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The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Ok, well, I’m late again because, you know, major convention we had to cover in my city (look for all THAT coverage here) but also, I’m worried about this one.  Here we go regardless, though. Let’s start that recap recap. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Recap of a recap:  We’re with Duke and Robby and he’s talking about the CT scan we later find out resulted in at least one profanity from Robby. Then we cut to Santos and Langdon, the part where she says only three people know  he stole drugs from the hospital and stay out of her way, and we see that Hashimi was juuuust closeby enough to hear everything. This could be catastrophic for more than just Langdon.  Then, we go all the way back to diabetic dad. Remember him? He ended up leaving AMA - if they still call it that, because even though the hospital tried to save him money, unless it was going to be free it was still going to be a huge financial burden for him even to just be out of work. That’s the sad reality for a lot of people in this country - I’ve been there myself.  She’s asking if he’ll at least stay 4 more hours to get out of the danger zone, and since we know he didn’t, I’m assuming this recap’s eluding to the danger catching up with him. Which.sucks . Now we see Langdon with the heat stroke kid and his mom, for a quick moment, before seeing the intake of the guy who assaulted Emma. I did not need to get this amped up in a recap. Ugh. Here we go. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. 6 pm: Horrible gasping noises. We know it’s Emma. Man, this is brutal. He’s grunting and she’s just gasping for air.  Dana hears it from the nurse’s station and takes off running.  We don’t stay with her though, because Robby’s in with Donnie and Baby Jane Doe. Robby thanks Donnie for watching over the kiddo, and they start a conversation before they notice all the commotion and running.  He takes off running when they say it’s a Code Hula Hoop. Dana lets Robby know that she gave him a shot to settle him down. He asks about the bloody nose and she says he slipped. Robby and the rest check on Emma, who’s breathing and clearly traumatized.  Perlah’s examining Emma, obviously super rattled.  Whit’s looking for Oggy, and Mohan says they let him scrub in on the kidney stone guy. Whit makes a disparaging remark about day one students while Joy’s standing right there. Not par for his course. He corrects and says she’s doing great. She asks for a selfie, cuz he’s a legend, apparently? They call him Phantom of the Pitt because he secretly lived at the hospital for months.  Old clerk fields a red phone call, and it’s med command, so that’s probably new traumas incoming.  Mohan realizes something’s off and asks where all the nurses are. Santos tells them that there was a Code Hula Hoop, and since Mohan’s unfamiliar with the term, fills her in. The new nurse, Emma was attacked. Whit asks if she is ok, and Santos says she thinks so, but we don’t really know much other than she was standing and breathing yet, so I’m still concerned. Every security guy is restraining belligerent golfer. They assure everyone else they’ve got him, and I don’t doubt it. They check in on Emma again who says she’s ok.  Robby asks a breathless Dana what happened and she says that the guy attacked Emma and she gave him a shot. Robby presses though, and asked when he slipped - before or after the shot.   I mean, I think we all know the answer, and I get why he’s asking on one level, but at the same time…if no one brought up the pop quiz, don’t ask about it. She says “before” and Emma backs her up, saying she didn’t see what happened. She gave him 4 mg Versed.  Robby asks where she got the order and she said she had it and was on her way to waste it when shit went down. He frowns and tells her that now this guy’s amped up on alcohol and Versed and has head trauma, so he’ll now need a CT to rule out intracranial bleeding and a fracture.  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max.  Dana’s looking at him like you look at a stranger, and I think we all thought he’d have her back too.  Dana pushes back with “Would you rather it be Emma” and he tells her they need to be done here and pass the patient off.  She tells Emma she’s not going to continue in this case, and Robby says it’s his ER and he makes those decisions. He said pass it off.  She tells Robby off, telling him that if he thinks she’s going to put anyone on her staff in danger with that asshole, he’d better give his fucking head a shake. Damn. I’ve never seen anyone go this hard on Robby.  Mohan, who’d been standing by, says there’s an MVA incoming, and Robby shrinks back and heads off to that.  We’re back together with Langdon and the heatstroke kid’s case, and Ms. Azurmendi, his mom, is asking if she killed her son.  King says no - he’s recovering in pediatric ICU, and Langdon assures her they’re going to come back and check on her. The husband apparently has arrived, and went straight upstairs to the son. Langdon says “really” with some inferred interest, but Hashimi waves him off jumping to conclusions saying that he might just want to see his child first.  She’s not through kicking ass and taking names though, so she corners Robby and asks if they can talk. Privately. He makes a joke about people talking, and she…doesn’t care. This is not gonna be good for him, I don’t think. She chuckles and carries on. He asks what this is about - she says that she’s gonna recommend 2 attendings at one time in the department. She says it’s not healthy for there to be only one person on, and she’s worried about what she witnessed with some of the staff. She mentions that it’s like fight night with Santos and Langdon on his first day back and Robby mentions that Santos was the one who turned him in for taking drugs.  “I’m sorry, WHAT?” - an uncharacteristically huge reaction from Hashimi. She did NOT know he was taking drugs from the ED, nor that Santos was his reporter. Robby doesn’t even answer the question, and only defends the entirety of the ED saying that it’s the best of the best, up there with the best in the nation, and it’s going to be hers to fuck up, so “don’t fuck it up.”   I think you maybe just did, Robby, and perhaps you should’ve answered that. Hashimi’s outside with her jaw dropped, and yeah, i mean, fair. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. In the ambulance bay, Javadi’s uploading her ICE video, and the old clerk is smoking. Javadi mentions that you can’t smoke out there and our old clerk ignores it. The thing about this clerk is, she’s got all the chops of Dana with none of the charm. She asks how old Javadi is and when she answers that she’ll be 21 next Tuesday, she scoffs and says “some kind of idiot savant” Nice. Javadi’s on the warpath and retorts “We don’t use those terms anymore. It’s derogatory.” But dragon lady clerk is ready for it with a nice “You Millenials bruise easy” and when Javadi comes back with “Actually, I’m Gen Z” she scoffs again and says “even worse” taking another drag on her cigarette.  I mean, you don’t have to be a dragon lady. And you’re not even supposed to be here. She says something about how she was stripping to get through school, and calls her a snowflake and Javadi just disengages. Probably the best move at this point. Whit comes out, and he’s talking to Amy, his girlfriend/situationship/maybenot (?) about being later than he thought, when a truck squeals in to the ambulance bay, and a kid pops out of the driver’s seat saying his dad can’t breathe. His name is Oliver, and he’s spitting up pink liquid, so that’s probably not great. Whit gets him and hoists him out of the car. Before long he’s on a stretcher. He’s apparently in renal failure and missed his last dialysis.  Emma’s attacker’s on his way to CT, and Dana says Emma needs a workup, so she asks McKay to do the full workup and help her make a statement to the police. Emma really doesn’t want to do it but even Robby tells her it’s something she should do. Dana says not to worry though, that she’ll be with her for the police report.  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Robby says “her guy” just bumped his guy for CT, and Dana’s incredulous that he’s calling Emma’s attacker “her guy.” He says Duke’s gonna chew him out and he’s never going to get out of here, and Dana says he should tell it to someone who cares.  This time Robby doesn’t let it go, and says she should care, because if he has a force inflicted injury from a sedative, and before he gets to finish she says “if someone else uses force to stop an assault they’re a hero but if a nurse does it they’re punished.”  He presses her on the Versed and asks how she just happened to have a Versed in her pocket. She says it was from the medics, and repeats that she was on her way to have someone sign off on wasting it when she saw Emma being choked.  “Anything else, Nancy Drew?” she asks, and starts to walk away. He asks where she’s going and she says “Taking a pee, or do I need your permission for that too now.”  Man, your attending and your head nurse fighting is bad news, and Robby’s not really functioning properly. Maybe two attendings isn’t a bad idea, Hashy. Dana heads to the restroom in the stormiest of ways one possibly could, checks for feet under the stalls, and has her meltdown. Honestly, I can’t really feel anything but sympathy for her. She saved Emma, and her job’s on the line, and I can’t help but think she used the tools available to her in the moment to do the saving. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Robby takes us back with Whit and Javadi and our new kidney patient, who they’re debating intubating. Whit says there’s a ton of B lines and I’m not sure if that’s bad. They’re using this as a teaching moment and it seemed everyone was fine but Hashimi is harsh with Langdon for trying to answer and tosses questions to Javadi instead. Oh wait, this is kidney guy from outside. He couldn’t get his dialysis at his normal place because the hospital shut down. “Yeah they sure did” Robby laments before heading out to Dana, who does not want to see or talk to him.  He asks to continue they’re conversation but she says she’s got an ED to run, but he begs. Authoritatively. But to his credit he listens.  Emma got attacked twice, they took another nurse, and she’s done with this shit. I mean, fair. Robby says she’s not acting herself, and Dana’s quick answer is “That makes  two of us” which frustrates Robby, who, acting out instead of acting right, says “Do you have something you want to say?” instead of realizing he might need an attitude adjustment of sorts too, and someone’s got to get to him. She confronts him about basically inviting death and not caring if he dies. He says it’s about the motorcycle and she says it’s about everything. They’re about to launch into it when Perlah interrupts to say that Duke’s insisting on leaving and the MVA is here. So another chance for Robby to get dropkicked eludes us. