TV and Movie News

An upcoming episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 will feature a fun surprise: a cameo by series co-creator, Maurissa Tancharoen. There were a lot of questions leading up to this season of this show, especially because fans didn't know until just before the premiere if star Clark Gregg would remain with the series. Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.'s season 6 trailer later confirmed that he would - but as a completely new character instead of fan favorite, Phil Coulson. In a heartbreaking twist, the season 6 premiere revealed that Gregg's new character is Sarge, the team's primary antagonist, and that he has Coulson's DNA, raising questions of his connection to the former director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

In addition to Gregg's role within the series, there was also a question leading up to the premiere of whether the events of Avengers: Endgame would be acknowledged. One of last season's final episodes, which aired after the release of Avengers: Infinity War, briefly showed footage of Thanos' attack on New York. However, though this season's premiere featured a year-long time jump, the snap wasn't acknowledged and none of the characters were impacted. Marvel TV head Jeph Loeb explained that, without knowing for sure when Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 would air, they couldn't risk referencing Avengers: Endgame.

Related: Why Marvel TV Ignores Infinity War (& Why It’s A Problem For Agents of SHIELD) 

Per Syfy Wire, Tancharoen will appear in the May 31 episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6. The episode, titled "Code Yellow," is the fourth episode and will feature aliens endangering the human race. She'll play a woman named Sequoia, described as a "Coachella-chic social media influencer." Check out a photo of Tancharoen's series debut, below. Speaking about her first appearance on the show, Tancharoen said the following:

"We had talked about the possibility of a cameo at some point in our run, but when the Zuckerman sisters crafted the treasure that is Sequoia, I was all in. I might’ve bit off more than I could chew, but it was so much fun to shift gears and play in front of the camera with a cast and crew I’ve worked closely with for six years.”

Though we don't know much about her character aside from the influencer description, Sequoia must have some connection to Jeff Ward's character, Deke Shaw, since they appear together in the photo. After spending most of last season as a goofy cynic who tagged along from the future, Deke's deeper connection to two of the show's characters was revealed: he's the grandson of long-time couple, Fitz and Simmons. Deke spent most of his life in a horrifying dystopia, but left the team to explore his new world at the end of last season and hasn't been seen since. Since the photo looks like it could be in S.H.I.E.L.D. headquarters, it seems possible that Deke meets up with his friends again and brings Tancharoen's character along for the ride.

In addition to co-creating Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. with Jed and Joss Whedon, Tancharoen is also an executive producer on the series.  Her other credits include Spartacus: Gods of the Arena, Drop Dead Diva, and Dollhouse. Tancharoen teamed up with the Whedons and their brother, Zack, on cult classic Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, for which she won a Streamy Award.

Next: Agents of SHIELD: What On Earth Is Going On With Fitz?

Agents of  S.H.I.E.L.D. season 6 continues Friday, May 31 with "Code Yellow" on ABC.

Source: Syfy Wire

First announced in 2017 and premiering at Fantastic Fest in 2018, The Perfection is now available to stream on Netflix. Over the last several years, the company has become renowned for releasing content geared towards all types of demographics, with this film being geared towards the horror/thriller crowd. It's certainly one of the more unusual Netflix original films to hit the scene recently - in ways both good and bad. The Perfection has fun telling its twisty story, which is bolstered by the compelling performances of both Allison Williams and Logan Browning.

If The Perfection took a more straightforward approach to its narrative, it probably wouldn't be as fascinating a viewing experience. One of its strongest attributes is director and co-writer Richard Shepard's decision to peel back layers as he goes long, intentionally misleading the audience until the next twist hits. Admittedly, by the time The Perfection reaches its conclusion, it doesn't have anything all that interesting or new to say about the timely subject material it looks to tackle, but the journey it takes to get there keeps viewers on their toes as they try to guess what's next. Without getting into spoilers, the plot does delve into the over-the-top and ridiculous, but within the context of this film, it works for the most part.

Portraying talented cellists Charlotte and Lizzie (who were, at various points in their lives, the favorite student of Steven Weber's Anton, a teacher at a premier music school in Boston), Williams and Browning carry most of The Perfection on their shoulders. Their performances have a certain level of intrigue to them, since they have to do their part to sell viewers on certain plot developments and help Shepard preserve his surprises. Both actresses are up to task, tackling anything thrown their way, including body horror, romance, thriller, and everything in between. The layers Williams and Browning inject into their characters are appreciated, as they help elevate the final product with committed turns.

Unfortunately, the rest of the ensemble doesn't fare as well. The most prominent secondary role is that of Weber's Anton, another piece of this puzzle that has more going on than apparent at first blush. His performance may not be as engrossing as either of the two leads, but that's more a product of the script than anything else. Weber is definitely effective in his scenes, and the character serves his purpose in the narrative well. Others in the cast, like Alaina Huffman as Anton's wife Paloma, frankly do not have much to do and leave a minimal impression over the course of the film's runtime. Because of the nature of the story, this isn't the biggest detriment against The Perfection, but some may still be left wanting a little more from those outside of Williams and Browning. This never needed to be a huge ensemble piece, though certain characters are merely plot devices.

Another issue with The Perfection is that it takes a long time before the narrative and character motivations come into focus, hamstringing the first act as it meanders along. This is obviously a byproduct of Shepard not wanting to reveal too much at once and keep up the suspense, but his handling is almost vague to a fault. Once the main plot kicks in, The Perfection transforms into a wild ride, but some viewers may have difficulty getting invested early on. More positively, Shepard largely abides by the "show don't tell" rule to establish his characters and their situations and employs some neat tricks to make The Perfection interesting visually. Certain choices might come off as a little gimmicky, but they still give the film a bit of a personality.

All in all, The Perfection puts various elements into a blender and ultimately crafts something worth watching out of its unique concoction. This is definitely not a film for everybody, but those with a taste for the twisted and bizarre will likely find something out of it. Pacing problems aside, Shepard delivers something different and even a little unpredictable. Like many Netflix films, the streaming service is the ideal landing spot for something such as this, which certainly would have been lost in the shuffle of the bigger studio blockbusters coming out now. But for those who want to spend a night in and see something unlike anything in theaters currently, give The Perfection a try.

The Perfection is now streaming on Netflix. It runs 90 minutes and is rated TV-MA.

Let us know what you thought of the film in the comments!