Now You See Me 2: A Review

NOW YOU SEE ME 2

Now You Don't...

Now You See Me was a decent if not particularly good film because it was done in by one too many outlandish twists that made the whole thing too impossible to believe.   It was OK for a long time, but then it got too silly.  Now You See Me 2 (perhaps the most unoriginal title of 2016) decided that rather than take itself seriously like it did the first time around, it was going to embrace its implausibility and grandiose twists.

One year after their big farewell performance, the criminal magicians called The Four Horsemen are still waiting to emerge back into the limelight.  One of them, J. Daniel Atlas (Jesse Eisenberg) is itching to get out again and is tired of waiting for an assignment and chafes under the mastermind that is the intermediary for The Eye (the secret organization behind their machinations).  "The Eye" assures Atlas that things will go his way and that his gifts will be rewarded.

Two of the other Horsemen, hypnotist Merritt McKinney (Woody Harrelson) and card shark Jack Wilder (Dave Franco) don't seem to mind waiting for The Eye and are not about to plot a coup against Dylan Rhodes (Mark Ruffalo), the double agent who works for both The Eye and the FBI.  The Horsemen get two new things: an assignment to expose a tech conglomerate which is stealing user's private information to sell to the highest bidder, and a new Horseman, Lula (Lizzy Caplan), who is taking the place of former Horseman Isla Fisher's Henley Reeves (Fisher being pregnant at the time of production and thus unable to join the cast).

The Horsemen make their big debut at the product reveal, hypnotizing Owen Case (Ben Lamb), the tech guru to reveal the truth.  However, the trick's on them as they, along with Agent Rhodes, are the ones exposed, including Jack Wilder, who had faked his death in the last film.  In making their escape, the Horsemen inexplicably find themselves in Macau (the fact that the Chinese market is now the one major market Hollywood caters to having nothing to do with the location, I'm sure).

They are cajoled by billionaire tech genius/Case's former partner Walter Mabry (Daniel Radcliffe), who had faked his own death, to perform a magic feat of great importance to Mabry.  He wants them to steal the chip that Case had created which will allow the holder to decrypt every piece of information.  Aiding Mabry is Chase, Merritt's unknown-until-now-twin brother, a magician and hypnotist who holds a great grudge against Merritt.

Meanwhile, Rhodes, still on the run from the FBI himself, is forced to join forces with Thaddeus Bradley (Morgan Freeman), whom they got locked up for the crimes they committed and whom Rhodes blames for the death of his father, Lionel Shrike, when Dylan's father failed in a magic act to which debunker Bradley goaded into performing.

The Horsemen manage to steal the chip, but then we get twists after twists, including one involving Arthur Tressler (Michael Caine), the fan the Horsemen fleeced last time.  It all comes to a head in London, where the Horsemen have one last trick up their sleeves that will reveal mostly all.

Even that doesn't end the film, as Thaddeus, now a free man, reveals his own secrets, and the Horsemen, including Rhodes, now may find themselves on the cusp of a new adventure, with The Eye still just slightly out of reach.

I'm not going to knock a bad movie when it either knows or at least lets on that it's a bad movie, and Now You See Me 2 is, I think, aware of itself.  That's a slight improvement from last go-round, where it was trying oh-so-hard to be oh-so-clever but only tied itself in knots with some really outlandish, even downright ridiculous situations.

Here, I got the sense that everyone involved was aware that if you looked closely, it doesn't make much if any sense.  Again like last time, Now You See Me 2 relies on what made the first one a bit of a bungle.  Too many things have to go perfectly, with no room for error, to make things even plausible, let alone believable.  For example, the fake Eye gets Atlas to inadvertently reveal information by putting his phone down on what he thinks is a mere flat surface but which is really a decrypting device. 

What if he'd done what I would have: put his phone in his pocket?  How'd then would the fake Eye get the information it wanted?  Another plot point is to hypnotize Chase, and that's done by him bumping into whom he thinks is a hobo but who turns out isn't.  What if Chase hadn't bumped into this figure, or not even paid attention?  When the Horsemen are exposed at the product launch, again having Wilder and Rhodes exposed at the precise moment they appear is all too neat.  When the Horsemen reveal themselves on various London streets performing their acts, or in Las Vegas for the tech launch, I kept wondering why no police ever bothered to try and arrest these fugitives right then and there. 

It stretches believability, even in a magic act.

Putting aside the sheer illogic of the plot, Now You See Me 2 doubles down on some really awful and/or silly performances.  Radcliffe, I figure, is attempting to really branch out, but his 'psychopath' role makes him instead come across as the silliest and weakest villain, one who makes Blofeld in drag from Diamonds Are Forever more menacing.  Come to think of it, Blofeld's pussy would make a more menacing antagonist than Radcliffe, who here is still too much of a kid to be thought of as some sort of murderous lunatic or evil character.  Even with a full beard he still comes across as a kid trying to play at menacing and failing every step of the way.

