The Small Fries

In late December 2015, The Expanse premiered on Syfy. Set hundreds of years in the future, we see the human race colonizing in the solar system and Mars becoming a very independent military power. Eight episodes in and I’m completely obsessed. The show is based on a series of books written by James S. A. Corey but was marketed as “Game of Thrones in Space.” So, naturally I was interested. Right from the start, The Expanse draws viewers in when the Cantebury, a Belter salvaging ship, is attacked by the mysterious stealth ship, The Anubis. Only four survived the attack and immediately broadcast a cry for help with Jim Holden (Steven Strait) accusing the Mars Navy of attacking the “Cant.” This causes a major uproar on Earth, Mars, and “The Belt,” bringing everyone on the verge of war. The Outer Planets Alliance (OPA) is a group of advocates for human rights in The Belt, and their extremists see the attack as an act of war on “Belters.” Earth thinks it was Mars, and Mars thinks it was Earth trying to frame them. The Solar System is in a very fragile state, and uncovering any sort of conspiracy could cause it to break.

Survivors of The Cantebury

With that being said, Detective Joe Miller (Thomas Jane) is on a missing persons case, looking for Julie Mau. He slowly learns that she was on a ship, run by OPA, called the Scopuli. This ship had been at the center of the enter plot; that and Phoebe Station. Everyone has been looking for an answer as to what happened at Phoebe Station and where the crew of the Scopuli is. Little does everyone know that the stealth ship that blew up the Cant connects everything together. However, at the end of the newest episode, we see Julie Mau dead - infected by the same thing that killed everyone on the Scopuli, Phoebe Station, and the Anubis. It is safe to assume that the conspiracy someone is trying to cover up is attached to whatever originally began at Phoebe Station.

Detective Joe Miller

Confused? So was I until last week’s episode aired and some of the loose ends started to come together. My advise to you is to watch the show for yourself. There so much I’ve left out that digs even deeper into these incidents and the characters’ backgrounds; for example, Jim Holden being from a piece of farmland in Montana and is basically a pool of 9 different people’s genetics, created so he could inherit the land and keep it out of the government’s hands. And it only starts there.

United Nations Assistant Undersecretary of Executive Administrations, Chrisjen Avasarala

Now, as I watched this, the idea of The Expanse being “Game of Thrones in Space” was always in the back of my mind. Aside from being a mess of political backstabbing and hidden agendas, I didn’t see many similarities. The multi-storylines make the show compelling and interesting. So far our main storylines are from the point of views of Jim Holden, Detective Miller, Chrisjen Avasarala (Shohreh Aghdashloo) - UN Representative of Earth, and OPA extremist Fred Johnson (Chad L. Colemen). Each of these stories gives us insight to what is happening to the survivors of the Cant, The Belters, Earth, and Tycho Station (respectively). On top of each captivating stories, the characters all have dark and mysterious pasts slowly being revealed that cause you to ask even more questions at the end of each episode.

OPA Leader, Fred Johnson (The Butcher)

This show is well written and well cast. The Expanse doesn’t feel like many of the other sci-fi shows that have graced television. It is clearly a character driven plot that focuses more on the situations and backgrounds of characters as opposed to the tech and alien races. The theme of survival is a focal point of the whole show: trying to stop a war and save millions of people; fighting for fresh air and water; running to the OPA for knowing too much.

Sadly, the season finale of The Expanse airs tonight, but that doesn’t mean you can’t get caught up on this fascinating show that has been signed on for a second season.

Catch up on The Expanse at syfy.com!

--Kasey

This week we’ve got a lot in store for you, Small Fries, and we are really excited! Starting today we will be introducing themed days to you with quick one shots of Television Shows, Movies, Retro Rewinds, and Top Fives. Be sure to keep checking back every day to see new reviews posted! Today is a combination of our “Sneak Peek Sunday” and “Movie Night Monday.” We’re going to give you some insight into what we’ve got cooking this week and a list of movies to watch for the Oscars!

Sneak Peek

This week, we’ve got a special treat for you. We have our second featured writer, Sarah Geerling, making her debut as an honorary Small Fry. She will be doing a special over Syfy’s newest series, The Magicians, and trust me when I say she’s got a lot to say about the show. If you’re a fan of the book series or are just really interested in the show, check out her review over the first episode!

We’ve also got two reviews over the current episodes of Syfy’s The Expanse and MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles. They will be covering all the episodes that have aired so far. Trust me when I say The Expanse is going to be your TV’s newest obsession! This week we’ve also got a new Retro Rewind coming your way over the popular 90’s Sitcom, Full House, with a speial surprise on Wednesday! Also, watch out for one shots over popular TV Shows that have returned or premiered this year!

We are really excited to be sharing our new format with you as we start off the new year with a new batch of Fries!

Movie Night

With the Oscar’s just around the corner, we’ve decided to start prepping ourselves. This week, we’ve decided to do a very relaxed Movie Monday. Instead of giving our reviews over Oscar nominated movies, we decided to give you a list of the movies we’re most excited for and will be reviewing over the next few weeks:

Bridge of Spies

Starring: Tom Hanks, Mark Rylance, Alan Alda, Amy Ryan

In 1957, in the midst of the Cold War, New York insurance lawyer James Donovan is enlisted to provide a pro-bono defense for Rudolf Abel, who is accused of spying for the Russians. The CIA then sends Donovan to East Berlin to conduct precarious negotiations with the Soviets to exchange Abel for a recently captured U.S. Air Force pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

The Martian

Starring: Matt Damon, Jessica Chastain, Chiwetel Eljiofor, Kristin Wiig, Jeff Daniels

Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead and left behind when an unexpected storm hits Mars, forcing his crewmates to abandon their mission. Watney, a botanist, must engineer ways to feed himself and survive the harsh environment, and after he reestablishes communication with NASA, scientists around the globe race against time to rescue him.

The Revenant

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, Will Poulter, Domhnall Gleeson

While on a danger-laden journey through the American wilderness in the early 1800s, frontiersman Hugh Glass is badly mauled by a grizzly and abandoned by his fellow trappers. Barely surviving his wounds, Glass is driven by thoughts of his family and a desire for revenge as he endures the frigid winter and pursues the men who left him for dead.

Room

Starring: Brie Larson, William H. Macy, Joan Allen, Jacob Tremblay

A young woman who has been held in captivity in a small shed for seven years tries to make as normal a life as she can for her five-year-old son, Jack, who knows her only as "Ma." When Ma and Jack escape their captor, Old Nick, they must cope with the outside world and forge relationships with Ma's conflicted family.

Mad Max: Fury Road

Starring:Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult

Years after an apocalypse has devastated the world, Australia has become a wasteland ruled by outlaws hoarding fuel, water and other resources. Desperate to escape a tyrant called Immortan Joe, loner Max Rockatansky joins forces with Imperator Furiosa, who is fleeing from Joe and his fanatical followers with a precious cargo that she has smuggled from Joe's stronghold.

All synopses pulled from: http://oscar.go.com

For a complete list of Oscar nominations and more movie synopses visit: http://oscar.go.com/news/nominations/oscar-nominations-2016-the-complete-list-of-nominees

--Kasey

Let me start this by saying that I read The Magicians, the first book in a brilliant series by Lev Grossman, a long time ago. At the time, it was the only book in the series that had been released, and I remember the excruciating wait between each book. I waited for the release of each book in a way that physically pained me. Grossman’s writing is engrossing (yes, I do think I’m funny), and I was addicted. It is important that you understand all of this before I get started into my review, because it is impossible for me to review this without spoiling the majority of the first book (and some of the second).

SPOILER ALERT: Proceed with caution! 

Our first episode starts out with Dean Fogg and a woman, who I’ll call Park Bench Lady, talking about a mysterious person. Editing tells us that this mysterious person is probably our protagonist, Quentin Coldwater.

Fillory and Further

Quentin is a geeky introvert obsessed with a book series called Fillory and Further, focused on the Chatwin children and their journies in a magical land (much like Pevensie children in Narnia), and he is more than happy to skip a party to obsess over his books instead. He is friends with Julia and her boyfriend, James. In the book, the trio are set up as close friends, while the series seems to focus more on Quentin and Julia as best friends, and James has become more...well, a plot device.

