HMTL Recap and Review -Swamp Thing: S1E3 – “He Speaks”
This episode of Swamp Thing is our first real opportunity to see an average episode. Last week’s outing was good. However, it had to address the fallout of the pilot episode. It needed to resolve some of those immediate threads. That out of the way, this week was another solid outing for Swamp Thing.
The Story So Far
There is a lot to track this week; way beyond the main narrative threads of Abby, Alec, and the Sunderlands.
Abby, Alec, and Swamp Thing
Abby, having been involved with the rescue of Susie the night before is too concerned to celebrate. Susie’s implication that the creature in the swamp is Alec is alarming, unsettling, and surprisingly accepted by Abby. Her friend Liz is also surprisingly accepting of this potential fate of Alec Holland. There is little time for the pair to dwell, however. The illness that has ravaged the town is getting worse.
Abby arrives at the hospital to learn that the CDC has sent in a superior from Atlanta. She also learns that Harlan, her investigative partner, has also contracted the Marais sickness. Desperate for answers to the issue of the disease and the fate of Alec, Abby sets out for Alec’s lab. Liz asks Margeaux to keep an eye out at Skeeter Cove for any evidence of the fate of Alec Holland.
The episode opened with a scene where Alec found himself wandering a swamp. He encounters the man that Swamp Thing murdered recently in protecting Susie. The man warns him that he will be coming back for Alec. In the real world, Swamp Thing wanders away from his remains. As he leaves, swarms of insects converge and the remains and reanimate it.
Conflict at the Lab
At the lab of Alec Holland, Abby searches for notes but is interrupted by invading insects. This culminates with the insect-reanimated corpse of the man who Swamp Thing killed arriving. Swamp Thing soon arrives, warning the zombie to leave Abby alone, before settling the matter in a destructive fight. Swamp Thing, however, sees the zombie is suffering and manages to release him. She realizes that Swamp Thing is Alec, but has no way to help him.
She returns to the hospital, armed with knowledge from Swamp Thing that the illness is fighting back. This is because of the increased antibiotics. She manages to save the currently ill from a hasty death by reducing the treatment.
At the bar, later, she shares a dance with Matt Cable as Swamp Thing watches from a distance.
Sunderland Developments
The tenuous alliance between Avery and Maria Sunderland fractures further this week as financial pressures and a haunting exacerbate the current problems.
Avery finds himself trying to right the ship of his swamp research investments. He is confronted by his loan source, however. It turns out that Avery is underwater on a series of off-the-books loans from the bank. His partner in crime, Gordon Haas, is getting cold feet from Liz Tremaine’s investigation. After a tense confrontation at the Sunderland residence at dinner, Haas departs and Avery begins to spiral. During questioning by Sheriff Lucilia Cable he tries to rekindle a romance with her while Maria is in the house. Later, under the guise of wanting to help Maria deal with her pain, he tries to press her for a loan of her family’s money. She ends up cutting him off.
Cornered and angry, Avery waits for Gordon at the man’s house. The confrontation becomes violent and Avery murders Gordon in a bathtub with a golf club. During the dispassionate clean-up of the crime-scene, Liz arrives at Gordon’s house to talk to him. Avery does not answer the door, but he does notice Liz.
Maria, meanwhile, continues her downward spiral as the spirit of Shawna continues to haunt her and discusses Avery’s infidelities. Is Shawna truly a ghost? Or is this a manifestation of guilt and a sign of Maria’s awareness of Avery’s indiscretions?
Strange Voodoo and Slipping Memories
Margeaux, out at Skeeter Cove, discovers the first major clue to the fate of Alec Holland; she finds part of the boat, filled with bullet holes. This direct evidence of murder will certainly change the trajectory of the case. Early Sheriff Lucilia Cable had plans to close it.
Lucilia, introduced in the last episode, continues to illustrate the small-town conflict of interests that appear with the police as she finds herself again speaking ill of Abby to her son. her later encounter with Avery, referencing a past history of infidelity with him, also proves problematic.
Jason Woodrue makes a less than charming introduction to Abby Arcane conducting an autopsy of the remains of Eddie Coyle. His arrogance and disconnect from the human element of the disease do not endear him to Dr. Arcane. Later on, though, Woodrue is revealed to have his own trauma as he discusses his findings with his wife, Caroline. In a heartbreaking moment, Caroline forgets that she had taken her medication already, a sign of the escalation of early-onset Alzheimers.
