"Fuck Batman" Titans Recap: "Asylum" & "Donna Troy"

Titans

As a comic book nerd all my life, there are some things that I thought I'd never see. As comic book movies/television shows etc have become bigger and bigger business, the list of those things has gotten shorter and shorter. That being said, even with two "Guardians of the Galaxy" movies out there, I never in a million years thought that I'd see a live action Donna Troy on my television screen. Yet here she is. Donna Troy is the original Wonder Girl. She also has one of the most confusing histories of any comic book character ever and that is saying quite a bit. She's a founding member of the Teen Titans and is currently leading the Titans team in the comics. She's a bad ass and even if Titans was doing everything wrong, watching the show would be a must for me simply because she was on it. 

Doctor Who For Dummies: Series 7 Part 1

Doctor Who - Series 7 Part 1 (2012)

We are doing something a little different here. This isn't the first time that "Doctor Who" has split into two separate halves. I usually just deal with the series as a whole. I felt like it was best to deal with each part on their own because they feel like two distinct parts. The first part deals with the Ponds and how they end their time traveling with the Doctor. It's a big moment and these last few episodes deserve their own post. So, let's get right to it.

When the All-Stars Host Their Own Club Nights, Not Everyone Wants to Party All the Time

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, Episode 7: "Queen of Clubs"

It's episode 7 and we still have 7 queens, so that's great. Monique is not pleased that she and Latrice both stayed. I certainly respect a queen that understands this is a reality tv show and Monique clearly knows that. She knows that the producers gave Latrice this "redemption moment" to make for good TV, but she's not super into it. Aside from Manila, I'm not sure the other queens are here for it, either. 

"I Am the Night" Rewatch: "House & Garden" & "The Terrible Trio"

Batman The Animated Series

Imagine my surprise when the opening credits rolled for "The Terrible Trio" and they were completely different. I had completely blocked that from my mind. During the second season of B: TAS, Robin began being featured more and more so they changed the name to "The Adventures of Batman & Robin" and started using this new intro. It has footage of episodes featuring Robin spliced in and it's generally a large step down from the original. No thanks.

"Fuck Batman" Titans recap: "Together" & "Jason Todd"

Titans

Are you ready to meet a brutal, take no prisoners, gives zero fucks Robin? A Robin who takes things to the extreme? Who isn't Dick Grayson? That's right. There's another Bat prodigy going apeshit in one of these episodes and this one wasn't a part of the Flying Graysons. That's right, it's time to meet Jason Todd. Jason replaced Dick in the comics when he went off to become Nightwing. Jason was introduced back in 1983, and fans hated him. They hated him to the point that when DC set up a number to vote on whether he should live or die, the response was overwhelmingly to murder him. Yikes. I'm sure that won't happen here though.

When the All-Stars Have to Lip Sync For Their Lives, Not Everyone Is Feeling That Fire

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, Episode 6: "LaLaPaRuZa"

Before we get started on this week's episode, let's talk about Naomi Smalls. I've seen a lot of articles, comments, heck, even friends who say that she is being slept on. That she's not getting the credit that she deserves and that she has been robbed a few times this season. I've been thinking about this and my highly scientific conclusion is... nah. I think Naomi is a great queen. If you don't have something to offer, you don't make it on All-Stars and you certainly don't make it as far as she has. I feel like Naomi does just enough and because she's not known for being funny or having the best acting skills, when she does OK, people lose their minds. I totally understand that. It feels more impressive when someone achieves something when it's not necessarily one of their strengths. Sometimes Naomi shines because of the weaknesses of the other queens. Take the Snatch Game of Love. I stand by that her Wendy Williams wasn't that impressive. It just felt more impressive because Monét, Valentina, Gia and Latrice did so poorly. If Monét had performed as well as she did in season 10, no one would be talking about Naomi. Naomi also has this thing where she pulls out one big gag, in Snatch Game of Love, it was the faint. That gets a lot of attention and sort of influences how her performance the rest of the time is viewed.

Now, all that being said, I do think that Naomi should have been top 2 in the girl group challenge. Her verse was fire, she interacted the most with Stacy Layne and her runway look wasn't bad. The show was pushing this Valentina arc where she redeemed herself so Naomi definitely got the shaft. Otherwise, she's been strictly safe and that's what she's deserved. Who knows what will happen from here, but it's clear that Naomi needs to win a challenge.

Comics Corner: Batman - The City of Owls

Batman

The first arc of the New 52 Batman was all set up. It was Scott Snyder showing that he knew this character and he had a fresh take on things. It's ballsy to use brand new villains when you are relaunching a comic for the first time in 70+ years. Luckily, the Court of Owls are badass enough and grand enough to forget about Batman's classic rogues, at least for a little while. This second arc features the Court launching a full out assault on Gotham City and Batman. This was a crossover event that pulled in all the Bat titles at the time. We will just be focusing on the main series, but I'd definitely check out the others if you're so inclined.

