Advertisement
Home Blog Page 1681

‘The Flash’ Season 2 Episode 17 Recap: Flash Back

By
Rebecca Murray
-
The Flash Season 2 Episode 17 Grant Gustin
Grant Gustin in ‘The Flash’ season 2 episode 17 titled Flash Back (Photo: Diyah Pera © 2016 The CW Network, LLC)

Airing the day after the Supergirl / The Flash crossover episode, season two’s episode 17 of The Flash found Barry traveling back in time in order to learn the secret to increasing his speed from the one person who knows the answer: his arch-nemesis Dr. Harrison Wells/Eobard Thawne (Tom Cavanagh). Barry’s fully aware going back in time could have a major impact on the timeline, but he has to take that chance as he’s run out of options. If Barry can’t increase his speed, he’ll never be able to take down Zoom. Episode 17 also found Andy Mientus reprising his role as Pied Piper/Hartley Rathaway as well as a heartbreaking reappearance by Rick Cosnett as Eddie Thawne.

The Recap:

Barry’s pissed at himself for trusting Jay Garrick who’s been revealed to be Zoom when he should have learned his lesson about trusting people from Earth-1’s Dr. Harrison Wells. Barry thought both men were his mentors but in truth both just wanted to use him. He’s now determined to train harder and run faster than anyone in history so he can stop Zoom. In comes Cisco (Carlos Valdes), walking past Jay’s helmet and asking if they can put it away because it gives him daymares. Barry (Grant Gustin) won’t let him put it away because he wants to be constantly reminded to stay on task. Cisco’s got books on speed, and Caitlin (Danielle Panabaker) figures out that Reverse Flash, Zoom and The Flash all move their legs at the same speed, but Zoom and Reverse Flash’s feet are on the ground for less time. Caitlin asks Barry if maybe he can’t run faster because he’s simply incapable of doing so physically.

At the West house, Barry, Iris (Candice Patton), and Joe (Jesse L. Martin) are sharing wine and commiserating over not seeing the Jay/Zoom thing coming. Iris tells Barry she went on a date with her boss and that he’s sweet, smart, and he makes her think about Eddie. She confesses that she thinks about him every day, and Barry says Eddie would want her to find love again. She’ll know when she’s ready, says Barry. Wally pops in, Joe serves up the food, and dinner conversation returns to normal. Wally’s explaining more about a project he’s working on about speed engines and he read Ferrari and Porsche’s journals to figure out how to get faster. That gives Barry an idea and he rushes out.


Barry wants Eobard Thawne/Harrison Wells to teach him how to run faster by going back in time, but Cisco and Caitlin think that’s crazy as does Earth-2’s Harrison Wells. Harrison’s preoccupied and upset that he hasn’t found Jesse (Violett Beane) and he says going back to Thawne is a horrible mistake because the timeline will be altered and if anything happens, only Barry will know it. Still, Barry’s convinced he has to do it or he’ll never beat Zoom making the argument that when he went back to see his mom die, he didn’t affect the timeline. Of course Cisco and Caitlin ultimately get on board and plot out when he should go back and how he should do it. Cisco doesn’t want him to set off a 12 Monkeys time loop he’ll never get out of. They hug it out and Barry’s gone. Racing through time he lands in history but he’s arrived too early.

The Flash from now, referred to from here on as Flash-1, sees The Flash from back then, or Flash-2, on the street dealing with Pied Piper/Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus) who’s disabling Team Flash’s comms. Flash-1 zooms in, grabs Flash-2, and knocks him out with a shot Caitlin prepared. Flash-1 switches the emblem on his chest with the emblem on Flash-2’s outfit and heads off to take care of Hartley, capturing him and transporting him back to S.T.A.R. Labs. They lock him up and The Flash knows the things in Hartley’s ears are bombs, warning Cisco and Caitlin about the ear plugs so Hartley can’t break out. Wells comes in and Barry starts peppering him with speed questions. Wells wants to know what inspired Barry to take this unorthodox approach and Barry says he wants more speed to take down the man in yellow. Wells agrees to help.

Joe and Eddie are talking about Wells downstairs at the police station when some creepy looking dementor beastie thing shows up to scare the pants off everyone. Wells sends Barry out to take care of it, and then stares at Barry’s equation on the board after he leaves. Barry arrives at the station and sees Eddie alive and is momentarily stunned.

Joe’s looking through all the damage and Barry’s still having a hard time processing the fact he’s talking to a living, breathing Eddie. Eddie takes off to check in with Iris and Joe thinks Barry’s being weird to Eddie because he’s still into Iris, but of course that’s not it at all.

Back at S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco wants to find the dementor that destroyed parts of the police headquarters. Barry slips up and says he’s seen the dementor before but sort of covers his mistake saying it was earlier that same day. Wells takes Barry into his office to work on the speed equation, but knocks him out and chains him up because he’s figured out Barry’s not Barry. Wells knows the dementor is actually a time wraith who’s after someone who’s traveling through time and doesn’t know what they’re doing. Harrison stands up and Barry doesn’t even flinch, confirming Barry is not the Barry from this time period. Harrison knows he’s from the future, and Barry calls him “Thawne” and tells him to let him go. Thawne won’t let him up until he says why he’s there, and Barry says it’s because Thawne’s the only one who’s figured out the speed force, asking how he manipulated it. Thawne’s trying to reason it out and quickly figures out he hasn’t beaten Barry because Barry’s alive in the future. That means his plan has failed. Barry explains that’s not true and that Thawne won. He goes on to explain a singularity had formed and he needs Thawne’s help to get back. But now Thawne figures out he doesn’t need Barry at all and that he should have thought of that before he came back. “You ran all the way back here just to die,” says Thawne. But Barry says there’s a hidden letter that tells this Barry everything and Thawne will never make it back home if he kills him. Barry has the advantage and warns Thawne he has to help him or else.

At S.T.A.R. Labs, Cisco meets with Hartley to find out how his gauntlets work. As Caitlin works at her computer, the time wraith shows up and chases her. Cisco and Caitlin lock themselves in with Hartley as the time wraith attacks. Barry tells Wells they have to help them, but Hartley’s hoping he can use his gauntlets to drive the time wraith away. The gauntlets work and the time wraith flees, with Harrison (now back in his wheelchair) and Barry showing up after the wraith’s gone. Cisco and Caitlin need to figure out how to fight the time wraith and take off to work on Hartley’s gauntlet. When they leave Harrison says time wraith’s hate when speedsters travel through time and so speedsters usually do their best to avoid them.

At the police station Barry looks for clues as to what the time wraith is so they’ll know how to get rid of it. Eddie comes in and Barry asks him if he’ll do a video message for Iris for her birthday even though it’s two months away. He tells Eddie to speak from the heart and talk as if “it was the last thing you could ever say to her.”

