Take On The Hive: "Absolution" Moves Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.!

The Good: Good performances, Plot progression, Moments of character
The Bad: Plot-centered, Somewhat predictable.
The Basics: "Absolution" prepares Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. viewers for the promised character death of the season finale.


Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. has been venturing into pretty dangerous territory for the Marvel Cinematic Universe. With episodes like "Spacetime"(reviewed here!), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. set a prescedent for prophecies in the Marvel Cinematic Universe and moving toward the season finale, the promise from "Spacetime" was that the vision Daisy saw in that episode would come to pass. "Absolution" is the penultimate episode of the third season of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. and it is moving toward the season finale and that big on-screen death. The threat this represents in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is that it pretty much forces the vision from The Avengers: Age Of Ultron (reviewed here!) to come to pass.

That said, "Absolution" picks up after "Emancipation" (reviewed here!) and key elements are in play to set up the finale's death. After all, "Emancipation" put into play the device that will inspire someone to be in outer space as seen in the vision - in the form of the missile that will spead Hive's Inhuman virus under his sway. The cross seen floating in the death scene is brought into play late in "Emancipation" and it put Mack as the frontrunner for the character who would die.

Opening on the distant world where Simmons was trapped, Daisy and Coulson wait in an Inhuman containment pod, waiting to die, before Daisy awakens in one of those pods at the S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters. Meanwhile, the rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D. team is flying to thwart Hive at a Pacific missile silo. Simmons visits Daisy, managing not to give her too much information on the specific mission. After Talbot gets information from General Andez, Coulson goes to get the kill order for the missile Hive is attempting to fire. Managing to stop the missile, Hive gets angry, as Daisy reveals that Hive believes it is a savior of some sort.

As Coulson pushes Daisy for information on what Hive meant by "absolution," Campbell and Hive square off. The device Mack was building is deployed on Hive to cause all of his prior host's memories to surface. While Hive wigs out in front of Giyera and James, Agent May tries to get the warhead and she runs afoul of the proto-Inhumans that Radcliffe engineered. May rescues Radcliffe, but not before Giyera manages to steal the warhead for Hive. Returning to S.H.I.E.L.D. with Hive imprisoned, Dr. Radcliffe begins to work stop the spread of the Inhuman threat. But, as Giyera and James move on the base, disaster (predictably) strikes.

"Absolution" is plot-heavy as it moves toward the finale, but it has some moments that are pleasantly character-centered. When Hive angrily turns on Dr. Radcliffe and demands that he get the missile back online, Radcliffe's reaction is delightfully exactly what viewers say: what the hell can an experimental biologist who is an expert in parasitic organisms possibly do or know about missile technology?! Radcliffe has to use a book to try to figure out how to bypass the missile's coding.

At the other end, Mack's character is bolstered in "Absolution," making for a character arc that viewers can appreciate (and fans of Joss Whedon's works can absolutely watch with dread). Mack is slowly setting up failsafes to thwart Hive and he is mentally prepared to use the killswitches that Coulson gave him to use to prevent Yo-Yo or Lincoln from coming under Hive's Sway.

Coulson and Daisy have decent interplay in "Absolution" and the performances by Clark Gregg and Chloe Bennet give wonderful performances. Gregg has a pretty significant body of work to illustrate how deep he can act, but Bennet - as a younger actor - is somewhat surprising for how well she can play Daisy going through withdrawal. The anger Bennet portrays is impressive and realistic and it is only lessened by the fact that "Absolution" features no make-up effects to play up the withdrawal from Hive (sweating would have been a nice touch).

As always, Ming-Na Wen gives a great physical performance. The fact that she gets another kick-ass scene sets her up as yet another potential to be killed in the season finale. After all, Joss Whedon wrote "Ascension" and his formula usually features characters who are getting suddenly focused on and growing getting the ax. Of course, the moment Henry Simmons as Mack hugs Bennet, the performance is powerful enough to paint a bullseye on Mack with a thick permanent marker. Of course, pairing Mack and Daisy's scenes with a fun, cute Fitz/Simmons scene that has the two making romantic plans just jerks around the audience.

If Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. hadn't hyped the season finale death, the whole "we're safe" interlude packed with character moments sure created a mood where it seemed obvious that someone was going to die. "Absolution" might have some predictable moments, but it is well-executed and it does what a good penultimate episode is supposed to do in a serialized show; set up a knockout for the season finale.

For other big penultimate episodes, please visit my reviews of:
"In The Cards" - Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
"AKA Take A Bloody Number" - Jessica Jones
"Heaven Sent" - Doctor Who

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

8/10

For other movie and television reviews, please check out my Movie Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Good Concept, Mediocre And Pricy Execution: Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola Cereal!

The Good: Great ingredients, Nutritious
The Bad: Expensive, Not overly flavorful!
The Basics: Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola is healthy, but overpriced for its lack of flavor.


In trying a wide variety of food products, I try hard to be objective and explore all sorts of things. In trying cereals, flavor and price have become a lot more important to me than the advertised ideology or concept of the breakfast cereal. Those are the reasons that Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola did not perform nearly as well with me. As one who loves pumpkin flavoring, the fact that the granola tastes nothing like pumpkin is disappointing.

At more than $6 a box (locally), Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola is very expensively priced for a granola cereal. The Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is all natural and will meet the needs of those who pay more for their ethics when it comes to food, but for those who like flavor it is, sadly, lacking.

