answer one of the questions I had from last week. Hal Jordan must’ve “freed” Sinestro. More precisely, Hal relocated Sinestro from one prison to another. This answer leads to more questions:

How did Hal know which planet to imprison Sinestro? Antaan implanted John Stewart with the memories of his people, not Hal.

Was Hal involved with Antaan’s people getting massacred or did he clean up the mess? Maybe.

Was Sinestro somehow involved? Probably.

When did Hal imprison Sinestro? I’m guessing during 2016 because his ring must’ve been decommissioned after the events at Rushville, but Lanterns made it sound as if Hal “freed” Sinestro in the past few years. Someone with the ability to fly through the cosmos “freed” Sinestro. Hal couldn’t do that without a power ring. Could he?

Was Hal possessed by Parallax? Ah! That may be what Lanterns is building toward. I mentioned Parallax last week. It’s the embodiment of fear in the DC Comics Universe, and Parallax has a history in the comics of poisoning Hal Jordan. Heck, Parallax was first introduced in DC Comics with the being possessing Hal Jordan. Okay. Technically, Green Lantern writers wanted Hal to fall from grace; fan outcry led to the writers inventing Parallax (it wasn’t Hal; it was Parallax). The story was still a compelling one even if it got retconned. While a Parallax possession would explain Hal’s demeanor during Rushville, why he would mess with Sinestro, and even why he would commit suicide, I would’ve liked Lanterns to mention Parallax as a concept or by name before the season finale.

Sure, Lanterns season one has played around with the concept of fear. Fear was why John’s father wasn’t chosen as Earth’s Green Lantern. John must prove he has no fear. Antaan’s people massacred each other out of fear. During “The Jordan Boys Legacy” episode, John asks old Hal (the construct from the ring) to ask him if he’s afraid, and John has a fearful moment in the middle of the poisoned lake–more on that wonderful scene later–but Lanterns revealing Parallax as the big bad could backfire.

It’s a risky move. One that would be difficult to pull off without the twist sounding like a gotcha moment. One that only comic book readers would know. If Parallax is the big bad, it could read a lot like the CW’s Flash season two. Zoom was the big bad. Several characters were presented as compelling candidates for Zoom. Flash chose to stick to a comic book accurate Hunter Zolomon, who barely appeared in the season prior to his name drop. Geekly covered that series as it aired nine years ago. Has it really been nine years? Yikes! I face palmed when I heard the Hunter Zolomon name drop and pleaded for Zolomon not to be Zoom. He was the least interesting option as Zoom. I’m not quite there with Lanterns and Parallax, but it’s close. Like I said, it’s risky.

Hal as Parallax only adds more questions that need to be answered, and Lanterns has one hour to answer the above questions, the four or five remaining questions from last week, and these new questions. The Lanterns season finale has a mountain of work. If Hal is Parallax or possessed by Parallax, here are some additional questions:

Was Parallax in control of Hal the entire time or did it influence Hal? My guess is influencing Hal because I don’t think Hal could fall in love with Sheriff Kerry if Parallax took full control of him, and we return to the timing of Sinestro leaving space prison. Does Parallax float in and out of Hal’s consciousness? How does it work? Or is someone or something else behind Sinestro’s relocation?

If Hal (possessed by Parallax) broke Sinestro out of space prison in the last couple of years, did Parallax grant Hal the ability to fly to space prison? Maybe. But that would sound convenient.

Why would Parallax want Sinestro imprisoned on this other planet? Sinestro serves Parallax’s ends. Why keep him imprisoned?

Antaan wanted The Manhunter dead in 2016. Was The Manhunter in cahoots with Parallax? If so, how did that work?

Parallax can work as Lanterns season one’s big bad villain. It also functions a lot like The King in Yellow, who influenced the first season of True Detective. Lanterns‘ showrunners cite the first season of True Detective as an influence. I don’t mind this comparison. R. W. Chambers’ The King in Yellow is one of the most influential weird fiction creations. I highly recommend reading this collection of short stories.

