Monday Morning Gotham: Deciding Factor

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The big takeaway for tonight’s episode is the return of Jerome.

“I said Jerome’s in the house…watch ya mouth!” Wrong show, but seriously who else has been waiting for this. Hugo Strange’s resurrection program as it were, combined with Jerome’s murder (by Theo Galavan) last season…should be some interesting developments but I’m not here to talk about any of that. Let’s go back a bit and quickly analyze a line from Mr. Valeska’s more memorable messages.

“Why be a cog…be free, like us!” – Jerome Valeska sending a message to the GCPD

Season 2, Episode 2: Knock, Knock (Rise of the Villains)

So what exactly is the deciding factor when it comes to the decisions that we make? It is family, personal gain, pride, loyalty? The expression, “Freedom ain’t free” makes a lot of sense when you factor in the military overtones it serves. But what about for regular people who just work a normal job…people who make up the framework behind some of these big companies; the cogs in the huge machines. Does being free mean not having to be a little man amidst a bigger plan? Yes. Key word not having to be. The true cost of being free lies in an even greater power source: choice. The deciding choice that determines winners, losers, victories, defeats on a daily basis. I know I can be viewed as a cog, a spoke on the wheel and am at the mercy of my employers. Sometimes it’s not about bringing down the machine in order to be free. I think Jerome, in the Gotham sense wants to prove that while he may be a part of grander design, he can still operate independently, apart from whatever said plans may or may not have for him. When you are good at what you do, somebody will be willing to compensate for your services. Knowing this, means that while you may be a cog, you can be one that can exist in any machine and that is a level of freedom that pays for itself.

What is your next big decision? Will it allow you to be more restricted or offer you more flexibility? Let that be you deciding factor.

justTerry

Monday Morning Gotham: Two Steps Back

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Gotham was a show that I really wanted to get into when it first came out…and it was a chore to get through when it first started. It ended up turning me off the show all together. Season 2 happened, I caught one episode and it pulled me back into its universe and now I find myself looking forward to the show each week like some of my other favorite superhero related shows. I thought about reviewing Gotham week to week, talking about the episode proper and what to look forward to next. But there are so many little aspects of Gotham that I really like thematically and rather than try to explore them within the Gotham universe or even the Batman-related universe itself…I’m going to give perspective on individual lines or scenes from different episodes and briefly talk about them in a more real-world format. I really want to give people a reason to think about certain aspects of their own lives and how they can be explored.

Season 3, Episode 4: New Day Rising

Selina says to the Bruce Doppelganger after he assumes she doesn’t know what it feels like to be alone, “People are overrated.”

The expression “one step forward and two steps back” is always used to describe individuals who seemingly demonstrate some growth in their life but ultimately fall back into their old patterns, whatever they may be. Selina suggests that the Bruce Wayne clone is better off alone rather than him wanting to explore the idea of having a friend or at the very least someone actually caring about him. I hear so many people talk about how they need to mind their own business or want to be left to wallow in their own suffering because they feel its what they deserve. Most of us have experienced our own varying degrees of hardship and pain in our lives. So I do not disagree with the “overrated” quantifier when it comes to people in general.

I do ask this question. Is life really that much more interesting if we all just walked through it and not interact with nobody? It is very easy to grow tired of people. Work or play, people are almost always involved and sometimes you just want that feeling of being the center of your own universe. In the same breath, the universe is a big place and loneliness can rob you of all the oxygen in your atmosphere if you let it.

I have a “hero complex” admittedly and there are times where I feel like no one gets me and I’m all alone in places where everyone knows who I am. But are people themselves overrated? I don’t think so. For all the faults and stresses that humanity brings to the table…it’s still good to be seated and see someone across from you who’s just trying to get something to eat too.

justTerry

Standing Outside of Time

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Just the other day, his heart became heavy

Without understanding the bevy of emotions that would overtake him

As the oceans’ waves carry the tree limb of his arduous decision away

He wishes to stay, he wishes he could say

Yet these words carry an empty power

To influence but never change, to entice but not rearrange

It is far more lonely than just being alone

His moments simulate what he wants to be real

They stimulate how he wishes he could feel

Fleeting, is it not?

Needing, wanting, hoping for a spot, for a shot

Becoming light and weightless, remembering what faith is

And having to stand where time continues to go on

Top 10: Favorite Shows from PBS

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10.) Reading Rainbow

The third-longest running PBS show (yes, the other two are on my list) that has my man LeVar Burton as the host. A show…about books, that wouldn’t work today. Good thing the 80’s didn’t subscribe to the idea that quality equals boring in this sense. Not for nothing, but this and all of the PBS shows for the most part had incredible theme songs.

9.) Bill Nye the Science Guy

Science Rules! Speaking of shows that pushed intelligence over entertainment…let me not lie, there was a lot of comedy and music in this show. As this list continues, you’ll see how I love my music-influenced shows but the one show that is so left of all the others actually has a lot of good tracks. Ranks very high in the theme song category.

8.) Mr. Rogers Neighborhood

The original PBS show for children. When I hear “Won’t You Be My Neighbor?”, takes me back. I remember the Neighborhood of Make-Believe and all of the puppets. I remember the music being very classical and even jazz influenced. Most of all I remember Rogers as someone who came across as genuine and earnest. It was right before I graduated high school that he passed away…very sad day indeed.

7.) Wishbone

One of the shortest lasting PBS shows (the shortest on my list) but left a memorable impact. To me this is the spiritual successor to Reading Rainbow. I say that because Wishbone always tries to find the parallels between classic literary arts and the current situation of the day. I always liked that the audience gets to hear Wishbone but the human characters around him can’t. (Bill Nye may have the catchier theme song, but it’s not better than this one) What’s the story?!

6.) Kidsongs

This show did your standard children’s job of teaching lessons and solving problems. For me, I loved this show as a kid for the music. All of the songs that would be done…I would walk to school instead of catching the bus just so I could watch this show. Good memories of this show.

