True Detective (Season 1)

True Detective is an anthology series about detectives on cases that drive them to edge. I'll just be watching the first season for now, which is a dramatic, thrilling, and well-produced miniseries that feels like a complete novel, in more ways than one.

Season 1 of True Detective is about the detectives Cohle and Hart as they try to solve a series of creepy murders involving deer antlers and occultist themes. The main mystery throughout the season is compelling enough, particularly with all of the bizarre imagery that shows up, creating a sort of Lovecraftian vibe that helps it stand out as distinct. However, the real focus of True Detective isn't the case, it's the detectives. Right from the first episode, through a framing interview that takes place nearly two decades after the case was presumably closed, we learn that the Cohle and Hart had a pretty big falling out. It's a compelling hook, and creates this great sense of dread throughout since we know things are going to go to hell at some point. The first three episodes are honestly pretty slow with little progress made on the investigation, but all of that build-up and tension does become very worth it once things kick into high gear in episode 4. True Detective also plays around with the framing device in some interesting ways, with the last two episodes taking place in 2012 after the interrogation as Cohle and Hart reunite.

Cohle and Hart are definitely one of the best aspects of True Detective, mostly because of the great performances from Matthew McConaughey and Woody Harrelson. They have the type of chemistry that works really well for these characters, it's this sort of disconnected banter. Their interactions are consistently interesting due to their differing viewpoints and personalities, but their falling out also feels natural, with the two rarely being able to fully connect. Both characters are also pretty fleshed out, as pretty much all of their strong investigative skills are balanced out by them not being very good people, and as the show progresses, you learn more and more about their flaws. Seeing the characters throughout the different timelines is also really interesting, with Hart's constant reflection on his past being especially compelling. And that big fight that the whole show had been building up to was a painful and powerful payoff that was made even more wince-inducing thanks to the performances, even though I was a bit disappointed it was caused by their love lives rather than the investigation itself.

However, I do have some issues with this season, aside from the aforementioned slow start. It does fall for some of the prestige TV trappings like gratuitous sex scenes and overlong title sequences, but I wouldn't count them as massive flaws. The most glaring thing I noticed, however, is that True Detective feels like a novel rather than a TV show. The division between episodes doesn't really mean much, Cohle's philosophical waxing can feel fairly rambly and overlong at times, and some of the narration just feels like it work better in a story. Not to mention the sheer amount of literary references that show a pretty obvious love for that specific medium. Despite this, I'm still glad True Detective ended up becoming a TV show, because the direction and cinematography is just stunning. The whole season is dripping with mood and atmosphere, and the usage of long takes (especially in episode 4) manages to be impressive without feeling distracting. I think that's the best part of True Detective's direction, it doesn't try to look pretty or symmetrical just for the sake of it, instead it silently and thoughtfully conveys the mood of any given scene. 

True Detective's highlights are incredibly high, especially in its second half:

Who Goes There: This is such a weird episode compared to most of True Detective for a number of reasons. Unlike most of the show, this feels like a self-contained story that doesn't hinge on the investigation all that much. Cohle goes undercover and plans a heist that goes horribly wrong, while Hart spends the episode dealing with his marriage completely falling apart. Both storylines are compelling in their own right, but let's face it, the scene that made this episode was the stunning and intense long-take shootout.

The Secret Fate Of All Life: This was easily the biggest game-changer in the series, dropping the 1985 timeline about a third into the episode. The reveal that Hart and Cohle basically faked a gunfight to hide that they shot the supposed killer was pretty shocking, especially since it pretty much ended the case right there and then. Seeing Hart and Cohle in 2002 was also really fascinating, as was learning that Cohle was a suspect the whole time.

Form And Void: While the reveal that the lawnmower man (known as Errol) is the murderer wasn't super surprised, the big final battle with him led to an intense finale to the season. The ending was nice and satisfying too, ending this otherwise gloomy and nihilistic show on a surprisingly happy note.

Overall, True Detective's first season offers an intriguing mystery and a compelling story about two detectives destroying their own lives, bolstered with strong acting and stellar production. It may have a slow start and suffers from some prestige TV trappings, but once it gets good, it gets really good. 

4/5 Stars

Steam Sale Mini Reviews (Steam Summer Sale 2021)

Whenever a Steam sale comes out, I tend to get a whole bunch of indie games. Here's a list of the indie games I got during the Steam Summer Sale this year:

Chicory: A Colorful Tale:

I was really hyped for Chicory ever since its announcement. A Zelda-like adventure game about painting made by the creator of Wandersong and composed by Lena Raine of Celeste fame, this had the potential to be something amazing. Thankfully, I wasn't let down in the slightest. Chicory is an incredibly charming and wholesome game with fun exploration, a great presentation, and a surprisingly deep story. The world strikes a solid balance between being large and open, while also being dense and packed with side quests and collectibles. The puzzles can be pretty clever at times, and the boss fights are genuinely tricky bullet hell dodging games. The real highlight though is just how many options you get for playing around in this coloring book. You can get costumes to customize your character, brush styles like fills and textures, abilities like swimming through ink, furniture and decorations to place wherever you want, a photo function, and so much more. Chicory is an incredibly welcoming game that encourages you to express yourself and play in any way you want. I'm a really big fan of accessible and wholesome games like this, it gave me serious A Short Hike vibes.

The story is also really great here too, it deals with imposter syndrome in a respectful manner, which kinda feels like the perfect topic for a game about art to tackle. It's easy to feel like your art (or anything else you're passionate about) sucks and that you don't deserve any praise that's heaped onto you, but Chicory runs with its message that you're valid no matter how you draw through its (mostly) positive dialogue and slew of options. Don't get me wrong though, it's not all sunshine and roses, this game can and will punch you in the gut. The art style is cute and charming (though its black and white environments and characters leave room for you to draw), and the music from Lena Raine is great. It's varied and optimistic while still using a bunch of leitmotifs in unique ways. As a whole, I was very satisfied that the game ended up as good as I hoped it would. Currently, it's in the running for my game of the year so far.

5/5 Stars

Baba Is You:

Baba Is You is one of the most creative puzzle games I've ever played, and it continues to surprise me with its inventive mechanics. It's basically a Sokoban-style game about programming, where you have to manipulate the rules of the world, starting with simple puzzles like removing the hitboxes from the walls, and build up to insane challenges that allow you to completely destroy the boundaries of the game itself. Each puzzle is inventive and unique, and figure out the right solution almost always leaves me feeling smart. Even more, many puzzles have multiple solutions, some likely unintended, so sometimes I'm not even sure if I have solved them correctly.

Baba Is You has a ton of levels, over 200 from what I've heard, so the fact that nearly all of them manage to stand out from each other is an impressive feat for a puzzle game. There are also some really charming puzzles like the iconic poem one where you have to manipulate a "Roses is Red" poem to modify the world's literal roses. The sketchy artstyle is distinct and cute on its own, and the calming music is pretty great. I wish I could say a bit more about this one, but there are so many secrets, surprises, and extras that I just don't want to spoil. It really is best to go into Baba Is You blind. It's a clever and tough puzzle game that demonstrates exactly why I love programming so much.

5/5 Stars

N++:

N++ is a pretty solid precision platformer with tight controls and a fairly basic design. There isn't much of a story here, you basically play as a ninja and run through these sterile obstacle courses. The controls feel great, pretty much entirely built on momentum as you jump up walls and fly over obstacles, and the level design has a fairly great difficulty curve throughout. Eventually, the levels do become genuinely tough, but never to the point of feeling unfair. Everything is under your control. N++ is also filled to the brim with content, with multiple modes, multiplayer, tons of levels, collectibles, time trials, and even a level creator. It'll probably take me a very long time to get through the whole thing.

However, the reason why I'm not going to be rating it as highly as the other two games is just how simple it is. N++ boasts incredibly basic level design that doesn't really push any boundaries compared to other precision platformers like Super Meat Boy and Celeste. We have our staples here like spikes, lasers, and keys, but the last level of the game isn't all that different from the first level. It also doesn't help that the entire game has this clean vector look to it, that looks nice at first until you realize that it means pretty much every level looks the same. There are color schemes that you can switch between, but that's pretty much it. The music is also fairly unmemorable as well. Still, I definitely enjoy N++. It nails the game feel and difficulty curve that's necessary for making tough platformers like this, even if it never really goes above and beyond.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the games I got is:

1. Chicory: A Colorful Tale
2. Baba Is You
3. N++

I did end up enjoying all of these games, though, and I highly recommend checking them out.

Psych (Season 8)

If Season 7 was any indication, Psych was starting to drop off in quality a bit, so the decision to end it here was a good idea. Knowing how weak most of the season ended up being made the decision feel even better.

Psych's final season is at its best when it's dealing with the end of the show. Episodes like 1967: A Psych Odyssey and of course the series finale are highlights because seeing the characters we have come to know and love move on to new phases in their lives is genuinely compelling and affecting. This tends to be the case with a lot of comedies, even if the last season is weak (like in Friends and The Office), saying goodbye to the cast always tends to be pretty emotional. However, not every attempt at drama worked this season, particularly the big conflict with Trout, who takes over as chief. Trout absolutely sucks, he spent the first four episodes of the season putting the characters through hell, firing everyone who crosses him. He's a pretty cheap attempt at drama and his unbelievable lack of redeeming qualities made any scene with him a chore to watch. Obviously, I was very happy when he left, but I just wish he wasn't in the show in the first place.

But that's still just about half the season, as Season 8 also has quite a bunch of experimental episodes. However, just like Season 7 if not a bit worse, these were actually kinda hit or miss. There were some fun episodes, with "Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels" bringing back Desperaux one last time and "Cog Blocked" just being a thoroughly hilarious Gus episode, but this doesn't apply to the whole season. The two major low points here were definitely "Remake" and "A Nightmare On State Street". "Remake" tried to parody movie remakes by making a purposefully bad version of a Season 1 episode, but the show runners didn't quite realize that it made the episode pretty unfun to watch. As for "A Nightmare On State Street", it's a bizarre, unfunny,  and inconsequential episode about dream sequences that even managed to make Gus annoying. How do you even do that? Once again, not every episode this season was bad, but it definitely shows that the series was starting to run out of steam.

