BanGos - Head Over Heels

 BanGos performing Head Over Heels live.

The DC Animated Universe Weekly Review - Batman: The Animated Series

Batman: The Animated Series

Episode 27

Mad as a Hatter

This is the first appearance of the Mad Hatter.  Jervis Tetch starts out as an innocent scientist funded by Bruce Wayne’s company.  He is working on mind control devices but Wayne Corporation thinks it’s a way to enhance the human brain.  Tetch has a massive crush on is coworker Alice, who’s dating Billy, a total jerk.  After she breaks up with her guy Jervis makes his move and has a genuine shot and sealing the deal.  He gives her an entire Alice in Wonderland themed date where he’s the Mad Hatter and she’s Alice.  Her much better looking boyfriend comes back into the picture and all his work at bagging the love of his life was a huge waste of time.  He flips out, uses his mind control devises on everyone.  He uses his mind control to have Billy dump Alice and he tries one more time to make a move but she’s all confused, Batman shows up and explains to Alice that Tetch is a creepy douche who’s causing problems.  

Any chance Tetch had with Alice is completely gone now.  This is totally Batman’s fault for blowing up Mad Hatter’s spot.  Not everyone is a boy billionaire who’s over six feet tall.  Some guys have to get creative with their game.  Tetch then goes off the deep end and uses his mind control to take over Alice.  He mind whammys other people to fight Batman, Batman stops them.  Then he fights Tetch directly and Batman explains having Alice with no mind is pointless.  Tetch agrees but it’s his only option at this point.  Batman takes Tetch down and he’s sad about it.  Billy and Alice end up together but the rollercoaster that is their relationship pretty much ensures it is destined for failure. 

It’s a fairly amusing episode.  The idea of mind controlling people with tech resurrects in the Justice League episodes with Gorilla Grod but the entire premise is different enough that a recycled plot point doesn’t matter.  Mad Hatter would go on to claim Batman created him. Technically that is true.  Bruce Wayne funded the research that created him.  Tetch was full into Mad Hatter mode when Batman arrived and blew up his spot.  Mad Hatter is not aware of the alter ego.  So Tetch's logic is flawed but the conclusion is arguably correct.

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 4

Episode 81 Cold Station 12

 

Soong and his Augments attack a facility which hold a bunch of deadly viruses in order to get the thousands of remaining genetically engineered embryos.  They torture and kill a bunch of people.  Enterprise tries to stop them but is ultimately unsuccessful. 

 

The episode ends on another cliffhanger as a bunch of deadly viruses are going to be released into the air.

 

It’s another great episode with solid action, tension, characters, and a solid ending which makes you want to keep watching.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

BanGos - Goodbye to You

 BanGos perform Goodbye to You live at the South Huntington Public Library.

The DC Animated Universe Weekly Review - Batman: The Animated Series

 Batman: The Animated Series

Episode 26

Appointment in Crime Alley

 

The music makes this episode so epic.  We see Roland Daggett again trying to force a neighborhood into gentrification.  Batman is trying to make an appointment with Dr Leslie Thomkins to leave some roses where his parents were murdered.  While driving through Gotham there’s so much crime he keeps getting distracted with saving people.  Batman eventually stumbles on to Daggett’s plan to blow up a bunch of buildings and stops it.  Daggett get’s off free though.  Batman is pissed.  

 

This episode wouldn’t be as good as it is if it weren’t for the music.  The full orchestra sells this story.  

 

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 4

Episode 80 Borderland

 

This is where Enterprise begins to shine.  It finally finds its footing.  Instead of stand-alone episodes or season long storylines, the concept that worked for Enterprise was mini-story arcs.  Season four also focused on filling in plot gaps between themselves and other Star Trek series. It all starts with Borderland.

 

A bunch of human augments steal Klingon Bird of Prey and Enterprise is sent to retrieve them because the Klingons are threatening war.  Captain Archer recruits Arik Soong (Brent Spiner) a descendent of the guy who will eventually build Data.  Soong is under arrest for illegal genetic experiments.  He actually created the augments 20 years ago but was arrested 10 years ago.  