5.) Sesame Street

The one show that everyone should have some familiarity with. Whether it’s the human characters, the actual Sesame Street characters or a particular segment…Sesame Street had to have left an impression on you if you were a kid in the last century. Musically, only Animaniacs compares when it comes to all of the different songs that were used. (I may do a Top 10 on Sesame Street songs honestly) We may not have know exactly how to get to Sesame Street, but it being on TV was the next best thing.

4.) Arthur

Who would of thought a cartoon about an aardvark would be so entertaining? Personally, the Christmas episode alone puts this high on my list. Grew up with the books and loved those, but never thought it would get turned into a show. Granted, I was out of that target demographic but like Disney’s Recess, I was able to get on board with this show. Buster even got a short-lived spin off out of this. (Honorable Mention to two other shows that I red as a child that got turned into cartoons; Clifford and the Berenstain Bears) You can’t help but do a little dance when singing this theme song!

3.) Magic School Bus

Considering how much I enjoyed school as a kid, “I knew I should’ve just stayed home today” always got me every time Arnold said it. Lasting just slightly longer this Wishbone, this was one of my favorite cartoons period at that time. At the library at school, we had “The Pit” which was a carpet-laced area into the floor where we could lay out and read whatever books we checked out. I member those paperback Magic School Bus books…You can’t go wrong with Little Richard singing your theme song.

2.) Lamb Chop’s Play Along

This puppet-inspired show hosted by the legendary Shari Lewis was worth waking up early for to watch. (Actually I was already up because Mr. Rogers came on before it). Big on music, loved the interactions of Lamb Chop, Charlie Horse, Hush Puppy…wow, these names, I’m just realizing it now. Lamb Chop always acted as somewhat of a foil to Shari which was funny. Even the Knock Knock jokes and Riddles segments I remember. Oh, and if you ever want to annoy someone, just sing, “This is the Song that Doesn’t End.”

1.) Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?

So why is a game show my number one? For one reason…DO IT ROCKAPELLA!!!

The Darkness and the Light

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Usually the best part of a superhero show is the action sequences; the fights that our heroes inevitably must take part in. It’s really funny that one of the biggest scraps to take place involves two people with no powers. But we’ll get to that later. Now, we look at Earth-2 where a new metahuman notification application is being displayed by that world’s Harrison Wells. Clearly it works because it goes off at the arrival of the Flash: Jay Garrick. We see here that there is some clear animosity between the two. Jay says that Harrison is responsible for creating all of the metas due to this world’s particle accelerator exploding. Doesn’t this sound familiar? Jay makes it a point to say that Wells refuse to take any accountability for this, on the flip side, Wells believes that the Flash should do his job as the superhero and stop Zoom. Sometimes perspective is the defining line between that which is right and that which is wrong. Where one man see light, the other sees shadow…a fitting theme for this episode. What brings people together is not, I repeat not the acceptance of another person’s viewpoint or philosophy, but the understanding of it. As people, I think we can all agree that no one expects everyone to agree with everything that we come up with. However, we all want to be heard and felt like what we say has a reason to have existence. Nobody likes to feel like they do not matter and what they do or say has no merit.

Back to present day, we see Harrison Wells reading an autobiography about “himself” but as we know, that’s not him. Wells is very stern about the fact that he is not same Harrison Wells that they experienced. I say experienced because, let’s think back, the Wells we all got to know was really the Reverse Flash posing as Harrison Wells. Caitlin wants to run some test on Wells but he says that the result will do no good in distinguishing him from his counterpart…she still goes though. Barry, reminding Cisco that this guy saved him from King Shark questions the reasoning why, to which Wells says that he’s here to help stop Zoom once and for all. He also admits his culpability for Zoom and the metas that are coming after the Flash. Cisco and Caitlin remain skeptical. Harrison reminds us that the test of character is what happens after we lose someone we care about. (This will be important to Harrison’s motivations at the end) Joe walks into S.T.A.R. Labs and upon seeing Wells (remember Joe was aware and trying to keep this hidden from Barry) fires off three shot, which the Flash manages to intercept. Joe, with Barry restraining him, wonders how can Wells still be alive and Harrison responds with “Because you missed.” This Wells is awfully confident considering that Barry was the reason why those bullets did not connect. Caitlin goes off to find someone who can verify Harrison, I wonder who this could be? Meanwhile, Joe and Barry step outside. Once again, Barry having to ask why he wasn’t told something and Joe might have been looking our for Barry’s best interest, underestimated his maturity in the event of this situation. Barry actually expresses how he is having to resist the feelings inside of seeing this individual who resembles the man who killed his mother in every visual sense. This shows the Flash growing into his responsibilities not just as a hero but as Barry Allen and that he can’t go flying off the handle because he knows where that leads him. The fact that Joe says that he needs to go fill in Iris makes me tilt my head. Now, you want to let Iris know what’s up…I guess the Francine thing made him realize that. If he would just apply that to his relationship with Barry…