Back at the lab, Cisco says he doesn’t know how to manipulate the frequency and needs Hartley’s help. Wells okays it but only if Hartley stays in the cell. Just then Flash-2 shows up demanding to know where the other Flash is. Cisco and Caitlin are just as confused as Flash-2 and Flash-1 tries to introduce himself, but Cisco is so completely confused and Flash-1’s not making things any easier. Wells butts in to say Barry is from the future which makes Flash-2 super excited because that means he can time travel.

Flash Season 2 Episode 17
Danielle Panabaker as Caitlin Snow, Carlos Valdes as Cisco Ramon and Andrew Mientus as Hartley Rathaway in ‘The Flash’ (Photo: Diyah Pera © 2016 The CW Network, LLC)

Wells gives Flash-1 the key to running faster: tachyon enhancements. Handing Barry a flash (how appropriate!) drive, Wells says everything he needs is on it. Barry will be able to use it in his time to get fast and Wells all but pushes him out the door saying, “Time to go home, Flash.” Before he leaves, Barry whispers to Cisco that Hartley knows where Ronnie is. He switches back his Flash emblem with Flash-2, thanks them all, and takes off with the time wraith hot on his tail. He building up speed racing around S.T.A.R. Labs and it’s not working until Flash-2 shows up to keep the time wraith from closing in on him. Together the time wraith and Barry wind up in Barry’s time, and Cisco can’t stop it but Hartley can with his gauntlets. Cisco, Caitlin, and Hartley are relieved but Barry’s now the one who’s confused. Hartley says it’s been a pleasure working with them and takes off to have dinner with his parents. Barry, Cisco, and Caitlin put in the drive but nothing happens until Barry pounds the podium in frustration. That opens up the drive and Barry says, “We’ve got it!”

Now back in his own time, Barry goes to check on Harrison who’s depressed and disappointed he can’t find Jesse. Barry tells him he did what he could to protect his daughter, but Wells continue to blame himself for losing her. All he ever wanted was her love.

Barry goes home to find Iris looking through photos of her and Eddie. It’s been a year since they lost Eddie, and Barry asks when she will move forward. She doesn’t know and Barry shows her the video he took of Eddie back in time, saying he was putting together a video montage last year for her birthday and didn’t give it to her then. Eddie’s emotional message has Iris in tears, with Eddie calling her fierce, independent, loving and kind – and the best decision he ever made. He tells her she deserves to be happy.

In a voice-over Barry says you have to deal with things from your past before you can move on. He picks up Jay’s helmet and says, “I’m coming for you.”

Season 2 Recaps: Episode 1 / Episode 3 / Episode 4 / Episode 5 / Episode 7 / Episode 8 / Episode 10 / Episode 11 / Episode 12 / Episode 13 / Episode 14 / Episode 15 / Episode 16

‘Stitchers’ Season 2 – Emma Ishta and Kyle Harris Interview

By
Rebecca Murray
-
Emma Ishta and Kyle Harris in Stitchers
Freeform’s ‘Stitchers’ stars Emma Ishta as Kirsten and Kyle Harris as Cameron. (Photo Credit: Freeform/Craig Sjodin)

Freeform’s second season of Stitchers starring Emma Ishta and Kyle Harris premiered on March 22, 2016 and will be airing on Tuesday nights at 10pm ET/PT. At the end of season one, the fate of Kyle Harris’ character was left hanging after he injected drugs to stop his heart so Kirsten and the team could access his memories. And at the 2016 WonderCon in Los Angeles, Harris talked about his reaction to reading the script that left his fate in the air.

“I mean, one can only hope that they’re doing it for dramatic effect,” said Harris during our interview at WonderCon. “I’m like, ‘I thought I was doing okay on this show. I thought I was in good graces with the fans.’ But that thing was like a page turner. It was a great note to end it on and a great way for my character to kind of surmise the entire season into one ridiculous action, to go, ‘Look, I don’t know how else you’re going to trust me. This is it.’ Since I’ve made it through that is a nice launching pad for my character to start with because now that my character’s come out of that it’s a whole different side of this character that we’ve yet to see that I think fans wanted to see a little more of because there were glimpses of the hero last season but more or less catering to her and making sure that she was okay. But now we’re very much eye-to-eye and toe-to-toe when we’re doing field work.”

The events in the season one finale could be a game-changer for the relationship between Harris as Cameron and Ishta as Kirsten. Ishta confirmed things will change, saying, “It almost does sort of a flip flop and swaps around.”


“Now I kind of have the ball for her to be like, ‘All right, it’s your court. Do what you want to do with it.’ Whereas before it was like, ‘I hope you like me,’ but now she knows so it’s dealing with that on top of the work on top of Kirsten looking for her dad,” explained Harris. “So it’s a lot of layers of things and once you kind of brush it all out of the way, there’s the heart of the two characters that no matter what ends up happening will still be the pulse of the show.”

Asked if she knows what’s in store for her character, Ishta answered, “Jeff [Schechter] is great at leaking secrets to us so we often know what’s coming up or have an idea. Sometimes it changes. Sometimes we’ll think it’s going one way…he will have told us it’s going one way but maybe the network had notes or he changes his mind and we go in a completely different direction. But usually we generally have some sort of idea where it’s going and where our characters come from. You have to try to take that not too much to heart because you don’t want to play too much into it where the audience doesn’t know yet. You don’t want to create something that’s not yet there.”

Stitchers involves tapping into the memories of the newly deceased, something that sets it apart from other sci-fi shows. “It’s a technology that’s foreseeable, you know?” says Harris. Ishta added, “It’s stuff that’s all in the process of being built and happening. It’s fairly tangible technology.”

“There’s a suspension of disbelief but also at the same time you wouldn’t be surprised if in the next 10, 20 years this is a thing,” said Harris. “Also, I think the characters are the heart of the show and the cases and what they’re trying to solve on a daily basis might be more deep and convoluted and just kind of heavy-handed, there’s always a moment of lightness that kind of lets you know that we know what we’re doing. At the end of the day we’re essentially 20-somethings working for the NSA doing what we’re doing – and it’s fun.”

It’s bizarre to think a technology like the one at the heart of Stitchers may exist in the future, but it’s possible. “It’s really cool. When we shot the original pilot we had a bunch of people from Google’s diversity program and they were really into the show because it had women in tech and so often you see sort of a very stereotyped version of a women in tech. They’re like the goth girl – like there’s a very particular type of girl that they portray. And so they came by and they were really into the show and they were telling us about people who this is their job, essentially, is to kind of create this technology, very similar to be able to recreate or find people’s memories.”

