SDCC 2020 FROM HOME (THURSDAY)

Hey ODPH Society! Hope everyone is staying safe & healthy during these times. It’s been a while since we’ve blogged it up here on parlay points, but considering what time of year it is, It’s fitting to bring the blog back: San Diego Comic Con aka SDCC time!

Arguably the biggest comic-con in the world has returned! This year’s event is scheduled to take place on Wednesday, July 22nd - Sunday July 26th. Du to Covid-19, the event is all virtual this year. For fans of all fandoms, this is still a win to have an event run & try to provide entertainment during this “C-19 era”. This event is known for the mic drop moments that stop pop culture in its’ tracks. it’s always a fun episode for the podcast to cover.

As posted on ODPH social media, Wednesday’s “Entertainment edition” SDCC preview was postponed a day due to some unforseen scheduling issues. That episode will be out Thursday. In the meantime, I’m gonna blog a bit about Thursday’s panels that you need to check out:

THURSDAY: https://www.comic-con.org is your home for all things (& links) for SDCC viewing

10AM PST: CrunchyRoll Panel - If you’re into Anime, Manga & great content, this is a must watch Panel. CrunchyRoll always delivers high quality. Expect a fun, high energy Panel to kick off Thursday.

10AM: STAR TREK UNIVERSE VIRTUAL PANEL - CBS All Access is your home for the modern revival of the Star Trek franchise. This panel is a all-star one featuring the teams responsible for Star Trek: Picard, Discovery & the animated addition Lower Decks. Expecting some exclusive footage & surprises from one of the most hyped panels of all of SDCC!

10AM: X-MEN Fandom Surprise Party- If you’re a fan of the X-Men characters, have this panel saved to your browser. The fans are really gonna enjoy this panel imo.

10AM: Batgirls! - A celebration of one of the most popular characters in the Bat-Family. the panel will have an all-star lineup, each with an individual take on the characters who have been Batgirl

11AM: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO: TRUTH SEEKERS - Amazon Prime is having the strongest line-up for Thursday at SDCC. They start with the brand new show from Simon Pegg & Nick Frost. This pair playing Ghost hunters? Sign me up!

12PM: MATTEL & WWE ELITE SQUAD FAN PANEL - Any WWE Fans here? Hows Johnny Gargano, Candice leRae, Ricochet, Rhea Ripley, & Edge on a panel sound?! Keep it locked to see what the latest WWE toys are looking like plus more!

12PM: Paperfilms' Jimmy Palmiotti and Amanda Conner - The creative pair that (IMO) made Harley Quinn into the superstar character that she is today in comics are gonna be talking about her & much more!

1PM: “MARVEL 616” - Disney Plus: A new show looking at the Marvel Universe thru different eyes

1PM: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO: Utopia - You had my attention at John Cusack. The cast breaks down the concept for this new show to the Amazon Prime Video Family.

2PM: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO: Upload - Did I say or did I SAY Amazon has a STACKED Thursday for SDCC. The cast & producers talk about season 1 & tease some news for the upcoming season 2.

2PM: IDW G.I. Joe: Snake-Eyes - Rob Liefeld (X-Force, Youngblood) takes over a new book featuring the G.I. Joe legendary character. I can’t wait to hear what Rob has in store for this book!

2PM: New Mutants Panel: Will this movie ever see the light of day? If this panel desn’t answer that, I have no idea why they’re having it. The cast 7 director are gonna be scheduled for the panel so hopefully we get some real news about it.

2PM: Untold Tales of Todd McFarlane - Panel talking about the new SYFY Doc. coming out on the 25th. Sign me up. This might be “the Last dance” of Comic documentaries. Very amped up about this.

3PM: AMAZON PRIME VIDEO: The Boys - Season 2 is one of the most anticipated shows of the Year. The Cast and Producers talk all things of the hit series and what to expect bringing Garth Ennis’s vision to Amazon Prime Video. Seriously stacked lineup from APV.

