Warzone #382
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
- Answers was a fantastic segment. Not to jump on the bandwagon but I really liked seeing the Grim Reaper himself here. But, more importantly, the reaper mentions Valkyries themselves existing. Part of me wonders if this segment is calling back to the end of V2, and with it the new Death we saw after history was changed. Lots of speculation to be had and it has me wondering if I'm reading too far into some of the smaller details.
- I enjoyed Where the Fire Still Burns. I think there's an interesting dynamic to be had between these characters, especially with all the history that's taken place between not just them but everyone else in their match. This was a fantastic way to show comradery between both teams, as well as making everyone involved feel important at the same time.
- Hard Choices is a great segment to me because I'm simply just a fan of characters being forced to choose, especially after having one side tempt them. Jasper's view on this being about survival also has me interested. Could he possibly turn on the Preservationists if it suits him?
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- What will Nero's choice be?
- Who is the Zookeeper?
- Who's boot print was it?
- What comes next for Tombstone and Gravedigger?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
I really liked Crab Mentality. Great use of the storyline to tear into Redgrave by pointing out how he was the weak link in Kaos. Great theme, Robbie.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Jackson Cade: I really enjoyed Cade bringing the fight to Graves and saving Nero, hopefully giving the latter reason to stay with the Seekers. The final segment was also fantastic for planting seeds of doubt with Cade, and I enjoy seeing storylines intertwining like this. Redgrave and Nero mingling with Cade and Graves' storyline is really fun to see play out.
Hatchet: I love to see this POS causing problems and poking the bear. Of course he's not gonna like Destructo, but I can appreciate the confirmation that Hatchet himself is very much on the Seeker's side. I'm interested in seeing if he finds himself involved with the Zookeeper after what his segment laid out.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Answers takes the cake here, there's nothing quite like how that one hit right out the gate. The clash and face smash into the gates of the Underworld, the reveal of the Grim Reaper himself and the revelation that while Tombstone is the appointed ferryman, Igor Mortis holds the ability to change the hands of the reigns of the ferry and it's going to lead into something wonderful, I just know it.
2. Kingdom Come caught my eye, and there's something that I just adore about Mr. Sunshine being this snake in the grass role, letting others know about what's coming and to start being ready for it. It feels as if Sunshine's got more up his sleeve than what we'd expect, and he's dragging good ol' Klaus in with him to new levels of shenanigans. And Anton's the main dish on show for it.
3. Tensions Rising was a brilliant segment of how Ares, despite his appointment, isn't necessarily as clever as good ol' Zeus was. The cracks are showing in between several different sides, and things are beginning to have those good ol' structural issues in a team. Drewitt and Grimskull in particular were the highlight of the entire segment, but overall it was still an absolute delight.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- How far has the rumor of the Zookeeper gone?
- Who will get to Igor Mortis first?
- Where will Nero land in the realm of allegencies?
- Did Night plant the bomb?
- Will Attano serve a hot dish of Anton?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
I don't often read my direct show competitions promos until well after, but Mirrors really held a grip on me. The theme worked well, the devices laid were fantastic, and the narrative was just a delight.
HAVE YOUR SAY: Hell yeah, gotta love joining the Seekers! But these announcements of the Zookeeper has me wondering just what do others know/rumors are going around when he's name dropped like that. Got some solid ramping up, and I personally loved the entire segment. Excellent work lads!
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Answers, brilliant introduction for the show. A good way to see how death works in the realm of Arcadia. Igor Mortis has become the sole focus now of Tombstone and Gravedigger. The chains have so much power yet the reaper will go nowhere toward them which is interesting in itself.
2. Hard Choices, I'm liking the focus on Nero and his decision between the Preservationists and the Seekers, Redgrave laid it out on the line really well that it's about survival.
3. Kingdom Come, the idea of the kingdom 2.0 and Klaus Way is an intriguing combo but Sunshine has his doubts for sure especially with Zookeeper always being a possibility, I wonder if we're getting close to finding out who it is.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
How close is the Zookeeper?
What side will Nero choose?
How in control of death is Igor Mortis?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
The bird and the bee, I love when a tag team crushes a combo promo and they definitely crushed it. These are two characters that will always be intertwined and when they work together they always have a chance to do well like this.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Always a great day when I can see Narcissa going full leader mode, I am completely intrigued by where The Night has been taken. Will he get retribution, is he being blamed properly, or is it someone else? I'm wondering where it will go from here.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Answers takes the top spot for me. The Grim Reaper had the opportunity to take the chains from Gravedigger, but he couldn't due to all the legal ramifications that would cause for the higher ups in Death. With the reveal that Igor Mortis is the custodian of the chains, I have to wonder just how much danger he will be in once Tombstone gets his hands on him again? What can be done to give the chains back to the Ferryman? I'm interested in finding out, even if we probably won't for a while.
2. Seeking Sanctuary gets the next spot. Glad to see that Destructo and Arcadia have (uneasily) joined the Seekers in their war against the Preservationists. However, the Zookeeper is being built up as a threat bigger than Zeus and Ares's army could ever hope to be. Just what kind of power does he have other than make Kingdom members? Are we potentially going to see his face at Lambs to the Slaughter? Hopefully we'll find out soon enough.
