A trailer for Lego Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Out, a new action/comedy special coming to Cartoon Network September 26, made its debut today at StarWars.com.
The site indicates that the special will see Luke Skywalker journey to Naboo on a secret mission, only to be overrun by crazed fans. Also, Darth Vader’s relationship with the Emperor may be in jeopardy when Darth Maul arrives on the scene.
The special airs at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Source: StarWars.com Front page image from StarWars.com.
September 4 marked the debut of a fan film with a definite nostalgic flair to it, mixed with an undeniable modern edge.
Even with its modest 3 minute and 50 second duration, Red Rising is one of only a handful of entirely original fan films to ever pay tribute to the widely popular Power Rangers franchise. Specifically the original incarnation, Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, which became a phenomenon during the mid ’90s.
The film sees Jason, the leader of the original Mighty Morphin team, morph into action against a trio of thugs in an alley. Though the Red Ranger’s helmet is the same one we remember, the rest of his costume has been changed. Gone is the trademark Power Ranger spandex, replaced with a red and white biker jacket and gloves.
Though the film had its share of limitations in terms of execution, director and co-producer Shawn Shaman, co-producer Carlos Shabo, and the rest of the cast and crew at Planetarium Pictures deserve a great deal of credit for being able to bring their unique take on Power Rangers to life, if only for a short time.
Primary Ignition recently corresponded with Shawn Shaman via email to discuss Red Rising, the challenges of making the film, and whether we’ll see more from this crew in the future…
1. Shawn, tell us a little bit about yourself. Your background, career, etc. etc.
For as long as I can remember, I always knew I wanted to make movies. When I was younger, my family owned a video store, I basically grew up in there. When I would watch movies, I wouldn’t just be in awe with the imagery, but I’d really want to know how it was done. So, I made that a goal. I wanted to explore every last bit of it. Not just directing, but producing, editing, lighting, and really understanding the tech that went behind film making. Back in 2006, WOW! Cable (Wide Open West) was holding a commercial contest. I decided to submit an entry, not really thinking anything of it. You never really hear about who wins those things. About a month later I got a call saying I was in the top ten…I was shocked. What we shot, it was pretty bad. I never thought I’d achieve that. About a week later I received another phone call saying I was the grand prize winner. My TV commercial went on to air nationwide where WOW! was available. That was when I knew I could do this.
2. What other projects had you worked on leading up to your work on Red Rising? Where else might we have seen you?
I’ve worked on several projects before Red Rising. I got my big break when I got to work for DreamWorks pictures during production of Real Steel. I started as an Office PA, but I was promoted to VFX Technical Supervisor about 2 months into production. There’s actually a sequence in the movie where I talked the art department into throwing my name onto one of the posters in the background. That scene made it into the final movie. The cool thing is, the visual effects team was nominated for an Oscar. We lost, but it’s still pretty neat to see I was a part of that. After that I worked briefly for Discovery Channel as a camera tech during a shoot here in Detroit. I also worked for Universal Pictures during production of TheFive-Year Engagement, I was the Digital Media Manager. Earlier this year, an opportunity came up from a producer friend of mine. He contacted me and said D12 rapper Kon Artis (now known as Denaun Porter) wanted to shoot a music video with me. I directed that as well. You can see that and some of my other work on my YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/ShamanEntertainment)
3. Before we dive into Red Rising, it’s definitely worth mentioning that Power Rangers just turned 19. That’s actually kind of scary, isn’t it? Do you remember when you first saw the show? Were you a fan from episode one, or did you jump on the bandwagon later? Do you have a favorite episode?
It is scary! I remember setting my VCR every morning just before the episode would start. I still have a few of those VHS tapes. I was definitely a fan since day one. Truth is, when I first saw they were doing Power Rangers… I thought it was incredibly similar to Voltron. So seeing Power Rangers as a live action TV show, I was pretty excited. It’s safe to say after the first episode I was hooked.
4. What do you think it is about Power Rangers that has allowed it to last as long as it has? What was it about the show that captured the imaginations of so many young fans?
I think it has a lot to do with the characters, their relationships, and the amazing things they do. It gets you hooked. It’s not just one superhero, it’s a team. I think people enjoy watching that. Especially after the success of The Avengers.