4PM: BUGS BUNNY 80TH Anniversary Extravaganza - Celebrate 80 years of one of the most iconic cartoon characters of all pop culture

5PM: Image Comics - the tease is a big duo is returning to the company for a new book….My guess: Kirkman and Adlard….maybe a new Negan book? Tune in & find out

6PM: MST3K - If you’re a fan of the show, you know what you’re getting here. Expect a lot of lughs and high energy for this one

How does that lineup look? Are you excited for SDCC yet!

Keep it locked to www.comic-con.org & don’t miss one moment of the con!

For more SDCC coverage:

#ODPH Podcast Episode: Thursday Night EST (July 23rd) on all Podcast providers

Twitch.Tv/607podcasts on Thursday (23rd) - 9PM EST and Sunday (26th) - TBA

Wrestlemania 36 Predictions!

It’s that time of year….but very different with everything going on. It’s Wrestlemania season! It’s the biggest weekend in pro wrestling & obviously the ODPH society & #607podcasts family have their prediction. Here’s what everyone’s calling for the WWE’s biggest event of the year!

*Note - This will be updated as picks roll in - For longer takes, chck out this week’s ODPH & The Wrestling Show on 3 Fat Nerds Podcast network

Wrestlemania 36 Card:

Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler

Elias vs. King Corbin

Alister Black v Bobby Lashley

Kabuki Warriors (c) vs Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross

Miz & Morrison (SD Live C) vs. Usos Vs. New Day

Street Profits (C) vs. Angel Garza & Austin theory

Sami Zayn (IC Champion) vs. Daniel Bryan

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

Undertaker vs. AJ Styles (Boneyard match)

Bayley (C) vs. SD roster

Rhea Ripley (NXT Champion) vs. Charlotte

Becky Lynch (C) vs. Shayna Baszler

John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt (Firefly Funhouse Match)

Edge vs. Randy orton (Last man Standing)

Goldberg (C) vs. Braun Stroman

Brock lesnar (c) vs. Drew McIntyre

Ken:

Otis

Dont care

Alister Black

Bliss & Cross

Miz & Morrison

Street Profits

Zayn

Owens

Undertaker

Naomi

Ripley (tossup tbh)

Baszler

Wyatt

Edge

Goldberg

lesnar

Padawan J:

Otis

King Corbin

Alister Black

Bliss & Cross

Usos

Street Profits

Daniel Bryan

Owens

Undertaker

Sasha Banks

Charlotte

Baszler

Wyatt

edge

Goldberg

mcIntyre

Rich (3 fat Nerds Podcast):

Otis

Kabuki Warriors

Bryan

Elias

Black

Street Profits

Usos

Owens

Sasha

Ripley

Braun

Undertaker

Wyatt

Edge

Baszler

McIntyre

SuperFan Shawn:

Elias

Black

Profits

Bliss/Cross

Zayn

Usos

Bayley

Owens

Charlotte

baszler

Edge

Wyatt

Taker

Braun

McIntyre

Matt Lowrie:

Lynch Loses clean
Lesner Loses
Charlotte Flair Wins
Zayn Retains
Usos win
Edge over Orton
Rollins over Owens (with help from a Samoa Joe heel turn)
Aleister Black over lashley- my hot take Aleister Black and Taker have a “moment”. Second motion- black/styles would be a great feud
Oh and the fiend beats Cena and proceeds to go on a full rampage

Vinny:

Undertaker
McIntyre
Ripley
Basiler
Sami Zayn
Edge
Owens
Black
The fiend

YARD PARTY: In Search of An Exit

Hey ODPH Society! Hope everyone is staying safe and healthy during this time. For this Parlay points blog, I’m going to be reviewing the debut album “In Search of An Exit” from the band Yard Party. Unfortunately due to the C-19 shutdown, our slated interview is on hold until after the shutdown limitations are limfted. As soon as they’re up, We’re going to be having them in studio to talk about ISOAE & much more.