Despite my many complaints with the season, there's one episode that still stood out:

The Breakup: This is easily one of my favorite series finales of all time. It's not a big climactic battle with the Yang/Yin family, it's not anything super dramatic, it's a victory lap, a farewell tour, and it wraps up all of the show's storylines in a satisfying manner. Shawn having to tell Gus he was leaving is a compelling hook, the final case is a ton of fun, Lassiter learning the truth about Shawn was an amazing moment, the hint at Monk being canon was hilarious, and the final scene where Shawn, Gus, and Juliet chase down the latter's engagement ring as a trio just felt perfect. It might just be the most earned and satisfying final episode a series could ever have.

Overall, Season 8 wasn't great, it had some rough storylines and its experiments were hit or miss, but if there's one thing it nailed, it's the ending.

2/5 Stars

My ranking of the Psych seasons is:

6 > 4 > 3 > 5 > 7 > 1 > 2 > 8

My ranking of the Psych finales is:

8 > 4 > 3 > 6 > 1 > 5 > 2 > 7

Favorite Episode: Late Night Gus

Psych (Season 7)

As I mentioned earlier on, the peak of Psych for me has always been Seasons 3-6. Every show that goes on this long has to start dropping off in quality eventually, and for Psych, Season 7 is sadly that season.

Season 7 of Psych suffers from forced drama, something the show never really had a problem with until now. Psych definitely had its dramatic storylines and moments (Shawn's mom, Yang, Juliet's PTSD), but all of it felt fairly natural, if a bit too light-hearted at times. Oddly enough, Season 7 starts off on a great note, with the followup of Henry getting shot being a genuinely compelling episode. However, later on in this season, Juliet learns Shawn isn't actually a psychic. This should have been one of the best storylines in the whole series, something that could be built up to from the very start. However, it was handled pretty poorly, with the two rarely getting a chance to actually talk things out. The couple breaks up for a few episodes, but they end up getting back together off-screen, as a result this storyline doesn't feel satisfying. We don't see Juliet accept Shawn for who he is, we don't see them talk things out, and we don't see their relationship heal. The finale also introduces a pretty bad new character as another cheap source of drama, but I'll discuss that in Season 8.

Thankfully, the standalone episodes and comedy fare a bit better, and the season is generally still entertaining with its more light-hearted storylines. Shawn and Juliet moving in together, Lassiter and Marlowe getting married, that all still works really well. The dialogue is still really sharp and funny, and the cast seems to have the same energy and enthusiasm for the show even with some of the shaky story decisions. As a matter of fact, some of the more comedic episodes rank as some of the best in the whole show, with Office Space being the biggest example. However, and this pains me to say, Psych's parody episodes are starting to feel more gimmicky and less creative. Lassie Jerky is the biggest example, it's a hilarious parody of Blair Witch at first, but it ends up devolving into this story about fighting Serbians that feels more bizarre than biting. And then there's 100 Clues, a parody of Clue that could have been cool, even trying out the multiple ending concept, but the ending you got depended on where you live, with a third being limited to DVD extra only. 

Despite my criticisms, there were some pretty great episodes this season:

Santabarbaratown 2: This was a really good premiere that kind of gave me unreasonably high expectations for the rest of the season. I love revenge tales, so seeing Shawn go full "psychic" in trying to catch the man who shot Henry was really compelling.

Deez Nups: While I don't love the Shawn/Juliet stuff this season, seeing Juliet piece together that Shawn isn't a psychic was a really shocking twist. The main storyline about Lassiter and Marlowe's wedding was also really fun and sweet, and seeing it devolve into a gun fight in the end just felt perfect for them.

Santabarbarian Candidate: Shawn should not run for any political position, I think that's pretty clear from watching a single episode of the show, so an episode about him campaigning for mayor to solve a case was expectedly nonstop hilarity throughout. The best part is easily Lassiter, who spends the episode struggling with the sheer horror that Shawn as mayor could bring.

Office Space: This episode has easily my favorite scene in the series, and is probably one of my favorite episodes in general. The opening where Gus messes up the crime scene is a masterpiece of physical comedy, and the duo floundering around trying to cover it up makes for an absolute riot from start to finish. I don't even care about the Juliet/Shawn reunion being done off-screen, it doesn't detract from how much of a comedic gem this episode is.

Overall, Season 7 is a rough one. It has a strong start and some really stellar episodes, but its attempts at drama are shaky and not all of its parodies end up working as well as they should. No season with Office Space in it should rank any lower than a 3/5, but I can't deny that this season was a big drop in quality for Psych.

3/5 Stars

Psych (Season 6)

Season 6 is my personal favorite season of Psych. It has some of my favorite episodes in the whole series, a consistently strong level of quality, and some pretty top-notch character work.

Just like the last few seasons, Season 6's main running storyline is about Shawn and Juliet's relationship. They reveal their relationship to Lassiter in the premiere, Shawn considers proposing, and the season ends with them planning on moving in together. While I enjoy all this stuff, I can definitely say that the real highlight of this season is Henry Spencer, believe it or not. All the way back in my Season 1 review, I said that I hate Henry, and that still applies. However, I did really like his storyline about rejoining the police only to retire in this season for real. It definitely feels like Henry is ready to retire now, taking a slightly more laid-back attitude in Season 6, and it all builds to a tense finale that proves you don't need the Yang family to end a season with some high stakes drama. Meanwhile, Lassiter actually starts to get his life in order this season, getting a girlfriend and a new house, both of which result in some great episodes.

The thing that puts Season 6 above all the others for me is the interactions between the cast, which are just on another level compared to the rest of the show. Season 6 has a bunch of episodes (Last Night Gus, Neil Simon's Lover Retreat) where the case of the week is sidelined for a stronger focus on interactions between the cast, and they ended up being some of my favorites in the series. The decision to upgrade Woody the Coroner to a main cast member definitely helped a lot with this, he lends a chaotic energy to the cast that's just so fun to watch. Woody even gets an entire episode to himself, which is one of the better ones in the season. The parodies and homages this season are also some of the best and most creative in the series yet, from episodes based on The Hangover, Buffy, superhero movies, Indiana Jones, The Shining, and Chinatown. It's truly impressive that Psych's creative juices and energy is still flowing even in its sixth season, never feeling like things are getting stale or tired.

There were a lot of episodes this season that I loved, but these were my favorites:

Shawn Rescues Darth Vader: This episode had such a chaotic opening, Shawn sneaking into a house to steal a Darth Vader figure only to stumble upon a dead body. It's a super energetic way to kick off the season, and the scene where Lassiter uses a lie detector on Shawn is one of my favorites in the whole show.

Last Night Gus: This is easily the best episode of Psych, an absolute laugh riot throughout. As a Hangover parody, it starts with a large portion of the cast waking up at Psych not remembering a thing, so they run around to try and figure out what happened. Now this storyline itself is hilarious, especially with the typically more serious Lassiter being caught up in the mix, but it's the finale that really makes it my favorite episode. The titular "last night Gus" is a hilarious showcase of Dule Hill's physical acting capabilities and left me in stitches by the end of the episode.

This Episode Sucks: I'm kind of already biased towards this one, as it's a pretty blatant love letter to Buffy, even bringing in Tom Lenk (Andrew) and Kristy Swanson (movie Buffy) as cast members. Aside from that though, the concept of a case about a vampire is pretty fun on its own, and it was great to see Lassiter get a new girlfriend.

Neil Simon's Lover Retreat: The character interactions in this episode are second to none, as with Shawn and Juliet solving a case on a vacation, Gus, Lassiter, and Henry spend most of the episode awkwardly hanging out. The case itself is fairly standard but it climaxes with a fun hot air balloon chase, and the big cliffhanger about Shawn's proposal ring was really cool.

Indiana Shawn: Pierre Desperaux is back! And this time he's basically a good guy, teaming up with Shawn and Gus to stop an artifact thief. You can tell from the title, this is an Indiana Jones homage, and it's just as action-packed, rip-roaring, and fun as the films. I also like the subplot about Gus learning of Shawn's engagement ring.

Here's Lassie: It was only a matter of time until Lassiter snapped. I mean, how long do you think he could last dealing with Shawn and Gus all these years, with nothing going his way, it really was inevitable. In all seriousness though, this was a hilarious Shining parody that let Lassiter really let loose.

Santabarbaratown: This was a pretty great finale, the dark noir-ish tone was a fun change of pace, and I really did like seeing Henry try to solve his last case before retiring. The big dramatic cliffhanger at the end was especially shocking, even though we knew Henry wouldn't die, it felt so unlike Psych to try something like that.

Overall, Season 6 of Psych is one of the show's highest points, containing some of the best episodes in the series, along with showing off the cast's chemistry better than any other season before it.

5/5 Stars 

Magia Record (Season 1)

At this point, I've seen a solid amount of anime, but Magia Record is definitely my first gacha game adaptation. As a result, it's definitely a bit overstuffed and oddly paced, but as a spinoff of my favorite anime, it's still an incredibly fun exploration of Madoka's world with some amazing visuals and a lot of potential for the future.

Magia Record is a much different type of story than Madoka. While that's a dark and personal story about characters, this feels like more of a Lost-esque mystery box, introducing a ton of mysteries in its first few episodes to resolve throughout the season. At its simplest though, Magia Record is about a magical girl named Iroha who forgets her wish, only to learn it was about saving a supposed sister who doesn't even exist. Meanwhile, there's a mysterious city called Kamihama City with strong witches and an odd aura that attracts magical girls to it, including the cast of Madoka. Throughout the anime, Iroha tries to solve the mysteries in Kamihama City while also forming a magical girl team and fighting powerful witches and other threats. As a whole, I do really like this emphasis on solving mysteries, and it serves as a good format for this larger scale series. Not everything is resolved here, but it doesn't have to be, there's not just one season this time. However, it's not perfect. Madoka Magica has some of the best pacing ever, but here it's a bit off. Some of the mysteries like Iroha's sister get dropped for others like the admittedly really fun Wings Of Magius storyline, there's a bunch of exposition every once in a while, and it takes a long time for the main cast to be established. I can forgive some of the pacing issues since this is just the first season and things do seem to be ramping up a bit by the finale, but it definitely holds these first thirteen episodes back.

