I'm a 30-something computer tech/fangirl/all-around geek living deep in the American Southwest. Writing is my passion, a hobby, a full-time job, and my mistress. You can read my quirky musings on all things pop culture and fandom-related at http://geekyvoyage.com.
If you are a first-time visitor to Geeky Voyage: I welcome you to my lil’ geeky spot on the Internet, and I hope you enjoy the articles that we (my writers, and future writers) have published on here. We have many more articles planned for the future, plus new features that I’ll be excitedly sharing here over the next few months.
For returning Geeky Voyage visitors: I apologize for the long hiatus (since June 2016 – I know!). Blame it on a missing-in-action muse and 2016 beling one hell of a chaotic year. I’m sure most of you understand. That stupid muse of mine has returned from her extended vacation and has promised to play fair and not leave me again for a while.
What does that mean? There’ll be new articles posted here within the next week, as well as some videos and panel write-ups for a convention that I’m attending this weekend: ClexaCon. I’m so, so excited to be attending this year because there are so many great ships being represented this year, but my favorite will be in attendance: Shoot from Person of Interest, or rather their portrayers. Yes, Root and Shaw fans – Amy Acker (aka someone every fan should meet) and Sarah Shahi will be at the convention. You can check out more info about their appearances, as well as many other popular F/F ships on the con’s website.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll be making some changes to the site. I’ll be adding a newer-ish logo, there’s going to be a site facelift, and there are a few published articles that I’ve written that I need to update. I promise not to make too much of a mess..
If you have any content that you’d like to see appear on this site, are a creative type (music, movies, TV, etc.) that would like to showcase some of their amazing work, or would like to write and get endless kudos and a tiny bit of exposure for you’re writing (this site’s slooooooooowly growing), please feel free to drop me an e-mail anytime or tweet me: geekyvoyage@gmail.com or @sylentmari (Twitter). Comments, feedback, sarcasm, punny jokes, and more are accepted. This is a fan-driven site and I would LOVE to hear from more fans who might be interested in sharing their interests or talents with the world.
On to future articles!
Maribel Martinez, aka Sylent Mari
Editor of Geeky Voyage
It’s been three months since I last wrote a post for the site. That’s too damn long. My latest Music Mix is all about stepping away from the frustrations and worries of the world, and spending a few moments reflecting on the positives in life. What makes you happy? What drives you creatively? For me it’s entertainment in any form that allows me to step away from the outside world and my crazy life for a few minutes or hours each day. Music allows me to write, film allows me to think, novels transport me to other worlds, and TV makes me super-emotional over fictional characters (stop killing off all of my favorites!).
I’ve always been a fan of musical artists and bands that do cover versions of their favorite songs and add their own unique flavor to them. There are lots of great cover songs out there and some…eh…we’ll pretend they never exited. In the newest playlist below, I’ve got 20 of my personal favorites or covers that I enjoy. Some are familiar, some are new, but all of them are timeless in their own ways, while paying respect to the original artists.
The first Spotify playlist consists of the original artists of all of the songs listed below. Most of these artists should be familiar to you, but it’s always a good refresher to listen to each of the songs so you get that “A-ha!” moment. The second Spotify playlist is a mirage image of the first, but it features all of the cover versions that I’ve compiled for this post. Take an hour or two out of your day and listen to both playlists and allow yourself to get lost in the music and forget about everything negative in your life currently. Maybe add a few drinks if it’s been THAT kind of a week. ‘Til next time!
P.S.I apologize for my lack of creative verbage. 2016 has burned out quite a few of my brain cells, but at least I hope it’s an entertaining read nonetheless. *thumbs up*
The Originals
The Covers
Carina Round (f/ Aidan Hawken) – “Come Undone” [2014]
– – – – – – – – – – Duran Duran – Duran Duran (The Wedding Album) [1993]
Duran Duran, like so many artists and bands before and after them, sampled one of the most iconic drum loops for “Come Undone”: The Soul Searcher’s “Ashley’s Roachclip.” The sampled loop works perfectly in the now-classic DD track, and it’s my favorite song from the band; I’ve included that video above. I can listen to it, close my eyes, and lose myself to the music. That – or I’ve accidentally passed out listening to it (in a good way).
Carina Round’s take on the song gives off the same vibe, but it’s like a thunderstorm that crawls across the sky…then disappears just as quickly. It’s not only a great song to kick off this playlist, but it’s also a good wind-down song for the end of a long day from work/school/life.
Disturbed – “The Sound of Silence” – Immortalized[2015]
– – – – – – – – – – Simon & Garfunkel – The Graduate Soundtrack [1968]
Disturbed’s cover of the classic Simon & Garfunkel track has been featured in video game trailers, on the radio, and in lots of live performances lately – and for good reason. While this cover does have its detractors, I happen to really dig it. It’s a very different musical direction for Disturbed, who are best known for playing a somewhat-repetitive brand of radio-friendly nu-metalish hard rock. The equally-haunting music video for the song is free of any color and is just so mesmerizing to watch. Turn down the lights, burn a few candles, and play the video or the song to really get its full effect.
Moby – “New Dawn Fades” – I Like To Score [1997]
– – – – – – – – – – Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures [1979]
Moby’s take on “New Dawn Fades” was first heard in the 1995 Michael Mann written & directed crime drama Heat, starring the dynamic duo of Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino (with Val Kilmer tagging along). It’s easily one of the most recognizable songs from the soundtrack, and it’s recently found new life again thanks in Person of Interest’s 100th episode: “The Day the World Went Away.” Though the scene is very bittersweet for many fans and comes in the middle of a very mixed, emotional and somewhat-controversial episode, this song is featured in one of my favorite action scenes from the entire series. I’m not sharing the scene here because of spoilers and it needs to be watched to be appreciated, but I’ll leave you with this: Root and Shaw (aka Shoot) having a relationship talk in the middle of a shoot-out. Turn up this song loud as your cruising down the street late at night.
Lily Allen – “Somewhere Only We Know” – Sheezus [2014]
– – – – – – – – – – Keane – Hopes and Fears [2009]
A dreamy and sweet cover of one of my favorite songs from Keane. Lily Allen absolutely nails it in her version and I love her vocals on it and the music too. It’s like listening to a lullaby and drifting off to sleep with a smile upon your face. The music video will also brighten up your day as well, as evidenced above. Now leave me with my happy, shiny, positive thoughts…
Dallas Green (formerly of Alexisonfire; currently of City and Colour) and Alecia Moore (better known as P!nk) formed the indie folk pop duo You+Me in 2014, bringing together two incredibly gifted singers a surprising musical experiment. I’d say it was a success: their debut release, rose ave., is one of my favorite albums of the past five years and combines both singer’s vocal talents with very well-written songs that allow them to really belt it out. The lyrics are equally as thought-provoking as the singers themselves. In the live performance above of the Sade classic “No Ordinary Love” (Deftones also do a brilliant cover of it), watch Green and P!nk create instant musical magic as they own the stage in this haunting cover.
Mimi Page – “Wicked Game” – Requiem EP [2013]
– – – – – – – – – – Chris Isaak – Heart Shaped World [1989]
How many of you remember the original music video for Chris Isaak’s biggest hit? Hot supermodel, sepia tones, a beach… I think I just dated myself (I miss the old MTV).
Though this song has been covered to death by so many artists and bands, I’ve fallen for Mimi Page’s cover after discovering it as a Spotify recommendation. Thanks Spotify! It keeps the essence of the original and adds her own flavor to it, creating a pleasant aural experience.
Alanis Morissette – “Crazy” – The Collection [2005]
– – – – – – – – – – Seal – Seal [1991]
Alanis’ version of Seal’s first radio hit (before “Kiss From A Rose” dominated the airwaves a few years later) isn’t exactly groundbreaking. It’s a straightforward & enjoyable cover that was played heavily in gay clubs around the world when it first came out in 2005. It was an instant favorite for a good reason: the accompanying music video has a queer vibe to it. Whenever LOGO (a U.S. cable channel) played it on what felt like repeat every hour for several weeks during Summer 2005, I usually had a few friends & neighbors coming over to my place to watch it, excited to see this new side to Alanis. When you watch the video, you’ll see why. Well, unless you’re a fan like me and know that she’s played queer-friendly roles on Nip/Tuck, Sex and the City, and a few other projects.
Nine Inch Nails – “Dead Souls” – The Crow Soundtrack[1994]
– – – – – – – – – – Joy Division – Still (Collector’s Edition)[2008]
For many people my age (30-something) and of all ages who relate to it, the film The Crow and Brandon Lee’s iconic performance as Eric Draven is a reminder of a time when it was OK to be into dark imagery, to be influenced by the Industrial and Goth scenes of the time, and to be inspired to take risks in our own creative processes. The film and the graphic novel/comic series, created by J. O’Barr, also allowed us to not be afraid to create whatever the hell we wanted to artistically, as well as not fearing the darkness that lingers in all of us, and being free to let our emotions out in any artistic medium that spoke to us. The song, the film, and the graphic novel/comic series are such freeing works of art for the loners, the freaks, the independent thinkers in all of us. The fan-edited video that I’ve included melds all three elements together perfectly.
City of Fire – “Enjoy the Silence” – Trial Through Fire [2013]
– – – – – – – – – – Depeche Mode – Violator[1990]
“Enjoy the Silence” is one of the most covered songs of all time, or that’s what it feels like. For people who have derided electronic-based music as being soulless for years, Depeche Mode was one of the many synth-heavy acts that proved that was a bunch of crap. Creating some of the most emotionally-driven music over the past three decades, “Enjoy the Silence” is one of the most critically regarded and universally-loved tracks from DM’s massive discography. The song is timeless and never grows old; it feels fresh even listening to it in this ultra-digital age that we live in, where new music is readily available on various electronic devices. City of Fire, a band formerly led by Burton C. Bell from Fear Factory, does an impressive cover of the song by mixing their heavy rock sound with Burton’s powerful vocal work. A great song to rock out to.
Shiny Toy Guns – “Stripped” [2007]
– – – – – – – – – – Depeche Mode – Black Celebration [1986]
Depeche Mode has influenced so many musical acts since their formation in the late-1970’s, gaining popularity, critical acclaim, and respect & love from fans all over the world. I use their music as inspiration for any creative projects that I’ve worked on in the past, the present, and future ones (I’m sure). It’s rare to find anyone who’s not a fan of their music – whether they’re a huge fan like me or a casual listener.
“Stripped” is one of my favorite songs of theirs and a few bands have covered the song. Rammstein has a really cool cover of it that is a perfect marriage between their music and DM’s. Shiny Toy Guns has also made their own version that I love quite a bit. It sounds very different from the original, but retains the heart & soul of the song. Take a few minutes to throw it on and let the music invade your ears.
Gary Jules (f/ Michael Andrews) – “Mad World” – Trading Snakeoil for Wolftickets [2002]
– – – – – – – – – – Tears for Fears – The Hurting [1983]
Donnie Darko. Great cover. Listen to it now.
Lorde – “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” – The Hunger Games: Catching Fire S0undtrack [2013]
– – – – – – – – – – Tears for Fears – Songs From The Big Chair [1985]
Another indie-friendly track that follows the “slow down the original and make it sound super-depressing” template that many new covers are following. This isn’t a dig at Lorde, though: I like her cover version of this Tears for Fears track (a song I listened to a lot growing up). It’s also a perfect track for The Hunger Games franchise, which this song appears in – on the soundtrack to the second film, Catching Fire. If you’re a Lorde fan, you’ll love this. If not, you might find yourself gritting your teeth while listening to it. It’s all a matter of personal taste, but ’cause I like it I threw it into my playist.
Maria Doyle Kennedy – “How You Remind Me” – Even Better Than The Real Thing, Vol. 1[2003]
– – – – – – – – – – Nickelback – Silver Side Up [2001]
If this singer’s name sounds familiar – you might be an Orphan Black fan. Better known as “Siobhan Sadler” (aka “Mrs. S”) on the BBC America series, Maria Doyle Kennedy is also an accomplished musician/singer who has released many records throughout her career. She’s even lent her vocal talents to Orphan Black during the show’s third season, as seen below in this small clip from Entertainment Tonight (excuse the annoying intro):
In her gorgeous minimalist take on the Nickelback staple, MDK transforms the song into a melancholic ballad full of yearning and heartache. Conquering the song and making it her own, as well as one-upping the original, this is one of my favorite cover songs from any artist or band. Taking a very familiar song, deconstructing it, and turning in a simply wonderful performance? MDK nails it with her rendition.
This dreamy summertime cover of the Cure classic from 311 was one of the main songs used in the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore romantic comedy 50 First Dates. The film is a guilty pleasure of mine: I’m not a fan of Sandler, but I do like Barrymore a lot. If I lived close to a beach, this would be the perfect song to chill out too while hitting the waves or taking an evening stroll on the sand. Or you can lay in a hammock and drink a few cocktails while the night breeze cools you off. It’s a cool track to finish off the day with.
Tiamat – “Sympathy for the Devil” – Skeleton Skeletron [1999]
– – – – – – – – – – The Rolling Stones – Beggars Banquet [1968]
For a doomy/gothic metal take on the Rolling Stones classic, check out Tiamat’s slow & heavy version. Add it to your future Halloween playlist, or allow the black skies of nighttime envelop and guard you as you listen to the bewitching vocals of lead singer Johan Edlund sing you off to a nightmare. This track is a perfect example of paying homage to the original while retaining Tiamat’s artistic identity. If you’re a fan of bands like Paradise Lost, My Dying Bride, or Type O Negative, Tiamat’s cover is perfect for you (the band is totally worth checking out too).
Chet Faker – “No Diggity” – Thinking in Textures [2011]
– – – – – – – – – – Blackstreet – Another Level [1996]
This song takes me back to high school and for good reason: I was a freshman back in ’96. I LOVE the R&B, hip-hip, and soul music that came out during that decade because the songs were different, they were fresh, and they were just a blast to listen to. Blackstreet’s “No Diggity” is one of my favorite ’90s songs ’cause it has such a cool groove to it, a hypnotic beat, and Dr. Dre lending his skills to enhance the track.
