By Barry Neenan
On the 16th of November, 2012, I ran my mouth.
Steven Reviewniverse: ‘Escapism’
By Mark Laherty
This prelude to ‘Battle of Heart and Mind,’ boarded by series stalwarts Joe Johnston and Adam Muto, sees Steven and Connie in dire straits. In seeking help, Steven is unhappily surprised to find himself reacquainted with some familiar faces. This makes the episode sound like a cool payoff to some part of Homeworld, which would make more sense than what we got here. But, what we have is cute too.
Who Review: ‘Resolution’
By Mark Laherty
Doctor Who’s New Year Special was a step up from the preceding season finale – but then, almost anything would have been. While Ryan has a difficult reunion with his absent father, the Doctor must deal with the return of an ancient threat, the most dangerous creature in the universe.
Steven Reviewniverse: ‘Together Alone’
By Mark Laherty
The last day of 2018 saw a breaking point for Diamond Days. Steven and Co carry out their plan to hold a ball in the hope of getting the Diamonds to talk out their issues and end their reign of terror. This brings the conflict between the Diamonds and the Crystal Gems to the forefront, which is exciting and something of a relief.
Steven Reviewniverse: ‘Familiar’
By Mark Laherty
After several months, we finally have a truly new episode. Since we’re in a heavily serialised stretch, this one feels more like a few plot-light scenes taken in isolation rather than a standalone story. The gist is that Steven has a chat with Yellow Diamond where she gets a few beats, a similar chat with Blue Diamond, then he gets a song and a Cinderella moment.
Steven Reviewniverse: ‘Legs from Here to Homeworld’
By Mark Laherty
And so, we begin the Diamond Days. As Steven Universe unfurls what surely must be one of its final batches of episodes, I’ll be writing the Steven Reviewniverse column. For today and the following three weeks, I’ll be reviewing each new episode as it airs, followed by a bigger breakdown of the four-episode event ‘Battle of Heart and Mind’ on January 21st. While these reviews won’t spoil the episodes themselves, they will spoil anything that’s come before owing to the heavily serialised structure of SU arcs. With that said, let’s begin.
So I Guess I Went to Hamilton?
By Barry Neenan
Musical theatre, huh? It sure is… well, expensive. The West End is certainly more accessible to us Irish than Broadway is, but adding travel expenses to the already exorbitant ticket prices does not make things very approachable. But some shows are definitely worth the hassle.
I went to Hamilton and god it’s really good I love it.
Who Review: ‘The Battle of Ranskoor Av Kolos’
By Mark Laherty
And so, this season of Who has reached its consonant-happy end. When nine distress calls lead the TARDIS Team to the ruins of an old battlefield, they must face off against an old foe. Those who have been following the show will probably be able to guess who that old foe is, so very few points for the surprise factor.
Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them: The Crimes of Rowling
By Ciaran “Gingey” Monaghan
[This article contains some spoilers for the events of the film]
I recently went to my local theatre to see Eddie Redmayne’s most recent audition to be cast as the next Doctor Who Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. I have plenty of feelings.
Who Review: It Takes You Away
By Mark Laherty
This season has seen Doctor Who jump between two worlds: the shaky vision of showrunner Chris Chibnall and the much stronger realm of guest writers (with one notable exception). Fittingly, this episode sees the TARDIS Team find a portal from the humdrum to the fantastical.