John Bell and Wil Johnson join ‘Outlander’ (Photos Courtesy of Starz)
The cast of Outlander season three has expanded by two. Starz confirmed John Bell will be taking on the role of Young Ian and Wil Johnson will play Joe Abernathy in the upcoming season based on Diana Gabaldon’s third book in the Outlander series, Voyager. Filming is currently underway on season three of the romantic drama starring Sam Heughan as Jamie Fraser and Caitriona Balfe as Claire Fraser.
Season three’s cast also includes Tobias Menzies as Frank Randall, David Berry as Lord John Grey, Richard Rankin as Roger Wakefield, and Sophie Skelton as Brianna Randall.
18 year-old John Bell’s credits include Doctor Who, Wrath of the Titans, The Hobbit – The Desolation of Smaug and The Battle of the Five Armies, Life of Riley, and Hatfields & McCoys. Wil Johnson’s resume includes Waterloo Road, Holby City, Cracker, Babyfather, and Waking the Dead.
Young Ian and Joe Abernathy character descriptions, courtesy of Starz:
“Young Ian Murray is a tall, gangly Scottish lad with a heart of gold, a stubborn streak and a penchant for getting into trouble. Bursting with charm, he’s more like his adventurous, fierce uncle Jamie Fraser than his farmer father Ian — but when we meet him, he is still a very gawky boy. However, he keeps trying to prove that he is a man and we will see him grow into quite a formidable one as the series evolves.”
“Joe Abernathy is a fellow doctor-in-training whom Claire befriends in medical school. Intelligent, charismatic, with a wry and irreverent sense of humor, Joe is a loyal confidant with great affection for Claire. He puts on a good face, but he is all too aware of his place in the Civil Rights era. Joe and Claire both feel out of place in the mostly all-white, all-male medical field, which bonds them together in a life-long friendship.”
The Season 3 Plot:
The third season of Outlander picks up right after Claire travels through the stones to return to her life in 1948. Now pregnant, she struggles with the fallout of her sudden reappearance and its effect on her marriage to her first husband, Frank. Meanwhile, in the 18th century, Jamie suffers from the aftermath of his doomed last stand at the historic battle of Culloden, as well as the loss of Claire. As the years pass, Jamie and Claire attempt to make a life apart from one another, each haunted by the memory of their lost love.
The budding possibility that Claire can return to Jamie in the past breathes new hope into Claire’s heart… as well as new doubt. Separated by continents and centuries, Claire and Jamie must find their way back to each other. As always, adversity, mystery and adventure await them on the path to reunion. And the question remains: When they find each other, will they be the same people who parted at the standing stones, all those years ago?
Mike Colter stars in ‘Luke Cage’ (Photo Credit: Myles Aronowitz/Netflix)
Netflix’s new Marvel’s Luke Cage series has provided a behind the scenes look at the characters and storylines with the “Who is Luke Cage?” video. The featurette includes Luke Cage star Mike Colter talking about the titular character. Rosario Dawson (‘Claire Temple’), Simone Missick (‘Misty Knight’), and executive producer/showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker also discuss the latest Marvel and Netflix collaboration. Marvel’s Luke Cage will premiere on September 30, 2016 at 12:01am PT and also stars Mahershala Ali (‘Cornell Cottonmouth Stokes’), Alfre Woodard (‘Mariah Dillard’), Theo Rossi (‘Shades’), and Frank Whaley (‘Rafael Scarfe’).
The Plot: After a sabotaged experiment leaves him with super strength and unbreakable skin, Luke Cage (Mike Colter) becomes a fugitive trying to rebuild his life in modern day Harlem, New York City. But he is soon pulled out of the shadows and must fight a battle for the heart of his city – forcing him to confront a past he had tried to bury.
Columbia Pictures just released the new Passengers trailer starring Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, and Michael Sheen. The two minute trailer appears to give away major plot twists while setting up the story of Lawrence and Pratt’s characters as space travelers who wake up before they’re supposed to. Directed by Morten Tyldum (The Imitation Game) from a script by Jon Spaihts (Van Helsing), the cast also includes Laurence Fishburne and Andy Garcia. Passengers opens in theaters on December 21, 2016.
The Plot: Jennifer Lawrence and Chris Pratt are two passengers onboard a spaceship transporting them to a new life on another planet. The trip takes a deadly turn when their hibernation pods mysteriously wake them 90 years before they reach their destination. As Jim and Aurora try to unravel the mystery behind the malfunction, they begin to fall for each other, unable to deny their intense attraction… only to be threatened by the imminent collapse of the ship and the discovery of the truth behind why they woke up.
Supergirl executive producer Sarah Schechter teased what fans can expect from season two of the comic book-inspired series while doing press roundtables at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con. Schechter wouldn’t give away specifics or spoilers, but did provide a little info into the reasoning behind bringing in Tyler Hoechlin as Superman and how that affects Kara (played by Melissa Benoist). Schechter also revealed her favorite season one episode and what it’s been like to add Lynda Carter to the cast of season two in the role of the President of the United States.
Supergirl season two will premiere on October 10, 2016 on The CW.
Sarah Schechter Interview:
What can you say about Lynda Carter’s arc in season two?
Sarah Schechter: “Lynda Carter’s amazing and her role as Wonder Woman was for a long time the only female hero that a generation of people had to look to. And so we want to honor that even as we expand the idea of what a female superhero can be. But, I think there’s going to be some very surprising turns. I think people are going to be really excited. She has some fun stuff to do.”