Basics

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is a very basic granola cereal with a few green seeds. The cereal comes in an 11.5 oz. box and that’s a standard size for a traditional granola boxes. The cereal is comprised of entirely irregular clusters of granola.

Ease Of Preparation

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is a breakfast cereal, so this is one of the low-impact breakfast options as far as preparation goes! Simply open the box of Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal, pour out a three-quarter cup serving (I recommend actually using a measuring cup, especially if you are monitoring your intake) and add 1/2 cup of milk to it. I have discovered, as part of getting healthy, that one of the biggest challenges one might have with breakfast cereal is actually eating the serving size recommended by the manufacturer. This is not a problem with Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola, though, as the three-quarter cup serving seems to be a pretty decent amount of the cereal!

For the purposes of my reviews, and my regular consumption, I only use skim milk (fat free) milk with cereal. When milk is added to Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal, surprisingly little of it gets absorbed into the cereal.

Taste

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola has almost no aroma to it. The vaguely grainy scent is incredibly faint and it foreshadows a cereal that is not incredibly flavorful. The oaty scent is almost non-existent.

Without milk, the Pumpkin Flax Granola is dry, slightly sweet and has a dry cinnamon aftertaste. The oat flavor is overwhelming and there is no hint of pumpkin to the flavor palate.

With milk, Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal, the cinnamon flavor becomes more pronounced. The milk does not make more of the flavors pop and the dryness of the oats overwhelms the momentary sweetness the honey provides. This is a dry cereal, but it is ultimately watered down by the milk. The flavor is not enhanced by the milk, but it softens up nicely.

The Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola leaves no distinct aftertaste in one's mouth after it is consumed.

Nutrition

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is fairly nutritious on its own and with skim milk! Made primarily of rolled oats, cane sugar and soy oil the Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola ingredient list is entirely natural and familiar.

A single serving of Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is 55 grams or 3/4 cup. In that serving, there are 260 calories, with 90 calories coming from fat. There are one and a half grams of saturated, but no trans fats in this cereal, nor is there any cholesterol. With 45 mg of sodium and 5 grams of dietary fiber, this is a great dietary choice for those striving to improve heart health. With an impressive six grams of protein and 10% of the RDA of Iron, Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola is not bad, but it is not one of the more nutrient-loaded breakfast cereals on the market.

Nature's Path Organic includes an allergy warning for wheat, peanuts and tree nuts and it is vegan compliant. It is not marked as Kosher.

Storage/Cleanup

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola is a cereal, so as long as it is kept sealed in its box, it ought to remain fresh for quite some time. Obviously, when you are done pouring the cereal from the box, fold down the plastic inner wrap to help maintain the cereal’s freshness.

Cleaning up after Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is simple as well. Simply brush away crumbs left by it and you are done! It is that easy! This is a cereal that barely discolors the milk added to it, so it should not stain fabrics.

Overall

Nature's Path Organic Pumpkin Flax Granola cereal is all right, but it is not overly flavorful, making it a tough sell for those who want more than the nutrition, fair manufacture and added expense of the cereal.

For other cereals, please be sure to check out my reviews of:
Kashi Organic Promise Cinnamon Harvest Cereal
Kellogg's Froot Loops Treasures
Cinnamon Burst Cheerios

4/10

For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing of all the food reviews I have written!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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The Legends Of Tomorrow Work To Undo Their "Destiny!"

The Good: Good effects, Character moments, Performances, Good plot
The Bad: Predictable, No big performance moments
The Basics: "Destiny" reworks Legends Of Tomorrow to declare that everything so far has been preordained by the Time Masters . . . and then undoes that entire plot restructuring!


When it comes to Legends Of Tomorrow, it is hard to evaluate just where the season will go, qualitatively, episode by episode. "Destiny" is the penultimate episode of the first season of Legends Of Tomorrow and the show has, more or less, come full circle: all of the pieces are back on the board and it is tough to care in some ways. As much as I like the idea of Legends Of Tomorrow and the fight through time against Vandal Savage, the season has gone out of its way to be deliberately complicated for a surprisingly simple problem. "Destiny" puts the conflict against Vandal Savage front and center.

"Destiny" follows on the events of "River Of Time" (reviewed here!) and the new episode cannot be discussed without spoiling where the prior episode ended. After all, "River Of Time" put the Waverider crew back at the Vanishing Point with Vandal Savage and the crew discovered that Vandal Savage is actually in control of the Time Masters. "Destiny" wrestles with that revelation and elaborates upon it. The episode is somewhat frustrating in that it reworks the entire season of Legends Of Tomorrow only to, essentially, undo that whole new structure.

Opening with a flashback to the pilot where the candidates for Rip Hunter's mission were shown the potential future of the world if they failed, Dr. Stein tries to convince Jax to come with him before the episode flashes forward to the Vanishing Point where most of the crew of the Waverider is imprisoned by the Time Masters. Mick Rory is taken to be re-conditioned into Chronos and Kendra Saunders is taken away by Savage's goons. Rip Hunter squares off with Time Master Druce. Druce informs Hunter that Savage actually will save Earth from a Thanagarian invasion in 2175 so long as he has unified Earth. Snart and Lance retake the bridge of the Waverider, where Snart tries to convince Lance to leave with him and the ship.

