Author: KA Byrnes

Forming the Team

We’re still on the Citadel, trying to prove that Saren has gone rogue. In the process of digging up clues, though, we assemble the rest of the team. Garrus the Turian is doing his own independent investigation, and when we find him he rolls in. Wrex, a Krogan badass, is ready to join us. And Tali, a Quarian who always wears her head mask, has information we need.

Presenting ourselves for the camera. From left to right: Udina (who deserves to only be seen from the rear), Tali, Garrus, Athena (me), and Wrex.

While on her Pilgrimage, a Quarian tradition, Tali disables a Geth and accesses its memory core. There she finds proof that Saren is working with them. When we take her and her recording to the Council, they finally declare Saren a rogue and grant our Shepard Spectre status so that we can hunt him down. Hopefully we’re now ready to leave the station and begin our adventure.

Tali delivers much information that isn’t completely relevant at this point, but we should keep it in reserve:

Saren seeks the Conduit, a form of Prothean technology like the Beacon. Then we’re introduced to the idea of the Reapers, an advanced machinist species that wiped out the Protheans 50,000 years ago. The Geth revere the Reapers as gods, and Saren is presenting himself as the Reapers’ prophet, and the one who can bring them back. Working with him (identified on the recording) is Matriarch Benezia, a powerful Asari elder.

Also, something mostly irrelevant until Mass Effect 2, Wrex explains about the genophage. The Salarians infected the entire Krogan race with it and now his people, unable to reproduce, are dying out.

The Salarian Councilor. It’s easy to believe that this species bioengineered a deadly weapon. Look at that face!

SHAUN/SHANG-CHI, NINE

Our protagonist, who will become a Marvel superhero in later projects, has a very strict father and a dead mother. (Thanks, Disney, for killing off another mom.) He leaves home in his teens, making a new life in America, and only returns when his father sends goons to attack him and steal his mother’s pendant.

So, strong and self-determined. He sets out with nothing. Of course he’s a physical creature, but, interestingly, I don’t think he’s a Body Type. Until called to fight he shows no interest in physical skills. His father, through abuse, coerces him to train. It’s not really something Shaun seeks from his own sense of self.

What is he, then? First, let me honestly own that I wasn’t impressed with Shaun. He was the weakest link in an otherwise good movie. The actor is wooden, or too stoic to be understood even by a camera, and I had a hard time engaging with his character. He’s not a Body Type, and he certainly isn’t a Head Type. Before his father comes for him, Shaun is a valet driver with little ambition or interest beyond karaoke night with his friend Katy. By default he becomes a Heart Type (or a Null).

I’m wrong.

You know what he is? A badly written Nine. He avoids conflict, which would be a defining trait. He’s a superhero, so they’ve put him in the traditional Nine silo, but given him none of the other characteristics of a Nine. Where is his lazy good humor? Where is his curiosity about people and the world? Where is his drive to maintain his activity level? Where is his diplomacy and righteous judgment? He decides his must kill his father, render a verdict, but it’s all so bland and contrived. It comes from the writers and not from a character drive.

I will call him a Nine, because that’s what the movie expects us to see, but I don’t think the showrunners or the actor have earned the number.

Mum over Hibiscus

Another entry in the Mum series, lol! This is, naturally, a repurpose of this. The original piece, like all of my earlier organic art, dried to dust and faded away. I fear that the photo, with all the rich color, is not what the art looks like on the wall. My small pieces like this show much darker and disappear on display. I’ve found that a great way to appreciate these little morsels is to use the photo as phone or computer wallpaper. The detail is magnified. With my permission, please try it! I’ll let you know when I become famous enough to rescind the offer and charge for the screen grab. Hahaha!

The Chase

See my Critical Notes after the breakdown for how I would fix a mistaken Three in an otherwise smoothly-structured episode.

ONE

Appa and the gang rest at a campsite. 

TWO

Appa’s fur covers the ground. Aang blames the spring season as Appa shakes loose more of his coat.

THREE

From the fur Sokka makes a silly wig and Aang a beard. Rolling her eyes, Katara says she’s glad there’s now another girl in the group. Toph steps between the guys and lifts her arms to show off her “hairy” pits. A beat, and then Katara joins in the laughter.