The best aspect of Magia Record's story for me is easily the world-building. Madoka was a very personal story with a few major characters and took place in just one city with universe-changing stakes, while Magia Record on the other hand feels broader. Even though it's based on a non-canon gacha game, it's really cool to see a Puella Magi anime that explores the magical girl world as a whole. There are side groups, a bunch of different cities, and even an extremist group that found a system to prevent magical girls from turning into witches. However, with the massive cast and focus on mysteries, the characters are a bit weaker. It definitely doesn't help that it takes so long for the main gang to unite (we even get a bait and switch team in episodes 2 and 3), but even then, the characters are really lacking in depth. Madoka was so great because it was driven by the characters and the mistakes they made, but many of the characters here are a bit more thin, even if they are still fun to watch. Iroha is the biggest example of this, as while her mysterious elements are intriguing, she's a bit more of a blank slate than Madoka. Yachiyo fares a bit better, but even she feels like a Homura clone without the moral and emotional complexity. Still, I don't hate any of these characters even if they aren't as complex, and their group dynamic shows a lot of potential. I found Felicia to be the most fascinating by far, with a cool design, an entertaining yet flawed personality, and a great motivation about getting revenge for her parents' death. But even then, when my most liked characters were still just the cameos from Madoka (Mami, Kyoko, and Sayaka all appeared), that's a bit of an issue.

If there's one thing I can say Magia Record does just as well, if not better than Madoka, it's the presentation. If you liked the way the witch labyrinths looked, you'll definitely be satisfied in this one since SHAFT goes all out with the witches in this one. Every single witch is unique, inventive, and visually stunning. Everything else looks great too, though. The haunting backgrounds, the sketchy characters, the cool designs, the same vibe that makes Madoka along with Rebellion so visually stunning is intact and better than ever. As for the music, even though Yuki Kajiura isn't the composer this time, whoever worked on Magia Record's score did a really solid job of trying to reach her incredibly high bar. The music strikes a good balance between referencing Kajiura's work through similar instrumentations and returning themes while also doing its own thing, and I found myself very much enjoying it.

Magia Record didn't have quite as many highlights as the main series, but there were some episodes that definitely stuck out:

There's No Place For You Here: This was definitely the first really great episode for me. We learn more about Yachiyo, her best friend Mifuyu, and the parallels between her and Iroha. We get the first major twist of the series with the reveal that Iroha can summon her own witch like in Rebellion. And biggest of all, Mami appears and takes a surprise antagonistic role! I enjoyed the first four episodes on their own, but this one was the first to really give me those Madoka vibes.

I Want To Go Home With You: While the previous episode played the groundwork, this episode fully introduces the Wings Of Magius, a cult-like group that's drawing all the witches to Kamihama to slaughter them all. I really like this antagonist, even if it draws the focus away from Ui, and the reveal that Mifuyu joined them was great. We also get to spend a lot of time with Kyoko whose laidback attitude throughout the episode was such a joy to watch.

My Name: While I didn't love the A.I. storyline, Alina is a really cool villain in all of her insanity, and the reveal that Mami joined the Magius was another pretty great and shocking twist. I also liked the hook for the season's final arc where Iroha learns the girls in her dream are in the Magius too. 

A Faint Hope: Magia Record is a pretty light-hearted show compared to Madoka, but this season finale packed one hell of a dark ending. By the end of the episode, Iroha is captured, most of the cast joined the Magius, Mami is brainwashed, Yachiyo is the only ones left, and biggest of all, Walpurgisnacht is coming! It wasn't all sad though, Sayaka showed up with some great fighting skills, the battle with Holy Mami was stunning, and the massive cliffhanger left me very excited for Season 2. Also, Sayaka losing her arm, regenerating it, and catching her sword in mid air is one of the coolest goddamn moments in the whole franchise by far.

Overall, Magia Record doesn't compare to the main series, but I never really wanted it to. It's an expansion of the Puella Magi world with some compelling mysteries and world-building along with the stunning visuals and score to give it that Madoka vibe, even if it struggles with its characters and pacing. 

3/5 Stars

Burn Notice (Season 7)

In every episode of Burn Notice, the first thing we here is "My name is Michael Westen. I used to be a spy until...". Well, that doesn't apply anymore, Michael is a spy again. He's not burned, Anson and Card are dead, and it's been nine months since he started working for the CIA. What we get is a very different final season compared to the rest of the series, and it feels a bit odd.

Season 7 is pretty much about Michael being strong-armed by the CIA to infiltrate and take down a criminal organization called "The Family", led by a man named James who uses extreme methods to try and achieve peace in the world. I actually really like the antagonists of this season, James is really charismatic and Sonya's action chops are great. However, while the general concept and storyline of this "family" is somewhat enjoyable, it doesn't quite feel like this is the right show for it. With the burn notice pretty much resolved and nine months transpiring since Season 6, this entire season feels pretty far removed from the rest of the show (hey, this sounds familiar). I've mentioned this before, but it's very hard to pull off a time jump well without the show feeling drastically different and disconnected from what came before. As a matter of fact, the season doesn't feel like Burn Notice, it feels like the final season of a certain other action thriller I've reviewed, criminal "family" and all. I mean, we even have a drug-induced torture scene, albeit with Michael being the victim this time. The only problem is that while 24 manages to be tense due to its usage of countdowns and world-ending stakes, I never felt any tension with James's family. I never got the impression that they were about to do anything catastrophically dangerous if Michael didn't stop them in time.

But if there's anything I can somewhat get behind this season, it's the characters. Season 7 feels like a character study of Michael as a person, deconstructing his motivation to rejoin the CIA and explaining why it's such a bad idea, between how it alienates his friends, causes him to lose everything he cares about, and forces him to do things he doesn't find morally right. My favorite thing this season did was in the last few episodes, where he becomes so disillusioned with the CIA that he presumably joins the bad guys. However, all this great character work also means he's pretty disconnected from the rest of the cast (especially when he goes undercover halfway through), and since Michael is the main character, it means the side characters tend to get the short end of the stick this season. However, what we do get from the other characters are some of the best material of the season. Madeline is pretty great, especially her sacrifice at the end of the season, and the time she gets to spend with Fiona is great. The real highlight is Sam and Jesse, though. Sam's tension with Michael has always been really compelling, but it's really good here and lets Bruce Campbell really show his acting chops. But on the more comedic note, I also love Sam and Jesse's buddy cop routine that they have throughout the season. They have a really enjoyable and fun dynamic and helped to give the season a bit of levity.

Despite my criticisms of Season 7, though, the final three episodes are some of the best in the whole series:

Tipping Point: The decision to bring back Simon was a stroke of absolute genius. Not only was he one of the show's best yet most underused villains, but it gave some much needed energy to the season, tied things together with the first six seasons, and best of all, served as a catalyst for Michael to (seemingly) join the bad guys by showing just how immoral the CIA can get.

Sea Change: This was my personal favorite episode of the season because of just how much build up there was to it. Ever since around Season 3, Burn Notice dealt with Michael's flirting with the dark side, and this episode shows what would happen if he defected. The final third where Michael faces off with the rest of the team was amazing, and the cliffhanger was great. I also really liked Madeline burning her house, really emphasizing how the series is coming to an end. 

Reckoning: This was a pretty fun and action-packed finale which had the team try to take down James while also being fugitives. The whole cast gets something to do (especially Madeline and her great sacrifice), and Michael and Fiona faking their deaths really does feel like the best ending for the characters. The recitations of the title sequence throughout the episode were a bit cheesy, though.

Overall, Burn Notice has always felt like a mixed bag for me, with likable characters and an intriguing mystery but an uneven tone and shaky focus. As a result, I think Season 7 does epitomize the series fairly well. It has some great character work and an incredibly killer ending, but even by this incredibly disconnected final season, it still doesn't feel like Burn Notice knows what it wants to be, a fun Leverage-style Blue Skies show or a darker 24-esque action thriller.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the Burn Notice seasons is:

6 > 2 > 4 > 3 > 7 > 5 > 1

My ranking of the Burn Notice finales is:

2 > 4 > 3 > 7 > 6 > 5 > 1

Favorite Episode: Bad Breaks

Fate Stay/Night: Unlimited Blade Works

Now that I'm done with Fate/Zero, it's time for the adaptations of the Fate Stay/Night visual novel. Unlimited Blade Works focuses mostly on Rin, and while it might not be as dark and compelling as Zero, it definitely excels with its action and characters.

So if you've read my review of Fate/Zero, you know how the Holy Grail War works by now. UBW is about the Fifth Holy Grail War, and many of the masters are the children of much of the cast of Zero. As a whole, I wouldn't say this war is quite as dramatic and devastating as in Zero, though it makes a lot of sense given that a large portion of the cast are kids. However, this means that this anime isn't quite as epic as Zero. We didn't have these massive attacks like the building explosion and the Mion River battle, the war here is far more personal and less... war-like. It's not a bad thing, this series being more character driven has its benefits, but it definitely means there just isn't that same gravitas and unique tactical conflicts. I also think UBW's start was quite a bit weaker than Zero's. While I think Zero earned its double-length premiere due to the massive roster of characters to introduce, UBW's first two episodes were both 45 minutes long and about the same events, and even with some action, it didn't really feel like things got going until Episode 12. Still, that's not to sell UBW's story short. The anime is packed with great twists (Caster summoning Assassin, Shirou losing Saber, Archer's true identity), and once Saber gets captured and Archer defects, seeing Shirou and Rin try to win the war without their servants was an incredibly cool concept. The entire second season is far more action-packed, fast-paced, and intense, holding its own as one of the better Fate seasons for sure.

However, while the plot is good enough, where UBW excels is definitely its cast of characters, which I'd argue is even stronger than in Zero. The main character of Stay/Night itself is Shirou Emiya, who ends up getting Saber as his servant. He's an alright protagonist and his arc about helping others is pretty good, but he's nowhere near as fascinating as Kiritsugu. However, while Shirou is the central character, UBW primarily focuses on Rin Tohsaka, as she tries to win the war despite not getting the servant she wanted (Saber). I found her infinitely more interesting than Shirou, her snarky attitude and constant teasing were a ton of fun, and her arc about learning to be a different person from her family was great. Knowing that Saber, Rin, and Sakura (who didn't appear too much in UBW) are Shirou's love interests in the VN, I think Rin and Shirou have a really natural romantic storyline in this anime. I'll wait until Heaven's Feel to make my full verdict, but right now, I think they're a pretty great match. I also really liked Taiga, Shirou's caretaker, due to the levity she provides. As for the servants, Saber's back and just as great as ever, but the real highlights were probably the antagonists. While Zero's Caster was terrifying and grotesque, Stay/Night's Caster is a far more intelligent and charismatic, so I actually felt even more terrified every time she was on screen despite the lack of eldtrich horrors. Archer was a pretty interesting character due to his unknown past and disdain towards Rin and Shirou's methods, but he's also pretty hateable at times. As a whole, I actually liked this cast better than Zero's. Except Shinji. Screw him.

