“Proof” shows events from (approximately) August 30th, 1993, 1994, and 1995. For the remainder of this recap, we will be getting into heavy spoilers; so only continue reading if you’ve seen episode 1×08 of Cruel Summer.
Continue reading “NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Episode 8 Reveals Some Shocking and Interesting Missing Events to the Story”
“Happy Birthday, Kate Wallis” shows events from (approximately) August 29th, 1993, 1994, and 1995. For the remainder of this recap, we will be getting into heavy spoilers; so only continue reading if you’ve seen episode 1×07 of Cruel Summer.
Continue reading “NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Episode 7 Changes Everything”
“You Don’t Hunt, You Don’t Eat” shows events from (approximately) July 15th, 1993, 1994, and 1995. For the remainder of this recap, we will be getting into heavy spoilers; so only continue reading if you’ve seen episode 1×04 of Cruel Summer.
Continue reading “NOC Recap: ‘Cruel Summer’ Episode 4 Leaves Us With the Biggest Cliffhanger So Far”
So that happened.
We’ve been singing the praises of Into the Badlands all season, but man, that death was disappointing. I’ll keep the spoiler about which character(s) met their ultimate demise until after the jump. Just know that it has made me reevaluate how I feel about this show.
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Who Lives, Who Dies, Who Tells Your Story?”
In a fateful example of perfect timing, the airing of Into the Badlands episode nine, titled “Nightingale Sings No More,” coincided with Mother’s Day. So how does the Badlands writing crew celebrate mothers? By ripping their babies away from them, locking them in solitary confinement, and having them duel their daughters in deadly sword-to-sword combat, of course! More on that in a minute…
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Disciplined Dissidents”
There are few nerdy pursuits that bring me a lot of pure joy anymore. Hamilton, of course, is one, and Into the Badlands is the other. And like what the homie Shawn Taylor said, sometimes it just feels better to big up a thing you love than to tear down something you don’t. That’s why I love giving these HamLands recaps to you, the people. One, unwarranted Hamilton references is kinda my thing — just ask my poor family. And two, the hashtag Into the HamLands — which was initially designed to house Badlands-specific Hamilton puns, IS BEING USED BY THE CAST AND WRITERS OF THE SHOW! (Badlands, that is. Still waiting for Lin to chime in.)
So when Veil herself tweeted this gem below, I knew it had to be the title of this week’s ‘cap!
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Equal, Opposite Reactions”
Apologies for the delay in getting this weeks Badlands recap out1. I know how much you anticipate my weekly Hamilton references! It was probably a good thing that I didn’t watch this episode live though. Not sure I would’ve been able to sleep had I seen Artemis haunt my television right before going to bed!
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: What is a Legacy?”
Despite my better judgement, I went with a Hamilton pun this week rather than straight up lyrics from the show. Couldn’t help it. The fight scene between the Abbots and Sunny’s old and new sidekicks — juxtaposed against a Christmas-y backdrop, no less — was a highlight! Before settling on “A Winter’s Ball” wordplay, the other obvious number to reference was Jasmine Cephas-Jones’ showstopper “Say No to This,” thanks to twitter user @Bespectacled_Cy!
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: A Winter’s Brawl”
Another week, another Into the Badlands recap that takes its cue from a Hamilton song. While it’s pretty obvious that I’m quoting Lin-Manuel’s soliloquy from the end of “The World Was Wide Enough” — fittingly about the lead-up and aftermath of a duel not unlike what Quinn and Ryder did last week — this week’s subtitle has as much to do with #GhostRyder as it does with the return of Sunny and Bajie who are just on the other side of the Badlands as well. And speaking of “other sides,” we see some characters aligning with other sides too. But really, it’s all about Quinn’s son on the other side.
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: A Glimpse of the Other Side”
Once again, we’re venturing back Into the Badlands as we finally get to see the much anticipated Baron Conclave. Last week, if you recall, we saw Minerva and Waldo arrive at Ryder’s estate to take part in the gathering. Basically, this is when all of the barons in the Badlands come together to sign agreements and hash out differences — without swords. Mostly. This particular conclave has been convened to vote on whether the Widow is allowed to even be a baron. Debates ensue, and all I can think of are the lyrics for both “Cabinet Battle” tracks from Hamilton.
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: You Don’t Have the Votes”
In my quest to title each Into the Badlands recap after lyrics from a Hamilton song, the writers did me a solid by letting Nathaniel Moon, played by veteran actor Sherman Augustus, say a line from the classic George Washington showstopper:
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Teach ‘Em How to Say Goodbye”
AMC’s Into the Badlands might have gotten a ten-episode second season (up four episodes from season one), but there’s no slowing down narratively. Episode 2 — which is actually chapter 8, proving just how propulsive the story of the Badlands is — wastes no time getting Sunny out of the mines, after a pretty awesome, and gruesome, fight scene to open the show. I would put the rest of the episode into three distinct buckets, that just so happen to coincide with a line from Hamilton‘s “My Shot.” And yes, I’m keeping up these #IntoTheHamLands recap titles all season!
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Young, Scrappy, and Hungry”
After more than a year off the air, AMC’s dystopian martial arts epic Into the Badlands has finally returned! And with it, so have these NOC Recaps. Speaking of which, I’m going to try to title each recap with a line from Hamilton because 1.) seriously, have you met me?; and 2.) the Badlands writers have basically challenged me as much. So, appropriately enough, the Season Two premiere is named after a lyric from “Yorktown.”
Continue reading “NOC Recaps Into the Badlands: Friends All Scattered to the Winds”
So Man of Steel was released on blu-ray and DVD today. As I do whenever a superhero movie is released on home video, I went to the store first thing in the morning and bought it.
Since dispersing special features across multiple retailers as store-exclusives is now standard practice, I had to make the tough decision of where to get my copy. Should I go with the Wal-Mart exclusive in steelbook packaging with 30+ minutes of additional extras? Or go with Target’s lenticular digi-book with a different set of special features (also 30+ minutes)?
So I did what any good fanboy would do. I bought both.
Full disclosure: unlike most of the fanboy intelligentsia, I really liked Man of Steel when it came out in June. While I agreed with some of the critiques — namely, the overindulgent third act — I thought the positives outweighed the negatives and was really excited about how Zack Snyder and company were going to follow up the events of this movie in a sequel or two. Now that we know the sequel is going to Gotham, I’m less enthralled with how they intend to follow through on what’s set up in Man of Steel.
