"Fighter Flight" - Star Wars: Rebels Season 1 Episode 2 review

Despite seeming to have smoothed over their tumultuous relationship last week, Ezra and Zeb are portrayed constantly bickering, to the point that they almost cause damage to the Ghost. Hera orders the pair to go to the nearest town on Lothal and pick up some much needed supplies. Hera emphasises that they shouldn't bother returning without picking up a meiloorun fruit, which she knows full well is not indigenous to Lothal. One of the major problems I had with this episode was the degradation of the close-knit crew into a transparent symbolism for the average family- Ezra and Zeb are the bickering brothers, Sabine is the annoying sister, Hera is the mother and Kanan the father. The previous episodes have done a fantastic job of highlighting the close relationship of the crew members and the well-oiled machine they operate as during heists, con-jobs and battles with the Empire. This episode did the opposite.

Ezra and Zeb quickly find all of the supplies they were ordered to collect, apart from the meiloorun fruit. Eventually, Ezra is told by an old friend, Mr Sumar, that an off-world importer might have some of the fruit. Although the pair do find an off-worlder selling the merchandise, they learn that it has already been sold to the Empire.

The pair are of course caught in their attempt to steal some of the fruit for Hera, causing Ezra to flee for his life and Zeb to make his getaway in a stolen TIE fighter. Zeb eventually rescues Ezra, but only after forcing him to agree that they are now even for having both saved each others lives. This was another part of the episode that irritated me. Zeb is a grown Lasat, but has been mentally downgraded to the level of a child for the purposes of this episode. What adult would allow their friend's life to hang in the balance until they agreed to their demands? In fact, what child would?

After escaping in the TIE, the pair notice Mr Sumar and his family have been taken prisoner by a convoy of Imperials. Ezra takes out the stormtroopers and frees the prisoners whilst Zeb provides cover in the TIE fighter. This sequence was probably the best part of the episode; it was animated well, the suspense was there, and the characters finally began acting like the characters we have started to get to know over the previous episodes.

Kanan and Hera begin to worry because the pair have been gone so long, Hera having expected the pair to give up after not being able to pick up any meiloorun fruit. When they learn what has transpired they order the pair to get rid of the TIE and return to the Ghost immediately.

Overall rating: ★★½

"Fighter Flight" was by far the weakest episode produced by Rebels so far. I understand the idea was to teach the younger members of the audience the importance of harmony and working together in a family, however, I felt that the writers laid it on a bit thick. Let's hope this is simply a rare slip in an otherwise strong show!

"Welcome to Paradise" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 3

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the third episode of The Vampire Diaries Season 6!

Somewhat pissed following Ivy's murder at the hands of Enzo, Stefan goes to the mechanic workshop he has been working at over the past few months and compels his boss into letting him have time off, burying poor Ivy's body and of course, giving him a raise when he returns! What's Stefan's plan you ask? Return to his old life, kill Enzo, and leave said old life again. How long before he is forced to save eternal-damsel in distress Elena and prove he still cares for his friends? I give it 2 episodes max!

Speaking of Elena, she appears to be excelling in her new life, after Alaric compelled away her love for Damon in the previous episode. She even found time to try and set Caroline up with Liam (Cute Brag?) from her pre-med course. However, Liam actually has feelings for her and is obviously shaping up to be the obligatory post-Damon's death love interest that is sure to complicate matters when Damon magically returns from the dead.

For once it's Caroline who is struggling with her romantic angst over a Salvatore, rather than Elena! What a twist! Caroline emotionally appeals to Stefan to stick around because the gang, and specifically Caroline herself, needs him more than ever. However, Stefan is still angry about Enzo and walks away, leaving poor Caroline in tears. Later, Elena asks Caroline if she has feelings for Stefan, and finally, she openly admits it! I actually felt the collective screams of Steroline fans around the world the second the words left Caroline's mouth. 

