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THE 100 Season 4 Premiere Recap: “Echoes” Marks the Beginning of the End

Warning: the following recap contains major spoilers from The 100 season four premiere, “Echoes.” It is a recap, after all! Don’t say we didn’t warn you …

The end is officially coming on The 100. This isn’t a new development—we knew this by the time the season three finale ended last spring, but going into the long hiatus, there was still a question regarding if ALIE was telling Clarke the truth about the (second) impending nuclear apocalypse or if she was just trying to save the City of Light in a last ditch attempt. But after a long year of waiting, season four finally premiered and brought with it some much-needed answers: ALIE was telling the truth. The world is about to endure yet another nuclear apocalypse. But that’s hardly the only issue Skaikru will face in the coming months.

The season four premiere, “Echoes,” was an hour that mainly dealt with the fallout from everyone getting de-chipped, and served to set up what this season will be focusing on. Not much action, a lot of exposition. On a show known for its fast pace and brutal, ruthless storytelling, that’s a bit disappointing, but ultimately that’s to be expected from a premiere episode after all the chaos that happened last season. The show needed to take a breather for a moment to help organize the story.

Moving forward, there seems to be two major arcs that season four will be following: Clarke, Bellamy, and the rest of the adventure squad figuring out a way for everyone, not just Skaikru, to either stop or survive the radiation wave coming for them; and Kane, Abby, and Indra trying to keep King Roan on the throne in Polis, as he was Skaikru’s only ally and hope to keep the Grounders from going to war with them. The stakes have never been higher, y’all. Let’s get to recapping!

Because all the Grounders were brought to Polis under ALIE’s control last season, when they all woke up from their chipped mind control, it was complete anarchy. “Echoes” opened with confusion that quickly turned into anger and violence. With 1,000 Ice Nation warriors already inside the city, Azgeda immediately took command of Polis by force with Echo as their leader while King Roan was unconscious, slowly bleeding out from his bullet wound. Echo blamed Skaikru for all the death and destruction caused by the City of Light, and refused to let Clarke and Abby help save Roan, instead putting her faith in the Grounder healers. Because Clarke and Abby knew that Roan would be a much different leader than Echo and would actually be an ally for Skaikru, they had to figure out a way to get around Echo to save Roan’s life.

Kane, Abby, Bellamy, and Clarke helped get all the Skaikru out of Polis via the secret tunnels and stayed behind to pow-wow with Octavia and Indra, who was healing up from her wounds quite quickly. Indra told them all that with Ice Nation’s numbers, the only way to take back the city was by force, inciting a war between the clans. But Clarke knew they didn’t have time for a war because of the impending nuclear apocalypse, and told the group the truth about their six-month timeline after Raven confirmed it over the radio back at Arkadia. They still had to deal with the Ice Nation army today, however, so Clarke came up with a plan to distract Ice Nation by “surrendering” while secretly getting into Roan’s room and operating on him, saving his life. She knew that Roan would listen to reason about the end of the world, so they needed him alive and alert.

Side note: can I get a hell yeah for Octavia once again being a total badass? When their plan included sneaking Octavia inside the tower in a body bag and allowing her to use her boss assassin skills to take out the guards, she did not hold back. We all knew that Octavia wouldn’t stop killing after getting revenge on Pike (revenge will never be a healthy way of coping with loss), but it’s interesting to see that her peers in Skaikru are now not only letting her continue to kill, they’re also condoning it by using her as part of their plan. Although I’m going to need Clarke and Abby to rein in their judgement of Octavia killing people if they were the ones who told her to do it in the first place. Come on now, ladies.

Kane, Indra, and Bellamy tried to buy Clarke and Abby time by distracting Echo, giving Ice Nation their guns in exchange for them honoring Lexa bringing Skaikru into the coalition as the 13th clan, but it didn’t work. However, Abby and Clarke’s medical care did work, and Roan woke just in time to save their lives as Echo recognized his leadership.

Clarke then tried to convince Roan that they needed to work together to figure out a way to survive the “fire” coming their way, making sure everyone, Grounder and Skaikru alike, would be saved. Because Roan had to follow the will of his people, he knew he wouldn’t last six days if he spared the life of Wanheda and honored Skaikru as the 13th clan in the coalition, so Clarke offered him up a bargaining chip to end all bargaining chips: the Flame she had been carrying around, helping her to grieve the loss of Lexa. It broke her heart to give it up, and a tear slid down her cheek, but she wiped it away and did what she had to do to save her people. Roan took it, knowing that he now had the power to control who ascends as the next Commander. He publicly announced he was keeper of the Flame and he was honoring the coalition, giving Skaikru his protection and their freedom. Mission accomplished … for now.

The hour ended with one last pow-wow between the Skaikru power players as they checked in one last time for a long time. While Bellamy and Clarke left Polis to try and find a way to beat or survive the radiation, Abby and Kane stayed behind to help keep Roan on the throne. But they might have even less time to achieve their separate goals than they thought, as the final scene showed a Grounder by the pyramids in Egypt dying horrifically from a huge wave of radiation. Could six months be too optimistic of a timeline?