Chet Faker does an equally funky cover that will transport you back to 20 years ago (!), to the time you first heard this jam on the radio. With a folksy vibe added to it and an electronic underbeat, the cover flows so well and it makes the perfect addition to anyone’s summer playlists or for house parties. If you can survive the heat long enough to dance/chill out to it, of course (Southwest USA FTW!).
Nirvana – “The Man Who Sold the World” – MTV Unplugged In New York [1994]
– – – – – – – – – – David Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World [1970]
Back in ancient times, MTV used to dedicate a whole hour or so to an artist or band and give them an awesome platform to show off their acoustic skills to a very intimate live audience. Sometimes they released the performances on record and fans were able to get that same intimate feel at home. Alice in Chains had a memorable MTV Unplugged performance (check out “Nutshell” and “Down in a Hole” as two perfect examples), and I bought Alanis’ (it’s a great listen). Out of all of the MTV Unplugged performances that were released, Nirvana’s will forever remain to be the most iconic, with the whole band stripping down the music to its acoustic foundations, and Kurt Cobain just singing his soul out. One of the most popular songs from that acoustic session was their take on the David Bowie classic “The Man Who Sold the World,” from the album of the same name. Take a trip back in time to 1994 and watch the performance.
Yuna – “Come As You Are” [2011]
– – – – – – – – – – Nirvana – Nevermind [1991]
Confession Time: Though they are hugely important to the generations before me and my very own, I’ve never been a Nirvana fan. I do like some of their tracks, but I was more of an Alice in Chains fan during the time that Nirvana was king of the alternative genre. Now that I’m older, I’ve been learning to appreciate their music a bit more, but “Come As You Are” has always been my favorite track from them. I haven’t heard any other music from Yuna, who’s a popular Malaysian pop singer/performer, but she nails the cover in an indie-friendly performance.
Amy Lee – “With or Without You” [2015]
– – – – – – – – – – U2 – The Joshua Tree [1987]
Amy Lee, best known as the lead singer/co-songwriter of Evanescence, delivers a really trippy and Evanescence-esque version of the U2 classic. That’s really the only way that I can describe this cover. Some fans will love it and others will hate it, and then there are those that will be like, “Huh – that’s pretty groovy.” If you’re a fan of Lee’s vocal work, this is a perfect song to listen to late at night or during the middle of the longest rainstorm ever.
Fear Factory (f/ Gary Numan) – “Cars” – Obsolete [1998]
– – – – – – – – – – Gary Numan – The Pleasure Principle [1979]
This popular Fear Factory track became known to video game fans courtesy of its inclusion on the Test Drive 6 soundtrack. The cover itself was the second song released from FF’s 1998 effort Obsolete, following lead single “Shock” (also the album’s opening track). In a throwback to the original tune, FF invited Gary Numan to contribute vocals to their cover version, which later led to his inclusion in the space-age music video they shot for the single. The video is available above for your headbanging needs. “Cars” would later become one of FF’s most recognizable tracks, and it’s a really fun cover to jam out to.
“Root-in-a-bear-suit” welcomes you to this blog post dedicated to Root and Sameen Shaw – aka Shoot – from the CBS science fiction/techno-drama series Person of Interest. If you are a newer fan of this dynamic, chaotic duo of badassery, you will find lots of goodies related to Shoot in this super-long guide about them. If you’re a longtime fan, hello!
I keep this post (mostly) updated with the following: polls for fans to vote in, interviews featuring the actresses who portray Root & Shaw (Amy Acker and Sarah Shahi), and any new (spoilery) information regarding the ‘ship in the upcoming fifth season. You’ll notice some “F” bombs in this post because CBS has been screwing with fans of Person of Interest on when the fifth season will air; we’re still in the dark beyond an announcement of “Spring 2016” and that’s totally unacceptable. We want our show, and we want it NOW!
This post is constantly being updated, but if there anything that you’d like to see added to this post, hit the Comments below and add your suggestions/screenshots/Shoot-related articles, fan videos, and fan art. Feel free to share it across the world on Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Facebook – pass it on to your friends who are clueless about Shoot and get them hooked.
LATEST POST UPDATES – 03/19/16
We got some new info about Season 5 FINALLY, but it comes with a bit of sad news as well. Most of us have been prepared for it, but I have to share it. Read below to see the latest news update.
Shoot got stopped in the Elite Eight of the Zimbio TV Couples March Madness Challenge. I won’t add much else to this, but there were a few fandoms anti-voting against us. To each their own, and I won’t say more about it ’cause I prefer to remain positive and neutral in fandom stuff. On the plus side: we do have new episodes to look forward to and more Shootand then there’s gonna be lots of feelings to process and explore and I’m not mentally prepared yet for Root’s reunion with Shaw, or the rest of Team Machine (especially Bear).
Need More Root to Help with the Hiatus?
Ms Buffy Buff (Cassandra) has written an excellent article on Root and her importance & significance not only on Person of Interest, but as one of the most developed and well-written characters in recent years, if not one of the best characters on television since its inception. Root has added quite a bit of flavor to what had originally started as your average crime procedural, and Amy Acker has demonstrated her finest acting work yet to the character. Read her post: Rooting for Root.
FUCK YOU, CBS! We FINALLY Get An Airdate, But…
CBS – the broadcast network currently obsessed with spinoffs of spinoffs, reality drivel, uninspired TV reboots of film/TV properties, and terrible primetime scheduling – finally gave us an airdate for the final season of Person of Interest. Starting May 3rd, Season Five will air in its regular Tuesday timeslot, but then they threw in a plot twist: they’ll be airing it twice a week from May 9th through the show’s finale on Tuesday, June 21st. It’s about damn time they announced something!
Honestly? I’m glad we finally got an answer,as to when the show returns. We have this shortened schedule but get two episodes per week, and my parents are going to have to deal with me for seven weeks as I invade their home and watch the show on their TV ’cause mine gets too much interference and can’t pick up CBS or ABC (no cable for this gal! Go digital antenna!). They’re going to see me at my fangirling best: crying, yelling, swooning, cheering, bawling, and a range of various emotions that might/might not be shared by them. Mom will be happy that Shaw’s back and Dad will be grinning over Root, and they’re both Shoot supporters. I love my parents. <3
If you didn’t see the sly “final season” that I slipped in there, it’s confirmed: CBS also officially canceled the show. Is there any hope the show could be picked up elsewhere? Sure? Do the cast & crew want it? Depends on them and any networks/streaming sites interesting in picking up the show. If this is the final curtain call, then I’m so very thankful to everyone who worked on the show, for Mom stubbornly refusing to let me keep ignoring it, and the awesome friends that I’ve made in the fandom for the past year.
There was also some woman named Amy Acker that I met last year, and she was OK – I guess. HA! Sarcasm aside, she is one of the loveliest people ever and she’s making several convention appearances this year. I’ll be adding her convention appearances here shortly. If you have the opportunity to travel to one and meet her, DO IT! You won’t regret it!
Many entertainment sites have been reporting the news. I posted an article from TVLine, which you can visit by clicking on the screenshot below.
Several months ago, a friend of mine created a Change.org petition that originally asked CBS to extend the episode order of POI’s fifth season from 13 episodes to more. At the time, the actors themselves had no clue if they were just shooting thirteen episodes or possibly more because CBS still hadn’t finalized a decision (back in May). Now we know that CBS has canceled the series and set the fifth season premiere for May 3rd, with the series finale airing on June 21st. Happy early birthday gift to me! :( I’m happy we’re finally getting to see the final thirteen episodes, but bummed out that it’s another series that I can add to my list of Shows That I Love That Have Ended Just As I Got Into Them.
The petition has changed to ask Netflix to save the show and air a future sixth season if that’s possible, in the cards, or if the universe so desires (and the fans demand it). Take a look at the petition and if you’re interested, give it your virtual John Hancock. Share it and spread it to fellow fans and help support a fellow fan who’s done a bit in the fandom to promote the show to those outside of our geek-o-sphere and welcomed me into the fold.
So, What’s the 411 on New Shoot Info? What’s Happening to Root & Shaw in Season Five?
[SPOILER ALERT! There are some spoilers for Person of Interest’s fifth season. You’ve been warned!]
It doesn’t help to be hearing about all of this badass stuff that’s gonna happen in Season Five without a premiere date to look forward to. I think this has been the longest wait for any show since forever. CBS claims that the show will be returning “this Spring 2016,” but what exactly does that mean? That means they’ll air it when they feel like it. Can we just have the season start airing sooner rather than later? *heavy sigh*
Waiting for Season Five really, really sucks. On the plus side, at least WGN has been airing the episodes nightly on their network, and Netflix has the first three seasons to binge-watch. Still no word on when Season Four will be added to Netflix. Boo! It is available on Amazon Prime and iTunes, so that’s an alternative until Netflix adds it.
If you’re a spoiler-phobe and are trying to remain so, you should steer clear from here and keep scrolling. If you’re anxious for ANY news on the upcoming fifth season, watch the videos and view the photos below. Start with the NYCC 2015 Sizzle Reel, but be warned: you might find yourself in an endless loop of replaying the video several thousand times in a row (I swear I didn’t do that).
Three awesome Root & Shaw photos, courtesy of Chris Fisher. You’re welcome. To see more of his gorgeous ‘POI noir‘ photos, visit his Instagram. (Updated: March 1st)
The funniest thing ever from the show. As my dad said at the end of the clip, “They’re giving her [Acker] more of a lead role? Nice. She’s really good.” He’s a Root/Shoot fan, making even even cooler than he already is.
NYCC 2015 POI Panel – Full Cast
(sound/video not in sync; hard to find the whole panel on YouTube)
A little more than half of this panel is related to Shoot and Root and Shaw’s characters. Sarah gives a great speech during it about how important LGBTQ+ representation is on TV, that cannot be missed We’ll call this panel the best Shoot-related comic con panel ever (unless we get one that tops it). Also, did they mention a love scene between the two? I want Shoot back on my screen soon and I’ll take every single scene with them. Fuck you, CBS, again.
NYCC 2015 IGN interview: Sarah Shahi/Amy Acker
Really good interview from IGN. Can these two work on projects together in the future?
Editor’s Note:The video doesn’t want to properly embed in this post – just click the link to check out the article and video.
Amy drops a massive bomb in this interview by saying that the writers have always been for Shoot, but could never agree on whether Root & Shaw have had sexual encounters or not; she and Sarah think that they have, on more than one occasion. Kind of changes the context of several scenes in some episodes, especially in episodes like “Honor Among Thieves” and “The Cold War” that more than imply that they’ve been having sex on a regular basis.
Bonus Photo Time! Taken fromSarah’s Instagram, this is the first shot of Amy & Sarah back together as Root & Shaw. – you’re welcome. The Internet might’ve broken that day – I know I ‘squee’d‘ a few times. In public. It happens.
If You Couldn’t Tell From Above, Sarah’s Back And Kicking Ass As Shaw. She Was Sorely Missed.
This was the most frequently-asked-question that Mom kept bringing up whenever I’d pay her a visit: “Is Shaw coming back? I know she’s not dead. Is she returning? I miss Shaw.” I give her credit and kudos for getting me into the show and introducing me to Root & Shaw. I love that she’s still interested in the show and thinks Shaw’s the shit. If Mom was any character on the show, she’d be Shaw.
If you want to read a few of the interviews that Sarah’s done since her return was first announced, here ya go:TVLine’s interview with Sarah – the site that first delivered the scoop. Read the AfterEllen interviewwhere Shoot is mentioned as totally being on and so, so canon. Read this Give Me My Remote interview where Sarah fangirl’s over Amy (those two are the biggest fans of each other).
Do The Actresses ‘Ship Their Characters?
I’ll get to the answer in a minute. First off, I’d like to welcome all of the new fans who might be discovering Shoot for the first time. Welcome to the fandom! If you are new to Person Of Interest and are wondering why Amy and Sarah seem so familiar to you, let me introduce you to the actresses:
AMY ACKER – best known for Angel(Winifred “Fred” Burkle/Illyria), Alias (Kelly Peyton), and Dollhouse (Dr. Claire Saunders/Whiskey); also known as the “The Most Precious Ray Of Sunshine That Makes Morally Ambiguous Characters Both Sweet & Frightening.”
I was lucky to meet Amy twice in 2015 (in Denver and Toronto), and she’s the nicest person ever & the coolest person to talk to. If Amy’s attending a convention in your area, you should go see & meet her. For inquiring minds: she’s drop-dead gorgeous and has not aged since she appeared on Angel – she’s immortal, like Illyria. She takes the time to talk to you, she never stops smiling, and her positivity is infectious. As many fans will tell you: we’re lucky to be living at the same time as Amy.
Amy as ancient goddess Illyria onAngel
SARAH SHAHI – best known for The L Word (Carmen de la Pica Morales), Life (Dani Reese), Fairly Legal(Kate Reed); aka “They Couldn’t Have Picked A Better Actress to Play Shaw Than Sarah.” Perfect casting is perfect.
I’ve been a fan of Sarah’s since she first appeared on The L Word, and I totally forgot that she was in the first season of Alias in a small recurring role. She also famously appeared as the first “supernatural” character on the show Supernatural, and she’s also made appearances in films like Bullet to the Head and TV shows like Chicago Fire. My favorite role of hers has definitely been Sameen Shaw. I recommend checking out Fairly Legalbecause it’s a fun show and Sarah’s great in it as the lead, and she is amazing on Life.
Sarah as Kate Reed on Fairly Legal
What’s really awesome about this ‘ship is that Amy and Sarah are very supportive of it. They are the captains of the ‘ship and have been since the beginning. Hell, I think Amy ‘ships it more than anyone else on the face of this planet. Their on-screen chemistry – the super-flirty /morally ambiguous hacker Root & super-sarcastic /emotionless ex-assassin Shaw – is electrifying to watch, and the writers have definitely taken notice and have given us many memorable scenes between the two.
