TMNT has been on hiatus for a few weeks now and finally returns with a new episode. Parasitica was a little underwhelming for me. I can always appreciate a good zombie episode of pretty much any show (I'm looking at you Community) but this TMNT effort was less than spectacular. That being said there was still some standout hilarity and good action.

The episodes "zombie-ism" revolves around a mutated wasp that has the ability to infect other insects with a virus to protect its eggs. (I have no idea if this is an actual thing but it feels very similar to the cordiceps fungus from The Last of Us) A fun action sequence between the turtles and a giant wasp takes place and eventually Leo gets stung. This is when the first signs of him acting strange start to appear.

When the bros return to the layer with the giant wasp egg in tow, things start to get creepy. (The black eyes effect they used for the infected turtles was very effective) Leo becomes more and more obsessed with the egg and eventually Raph decides he needs to step in and destroy it. But in the proccess he gets bitten by Leo. This passes the virus to him and they both become egg obsessed.

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That leaves only Mikey and Donni to figure out whats going on. We learn that the end game of the wasp egg is to eventually hatch and allow the infected turtles to be willingly eaten by the newborn wasps. (creepy right?) In an attack by Leo and Raph, Donni gets bitten and becomes infected before he can finish the antidote. Leaving only Mikey to finish it. Unfortunately even he gets bitten and we're lead to believe that the turtles have met their doom. Luckily we find out in a pretty funny flashback sequence that Mikey was able to finish the antidote and cure himself before it was too late. He even pretends to be infected to fool the other 3. ("I finally see whats to awesome about the egg")

I'm begging to get tired of the zombie craze that seems to be affecting everyone (excuse the pun) and this one felt especially tired. We get enough zombie-ness from all over the place and I don't need it in my TMNT.

All said and done Parasitica just wasn't as fun as some previous episodes have been. Without the supporting cast of interesting characters like Splinter or even Karai the episodes can get tiring. Additionally this is very standalone episode, which normally I wouldn't mind, but this one is taking place after a long break and right after things with the Krang and Shredder were heating up. So to have an episode that doesn't touch on any of the continuing story was even more of a let down. I hope they return to the main story in the coming weeks.

A few side notes:

How cool was the slow mo sequence at the beginning with Mikeys Nunchuck? The show continues to show how cool those weapons can be.
I still want Space Heroes to be its own show. Its too funny not to be.

Jun 5, 2025

SSSW - Tales of the Underworld

Lucasfilm Animation has been hard at work on their next major project, 'Maul: Shadow Lord', but they've found the time to deliver another installment in their "Tales of" anthology series. The first ones covering the Jedi and the Empire, they now turn their focus towards the Underworld. However, be warned, this is a bit of a misnomer. Don't expect any crime syndicates or really any large scale criminality here. These 2 mini-arcs instead focus on Asajj Ventress (I know, not the first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the Underworld) as she assists a young Jedi on the run from the Empire, and the origin story of Cad Bane. Which admittedly is closer in line with the criminal underworld concept, but is really more interested in telling a western style revenge story instead. All in all, despite the always great visuals and sound/music design, and few interesting ideas, there's not enough meat on the bone here to satisfy most viewers. But most disappointing is its failure to capitalize on the potential of the Underworld concept.

May 22, 2025

SSSW/ToB Film Club - Rogue One: A Star Wars Story

It's hard to believe that 'Rogue One' premiered nearly a decade ago. At the time, it was fairly well received, considered to be a decent first step into the standalone Star Wars movies, if not a bit messy. As the years passed, we learned more about the production. Gareth Edwards, who retained sole directing credit, was assisted by Tony Gilroy to "fix" the project. Tony went so far as to call it a "corpse" when he came aboard for rewrites and reshoots. It was Tony's inclusion that brought us some of the movies most memorable moments, and ultimately led him to leading the charge on 'Andor', a prequel project that flew under the radar as hits like 'The Mandalorian' hogged the spotlight. With 'Andor' now complete, considered by many to be a masterpiece in storytelling, not just in Star Wars but on television in general, now is the most appropriate time to reexamine the movie that spawned the Cassian-centered prequel series with fresh eyes. 'Andor', which leads directly into the events of 'Rogue One' recontextualizes much of the film, creating a unique viewing experience that pays off a multitude of threads that are brilliantly laid over the two seasons of 'Andor'. It takes the movie, which was already pretty good, and makes it great. Now existing as part of a whole that weaves a cohesive narrative from the nascent moments of the Rebellion all the way through to the destruction of the Death Star in 1977 (the seed that begat ALL Star Wars, and what we appropriately align our Star Wars BBY calendars to). It all feels wholistic and considered when viewed from the broader perspective - an accomplishment that should set a shining example of what Star Wars can and should aspire to.

May 15, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 Finale

After only 4 weeks - the blink of an eye - it's all over. The best Star Wars story since the Original Trilogy has graced our screens and left us in awe. These final three episodes weren't able to reach the emotional highs of last week's arc, but that wasn't the goal. Instead, it provides time to look back at what brought us here, and sets the stage for the climax of the story to take place not in this moment, but within the now recontextualized film that birthed all of this in the first place, 'Rogue One'. And while the show may carry Cassian's name on the title screen, it's been the cast of characters we've met along the way that truly elevated this experience. Not to pick favourites, but in particular, Luthen and Kleya, who get an episode all to themselves this week are the standouts. And what an episode it was, as their story which shepherded much of the series came to an end, as we all expected it would have to. Embracing those feelings of closure, in the final moments of the series, as Cassian flies off into 'Rogue One', we are treated to our last glimpses of our heroes and villains. From Dedra to Vel and even Perrin, we are left to consider their fates as the story marches with inevitability into what begat all of this way back in 1977. Will we ever see Kleya, Vel, Wilmon, or Bix again? One can only hope - and rebellions? Well, they're built on hope.

May 9, 2025

SSSW - Andor S2 E7 - 9

When dealing in the world of prequels, it’s impossible to escape the inevitable - Anakin will fall, Han will win the Falcon, Cassian will die on Scarif. Somehow, in the midst of some of the most thrilling episodes of television ever put to screen, Tony Gilroy and his team found a way to address that impending doom and weaponize it against the audience to induce some of the most gut wrenching and heart breaking moments we’ve yet to see on ‘Andor’ - “There’s some place he needs to be”. At a larger scale, the show continues to outdo itself on a weekly basis, proving that the Star Wars galaxy provides a colour pallet of some of the richest hues from which to paint bold and personal stories. Proving you can go beyond the larger than life stories of heroics and grandeur to human stories of loss and pain and everything in between. That’s without mentioning the deft touch in pulling in themes that resonates with the contemporary while remaining timeless - a feeling that is a staple of Star Wars. Every detail is considered, every character is deep and interesting. There isn’t much more that can be said about such a powerful piece of art, except that not even the audience can escape the inevitable - only one week remains of this masterpiece.

TMNT S1E23: "Parasitica" Review

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