DCTV | Geekscape

SDCC 2016: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ Panel Recap!

by jake108July 29, 2016

The Legends of Tomorrow panel got off to a great start. Of course, having Supergirl as a lead-in helped too. Check out some of the panelists entry!

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After everyone got out to the stage, the panel began showing exactly what we all wanted to see: A Season 2 Sizzle Reel. Check it out below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hUrbrdZj-I4

As you saw from the trailer, the Legends seem to be taking on some people who are running rampant through time, taking advantage everything and everyone throughout time. Without the Time Masters in place to regulate who does what via time travel, it’s up to Rip Hunter and his crew to do the regulating themselves. However, let’s not forget what the ultimate endgame was for the Time Masters. Back in season one, it was revealed that the only reason why the Time Masters were working with Vandal Savage was to ensure the survival of humanity as a species. To them, it was the lesser of two evils in dealing with Savage. At some point in the future, a Thanagarian invasion will be launched at Earth, and Savage’s army won’t be there to stop them. In case you’ve forgotten what a Thanagarian is, well, it’s the species in which Hawkman and Hawkgirl received their powers from via that crashed meteor in ancient Egypt. Now, back to season 2.

As you saw from the trailer, we’ll be seeing some villains that we recognize from other DCTV properties, namely Damian Darhk. Darhk was a great villain in Arrow, he just wasn’t handled very well. His supernatural abilities will definitely play a integral part in the formation of the Legion of Doom. The Legion of Doom reveal was one of the best DCTV reveals at this year’s Comic-Con. The roster of this team of super-villians includes, Damian Darhk, Eobard Thawne aka The Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, Malcolm Merlyn, and more. In the comics, the roster is constantly in flux depending on what arc they’re involved in. Still, this Legion of Doom is bound to be pretty awesome with the likes of Reverse-Flash, Captain Cold, and Malcolm Merlyn all working together.

Aside from the Legion of Doom reveal, we also got some news in who’s going to be appearing as part of the Justice Society of America. Citizen Steel, Dr. Mid-Nite, Stargirl, Obsidian, Commander Steel, Vixen, and Hourman are members of the JSA, but I’m sure Berlanti and his crew have a few more in store for us. If I had to create a brief wishlist for who I wanted to appear in the JSA, the two first names out of my mouth would be Jay Garrick and Alan Scott, the Green Lantern. Regardless, all this is shaping up to be great.

To wrap up, there was no mention of how Flashpoint would be changing anything in Legends of Tomorrow. Since we learned last season that time is constantly in flux, there’s really no telling on how minimal Flashpoint could be for the Legends crew if they’re way out in the future or a hundred years in the past. Still, Eobard Thawne has to get out of his cage at some point. Among the last reveals, we learned that we’ll be seeing Mayor Oliver Queen within the first few minutes of the Legends of Tomorrow season 2 premier. We’ll also be seeing some tension between Mick and Vixen, as Mick gets more aggressive now that he’s out of the shadow of Captain Cold. A love interest for Sara Lance is rumored, but not confirmed. Last, but not least, we’ll be seeing a pretty big twist involving Rip Hunter sometime before the midseason break. Can’t wait to see what is!

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Legends of Tomorrow returns this October!

SDCC 2016: ‘Supergirl’ Panel Recap!

by jake108July 28, 2016

After making the jump to the CW, Supergirl aims to one-up its first season and dazzle new and existing viewers with their second season. Supergirl will be airing on Monday’s, which will be followed by The Flash on Tuesdays, Arrow on Wednesdays, and Legends of Tomorrow on Thursdays. Fans of DCTV are in for a treat, should Supergirl deliver!

Unfortunately for us, Supergirl has just begun filming, meaning that there was no new footage to show us during the panel. Instead, we were treated to a sizzle reel that showed key moments in Supergirl‘s first season. After that, the panel came out, most of which was the main cast. Tyler Hoechlin was there as a sort of coming out party for Superman. Plenty of fun tidbits with the cast happened during the panel, some of which I was able to capture. Check it out below!

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Aside from the funny moments, a few things were confirmed for season 2. First off, the panel briefly discussed the now confirmed four-part crossover event that is happening approximately eight episodes into the season. However, they did not let on how exactly Supergirl would be introduced into the Arrow–Flash universe. I’m sure creators are exploring every avenue they can to bring the characters together. I feel that everyone assumes Kara will make an appearance on the Earth we know in Arrow and The Flash, but don’t be surprised if characters from the later two shows appear in National City!

Furthermore, show creators stated that even though we do have an inclusion of Superman on the show, the focus will not deviate from Supergirl. This is crucial as the show should stick to what the show is actually about. Still, you should expect to see some tension between Superman and Supergirl on what it means to be a hero. Of course, we do know that Superman has been doing this for a little while longer than Kara, but that doesn’t mean Kara doesn’t have handle on what she’s done in her first year as Supergirl.

In regards to Alex, we should be finding out a lot more about her character and her backstory in this next season. Actress Chyler Leigh, who plays Alex on the show, is deeply excited to see where showrunners take Alex next.

As for character romances, a Kara-Jimmy romance was hinted on for early next season. Jeremy Jordan, who plays Winn on the show, also hinted at a potential love interest. And of course, how could we forget Lynda Carter? Her role wasn’t exactly discussed in detail for the show, but because Superman and Supergirl are now in one place, we should expect that at the very least the President of the United States would take notice.

Supergirl premiers Monday, October 10th!

Geekscape Interviews: We Chat With DC / CW Composer Blake Neely!

by jake108June 27, 2016

Recently, I was able to get in touch with Blake Neely, composer of all of your favorite DCTV shows running on the CW. From Arrow to DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blake Neely has scored it all. By now, you’ve heard your favorite musical numbers on Supergirl, The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow. Now, here’s what Neely has to say on shaping the iconic sound behind the DC Universe.

How were you approached to take on your first DCTV series? Were there any apprehensions?

I’ve worked with Greg Berlanti for 14 years, from his first show Everwood. In 2012, he handed me a script to Arrow and said, “This year, we are doing something a bit different.” I had no idea this would be the beginning of an onslaught of superhero shows in the DC Universe of iconic characters. My only apprehensions were to do the Green Arrow character justice, since the responsibility of musically representing such a decades-old character was a bit intimidating for a composer.

How well versed were you in the Green Arrow lore when you signed up Arrow? Did your previous knowledge of the character change your approach to the project in way that was different from a show like The Mentalist?

I was always a DC Comics appreciator. Aquaman was the first comic I bought as a child, and for some reason the DC characters always resonated with me the most. Whether it was Aquaman, Batman, Superman, The Flash or any number of others, I always gravitated toward DC. However, while I knew of the Green Arrow, I hadn’t followed him. Greg’s script was my introduction, and I was forever hooked. My approach was very different than approaching any other show. This was a character steeped in mythology and fan-base, not just a new character (like Patrick Jane of The Mentalist). But as a composer, my approach wasn’t different, in so much as I like to write something appropriate for any character and hopefully make it stick to the visual. The only difference in approach was that this had quite a bit of fan expectancy to it.

Could you briefly walk me through the process of scoring an episode for any of the DCTV shows you work on?

I generally get a week from receiving the final cut of an episode to its final mix (which is about 2 days before it airs on TV). My process on a first (pilot) episode is to go into a dark room, surround myself with images of the character, and attempt to capture that image musically. I write a suite of ideas, sounds, and themes and then hope it sticks to the image once the show is filmed. But on a weekly basis, I watch the episode and approach each scene dramatically with music that fits the scene. My goal is always to enhance the story-telling and support the action (whether emotional or brutal or cerebral) with the music, while trying to somehow stay in the background so that the audience only subliminally appreciates the music, and not bring music to the forefront. Otherwise, they are taken out of the story.

The Flash has a very unique sound to it. What influenced the music behind some of Barry’s most emotional scenes?

Barry Allen is a very different character from Oliver Queen. He is a scientist, a bit awkward, brilliant, and later superhuman. What I wanted to achieve musically was multiple layers. Whereas Oliver Queen is more dark, brooding and immediate, Barry is more complex. The layering and subtext in the music helps in his emotionality. I still use similar orchestration with these characters, whether it be simple piano or orchestra, but there are more layers to Barry. In my mind, as heroes, Arrow gets a more upfront sound with aggression and realism, while The Flash has a forward-momentum and almost fragile heroic sound. I come to this from the idea that Arrow always knows he will win, while The Flash is much more vulnerable when he is called to action. It’s extremely esoteric, because it’s just a bunch of music notes flying around, but this is always the approach.

The Flash also pays homage to a number of DC Comics villains, some of which aren’t known to mainstream audiences. How do you go about composing a character theme for a reoccurring villain, like Wentworth Miller’s Captain Cold?

Greg gave me excellent direction on Captain Cold. He said, “This is a great love affair. Cold and Flash will always be chasing each other.” For whatever reason this made me develop a long arch sort of theme for Cold. The harmonies are never resolved. The melody is always reaching and expanding. Never reaching full consummation. With each new villain that is introduced on The Flash or Arrow, I like to sit back and think about the mythology, research their importance, talk with the producers about their desires for the character, and then attempt to make an appropriate theme. Some can sustain a simple sound “theme,” while others (like Cold or Ra’s al Guhl or Vandal Savage) require a full-blown theme and sound world to do their evil business in.

Legends of Tomorrow season one was unique in that we essentially saw a different time period with every episode. Did you ever have to adjust your approach or musical cues depending on what time period the heroes were in?

I did this a few times in the season. The most apparent were Russia and the Wild West. But for the most part, I felt like music should be the glue to the show we were in. Yes, we were in 1975 or 2147 or the 50s, but we were still watching LEGENDS. I felt it important to only provide a flavor or the time but let the audience rely on costumes and sets for the actual time period. This is a band of “time pirates,” as I early on began referring to them, so we need to musically stay with the team.

Has the cast and/or crew for any one of the DCTV shows you’ve worked on sat in on a scoring session? If so, what was the experience like?

I’ve never had the cast at the scoring or even my studio. However, I have done the opposite: I’ve visited the sets and even gone to dinner with the cast to get to know them. It’s not helpful to the writing of the episodes, but it’s helpful to the collaborative nature of these shows. We are all building a huge universe together. Why not know your counterparts? This has even led to a possible collaboration with Stephen Amell on a side project. I would love for the cast to come to a scoring session someday, but with shooting 8 days a week, I have doubts that they can possibly ever bear the time.

For anyone who’s looking at you as having their dream job, what advice would you give them?

Never give up. I grew up in Paris, Texas without the Internet or any possible connection to Hollywood. And I made it. I’m doing exactly what I dreamed of! Nothing is impossible if you put your mind to it.

What persuades you to keep scoring DC television shows? What are the unique benefits to working in TV?

DC and Greg Berlanti have been incredibly loyal, incredibly supportive and wildly appreciative of my work. Why would I ever deny a chance to work on a new character or project with them? The benefits of working in TV, to me, are the ability to work again and again with these characters. If I begin an idea in Episode 1, I can continue and evolve it through to Episode 23 and beyond. It’s a never-ending sequel. With film, you get one, maybe two, chances to evolve your ideas. With TV, you get episodes and seasons upon seasons to continue your ideas. It moves way too quickly, and you have to be very prolific, but it’s very fulfilling to have the time with these storylines.

One of my favorite musical cues/themes are your Nanda Parbat themes that pop up every now and then on Arrow. How did go about crafting a score that fits that very unique setting?

Those were a lot of fun. I absolutely loved the arrival of Ra’s al Guhl. It sent me into an Eastern style of music harmonies and scales and instrumentation. This caused an evolution and exploration of sound that might capture the modern yet other-worldly feeling of Nanda Parbat, Nyssa, Ra’s and the ninjas. One of my favorite musicians in the world, Chris Bleth, brought me a wealth of treasures in duduks, dizis, neys, and other instruments, which we incorporated into the score. This was enhanced further by the haunting vocals of my friend, Sherri Chung, who was introduced during Oliver’s “death scene” with Ra’s in Ep 308 “The Climb.” It just grew from there with ethnic percussion, thick soundscapes and orchestration that hopefully made the audience feel like they were in another world far from Starling City.

Have any actors commented on their individual themes?

Yes. Stephen Amell was very vocal in his appreciation of what I do. And there was an amazing Tweet from Grant Gustin about my score to one of the episodes. Oh, and Jimmy Olsen (Mehcad Brooks) said some incredibly nice things about the Supergirl score. But my best “theme” moment was when my son was playing Lego Batman. He said “Dad, come up and see this.” I went to his room, and he had just opened a new level. He played and Lego Batman walked into a door and we saw Lego Green Arrow, and all of a sudden my Arrow theme started playing. That was a moment when I realized that what I was doing was creating a small iconic stamp on these characters.

Some of the most iconic musical scores are from television. Do you have any peers whose music you enjoy immensely?

It’s a really enjoyable thing to say that my peers and a few of my heroes are also my friends. We are appreciative of what each other are doing, but it’s nice when it remains non-competitive. Do I have favorites? Of course. Will I divulge? Absolutely not!

How does it feel to be setting the tone for the DCTV television landscape?

It feels amazing, but it feels incredibly heavy. I would never say that it’s a burden, because that is a negative term. But it feels like carrying a torch that will be handed off again in the future to another runner. For now, I need to carry the torch as high as it has ever been raised and hope it doesn’t get blown out by the wind. The success of these shows, the fanbase of these shows, and the expectancy of these shows is immense. Far bigger than myself. I must do all that I can to uphold the legacy, protect the mythology, and never denegrate the importance of this world that was created way before I was. I’m up for the challenge every day, but it never escapes me how important it can be.

Is there any DC character you’d like to see appear on any of the DCTV shows?

Aquaman. Please. First comic I bought. For whatever reason, a lifetime favorite.

What’s the best story you have regarding anything DCTV-related in your years working with the respective shows?

My favorite story goes back to the beginning. Greg Berlanti and I had long discussions about what he envisioned for the sound of ARROW. I went away for a few weeks and wrote and wrote and wrote ideas. I developed themes for the show and then brought him to my studio and nervously played the “Oliver Queen Suite.” After hearing it, he stood up and said “Great. Perfect. I love it.” And as he left my studio and the door was closing behind him, I heard him whistling the theme. I thought to myself, “Success.”

SDCC ’16: Warner Bros. Television Announces Their Panels and Times!

by jake108June 27, 2016

Some of the most fantastic panels have taken place inside of Hall H on Saturday night’s these past few years. However, we’re in for a change as it seems DCTV is doing away with our Hall H after dark parties. Instead, Warner Bros. Television has opted for owning Ballroom 20 for what seems to be the majority of Saturday. While this sounds great too, it’s also worth mentioning that Ballroom 20 does not sit nearly as many people has Hall H does. This may spell trouble for anyone looking to attend any one of DCTV’s panels, including Gotham and in addition to iZombie.

