TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E08 The Finale Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix and Owen Quinn

So, here we are. The moment that everyone was waiting for. The end of Stranger Things, at least in this incarnation. Who is going to die? Will it be a worthy end to it all?

Well, up front, nobody died from the main cast. Only Kali, Vecna and the Mind Flayer bit the dust. I was a bit pissed as there were so many near death misses including Steve and Dustin but on reflection, it ended exactly the way it should. Some would argue that for such a victory, there must be some sort of sacrifice. Well, I think Elle being a pariah forever is sacrifice enough. Captain Kirk lost his son and the Enterprise to save Spock and the universe from the Genesis Wave but loss like that in Stranger Things would take away from the climax.

As I write this, I am reading people saying Stranger Things got lost in sci-fi, criticism of the rushed ending and various other things. If I think about it, there have been questionable moments and sometimes, things dragged out a little bit or repeated in multiple scenes. But I have to say this to everyone including myself, if you’re that good and can do a better job, get off your arses and do it yourselves. All writers know how hard it is to put a story together that makes sense, engages and satisfies the audience. I am going to say I started watching this with those negative criticisms echoing in my head. And I have to say, it hit the ground running and the two hours flew in. And yes, I too wondered what was going to happen in the final hour given Vecna and co were defeated at almost an hour in.

I am so glad that everyone, bar poor Kali, survived. After everything, it is nice to see these kids grow up and defeat a monster that has terrorised them for years. It demonstrated the theme of the bonds we share as friends, family and people that become family. Together we can defeat the demons in our collective lives and come out the other side, changed but keeping who we are intact. This is brilliantly shown in Dustin’s graduation speech where he rips off his gown, calls out his school and proudly wears his Hellfire club T-shirt. That what identifies our guys right there.

We have to mention Jamie Campbell Bower’s performance as Vecna. He is the epitome of evil and we have falsely been led to beleive that he is a misunderstood villain. When he pursues the kids into the mine where he sees himself as a kid get shot in the hand by a man with a suitcase, we finally get the real villain. Will has tapped into Henry’s mind and tells him he can come back to them and help destroy the Mind Flayer. Jamie is impeccable here as he cries. We see how as he fears this memory. The suitcase held a link to the Mind Flayer that dissolves and is absorbed into young Henry with the instruction to come find him. And just as you think, Vecna will turn back to the good side again, he reveals that he chose to join with the Mind Flayer. He is truly the villain we all know. No Darth Vader turn around here.

There is so much I like here. The Mind Flayer being hidden in plain sight all this time, Vecna manipulating Hopper into thinking he has shot Elle while in the tank. Steve almost plunging to his death. Elle bringing Max into the hive to help track Vecna down when we think it is Vecna attacking Max. Derek again shouting, “Suck my fat one!” Murray blowing up the helicopter and Mister Clarke’s fan boy reaction at bering involved in saving the world. There isn’t a poor performance here at all. It’s joyful, exciting and thrilling.

It’s fitting Joyce was the one to finally finish Vecna off with the immortal line “You fucked with the wrong family!” Her performance from day one as the seemingly hysterical single mother whom no one believed to the kick ass rescuer heading to Russia to save Hopper to making sure Vecna’s head was severed from his body. She has been award winning all this time.

And that is the heart of Stranger Things. This family, both in blood and circumstance, has beaten the monster that has hurt them all as we see in flashbacks as Joyce decapitates Vecna. We get the flashback of Eddie but no reappearance as speculated. Defeating Vecna is for all those they have lost along the way as well as those standing there to witness his death. This was a mother’s love and a mother’s love ending Vecna is fitting. They did it through love and friendship, learned about themselves because of it, Will and Nancy being the prime examples. But there is no cheering or laughing as his head falls to the floor. There are tears, bad memories and a sigh of relief. That’s the most human reaction of them all.

But Dr Kay is not gone and she captures them all minutes before the bomb detonates to bring down the Upside Down so the worlds are separate again. But the explosion happens and they see Elle standing there who is apparently killed.

The time jump to 18 months later was the right thing to do. From graduation, to the rebuilding of Hawkins to moving on from grief is all beautifully done.

Just as Star Trek: The Next Generation ended on a poker game so we end on one last game of Dungeons and Dragons. In this game, we get to see how each of their futures play out as told by the game. As for Elle, she truly made the ultimate sacrifice. In an earlier epeisode, Mike tells her that once the game is over, the hero can never return to thier home. They end up in a land far away with three waterfalls because that’s the way it goes. Kali and Elle pulled one final illusion to ensure Dr Kay would think the experiments were over. With no Elle, and no Henry blood to create other Henrys with, it all ends.