Meanwhile, Savage takes Saunders and Carter Hall in a time ship, while Hunter is taken to the Oculus Chamber to see how the Time Masters have manipulated him and the Waverider's crew to help Savage consolidate power. With Chronos re-made, Palmer puts his faith in Lance and Snart to save them, much to the annoyance of Stein and Hunter. Lance and Gideon get the Waverider's time drive back online and their sabotage of the rest of the Time Master's fleet is successful. Palmer suggests they take control of their destinies by destroying the Oculus Chamber and the Waverider makes an attack run on the Vanishing Point.

"Destiny" puts two new twists on Legends Of Tomorrow by reconning the story at the beginning. Jax, the version who was sent back in time by Dr. Stein in "River Of Time," met with Stein on the day before the mission began. That is an intriguing way to force a causality loop and much of the episode is spent waiting for Dr. Stein to pay off what must have already occurred and what he is supposed to have known all along.

The other big "twist" is that the Time Masters have been working for Vandal Savage all along and that is surprisingly well-executed in "Destiny." Druce is convinced that his way is the right way to save humanity and that makes for a more understandable manipulation than the way it was presented in "River Of Time." Instead of just being a simple plot reversal, "Destiny" makes Vandal Savage's rise to power surprisingly reasonable.

The relationship between Snart and Lance is interesting in "Destiny." The two have interesting chemistry and when Snart tries to flirt with Lance, it is delightful to watch. Wentworth Miller and Caity Lotz have wonderful on-screen chemistry and it plays out well for one of the episode's few character moments.

"Destiny" is plot-heavy, but well-constructed. So, from almost the first frames of the episode, the viewer knows that Jax will return to the future at a plot-convenient moment, but when he does pop up, it is still pretty awesome. The episode has its own self-contained prophecy in the form of Ray Palmer's death, which is seen by Hunter in the Oculus at the beginning of the episode. The "will they or won't they" kill Palmer is answered within the episode and, despite some sense of redundancy to it, the result is surprisingly satisfying.

Kendra Saunders has no substantive role in "Destiny" and the conflict between destiny and free will in the episode is not played out well with her. In fact, Saunders seems only in the episode to set up the finale where she has knowledge that Savage is on his own.

The special effects in "Destiny" are good and director Olatunde Osunsanmi does not belabor the fight sequences that have been, largely, done before. Instead, "Destiny" moves the plot and characters forward without relying on big effect sequences to sell itself. The result is a rising action that leads into the first season finale with a strange sense of exactly where the season began . . . with the Waverider crew ready to alter time and space to stop Vandal Savage.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Legends Of Tomorrow - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the premiere season of the time traveling hero team here!
Thanks!]

7/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprintwithout permission.
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I'll Take Durability Over Comfort: The Home Essentials Can Opener Works!

The Good: Durable, Easy to use, Inexpensive, Easy to clean
The Bad: Not the most comfortable grip
The Basics: The Home Essentials Can Opener is durable and efficient, even if it is not the most comfortable kitchen gadget to use!


Once upon a time, my wife and I had a Faberware 83036-93 Can Opener (reviewed here!). The plastic handle on it, predictably, eventually broke making the device absolutely worthless. To replace it, we bought a Home Essentials Can Opener. The Home Essentials Can Opener has all metal parts, with a decent rubber grip on the handle, so it cannot have the same issue as with the Faberware can opener. Given how durable the Faberware can opener turned out to be, I would probably not have rated it so highly if I were to review it over the course of its entire life.

The Home Essentials Can Opener is 7 1/4” long by 2 1/2” wide and 1 7/8” thick. The black rubber grip covers the stainless steel on the grips; the rest of the device is naked stainless steel. The rounded grips are very comfortable and they make it very easy to squeeze and use the can opener without straining one’s gripping hand. The handle, which one turns while squeezing the grips, is metal, rectangular and not at all designed for comfort. As a result, this can opener is ideal for my wife and I - who now have very little in the way of canned foods in our diets - as opposed to a restaurant where cooks would be opening many, many cans in a day.

To use the Home Essentials Can Opener, simply open the top of the can opener by spreading the grips apart, and place the cutting wheel onto the top of the can one wishes to open. Squeeze the grips and the cutting wheel will penetrate the top of the can. While one hand squeezes the grips, the other should twist the handle. That will cut open the metal top. The Home Essentials Can Opener does not leave a jagged edge on the can one opens. The top is a little sharp, but that is to be expected of exceptionally thin metal.

The Home Essentials Can Opener also has an additional can/bottle opener – the hook style that one might use to remove the tops of beer bottles or puncture giant juice cans (like Juicy Juice). After months of use, the Home Essentials Can Opener has stood up as durable and it has remained as tight as when we bought it, despite use at least every other day. Because it is made with steel, this can opener is easy to clean off with a damp cloth.

Easy to clean, inexpensive and durable, the Home Essentials Can Opener might not be comfortable to use over long periods of time, but it gets the job done!

For other kitchen gadgets, please visit my reviews of:
ThinkGeek Star Wars Battle Of Hoth Pint Glass Set
Pyrex Bake N' Store 8 Piece Set
RSVP 60 & 50 mm Espresso Tamper

7.5/10

For other kitchen appliances, please visit my Appliance Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Kevin Smith Remakes "Emissary" For The Flash With "The Runaway Dinosaur!"

The Good: Moments of character, Moments of performance, Special effects
The Bad: Banal plot, Awkward cuts, Some terrible acting, Derivative and inconsistent writing
The Basics: Kevin Smith directs the return of The Flash with "The Runaway Dinosaur," an unfortunately derivative episode.