In case this is the first time hearing of Yard Party, here’s a quick bio (all info is from their webpage: yardpartyband.com). Yard Party is comprised of Dave Oliveri, Ryan Roosa, Tyler Roosa, Zach Ford & Tim Lewis. The band has grown from Oliveri & Roosa connecting & playing on open mic nights. Building the foundation of the band with Roosa, Ford & Lewis in 2017, Yard Party was beginning to start playing shows in late 2018. The album has been in creative production since Summer 2019. The result has just hit all streaming platforms on March 27th 2020

ISOAE captures a pure alternative sound you expect to hear with a band that has various influences. Credit has to be given to Scott Rasmussen of Rotten Elk Studios for honing such a sound throughout the album. “A Plane out of Phase”, the standout track from the album is prime example of this. From the soaring vocals from Oliveri & Roosa to sudden upswitches of the rhythm from the rest of the band, “Plane” stands out for it’s mix of styles that has you hooked from the opening note. “Pendulum” is another great example of how diverse the sound is on this album. It has a Snow patrol/Blue October haunting melodic lullabye feel to it, before the tempo change hits again.

The lead single “The Chains that bind” hits the ground with a more upbeat rock feel that has a QOTSA sound echoing in the guitars. Not to be outdone, “I Left the stove On” showcases solid lyrics with the band’s harmony. Simple reflection and change song formulas don’t apply here. Trying to break down each song as a certain style comparison is not an easy task for this album & that is a huge win for the listener.

Overall, ISOAE is as alternative as you’ll hear anywhere. From the writing to the musicianship, Yard Party shows it’s strength for being able to carve their own path without falling into a category. Each song has it’s own feel to it & each listener will have their own opinion on what it sounds like. Overall, there’s only one correct answer everyone can agree on: ISOAE sounds like a great album.

ISOAE is available on all major music platforms. For more information: yardpartyband.com

TITANS FELL DOWN!

Well, it’s been a long time but we’re going bloggin on the ODPH! On the past episode, we went super heavy on movie trailers that we didn’t have time to talk Titans (DC Universe) season 2 finale. Let’s fix that shall we? (SPOILERS TALK HAPPENING)

Season 2 started with a lackluster opening episode with the team finding a way to “stop” Trigon (Seamus Dever). In all honesty, this could have happened in the season 1 finale but is what it is. The team is reformed by Dick Grayson (Brenton Thwaites) and looks to be comprised of Raven (Teagan Croft), Beast Boy (Ryan Potter) & Jason Todd/Robin (Curran Walters). The senior members of the team split their seperate ways. Donna Troy (Conor Leslie) & Starfire (Anna Diop) take off to Chicago while Hawk (Alan Ritchson) & Dove (Minka Kelly) leave for seclusion from the hero life. All should be well until a camera crew catches Jason uttering a phrase that would haunt this season: “TITANS ARE BACK B*TCHES!’

This move triggers what was the “big bad” of the season to re-emerge: Slade Wilson aka Deathstroke (Esai Morales). Thru the course of the season from here is a long term chess match being set up by Slade against Dick Grayson. If you have read the Teen Titans classic run from Wolfman & Perez, you knew this was a huge moment in Titans history. Taking elements from “the Judas Contract” storyline, we the viewers see Slade plant the seeds to destroy the Titans.

At this stage, we’re introduced to his daughter, Rose aka Ravager (Chelsea Zhang) who is running from him. Once she enters the Titans radar, the ball gets rolling on the season. We’re introduced to (a very lackluster) Dr. Light (Michael Mosley). This is a letdown from the comic character so nothing worth mentioning here, other than his attack on Hawk & Dove force them to return to San Francisco, home of the Titans. Raven’s powers are out of control, so a cry for Starfire & Donna to return is made, but only Donna makes it. Starfire is kept away for most of the season to build up a story for season 3.

During this time, the youthful Todd makes a play to step out of Dick (and Bruce Wayne - Iain Glen) shadow by attempting to take down Slade but fails. Detouring from the comic, Todd survives the first encounter with an assist from Conner Kent/Superboy (Joshua Orpin), who’s story takes over the latter part of the season.

