ATEEZ: Possible ATEEZ Comeback Storylines

Promotional image (from left) Kang Yeosang, Jeong Yunho, Choi San, Choi Jongho, Kim Hongjoong, Park Seonghwa, Jung Wooyoung, and Song Mingi as Halateez. Copyright goes to Ateez and KQ Entertainment.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Just like every Atiny, I’ve been absolutely floored by the pictures released in the last few days. How are they expecting us all to survive the daily attacks??? But one of the major elements in all of these photos and all the posters we have seen so far makes one thing abundantly clear; this is most likely the most we’ll see of Halateez as part of a storyline since the ‘HALA HALA’ era. And with the many storylines we’ve gotten so far from Ateez involving Halateez, including the bit involving them on ‘Kingdom’ that seemingly killed them off, I’ve been really curious as to what’s going to happen with them in the Ateezverse moving forward. Just like every Atiny, my brain has been spinning out of control with possible theories and every little bit we get only makes me theorize even more. So this post will be entirely made up of all of my weird and wild theories over how and where the Halateez storyline might be going. This is your MAJOR SPOILER warning for all of the MV storylines and ‘Kingdom’ storylines Ateez has crafted so far. If you haven’t been following their MV storylines, I HIGHLY recommend that you go and do that right now. No other group creates stories and immersive performances like Ateez! They could seriously make movies if they wanted to. In fact, I really wish they would. I would drop everything to watch that!

‘Rhythm Ta’ and ‘Kingdom’:

I’ve talked a little bit about how this comeback album seems to be following the concept that Ateez presented on ‘Kingdom’ for their performance of ‘Rhythm Ta’. I don’t think I will ever be able to fully explain how excited this makes me. I was all over the concept and the full ‘Rhythm Ta’ performance when it first came out and hearing that their entire comeback would be based around this concept sent me into a small frenzy. To explain this concept, it takes place in a kind of alternate reality where men dressed in white and masks are controlling general society by outlawing art, human expression, and human emotion. Ateez (or perhaps Halateez) is the resistance that is rising up to fight them. The current prevailing theory of the storyline in ‘Kingdom’ was that the Ateez in ‘Rhythm Ta’ were actually Halateez to begin with. In their performance of ‘Answer’, it featured both Halateez from the alternate reality and Ateez the pirate crew fighting the men who wore the white masks. And based off of the small video we’ve gotten of the white masked man that we’ve seen at the end of Ateez MVs and in ‘Kingdom’ repeating that “There is a disease in the heart of man. The disease is human emotion.” from ‘Rhythm Ta’; they are the main villains in this comeback as well. So this means that the Ateez we see in this comeback could very well be Halateez and that this is the alternate reality in ‘Rhythm Ta’. And this might even be a greater storyline that ties into ‘Kingdom’ that could end with the two alternate Ateez’s fighting the white masked men and taking them out at the cost of the lives of Halateez. I hope you’re all still with me after all of that! So the first theory that I have is that this comeback will expand on the far too brief storyline we saw during ‘Kingdom’ with a bit of a prequel. But there are other possibilities to consider here.

“Eyes On the Sky”:

Though we know that Halateez features prominently here, we also know that the secret message being promoted for the comeback is “Eyes On the Sky”. Ateez’s prevailing persona is that of a pirate crew, specifically on a flying pirate ship. So I think “Eyes On the Sky” is probably in reference to the Ateez pirate ship. I think this could have two possible meanings. The first is that we might actually see the events of ‘Answer’ from ‘Kingdom’. We could see two alternate versions of Ateez, both Halateez and the pirate crew, battling against the men in the white masks. Both versions of Ateez would then be present in the form of the main resistance and the pirate crew swooping in to help. This could even involve an explanation of the men in the white masks hopping realities to affect every reality. Which could mean the end of Halateez and the men in the white masks for any future Ateez storylines. This would be a major change for Ateez, though I wouldn’t say something like this would majorly upset their storylines. As I said before, Ateez’s main persona is as the pirate crew. They are known as the pirates of K-Pop. So, though Halateez has been a major focal point for concerts, performances, and MVs, it is absolutely safe to say that the pirate crew Ateez would remain unaffected. We would just get more stories about the pirate crew specifically. Which would be so much fun! Or, the comeback could feature the pirate crew more obviously than any of us are theorizing for the most part.

The Pirate Crew:

The other possible storyline we could see here is no alternate reality Ateez at all. We might even see a full integration between Ateez and Halateez. The Ateez pirate crew could sweep into this reality after having picked up their Captain and pirate ship in the ‘Don’t Stop’ MV. After Ateez sees the state of the world in ‘Fireworks’, they possibly split up for a while and then reunite in ‘Don’t Stop’. They finally find the pirate ship and the whereabouts of Captain Hongjoong, who now wears an eyepatch. Now back together, they would swoop down to fight the masked men banning art and create a resistance, taking on new personas in order to protect their identities or even to promote specific images for propaganda. This theory could see something we’ve never seen before, which is a reality where Ateez and Halateez aren’t separate. Even in concert footage we’ve seen Ateez interact with Halateez completely separately. It would be interesting if it was more of a figurative separation and the storyline took a route which actually made them all one in the same. While I feel this is the least likely of the theories, I still feel as though it would be a very interesting take and a completely understandable way to take the story.

So will this comeback feature purely Halateez, a combination of pirate crew Ateez and Halateez, or reveal that they’ve all been one in the same the entire time? Who can tell? And it could be that all of the theories I’ve written above are completely incorrect and there’s something entirely different that they’re planning. I know for certain that even if one of the theories I’ve written above is even semi correct, there’s probably something that I’m completely missing. Ateez never fails to pull something exciting out of nowhere to surprise Atinys and all of their other audience. None of us expected all of the intricate storylines in ‘Kingdom’. And when Ateez announced that they would be releasing ‘Don’t Stop’ as a single, I don’t think any of us expected an MV to go along with it that’s so integral to their main storyline. Ateez is THE group to surprise everyone with a plot twist, so I’m fully expecting the unexpected. And I am ecstatic to see it! But it’ll be fun to come back after the comeback and see how correct or incorrect I was with my theories. Seriously, this comeback couldn’t come soon enough! I’m currently on break from work, but Ateez is making me want the month to be over so that I can be fully in the middle of the Ateez comeback!

Update: The trailer for the comeback came out today and only Ateez would make an entire cinematic trailer like this. I’m so freaking excited! And the trailer also directly referenced ‘Rhythm Ta’ several times, including both the title and the blimp featured in the performance. Though there’s no hints on whether any of my theories will be anywhere close to the actual story, I’m already beyond excited!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi: ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Episode 9-10 Review

Paul Wesley as James T. Kirk in episode ten of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. Copyright goes to Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

The first season of ‘Strange New Worlds’ is now finished airing. I’m going to miss getting an episode of this show every week, but if I’m being honest, neither of these episodes was the show at its best. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed both of them. But I had major issues with some of the writing in both. This series has been some of the most fun I’ve ever had with ‘Star Trek’ and it definitely has the potential to be placed among Star Trek’s best series, like ‘Deep Space Nine’ and ‘The Next Generation’. That said, I was still a bit disappointed to close off the season with these two. Needless to say, I’m going to be bringing back the “What I Disliked” section for this review. But it definitely won’t all be negative! MAJOR SPOILERS AHEAD!

‘All Those Who Wander’:

What I Liked:

Uhura and Hemmer: Every time the series decided to pair off these two characters, I knew I’d be watching some of my favorite scenes of the season. Watching Uhura’s positivity and general kindness motivate Hemmer to open up made his character so rewarding for me to watch. And in turn, Hemmer became the mentor that Uhura needed to feel motivated in her career and to learn how to embrace the people around her. In this episode Uhura even admits that he reminded her of her father, confirming the father/daughter feel many of their scenes had. Their relationship was the main reason why I cried when Hemmer died in this episode. Uhura fighting to get to him while Chapel held her back completely broke me. In retrospect, the entire episode lead up to that moment. Hemmer spent the episode helping Uhura realize that her past trauma, due to losing her family, made her too afraid to form attachments. He helped her embrace the idea that forming bonds could be more rewarding than painful, even if they would cause her pain eventually. All of those scenes were really cute, but especially after Hemmer jumped in front of Uhura to protect her from essentially Gorn slime, I knew none of it was going to end well. Still, I loved their dynamic and I loved how the motivation he supplied her paralleled a real-life connection between Nichelle Nichols and Martin Luther King Jr. Season 2 won’t be the same without these two together.