3. Red Line takes the final placement. What is Jasper's gameplan here? Why is he acting like Cade and the rest of the Seekers were responsible for digging up CJ's body? Is there truly something about this that we don't know? Or is it a deliberate ploy to get more bystanders to join the Preservationists and side against the Seekers? I hope not, but seeing as how things have been realistic in terms of an underground resistance going against the system, I'm pretty sure that's where we're heading. Excited to find out if that's the case though.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
What side is Nero going to pick? He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy that would easily join the Preservationists, given his history with not only Graves, but Zeus as well. What will it take for him to be swayed to either side?
Sunshine and Savor seem to have some unfinished business that needs to be taken care of. When will that bit of unease be settled between them? Is Anton as untrustworthy as Charlie makes him out to be, or is he just trying to get into Klaus's head and have him do his dirty work for him?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Ashes to Ashes. Liked how the entire promo sounded like the last rites of Harold Attano before his inevitable cremation. How he was pretty much a dead man walking ever since he was let out of Death Row a couple years ago. Fun read overall.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
Calypso: Not present or mentioned in this show.
Night: Well shit. The Enigma's in for a world of trouble now. After being (falsely, I hope) accused of blowing up the Pantheon, he's been taken to who knows where for who knows what. I don't know what lies in wait for him next week, but hopefully he'll be alive in time for his match, otherwise the Seekers will be down a member and might possibly lose the war because of it. Curious to see how this ends up going for poor Peter. As of right now however, he seems kind of sort of doomed to a hellish fate.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Answers. Amazing introduction for the show and a huge bit of world building as a whole. Gravedigger attempting to put down Tombstone only for the Reaper himself to tell the two to knock that shit off. And then the reveal of the balance, red tape wrapped in death and the confirmation of the true custodian of the chains in Igor Mortis. There's about to be a mammoth war for those chains and although I'm not sure if Igor will be able to die (if the Reaper would let that happen or if it would even be possible) I doubt Tombstone wouldn't try to gain his chains back. Brilliant stuff and really hyped for whats coming next.
2. Where the Fire Still Burns. While not earthshattering, there was an intriguing simplicity here. A 'okay, now it's our turn' kinda vibe here with both teams surviving hell and coming out still standing and now they're coming for revenge. That and the revel of the Chemical X open invitational is an intriguing one and just shows overall that the Seekers still have a ton of fight in them left.
3. Red Line. This kinda goes hand in hand with Hard Choices in the manipulation Jasper Redgrave does. First by his twisting of words that could possibly sway Nero, saying just the right things to maybe make him join up with the Preservationists and then whispering ideas of doubt and betrayal into Jackson and the Seekers with the idea of the footprint being from the Seekers. It's the Artist at his absolute worst and by god he's amazing at what he does.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
- How in control of the chains is Igor and can that control be gained by another?
- What side will Nero choose?
- Will Jasper's words be able to deliver splinters into the Seekers or will Jackson get one step closer to actual answers?
MY FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Mirrors was an absolute treasure this week as much as I hate to praise Matt. Great narrative, brilliant theme and overall was an amazing read that worked incredibly well with Savor's this week.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
So Destructo finally makes his stand in the war. Not surprising he chooses the Seekers as like Felix said, long as Nox is with the Preservationists, he'd never join them but the more intriguing thing is the narrative of the Zookeeper. Not only has he directly gone after men like Sunshine, Destructo and Arcadia but it's clearly a boogeyman like tale that Hatchet and Felix have heard as well. I have this feeling whoever he is may well be a big damn deal going forward and a true threat to not just the Seekers but Arcadia itself (hell maybe even a third party?). Either way, very intrigued to see what comes next and how the Keeper's going to come after Destructo, Arcadia and maybe others in the coming weeks.
TOP THREE MOMENTS:
1. Ezekiel Graves vs. Harold Attano: This was a huge match for me. I have a ton of respect for Bryno, and getting the win here is something I’ll never forget.
2. Expired: I really enjoyed the back and forth between Attano and Savor. That “Then you eat it, burger flipper” line was intense for me this could be a seriously fun feud.
3. Unfinished Business: This was sick.
HOSTILE DOWN! JACKSON CADE IS HERE AND HE JUST TOOK EZEKIEL GRAVES’ HEAD OFF!
I felt that moment huge and Graves bleeding and still smiling? Yeah, I marked the hell out.
BURNING QUESTIONS:
• Will Nero take Jasper Redgrave’s advice and join the Preservationists?
• Who is the Zookeeper?
• How will Igor Mortis further the feud between Tombstone and Gravedigger?
• What’s going to happen to Night?
FAVOURITE PROMO OF THE WEEK:
Masks: This one stood out for me. The mask metaphor was clean, the storytelling was sharp, and Jordan made it feel personal without going overboard. Loved it.
HAVE YOUR SAY:
First off, sorry for the delay getting this up. Starting the new job has thrown off my routine a bit, but that’s no excuse. I’ve been placed in a main event position, and I feel like I’ve slacked. That’s on me. I promise to do better moving forward.
That said, this is easily the biggest role I’ve ever had in a fed, and I’m both grateful and hyped. A main event match with Cade, the rivalry with Nero there’s so much to explore and I don’t take any of it for granted. Whether Nero joins Graves or they stay at odds, it’s going to be big.
I’m not going to lie I’m nervous. But I’m also excited, and I don’t want to let anyone down. You’re all incredible writers, and I just want to pull my weight and make the match something we’re all proud of.
I know two of my Top 3 included Graves but I hope that comes across more as me being excited as a fan of this fed, not trying to hog the spotlight. Thank you all for everything.