Jeremy spends most of the episode shirtless at the watering hole party where Elena tries to get the old gang back together. Elena disapproves of his continuing relationship with Sarah, the girl she attacked whilst using the witchy-herbs Luke gave her in the premiere. Eventually, everyone realises that compulsion fades once someone breaches the border to Mystic Falls and that Sarah has known the whole time that Elena and Caroline are vampires. Jeremy tries to find her at the Salvatore's, but she has trashed the houses and fled!

In relatively minor news, Tyler continues to struggle with his anger issues and is constantly provoked by Liv Parker, who does mention that she is only acting like a total bitch so that she can stop herself falling for Tyler! To be fair, this is the only legitimate sexual tension on the show right now, so maybe this budding relationship is more significant than I first thought?

In other news, poor Matt buys Tripp's "red mulch" cover story for the mess left in his truck after mass murdering a group of vampires at the end of last week's episode. Oh Matt, it's a good thing you've still got those blue eyes Katherine loved so much! The gang soon learns that the group Matt has joined is full of vampire hunters when Matt's friend Jay, attempts to kill Stefan, only to be killed himself. Uh-oh! How is Matt going to gracefully exist this group without getting himself killed? After learning about the group, Stefan allies himself with Tripp by helping the creepy vampire hunter and helps him capture Enzo! I can only hope Enzo meets with a wooden stake in the next episode, but something tells me I couldn't be that lucky!

And back in Mystic Falls circa 1994, Damon and Bonnie continue to bicker like an old marry couple and don't seem any closer to finding a way home than they did last season. However, when Damon is attacked by Kai, the other occupant of the other dimension the pair learnt about last week, Bonnie comes to the rescue. How you ask? By using magic! That's right, Bonnie's powers are back and Kai explains that he only attacked Damon to provoke the emotional response necessary for Bonnie to reclaim her powers!

Overall rating: ★★★★

Season 6 of TVD feels a lot like TVD circa seasons 2 and 3, when the show was at its absolute best! The series is yet to serve up anything other than a suspensful, twist-filled masterpiece this season and "Welcome to Paradise" is no exception.

 

Not only was this episode entertaining, it was filled with necessary plot progression- the Steroline romance was finally addressed onscreen, Jeremy's girlfriend Sarah finally seemed to have some sort of relevance, Tripp's creepiness was revealed to the gang and most importantly, Bonnie finally got her powers back!

"Droids in Distress" - Star Wars: Rebels Season 1 Episode 1 review

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the first episode of the first season of Star Wars: Rebels.

This episode opens with the crew of the Ghost being pursued by an Imperial Star Destroyer and several TIE fighters. Hera quickly makes the jump to hyper-space and Kanan cockily reminds the crew that he had assured them that they would escape. Sabine reminds him that he had also assured them that they would escape with the shipment they had planned to steal from the Imperials, whilst Ezra loudly and frequently complains about the lack of Jedi training he has recieved from Kanan. Hera worried out loud that the crew is nearly out of supplies and fuel, and out of desperation, Kanan decides to take on a mission from crime lord Cikatro Virago to steal an arms shipment from an Imperial minister on Garel. 

The crew make their way to Garel and manage to find themselves on the same transport as Minister Tua and her contact Amda Wabo. Because of the language barrier between the minister and Wabo, they are forced to use a translator droid in order to communicate. This droid happens to be none other than movie favourite C-3PO himself, accompanied as always by his counterpart R2-D2!

The crew manage to convince the pilot to order all droids to the back of the transport, forcing Minister Tua to take Sabine up on her offer to translate for Wabo. Sabine of course mistranslates where the arms shipment is being held, causing the Minister to look for it in Bay 17 instead of Bay 7! Minister Tua eventually realises what has happened and attacks the rebels in Bay 7 with a squad of stormtroopers. The rebels overpower the storm troopers and manage to escape with the shipment- as well as Artoo and Threepio!

After realising that the arms they have stolen are illegal disrupters that were used in the Empire's conquering of his home world, Zeb pleads with Kanan not to sell them to Virago. Kanan goes ahead with his original plan, much to Zeb's chagrin, and meets Virago on Lothal for the exchange. Unfortunately, C-3PO makes contact with Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau revealing the crews coordinates. Kallus attacks the two groups during the exchange. Leaving the crew to fight their own battles, Virago escapes with half of the shipment, and without paying the crew.