I love Iris’ reaction to what is going on. She’s like, “Just another day, right?” For her and what she’s been through, you kind of have to admire Iris’ ability to take everything in stride like she does. Joe then gives Iris her gun and hopes that Barry was right and that she won’t have to use it. “You can’t murder someone who everyone believes is already dead right?” What Joe says here is almost a microcosm of how Joe is handling this latest development. Cisco is going back and forth with Barry, wishing that he was getting alcohol instead of a latte, but more importantly about the Wells scenario when they are interrupted by Patty Spivot. Cue the incredible cute awkwardness between Barry and Patty. While not the Line of the Night, it’s worth mentioning, “Stuff, I got to science the stuff out of…” Barry says and Spivot replies with “coolio” and not the rapper either. Cisco’s reaction to this exchange had me dying. This also leads to what happens when bros talk up each other to the point where ego completely takes over. Barry, feeling embarrassed, (as he should) looks at Cisco and asked him about his relationship prowess (did we forget about Golden Glider already?). So Cisco being Cisco actually asks out the woman over the counter…and he gets shut down, hard. Then all of a sudden, Cisco gets one of those mental rushes and sees the bank being robbed and informs Barry of another breacher. When the Flash arrives, a lady in black with a huge helmet on her head uses a massive array of light to flee the scene. Wells identifies her as Dr. Light, once a petty thief, now with the ability to harness and control starlight. When Wells scoffs at Cisco’s levity of the situation, Cisco identifies “Harry” as a “dick” (yes he actually says this). Wells figures that they capture Dr. Light and use her as bait to lure in Zoom so Barry can take him down. Caitlin arriving with Jay, hearing this makes Jay completely question Wells’ idea. We see the two go back and forth, Wells surprised that Garrick is alive, while Jay saying that being reckless is no way to beat Zoom. While continuing to argue over Dr Light’s motivations and what should be done with her, Barry reminds everyone that maybe we should capture her first. Now this leads to Barry asking the obvious question, how did Cisco know about robbery? Cisco fabricates how his phone alerts him of robberies in progress…he basically talks his way out of explaining. Lucky for him, Barry has to focus on finding Dr. Light and keeping the Earth-2 boys a safe distance from each other. Yeah, good luck with that. Barry bumps in Patty and before the awkward levels reach critical mass, Barry decides to ask Patty out for dinner. Proud of you Barry, for individuals that tend to think too much, it does pay to be simple and not ignore the obvious. Speaking of ignoring things that are right in front of you, Harry confronts Cisco on why he has such a issue with him. He makes it a point to ask what his counterpart did to Cisco specifically. As we know from last season, Cisco was killed by Wells putting his hand though his chest. This was your atypical “go along to get along” roundabout between the two. Something of note here, Harry asks to confirm the satellite program Cisco is running to check for solar emissions. Cisco tells him not to worry about it. then we see Wells checking his metahuman app on his wrist. Caitlin tells Barry the silent alarm went off at the Central City Bank, Jay tells Barry that Dr. Light is not a killer and that he can reason with her. Giving Jay some assurance, Barry nods and speeds off, confronting Dr. Light. The Flash tells her that he knows she’s here to kill him, so why steal the money? We get the impression that Dr. Light wants to be free of this mission and when Barry offers his help we see that there is a fear of Zoom not at all different from the concerns displayed by Harry and Jay. Barry gets her to de-mask and upon seeing her face, we see that this is the Earth-2 version of Linda Park, Barry’s ex-girlfriend. Wondering how the Flash could know her identity, she sends out a massive light blast blinding the Flash. We get more of Harry and Jay’s philosophies clashing while Barry recovers from his blindness. Harry feels this could have been avoided if they skipped the verbiage while Jay contends that Barry was caught off-guard. Wells quips, “Always an excuse with you.” Not for nothing but I think Barry personally doesn’t need anyone making excuses for him. Wells is right, he’s the “Fastest Man Alive”, what’s the problem? They all come to the conclusion that Zoom sent this meta specifically because of the relationship factor. So this has to mean that Zoom knows that Barry Allen is the Flash. This also means as Barry points out that Dr. Light probably didn’t know she had a doppelganger in this universe until Barry revealed her identity. Jay emphasizes that Light is not a killer, but Cisco does say the first thing Atom Smasher did was kill his doppelganger.

Iris arrives and being last, we get to see her reaction to seeing Harrison Wells again. It’s very telling how her face shows disbelief and composure at the same time, given all she’s had to process as of late. She attends to Barry and answering his text message discovers that Barry is going on a date with Patty. Iris tells Barry not to cancel and suggests that maybe someone can help him with this literal “blind date.” Then we see, (get it, see) Barry yelling for Cisco while Iris directs him. This is the first time in a long time that the synergy between Iris and Barry feels right and not forced. What we get is Cisco giving Barry some shades that will act as Cisco’s eyes so he can walk him though the date. This redefines the term ‘wingman’ for me. Now for some comedy, Cisco eating Chinese takeout during all of this. Patty saying how she judges her dates based on whether or not they stand her up. Following up that with the classic line, “I have a reputation.” Cisco getting Barry to complement her on how she looks, but forgetting that the feed is in black and white so he can’t identify the color of her dress. It seems as if things are going well between Barry and Detective Spivot. While on stakeout, Jay and Caitlin go into his history with Zoom and by extension Dr. Wells. Back on the date, Cisco has become bored due to Barry and Patty sharing their tragic experiences with one another. We learn that Patty drowned when she was nine years old and her heart stopped for like two minutes until her father saved her life. After Patty tells Barry that fear shouldn’t hold back people from becoming who they are supposed to be (funny how Cisco shouts “Preach” given his own unique set of circumstances), Patty tells him something else…that he can’t see. “Abort”, Cisco says now that Barry has been outed by Detective Spivot, really is anyone surprised by this. We have already established how bad Barry is at deceiving people and he’s now dealing with someone who not only is just as bad but whose job description is built for these kind of things…maybe that’s why he hasn’t completely gotten over Iris yet. Just when Jay and Caitlin are about to share a tender moment, Dr. Light attacks the van they’re in. She finds Linda and with Larkin and Iris playing defense, she seeks Linda’s life. We then get a similar eerie line about murder not unlike the one from Joe, “It’s not murder when it’s your double right?” In her mind, she guesses killing Linda in this universe will allow Dr. Light to assume her identity and escape from Zoom. She also confirms what Jay has been saying all along that’s she’s never killed anyone before. Of course, Larkin goes in to try and stop her but Dr. Light sends a beam straight through his chest, killing him. The momentary shock of what she had done gives Iris the opportunity to shoot the helmet off her head. Point-blank accuracy, but considering her father, we shouldn’t be surprised at this. The shock than transfers to Linda when she sees the villain is a splitting image of herself. Jay arrives inside and with the numbers not in her favor, Dr. Light retreats leaving her helmet behind. We then see Patty helping a blind Barry down the stairs and the two share a well-done good night kiss. Conveniently, Barry’s sight has returned to him after this so he kisses her a second time. But, no time for second base, both of their phones go off due to what just happened with Dr. Light.