5. To even attempt to make a Power Rangers fan film is gutsy, because every story involves some kind of out of this world transformation, space age technology, and we certainly can’t forget the giant robots. Where did the idea for Red Rising come from, and how does one even begin to approach a project like this?
We, Carlos (the producer) and I knew it was gutsy from the get-go. We started to discuss it last year, but I got caught up in other projects. I think we knew from the start the tone we wanted to set. When getting into something like this, you need to consider your limitations. What resources do we actually have access to, what kind of film gear do we have, etc. All those considered, we built the project up around that. All the characters in MMPR are larger then life. How would they look in a familiar setting, in the world we live in today? This was more of a pitch. We wanted to create a sense of community after the initial pitch was made. It’s kind of like a blueprint. People see what we are capable of and what we can create. We opened the discussion, and that was exactly what we wanted to do.
6 .Did any other fan films inspire your approach?
To be 100 percent honest, I didn’t watch any fan films prior to creating this. I didn’t want to have influence from anything that was done previously. I wanted to create my own blueprint, and then see where fans would want us to take it. If we are given the opportunity, we will build on what we’ve been told.
7. Some of the publicity I’ve seen done for this film indicates that you and the other filmmakers wanted to make this film look akin to Batman Begins, Iron Man, The Avengers, etc. Why is that? What went into deciding how the Red Ranger would look?
Well, we wanted to ground it a bit. See what the Rangers would possibly look like in our world. We definitely wanted to make it our own. Comic book movies today are either pretty dark, like Watchmen and the Dark Knight trilogy, or they have a family friendly appeal to them like Avengers, Spider-Man, Iron Man, etc. We didn’t want to create something dark, or go for that gritty look. That’s not Power Rangers. I wanted there to be a middle ground, more so towards the likes of Iron Man and The Avengers than The Dark Knight. But bringing some of that real world feel, I think helps relate a bit more. It’s not so superficial anymore once you do that. If we do another one, you’ll see more of this world we were building.
8. Let’s talk a little bit about continuity. Is this film meant to be a part of the ongoing PR continuity, or is it meant to stand on its own the way Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie did? Part of the premise of this film is that it takes place five years after the “last alien invasion.” Does that mean five years since Jason and the others saw battle? Or say, five years since whoever the last Ranger team consisted of defended the Earth from some kind of threat?
This is an alternate universe. It’s a stand alone thing. There have been many different versions of Power Rangers over the years, we didn’t want to just pick one and go from there. All fans have their own version of what should happen. We wanted to create our own, but with the original characters. Five years after the last alien invasion… five years since the team last fought together. Whether Jason had been exiled from the group, or just chose to quit, this was part of the story we were telling. But it wouldn’t just center on one Ranger, as I’m sure fans would love to see what’s going on with everyone else. A lot of what I’m seeing is people saying in response to the film is: “Zordon taught the Rangers to never use their powers for personal gain.” We don’t know what state Jason is in when he does this, as the story didn’t develop enough for this statement to be made. Maybe he’s become a rebellious vigilante type, using his powers for more then just fighting off aliens… after all it has been five years since he last fought them. Maybe he lost his cool and calm? Is it out of character, maybe? But a lot can change in five years.
9. In your mind, what has Jason been doing since he last saw action? Has he always had his powers?
I kind of want to keep the first part of that question open for discussion. It makes things a bit more interesting I believe. We have our intentions in developing that story over the next few episodes (should we do them). Yes, he’s had these powers since they were introduced to him by Zordon.
10. Our lead actor is Kelsey Bashi. What led you to choose him for the role of Jason? Was he simply a friend who was right for the role, or was there a kind of informal audition process?
Kelsey is a friend of mine, but that didn’t give him a walk on role. He had the right build and look for it. We had him perform a bit and interact with the other Rangers we had in place for other episodes. It worked, he did good and we ran with it.