“They were kind of teasing that if we get to come back for a season three that they would expose the program in which case it would then follow suit to people feeling that we don’t have the privilege to invade their privacy which is their memories and then things kind of unfold from there,” added Harris. “And that’s just hearsay from our showrunner as an idea. But I do think that’s very interesting because who says that we have the privilege or the right to someone’s memories that are private even after their dead.”

Watch the full interview with Stitchers stars Emma Ishta and Kyle Harris:

‘Scorpion’ – Eddie Kaye Thomas and Ari Stidham Interviews on Season 2

By
Rebecca Murray
-
Eddie Kaye Thomas and Ari Stidham at WonderCon
Eddie Kaye Thomas and Ari Stidham at WonderCon 2016 (Photo by Richard Chavez / Showbiz Junkies)

Unlike his character Sylvester on CBS’ Scorpion, Ari Stidham would probably never win big on The Price is Right. However, for actor/musician Stidham the opportunity to share The Price is Right stage with Drew Carey for an episode of season two of Scorpion was like fulfilling an item on his bucket list. Stidham, Eddie Kaye Thomas, Robert Patrick, and executive producer Nicholas Wootton made the trek to downtown Los Angeles for the 2016 WonderCon over Easter weekend and during roundtable discussions, Stidham explained why he enjoyed filming The Price is Right scenes.

“It was so much fun. I had a lot of anxiety, really, Ari did that day but my parents were in the audience and you can actually see them in the back of the shot. There’s a guy, my father is of Moroccan descent so his skin tone is a little bit darker than mine. His eyes are bugging out of his head. My friend and assistant and my parents are all there. They’re all wearing pink shirts that say ‘Pick Me’ and you can see them right on the edge of frame. His eyes are going crazy! So, it was fun. My family was there, Drew Carey – I’ve been an improviser since I was 13, 14, so pretty crazy. Grew up on Whose Line Is It Anyway?, got to do comedy with Drew Carey, what an amazing day. Probably one of my favorite days,” said Stidham.

Asked if he’d be good in real life on The Price is Right, Stidham replied, “I don’t know. I don’t think so. My character had to memorize a bunch of stuff and I’m good at memorizing things but I don’t know if I could tediously memorize. Going on The Price is Right and just sort of saying, ‘Okay, well that will be x and that will be y,’ I don’t know if I could do that. I’d probably be like, ‘What is everybody else saying? I’ll do a dollar under that.'”

Stidham teased that the final two episodes of this season will involve events set in motion from his time on The Price is Right. “I can’t really talk too much about it but the things that got [started] in that episode and following, because of The Price is Right Scorpion might have a little too much publicity on them.”

Eddie Kaye Thomas is also anxious to talk about the finale of season two, but didn’t go into detail so as not to ruin the experience for fans of the series. He did say there’s a very exciting Toby/Happy development coming that’s not what you’re expecting. “I don’t know how to not spoil it,” said Thomas. “It’s really cool what the writers came up with. It’s something that I know Nick Santora had in mind from a long time ago. Questions are answered and also a lot more questions will be asked, and there’s a serious cliffhanger that will, I think, get social media all aflutter.”

Speaking of the Toby and Happy (Jadyn Wong) relationship, Thomas said, “The team itself is kind of a house of cards in that they all need each other and they found each other and they’re vital to each other’s existence because they all feel so alone in the world. Depending on each other is how they get by. And on top of that, Toby and Happy just had this natural connection. They each have something the other person wants and just the spark. But they are so intellectual and lead with logic so much that it made romance so much more difficult. Love doesn’t make sense. If you were just going to use logic and pluses and minuses, no one would ever get involved in a relationship. But we get into relationships just because it just feels right. It’s something we want to do. So they’re battling logic and their intellectual brains and just allowing love to happen. I think this season has just been that struggle of letting go of logic and allowing love. It’s been a slow, steady wonderful development.”

As for season three, Stidham said the writers love cliffhangers. “It’s such a fun show. I think doing what they’re doing is great. I trust them,” said Stidham.

Watch the full interviews with Eddie Kaye Thomas and Ari Stidham on Scorpion season 2:





Eliza Taylor Interview on ‘The 100’, Lexa’s Death, and Clarke’s Journey in Season 3

By
Rebecca Murray
-
The 100 Alycia Debnam Carey and Eliza Taylor
Alycia Debnam-Carey as Lexa and Eliza Taylor as Clarke in ‘The 100’ (Photo Credit: Diyah Pera © 2016 The CW Network, LLC)

Executive producer Jason Rothenberg and the cast of The CW’s The 100 including Eliza Taylor expected much of the conversation about the series during the 2016 WonderCon to be centered around Lexa’s death. Alycia Debnam-Carey had to leave the show because of her commitment to a different series (Fear the Walking Dead), but that didn’t make her character’s death in season three of the sci-fi series any less heart-wrenching. After a panel with fans of the series, The 100 cast and crew took part in interviews where Lexa was also one of the main topics of conversation.

Sitting down with Eliza Taylor on Easter Sunday in downtown Los Angeles, we talked about what’s going to be going on in Clarke’s head following the loss of Lexa who, as Taylor says, was “the one” for Clarke.

Eliza Taylor Interview:

Will Clarke have any time to grieve for Lexa?

Eliza Taylor: “Not really, no. She doesn’t. Obviously she’s grieving, there’s no way around that, but in this next episode she’s going to be faced with Ontari coming back and basically saying, ‘I’m going to be the next commander and I’m going to wipe out your people.’ So she’s had to kind of figure out a way to deal with Lexa, to cope, and to move on with this really urgent matter which is obviously what Clarke does every time somehow. I think that the one thing I’m really happy about and something that gives Clarke a reason to carry on is the fact that she has to believe that Lexa is in this A.I. She truly believes it that she’s in there and as long she keeps this safe, she’s got her. So it’s all about making sure it doesn’t go into Ontari’s head, basically.”

It’s going to go into Clarke’s, right?

Eliza Taylor: [Laughing] “Not necessarily.”

How do you think Lexa’s death is going to affect Clarke’s ability to form relationships in the future?

Eliza Taylor: “I just don’t know. I mean, I feel like she was the one for her. I don’t know. I thought about that and I don’t know if she’s going to be able to love anyone the way she loved Lexa. Not in our world – there’s only one Lexa.”

Do you read the scripts and think about how brutal some of these scenes are going to be to play?

Eliza Taylor: “Oh yeah I do. It’s crazy. Every week I’m just like, ‘Wow, okay, I’ll put on my crying boots.’ It’s hard but I’ve just managed a way to find a way of separating me from Clarke otherwise I’d go mad. She’s so tough to play but she’s so tough that it’s great. I’m so not like that. [Laughing] It’s just like, ‘Oh man, this is great. I get to look like a badass and I’m not one.’ I’m just so not that. This season especially has been really tough to prepare for emotionally.”