As for the presentation, UBW is a bit more of a mixed bag compared to Zero. On one hand, the visuals are much better across the board. Fate/Zero was great with the action scenes and spectacle, but normal character interactions looked a bit stilted at times. In UBW on the other hand, the entire anime looks just plain stunning. Nearly every shot looks great, even in the dialogue-focused scenes. And that's not even considering the phenomenal action scenes which might also look even better than Zero as well. If anything, they're just as flashy and spectacular, and might be even more frequent. I especially love how the masters themselves end up getting involved in some of the fights, intentionally or otherwise, which results in some really tense sequences. However, one thing that isn't an improvement on Zero is the music. It's hard to top Yuki Kajiura in pretty much anything, but I found UBW's score to be on the generic and unremarkable side. It's not bad, but it rarely stands out unless its using themes from Zero and the visual novel itself.

There were quite a lot of great episodes in UBW, with these being my favorites:

The Reward For The Fight To The Death: This action-packed episode had some pretty great twists, and sets up Caster as an amazing villain. The reveal that she summoned her own Assassin definitely caught me off-guard, and the big battles in this episode were really fun. It was also the point in which Archer's antagonistic side started to show a bit.

The Final Decision: Just like Fate/Zero, UBW is split up into two seasons, but this time, the first season finale is a huge turning point in the series. The battle with Caster is one of the biggest and most dramatic in the series, Shirou losing Saber and getting kicked off the war is a tragic and surprising turn, and the extra length means we get a ton of great character interactions, especially in the first third. This is a massive, dramatic, and jam-packed episode, a big jump in quality for the anime so far.

A Battle Of Legend: This episode was just heart wrenching. Illyasveil's backstory was super interesting coming off from Fate/Zero, and her and Beserker's last stand was as visually stunning as it was devastating. I was kinda hoping for some more interactions between her and Shirou, but that's probably what the other routes are for. 

Idealism's End: This was just a nonstop series of twists and reveals, and start of probably the best stretch of episodes in the anime. Obviously, most people know that Saber is King Arthur, but then we get the crazy reveal that Archer is Shirou from the future, and then Kirei shows up, and then Lancer is forced to commit suicide (sound familiar?). This is easily one of the heaviest episodes in UBW.

Unlimited Blade Works (the first one): This is a rarity, two episodes have the exact same title. The only other instance I can think of is RvB which had two episodes titled Heavy Metal, but they weren't super important like these are. The big fight between Shirou and Archer was definitely worth all the buildup, as was Lancer killing Kirei and saving Rin. But the real highlight of the episode is the iconic line "Just because you are correct, doesn't mean you're right".

Unlimited Blade Works (the second one): Similarly to Zero, this anime saves the climactic final battle for the penultimate episode, and it's pretty great. The fight between Shirou and Gilgamesh is unbelievably epic, which was helped by the music taking a noticeable step up compared to the rest of the series. It's a far more bombastic conclusion than Zero's, but it still manages to have some strong emotional punches when Saber and Archer disappear.

Overall, while it's not as epic or compelling as Zero and has a bit of a slow start, Unlimited Blade Works is another great Fate anime with amazing animation and fights, memorable and likable characters, and some genuinely stellar twists.

Season 1: 3/5 Stars

Season 2: 4/5 Stars

3.5/5 Stars

Burn Notice (Season 6)

Did Season 6 just address all my complaints with Burn Notice? I think it did! The clients of the week took a back seat, Jason Bly (my favorite antagonist) gets a bigger role, the stakes are higher, they even fixed that inaccurate title sequence! It feels like this season was made exactly for me, and it kinda revitalized my interest in the series.

Season 6 had a different structure compared to most of the other seasons, containing three six-episode-long story arcs. I really like this format, storylines never go on too long, and the minimal usage of client of the week episodes mean that way more ground is covered. The first arc (Episodes 1-6) deals with the fallout of Season 5. Fiona is in prison, and Michael is chasing Anson. It's a strong start to the season and I really enjoy both storylines, Fiona being targeted by nearly everyone in prison is really tense and gives her a lot of fun fight scenes, while Michael's team-up with Anson's mole Rebecca was really cool too. The second arc (Episodes 7-12) is about Michael getting revenge for Nate's death, learning that his old handler Card and a sniper Gray are responsible. This arc was the weakest for me and makes some frustrating decisions like sending Pearce off (-.5 points from the final score), but I did really like the antagonists, especially Tom Card since he was played by Dr Cox from Scrubs so he's just naturally entertaining to watch. The Panama stuff was pretty cool too. The third arc (Episodes 13-18) is about the team going on the run after Michael killed Card. I don't love fugitive arcs, but this one was pretty good and way better than the "who killed Max" storyline. The CIA bloodhound Riley was a great antagonist, the tension was constantly ramping up, and I never felt like the stakes weren't real, though I wasn't too big a fan of the smuggler Schmidt. I think the multiple villains and arcs may make Season 6 feel a bit disjointed, but all of the storylines landed for me here compared to something like Season 3.

Right from the very first episode of the season, I noticed something different in Season 6, and not just that Jesse was included in the title sequence and Fiona wasn't a "trigger happy ex-girlfriend" anymore. The tone was darker and there was a stronger focus on character drama, and I loved it. I won't deny that the light and breezy tone of the show's first half was a ton of fun, but since it didn't have many compelling episodic storylines to back it up, I do much prefer the more engaging dramatic tone. And when I say the client of the week storylines were minimal, I really mean it. Some episodes like Reunion and Last Rites kinda had one, but that's just the minority of the season. Otherwise, nearly every episode was entirely focused on the main storyline, never feeling like it was trying to fill in time. Each arc made way for the next one. I also thought the character work this season was great, like it genuinely made me love characters I didn't previously like. Madeline and Pearce pretty much become full-fledged members of the team (until Pearce left right when she was getting interesting), and Fiona's time in prison is really compelling. It helps that the actors really took it up a notch, and I mean all of them. 

There were way more episodes I liked compared to most of the other seasons, but these were the highlights:

Scorched Earth: This was such an amazing premiere, like a massive bump in quality since Season 5. Sam's conflict with Michael about letting Fiona turn herself in was his most compelling material in years, Fiona's subplot with Bly was amazing, and Madeline having to shoot someone for the first time was really intense. 

Shock Wave: The first arc of the season ends on an incredibly tense, action-packed, and dramatic episode that feels like it a finale at points. Obviously the high point is that shocking final battle where Anson and Nate are killed, both satisfying and pretty devastating. The subplots were great too, like Fiona's great escape from prison, and the surprisingly entertaining subplot with Sam and Barry.

Desperate Times: While Measures had the fun Michael/Gray team-up, this was easily the better Panama episode and a strong midseason finale for the series. The new location was cool, the action was fun, and the big cliffhanger where the team gets stranded is exciting. My favorite part though was the subplot about Madeline looking into Nate's death and the subsequent reveal of Card being the bad guy.

Means & Ends: While the main storyline about Fiona's friend from prison was a fine if unremarkable way to tie up that loose end, the rest of the episode was great, from the loft being burned down to Gray apologizing to Madeline to that big final confrontation.

You Can Run: While Sam has been captured multiple times before, Jesse's interrogation this episode felt different considering the fact that he doesn't have quite the same history. This is also the point where Riley becomes way more brutal and unforgiving, amping up the tension to insane degrees. Oh, and Bly's back again.

Game Change: Another great Burn Notice finale. Just like You Can Run, Riley resorting to illegal tactics show just how frustrated she's starting to get with her inability to capture Michael. The final standoff with Riley was incredibly tense, Bly's death hit me really hard, the action was fun, and I really liked the cliffhanger of Michael breaking the promises he made to literally everyone. 

Overall, if you like the lighthearted Miami fun of the first five seasons, you might not love this darker sixth season. But for me, this is easily my favorite season yet. The strong character work, the fast pace, the darker tone, the focus on the main storyline, and the presence of Bly, all made this for an incredibly engaging season. 

4.5/5 Stars

Psych (Season 5)

Psych had a big act to follow after the pretty amazing Season 4, and while Season 5 is definitely great, I wouldn't quite say it managed to top it.

Season 5 focuses mostly on the romantic subplot between Shawn and Juliet, which is probably at its most compelling. I'm glad the show didn't bother drawing it out much further, and the stretch of episodes where they get together is probably the best part of the season. I especially love Juliet's temporary boyfriend, Declan Rand, who's a really funny side character. I'll be honest, I was a bit unsure about the two of them at first, but this season made me warm up to the couple, especially once they get together. The minor subplot about Gus and Lassiter learning they're dating is a ton of fun. Similarly to Season 4, Shawn has a bit of a character arc throughout the season, this time being about his dashed confidence after what happened with Mr Yin. It's subtle, but I like that he's a lot more unsure and insecure this season. Similarly to Season 4, there's a really big variety of episodes, from a fun Twin Peaks homage, to returning characters, to neat guest stars, to a documentary episode. I don't quite think all of the experiments pay off this time, The Polarizing Express being one of the show's weakest episodes, but more often than not, this season is still a ton of fun.

However, Season 5 of Psych has a pretty big issue that none of the show's other seasons seem to have, and that's its tone. It's pretty obvious that the season is trying to go for an incredibly light-hearted tone, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Psych is a comedy after, an optimistic Blue Skies one at that, so it makes sense that the show runners would want to keep the show light. However, this starts to become an issue when Psych tries to deal with darker topics, from Juliet dealing with her PTSD from Season 4, to the big finale of the Yang trilogy. I'll elaborate on the latter later, but I found it to be incredibly unrealistic that Juliet suddenly gets over nearly dying in a single episode thanks to Shawn, Gus, and Lassiter bugging her (which isn't a good idea at all, don't annoy someone into confronting their trauma!). I don't think the show needed to give her a dark storyline about it, but it could have been an interesting subplot and the show could have dealt with the topic far more gracefully and gradually. Thankfully, while this season definitely falls short on the drama, it at least excels when it comes to the comedy. I'm not sure if this is the funniest season of the show, but it's definitely up there, especially with the hilarious first three episodes.