11. How long did the project take to film? How challenging was it, if at all?
It took a total of five days to film, and it was incredibly challenging given the resources we had. As you can see, it was a night shoot. Our gear was really pushed to its limits. We didn’t have much to work with, and we’ve been saying we created something out of nothing, this is true. We had one camera, Canon T2i, with two lenses. Neither of which are good in low light. A decent tripod, a crane (which added nice production value), and a flood light. That’s literally it. All audio was dubbed later using an iPhone. So planning how to shoot this thing was huge. We built car rigs for the motorcycle shots out of 2×4′s (special thanks to our set’s swiss army knife Jason Salmo for that.) Then we got incredibly lucky when we got hooked up with the owner of the motorcycle. It totally looks like what the Red Ranger would own. Segi (the owner of the bike) did all the stunt work on the bike, Kelsey never even sat on it.
12. During the fight, we never pan down below Red Ranger’s waist. Was this a costuming issue? A choreography issue? Or was it simply a style choice?
It was a costume issue, so we had to plan around it. The pants weren’t ready in time for the shoot, I was pretty ticked. But, sometimes productions throw curve balls at you and you just need to do your best to pull it off.
13. The music was an interesting creative choice. What went into deciding on the soundtrack?
Let me get this out the way now, Carlos never wanted it. He hated the dubstep. The intro is more metal/tech with it leading into dubstep during the fight. Originally, the motorcycle sequence was going to have Zordon’s voice over, basically going over the synopsis. I ultimately decided to leave that out. I wanted this to be more of a community thing, rather then us telling the story. Have fans come up with their own stories. Deciding on dubstep, again, was my decision. The whole emergence scene, with him getting into the shot, and then showing the technology of the suit, I felt like it fit. This isn’t the ’90s TV show. I’ve heard a lot of complaints about it, even people complaining about the metal/tech music in the beginning of the short. If I remember correctly, the first MMPR movie opened with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, while the Rangers sky dived. I didn’t have that kind of production money, so I had to compromise a bi
14. At the end, we see our hero face some sort of green glow. Might this be a new villain calling the Rangers back into battle? Or could this be our old friend the Green Ranger?
Or could the Green Ranger be the bad guy in our version? Maybe he is the alien threat that’s on it’s way to earth. Or maybe he’s there to stop Jason from the rampage he’s on? There’s a lot of ways you could cut it. We do have the story line in place, but I’ll leave this part of the short up for discussion amongst the fans!
15. Do you have a favorite part of the film? Is there anything you would change if you could?
When the Red Ranger rises into frame for the first time. I love that shot. As a film maker, I’m my own hardest critique I think. It’s very hard for me to watch my work in front of others. When we showed this for the first time, I hid in the background. I knew it’s weaknesses, I am a film maker after all. I knew the limitations we had, but only I know that, not the viewer. No film maker wants to explain themselves as to why certain things were done a specific way when fans ask. There are things I would change, but I’m very happy with my crew and what we were able to do with so little. I’m happy with the final product, and stand behind it.
16. Is this the first in a series of short films, or is Red Rising meant to stand on its own?
We’ll have to see, it really does depend on how well this one is received. We would love to carry on with Rangers and explore all the other Rangers. Now that the cat is out the bag, we can get the community more involved. I think it stands on its own, but definitely leaves with a nice little cliff hanger.
17. How hard is it to promote a fan film, or ANY kind of film these days? What steps have you been taking to make sure it gets seen?
Fan films can be tricky. Once the word is out that you’re working on one, it basically promotes itself. I think getting community involved is huge in promoting the video. For an example, we let out exclusive behind-the-scenes images to RangerBoard.com, plus a poster with a date and time. Eventually we let the community see it a half hour before anyone else. Give the fans what they want, and everything will fall into place and the video will promote itself.
18. What’s next for you and the folks at Planetarium Pictures?
We have a ton of projects lined up. Whether it’s another Ranger short or not, I’m not sure yet. I can say this, if we go forward with another Ranger episode, it wouldn’t just be one. We would kind of have to dedicate to the fans at least two or three more of these. We do have other projects we would like to get off the ground, though.
19. Anything else you’d like to add?
Just a big thank you to the fans of the series. We made it to 10K views in just four days. The only reason why this was created was for them. Without them, there wouldn’t be a point. It wasn’t for self gain, or recognition. We have other projects we could have done that with. We are at an age in film making where it doesn’t have to be a dictatorship. It doesn’t have to be the filmmaker alone in the kitchen. We’re able to communicate in ways never before possible. Community film making. It’s a new breed in this industry, and I love it. We understand it’s impossible to make everyone happy, but we’ll sure as hell try.
