Summary: Rience arrives in Kaer Morhen and takes the mutagen. Geralt and Ciri are followed by the chernobog. Geralt kills it but only after it kills Roach. Geralt and Ciri arrive in Melitele's Temple where they are met by Yennefer. Geralt and Yennefer catch up, but at night they are attacked by Rience who is after Ciri. Yennefer teaches her to portal out, leaving Geralt behind. Francesca and Cahir encourage Fringilla to turn on the other. Francesca has her baby. The White Flame opts to come to Cintra. Istredd meets with Ellis Codringher to get answers.
The Good: This was solid stuff. Geralt and Ciri get another good action-packed storyline that allows their dynamic to shine. I thought that the reunion with Yennefer wrote all three characters well. Yennefer's inner conflict was presented and acted well as she realizes that she must sacrifice Geralt's child surprise for her own magic. The action was also a stand-out. The final scene was suitably brutal, and the opening fight against the chernobog was good fun. It's nice to see Ciri get more involved with each passing fight. Roach's death was a somber, memorable moment in the episode, further symbolizing all that Ciri has lost. The Bad: Codringher feels like a convenient way to provide exposition and I didn't enjoy his scenes with Istredd very much. It all felt too easy and detached from the main story. The scenes in Cintra are fine but I'm not attached to Fringilla, Cahir, or Francesca enough to really care. Francesca's motives are the clearest but we hardly know anything else about her. Meanwhile Fringilla and Cahir remain really empty. I wish that Cahir's time with Yennefer could have developed him more. The Unknown: What was the Aard Incident? What is the orbuculum? What was it supposed to do? Is Ciri the child of destiny? What does this mean? What is the significance of Ithlinne's prophecy and the wild hunt? How does Codringher know so much? What will Lydia do with Ciri's blood? Who is her lord? Is it someone we know? Is it Emhyr? Why is the White Flame coming to Cintra? Will the elves stay loyal to Nilfgaard? Will Cahir and Fringilla have a falling out? Will Dara remain loyal to Dijkstra? Best Moment: Yennefer and Geralt seeing each other again. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This was a decent episode helped along by good action scenes. More solid story progression, but nothing special. Season 2 has been filled with solid but unspectacular episodes so far. Score: 60
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Summary: Ciri agrees to use her blood to restore witchers, but wants the new mutagen to be used on herself first and Triss is horrified. Triss uses a spell to explore Ciri's past but it goes horribly wrong and Triss has a horror vision of Ciri ending the world. Geralt an dIstredd go to the monolith in Cintra and find a gigantic chasm. They discover that the new monsters are likely being pulled from the other spheres in space.
The Good: Ciri's visions are the best part here. They are filled with mystery, tense, suspenseful, and horrifying. Terrific fantasy television. The other stuff is pretty solid too. Vesemir has been given a good bit of story as he now faces the possibility of producing more witchers. You can easily understand his controlled optimism, and thankfully he never goes against Ciri's will. Geralt and Istredd's adventure is pretty good. We get a truckload of information on the conjunction, which is very welcome. The worldbuilding is solid and we get a hint of a deeper connection between the two based on their relationships with Yennefer. The Bad: Yennefer finding Jaskier and saving him from Rience was too rushed and convenient for my liking. In any other situation where the enemy wasn't a fire mage, Yennefer wouldn't have had a plan to get away. Furthermore, it's hard to understand how she found Jaskier so easily. Did Rience really take him back to his own tavern? The weakest part of Vesemir's story is his blockheaded decision to try out the mutagen on Ciri. If she dies, his entire source of mutagen is gone! Surely he should have objected to that. It's a massive stretch for Geralt and Istredd to assume that the monsters came from space. The possibilities are endless, so having them pinpoint the exact answer so quickly and without any real evidence is hard to believe. This episode feels rushed. There are lots of short scenes intercut with each other. Not only does this disrupt the tension, but the short scenes shortcharge a lot of the character interactions. The Unknown: Who is Lydia? Who does she work for? Why did she recruit Rience? Why is Rience imprisoned? What did he do to Calanthe? Are the monoliths actually conduits that are summoning monsters? What was the prophecy surrounding Ciri? What were the circumstances of her birth? What went wrong with Triss' spell? Did Ciri mess it up or did someone else invade it? What did Triss see? Who was the dying lady with the baby? Is Francesca pregnant with a baby? It seems that both Francesca and Fringilla made their wish to the witch. What will the consequences be? Did Yennefer just get her magic back? Why is she being sent to get Ciri? Who is waiting for her in Cintra? Best Moment: The terror Triss felt after seeing Ciri's future. The way she scares Ciri away is sad to see, and it's completely sensible that she would try to become a witcher to bury away her troubles. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This mystery building and tension was great, but other than that, there isn't much more to this episode and there are a fair amount of flaws. Score: 61 Summary: Flashbacks show Boba Fett escape the Sarlacc and have his armour taken by Jawas. The Tusken Raiders find and capture him, making him a prisoner. Boba tries to escape but fails. He's sent to get water with another prisoner, a Rodian. The Rodian digs up a creature that kills him, but Boba kills the creature. As a reward, Boba is given water from the Tusken Raiders. In the present, Boba holds court in Tatooine. After holding court, Boba goes to Mos Espa to meet with Garsa, a key business associate. Boba collects money from her, but he is attacked in the streets and the money is taken. Boba is hurt but Fennec captures a prisoner.