Spock: I was surprised to see such an amazing arc for Spock in this episode. I really enjoyed it. Spock has been exploring his human side more and more as each episode goes on, and though his storyline isn’t one of the major ones here, it’s still nice to see that storyline continue. Here we see Spock battle with his rage. As members of the crew keep getting picked off throughout the episode, he gets criticized for his coldness because he doesn’t have a major emotional response. But it clearly effects him and when it comes time to face off against the Gorn, he finds himself in a position where he has to antagonize the Gorn by letting his rage go. It’s so satisfying to see Spock finally let himself lose it. It’s also satisfying to see him lose it in front of Sam Kirk, who was the douchebag who was criticizing Spock in the first place. And it was very fitting to close this arc with a hug with Christine, who’s been encouraging his exploration of his human side all season. I can’t wait to see their relationship develop further.

The Gorn: From lizard suits to this. The Gorn have come so far in Star Trek. The type of horror utilized in this episode is different than what we saw in their first appearance this season. They still stick to the shadows, but the Gorn in this episode are a lot more aggressive. Members of the crew get dragged screaming off screen and the Gorn openly attack anyone who aggravates them, even their own. The episode succeeds at making them absolutely terrifying. Especially with the aspect of Gorn hatchlings ripping themselves through flesh at any moment. I personally don’t love the ‘Alien’ vibes they give off, I don’t like horror, but they really do pull off the horror in this episode well.

What I Disliked:

Hemmer’s Death: Here we get to my biggest issue with this episode. I get they planned Hemmer’s death since the first episode. I get that Hemmer was supposed to be Uhura’s Obi-Wan Kenobi. But the truth of the matter is, Bruce Horak, or Hemmer, was the first Star Trek lead that was openly part of the disabled community. It was so groundbreaking to see a blind actor playing a blind character who took a leading position in the show. Getting rid of him after just a season takes that representation away. Not only that, but it doesn’t make sense for Uhura to be able to just brush off Hemmer’s death after what happened to her parents. It’s true that Hemmer spent the few scenes he was in convincing Uhura that even if an event like that should happen again, she shouldn’t close herself off from possible friendships in the future. But you don’t immediately get over your trauma just because someone tells you to. Having him die immediately after bringing all of this to her attention seems more like a hinderance than a help. And he’s her second father figure to prematurely die. That has to be traumatizing. I also hated that they chose to kill off Hemmer in an episode where he only served as a part of a side plot. It made his sacrifice at the end feel less impactful because we were made to focus on La’an for the entire rest of the episode instead of Uhura or Hemmer.

The Crew Deaths: Every single character who died in this episode was overfilled with red flags long before their death scene. Random crew we’ve never seen before acting buddy-buddy with our series regulars who’ve never so much as mentioned their names? Of course they’re going to die. Hemmer giving advice based on Uhura’s past experiences with grief and commenting multiple times about how the planet reminds him of Andoria? Such big red flags. There was no subtlety to be found here whatsoever.

La’an: This episode sets out to be La’an’s chance to finally get over her Gorn-related trauma. But aside from one scene where she yells at a Gorn to get its attention, this episode doesn’t do a whole lot to dive deeply into her character. It certainly doesn’t do more than ‘Memento Mori’, and she still doesn’t fully come to grips with her trauma by the end of that episode. And then by the end we’re expected to believe that she’s completely past her trauma and ready to help other people who were in her position as well? They didn’t earn that ending to this episode. They really needed to focus more on character work here.

Erica Ortegas’ Eulogy: Uhhh…Hey Ortegas? What was that? Why did she even give a eulogy if she only had an awkward exchange with Hemmer to talk about?

‘A Quality of Mercy’:

What I Liked:

Pike: We really did need an episode to fully lay out why Pike would have to make the choice to sacrifice himself in the future accident he endures, despite the fact that he now knows about the event and could potentially stop it. I mean, we all want to believe what Una told Pike in the first few episodes. That his destiny isn’t written and can be changed. But this is a prequel series and that means they can’t do something that’ll directly contradict with TOS. I really liked that Pike was about to send a message to one of the kids he sacrifices himself for in the future. And I liked how that would have ruined everything. It gives importance to Kirk, whose brashness as opposed to Pike’s caution does have its perks in the scenario “Balance of Terror” presents. Despite the fact that Pike’s insistence to stick to negotiation solidified why I love the character so much. And the fact that Pike ultimately decides not to change the future because Spock ends up in a life-altering accident if Pike doesn’t end up in one, makes Pike even more noble and solidifies his friendship with Spock. Also, Anson Mount is a master of comedy and that really shows in the first few scenes where Pike is getting acclimated to his potential future. He has no idea what’s going on and Anson Mount’s facial expressions really sell the awkward hilarity of it.

The Lighting: They do so much of the ‘The Original Series’ face lighting in this episode. You know, the spotlight that seems to hit the captain’s eyes whenever he sits in his chair. Or hits anyone’s eyes whenever anything dramatic happens on the bridge. It’s a great nod to TOS.

What I Disliked:

Kirk: I don’t dislike Kirk. I don’t dislike Paul Wesley as Kirk. In fact, I openly don’t much like William Shatner which makes Paul Wesley a step up. But Kirk doesn’t really get to act like…Kirk in this episode. “Balance of Terror” is pretty serious stuff, and introducing Kirk in only a serious mind-frame doesn’t make it feel much like Kirk. This is more a small gripe but I still was hoping to see more from Kirk.

“Balance of Terror”: I’m fine with episodes that mirror classics. Sometimes they can be really great. But for a finale? Not so much. It was frustrating to get an episode partly made up of scenes and dialogue we’ve already seen before as a finale. And some of it just didn’t work. Ortegas, for example, was completely out of character because she was given lines originally given to a completely different character in “Balance of Terror”. I was hoping for something more from the finale.

And that’s it! I had a lot of thoughts about both of these episodes, but writing them down really simplified the episodes for me. Both are fun, entertaining excursions. But neither have the mastery of writing I came to expect from other episodes. “All Those Who Wander” is messy in its execution, and “A Quality of Mercy” is simple, but doesn’t do enough for a season finale. They didn’t completely miss with either of these episodes, but I can’t say they stuck the landing with the end of this season. Still, I’m extremely excited for season two. It just wrapped and I can’t wait until its release! Until then, I suppose I’m going back to my constant rewatch of ‘Deep Space Nine’.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Comfort Entertainment: ‘Friends’ Definitive Character Ranking

Screenshot of Lisa Kudrow in ‘Friends’. Copyright goes to NBC.

Hi! It’s Annie!

You can’t talk about television media without somebody mentioning the classic sitcom ‘Friends’. This has to be one of the most loved shows of all time internationally. I think we’ve all heard the story of how Namjoon used ‘Friends’ to help him learn English many times at this point. I’m sure Namjoon himself is probably tired of hearing that story. But ‘Friends’ is well loved for a reason and I would argue that all of it comes from the characters. And though many people vary in who their favorite character is in this show, I think I have a fairly solid ranking. Which really doesn’t happen with many shows for me! And though every character is iconic in their own way, there are definitely a few dislikable characters in this lineup. So this will be my definitive ranking of the characters from ‘Friends’ and how good of a friend I think each of them would really be. LIGHT SPOILERS ahead if you have somehow not watched ‘Friends’.

6. Ross

I honestly don’t think that anyone’s favorite character is Ross. Sorry, David Schwimmer. If you ask most people who their least favorite ‘Friends’ character is, most people will say Ross. And that is because, despite all of his iconic lines and moments, he is by far the most annoying character in the show. Ross is whiny, constantly yelling, has a giant ego, and is very easily offended. On top of all of this, he is one of the biggest mansplainers to ever exist on television. He is constantly over explaining his apparent intelligence to everyone and demeaning all those who don’t share his opinions. He goes up against Phoebe the most in that regard, who he doesn’t respect at all for her more unique views. Instead of letting her alone, he constantly feels the need to correct her or prove her wrong. Definitely one of those guys to sit you down and talk about how either ‘Citizen Kane’, ‘Pulp Fiction’, ‘Fight Club’, or ‘The Dark Knight’ is the best film of all time. I have no idea why those movies seem to be the favorites of so many film bros, but Ross would be one of them. He seems to be every red flag that women bring up and I can’t imagine being friends with him. I’d strangle him if I knew him, there’s no way I would ever want to spend any time around him. Being interrupted and mansplained to doesn’t sound fun.