The issues of Barry’s place in this battle causes tensions between Wells and Garrick to spiral out of control. Wells saying Zoom’s influence will give any of the metas his sends after Barry the desire to kill and that because of Jay’s lack of faith, Barry doubts himself but Wells clearly does not. Wells calls out Jay on the whole “battling Zoom for two years.” He says Garrick has been running from Zoom for that long. Hunting Zoom, no Zoom was hunting you Jay. This prompts Garrick that this path will kill Barry just like it almost did to him. Harry proclaims that Barry runs toward danger, not from it and that Barry is not like Jay and calls him a coward. Them’s fighting words on any planet, in any universe and thus…a brawl begins to break out between Wells and Jay, Barry stepping in before it gets out of control. The belief or lack thereof in Barry seems to be driving this already existing wedge between our Earth-2 gentlemen further and further. But who is in the right here? Does that depend on Barry or maybe Jay and/or Harry have some things about themselves they need call out to the forefront? Wells believes in Barry so much that the mentor/student relationship Jay has with Barry, the roles should be reversed. Team Flash decide to use Dr. Light’s mask in order to find her. Harry says that all they need to do is give it to Cisco…because he has the powers to use it in order to find her. Harry reintroduces us to the device on his wrist, the same one we all saw in flashback, that can detect metahumans. Cisco has been outed. Technically, this would count as another secret, another lie that blows up. But, I think Cisco did in fact heed the words of Professor Stein when he told him that he shouldn’t leave his friends in the dark about his abilities. Wells just outed him sooner. Everything that was happening in this episode was leading to Cisco being forced to tell Barry how he was able to find Light in the first place. It’s just that Dr. Wells figured everything out before Cisco got the chance.

As Cisco explains his powers, everyone cannot believe he kept this from them. At the behest of Wells, Cisco touches the helmet trying to get any sort of mental fix on Dr. Light’s whereabouts, with each attempt Wells getting more aggressive and what I’ve noticed about his leadership style, Wells tries to get people to not just confront their fears but attack them with the same ferocity that he emotes with. How Wells interacts with Jay, with Barry and now Cisco. One of the messages throughout the episode was fear and how we choose to deal with it. Do we run from it or do we allow it to make us stronger? Cisco, doubting himself with each unsuccessful try says he can’t do it. Harry, grabbing the helmet, goes up to him by slamming it into his chest, says with conviction, “Yes you can!” Dr. Light is about to get on a subway and leave town, so the Flash rushes off. There is a parallel here with this fight with Dr. Light from the standpoint of Harry and Jay with their relationship to Barry. Recall in the first season, Barry, having the words of the Earth-1 Harrison Wells in his ear, couldn’t break through his own self-imposed doubts because Joe doubted him. Once he got the support from Joe, the Flash was able to overcome himself. Here, after failing to get to Dr. Light’s blind spot, Barry gained no further usefulness from Jay. Harry stepped in and advised Barry to run at a speed that will cause afterimages of himself to appear to confuse Dr. Light. Harry assures Barry he can run that fast since he’s traveled through time (per Cisco’s admission). Once again Barry doubts himself; then Jay interjects by coming to terms with some of this own faults. He tells Barry to listen to Wells and that Barry is faster than him and to not let fear hold Barry back like it did to him. With that endorsement, Barry tries again and manages to knock out Dr. Light, winning the day.

Barry, who I think doesn’t want another Reverse Flash situation, decides to agree with Wells and prepare to go one on one with Zoom, using Dr. Light as bait. Jay does not agree nor support this and much to Caitlin’s disappointment, decides to leave S.T.A.R. Labs as long as Wells is on board. His departing words suggesting that he might not be the Wells they knew but he has just as many secrets. Jay may not be on board, but the rest of Team Flash seem pleased with Barry’s confidence and willingness to want to end the fight before it gets out of control. Is optimism an Earth-1 thing? Hopefully, we’ll see Jay Garrick again. Cisco goes to get coffee for the others and it’s the same barista that shot him down before. She explains that she’s new in Central City and that Cisco just caught her off guard and asked him if coffee was all that he wanted. Score one for Cisco and speaking of, he gets a codename from Barry and Caitlin: Vibe! All the while, Wells watches intently…

Line(s) of the Night: “I think coffee is the one constant in the multiverse.” Jay talking to Caitlin while on stakeout.

“Barry, I lost my eyes!” Cisco reacting to Barry putting his augmented shades in his pocket,

Flashlines: Linda Park’s run in with the editor Larkin about her stance on not glorifying a star football player that hit his wife. Subtle, yet strong message being sent through this exchange between progressive female and male editor simply focused on the sports aspect. Cisco likes people who come up with good names for the bad guys; see Jay Garrick and in this case Patty who does give the name King Shark. Cool that instead of the traditional Dr. Light, we get a female one…there are both male and female versions of this character in the comics. Wells listening to “Baby, You’re No Good” while reading about his counterpart, unintentionally funny. Jay says that Dr. Wells was perfectly fine with profiting off of the metahumans he created through his tech apps and now something about him has changed and he doesn’t trust him. (That change might have something to do with the last scene of the episode) Apparently Atlantis is above water on Earth-2 according to one of Jay’s good friends who is from there. Harrison tells Barry to run fast enough to the point he creates copies of himself; he calls this the Speed Mirage. Caitlin says that she doesn’t think any of us (Team Flash) would turn evil if we all of a sudden got powers…foreshadowing?!!! Kendra Saunders is the name of the barista that Cisco got the number from…she also has a codename: Hawkgirl. That ending scene…Zoom has a young lady locked up and based on what we know, it has to be Harrison Wells’ daughter; puts some things into context.

Strong episode…fear turns men into cowards, turns cowards into heroes. How much will fear take hold next week when Zoom makes his play? Flashout!

Top 10: Favorite Shows from Kids WB

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10.) Johnny Test

Just another day in the life of a boy…to me this was Warner Brothers’ answer to Dexter’s Lab. Not nearly as good but I remember it well enough to be fair.

9.) Road Rovers

Wow, how old is this? Catchy little theme song and was a cartoon that never took itself too seriously. Short run but it has enough to where I would watch whenever it came on.