The Good: I was surprised by the opening sequence of this show. When I think of "Star Wars", I never think of stylistic, slow paced sequences without dialogue, yet that's what this episode starts with. I applaud the ambition shown by the creators of the show, and I think it worked spectacularly well. Going into this show, I wasn't very interested at all, but this patient and interesting sequence filled with heart immediately hooked me in. The directing, cinematography, visual effects, and editing is all great, and it elevates these opening scenes especially. This show has a big obstacle to overcome going into it: I don't think of Boba as a particularly compelling character going into this series, so this show has to make Boba likeable to me. Luckily for the show, I can't think of a better way to do that than to show us his experiences visually through flashbacks while we see him make decisions as a leader in the present. It's a format similar to "Lost" that is really effective at connecting us to characters. I'm not fully invested yet, but the potential is definitely there. The court scenes were really interesting. As a fan of "Game of Thrones", especially the books, I'm a big fan of well written political storylines that make a statement on what it means to be a leader in a complex world. So far, this has been shown in a very competent way as we see Boba holding court and making a lot of micro-decisions on his ruling style, ranging from something big like choosing when to kill someone to something small like deciding whether or not he should accept the offer to have his helmet cleaned. I appreciate that every decision is shown to be important in this show, and it illuminates a lot about Boba as a leader. I also like that Boba is immediately tested by the people he is ruling over and immediately faces a problem. It isn't realistic to expect that Boba will be a perfect leader right away, so I'm happy to see that he's immediately attacked, robbed, and humiliated in the streets. With Boba having failed already, we get a good understanding of his struggle, and it's easier to root for him to succeed since we know that he has to learn and overcome his own shortcomings as a crime lord. Lastly, I enjoyed the action in this episode. It's shot well and is very neatly choreographed. The Bad: I'm still not sold on Fennec as a character. She is dreadfully boring. I also feel like the cheesy Disney tone of this show is misplaced. It's strange to hear corny one-liners in what should be a pretty serious political thriller. There were only a couple in this episode, but they bothered me and took me out of the experience when I heard them. As a "Lost" fan, the title of this episode did not please me. The Unknown: Why does Boba need to heal in the bacta pod? What is it for? Who sent the assassins to attack Boba? Was it the mayor? What will the mayor want from Boba? How will Boba change his ruling style in response to this attack? How will he respond to the assassins? Will he attempt to get his money back? How do the weird shells filled with water get buried in the sand? That seems extremely unrealistic and poorly thought out, but perhaps we will be offered an explanation. Best Moment: Not much really stood out, but I'll go with Boba's interactions with the mayor's messenger. Every response was an interesting decision that illuminated more about the character. Character of the Episode: Boba. Conclusion: This was a solid pilot episode that started "The Book of Boba Fett" in all the right ways. I still don't have particularly high expectations for this show, but so far I am enjoying it. Score: 64 Summary: Triss arrives at Kaer Morhen to help Ciri develop. Along with Geralt, they discover that the monsters that have been showing up were likely because of a monolith Ciri had toppled. Vesemir discovers that Ciri has elder blood which can be used to make more witchers. Yennefer and Cahir are on the run in Redania, looking for a way into Cintra. They find Jaskier who smuggles them onto a boat before he is mysteriously taken. Dara is also on the boat, sent there by Dijkstra.
The Good: Redania is introduced well and feels like a fleshed out location. We get a glimpse of their politics, we see the horrifying discrimination against the elves, and the distinct sets and grand establishing shots make Redania feel like it belongs within the world. Yennefer and Cahir as an unlikely pair on the run makes for some surprisingly decent storytelling, illuminating Yennefer's inner turmoil after losing her powers, and also suggesting to Cahir how insignificant his existence really is to Emhyr. Additionally, we have a lovely little story of two elves that Yennefer and Cahir encounter in the sewers, with both of their stories ending in their tragic deaths. Plus we also get Jaskier's return, which was very welcome. His comedy was written nicely into the episode and he had lots of nice lines for Yennefer, wand also a sweet moment of sympathy (see: Best Moment). And of course, his all out verbal assault on the man checking his papers was hilarious. The Kaer Morhen story was pretty good. We got a deeper look at the relationship between Geralt and Triss and also a better understanding of Ciri's powers and what it is that makes her so desirable. The Bad: I'm honestly surprised that Jaskier was so hurt by Geralt, since his words seemed like a moment of anger instead of a definitive ending to a friendship. This is especially awkward because Geralt always did say mean things to Jaskier that were never taken seriously. I feel like I'm missing something with the character of Triss. I'm confused by why she was so hurt after Sodden, and I was especially confused by her relationship with Geralt, which I swear was not this personal the last time they interacted. While I enjoyed the episode, the show is still missing something. The characters and the story are being set up well, but this doesn't feel like good television just yet. The Unknown: What exactly is Triss' relationship with Geralt? Who tried to assassinate Vizimir? Why? What is Dijkstra's motivation? Why is he talking to an owl? Did he select Dara to act as his spy? How did he get Dara? Why are the monsters coming from the monolith? What is its significance? Will Istredd be able to help Geralt with this? What else can Ciri's elder blood be used for? Will Vesemir be able to make new witchers now? What is Yennefer's new purpose? What happened to Jaskier? Best Moment: Jaskier learns that Yennefer lost her powers, and after a brief and funny moment of gloating, he sympathizes with her. This also allows Yennefer to show us her newfound resolve, determined to find a new purpose. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: This was good stuff. There was some plot progression, quality world building, and some really good character moments. A solid episode as "The Witcher" looks much more assured in its storytelling halfway through season 2, even if some flaws still persist. Score: 64 Summary: Ciri steps up her training with Lambert and Ceon. Geralt and Vesemir lay Eskel to rest. Geralt and Ciri follow her visions and get attacked by monsters. Geralt kills them. Yennefer returns to Aretuza but Stregobor doesn't trust her. She is tasked with killing Cahir to prove her loyalty, but she instead frees him and escapes.
The Good: Ciri's training is engaging to watch, and you get the sense that it is do or die for her because she has to earn the respect of the other witchers to be allowed to stay. Her training has a very cinematic feel to it. The Aretuza storyline builds nicely to Yennefer being forced to kill Cahir to prove her loyalty. Yennefer's choice at the end is engaging to watch because it's very unclear what she's actually going to do. The Bad: Lambert and Ceon's antagonism towards Geralt is hard to understand. Surely they knew that Eskel had to die, and blaming Geralt for bringing Ciri is simply childish and unrealistic. It feels like manufactured drama. Also if they cared about Eskel so much, why were they absent when he was laid to rest? The magic politics still aren't very exciting to watch. Characters like Tissaia, Istredd, Stregobor, and Vilgefortz are not developed well enough to interest me, and the plot development is a slow-burn which can sometimes be extremely tedious since I'm not emotionally invested. I can't say that I fully understand Yennefer's decision to escape, or even her decision to return to Aretuza to begin with. We desperately need some time with her to get a better idea of her motives and emotions. Cahir and Fringilla are flat antagonists and their scenes don't interest me at all. Stregobor's decision to torture Yennefer in broad daylight is utterly insane. The Unknown: What is Triss contending with right now? Why are her scars such a big deal? Where was she summoned to? Who was Falka exactly and why does Stregobor bring her up? Why did Ciri's powers lead her to the monster? Why did it hesitate before it tried to kill her? Why did Yennefer choose to escape by freeing Cahir? Where will they go? Best Moment: Tissaia forcing Yennefer to face the reality of losing her powers. Character of the Episode: Yennefer. Conclusion: Some storytelling flaws reared their head and made this a tough episode to engage in, but otherwise this is more decent progression. Score: 57 Summary: Geralt and Ciri arrive in Kaer Morhen. Vesemir criticizes Geralt for claiming Ciri. Eskel returns, having been injured by a leshy. He brings women and throws a party, but he transforms into a leshy. Geralt and Vesemir fight him and kill him. Geralt decides to train Ciri. Yennefer and Fringilla have been captured by the elves. They choose towork with their leader, Francesca and they discover that they have been having connected dreams of a robed individual, who ends up being a witch. Fringilla decides to work with the elves, and Yennefer is left behind.