When he has his minions fighting off Rhodes and Atlas, one can almost hear the "POW" and "BAM" from the Batman TV show.

Caplan came across as annoying and just silly as the newest Horseman, making one wonder why this novice would be thrown into this highly dangerous assignment.  From her first scene what she tries for is 'adorkable', but instead ends up as 'insufferable'.

Bless Ruffalo, Caine, and Freeman for not having great interest in keeping their reputations when an easy check comes their way.  I cannot say whether they took any of this seriously, but I figure even if they didn't have fun making the film, they had no problem taking the money and running.

As a side note, the age gap between Michael Caine and Daniel Radcliffe is 56 years.  Make of that factoid what you will.

Harrelson, however, probably did have some fun doing that whole 'twin' business.  Chase, unlike Merritt, had a full head of hair, bringing to mind when we find out that Mr. Rumbold on Are You Being Served? has a twin brother.  The bald manager of the Men's & Ladies Apparel Department greets his brother, who removes his hat to reveal a massive amount of hair.  Laughter ensues, but at least in that instance it was meant as a joke.  Here, one isn't sure.

Eisenberg, figuring that he shouldn't change his method, continues giving the same performance he gives in every Eisenberg film: that of the rapid-fire obnoxious fellow who thinks he's always smarter than you.

Again, only Franco is worth mentioning of a performance, though I won't go to bat for him.

It isn't as though Now You See Me 2 is all awful.  The stealing of the chip, with all the 'will the guards catch them or not' twisting and turning of playing cards to misdirect the guards is flashy if nothing else.

Again, in all this I never got the sense Now You See Me 2 took itself seriously.  It is by no means a romp, but it isn't about to get as serious as it was the first go-round. Perhaps this is why I'm not as harsh on it as others have been.

Still, in the end Now You See Me 2 relies on the same bag of tricks: generally one-to-no-note characters, outrageous twists that don't stand up under scrutiny, plot points that come and go at whim (the FBI are remarkably inept to not figure on the mole) and a vague suggestion of another sequel.  I won't lie: I found Now You See Me 2 entertaining.

Not good, but entertaining, in a 'you-don't-think-about-it' kind of way.

DECISION: C-

Captain America: Civil War. A Review (Review #858)

CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR

In the ongoing saga that is the Marvel Cinematic Universe, we have reached a breaking point.  The unity between our superheroes now is coming apart.  Captain America: Civil War is a good film.  Good, not great, and to my mind, not this epic, life-altering event that some of the fanboys/girls are making it out to be.  It is just another chapter in what to me is the world's longest (or at least most expensive) soap opera ever created. 

We go back to 1991 (when Spider-Man wasn't even born yet...yes, I feel old).  Our least-favorite figure from the MCU, Winter Soldier "Bucky" Barnes (Sebastian Stan) is given a new assignment, one that involves killing and acquiring some secret material to create more soldiers like him.  Fast forward to today, where the Avengers have a mission in Lagos, Nigeria.  Led by Captain America (Chris Evans), it is to stop a villain from getting chemical weapons.  Joined by Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson), Falcon (Anthony Mackie), and Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen), they have some success, but their actions lead to non-combatant casualties.

This, along with what has happened in New York, Washington, D.C., and Sokovia, is one step too much for the United Nations.  Secretary of State John Ross (William Hurt) presents the Avengers with what are called the Sokovia Accords: a treaty where the Avengers will fall under the auspices of the U.N., and they will now direct the currently independent Avengers.

The group is divided on the issue: Captain America, along with those in Lagos save for Black Widow, are firmly against it.  Those NOT in Lagos, particularly Iron-Man (Robert Downey, Jr.), along with his friend/partner War Machine (Don Cheadle), and Vision (Paul Bettany) (whom I think was once Iron-Man's computer Jarvis...someone get me my program to tell who is who) believe this Accord is best.

Well, it's off to Vienna to sign the Accord.  Cap hasn't changed his mind, but he's got the funeral of his great love Agent Peggy Carter to go to.  His ex-lover Sharon Carter (Emily VanCamp), who also happens to be Agent Carter's niece (something Cap wasn't aware of despite them sharing the same surname...I can let that slide I guess) is there too.  In Vienna among the signees is the small African monarchy of Wakanda, where Crown Prince T'Challa is learning all about diplomacy.  He also learns about assassinations, as a bomb goes off and he sees his father the King among the killed.  He swears revenge against Bucky, who was spotted as the bomber.