I’m going to cut in here with one of my biggest complaints about the show. In the book series, Quentin is a consistent ass. He is an ass to a level that is typically reserved for antagonists. He is such an ass that readers argue online over whether or not the series is horrible or fantastic based on Quentin’s assery. Quentin Coldwater is an antihero to the nth degree. It is WHO HE IS. The series seems to want us to like Quentin. I believe it is important that it is usually hard to like Quentin until later in the series. Sigh. Back to the show.

Quentin and Julia taking their entrance exams

Julia accompanies Quentin to an interview for grad school. In the book, James is going with him to a Princeton undergrad interview. In both cases, the interviewer is dead when they arrive, and in the show, our Park Bench Lady shows up as a paramedic who just happens to find a manila envelope with the manuscript to a previously unpublished Fillory and Further novel. Quentin has heard rumors of this manuscript before on the internet. (If Quentin had a Tumblr, it would be Fillory fan fiction.)

Quentin and Julia part ways on their way out, and Quentin begins looking at pages from the manuscript. One of the pages gets caught by the wind, and Quentin ends up chasing it right through a portal. I hate when that happens. Luckily for Quentin, he ends up on the lawn of Brakebills University, and the brilliant Eliot Waugh is there to welcome him.

Welcome to Brakebills

Eliot, who is in his second year at Brakebills when we meet him in the books, guides Quentin to the exam he was unknowingly transported in to take. While taking the exam, Quentin encounters Penny, who is described as punk in the novel and I have no idea what he is supposed to be in the show, and soon figures out Julia is taking the exam as well. The exam itself is much like any important exam I’ve ever taken: the words seem to shift and change as the taker moves through the test. Literally.

Quentin moves on to the second round of the exam. He is commanded simply to perform some magic. He starts out a card trick, which he fumbles, and the examiners lose their patience. Frustrated with the demand and his own confusion, Quentin lashes out and some magic finally pours out of him, causing the cards to fly around the room and build themselves into a house of cards on the examiners’ table. Quentin is obviously accepted into Brakebills at this point.

Quentin showing off his card tricks

Julia, on the other hand, does not make it on to the second round. She is sent to an office of the man charged with erasing her memory of the afternoon’s events. Not wanting to forget, Julia discreetly cuts her arm and pulls her sleeve over it. It somehow doesn’t bleed through her shirt, so the poor sap that erases her memory has no idea that she has created a reminder for herself. She is sent home to become depressed over her rejection from Brakebills.

Quentin starts settling into life at Brakebills. He is roommates with Penny, who has the levitating sex that is seen in the trailer with a girl from class. Eliot introduces Quentin to his best friend, Margo. (Her name is Janet in the books.) They discuss the dangers of studying magic, and Margo advises Quentin to “stay on the garden path.”

From left: Julia, Margo, Eliot, Quentin, Alice, and Penny

We are introduced to the Chatwin children in this episode, though the series cuts the number of children from five down to three: Rupert, Martin, and Jane. Quentin has a dream after his conversation with Eliot and Margo that features a conversation between himself and Jane in Fillory. In the dream, Jane warns him that he will die if he “stays on the garden path.” He wakes up with a brand on the palm of his hand. The television series is setting Quentin up as some sort of “chosen one,” which is not so much of a thing in the books.

Julia, still depressed about Brakebills, goes to the internet for help. She probably wastes a lot of time down the rabbit hole of Tumblr. James gets worried and asks Quentin to come to her birthday party. This is different from the books, where Quentin and Julia do not have much contact during Quentin’s time at Brakebills, but it looks like they want to kick off Julia’s own story as soon as possible. (Readers aren’t informed about Julia’s journey during Quentin’s time at Brakebills until the second book, The Magician King.)

Julia using some of her magic

Quentin goes to Julia’s birthday party with Eliot and Margo, but it doesn’t go well. He has a conversation with Julia and essentially tells her she obviously wasn’t good enough to study at Brakebills. (Finally, Quentin is an ass!) He leaves the party. Julia meets a creeper in the bathroom that decides to introduce himself by first using his magic to suggest he is about to rape her. Not cool. The creeper offers to show her an alternative route to learning magic. I’m not sure why she is trusting this guy, but I guess it moves the plot along.

In this episode, we also meet Alice, a student at Brakebills that bypassed the test and is determined to find out what happened to her brother, who disappeared at the university some years prior. She shows off in class early in the episode, so when Quentin wakes up with the brand on his hand, he goes to her. Alice recognizes the symbol and recruits him for a spell that she wants to try. It seems that she wants to connect with her brother through a mirror, but even with the help of Penny and his lady Cady, they don’t see anything other than their own reflections in the glass. Thinking it is a bust, they leave. Breath fogs the glass and an invisible hand draws a nice little smiley face.

Alice and Quentin

In class the next day, time stops. Everyone seems frozen, but they’re awake. THE BEAST has arrived. In the books, his face is obscured by a branch, but in the show, it is moths. Dean Fogg arrives and attempts to stop The Beast, but The Beast doesn’t play around. He removes Fogg’s eyes and leaves them on Quentin’s desk, drawing a smiling mouth below them in blood. We hear The Beast say, “Quentin Coldwater, there you are.”

In the novel, Quentin being an ass during his THIRD YEAR causes this event, and The Beast does more than take a few eyes. He eats a student alive. A professor is casting a complex spell in class, and Quentin decides to mess with him by slightly shifting the podium. The slight hiccup in the spell allows for The Beast to force his way into our dimension. A student tries to cast a spell, and The Beast EATS HER ALIVE.

Watching The Magicians on Syfy made me feel like Julia when she returns home after her failure at Brakebills. Once you know the book series, it is impossible to UN-know it and settle for happiness with the television series.

Catch The Magicians on Syfy, Mondays 9/8c.

--Sarah

It’s 2016, and the spring line-up for major television shows looks promising. With January being halfway over and February upon us, we see shows returning from their long Winter hiatus as well as new shows unfolding before us. It won’t be long before these seasons are over and we are into Summer, patiently waiting for the Fall premieres. I have taken a look at some of the shows premiering this year and have compiled a list of the ones I am most excited for. Of course my list features the popular shows such as Game of Thrones and Outlander, but it also features shows that are new to television that sound promising.

The Expanse

The popular cable network, Syfy, has a couple of shows that have really caught my attention recently. One of them being The Expanse. Though the first episode aired on December 14, 2015, this is one show to watch in 2016. Set hundreds of years in the future, we see the human race colonizing in the solar system and Mars becoming a very independent military power. Tensions begin to rise between those on Earth and Mars, placing them on the brink of war. In this setting, insert Detective Joe Miller and a rogue ship captain, Jim Holden. They come together to investigate the case of a missing woman. This leads them on a race across the solar system that could lead to a great conspiracy being exposed.

I have heard this show being deemed as the Game of Thrones in Space. Naturally, that sold me on the show. As obsessed as I am with Game of Thrones and anything about outer space, I knew this show was for me. A full review of the first five episodes is currently in the making. However, I suggest checking this show out for yourself.

Watch full episodes on Syfy.com or Hulu.

Catch The Expanse on Syfy, Tuesdays at 10/9 ET.

The Shannara Chronicles

The highly anticipated Shannara Chronicles made its debut on January 5th this year on MTV. The show is based off the popular book series under the same name by Terry Brooks that was first released in 1977 and is set in a post-apocalyptic world known as The Four Lands. It roughly follows the storyline in The Elfstones of Shannara, which is set 300 years after The War of Races--ending magic and confining demons into a realm known as The Forbidding. The Ellcrys is basically the gateway into this realm, and as long as it is living, the demons will stay there. The series focuses on Will, Amberle, and Eretria who must fight to stop the Ellcrys from dying alongside with the last Druid, Allanon.

Considering MTV is producing this show, I watched the first episode with absolutely no expectations. I knew that if I went in with high expectations for a show about this celebrated Sci-fi classic, I would be extremely disappointed. A full review with the first four episodes is in the final stages of editing and will be published shortly. All I can say is stick it out through the first 45 minutes of the two-hour premiere, because it shows some promise (unless that is wishful thinking on my part).

