A is for...

Elementary – The One that Got Away

Although Kitty's (Ophelia Lovibond) attacker stands revealed there is little to evidence other than her word to tie the man (Stuart Townsend) to a series of kidnappings, tortures, and murders of young women in both New York and London. It doesn't help that Gruner expertly plans Watson (Lucy Liu) and the NYPD by firing his new investigator before he is questioned by the police making it appear, at least from the outside, as if the accusation is nothing but a slanderous reprisal. Returning to the themes of vengeance used in the First Season episode "M," "The One that Got Away" bring Kitty face-to-face with her abuser offering her the same opportunity that Sherlock Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) ultimately walked away from.

The Boxtrolls

Based on the novel Here Be Monsters! by Alan Snow, The Boxtrolls is the latest offbeat stop-motion adventure film from the same production company which gave us both ParaNorman and Coraline. The film centers on an orphaned boy named Eggs (Isaac Hempstead Wright) raised by an underground group of Boxtrolls hunted by an evil exterminator (Ben Kingsley) vastly exaggerating the creatures monstrous tendencies for his own ends.

As with the studio's previous two films the animation is impressive while offering a rather straightforward message for children. But it's nowhere near as entertaining as The LEGO Movie which Boxtrolls beat out for an Oscar nomination for Best Animated Film. Although technically impressive the film itself is little more than a mild diversion.

Available on both DVD and Blu-ray, extras include commentary by directors Graham Annable and Anthony Stacchi, and ten short featurettes on various aspects of the movie. The Blu-ray also includes early storyboard animatic sequences and a digital copy of the film.

[Universal Studios, DVD $29.98 / Blu-ray $34.98 / 3D Blu-ray $49.98]

Stalker - My Hero

The Threat Assessment Unit is called in to examine stalking of a newly-engaged couple that leads to one of the happy couple being burned alive on the beach. Loosing one-half of the couple to their latest stalker, the team turns their attention to protecting the dead man's fiance (Phoebe Tonkin) who the attacker continues to threaten even after forcing her watch her soul mate be burned alive.

House of Cards - Season 3 trailer

Netflix offers this short tease of what we may expect in the upcoming Third Season of House of Cards which is available for streaming starting February 27th.

A Most Violent Year

I've never been a big fan of gangster movies. Writer/director J.C. Chandor A Most Violent Year, however, is more a character study than a focus on the questionable business practices of a successful immigrant businessman (Oscar Isaac) during one the most violent winter's of New York City's history.

All things considered, Abel Morales (Isaac) is actually a good guy whose ambitions to enlarge the business leave him vulnerable to attacks from his competitors and investigations by the police. He also must deal with the ruthlessness of his wife (Jessica Chastain) and the mistakes of one of his drivers (Elyes Gabel).

A Most Violent Year is a well-made film that, even if it isn't as satisfying as I'd like, has plenty to recommend. The entire film is built around Isaac's performance which doesn't disappoint. Chastain is scary at times in the role of Isaac's wife and the daughter of a gangster (whose name gets dropped often but never makes an appearance leaving a large piece of the couple's lives unexplored). Scorpion's Elyes Gabel is put to good use as the eager but distrustful immigrant who wants nothing more than to become Abel.

Arrow - Midnight City

As Oliver's (Stephen Amell) wounds are tended to by Maseo (Karl Yune) and Tatsu (Rila Fukushima), things continue to worsen back home in Starling City where Brickwell (Vinnie Jones) makes a brazen attack on city hall abducting three hostages in an attempt to blackmail the Mayor into giving the would be kingpin complete control of the Glades.

Snake Eyes: Agent of Cobra #1

Not seen nor heard from in two years since his fall from grace with G.I. JOE and his apparent death at the hands of Storm Shadow way back in Snake Eyes and Storm Shadow #20 Snake Eyes finally returns. IDW relaunched (and eventually cancelled) an entire slate of G.I. JOE titles (including some issues written by Mike Costa) without one of the franchise's favorite characters over the past couple of years so I'm excited to see the character finally be brought back into play, although I never expected it to be as an agent for Cobra.

Marvel's Agent Carter - The Blitzkrieg Button

Howard Stark (Dominic Cooper) returns from hiding to enlist Peggy Carter's (Hayley Atwell) help in stealing back one of his inventions recovered by the SSR which he informs Agent Carter has the ability to cause a city-wide blackout. Or at least that's the excuse he gives to get his hands on the last remaining piece of the most profitable enterprise he ever had a hand in creating. Teased since the beginning of the series, Howard's betrayal finally makes its appearance halfway through the eight episode series with a foreshadowed reveal that is the least shocking as possible to everyone except Peggy.