What’s also troubling here is that DCTV panels seem to be going on during the daytime on Saturday. This means DC fans may have to choose between a potential Justice League panel and their favorite DCTV show.

That being said, WBTV seems to have spreads its wings this year, even hosting a panels on Sunday! Check these listings and let us know where you’re heading this SDCC!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 20

“6:00-10:00 p.m. Comic-Con and Warner Bros. Television proudly continue our annual Preview Night tradition, with exclusive world premiere screenings of the pilot episodes of five of the most highly anticipated series of the 2016-17 television season — Riverdale, Powerless, People of Earth, Frequency and Time After Time — as well as a brand new episode of Teen Titans Go! and the debut of Justice League Action. Ballroom 20”

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THURSDAY, JULY 21

“10:15-11:15 a.m. Teen Titans Go! Video Presentation and Q&A — When there’s trouble, you know who to call…Teen Titans! When you want an awesome time at Comic-Con, you also know who to call…Teen Titans!!! Join a Titan-sized panel featuring producers Aaron Horvath (MAD) and Pete Michail (Space Racers) along with voice cast members Greg Cipes, Scott Menville, Khary Payton and Tara Strong for a screening and Q&A covering your favorite animated series. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Teen Titans Go! airs Thursdays at 6/5c on Cartoon Network. Teen Titans Go!: Season 3 Part 2 will be released on DVD on August 23. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TeenTitansGo, and follow Cartoon Network on Twitter at @CartoonNetwork. Room 6DE

12:00-1:00 p.m. Justice League Action Video Presentation and Q&A — The world’s greatest Super Heroes return to television in Justice League Action, an all-new quarter-hour animated series. Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman lead the DC Super Heroes against their most infamous foes in adventures packed with relentless thrills, fun and action. No need to wait for the good stuff to start; each 11-minute episode jumps in with lightning-paced action and heroics. Whether defending the Earth, facing invaders from space, or battling the bizarre forces of magic, the always-rotating team of Justice League heroes, are up to any challenge. Join producers Butch Lukic (Justice League), Alan Burnett (Batman: The Animated Series) and voice cast members Kevin Conroy (Batman: The Animated Series) and Diedrich Bader (Batman: The Brave and The Bold) for a Q&A and exclusive sneak peek at this highly anticipated new series. Produced by Warner Bros. Animation and based on characters from DC, Justice League Action is coming soon to Cartoon Network. Follow Cartoon Network on Twitter at @CartoonNetwork. Room 25ABC”

FRIDAY, JULY 22

“10:00-11:00 a.m. Inside The Big Bang Theory Writers’ Room — Join The Big Bang Theory writers as they return to San Diego to take you inside the biggest moments of season nine and behind-the-scenes of TVs #1 comedy! From the wedding to the baby news to Shamy’s big night, find out what goes into making the hit series each week, and how the writers keep things fresh after more than 200 episodes! Join the show’s executive producers and writers as they take you inside the writers’ room for a lively discussion and special video presentation. From Chuck Lorre Productions, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television, The Big Bang Theory returns for season 10 on September 19, airing Mondays at 8/7c on CBS. The Big Bang Theory: The Complete Ninth Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 13. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/TheBigBangTheory and follow the show on Twitter @BigBangTheory. Ballroom 20‪

12:30-1:30 p.m. The 100 Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Following the climatic events of the season finale, join The 100 as the critically acclaimed series returns to San Diego for its annual appearance at Comic-Con. ALIE has been defeated, and The City of Light destroyed, but The 100’s victory is bittersweet as a new threat comes into focus. With the clock ticking and Earth’s radiation levels rising, our heroes must put aside their differences to save what remains of humanity. Will The 100 go quietly into that good night, or will they find hope and faith in each other, as they face their darkest chapter yet? Be among the first to find out what’s in store for season four. Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Alloy Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television, The 100 returns midseason with all-new episodes on The CW. The 100: The Complete Third Season will be available on DVD on July 19. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWThe100, and follow the show on Twitter at @CWThe100. Ballroom 20

2:00-2:30 p.m. People of Earth Pilot Screening and Q&A — From Emmy® winners Conan O’Brien (Conan) and Greg Daniels (The Office), and creator David Jenkins comes People of Earth, a half-hour single-camera comedy series about a support group for alien abductees. Join series star Wyatt Cenac (The Daily Show), co-executive producer David Jenkins and executive producer Greg Daniels for a screening of the pilot episode followed by a Q&A. People of Earth centers on skeptical journalist Ozzie Graham (Cenac) who investigates a support group to write about its members’ supposed alien encounters. The more he digs into their oddball claims, however, the more he realizes a semblance of truth to their stories and, possibly, even signs that point to his own alien abduction. The onetime outsider now finds himself a part of this eclectic group of misfits, all the while struggling with the idea of knowing that life could exist beyond our world. Produced by Conaco in association with Warner Horizon Television, People of Earth is coming this fall to TBS. Room 6BCF

2:30-3:00 p.m. Powerless Pilot Screening and Q&A — It’s a Super Hero’s world. We just live in it. Join cast members Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical), Danny Pudi (Community), Alan Tudyk (Suburgatory) along with executive producer Ben Queen (A to Z) and executive producer/director Michael Patrick Jann (Reno 911) for a screening of the pilot episode and Q&A covering the first comedy series set in the DC universe. Powerless is the story of Emily (Hudgens), a young insurance adjuster specializing in regular-people coverage against damage caused when Super Heroes and Super Villains treat the city like their own personal battleground. Taking care of insurance needs one by one, Emily and her team of co-workers might not have any superpowers but they are out to make a difference in people’s lives and prove that you don’t need to have powers to be powerful! From Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Powerless premieres midseason on NBC. Become a fan of Powerless on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NBCPowerless, and follow the show on Twitter at @NBCPowerless. Room 6BCF

5:30-6:30 p.m. iZOMBIE Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Television’s only Zom-Com-Rom-Dram, returns to San Diego for their third appearance at Comic-Con. After experiencing the heart-pounding season two finale, be among the first to get the scoop on what’s in store for season three! Now that Clive is in the know about zombies, how will his dynamic with Liv change? With Ravi’s cure robbing Blaine of his memories, what will Major decide to do with his borrowed time? Will Peyton continue her efforts to take down crime lord, Mr. Boss? And will Vivian Stoll, new owner of Max Rager, succeed in making Seattle its zombie headquarters? Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars as well as executive producers Rob Thomas (Veronica Mars) and Diane Ruggiero-Wright (Veronica Mars). From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Spondoolie Productions and Warner Bros. Television and based upon characters created by Chris Roberson and Michael Allred for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, iZOMBIE returns midseason with all-new episodes on The CW. iZOMBIE: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on July 12. Become a fan of iZombie on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cwizombie and follow the show on Twitter at @CWiZombie. Ballroom 20″

SATURDAY, JULY 23

“‪11:00-11:45 a.m. The Vampire Diaries Special Video Presentation and Q&A — The cast and creative team behind The Vampire Diaries return to San Diego, for an exciting eighth appearance at Comic-Con! Series stars will join executive producers on stage for a video screening and Q&A session. From Bonanza Productions Inc., Outerbanks Entertainment and Alloy Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Vampire Diaries returns Friday, October 21, at 8/7c on The CW, and The Vampire Diaries: The Complete Seventh Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and DIGITAL HD on August 16. Become a fan of The Vampire Diaries on Facebook at www.facebook.com/thevampirediaries, and follow the show on Twitter at @cwtvd. Ballroom 20

‪12:00-12:45 p.m. Blindspot Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Following the shocking first season finale, join Blindspot as the # 1 new series on broadcast TV from the 2015-16 season returns to San Diego for its second appearance at Comic-Con! Sullivan Stapleton and Jaimie Alexander star in this one-hour action thriller from Berlanti Productions and Quinn’s House, Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Stapleton stars as hardened FBI agent Kurt Weller, who is drawn into a complex conspiracy when a mysterious woman, with no memories of her past, is found in Times Square, her body completely covered in intricate cryptic tattoos. As Weller and his teammates at the FBI — Edgar Reade (Rob Brown), Tasha Zapata (Audrey Esparza) and the tech-savvy Patterson (Ashley Johnson) — begin to investigate the veritable road map of Jane Doe’s tattoos, they are drawn into a high-stakes underworld that twists and turns through a labyrinth of secrets and revelations — with the information exposing a larger conspiracy of crime, while bringing her closer to discovering the truth about her identity. Join us for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A with series stars Sullivan Stapleton, Jaimie Alexander, Rob Brown, Audrey Esparza, Ashley Johnson and writer/executive producer Martin Gero. Blindspot returns to NBC for its second season on September 14 at 10/9c, before moving to its regular time period of Wednesdays at 8/7c the following week. Blindspot: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on August 2. Become a fan of Blindspot on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/NBCBlindspot and follow the show on Twitter @NBCBlindspot. Indigo Ballroom

‪‪12:50-1:25 p.m.‪ The Originals Special Video Presentation and Q&A — The Originals returns for a fourth season with more supernatural intrigue, romance and bloodshed in The Big Easy. Join executive producers and series stars for a special video presentation followed by a Q&A. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with My So-Called Company, Alloy Entertainment, Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, The Originals will air midseason on The CW. The Originals: The Complete Third Season will be released on Blu-ray™ and DVD on September 20. Become a fan of The Originals on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/cworiginals and follow the show on Twitter at @cworiginals. Indigo Ballroom

1:30-2:05 p.m. Lucifer Special Video Presentation and Q&A — All Hell will break loose when Lucifer returns to heat things up in San Diego. Indulge your deepest desires and be among the first to get the scoop on what’s sure to be a devilishly fun second season! Join us for a sizzling sneak peek at season two, followed by a Q&A with series stars as well as executive producers Joe Henderson (White Collar) and Ildy Modrovich (CSI: Miami). From Jerry Bruckheimer Television in association with Warner Bros. Television and based upon characters created by Neal Gaiman, Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg for Vertigo from DC Entertainment, Lucifer returns September 19, airing Mondays 9/8c on FOX. Lucifer: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD on August 23. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/LuciferonFOX, and follow the show on Twitter at @LuciferonFOX. Indigo Ballroom

2:10-3:00 p.m. Gotham Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Gotham’s origin story continues to unfold, and as the show enters its third season, the stakes will be higher than ever! Super Villains are continuing to push Gotham City toward the brink, and while Jim Gordon remains at the forefront of the fight against crime in this dangerously corrupt city, how far will he go to save Gotham? Throughout season two, Gordon’s moral compass wavered more than ever, creating both personal and professional dilemmas in his life as villains emerged from the city’s darkest places, including Arkham Asylum’s secret experimental lab, Indian Hill. Bruce Wayne also began to unravel some of Gotham City’s — and his family’s — deepest secrets, leading him to discover that Wayne Enterprises could be behind some very dangerous schemes poised to tear the city apart. Be among the first to see what’s in store for season three as Gotham returns to Comic-Con with a special video presentation, followed by a Q&A with series stars and producers. From Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Gotham returns September 19 with all-new episodes airing Mondays at 8/7c on FOX. Gotham: The Complete Second Season will be available on Blu-ray™ and DVD on August 16. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GOTHAMonFOX, and follow the show on Twitter at @Gotham. Indigo Ballroom

3:30-4:15 p.m. Supergirl Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Supergirl will be returning for more supercharged adventures in the show’s new home on The CW this fall! Wondering who’s in that pod, or what will be bringing Superman to National City? Join the series’ cast and creative team for a special video presentation, followed by a Q&A where they’ll discuss these season two hot topics and more! From Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, Supergirl’s second season will premiere Monday, October 10, at 8/7c on The CW. Supergirl: The Complete First Season will be released on DVD and Blu-ray™ on August 9. Follow the show on Twitter at @TheCWSupergirl. Ballroom 20

4:15-5:00 p.m. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow Special Video Presentation and Q&A — After saving the world — and all of time — from the immortal madman Vandal Savage, then bidding farewell to two of their fellow comrades, Hawkman and Hawkgirl, the Legends received an unexpected visit from a mysterious new ally, Rex Tyler, who tasked the team with a brand new mission. What that mission is, how the Justice Society of America will factor in and who will be aboard the Waverider when The CW’s Super Hero team-up series returns for its second season are questions that the cast and creative team will seek to answer when they descend upon San Diego for their second visit to Comic-Con. From Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and based on characters from DC, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow returns Thursday, October 13, at 8/7c on The CW. DC’s Legends of Tomorrow: The Complete First Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on August 23. Become a fan of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWLegendsofTomorrow and follow the show on Twitter at @TheCW_Legends. Ballroom 20

5:00-5:45 p.m. The Flash Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Parallel universes…and doppelgangers…and man-sharks, oh my! The second season of The CW’s highest-rated series had more than its fair share of twists and turns, but none compared to Barry Allen’s jaw-dropping decision to go back in time and save his mother from his arch-nemesis, Reverse-Flash, a decision that called the entire timeline into question. But fear not, fans, you won’t have to wait until the fall to start getting answers to some of your most pressing questions, as the cast and creative team behind the show make their annual appearance at Comic-Con to begin giving fans insight into the show’s highly anticipated third season. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, and based on characters from DC, The Flash returns Tuesday, October 4, at 8/7c on The CW. The Flash: The Complete Second Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on September 6. Become a fan of The Flash on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWTheFlash and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_TheFlash. Ballroom 20

5:45-6:30 p.m. Arrow Special Video Presentation and Q&A — In the face of worldwide nuclear destruction at the hands of the maniacal mystic known as Damien Darhk, Oliver Queen (aka Green Arrow) united Star City with a message of hope that allowed him to vanquish the season four Big Bad once and for all. However, our heroes’ triumph came at a cost, and the future of Team Arrow was left hanging in the balance. Now, as the show takes aim on season five, Oliver will set out to save his city from a new threat — one which he personally created — as both the newly appointed Mayor of Star City and as the Green Arrow. Returning to San Diego Comic-Con for the fifth consecutive year, the cast and creators of the hit CW series will be on-hand for a lively conversation surrounding the upcoming season. From Bonanza Productions Inc. in association with Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television, and based on characters from DC, Arrow returns Wednesday, October 5, at 8/7c on The CW. Arrow: The Complete Fourth Season will be released on Blu-ray™ combo pack, DVD and Digital HD on August 30. Become a fan of Arrow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWArrow and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_Arrow. Ballroom 20