Despite my gripes, I did still really enjoy this season, and there were a lot of episodes I liked:

Feet Don't Kill Me Now: This was an episode that I didn't know I wanted until I got it, as it has Shawn and Juliet pretty much switch partners for a day. Gus and Lassiter don't interact too often, so seeing them team up was a ton of fun, and the whole tap class thread led to a lot of funny interactions.

One, Maybe Two, Ways Out: Similarly to the last few midseason finales, this was a slightly more high stakes episode as it tosses the cast into a spy thriller. The action is fun throughout, but the real highlight is the surprising twist at the end where Juliet accidentally learns that Shawn has feelings for her.

Extradition II: Another Despereaux episode! And Shawn and Juliet get together too?! Part of why I like this one better than its predecessor is because it's the first one where Shawn and Despereaux actually team up. While seeing them be enemies is fun, seeing them be friends is even more fun, and their dynamic is a ton of fun to watch. And of course, the final scene with that big kiss is amazing.

Dual Spires: Out of all of the movie homages in Psych, this Twin Peaks homage is probably the most inaccessible if you haven't already seen the show. I haven't, but that doesn't mean I didn't enjoy the episode's unique vibe. The joking references to Twin Peaks come fast and the meta commentary is just subtle enough to be funny, I'm definitely coming back to this one once I actually see the show.

We'd Like To Thank The Academy: This episode was just a funny concept executed incredibly well. Shawn and Gus getting police training just felt inevitable at this point, and their goofing off throughout was incredibly entertaining to watch. The guest appearance from Ralph Macchio was great, and the episode was packed with funny lines and references to The Karate Kid.

Yang 3 In 2D: Despite my criticisms with the finale, there are things that I really liked about it. The reveals about the Yin family and Shawn's connection to them were really interesting, if a bit convoluted. Allison Cowley was a great villain and her fight with Juliet was a ton of fun, and the cliffhanger of Lassiter seeing Juliet and Shawn kiss was definitely an exciting set-up for Season 6.

Overall, Season 5 is a bit of a step-down with its inconsistent tone and weak plot threads, but the strong comedy, large variety, and fun main storyline about Shawn and Juliet still keep it incredibly entertaining.

4/5 Stars 

Why I Love Celeste

Celeste is a really special and personal game for me, it's a game that I constantly return to for comfort through its gameplay and story. It might seem like a masochistic Super Meat Boy-esque platformer on the surface, but it's much, much deeper than that (note: this is a bit of a personal review for me, at least in this next paragraph).

I'm going to start with Celeste's story, because as much as I love the gameplay, I feel like this is the most noteworthy aspect of the game, and a lot of its elements help to service the story. Celeste is about a girl with anxiety named Madeline who has decided to climb up a tall mountain called Celeste Mountain. The titular mountain has this weird quirk where to climb it, you have to confront your inner demons, and Madeline's inner demon is her own self-image (jokingly referred to as Badeline), one that is far more negative and pessimistic, constantly doubting her ability to climb the mountain and serving as a bit of a roadblock... at least at first. Obviously the metaphor of climbing a mountain and overcoming something like anxiety is pretty on the nose, but the real highlight of the story is the core message of accepting, forgiving, and understanding yourself. Madeline doesn't climb the mountain by defeating her self-image, she does it by teaming up with it and creating balance that couldn't have been struck through that initial conflict. The game also packs in a bunch of other great messages about dealing with anxiety, like a calming game about picturing a golden feather floating in front of your eyes, or the frequent mantra to "just breathe". As a matter of fact, I feel like I take something new from the game every time I play it. It helped me accept that I might have some sort of anxiety, it helped me come to terms with my more pessimistic side, and yes, it even helped with some gender issues (Madeline is trans, by the way). I even used Celeste as a moniker for a while.

Celeste is a brutally hard platformer where you play as Madeline and climb up the big mountain. Each level offers a multitude of difficult rooms that you have to try and make it through a ton of obstacles like spikes, spectral black matter, and pitfalls. The level design is strong throughout and the difficulty curve is phenomenal, with each stage (along with its harder B and C sides) slowly increasing in difficulty and slowly teaching you more and more complex mechanics. This game feels amazing to play, moving around as Madeline is super responsive and each of her few moves (jumping, climbing, and dashing) can chain into each other in interesting ways. When playing Celeste, you will die a lot, but the controls are so tight and the level design so well thought-out that it never seems like the game's fault. But oddly enough, despite the difficulty, I've never felt frustrated by Celeste. Don't get me wrong, this game is really hard, but it makes a lot of great decisions to make the experience as zen as possible. Respawns are quick, and checkpoints are frequent, so dying is really just a momentary setback. The game has this overall calming atmosphere, with tons of encouraging messages, and there's an incredibly comprehensive assist mode so that everyone can see everything this game has to offer even if you're not that great at platformers. And this is where the story comes in, because Madeline's journey wouldn't hit nearly as hard if you weren't also going on that journey yourself. The sheer difficulty of Celeste means that reaching the summit feels just as cathartic, and for a game about anxiety, it makes me really glad that it tried to reduce the player's anxiety while playing it.

Celeste is also jam-packed with content despite only having nine major stages. Each stage is fairly long, and you can quicksave wherever you'd like if you need to take a break. The whole game is filled with collectible strawberries, some of which you need to collect by either not dying or not dashing. Each stage also has two harder variants, a B-side and a C-side. While these variants are brutally difficult, they're just as fair and well-designed as the main campaign. I already mentioned the move chaining, but the cool fact that it's all intended. These B-sides and C-sides actually teach you some of these "hidden" exploits which is just the coolest thing, it's like if you had a Smash Bros Melee event that taught you how to wavedash! The ninth and final stage, Farewell, is an epilogue to the story that was added as DLC, and it's the ultimate final challenge. I don't love the fact that you pretty much need to finish the B and C sides to be prepared for it given its story importance, but it also makes it a great demonstration of just how much you've learned from the start of the game. Celeste also has time trials for all its levels, and returning to early levels with more experience is just insanely satisfying.

And if all that's not enough, Celeste also boasts an incredibly strong presentation. The artstyle is pixelated, but it also uses dynamic lighting to give it a lot of depth. It's definitely one of the most unique and memorable pixel art styles I've seen from an indie game. The color palette is striking and colorful, from the rainbow hues of Farewell to the stunning skyline in Golden Ridge. The UI also looks really nice and clean, I especially like the 3D model of the mountain in the background of the level select. Celeste also has an amazing soundtrack by Lena Raine, probably one of my favorite video game soundtracks period. Each level theme is dynamic, slowly evolving throughout the course of the stage. The music ranges from inspiring to tense to dramatic to triumphant, and nearly all of it is phenomenal. I especially love how piano and synth is used to symbolize Madeline and Badeline, with each instrument taking over depending on who is more in power.

It all builds to The Summit, one of my favorite video game levels ever. At this point in the story, Madeline had fallen to the bottom of the mountain thanks to Badeline and they have just had a massive fight. They decide to team up and climb back up the mountain from square one. What ensues is a victory lap of sorts, as you go back through every prior stage, putting everything you learned to the test but with one big twist. Thanks to Badeline, you get an extra dash, a new decision that completely recontextualizes how you play the game. The music is also phenomenal, bringing back the theme of the first level, changing it depending on which area you're in, and slowly bringing in synth as Badeline starts to warm up to her counterpart. And that final moment, when you make it up to the very top of Celeste Mountain, is one of the most cathartic and memorable moments in video game history. It's an amazing final level and a perfect example of everything I love about this game.

Overall, Celeste is one of my favorite games of all time, it's a nearly perfect experience that synergizes story and gameplay better than nearly any game I've ever seen. The gameplay is tight, the level design is great, the presentation is top-notch, and it's packed with replay value and content. It's a game that personally means a lot to me, and I think it'll probably keep being my comfort game for years to come.

5/5 Stars

Psych (Season 4)

There are two seasons of Psych that I would call nearly perfect, and Season 4 is one of them. It takes on a slightly darker tone without losing the humor, charm, and creativity that makes the series so unbelievably entertaining.

Season 4 of Psych doesn't quite have as much plot as Season 3, with the exception of the finale, which has more plot than the rest of the series combined. The main running thread is that Shawn is dating his childhood friend Abigail, even though Juliet likes him too. It's a fairly standard love triangle, but it's pretty effective as well, and seeing Shawn and Abigail's relationship slowly fall apart is definitely sad. Something I noticed about this season, however, is just how much more willing it was to get dark. And I mean there were some really dark episodes in Season 4, like the one where Shawn is kidnapped, the one where Buzz almost dies, and once again, the finale. Shawn spends most of the season being fairly confident, so a lot of episodes kind of dismantle this newfound confidence, with the events of said finale being the final straw. On the other hand, it never quite feels overwhelmingly dark, and I don't think a comedy like Psych should take the route of Burn Notice's sixth season. Rather than signaling a massive shift in tone, these darker episodes just further demonstrate Psych's range.

Speaking of range, the sheer variety in episodes in Season 4 is stunning. From the parodies of and homages to movies and genres, to the huge shifts in tone, to even an episode focused on Juliet, nearly every single episode this season feels different from the rest. They even managed to pull off an episode about Bollywood without it feeling poorly conceived or painfully unfunny. I feel like Psych's writers are genuinely have a great time coming up with new ideas for the show, and I'm having a great time watching those ideas on the screen. It also seems like the cases themselves are far more bizarre and entertaining than usual this season, rather than just the format of the episode itself. We've got exorcisms, love curses, werewolves, and even Gus's old singing troupe. I didn't talk much about the characters in this review since they didn't develop too much this season, but they're still a joy to watch and their chemistry is just as good as ever.

I could put over half the season on this highlights list, there are a ton of others I wish I could place, but these are the most noteworthy ones for sure: 

Extradition: When you ask a Psych fan for their favorite side character, Pierre Despereaux is usually the first one that comes up. A charming and entertaining gentleman thief whose oddly friendly rivalry with Shawn is always a ton of fun to watch. Extradition isn't the best Despereaux episode, but it does a great job of introducing the character and starting the season on a strong note.