The Good: It's fun to see Kaer Morhen, the home of the Witchers. They are an interesting community to explore, and the characters are introduced well enough. Eskel's story is a decent single episode adventure, and his death feels like a big deal at the end of the episode. The visual effects are very good, and Eskel's leshy form is suitably unsettling. Season 2's monsters have stepped it up from season 1. The story with the elves is decent, and the creepy prophetic dreams and experiences are very well realized. The directing is top-notch, making these scenes creepy, mysterious, and engaging. The Bad: I'm still left a bit unsatisfied by everything I don't know about this world. The amount of exposition is frustrating at times, and I often wish that the show would slow down to further explore aspects of its world. I'm not sure of what to make of the weird prophetic dream sequence yet. I wish this was explained in more detail because I'm just confused after watching this episode. The Unknown: Who is this witch that is invading dreams? What has she done to Yennefer, Fringilla, and Francesca? What is Dol Blathanna, mentioned by Francesca? What more is there involving the conjunction of spheres which was brought up multiple times? How did Eskel get infected by a leshy? Was it a different monster or just a freak incident? Best Moment: The ending montage was a nice piece of filmmaking, connecting key moments in the character arcs for Geralt, Ciri and Yennefer. We see Geralt embracing his role as Ciri's father figure, Ciri finally gets a chance to learn how to survive, and Yennefer combats the despair that comes with the loss of her powers. The sequence is nicely edited, connecting the emotions of the variosu characters very nicely. Character of the Episode: Ciri. Conclusion: This is good story progression. The episode does not do much to stand out, but it advances the plot and the characters well enough while providing another entertaining monster-of-the-week story. Score: 62 Summary: Geralt and Ciri stay at Nivellen's place, he is an old friend of Geralt. While he is hospitable, he is cursed and Geralt suspects something is strange. It's revealed that Nivellen has been harbouring a bruxa to keep him company, hiding from the fact that she has massacred a nearby village. Geralt kills the bruxa and learns that Nivellen was cursed after raping a priestess. Geralt and Ciri leave him with his shame.
The Good: This episode wasn't strictly needed but I'm happy we got it. The Geralt/Ciri relationship is established nicely, and we get a good idea of how they feel for each other and the strength of their bond throughout the episode. While this is not a key plot episode, it is essential in terms of making us care for these characters. Nivellen, played by the great Kristofer Hivju, is charismatic and fun to watch, and the mystery surrounding him is a gripping hook for the episode. I appreciated the moral complexity of his story as we realize that a man who seems so decent can be capable of committing the most heinous crimes. This deepens the world, and also the complexity of the themes in this show. I'm much more invested to see more of "The Witcher" after this episode. The bruxa is brought to life stunningly well. She is terrifying in every way, be it her unnerving eyes, the creepy contortions of her body, or her innocent childlike voice. This is absolutely the scariest monster so far. But on top of that, this is also the most humanized monster so far. Up until now the monsters were just scary enemies, but now it seems like there is more to them than what meets the eye. The other scenes were decent. Tissaia torturing Cahir and Fringilla capturing Yennefer are intriguing developments. The Bad: I wish the show could have better realized the pain of Nivellen's curse. We are told what he has been through but we are never able to see how terrible it actually is. It's a minor quibble, but something I wish we could have seen more of. The Unknown: Who attacked Fringilla's group? Will Cahir give information to Tissaia? What is the temple of the lionhead spider? Who are the wild hunt? Best Moment: The drinking game between Nivellen and Geralt was engrossing. Not only did it build the mystery of Nivellen hiding something, but it also revealed so much about Geralt and his feelings for Ciri. This is essential characterization, and I'm glad that it wasn't glossed over. Character of the Episode: Geralt. Conclusion: Even though this isn't the most important episode, the character writing, mystery, and themes are all excellent, making this the most compelling experience of "The Witcher" so far. Score: 66 Summary: Kate and Clint prepare for Eleanor’s Christmas party where Kingpin plans to kill her. At the party, the Tracksuit Mafia arrive and Kazi takes shots at Clint. Yelena also arrives and goes after Clint. Clint resolves things with Yelena, Maya arrives and kills Kazi, and Kate defeats Kingpin. Eleanor is arrested. Maya seemingly kills Kingpin. Clint takes Kate home with him to spend Christmas with his family.
The Good: This is your typical campy comic book finale episode. Basically, it is a lengthy action sequence that isn’t particularly tense and is chock full of silly jokes, parodies, and “hype” moments for all of the characters in the show to get some time in the spotlight. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing. I was entertained by this episode through and through and I thought that it satisfyingly resolved the storylines surrounding Clint, Kate, and Maya. The action was well directed, the jokes landed pretty well, and the pacing was good. The Bad: The problem is that this episode isn’t particularly emotionally engaging. Due to the excessive jokes and campiness, I was never at the edge of my seat with any concern for the characters. That detracted from the experience. I also never quite bought into the emotions of the main climaxes of the episode. Maya didn’t get enough time to develop to make her fight with Kazi have an emotional impact. Kingpin was a much hyped villain but I don’t see what’s so good about him in this episode. He was generic, flat, and boring. Thus his showdown with Kate was dull to watch. Yelena’s decision to continue going after Clint felt contrived, and I never understood why she continued to go after him after her talk with Kate in the last episode. That entire conflict felt a bit forced and led up to a predictable conclusion as Clint makes her see reason. Yelena’s presence throughout the episode should have been a constant source of tension, but instead she is played for laughs. It’s hard to see why she doesn’t just knock Kate out painlessly (obviously she should be able to), and instead goes along with her games. The Unknown: Is Kingpin actually dead? Best Moment: Kate’s speech to Clint on how she was inspired by him and wants to be a hero to do the right thing. Character of the Episode: Kate. Conclusion: This was a satisfying finale, even if it wasn’t as good as I was hoping. For thoughts on the season as a whole, click here for my review of season 1. Score: 59 Summary: Flashbacks show Yelena disappear after the snap and reappear during the blip. In the present, Yelena visits Kate and talks to her about Clint. Kate tells her mother to look into Jack and he ends up being arrested. Kate decides to help Clint anyways and saves him when he directly fights Maya, revealing that her uncle is the one who hired him to kill her father. Yelena discovers that Eleanor hired her and informs Kate.