Arguably the bright spot of the season is the story of Slade’s first Titan encounter. After an assassination attempt on Donna troy results in the death of Aqualad (Drew Van Acker), Dick goes on a dark quest to lure Slade out using his own son (Jericho - Chella Man) as a pawn. The story here made this season. High drama and acting carried through and set up Slade’s hatred for Grayson perfect: during battle Slade “killed” his body possessing Son. The fallout is a simple message to Grayson: reform the Titans and everyone dies. This moment haunts Grayson for years and leads to a breakdown of his soul & his rebirth as Nightwing.

Forcing him to confront his demons, Bruce issues & his future, Dick has a moment of clarity while getting himself arrested that Jericho is alive in Slade. The rest of the team is broken thru their own stories until drawn back together by Wayne…or was it Once a sense of purpose was driven home, the team goes off to finish Slade and Cadmus (Superboy’s creators and ultimate enemy).

Now here’s where I gave this episode a C-. The finale starts with Rose (who revealed she was supposed to betray the Titans but flipped) Nightwing & Slade….which lasts mere minutes and Slade is killed by Rose?! A WAAAAAAAY tooo quick ending to the Big Bad of the season. From here, the attention is flipped to stopping a possessed Superboy and Beast Boy who are rampaging the city thanks to Cadmus. The Titans prevail. Connor and Garth are freed from control. Clapping begins and then…..a ferris wheel starts to fall & did the character who’s invulnerable to lightning gran it? Nope. Donna does and “dies” saving people underneath it.

But we’re NOT done….Donna is being sent to Paradise Island for burial. At the airport, Raven (who’s powers are STILL out of control) talks Dick into flying there in hopes of bringing Donna back to life……what?!The rest of the team (minus Jason who left, Hawk, and Dove)walk down an alley ready to fight with the closing shot being Blackfire (Damaris Lewis - Starfire’s sister) arriving to Earth.

I was seriously let down by this ending. yet again, Titans can’t close on the season. The pacing and story felt rushed and miswritten at times. I thought the series showed vast improvement when it followed the comics in dealing with Deathstroke. Taking him out with relative ease made little sense. Donna troy’s “death” seemed shocking until you have Raven going to resurrect her. Sensing Brother Blood next season.

In closing, Titans for the whole season showed improvement and warrants a 3rd season, but writting plotholes & miscues hurts a show still growing. Lets hope 3rd time is the charm here.

NYCC Extra!

Hey everyone. Since the panel is en route to NYCC (as stated on the last podcast episode), I’m doing this blog as a one-shots to deliver on what else was going on this week!

*Sony & Marvel make up! Spidey is heading back to the MCU! An agreement has been made to let Kevin Feige (who’s now going to take his talents to a galaxy far far away) & Marvel co-produce the 3rd Tom Holland SpiderMan film slated for 2021. It’s also to note that the wording coming from the agreement leans toward having Spidey being able to go on either studios Superhero movies. Either way, cooler heads and smart business prevailed.

*Powers of X # 5 (SPOILERS) - The series that has redefined the X-Men doesn’t let down. lots of great character moments with Forge, Emma Frost, & Namor. With Dawn of X approaching, I’m fully banking on speeding up the timelines for each series to jump off into. The Future storyline wasn’t my favorite part of the issue this week, but it served it’s purpose. House #6 drops this week. We’re planning on reviewing that nxt week!

*DCU Titans season 2 episode 4 (SPOILERS) - More backstory on Deathstroke’s first run-in with the Titans. Donna Troy’s tragic love affair with Aqua-Lad comes crashing down with a bullet from Slade. It’s a great intro to new viewers on why Slade is so dangerous and why it’s so personal with the team. Expecting more flashbacks to tie-in with new episodes. Solid showing

*Joker is making it’s way to the big screen Friday, while Harley Quinn & co drop a trailer for the new Birds of Prey movie. DC is having a strong week thus far heading into NYCC. Joker is the closest we will get to a live-action “Killing Joke” while the Birds really showcased a unique vision of the team. Very excited for both.

That’s all for now, cause I need to catch a bus to NYC. If you’re down at the con, pull up & say hey! Thanks for reading!