Other notable moments:

The only person proud of Octavia for killing Pike was Indra–these two really are the perfect pair.
Bellamy convinced Clarke to keep the radiation death wave heading their way a secret for now, until they can figure out a way to survive it. I get his way of thinking: he doesn’t want to cause a mass panic. But when has keeping secrets from their friends and loved ones ever done them any good? Maybe if they told everyone, they’d be able to put more minds to the task and possibly come up with a solution faster.
Whoever died in the City of Light, i.e. when Lexa helped save Clarke from the angry mobs, they also died out in the real world. Yikes. At least Wanheda’s title is safe? I guess that’s really the only silver lining here.
Murphy convinced Emori to go with him and live at Arkadia, knowing his people would protect them both, but when he saw the danger all of Skaikru was in with Ice Nation, he ditched his people (again) and ran from Polis with Emori. The human cockroach lives to betray another day! Although I really am loving Murphy and Emori’s relationship, as we’re getting to see a human side of Murphy I didn’t even know existed.
File this one under potentially problematic: Raven’s brain apparently got an upgrade from ALIE, because she can now code with the best of them despite having never learned how to code. That can’t be a good sign, right? What else did ALIE do to Raven? And now that she’s been de-chipped, the pain from her leg began to get excruciating once more. She hid it from everyone, though, so her friends have no idea.

In one of the most disturbing moments from the episode, Jasper wrote a note to Monty, stared at his favorite painting, put on some music, held a gun to his face and almost killed himself. No! Jasper, no! At least Monty had impeccable timing, knocking on his door, unknowingly interrupting his best friend’s attempted suicide to let Jasper know about the six month timeline. In a totally shocking turn of events, that grim diagnosis actually gave Jasper a new lease on life. Knowing that everyone was going to die anyway, he became almost giddy and happy, and for the first time in a long time, we saw Jasper smile. Let’s just hide all the guns from him moving forward, yeah?
Clarke saw her mom and Kane share a sweet moment, realized that something romantic was going on between the two of them and smiled. She’s a Kabby shipper! Hell yes, Clarke knows what’s up.
In other shipper news, Monty and Harper are still going strong, and things escalated from physical to emotional as they decided they weren’t just “having fun” together. Cute!
Having Echo whisper into Roan’s ear thoughts of war and conquering over every clan by killing Wanheda is not good. Hopefully he continues to not listen to her. Also, hopefully Roan continues to live, because as of now he is the only thing standing in between the vengeful Grounders and Skaikru.
Raise your hand if watching Clarke seek out a shoulder to cry on from her mother while remembering Lexa made you cry too? Hearing Clarke tell Abby that she loved Lexa while holding on to the Flame was almost cathartic enough for us to forgive The 100 for killing Lexa. Almost. *Sob!*

What did you think of The 100 season four premiere? Tweet me your thoughts at @SydneyBucksbaum!

Images: The CW

Inked Wednesday #121- IRON GIANT, Ahsoka Tano, and More Geeky Tattoos

If you’re someone with multiple tattoos, you probably have a favorite of the bunch. It’s okay. You’re allowed. Ezequiel Gutierrez says his favorite of all his pop culture-inspired ink is his The Iron Giant tat. He decided to add the image to his skin after the film recently returned to theaters. Gutierrez worked with his tattoo artist and they kept the ink simple. They gave him a nature-inspired background, per the setting of the film. Ezequiel says, “[We] placed him exactly where he should be, amongst the trees.”

Take a look:

Iron Giant | Source: Ezequiel Gutierrez, inked by Art Gallardo of Infamous Ink

We’re not done. Head to the gallery below to see a Star Wars tattoo featuring Ahsoka Tano, absolutely gorgeous Batman ink, a nod to The Goonies, and more.

If you have nerdy ink on your skin or you’re a tattoo artist that applies pop culture, STEM, music, or other nerd-friendly ink (the spectrum is broad, folks) on a regular basis, then please hit me up because I’d like to highlight you in a future Inked Wednesday gallery. You can get in touch with me via email at alratcliffe@yahoo.com. Send me photos of the tattoos you’d like me to feature (the higher resolution, the better) and don’t forget to let me know the name of your tattoo artist if you have it, as well the name of the shop he or she works out of. If you are the tattoo artist, give me links to your portfolios and/or Instagram accounts so I can share them with our readers.

Images: Ezequiel Gutierrez

THE 100 Creator, Cast Tease Their Characters’ Season 4 Journeys

It’s the end of the world as we know it on The 100.

In just one game-changing scene in the season three finale, The CW’s post-apocalyptic series transformed into a pre-apocalyptic one, as Clarke (Eliza Taylor) learned from artificial intelligence ALIE (Erica Cerra) that the world’s remaining nuclear power plants were melting down, and in just six months the planet would once again become uninhabitable for humans. That didn’t stop Clarke from shutting the City of Light, giving everyone their free will back, but it also destroyed their only “salvation” from impending doom as they could now once again feel pain and death.

While previous seasons featured time jumps in between finales and premieres, season four wastes no time and hits the ground running in “Echoes.”

“We pick up right where we left off,” creator/executive producer Jason Rothenberg told Nerdist. “Unlike the time gap between season two and season three, which was three months and we really presented an entirely new Arkadia, this season picks up seconds later really, so there isn’t a whole lot different. We will eventually un-peel the onion even further and show more of the world and there are new sets and crazy new characters and it’s a totally new story. But in terms of having an audience need to catch up, they don’t – it’s a direct pick up from season three.”

Season four will feel like a new chapter for the show, as it is the first time that the Skaikru faces an obstacle they can’t physically fight. The world-ending radiation, known as the “death wave,” can’t be stopped.

“It’s apocalypse part deux,” Rothenberg said. “It’s post-apocalyptic and apocalyptic at the same time. We get to see these people dealing with the fact that there’s no surviving what’s coming at them. That’s really revealing of character and allows for some unique situations that we haven’t seen before on the show for sure. Across the board, this death wave ironically has infused a new life into the show and certainly into all of the characters’ journeys.”