The Good: There are lots of strong scenes here. I enjoyed seeing Yelena’s experience during the snap and the blip. We have seen many scenes like these by now, but they are still very well done. Yelena’s talk with Kate is a lot of fun. It’s tense, funny, full of character, and well written. Both characters were nicely realized and I thought that the dialogue was surprisingly solid. Clint’s confrontation with Maya was dramatic and entertaining, and I liked the reveal that Maya’ uncle was responsible for the death of her father. I’m curious to see what Maya’s going to do now that she has learned this information. The twist that Eleanor is working with the kingpin works pretty well, and while it isn’t too surprising, it is a good way to shake up the story and I’m interested to see how Kate handles this reveal. The Bad: This episode doesn’t gel together that well. There are too many different things going on which makes this episode feel messy and disorganized. The individual scenes are good, but the episode as a whole is not as good as its pieces. The Unknown: Who is this kingpin? Why is Eleanor working with him? Is she one of the bad guys? Was she always aware of Jack’s shady activities? How will Kate react to this information? Will Maya turn against Kazi after the bombshell that Clint dropped? Best Moment: Kate and Yelena’s conversation. Character of the Episode: I’ll give it to Kate this time. She had a good episode. Conclusion: This is another pretty good episode. The various aspects don’t quite come together in a satisfying way, but this is entertaining and develops the story nicely. Score: 63 Summary: Kate and Clint have dinner with Eleanor and Jack. Eleanor tells Clint to leave Kate out of the hero business. Kate decides to visit Clint at home and they relax together. Kate learns that Clint was the Ronin. Clint and Kate make a plan to steal a watch from one of the tracksuits’ apartments; the watch has information connecting Ronin to Clint. Kate breaks in but it triggers an alarm and a fight breaks out with Maya. Clint and Kate manage to get away.
The Good: The dinner scene to kick off the episode is a nice piece of tension that further elevates the mystery going on with Jack and Eleanor. I’m glad that the previous episode’s cliffhanger was just a red herring and that the mystery is being developed further. I thoroughly enjoyed the lengthy montage of Kate and Clint bonding. I’ve grown to care about the relationship between these two characters, and scenes of them both being kind to each other, learning more about each other, and growing closer only enrichen this relationship more. The best part about TV shows is that time can be afforded to deepen relationships like this. “Hawkeye” is not much longer than a movie, but it is using the extra time wisely to feel more like a TV show with deeper emotional resonance, instead of feeling like an extended movie like “The Falcon and the Winter Soldier”. The Bad: This show still feels somewhat flat. Perhaps it is the MCU effect, because I have seen far too many MCU movies by now to be particularly impressed by the plot lines, action, and shallow exploration of themes. I enjoyed this episode and it was entertaining, but I was missing that next level of engagement. Last episode accomplished that engagement with superb directing and creative action. This episode doesn’t have that, and nothing else stands out enough to make up for it. The Unknown: What is on the rolex? How will Clint handle this new assassin? What is Jack’s role in this story? Best Moment: Clint reflecting on Natasha during his conversation with Kate. Character of the Episode: Clint. Conclusion: This was a solid episode. It felt like it was missing something, but I enjoyed the interactions with Clint and Kate quite a bit. Score: 62 Summary: Flashbacks introduce us to Maya, the deaf leader of the Tracksuit Mafia whose father was killed by the Ronin. Clint and Kate escape from the Tracksuits after a tense car chase that sees Kate fighting with her bow. Clint gets a new hearing aid after his old one breaks. Kate and Clint use Bishop Security to inspect Jack but Jack suddenly arrives with a sword at Clint’s throat.
The Good: This episode did a remarkable job of portraying deafness. It was a recurring theme with the newly introduced character being deaf, and with Clint having to get by in several scenes without being able to hear, with the most tragic being a conversation with his son that had to be translated to Clint by Kate. These scenes were superbly directed. Even better directed was the action. The lengthy action sequence ran the risk of being overdone and losing tension, but that never happened. The gritty and more realistic action scenes were fantastic and a joy to watch. Even though it was clear that Kate and Clint would get away, the episode did a great job of engaging me through fantastic directing (including a spectacular oner), and creative choreography (trick arrows, some clever action moments). These choices made this action scene stand above what we usually get in the MCU. Even if it wasn’t extremely tense, it was exciting and impressive to behold. Furthermore, this action sequence allowed me to finally engage with Kate. I have been wholly unimpressed with the story she has been given, but actions always speak louder than words, and seeing her bravery and resourcefulness in action made me connect with her much more than anything in the last two episodes. I continue to enjoy Clint and Kate’s dynamic. They have some engaging conversations and it is nice to see them both come to a better understanding of each other with Kate accepting how annoying she has been, and Clint recognizing her talent and cautioning her from becoming a hero. The Bad: There is plenty of campy and corny comic book cheesiness throughout this episode, and it often took me out of the moment. That also dampened some of the Clint/Kate interactions whenever there was a forced joke. It’s hard to imagine that chase scene not becoming huge news. Surely Kate would have been identified instantly since she was so exposed shooting at the Tracksuit Mafia. The Unknown: What is Sloan Ltd? Who is the mysterious uncle in the Tracksuit Mafia? Is it Jack? Or somebody else we don’t know? What will Jack do now that he has the jump on Clint? Best Moment: While I usually like to go for the emotional high moments, I simply can’t ignore the spectacular feat of cinema that the one-shot during the car chase sequence was. Character of the Episode: Kate. Conclusion: This was better than the first two episodes, and an engaging experience overall. Score: 65 Summary: Clint saves Kate and helps keep her out of trouble, but Kate’s apartment is burned down. Clint leaves to go find the suit, which he tracks down to a LARP group. He then focuses on the tracksuit mafia. Kate returns to normal life but cops are after her now and she is suspicious of Jack. She realizes Clint is in trouble and goes to help but gets herself captured.