6:30 p.m.-7:20 p.m. Riverdale Pilot Screening and Q&A — Things aren’t always what you expect in Riverdale. Based on the iconic characters from Archie Comics and produced by Berlanti Productions (The Flash, Supergirl, Blindspot, Everwood), this one-hour drama is a bold, subversive take on the surreality of small-town life. As a new school year begins, the town of Riverdale is reeling from the recent, tragic death of high school golden boy Jason Blossom — and nothing feels the same. Archie Andrews (KJ Apa) is still the all-American teen, but the summer’s events made him realize that he wants to pursue a career in music — and not follow in his dad’s footsteps — despite the sudden end of his forbidden relationship with Riverdale’s young music teacher, Ms. Grundy (Sarah Habel). Which means Archie doesn’t have anyone who will mentor him — certainly not singer Josie McCoy (Ashleigh Murray), who is only focused on her band, the soon-to-be-world-famous Pussycats. It’s all weighing heavily on Archie’s mind — as is his fractured friendship with budding writer and fellow classmate Jughead Jones (Cole Sprouse). Meanwhile, girl-next-door Betty Cooper (Lili Reinhart) is anxious to see her crush Archie after being away all summer, but she’s not quite ready to reveal her true feelings to him. And Betty’s nerves — which are hardly soothed by her overbearing mother, Alice (Mädchen Amick) — aren’t the only thing holding her back. When a new student, Veronica Lodge (Camila Mendes), arrives in town from New York with her mother Hermione (Marisol Nichols), there’s an undeniable spark between she and Archie, even though Veronica doesn’t want to risk her new friendship with Betty by making a play for Archie. And then there’s Cheryl Blossom (Madelaine Petsch)… Riverdale’s Queen Bee is happy to stir up trouble amongst Archie, Betty, and Veronica, but Cheryl is keeping secrets of her own. What, exactly, is she hiding about the mysterious death of her twin brother, Jason? Riverdale may look like a quiet, sleepy town, but there are dangers in the shadows. Riverdale makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with series stars and executive producers. Riverdale is from Berlanti Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television and CBS Television Studios, with executive producers Greg Berlanti (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blindspot), Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Supergirl, Glee), Sarah Schechter (Arrow, The Flash, Supergirl, DC’s Legends of Tomorrow, Blindspot) and Jon Goldwater (Archie Comics). Riverdale premieres midseason on The CW. Become a fan of Riverdale on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/CWRiverdale, and follow the show on Twitter at @CW_Riverdale. Room 6BCF

7:25-8:15 p.m. Frequency Pilot Screening and Q&A — Based on the New Line feature film, Frequency is the story of a father and daughter who are supernaturally reunited two decades after his suspicious and untimely death. New York detective Raimy Sullivan was only 7 when her father, Frank Sullivan, an undercover cop, abandoned his family in pursuit of a case that led not only to his family’s breakup, but also his eventual death undercover. Always believing her dad died in disgrace as a corrupt cop, Raimy set forth to surpass him in law enforcement, rising through the ranks to detective. But everything she knows changes when somehow Raimy and Frank connect — across two decades — over Frank’s vintage ham radio in the garage. Where once Frank was lost in the shadows of his undercover work in 1996, he has now miraculously been found by his now-grown daughter in 2016. As they forge a new relationship while working together in two time periods to close an unsolved serial murder investigation, their emotional connection transcends time to not only repair the broken bonds of their family, but also defy fate and change the course of destiny. Frequency makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with series stars Peyton List (The Tomorrow People, The Flash), Riley Smith (Nashville, The Messengers) and Mekhi Phifer (Torchwood, ER), along with executive producers Jeremy Carver (Supernatural, U.S. version of Being Human) and Jennifer Gwartz (Lethal Weapon, Veronica Mars). From Lin Pictures in association with Warner Bros. Television, Frequency premieres Wednesday, October 5, at 9/8c on The CW. Become a fan on Facebook at www.facebook.com/CWFrequency and follow the show on Twitter at @CWFrequency. Room 6BCF

8:20-9:15 p.m. Time After Time Pilot Screening and Q&A — Using the 1979 novel and movie as a launching point, Time After Time chronicles the epic adventures of a young H.G. Wells. At the age of 28, the 19th century scholar has yet to publish any of his landmark science fiction novels, but his idealistic thinking and radical ideas have led him to actually create a time machine. When his longtime friend — the charismatic (and secretly psychopathic) Dr. John Stevenson, aka Jack the Ripper — finds himself cornered by the authorities at Wells’ London home, he escapes to present-day New York City using the time machine. Naturally, Wells follows, but instead of the Utopian society he imagined would be in the future, he finds a world more aligned to Stevenson’s temperament. Fortunately, Wells meets up with Jane Walker, an assistant curator at a museum staging an exhibition on H.G. Wells, the Father of Science Fiction. As Wells and Jane come together, they will not only play a dangerous endgame with Stevenson, but also find themselves involved with the incredible characters and scenarios that inspired Wells’ War of the Worlds, The Invisible Man, The Island of Dr. Moreau and more. An epic love story charged with danger and adventure, Time After Time gives an unpredictable spin on the mythology of H.G. Wells by looking at the world of today through the eyes of yesterday. Time After Time makes its Comic-Con debut with a screening of the complete pilot episode, followed by a Q&A with executive producers Kevin Williamson (The Vampire Diaries, Dawson’s Creek, The Following, Scream movies) and Marcos Siega (Blindspot, The Following, The Vampire Diaries, Dexter, Cold Case, Veronica Mars) and series stars Freddie Stroma (Harry Potter films, Pitch Perfect, Game of Thrones, 13 Hours, UnREAL) and Genesis Rodriguez (Identity Thief, Man on a Ledge, Entourage, Big Hero 6). Based on the novel written by Karl Alexander and produced by Outerbanks Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Television, Time After Time premieres midseason on ABC. Become a fan of Time After Time on Facebook at facebook.com/TimeAfterTimeABC and follow the show on Twitter at @TimeAfterABC. Room 6BCF”

SUNDAY, JULY 24

“11:15 a.m.-12:15 p.m. Supernatural Special Video Presentation and Q&A — Join series stars Jared Padalecki (Friday the 13th [2009]), Jensen Ackles (My Bloody Valentine 3D), Misha Collins (Ringer) and Mark A. Sheppard (Battlestar Galactica), along with executive producers Robert Singer (Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman) and Andrew Dabb (Supernatural) in Hall H to answer questions from the audience about what’s in store for the 12th season of this exciting series! Fans will also be treated to an exclusive video presentation featuring series highlights, as well as a portion of the special features from the upcoming Supernatural: The Complete Eleventh Season DVD and Blu-ray™ release on September 6. The 12th season of Supernatural will premiere October 13 in its new Thursday time period at 9/8c on The CW. The series is produced by Kripke Enterprises Inc. in association with Warner Bros. Television. Become a fan of the show on Facebook at www.facebook.com/Supernatural and follow the show on Twitter at @cw_spn. Hall H

3:00-4:15 p.m. Animaniacs Live! — It’s time for Animaniacs…LIVE! Join the voice cast of the iconic animated series Animaniacs — Rob Paulsen, Tress MacNeille and Jess Harnell — along with series songwriter Randy Rogel for a zany, animany and totally insaney afternoon as they perform songs from the beloved cartoon. Animaniacs Live! will be coming to a city near you.”

Meet ‘Gotham’s New Poison Ivy

by jake108June 24, 2016

If you’re still on Gotham‘s wild ride, then you can expect a shake up in Poison Ivy’s character. If you haven’t been following the show, I’ll try explaining this in the simplest way possible.

Up until now, Ivy Pepper has been portrayed as a young teenager, played by Clare Flory. Following a run-in with a monster in Indian Hill, which happens to be a secret research and testing lab that seems to be cranking out super-villains, Ivy Pepper progresses to the age of 19. Here’s the official run-down:

Following an encounter with a monster from Indian Hill, Ivy Pepper finds herself reborn, and one step closer to the DC villain she is destined to become: Poison Ivy. Now a 19-year-old woman who’s harnessed the full power of her charms, she sets her sights on Bruce Wayne.

The new Ivy, played by Maggie Geha, is set to take up the role and Ivy’s charms. I expect we’ll see more about this bit of news and more next month at San Diego Comic-Con!

Lynda Carter Cast in CW’s ‘Supergirl’

by jake108June 22, 2016

It’s been no secret that the CW’s casting for their DCTV shows have been phenomenal. The trend continues with the announcement that Lynda Carter, Wonder Woman herself, has been cast for a role in the upcoming season of Supergirl.

Supergirl, as you know, has moved to the CW and will premier its second season this October. In an effort to ramp up the buzz, Lynda Carter has been cast as the president of the United States. Not much is known beyond that. However, we can now assume that Supergirl will have some form of communication with the president, be it for better or worse. In any case, we’re pretty excited!

Supergirl returns Monday, October 10th!

Vixen Joins ‘DC’s Legends of Tomorrow!

by jake108June 7, 2016

Well, I’ve got some good news and some bad news. Vixen, who has had a couple of tie-ins with The Flash and most recently Arrow, is set to join Rip Hunter’s crew aboard the Waverider.

Unfortunately, Megalyn Echikunwoke, the actress who portrays and voices Vixen, has her schedule booked up. Instead of recasting her, Rip Hunter will instead be looking for help from another Vixen. This new Vixen may or may not have ties to the McCabe family. The folks at CW are in the process of casting for the role. Megalyn Echikunwoke will still be voicing the role of Vixen in any upcoming animated shorts. On top of that, the door has been left open so that Megalyn Echikunwoke can return to the role of Vixen. The possibility of two Vixens working side-by-side sounds exciting in itself.

SDCC can’t come soon enough!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – The Race of His Life

by jake108May 24, 2016

We’re back with our final recap of The Flash season 2. It’s been quite a season, and it would be an understatement to say that season one set the bar high for the rest of the series. Season two parallels this same sentiment and goes one step further and hints at another major Flash comic book event. More on that after the jump!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Earth Prime

During this episode, it was revealed that the Earth portrayed in CW’s The Flash, Legends of Tomorrow, and Arrow is the nexus between the infinite earth’s. This would theoretically make the Earth’s portrayed in any DC cinematic renditions to be just one of many Earth’s.

Before his defeat, Zoom’s plan was to set off a sort of bomb that would send a transdimensional ripple across the infinite Earths and destroy them. Had his plan worked, Zoom would then conquer Earth Prime and rule it as the fastest man alive. Unfortunately for him, his plan didn’t fly so well.

Zoom

Zoom was handed his first defeat, and one that would transform him forever. Fans of the comics will see some similarities that may lead them to believe that Zoom lives on, just in another form. Earlier this season, we were introduced to Time Wraiths, a kind of police that puts speedsters into check to prevent them from ruining timelines and other Earth’s. As the Time Wraith’s took Zolomon away, his body seemed to disintegrate. This transformation seemed to resemble that of Black Flash.

I believe it’s entirely possible we’ll see Zolomon again, most likely in this more sinister form.

Earth-3

The identity of the man in the iron mask was finally revealed, and it’s something that we’ve talked about multiple times in the past. Now that we have an established Jay Garrick, and an established Earth-3, we can finally connect The Flash to Legends of Tomorrow in a more concrete way.

At the end of the Legends of Tomorrow season finale, the Legends were visited by Rex Tyler, aka Hourman. Hourman, if you don’t know, is a member of the Justice Society of America. The JSA was mentioned by name at the end of the episode. What’s even better is that Jay Garrick may also be a member of the JSA.

Jay Garrick

Jay Garrick turned out to be Henry Allen’s Earth-3 doppleganger. After Zolomon failed at taking Garrick’s speed, his stole his identity and locked up him in a cell where he remained after being rescued by the Flash.

Seeing this was a bit overwhelming, understandably so, but the presence of a seasoned speedster may be just what Barry needs. Zolomon’s helmet, which resembles “hope” was adopted by Garrick and will carry on it’s meaning. Garrick took Wells and Jesse back to Earth-2, where they will presumably help him get to Earth-3. I’m certain we’ll see him back in some capacity throughout the series, and hopefully in a much larger capacity in Legends of Tomorrow.

Flashpoint

The Flashpoint Paradox is a well-documented story arc involving the Flash. After Barry rescues his mother and prevents her from ever being killed, the entire world has Barry knew it ceased to exist. This sounds closest to what happened last night. While I doubt the changes will be permanent, it will be very interesting seeing how things play out early into Season 3.

You can watch The Flashpoint Paradox on Netflix instant streaming, or buy it here.

Looking back at it now, this entire season has really been moving past losing his mom. Everything from the Comic-Con trailer I discussed a couple of weeks back, to having Barry recite what seemed to be a common theme this season. Every time Barry scored a victory, he still loss in some way. It’s been like that since season one and this trend seemed to ultimately break him, and snap back to his somewhat selfish state he had at the end of last season. Yes, everyone gave him their blessing to change the timeline, but Barry ultimately chose to keep everything intact, which is what Henry Allen wanted for his son. After losing Henry, Barry snapped and pushed the button. The consequences for his actions will hopefully reverberate onto Season three. In any case, if he’s going to want to put the timeline back to normal, he’s going to need a ton of help from the Speedforce.

With that, it’s going to be a very long summer. However, I will still continue with news from all things DCTV. We’re bound to hear more about The Flash sooner than we think! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Destiny

by jake108May 12, 2016

What an episode! I was beginning to wonder what Legends of Tomorrow had in store for the three remaining episodes a couple of weeks ago. Now that it has been revealed who the real villains are, the stakes couldn’t be higher. On top of that, we got word of a possible, and perhaps, eventual future. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Time Masters

The Time Masters have always been a sort of villain since the start of the show. However, up until now, we’ve thought that the Time Masters only wanted to apprehend Rip Hunter for messing with the timeline. Tonight, we found out that answer was only a half true.

As it turns out, the Time Masters wanted Rip and his crew to visit all of these time periods and aid Vandal Savage in assuming power over the world. Everything from the United States winning the Cold War, to killing Rip’s family was carefully planned out, thus taking away any free well the Legends crew thought they had.

In an attempt to change destiny, the crew decides to engage the time masters at the Vanishing Point, which is in another dimension. Doing so, they’ve managed to destroy a device that allows the Time Masters to peer into the future, thus taking their power over the timeline away.

Captain Cold

Is he gone? I doubt it. What we know is that Rip saw Palmer dissolve, but that doesn’t mean he necessarily died. Another possibility is that, since it wasn’t Ray Palmer, perhaps the event was changed so that no one dissolves. We’ll have to find out what happens to Cold in next week’s episode, but something tells me he’s due for a major role next episode.

Thanagarian Invasion

The Thanagarian Invasion was a popular story arc in the Justice League Animated Series in episodes 50-52. In what spanned over three episodes, we saw Thanagarians invading Earth in droves so that they could destroy the planet altogether. All of this was a ploy to provide a straight path to another alien race they were warring with. The event was also the root cause in deciding the open up Justice League membership to many others. In any case, should this invasion ever to come pass, it’s going to take everyone to fight back. Who knows, maybe that’s what Legends season two is going to take on.

‘Supergirl’ Moves to the CW!

by jake108May 12, 2016

Rumors have been swirling for a while now, and today, it was made official. What’s worrying here for Supergirl fans is the show’s production budget. It’s reported that each episode took about three million dollars to produce. However, since the show is jumping to the CW, it’s likely the production will also move to Vancouver, where the rest the DC shows on the CW are filmed.