Besides the actresses and the writers, Shoot also has many other show supporters including: directors, producers, other cast members, and the hardworking crew members who work behind-the-scenes in making the show look amazing quite cinematic and epic in scope. There’s not too many couples (canon or not) that have not only the actors (actresses in this case) – and their coworkers – jumping onboard and supporting their ‘ship.
Why Do I ‘Ship Root & Shaw?
I’ll let the three excellent videos below tell you all about Shoot. You’ll seewhy I ‘ship them so hard:
The first one features a lot of Root & Shaw’s scenes from the show: from their introduction in Season Two’s “Relevance,” and ending with their last scene (for the time being) in Season Four’s “If-Then-Else.”
The second video features a list of 30 reasons why people should ‘ship Shoot. There’s lots of good reasons listed, and it’s also another good introduction video to the ‘ship for newer fans.
The third video features the song “End of Me” by A Day To Remember and it’s an amazing fan video. The scenes and edits fit the music perfectly, and it hits me so freakin’ hard in the feels every time I watch it. I love the song as well.
To answer my own question: I ‘ship Shoot because there’s not too many interracial queer couples on TV. I ‘ship Shoot because none of the other characters (heroes and villains) ever bring up that it’s two women in love, no matter how stubborn the women are in admitting their feelings for the other. They can see how much Root and Shaw cares fr each other, and they never question that loyalty and devotion. Hell, even Samaritan’s top agent, Martine Rousseau, ‘shipped it (more on her and her ultimate ‘shipper status later). Martine once snarkily called Shaw Root’s “little girlfriend,” and no one blinked ’cause EVERYONE KNOWS IT. Finch even mentions something very important to Root about her relationship with Shaw, which you can read about in the next section. I ‘ship them because they are a perfect fit for the other, and they may not care about humanity as a whole sometimes, but they do care in their own way by trying to save the world from POI’s ultimate Big Bad: the evil A.I. Samaritan and its acolytes in Decima Technologies. I find that so beautiful to behold, and seeing these women go to extraordinary lengths to save one another (even self-sacrifice) is something you don’t see often on TV or in films.
They’re not an unconventional couple that will never exist in any cheesy displays of affection that you see so often repeated on TV like on The Bachelor. They are two women who love kink, push each others’ buttons, rescue each other against the odds, and ultimately help anchor Person of Interest by being the only established relationship in a series that doesn’t focus on many romantic storylines or elements, if rarely. And they’re not afraid to talk about any of their nights together, no matter how subtle they are (we’re on to you, writers). Ever since Root first met Shaw, there’s always been an attraction the other, a complex game that came to a temporary neutral end. When Root sees Shaw again for the first time since her capture by Samaritan, I will be bawling like a baby. I’m not prepared for Season Five, but at the same time I can’t wait to see Shoot’s return. It’s been too damn long…
Are They Officially Canon?
Yes they are! Before the Season Four episode “If-Then- Else,” Root & Shaw lived in the Land of Subtext, though there’s been subtle and not-so-subtle maintext between the two (I see those knowing looks, ladies!). The show has never shied away from bringing Root & Shaw closer through non-stop innuendos (Root) and half-hearted threats of violence against all the flirting (Shaw). Their first meeting was far from romantic (almost deadly), but it has grown into something more throughout the seasons.
There were various hints in Season Three about their relationship moving beyond the “platonic friendship” stage *cough* ten hours to kill in a CIA safe house *cough.* In Season Four, it became much clearer with several pivotal scenes that cemented not only the attraction, but caring and protectiveness the women had in each other.
In the episode “Prophets,” Root is about to go on a (potential) suicide mission and asks Harold Finch (the Machine’s “father”) to deliver a message to Shaw if she doesn’t make it out alive.
The entire quote as follows:
Root:“If the worst comes to pass… If you could give Shaw a message…” Finch:“I think she already knows.”
Gone is the flirtatious Root, but one prepared for her own death in this somber and beautifully-delivered scene. She’s prepared to die so that Shaw may live, and it’s not the only time she’s made that decision. She will protect Shaw by any means necessary, but Shaw turns that on its head in “If-Then-Else.” You can watch the scene below:
Shoot scenes from Season Four, Episodes 1-7 Credit: YouTube user Step Ohah
Shoot officially became canon in the episode “If-Then-Else.” If there were any doubts about the nature of their relationship, those doubts were quickly swept away during the last five minutes of the ending scene. It’s a bittersweet reveal, but very important nonetheless.
How Did Shoot Start? What Are The Pivotal Episodes/Scenes To Watch?
[SPOILER ALERT! There are MAJOR SPOILERS for Person of Interest, starting with Season Two through Season Four. You’ve been warned!]
Quick Note: “Number” = a POI that Team Machine has to help, and they could either be a victim or perpetrator. “TM” = Team Machine.
++ – denotes importantShootepisode.
I won’t go into the overall storyline of Person of Interest. I do cover what some of the episodes are about if they feature important Shoot scenes. The show is so vast and richly complex that it’s impossible to summarize it to newer viewers. Start with Season One and DO NOT SKIP ANY EPISODES! Missing even one episode will leave you lost – trust me. There are some really good Root & Shaw-centric episodes throughout the show, but these are the episodes & scenes that feature Shoot together. Let the arm-flailing and shrieking begin!
BONUS! Season One, Episode 23 – “Firewall” ++
Before there was Shoot, there was Root. Originally appearing as a “Big Bad” on Person of Interest, Root has become an essential member of Team Machine and quite an important one, too.
Before she became their direct link to TM, Root was quite the worthy adversary. First appearing in glimpses in Season One’s “Root Cause,” we don’t officially meet her until “Firewall.” Finch & Reese get the number of a psychologist named Caroline Turing, who appears on their radars after a hit is put out on her by the corrupted cops behind the group HR. As the plot unfolds, we later learn that Turing set everything up and is later revealed to be…Root! The plot thickens as she kidnaps Finch to learn more about her god, the Machine, in the first two episodes of Season Two. Some of her backstory is discussed in the Season Two episode “Bad Code.”
Our first introduction to Sameen Shaw and one of my favorite episodes of the series. We get some background story on her and the shadowy government outfit that she works for as a highly-trained assassin, ISA. Shaw’s also a former Marine and has an extensive medical background. She has her first run-in with Root and it’s not pleasant – or we’re so led to believe. The mutual flirtiness was quickly picked up by the POI writers who discovered that there was some great chemistry between Shahi & Acker. Only they can make possible future torture sexy.
The first episode where Shoot team up and sparks are ignited. In the previous episode, “Razgovor,” Root makes an uninvited appearance in Shaw’s lil’ studio apartment, stun-gunning the poor woman in a super-brief scene, as seen below:
But Root’s not there to hurt her. She needs her help for a “number” that TM gave her. Introducing “Heavy Innuendo & Heart-Eyes” Root and “Captain Grumpy” Shaw! Also includes the infamous “stuck in a CIA safehouse for ten hours” scene, which is a fan-favorite ’cause we all want to know what they did in those ten hours. I doubt they were watching TV… I’ll go with the majority of fans and say that they had their first sexual encounter here (which has been alluded to since in another episode), ’cause ten hours is enough time for sexy, kinky things to happen. Several times. With a hood and zip-ties involved. Throw in a taser for a good time!
Root hasn’t been killed (yet) by Team Machine, but they are still reluctant to fully trust her, even though the Machine is now speaking directly to her (Root has become the Machine’s spokeswoman, or “Analog Interface”). Root, Shaw, Lionel Fusco and Finch are out to save John Reese (Finch’s right-hand man) from a very dire situation while nursing a gunshot wound that almost kills him; he was shot in the previous episode. Reese went after HR, the corrupt organization of police officers and mobsters that were trying to control the city at the time, after their second-in-command Simmons murdered Team Machine ally Joss Carter. Of course, she and Reese expressed their feelings to each other and kissed, and that can never lead to good things. Kissing on this show can lead to death. The only person who’s escaped the “kiss of death?” Shaw.
No matter how evil a character is – or was – at some point in their storyline, I find it hard to watch them get tortured by another morally-ambiguous character. Shoot share a scene at the beginning of this episode when Root comes in with her dual-wielding badass self as she rescues Shaw, Finch, and Arthur Claypool from the clutches of Shaw’s former employer, a humorless government official nicknamed Control (played by the amazing Camryn Manheim). In the ensuing gun battle, Root is shot while Shaw looks on, concerned for her safety. Root yells at her to escape with Finch and Claypool, though after escaping to safety Shaw wonders if Root’s OK. Unfortunately for Root, she’s kidnapped by Control and tortured for information on TM. The torture scenes are hard to watch, especially the scene where Control causes permanent hearing loss in Root’s right ear. Even through all that torture, Root doesn’t give in and she gets the one-up on Control in a chilling scene that has TM speaking through Root; Acker in one of her finest scenes.
I LOVE Root-centric episodes ’cause they’re so unpredictable – just like the hacker herself. I also love the ones that feature a Shoot scene. The Shoot scenes in this episode are brief but filled with Root’s patented innuendos and Shaw’s eye-rolling at it. The first one has some playful flirting from Root, with Shaw pretending to totally hate it (see the scene above).
The second scene has Shaw checking on Root’s wounds from several violent encounters. Root leans in with a sexy “I love it when you play doctor” before Shaw pulls away from her quickly. Oh, those crazy kids! I recommend watching the full episode because there’s a great scene between Root and Finch towards the end. You can always expect some superb acting whenever Amy Acker and Michael Emerson are in the same scene, with lots of emotional moments shared between their characters.
Two short Shoot scenes, but they’re two of my favorites. Root arrives on her sexy motorcycle to recruit Shaw for a trip up to Anchorage, Alaska to fight a militia and then down to Miami for a few cocktails and their version of “girl talk,” among the bruised & battered bodies of drug dealers. They know how to have a fun time. This episode is the last before a trilogy of episodes at the end of the season which show Samaritan’s activation. Decima Technologies, the sinister and shady tech company that built Samaritan, is run by a really dastardly bastard named John Greer – an ex-spy with a dark past who wants to create a New World Order using Samaritan as their leader. Things only get more intense from this episode on for Team Machine and Shoot.
Consider this to be the Root/Shaw/Reese Power Hour. The episode is the first part of a trilogy leading up to Samaritan’s rise and Team Machine being forced “underground” to avoid detection from it and its operatives. Though there are no isolated Shoot scenes, there are lots of scenes with them and Reese, and I love it when this trio works together on “numbers.” It’s funny seeing Reese’s indifference to Root’s endless flirting with Shaw.
Another Root/Shaw/Reese Power Hour episode. After Finch has been kidnapped by Greer and Decima, Team Machine has to reluctantly work together with Team Control, led by Shaw’s former mentor and attempted murderer Hersh. Both teams are looking for their respective employers, who have been kidnapped by a Decima off-shoot known as Vigilance: a violent anti-surveillance and privacy collective that uses various methods of torture and intimidation to try and force the government to stop spying on the American people. Root wanders off on her own for a bit and employs three hackers (all former POI’s) to modify seven Samaritan servers to help disguise Team Machine and the hackers from its gaze.
Team Machine and Team Control are still desperately searching for Finch and Control and trying to stop their executions at the hands of Vigilance. There are a lot of Shoot scenes in this episode with Root & Shaw on a side mission to disable seven very important Samaritan servers by adding new identities for Team Machine (minus Fusco, who is not seen as a threat by Samaritan) and Root’s hacker employees: Daizo, Daniel Casey, and Jason Greenfield, who are all former POI’s. These seven people pose the biggest threat to destroying or disabling Samaritan in some way, and they have to be protected at all costs. Samaritan goes “live” at the end of Season Three, but our heroes are still around to kick its ass. The screenshots above are the last moments between Shaw & Root as their former selves before taking on their new identities, not knowing if they’ll ever see each other again. /FEELS
Two fan-favorite Shoot scenes are in this episode, which sees Team Machine coping with their new identities and trying to save “numbers,” now that Samaritan is active and hunting down the Machine. Poor Shaw is stuck as a make-up saleswoman at a department store – her worst nightmare ever, though the five-finger discount on eyeliner is the only positive. Shaw’s manager asks her to promptly attend to a customer who has been waiting for a makeover for over 15 minutes. Shaw turns around and she sees…
…this crazy goddess in a tight blue dress, casually sipping on her iced coffee and giving her “I wanna sex you” eyes. I’d probably have the same reaction as Shaw, not gonna lie. ‘Cause HOT DAMN, ROOT! <3
A less-than-minute long Shoot scene with Root & Shaw in a van. Root keeps checking up on Shaw, who is a bit annoyed by that (but secretly likes it). It’s a cute scene that’s all too brief in this episode, which features a future Samaritan player named Claire Maloney (if Martine is Shaw, Claire is Root).
Not only are there a few Shoot scenes in this episode, but there’s also a really deep and heartfelt conversation between Root & Finch about her relationship with the Machine and their ongoing war with Samaritan and its acolytes. At one point Root looks sadly at Finch, a bit defeated and ready to go on a mission that could possible get her killed to save a “number,” and she asks him to pass on a message to Shaw if she doesn’t make it out alive. Finch quickly adds that Shaw already knows. We can guess what Root wanted to say to Shaw.
This scene in particular is the first indication that Root & Shaw are more than just friends. Shaw expresses her own worry about Root when she asks Finch if he’s heard from her after her run-in with Samaritan operative Martine Rousseau (i.e. the super-evil blonde version of Shaw). One of the best episodes of this season & the series overall; a Top Three for me.
Sylent Mari Says: This was the first episode of POI that I watched after a phone call with my mom one evening. She randomly mentioned the show to me (I wasn’t a fan at the time), and she mentioned that I’d dig the character “Root” ’cause she was totally gay and had a bit of a crush on a character named “Shaw.” I had previously seen a POI episode with Mom (Season Three’s “Liberty”), and I was happy to see Sarah (an actress I’ve always liked) and Amy (a favorite actress) in it, but I never caught their characters’ names. Jump to this episode. I called Mom later and said, “Wait! So Fred from Angel is the gay hacker you mentioned? Why didn’t you tell me sooner that it was her?” “I wanted you to see for yourself.” Thank you, Mom, for getting me into POI and Shoot.
