Wondering what to do with your upcoming free time? Good thing we have some suggestions for what you should be watching, playing, reading, listening to, etc.
Ben’s Comic Pick: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Last Ronin – The Last Ronin follows the only surviving hero in a half shell on his quest to finally end the war between his family and the Oroku bloodline by killing the grandson of Shredder. The challenge being that said grandson rules New York with an iron fist, which forces the now-adult mutant ninja turtle to join a group of resistance fighters in order to honor his family and settle the score, or at least get close enough to die trying. It’s most definitely a darker experience than the TMNT movies and TV shows that I grew up with, but one I certainly enjoyed for how different it is. The miniseries may be short, yet it still manages to explore both the dystopian New York that has suffered greatly without its heroes and how much the last turtle standing has struggled (and continues to struggle) with the loss of his loved ones, featuring plenty of great action throughout. The Last Ronin has everything it needs to tell a great story, and I hope we get to see more of this world in a spin-off of some kind down the road.
Lauren’s TV Pick: Warrior Nun Season 2 – Seeing as I told Ben weeks ago that I wasn’t even sure if I enjoyed half of the storylines of the new season of Warrior Nun, putting it on the list is probably confusing him. But I can explain: if you know me at all, then you definitely know I have a short leash when it comes to content about religion and the Catholic Church, even if the focus tends to explore its abuses of power and the suffering it causes through the zealotry it inspires. It’s just not a world I want to spend time in, and though the twisting of the Christian mythology is interesting to an extent, all I really care about are these badass nuns, their love for each other, and the fight choreography that far exceeded my expectations. Between the actors clearly doing a lot of their stunts, the one shot church brawl as the camera gets passed around by our combatants, the Nightcrawler bamfing massacre that shows off Lilith’s new skills, Superion proving she’s not to be underestimated no matter the title she goes by… everyone just looks so badass. And when they’re not looking badass, they’re looking longingly at each other, and I am here for all of it. This season is the epitome of the “I watch it for the plot” meme, with just a photomontage of all the yearning and tension that is infused in every scene between Ava and Beatrice (I have zero notes for Alba Baptista and Kristina Tonteri-Young; their chemistry is undeniable and they can do no wrong). Now everyone go watch it (and then watch it again) so we can get that season 3 renewal already.
Lauren’s TV Pick: Wednesday – With a TV-14 demographic that leads to some predictable reveals and a completely unnecessary (and unwanted) checking-the-box love triangle between Wednesday and two boys – instantaneous Stockholm Syndrome is the only logical explanation to explain why they’re so willing to forgive and straight up ignore the verbal dismissiveness and lack of interest on our girl’s part. Seriously, no means no, boys (and writers); listen to the character and either let my girl be ace, or let the relationships develop gradually in a way that feels honest to who she is – I’m still fully on board for this supernatural high school drama. Jenna Ortega is perfect as this iteration of the beloved character as she Nancy Drew’s her way through a mystery involving monsters and murder in this world of cryptids, psychics, and witches, and the chemistry between Ortega and Emma Myers as Wednesday’s bubbly roommate really makes the navigation of this polar opposites dynamic and slowly evolving frienship the true heart of the show. Honestly, Wednesday + Enid + Thing is all I need.
Ben’s Video Game Pick: Dead Space 2: Severed and Dead Space 3: Awakened – With a Dead Space spiritual successor, The Callisto Protocol, dropping in December, and a remake of the original Dead Space arriving in January, I decided to replay my favorite horror franchise in gaming. I know I’ve already talked about the Dead Space trilogy plenty of times on Middle of the Row, but having never shared my thoughts on the story DLC from the latter two games is reason enough to once again sing it’s praises. Severed takes place during the events of Dead Space 2, following the two survivors from Dead Space: Extraction (a shockingly good on-rails shooter) as they try to escape another necromorph outbreak, while Awakened continues Isaac and Carver’s story from the end of Dead Space 3, as they fight their way through followers of an insane religion in an effort to get back to Earth. Neither add-on adds anything special gameplay-wise, but they introduce (or reintroduce) challenging, scary enemies, and further flesh out the world-building and lore of the Dead Space universe, making them both more than worth your time if you’ve only played the main games of the series.
So what do you think about these picks? What content did we miss over the past two weeks while we were spending time with these? Be sure to leave a comment below letting us know about everything (both current and simply new to you) you’ve been consuming lately!
Middle of the Row 