While many creators focus on the first several stories in this collection (the play that bears The King in Yellow’s name drives people insane when they read the second act), fewer creators explore the second half of The King in Yellow. The characters presented in these stories (the romances) avoid the King in Yellow’s influence. In large part, they overcome the King in Yellow because they overcome their fears. That sounds a lot like Parallax. This is why I still have hope for Lanterns season one finale.

Lanterns has kept its focus on its core characters. I appreciate that. The scene with John Stewart facing his past on the poisoned lake works because we know his past. Old Hal helps John through this moment and after doing so, shares his past (his father committing suicide) with John. If Parallax took control of (or influenced) Hal, it makes sense if it did so through Hal’s fear of becoming his father. Even though “The Jordan Boys Legacy” didn’t progress the story as much as it could in preparation of Lanterns season finale, I’m still withholding final judgement until the finale.

I prefer if the show resolves most–if not all–of the questions it poses. This week’s episode left a lot of questions unanswered, presented new questions with the one it did, and the potential big bad may present even more questions. Parallax is a compelling villain if done well. Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy” left a lot of work for the season’s final episode. Seriously, I double checked to see if there was a planned ninth episode. If the show sticks the landing (a tall order for sure), you know I’ll be rewatching this series more than once. Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “The Jordan Boys Legacy.” Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

3 Lists Of 3 Trans Representation

3 Lists of 3 Trans Representation: Take 01

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Hey, hey! Kyra Kyle here. Today, our classic three lists of three post returns. We haven’t done one of these in almost two years. The last one took a lot out of me, and I wanted to retire the format for a while. But it’s back. Three lists of three posts allow Geekly to explore a topic from multiple angles, maybe even some angles we would seldom cover in a solo post. Today’s topic is transgender representation in media.

Geekly started an ongoing series of transgender representation in media. Typically, that series follows television (occasionally) and movies, but let’s discuss other media. And some smaller transgender roles in television, while we’re at it. This is Geekly’s 3 Lists of 3 Trans Representation, Take One.

Trans Representation in Video Games

Video games have a longer history of transgender representation than one might think. More than one character has become a trans icon. Video games, as a medium, also allow players to embody the characters. This can be a great way to express a lived experience.

Tyler Ronan (Tell Me Why)

Dontnod Entertainment, the same Dontnod that created Life is Strange, had a follow-up, episodic adventure game named Tell Me Why. Armed with supernatural powers, twins Tyler and Alyson unravel the truth about their childhood. Tyler is a transgender man, and Dontnod worked with GLAAD and Tyler’s trans voice actor to ensure Tyler’s lived experience mirrored a trans man’s.

I love Dontnod Entertainment. Typically, their games include small moments that get at the heart of the character. We saw that with Chloe and Max. Tell Me Why includes moments where Tyler takes daily testosterone and uses a binder. Tell Me Why may include one of the best representations of a trans man’s experience, regardless of medium. If you liked Life is Strange, you should check out Tell Me Why.

Vivian (Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door)

We talked about Birdo—her chosen name is Birdie, by the way—in a previous post. She may be the trans video game icon others thought of in this section’s introduction, but another Mario character claims this spot as a better trans representation: Vivian. In the original Japanese version of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Vivian was portrayed as a trans woman. Vivian’s sister would frequently misgender her. Gamers would take Vivian’s side.

Some American versions of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door cut references to Vivian’s transition, but the majority of Japanese and English translations clearly present Vivian’s transgender backstory. Her journey toward acceptance can inspire. We love Birdo, I mean, Birdie, at Geekly. But Vivian needs some love.

Claire Russell (Cyberpunk 2077)

Cyberpunk 2077 featured numerous gender identities and sexualities for players to explore. For that reason, it was groundbreaking. It should come as no surprise that Cyberpunk 2077 would have an entry on this list. But there’s a chance some players don’t even know Claire Russell, bartender at the Afterlife, is even trans. Uh oh. Cyberpunk 2077 chose subtlety.