Lil’ bit jealous there, Root? A great Team Machine episode with two of my favorite Shoot exchanges. The first exchange occurs towards the beginning of the episode, when Shaw is helping out their current “number”: a handsome thief named Tomas. Root – hiding out in Team Machine’s subway HQ and recovering from her injuries at the hands of Martine – decides to tease and flirt with Shaw over their shared comm link while she’s out on her “date” with Tomas. The flirting obviously gets to Shaw a few times, but she tries her hardest to play it off in front of Tomas.
Later, at the end of the episode, Shaw catches Root by surprise as she’s walking down the street. Root’s a bit irritated over a mission she & Finch had that supposedly led to a Samaritan-based operation, but turned out to be false, but perks up when Shaw appears. Shaw gives a heartfelt speech about almost running away to Barcelona with Tomas “for a hot second,” but deciding to stay in NYC because there were some things that she cared about in the city. Root’s face perks up and she cheekily asks if that’s why Shaw came to see her, but her ego gets knocked down a few pegs when Shaw asks for her assistance instead. Root quickly recovers, then not-to-subtly adds that “this could take all night.” That final look probably killed half the fandom and re-affirms the theory that Root & Shaw have had at least one sexual encounter:
A good amount of Shoot scenes are found in this episode. It’s time for Shaw to have a her own run-in with Samaritan. Martine spots Shaw across the department store her “identity” works at, and it’s quite the epic showdown. Fleeing from the scene, Root arrives as her ‘lady-knight-in-leather-on-motorcycle‘ and they escape Samaritan’s gaze. Finch, extremely worried about Shaw’s run-in with Martine, orders the two to hurry back to their hideout. Root’s having a hell of a time convincing Shaw to return, and not even Shaw’s flirty “Please” – which throws Root off for a second – dissuades her. She ends up sedating Shaw after tricking her, gently holding onto her as Shaw falls into a deep sleep.
The stakes are raised when Samaritan and the Machine decide to have a “peace summit.” Root meets Samaritan’s own “Analog Interface” and he’s a creepy-as-hell grade schooler named Gabriel. There are several Shoot scenes in this episode as well: some fun, some more serious. In one of the most emotional moments in the episode, Shaw (who feels helpless as she’s ordered to stand down) berates Finch for allowing Root to go by herself to meet up with Samaritan. Finch stares her down and pointedly tells her: “There is one thing of which I am most certain – Root is not alone.”
I just re-watched this episode with a friend recently and caught on to the double-meaning behind Finch’s statement. How did it slip by me before? My interpretation: Root was alone after all these years and had found the Machine, who saved her, but then Shaw came into the picture and changed her world forever. Root will never be alone again because she has the Machine as her God, but Shaw is her other-half (whether they admit it to each other or not). Later, Finch tells Root that Shaw has left their hideout and is looking for her, wanting to help out with saving numbers. Root’s face is almost a lead-in to the next episode, which is a defining one for Shoot.
And Then Season Four’s “If-Then-Else” Happened…
For many fans and critics alike, this is the best episode that has aired of the show to-date. There’s several episodes in this season that could contend as the best, including: “Prophets,” “Terra Incognita,” “Asylum,” and “YHWH.” For me, “If-Then-Else” is one of the finest hours of television ever seen. It’s structured like a 45-minute epic short film that features interesting twists, very creative and intense computer simulation segments, and one of the most heart-wrenching final sequences that absolutely floored me and left me a speechless, sobbing mess as the credits rolled. Sometimes a heroine has to sacrifice herself to save the world and the woman that she’s fallen in love with.
For Shoot fans, this is THE episode that definitively cemented the couple’s canon status. The wonderfully shot and well-written simulation scenes featured different scenarios that the Machine was calculating while Her Administrator (Finch), Analog Interface (Root), and Primary Assets (Reese/Shaw) and Secondary Asset (Fusco) were in vastly different situations: Shaw dealing with a potential suicide bomber on a subway train, and the rest of Team Machine trying to stabilize the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and surviving Samaritan’s trap for them. Even with all the craziness and nerve-wracking moments in the episode, we also saw the Machine having a bit of fun too with her favorite couple. The Machine is Shoot’s biggest ‘shipper; no one can compare. This conversation occurs in her second simulation of everyone’s current (dire) situation:
Root: “Hey sweetie. You busy?” Shaw: “A little. Skip the verbal foreplay, Root. Why you calling?” Root:“Can’t a couple of gals take a little break from work to catch up?” Shaw:“I’ve been arrested and you’re fighting an A.I. apocalypse, so no – we don’t have time to catch up.” Root:“Well, there’s no need to be rude.” Shaw: “…I am not having this conversation right now.” Root: “There’s no time like the present, Sameen. Why are you so afraid to talk about your feelings?” Shaw: “Feelings? I’m a sociopath – I don’t have feelings.” Root:“And I’m a reformed killer for hire. We’re perfect for each other. You’re going to figure that out someday.” Shaw:“Root, if you and I were the last two people on the face of this planet-“ Root: “An increasingly plausible scenario, given Samaritan’s plans.” Shaw:“Fine. Maybe someday…when Samaritan wipes everyone out…we can talk about it.” Root:“You’re saying ‘maybe someday’?” Shaw:“Yeah, sure Root – maybe someday. Is that good enough for you?” Root:“Yes, Sameen – that’s good enough for me.”
The last five minutes of the episode are insane, emotional, and a beautiful (temporary) send-off to a beloved character. Each of the simulations bring death to various members of Team Machine, but a shot-in-the-dark scenario (2+% success rate) is the only one the She sees as possibly giving Her team even the slightest advantage. She relays Her game plan to Root, who directs the team to stay together while they stop the market fluctuations and secure their escape route – a service elevator. That stupid, evil elevator. Meanwhile, Shaw is able to talk down the suicide bomber, who disables his device, and she arrives in the middle of a gunfight between a trapped Team Machine and the approaching Team Samaritan. As the central figure of the episode (alluded to many times throughout), Shaw really shines as the biggest hero of the hour.
In the middle of the gunfight, as Finch and Fusco help an injured Reese to safety, Root asks Shaw why they aren’t together. Love this following exchange (no, it wasn’t a simulation):
Root:“We’re so good at this together. You’re going to realize that someday.” Shaw:“Root, no offense. You’re hot, you’re good with a gun. Those are two qualities that I greatly admire. But you and me together would be like a four-alarm fire in an oil refinery.” Root:“Sounds cozy.”
The group safely makes it to the elevator but there’s no power to it. There’s an override button across the hallway; Shaw’s gonna press that damn button. Root grabs her because she’s not about to lose the woman that she’s come to love & care about – she’s gonna protect them all and be the one to press that damn button. Shaw turns around, mutters “Oh, for God’s sakes,” and then grabs Root by her signature leather jacket and gives her the kiss that fans have been waiting for a long time:
Shaw abruptly ends the kiss by shoving Root towards Fusco, who grabs onto her while Shaw runs out to push that godforsaken button. Root screams for Shaw from behind the elevator’s locked gate as Shaw falls to several bullets courtesy of Martine, who smugly comes up and points her gun at Shaw’s head. Shaw stares at her in defiance while Root falls apart and screams her soul out (dare you not to tear up at least once), fearing the worst has befallen her love. I’ve seen this episode tons of times and still get heartbroken during this final scene, even though I know Shaw is coming back. ALL. THE. FUCKING. FEELS.
UGH!!! ALL THE FEELS!!! NOT SHAW!!!
Why Shaw? Sarah Shahi was pregnant at the time with her twins, so she has taken a temporary hiatus from the show. Originally the writers had planned on offing Reese, but that changed when Sarah told them of her pregnancy. But did Shaw survive? As my mom once said after “If-Then-Else” aired: “No – they can’t kill off my favorite character. First they killed Sara [Lance] off of Arrow, and then Shaw. F-U TV.” Fear not, Mom! There’s good news ahead!
A Positive Outcome!
The following episodes are all Root-centric, but there are many Shoot feelings in each of them; I recommend several boxes of tissues to get through them in one piece. It kills me every time to start Season Four from the beginning and marathon through it – well, just the one time so far. I see my favorite perky psychopath around her favorite grumpy sociopath, and the feelings are so strong and so very mutual between them.
FANGIRL WARNING: We are now entering sad!Root Mode. Please proceed with caution. ALL. THE. SHOOT. FEELS.
Amy Acker deserves so many kudos for her acting in the series. This scene from “Control-Alt-Delete” breaks my heart every time.
Season Four, Episode 12 – “Control-Alt-Delete”
In this episode there’s a continuation of the storyline that “If-Then-Else” started. This time Shaw’s former employer and Root’s former torturer, Control, is involved. In the middle of a mess regarding national security and Samaritan, she is kidnapped by Reese & Root after they launch a rocket at her SUV and hold her hostage in a warehouse, asking her for information about Shaw’s whereabouts. Control repeatedly tells them she has no clue what’s happened to Shaw because she’s completely in the dark. Later on she goes to the stock market, seeing it freshly painted, and she knows that Samaritan has been lying about a lot of things. It’s time for Control to go full BAMF and find out more about Samaritan’s true intentions.
“Kiss-Cam” courtesy of the Machine. You’re welcome.
There is a major twist at the end of this episode that made lots of POI fans happy. Reese & Root, at the end of “Control-Alt-Delete,” get a really strong clue from Finch and the Machine that Shaw was possibly being transported in a white moving truck and heading to a location outside of the city. After causing mayhem and destruction across five states looking for their Mayhem Twin (Reese) and girlfriend (Root), it figures she’d be close to home. After a very strange visit to a strange town called Maple in upstate New York, Team Rocket (Reese & Root) thinks they’ve found Shaw, but it turns out it’s not her, but a secretary at the New York Stock Exchange who was injured & kidnapped in their battle with Samaritan, and possibly implanted with a neural device that could be used to control people. Root’s heartbroken face says it all, and even Reese’s face falls as he realizes it’s not Sameen.
While the rest of Team Machine has quietly said their “Goodbye’s” to Shaw at this point, Root’s not ready to let go or give up. Even the Machine tells her to stop searching for her, but Root refuses to believe that she’s dead. She can’t. If she loses that slightest bit of hope that Shaw could possibly be alive… True love never dies, as they say. And Hell hath no fury like a hacker who’s lost her girl and will kill everyone on the planet just to see her again.
The episode’s twist? We see Samaritan’s “father,” John Greer, talking to someone off-screen. We hear a familiar raspy voice and – SHAW’S FREAKIN’ ALIVE!!! If you think about it, she’s more useful to Samaritan alive than dead. Could Shaw be forced to do Samaritan’s bidding at a later time? That’s up in the air, and the episode “Asylum” explains a little more.
There’s a brief exchange between Root & Finch in this episode, but we still see the effect that Shaw’s disappearance and possible “death” has had on Root. She’s been doing her own missions for the Machine, taking some time away in private after TM told her to “Sierra. Tango. Oscar. Papa.” (S.T.O.P.) looking for Sameen. Root wants to recruit more people to help them and Finch is appalled by the idea, especially after “everything that has happened” – a reference to Shaw. Root calls him out on that, asking him if that’s what they’re calling Shaw now, and Finch responds in return and reminds Root that she’s the one that doesn’t want to talk about Shaw. Cue a slight stab to the heart during this scene.
This episode has one of my favorite Root scenes from the series, though it’s hard to watch because it packs such an emotional punch. Without spilling too much, there’s a moment in the episode where Root breaks down and tells Finch that Shaw’s “death” was her fault. She contacted Shaw for help at the stock exchange, and that guilt has been living with her this whole time. Even if Root hadn’t called her that day, Shaw would have still appeared for her friends and helped them out in their battle against Team Samaritan. This episode is also a Season Four highlight. Some fans dislike it, but I happened to like it. My only complaint is that the two storylines didn’t really gel together, and the pacing felt off.
There was badass!Root sorely lacking in this section. You’re welcome.
There is an epic Root vs. Martine fight in this episode; that’s all you really need to know. Team Machine have some awesome moments in the episode, but when Root spies Martine from across a snowy wooded area – she’s out for blood. This blonde bitch took Shaw away from her and she’s going to make her suffer. Reese stops her before she can choke out Martine, leaving Root quite angry and bitter about it. Later on in their underground subway hideout, Root is bandaging her bloodied & bruised knuckles as Reese comes in and tells her that killing Martine wouldn’t bring Shaw back. Root gives him this death glare and he acknowledges that he should have let her kill Martine. Well…hello “Asylum!”
One thing that really jumps out is Martine’s appearance. Her hair is dark brown and it’s loose and wavy. When she and Root have their confrontation, she’s even dressed similarly to Root’s style. It’s not something that I noticed at first, but after “Asylum” aired it dawned on me why.
And Then Season Four’s “Asylum” Also Happened…
What I love the most about Person Of Interest is that is such an unpredictable show that you will never, ever be emotionally prepared to watch an episode as a fan or guess where the storyline is taking us next. There are some wild moments in “Asylum,” a surprising death, and the escalation of three major storylines:
The Brotherhood vs. Elias, Reese & Fusco
Control vs. Samaritan
Finch & Root vs. Samaritan
Finch and Root have the most important storyline, IMO, because it deals directly with Samaritan and the reveal of its very sinister plans involving the Machine, as well as the reveal of Shaw’s whereabouts. While there are no direct Shoot scenes, there are several Shoot-adjacent scenes. And Root… If there’s ever a situation where I need someone to have my back, I want Root by my side.
Finch & Root (Team Nerd) are in the subway hideout, monitoring a situation between the Brotherhood and Elias and his crew when a cell phone starts ringing, startling the two. Root looks for it and notices that it’s Sameen’s cell. Shocked, she picks up the phone and hears the very voice she’s been hoping to hear for so long. It’s not a pleasant conversation: Shaw is asking Root for her help.