With any luck, we won’t see any decrease in production value and Supergirl may end up a better series because of the jump. In any case, we can expect to see some major crossover action planned for season five of Arrow, season three of The Flash, and the season two of Legends of Tomorrow.

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Monument Point

by jake108May 11, 2016

We’re back with another recap of tonight’s Arrow! Monument Point wasn’t just an episode that was actively setting the stage for a Darhk vs. Arrow bout. It also served as a pivotal point for Team Arrow, which is something they’re probably going to remember for the rest of their lives. So without further ado…

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Monument Point

What may come as a surprise to some, Monument Point has served as a plot device in DC lore, previous to appearing in Arrow tonight. Unfortunately for the city itself, it’s no stranger to disaster.

In tonight’s episode, Team Arrow, I mean Felicity, managed to reroute a nuclear missile so that it would hit 20 miles east of his destination. This destination turned out to be Havencroft, which is a suburb of Monument Point. While Monument Point may be safe from widespread destruction, those living in the city are still in danger of fallout and radiation. It’s quite possible that this disaster will not be ignored by larger entities and may play as a pivotal factor in the next season of Arrow.

All the Best Cowboys…

Daddy issues are frequent in this show, and have been since Oliver watched his dad commit suicide right in front of him. This week, we got a few of doses of daddy-drama when Donna, Felicity’s mom, confronted Lance regarding his lie about knowing the Black Canary’s true identity. After a few stern words, Lance revised his report stating that he knew, and cooperated with his daughter’s heroics. While this may jeopardize his reinstatement in the police force, Lance can at least rest easy knowing he made Donna happy.

The second dose came when Felicity was forced to contact her father to help save the world. While Noah regarded the whole affair as making up for missed bonding time, Felicity kept their interactions strictly professional. There’s no telling as to what Noah will become after this ordeal. Who knows? Maybe he’ll go live out at that cabin the woods, or rent another cabin somewhere near by. I hear there’s a cabin near Central City that recently went back on the market.

The third dose came when Thea had a run in with her father. Merlyn explained that the only reason why he’s working with Darhk was, of course, to perserve his life, as well as his daughter’s life. To be fair, had Oliver not taking the mantle of Ra’s Al Ghul away from Merlyn, he’d probably be utilizing the League of Assassins to take down HIVE. Still, doesn’t Merlyn have a few loyalists still? Don’t be surprised if they show up at the end of this season.

Darhk

Darhk wasn’t in much of this episode. However, in the bit he was in, he looked fierce. It’s been properly stated that the reason why Darhk wanted nuclear annihilation, besides being able to rebuild afterward, was because his power thrives on the death of others. Nuclear bombs, of course, are the quickest way to kill people. Since one bomb went off, killings tens of thousands, we can assume that Darhk is mighty powerful right about now.

There’s really no telling as to what Oliver is going to do now that Darhk is more powerful than he has been all season. Maybe we’ll get another couple of flashbacks as to how he was able to survive that magical situation on Lian-Yu. The two arcs have to be connected somehow, and I’m sure Oliver will probably have one last thing up his sleeve that doesn’t involve learning magic in some back room at a casino.

A.R.G.U.S

A.R.G.U.S. was seen at the tail end of this episode helping out Team Arrow. Most of the agents, including the head of A.R.G.U.S. herself, helped by fending off a number of HIVE soldiers. Their presence here is meaningful because it explains why no one is helping out at Central City.

Zoom has the city under siege with a meta-human army at his command, but I’m sure SWAT has it covered.

Anarky

Anarky made another appearance this episode, just when I was beginning to forget about him. He’s still hellbent on taking down Darhk, and may prove to be a vital asset to Team Arrow down the line when it’s time to take Darhk down.

Remember, Anarky has been involved in each of Team Arrow’s attempts at taking Darhk down. The last time he was involved, Anarky had kidnapped Darhk’s family, leaving Darhk vulnerable for Team Arrow to come in and find his weak point.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i23uTEFzX6g

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – The Runaway Dinosaur

by jake108May 11, 2016

Kevin Smith is synonymous with the definition of geekdom in many of our vocabularies. It’s not uncommon to come across some that don’t generally like him or his work, and that’s fine, but I think he deserves a round of applause for guiding what seemed to be the most unique and hardest episodes to direct in the series. The Runaway Dinosaur closed a story thread that had been swinging in the wind for the entirety of the series; And that of course, was Barry coming to peace with making the decision to not save his mother at the end of the first season. So without further ado, let’s get to it!

Nora Allen

Nora Allen’s death was the driving force behind the first season. Of course, the big baddie last season was Eobard Thawne, a.k.a. the Reverse Flash, but it was Thawne’s action in killing Nora Allen that set off the events that would unfold into Barry Allen becoming a hero and defeating his nemesis for the first time. At the end of the first season, we saw Barry had a chance to save his mother and change history as we knew it. This would also mean that Barry’s life up until that point would be drastically different. For instance, he would have never lived with Joe, never would have grown up with Iris, and he would not be the same person he was in that instance.

When Barry made the decision not to save his mother, partly because his future self chimed in with his two cents, Barry had to live with it. His guilt, which was stacked on already losing Ronnie Raymond to the singularity, was evident from the start of this season. You can even get a feeling for how Barry was feeling during this Comic-Con trailer for season two:

I just feel like I made a mistake. I should’ve saved my mom.

Now, after visiting and talking to Speedforce incarnate, Barry seems to be at peace with his decision. It also helped talking to a Speedfroce version of his mother, who was also in communication with his real mother.

Now, feeling fulfilled, we were properly introduced to a new and improved Barry Allen. It’s going to be a blast seeing this new version of The Flash in the next couple of weeks, and next season.

The Speedforce

Last week, I went a little in depth as to where a speedster goes when they transcend our reality. However, in the show, the Speedforce seemed to take on a persona that seems to be immortal and omniscient.

There isn’t much to discuss here other than that the Speedforce will probably making appearances in one way or another from now on. It’s also inspired Barry to take on what he sees as his true calling. Strangely, seeing Barry like this remindes me of Season Six Jack in LOST.

Jesse Quick

Jesse Quick seemingly has some sort of speedster-like powers. This comes after being hit by Barry’s leftover energy, and having some form of energy transferred over to her from Barry.

What’s eerie here, and perhaps means nothing at all, is that this scene was remeniscent of a scene in Episode 20 of Season 1. In this scene, Iris visits Barry in the hospital, some time after Barry is struck by lightning. When Iris lays her hand onto Barry’s, the same shock is present, only, this lightning here is blue.

Zoom Gets to Bring Friends

At the end of the episode, Zoom revealed his army from Earth-2, and possibly other Earths as well. We won’t know for sure unless there’s some evidence presented inferring they’re all from Earth-2.

Some of these villains will look familiar for comic readers, and it’s very exciting to see villains being utilized from deep within DC lore. I can’t wait for next week’s episode!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUKi7JnVt-w

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Genesis

by jake108May 4, 2016

Tonight’s episode of Arrow moved us one step closer to a final resolution between Damien Darhk and Team Arrow. While the episode seemed to move alone steadily, it was nice not having to flashback to Lian-Yu. Also, it would be nice to at least see Oliver talk to Constantine once in a while!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

The Diggles

After many years of searching for the man who killed his little brother, John Diggle came to the realization that he had to do it himself. It was the right choice, especially after Andy kept coming at Diggle and threatening his family. Still, it’s probably going to be a little difficult if this whole event ever comes up in conversation with Diggle’s nephew.

The death of Andy signifies Diggle’s transformation. This was also marked by the contrasting views Lyla had when Diggle came back injured from his encounter with Andy. Diggle came close to reverting back to his own self by putting himself in danger without thinking of any repercussions that may follow his death. However, by the end of the episode, it was clear Diggle has changed for the better.

Magic 101

This episode also saw Oliver attempting to learn magic to combat Darhk’s abilities. During his training session, Oliver fought Deathstroke, Darhk, and other past enemies from Lian-Yu. This was a pretty cool segment, and it was nice seeing the Deathstroke suit dusted off.

During this training session, we also learned that the reason why Darhk chose Star City as his base of operations was because of the existence of a magical “nexus”, similar to the one found on Lian-Yu. It’s assumed that this is where Darhk gets his powers, using that totem to channel his magical abilities. By the end of the episode, we found that two can play that game:

Thea

After taking some time off from the team while Oliver left to Hub City, Thea found herself in a bad situation in which she was drugged and kidnapped to a shelter under Star City. The shelter is of course operated by HIVE, and we’ve seen a glimpse of this place earlier this season. The dome is powered and its air is filtered by plants. HIVE was obviously thinking long term here, as they should be.

As for Oliver’s ex-political advisor, he’s clearly under the control of HIVE, presumably not by choice. He mentioned that he was taking “vitamins” given to him by Ruvé Adams, Darhk’s wife. Of course, we know that this pills are used to take control of people, turning them into agents of HIVE. We saw this happen to Andy Diggle, and there’s no word yet on if the effects can be reversed.

Genesis

Finally, we caught wind of Darhk’s endgame. It’s assumed that Darhk plans on nuking the world and rebuilding his own in the future. His endgame is peculiar because it affects the entire world. You would think that Vandal Savage would have something to say about this.

If you remember more than a few weeks back, Damien Darhk appeared in a Legends of Tomorrow episode. In it, Darhk was seen trying to buy nuclear weapons. It’s clear now that nuking the planet has been in Darhk’s head for a few decades, if not longer. His yearn to control the planet also falls in line with his teachings within the League of Assassins, and it’s also probably what got him cast out of the league entirely, paving way to the Ra’s Al Ghul we saw last season.

Hub City

Lastly, but certainly not least, I wanted to expand a little on Hub City. The city is patrolled by The Question. Question is an expert martial artist, vigilante, sometimes conspiracy theorist, and a master detective. If he looks familiar to you, much of his persona was borrowed to create Rorschach of Watchmen.

The city also pays homage to Ted Kord, also known as the Blue Beetle. Kord Industries has also been featured repeatedly on Arrow.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7cTJ3EeFGc

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Rupture

by jake108May 3, 2016

We’re back with another recap for The Flash! After a few ups and downs, I wholeheartedly believe that tonight, we were dealt one of the best episodes of the series. This episode, we saw a Barry Allen without speed. While it may not be the first time we’ve had an episode where Barry struggles to live without his speed, we haven’t seen an episode where things truly become dire right in front of a helpless Barry. If Grant Gustin hasn’t solidified his role as Barry Allen for you, I don’t know what it’s going to take for that happen. Let’s get on with the recap!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Caitlin

Caitlin continues to have one of the most underrated and interesting character arcs this season. Let me reiterate by saying that we first found Caitlin working at a STAR Labs competitor at the start of this season. She was apprehensive at the notion of even returning to STAR Labs, let alone become part of the team again. This was completely understandable since she lost Ronnie at the end of season one. Now, having ben kidnapped by Zoom, Caitlin is continually being exposed to “the darkness.”

Now, I’m not going to jump the shark and come right out and say Caitlin will assume her role as Killer Frost, but what I think we can expect in the third season is a darker Caitlin. You can’t be next to Zoom, especially for these next few days that can be described as the darkest days Central City has had, and expect to be completely fine afterward.

Iris

This episode marked Iris revealing her feelings about Barry. While there have been hints here and there over the course of the first season and this one, this marked an important step in developing their relationship out further. As long as it doesn’t feel forced, and as long as Iris doesn’t get the Felicity treatment, I’m fully on board.

Last season, Iris felt like an accessory. She was the daughter, she was the love-interest; And after Eddie died, she had to rediscover herself. In doing so, she had to forge her own path into becoming part of Team Flash. At the time, Barry was involved with Patty, eliminating her role as the love-interest for the time being. So as long as she keeps her identity and doesn’t revert back to what she was in the first season, I think we can expect a great dynamic to be added in season three of The Flash.

Cisco and Dante

The brotherly love was strong with this episode. Cisco has been repeatedly made to feel left out of his own family, and Dante wasn’t helping the cause. Their relationship was on full display when Cisco met up with Dante at the bar, but for viewers who are new to the show or don’t quite remember their relationship from season one, a full transition took effect. Who knew all you need to repair a relationship with an estranged family member is an evil doppleganger from another Earth trying to kill you both?

Barry

In dramatic fashion, it would appear Barry got his speed back, but not without disappearing into the Speed Force. Seeing this transition was hard to watch, depending on how invested you are in the show. But regardless, it was very cool seeing this happen. As to where Barry went, he’s probably lost in the Speed Force, and he’s going to need some rescuing. There have been multiple interpretations as to where this place is, and/or how it happens. In the Justice League animated series, Wally West runs so fast, in trying to defeat a merged Brainiac and Lex Luthor, that he becomes one with the Speed Force and needs the rest of the League to help get him out.

In another instance, specifically in Young Justice, Wally is again subject to becoming part of the Speed Force.

Now, how would I imagine Barry gets out? Well, it’ll be up to Team Flash. However, I would love it if Jesse and Wally use speedster-like powers to tap into the Speed Force and save Barry.

Another thing I’d like to point out is the possibility at an answer as to what exactly that time wraith was a few episodes back. If you remember, Barry went back in time to have Eobard Thawne teach him how to get faster. During that trip, a time wraith chased Barry around and nearly killed him.

If you look closely, this time wraith is wearing Flash’s cowl, but no suit. The body also looks charred. Could it be possible that this time wraith was born when Barry entered the Speed Force? If so, it would make sense that all that would be left of Barry is a charred body and the cowl. After all, when Zoom went into STAR Labs, he only picked up Barry’s suit, which was missing the cowl.

Jesse and Wally

I believe we have just witnessed the origins of Jesse Quick and Kid Flash and I could not be more excited. The wave that knocked the two over was probably Barry, in Speed Force form, I guess you could say. In the comics, there have been multiple instances where a speedster becomes one with the Speed Force. In one comic arc in particular, Barry turns into the lighting that strikes him at his origin, making him the Flash. Seeing what happened to Jesse and Wally was reminiscent of that.

I would say the chances of seeing two speedsters helping Barry out in the coming episodes are pretty high. Since they were hit by the result of Barry getting his powers back, it’s hard to say just how fast they’ll be, but we can assume they won’t be as fast as Barry. Here’s to hoping seeing them in action in the penultimate episode this season!

Who’s in the Mask?!

Things are starting to ramp up to another big reveal at the end of this season. One, if not the most mysterious story threads this season has been the identity of the man in the mask being held in Zoom’s lair. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I believe the man in the mask is the real Jay Garrick. However, what’s key here is that this Jay Garrick is that of Barry’s father’s doppleganger.