The Flash - The Sound and the Fury

"The Sound and the Fury" introduces yet another of the Flash's (Grant Gustin) trademark villains when the Pied Piper comes to town. In an episode that all but confirms Harrison Wells (Tom Cavanagh) as the Reverse-Flash given his use of super-speed and absorption of the Speed Force through futuristic technology, former Star Labs golden boy Hartley Rathaway (Andy Mientus) returns to Central City seeking vengeance on Wells who he blames for the accelerator explosion and everything which came after.

Rocket Raccoon #7

After crash landing on a frigid planet full of monsters and snow ninjas on the far edge of the galaxy that makes Hoth look hospitable by comparison, things take a turn for the worse. Well, considering Rocket was already using his friend's arm to fuel their fire to keep them alive while all his weapons froze in the intense cold, things weren't going all that well to begin with.

Pretty Little Liars - The Bin of Sin

Rarely over the show's five seasons have the Liars done so much to hurt their own cause in so short a time. Last week's discovery of A's stash of evidence connected to Mona's (Janel Parrish) murder sends Hanna (Ashley Benson) into a frenzy. Dragging Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) along for the ride, Hanna decides to destroy all the evidence inside the storage locker rented in her name including an ominous barrel which may or may not hold the remains of her friend. Sadly, in doing so she ties both herself and Caleb to the locker and its single remaining piece of evidence when Toby (Keegan Allen) and Tanner (Roma Maffia) run across them at the facility.

Magic City Comic Con 2015 (Cosplay Music Video)

This music video recap gives us a look at the cosplay of Magic City Comic Con 2015. My favorites include LeeAnna Vamp as X-23 (:16), Emma Frost (:43), Megan Coffey as Raven (1:14), Michelangelo (2:14), Hobgoblins (2:29), the Terminator (3:44), Rogue (3:46), and Jubilee (4:23).

Fantastic 4 trailer

We now have our first real look at this summer's new reboot of the Fantastic Four starring Miles Teller, Kate Mara, Michael B. Jordan, Jamie Bell, and Toby Kebbell. 20th Century Fox has also released the first teaser poster for the film which opens in theaters on August 7th.

The Wicked + The Divine Vol. 1: The Faust Act

Written by Kieron Gillen in an attempt to "turn the most confusing and upsetting two years of [his] life into a pop song," The Wicked + The Divine is an odd, often messy, but always entertaining, series. Volume One: The Faust Act (earning points for the pun) collects the first five issues of the ongoing series centered around 12 gods reincarnated into the bodies of teens and twenty-somethings every 90 years. The catch? The gods live these new lives for only two years before dying out and waiting most of a century before their next reincarnation.

Samurai Jack #16

As a new arc begins rumors of a man with a control over time reach the ears of Samurai Jack who, along with thousands, flock to hear just what the self-professed Master of Time has to say. When the public audience does little more than pique the samurai's interest he attempts a private audience with the man by sneaking into the heavily-guarded compound. Sadly, our hero isn't as good a sneak as he is a warrior and ends up dumped (literally) out of the fortress.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - Return to New York

With Leonardo (Dominic Catrambone) finally healed the Turtles return to the Kraang-controlled New York City in hopes of finding Splinter (Hoon Lee) and Karai. Finding a near empty city with little sign of the mutate populaced, the Turtles journey back into the sewers where they find their father... but not quite how they left him. After months of the Turtles' country exile it's good to see the foursome back in their natural habitat.

Galavant - It's All in the Executions

On the night before King Richard (Timothy Omundson) has been tricked into fighting Gareth (Vinnie Jones) to the death for control of his kingdom, Richard and Galavant (Joshua Sasse) bond over Madalena's (Mallory Jansen) deceptions, several glasses of wine, and a secret mission to murder Kingsley (Rutger Hauer) in his sleep. Like most of Galavant's plans it doesn't go well.