8.) Mucha Lucha

A cartoon about Lucha Libre (wrestling). How cool is that. Cool is Ricochet, cool is Buena Girl, cool is the Flea. Loved the signature moves and how overly animated they were. Better than I remembered.

7.) Sylvester and Tweety Mysteries

A new spin to an old classic. Hey it beats watching Scooby Doo have these type of adventures. Love the dynamic between all the characters and really fleshes out Granny, something that the old shorts never really got to do. Oh, and Tweety finally gets eaten at the end…sort of.

6.) Cardcaptors

In the vein of Sailor Moon, this was a more or less a girls’ anime. Kinda funny in Sailor Moon, the main is Serena and here the main is Sakura. I was drawn into the show because of all the different Clow Cards and the interesting/mythical characters like Yue and Clow Reed. This show was better than it had any right to be.

5.) X-Men Evolution

I was so hooked on this show. I remember being in message boards discussing who the 4 Horseman were going to end up being. Oh and the final episode with Xavier having visions of the future. Man we were so hoping for another season after that, but that is the way you end a series. Amazing memories of this show…to me, enjoyed this more than 90’s X-Men.

4.) Spectacular Spider-Man

Speaking of shows that I feel are better than their predecessor. If there was a show that had no business being canceled after only two seasons. I love the new animation style for this (even Disney Infinity liked it). The relationship between Peter and Gwen was so sweet, so though out. This is the one show on my list that deserves to be brought back.

3.) MegaMan NT Warrior

The Top 3 I own personally so that should show my love for these shows. MegMan is my favorite of the classic mascot gaming characters. But, honestly the Blue Bomber himself is not even in my top five characters on this show. His NetOp, Lan being one example, in fact I enjoy all of the NetOps’ on the show. World Three, Commander Beef, Grave and my favorte ProtoMan. This show made me go out and beat the Battle Network games (and there were a lot of them too). Power Up!

2.) Jackie Chan Adventures/Xiaolin Showdown

I couldn’t decide between the two honestly. They both operate in the same space. Talismans of the Chinese Zodiac and later Demon Chi and the Masks of the Oni on one side; the numerous and wide variety of Shen Gong Wu on the other. I think Jackie Chan did enough to warrant it’s long shelf life, while Showdown really gave a lot seriousness and depth to an otherwise quirky little kids cartoon. Both are awesome, both deserve to be this high.

1.) Static Shock

Of course, growing up a black cartoon…that wasn’t corny and a superhero one at that. Virgil, Richie, their friendship is the stuff of legends. Loved the variety of villains they had. Oh and what I said about corny, they did have guest stars like Shaq and Backstreet Boy members so…got to get those ratings. Always love when Static gets some airtime in later shows (Justice League Unlimited, Young Justice) and it all started here. Puts a shock to your system!

(Now for the record, I acknowledge that Animaniacs, Batman/Superman, Pokemon, Yu-Gi-Oh and Teen Titans were all mainstays on Kids WB and yes, I love all of these shows in some degree or another. I left these particular shows of the list because there will be upcoming lists that involve going more in depth into these shows specifically. So I wanted to give some shine to the shows I wouldn’t otherwise mention.)

Top 10: Favorite Nicktoons

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(Just as a point of reference, what I consider as a Nicktoon…having the Nickelodeon “splat”  logo at the end of that particular show and being produced by Nick)

10.) Jimmy Neutron

Admittedly, I caught on to this show much later after its original run. Wish I hadn’t, it’s quite good.

9.) CatDog

I remember this very well, catchy theme song (the first theme song with actual lyrics) and…basically Ren & Stimpy with the roles reversed. Hey, it’s not Schnookums and Meat (do not seek out that cartoon).

8.) Danny Phantom

Half human, half ghost, all hero. Honestly, once some more time goes by, this will most likely be higher on my list. This show in my opinion was too good for Nickelodeon during that time period. Favorite Nicktoon of the new millennium!

7.) Avatar: The Last Airbender

Do I really need to say anything? The one Nicktoon that takes itself seriously. What Gargoyles was for the Disney Afternoon (yes, there will be a list for that), Avatar was for Nicktoons.

6.) Rocket Power

While CatDog is not quite as good as I remembered, Rocket Power is definitely better than I remembered. The last Nicktoon of the last century was based out of L.A. and included extreme sports and a main character who had to go to the Daffy Duck school of thought. Otto was awesome, oh and Tony Hawk was in an episode once too!

5.) Hey Arnold

This spot was a toss-up between this and Doug. Both shows had their bland moments but it came down to who was the more interesting main character. Honestly, Doug I remember more for his alter-egos like Smash Adams and Quailman. Arnold was an “everyman” character who honestly of all the Nicktoon characters (the prominent ones at least) I can relate to the most. He will always set out to do the right thing, even if it is not sensible to do so. The episode “24 Hours”, words can’t describe.

4.) Rugrats

“A baby’s gotta do what a baby’s gotta do.” The show that made “potty emergency” a thing before Wacko Warner ever did. Memorable characters, memorable holiday episodes…yes, Chuckie was my favorite character. Why is is not higher? Sometimes something can be so good, it runs the risk of overstaying its welcome (and I don’t mean All Grown Up, which didn’t help). Susie wasn’t in enough episodes to break the original 5 dynamic, but when Tommy had siblings, well…

3.) Aaahh!!! Real Monsters

Surprised this is so high for me? A show that was about monsters going to school to scare humans, is this Disney? (Not for another six years, anyway) As a kid, I enjoyed this show; I really like this show looking back on it. The main characters are all complex enough to stand on their own despite working best when they’re all together. Oh, and they had a cameo in a Rugrats’ episode, bonus points!

2.) Ren & Stimpy

I’m just going to rattle off some of my favorite one-liners and leave it at that: (Powdered…Toast…Man…!!!, Log!, Space Madness, Happy Happy Joy Joy, Don’t Whiz On the Electric Fence, No Sir, I Didn’t Like It, and pretty much every time Ren gets angry, like all of them).