Because the end of the world will have such a different impact on each of the fan-favorite characters, Nerdist visited The 100 set in Vancouver to find out just where their journeys will take them in season four. Check out what the cast and creator had to say about all your favorites below!

Clarke

As the only person who knows the impending doom that is coming for everyone, Clarke will shoulder more responsibility this season than she ever has before.

“Clarke is always at the center of everything,” Rothenberg said. “Her journey is incredible from needing to realize that she can no longer just save her own people to transcend all of that tribalism and become somebody who is only going to be satisfied if she can save everybody, even if that means for the first time perhaps giving up something of her own people or for her own people in order to get that.”

But at the start of season four, Clarke isn’t sure if she should even reveal the horrible truth to everyone on Skaikru and in the Grounder coalition.

“It’s something that she has to be really careful about because obviously she’s just taken all these people out of a beautiful city that they were happy [in] and brought them back into a world that’s about to end,” Taylor said. “So she has to be very careful about how she goes about telling people without starting a riot, basically.”

At least the “lone wolf” will finally realize that working alone won’t cut it, not when the fate of every person on Earth is on the line.

“You will see more of her relying on her friends and family, which is good because it’s kind of like the old crew being back together again,” Taylor said. “It feels like season one again, which is awesome. She’s definitely stepping up more and accepting herself as the leader, which is really great. It’s really fun to feel like she’s asserting herself and not taking any [s-t] from people who don’t know as much as she does exactly what’s going on.”

In the midst of figuring out how she can save everyone from another apocalypse, Clarke is also still dealing with her broken heart. Remember, it hasn’t been that long since her love Lexa (Alycia Debnam-Carey) was tragically shot and died in her arms. When season four picks up, Clarke still has possession of Lexa’s Commander Flame, but not for any political reasons.

“For Clarke, the Flame is still so important to her because she still believes that it’s Lexa,” Taylor said. “She’s holding on to it as a keepsake. There’s just so much else going on that she doesn’t really have time for relationships right now. She’s grieving for Lexa but at the same time she’s open to moving on, I guess. I don’t know. I really want her to get it on with someone. I think it would be great. But they don’t tell me if that’s happening.”

As for her friendship with Bellamy (Bob Morley), the two former co-leaders will work together once more to save their people.

“They’re on the same team again, which is really cool and you saw that at the end of season three,” Taylor said. “They’re a real team and I really like the way their storyline is going. There’s a lot of mutual respect and they’re sharing the leadership role, so that’s cool.”

Bellamy

No one can deny that Bellamy has made more than his fair share of mistakes ever since he came down from the Ark. But the person who is judging Bellamy the most is Bellamy himself, especially going into season four.

“Bellamy is trying to right the wrongs from his past and do the most good that he can before the end,” Rothenberg said.

Morley added, “All the decisions he’s made since season one always hang over his head. So it’s just another addition to the amount of guilt and remorse that he has. He’s got a lot of weight on his shoulders and he’s carrying that around but has to find a way to be useful again and to be helpful to those around him that he loves. It’s going to be dealt with, we’re constantly dealing with that stuff. The culling of the 500, Mount Weather, it doesn’t just go away. That’s the great thing about this show, I get to carry around those demons forever. That’s definitely prevalent this season.”

One of the ways in which Bellamy will fight his own demons on his path towards redemption is helping calm down the chaos that Polis will find itself in after everyone comes to from their City of Light chip dream.

“Not everyone knows about the six months impending doom – only me and Clarke – and that’s the biggest threat in the forefront,” Morley said. “Obviously there are still a lot of questions to be answered in Polis and everyone is coming down off the chip high, so there’s the fallout from that that people have to deal with. There’s a whole bunch of people who turned up to Polis under the guidance of ALIE so once everyone’s out of it, there’s a whole bunch of clans and people brought together by this and have to deal with what they’ve gone through and the fallout from that. Also, not all clans get along so there’s that immediate place of waking up and being like, ‘There’s a whole bunch of people here that I don’t know or get along with.’ How do you confront that situation?”

One relationship Morley was excited to explore in season four was that between Kane (Henry Ian Cusick) and Bellamy, as they started off the series back in season one as mortal enemies.

“You’ll see a lot of Bellamy and Kane’s relationship which is really great for me. I love working with Ian. We have a lot of fun,” Morley said. “He’s like, I guess, adopted me as his son or vice versa, maybe I’m the father figure between the two of us. There’s a lot of that stuff, Kane and Bellamy. And obviously the relationship with Octavia [Marie Avgeropoulos] is always something that has to be addressed and we address constantly that ever-evolving relationship. Clarke and Bellamy will always have their differences but try and work together. There’s a return of the adventure squad of the younger kids as well which is a lot of fun. This season I’ve got to spread myself around a lot and work with a lot of different people which is nice.”

When it comes to the impending apocalypse, Morley explained that everyone will make a choice in how they react to the news.

“Whether you decide to find a way to get through it or find solutions to live through it or whether you start making a bucket list and just decide to let it wash over you in a literal sense, there’s that existential dilemma of whether we deserve to survive or whether should we live the rest of our lives hedonistically with whatever we have left,” Morley said. “That’s definitely the clock that is ticking throughout the season.”

Where does Bellamy fall on that spectrum? “It changes every day,” Morley said. “He’s a very interesting character this season. He always has been very complex. Sometimes the writers like to put me in positions where I don’t necessarily agree or I agree wholeheartedly and that’s the beauty of it. He kind of is a metronome in that sense where he’s back and forth so I don’t think there is a real straightforward answer to that. It’s nice for me to play but it’s also very challenging. Like most people he changes his mind and that’s okay. I don’t think there is any one way that he leans. We’ll have to wait and see. I’m still finding out myself.”