There are very few directors whose works I tend to follow and actually get excited about. Kevin Smith is, as unlikely as it might initially seem, one of them (and no, I haven't yet made it through Tusk!). So, when I saw that he was directing the latest episode of The Flash I was even more initially excited about the episode than usual. And Kevin Smith does fine with "The Runaway Dinosaur," but it is hard not to see it as being incredibly derivative of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine's pilot episode "Emissary" (reviewed here!). "The Runaway Dinosaur" personifies the Speed Force in a way that is reminiscent of the wormhole aliens (Prophets) from Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Smith even uses similar lighting for them at key moments, which makes the comparison especially apt.

"The Runaway Dinosaur" follows on the events of "Rupture" (reviewed here!), which makes it impossible to discuss without revealing some spoilers about where that episode ended. After all, with the apparent death of Barry Allen and Zoom terrorizing Central City and Earth-1 effectively, there is a massive sense of consequence at the outset of "The Runaway Dinosaur!" And "The Runaway Dinosaur" deals with those consequences and, despite there not being a writing credit for Kevin Smith, there are a number of language changes from the regular speaking voices for principle characters - Iris, for example, uses "hell" as an expletive more often in the episode than ever before - that make the episode stand out as a Kevin Smith work.

With the S.T.A.R. Labs crew reeling from the shock of Barry Allen's apparent death, they are unable to take a beat when Jesse Wells and Wally West are discovered. Jesse's heart has stopped beating, while Wally seems generally all right. While Henry Allen stabilizes Jesse, Iris and Cisco go into the basement morgue at S.T.A.R. Labs to recover Eobard Thawne's notes on Barry's treatment. Barry, meanwhile, wakes up in a nebulous place where he meets the embodiments of the Speed Force. The Speed Force tells Barry Allen that he can go home . . . if he catches the blurry speedster flickering out of his perception in the zone.

In the morgue, Iris and Cisco discover that Girder has been resurrected as a zombie and he mindlessly leaves S.T.A.R. Labs and begins to wreak havoc on Central City. While Allen goes through Thawne's notes, Wells and Ramon attempt to vibe a way to Barry. Barry, however, refuses to leave the Speed Force as his return would be without his powers. While Iris and Joe hunt down Girder, Barry Allen must confront his feelings of loss for his mother and recover his powers.

"The Runaway Dinosaur" features a number of weird script problems, outside the change in Iris's narrative voice. Iris runs into the breach room while Cisco is vibing, insisting that Wells is killing Ramon . . . without any basis for that assumption. Similarly, Harrison Wells suddenly has knowledge that he would have no possible basis to possess or assume when he says that Barry Allen in the Speed Force will be able to see and hear anyone in contact with Ramon when he vibes. This is based on what, exactly?! Wells had no known experiences with Vibe on Earth-2 and, unlike Eobard Thawne (Harrison Wells in the first season), has no experiences with being inside the Speed Force (save when he went with Barry and Ramon to Earth-2 through a breach, more than through the Speed Force). Harrison Wells would have no way to make that assumption.

That lack of consistency in the characterization and scientific continuity is paired with poor performance moments and some of the weirdest cuts of the series to date. "The Runaway Dinosaur" was cut down from over fifty minutes to the necessary 42 minute run time and one has to hope there was something cut that makes Henry Allen telling Joe West that his story is going somewhere when Jesse L. Martin is not on the screen emoting anything and there is no Joe West line cutting into Allen's story to justify Henry's otherwise weird line.

While "The Runaway Dinosaur" is being praised in some quarters as the best episode of The Flash to date, it is arguably the most erratic. In order to squeeze in a cameo with Jason Mewes, Kevin Smith admits to the series one of the worst acting deliveries of the series. Mewes is fine, but the woman who accompanies him in his cameo has one of the worst, most awkward breaks in a line that should have necessitated a second (third or however many takes it took to get it right!) take. And, as Barry Allen moves through his trippy timeless zone encountering embodiments of the Speed Force in familiar faces, he is suddenly unable to recognize his own father?!

Girder returns and "The Runaway Dinosaur"'s b-plot acts as an effective sequel to the first season episode "The Flash Is Born" (reviewed here!) and the choice of resurrected metahumans appears more or less random. Girder is utilized to allow Iris and Joe to have a plotline away from S.T.A.R. Labs and because he is one of the few metahumans who is actually outright dead (but, given that Eobard Thawne traded his life away for his own machinations, it seems like a severe deficiency of heroic characters to see if there is no possible way to resurrect him properly and transform him from his zombie state back into a regular metahuman).

Despite some of the guest actors giving cringe-worthy performances, Grant Gustin gives an amazing, emotive portrayal of Barry Allen in "The Runaway Dinosaur." He roots the potentially boring sequences with Barry in the Speed Force.

Kevin Smith does fine with the material he was given - one imagines that for the first special effect sequence of Barry in the Speed Force, Smith might have been heard muttering "We're spending more on this effect than I spent on Clerks!" - for the most part. For the episode's big moments between Barry Allen and Iris West, he gets great performances. The humorous moments of the episode work well and are cut in a way that makes the episode feel even more erratic for the moments that flop.

The result is that "The Runaway Dinosaur" packs a lot in and delivers inconsistently.