1.) Rocko’s Modern Life

Was my favorite Nicktoon, will always be my favorite Nicktoon. Does this have anything to do with Spongebob being as successful as it is, being a rip-off of this show…maybe. But take that away and you have a show that has the spirit of Ren & Stimpy and Animaniacs rolled up into one. There were jokes running on this show that would last for a whole season that higher-ups did not even realize (Chewey Chicken? Nice edit Nick). The innuendo was so downplayed that some I didn’t get until after I became an adult. This show was a hoot!

Top 5: Favorite Shows from Nick Jr.

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(My little sister asked me to do some lists covering blocks of children’s shows I grew up, so I said okay but they’re going to be Top 5’s because it keeps me from covering just what I remember to what I remember vividly.)

5.) Muppet Babies

Who doesn’t remember this? A cartoon that references pop culture (of that time period) and encourages using your imagination (it even says so in the theme song), and you never saw above Nanny’s legs. That still makes me wonder to this day.

4.) Gullah Gullah Island

I loved this show as a kid. The music was great (definitely my favorite theme song from the Nick Jr. days), I had such a crush on Vanessa, I thought it was awesome that the parents played themselves and it was their way of teaching about their culture through life lessons, songs and adventures. This show did what My Brother and Me (also an African-American centric show on Nick) failed to do. Binyah Binyah!

3.) Allegra’s Window

The one show on my list that I bet is least remembered if at all by most people. In case you couldn’t tell, I loved shows with musical accompaniment and this show was no different. It was very Sesame Street-esque using animation, live actors and puppets but this show most reminds me of Lamb Chop. (Just wait till I do a KERA block of shows) I will always remember the talking instruments that would sometimes help with the musical numbers. Good little show.

2.) Eureeka’s Castle

Man, this is the one show on the list that I miss the most. Did you know that this show was co-created by…R.L. Stein? Awesome! This puppet show was the most like Sesame Street to me and had just as many memorable characters; Eureeka who was a magician in training, a dragon named Magellan, Batty (guess what he is), The Moat Twins who love peanut butter sandwiches and the Fishtones who basically gave the show an excuse to have random singing in it (not for nothing but next to them, Eureeka had a really good singing voice too!). The one show on my list that I can sit and watch as an adult and feel no shame whatsoever.

(A quick Honorable Mention to Face who handled all the segues and lead-in’s between the shows. He was what started the day for Nick Jr. and he closed it out too!)

1.) Blue’s Clues

I’ll admit, the reason why this is #1 is not because of its replay value and especially not when Steve left the show. The whole idea of playing the game with your younger siblings is a memory that goes way beyond the viability of a television program. Singing, Mail Time, or “we just got a letter” or the goodbye song…I still know clear as a bell because honestly when we were looking for Blue’s Clues…looking back “it was really fun.”

Fury of the Firestorm

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It’s funny how this episode of The Flash feels like an after-school special, teaching lessons like: never judging a book by its cover and when life hands you a bad card, what matters is how you play it. Yes, some of the executions of these concepts were a bit hammy but the one lesson that no one on this show seems to get is that LYING LEADS TO NOTHING POSITIVE! There might have been more secrets and lies brought up in this episode than any other thus far…what?!!! Alright, time to speed through this episode.

One thing of note, Jay’s absence in this episode. Hope that’s important for later. Anyway, we flashback to two years ago. We see a young man who has lead his football team to victory. This gentleman is Jackson Jefferson and it looks like this kid has his future waiting for him. “Jax” sees the particle accelerator explosion in the distance…more importantly, the wave emitting from it is heading his way so Jefferson gets everyone to safety. They all enter the tunnel that the football players go through but Jax has to save one of his teammates who was on crutches. Jackson gets him inside and tries to shut the door but the blast (which looks a lot like the firestorm matrix) knocks him against the wall. (We’ll find out that was what ended his promising football career.) Cut to present day, Cisco manages to stabilize Professor Stein using the power source from Harrison’s wheelchair, but he knows it’s only temporary. Caitlin explains that the dark matter that hit him changed his molecular structure so that it could bond with the firestorm matrix. That’s where Ronnie came in. As long as Stein’s particles have nothing to compatibly merge with, his condition will grow more unstable. Furthermore, Caitlin’s research finds two potential candidates who were affected in a similar way, showed signs of gene manipulation and have the same blood type as Stein and Ronnie. We’ve already met Jax, the other is Henry Hewitt. Barry, without asking uses his super speed to get a blood sample from both individuals with them being unaware. We see Iris and Joe looking at old baby pictures, Iris preparing herself to meet her mother. Back at the station, Patty wants Barry to help her with a story; apparently there was a shark walking on land and she has a tooth from the scene of the report. So a very flustered Barry agrees to analyze the teeth when Joe interrupts. Can I just say, rather Joe says it clear as day, Barry obviously has something for Patty. What is it with Joe’s partners and his “kids?” At S.T.A.R. Labs, CIsco creates a “power cane” using the reactor that stabilized Stein so as to keep mobile. There are two big components to this episode, one is obviously going to be the meeting between Iris and her mother Francine and the fallout from that. The one on deck now is that “after-school special” example that I alluded to earlier.

Team Flash looks to decide which candidate to go with. Caitlin enthusiastically starts with Henry. Graduated from the same university as Stein, Summa Cum Laude, double majored in bio-enginerring and…(you see where this is headed, right.) I’m not saying that this was a misstep or that this story was being told poorly, it just seems telegraphed and lacks the depth that usually happens in these episodes. Also, some of the messages being sent…not going to lie (don’t worry there will be plenty of that later) I really frowned upon. Barry notices that more of Jax’s vitals are compatible than Henry’s. Also we find out that besides being the star quarterback and having the obvious physical attributes, he has a 4.0 GPA. Which was practically ignored by Caitlin and her elitist attitude that Henry would be more apt for this sort of thing because he’s a scientist and says “he’s actually trying to make something of himself.” Since these are two characters who are African-America, I’m am going to bring up something that’s prevalent to this situation. One of the biggest arguments I hear in the black community when it comes to black men and music; making commercial music with no real substance or out in the street committing crimes. This notion of rapping or robbing someone, you know some of us do neither. Some people actually make good music and still are horrible people behind the scenes. My point going back to the episode is that you make something of yourself however you can not based on what society or what some individual thinks success really is. I appreciate Barry trying to ground everything in reality. I mean look at him, forensic scientist who is clearly socially awkward with a heart of gold. Maybe everybody shouldn’t be on this Henry Hewitt hype train. I can excuse Professor Stein’s affinities because after all, he’s got to merge with this person and it’s his life that’s on the line. You want to know why people get so offended with outside individuals try to pass of their own ideals into people’s situations? Usually it’s because they lack any empathy to what the background or extending circumstances are. While Team Flash heads out, a familiar face appears in the hallway where the secret room is located, it’s Harrison Wells.

