Poster for the comedy film, ‘Tully’ (Photo Courtesy of Focus Features)
Focus Features just released the official poster for the upcoming comedy movie, Tully. The 2018 release stars Oscar winner Charlize Theron (Monster) as a new mom who receives an interesting, life-changing present from her brother.
The studio also announced a new “sticker face” contest hosted on Instagram. Per the studio: “Share your own “sticker face” photo now on Instagram using #TullySweeps for a chance to win a trip for 2 to the premiere of Tully in Los Angeles. Rules: www.TullySweepsRules.com“
In addition to Charlize Theron, the Tully cast includes Mackenzie Davis (Halt and Catch Fire, That Awkward Moment), Mark Duplass (The Mindy Project, Manhunt: Unabomber), and Ron Livingston (Loudermilk, The Conjuring).
The comedy reunites Charlize Theron with director Jason Reitman and writer Diablo Cody. The threesome previously collaborated on 2011’s Young Adult, a comedy/drama about a young adult book writer who has writers block and returns home to try and steal her ex-boyfriend from his wife.
Director Reitman and screenwriter Cody also teamed up for 2007’s critically acclaimed indie drama, Juno. Juno starred Ellen Page, Jennifer Garner, Jason Bateman, and Michael Cera, and earned four Oscar nominations including Best Picture and Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Ellen Page). Cody took home the Oscar for her original screenplay.
Focus Features will release Tully in theaters on April 20, 2018.
The Tully Plot: A new comedy from Academy Award-nominated director Jason Reitman (Up in the Air) and Academy Award®-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody (Juno). Marlo (Academy Award winner Charlize Theron), a mother of three including a newborn, is gifted a night nanny by her brother (Mark Duplass). Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully (Mackenzie Davis).
Sony Pictures delivered on its tease, dropping the official one minute and 49 second teaser trailer for Venom one day after posting a message on Twitter that something was about to come online from the film. This first teaser trailer shows Tom Hardy but doesn’t actually show the full Venom suit, a decision that disappointed fans anxious to see what this iteration of the costume will look like and hoping it will be better than Spider-Man 3‘s. (Topher Grace took on the role in the 2007 Spider-Man film.)
Truthfully, it’s too early for the film to provide a full look at Venom, given that the comic book-inspired film isn’t opening in theaters until this fall. The teaser trailer does provide a voice-over of Tom Hardy as Eddie Brock saying, “Everyone’s got their thing. Maybe it’s a breakup, a death, an accident. Whatever it is, you used to be one thing and now you’re something else. We all have our own problems, our own issues…our own demons.”
Venom was directed by Ruben Fleischer (Gangster Squad, Zombieland) from a script by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, and Will Beall. Venom‘s producers include Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal, with David Householter and Stan Lee serving as executive producers.
Tom Hardy (Dunkirk, Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises) leads a cast that includes Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World, Manchester by the Sea) as Anne Weying, Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, The Night Of), Scott Haze (Only the Brave, Thank You for Your Service), and Reid Scott (Veep, Home Again).
Sony Pictures has set an October 5, 2018 theatrical release date for the action thriller.
The Plot: One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Lionsgate’s debuted a new trailer and poster for Spinning Man, a mystery thriller from director Simon Kaijser. The dramatic thriller stars Guy Pearce (L.A. Confidential, Memento, The King’s Speech), Pierce Brosnan (No Escape, The Ghost Writer, The Son), and Minnie Driver (Grosse Point Blank, Speechless) and is set to open in select theaters (and On Demand) on April 6, 2018.
The cast of Spinning Man also includes Jamie Kennedy (The Scream series, Ghost Whisperer) and Clark Gregg (The Avengers, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.). It also features Odeya Rush (Lady Bird), Alexandra Shipp (X-Men: Apocalypse, Straight Outta Compton), and Freya Tingley (Once Upon a Time).
Kaijser directed from a script by Matt Aldrich. Keith Arnold and Ellen Wander served as producers on the R-rated (for some language including sexual references) thriller.
Spinning Man is based on the book of the same name by George Harrar. The Spinning Man was Harrar’s second novel and was released in 2003.