Or does it?

Elle is the Mage and she and Kali sprung one last spell of invisibility to make it look like she died. But if this is true allegedly because her tale can never be told, then Elle has given up her love, her Dad and everyone she loves in order to make a new life far away. This scene of Elle walking up a hill to see the three waterfalls was filnmed in New Zealand where these really exist. The ambiguity of her death is touching because no matter what, no one will ever know if Elle is alive or not. She must sit and think of all those she left behind and live another life free of fear. Sometimes the most painful solutions are the only ones that can bring life back to normality; a life filled with so much love that the bonds last forever. They exist in one wrinkle in time. That sacrifice will leave you staring up at the moon and hoping that maybe, just maybe, that those we have lost are looking back.

So, Stranger Things did break my heart. This ending is worse than death because with death you have closure. But the upside is, just like the bonds we share are just like the story of the Mage; only we know how powerful that love is.

Great job, Duffer brothers. You nailed it.

One last thing. The end credits to David Bowie’s Heroes with the animation of the entire series and its most iconic moments is gorgeous. Til next time.

Stranger Things 5: Why Will Coming Out is the Most Important Moment of 2025

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix

So, yesterday, I saw a deluge of hate against Stranger Things for the scene where Will comes out to his friends. Cries of woke echoed across the land. An agenda is being pushed by these big corporations like Netflix. We don’t need this in our entertainment. Even comedians like Australian Isaac Butterfield posted a video crying about the woke agenda and telling them to suck a fat one. While it’s nice that Derek’s catchphrase has caught on, it’s a pity they didn’t bother to actually pay attention to the story and put the scene in context both historically and storywise. But then again, posting hate upon it just shows that people are closing down when they assume it’s woke. That’s equally unhealthy.

There is no one more antiwoke than me. It ias dangerous, it excludes and tries to form a fantasy on the masses rather than fact. I hate it and will fight against it. As Billy Connolly once said, PC is the language of cowardice. But this instance jsut shows how easily people throw this term out without thinking first.

So, the first thing you need to know is that Stranger Things eason 5 is set in the 80s, 1987 to be precise. Now the 80s was a time where gay people had much to fear. Aids had been dubbed the gay plague by the medie, sending the public into a frenzy that they could catch it off a gay person. The Hollywood actor Rock Hudson was exposed as being gay and having lived a secret life in Hollywood. They kept his image as a straight man going up to the point they arranged a fake marriage so people would not suspect his sexualitycould. Such a thing cost the studios money at the box office. He starred in the soap opera Dynasty where his physical appearance sparked rumours that exposed his secret. He shared an onscreen kiss with Linda Evans and people asked had she caught the disease from that kiss.

Of course not. But there was no real understanding on AIDS but slowly that changed. Princess Diana would be seen to shake hands with people with the disease.

HIV could be caught from infected blood used in transfusions and many including children, were ostracized by communities who feared they would catch it too just from being near a person with it. I’m seeing parallels here with people not arming themselves with knowledge about things and just going off on one. Queen singer Freddie Mercury was also a victim of it , dying in 1991and there was a real fear among people. It was neither a plague nor caused by gay people. Liberace and Rock Hudson also died. Teenager Ryan White became the post child of AIDS and a major part in educating the public about the disease. Can you imagine coming out in those days when a mere twenty years earlier, you were arrested and put in prison for being gay. By coming out, you put a target on your back because of people’s ignorance of the subject. People looked at you differently, fearfully.

Hence movies like Philadelphia starring Tom Hanks and Denzel Washington, were made to help the masses understand the disease. Television shows began to feature it. Dynasty featured the first gay character on mainstream television with Blake Carrington’s son, Steven. The soap never shied away from any aspect of Steven’s sexuality from his family’s reactions to wanting to be accepted for who he was. Equally, Eastenders’ Mark Fowler caught HIV and was treated like a leper by the likes of Peggy Mitchell. But by exploring the storyline, viewers were educated by Mark’s story. And he was straight too.

I personally know people whose families disowned them because of their sexuality. And while I understand it is hard for parents to come to terms with it, making that kid a pariah is not the answer. But to be fair, that generation were brought up on certain standards and a life of life society expected them to follow. Being gay upset that apple cart. Thankfully, it is better now and much more but we still have a way to go.

So, against this background, can you really claim that Willk’s coming oput scene is woke? No, it’s a true reflection of the time, back then and still now.