Barry and Stein head off to meet with Jackson who happens to be a car mechanic. When Professor Stein notices the music that is playing in background, Jax quips that he has the Titanic soundtrack in the back and can play some Celine Dion if he’d prefer. Another example of being typecasted and that underlying assumption of “oh this guy listens to rap music, he must not be cultured in anything else.” Me personally, rap is not even in my top five favorite genres of music to listen to. After Jackson lets them know that he’s not really feeling anything having to do what happened to him two years ago, Barry just leaves his number and tells him to think about it. I like Barry’s approach. It shows that he remembers his dealings from before with earlier characters who have lost a great deal and in order for them to come around, one must no be so gung-ho about helping an individual move past those hardships.

Iris finally comes face to face with Francine. So after two decades, Iris could have handled this a multitude of ways but she decides that having a relationship with her mother is something that she does not want right now. As someone who didn’t meet his own father until after I became an adult and having to come to that same crossroad, I don’t blame Iris one bit for her tone, her delivery and ultimately her decision. It does seem awfully convenient the timing of Francine’s desire to reenter the picture; I don’t think that something to ignore. Iris, I don’t believe is angry about her mother leaving, I think that once she finally got to see Francine and put everything together from what she feels on the inside with what Joe has already told her, she just came to a conclusion and made peace with it all at the same time. Acceptance and forgiveness does not always mean a warm, cozy ending.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Barry and Martin return to see that Henry Hewitt is there chatting it up with Caitlin and that he’s all in with the idea of Project Firestorm. Notice that when Barry introduced himself and offered a handshake, Hewitt completely ignored him and went right for Stein. Also Caitlin’s over enthusiastic attitude with the idea and Cisco saying he’s got an ego the size of Texas. It is cute that he’s like a miniature Professor Stein, but I believe that Barry apprehension is warranted. Sometimes you do pick up things off of people that go beyond what the eye can detect. Cisco places the splicer on Henry’s chest but when he starts to merge with Martin, it’s as if the firestorm matrix cancels itself out. So much so that on the second attempt, nothing happens at all, much to an angry Henry’s disappointment. As he gets on the elevator and leave, something in his molecular structure seems to have been made active after the failed attempted fusion. We cut to Mercury Labs and see that Caitlin’s office has been ransacked and what looks like Harrison making off with something.

You’ve been waiting for it. Detective Joe and Spivot arrive at Mercury Labs and get updated on what we already know. So when Patty wants to call in Barry, Joe will have none of it. He explains to Patty that Harrison is the man who killed Barry’s mother Nora and to protect him, Barry can’t know about the possible return of Harrison Wells. Patty says that she’s not very good at lying to which Joe responds, “You better learn, quick.” Just drop an anvil on me already with the lies. It’s almost as if the characters on the show are so habitual with this that it’s become a meta-joke…but I don’t find it funny at all. Joe you just had a breakdown over something you kept from Iris, now you want to keep another big secret from Barry because you think it’s best for him. Did you confirm that? So Joe and Patty get back to the station and upon seeing Francine, Joe sends Detective Spivot ahead and confronts her in a way that was almost unnerving for Joe’s character. He wants her gone, now as in ‘don’t come back’. Francince says there was something else that brought her back…here we go. She says that basically as former addict, she contracted a condition that basically gives her a few months to live. Look, a lie of omission is still a lie. How does one forget to bring that up? I was going to tell you sooner, but…but what? It’s like you was about to die or something, right? Yes, that comes across a little dark but I am tired of these scenarios where someone uses impending doom as a backdrop for their lack of attention to detail. I mean Martin Stein is basically in that same spot. I am scratching my head. Anyway, Jax decides to come down to S.T.A.R. Labs thinking that when they said “help”, that meant fixing his knee. Team Flash basically explains the Firestorm process to him and like any normal young adult that would hear all of this…I wouldn’t believe it either. Caitlin especially gets fired up (no pun intended) as Jax’s seemingly dismissal of becoming a superhero. And then we get the line of the episode right here…

Line of the Night: “I saw your test scores Jax, your grades were good enough to get into college, but you didn’t go. Why? Is this the type of guy you are, one setback and you fold. Well, then maybe you’re not the guy for us anyway.” Caitlin talking to Jax

Right away I see Barry and I see the first real problem with this, why drive off the guy that might be the only hope to save Professor Stein’s life. No Caitlin, Barry is right, it is not as simple as just saying no to being a hero. Jackson, a guy who doesn’t have much, is being asked to give up what he does have to journey into the unknown. That’s a hard step for anybody in any medium. My second problem was with Caitlin did after, she was so adamant about getting Henry back to try again just because he was a willing participant. Now, I’m not ignoring the subtext behind what Dr. Snow said. Everybody does not see opportunity the same way and you can’t bully someone with your words just so you can try and get a person to see your point of view on a subject. Personally though, I don’t have a problem with the “Line of the Night.” Too often we as people allow a tragedy or a misfortune to come into our lives and strip us of our very identity. We can’t prevent bad things from happening sometimes, but we can always control how we deal with it. We get knocked down and sometimes we can’t get back up, but that doesn’t mean that we decide to never want to get up again. I lost my grandfather right after I graduated from high school. I was supposed to go to a big name university. Like Jax, my grades were good enough to where I could go wherever I wanted and I wasn’t even an athlete anymore. Death hit me like a ton a bricks and I stayed down for some time but eventually I knew I had to go on because life was going to with or without me. It wasn’t going to bring my granddad back anymore than it’s going to resurrect Jackson’s football career. Everyday you have to ask yourself, do you fold or do you remain stable? Sometimes the best we can do is hold on and at some point, things will lean toward our advantage and we can make a new opportunity out of that. Those opportunities allow us to do things and go places that we would otherwise never attempt.