Shawn Gets The Yips: This is a weird episode, but that's why I loved it so much. It takes the concept of Shawn trying to solve an attempted murder of a police officer and runs with it to the moon. We got bombed treadmills, we got baseball, we got Shawn having performance issues, and yet despite all the absurdity, the stakes are still high and the episode is still tense. A quintessential Psych episode that truly demonstrates its range.

High Top Fade Out: I love Gus's acapella troupe. It's an incredibly fun group of side characters that leads to a lot of funny moments for the character. Honestly, the case itself is just fine, it's just that everything about Gus singing acapella is utterly hilarious, and the ending where Shawn joins the troupe is really sweet (and kinda funny). This is also Woody the Coroner's first appearance, a super entertaining side character.

Shawn Takes A Shot In The Dark: Similarly to Gus Walks Into A Bank, this is an uncharacteristically dark halfway point for the season, with Shawn getting kidnapped and fighting for his life. This episode is really tense and scary for a lot of its runtime, but the final car chase and rescue is a light-hearted and fun moment of levity showing that this is still Psych.

Thrill Seekers And Hell Raisers: I really like the tension between Shawn and Gus in this episode, Gus having to lie to his best friend is a really compelling concept, and I like the reveal that Shawn likes to vet Gus's girlfriends to make sure they're trust-worthy. The mystery itself is also pretty fun and utilizes extreme sports in an entertaining way.

Mr Yin Presents: What a phenomenal finale. This homage to Hitchcock movies is easily the scariest episode in the series, it's tense, terrifying, and packed with crazy set pieces. Mr Yin's cat and mouse game is Shawn is far more dangerous than Mr Yang's, and the stakes are really high! Mary dies, Juliet and Abigail almost die, and things have changed for pretty much every single character. It's also one of two episodes where the bad guy pretty much wins.

Overall, Season 4 is amazing. Nearly every episode is creative and entertaining, the character work is great, and the show shows its willingness to get dramatic without losing the humor that defines it.

5/5 Stars

Burn Notice (Season 5)

Burn Notice has always had a pretty difficult time with its client of the week storylines, especially given how much more interesting the burn notice arc is. Season 5, however, is the point where it starts to feel actively damaging to the show.

In terms of its burn notice arc, Season 5 should be one of the most interesting in the whole show. The season starts with Michael pretty much working with the CIA part-time, and it's an amazing chance of pace for the series. As a matter of fact, the premiere is actually one of my favorite episodes of the season because of this. In Episode 4, Michael is framed when his CIA handler is murdered, so he starts trying to find the real killer without drawing suspicion. This storyline introduces Pearce, a CIA agent who butts heads with Michael. I think she's fine, a bit abrasive, but a way more compelling character than Season 3's Paxson. Halfway through, we even learn who was responsible for the burn notice, as the show shifts to Michael being blackmailed into working for him to save Fiona from getting arrested (which she does anyway come the season finale). I actually really like how tragic this season ended up being, it makes a lot of sense that Anson (the burner) would be the hardest enemy to defeat, and the fact that he seems like five steps ahead of Michael leaves me excited to see how he'll be defeated.

However, while the burn notice stuff this season is absolutely excellent, the over reliance on clients of the week mean it all ends up feeling a bit half-baked. Michael working at the CIA taking down the NOC list was a super exciting premise, but it was nearly all off-screen. Michael trying to avoid being framed for killing Max is a really cool idea, but the fact that he keeps going on these detours means it feels a bit lacking in stakes. It doesn't help that this season doesn't even feel like it's trying to make its clients of the week stand out, stuff like the bank robbery episode or Michael playing the devil or Fiona getting an episode to herself is just nonexistent this season. And when large portions of most of the episodes this season end up being boring, I end up beginning to lose interest in the show. As a matter of fact, something you'd notice from my usual seasonal highlights is that my favorite episodes this season ended up being the ones with a stronger focus on the main burn notice storyline.

Speaking of which, here they are:

Company Man: I pretty much already wrote about why I like this episode so much. It was a welcome change of pace for the show, and I enjoyed watching Michael interact with the CIA. I also liked that Michael's friends were still able to appear, and the surprisingly dark ending was really cool.

Dead To Rights: Easily the best episode of the season (and likely the best midseason finale too), Dead To Rights is one of the biggest and most shocking episodes in the series. We finally learn who burned Michael (Anson), we get our final battle with Larry (come on, there's no way he's surviving an explosion), and a crazy cliffhanger (Michael working for the man who burned him?!). Even with my gripes with this season, this episode is just plain amazing.

Depth Perception: I haven't seen Fall Of Sam Axe, so the recurring character doesn't really mean much to me. Rather, the real highlight of this episode was getting to see Michael and Anson be forced to work together. It's one of the only clever concepts this season had, and was easily one of the season's most memorable episodes.

Fail Safe: Fail Safe is a weird finale, it's a fairly unsatisfying and tragic ending, but it goes for the same vibe as Company Man, with Michael leading a CIA group. The big final confrontation at the airport definitely felt like a finale, and the cliffhanger about Fiona turning herself was pretty great too.

Overall, Season 5 had a great main storyline, with some big reveals and an overall darker and more tragic tone. However, it feels like the show isn't even trying with the client of the week storylines anymore, and they just take screen time away from the show's more interesting elements.

3/5 Stars

Why I Love Metroid Prime (+Remastered)

With Metroid Dread coming out soon (which I'm super excited for, by the way), I think it's time for me to talk about another Metroid game. So, why not talk about what ended up becoming my favorite Metroid game of all time, Metroid Prime.

Metroid Prime has a fairly simple story, at least at face value. During a rescue mission, Samus encounters Meta Ridley who nearly kills her and causes her to lose her powers. She chases him to a planet to get her revenge, and that's pretty much it. While I do really like complex plots (and Metroid Fusion does it very well), I feel like the Metroid series is at its best story-wise when the story is simple. Just like Super Metroid before it, this is a revenge story, plain and simple. And similarly to that game, there are a lot of important set pieces that are conveyed through gameplay, like discovering the Metroid in Phendrana Drifts and turning the tables on the pirates using a new Phazon Suit. However, if you want a bit more story, the game contains a ton of optional lore on the Chozo race if you're into that sort of stuff, and there's a great sense of mystery to exploring and uncovering the mysteries of Tallon IV.

Metroid Prime is the first 3D game in the series, and it takes place with a first person perspective. However, despite these changes, it feels like a perfect transition of the main 2D games. It's genuinely impressive how flawlessly the perspective has been shifted without removing the appeal of what makes Metroid great. This is just as much of a Metroidvania as any other game in the series, you go around large maps finding abilities that you can use to power yourself up. Despite this, Prime uses the new third dimension to make far more memorable and unique rooms and set pieces than you might be able to find from the 2D games, from the many tense shootouts with the pirates, to the surprising and satisfying moments of discovery. More than any other Metroid game, I think Prime does an amazing job of encouraging you to explore the world since nearly every room contains something new. However, I do think that Prime has a lot more mandatory backtracking than a lot of other games in the series. Some of it is really fun like returning to Tallon Overworld to uncover its many inaccessible areas throughout the game, while others feel a bit more like padding, like the big Chozo Artifact fetch quest that has you return to most of the locations right before the endgame. In its defense, it's not nearly as egregious or long as Wind Waker's Triforce hunt (and that's one of my favorite games), but I can't blame people who don't quite enjoy it. And with a fairly short length, Prime's campaign is still mostly really well-paced.

Metroid Prime's controls are also really great, maybe even better than some of the 2D games. I'm not all that great at first-person shooters, but the weighty movement and lock-on system makes it feel incredibly natural to me. Apparently, the Wii version even lets you aim with the remote, though I've never gotten around to trying it. The morphball is also a ton of fun to control and roll around due to the greater emphasis on its momentum. Prime is also jam-packed with new abilities and powers that the 2D games don't have, from the different visors, to the different beams and augments, to the suits, to the different morphball abilities. All of it feels great to swap through, and the massive amount of moves near the end of the game never feels overwhelming due to how well it's all organized. The only ability I don't quite love is the scan visor which you can use to learn about enemies and lore, activate panels, and search for hints. The concept is great and it adds a lot more depth to the game, but it's also a bit clunky and slow to use, in my opinion. Despite that, most of the abilities are at the very least a ton of fun to use, and the sheer quantity of them means that it's a lot of fun to figure out the best builds (in terms of suits and beams) for any given situation.

Metroid Prime is a pretty hard game, maybe not as hard as Fusion or its sequel, but this is definitely a difficult game at times. I never found it confusing or hard to navigate even with the added dimension due to the hint system, rather the game is actually at its hardest during the more linear segments. Areas like the start of Phazon Mines and the second half of Phendrana Drifts were really tough, since the lack of nearby save stations means you'll have to make up massive amounts of progress if you die. In most of the 2D games, it always feels like you're at least near a save station so it's not too hard to run back if you feel you need it. In Prime, however, I feel like I end up spending more time in each room, which means that it's not quite as easy. Obviously, there's an appeal to how much more complex Prime's map is, but it does make the checkpoint system a bit more frustrating. I also found the bosses to be really tough at first, and they took a lot of deaths to figure out. Thankfully, once you do figure out a strategy to beat them, they can be really satisfying and fun, with Meta Ridley's fight being the absolute highlight.

What I think really made this game feel super special for me, though, is just how immersive it is. More than any other first person game I've played, it genuinely feels like you're in Samus's shoes. The UI is in the form of Samus's radar, steam and cold air fogs up your view, and bosses can completely tower over you. The way this game deals with perspective is especially stunning, as even enemies and environments can look massive from a first-person view. More than any other game, I feel like Metroid Prime showed me how it would be like to see through the eyes of a Nintendo character, without the camera zoomed out and all that. Metroid Prime is special because it feels like it gives me the experience that you'd expect to get from VR, yet this was a GameCube game from the early 2000s. And that's not to mention the beautiful graphics and texturing that still look fantastic today, along with the great ambient score. What results is a game that feels like it hasn't aged a single bit and is still as stunning today as it was back then.