When you got the script with Lexa’s death, were you worried about what the fan reaction was going to be?

Eliza Taylor: “I mean, of course, yeah. It’s a real f**king sensitive issue. Pardon the French. And of course I was worried but all we could do was make it the best that we could with the script we were given. And of course it has to be said that at some point Alycia [Debnam-Carey] had to go to a different show. I know fans are really upset about her going, […]but the fact that she died in my arms and I feel like we both crossed a threshold acting-wise, that was a hard day and we went for it. Just tears. We went to the scary feely place. I’m really glad. I’m grateful for the experience.”

Is there anything you and Alycia Debnam-Carey did to prepare emotionally for that scene?

Eliza Taylor: “No, not really. I mean, me and Alycia talked about it definitely but I don’t like to mess with scripts too much until I’m on set and then just play around so that none of it feels stale or like I know it really, really well. So we definitely talked about it but we didn’t go through anything. I was just like, ‘All right, here we go,’ you know?”

Watch the full interview with Eliza Taylor on The 100 season 3 from WonderCon:

‘Shadowhunters’ Dominic Sherwood and Katherine McNamara Interview: Their Characters, the Fans, and the Kiss

By
Rebecca Murray
-
Katherine McNamara Dominic Sherwood
‘Shadowhunters’ stars Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood at WonderCon. (Photos by Richard Chavez / ShowbizJunkies)

Freeform brought the cast of season one of Shadowhunters to the 2016 WonderCon to participate in a panel with fans and to discuss the new series based on Cassandra Clare’s The Mortal Instruments books with journalists. Teaming up to talk about taking on the roles of Jace Wayland and Clary Fray, Dominic Sherwood and Katherine McNamara provided insight into what they’ve embraced about these particular characters and what it’s been like being a part of a series based on such popular bestselling books.

Season one of Shadowhunters airs on Tuesdays at 9pm ET/PT.

Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood Interview:

On the best and the worst aspects of taking on roles in a series with such a passionate fan base:

Dominic Sherwood: “The worst and the best thing for me is the pressure. I’m a firm believer in pressure makes diamonds. It’s where you rise to the top and you do some of your best work in whatever aspects of life you’ve chosen to follow your heart. So for me it’s that because there’s a lot of pressure to get these characters right. But at the same time, I try and put that to one side and do what we need to do on set. I wasn’t hired to be a public icon or a figure in any way; I was hired to be an actor and try and portray this character as best I can, and that’s what I do.”

Katherine McNamara: “That’s sort of the advantage and the disadvantage of having something that comes from a book series is because you have such a rich base from which to draw and there are people out there who are excited about your work. But there are also people who have such strong opinions about what each of us is going to be bringing from our physicality to the way we dress and the way we move, and the way we play these characters emotionally. It’s all about finding that balance and be able to honor the books and what people love about them but also bring our own perspective and our own artistic experience to that.”


On what Katherine found in Clary that allowed her entry into the character:

Katherine McNamara: “There’s something about Clary’s spirit and she has this intense passion for whatever she does. It stems from her love of people around her and her moral compass, but also it’s this blend of strength and vulnerability that I really latched onto. It’s something that I bring from my own experience. She goes back and forth. Every time she thinks she knows what’s happening, she thinks she has sure footing, it’s ripped out from under her. That’s something I could really relate to and something that I tried to inhabit in her.”

On their approach to the kiss and living up to expectations:

Dominic Sherwood: “Feel what they feel. My girlfriend’s on set most of those days and it’s not awkward or it’s not uncomfortable because I’m feeling what Jace feels in that moment. They call ‘cut’ and it’s done. It’s tough because they released that behind-the-scenes video of the kiss and fans didn’t like and it’s tough for me to say because we’re not in a relationship. And I’m also not half angel. I don’t have a sword that glows. I genuinely don’t think demons exist. I don’t think demons exist. You know what I mean? I’m sorry, I want to keep this romance alive as much as possible but within the show and that’s it. That’s all it is. I’m an actor. I don’t want someone to bump into me on the street and go, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe your brother and sister but also jump over this building…’ It’s not a thing I can do. You know what I mean?”

Katherine McNamara: “Exactly. And we were friends before the show. The ice was already broken. There’s already a trust and we know each other so it’s fine. And I’m friends with Sarah and everything is all good. But like Dom said, we’re actors, we’re playing roles, and it’s not us.”

Dominic Sherwood: “Sorry to everyone who didn’t want that to be the case.”

On what author Cassandra Clare told them about Jace and Clary:

Dominic Sherwood: “I was very fortunate because I was cast first so Cassie got in touch with me by Twitter and first of all instilled the importance, which I was slowly gathering, the importance of this character to the people she knows love these characters and this book series. But also the importance of me finding the right Clary. I had to come in and I had to read with all the different Clarys and I had to audition with all the different Clarys. So, the importance for me as Jace to feel the right connection with her was big and it was there. I think Clary and Jace are yin and yang. They don’t exist without each other. They pave each other’s way and they create each other’s storylines, so that was really important.”

Katherine McNamara: “Cassie and I spoke over email during the beginning of production and it’s so interesting to ask her the questions that only she knows the answers to about what makes Clary tick and where it comes from. But it all is a balance as we’ve said before because the book series is very different our show. And so it shapes the characters in a different way. But it’s very important that we do pay respect to what Cassie’s done and what the fans love about these characters.

Watch the full interview with Katherine McNamara and Dominic Sherwood:

‘iZombie’ Rahul Kohli Interview on Ravi, Brains, and the Season 2 Finale

By
Rebecca Murray
-
iZombie Star Rahul Kohli at WonderCon
Rahul Kohli at 2016 WonderCon (Photo by Richard Chavez)

Season two of The CW’s zombie action comedy/drama iZombie is heading toward its finale and at the 2016 WonderCon Rahul Kohli (‘Dr. Ravi Chakrabarti’) promised fans of the show will not be disappointed with what’s happening to his character. “His life’s about to get very dangerous. I was super excited about that. It’s something I’ve been waiting for,” said Kohli. “We’ve spent almost two years setting up this lovable puppy, I guess, in quite a dangerous place and for the most part he’s come away largely unscathed. And now we’re starting to put him in a lot of danger and the stakes are higher for him, particularly towards the last two episodes.”

Kohli said that his initial reaction to reading the season two finale script was to wonder if they could actually pull it off. “This is like so different from anything we’ve done. I was just talking to Rob [Thomas] about it. I think these last two episodes are the strongest we’ve ever done. I really do. I’m not just saying that so people tune in for the finale – I’ve got season three in the bag so it doesn’t matter what the ratings are,” joked Kohli. “But the finale really is some of the best TV we’ve ever done. When I read it I was shocked where we took it and I have no idea where we can go from there. It’s going to be quite the crowd-pleaser.”