Guest Blog: Mike Paffie on Young Justice/Titans

Hey ODPH society! In case this is the first time you’ve heard of me, my name is Mike Paffie aka “Paff Daddy”! I play in a band call Honker & I’ve been on the ODPH before for their Anime episode among others. I couldn’t make this week’s podcast (but make sure you check it out on Apple Podcasts, Podcoin, Overcast, Spotify and well, everywhere you find great podcasts), but when Ken asked me to write a review for my favorite DC Universe shows, I couldn’t pass it up!

I’m a HUGE DC Universe fan & really have been lovin the content they’ve been putting out. I could go on & on about it, but let me break down & review my two favorites for this blog: Young Justice & Titans!

Young Justice: Outsiders - season 3

Grade: (9/10)

Personally, I thought this was the best season of young justice yet! Of course, that is because we finally get to see Garth and Cyborg together in action! Beast Boy has finally taken on the role of a leader (YES!). They did an amazing job showing how serious he is about fixing the word, no matter what, and caring he is for mutants kids around the world. I was very happy with cyborg’s story as well. His emotional and personal battles with the father box taking control of his body, brings a really interesting and darker side to cyborg.

In fact, this season is by the far the darkest yet. Right off the bat, you got people dying left and right, and some of the deaths are pretty damn metal! There are characters that are melted, stabbed, sliced and crush to a pulp! Not to mention there is way more blood and gore than pretty much any animated dc show....and I’m not complaining.

I really enjoy the new team too! Brion has some of the best character development in all of Young Justice in my opinion. And how can you not just love everyone’s favorite comedic alien: Forager! The story has taken a huge turn this season. The Justice League and the Outsiders are having this political & social warfare between the light, granny goodness, and so many other villains.

On top of that, Lobo finally showed himself this season, and man did he kick some serious butt. This season has a very nice modern touch to it, mixed in with a very classic feel. It’s very refreshing and very relatable to today’s day and age. Can’t wait for season 4! Hope it comes out very soon.

Titans Season 1

Grade: 7/10

I may be a little biased towards this one. purely because the teen titans was my favorite show growing up. I was just at that right age to be able to relate to all the characters. They all came from so many different places, yet work together so incredibly well. Their powers are very diverse along with their personalities, that just makes for some very interesting dynamics between them. All in all I did enjoy this first season!

Definitely, the season starts off pretty slow, which is pretty standard for a new show. New characters need a good intro to really connect with them. It takes a couple episodes to really get going, but when it does…..It takes off and doesn’t look back!

From the beginning, the action/fights scenes are really awesome. I think they nailed them. Personally, I was very satisfied with some of the ass kicking done to the crooks/villains. Man oh man! Robin did not go easy on anyone. That first scene where he drags the thug’s face across and brick wall made my mouth drop! Dick Grayson is a totally different man in this, which is a little jarring at first. But towards the end I think he may be my favorite character so far.

At the end of they day, he’s still Robin down to the core. He’s just got his own way of doing things. I was very happy they still pitched StarFire and Robin together, no matter the universe, they are just meant to be. I will say I was kinda disappointed in Rachel (raven) and Beast Boy. Nothing against Teagan Croft & Ryan Potter, because both of them kicked ass during the season, but I just didn’t connect with them early in the show. It felt like there was a huge age difference witht he cast on the show that took me a while to get past. I’m too used to them being all around the same age on the cartoon that the whole “Big Brother (Robin)/Little Sister (Raven)” dynamic threw me for a loop at the start.

Raven is my favorite titan so maybe I’m just too picky. I understand Raven is gonna grow and develop, but she was also just too nice. Sure, she tried shoving people away cause she didn’t want to hurt them, but I just wasn’t buying it, kinda felt a little forced. I think would’ve liked to see Raven develop later in the show, rather than her be the main plot point right off the get go. She’s such a mysterious, introverted character and I feel like she just got the spot light way too much.

Raven also had so many monologues about the power of friendship that would help her calm down to get out of a bad situation. I understand that is raven’s main character development point, and it should happen, just not this soon. I rather wish they elaborated on the other members a little bit more. Like I said, Raven is my favorite titan so maybe I’m just too picky, but I’m really invested going into season 2 for her story.