The most curious development for the surrounding characters, however, involves Nimue Xanadu and Daniel Cassidy. Daniel has apparently been stuck in Marais for years and has had the same, repeated tarot readings from Xanadu. The reading depicts “the fool,” “the hanged man,” and “the wheel.” However, something has begun to change the fate of Daniel, as his new reading is identical, only with “the wheel” reversed. Just what has kept Daniel in Marais and what has changed for him now?
What Stood Out
For an episode the was so densely packed with storylines, the developments were handled well and did not feel too crowded. The presence of increasing concern from the CDC makes a lot of sense and will certainly keep the pressure on Abby.
The insect-filled zombie of the murderer was incredibly gross and creepy and served as a great “monster of the week” that introduced a number of questions about the nature of the swamp.
Derek Mears, as the Swamp Thing, did a fantastic job in a role that, in lesser hands, is little more than a lumbering brute. Mears’ voice is fantastic and the body language of the Swamp Thing really sells the pain and struggle Alec is facing in this new form. Additionally, being able to see Andy Bean as Alec in the “green” this week served as an excellent reminder of the humanity present within the Swamp Thing when it comes to guilt and trauma.
The Final Verdict on Swamp Thing
“He Speaks” was an excellent outing for a show that is quickly becoming the best adaptation of Swamp Thing in a live-action form. With any luck, the remaining seven episodes will not be the last of this swamp-scum covered gem of a series.
That being said, the show, visually, is still incredibly dark. This likely will not change for the rest of the season, so we’ll just need to accept it for now.
(4.5 / 5)
Deep Roots
The big comic connection this week, beyond the strange meeting between Xanadu and Cassidy, is the reference to the Conclave. We’re not going to dive too deep into that, though. Let’s see how all this plays out over the next batch of episodes.
Instead, let us look at the implications of the nature of Alec’s/Swamp Thing’s existence. Just as they had a connection to Susie Coyle due to the illness, there too was some form of connection between them and Susie’s attempted murderer. The implication for comic fans, here, should be that this is “the Green” in action taking in the essence and memories of those who are absorbed by the natural world. It could be something in line with Alan Moore’s stunning retcon of the character when he took over the comics.
Secondly, the nature of the zombification through insects may be hinting at the New 52 concept of “the Rot.” We’ll see in the coming weeks about that.
Please continue to join us each week for the remaining episodes of DC Universe’s Swamp Thing.
The finale of American Horror Story Delicate aired last night. And if you were watching along with us on Threads, then you already know that it didn’t live up to any of my expectations.
Let’s discuss.
The story
We begin with Anna being ushered off stage and into an ambulance. Dex is there because Siobhan called him.
Once in the ambulance, though, the blood starts to spill. And it’s not just Anna’s. She soon finds herself in the clutches of the coven, giving birth in the most anxiety-inducing place possible. And when the baby is born, he’s taken away at once.
Because that’s the agreement that Anna made, without fully realizing what she was agreeing to.
If Anna’s going to get her baby back, she’s going to have to make another sacrifice. She is going to have to join the coven herself. Is she strong enough to do it? Is she strong enough to raise a monster?
What worked
This episode did have some fun elements. As a practicing witch myself, I appreciate the addition of Hestia in a positive light. Especially when this season was so focused on motherhood, womanhood, and sisterhood, Hestia was a lovely goddess to include.
For those who don’t know, Hestia is a goddess of the home and hearth, but not a maternal goddess. She was, in fact, a virgin goddess. So Adeline’s devotion to her made sense in a real-world witchcraft way. Adeline was supposed to be a symbol of female love and support. Including Hestia in this made that crystal clear.
This was made most clear with the behavior of Siobhan. She was a perfect example of a toxic person who uses sisterhood to use and manipulate others. This can be seen clearly in the flashback that begins this episode. We see Siobhan show kindness to Anna, who she wants to use while being cruel to the woman who shared her story at the start of the meeting. For Siobhan, kindness is a currency she spends to get something. And that is clear.
What didn’t work
Sadly, those two elements weren’t enough to save this episode. My first concern is that this ending had more holes in it than Swiss cheese.
This wasn’t just a matter of having questions left after the ending. These were elements that we should have seen and just didn’t. Why were the witches diluting and working with blood near the end of the episode? Why didn’t Dex Senior get what was coming to him? What the hell was with those pointed green heels? My largest question, however, is this.
Did Anna imagine all of this? Did any of it happen? We don’t know. Consider the ending. I don’t want to spoil too much of this, so I’ll only point out Anna’s gown. It’s bloody in one scene and newly clean the next. This is only the example I can share without spoiling the ending. But we have no proof that any of these things happened to her.