A major hint was dropped tonight when Barry visited his father at his far-away cabin. During their conversation, Henry informed Barry that his mother’s maiden name was Garrick. How this version of Jay Garrick will relate to Hunter Zolomon is yet to be seen. However, one theory would suggest that they’re step-brothers, or brothers. We’ll just have to wait and see!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyTi8qkw7rY

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Last Refuge

by jake108April 21, 2016

Legends of Tomorrow is certainly ramping up the action as the season draws to a close. Unfortunately for us, it’s that time of year where all of our favorite shows are starting to wrap and we’re on the home stretch towards three season finales. In Legends, we saw some great character development in each of the crew, with the exception of Snart. That’s okay since we already know what Snart is all about and have already gone back to his childhood earlier this season. So what’s going to happen next? Where does this episode leave us in the pursuit of Savage? Well, let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Pilgrim

In the comics, Pilgrim is a deadly assassin who is proficient in the use of firearms. She also wears a sort of symbiote that grants her special abilities such as invulnerability, super strength, enhanced senses, and time travel. In the show, it looks like her powers may have been provided by her by the time masters. Perhaps her greatest ability was being able to put the Legends in suspended animation.

Unfortunately for her, she didn’t expect a young Rip Hunter stabbing her multiple times. This lead to her defeat and, well, atomized remains. If they did this to her, I can only imagine what they’ll do when they get their hands on Vandal Savage.

Heatwave

We got a definitive origin for Heatwave this episode. As it turns out, the death of his parents was an accident, but an accident that could have been prevented. Rory eventually went back to try and talk some sense into his younger self, something that we might see pay off in the long run. Who knows, if Mick and Snart develop some compassion, they could do some real good back where they came from, or wherever they end up.

Refuge

As explained in the show, the Refuge is a place where a sort of foster mom raises future time masters. The refuge is hidden in time and apparently the time masters continually forget that it exists and do not have the foresight to see that they have a traitor in their midst. It was nice to see where Rip comes from, but disappointing at the same time. In the comics, Rip Hunter’s father is Booster Gold. Booster Gold became a hero using tech stolen from the future. Eventually, Rip Hunter recruits him to help restore the time stream, while keeping their relations a secret.

What’s Next

Well, since the Legends are “out of time,” that leaves the team no choice but to hit Savage at the height of his power. While this sounds like a terrible idea, it’s the only option they have at the moment. The next few episodes should see the Savage arc come to a head with a definitive conclusion.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Versus Zoom

by jake108April 19, 2016

It’s been a long hiatus, but we’re finally back with another episode of The Flash. This episode provided some much need answers as to some lingering questions, mostly dealing with Zoom’s identity. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Hunter Zolomon

Zoom is indeed Hunter Zolomon. Zolomon made the mistake of showing Caitlin his doppleganger in an earlier episode this season. Since the start of the season, we here at Geekscape have been speculating Jay Garrick’s ties to Zoom. I wrote about it early on in the season, and today, we found out exactly what the whole business was with Jay Garrick dying a few episodes back.

The way Zolomon explained it was that the Garrick we saw die was a time remnant. We saw another example of this earlier this season when the Reverse-Flash came back in time. Zolomon somehow convinced his time remnant to be a part of Zolomon’s grand scheme in stealing the Flash’s speed. Zolomon initially says the remnant agreed to the plan because it was so good. It’s also entirely possible that he was holding his remnant hostage the entire time. As for who’s in the mask, Zoom remarks, “You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

In this episode, we also saw that Zolomon’s father fought, presumably, in the War of the Americas. This was an odd detraction from what Garrick said at the start of the season, saying his Grandfather fought in the war, and not his father. Was Zoom lying? Was there a bit of retcon? We’re going to have to keep watching to find out.

Keystone City

Keystone City made an appearance this episode, and it wasn’t in suspended animation! However, it does look a little dire in Keystone. It’s nice to know that this place exists and will probably show up again in the future. Still, at least we know that there is at least ONE pizza shop in the city.

Keystone City is home to both Wally West Flash and Jay Garrick. There isn’t much more significance other than that. However, it would be cool if Wally moved to Keystone, should he ever get his own set of speedster powers.

Supergirl

If you watched closely, you saw Flash temporarily vanish from Central City and reappear shortly after before heading back to STAR Labs. After getting back, Barry questioned Cisco, asking stuff like how long he was gone and what was happening. That brief moment of absence was spent on Supergirl’s Earth, whatever Earth that is.

Vibe

Cisco finally broke down what has been stopping him from exploring his powers. The bottom line was that he was afraid of becoming a villain. After a solid pep talk from Barry, Cisco decided to use his powers to open a breach to Earth 2. While Barry and Cisco are partially to blame for Wally’s capture, hopefully the ordeal pushes Cisco to continue on the path of realizing his true potential.

Flashpoint Easter Egg

For those of you who have read the Flashpoint comics, or have seen the movie, you may have noticed a fun little easter egg in Zoom’s creation. When the particle accelerator blew up on Earth-2, Zolomon was in the midst of electroshock treatments. This origin is similar to how Barry got his powers back on another Earth.

Who’s in the Mask?!

Well, it seems we have three solid candidates as to who’s wearing the mask. Before, it was easy to guess that it may be another variation of Jay Garrick or Hunter Zolomon. Perhaps an older Jay Garrick is also in the cards. Regardless, whoever is in the mask knows a tap code used during wartime, specifically for POW’s. First, those who would know that means of communication would be an older Jay Garrick who fought in the war or Zolomon’s father.

The third, perhaps more convoluted is Wally West of another Earth. If we are to take the events that happened on another Earth, it’s possible that like Earth-2, there is another Earth where Barry does not become the Flash. Perhaps instead, there is another Earth where Wally West is the Flash and that’s why Zoom kidnapped him away from Earth-1. In any case, this will build up until the season finale and may have repercussions on the series itself.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Eleven-Fifty-Nine

by jake108April 7, 2016

We’re back with another Arrow recap! With The Flash on hiatus, we were forced to leave it up to Arrow to deliver the goods, and they did not disappoint. Rather than waiting to find out who’s in the grave until the end of the season, we got a bitter send off to a character that, not only progressed the most this season, but was also the most pure of Team Arrow. Let’s get to it.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Damien Darhk

While we don’t exactly know what the ring was for, Darhk was able to persuade Merlyn and other baddies to essentially bring him a totem and break him out of Iron Heights. Since a full riot ensured at Iron Heights, we can only assume that more prisoners than just Darhk’s men had an opportunity to get out. And since Darhk was locked up with seemingly normal inmates, we can also assume that no Meta’s got out in the riot.

Merlyn’s service to Darhk was ultimately disappointing. By now, being the former Ra’s Al Ghul, you would think that Merlyn adores power above anything else. I don’t really understand why he didn’t take the totem for himself, unless he’s planing some kind of coup in the future. So, with Darhk’s rise to power, Team Arrow was dealt a major blow by losing one of their own. But more on that later.

We can expect Darhk to retake his position at HIVE. With his wife in office, we can also expect Star City is in some serious danger. Darhk has successfully infiltrated the city and now all that’s left between him and Star City’s ultimate destruction is one pissed off Oliver Queen.

Andy Diggle

Andy’s character arc over this last episode kept us thinking whether or not he would betray the team. This suspense was kept up until the very end. Oliver and Diggle once again got into it over Oliver’s accusations. Since Oliver rushed in by himself, against Laurel’s advice, Diggle was more inclined to stick by his brother’s side.

The betrayal will ultimately make the bond between Oliver and Diggle stronger, if they survive what’s coming. As far as Andy is concerned, we can expect to see his character resolution at the end of this season. Will he betray Darhk? Will he assume a higher position in HIVE? It’s hard to gauge exactly what Andy is getting out of this. Either he’s doing this for self-preservation, or a boatload of money. Either way, any potential relationship with his brother is pretty much shot.

Felicity

Honestly, this episode was much better without having to deal with any Felicity-Oliver relationship drama. It is my sincere hope that they put that drama on hold for the remainder of the season. It makes sense to do so, mainly because Team Arrow is going to be hellbent on capturing or ending Damien Darhk.

As we saw in the last flash-forward, Felicity was in the limo with Oliver, upset, and quite vengeful. It seems with Laruel’s death that the collective heart of Team Arrow will be filled with darkness for the remainder of the season. It will be a nice juxtaposition between the tone set earlier in the season, and the remainder.

Oliver

I wouldn’t be surprised if Oliver goes back to killing this season. Midway through the episode, he told Diggle that people don’t change, and that the darkness that made him who he was over the five years on Lian-Yu changed him forever. Diggle proclaimed that people “evolve” and move past it. But for Oliver, and what seems like the rest of Team Arrow, the events that happened last night will change all of them.

Yes, with her dying breaths, Laurel blessed the ‘Olicity’ relationship, but I really hope Oliver puts that on the back-burner until his business with Darhk is done.

Laurel Lance

At first, she picked up the mantle of Black Canary to honor her sister, to get closer to Oliver, and to protect the city in ways that would eventually make her father proud. She fought crime and super villains and based her self-worth off of it. Ultimately, the Laurel we saw develop this season changed her reasoning over why she fights for the city.

Like Oliver, Laurel fought to protect the city for herself. By doing this, she became Oliver’s equivalent. Sure, she didn’t have a horrible past, or any stay on Lian-Yu, but she did lose her sister a few times, overcame alcoholism and her pill addiction, and became one of the strongest pillars of Team Arrow. Without her, it’s hard to tell how the team will stand. We won’t have to wait long.

While I’m sure this isn’t the last that we’ll see Laurel in the Arrowverse, she will be missed as a regular on the show.

That’s all for this week! Check back for a Legends of Tomorrow recap!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Broken Hearts

by jake108March 26, 2016

Arrow is back this week with familiar faces and an old enemy. Overall, I liked this week’s episode, even the courtroom procedural aspect. So let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Damien Darhk

It was odd that he didn’t speak for the entire episode. Instead, he often peered at Oliver, lustfully, I might add. I mean, look at him!

Darhk seems to have had an alternate identity set up so that he could evade the court system and flee the country. However, what he wasn’t counting on was Captain Lance’s testimony. Still, being the Darhk he is, we saw him enact what looked like to be Plan C: Another mystical artifact that will presumably give him powers. We can’t say we didn’t see this coming, but the fact that he had the ring in his mouth for who knows how long may provide some insight as to why he didn’t really say anything.

Darhk seems like he is in control, even in a prison cell, so there’s really no telling what this ring can do. Still, I think he’s going to require a little bit more help than just putting a ring on. Who knows? Maybe he’ll be able to control guards with it or something.

Also, keep in mind that Darhk is in Iron Heights Prison, a prison with a wing that houses meta-humans that Team Flash captures.

Cupid

Arrowverse’s very own Harley Quinn made another appearance tonight and reminded us of the good ‘ol superior Suicide Squad days. Let’s all take a breath and reminisce.

Cupid presumably escaped Taskforce X, aka the Suicide Squad, around the time Amanda Waller died. Or maybe Waller lost track of her and kept it on the down low and was ultimately killed before letting anyone know. The Squad was off the books, so it could be that it’s just taken Cupid a pretty long time to make her way back to Star City to preach her “love is dead” message to its citizens.

Because she showed up, Olicity fans were treated to a fake wedding between Oliver and Felicity…Well, “fake” depending on who you ask. I’m glad Cupid didn’t go the way of Amanda Waller and Deadshot (RIP), so it’s nice knowing that she has the potential of coming back sooner or later. I honestly wouldn’t mind if she became a member of the Legends of Tomorrow next season.

Oliver and Felicity

Oliver made one last ditch effort to win Felicity over with his vows and was fooled into thinking he had an impact. We found out, along with him, that Felicity in fact did not fall for it and refuses to be in a relationship with Oliver. It would also seem as if she’s having second thoughts about being part of Team Arrow in general.

If she does indeed take a break, it would be fair to assume that break wouldn’t last for very long. As we all know, a death in the Arrow family is incoming, we just don’t know who yet.

Who’s in the Grave?!

Ah, back to our weekly segment of “Who’s in the Grave?!”. So let’s take a look at who’s likely this week.

Captain Lance testified in court against Damien Darhk. While it looks like Ghost activity has died down since Darhk’s capture, it doesn’t change the fact that HIVE is still being controlled by Malcolm Merelyn. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: I don’t believe Darhk is going to be the one to take the life of whoever Team Arrow is mourning at the end of this season. Merelyn has an equal opportunity of being the one to murder someone in the Team Arrow family.

Darhk will probably make one last stand to try to regain power before being either killed or apprehended by Oliver and dumped on his Lian-Yu prison island. Then hopefully we can get a spin-off series where Deathstroke and Darhk live together on an island filled with mysterious artifacts and portals to hell.

Felicity still remains to be a likely candidate, regardless of us seeing her in the car with Oliver post grave scene. It’s not impossible to believe that Oliver would imagine Felicity sitting next to him and talking to him post-death. I mean, how many times has Shado come back to talk with Oliver?

Still, I think the key players here are Lance, Felicity, and yes, Donna. My money is still on Donna by the way.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Trajectory

by jake108March 22, 2016

We’re back with another episode of The Flash! That break wasn’t so bad, was it? While we did wait as patiently as we could over the last three weeks, it was nice seeing Team Flash finally connect the dots and see the correlation between Zoom and Jay Garrick. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Trajectory

Even when Zoom’s not around, he’s still screwing things up for Team Flash. A few weeks back, when Caitlin was still developing a serum to help Jay/Zoom gain more speed and stop his cells from decaying, she asked a friend of hers at Mercury Labs for help. Mercury Labs has shown up in the show before and it’s understandable that Caitlin would use contacts there for help. What she didn’t expect was her colleague taking the Velocity-9 herself.

Trajectory is an interesting case because through her, we are able to sort of peer into the beginnings of Jay/Zoom. If taking the Velocity drugs has the same, or nearly the same effects on everyone, then we can assume Jay/Zoom went under some kind of transition. The transition we saw tonight presumably started with a sort of split-personality disorder, where the other personality craved the Velocity serum. This turned the subject into a sort of speed junkie that only craved the serum. While Zoom had been masquerading as Jay during the duration of his stay at STAR labs, he may have told a number of half-truths. For instance, when he confessed to Caitlin that he was indeed a speed junkie, he could’ve been telling the truth. The fact of the matter is Jay said he was a chemist on Earth-2 and was actively looking for ways to increase his speed. His addiction only grew and thus, Zoom was born. We’ll get to more on that a little ways down…

Trajectory vanished as she ran from Flash at the end of their fight. Either she became one with the Speedforce, or she simply disintegrated. Still, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Trajectory.

Jesse Quick

We got one step closer to seeing Jesse Quick tonight. While she was injected with a pure form of Velocity-9, it was said that they were able to get the serum out of her bloodstream and get her back to good health. Afterwards, there was no clear sign that she had speedster powers, but maybe it’ll take some time to take effect.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw Jesse return to Central City just in time to help out Team Flash in battling Zoom.