And that makes it especially interesting to note that Bellamy and human cockroach Murphy (Richard Harmon) will actually strengthen their alliance this season.

“I’m not sure what I can tell you about what the dynamic is going forward, but I can tell at the beginning of season four the dynamic between the two of them is probably the best it’s been since the beginning of the show,” Harmon said. “Maybe not that they like each other, but I think a little bit of respect definitely has blossomed between the two of them. As a character on the show I think you have to respect any of the other characters that are still alive because you know they’ve been through something. They’re still breathing and I think as a character you just have to give them that respect. Me and Bellamy came back together, saw each other, had to work together and just went like, ‘Hey man, good for you, still breathing. That’s pretty cool.'”

Octavia

All hail the “Sky Ripper, death from above.” Bellamy’s little sister will continue her descent into darkness this season after losing the love of her life Lincoln (Ricky Whittle) and murdering the former leader of Skaikru in front of everyone.

“Octavia’s journey is incredible this season,” Rothenberg said. “It’s dark and twisted and takes turns that we won’t see coming but will ultimately feel like it was totally natural towards the end.”

But just because Octavia has become a killing machine, that doesn’t make her a villain. While her murder of Pike (Mike Beach) was cold and ruthless, in her mind it was justice for him killing Lincoln just because he was a Grounder.

“Everyone sort of knew, based on the Romeo and Juliet romance that was Lincoln and Octavia, how significant that romance was to her,” Avgeropoulos said. “They just kept making such immense sacrifices for one another, and fighting for their love, so once Pike executed Lincoln and she was there to watch the whole thing, I think everybody knew that would have a massive impact on her. The revenge and justice was coming in due time.”

Killing Pike won’t heal Octavia’s broken heart, however.

“Octavia’s never received any love from any man before other than Bellamy, so to have such a love like that enter her life and then leave so horrifically, it affected her in a really negative way,” Avgeropoulos said. “The only thing I can really relate it to is like when people use substance abuse or alcohol abuse to deal with things that affected them in bad ways to numb that pain. Octavia does that by executing people and killing them and using that as an out to not feel things. That’s her next drink, that’s her next drug, so when she does snap out of that it’s a pretty awakening moment for Octavia, and allows for some real soul searching and almost grieving again for a second time.”

She continued, “Her mind is so clouded with the devastation of Lincoln and a lot of points in this season, you can just see her not thinking straight. She’s a very stubborn girl too and just thinks her opinion in that moment is always the right one, when that’s not always the case.”

Will she ever learn to love again? “Octavia has a pretty significant interaction with one of the male counterparts in a different tribe this season,” Avgeropoulos teased. “I can’t tell you more than that, to give it away. No one will ever replace Lincoln. Let’s just face it. Don’t freak out. And I can’t tell you if it’s in a positive or negative way, but you do see Octavia and Roan [Zach McGowan] come together and form an alliance that maybe even becomes broken at one point too, so you can see both sides of the story. You’ll have to tune in.”

When it comes to Octavia’s friends, they haven’t given up on her despite her going down a dark path.

“Octavia has kind of decided that she doesn’t belong to Arkadia and she doesn’t belong to the Grounders,” Taylor said. “She’s kind of become this lone wolf, similar to the way that Clarke did at the beginning of season three. And I think that there’s a very good mutual understanding there with not feeling like you belong and wanting to just kind of disappear and live your own life. With that in mind, while they don’t particularly see eye-to-eye on a lot of things, I think there is a very subtle mutual respect. They listen to each other, even if they disagree. You’ll definitely see more of that.”

While it will cause Bellamy pain to see his sister push everyone away, he won’t give up on her either.

“That relationship with Octavia is one that I would really like to see develop into a more adult type relationship as opposed to him berating her and her telling him, ‘You can’t tell me what to do.’ That whole back-and-forth dynamic,” Morley said. “With her taking this darker turn and it being much more of an emotional turn and an outward expression of that, it’s something that Bellamy has experienced before as well, so there’s a level of understanding there. He expresses that but there’s also a level of loss. I don’t think he necessarily wanted that for her. He said that at the end of season three when they’re barricading the door, ‘I know what it’s like and I just don’t want this for you.’ And then she makes the choice to kill Pike in the end.”

He continued, “That’s an indicator to him that she doesn’t really need his advice or listen to his advice anymore. It’s a bit of a blow for him. At some point you do have to take a backseat with the people you care about – you can’t give them the answer, they have to find it themselves. It’s one of those journeys that will take some time. Lots of healing and water under the bridge. It takes its toll.”

Murphy

Everyone’s favorite hated survivor Murphy hasn’t died yet, and he intends to keep his streak going in season four.

“We’re going to start off right where we left off. Everything has just gone to crap,” Harmon said. “City of Light has been taken down, which I think is a good thing for us, but also we now know the impending disaster that’s coming our way. I think we’ll start right there and slowly but surely I think all of the characters are going to start to figure out what’s going on and why this might not be a day to celebrate.”

According to Harmon, “a big theme of this season is seeing everyone’s true colors when all the chips are on the table.”

“This is coming. It doesn’t really look like there’s any way we’re going to be able to get around it,” he said. “It’s probably going to kill us all. What do your favorite characters do with that information? Do some of them actually try to fight against it with almost no hope of survival or do you give up and just enjoy your last couple weeks or months or however long it is on Earth? Speaking for Murphy specifically I think we’ve seen him be a survivor this entire time. There’s been pretty bad times for him and times when he’s had nothing really to live for and he’s survived anyway just because he doesn’t want to die. That’s not going to change anytime soon. The guy cares, especially now that he has something to live for in Emori [Luisa D’Oliveira]. I think he’s trying to get along with the group a little bit better. I think he’s, now more than ever, finding his place within the 100 team.”