5. Rachel

I know a lot of people like Rachel, but I often find her to be just as bad as Ross. Though she seems nice some of the time, she can be incredibly manipulative in order to get her way and even throws tantrums. Such as the many times she almost refused to move out of Monica’s house when Chandler was moving in. She barely deals with any situation maturely. And though I do blame Ross for most of what happened between the two of them (he was extremely bad at communicating anything), I still don’t by any means think that Rachel is exempt. She overreacts in every situation and I don’t think she would be a good partner and definitely not a good friend. She relies on her friends to take care of her and doesn’t do much in return. And most of her intentions throughout the show are purely selfish. While I don’t dislike her as much as Ross, I really don’t like Rachel.

4. Joey

Finally we’re to the friends that I actually like! Joey is really sweet and very supportive. Definitely one of the most loyal in the friend group and always there to be a shoulder to cry on. Joey might not be the most reliable friend when it comes to most anything else, but he’s an amazing friend when it counts. Acting for others when they need him and being one of the best at advice, oddly. My only issues with Joey are how egotistical he can act when the fame starts going to his head and, mostly, how he treats women. Joey doesn’t really show much respect for any women that aren’t his many sisters, and often doesn’t care about the lengths he will go to that sometimes result in making the women in his life uncomfortable. Like continuously attempting to seduce a woman who becomes his roommate or continuously encouraging his female friends to make out with each other. He doesn’t even show respect to his female friends. I know that some of this is the age of the show, but it still never fails to get under my skin. And I’m glad that this isn’t seen in such a positive or comedic light anymore. I have a soft spot for Joey, but he’s not my favorite of the friend group. I think he would be a good friend to a guy, but be wary if you’re a woman.

3. Monica

Monica is a character that gives me some mixed feelings. I love watching her and there are definitely tendencies that she has that I find to be relatable. While her organizing is a bit out there in how dramatic it is, her worrying and sometimes need to feel in control of something are traits that I especially find to be relatable now. After Covid I think everyone wanted to feel in control of something as it started to feel that we were all losing control of everything. Monica is also completely reliable, especially when it comes to taking care of her friends, and often a needed voice of reason. If someone is going to truly think through somebody else’s emotions and how their actions might make someone else feel, it’s Monica. But I face my small dilemma when I think about whether or not she would be a friend I’d want to have. I think in the end my answer would be yes, but I feel that she would be too much to stay around for long periods of time. Especially if you were at her house and she was playing hostess, as Phoebe and Rachel found out when their apartment caught fire. Maybe a good friend to meet for a nice lunch out though!

2. Phoebe

Now we’re getting to the two characters I would love to have as friends in real life. Phoebe is certainly an odd duck and might take some getting used to at first. She has some strange world views and can sometimes be rather flaky. But she’s very caring and would be so much fun to be around! I think seeing her play in Central Perk would be really endearing and I also admire how she deals with her friends’ issues. When one of the group has a secret, Phoebe is the first to know about it. Not just because she’s fairly good at keeping a secret, but she’s also understanding of most anything and is never prone to overreacting. While Rachel is the last person you would tell a secret to, Phoebe would be the first. She has jumped in between her friends fighting and personally gotten involved in situations to make sure that the friend group stayed together. In many ways, I think Phoebe is actually the glue of this friend group. And how fun would it be to have a conversation or day out with her? Her unpredictability would be concerning at first, but I feel like it would pay off.

1. Chandler

When you ask most people who their favorite character in ‘Friends’ is, this is usually the answer you get. Even Namjoon said he would rather consider himself a Chandler over a Ross or a Joey. Though seriously, I say again, interviewers NEED to stop bringing up ‘Friends’ to Namjoon. Anyways, Chandler is the most popular character for a reason. He’s by far the funniest character on the show. Often times when you say the word “sarcasm”, Chandler will immediately pop into your head. If I full belly laugh at a joke in this show, it’s almost always one that he said. No one beats Chandler’s joke delivery. But even more than that, he’s just a genuinely good guy. When he apologizes to anyone, he is incredibly sincere. Though he makes jokes all the time, when a situation calls for him to be serious he often can be the most serious person in the room. I personally think it would be amazing to meet someone and be friends with someone as genuine as Chandler always seems to be. He has your back always, you just have to be prepared for some occasional roasting. Chandler is also the most adorable unexpected romantic of the friend group. He would be an amazing friend and he will always be one of the most iconic characters in this show.

I don’t usually have this clear of a definite ranking for all of the main characters in a show, but this is one of my exceptions. Though I really do like most of the characters, there are more complaints I have about some. But overall, I really do think that this show stands the test of time. Though I didn’t remember the show to be so sexually driven most of the time, it still has some really heartfelt moments. And though it is difficult to get past Ross and Rachel sometimes; Chandler always has a joke that pulls me right back in. When people say that we’ll never get a show like ‘Friends’ again, I wholeheartedly have to agree. You can’t recreate the lightning in a bottle effect this show had and I’m glad we have reruns so that we can watch the fun over and over again!

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

BTS: “More” and J-Hope’s Solo Album ‘Jack In The Box’

Promotional image of Jung Hoseok (J-Hope) for his new album ‘Jack In The Box’. Copyright goes to J-Hope and the Hybe Corporation.

Hey! Hallie here!

J-Hope is my favorite K-Pop artist of all time and he’s very much setting out to prove why he deserves that recognition right now. “More”, his most recent release, is just one song from J-Hope’s upcoming album ‘Jack In The Box’. The idea of this album has excited many people, including me, for a long while now. But it was only recently that we discovered that Hobi’s intention for this album involves exploring his darker side and molding what had once been a mixtape into a full album complete with a cohesive storyline. “More” is the first taste of a lot more greatness to come. Its hip hop/punk rock sound and strange visuals are just as dark as promised, the beat is addictive, and the lyrics are incredibly important examples of Hobi’s self exploration. I really can’t wait to dive into this music video and the things I’m looking forward to for the rest of the album, so let’s get right into it!

“More”:

The percussion is the first thing that hits you in this song, and it carries consistently throughout as a gripping beat that adapts from verse to chorus without having to change at all. Clear perfection. I was completely caught off guard by the electric guitar that comes in during the chorus. As a fan of hard/punk rock, it was a really pleasant surprise, and as I said above, really suits the edgier vibes Hobi is going for with this album. As for the rap in this song, Hobi’s well known for morphing his flow depending on the rhythm or beat of a song. This one is no different. During verses we get a slower, lazy feel that gradually gets faster and more frantic. Hobi makes the transition so effortless during each verse, you don’t notice how complex the wordplay actually is. It’s beyond impressive. Leaning more into the punk feel again, the rest of the song is delivered at a stylistic yell that pairs perfectly with the backing track. And the message of the song? Just as powerful as the rest of it. This song is entirely about his toxic relationship with his career. Although he’s passionate about music and admits that making music comes naturally to him, he never feels like anything he does is good enough. He expresses that he’s so addicted to attempting to make something unattainably perfect, he never lets himself rest. Instead, he always demands “More” from himself. This song is a raw, real look into the way he’s been struggling with BTS’ shoot to fame and all of the many pressures that came along with it. I feel very grateful that he decided to share something so personal with us.

The MV:

This MV is mostly about the vibes. And I loved it. We have some pretty simple sets in this video, like a regular flat or a workplace, but the video still manages to be visually stunning. It has a grunge look, where every color is darker but more vibrant than usual, and Hobi stands out among it all in his entirely black (save one white) outfit and dark eye makeup. Dark eye makeup looks SO GOOD on him. During the video we see him receive a mysterious box in what appears to be his apartment, trash his workplace and press what might be his boss’ face into a copy machine, rock out with a band of humans with strange faces, and walk down a hallway of black doors. After all that is the most confusing scene, where Hobi walks in on himself in a hospital bed where parts of his jester hat seem to be attached to him and moving around on their own. Then skeleton Hobi performs for a while and it’s kind of badass. The big reveal at the end? All of the sets we explored were in one box. Fitting. I can’t really say I know what this music video is meant to convey, though I do get why so many people are drawing comparisons to the movie ‘Fight Club’. The hallway in this MV seems like it was pulled right out of the movie, and the depressive state of the main character could easily reflect the Hobi we saw in this video. I could also see the scene where Hobi walks in on himself paralleling the fact that in the movie, the second main character is an invention of the main character’s imagination and a reflection of part of his personality. Even if none of it is in reference to the movie, I still feel like the similarities are worth discussing.

‘Jack In The Box’:

After this release I’m interested to see what the storyline Hobi promised is going to be like. We can all count on it continuing to explore his psyche in the very least. What excites me most about this song and the full album release, which will be mid-July, is the lack of the J-Hope persona. Like it or not, J-Hope is not completely who Hoseok is. No one can be hopeful all the time. No one can be a ray of sunshine for every minute of their life. While Hobi has brought light and happiness to many fans, he’s been open about his struggles to keep up that persona. Just like everyone, he experiences bad days and difficult battles with his mental health. This album is the first time he can express all of that. This is the first time we’re seeing Hoseok without the hope persona. And as difficult as it may be to hear how much he’s been struggling, it’s so empowering to hear him express his emotions, especially the negative ones. He’s encouraged so many ARMY to embrace their emotions and love all sides of who they are. This feels like his attempt to do the same for himself and I’m so happy to be able to witness that.