Did you know what was in the pod when you wrote it, or did you take all summer to think about it?
Sarah Schechter: “No, we knew and then we had all summer to cast it. That’s what we needed the time to do. We did, and we’re really excited. What’s in the spaceship will also help us a lot in terms of Kara’s journey in season two. Her coming to terms with can she have it all and her defining what she wants her life to be. That’s going to be a lot of fun.
And then we have Ian Gomez from Felicity who’s joining us as sort of like a Lou Grant, kind of like the Michael Keaton in Spotlight part. That’s going to be a lot of fun. And then we have some people switching jobs, which I think is going to be really great fun too.”
Does that take a little focus off of Cat?
Sarah Schechter: “No. He’s playing Snapper Carr who works with Cat. There’s still CatCo. But Winn becomes more involved with the DEO which means we get more scenes of David Harewood and Jeremy Jordan together which is, to me, endlessly entertaining. Nobody annoys Hank Henshaw more than Winn Schott does, so that’s just good fun.”
Bringing Superman into the show in the early episodes, will there be something set up where he can come back in later episodes?
Sarah Schechter: “Yeah. I mean, we’re not killing Superman. We like him a lot. Part of it was in season one we really wanted to just establish Kara. But a lot of what we do on these shows is comedy, action, drama, and family. And, it’s a family you’re given and it’s a family you choose. Kara had to really choose a family and build a family here, but Clark is the one part of her family that’s still alive now that Laura Benanti is playing Melania Trump. And so it’s a way to learn more about Kara. Tyler (Hoechlin) is amazing.”
How excited are you to have had the show make the transition to The CW?
Sarah Schechter: “It’s so much fun. It’s like when you’re a little kid and you have a Superman toy and a G.I. Joe, they would play together. And by all being on the same network and in the same city, it makes it easier for us to do that. There’s just something great about…you know, when you would see Cisco on Arrow, there’s just endless permutations that are so much fun because we really love these characters and we’re hoping that the audience does too.”
Has it made it more difficult coordinating the shows since you’re all in a shared universe?
Sarah Schechter: “We had Flash and Supergirl last year, and we still have to explain the universe changes – which we do. I think the thing that’s hard about it is Melissa, Grant (Gustin), and Stephen (Amell), they work so hard. They work every day, and so the hard part is when Stephen is on Flash or Grant is on Supergirl, that means they’re not on…we don’t shut down the other shows. Luckily we have a deep bench of very talented actors, but the writers just have to plan for that in such a big way. I mean, the shows are named after the characters and so that’s the thing that’s the logistical challenge.”
What was your favorite episode from season one?
Sarah Schechter: “Oh man, that’s really hard. I’m really proud of the pilot but I also really love the Black Mercy episode. I think that was probably my favorite. That was something that Andrew (Kreisberg) wanted to do from the very beginning. I love it. I think it gives you a taste of how deep and complicated and interesting the show’s going to be this year.”
Watch the full Sarah Schechter interview:
(Interview by Fred Topel. Article by Rebecca Murray.)
Mom’s arrived in town and Lucifer (Tom Ellis) and Amenadiel (DB Woodside) have no idea how they’re going to deal with her presence in season two of Fox’s hit comedy/drama, Lucifer. Season two kicks off on Monday, September 19, 2016 at 9pm ET/PT with an episode titled ‘Everything’s Coming Up Lucifer,’ which is fitting as Lucifer thinks the world revolves around him. In addition to Ellis and Woodside, returning Lucifer stars include Lauren German as Chloe, Rachael Harris as Dr. Linda Martin, Lesley-Ann Brandt as Maze, Kevin Alejandro as Dan Espinoza (aka Detective Douche), and Scarlett Estevez as Trixie. Tricia Helfer joins the cast as Lucifer and Amenadiel’s mom and Aimee Garcia‘s now on board as Ella Lopez.
Season 2 Premiere Recap:
Season two picks up with masked robbers terrorizing a jewelry store employee and his customers. With perfect timing and looking incredibly handsome, the celestial crime-fighting duo of Lucifer and Amenadiel show up to save the day. But, actually, that’s not what they’re there for. Nope, the brothers are on the scene because they believe one of the robbers recently died and their mom is now inhabiting his body. This, obviously, makes the robber think the two are slightly insane as Lucifer explains his body-possession theory. The bros quickly determine mom’s not dwelling inside this particular human so Amenadiel freezes time so they can talk things through. They’ve gone down the list of the recently deceased whose bodies mom could be hijacking and this guy’s the last name on the list. He’s not it, so now they have no idea where mom is or if she’s even in LA.
Before leaving the very confused robber to the police, they strip him to his undies, take his gun, and leave him wearing a pricey tiara. Oh, and they tie his laces together so he falls on his face. That Lucifer…what a sense of humor!
Lucifer heads over to Dr. Linda Martin’s where he reveals his mom is literally, not metaphorically, going to kill him. Linda’s a little perplexed as to why Lucifer’s never mentioned his mom before, so he lays out the whole story of dad meeting mom, falling in love, having sex, and creating the universe because they did the deed. “The Big Bang?” asks Dr. Linda. “Never knew how appropriate the name was until now, did you?” responds Lucifer. So then mom and dad had a “litter” of kids up in Heaven but mom starting growing distant once dad became obsessed with humanity. Long story short, dad tossed Lucifer out and mom did nothing to help. Mom also got bumped from Heaven and wound up under Lucifer’s watch down in Hell where he did – in a classic turnabout is fair play type of reaction – nothing to help her escape.