The Good: The action is well choreographed and a fun aspect of the show. I enjoy it. I also appreciate the tracksuit mafia being laughably incompetent. It provides the show with much-needed levity, especially since there was never any chance of the mafia being a credible threat. Clint and Kate are a welcome pairing and their scenes are decent. There’s a nice story being told about Clint’s general lack of fame because he closes himself off so much. The Bad: This show feels flat so far. A lot of the ideas here are based around tropes and feel uninspired. The story feels very simplistic. Kate is still a big problem. Her charisma works badly against her because she never takes any situation seriously, which massively underplays any sense of tension that the show is trying to establish. If the characters don’t care, why should I? Clint did such a poor job of preparing Kate for her return to regular life. Surely he should have anticipated many of the problems she would be facing. The Unknown: What is Jack up to? What’s his plan? Who is this new character introduced at the episode’s end? Best Moment: Clint exposing the mafia’s incompetence during the “interrogation” was very funny. Character of the Episode: Clint. Conclusion: I enjoyed myself watching this episode, but the show still feels flat. Score: 56 Summary: Kate stumbles into a robbery at her mother’s charity event and ends up taking Clint’s ronin suit as her own to fight the bad guys. She gets away but is tracked down and saved by Clint.
The Good: I liked parts of this. The references are all pretty nice. The avengers musical is funny and it nicely encapsulates Clint’s trauma. The scenes with Clint and his family are good, and it feels significant when he leaves them just before Christmas to help Kate. The action sequences are well done. The Bad: Kate is thoroughly unlikable so far. She was introduced with a generic, poorly realized backstory and the character is no fun to follow. She has that typical campy comic book personality, but she’s missing aspects to ground her in reality, which is present in the best MCU superheroes. I don’t feel enough of a connection with her to root for her in any of her scenes, making her scenes a chore to get through. This episode was also frustratingly slow, so it became really tedious to watch. The Unknown: Who was Armand? Who killed him? Was it Jack? Why was he threatening Eleanor? Who were those robbers? Why were they after the watch? What is the significance of this dog? Best Moment: Clint seeing the ronin costume again and realizing that he has no choice but to get involved. Character of the Episode: Clint. Conclusion: Everything surrounding Clint was pretty good, but the episode’s slow pacing and Kate dragged this down a lot. Score: 55 Summary: Clint is dragged away from his family during the holidays when a young girl, Kate, wears the Ronin suit to fight off a robbery at a black market auction at her mother's charity event. This puts the Tracksuit Mafia after Kate, led by Maya, whose father was killed by the Ronin. Clint saves Kate from them and tries to resolve the problem himself, but Kate continues to stick around with him and they grow a bond with each other. Kate is suspicious that her mom's fiance Jack has ties with criminal activity and is responsible for the death of another man Armand and she investigates him with Clint. Clint's identity as the Ronin is discovered by Maya who fights him, but Clint defeats her and reveals that her boss is the one who hired him. Yelena arrives to kill Clint and talks with Kate. She informs Kate that she was hired by her mother, who is connected with Kingpin, who is the man behind the Tracksuit Mafia. Eleanor severs ties with Kingpin, and he responds by attacking her. Clint and Kate save her, and fight the Tracksuits. Clint encounters Yelena and tells her about Natasha's death. Yelena chooses not to kill him. Kate defeats Kingpin, who is seemingly killed by Maya, and then has her mother arrested. Kate goes with Clint to his family for the holidays.
The Good: I really admire how this show handles its main characters. The MCU isn't particularly adept at giving compelling character arcs to its charming cast of characters, but "Hawkeye" hit the nail on the head. The core of this show is the developing relationship between Clint and Kate which starts at the end of the first episode, and take significant steps with each ensuing episode as the characters learn more about each other. Kate appreciates spending time with her personal hero and is forced to learn about and accept the darker sides to him that she was unaware of, while Clint is slowly charmed into forming a mentor relationship with this girl who is eager to become a hero, while also cautioning her from the perils of this line of work. The growth that these characters undergo is remarkably satisfying to watch and it is paced to perfection. It's helped by the fact that "Hawkeye" places emphasis on the growth of the characters over the development of the plot. In numerous episodes we get to see scenes where the two characters simply spend time with each other and learn about each other, which is integral in developing this relationship. We understand why Kate wants to spend more time with Clint, and we also understand why Clint chooses to take Kate under his wing. The story develops organically and ultimately ends with a lovely scene as Clint invites Kate to his house, likely planning to give her the Hawkeye name and to go into retirement. "Hawkeye" did a remarkable job of making me care about the relationship between these two characters. And of course, it helps that the acting and writing is really solid, allowing these two to have excellent chemistry. Their interactions are a lot of fun, and it's always a joy to see them on screen. For a relationship to be effective, I have to be invested in the characters individually first. This is why it is so important that "Hawkeye" has effective characterization and development, because without it, the relationship would be dead in the water. I'll start with Clint, who continues to be one of the most relatable characters in the entire MCU. He brings to the table a level of humanity that you don't get from the other superheroes in the show. Unlike everybody else, Clint is quite literally just a guy. He has no powers, he has to rely on his intelligence because there is a very real risk of death for him, and at his core, he's just a simple man trying to live out his days with his family. This makes him far more effective than most superheroes in the MCU. Thankfully, his potential is not squandered and Clint is given some lovely conflicts to contend with in this show. Of course we get to see him introducing Kate into the hero world, but on a more personal level, he is still contending with the grief of losing Natasha, which is introduced early in the season as Clint is uncomfortable during a musical, and it culminates with a nice moment of acceptance as he talks Yelena out of killing him. Furthermore, we get some nice smaller scale conflicts for him, such as accepting who he is and what he has done as the Ronin, and contending with being deaf, which is highlighted especially well during an emotional scene as Kate has to transcribe a conversation with his own son because Clint can't even hear him. Clint is handled superbly all season. I had an interesting experience with Kate throughout the show. During the first few episodes, I honestly did not like her at all. She was bratty, annoying, unrealistically talented, and it was hard for me to connect with her in any meaningful way. This put a block in my initial interest in my show. As said above, it is important to care about the characters involved when you see them have a relationship together, but I just did not care about Kate at all. Ordinarily that would be a problem, but I think that the show came up with a clever way to turn this flaw into a strength. Because Kate actually is a compelling character; the show specifically misleads you early on to disprove of what we see from her. Instead what happens is that we learn of Kate's virtues