Update: Since this review, we got a Remastered version on the Switch, and it's incredible. The visual boost took Metroid Prime from one of the prettiest games on the Gamecube to the most visually-stunning games on the Switch, and the ability to swap to dual-stick controls with a gyro feature makes this far and away the definitive way to play the game, in case I couldn't like Metroid Prime enough.

Overall, Metroid Prime is my favorite game in the series due to its great exploration, memorable locations and set pieces, fun controls, and immersive atmosphere. It has its issues with backtracking and difficulty (though no Metroid game is truly perfect), but it makes up for being easily the best transition from 2D to 3D that I've ever played.

5/5 Stars

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie 3: Rebellion

Well, the fourth (and probably final) Madoka Magica movie is coming out, and I am hyped. I'm always happy for more of my favorite anime of all time. But before it comes out, I thought I'd finally watch the divisive third film once and for all.

Explaining Madoka Rebellion's story is a bit difficult, because it's a wild ride from start to finish. In the grand scheme of things, it's about Homura and Kyubey both dealing with the events of the show's ending, which had Madoka rewrite reality and pretty much erase herself from existence. Kyubey wants to go back to the old system of how the Incubators got energy, and Homura is struggling not to fall despair and wants Madoka back. That doesn't seem too complex... at least until you actually watch the thing. The first half of Rebellion is more of a mystery, starting with the cast in a distorted version of the show's reality. Somehow, Madoka and Sayaka are alive, Charlotte (the witch who killed Mami) is a good guy, the magical girls are fighting nightmares rather than wraiths, and everything seems a bit too happy. Eventually, Homura starts to realize that this isn't how things are supposed to be and decides to investigate. I quite like this first half for a bunch of reasons. First of all, I'm a big fan of the distorted reality that's not as happy as it seems trope (WandaVision being another great example). It also lets us get to see the type of show we were originally expecting Madoka to be pre-Episode 3, and it was packed with character interactions that we wouldn't have seen otherwise. I also generally liked just how bizarre and weird this half was visually, even if some of the scenes felt a bit overly strange, like that bizarre cake song.

Eventually, Homura discovers that this odd world is a witch's labyrinth, and that she became a witch out of despair. The only reason why Madoka hasn't saved her yet is that Kyubey is trying to use Homura to return to the original system, so the rest of the film is about Madoka, Sayaka, Kyoko, Mami, and Nagisa (Charlotte's magical girl form) uniting to save Homura. The stretch between Homura's initial discovery that she's in a labyrinth and this big finale is easily my favorite part of the film, it's packed with great action, insane visuals, and a really intense tone. While the opening is fun and cute, this segment of Rebellion is the Madoka Magica I know and love. However, the movie doesn't end with Madoka saving Homura. Rather, it ends with Homura rejecting Madoka's Law Of Cycles and rewriting reality herself so that magical girls don't exist and the Incubators face the consequences of their actions. While things seem ideal for everyone now, it's immediately apparent, this new reality seems fake. Not to mention it all comes at the cost of Homura taking a villainous role and going through complete and utter misery. It's a pretty dark and sudden ending, and I don't quite love how open-ended this film is. As someone who likes ambiguous endings, this is quite blatantly a cliffhanger, a hook for a sequel movie that wouldn't come out for nearly a decade. I don't think the ending is bad, it's actually a fascinating development that makes Homura even more fascinating and compelling, but it definitely makes the film feel incomplete, especially upon learning that the original version of this ending was supposed to be far more satisfying.

So there's a lot of debate around Homura's actions and whether or not it ruins her character by turning her into a villain. Personally, I don't think that's the case at all, if anything it's another flawed decision that is far more nuanced than good or bad. Homura's hatred for the Incubators and her desire to keep Madoka safe were always established, both of which are noble motivations. However, while a world with these traits might be ideal in theory, that's not quite the case, and Homura knows it. If anything, even with everything Homura did, she's still probably the least happy of the cast. So while I don't think Homura "did nothing wrong" (this was obviously a bad decision and some better communication goes a long way), I also don't think she's a truly bad person either, especially since she's mostly harming herself. I'd also like to point out the similarities between Homura and Madoka, they both rewrote reality in their own attempts at stopping the Incubators, sacrificing themselves for others in the process, driven by their own individual self-esteem issues, with Madoka having low self-confidence and Homura having some serious self-hatred. It lends this interesting question that if neither of their realities are the solution, then what is? Ideally, it might have to be one where neither Madoka nor Homura get the chance for sacrifice. There's really so much more to unpack here, but I don't want this review to take forever. So even if the ending was a bit cheap, it's also far more thought-provoking than the original finale was, and I think that's really cool.

If there's one thing that is unambiguously great about Rebellion, though, it's definitely the presentation. I mean, it's Madoka, of course it's gonna look and sound great. If anything, the fact that this is a movie means that it may look even better than the original series. The visuals are still incredibly inventive, especially the mixed media used for the witch labyrinths. The main cast is still super expressive, and that sketchy look I loved so much in the original series is still here. But the biggest improvement in Madoka Rebellion is easily the action, which is so much more dynamic and visually stunning. I especially loved the fight between Mama and Homura which boasts some of the slickest gun kata I've ever seen. The voice acting, just like the original series, is also really good. Homura's voice actress, Chiwa Saito, is especially great. The music, once again by Yuki Kajiura, is also really great, especially in that aforementioned fight scene. A lot of it is also entirely new, so it never feels like it's just borrowing from the original series. 

Overall, I really enjoyed Rebellion, even if I wouldn't call it as perfect as the original series. It's great to see the characters again, the plot is inventive and thought-provoking, the visuals and music are still great, the focus on Homura is welcome, and some of its best moments are the best in the series. However, it's also really confusing at first, and the open ending makes the movie feel a bit incomplete compared to the original series.

4/5 Stars

The Big Bang Theory Retrospective

The Big Bang Theory was one of my first big TV series along with Friends. I have a lot of nostalgia for both of them, though while Friends holds up pretty well and is still a ton of fun to watch, my opinion on the Big Bang Theory has soured over the years. While I don't quite think it's irredeemable or painfully unfunny, looking back, it feels like a show that could rarely rise from mediocrity.

The Big Bang Theory is a sitcom about a bunch of nerds who are forced to socially interact when a (gasp!) girl moves in next door. Yeah, the premise isn't great and it's probably the biggest issue with the show. Despite being a show that's supposed to be a positive depiction of the "nerd" stereotype, it doesn't do a great job of depicting its leads as anything but socially inept and slightly sexist manchildren. It does improve a bit in later seasons with character development, but even that feels like a bit of a "touch grass" message. It's not just a nerd thing, though, the whole show is built on stereotypes like Penny being a fairly standard dumb blonde. It doesn't help that the premise of a show about nerds hasn't aged all too well to begin with, given that the term "nerd" is rarely used in general nowadays, let alone as derogatory. With media like movies and video games being some of the largest industries (and especially the incredible popularity of the MCU), there really isn't that much of a stigma against liking things like superheroes or some sort of video game. The Big Bang Theory feels like it came out at the worst possible time, right at the rise of things like superhero movies, mobile gaming, and Game Of Thrones, and aged almost immediately.

However, but even that doesn't save the show from how unfunny it can be. Something that I noticed about Big Bang Theory is that the situations that the characters get themselves into are pretty funny, particularly when the group partakes in game nights, scavenger hunts, D&D games, and paintball games. As a matter of fact, the character interactions can be pretty fun, though I'll get to that later. However, the individual jokes themselves end up devolving to depicting the characters (the main quartet of nerds, in particular) as the butt of the joke. Now in most shows, it can be hard to tell what is meant to be a joke or not, but The Big Bang Theory has a laugh track so we know exactly what's meant to be a joke. Judging from the laugh track, a lot of the jokes consist of: a character referencing a form of media, a character doing something stereotypically nerdy, or a character being socially inept. It's obvious that you're not supposed to be laughing with the characters, you're supposed to be laughing at them. It's a show not meant for nerds or people with those traits, but for casual audiences to laugh at the stereotype while also validating themselves for managing to catch a reference or two. This show isn't intelligent, which isn't a bad thing. Friends isn't all that intelligent either and I still love it. My problem is that it pretends to be smart, but can't put its money where its mouth is like something like Frasier or Community.

However, I will also say there's a reason why the show has become as popular as it was, and it's not just that it makes people feel smart. Because as much as I can criticize this show, I can't deny that the characters are at fun to watch. It helps that the actors really give their all throughout, especially Jim Parsons as Sheldon. Once again, there's a reason why Sheldon is such a popular character and Parsons is a big reason why. The cast also has a great chemistry, which is why the best episodes tend to be the ones where they stay in a room together and bounce off each other. I still wouldn't call it incredibly funny, but it's at least entertaining to watch, and even oddly comforting in a way. I also like how the show actually tries to develop (most of) its characters. Howard is the most notable instance of this, starting off as a bit of a sexist jerk and developing into a pretty solid husband. The show's main three relationships are pretty great, and I did find myself getting attached to them. However, even that had issues in the case of a few characters. Raj was pretty much forbidden to develop, ending the show nearly the same as how he started. Sheldon's disinterest in sex was actually a really cool character trait, but the final third of the series has him have sex with Amy far more often because "he has to". Finally, I'm not a fan of how the show feels like it had to pair up every single character, with the only character to not have a girlfriend by the end (Raj) being depicted as kind of a loser. Sorry, I'm trying to be positive here, but there's a ton of rough aspects to The Big Bang Theory that just don't sit well with me!