Star Wars #1

Over the years both Marvel Comics and Dark Horse Comics have released a plethora of forgettable and mediocre Star Wars comics. Over the past couple of years however Dark Horse had found a way to recapture a bit of the old Star Wars magic with a series set shortly after the destruction of the first Death Star featuring the struggling rebellion's battles against the evil Galactic Empire. Sadly cut short due the Star Wars rights returning to Marvel, a new adventure begins (with an insane amount of variant covers) as Marvel tries their own hand at classic tales featuring Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Chewbacca, and the droids you most assuredly are looking for.

Galavant - My Cousin Izzy

Family is a big theme of the penultimate episode of Galavant. Opening with a flashback musical number of a young Galavant (Harry Collett) with his father (Anthony Head) which helps explain Galvant's (Joshua Sasse) views on both heroism and love, "My Cousin Izzy" returns to the present with our heroes locked in King Richard's (Timothy Omundson) dungeon while the King deals with a surprise guest of his older brother Kingsley (Rutger Hauer) who Madalena (Mallory Jansen) plans on making her new husband

The Musketeers - An Ordinary Man

On a whim, King Louis (Ryan Gage) orders Athos (Tom Burke), Aramis (Santiago Cabrera), Porthos (Howard Charles), and D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) to take him out on the town under the guise of a common man to see how the little people live. What starts out as an enjoyable night at a local pub becomes something far more sinister when Louis and D'Artagnan are both snatched during a bar fight by slavers unaware just how precious their cargo truly is.

Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #8

Scooby-Doo and Mystery Inc.'s time-travel mystery tour which began in Bedrock in the previous issue makes one more stop before returning the meddling kids back home to their own time. Through the use of a Stone Age time machine seen last issue, Scooby-Doo! Team-Up #8 sends Scooby, Shaggy, Fred, Velma, and Daphne far past their own time and into the future where they meet George Jetson, Jane his wife, daughter Judy, his boy Elroy, and another talking dog with something of a speech impediment (who was conincidentally also voiced by Don Messick on The Jetsons).

Elementary - The Illustrious Client

Since her introduction as Sherlock Holmes' (Jonny Lee Miller) new protege in the Third Season premiere we've been left to wonder the exact nature of the traumatic events which caused Kitty (Ophelia Lovibond) to meet the famous detective in London and convince him to take the smart but troubled young woman under his wing. After being teased with offhand remarks and brief mentions about her assault and kidnapping the other shoe finally drops when the body of a new victim shows up in New York with the same distinct scars Kitty still carries on her back.

Slave Leia by Sbabby Cosplay

Backstrom - Dragon Slayer

The quirky detective drama doesn't appear to be in any danger of dying out. The genre's latest stars Rainn Wilson as an unhealthy, politically incorrect, police detective with self-destructive tendencies and a gift for closing cases. Reinstated to his previous position after serving time as a traffic cop, Backstrom now heads the Special Crimes Unit. The pilot episode centers around Backstrom pissing off nearly everyone he meets while working the murder of a senator's son which was staged to look like a suicide.

Stalker - The News

The stalking of a local news anchor (Kerr Smith) begins an investigation into the man's co-workers and a fan with previous stalking issues (Todd Giebenhain). The truth of who is behind the attacks ranging from threatening video of the newsman's daughter to a drive-by shooting involves the irrational actions of a stalker whose actions she wrongly believes are helpful to the man she loves nearly ending in murder.

Arrow - Left Behind

Arrow returns with the fate of its star in doubt for much of the mid-season premiere. Three days without a word from Oliver (Stephen Amell) following his showdown with Ra's al Ghul (Matt Nable) makes both Diggle (David Ramsey) and Roy (Colton Haynes) begin to question whether or not their friend survived his encounter with the head of the League of Assassins. Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) and Laurel (Katie Cassidy) both continue to hold out hope, although even Felicity has trouble believing in the chance of Oliver's miraculous return after receiving Malcolm Merlyn's (John Barrowman) evidence to the contrary.

Scorpion - Forget Me Nots

Airing a second episode of the series in as many nights, "Forget Me Nots" raises the stakes as the Scorpion team is called on to stop a nuclear war. Over the course of the season the show has worked best when tying its more believable cases to particular character or ongoing theme and has struggled at times when attempting a more hyped looming threat with the lives of millions (or here billions) in the balance. While the latest episode still works, it does get away from the writers on more than one occasion offering some head-scratching moments and questionable plot holes.