Captain America wants desperately to bring Bucky in alive, but Bucky insists that isn't going to happen...and that he isn't responsible for the bombing (a rare moment when he wasn't).  Well, I think in Bucharest is where Captain America (aka Steve Rogers) finds Bucky, and so does Black Panther (Chadwick Boseman), who after the chase is unmasked as His Highness Prince T'Challa.

In all this machinations is Helmut Zimo (Daniel Bruhl), who is on the hunt for the code-book that will get him the information that will unlock Bucky's memories and lead him to other super-soldiers.  His reasons become clearer as time goes on, though they appear to be contradictory but more on that later.

Now the teams are fully divided, with the pro-Sokovia group gathering some new recruits, particularly Peter Parker aka Spider-Man (Tom Holland) out in Queens, while the anti-Sokovia group gets Ant-Man (Paul Rudd) and Clint Barton/Hawkeye (Jeremy Renner). The battle ends with Captain America/Bucky fleeing, while the other members (Scarlet Witch/Hawkeye/Ant-Man/Falcon) are imprisoned.  Just when we think that Cap & Iron-Man are going to come to terms, we get one last 'shocking' twist that brings them to blows, and we find that Zimo's motives are not what they seem either.  It all ends with both of them making an apparent permanent break, but who knows.

I have grown pretty disenchanted with the MCU in that I don't have enough emotional investment to keep track of everyone.  Truth be told, I had no idea who Sharon Carter was, so the 'shocking' twist that she was Agent Carter's niece didn't have any impact (apart from my puzzlement as to why Rogers didn't think it was a curious coincidence that two of his lovers had the same surname).  It's certainly big, but sometimes lost in all the spectacle is a chance to let situations grow naturally.

For example, Hawkeye and Ant-Man join the Captain America side not because they believe the Avengers should be independent of the U.N. (Ant-Man isn't even an Avenger, so why he should care about the Sokovia Accords is left unexplained).  Rather, they are there because they are required to fill the ranks and make things more bombastic.

We don't get an explanation as to how Stark found out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man.  Spidey is there because a deal was made to put Spider-Man in Civil War, but how this will play out in the future for this large-scale series remains to be seen (or even if it is relevant to any future Spider-Man films).

However, let's pause at this point to praise Tom Holland's interpretation of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man.  Consider this a tease for Spider-Man: Homecoming, but it's clear that Holland is an excellent choice.  He succeeds in his American accent, and makes Parker less the smart-aleck of old and more the eager enthusiastic kid from Queens marveling that he finds himself in all this mayhem.

His participation in the epic battle between the pro-and-anti Sokovia wings lightens things up considerably, from his shout-out to "that really old movie, The Empire Strikes Back" to Rogers' acknowledgement of a fellow New Yorker (pointing out to the kid from Queens that he hails from Brooklyn).  Holland gives perhaps the best performance in Civil War, and I suspect is that his character is allowed to show lightness and enthusiasm, and not behave as if all this is some grand epic spectacle of deep meaning.

This may also explain why Rudd as Ant-Man is also a highlight (even if he essentially is there for an extended cameo). 

The best moment is the battle between the Avengers, where they are able to match each other blow for blow and throw quips in from time to time.

The other battles seem to have a rote manner to them (I confess to falling asleep when they were in Berlin...or was it Bucharest, they were all over the place).  Lagos was good but not great, and I didn't know or care who the villain was seeing that he was disposed of.  It might just as well have been some random terrorist.

My big problem with Civil War really boils down to the actual cause of the conflict.  The Sokovia Accords seems a flimsy reason to break the group apart, especially when the backstory of Bucky and his actions against Stark seem a stronger reason to break the group apart (a group of Avengers going rouge).  Moreover, Zumo's motives switch from "I want super-soldiers" to "I want to avenge my parents and family".  It goes back to the idea that a villain (such as he is) cannot be a villain just because he's evil.  Instead, we again have to feel some sort of sympathy for him/her.

We get good performances, particularly by Downey, Jr. as Stark, playing the guilt he feels over all the chaos he's responsible for so effectively.  Newcomers to the MCU such as the already-mentioned Holland and Boseman too did excellently (his African accent worked well).  Everyone else knows their roles to where they don't break new ground.  Marisa Tomei, appearing for the first time as Peter's Aunt May, is the hottest Aunt May in history.  She's no old woman with white hair in a bun...she's a very attractive, modern Aunt May to where one almost gasps to think she could be considered a little old lady.

Captain America: Civil War is OK, not great.  It is lifted by a great battle of the superstars along with a fantastic debut by Tom Holland.  Apart from that, it's just another entry in the world's most expensive soap opera, one made for fanboys and few others.  It wasn't bad, it wasn't the greatest, it was another entry in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.  So-so.