So now, I'll just quickly go through all the seasons and give my opinions on them since there's no way I'm making full reviews for every single season of this behemoth:

• Season 1 is basic and mediocre, as the writer's strike prevented it from reaching any noticeable heights (2/5).  
• Season 2 is a slight improvement with a better grasp on the characters and some great episodes like "The Bath Item Gift Hypothesis", but it ends on a bit of a bum note (3/5).
• Season 3 is even better with one of my favorite episodes being that flashback to how Sheldon and Leonard met, and while the breakup between Leonard and Penny sucked, the aftermath was genuinely compelling (4/5).
• Season 4 has some great development for Howard as he takes his relationship with Bernadette seriously, it introduces my favorite character in Amy, and the finale is a cliffhanger-palooza. It also has that iconic New Years episode, even if it's not too spectacular nowadays (4/5).
• Season 5 isn't as good as the last two seasons, but at least it finally lets Leonard and Penny start dating, and the wedding arc was cute. However, it lacks any truly noteworthy episodes (3/5).
• Season 6 starts with an alright arc about Howard in space and ends with "The Love Spell Potential", which is a legitimately great D&D episode, along with Raj finally talking around girls (thank goodness!). But the rest is kinda just meh (3/5).
• Season 7 is my favorite season as it has one of my favorite episodes in "The Scavenger Vortex" which makes a point of giving us interactions with odd teamups between the cast. It also has a great finale and a neat plotline about Sheldon finding a new field (4/5).
• Season 8 is well-known for its insane downer ending, and it has some cute episodes like "The Troll Manifestation" and "The Fortification Implementation", but it's also apparent that the show is starting to drag a bit (3/5).
• Season 9 starts with a good arc about Sheldon and Amy's relationship (outside the whole sex thing), but once that's resolved, the show shifts to insanely boring and dull. What results is one of the most incomplete finales I've ever seen (2/5).
• Season 10 is the point at which the show becomes an absolute slog. The military storyline is inconsequential, and the only noteworthy episode was the finale with that big proposal, and even that was just one scene (1/5).
• Season 11 might even be worse than the last one. Once again, the only good episode is the finale, which is a pretty cute wedding, but the rest is unfunny and dull. It's obvious that the show is being stretched out at this point, and I pretty much gave up after that poorly executed arc about Howard being a jerk to Raj (1/5).
• I didn't watch Season 12, only the finale. From what I heard, it's a much better season than the last two, but I just couldn't care anymore, the show had became so meh. However, I really liked the finale. It was a satisfying and heartwarming ending that reminded me of how much I cared about this show's cast back in the day (2/5).

Overall, The Big Bang Theory is carried by its strong cast and memorable characters alone, as it suffers from a poorly aged premise, mean-spirited and lazy humor, and a reliance on stereotypes. I'll be honest, given that I tend to review shows I end up at the very least liking, this might be the worst show I've ever reviewed, at least to this date.

The Whole Show: 2/5 Stars

My ranking of the seasons of TBBT is:

7 > 3 > 4 > 6 > 2 > 8 > 5 > 1 > 12 > 9 > 10 > 11

My ranking of the finales of TBBT is:

12 > 8 > 4 > 11 > 7 > 10 > 3 > 5 > 1 > 6 > 2 > 9

Favorite Episode: The Stockholm Syndrome

Burn Notice (Season 4)

With the inconsistent and disjointed Season 3, I was a bit wary about whether or not Burn Notice's fourth season would reach the heights of the second. Well, it definitely did that.

Season 4 shifts things back to having a overarching plot rather than constantly throwing out villains like the odd numbered seasons. As a matter of fact, just like in Season 2, this season has Michael work for a handler, this time a man named Vaughn. While Carla was probably a bit more menacing and appeared far more often, I like how Vaughn mostly communicated in person rather than on the phone, and his stint as the season's antagonist in the final few episodes was pretty great. The season also brings back a bunch of old villains as well, with Simon, Larry, and Brennan all making strong appearances. Aside from the main storyline and villains, what made this season so strong is just how much it slowly improves throughout. It just keeps building and building towards a big finale, and ends up delivering with a phenomenal final trio of episodes that feel like the end of an era for the show.

But the real highlight of the season is the storyline about Jesse, an agent that Michael accidentally burned. I really like Jesse, he might actually be my favorite character of the show right now (if not second to Sam). He lends a great sense of energy to the cast, I like his failed attempts at bonding with the core trio, and the conflict about learning out who burned him was some of the most compelling parts of the season. However, this season wasn't perfect, as the client of the week episodes were probably some of the weakest in the series. There were a few experiments to keep things varied like the Fiona-focused episode and an episode about Michael in prison, but otherwise, they were all so dull and generic. It's a shame because I think there are a ton of unique ideas like Bad Breaks and Friendly Fire to really change up the dynamics of the show, but the show rarely tries anything new. At this point, I'd be fine if the series just stopped with the clients all together, the burn notice storyline is far more compelling anyway.

This season had a ton of great episodes, especially in the second half:

Where There's Smoke: I don't like Fiona. Her motivations are inconsistent and her selfish attitude stopped being funny a while ago. However, I actually quite liked this episode. Fiona got captured, but this time, she escapes all on her own. Even more, she's actually kinda fun to watch and her reunion with Michael was super low-key. The subplots were great too, the opening about Madeline robbing a bank was easily her best and funniest moment, and the big cliffhanger about Simon is exciting.

Hard Time: As far as clients of the week go, this is one of the better ones. Michael trying to protect a guy in prison is a cool concept and a great vehicle to show off his skills. But the real highlight is the return of Simon, one of the show's best villains, who leads to the big reveal that Vaughn definitely played a part in him getting burned.

Guilty As Charged: While the client of the week plot is fairly standard, the rest of the episode is fantastic. Jesse dealing with learning Michael burned him is a really compelling storyline, and the big final confrontation at the end of the episode was incredibly devastating and chaotic, bringing the whole cast together in a massive skirmish that ends on a pretty big cliffhanger.

Out Of The Fire: Larry's a great villain, Brennan's a great villain, so having them together in a single episode would obviously lead to something especially great. Not only is this a tense outing with some great set-up for the finale, but I love how the two teaming up lead to their most crippling defeat yet, with Brennan dead and Larry in prison.

Last Stand: This was easily one of the most accurate episode titles in the series. The big final battle with Vaughn was just big, it was a desperate and tense all-out war that almost resulted in nearly everyone dying. I don't think the cliffhanger was as good as Lesser Evil's, but seeing Michael back in DC leads to some exciting possibilities for the future.

Overall, Season 4 was a big improvement on the third with a solid overarching plot, a great new character, and a top-notch finale. However, I'm starting to get a bit bored of the client of the week episodes.

4/5 Stars

Sonic Heroes

I'm going to start this review by stating my overall opinion on Sonic as a whole. I like his games, quite a lot in fact. I'm not a rabid fan, nor someone who'll just trash Sonic games because of the series itself, so don't expect me to do either. Case in point, I don't think Sonic Heroes is a janky mess or a nostalgic masterpiece. Rather, I think it's a really fun and solid platformer with a few flaws that hold it back a bit.

Sonic Heroes is a game where you play as one of four teams, composed of three Sonic characters each. Each team has their own gimmick and individual story. Team Sonic is just a race to defeat Eggman, and is pretty much the main story mode. Team Rose is my personal favorite, with shortened levels that make it feel great for speedrunning and while its story is simple, I like how it connects with Amy's character arc in the Adventure games about becoming independent by having her lead her first adventure. Team Dark has probably the best story about Shadow getting amnesia along with great chemistry between the trio, but the harder difficulty and longer fights may not be for everyone. And Team Chaotix has a lovable main trio and a goofy storyline about tracking down a mysterious voice. Chaotix has the most unique gameplay as it has you completing missions like killing enemies or finding lost characters, but it ends up being hit or miss as some of the missions can be a bit tedious. As a whole, I enjoy playing as all of the teams, and the differences in story, difficulty, and sometimes gameplay approach didn't make it feel all that tedious to me.

As for the gameplay itself, it mostly works. I love the concept of swapping between three members of a team, and said three members each have their own strengths and weaknesses, so the game encourages you to frequently swap between them. There are a ton of moves in this game, not to mention moves that vary between the four teams, and most of them work fairly well. The Speed character has a homing attack, fast movement, a tornado move to grab onto poles, and at times a wall jump and fun lightspeed dash. The Flight character is best for platforming along with a fun move that lets them hit far away targets. The Power character was always my most used though, as they're great for combat and don't move too fast. However, not all of the moves work perfectly. Landing causes you to gain a boost of momentum that can throw you off a ledge, the light speed dash can be inconsistent, and flying can have an arbitrary ceiling that prevents you from going any higher. Some of the level mechanics can also be a bit finicky like the rails (which I ended up figuring out, you have to hold down B rather than spam it) and the pinball mechanics.

The thing I love the most in Sonic Heroes, though, are the levels. I love every single level in the game, as they're all lengthy, dynamic, and feature fun and creative gimmicks. Seaside Hill and Ocean Palace are strong openings with tons of multiple paths. Grand Metropolis and Power Plant have a cool environment, some crazy set pieces, and more complex levels. Casino Park and Bingo Highway have those aforementioned pinball mechanics, but they also have really sick visuals and some fun setpieces as well. Rail Canyon and Bullet Station are the weakest levels for me, but they have some neat moments like the train rides and being shot out of a cannon. Frog Forest and Lost Jungle have a fun gimmick about using frogs to trigger platforms, along with some great platforming. Hang Castle is one of my favorite levels due to its gravity-flipping mechanic, but I also love how unpredictable and unique Mystic Mansion is. Egg Fleet is an epic storming the castle-style level, and Final Fortress is a perfect final level that tests you on all the abilities you learned throughout the game.

However, there are a few aspects of Heroes that I don't like at all. First are the bosses, which are all unfun, finicky, and repetitious. The Eggman chases are the least bad, but the Team battles are insanely glitchy, and the lack of checkpoints in the enemy rushes make them incredibly frustrating. I also found the controls for the Special Stages to be unwieldily and nearly impossible to control, and I rarely bother with giving them a shot. Similarly, I didn't try to get all the A-ranks and unlock the super hard levels since I'm nowhere near good enough for that, though if you do want to go for 100%, there's a lot here to keep you busy.

As for the presentation, Sonic Heroes does this amazingly. The graphics are all super bright and colorful, the levels look distinct and memorable, and the characters are well-animated. I can't quite say the same about the voice acting and dialogue, which can be pretty bad and cheesy at times, but I also don't hate it either. Team Sonic is probably the worst in this aspect, with the dialogue being pretty basic power of friendship stuff. On the other hand, I like the dialogue for Team Rose, Dark, and Chaotix. Not only do these teams seem to have a bit more chemistry, but the jokes landed way more often, especially in the case of Chaotix. As for the music, I already stated how much I love the soundtrack in my Soundtrack Retrospective, but just to reiterate, I think it's absolutely amazing and one of the best in the series.

Overall, I like Sonic Heroes a lot. It has a few janky elements and moments of frustration, but it makes up with great level design, charming dialogue, and some amazing music.

4/5 Stars