And now we get to meet up again with our other favorite crime-fighting team of Lucifer and Chloe. They’re on a studio set and Lucifer keeps bugging Chloe about her own days as an actress. Chloe’s distracted though because she’s still trying to figure out why Lucifer isn’t dead after being shot point-blank in the chest. She took some of his blood and now she’s threatening to test it to put an end to his “I’m the Devil on the Earth” claims. Lucifer’s strangely excited about the prospect but wants Chloe to put that aside because he needs help on his own project. It’s always all about Lucifer, isn’t it? And of course the dead body they now encounter on the set has metal bars protruding from her head like devil’s horns, so Lucifer naturally thinks his mother was the killer because, again, it’s all about him.
The victim is Gillian Taylor, a stand-in for the lead actress. Lucifer thinks she died because of him but forensic scientist Ella Lopez (hello, Aimee Garcia, and welcome to Lucifer!) determines the metal rods didn’t kill her. They were added postmortem and she wasn’t even killed where she was found on the set. Lucifer still believes this is his mom’s work and she’s sending him a message, but Chloe wants him to get over himself. Their discussion is interrupted when they spy Detective Douche talking to an officer on the scene. He’s no longer suspended but he’s been demoted and will now just be assisting on cases. Chloe puts him to work interviewing potential witnesses.
Meanwhile, Lucifer goes over to chat with newbie Ella. She hugs him, immediately catching him off-guard, and he’s surprised she doesn’t react when he says his name since she’s wearing a gold cross around her neck. She doesn’t hold his name against him, and even tells him she thinks the Devil gets a bad rap, which for the second time in this conversation catches Lucifer off-guard. She doesn’t think rebelling against his dad or giving a naked lady an apple was all that bad. But, then again, she’s not fond of his job running Hell. “I’m retired. And besides, I didn’t create Hell; I just work there,” says Lucifer, slightly irritated. Since Lucifer is now really referring to himself as the Devil, Ella’s convinced he’s a method actor, given the fact they’re in Los Angeles.
Off Chloe and Lucifer go to check out Gillian’s home where they chat with her landlord, a friendly lady (Rusty Schwimmer) who thought of Gillian as her daughter. She also got Gillian a job on the set where she wound up dying, so she blames herself. The woman tells Lucifer and Chloe that Amy (Jessica Sula), the lead actress Gillian was standing in for, is a coke addict and a bad influence on Gillian. Lucifer’s spidey sense starts tingling when the woman says Amy overdosed a few days ago and was barely able to be revived by doctors. Lucifer, tying two and two together, now believes Amy is his mom, she killed Gillian, and she shoved devil horns in her head to taunt him. Just then, Chloe finds a huge stack of money under a cushion on the couch. As they head back to the car making their way through a yard full of pink flamingos, Lucifer tells Chloe the killer is his mom whose soul is now inside Amy. Chloe looks at him the way Chloe often looks at him (as though he’s grown at least one extra head), and tells him he’s making less sense than usual. He tells her to test his blood so that she’ll finally believe he is who he says he is.
Amenadiel’s hanging out alone at Lucifer’s bar and Lucifer thinks his brother’s moody because Maze is still missing. “Maze always turns up eventually. She’s like a bad penny in tight leather pants,” says Lucifer, smiling at his own wittiness. Amenadiel wonders if Maze helped their mom escape but Lucifer has news to deliver: he found mom. Lucifer also tells his bro Chloe’s about to confirm he’s who he says he is by testing his blood, which immediately has Amenadiel wondering if his brother’s completely lost his mind. Lucifer thinks it will all be okay because it’s just Chloe, but Amenadiel doesn’t think angel blood should be anywhere near a police lab.
Dan tells Chloe he discovered Amy and Gillian recently had a fight that was captured on video. Chloe thinks it may have been an argument over Amy’s drug problem.
Lucifer beats Chloe back to the set where he shows up unannounced in Amy’s trailer. After watching her snort a line of coke, he pokes fun at her role model reputation. “A wolf in a sheep’s tiny skirt, mom!” says Lucifer, still certain his mom has taken over Amy’s body. Amy is justifiably confused but gets turned on when Lucifer says he knows who she really is. He has to fight her off, freaked out that she’s his mom. Chloe barges in to save the day while Lucifer comes to terms with the fact this isn’t his mom. Amy says Gillian was her sober companion and they fought over the fact Gillian treated her like a child. Amy got a new supply, handing over the bag of drugs in her drawer. The bag has a cute little devil emoji and Lucifer makes a note to speak to a copyright lawyer. It’s. Always. About. Lucifer. Amy gives up the name of her drug dealer and Lucifer thinks they should pursue that possible lead. He now believes his mom is taunting him with his own “distorted image” and Chloe could not look more over the whole thing but asks if he really thinks his mom is the drug dealer. He does and once again demands she test his blood.
Meanwhile, Amenadiel stops time at the police station so he can get Lucifer’s blood from Chloe’s desk. Suddenly, time starts up again which leaves him confused.
It’s now time for Lucifer to hit the couch at Dr. Linda’s to lay out his current problems which he blames on everyone but himself, per usual. Dr. Linda even prompts him to include himself in the blame game…but he won’t. Instead, he turns the table and blames her. One heavy sigh later and Dr. Linda confesses she doesn’t think she’s actually helping him at all.