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Mohan and King are at the bedside of our new MVA, an older woman in a lot of pain. She’s got a whole list of conditions, but seems rather ok after a minute seeing her. When they ask what happened though, her husband (maybe) says she “walked into the car” and she stops everything and says “you hit me.” So this is about to be interesting. She’s claiming he backed right into her, but he says he wasn’t even moving. King and Mohan basically put that shit off til later and tell them they’re in good hands for now.  Robby’s with Duke, and he’s pissed because he feels he’s getting doctored, not friended. Well, I’m not sure your friend is very good at either now, but you need a CT scan, Duke, and while you thoroughly creep me out since I remember you from Buffy, in this case, let’s get that done.Robby’s trying to say everything comes with a lesson, just chill, but he’s lost all his charisma and Duke is insistent. But Robby’s still MORE insistent, if not charming anymore. He basically says sit the fuck down, and wait, and Duke does it. Mohan and King are examining our MVA closely, They’re also disagreeing on if she needs a hip CT, which she ends up getting. Mohan goes over and tries to convince the husband to let her examine him “unofficially.”  She stethescopes him, and then asks him to take his shoes off. King’s not sure where she’s going with this, and I’m not either. When Mohan takes the shoes off you can tell he’s rather purpley in the feet. He passes it off as needing a pedicure, but Mohan suggests a Romberg test, and now we get to learn what that is…right? It’s a balance evaluation. He sort of agrees while I think he’s thinking of protesting but we’re back in with kidney patient and everyone’s arguing about him. They’re going to bloodlet him? Ok. We love the odd procedures here. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. McKay is with Emma and she, in fact, is stethescoping her. No evidence of injury, and Emma’s perky, saying she’s had it way worse with her brothers. Dana tries to send her home, but Emma asks to stay. Dana agrees if she stays with Donnie and reiterates that she needs to make a police report, and it feels a little too much like it’s for her and not Emma.  Santos has a big grumpy guy in with her that thinks he broke his collarbone. Match made in heaven. She goes to check in with him thinking it’s a baby with diaper rash and perturbed it’s him. Meanwhile, when she can’t help without first going somewhere else, he’s just as perturbed and shouts “This place sucks” to which Santos then responds “Yeah. Try working here.”  Robby caught that, because of course he did, and thanks her for her hard work on patient satisfaction scores, but it’s not like he’s been making friends and influencing people this shift. She mentions the mismatched chart. Dana’s pushing people to take more people in faster for triage, and we’ve got another big trauma. Dante, blunt trauma from fireworks explosion in a storage unit. No burns, he got thrown into a rolled down garage door. He thinks he’s dying. He can’t hear on one side. His ears are ringing badly. Robby calls McKay in with him. “4 Doctors. I knew this was bad.” I mean, that is a good sign. And it does seem bad. Overall it’s not seeming horrible, bloody though he is. They’re about to look at his “head lac” though. And it’s a flap. And Joy’s lookin’ pekid. I mean, mee too. It’s through the galea. I’m not sure what that is. But hey, Joy just got blasted with blood too, so her day’s just getting better. They need faster Raney sutures and a CT, so Duke’s bumped again, and a grumpy Robby moves in with Oliver. He’s kidney guy, by the way. They’re still fighting over when to talk and when to let the students do it, and I’m not sure why Hashimi’s decided to take this route with Langdon, but he’s sure. I’m sure too, and I hoped she wouldn’t just do that. Langdon decides to chase her down, which I think I might too. Outside King and Mohan talk about the shoe thing and she says she learned it in another job at a podiatrist’s.  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Dana rings her bell and tells everyone to get moving because it’s the 11th hour and that doesn’t mean slow down. McKay and Hashimi chat at the nurse’s station and McKay presses Hashimi to speculate on if it was an accident that our heatstroke boy got left in the car or not. Hashimi asks if it matters, and McKay actually answers the question - not as a doctor, but as a mom, yeah. Hashimi still doesn’t answer directly, saying sometimes she doesn’t know if motherhood made her more understanding or judgemental.  Did we know she was a mother? I don’t know that I recalled. Behind them, a few loved ones are here for their various traumas - we’ve got brother to explosion and daughter to car accident, so Dana sets Monica, our dragon lady clerk, to get them reunited. Princess says she’s sneaking out and Dana tells her to have fun. Princess tells Dana not to stay out too late, and I’d rather she take that advice. Meanwhile, McKay is in with a severely sunburned girl that looks vaguely familiar. And while she is, one of the orderlies (is that a thing now) brings in Roxie’s quilt. She’s obviously shaken by it - because she wasn’t there, and is looking for a place to put it until she can return it. Langdon notices and talks to her about it, and she admits that seeing two little boys say goodbye to their mom makes her want to cry. Langdon tells her to go ahead and cry and she says she can’t even remember the last time that she did, even if she wanted to. Elsewhere, Mohan is telling our new MVA’s daughter that her mom’s going to be fine, and also trying to dig for some information. She lets her know gently that her father had an unsteady gate, and she brushes it off as just another thing wrong with him in his old age.  She pushes back and asks about assisted living options, but she says her parents refuse to even talk about it. This is a way more common problem than people realize. Mohan breaks it to her father that he may need to take another driving test to be able to drive again, as they are mandated to report things that would affect his driving (which I didn’t know) and also tell him, when he inquires about his wife, that they may need a temp move to an assisted living facility since he has limitations that won’t allow him to care for her how she needs. There’s literally no good way to break this to someone, and unsurprisingly, he’s distraught, and his daughter doesn’t look too far behind. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. The dad asks how temporary, and they answer 3-6 months.  His only response: Kill me now. Ok, well, this is an uphill battle. King tries to soften the blow by saying it’s not the same as it was- the facilities are nice and you get your own apartment. She mentions her sister lives in one. He’s not buying it.  His daughter asks what happens if he falls? She knows it’s needed but she’s having trouble figuring out how to get it done. If you haven’t faced this, you may one day, and trust me when I say: it’s tough. I feel for her. Santos comes to fetch Robby in the hallway because scalp guy is back from CT and they’re prepping him.  He was about to go in with Duke but waves through the window and takes off again. Duke will not be pleased. Dana put McKay with our babynurse attacker, and Santos asks if she’s ok. “Physically, yes” is the answer. Then he brings up the chat with Langdon. He says she needs to play nice now that he’s back and she says “until he relapses” and Robby warns her that she’s becoming a good doctor and not to let old conflict get in the way. Sage advice from someone who needs to do a lot of soul searching right now himself. He also says he wants everyone to see the trauma counsellor while he’s gone. Back with our scalp flap guy, they’re irritating it so we can get a good view of it again. They decide they should keep him overnight despite everything looking mostly under control. Garcia’s on the case, and Robby and her spar in a friendly manner for a bit.  Langdon meets up with a still very out of sorts Dana, who’s been looking for Jesse. She says they’ve probably got him in an ICE detention center, but she doesn’t really know and they told her she shouldn’t hold her breath. Just then, babynurse’s evil golf attacker rolls by, and Langdon asks Dana about it.  She says she’s peachy. Langdon says she did what she had to do with that guy, and she gives him a “from your lips” and I hope God hears that. Nothing’s back on him yet. Robby’s in with scalp guy, and he’s recounting his adventure while his head flap gets stapled back on. Robby looks weary of it, and lets him know his brother is in the family room waiting for him just as Joy lets an “oops” escape her lips, obviously upsetting the guy. I mean, that’s the last thing you want to hear, and Santos takes her aside immediately to remind her that’s a word you don’t say in front of patients. It looked like it was cuz a staple sunk in but what do I know? Joy comes back, and resumes stapling, while Robby says fireworks should be left to the professionals. Apparently, scalp guy actually is one though, license and all. Robby’s just crawling out of his skin, and he mentions amor fati, and Santos responds with “more like memento mori” and I worry about them both. When they raise the bed, our scalp guy is far less jocular, and they remind him of his sternum fracture and how laughing or sneezing will now be immensely painful. FUn. Hashimi is in with kidney guy and he’s doing a little better but his potassium is really high. Langdon lets him know that he saved his dad’s life, because his dad’s only talking about how speedy he drove and not to tell his mom. He mentions that there’s no ER anywhere near him anymore and Hashimi lets him know he’ll need to stay a few hours.Whit tries to get him to go out to eat, bujt he wants to stay in with his dad. Whit thanks him for saving his dad, which strikes me as a little odd, even for someone as overly nice as him. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Javadi and him head out and Javadi asks if he’s still thinking of doing rural emergency medicine, and he says he’s not thinking, doing. Meanwhile, Mateo comes in for the night shift.  He hugs Dana and ribs our Influencer Dr. J. Mateo tries to entice her to the night shift in the ER.  Just then, results come back on Emma’s attacker, and Dana snatches them and walks away. In with our attacker, McKay’s sitting with her arms crossed listening to him deny everything. He’s saying he doesn’t remember choking her and he would never do something like that, but, I mean, we all saw it.  