For other works by Kevin Smith, please visit my reviews of:
Clerks
Mallrats
Chasing Amy
Dogma
Clerks The Animated Series
Jay And Silent Bob Strike Back
Jersey Girl
Clerks II
Zack And Miri Make A Porno
Cop Out
Red State
Jay And Silent Bob's Super Groovy Cartoon Movie

4/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Underwhelming Flavor: Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee!

The Good: Appropriately caffeinated, Does not taste bad
The Bad: Seems expensive, Not overly flavorful
The Basics: When it comes to coffees that don't quite live up to the promised flavors, one of the biggest surprises for me recently was, unfortunately, Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee.


I am, obviously, a big fan of coffee. I try a lot of different types of coffee and one of the biggest curveballs that can be thrown to me as a lover of coffees and a reviewer is finding a coffee that finds a good balance between coffee and the flavors it claims to be. Today, I finished the bag of Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee coffee I've been drinking the last few days and I realized that the bag was, unfortunately, a disappointment. As much as I generally enjoy Melitta, the Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee does not taste like any of its promised flavors - it's just coffee and expensive coffee at that.

Basics

One of the premium coffee roasters and distributors in the United States and Europe, Melitta produces a number of blends. Hazelnut Creme Brulee is a medium dark blend from Melitta that I have found in stores and for the 11 oz. bag it is priced on par with the other premium coffee blends. Hazelnut Creme Brulee is a surprisingly simple, coffee flavored coffee that does not quite taste like nuts or creme brulee desserts. This is an 11 oz. plastic bag of extra fine ground coffee. Because it is not whole bean, no grinding is required. The Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is easily protected from absorbing scents of other foods, given that it comes with a tie to keep it sealed.

Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is a fairly aromatic blend in its bean form.

Ease Of Preparation

Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is remarkably easy to prepare. First, open the bag. Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is vacuum sealed when first purchased, but it has only the initial foil seal to get through to break the vacuum seal. Procure a scoop (not included) and measure out one heaping tablespoon for every two cups of water in your coffee maker. Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is intended for automatic (drip or percolating) coffee makers, like my Hamilton Beach coffee maker (reviewed here!). This is NOT an instant coffee. As a result, it needs to be brewed.

Consult your coffee maker's instructions for how to brew the coffee. However, as far as the basics go, you'll need a coffee filter, like the Crucial Coffee #4 Permanent Coffee Filter (reviewed here), in which you put the Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee and then brew through your coffee maker. The directions recommend making a pot at a time. Melitta does not take a stand on refrigerating the container after opening it, though they do recommend a cool, dark and dry place to store the coffee.

Taste

The Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee does not have a strong aroma at all to help indicate or bolster its flavor. The scent of the coffee is mild and smells just like coffee.

The flavor, however, is simply that of coffee. The real letdown of the Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is that it does not have a strong or recognizable flavor to it. The coffee flavor is not overly intense, but it tastes just like coffee, nothing else.

The Hazelnut Creme Brulee coffee has a mild, very slightly bitter, aftertaste, which does not last long in the mouth.

Nutrition

This is coffee, not something that appears on the nutrition pyramid! Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee does not contribute anything to one's daily recommended allowance of anything. In fact, the bag does not have an ingredient's list or nutritional information.

This is a caffeinated blend, though and it feels like it! This has enough caffeine to pop one's eyes open and I found it to be pleasantly caffeinated when I wanted to keep awake, even if the aroma was not overly invigorating. Because it is a caffeinated coffee, it appears to not have undergone any of the chemical processes that sometimes cause complications in decaffeinated coffees.

Storage/Clean-up

Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee ought to be stored sealed in its bag with the top firmly tied closed with the air out of the bag. Coffee is known to absorb flavors of food nearby it, so keeping the top sealed closed as best as one can. There are different schools of thought on refrigerating open coffee and I have a very clean refrigerator with a lot of ways to segregate coffee, so I tend to come down on the side of refrigerate it. Stored properly, this coffee might have lasted indefinitely; there is no expiration date on the bag.

After brewing, coffee grounds ought to be disposed of. This does not seem like an ideal coffee to make a second pot with (though a second brewing came out 1/3 as potent, which is way too weak to even be called coffee). These grounds may be thrown in the trash when used or put in a compost pile, if available. Coffee grounds make great compost.

Overall

Melitta Hazelnut Creme Brulee Coffee is mediocre at best, which is disappointing for such a good brand.

For other coffee reviews, please visit my reviews of:
Taster's Choice Gourmet Roast Coffee
The Organic Coffee Co. Rainforest Blend coffee
Seattle's Best Level 5

4/10

For other drink reviews, please check out my Drink Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Average Agents: "Emancipation" Sets Up The Finale.

The Good: Decent performances, Good plot, Special effects
The Bad: Plot heavy, Light on character development
The Basics: "Emancipation" prepares Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. for the two-part season finale by integrating the show with the larger Marvel Cinematic Universe.


When it comes to Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D., it is always exciting to see how the show will try to mesh with the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Following Captain America: Civil War (reviewed here!), Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. had to integrate with the rest of the MCU. Before "Emancipation," Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. worked to get there, by once again "utterly destroying" HYDRA. After all, for Captain America: Civil War's ultimate adversary to work, HYDRA had to actually be destroyed (lest HYDRA's surviving members actually retaining control over the plot macguffin ledger). Lacking HYDRA, Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. now is fighting Hive in Ward's corpse as he works to change the world for Inhumans.