Next Marvel Cinematic Universe Film: Doctor Strange

DECISION: C+

Bates Motel: There's No Place Like Home Review

BATES MOTEL:

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

There's No Place Like Home develops Norman Bates into a truly reprehensive and repulsive figure, one who now no longer sympathetic but evil, selfish, and monstrous.  It's an excellent episode and a fine showcase for the criminally overlooked Freddie Highmore.  We finally see, really early in Season Four, the cold monster beneath the sweet face, and There's No Place Like Home is, I think, Highmore's episode, his finest hour so far, and a sign that he should have a great career.

Norman Bates (Highmore) seems happy and aware that he has problems.  What he isn't aware of is that his beloved Mother Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) has gotten married to Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell).  Norma has deliberately kept this hidden...but like all things kept hidden, it was bound to come out.  It comes out through a very bad way: Norman comes across an article on the marriage while doing some papier-mâché.  Hell has few furies like a clinging boy finding he has a new stepfather, and now it's Norman's turn to get even by doing a little psychological torture.

He calls the house and gets Romero, so there is already a strong suggestion that he knows.  Norma is at a loss to what to do: she loves Romero, but she loves Norman.  Her balancing act can't be kept up for much longer, especially since nothing legally binds Norman from staying at the Pineview Mental Hospital.

Perhaps the information his half-brother/uncle Dylan Massett (Max Thieriot) could help.  As he keeps digging into what happened to his girlfriend Emma's mother Audrey.  More evidence comes his way through a letter Audrey had written that was in Norman's room, but Norma still won't give the idea that Norman is connected with Audrey any consideration. 

At long last, Norman Bates plans to come home, aware of all except Romero's plan to launder the money he's hidden from Bob Paris' killing through Norma, who reluctantly accepts it for upgrades to the house.

There's No Place Like Home illustrates how dumb Normero were.  Throughout the whole episode I kept wondering why Norma or Romero didn't have some plan as to how to tell Norman of their relationship.  Again and again I kept wondering why these two kept putting off the inevitable.

However, despite what I consider Normero's idiocy (and what must have pleased the Normero shippers by showing them indulge in the pleasures of the flesh), There's No Place Like Home clearly is Highmore's Emmy submission tape.

Highmore is simply brilliant in this episode, going through all ranges in his portrayal of Norman Bates.  He is cold, manipulative, crying easily but moreover, the first time I could say that Norman Bates is evil.  This was the first time I felt repulsed by Norman, a person who through most of Bates Motel was almost always shown as somewhat sympathetic.

No more, as Highmore's Norman was possessive, selfish, unwilling to let Mother go, and one who was using his power over his mother to get at her, to be as passive-aggressive as he could be.  His cruelty coupled with his selfishness makes him highly dangerous, and by now there seems to be no return, no hope for redemption for our troubled child.

At this point, Norman Bates is no longer doomed to cross that line from being mentally troubled to being troubled and irredeemably evil.  He has, wittingly or not, made his decision.

I confess to not remembering much of There's No Place Like Home apart from Highmore's simply excellent performance and Norma/Romero's ineptness in handling the situation.  It's both a showcase for Freddie Highmore and a great set up for an inevitable and tragic conclusion to this Mother-Love.   

8/10

Next Episode: Unfaithful

Bates Motel: The Vault Review

BATES MOTEL: THE VAULT

You genuinely feel for Norma Bates.  Despite what Psycho and its sequels have done to her reputation, Bates Motel shows that at heart, Norma Bates was a good woman who suffered greatly, greatly at the hands of those around her.  That's not to say she didn't have some hand in some of her own misfortune, particularly her sometimes clingy manner with her grown son, Norman (what woman thinks its rational to share a bed with her eighteen-year-old son.  I know some woman who see nothing wrong with climbing into bed with their twenty-eight-year-old sons for 'chats', but I digress).  The Vault showcases why Vera Farmiga really is such a great actress, and throws in a lot from other cast members.

Chick (Ryan Hurst) has continued his threats against Norma Bates with regards to her brother Caleb (Kenny Johnson), now in far-off Honduras running a hotel.  He continues to be particularly grotesque to his suggestions that the incest between Caleb and Norma was consensual, and pushes her to find Caleb for him so that Chick can have his revenge. 

Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) meanwhile, continues to slip into his own dark universe.  His therapist at Pineview, Dr. Gregg Edwards (Damon Gupton) tells him about dissociative identity disorder, where one creates an alternate identity to deal with extremely painful or difficult memories.  "Mother", the sexually rigid figure in Norman's mind, is what comes to him whenever he can't deal with something, and when "Mother" takes over, he blacks out.

