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And dear readers, we are almost home. Almost done with the series that is. As we approach the end, we begin to see issues resolved: either by death or other means.

We begin this episode with Gus, Eric, and Pam (and the team of Yakuza/Yakonomo corporation members) cornering Sarah. Eric runs to Sarah and lifts her up against a pole, choking her.

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Everyone around urges Eric to think rationally and he does let up after drinking from Sarah and healing from his Hep-V.

Tara in a White Dress

We finally get the conclusion to Lettie Mae and Lafayette getting high to see Tara. Last episode, we ended with the pair digging holes in the yard of an unknown family. Reverend Daniels shows up and they convince him to drink James’ blood with them to understand what is going on.

While the three are high, we see a vision of Tara in her childhood home. It turns out this is the house she led them to dig holes in. We learn how abusive Tara’s father was and how as he was hurting Lettie Mae, Tara got his gun and almost shot him to make it stop. Shortly after, Tara buries the gun in the yard as her father leaves for good.

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Tara’s spirit has led Lettie Mae to the gun and once they dig it up, Tara is able to speak to Lettie Mae and tell her that all is forgiven and that she is sorry for not pulling the trigger when she should have. Lettie Mae is able to let go of Tara with this closure and Tara disappears.

Solutions

Sookie wakes up with Bill in bed after the sex of last episode. Eric appears at Bill’s home and Sookie answers the door in a robe. Clearly he knows what’s going down but Eric becomes concerned when Sookie tells him that Bill is sick and that it is rapidly progressing because she is the one who infected him.

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Eric tells Sookie that he will be back tomorrow night to help Bill. There is a cure but he cannot tell Sookie about it. As always, Sookie does not take this as an answer and goes to Fangtasia where Gus and Eric are holding Sarah in the dungeon until her blood is synthesized. Eric must pretend to glamour Sookie to avoid her being killed by Gus.

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Sookie leaves but decides to turn around and enters the secret tunnel that leads into the dungeon of Fangtasia. She discovers Sarah and reads her thoughts, learning that she is the cure.

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Gus tells Eric he is leaving town but that his men will watch over him and Pam to make sure they don’t do anything stupid. Right after this conversation, Sookie sneaks Jessica and Bill into the dungeon so Bill can feed on Sarah. They meet up with Eric and Pam there. Eric isn’t so happy that Sookie didn’t listen to him but urges them to be quick before they are all caught and killed.

Bill hesitates and decides that he doesn’t want the blood. Then why’d you come all this way, man? Oh well, at least if Bill is going to die this will mean it was of his own accord. I can respect that for the character I know of Bill Compton.

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To the Rescue

Jason finds out that Violet has captured Adilyn and Jessica when Violet texts him photos of them tied up and urges him to hurry. Hoyt’s girlfriend Bridget goes with Jason after she and Hoyt fight about having children. Jason tries to get her out of his car but cannot wait and speeds off to save Adilyn and Jessica.

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Jason has Bridget wait outside in the car with a gun to stay safe. When Jason goes inside, Violet captures him and ties him up in the dungeon alongside Jessica, Adilyn, and Wade.

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She’s got some pretty skin-crawling ideas to torture them and make them pay for their transgressions: a searing dildo for Jessica since she was turned a virgin, a breast ripper for Adilyn, and a finger-chopper for Wade.

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I’m really glad to not have to see any of that right when Hoyt walks in and shoots Violet, making her melt into goo on the floor. Thank the heavens that Bridget got scared out in the car and called Hoyt.

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Even though Hoyt has no memory of Jessica, he seems enthralled by her and tells this to Jason later at the bar. Jason says that they are not together and Hoyt goes to Bill’s house to show his condolences to Jessica for Bill’s imminent death. He brings a bag of his blood to help Bill eat clean blood in the meantime. It’s a really thoughtful gesture as Hoyt always does and Jessica is touched by it. It is clear that the chemistry Hoyt and Jessica shared is still there even when his memories are gone. It is kind of sweet.

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Final Thoughts

This episode thankfully killed Violet before I had to watch her do unspeakable things to the most innocent cast of characters. I liked the ending she got and loved that Hoyt was the one to do it. There is some justice here, as Violet was the one who killed Hoyt’s mother (he just doesn’t know it). A great episode – fast paced – that is keeping us racing to the end. Only two more to go! 5 out of 5 stars (5 / 5)

Sarah Moon is a stone-cold sorceress from Tennessee whose interests include serial killers, horror fiction, and the newest dystopian blockbuster. Sarah holds an M.A. in English Literature and an M.F.A. in Fiction Writing. She works as an English professor as well as a cemeterian. Sarah is most likely to cover horror in print including prose, poetry, and graphic forms. You can find her on Instagram @crystalsnovelnook.