Dana slams the paperwork with the lab results on the door so hard that it’s a genuine jumpscare, and even McKay’s saying Dana’s coming in too hot when she goes out to take a look. She asks what he’s saying.  McKay says he’s in shock and doesn’t remember anything. Says he was drinking, things got hazy and he blacked out. She buys it zero. McKay says maybe it’s better if he doesn’t remember what happened, and McKay heads back in with him for the results. CT was negative for a skull fracture and intracranial bleeding, but he tested positive for alcohol. Cool, knew that. But the new information - he also tested positive for cocaine.  He suddenly changes from his innocent little lamb of a non-rememberer and says “that’s a good thing for you and the blonde nurse then isn’t it” and I mean, this week’s punch goes to him for sure. He admits he did a few bumps but seems nonchalant about it. McKay explains that when you mix alcohol and cocaine it creates a new psychoactive molecule that’s more toxic and potent than cocaine that can lead to everything from paranoia to psychosis. He asks what happens now, and she says they observe him for a while, and he gives a statement to the police. I’m not really feeling so easy with how this goes down and what it means for McKay and Dana, and oh man, I’m getting full on malevolent vibes from this one. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Meanwhile, several pirates look on as one of them gets stitched up. Apparently, he got bayonet..ted. Doesn’t seem super bad. Maybe they’re Revolutionary War re-enactors, in fact. I just saw pirates. Either way. Bayonetted. Our historic re-enactors (not pirates) explain that the triangular shaped bayonets of the day were designed to leave wounds that were hard to stitch up, but this is Donnie and we’ve seen his prowess here. He’s as confident as I am, and says they never met him. Langdon’s sweeping in now, so let’s see what that’s about. He’s …a fan? He recognizes them as workers at the fort he used to go to as a kid. He reassures them that Donnie’s the best and they’re gonna be fine. King and Mohan return to talk to our MvA lady and the news is mostly good. She’s got a hairline fracture but no hip fracture or internal bleeding. She’s gotta be off her feet for about 6-8 weeks. They’re ecstatic, and on board with going home and him taking care of her. Her daughter insists that’s not going to work, but they’re absolutely adamant they don’t want strangers at the house and this is giving me PTSD.  She explains they’re helpers not strangers but they still don’t want to do it. Mohan tries to bring up assisted living but that’s even more upsetting. Her daughter asks if her dad can get her on and off the toilet, dress her, or get her up the stairs. He’s grasping at straws and asks her to move in but she says she can’t with work and the kids, and he just says “no, no no!” getting more and more upset. Outside the room they tell her they’ll help support her again. Robby’s finally in with Duke, who’s still there and more or less calm. He still wants out, but Robby reassures him he’s doing his best, it’s a traffic jam and he’s next up.  Duke presses him about why he HAS to start the ride tonight, and he’s just saying he ‘has a schedule’ and has places to go and people to see. It’s bullshit Duke calls wordlessly and he admits “i just want to get out of here.” Duke says he’s worried that if he doens’t get out now he won’t get out at all and observes that ‘this place is like quicksand’ and Robby shows an obvious tell of distress…right before Joy comes in to say something’s not right with fireworks guy. Uh oh.  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Robby ditches Duke again, and Robby brushes it off, but tells him to stay put. Meanwhile, phones are ringing off the hook and things are beeping and we're back with our fireworks guy who’s having decidedly less fun. He can’t breath, his oxygen sats are bad, His brother says “I thought you said he was gonna be ok” and Robby’s just got “Things change” for him. Blah.  Robby stops acknowledging him and calls for Perlah to get him out. She manages to talk him into a breathing exercise and a seat and goes back in to tend to the patient. Santos is scrubbed up for an ‘antical’ approach to drain the blood around his heart, our new main problem. Garcia’s back and getting ready tot take him up for surgery. Garcia actually gives Santos (Trinity, she says) and Robby props for saving him. Good call.  King and Mohan are consulting with the clinical pharmacist to see if they can get to the bottom of our MVA husband’s instability and a few meds might cause this. He’s on a lot of meds that could cause this stuff.  Robby and Santos pass each other, and he tells her to start getting ready to get out and hand off for night shift, while she gives him the least enthusiastic ‘Via con Dios or whatever’ possible. She seems particularly upset he’s leaving, and he actually notices. King and Mohan present their findings and say that several of his meds may be contributing to his poor health. He doesn’t like the maybe. They push back, as none of the meds are critical. Nevertheless he says run it by the family. He also mentions that he knows Mohan’s looking for a specialty and he recommends geriatrics, as she seems to have a knack and there’s usually an opening. I’m not sure how she’ll take this. It seems a little insulting the way he says she has a predisposition to the pace. You kinda suck still, don’t you Robby. Robby asks dragon lady if she saw Dana, and she says she thinks she went out for a smoke, so he books it outside. She is there with a cigarette and she looks like she’s not gonna talk. He’s pushing her for what “really happened” in there and saying she could lose her nursing license. He guesses she had the Versed dosed up for Doug Driscoll, her own attacker, since she had been attacked, and had been carrying it since. She stands by what she did and says that she did exactly what she needed to do and a young nurse gets to go home because of her. She says she can have McKay sign the Versed order if he won’t. Robby says he’s not saying he won’t. Well, he yells it, and then says he’ll sign an extra so she can have one while he’s gone. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. He’s still super heated. “It’s not like I’m against nurse safety. I’m trying to advocate for your caution, because you’re the one who’s supposed to be running this place when I’m gone, not roaming the halls like some vigilante.” Yikes. But Dana doesn’t sit on this shit. “It’s always do as I say not as I do. What is wrong with you today?” He has a list. Samira’s missed triple-a, Mel and Ellis’ deposition, McKay’s in the park, fucking Langdon- and Dana stops him.  “At some point you and Langdon gotta work this out.” she yells at him, but he’s already yelling “I don’t want him here” over her. “He made a mistake and he paid for it.”  “Did he? Did he go to jail? Because I let him commit a crime, what does that make me” “Human!”  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Robby insists someone could’ve died, but Dana just says “Somebody’s always dying” and Robby’s pissed she’s making jokes. She says Langdon didn’t kill anybody, and Robby chimes in with “that we know of” and Dana’s had it. He saved a lot of lives that we do know of, she reminds him. He made a mistake, and he’s your guy, she says.  Kids disappoint us sometimes, she says. She says he’s taking it personally but it’s on Langdon.  Robby asks how he can leave with everything like this and Dana’s got no sympathy. First you can’t stay, now you can’t go, which is it?” He insists he is going but he wishes he left it better than it is. She calls his BS and says this is what they do every day and every night and he’s being precious about it, basically. She reminds him the place survived without Adamson, without her, and will survive without him, and he looks genuinely mad, and hurt. She's already gone though. Inside, Mohan and King are explaining that the meds could be impacting the father, and if he goes off of them he may find he’s able to do more, and they can perhaps stay at home.  They ask for more info and King starts to let them know that they can do it with PT, and an at home nurse that visits a few times a week and personal shoppers. Our MVA patient says that sounds expensive, and she’s right, it is, but King’s right there to let her know that Medicare covers it and there’s assistance beyond that, too. The father points out that every old person knows what it’s like to be young, but young people don’t know what it’s like to be old, and that’s something to really take to heart when you do interact with older people, I think.  Santos comes out of a patient room, and pockets a scalpel with a gulp just before Whit walks up to ask if she’s doing alright. I do NOT appreciate where this is going. Whit says he’s gonna keep standing there long after she asks him to leave, and I think he saw.  She explains a little more of why the Langdon things upsets her - he gaslit her on her first day as a doctor and made her question her skills. She took a long time to feel comfortable and now he’s back. She says it’s like no one remembers. She says Robby was the only one who saw through all the shit but he’s going on a bullshit spirit quest.  Whit asks what about Garcia, and she says basically she’s her sex stress squeeze toy and that’s it. She says she doesn’t like her, she likes getting laid, and Whit just says “That’s kinda dark.” Which it is, and I don’t honestly think that’s what she feels. It might be a fling, sure, but there’s feeling sphere. She just didn’t want to get involved with Langdon. She even suggests they be a couple, to which he remarks “That’s kinda dark.”  Santos turns the tables and confronts him about being shady about moving out on her, and he’s taken aback by it.She knows he’s gonna be squatting at Robby’s. He thought it was Santos trying to get him out of the apartment, so there’s a misunderstanding I hope works itself out right now to be hashed out. Turns out she wanted him to give him a lecture, not the keys to his house.  Whit has a moment of realization and hits her with the Oh my God.  