While Murphy always put himself as his first priority, finding love in Emori will slowly change him, making him a better person against all odds. But that doesn’t mean their relationship will be smooth sailing.

“We’re going to see a relationship that is strained through the adversity of knowing the world is coming to an end,” Harmon said. “I think that’s a hell of thing to put any relationship through, but I know those two really care about each other. They’re two outsiders that have finally become insiders through each other. It’s a really beautiful thing and I’m really excited for fans to see where we’re going with that.”

And be prepared for some Murphy-centric episodes this season. “Episode 6 is probably my favorite that we’ve done so far for Murphy,” Harmon said. “It’s really great. It really kind of gets into a little bit of who he is more as a person. It’s a great character episode. Also, episode 8 that we just shot is really great. I’m not going to tell you why, just mark down the calendar for whenever those are if you like Murphy.”

Jasper and Jaha

Two characters who will find themselves in completely opposite places as they were last season are Jasper (Devon Bostick) and Jaha (Isaiah Washington). Jasper spent most of season three depressed and in pain, but when he learns of the impending death wave, his entire outlook on life (and death) flip-flops.

“Jasper is done fighting and knows that the end is coming in six months,” Rothenberg said. “He’s just going to kick back until the end and hope to enjoy himself as much as possible.”

Much of the comic relief will come back to the show via Jasper and his BFF Monty (Christopher Larkin), but former Chancellor Jaha will find himself paying for all his mistakes of helping ALIE bring the City of Light to the Skaikru and Grounders.

“Jaha is dealing with the ramifications of bringing forth the City of Light and the constant consequences of his sins,” Rothenberg said. “And yet he is still focused almost relentlessly, single-mindedly on saving his people.”

Want to talk all things The 100? Tweet me at @SydneyBucksbaum!

Images: The CW

The 100 airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. on The CW.

New GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 2 Behind-The-Scenes Photos Released

We are now a mere three months away from Marvel Studios’ highly anticipated sequel Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hitting theaters, and although we’ve had one amazing trailer where Baby Groot stole the show, it’s been a bit quiet when it comes to news about the film. Thanks to the folks at USA Today, we have a whole new crop of photos from the maverick crew of the Milano, the best spaceship ever to be named for a teen actress from an ’80s sitcom, as well as some new tidbits from the film’s cast and crew.

For starters, we learn that the movie starts just a two months after the end of the first film, with the crew viewed by the galaxy as “a rowdy bunch [of] cosmic rock stars” after saving Xandar. This is a bit of a departure from most Marvel Studios movies, which tend to take place in “real time,” more or less. For example, last year’s Captain America: Civil War mentions that it has been eight years since Tony Stark first became Iron Man, which fits in with timeline of the real-world releases of the movies. But with the Guardians off in deep space, they are in their own little separate corner of the Marvel Cinematic Universe anyway.

Family seems to be the theme of this sequel, as Chris Pratt’s character Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord, becomes the de facto father figure to this band of intergalactic misfits. And like a true family, this time they are raising a child, Groot, who has been reborn as a baby (but is still voiced by Vin Diesel). Star-Lord and Drax (Dave Bautista) are being driven crazy by the parental responsibilities, and it’s up to Rocket (voiced by Bradley Cooper again) and ex-assassin Gamora (Zoe Saldana) to be Groot’s primary “parents.” Saldana says that “she’s surrounded by all these dudes who are so stupid half the time, she has to be the voice of reason.”

Another way that family plays into the sequel is that Peter Quill finally meets his long-lost father, Ego the Living Planet, played by the legendary Kurt Russell. “Ego is the most powerful character I’m ever going to play,” Russell says. “I mean, he created himself! He’s the real deal.” Although Russell will appear human-sized in the film, it’s still unknown if writer/director James Gunn has somehow managed to squeeze in the classic comic book look of Ego into the film, which is a giant planet with an actual face and beard attached. But if any Marvel franchise is silly enough to get away with it, then it’s Guardians of the Galaxy.

Other returning cast members include the pirate Yondu (Michael Rooker) who raised Quill, and Nebula (Karen Gillan) Gamora’s adopted sister, who probably isn’t too happy to see her sibling after the ass-kicking she suffered in the first film. One new cast member joining the line-up is Ego’s confidante Mantis (Pom Klementieff), who comics fans might remember as a longtime Avenger. Considering the character is confirmed to return for Avengers: Infinity War, she could become a member of team in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as well.

You can check out a sample of the new behind-the-scenes- photos from Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 in our gallery below. Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 hits theaters on May 5, 2017.

Images: Marvel Studios via USA Today

Here are our most anticipated movies of 2017!

3D Transportation Grids Are the Only Solution for Nightmarish Traffic in Our Cities

When Chief of PreCrime John Anderton is on the run from his own outfit in Minority Report, he jumps into his autonomous pod, rockets down the side of his apartment building, and then hurtles off into a multilayered system of freeways that loop ribbon-like through his city and even bend into high-speed Möbius strips. When Leeloo is on the run from her captors in The Fifth Element, she finds herself perched on the edge of a skyscraper, and glimpses a vision of a futuristic New York City that contains layer upon layer upon layer of flying cars, as well as a train that screams down the y-axis beside her, headed for the streets below.