Harrar offers a lengthy explanation on his website as to where the idea for the story came from. “A few years ago a teenage girl disappeared from a lake in a small town in Massachusetts, west of where I live,” said Harrar in December 2012. “News reports said that the police were interested in a suspicious white car seen in the parking lot about the time of the disappearance. I began wondering about who was in that car and for what reason he (I presumed a ‘he’) might not come forward to the police. If the driver were guilty of an abduction, of course he wouldn’t present himself to the authorities. But there seemed to me to be good reasons why an innocent man might also not want to step into the limelight. Becoming the object of suspicion can be a traumatic experience, especially when it’s so difficult to prove that you did not do something.”
The Plot: Evan Birch (Guy Pearce) is a family man and esteemed professor at a distinguished college, where his charm and reputation have made his philosophy class very popular. When a female student named Joyce goes missing, Evan’s previous off-campus dalliances make his wife (Minnie Driver) question his alibi. Gruff police Detective Malloy (Pierce Brosnan) has even more reason to be suspicious when crucial evidence makes Evan the prime suspect in Joyce’s disappearance. Suddenly, the questions Evan faces aren’t merely academic – they’re a matter of life or death.
New poster for the thriller, ‘Spinning Man.’ (Photo Courtesy of Lionsgate)
Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan in ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ episode 4 (Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FX)
FX’s The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story episode four begins one week prior to the murder of Gianni Versace. It’s April 27, 1997 and in Minneapolis, Minnesota, David Madson (Cody Fern) is home talking business on the phone when Andrew Cunanan (Darren Criss) walks up. It seems they had a fight over the weekend and David hopes they can move past it and be friends.
David showers and then sees his dog, Prince, on a leash, with Andrew acting like he’s going to take the dog for a walk. After David dresses he sees Prince still on a leash, tied to a chair. Confused, he asks Andrew what’s going on and Andrew reveals he invited their friend Jeff over. David’s not happy as he’s trying to work, and he’s pissed when Andrew makes him go down and let Jeff in the building.
Jeff (Finn Wittrock) and David discuss Andrew while on the way back upstairs, and David reveals he turned down Andrew when Andrew said they should get married. Apparently, Andrew is now jealous of Jeff and David’s friendship and believes David turned him down because of Jeff. He’s right, but no one is supposed to know about Jeff and David’s relationship so they’re both surprised Andrew has figured it out.
They’re almost back at David’s door when Jeff says he never wants to see Andrew again. He’s only there now because Andrew took his gun and he wants it back.
Immediately after entering the apartment, David goes to untie Prince and is shocked when Andrew brutally murders Jeff with a hammer. Andrew is drenched in blood when he’s finished and there are blood splatters all over the living room.
Andrew heads over to David, still holding the hammer, and caresses his face. He assures him it’s okay and hugs him tight. David’s speechless as Andrew walks him into the bathroom and sets him on the rim of the bathtub. Andrew cleans them both up in the shower, gently washing the blood from David’s face, arms, and hands.
David’s still mute and shaking as Andrew dries him off. Finally, he asks, “Are you going to kill me?” Andrew says he’s not, but David doesn’t understand why he killed Jeff. Andrew explains that only happened because he lost control and that he loves David. David wants to call the police, but Andrew doesn’t want him to.
Andrew puts Prince in his cage and then sits at David’s desk just feet from Jeff’s dead body. David, now dressed, asks for the phone so he can call the cops. Andrew wonders if the police would believe David didn’t kill Jeff since he’s the one who let him in and since it’s David’s apartment. When David demands the phone, Andrew hands it over as Andrew continues to try and convince David he’ll go to jail too.
David calls 9-1-1 as Andrew takes out the gun he stole from Jeff. He won’t allow David to destroy his own life, and David hangs up the phone.
David sits on his bed as Andrew spreads out gay magazines and sexual paraphernalia. Andrew continues to try and convince David the police will view him as a suspect, and because he’s gay the police already hate him. David wants to call his dad to ask what to do. Andrew says David’s dad would have to turn him in, and Andrew won’t allow that. David wants to leave but Andrew stops him, telling him he has to think it through.