Watch full episodes on MTV.com

Catch The Shannara Chronicles Tuesdays at 10/9c on MTV.

The Magicians

Calling all witches, wizards, and anyone with an interest in the magical lands! Once again, Syfy has promised another thrilling show based off the widely popular trilogy, The Magicians by Lev Grossman. This show is set to premiere on January 25th. The story centers around Quentin Coldwater, who enrolls into Brakebills College for Magical Pedagogy in order to be trained as a magician. Soon, he discovers the magical world, Fillory, from his favorite children’s books, Fillory and Further, is real. Meanwhile, his childhood friend, Julia, desperately tries to learn magic after her rejection into Brakebills.

Syfy called for the first season to have 13 episodes back in May 2015. I hope that it gets an extension, as I am a huge fan of the trilogy and can’t wait to see some of my favorite scenes go from page to screen. The premiere on the 25th with be a double episode feature. So, set your DVRs or tune in, and get ready to travel into the world of magic.

Catch The Magicians Mondays at 9/8c on Syfy.

The Walking Dead

Returning to AMC on Valentine’s Day will be the popular show, The Walking Dead. We were left with several cliffhangers at the end of the mid-season finale back in November. We found out Glenn was indeed alive (I KNEW IT) but had yet to return to Alexandria. Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham were captured on the road by people who work for Negan (played by Jeffrey Dean Morgan). Walkers had broken through the walls in Alexandria, stranding several inside their homes until the horde passed. Deanna was bitten and ultimately died. Carol found out about Morgan’s secret hostage. Rick and a few Alexandrians dressed in Walker blood and guts and are still currently attempting to walk through the horde undetected. Let’s hope Judith doesn’t decide she wants to start crying in the middle of their trek.

These last few weeks have been torture while I wait patiently for my questions to be answered. New characters are going to be introduced in the premiere, one which I hear will be another lying, cheating, and just plain terrible human being (The Governor reincarnate?). With new characters being introduced, that obviously means we are going to lose some too. I’ve heard several rumors saying this season, particularly this half, is going to the bloodiest yet. *cries*

Catch the mid-season premiere February 14th on AMC.

Vinyl

When it comes to HBO, they have spot-on shows. For the most part. (Lena Dunham's Girls excluded). Afterall, they are the network that Game of Thrones has called home for the last five-six years. On February 14th, they are releasing another drama called Vinyl. With names like Scorsese and Mick Jagger attached to the show, it’s hard not to be intrigued. The show is set in 1970’s New York and will take viewers on a wild ride through the sex and drug riddled music business just before the dawn of punk, disco, and hip-hop. The main protagonist, Richie Finestra, is trying everything in his power to save his record label company and possibly his soul without destroying everything. The show is scheduled to run the HBO standard 10 episodes for the first season.

Just by watching the trailer, this looks like a show that can unite music lovers from all generations: The nostalgic ones who grew up in the 60s, 70s, and 80s as well as those today who enjoy the classics from “back in the day.”

Catch Vinyl February 14 at 9/8c on HBO.

Fuller House

From 1987-1995 Full House was a widely popular sitcom. 11 years later, Netflix has decided to revive the show. D.J. Tanner-Fuller is recently widowed and a mother of three boys. She moves in with her sister Stephanie, who is an aspiring musician, and her best friend Kimmy, who is mother to a teenaged daughter. Much of the original cast is set to be regulars on the show, minus the Olsen Twins who got their start on Full House as Michelle Tanner. The episodes are to air on February 26.

Though I am excited to see a revival of one of my favorite 80s/90s sitcoms, I am a little apprehensive to see D.J. being widowed much like how her father, the widower, in the original series. I hope Netfilx hasn’t recycled the OS storyline and just pulled a gender swap with the characters. I guess I will just have to patiently wait until February before I make my final judgement.

Catch Fuller House February 26 on Netflix.

Outlander

IS IT APRIL YET! After finishing Dragonfly in Amber last spring, I have been biting at the bit for season 2 of Outlander, the popular drama on Starz. I’ve stocked up on my tissues and everything. Last season, we saw a restored Jamie and pregnant Claire on a ship for France to stop the Jacobite Revolution and Bonnie Prince Charlie. Several new cast members have been added to the list (spoilers…) and beautiful pictures from the set have been released (more spoilers…). Now, all I need is the show to be here...yesterday. This season you can expect to see Claire and Jamie playing the old game of politics in order to prevent history from happening and wiping all of Highland life out of Scotland. This highly emotional and nail biting season will leave you torn and puffy eyed by the end, if it is anything like the book (I definitely ugly cried at the end). On top of an intense season ahead, I’m just ready to have the Frasers back in my life.

Catch Outlander on Starz this April.

Miss season 1? Both parts are available on Blue-Ray/DVD!

Game of Thrones - WINTER IS HERE!...almost.

Things I know about the upcoming season: As much as Jon Snow. Speaking of him...SPOILER ALERT FOR ANYONE WHO HASN’T SEEN THE END OF SEASON 5:

Jon Snow. Is. Alive. He has to be. But if I dive into fan theories right now, it’d be a rabbit hole we’d never climb out of. This season we can expect to be reunited with the long lost Stark, Bran. The last time we saw him was at the end of season 4 when he finally made it to the Three-Eyed Crow. What his story has in store for us is shrouded in mystery to me, because I’m not caught up on the books yet (I’m getting there!). However, at the end of last season, we saw many things take place that are definitely going to have huge impacts on what happens this season. Cersei did a walk of shame throughout the streets of King’s Landing (ahahaha). Daenerys took flight on Drogon and was later surrounded by a horde of Dothraki. Arya has gone blind, or so it seems, in the House of Black and White. Sansa and Theon have apparently escaped Winterfell and her crazed husband, Ramsey. Stannis Baratheon may or may not have died at the hands of Brienne of Tarth. But ultimately, the scene that left me sitting in the dark contemplating my life for an hour was the Julius Caesar equivalent in The Night’s Watch. Yep, Jon Snow’s own brothers stabbed him and left him to die in the snow. However, he is as dead as Glenn...oh wait, Glenn survived in The Walking Dead. So, Jon isn’t dead. I’m convinced. Or in denial. Mainly convinced.

With all that happened at the end of season 5, questions still remain and will hopefully be answered this season. Season 6 will be the first season where book readers and non-book readers will be on the same playing field since George R. R. Martin has to postpone the publishing of the Winds of Winter. No one knows what to expect this season. All we can do is patiently wait, theorize, and speculate what will take place.

Tune in to HBO on April 24 at 9/8c for the season 6 premiere of Game of Thrones!

Need to catch up? Season 1-5 are on HBOGo and HBONow.

This is only the beginning of a great year in television. Hopefully what follows this Winter/Spring season will be just as awesome.

What television shows are you excited for this year? Tell us in the comments below!

--Kasey

Water. Earth. Fire. Air. Long ago, four nations lived together in harmony. Then everything changed when Michael Dante DiMartino and Bryan Konietzko created one of the greatest shows to grace the television screen: Avatar: The Last Airbender, which aired from 2005-2008 on Nickelodeon. The story follows our reluctant hero, Aang, and his companions on a journey all over the world to master all four elements. As the Avatar it is his duty to help restore peace and balance to a war ridden world. He has only one year to stop Fire Lord Ozai from taking over the rest of the world. Meanwhile, Aang is being hunted by the exiled prince of the Fire Nation, Zuko. With the help of his companions and several unlikely allies, he sets out to complete his mission: to defeat the Fire Lord.

Growing up, I remember sitting with my brother and best friend, watching this show religiously. However, it’s been years since the series finale, and I had obviously forgotten quite a bit about it. After recently rewatching the show, I have decided many things. 1. I blame this show for my fangirl status. 2. I really miss the show and the characters. 3. I still have so many questions and wish it was more than three seasons long. Thank god for the comic books.