She freaks out, and realizes she’s let on that she likes him living with her. She lists complaints but she’s showed her hand. He says he’s just gonna water the plants at Robby’s and still stay at home. She calls him a fuckleberry and storms off, and Javadi congratulates him on being a pain in her ass. It was fun. The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. McKay’s taking a huge breath so we know she’s going in to see Emma’s attacker. He’s a smarmy asshole, and demands to know when he can get the restraints off and go home.and she’s got no patience. “You assaulted a nurse” and he’s all like “blame in on the psychoactive you told me about” but sas she points out, if you get drunk and kill someone, you still killed someone, and tells him, basically, he’s up shit creek and will be taking a ride with a cop when he’s released. To their custody. Our whiny shithead tells McKay she’s ruining his life, but like, you did that yourself, bruh. She basically laughs at him and tells him it’s gonna take even longer given that it’s a holiday. She goes to leave but then decides to give him some info on where he can get help anyway. Which he violently throws at her while expressing his intent  to sue her and the hospital for personal injury. Ok dickface, let’s see how that works out for you. She smiles and says “good luck convincing a jury’ before making her exit, and like the temper tantrum having cokehead he is, he screams at her on the way out, which gives at least one of the officers outside the room cause to give him a death glare. Dana’s with the nursing staff and coaching everyone on what they need to do, and things seem to be ok. Hashimi’s beaming - the other hospitals settled their disputes and paid ransom and The Pitt is secure in their defenses and wanting to turn things back on.  He asks what she means and she says it’s time to fly - nothing here we can’t handle in night shift - why does that seem like the wrong answer for you Robby, huh? He’s free to go.  Just then a nurse wheels Duke by, and he’s finally getting his CT. Robby renews his promise to stay til he’s through, but he’s seeming ok with being with the very cute young nurse. A little ick there, but y’know, ok. McKay’s there to ask if this is it, and he asks her to make sure things don’t burn down. She’s got advice for him too - she said she’s met a lot of edge chasers in different parts of her life who wanted to see how close to the end they could get, and they all found that end, and that’s the trouble.  She says she's picking up on a weird vibe from him today when he tries to shrug it off.  The Pitt, S2E12. HBO Max. Langdon notices Joy leaving and is stunned. She said her shift’s over and she’s not being paid to stay here anymore, quite opposite in fact and he chides her sayin that everyone does their part when they’re in disaster mode and they give time if it’s needed.  She has a stat on ED burnout to bring out, and she says he needs to learn to set boundaries. She bumps into night shift and says “ good luck in there, sorry about the mess” which alarms at least one night shifter. Mohan sees one person rolling in with night crew and recognizes him instantly - Orlando.  And we fade to black.  Nothing seems very good at all, and we’re in overtime. I guess we see what develops.  I’m a little scared.

The superhero movie landscape was a little different a couple decades ago, before the MCU in its current form began dominating both the box office and the small screen by releasing multiple movies and shows nearly every year. While we had plenty of superhero shows and movies in the early aughts, they weren’t as omnipresent in the entertainment landscape as they’ve been in the last decade. Photo by Aaron Cynic In 2005, the second live-action attempt at Fantastic Four was released, starring Ioan Gruffudd, Jessica Alba, Chris Evans, and Michael Chiklis. It received decidedly mixed reviews and spawned one sequel, the Rise of the Silver Surfer , before being rebooted in 2015 to an abysmal reception, and again in 2025, garnering overwhelmingly positive reviews. With its latest iteration launching phase six of the Marvel universe, the 2005 version almost feels like a cult classic. It might not have grossed what First Steps did or had the same amount of enthusiasm from critics, but it’s still a damn fine movie. On Sunday at C2E2, Ioan Gruffudd (Reed Richards) and Michael Chiklis (The Thing) sat down to talk with fans about it. Photo by Aaron Cynic Chiklis said that Fantastic Four was among the first four comics he bought as a child and it was his favorite growing up. “My favorite comic was Fantastic Four…I was very young, and I already knew I wanted to be an actor. I said to my brother at some point, ‘if they ever make a movie of this I’m gonna play The Thing.’ Somehow that happened,” he said. “I was like 10 or 12 years old when I said that, so when I found myself doing it, I was like ‘how did this happen,’ but I found myself doing it.” Gruffudd said that after they found their feet, the cast became something of a family, which worked well for the film. “As actors, at the beginning you’re immersed in your own character and you’re immersed in bringing that to life, and for me there was a lot of pressure to bring this character to life. Because he’s such a beloved character from quintessentially American comic books. So here I was, a Brit, coming to fill these big shoes. We were all sort of figuring out our characters. Michael was dealing with not just his character but the costume element. We were all just figuring it out and realizing we were in something big and extraordinary. After that process of unease and figuring it out, through the script and what it asked us to do, we became this family. It was sort of natural scenes we had together. There was a lot of fun, a lot of banter, and I think that transferred into the screen.” Photo by Aaron Cynic Gruffudd said while he wasn’t familiar with the comics initially, he immersed himself in them in order to find himself in Reed Richards. “Because I wasn’t familiar with the comic book, I spent a lot of time reading the comic books, the anthologies. It’s a bit like playing a historical character…there’s a wealth of books and historical records,” said Gruffudd. “I think I found him there and realized I have him in me somewhere, I just have to bring that out. It’s been such a feeling of pride for me when people come to me at these conventions saying that they feel the same way. They feel I have brought that character from the page to life. I always feel very proud when I hear that.” Chiklis added that the famous suit he had to don to play The Thing helped shape how he played the character. He said it was one of the reasons he immediately connected with the character. Photo by Aaron Cynic “I think that was one of the best decisions I made, even though be careful what you wish for... I was the one who insisted we use a practical costume. I didn’t want it to be CGI,” said Chiklis. “The people at Spectral Motion did an amazing job, although I think their focus in the first movie was really on the look of the character and not that a human being would be in the suit,” he joked. “I don’t regret the choice and I’m glad they did it,” Chiklis added. “Ben Grimm is a man who’s trapped in a body that he can’t get out of. That was easy to play because I was trapped in a body I didn’t want to be in. What I’m most proud of is that I was able through all of that to bring the humanity of the character through all of that and it works.” Photo by Aaron Cynic

Screenshot: Ember Island Every few months on social media, a post goes viral from an aspiring author boasting that they don’t read books. Their rationale is that ignoring the medium keeps their voice 'pure' and ensures total originality. They argue for the absolute virtue of a fresh perspective. What they fail to realize—and what professionals are always quick to point out—is that ignoring a medium’s history doesn't guarantee innovation. It just guarantees you'll stumble blindly into every cliché, structural trap, and pacing error that experienced creators learned to sidestep years ago. Playing Ember Island  feels a bit like reading one of those novels: you can see the unpolluted enthusiasm, but you are constantly tripping over easily preventable pratfalls in game design. Ember Island  is a side-scrolling, retro-inspired platformer. It bills itself as a “quarter-burner” and that’s no problem—I’m always up for a bit of retro. I play old and new games every day. But retro doesn’t always mean better. Screenshot: Ember Island I don’t want to be too hard on developer Calibus Creations. I’ll admit that I sometimes judge indie games on a bit of a curve. I’ll let things like production value go as long as the gameplay is good. Ember Island  doesn't really have that going for it. There’s a lot of 'okay' there, but not much good, and nothing I could qualify as “great.” It doesn't just lack polish; it lacks a soul. It looks exactly like the uncanny video an LLM spits out when prompted to generate a "retro platformer"—all the recognizable shapes are there, but none of the structural logic. Everything from the art to the gameplay itself is lacking in polish and fun. I do have to give some props for character and enemy design, but that’s where my praise ends. Movement is floaty. Combat feels generally unsatisfying. Even the three different character classes don’t bring much to the table. They all three have the same damage output, with differences being stats like speed, health, and mana. And you’d think one of the melee classes would have a short attack that’s fast and a longer-range, slower attack, right? Nope. In fact, according to the game’s stats, all three characters do the exact same damage. You can pick up mana and health items that push those pools higher than the character's starting stats, making those initial baseline numbers basically just “starter stats” and ultimately useless. There’s really no other progression than 'go right, see what’s next.' Sometimes, when the game is good enough, fun enough, and satisfying enough to play, that’s plenty. But a game like Ember Island  needs something else—or at the very least, more polish. Not only is the combat not fun and the movement floaty, but the game is also frequently unfair. Sure, you can learn enemy placement, but having enemies drop literally on top of your character isn’t fun. Neither are instant-death moments. But it doesn't matter much. Even if you lose all three of your lives, there is an endless amount of continues. This completely misunderstands the arcade economy. A true quarter-burner relies on tight, fun mechanics to keep you feeding the machine. Ember Island  relies on cheap deaths and unlimited continues, removing any actual stakes. Screenshot: Ember Island The absolute worst part of the game is the sound effects. Especially as the mage, each time you attack you make a loud, ear-grating shout. There could have at least been some variation, or really anything else but what’s there. There aren't really even any great enemy encounters. There are enemies that shoot and others that melee, but most tend to path around aimlessly, often bunching up into overlapping, frustrating damage hitboxes. If you get struck, you take damage and get flung backwards, which can lead to lots of instant deaths by falling into water or lava, especially if you lose patience because the enemy you’re waiting to move just won’t leave the ledge. I don’t often find so little to like about a game, but Ember Island  feels fundamentally uninspired. It’s exactly what happens when developers try to write the book without reading the genre’s history first, and it hurts my video game-loving heart to give it such a verdict.