Norman's memories are particularly brutal.  His father, Sam Bates, was a horrific drunk who was extremely violent towards his mother.  As Norman dives deeper into some shocking memories, we discover that during one particularly violent clash (if memory serves correct, after Norma attempted to flee but was unable to), Sam anally raped her while Norman was hiding underneath their bed.  At one point, she puts her hand to Norman's hidden one to hold.

Dylan Massett (Max Thieriot), Norman's half-brother/uncle, is now facing issues of his own.  After visiting his brother he finds something very curious about how Emma's mother was at the hotel but has not been seen since.  He starts looking into things and accidentally discovers Emma's toy bunny, which he remembers she had when she tried unsuccessfully to see her.  He is now convinced that Norman knows things about this situation.  For her part, Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke) has no interest in why her mother disappeared, suspecting that she left of her own free will.

Norma meets with Chick on a bridge and tells him that she will not tell him where Caleb is...and that if he wants to destroy her life to go at it.  She had a gun but didn't kill him (all the pity).  Finally, when Chick brings the window, Norma's husband Sheriff Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell) doesn't understand her hostility towards someone who did such good work.  It's now that Norma finally tells Romero of the truth between her and Caleb, but despite her fear Alex stays with her.

Again, Bates Motel is really so well-acted by the cast, particularly the leads, that it is just a sin that neither Vera Farmiga or Freddie Highmore have won Emmys (or that Highmore was overlooked for a nomination).  Farmiga gave Norma what she needed: true sympathy and heartbreak for a much-maligned character.  The horror of her rape, her fury at her impotence against Chick, the fear of losing Romero...she goes through so much within the episode and she never hits a wrong note.

Perhaps a better title would have been The Confessions of Norma Bates.  I had in my notes that an alternate title to The Vault should be The Confessions of Dylan Massett, though now I fail to remember why.  Perhaps it is because Thieriot was actually integrated into the stories much better, particularly the investigation on Emma's mother.  He is the only sane member of the Calhoun/Bates family, and only he appears to see how dangerous Norman Bates really is.  However, like Cassandra, he is never believed despite being always right.  Thieriot, whom I have been off/on ever since the premiere episode, was actually pretty good here, the growing fear and disbelief as to what is going on growing.

Highmore again excels as Norman Bates, this deeply troubled man who has lived through great horrors and who has created an alternate persona to shield him from it.  When Norman is "Mother", Highmore is both creepy and brilliant, showing what he's done in this difficult role. 

Gupton is equally strong as the cool and collected Dr. Edwards, who might have seen it all but who probably is shocked by just how monstrous the Bates family dynamic has been. 

One of the highlights in The Vault was when Johnson and Farmiga were on the phone speaking to each other.  Normally, when actors have to act out phone scenes, it can come across as very remote and uninvolved (hence the expression, 'phoned in').  However, both of them excelled when you think that they as actors probably did not have anyone to communicate or act against.  It was just them, speaking as though they were speaking and reacting to the other character's lines.  I figure they might have had someone feed them the other character's lines so they had something to work with, but both did such a great job I applaud their skills.

My only caveat about The Vault was my mad desire to have had Norma blow Chick away.  I hope he disappears forever, as not only have I never liked him but found his viciousness against someone who did him no harm so appalling.

The Vault was a sharp episode, particularly in the freakish (and freakishly filmed) rape scene, one that is downright horrifying even if not as graphic as it could have been.  You just feel so much for Norma, who apparently keeps getting raped either physically or emotionally.  She is a long-suffering woman, who I hope has a better future up ahead.

As If...

8/10

Next Episode: There's No Place Like Home

Bates Motel: Refraction Review

BATES MOTEL: REFRACTION

Bates Motel continues to be among the best-acted series around, and it's a pity that I haven't been as diligent in watching as I had been.  Let's hope to correct this with Refraction, the fifth episode of the fourth season.  We are seeing the main character's mind slowly dissolving into his own delusions, and though some things are obvious, others continue to make this another standout episode.

Norma Bates (Vera Farmiga) appears happy at last.  She's been in her words, too busy marrying Sheriff Alex Romero to piss anybody off.  That is why she doesn't understand why anyone would break one of her windows, particularly one with a beautiful stained glass.  Romero suspects it's because she's married to him (though it might have to do with the money he's hiding from Bob Paris, whom he killed last season).  Norma goes to the hardware store to see if anyone can help repair her window.  In comes Chick (Ryan Hurst), her brother Caleb's enemy who still harbors a hatred against Caleb.  He offers to help, and the unwitting Norma eagerly agrees.