The Gaang: Appa, Momo, Sokka, Katara, Aang, Toph, and Zuko

The characters in the Avatar universe are so well written and strong, but they aren’t without their flaws. They have background stories that give them so much depth, making them completely relatable. Some of the characters show better character development than others, but it’s amazing how each character shows some sort of growth. Aang, Sokka, Katara, and Zuko show the most growth out of all the characters. Aang grows from childish air nomad to the fully realized Avatar over the course of a year. We see him in the first episode, “The Boy in the Iceberg,” when he wakes from his hundred year slumber to a war torn world. By the time “Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang,” airs, he has taken on all of his responsibilities and welcomed the challenge of facing Fire Lord Ozai. Throughout the series, we see Aang struggling to come to terms with actually facing him. He talks about how he ran before the war in “The Storm.” In the four part series finale, Aang runs again from the task of facing and ultimately killing the Fire Lord. However, this leads to him finding his answers and becoming the Avatar the world needs.

Avatar Aang and Momo

Sokka, our favorite meat, sarcasm, and boomerang guy, grows into a warrior and a leader. In the first season, Sokka of the Southern Water tribe is just trying to keep his village safe and sound while the rest of the warriors are fighting in the war against the Fire Nation. We see him lose his sexist views that girls are weaker than guys as he gets his butt handed to him by the Kyoshi Warriors in the fourth episode, “The Warriors of Kyoshi.”

Sokka learning a lesson from Kyoshi Warrior, Suki

Quickly, we see Sokka changing and growing. By season two, he is formulating plans to defeat the Fire Nation, and in “The Day of Black Sun,” a two part event in season three, Sokka is leading the attack on the Fire Nation. After learning from Master Piandao, Sokka has grown as warrior, giving him even more confidence to lead. In “Sozin’s Comet,” we see him leading the attacks on the Fire Nation airships, and ultimately bringing down the entire fleet with the help of Suki and Toph. Sokka is one of my favorite characters to watch grow up over the course of these three seasons. He goes from a goofy teenager with narrowed views of the world to a well-rounded warrior accepting unlikely allies, despite the harm they have caused him. *cough cough, Zuko, cough cough*

Sokka leading the attack in "The Day of Black Sun"

Katara, Sokka’s younger sister and Waterbending Master, grew a lot over the course of three seasons. We learn early on that the Fire Nation took her mother away from her, and that is one of her driving forces. It is something that has scarred her and, like Sokka, has fueled her hate for the Fire Nation. Throughout each season, we see her as the kind, nurturing caregiver she is. Sokka even notes that in season three episode, “The Runaway,” that Katara has always been the mother-figure to him, because he lost his mom at such a young age. We see this as she cares for the Gaang when they are sick or hurt. She’s always the one making sure they have enough supplies and keeping everyone in line (despite Toph’s rebellious attitude). However, as the show continues, we see sides of Katara start to seep through that we hadn’t seen in earlier seasons. Once she becomes the a Waterbending Master in “The Siege of the North,” Katara starts evolving more into her warrior and healer status she has. We see her heal Aang (basically bringing him back from the dead) at the end of season two in “The Crossroads of Destiny” and even offers to heal Zuko in the same episode.

Katara facing off against Zuko in "The Siege of the North"

Once the Gaang picks up Toph, Katara’s mothering side becomes even more prominent; especially when Toph calls her out on it. In “The Painted Lady,” we see Katara pretending to be a Spirit to help a suffering Fire Nation river village. “I will never turn my back on people who need me,” she tells Sokka, who is questioning her motives for helping a FIRE NATION village. She is able to put her hatred aside for the country that killed her mother to help those in need; showing that Katara is able to look past her prejudice towards the entire nation in order to help people that are suffering from the war.

Katara as The Painted Lady

When we finally learn the whole story behind the loss of her mother in the season three episode “The Southern Raiders,” we see more into what shaped Katara. She lost her mother when she was a young girl, and she is fueled by hate and anger towards the Fire Nation. The choices and decisions that she makes in this episode show us how hurt Katara really is. She had to grow up entirely too fast, because a war took her mother away from her. By the end, she is able to forgive Zuko for everything he has done and accept him as a close friend an ally...or maybe more….hmmm. She even agrees to help him in “Sozin’s Comet: Into the Inferno and Avatar Aang.” She manages to defeat one of the most powerful Firebenders in the world, Princess Azula, and heal Prince Zuko. Katara grew from a damaged girl of war whose motives were driven by the loss of her mother and the love she has for those left to a Waterbending Master and Healer who will “never turn [her] back on people who need [her],” even a Fire Nation Prince. Needless to say, Sifu Katara is a badass character that I would rather have on my side than against me.

Katara healing Prince Zuko after saving her life in "Sozin's Comet"

It took Fire Prince Zuko a while to learn that lesson. Banished from his home land for dishonoring his family, he was scarred and sent to hunt the Avatar; only allowed to return to the Fire Nation after finding him. Honestly, I could sit here and write an entire segment on how Zuko is, without a doubt, one of the best characters to appear on television. He makes some of the most drastic changes. Over the course of the sixty-one episode series, Zuko manages to go from trouble-exiled prince who has lost his way to a reformed ally of the Avatar on the path to restoring peace and balance in the world. *sheds tear*

One reason I love rewatching Avatar: The Last Airbender is because of Prince Zuko’s character development. First of all, I just want Zuko to be happy. He’s had such a terrible life, and he deserves one thing to go right for him. In “Zuko Alone,” we get a glimpse into Zuko’s troubled past, and in “The Storm,” we see exactly how and why Zuko was banished by his father. Both of these episodes give us a chance to see why Zuko is the way he is. All his life he has strived for his father’s affection, and with everything he’s done he has fallen short of his goal. Whereas his younger sister, Azula was rewarded everything, because she was Ozai’s golden child. His main support was his mother, who mysteriously disappeared after the death of Fire Lord Azulon. She sacrificed herself for Zuko when he was a young boy, and he never sees her again. Ozai holds the information over his head, thus showing viewers how tortured Zuko his by his own family.

Prince Zuko and Aang in "The Avatar Returns"

In the beginning, Prince Zuko, though hellbent on capturing the Avatar, is clearly just lost. He’s not the evil villain that we think he is. If anything Zhao and Azula are the main adversaries for the Gaang in seasons one and two. We see a glimpse of the good side of Zuko in “The Blue Spirit,” which shows him saving Aang from Zhao’s clutches. This is definitely my favorite episode in season one, because it is so unexpected to see Zuko as a masked vigilante that is saving the Avatar. He is saving Aang instead of kidnapping him. Whatever his true motives were, Zuko acts as an ally to Aang instead of against him to help his own agenda move along.

Aang and The Blue Spirit

He also does this without his Uncle Iroh knowing. Iroh acts as Zuko’s moral compass throughout the series, until season three when he is left to determine his own destiny alone. Zuko captures Aang in “The Seige of the North.” This shows the desperation in his desire to return home. He may think that the capture of the Avatar is wrong, but Zuko wishes to return home and receive his father’s love more than he wishes to do the right thing. In season two, when Zuko is on the run from his sister, we see his character develop a lot more. He starts contemplating which side is right or wrong. In “Lake Laogai,” we see him struggling with freeing Appa or holding him hostage in order to capture Aang. Thanks to the help of Iroh, he makes the decision to free Appa. However, this sends him into a war within himself in “The Earth King,” where he must decide which side he chooses.

Iroh and Zuko: Above is just after Zuko's banishment. Below is Zuko asking for Iroh's forgiveness.

“The Crossroads of Destiny” is Zuko’s first test, and he fails miserably. After spending a moment gaining Katara’s trust in the prison Azula threw them in together, he turns against everyone, including his uncle. He joins forces with Azula and attacks Katara and Aang, in an effort to bring them down; ultimately leading to Aang becoming severely injured. Needless to say, when season three starts, Zuko is now more lost than ever. He tries to speak with his Uncle in the Fire Nation’s prison, asking for advice, but Iroh won’t budge. He knows that this is something Zuko needs to figure out on his own. In “The Beach,” Zuko explains that he is angrier than ever before, and the only explanation he has is he’s angry with himself. He is once again at war: The good Zuko versus the bad Zuko.