So when Will is captured by Vecna, he is able to locate Max’s location by digging into Will’s head. He sends the demodogs to kill her. Caleb, Vicky and Robin will also be caught in the crossfire. And all because Vecna broke Will by showing him what would happen if he revealed his sexuality. Will states that Vecna showed him a future where his friends and family turned their backs on him. He would be alone and with the added threat of Vecna and his masterplan, being alone right now is not the best idea. Vecna is essentially blackmailing Will in the most horrendous way.

Sadly, this fear of losing the ones you love, the ones that you expect to love you unconditionally, no matter what, is terrifying for those wanting to come out to the world. And this is still a reality to this day but as I said, it is getting better. What do you do when your religion condemns you for being who you are? Living a lie is preferable to being killed for it.

Will’s speech is beautifully written because it is a speech that fits 1987 and kids today. It is timeless as it addresses the fear of coming out and being slightly different to what your family expected you to be. Will is not just speaking to his friends and family but every single person out there watching, struggling to reveal themselves.

That isn’t woke. That is us being human and decent enough to give kids like Will the safety net and security that who they are is ok and they should fully embrace it. They don’t have to be labelled. They don’y have to be ashamed. They can be husbands, fathers, mothers, wives, foster parents. The only thing stopping them is how others sees them Let me tell you, there is no better night’s craic that being in the company of gay people. There should be no divides between us and shether you are gay or not, it shouldn’t matter.

So how does this play into the story and why the end of episode seven? Vecna no longer has any hold over Will. He can fully tap into the hive and help bring Vecna down. Released from the burden of shame and fear, Will is a powerful weapon now. When all his friends and family say that he will never lose them, it is the defining moment of the series. These kids have been to hell and back and are now all that stands between Vecna merging the two worlds. They have gotten here through fear, pain, happiness and love. Love transcends all and that group hug symbolises what every person coming out should have. Robin, the lesbian character, is an intricatepart of this as it is her story that helped Will come out. Without her, Will might have kept his secret and Vecna could still have power over him.

Remember, Dustin also confessed that he can’t lose anyone else after Eddie. Jonathan and Nancy have confessed their real feelings for each other. Steve has told Dustin how Eddie’s death affected him and his pain at seeing Dustin suffer. Hopper confessed to Joyce his fears that Elle may never have a normal life and that Kali may be right after all. Not forgetting Max telling Caleb that he was all she needed to find her way home from her year long coma.

There are no more secrets. Everything is now out in the open and they are a powerful force standing together to save the world.

But remember that this entire coming out scene, may give someone else the courage to be themselves and smash those closet doors once and for all. That is why this scene is the most pivotal moment, not just of the series but of television 2025.

So next time, the naysayers diss an important scene like this, remind them to stop, get their facts right and then form an opinion instead of jumping on the bandwagon with all the other sheep.

TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E06 Escape From Camazotz Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright Netflix

Dustin fails to warn Nancy thanks to poor signal over the walkie talkie not to fire her rifle at the shield generator but she fires at the flesh wall. And the shit hits the fan.

The Upside Down is a bridge between two worlds and the wall was built by science not magic with a force composed of exotic particles. So wherever the kids and Vecna are, it is not behind the flesh wall. As energy pours through the breach, Hopper, Elle and Kali make it out but Dustin, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan are trapped.

Luckily, Nancy’s shot did not cause a collapse and kill them all. Instead it destabilised the Upside Down and this episode put me in mind of the ending of the House of Wax when it is burning down and melting in huge chunks. It must have been hell to film as the room Nancy and Jonathan are in begins to dissolve.

This is it, I thought. This is who dies first. With no hope and Dustin and Steve unable to get to them, Nancy and Jonathan have a heart to heart about their relationship. It’s beautifully written as they both come to realise that despite their love for each other, they are better apart. How ironic that they are going to die together. Jonathan even produces an engagement ring and asks her not to marry him. It’s nice to see an amicable break up rather than a screaming match and no blame game, even in the face of death. It also humanises our heroes as despite all this madness, it reminds you who they are and what they are fighting for. They are just ordinary people thrown into a mad situation and doing their best to cope with it.

Similarly with Dustin and Steve who is about to risk his life to rescue Nancy and Jonathan. Seeing how quickly, this place is dissolving, Dustin begs him not to. Breaking down, Dustin admits he can’t lose someone else after Eddie. This scene between them hits the heartstrings as we finally see Dustin fall beneath his grief. You always lash out at the ones closest to you and it is played so realistically, it truly hits home.