Opal City

After learning just what her father did in an effort to protect her, Jesse decided it was time that she move on and live life on her own. The interesting thing here is that she purchased a bus ticket to Opal City. This city isn’t known for much, other than playing host to generations of Starman.

Using his intelligence and wealth, Ted Knight developed a rod that granted him the power of flight, concentrated blasts of radiation, and the ability to defy gravity. The first iteration of Starman was a part of the Justice Society of America.

Zoom

We know Velocity-9 can have an effect where a split-personality can take over the user completely. Knowing this, there’s a slight possibility that Jay Garrick didn’t know he was Zoom. This would be a more tragic route for the Jay Garrick character. Since Jay was already a speedster, I would think his Zoom personality would come around slower, and more powerful.

However, it’s also possible that he knew all along and was playing Team Flash for fools. What we do know is that Zoom is dying. This is something we all saw coming, if you’ve been keeping up with the recaps.

That’s it for this week! As always, thank you all for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Night of the Hawk

by jake108March 10, 2016

Note: Check out our recap of last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

It was only a matter of time before Legends of Tomorrow was going to leave us too. Fortunately, it didn’t leave before giving us a solid episode which also doubles as a callback to the classic horror genre. Thanks, Joe Dante! This week, we were also treated to a pretty good cliffhanger. Unfortunately for us, we’ll have to wait until March 31 to see what becomes of the rest of the team.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Nth Metal

Nth metal made another appearance tonight in the form of a meteor. As we all know, Nth metal comes outer space. In the comics, Nth metal is very common on the world of Thanagar. Tonight, we also learned that it can mutate humans into what looked like to be more Hawk than man. It’s also what gives Hawkgirl and Hawkman their powers. A few articles back, I briefly went over the history of Nth Metal, and how it can potentially tie into the show on a deeper level.

The knife came into being when Carter Hall, then Prince Khufu of ancient Egypt, found a crashed Thanagarian ship with a very hawk-like theme. Both Nabu and Teth Adam were with Khufu when he found it. If those last two names sound familiar to you, they should. Eventually, Nabu becomes the power source of Doctor Fate and Teth Adam becomes the Black Adam. In the crashed ship, they find nth metal and create a few tools from it, including the mace and the deadly knife used in the double murder. Among other things created was the Claw of Horus. Again, sound familiar? The Staff of Horus was used by Savage at the end of this episode. It was said by Hall that if Savage got a hold of the staff, he would be nearly impossible to beat. Using information based off the comics, we can assume nth metal exists in this universe, and Savage is currently using it to his advantage.

You can read more about the Nth Metal and its ties to Doctor Fate here.

Sara Lance

Sara caught feelings, seemingly for the first time since being revived from the Lazarus Pit. This makes a lot of sense, especially since she came back with a demon inhabiting her body. Aside from that, we have to note that as of right now in Arrow, Nyssa has not heard from Sara since the revival. That’s unfortunate due to the fact that the two were once a couple.

However, after a kiss shared in the 1950’s, it would look like Sara has made one more step to becoming normal again…Well as normal as you can get when you’re a time-traveling assassin.

Captain Cold & Heat Wave

Cold was distant this week, and that’s understandable. This week danced around what we saw at the end of last week’s episode. We don’t have a definitive answer yet as to what happened to Heat Wave. Yes, Captain Cold fired his gun, and yes, the falling out between them two was pretty big. Still, I think there’s only two ways this can go:

It’s possible Captain Cold made a deal with Heat Wave and the plan all along was to have Mick turn rogue on everyone and send Mick off with something stolen off the Wave Rider. Then, once Cold could get away from the team, he would eventually meet up with Mick and the two would reap the benefits of whatever they stole.

Then there’s the obvious theory that Cold simply didn’t kill him and instead abandon him for the time being. In this theory, we could assume that Mick is now just wandering wherever and whenever he was left. However, there’s a new theory as what becomes of Heat Wave.

We know Chronos has been hunting the Legends. A new theory suggests that was subsequently picked up by the time masters, equipped him with a ship and weapons, and sent him after the Legends. It’s farfetched, I know, but it would be a neat twist.

That’s all for this week! See you all at the end of the month!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Marooned

by jake108March 4, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of last week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

While Arrow and The Flash are away, Legends of Tomorrow continues its run in exciting fashion. Last night, we had more than a few easter eggs, found out the Waverider could travel into deep space, and we were dealt a pretty big cliffhanger. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Eve Baxter

The majority of the episode involves Rip and company boarding a Time Master ship that’s sending out a distress call. Quickly, Rip and co find out that the ship has been boarded by Space Pirates. The ship’s real captain, Eve Baxter, had been taken prisoner. In the cell, we find out that Baxter is up to date when it comes to news regarding Rip Hunter. From her immediate perspective, Rip is a fugitive on the run from the Time Masters. She makes her allegiance clear, something that eventually changes by the end of the episode. Baxter is also probably a nod to Bonnie Baxter, one of Rip’s colleagues.

In the comics, Baxter is a scientist. After being ousted from her previous group of colleagues, Baxter joins Rip in his time-traveling adventures.

Acheron

Baxter’s ship, the Acheron, is possibly named after a Greek River. In Greek mythology, it is believed that there are five rivers in the Underworld. Acheron is known as the River of Pain. If you’re not into that sort of stuff, Acheron is also the name one of the moons orbiting Calpamos in the fictional Alien/Blade Runner universe.

Black Pirate

The Space Pirates were headed by one man, Jon Valor. While Jon Valor’s comic iteration has little to no resemblance of who we saw last night, it’s impossible to ignore just what the creative team did with the character.

In the comics, Black Pirate is a 16th century hero that is wrongfully charged with the murder of his son. Upon execution, Valor casts a spell that would enable him and his crew to never rest until his name is cleared.

See? Big difference.

Imperiex

During the episode, Rip Hunter made reference to the “Imperix onslaught.” Of course, Rip was just trying to scare Valor into thinking Ray Palmer was a legendary warrior, but for those of you that don’t know, Imperix was a pretty big enemy to the Justice League and life as we know it.

Imperix came to our solar system with the intention of hollowing it out so that he may create anew. This caused the Justice League not only to align with Lex Luthor, but with Darkseid and Warworld too. This cosmic event ended with Superman throwing Warworld, Brainiac 13, and Imperix through a Boomtube created by Darksied, which then sent them back to the big bang. That was a mouth full.

Kanjar Ro

Rip made another reference to Kanjar Ro, a villain of Superman’s and the Justice League. His reference came at another point in which he was trying to intimidate Valor. In the comics, Kanjar Ro is a schemer. He plots and eventually enacts these grand plans.

In one case, his sister became warden of a prison that would house super-villains on another planet. In this case, Kanjar Ro was casting a net to catch all of the Justice League’s enemies and use them for his own bidding.

Heat Wave

The fate of Heat Wave will ultimately have to be shown next week, or at a later date. It’s impossible to say what exactly happened, but I doubt Snart actually killed his partner. Much of the episode built up to this and for those of you who have been watching The Flash, this confrontation has been a long time coming.

Heat Wave and Captain Cold’s relationship has always been clear to us: Cold is the brains and Mick is the muscle. Mick has always been relying on Snart and his mind to get them jobs and conduct heists. That isn’t to say Mick doesn’t have a brain either though. In any case, Mick had it with Snart’s orders and the confrontation ensued. If anything, I would think Snart froze Mick or froze his legs so that the ice would eventually melt and Mick would be free to go. Exactly where and when he was dropped off is also an important question. Regardless, I sincerely hope we haven’t seen the last of Mick Rory.

That’s all for this week! Thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-u8O3Aomc0

Geekscape Recaps: “Legends of Tomorrow” – Star City 2046

by jake108February 25, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

We all knew at some point, the Legends would have to go to the future at some point this season. Luckily for us, Star City was the setting for their first trip into the future. So, along with setting the stage for the next episode, the show introduced a new character fans have been clamoring for, along with an older Oliver Queen. So, without further ado, let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Grant Wilson

The promos released last week teased an appearance by Deathstroke, however, we didn’t expect that it would be Deathstroke’s son, Grant, behind the mask. In the comics, Grant Wilson has a complicated relationship with his father. While idolizing him in some instances, Grant was trained by Slade himself. However, Grant was often belittled and scolded for not living up to the Wilson name.

Eventually, Grant killed his father and thus lived up to the name. In this particular universe, it can be assumed that Grant was responsible for Slade’s outing. Slade is never really addressed beyond the likeness of Grant’s armor. However, we do know that some years prior to 2046, Slade returned with an army and took Star City by storm. Oliver tried raising an army himself, but he ended up failing the city.

Felicity got out of the city and Team Arrow was killed in the war for Star City. Fans of Arrow may find this “Uprising” familiar as it follows a similar event in the show’s second season. Looks like Slade is destined to try his hand again at taking Star City. That action can’t come soon enough.

Connor Hawke

Connor Hawke’s name has been swirling the internet ever since we all found out Oliver had a son. Of course, many of us thought it would be William who would grow up to take up the mantle of the Green Arrow. Instead, John Diggle Jr. grows up and takes up the mantle in protecting Star City. It’s important to note that Connor Hawke wasn’t trained by Oliver, or at least it didn’t seem like it. Diggle appears to have died when Connor was young. It can only be assumed that Lyla and Sara Diggle got out of the city or will also killed during the Uprising. I still find it quite frightening that neither A.R.G.U.S., The Flash, or any other militaristic force could have stopped Slade’s Uprising.

By the end of the episode, Connor and Oliver reconcile and agree to start up shop again. Connor will presumably be trained by Oliver going forward, but by the end of the episode, should everything work out, Star City 2046 will look a lot different with White Canary and The Atom present to stop Slade and his army. Did I mention how I hope this happens sometime soon in Arrow?

Heat Wave and Captain Cold

The relationship between Captain Cold and Heat Wave came to a boiling point by the end of this episode. Essentially, Snart reasserted his dominance over the “partnership” him and Mick have going on. This reassertion did go over so well with Mick as he was perfectly happy living a crime-ridden Star City 2046. While it was the perfect playground for Mick to thrive in, Snart once again displayed he has a heart, albeit a cold one.

To be fair, Snart tried to reason with Mick by playing the notoriety card, should they defeat Savage. Snart also commented on the fact that he has had to lie to Mick a few times before and during past jobs that they’ve done together. Mick took this as an act of betrayal and the two are not on great terms now. It would seem Mick is just one step away from turning on Snart, which would be bad for everyone. I could only imagine how hard it would be to eliminate Mick as a problem, short of killing him of course.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Taken

by jake108February 24, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of last week’s Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and last night’s episode of The Flash!

Luckily for us, we were once again treated to a solid episode of Arrow and will now have to wait until next month to see what will become of H.I.V.E., Olicity, Merlyn, and Star City. This entire season, it seems that the show has been afraid of doing something to change the formula up, or something irreversible for that matter. Tonight, Arrow took a step in the right direction.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Vixen

We got our first live-action appearance of another beloved DC hero in Vixen. In the comics, Vixen is a respected businesswoman, a model, and a warrior. Thanks to the Tantu Totem, she is able to wield the power of pretty much the entire animal kingdom. The history of the totem derives from legend, mainly being that the totem was created with the purpose of protecting the innocent. In regards to Arrow‘s continuity, it would seem that Darhk has had some experience with the totem in the past and knows full well of its capabilities. In this episode, Darhk made reference to seeing it before. As we know Darhk has had an usual long life, which was evidenced in an earlier episode of Legends of Tomorrow. Through history, the totem was then passed down through generations until it reached the McCabe’s, and then Mari McCabe herself.

Vixen has also been affiliated with the Justice League, the Suicide Squad, and the Birds of Prey. As far as the Arrow‘s continuity goes, Vixen has appeared in an animated series that is cannon with both Arrow and The Flash. You can find these episodes here.

Magical Artifacts

Finally, we found out the source of Darhk’s power. We first got a glimpse of how Darhk was fueling his magic in the first episode of the season. With the help of Vixen, the artifact that was powering Darhk was destroyed, rendering him extremely vulnerable. Oliver took him down and Darhk is now behind bars.

However, it is foolish for anyone to think Darhk doesn’t have some kind back up totem stored away. I’m not saying he’ll come back with the same powers, but it’s unlike Darhk not to have any contingencies.

Constantine

It’s always nice to hear what Constantine has been up to since his appearance on Arrow earlier this season. When Team Arrow was looking to Oliver for external help, Constantine’s name was brought up. Oliver responded by saying Constantine was in Hell. Sounds about right.

Since then, Constantine’s presence on the show has had a ripple effect in the present, and in Oliver’s flashbacks. In this episode, the tattoo Constantine gave Oliver on his abdomen glowed when Reiter opened up an entrance to a cave. After spooky-scary Conklin showed up, Oliver was granted passage into whatever that cave leads to.

Merlyn

At the end of the episode, it was revealed that Malcolm Merlyn abducted William at a play to get on Darhk’s good side. While this action appears to be so on the surface, under-the-surface, it would appear as if Merlyn may be making a play at a bigger role.

Since the League of Assassin’s has been disbanded, Merlyn hasn’t been quite ready for retirement. Instead, I think Merlyn is going to make a strong push to assume Darhk’s reign as a sort of General in the ranks of H.I.V.E. We do know that Darhk wasn’t the sole authority in H.I.V.E., but rather answered to a committee of sorts. It doesn’t matter if the committee was afraid of Darhk, now that he’s behind bars and all, so what better opportunity for Merlyn to jump at the chance at playing the committee to allow him assume control of H.I.V.E.? I mean, he already has Ra’s Al Ghul on his resumé. In the coming weeks, I think we can expect Merlyn going full villain again, which may lead to showdown between Darhk, Oliver, and H.I.V.E. entirely. Sprinkle in a little Deathstroke in there, and it may look like we’re in for an adventure within the next 7 episodes.

Felicity

Well, that didn’t last too long. The end of Oliver and Felicity’s relationship came to an end with this episode, and for good reason. Oliver has lied a lot over the last four seasons and Felicity has had enough? Will they get back together? Probably. Will it happen soon? Probably not. I can see awkwardness between Felicity and Oliver for the remainder of the season, up until we find out who’s in the grave.

Who’s in the Grave?!

I haven’t changed my stance on exactly who’s in the grave. I firmly believe is Donna, Felicity’s mom. However, I would like to propose a new theory as to who’s responsible for whoever is in the grave. This whole season, we’ve been building up to who’s in the grave assuming Damien Darhk is the one who committed the murder. Should Merlyn make the push and assume leadership of H.I.V.E., I believe it will be Merlyn who is responsible for who’s in the grave.

Think about it. Aside from whoever is six feet under, what’s making Oliver even more distraught could be the person responsible. Oliver remarks at the gravesite his intention to kill again and how dark everything has become. A couple of episodes back, Oliver and Merlyn saw eye-to-eye when it came to helping Thea. That relationship fell apart when Oliver bested Merlyn in combat and took the League of Assassins leadership away from him. Merlyn did not hide the fact that he is incredibly angry with Oliver and made his feelings clear. Not only that, but his relationship with Thea also fell apart at the end of this episode. With his ties severed, we now have a enraged nothing-to-live-for Malcolm Merlyn hellbent on destroying Oliver Queen and everything he stands for. I don’t know about you, but I’m ready for the showdown.

