Blade Runner: Black Lotus

A Blade Runner being added into the mix. Interesting.

The idea that Replicants don't have a consciousness sounds sort of like human propaganda to me. I'm not just going to take J's word for it.

Return of the "freeze and enhance" technology from the first film.

Good week. ****.

That was sort of a slow week.

Honestly, the notion of a Replicant going on a revenge killing spree isn't my favorite premise ever, but in fairness to the show, the people Elle goes after suck ass. There is no real genuine repentance, or even shame from the Chief or his awful wife. It borders on obscene that after she participates in The Doll Hunt that she has the nerve to accuse another sentient being of not having real feelings.

The nature of the premise should bother me a lot more than it does. The fact that it almost seems justified actually dismays me quite a bit. ***.

I don't blame Elle taking off from J when she did. The cop said the exact wrong things for her to overhear.

The scene in the lab with the memory extraction was interesting because it raised questions and gave few real answers. I like that in a sci-fi mystery.

Solid. ***1/2.

Modern television producers would refer to that episode as a recap, but when I was a kid, we derisively called episodes like this by their proper name: A clip show. You can gussy it up as an interrogation all you want. That's still all it boiled down to.

Speaking of which, the dialogue in the interrogation was thoroughly unconvincing. Neither hard-boiled nor believable. It just didn't work or feel real.

Lousy clip show. *.

Slow and confusing. Well, the movie was confusing too, but it wasn't slow. Things DID pick up a bit in the climax.

Wallace saying it was good Replicants felt pain showed he was an utter scumbag, but I can't help feeling they've killed him off too soon. Elle's entire goal has been accomplished already. Probably not smart.

Eh. So-so. **1/2.

I found the flashback very confusing at first, but by the end I found it very sad and romantic.

Speaking of confusion, I didn't understand the ending. Maybe I wasn't meant to, but I got a sneaking suspicion the producers were hoping my jaw would drop in recognition at what was happening, instead of being puzzled. I think I missed something.

All right week. ***.

So this was all a big plan by Niander Wallace Jr.? That's not exactly predictable. Then why I am annoyed? I can't tell. But I am. It doesn't sit right that Jay has been lying this entire time. It doesn't sit right at all.

Eh, we'll see what happens next week. **1/2.

Not great.

I was SO underwhelmed by the swordfight at the beginning. It struck me as amateurish. The visuals in the movies are big budget and high-quality. This show is VERY noticeable in the corners it cuts.

Speaking of which, I was annoyed by all the clips. Because I don't believe they were there to help the Narrative. I think they were a cost-cutting measure to not have to fill an entire 22 minutes with new animation. This cheapo show has made me cynical, I'll admit it. But damn it, I think that's right.

The fight with Jay and Marlowe at the end was better because the character animation of Jay fighting injured was more credible. It's interesting what this show can and can't handle. It can't handle two chicks in a crazy swordfight. A guy limping into an elevator while breathing heavily is something the show nails.

I was unhappy with what happened to Davis. Any reason she needed to be impaled when she was? None that I could see.

My favorite bit of Marlowe and Jay's fight was Marlowe telling Jay he should have ambushed him. So it wasn't sloppy writing or a plot stupidity after all. Jay made a genuine mistake that the writers could point out. Because I thought it was plenty dumb he didn't do that to begin with too.

Parts of this show are all right, and parts of it drive me crazy. **1/2.

So now we know why Niander Wallace was blinded.

I was going back and forth over whether the fact that he didn't instinctively flinch when the sword came towards his head was either badass or psychopathic. It reality, it doesn't matter. It was a failing. If he had been able to flinch instead of instinctively believing Elle could never harm him, he could have avoided that.

Quick question. Was there a particular reason Jay needed to be on the side of the doors he was when he set off the detonator? Maybe he thought it was his version of penance, but I think the key thing about a good sacrifice is that it actually needs to be necessary. This didn't strike me as that.

Pretty good finale. I will be fine if there isn't a season 2. This felt like a perfectly fine stopping point. ****.