She-Hulk 2.8 - Issue #18

She-Hulk : Issue #18
Genre : Superhero / Comedy / Legal
Showrunner: Phoebe Waller-Bridge
Writer : Chad Taylor

Based on the Marvel Comics characters

Cast: Jenny Slate, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Reid Scott, Lou Diamond Phillips and Eric Dane

Plot: Mary (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) stares at her phone, having just been hung up on by Jen, who has been drifting apart since becoming a superhero. Contemplating this, she then looks to an address she has written down. After a few beats, she shakes her head yes, puts her jacket on, and heads out the door.

At the safe house, Starfox (Reid Scott) invites Jen (Jenny Slate) inside. The mood is tense as he is his usual laid-back self, which she thinks doesn’t feel right given the circumstances. Realizing this, he addresses the accusations up front and says of course they are false. Yes, he had sex with that woman but she is just feeing scorn because he never followed up. Jen looks to the camera.

Deja vu?

She asks if there is any way they can prove that he is innocent. He tells her he should be assumed innocent and proven guilty. And how is the prosecution going to prove he could do something like this? Given his cocky tone, this is not a comment that exactly instills confidence in Jen. After a brief pause, he tells her he can sense that she doesn’t believe him. This angers her as she realizes that he read her thoughts, which she says he cannot do for the remainder of this case. He profusely apologizes, but just the thought of him reading her mind has her reflecting on her initial worry. So she brings it to the table,

“I’ve got to know: have you used these mental persuasion powers on me in the past? On that island?” she asks. He sits in utter disbelief, unable to come up with an answer. She asks the same question, with an angrier tone and her skin starting to turn green. “Look...look...I explain why you might feel that way. I-”. At this point in his sentence, Jen is in full She-Hulk mode and lets out a primal roar at Starfox, whose eyes are wallowing in fear. She-Hulk charges at him and a full-on fight ensues.

Mary arrives at a nice but innocuous home in Yonkers. She double-checks to make sure the address is correct. She knocks and Walter Hardy (Lou Diamond Phillips) answers. Seeing how she is dressed, he assumes she is a solicitor and says he’s not interested. As he is shutting the door, Mary interjects her hand into the frame, causing the door to slam into her wrist. She briefly nurses it before saying she is not a canvasser or anything. She was sent on the orders of the Hood. He has a nervous look of fear in his eyes and then invites her in, offering to get her some ice for her injury.

She tells him she knows who he is, the famed Black Cat. Well, she didn’t know who he was before she entered the underworld but Hood gave her a rundown. He’s one of the most well-skilled burglars in the United States. “So I assume that means he’s asking you to recruit me for a job? And that he didn’t mention that I’ve retired from that kind of thing?” he asks. Mary says that she did not know that. But fret not: the job sounds rather simple as they just have to steal some documents from the law firm. Hardy laughs at her use of the world “simple”. He says that there is always some sort of catch with the syndicate.

She begs him, saying that her life might be on the line if he says no. He stands up and tours her around the home, showing off some of the valuable things he has stolen over time. He then tells her that none of these are as valuable to him as his daughter. That’s why he’s out of the game. He’s helping her get through college and is content with living out his retirement as a father and not a burglar. As he is talking, Mary notices a pair of diamond earrings that look valuable. He tells her that he is sorry to hear about her predicament but that she is going to need to find some different avenue.

Realizing that she is not going to convince him, she tells him she understands and leaves. As she walks away from the home, she reveals the diamond earrings and smirks at the camera.

Who’s the jewel thief now, eh?

Back with She-Hulk, her fight with Starfox is spreading throughout the New York City streets. He is fighting back while also trying to stop the fight, while she is demanding the truth in between punches. Since Starfox can fly, he tries to get away from her but She-Hulk runs up the side of a build and pushes off from it and catches him in mid-air. As they are falling, he is apologetic and swears that he did not trick her.

Suddenly, their bodies freeze but they continue falling - giving terrified looks on both of their faces. However, we soon learn that is the work of Kallark (Eric Dane), Starfox’s brother, who is more powerful than the both of them. He grabs them both by the collar and stops their fall. He has a stone cold look on his face.

“Enough.”

He shoots towards the sky, bringing them both with him into the stars.

Miami Vice 3.8 - Under Fire

Miami Vice : Under Fire
Genre : Crime / Drama
Showrunner: Peter Berg
Writer : Roy Horne

Based on the television series

Cast: Josh Holloway, Taye Diggs, Andy Garcia, Megalyn Echikunwoke, Steven R. McQueen, Channon Roe

Plot: Sonny Crockett (Josh Holloway) and Ricardo Tubbs (Taye Diggs) are in front of the court house after testifying in a trial. The jury from a high profile trial is being loaded up on to a bus to be taken to their hotel when a car drives up and opens fire with a submachine gun at the jury bus. Crockett and Tubbs run open fire on the car, but it gets away. They check on the jury members, and thankfully none of them are injured, but they are definitely rattled.