Hours later, David tries to leave again when he thinks Andrew is asleep. When Andrew jumps up, David covers by saying he was just going to walk Prince – he wasn’t trying to escape.
David gets Prince from his cage and they walk up to Jeff, dead and laying in a pool of blood on the floor close to the door. Andrew makes David turn away as he rolls Jeff up in a rug. Andrew has David help him move the rug with Jeff inside and then uses a table to hide the body.
Andrew then gets busy cleaning the blood as David starts to leave with Prince. Andrew forces an invitation and joins David on the walk. David makes Andrew promise he won’t hurt anyone else. He promises, as long as David’s on his side.
As they walk, David makes up stories he can tell the police. David cuts the walk short and they return to his place.
Prince barks as David’s co-worker, Linda, knocks on his door because he wasn’t at work. The apartment manager, Jennifer, fetches the keys and opens the door. Prince runs out as Linda and Jennifer see blood all over the apartment. They quickly realize there’s a dead body in the room, and Linda assumes it’s David.
Meanwhile, Andrew and David take off in Andrew’s stolen car.
Homicide Detectives Tichich and Jackson arrive at David’s apartment. They meet with Jennifer and Linda outside the front door and learn Prince is now with Jennifer and that she only opened the door because the dog sounded distressed. Linda still believes it’s David’s body inside and she describes David as 33, a successful architect, and a great guy. She also reveals David’s gay.
The detectives enter David’s apartment and take a cursory look at the body. They find a wallet on the table and learn there wasn’t any forced entry. They inspect the house and find the bloody hammer in the bathroom sink. They also find lots of sexual paraphernalia on the bed. The cops assume the extreme sex stuff got too rough, David died, and his partner ran. It wasn’t a robbery. However, they find a case of bullets but no gun.
More cops arrive and Linda asks to speak to Detective Tichich. She informs him David had a friend, Andrew Cunanan, who was staying with him. She describes him and says he said things that just didn’t sound right to her. He bragged about his wealth and building sets for the Titanic in Mexico. Linda tells him Andrew had dark hair and David had blonde.
Detective Tichich realizes the dead body isn’t David’s. (Jeff had dark hair, too.) However, he thinks the dead body is Andrew Cunanan’s. The police have to leave because they don’t have a search warrant which is needed because David is alive. As they leave, the detective tells Linda that David is the killer, not the victim.
The scene switches to a father and his young son hunting in a remote location. The son turns out to be David and he’s upset when his father kills a bird. His father reminds him they talked about it, but he’s not mad at his son and says they can go on hikes and don’t have to hunt together again. He doesn’t want his son to be sad.
And now we’re back with David and Andrew driving and Andrew singing. David’s silent, arm out the window feeling the wind. They pull over to eat and Andrew talks about Lee Miglin in Chicago, claiming they’re close friends who worked on projects together. He thinks Lee owes him and he’ll give him money. It’ll be a long drive, but things will be okay. He suggests David think about his new life since he’s on the run. Andrew also thinks they make a great team and it would be a shame to split up.
Search warrant obtained, the detectives and officers return to David’s apartment to gather evidence and collect the body which they still believe is Andrew Cunanan’s. Jeff’s body is put on the autopsy table and stripped as they take photos of his injuries. They find his wallet and learn he’s Jeffrey Trail.
Outside David’s place, the police interview David’s neighbors. Normally Prince runs free, but one neighbor saw him on a leash the last time she saw David with his friend. As they’re talking, the detectives learn the victim’s real identity.
Andrew and David stop for a restroom break and a woman stares at David as they walk by. He thinks the woman recognized him since she looked at him like she hated him. Andrew wants to run her off the road and David reminds him he promised not to hurt anyone else.
The detectives pay a visit to David’s parents.
Night falls and David and Andrew are still on the road. David went over everything the police will find out about him and realizes he’s worried all his life what people will find out about him.
David’s father says there’s no way his son killed anyone. Detective Tichich describes Andrew and David walking the dog while in his apartment Jeff was dead from 27 hammer blows. The hammer was David’s.
In the car, David envisions what the small-town people will say about him. He wonders how his parents will live there now.