Screenshot: Poker Night at the Inventory Somewhere in my awareness, I knew the Telltale Sam & Max  games had been remastered, but I didn’t expect Skunkape to bring Poker Night at the Inventory  back into the hands of modern audiences. Not that it’s really  for modern audiences. It stands as a curious time capsule of characters who once dominated gaming and internet culture, but have since become icons of yesteryear. While their mainstream relevance might not be what it was in 2010, the crossover still works, and underneath the nostalgia is a surprisingly decent game of poker. Screenshot: Poker Night at the Inventory I’m certainly not complaining that this modern version of Poker Night  is available. I’m all about game preservation, and since the original was delisted in 2019 when its IP rights expired, this doesn’t feel like a mindless cash grab. That is especially true since developer Skunkape put a fair amount of work into taking the original game’s underlying code and elevating it from a novelty experience to a mechanically sound poker simulator. Skunkape completely rewrote the engine’s mechanics, so opponents now play a much more accurate game of Texas Hold’em, making decisions that actually align with their distinct personalities. Screenshot: Poker Night at the Inventory A good amount of work has also been put into the game’s visuals. Character models are now in high definition, animations have been sharpened up, and the Inventory itself has been spruced up with more environmental details, new Easter eggs, and a revamped lighting system to set the mood. Skunkape has also thrown in a handful of welcome quality-of-life toggles. You can now adjust the AI difficulty, lower the stakes, and change the starting buy-in if you want a more relaxed experience. If you prefer a cleaner game, you can turn off the profanity, and you can even dial back the frequency of the banter once you've heard all the jokes. There are also new visual filters, like motion blur and film grain, to tweak the cinematic vibe. Screenshot: Poker Night at the Inventory One of the massive draws of the 2010 release was its tie-in with Team Fortress 2 . As an homage to that, on the PC version, you can once again acquire "Reissued" versions of the characters' signature items for TF2 . By busting out specific characters during collateral rounds, you can unlock the Iron Curtain (The Heavy), the Enthusiast's Timepiece (Tycho), the Lugermorph/License to Maim (Max), and the Dangeresque, Too? sunglasses (Strong Bad). On Steam, these transfer directly into your TF2  inventory, carrying a "Reissued" tag in the title to preserve the rarity and trading economy of the 2010 originals. On other platforms, you unlock them as in-game trophies to show off, so there’s still an incentive to collect them. Screenshot: Poker Night at the Inventory While Poker Night at the Inventory  isn’t the absolute best poker game out there, Skunkape’s remaster has undeniably made it a better one. I hope they continue this rerelease trend and get the rights to do Poker Night 2  next.

If you are cued (or queued) into the world of entertainment posters, you know how unique and beautiful the work can be. From galleries like Bottleneck Gallery, Mondo, and SpokeArt to direct work with film and TV studios, posters mix the world of creativity and commercial utility. On Friday renown poster artists Tracie Ching and Robert Wilson IV took over S405b for a talk all about the poster industry. I purposefully noted the panel room for this talk because with 10 mins til start time, the room was nearly at capacity. A few moment later it became a standing room only panel, really showing off how much interest there is in the world of posters. It's no surprise, as exhibitors and Artist Alley booths are more often than not filled with creatives' work blown up to anywhere from 8x10 to 24x36 to show off in all their glory. However Tracie Ching certainly was pleasantly surprised by the turn out and prepped the crowd for the panel, letting them know that Q&A would come at the end and that she was willing to sit around awkwardly for as long as needed for people to come up with questions, something that was absolutely no an issue when it came time for questions later while walking  the packed room through her process of poster creation. Traci started off focusing on her Andor commercial work for a zine that was a part of the acclaimed TV show's Emmy campaign. This being the most directly commercial work of the panel, it showed just how important creative work like this can be. It also highlighted Ching's tight work process, which is very close to the finished product right from the pitching stage. Robert Wilson III alternatively spoke about his work on an Ultraman poster which he got the job for after creating an unofficial design. This was a persistent theme of the panel, that fan art often catches the eye of companies positively, occasionally being the spark that causes them to reach out for official work. Wilson shared his love of manga, particularly the detail of Berserk and motion of One Punch Man, and wanted to put that emphasis into his official Ultraman piece. His initial pitches, a serious of profile portraits, lacked that visual representation but his full body Ultraman image brought all that action he truly wanted to the forefront. Tracie obviously started out personal work like everyone and showed off her print of Kiki's Delivery Service. Tracie self admittedly uses lots of reference and even said that she simply is trying to recreate real world images. For that print she drew bread for weeks upon weeks, started with a specific palette and stuck to it (something she does not recommend), and made necessary changes to make the idea work (like dropping one or two of her lovely bread drawings) Robert also highlighted his Godzilla 1954 official print, which needed to be screen accurate to the original, of which he was as familiar with compared to the Godzilla of the 70s and 80s. Toho requested 4 rough and distinct sketches of a screen accurate Godzilla followed by tons of notes (Godzilla looks too mean, the eyes just aren't googly enough!). Wilson stated that at the time he was not used to having so many layers of approvals needed and there were more cooks in this kitchen than he expected Tracie Ching also shared her Kaiju work with a Mothra poster she did for Mondo. This work required Ching to do things differently than she normally would: specifically, working in a larger size of 24x36 (2x as big as she usually draws) and focusing on a landscape image instead of portrait. It was a project that tested her abilities and taught her a little more about trust between client and artists and willingness to change and grow. Unfortunately the Q&A section was incredibly short. This is truly a case of a panel that need a slightly larger room and a tad bit more time to really dig deep into the process of poster making. There were some fun insights in the short section like both artists wanting to work on projects they never even thought of; creating trust between an artists and client is incredibly important and that a certain wonderful woman is very difficult to get likeness approval from. If there is one thing to take away form the panel it's this: creating the world you like is the best way to attract studios and fans to appreciate your work.

Sometimes, I miss Sunday best. Maybe it was never a thing for you, but especially around Easter it meant brand new dresses, shiny white patent leather shoes, bows and curls. I'm not saying I want to dress like that every day. I'm not even wearing what you'd call "acceptable" clothes as I'm typing this. I just like all the fresh crisp shirts and pleated skirts of a good fancy affair now and then. It's the idea that we get to have fun being fancy in the sunshine. What's one person's Sunday bests is not another's though. For example, you might be in a classic floral, and I might be covered in EVA foam and LED lights stomping around as the coolest damn mech you've ever seen. Getting all dressed up means a lot of things to a lot of people, but when the effort is there, you can't deny it. Well, we can't deny that our talented photographers Aaron Cynic and Marielle Bokor have a good eye for great craftmanship and artistry, and we can't deny that you look really good in all the amazing costumes you had on for C2E2 yesterday. Stay tuned after more of us recover from the con floor for even more C2E2 content.