Asked to elaborate on it being a crowd-pleaser, Kohli said, “There are a lot of payoffs. In fact there is a kind of conclusion or it pays lip-service to every kind of storyline we’ve had. Things are left in the air in a great way. It’s not just one of those cheap cliffhangers to just entice you that you have to come back. It’s not that at all. It’s more everything you’ve invested in, every relationship you’ve invested in gets dealt with to some degree. I think if you’re fans of any particular character – there’s six of us, really – so from Liv all the way to Peyton, we’re all heavily involved in it. There’s no procedural elements in the last two episodes. We do not have a case of the week.”


After I admitted Ravi’s my favorite character, Kohli said he’s been super spoiled playing the doctor who’s in on the zombie secret. “He’s becoming this Swiss Army knife – comedy, romance, drama. He’s got an arch-nemesis in Blaine [David Anders] now. And to think he just started off as the funny pathologist who knew Liv’s secret. I am so humbled. I could never have anticipated what he’s become and especially how the fans have reacted to him. It’s been insane. It’s overwhelming,” said Kohli.

And his favorite brain thus far? The positivity brain ranks number one. “It brought out an unlikely comedic aspect. The positivity brain just took me completely by surprise. We know what brain it is but you never really know what Rose [McIver] is going to bring to it or what direction she’s going to go with it. And I think the first day she did positivity brain we were in the morgue and it just kept making me and Malcolm [Goodwin] laugh. I thought it was the funniest she’s been. She was great with stoner brain, as well actually. But that one for season two really got me.”

Holding in the laughter is not one of Kohli’s strong points. “I’m the worst. I laugh the most. I can’t hold a straight face. It doesn’t take much for. I can hear like the sound guy’s stomach rumble and I’ll break. I’m not very committed or professional,” said Kohli, laughing.

But Kohli’s not the only one who can’t keep it together. “We had one [corpse] fall asleep. I was doing stitches on one and he was snoring for real. We did have one guy every time we pulled him out of the drawer he kept laughing and smiling. I don’t remember his name but we called him Chuckles. He couldn’t hold a straight face.”

Watch the full interview for more with Rahul Kohli at the 2016 WonderCon:

‘Gotham’ Season 2 Episode 16 Recap and Review: Prisoners

By
Kevin Finnerty
-
Gotham Season 2 Episode 16 Donal Logue and Cory Michael Smith
Donal Logue and Cory Michael Smith in ‘Gotham’ season 2 episode 16. (Photo by Jessica Miglio ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co)

“You’re a fighter, Jim. Don’t let this break you,” says Harvey Bullock (Donal Logue) to his friend and partner Jim Gordon (Ben McKenzie) who’s been convicted of murder and is sentenced to doing time at Blackgate prison in episode 16 of season two of FOX’s gritty comic-book inspired crime thriller, Gotham.

Gordon is staying quiet and keeping to himself as he goes through the new routine of life at Blackgate which consists of terrible food, working in the laundry, exercising, and trying to keep his head down. After several weeks go by, the Warden reveals to Gordon that it’s time to move him to general population. It seems Jim is headed for the F-wing which is known as “World’s End” because it usually marks the end for most inmates. Oh and yes it seems the warden happens to be an old friend of ex-Commissioner Loeb so it’s not Jim’s imagination; the warden does have it out for Jim.

Bullock visits Gordon in prison, trying his best to keep him from losing hope and showing his friend and partner that he hasn’t forgotten about him. In fact, earlier Bullock vented his frustration to Nygma (Cory Michael Smith) at the GCPD that no one is bothering to try to find out who set up Gordon for Pinkney’s murder. Ed responds by smiling when Harvey isn’t looking since it was he who did it. As their conversation continues it falls to Harvey to let Jim know that Lee has left town, going somewhere down South after she lost their baby. This devastates Jim who’s been silent and remains so as he walks back into the prison’s population.

Later, an inmate who has been instructed by the warden to kill Gordon by week’s end tries to pick a fight with Gordon but Jim refuses to take the bait. The inmate head butts Jim and knocks him to the floor but Jim still won’t fight. That’s when a young inmate gets between Jim and the bully and tries to convince the aggressor to stop. This only results in the young man getting knocked to the floor as well. One decent guard breaks up the fight and sends the bully to the hole while he sends Gordon and the young inmate to the infirmary for treatment. Gordon tells the young inmate not to try to be his friend and it’s best if he stays away from him.

The young inmate introduces himself to Jim as Peter but everyone who knows him calls him Puck (Peter Mark Kendall). It seems Puck has Jim up on a pedestal because he saved his sister from a kidnapping. Jim asks Puck why he’s in prison and the young inmate tells Gordon that he “borrowed” a car to impress the girl of his dreams but got caught driving it before he had a chance to pick her up. The judge didn’t believe he only wanted to borrow the car to impress the girl and gave him six years. Puck is not bitter about it though, telling Jim he broke the law and will do the time but he will not end up like his grandfather who spent his life in prison.

The warden tries to get a rise out of Gordon by telling him he knows that his baby died, but Gordon still refuses to be baited into a brawl. The big bully inmate gets released from “the hole” and he and a few comrades go after Puck who ends up beaten very badly and goes back to stay in the infirmary to heal.

Meanwhile, Oswald (Robin Lord Taylor) is staying with his newly discovered father, Elijah (Paul Reubens), while his step-family plots to find a way to get rid of him fearing he will inherit the family fortune being Elijah’s son and only blood relative. Elijah tells Oswald how he met his current wife Grace (Melinda Clark) when she was a waitress and decided to help her escape from her pointless life.

The first attempt to get rid of Penguin fails when Grace, along with her two adult children, tries to expose Oswald’s criminal past to Elijah. They are unaware that one sleepless night Oswald stayed up with his dad and told him all about his past. Elijah was not shocked to hear about Penguin’s crimes but in fact, was proud of his son for being so modest about being famous in the underworld. Grace’s backup plan is even worse than the first one, which has her daughter trying to seduce Oswald to no avail.

Back at Blackgate, Gordon visits Puck in the infirmary and once again tries to convince the kid to stay away from him and that he’s not a cop anymore or his friend, he’s just a convict. Puck won’t be deterred. He tells Gordon he can feel his sadness and he can’t lose hope and has to choose to live life. The honest guard who broke up the fight a few days ago warns Jim that it’s movie night and for him to be careful. Meanwhile, Bullock hasn’t given up on Jim and is determined to get him out of Blackgate one way or another. Seeing no other way, he turns to his last resort and asks an old associate and friend for help: Carmine Falcone (John Doman).