During the battle Kallus goads Zeb into a duel, and reveals that he was the one who ordered the use of the disrupter rifles during the attack on his home world. Kallus defeats Zeb and is about to deliver the killing blow when Ezra instinctively uses the Force to blast Kallus against a wall, knocking him unconscious.

The crew escapes and returns C-3PO and R2-D2 to their rightful owner, who pays them handsomely as a reward. Unbeknownst to the crew the droids rightful owner happens to be Senator Bail Organa of Alderaan, the future founder of the Rebel Alliance, who seems to be very interested in finding out everything R2 knows about the crew of rebels!

Overall rating: ★★★★

"Droids in Distress" was a strong follow up to Rebels' TV movie premiere. I felt that the use of familiar characters (Threepio, Artoo and Senator Organa) was pulled off well- their introduction to the series was subtle, with none stealing the show from the new cast of characters  the audience is getting to know.

Additionally, one of the great things about this series is the suspense that comes with every battle scene. Because none of the main cast are established characters, it is impossible to know if they will survive episode to episode, something that was always a downfall of the otherwise fantastic Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated series.

"Yellow Ledbetter" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 2 review

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not seen the second episode of the Vampire Diaries Season 6.

Following on from last week, Elena struggles to deal with her grief after Damon's death. Unsurprisingly, Alaric agrees to use his Original vampire compulsion power to compel Elena into forgetting that she ever loved Damon. Somehow Elena convinces those close to her into letting her go through with this highly unhealthy decision, and after several flashbacks to key moments in her relationship with Damon, Alaric successfully compels away her memories. Unlike most fans of this show, I have always liked Elena and found myself able to relate to her decisions. However, so far this season I am beginning to understand why so many TVD fanatics find her irritating, irrational and overly dramatic. Jeremy lost his girlfriend too Elena, but you don't see him making crazy decisions to erase the fact he ever loved her!

Furious after learning that Stefan has given up on saving Bonnie and Damon, Caroline surprisingly turns to the one person who seems as determined to save them as her- Enzo. Although Enzo learns of a witch coven that may be able to help them, he and Caroline first make their way to see Stefan, who seems to be enjoying his new life in Savannah with his new girlfriend, Ivy. What follows can only be described as the "dinner from hell", with Caroline left in tears, Ivy shockingly murdered by Enzo and Stefan left to deal with the broken pieces of his new life. I can't say I expected Ivy to stick around forever, however, I certainly thought she would remain an obstacle to Caroline and Stefan's eventual relationship for longer than 2 episodes! Well done writers!

Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Tripp reveals to Matt that he is actually a member of one of the towns Founding Families- the Fells. Unbeknownst to Matt however, the viewer learns that not only is Tripp a Fell, he also knows about the existence of vampires and the anti magic barrier around the town, after he drives a truck full of vampires over the town border and exposes them to the sun to die. Although I expected Tripp to become some sort of minor antagonist for the Mystic Falls gang, I did not expect for him to be capable of mass murder! This story just got a little more interesting!

And finally, we finally get some of the answers about what happened to Bonnie and Damon after the Other Side disappeared. The pair appear to be alone in a pre-devastation Mystic Falls, and eventually learn that they are actually perpetually repeating the same day in 1994 due to the reoccurrence of a solar eclipse day after day. As the weeks till by, Damon comforts himself with bourbon, while Bonnie unsuccessfully attempts to re-teach herself magic in order to escape. At the end of the episode, Bonnie notices that the crossword puzzle she has struggled with over the past four months has finally been completed- and not by either her or Damon. There's someone else in the other dimension watching them.

Overall rating: ★★★★½

What a great follow up to a strong premiere! "Yellow Ledbetter" was one of the most enjoyable episodes this show has produced since the beginning of last season. It was classic Vampire Diaries- with Caroline's angsty pining for Stefan, Ivy's shock death and especially the creepy revelation that Bonnie and Damon are not alone in their seemingly abandoned dimension, it is clear that the best years of this show are not necessarily behind it!