It’s on. Root is going to find Shaw and rescue her, and will even sacrifice herself as long as Shaw makes it out alive. Anyone who crosses her path will truly know the definition of pain and death – mostly death. When Root’s so intensely focused it’s best to let her be and do what she needs to do to accomplish her mission. Finch, as hard as he tries to dissuade her on many occasions, tags along because he cares for Root as deeply as a friend can and doesn’t want to see her hurt or killed. Such an extreme change in their relationship from the first time Finch encountered Root to now.
Poor Finch is desperately trying to keep up with Root as she hurries up to the top of a skyscraper to play a very scary game of “Chicken” for the Machine for information on Shaw’s location. TM isn’t budging at first, but as the situation becomes more precarious as Root blindly walks across the ledge of the building, TM relents and tells Root where to find Shaw.
Did the Machine know there Shaw was this whole time? Apparently so. And I’m pretty sure Root is hella pissed at Her. Why did TM keep this info hidden for so long? I’ve got some thoughts here in a minute.
Shaw’s been hidden in a mental institution that has an amazing amount of power (electrical and networking) going to it. That’s a little suspicious. In order to get closer to where Shaw’s being hidden, Team Nerd goes undercover as a doctor (Root) and patient (Finch).
There’s some really funny lines between them, but there’s a slight moment of panic when a real doc asks Finch about his mental state and he stalls for a second, and we get this look from Root:
That *THUD!* was millions of Root fans fainting from a single raised eyebrow. Amy is the master of the raised eyebrow and manages to always make it look both intimidating and sexy. Finch finally relents and plays along.
Finch causes a distraction that allows Root to search for Shaw as he looks up information on Shaw on one of the institution’s computers. We get this catchy new nickname describing a certain “patient”: Compact Persian Sociopath. Yup – that’s Shaw in a nutshell. Root makes her way up to the floor where Shaw’s being held and it turns out to be something neither she nor Finch were expecting: Samaritan’s central HQ. HOLY. CRAP. Root tells Finch to escape while he still can, but he’s gonna stick with her ’til the bitter end. Or until he’s captured.
“We meet again, for the 1000th time…”
Root finds Shaw’s room and rushes towards a familiar black coat. It’s the same coat that Shaw was wearing the day of the Stock Exchange crash. As she’s clutching onto it, she hears vehicles starting. Rushing to a window, she sees visual confirmation that Shaw is alive and being led to a black SUV by Samaritan agents. So damn close! Meanwhile, out comes Martine from the shadows, smirking as evilly as one can while she says that she was able to break Shaw after months of unsuccessful attempts.
How did Martine finally break Shaw (if she actually did)? As I mentioned briefly in “Search and Destroy,” Martine’s look was much different than the last couple of times that we’ve seen her. Several fans quickly pointed out online that Martine probably changed her appearance to look like Root, tricking Shaw – who’s been heavily medicated and possibly hallucinating under the drug cocktails they’ve been giving her. The only person that Shaw really, truly, deeply loves and cares about is Root, and she probably told Martine a few things while assuming she was speaking to Root this whole time. Definitely a great plan, but oh so dastardly.
Root is drugged in the middle of her fight in Shaw’s room as Finch is brought up to the room too. Greer comes in, smiling that smile that villains do when they think they’ve won it all, as he talks about Root’s direct connection to the Machine through her implant. Wait – how did they find out about it?
Team Samaritan knew that Root communicated with the Machine directly, but they never really knew how. Shaw revealed to them at some point that it was actually a cochlear implant. As Martine tells Root: “Your little girlfriend told us all about it.” Root sneers and spits back, “She would never.” What’s really important about that exchange is that no one corrects that fact – Shaw is technically Root’s girlfriend. Greer, Finch, Martine, Samaritan, the Machine, Reese, Fusco… They all know. Even the bad guys know that Shoot is a thing.
But the threat of laying a hand on Finch takes Root into temporary God Mode, finally getting revenge on Martine by snapping her neck in a “Oh my god, that just happened!” scene. My dad high-fived me and cheered on Root after that scene; turns out he’s a big Root fan too. Greer just stands around as smug as ever, not even blinking as his top operative is killed in front of him. Finch is speechless the whole time and probably extremely thankful that Root is on hisside.
Samaritan, in the midst of all the chaos, offers the Machine a compromise: reveal Her location to it, and it won’t kill Her human agents. Finch is still speechless as Root turns towards a camera and screams at it, begging the Machine to keep fighting and to look for others that will help Her out. Finch, back in “Prophets,” once told Root that they were all interchangeable and that TM doesn’t care about them; only about Her needs and wants. Root argued that the Machine does care or they all wouldn’t be alive, counting all of the near-death experiences they’ve all been.
As the clock is ticking down the Machine finally – for the first time – speaks up:
Last sad!Root picture, I promise.
The Machine saves Her team by relenting to Samaritan’s request, and as Its acolytes and Greer run off to find Her location, Root and Finch are still in shock that She finally spoke up and told them how much they all mean to Her, and how She was unable to rescue Shaw. I mentioned earlier that the Machine didn’t give Shaw’s whereabouts before. I think, along with a few other fans, that She’s been secretly in contact with Shaw and has her working as a double-agent. Make it seem like Sameen’s working for Samaritan, but in reality sabotaging them from the inside with the Machine’s help.
There’s a brief scene at the end where we see Shaw riding shotgun as she looks out of the SUV’s window, her reflection on the passenger side mirror, while a voiceover from the Samaritan operative that Control’s been dealing plays in the background, talking about people being given second chances and a rebirth to really find their true purpose. Hmm…
Well… There’s no mention of Shaw, but there’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it scene where Control’s right-hand woman is killed (or temporarily taken out) by someone holding a syringe, and the hand looks suspiciously like Shaw’s. That’s the only possible glimpse that we get of her until she comes back kicking ass and kissing Root in Season Five. “YHWH” is a highly-recommended episode that is filled with lots of action, suspense, and a heartbreaking moment between the Machine and Finch at the end. Collective *sign,* everyone.
AND HERE COME THE (FAN) ACCOLADES!
SpoilerTV Wins for 2015
SpoilerTV is a popular site for fans who want to catch the latest news, reviews, and so much more about their favorite shows. This year, Person of Interestshowed up and swept several polls, making their first appearance on the site in major ways. Let us count the ways:
As you can see above, Amy Acker and her character Root turned out to be quite the popular players, and deservedly so (as well as Michael Emerson). I’ve dubbed this year as #YearOfTheAcker because Amy’s profile has certainly risen to new heights thanks to her involvement on POIas the fan-favorite Root. It’s her highest-profile role to-date, and one that brings so many unexpected scenes of badassery from the character.
The much-touted episode “If-Then-Else” won the Episode Cup, beating out another POIepisode: the Season Four finale “YHWH.” Many fans (like me) regard “If-Then-Else” as a highlight of the series for several reasons. The biggest reason – which takes up a chunk of this post – is the escalation of Root & Shaw’s relationship from flirting to casual encounters (a tidbit that was dropped at NYCC) to full-on relationship, which will be further explored during Season Five. For the umpteenth time: seriously, CBS? When’s it gonna air?
When it comes to actors & actresses who love the fandom they’re representing, there are two groups: those who just do their job and that’s that, and those who are so beyond grateful for their fans. And then there are some who dig the fandom so much that they also support the ‘shippers as well. There is no better example of an actor or actress who really loves acting and absolutely loves their current character, who is so kind & gracious to their fanbase, and is also the most down-to-earth individual ever than Amy Acker. She is also the biggest ‘shipper ever of the ‘ship her character is one-half of: Shoot. She loves Shoot fans, she gets a kick out of seeing fans wearing their Shoot shirts (got first-hand experience in that, LOL), and she can’t wait to see her ‘ship reunited in the coming fifth season. She also doesn’t shy away from talking about Shoot and brings them up often. She’s a fan like the rest of us, and that is the coolest thing ever.
To see how big of a fan she is, you can check out this short article that Zimbio posted. The most important thing from the article is the video message below, which she recorded at San Diego Comic Con 2015.
Side note:She is always smiling or laughing. Like the awesomest positive energy too. Having a bad day? Just watch a video with her in it and try not to grin.
How popular is Shoot? We’re the small-yet-growing fandom that could. Earlier in March of this year (2015), Zimbio(a pop culture/entertainment website) had their annual TV Couples March Madness Challenge. The poll featured both canon (official couples) and fanon (fan-favorite) couples and the competition was fierce. During that time I got heavily involved in the Shoot fandom, and this post was my contribution to rallying the fans to vote as often as they could, and giving my reasons why people should vote for them in the poll if they were new to the fandom. Research for this post involved watching lots of Shoot fanvids and watching the episodes that they appeared in – no matter how brief their appearance is. One can easily lose track of time watching anything Shoot-related. In the end, the Perky Psychopath and her Compact Persian Sociopath won – surprise winners as they were first-year nominees, and they absolutely dominated. #TeamShoot
Zimbio posted two really fun articles that all fans should check out that dive into the A-Z’s of Shoot and the creativeness of fans (including Clexa fans from The 100, runners-up and another fandom to check out) in promoting their favorite couples during the Final Two.
A “Happy Monday” to you all! Did you survive the weekend? How ’bout Valentine’s Day?
How many of you caught Deadpool during its opening weekend? I definitely did. My brother & I hung out Sunday and decided to catch the flick together, and we laughed our asses off and had a hell of a good time. Everyone over 17 needs to see this flick!
I have a decent amount of stories below to give you some reading material for the rest of the evening (if you’re in the States). For the rest of the world: enjoy all of the stories below. I do apologize for the videos not playing in your country if you’re outside the good ol’ U.S.A. (stupid region-locked videos). Throw on the music at the bottom of this post and read on through.
And don’t forget: ALWAYS be your geeky self. :D
Holy S***! Did You Watch Last Night’s Walking Dead?
The Cast Talks About Season 6B
First Four Minutes of “No Way Out” – Ep 6×09
I’m not spoiling anything that happened with the Valentine’s Day slaughterfest known as TWD’s mid-season premiere, “No Way Out.” This is an episode that will get fans back into the show if they didn’t really get drawn into Season 6A (like me). “No Way Out” is a heady, violent, tension-filled 42-minutes of the following: (semi)major character deaths, loads of dead undead corpses, and many great mini-scenes of character development.
The big new human threat was introduced in the first four minutes of the episode: a group of new dangers riding motorcycles and decked out in leather. Yup – Negan and his crew are entering the picture. Fans of the comic series know what that means: be prepared for lots of character deaths, including several that you love.
One of the biggest moments in the episode was a ‘ripped-from-the-comics’ scene that fans have been waiting for the past few years. The iconic and game-changing moment comes toward the beginning of the Alexandria story-arc in the comic series. Seeing that scene televised was one of those “OMG – they went there!” moments that fans will be talking about all year long.
SPOILER WARNING:The second video is a look at the first four minutes of “No Way Out” featuring Daryl, Sasha, and Abraham as they are stopped by members of Negan’s group. The full scene played out in the episode is absolutely nuts and the rest of the episode goes into insanity mode.
Saul Goodman Also Returns with Season Two Premiere Tonight
Looking Ahead at Season Two of BCS
Everyone’s favorite crooked-yet-noble attorney makes his triumphant and long-awaited return in the Season Two premiere of Better Call Saul. As an Albuquerque-an, it’s expected of me to watch it; the show is based here, after all. After last night’s amazing TWD episode, let Better Call Saulcleanse your palate and relax your mind…hopefully.
Holy Chimichangas, Deadpool! You Made All the $$$!
This Trailer Best Sums Up the Film
Deadpoolmade a crap-ton of cash this weekend and rightfully so. Go see the movie now. It’s a terrific, very adult film that is not meant for children at all. Ryan Reynolds also delivers the best performance of his career in a role that he was born to portray, with foul-mouthed accuracy and sexy abs. My favorite film of 2016 so far.
Netflix’s Marvel’s Daredevil Premieres New S2 Trailer
(Now Featuring More Punisher!)
Daredevil Season 2 Trailer f/ Punisher
Can this be out already? Jon Bernthal as Frank Castle/The Punisher is a perfect casting choice, IMO. The upcoming season of Daredevil looks more dramatic and broodier than the first season. With the addition of Daredevil’s nemesis/love interest, Elektra Natchios, we can expect lots of conflict and fight scenes between them as well as Frank Castle. Bring it on already!
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Final Trailer
I’m still not interested in seeing the film – or at least until it hits the bargain cinema. Maybe DVD? I do admit that this is the best trailer released for the film: perfectly edited, showcases several brooding standoffs between the male heroes, and really sells the final product. Though it makes me wonder why they left this one for last to drum up fan support for it. This trailer is vastly superior to the previous ones.
Star Wars: Episode VIII Starts Production
Star Wars: Episode VIII Production Announcement
Let the hype begin!
The Newest Purge Film, Election Year, Gets a Trailer
The Purge 3: Election Year
Appropriate timing for this trailer in a major election year in the United States. I’ve never had the desire to watch any of the previous films, but I might give this one a shot. It has Frank Grillo and Elizabeth Mitchell starring in it, so that’s cool.
Voting & Voter ID Laws – As Told By John Oliver
As with many TV shows throughout the years, I’m a little late to the John Oliver party. In my defense: I don’t subscribe to cable and only have Netflix/the Internet as my constant media companions. When I visited a family member last year, he got me into the show by showing me a few episodes, and I couldn’t stop laughing. Last Week Tonight with John Oliver took an extended holiday break, but it came roaring back with comedic vengeance last night on Valentine’s Day.
The big breaking news of the weekend was the death of U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, and John Oliver delivered the news in the best way he could: fact with a side of sarcastic commentary. The biggest segment of the show was the video above about U.S. voting practices, Voter ID laws and their disenfranchisement of certain groups of voters, and fraudulent voting in state legislatures by proponents of the very laws they passed to stop what they’re currently doing in their own legislative houses. Learning is fun!