During movie night Gordon is trying to be careful and on alert for any trouble. The big bully inmate is making his way toward Gordon and is setting up to kill him when another inmate tackles Jim and stabs him in the side. The guards call for a body bag with Jim being pronounced dead.

Oswald and Elijah have been spending some quality time together while at a suit fitting, talking about Oswald’s mother. During their bonding Elijah reveals to Oswald that he has a hole in his heart and it’s getting bigger. He also tells Penguin that his father committed suicide – a fact he has kept private. Elijah tells Grace to contact his lawyer because he needs to make a few changes in his will to include Oswald. Grace is now desperate and poisons the wine they’re going to drink. Elijah drinks the poison that was meant for Oswald and collapses to the ground with poor Penguin holding his father in his arms, crying and yelling for help.

Gotham Season 2 Episode 16 John Doman, Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue
John Doman, Ben McKenzie and Donal Logue in ‘Gotham’ (Photo by Jessica Miglio ©2016 Fox Broadcasting Co)

Gordon’s body is being taken out of the prison and surprising the body sits up, startling the guard who’s then knocked out by Bullock. Yes, that’s right, it’s a jailbreak set up by Bullock and Falcone to get Jim out. “I can’t believe a little fake blood and a retractable knife actually got you out of there,” says Bullock. Gordon tells Harvey he needs one more favor and he goes back in to get Puck and take him with them.

Bullock, Jim, and Puck make their way out of the city and meet up with Falcone. Jim thanks him for his assistance and Falcone tells Jim he wanted to help him as they are friends. Falcone offers Gordon two choices: he can stay in Gotham and Falcone will find him a safe location or he can help him leave the city and start over somewhere. Harvey knows what Jim is going to do before he even decides, saying, “The guy’s a fighter and he won’t be able to rest until he clears his name.” Gordon smiles and asks Puck what he thinks but gets no response. He walks over to the ambulance calling Puck’s name but still no response. Jim’s happiness is extremely short-lived when he realizes Puck is dead from his wounds. “But I got you out,” says Jim as he looks out over the city’s landscape.

Gotham Season 2 Episode 16 Review:

Violent, dark, and oppressive, Gotham season two episode 16 titled “Prisoners” focuses on two major characters – Gordon and Penguin – as they deal with their prisons as it were. Having the feel of a 1930s/1940s era James Cagney prison film, Gordon’s storyline here is the most interesting one with him clinging to what little hope he gets from Harvey and Puck and trying to survive in the gated and walled jungle.

The stand-out performance in this episode was delivered by Ben McKenzie as Jim Gordon struggling to survive and not lose what little control he has left. McKenzie’s performance is remarkable, especially in the scene where Harvey tells Jim that Lee lost his child and has left town. The emotion he conveys of overwhelming sadness and loss without ever saying a word but just by using his face, eyes, and body language is powerful. Also, the scenes with Puck as he appreciates the young man’s attitude and friendship but tries to protect him by telling him to stay away allows McKenzie to show a softer, kinder, and likable side of Gordon. It’s his best performance this season.

With Harvey, Gordon, and Falcone determined to clear Jim’s name and find Pinkney’s real killer, Ed Nygma might be up against more than he can handle this time.

GRADE: B-




‘Supergirl’ and ‘The Flash’ Crossover Recap

By
Rebecca Murray
-
Supergirl Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin
Melissa Benoist and Grant Gustin in the ‘Supergirl’ and ‘The Flash’ crossover (Photo: Robert Voets/Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. © 2016 WBEI)

The Supergirl / The Flash crossover event delivered everything fans wanted of the special Supergirl episode. The crossover episode was easily the best Supergirl episode to date, striking just the right tone and just the right mix of humor, drama, and action. Titled “World’s Finest,” the episode found Melissa Benoist as Kara/Supergirl and Grant Gustin as Barry Allen/The Flash participating in the perfect “meet cute” and teaming up to take down Silver Banshee and Livewire. Benoist and Gustin have terrific chemistry and fans can only hope there will be more pairings of these two in future episodes.

The Recap:

Airing on March 28, 2016, the much-anticipated Supergirl and The Flash crossover started off immediately after the events in last week’s episode. Siobhan is being examined at the DEO after surviving a fall that should have killed her. Winn’s as supportive as possible, trying to help her figure out what’s wrong but all that can really be determined is that a high-frequency sound wave pulverized the cement and cushioned her fall. Winn and Kara can’t figure her out, but Kara has problems of her own as she’s still super frustrated she can’t win the city back. Winn thinks the frequency thing means the girl he’s dating is an alien, but she’s not. Her DNA is normal. Siobhan’s understandably upset no one can figure out what happened, and she’s mad Winn didn’t tell her he knows Supergirl. But ever the nice guy, Winn says he’ll figure it out and stick by her no matter what. Just then she hears a high-pitched noise and sets off in a trance. She passes by Livewire’s cell and hears her telling Lucy Lane (Jenna Dewan Tatum) that Cat Grant, Supergirl, and Kara are on her hit list.

Kara makes it into the office and Cat (Calista Flockhart) has cupcakes which Kara wants but Cat thinks she’s just too afraid to step up and take one. Cat’s comparing cupcakes to Kara’s non-existent love life, with Kara confiding she needs help figuring out how to handle James (Mehcad Brooks) and Cat suggests the best way to go after James is not to go after him at all. The same goes for cupcakes as Cat thwarts Kara’s grab for one.

On the street, Siobhan is still hearing the loud buzzing in her head and can’t figure it out. It’s painful and incapacitating, but then she has what looks like a moment of clarity and heads to CatCo. Winn warns her Cat will kick her out but she ignores him, saying, “You ruined my life, Kara Danvers,” and sending her flying out the window. Fortunately, The Flash races in and saves her before she crashes. Unfortunately, her shirt’s on fire by the time he sets her down somewhere outside the city. Barely thanking him, she takes off back to the city but quickly returns in her Supergirl outfit and they engage in a very awkward introduction. She doesn’t know who The Flash is; he doesn’t know who Supergirl is. Barry (Grant Gustin) even tries name-dropping Arrow, Zoom, Black Canary, etc., etc. with no luck which leads him to believe he’s on the wrong Earth and needs her help since she has no idea who he is and he has no idea how he got there.