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Fail Safe

by jake108February 19, 2016

Note: Check our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

It seems with every week, this show ramps up the action, special effects, drama. ‘Fail Safe’ did not disappoint. It what was touted to be the second biggest prison break for both Captain Cold and Heat Wave, we were also treated the reconciliation between Jackson and Stein which will most definitely lead to a stronger bond between the two. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Team Building in a Gulag

Palmer finally got through to Mick, even if Mick didn’t react to Palmer’s good deeds until the tail end of the episode. While this episode was a continuation of last week’s adventure, a number of steps were taken by all team members in developing as characters. Palmer, however, developed the least, but had the most impact on changing the way Heat Wave thinks regarding the rest of the team. Cold has showed he has a heart and cares for others, aside from Mick, but Mick was the last one that had limited his caring to his gun and Cold. Palmer took a couple of beatings, one for Mick, and this lead to us seeing another side of Mick we had not yet seen.

Jackson and Stein came to a mutual understanding this episode. We also saw Stein overpower Valentina and stop her from using Firestorm powers on Jackson. This was mostly surprising because we’re just coming off a couple of weeks in Earth-2 in which Cisco encountered Deathstorm in The Flash. Cisco asks about Stein, and Ronnie remarks that he hasn’t heard Stein’s voice in a long time. Turns out, all Stein really needed was some words of encouragement.

Sara Lance

Sara was asked to kill Stien, if rescuing him became impossible. Cold repeatedly tried to convince her that she did not have to rush and pull the trigger on Stien. The resolution came when Cold told Sara that she “wasn’t that person anymore.” Sara is on a path to discovering herself yet again. Throughout her life, she has been subjected to what others have been telling her in regards to her purpose. In the first part of her life, she was Laurel’s little sister, and Oliver’s secret lover. Having had the experience on Lian-Yu, she was then brought into the League of Assassin’s by Nyssa Al Ghul.

After spending years as a killer, and an assassin on the run, Sara died. Her being brought back to life via the Lazarus Pit had its setbacks, namely the bloodlust, but the resurrection was more about her physical self living again. Now, while traveling through time, Sara is resurrecting who she is on the inside and coming into her own. Doing this is allowing her to combat her bloodlust through sheer will. Time will tell if she grows ill eventually like Thea did in the last couple of weeks of Arrow.

Star City 2046

With something this big, it’s hard not to look ahead. The rubble that is Star City appears to be caused by Savage and his forces, should the Legends fail. It’s likely that the Arrow we saw at the end of the episode was either Oliver’s son, Connor Hawke, or yet another sidekick that has yet to be seen.

As we know, Oliver has one son right now, William, but William doesn’t fit the description of the Connor Hawke found in the comics.

Another thing worth pointing out is the “Smoak” building, which seems to suggest Felicity had a rewarding career in taking over Palmer tech and Queen Consolidated. It could also mean that Felicity stepped away from Team Arrow and formed her own company.

Next week is shaping up to be a fan-favorite episode. I know I’m looking forward to it!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEgd6_92etw

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Code of Silence

by jake108February 18, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of The Flash and last week’s Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Arrow continues its upswing this week with another solid episode in “Code of Silence.” The show is shaping up to have a pretty large payoff between Damien Darhk and Oliver Queen in the battle for Star City. While the show’s producers and the general public have formed a concusses that this season will be a little lighter than previous ones, I’m thinking it may be one of the darhkest. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Lance

An attempt was made on Captain Lance’s life at the start of the episode by a new team employed by Darhk himself. This Demolition Team’s sole purpose is to go around Star City, strategically place timed bombs, and trap targets inside a crumbling building. It’s a little excessive, sure, but they did give Team Arrow a run for their money and maybe a collapsed lung or two when Diggle took that sledgehammer to the chest.

After the first attempt, Lance went into hiding in Team Arrow’s lair, fearing for his life. In an effort to secure Donna’s (Felicity’s Mom) safety, he hid the truth from her and put some distance between himself and her. By the end of the episode, they had reconciled and everything was okay again once Lance told her the whole truth. And with that, Donna has taken yet another step into this dangerous world of Darhk vs. Queen.

Demolition Team

The team had a brief stint in the comics as hired villains. Nothing is really known about how the team got together or their individual histories, but one thing is for certain: Most of them were killed by OMAC’s (Cyborgs created by Brainiac that take over human bodies) during the Infinite Crisis.

In the show, it looks like they’ll be spending lots of time in Iron Heights.

Diggle and Lyla

Is it me, or has Diggle been a little mean lately? He’s probably not getting enough sleep due to baby duty, oh and because Lyla is now the head of A.R.G.U.S. With Waller’s death, Lyla has stepped up in what will most definitely be a reoccurring asset to Team Arrow and Flash.

While I am still bummed about the death of Waller, I hope Lyla is written well enough to show a different A.R.G.U.S. under her leadership.

Damien Darhk

At the start of the episode, Darhk and the committee that he sorta(?) answers to is about to begin Phase 4. What’s important to recognize here is that Merlyn has dropped by to join Darhk’s campaign. Last week, I was overjoyed at the notion of Merlyn becoming full-time villain again. Looks like we didn’t have to wait long.

After Darhk’s wife loss the debate by a landslide, the office is likely going to go to Oliver Queen. However, my first thought at the notion of a debate was that Darhk’s wife would suddenly bring up William, Oliver’s son. Looks like Darhk is playing this one close to the chest as it is revealed that he already has William in his possession. Now, I wouldn’t be surprised if William is used publicly as leverage, but Darhk has the potential to be even more sinister.

As of right now, the only people that know about William are Barry, Thea, Darhk, and Merlyn. It’s easy to jump to conclusions as to who’s in the grave, but I maintain the theory I’ve had for more than a few weeks.

Who’s in the Grave?!

William seems like the likely candidate. The second most-likely candidate is William’s mom, Samantha. We don’t know exactly what happened to her when Darhk obtained William, but it probably wasn’t good. Leaving her alive would leave yet another loose end open, but Darhk has struggling to kill Lance for a couple of months now, so she might actually be fine. I think William’s identity will be revealed to the whole team. Felicity will be hurt, at first, because Oliver did so much to hide it. Felicity’s mom, Donna, will probably react the same way because of her history with Felicity’s father. However, now that she see’s the side of lying for your own protection, she may come to terms with it rather quickly as well, and love William as her own grandson.

This love, as it has been displayed numerous times this season and season’s past, has the potential to put herself in danger if it means saving the loved one. This was foreshadowed in this week’s episode when Donna was ready to head back into the building to help Oliver clear it of innocent civilians during the bomb scare. With that, I maintain that Donna sacrifices her life, possibly for William, and ends up in the grave by the end of the season. William, whether her mom is alive or not, will probably have to go under a different alias from here on out. That name will probably be Connor Hawke.

Aside from all that, Mr. Terrific developed a piece of technology that can be implanted into Felicity’s spine, enabling her to walk again. This also follows the notion that the show is afraid of making drastic changes to its main cast, meaning Team Arrow is essentially safe and won’t be in any real danger this season. We already saw this with Thea, Felicity, and the rest of Team Arrow as they were trapped in the gas chamber earlier this season. In order to figure out who’s in the grave, we’ll have to really hone in on minor characters, such as Donna and William.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MxPY40aFqgc

Geekscape Recaps: “The Flash” – Escape From Earth-2

by jake108February 17, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of last week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Last night, we got the second part of a two-part event revolving around a trip to Earth-2. While this episode didn’t have nearly as many easter eggs as last week, we got unbearably close to learning Zoom’s identity. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

Earth-2

After Barry was captured and put in a cell near Jesse Quick and the masked man, efforts on behalf of Wells, Iris, and Cisco began immediately. With the help of Earth-2 Barry, the gang was able to locate Killer Frost and sorta convinced her to lead them to Zoom’s lair. I say “sorta” because later on, it was revealed that Frost had intended to bring Wells and co to Zoom’s lair all along. However, she double-crossed Zoom and froze him long enough for the group to get back to Star Labs and travel across the last breach.

Before the breach was fully closed, Zoom’s arm came out, phasing through Jay Garrick’s chest and taking the body back into Earth-2. We can assume that Killer Frost eventually ran out of juice and is now dead. We can also assume that Garrick is now also dead. That leaves Wells and Jesse Quick having to start new lives on Earth 1.

As for Earth-2 Barry and Iris, they plan on joining Barry’s parents in Atlantis in an effort to hide from Zoom. While Iris is probably the most competent officer in Earth-2’s CCPD, having lost her father and surviving multiple encounters with Zoom himself, she deserves some time off. If anywhere on Earth-2 is safe, it’s probably Atlantis. This is especially true if we are to assume Atlantis is under Aquaman’s protection.

In any case, it’s unfortunate that the Justice Society of America, which would be Earth-2’s version of the Justice League, has not formed yet. And if they have, I’m sure they won’t be too happy with the death of Jay Garrick.

Velocity-9 and Jesse Quick

For a while now, we’ve been constantly getting teased with the eventual appearance of Jesse Quick. It is with great hope that we also see her father, Johnny Quick, suit up as a speedster too. In the show, obviously Johnny Quick would come in the form of Wells. I’m still holding out for a Johnny and Jesse Quick, Flash, and Kid Flash vs Zoom showdown.

Velocity-9 and the next iterations may be the key for the Quick family getting their speedster-like powers. Only time will tell.

Zoom

Now we get to the most important aspect of last night’s episode: Who is Zoom? We have multiple candidates, and quite honestly, this show has me guessing still. When it’s all said and done, I’ll look back at this season fondly having known that the creative team behind this show did a great job keeping Zoom’s identity under wraps. Let’s go through the list:

Jay Garrick was my very first suspect in trying to guess Zoom’s identity. However, I think it makes more sense if we’ve actually been watching Hunter Zolomon parading around as Garrick this whole time. Last season, The Reverse-Flash introduced the notion of a speed mirage in which a speedster was able to appear in two places at the same time. Since Zoom is undeniably faster, an advanced speed mirage could be the answer as to why Jay Garrick interacted with Team Flash even while Zoom was on the playing field.

Garrick’s supposed death could also have easily been the product of a speed mirage as well. Pretty easy to disguise after pulling the body back in through the breach.

Eddie Thawne is another suspect as to who Zoom could be. We haven’t seen Eddie alive since the season one finale in which Eddie shot himself to prevent the Reverse-Flash from ever being born. His body was then sucked up into the singularity caused by Eddie’s action. It’s important to note that the singularity was blue, like Zoom, and was then lost. Zoom’s hatred for heroes falls in line with Eddie’s frame of mind. After shooting himself, Eddie told Iris something along the lines of wanting to be a hero in her eyes. After being mentally tortured by the Reverse-Flash, his relationship with Barry grew sour, knowing that he could never match Barry’s heroism because he didn’t have powers.

Now, having obtained powers similar to Barry’s, it’s possible Eddie wants to do away with Flash for good. Zoom constant uses phrases like “Heroes die” and “I am the fastest man alive.” The latter is something Barry is known for on Earth 1 and is even referred to as such by a number of people.

Henry Allen is another suspect among fans. While I don’t think Earth-1 Henry Allen has a shot at being Zoom, I do believe Earth-2 Henry Allen should be up for consideration. We haven’t seen him in Earth-2 yet, but are lead to believe that he is currently vacationing with Barry’s mom in Atlantis.

The Masked Man

There are many guesses as to who is trapped in the cell. From the looks of the hair though, I would have to guess it’s either Eddie Thawne or the real Jay Garrick. From last night’s episode, we gathered that the prisoner spelled out the name “JAY” using a complex POW pattern system. This is interesting because none of the character’s have been affiliated with any type of war. However, Jay Garrick knowing this pattern makes the most sense.

Early on in the season, Garrick made an off-handed comment about his helmet having once belonged to his grandfather as he served in the War of the Americas. If Zolomon was posing as Garrick, it would make sense that Zolomon would drop this little tidbit in an effort to provide backstory to his own persona in an effort to get Team Flash to trust him.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – White Knights

by jake108February 11, 2016

Note: Check out our recaps of this week’s episodes of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

Legends of Tomorrow continues to ramp up the action and adventure with another episode this week. Along with some great one-liners, we were also treated to the return of Chronos, an appearance by a time master, and a very charming Captain Cold. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

The episode begins with the team traveling to Washington in 1986 to steal some documents detailing the whereabouts of Vandal Savage. After a mission inside the Pentagon, the team was able to acquire said documents, which then lead them to Soviet Russia.

After ingesting translators, the team was able to go down to the USSR and go incognito long enough to steal a key card that would lead to a secret Soviet lab. In that lab, Stein found that Savage, using the USSR, was trying to create their own version of a Firestorm.

The team is eventually split up in yet another mismanaged mission spearheaded by Rip Hunter. Next week, however, we’re getting an episode in which Captain Cold and company must rescue his friend, Mick, from a impenetrable Russian Gulag. Truly, this will be the ultimate prison break.

Kendra and Sara

Early on in the episode, Kendra kinda lost her cool at the Pentagon. She went into a full berserk mode and started clawing eyes out left and right. It took Firestorm to subdue her by flying her out of the mission area. After that episode, Rip tasked Sara to try and coach her up on controlling her rage.

Their first practice didn’t go as planned and Sara’s bloodlust started to show. This spooked Sara, which caused Kendra to speak to Rip about the ordeal. Rip then suggested that his original idea was for them to help each other with their inner-demons. It makes sense, and by the end of this season, it would be nice if Sara was able to have a handle on her bloodlust enough to be able to let it out at her will, instead of it taking over entirely. While we know there is a cure for her bloodlust, something we found out last night on Arrow, I can see Sara not wanting to change anything about herself when it’s all said and done.

Chronos

The time-traveling bounty hunter was at it again this episode. Rip was able to dodge Chronos’ first attempt at capturing Rip and his team. After being shot down by Russian jets, Chronos probably crash landed in a forest not too far from where Rip made his crash landing. It can be assumed that Chronos’ ship was heavily damaged and called for aid.

The back up showed up in the from of a Time Master, who journeyed from the Vanishing Point. They offered Rip a way out, but ultimately they planned to betray him all along. This instance solidifies that the Time Masters will not listen to Rip’s reasoning and solely care about keeping the timeline intact.

Firestorm

The Firestorm drama showed up in a big way tonight. Along with coming to terms with being kidnapped and forced to embark on this mission, Jax made it evident that he was angry with Stein, which lead to numerous instances in which Jax would not take Stein’s advice. After their heavy argument, Stein confessed to Ray Palmer that he could not bear to lose another Firestorm partner.