Pretty Little Liars - Over a Barrel

The first part of A's plan to implicate the Liars in the death of Mona (Janel Parrish) is revealed as Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Caleb (Tyler Blackburn) stumble upon a storage locker filled with evidence which could be used to frame any or all of the Liars for the murder including an ominous barrel just the right size to house the missing girl's body. Given the fact that the locker was leased in her name it's likely Hanna (Ashley Benson) is going to have far more trouble in the near future than worrying about who her mother is sleeping with or might be offering her a marriage proposal.

The Flash - Revenge of the Rogues

Since his defeat to the Reverse-Flash in the mid-season finale Barry (Grant Gustin) had rededicated himself to stretching the limits of his abilities, getting faster, and reclaiming the moniker "The Fastest Man Alive." The intense training comes at the cost of his new super-hero duties which causes problems for Central City when Captain Cold (Wentworth Miller) and his new partner Heat Wave (Dominic Purcell) return to town spoiling for a fight.

Star Wars Rebels - Idiot's Array

"Idiot's Array" reintroduces a fan favorite to the show with Billy Dee Williams reprising his role as a younger, but no less suave, Lando Calrissian. Winning the Ghost's astromech droid Chopper in a game of Sabaac with Zeb (Steve Blum), the scoundrel hires the crew for a job that gets Hera (Vanessa Marshall) temporarily sold into slavery, the Ghost shot at by an Imperial blockade, and introduces a cute but annoyingly expanding Puffer Pig that causes all kinds of chaos once Zeb and Ezra (Taylor Gray) let it out of its cage.

Castle - Private Eye Caramba!

The misadventures of Richard Castle (Nathan Fillion) Private Investigator continue in the latest episode. So bored by his lack of interesting cases our writer has begun narrating to an empty office when fate, with the help of his wife, sends an assignment his way. While investigating the homicide of telenovela star, Beckett (Stana Katic) decides to send a friend (Daya Vaidya) of the victim to Castle who might be able to help the actress locate the $500,000 borrowed purse the victim had in her possession prior to her death.

Scorpion - Charades

Searching for a mole inside the local Los Angeles offices of the CIA, Walter (Elyes Gabel) and his team uncover a lovelorn computer nerd who has unwittingly agreed to hand over a series of chemicals to a woman not realizing that together they can be weaponized to create poison gas. To retrieve the chemicals Walter will have to stand-in for a CIA agent with access to the final ingredient and stall the attractive, but very deadly, seductress (Nazneen Contractor) giving Happy (Jadyn Wong) and Toby (Eddie Kaye Thomas) time to find the stolen chemicals.

The Librarians - And the Loom of Fate

Ending the season with the return of both Flynn Carson (Noah Wyle) and The Library, "And the Loom of Fate" ties together the recovered artifacts from several of the show's previous nine episodes for a showdown with the villainous Dulaque (Matt Frewer) and a look at various other realities where Flynn never became The Librarian. The show has certainly improved over the second-half of its First Season and the season finale wraps up most of the loose ends allowing for both a strong final episode (should TNT choose not to renew the show) while also opening the door for several new opportunities in a potential Second Season.

Galavant - Dungeons and Dragon Lady

Rescued from the hangman's noose from by his former lover our brave, if dimwitted, hero is only further confused by the kind of love Madalena (Mallory Jansen) is prepared to offer. Dimly realizing that the love of his life isn't quite who he envisioned her to be, Galavant (Joshua Sasse) is returned to the dungeon while the Queen prepares her own surprise for King Richard (Timothy Omundson) in the form of inviting his elder brother (Rutger Hauer) to return and reclaim his rightful throne.

Mojo Jojo cosplay

The Librarians - And the City of Light

Despite the disbelief of both Jenkins (John Larroquette) and the other Librarians-in-Training, Ezekiel (John Kim) convinces the group to head to a small town where a UFO expert disappears and strange lights have been reported. As Jake (Christian Kane) and Cassandra (Lindy Booth) investigate the history of the town with the help of the town's archivist/notary/volunteer fire chief/chancellor of the exchequer (Haley Webb), Ezekiel and Eve (Rebecca Romijn) take a closer look at the area where the UFO nut was exploring before he disappeared only to have Eve disappear right in front of Ezekiel's eyes.

Usagi Yojimbo: Senso #6

Usagi Yojimbo: Senso comes to a close with the future version of Usagi Yojimbo leading the fight against the remaining alien tripod with Usagi Gundam. While properly framing the entire episode as a story told from the far, far future (leaving some of the specific details in doubt), Usagi creator Stan Sakai gives his creation one last epic battle before our hero falls (but not before once again saving the day).