This leads right into to Joe letting Barry know how obvious his feelings for Patty. He tells Barry that Iris will always be different because she was the first girl he ever loved but that shouldn’t stop him from pursuing something new. We go to Henry Hewitt’s lab and after having his job threatened because he apparently is a bit of a slacker, ignites literally and seems to be on the verge of a meltdown. Professor Stein deduces that the attempted merger triggered Henry’s dormant abilities and without a grounded mechanism to stabilize him…boom. Cisco, after hacking into some sealed security records discovers that Henry has a history of anger management issues, including battery and assault charges. After feeling weak, Stein is taken back by Cisco to lie down. Caitlin decides to put all of the blame on her self, feeling that she ran off Jax by her words and Hewitt’s situation was brought on by her spearheadedness. Barry comes to a conclusion very similar to the one I did. Caitlin probably had her reservations about Jackson because let’s face it, this is going to be Ronnie’s replacement. Also, the whole hero thing has a different connection with her because Ronnie basically died a hero by what he did to stop the singularity. So, in her mind, she can’t understand why anyone wouldn’t want to use their life to serve (and in this case, save) others and be a hero. Barry, who hopefully takes his own advice…which he got wholesale from Joe, tells Caitlin that we have to be open to new explorations. Back at home, Joe informs Iris on what Francine told him and Iris is skeptical to say the least. She does make a good point; Francine tells Joe about her dying after the meeting with Iris, after she tells Francine she wants nothing to do with her. Remember that Francine had that opportunity when she found Joe in the first place, not only at the station but at the bar as well. With all the lies that have gone on, especially in the case of people keeping things from Iris in particular…is it really that far-fetched of her to be suspect of her own mother? Something to think about. I’ll get more into this when I show why Iris was tonight’s MVP.

Speaking of which, Caitlin goes to the car shop to apologize to Jax and to also ask him to reconsider his stance on the Firestorm Project. What’s interesting is that Jax saw Ronnie fly into the massive negative space, before the singularity collapsed in on itself. In the midst of their exchange, Hewitt arrives, seeking out Dr. Snow and throws a kinetic blast at Jax knocking him down. But, being a former football player, he quickly recovers and throws a car part right at Henry. While he’s temporarily stunned, Jax and Caitlin jump into the car and head for S.T.A.R. Labs…Hewitt soon to be in hot pursuit. When Jax sees Professor Stein in the shape that he’s in, he decides to go for it. Cisco gives an abridged version to Jax while Barry and Caitlin prepare Martin, whose temperature is rising rapidly. Barry lets Jackson know that there’s no going back after this. So with that, Jax activates the splicer and Firestorm is reborn. Time for some on the job training as Hewitt attacks the high school that Jax once played at…odd. Cisco and Caitlin tell Flash and Firestorm that they need to get him even more riled up so Hewitt will blow his fuse. Stein, acting as co-pilot helps Jax get better accustomed to the powers of Firestorm. We also get to see the Flash antagonize in a way we haven’t before. This gives the opening for Firestorm to put Henry down for the count.

The way this episode wraps up, hold on to something here. First, we get Iris meeting with Francine. Iris, being honest, told her upfront that she didn’t know if her mother was telling the truth. Then, Iris lets it be known that she is an investigative reporter and that her job is to find out what people hide and keep secret. So you know I’m out my seat while I’m watching this play out. Iris says that she ALMOST was willing to give Francine the benefit of the doubt, but in her digging she (as well as the rest of us watching) find out that Francine was not being completely honest, still keeping secrets. The one is question being eight months after leaving Central City, Francine birthed a baby boy. I got nothing. If I really wanted to delve into this…Iris thankfully, gives some implications behind the biggest shocker to date. This gets really hard to watch when you stop and think about it. Iris, questioning about her potential brother and is her dad even the father but she decides that at this point, it could be another lie on top of the one that she uncovered. Showing that she’s daddy’s little girl, demands that Francine stay away from her and her father; not wanting to hear an explanation or rather an excuse, Iris storms off holding back the tears in her eyes. As a man, there’s something to be said about fathers and sons. So, if Joe knew that he had a son that never knew who his father was, imagine how devastating that would be for him; even though it would be no fault of his own. We see Iris at home crying; it is her that now has the big secret that no one else knows but her. Given the history and the fact that’s she’s been on the receiving end of many of these secret and lies (including this one) can we really blame Iris if she decides to keep this to herself for the time being? If you can’t trust family, who can you trust? But I’ve heard it many a time that family will hurt you a lot worse than anyone else close to you will and that’s no lie. Believe that. We unfortunately have to say goodbye to Jax and Professor Stein who tells Cisco to learn from Jax and not be afraid of his own abilities. As Firestorm departs, Joe reiterates the lesson that Jax learned to Barry. The Flash, in the suit, is seen checking out Patty when a hand just snatches him out of frame and we hear, “Zoom wants you dead!” A giant shark has put Barry down. Detective Spivot rushes out and tries her gun to no avail when suddenly a hooded individual uses a weapon that discharges some kind of energy and saves Patty and the Flash. So when Barry confronts him, underneath the hood is revealed to be Harrison Wells? What!?

Flashlines: Love the interplay between Jax and Stein…Jax calling him “Grey.” Could that “man-shark” that attacked Barry be King Shark? The fight between Hewitt, Flash and Firestorm, Barry really shows how insufferable he can be when he starts to provoke his enemies: “Paging Dr. Hewitt.” If you know your comics, who is Barry Allen’s nephew? Considering the New 52 and the ethnicity of Iris and Joe and Francine…who do you think that little boy could be (what is Iris’ last name)?

If the last five minutes of this episode didn’t give enough bite for next week…maybe that shark should’ve picked a different target, just saying. Flashout!