Ronnie Raymond, the first Firestorm, died last season in The Flash when he scarified himself to close a vortex, saving Central City and the world. After that, Stein realized that it was his partners who were continually putting themsleves in harms way. In an effort to keep them safe, Stein does the only thing he knows how to do and lectures Jax before, during, and after missions. However, this time was different in that Stein was purposely mean to Jax in order to get a point across.

All of this culminated in Stein sacrificing himself to complete the mission in the USSR secret lab. Upon discovering that the Soviets planned on creating their own Firestorm, Stein risked his life scuttling the Soviet’s tools. His effort resulted in getting captured, along with Heat Wave and Ray Palmer.

Before we leave on this, it’s entirely possible we will see the Soviet’s version of Firestorm in the form of Svarozhich. Svarozhich was a character in the comics, one that fought Firestorm briefly before being absorbed by him entirely. Svarozhich was a soulless clone created by the USSR to wreak havoc on their foes. Eventually, Svarozhich would cease to exist, but his powers were used for good.

USSR 1986

Take this with a grain of salt, but one of the tie-in’s between the show and our history comes in the form of an event that actually happened in January 1986. Dubbed “Height 611 UFO Incident,” this event came in the form of UFO crash in near some mountains. Sound familiar?

That’s all for this week! Did I miss something? Don’t be afraid to comment! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Arrow’ – Sins of the Father

by jake108February 10, 2016

Note: Check out last week’s recaps of Arrow, Legends of Tomorrow, and last night’s episode of The Flash!

Fortunately for us, Arrow seems to be on an upswing. While Star City seems to be in chaos at all times, Oliver and Team Arrow devised a way to solve and prevent and full on League of Assassins Civil War. Let’s get to it!

Warning: Spoilers Ahead

League of Assassins

The episode starts off rather quickly. This is something that is to be appreciated since this League business will not be drawn out over the course of two or three episodes. Nyssa tries, at first, to get Oliver to do her bidding. In her perspective, Oliver must appease her because technicially, in the League’s eyes, they are husband and wife. For the remaineder of the episode, Nyssa awkwardly referred to Oliver as “husband.”

Nyssa, armed with League loyalists, threatens to set Star City as the stage for their Civil War, should Merlyn not step down. This happens for what seems a couple of nights. Their war began for a couple of reasons, but mainly because Merlyn was not comfortable giving Nyssa the power that comes with controlling the League of Assassins. At first, Merlyn had the very good point of questioning where this Lotus elixir came from in the first place. This, unfortunately, was never answered. Katana was missing in action as well after seemingly giving up the Lotus freely to Nyssa.

The dispute ends when Oliver takes up the fight, in Nyssa’s place, and defeats Merlyn, Nyssa becomes Ra’s Al Ghul for a night before disbanding the League entirely. And so, after losing his title, along with his hand, Merlyn has become a full-on villain again.

This is great for the show in many ways and I hope Merlyn continues to scheme in the shadows until next season. For now, he’s told Damien Darhk about Oliver’s biggest secret: William.

Who’s in the Grave?!

The theory of the week would suggest that it’s Oliver’s son, William. When William was introduced into Arrow, I honestly thought he wouldn’t resurface until a little ways down the road. Well, it looks like William is going to need more than his Flash action figure in order to stay safe from Darhk’s assault.

Of course, Oliver probably won’t know until it’s too late. Still, I don’t think William is in the grave. If anything, he might escape and be forced to change his name, along with his mother. The new alias? Connor Hawke.

Calculator

The side plot this episode dealt with Felicity’s daddy issues. Some interesting tidbits dropped this episode. First, it was revelaed that Felicity’s father has been gone for eighteen years. During that time, it’s assumed that the Calculator was a criminal for hire. He would routinely do hacks for money. Some of these hacks were documented by him and put onto a USB drive. In an effort to get Felicity to trust him, he gave her some of the jobs he did.

However, by the end of the episode, Felicity found that her father had not really changed and got Star City Police to arrest him. I’m sure this earned a seal of approval from Felicity’s mom, who also told Felicity how he left her with no money and no job.

Calculator will be going away, but I doubt it will be for long. Earlier this episode, Calculator did mention that he was hired to do the job he did last week. His employer is probably in a high position of power and may even be Damien Darhk. Regardless, Calculator won’t be in prison for long.

Geekscape Recaps: ‘The Flash’ – Welcome to Earth-2

by jake108February 9, 2016

Note: Check out last week’s recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and Legends of Tomorrow!

Wow. I’m pretty sure I’ve said it before, but I’ll have to revise any past statement made regarding the best episode of this series because tonight’s episode is definitely the best this show has ever seen. There is so much here to unpack, and we’ll get though all of it together. I promise. Hold me…

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

We all knew Earth-2 would be arriving this week, but what we didn’t know is that we would have an introduction to the infinite earths. I joke about it a lot, and up until now, we’ve only had two earths confirmed. After tonight, it’s safe to say DC’s Infinite Earth’s has shown up in a big way. First, let’s take a look at what Garrick described as “Everything.”

Green Arrow

There’s a chance we’ll never see this version of the Green Arrow, but I doubt that. With the way DCTV is going, I’m sure we’ll see this Green Arrow someway or somehow. However, there are some important things to recognize here. First, that doesn’t look a whole like Oliver. I’ve previously written about Oliver’s son, Connor Hawke, taking up the mantle of the Green Arrow. Here, that looks to be the case.

The metallic looking arm also looks a tad bit interesting. For all we know, this could be Oliver Queen, just at a future date.

Earth _ Flash

Back in the 90’s, DC had another Flash tv show that had good run. I’ve also previously written about this show before and it tying into The Flash we know today. Up until now, the only thing linking the two shows was the Trickster.

What’s key here is the fact that in the 90’s television show, The Flash was played by the same actor playing Barry’s dad now in The Flash. Could we see his dad suit up one more time from another Earth to take on Zoom? We can dream.

Supergirl

It was recently announced that The Flash and Supergirl would have a crossover next month, leaving many to speculate just how they would connect the two shows. Well, it looks like we have our answer.

Supergirl is indeed taking place on another Earth, but is still connected to the Infinite Earths in the DC Universe. That just makes the crossover that much more exciting.

Grodd

Grodd is currently being groomed to become an extremely formidable foe in the future. Here, it looks like Grodd has come into his own, and has embraced his position in Gorilla City.

Jonah Hex

Legends of Tomorrow will be heading to the wild west at some point this season. Hex’s ‘Wanted’ poster hangs in Rip Hunter’s ship as well. Before we see any of that though, it appears we’ve been treated to a glimpse at what’s to come.

The Legion of Super Heroes

This was perhaps the biggest reveal this episode. Previous to this, there has been no mention of the Legion of Super Heroes. For those unfamiliar with them, the Legion of Super Heroes is comprised of young adults aiming to fight injustice and criminal activity on a galactic scale. Each member is given a ring that allows the wearer to fly, fly though an atmosphere, and fly in outer-space.

Currently, the only non-member that uses the ring is, of course, Booster Gold. In the comics, Rip Hunter’s father is also Booster Gold. There has been no announcement of an appearance to be made by Gold, but may be one is incoming. After all, the Legends of Tomorrow can very well visit the 30th century, which is where the Legion of Super Heroes reside.

Infinite Earths

Lastly, I wanted to point out the bubbles seen while Barry, Cisco, and Harry are traveling to Earth 2. First off, those aren’t bubbles; They’re all individual Earths.

You should also notice that each Earth is connected, meaning that everything and everyone in this universe is also connected.

Earth 2

When the gang shows up to Earth 2, they immediately notice the differences between the two Earths. Everything from people’s clothes, the cars they drive, the architecture, and even professions belonging to Earth 1 dopplegangers are wildly different. For example, Floyd Lawton, who previously died on Arrow as Deadshot, made an appearance in Earth 2 as Detective Iris West’s partner. We found this out while the criminal David Singh, who is the police captain in Earth 1, was being processed at CCPD. Another significant change was Joe West’s profession as a Jazz musician, something that suits him a little too well.

However, if there’s one thing I’m really excited about, it’s Mayor Snart. I know I have no place to ask more of this show, but I would be eternally grateful if we could see Mayor Leonard Snart standing toe-to-toe with Zoom.

Barry and Iris eventually go to their Earth 2 home, where Barry gets a good look at where his doppleganger resides. In an emotional twist, Iris informs Barry that his mother called. Barry heads to the phone and we also get a look at some of most dialed numbers in the Allen residence.

While those are indeed Leaguers, it’s impossible to say for certain that each of them live up to their alter-egos. And while we’re on that subject, did anyone notice that the Not-Justice-League mural was missing from the Earth 2 Central City Police Station?

Through Barry’s conversation with his mother, we also learned that civilian travel to Atlantis is indeed a thing. We’ve known about Atlantis for a while now because Jay Garrick already dropped that bomb a few episodes back, referencing that he has a bestie from Atlantis.

Deathstorm and Killer Frost

Ronnie Raymond returned, only not in a good way. Deathstorm, from Earth 2, aides Killer Frost in trying to find the “breacher” in Earth 2. After a couple of bouts with Barry, we quickly learn that Deathstorm is just as powerful as his Firestorm counterpart. What’s even more troubling is that we also learned the whereabouts of Martin Stein. According to Deathstorm, he hasn’t heard Stein’s voice in quite some time. This could mean that either Ronnie has learned to suppress Stein’s control entirely, or Stein died while trapped in Ronnie’s body. Either way, Earth 2 Ronnie wasn’t a nice guy.

Killer Frost was the only villain not to be killed by Zoom in Earth 2. While she did play a good villain, Frost is extremely afraid of Zoom. She eventually escaped after Zoom left with Barry. Since Zoom was quick to kill Deathstorm, it’s entirely possible Iris and Harry convince Frost to tell them the whereabouts of Zoom and his prisoners.

Reverb and Vibe

Cisco met his doppleganger in Earth 2, and had some surprising results. Aside from Reverb being able to harness more power, Cisco was able to see what he could become.

During the meeting, Reverb displayed some powers I’m sure Cisco wouldn’t mind using. Unfortunately, Reverb tried to take control from Zoom and paid the price in doing so.

Earth 2 Prison

The episode ends with Barry being trapped in Zoom’s prison. Barry wakes up to the sound of tapping on glass. This is coming from the adjacent cell next to Barry. It’s clear that whoever that is, their tapping is in morse code.

If you’re wondering what this mysterious figure is saying, I’ll save you the trouble. The tapping translates to “Zoom is – ” The messenger is of course cut of by the arrival of Zoom. However, next week, this prisoner will will have a key role in revealing more about who or what Zoom is. It’s also entirely possible that this prisoner is a speedster himself. It would make sense that any other speedsters Zoom catches would be imprisoned here for a time while Zoom drains them of the speedforce. The mask is also very peculiar. We’re just going to have to wait and see, but if I had to guess, it’s someone we know under that mask.

Earth 1

Back on Earth 1, Adam Fells, a meta-human that has the ability to cause earthquakes, demands to fight The Flash. With Barry gone, Garrick must fill the void and become The Flash on Earth 1. The only problem is, Garrick doesn’t have his speed. Garrick finally levels with Caitlin and basically confesses that he became a velocity 6 addict on his Earth. Now, this is interesting because Garrick has maintained the story that Zoom stole his speed where in fact it was velocity 6 the whole time. On top of that, the effects of velocity 6 have been slowly killing Garrick as well. This change in story is a little suspicious, considering the possibility Garrick can be Zoom.

Regardless, Garrick decides to hit the velocity serum again and fights Geomancer. The speedforce effects wear off, leaving Garrick vulnerable. Joe ends up saving him and Geomancer runs off to fight another day.

That’s all for this week! Did I miss something? Don’t be afraid to comment below! As always, thanks for reading!

Geekscape Recaps: ‘Legends of Tomorrow’ – Blood Ties

by jake108February 4, 2016

Note: Catch our recaps of The Flash, Arrow, and last week’s Legends of Tomorrow!

Another week, another Legends of Tomorrow adventure. With every episode, we’re starting to see more and more just how much potential this show has within the DC TV lore. Perhaps what’s most surprising is that we’re seeing some resolutions to to storylines that were started in each character’s respective show. Of course, I’m talking about Atom, Captain Cold, and White Canary. So without further ado, let’s get into it.

Warning: Spoilers Ahead!

White Canary

Much like what we’re seeing in Arrow, Sara Lance is really feeling the effects from being healed by the Lazarus Pit. While some may feel this story arc is a bit recycled, I’d argue that we’re getting another side to the problem altogether. For example, Thea doesn’t want to kill to feed the bloodlust. This stance is supported by Oliver, but not by Merlyn.

Here in Legends, Sara is feeding her bloodlust, but is struggling to get it under control. This becomes concerning to Rip Hunter, who personally witnesses it. It’ll be interesting to see where this goes as Sara and Rip look for some sort of cure while traveling through time, all while Oliver and Team Arrow try to find solutions that involve Darhk.

Atom

Ray Palmer had some confidence issues this week and was aided by Martin Stein. Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve kept hearing this banter between Stein and Palmer regarding Palmer’s tenure at Ivy College (I assume). While Stein always seems to come off arrogant, he does always find the right time to step in and say the right things. This was the case again, causing Palmer to realize his potential and save Kendra’s life.

Palmer’s confidence issues stemmed from losing his fiancé, something we first learned about in Arrow during Deathstroke’s terrifying siege of Starling City. It’s pretty awesome to see all these different arcs coming together in one show.

Captain Cold

Snart tried to rewrite history this week, and failed. This was a key component to loosely establish a set of rules for the timeline. In this episode, Snart stole an emerald and gave it to his father in an effort to prevent his father from ever going to prison and becoming a bad father.

What Snart learned was that time always has a way of course-correcting itself. While the timeline is indeed fragile, minimal attempts to change the timeline may end up having the same result in the long run. In Snart’s case, even though his father wasn’t arrested for trying to steal the emerald, he was eventually arrested for trying to sell it to an undercover cop. The end result remained the same: Snart’s father went to prison for five years.

Rip Hunter

One of the big reveals this episode was the fact that Hunter made an attempt at Savage’s life while he was still in Egypt. Hunter’s failure, due to hesitation, was telling of his character. Hunter personally feels guilty for not taking Savage’s life so long ago, even though it wouldn’t have made a difference. And with that, we have a more complete answer as to why he’s surrounded himself with people to help him kill Savage.

Another reveal that is gaining traction was one of the lines spoken by Hunter. In it, he claims he’s seen “Men of Steel die and Dark Knight’s fall.” This is an obvious reference to both Batman and Superman, though he doesn’t clearly state that Savage was responsible for both of their deaths. However, we’ve seen the state of the world from where Rip Hunter comes from, and it doesn’t look like there’s any Batman or Superman left defending the Earth.

That’s all for this week! As always, thanks for reading! See you all next week!