Galavant - Completely Mad... Alena

Delivered to Valencia by the pirates, Galavant (Joshua Sasse), Sid (Luke Youngblood), and Isabella (Karen David) continue their quest as the princess continues to doubt her decision to betray the hero she has come to care for. Stopping for a time in a monastery of singing monks (led by "Weird Al" Yankovic), the heroes take a final rest before making it to the palace where Isabella's treachery is revealed, promptly at 9:00.

The Musketeers - Keep Your Friends Close

Season Two of The Musketeers begins with some big changes to the show. Due to Peter Capaldi now traveling through space and time on a different BBC TV-show, "Keep Your Friends Close" begins with the funeral of Cardinal Richelieu and the introduction of a new villain in the Comte de Rochefort (Marc Warren), a former agent of the Cardinal in Spain who escapes prison to enlist the help of Athos (Tom Burke), Aramis (Santiago Cabrera), Porthos (Howard Charles), and D'Artagnan (Luke Pasqualino) to rescue an imprisoned French general (Dominic Mafham). Hiding his true motives as a Spanish spy, Rochefort manages to betray everyone he comes into contact with turning each situation to his own personal advantage.

Elementary - Seed Money

While learning Watson (Lucy Liu) is taking a job as an investigator for an insurance company and while contemplating promoting Kitty (Ophelia Lovibond) from protege to his new partner, Holmes and friends investigate the murder of a highly-skilled bioengineer whose talents ran from cloning a near-extinct flower and supplying a local gang with marijuana.

The Maze Runner

A thinly-veiled sci-fi version of Lord of the Flies, The Maze Runner (based on the novel by James Dashner) casts Dylan O'Brien as the newest member of a group of children abducted and forced to live in a small wooded clearing in the middle of a vast and deadly maze. Despite the rules against him entering the maze, Thomas (O'Brien) is drawn to it as his actions will have sever repercussions for both himself and the entire community.

By far, the most interesting character of the movie is the maze itself, and the scenes outside the gigantic moving and changing monstrosity suffer as they lose what little magic the film has to work with. The more Thomas remembers about his life and the maze itself the more the film struggles as the answers provided by the movie's plot are far less interesting than the mystery itself. Pulling back in what is meant to be an epic Dark City style reveal, The Maze Runner flounders at its climatic moment foreshadowing what will be its inevitable sequel.

A is for...

Person of Interest - Control-Alt-Delete

After one of the show's must gut-wrenching episodes that saw the apparent death of Shaw (Sarah Shahi), Person of Interest continues to deliver the unexpected with "Control-Alt-Delete." Rather than offer us an episode from the grieving Reese (Jim Caviezel), Finch (Michael Emerson), Root (Amy Acker), and Fusco (Kevin Chapman) dealing with the loss, the latest episode is entirely from Control's (Camryn Manheim) point-of-view giving us a look into the the Government's use of, and frustration with, the intelligence provided by Samaritan.

The Great Qualities of Australian Yvonne Strahovski

In the February issue of GQ Australia Australian actress Yvonne Strahovski discusses her role as a spy on both Chuck and 24, the grind of network television, and growing up a nerd. You can find the pics from her photo shoot inside.

American Sniper

Adapted from the autobiographical story of Navy SEAL Chris Kyle, Clint Eastwood offers an old fashioned character study with strong patriotic leanings and not as much introspection as one might ultimately like. Bradley Cooper is terrific in the starring role of a soldier obsessed with serving his country and protecting his brothers-in-arms overseas while struggling with even the idea of life back home with his wife (Sienna Miller). The result is an engaging, if incomplete, story as Eastwood careful cuts away anything that doesn't quite fit Kyle's heroic narrative including an ending that leaves much unsaid.

Following the soldier's own interests, the scenes that take place during Kyle's four tours of Iraq which made him the most lethal sniper in U.S. Military history work better than the limited amount of time we witness him back home. While acknowledging the character's hero complex, Eastwood mostly shies away from how the length of Kyle's service effected him emotionally choosing instead to celebrate (one might even argue glorify) the man's war record. Eastwood tells the story he wants well, even if the result begins to feel a bit too much like pro-military propaganda.