After the shooting, Crockett and Tubbs are brought into a meeting with FBI Agent Bateman (Channon Roe) and Lt. Martin Castillo (Andy Garcia). Castillo explains that the FBI has requested that Crockett and Tubbs guard an important witness in the trial from earlier in the morning for the next 72 hours while the FBI protects the jury. Bateman introduces the detectives to the witness, Keith Lazard (Steven R. McQueen), who enters the room with a swagger that Tubbs jokingly says reminds him of Crockett. Castillo tells Crockett and Tubbs to hole up at a hotel with Lazard for the 72 hours and not to let Lazard out of their sights.

While Crockett, Tubbs and Lazard are at the hotel, Trudy Joplin (Megalyn Echikunwoke) stops by the room with dinner for everyone. Crockett turns on a baseball game and relaxes in front of the television. Trudy leaves the hotel room, and Lazard excuses himself to use the restroom. When Trudy is in the hotel lobby, Lazard approaches her and starts hitting on her. Trudy orders him to go back to the room before the wrong people see him out and about. Crockett and Tubbs realize that Lazard is no longer in the bathroom and find him at the hotel bar chatting up a group of women. Crockett grabs him by the arm and leads him toward the room. Suddenly, a gunman opens fire at Lazard, but Tubbs manages to gun them down.

In the morning, Castillo comes down to the hotel and says that it is out as a safe house and says they might as well just give the case back to the FBI even if they already have their hands full. Crockett says that he knows a place that they crooks won't know about. Crockett and Tubbs walk Lazard out to Crockett's car, and Tubbs asks where Crockett plans on taking the witness. Crockett says the open ocean. Crockett drives Lazard to his boat and takes it out to the open water. Crockett enjoys a little fishing time while Lazard feeds Crockett's pet gator Elvis. Everything is calm for a while until a helicopter strafes the boat. Crockett fires a flare gun at the chopper, causing it to crash into the water.

Lazard is shaken after the helicopter incident and asks Crockett if he thinks Tubbs could have sold them out. Crockett assures Lazard that Tubbs would never do anything like that. Crockett steers the boat toward a meeting place where Lazard is supposed to handed back to the FBI. Crockett manages to get Tubbs on the phone and tells him about the helicopter incident and asks who else knew they would be out on the water. Tubbs says that just Castillo and Agent Bateman were told. Crockett and Tubbs realize that Bateman must be crooked.

At the handoff location Crockett, Tubbs and Castillo confront Bateman with their inclination that Bateman is leaking information to criminals. Bateman pulls a gun on the detectives, but he is shot down by Lazard. The Vice squad is surprised by this. Lazard then reveals himself as DEA Agent Johnny Hardin. He was sent undercover as the witness in order to try to flush out the source of several FBI leaks, which it turns out was Agent Bateman.

Showtime 2.8 - Business Blues

Showtime - Business Blues
Genre : Drama / Comedy / Sports
Showrunner: Steven Soderbergh
Writer : Chad Taylor & Mo Buck

Cast: Barry Keoghan, Dacre Montgomery, Nick Offerman, Cooper Andrews, Zoey Dutch, Anna Gunn, Clayne Crawford, Tom Hopper, Alan Ritchson, Paul Rust, Toby Huss, O'Shea Jackson Jr, Samara Weaving and Rachael Harris

Plot: Diane (Anna Gunn) rests her head on Brad Wolfe’s (Clayne Crawford) lap as he turns on the television to watch the so-called tell-all interview that will send the professional wrestling business six feet under. The program opens with Gwen Szymanski (Rachael Harris) introducing us to tonight’s subject. She then goes on and on about the wrestling business, boring Brad who wants to change the channel, but Diane just wants to know which wrestler is stupid enough to flush his career down the toilet by doing this interview. That guy will never be hired again after this interview. A quick montage shows that everyone else is watching the interview from their home: Ben (Barry Keoghan), Thunderjack (Dacre Montgomery) and Sweet Tea (Zoey Deutch), Paul Martin (Toby Huss), the Jacksons (Tom Hopper and Alan Ritchson) and Loto (Cooper Andrews) and Dicky (Paul Rust) who has frozen pea bags all over his body to heal the bruises he suffered during his squash against Cain. Cain (O’Shea Jackson) doesn’t watch the interview, he just want to have sex with Honey Moon (Samara Weaving), but she doesn’t feel like it and it frustrates him. 