Kara lets Barry use the computer and he finds they have a Central City but no S.T.A.R. Labs on this Earth which means he can’t get home. In comes Winn and James Olson and Kara introduces him as Barry from another universe. In turn, Barry learns Supergirl’s an alien and wants to know if there are other aliens on this Earth. The “this Earth” comment confuses James so Barry maps out a drawing to explain other Earths, and Winn totally geeks out. He also explains that he’s the fastest man on the planet and proves it by racing out and getting them each ice cream cones. They decide this is pretty cool and Winn wants to know if he can just pop through universes. He can’t and is sort of stuck here. Because of his metabolism, Barry needs 10,000 calories a day but he’s met his eating match in Kara. Being a huge eater, she’s more than willing to head out to get donuts and other munchies. When they leave, Winn teases James about the way he looks at Kara, and comments that James does his best to deflect.

They head back to CatCo where Cat tells Kara she’s all over the news now and that Supergirl has a rival hero in town. Barry’s sort of excited about being a rival hero but slightly less pleased when he’s referred to as a sidekick. Cat looks at Barry, James, Winn, and Kara and delivers the best line of the entire Supergirl series: “All four of you standing there doing nothing, you look like the attractive yet racially diverse cast of a CW show.” All business, Cat wants a picture of the speedster and she nicknames him The Whoosh or The Red Streak, and Barry suggests The Flash. “Sounds like someone whose only superhero power is jumping out of an alley in a trench coat,” replies Cat, deciding the speedster’s name will be The Blur.

Siobhan visits her aunt and asks for her help. Unexpectedly, her aunt asks if she hears the Banshee calling to her. Then she explains all the women in their family are cursed by a Banshee and that the curse is triggered when someone wrongs her. To make it stop, she has to kill the object of her anger. If she doesn’t, her voice becomes a weapon. Her scream will decimate her target, but she’ll also destroy her soul at the same time. Siobhan really wants to kill Kara but she’s got a superhero protecting her, which means the enemy of her enemy is her new partner and off she heads to free Livewire who, as we all know, has a hit list that almost matches Siobhan’s.

At work, Kara learns Livewire has escaped and immediately starts planning how to keep Cat safe. She wants to send her away, but Cat believes Supergirl will keep protecting her. Kara rushes off to tell Barry about Livewire (he says they have a rogue named Blackout) and that she wants to kill Miss Grant. She tells him National City needs The Flash and after he helps her, she’ll help get him back home. “What do you say? Partners?” asks Kara. “Partners,” replies Barry. Meanwhile, James is pouting about Kara paying so much attention to Barry and asking for this stranger’s help.

Supergirl and The Flash Crossover Poster

The Flash heads down to the DEO where Barry geeks out (there’s a lot of that this episode) over the facility and over Supergirl’s spaceship. He wants a photo with it but he’s told it’s off-limits. The team doesn’t want him there, but Supergirl explains he’s a metahuman there to help that. Lucy Lane’s not impressed, but that doesn’t stop Barry from wanting to check out their crime lab.

Meanwhile, Livewire grabs a beer and meets with Siobhan at an empty warehouse. Siobhan reveals she’s the one who broke her out, demonstrating her scream and breaking windows. She needs Livewire’s help killing Kara and they need to team up, with Livewire saying they’ll be like an evil Taylor Swift squad. Livewire agrees but only if Siobhan gets a better outfit.

Lucy calls out James for sneering at Kara as she works with Barry. Lucy tells him not to hold back with Kara because of her, explaining they just aren’t ever going to work out. Kara interrupts by yelling they found Livewire – or actually Barry did which irritates James even more. Barry asks about the plan but Supergirl doesn’t really have one other than to overpower them physically. Although Winn and Barry, once again, geek out over a plan to build something, Kara just wants them to go get Livewire. They race to the abandoned warehouse where she’s been seen, with Supergirl claiming 1st place although The Flash says he circled the block to make sure it was safe so “technically” he let her win. They don’t see Livewire until she zaps them. Barry uses his speed to run circles around her, but building up the electricity was exactly the wrong thing to do. She zaps The Flash and then Silver Banshee screams, making Supergirl’s ears bleed. In her new skeleton-inspired costume, Silver Banshee teams up with Livewire to take out Supergirl. Supergirl and The Flash revive enough to use a cold blast and mini-tornado on Livewire and Silver Banshee long enough so they can live to fight another day, opting to take off and actually make a plan instead of winging it like they did this time.

Kara and Barry regroup, and Kara apologizes for rushing in without a plan. She also admits she did horrible things a few weeks ago because she was exposed to something that altered her. She’s now making stupid mistakes because she wants to prove herself to the city. Barry offers advice (just as Arrow did back in the day), telling her she needs to slow down and stop trying so hard to get back in their good graces because some things are out of her control. “Believe me, when you stop trying to force the solution it will happen on its own,” says Barry. Kara tells him she’s really glad he’s there but she’s sorry he’s locked out of his world.

Back at CatCo, James and Cat are both looking for Kara but Winn doesn’t tell either where they are. Livewire and Silver Banshee show up, and Cat says she sees her ex-minions have united. Cat suggests they call Norma Rae to see how it’s really done. Winn tries to get Siobhan to stop the attack but she says this is who she is now. He tries to convince her she’s just confused and that she doesn’t have to cross this line, but Siobhan says she’s good as is and uses her crazy voice to knock everyone down.

Barry tells Kara about Pied Piper – Kara loves the nickname – and Lucy tells them the evil duo now has Cat. A video message demands Kara and Barry go to National City Park if they want to save Cat, and Barry and Supergirl race off after Barry first confirms there are Three Musketeers on this Earth.

Livewire and Silver Banshee guard Cat on a bench while they wait for The Flash and Supergirl. Cat asks for the evil duo to let her go because her boys need her, and just then in pops The Flash and Supergirl, with Barry saying, “What do you say we step away from the nice lady and settle this like women?” When Kara throws him a look, Barry says, “What? There’s more of you guys here than me.”

Silver Banshee screeches but the earplugs work and have no effect. Livewire uses her electricity but Barry’s handling it. Supergirl releases Cat from her handcuffs while Barry and Livewire fight on top of a nearby building. Supergirl and Silver Banshee go at it, and Livewire suddenly spots a helicopter and tries to use lightning to bring it down but Supergirl flies up to block it and keep the crew safe. The townspeople watch as she saves them but is hurt, falling to the ground. They move to shield Supergirl, blocking Livewire and Silver Banshee from attacking. While heroic, the move doesn’t work because Livewire doesn’t really care about collateral damage. Fortunately for the brave citizens of National City, Silver Banshee still has her humanity and turns on her partner-in-crime, effectively ending the evil dynamic duo who are then hosed by firefighters. “Supergirl, it was our turn to help you,” says one handsome, hunky firefighter as he helps Kara stand up.

Back at CatCo, Kara asks for time off to say goodbye to Barry and Cat asks her if she means The Flash. Cat said it was obvious Barry was The Flash and that she can always spot something unusual in her midst.