while Clint learns of Kate's virtues, allowing us to go through the same experience that Clint does, turning the development of their relationship into a more personal experience. The way that we connect with Kate is by seeing how she handles the problems that she is faced with, and it's through her choices that aspects of her character shine through. Initially, she seemed bratty (destroying a clock tower), irresponsible (investigating Jack with no real plan), and stupid (continually provoking Jack). Looking back at it after seeing the way she handled scenarios throughout the season, I can now see that she is actually righteous (she commits to her mother's arrest), honest (she doesn't opt to lie even though it would benefit her), empathetic (she connects with Yelena), and brave (she is willing to take risks to do what needs to be done). Without fundamentally changing the character, "Hawkeye" gives us a new perspective of her by showing the positive side of her personality through her actions. Outside of the strength of its main characters. "Hawkeye" is still pretty solid. The action is excellent in thsi show. It is directed in a really flashy way, and it contains a good deal of tension because the characters aren't ultra powerful heroes that have no risk of death. These are just two people holding a bow. The fight scenes are pretty dramatic, with a nice mix of creative silliness. Which brings me to the comedy in the show, which is mostly effective. Sure, it is still corny at times (see: The Bad), but it is almost always a welcome bit of levity. The mystery is another strong aspect of the show. It doesn't end up playing a particularly important role in the show, but it definitely makes the earlier episodes more interesting and intriguing than they would have been without it. With how formulaic the MCU is, I always appreciate the injection of a different genre like mystery to make the stories more engaging. The Bad: Of course, with this being an MCU product there is inevitably going to be a feeling of flat emptiness in the show. What do I mean by that? Well we have seen so many MCU superhero movies and TV shows over the years, and they all have a very similar tone and style. Even with some bursts of inspiration in this show, I am still burned out on the campy tone, formulaic storytelling, and shallow exploration of themes that always feel tacked on rather than being the centerpiece of the show. These problems persist with "Hawkeye", and while I am happy to see some innovation, I can't help but wish for more radical changes in the MCU universe so that the same flaws can stop persisting over and over again. I'm going to discuss the campy tone further because I think that this is a major problem. The constant comic-book lines and jokes in places where they don't belong always destroys my immersion in these stories. It's a problem because there are genuinely serious emotional moments in this show, but they are undercut when the very next scene has these unnecessary moments of levity that only serve to destroy the tension and make me question the realism of the world and its characters. I would like to see the MCU changing its tone more often, as I think that the stories can become far better as a result. While I still enjoyed May and Yelena's roles in the show, I can't help but feel that there could have been more done with these characters and their storylines. Their development was rushed and they never had enough focus to make their stories feel like more than simplistic, 2-dimensional stories. And that's a shame because there was very real potential with these characters, especially Maya who occupies such a unique role as an aggressive mob leader with a sympathetic past. I wish that we had seen more from her. Kingpin as the main villain was a total disappointment. I'm starting to wonder if the MCU would be better without any villains at all, because this show, as well as "WandaVision" are two shows that were hurt by the surprise villain reveal coming at the end of the season. I think that with Maya, Yelena, and Eleanor playing significant villainous roles, there was no need for Kingpin to be shoved into this finale. Best Episodes: E03 Echoes: This episode began with an outstanding action setpiece that was the very best of the show. This was also where I finally started to connect with Kate and appreciate her relationship with Clint. E05 Ronin: Even though the episode doesn't quite feel cohesive, there are some wonderful scenes here like Clint's showdown with Maya, the Eleanor twist, and Kate's talk with Yelena. Worst Episodes: E01 Never Meet Your Heroes: This first episode was painfully slow-paced at times, and everything involving Kate was uninteresting at this point. E02 Hide and Seek: The characters not taking things seriously, and Clint failing to give any real support to Kate after what happened were major problems that hurt this episode. Character of the Season: Clint. Conclusion: "Hawkeye" surprised me. Going into this show, I was thoroughly uninterested. I hadn't watched any of the trailers and I honestly forgot that the show was even happening until the first two episodes dropped. I was expecting the standard MCU fare and nothing more, but this show rose up to become something more. The directing, acting, editing, and writing had extra effort put into it, and the emotional core of the Clint/Kate relationship worked tremendously well, making what I think is one of the most compelling character pairings in the MCU so far. By the finale, I was surprised by how invested I was in this show, since I fully expected to not really care about what was going on. This show is mostly dumb fun, and it does that well, but the emotional core helps elevate it to be better than I was anticipating. My scores may seem a bit low for this first season, and that's because as positive as I am being, this is still an MCU show that suffers from the many problems that the MCU has. As a TV show overall, this is still just decent, but for an MCU product, it is quite good. However, I believe that the show as a whole is better than each individual episode. This was a solid, and fun, 6 episode experience. I would not mind at all if there was a second season, as long as it has as much passion as the first. Summary: Phoebe takes care of baby rats when a rat dies in her home. Rachel continues to banter with Gavin and contemplates if he likes her. Ross and Rachel hire a hot nanny and Joey tries to connect with her against Ross' will.
The Good: Rachel and Gavin's banter is fun and nicely written. Rachel gets lots of good lines throughout the episode and she behaves normally compared to the previous episode. The nanny storyline is okay, and the best part of it is definitely the lesbian twist at the end and everyone's reactions to it. I've noticed that this season is entirely dependent on the quality of the character interactions. The plots are never much good so everything depends on how funny the interactions are. Luckily they are fairly solid in this episode. The Bad: The rats storyline is pretty weak and Phoebe is as hard to like as ever. It's hard to understand why Mike goes along with her lunacy as she tries to raise baby rats. Joey refusing to back off from the nanny is out of character for him, and he is uncharacteristically childlike and unsympathetic throughout the episode. Joey's comedy doesn't come from him being a child, it comes from him being narrow-minded and missing the bigger picture. Treating him like a self-absorbed child is poor writing. Rachel's story with Gavin is fine, but of course they have to use it to milk more will they/won't they drama, and by this point I am tired of it. Best Moment: The twist that the nanny was a lesbian. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was better than the last few awful episodes at least, but it is not good television. Score: 50 Summary: Chandler gets cold feet about having a baby without being employed. Rachel returns to work early when she is intimidated by Gavin who has replaced her while she was away. Joey tries to help Phoebe by getting her to be an extra on his show.