These visions of what’s to come, which are in some regards outlandish (hopefully anything as orange as Leeloo’s hair won’t be fashionable in the future), do hint at something that is critical for building a true city of the future: three-dimensional transportation.

According to the U.N., “54 per cent of the world’s population lives in urban areas, a proportion that is expected to increase to 66 per cent by 2050.” Airbus says we’ll reach 60% of the world’s population living in cities by 2030. What these numbers are pointing to is a general expectation for population, and population density, to increase dramatically over the coming years in cities. And for anybody who spends an already all-too-large chunk of their time sitting in his car like Peter at the beginning of Office Space, this can only mean more daily traffic, which literally sucks the soul out of one’s body.

But there is a way to stop the sucking of our souls into the spiritual drains that are traffic jams. In fact, there are two ways, according to Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk: “you have to go either up or down.”

Musk lays out the argument for making traffic grids 3D in the video clip above (beginning around 2:15), but the essential point is so simple and obvious. As Musk notes, having 2D (single-layer) traffic grids try to accommodate 3D buildings (e.g. tall skyscrapers, with high densities of people), simply doesn’t work. Especially when “everyone wants to go into the building and leave the building at the same time.”

This already defunct process, in conjunction with the projected population increases in cities, means that people are going to be spending more and more time in their cars. And other developments in vehicle technology, including fully autonomous driving, won’t directly address the traffic problem. (Although self-driving cars will probably help with traffic due to parking, and will also help to take some cars off the road.)

Thankfully, for the sake of our souls, there are researchers looking into ways to “go either up or down,” and some of them are even looking to biology, and the human body specifically, for inspiration.

Wanis Kabbaj, a “Transportation geek” and director of global strategy for healthcare logistics at UPS, gave an enlightening TED Talk in September 2016 (below), where he outlined the reasoning behind thinking of cities “as living beings.” Kabbaj says that it’s “absurd that we created cars that can reach 130MPH… [but] now drive them at the same speed as 19th century horse carriages.” Kabbaj also notes that in 2014, U.S. citizens spent an unholy 29.6 billion hours stuck in traffic.

Kabbaj agrees with Musk that the solution is to make cities’ traffic grids 3D. Most of the solutions he touches upon are focused on the “up” direction of making traffic grids 3D, and his overview includes “drones [perhaps like this one], flying taxis, modular buses, and suspended magnetic pods.” He also discusses cities built entirely around a driverless car system, where vehicles move around freely, like blood cells through your arteries (or like the pods in Minority Report).

Musk on the other hand, thinks that “down” is probably the way to go. To that end, he has actually begun digging a hole on SpaceX property in the County of Los Angeles, which has many roads and freeways that at peak traffic hours, qualify as one of the nine circles of Hell.

Tunnels are “key to a lot of technologies, [including] road tunnels, hyperloop tunnels, [and] train tunnels…” Musk told a crowd at a recent hyperloop contest, and he appears to be spearheading an effort to improve tunneling capabilities by 500 – 1,000%. He has also changed his twitter bio to “Tesla, SpaceX, Tunnels & OpenAI,” and has said multiple times that he’s really going to start some kind of “Boring Company.”

Boring, it’s what we do

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) December 17, 2016

Musk also told Vanity Fair that he is “not sure about… flying cars… [because they] would affect the skyline. And it would be noisier and there would be a greater probability of something falling on your head.”

Regardless of whether cities decide to go up or down in their quest to vanquish the horrid nightmare that is traffic, something needs to change fast. No human with a circulatory system this clogged up could ever survive, and besides, you may need to be able to get away fast in the future like Anderton or Leeloo, when you’re on the run from some big spooky organization.

What do you think about the idea of cities’ traffic grids transforming from 2D to 3D? Do you think up or down is the right way forward? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!

Images: Flickr / Oran Viriyincy

THE LEGEND OF ZELDA: ARTS AND ARTIFACTS is a Gorgeous Tribute to the Series’ Art (Exclusive)

On February 21, 2017, Dark Horse Comics will publish The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts and holy crap we are excited. There are few things we love as much as The Legend of Zelda and this book is a tribute to that pure, rich love.

At over 400 pages, The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts is jam-packed with art from the franchise’s thirty-year history. From The Wind Waker to A Link to the Past to Twilight Princess, this gorgeous hardcover covers it all in a visual feast for your eyeholes. We’ve actually held this beast in our hands and we can tell you that flipping through gold-gilded pages is an awesome experience. The attention to detail that has gone into this series over the years is absolutely stunning. Trust us when we say you want to own this bad boy. You want it in your life.

After the huge success of The Legend of Zelda: Hyrule Historia, it’s not surprising that Dark Horse Comics would want to take another trip to the world of Hyrule and beyond. That book was a beauty and a must-own for any Nintendo fan. Somehow, The Legend of Zelda: Art & Artifacts ups the ante and takes fans even further into the world of the series, although this time it’s more through visuals (obviously).

That’s not all, though. The book also features exclusive interviews with the design team behind the franchise, some of the official pixel art of the early series, and rare promotional art never before published in this format. Oh, and you get a sneak peek The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. You need to buy this book and invite your friends over for a BBQ. When they arrive, you can casually gesture to the book and say something like “oh yeah, are you guys Zelda fans?” They’ll marvel at your fine taste and you’ll be a hero.

Maybe that’s overselling it, but it’s a really cool book. Take a look at some exclusive pages below and let us know what the best The Legend of Zelda game is the comments.