The Final Agni Kai between Azula and Zuko in "Sozin's Comet"

Finally, in “The Day of Black Sun” we see Zuko choose. He decides that his destiny is to join forces with the Avatar to restore peace and balance in the world. The scene where Zuko stands up to his father is one of the most powerful scenes in the entire show. It shows how much he’s grown as a character as well as a Firebender. He only continues to grow, learning he must pay for his mistakes that he’s made. In “The Western Air Temple,” Zuko is trying to make amends with the Gaang in order to join them and teach Aang Firebending. “The Firebending Masters” takes him back to the heart of Firebending, and ultimately showing him he chose the right path. “The Boiling Rock” shows Zuko helping Sokka rescue his father and Suki from a Fire Nation prison. “The Southern Raiders” is a real turning point for him, because he finally gains back Katara’s trust after risking everything to help her track down and face her mother’s murderer. The final four episodes, “Sozin’s Comet,” show us the new and improved Zuko as he helps prepare for the final battle and ultimately the final Agni Kai against his sister. When we finally see Fire Lord Zuko, he is a completely different character than Fire Prince Zuko we met in season one. He had gone through a lot of changes over the course of a year, but it’s so amazing and well written that it keeps me revisiting this series.

Zuko saving Katara from Azula's lightning

Zuko’s character is completely relatable, because we all have that battle inside between good and evil and which path to take. Out of all the characters in ATLA, he has grown the most and developed some of the best relationships because of his struggle throughout the story. His character arc is well fleshed out and detailed that he seems almost real. Everyone can relate to season one, two, or three Zuko at one point, which gives this show even more depth and meaning.

Zuko and his mother in a flashback in the episode, "Zuko Alone"

As much as I love this show and am addicted to the universe, there was only one big issue I had with it. At the very end of the series finale, “Sozin’s Comet: Avatar Aang,” we see the typical hero get the girl. This may be an unpopular opinion, but it really caught me off guard. The entire time DiMartino and Konietzko were building Aang and Katara’s relationship it seemed more Mother-Son or Sister-Brother relationship. Katara cared for Aang like she would her children. I never felt any chemistry between them. The argument is that the writer’s built it up for “Kataang” to happen, however I thought it felt forced.

Aang and Katara in "The Ember Island Players"

Anytime there was any “romance” happening between the two characters, Aang was always the one initiating the moment, and almost pushing Katara away. Even in “The Ember Island Players,” Aang tells Katara how he feels. When she replies that she is confused and needs time to think, he forces himself on her. To me that is not the right way to build a relationship between characters. The canonizing of this relationship seemed more forced than anything in the show, and I felt that the writers did this to prove a point that the hero should always get the girl.

The final scene between Aang and Katara

With that being said, I’m sure you’d like to know how I think it should have end. WELL, I am a firm believer that Katara and Zuko had a stronger relationship than Katara and Aang. They had chemistry and they balanced each other. I mean, COME ON! First of all, Fire and Water. They’re polar opposites! Yin and Yang. Tui and La. BALANCE. Their relationship could have meant so much more to the show, because it would have resembled a world that is restoring balance after a war as well as resolving hostilities between nations. Not only would it have been a great symbol, but they also had more in common. They both understood each other. Each of them lost their mother because of the Fire Nation, bringing them even closer together. Not to mention, Katara is the ONLY character he ever let touch his scar that brings him so much emotional pain.

Zuko and Katara in prison in "The Crossroads of Destiny"

After “The Southern Raiders,” they both had mutual respect for one another. Aang didn’t understand Katara’s need to find her mother’s killer. Zuko, however, is there for her, and doesn’t judge her decisions when she is bloodbending for information. If anything, he grows to respect her even more and sees her as his equal. Whereas, Aang, with most certainty, would have judged and condemned Katara for her actions in her mission with Zuko. After this, Zuko and Katara have an even stronger relationship.

Katara and Zuko in "The Southern Raiders"

Katara is there for Zuko when he seeks his uncle’s forgiveness, and in the series finale, Zuko asks Katara to join him when he goes to face his sister. Let me start off this bit by saying, YOU DON’T JUMP IN FRONT OF LIGHTNING FOR JUST ANYONE! Zuko risks his own life when Azula sends a bolt of lightning towards Katara. Um, Zuko sacrifices his life and the future of the Fire Nation just to save a Waterbender only because he’s friends with her? Yeah. I’m not convinced.

On their way to find The Southern Raiders

Say what you will about Zutara, but they had chemistry. It may be wishful thinking on my part, but their relationship ended up being one of the strongest on the show, aside from Zuko and Iroh’s. It's just a shame the writer's never expanded on such a strong bond, even if it is just a friendship. They set them up with so much potential.

Katara has forgiven Zuko for everything he's done to them

Overall, Avatar: The Last Airbender is possibly one of the best cartoons of my generation. It had an amazing story that taught great lessons with characters that had depth and relationships with meaning. Each character was relatable, and at one point I saw myself in every character. They each had such detailed backgrounds. This set up an entire universe that was able to continue on: Legend of Korra and several comic books. I like to argue that this show is not a children’s show. It is full of dark undertones and deep meanings that may be too difficult for children to understand. I’d say that it is directed to the Young Adult age group, or even adults. It carries a message for all ages, however. Rewatching this show as an adult has allowed me to pick up on the stronger themes and lessons in each season that I definitely missed when I was younger. This show has obviously made an impact on television if it is still being heavily debated and discussed seven years after it has ended.

Pick up the entire box series on October 6, 2015.

--Kasey

This past Sunday was the game changing finale of HBO’s hit series, Game of Thrones. Over the last few episodes the showrunners have pulled out all the stops, and in “Mother’s Mercy” they kept at it, ending with the biggest jaw dropping moment since the Red Wedding. This, of course, led to many hilarious reaction videos that have taken over the internet these last few days. If you have not watched the season finale of Game of Thrones, I suggest you stop here.

SPOILER ALERT

I don’t even know where to begin to start, because so much happened on Sunday. From Arya going blind to Cersei’s Walk of Atonement to a Julius Caesar moment at the The Wall. We caught up with all of our major characters, save a few, and saw their current storylines reaching some sort of close.

BRAAVOS

Our favorite bad ass Stark girl has been in Braavos serving the Many-Faced God. However, last week we saw a man from her past arrive in the Free Cities. Everyone knew that this was going to change everything for Arya. Ser Meryn Trant was last seen in a brothel abusing young girls. Well, Arya has decided to take matters into her own hands when she murders him after pretending to be one of these girls. Returning to her sanctuary, Arya is taught a lesson since she took a life that was not hers to take. In the end, the last we see of her, she has become blind. I bet she didn’t see that one coming.

WINTERFELL

So much has happened at Winterfell since we last saw it. Stannis, after sacrificing his daughter to the Lord of Light, has decided to march onward to the fortress. Half of his men have deserted, Queen Selyse has killed herself, and Melisandre has left him and rode for Castle Black. Still determined to become King of the Seven Kingdoms, Stannis leads his men to a massacre. The Boltons kill all of Stannis’s men, leaving him to escape in the woods. Brienne of Tarth, however finds him dying against a tree. She has come to seek revenge against the man who killed Renly Baratheon. The camera cuts away just as she swings her sword at him, leaving us to wonder if he really is dead. Honestly, I’m going to save my prayers for resurrection for a different character that “dies” later on.

Meanwhile, Sansa is trying to make an escape while Ramsay is away in battle. However, Myranda Royce (Charlotte Hope) and Reek stop her, but no fear. Today is the day I have been waiting for. Theon breaks through and kills Myranda by throwing her off the side of the wall and helps Sansa escape by jumping off the guard tower into, hopefully, a soft pile of snow. I guess we will have to find out in Season 6 if they survived.

DORNE

Jaime Lannister, Bronn, Princess Myrcella, and Prince Trystane are all headed safely back to King’s Landing after bidding King Doran, Ellaria Sand, and the rest of the Sand Snakes farewell. This would be the point where someone would normally say, “And they all lived happily ever after.” But, this is Game of Thrones, and that NEVER happens. After Myrcella has a awkward yet slightly adorable father-daughter moment with her Uncle Father Jaime, she slowly dies from poison that was unknowingly given to her by Ellaria. WAY TO RUIN A SWEET MOMENT, ELLARIA! I can only imagine that things are not going to go over well with the remaining Lannisters. By the looks of it, Ellaria wanted a war with them, and I can almost correctly guess that’s what she is about to get.