The Good: Joey is as sweet as ever by offering to help Phoebe make some money. Chandler and Monica have a decent story as they finally delve into the realities of having a baby. Ross doesn't have much to do in the plot, but he comes and goes between storylines to provide almost all of the episode's laughs. The Bad: Unfortunately, this is another episode with 3 weak stories. Chandler and Monica have an okay story, but it is built on Chandler's ridiculous decision to fake an orgasm instead of talking with Monica about how he feels. I hate that "Friends" continues to portray this supposed happy marriage with such toxic moments like this. Neither character is funny in the episode. Rachel feels like she has regressed with how petty and annoying she is in this episode, and she isn't funny either. It's hard to care about her story at all. But the worst by far is Joey and Phoebe's storyline, and the blame lies entirely on Phoebe who is at her worst. She starts off the episode by stealing Joey's food and drink before claiming that she doesn't like to borrow from friends (but stealing is okay apparently!). Then she works as an extra and makes everything about herself, makes Joey look bad at his job, and refuses to cooperate with anyone, or be grateful for the chance to make some money when she is broke. The awfulness she displays in this episode is disgusting, and storylines like these make me wonder why everyone is still friends with her. Poor Joey was punished for showing her some kindness. Best Moment: The joke of Monica walking into the apartment and saying intimate things to Chandler with Ross in the background was funny. A fed up Ross telling her "here's an idea: you walk into the room, take a quick scan" was definitely the comedic highlight of the episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: Another bad episode. Season 9 has been hard to watch so far. It's nowhere near as funny as previous seasons, the storylines are beyond ridiculous, and the characters aren't acting like themselves anymore. It's sad to watch a once incredible show struggle to manage even a single good episode. Score: 37 Summary: Chandler spends Christmas in Tulsa and reflects on the good times he has had with all of his friends during the holidays.
The Good: Chandler's story leading to him quitting his job is decent enough television. Sadly, the clips from the clip show are funnier than most jokes we have seen this season. The Bad: This clip show serves absolutely no purpose. The Christmas theme doesn't tell any story, and it doesn't mesh well with Chandler's story in this episode. This clip show feels even lazier than previous ones. Furthermore, it is excessively painful to watch a clip show of better times while season 9 offers up poor episode after poor episode. This episode confirmed that the Tulsa storyline was a complete waste of time with no consequences, and the status quo was restored in no time at all. There were no good jokes in the new storyline at all. Best Moment: Nothing new made me laugh in this episode so I'll actually have to go with the clips from the holiday armadillo episode. Those are still amusing, far more than anything else in this episode. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: Even the clip shows are hitting new lows in season 9. The clips were nothing special, they felt lazier than ever, and the new content never came close to making me laugh. This was a boring waste of my time. Score: 30 Summary: Rachel and Phoebe go out together and Rachel contemplates her feelings for Ross. Ross has Mike hang out in his apartment but they struggle to find something to talk about. Chandler lies to Joey to spend the night with Monica, but Joey thinks Monica is cheating on Chandler.
The Good: The occasional jokes is funny. Joey has some good moments like hitting himself with a bat, piecing together that Monica might be cheating, and messing up the date of the game. Rachel's story has some heart to it and Phoebe is okay with her gentle teasing. The Bad: These were three very weak storylines. Rachel's is probably the best, but it is badly hurt by the constant stalling going on with the Ross/Rachel relationship. It was tedious before and is actively starting to annoy me now because it feels like the show is spinning its wheels by revisiting these two over and over again with no progress made. Ross and Mike's scenes are pretty bad. They aren't funny and I am baffled that somebody thought that this storyline was a good idea. Mike has no character right now and a relationship with Ross could have been a good way for us to learn more about him. Instead the writers put the bare minimum into writing Mike and come up with an awful story that continues to treat him like a cardboard cut-out of a human being. Ross and Mike being unable to talk to each other is absurd and unrealistic; it feels forced. Chandler's story is also poor. Him lying to Joey is a stupid idea that I never bought into (Joey has always been understanding so I don't know why Chandler thinks he won't understand), and the story only escalated into further stupidity. Chandler is unbelievably dumb when trying to make this cover up story, and Joey comes across as a moron for not figuring out the truth sooner with how badly Chandler and Monica failed to keep their secret. I've also long since been frustrated by the way doors work in this show. Joey can clearly be heard outside, yet Chandler can speak with his regular voice right next to the door and not be heard? It's been a problem throughout the show but it is especially bad here because the story specifically draws attention to characters' voices being heard through doors, only for the show to be totally inconsistent with this idea. Best Moment: Chandler telling Joey that the game is tomorrow. Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Another bad episode. This was three poor storylines with very few laughs throughout. At this point "Friends" desperately needs to wrap up because it's painful sitting through so many uninspired episodes like this one. Score: 38 Summary: Rachel's sister Amy meets with Rachel and she gets invited to their Thanksgiving dinner. Monica is nervous when her wedding china is used for the dinner. Joey tries to come up with an excuse for missing the Thanksgiving parade for Days of our Lives.
The Good: It's always nice to see all of the friends together in a story. The characters are usually grasped quite well and the character interactions are nicely written and funny. Amy is pretty good at times. It's funny to hear her bringing up Ross and Monica's past selves in an insulting way, and her argument with Rachel is pretty funny before it devolves into a ridiculous fight. Joey forgetting to go to the parade is funny and consistent with the character, and Joey has always been bad at lying and keeping secrets, so his struggle to come up with lies is both plausible and funny, especially when it involves raccoons. The ending gag with Chandler destroying all of the plates is predictable, but it is funny, especially when contrasted with the story of Chandler proving how responsible he is. The Bad: Despite being a big Thanksgiving episode, this one feels inconsequential. The storylines here are all unspectacular and feel like filler, especially Monica with the plates and Joey with the parade. Amy is a good addition, but a lot of her jokes don't land and the fight with Rachel is more ridiculous than funny. Chandler's story is solid but it is hurt by how unnecessarily shallow Ross and Rachel are by neglecting him and his feelings. Best Moment: Rachel and Amy trading funny insults before their fight. Character of the Episode: Chandler. Conclusion: "Friends" feels a lot more hollow this season, even to the point that the Thanksgiving episode isn't anything special. But still, the format of seeing the six friends all together works well and their interactions with each other salvage this episode. Score: 63 Summary: Phoebe meets Mike's parents. Chandler finds a tape named "Monica" in Richard's place and his jealousy overcomes him. Ross and Rachel make Emma laugh by singing Baby Got Back.