Front page image, and images 1, 3, 5, 6 and 8 courtesy of Shaman. Image 2 from skipraid.com. Image 4 from orendsrange.blogspot.com. Image 8 from henshinjustice.com.
AMC released the first TV spot for the upcoming third season of The Walking Dead this week. It can be seen below.
Premiering October 14, the new season will feature the debut of the diabolical Governor, played by David Morrissey. We will also see more of Michonne, whom we saw briefly in the season 2 finale, played by Danai Gurira.
For more of The Walking Dead TV show, check out our reviews of the first and second seasons.
For more of The Walking Dead comic book, check out our reviews of Volumes 14, 15, 16, as well as the 100th issue. Front page image from movieweb.com.
This week, a new trailer for season five of Star Wars: The Clone Wars was released online. The trailer features footage of Obi-Wan Kenobi, Darth Maul, Savage Opress, Anakin Skywalker, Padme Amidala, Palpatine, the Mandalorians, among various others.
Season five premieres September 29, 2012 on Cartoon Network.
Source: IGN
Front page image from nerdbastards.com.
The CW Network has released the first image from Arrow, a show based on the DC Comics hero Green Arrow.
The image gives us a look at the costume Green Arrow will wear, designed by Academy Award-winning designer Colleen Atwood.
“When I directed the pilot for Smallville, I knew that making Clark Kent relatable would be the key to audiences believing in him as a hero,” executive producer David Nutter said. “Arrow is a different show — darker and harder-edged — but it’s the same core idea. We’re creating a real, believable world in which Oliver Queen [Green Arrow's civilian identity] can do incredible things. Colleen Atwood’s great work on the Arrow costume reflects that effort.”
The show will focus on Oliver Queen, an ex-billionare who devotes his life to fighting crime when he returns to his home town of Star City after being marooned on an island for five years. He becomes the bow and arrow-wielding hero Green Arrow.
The Green Arrow character made his debut in 1941′s More Fun Comics #73. Oliver Queen is a billionaire who leads a double life as an archer/superhero. Over the years the character and his supporting cast have evolved in a number of ways. He’s been in the center of political/socially conscious stories in the ’70s, found out his young sidekick Speedy was a heroin addict, been killed off and brought back to life, become mayor of his hometown of Star City, and even married to his longtime love Black Canary. Last year the character was reinvented as part of DC’s “New 52″ initiative.
TITLE: The Walking Dead STARRING: Andrew Lincoln, Jon Bernthal, Sarah Wayne Callies, Laurie Holden, Scott Wilson EPISODES: 13 NETWORK: AMC FINALE DATE: March 18, 2012
***WARNING: Spoilers abound for the second season of The Walking Dead.***
By Rob Siebert Editor, Fanboy Wonder
The second season of AMC’s The Walking Dead was frustrating at times, specifically during the first half. But even during its weak points, it still managed to be one of the most thrilling and compelling shows on TV.
Society as we know it collapsed after the dead began to rise for reasons unknown. The world is now in a state of perpetual chaos as zombies (or “walkers” as they’re called in this world) roam freely. Following the destruction of the Center For Disease Control, former police officer Rick Grimes, his wife Lori, their son Carl, his best friend Shane (who was sleeping with Lori until recently, when it was discovered Rick had survived the initial outbreak), and their group of survivors work to plan their next move. Suddenly, Carl is accidently shot by a hunter, and the group rushes to find help. They come across a farm owned by a doctor named Herschel Greene. As Herschel and his family rush to nurse Carl back to health, young Sophia becomes lost during a walker attack. The group temporarily relocates to Herschel’s farm as they frantically search for the girl. But Herschel, a conservative traditionalist, has some philosophical differences with Rick, and especially Shane. Tension mounts, and chaos is never far away…
The first half of the season had no shortage of quality content. There was Lori’s pregnancy, Shane’s conflicts with Rick, the tension with Herschel, Darryl’s emergence as a bad ass loner, and the growth of Glenn and Maggie’s romance. But the linchpin that held that entire portion of the season together, the search for young Sophia, grew stale in a hurry. It actually became annoying the more the characters brought it up. When they finally found her (she’d been under their noses the entire time), it was an amazing moment. Zombified Sophia got one of the best reveals I’ve ever seen. But there was also a sense of relief that they’d finally found the damn kid, so we could move on to something new (and hopefully better).