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Movies n TV

Fallout, The Target

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Episode two of Amazon Prime’s Fallout was equal parts funny and bloody. This almost always leads to a good time.

The story

We begin this episode with the birth of some puppies that look like they’ve had a rough start to life. Each one is weighed, with the ones who fall short being incinerated.

One pup who is just below the correct weight gets a bit of a thumb on their scale. The scientist weighing them, Wilzig, writes down the proper weight. He later takes the puppy home to raise instead of putting them into what looks like an unforgiving training program.

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Eventually, we see Wilzig put some blue glowing thing into his neck. When a soldier comes for him, Dog attacks the soldier, and the two escape.

Ella Purnell in Fallout.

We go from there to the wilderness, where Lucy is recovering from the last episode and enjoying a campfire at night. Wilzig and Dog come out of the shadows, saving Lucy from a bug monster. Wilzig tells Lucy she should go home. And if she’s not going to go home, she needs to evolve.

The next day Lucy finds her way to a town called Filly. As a Pennsylvanian, it hurts me to spell it that way. Lucy is entranced by this town, though clearly put off by the fact that no one is very nice here.

She eventually finds her way to a shop run by a delightful woman named Ma June. Ma doesn’t seem particularly interested in helping Lucy. Or, frankly, having Lucy in her shop.

Or in her town.

Eventually, Wilzig is tracked to this same shop, being tracked by The Ghoul. This is our final primary character. Lucy defends Wilzig, being aided at the last moment by Maximus.

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Maximus, by the way, has been having a terrible time. After finally becoming a squire he’s disappointed to find that his knight, Knight Titus, is a terrible person.

Fortunately, Maximus doesn’t have to put up with Titus for long. After Titus gets the bright idea to go hunting, he’s attacked by a mutated bear. Maximus freezes, unable to save him. Then, well, he decides not to save him.

It was Titus’s idea to go hunt the bear, after all.

What worked

Walton Goggins in Fallout.

The first thing I want to draw attention to is the shootout scene at Filly. This scene checked every box a fight scene should check. It was fun to watch, with great effects. But it also gave us insight into the characters. Lucy is a decent fighter and has a strong moral compass. The Ghoul is callus and desensitized to death. And Maximus continues to be, well, sort of bad at this whole fighting thing. But with enough moral fortitude that we have a hard time blaming him.

Of course, I would be remiss if I didn’t mention the dog. Who’s name, as far as I’ve been able to ascertain, is just Dog. Which is fine. He doesn’t need to have a name to be a very good boy. He’s sweet, loyal, and fearless.

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Also, puppies. Puppies are always great.

Finally, I’d like to shine a spotlight on Lucy’s reaction to the world at large. She is both amazed and terrified by everything. And while she certainly doesn’t want to be rude, she also doesn’t want to be taken advantage of. The best example of this is when she stops to ask for directions with a bright smile and a gun.

Once again, I don’t have anything bad to say about this episode. It was funny, dark, and fun to watch. I’m very much looking forward to the rest of the season. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Movies n TV

Fallout, The End

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Launching with worldwide excitement, Fallout is based on the extremely popular game series of the same name. Fans of the series have waited with anticipation and trepidation to see if the Prime series would live up to the game.

Having now watched the first episode I can say that, so far, it’s successful.

The story

Our story begins with a children’s birthday party. A performer is there with his daughter, giving horse rides and taking pictures with the kids.

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As much as the adults try to focus on the party and the kids, it’s impossible to ignore the looming threat of war that’s on everyone’s mind.

Of course, it’s during this party that war comes, and the bombs drop.

We then cut to after the war and into one of the vaults established to protect humankind and the American Way. For future reference, this is Vault 33. We meet Lucy, our first main character, who’s petitioning to be married to a man from Vault 32 to ensure DNA diversity.

On the wedding night, though, Lucy and the rest of Vault 33 are met with a horrible surprise. The group they let in is not in fact from Vault 32, but is instead a team of raiders from the surface. The raiders kill a lot of the vault dwellers and kidnap Lucy’s father.

We are then introduced to our second main character, Maximus. He is in training to become a Knight in the Brotherhood of Steel. And, well, he’s not doing great.

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Things get worse when his best friend Dane becomes a squire before him. But when Dane is hurt, Maximus gets their spot.

Aaron Moten in Fallout.