While it’s fine to leave some questions up to the viewer, there were too many here. Rather than feeling mysterious, it just felt incomplete. And seeing as how this episode was much shorter than a standard one, this could have easily been corrected.
I would also like to hold some space for how this season ruined the good message of the book Delicate Condition. This novel was bloody, gory, and disturbing. But it also had a beautiful message about sisterhood, and women supporting women through motherhood, career choices, and life in general. There is so much pure, sisterly love in that book.
This is entirely missing from this season. It’s often turned on its head, with women betraying each other for their own selfish desires. And honestly, I hated that.
Finally, this season finale is another example of an ending ruining a good season. AHS Delicate wasn’t without its charm. Some episodes were great fun. There were elements that I truly enjoyed as a horror fan, a witch and a woman. But this ending just soured everything good about the season. It spoiled all of the enjoyment I had. Much like Sabrina, Dexter, and the podcast Dolores Roach, the ending ruined everything that came before it.
In the end, this finale was disappointing. It didn’t deliver on its promises, it did a disservice to the source material, and it was poorly executed. This series is more than capable of better. Delicate Condition, the novel, deserved a better interpretation.
However, as a long-time fan, I can honestly say that in twelve years of content, I have genuinely disliked a season and a half of American Horror Story. This one, and the second half of Double Feature. So while AHS Delicate was a disappointment, I am looking forward to season thirteen. In the meantime, I’m going to rewatch Coven and look forward to better stories to come.
(2 / 5)
Episode three of Amazon Prime’s Fallout continued the themes we’ve seen so far, with an added twist. With comedy and gore already blending, the story has added an air of tragic history for one of its least cuddly characters.
Let’s discuss.
The story
Our story starts with a flashback to before the bombs dropped. We see Coop, filming a movie. His wife is on set as well, and their adorable daughter. Coop has a comfortable life with a family he loves.
Isn’t that just a knife in the heart?
Back in the present, Lucy is traveling through the wastelands with the head of Wilzig. And she’s doing so with the same fear and joy that we’ve seen from her so far. Until that is, she runs into a Gulper. And after eating a defenseless deer, it swallowed up the head.
Eventually, The Ghoul catches up with Lucy and decides to capture her. After using her as bait, he decides to drag her along with him.
Meanwhile, Maximus gets a message from the Brotherhood of Steel. Rather than coming clean, he claims to be Knight Titus and is accidentally sent a new Squire. That squire is Thaddeus, one of Maximus’s bullies from the base. And Maximus wastes no time in taking some sweet, sweet revenge.
Finally, we return to Vault 33. The vault is healing from the Raider attack and the loss of Lucy. Norm and Chet are being punished for letting Lucy leave, by being fired from their jobs. This throws Chet because he had a cool job.
Norm, on the other hand, didn’t like his job. He didn’t like any job. So, since this is the only way anyone gets punishments in the vault, he’s given the task of feeding the Raiders.
And talking to the Raiders was maybe not a healthy thing for Norm to be doing. He might learn something he didn’t want to know.
What worked
The first thing I have to talk about is the massive creature called The Gulper.
This thing was fascinating. It was voracious, fast, and horrifying to look like. It was like a giant axolotl from Hell, with human fingers lining its whole mouth and throat. Why did it need fingers lining its mouth and throat? The better to drag someone down its throat and into its stomach. And the better to drag itself into my nightmares. This creature was well done.
On the flip side of this, I love the fact that the people of Vault 33 are so kind. They’re so willing to forgive, willing to care for their fellow man even when their fellow man is trying to kill them.
I don’t trust it, to be clear. But the perceived kindness from these people is uplifting. And I’m sure it will make whatever is going to eventually happen to them all the worse.
Of course, I can’t talk about the goodness of the vault dwellers without talking about the absolute horribleness of The Ghoul. The Ghoul is not a good person. He is cruel, and selfish, and clearly dislikes Lucy for some reason we do not yet know, and is probably not her fault.
But we kind of understand how he got that way, don’t we? During the flashbacks, we see that he’s lost his wife and daughter. We also see that he was used as a mascot for the very company that created the vaults. And, while we don’t have any concrete proof yet, we can probably guess that these are not the good guys. Even if we haven’t played the games, anyone who’s even slightly genre-savvy can already guess that.
Which is the last thing I want to bring up here.