I really thought this was the episode where we would get our first fatalities but no. The damage is temporary and the Upside Down stabilises again allowing them to live.

Tensions are simmering between Kali and Hopper as he knows in his heart that Elle will never live a normal life. She will always be hunted. Kali is here to stop this cycle from ever happening again. Never again will there be pregnant women experimented on to create the next Henry. Again, we are teased with the potential death of a major character as many have speculated.

If Vecna has his way, that’s exactly what is going to happen. With Will in a coma and trapped by Vecna for reasons we will discover in the next episode, he locates Max and sends his demidogs to kill her. He cannot find her in his mind so if he kills the body then he will easily retrieve Holly. Holly is a great character as strong and clever as her brother and sister yet vulnerable like a child should be. She and Max make a great team and their journey through Vecna’s memories offers interesting snippets about Henry as a child. We see him trying to help a man in a mine shaft but being shot in the hand for his kindness. He then beats the man’s head in with a rock. I don’t know if this is linked to the play but if so, again I will say that isn’t fair on viewers who will never see the play. This should really be a contained final season, not leaking spin oifs left, right and centre.

Once again, Robin proves her worth when she heads to save Max from the demodogs. We get a great thrill from the build up and again, another death tease as she, Caleb, Max and Vicky are chased by the monsters until saved by one very pissed off Karen Wheeler who blows rhe monsters up. I thought Robin was going to go here as they do a Jurassic Park and hide from the monsters. Caleb has Running Up That Hill to guide Max back. Trapped, Robin tells him he has to turn it off as the demodogs will hear it. If he does, Max will be lost again.

Great tension here but again we avoid a heroic death as both Will and Max make it back to the real world. Will’s bleeding eyes is a creepy sight as Vecna goes to town on him to locate Max.

But I found the Max section of the story the hardest to swallow. She and Holly make it through to their ways back to their portals but instead of running like the clappers, we get a monologue where Max has to convince Holly that she can do this; that she is stronger than she thought and the necklace, given to her by her brother, Mike, is her super power. This does go on a bit as basically the same thing is rrepeated four times. Then they start to walk to the portals to get home. Finally, they break into a run but with the ever present threast of Vecna, running should be a given at all times.

It doesn’t feel as urgent as when Max almost died in the graveyard scene in season four but we at least get Kate Bush back as the screen goies black. We then hear a heart machine before the titles roll. Did Vecna throw one last spanner in the works?

Aside from the prolonged speech from Max, another solid step towards the finale.

TW Reviews Stranger Things S05E07 The Bridge Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photo copyright Netflix

Here we go for the penultimate episode ever.

Somehow, I am still waiting for someone to kick the bucket and here I thought Max, Caleb or Robin were going to die at the hands or claws of the demodogs.

This episode will leave you crying with joy and pain as our heroes prepare for the final battle with Vecna. You’ll be furious as vecna manipulates the kids to bring out the worst in them. They’re like something from children of the corn as Holly is abused and assaulkted before being forced back into the twelve.

But first things first. Max’s return is awesone and cleverly, because she hasn’t used her body in a year, she is in a wheelchair until her body adjusts. But her info is vital in going up against Vecna. Holly ends up on the other world Vecna has been keeping secret and almost makes it back to the Upside Down before being dragged back by Vecna. You can see where the Wheeler kids get their bravery from as Karen Wheeler, having killed the demodogs with an unusual laundry, is ready to go after Holly and Nancy. It strikes me that Karen has never needed to be front and centre in the show. She is the parent that watches out for her kids and steps up in an extraordinary situation. She’s not just fighting for her kids but for all the kids of Hawkins and the world if Vecna wins.

This is where our split heroes finally come together again as a complete team with a few new additions. I honestly expected someone to have died at this point. It has been teased so much with the emotional speeches and reveals like Nancy, Jonathan, Dustin and Steve for example. You actually care for these people that we are all rooting for them.

So when they all come together to plan the final assault, it’s a joy to watch. They must collapse the bridge and kill Vecna before he can merge both worlds, rescue the kids, stop the experiments and be home in time for tea but the minute you hear timer mentioned for the bomb, you just know it won’t go to plan. Will that be the death we have been teased? Kali certainly thinks so as she reminds Elle that she can never have a normal life after this. She will be hunted. There will be another Dr Kay, another Papa and she will see Mike murdered. There is only one end for her. So will Elle sacrifice herself to save the day? Has she a choice?