Meanwhile, up at the Pineview mental hospital, Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) is undergoing therapy but it's clear from his work that he is fast losing grip with reality.  Dr. Gregg Edwards (Damon Gupton) sees that Norman is not all there, particularly whenever "Mother" comes to speak in Norman's place.  Norman Bates, in therapy, essentially admits that he is his mother, right in front of a disbelieving Edwards.

In our romance dubbed Dylemma, Dylan Massett (Max Thieriot) and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke) are seriously contemplating a new life in Seattle.  Dylan is highly reluctant to bring up his marijuana-growing past un in interviews, which is odd to my mind given how pot-growing/using is now so prevalent and considered a positive.

Things come to a head when Dr. Edwards confronts Norman with two pieces of information: he blacked out in his interview, and despite seeing her, Norma has not come to visit him.  All that was in his mind.  Chick, for his part, having made the Norma/Caleb connection, fixes the window but makes some really grotesque accusations when he puts together how Caleb is both her brother and Dylan's father: that she willingly and with desire had sex with her own brother.  He then tells her that it is up to her what happens to her wayward brother.

Bates Motel is best when we see our favorite dysfunctional family at the character's worst.  For Farmiga's Norma, it's when she is vulnerable.  The look of horror and pain and shock as Chick lays it all out for her is a mix of emotions that show why she has sadly been the only cast member nominated for an Emmy (and sadly lost). 

For Highmore, it is when he makes it official that Norman Bates is completely bonkers.  Unlike other episodes, where it was hinted that "Mother" was there but with Norman not being part of the shenanigans, this is the first Bates Motel episode that I can remember where we see Highmore 'acting out' being Mother.  He becomes very feminine and mannered as "Mother" but that is what makes his performance all the more chilling, the fact that he makes Norman's delusions so natural to the character.

At this point I can say that I thoroughly detest the Chick character and so wish he'd go away.  He's about the only character on Bates Motel right now that I'd love Norman to take a whack at.  For me, he drags down everything he touches, and he looks a bit like a deranged Hasidic rabbi.  I figure he's there to provide conflict of some sort, but there's nothing in either Chick or Hurst that interests me.  This whole 'he wants to find Caleb via Norma' setup seems rather clichéd to me.

Up to a point, the same goes for Dylan and Emma: Thieriot resorting more than once to sad eyes and Cooke being now Dylan's love interest and nothing more.  Cooke has been among Bates Motel's best things, so seeing her being now just Dylan's girl seems to show that the show is really struggling to make her relevant, a terrible shame.

Finally, hands up for those who DIDN'T guess that Norman's visit with "Mother Bates" was really all in his mind.  I don't see any, because by now we pretty much figured he was imagining it.     

Still, on the whole  Refraction was a well-acted episode that moved at least the main story, that of the horror show of Norma and her namesake son, forward to what must be its inevitable and tragic conclusion.

7/10

Next Episode: The Vault

Gotham: Follow the White Rabbit Review

GOTHAM: FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT

Follow the White Rabbit is a bit of the reverse of last week's Anything For You.  While I thought Anything For You was unquestionably brilliant, Follow the White Rabbit was, well, not awful by any stretch.  It just didn't do anything for me (no pun intended).  I think it is because, despite everyone still doing a bang-up job, Follow the White Rabbit kind of went the way I expected it to.  A little bit too violent (again) for my taste, it is not an episode I'd like to revisit.

Jarvis Tetch (Benedict Samuels), better known as The Mad Hatter (though as far as I can remember no one has yet to use this name for him) is plotting his revenge on Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) for the death of Jarvis' sister, Alice.  As part of this scheme, he hypnotizes a young albino man (Kieran Mulcare), who for purposes of keeping things all Lewis Carroll-connected is The White Rabbit.  As part of Tetch's insane scheme is to make Gordon constantly choose who will live and who will die. 

Tetch's first victims will be either a child who will be run over by a truck or a newlywed couple perched on the ledge of a bridge.  Gordon chooses the child, which means the happy couple jumped to the deaths.  Next, Gordon is taken to an abandoned powerhouse where he is given a more sadistic choice connected to two of Gordon's lovers: his former love Dr. Leslie "Lee" Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) and current mistress Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung).  One is a doctor, one a reporter...which is why Tetch wants Gordon to choose which of the two men he has in electric chairs will live: Gotham's most respected pediatrician or Gotham's favorite news anchor.

Gordon will not choose, and despite the arrival of the GCPD they are all powerless to save both men.  Worse, Tetch has abducted both Thompkins and Vale in an effort to get at Gordon.  Gordon, with some help from the White Rabbit (still in the throes of hypnosis) and Thompkins' fiancée Dr. Mario Calvi nee Falcone (James Carpinello), he goes to Thompkins' home to find them both as hostages.