I did love the Doom Patrol intro episode. It was a great way to get viewers familiar with that team. I really liked their first season, & hoping for Cyborg to cross over into Titans at some point. Being a HUGE Teen Titans fan, I need to see this happen in live-action! The rest of the cast did great. Donna Troy, Hawk & Dove were cool (yes, even jason todd was a nice addition :-)) & the Nuclear Family was something fresh.

Honestly I think the Titans production team did an exceptional job for a live action dc show with this show. I think it was more of a writing problem for me at the beginning. Raven didn’t really feel like Raven to me.

Now (and I can’t stress this point enough), this issue DEFINIETLY got better towards the end of season 1 and the start of the second season for me. I’ve only watched the first episode of season 2 and it’s probably the best episode yet! It’s really starting to come together and feel like Titans. Because of that episode, I’m very excited for the rest of season two. I have a good feeling it’s gonna start filling in some holes left in season one & can’t wait for every new episode to start my Fridays off.

Thank you for reading my review of the DC Universe. If you wanna reach out and continue the conversation, here’s the links to Honker’s Facebook, Twitter, & YouTube

Until next time….BOO-YAH!

SDCC Survival Kit 101

As stated on the latest ODPH podcast, San Diego Comic Con is finally here for 2019! If you’re not able to attend, make sure to follow all social media for all the big news breaking. If you are lucky enough to go, Congrats! There is so much to see and do, so here’s some quick ideas to think about bringing before going to the con.

1. Backpacks - with all the swag and collectables at SDCC, you’ll need something to store them in. Flare it out a bit with some patches/buttons of your favorite fandoms and it will make for some convo starters in line.

2. Refillable Water Bottle. Cons can be very warm. Stay hydrated. Snacks are a great idea too. No Con goer should go without food and/or water at these conventions. Save some cash too!

3. If you’re buying any collectable poster art, bring a poster tube to put it in. No sense of ruining great art by folding it into pieces

4. Portable phone charger. Do NOT be the one stranded with a dead phone battery when you meet a celeb and can’t take that pic for IG or FB. This might come in handy more than you could think.

5. Hand sanitizer, tissues, gum/breath mints and band aids are all nice to carry as well.

6. Dress for weather accordingly

7. IF COSPLAYING (which will be awesome to do), bring necessary repair kits (pins, tape, etc.) to make sure costumes don’t get ruined

8. Have Fun. Cons are a great way to make friends and express fandom (always be respectful of other congoers) so enjoy & drop some feedback on @ODParlayhour

   Thanks for reading!

TV REPORT CARD (Memorial day Weekend 2019)

Hey everyone. It’s been a while since we’ve done this, but (as stated on the “No Thrones” podcast), we’re taking a look around at some TV shows that are wrapping up for the season & in some cases, the series. Time to hand out some grades, cause it’s TV Report Card time!

The Big Bang Theory: After 12 seasons, 18 million viewers tuned in to see the final (for now) story of Dr. Sheldon Cooper & company as the “Big Bang Theory” took it’s final bow last Thursday. The episode itself wasn’t a huge nostalgia fest (brief montage in the beginning) , but rather a simple episode where Sheldon (Jim Parsons) & Amy (Mayim Bialik) win Nobel Peace Prizes. The gang flies to Sweden to see them accept their awards & typical TV drama ensues. There was Penny (Kaley Cuoco) being pregnant, Howard & Bernadette (Simon Helberg & Melissa Rauch) having anxiety issues leaving their kids, & Sheldon dealing with change……which we’ve seen before.

The episode (Grade: C) wraps up with the gang staying (after all nearly leaving) to see Sheldon give his speech, where he thanks them for being better friends than he deserves. The final shot is the gang eating Chinese food to the sounds of an acoustic version of the Barenaked Ladies’s “History of Everything.”