Claire’s truck sports a transgender flag. If you know the flag, your trans-dar may have tingled. Eventually, after a race, Claire can mention her gender identity. Not every player will hear this dialogue. You’ll need to gain her trust. Claire doesn’t share her gender identity with just anyone. Not everyone needs to know. And Claire’s transness isn’t used as a tragic backstory. She’s just a trans girl navigating the world the best she can. This makes Claire relatable. She’s authentic.

Trans Representation in TV Shows

We have covered trans characters in television shows in previous trans representation posts. But characters like Hunter Schafer’s Jules in Euphoria are main characters. This segment allows us to cover characters who appear briefly in television shows, and they did a good job of capturing the trans experience.

Teri (Baby Reindeer)

Baby Reindeer is a fabulous Netflix series. We may cover Baby Reindeer in a future trans representation post. We’ll see. The series, based on a true story, follows a struggling comic named Donny Dunn. Donny becomes the target of a stalker named Martha. Martha sexually assaults and harasses Donny. Baby Reindeer shatters gender roles and concepts CisHet people take as givens. So, of course, Baby Reindeer includes trans actress Nava Mau as Teri, a trans woman.

As you can surmise, Donny Dunn’s life is chaotic. Teri calms the storm. She saves Donny from a path of destruction. Teri represents the first loving and respectful relationship Donny had ever had up to that point. Eventually, their relationship falters because Donny doesn’t know who he is. Teri knows who she is. Baby Reindeer makes it a point to show the audience she knows who she is. You can’t help but fall in love with Teri. She’s a real one.

Natalie (Big Mouth)

Big Mouth is known for its unflinching look at puberty. Hilarious, moving, and awkward, Big Mouth has always shown queer stories. A couple of the main cast are queer. It makes sense that Big Mouth would eventually introduce a transgender character. That happened in season four with the foul-mouthed eighth grader, Natalie, portrayed by trans actor Josie Totah. You’ve gotta love it. Big Mouth does a great job showing how some people react whenever they hear someone is trans. The boys want to know what’s in Natalie’s pants. To her credit, she tells them to f*** off. The girls go out of their way to befriend Natalie, but they can be as tone-deaf and insensitive as the boys. They’re just more subtle.

My favorite Big Mouth episode with Natalie is her second one. She enters into a brief situationship with Seth Goldberg, voiced by Seth Rogen. Several of these scenes play out like any others about young love. Natalie’s identity as a trans woman doesn’t factor into these scenes. Seth genuinely cares for Natalie. But then we see him hide the relationship and downright deny it. Seth doesn’t want to be seen as weird. The two part ways, but in the end, you can tell Seth regrets what he’s done. He acknowledges that Natalie was the bigger person.

Mae (Feel Good)

Wow! Netflix earns a clean sweep with this segment. Feel Good is the semi-autobiographical story of nonbinary actor and comic Mae Martin. Mae struggles with romance, substance abuse, and gender. I don’t know of many mainstream representations of a nonbinary character having steamy love scenes. Woo hoo!

Feel Good can be moving, obviously steamy, and funny. After all, Martin is a stand-up comedian. We catch a glimpse of a few of their stand-up routines in Feel Good. This may be another series we may need to revisit in long form.

Trans Representation in Anime

Anime has a longer history with trans representation than people may think. This segment could be as long as three dozen, but here are three anime trans representation standouts.

Asuka Yuu (Stars Align)

We’re going back-to-back nonbinary characters on this list. Stars Align follows the members of a middle school boys’ soft tennis club. The stories center around the challenges they face as a team, and we get a fair share of personal struggles. Asuka Yuu is the manager of the soft tennis club, and they happen to be nonbinary.

Most of the boys in the soft tennis club don’t understand what nonbinary means, and Asuka Yuu’s story revolves around their feelings of uneasiness and uncertainty with their identity. Stars Align centers on middle school-aged children. Yuu has just embarked on their journey to find out who they are. Stars Align may include one of the most respectful representations of the nonbinary experience.