In rhyme and without reason Tetch keeps taunting Gordon to choose until he finally says, "Kill Lee".  Tetch, being Mad, shoots Vale instead.  Tetch, satisfied, flees into the city, with Thompkins, Gordon, and Calvi rushing to save her.

In our subplot, Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) has decided to tell his Chief of Staff Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) that loves him.  I figure this is that "love that dares not speak its name" style.  Pengy keeps stumbling in his efforts to confess his feelings for Nygma, but will do so while dining together in the evening.

As Nygma is shopping for wine for this dinner, he meets a woman who looks eerily similar to his former love, Miss Kringle.  Calling herself Isabella (Chelsea Spack), she seems instantly attracted to Ed.  "There's just something about you," she tells him.  The fact that she has a fondness for riddles helps to.

Maybe it's just me, but Isabella, bearing a near-complete similarity to the much-loved/missed Miss Kringle and emerging as if from the dead gives this new story a very Vertigo-type feel.  I wouldn't be surprised if Gotham took inspiration from the Hitchcock classic (and a great way to bring Spack back...no rhyme intended).  Who is this Isabella?  A twin?  A mere lookalike?  A figment of Nygma's imagination?  A random woman?  Something else, something more?

We'll have to see, as this subplot is going to get played out more.

We now have a most curious detail with Penguin essentially coming out as gay on Gotham.  Given that Pengy has never had any real romantic or even sexual urges on the show (and apart from his romanticizing his mother to the exclusion of everyone else), this call for him to declare that he's in love with anyone (man or woman) strikes me as well, curious. Another time I think I might put in my own thoughts on Nygmobblepot (the romantic/sexual pairing of The Penguin and The Riddler that floats about in many a fanfic but which up till now hasn't been made Canon). 

For the moment, while this doesn't completely come out of nowhere, I am not convinced that this storyline is good for the series.  Penguin has up to now given no indication that he has any sexual/romantic urges or desires, straight or gay.  Edward Nygma is at the moment straight, and there isn't any indication that he is perhaps bisexual.  With this new twist of Kringle Deux, I suspect Nygma's sexual urges will continue being directed towards women.

However, all that really is for another time.  Suffice to say for the moment that this doesn't seem to be something of interest to me.  That goes for the whole "criminal mastermind taunts hero with choosing who lives or dies" bit that dominated Follow the White Rabbit.

Again, I didn't hate this episode.   Far from it, for it has many positive attributes.  Chief among them is both McKenzie's performance as Gordon and the focus of exploring his dark psyche.  Samuels was also quite strong as the Mad Hatter (even managing to spout off rhymes without it coming across as ridiculous).  "Lies!  Deceit!  The story you tell is incomplete!" he shouts at Gordon when Jim discusses Tetch's incestuous relationship with Alice without using the term 'incest'.

While the line delivery/performance was good, the idea of bringing such a sordid subject up makes me queasy, as does the almost sadistic violence on this particular episode.  Torture, killing of innocents, those kind of things don't sit well with me.

There were great moments of comedy (the ever-efficient Ed preparing two itineraries for Oswald: one list for Mayor, one for Kingpin of Underworld) and drama (Penguin offering curious advice to a child named Luke, sitting alone in a school on how to make friends, "if they don't like you, wait until their backs are turned...and push them down the stairs").  I also liked how well Gotham is integrating those larger-than-life criminals while still holding something of a semblance of reality (having "the White Rabbit" as part of that "Alice in Wonderland" motif doesn't make it look idiotic or silly).

Still, while I didn't dislike the episode, I wasn't crazy for it either.  It teetered somewhere in the middle for me, so I'm giving it a mild recommendation, but wonder where we'll end up both with the Mad Hatter and Nygmobblepot.

6/10

Next Episode: Red Queen

Gotham: Anything For You Review

GOTHAM: ANYTHING FOR YOU

Anything For You may be the most perfect Gotham episode of Season Three.  Throughout the whole episode, I had a great grin on my face, marveling at just how well everything came together: the story, the acting, the cinematography (one of Gotham's greatest qualities).  Anything For You was perfect right up to the end, when we got a cruel reminder that the show has to have outside villains and stories.

Gotham Mayor Oswald Cobblepot (Robin Lord Taylor) is apparently cleaning up the city, with his ever-loyal Chief of Staff Edward Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) by his side, quite literally.  A little bit off to the side is Penguin's once-favorite, Butch Gilzean (Drew Powell).  Things appear to be going well for Mayor Ozzie, down to having a statue of his sainted mother put up.

This strikes me as a bit Fascist, but there you go.

As can be expected, if you want to hurt Oswald Cobblepot, hit him in his one vulnerable spot: his mother.  A new Red Hood Gang crashes his celebratory press conference, down to knocking Mother Kapelput's head off.  This blatant show of him failing in his campaign promise (and going after his mother) enrages Cobblepot, who wants the gang caught and exterminated.  No one questions his authority as Mayor or Crime King of Gotham.