We know something stinks with the vaults. Something beyond the obvious issues of wealth disparities and the people left outside to die while those who could afford a Vault spot were saved. Something is rotten with the vaults, we all know this. What we don’t know is what form this rot will take.
Not yet.
What didn’t work
Now, I wish I could say this was a perfect episode. But sadly, it wasn’t. And my biggest issue with the episode is with the character Maximus.
Now, I love Maximus. He wants to do good things in the world. He’s the underdog, and who doesn’t love that? He’s honorable and believes in the organization he belongs to.
I don’t love that he cannot do anything right. It feels like he wins fights by falling over and tripping into succeeding. And this character deserves so much more than that. Can we please, just once, see him be good at something or make a sound decision?
All that being said, this was still a fun episode. It was funny and bright, with an ominous feel and a horrific finger-ridden monster. I had a great time with it.
(4 / 5)
Last night’s episode of American Horror Story Delicate was wild. From its star-studded start to its powerfully quiet finish, I was enthralled through every moment.
Let’s discuss.
The story
We begin this episode at the funeral of Dex’s mom. While he’s giving a eulogy, which was very nice, Ms. Preecher walks in. She shouts to the room that Virginia didn’t commit suicide, she was murdered. She also tells Dex to listen to his wife.
What a concept!
Touched by this, or maybe just curious, Anna goes to the hospital to check on Preecher. She falls asleep at the hospital. When she wakes up, Preecher is gone. A nurse says that she was discharged to a group of women.
While at the hospital, Anna also discovers that she’s been nominated for best actress.
At a publicity event for the awards, Anna runs into Cora. And she sees the coat she remembers from her late-night visit near the start of her pregnancy.
With the slightest amount of pressure, Cora spills it all. She and Dex have been having an affair, and Cora was trying to sabotage Anna’s pregnancy. So Anna, channeling her inner Madison Montgomery, kicks him out and heads to the awards ceremony with Siobhan.
There, Siobhan asks her if she wants an Oscar more than anything. If she’d be willing to give up anything for it.
And Anna says yes.
The bargain is then sealed with a kiss.
What worked
I’d like to begin, paradoxically, at the end of the episode. We’ve seen Anna have some terrible, loud, frightening hallucinations in this season. At least, we assume they’re hallucinations. But this one wasn’t loud. It was, in fact, very quiet. Anna is led off stage, without a word, leaving nothing but a puddle of blood behind.
In horror, like in all art, the notes you don’t play are as important as the ones you do. And the notes that weren’t played her rang like a bell.
I also appreciated that this episode describes why being a celebrity would be a huge pain in the ass. Imagine going to an event where the whole purpose is for people to take pictures of you while holding their product. Imagine if they invaded your personal space, sprayed things on you, put things over your eyes, and you were expected to smile and pose.
I don’t know what it is about being a celebrity that makes others feel entitled to a person. To talk with them, take their time, and share in their moments. To touch them without consent. Yes, there are way worse things happening to people. But this isn’t a great way to live. It’s no wonder so many of them go nuts. This is most clearly shown in the scene when Anna is sitting next to Preecher’s bed. She wakes up to find the older woman gone. But all anyone wants to talk about is how she was just nominated for an Oscar. At that moment, she doesn’t give a damn. She cares about this kind woman, and where she’s gone. Just like any other person.
Finally, I appreciated that this season didn’t do what so many AHS seasons do. Which is to say that this episode didn’t feel like the last episode. It felt like the penultimate episode. It felt like there was still more story to tell, not just loose ends to be wrapped up. I appreciate that the writers have finally learned that lesson.
For this season, at least.
What didn’t work
The first thing that bothered me in this episode was Cora’s confession. I said something about this during our live-watch event on Threads. (Join us next week for the finale. Bring popcorn and wine.)
I don’t believe Cora’s confession. I further don’t believe that she just dumped all of this incriminating info on Anna with no more prompting than a wide-eyed look. There was just no reason for it. So, Anna saw her coat? Lots of people have similar coats. This feels fake, and she brought no receipts.
I also found Siobhan’s behavior confusing. At times she seems genuinely concerned for Anna’s wellbeing. At other times, she is more than willing to let her suffer and risk her pregnancy.
While this has been going on all season, it was happening every few minutes in this one. Either Siobhan cares about the welfare of that fetus, or she doesn’t. But she needs to pick a lane.
All in all, I don’t know what to expect from next week’s season finale. Anna has her Oscar, but now she might lose her baby. She might also get sucked into some horrible cult and experience a bad death. We won’t know until next week.
See you then.
(4 / 5)