MEEREEN

Last week, Daenarys managed to escape from the Sons of the Harpys with the help of her trusty dragon, Drogon, leaving behind everyone else to fend for themselves. Daario and Jorah have set off to search for their missing queen while Tyrion, Missandei, and Grey Worm are left to rule the crumbling Meereen. Varys has also been reunited with Tyrion. I cannot wait to see where their storyline goes in the next season.

Drogon has taken Dany to the middle of nowhere. As she tries to convince him to take her back to Meereen, he ignores her and shrugs off her attempts to motivate him. So, being the smart queen that she is, Daenarys leaves her only source of protection and goes for a walk, which leads to her being surrounded by a horde of Dothraki. We have now come full circle, Daenarys. You are back where you started.

KING’S LANDING

Cersei has been imprisoned for quite some time now, and we’ve had some glimpses into her time with the Sparrows, allowing us to watch our favorite most hated character suffer and get what she deserves. Finally, the Queen Mother breaks and agrees to confess to the High Sparrow, leading to a very powerful scene. She is forced to do a Walk of Shame and Atonement from the Sept all the way to the Red Keep, naked as the day she came into this world. The crowd is all but sympathetic to her as they pelt her with rotten food and trash along with making lewd comments and gestures. Once she makes it to the Keep, she breaks down and cries. Aw, poor Cersei, I wish I cared about your feelings. She is then picked up by the new and improved Ser Gregor Clegane, who has taken a vow of silence until all of their enemies have been expelled from the kingdoms. By the look on Cersei’s face at the end of this scene, she has a few people who just made the top of her list.

CASTLE BACKSTABBING (literally)

Okay, I am so over everything in this show, thanks to the backstabbers at Castle Black. After reluctantly sending Sam and Gilly to Oldtown so he may become a Maester, Jon is left with no allies. Not even Olly, that cute little boy Jon took under his wing. NOPE. Olly tells Jon that one of the Wildlings know where his Uncle Benjen, whom we haven’t seen since Season 1, is. Quickly he follows Olly outside to a grave marker that reads “traitor.” One by one, he is stabbed by his own brothers, including Alliser Thorne, claiming this was “for the Night’s Watch.” Even Olly takes a knife and stabs Jon right in the heart, thus stabbing me right in the feels. The episode ends with Jon in the snow, surrounded by his own blood.

That is how this season ends. How am I supposed to survive the next ten months with that being the last thing I saw of my favorite bastard Stark?! The only thing I can hope for is Melisandre does some of her Lord of Light Voodoo magic and brings him back. She will go from my “To Die” List to my “Favorite” List. There are several fan theories surrounding Jon Snow’s “death” that make a lot of sense. There are too many loose ends with his story, mainly the story about his parents. I will live in denial until season six, because Jon can’t be dead, therefore, isn’t dead.

This was a very intense season finale that kept me at the edge of my seat the entire time. I was honestly dying from anticipation the whole episode, because I knew that something big was going to happen. Little did I know it was the death of Jon Snow. *insert sobbing here* Now all I can do is catch up on the books and patiently wait until next April when season 6 starts. For most of the characters’ stories, the show has caught up with its source material, A Song of Ice and Fire. If you are curious about the differences and major changes that occurred this season, check out our special feature written by our guest writer, Jeff DeGraw!

Miss season 5? Catch up on HBOGo or HBONow!

Check back for information on Season 6!

--Kasey

Welcome, welcome to a special post on the latest season of Game of Thrones! I was asked by the gracious runners of this fabulous site to write this special feature post about this latest season as a whole and how it relates to its source material: the book series A Song of Ice and Fire. What makes me worthy to write such a post? Is it the fact that I plowed through all the books (well the five that are released so far) in a matter of a couple months, that I watch the show every Sunday religiously, or the fact that I constantly find myself on fan sites that are dedicated to the show? I have no idea other than I am a sincere fan of both the books and the show. As such I will certainly try my best here. So without further ado, let’s dive right in!

This season took us on a wild ride just like the ones preceding it. It took us on a journey of the rise of many characters with their fall happening oh so quickly. Cersei went from finally being in charge to being jailed and forced to undergo a Walk of Shame and Atonement. Jon went from being elected to the Lord Commander to being stabbed in the back. Tyrion started off the season drinking his life away to ruling a second city of corruption, death, and despair in the form of Meereen. Every character in the series went through amazing transformations this season. Some more subtly than others but the thing that makes this universe so amazing to me is just that. The subtlety but rich deepness of the characters are what makes GoT and ASOIAF so popular around the world.

There are so many details that I could go into in this post and maybe I will get that chance in the future, but I am going to try to keep this as big picture as I can. The structure of this season was beautifully crafted in my opinion. Halfway through it seemed that all the action was gone, that episodes were being full of side plots and weird looking at castles…cough cough Brienne. However, as I saw these complaints happening online, I knew that something big was coming and man did it. The last three episodes gave us punch after punch of full out craziness. The showrunners did a great job of keeping the tension just under the surface with spikes of terrible acts done on our favorite characters till it just boiled over and everything went nuts.

Unlike others online, I find it difficult to pick whether I like the books or the show more. I take the words of the great George R. R. Martin to heart and see them as separate entities. They are simply two different methods of telling the same story. Understanding this allows me to be objective when discussing changes from the source material and whether they have merit or not. To me all the changes made can be summed up in one idea, especially in this one particular season. All the changes are simply moving characters to different locations to highlight the storylines that take place at said locations.

So far in the books, Jaime never goes to Dorne. However, by putting him there the audience is automatically seeing how this new place full of new characters relates to the big picture. Without Jaime there we just wouldn’t care enough about that storyline. Now we could argue about how well that storyline went and everything but the point is still made. The other blaring obvious example is Sansa. The show catches up with book Sansa’s storyline in the season premiere of seeing her at a tournament in the Vale of Arryn. That’s as far as the books go. The show then has her take the part of a super minor character by having her go to Winterfell. Now I will admit that before the season started I was super hesitant about this being a possibility. As a book reader, I knew how sadistically psychotic Ramsey is to his future wife and I sure as hell didn’t wish that upon Sansa, but that is the direction the showrunners decided to go on. And as awful as that is and how much everyone hated it, so badly that multitudes screamed that they were done with the show, one can’t argue how effective it was. Would we the audience had such a strong reaction if it was Sansa’s childhood friend in her place? I hate to say it but probably not. It also brought attention to the really tough issue of marital rape. That is the genius of the books and show. They make us think of the bigger issues out there.

Now to shift from direct changes between the two, I will give some of my thoughts on how the show took scenes from the books and how they translated on the screen. I have to say that the best book to show scene for me has to be Cersei’s Walk of Atonement. That scene was done perfectly leaving the audience with a sense of joy of seeing this character reap the consequences of her choices and total disgust of what she is put through at the hands of the crowd. By also having Cersei locked up by the Sparrows two whole episodes before the Walk and only showing small scenes of her captivity, they show a hidden depth to her quick fall from rule. It is quite an effective way of showing it, but at the same time they ended the season with a look on Cersei’s face that tells the audience she is far from being beaten. It would be insane for me to not mention the craziness of episode eight in this post. I’m sure that everyone was blown away with the Massacre of Hardhome. The really beautiful thing is that we don’t get to actually “see” it in the books! Due to the changes like I mentioned in the previous paragraph, the showrunners decided to have Jon travel to Hardhome which he doesn’t do in the books. It is way more powerful to show the massacre than have it hinted at in letters that Jon reads. I was completely blown away with the last twenty minutes of that episode. It reminded us that the end game isn’t who sits on the Iron Throne no matter how intriguing that stuff is. The end game is who will save the entire realm from the malicious evil White Walkers. We were definitely reminded of that with that episode.

Now we have to wait nine to ten months to find out the answers of all the cliffhangers in that season finale! Will Sansa and Theon survive their jump? Pause to fist bump the air for Theon’s revival! Will the misfit duo of Jorah and Daario find Dany? What will happen to Arya now that she is blind? What will Jaime do when he gets back to King’s Landing? And is Jon really dead?? The truly amazing thing is that for the first time, the book readers are basically totally caught up with the show watchers. We are all now in the dark as to what will happen to our favorite characters in the crazy world of Westeros. In the meantime, the best we can do is speculate like crazy and obsess over the season as we re-watch it multiple times over the coming months. I for one plan on doing just that!