Continue reading “The Chase”

KATY, EIGHT

Who is this fabulous Shang-Chi goddess, lol? Awkwafina brings good-natured humor, compassion, loyalty, and grit to the role. (When she starts singing “Hotel California” at a thug on a skyscraper ledge, rip.) At first we think of her as a good egg and a comedic relief sidekick. That archery, though! I didn’t expect her to become a superhero partner.

So let’s take the archery seriously. Let’s say it’s not just a gimmick (Give the lively comedienne a pointy prop!) but a physical gift that surprises her, an inherent trait. Body Type, right? I have a hard time seeing Heart or Head jumping in and excelling at a complicated athletic discipline. With time and training, yes, but not in a few days’ timespan. (Again, we’re suspending our disbelief and calling the whole Ta Lo adventure plausible.)

She’s too flamboyant to be a Nine, but what about an Eight or a One? Her boldness and ribald humor could indicate either number.

I’m going to say Eight. I love the idea that the superhero Eight, an overworked and tired trope, is refreshed here by Katy’s unique perspective. Also, an Eight can hide their athleticism more than a One can. A One is an Energizer bunny, and that’s not our Katy.

Snow White

Can you recognize this? Haha. This was track art for “Paint It Red“. At the time I loved the use of cheesecloth and red India Ink to illustrate the lyric: when the muslin meets the wine. Also, of course, the stabby theme worked well with this piece, as it looks like blood.

Now it’s repurposed. When I thought of Schneewittchen and the drops of blood on mother’s embroidery frame, this track art piece wanted to lead a double life.

The Citadel

We dock at a flying city, the Citadel. It’s the hub of galactic civilization, the home of the Council. (The Galaxy Council? The Universe Council? Three races represent the three Council seats and humans aren’t one of them.)

We’re here to complain about Saren and ask that the Council revoke his Spectre status. Instead, Saren deflects any blame and makes us look like whiny babies. We’ll need more proof to convince the Council.

Mostly we’re here to introduce ourselves to the world-building. All the races have ambassadors here, so we meet Elcor (the elephantine creatures who tell you their feelings aloud with no passion), the Volus (small, round creatures who breathe through a mask apparatus and work back-end finance deals), the Hanar (pink jelly tentacle creatures who speak in the third person), and, of course, the powerful Asari (blue-skinned women who live a long time), and the lizard-like and super-brainy Salarians. Turian, Asari, and Salarian are the Council members.

We have the opportunity to load up on side missions that basically deliver flavor and immersion. It works, but the fighting is at a minimum, which can get boring.

BLACK WIDOW, ONE

Poor Natasha. Even in her own movie she’s basically a sidekick. The closest we get to specific character traits is in Endgame when she tries to keep the team and the world post-Blip together. Her willingness to run a radio base and contact station in the midst of chaos is one of her most interesting moments.

Otherwise, Natasha is a competent assassin with a monstrous origin story. All credit to Johansson for giving humor and stoicism to a one-dimensional character.

So who is this Black Widow? All of the girls in the program are trained physically. Can she claim a Body Type, or is every Widow forced into excellence? Let’s say no, and see where that takes us. She longs for community, yet keeps herself apart as someone undeserving of friendship and intimacy. Child Natasha is written as an Eight, the way she fights for her sister against soldiers and authority. It never felt right, though, because adult Natasha isn’t an Eight. Wait, is she a One?

Ah, of course. Her wit, her fast-paced fighting style, and her moral code (“there’s red in my ledger”) all point to One. This is why her movie isn’t good. The showrunners went dark. With a One, the tone needs to go light. A One’s quickness, their cleverness and problem-solving optimism, would shine more in an Antman-style format. Natasha’s so focused I can see why they went in the direction they did, but it was a mistake. The beauty of a One is the surprise: they’re physically dedicated and morally serious, yet they’ll come up with the sharpest jokes and insights. Natasha is given these gifts in movies like Winter Soldier, yet they forgot about them during her own project. Oh, man, that’s sad.

Zuko Alone

We have a problem, lol. See my Critical Notes after the breakdown.

ONE

We see Zuko riding his ostrich-horse across a ravine bridge in a desertscape. (The Western theme is set right away.) His stomach rumbles as he smells meat cooking. Grasping his knife, he considers killing the man tending the fire.

THREE

The man turns to attend to his pregnant wife. (This is a couple we will see again in a later episode.) Zuko continues on, drinking the last of his water.

TWO

Now woozy and faint, Zuko dreams of his mother as she walks away from him. 

Continue reading “Zuko Alone”