**Shots of the Episode**

Shōgun (2024)

Episode 1: “Anjin” (2023) Director: Jonathan van Tulleken Cinematographer: Christopher Ross

I'm going to actually keep up with TV shows this year. This will be my running list of the shows I'm watching.

First up: Echo

Notes:

I haven't watched a Marvel property in years. I think the last full one was WandaVision. Hopefully I won't be too lost.

Will edit this post with final thoughts after I finish it.

REVIEW:

I really liked this but it's definitely another candidate for the Bring Back Longer Seasons campaign. The easiest show to compare it to is obviously Daredevil -- imagine what this show could have done with 13 episodes. I miss those days, but just know that when I say bring back longer seasons, I mean the 22 episode ones. But the Daredevil days was the bridge between the 22 episode seasons and the bullshit 5 or 6 or 8 episode seasons. Echo sitting at five episodes is a travesty.

But even though I did feel a little behind on some Marvel information, I enjoyed what was there. Everything is there to make it one of the best Marvel things, but it just doesn't feel lived in. There's not a lot of exploration for the audience to do within both of Maya's worlds, which makes some of the emotionally engaging scenes fall flat.

Particularly with Wilson Fisk. That's the other issue. How does Wilson Fisk fit in here? I know he was in two episodes of Hawkeye in 2021 (which I didn't finish) but Echo feels like Vincent D'Onofrio's true return as the character -- which I'm grateful for! But it's been six years (omg!) since Daredevil on Netflix was cancelled -- he's feels so out of context here. Is he the same man from that Netflix show? How much of his story from the Netflix show should I be bringing into his Disney+ era? These same questions go for Daredevil/Matt Murdock. The absolute scream I screamed when he appeared was so loud my dog fled to her crate. Oh, how I've missed Charlie Cox as Matt Murdock/Daredevil. But it's a double-edged sword, isn't it? Even if they confirm these are the same characters from Netflix, they are going to be different in some way. They will be a strange mix of the Netflix DNA and the Disney+ DNA and even after five episodes, I'm still not sure what to think of Fisk right now. Didn't we last leave him in prison (again) at the end of Daredevil Season 3? (perfect season of television). All of this context-less world building is just another casualty of the show's short season.

All that aside, Alaqua Cox was amazing. I vaguely remembered her from Hawkeye (again, never finished this show) but I'm so glad she gets a fleshed out story in Echo, even it's too short of one. While there's certainly too much exposition, the show's flashbacks are probably my favorite part. These are the emotional scenes and themes that work. Maya discovering her connection to her ancestors was beautiful; that final battle when Chafa, Lowak, Tuklo, and Taloa all show up to stand behind Maya gave me chills. And to see the power run through Bonnie and Chula was really powerful. The subtle genre breaks for these flashbacks were also really well done, especially Tuklo's silent movie flashback. I really loved that final battle scene being mostly silent since we were experiencing it through Maya's perspective. Very, very effective.

All I ask is for more Devery Jacobs. I'm still salty about The Order being cancelled, too.

--

Up Next: TBD

Pat Benatar & Neil Giraldo - Love Is A Battlefield (Live On Austin City Limits)(2024)

Winter 2024: favorite shows I watched

🇬🇧 Happy Valley

pitch: no-nonsense policewoman bumps into the piece of shit of a man who raped her daughter, events ensue

one of those cheap-looking British shows where people are a bit ugly and speak in a funny accent — this is a compliment

outstanding main character, I'd die for our Catherine

—

🇩🇰 Prisoner (Huset)

pitch: guards in a Danish prison try to do their job and fail spectacularly

I clicked play on episode 1 without looking up a trailer or synopsis just because I saw Sofie Gråbøl in the thumbnail

that's what guides my decision-making and frankly it's not a bad way to go about it

—

🇸🇪 Limbo

pitch: three Swedish teenage boys get into a car accident, and their respective parents try not to hate each other, hate themselves, hate their kids in the aftermath

literally the same as above except it's Sofia Helin that I saw in the thumbnail

I like my Scandi girlies ok

"I'm a Ghoul fucker, I'd fuck Cooper Howard" of course you would. besides his nose he's weirdly normal looking. The real question is would you fuck Gob?

FALLOUT (2024) - Episode 7: The Radio

Cillian Murphy sweeping + Bradley Cooper aging 10 years in 2 months during the awards season

FALLOUT: 1x01 - "The End" ↳ "War... war never changes."

This is me rn. If you even care.

DAVID TENNANT IS NOMINATED FOR TV BAFTA FOR GOOD OMENS!!! 🥳🥳🥳❤❤❤

ALSO NOMINATED IS PETER ANDERSON STUDIO THAT MADE THE OPENING TITLE!!! 😍

**Shots of the Episode**

Shōgun (2024)

Episode 3: “Tomorrow Is Tomorrow” (2024) Director: Charlotte Brändström Cinematographer: Aril Wretbald

radiostatic week: day 2 - vintage

This scene demonstrates why I love how Vault-Tec is written as an evil corporation. It's not the usual mustache-twirling, over-the-top villainy you see in other media. It's quiet, subtle, and very realistic, which only serves to make Vault-Tec that much more terrifying.

When Cooper finishes describing how Vault-Tec was responsible for the deaths of countless people, the executive here does two things: a) he makes their deaths about himself (ALL WHILE NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGING THEM!), and b) he makes it about "Product Management."

It really emphasizes the theme that corporations like Vault-Tec and the suits who run them at Vault-Tec only care about the company and its products and NOT the people who use them (or are being used by them).

Cooper Howard with a chicken is my new favorite thing

Day 4 of radiostatic week. I wanna do EVERY DAY even if I'm behind TT. Anyways, this was fun to draw TT. Hurt Al for once hooweee