Chloe arrives at Lucifer’s bar but it’s Amenadiel who greets her. He’s come up with this huge story to explain everything about Lucifer, starting off the tale by shooting himself in the stomach. This is supposed to prove Lucifer was never shot and instead just used a blood pack. He says Lucifer is a huge fraud and that everything is part of a performance. Even the “weird mojo” thing he does is just the power of suggestion, according to Amenadiel. He says Lucifer’s good at it having studied it from an early age. Lucifer created the persona for himself because they had a rough childhood. Chloe appears to be buying the explanation.
Chloe and Lucifer sit through an AA meeting where Lucifer confides to Chloe he now believes the killer isn’t actually his mother. He’s done with sitting back and just listening to confessionals so up he goes to take over the meeting to figure out who the dealer is. He tells the recovering addicts he loves drugs. Loves them! And, he has lots of money to spend on the drugs…it’s his twisted way of figuring out how to get the dealer to approach him after the meeting. But, he’s a bit sidetracked when he goes into a discussion of his mother abandoning him. After it’s over the dealer makes himself known, offering them a bag of drugs with the devil emoji on it. Chloe takes over as the dealer panics over the possibility of an arrest. When Chloe shows him the picture of the dead women he throws up. Chloe’s pretty sure he’s not the killer but needs to know who would make it look like he’s a murderer. He thinks it was Amy’s old dealer.
Maze is back and Lucifer’s one happy Devil! She steps in when he’s about to get stabbed and Lucifer’s definitely glad she’s back. Maze won’t say where she was but that she just needed time off, and she’s shocked to learn his mom’s escaped Hell. He hints that she helped his mom, and Maze reminds him she’s the one who actually tortured his mom in Hell. “Desperation makes for strange bedfellows. I just pictured you in bed with my mom. Oh, can’t un-see that now!” says Lucifer. Before leaving Maze to have some fun with the tied up and gagged would-be attacker – who it turns out is Amy’s jealous boyfriend, Otis (James Swalm) – Maze reveals she was with a friend who was helping her do some soul searching. “What? Like hunting them down and killing them?” asks Lucifer. Nope, she was with a friend trying to figure out where she fits in. Before he leaves, Lucifer learns from the boyfriend that Gillian cut off Amy’s old drug dealer who goes by the name of Bobby B.
Lucifer catches up with Chloe at the station where they compare notes on Amy’s old drug dealer. Chloe hands Lucifer paperwork and photos to look through, and Lucifer notices that Gillian’s landlord is Bobbie B. This pisses him off as she was like a mother to Gillian, which strikes close to home for the Devil with mommy issues. Off he goes without explaining to Chloe where he’s heading.
Back at the club, the boyfriend runs out of the building covered in feathers. Amenadiel arrives and is happy to see Maze, but she tells him she needs space to figure out where she fits in in this world. He agrees…or at least says he does.
Back at the station, Chloe asks Ella if she really believes in God. Ella doesn’t mind talking about it and answers Chloe’s question about whether angels and the Devil really exist. Is it all a metaphor? Ella says maybe, which wasn’t the answer Chloe expected. Ella’s aunt the nun told her to always question things. “I doubt so that I can believe,” says Ella. That somehow leads Ella to connect the nitrogen in the rods on Gillian’s head with rose fertilizer. Thus, the rods were taken from a garden. Chloe puts two and two together and gets lawn flamingos.
Lucifer beats Chloe back to the landlord’s house where he greets Bobbie B with, “Hello, murderer.” She acts all innocent but he knows it’s the truth. Lucifer describes how it all went down and he’s right, which leads to a brutal fight between the two. Lucifer allows her to hit him with a poker and is shocked when the blow actually knocks him down and hurts. As he’s trying to figure out why he’s bleeding, she continues to whack him. She has the upper hand and is choking him when Chloe shows up and saves him by tazing Bobbie B. He grabs the taser and pulls the trigger again, just for good measure.
Chloe wants to know how he put the clues together and Lucifer says he was “on the Devil’s business” and that if he told her she’d think he’s crazy. She tells Lucifer she had a talk with Amenadiel who explained everything. But, she doesn’t buy that story. She doesn’t think he’s crazy or that he’s the Devil. Chloe confesses she doesn’t really care because he always has her back and he makes her a better detective.
Lucifer pays a surprise visit to Dr. Linda to thank her for making him realize he shares the blame for what’s going on. He never asked his mom what she did to be cast out and so that’s on him. He now doesn’t think she’s actually here to kill him and that’s got him confused. What is it that she wants? It’s terrifying not to know.
With Lucifer singing “All Along the Watchtower” as the backing track, we see Chloe open her desk drawer and take out the vial of Lucifer’s blood. She tosses it in the trash can. We’re also treated to a scene of Amenadiel tossing something in the air and smiling when it freezes but then quickly changing to confused when it falls to the ground before he grabs it. The scene switches to the club where Dr. Linda meets up with Maze. They hug like BFFs. Next up is Lucifer at home, alone, seated at the piano, singing, and really getting into the words. [For more on Tom Ellis singing in episodes, read what writer/executive producer Joe Henderson has to say about their season two plans.] With less than a minute left to go in the episode, mom finally shows up. Disheveled, she says, “Lucifer, help me,” and falls to the ground at his feet.