David’s dad doesn’t know Andrew and the detective says Andrew’s described as intelligent and reliable. David’s dad again claims it’s not possible David is a murderer. The detective assures him there’s a lot about his son he doesn’t know.
Andrew and David stop and head into a lounge. A musician plays as Andrew tells David he needs to eat something. David doesn’t answer and instead heads to the bathroom. There, he breaks out a window and pauses to look out.
Cody Fern as David Madson and Darren Criss as Andrew Cunanan in ‘The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story’ episode 4 (Photo by Ray Mickshaw / FX)
Meanwhile, Andrew listens as the singer sings “Drive” by The Cars. He gets emotional and begins crying as he listens to the lyrics. David returns to the table and Andrew grabs his hands.
A flashback shows David showing his dad his President’s Award from the University of Minnesota, Duluth for the Architecture Student with the Most Outstanding Thesis. His dad’s proud and tells him he deserves it, and David responds by telling his father he’s gay. His dad asks for a moment to collect his thoughts, not wanting to say the wrong thing.
David’s dad reminds him what he believes, and he does have a problem with it. But he adds, “I love you more than I love my own life.” David cries and his dad tells him not to.
Back to Andrew and David’s road trip. David wakes up alone in the car and cautiously leaves it, looking around for any sign of Andrew. He starts walking, picking up the pace but then Andrew comes out from behind a tree and stops him.
A little while later, they’re having breakfast in a diner and they talk about where they met: Market Street in San Francisco a year and a half ago. Andrew was surrounded by his high society friends and sent David a drink. Andrew then invited him to join his table, and David remembers Andrew had everyone laughing. David went back to Andrew’s ritzy hotel, and Andrew calls it the best night of his life.
David now knows that period was all a lie. He asks why Andrew killed Jeff and believes it was because Jeff figured him out. “It took him a few years, but he finally saw the real you,” says David. “You killed him for it.”
Andrew reacts by telling David to just wait for what’s to come in Mexico. They’ll have the time of their lives. David realizes Andrew can’t stop lying.
They get back in the car and David asks why Andrew sent him down to bring Jeff up. David has put two and two together and knows Andrew planned to kill Jeff and wanted David to see it and be a part of it. It was premeditated. Andrew doesn’t want to talk about it, and David grabs the wheel as they’re driving. Andrew pulls his gun out and points it at David’s chest. Andrew tells him they had a future together; he’d planned it all out.
Andrew pulls over, gun still drawn, and forces David down on his knees. While David begs that they still have a plan – they’ll go and visit Lee and then have a cross-country adventure. Andrew knows David doesn’t believe that, but then David describes where they’ll live. He even goes as far as to say Andrew will learn Spanish quickly, but he’ll struggle. For a minute it looks as though Andrew believes this but then he adjusts his aim again. “Why couldn’t you run away with me?” asks Andrew, realizing David would rather go to jail than be with him.
Andrew turns away for a minute and David runs into a nearby house. (There’s nothing close by but one little place that looks deserted.) He imagines his dad is seated in the cabin, just like when he was a child and they went hunting, and then has a vision of his dad handing him a cup of coffee.
In reality, he’s shot in the middle of his back. He turns over in the grass and looks into the sky as Andrew approaches. He holds his hand in front of his face to stop Andrew, but Andrew shoots him anyway from just inches away.
Andrew lies next to David’s dead body, cradling it. We see Andrew’s last shot went straight through David’s right eye. Andrew finally gets up and heads back out on the road.
Poster for Sony Pictures’ ‘Venom’ starring Tom Hardy.
Could we be about to see some footage from Venom? Today, Sony Pictures released a new poster from the comic book inspired film featuring very little other than eyes, Tom Hardy’s name, and the film’s title. However, the film’s official Twitter accounts posted something much more interesting. The studio’s various Venom accounts tweeted: “Tomorrow. #Venom”
Venom was directed by Ruben Fleischer (Gangster Squad, Zombieland) from a script by Scott Rosenberg, Jeff Pinkner, Kelly Marcel, and Will Beall. Avi Arad, Matt Tolmach, and Amy Pascal produced the much-anticipated film, with David Householter and Stan Lee executive producing.
