What If...?

Did you really think I wasn't going to gush over this show?  Uatu know better than that.  Seriously, this is my favorite Marvel TV series so far.  I always loved the "What If...?" comic book series, along with DC's "Elseworlds" comics - I just love seeing alternate versions of my favorite heroes.  It's like a Marvel-themed Twilight Zone.  

The concept is awesome.  Take stories you know so well, change one element, and see where the butterfly effect takes you.  Sometimes they ask something obvious, like in the first episode where Peggy Carter gets the super soldier serum.  Then we have the second episode asking what if Black Panther had been Star-Lord - something no Marvel fan had ever wondered.  And yet both episodes are brilliant.  In fact, several times I've been dubious when I saw the title of an episode, but the episode itself turned out to be great.

I also love that they're sticking to the MCU films here.  It gives all viewers a common ground, so that nobody has to have read "Sub-Mariner vs She-Hulk issue 143" to understand where the plot deviates.  I hear they're already working on season 2, and planning to add new seasons annually.  This surprises me.  You'd think they'd want to wait for another decade of movies they can draw from, instead of mining the same films for ideas over and over.  

As of this blog, there's 25 MCU films to draw from.  But that pales in comparison to the thousands of stories the "What If...?" comic series had to draw from.  Season 2 is probably already too far along to include elements from Shang-Chi or The Eternals, so it will be another season of stories from the same characters that were in season 1.  That's fine, as long as they pick good stories, but I can't wait for new blood.  Just think what resources they'll have once the MCU has some X-Men and Fantastic Four movies under its belt.

I'm just afraid we're going to get too many variations of "What if (Hero A) had the powers of (Hero B)?" or "What if (Hero) became evil?" with the occasional "What if (Villain) got the Infinity Stones?"  Not that it wouldn't be entertaining, but it could get tedious after a while.  But hopefully my worries are groundless.  

The animation is beautiful.  I love the style.  I saw someone on YouTube complaining about the animation the other day, and frankly I'm starting to think some people shouldn't be allowed to have opinions.  

Anyway, here's my ranking of the first Season of Marvel's "What If...?"

1. S01E01 "What If... Captain Carter Were the First Avenger?"

There's a good reason they made this the first episode.  Agent Carter as Cap is iconic.  You can slap her on the front of a DVD cover and instantly understand what the series is about.  Plus I love female versions of male heroes.  Rumor has it they're planning on continuing her story, putting one Captain Carter episode in each season. Personally I'd rather she just got a spin-off.

2. S01E03 "What If... the World Lost Its Mightiest Heroes?" 

So it's a bit dark, but I found this murder mystery very compelling.  I also loved how it kept showing iconic scenes from the movies, but from other characters' perspectives, giving us another view of the universe.

3. S01E02 "What If... T'Challa Became a Star-Lord?" 

Crazy idea, fun episode.  I loved how charming T'Challa's was, and seeing Thanos as a hero was great.  It took an army of heroes to defeat Thanos in Endgame, but T'Challa could have prevented the whole mess if he'd had the chance to give Thanos a good talking to.

4. S01E05 "What If... Zombies?!" 

I wasn't expecting to like this one, but I was pleasantly surprised.  Zombie stories are a dime-a-dozen these days.  The humor really saved it.

5. S01E07 "What If... Thor Were an Only Child?" 

This light-hearted romp was a nice change of pace after multiple downer episodes.  I'm glad they let loose and did a comedy episode, and I'm also glad they didn't do it often.

6. E09 "What If... the Watcher broke is Oath?"

I liked the epicness of this episode, and the way it tied up a lot of loose ends from earlier episodes.  I liked how it made its own version of the Avengers using alternate versions of existing characters.  Unfortunately, certain parts of the episode dragged on a bit.  Even some of the fights were kind of boring.  

7. S01E04 "What If... Doctor Strange Lost His Heart Instead of His Hands?" 

An interesting episode, but dark and depressing.

8. S01E08 "What If... Ultron Won?" 

Actually letting Uatu be a major part of the story was a nice twist, but I hope they don't do it often.  It bugs me a little that they're giving these continuity, I prefer anthology shows to be unconnected.  The absolute worst episodes of "The Outer Limits" were the clip shows that tried to shoehorn several previous episodes into having a connected plot.  I don't want "The Adventures of Uatu", I just want to see cool alternate realities.

9. S01E06 "What If... Killmonger Rescued Tony Stark?"  

Easily the most forgettable episode so far, but not bad.  