Game of Thrones Season 6 Trailer Brings on the Dead
Game of Thrones Season Six Trailer
It’s gonna be another family-friendly, fun-filled season! /sarcasm
Ash Gets His Dad in Season 2 of Ash vs Evil Dead
Lee Majors (The Six Million Dollar Man, Fall Guy) and Ted Raimi (no stranger to the Evil Deadfranchise) are making appearances in the second season of one of my new favorite series: Ash vs Evil Dead. If you have not seen the series yet, why are you delaying? Go watch it! Ash, like Deadpool, is the adult anti-hero that we’ve been waiting for to deliver fun and mayhem, though his special brand comes on a weekly basis. The second season of the series will be airing later on in the fall (probably around Halloween again).
Lauren Ambrose and Robbie Amell make appearancea in tonight’s “Babylon” episode as two agents who could be younger mirror copies of Scully & Mulder. Like spookily so. They will also appear in next week’s season finale, “My Struggle II,” which continues the mythos-based story of the season premiere “My Struggle.” This should be good and wholely confusing… “My Struggle II” airs next Monday, February 22nd, so be prepared to have your theories and tissues in hand.
The six-episode season has gone by way too fast and I’ve been loving the episodes. I’m already sad about it disappearing from my TV ’til it (hopefully) makes a return next year. I’m so glad I have my Mulder & Scully Funko! figures to keep me company.
There’s a Disney TV Remake of Adventures in Babysitting?
Yeah… It’s real. Unfortunately. As a TV remake. Ugh.
No Release Date Yet for Orphan Black Season Four; Enjoy Some Teasers & a Trailer
Down The Rabbit Hole Teaser
OB Season Four Teaser #1
OB Season Four Teaser #2
BBC America has not released an airdate yet for the fourth season of the critically-acclaimed Orphan Black, which left us with plenty of cliffhangers at the end of Season Three. Let’s assume that Season Four will air sometime in April, as the show has since Season One. I’ve dealt with lots of my favorite shows being canceled within the last year, and I still have one that I’m waiting for a premiere date. I can’t remember if I shared these clips before, so I’m re-sharing them again. We need Orphan Black on our TV sets now!
No Release Date Yet for Person of Interest Season Five; Enjoy Original Music from Seasons Three & Four
The wait for the premiere of the fifth season of Person of Interest has felt like the longest hiatus ever. CBS has still not released any information, promos, teasers, etc. about the series – only a brief mention that it will be arriving sometime this spring. Not even a word about its cancellation or future. Just give us the show already, for the love of Root! Err…or whichever character is your favorite.
The X-Files Premiere Party Checklist – Collect them all!
Wonderful fans and visitors of this blog: the X-Files are back! Before this X-Phile starts writing a new article about her favorite TV series, it’s mandatory to have that most recognizable of theme songs playing as you read through it. Stream the hell out of this song today on repeat and annoy your neighbors as you crank it up. Here ya go:
To say that I’m excited that this Very Important Day (V.I.D.) has finally arrived is the biggest understatement of 2016, though I’ll probably be saying the same when Person of Interest finally returns this Spring. I’m currently in a state of pleasant calmness, but I have a feeling that in the next couple of hours my inner-fangirl will finally start squee-ing from anticipation. I never imagined the series ever making its triumphant return to the small screen, but I’m so glad that I was proven wrong. It’s like an awesome dream that suddenly popped out of nowhere, but it’s actually reality – which is way better.
Tonight (January 24) is the first of a two-night series premiere that FOX set for the revival. The remaining four episodes – “Mulder & Scully Meet the Were-Monster,” “Home Again,” “Babylon,” and “My Struggle II” – will be airing the next several weeks. The first episode is titled “My Struggle” and sees Mulder & Scully reuniting after several years apart. That’s as much as I’m going to say without spoiling anything.
The promos below give you some hints of what’s to come, though, and are spoiler-licious. The episode premieres tonight and Monday (January 25) at the following times in the USA on local FOX affiliates:
10:00 PM – East Coast
9:00 PM – Central
8:00 PM – Mountain (mine)
7:00 PM – West Coast
My fellow Americans – we can all tweet and Facebook at the same time as the episodes are premiering and not spoil the series for anyone! Except for those that can’t watch the episodes immediately (sorry international fans). If you’re not a fan of the series, you might want to avoid all social media, TV, and the Internet for the rest of the day. If you want to add my handle on the Twitter thing and follow my non-stop geeking out, here ya go: @SylentMari. There’s also a spoiler thread for “My Struggle” that will be posted on the Geeky Voyage Facebook page.
In preparation for the two-night series premiere, “My Struggle” and “Founder’s Mutation,” this is a collection of promos, behind-the-scenes, character spots, and other miscellaneous clips from the new limited-run that FOX has released over the past several months. The following are video clips you can check out:
Cool mini-documentary on why The X-Files returned (with a sneak peek at future episodes).
Five sneak peeks at “My Struggle” for fans who want a trial run of the episode.
Fun lil’ viral video from the faux TV show featuring new character “Tad O’Malley” (Joel McHale from Community, The Soup)
[SPOILER WARNING]This is the most SPOILER-FILLED article that I’ve posted on Geeky Voyage, and I’ve done some pretty good spoiler-rific articles for various other shows. All of the videos below contain scenes from the new limited-run edition of the series. If you want to venture away and watch your favorite episodes and both feature films, I wouldn’t blame you. For the rest of you X-Philes that are highly anticipating the return of the series and can’t wait to see what happens, proceed with the utmost caution. [/WARNING]
The X-Files | Drum Intro
A cool, quick version of the theme song using some unique drums. It’s really trippy to listen to.
A Global Phenomenon
Remember way back in the 1990’s when The X-Files premiered and grew from a series with a small fan showing to a cultural phenomenon? This video is a friendly reminder of that time when the series dominated the world. It was an awesome time to be a fan back then and still is now.
They’re Coming
The first promo that aired for the revival series on October 26, 2015.
The X-Files | First Look
The first real look at the series – only 1:20 minutes. A great little tease of what’s to come.
The X-Files: Re-Opened
Before you watching the series premiere “My Struggle,” get yourself re-acquainted with The X-Files by watching this video. There’s lots of behind-the-scenes information and spoilers for the new episodes. It’s a good introductory video for newer fans of the series, as well as a great nostalgic look-back for longtime fans. The video is about 22 minutes and is a great way to get psyched about the new episodes premiering soon. My dad’s already seen it and he was astonished (people don’t use that word enough) when I told him that I hadn’t seen it yet ’cause S-P-O-I-L-E-R-S.
The X-Files | Declassified
The fastest explanation of The X-Files ever.
The X-Files: 10×01 – “My Struggle Opening Scene”
Try not to get chills & tears while watching this badass opening scene from “My Struggle.” Chills, I tell ya.
Collection of Sneak Peeks from The X-Files: 10×01 – “My Struggle”
SNEAK PEEK #1: “Expecting”
SNEAK PEEK #2: “Impossible”
SNEAK PEEK #3: “Masquerade”
SNEAK PEEK#4: “Do You Remember?”
SNEAK PEEK #5: “Urgent”
The Truth Revealed: Mulder and Scully
If you want a more definitive answer about Sculder’s (Scully/Mulder) relationship status, this video also answers that question.
The Ex Files
The title says it all and doubles as a major spoiler. If you’re a ‘shipper, not a warm & fuzzy clip to watch before the premiere.
Show & Not Tell: Joel McHale
Show & Not Tell: Mitch Pileggi
Show & Not Tell: Gillian Anderson
Watch Joel McHale (“Tad O’Malley”), Mitch Pileggi (“Walter Skinner,” and Gillian Anderson (“Dana Scully”) give you a quick introduction to the new episodes, with super-fast glances at upcoming scenes. If you’re graphics-savvy, you can rip the screenshots and decipher each new scene in detail. Must look away…
The Conspiracy Will Be Televised
Mulder has a conservative other half! Tad O’Malley, played by Joel McHale from Community, is a brand-new character introduced in the series. He’s a conservative talk show host who’s a conspiracy theorist, which obviously sings to Mulder’s paranoid heart. O’Malley tries to recruit Mulder for a strange case, and Mulder tries to bring in a reluctant Scully back into the fold.
William
If you’re a fan that quit the series after the film The X-Files: Fight the Future or right before the final two seasons, you’re gonna be completely lost watching this clip. If you remember William, this clip explores some of Sculder’s feelings about giving up their child. Will we his return in the series? All spoilers point to “YES” – in one of the new promos Scully gets an incoming call from “William.
Welcome to the first post of 2016! Here’s hoping that 2016 will be a much better one for everyone who’s had anything & everything go wrong for them in 2015. Regardless of all the craziness that occurred this past year for many, it was also a good year to be a geek. There was so much great content from all entertainment mediums that it’s going to take a mega-post to cover everything. My weekend’s going to be busy.
This post is focused on a number of films that fans are greatly anticipating (or shaking their heads in disbelief) and are arriving this new year. We saw lots of really good films come out in 2015 that greatly appealed to genre fans both young & old. Movies like Mad Max: Fury Road and Star Wars: The Force Awakens were well-received from older & newer fans of the franchises, and both films delivered some of the greatest action scenes of the year. My favorite film of the year is hands-down Mad Max: Fury Road. I actually caught a few major releases at the regular full-price cinema this year right before they hit the “dollar theater” – a first for me.
What were the notable releases of the year? Here’s a list of several films that fans flocked to see (or avoided) in 2015:
The Hateful Eight
The Martian
Krampus
Spectre
Ant-Man
Fast 7
Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation
Ex-Machina
Jurassic World
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Crimson Peak
Fantastic Four
Terminator: Genisys
Tomorrowland
Jupiter Ascending
Sequels, prequels, remakes, reboots, original features – we saw a mix of all this past year. In 2016, we’re going to see even more of the same, but we’re also going to see some new releases that feature original content. What a concept! If Hollywood wasn’t so chickenshit and money-hungry and afraid of taking a chance on auteurs with fresh takes on old material or new stories, we’d get films that are fantastic in imagination and filled with unique storytelling.
The trailers and teasers that you see below are for some of the biggest releases of 2016. Some will succeed, some will surprise, and some will have you cursing and rolling your eyes so much that it’s probably best to stay at home and just watch TV or play games or something. I’ll be posting more trailers and teasers in the next few weeks as they are released online.
Most of these are dude-heavy films, so apologies ladies, but blame Hollywood and society that still stifles a woman’s creativity – despite the fact that female-centric movies do make a ton of cash like their male counterparts. If you squint, you might even see some POC’s (people of color) in the clips below. We’re a diverse population of humans – bring that diversity to film, Hollywood.
The Badass, Totally Un-PC, and Really NSFW Hero We’ve All Been Craving
DEADPOOL – Friday, February 12
[NSFW WARNING] This is the red-band trailer that was released on Christmas 2015. Best present ever this year! You might have to sign-in with your Google account to view it on YouTube, so be warned. Also – NSFW to reiterate.[/WARNING]
It’s Ryan Reynolds in his career-defining performance. Sure, Buried was a good film, but Reynolds was meant to play the “Merc-with-a-Mouth” since forever. This insane celluloid dream will finally be hitting theaters right before Valentine’s Day. Consider this the perfect date movie if you’re like me and love the following: liberal doses of sarcasm, crass humor, “meta” content, and tons of violence & sex.
I Can’t Even… A Film That Looks So Bad That It Can’t Be Redeemed in Any Way
GODS OF EGYPT – Friday, February 26
Another “based on ancient Egypt” film that has the most color-blind cast since…every other “based on ancient Egypt” film that has come out in the past few years. Egypt was very ethnically/racially diverse thousands of years ago, yet films like Exodus: Gods and Kings and this one have an almost all-Caucasian cast. This by-the-numbers take on deities fighting each other has Gerard Butler as Set, and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau as Horus, Brenton Thwaites as the obligatory mortal that teams up with a super-powered being, and the inexplicable appearance of a very-talented actor: Geoffrey Rush as Ra. Sometimes really crappy films need an accomplished actor to help levitate them slightly above being pure nonsense into just regular ol’ nonsense. Gods of Egypt doesn’t even look like a fun cheesy flick, but one that I’d probably fall asleep too halfway through its run time (like Jurassic World, though that was slightly better).
“And the Award for 2015’s Worst Movie Trailer Goes To: A Michael Bay Production!”
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: OUT OF THE SHADOWS – Friday, June 3
The name of this tragically messy and unnecessary sequel film to an even crappier reboot is Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows. The film features a terrific actress that will leave you with the following question: Why is Laura Linney, one of the best actresses of her generation, in this movie? I hope she had fun making it because the trailer has no amount of fun in it at all. The only positive is that Stephen Amell from Arrow makes an appearance as Oliver Queen! Oh – he’s not playing Oliver in this film? That’s totally not Casey Jones… /sigh. I’m going to be that nostalgic geek and dream about Elias Koteas’ take on the badass character from the first TMNT movie from my youth. Not even Bebop and Rocksteady in the[animated] flesh could get me to watch this. If you liked the first movie, you’ll love this one. If you hated the first movie, you’re probably not going to dig this one either.
For the Potterheads in the Crowd
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM – November 2016
No need for an introduction or synopsis – I’m watching this opening day.
Everyone’s All Complaining About the Voice and I’m Like, “Take My Money NOW!!!”
X-MEN: APOCALYPSE – Friday, May 27
I’ve never been a huge fan of Bryan Singer’s X-Men films, but I have enjoyed them all. The comic fan in me rolls her eyes at many of the creative liberties they’ve taken in some of the films with storylines and characters, but I love seeing all of my favorite X-Men on the big screen…except for Hally Berry’s Storm. I always envisioned Angela Bassett playing my favorite X-Men (next to Rogue and Nightcrawler) ’cause she looks like the Storm from the comics and early-1990’s cartoon, at least to me.
I’m stoked to see the younger, mohawked version of Storm in this movie, with what appears to be her classic costume. Hell yes! I’m stoked to see another favorite X-Men, Psylocke, in the film and played by Olivia Munn (I like the casting). What hasn’t won me over is Apocalypse himself. I like Oscar Isaac and have no issues with him portraying the role – it’s the costume and his voice (not as commanding as the Apocalypse from the cartoon) that are still growing on me. I’m definitely not hating the changes as much as other fans. If you want a good laugh for the weekend, check out the fan rantings on YouTube with this trailer.