Why is Lucifer vulnerable? Could it be because his mom’s in town? Amenadiel’s powers are also not up to par. Does this mean the angel brothers need to be extra careful if they don’t want to die? The plot thickens…
Jim Gordon’s no longer a cop and Gotham City’s under attack by the Indian Hill escapees in the season three premiere of Fox’s Gotham. Gordon left the Gotham City Police Department to try and find the love of his life, Lee (Morena Baccarin), and has returned to the city under siege to work as a bounty hunter. The first episode of the season also catches the audience up on the Fish Mooney/The Penguin feud as well as what’s going on with Bruce Wayne’s mysterious doppelgänger who was briefly seen in the season two finale.
The third season premiered on September 19, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT with an episode titled ‘Better to Reign in Hell.’
Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) approaches the front door of a beautiful home carrying flowers. He hears laughter inside and peers through the window. He sees Lee…but she’s not alone. A stranger is holding her and kissing her, and he’s the reason why she’s laughing.
Flash-forward to six months later, a pharmacy is being broken into in Gotham City. The pharmacist picks up a shotgun and promises not to call the cops if the burglar leaves. The burglar turns out to be one of the genetically altered monsters let loose in the season finale of episode two. Jim Gordon’s outside waiting to take on the monster who doesn’t want to be arrested. Gordon’s quickly disarmed of the metal bar he’s using and just as quickly learns hitting the ridge-backed monster doesn’t work either. Just when it looks like Jim could lose the fight, the monster fails to notice a truck barreling down on him. Bye, bye, monster.
Captain Barnes (Michael Chiklis) addresses the press to discuss the monster that robbed the pharmacy. He reveals the “individual” is another Indian Hill escapee. Reporter Valerie Vale (Jamie Chung) wants to know why they can’t see the escapee and Barnes says they’re still picking up the pieces. Bounty hunters have been rounding up the escapees, but Barnes takes issue with Vale’s assertion most of the work is being done by bounty hunters. Mayor Aubrey James (Richard Kind) steps in to say the escapees are actually victims of Hugo Strange and to please keep that in mind. Vale reminds James that the escapees were all inmates and judged criminally insane before they were altered by Hugo Strange. He dodges that question.
Jim Gordon’s brought in six escapees at $5,000 per escapee. His ex-partner and friend Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) wants to know what he’ll do when they’re all rounded up, and Jim doesn’t think that will happen anytime soon. Harvey wants Jim back on the force, but understands something happened between him and Lee (Morena Baccarin) which caused Jim to step away. “You are a cop in everything but name,” says Harvey. Jim replies, “Yeah, except I don’t have to listen to Barnes.”
Lucius Fox (Chris Chalk) arrives to tell Harvey the drug the monster stole was an immune suppressant. Lucius is the new resident scientific expert after leaving Wayne Enterprises and is now part of the GCPD. Lucius says the big question is actually why are Indian Hill escapees robbing pharmacies. Harvey wants to work the case with Jim, but Jim’s not into it.
Valerie Vale is still peppering Mayor James and Captain Barnes with questions, wanting to know why Hugo Strange is the only one who’s been arrested and what’s up with Wayne Enterprises. The Mayor’s trying to say everything’s under control when Penguin (Robin Lord Taylor) interrupts, calling him a liar. He strides through the crowd, demanding they tell the truth. Penguin says the creatures are dangerous and he knows who’s leading them. He begged the police to look for Fish Mooney (Jada Pinkett Smith) and now he wants the people of Gotham to look for her because no one is safe while she’s on the loose. On his way out, Penguin tells Jim he’s surprised he hasn’t found Fish. Jim responds by telling Penguin he hasn’t made it worth his while yet.
Penguin and Butch (Drew Powell) meet up with Barbara (Erin Richards) at the nightclub. He compliments the way the place looks and she says she knows he’s there about his offer. She turns him down, not needing his protection. Just then Tabitha walks up and Butch gets all tongue-tied. Penguin sends Butch off to collect himself, and then he tells Tabitha (Jessica Lucas) that he offered to kill her. She murdered his mom and now she’s broken Butch’s heart. Penguin says he didn’t kill her because Butch is still in love with her. Back to business, Penguin wants the word spread he wants Fish Mooney dead or alive (or chopped into pieces) and he’s offering $1 million.
Selina (Camren Bicondova) takes a seat next to Butch at the bar. He tells her to scram because she’s too young to be there. Penguin walks up, tells Butch to get over Tabitha, and informs him that Selina just stole his wallet. Butch can’t believe he was tricked.
Selina passes money from the wallet to a kid in the alley – a kid she doesn’t notice is Bruce Wayne’s doppelgänger (albeit a goth version with long hair).
At Wayne Manor, Alfred (Sean Pertwee) and Bruce (David Mazouz) are settling in after a long trip away. Bruce wonders if they were right to leave and Alfred reminds him he knows why they left. Alfred also thinks a “lovely cup of tea” will help.
Jim’s thumbing through the newspaper at a bar when Valerie Vale catches up to him. She tells him someone should do a story on him, and wonders why no one is being arrested over the Arkham thing. Jim tells her likes quiet bars, but she won’t quit pestering him. Talk turns to Penguin, and Jim says he’s a liar and a murderer. Valerie gets up to leave, dropping the news of the $1 million bounty Penguin’s offered on Fish before taking off.
Meanwhile at Arkham, Penguin hands Ed Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) a present. It’s a puzzle and the trick is opening it. Apparently, it’s the most difficult puzzle ever made. Ed opens it in less than a minute. Penguin’s been sending him lots of presents and Ed wants to know why Penguin’s been so kind to him. Penguin says he needs their talks, especially with Fish out there somewhere. He wants to know what she’s doing and why she didn’t kill him. Ed says, “Details can be distracting. Sometimes a simple solution is best.” He tells Ed to just remember penguins eat fish.