But the stand out moment of these three episodes is Will coming out to everyone as gay. My heart broke as it is so beautifully written not only for the character development but at the same time, speaking to every other kid out there who is afraid of revealing who they are. I’m welling up just thinking about it but that is the mark of good writing. Vecna is using Will’s sexuality as a weakness over him because Vecna knows everything about Will, even his secrets. It is this secret that allowed Vecna to find Max’s location through him. The real world opinion is that being gay is some sort of weakness, a shame that must not be spoken of but that is not the case at all. Being gay is as much part of who we are as a race than being hetrosexual. People use it to taunt and hurt people and threaten to expose their “terrible” secret just as Vecna did. Remember this is set in the 80s where tolerance was not as it is today. This is the stand out moment for me because everyone has opened up about what they feel inside and that group hug speaks volumes. Rejection is a genuine fear for people who are gay. But there are no more secrets. The Sorcerer has completed his armour. With no more to hide, Vecna has no power over Will. I think Vecna is going to regret what he did as Will will be at full power. He is no longer the puppet, the spy; he is a young man that opened himself to the world and was embraced by pure love and family.

Second to this is Steve opening up to Dustin about Eddie’s death and how it affected them both. I die, you die. You die, I die is too much of tempting fate for me. Are we going to get a double death?

I have to mention the role Robin plays in this as Will comes out. She is just a joy to watch.

So here we are, on the eve of the end. Dustin doing his Doc Brown speech explaining what the Upside Down is a bridge between two worlds. The twelve kids will amplify his powers merging both worlds. But why is he doing this? What have we still to find out? What is the twist? What is the black thing is out to destroy using the kids?

The plan is set. The odds are against them and the situation is grim. It better because Henry has gathered the kids round the table. Suddenly , all their heads snap back and their eyes turn white.

It has begun. Strap in because this is going to be awesome.

Unmissable episode.

TW Meets Stranger Things’ Vecna himself, Jamie Campbell Bower

By and copyright of Owen Quinn

So, the 9th August 2025 will be marked as the day I met my very first Stranger Things actor. When a show is in full flight, it’s rare to get the actors due to commitments and scheduling.

By the time you read this, the final season of Stranger Things will have just started and I was delighted and lucky enough to meet Vecna himself, actor Jamie Campbell Bower in Dublin.

So, when Dublin Comic Con announced that they had gotten actor Jamie Campbell Bower, I was ecstatic. Jamie plays the big bad, Vecna who created such a storm in season four. He is due to return for the fifth and final season for the big bad final showdown. Everything is top secret so he was giving away no secrets when we met; believe me, I asked!

Jamie was in Dublin for one day only so tickets for autopgraph and photoshoots were preordered and thankfully, Dublin Comic Con offer a payment plan given it was the middle of the month and people can’t pay out £100 quid in the middle of the month. It didn’t matter in the end because people were able to pay on the day. But I liked to have things arranged as much as possible beforehand.

So, the day arrived and like my mother used to say, you could hear him before you see him. If you’ve seen any of his videos with Stranger Things’ co-star Joe Quinn or being interviewed you’ll know what I mean.

All I can say is Jamie Campbell Bower is nothing but a complete gentleman who has time for everyone. You know when talking to someone if they are interested in the conversation especially a celebrity at a convention. Jamie is certainly that and more.

We discussed Stranger Things of course and my condition. When I had my leg amputated, I was stuck in an upstairs room for 144 days. Watching movies and tv shows helped get me through that. I told him just how important work as good as Stranger Things is to people in situations like that and to never forget they have a positive impact even when gthe actor leaves set exhausted.

At the photoshoot, he remembered me and I joked I was too underdressed to get my photo taken with him. He was so stylish and I was like a lovechild between Primark and Matalan. As you can see above, the photo turned out really well.

He signed my Stranger Things No. 1 for me and I left Dublin that day a very happy man. Jamie Campbell Bower is not only an exceptional performer but an exceptional person. I am delighted I ticked him off my bucket list.

TW Watches Buck Rogers: The Plot To Kill A City S01E06

By Owen Quinn author photos copyright Universal

In this episode, we really get to see what it means to be a part of the Earth Defence Directorate. When a huge threat emerges and Buck sees for himself a terrorist attack which nearly destroys Twikki, he signs up to help. Buck must assume the identity of Raphael Argus, a reknowned assassin in order to infiltrate the Legion of Death, a group that intends to wipe out an entire city with a matter/antimatter explosion as a final retribution. Argus was on his way to be initiated into the Legion but none of them know what he looks like, he is that devious. The stakes are high. Buck and Wilma are assigned to go undercover and Doctor Huer admits one of them is unlikely to survive this mission.