"Spark of Rebellion" - Star Wars: Rebels series premiere review

SPOILER WARNING!! Do not read ahead if you have not watched the series premiere of Star Wars: Rebels "Spark of Rebellion".

Star Wars: Rebels premiered recently with a one hour television movie entitled "Spark of Rebellion". Rebels is Disney's first foray into the Star Wars universe since acquiring its production company, Lucasfilm, from creator George Lucas in 2012.

Unlike the previous Star Wars animated series, The Clone Wars, Rebels takes place after the destruction of the Jedi Order and fall of the Galactic Republic. To be precise, the series is set approximately five years before Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope.

This mini-movie mostly served to introduce the viewer to an entirely new cast of characters set in the galaxy far, far away. 

First up, the audience meets Ezra, a young orphan living on the planet Lothal who quickly demonstrates some of the characteristics common to someone who is strong in the Force. Ezra is shown using trickery to save a local merchant from being arrested by an Imperial officer, and then swindling the merchant out of some of his merchandise.

Shortly afterwards, Ezra notices a group of beings stealing several crates from the Imperials and realising that they must be valuable steals a crate from them in turn!

Ezra is chased by the leader of the thieves, Kanan, as well as storm troopers and even an iconic Imperial TIE-fighter! Along the way, Kanan saves Ezra from being killed by the Imperials and everyone escapes aboard the groups ship, Ghost.

Whilst Kanan serves as the leader of the Ghost's crew, the ship actually belongs to the pilot, Hera, a warm and maternal Twi'lek. We are also introduced to Sabine, a young Mandalorian girl who appears to be an explosives expert, Zeb, a giant Lasat warrior and Chopper, an astromech droid with almost as much attitude as R2-D2.

Ezra realises the group are not so much thieves as freedom fighters when the group takes the supplies stolen from the Imperials to an impoverished village, Tarkintown (named for Governor Tarkin from the movies himself)! Whilst there, Era discovers a lightsaber and a Jedi holocron amongst Kanan's possessions.

The crew learns that the Empire is in the process of transferring Wookie prisoners to be used as slaves and take off to rescue them- as they had been great warriors for the Republic before its fall. Unfortunately, the crew's information turns out to be bait planted by Agent Kallus of the Imperial Security Bureau, who is keen to extinguish the spark of rebellion the crew is set to become. Although the crew escapes and Hera manages to avoid the Imperial's tractor beam, Zeb allows Ezra to be captured by Kallus rather than risk being captured himself.

Kanan and Hera decide to mount a rescue mission, as Ezra had been captured whilst trying to warn them of the Imperial trap. The crew easily rescues Ezra, who learnt during his brief imprisonment that the Imperials really are transporting Wookie slaves to the spice mines of Kessel.

The crew engages Imperials in order to free the Wookies on Kessel, however, they are heavily outnumbered. In order to defeat the Imperial's, Kanan is forced to reveal himself as a former Jedi by using his lightsaber and Force powers to even the odds.

The group escapes and manages to rescue the Wookies. Later, back on Lothal, Kanan offers to train Ezra in the ways of the Force, who agrees and formally becomes a member of the Ghost's crew.

Unfortunately, it is revealed that Agent Kallus survived his encounter with the rebels and is able to report to his superior, the Jedi-hunting Inquisitor, that he encountered a living Jedi.

Overall rating: ★★★★½

From the beginning to the end of this episode I was struck by how much I was reminded of the original trilogy of films. It is quite clear that Disney are hoping to distance themselves from the poorly recieved prequel trilogy in favour of the much loved older films. Everything from the musical cues used throughout the episode, the Ghost's similarity to the Millennium Falcon and even the British accents of the Imperials is pleasantly reminiscent of the first three Star Wars films that I so enjoyed as a child.

Similarly to The Clone Wars, the animation used for this series is simply stunning! I have rarely seen a television series able to pull off something so realistic. However, I must confess that I did find the animation of the Wookie prisoners highly jarring, as the quality was simply not at the level of every other aspect of the episode.