And now we see Fish who’s walking with Selina and two other associates. Selina opens the door to a warehouse and Fish’s people kill one of the scientists there and steal supplies. Fish takes care of a security guard by making him drop his gun and knock himself out, but using her power drains her and she collapses.
Lucius and Jim are on the phone discussing the only warehouse in town where the drug the escapees need is manufactured. Selina sees Jim approaching, but Fish is casually leaning against a counter when he walks in. Fish knows Jim is there to collect the bounty and puts her hands out to be cuffed. Jim tells her to cuff herself and asks how many people she has with her. Her henchmen get the drop on Jim but Jim fights him off. Fish and her fiends (which, by the way, is a great name for a band) flee.
Alfred and Bruce visit Wayne Enterprises where Bruce will be speaking to the board. Bruce takes his seat at the head of the table, immediately addressing the Indian Hill problem. He says he rejects the conclusion Hugo Strange acted alone. Bruce explains why he left Gotham, but he’s interrupted by a board member named Crowley who Alfred quickly shuts down as you would an ill-mannered child about to throw a tantrum. Bruce says he has proof a secret group inside Wayne Enterprises is behind it all and they’re on the board and in this room. If they don’t contact him within 24 hours, he’ll make all the details public via the media.
A phone call’s made and Bruce Wayne’s in deep trouble.
Barbara is working on the nightclub’s books when three men arrive to tell her she built the club in their territory. She’s slapped and told the place is theirs. Barbara starts crying but it quickly transforms into a maniacal laugh. Tabitha slits the throats of two of the men while Barbara takes out the leader, repeatedly hitting him while chuckling.
Selina tracks down Valerie Vale and says she has info on Fish Mooney. Valerie takes the info to Jim, telling him she knows where Fish will be next. She needs something from the cops and Jim’s her in with Harvey Bullock.
Jim visits Harvey and Harvey gives him a tip, asking him to do his best not to get him fired over the info.
Now it’s Bruce’s turn to visit Selina. She’s cold to him even though Bruce says he tried to find her before he left. Bruce tells her to be careful because powerful people know they’re friends. She takes off, still angry, while around the corner, unseen, Bruce’s doppelgänger looks on.
Jim tells Valerie he got the info from Harvey but instead of taking her with him to find Fish, he handcuffs her to the car. He promises her the story and walks away. He’s barely a foot from the car when she begins to attempt to set herself free.
Jim impersonates dispatch and sends the team on duty at an apartment complex back to headquarters. The cops had been guarding Ethel Peabody’s room, and he wonders why she’s not in jail. Jim tells Ethel he’s there to find Fish Mooney because eventually Fish will come after her since whatever she and Hugo Strange did to her in Arkham is making her sick. Jim’s visiting her because he expects Fish’s people have set this whole thing up. Jim’s using Peabody as bait, knowing full well Valerie’s source was using Valerie. Two escapees are at the door and Jim can’t take them down before they grab Peabody. In comes the monster he was up against at the warehouse and the fight is vicious before the monster tries to get away by leaping out the window. He has wings (Man-Bat!!!) and Valerie – having escaped the handcuffs – is down below snapping pictures.
Back at GCPD, Captain Barnes yells at both Jim and Harvey, telling Jim he’s done with him. He tells Harvey he used to be proud of him but not anymore. “You both better pray that we find her,” says Barnes.
Harvey sends Jim away and Valerie walks in, pissed. She tosses the handcuffs at Jim and asks if he knew they were being used by Fish. Jim says he knew Fish was using her because that’s what she does.
Selina won’t let Ivy go with her when she goes to meet with Fish, leaving her on the roof of the building by the pigeon coop. Bruce’s doppelgänger makes himself known, saying he wanted to talk to Selina since she was kind to him. Ivy thinks he’s Bruce Wayne and the doppelgänger angrily demands to know who that is.
Back at the nightclub, the thug Barbara beat up is being questioned by Penguin. He says they’ll work something out, asking Barbara what she’s willing to give up. Barbara thinks Butch is behind the whole thing and it’s just a set-up to make her and Tabitha turn to Penguin for protection. Butch denies it and then finally comes clean. Yes, he did it. Penguin shoots the thug in the face and tells Barbara to go ahead and run the club as she sees fit. But, he warns Tabitha that as soon as Butch gives him the word, he’ll kill her.
Fish and the monsters surround Peabody, and Peabody says she knows their bodies are starting to reject the DNA. Fish wants to know how to fix it and Peabody says they have to stop using their powers. Their bodies will regenerate. Fish thinks there’s another way and she grabs Peabody’s hand to make her tell the truth. Peabody says Hugo Strange can fix them, but Peabody doesn’t know where he is. Fish also wants an army and wants Hugo to create it for her. Marv, the fountain of youth in reverse, kills Peabody.
While Fish and her gang are still standing over Peabody’s now dead body, Ivy is brought in because she was outside spying on their meeting. She followed Selina to tell her Bruce is acting all strange. Ivy asks if these are the monsters everyone is talking about, which isn’t a wise move on her part. She threatens to tell on them – also not a wise move – and then breaks away before Fish can sic Marv on her. She races off and Marv barely touches her before she falls down into what looks like running water. Selina starts crying.
At the GCPD, officers are readying their weapons.