Those are my thoughts on “More”! I’m anxiously anticipating the full album release. This song is already one of my favorites he’s ever made and I don’t doubt that the rest of the album will have just as large of an impact on me. But I’m not just in love with the sound of this song. I’m in love with the message of self-discovery and embracing the bad. I’m in love with the fact that Hobi seems to have written his album free from the expectations that come along with his stage persona. I hope he becomes even more comfortable with who he is now that he has time to step away from BTS and focus on his solo work.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Marvel: Like Peggy, I Miss Steve

Screenshot of Chris Evans as Captain America. Copyright goes to Marvel Entertainment and Disney.

Hi! It’s Annie!

The first thing that I want to say is that my above statement has nothing to do with one particularly amazing Sam Wilson. Not only do I think that Sam Wilson was a fantastic choice for Captain America, but I also wish that Disney would acknowledge him more. I feel that Disney refusing to acknowledge him as the new face of Captain America is absolutely awful and I’d rather have Sam meeting at the Disney Parks than Steve. What I do mean by the above statement is that Marvel is not even close to what it used to be and, on a weekend where the last thing I want to do is celebrate this country, I love that this character actually stood for the people. Definitely not a pro government character. And I also miss all of the Captain America storylines, including a character that I still consider to be a major breakthrough for women in action films. These are all of the reasons why I miss Steve Rogers. And, obviously, if you somehow haven’t finished watching all of his storyline, there will be MAJOR SPOILERS ahead!

Captain America: The First Avenger:

I actually went back recently and watched the first two Captain America movies and one of the things I feel like we’re missing from newer Marvel is the origin stories. Lately Marvel has taken to either jumping headfirst into group movies such as ‘The Eternals’ or introducing major superheroes in non-origin movies. Lately they’ve been attempting to remedy this by having series on ‘Disney +’ as origin stories to varying degrees of success. But I don’t feel it quite has the same impact. A series doesn’t have the same format nor the same general impact as a movie. And a series makes more sense when you give an audience something they are already familiar with when you’re dealing with something like the MCU. ‘Hawkeye’ really seemed to work, but part of that may have been the fact that it was more about the passing on of a name because Clint was there. Steve Rogers was not familiar before this film, but you warm up to him almost immediately. How could you not? He’s basically a golden retriever puppy. But Steve wasn’t just that, he had an influential story and a message to go with him. In my recent rewatch, Erksine’s conversation with Steve particularly struck me. He says something about how only a weak man knows the value of strength and compassion and it hit me that this could be said about anything. From physical strength, to emotional strength, and even to mental strength. While I’m never a fan of some of the propaganda in movies like this, there was already a message that the movie was trying to run with. And I wish we would have clearer messages in the movies we’re getting now. The diversity in Marvel now is by far better than anything we’ve gotten before! But a lot of the more recent movies such as ‘The Eternals’ and ‘Multiverse of Madness’ are completely devoid of heart. This origin also includes the amazing Peggy Carter. One of the first superhero love interests to be actually shown to be capable. Peggy is still one of my favorite Marvel characters!

Captain America: The Winter Solider:

I came to the recent realization that this is probably my favorite Marvel film. Everything from the story, to the music, to the iconic scenes are anything but forgettable. Can we all agree that the elevator scene is one of the best action scenes in any action movie ever? Anyways, when people talk about the best Marvel movies created there is a reason why this one comes up. The way Bucky is added into the story is seamless and the movies is insanely good at character development. This is also the first movie we see Sam Wilson! Yay! I feel as though the movies where Steve appeared in between this movie and the last, we see a version of Steve who at least attempts to appear more put together than he feels. But this really strips him down to how he actually feels in this new time period and it is a gorgeous look into his character. Steve misses his best friend, his girlfriend, and everyone he knew and cared about. But more than that, he doesn’t quite know who he is in the new world. He just knows what he’ll compromise on and what he won’t. And that means having to go up against a large government force. This becomes a thing for Steve. But what I like about this movie the most is how he finds himself through his relationships to other characters. This is the first movie to actually focus on Natasha’s actual character and give her something to work with. We see her just as vulnerable as Steve and no less badass. Another breakthrough. And Sam adds a necessary level of humor and relatability. This movie is practically perfect for a superhero film and I will never be over this. Will the multiverse and everything feeling out of control it’s difficult for Marvel to take accountability for any of their storylines anymore. They can just declare whatever doesn’t quite work to be no longer canon. This movie is all about taking accountability in your story, whether it be with past plot points or current character development, which results in an amazingly well-crafted story.

The Wrap Up:

‘Captain America: Civil War’ is not my favorite of the Marvel movies. I still like the fact that Steve remains firmly untrusting of the government, but this is barely a Captain America film. This is more like an ‘Avengers’ film and has very little in the way of character development to back up many of the characters and their motives. But that’s just my opinion. I personally wish we would gave gotten a little bit more of what ‘Winter Soldier’ started for Natasha as well. I digress. Skipping to the very end, I’m glad that Chris Evans finally got the out that he wanted. Chris Evans was never expecting the fame that went with this role and he very understandably wanted a break from everything that came with this role. It will be difficult to find actors this endearing, but I’m so glad that they passed it on to Sam. I never questioned whether it should go to Sam or Bucky, I think Sam deserves movies to himself. And I hope those movies are so much better than Marvel movies lately have been. I personally haven’t been the biggest fan of Marvel films in the new phase. The last one I really liked was ‘Shang Chi’. Don’t get me wrong, the newest Spiderman movie has it’s good points. But I liked the other Spidermen and wasn’t a huge fan with what they did with Tom Holland’s version. I’ve also been vocal that I think Steve’s wrap up could be better. While I think Steve and Peggy are always cute, I think there are things to consider that makes it feel not as cute when you get into it. I have an entire post about that if you want to check it out! But I don’t hate this ending. And I don’t hate that Steve’s story ended. A good well-rounded story is better than drilling a character into the ground! But I will miss Steve. And with the way things have been going, I have a feeling I’ll be revisiting his story more often than not. Not only for Steve but for Peggy, Natasha, Sam, and Bucky who all got amazing story arcs in this storyline as well.

I’m going to go back to devouring all of the media that goes with Steve Rogers and his storyline. Including ‘Agent Carter’ which still needs far more recognition than it currently gets. It’s the first female led media that Marvel released and it is still one of my favorite series that they’ve ever done, and yes that definitely includes recent series. Because this July fourth weekend, unless something has changed and a certain law gets rightfully back where it should be, I will be wearing all black and mourning my right to choose. So might as well watch a superhero that with every storyline and with every character fought for exactly that. And if you think Steve would at all be conservative, just listen to what he says about project insight and his disagreements with Nick Fury in that scene. Anyways, I miss Steve and Peggy. Maybe they are a perfect match considering how much I miss both of them.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi: ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Episode 7-8 Review

Screenshot of Melissa Navia as Erica Ortegas, Babs Olusanmokun as Dr. M’Benga, and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike in episode 7 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. Copyright goes to Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

I promised more ‘Star Trek’ so here it is! This group of episodes was so much fun. In fact, ‘The Elysian Kingdom’ in particular is some of the most fun I’ve ever had with a Star Trek episode. It’s clear in both of these episodes that the cast had an amazing time putting them together. Pair that with some excellent representation in ‘The Serene Squall’ and you have ‘Strange New Worlds’ at its best. Although, it’s hard to argue that ‘Strange New Worlds’ hasn’t already been at its best for the majority of its episodes. I’ll be going over plot points below so here’s your SPOILER WARNING. And just your general warning that, once again, I don’t have many negative things to say this time around.

‘The Serene Squall’:

Spock: We have another Spock-centric episode and this one takes an interesting turn for Spock’s romantic relationship. Given that a few episodes ago T’Pring was insulting Spock’s humanity, it’s really nice to see her actively trying to remedy that by embracing it in their relationship. But as we all know from pretty much every Star Trek adaptation, Spock isn’t quite comfortable with his humanity. His uncertainty puts him in the perfect position to be manipulated by Dr. Aspen, who I’ll get into a little later. Claiming that they have experience with Vulcans because of a personal attachment, they propose to Spock that maybe he’s so human and so Vulcan that he’s something else entirely. While the episode doesn’t fully lead to his discovery of what that might be, it’s a really interesting take on Spock that will clearly come into play later in his story. However, just as interesting as all of his character development is his relationship with Christine Chapel. He’s shown still going to her for advice when he’s troubled, and in order to trick Aspen into believing they can’t use Spock as blackmail against T’Pring to get a prisoner released, he kisses Christine. We all already know how much that means to Christine, and it’s heartbreaking to see her attempt to brush it off. But then we see Spock hesitate when T’Pring tells him she knew about the ruse because he could never have feelings for her. This love triangle very much seems to be another example of his human and Vulcan sides warring with each other and it’ll be interesting to see what role that plays in his self discovery.