"Emancipation" continues after the climax of "Failed Experiments" (reviewed here!) and is also after the events of Captain America: Civil War. As a result, there are aspects to "Emancipation" that assume viewers have seen the prior episode and the new film. After all, the Sokovia Accords have been signed in "Emancipation" and the "feud" between Steve Rogers and Tony Stark are referenced in the teaser, as is the death of Agent Carter.

Opening with General Talbot visiting Coulson and insisting that Coulson bring S.H.I.E.L.D. into the Sokovia Accords and disclose his Inhuman assets, Coulson brings Talbot into his base. In Hive's base, as Daisy is exsanguinated for Hive's experiments, she hacks S.H.I.E.L.D.'s security system. With Mack out of commission thanks to Daisy, Fitz has to continually reprogram the system while May assigns Fitz and Simmons to figure out what Hive wants. Talbot is introduced to Elena Rodriguez, right before Campbell is able to get in touch with Daisy through her surveillance.

While the Watchdogs make a plan to abduct an Inhuman, Daisy makes a plan to reunite with Campbell. The Watchdogs, though, are part of Hive's plan to get "volunteers" for Dr. Radcliffe's experiments and the parasite uses James to capture several of the hate group members. Fitz and Simmons realize what Hive's goal is: to create an army of Inhumans already under Hive's sway from mundane humans. Talbot argues that Hive should be taken out by the military while Daisy breaks Campbell out of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s headquarters. After Radcliffe's experiment on the Watchdogs creates a horrific slave race of lesser Inhumans, Hive asks him to create more and he asks Daisy to make the ultimate sacrifice for his science. But Coulson's plan to stop Hive may change everything!

The science of "Emancipation" is utterly ridiculous. Dr. Radcliffe is using Daisy's blood in order to get Kree blood out of her. After two years, there is no reason Daisy would have any Kree blood in her; she would have metabolized it a long, long, time ago. Just because Kree blood was used to resurrect Coulson and heal Daisy does not mean the blood would remain in either of their systems years later.

Beyond that, "Emancipation" is insular in a way that will please fans of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.. The return of the Watchdogs, Yo-Yo, Lash and the references to the past relationships and interactions various characters had are only fully understood by those who have been keeping up with the series. The season's hype has been building toward a death that Daisy foresaw in a prior episode and belaboring relationships like Mack and Elena (and Mack and Daisy) and Daisy and Lincoln Campbell seems to be building toward that death. Fans of Joss Whedon's works (and Whedon remains an executive producer on Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D.) would say the smart money for the death would be Fitz or Simmons (though the cross seen in the flashes forward diminishes the probability of either of them and increases the likelihood that the death will be a minor character, like Elena Rodriguez).

"Emancipation" is light on character, as it builds the plot threads needed to organically bring the season to the finale (the two-part finale is next week). Rather pleasantly, characters generally work within their established parameters in "Emancipation." Fitz is geekishly focused on the base, so he overlooks the quinjet. Mack is of more use to Fitz on the tech end than Simmons is and Mack also remains seriously wounded (he does not have superhuman healing!). Campbell's obsession with leaving the base is momentarily engaging, but from a character perspective, it makes much more sense that he would just want to flee everyone and everything as opposed to rejoining Daisy.

"Emancipation" entirely hinges on a last-act reversal to justify itself and it mortgages a lot of its assets. The Watchdog mutants are creepy and that Hive's plan involves creating more is an interesting set-up, but at some point, viewers have to get a pay-off and "Emancipation" only starts the pay-off in the last ten minutes of the episode. Unfortunately, while the last act is good, it sets up a season finale that is - from a plot perspective - virtually identical to the second season finale, down to agents being wounded and in a diminished capacity for the final battle. Jai-Ying and Hive have, essentially, the same goals and Daisy being exhausted from exsanguination is instantly reminiscent of Bobbi Morse being tortured by Ward to sit out most of the second season finale.

The performances in "Emancipation" are fine, but no one gets an exceptional part to play.

The special effects in "Emancipation" are good, though most of the effects are make-up related, save the visual effects surrounding James and his pyrotechnics. The final act uses a decent chunk of the budget, but it looks amazing, so it is money well-spent.

The result is that "Emancipation" is just a very average episode of Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D..

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Agents Of S.H.I.E.L.D. - The Complete Third Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the third season here!
Thanks!]

5/10

For other Marvel movie, television season and episode reviews, please check out my Marvel Cinematic Universe Review Index Page for a listing of those reviews!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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Surprisingly Good: Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel!

The Good: Good scent, Seems to work, Easy to apply
The Bad: Expensive, Not the strongest aroma
The Basics: Bath & Body Works Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-bacterial Hand Gel is good, but not overly aromatic.


For the seasonal scents of Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Hand Gels, there are few that make me wish that I had them year round. The Vanilla Berry Sorbet Hand Gel is good enough that I find I do not have any feelings associated with it that is tied solely to a season. Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel is good, but it is also not the most distinct or powerful scent for an Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel.

For those unfamiliar with the phenomenon, Anti-Bacterial Hand Gels are like liquid soap. You drop a few drops of a gel onto your hands, then rub your hands together and the gel evaporates, killing bacteria on your hands. Also, it has the tendency to clean off mild amounts of dirt. It's a convenient way to clean your hands and keep them sterile while on the run or around a lot of sick people. Or when you're not around water or when you're trying to interact with people you don't want to get sick; there are a ton of times one might want to use these!