--Jeff

E3 2015 Recap

E3, the biggest week in gaming, has just wrapped up its round of press conferences. Sony, Microsoft and Nintendo have all released their plans for the next year. Developers such as Bethesda and Square Enix also had exciting presentations. Here’s some highlights of this year’s E3 conference, as well as what I wish I could’ve seen from E3.

Highlights

•Fallout 4. Enough said.

•With the Final Fantasy VII remake, a new generation of gamers will be able to experience the best game in the franchise.

•The Star Fox Zero trailer looked amazing! It was great to see Star Fox returning to true form as a flying shooter.

•The Last Guardian looked absolutely breathtaking. After being only a rumor for years, the end of the trilogy that includes Ico and Shadow of the Colossus was confirmed at Sony’s press conference.

•After 20 years, the first Mother game (or Earthbound Zero as it is known in America) was finally localized for American audiences on the Wii U Virtual Console. The second game in the series, Earthbound, is a zany twist on the RPG genre and one of the most popular games on the SNES. Talk about a throwback!

•Xbox One is now backwards compatible!

•Rare is releasing a 30 game bundle for the Xbox One, including classics such as Battletoads, Banjo-Kazooie, and Perfect Dark.

•A new Kingdom Hearts 3 trailer was released! Now if only they would give us a release date…

•The Japanese franchise Yo-Kai Watch is being localized for the States. It looks like an interesting, Pokemon-esque game. I’m excited to hear more about it.

•Microsoft released more gameplay of the upcoming Halo 5.

Wishlist

•A KINGDOM HEARTS 3 RELEASE DATE. Seriously, Square Enix, you’ve been toying with our emotions for far too long.

•As a long-time fan of the Zelda franchise, I was very intrigued by last year’s presentation of the new open-world Legend of Zelda game for the Wii U. While the release of the game was pushed back, new gameplay footage would have been very well-received.

•The footage from Metroid Prime: Federation Force left a lot to be desired. A lot of people are upset that it’s a spinoff. That’s not the issue for me, the game just looks very half-hearted. However, it might bring the next big multiplayer game to Nintendo in the form of Blast Ball.

•Legend of Zelda: Triforce Warriors looks like a rehashing of Four Swords. It doesn’t look like it will bring anything new to the table.

--Julie

Sunday was the ninth episode of Game of Thrones. Those who watch the show know that this episode is one that marks a pivotal point in the season, meaning there is a huge plot twist or someone dies. The first season’s ninth episode gave us the tragic end to Ned Stark's life. Season two, we saw the Battle of Blackwater. The following season was the game changing Red Wedding, and last season the long awaited battle at The Wall. This season, though it fell short of the high expectations set by its predecessors, was full of quite a few jaw dropping moments.

SPOILER ALERT! DO NOT READ PAST THIS POINT IF YOU ARE NOT CAUGHT UP ON GAME OF THRONES!

We last saw Jon Snow (Kit Harington) and his band of Wildlings taking to the seas in order to escape the White Walkers and their Army of the Dead. Well now they've finally made their way back to Castle Black and to several unhappy members of The Night's Watch. "You've got a good heart, Jon Snow," Alliser Thorne (Owen Teale) said, "but it’ll get us all killed." Thanks, Alliser. Jon was already feeling like a failure from the attack. Way to go, making him feel like he's failed at Lord Commander. However, thanks to Sam (John Bradley-West), Jon sees that he's saved these people from a very bitter death.

Moving to the complete opposite end of Westeros; Dorne. Doran (Alexander Siddig), current ruler of Dorne, has summoned Jamie Lannister (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) to meet with him, Ellaria Sand (Indira Varma), Prince Trystane (Toby Sebastian), and Princess Myrcella (Nell Tiger Free). Doran decides to let Jamie go back to King’s Landing with Princess Myrcella. However, her engagement to Prince Trystane was to stand, and he is to accompany them to King’s Landing and take Oberyn’s place on King Tommen’s small council. Bronn (Jerome Flynn) is released; Ellaria asks for a second chance from Doran; Everything appears to be running smoothly. Knowing what we do about the events taking place in King’s Landing, what will happen when the party reaches their destination?

Across the Narrow Sea is where we find Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) serving the Many-Faced God. She was given a task in the last episode to kill the “Thin Man,” but this gets put on the backburner when a man from her past arrives in Braavos. Meryn Trant (Ian Beattie) is escorting Lord Tyrell (Roger Ashton-Griffiths) to the Iron Bank. Ser Meryn is on Arya’s long list of people she wishes to kill one day. She follows him throughout the city and into a brothel where she sees him about to take advantage of a very young girl that works there. Giving the viewers and Arya just another reason to despise this evil character. We can only assume that Arya has something in mind for this man, and “The Thin Man” lives for another day.

I know it seems we are jumping all over the Game of Thrones world, but that’s because these next two storylines are best to kept for the end of the review. Let’s start with Stannis Baratheon (Stephen Dillane) . He is currently somewhere between Winterfell and Castle Black. Last week, Ramsay Bolton (Iwan Rheon) wanted to take twenty men and raid his camp, which turned into a successful one. They burned through their food and weapons, causing a time of hardship to fall on to Stannis’s camp. There was no saving them now. They didn’t have enough food and supplies to march back to Castle Black, and the snow was too deep to march on to Winterfell. Stannis sent Davos (Liam Cunningham) back to the Wall for supplies. Davos insisted on allowing Princess Shireen (Kerry Ingram) and Queen Selyse (Tara Fitzgerald) to accompany him. “A siege is no place for [them].” However, Stannis was stubborn. “My family stays with me.”

With Davos gone, there is no one to stop what will happen next. Stannis, whom we saw earlier in the season bonding with his daughter and being a great father, has won Worst Father of the Year Award. He has handed Shireen over to Melisandre (Carice van Houten) to sacrifice to the Lord of Light, basically burning her at the stake. Shireen’s bloodcurdling screams are too much Selyse, who attempts to save her daughter but is stopped by the guards. I hope your sacrifice was freaking worth it Stannis! It’s not completely out of character for him to pull a ruthless move like this, but you’d think he’d show SOME restraint against burning his only daughter alive. I was shocked at the thought of him following through with it, but then again, it is Stannis. He all but told Shireen he was going to sacrifice her when they had a moment discussing destiny. As much as I want him to storm Winterfell and take down the Boltons, he went about it the wrong way.

Finally, in the episode, we end in Meereen in the fighting arena. Daenerys is overseeing a large competition of fighters with Hizdahr zo Loraq (Joel Fry), Daario Naharis (Michiel Huisman), Tyrion Lannister (Peter Dinklage), and Missandei (Nathalie Emmanuel). Much to Dany’s surprise, Ser Jorah (Iain Glen) is competing and wins by the skin of his teeth. While having a silent moment with her from the arena, he quickly picks up a spear and throws it at her, piercing a Son of the Harpy in the chest. This leads to a huge attack where hundreds, if not more, Sons of the Harpy attacking people in the arena, making their way to Daenerys. Jorah and Daario help get her to safety, Hizdahr is stabbed multiple times, and Tyrion saves Missandei. With the group of survivors trapped in the middle of the arena by several of the Sons, they have nowhere to turn and the battle appears to be lost. That is, until Drogon appears. That’s right, he has come to save his mother. Setting many of her attackers aflame and ripping through several others in a very Jurassic Park-esque way, he saves her. She climbs on to his back, and we finally see the Mother of Dragons take flight.

The episode definitely ended on higher note than the other famous ninth episodes. Shireen’s sacrifice is the darkest this season has gone, and with one episode left of the season and so much to wrap up. Things could get even darker. We still have to see what happens to Cersei, Sansa, and the Wildlings on top of what Daenerys will do next and the trip back to King’s Landing for Jamie. We also have the battle over Winterfell and the North between Stannis and the Boltons. So far this season has been lacking in action, as compared to the earlier seasons, but that doesn’t mean it has been any less intense or suspenseful. It has set up great story lines for our characters and is letting Karma do it’s job to the flat out evil character(s). Now to patiently wait for the finale to wrap everything up and leave us with a cliffhanger that will cause us to suffer for the next ten months.