It’s time for The Flash to try and return to his Earth, but he needs Supergirl to throw him in order to send him home. They exchange Girl of Steel and Scarlet Speedster comments and admit they’re going to miss each other, and Barry tells her he thinks it’s very cool she’s an alien. He also thinks James thinks she’s super cool and advises that she should speed things up with him. Going slow is good advice for a superhero, but not good advice for a relationship. And off they go!!! Supergirl launches him forward and after he’s gone she heads home.

James arrives at her door and asks about Barry and she thinks he made it home. They stumble and fumble over their words and Kara says she wants to talk about infinite Earths. She says Barry told her about them, which causes James to flinch, and she uses Barry’s explanation to say that maybe there’s a chance they could be together. James asks what she’s saying and she says, “No more saying. I’m so much better at doing,” followed by the long-awaited kiss. She asks if it was good and he doesn’t reply. She’s confused as he turns and leaves her place without saying a word. She follows him into the hall and sees others just mindlessly walking. The city is under attack…




‘Damien’ Megalyn Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi Interview on Being Friends with the Devil

By
Rebecca Murray
-

Damien Megan Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi
Megan Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi in ‘Damien’ (Photos by Ben Mark Holzberg)
A&E brought the cast of its new horror series Damien to the 2016 WonderCon in Los Angeles, with Bradley James, Barbara Hershey, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Omid Abtahi, and Scott Wilson not only taking part in a Q&A with fans but also participating in interviews to talk up the new show. Damien is a sequel to the 1976 horror film The Omen, and during our interview with Megalyn Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi I asked them about their memories of that classic horror movie starring Gregory Peck and Lee Remick. “I had only heard of it prior to auditioning for the show,” admitted Abtahi. “Once I was in contention for the role I watched The Omen – as a 35 year old.”

“I only remember the creepy governess. I remember her and I remember…who gets his head cut off? I remember that as a kid. I definitely have scary memories and then I re-watched it. It’s really good. I love Gregory Peck,” explained Echikunwoke.

Both Echikunwoke and Abtahi say they’ve been given lots of freedom to create their characters and their backstories. While Echikunwoke’s character, Simone, has just met Damien (played by Bradley James), Abtahi’s character, Amani, has known him for a couple of years. “When we first got to Toronto to film, [Glen Mazzara] sat us down for an hour and we talked about the character and kind of the background and where he sees the character, and kind of what we want as actors for our characters,” said Abtahi.


Even for those who aren’t fans of The Omen or of the horror genre in general, Echikunwoke believes the show has something to offer that makes it worth checking out. “I think that’s what kind of cool about the show is it kind of traverses genres,” explained Echikunwoke. And Abtahi added, “I feel like The Omen, I was watching it as an adult and it didn’t feel like just a horror movie. It’s a thriller, too, and I think that’s kind of what our show does.”

As far as whether Amani will ever figure out his best friend’s the Anti-Christ and what will happen if he does determine he’s hanging out with the Devil, Abtahi answered that question without going into detail on how it will all go down. “There comes a point in the season, yes, where it becomes obvious that this is not normal. I can’t really talk about it but there is a point where you can’t deny it anymore,” said Abtahi, laughing.

If you’ve watched either The Omen or even the first few episodes of Damien, you know it’s not safe to hang around with Damien even if you’re supposedly his friend. Asked if viewers should be worried about either Amani or Simone, Abtahi replied, “When I saw The Omen I was like, ‘Crap! I’m not even going to make it through the first season!’ Everyone is fair game.” He added, “I definitely didn’t feel safe going into the series.”

Damien airs on A&E on Mondays at 10pm ET/PT. Check out the full interview with Megalyn Echikunwoke and Omid Abtahi for more on creepy sets, Abtahi’s joy at not playing a terrorist, and bonding with Bradley James:

‘Masterchef’ Season 7 Premiere Date and Judging Panel Announced

By
Rebecca Murray
-
Masterchef Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and Graham Elliot.
Gordon Ramsay, Christina Tosi and Graham Elliot in ‘Masterchef’ season six. (Photo by Greg Gayne © 2015 FOX Broadcasting)

Fox’s Masterchef will be mixing up the ingredients for the seventh season and instead of having three judges who’ll guide the cooks through every episode, the culinary competition series will feature two judges who’ll be joined by special guest judges each episode. Gordon Ramsay and pastry chef Christina Tosi will return as the full season judges, and they’ll be joined by chefs Wolfgang Puck, Aarón Sánchez, Edward Lee, Kevin Sbraga, and Richard Blais.


Season seven of the popular series will premiere on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 at 8pm ET/PT. 40 home cooks will be attempting to earn white aprons and a shot at the Masterchef Title, $250,000, and a cookbook deal. The series is executive produced by Gordon Ramsay, Elisabeth Murdoch, Eden Gaha, Robin Ashbrook, Adeline Ramage Rooney, Patricia Llewellyn and Ben Adler, and produced by Endemol Shine North America and One Potato Two Potato.

“We are thrilled to welcome some of the world’s best chefs into the Masterchef kitchen as mentors and guest judges this season,” stated Ramsay. “Each of the guest judges brings a unique perspective and skill to the kitchen that we believe will propel America’s best home cooks to the next level.”

Details on the Guest Judges, Courtesy of Fox and Masterchef:

Wolfgang Puck – @WolfgangPuck

Wolfgang Puck, a name synonymous with the best of restaurant hospitality and the ultimate in all aspects of the culinary arts, has built an international culinary empire that encompasses fine and casual dining restaurants, premiere event catering and consumer products.

Aarón Sánchez – @Chef_Aaron

Among the country’s leading contemporary Latin chefs, Aarón Sánchez is a multi-talented culinary force, a chef, restaurateur, James Beard Award-winning television personality, philanthropist, spokesperson and author.

Edward Lee – @ChefEdwardLee

Brooklyn-born chef and restaurateur Edward Lee has five James Beard Award nominations and currently owns two nationally recognized restaurants in Louisville, KY, and one in National Harbor, MD, as well as a best-selling cookbook, Smoke & Pickles.

Kevin Sbraga – @KSbraga

Philadelphia chef Kevin Sbraga, known for his contemporary American cuisine, owns three restaurants with his company, Sbraga Dining. His restaurants include Sbraga & Company, The Fat Ham and Sbraga.

Richard Blais – @RichardBlais

Known for his innovative take on classic American cuisine, Richard Blais is the chef and owner of Juniper & Ivy and Crack Shack, both located in San Diego, as well as several locations of Flip Burger Boutique. He received a James Beard Award nomination for his cookbook, Try This at Home.

1...1,6801,6811,682...3,067Page 1,681 of 3,067

Trending

All Rights Reserved – Showbiz Junkies 2020