In addition to Tom Hardy (Dunkirk, Warrior, The Dark Knight Rises) as Venom/Eddie Brock, the cast includes Michelle Williams (All the Money in the World, Manchester by the Sea) as Anne Weying, Riz Ahmed (Rogue One, The Night Of) as Dr. Carlton Drake, Scott Haze (Only the Brave, Thank You for Your Service), and Reid Scott (Veep, Home Again).
Sony Pictures is targeting an October 5, 2018 theatrical release.
The Plot: One of Marvel’s most enigmatic, complex and badass characters comes to the big screen, starring Academy Award® nominated actor Tom Hardy as the lethal protector Venom.
Fox Searchlight just debuted the first video clip from Isle of Dogs, Wes Anderson’s latest film. The clip features two rival packs of dogs doing battle over a sack of trash. (It’s more interesting to watch than it sounds.)
Wes Anderson wrote and directed the animated movie which has just been named as the closing night film at the 2018 SXSW. Anderson’s voice cast includes Bryan Cranston, Koyu Rankin, Edward Norton, Bob Balaban, Bill Murray, Jeff Goldblum, Kunicki Nomura, Akira Takayama, Greta Gerwig, and Frances McDormand. Also lending their voices to the stop-motion animated film are Akira Ito, Scarlett Johansson, Harvey Keitel, F. Murray Abraham, Yoko Ono, Tilda Swinton, Ken Watanabe, Mari Katsuki, Fisher Stevens, Nijiro Murakami, Liev Schreiber, and Courtney B. Vance.
Fox Searchlight has set a March 23, 2018 theatrical release date for Isle of Dogs.
Anderson’s previous excursion into the world of animated feature films, Fantastic Mr. Fox, earned two Oscar nominations in the Best Animated Feature Film and Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score categories. The 2009 film was also nominated for a Golden Globe, two BAFTA awards, and was nominated for two Critics’ Choice awards (Best Animated Feature and Best Screenplay, Adapted). Fantastic Mr. Fox also earned three Annie Awards nominations, winning in the Writing in a Feature Production category.
The Plot:Isle of Dogs tells the story of Atari Kobayashi (voiced by Koyu Rankin), 12-year-old ward to corrupt Mayor Kobayashi. When, by Executive Decree, all the canine pets of Megasaki City are exiled to a vast garbage-dump called Trash Island, Atari sets off alone in a miniature Junior-Turbo Prop and flies across the river in search of his bodyguard-dog, Spots. There, with the assistance of a pack of newly-found mongrel friends, he begins an epic journey that will decide the fate and future of the entire Prefecture.
Netflix just debuted the official full trailer for season two of the critically acclaimed series, Marvel’s Jessica Jones, along with unveiling a brand new season two poster. The much-anticipated second season will arrive on International Women’s Day, March 8, 2018.
Season two of Jessica Jones is led by Krysten Ritter (reprising her lead role) and includes returning cast members Rachael Taylor (Trish Walker), Carrie-Anne Moss (Jeri Hogarth), and Eka Darville (Malcolm Ducasse). New to the world of Jessica Jones for season two are Janet McTeer and J.R. Ramirez.
The comic book inspired series is executive produced by Melissa Rosenberg (Twilight, Dexter), Raelle Tucker (True Blood), Jim Chory (Marvel’s Daredevil, Marvel’s Luke Cage, Marvel’s Iron Fist) and Marvel’s Head of Television Jeph Loeb. Rosenberg is the season two showrunner.
Netflix has not yet announced when we can expect new seasons of Marvel’s other shows: Luke Cage, Iron Fist, and Daredevil.
The Plot: New York City private investigator Jessica Jones (Krysten Ritter) is beginning to put her life back together after murdering her tormenter, Kilgrave (David Tennant). Now known throughout the city as a super-powered killer, a new case makes her reluctantly confront who she really is while digging deeper into her past to explore the reasons why.