"I'll Remember" - The Vampire Diaries Season 6 Episode 1 review

SPOILER WARNING!!! Do not read ahead if you have not watched the first episode of The Vampire Diaries sixth season!

The premiere opens four months after last season's finale, which saw the destruction of the Other Side, and the deaths of major characters Bonnie and Damon. In the aftermath of this tragedy, the Mystic Falls gang have mostly gone their separate ways in order to deal with their grief.

Caroline has dropped out of Whitmore and has spent the summer with her mother, Liz, on the outskirts of Mystic Falls as the Traveller's anti-magic spell prevents vampires from entering the town without dying for real. Caroline is preoccupied with researching magic and the Traveller's in the hopes of breaking the protective spell keeping her and the others from returning to their home town. In other news, Caroline brings up the fact that Stefan has skipped town without saying goodbye and has been ignoring her calls- and she is PISSED! Hopefully Caroline's angst foreshadows that the romantic tension that has been running  rampant between these two characters will finally amount to something this season!

Alaric, who returned from the dead at the conclusion of last season, is dealing with his new-vampirism by switching  the bourbon in his hip flask for blood. He is now teaching Occult Studies at Whitmore and providing Caroline with the books she needs in order to research the Traveller's anti-magic spell. Alaric appears to be the only character in regular contact with Stefan, who Alaric believes to be travelling the world in search of a way to bring back his brother Damon from the dead. Contrary to what Alaric believes, Stefan has settled down as a small town mechanic and is dating a new character named Ivy.

Meanwhile in Mystic Falls, Matt has joined the new protective services group in town. Matt juggles his responsibilities to this militia-esque group with babysitting Jeremy, who has gone off the deep end since his girlfriend Bonnie's death. According to Matt, Jeremy sits on the couch all day playing video games, getting drunk before noon and sleeping with a new girl every week. In other words, Jeremy is dealing with stuff the way Jeremy always does! I know Bonnie is dead, but I still couldn't help but scream at my TV when I saw Jer hooking up with another girl! 

Elsewhere, Tyler is dealing with the loss of his hybrid-powers by channeling his rage into training with the football team (much like he did when we met him back in season one) at Whitmore! Apparently he and Caroline are on speaking terms now, despite the fact that she slept with his arch-nemesis Klaus last season.

At first glance our main protagonist, Elena, appears to be dealing remarkably well with the loss of both her boyfriend and best friend, however, the audience soon learns that Luke Parker is providing her with magic herbs that allow her to hallucinate spending time with Damon, and therefore removing the need for her to deal with her grief at all. Unfortunately, a side-effect of the herbs is increased thirst for blood, which leads to Elena attacking a young girl on the outskirts of Mystic Falls, who manages to escape. Elena's vampirism is only kept a secret thanks to Matt kidnapping the girl and having Caroline compel her before she could reveal who attacked her. When Caroline reveals to Tyler what Luke had been doing, his barely suppressed rage explodes and he starts to choke the young witch, only to be stopped by Alaric. I quite like a return to the Tyler from earlier seasons, I found his character much more interesting when he was dealing with the revelation of the supernatural community and his werewolf gene than I ever did when he was a hybrid. On the other hand, I found Elena's choice to live in denial about Damon and Bonnie's deaths highly predictable and uninteresting.

After being encouraged by Stefan, who she hadn't spoken to in months, Elena decides to try and let Damon go by no longer using the herbs. As Elena breaks down, the scene shifts to show the audience Damon and Bonnie happily enjoying breakfast somewhere, revealing that they still exist in some capacity despite the collapse of the Other Side. Although I fully expected Bonnie and Damon to be resurrected, I am still eager to find out where they are and what they have been doing for the last four months!

Overall rating: ★★★★

I felt that this episode was an extremely strong start to the season, especially after the less-than-stellar Katherine-less second half of season 5. Most of the opening storylines for the season were compelling, apart from Elena's typically annoying decision to cling to Damon through psychedelic drugs rather than deal with her grief in a meaningful way!