I’d say I was waiting for the E! Docuseries to air its America’s Next Top Model episodes for me to comment on The Tyra one where Tyra didn’t have anything to do with production see, so it’s totally non-biased. Except, surprise, or not, if you’ve seen the documentary, the part where you think you’re getting some expose about what happened and potentially have the people involved at least fess up to it and try to make some amends has been replaced with Tyra, in a trench coat, saying all at once that she spent long evenings on the cutting room floor but really didn’t have anything to do with production, and that the audience deserved it because they were asking for it, basically.  So what happens is, the guilty pleasure show that probably had a much larger effect on you than you would’ve thought as a child, because by the numbers a lot of ANTM’s core fanbase was me, who was freshly 20 and people my sister’s age and much much younger - tweens and teens – is actually blaming you for liking it while taking absolutely no responsibility for the harmful messages it was sending or the inhumane way it treated contestants, AND teasing a brand.new .season.  Stop! No, seriously. Stop. Maybe I didn’t write what I thought of the documentary because a bad review still ticks the SEO machine in the franchise’s direction and I want them to have none of the attention. See, the thing is, I don’t believe in boundless cancellation. I think there’s room for rehabilitation if there’s recognizance and an actual effort to restore damage done. But when your, I’m sorry, “not your” documentary not only features you in between every blatantly condemning scene denying that you’re at fault for anything, then I don’t feel like entertaining that kind of gaslighting and manipulation. It’s not fun. And the thing is - I think there’d have been a certain beauty to it, if anyone at all seemed to do anything but take the blame off themselves. There was far more fingerpointing and “It was a different time” and not enough simple “I fucked up, and that’s on me.”  The thing is, my generation? Owning up to it is all we care about – we’re not here to mete out justice. We just want you to know better next time and do better. I mean, isn’t that the entire point in pointing out bad behavior?  While I do think Niles, and Miss and Mister Jay had some good reflections, I still can’t help but feel like they could’ve done better, and Tyra? For one, the trench coat is giving me some weird cult vibes, and the monotone yet very announcerly answers are, frankly, infuriating me no matter what drivel they form into on the back end. It’s not even that I don’t understand, or haven’t made some rather distasteful mistakes in my past I would hope wouldn’t get dredged up - it’s just that dismissing, minimizing and gaslighting us to believe, in fact, we WANTED this…well…WE WERE ROOTING FOR YOU! WE WERE ALL ROOTING FOR YOU! And Tyra?  You let us down.

Andy Weir @ C2E2 2026. Photo: Marielle Bokor Project Hail Mary is still going strong at the box office, so it’s no wonder that Andy Weir was in such a great mood during his panel at C2E2. And that room was packed. I’ve never seen a side panel room get filled to the brim, but Mr. Weir attracted a sizable chunk of Sunday’s C2E2 attendees. Andy Weir doesn’t just write know-it-alls, he’s a surprisingly educated and quick witted waggish sort that had the crowd both in awe of his intellect and rolling with his humor–even if the humor wasn’t always the most appropriate. There were also a few science lessons, too. Did you know that neutrinos are passing through you right now? I had no idea. Even at night, because they pass through the earth, too.  Andy Weir @ C2E2 2026. Photo: Marielle Bokor The panel started off with Weir pointing out some Project Hail Mary merchandise in the front, as if he was complimenting them only for him to jokingly say “I want you to know that none of that is legitimate.” Then host Mike Zevin. Sorry, Doctor Mike Zevin, Astrophysicist at the Adler Planetarium, backed Weir up saying “”So, Andy’s going to be collecting money at the door as you guys are leaving.” with Weir interjecting “No, you’re going to be hearing from my lawyer!” And this set the tone for the next 45 minutes as Weir and Zevin played off of each other and the crowd.  Panel host Dr. Mike Zevin, who is as much a fan of the science that goes into Weir’s work as we all are asked Weir about his sources, saying “Your stories stay so true to so much of the science and what amazes me is, I mean, they span from astrophysics to Aerospace engineering to botany and molecular biology. How do you learn all of this stuff” I mean, relativity, which is one of my favorite topics…” with Weir interjecting with, simply: “Google.” Weir goes on to explain that scientists love to get their information out there, and it’s easily accessible on the internet.  Andy Weir @ C2E2 2026. Photo: Marielle Bokor Dr. Mike Zevin at one point  asked Weir:  “What do you think happened to Earth during the time when Grace was not in contact and what happened after they solved their problem?” Weir starts with, “Well, I appreciate you asking me to write a sequel right here.” and goes on to say, “ I have lots of ideas for that, but I'm not going to talk about that right now because it might be in future books…so. Yeah, um, yeah, no, I have lots of ideas on that sort of thing.” So it sounds like some solid foundations for a sequel have been laid, at least in Weir’s mind, who admitted he lets ideas roll around in his head for a while before committing them to paper. And based on his process, this idea might morph into a whole other project. When he was talking about how Project Hail Mary formed, he said: “Well, ( Project Hail Mary) is actually sort of a pastiche of, like five different story ideas that I had, none of which were a good story.  But when I glued them together, they made a pretty good story.  Like, so I had one idea about, like, ‘What if humanity had access to a mass conversion fuel? That'd be cool.’ And then another one was like, ‘I want to write a story where a guy just wakes up on a spaceship with amnesia, no further information.’ And I always wanted to write a first Contact story. And in a book that I wrote, I got 70,000 words into and then dumped it because it sucked, there was a character who was a woman who was given, like, just unbelievable amounts of endless authority to solve the next essential threat. And I liked her, so I pulled her out of that book and put it in here.” Which is undoubtedly a reference to the character of Eva Stratt, who was played by Sandra Hüller in the film.  Andy Weir @ C2E2 2026. Photo: Marielle Bokor Weir goes on to say, “The main impetus, though I would say, was the idea of: I wanted humanity to get  a mass conversion-based fuel. And my original idea was like, we get this fuel somehow, and then, like, not in a thousand years, but, like, today. My original idea was, we colonize the solar system not in, like, centuries, but like, now. There's like Britney Spears fans on Mars. You know what I mean?  I thought that'd be an interesting dichotomy. And, and then I'm, like ‘ But where would they get that? It's a bit much to say we magically invented it. Maybe they find it on a crashed alien spaceship. Well, then, wouldn't the rest of the tech on the space ship be more interesting? Okay, what if it all rotted? And all that's left is the fuel. Well, then, once we use the fuel, we're out of the fuel. Okay, well, what if the thing is reversible if you shine light at it, it makes more fuel and I'm, like, ‘well, that sounds like a life form.’ You got something that absorbs energy and makes copies of itself. Okay, so what if it's like an Interstellar life form? Like, why would that happen? I'm like, okay, it's like a mold that lives on stars. And it breeds. I'm, like, okay there. Finally, I did all the BS necessary to get humanity a mass conversion fuel, now I can write my story about colonizing the Solar System and I’m like ‘oh yeah, that would really suck if that got on our star.’ And then I was like ‘Oh, yeah, okay, that’s the story.” And now Rocky is a pop culture icon that host Mike Zevin said may be even more popular than Grogu. Personally,  I’d love to see more Rocky and Ryland Grace in the future, so I’m hoping Andy finds another 5 great ideas he can turn into a sequel.

We certainly thought opening day at C2E2 was the most jam packed one in recent memory, but of course Saturday raised the ante. Saturdays are usually the biggest day of the event so it was no surprise that McCormick Place was chock full of even more amazing cosplay, more panels and more fans filling up the aisles at Chicago's premiere pop culture event! Once again our intrepid photographers - Julian Ramirez, and Marielle Bokor  - were out on the floor to capture just a taste of the incredible atmosphere that C2E2 has to offer! Check out our shots of Saturdays fantastic offerings.

Well, the madness is upon us again - and Friday pulled no punches. The parking garage was full before noon, people were double parked, the Main Stage is somewhere new, the hall aisles are kicked out wide - and we're ready? We weren't the only ones ready to show out though - there was a ton of great cosplay even for a first day of the convention. We had our roving photographers - Aaron Cynic, Julian Ramirez, and Marielle Bokor - out on the floor to capture all your amazing 'fits - and you didn't disappoint. Be amazed. We know we were. See you out there tomorrow, Chicago!

