Category: Throwback Thursday

Welcome all, to The Big O’s grand finale! This week was… The episodes were… This was a god damn trip alright. Even as I write this I’m not sure what happened, or even how I feel about it! So lets take a ride, working our way through the episodes together as I try to figure out exactly what I just watched.

First up is episode 25, “The War of the Paradigm City”. So much happened this episode, there were so many reveals, that I can’t even begin to try and hide them behind a break. So instead let’s just jump right in with the spoilers and start with what I think is the biggest twist of the episode: It’s all a god damn dome. The entire city, neigh the entire known setting of the show, is inside a dome. Or maybe it’s meant to be a sound stage or something, I don’t know. Point is, the sky is fake, stage lights are hanging from the ceiling, their world isn’t real. And of course leave it to Schwarzwald to be the one to discover it in his final moments possessing Big Duo. This is it. This is the final truth he was looking for the entire time, and its fucking everyone up.

Continue reading “The Big O – 25/26 [The War of the Paradigm City/The Show Must Go On] – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome all, to the penultimate week of The Big O! Only one more to go after this, and then the review, and then a break for New Years as I try to write… Jesus, 4 reviews? 5? Let me tell you, picking up this many shows was a mistake. I’m going to make it work though. Now without further delay, lets dive into the episodes!

First up is episode 23, “Twisted Memories”. It’s been clear for a while now that Big O has been laying the foundation for the finale. in fact I had thought it would have already started by now, but Big O has been feathering the breaks just enough to keep us waiting. Well no more! Because with this episode I can say with surety that the finale… Has truly begun! The first half is mostly checking in with everyone, letting us know where Angel, Dastun, Alex, and Roger all are, mentally and physically. Some of these aren’t that big, like Dastun trying to reconnect with Roger a bit since it’s all he can really do, or Angel slumming it with nowhere else to go. The second however half kicks things off proper with Dorothy’s kidnapping, as well as the return of an old friend.

Continue reading “The Big O – 23/24 [Twisted Memories/The Big Fight] – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome all, to another week of Big O! Only two more left after this, which means its time to start thinking of our next series. If you have any you’d like covered, make sure to leave a comment and I’ll make sure it shows up in the poll! Big O was there for over a year and it finally won, so it does eventually happen, I promise. Now without further ado, onto the episodes!

First up is episode 21, “The Third Big”, which continues last week’s fight. As a whole, this episode felt rather awkward, mostly with how it used time. From Roger crossing the city and back in a few minutes to the little details like Alan really slow-rolling Dorothy’s murder. Don’t get me wrong, the overall experience wasn’t bad. I certainly don’t regret that Roger was able to save bae- I mean Dorothy. It’s just… As much as it’s possible to do so in a show about giant robots beating the crap out of each other, Big O broke my suspension of disbelief here. It didn’t feel particularly tense to me because I knew the series was running on Game of Thrones time, where someone could cross the continent in just a few minutes. Is this a big deal? No, not at all. It’s a lingering, but notable, footnote. I just wanted to get my only major criticism out of the way first so we could focus on the good stuff for the rest of the post. So what do you say we do just that?

Continue reading “The Big O – 21/22 [The Third Big/Hydra] – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome all, to another week of The Big O! This week we have robot fights, some existential dread, and even romance for those that are into that sort of thing (Me, I am, Hi). We have a lot too talk about this week, so lets dive right into it!

First up we have episode 19, “Eyewitness”. This was kind of an odd episode, where the central plot didn’t really involve Roger at all. Instead it was mostly about Dastun as he works to solve the case of the Android crusher, a criminal targeting and destroying androids, while also dealing with a special investigator sent from above named Frederick O’Reilly, shortened to Freddy. This is a pretty classic detective story, the twist being the Freddy is an android himself and the focus is less on the criminal and more on Dastun coming to respect Freddy for his work. I call it odd because this sort of transhumanist plot, one all about Dastun accepting Freddy for his commitment to his work, feels a bit out of place with where Big O is right now. Still, it was solid and there were plenty of side-details to help it along.

Continue reading “The Big O – 19/20 [Eyewitness/Stripes] – Throwback Thursday” →

Welcome all, to another week of The Big O! This is a fun week, a week of villains. Both of my favorites make a return, with Schwarzwald and Beck getting one episode each. One is a serious discussion on the search for truth while the other is fun Super Sentai parody. Both are pretty good. So without further ado, lets dive into the episodes!

First up is episode 17, “Leviathan”. This is all Schwartzwald, his swansong. In a last ditch attempt to spread his message to the people of Paradigm City, Schwartzwald has printed his manifesto on leaflets and dropped from the sky everywhere he can. He tells people to search for the truth, to not avert their eyes or else they become worthless puppets to those keeping everything hidden. Likening our fear of the dark to a wider fear of the unknown, to the question of happy ignorance or painful truths. It’s nice! As what feel like effectively his last words, this manifesto encompasses Schwarzwald well. Both his desire for truth and natural journalistic curiosity as well as how it’s not all societally minded. There are a few lines in there about his own personal role in it all, like he’s trying to vindicate himself at the end, showing us it isn’t all altruistic.

Continue reading “The Big O – 17/18 [Leviathan/The Greatest Villain] – Throwback Thursday” →