"Fuck Batman" Titans Recap: "Origins" & "Doom Patrol"

Titans

The first couple episodes of  "Titans" were shaky for sure. A lot of weird choices and a heavy focus on proving to everyone that this show was GRITTY.  This weird focus on ultraviolence and grittiness was heavy handed and other things like world building and characterization were sacrificed. I'm happy to report that the next two episodes are marked improvements and I'm pretty sure that part of the reason is because Starfire is back, baby!

Doctor Who for Dummies: Series 6

Doctor Who - Series 6 (2011)

Matt Smith begins his second year as the Doctor, coming off a killer first year. It was tight and the through line that connected the series was super strong. I was curious how they could top it, of if they would. Well, all they needed to do to top it was focus on my favorite Doctor Who character: River Song. By weaving a story that finally gives us the origin of the show's most enigmatic character and incorporating the series heart, the Ponds, series 6 is my favorite so far.

When the All-Stars Roast Lady Bunny At Her Funeral, A Surprise Twist May Send Them Straight to Hell

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, Episode 5: "Roast In Peace"

The All-Stars enter the Werk Room and see Latrice's message and do their usual regroup before de-dragging. They commence being pretty shitty to Manila. It's pretty obvious that Manila is shaken up and upset. I mean, she's openly sobbing, but none of the other queens reach out to her or try to console her. They are all surprisingly cold and for me, it wasn't a great look. You can argue that they aren't a fan of how they perceive Manila to be playing this game, but Manila saving Latrice and sending Monét home isn't a game move. And how can they be shocked when Manila was pretty up front in during deliberations that she was going to fight to save Latrice. None of this was done behind anyone's backs. So, this outrage and determinations to send Manila home once she's in the bottom two, doesn't really ring true. 

"Fuck Batman" Titans Recap: "Titans" & "Hawk & Dove"

Titans

When they first announced that they were making a live-action TV series featuring the Teen Titans, I was pretty excited. When I was a kid, "The New Teen Titans" was one of my favorite comic series published by DC. It reminded me of the X-Men, I loved Starfire. This was going to be awesome. Promotional material slipped out, I loved the costumes, a little dark, but this is DC. Then they released the first trailer and we got the "Fuck Batman" heard 'round the world. I was not impressed. I wasn't and still am not sure, why the people who make these shows at DC think that hyper violent, dark and gritty is the way to go even if the material doesn't call for it. 

It was definitely a big disappointment and I really had zero plans to watch this show. Then DC Universe went and announced the third season of "Young Justice" would be on their service and that just started. So, I finished those and I just went ahead and decided "let's see how this goes." And I thought it would be fun to chronicle my watch on the old blog. I'll do two episodes at a time, similar to my B: TAS rewatches. The season finale will have it's own post since the season is 11 episodes, which is an odd number for a season, but OK. Let's get this party started. Titans Together, I guess.

When the All-Stars Face Jersey Justice, a Beloved Queen May Be the Victim of a Hung Jury

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, Episode 4: "Jersey Justice"

I just need to take this moment to say that autonomous sensory meridian response (ASMR) is terrible. Just awful. Like, you really want to hear this in your ear before you go to sleep? Seriously? Why though? I was at a friends and they kept playing these videos over and over again and I thought, this would be my hell. Forced to listen to someone creepily whisper or scratch things in my ears for all of eternity. And then, my favorite show has the audacity to throw it in my face. I'm triggered. I am not here for it. No ma'am!

Whew. Well, if you made it through that first paragraph and are still here,  you're a trooper. God bless. Onto business. The queens enter the werk room after Gia's elimination and Manila explains that though she loves Gia, she was annoying as fuck and it was time for her to go. Solid. Trinity reveals that she also chose Gia and commends Manila for making the right decision and playing a fair game. To the rest of the queens, Manila is gracious but in her confessional, she is all fuck these bitches. Manila is going to make the best decision for herself and if they don't like it? She don't care. Oh Manila. I love you gal, but I'm afraid for you if/when you land in the bottom two.

"I Am the Night" Rewatch: "Trial" & "Avatar"

Batman The Animated Series

It's been a minute. I feel like we've had this conversation before. I'm a slacker. But it's a new year. And, the good thing about this delay is that these two episodes were the first that I was able to watch on blu-ray and hoo boy. They look real good. So let's jump back into season 2.

When the All-Stars Play the Snatch Game of Love, How Will They Know When It's Time to Send Someone Home?

RuPaul's Drag Race All-Stars, Episode 3: "Snatch Game of Love"

Why are the AS4 queens blowing smoke up Valentina's ass? First, they allow her to monologue after she wins and now they are overpraising her lip sync against Monét. Let's be real, it wasn't that great. She was spastic, didn't know all the words. I guess you had to be there? After the obligatory talk of how hard it is to send your sisters home (which has never sounded less sincere), Monét reveals she also sent home Farrah. I get the feeling that Valentina's edit points to either an unceremonious early out or that she goes all the way. We will see.