Image: Dark Horse Comics

An A.I. Just Busted Real Poker Pros, But That’s Good News

Any poker player with a winning bankroll will tell you that to become a true great at the table, you uncover what opponents are trying to hide — noticing a slight physical tic, or the way one shuffles their chips, or even how they breathe. Those “tells” can reveal as much to an elite poker pro as if their opponent turned over their hand and showed them their cards. The best of the best understand and play the game on a level few will ever truly achieve.

And a bunch of them just got their asses kicked by an advanced artificial intelligence program.

As reported by , the AI program Libratus from Carnegie Melon University has now bested four professional players after 120,000 hands in a 20-day, no-limit Texas Hold’em heads-up tournament (the AI played directly against one player at a time, with each rotating through). At the end of the nearly three-week-long tournament, Libratus was ahead by more than 1.7 million “dollars.” (The players didn’t lose any real money, but did get to split a 200,000 dollar purse for playing.)

A major breakthrough for AI, Prof Sandholm and Noam Brown, and @SCSatCMU: Libratus won resoundingly. #PSCBridges pic.twitter.com/AhN7onwrGb

— Nick Nystrom (@nicknystrom) January 31, 2017

Libratus’ performance is more impressive than you think. Libratus’ algorithms were not specific to playing Poker — the A.I. simply solved problems. All it “knew” were the rules of the game. It learned as it went along and analyzed previous hands well enough to dominate the human players in what is considered a “sizable victory” that is “statistically significant and not simply a matter of luck.”

By the end, Libratus not only learned concepts like bluffing and concealing the value of its own hand, but also the strengths and weaknesses of its opponents. It’s an impressive feat considering the machine never saw the human players’ cards afterwards.

Image: Miramax

Like any real poker player will tell you, however, often one of the biggest issues to overcome at the table has nothing to do with other good players, it’s “plugging your own holes,” self-inflicted mistakes, often minute, that can lead to big losses over time.

In a article from Carnegie Mellon about the “Brains vs. Artificial Intelligence: Upping the Ante” event, one of the two computer scientists behind Libratus, Tumoas Sandholm, explained how it learned about itself from examining how the real pros took advantage of its mistakes.

After play ended each day, a meta-algorithm analyzed what holes the pros had identified and exploited in Libratus’ strategy. It then prioritized the holes and algorithmically patched the top three using the supercomputer each night. This is very different than how learning has been used in the past in poker. Typically, researchers develop algorithms that try to exploit the opponent’s weaknesses. In contrast, here the daily improvement is about algorithmically fixing holes in our own strategy.

Self-reflection as a means of improvement — it sounds so easy, but without any preconceived notions about “the right way” of playing, and without any emotional baggage that can make us stubborn or blind, Libratus became a better poker player, all while processing huge amounts of information in a short time.

Image: Universal Pictures

Some might argue fairly that a computer has unfair advantages over a real player. It never gets tired or hungry, it never needs to use the bathroom, and it can’t be distracted by outside forces (sometimes casinos get loud, and the guy next to you is sitting too close). An AI also doesn’t have to feel the very real pain of knowing its own money is on the line.

None of that is an indictment of real poker players though. The best players shut out the distractions and pressures of playing, all while continuously evaluating opponents and analyzing their own play. Rather, the victory speaks to the power of advanced computer algorithms, who are free of things like recency or confirmation bias, and all of the other failings of human judgement that can hinder our decision making.

What do you make of this news? Is it a great advancement for the future of mankind, or the beginning of the end for our dominance (or being able to win any money in online poker)? We’re not bluffing when we say we want you to lay your cards out on the table in our comments below.

Featured Image: Fox

MARVEL’S AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. Recap: Patton Oswalt Returns for ‘Hot Potato Soup’

Warning: This post contains spoilers for Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.! Proceed with caution, agents. If you haven’t yet watched this week’s episode, “Hot Potato Soup,” we highly suggest you do so before proceeding. Okay? We good? Then let’s go.

I know I’ve said this before, but it sadly bears repeating — Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has become one of the most relevant shows on TV for its fearlessness in tackling issues that affect our lives to an ever more chilling degree with each passing week. And given the events we experienced last week, this show has never felt more vital or necessary. For whatever minority group is the victim of real-world hate and prejudice in today’s headlines — African-Americans, Latinos, Muslims, or homosexuals — they have an obvious analog in the Inhumans, and the way that so many disparate factions are willing to unite to terminate them. This week, we learn that Radcliffe has partnered with the Inhuman-hating Russians and Watchdogs in his effort to reclaim the Darkhold. Thankfully, there’s some choice comic relief on hand in the form of the always welcome Patton Oswalt to prevent things from becoming too grim.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has become one of the most relevant shows on TV

It turns out that Coulson entrusted the Darkhold to the surviving Koenig brothers, and Koenig sister, which results in this episode’s titular schoolyard game. Coulson’s life is further complicated, however, by Radcliffe’s robot dupe of May, whose very real feelings for the former S.H.I.E.L.D. director don’t prevent her from betraying him in order to reclaim the book for her master. The long-awaited first kiss between the two veteran colleagues is a cheat in that it’s not our May who’s locking lips with Phil. But at least those of us who were longing to see the enormously charismatic Clark Gregg and Ming-Na Wen finally break the sexual tension between their characters don’t walk away completely empty-handed. Here’s hoping though that once the real May returns we’ll finally get to see these two pop open that bottle of wine.

Elsewhere, we unexpectedly get more of Fitz’s backstory when his demons come home to roost during his interrogation/analysis of the “Radbot,” who goes all Hannibal Lector in his taunting of the young agent; even dragging his estranged father into the mix. It turns out that between his Dad abandoning him at a young age, former mentor Ward betraying him, and paternal figure Radcliffe now sticking a knife in his back, the tech genius is feeling trapped in a loop from which he doesn’t think he can escape. Fortunately, walking ray of sunshine Simmons and his buddy Mack are there to pull him out of it.

