The Chicago Way
Did the Legion Of Doom watch the 1993 series of ‘The Untouchables’? Do TPTB make the Legends deliberately repugnant? There is no loving attention to grimy period details. When did Malcolm Merlyn join the Legion Of Doom? The LOD steal the show through sheer force of scenery chewing. Stein obsesses over his new time aberration child and lies. Tommy is acknowledged.
The LOD have lethal potential in 1927. They’re common chap blokes into morally indefensible things. Ness shows up. Nate has potent fury at Ray’s stupidity. Stein is a moron. Sara pretends to be a cigarette girl. Mick hallucinates Snart. What unexplained circumstances have brought the LOD together? It all goes awry. The Legends don’t know the speedster is Thawne.
The indistinguishable Ray and Nate fight. Malcolm is orange and has excessive hair-oil. He has suffered bad-ass decay. The LOD help Capone, there is no mention of him having syphilis. What is Damien up to? Sara is dim. One has coldly blistering contempt for the Legends and their moral stand and unabashed emotionalism. Nobody is a charismatic presence, as they whine about their angst of obligation. Malcolm has an obvious stunt double. This was not reasonably robust but was okay.
Sara truly truly believes she is righteous. Damien treats Malcolm as his bitch. Thawne has a map to the Spear Of Destiny that can rewrite reality. Rip Hunter is alive and in the movies in 1967. An improvement from the catastrophic creative decisions of season 2.
Best Lines:
“I was never meant for those things.”
“A dream that’s a lie.”
“Time is sacred.”
“He doesn’t look like Kevin Costner.”
“Al Capone becomes Mayor?”
“Cadaver’s cove.”
“You can undo brain damage?”
“My associate Bob De Niro.”
“Usually leaves the subject, well, dead.”
“He’s hanging out with your mother.”
“That’s Scarface.”
“Time-travelling psychos.”
“Live a better life.”
“Already found a better life. One without you in it.”
“Make a pretty good movie one day.”
~
A Darkness Surrounds Him
Kyle Barnes lives in self-imposed exile in this childhood home in Rome, West Virginia. I’ve never read the comic this is based on. This has nice creepy opening credits. A patina of faint squalor hangs over Rome. Demons possess people in town and bodily fluids fly. Reverend Anderson (Philip Glenister) and the police chief (Reg E. Cathey) hang out. Glenister does a better US accent then he did in ‘Demons’. Kyle is surrounded by mess including an ‘I Want To Believe’ poster and a Castle Greyskull toy.
Kyle and his weariness is cold-shouldered. Anderson tries to exorcise the awful demons. Kyle’s mother was possessed when he was a child. Kyle is treated with cool wary distance by townsfolk. Kyle’s sister Megan tries to help him but Megan’s husband Mark hates Kyle. Stupid teenagers lurk. Kyle has an estranged wife and daughter due to him being misbalmed.
Why is Kyle so special? What happened to Anderson’s family? Kyle beats the demons out of people and faces insurmountable ingratitude. Kyle has societal anxiety, Mark is disdainful of Kyle and Kyle punches a possessed child in the face. This was good and prevailing local opinion is that Kyle is bad. WTF is The Great Merge? Abraham Benrubi shows up as Anderson’s caretaker.
Best Lines:
“We know what this is.”
“You want my advice? Run.”
“Irritated him severely.”
“Please go.”
“Do you even remember solid poop?”
(I Remember) When She Loved Me
Kyle tries to care for his mother Sarah. Megan meets with Kyle’s ex-wife. Where is Kyle’s father? Anderson has a small congregation and he has undisguised venom. A stranger (Brent Spiner) shows up. Megan’s brat daughter trouble stirs, she is obviously possessed. A tree grew around Kyle’s old bike. Church ladies (Melinda McGraw and Grace Zabriskie) babble and have pursed lips. People are sceptics about demons. Kyle’s ex is stupid and ungrateful. This was okay with audacity and poignancy.
Best Lines:
“He was not happy.”
“Evil wearing a face that no-one would expect.”
“Spew forth with the reek of the sewer.”
“He knows his trees.”
All Alone Now
A policeman (JR Bourne) thinks his murderous former partner Blake is possessed. Anderson and Kyle try to help Blake. Is Blake possessed or just a murderous jerk or both? Blake is kept in a dank room like something out of ‘Silence Of The Lambs’. Why is Kyle an outcast? Everybody roars at everybody else incessantly. This was shouty melodrama with gritty aspects. Demons are attention seekers. Kyle faces public vilification and has no sense of security and is trapped in awful circumstances. Megan obsesses over a man named Donald. Who is he? Why is Rome a place of congregation for demons? Things go awry and Anderson has doubts. There is an unexpected turn of events and Kyle the accursed son of Rome will have to do something.
Best Lines:
“Giving each other herpes.”
“Silence beast!”
“Is this actually your job?”