Warzone #379
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
A Better Role Model - This segment carried a genuine sense of sincerity, from the children’s excitement for Felix to Foley siding with those who have their best interests at heart. Mister Sunshine, meanwhile, has been unpredictable lately. I originally saw him as the villain, but my view on him has softened somewhat in recent times. For me - there was nothing here to suggest anything sinister brewing under the surface. Just some good old-fashioned discourse between two child-friendly entertainers.
Feeding Time at the Zoo – Klaus Way continues to have Mighty Mighty right where he wants him. As if capturing and coercing Mightly last week wasn’t enough, we learned here that Way has kept him locked up ever since, depriving him of food and water to break him down to inevitably gain favour by offering the Big Chunk of Funk sustenance at his most desperate, vulnerable moment. A sickening yet undeniably effective tactic from the Ringmaster, whose plan unfolded flawlessly in the match that followed.
Rage – This segment took me back to Volume II and the kind of moments we often used to see from the Sandman. I’ll be honest - I don’t know much about Calypso, as her sporadic appearances happened during a time when I wasn’t an active handler. That said, this was a fantastic segment and a glimpse into Calypso’s potential. It had a very Sandman-esque feel with the way her presence seemed to pull Gravedigger into another realm, before he woke - physically sick from the experience. A really strong showing from Calypso this week, and I’m eager to see how far she will go to break Gravedigger’s spirit.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- With neither side claiming responsibility for the attack on the Pantheon, which of the yet-undesignated figures on either side of the war was behind it?
- Who - or what - is Wolf Fang Ayame?
- If Jackson Cade even makes it to Kaos in one piece, how on earth will he survive the odds?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
I didn’t have a chance to read any promos last week and only just got around to the show this morning. Been one of those weeks I'm afraid 🙁
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Thoroughly enjoyed seeing Nero put his gauntlet to good use for the first time this week. With Graves and his acolytes closing in, the odds seemed stacked against him, but the Red Reboot outsmarted them with that handy little gadget of his. It feels like this gauntlet could now catch Ezekiel’s interest - perhaps as payback for the credits Nero stole from him recently. Interesting times ahead, for sure.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Hunting Season 2 takes the top spot here. I appreciate the set up that the first one went for, but seeing the brutality take place at the end of the show was something else. El Mariachi Muerte's absolute creaming was hard to read, which means it did its job well. Adding onto that, we got to see Dragon and Jackson try to help, but ultimately come across as useless. I'm scared to see what comes of the Seekers next, but I'm too engrossed in the angle to look away.
2. A Better Role Model snags the next spot. Damn, man, no matter who comes out of this feud the victor, the children are going to find themselves hating one of these two men. That makes me sad, but not as much as Felix's pointed words at Sunshine near the end of the segment. This is going to be one massive test of character for Charlie, but one that I'm invested in seeing him take.
3. Marching Orders takes the last spot. Hoo dear, all is not well in the Preservationist side, I see. While they all want to take out Jackson Cade, they also want that title that he currently holds. Their egos are definitely getting in the way of getting the job done, and it's going to make dethroning Jackson Cade that much harder. Will they be able to do so? Or will they just get in the way of each other and allow Jackson to win at the end of Kaos?
BURNING QUESTIONS:
What the hell happened to Ayame when she was addressed by Caido? Was it the sight of the temple itself that drove her mad or did it have something to do with El Dragon himself?
Why is Destructo being a massive dick to Captain Arcadia? Does this test of the Captain's heroism have something to do with him picking a side in this war?
Is Gemini the one responsible for the explosion like Narcissa thinks she is? Or is it a massive red herring that Hera fell for? Also, how fucked is Gemini when the Designer gets her hands on her?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Soap by Felix Foley takes it here. I like how the Puppet Master pulls no punches when talking about this kid he once knew. He knows that he was too soft on him and could've changed the kid's fate had he disciplined him, but at the time, he didn't have the courage to do so. Rectifying that mistake by treating Hatchet like an undisciplined child was a nice idea and one that I'm happy to see worked well. Good promo overall.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Calypso: Damn, Calypso isn't fucking around with Gravedigger, is she? We got to see her possibly utilizing her magic to make some mind fuckery against the Valkyrie here tonight. However, the new Ferryman was defiant and refused to show any weakness against his resurrected foe. This is a great continuation from the segment last week and I honestly cannot wait to see how it's followed up next week.