The Good: Joey carries this episode on his back and he has almost all of the episodes good jokes. Some of them include Joey making fun of the idea of eating bird meat before having a realization (a classic Joey moment utilizing that he is narrow-minded instead of making him unrealistically stupid), Joey being offended at Chandler's disgust at being his partner, and Joey attempting to visualize his own marriage. These moments practically save the episode. Ross and Rachel are mildly funny in their story, and the final joke at the episode's end is pretty good. There are a few good lines in Phoebe's story, particularly the ones that point out just how terrible of a job Phoebe is doing. The Bad: Phoebe's story is once again really bad. Her lack of chemistry with Mike brings down every story that they are in, and their relationship feels hollow. It doesn't help that Phoebe is unrealistically awkward in her scenes with Mike's parents, and these scenes are more cringeworthy than funny. Mike's claim that he loves Phoebe at the end of the episode feels forced, and it wasn't built up to very well. I am so tired of seeing Monica and Chandler bicker over stupid little things. You would think that they would understand each other better by now. The entire sex tape storyline is poorly executed, not very funny, and has an unsatisfying conclusion. I wish Monica and Chandler would act like a proper couple more often. Best Moment: This is the case of picking the best Joey moment of the episode. I'll go with Joey slowly connecting the dots towards Richard having a tape of Monica and Chandler angrily yelling at him to "get there faster". Character of the Episode: Joey. Conclusion: Some good lines from Joey save this episode from being an unfunny trainwreck. Season 9 continues to be a huge disappointment. Score: 52 Summary: Ross and Rachel hire a male nanny and Ross can't stand him. Phoebe is conflicted when David returns but she is in a committed relationship with Mike. Chandler tries to prove to Monica that he is funnier than a new guy she met at work.
The Good: The David story is a really good idea and is executed well. David has been Phoebe's best and most memorable love interest in the past, so it is natural that to progress with Mike, she needs to get past David. This story is written competently and has some lovely moments, mainly because David is such a fun and likeable character. The male nanny story is pretty funny, and is made funnier with how the world has changed in the 20 years since this episode came out at first. Ross being so uncomfortable with hiring a male nanny makes sense and his arguments to Rachel and obvious discomfort is hilarious. The episode goes to a predictable conclusion with Ross finally connecting with Sandy, but it works. The Bad: The problem with the Mike storyline is that he's a totally flat character and he has absolutely no chemistry with Phoebe. It's hard to root for them when we hardly know them or why they like each other. Joey has a poor episode as he regresses to childhood with Sandy, which is out of character and a classic case of selling out a character for cheap laughs. Chandler being so offended that Monica found someone funnier than him is a terrible storyline. There are some okay laughs like everyone fake laughing at Chandler, but the story's premise is terrible, a fundamental misunderstanding of who Chandler is. Chandler never tries to be the funniest guy in the room, he uses humour as a defense mechanism. By thinking that Chandler would be offended if he's not viewed as the funniest, the writers completely misunderstand the character. Furthermore, having Chandler make stand-up comedy jokes is terrible and woefully out of character for him. It's not funny, it's just poor writing. Best Moment: Joey's "penis model" line for being wholly expected and perfectly paying off a joke from earlier in the episode. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: This was one of the season's stronger episodes, but it is still a mix of good and bad. Score: 59 Summary: Phoebe invites everyone for a birthday dinner but gets upset when only Joey arrives on time. Rachel is panicked about leaving Emma and Ross tries to help her leave, but he accidentally locks them out of the apartment. Chandler and Monica fight after Chandler smokes in Tulsa, but Monica still wants to try to get pregnant.
The Good: This is a nice concept episode that reminds me of some of the best of "Friends". Everyone finding ways to be late for Phoebe's dinner is a good story and there are some fun laughs throughout. As has been the case in season 9, Joey is a consistent source of easy laughs as his desperation to eat creates most of the jokes, and there is a nice joke when he returns to his table and finds a bunch of random strangers there instead. Ross has some good moments too as he tries to convince Rachel to leave, and in his reactions to his mother's story about him as a baby. The Bad: This didn't work nearly as well as the best episodes of "Friends". A big reason for that is the drop in quality of the character writing. Most of the characters here behave poorly and are hard to sympathize with. Phoebe tries to host this birthday dinner and everyone runs late, and yet none of them think to even call her? That is absurd and it justifies Phoebe's rant at the end of the episode. But in a complete trainwreck of a moment, Phoebe turns the cold shoulder to her friends to spend more time with Mike, who we don't even know yet. What the hell? Why would Phoebe be so hypocritical and awful like that? Phoebe's slow character assassination since season 1 has been painful to watch. Monica and Chandler's story is a mess. Chandler falling back into smoking has been overused at this point, and Monica comes off poorly when she turns on him so brutally. How am I supposed to like and support this relationship when both Monica and Chandler are so thoroughly unlikeable? And the worst part is that Monica actually manipulates Chandler into having sex with her. That is awful writing and should be a bigger problem than it is presented as. This episode has a consistent problem of poorly written characters, and having characters be needlessly run and hard to like. Best Moment: Ross mocks Rachel's paranoia by telling a hilarious story about how an eagle flew into the apartment and attacked Emma. Character of the Episode: Ross. Conclusion: In its earlier seasons, "Friends" was always able to make us laugh while presenting us with a likeable cast of characters. But that has changed and this episode exemplifies that. There are decent laughs here and the episode is an easy watch, but it is dragged through the mud by the fact that all the characters have to resort to being awful people in an attempt to make us laugh. This is insulting to the show and the characters, and it is a big reason for season 9 being so uninspired so far. Score: 54 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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