An agent of the Directorate killed a member of the Legion in self-defence and so they are willing to murder millions to make a point. Their target is the capital city, New Chicago. This episode is a high quality one and one that could have shaped the entire future of the show as Buck becomes a 24th century secret agent.

Indeed, we will later discover in the second season episode Testimony of a Traitor that Buck was actually an undercover agent at one point. He was sent by the President to infiltrate a terrorist group intent on triggering World War 3. His memories were messed with so he couldn’t remember and narrowly avoids the death penalty. So his disguise in this episode is old hat to him, even if he doesn’t realise it.

This episode feels very comic book too given the assorted array of super villains that make up the Legion. The cast is impressive amd none take a camp tone. It is all played straight down the line. If you want to make the audience believe who these are villains then they have to be scary on screen. The only lightness and humour is from Twikki, Buck and Wilma. It can also be found in Wilma’s battle for Buck between her and his ship’s overzealous female computer. A battle of bitches like you’ve never seen before.

Their leader was played by the Riddler, himself, Frank Gorshin. As Seton Kellogg, he brings a weight to the role. He is callous, calculating and with just one look, there is no doubt he would cut your throat and blame a butterfly’s wings.

Also in the cast is John Quade. Playing Jolen Quince, Quade was a highly respected actor famed for playing loveable thugs and villains. He appeared in the Bionic Woman episode the Night Demon but gained international fame as Cholla, the leader of a bike gang and nemesis to Clint Eastwood’s bare knuckled fighter in Every Which Way You can and its sequel. The gang still stand today as one of the funniest on the big screen with their hapless escapades only to be thwarted by Eastwood and Clyde the orangutan. But here, there is no humour. As the villainous Quince, he is as cold as Kellogg. He comes from a high gravity planet here humans have developed telekinetic powers but falls for the charms of Wilma Deering (Erin Grey).

Aside from the deadly empath Cherice who doesn’t trust Argus, Marcus, Robert Tessier, the man who feels no pain, the other most significant member is the tragic Varek (Anthony James). He comes from a planet that was hit by a nuclear war but wears a mask to hide his deformed face, his species forever changed by the radiation. Varek also has the power to walk through solid matter by altering his molecular density.

Buck and Wilma are up against powerful beings. Buck encounters a rogue called Barney played by James Sloyan. Sloyan is well known to Star Trek fans with the Defector and Odo’s adoptive ‘father’ in Deep Space 9.

When Buck does finally meet the Legion, it’s just as well he is good looking and charming. Cherice has found an old girlfriend of Argus, Joella, whom she invites to meet her old boyfriend. Liking what she sees, Joella pretends that Buck is Argus. She is impressed with his thumbs up. A problem we all share guys.

But after a successful initiation by the Legion, Buck”s cover is blown as Barney appears and rats him out. So ends part one as Buck looks helpless as Wilma is forced to leave him behind.

This episode is Buck’s version of Spiderman’s Sinister Six and X-Men’s Hellfire Club. The episode is taut, moving all the players into position, revealing the story in layers. Frank Gorshin is outstanding as Kellogg. His view of the New Chicago massacre is that it’s a massive experiment as Varek reminds them they have no way of knowing the effects of such a large detonation. His existence is a daily reminder of such devastation which may make him the weak link in the chain. The characters are well rounded bar Cherice who just comes across as slightly insane instead of cool and calculating for an empath.

If ever there as a comic book crossover, this was it. It would have been great to explore the Legion in further seasons but since the producers decided to do a Star Trek make over for season two, this never came to pass as the show was swiftly cancelled. But if you want a good example of enjoyable sci-fi action with a sprinkle of super villains, then the Plot to Kill a City is most definitely it.

Podcast madness. Show us your wing dings.

In this podcast, Stephen puts Owen to the test on his knowledge of people, places and objects from the world of sci fi/fantasy and horror. in this madcap episode, how will he fare especially when he comes up against the dreaded wing dings? Th funniest podcast you’ll hear this year!

Join the craic. You won’t look back.

Anti-Hero for the People: V’s Ham Tyler

By Owen Quinn author of the Time Warriors and Zombie Blues

Photos copyright Warner Brothers

If there ever is an alien invasion, then you will find that normal people are suddenly thrust into an extraordinary situation where they are fighting against a superior enemy in order to protect what they love.