Marvel’s Jessica Jones season 2 poster featuring Krysten Ritter. (Photo Courtesy of Netflix)
20th Century Fox just released a teaser video for Deadpool 2 (not the official title for the film currently officially referred to as the “Untitled Deadpool Sequel”) complete with an extended look at the film’s major villain, Cable. The two-minute video’s titled “Deadpool, Meet Cable” and features some intense action scenes, the humor we expect from the Merc with a Mouth, and a nice jab at Justice League.
Ryan Reynolds reprises his role as Wade Wilson/Deadpool in the sequel directed by David Leitch (Atomic Blonde). The Deadpool 2 cast also includes Morena Baccarin as Vanessa, Josh Brolin as Nathan Summers/Cable, Brianna Hildebrand as Negasonic Teenage Warhead, and TJ Miller as Weasel.
20th Century Fox will release the Deadpool sequel in theaters on May 18, 2018.
The first live-action Deadpool film was a huge win for 20th Century Fox, with the R-rated comic book-inspired film grossing more than $132 million during its first weekend in domestic release. The action comedy directed by Tim Miller from a script by Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick opened in theaters on February 12, 2016 and went on to gross $420 million in foreign markets, ultimately collecting $783 million worldwide over the full course of its theatrical run.
The “Not Real But It’s What Deadpool’s Sticking With” Plot: After surviving a near fatal bovine attack, a disfigured cafeteria chef (Wade Wilson) struggles to fulfill his dream of becoming Mayberry’s hottest bartender while also learning to cope with his lost sense of taste. Searching to regain his spice for life, as well as a flux capacitor, Wade must battle ninjas, the yakuza, and a pack of sexually aggressive canines, as he journeys around the world to discover the importance of family, friendship, and flavor – finding a new taste for adventure and earning the coveted coffee mug title of World’s Best Lover.
Josh Brolin stars as Cable in the Untitled Deadpool Sequel. (Photo Courtesy of 20th Century Fox)
Disney Channel just announced that casting is underway on a live-action Kim Possible movie. The film is being written by the creators of the Emmy Award-winning animated series, executive producers Mark McCorkle and Robert Schooley (Kim Possible, Big Hero 6: The Series, The Penguins of Madagascar). Josh Cagan (The Duff, Bandslam) is also co-writing the script. McCorkle, Schooley and Zanne Devine (I, Tonya, Easy A) are executive producing.
The Disney Channel Original Movie Kim Possible will be co-directed by Adam B. Stein and Zach Lipovsky. Stein and Lipovsky were participants on Fox’s On the Lot series and have co-directed episodes of MECH X-4, Disney XD’s sci-fi series. Stein’s additional credits also include Nerd Court, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, and Ingress Obsessed. Lipovsky directed 2015’s Dead Rising, Leprechaun: Origins, and Tasmanian Devils.
Blyth Nailling (Last Man Standing, Scrubs, LA to Vegas, One Tree Hill, What I Like About You) is on board as the casting director.
“Mark and Bob created an enduring character and kids all over the world found a friend in her, an average girl who just happens to spend her off-school hours thwarting evil villains,” stated Adam Bonnett, executive vice president, Original Programming, Disney Channels Worldwide. “Although Kim Possible ‘can do anything,’ kids and tweens found that this animated redhead was just like them. As we embark on the fun challenge of making Kim and Ron fully dimensional, I’m thrilled to be working again with Mark and Bob and to welcome the addition of a dynamic creative team – Josh, Zanne, Adam and Zach – into a world where anything is indeed possible.”
The original movie comes 16 years after the award-winning animated series made its debut. The animated adventure series aired 87 episodes and spawned two animated movies. The series was applauded for showcasing an “empowered female role model who uses her brain, heart and expertise to save the day,” according to the Disney Channel.
“All of them,” says Amunet (Katee Sackhoff) to Warden Wolfe (Richard Brooks) in response to how many of the metahumans, including Barry Allen, she wants to buy from Wolfe’s prison in season four episode 13 of The CW’s The Flash.
Barry (Grant Gustin) has no intention of being sold on the black market, so he’s left with no choice but to plan an escape. Barry plugs his toilet so that when the maintenance man is clearing it, he can swipe two batteries from his supplies. That plus some bottled water, a spring from his bed, and a few other handy items, and Barry’s able to make an acid that he uses to eat through his cell lock. That allows him to escape his cell and to let the other meta convicts out of their cells.