The interview starts and the wrestler is under a shadow. Gwen says they may know him as a long-time tag team wrestler in the Southern region and he has found a more stable home at the Texas Championship Wrestling company, it’s Don Jackson. Diane can’t believe it and neither can everybody else. When Paul sees this, he takes his phone and calls Diane, berating her because she can’t keep control of her roster and she reminds him that it’s his roster too and she hangs up on him. During the interview, Don tells how the wrestling business destroyed his family. The Jacksons live, breathe and eat wrestling, but at what cost? He used to have a second brother, but he was killed in an in-ring accident. His family received nothing and he was told to wrestle the next day, all because the promoters want to tell everyone that it’s real, when everything about pro wrestling is fake. The guys don’t hate each others, the strikes aren’t real. It’s all a setup, a staged choreography, in a business run by big egos and show-offs. Diane has had enough, she turns off the television herself, asking herself how she’s going to deal with that. 

In the Jackson household, they listened to the interview in its entirety and no one said a word for the entire thing. Once the interview is over, someone knocks at the door and it’s Gwen giving Don a gift basket. He has a concerned look on his face and he slams the door on her without saying a word. He puts the gift basket on the table and Tom throws it on the floor. Tom asks his brother what this is all about and Don says he only did what he had to do. Tom asks him if he really understands what’s going on. Don’s career is over and maybe his own career is over, they are the Jackson brothers first and foremost, he can’t be Tom Jackson without Don. Don says he’s just sick of the business and everything that comes with it and if Tom can’t understand that, then he will never understand his decision. Don is on his way out and he asks Tom to think about quitting, before wrestling destroys his life, like it ended their brother’s.

Ben calls Bill Gundy (Nick Offerman) early in the morning as that is the only time they can match time zones. Ben is worried that the interview is going to ruin the wrestling business and thus Ben's career before it even got started. Bill is more optimistic and says that there have been people and moments like this throughout wrestling history. It will come and go. There's an enduring appeal of wrestling. Bill cheers him up by saying that he should be receiving his first tapes from Bill's Japanese matches so far. He's really hit it off nicely as the big burly gaijn (foreigner) but Ben might not what to expect of the matches so Bill tells him not to judge. Ben says that's preposterous and tells Bill he is excited for anything his mentor does. He then tells Bill he misses him and Bill tells Ben that he's proud of him.

Diane's phone is ringing off the hook and she knows it is Paul but doesn't want to answer it. Brad asks her if she is coming to the arena for their next show and she tells him she is going to wait as she tries to figure out how to spin this. Diane finally answers the phone and it is not Paul - it is Buck Gordon (Max Minghella), the young head of American Pro Wrestling. He is fuming and lays into Diane for allowing one of her wrestlers to do this. She insists that she didn't know but Buck is having none of it and says then she needs to have better control of her wrestlers. He says that this will affect everyone, not just her. After the call, Diane is so angry that she begins trashing her home. She rips up every piece of TCW merchandise she owns.

At the show, the wrestlers are all talking about what happens. Since Diane is a no-show and Paul is already back in Georgia preparing for his big dome show, Brad finds himself to be the elder statesman and the impromptu man running the show. He sheds off his usual cocky persona to be a more serious boss as he writes up a card for the the night. Ben has received his tapes from Bill and is watching them in disbelief: Bill is taking place in Japanese deathmatches. While they are not actual fights to the death, they are much more violent than American wrestling as the ropes are lined with barbed wire and use weapons while the wrestlers - including Bill - are bleeding all over the ring. Some of the other wrestlers notice and start watching with him. This gathering catches Brad's eye and he goes over the shut down the commotion. He is at first disgusted by what he sees on TV but before he leaves, asks Ben if that was Bill and Ben confirms. Brad is surprised but then goes back to his boss persona and tells Ben he needs to focus on his match. 

Thinking about what Honey said about what they'll do in Georgia, Thunderjack realizes that he has no real long-term need for her so he is going to re-commit to Tea (while he still plans on sleeping with Honey for the one night stand). He is tearfully apologetic to her and it is the first hint of real emotion she has seen in him since the merger. She tells him she needs him to be serious about this as it affects their on-screen chemistry, which affects their careers. He says he is ready to be the top guy at TCW and with her by his side. This makes her smile and she gives him a kiss. Ben nervously approaches Tea afterwards and asks if there is a day she wants to plan to start her training. She says that she isn't sure when Thunderjack will let her so maybe it is best they just do it for about a half hour after the shows when Thunderjack is off signing autographs and kissing babies outside of the shows. Ben isn't sure how much she will be able to improve in those short windows but says that they can make it work.

The show that night is a success, to everyone's surprise. Attendance is lower - an undeniable effect of the Don Jackson interview. But the fans who are there love what they see and everyone congratulates Brad. Tea and Ben begin their first training session after the show, practicing some of the very basics. Meanwhile, Brad arrives at Diane's home with flowers. He is surprised to see everything trashed at the home. She says that she is happy to hear that the show was successful. After a beat, Brad reminds her of what she said last week about TCW needing to have a new plan going forward so they don't get lost in the shuffle. He sees a ripped up TCW logo on the floor and pieces it together, still leaving it a bit uneven and jagged. He asks her if she has Bill Gundy's new number.