Double-review! Episode 6 and Age of Ultron!!!

So, this was a fun weekend.

Let's go chronologically. Episode six of the season was...well, pretty fun, actually. Applejack's back doing rodeo stuff like in "The Last Roundup," and we got to see Braeburn again! And hey, whaddya know, he's actually got a bit of a personality this time around!

...Even if that personality is a bit of a lazy loafer.

The CMC continue to solidify their niche roles as (inadvertent) troublemakers, much to the chagrin of both Applejack and Braeburn. And, for what it's worth, hearing Sweetie Belle refer to the plan to sneak away from Braeburn as the "worst idea ever" seemed highly ironic. Just sayin'.

Troubleshoes was a fun new character, maybe because, unlike just about everyone else, he's a certified, bona-fide, ready-to-ride horse. Not a pony, a horse. His design kinda reminded me of a Clydesdale, but that could just be me. And the lesson/moral of the story about making the most of a bad situation is really good. Overall, I enjoyed the episode. Character development, interesting plot/story, and an applicable lesson. My main three hallmarks of a good episode. Perfect? Well, no. But still good.

ChronicleStone Episode Score: B+

Now, then, Age of Ultron.

*ahem*

HOLY CRAP.

That movie was INSANE. It brought all the great things from the first Avengers, and built upon them. Tony's snarky one-liners? Check. Cap's moral foundings and stabilizing influence? Check. Bruce's nervous yet charming antics? Check.

But beyond that, there's a bit of delving into the deeper workings of each of the characters, inspecting their deepest fears and the demons that haunt them. There's the return of some old characters (no spoilers), and James Spader does a great job as Ultron. And something that struck me about the success of movies like this (and maybe movies in general). They rely on two things: the underexpectations of the audience and the recycling of former materials. Now, when I say "underexpectation," I don't mean that this movie wasn't expected to do well: quite the contrary. What I mean is this: so much of the plot relies on the writer being able to think ahead of the viewer by four or five steps. And not just in the movement of the plot, but in what the characters are able to use to progress the plot, like various technologies and the like. Being able to blow the minds of the audience by surpassing their imaginations is a sure-fire way to win crowds. And when it comes to recycling former materials, I've already covered that: it's those things that made the first movie so charming. The personalities and interactions of the main characters, and even some familiar plot devices.

Some new characters work to steal the spotlight (and rightfully so), but to me, the MVP of this movie was Hawkeye. Seriously. The poor guy spent half the last movie as a pawn for the villain, and never really got any significant influence on the story beyond that. This time around, Hawkeye earns a little respect as the "normal" guy on the Avengers. He's the only guy on the team without any real superpowers (you could argue Black Widow, but she was trained as an assassin, so she really doesn't count), and it's nailed home that his role on the team is to keep them grounded. Any ego he could have is eliminated by being surrounded by such "marvels" (bad pun is bad -_-) and gods like the rest of the Avengers. It was a wonderful play to an oft-overlooked character on the team.

The movie wasn't perfect, of course, and at times, the story felt relatively familiar (I'm looking at you, first Avengers). However, it built upon the first movie enough so that it wasn't a carbon-copy, which earns a win in my book. Marvel, you win again.

ChronicleStone Movie Score: A-

What a weekend.