While Barry’s working on his brilliant prison break, Iris (Candice Patton) and Cecile (Danielle Nicolet) head to the prison to talk to Barry about his appeal. Warden Wolfe informs them they can’t see Barry because he was in an altercation with another inmate. Even though he didn’t start it, rules are rules and he’s in solitary confinement. While Wolfe is talking, Cecile reads his mind and realizes he’s selling Barry to Amunet at midnight.
At S.T.A.R. Labs, Team Flash is trying to figure out a way to save Barry from being sold on the black market when Ralph (Hartley Sawyer) comes in late, complaining about an old sleazy partner who showed up at his office and how he tried to pull him into a scam. While complaining about him, Ralph accidentally shape-shifts into him – voice and all. This gives Iris an idea of how they can save Barry. Cisco (Carlos Valdes) and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) coach Ralph on how to control his powers and manipulate his body into looking like Wolfe.
In The Thinker’s lair, Marlize (Kim Engelbrecht) is concerned about Amunet and Wolfe’s business deal which might threaten DeVoe’s (Kendrick Sampson) plan. When she asks why he didn’t foresee it, he dismisses her concerns by saying his wisdom is infinite. Marlize is getting more and more uncomfortable with her husband’s changing attitude, along with being in another man’s body.
In Iron Heights, Barry and the group of meta convicts are using the sewer system to try to get to freedom. Once far enough away from the power-reducing meta cells, Barry and the others will be able to use their powers to get away for good.
Back at The Thinker’s lair, Marlize made a few adjustments to DeVoe’s chair. He tries to read her mind but only hears “their song” and they reminisce about when they first danced together. It’s clear DeVoe knows that Marlize is using the song to block him from reading her mind.
Ralph as Wolfe goes to the bar where Amunet’s point man hangs out to set up a meeting about the sale of metas. Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Joe (Jesse L. Martin) is talking to Ralph via earpiece, giving him pointers on how to behave like the badass Wolfe is.
Amunet agrees to meet with Wolfe and he tells her the sale of the metas must be delayed because he suspects the CCPD got wind of it somehow. Amunet becomes suspicious and then Ralph loses control of his shape-shifting abilities and turns back into himself. He makes a run for it and Amunet just misses killing him with her metal debris. She calls Wolfe to tell him what happened and he assures her the metas she wants are locked up in their cells. When Wolfe gets off the phone, he yells at his guards to find the escaped metas.
As Barry and the other metas make their way through the sewer, they come across a maintenance worker. Two of the metas are about to kill the poor guy when Barry quickly knocks him out and assures them that now he’s not a threat to them. Later, Becky Sharpe (Sugar Lyn Beard), one of the metas in the group, treats Barry’s hand and tells him she knows he couldn’t have killed anyone because he’s different than the others and seems to really care about people. She admits she’s afraid of hurting people out in the real world with her power. (She has the ability to control luck on a quantum scale.) Barry says, “Our powers don’t decide who we are, we do.”
Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Iris believes the only way to save Barry now is for Cisco as Vibe, Caitlin as Killer Frost, and Ralph to breach into the prison and free Barry. That means they’ll have to take on the warden, Amunet, and crooked guards. Ralph apologizes but tells them that he’s sitting this one out and that they’re better off without him. Cisco tries to give him a pep talk but gets shut down by Ralph.
Later at Ralph’s office, Caitlin walks in and wakes him up. He tells her that if a pep talk from Cisco won’t help, that one from her won’t do anything either. So, Caitlin injures her hand to bring out Killer Frost. “Hi, Stretchy,” says Frost, calling him pathetic for bailing out. Ralph tells her she’s mean and he won’t miss her when she leaves. Frost realizes Ralph’s afraid of losing his friends which he admits. “This time the people who are going to leave are actually friends. There the first ones I’ve had in a really long time,” says Ralph.
“I’m the queen of letting these people down, but you know what? They’re still here. No matter how much I disappoint them, they still show up for me. I don’t really understand it, but I think it’s part of this whole friends thing. So unless you do something worse than kidnap and stab them, I think you’re going to be just fine,” replies Frost. The pep talk from the ice queen works and gives Ralph an idea on how he can help Barry.