The problem with the Sophia story arc, in my opinion, was that the only real investment we had in the character was the fact that she was an innocent little girl. We didn’t know very much about her at all. Her disappearance obviously had a terrible effect on Carol, but Carol’s a pretty minor character in the grand scheme of things. We’re invested in her, but not nearly as much as someone like Rick, Lori or Shane. Thus, it’s not as important that we find this little girl alive. At the end of the day, it came off as simply an excuse to keep the group on Herschel’s farm while they looked for her.
Thankfully, things really kicked into high gear after midseason. We saw more walkers and more tense action sequences, which in turn meant less standing around the barn talking. Shane’s anger and frustration escalated to madness. The weight of being the leader grew heavier and heavier on Rick’s shoulders. Eventually, Shane’s intended murder of Rick backfired on him, as Rick is forced to murder his former best friend. Mere moments later, the barn is overrun by a herd of walkers, and the group is forced to flee for their lives. After all his arguments with Shane about doing the right thing and talking the high road, Rick is more like him than ever as we close the season. The burden of having to make so many hard choices in a world that has changed so radically has in turn changed him. While Shane might have been the most interesting character on the show this season, in the end things were really about Rick, and his need to adapt. Almost everything this season, including the loss of Sophia and Dale’s sudden death, built up to that moment in the field with Rick, Shane, and eventually Carl. After that, it was all build up for season 3.
One of my favorite aspects of this season was Glenn’s relationship with Maggie. They were thrust together by circumstance, and might not have given each other a second look before the world went to hell. But nonetheless, they grow to love each other despite the horror they live in. Things never felt contrived or forced, and it was all supremely acted by Steven Yeun and Lauren Cohan.
The show is staying fairly faithful to the comics, but not so much that it’s predictable. They’re keeping the major plot points intact, but the specifics are changing. Dale’s death was a major swerve, as he stuck around significantly longer in the books. Sophia is actually still alive on the page. Shane’s death was expected, given both his fate in the comics and the direction they were taking him. But on TV, his death had much greater ramifications for Rick. Given that in episode 13 we get the first appearance of Michonne, as well as a look at the prison that will eventually become home for the group, it’s likely this loosely faithful trend will continue into season 3.
Ultimately the greatest strength of The Walking Dead, both on the page and on screen, is that it’s really not about zombies. It’s about people, and how they behave when placed in extreme circumstances. I had a major bone to pick with the Sophia storyline this season. But when you consider how well everything else came off, not just from a story standpoint, but in terms of acting, effects (specifically that awesome zombie make up) and pulse-pounding music, it fades to the background a bit more easily. The Walking Dead has earned its must-see status, and needless to say, I’m not the only one anxious for more.
RATING: 8.5/10
Image 2 from screenrant.com. All other images from amctv.com.
Imagine if Clerks and Pawn Stars were thrown into a blender with a little Big Bang Theory, but with anyone that has a decent amount of likability or charm removed. That, my friends, is Comic Book Men.
On paper, Comic Book Men is a great idea. This “unscripted” show follows the staff of filmmaker Kevin Smith‘s comic book store in New Jersey. We’ve got the store manager Walt Flanagan, store co-runner Mike Zapcic, soft-spoken scapegoat Ming Chen, and the quick-witted customer who rarely leaves the store, Bryan Johnson. During the show, we see the staff haggle with customers on comic books, merchandise, and the occasional rare treasure (a Batman & Robin sketch by Bob Kane himself!). We also see our heroes hosting a podcast with Smith, where they talk about the world of comics. In this episode, we also saw Mike, Bryan and Ming place a bet on who could sell the most merchandise at a flea market, with the very meek Ming struggling to keep up.
Being a comic book geek myself, I obviously feel a certain kinship with these guys, but that doesn’t mean I have to find this show entertaining. The most interesting aspect for me was seeing some of the books and merchandise and saying: “Oooh, I want that!” or ”Ooooh, I need to read that!” But I can do that in my own local comic book shop. I can also haggle for merchandise there. So what’s the point of watching Kevin Smith’s buddies work in a comic book store when it’s no more entertaining than me going to one myself?