 

While Enterprise is looking for the augments a bunch of the crew get kidnapped by the Oriens.  The Oriens try to sell them into slavery but Archer and friends bust them out in-time.  Soong tries to use the situation to escape but failed.  Then the Oriens attack the ship but the augments in the stolen Klingon ship save them.  

 

They break into Enterprise and free Soong.  End of episode.

 

So much awesome in only 44 minutes!  The augments are a throwback to Kahn and his people.  That’s all original series references.  Soong has his connections the Star Trek: Next Generation.  The Oriens date back to the very first pilot of Star Trek the original series but in Star Trek canon we don’t see them until Star Trek the Menagerie.  The Orien Syndicate is referred to as a type of recurring villain in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.  All of those bits of magic converge into a nice action pact story that has solid payoff for genuine Star Trek fans.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

BanGos - Vacation

 BanGos performing Vacation live.

The DC Animated Universe Weekly Review - Batman: The Animated Series

 Batman: The Animated Series

Episode 25

The Clock King

 

One of the best in the series.  Admittedly the episode didn’t strike gold like it did with Heart of Ice, it certainly hit silver with this reinterpretation of the Clock King.  Clock King was a silly villain in the 1960s Batman TV show and BtAS made his obsession with time a useful weapon against Batman.  

 

Clock King was so obsessed with time he has every schedule memorized and could figure out how to escape Batman by knowing train schedules and traffic patterns.  That’s absolutely brilliant.  His vendetta against Mayor Hill is also great, Hill gave him some crappy advice, and Clock King held a grudge because it ruined his life.  

 

Batman ultimately saves the day but Clock King escapes. His follow-up episode isn’t as spectacular but when he eventually reappears in Justice League Unlimited it’s a welcomed sight and a great fit to the Suicide Squad.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 4

Episode 79 Home

 

It’s almost a requirement that Star Trek have a “mellow-out” or “wrap-up” episode after a story arc that spanned over an entire season.  This episode is very reminiscent of the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode Family.  The difference here is that TNG’s episode was actually very thought provoking, sentimental, and one of the best Star Trek episodes ever made.  Home never quit reaches that mark.  It tries very hard to have the same heart as Family but can’t seem to recapture the brilliance.  A lot of this could be blamed on the lack of character depth Enterprise had.  It’s three best characters are Captain Archer, T’Pol, and Commander Tucker.  Tucker and T’Pol are sharing their own storyline together.  Archer is all bitter from his experience with the Xindi. No one really learns a lesson or grows in this episode.  They just get though their PTSD while the ship gets repaired.  Then we’re ready for the next set of adventures. 

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

BanGos - Walk Like An Egyptian

 BanGos perform Walk Like An Egyptian live.

The DC Animated Universe Weekly Review - Batman: The Animated Series

 Batman: The Animated Series

Episode 24

Fear of Victory

 

Scarecrow’s second episode and a much better story.  It’s as if the creators had to get Scarecrow’s intro out of the way to come up with a truly riveting episode.  What’s different about this episode compared to other BtAS episodes, is it’s not about the villain.  It’s Robin’s story.  

 

Dick Grayson (Robin’s alter ego) gets exposed to Scarecrow’s fear toxin because he dorms with the Gotham University star football player.  Scarecrow is fixing sports games to make money via gambling.  Robin doesn’t realize the toxin is affecting him until the adrenaline kicks in while doing some crime fighting. 

 

Batman who got his own dose of fear toxin in the Scarecrow origin episode knows what Robin is going through and shows great patience and expertise in how to conquer his fear.  The episodes climax comes down to Robin having to overcome the fear toxin or tens of thousands of people will die.  Robin comes though and saves the day. 

 

Scarecrow’s costume is updated in this episode and is a vast improvement.  A truly enjoyable episode, especially for Robin fans.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

Episode by Episode - Star Trek: Enterprise

Season 4

Episode 78 Storm Front II

 

Enterprise is stuck in World War II trying to fix the timeline.  They succeed and we’re rewarded with the end of the Temporal Cold War!  From this point on the show takes a huge shift into something so much better.  

 

Written by
Joseph Ammendolea
Owner/President
“I Like To Play With Toys” Productions®
ILikeToPlayWithToysProductions@Yahoo.com

BanGos - This Town

 BanGos live at the South Huntington Library performing This Town.