This was the state of the Los Angeles resistance in V when the Visitors arrived. They were hornets in the lizard’s collective asses but they were poorly organised with Mike Donovan (Marc Singer) and Julie Parris (Faye Grant) cast as leaders.

So you really need someone like Ham Tyler on your side. Gruff, sarcastic, ready to do whatever it takes no matter who it offends, Ham arrives together with his closest friend and fellow mercenary, Chris Farber. However his arrival is not welcomed by all.

He and Donovan have a long standing dislike of each other. Having covered many volatile situations in other countries, Donovan has met Ham several times before and disagreed with his methods. Ham has a nickname for Donovan, Gooder which is short for Do Gooder. Donovan grudgingly admits they need Ham’s help when their base is discovered and destroyed by the Visitors.

Ham and Chris reveal there is a world wide resistance now and Los Angeles must become a part of it but only with his help. He begins to organise their attacks to become more efficient. Ham’s knowledge of weapons and tactics are invaluable. He trains the resistance in stealth attacks so they can get closer to Visitors and their bases. As a result the Los Angeles resistance become a serious threat to Diana and her army.

Ham and Donovan’s feud comes to a head in a brutal fistfight which Ham concedes because he has underestimated Donovan’s resolve.

Ham has no issues killing any Visitor so when they need a subject to test the Red Dust on, he is about to use it on Willy (Robert Englund) before he is stopped by the others. To Ham, all Visitors should be eliminated regardless and it is clear he does not want Willy around.

Ham is a very violent person but he has a righteous part to his nature. He knows right from wrong and while his style is not always acceptable, his motives are based in love and loyalty.

It is revealed that Ham and Chris were in fact CIA operatives. When they were betrayed by their superiors, he they both left to become mercenaries for hire. On a mission for the government Ham met and married a woman with whom he had a daughter. They were to be evacuated during Ham’s mission but they were caught in the bombing raid and presumably killed. Furious, he became said mercenary and never trusted the government again. His grief drove him and still ran deep when Diana tried to programme him and used these memories to mould him into a Manchurian Candidate. This career change led him to cross paths with Donovan. And Ham was not shy about causing any type of inconvenience to the government every chance he got.

He never took credit for his heroics and kept people at arms length. But if Ham liked you then you could count on him for life. Part of his drive was to stop families feeling the pain he felt every day. He was alone. When they died his life was over so perhaps his mercenary career was really a death wish. When he died he would die having done right by people.

His grudging respect for Donovan may have formed part of his personal plan. He organised the hot air balloons to spread the Red Dust right under the Visitor’s noses when in fact he spearheaded the attack on the Visitors headquarters in the final battle. He took great pleasure in emptying a bag of Red Dust into Visitor commander, Steven’s mouth. The only expression on his face as the lizard convulsed in agony, choking to death was…satisfaction.

Steven has destroyed Donovan’s family by manipulating then murdering his mother and being part of taking Donovan’s son to be brainwashed by Diana. So that is justice in Ham’s eyes.

When the Visitors were driven off, we go forward to a year later when the world is recovering from the Visitor invasion. Ham has begun his own private security company. He now wears a suit which is so not Ham. When questioned by Bates about how valuable Diana’s knowledge would be in curing diseases, Ham growls that Diana is the disease. He is offered half a million dollars to do what Bates wants. Ham as lost none of his skills as he fakes Diana’s assassination and transports her to Bates where he gives her a proposal. He even arranges for the ambulance to drive into a pick up lorry and driven away unnoticed. But Ham has a condition to his deal with the devil; once Bates has drained all her knowledge, she is to be given to Ham. He may even make her into a pair of boots. Bates, now in control of, the new neutral city of Los Angeles where both Visitors and humans are welcome, pays Ham to bring Diana to him. But it all goes wrong and she escapes.

It doesn’t take long for the old Ham to jump back into service when he discovers that Bates messed up and Dina is now free again. He quickly ditches the suit for a weapon. He is a man on a mission again. When bates asks how will he know if ham has klilled Diana, he replies that bates will still be alive. And when he tells you he will stand on your neck if he doesn’t get what he wants, Ham says it so casually, it’s almost on a serial killer level. When he says it, you believe him.

With the Red Dust no longer a threat, Diana intends to finish her mission and drain Earth of all its resources and take revenge on those who thwarted her the first time round. Turning on Bates, Ham again joins the struggle as he is partly responsible for the Visitors getting a second chance to destroy humanity.