Dr. Aspen/Angel: First off, hats off to Jesse James Keitel, the lovely trans actress who brought Dr. Aspen, or Angel, to life. Angel was an extremely likable character from their first moment on screen. They were so intriguing that I didn’t really begin to suspect them until about halfway through the episode, when it’s revealed that the pirate crew that took Pike and the rest of the crew captive is waiting on their captain to return. To be honest, the octopus tattoo around their eye should have given everything away. Still, they play just as good of a villain as they do an innocent doctor and some of the advice they give Spock was extremely helpful regardless of their morals. It’s taken way too long to get good trans characters directed by good trans directors on screen, but I’m so glad we get to see that in this show.

Pike and The Crew: This is the secondary plot of this episode and it was funnier than I expected it to be. I mean, it starts out with Pike getting beaten up for information and ends with the crew starting a mutiny to overthrow the acting captain. The glee in which Pike and the rest of the crew execute the plan had me smiling throughout the episode. The plan which Una identifies as “Alpha Braga IV” gives us not only Pike impromptu cooking a meal for the entire pirate crew, but also various scenes of the crew using blatant sarcasm and witty humor to manipulate the crew around them. Even better, the crew does manage to take over the ship and save the day, but DURING the mutiny they caused. It’s such a fun mess.

(This note is just to say that I’m just as confused about Sybok as you are, but I don’t want to judge the show for it yet.)

‘The Elysian Kingdom’:

Doctor M’Benga: I was so excited for a completely M’Benga centered episode and now that we have one, I’m just sad we didn’t get it sooner. His storyline has always been a sad one. His daughter has a deadly illness and so he’s forced to keep her in a transporter until he can find a cure. This episode gave that storyline a surprisingly lighthearted and whimsical ending. M’Benga finds himself in the story he frequently reads his daughter with the crew playing the characters. M’Benga himself is the main character, the king who in the book must make a decision between preserving a powerful, sentient weapon which he loves, or saving the princess and the kingdoms being overtaken by an evil queen. It’s pretty clear how the episode is going to play out the moment they mention that decision. He will have to sacrifice his daughter for the crew. However, getting there is really fun. Aside from Hemmer, M’Benga’s the only one who knows that the fantasy story isn’t reality. and some of the characters grate on him. But despite some of his grumbling, he mostly embraces the story and enjoys it. It’s nice to see M’Benga enjoy himself after all the depressing storylines he’s been given. The ending for his daughter also manages to be a happy one. The alien who caused the story to come to life offers to let M’Benga’s daughter live with it, promising that if she does she’ll be cured of her disease. M’Benga lets his daughter make the decision because he’s a good dad, and when his daughter agrees and returns to him seconds later as an adult, he’s happy for her even though he didn’t get to keep raising her. M’Benga really needed to let his daughter go and I’m glad he got to do so in a manner that was more happy than sad, even if a few tears were shed.

The Crew: ERICA ORTEGAS. What a badass! She owned every minute of every scene she was involved in. She even got a choreographed sword fighting scene! Another stand out was very clearly Uhura. Celia Rose Gooding gave me chills as a villain, which is so surprising considering how warm and likable Uhura is. And she looked absolutely stunning. Also, two shout outs go to Anson Mount and Christina Chong who flexed their comedic muscles this time around and clearly had a blast doing it. Seeing La’an Noonien-Singh turn into a ditzy princess obsessed with her dog was hilarious. And Pike as a sniveling, power-hungry advisor? Somehow Anson Mount makes that transition seem seamless. Lastly, Hemmer was adorable this episode. Instead of playing a role, Hemmer’s telepathic abilities make him immune to whatever the alien being is doing to the crew. But despite his general grumpiness, Hemmer has a blast tricking the people around him into believing he’s a wizard by using science. There isn’t one character, or actor, who doesn’t seem like they’re enjoying themselves this episode. It’s impossible to watch everyone have this much fun and not have fun yourself.

And that’s it! My next review for this season will be my last. I just learned that this season only has ten episodes. I’ll miss it so much! Hopefully they don’t wait too long to give us season two and even more amazing Star Trek content. I know I’ll be rewatching this season over and over again until they do. Also, all the people who worked on costumes and sets in episode eight deserve applause and another episode in season two to flex their skills. Please. Episode eight was so beautiful.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

ATEEZ: Leaders

Promotional photo of (from left) Park Seonghwa, Jeong Yunho, Jung Wooyoung, Kim Hongjoong, Kang Yeosang, Choi Jongho, Song Mingi, and Choi San. Copyright goes to Ateez and KQ Entertainment.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Ateez has been one of my go-to groups for a good couple years now and it’s been an amazing couple of years. I’ve never seen a group this dedicated to performance and storytelling, and as someone who has always been fascinated with multiple different kinds of storytelling, they blew me away immediately. I was a part of the fandom when they went from being not as well known to blowing everyone away and internationally selling out arenas. As I joined the BTS fandom later into the game, this is the first time I was with a group through all of that. And it has been nothing less than an unforgettable experience! Right now Atinys seem to be in the middle of a really exciting time in Ateez’s career and the amount that they’re doing seems to be stacking up by the day. I’m going to go over what we will see from Ateez in the near future, some fan theories, and also what’s been making them an absolutely irresistible group in any music industry.

Ateez Schedule:

It’s become very clear to everyone over the last couple weeks that Ateez will have a very hectic summer schedule. While we don’t know the exact dates for some things, which I’ll get to in a minute, this is all of the stuff that we know! As of today, Ateez has already boarded a plane to Saudi Arabia to perform at the Jeddah KPOP Festival and just yesterday Ateez performed ‘Utopia’ on ‘The Show’. This event specifically made them one of the only groups to perform an entire album track list of songs on a show like this! Later this month they will be performing their postponed concert dates in Japan and we also now know that next month they will be attending Kcon LA! The first day of the concert is already sold out, and Ateez will be one of the headliners. I do feel it necessary to say that headlining acts at Kcon usually only perform four songs. I only say that because I want everyone who may be considering buying resale tickets to know that you may want to be a fan of more than one group for this concert to be completely worth it for you. Ateez was also the first group to completely sell out their hi-touch and interview slots, which really wasn’t surprising seeing how much they’ve shot to international fame lately. I decided not to spring for tickets and we’ll have to see if that’s a decision that I regret. I almost went for the entertainment package, but I decided to save my money in case they do a comeback tour. Which brings me to my next point…

Ateez Comeback:

I am so excited for this comeback for so many reasons. Not only are we in a pretty integral point in the Ateez MV storyline, but they’ve possibly been teasing this part of the storyline for a while now. ‘Kingdom’ killed off Halateez, though we could still see an alternate Halateez or a pre-death Halateez. Their performance of ‘Rythm Ta’ on ‘Kingdom’ was actually a look into what this new comeback album will most likely focus on. ‘THE WORLD EP. 1: MOVEMENT’ (the official name of this new comeback album) will most likely take place in a world where the arts and music are illegal. This is why the marketing for this album so far has been pretty underground. Ateez has had a few posters and billboards in major cities with nothing much on them but a QR code. Earlier today a QR code was dropped on Ateez’s social media for a very short amount of time before it was immediately deleted. This QR code leads to a snippet that is audio only and features an epic backing track that may just be a preview of a new song. It also features what sounds like a radio skipping and morse code at the end that people have deciphered to mean “EYES ON THE SKY”. I can only assume this is reference to the flying pirate ship that Ateez stole back in the MV for ‘Don’t Stop’. The QR code was labelled ‘PROPAGANDA’, which makes me wonder if it was just a name for the teaser or if it will be the name of one of the album tracks. I personally love all of this. The marketing makes the world of this album feel almost immersive and just adds to the impressiveness of Ateez’s storytelling abilities. And I absolutely loved the concept for ‘Rythm Ta’, so if this is anything like that I’ll be all over it! Though let’s be honest, I’ll be all over whatever they decide to do concept wise. And I loved the characterization they were showing in the ‘Don’t Stop’ MV. The pirate crew has always been one of my favorite elements of all of Ateez’s concepts and I adored all the hinting in ‘Don’t Stop’. Ateez is one of the only musical groups that can make you excited for an album both for the music and the story. I can already tell that I’ll love this!