Alluka Zoldyck (Hunter x Hunter)

Hunter x Hunter is a long-running anime. The manga has seen multiple anime adaptations by Nippon Animation and Madhouse. Chances are that most anime fans think of Alluka Zoldyck when they think of transgender anime characters. Alluka Zoldyck is the second youngest in the Zoldyck family of assassins. She’s the youngest sister of Killua Zoldyck (one of Hunter x Hunter’s main characters) and has lived as a woman for a long time. Despite this, everyone in her family—except for Killua—misgenders her. Is it any wonder why Alluka joins her brother’s journey?

Yamato (One Piece)

In terms of long-running animes, Hunter x Hunter has nothing on One Piece, and One Piece has its own trans representation: Yamato. Yamato is the son of Kaidou, an antagonist of the series, and wants to join the Straw Hat Pirates. Yamato doesn’t present as a typically masculine person, but he earns respect and is treated as his gender. And even though his father is an antagonist, Kaidou still respects his son’s Yamato’s pronouns.

One Piece is one of the most read mangas and watched animes. I love how people can get introduced to what it means to be transgender through Yamato. Gender identity and gender expression do not need to coincide. These are separate concepts. And I love how the “villain” still respects his son. That’s a great touch.

That concludes Geekly’s three list of three for transgender representation. Did any of your favorites make the list? Would you add anyone else? This is the first in a potential series. Let us know your favorite transgender characters in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.

Lanterns “Bad Optics” Review

Published on by Kyra1 Comment

Hey, hey, Geekly Gang! Kyra Kyle here with another review/reaction of this week’s episode of Lanterns, “Bad Optics.” If you want to see our thoughts on last week’s episode, “Lights Out,” here’s a link to that review. This week’s episode of Lanterns marks Nathan Fillion’s Guy Gardner’s first appearance. Oh! Spoiler alert is in effect for the rest of this post. “Bad Optics” does a lot of heavy lifting, as in a ton of playing catch up between the 2016 storyline and 2026 (which was hinted at in the series’ pilot). It’s a tall order, but “Bad Optics” does a decent job playing catch up. I still question Lanterns‘ ability to finish strong.

Let’s start with Lanterns “Bad Optics'” playing catch up. In the ten years after the Manhunter (2016), Hal Jordan goes to jail, Hal serves almost ten years in prison, Rushville’s sheriff gets a divorce, Hal and the sheriff get together, John Stewart mends fences with one of his brothers (Marcus), the two Stewart brothers launch an architect firm (that constructs panic rooms), John’s other brother (Aaron) still resents him but gladly accepts John’s financial support to start a music business, John and his mother are estranged, John’s father is in assisted living, Hal’s ring gets decommissioned, the Guardians forge a new ring, Sinestro flees prison, and Guy Gardner becomes Earth’s new Green Lantern. And that’s an abridged list. A lot has happened in a decade.

“Bad Optics” features plenty of talking during meals. Oh! One thing I missed was John’s mother having a relationship with Hal behind John’s back. She lies and says Hal wants to apologize for the Manhunter debacle. One of the meals was when John meets Hal at Rushville’s diner. When Hal doesn’t give John the apology he’s looking for, John punches him in the face. I vaguely remembered Hal’s nose bleeding in the closing minutes of the Lanterns‘ pilot. Like I said, there’s a lot that’s happened in ten years. Whenever someone writes a story like this, they risk info dumping (unloading a ton of information all at once with the characters doing little but talking). This happens a lot in “Bad Optics.”

But the show sprinkles in some action, breaking up these long stretches of info dumping. I especially liked the moment when John makes multiple phone calls while driving. Despite a lot of info dumping occurring, this gave the scene some forward momentum. All the issues (Aaron refusing to deal with their dad, Marcus pleading with John to come home, and the call between John and the nursing home) built on each other. John was halfway on his way home when he runs into a Rushville resident extorting him for money. (John didn’t tell the sheriff he met Hal before he died.) This latest development forces John to stay in Rushville. That and John wants Hal’s ring. He wants the ring bad enough to dig up Hal’s grave and retrieve it. And that’s where we leave Lanterns this week. John has the ring. He summons Hal’s projected self. My guess is John will use the projection to open Hal’s voice-locked safe.