Now when the series went weekly, the main core of characters suddenly began to dwindle. V works because it is an ensemble show. It doesn’t work if you break that apart. In one episode, Ham and Chris leave to take Robin to Los Angeles…

And that is the last you see of Ham Tyler. It is a disrespectful and lazy exit for one of its most important characters. The rest of the episodes limped to cancellation but I always wondered why they did that.

So when I got the chance to finally meet Michael Ironside at Dublin Comic Con 2024, I asked him. He told me the producers wanted rid of him which just said to me how little the producers of the weekly series understood the show. Ham is one of those characters like Data, Spock or Alexis Carrington. It just doesn’t wok without him. No one else could have played ham bar ironside and he will forever go down as one of best characters in sci fi. But then again, Ironside never gives a poor performance.

Needless to say we can still enjoy the show and those great Ham moments.

TW Reviews The War Between the Land and the Sea S01E04 Spoilers

By Owen Quinn author Photos copyright BBC/Disney

So the sonic bomb devastates the ocean cavern killing Sea Devils and humans alike. Salt grabs Barclay and saves him by propelling them to the surface. Kate is still being shot at and even her UNIT soldiers who come to save her are also targets. The question is, who hired an assassin? Was it one of the people in the war meeting last episode and what exactly is severance?

This kicks off with Barclay going on the run from the government with Salt as a world wide message from Salt is broadcast, claiming they have killed the human delegates as a warning to all humans. We know it’s a fake but Barclay and Salt turn fugitives as she is now a prisoner of war.

Sea Devil ambassador, Tide, arrives, demanding the return of Salt. She will answer for the crime of saving a human while her own kind died all around her. She will be banished and forever swim alone in the oceans as per Sea Devil law.

Now, again, I’m getting a pedestrian vibe and frowning at what exactly has happened. By the way, in the review for episode three, I suggested former companions of the Doctor should have been part of the team to go to the ocean floor. Given everyone died, I take that back.

Tide tells the grieving Kate Stewart that their plans to clean the oceans will be done within five years or else. Wait a minute, didn’t the Sea Devils clean the oceans in episode 2 even returning the Titanic? So that was only a partial demonstration? I’m feeling a little bit of lazy scriptwriting as in how the 14th Doctor managed to regenerate his clothes? Like how did the Rani bigenerate when it was a myth that only has happened to the Doctor? I’m confused now. I shouldn’t be confused this far in. I should be seeing an endgame. Tide also threatens that they have the power to turn everything to rust if Salt is not returned to them to face punishment. Again, if the Sea Devils have such power then why the hell are they making threats and not just crippling humanity so they can reclaim the world as their own? By the way, Tide, Dry is such a crap name for a planet. I’m quite sure that wasn’t the name of it when you guys ruled.

We may have gotten a little glimpse into why Salt is acting as she is. She sees humanity as burning on land but they have mapped the stars and gone to the moon. Neither Silurians nor Sea Devils achieved this. Does she see something more in humanity than her brethren? Is there hidden greatness in normality? And is she looking to make babies with Barclay? A new hybrid species that contains the best of both worlds that will shape the future of Earth? They give in to their passion but I don’t know if they have actually had sex with each other. It’s a dirty warehouse and it’s cold so was it nothing more than a making out session? I had to chuckle at the sentence. “You taste of salt”. Those of you with a similar toilet humour will laugh too. So did Salt put herself into a position where she would get up close and personal with a species that intrigues her and may be the saviour of both species?

I also got shades of Sound of Drums as Barclay’s ex wife leads troops to capture her former husband and Salt.

Kate shows her strength when she learns Salt is innocent and has been deep faked by shadows unknown. The American General orders Salt to be shot as they only need her body. You can feel her channeling the Doctor as she risks a bloodbath to protect Salt from being murdered. American soldiers are ready to fire on British soldiers and vice versa. While this is exciting, it is Salt that stops this massacre and flees into the Thames, leaving Barclay behind.

I have to say the ending with Barclay shouting he will find her and that she will never swim alone is cringeworthy. Kate stands out here because she is a woman grieving and on the verge of exhaustion but she finds the strength to continue and fight for Salt and the world.

I feel like this is going in a pedestrian direction instead of something new and exciting. All I can think of is the Aquaman joke about him fucking fish. Is that what I’m supposed to think because I really think I should be rooting for Barclay, Kate and Salt. Gemma Redgrave has never been better as Kate but there’s something not sitting right with me. This is the penultimate episode and I feel like I’m at the beginning again, not sure what is going on.