Valerie develops pictures of the escapee with wings.
Jim continues drowning his sorrows in alcohol.
At Wayne Manor, a masked man attacks Alfred. Alfred fights back and lamps, glasses, and other household items break before the masked man knocks out Alfred. Bruce rushes in and doesn’t see the man. The masked man knocks out Bruce, slings him over his shoulder, and walks off.
The CW’s debuted a new trailer for the second season of Supergirl which will finally introduce Superman to the show. The trailer titled ‘Sky’ finds Melissa Benoist as Supergirl and series newcomer Tyler Hoechlin (Teen Wolf) as Superman teaming up to save a spacecraft headed to Earth, with Metropolis and National City rooting them on. Season two of the comic book-inspired superhero show will premiere on October 10, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT.
In addition to Benoist and Hoechlin, the cast includes Mehcad Brooks as James Olsen, Calista Flockhart as Cat Grant, Chyler Leigh as Alex Danvers, Jeremy Jordan as Winslow “Winn” Schott, Jenna Dewan Tatum as Lucy Lane, David Harewood as Hank Henshaw, and Peter Facinelli as Maxwell Lord. Season two new cast members include Katie McGrath as Lena Luthor, Floriana Lima as Maggie Sawyer, and Lynda Carter as the President of the United States.
The Season 2 Plot: Kara has left the safety of being Cat Grant’s assistant in order to figure out what she really wants to do, while as Supergirl she continues to work at the DEO., protecting the citizens of National City and searching for Jeremiah and Cadmus. Along the way, she will team up with Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) to battle new villains, as she strives to balance her personal life with her life as a superhero.
Red Hot Chili Peppers (Photo Credit: : Steve Keros)
The Red Hot Chili Peppers will be touring next year in support of their 11th album, The Getaway. The band just announced the first of three legs of their 2017 North American Tour which will kick off on January 5th in San Antonio, Texas. Leg one will hit cities including Detroit, Boston, and San Diego, and leg two of the tour expected to be announced soon. Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue will be joining the band on the tour, with Jack Irons also set to perform during the January 2017 stops.
Fans can participate in the pre-sale beginning September 21st at 10am local time. General public tickets are available beginning on September 23rd. For more info, visit the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ official site.
The Red Hot Chili Peppers – singer Anthony Kiedis, bassist Flea, drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Josh Klinghoffer – released their latest studio album, The Getaway, on June 17, 2016. The studio album took the top spot on the Billboard Album Sales Chart when it was released and made it to the #2 Billboard Top 200 spot in June.
2017 North American Tour Dates – Leg 1
01/05 – San Antonio, TX AT&T Center *^
01/07 – Houston, TX Toyota Center *^
01/08 – Dallas, TX American Airlines Arena *^
01/10 – New Orleans, LA Smoothie King Center *^
01/12 – Memphis, TN Fed Ex Forum *^
01/14 – Tulsa, OK BOK Center *^
01/15 – Wichita, KS In Trust Arena *^
01/18 – St. Louis, MO Scottrade Center *^
01/20 – Lincoln, NE Pinnacle Bank Arena *^
01/21 – Minneapolis, MN Target Center *^
02/02 – Detroit, MI Joe Louis Arena *
02/04 – Toronto, ON Air Canada Center *
02/07 – Boston, MA TD Garden *
02/10 – Buffalo, NY First Niagara Center *
02/12 – Philadelphia, PA Wells Fargo Arena *
02/15 – New York, NY Madison Square Garden *
03/02 – Denver, CO Pepsi Center *
03/04 – Glendale, AZ Gila River Arena *
03/05 – San Diego, CA Valley View Casino Center *
03/07 – Los Angeles, CA Staples Center *
03/12 – Oakland, CA Oracle Arena *
03/15 – Portland, OR Moda Center at Rose Quarter *
03/17 – Seattle, WA Key Arena *
03/18 – Vancouver, BC Pepsi Live at Rogers Arena *
*Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue support
^Jack Irons support
NBC’s first trailer for the dramatic series This Is Us surprised pretty much everyone with its incredible popularity. Following its debut on Facebook, the first trailer for This Is Us was watched more than 15 million times in just 48 hours, crossing the 50 million milestone on Facebook after just 11 days. And, those figures do not include additional views on YouTube or NBC. If trailer views are in any way indicative of a show’s chances at success, NBC’s new family drama should be a real ratings winner.
After watching the pilot, I certainly hope everyone who checked out the trailer actually tunes in to watch the premiere of This Is Us. It’s smart, heartwarming, emotionally engaging, and filled with interesting characters all of whom are given an opportunity to connect with the audience in the series’ first episode. Only one episode was available for review, but that one episode laid out the premise, introduced the characters, and provided a huge twist at the end that I will acknowledge I did not see coming.
This Is Us’ first episode plays connect the dots between a diverse assortment of appealing individuals. Mandy Moore and Milo Ventimiglia play Rebecca and Jack, a married couple on the verge of becoming first-time parents who we meet on Jack’s 36th birthday. Sterling K. Brown, outstanding as prosecutor Christopher Darden in The People v. O.J. Simpson, plays a successful businessman who’s also celebrating his 36th birthday while trying to work out whether he wants to actually meet his birth father. Chrissy Metz and Justin Hartley star as twins, one of whom is dealing with a weight problem and the other is a sexy TV sitcom star who’s tired of being thought of as a brainless hunk. Twins Kate and Kevin are also celebrating their 36th birthdays in the show’s pilot.