How to Properly Execute the Trailer for a Highly-Anticipated Superhero Film
CAPTAIN AMERICA: CIVIL WAR – Friday, May 6
The Captain America films have been my favorite ones from the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), with Guardians of the Galaxy a close second. If you haven’t watched the trailer for the third Captain America movie yet, you need to watch it now. It is a perfectly executed trailer that builds suspense, drama, and action quietly before bringing it all together into a beautiful, destructive climax. It leaves you anticipating the final product and wondering who will win in a battle between Team America and Team Stark. W also get our first look at one of the most badass Marvel heroes that hasn’t been shown in film, until now – Black Panther.
This is how you properly direct and write a superhero film, and I think it will be the bigger of the two major superhero flicks hitting right before the summer. That other film is below and the most recently-released trailer is… Yeah, just watch it.
How Not To Properly Execute the Trailer for a Highly-Anticipated Superhero Film
BATMAN v SUPERMAN: DAWN OF JUSTICE – Friday, March 25
The more trailers and footage that I see for this film, the less excited I am for it. As a DC fan this saddens me, because I’ve been more into Marvel’s cinematic offerings in recent years. I waited months after Man of Steel was released to watch it and I’m glad I waited, because I was really disappointed by that film. It wasn’t good, it wasn’t the worst thing ever, but it was a very sub-standard film IMO. My expectations at this point are very low for this film, but maybe I’ll be surprised. And Gal Gadot is looking amazing as Wonder Woman – I can’t wait to see what she brings to the role when I watch the flick.
Why Is There a Sequel to This Film?
ALICE IN WONDERLAND: THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS – Friday, May 27
Tim Burton, Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter once again team up in this sequel to a terrible that shouldn’t have been made in the first place. I know there are a lot of you out there that loved the first Alice in Wonderland film, and I respect that. Personally, I cried quite a bit on the inside because I long for the days of the better collaborations between Tim Burton and Johnny Depp, and Helena Bonham Carter is a much better actress than what the first film displayed of her talents. Maybe this sequel will be fantastic, or it could be another reason to add to the many of why Burton & Depp need to step away from each other for a little bit to get their creative drive back.
Another Roald Dahl Classic Comes to the Big Screen
THE BFG – Friday, July 1
I read this story a long time ago when I was much younger, and I don’t remember much from it. I want to read the original story again because I love Roald Dahl, and this cinematic versions of some of his most famous works have been pretty good; Matilda being a personal favorite. Steven Spielberg directed the film, so expect lots of whimsical childhood moments and lots of nostalgic memories of simpler times.
I’ve Never Heard of This Film Until Now, But It Sure Looks Interesting
SYNCHRONICITY – Friday, January 22
The following synopsis was taken from the YouTube description for the trailer:
“From the creators of The Signal (Sundance 2007) comes SYNCHRONICITY, a mind-bending ‘Sci-fi Noir’ in the tradition of Blade Runner, Gattaca and Memento. Daring physicist Jim Beale has invented a machine that can fold space-time and ruthless corporate tycoon Klaus Meisner will stop at nothing to get it. When Jim uses the machine to tear open the fabric of the universe, a rare Dahlia appears from the future. But in order to keep the rights to his invention he must prove that it works by finding the flower’s identical match in the present. Jim soon discovers that the Dahlia lies in the hands of the mysterious Abby, who seduces him into revealing his secrets. Convinced that she is in league with Klaus to take ownership of his life’s work, Jim travels back in time to stop the conspiracy before it can happen. But once in the past, Jim uncovers a surprising truth about Abby, the machine, and his own uncertain future.”
If People Still Dig It, They’ll Still Make ‘Em – Star Trek Three-quel
STAR TREK BEYOND – Friday, July 22
People wanted a third one? That’s cool, I guess. Thought Star Trek (2009) was OK, skipped Star Trek Into Darkness, and this looks like another skipper for me. I am a nostalgic Star Trek fan that liked the TV series and even watched all of the original films (every single great and terrible one) before the cinematic reboot of the franchise in 2009. Having Justin Lin as the director does not raise my confidence levels at all. Sure, it won’t be a good Star Trek film, but it sure as hell with be a great action-packed film. I seem to be getting more cynical the older I get.
They Made A Sequel to This in My Own Backyard…and I Had No Clue Until Now
INDEPENDENCE DAY: RESURGENCE – Friday, June 24
Principal photography for this sequel to the action-packed classic was shot here in Albuquerque and surrounding areas, and I had no clue they were filming it until I saw a news report about production being completed on the film. “They actually greenlit a sequel?” I said to myself while wondering if there was a huge demand for a sequel at all. The first film is a ton of fun and it still holds up quite well as a cheesy action sci-fi adventure. A sequel to that perfection is going to be hard to pull off it doesn’t have the humor or jump-scares that the first one had, but I’m curious enough to see this one when it’s released right before my birthday.
The King of the Jungle Has Returneth – for the Hundredth Time?
THE LEGEND OF TARZAN – July 2016
I’ve seen so many different Tarzan movies growing up, but I can’t even remember the basic plots of them. It’s not because I don’t care or have never read the original story – I honestly can’t summarize any of them. Alexander Skarsgård and his amazing half-naked torso star in the flick, alongside Margot Robbie (who plays Harley Quinn in the upcoming Suicide Squad) as his gal pal Jane.
The rest of the main supporting cast are pretty badass too: Samuel L. Jackson, Djimon Honsou, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent, and Christoph Waltz (is there a movie he ISN’T starring in lately?). Director David Yates, best known as “the guy who directed the last four Harry Potter films,” bings this latest cinematic reboot to the silver screen. Though it looks a little “meh,” and I know the barest details of Tarzan, I’m still gonna watch it ‘cause the world needs more films with Alexander Skarsgård in it.
I Don’t Care If It Turns Out to Be a Cheesefest – I’m Still Watching the Damn Thing on Opening Day
WARCRAFT – Friday, June 10
No matter your personal feelings on the decision to turn the legendary Blizzard gaming franchise into a film, this cinematic version of the first Warcraft game – not to be confused with World of Warcraft – looks like it could be the big sleeper hit of Summer 2016. Or it could be the biggest failure of the summer. It could really go either way with this film, but you gotta admit – they picked a great cast for the film.
Here’s your major players in this first of what could be a future film franchise, depending on the success of this first outing of the Horde and Alliance:
Travis Fimmel as Anduin Lothar
Daniel Wu as Gul’dan
Toby Kebbell as Durotan
Paula Patton as Garona Halforcen
Ben Foster as Medivh
Dominic Cooper as King Llane Wrynn
Robert Kazinsky as Orgrim Doomhammer
Clancy Brown as Blackhand
Ben Schnetzer as Khadgar
Terry Notary as Grommash Hellscream
To a lot of you, those names are gibberish. To those of us who have played any of the games, we are silently screaming on the inside and geeking out. I’m hoping to check this one out with a fellow Warcraft fan close to opening day and spotting how many references to the game we see or hear during the film. Yeah – I’m a bit excited for this flick.
An Indie Science-Fiction Film That Looks Pretty Damn Good
TERMINUS – Friday, January 22
Looks like 2016 is going to be the year where sci-fi continues its world domination with more alien-inspired efforts. We’ve already got the biggest TV revival of the year coming out in 24 days (welcome back, X-Files!), along with many other sci-fi efforts that run the gamut from tales about good technology, bad technology, the uses of technology by a wide-range of individuals, the return of space operas, etc. It’s a good time to be a sci-fi geek. This Australian tale looks dark and mind-bending, which are both “sellers” of a film to me. Check out the intriguing trailer above.
And the Award for “Did Anyone Even Ask for a Remake of This Film?” Goes to…
Martyrs (US Remake) – Friday, January 22
As a horror fanatic, I try to watch every major (and indie) release that has been buzzed about because I need to have my fix of everything dark, bloody, and scary. Martyrs is a film that I surprisingly haven’t seen, and I’m deeply ashamed of that. Worst horror fan EVER! Correction: I’ve seen clips from the film, but have yet to see the whole film. I should probably remedy that by making it (the original) my first horror watch of 2016. If you’re interested in seeing what the
In that grand Hollywood tradition of making unnecessary, remakes/reboots of terrific foreign films, we get this Americanized version of Martyrs. Starring Troian Bellisario (“Spencer Hastings” from Pretty Little Liars), this version looks like it’s trying to match the horrors and look of the French original, but I highly doubt it’ll match it. My cynicism is coming out in full force! If you’re a fan of Bellisario’s, you’re probably going to check this film out. As much as I liked her when I used to watch PLL (no shame), her appearance in this revamp doesn’t pique my interest enough to watch this.
An Animated Samurai Musical Tale? Where Does the Line Form?
KUBO AND THE TWO STRINGS – Friday, August 19
The following synopsis comes from Apple Trailers:
“Kubo and the Two Strings is an epic action-adventure set in a fantastical Japan from acclaimed animation studio LAIKA. Clever, kindhearted Kubo ekes out a humble living, telling stories to the people of his seaside town including Hosato, Hashi and Kamekichi. But his relatively quiet existence is shattered when he accidentally summons a spirit from his past which storms down from the heavens to enforce an age-old vendetta. Now on the run, Kubo joins forces with Monkey and Beetle, and sets out on a thrilling quest to save his family and solve the mystery of his fallen father, the greatest samurai warrior the world has ever known. With the help of his shamisen—a magical musical instrument — Kubo must battle gods and monsters, including the vengeful Moon King and the evil twin Sisters to unlock the secret of his legacy, reunite his family and fulfill his heroic destiny.”
The film features a talented cast of actors providing voices for the characters above. In the mix we have: George Takei, Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa, Brenda Vaccaro, Art Parkinson, Charlize Theron, Rooney Mara, Matthew McConaughey, and Ralph Fiennes. That’s a mighty fine voice cast there!
Halloween is long gone (it’s been three weeks), and that makes me a sad Sylent Mari. I’m bummed out that my plans for posting a new article each day up until and the day of were foiled once again by…every random thing you can think of. On the plus side – I’ve got a new boss at work who’s a fellow geek that likes a lot of the same things that I do, and Firefly fans – he’s a Browncoat! And a fellow Whedonite and part of the Clone Club (Orphan Black fans). I lucked out on the New Boss Lottery for sure.
But y’all don’t mind if I still publish a few belated posts in honor of my favorite holiday/celebratory day, right? I’m posting some of the major articles starting this weekend, with The Simpsons making their first appearance in the belated countdown and getting a long-deserved shout-out on Geeky Voyage. When the show first aired back in 1989, I was eight. Sure, I’ve admitted my real age on here (not the first time), but to this day I can still watch and enjoy The Simpsons and feel like that little girl that fell in love with the show when I first saw it (thanks, Dad!).
One of my favorite things about Halloween and The Simpsonsis seeing what television shows, films, novels, etc. the show will tackle & reference in the yearly tradition known as the annual Treehouse of Horror episode. Always a fan highlight no matter how “meh” the seasons have been in recent years, there’s always something funny and spooky (for the kiddos in the audience) in these episodes that pay tribute to the macabre. It’s also quite fun to watch what type of wacky scenarios for our favorite animated family encounters and hopefully survive the outcome. I missed this year’s episode because I was mentally preparing myself for the Lost Girlfinale that aired on the same night (still not over that finale), but I’ve seen all of the episodes throughout the many years the show’s been on. Episodes that I really liked are marked below and even have my special brand of somewhat-witty commentary.
So why do I (and a decent amount of the world’s population) enjoy the Treehouse of Horror episodes? ‘Cause there’s TONS of pop culture references from all over popular media that can be seen in each episode. The fun in watching an episode is trying to see how many references you spot and recognize, and many will slip by you unnoticed. That’s why I’ve included the nifty Wikipedia link right below so that you can identify and go “ahh!” when you recognize the ones that surprised you, or the ones you’re experiencing for the first time.
If you’re in the mood to binge-watch these episodes, it’ll take you roughly thirteen hours to watch all twenty-five of them. It’s a great way to spend a day off or scare your little ones if you have them. Not that I’m encouraging parents to frighten their little ones with slightly-horrific cartoons, but get them ready for real-life horrors at a young age. Totally kidding…ish.
I do apologize for the quality of some of the videos that you’ll see below, all grabbed from YouTube and uploaded from some very kind uploaders. The videos give you a small glimpse of each episode, which you should watch. Make it a new Halloween tradition in your family or your eclectic group of friends. Take a gander at the guide below to check out the list of all the Treehouse of Horror episodes that have aired so far over the past twenty-five (!) years.
Guide Note:Any episodes with “*” next to it denotes an episode that I love.
HONORABLE MENTION (non-“Treehouse of Horror”)
Season Eight’s “The Springfield Files” *
Originally Aired: January 12, 1997
If you’ve never seen this Simpsons episode, you have to watch it because it’s a series highlight and a favorite of my fellow X-Philes. This fan-favorite episode features Leonard Nimoy, Gillian Anderson, and David Duchovny in a story that combines the popular “unsolved cases” TV shows from the 1990’s and The X-Files.
Leonard Nimoy (R.I.P.) plays the host of a TV show that features a case involving Homer Simpson and his close encounter with a purported “alien” that he encounters after a drunken night out. Which is like every night for Homer. The FBI takes an interest in the mystery, with Fox Mulder & Dana Scully making an appearance in Springfield as they question Homer and his friends and family about what he saw that night. So – was it really an alien that Homer encountered? You’re going to have to watch to find out the truth, ‘cause it is out there, you know…
Easily a fan-favorite episode and one of the best episodes from the earlier seasons, “The Springfield Files” deserves a name drop in this list because it was too good of an episode to pass up. There’s lots of funny scenes between Mulder, Scully and Homer that can’t be missed, and there’s also a small subplot featuring Moe trying to smuggle out an orca that he has in a backroom at his bar that’s absurd and too good to pass up. The scene where he’s running across a field with his associates as they carry the orca and are spotted by Scully is one of my personal highlights.
