The Lion Guard: The Rise of Scar
DVD
Written by Ford Riley
Directed by Howy Parkins
Created by Ford Riley
Starring Max Charles, Gabrielle Union, David Oyelowo, Rob Lowe, Khary Payton, Dusan Brown, Diamond White, Atticus Shaffer, Joshua Rush
Release Date: January 9th, 2018

The Lion King is regarded as one of Disney’s greatest films, the fourth mega hit in a 5-year span that combined cutting edge animation technology with an absolute classic soundtrack. The film is about a young lion Simba who is forced away from Pride Rock through the plans of his devious uncle Scar. After meeting some news friends, Simba returns to battle for his family’s honor and his own redemption. After a few direct to video sequels, Disney Junior began The Lion Guard in 2016, a spinoff involving Simba’s son Kion (Max Charles). The show is a hit among the Disney Junior target audience with enough throwback references for parents who grew up with the original. Kion and his Lion Guard are in for their fiercest challenge when evil forces in the pridelands conspire to bring about a return of Scar. The elongated near hour long episode is part of a DVD set, The Lion Guard – The Rise of Scar, available now.

Mr. Robot
Season 2 Episode 12 “eps2.9pyth0n-pt2.p7z”
Written & Directed by Sam Esmail
Created by Sam Esmail
Starring Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, Michael Cristofer, Stephanie Corneliussen, Grace Gummer, BD Wong, Joey Bada$$, Sandrine Holt, Azhar Khan, Michael Drayer
USA Network
Air date: Wednesday, September 21, 2016, 10pm

Spoilers for Mr. Robot below…

“Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide”¦” — “Bohemian Rhapsody,” Queen

After last week’s penultimate episode of Season 2 of Mr. Robot, that song was all I could think in relation to creator Sam Esmail‘s cyber drama. I feel just like Elliot (newly crowned Emmy winner for Best Actor, Rami Malek). I don’t know what to believe, I don’t know what is real anymore. Last week was a surreal nightmare. After spending the majority of the season thinking Tyrell Wellick (Martin Wallstrom) was dead from a gunshot wound he delivered personally, Wellick joins Elliot for a bizarre cab ride, leaving us desperately searching for clues as to who and what is real. Is Tyrell another manifestation of Elliot’s subconscious like the Mr. Robot himself (Christian Slater)? In the Season 2 finale, Episode 2.12 “eps2.9pyth0n-pt2.p7z,” all of fsociety’s paranoia, as well as the craziness caused by the 5/9 hack come home to roost.

Mr. Robot
Season 2 Episode 11 “eps2.9_pyth0n-pt1.p7z”
Directed by Sam Esmail
Written & Directed by Sam Esmail
Created by Sam Esmail
Starring Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, Michael Cristofer, Stephanie Corneliussen, Grace Gummer, BD Wong, Joey Bada$$, Sandrine Holt, Azhar Khan, Michael Drayer
USA Network
Air date: Wednesday, September 14, 2016, 10pm

Last week’s episode ended with a bang literally. Darlene (Carly Chaikin) and Cisco (Michael Drayer) took a friend to the hospital and were enjoying a moment of peaceful normalcy together. At the same time Agent Dom DiPierro (Grace Gummer) got a lead that ID’ed Cisco and against her wishes the Feds released his photo to the news media. This made him a target for The Dark Army. As she finds the two sharing a meal a few blocks from the hospital, a Dark Army gunman shows up and opens fire. DiPierro gives chase covered in blood, but whose we don’t know. As for Elliot (Rami Malek), he is facing a grave realization; maybe Mr. Robot was lying to him after all. How else do you explain his disappearance at the same time Joanna Wellick (Stephanie Corneliussen) shows up talking about her husband? Is Tyrell Wellick alive? Questions need to be answered as we hit the penultimate episode in Mr. Robot‘s second season.

Spoilers below.

Mr. Robot
Season 2 Episode 9 “eps2.7init5.fve”
Directed by Sam Esmail
Written by Kor Adana & Randolph Leon
Created by Sam Esmail
Starring Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, Michael Cristofer, Stephanie Corneliussen, Grace Gummer, BD Wong, Joey Bada$$, Sandrine Holt, Azhar Khan
USA Network
Air date: Wednesday, September 7, 2016, 10pm

Last week, Elliot (Rami Malek) struggled to keep his identity straight bouncing between himself and Mr. Robot (Christian Slater). He demanded to meet with the Dark Army to find out their next phase of the plan, but the problem was that HE came up stage 2 and doesn’t remember. Fsociety is going crazy and are in paranoia overload. The FBI was closing in and Agent DiPierro (Grace Gummer) knew that Angela (Portia Doubleday) was involved somehow. The desperation and paranoia are at fever pitches for everyone. And just when it couldn’t get weirder, Joanna Wellick (Stephanie Corneliussen) parked outside Elliot’s apartment.

Spoilers below for this week’s Mr. Robot.

Mr. Robot
Season 2 Episode 9 “eps2.7init5.fve”
Directed by Sam Esmail
Written by Kyle Bradstreet & Lucy Teitler
Created by Sam Esmail
Starring Rami Malek, Portia Doubleday, Carly Chaikin, Christian Slater, Michael Cristofer, Stephanie Corneliussen, Grace Gummer, BD Wong, Joey Bada$$, Sandrine Holt, Azhar Khan
USA Network
Air date: Wednesday, August 31, 2016, 10pm

We are at paranoia overload in season 2 of Mr. Robot. Last week’s episode was the first in the series to not feature both of the top stars, Rami Malek and Christian Slater, and yet the tension was palpable. Susan Jacobs (Sandrine Holt) returned to her home and found fsociety there. Their response was to tie her up and hold her hostage. Mobley (Azhar Khan) is convinced the Feds are after him, and that intuition turns out to be true. Luckily they have nothing concrete on him. Unluckily, they may be safer in custody as they potentially are targets for The Dark Army, the deadly Chinese hacking group that already shot up the FBI on an Asian visit. Darlene (Carly Chaikin) reached several breaking points. She not only murders Jacobs by stun-gunning her into her swimming pool, but then helps destroy the evidence and batters her hacker boyfriend with a bat after finding he’s in cahoots with the Dark Army. Also off the deep end is Angela (Portia Doubleday), as her dual role in helping to hack the FBI while sleazing it up with E-Corp execs is taking its toll. Fsociety needs its leader back. They need Elliot.

Spoilers for this week’s episode of Mr. Robot below.