Catch the season five finale June 14th at 9ET.

Miss season five, or seasons one through four? Catch up on HBOGo and tune in to HBO Sundays at 9ET.

--Kasey

Sing me a song of a lass that is gone, say could that lass be I?

It’s finally here and gone. The Outlander season one finale, “To Ransom a Man’s Soul,” premiered on Starz this weekend, and no amount of preparation will help you cope with such an intense episode. Each actor did an outstanding job in their performances, especially Sam Heughan, who portrays the dashing James Fraser. The finale was full of graphic and emotional scenes for both the characters and the viewers. I will warn you now, if you have not watched it yet or read the books, do not read any more. SPOILER ALERT!

Last week Claire was forced to leave Wentworth Prison, leaving Jamie in the clutches of Black Jack Randall. She devised a plan to save him, and luckily was successful. Murtagh and company ran through the halls of Wentworth Prison with a herd of Angus in front of them, trampling Black Jack in the midst. Though they may have saved Jamie’s body, his soul was still in danger. During his time in the prison, Jamie was tortured and raped by Black Jack himself. Eventually he was broken and ashamed of everything Randall did to him, including branding his initials onto Jamie’s side.

Allow me to clear up a common misconception about Randall; he is not homosexual. According to the author of the series, Diana Gabaldon, he is a sadist. He feels a sense of sexual pleasure from causing pain to others. This explains why he calls Jamie’s scars on his back a beautiful work of art. Randall is obsessed with bringing pain to anything he finds attractive, because it gives him pleasure and power over his victims. One thing he wants from Jamie is for him to break and succumb to his will, which Randall succeeds in doing. He uses Jamie’s deep love for Claire against him, as we see in one of the most heartbreaking scenes in the entire episode.

Jamie is keeping all of this from Claire, because he is ashamed of what he let Randall do to him. He believes that she won’t forgive him, considering Randall broke him using Claire against him. He tells this to Murtagh in a scene when the two are conversing in Gaelic. We see Murtagh grow angry with Jamie, and we later learn it is because Jamie wants to kill himself. I think throughout the entire episode, on top of everyone else’s feelings about the situation, Murtagh is overshadowed. He loves Jamie just as much as everyone else and canna stand to see him go through this pain and torture. He even tells Claire that he loves Jamie, but “I’ll not watch Jamie waste away. Die like an animal in the woods with his foot caught in a trap, and if it comes the time where he’s past the point of healing…” we assume he means to help Jamie.

Claire fights for Jamie though. After going easy on him the first few days, she becomes infuriated when she learns that he wants to give up and die. She goes in and forces the truth out of him. However, Jamie tries to convince her to let him go. “I lie here feeling I will die without your touch, but when you do touch me, I want to vomit with shame,” he tells her, “I canna be your husband any longer, and I will not be less to you.”

Of course, our hard-headed Sassenach does not give up that easy. “Randall had your body, but I will be damned if he has your soul as well.” Claire tells him that she knows they’re meant to be together and nothing will ever change that. This entire scene shows the viewers just how powerful their love for each other is. If they can overcome this, they are definitely going to be able to overcome what the future has in store for them. She continues to get it through Jamie’s head that she is not going anywhere despite what Randall has done, and if he takes that away from her, she will die with him. As broken as Jamie is he asks her, “How can you love me like this?” To which she replies, “I’ll have you anyway I can. Always.”

With the Frasers on the mend and now fleeing for France, they make plans to stop the Jacobite Revolt in the not so distant future. Bonny Prince Charlie just so happens to be in France, and they plan to start with stopping him. Hopefully they get there in time to stop him from crossing into Scotland, otherwise it will be the end of Highlander life as they know it, which is not a world they want to raise their little baby Fraser in.

Caitriona Balfe and Sam Heughan, along with Tobias Menzies, gave phenomenal performances in the season finale. Heughan’s performance, in particular, was the strongest of the three. He had to play a tortured and broken Jamie, one that we have never seen before. Menzies gives us the same Black Jack Randall, but bares all of the darkness that is in him. We see him as the sadist he truly is. Heughan actually brought tears to my eyes each time he was on the screen. I could feel how broken Jamie was and could see into his tortured soul. The flashback scenes between Randall and Jamie were not only extremely graphic but also highly emotional as we see Jamie begging Randall to kill him on top of Randall coercing Jamie into branding himself with the letters “JR.” It brings forth subjects that the media tends to overlook -- the violence of rape. We read and hear about terrible things that happen similar to this, but never have viewers been shown such violence. Outlander broke down some of those barriers people tend to put up when thinking or talking about such violent acts.

Of course, rape in television has been a highly discussed topic for quite sometime, especially considering the amount of rape that occurs in the hit TV series, Game of Thrones. It bothers many people to see rape occur so often in a show that it appears to be a social norm and people in Westeros tend to overlook it. So, naturally, as a book reader and knowing what to expect, I worried how this pivotal scene in Outlander would go over with viewers. I feel that the show did not use rape the same way GoT does. It showed the violence in the act and how it can truly damage a person to their core, to their soul. Jamie was a broken man who needed someone to follow him into the darkness and lead him back to the light.

Balfe’s performance made Claire a bit self-centered albeit powerful. However, I can’t blame Balfe for this, because she had to work with the story changes. Now, here is where I am going to pull the “I read the book and that is NOT what happened” card. In the scene where Claire saves Jamie from himself, she basically gives him an ultimatum that is impossible for him. She is basically asking him to get better and be apart of their marriage again, or she will die. As emotional as the scene was, I was highly disappointed in how the show handled it. It made it more about Claire instead of Jamie.

In the book, the scene is much MUCH different and more powerful. SKIP PAST THIS PARAGRAPH IF YOU PLAN ON READING THE BOOK. Claire actually dresses up like Randall and basically reenacts the rape with Jamie, but he is allowed to fight back this time. And boy does he fight back; he almost kills Claire. But this, along with pretending to be Jamie’s mother in this horrific but powerful role playing, allows Jamie to slowly heal from his wounds that Randall inflicted on him. Which then leads to a beautiful reunion between husband and wife, where she reveals that she is pregnant, thus showing the Frasers are going to be alright. Honestly, this could not have been something they could easily film for the show, so I applaud showrunner, Ronald D. Moore, for trying. This scene between Claire and Jamie could have been so much more.

With that being said, Balfe did do a great job portraying Claire’s pain that she was going through as well. Not only is Jamie suffering from his personal demons, but Claire is having to watch her husband suffer; she can’t do anything to save him. Balfe worked will with the script she was given for the tough scenes between her and Heughan. I just wish it was more true to the beautiful ending of the first book.

One actor who also did an outstanding job was one I briefly mentioned earlier. Duncan Lacroix plays Murtagh, and his character has been with Jamie and Claire every step of the way. He helped Jamie acquire the means to marry Claire; helped Claire search and ultimately rescue Jamie from Wentworth Prison; and now he is with Claire, watching Jamie suffer. He loves Jamie like a son and watches over him, protects him. Lacroix plays the Murtagh that I wish I got to know in the books. Show Murtagh compared to Book Murtagh is very different, and that is because of the talent Lacroix. As much as I loved this character in the first book, I grew to love him even more in the show, because his characteristics were more prominent on screen. His clever one-liners from the book come across just as sassy in the show, but Lacroix takes this character and brings him to a new level. He gives the character even more depth, and in this episode in particular, shows how important Jamie is to his godfather.

I did love this episode and found it to be one of the most powerful episodes on television I have seen. The performances by the actors shows how talented they are and how much they trust one another while filming these very graphic and emotional scenes. Heughan is by far the best James Fraser out there, and based on this episode alone, is a very talented and versatile actor. He has given such strong performances all season, but in these scenes he has given his best so far. I cannot wait to see what he brings to the table in the seasons to come, and that goes for all of the actors and writers. They have set the standard bar fairly high with this season, and I hope they can match it or exceed it next season.

Miss this season of Outlander? Catch up at http://www.starz.com/originals/outlander/featured

Don’t forget to catch up with the Frasers in book 2 of the series, Dragonfly in Amber.

--Kasey