Favorite scene:
With the Cigarette Smoking Man standing in the background, Scully is preparing to ask Homer some questions with the aid of a lie detector. He fails the first question in epic fashion, as only he can. Oh, Homer!
”TREEHOUSE OF HORROR” EPISODES
Treehouse of Horror I – October 25, 1990 * Episodes: “Bad Dream House” / “Hungry are the Damned” / “The Raven”
Pop Culture References:The Amityville Horror and Poltergeist (“Bad Dream House”), the introduction of recurring alien characters Kang & Kodos (“Hungry are the Damned”), Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” with narration by James Earl Jones (“The Raven”).
Favorite Segment: “The Raven”
Random Musing: “The Raven” is one of my favorite segments in the Treehouse of Horror series. One of my top five favorite segments from the entire run (so far), and an instant classic.
Treehouse of Horror II – October 31, 1991 * Episodes: “Lisa’s Nightmare” (“The Monkey’s Paw”) / “Bart’s Nightmare” (“The Bart Zone”) / “Homer’s Nightmare” (“If I Only Had a Brain”)
Pop Culture References: Author W.W. Jacobs and The New Twilight Zone’s “A Small Talent for War” (“The Monkey’s Paw”), The Twilight Zone’s “It’s a Good Life” (“The Bart Zone”), Frankenstein, The Thing with Two Heads (“If I Only Had a Brain”).
Favorite Segment: “The Monkey’s Paw”
Treehouse of Horror III – October 29, 1992 * Episodes: “Clown Without Pity” / “King Homer” / “Dial ‘Z’ for Zombie”
Pop Culture References:The Twilight Zone’s “Living Doll” (“Clown Without Pity”), King Kong (“King Homer”), famous people including George Washington, Albert Einstein, and William Shakespeare, among a few others (“Dial ‘Z’ for Zombie”).
Favorite Segment: “Dial ‘Z’ for Zombie”
Treehouse of Horror IV – October 28, 1993* Episodes: Wraparounds / “The Devil and Homer Simpson” / “Terror at 5 1/2 Feet” / “Bart Simpson’s Dracula”
Pop Culture References:The Devil and Daniel Webster (“The Devil and Homer Simpson”), Richard Matheson and The Twilight Zone’s “Nightmare at 20,000 Feet (“Terror at 5 1/2 Feet”), Lost Boys and Bram Stoker’s Dracula (“Bart Simpson’s Dracula”).
Favorite Segment: “Terror at 5 1/2 Feet”
Treehouse of Horror V – October 30, 1994 * Episodes: “The Shinning” / “Time and Punishment” / “Nightmare Cafeteria”
Pop Culture References:The Shining and various horror icons like Freddy Krueger, Dracula, and Pinhead (“The Shinning”), A Sound of Thunder (“Time and Punishment”), Soylent Green (“Nightmare Cafeteria”).
Favorite Segment: “The Shinning”
Random Musing: “The Shinning” is my favorite Treehouse of Horror segment. It’s classic Simpsons and while other segments have come close to matching it, none will ever surpass it, IMO.
Treehouse of Horror VI – October 29, 1995 * Episodes: “Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores” / “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” / “Homer3 (Homer Cubed)”
Pop Culture References:Attack of the 50-Foot Woman (“Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores”), A Nightmare on Elm Street (“Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace”), Tron and The Twilight Zone’s “Little Girl Lost” (“Homer3 [Homer Cubed]”).
Favorite Segment: “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace”
Random Musing: “Homer3 (Homer Cubed)” was my favorite segment from this episode when I first caught it as a 14-year-old (!!!). 20 years later (egads! It’s been that long and wow do I feel old…), that’s been pushed aside for “Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace” because it pays homage to my favorite horror franchise. Groundskeeper Willie is quite creeptastic as the Freddy Krueger-esque dream killer in the segment, and it holds up quite well today.
Treehouse of Horror VII – October 27, 1996 Episodes: “The Thing and I” / “The Genesis Tub” / “Citizen Kang”
Pop Culture References:The Hunchback of Notre Dame and Basket Case (“The Thing and I”), The Twilight Zone’s “The Little People” (“The Genesis Tub”), Bill Clinton and Bob Dole (“Citizen Kang”).
Favorite Segment: “Citizen Kang”
Treehouse of Horror VIII – October 26, 1997 Episodes: “The HΩmega Man” / “Fly vs. Fly” / “Easy-Bake Coven”
Pop Culture References:The Ωmega Man (“The HΩmega Man”), The Fly (“Fly vs. Fly”), The Crucible (Easy-Bake Coven”).
Favorite Segment: “The HΩmega Man”
Treehouse of Horror IX – October 25, 1998 Episodes: “Hell Toupée” / “The Terror of Tiny Toon” / “Starship Poopers”
Pop Culture References:Alien (“Hell Toupée”), Live with Regis and Kathie Lee (“The Terror of Tiny Toon”), The Jerry Springer Show (“Starship Poopers”).
Favorite Segment: “Starship Poopers”
Treehouse of Horror X – October 31, 1999 * Episodes: “I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did” / “Desperately Xeeking Xena” / “Life’s a Glitch, Then You Die”
Pop Culture References: I Know What You Did Last Summer (“I Know What You Diddily-Iddily-Did”), Lucy Lawless and her most famous alter-ego, Xena, and Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace (“Desperately Xeeking Xena”), Dick Clark and his New Year’s Rockin Eve, and many special guests including radio personality Dr. Laura, scandalous former skating champion Tonya Harding, former MTV VJ/actor/comedian Paulie Shore, Courtney Love, actor Tom Arnold, former presidential candidate Ross Perot, and Rosie O’Donnell.
Favorite Segment: “Desperately Xeeking Xena”
Random Musing: Lucy Lawless as herself and as Xena in the same segment = geekdom galore. Did you know that Lucy Lawless can fly? It says so in the episode, so it’s gotta be true. Lucy Lawless is the shit.
Treehouse of Horror XI – November 1, 2000 Episodes: “G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad” / “Scary Tales Can Come True” / “Night of the Dolphin”
Pop Culture References:The Munsters (opening sequence), Ghost Dad (“G-G-Ghost D-D-Dad”), Grimm’s Fairy Tales (“Scary Tales Can Come True”), The Day of the Dolphin (“Night of the Dolphin”).
Favorite Segment: “Scary Tales Can Come True”
Treehouse of Horror XII – November 6, 2001 Episodes: “Hex and the City” / “House of Whacks” / “Wiz Kids”
Pop Culture References: Stephen King’s Thinner (“Hex and the City”), Demon Seed and 2001: A Space Odyssey (“House of Whacks”), the Harry Potter universe (“Wiz Kids”).
Favorite Segment: “House of Whacks”
Treehouse of Horror XIII – November 3, 2002 * Episodes: “Send in the Clones” / “The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms” / “The Island of Dr. Hibbert”
Pop Culture References:Multiplicity and Family Guy (“Send in the Clones”), The Terminator (“The Fright to Creep and Scare Harms”), The Island of Dr. Moreau (“The Island of Dr. Hibbert”).
Favorite Segment: “The Island of Dr. Hibbert”
Treehouse of Horror XIV – November 2, 2003 Episodes: “Reaper Madness” / “Frinkenstein” / “Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off”
Pop Culture References:The Santa Clause (“Reaper Madness”), Frankenstein (“Frinkenstein”), The Twilight Zone’s “A Kind of a Stopwatch” and former boxer Oscar de la Hoya (“Stop the World, I Want to Goof Off”).
Favorite Segment: “Reaper Madness”
Treehouse of Horror XV – November 7, 2004 Episodes: “The Ned Zone” / “Four Beheadings and a Funeral” / In the Belly of the Boss”
Pop Culture References:The Dead Zone (“The Ned Zone”), From Hell (“Four Beheadings and a Funeral”), Fantastic Voyage and the song “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” (“In the Belly of the Boss”).
Favorite Segment: “The Ned Zone”
Treehouse of Horror XVI – November 6, 2005 Episodes: “B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence” / “Survival of the Fattest” / “I’ve Grown a Costume on Your Face”
Pop Culture References:A.I. Artificial Intelligence(“B.I.: Bartificial Intelligence”),The Most Dangerous Game (“Survival of the Fattest”), The Twilight Zone’s “The Masks” (“I’ve Grown a Costume to Your Face”).
Favorite Segment: “I’ve Grown a Costume on Your Face”
Treehouse of Horror XVII – November 5, 2006 Episodes: “Married to the Blob” / “You Gotta Know When To Golem” / “The Day the Earth Looked Stupid”
Pop Culture References:Tales from the Crypt (opening sequence), The Blob and Sir Mix-A-Lot (“Married to the Blob”), The Golem (“You Gotta Known When To Golem”), Orson Welles and The War of the Worlds (“The Day the Earth Looked Stupid”).
Favorite Segment: “The Day the Earth Looked Stupid”
Treehouse of Horror XVIII – November 4, 2007 Episodes: “E.T., Go Home” / “Mr. & Mrs. Simpson” / “Heck House”
Pop Culture References:E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (“E.T., Go Home”), Mr. & Mrs. Smith (“Mr. & Mrs. Simpson”), those creepy & controversial church alternatives to traditional ‘haunted houses’ (“Heck House”).
Favorite Segment: “Mr. & Mrs. Simpson”
Treehouse of Horror XIX – November 2, 2008 * Episodes: “Untitled Robot Parody” / “How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising” / “It’s the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse”
Pop Culture References:Transformers (“Untitled Robot Parody”), random famous people including George Clooney, Prince, and Neil Armstrong (“How to Get Ahead in Dead-vertising”), It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown (“It’s the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse”).
Favorite Segment: “It’s the Grand Pumpkin, Milhouse”
Treehouse of Horror XX – October 18, 2009 Episodes: “Dial ‘M’ for Murder or Press ‘#’ to Return to Main Menu” / “Don’t Have a Cow, Mankind” / “There’s No Business Like Moe Business”
Pop Culture References:Strangers on a Train (“Dial ‘M’ for Murder or Press ‘#’ to Return to Main Menu”), mad cow disease – not a pop culture reference, but relevant to the segment (“Don’t Have a Cow, Mankind”), Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (“There’s No Business Like Moe Business”).
Favorite Segment: “There’s No Business Like Moe Business”
Treehouse of Horror XXI – November 7, 2010 * Episodes: “War and Pieces” / “Master and Cadaver” / “Tweenlight”
Pop Culture References:Jumanji (“War and Pieces”), Dead Calm (“Master and Cadaver”), Twilight (“Tweenlight”).
Favorite Segment: “Tweenlight”
Random Musing: The only time I’ll ever admit to liking anything related to Twilight is if it’s a Twlight parody, which this episode offers. Also featuring the voices of Daniel Radcliffe and Hugh Laurie as our son-and-father team-up in the segment.
Treehouse of Horror XXII – October 30, 2011 * Episodes: “The Diving Bell and Butterball” / “Dial D for Diddly” / “In the Na’Vi”
Pop Culture References:The Diving Bell and the Butterfly (“The Diving Bell and the Butterball”), Dexter (“Dial D for Diddily”), Avatar (“In the Na’Vi”).
Favorite Segment: “Dial D for Diddily”
Treehouse of Horror XXIII – October 7, 2012 Episodes: “The Greatest Story Ever Holed” / “Un-normal Activity” / “Bart & Homer’s Excellent Adventure”
Pop Culture References:The Greatest Story Ever Told “The Greatest Story Ever Holed”), Paranormal Activity (“Un-Normal Activity”), Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure (“”Bart & Homer’s Excellent Adventure”).
Treehouse of Horror XXIV – October 6, 2013 *
Episodes: “Oh the Places You’ll D’oh!” / “Dead and Shoulders” / “Freaks, No Geeks”
Pop Culture References: Gullermo del Toro’s brilliant opening sequence featuring tons of really awesome imagery, Dr. Seuss and The Cat in the Hat (“Oh, the Places You’ll D’oh!”), The Thing with Two Heads (“Dead and Shoulders”), Freaks (“Freaks, No Geeks”).
Favorite Segment: “Freaks, No Geeks”
Random Musing: Easily my favorite opening sequence. Guillermo del Toro adds so many references to his inspirations and films that it’s fun to try and see how many you spot. Can you guess them all? I have to give him a billion geek points for adding Cthulu to the opening sequence, as an homage to his biggest passion project that I hope sees the light of day soon, in several years, or at least before I die: In the Mouth of Madness.
Treehouse of Horror XXV – October 19, 2014 * Episodes: “School is Hell” / “A Clockwork Yellow” / “The Others”
Pop Culture References:A Clockwork Orange and Eyes Wide Shut (“A Clockwork Yellow”), The Others and The Tracey Ullman Show version of the Simpsons (“The Others”).
Favorite Segment: “A Clockwork Yellow”
Treehouse of Horror XXVI – October 25, 2015 Episodes: “Wanted: Dead, Then Alive” / “Homerzilla” / “Telepaths of Glory”
Pop Culture References: Godzilla (“Homerzilla”), Chronicle (“Telepaths of Glory”)
Favorite Segment: Uhh… I have yet to watch this episode. *hangs head in shame*
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Pretty Landscape Alert: An Albuquerque sunrise (Fall 2016)
Photos Credit: Chris Fisher via ![12032963_10153194431505878_7362536551078371941_n[1]](https://geekyvoyage.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/12032963_10153194431505878_7362536551078371941_n1.jpg?w=474&h=474)
Amy as ancient goddess Illyria on Angel
Sarah as Kate Reed on Fairly Legal
Amy Acker deserves so many kudos for her acting in the series. This scene from “Control-Alt-Delete” breaks my heart every time.
“Kiss-Cam” courtesy of the Machine. You’re welcome.
sad!Root needs a hug from everyone. Who’s first?
There was badass!Root sorely lacking in this section. You’re welcome.
“We meet again, for the 1000th time…” 
Zimbio posted two really fun articles that all fans should check out that dive into the A-Z’s of Shoot and the creativeness of fans (including Clexa fans from The 100, runners-up and another fandom to check out) in promoting their favorite couples during the Final Two.
The X-Files Premiere Party Checklist – Collect them all!