Penguin would be shocked to discover that the New Red Hood Gang was really a front for Butch, who is up to a strange scheme.  Butch isn't doing this to overthrow Penguin.  It's actually a wild scheme to get back into Penguin's good graces, he being highly irritated by Nygma's influence over him.

This irritation is felt at the GCPD, where Nygma lords his power over his former coworkers with impunity.  Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) and Detective Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) are powerless to stop him.  Only Dr. Leslie Thompkins (Morena Baccarin) lets him know what she thinks when she slugs him. 

Having her fiancée be the son of Don Falcone makes her immune from any threat Nygma may throw her way.

Nygma's former detective skills comes through when he begins suspecting that the Red Hood Gang is not what it appears to be.  He grows more suspicious when Butch arrives at the hideout with all the gang blown away, and a nice jacket there, too nice and out of place for the gang.

Beating Nygma to the punch as to who is the brains of the Red Hood Gang are our favorite Gruesome Twosome: Barbara Kean (Erin Richards), aka Bonkers Babs, and her mistress/Butch's ex, Tabitha Galavan (Jessica Lucas).  They want to bring him in to Penguin as a way to curry favor (and stop Pengy from going after Tabitha for, you know, killing Mamma Kapelput), but Butch begs for time.

Meanwhile, Bruce Wayne (David Mazouz) goes to his friend Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) for help in finding Ivy.  He also gets romance advice, Gordon sensing that Bruce has feelings for Selina Kyle (Camren Bicondova).  Wayne and Gordon get clues about a redhead with Ivy's sweater, but the girl was in her twenties.

All these conflicting stories come together at Oswald's victory party at The Sirens, the club Babs & Tabitha run.  All the plots and counterplots come at us fast and furious, culminating in Butch's efforts to finally kill Nygma with his metal arm.  Penguin keeps getting one shock after another, but in the end chooses loyalty to Ed.  Bruce and Selina (the latter who crashes the party for a little pickpocketing) miss all the chaos going on as they are up on the roof.  Bruce confesses he has feelings for Selina that is more than friendship, and that he feels she feels the same.  Selina doesn't appear impressed...but ends up kissing Bruce anyway.

The episode ends with Jarvis Tetch (Benedict Samuels), generally known as The Mad Hatter, killing a woman dressed like his sister and using her blood to write a place card for James Gordon.

I was actually a bit disappointed with how the episode ended (and it has nothing to do with Nygmobblepot, this shipping of Edward Nygma and Oswald Cobblepot that fanboys/girls want to go from their own fanfic to Canon).  Instead, my disappointment came from the fact that for almost the whole hour, we were shown how good Gotham is with just the regular cast in it.  The Mad Hatter bit tacked on at the end seems superfluous to the wild goings-on in this our crime-filled city, one always in darkness and gloom, far from anything that is optimistic or hopeful.

Despite this, everything in Anything For You was so wild, so brilliant, so on-fire that even this little bit could not knock it down from being the best Season Three Gotham episode, perhaps the best episode of the whole season.

Every performance bar none is simply brilliant.  Mazouz is steady and strong as a more maturing Bruce Wayne, dominating his scenes with everyone, yet also giving room for Bicondova to share a tender moment.  McKenzie not only gave a good performance, he added a subtle touch of humor (something Gordon is not known for).  When asking Wayne how long he and Selina had been an item, we see a wry slight grin coming to Gordon as Bruce denies anything going on.

The trio of Powell, CMS and RLT are also brilliant, from Penguin's monologue to his mother's statue to his tender side with Nygma and his fury at the Red Hood Gang's actions to Nygma milking his new powers over his former foes and Butch's mix of hurt and fury at their dual actions.  Richards has been liberated as Bonkers Babs, but shows she does have sense when she stops Tabitha from going to save Butch (she reads that Penguin has chosen Nygma).

Baccarin gets her own moment when dueling with Nygma, matching his bullying with her own not-subtle threats (touch her, and the Falcones will come after him, Mayor Cobblepot or no Mayor Cobblepot). 

The various twists and turns the episode took were logical and thrilling.  Gotham's cinematography continues to be used to such brilliant effect that I still cannot understand why Gotham hasn't won an Outstanding Cinematography Emmy.

Come to think of it, I can't understand why the acting hasn't been nominated either. 

Anything For You is simply brilliant from its opening to the climatic showdown.  I wasn't thrilled by the ending with Tetch, but that's such a minor detail that  it doesn't block out what has to be the best Gotham episode in this strong season.

10/10

Next Episode: Follow the White Rabbit