The podcast segments on this show have no real value either. At one point, it looked like they were going to discuss the use of drugs in comics, or maybe the ethics of using superheroes using kid sidekicks. These points spawned from a customer bringing Detective Comics #35 into the sore, the cover of which features a character using a hypodermic needle. But instead of devoting some time to what could have been an engaging discussion on often-times controversial subjects in this medium, they simply go to the next segment. This happens a few times in the show. It’s frustrating.
So what can we get from Comic Book Men that we can’t get from simply talking with our buddies, or heading into a comic shop ourselves? Well…Bryan Johnston picks on the Asian guy a lot, does that count? I get that it’s just what friends do sometimes, and maybe they were just trying to make Ming into an underdog character for the audience to root for, but after awhile you genuinely start to feel for the guy. I mean, sheesh, what’d he ever do wrong?
Assuming what I saw tonight is also what the remainder of this six-episode season will be like, I think Comic Book Men represents a missed opportunity. With The Walking Dead as it’s lead-in, I’d wager a lot of people were watching this premiere. As such, Comic Book Men could have been a show about why these men love comics so much, what their appeal is and what kind of an audience they attract, along with discussions of intriguing topics within the genre. That’s not to say it has to be an hour-long round table discussion show. But it’s not very entertaining to see Kevin Smith’s buddies razz each other, and then talk about how much a poster costs.
One thing a lot of people seem to be saying about this show is that it reinforces some of the negative stereotypes people have about comic book readers and comic book stores. Sadly, that’s very true. I may buy the owner of my local store a sympathy card this week, because of how his profession has just been portrayed to the masses.
Front page image from montrealgazette.com. Image 1 from tvguide.com. Image 2 from popwatch.ew.com. Image 3 from scifimania.com.
A television series based on the DC Comics character Green Arrow is reportedly in development at the The CW network.
Attached to the show as writers and executive producers are Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim and Andrew Kreisberg. Berlanti and Guggenheim worked as writers on last year’s Green Lantern feature film. Guggenheim has written numerous titles for DC over the years, and Kreisberg penned several issues of Green Arrow/Black Canary, as well as Batman: Condifential.
No word has been given yet on whether Justin Hartley, who played the character on Smallville, might reprise his role.
The Green Arrow character made his debut in 1941′s More Fun Comics #73. Oliver Queen is a billionaire who leads a double life as an archer/superhero. Over the years the character and his supporting cast have evolved in a number of ways. He’s been in the center of political/socially conscious stories in the ’70s, found out his young sidekick Speedy was a heroin addict, been killed off and brought back to life, become mayor of his hometown of Star City, and even married to his longtime love Black Canary. Last year the character was reinvented as part of DC’s “New 52″ initiative.
*** WARNING: Spoilers abound for season 6 of Dexter***
TITLE: Dexter STARRING: Michael C. Hall, Jennifer Carpenter, Colin Hanks, Edward James Olmos, Desmond Harrington EPISODES: 12 NETWORK: Showtime FINALE DATE: December 18, 2011
By Rob Siebert Editor, Fanboy Wonder
Yep, that was a cliffhanger right there.
If Dexter has proven anything in its six-year run on Showtime, it’s that it has a knack for delivering pulse-pounding cliffhangers. That trend continued this year, as Dexter rushed to save the day from Travis, who was holding his son Harrison hostage. But the true pulse-pounder didn’t come until the last 10 seconds of the episode, when the series reached a moment it’s been building up to since the beginning: Dexter’s sister Deb, the most honest and straight-laced cop you’ll ever meet, discovers her brother is a murderer as she sees him plunge a knife in Travis’ torso. All Dexter can bring himself to say is: “Oh God…” Then we cut to black.
This is obviously very similar to what they did during the final moments of season 4, when Dexter found his wife Rita dead in a bathtub. In terms of status quo shattering consequences, this moment is bigger than that one. But from the standpoint of artistic quality, it wasn’t as well done as season 4. For one thing, season 4 was without question the best the show has ever been. It had the best villain, Harrison was in Dexter’s life for the first time, and the story was so compelling it was almost addictive. Rita’s death was preceded by an excellent season of television. Deb’s discovery was preceded by a season that was strictly good. Like season 5, it had it’s moments, but we’ve seen better from Dexter. Also, viewers were completely blindsided by Rita’s death. Deb learning Dexter’s secret seemed to have been building for awhile, at least as far back as the finale of season 5. It still packed a hell of a punch, but I was able to brace myself for it.