In the sewers of Iron Heights, Barry and the metas reach the yard where they can use their powers again. Unfortunately, Wolfe is waiting for them and shoots Barry with a power-reducing ankle lock. The metas are about to attack when the warden outs Barry as The Flash. They turn to attack Barry and Becky protects Barry and uses her “bad luck” power to take the metas, Wolfe, and Amunet down. Just then The Thinker shows up in his new and improved hover chair.
The tentacles come out and attach to Becky and the other four meta convicts. He drains the life and possibly their powers (it’s not exactly clear) out of them and transfers his consciousness into poor Becky as she’s reaching for Barry, asking him to help her. He still has the power-reducing ankle lock on and can’t get to her in time. Before he leaves, The Thinker also uses one of the tentacles to drain the life out of Wolfe. Marlize, who’s watching back at the lair, is horrified by the murder.
Cisco and Killer Frost breach into the yard just after The Thinker has left. They see all the bodies and ask what happened. “DeVoe,” answers Barry. Frost freezes the power-reducing ankle lock and Cisco tells Barry they need to go but Barry tells them he’s staying. He only tried the prison break so he wouldn’t be sold on the black market, but with Wolfe dead and Amunet about to be captured that won’t happen. He’s staying until they find a way to clear him of the murder. “This is who I am,” says Barry to his friends and he speeds back into his cell.
In court, Cecile’s trying to stall the judge from throwing out Barry’s appeal because they have no new evidence. Just as the judge is about to do just that, in rolls Clifford DeVoe (Neil Sandilands). Everyone’s shocked except Cecile who’s in on the plan. It’s really Ralph shape-shifting into DeVoe who tells the judge and the court that, yes, he was stabbed after hearing a voice talking about framing someone and that he woke up at home today. The judge finds it hard to believe but Cecile reminds him that there have been cases of people believed to be dead showing up very much alive before and that “Central City is home to the impossible.” The judge clears Barry Allen of all charges and orders his immediate release from Iron Heights.
Everyone celebrates barry’s release at Joe’s house and as they make a toast Caitlin notices something is bothering Barry. When she asks him about it, he tells everyone that DeVoe could have taken all the metas from Iron Heights but he only went after the ones who were on the bus the day he came out of the Speed Force. “We know a meta who was on that bus,” says Cisco. Just then Ralph walks in apologizing for being late and sees everyone looking at him. “Why is everyone looking at me like I’m a dead man?” asks a taken aback Ralph.
The last scene of the episode is in The Thinker’s lair. Marlize is upset with DeVoe (now in the body of Becky Sharpe) for killing Wolfe. She continues to focus on their song to keep DeVoe from reading her mind. Annoyed by this, DeVoe slips the love drug into Marlize’s drink and when she drinks from it becomes infatuated with DeVoe again, much to The Thinker’s delight.
The Flash Season 4 Episode 13 Review:
Surprising, suspenseful, and smartly written, episode 13 titled “True Colors” gets the series back on track with a clever prison break, the return of some interesting and fun characters, and the introduction of Ralph’s previously unknown extra abilities.
There are a couple stand-out performances in this episode. First, Hartley Sawyer shines once again as Ralph, bringing not only laughs to the show but also a real energy that’s been missing since the first season. He has great chemistry with the entire cast, and the growth of his character from sleazy PI to a struggling hero has been one of the strongest storylines in season four.
The second stand-out performance was delivered by Grant Gustin as the incarcerated Barry who relies on his brains and sleight-of-hand to come up with a way to get out of his cell and escape the prison. Even among dangerous cons, he’s able to control the escape and keep them from killing anyone. Grant shows just how much Barry has matured and has become a real leader no matter what the situation and how he still is the moral compass of the show, refusing to escape once the danger of being sold on the black market is gone.
With Barry finally free from prison and his name cleared and Ralph being a target for The Thinker, it will be interesting to see how Team Flash figures out what The Thinker’s master plan is and how they’re going to stop him.