Night: Not present in this show.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. A better role model, a Mister Sunshine and Felox Foley feud? Let's fucking go! It's a feud that had to happen eventually and using the children they both want to look up to them is a great source of conflict. Children can see people better than plenty of adults and that interaction with Foley over Sunshine shows it.
2. Feeding time at the zoo, I enjoy being a new champ but I'm rooting hard for Mighty Mighty to destroy Klaus Way when he gets the chance. This shifted a character I like a lot in Mighty to one I'm actively rooting for. I wonder where this goes from here.
3. Hunting Season 1&2, I wondered what OSW would look like with Ares in charge and it didn't take long to get an answer. The god of war lives up to his name and violence (more than usual) is at the heart of what he's changed. I wonder how many would be dead with Zeus' caveat.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
1. Will someone die soon in a venue outside of Olympus?
2. How are the champions and Redgrave going to get along before Kaos?
3. How long will Ares be in charge?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Spark by Nero gets it for me, beautiful writing with a focus that just worked against Destructo. Focusing on how much revenge fuels you but consumes as well, fire is the perfect metaphor for revenge and why it worked so well against Destructo.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Great week for Narcissa, not only becoming a new champ through some dirty ways but in the segments that made her stand out. I miss her uprising leader days sometimes and getting to see her back in the element of leading the other champs and Redgrave was beautiful to see. The people hear her because she's queen, they listen because how she pulls in a room and makes them understand.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
(Three moments of the show that stood out to you and why.)
- Hunting Season I/II: These kinda have to go together with not only bookending the show but showing exactly what the Preservationists are like underneath the rule of Ares. With Zeus outside of the war there was some semblance of decorum with Zeus. He might let bygones be bygones if it's the best for Arcadia but Ares? You go against Ares, you die and damn if we don't see it here. The talk of destruction for the Seekers and the actual follow up in them all being absolutely wrecked post main was brilliant and super effective in showing how devastating and killer Ares leadership will be and I'm super intrigued to see if the Seekers can even get some tiny bit of revenge in the coming weeks.
- A Better RoleModel. Like others have said, there are just some pairings that both make complete sense and is also baffling that they haven't had a program together yet and Foley/Sunshine is absolutely that. While the Captain showed both the darker side of Sunshine and that there still was a soft heart inside, Felix comes in and not only sorta does the champion of kids much better then him, is a lot more willing to make Sunshine prove that he's still...well Mr Sunshine. The heavy tension, and Felix telling Sunshine to fight for the kids or not was great and very intrigued to see if this goes more of an alliance or Sunshine goes full dark here thanks to Friendly.
- Feeding Time at the Zoo. I don't like to always go with the crowd but fuck this had to be there. Klaus always seemed like a slave owner to his circus members but fuck if he's not a vile bastard to Mighty here who comes off as the biggest babyface with what he's enduring. Suffering because of his "training" most likely from trying to escape Way's clutches and then forced to lay down his hard fought title, you feel so bad for Mighty here and fuck if the moment he turns on Way is not going to hit like absolute crack.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
Will Sunshine side with the children?
How much more will Ares take from the Seekers and Jackson as a whole?
Will we get any clues on who truly blew up the Pantheon?
Will the Preservationists find out who dug up CJ before Jackson can?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Didn't get much of a chance to read last week but putting up Spark here. Rob hit it right out of the park here this week with a brilliant promo and absolutely smoked me in a very well deserved victory. Loved the angle and the premise and was a great read overall.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Like Felix/Sunshine felt like the right fit, I feel like Arcadia and the new Destructo now boy less was an obvious one. Disgruntled former wide eyed hero going against the other hero in Olympus just felt right and man did this hit hard. Arcadia laying it all out with his worries and fears about the ledger, even taking his helmet off willingly for the first time only for Destructo to come out and basically call him a bitch was amazing. I don't view this as a pure heel thing really, more of a 'you're an idiot like I was so let me show you the truth' kinda deal and I'm definetly into seeing what happens next and the lengths Destructo may go to wake up the hero to seeing Arcadia like it is.