One of the big themes this season revolved around religion, and how it can inspire people to do things that are both great and terrible. This was personified with the Brother Sam character, a murderer turned minister, as well as Professor Gellar and Travis, two killers who base their murders on religious texts. Toward the beginning of the season, Dexter ponders redemption quite a bit. He usually subscribes to the idea that a leopard can’t change his spots. But Brother Sam appears to have done just that using the power of faith. This leads Dexter to wonder whether he can will himself to change, and finally quiet his dark passenger. It’s interesting to see Dexter ask these questions, though I thought the character had put those sort of thoughts out of his mind back in season two, when he stop killing as if it were an addiction. Granted, he’s in a much different place now than he was then, and I suppose ridding yourself of the need to kill people is always a task worth attempting.
The Deb character evolved a great deal this season, not only by stepping into the lieutenant role, but by getting herself into therapy to sort out what a mess her life has been in recent years. Deb settled into that role about as neurotically and uncomfortably as we expected her to. But during episode 11 her story took a very awkward swerve. In therapy, Deb came to realize that she has developed complex romantic feelings for Dexter (remember, they’re foster siblings). She’s about to verbalize those feelings to him when she discovers he’s a killer. This struck me as an extremely odd direction to take her character. Deb spent much of the later half of the season analyzing her relationship with Dexter, and how important he is to her. But why did that have to lead to a romantic twist? Yes, a lot of terrible things have happened to Deb in recent years, and Dexter has always been there to support her. But he’s still her brother. Blood or not, developing an incestuous fixation on Dexter doesn’t necessarily place Deb in a favorable light. Might that happen in real life? I suppose. But for the purposes of a TV show, it left me scratching my head.
In terms of villainy, while Colin Hanks and Edward James Olmos weren’t on par with John Lithgow’s performance as the Trinity killer in season 4, they proved very worthy adversaries. Hanks in particular came off very strong this season, as his character underwent the most radical changes. Professor Gellar’s status as a figment of Travis’ imagination was a pleasant surprise, and made the Travis character look that much more twisted. I always enjoy when storytellers are able to do that. For most of the season we were rooting for Travis, thinking he was a victim of Gellar’s manipulation. As it turned out, the opposite was true. Travis was the mastermind and Gellar was the victim. Hanks and Olmos deserve a lot of credit for pulling that dynamic off.
The show trimmed some fat this season. Deb’s relationship with Quinn was ended, as was the marriage between Batista and LaGuerta. In response, Quinn turned to the bottle and Batista underwent a bit of a mid-life crisis. Oddly enough, LaGuerta really turned heel this season, returning to some of her puppetmaster antics from season 1. She softened up a bit during the last two episodes, but overall she was a villain this season. It was a complete switch from what her character has been like in recent years.
I’m confused about the Louis Greene character, and his possession of the prosthetic hand from the Ice Truck Killer case in season 1. He got the hand through shady means, then Dexter hurt his feelings…so he sent the hand to Dexter’s apartment? Why? How does he benefit from Dexter having the hand? Yes, Dexter and the Ice Truck Killer have a very deep connection: They were brothers. But Louis doesn’t know that. What’s the point? Am I missing something? I’m wondering if this is a loose end they’ll dive into again next season.
The “Nebraska” episode from this season catches a bit of heat in the current issue of Entertainment Weekly. Aired mid-season, the episode takes place after Brother Sam is shot and killed, and Dex deals with the loss by driving to Nebraska to find Trinity’s son Jonah, who may have just murdered his mother and sister. Along for the ride is Brian, Dexter’s deceased brother/the Ice Truck Killer, who is merely a figment of Dexter’s mind. The episode really did nothing to further the story, and Dexter seemed to act largely out-of-character, shirking his responsibilities and even killing on a whim. It wasn’t outright harmful, though. And it was nice to see Christian Camargo back as Brian, if only for a little while.
We didn’t get to see Dexter ponder his own righteousness as much as I was hoping for this season, though we did get a nice little monologue from him when he finally got Travis on his table. Still, I thoroughly enjoyed the religion/spirituality theme this season. Who better to ponder the virtues of the universe than a man who kills for what he believes are just causes?