And while I'm here... Ranking the Disney / Marvel Studios shows:

1. What If... ?
2. WandaVision
3. Loki
4. The Falcon and the Winter Soldier

Life is Strange: True Colors: Wavelengths

Note: Spoilers for the "Wavelengths" DLC for Life is Strange: True Colors.

When I first heard that Life is Strange: True Colors would have a bonus chapter, I didn't expect much from it.  I mean, yeah, I was glad that the game would have additional content, and I was excited that it featured my favorite character.  But I also remembered "Farewell", the bonus chapter of Life is Strange: Before the Storm, which was not particularly deep.

Don't get me wrong, Farewell was a great bit of storytelling, and the ending really tugged at my heartstrings.  But it didn't tell us much we didn't already know, and it was only about an hour long.  I figured Wavelengths would be similar - just a peek at Steph's first day as a DJ, without adding any real depth to the character.

I was wrong.  Wavelengths has way more content than I expected, even if the story confined to just a couple of rooms.  It took me about three hours to get through, though I think I can knock that down to two when I play it again next week.  

Wavelengths starts in the Spring, when Steph first got her job as a DJ in Haven Springs.  It has four chapters - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter, before finally ending where the main game begins.  Oddly, even though it takes place before the main game, the bonus chapter isn't unlocked until you finish the main game.

When you first start Wavelengths, it asks you the same question that Life is Strange 2 did: Did you play the original Life is Strange, and which ending did you pick?  In LiS2, this didn't make a huge difference.  In fact, it only changes two minor scenes in the 16-20 hour game, scenes that don't affect the main plot and are only there as Easter eggs to fans of the original game.

But Wavelengths, on the other hand, relies heavily on Steph's past trauma, which will be different depending on your choice in the original LiS.  I've played through LiS more than once, making different choices each time, so I could have gone either way here.  But I said I sacrificed Arcadia Bay - I consider that ending closer to canon.  That choice ended up being referenced so much in Wavelengths, that I'm going to have to play through it again just to see the other version.

So for the rest of this blog, assume I'm just talking about the "Sacrificed Arcadia Bay" version, since I haven't played it the other way yet.  

In the first chapter, Steph starts her new job as DJ.  While in the sound booth, you can look around the room and interact with the various controls.  You have a phone, a computer, some office toys, some notes you can read, and access to a few records you can play or queue to play next.  Your tasks include taking phone calls and reading ads on the air.  You can also get up and walk around the record store, where you have other tasks, mostly involving cleaning up the store and decorating it.  

The second chapter takes place right after Pride, the third takes place around Halloween, and the fourth takes place on New Year's Eve.  Over the course of the game, the record store gets more and more cleaned up and redecorated.  Steph's desk accumulates more toys and trinkets.  Steph gradually gains the trust of the stray cat she found living in her walls.  She also slowly composes a song.

On Steph's phone, you can interact with her dating app, allowing you to swipe left or right for potential matches.  If you match with someone, you get to send them messages, some of which turn into pretty funny interactions.  None of them really turn out well for Steph, however, who keeps sinking deeper into depression.  

At one point she receives a package from her old gaming buddy Mikey, containing materials from their past tabletop campaigns.  Some of these items trigger audio memories from Steph's past.  You learn how she survived the storm in Life is Strange, who she lost, and some of what happened between the earlier games and now.  You even get to hear Chloe Price's voice in some of the memories.

Steph is only staying in Haven Springs because of her friend Gabe, and she keeps thinking about moving away.  She is haunted by her past memories, and even avoids Mikey for a while because he reminds her of past traumas.  Finally she agrees to run an RPG for him over video chat, and it helps her come to terms with things.

Not a lot actually happens in the story.  You hardly see any other characters in person, and it almost feels like Steph is in solitary confinement.  The story is very psychological, being more about Steph's emotional state than anything physical going on.  

There's a lot of fanservice in there for fans of LiS and LiS:BtS, to the point that I don't know if it will mean as much to those who started the series with True Colors.  I wonder what it does if you say you didn't play Life is Strange at all.  I suppose I'll have to play through Wavelengths two more times, once for "I saved Arcadia Bay" and once for "I never played LiS".  It's a sacrifice I'm willing to make.

When I finished True Colors, I came away thinking it was a little too short.  The story itself was just the right length, I just wanted... more.  With the addition of Wavelengths, True Colors now feels complete.  Overall, I'd say Wavelengths way more than just a "bonus story".  Wavelengths is the missing piece that True Colors needed to feel whole.