Honestly, anti-bacterial hand gels are amazing. The more I learn about the current trend in the spread of communicable diseases, and the ridiculous anti-vaccing movement, the more I want to use them pretty much constantly. I could come up with literally a thousand places and times I've used anti-bacterial hand gels. Anti-bacterial hand gels are essentially biological weapons against bacteria that are convenient, easy to use and basically make living in a first world country great.

Vanilla Berry Sorbet scented anti-bacterial hand gel from Bath & Body Works features a scent that is surprisingly complicated. The aroma is strongly of vanilla, with subtle fruity undertones. The fruit scents are somewhat muted, giving a somewhat milky implication that is much like what sorbet is supposed to be. This 1 oz. PocketBac plastic bottle holds a fluid that smells wonderful. The light pink fluid smells only slightly like isopropyl alcohol alone, which is pretty cool given that isopropyl is the primary ingredient in the gel.

Vanilla Berry Sorbet anti-bacterial hand gel comes in a pocketbac bottle for $1.75, $.99 on sale. The fluid is translucent rose-pink with tiny dark purple flecks in it. The globs don’t seem to do anything.

The bottle is a rhombus shape that fits in the hand rather easily. The flip-top lid makes it easy to open and close the bottle with one hand. This is especially convenient because if you believe you need to sterilize your hands, odds are you will not want to touch many things until you've done. The ability to manipulate the bottle with one hand while getting the product out is a good selling point.

The bottle recommends a dime-sized drop to sterilize one's hands. That seemed to work for me and when applying this gel.

Vanilla Berry Sorbet anti-bacterial hand gel does not dry out the skin and it leaves the hands smelling more fruity than like vanilla on the skin after the initial aroma fades. The fruity scent lingers on the hands for about fifteen minutes after one uses it. Outside the expense, Bath & Body Works has another winner with their Vanilla Berry Sorbet Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel!

For other Bath & Body Works anti-bacterial hand gels, please visit my reviews of:
Crisp Apples Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel
Pumpkin Cupcake Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel
Midnight Pomegranate anti-bacterial hand gel

8/10

For other health and beauty reviews, please check out my Health And Beauty Product Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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"River Of Time" Revitalizes Legends Of Tomorrow!

The Good: Good character moments, Awesome special effects, Decent performances
The Bad: Painfully predictable plot points
The Basics: Legends Of Tomorrow gives everyone a chance to progress in "River Of Time," which puts the crew in direct conflict with Vandal Savage as the Waverider is adrift on its trip to the vanishing point.


There is a real problem with serialized television series's that are erratic, which hinge on the climax of the season. If a story is only made great by its resolution, it is tough to call it great. Legends Of Tomorrow is, alas, in that boat. As the first season moves towards its zenith, it is placing a lot of pressure on its last few episodes to redeem the erratic nature of the rest of the season. With "River Of Time," the series is hoping to get viewers hooked on the concept to see where Legends Of Tomorrow will go. And it does quite a bit to sell the conflict to raise the stakes for the final two episodes of the first season.

"River Of Time" picks up immediately after the events of "Leviathan" (reviewed here!) and it is impossible to discuss the new episode without references to the climax of the prior one. After all, "Leviathan" saw the return of Carter Hall and put Vandal Savage in the custody of the Waverider's crew. Kendra Saunders spared Vandal's life in order to have the potential to restore Carter Hall from Savage's brainwashing and "River Of Time" takes that last-minute reversal and uses it to build a solid b-plot.

Opening in ancient Egypt (1766 B.C.), Rip Hunter is a captive of Vandal Savage in the days before the meteorites hit, making Savage immortal. Flashing back to 2166, Jax and Palmer reveal that Vandal Savage's giant robot is actually far more advanced than any technology in 2166. Realizing that Savage has been moving through time, Hunter takes the Waverider back to the vanishing point, while Saunders and Palmer interrogate the brainwashed Carter Hall. Unfortunately, pushing the Waverider so hard leaves the ship damaged and adrift in the time stream.

When Jax is wounded while repairing the time drive, Lance turns on Hunter. Palmer learns from Savage that Carter Hall getting his memories back will be the death of Saunders's relationship with him. As Jax ages a result of temporal radiation poisoning, Snart and Rory prepare to abandon ship, fearing that Rip Hunter might turn on them at any moment. Stein turns to Savage for advice on saving Jax's life and in sending Jax off in the drop ship, he potentially sacrifices his own life. When Palmer inadvertently releases Savage, the crew has to work together to stop him.

"River Of Time" fleshes out the villain Vandal Savage surprisingly well. Savage tries to manipulate Lance by telling her the truth, just as he confronts Rip Hunter and is surprisingly forthcoming with information. Casper Crump makes Vandal Savage menacing and smart and "River Of Time" gives him the chance to play the character with more depth than the monolithic comic book villain. As Savage reveals truths to Palmer, Lance, and Hunter, Crump takes what could be simple exposition and delivers the lines as acts of cruelty. It's a pretty remarkable performance skill.

Rip Hunter's moral ambiguity is the focus of much of "River Of Time." His willingness to sacrifice everyone and everything for his family is contentious in the episode and as the crew turns on him, he begins to question all that he has built. Hunter becomes commanding as the episode progresses, but he only seems to come into his own as captain after the moral ambiguities of his character are set aside. Rip Hunter has a very Captain Kirk arc in "River Of Time" and Arthur Darvill makes it work for him.