Clearing the Board:

Ateez’s stages in ‘Kingdom’ have undoubtedly brought many more fans and the fandom is still growing. And part of it is the story that attracts people to them! Along with the amazing music. I’ve mentioned it briefly, but my parents actually like Ateez now. While both of them were at first only familiar with ‘WONDERLAND’, they both got into them mostly because I got them (maybe semi-forced) to watch some of their stages. And they were also impressed with their storytelling abilities and choreography. I’ve been plaguing them with BTS forever but Ateez convinced them because of some of the additional elements that only Ateez adds. And while BTS is still my ult group; I think it is clear that there is no group even similar to Ateez. I am so glad that more and more people seem to be fully realizing and appreciating the one-of-a-kind uniqueness of this group. And I think ‘WONDERLAND’ may be one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s so catchy! But what I also love about them is that lyrics are important to them too and always hold an important message. For example, ‘WAVE’ may sound like an uplifting summer song but it’s actually also a hopeful song that encourages those struggling to keep going. They are not afraid to talk about mental health and the issues with becoming an adult and finding your way in the world. It seems as though the groups who go to lengths to discuss mental health are always my favorites. Ateez is already at a level where no other group can touch them, it’s just that they’re getting the recognition for being that more recently. They already had what makes them so special and I’m so glad that Atiny is such a quickly growing fandom. The boys deserve it! Especially because they work so hard!

Ateez really seems to have constant schedules and I’m kind of hoping that they’ll get a break soon. It feels like they’ve been constantly moving ever since their debut. But I’m also wondering if they’re going to tour this year with their comeback album. Especially because Hongjoong said they’d come back to LA this year at their concert in January and I have a feeling they weren’t quite talking about Kcon. But we’ll have to see! If they really are planning a tour, this is going to be an extremely busy year for them! I hope that they’ll enjoy every minute of it and I hope that growing popularity doesn’t make them feel too pressured.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Sci-Fi:’Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’ Episode 5-6 Review

Screenshot of Ethan Peck as Spock and Gia Sandhu as T’Pring in episode 5 of ‘Star Trek: Strange New Worlds’. Copyright goes to Paramount Pictures and Roddenberry Entertainment.

Hey! Hallie here!

Vacation has put me a bit behind on these reviews, but I adore this show and I want to catch up to recent episodes as fast as possible. So expect a lot of ‘Star Trek’ reviews in the near future. For now I’m going to cover episodes five and six, which I have very different opinions on. ‘Spock Amok’ is a nice change of pace, with a comedic storyline and some really fun crew bonding. ‘Lift Us Where Suffering Can’t Reach’ is much darker and delves into a classic Sci-Fi story that may alienate some viewers. Both have good moments and bad, which I’ll get into. Either way, if you also aren’t caught up on this show, I highly recommend catching up! This series is so good so far! So SPOILERS AHEAD, as always, and let’s get into this!

‘Spock Amok’:

What I Liked:

Christine Chapel: This episode may be about Spock, but Christine is the real stand out here. Not only is she at the center of the storyline focusing on the crew taking a day off, which is always fun because we get to see the characters let their hair down and hang out with their friends in a non-professional setting, but she has her own complicated arc in this episode. She starts out the episode sharing with Erica Ortegas (I love their friendship) that she’s going on a date as part of her off-time. However, right after the credits we see things go very wrong. Her date wants to know where their relationship is going and she quickly gets distracted when she sees a morose Spock at another table. She then abandons her date to give Spock encouraging advice about his own relationship. Christine helps Spock throughout the rest of the episode figure out his relationship with T’Pring and bridge the gap between his Vulcan and human sides. And through all of it, she’s also clearly hiding romantic feelings for Spock. Which is only further cemented when she discusses her commitment issues with Erica later in the episode, telling her that she could only see herself committed to the “right guy”, clearly implying Spock. It was really nice to get a deeper look at Christine this episode. I always love her sense of humor and I’m interested to see how Christine’s feelings for Spock will affect her story moving forward.

Spock: While I favored Christine this episode, I did really like Spock as well. The main purpose of this episode is to see Spock put in a hilariously awkward position and watch how he reacts to it. It’s a simple premise, but it works really well. It’s ultimately very funny to see Spock as mortified as a Vulcan can be when he realizes he’s stuck in T’Pring’s body right before he’s needed for important negotiations. And going back to Christine, all of his scenes with her are excellent. It’s adorable how genuine he is with Christine even though he doesn’t always understand her. He also shows his human side around her more than anyone else, which winds up in him decking a Vulcan he needs to negotiate with when Christine is insulted for her human qualities. This isn’t the deepest dive into Spock’s character, but it’s still fun.

Christopher Pike: Pike isn’t a main character in this episode, but I still really like whenever he’s around. His face when he discovers that T’Pring and Spock have switched bodies alone is worth his presence. It’s also really cathartic to watch the scene where Pike has to subtly defend Spock’s actions and point out the sacrifices he makes to T’Pring while she’s in Spock’s body. And while not the point of the plot, it’s always fun to seek Pike solve a mystery and save the day at episode’s end, even if the mystery is only about what negotiation tactic will convince another alien species to join Star Fleet.

Una Chin-Riley and La’an Noonien-Singh: This is just a really fluffy, fun side plot. At the beginning of the episode M’Benga quite adorably lets slip that the majority of the crew think that these two lovely ladies are a buzzkill. Which is a valid criticism considering they both decide not to take the day off and spend time with the rest of the crew at the beginning of the episode. Slightly offended and wanting to prove everyone wrong, these two quickly discover a game the rest of the crew has called “Enterprise Bingo”. The game involves doing random tasks such as using the transporter to return the flavor to a piece of gum or signing their name on the Enterprise’s hull. It’s so fun to see these two let loose and even get competitive over the game. Sometimes these types of storylines are the most rewarding to watch in all of Star Trek.

What I Disliked:

T’Pring: This episode didn’t do a whole lot to endear me to T’Pring. Firstly, T’Pring starts out this episode criticizing Spock’s humanity as a reason for their strained relationship, which is both untrue and awful of her to do. Yes, he has issues with putting his work before his relationship, but his humanity has nothing to do with that. Then, she is the one who suggests pretending to be Spock during negotiations in order to get a better understanding of him, but instead uses the opportunity to criticize Spock in a high stakes situation in front of everyone, forcing Pike to step in. Clearly I’m just not a big fan of this character.

Body Swap: Generally the point of body swap episodes is to see two characters acting completely different to how they would regularly act. It gives the actors involved the opportunity to stretch their comedic acting abilities by interpreting a character they don’t usually play. That…doesn’t really work with Spock and T’Pring. They’re both Vulcan. On principle they don’t show much emotion, which makes them seem very similar. In other words, there were only subtle differences between Spock and T’pring for the actors to work with and that made this concept a lot less enjoyable.

‘Lift Us Where Suffering Cannot Reach’:

Ok, I’m going to review this episode a bit differently. I didn’t like this episode. But my dislike of this episode is mostly up to personal preference, so I want to review it as more of an explanation as to why this episode was written the way it was and why some people, like me, probably didn’t enjoy it despite the good writing. First off, I don’t tend to like the classic “pretty ex” episode most captains seem to get. Most of the time I feel like jumping head first into a random romance because two characters already “have history” is awkward. But it’s a classic formula for a ‘Star Trek’ episode, so I can’t say it’s surprising. Still, most of the time these ex-girlfriend characters don’t have the best intentions, and this episode is no different. This ex comes from a society that thrives on service and sacrifice to the planet. Which already sounds pretty shady. Then we get introduced to a little boy from said society who holds some kind of place of honor and is actively being protected from several kidnapping attempts. Every storyline, even the side stories of Uhura and Doctor M’Benga, wind up following the mystery of why this kid is under constant threat of being kidnapped. They all eventually discover that it’s his dad that’s trying to kidnap him and manage to stop his final attempt at trying to spirit away his son, but they frustratingly turn him over to his planet before they even figure out why his father did what he did. And that’s when we get to the point of the episode. It’s essentially a retelling of a Sci-Fi story that poses the idea of a society that operates on the suffering of children. Essentially, the child chosen serves as the life force of the planet and is slowly and horrifically drained of all life in order to keep the planet healthy.