Lanterns is looking a lot like Luke Cage season one, which I mentioned last week. We’re seeing it play out in this episode. The show takes a step back to set up the final confrontation (and a second villain). The Manhunter wasn’t the final confrontation. The show only has three episodes to piece together a compelling villain. I don’t know if it has enough time.

One of our commentors from last week’s post (about “Lights Out”) mentioned that they grow tired of mystery box storytelling. Fair. Lost popularized mystery box storytelling. The failures of Lost stem from the show not resolving most of its story threads, asking more questions than it ever answered. That’s the danger of mystery box storytelling. This storytelling method works like the trick I played on my spouse one Christmas. I bought them a ring and placed the ring’s small box inside four or five bigger boxes. The multiple boxes my spouse had to open served as mystery boxes. Mystery box storytelling can be fun. It fails when you open all the boxes and don’t find a gift. You want more than an empty box.

Lanterns has time to turn this around, but not much. Momentum has all but died with “Bad Optics.” The story threads I would like answered before Lanterns wraps up its first season are the following:

Who freed Sinestro?
Who killed Hal?
How does John and/or Guy deal with this threat?
How will John and/or Guy deal with Sinestro?
What happens to Hal’s spare ring that John now wears?
What happens to John?

The being who freed Sinestro and killed Hal could be, and probably is, the same being. John and/or Guy dealing with this threat could, and should, occur in the season finale. And personally, I’d like to see two Green Lanterns from Earth, but I could see the Guardians going in a different direction. Lianna (the Guardian who recruited John Stewart) could be behind some or all of the machinations, but it is a bit of a stretch. In the comics, Guardians have gone rogue. Lanterns hasn’t shown us too many characters who could’ve freed Sinestro and killed Hal Jordan. Bernadette (John’s mother) could’ve killed Hal. But why would she frame her son for murder?

I could be missing something, but Lanterns doesn’t have a lot of options (for who’s behind this) that won’t sound like it came out of nowhere. Parallax could be the one behind everything. Parallax is a huge villain in the DC Comics Universe, but they haven’t been set up in Lanterns. Fine. Sinestro wields the yellow power ring (which we have yet to see in the show), yellow power rings are fueled by fear, and Parallax is DC Comics’ embodiment of fear, but the show hasn’t developed Parallax as a concept. Yet. Introducing Parallax in the final two episodes could feel like a gotcha moment.

Notice how I didn’t say John and/or Guy defeat Sinestro (or even the other threat). They just need to deal with him in some manner. I wouldn’t mind Lanterns season one pulling a page from Star Wars: A New Hope. The Deathstar is destroyed, and Darth Vader’s Tie-Fighter careens into space. Vader isn’t confirmed dead. It makes sense for him to return in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. Down but not out. I expect Sinestro to return in Lanterns season two, but this season needs a satisfying ending. We need that ring inside the multiple empty boxes. Wait. I just realized my analogy involved a ring. I even gave my spouse an emerald ring. Is my spouse a Green Lantern? They are fearless.

I’ve enjoyed most of Lanterns season one. “Outkast” (John’s backstory) and this week’s “Bad Optics” marked time because of the season’s construction and trying to backfill years of character development. Despite the inclusion of Fillion’s Guy Gardner, “Bad Optics” didn’t fair as well as “Outkast.” I love me some Nathan Fillion. I’d like to see more of Guy Gardner. But we have several questions that need answered before Lanterns season one wraps. Lanterns has armed John with an item he can use to unearth who killed Hal. Quick Note: I like how Hal’s ring has a limited charge; too often, storytellers make things too easy for their protagonists and give them exactly what they need with few to no limitations.

Those are my thoughts on Lanterns “Bad Optics.” Let us know yours in the comments. Thank you for reading, and wherever you are, I hope you’re having a great day.