"River Of Time" features flashback scenes that are used to flesh out the various characters in Legends Of Tomorrow. Lance, Palmer, Stein, and Jackson are all given flashbacks to what they were doing when they were recruited by Hunter. The explicit scenes fill in the gaps well for those who want more depth to the core characters of Legends Of Tomorrow.

Despite the ridiculously predictable aspect of Palmer's confrontation with Savage and the irksome way Saunders and Palmer go off-again with the return of Carter Hall, "River Of Time" moves everything forward in enjoyable and compelling ways.

[Knowing that single episodes are an inefficient way to get episodes, it's worth looking into Legends Of Tomorrow - The Complete First Season on DVD or Blu-Ray, which is also a better economical choice than buying individual episodes. Read my review of the premiere season of the time traveling hero team here!
Thanks!]

6.5/10

For other television season and episode reviews, please visit my Television Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprintwithout permission.
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The Betty Crocker Limited Edition Maple Bacon Frosting Is All Right.

The Good: Good flavor, Very easy to use, No storage issues
The Bad: Nutrition, Not the strongest maple flavor.
The Basics: Betty Crocker Maple Bacon Limited Edition frosting is all right, but not all that it could be.


I love maple sugar candy. I'm a big fan of maple sugar candy and I have had more bacon in the past year than in the prior thirty years of my life, largely because my wife is on a ketogenic diet. So, it was a pretty instant draw for me when I stumbled upon the Betty Crocker Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting at my local grocery store. While the limited edition Maple Bacon frosting is good, it is not nearly enough to satisfy those who love maple sugar candy or even maple syrup.

Basics

Betty Crocker Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting is a premade frosting produced by Betty Crocker. It is a frosting that is seasonally-available. The maple frosting is paired with a cap full of finely ground bacon bits to add the bacon flavoring to the maple frosting.

Betty Crocker’s Maple Bacon frosting comes in the company’s standard 16 oz. plastic can. The Maple Bacon frosting is caramel colored, creamy and the bacon is brown and looks like cookie crumbles. The container comes with an easy to snap on clear top that allows consumers to see the bacon and for one to reseal the leftovers for a limited amount of time.

Ease Of Preparation

Betty Crocker Limited Edition is a frosting, so there is not much needed in terms of preparation. Simply pop off the plastic cap, tear off the foil safety seal below that and consume! It is that simple. The top has a seal to keep the bacon in and separated.

Of course, most people use frosting as a component in baking as opposed to consuming on its own. For those who actually want to use this frosting to frost cookies or a cake, this is an exceptionally easy-to-use frosting. It spreads very easily and it does not get hard. The bacon bits need to be pressed into the top of the frosting and they stick in well.

Taste

Opening the container of Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting, the aroma is strongly of maple syrup. The scent is instantly reminiscent of maple sugar candies and is inviting to anyone who loves maple syrup.

On the tongue, the Maple Bacon frosting is creamy and sweet. The somewhat generic sugary flavor is just a little deeper than plain vanilla frosting. The maple flavor within the frosting is nowhere near as strong as the aroma might have indicated. When the bacon crumbles are added to the frosting, the salty flavor actually manages to bring out more of the maple sugar flavor in the frosting. Beyond that, the basic frosting is only mildly maple flavored.

The aftertaste, however, is more strongly what one might expect of a maple frosting. The maple syrup flavor of the frosting comes through most in the aftertaste and it is delightful while that flavor lingers in the mouth. With the bacon bits in the Maple Bacon frosting, the aftertaste tastes salty and somewhat greasy; the perfect embodiment of maple bacon! It is a shame the flavor comes through most on the aftertaste.

Nutrition

Obviously, as a frosting, Betty Crocker cannot help consumers much on the nutrition front. Given that the frosting is made largely of sugar, palm oil and water, this was never going to be a nutritious product. There are various artificial colors and preservatives, so this is not an all-natural product. This contains allergy warnings for milk and is, obviously, not vegan-compliant.

It is also not the best product in the world for you on a nutrition front, though it is gluten free. A 2 Tbsp serving of Betty Crocker’s Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting has 140 calories, 45 of which are from fat. Those 5 grams of fat represent 8% of one’s RDA of tat. Unsurprisingly, one serving is 8% of your RDA of carbohydrates and there is no protein in this frosting. There are, however, 95 mg of sodium in the frosting. This is not a food to try to live off of.

Storage/Cleanup

Keep the frosting sealed and it will last for quite some time. The container we bought after Thanksgiving would have expired on August 6, 2016, had we not opened and used it all before then! This frosting remains supple and spreadable for quite some time, even if the leftovers have been refrigerated.

As a product made mostly of sugar, the Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting is very easy to clean up. Simply washing it off with hot water helps clean off anything this gets on. This is a light frosting, though, so it must be washed out fast of lighter clothes/fabrics.

Overall

The Maple Bacon Betty Crocker Limited Edition Maple Bacon frosting is good and worth trying, but not so exceptional that one has to go out and stock up on it; if you miss it this year, Betty Crocker will probably bring it back next year.

For other foods, please check out my reviews of:
Betty Crocker Rich & Creamy Chocolate frosting
Solid Gold Bars Ginger Cacao! Bars
Lay's Korean Barbecue Potato Chips

5/10

For other food reviews, please visit my Food Review Index Page for an organized listing!

© 2016 W.L. Swarts. May not be reprinted without permission.
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