The worst part? Our heroes don’t get to save this little boy. Pike figures out what’s going on far too late (Guess it doesn’t pay to trust someone you barely know because you “have history”) and as enraged and heartbroken as he is, he can’t interfere in the society per Star Fleet rules. Meanwhile his ex tries to reason with him, telling him that there’s no other choice for her people and many societies turn a blind eye to the suffering of children for the supposed “benefit of all”. Of course, we all know she’s pure evil. Pike also knows she’s pure evil. But as much as we the viewer want to rage at the screen and yell that no one could ever do that to a child, this episode aired right after another school tragedy in the US where politicians continued to send thoughts and prayers instead of reforming some dated, ridiculous laws. And that makes this episode topical for shining a light on our own society that ignores the suffering of children for personal gain. This episode was well thought out in many aspects. It was also awful to watch. I couldn’t ever watch it again and I can’t say I enjoyed watching it at all. I also can’t say that its attempts to show hope at the end of the episode really work, especially because the little boy’s dad giving M’Benga something that might be able to save his daughter winds up being irrelevant a few episodes later. But despite some imperfections it has a very well put-together message.

That’s the end of this review. In a few days I’ll come back with my reviews on episodes seven and eight, which I’m so excited to talk about. I really needed the delirious fun these two episodes provided after how depressing episode six was. I say this after every review, but ‘Strange New Worlds’ blows me away every week. I can’t get enough of this show or of how much the actors seem to be enjoying every episode as much as I am. It’s a pleasure to watch it as it’s airing and I recommend it if you still haven’t checked it out!

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie

Books: ‘Tokyo Ever After’ by Emiko Jean

Cropped image of the front cover of ‘Tokyo Ever After’ by Emiko Jean. Copyright goes to Emiko Jean and Flatiron Books.

Hi! It’s Annie!

Today I need all the distractions that I can take. And while my day began with my main distraction being Ateez; I have now remembered that I haven’t reviewed this amazing book. I saw this book while I was at Barnes and Noble and immediately looked it up after I found the back of the book to describe an incredibly interesting plot. When I then saw several people saying this book was a cross between ‘The Princess Dairies’ and ‘Crazy Rich Asians’ in the reviews, that sealed my fate. I had to have this book. And it was not at all disappointing! This is another one of my favorite books I’ve read in a while for so many reasons. One of them being the intense deep dive into what it is to be a young woman. Another being the way Jean tackles how the media universally treats young women. If you haven’t picked up a copy of this book, I highly recommend you do before continuing this review. This is a SPOILER review, because I have so much to say about this book. On top of gushing about one of the most adorable romances I’ve ever read in fiction. So I’m just going to get right into it now!

Summary: Izzy is a Japnaese-American High Schooler who is constantly confused about her place in the world and obsessed with a piece of herself that she swears is missing. Everything starts coming together when she finds out that her Father is actually the Crown Prince of Japan, but being a royal may be far more difficult than she anticipated. And through it all she finds out that the real question lies in getting to know herself. Who is she really?

Royalty:

Main Female Character- Izzy was not only relatable but was also the focus of this story in such a beautiful way. This book felt like a love letter to young women still trying to figure out who they are. It is also a love letter to women of color who feel torn between two worlds. Izzy is not popular and she doesn’t try to be fashionable, something I highly identify with from when I was in High School, and she only relies on her small close group of friends and her Mother. When she finds out that her Father is actually the Crown Prince of Japan, she feels like she finally has a shot at fully figuring out who she is and where she came from. And her journey to find herself is absolutely what’s most important in this book. It’s not just about her learning how to act like a Princess, it’s about the mistakes she makes and how the mistakes are natural and more impactful to who she is than if she hadn’t taken the chances that she does. Though romance is a big plot point in this book, the real love that this book explores is self love. And Jean keeps you on the edge of your seat simply with a story of self growth. Izzy’s sass and intelligence is more than enough to make her a fun narrator to follow along with as well.

Main Male Character- Akio made me melt every time. I’ve always had a soft spot for the bodyguard romance trope and this is the softest and sweetest example of that trope that I have ever found. Akio is adorable. From attempted seriousness to an absolute fondness for Izzy that he can’t seem to help. And his own backstory with his parents is just too heartbreaking and adorable at the same time. He’s one of those tough characters with the softest personality after you only begin to chip off the rough edges. And I smiled from ear to ear when he came back at the end of the book. He has that effect with all of his appearances. He doesn’t just make Izzy feel safe; it gets to the point where all of his appearances make you feel safe too. I always love it when an author can create a character so convincingly comforting that it makes me feel that way, so I knew I adored this book because of this fact alone not far into getting to know Akio.

The Romance- It’s not just a bodyguard trope, it also starts out almost enemies to lovers-ish. Though not completely, they do start out on the wrong foot. He doesn’t think she’s very responsible and in turn, she becomes very angry when she finds out he put a tracker in her phone. But either way, they completely trust each other from the beginning and only learn to put more trust in each other as the book goes on. And yes, I absolutely swooned when he covered her during the shooting scare. (Don’t worry, it wasn’t actually a shooting.) It’s also a travel to a different country and meet the love of your life trope, which is another trope that I’m head over heels for. This romance is almost too perfect for me as a reader. The fact that the book was also semi-realistic about them having to sacrifice in order to be together was a nice touch. I liked that he resigned both for himself and for their relationship! I was in love with this romance for the entirety of the book and this is quite possibly the main reason why I haven’t read the sequel yet. We’ll see if I eventually get around to it, but I’ve never been a fan of love triangles. And I love Akio so much! I may not be able to resist the sequel in the end, but the romance in this book is perfection and will not be beaten in my eyes!

The Friendship- Izzy has her own girl squad in this book and, though none of the characters appear a lot, I loved this friendship. I’m always a fan when a book or show takes the time to explore a female friendship. I was delighted when Izzy texting her friends was something that came up multiple times and I found myself falling in love with each member of the friend group for their different and complementary personalities. I loved the female support system!

The Family- This was another one of the most important pieces of the book. I loved Izzy’s relationship with her Mom and how amazingly cool her Mom was. I loved the fact that she wore all of those feminist T-shirts! It actually reminds me of my Mom! I was so invested in her getting to know her Dad and how open he was to her and who she was as a person. I absolutely adored the end of the book where her Dad stayed with her and her Mom in the states for a while. Especially how understanding and just happy he was even when she and her Mom stopped traffic to get to him. And the Grandfather and Grandmother blew me away in their understanding too. I especially loved her conversation with her Grandmother. Seriously, the women in this book have the best advice, are badass, and amazing. I adored the depiction of women in this book; but the men in the family were pretty cool too.

Japan- As much as this is a love story about Izzy finding herself, it’s also a love story between Izzy and Japan. Not only was Japan painted in such a magical light in this book, but the significance of it being a part of Izzy was beautiful. I loved when Izzy truly found she could connect with Japan and that she truly belonged there in some sense. Those moments were some of the most satisfying in the entire book. And you also truly fall in love with Japan through Izzy’s eyes.

Media- The author is not kind to the way the media treats famous people and I am always all for that. I have talked several times on this blog about how much the media intruding into the lives of famous people gets on my nerves, and she perfectly demonstrates that this is also incredibly bad for royalty. And even worse for royal women. In a recent interview Emma Watson talked about living up to impossible standards and paparazzi sexualizing her in the media the minute she came of age. This book sharply looks at how willing the media is to tear down young girls in general, especially if they are in the spotlight. Unless you literally save a baby, everything that you do is perceived by society to be completely wrong. And that’s a monstrous way to treat young women, or really anybody.

Peasant:

The Language- I think the only issue I had with the way the book was written was some of the teenage language used in it. Some of it would sometimes feel overly slang-y or a little outdated. Slang is changing so quickly now, especially with social media, so I understand it to a point. But there were still times where I felt some of the sentences said by Izzy or her friends felt a bit unnatural.

The Cousin- One of the main twists of this book is that Izzy’s trusted cousin for the majority of the book ends up selling her out and releasing the information that she’s dating her bodyguard. Though this was an interesting twist, I would have liked to see a little more leading up to it. Other than the fairly inappropriate way that he treats his own bodyguard (I liked that Izzy stole her for herself at the end), it feels like there’s not a lot that foreshadows the sudden change. I really liked that it wasn’t the twins that sold her out, but I would have liked a little more lead up and explanation as to why it was him.

The Twins- I had to talk about this, especially as a twin on this blog. This depiction of twins was too much of a stereotype to me in this book. They didn’t ever act independently of each other and they seemed to act as the same character in two different bodies. It really bugged me and I would have had more of a problem with it if they had appeared more. I know that the new book has more of them in it, so I hope that the sequel is much better at writing them individually!