We then go back to Lucy, who has decided to leave the vault and find her dad. Of course, the council of her vault doesn’t want her to go. So she is aided by her brother Norm and cousin Chet in a wild escape.

What worked

The first thing that deserves attention is the exceptional character work. Our three main characters are fleshed out and relatable right away. We feel sympathetic for The Ghoul before he’s even introduced as such. We love Lucy’s nativity and selflessness. And we love Maximus for his honesty and passion for his cause.

While these characters are their own people, they also exhibit the three responses we might expect to see in a post-apocalyptic world. We have the hopeful optimist who doesn’t understand how bad things are. We have the aspiring hero who wants to make the world better by force. And we have the self-serving individual who’s given up on the rest of humanity and is only focused on surviving.

Another thing I enjoyed about this episode was the balance of humor and gore. Because there was certainly enough blood and guts for even the most hardcore horror lover. We had a violent sabotage, a brawl with raiders, and even several nuclear bombs.

But there were a lot of funny moments as well. Usually from Lucy. Her overall goodwill and fearless gumption are absolutely hilarious, especially given the horrors she’s facing. It never ceases to amuse me.

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Ella Purnell in Fallout

Both of these aspects are done perfectly. The jokes land and the bloody scenes pull no punches. It was delightful.

All in all, this was an exciting start to a much-anticipated series. Here’s hoping they’re able to stick the landing.

For more tv shows based on video games, check out my review of Witcher. 4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

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Movies n TV

American Horror Story Delicate, Ave Hestia

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Episode seven of American Horror Story Delicate was a classic AHS flashback episode. If you were excited to see what Preecher had to say to Anna at the end of the last episode, I’m sorry to say that you will not get that satisfaction. However, we did learn all sorts of other fascinating things about the strange coven hunting Anna. And, we learned all sorts of things we didn’t know about Dex’s first wife, Adeline.

The story

We begin our story with a woman giving birth alone in a barn. When it becomes clear that she’s not going to be able to deliver vaginally, she pulls out a knife and cuts her stomach open to pull out her children.

For whatever reason, this is when the coven of witches decides to make themselves known.

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Ashlie Atkinson in American Horror Story.

We then cut to 2013, when Dex was still married to Adeline. In true Dex fashion, he’s surprised her with a puppy.

While that sounds great in theory, dogs are something a couple should talk about, not gift each other with as a surprise. An adult would know that. A trust fund boy like Dex does not.

Adeline owns a vegan restaurant called Ave Hestia. Love that name. She seems to be living a great life. She has a career she’s passionate about, friends who love her, and a husband she seems kind of fond of.

Maybe that’s why she didn’t want a puppy. She already had one.

Of course, things aren’t as good as they appear. We soon find out that Adeline was one of those babies we saw at the start of the episode. The other baby was Sonia, the painter.

Annabelle Dexter-Jones in American Horror Story.

And yes, both of these characters are played by Annabelle Dexter-Jones.

Adeline has stepped away from their family, and whatever dark things they do. But the family isn’t happy with her decision. And if she isn’t going to come back willingly, they’re going to make her.

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What worked

To start with, I loved the character, Adeline. She is fierce, she is fearless, and relentless. I feel like this would have been a far different story if Adeline had been our main character. It was astounding to see her interact with the same people Anna has, and get a completely different response. It’s clear now, how much everyone around Anna resents her for simply not being Adeline.

I also appreciated that there was just a shocking amount of blood in this episode. From the start when Adeline and Sonia are born, to the climactic end of Adeline, this episode is just drenched in blood.

Finally, I’m fascinated by the changes in this season from the book it’s based on. Because absolutely none of this was in the book. Compared to this, the book is heartwarming.

The book is kind of heartwarming even without the comparison.

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But I love the fact that, even with just two episodes left in the season, I have no idea what’s going to happen. I do not know what Anna is carrying. I do not know if she’s going to survive this. I do not know what these people want with her.

But I can’t wait to find out.

What didn’t work

All that being said, it is a bit frustrating to have no forward momentum in this episode. This was all backstory, and it felt like there wasn’t enough backstory to fill a full forty minutes. Because of that, it dragged. There were a lot of scenes that just didn’t need to be as long as they were. It felt like they could have cut that down considerably, and had some time to check in with our main characters at either the start or the end of the episode.

There are only two episodes left in the season, and I can honestly say I have no idea what’s going to happen. But so far the story has been dark, bloody, and provocative. So I hope they can manage to end it on a high note.

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4 out of 5 stars (4 / 5)

If you’re a fan of my work, please check out my latest story, Nova, on Paper Beats World. New chapters launch every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

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