Ok, so. Let's just get this out of the way: It's C2E2 weekend, and we're walking in blind. Why? Well, simply put: THEY CHANGED IT ALL! Ok, so, that's not entirely true - I mean, we're still getting The Yard, all of our Chicago favorites from Jackbox and Revolution Brewing to Second City, Anderson Books and more - it's just that THEY CHANGED IT ALL! Perhaps it's just my anxiety talking. I've been doing these guides for years now, and most of the time, we don't have to talk logistics. Other than: get there early, pack snacks, and if you're in line, prepare to be bored unless you've got a charger or backup battery, books, games, or snacks. Hydrate, comfy shoes - we know the drill. Except this time, we don't. Guys - the main panel room is no longer. Gone. Like the red carpet. I'm still mad about that, tbh. Anyway, remember our beloved main panel room? You know, where we saw all the cosplay championships, and reunions, and where the music got so loud the floor would shake sometimes? Remember when they sold Connie's pizza and drinks in the back so if you had to cover like 3 big panels you could still eat and drink and stuff? (They took that away too. Harumph.) Anyway, that's now "The Tavern" which is sort of a medieval, ttrpg, dungeons and dragons sort of meeting place with its own constant programming that you should probably check out. Meanwhile, DOWNSTAIRS by where you enter (near the jumpy water fountains) in what used to be the Will Call room sometimes, is NOW S100, our grand poobah of rooms, The Main Stage. I'm not sure how this plays out. According to the McCormick Place website, our new Main Panel Room boasts 65000 square feet of space for everyone to cram into. That's honestly a hard amount of square feet to wrap your brain around, especially when it's only a fraction of the stupidly large McCormick Place itself. It's downstairs where you first come in, which to me smells like a traffic jam, especially when you consider the queue hall is also downstairs, but this is supposed to be an improvement. I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Speaking of, let's lace up our shoes and get out our notebooks and figure out where the hell we're going each day of the con, based on our individual interests! Friday, March 27th I'm not ready. It's 3 am, and I'm still writing this. If you happen to know what I look like and see me in a panel room, and I'm sleeping, well now you know why. Let's do the thing though, cuz you're gonna need to know where to go once you get your badge and your bearings, aren'tcha? If you're an artist , or just want to try your hand at it, Grotesque Burlesque is hosting figure drawing from 11- 12 pm on the Cosplay Central Show Floor so you can do something a little bit sketch to start out your adventure But if you've got some kiddos you want to shake off a little energy BEFORE you head to a panel room or autograph line, check out Get in Hero Shape for some kid friendly fitness out on the show floor in the Family Interactive area. That's from 11-12 pm and your later self will thank you. OR If you're here to make friends that share your nerdy passions, why not try C2E2 Speed Friending in the S406 Lobby (aka, the Tavern Lobby, friends). That's also from 11 to noon. BUT If podcasting is your passion and you're a local, why not head to Chicago Podcasters Unite from 12:30 to 1:15 in S401D and plan some crossovers. Disney adults , be prepared for singing with the Disney Adult Singalong at 1:30 -2:15 in The Yard - this time you're SUPPOSED to belt out Let It Go and Part of Your World and you won't be told to "quiet down" because "this is a library not a concert hall." Sheesh. OR If you love adventure games and Nathan Drake , you'd better be at the brand new Main Stage S100 at 1:30 - 2:30 where you can check out Uncharted: Celebrating the Adventure with Nolan North, Richard McGonagle and Emily Rose. If you've been on the floor all day and running to panels and could use a little chillout with a positive spin and some absolutely stunningly sparkly people - why not head to Drag Story Hour from 2 to 3 pm over in the Family Interactive section of the show floor. OR If your brand of relaxing is some party game action , spread out on the fake grass of The Yard from 2:45 to 3:45 for some interactive gaming fun with Jackbox Games . Hey, you there! You look like you like eyeliner and being sad. (just kidding) Anyway, Panel! At the Disco: The Emo Comic Connect is at 3-4 pm in S403 , and you can talk music, wardrobe or anything else your heart desires there. BUT Make sure you're not also a huge fan of One Piece! Because Set Sail! The Voices of One Piece is gracing the S404 stage at 3-4 pm also and features Colleen Clinkenbeard and Christopher Sabat. OR If you're a fan of classic movies and classic celebs , why not check out Geena Davis, in her A League of Her Own panel at 3-4 pm on our new Main Stage in S100. Here's a place we'll stop to say - there's great things going on on the show floor and beyond every single day of the con, and one of those things is all the gaming stuff out on the floor over in Side Quest , run by Chicago's very own Kevin Fair of I Play Games along with many other collaborators, to include the incredible Galloping Ghost Arcade - but KFair and his crew are the real deal and all of his tournaments are well run and tons of fun because this is what he does - and does well. We're recommending the Street Fighter 6 tourney on Friday night because of how much fun we had last year stumbling upon it while scooping the loop - we couldn't help but want to join in and honestly - do it. Sign up, join in, and game. It's at Side Quest on the show floor from 4-7 pm. If you're an anime fan , head to S402B for Anime Trivia from 5:15 to 6:15 OR If you're up for something sexy (?) and you're 18+ , check out Cyanide and Happiness' Sexy Game Show from 5:15-6:15 BUT If you like to rock out the show and go old school, hit up S405 from 5:30 - 6:15 in S405 for music and art, hard core style. Finally, if you're in for the Late Night Thrills at C2E2, let's do a lightning round of activities. You can go to: Second City Live Improv from 6-7 pm in S404 The C2E2 Stand-up Comedy Showcase (18+) from 7-8:30 in S403 The C2E2 Talent Show from 7-8:15 pm on the S100 Main Stage or Fandom Unleashed: The Nerdlesque Show (18+) in S404 Then GO TO BED AND WASH YOUR FACE! It's time for Saturday before you know it. Saturday, March 28th Listen, I don't want to tell you this, but I feel like this is a guide, and I have to, or I'm not doing right by you. The thing is, Saturday is always a massive day. There's always a massive crowd, and there's always a lot of chaos. Think traffic jams that mean you can't get to the Breakfast Club panel (not me last year) and lines that lead you only to overflow rooms which also then fill up. Sad. Anyway, we're frontloading this day beginning at 11 am, and I'm about to tell you the way you get into a panel with a huge celeb or celebs you MUST SEE that also happen to be must sees for everyone else in Chicago. Y ou go SUPER EARLY and you PLAN TO BE IN LINE FOR HOURS. Like, if you really, really must see these folks, the toll is your time. Get your snacks, drinks, and whatever you can comfortably sit on in line and then see if you can get parking and get in the line before the other 20,000 folks show up. So, here's the reason I say that. At 11 am sharp, you Whovians are going to wish you had a TARDIS so you could crash into S404 for Fantastic! A Spotlight on Christopher Eccleston like it wasn't a thing, but you're gonna have to wait like a dumb singlehearted human. OR If you're off to see the Scarlet Witch , Elizabeth Olsen basically breaks the entire convention at 11 am in S100 when she takes the stage for The Scarlet Witch and Beyond: Elizabeth Olsen in Conversation. BUT If you're not into that, make a reservation for the Gothic Fantasy Tea and Broths Party and Spells in S503 or hit up the KPOP Random Dance! on the Show Floor instead at the same time - 11 -12. Today's recommended Side Quest tourney is the Mario Kart World one , and it runs from 1 2:00 to 3:00 pm , so if you're a kart racing fanatic, let's-a-go! HOWEVER Daredevil fans should be racing over to the S100 Main Stage because Hell's Kitchen Returns: Daredevil Born Again is starting at 12:30 and runs through 1:30 and yes, Charlie Cox will be there! Booktokers and beyond might want to check out the Frightening and Fantastic World of James Tynion in S402 at 1:30 to 2:15, WHILE West Wing stans should probably be heading over to Walk and Talk: The West Wing with Martin Sheen and Dule Hill from 2:00 to 3:00 in, you guessed it, S100. Gamers, pay attention - you need to grab a friend and head up to the Pride Lounge in S504 at 3:00 because you can play Blind Mario Kart - which is what it sounds like - you drive, facing away from the screen, and rely on your friend to tell you where to go. Friendships will be made and broken. I'm here for the chaos. Local and non-local horror and camp fans alike should be there for The Beasts of Berwyn, SVENGOOLIE & The Sven Squad Un-Live! because listen, horror, comedy and chickens. Say less. That's in S403 from 3:30 - 4:30. Be there. BUT If you're feeling like some hero action , make sure not to miss You Have Failed This Panel: The Cast of Arrow at 3:30 to 4:30 on S100's Main Stage , with Emily Bett Rickards, David Ramsey and Ashley V Robinson. Rounding out the afternoon, if you've never been to a Drink and Draw , it's fun and inspiring, and you can just hang out in The Yard for it at 5:45 - 6:45. OR If you've got a fursona and you want to meet some other furry friends, there's a meetup at 6:00 on the Show Floor. BUT If you're craving D&D action , head to S403 from 6:30 -8 for Improv D&D For your Saturday night entertainment , hit up the Pride Lounge from 7-9 pm (That's S504) OR Marvel at amazing cosplay with the