All in all, a good season. Not great, but good. Next season we’re obviously in for big changes. Deb knows Dexter’s secret now. Will she be able to live with it, as she does in the books? Or will this sudden revelation send her over the edge? How much trauma can one person truly endure?
Perhaps that’ll be the big theme for next season…
Front page image, and images 1 & 2 from dextergr.blogspot.com. Image 3 from dexter.wikia.com.
***WARNING: This post contains spoilers for the current season of The Walking Dead.***
By Rob Siebert Editor, Fanboy Wonder
Well, at least they finally found Sophia.
That was the main thought swirling through my head following this week’s mid-season finale of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Like some of the folks I’ve talked to about the show since it’s return, I’d grown tired of the story and longed for them to just find her already. Still, the story served it’s purpose in that it gave the characters a reason to stay where they were, and allow the drama between them to play out.
Loosely based on a story arc that played out in the comics, this season saw Rick and Lori’s son Karl mistakenly shot by a deer hunter. The hunter leads the group back to a farm owned by Hershel, a conservative traditionalist who believes the walkers (a.k.a. the zombies) are simply sick people, as opposed to undead killing machines. All the while, Sophia has gone missing after being chased off during a walker attack. Her mother Carol is grief-stricken as the party searches for her while staying at the farm. While many in the party would be content to stay at the farm permanently, Herschel is intent on them leaving in the near future.
While on a search to find Sophia, Rick’s best friend and former cop Shane shoots Otis (the hunter who shot Karl) and leaves him for dead so that he can survive an attack. This in turn brings out a more dangerous, merciless side to Shane, which conflicts with Rick’s tendency to try and negotiate with Herschel. which races to the forefront when he discovers that Herschel’s family has been hiding zombies in their barn in hope of a cure one day being available for them. With everyone looking on, Shane breaks open the barn, and what is essentially a mass execution follows, as the walkers are shot one by one. Then, to their horror, a zombified Sophia emerges from the barn. Rick, taking a page from Shane’s book, takes on Sophia himself.
Amidst all of this, Rick’s wife Lori is pregnant.
Needless to say, there’s a lot going on here. But you’d be surprised at how often this show can be rather dull. I suspect that’s a product of the show being given more time this season, with 13 episodes in stead of six. I’m all for that, as I love long form storytelling. But when you have trouble holding your audience’s interest, the product suffers. But AMC also has to shoulder some of the blame, as they’ve been doing a decent amount of cost cutting on the show recently, which has led to fewer zombie scenes, as well as more time spent in the confines of Herschel’s farmhouse. Those factors, combined with the growing pains that TV shows simply have to face sometimes, have led to this season a bit watered down compared to last year.
The comic book, as great as it is, can be the same way some times. That’s why I have trouble reading it an issue at a time. It’s sometimes difficult for the book to hold my interest on a month-to-month basis, especially now that many of the characters we started with (many of whom were the inspiration for the characters we’re seeing on the show) are gone now. When I read an entire Walking Dead graphic novel, it’s fantastic. When I read a single Walking Dead issue, it can be hard to stay focused.
Still, they payoff for all the build up was certainly worth it. For some reason, I thought the group was going to find Sophia alive and well. That’s a sort of hope that usually isn’t rewarded in this world of zombies and mayhem. The fact that she was in Hershel’s barn the whole time was a delightfully cruel twist of fate. Though they were tirelessly combing the woods for her, she was with them the whole time. I’ve greatly enjoyed the relationship between Glenn and Maggie, as those two actors have great chemistry together. The Daryl character, who doesn’t exist in the comics, is also interesting to watch. The episode where he gets injured in the woods and has to survive on his own for awhile is among the season’s highlights thus far. Andrew Lincoln, Joe Bernthal and Sarah Wayne Callies continue to give fantastic performances, providing the show’s conscience and emotional anchor. Scott Wilson is also the perfect choice to play Hershel.
All in all, the show is still pretty good. But it requires more patience than it used to. For (*ahem*) die-hard fans of the comic, and now the show, that shouldn’t be a problem. And so long as the payoffs stay as good as they were for this mid-season finale, it won’t be a problem for me either.