While Senator Nadeer doesn’t show up this week, robot Radcliffe makes a surprisingly effective antagonist for the team. It’s a pleasure to watch John Hanna get the chance to play his villainy straight for a change, without a chaser of bumbling comedy. So much so that it’s a disappointment when S.H.I.E.L.D. ends up torching the evil android. Yet with the real Radcliffe now firmly ensconced on a Russian sub with America’s leading hate group, perhaps it won’t be too long before he no longer feels a shred of sympathy for his former friends. Still, kudos to him for saving Billy from torture, if only because it leads to Oswalt’s best moment thus far on the show: “You’re not gonna get anything out of me. Because my mind is a steel trap inside of a sealed box surrounded by quicksand…whoa, is that a puppy?”

Declassified Deliberations

— I don’t know about you folks, but I’d be perfectly happy watching an entire episode devoted to Billy and Sam trading pop culture references and playing video games in a bar.

— “Kidnapping a Koenig? That’s like catching moonlight.”

— Oswalt’s reaction to the onion is priceless.

— If the Darth Vader digital clock is an example of shameless cross promotion, then call me a sheep, baby.

— “They got you shipping with Black Widow. Some of the drawings are… They call you Quack!”

— “You know what Tony Star’s armor is powered by? Compromise.” Oh, somebody has simple got to get Thurston into Avengers: Infinity War.

What did you think of this week’s episode? Let me know in the comments below or on Twitter (@JMaCabre).

Images: Marvel/Disney/ABC

New Teasers For FINAL FANTASY VII Remake and KINGDOM HEARTS 3

2017 marks an important milestone for two Square Enix franchises: Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts—which are celebrating their 30th and 15th anniversaries, respectively. Today in particular, however, marks the 20th anniversary of Final Fantasy VII. During Final Fantasy‘s special 30th anniversary celebration in Tokyo Tuesday morning, Square Enix shared a special look at the Final Fantasy VII Remake that’s slated to hit the PS4 on a yet-to-be-revealed date. Check it out at the top of the page.

The gorgeous image shows Cloud Strife standing in front of the iconic Shinra Building. In the background stands Sephiroth, the primary antagonist in the game. That’s about all we can gather from the image at this point.

Unfortunately, the reveal was only a “key visual’ from the highly anticipated game. Considering it’s been well over a year since we’ve heard or seen anything regarding the title (probably because the company was focusing on the launch of Final Fantasy XV), any news is good news. In fact, we still have no idea when the title will actually release. Earlier this year, Director Tetsuya Nomura said that production is going to take a bit longer than expected.

If you need a refresher, here’s the gameplay trailer that was released during Sony’s PlayStation Experience back in 2015:

Square Enix also tweeted out a new Kingdom Hearts III image. Again, it’s not much, just a fun way to pay homage to Final Fantasy VII on its 20th birthday; we do get to see Kingdom Hearts‘ hero, Sora, with his back to the player.

#_KH #FFVII20th pic.twitter.com/D90CvP0duv

— キングダム ハーツ (@_KINGDOMHEARTS) January 31, 2017

Many fans have already picked up on the fact that the image is reminiscent of the picture depicted on the original Final Fantasy VII cover. Check it out below.

@_KINGDOMHEARTS pic.twitter.com/e05pYjKK0w

— SHIΞLD (@SHIELD_DRAWS) January 31, 2017

With Kingdom Hearts‘ anniversary at the end of March, hopefully this tiny teaser means we’ll be learning or seeing a bit more of KH 3 soon. I’ll be keeping my fingers crossed until then.

What do you think of the new images that were released? Let us know in the comments!

Image Credit: Square Enix

Prince’s Music Will Be Available for Streaming Starting February 12

Yesterday, mysterious Spotify advertisements started popping up around the world, in places like New York City and London. The ads simply featured Spotify’s branding and a purple icon, so naturally, people assumed this had something to do with the purple-est musician of all time, Prince. Here’s the ad that appeared in London:

An intriguing purple @Spotify banner has appeared at London’s Spitalfields Market @Goodstuffers @TalonOOH @InfinityOutdoor ??? pic.twitter.com/DXaBsth59z

— Roy Shepherd (@OOH_Roy) January 30, 2017

Now, it’s being reported that these suspicions are spot-on, as The New York Post cites “a music insider” as saying that Prince’s albums released by Warner Music Group (via Consequence of Sound), which are currently only streaming on Tidal, will become available on Apple, Spotify, Pandora, Google Play, Deezer, and others beginning on February 12, the same day as the 59th Grammy Awards; “The switch gets turned on for everybody during the Grammys,” the insider said.

Dirty Mind, Sign O’ the Times, Purple Rain, and 1999—which include hits like “Let’s Go Crazy,” “Purple Rain” and “When Doves Cry”—are the albums Prince released on Warner, and rights to other songs and albums released via other labels are supposedly being negotiated.

There is also speculation that Bruno Mars, Rihanna and The Weeknd will feature in a Prince tribute during the Grammy ceremony, so all this is adding up to be a perfect storm for a huge uptick in Prince’s presence in mid-February. Bear in mind that this news has yet to be officially confirmed by any of the aforementioned streaming services yet, but what else are we supposed to think? Get ready, all: Prince is (probably) coming.

Revisit our tribute to Prince on Nerdist News:

Featured image: Warner Bros.