Though I do have a few issues with it, I overall really loved this book. It captured my heart after only a few chapters and it is a perfect lighthearted read. I also loved how all the wisest characters were women. That especially feels like something I wanted to highlight today. A lighthearted read is a commodity for me right now and I can’t get enough of these adorable romances I’ve been able to pick up over these last couple weeks. Between my anger from today and my anger over people not getting the hint and leaving BTS alone, I have a lot to escape from right now. I really hope that some of you might be able to pick up this book and feel like I did reading it. Like you’ve found the perfect escape at the exact same time that you found a book that covered topics that just felt so relatable. I can already tell you that this is going on my list of comfort reads for those exact reasons. Once again, I highly recommend this book and feel like you should pick up a copy if you haven’t. This is a love letter to women, especially women of color, and I will gladly read several more books like that.

See you across the pond!

Sincerely, Annie

Star Wars: ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ Review

Screenshot of Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’. Copyright goes to Lucasfilm and Walt Disney Pictures.

Hey! Hallie here!

‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ just came to the end of its six-episode story and damn. This was really good. Not only was this a great character study of Obi-Wan and Leia, but it was an excellent celebration of the prequels whether you enjoyed them or not. Each episode found a way to take my breath away, and though this series had a few issues, they really didn’t compare to the amount of joy I got watching each episode. I’ve reviewed the first three episodes before, so I’m only going to be focusing on the last half of this series in this post. This is a SPOILER review so if you haven’t watched this series, I highly recommend going to do that before reading! You won’t regret it!

What I Liked:

Obi-Wan: To be honest here, the main thing that continually sells me on Obi-Wan from episode to episode is his relationship with Leia. I can’t get over how caring and gentle he is with her. From rescuing her in episode four to his adorable praises and encouragements at the very end of episode six, he so clearly has grown to care for her throughout this series like his own daughter. I also liked that their final interaction at the end of episode six implied that it didn’t take all the way until ‘A New Hope’ for the two to reunite. Leia was simply told to be cautious about sharing anything about spending time with Obi-Wan, and so she very likely was. It was nice to see Obi-Wan grow to trust Leia, too. He goes from being overprotective of her in the first few episodes to trusting her to take up difficult tasks on her own, and he didn’t even need her to tell him that she didn’t give Reva any information when she was captured. This relationship was the heart of the show, and it was written to perfection. But another major part of Obi-Wan’s arc is his relationship with Anakin. The entire show zeroes in on his guilt over creating Darth Vader, and because of that he throws himself in the way of Anakin any chance he gets in order to fulfill the moral obligation he feels. That gives us excellent sequences like episode five, where Obi-Wan and Anakin essentially play a game of chess that’s mirrored by a flashback lightsaber duel. Anakin is aggressive, sending troops to attack before he comes in to kill Obi-Wan himself. But Obi-Wan is smarter, using Reva’s hatred of Anakin and a well timed illusion to buy himself and the people around him time to escape. And then we get their final battle in the last episode. It’s a joy to see Ewan McGregor come back to his classic ready position and all of the mesmerizing lightsaber flourishes. Beyond just the fighting, it was truly satisfying and heartbreaking to see Obi-Wan come face-to-face with his padawan and realize that Anakin created himself. There was no better way to round out his arc than that.

Leia: Our other star of the show. Leia never disappointed me. In fact, I never felt prouder of her than while I was watching Reva interrogate her. You can tell that Leia does at least partially believe Reva when Reva tells her Obi-Wan is dead. After all, he left her alone in pursuit of something dangerous and no one had come to rescue her. But, despite that, she still refuses to give any information away and never lets Reva belittle her intelligence. She’s even partially responsible for the entire escape that occurs in episode five thanks to her tech skills. Beyond that, her emotional intelligence is still very much on display here. For one, she holds Obi-Wan’s hand to comfort him which nearly made me cry. But, more importantly, she lets Obi-Wan go to fight Anakin, regardless of the fact that she’s upset he isn’t going to take her home himself, because she sees how much it means to him. She also makes him promise to come back alive which ultimately gives him the strength to do so. Though she isn’t as active in the latter half of the series as she is in the first half, she still shines and has a huge impact on the story that I love. By the end of episode six she’s already wearing a blaster holster (Obi-Wan sadly didn’t give her a blaster), she has plans for the future of Alderaan, and she still won’t let anyone tell her how to live her life. In short, she’s already on her way to being Carrie Fisher’s Leia and I couldn’t be happier.

Reva: I expected to like Reva, but I wound up even more interested in this character than I expected. The reveal that Reva was one of the younglings in the opening sequence of the show was no surprise. Most people on the internet had guessed that. But the fact that she was basically masquerading as an Inquisitor in order to get close enough to Anakin to kill him was surprising to me. She was only interested in Obi-Wan because she knew she could use him to get to Anakin, and her ruthlessness in killing Jedi in the hopes of finding Obi-Wan was a glaring sign of how far she fell. Of course, we didn’t get to see her fulfill her goals. In fact her fight with Darth Vader, unsurprisingly, didn’t last long. But I’d argue her story got even more interesting when she decided to go after Luke in episode six. Because she can’t kill Anakin and feels like a failure because of it, she learns about Luke and decides to kill a youngling, essentially trying to prove to herself she can be just as powerful and ruthless as Vader. But she can’t do it. And because she can’t do it, and because Obi-Wan convinces her that she’s a better person than Vader, she has every opportunity to come back in future projects. She remains alive by the end of the series, she already has the beginnings of a redemption arc going for her, and her absence in the ‘Star Wars’ movies means that she could pretty much do anything. I really like this character and I hope they decide to utilize this opportunity.

Darth Vader: I always find it difficult to critique Darth Vader, partly because Darth Vader perfected intimidation long ago and partly because he doesn’t really change much from project to project. I can say though, I really liked the merging of Anakin and Vader that was done by this series. You get more of Anakin’s rage and recklessness here than you do in some other projects. Obi-Wan really does bring out a desperation to Anakin you don’t often see. His final appearance in the show completed this merging perfectly by breaking his mask. It was really cool to hear Hayden Christensen’s voice mixed with the classic James Earl Jones voice, and getting to see more of Hayden’s face in the Vader makeup made Hayden’s Anakin finally feel like the same person as Darth Vader.

Qui-Gon Jin: I actually got up from my seat and screamed. It’s a small cameo, but come on. Liam Neeson returning to the role? What more is there to say?

What I Disliked:

The Non-deaths: So both the Grand Inquisitor and Reva had a moment in this series where they were fatally stabbed. Except they weren’t and both are apparently completely fine and uninjured. I get that Vader was keeping that the Grand Inquisitor was alive a secret in order to catch Reva in her lie, but the Grand Inquisitor was stabbed by Reva. Reva wasn’t pretending to stab him. She was actually intending to kill him. So how did he live? Also, Vader completely ran Reva through. And from what I know of Vader, he doesn’t usually leave a murder unfinished. So how did Reva survive? How did she even get to Luke after receiving that bad of an injury?

Tala: I wish I got the point of this character. I really do. But I didn’t get why she had to be there. To not follow Obi-Wan’s directions when he asked her to keep Leia safe? To be really bad at pretending to be an Imperial officer? To needlessly sacrifice herself? The most she does is help Obi-Wan when he’s injured in his first fight against Vader, and almost any other character could have done that.

Sacrificing Reva: In episode five, part of Obi-Wan’s plan in order to get everyone away from Vader is to rile up Reva. He does this because, if Reva attacks Vader as he hopes she will, it’ll buy everyone time to escape. Except, I really can’t see Obi-Wan thinking that convincing Reva to fight Vader would be a moral solution to their problem. Obi-Wan knows Vader’s more powerful than her. On top of that, as much as he fears Anakin, he still sees his old friend in Vader at this point in the story and wouldn’t want Reva to kill him even if she could overpower him. So what was his plan here? To let Reva die? Why would he be cool with sacrificing the last surviving youngling?

I’m going to end this review here. I do have some criticisms, but overall I thought this series was so well done. I’m a huge Leia fan and I’m thrilled that we got yet another version of Leia for me to obsess over and gush about. Leia is quickly rising in my list of favorite characters of all time. I also walked away from this series with something unexpected. A new appreciation of the prequels. I’m not someone who thinks the prequels are completely awful, but I don’t think they’re good movies either. But now that we have a bridge between the prequels and the original trilogy, I feel like I can see them as one cohesive story. Although, ‘Clone Wars’ did already contribute to my appreciation of that part of ‘Star Wars’ canon. Either way, I love ‘Obi-Wan Kenobi’ and I can see myself rewatching it many times in the future. It was a joy to see Ewan McGregor step back into the role of Obi-Wan and I’ll miss him immensely now that it’s over.

Don’t do anything fun until I get back!

Hallie