The November Man

Five years after retiring, ex-CIA specialist Peter Devereaux (Pierce Brosnan) is reactivated by his old boss (Bill Smitrovich) and put on a plane to Russia to retrieve the love of his life (Mediha Musliovic) who has been working undercover in the Russian Government for more than a decade. Things go terribly wrong pitting Devereaux against his old agency and his protege (Luke Bracey) in a conspiracy that reaches into both the U.S. and Russian Governments involving the Presidential hopes of a genocidal Russian general (Lazar Ristovski).

Based on Bill Granger's novel, The November Man isn't a bad B-movie action flick but it is a tad too convoluted for its own good. The reasoning behind putting Devereaux in the field is sketchy at best, particularly after the villain is revealed. Brosnan can play the aging spy in his sleep and Olga Kurylenko makes the most out of the over-complicated Alice who holds the key to the entire sordid affair.

Marvel's Agent Carter - Time and Tide

With her colleagues turning their attention to Jarvis (James D'Arcy) after discovering one of Howard Stark's (Dominic Cooper) cars was at the Roxxon explosion Peggy Carter (Hayley Atwell) has to take one for the team, making the men in her office think even less of her, and then figure out just what happened to all of Stark's stolen technology. By the end of "Time and Tide" most of the stolen tech will be recovered, Peggy will have a better understanding of Jarvis, and the SSR will redouble their efforts into finding and punishing Stark blaming the missing inventor for the death of one of their own.

Pretty Little Liars - Fresh Meat

With Alison (Sasha Pieterse) in prison, Hanna (Ashley Benson) taking time out for a college visit, and Paige (Lindsey Shaw) in San Fransisco, life goes on for the Liars. As Aria (Lucy Hale) freaks out about her college rejection letters, Emily (Shay Mitchell) bites off more than she can handle by stepping in to cater Ezra's (Ian Harding) party after his caterer cancels, and Officer Toby (Keegan Allen) makes a discovery linked to Mona's (Janel Parrish) murder that will cause Spencer (Troian Bellisario) and Caleb (Tyler Blackburn), fearing yet another A set-up, to make a reckless decision.

Castle - Castle, P.I.

Barred from officially working with the NYPD any longer, Castle (Nathan Fillion) surprises Beckett (Stana Katic) by showing up at her crime scene with his newly acquired private investigator's license. Unable to work the case of the murdered private school educator together, the pair each follow their own leads only to have Castle continually beating Beckett, Esposito (Jon Huertas), and Ryan (Seamus Dever) on uncovering what the woman was up to in the days before her death and how her murder ties back to 15 year-old death on a college campus.

The Librarians - And the Heart of Darkness

Haunted houses are real. Attempting to repair broken lay lines leads the Librarians-in-Training to Slovenia where they discover a young girl (Lea Zawada) whose friends have met a gruesome end inside a house that Jenkins' (John Larroquette) research tells them has the ability to appear randomly throughout time and space (but not for the reasons the Librarians initially suspect). At times a bit too goofy for its own good (remember the Minotaur and Santa?), these last two episodes of The Librarians have been slightly more serious in tone, while still keeping the oddball core dynamic of the group, as the show seems to be finally finding the right tone.

Detective Comics #38

After Batman saves Wayne Tower from exploding, the Anarchy storyline continues as the villain decides to enlist the people of the city to help create the chaos he so desperately wants to achieve. It's hard not to think about V for Vendetta (the so-so movie not the terrific graphic novel) as Anarchy somehow leaves blank masks on every doorstep in Gotham enlisting others to redefine themselves and fight back against the system. The derivitive plot twist isn't helped by the final panel where the police gun down an innocent kid... which somehow becomes Batman's fault? Um, what?

Galavant - Comedy Gold

Discovering Madalena's (Mallory Jansen) affair with the Jester (Ben Presley), King Richard (Timothy Omundson) decides to do the unexpected. Rather than seek vengeance from one or both of the parties who wronged him by cutting their faces off and sewing them back inside-out (although he does consider it), the king implores the Jester to instruct Richard how to be funny believing it is that quality which will finally allow him to win the affection of his wife. It goes about as well as you would expect. Poor King Richard.

Galavant - Two Balls

Galavant (Joshua Sasse), Sid (Luke Youngblood), and Isabella (Karen David) take a momentary respite on their journey to Valencia choosing to stop in the home village of Galavant's squire. The returning hero brings happiness to the whole town as Galavant discovers he's stuck in the role of squire as everyone believes his squire is responsible for all of Galavant's great deeds.