Overall, it wasn’t a hugely memorable episode. Longtime fans will appreciate the little knods to the show’s history (they FINALLY fixed the elevator)! At this stage, it was a good place to end the series. In the beginning in 2007, the show had a unique charm to it. It showed pop culture a version on Geek Culture. Did it represent it authentically? That’s a highly debated question. In the first seasons, The show hammed up the “super geekly” aspect of the characters. Obviously, this was done to win over viewers & they succeeded. Ratings don’t lie. Overall, it felt, at times, as the geek culture was being more made fun of than embraced for it’s perceived social awkwardness.

Where the show succeeded in was: it opened a lot of eyes & doors to show pop culture that there is an audience for geek culture. If Big Bang didn’t take off, would the current influx of comic Movies & TV shows have taken off to their current heights? Maybe it’s ironic timing, maybe not.

The “Big Bang Theory” legacy is that of showing the mainstream that geek culture can work & there is an audience for it. From where it started, what once was on the outside has now become the mainstream. It’s now influencing new shows & opening eyes to more people (esp. in syndication). “Bazinga” indeed.

CLOAK & DAGGER SEASON 2 PREVIEW

Under all the hype behind “Avengers: Endgame” tickets, Marvel had another big event happen this week: “Cloak & Dagger’. The story of Cloak/Ty Johnson (Aubrey Joesph) & Dagger/Tandy Bowen (Olivia Holt) originated out of the pages of Spider-Man back in the 1980’s & has now led to a Freeform TV show that debuted in June 2018. The MCU-based show returned with a 2-hour premiere picking up on the saga of the “Divine Pairing.”

Removed from their comic beginnings in NYC, the city of New Orleans plays host for the duo’s adventures. From the beginning, we see two individuals brought together from their own personal tragedies & the aftermath leaves them changed forever with abilities. As the season progresses, the viewers are treated to mystery behind their pairing & where that journey takes them forward. What started as “Divine Intervention” turned into a mix of superpowered & real-world issues that made fans sit up & take notice due to solid writing & incredible acting. Olivia Holt absolutely defined the role of Tandy Bowen, making her story multi-layered rather than just “she’s the hero, LIKE her”. Joesph & Emma Lahana (Detective O’Reilly/Mayhem) also added strong performances with the rest of the cast. As the heroes uncovers their mysteries, they find themselves in very different places from where episode 1 started. With the cliffhanger of a reset for all 3 characters mentioned, it was a no brainer to bring the show back for Season 2.

As we start off, New Orleans is saved, but everything has changed. Ty is on the run, framed from murder & hiding out in the abandoned church where Dagger ran away to from her family drama. On the flip side, Tandy has returned home & made a somewhat peace with her Mom. Their ally, Detective O’Reilly survived her own drama & presumed death to emerge with powers all her own.

Cloak has now embraced becoming a hero. He’s using his powers to disrupt the local drug dealers and trying to make his world better. Tandy has gone back to ballet and normalcy. It appears she’s given up being Dagger & has only been support to Tyrone instead of being a partner. After attending some support groups, she comes across Mikayla, a victim of abuse. Once prying into her situation, Tandy takes action in her own way. Once again, Holt’s portrayal of Dagger is a driving force of the show. Holt balances out the range of emotions flawlessly. Not to be outdone, Joseph gets into his “coming of hero age” when his plan backfires & is caught in a dire moment, only to be saved by Dagger. Once again, the “divine pairing” is reunited for the greater good.

Not to be left out at this stage, Detective O’Reilly knows of Cloak’s activities and tries keeping him on the right side of the law. Her return to everyday life since her death & rebirth has been a struggle. O’Reilly tells Ty to leave being the law to the professionals. His response was to get evidence that would stand in court by taping a gang meeting. Even with Tandy’s help, the plan falls apart when the meeting is violently ended with multiple dead bodies.

Overall, “Cloak & Dagger” came back right where they left off. Their key strengths of season 1 (writing, acting lead by Olivia Holt, & a haunting soundtrack) fell right back into place. As the season goes on, Joseph & Lahana should make a huge impact and I, for one, can’t wait to see where that journey goes. “Cloak & Dagger” airs Thursdays on Freeform.