Every character is dealing with some sort of challenge in episode one and all of the situations they’re placed in feel genuine and real. With perhaps the exception of the handsome actor working through his issues, all of the storylines also seem relatable and authentic. The dialogue isn’t stagey. There’s never a moment when you’re yanked out of the show by a line that doesn’t feel as though it could occur in any normal conversation taking place in the same circumstance. That realness allows us to immediately connect with these people and leaves us wanting to know more about their lives.
The Crazy, Stupid, Love team of writer Dan Fogelman and directors Glenn Ficarra and John Requa reunite for the series, with Fogelman creating and writing the show, Ficarra directing, and all three executive producing. Crazy, Stupid, Love is one of the better romantic comedies of the decade, sharply written, and featuring a talented ensemble cast led by Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, and Julianne Moore. This Is Us also features a terrific ensemble, although not quite as well known. It’s impossible to tell if one character of the group will wind up being the one most audiences connect with the most, but if I had to choose one I hope is explored much more it’s Ventimiglia’s Jack. That said, I’d be fine if each episode continues to follow the first episode’s setup of devoting almost equal amounts of time to the five leads.
This Is Us enters a fall primetime lineup that’s crowded with dramas and low, unfortunately, on new comedies. But even with a packed lineup of dramas, This Is Us should be added to your TV viewing schedule. It’ll tug at your heartstrings while entertaining even the most cynical viewers. There’s something both ordinary and extraordinary about what Fogelman has tapped into in creating these characters that makes This Is Us something incredibly special.
NBC’s This Is Us will premiere on Tuesday, September 20, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT.
Jonathan Scarfe as Axel Miller in ‘Van Helsing’ (Photo by: Robert Akester/Helsing S1 Productions/Syfy)
During the San Diego Comic Con, Syfy’s Van Helsing star Jonathan Scarfe explained that when the series begins, it’s three years into a vampire apocalypse. Vampires have taken over the world and our only hope for survival could be Vanessa Van Helsing (Kelly Overton). It’s Scarfe’s character Axel’s job to protect Vanessa after, as Scarfe says, “everything goes to hell.”
Scarfe admits he’s a fan of both vampire stories and apocalyptic tales. “I’m a huge Walking Dead fan and there’s obviously a lot of parallels between the two shows,” said Scarfe. “The thing I love about The Walking Dead is how interesting the characters are they populate that world with. They’ve stuck them in this situation and it doesn’t matter if it’s zombies or vampires…it doesn’t matter. It’s what happens to these people once all the rules have changed. I think the biggest lure for me was finding out the person who was going to be responsible for creating those characters was Neil LaBute. I mean, to have someone like him who’s got such a twisted, interesting take on humanity, I thought, ‘Oh my god, it’s going to be interesting no matter what.'”
Van Helsing star Christopher Heyerdahl, who also on hand at this year’s Comic Con, is no stranger to the world of vampire TV shows and films having been a part of True Blood and the Twilight franchise. “I’ve played vampires before and I’ve played vampire hunters before, and this appealed to me because the character is deaf. That I found fascinating, the challenge there of trying desperately to learn ASL. It’s not an easy language to learn,” explained Heyerdahl. “This character, Sam, is very strong. He’s able to take care of himself. He’s survived for three years where the majority of human beings are toast. They’ve either become food or they’ve turned to vampirism or they’re dead. This guy along with the group he finds himself with are still alive after three years. There’s something to be said for that.”
Christopher Heyerdahl in ‘Van Helsing.’
Heyerdahl says Sam is also a protector. “He’s fiercely loyal to those he cares about. And there’s a relationship he has with another character, Mohamad, who is a young man who he’s learned enough ASL so that he’s able to communicate for Sam. He’s not only Sam’s voice but he’s also Sam’s ears. There’s a wonderful relationship that goes on there,” said Heyerdahl. “There’s a wonderful thing to be explored there when you have to ignore something that you’re doing on a regular basis as an actor is listening. I have to stop listening.”
Scarfe’s role as Alex is fairly action-heavy and he enjoyed that aspect of the character. “There’s a ton of action in there. There’s a ton of fighting, running and shouting and jumping and rolling, getting beat up and bruised,” explained Scarfe. “I’d love to tell you how they put me through months of kung-fu training and all that, but no, we were kind of flying by the seat of our pants. They were just counting on you to be able to pull it off. We had a great stunt coordinator and a great team of stunt people who come in there and help work you through it all as they build those sequences. We were pretty run and gun so we didn’t have a lot of lead-up time.”
So, how would Scarfe hold up in an actual apocalypse? Quite well, actually. He spent years off the grid on a 30 year old sailboat that was constantly breaking, accompanied by his wife and two kids. Over the course of the trip he learned how to hunt for food, do engine repairs, and everything else needed to survive. Laughing, Scarfe said, “You super duper want to find me in an apocalypse!”
Syfy’s Van Helsing premieres on September 23, 2016 at 10pm ET/PT.
Watch the full interviews with Christopher Heyerdahl and Jonathan Scarfe:
The Plot: After a catastrophic volcano eruption, the last remaining underground vampires rise up through a dark, ash-filled sky to overtake America. Vanessa Van Helsing (Overton), a descendant of the legendary line of vampire hunters, awakens from a three-year coma to discover that she’s not only immune to the bloodthirsty predators – but also has the ability to make them human again. With this “cure” threatening the vampire’s existence and a target on her back, can Vanessa save humanity?