Cosplay Crown Championship Regional Qualifier and US Finals - 7:30 to 9:30 on the Mainstage, that's S100 to you. Then it's TIME FOR BED, SUNDAY IS UPON US Sunday, March 29th Ok, you clever girls and guys and theys and those. It's time to go. Sunday isn't pulling any punches, and I will literally die if we don't dive right into this Sunday schedule now. You're headed to the park first - Welcome to Jurassic Park: A Reunion with the Original Cast kicks off the day at our S100 Main Stage with BD Wong, Ariana Richards, Joseph Mazzello, Wayne Knight, Ashley V Robinson. That's at 10:30 to 11:30 so you need to hear me when I say: get there early. BUT Forget that if you'd just rather relive your KPop Demon Hunters fun and sing a long. That's happening in the Tavern (S406) from 11 - 11:45. Disney Adults and people who were obsessed with the Little Mermaid like me forever - Part of Your World: Celebrating The Little Mermaid is from 11:00 - 12:00 in S404 and it has Jodi Benson - yes, for real, it's Ariel - but also, Christopher Daniel Barnes - Eric! That's a hell of a rarity and I think I need to go to see this. Gamers , if you're into things like, I dunno, Halo , maybe go see Finish the Fight: A Spotlight on Steve Downes. That'll be in S401 from 12:15 - 1pm. OR Say hail yes to Hail Hydra! A Spotlight on Brett Dalton in S404 from 12:30 to 1:30 - you know, if you like Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. or a myriad other cool pop culture things. If you're ready to queue up for a Marvel panel , you should get goin', because 1:30 pm is clobberin' time. That's the It's Clobberin' Time: The Cast of Fantastic Four panel on the Main Stage in S100, by the way, with Ioan Gruffudd, Michael Chiklis and Ashley V Robinson. BUT If interstellar adventure and friendship are your ultimate goals , let's stick around because the Spotlight on Andy Weir- you know, the author who brought us the AMAZE Project Hail Mary , is having his spotlight Sunday from 2- 3pm in S404 . But don't tell anyone, because I'm pretty sure since the movie's been so popular, we're gonna blow out those doors. Maybe they should move it to S100, question? There's plenty more on the main schedule as per us, my lovelies, so make sure to check that out, and maybe download the C2E2 app, since you can set reminders for panels you'd hate to miss. This is a small sampling of the larger programming and as always we encourage you to try new things, and go outside your comfort zone - it's what makes your convention experience something truly unforgettable. That said, C2E2 is our favorite con of the year for good reason - it's not 'just another convention' with the same celebs and panels - it's full of great things you can only get, see, eat and do in Chicago, and full of our lore and personality, and we wouldn't miss it for the world. Unless we're still sleeping, since this hasn't published and it's almost 5 am. Did I mention if you see me on the floor I'll be sleeping in a corner? Cuz...well...yeah. It's a brand new day, and the sun is high. All the nerds are coming and I'm gonna die... bonus points if you can tell me what that's from. Culture Combine Out. On the Floor. All Convention Long. Cosplay, interviews, and more. Stay tuned.

Screenshot: Aether & Iron As much as video games have tightened up as safe, corporate products over the years, it’s still awesome to see developers taking chances and swinging for the fences. Aether & Iron  wouldn’t be possible if every release came from a rigid corporate structure. It’s an ambitious blend of RPG and visual novel that might occasionally betray its lower production values, but it more than makes up for it with great storytelling and stellar voice acting. There’s also some turn-based vehicular tactics thrown in for good measure, though it never quite blends seamlessly with the narrative. One of the things that initially pulled me into this Aether-filled, alternate retro-future New York was the promise of car combat. Not in a frantic Twisted Metal  style, but a tactical, turn-based experience built around the concept of the Hollywood car chase. Okay, fine—I was completely won over by the promise of a hardboiled, noir "decopunk" reality, but the car combat was definitely a major hook. Screenshot: Aether & Iron At its core, Aether & Iron  bills itself as a turn-based tactics role-playing game, but functionally, it plays much more like a narrative-heavy visual novel punctuated by skill checks and combat encounters to spice things up. This isn’t a bad thing at all. Going into it expecting a story-first experience is the best way to approach it. The setting itself—a retro-futuristic city kept afloat by flying machines—is practically another character. It leans heavily into 1930s noir tropes, right down to the societal divide between the Lowers and the Uppers. It’s a tale as old as time: the rich ignore the world's problems even when the sky is literally falling around them. In this universe, the accumulation of so much Aether is causing massive environmental disruptions, threatening to drop the floating metropolis right out of the sky. (As an aside for the geography buffs: the developers inexplicably put the Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island, which is a notable ‘Mandela Effect.’ Clearly in this universe it was on Ellis Island after all.) Screenshot: Aether & Iron The catalyst for the plot is a job to escort Nellie, a scientist from the Uppers who is as sheltered from the city's grim realities as you are steeped in them. You play as Gia, a smuggler who handles the game's varied cast—ranging from doctors and movie stars to the lowest dregs of society—with a cynical, world-weary moral ambiguity. The dialogue can occasionally verge into hammy territory, but it fits perfectly with the pulp-noir theme. The voice work across the board is great, and the developers clearly know it, letting the cast carry the emotional weight of the story. The gameplay loop largely consists of bouncing back and forth from objective to objective as you move from one point of the world map to another, sometimes hindered by random encounters. Missions range from simple protection gigs to a full-blown, multi-step casino heist. Screenshot: Aether & Iron Because Gia is a smuggler, you constantly have to consider random stops. If you have contraband out in the open, it’ll get confiscated—or worse, result in a messy run-in with the local authorities. You can modify your car to hide illicit goods, or keep them in the open to add some spice to your travels.  However, despite my hours in Aether & Iron , I found myself constantly waiting for the world to finally open up and offer me more agency. Sadly, it never really does. Sure, you can make a few decisions about what to tackle first, but you’re mostly being led by the nose through the narrative. If you’re okay with a linear ride, you'll be happy. But after the game teases a wide-open world with beautifully drawn overworld maps, it's disappointing to see them reduced to a few quickly driven streets that just shuffle you from point A to point B. The RPG mechanics also stumble. The skill trees govern both your conversational and combat abilities, but the skills you need to navigate the story aren’t necessarily the ones you want during the tactical combat sections. This dynamic severely hamstrung my original character build–thankfully there are items that allow you to respect characters. To add more disappointment, the different companions you recruit share the exact same skill tree as Gia, just in truncated forms. While this makes it easy to build a synergistic team, it entirely removes the thrill of discovering what a new character brings to your established group. Screenshot: Aether & Iron Then there is the turn-based car combat, which put up a massive roadblock in my progression. After the first few introductory fights, the difficulty curve spikes hard. I repeatedly found myself failing encounters, forcing me to retreat to a shop to grind out new equipment for my car just to survive spontaneous battles, only to rinse and repeat at the next roadblock. If there was some sort of car progression baked smoothly into the narrative, it wouldn’t feel so jarring. Instead, the combat often feels like a tacked-on nuisance that actively breaks up the pacing of the story. Mechanically, the battles have bizarre quirks. For instance, it costs more Action Points (AP) to move forward than backward. I frequently found myself moving forward as a defensive maneuver at the start of a fight, only to get stuck in the back row with highly restricted movement while the rest of the battle played out. The encounters aren't entirely horrible—they do give the player a physical way to touch the world beyond clicking dialogue options, and they achieve the developer's goal of creating dynamic vehicular combat—but the execution leaves a lot to be desired. Screenshot: Aether & Iron Another major complaint is the overall technical execution has some rough edges. The menus feel weirdly sticky. Either the hitboxes for the buttons are too small, or they’re just finicky, but I constantly found myself wrestling with the UI, especially when trying to repair vehicles or swap parts in the garage. More dangerously, the save/load menu is laid out in a way that makes accidental deletion terrifyingly easy. I accidentally wiped my entire campaign while trying to delete a single file. (Luckily, I was just testing out save scumming a dice roll, so I was able to save my progress and continue.) Aether & Iron  is a game of incredible atmosphere and so-so car combat.You can tell it’s a game that has a lot of heart–from the voice actors giving it their all to the art setting the stage. But it never fully came together for me in a package that felt cohesive. But I enjoyed my time with Aether and Iron and would love to spend more time in this world.