THE EPITAPH VOL. 20 - TV ROUND-UP!
THE WALKING DEAD: THE COMPLETE NINTH SEASON (2018-2019) - THE FLASH: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON (2019) - ARROW: THE COMPLETE SEVENTH SEASON (2019)
The ninth season of AMC's long-running undead series The Walking Dead is a show I have stuck with for better or worse,which is not to say that I have been satisfied with every turn the show, but on the whole it still delivers on the undead apocalypse for me. This season we see lots of struggle - no surprise there - with the departure of one of the series flagship characters, which I won't spoil, plus we get a bit of a time jump, with the series moving ahead several years into the future. This allows for what amounts to a bit of a soft reboot for the series. Following the events of the eight season bad-guy Negan is still imprisoned at Alexandria, and the communities of Hilltop, Oceanside, and The Kingdom are all still facing hardships, with there being a push by Ezekiel at the Hilltop to unite the communities under a single united government, but there's a lot of baggage involved there that could be prohibitive. The best part of this ninth season for me was the introduction of a new threat, a group of wandering survivors known as "the whisperers". These creepers wear dead-skin masks and walk among the undead, controlling their movements and using the hordes as both cover and as a weapon. Episode eight this season was a definite highlight for me, taking place in the dark of night in a fog-shrouded cemetery, feeling a bit like vintage slice of Gothic undead horror from yesteryear, I think it's the best episode of the season. The whisperers are lead by Alpha (Samantha Morton), and this woman is a force of nature, working against everything that the communities are working towards. This season was a good upturn for me, breathing new life into the undead series that's been desperately needed. The five-disc set from Lionsgate looks and sounds terrific, the show is always easy on the eyes and the Blu-ray provide a stellar technical presentations. Extras include a handful of commentaries, deleted scenes, a farewell to a major cast member, the usual Inside Episode recaps and a memoriam for the dead, plus featurettes looking at the role of nature in this season, the whisperers, and the time jump.
THE FLASH: THE COMPLETE FIFTH SEASON (2019) The Flash is my favorite of all the Arrowverse superhero shows on the CW, I love the comic sensibilities, the drama, the seemingly endless parade of speedsters, and the multi-verse angle, it all works for me, and even when it doesn't quite work I still love the core set of characters and their adventures. The fifth season saw Barry Allen's future daughter Nora taking a much larger role in the series, providing lot of parental drama for Iris and Barry Allen, which sort of sours with the revelation that Nora is working for one of The Flash's most powerful speedster enemies. On the downside this season is weighted down with a lot of personal detours for the characters Caitlin and Cisco, with the latter struggling with wanting to rid himself of his powers and the former getting a bit of an origin story that goes on a bit longer that I cared for. The baddies this season are the meta-human hunting Cicada and Cicada II, and they didn't do much for me unfortunately, I kind of miss the bad-speedsters. The best stuff this season came by way of the relationship between Barry, Iris and their future daughter Nora, but even that sort of falls apart in the latter half of the season. While I am still enjoying the show I would like to see it be more streamlined in the sixth season, with less tangential drama and a more focused plot line. The four-disc set from Warner Bros. looks and sounds fantastic, plus we get all three of the elsewhere episodes, which are exclusive to the Blu-ray, the DVD version only has The Flash episode, but does not feature the Arrow or Supergirl episodes, so keep that in mind when making your purchase. Extras include a selection of deleted scenes, a fun gag reel, a Best of 2018 Comic-Con panel, plus an in-depth exploration of the Elseworld's crossover event with the show-runners, plus extras exploring the evolution of Killer Frost, and the motivations of the DC villains.
Strangely Arrow is the beginning of CW's Arrowverse but is the show I care least about. The character of Green Arrow has never been a draw for me in the comics and or this TV incarnation. I occasionally tune in every now and again for the crossover events, but Arrow's just not my superhero jam. The first third of it with our arrow-slinging hero incarcerated in prison following his public identity reveal in the sixth season, and then working for the local PD upon his release. This series in particular is the least fun of the Arrowverse series, and that's where it loses me, but I have to give it props for the fight-sequences, which are well-staged and action-packed. This season also saw flash-forwards set in the future where Oliver and Felcity's children now protect Star City, which was interesting, but not enough to make me an avid viewer, Arrow's just not my bag. The four-disc presents all 24-episodes, including the three-part Elseworld's crossover event with The Flash and Supergirl, plus deleted scenes and a gag reel. This set also carries the same Best of 2018 Comic-Con panel, Villains: Modes of Persuasion and Inside the Crossover: Elseworld's featurette that are on The Flash: The Complete Fifth Season set.
